Influence of Cross-Sectional Uncertainty on Sensitivity Studies of DUNE and T2HK Experiments

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - We successfully realized symmetric and asymmetric cyclic quantum teleportation by using different controllers for each receiver. In this study, Alice...     

Mass spectrometry combined with affinity probes for the identification of CP4 EPSPS in genetically modified soybeans

Sample preparation methods used for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) analysis are often time consuming, require extensive manual manipulation, and result in limited amounts of purified protein, which may complicate the detection of low‐abundance GM protein. A robust sample pretreatment method prior to mass spectrometry (MS) detection of the transgenic protein (5‐enolpyruvylshikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase [CP4 EPSPS]) present in Roundup Ready soya is investigated. Liquid chromatography‐multiple reaction monitoring tandem MS (nano LC‐MS/MS‐MRM) was used for the detection and quantification of CP4 EPSPS. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and concanavalin A (Con A)‐immobilized Sepharose 4B were used as selective probes for the separation of the major storage proteins in soybeans. AuNPs that enable the capture of cysteine‐containing proteins were used to reduce the complexity of the crude extract of GM soya. Con A‐sepharose was used for the affinity capture of β‐conglycinin and other glycoproteins of soya prior to enzymatic digestion. The methods enabled the detection of unique peptides of CP4 EPSPS at a level as low as 0.5% of GM soya in MRM mode. Stable‐isotope dimethyl labeling was further applied to the quantification of GM soya. Both probes exhibited high selectivity and efficiency for the affinity capture of storage proteins, leading to the quantitative detection at 0.5% GM soya, which is a level below the current European Union's threshold for food labeling. The square correlation coefficients were greater than 0.99. The approach for sample preparation is very simple without the need for time‐consuming protein prefractionation or separation procedures and thus presents a significant improvement over existing methods for the analysis of the GM soya protein.     

A DFT study of the conformational and electronic properties of echinatin,a retrochalcone,and its anion in the gas phase and aqueous solution

Structural Chemistry - Echinatin (Ech), a characteristic retrochalcone isolated from liquorice, a widely used herbal medicine, has been investigated in detail in terms of its conformational and...     

Polyaniline–graphene oxide nanocomposites: Influence of nonconducting graphene oxide on the conductivity and oxidation‐reduction mechanism of polyaniline

The present endeavor focuses on the unusual interactions between polyaniline and graphene oxide (PANi–GO) which radically affects the properties of nanocomposites as it is an emerging material for many potential applications. A series of nanocomposites have been synthesized by varying the weight percentage of highly nonconducting GO with respect to aniline which exhibit superior properties in terms of shelf life, processability and conductivity due to the synergistic effect of GO and PANi. A comparison of the resistances of samples reveal that though as‐synthesized GO is insulating (80 MΩ), when added to PANi (283 kΩ) in small amounts yields conducting composites (50–280 Ω). Up to 5 weight % concentration, GO renders conductivity to the composite probably by increasing the doping level of PANi. Nonetheless, no further increase in conductivity observed on addition of more than 5 wt% GO in the composite has dictated us to unravel the structure property relationship between PANi and GO, where GO facilitates the formation of partially reduced phase of PANi, thereby restricting the electronic transport. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3778–3786     

Enhancing the Viscosity-Sensitive Range of a BODIPY Molecular Rotor by Two Orders of Magnitude

Molecular rotors are a class of fluorophores that enable convenient imaging of viscosity inside microscopic samples such as lipid vesicles or live cells. Currently, rotor compounds containing a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) group are among the most promising viscosity probes. In this work, it is reported that by adding heavy-electron-withdrawing −NO₂ groups, the viscosity-sensitive range of a BODIPY probe is drastically expanded from 5–1500 cP to 0.5–50 000 cP. The improved range makes it, to our knowledge, the first hydrophobic molecular rotor applicable not only at moderate viscosities but also for viscosity measurements in highly viscous samples. Furthermore, the photophysical mechanism of the BODIPY molecular rotors under study has been determined by performing quantum chemical calculations and transient absorption experiments. This mechanism demonstrates how BODIPY molecular rotors work in general, why the −NO₂ group causes such an improvement, and why BODIPY molecular rotors suffer from undesirable sensitivity to temperature. Overall, besides reporting a viscosity probe with remarkable properties, the results obtained expand the general understanding of molecular rotors and show a way to use the knowledge of their molecular action mechanism for augmenting their viscosity-sensing properties.     

Radiochemical studies using 59Fe and 35S provide evidence for iron-regulated uptake of sulfur in wheat

Ecological half-lives of radiocesium were observed on Izu-Oshima Island, Japan, a place which experiences typhoons annually. The estimated ecological half-lives (uncertainty) based on the observations above an asphalt and a bare surface were 1.6 year (31.6%) and 1.9 year (14.4%), respectively; those of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in soil were 1.5 year (7.2%) and 4.0 year (5.9%), respectively. The radiation level was quickly returned to the original level compared to other locations that do not experience such typhoon activity.

     

A mild oxidation of deactivated naphthalenes and anthracenes to corresponding para-quinones by N-bromosuccinimide

A new method to synthesize 1,4-naphthoquinone and 9,10-anthraquinone from naphthalene and anthracene functionalized with either –CHO or –COOH groups, using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in aqueous N,N-dimethylformamide at 75–80 °C, has been developed. Further, –CN and –CONH₂ functionalized naphthalenes and anthracenes can also be transformed into respective para-quinones in a one pot reaction, after successive acid hydrolysis and subsequent reaction with NBS. We believe that the present finding may serve as a valuable alternative to the classical approaches for the synthesis of polycyclic quinones from polyaromatic carbaldehydes through Dakin oxidation followed by further oxidation of the resulting hydroquinone by heavy metal oxides.     

Synthesis of bioactive heterocycles using reusable heterogeneous catalyst HClO4–SiO2 under solvent-free conditions

We are reporting a simple, efficient and green protocol for the synthesis of chromenes and dihydropyrimidines (products of Knoevenagel and Biginelli reaction, respectively) by the use of silica-supported perchloric acid (HClO₄–SiO₂) as an effective heterogeneous catalyst. Short reaction times, high product yields, simple procedure and reusability of the catalyst are the superior characteristics of this protocol.     

Detection of bacterial quorum sensing <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-acyl homoserine lactones in clinical samples

Bacteria communicate among themselves using certain chemical signaling molecules. These signaling molecules generally are N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in Gram-negative bacteria and oligopeptides in Gram-positive bacteria. In addition, both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria produce a family of signaling molecules known as autoinducer-2 that they employ for their communications. Bacteria coordinate their behavior by releasing and responding to the chemical signaling molecules present in proportion to their population density. This phenomenon is known as quorum sensing. The role of bacteria in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, is well established. Moreover, rather recently bacterial quorum sensing has been implicated in the onset of bacterial pathogenicity. Thus, we hypothesized that the signaling molecules involved in bacterial communication may serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of several bacteria-related diseases. For that, we previously developed a method based on genetically engineered whole-cell sensing systems for the rapid, sensitive, cost-effective and quantitative detection of AHLs in biological samples, such as saliva and stool, from both healthy and diseased individuals with GI disorders. Although various analytical methods, based on physical-chemical techniques and bacterial whole-cell biosensors, have been developed for the detection of AHLs in the supernatants of bacterial cultures, only a few of them have been applied to AHL monitoring in real samples. In this paper, we report work performed in our laboratory and review that from others that describes the detection of AHLs in biological, clinical samples, and report some of our recent experimental results.     

Gram level synthesis of lead-free solder in the nanometer length scale obtained from tin and silver compounds using silicone oil

A straightforward route to gram level synthesis of a pure phase of the Sn-Ag nanoalloy in an eutectic composition (Sn/Ag 96.5:3.5) in silicone oil is reported. The composition, morphology, and microstructure of the alloy were fully characterized. In a mixture of ethylene glycol and silicone oil, direct reduction of Sn(II) acetate and Ag(I) nitrate gave the Sn-Ag nanoalloy. The nanoalloy disintegrates by sonication and reforms by heating, leading to smaller particles with a melting point as low as 128 degrees C.