Reversible light switch for macrocycle mobility in a DNA rotaxane

A recent trend in DNA nanotechnology consists of the assembly of architectures with dynamic properties that can be regulated by employing external stimuli. Reversible processes are important for implementing molecular motion into DNA architectures as they allow for the regeneration of the original state. Here we describe two different approaches for the reversible switching of a double-stranded DNA rotaxane architecture from a stationary pseudorotaxane mode into a state with movable components. Both states only marginally differ in their respective topologies but their mechanical properties are fundamentally different. In the two approaches, the switching operation is based on strand-displacement reactions. One of them employs toehold-extended oligodeoxynucleotides whereas in the other one the switching is achieved by light-irradiation. In both cases, multiple back and forth switching between the stationary and the mobile states was achieved in nearly quantitative fashion. The ability to reversibly operate mechanical motion in an interlocked DNA nanostructure opens exciting new avenues in DNA nanotechnology.     

Dynamical (e,2e) studies of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol

Cross section data for electron scattering from DNA are important for modelling radiation damage in biological systems. Triply differential cross sections for the electron impact ionization of the highest occupied outer valence orbital of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, which can be considered as an analogue to the deoxyribose backbone molecule in DNA, have been measured using the (e,2e) technique. The measurements have been performed with coplanar asymmetric kinematics at an incident electron energy of 250 eV, an ejected electron energy of 20 eV, and at scattered electron angles of -5°, -10°, and -15°. Experimental results are compared with corresponding theoretical calculations performed using the molecular 3-body distorted wave model. Some important differences are observed between the experiment and calculations.     

Halogenated methyl-phenyl ethers (anisoles) in the environment: Determination of vapor pressures, aqueous solubilities, Henry's law constants, and gas/water- (Kgw), n-octanol/water- (Kow) and gas/n-octanol (Kgo) partition coefficients

Halogenated methyl-phenyl ethers (methoxybenzenes, anisoles) are ubiquitous organics in the environment although they are not produced in industrial quantities. Modelling the fate of organic pollutants such as halogenated anisoles requires a knowledge of the fundamental physico-chemical properties of these compounds. The isomer-specific separation and detection of 60 of the 134 possible congeners allowing an environmental fingerprinting are reported in this study. The vapor pressure p0(L) of more than 60 and further physico-chemical properties of 26 available congeners are given. Vapor pressures p0(L), water solubilities S(L)W, and n-octanol/water partition coefficients Kow were determined by capillary HR-GC (High Resolution Gas Chromatography) on a non-polar phase and by RP-HPLC (Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography) on a C18 phase with chlorobenzenes as reference standards. From these experimental data the Henry's law constants H, and the gas/water Kgw and gas/n-octanol Kgo partition coefficients were calculated. We found that vapor pressures, water solubilities, and n-octanol/water partition coefficients of the halogenated anisoles are close to those of the chlorobenzenes. A similar environmental fate of both groups can, therefore, be predicted.     

Synthesis and Characterisation of Hierarchically Structured Titanium Silicalite-1 Zeolites with Large Intracrystalline Macropores

The successful synthesis of hierarchically structured titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) with large intracrystalline macropores by steam-assisted crystallisation of mesoporous silica particles is reported. The macropore topology was imaged in 3D by using electron tomography and synchrotron radiation-based ptychographic X-ray computed tomography, revealing interconnected macropores within the crystals accounting for about 30 % of the particle volume. The study of the macropore formation mechanism revealed that the mesoporous silica particles act as a sacrificial macropore template during the synthesis. Silicon-to-titanium ratio of the macroporous TS-1 samples was successfully tuned from 100 to 44. The hierarchically structured TS-1 exhibited high activity in the liquid phase epoxidation of 2-octene with hydrogen peroxide. The hierarchically structured TS-1 surpassed a conventional nano-sized TS-1 sample in terms of alkene conversion and showed comparable selectivity to the epoxide. The flexible synthesis route described here can be used to prepare hierarchical zeolites with improved mass transport properties for other selective oxidation reactions.     

Determination of ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, and isoascorbic acid in blood

Summary High-performance liquid chromatography with UV-detection at 254 nm was used for determining ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, and isoascorbic acid in plasma and erythrocytes obtained from healthy volunteers and from patients with coronary infarct, acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL), and acute myeloic leukemia (AML). Deproteinisation was done by a simple ultrafiltration technique. Dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) was determined after reduction to ascorbic acid with dithiothreitol. The separation system chosen allows the search for the stereoisomer isoascorbic acid. To exclude interfering substances which could coelute with ascorbic or isoascorbic acid, several other compounds present in plasma were investigated including e.g. the aromatic amino acids, glutathione, cysteine, and uric acid. The results reveal a drastic decrease in total vitamin C concentration in plasma and erythrocytes with a concomitant increase in rel. DHA concentration in patients with AML. In ALL patients, both the total vitamin C and rel. DHA concentrations were increased.

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Bestimmung von Ascorbinsäure, Dehydroascorbinsäure und Isoascorbinsäure in Blut

Zusammenfassung High-performance-liquid-Chromatographie mit UV-Nachweis bei 254 nm wurde zur Bestimmung von Ascorbinsäure, Dehydroascorbinsäure und Isoascorbinsäure in Plasma und Erythrocyten von gesunden Probanden und von Patienten mit Herzinfarkt, akuter lymphatischer Leukämie (ALL) und akuter myeloischer Leukämie (AML) benutzt. Deproteinisierung erfolgte mittels einer einfachen Ultrafiltrationstechnik. Dehydroascorbinsäure wurde nach Reduktion mit Dithiothreitol als Ascorbinsäure bestimmt. Die benutzte Methode erlaubt auch die Bestimmung des Stereoisomers Isoascorbinsäure. Der mögliche Einfluß von im Plasma vorkommenden Substanzen auf die Bestimmung des Vitamin C wurde untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine drastische Abnahme der Gesamt-Vitamin C-Konzentration in Plasma und Erythrocyten mit einer parallelen Zunahme der relativen DHA-Konzentration in AML-Patienten. In ALL-Patienten sind sowohl die Gesamt-Vitamin C- als auch die relative DHA-Konzentrationen erhöht.

     

Inclusive γ and π0 production inK − p interactions at 32 GeV/c

The inclusive production of γ's and π^p0's inK ^? p-interactions at 32 GeV/c is studied. About 30.000 γ's coming from a Mirabelle bubble chamber experiment with a sensitivity of 6.5 ev/μb have been used for the analysis. Inclusive and topological cross sections of γ's are measured. The γ invariant differential distributions and their scaling properties are investigated. The inclusive cross section of π^p0-production is determined and the π^p0 invariant differential distributions are evaluated and compared to those of π^p±.