Ultraviolet B irradiation modulates the immune system of fish (Rutilus rutilus, Cyprinidae). Part III: Lymphocytes

The effects of short-term exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation on lymphocyte-related parameters were studied under controlled laboratory conditions using roach (Rutilus rutilus), a cyprinid teleost, as the model fish. In vitro lymphoproliferative responses stimulated with a T-cell-specific mitogen, concanavalin A (ConA), or a B-cell-specific activator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), were decreased in exposed fish. Also nonstimulated proliferation was lower than in unexposed fish. ConA-activated responses returned to normal levels within 7 days after exposure, but LPS-activated responses were reduced throughout the 14 day follow-up. The capability of UVB-exposed fish to produce an antibody response was studied by intraperitoneal immunization with bovine gamma-globulin (BGG). The concentration of anti-BGG antibodies in plasma as well as the number of anti-BGG-specific antibody-secreting cells in the spleen or blood were not decreased in fish exposed either to a single dose of UVB prior to immunization, or to single dose of UVB prior to immunization followed by three additional doses after immunization. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) production, when assayed as plasma IgM level or as the number of IgM-secreting cells in the spleen or blood, was not suppressed after exposure to UVB irradiation. These results indicate that a single dose of UVB or short-term exposure to UVB irradiation has no negative effects on IgM production or reactivity against antigen administered via the intraperitoneal route. However, the suppression of in vitro lymphoproliferative responses suggest that exposure to UVB has the potential to interfere with lymphocyte-related functions in fish.     

An unexpected [2+2]-cycloaddition reaction of 4-methyldithieno-[3,4-b:3′,2′-d]pyridinium iodide with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate

An unexpected [2+2]-cycloaddition occured in the reaction of 4-methyldithieno-[3,4-6:3′,2′-d]pyridinium iodide (3)with two equivalents of DMAD, giving 4-(trans-1,2-dicarbomethoxy-2- iodovinyl)-5-methyl-6,7-dicarbomethoxy-4,5-dihydrothieno [23-c]quinoline (4) in 54% yield. 4 is formed via 4-methyl-5-(trans-1,2-dicarbomethoxy-2-iodo-4,5-dihydrothieno [3,4-b:3′,2′-d]pyridine (16), followed by [2+2]-cycloaddition. The primary adduct rearranges via a thiepin to an episulfide which eliminates sulfur to give 4.     

Syntheses of various 5-(bromoaryl)-substituted uracils

The Suzuki Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling between arylboronic acids and aryl bromides or iodides in weakly alkaline medium, previously further developed by us, has been used for regioselective preparation of 5-(2′-bromo-5′-furyl)-, 5-(2′-bromo-4′-furyl)-, 5-(2′-bromo-5′-thienyl)-, 5-(2′-bromo-4′-thienyl)-, 5-(4′-bromo-2′-thiazolyl)-, 5-(3′-bromophenyl)-, 5-(6′-bromo-2′-pyridyl)- and 5-(4′-bromo-2′-pyrimidyl)-substituted 2,4-di-t-butoxypyrimidines. In the coupling between 2,4-di-t-butoxy-5-pyrimidineboronic acid and the nine different aryl dibromides that were tried as coupling partners, only the 2,4- and 2,5-dibromothiazoles did not give satisfactory yields, 15% and 0%, respectively. The other seven aryl dibromides gave the desired 5-(bromoaryl)-2,4-di-t-butoxypyrimidines in 58-89% yield. Attempts to synthesise 2,4-di-t-butoxy-5-(2′-bromo-4′-thienyl)pyrimidine from 2-bromo-4-iodothiophene failed. Dealkylation of the 5-(bromoaryl)-2,4-di-t-butoxypyrimidines in 2.5 M hydrochloric acid gave the corresponding 5-(bromoaryl)uracils in almost quantitative yields.     

A New method for the synthesis of 4-oxo-4,5-dihydrofuro[3,2-c]quinoline

A new method for the synthesis of 4-oxo-4,5-dihydrofuro[3,2-c]quinoline is the Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling of o-bromonitrobenzene with 3-formyl-2-tributylstannylfuran, followed by reductive ring closure to furo[3,2-c]quinoline N-oxide and rearrangement.     

Inverted reactivity of aryllithium derivatives V. On the syntheses of thiocyano-, phenylsulfinyl-, and phenoxy derivatives of thiophenes and furans

The reaction of some diheterocyclic iodonium salts with a variety of nucleophiles has been studied. The reaction was of preparative use for the syntheses of thiocyano, phenylsulfinyl and phenoxy derivatives of thiophenes and furans.     

Exposure to increased ambient ultraviolet B radiation has negative effects on growth, condition and immune function of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr were exposed in two outdoor experiments, ranging in duration from 52 to 137 days, to spectral treatments: (1) natural sunlight (=present ambient UVB level), (2) solar radiation supplemented with enhanced UVB radiation from lamps simulating 20% or 8% stratospheric ozone loss or (3) UVB-depleted sunlight achieved by screening with Mylar-D film. The growth, condition and immune function of the salmon were quantified after treatments. Exposure to enhanced UVB radiation retarded growth, and decreased hematocrit value and plasma protein concentration. Further, enhanced UVB radiation affected plasma immunoglobulin concentration. The results demonstrate that juvenile Atlantic salmon are not able to fully adapt to increased ambient UVB levels in long-term exposures, and the interference with immune system function suggests a negative effect of UVB on disease resistance in Atlantic salmon.     

Scenario-based portfolio selection of investment projects with incomplete probability and utility information

In the selection of investment projects, it is important to account for exogenous uncertainties (such as macroeconomic developments) which may impact the performance of projects. These uncertainties can be addressed by examining how the projects perform across several scenarios; but it may be difficult to assign well-founded probabilities to such scenarios, or to characterize the decision makers’ risk preferences through a uniquely defined utility function. Motivated by these considerations, we develop a portfolio selection framework which (i) uses set inclusion to capture incomplete information about scenario probabilities and utility functions, (ii) identifies all the non-dominated project portfolios in view of this information, and (iii) offers decision support for rejection and selection of projects. The proposed framework enables interactive decision support processes where the implications of additional probability and utility information or further risk constraints are shown in terms of corresponding decision recommendations.     

The Linearized Calderón Problem on Complex Manifolds

In this note we show that on any compact subdomain of a Kähler manifold that admits sufficiently many global holomorphic functions, the products of harmonic functions form a complete set. This gives a positive answer to the linearized anisotropic Calderón problem on a class of complex manifolds that includes compact subdomains of Stein manifolds and sufficiently small subdomains of Kähler manifolds. Some of these manifolds do not admit limiting Carleman weights, and thus cannot be treated by standard methods for the Calderón problem in higher dimensions. The argument is based on constructing Morse holomorphic functions with approximately prescribed critical points. This extends earlier results from the case of Riemann surfaces to higher dimensional complex manifolds.     

Self-assembly properties of bile acid derivatives of l-cysteine,l-valine and l-serine alkyl esters

Comprehensive self-assembly studies for nine bile acid amides of amino acid esters are reported. The number of the hydroxyl groups attached to the steroidal skeleton and the character of the amino acid ester moiety were used as variables when examining the self-assembly properties of the compounds. Two of the compounds were shown to undergo self-assembly leading to organogelation. In addition, preliminary self-assembly studies in aqueous mixtures of polar organic solvents were conducted. Microscopic methods (optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) were utilised in order to gain a deeper insight into the self-assembled structures. Furthermore, single-crystal X-ray structures for three of the compounds were solved.     

Tensor tomography on surfaces

We show that on simple surfaces the geodesic ray transform acting on solenoidal symmetric tensor fields of arbitrary order is injective. This solves a long standing inverse problem in the two-dimensional case.