On one-relator products induced by generalized triangle groups II

This is the second of two papers in which we study a group which is the quotient of a free product of groups by the normal closure of a single word that is contained in a subgroup which has the form of a free product of two cyclic groups. We use known properties of generalized triangle groups, together with detailed analysis of pictures and of words in free monoids, to prove a number of results such as a Freiheitssatz and the existence of Mayer-Vietoris sequences for such groups under suitable hypotheses. The results generalize those in an earlier article of the second author and Shwartz.     

Overcoming Selectivity and Sensitivity Issues of Direct Inject Electrospray Mass Spectrometry via DAPNe-NSI-MS

Direct inject electrospray mass spectrometry offers minimal sample preparation and a “shotgun” approach to analyzing samples. However, complex matrix effects often make direct inject an undesirable sample introduction technique, particularly for trace level analytes. Highlighted here is our solution to the pitfalls of direct inject mass spectrometry and other ambient ionization methods with a focus on trace explosives. Direct analyte-probed nanoextraction coupled to nanospray ionization mass spectrometry solves selectivity issues and reduces matrix effects while maintaining minimal sample preparation requirements. With appropriate solvent conditions, most explosive residues can be analyzed with this technique regardless of the nature of the substance (i.e., nitroaromatic, oxidizing salt, or peroxide).

On one-relator products induced by generalized triangle groups I

In this paper and a sequel, we study a group which is the quotient of a free product of groups by the normal closure of a single word that is contained in a subgroup which has the form of a free product of two cyclic groups. We use known properties of generalized triangle groups, together with detailed analysis of pictures and of words in free monoids, to prove a number of results such as a Freiheitssatz and the existence of Mayer-Vietoris sequences for such groups under suitable hypotheses. The results generalize those in an earlier article of the second author and Shwartz.     

Adsorption kinetics,mechanistic, isotherm and thermodynamics study of petroleum produced water coagulation using novel Egeria radiate shell extract (ERSE)

BackgroundThe mechanistic and adsorptive component of petroleum produced water (PPW) coagulation has been studied, using novel Egeria radiata shell extract (ERSE).MethodsPhysiochemical and instrumental characterization of the precursor (Egeria Radiata Shell, ERS) and bio-coagulant were studied. Effects of process parameters on treatment efficiency and rate-determining step for the particles decontamination were investigated. The coag-flocculation data obtained were analyzed in the light of adsorption kinetics, mechanistic modeling, isotherm and thermodynamics studies.Significant findingsEvidenced results from the characterization showed that extracted coagulant (ERSE) possessed significant properties required to drive surface phenomenon process. Surface morphology and thermo-gram profile revealed significant porosity and thermal stability, respectively for ERSE. The highest adsorption capacity of 2068.132 ?mg/g was obtained at 5 ?g/L, 30 ?min, pH 4 and 45 ?°C. The adsorption regime was spontaneous, physically predominated and best described by the pseudo second order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. The thermodynamic analysis confirmed the process to be endothermic and entropy driven. High grade ERSE successfully demonstrated adequate treatment of the PPW at 90.9% efficiency, while maintaining significant influence of adsorption on the coagulation process. Moreover, the total cost of treating 1 ?L of PPW (involving material cost and electricity) was determined to be 3.8 $. Also, the costs of ERSE optimal dosage of 5 ?g/L preparation and energy are 0.3 and 3.5 $, respectively. Summarily, ERSE can be applied in effective decontamination of PWW.     

Deciphering the Interactions of Bioactive Compounds in Selected Traditional Medicinal Plants against Alzheimer’s Diseases via Pharmacophore Modeling,Auto-QSAR,and Molecular Docking Approaches

Neurodegenerative diseases, for example Alzheimer’s, are perceived as driven by hereditary, cellular, and multifaceted biochemical actions. Numerous plant products, for example flavonoids, are documented in studies for having the ability to pass the blood-brain barrier and moderate the development of such illnesses. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) has achieved importance in the drug discovery world; innovative developments in the aspects of structure identification and characterization, bio-computational science, and molecular biology have added to the preparation of new medications towards these ailments. In this study we evaluated nine flavonoid compounds identified from three medicinal plants, namely T. diversifolia, B. sapida, and I. gabonensis for their inhibitory role on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, using pharmacophore modeling, auto-QSAR prediction, and molecular studies, in comparison with standard drugs. The results indicated that the pharmacophore models produced from structures of AChE, BChE and MAO could identify the active compounds, with a recuperation rate of the actives found near 100% in the complete ranked decoy database. Moreso, the robustness of the virtual screening method was accessed by well-established methods including enrichment factor (EF), receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), Boltzmann-enhanced discrimination of receiver operating characteristic (BEDROC), and area under accumulation curve (AUAC). Most notably, the compounds’ pIC₅₀ values were predicted by a machine learning-based model generated by the AutoQSAR algorithm. The generated model was validated to affirm its predictive model. The best models achieved for AChE, BChE and MAO were models kpls_radial_17 (R² = 0.86 and Q² = 0.73), pls_38 (R² = 0.77 and Q² = 0.72), kpls_desc_44 (R² = 0.81 and Q² = 0.81) and these externally validated models were utilized to predict the bioactivities of the lead compounds. The binding affinity results of the ligands against the three selected targets revealed that luteolin displayed the highest affinity score of −9.60 kcal/mol, closely followed by apigenin and ellagic acid with docking scores of −9.60 and −9.53 kcal/mol, respectively. The least binding affinity was attained by gallic acid (−6.30 kcal/mol). The docking scores of our standards were −10.40 and −7.93 kcal/mol for donepezil and galanthamine, respectively. The toxicity prediction revealed that none of the flavonoids presented toxicity and they all had good absorption parameters for the analyzed targets. Hence, these compounds can be considered as likely leads for drug improvement against the same.     

Diiodinated Mono- and Dipyridylvinyl BODIPY Dyes: Photophysicochemical Properties,in vitro Antibacterial Studies,Molecular Docking and Theoretical Calculations

In this study, novel mono- and dipyridylvinyl boron dipyrromethene dyes are prepared to compare their photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) activities against Staphylococcus aureus to the corresponding core dyes. Pyridylvinyl substitution at the 3- or 3,5-positions of a meso-4-bromophenylBODIPY core dye via a Knoevenagel reaction with an aromatic 2-bromopyridinecarboxaldehyde shifts the major BODIPY spectral band to longer wavelength. The extended π-conjugation red shifts the main spectral band into the 602–618 nm region in CHCl₃, THF, ethanol and DMSO after monopyridylvinyl substitution and to 685–704 nm after dipyridylvinyl substitution. An enhancement of the population of the T₁ state through the incorporation of iodine atoms at the 2,6-positions results in moderately high singlet oxygen quantum yields in DMSO. The π-extended dyes were found to have significantly lower PACT activities than the diiodinated core dye.