Compact,wide aperture X-ray preionized XeCl laser with high specific optical power

An X-ray preionized, discharge-pumped XeCl laser with a variable beam cross-section of up to 6×6 cm² is described. It uses flat electrodes and the beam width is determined by X-ray collimation. Its operation characteristics concerning reduced electric field strength (E/p) and X-ray dose are discussed in detail. The inductance of the discharge loop is minimized using a water capacitor arrangement. A very high specific optical power (90 MW/l) is achieved in an active volume of 1.2 l. The pulse energy exceeds 5 J in a 45 ns pulse (FWHM). Komatsu Ltd., Manda 1200, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa 254, Japan Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Department of Plasma Physics, Academia Sinica, Shanghai, P.R. China     

On the z-counting polynomial for edge-weighted graphs

The construction of the Z-counting polynomial for edge-weighted graphs is discussed.Dedicated to Professor Haruo Hosoya (Tokyo) on the occasion of his 55th birthday for enriching chemical graph theory with the elegant concept of the Z-counting polynomial.     

Mechanism of inactivation of inducible nitric oxide synthase by amidines. Irreversible enzyme inactivation without inactivator modification

Nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are hemoproteins that catalyze the reaction of L-arginine to L-citrulline and nitric oxide. N-(3-(Aminomethyl)benzyl)acetamidine (1400W) was reported to be a slow, tight-binding, and highly selective inhibitor of iNOS in vitro and in vivo. Previous mechanistic studies reported that 1400W was recovered quantitatively after iNOS fully lost its activity and modification to iNOS was not detected. Here, it is shown that 1400W is a time-, concentration-, and NADPH-dependent irreversible inactivator of iNOS. HPLC-electrospray mass spectrometric analysis of the incubation mixture of iNOS with 1400W shows both loss of heme cofactor and formation of biliverdin, as was previously observed for iNOS inactivation by another amidine-containing compound, N5-(1-iminoethyl)-L-ornithine (L-NIO). The amount of biliverdin produced corresponds to the amount of heme lost by 1400W inactivation of iNOS. A convenient MS/MS-HPLC methodology was developed to identify the trace amount of biliverdin produced by inactivation of iNOS with either 1400W or L-NIO to be biliverdin IXalpha out of the four possible regioisomers. Two mechanisms were previously proposed for iNOS inactivation by L-NIO: (1) uncoupling of the heme peroxide intermediate, leading to destruction of the heme to biliverdin; (2) abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the amidine methyl group followed by attachment to the heme cofactor, which causes the enzyme to catalyze the heme oxygenase reaction. The second mechanistic proposal was ruled out by inactivation of iNOS with d3-1400W, which produced no d2-1400W. Detection of carbon monoxide as one of the heme-degradation products further excludes the covalent heme adduct mechanism. On the basis of these results, a third mechanism is proposed in which the amidine inactivators of iNOS bind as does substrate L-arginine, but because of the amidine methyl group, the heme peroxy intermediate cannot be protonated, thereby preventing its conversion to the heme oxo intermediate. This leads to a change in the enzyme mechanism to one that resembles that of heme oxygenase, an enzyme known to convert heme to biliverdin IXalpha. This appears to be the first example of a compound that causes irreversible inactivation of an enzyme without itself becoming modified in any way.     

The application of levulinic acid and 5-nitro-2-furylmethylene diacetate in the total synthesis of some novel biologically active (5-nitro-2-furyl)azomethines

Summary The syntheses andin vitro antibacterial and antifungal evaluation of certain (5-nitro-2-furyl)azomethines with different heterocyclic nuclei are described.

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Die Anwendung von Lävulinsäure und 5-Nitro-2-furylmethylendiacetat in der Totalsynthese einiger neuer biologisch aktiver (5-Nitro-2-furyl)azomethine

Zusammenfassung Es wird die Synthese und diein-vitro-antibakterielle und antifungale Wirksamkeit für bestimmte (5-Nitro-2-furyl)azomethine mit verschiedenen heterocyclischen Kernen beschrieben.

     

Spectrophotometric method for the determination of demeclocycline using sodium molybdate as analytical reagent

By means of spectroscopic methods it has been found that demeclocycline reacts with molybdate ions forming a complex compound [MoO₃HDMTC]^2–. The relative stability constant of this compound has been determined by applying spectrophotometric methods. Under optimum conditions for complex formation a very sensitive spectrophotometric method for the estimation of demeclocycline in the concentration range 5.0–35.1 g/ml is proposed. The detection limit of the method is 2.5 g/ml of demeclocycline. The relative standard deviation (n=10) varies between 0.76% and 1.46%. The method proved to be accurate and sensitive for the analysis of the demeclocycline content in tablets.     

Ultrasound‐Assisted Construction of Halogen‐Bonded Nanosized Cocrystals That Exhibit Thermosensitive Luminescence

Multi‐component organic nanocrystals that are comprised of two or more supramolecular building blocks can be used to extend the design and assembly scope of solid molecular materials. Herein, we report the use of ultrasonication to prepare halogen‐bonded stilbene‐based nano‐cocrystals that exhibit different photoemission properties, including one‐ and two‐phonon emission and fluorescence lifetimes, relative to those of macrodimensional crystals. The structural transformation from nano‐cocrystals into nanocrystals upon heating results in a luminescence red‐shift from greenish blue to yellow. The temperature‐dependent ratiometric luminescence may allow such nano‐cocrystals to be used as fluorescent sensors and thermosensitive materials.     

Cytotoxicity of Amino-BODIPY Modulated via Conjugation with 2-Phenyl-3-Hydroxy-4(1H)-Quinolinones

The combination of cytotoxic amino-BODIPY dye and 2-phenyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolinone (3-HQ) derivatives into one molecule gave rise to selective activity against lymphoblastic or myeloid leukemia and the simultaneous disappearance of the cytotoxicity against normal cells. Both species′ conjugation can be realized via a disulfide linker cleavable in the presence of glutathione characteristic for cancer cells. The cleavage liberating the free amino-BODIPY dye and 3-HQ derivative can be monitored by ratiometric fluorescence or by the OFF-ON effect of the amino-BODIPY dye. A similar cytotoxic activity is observed when the amino-BODIPY dye and 3-HQ derivative are connected through a non-cleavable maleimide linker. The work reports the synthesis of several conjugates, the study of their cleavage inside cells, and cytotoxic screening.     

Nonlocal Interaction Equations in Environments with Heterogeneities and Boundaries

We study well-posedness of a class of nonlocal interaction equations with spatially dependent mobility. We also allow for the presence of boundaries and external potentials. Such systems lead to the study of nonlocal interaction equations on subsets ? of ? ^d endowed with a Riemannian metric g. We obtain conditions, relating the interaction potential and the geometry, which imply existence, uniqueness and stability of solutions. We study the equations in the setting of gradient flows in the space of probability measures on ? endowed with Riemannian 2-Wasserstein metric.