MS Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Botrytis cinerea Protease Prot-2. Use in Bioactive Peptides Production

Prot-2 protease previously purified to homogeneity from Botrytis cinerea showed potentiality to be used in detergency and for production of bioactive peptides. To extend the characterization of Prot-2 protease, antifungal and antibacterial assays were performed in vitro using protein hydrolysates prepared from muscle of mackerel (Scomber scomborus) treated with this enzyme. The most active hydrolysate (degree of hydrolysis of 8 %) exhibited inhibition effect towards bacteria and phytopathogenic fungi, demonstrating that Prot-2 proteolysis generated bioactive peptides. Biochemical and molecular characterization of the purified Prot-2, by SDS-PAGE/Tryptic in gel-digestion and LC-MS/MS analysis, was investigated. The peptide amino acid sequence alignment search in database revealed a moderate homology between the determined amino acid sequence of Prot-2 protease and the known fungal trypsin/chymotrypsin in particular from Glomerella, Metarhizium and Streptomyces. From peptide sequence data obtained by mass spectrometry and sequences homologies, primers were defined and a cDNA fragment of 786 bp was amplified by RT-PCR. The cDNA nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame coding for 262 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of Prot-2 showed moderate identity with trypsin of Glomerella graminicola (74 %) and with chymotrypsin from Metarhizium anisopliae (71 %). Prot-2 exhibited a Ser protease homology and showed in addition the specific His motif of trypsin/chymotrypsin family.     

Synthesis of 3-iodothiophenes via iodocyclization of (Z)-thiobutenynes

A simple synthesis of 3-iodothiophenes was demonstrated using a wide range of (Z)-thioenynes. The key step in the iodocyclofunctionalization was the selective reduction of the triple bond in (Z)-thioenynes by the addition of iodine as an electrophilic agent. The 3-iodothiophenes were obtained in good to excellent yields of 61–92%. The 3-iodothiophenes were used as substrates in Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions to obtain thiophene acetylenes.     

Study of polycrystalline bulk CuIn1-xGaxTe2

Polycrystalline CuIn_1−xGa_xTe₂ bulk films were synthesized by reacting, in stoichiometric proportions, high purity Cu, In, Ga and Te in a vacuum sealed quartz ampoule. The phase structure and composition of the bulk films were analysed by X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, respectively. The bulk samples, of p-type conductivity, are found to be near-stoichiometric, polycrystalline, with tetragonal chalcopyrite structure, predominantly oriented along a direction perpendicular to the (1 1 2) plane. Photoluminescence spectra were recorded at 7 K and 700 mW to characterize the defects and the structural quality. The main peak as a function of composition has been studied.     

Resolution of pentafluorophenyl esters using oxazolidin-2-ones

A series of structurally related racemic pentafluorophenyl active esters were resolved using an equimolar amount of (S)-4-phenyloxazolidin-2-one. The levels of diastereocontrol were found to be excellent (80-96% de) at ∼40% conversion.     

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetics modeling of isothermal carbonization of olive wood in inert atmosphere

The kinetics of olive wood carbonization is investigated by means of isothermal thermogravimetric analysis method. Measurements were carried out in a thermobalance for different fixed temperatures between 498 and 648 K. A two-stage semi-global kinetic model consisting of four sequential steps was proposed to derive kinetic parameters. The olive wood is classified in three pseudo-components. For the first two, similar thermal degradation mechanisms take place in a single reaction step. For the third, the thermal degradation takes place in two consecutive steps. The isothermal conditions allow the kinetic constants (activation energy and pre-exponential factors) to be estimated by means of the analytical solution of the mass conservation equations. An overall good agreement was obtained with activation energy values available in the literature.     

On the resonant behavior of the16O+15N reaction

The ¹⁶ O+ ¹⁵ N reaction products have been studied by the γ-ray detection method in the CM energy range 15.5 to 36.1 MeV and by the kinematical coincidence method at energies ranging from E _CM =20.6 to 33.5MeV. The γ-ray yield excitation function of the ¹⁶O 3^? inelastic channel shows the existence of resonant structures. Two structures with ～ 1.6 MeV width are observed in the large angle elastic scattering excitation function, they are correlated with the resonances seen in the inelastic channel. Angular momentum assignments were made from the elastic backward angular distributions.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure,and Antibacterial Activity of 1,2,4‐Triazoles and 1,2,4‐Triazol‐3‐one

A straightforward method has been developed for the synthesis of 1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐one 3 and 1,2,4‐triazoles 6a , 6b , 6c , 6d starting from N¹‐substituted‐N¹‐tosylhydrazonates 2 and hydrazine monohydrate. This methodology affords a number of 1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐one 3 and 1,2,4‐triazoles 6a , 6b , 6c , 6d in reasonable yields. The structures of all new compounds were elucidated using infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, high‐resolution mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and the X‐ray crystallography (for compounds 3 and 6a ). Some of the newly synthesized compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity.     

Flexible aircraft fleeting and routing at <Emphasis Type="Italic">TunisAir</Emphasis>

This paper addresses a Flexible Aircraft Fleeting and Routing Problem, which is motivated by the Tunisian national carrier TunisAir. A solution to this problem specifies the departure time of each flight, the subset of aircraft to be chartered or rented out, the individual aircraft assigned to each flight, as well as the sequence of flights to be flown by each aircraft. The objective is to maximize the expected total net profit, while satisfying activity constraints and long-term maintenance requirements. Tailored optimization-based heuristics are developed for solving this complex integrated problem. Computational experiments conducted on real data demonstrate that the proposed procedures are effective and robust, and significantly improve upon TunisAir's solutions.     

Theq-deformed virasoro algebra

Theq-deformed Virasoro algebra is studied in the context of the string theory. It is shown that the anomaly term is not ac-number and depends strongly on the deformation parameterq. Supported by the Algerian Ministry of High Education and Research under contract N^oD2501/17/01/93. Permanent address