An unusual dimer of camptothecin-7-aldehyde

An intermolecular aldol reaction of 20S-camptothecin-7-aldehyde in the presence of strong bases affords an unusual dimeric compound, the structure and stereochemistry of which was assigned on the basis of NMR analysis and MM2 calculations.     

Thermal and dielectric behaviors of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) copolymers at the curie transition

The thermal and dielectric behaviors of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) copolymers near the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition are investigated for samples with 20, 25, 30, and 40 mol% trifluoroethylene (TrFE). The data suggest that the transition becomes continuous for a particular composition near 50 mol% TrFE. Experimental data are sensitive to thermal history (kinetics of crystallization, and kinetics and cycling over the structural transition). It is found that several anomalies are present at the structural change, and in particular the 30 mol% TrFE sample shows the most marked anomalies. These phenomena can be attributed to defects, but another possibility would be the existence of an intemediate supplementary phase. Both hypotheses are discussed.     

Directed and elliptic flow in 197Au+197Au at intermediate energies

Directed and elliptic flow for the ¹⁹⁷Au+¹⁹⁷Au system at incident energies between 40 and 150 MeV per nucleon has been measured using the INDRA 4π multi-detector. For semi-central collisions, the excitation function of elliptic flow shows a transition from in-plane to out-of-plane emission at around 100 MeV per nucleon. The directed flow changes sign at a bombarding energy between 50 and 60 MeV per nucleon and remains negative at lower energies. Molecular dynamics calculations (CHIMERA) indicate sensitivity of the global squeeze-out transition on the σ _NN and demonstrate the importance of angular momentum conservation in transport codes at low energies.     

Normal human dermal fibroblasts: proteomic analysis of cell layer and culture medium.

Proteins present within the cell layer and those released in the cell medium from in vitro cultured normal human dermal fibroblasts were separated and characterized in terms of their isoelectric point and molecular weight, by two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis. All spots in the synthetic gel were firstly analyzed by the Melanie 3 software and compared with those of breast cancer cells, colorectal epithelial cells, HL60, lymphoma cells, and platelets, already available on-line. From the identification of 144 spots from both the cell layer and the medium, we were able to recognize 89 different proteins, since a certain number of spots represented different isoforms of the same molecule. Identifications were performed by matching with on-line 2-D databases, and by matrix assisted laser-desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), in order to confirm the identification by matching, or to identify new proteins. The procedure we used allows (i) to design a highly reproducible reference map of the proteome of adult human normal fibroblasts in culture, (ii) to evaluate protein species produced in the cell layer as well as those released in the culture medium, and (iii) to compare data from gel matching with those obtained by MS. This work represents an essential step for a better knowledge of mesenchymal cells, given the widespread use of this cell type in both clinical and experimental investigations.     

Volcanic monitoring for radon and chemical species in the soil and in spring water samples

Soil radon has been monitored at two fixed stations in the northern flank of Popocatepetl Volcano, a high risk volcano located 60 km SE from Mexico City. Water samples from three springs were also studied for radon as well as major and trace elements. Radon in the soil was recorded using track detectors. Radon in the water samples was evaluated using the liquid scintillation method and an Alphaguard. The major elements were determined through conventional chemical methods and trace elements using an ICP-MS equipment. Soil radon levels were low, indicating a moderate diffuse degassing through the flanks of the volcano. Groundwater radon had almost no relation with the eruptive stages. Water chemistry was stable in the reported time (2000–2002).     

Jet physics in ALICE

The strong suppression of high-p_T hadrons observed in heavy ion collisions at RHIC indicates the interaction of high energy partons with a dense colored medium prior to hadronization. We review the main results from the high-p_T hadron analysis at RHIC and what they tell us about the medium. We then concentrate on the new possibilities that the wider kinematic range at the LHC will offer and how they will help us to better characterize the medium produced in these collisions.     

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of Mycobacterial glycopeptidolipid antigens: Structural characterization by charge remote fragmentation

Mycobacteria contain species- and type-specific antigens. Among them, glycopeptidolipids are present in medically relevant organisms belonging to Mycobacterium avium or M. fortuitum complexes. Fast-a tom bombardment mass spectrometry of glycopeptidolipids has proven to be difficult. In this article the cationization method with a metanitrobenzyl alcohol matrix, doped with sodium iodide, is described for analyzing these molecules. The molecular weight of the intact glycopeptidolipids was successfully determined and, using mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry, the complete sequences of the peptide and saccharide moieties were elucidated. Moreover, the two structural variants present in these molecules were clearly differentiated. Application of the method showed that the same structural variant occurs in the glycopeptidolipids from two serologically related species of the M. fortuitum complex.     

RECONSTRUCTION OF BINARY RELATIONS FROM THEIR RESTRICTIONS OF CARDINALITY 2, 3, 4 and (n - 1) II

We shall prove here that any binary relation on a base E with cardinality n > 6 is reconstructible from its restrictions of cardinality 2, 3, 4 and (n - 1). This proof needs results of part I of this paper where we characterize any pair of relations R, R' which are 2-, 3- and 4-hypomorphic. As a corollary we obtain that any binary relation is (n - 4)-reconstructible (when n > 9).