Extremal generalized centralizers in matrix algebras

We describe matrices with extremal generalized centralizers over algebraically closed fields.     

EPR‐Based Approach for the Localization of Paramagnetic Metal Ions in Biomolecules

Metal ions play an important role in the catalysis and folding of proteins and oligonucleotides. Their localization within the three‐dimensional fold of such biomolecules is therefore an important goal in understanding structure–function relationships. A trilateration approach for the localization of metal ions by means of long‐range distance measurements based on electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is introduced. The approach is tested on the Cu²⁺ center of azurin, and factors affecting the precision of the method are discussed.     

Construction of a New Class of Tetracycline Lead Structures with Potent Antibacterial Activity through Biosynthetic Engineering

Antimicrobial resistance and the shortage of novel antibiotics have led to an urgent need for new antibacterial drug leads. Several existing natural product scaffolds (including chelocardins) have not been developed because their suboptimal pharmacological properties could not be addressed at the time. It is demonstrated here that reviving such compounds through the application of biosynthetic engineering can deliver novel drug candidates. Through a rational approach, the carboxamido moiety of tetracyclines (an important structural feature for their bioactivity) was introduced into the chelocardins, which are atypical tetracyclines with an unknown mode of action. A broad‐spectrum antibiotic lead was generated with significantly improved activity, including against all Gram‐negative pathogens of the ESKAPE panel. Since the lead structure is also amenable to further chemical modification, it is a platform for further development through medicinal chemistry and genetic engineering.     

Determination of the thermal modification degree of beech wood using thermogravimetry

Thermal modification is one of the environmental friendly wood preservation technologies. During this process, changes of the main woody cell wall components occur, which lead to improved dimensional stability, lower hygroscopicity and improvement in biological durability. Several chemical reactions which occur during thermal treatment of wood caused changes in wood properties. During TG measurements, thermal decomposition reactions, which was not completed during previous thermal modification process, continued in wood samples, meaning that more thermally treated samples exhibited lower mass losses in a certain or whole temperature range up to 600 °C. Therefore, mass loss, obtained within selected temperature range, could be used as a marker of previous thermal treatment. The aim of the present work is to evaluate suitability of a thermogravimetric method (TG) for determination of a degree of thermal treatment of beech wood. On the basis of thermally untreated sample and those which were thermally modified at 180, 190, 200, 210, 215 and 220 °C in the absence of oxygen, respectively, and with known values of mass loss during the modification processes, several calibration curves were constructed. They represent mass loss in a certain temperature range during TG measurement versus mass loss during previous thermal modification. In a temperature range from 130 to 300 °C and from 130 to 320 °C under nitrogen atmosphere, a linear dependence was observed; correlation coefficients R ² were 0.87 and 0.91, respectively. In wider temperature range and under air atmosphere, lower correlation coefficients were obtained. High correlation coefficient, higher than 0.95, was observed in a temperature range from 25 to 130 °C under both atmospheres. In this region, dehydration due to rehydration of thermally modified samples occurs. The results of this work were compared with those obtained for Norway spruce.     

Analytical Methods for Determination of Phytic Acid and Other Inositol Phosphates: A Review

From the early precipitation-based techniques, introduced more than a century ago, to the latest development of enzymatic bio- and nano-sensor applications, the analysis of phytic acid and/or other inositol phosphates has never been a straightforward analytical task. Due to the biomedical importance, such as antinutritional, antioxidant and anticancer effects, several types of methodologies were investigated over the years to develop a reliable determination of these intriguing analytes in many types of biological samples; from various foodstuffs to living cell organisms. The main aim of the present work was to critically overview the development of the most relevant analytical principles, separation and detection methods that have been applied in order to overcome the difficulties with specific chemical properties of inositol phosphates, their interferences, absence of characteristic signal (e.g., absorbance), and strong binding interactions with (multivalent) metals and other biological molecules present in the sample matrix. A systematical and chronological review of the applied methodology and the detection system is given, ranging from the very beginnings of the classical gravimetric and titrimetric analysis, through the potentiometric titrations, chromatographic and electrophoretic separation techniques, to the use of spectroscopic methods and of the recently reported fluorescence and voltammetric bio- and nano-sensors.     

Phenylene-Bridged Perylene Monoimides as Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells: A Study on the Structure–Property Relationship

A series of non-fullerene acceptors based on perylene monoimides coupled in the peri position through phenylene linkers were synthesized via Suzuki-coupling reactions. Various substitution patterns were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations in combination with experimental data to elucidate the geometry and their optical and electrochemical properties. Further investigations of the bulk properties with grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) gave insight into the stacking behavior of the acceptor thin films. Electrochemical and morphological properties correlate with the photovoltaic performance of devices with the polymeric donor PBDB-T and a maximum efficiency of 3.17 % was reached. The study gives detailed information about structure–property relationships of perylene-linker-perylene compounds.     

Pulsed EPR Dipolar Spectroscopy under the Breakdown of the High-Field Approximation: The High-Spin Iron(III) Case

Pulsed EPR dipolar spectroscopy (PDS) offers several methods for measuring dipolar coupling and thus the distance between electron-spin centers. To date, PDS measurements to metal centers were limited to ions that adhere to the high-field approximation. Here, the PDS methodology is extended to cases where the high-field approximation breaks down on the example of the high-spin Fe³⁺/nitroxide spin-pair. First, the theory developed by Maryasov et al. (Appl. Magn. Reson. 2006 , 30, 683–702) was adapted to derive equations for the dipolar coupling constant, which revealed that the dipolar spectrum does not only depend on the length and orientation of the interspin distance vector with respect to the applied magnetic field but also on its orientation to the effective g-tensor of the Fe³⁺ ion. Then, it is shown on a model system and a heme protein that a PDS method called relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME) is well-suited to measuring such spectra and that the experimentally obtained dipolar spectra are in full agreement with the derived equations. Finally, a RIDME data analysis procedure was developed, which facilitates the determination of distance and angular distributions from the RIDME data. Thus, this study enables the application of PDS to for example, the highly relevant class of high-spin Fe³⁺ heme proteins.