How to synthesize macrocycles efficiently by using virtual combinatorial libraries

The selection of different diimines 4 a-c by alkaline earth ions from a virtual combinatorial library (VCL) is described. The products were stabilized by reduction to the diamines 6 a-c; this allowed easy analysis. The library can be directed toward different target molecules 6 a-c upon addition of alkaline earth ions with different radii. Competition experiments show the possibility of synthesizing the macrocycles 6 a, 6 b, and 6 c simultaneously when using Mg(2+), Ca(2+), and Ba(2+) as template ions. The scope of this thermodynamically controlled, reversible approach for macrocycle syntheses is illustrated.     

The HLB dependency for detergent solubilization of hormonally sensitive adenylate cyclase.

The HLB dependency for the solubilization of membrane proteins and adenylate cyclase activity from a plasma membrane-enriched fraction from rat liver has been determined. The HLB (hydrophilic/lipophilic/balance) number of a detergent is an empirical measure of its relative hydrophobicity. Detergent HLB numbers vary systematically with the length of the ethylene oxide chain for a homologous series of detergents such as the Triton X series. These detergents have a constant hydrophobic moiety, octylphenyl, and a variable polar portion, polyethoxyethanol. Basal-NaF-epinephrine-, and glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities were solubilized in the HLB range of 16.8-17.4. Solubilization was most effective in 0.01 M Tris buffers at pH 7.5 containing 1-5 mM mercaptoethanol, 1 mM MgCl2, and 0.1% Triton X-305. The detergent to membrane protein ratio used in these studies was 3:1. Criteria for solubilization included lack of sedimentation at 100,000 X g, the absence of particulate material in the supernatant when examined by electron microscopy, and inclusion of hormonally sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in Sephadex G-200 gels. The apparent molecular weight of the solubilized enzyme was approximately 200,000 in the presence of Triton X-305. The solubilized enzyme was stimulated 5-fold by NaF, 7-fold by glucagon, and 20-fold by epinephrine compared to the particulate enzyme used in this study which was stimulated 10-fold, 3.4-fold, and 4-fold by NaF, epinephrine, and glucagon, respectively. The solubilized enzyme is stable for several weeks when stored at -60 degrees C.     

A fast,sensitive determination of doxorubicin in rat plasma by solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography

A very selective method is described for the determination of doxorubicin in rat plasma. Doxorubicin is extracted from the plasma on a pretreated octadecyl silane column and eluted with phosphate buffer pH 2.6/methanol (25/75, v/v) containing sodium 1-heptanesulfonate as ion-pairing agent. The extraction procedure is suitable for samples which contain doxorubicin encapsulated in liposomes if Triton X-100 is added. A portion of the evaporated eluate is used for high-performance reversed-phase chromatography with the same eluent and a fluorescence detector. Daunorubicin is used as internal standard. Extraction of doxorubicin from plasma is quantitative. The calibration graph is linear for 0.2-100 μg l^?1 doxorubicin with a limit of detection of 0.2 μg l^?1 for 0.5 ml of plasma. The relative standard error of estimate of the calibration was typically 3%.     

Parallel and totally geodesic hypersurfaces of non-reductive homogeneous four-manifolds

We classify totally geodesic and parallel hypersurfaces of four-dimensional non-reductive homogeneous pseudo-Riemannian manifolds.     

Classification and identification of recorded and synthesized impact sounds by practiced listeners, musicians, and nonmusicians

Three experiments were conducted to test the viability of a low-parameter modal model for synthesizing impact sounds to be used in commercial and psychoacoustic research. The model was constrained to have four physically based parameters dictating the amplitude, frequency, and decay of modes. The values of these parameters were selected by ear to roughly match the recordings of ten different resonant objects suspended by hand and struck with different mallets. In experiment 1, neither 35 professional musicians nor 187 college undergraduates could identify which of the two matched sounds was the real recording with better than chance accuracy, though significantly better than chance performance was obtained when modal parameters were selected without the previously imposed physical constraints. In experiment 2, the undergraduates identified the source corresponding to the recorded and synthesized sounds with the same level of accuracy and largely the same pattern of errors. Finally, experiment 3 showed highly practiced listeners to be largely insensitive to changes in the acoustic waveform resulting from an increase in the number of free parameters used in the modal model beyond 3. The results suggest that low-parameter, modal models might be exploited meaningfully in many commercial and research applications involving human perception of impact sounds.