Total Synthesis of Albicidin: A Lead Structure from Xanthomonas albilineans for Potent Antibacterial Gyrase Inhibitors

The peptide antibiotic albicidin, which is synthesized by the plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas albilineans, displays remarkable antibacterial activity against various Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative microorganisms. The low amounts of albicidin obtainable from the producing organism or through heterologous expression are limiting factors in providing sufficient material for bioactivity profiling and structure–activity studies. Therefore, we developed a convergent total synthesis route toward albicidin. The unexpectedly difficult formation of amide bonds between the aromatic amino acids was achieved through a triphosgene‐mediated coupling strategy. The herein presented synthesis of albicidin confirms the previously determined chemical structure and underlines the extraordinary antibacterial activity of this compound. The synthetic protocol will provide multigram amounts of albicidin for further profiling of its drug properties.     

AgNP-decorated SBA-15 for MWCNT Paste Modified Electrode: A Sensor for Simultaneous Voltammetric Determination of Paracetamol and Sulfamethoxazole

A new electrochemical sensor based on a carbon nanotube paste electrode modified with a Santa Barbara Amorphous material (SBA-15) decorated with silver nanoparticles, namely CNT/SBA/Ag-PE, was developed. It was successfully applied for individual and simultaneous determination of both paracetamol (PC) and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) medicines. The electrode exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.12–110 μmol L⁻¹ for paracetamol and 0.06–70 μmol L⁻¹ for sulfamethoxazole, and detection limits of 38 and 19 nmol L⁻¹, respectively. The proposed sensor offered high sensitivity, fast response time and the potential for detecting both drugs simultaneously. The CNT/SBA/Ag-PE enabled the simultaneous determination of PC and SMZ in urine samples with high recovery rates.     

Convergence analysis for Lasserre’s measure-based hierarchy of upper bounds for polynomial optimization

We consider the problem of minimizing a continuous function f over a compact set \({\mathbf {K}}\). We analyze a hierarchy of upper bounds proposed by Lasserre (SIAM J Optim 21(3):864–885, 2011), obtained by searching for an optimal probability density function h on \({\mathbf {K}}\) which is a sum of squares of polynomials, so that the expectation \(\int _{{\mathbf {K}}} f(x)h(x)dx\) is minimized. We show that the rate of convergence is no worse than \(O(1/\sqrt{r})\), where 2r is the degree bound on the density function. This analysis applies to the case when f is Lipschitz continuous and \({\mathbf {K}}\) is a full-dimensional compact set satisfying some boundary condition (which is satisfied, e.g., for convex bodies). The rth upper bound in the hierarchy may be computed using semidefinite programming if f is a polynomial of degree d, and if all moments of order up to \(2r+d\) of the Lebesgue measure on \({\mathbf {K}}\) are known, which holds, for example, if \({\mathbf {K}}\) is a simplex, hypercube, or a Euclidean ball.     

Direct Numerical Simulation of Turbulence in a Stably Stratified Fluid and Wave-Shear Interaction

Turbulence decay in a strongly stratified medium is simulated by a direct pseudo-spectral code solving the three-dimensional equations of motion under the Boussinesq approximation. The results are compared to non-stratified simulations results. We focus on the production of mean shear energy observed in the stratified case. We then simulate the decay of stratified turbulence when affected by an initial horizontal mean flow and show that this mean flow is the major component remaining at large t. Next, we give some analytical elements on wave-shear interaction by using a simple refraction calculation with WKB hypothesis. This calculation is illustrated by simulating the interaction between one monochromatic internal wave and a vertical shear profile. We conclude that the existence of singularities in the mean shear production term in the presence of internal gravity waves may be one of the possible mechanisms involved within stratified turbulent shear flows.     

Polysaccharide Based Vaccines for The Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections

1. INTRODUCTION

Streptococcus pneumoniae remains an important cause of infections in this end of the 20th century and is responsible for invasive diseases - pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia, septicemia - as well as for noninvasive diseases such as pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, otitis media.^1,2     

The effect of clay on the morphology of multiphase latex particles

The effect of montmorrilonite clay (MMT) platelets on the morphology of polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite latex particles prepared via PMMA-seeded (semi-) batch emulsion polymerization of styrene was studied. It was found that the particle morphology obtained greatly depended on the ability of the clay platelets to diffuse through the polymer particle. Indeed, when the reactions were strictly under kinetic control, i.e., where the clay platelets were unable to diffuse during polymerization, anisotropic core-shell-like morphologies with split core were observed. A better mobility of the clay platelets could more or less restrict the diffusion of the second-stage polymers within the host polymer, leading to original kinetically controlled morphologies. In the case of a full migration of the clay platelets to the particle surface, the penetration of the second-stage polymer species in the seed latex was found to be more limited, enhancing the formation of secondary particles.     

Synthesis of linear and hyperbranched sugar‐grafted polysiloxanes using N‐hydroxysuccinimide‐activated esters

A straightforward method for the preparation of polysiloxanes grafted with carbohydrate side groups is described. Two kinds of backbones have been functionalized, namely one‐dimensional, linear polysiloxanes, and hyperbranched poly(siloxysilane)s based on cyclotetrasiloxanes. The method enables us to keep a good integrity of the polysiloxane backbone. The introduction of intermediate activated esters as side groups on the polysiloxane backbone ensures a complete homogeneity of the reaction medium during sugar grafting in dimethyl sulfoxide, and consequently an easy grafting with the unprotected amino sugar. Solubility of the resulting polysiloxanes has been tested in various solvents. The sugar‐grafted polysiloxanes are good candidates for applications such as silicone formulations, hydrophilic silicone elastomers, interactions with metallic nanoparticles, and suspension stabilization, or as starting point for the design of more complex polysiloxanes for molecular recognition. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3607–3618