The energy pump and the origin of the non-equilibrium flux of the dynamical systems and the networks

The global stability of dynamical systems and networks is still challenging to study. We developed a landscape and flux framework to explore the global stability. The potential landscape is directly linked to the steady state probability distribution of the non-equilibrium dynamical systems which can be used to study the global stability. The steady state probability flux together with the landscape gradient determines the dynamics of the system. The non-zero probability flux implies the breaking down of the detailed balance which is a quantitative signature of the systems being in non-equilibrium states. We investigated the dynamics of several systems from monostability to limit cycle and explored the microscopic origin of the probability flux. We discovered that the origin of the probability flux is due to the non-equilibrium conditions on the concentrations resulting energy input acting like non-equilibrium pump or battery to the system. Another interesting behavior we uncovered is that the probabilistic flux is closely related to the steady state deterministic chemical flux. For the monostable model of the kinetic cycle, the analytical expression of the probabilistic flux is directly related to the deterministic flux, and the later is directly generated by the chemical potential difference from the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis. For the limit cycle of the reversible Schnakenberg model, we also show that the probabilistic flux is correlated to the chemical driving force, as well as the deterministic effective flux. Furthermore, we study the phase coherence of the stochastic oscillation against the energy pump, and argue that larger non-equilibrium pump results faster flux and higher coherence. This leads to higher robustness of the biological oscillations. We also uncovered how fluctuations influence the coherence of the oscillations in two steps: (1) The mild fluctuations influence the coherence of the system mainly through the probability flux while maintaining the regular landscape topography. (2) The larger fluctuations lead to flat landscape and the complete loss of the stability of the whole system.     

On the transport and trajectories of the chernobyl debris across Canada and the arctic

A scenario is presented for the transport of the Chernobyl radioactive debris across Canada and the Arctic. It is based on the analysis of the¹⁰³Ru/¹³⁷Cs ratios in terms of the Chernobyl release pattern. The ratios which ranged from 0.2 to more than 4.0 were associated with four different phases of the Chernobyl emissions which lasted 10 days, from April 26 to May 6, 1986. Debris from the initial phase /ratios of 0.2 to 0.5/ and the last phase /ratios above 2.5/ would have entered Canada on a very broad front extending from northern Quebec to the North West Territories by way of Greenland and the Arctic; debris from the second phase /ratios of 0.5 to 2.0/ and the third phase /ratios of 2.0 to 2.5/ would have entered Canada from the west after travelling by way of northern Siberia and the Bering Sea.Paper presented at the IVth International Symposium of Radioecology of Cadarache, France, March 1988.     

Isolation and identification of the anti-isohumulones and the anti-acetylhumulinic acids

The anti-isohumulones [5-(3-methylbutanoyl)-2-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-4-hydroxy-4-(4-methylpent-3-enoyl)-cyclopentane-1,3-diones] and the anti-acetylhumulinic acids [5-(3-methylbutanoyl)-2-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-4-ethanoyl-4-hydroxy-cyclopentane 1,3-diones] have been isolated from an isomerisation reaction mixture of humulone [2-(3-methylbutanoyl)-4,6-di(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-6-hydroxy-cyclohexane-l,3,5-trione] by counter-current distribution and identified by spectroscopic techniques. The formation mechanism is presented and the stereochemical consequences are discussed. The anti-isohumulones are the most bitter hop compounds presently known.     

Analysis and assessment of the occurrence, the fate and the behavior of nanomaterials in the environment

Nanomaterials have one dimension <100 nm and possess physico-chemical properties dictated by their unusually small size, large surface area, shape and chemical composition. New properties of nanomaterials have boosted their production and industrial applications in many fields (e.g., microelectronics, catalysis, fuel cells, materials science, textiles, biotechnology and medicine). In biomedical fields, nanomaterials are of the appropriate dimensions to interact with biological matter. However, they may also have negative effects on biological systems. Nanotechnology is a major, innovative, scientific and economic growth area, but the increasing production and use of nanomaterials have led to calls for more information regarding the potential impacts that their release may have on human health and the environment.This review addresses analytical approaches for characterization and quantification of nanomaterials in the environment and recent studies on their occurrence, fate and behavior.     

Decorating step-by-step and independently the surface and the core of dendrons

Dendrons possessing one activated vinyl group at the core and several chlorine atoms at the end of the branches are used as starting materials to study the possibility to react independently the surface functions and the core function. In particular, the most powerful sequence of reactions for decorating them by organometallic complexes as end groups and amine or alcohol at the core has been determined. In the first step, phenol phosphines are grafted as end groups of the dendrons, and they can be used for the complexation of metals. However, these phosphines must be kept free when amines are used to react with the vinyl core in the next step. Depending on the type of phosphine end groups and on the type of function of the core (amine or alcohol), the complexation of ruthenium ([RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂) and rhodium ([RhCl(COD)]₂) derivatives by the phosphine end groups can occur without side reaction at the core.     

Age of the earth and the moon

We have examined the isotopic compositions of lead reported for 55 terrestrial and 65 lunar samples. The lead ages indicate that the 4.55 billion years generally accepted as the age of the solar system refers instead to the time of the breakup of the meteorite parent body.     

"地小氢"和"月小氢"

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the Universe and is tightly related to human life. This article personifies hydrogen, bringing a close interaction between the hydrogen on the moon and the hydrogen on the Earth. Through lively and interesting dialogues, the history of hydrogen discovery and the properties are introduced, and the application of hydrogen in different aspects of the future is prospected.     

McBain and the centenary of the micelle

In 1913, J.W. McBain introduced the word “micelle” into surface and colloid chemistry in the context of the association of surfactant molecules in aqueous solution. This article gives a biographic account of McBain, and reviews the early work on micellar aggregation, leading up to the pioneering ideas of G.S. Hartley who introduced the first model of the spherical micelle that we would recognise today.     

麻黄-甘草药对配伍前后主要药效成分及抗炎活性的变化

利用高效液相色谱串联质谱联用法(HPLC-MS/MS)和气相色谱质谱联用法(GC-MS)分析了麻黄与甘草药对配伍前后水煎液中主要药效成分的变化,并通过小鼠的耳廓肿胀试验考察了甘草、麻黄单煎液及药对共煎液的抗炎活性变化.分别通过HPLC法和GC-MS法对甘草与麻黄中主要化学成分,甘草酸、甘草苷、麻黄碱和甲基麻黄碱进行了定量分析,通过单煎液和药对共煎液的对比,发现麻黄与甘草配伍共煎液中麻黄碱(含伪麻黄碱)的含量增加了14.52%;甲基麻黄碱(含甲基伪麻黄碱)的含量增加了64.0%;甘草酸含量增加了13.50%;而甘草苷含量降低了19.38%.药效实验证明,甘草与麻黄配伍后抗炎作用较甘草麻黄单煎液明显增强.从而在主要成分的变化程度上揭示了甘草与麻黄配伍过程中的增效机理.     

Influence of the molecular structure and the nature of the solvent on the absorption and fluorescence characteristics of rhodamines

A study of the equilibrium of the molecular forms of rhodamine 19 in aqueous and ethanolic solution is carried out by determining the absorption and fluorescence characteristics of the zwitterionic and the cationic forms of the dye. The optical properties of rhodamine 19 are compared with those obtained for rhodamine 6G and also with those previously reported for rhodamine 3B and for the molecular forms of rhodamine B in water and ethanol. Different aspects of the molecular structure of the rhodamines and solvent effects are discussed, as well as their influence on the photophysical properties of the rhodamines. The aggregation of the molecular forms of rhodamine 19 is also studied in water and ethanol.     

Experimental and modeling studies of the pressure and temperature dependences of the kinetics and the OH yields in the acetyl + O2 reaction

The acetyl + O(2) reaction has been studied by observing the time dependence of OH by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and by electronic structure/master equation analysis. The experimental OH time profiles were analyzed to obtain the kinetics of the acetyl + O(2) reaction and the relative OH yields over the temperature range of 213-500 K in helium at pressures in the range of 5-600 Torr. More limited measurements were made in N(2) and for CD(3)CO + O(2). The relative OH yields were converted into absolute yields by assuming that the OH yield at zero pressure is unity. Electronic structure calculations of the stationary points of the potential energy surface were used with a master equation analysis to fit the experimental data in He using the high-pressure limiting rate coefficient for the reaction, k(∞)(T), and the energy transfer parameter, (ΔE(d)), as variable parameters. The best-fit parameters obtained are k(∞) = 6.2 × 10(-12) cm(-3) molecule(-1) s(-1), independent of temperature over the experimental range, and (ΔE(d))(He) = 160(T/298?K) cm(-1). The fits in N(2), using the same k(∞)(T), gave (ΔE(d))(N(2)) = 270(T/298?K) cm(-1). The rate coefficients for formation of OH and CH(3)C(O)O(2) are provided in parametrized form, based on modified Troe expressions, from the best-fit master equation calculations, over the pressure and temperature ranges of 1 ≤ p/Torr ≤ 1.5 × 10(5) and 200 ≤ T/K ≤ 1000 for He and N(2) as the bath gas. The minor channels, leading to HO(2) + CH(2)CO and CH(2)C(O)OOH, generally have yields <1% over this range.     

New study of the stability and of the spectroscopy of the molecular anions NCO- and CNO-

Using highly correlated wave functions, the ground and the low lying excited states of the molecular NCO(-) and CNO(-) anions have been reinvestigated. The stability of the electronic ground state of the two isomers with respect to dissociation and to electron detachment has been checked along the isomerization pathway. The regions of stability of the excited electronic states have been analyzed and identified and it is shown that only the ground state is stable and the corresponding potential energy surface presents three equilibrium positions. The rovibronic spectroscopy of the X (1)Σ(+) state of both NCO(-) and CNO(-) isomers has been determined by a variational approach leading to remarkable agreement with experimental data.     

On the synthesis and polymerization of t-butyl-p-vinylperbenzoate and the grafting of its homo- and copolymers

The monomer initiator t-butyl-p-vinylperbenzoate (TBVP) was synthesized and its homo- and copolymerization with styrene, methacrylonitrile, isoprene and phenylmethacrylate was investigated. TBVP is preponderantly incorporated in all four systems; values of Q = 2.27 and e = ?0.13 characterize TBVP as a weak donor with a high monomer reactivity. Kinetic considerations show that all propagation steps in which TBVP takes part are faster or at least as fast as the self-propagation steps of the comonomers used. Rate constants and activation energies of the thermal decomposition of poly(t-butyl-p-vinylperbenzoate) and poly(t-butyl-p-vinylperbenzoate-co-styrene) were determined. The polymer initiators were used for grafting experiments with styrene, acrylonitrile, and methyl methacrylate. The data evaluated for the grafting efficiency, the success of grafting, and the degree of grafting show that these polymers of p-vinylperbenzoate are efficient initiators.     

激基缔合物和激基复合物的形成及溶剂效应的研究

测试了ω-对联苯基多亚甲基羧酸4-[5′-对联苯基-1,3,4-(口恶)二唑基-2′-]苄酯及其模型化合物2-对甲苯基-5-联苯基-1,3,4-,(口恶)二唑在不同极性溶剂中的荧光发射光谱。它们既能形成分子间的激基缔合物又能形成分子内的激基复合物和三分子激基复合物。实验结果表明,溶剂极性的增加,有利于分子内激基复合物和三分子激基复合物的形成。     

Deletion and contraction identities for the resistance values and the Kirchhoff index

We establish identities, which we call deletion and contraction identities, for the resistance values on an electrical network. As an application of these identities, we give an upper bound to the Kirchhoff index of a molecular graph. Our upper bound, expressed in terms of the set of vertices and the edge connectivity of the graph, improves previously known upper bounds. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Synthesis and pharmacological effects of the enantiomers of the N-phenethyl analogues of the ortho and para e- and f-oxide-bridged phenylmorphans

The N-phenethyl analogues of (1R*,4aR*,9aS*)-2-phenethyl-1,3,4,9a-tetrahydro-2H-1,4a-propanobenzofuro[2,3-c]pyridin-6-ol and 8-ol and (1R*,4aR*,9aR*)-2-phenethyl-1,3,4,9a-tetrahydro-2H-1,4a-propanobenzofuro[2.3-c]pyridin-6-ol and 8-ol, the ortho- (43) and para-hydroxy e- (20), and f-oxide-bridged 5-phenylmorphans (53 and 26) were prepared in racemic and enantiomerically pure forms from a common precursor, the quaternary salt 12. Optical resolutions were accomplished by salt formation with suitable enantiomerically pure chiral acids or by preparative HPLC on a chiral support. The N-phenethyl (-)- para-e enantiomer (1S,4aS,9aR-(-)-20) was found to be a mu-opioid agonist with morphine-like antinociceptive activity in a mouse assay. In contrast, the N-phenethyl (-)-ortho-f enantiomer (1R,4aR,9aR-(-)-53) had good affinity for the mu-opioid receptor (K(i) = 7 nM) and was found to be a mu-antagonist both in the [(35)S]GTP-gamma-S assay and in vivo. The molecular structures of these rigid enantiomers were energy minimized with density functional theory at the level B3LYP/6-31G* level, and then overlaid on a known potent mu-agonist. This superposition study suggests that the agonist activity of the oxide-bridged 5-phenylmorphans can be attributed to formation of a seven membered ring that is hypothesized to facilitate a proton transfer from the protonated nitrogen to a proton acceptor in the mu-opioid receptor.