Conformational and receptor-binding properties of the insect neuropeptide proctolin and its analogues

Summary Proctolin (Arg-Tyr-Leu-Pro-Thr) was the first insect neuropeptide to be chemically characterised. It plays an essential role in insect neurophysiology and is involved in muscular contraction and neuromodulation. Elements of secondary structure in solution have been studied by comparing data obtained from NMR and molecular dynamics simulations. Different secondary structural requirements are associated with agonist and antagonist activities. A favoured conformation of proctolin has an inverse -turn, comprising an intramolecular hydrogen bond near the C-terminal end between Thr NH and Leu CO. Antagonists have a more compact structure resembling a paperclip loop, containing an intramolecular hydrogen bond between Tyr NH and Pro CO, possibly stabilised by a salt bridge between the N- and C-terminal groups. A cyclic analogue retains antagonist activity and resembles a -bulge loop, also comprising intramolecular hydrogen bonds between Tyr NH and Pro CO and Thr CO. These models may offer feasible starting points for designing novel compounds with proctolinergic activity.     

Solvent-driven multiply configurable on/off fluorescent indicator of the pH window: a diethylenetriamine bearing two end pyrene fragments

Fluorescence behaviors of a simple-structured molecule (L), a diethylenetriamine bearing two end pyrene fragments, have been investigated in water. Effects of adding a less-polar organic solvent (acetonitrile: MeCN) on the emission behaviors have been studied by means of steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. L dissolved in water shows dual-mode fluorescence consisting of monomer and excimer emissions. The monomer emission shows an "on-off" intensity profile against the pH window (pH 2-12), whereas the excimer emission shows an "off-on" profile. Upon MeCN addition, the monomer emission maintains the "on-off" profile. In contrast, the "off-on" profile of the excimer emission is drastically changed: L shows two more types of profiles, "off-on-off-on" and "off-on-off", along with the MeCN concentration increase, thus behaving as a multiply configurable fluorescent indicator of the pH window. The MeCN-driven excimer emission switching of L is triggered by (i) the decrease in stability of the intramolecular ground-state dimer (GSD) formed between the end pyrene fragments, which suppresses the direct photoexcitation of GSD (suppression of the "static" excimer formation), leading to a decrease in the excimer emission intensity at basic pH; and (ii) the decrease in polarity of solution, which allows formation of a "dynamic" excimer via a monomer-to-excimer transition, resulting in an enhancement of the excimer emission intensity at acidic-neutral pH.     

Protein structure along the order-disorder continuum

Thermal fluctuations cause proteins to adopt an ensemble of conformations wherein the relative stability of the different ensemble members is determined by the topography of the underlying energy landscape. "Folded" proteins have relatively homogeneous ensembles, while "unfolded" proteins have heterogeneous ensembles. Hence, the labels "folded" and "unfolded" represent attempts to provide a qualitative characterization of the extent of structural heterogeneity within the underlying ensemble. In this work, we introduce an information-theoretic order parameter to quantify this conformational heterogeneity. We demonstrate that this order parameter can be estimated in a straightforward manner from an ensemble and is applicable to both unfolded and folded proteins. In addition, a simple formula for approximating the order parameter directly from crystallographic B factors is presented. By applying these metrics to a large sample of proteins, we show that proteins span the full range of the order-disorder axis.     

From gas chromatography to gaia

Summary This paper is an account of the development of the gaia hypothesis as seen through the eyes of a gas chromatographer. Gaia is a radical notion about the Earth which postulates the climate and chemical composition to be regulated at an optimum by and for life. Gas chromatography played an important role in the gathering of evidence for the hypothesis but most significantly the art of inventing detectors lead to the developement of a planetary life detector through which gaia was revealed.Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982     

Calculating the Electrochemical Activity of Porous Electrodes of a Filled-up Type with an Immobilized Enzyme

The electrochemical activity of porous electrodes of a filled-up type with an immobilized enzyme is calculated with the aid of computer-aided modeling. The percolation properties of two-component (a mixture of dispersed particles of the substrate and the enzyme) and three-component (a carrier of a gas reactant is added) models of a porous electrode are investigated. Taking into account specific features inherent in the forming macroscopic clusters (collections of particles of one sort or another connected with one another), i.e. an electron cluster and a gas cluster, makes it possible to determine the concentration of an active catalyst which is capable of taking part in the electrochemical process. The calculation of the electrochemical activity is performed in two-component structures, where the process of the current generation is limited by diffusion limitations, and in three-component structures, where the process of the current generation is limited by ohmic limitations. Estimates of the current are performed using an oxygen porous electrode with Nafion and an enzyme as an example. The electrochemical characteristics of this model electrode are close to those obtained on laccase. Introducing a hydrophobizing agent into the active layer of the porous electrode (passing from two-component structures to three-component structures) produces a positive effect. Although the number of active molecules of the enzyme drops in this case by an order of magnitude, the liquidation of diffusion limitations eventually raises the magnitude of the current by approximately threefold. Calculations show that it is quite feasible to obtain currents of 0.2 A cm^–2 on a porous electrode 16 m thick at an overvoltage of 30 mV.     

Attenuation of Tumor Development in Mammary Carcinoma Rats by Theacrine,an Antagonist of Adenosine 2A Receptor

Caffeine has been reported to induce anti-tumor immunity for attenuating breast cancer by blocking the adenosine 2A receptor. Molecular modeling showed that theacrine, a purine alkaloid structurally similar to caffeine, might be an antagonist of the adenosine 2A receptor equivalent to or more effective than caffeine. Theacrine was further demonstrated to be an effective antagonist of the adenosine 2A receptor as its concurrent supplementation significantly reduced the elevation of AMPK phosphorylation level in MCF-7 human breast cells induced by {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"CGS21680","term_id":"878113053","term_text":"CGS21680"}}CGS21680, an agonist of adenosine 2A receptors. In an animal model, the development of mammary carcinoma induced by 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in Sprague–Dawley rats could be attenuated by daily supplement of theacrine of 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight. Both expression levels of cleaved-caspase-3/pro-caspase-3 and granzyme B in tumor tissues were significantly elevated when theacrine was supplemented, indicating the induction of programmed cell death in tumor cells might be involved in the attenuation of mammary carcinoma. Similar to the caffeine, significant elevation of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α was observed in the serum and tumor tissues of rats after the theacrine supplement of 50 mg/kg body weight. Taken together, theacrine is an effective antagonist of adenosine 2A receptors and possesses great potential to be used to attenuate breast cancer.     

基于广义阴阳表面活性剂体系对不同黏度区间原油的普适性降黏作用

采用脂肪酸-脂肪胺混合的广义阴阳体系,分别通过水相引入与油相引入两种方式对黏度分布在0.05-155 Pa?s范围内的4种原油进行乳化降黏。针对不同地区原油的组成特点与黏度成因,调整复配体系中脂肪酸-脂肪胺的分子结构,采用不同手段构筑乳状液:对于黏度较低的普通稠油,采用水相引入脂肪酸-脂肪胺复配体系的方法;而对于胶质、沥青质含量极高的超稠油,采用油相引入脂肪酸-脂肪胺复配体系黏的方法。两种方法的降黏率均达到95%-99%,获得较为理想的降黏效果。     

Calculating Electrochemical Activity of Regular-Structure Porous Electrodes with an Immobilized Enzyme

A porous electrode of regular structure with an immobilized enzyme is studied. The electrode carcass, which consists of substrate particles, is a system of two sets of mutually perpendicular planes crossing one another (cellular structure). A monomolecular layer of enzyme molecules is deployed on the inner surface of such a porous substrate. In the center of each cell of the substrate gas pores, which are cylinders of porous grains of a hydrophobizing agent one grain thick, are situated. The rest of the cell space is filled by a solid polymer electrolyte. The ultimate goal of calculations is to estimate the electrochemical activity of such an electrode. The estimation is done for an oxygen electrode with an enzyme whose characteristics are close to those of laccase. The calculation assumes that active centers of enzyme molecules undergo a direct, i.e. without participation of mediators, reduction. It is shown that at an overvoltage of 30 mV, it would be possible to obtain a current density of 0.44 A cm^–2 in an electrode 16 m thick.     

Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes "on water"

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are exfoliated and functionalized into small bundles and individuals by vigorous stirring "on water" in the presence of a substituted aniline and an oxidizing agent. This is an example of an "on water" reaction that leads to functionalized SWNTs, and it represents a "green", or environmentally friendly, process. A variety of reaction conditions were explored. The products were analyzed with Raman, UV-vis-NIR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, atomic force and transmission electron microscopies, and thermogravimetric analysis.     

Photoresponsive liposomal nanohybrid cerasomes

An innovative photoresponsive cerasome is fabricated by sol-gel process in combination of self-assembly technique from a molecularly designed organoalkoxysilylated lipid containing an azobenzene unit, which is able to operate as a "valve" with an "on-off" function under specific stimuli to control the release of loaded guest molecules from the liposomal membrane.     

The Application of Scientific Methodology to a Contemporary Sports Journal

Often neglected as a foundation for scientific inquiry are contemporary sports journals and the articles contained within them. It is common to encounter authoritative assertions by various authors that are in truth ordinary suppositions infrequently based on tenable scientific data. This article outlines a model for transforming an ordinary factual statement, taken from a recent sporting journal, into an educational experience that includes experimental design, supporting documentation, methods of experimental verification, and the scientific method as a whole.     

The importance of the geometrical factor in nuclear activation analysis

When a beam of radiation is used as a probe in order to study the elemental composition of an object, the factors involved in obtaining maximum detection sensitivity include target homogeneity, beam uniformity and the solid angle subtended between target and detector. Here we have investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, the significance of these factors in an experimental facility for in-vitro prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis and an arrangement used in in-vivo activation analysis. The correction factor to the solid angle, to account for non-uniformity, and the optimisation of reaction rate and solid angle are considered.     

Analysis of the stationary kinetic characteristics of an n-stage unbranched catalytic reaction (linear mechanism)

Conclusions We shall discuss what differences the complexity (n-stage character) brings into the kinetic characteristics of the simplest case examined by us: an unbranched cycle, linear with respect to the intermediate substances. In the range in which the reaction proceeds in the forward direction the temperature dependence for an exothermal complex reaction is identical to that for a simple reversible exothermal stage [1]. For a complex endothermal reaction are possible characteristics which are analogous to an elementary endothermal stage: a monotonic dependence, but also a novel property may appear: an extreme (no more than one) due to the strong hidden endothermal character. As was proved in the present study, the action of the partial pressures of the reactants is analogous to their effect on the rate of an elementary reaction: monotonic functions. The difference consists in that here in most cases a limiting rate exists as a result of, for example, the circumstance that the detailed mechanism embraces stages in which no gas phase participates.Consequently, we classified the typical stationary kinetic characteristics of an n-stage unbranched catalytic reaction with a mechanism linear with respect to the intermediate products. The results obtained in our study can be easily extended to other cases, too, when the kinetic equations are of the shape (1), for example, to some empirical equations.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 529–533, July–August, 1978.     

Linking [Fe(III)3] triangles with "double-headed"phenolic oximes

The use of "double-headed" phenolic oximes produces a trigonal antiprismatic [Fe(III)(3)](2) cluster with an "internal cavity" filled with an additional Fe(3+) ion. Magnetic measurements reveal that the competition between different exchange interactions leads to a low-spin ground multiplet weakly separated in energy from a complex pattern of low-lying excited levels.     

A multifunctional arithmetical processor model integrated inside a single molecule

Improving the processing power of molecules remains the challenge for molecular logic and computation. Here we report a 2-phenylimidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (PIPH)-based three-state molecular switch by controlling its unique emission and absorption spectra in the acid and base condition. On one hand, PIPH can perform simultaneously the functions of an "AND" gate and an "XOR" gate, capable of operating as a half-adder, and the "off-on-off" function as well as comparison function by monitoring its fluorescent spectral changes. On the other hand, the molecule can also implement in parallel the functions of an "XOR" gate and two "INH" gates by monitoring its absorption spectral changes, which constructs two half-subtractors. The cooperative operation of comparator and half-subtractor makes general subtraction operation become possible, which is discussed conceptually in the report.     

Configuration interaction: Molecular orbitals for accurate calculations on diatomics

A procedure is developed to construct an optimum set of molecular orbitals (MO's) to be used in large scale configuration interaction expansion for diatomics. The set is optimum in the sense that a significant energy improvement can be obtained for a relatively short wavefunction expansion. Application of this methodology to the ground state of the LiH molecule gave an energy of –8.06345 a.u. for an expansion with 1852 terms obtained from a set with 16-, 12-, and 6-type MO's.     

Initial Stage of Mechanical Alloying in Fe(80)X(20) (X = Mo, W) Systems

The kinetics of an initial stage of mechanical alloying in Fe/Mo and Fe/W (80 : 20, at. %) systems was studied by X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. It was established that, upon mechanical treatment, X (Mo, W) passes into the Fe lattice to form an -Fe(X) solid solution, and a phase of pure iron exists in the systems for a long time together with the forming solution. The reverse dissolution (Fe in the X lattice) did not occur. Quantitatuve characteristics of the process (work of formation of intergrain surface and energy yields of the consumption of initial components and formation of a solid solution) were estimated in the energy units. It was shown that, upon annealing, a supersaturated solid solution separates into a solution with the equilibrium concentration X, an intermetallic compound Fe₇X₆, and an amorphous phase (the effect of inverse melting).     

A study on the synthesis of calix[4 and 6]arenes using alternately arranged phloroglucinols and p-tert-butylphenols

A method for the synthesis of calix[4 and 6]arenes with two or three alternately arranged phloroglucinols and p-tert-butylphenols was studied using "3+1" and "5+1" approaches, compared to a simple one-pot synthesis based on a "1+1" approach. By using Yb(OTf)3 as a catalyst, each calix[4 and 6]arenes was afforded, in an overall yield of 20.7% and 11.8% in the "3+1" and "5+1" approaches, respectively, and 24.6% and 19.9% using a "1+1" approach with chlorobenzene and toluene as refluxing solvents, respectively.     

Teaching Materials that Matter: An Interactive, Multi-media Module on Zeolites in General Chemistry

This paper describes a two-week teaching module, based on the structure, properties, and applications of zeolites, that was taught in a general chemistry course. We chose to focus this module on zeolite science because of the beauty and versatility of zeolites as well as their many existing and potential uses in the chemical industry. The curriculum was centered around an interactive educational computer program about zeolites that we developed specifically for the module, entitled Zeolite Explorer. The module also involved class lectures by faculty, a guest lecture from an industry leader, homework problems, handouts, overheads, and demonstrations. The class outline, lecture notes, handouts, overheads, homework, and Zeolite Explorer software are included with this article. We believe that this interactive, multimedia approach to teaching zeolite science generated more student interest in chemistry and learning an extremely important subject.     

High precision determination of uranium in ore by gamma-ray spectrometry

A new approach for the determination of elemental uranium in uranium bearing ore, using high resolution -ray spectrometry, was applied. Using a variant of the enrichment technique an agreement of better than 1% has been obtained between -ray measurement results and a certified value obtained by other analytical methods. For the calibration of the -ray spectrometer uranium reference samples have been used which are made available jointly in Europe and the USA as Certified Reference Materials for Gamma-Ray Spectrometry (EC NRM 171 and NBS SRM 969, respectively). The measured ore has been put in a special designed container which ensured in all directions seen from the radiation window an uniform degree of infinite thickness of about 95%. The results can be taken as an example for the applicability of -ray spectrometry when high accuracy is required and under conditions were homogeneously distributed elemental uranium is embedded in larger amount of matrix material.