An Ion-Exchangeable MOF with Reversible Dehydration and Dynamic Structural Behavior (NH4)2[Zn2(O3PCH2CH2COO)2]⋅5 H2O (BIRM-1)

(NH₄)₂[Zn₂(O₃PCH₂CH₂COO)₂]⋅5 H₂O (BIRM-1) is a new metal phosphonate material, synthesized through a simple hydrothermal reaction between zinc nitrate and 3-phosphonopropionic acid, using urea and tetraethylammonium bromide as the reaction medium. In common with other metal–organic framework materials, BIRM-1 has a large three-dimensional porous structure providing potential access to a high internal surface area. Unlike most others, it has the advantage of containing ammonium cations within the pores and has the ability to undergo cation exchange. Additionally, BIRM-1 also exhibits a reversible dehydration behavior involving an amorphization-recrystallization cycle. The ability to undergo ion exchange and dynamic structural behavior are of interest in their own right, but also increase the range of potential applications for this material. Here the crystal structure of this new metal phosphonate and its ion exchange behavior with K⁺ as an exemplar are studied in detail, and its unusual structure-reviving property reported.     

New detection modality for label-free quantification of DNA in biological samples via superparamagnetic bead aggregation

Combining DNA and superparamagnetic beads in a rotating magnetic field produces multiparticle aggregates that are visually striking, enabling label-free optical detection and quantification of DNA at levels in the picogram per microliter range. DNA in biological samples can be quantified directly by simple analysis of optical images of microfluidic wells placed on a magnetic stirrer without prior DNA purification. Aggregation results from DNA/bead interactions driven either by the presence of a chaotrope (a nonspecific trigger for aggregation) or by hybridization with oligonucleotides on functionalized beads (sequence-specific). This paper demonstrates quantification of DNA with sensitivity comparable to that of the best currently available fluorometric assays. The robustness and sensitivity of the method enable a wide range of applications, illustrated here by counting eukaryotic cells. Using widely available and inexpensive benchtop hardware, the approach provides a highly accessible low-tech microscale alternative to more expensive DNA detection and cell counting techniques.     

Roadside Drug Testing Approaches

The purpose of this review is to present an overview of roadside drug testing, driving enforcement, and drunk/drug driving detection around the world. Drunk and drug driving is a severe problem, not only in the UAE, but also around the world. This has important implications for road safety as drunk or drug driving may increase the chances of a driver’s involvement in a road crash when compared to a drug-free driver. Recently, due to increases in drug-impaired drivers’ crash involvement, many mobile roadside drug testing devices have been introduced to the market. These devices use oral fluid, urine or blood matrices. These are on-the-spot tests, which are easy to use and are applied by law enforcement agencies and the public. Law enforcement agencies most commonly use oral fluid to detect the presence of illicit drugs in drivers. This review discusses all the available devices in the market used by the authorities. It also describes the type of drugs widely abused by drivers along with behavioral testing methods. The different types of matrices used for roadside drug testing are also evaluated. Sample collection, storage, and pre-treatment methods are discussed, followed by the confirmatory analysis of positive samples. This article will significantly help law enforcement agencies compare and evaluate all the reliable roadside testing devices and new emerging confirmatory devices available to them in the market. This will help them make an informed decision on which device to adapt to their individual needs.     

4-Cyano-2-oxo-1,2,4-oxadiazolo[2,3-a]quinoxaline 5-N-oxides. New synthetic method and reaction with alcohols. Potential cytotoxic activity

Several quinoxaline 1,4-di-N-oxides have been shown to be efficient and selective cytotoxins for hypoxic cells. We present now a series of 4-cyano-2-oxo-1,2,4-oxadiazolo[2,3-a]quinoxaline 5-N-oxides 2a-2k . They were prepared starting from 3-amino-2-quinoxalinecarbonitrile 1,4-di-N-oxides 1a-1k and 2-chloroethyl isocyanate in dry dioxane at 100–110°. A reaction mechanism is proposed. The treatment of 1a with phenyl isocyanate afforded 2a . Reaction of 2c with silica gel yielded 1c . Compounds 2a-2g were heated in the presence of ethanol and 2-propanol giving the corresponding carbamates 3a-3g and 4a-4g . Compound 2d was already obtained by heating a mixture of 1d and ethyl chloroformiate. Compound 2b was prepared when the carbamate 3b was heated at 150°. Quinoxalines were tested as cytotoxic agents both in oxic and hypoxic cells. The most interesting compounds were 3g and 4g .     

Detection of DNA adducts of benzo[a]pyrene using immunoelectrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence. Analysis of A549 cells

Detection of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE)-damaged DNA in a human lung carcinoma cell line (A549) has been performed using free zone affinity capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Using BPDE as a model carcinogenic compound, the speed, sensitivity and specificity of this technique was demonstrated. Under free zone conditions, an antibody bound adduct was baseline-resolved from an unbound adduct in less than 2 min. The efficiencies of separation were in excess of 6 x 10(5) and 1 x 10(6) plates per meter for the antibody-bound and unbound adducts, respectively. Separation using a low ionic strength buffer permitted the use of a high electric field (830 V/cm) without the loss of resolving power. Using LIF detection, a concentration detection limit of roughly 3 x 10(-10) M was achieved for a 90-mer oligonuleotide containing a single BDPE. The use of formamide in the incubation buffer to enhance denaturing of DNA did not affect the stability of the complex between the antibody and the adducts. Using a fluorescently labeled BPDE-modified DNA adduct probe, a competitive assay was established to determine the levels of BPDE-DNA adducts in A549 cells.     

Response functions for crystals and surfaces,with applications to surface scattering

A general solution of the equations of forced motion of a harmonic crystal or other vibrating system with arbitrary time-dependent forces acting on the atoms is given. The solution is given in terms of dynamical “response functions”, for which expressions in terms of the normal mode frequencies and eigenvectors (polarization vectors) are given. Numerical calculations of the response functions are described for (111) and (100) surfaces of face-centered cubic crystals interacting with Lennard-Jones 6–12 potentials, and the qualitative features of the surface and bulk response functions are discussed. The use of these functions in problems of atomic scattering from surfaces is outline, and conveneint parameterized forms for this application are given.     

Cross section of the reaction 6Li(p, γ)7Be

The cross section of the reaction ⁶Li(p, γ)⁷Be has been measured using Ge(Li) γ-ray spectrometers for proton bombarding energies E_p from 200 keV to 1200 keV. At E_p = 800 keV, the total (p, γ) integrated cross section is found to be 3.1 ± 0.4 μb. The cross section adopted from consideration of this and previous measurements is in good agreement with that predicted from the known thermal neutron cross section for ⁶Li(n, γ)⁷Li on the assumption that properties of mirror direct capture reactions can be well described by optical potentials that use the same parmeter values for the two reactions.