Mass spectrometric identification of a candidate biomarker peptide from the in vitro interaction of epichlorohydrin with red blood cells

The reaction products of epichlorohydrin with human alpha- and beta- globins, obtained through in vitro incubation of these compounds and red blood cells, were determined by using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The alpha-globin was much more reactive than the beta-globin. At low incubation ratios, approximating the order of magnitude of epichlorohydrin concentration as found in workplaces, the only modified peptide still detectable was the 62-90 belonging to the alpha-chain and carrying an incremental mass of 92 u on either His72 or His89. Given that the two peptides co-eluted in a single chromatographic peak during RP-HPLC separation, they could be chosen as suitable biomarkers for quantification in the setting up of a new methodology for the biological monitoring of persons occupationally exposed, replacing currently known procedures.     

Fibrazioni di una classe di near-field regolari di dimensionet+1 sul nucleo

Il contenuto di questo lavoro consiste nel mostrare che le fibrazioni dei near-field regolari di dimensionet+1 sul nucleo , quando , si ottengono da fibrazioni regolari con una operazione di scambio fra alcuni sistemi di matrici, che generalizza il procedimento di sostituzione di regoli con regoli opposti di quadriche rigate nel caso di dimensione due sul nucleo.     

Insight into the reaction mechanism of sulfur chains adjustable polymer cathode for high-loading lithium-organosulfur batteries

Small molecules with adjustable sulfur atoms in the confined structure were acted as precursor for the synthesis of polymer cathodes for lithium-organosulfur batteries.Among them,poly(diallyl tetrasulfide)(PDATtS)delivered a high capacity of 700 mAh g^-1,stable capacity retention of 85%after 300 cycles,high areal capacity~4 m Ah cm^-2 for electrode with up to 10.3 mg cm^-2 loading.New insight into the reaction mechanism of PDATtS electrode that radicals arisen from the homolytic cleavage of S-S bond in PDATtS reacted with Li+to generate thiolates(RSLi)and insoluble lithium sulfides(Li₂S)or lithium disulfide(Li₂S₂)was clearly verified by in-situ UV/Vis spectroscopy,nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)studies and density-functional theory(DFT)calculations.Therefore,based on the unique reaction mechanism,problems of rapid capacity fading due to the formation of soluble polysulfide intermediates and their serious shuttle effect in conventional lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries was totally avoided,realizing the dendrite-free lithium sulfur batteries.This study sets new trends for avenues of further research to advance Li-S battery technologies.     

Thermodynamic equilibrium between locally excited and charge-transfer states through thermally activated charge transfer in 1-(pyren-2′-yl)-o-carborane

Reversible conversion between excited-states plays an important role in many photophysical phenomena. Using 1-(pyren-2′-yl)-o-carborane as a model, we studied the photoinduced reversible charge-transfer (CT) process and the thermodynamic equilibrium between the locally-excited (LE) state and CT state, by combining steady state, time-resolved, and temperature-dependent fluorescence spectroscopy, fs- and ns-transient absorption, and DFT and LR-TDDFT calculations. Our results show that the energy gaps and energy barriers between the LE, CT, and a non-emissive ‘mixed’ state of 1-(pyren-2′-yl)-o-carborane are very small, and all three excited states are accessible at room temperature. The internal-conversion and reverse internal-conversion between LE and CT states are significantly faster than the radiative decay, and the two states have the same lifetimes and are in thermodynamic equilibrium.

Reversible conversion between excited-states is key to many photophysical phenomena. We studied the equilibrium between LE and CT states by time-resolved and temperature-dependent fluorescence, fs- and ns-transient absorption, and LR-TDDFT calculations.     

Raman spectra of proton order of thin ice Ih film

The polarized Raman spectra of the upper part of a thin ice Ih film were obtained in the range of 150 cm⁻¹ to 3800 cm⁻¹. The spectra showed clear polarization dependence; several new peaks were also observed. The longitudinaloptic–tranverseoptic (LO–TO) splitting of the mode near 220 cm⁻¹ in the translational vibration region was experimentally confirmed at 133 K. The Fermi resonance between the bending overtone (around 3270 cm⁻¹) and symmetry stretching fundamental (around 3350 cm⁻¹) in the stretching vibration region appeared at nearly the same temperature. Results showed that ice XI (i.e. proton‐ordered phase of ice Ih) slowly formed in the upper part of a thin ice Ih film without KOH as the temperature gradually decreased below 133 K. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient electrochemical incineration of phenol on activated carbon fiber as a new type of particulates

The feasibility of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) used as a new type of particle electrodes in 3-dimensional (3D) electrode for the electrochemical degradation of phenol wastewater was investigated for the first time. The surface morphology, textual properties and electrochemical behaviors of ACF were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂-BET sorption and cyclic voltammograms (CVs), respectively. Compared with the commercialized granular activated carbon (GAC), ACF particle electrodes exhibited higher electrochemical oxidation performance on the mineralization of target pollutant. The identification of intermediates indicated most of oxidation products were adsorbed onto the ACFs. The detection of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals in the reaction system suggested that the reaction mechanism was direct anodic oxidation of pollutant on ACFs if the cathode did not contact the ACFs. The operative parameters including initial concentration of substrate, applied current density and the initial aqueous pH have been scientifically studied in search of the optimum condition. Based upon the obtained results, the ACFs longevity was tested in solution at pH 2.0, revealing relatively high electrooxidation capacity and long catalyst lifetime of ACFs in acid solution.     

Chemical Composition and Evaluation of Insecticidal Activity of Calendula incana subsp. maritima and Laserpitium siler subsp. siculum Essential Oils against Stored Products Pests

The problems of the environment and human health related to the use of synthetic and broad-spectrum insecticides have increasingly motivated scientific research on different alternatives and among these, the use of green systems, such as essential oils, have been explored. Several species of the Apiaceae and Asteraceae families, aromatic herbs rich in secondary bioactive metabolites, are used in the industrial field for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food purposes. Different essential oils extracted from some species of these families have shown acute toxicity and attractive and/or repellent effects towards different insects. In our work, we investigated the toxic potential of Calendula incana subsp. maritima and Laserpitium siler subsp. siculum essential oils against four insect species, Sitophilus oryzae, Lasioderma serricorne, Necrobia rufipes, and Rhyzoperta dominica, which are common pests of stored products. The composition of both oils, extracted by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of the two plants, was evaluated by GC×GC-MS. Calendula incana subsp. maritima essential oil was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenoids, such as cubebol (35.39%), 4-epi-cubebol (22.99%), and cubenol (12.77%), while the Laserpitium siler subsp. siculum essential oil was composed mainly of monoterpene hydrocarbons, such as β-phellandrene (42.16%), limonene (23.87%), and β-terpinene (11.80%). The toxicity Petri dish bioassays indicated that C. maritima oil killed a mean of 65.50% of S. oryzae and 44.00% of R. dominica adults, indicating a higher biocidal activity in comparison with L. siculum oil, while toward the other species, no significant differences in mortality were recorded. Calendula maritima oil could be, then, considered a promising candidate for further tests as an alternative biocide toward S. oryzae and R. dominica. The possibility that the relatively high content of oxygenated sesquiterpenoids in C. maritima essential oil determines its higher biocidal activity is discussed.     

希土硝酸盐冠醚配合物的研究--X.Y(NO3)3·3H2O-18-冠-6-C2H5OH三元体系在25℃时溶解度的研究

利用改进的半微量相平衡方法研究了Y(NO₃)₃·3H₂O-18C6-C₂H₅NH(18C₆为18-冠-6)体系在25℃时溶解度,测定了各流相的折光率。结果指出只有一种化学计量的配合物[Y(NO₃)₃·18C6·3H₂O·C₂H₅OH]生成。考查了在相平衡过程中水的行为。经分离、洗涤、浓硫酸干燥器中恒重后,通过化学分析,确定了配合物的组成为:Y(NO₃)₃·18C6·3H₂O。用红外光谱、差热-热重分析研究了配合物的性质。并在常量情况下,研究了配合物的热失重情况。     

以水热法合成的水合氧化锆为载体的Pt／WO3-ZrO2上的正己烷异构化

通过水热法合成了一系列水合氧化锆,以之为载体采用浸渍法制备了Pt/WO3-ZrO2催化剂,考察了氢氧化锆的水热温度对Pt/WO3-ZrO2异构化活性的影响.通过X射线衍射、NH3程序升温脱附及H2程序升温还原表征了样品的晶相结构、酸性及还原性能.结果表明,水合氧化锆及以此为载体的催化剂的晶相结构均随着氢氧化锆水热温度的变化而变化,水热温度升高,四方相氧化锆比例下降.具有一定晶相结构的水合氧化锆为载体的催化剂具有较无定形氢氧化锆为载体的催化剂更多的强酸中心和更高的异构化催化活性.高的异构化活性可能与催化剂上更多的强酸中心有关。     

催化材料对病毒的吸附和灭活作用及对哺乳动物细胞的毒性

 提出了以吸附和催化原理灭活病毒的设想，旨在开发出对病毒有过滤、吸附及灭活作用的高效非特异性催化材料，应用于各种防护设施，有效控制非典型肺炎（SARS）的传播．采用与SARS病毒相似的副流感病毒作为模拟对象，进行了吸附及灭活该病毒的催化材料研究，并考察了催化材料对哺乳动物细胞的毒性．结果表明，病毒气溶胶的阻留及吸附结果与基于DNA吸附的色谱分析结果相一致；部分材料可以强烈地吸附病毒（100％），甚至在强烈振荡下并洗脱至第3次，病毒也不能脱附；一些材料不仅可以吸附病毒，而且强烈振荡后的洗脱液虽然表现出一定的血凝效价，但接种鸡胚后，病毒并不增殖，说明材料具有明显的催化病毒灭活性能；对细胞毒性极低的材料可以用在与人体接触的防护材料和设施中．筛选出的性能优异的催化材料，拟进一步考察其对SARS病毒的灭活作用．