Peak alignment of urine NMR spectra using fuzzy warping

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopic analysis of mixtures has been used extensively for a variety of applications ranging from the analysis of plant extracts, wine, and food to the evaluation of toxicity in animals. For example, NMR analysis of urine samples has been used extensively for biomarker discovery and, more simply, for the construction of classification models of toxicity, disease, and biochemical phenotype. However, NMR spectra of complex mixtures typically show unwanted local peak shifts caused by matrix and instrument variability, which must be compensated for prior to statistical analysis and interpretation of the data. One approach is to align the spectral peaks across the data set. An efficient and fast warping algorithm is required as the signals typically contain ca. 32,000-64,000 data points and there can be several thousand spectra in a data set. As demonstrated in our study, the iterative fuzzy warping algorithm fulfills these requirements and can be used on-line for an alignment of the NMR spectra. Correlation coefficients between the aligned and target spectra are used as the evaluation function for the algorithm, and its performance is compared with those of other published warping methods.     

A simple method for extracting both active oily and water soluble extract (WSE) from Nigella sativa (L.) seeds using a single solvent system

The current study provides a way of extraction for both active NSO and WSE from Nigella sativa seeds using 98% methanol. About 1?kg of ground seeds was macerated by 1:2.5 w/v (g/mL) for 72?hours. After rotary evaporation and 7 days of continuous drying and chilling at 50 and 4?°C, NSO and WSE were obtained at the same instant. Solubility tests of 24 solvents and 11 thin layer chromatographic analyses while 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay of NSO (73.66) , WSE (33.32) and NSO?+?WSE (78.22) against ascorbic acid (IC50?=?4.28?mg/mL) was performed. WSE was found to be highly soluble in water and 5% NaOH exhibiting the same Rf value of 0.95 for EtOH:DMSO (9:1) against the honey. WSE has revealed more than twofold higher anti-oxidant activity than others. Formulation of WSE with Tualang honey may provide better targeted hydrophilic drug delivery systems.     

Multidimensional custom-made non-linear microscope: from ex-vivo to in-vivo imaging

We have built a custom-made multidimensional non-linear microscope equipped with a combination of several non-linear laser imaging techniques involving fluorescence lifetime, multispectral two-photon and second-harmonic generation imaging. The optical system was mounted on a vertical honeycomb breadboard in an upright configuration, using two galvo-mirrors relayed by two spherical mirrors as scanners. A double detection system working in non-descanning mode has allowed both photon counting and a proportional regime. This experimental setup offering high spatial (micrometric) and temporal (sub-nanosecond) resolution has been used to image both ex-vivo and in-vivo biological samples, including cells, tissues, and living animals. Multidimensional imaging was used to spectroscopically characterize human skin lesions, as malignant melanoma and naevi. Moreover, two-color detection of two photon excited fluorescence was applied to in-vivo imaging of living mice intact neocortex, as well as to induce neuronal microlesions by femtosecond laser burning. The presented applications demonstrate the capability of the instrument to be used in a wide range of biological and biomedical studies. PACS  87.64.mn; 78.47.Cd; 87.19.lw     

Expanded Analogs of Three-Dimensional Lead-Halide Hybrid Perovskites

Replacing the Pb−X octahedral building unit of A^IPbX₃ perovskites (X=halide) with a pair of edge-sharing Pb−X octahedra affords the expanded perovskite analogs: A^IIPb₂X₆. We report seven members of this new family of materials. In 3D hybrid perovskites, orbitals from the organic molecules do not participate in the band edges. In contrast, the more spacious inorganic sublattice of the expanded analogs accommodates larger pyrazinium-based cations with low-lying π* orbitals that form the conduction band, substantially decreasing the band gap of the expanded lattice. The molecular nature of the conduction band allows us to electronically dope the materials by reducing the organic molecules. By synthesizing derivatives with A^II=pyridinium and ammonium, we can isolate the contributions of the pyrazinium-based orbitals in the band gap transition of A^IIPb₂X₆. The organic-molecule-based conduction band and the inorganic-ion-based valence band provide an unusual electronic platform with localized states for electrons and more disperse bands for holes upon optical or thermal excitation.     

Pyrene and anthracene dicarboxylic acids as fluorescent brightening comonomers for polyester

Diacids of fused arenes have been prepared for use as covalently bound fluorescent optical brightening agents in condensation polymers. The monomers: dimethyl 1,6‐pyrene dicarboxylate, dimethyl 1,8‐pyrenedicarboxylate, dimethyl 2,7‐pyrenedicarboxylate, 1,8‐bis(2‐carboxybenzoyl)pyrene dimethyl ester, dimethyl 2,6‐anthracenedicarboxylate, dimethyl 2,7‐anthracenedicarboxylate and dimethyl 9,10‐anthracenedicarboxylate are copolymerized with poly(ethylene terephthalate) and their optical properties are assessed. All of the polymers give blue fluorescence, with the copolymer containing dimethyl 1,6‐pyrenedicarboxylate being the brightest. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1291–1301, 2000     

Generation and detection of gaseous W12O 41 −· and other tungstate anions by laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry

The presence of a peak centered near m/z 2862, observed for the first time for the caged dodecatungstate radical-anion, [W₁₂O₄₁]^−·, enables distinguishing WO₂ from WO₃ by Laser Desorption Ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). In addition to WO₂, laser irradiation of dry deposits made from aqueous ammonium paratungstate, and calcium and lead orthotungstate also produce the [W₁₂O₄₁]^−·. In contrast, spectra recorded from deposits made from aqueous Na₂WO₄, sodium metatungstate, and WO₃, or non-aqueous calcium and lead orthotungstate, and ammonium paratungstate, failed to show the m/z 2862 peak cluster. These observations support the hypothesis that polycondensation reactions to form [W₁₂O₄₁]^−· occur solely in the presence of water. Although dry spots are irradiated for ionization, the solvent used for sample preparation plays an important role on the chemical composition endowed to ions detected. For example, the m/z 2862 peak seen from deposits made from aqueous ammonium paratungstate, and calcium and lead orthotungstate, is absent in the spectra recorded either from pristine deposits or those derived from solutions made with organic solvents such as acetonitrile or ethanol.     

Local angular momentum-local impact parameter analysis: derivation and properties of the fundamental identity, with applications to the F+H2, H+D2, and Cl+HCl chemical reactions

The technique of local angular momentum-local impact parameter (LAM-LIP) analysis has recently been shown to provide valuable dynamical information on the angular scattering of chemical reactions under semiclassical conditions. The LAM-LIP technique exploits a nearside-farside (NF) decomposition of the scattering amplitude, which is assumed to be a Legendre partial wave series. In this paper, we derive the "fundamental NF LAM identity," which relates the full LAM to the NF LAMs (there is a similar identity for the LIP case). Two derivations are presented. The first uses complex variable techniques, while the second exploits an analogy between the motion of the scattering amplitude in the Argand plane with changing angle and the classical mechanical motion of a particle in a plane with changing time. Alternative forms of the fundamental LAM-LIP identity are described, one of which gives rise to a CLAM-CLIP plot, where CLAM denotes (Cross section) x LAM and CLIP denotes (Cross section) x LIP. Applications of the NF LAM theory, together with CLAM plots, are reported for state-to-state transitions of the benchmark reactions F+H2-->FH+H, H+D2-->HD+D, and Cl+HCl-->ClH+Cl, using as input both numerical and parametrized scattering matrix elements. We use the fundamental LAM identity to explain the important empirical observation that a NF cross section analysis and a NF LAM analysis provide consistent (and complementary) information on the dynamics of chemical reactions.