Measurements of microwave transmission through a decaying plasmacolumn

We have studied the width and the amplitude of the transmitted radio frequency (RF) pulse, as a function of the afterglow time for argon and nitrogen plasmas. In our study, the neutral gas pressure for the case of argon was 2 torr and that for nitrogen was 0.5 torr. The RF energy of the transmitted pulse was found to reach half of its maximum value for afterglow times of about 0.1 s for argon and about 375 μs for nitrogen     

Highly oxidizing excited states of one-electron-oxidized guanine in DNA: wavelength and pH dependence

Excited states of one-electron-oxidized guanine in DNA are known to induce hole transfer to the sugar moiety and on deprotonation result in neutral sugar radicals that are precursors of DNA strand breaks. This work carried out in a homogeneous aqueous glass (7.5 M LiCl) at low temperatures (77-175 K) shows the extent of photoconversion of one-electron-oxidized guanine and the associated yields of individual sugar radicals are crucially controlled by the photon energy, protonation state, and strandedness of the oligomer. In addition to sugar radical formation, highly oxidizing excited states of one-electron-oxidized guanine are produced with 405 nm light at pH 5 and below that are able to oxidize chloride ion in the surrounding solution to form Cl(2)(?-) via an excited-state hole transfer process. Among the various DNA model systems studied in this work, the maximum amount of Cl(2)(?-) is produced with ds (double-stranded) DNA, where the one-electron-oxidized guanine exists in its cation radical form (G(?+):C). Thus, via excited-state hole transfer, the dsDNA is apparently able to protect itself from cation radical excited states by transfer of damage to the surrounding environment.     

Enhancement of ionization efficiency and selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides from complex protein mixtures using a reversible poly-histidine tag

To improve the detection of phosphorylated peptides/proteins, a combination of optimized MS-based strategies were used involving chemical derivatization with a polyhistidine-tag (His-tag) and affinity enrichment of the resulting His-tag peptides on a nanoscale Ni(2+)-IMAC column. The phosphoserine and phosphothreonine peptides were derivatized using a one-pot beta-elimination/Michael addition reaction with a reversible His-tag possessing a thiol-containing Cys residue. The His-tag peptides were enriched selectively by Ni(2+)-IMAC and released using either imidazole or cleavage with Factor Xa. This novel capture and enzyme-mediated release provided an additional element of selectivity and yielded phosphopeptide-specific modifications with enhanced MS ionization characteristics. The eluted peptides were mapped using MALDI-TOF MS and QTRAP ESI-MS/MS techniques. The results obtained for a model peptide and two tryptic protein digests show that the method is highly specific and allows selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides at low concentrations of femtomoles per microliter.     

Carboxylate Assisted Ni‐Catalyzed CH Bond Allylation of Benzamides

A one‐step synthetic method was developed for allylation of benzamides using Ni(COD)₂/RCO₂H and [Ni(μ‐H₂O)(OOCCMe₃)₂(HOOCCMe₃)₂]₂ ( A′ ) catalytic system. Efficient, well‐defined, air and moisture‐stable Ni–pivalate complex was isolated and employed in catalytic allylation. The influence of solvent on product selectivity was also investigated.     

Comparative evaluation of two Trichoderma harzianum strains for major secondary metabolite production and antifungal activity

This investigation was undertaken to identify the major secondary metabolite, produced by two Trichoderma harzianum strains (T-4 and T-5) with their antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi using poison food technique. The ethyl acetate extract was subjected to column chromatography using n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol gradually. Chromatographic separation of ethyl acetate extract of T. harzianum (T-4) resulted in the isolation and identification of palmitic acid (1), 1,8-dihydroxy-3-methylanthraquinone (2), 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one (3), 2(5H)-furanone (4), stigmasterol (5) and β-sitosterol (6), while T. harzianum (T-5) gave palmitic acid (1), 1-hydroxy-3-methylanthraquinone (7), δ-decanolactone (8), 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one (3), ergosterol (9), harzianopyridone (10) and 6-methyl-1,3,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone (11) as major metabolites. Among compounds screened for antifungal activity, compound 10 was found to be most active (EC₅₀ 35.9–50.2 μg mL^? 1). In conclusion, the present investigation provided significant information about antifungal activity and compounds isolated from two different strains of T. harzianum obtained from two different Himalayan locations.     

Fabrication of cellulose-based scaffold with microarchitecture using a leaching technique for biomedical applications

Providing a conclusive microenvironment for cell growth, proliferation and differentiation is a major developmental strategy in the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This is usually achieved in the laboratory by culturing cells in three-dimensional polymer-based scaffolding materials. Here, we describe the fabrication of a cellulose scaffold for tissue engineering purposes from cellulose fiber using a salt leaching method. The 1-n-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) IL was used as a solvent for cellulose. The leaching methodology used in this study offers the unique advantage of providing effective control of scaffold porosity by simply varying cellulose concentration. Morphologic testing of the scaffolds produced revealed pore sizes of 200–500 μm. In addition, the scaffolds had high water adsorption rates and slow degradation rates. To further investigate the suitability of these scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, biocompatibility was checked using an MTT assay and confirmed by Live/Dead^® viability testing. In addition, scanning electron microscopy and DAPI studies and in vivo experiment demonstrated the ability of cells to attach to scaffold surfaces, and a biocompatibility of matrices with cells, respectively. The authors describe the environmentally friendly fabrication of a novel cellulose-based tissue engineering scaffold.     

Dielectric,impedance and excitation performance of Aurivillius oxides: Bi4Pb2Zr2TiFeNbO18

The Aurivillius phase-based composition bearing chemical formula Bi₄Pb₂Zr₂TiFeNbO₁₈ (termed as BPZTFNO) was synthesized by a solid-state method. The structural analysis as obtained from the X-ray pattern has depicted an orthorhombic phase. The various size and morphology of grains are distributed throughout the natural surface as revealed from microstructure analysis. The dielectric and electrical study of the BPZTFNO is taken at a various sweep of frequency (1 kHz–1 MHz) and temperatures (25–400 °C). The ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition is well illustrated from the temperature-dependent dielectric constant. The complex impedance analysis suggests the association of grain effect. The relaxation of non-Debye nature is shown in the impedance study. The formed sample is subjected to an electric field and further its excitation performance is examined suggesting its possible usage in devices.     

Thermodynamic Studies of Amino Acid–Denaturant Interactions in Aqueous Solutions at 298.15 K

As proteins and other biomolecules consisting of amino acid residues require external additives for their dissolution and recrystallization, it is important to have information about how such additives interact with amino acids. Therefore we have studied the interactions of simple model amino acids with the additives urea and guanidine hydrochloride in aqueous solutions at 298.15 K, using vapor pressure osmometry. During the measurements, the concentration of urea was fixed as ∼2 mol⋅kg⁻¹ and that of guanidine hydrochloride was fixed as ∼1 mol⋅kg⁻¹ whereas the concentrations of amino acids were varied. The experimental water activity data were processed to get the individual activity coefficients of all the three components in the ternary mixture. Further, the activity coefficients were used to get the excess Gibbs energies of solutions and Gibbs energies for transfer of either amino acids from water to aqueous denaturant solutions or denaturant from water to aqueous amino acid solutions. An application of the McMillan-Mayer theory of solutions through virial expansion of transfer Gibbs energies was made to get pair and triplet interaction parameter whose sign and magnitude yielded information about amino acid–denaturant interactions, relative to their interactions with water. The pair interaction parameters have been further used to obtain salting constants and in turn the thermodynamic equilibrium constant values for the amino acid–denaturant mixing process in aqueous solutions at 298.15 K. The results have been explained in terms of hydrophobic hydration, hydrophobic interactions and amino acid–denaturant binding.     

Clouding phenomenon and SANS studies on tetra-n-butylammonium dodecylsulfate micellar solutions in the absence and presence of salts

Clouding phenomenon in aqueous micellar solutions of an anionic surfactant tetra-n-butylammonium dodecylsulfate (TBADS) has been observed as a function of surfactant concentration. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments in these systems show clustering of micelles as the temperature approaches the cloud point (CP). The individual micelles and the clusters of micelles coexist at CP. The clustering of micelles depends on the surfactant concentration and temperature. It is proposed that clustering is due to depletion of H-bonded water present around the butyl chains at the micellar surface. This is associated with entropy gain which is considered to be the major thermodynamic factor related to micellar aggregation. The structures (clusters) that emerge depend on the relative lengths of the alkyl chains of the counterion and can be tuned by the temperature.