A heterodifunctionalised ferrocene derivative that self-assembles in solution through complementary hydrogen-bonding interactions

A heterodifunctionalised ferrocene, containing a carboxylic acid and an amidopyridine unit, self-assembles in organic solvents through complementary hydrogen bonds.     

Quark masses

We review the current information about the eigenvalues of the quark mass matrix. The theoretical problems involved in a determination of the running masses m_u, m_d, m_s, m_c and m_b from experiment are discussed with the aim of getting reliable numerical values equipped with error bars that represent a conservative estimate of remaining uncertainties.     

Erratum

Erratum

Erratum     

Electromagnetic corrections in hadronic processes

In many applications of chiral perturbation theory, one has to purify physical matrix elements from electromagnetic effects. On the other hand, the splitting of the Hamiltonian into a strong and an electromagnetic part cannot be performed in a unique manner, because photon loops generate ultraviolet divergences. In the present article, we propose a convention for disentangling the two effects: one matches the parameters of two theories - with and without electromagnetic interactions - at a given scale , referred to as the matching scale. This method enables one to analyse the separation of strong and electromagnetic contributions in a transparent manner. We first study in a Yukawa-type model the dependence of strong and electromagnetic contributions on the matching scale. In a second step, we investigate this splitting in the linear sigma model at one-loop order, and consider in some detail the construction of the corresponding low-energy effective Lagrangian, which exactly implements the splitting of electromagnetic and strong interactions carried out in the underlying theory. We expect these model studies to be useful in the interpretation of the standard low-energy effective theory of hadrons, leptons and photons.Received: 28 August 2003, Published online: 20 November 2003     

Limits to gelation in colloidal aggregation

We show that the dynamics of large fractal colloid aggregates are well described by a combination of translational and rotational diffusion and internal elastic fluctuations, allowing both the aggregate size and internal elasticity to be determined by dynamic light scattering. The comparison of results obtained in microgravity and on Earth demonstrates that cluster growth is limited by gravity-induced restructuring. In the absence of gravity, thermal fluctuations ultimately inhibit fractal growth and set the fundamental limitation to the lowest volume fraction which will gel.     

Anisotropic defect-mediated melting of two-dimensional colloidal crystals

The melting transition of anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) crystals is studied in a model system of superparamagnetic colloids. The anisotropy of the induced dipole-dipole interaction is varied by tilting the external magnetic field off the normal to the particle plane. By analyzing the time-dependent Lindemann parameter as well as translational and orientational order we observe a 2D smecticlike phase. The Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young scenario of isotropic melting is modified: dislocation pairs and dislocations appear with different probabilities depending on their orientation with respect to the in-plane field.     

Metallodrug Profiling against SARS-CoV-2 Target Proteins Identifies Highly Potent Inhibitors of the S/ACE2 interaction and the Papain-like Protease PLpro

The global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has called for an urgent need for dedicated antiviral therapeutics. Metal complexes are commonly underrepresented in compound libraries that are used for screening in drug discovery campaigns, however, there is growing evidence for their role in medicinal chemistry. Based on previous results, we have selected more than 100 structurally diverse metal complexes for profiling as inhibitors of two relevant SARS-CoV-2 replication mechanisms, namely the interaction of the spike (S) protein with the ACE2 receptor and the papain-like protease PL^pro. In addition to many well-established types of mononuclear experimental metallodrugs, the pool of compounds tested was extended to approved metal-based therapeutics such as silver sulfadiazine and thiomersal, as well as polyoxometalates (POMs). Among the mononuclear metal complexes, only a small number of active inhibitors of the S/ACE2 interaction was identified, with titanocene dichloride as the only strong inhibitor. However, among the gold and silver containing complexes many turned out to be very potent inhibitors of PL^pro activity. Highly promising activity against both targets was noted for many POMs. Selected complexes were evaluated in antiviral SARS-CoV-2 assays confirming activity for gold complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) or dithiocarbamato ligands, a silver NHC complex, titanocene dichloride as well as a POM compound. These studies might provide starting points for the design of metal-based SARS-CoV-2 antiviral agents.     

Highly Charged Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes as Lysosome‐Localized Photosensitizers for Two‐Photon Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a noninvasive medical technique that has received increasing attention over the last years and been applied for the treatment of certain types of cancer. However, the currently clinically used PDT agents have several limitations, such as low water solubility, poor photostability, and limited selectivity towards cancer cells, aside from having very low two‐photon cross‐sections around 800 nm, which limits their potential use in TP‐PDT. To tackle these drawbacks, three highly positively charged ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes were synthesized. These complexes selectively localize in the lysosomes, an ideal localization for PDT purposes. One of these complexes showed an impressive phototoxicity index upon irradiation at 800 nm in 3D HeLa multicellular tumor spheroids and thus holds great promise for applications in two‐photon photodynamic therapy.     

The combined relaxation and vanishing Debye length limit in the hydrodynamic model for semiconductors

The combined relaxation and vanishing Debye length limit for the hydrodynamic model for semiconductors is considered in both the unipolar and the bipolar case. The resulting limit problems are non‐linear drift driven hyperbolic equations. We make use of non‐standard entropy functions and the related entropy productions in order to obtain uniform estimates. In the bipolar case additional time‐dependent L^∞‐type estimates, available from the existence theory, are needed in order to control the entropy production terms. Finally, strong convergence of the electric field allows the limit towards the limiting problem. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.