Second-order calibration of excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra for determination of glutathione in human plasma

A rapid non-separative spectroflourimetric method based on the second-order calibration of the excitation-emission data matrix was proposed for the determination of glutathione (GSH) in human plasma. In the phosphate buffer solution of pH 8.0 GSH reacts with ortho-phthaldehyde (OPA) to yield a fluorescent adduct with maximum fluorescence intensity at about 420 nm. To handle the interfering effects of the OPA adducts with aminothiols other than GSH in plasma as well as intrinsic fluorescence of human plasma, parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis as an efficient three-way calibration method was employed. In addition, to model the indirect interfering effect of the plasma matrix, PARAFAC was coupled with standard addition method. The two-component PARAFAC modeling of the excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra accurately resolved the excitation and emission spectra of GSH, plasma (or plasma constituents). The concentration-related PARAFAC score of GSH represented a linear correlation with the concentration of added GSH, similar to that is obtained in simple standard addition method. Using this standard addition curve, the GSH level in plasma was found to be 6.10 ± 1.37 μmol L⁻¹. The accuracy of the method was investigated by analysis of the plasma samples spiked with 1.0 μmol L⁻¹ of GSH and a recovery of 97.5% was obtained.     

On the commutativity degree of compact groups

In any finite group G, the commutativity degree of G (denoted by d(G)) is the probability that two randomly chosen elements of G commute. More generally, for every n ≥ 2 the nth commutativity degree (denoted by d _n (G)) is the probability that a randomly chosen ordered (n + 1)-tuple of the group elements is mutually commuting. The aim of this paper is to generalize the definition of d(G) and d _n (G) to every compact group G (infinite and even uncountable). We shall state some results concerning compact groups and we will extend some results in Erfanian et al. (Comm. Algebra 35 (2007), 4183–4197) and Lescot (J. Algebra 177 (1995), 847–869).     

A one‐pot efficient four‐component reaction for the synthesis of 2‐(arylamino)‐2‐(5‐aryl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl)propyl benzoate (or acetate) derivatives

Reactions of (N‐isocyanimino) triphenylphosphorane with 2‐oxopropylbenzoate (or acetate) in the presence of aromatic carboxylic acids and primary amines proceed smoothly at room temperature and in neutral conditions to afford sterically congested 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives in high yields. The reaction proceeds smoothly and cleanly under mild conditions, and no side reactions were observed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 22:692–698, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20735     

Screening Anti-Cancer Drugs against Tubulin using Catch-and-Release Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Tubulin, which is the building block of microtubules, plays an important role in cell division. This critical role makes tubulin an attractive target for the development of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat cancer. Currently, there is no general binding assay for tubulin–drug interactions. The present work describes the application of the catch-and-release electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CaR-ESI-MS) assay to investigate the binding of colchicinoid drugs to αβ-tubulin dimers extracted from porcine brain. Proof-of-concept experiments using positive (ligands with known affinities) and negative (non-binders) controls were performed to establish the reliability of the assay. The assay was then used to screen a library of seven colchicinoid analogues to test their binding to tubulin and to rank their affinities.

Open image in new window

Graphical Abstract ?

     

N-isocyaniminotriphenylphosphorane (Ph3PNNC) as an efficient reagent for the synthesis of ferrocene-containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

Reaction of N-isocyaniminotriphenylphosphorane (Ph₃PNNC) with an aromatic aldehyde in the presence of ferrocene carboxylic acid and a secondary amine proceeds smoothly at room temperature under neutral conditions to afford sterically congested ferrocene-containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives in high yields. The reaction progresses smoothly and clearly under mild conditions and no side reactions were observed.     

Determination of fatty acids by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection using precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of fatty acids in seed oils. The method was based on precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate as a labeling agent and fluorescence detection. Fatty acids were extracted from the samples and subjected to derivatization with the reagent at 60°C for 10?min. The chromatographic separation of 14 fatty acids (C10–C22) was achieved on a combined loading compression octadecyl sulfate (CLC-ODS) column with a run time of 30?min. Three-step gradient elution of a mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water was used, and the signal was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 265 and 315?nm, respectively. The method indicated favorable sensitivity and reproducibility for fatty acids’ derivatives. The detection limits, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, were 0.01–0.05?µg/ml and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 0.27%. Excellent linear responses were observed with coefficients of 0.9995. This method was applied to quantify fatty acids in white, brown, and black sesame seeds’ oil.     

Effects of the van der Waals force,squeeze-film damping,and contact bounce on the dynamics of electrostatic microcantilevers before and after pull-in

The operational range of microcantilever beams under electrostatic force can be extended beyond pull-in in the presence of an intermediate dielectric layer. In this paper, a systematic method for deriving dynamic equation of microcantilevers under electrostatic force is presented. This model covers the behavior of the microcantilevers before and after the pull-in including the effects of van der Waals force, squeeze-film damping, and contact bounce. First, a polynomial approximate shape function with a time-dependent variable for each configuration is defined. Using Hamilton’s principle, dynamic equations of microcantilever in all configurations have been derived. Comparison between modeling results and previous experimental data that have been used for validation of the model shows a good agreement.     

CO2 reforming of methane over nickel catalysts supported on nanocrystalline MgAl2O4 with high surface area

In this paper dry reforming of methane (DRM) was carried out over nanocrystalline MgAl2O4-supported Ni catalysts with various Ni loadings. Nanocrystalline MgAl2O4 spinel with high specific surface area was synthesized by a co-precipitation method with the addition of pluronic P123 triblock copolymer as surfactant, and employed as catalyst support. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, H2 chemisorption, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), temperature- programmed desorption (TPD) and transmission and scanning electron microscopies (TEM, SEM) techniques. The obtained results showed that the catalyst support has a nanocrystalline structure (crystal size: about 5 nm) with a high specific surface area (175 m2 g-1) and a mesoporous structure. Increasing in nickel content decreased the specific surface area and nickel dispersion. The prepared catalysts showed high catalytic activity and stability during the reaction. SEM analysis revealed that whisker type carbon deposited over the spent catalysts and increasing in nickel loading increased the amount of deposited carbon. The nickel catalyst with 7 wt% of nickel showed the highest catalytic activity.     

The ratio of the charm structure functions F k c (k = 2, L) at low x in deep inelastic scattering with respect to the expansion method

We study the expansion method for the gluon distribution function at low x values and calculate the charm structure functions in the LO and NLO analysis. Our results provide a compact formula for the ratio R ^c = F _L ^c /F ₂ ^c , which is approximately independent of x and the details of the parton distribution function at low x values. This ratio could be a good probe of the charm structure function F ₂ ^c in the proton deduced from the reduced charm cross sections at DESY HERA. These results show that the charm structure functions obtained are in agreement with HERA experimental data and other theoretical models.     

External electric field, hydrostatic pressure and conduction band non-parabolicity effects on the binding energy and the diamagnetic susceptibility of a hydrogenic impurity quantum dot

Electric field, hydrostatic pressure and conduction band non-parabolicity effects on the binding energies of the lower-lying states and the diamagnetic susceptibility of an on-center hydrogenic impurity confined in a typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1−xAs spherical quantum dot is theoretically investigated, by direct diagonalization of the Hamiltonian. To this end, the effect of band non-parabolicity has been performed, by means of the Luttinger-Kohn effective mass equation. Binding energies and diamagnetic susceptibility of the hydrogenic impurity are computed as a function of the dot size, external electric field strength and hydrostatic pressure, with considering the edge-band non-parabolicity. Results show that the external electric field and the hydrostatic pressure have an obvious influence on the binding energies and the diamagnetic susceptibility of the impurity.