Coset intersection of irreducible plane cubics

In a projective plane $PG(2,\mathbb K )$ over an algebraically closed field $\mathbb K $ of characteristic $p\ge 0$ , let $\Omega $ be a pointset of size $n$ with $5\le n \le 9$ . The coset intersection problem relative to $\Omega $ is to determine the family $\mathbf F$ of irreducible cubics in $PG(2,\mathbb K )$ for which $\Omega $ is a common coset of a subgroup of the additive group $(\mathcal F ,+)$ for every $\mathcal F \in \mathbf F$ . In this paper, a complete solution of this problem is given.     

Coupling the Lorentz Integral Transform (LIT) and the Coupled Cluster (CC) Methods: A Way Towards Continuum Spectra of “Not-So-Few-Body” Systems

Here we summarize how the LIT and CC methods can be coupled, in order to allow for ab initio calculations of reactions in medium mass nuclei. Results on ¹⁶O are reviewed and preliminary calculations on ⁴⁰Ca are presented.     

Multivariate curve resolution of incomplete fused multiset data from chromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses for drug photostability studies

An advanced and powerful chemometric approach is proposed for the analysis of incomplete multiset data obtained by fusion of hyphenated liquid chromatographic DAD/MS data with UV spectrophotometric data from acid–base titration and kinetic degradation experiments. Column- and row-wise augmented data blocks were combined and simultaneously processed by means of a new version of the multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) technique, including the simultaneous analysis of incomplete multiset data from different instrumental techniques. The proposed procedure was applied to the detailed study of the kinetic photodegradation process of the amiloride (AML) drug. All chemical species involved in the degradation and equilibrium reactions were resolved and the pH dependent kinetic pathway described.     

Simultaneous determination of catechins, rutin, and gallic acid in Cistus species extracts by HPLC with diode array detection

A simple high-performance liquid chromatography method using a diode array detector (DAD) is developed for the simultaneous analysis of five major catechins: (+)-catechin (C), (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-gallocatechin (GCT), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and the phenolic plant metabolites gallic acid (GA) and rutin (RT) in lyophilized extracts of Cistus species. The optimal analytical conditions are investigated to obtain the best resolution and the highest UV sensitivity for the quantitative detection of catechins. The optimized conditions (acetonitrile-phosphate buffer 50mM, pH 2.5, gradient elution system on a C(18) reversed-phase column with a flow rate of 1 mL/min and UV absorbance at 210 nm) allowed a specific and repeatable separation of the studied analytes to be achieved. All compounds are successfully separated within 32 min. Calibration curves are linear in the 2-50 microg/mL range for GCT, C, and EGCG and in the 5-50 microg/mL range for GA, EGC, EC, and RT. The limit of detection values ranged from 0.24 to 0.74 microg/mL. The limit of quantitation limit values ranged from 0.77 to 1.94 microg/mL. The validated method is applied to the determination of the specific phytochemical markers GA, GCT, C, and RT in Cistus incanus and Cistus monspeliensis lyophilised extracts. The recovery values ranged between 78.7% and 98.2%. The described HPLC method appears suitable for the differentiation and determination of the most common catechins together with the glycoside rutin and the phenolic compound gallic acid and can be considered an effective and alternative procedure for the analyses of this important class of natural compounds.     

Preparation and Reactivity Study of a Versatile Trifluoromethylthiolating Agent: S-Trifluoromethyl Trifluoromethanesulfonothioate (TTST)

A novel, air and thermally stable, yet highly reactive trifluoromethylthiolating reagent, CF₃SO₂SCF₃ ( 1 ), was prepared easily in one step from commercially inexpensive CF₃SO₂Na and Tf₂O. 1 is a highly versatile and atom-efficient reagent that can generate one equivalent of CF₃S ⁺ , two equivalents of CF₃S⁻, or a combination of CF₃S⋅/CF₃⋅ species. Many high-yielding CF₃S reactions of C, O, S, and N-nucleophiles were achieved, including the simple-step preparations of many reported CF₃S reagents. 1 delivered a hitherto hard-to-synthesize ArOSCF₃ that was followed by a novel CF₃S^II-rearrangement. Through Cu or TDAE/Ph₃P combinations, 1 generated two equivalents of CF₃S anion species, and the photo-catalyzed reactions of alkenes with 1 provided CF₃/CF₃S-containing products in high atom-efficiency.     

Antibacterial Broad-Spectrum Dendritic/Gellan Gum Hybrid Hydrogels with Rapid Shape-Forming and Self-Healing for Wound Healing Application

Treating wound infections is a difficult task ever since pathogenic bacteria started to develop resistance to common antibiotics. The present study develops hybrid hydrogels based on the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex between the anionic charges of dopamine-functionalized Gellan Gum (GG-DA) and the cationic moieties of the TMP-G2-alanine dendrimer. The hydrogels thus obtained can be doubly crosslinked with CaCl₂, obtaining solid hydrogels. Or, by oxidizing dopamine to GG-DA, possibly causing further interactions such as Schiff Base and Michael addition to take place, hydrogels called injectables can be obtained. The latter have shear-thinning and self-healing properties (efficiency up to 100%). Human dermal fibroblasts (HDF), human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT), and mouse monocyte cells (RAW 264.7), after incubation with hydrogels, in most cases show cell viability up to 100%. Hydrogels exhibit adhesive behavior on various substrates, including porcine skin. At the same time, the dendrimer serves to crosslink the hydrogels and endows them with excellent broad-spectrum microbial eradication activity within four hours, evaluated using Staphylococcus aureus 2569 and Escherichia coli 178. Using the same GG-DA/TMP-G2-alanine ratios hybrid hydrogels with tunable properties and potential for wound dressing applications can be produced.     

Proteome analysis of human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using shotgun mass spectrometry

The prefrontal cortex executes important functions such as differentiation of conflicting thoughts, correct social behavior and personality expression, and is directly implicated in different neurodegenerative diseases. We performed a shotgun proteome analysis that included IEF fractionation, RP-LC, and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometric analysis of tryptic digests from a pool of seven human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex protein extracts. In this report, we present a catalog of 387 proteins expressed in these samples, identified by two or more peptides and high confidence search scores. These proteins are involved in different biological processes such as cell growth and/or maintenance, metabolism/energy pathways, cell communication/signal transduction, protein metabolism, transport, regulation of nucleobase, nucleoside, nucleotide and nucleic acid metabolism, and immune response. This analysis contributes to the knowledge of the human brain proteome by adding sample diversity and protein expression data from an alternative technical approach. It will also aid comparative studies of different brain areas and medical conditions, with future applications in basic and clinical research.