Profiles analysis of proanthocyanidins in the argun nut (Medemia argun—an ancient Egyptian palm) by LC–ESI–MS/MS

Medemia argun is an ancient palm rich in proanthocyanidins (PACs). These polyphenolic compounds are widely distributed in plants and are an integral part of the human diet. A sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI–MS) method in the negative ion mode for sequencing these ubiquitous and highly beneficial antioxidants is described in order to profile different PACs in M. argun nuts. The analytical protocol based on tandem mass spectrometry was used to sequence dimers, trimers, tetramers and pentamers with different A‐type, B‐type and A/B‐type linkages. Diagnostic ions resulting from heterocyclic ring fission and retro‐Diels–Alder reaction of flavan‐3‐ol provided information on the hydroxylation pattern and the type of interflavan bond. The sequences were discovered through ions derived from quinone methide cleavage of the interflavan bond. The identification of PACs linkages through LC–MSⁿ eliminates a number of tedious separation steps. The method was successfully applied to give a view of PAC profile in M. argun nuts. M. argun nuts contained 636.88 mg/g PACs (as equivalent of (þ)‐catechin). The data obtained in our research show that M. argun is a rich source of hydrolyzable PACs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ultrasound mediated green synthesis of rhodanine derivatives: Synthesis,chemical behavior,and antibacterial activity

A variety of rhodanine derivatives were synthesized via a three-component reaction of carbon disulfide, amines, and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylate in polyethylene glycol under conventional stirring or ultrasound irradiation. The sonochemical-assisted procedure provides an improved and accelerated conversion when compared to the conventional reaction, with increased rate of reaction and quality of product obtained. The product formed, 2a, could be readily converted to bis-rhodanine under microwave conditions. Moreover, the pyranothiazoles 9a,b were prepared from the corresponding rhodanines 2a,b and malononitrile. Fifteen compounds were screened for their antibacterial activities against nine human, animal and plant pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the agar well diffusion method. Out of these derivatives, compounds 2g and 2h were the most effective against all tested bacteria.     

New Mononuclear and Binuclear Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) Thiosemicarbazone Complexes with Potential Biological Activity: Antimicrobial and Molecular Docking Study

Herein, we report the synthesis of eight new mononuclear and binuclear Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺ methoxy thiosemicarbazone (MTSC) complexes aiming at obtaining thiosemicarbazone complex with potent biological activity. The structure of the MTSC ligand and its metal complexes was fully characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic techniques (NMR, FTIR, UV-Vis), molar conductivity, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and thermal differential analysis (DrTGA). The spectral and analytical data revealed that the obtained thiosemicarbazone-metal complexes have octahedral geometry around the metal center, except for the Zn²⁺-thiosemicarbazone complexes, which showed a tetrahedral geometry. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the MTSC ligand and its (Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺) metal complexes were also investigated. Interestingly, the antibacterial activity of MTSC- metal complexes against examined bacteria was higher than that of the MTSC alone, which indicates that metal complexation improved the antibacterial activity of the parent ligand. Among different metal complexes, the MTSC- mono- and binuclear Cu²⁺ complexes showed significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Proteus vulgaris, better than that of the standard gentamycin drug. The in silico molecular docking study has revealed that the MTSC ligand could be a potential inhibitor for the oxidoreductase protein.     

Low band gap frequencies and multiplexing properties in 1D and 2D mass spring structures

This study reports on the propagation of elastic waves in 1D and 2D mass spring structures.An analytical and computation model is presented for the 1D and 2D mass spring systems with different examples.An enhancement in the band gap values was obtained by modeling the structures to obtain low frequency band gaps at small dimensions.Additionally,the evolution of the band gap as a function of mass value is discussed.Special attention is devoted to the local resonance property in frequency ranges within the gaps in the band structure for the corresponding infinite periodic lattice in the 1D and 2D mass spring system.A linear defect formed of a row of specific masses produces an elastic waveguide that transmits at the narrow pass band frequency.The frequency of the waveguides can be selected by adjusting the mass and stiffness coefficients of the materials constituting the waveguide.Moreover,we pay more attention to analyze the wave multiplexer and DE-multiplexer in the 2D mass spring system.We show that two of these tunable waveguides with alternating materials can be employed to filter and separate specific frequencies from a broad band input signal.The presented simulation data is validated through comparison with the published research,and can be extended in the development of resonators and MEMS verification.     

Thermal properties of one-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystal

By using the transfer matrix method, we theoretically studied the propagation of a longitudinal acoustic wave in a one-dimensional phononic crystal (PnC) that contains a piezoelectric material as a defect layer. A pass band can be generated and controlled in the middle of the band gap. The pass band position is tuned by applying an external electric field. The position of the pass band inside the band gap is tuned by the changing of temperature. We introduce a comparison between temperature effects on two piezoelectric materials, PZT-5H and 0.7 PMN-0.3PT inside a PnC structure. Moreover, the pass band is shifted towards high or low frequencies by temperature decrement or increment, respectively. The simulated results provide a valuable guidance for PnC applications such as acoustic switch and temperature sensor.     

Output response identification in a multistable system for piezoelectric energy harvesting

In this paper we examine in detail the multiple responses of a novel vibrational energy harvester composed of a vertical bistable beam whose complex non-linear behavior is tuned via magnetic interaction. The beam was excited horizontally by a harmonic inertial force while mechanical vibrational energy is converted to electrical power through a piezoelectric element. The bistable laminate beam coupled to the piezoelectric transducer showed a variety of complex responses in terms of the beam displacement and harvested power output. The range of vibration patterns in this non-linear system included single-well oscillations and snap-through vibrations of periodic and chaotic character. Harvested power was found to be strongly dependent on the vibration pattern with nonlinearities providing a broadband response for energy harvesting. Wavelet analysis of measured voltage, displacement and velocity time histories indicated the presence of a variety of nonlinear periodic and also chaotic phenomena. To measure the complexity of response time series we applied phase portraits and determine stroboscopic points and multiscale entropy. It is demonstrated that by changing parameters such as the magnetic interaction, the characteristics of the bistable laminate harvester, such as the natural frequency, bandwidth, vibration response and peak power can be readily tailored for harvesting applications.     

Spin glass behavior in complexes of iron doped coordinated polymers

Magnetization measurements were performed on metal polycarbosilazane complexes polymers doped with Fe(II) and Fe(III)-ions. Zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization for Fe(II) doped polymer were found to bifurcates at a freezing temperature T_g, showing typical spin glass behavior but at much higher fields (～kOe) than what is commonly observed in metallic spin glass(～Oe). However, the ZFC magnetization of Fe(III) doped polymer did not reveal any spin-glass behavior. The magnetization curves showed very little Hysteresis effects and saturate at about 40 kOe at 2 K then drops sharply at 20 K. The saturation magnetization continues to drop gradually up to room temperature ～300 K.     

EGFR and COX-2 Dual Inhibitor: The Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Chalcones

For most researchers, discovering new anticancer drugs to avoid the adverse effects of current ones, to improve therapeutic benefits and to reduce resistance is essential. Because the COX-2 enzyme plays an important role in various types of cancer leading to malignancy enhancement, inhibition of apoptosis, and tumor-cell metastasis, an indispensable objective is to design new scaffolds or drugs that possess combined action or dual effect, such as kinase and COX-2 inhibition. The start compounds A1 to A6 were prepared through the diazo coupling of 3-aminoacetophenone with a corresponding phenol and then condensed with two new chalcone series, C7–18. The newly synthesized compounds were assessed against both COX-2 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) for their inhibitory effect. All novel compounds were screened for cytotoxicity against five cancer cell lines. Compounds C9 and G10 exhibited potent EGFR inhibition with IC₅₀ values of 0.8 and 1.1 µM, respectively. Additionally, they also displayed great COX-2 inhibition with IC₅₀ values of 1.27 and 1.88 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the target compounds were assessed for their cytotoxicity against pancreatic ductal cancer (Panc-1), lung cancer (H-460), human colon cancer (HT-29), human malignant melanoma (A375) and pancreatic cancer (PaCa-2) cell lines. Interestingly, compounds C10 and G12 exhibited the strongest cytotoxic effect against PaCa-2 with average IC₅₀ values of 0.9 and 0.8 µM, respectively. To understand the possible binding modes of the compounds under investigation with the receptor cites of EGFR and COX-2, a virtual docking study was conducted.     

Synthesis and Some Reactions of Coumarin‐3‐yl Crotononitrile Derivatives

Several new coumarinyl crotononitriles, 2a‐i, coumarinyl cinnamocoumarines 3a,b, 4‐amino‐3‐(substituted)‐3,4‐dihydrocoumarin 4a‐c and 9a‐c, nicotinic acid derivatives 10a,b and 4‐ethoxy‐3‐substituted‐3,4‐dihydrocoumarins 11, were synthesized from 3‐acetyl and/or 3‐benzoyl coumarin. The behavior of coumarin‐3‐yl crotononitriles 2a,b toward some electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents have been described with the aim of preparing some new heterocyclic compounds.     

Voltammetric Determination of Oxybutynin Hydrochloride Utilizing Pencil Graphite Electrode Decorated with Gold Nanoparticles

A novel voltammetric method was successfully applied for the determination of an anticholinergic drug, oxybutynin hydrochloride (OXB). The method is concerned with electrooxidation of the drug on the surface of pencil graphite electrode (PGE). In order to enhance the electrode sensitivity and peak current, the electrode was coated with gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) via electrochemical deposition using cyclic voltammetry from gold salt solution. The surface of Au-NPs modified PGE has been characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Various experimental variables were studied and optimized to enhance the sensor's response towards OXB. Quantitative determination of the drug was achieved in phosphate buffer pH 7.5 using differential pulse voltammetry by scanning the potential over range of 0.00 to 2.20 V with scan rate of 40 mV s⁻¹. Validation of the method was achieved according to ICH guidelines. The method was found to be linear over concentration range (2.0×10⁻⁷–1.0×10⁻⁶ M). The suggested sensor was efficiently developed for the quantitative determination of OXB in pure form, pharmaceutical dosage form and spiked plasma samples.