Synthesis of New Phenolic Derivatives of Quinazolin-4(3H)-One as Potential Antioxidant Agents—In Vitro Evaluation and Quantum Studies

Considering the important damage caused by the reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species in the human organism, the need for new therapeutic agents, with superior efficacy to the known natural and synthetic antioxidants, is crucial. Quinazolin-4-ones are known for their wide range of biological activities, and phenolic compounds display an important antioxidant effect. Linking the two active pharmacophores may lead to an increase of the antioxidant activity. Therefore, we synthesized four series of new hybrid molecules bearing the quinazolin-4-one and phenol scaffolds. Their antioxidant potential was evaluated in vitro, considering different possible mechanisms of action: hydrogen atom transfer, ability to donate electrons and metal ions chelation. Theoretical quantum and thermodynamical calculations were also performed. Some compounds, especially the ortho diphenolic ones, exerted a stronger antioxidant effect than ascorbic acid and Trolox.     

The Mosaic Structure of Zeolite Crystals

Zeolites are widely used in many commercial processes, mostly as catalysts or adsorbents. Understanding their intimate structure at the nanoscale is the key to control their properties and design the best materials for their ever increasing uses. Herein, we report a new and controllable fluoride treatment for the non‐discriminate extraction of zeolite framework cations. This sheds new light on the sub‐structure of commercially relevant zeolite crystals: they are segmented along defect zones exposing numerous nanometer‐sized crystalline domains, separated by low‐angle boundaries, in what were apparent single‐crystals. The concentration, morphology, and distribution of such domains analyzed by electron tomography indicate that this is a common phenomenon in zeolites, independent of their structure and chemical composition. This is a milestone to better understand their growth mechanism and rationally design superior catalysts and adsorbents.     

Biofortification—A Frontier Novel Approach to Enrich Micronutrients in Field Crops to Encounter the Nutritional Security

Globally, many developing countries are facing silent epidemics of nutritional deficiencies in human beings and animals. The lack of diversity in diet, i.e., cereal-based crops deficient in mineral nutrients is an additional threat to nutritional quality. The present review accounts for the significance of biofortification as a process to enhance the productivity of crops and also an agricultural solution to address the issues of nutritional security. In this endeavor, different innovative and specific biofortification approaches have been discussed for nutrient enrichment of field crops including cereals, pulses, oilseeds and fodder crops. The agronomic approach increases the micronutrient density in crops with soil and foliar application of fertilizers including amendments. The biofortification through conventional breeding approach includes the selection of efficient genotypes, practicing crossing of plants with desirable nutritional traits without sacrificing agricultural and economic productivity. However, the transgenic/biotechnological approach involves the synthesis of transgenes for micronutrient re-translocation between tissues to enhance their bioavailability. Soil microorganisms enhance nutrient content in the rhizosphere through diverse mechanisms such as synthesis, mobilization, transformations and siderophore production which accumulate more minerals in plants. Different sources of micronutrients viz. mineral solutions, chelates and nanoparticles play a pivotal role in the process of biofortification as it regulates the absorption rates and mechanisms in plants. Apart from the quality parameters, biofortification also improved the crop yield to alleviate hidden hunger thus proving to be a sustainable and cost-effective approach. Thus, this review article conveys a message for researchers about the adequate potential of biofortification to increase crop productivity and nourish the crop with additional nutrient content to provide food security and nutritional quality to humans and livestock.     

Highly oriented crystalline Er:YAG and Er:YAP layers prepared by PLD and annealing

High quality, thick, highly oriented crystalline thin films of Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Y₃Al₅O₁₂) and Yttrium Aluminum Perovskite (YAlO₃) doped with Erbium were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Samples were created in vacuum or oxygen environment. Depositions were arranged at room temperature, or at high substrate temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100 °C. Amorphous layers were annealed by laser, or in oven (argon flow, temperatures in range from 1200 to 1400 °C). Fused silica and sapphire (0 0 0 1) were used as substrates. Properties of films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and by photoluminescence measurement. Size of crystalline grains was in the range 116-773 nm. Thickness of layers was up to 17 μm.     

A semi-empirical approach to determine gamma activities in environmental cylindrical samples

A semi-empirical method to determine radionuclide concentrations in large environmental samples without the use of reference material and avoiding the typical complexity of Monte-Carlo codes is proposed. The calculation of full-energy peak efficiencies was carried out from a relative efficiency curve (obtained from the gamma spectra data), and the geometric (simulated by Monte-Carlo), absorption, sample and intrinsic efficiencies for energies between 130 and 3000 keV. The absorption and sample efficiencies were determined from the mass absorption coefficients, whereas the intrinsic efficiency was approximated by an empirical function. The deviations between calculated and experimental efficiencies for a reference material in most cases are less than 10%. Radionuclide activities in marine sediment samples calculated by the proposed method and by the experimental comparative method were not significantly different. This new method can be used for routine environmental monitoring when uncertainties up to 10% are acceptable.     

Composition operators from large weighted Hardy spaces into the Dirichlet space

Given a large weighted Hardy space we show there exists a composition operatorC with that maps from that space into the unweighted Dirichlet space and lies in every Schatten p-class for 0<p<. This is in contrast to the situation in which the image space is a smaller weighted Dirichlet space. It is known that in that case it is not possible to find such a composition operator that is bounded.This research was supported in part by a summer stipend from Bellarmine College.     

Insights into UV-induced apoptosis: ultrastructure, trichrome stain and spectral imaging

Nuclear substructures associated with apoptosis in HeLa cells have been examined using light-microscopic morphometry, trichrome staining, spectral imaging and transmission electron microscopy. This detailed analysis reveals several sites where alterations in the normal cellular ultrastructure occur during apoptotic progression. To correlate these ultrastructural changes with the underlying molecular processes, we have characterized and quantified apoptotic cell morphology with and without inhibition of two caspases, which are key effectors of the apoptotic program. Using this analysis, early apoptotic events included: (a) the segregation of nucleolar components, a diminished granular component, and a reduction in number but increase in size of fibrillar centers, (b) an increase in the number of cytoplasmic ribosomes and (c) a very minimal increase in the amount of peripherally condensed DNA. Apoptosis progressed with: (a) an increase in the number of perichromatin granules and perichromatin fibrils, (b) a reduction in number of interchromatin granule centers concomitant with an increase in their size, (c) partial digestion and circumferential condensation of the DNA at the nuclear membrane and (d) rounding of the cytoplasm with an increase in organellar density and shrinkage in cell size. Endstage apoptotic cells showed: (a) one (or two) very large pools of incompletely digested DNA, (b) one (or two) very large interchromatin granule centers, (c) an increased number of perichromatin granules which were distanced from DNA and often closely apposed to the nucleolus, (d) formation of unusually condensed, highly coiled perinucleolar bodies and (e) blebbing of highly dense cytoplasm.In HeLa cells treated with UV and inhibitors of caspase 1 and 3, the length of time from early apoptosis to the formation of apoptotic bodies was greatly extended. Inhibiting caspase activity: (a) prevented the pooling of DNA, (b) retarded the formation of large interchromatin granule centers, (c) increased the number of perichromatin granules, (d) produced disassembly of the nucleolus, (e) prevented the formation of highly coiled perinucleolar bodies, and (f) caused vacuolization in the cell center and a unipolar blebbing of the cytoplasm.Spectral imaging in conjunction with serial section electron microscopy confirmed the staining specificities of the condensed DNA, of the large condensed interchromatin granule centers, and of the nucleoli. The results indicate that the interface between the components of the chromatin domain and the interchromatin space is a critical site of caspase activity in apoptosis, and precedes other events such as internucleosomal DNA degradation.     

Thermodynamic Modeling of Actinide Complexation with Acetate and Lactate at High Ionic Strength

The stability constants of NpO ₂ ⁺ , UO ₂ ²⁺ Am³⁺, and Th⁴⁺ with acetate and lactate anions has been measured in 0.3–5.0m NaCl media at 25°C by the solvent extraction technique. For the 1:1 complexation, the values of the stability constants increased in the order: NpO ₂ ⁺ < Am³⁺ < ₂ ²⁺ < Th⁴⁺, in accordance with the actinide charge density and reflecting the strongly ionic bonding of the complexes. The Pitzer ionic interaction parameters were calculated and used to estimate the thermodynamic stability constants at I = 0. Because our data were collected mainly in the high ionic strength region values of ⁽¹⁾ were estimated from values reported in the literature. For all stability constants the Pitzer model gives an excellent representation of the data using three interaction parameters ⁽⁰⁾, ⁽¹⁾, and COn leave from Institute of