Crayfish Procambarus clarkii retina and nervous system exhibit antioxidant circadian rhythms coupled with metabolic and luminous daily cycles

Based on previous work in which we proposed midgut as a putative peripheral oscillator responsible for circadian reduced glutathione (GSH) crayfish status, herein we investigated the retina and optic lobe-brain (OL-B) circadian GSH system and its ability to deal with reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced as a consequence of metabolic rhythms and light variations. We characterized daily and antioxidant circadian variations of the different parameters of the glutathione system, including GSH, oxidized glutathione (GSSG), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as well as metabolic and lipoperoxidative circadian oscillations in retina and OL-B, determining internal and external GSH-system synchrony. The results demonstrate statistically significant bi- and unimodal daily and circadian rhythms in all GSH-cycle parameters, substrates and enzymes in OL-B and retina, as well as an apparent direct effect of light on these rhythms, especially in the retina. The luminous condition appears to stimulate the GSH system to antagonize ROS and lipid peroxidation (LPO) daily and circadian rhythms occurring in both structures, oscillating with higher LPO under dark conditions. We suggest that the difference in the effect of light on GSH rhythmic mechanisms of both structures for antagonizing ROS could be due to differences in glutathione-system coupling strength with the circadian clock.     

Salting-out gradients in centrifugal partition chromatography for the isolation of chlorogenic acids from green coffee beans

In addition to sample solubility constraints, the use of polarity gradients in normal-phase centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) for the purification of complex mixtures is also limited by the instability of biphasic systems as a consequence of dramatic changes in the settling times along the gradient, leading in many cases to column bleeding when working under maximum efficiency conditions. In this paper an electrostriction approach is proposed as a strategy in reversed-phase CPC to fractionate intermediate polarity extracts in a single run by bringing its components into the “sweet spot” in a controlled fashion through a stepwise reduction of salt concentration in the aqueous mobile phase. The salting-out gradient method was successfully tested with the separation of the major chlorogenic acids (CGAs, hydroxycinnamoylquinic acids) present in green coffee beans (5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), 5-feruloylquinic acid (5-FQA) and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-diCQA)) using ethyl acetate-hexane as the stationary phase and an ionic gradient of LiCl (5.0, 2.5 and 0.1 M) as the mobile phase in one case and (NH₄)₂SO₄/KNO₃ (3.0 and 1.5 M/1.5 M) in another. Regioisomers of each chlorogenic acid obtained by base-catalyzed isomerisation were also separated by CPC using isocratic elution. The best resolution for both FQAs and diCQAs was achieved with a chloroform–n-butanol–0.01 M pH 2.5 phosphate buffer (84:16:100; v/v) system, while CQAs were best isolated using chloroform–n-butanol–0.01 M pH 2.5 phosphate buffer/5.0 M LiCl (82:18:100; v/v).     

Structure and stability of high‐spin Aun(n = 2–8) clusters

The structures and relative stability of the maximum‐spin ⁿ⁺¹Au_n and ⁿAu (n = 2–8) clusters have been determined by density‐functional theory. The structure optimizations and vibrational frequency analysis are performed with the gradient‐corrections of Perdew along with his 1981 local correlation functional, combined with SBKJC effective core potential, augmented in the valence basis set by a set of f functions. We predicted the existence of a number of previously unknown isomers. The energetic and electronic properties of the small high‐spin gold clusters are strongly dependent on sizes. The high‐spin clusters tend to holding three‐dimensional geometry rather than planar form preferred in low‐spin situations. In whole high‐spin Au_n (n = 2–8) neutral and cationic species, ⁵Au₄, ²Au, and ⁴Au are predicted to be of high stability, which can be explained by valence bond theory. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Assembly of an R3N52− Chain by Cycloaddition of a Hydrazinediide and an Azide at Zirconium and its Thermal Fragmentation

Breaking the chain : Reaction of a zirconium hydrazinediide with organoazides gives 2‐pentazene‐1,4‐diyl complexes, such as [Zr(N₂^TBSN_py){N(Ad)N₃NPh₂}] (C gray, N blue, Si green, Zr turquoise), by formal [2+3] cycloaddition. Bonding within the N₅ chain is investigated using density functional calculations. These complexes thermally eject N₂ to give side‐on bonded diazenides.

     

C?X⋅⋅⋅O Halogen Bonding: Interactions of Trifluoromethyl Halides with Dimethyl Ether

The formation of weakly bound molecular complexes between dimethyl ether (DME) and the trifluoromethyl halides CF₃Cl, CF₃Br and CF₃I dissolved in liquid argon and in liquid krypton is investigated, using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. For all halides evidence is found for the formation of C? X???O halogen‐bonded 1:1 complexes. At higher concentrations of CF₃Br, a weak absorption due to a 1:2 complex is also observed. Using spectra recorded at temperatures between 87 and 125 K, the complexation enthalpies for the complexes are determined to be ?6.8(3) kJ mol^?1 (DME?CF₃Cl), ?10.2(1) kJ mol^?1 (DME?CF₃Br), ?15.5(1) kJ mol^?1 (DME?CF₃I), and ?17.8(5) kJ mol^?1 [DME(?CF₃Br)₂]. Structural and spectral information on the complexes is obtained from ab initio calculations at the MP2/ 6‐311++G(d,p) and MP2/6‐311++G(d,p)+LanL2DZ* levels. By applying Monte Carlo free energy perturbation calculations to account for the solvent influences, and statistical thermodynamics to estimate the zero‐point vibrational and thermal influences, the ab initio complexation energies are converted into complexation enthalpies for the solutions in liquid argon. The resulting values are compared with the experimental data deduced from the cryosolutions.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction for the analysis of short‐chain chlorinated paraffins in water

An optimised method using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and a thermal desorption‐GC‐electron capture detector (GC‐ECD) for the determination of short‐chain chlorinated paraffins from water samples was developed. Recoveries near to 100% were obtained by using 20 mm×0.5 mm (length×film thickness) PDMS commercial stir bars from 200 mL spiked water samples and 20% methanol addition with an extraction period of 24 h. Method sensitivity, linearity and precision were evaluated for surface water and wastewater spiked samples. A LOD of 0.03 and 0.04 μg/L was calculated for surface and wastewater, respectively. The precision of the method given as an RSD was below 20% for both matrices. The developed method was applied for the analysis of two real samples from a contaminated river and a wastewater treatment plant. Results were in accordance with those obtained using a previously developed method based on solid phase microextraction (SPME).     

The study of cyclooctene oxidation with molecular oxygen catalyzed by VSi2

The catalytic effect of VSi₂ on initial stages of the liquid-phase oxidation of cyclooctene by molecular oxygen was studied. The vanadium disilicide influences on the oxidation process in the presence of hydroperoxide. VSi₂ takes part in a radical formation stage by catalysis of hydroperoxide decomposition reaction. The catalyst was investigated before and after reaction using FTIR spectroscopy. From the data obtained, the kinetic model of the catalytic oxidation process was proposed and the equation for the reaction rate was derived. The equation has described all observed dependences of reaction rate on the concentration of reactants and content of catalyst.