Supramolecular Protein-Polyelectrolyte Assembly at Near Physiological Conditions—Water Proton NMR,ITC, and DLS Study

The in vivo potency of polyphosphazene immunoadjuvants is inherently linked to the ability of these ionic macromolecules to assemble with antigenic proteins in aqueous solutions and form physiologically stable supramolecular complexes. Therefore, in-depth knowledge of interactions in this biologically relevant system is a prerequisite for a better understanding of mechanism of immunoadjuvant activity. Present study explores a self-assembly of polyphosphazene immunoadjuvant—PCPP and a model antigen—lysozyme in a physiologically relevant environment—saline solution and neutral pH. Three analytical techniques were employed to characterize reaction thermodynamics, water-solute structural organization, and supramolecular dimensions: isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), water proton nuclear magnetic resonance (wNMR), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The formation of lysozyme–PCPP complexes at near physiological conditions was detected by all methods and the avidity was modulated by a physical state and dimensions of the assemblies. Thermodynamic analysis revealed the dissociation constant in micromolar range and the dominance of enthalpy factor in interactions, which is in line with previously suggested model of protein charge anisotropy and small persistence length of the polymer favoring the formation of high affinity complexes. The paper reports advantageous use of wNMR method for studying protein-polymer interactions, especially for low protein-load complexes.     

Gaussian Amplitude Amplification for Quantum Pathfinding

We study an oracle operation, along with its circuit design, which combined with the Grover diffusion operator boosts the probability of finding the minimum or maximum solutions on a weighted directed graph. We focus on the geometry of sequentially connected bipartite graphs, which naturally gives rise to solution spaces describable by Gaussian distributions. We then demonstrate how an oracle that encodes these distributions can be used to solve for the optimal path via amplitude amplification. And finally, we explore the degree to which this algorithm is capable of solving cases that are generated using randomized weights, as well as a theoretical application for solving the Traveling Salesman problem.     

Surface topographic studies of MoSe2 single crystals

Single crystals of MoSe₂ of fairly large size have been grown by the sublimation method. A careful study of microstructures on the as-grown faces has revealed a variety of surface patterns. All these features have been critically studied and the implications have been discussed.     

Identification of potential inhibitors of coronavirus hemagglutinin-esterase using molecular docking,molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculation

Molecular Diversity - The pandemic outbreak of the Corona viral infection has become a critical global health issue. Biophysical and structural evidence shows that spike protein possesses a high...     

Comparative biological study between quinazolinyl–triazinyl semicarbazide and thiosemicarbazide hybrid derivatives

Molecular Diversity - Practical synthesis and biological activities of quinazolinyl–triazinyl semicarbazides (10a–j) and quinazolinyl–triazinyl thiosemicarbazides (11a–j)...     

Synthesis of indenoquinolinone through aryne-mediated Pd(II)-catalysed remote C–H activation

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Indenoquinolinones have been synthesized from 2-haloquinoline-3-carbaldehyde through Pd-mediated simultaneous C–H (aldehyde) and C–X bond...     

Correlating conductivity and Seebeck coefficient to doping within crystalline and amorphous domains in poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene)

Molecular doping of conjugated polymers (CPs) plays a vital role in optimizing organic electronic and energy applications. For the case of organic thermoelectrics, it is commonly believed that doping CPs with a strong dopant could result in higher conductivity (σ) and thus better power factor (PF). Herein, by investigating thermoelectric performance of a polar side-chain bearing CP, poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene) (P3MEET), vapor doped with fluorinated-derivative of tetracyanoquinodimethane FnTCNQ (n = 1, 2, 4), we show that using strong dopants can in fact have detrimental effects on the thermoelectric performance of CPs. Despite possessing higher electron affinity, doping P3MEET with F4TCNQ only results in a σ (27.0 S/cm) comparable to samples doped with other two weaker dopants F2TCNQ and F1TCNQ (26.4 and 20.1 S/cm). Interestingly, F4TCNQ-doped samples display a marked reduction in the Seebeck coefficient (α) compared to F1TCNQ- and F2TCNQ-doped samples from 42 to 13 μV/K, leading to an undesirable suppression of the PF. Structural characterizations coupled with Kang-Snyder modeling of the α–σ relation show that the reduction of α in F4TCNQ-doped P3MEET samples originates from the generation of low mobility carrier within P3MEET's amorphous domain. Our results demonstrate that factors such as dopant distribution and doping efficiency within the crystalline and amorphous domains of CPs should play a crucial role in advancing rational design for organic thermoelectrics.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity of 2-Hydroxy-N(5-methylene-4-oxo-2-aryl-thiazolidin-3-yl)-benzamide

2-Hydroxy benzoic acid hydrazide (1) undergoes facile condensation with aromatic aldehydes to afford the corresponding 2-hydroxy benzoic acid arylidene hydrazides (2a–h) in good yields. Cyclocondensation of compounds 2a–h with thioglycolic acid yields 2-hydroxy-N(4-oxo-2-aryl-thiazolidin-3-yl)-benzamides (3a–h). These 3a–h compounds are for the reacted with benzaldehyde in the presence of sodium ethanolate affords, giving 2-hydroxy-N(5-methylene-4-oxo-2-aryl-thiazolidin-3-yl)-benzamides (4a–h). The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of analytical and spectral data. All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activities.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.