Degradation of azithromycin using Ti/RuO<Subscript>2</Subscript> anode as catalyst followed by DPV,HPLC–UV and MS analysis

The electrodegradation of azithromycin was studied by its indirect oxidation using dimensionally stable Ti/RuO₂ anode as catalyst in the electrolyte containing methanol, 0.05 M NaHCO₃, sodium chloride and deionized water. The optimal conditions for galvanostatic electrodegradation for the azithromycin concentration of 0.472 mg cm^?3 were found to be NaCl concentration of 7 mg cm^?3 and the applied current of 300 mA. The differential pulse voltammetry using glassy carbon electrode was performed for the first time in the above-mentioned content of electrolyte for the nine concentration of azithromycin (0.075–0.675 mg cm^?3) giving the limits of azithromycin detection and of quantification as: LOD 0.044 mg cm^?3 and LOQ 0.145 mg cm^?3. The calibration curve was constructed enabling the electrolyte analysis during its electrodegradation process. The electrolyte was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The electrooxidation products were identified and after 180 min there was no azithromycin in the electrolyte while TOC analysis showed that 79% of azithromycin was mineralized. The proposed degradation scheme is presented.     

Cyanine Dyes Containing Quinoline Moieties: History,Synthesis, Optical Properties,and Applications

Cyanine dyes carrying quinoline moieties are an important class of organic molecules that are of great interest for applications in many fields like medicine, pharmacology, and engineering. Despite their exceptional properties, such as stability, high molar extinction coefficients, and high pH-sensitivity, this class of dyes has been less analyzed and reviewed in the last few decades. Therefore, this review article focuses on discussing the history of quinoline compounds, various synthetic routes to prepare quinolinium salts and symmetrical and asymmetrical mono-, di-, tri-, penta- and heptamethine cyanine dyes, containing quinoline moieties, together with their optical properties and applications as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy, probes in biomolecules for labeling of nucleic acids, as well as imaging agents.     

Clique-cutsets beyond chordal graphs

Truemper configurations (thetas, pyramids, prisms, and wheels) have played an important role in the study of complex hereditary graph classes (eg, the class of perfect graphs and the class of even-hole-free graphs), appearing both as excluded configurations, and as configurations around which graphs can be decomposed. In this paper, we study the structure of graphs that contain (as induced subgraphs) no Truemper configurations other than (possibly) universal wheels and twin wheels. We also study several subclasses of this class. We use our structural results to analyze the complexity of the recognition, maximum weight clique, maximum weight stable set, and optimal vertex coloring problems for these classes. Furthermore, we obtain polynomial -bounding functions for these classes.     

Asset portfolio securitizations and cyclicality of regulatory capital

This paper analyzes the level and cyclicality of regulatory bank capital for asset portfolio securitizations in relation to the cyclicality of capital requirements for the underlying loan portfolio as under Basel II/III. We find that the cyclicality of capital requirements is higher for (i) asset portfolio securitizations relative to primary loan portfolios, (ii) Ratings Based Approach (RBA) relative to the Supervisory Formula Approach, (iii) given the RBA for a point-in-time rating methodology relative to a rate-and-forget rating methodology, and (iv) under the passive reinvestment rule relative to alternative rules. Capital requirements of the individual tranches reveal that the volatility of aggregated capital charges for the securitized portfolio is triggered by the most senior tranches. This is due to the fact that senior tranches are more sensitive to the macroeconomy. An empirical analysis provides evidence that current credit ratings are time-constant and that economic losses for securitizations have exceeded the required capital in the recent financial crisis.     

Electron Capture Dissociation of Divalent Metal-adducted Sulfated N-Glycans Released from Bovine Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

Sulfated N-glycans released from bovine thyroid stimulating hormone (bTSH) were ionized with the divalent metal cations Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Co by electrospray ionization (ESI). These metal-adducted species were subjected to infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) and electron capture dissociation (ECD) and the corresponding fragmentation patterns were compared. IRMPD generated extensive glycosidic and cross-ring cleavages, but most product ions suffered from sulfonate loss. Internal fragments were also observed, which complicated the spectra. ECD provided complementary structural information compared with IRMPD, and all observed product ions retained the sulfonate group, allowing sulfonate localization. To our knowledge, this work represents the first application of ECD towards metal-adducted sulfated N-glycans released from a glycoprotein. Due to the ability of IRMPD and ECD to provide complementary structural information, the combination of the two strategies is a promising and valuable tool for glycan structural characterization. The influence of different metal ions was also examined. Calcium adducts appeared to be the most promising species because of high sensitivity and ability to provide extensive structural information.

Arraying Cell Cultures Using PEG‐DMA Micromolding in Standard Culture Dishes

A robust and effortless procedure is presented, which allows for the microstructuring of standard cell culture dishes. Cell adhesion and proliferation are controlled by three‐dimensional poly(ethylene glycol)‐dimethacrylate (PEG‐DMA) microstructures. The spacing between microwells can be extended to millimeter size in order to enable the combination with robotic workstations. Cell arrays of microcolonies can be studied under boundary‐free growth conditions by lift‐off of the PEG‐DMA layer in which the growth rate is accessible via the evolution of patch areas. Alternatively, PEG‐DMA stencils can be used as templates for plasma‐induced patterning.

     

Distinguishing Ontario ginseng landraces and ginseng species using NMR-based metabolomics

The use of ¹H-NMR-based metabolomics to distinguish and identify unique markers of five Ontario ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) landraces and two ginseng species (P. quinquefolius and P. ginseng) was evaluated. Three landraces (2, 3, and 5) were distinguished from one another in the principal component analysis (PCA) scores plot. Further analysis was conducted and specific discriminating metabolites from the PCA loadings were determined. Landraces 3 and 5 were distinguishable on the basis of a decreased NMR intensity in the methyl ginsenoside region, indicating decreased overall ginsenoside levels. In addition, landrace 5 was separated by an increased amount of sucrose relative to the rest of the landraces. Landrace 2 was separated from the rest of the landraces by the increased level of ginsenoside R_b1. The Ontario P. quinquefolius was also compared with Asian P. ginseng by PCA, and clear separation between the two groups was detected in the PCA scores plot. The PCA loadings plot and a t-test NMR difference plot were able to identify an increased level of maltose and a decreased level of sucrose in the Asian ginseng compared with the Ontario ginseng. An overall decrease of ginsenoside content, especially ginsenoside R_b1, was also detected in the Asian ginseng’s metabolic profile. This study demonstrates the potential of NMR-based metabolomics as a powerful high-throughput technique in distinguishing various closely related ginseng landraces and its ability to identify metabolic differences from Ontario and Asian ginseng. The results from this study will allow better understanding for quality assessment, species authentication, and the potential for developing a fully automated method for quality control.