Antibacterial Thiopeptide GE2270-Congeners from Nonomuraea jiangxiensis

Thiopeptides are macrocyclic natural products with potent bioactivity. Nine new natural thiopeptides (1–9) were obtained from a Nonomuraea jiangxiensis isolated from a terrestrial soil sample collected in Singapore. Even though some of these compounds were previously synthesized or isolated from engineered strains, herein we report the unprecedented isolation of these thiopeptides from a native Nonomuraea jiangxiensis. A comparison with the literature and a detailed analysis of the NMR and HRMS of compounds 1–9 was conducted to assign their chemical structures. The structures of all new compounds were highly related to the thiopeptide antibiotics GE2270, with variations in the substituents on the thiazole and amino acid moieties. Thiopeptides 1–9 exhibited a potent antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus with MIC₉₀ values ranging from 2 µM to 11 µM. In addition, all compounds were investigated for their cytotoxicity against the human cancer cell line A549, none of the compounds were cytotoxic.     

A model for the thermal conductivity of nanofluids – the effect of interfacial layer

A model for predicting the effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids is proposed. It has been documented that the interfacial layer at the solid (particle)/liquid interface and particle size is one of the major mechanisms for enhancing the thermal conductivity of nanofluids. Comparing with other classical models, the proposed model takes into account some additional effects including volume fraction, thickness, thermal conductivity of the interfacial layer and particle size. The proposed model is found to be better than the existing models since the predicted effective thermal conductivity of different types of nanofluids are closer to the experimental results.     

Acid pyrophosphatase from red kidney beans

Partial purification of acid pyrophosphatase activity from dried red kidney beans was achieved. The crude enzyme was found to adhere to plastic and was very unstable. These problems were solved by extraction with low pH and high-ionic-strength buffers. This extraction procedure separated acid pyrophosphatase activity into three parts. One of these activities appears to correspond to the purple phosphatase isolated by other workers (1—3). The other two fractions showed both general phosphomonoesterase and pyrophosphatase activity, but were most active with pyrophosphate and were used for further characterization. The pH optimum for the enzyme was approx 5.5-6.0 with pyrophosphatase, and it exhibited substrate inhibition with pyrophosphate and ATP at low pH. The partially purified acid pyrophosphatase was estimated to be a dimer of approx 98 kDa (mol wt estimated by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200) with no detectable carbohydrate or iron content. Of the cations tested for their effect on pyrophosphatase activity, iron was the most inhibitory, followed by magnesium and zinc.     

Does the Realistic Interpretation of a Mathematical Superposition of States Imply a Mixture?

Contrary to conventional view, it is shown that, for an ensemble of either single-particle systems or multi-particle systems, the realistic interpretation of a mathematical superposition of states that mathematically describes the ensemble does not imply that the ensemble is a mixture. Therefore it cannot be argued, as is conventionally done, that the realistic interpretation is wrong on the basis that some predictions derived from the mixture are different from the corresponding predictions derived from the mathematical superposition of states.     

Moufang Loops of Odd Orderpq1 ··· qnr1 ··· rm

LetLbe a Moufang loop of odd orderpαqα11···qnαnwherepandqiare primes with 3 ≤ p < q1 < ··· < qnand αi ≤ 2. In this paper, we prove thatLis a group ifpandqiare primes with 3 ≤ p < q1 < ··· < qn: (i) α ≤ 3, or (ii) α ≤ 4,p ≥ 5.     

Iridium-catalyzed carbonyl group-directed oxidative coupling of arenes with alkenes

The iridium complex [Cp¹IrCl₂]₂ is a good catalyst for the directed oxidative coupling of arenes with alkenes; a wide range of carbonyl functionalities (NHCOR, CONH₂ and COR) can be employed as the directing group.     

Self-loading lithographically structured microcontainers: 3D patterned, mobile microwells

We demonstrate mass-producible, mobile, self-loading microcontainers that can be used to encapsulate both non-living and living objects, thus forming three-dimensionally patterned, mobile microwells.     

The deposition of osmium carbonyl clusters onto inorganic oxide surfaces: a ToF-SIMS and IR spectroscopic study of the surface species

The interaction between the osmium clusters [Os3(CO)12], [Os3(CO)10(mu-H)2], [Os3(CO)10(mu-H)(mu-OH)], and a series containing a free functional group, viz., [Os3(CO)10(mu-H)(mu-S--EH)] (where -- =alkylwedge chain or an aromatic ring, E=COO, S or O), with SiO2, ZnO and In2O3, was examined by ToF-SIMS and IR spectroscopy. While the interaction with the silica surface is mostly via an O atom or the functional group, the interaction with the ZnO and In2O3 surfaces is more complex.     

Achieving Molecular Recognition of Structural Analogues in Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy: Inducing Charge and Geometry Complementarity to Mimic Molecular Docking

Molecular recognition of complex isomeric biomolecules remains challenging in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy due to their small Raman cross-sections and/or poor surface affinities. To date, the use of molecular probes has achieved excellent molecular sensitivities but still suffers from poor spectral specificity. Here, we induce “charge and geometry complementarity” between probe and analyte as a key strategy to achieve high spectral specificity for effective SERS molecular recognition of structural analogues. We employ 4-mercaptopyridine (MPY) as the probe, and chondroitin sulfate (CS) disaccharides with isomeric sulfation patterns as our proof-of-concept study. Our experimental and in silico studies reveal that “charge and geometry complementarity” between MPY's binding pocket and the CS sulfation patterns drives the formation of site-specific, multidentate interactions at the respective CS isomerism sites, which “locks” each CS in its analogue-specific complex geometry, akin to molecular docking events. Leveraging the resultant spectral fingerprints, we achieve > 97 % classification accuracy for 4 CSs and 5 potential structural interferences, as well as attain multiplex CS quantification with < 3 % prediction error. These insights could enable practical SERS differentiation of biologically important isomers to meet the burgeoning demand for fast-responding applications across various fields such as biodiagnostics, food and environmental surveillance.