Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Novel Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids

In this study, a series of 10 novel 1-methyl-3-octyloxymethylimidazolium derivatives carrying various anionic moieties (4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate, benzenesulfonate, carvacroloxyacetate, chloride, formate, propionate, thymoloxyacetate, vanillinoxyacetate, eugenoloxyacetate and trimethylacetate) were synthesized. Compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity against six microbe strains (Staph-ylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans), cytotoxic activity against the mouse melanoma cell line (B16 F10), and surface active properties. All synthesized compounds exhibited antimicrobial activity (expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration; in range of 0.10–27.82 mM/L), especially against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. In addition, all compounds demonstrated cytotoxicity on B16 F10 cells (IC50 values 0.0101–0.0197 mM/L). Surface properties defined as CMC values, ranged from 0.72 to 32.35 mmol L-1. The obtained results provide an insight into the promising activity of a novel group of quaternary imidazolium derivatives having ionic liquid properties. The most potent compounds, containing a thymoloxyacetate and eugenoloxyacetate moiety, could be candidates for new antimicrobial agents or surfactants.     

Conformational and solid-state studies of diphenyl 1-hydroxy-1-phenylethylphosphonate

The crystal structure of the title compound, diphenyl 1-hydroxy-1-phenylethylphosphonate ( 1 ), was determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction method. The crystallographic data for 1 are as follow: C₂₀H₁₉O₄P, M_r = 354.34, monoclinic, P2₁/n, a = 9.787(1) Å, b = 20.235(1) Å, c = 9.797(1) Å, β = 106.18(3)°, V = 1863.3(4) ų, Z = 4, D_calc = 1.26 g/cm³, λ(Mo-Ka) = 0.71073 Å, μ = 1.6 cm⁻¹, F(000) = 744, R = 0.018, and R_w = 0.032 for 2258 observed reflections. The solid-state structure in a dimeric packing mode exhibits intermolecular hydrogen bonding of the type P = O···H–O. Infrared solution studies (CCl₄) indicate that upon high dilution (10⁻⁴ M) the dimers completely dissociate to give conformers with and without intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Theoretical studies (PM3) were undertaken to determine the energy profile about the P–C torsional angle, which exhibited low energy barriers to rotation with no clear minimum energy conformation. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Ilex Leaves Water Extracts

Plants from the Ilex genus are known for properties such as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity, can act as antiobesity agents and thus can be helpful in medicine. Some holly species, such as Ilex paraguariensis (widely known in the form of popular beverage: yerba mate), have been investigated, while others have been partially researched or remain unknown. Therefore, we performed qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses and screened antimicrobial properties of lesser-studied species (I. aquifolium L., I. aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’ and I. × meserveae ‘Blue Angel’). I. paraguariensis was used as a standard species for comparison purposes. Investigations were performed on water extracts due to their expected activity and composition. Antimicrobial research included evaluating minimal inhibitory, bactericidal (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) and fungicidal concentration (Candida albicans, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, and Aspergillus niger) of extracts. The influence of the extracts on the production, eradication, and viability of bacterial biofilms was also analysed. It was established that Ilex paraguariensis possesses the richest profile of hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives in terms of component concentration and diversity. Ilex spp., especially I. × meserveae, contain a slightly higher amount of flavonoids and more different flavonoid derivatives than I. paraguariensis. However, the strongest antibacterial activity was shown by I. aquifolium L. and its cultivar ‘Argentea Marginata’ in terms of minimal inhibitory, bactericidal and fungicidal concentration, and biofilm assays. Extracts from both species significantly reduced the biofilm viability of S. aureus as well, which may be of use in the production of multicomponent lavaseptics, antiseptics, diuretics (supporting urinary tract infection therapy) and, due to their action on fungi, additives to growth media for specific fungi. The significant content of saponins enables Ilex extracts to be used as natural emulsifiers, for example, in cosmetics. Moreover, relatively high chlorogenic acid and rutin content may suggest use of Ilex spp. to treat obesity, digestive problems, in chemoprevention, and as preservatives in the food industry.     

MicroRNA Delivery by Graphene-Based Complexes into Glioblastoma Cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary and aggressive tumour in brain cancer. Novel therapies, despite achievements in chemotherapy, radiation and surgical techniques, are needed to improve the treatment of GBM tumours and extend patients’ survival. Gene delivery therapy mostly uses the viral vector, which causes serious adverse events in gene therapy. Graphene-based complexes can reduce the potential side effect of viral carries, with high efficiency of microRNA (miRNA) or antisense miRNA delivery to GBM cells. The objective of this study was to use graphene-based complexes to induce deregulation of miRNA level in GBM cancer cells and to regulate the selected gene expression involved in apoptosis. The complexes were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning transmission electron microscopy and zeta potential. The efficiency of miRNA delivery to the cancer cells was analysed by flow cytometry. The effect of the anticancer activity of graphene-based complexes functionalised by the miRNA sequence was analysed using 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide salt (XTT) assays at the gene expression level. The results partly explain the mechanisms of miRNA deregulation stress, which is affected by graphene-based complexes together with the forced transport of mimic miR-124, miR-137 and antisense miR-21, -221 and -222 as an anticancer supportive therapy.     

Pareto Simulated Annealing for Fuzzy Multi-Objective Combinatorial Optimization

The paper presents a metaheuristic method for solving fuzzy multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems. It extends the Pareto simulated annealing (PSA) method proposed originally for the crisp multi-objective combinatorial (MOCO) problems and is called fuzzy Pareto simulated annealing (FPSA). The method does not transform the original fuzzy MOCO problem to an auxiliary deterministic problem but works in the original fuzzy objective space. Its goal is to find a set of approximately efficient solutions being a good approximation of the whole set of efficient solutions defined in the fuzzy objective space. The extension of PSA to FPSA requires the definition of the dominance in the fuzzy objective space, modification of rules for calculating probability of accepting a new solution and application of a defuzzification operator for updating the average position of a solution in the objective space. The use of the FPSA method is illustrated by its application to an agricultural multi-objective project scheduling problem.     

Semiclassical Estimates¶in Asymptotically Euclidean Scattering

We consider long range semiclassical perturbations of the Laplacian on asymptotically Euclidean manifolds. We obtain precise resolvent estimates under non-trapping assumptions. The novelty lies in a systematic use of geometric microlocal methods.     

Spacing Between Phase Shifts in a Simple¶Scattering Problem

We prove a scattering theoretical version of the Berry–Tabor conjecture: for an almost every surface in a class of cylindrical surfaces of revolution, the large energy limit of the pair correlation measure of the quantum phase shifts is Poisson, that is, it is given by the uniform measure. Received: 15 August 1998 / Accepted: 15 February 1999     

D-optimal design of a monitoring network for parameter estimation of distributed systems

This paper addresses the design of a network of observation locations in a spatial domain that will be used to estimate unknown parameters of a distributed parameter system. We consider a setting where we are given a finite number of possible sites at which to locate a sensor, but cost constraints allow only some proper subset of them to be selected. We formulate this problem as the selection of the gauged sites so as to maximize the log-determinant of the Fisher information matrix associated with the estimated parameters. The search for the optimal solution is performed using the branch-and-bound method in which an extremely simple and efficient technique is employed to produce an upper bound to the maximum objective function. Its idea consists in solving a relaxed problem through the application of a simplicial decomposition algorithm in which the restricted master problem is solved using a multiplicative algorithm for optimal design. The use of the proposed approach is illustrated by a numerical example involving sensor selection for a two-dimensional convective diffusion process.     

Two isomeric cucurbitane derivatives

Two isomeric cucurbitane derivatives, 3β,7α,11β‐triacetoxycucurbit‐5(10)‐ene, (I), and 3β,7α,11β‐triacetoxy‐5α‐cucurbit‐1(10)‐ene, (II), both C₃₆H₅₈O₆, have their single endocyclic C=C double bonds in different positions. This results in differences in the conformation of the four‐ring system, which is close to a half‐chair/half‐chair/chair/half‐chair arrangement in (I) and to a half‐chair/twist‐boat/boat/half‐chair arrangement in (II). The orientation of some of the substituents is also different; the 3β‐acetoxy group is in an equatorial position in (I) but in an axial position in (II), while the 11β‐acetoxy group occupies an axial position in (I) and an equatorial position in (II). The asymmetric unit of (I) contains two symmetry‐independent molecules which do not differ significantly, being related by a pseudo‐twofold axis of symmetry. In both structures, the aliphatic chain fragments are disordered and the disorder persists at lower temperatures.     

The irrelevance of detailed balance for the dynamical critical exponent

We construct the most general real space renormalization for the two-dimensional kinetic Ising model on the triangular lattice which, to second order in the high-temperature expansion, conserves detailed balance and avoids fast transients for the cell spins. We show the corresponding dynamical recursion relations (as well as the exponentz) to be unaltered with respect to the ones found, in a previous paper, for a completely different class of transformations. This finding resolves long-standing confusions and controversies.