Enzyme-catalysed oxygenation and deoxygenation routes to chiral thiosulfinates

Enantioenriched thiosulfinates have been obtained by dioxygenase- and chloroperoxidase-catalysed oxidation of 1,2-disulfides and dimethyl sulfoxide reductase-catalysed deoxygenation.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adhesion</Emphasis> GPCR GPR125 is specifically expressed in the choroid plexus and is upregulated following brain injury

Background  

GPR125 belongs to the family of Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). A single copy of GPR125 was found in many vertebrate genomes. We also identified a Drosophila sequence, DmCG15744, which shares a common ancestor with the entire Group III of Adhesion GPCRs, and also contains Ig, LRR and HBD domains which were observed in mammalian GPR125.     

Of Kings and Men,Especially O.R. Men: A Methodological Tale

Operational Research is defined as the application of the methods of science to problems arising in the direction and management of systems of men, machines, materials and money in industry, business, government and defence. This article argues, by way of a story set in ancient Greece, that if Operational Research is to provide practical and helpful advice in these areas, then such a definition is grossly misleading by its failure to spell out the basic necessity of having to apply the methods of technology to these problems. In particular this paper deals with the primary need for Operational Researchers to draw upon the heuristic principles governing technological innovation and creativity. It is further argued that such heuristic activity has an important bearing on just what meaning can be attached to the phrase ‘the application of the methods of science’ referred to in the definition of O.R.     

SmartFarm – Data based optimization for optimal energy management

In the project SmartFarm we develop a method that automatically decides which renewable energies are profitable to use at the farm for the next hours. To this means optimization methods are used on various levels. Initially, all necessary data is measured on a demonstration object. This data forms the basis for data based learning methods for the modelling of the consumers (e.g. milk cooling), the producers (e.g. solar plant) and the energy storage systems (e.g. battery storage device). In this paper we will focus on the data based models of the producers and energy storage systems. Optimization methods are used to identify optimal parameters for a general ansatz function, which is derived from a Taylor approximation. We develop all models with real data of the demonstration object and verify them with this data as well. Numerical results and the further course of action will be discussed in the paper. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

FLOW BEHAVIOR AND MASS TRANSFER IN THREE-PHASE EXTERNAL-LOOP AIRLIFT REACTORS WITH LARGE PARTICLES

The flow behavior and mass transfer in a three-phase external-loop airlift reactor can be improved by adding large particles. The mass transfer and liquid dispersion behavior for a three-phase external-loop reactor with large particles are studied in terms of the effect of the diameter and loading of the large particles on the liquid dispersion coefficient and mass transfer coefficient. The results showed that increasing the diameter or loading of the large particles tend to decrease dispersion and intensify mass transfer, and that an increase in the diameter of the large particles remarkably decreases the particle loop rate, while the effect of fine particles is much less notable.     

The oxidase-like activity of iridium nanoparticles,and their application to colorimetric determination of dissolved oxygen

Iridium nanoparticles (IrNPs) with intrinsic oxidase-like activity were synthesized by using sodium citrate as the stabilizer and NaBH₄ as the reducing agent. The IrNPs have an average diameter of 2.5 ± 0.5 nm and exhibit excellent oxidase-like property. Under the catalytic action of the IrNPs, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) is oxidized by dissolved oxygen (DO) to form a blue product with an absorption maximum at 652 nm. The catalytic activity is ascribed to the production of superoxide anion radical (O₂ˉ?). The chromogenic reaction is exploited for the determination of DO. The method exhibits a wide calibration range from 12.5 to 257.5 μM of DO and a limit of detection as low as 4.7 μM. Compared to other methods, this method presented here shows improved precision and faster response time.

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Graphic abstract Iridium nanoparticles (IrNPs) stabilized by sodium citrate exhibit oxidase-like activity and can effectively catalyze dissolved oxygen (DO) by oxidizing 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to form a blue product.

     

The role of polymer compatibility in the adhesion between surfaces saturated with modified dextrans

Wet and dry adhesion between dextran-coated surfaces were measured aiming to understand the influence of polymer compatibility. The wet adhesion measurements were performed using the atomic force microscope (AFM) colloidal probe technique whereas the dry adhesion measurements were performed using the micro adhesion measurement apparatus (MAMA). Two types of dextrans were used, one cationically modified dextran (DEX) and one that was both cationically and hydrophobically modified (HDEX), leading to three different combinations of polymer-coated surfaces; (1) DEX:DEX, (2) HDEX:DEX, and (3) HDEX:HDEX. DEX increased dry adhesion more than HDEX did, which likely is due to differences in the ability to form specific interactions, especially hydrogen bonding. HDEX gave strong wet adhesion, probably due to its poorer solvency, while DEX contributed to reducing the wet adhesion due to its hydrophilicity. All combinations showed a steric repulsion on approach in aqueous media. Furthermore, when HDEX was adsorbed on either or both surfaces a long range attractive force between the surfaces was detected outside this steric regime.     

Identification of proteins directly from tissue: in situ tryptic digestions coupled with imaging mass spectrometry

A novel method for on-tissue identification of proteins in spatially discrete regions is described using tryptic digestion followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) with MS/MS analysis. IMS is first used to reveal the protein and peptide spatial distribution in a tissue section and then a serial section is robotically spotted with small volumes of trypsin solution to carry out in situ protease digestion. After hydrolysis, 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) matrix solution is applied to the digested spots, with subsequent analysis by IMS to reveal the spatial distribution of the various tryptic fragments. Sequence determination of the tryptic fragments is performed using on-tissue MALDI MS/MS analysis directly from the individual digest spots. This protocol enables protein identification directly from tissue while preserving the spatial integrity of the tissue sample. The procedure is demonstrated with the identification of several proteins in the coronal sections of a rat brain.     

Basicity of 3,6-diphenyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine

We have determined the basicity of 3,6-diphenyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine in aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid (pK_BH+ is –4.8). According to quantum chemical calculations done by the MNDO method and theab initio method in a 6-31G++ basis, the tetrazine ring is a nonpolar, highly aromatic system similar to benzene. The aromaticity of the tetrazine hererocycle decreases significantly upon protonation, which considerably destabilizes the protonated form.St. Petersburg State Technological Institute, St. Petersburg 198013, Russia, Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 120–123, January, 1998.