Synthesis, molecular properties prediction, and anti-staphylococcal activity of N-acylhydrazones and new 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

Five new 1-(2-(5-nitrofuran-2-yl)-5-(aryl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-3-(2H)-yl) ethanone compounds 5a-e were synthesized by cyclization of N-acylhydrazones 4a-e with acetic anhydride under reflux conditions. Their structures were fully characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Furthermore, evaluations of the antibacterial activity of the 1,3,4-oxadiazoles 5a-e and N-acylhydrazones 4a-e showed strong activity against several strains of Staphylococcus aureus, with MICs between 4 μg/mL to 32 μg/mL. In silico studies of the parameters of Lipinski's Rule of Five, as well as the topological polar surface area (TPSA), absorption percentage (% ABS), drug likeness and drug score indicate that these compounds, especially 4a and 5d, have potential to be new drug candidates.     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Casteanea sativa Miller chestnut honey produced on Mount Etna (Sicily)

The aim of this study was the evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Monofloral Etna Castanea sativa Miller honeys. Escherichia coli ATCC 25,922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27,853, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29,211 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29,213 were investigated for their susceptibilities to two different honeys. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by ORAC, NO scavenger assays, FRAP and DPPH. Antioxidant activity and antibacterial properties were compared with chestnut honeys from different geographical areas and with Manuka honey. UPLC-MS/MS was used for major components characteri sation.     

The discretized flow on domains of attraction: a structural stability result

It is well known that, for stepsize sufficiently small, compactattractors of ordinary differential equations persist underdiscretization. The present paper describes the structure ofthe discrete-time dynamical system obtained via discretizationon A(M_h)\M_h where M_h is the approximate attractor and A(M_h)is its domain of attraction. The existence of a smooth embeddinginto a continuous-time parallelizable flow is proved. The constructioncan be used to define sections for discretizations and can beinterpreted as a justification of the method of modified equations.     

Changes in copper, lead and zinc concentrations in plants from paper mill sludge-treated soils

Effects of paper mill sludge addition on the availability of metals were studied on different soils both laboratory and naturally polluted; copper, lead and zinc concentrations were determined in Hordeum Distichum plants grown on the untreated and on sludge-treated soils. In some case a decrease of metal concentration is observed on sludge-treated soils; these results are consistent with the reduction of metal mobile forms in the soil, before plant growth. The decrease of metal availability in sludge-treated soils may be related with the pH value of the soil after sludge addition.     

Differential pulse polarographic determination of arsenic, selenium and tellurium at mug levels

An analytical method, based on differential pulse polarography, for determination of arsenic, selenium and tellurium in solid matrices, is described. The method involves decomposition of the matrix with a mixture of nitric, perchloric and hydrofluoric acid, isolation of tellurium from the other analytes by liquid-liquid extraction (from 4M hydrochloric acid with methyl isobutyl ketone), and determination of the analytes. Tellurium is determined separately, and arsenic is determined in the same solution as selenium after determination and oxidation of the selenium and addition of catechol. Graphitized carbon black and chelating resin were used to eliminate the organic solvent in the aqueous solution and avoid interferences due to the other metals of the matrix. The decomposition, the influence of each analyte on the determination of the others, and the extraction process were given particular attention. The method is characterized by>96% recovery, with a relative standard deviation ranging from 2 to 10% at ppm levels.     

The structural composition of humic compounds as indicator of organic carbon sources

Various analytical techniques ((13)C-NMR, FTIR, elemental analysis) have been used to study the structures of humic compounds present in the sediments of Martignano lake located 50 km from Roma city (Italy). The total amount of humic compounds present in the upper layer of sediments is practically constant; instead, considering humic (HA) and fulvic acids (FA) separately, it can be noticed that while HA increase remarkably from A(1) to A(3), FA diminish, probably as a result of the continuous transformation of algal debris, present in large amount in A(1), from compounds which are in an early stage of decomposition to more highly degraded organic matter. In deeper layers the percentage both of HA and FA is constant and slightly lower than that found in the upper layer, except for two sampling points. In these stations the amount of both HA and FA are very high and the carbohydrate peak areas of HA and FA increase along with the depth, reflecting the presence of a well localized source of organic carbon or different environmental conditions.     

High performance two-color one megapixel CMOS ROIC for QWIP detectors

FLIR Systems, Inc. has designed and fabricated the ISC0501 CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). The ISC0501 is a two-color 1024 × 1024 format array with a 30 μm pixel pitch. The ROIC contains a separate analog signal path for each wavelength band. Separate signal paths allow the two-colors to have optimized detector biases, integration times, offsets and gains. This architecture also allows both colors to simultaneously sample a scene and readout the pixel data. This paper will describe the interface, design and features of the ROIC as well as a summary of the characterization test results. A sample image is included from a focal plane array (FPA) built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) using the ISC0501 ROIC with QWIP detectors designed by JPL.     

Characterization of the organic component of a sludge

Two sludges of different origin (urban sludge and brewery sludge) have been characterized by fractionating the organic content into five parts (by using acids and bases), followed by multiple-technique examination of each fraction. The techniques used included chemical analysis, thermal analysis, infrared spectrometry and ¹³C-NMR spectrometry. This approach successfully distinguished between sludge compositions.     

Construction and recognition of hyperbolic 3-manifolds with geodesic boundary

We extend to the context of hyperbolic 3-manifolds with geodesic boundary Thurston's approach to hyperbolization by means of geometric triangulations. In particular, we introduce moduli for (partially) truncated hyperbolic tetrahedra, and we discuss consistency and completeness equations. Moreover, building on previous work of Ushijima, we extend Weeks' tilt formula algorithm, which computes the Epstein-Penner canonical decomposition, to an algorithm that computes the Kojima decomposition.

Our theory has been exploited to classify all the orientable finite-volume hyperbolic -manifolds with non-empty compact geodesic boundary admitting an ideal triangulation with at most four tetrahedra. The theory is particularly interesting in the case of complete finite-volume manifolds with geodesic boundary in which the boundary is non-compact. We include this case using a suitable adjustment of the notion of ideal triangulation, and we show how this case arises within the theory of knots and links.

     

Complexation of cadmium and copper by fluvial humic matter and effects on their toxicity

The effects of humic acids and fulvic acids isolated from the River Arno (Italy) on the bioavailability and toxicity of cadmium and copper were assessed in relation to changes in their speciation. Measurements of the complexing capacity of solutions containing these organic ligands were carried out by a titration procedure followed by DPASV and toxicity tests were carried out using lysosomes isolated from rat liver. The complexing capacity of the physiological medium containing about 13 mg/L of humic acids, expressed as ligand concentrations, was 0.30 and 0.072 micromol/L for cadmium and copper respectively; the corresponding conditional stability constants were 4.2 x 10(11) and 1.3 x 10(8) (mol/L)-1. The complexing capacities of the solution containing the same amount of fulvic acids were 0.33 and 0.164 micromol/L for cadmium and copper respectively, the conditional stability constants were 3.2 x 10(11) and 2.4 x 10(7) (mol/L)-1. The humic acids reduced the toxicity of cadmium by about 5 times: the EC50 changed from 4.4 to 20.4 micromol/L. The dose effect curve of copper presented a bi-sigmoid trend and two EC50 values can be determined: The EC50(1) in the presence of humic acids changed from 2.0 to 3.1 micromol/L, while the EC50(2) increased from 22.3 to 45.3 micromol/L. The fulvic acids reduced the cadmium toxicity by about the same amount as humic acids, from 4.4 to 18.6 micromol/L, but they had no effect on copper toxicity. Analysing the chemical speciation of cadmium and copper in the presence of humic components and under toxicity test conditions we can say that the appreciable decrease of EC50 is not related to changes in their speciation; we can hypothesize that this is due to different processes, as well as to blocking of the lysosomal membrane. On the basis of the shape of the dose-effect curves obtained for cadmium and copper respectively, we can say that the toxic effects of the two metals are different and we can hypothesize that copper could exercise its toxic activity by inhibiting the ATP-driven proton pump and the function of the Cl- selective channel.