Normal heat conduction in a chain with a weak interparticle anharmonic potential

We analytically study heat conduction in a chain with an interparticle interaction V(x)= lambda[1-cos(x)] and harmonic on-site potential. We start with each site of the system connected to a Langevin heat bath, and investigate the case of small coupling for the interior sites in order to understand the behavior of the system with thermal reservoirs at the boundaries only. We study, in a perturbative analysis, the heat current in the steady state of the one-dimensional system with a weak interparticle potential. We obtain an expression for the thermal conductivity, compare the low and high temperature regimes, and show that, as we turn off the couplings with the interior heat baths, there is a "phase transition": Fourier's law holds only at high temperatures.     

Non-Uniform Membrane Probe Distribution in Resonance Energy Transfer: Application to Protein–Lipid Selectivity

Biological membranes are, at the molecular level, quasi-two dimensional systems. Membrane components are often distributed non-uniformly in the bilayer plane, as a consequence of lipid phase separation/domain formation or local enrichment/depletion of particular lipid species arising form favorable/unfavorable lipid–membrane protein interactions. Due to its explicit dependence on donor–acceptor distance or local acceptor concentration, resonance energy transfer (RET) has large potential in the characterization of membrane heterogeneity. RET formalisms for the basic geometric arrangements relevant for membranes have now been known for several decades. However, these formalisms usually assume uniform distributions, and more general models are required for the study of membrane lateral heterogeneity. We present a model that addresses the possibility of non-uniform acceptor (e.g., lipid probe) distribution around each donor (e.g., protein) in a membrane. It considers three regions with distinct local acceptor concentration, namely, an exclusion zone, the membrane bulk, and, lying in between, a region of enhanced probability of finding acceptors (annular region). Numerical solutions are presented, and convenient empirical fitting functions are given for RET efficiency as a function of bulk acceptor surface concentration, for several values of the model parameters. The usefulness of the formalism is illustrated in the analysis of experimental data.     

Screening of north-east Mexico medicinal plants with activities against herpes simplex virus and human cancer cell line

The plants examined in this study have previous biological activity reports indicating the possibility of found activity against herpes and cancer cell. The aim of this contribution was to carry out a screening of Juglans mollis (Juglandaceae), Persea americana (Lauraceae), Hamelia patens (Rubiaceae), Salvia texana (Lamiaceae), Salvia ballotaeflora (Lamiaceae), Ceanothus coeruleus (Rhamnaceae), Chrysactinia mexicana (Asteraceae) y Clematis drummondii (Ranunculaceae), against HeLa cells, VHS-1 and VHS-2. The method MTT was used to determine the 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀), in Vero and HeLa cell lines. To determine the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) against herpes, the plaque reduction method was used. Results showed that none of the plants exhibited activity against HeLa cells. About antiherpetic activity, J. mollis and S. ballotaeflora extracts present antiherpetic activity in terms of their SI, increasingly interest for further studies on the isolation of compounds with antiherpetic activity and about the mechanisms of action that produce this activity.     

3D Multilayered paper‐ and thread/paper‐based microfluidic devices for bioassays

In this paper we describe the fabrication of novel 3D microfluidic paper‐based analytical devices (3D‐μPADs) and a 3D microfluidic thread/paper‐based analytical device (3D‐μTPAD) to detect glucose and BSA through colorimetric assays. The 3D‐μPAD and 3D‐μTPAD consisted of three (wax, heat pressed wax‐printed paper, single‐sided tape) and four (hole‐punched single‐sided tape, blank chromatography circles, heat‐pressed wax‐printed paper, hole‐punched single‐sided tape containing trifurcated thread) layers, respectively. The saturation curves for each assay were generated for all platforms. For the glucose assay, a solution of glucose oxidase (GOx), horseradish peroxidase, and potassium iodide was flowed through each platform and, upon contact with glucose, generated a yellow‐brown color indicative of the oxidation of iodide to iodine. For the protein assay, BSA was flowed through each device and, upon contact with citrate buffer and tetrabromophenol blue, resulted in a color change from yellow to blue. The devices were dried, scanned, and analyzed yielding a correlation between either yellow intensity and glucose concentration or cyan intensity and BSA concentration. A similar glucose assay, using unknown concentrations of glucose in artificial urine, was conducted and, when compared to the saturation curve, showed good correlation between the theoretical and actual concentrations (percent differences <10%). The development of 3D‐μPADs and 3D‐μTPADs can further facilitate the use of these platforms for colorimetric bioassays.     

Introducing the Petasis Reaction for Late‐Stage Multicomponent Diversification,Labeling, and Stapling of Peptides

For the first time, the Petasis (borono‐Mannich) reaction is employed for the multicomponent labeling and stapling of peptides. The report includes the solid‐phase derivatization of peptides at the N‐terminus, Lys, and N^?‐MeLys side‐chains by an on‐resin Petasis reaction with variation of the carbonyl and boronic acid components. Peptides were simultaneously functionalized with aryl/vinyl substituents bearing fluorescent/affinity tags and oxo components such as dihydroxyacetone, glyceraldehyde, glyoxylic acid, and aldoses, thus encompassing a powerful complexity‐generating approach without changing the charge of the peptides. The multicomponent stapling was conducted in solution by linking N^?‐MeLys or Orn side‐chains, positioned at i, i+7 and i, i+4, with aryl tethers, while hydroxy carbonyl moieties were introduced as exocyclic fragments. The good efficiency and diversity oriented character of these methods show prospects for peptide drug discovery and chemical biology.     

Structural characterization of a hybrid terpyridine–pyrazine ligand and its one‐dimensional ZnII coordination polymer: a computational approach to conventional and nonconventional intermolecular interactions

The structures of a new hybrid terpyridine–pyrazine ligand, namely 4′‐[4‐(pyrazin‐2‐yl)phenyl]‐4,2′:6′,4′′‐terpyridine (L2), C₂₅H₁₇N₅, and its one‐dimensional coordination polymer catena‐poly[[bis(acetylacetonato‐κ²O,O′)zinc]‐μ‐4′‐[4‐(pyrazin‐2‐yl‐κN⁴)phenyl]‐4,2′:6′,4′′‐terpyridine‐κN¹], [Zn(C₅H₇O₂)₂(C₂₅H₁₇N₅)]_n or [Zn(acac)₂(L2)]_n (Hacac is acetylacetone), are reported. Packing interactions in both crystal structures are analyzed using Hirshfeld surface and enrichment ratio techniques. For the simpler structure of the monomeric ligand, further studies on the interaction hierarchy using the energy framework approach were made. The result was a complete picture of the intermolecular interaction landscape, which revealed some subtle details, for example, that some weak (at first sight negligible) C—H…N interactions in the structure of free L2 play a relevant role in the crystal stabilization.     

Generalizing the $$\mathfrak {bms}_{3}$$ and 2D-conformal algebras by expanding the Virasoro algebra

By means of the Lie algebra expansion method, the centrally extended conformal algebra in two dimensions and the \(\mathfrak {bms}_{3}\) algebra are obtained from the Virasoro algebra. We extend this result to construct new families of expanded Virasoro algebras that turn out to be infinite-dimensional lifts of the so-called \(\mathfrak {B}_{k}\), \(\mathfrak {C}_{k}\) and \(\mathfrak {D}_{k}\) algebras recently introduced in the literature in the context of (super)gravity. We also show how some of these new infinite-dimensional symmetries can be obtained from expanded Ka?–Moody algebras using modified Sugawara constructions. Applications in the context of three-dimensional gravity are briefly discussed.     

Photoluminescence and Photoacoustic Spectroscopies of Fe3+ in the LiGa5O8–LiGaSiO4–Li5GaSi2O8 System

This report is devoted to the study of the low and room temperature photoluminescence and photoacoustic spectroscopy of the Fe³⁺ impurity ion in the LiGa₅O₈–LiGaSiO₄–Li₅GaSi₂O₈ system. The sample was obtained by solid-state reaction between β-Ga₂O₃, Li₂CO₃, SiO₂ and appropriated quantities of Fe₂O₃. It was investigated by X-ray diffraction to determine the formed phases and through photoluminescence, excitation and photoacoustic spectroscopy measurements. The broad absorption and emission bands in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions presented by that system constitute the motivation for this study. More specifically, the luminescence occurs over a large interval of wavelengths, between 400 nm and 800 nm.     

Reactivity of C4‐indolyl substituted 1,4‐dihydropyridines toward superoxide anion (O2•) in dimethylsulfoxide

Reactivity of two new C4‐indolyl substituted 1,4‐dihydropyridines (1,4‐DHPs) toward superoxide anion (O₂^? ) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is reported. Reactivity was followed by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to identify the final products of the reaction. C4 indolyl‐substituted‐1,4‐DHPs reacted toward O₂^? at significant rates, according to the calculated kinetic rate constants. Results are compared with 4‐phenyl‐DHP and the commercial 1,4‐DHPs, nimodipine, nisoldipine, and amlodipine. Indolyl‐substituted 1,4‐DHPs were more reactive than the commercial derivatives. The direct participation of proton of the 1‐position of the secondary amine in the quenching of O₂^? was demonstrated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.