Microscopic Spin–Orbit Potential for Proton + $${}^{9}$$ Be Scattering

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - The elastic scattering differential cross-section ( $$d\sigma/d\Omega$$ ) and the vector analyzing power ( $$A_{y}$$ ) are reanalyzed simultaneously for the $$p+^{9}$$ Be...     

Optimization of Antioxidant Synergy in a Polyherbal Combination by Experimental Design

Culinary herbs and spices are known to be good sources of natural antioxidants. Although the antioxidant effects of individual culinary herbs and spices are widely reported, little is known about their effects when used in combination. The current study was therefore undertaken to compare the antioxidant effects of crude extracts and essential oils of some common culinary herbs and spices in various combinations. The antioxidant interactions of 1:1 combinations of the most active individual extracts and essential oils were investigated as well as the optimization of various ratios using the design of experiments (DoE) approach. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to determine the antioxidant activity, and MODDE 9.1^® software (Umetrics AB, Umea, Sweden) was used to determine the DoE. The results revealed synergism for the following combinations: Mentha piperita with Thymus vulgaris methanol extract (ΣFIC = 0.32 and ΣFIC = 0.15 using the DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively); Rosmarinus officinalis with Syzygium aromaticum methanol extract (ΣFIC = 0.47 using the FRAP assay); T. vulgaris with Zingiber officinalis methanol extracts (ΣFIC = 0.19 using the ABTS assay); and R. officinalis with Z. officinalis dichloromethane extract (ΣFIC = 0.22 using the ABTS assay). The DoE produced a statistically significant (R2 = 0.905 and Q2 = 0.710) model that was able to predict extract combinations with high antioxidant activities, as validated experimentally. The antioxidant activities of the crude extracts from a selection of culinary herbs and spices were improved when in combination, hence creating an innovative opportunity for the future development of supplements for optimum health.     

New strategies to study the chemical nature of wine oligomeric procyanidins

Tannins represent a key element in red wine flavors, so researchers have made a lot of effort to try to understand the role of their structure in wine taste in recent decades. We report some new routes to achieve a true structure–taste relationship for the major tannins found in wine, which are procyanidins in their monomeric or oligomeric state. All these routes use synthetic standards. New advances in their synthesis and their analyses using chromatographic methods, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry to obtain more precise information about their chemical structure, including their stereochemistry and their precise degree of polymerization and galloylation, are described.     

Three Rings Schiff Base Ester Liquid Crystals: Experimental and Computational Approaches of Mesogenic Core Orientation Effect,Heterocycle Impact

Three rings 2-hydroxypyridine liquid crystalline compounds have been prepared and fully characterized. The mesomorphic behavior of the prepared compounds has been investigated in terms of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). Moreover, a comparative study between the prepared compounds and previously reported analogs has been discussed in terms of the orientation and position of the mesogenic core, in addition to the direction of the terminal alkyl chains. Furthermore, a detailed computational approach has been studied to illustrate the effect of geometrical and dimensional parameters on the type of the enhanced texture and the mesomorphic range and stability. The results of the DFT study revealed that the orientation of the mesogen could affect the mesomorphic behavior and this has been attributed in terms of the degree of the polarizability of the linking groups. This result has been confirmed by calculation of the net dipole moment and the molecular electrostatic potential that show how the mesogen orientation and position could impact the molecular charge separation. Finally, the effect of the pyridyl group has been also investigated in terms of the calculated aromaticity index and the π-π stacking.     

New Bioactive Peptides Identified from a Tilapia Byproduct Hydrolysate Exerting Effects on DPP-IV Activity and Intestinal Hormones Regulation after Canine Gastrointestinal Simulated Digestion

Like their owners, dogs and cats are more and more affected by overweight and obesity-related problems and interest in functional pet foods is growing sharply. Through numerous studies, fish protein hydrolysates have proved their worth to prevent and manage obesity-related comorbidities like diabetes. In this work, a human in vitro static simulated gastrointestinal digestion model was adapted to the dog which allowed us to demonstrate the promising effects of a tilapia byproduct hydrolysate on the regulation of food intake and glucose metabolism. Promising effects on intestinal hormones secretion and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory activity were evidenced. We identify new bioactive peptides able to stimulate cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretions, and to inhibit the DPP-IV activity after a transport study through a Caco-2 cell monolayer.     

Modelling,optimisation and control of selectivity in the separation of aromatic bases by electrokinetic chromatography using a neutral cyclodextrin as a pseudostationary phase

A simple mathematical model describing the separation of a series of aromatic bases by electrokinetic chromatography using beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) as a pseudostationary phase is described. The model takes into account changes in electrolyte pH and the different formation constants between the neutral and charged forms of the analytes with the CD. Constants in the model were obtained within the two-dimensional experimental space defined by pH and [beta-CD] with nonlinear regression using only five experimental points. These constants agreed with expected trends in analyte-CD interactions and predicted much higher formation constants for the neutral analyte-CD complex than for the charged analyte-CD complex. Correlation between predicted and observed mobilities using additional 20 points within the experimental space gave r(2) = 0.995. Optimisation of the pH and [beta-CD] was performed using both the normalised resolution product and minimum resolution product criteria and provided two optimum separations which exhibited different selectivities. Differences between predicted and observed migration times at these optima were less than 2.5 and 5% for the normalised resolution product and the minimum resolution criteria, respectively. In both cases the correct migration order was predicted. The model was also applied successfully to the optimisation of conditions for the separation of a specific mixture of analytes or for conditions under which particular analytes migrated in a desired order.     

Adducts of 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethane with diamines: three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded frameworks formed with 1,6‐diaminohexane and 2,2′‐bipyridyl

The adduct 1,6‐di­amino­hexane–1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxy­phenyl)­ethane (1/2) is a salt {hexane‐1,6‐diyldiammonium–4‐[1,1‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenolate (1/2)}, C₆H₁₈N₂²⁺·2C₂₀H₁₇O₃^?, in which the cation lies across a centre of inversion in space group P. The anions are linked by two short O—H?O hydrogen bonds [H?O 1.74 and 1.76 Å, O?O 2.5702 (12) and 2.5855 (12) Å, and O—H?O 168 and 169°] into a chain containing two types of R(24) ring. Each cation is linked to four different anion chains by three N—H?O hydrogen bonds [H?O 1.76–2.06 Å, N?O 2.6749 (14)–2.9159 (14) Å and N—H?O 156–172°]. In the adduct 2,2′‐bipyridyl–1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxy­phenyl)­ethane (1/2), C₁₀H₈N₂·2C₂₀H₁₈O₃, the neutral di­amine lies across a centre of inversion in space group P2₁/n. The tris­(phenol) mol­ecules are linked by two O—H?O hydrogen bonds [H?O both 1.90 Å, O?O 2.7303 (14) and 2.7415 (15) Å, and O—H?O 173 and 176°] into sheets built from R(38) rings. Pairs of tris­(phenol) sheets are linked via the di­amine by means of a single O—H?N hydrogen bond [H?N 1.97 Å, O?N 2.7833 (16) Å and O—H?N 163°].     

Adsorption Behaviour of 134Cs and 22Na Ions on Tin and Titanium Ferrocyanides

Tin and titanium ferrocyanides were studied as adsorbents for alkali metal ions, viz., ¹³⁴Cs and ²²Na, which represent radioactive wastes. The ferrocyanides were prepared in granular form. The tin version contained 11.2% water, while the titanium version contained 17.7% water. The exchange capacities for Cs⁺ and Na⁺ in the hydrated tin version were about 1.5 and 0.7 meq/g, respectively, while those in the titanium version were 2.2 and 1.2 meq/g, respectively. Drying at 250°C decimated those capacities. The diffusional time constant of Cs⁺ at 25°C, determined via Fick's second law, was of order of magnitude 1 × 10^–3 s^–1, though there were minor differences due to particle size and the form of ferrocyanide. Similarly, the effective diffusivity was of order of magnitude 1 × 10^–8 cm²/s. The titanium version responded slightly faster than the tin version. Likewise, equilibrium measurements in mixtures with sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or uranium oxide, showed that the titanium version exhibited significantly greater selectivity for Cs⁺ than did the tin version. Unfortunately, tests of complete elution of the Cs⁺ from the ferrocyanides were mostly disappointing. Work continues on that subject.     

Electronic structure of a low-spin heme/Cu peroxide complex: spin-state and spin-topology contributions to reactivity

This study details the electronic structure of the heme–peroxo–copper adduct {[(F8)Fe(DCHIm)]-O2-[Cu(AN)]}+ (LS(AN)) in which O2(2–) bridges the metals in a μ-1,2 or “end-on” configuration. LS(AN) is generated by addition of coordinating base to the parent complex {[(F8)Fe]-O2-[Cu(AN)]}+ (HS(AN)) in which the O2(2–) bridges the metals in an μ-η2:η2 or “side-on” mode. In addition to the structural change of the O2(2–) bridging geometry, coordination of the base changes the spin state of the heme fragment (from S = 5/2 in HS(AN) to S = 1/2 in LS(AN)) that results in an antiferromagnetically coupled diamagnetic ground state in LS(AN). The strong ligand field of the porphyrin modulates the high-spin to low-spin effect on Fe–peroxo bonding relative to nonheme complexes, which is important in the O–O bond cleavage process. On the basis of DFT calculations, the ground state of LS(AN) is dependent on the Fe–O–O–Cu dihedral angle, wherein acute angles (<~150°) yield an antiferromagnetically coupled electronic structure while more obtuse angles yield a ferromagnetic ground state. LS(AN) is diamagnetic and thus has an antiferromagnetically coupled ground state with a calculated Fe–O–O–Cu dihedral angle of 137°. The nature of the bonding in LS(AN) and the frontier molecular orbitals which lead to this magneto-structural correlation provide insight into possible spin topology contributions to O–O bond cleavage by cytochrome c oxidase.