Light-Front BRST Quantization of the Vector Schwinger Model with a Photon Mass Term

Vector Schwinger model with a mass term for the photon, describing 2D electrodynamics with mass-less fermions, studied by us recently (UK, Mod. Phys. Lett A22, 2993 (2007), PoS LC2008, 008 (2008), UK and DSK, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A22, 6183 (2007), UK, Mod. Phys. Lett A27, 1250157 (2012)), represents a new class of models. This theory becomes gauge-invariant when studied on the light-front. This is in contrast to the instant-form theory which is gauge-non-invariant. The light-front Hamiltonian and path integral quantization of this theory has been studied recently by one of us (UK, Mod. Phys. Lett. A27 (No. 27) 1250157 (2012)). In the present work we study the light-front Becchi-Rouet-Stora and Tyutin (BRST) quantization of this theory under appropriate light-cone BRST gauge-fixing. Here the BRST (gauge) symmetry of the theory is maintained even under BRST-gauge-fixing which is in contrast to its Hamiltonian and path integral quantization where the gauge symmetry of the theory necessarily gets broken under gauge-fixing.     

Synthesis,characterization and antimicrobial activity evaluation of new 2,4-Thiazolidinediones bearing imidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole moiety

The synthesis and antimicrobial activity of 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivatives 5a–g and 6a–g are described. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, NMR, mass and elemental analyses. All compounds were evaluated for their preliminary in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity. The results revealed that most of the compounds showed high or moderate biological activity against tested microorganisms.     

Computational and experimental investigations of mono-septanoside binding by Concanavalin A: correlation of ligand stereochemistry to enthalpies of binding

Structure-energy relationships for a small group of pyranose and septanose mono-saccharide ligands are developed for binding to Concanavalin A (ConA). The affinity of ConA for methyl "manno"β-septanoside 7 was found to be higher than any of the previously reported mono-septanoside ligands. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in conjunction with docking simulations and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) modeling established the specific role of binding enthalpy in the structure-energy relations of ConA bound to natural mono-saccharides and unnatural mono-septanosides. An important aspect in the differential binding among ligands is the deformation energy required to reorganize internal hydroxyl groups upon binding of the ligand to ConA.     

Identification of heparin samples that contain impurities or contaminants by chemometric pattern recognition analysis of proton NMR spectral data

Chemometric analysis of a set of one-dimensional (1D) (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral data for heparin sodium active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) samples was employed to distinguish USP-grade heparin samples from those containing oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) contaminant and/or unacceptable levels of dermatan sulfate (DS) impurity. Three chemometric pattern recognition approaches were implemented: classification and regression tree (CART), artificial neural network (ANN), and support vector machine (SVM). Heparin sodium samples from various manufacturers were analyzed in 2008 and 2009 by 1D (1)H NMR, strong anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, and percent galactosamine in total hexosamine tests. Based on these data, the samples were divided into three groups: Heparin, DS ≤ 1.0% and OSCS = 0%; DS, DS > 1.0% and OSCS = 0%; and OSCS, OSCS > 0% with any content of DS. Three data sets corresponding to different chemical shift regions (1.95-2.20, 3.10-5.70, and 1.95-5.70 ppm) were evaluated. While all three chemometric approaches were able to effectively model the data in the 1.95-2.20 ppm region, SVM was found to substantially outperform CART and ANN for data in the 3.10-5.70 ppm region in terms of classification success rate. A 100% prediction rate was frequently achieved for discrimination between heparin and OSCS samples. The majority of classification errors between heparin and DS involved cases where the DS content was close to the 1.0% DS borderline between the two classes. When these borderline samples were removed, nearly perfect classification results were attained. Satisfactory results were achieved when the resulting models were challenged by test samples containing blends of heparin APIs spiked with non-, partially, or fully oversulfated chondroitin sulfate A, heparan sulfate, or DS at the 1.0%, 5.0%, and 10.0% (w/w) levels. This study demonstrated that the combination of 1D (1)H NMR spectroscopy with multivariate chemometric methods is a nonsubjective, statistics-based approach for heparin quality control and purity assessment that, once standardized, minimizes the need for expert analysts.     

Decoding genomes at high speed: implications for science and medicine

At warp speed: The speed and cost of sequencing DNA has undergone tremendous improvement based on Solexa sequencing. This technique arose from basic curiosity-driven research and unexpected outcomes, rather than from ideas that were strategically driven. The whole-genome sequencing of individuals now possible may one day transform the way medical disorders are classified, diagnosed, and treated.     

Salicylaldimine-based symmetric dimers: synthesis and thermal behaviour

Several symmetrical dimers comprised of salicylaldimine-moieties connected through ester linkages to the termini of odd-parity alkanediols have been synthesized and investigated for their thermal behaviour. In order to understand the structure-property relations, the lengths of the central alkylene spacers (C₃ and C₅) as well as those of the terminal alkoxy chains (C₆ to C₂₂) have been varied. The dimers with a C₃-alkylene spacer are non-liquid crystalline, while some of the compounds having a C₅-alkylene spacer exhibit liquid crystalline properties. The dimer, with a C₅-alkylene spacer and C₆-alkoxy tails, shows an intercalated smectic C (SmC_c) phase, whereas the C₈, C₁₀, C₁₁, and C₁₂ homologues are non-mesomorphic. The higher homologues of this series with C₁₆, C₁₈, C₂₀ and C₂₂ alkoxy tails show a mesophase that has the signatures of a two-dimensional banana (B₁) phase. This mesophase is enantiotropic in the C₁₆ and C₁₈ homologues while it is monotropic in the other homologues. In these dimers, the spacer length has a remarkable influence on the thermal behaviour.     

Achiral banana-shaped mesogenic bidentate ligands and their Cu(II) and Pd(II) complexes

The first achiral bent-core banana-shaped bidentate ligands and their Cu(II) and Pd(II) metal complexes have been synthesized and investigated for mesomorphic behaviour. The bidentate ligands exhibit only one enantiotropic mesophase. The ligand having C6 -alkoxy chains shows a mesophase that has been assigned as a two-dimensional B1 phase while the C8 and C10 homologues stabilize the fluid B2 mesophase showing antiferroelectric switching characteristics. In constrast, their corresponding Cu(II) and Pd(II) metal complexes are non-mesomorphic.     

Synthesis of Boc-Amino Tetrazoles Derived from α-Amino Acids

A simple route for the synthesis of Boc-protected tetrazole analogs of amino acids starting from N ^α-Boc amino acids has been described. The [2 + 3] cycloaddition of Boc-α-amino nitrile and sodium azide in the presence of a catalytic amount of zinc bromide yielded the desired tetrazoles in good yields and purity. All the compounds obtained have been characterized by ¹H and ¹³C-NMR and mass spectral studies.     

Synthesis of Ureido-Linked Glycosylated Amino Acids from N α-Fmoc-Asp/Glu-5-oxazolidinones and Their Application to Neoglycopeptide Synthesis

A simple route for the synthesis of ureido-linked glycosylated amino acids has been described. The key step involves the reaction of isocyanates derived from N ^α-Fmoc-Asp/Glu-5-oxazolidinones 1 with glycosyl amines followed by hydrolysis. The resulting ureido-linked glycosylated amino acids have been incorporated into peptides. The overall procedure is simple, high-yielding, and involves fewer steps.     

Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of 4-Aroyl-2-pyrones: Nucleophilic Addition of Active Methylene Groups to 1,2-Diaroylacetylenes

An efficient synthesis of 3,6-disubstituted-4-aroyl-2-pyrones in a single-step reaction through Michael addition of 1,2-diaroylacetylenes with active methylene compounds in the presence of NaH in dimethylsulfoxide at room temperature is reported. The structures have been confirmed by spectral data analyses.