Studies on nepalese crude drugs. XXVIII. Chemical constituents of Bhote Khair, the underground parts of Eskemukerjea megacarpum HARA

From the underground parts of Eskemukerjea megacarpum HARA, two new stilbenes (14, 15) were isolated, together with a known coumarin, 5,7-dihydroxycoumarin (1), a tyramine derivative, trans-feruloyltyramine (2), two pyrogallol derivatives, gallic acid (3) and beta-glucogallin (4), four flavonoids, trifolin (5), hyperin (6), myricetin 3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside (7), and myricitrin (8), five stilbenes, resveratorol (9), astringenin (10), piceid (11) astringin (12), and resveratorol 3-O-beta-D-(6-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside (13), a flavan-3-ol, (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (16), two proanthocyanidins, catechin-(4alpha-->8)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (17) and epicatechin 3-O-gallate-(4beta-->8)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (18), and an anthocyanin, idaein (19). Compounds 14 and 15 were identified as (E)-3,5,3',4'-tetrahydroxystilbene 3-O-beta-D-(6-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside and (E)-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene 3-O-beta-D-(6-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside, respectively, based on spectral and chemical data.     

Association kinetics of wild- and mutant-type Ynd1p in relation to quality of grown crystals

The intermolecular interaction and association dynamics of the Ynd1p protein were investigated using dynamic and time-resolved static light scattering measurements. The mutual diffusion coefficients of wild- and mutant-type (a single amino acid substitution) Ynd1p monomer were measured in 50 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer with 5 mM MnCl2 and 7.5% (v/v) ethylene glycol. Both translational diffusion coefficients at a zero protein concentration were (40.3 +/- 0.2) x 10(-12) m2/s at 20 degrees C and a pH of 7.0, so the hydrodynamic radius of the monomers was 4.1 +/- 0.1 nm. The measured intermolecular interaction between monomers, however, showed that the mutant-type Ynd1p had a stronger attractive force. Time-resolved static light scattering measurements showed that the association of mutant-type Ynd1p yielded a larger number of aggregates than that of wild-type Ynd1p. The time dependence of aggregate gyration radius differed between the two types. Fractal dimension analysis using scattering intensity data suggested that the inner structure of the aggregates changed from loose to rigid with time. Although this phenomenon is common for wild and mutant types, the differences in the number of aggregates yielded in the initial stages and in the intermolecular interaction affected the quality of the final grown crystals. That is, single crystals of Ynd1p grew in the mutant-type protein solution and polycrystals of Ynd1p grew in the wild-type protein solution.     

Immunoassay for acetamiprid detection: application to residue analysis and comparison with liquid chromatography

This work describes the fundamental ability of a commercial ELISA to determine acetamiprid and the application of the ELISA to residue analysis in fruit and vegetable samples. The ELISA exhibited satisfactory sensitivity (I ₅₀ 0.6 ng/g; limit of detection 0.053 ng/g) and a high selectivity for acetamiprid versus other neonicotinoid analogs (thiacloprid amide). Methanol, which influenced the sensitivity of the ELISA the least, was selected as the extractant for the ELISA analysis. Simple dilution of sample extracts with water eliminated matrix interferences. Average recoveries from the acetamiprid-spiked agricultural samples were >95% using a simple extraction method. Analytical results obtained from the ELISA were comparable to those obtained from the reference HPLC method (r>0.99). The ELISA applied to the residue analysis of acetamiprid in agricultural products is a rapid, simple, and cost-effective method, and could be successfully applied to the detection of acetamiprid before the distribution of produce.     

Self-assembled lamellar nanostructures of wholly aromatic rod-rod-type block molecules

Wholly aromatic rod-rod type di- and triblock molecules, oligo(ether sulfone)-b-oligo(ether ketone)s (OES-OEK), were synthesized to study a solid-state self-assembled nanostructure. The OES and OEK segments in the block molecules form segregated crystalline domains. The energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy images revealed that the di- and triblock OES-OEK co-oligomers formed lamellar nanostructures with a periodicity of approximately 9 and 13 nm, respectively. [structure: see text].     

Observation of strong low-lying E1 strength in the two-neutron halo nucleus 11Li

An exclusive measurement has been made of the Coulomb dissociation of the two-neutron halo nucleus 11Li at 70 MeV/nucleon at RIKEN. Strong low-energy (soft) E1 excitation is observed, peaked at about Ex = 0.6 MeV with B(E1) = 1.42(18) e2fm2 for Erel < or = 3 MeV, which was largely missed in previous measurements. This excitation represents the strongest E1 transition ever observed at such low excitation energies. The spectrum is reproduced well by a three-body model with a strong two-neutron correlation, which is further supported by the E1 non-energy-weighted cluster sum rule.     

Heavy-fermion-like state in a transition metal oxide LiV2O4 single crystal: indication of Kondo resonance in the photoemission spectrum

We have performed a vacuum ultraviolet laser excited photoemission spectroscopy on a d-electron heavy-fermion-like material LiV2O4 single crystal. We observed a sharp peak structure in the density of states at approximately 4 meV above the Fermi level (E(F)). The evolution of the peak height corresponds well with the crossover behavior to the heavy-fermion-like state as observed in the thermal and transport properties. The position, shape, and temperature (T) dependence of the peak structure is quite similar to the Kondo resonance observed in conventional f-electron heavy Fermion compounds.     

New linear-parabolic rate equation for thermal oxidation of silicon

We propose a new oxidation rate equation for silicon supposing only a diffusion of oxidizing species but not including any rate-limiting step by interfacial reaction. It is supposed that diffusivity is suppressed in a strained oxide region near SiO(2)/Si the interface. The expression of a parabolic constant in the new equation is the same as that of the Deal-Grove model, while a linear constant makes a clear distinction with that of the model. The estimated thickness using the new expression is close to 1 nm, which compares well with the thickness of the structural transition layers.     

A singular Cauchy problem for the Euler–Poisson–Darboux equation

We consider a singular Cauchy problem for the Euler–Poisson–Darboux equation of Fuchsian type in the time variable with ramified Cauchy data. In this paper we establish an expansion of the solutions in a series of hypergeometric functions and then investigate the nature of the singularities of the solutions.     

Subexponential Densities of Infinitely Divisible Distributions on the Half-Line

Lithuanian Mathematical Journal - Abstract. We show that, under the long-tailedness of the densities of normalized Lévy measures, the densities of infinitely divisible distributions on the...     

Binding of Multivalent Anionic Porphyrins to V3 Loop Fragments of an HIV‐1 Envelope and Their Antiviral Activity

Interactions of multivalent anionic porphyrins and their iron(III) complexes with cationic peptides, V3_Ba‐L and V3_IIIB, which correspond to those of the V3 loop regions of the gp120 envelope proteins of the HIV‐1_Ba‐L and HIV‐1_IIIB strains, respectively, are studied by UV/Vis, circular dichroism, ¹H NMR, and EPR spectroscopy, a microcalorimetric titration method, and anti‐HIV assays. Tetrakis(3,5‐dicarboxylatophenyl)porphyrin (P1), tetrakis[4‐(3,5‐dicarboxylatophenylmethoxy)phenyl]porphyrin (P2), and their ferric complexes (Fe^IIIP1 and Fe^IIIP2) were used as the multivalent anionic porphyrins. P1 and Fe^IIIP1 formed stable complexes with both V3 peptides (binding constant K>10⁶ M ^?1) through combined electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. Coordination of the His residues in V3_Ba‐L to the iron center of Fe^IIIP1 also played an important role in the complex stabilization. As P2 and Fe^IIIP2 form self‐aggregates in aqueous solution even at low concentrations, detailed analysis of their interactions with the V3 peptides could not be performed. To ascertain whether the results obtained in the model system are applicable to a real biological system, anti‐HIV‐1_BA‐L and HIV‐1_IIIB activity of the porphyrins is examined by multiple nuclear activation of a galactosidase indicator (MAGI) and 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. There is little correlation between chemical analysis and actual anti‐HIV activity, and the size rather than the number of the anionic groups of the porphyrin is important for anti‐HIV activity. All the porphyrins show high selectivity, low cytotoxicity, and high viral activity. Fe^IIIP1 and Fe^IIIP2 are used for the pharmacokinetic study. Half‐lives of these iron porphyrins in serum of male Wistar rats are around 4 to 6 h owing to strong interaction of these porphyrins with serum albumin.