Separation of five oligostilbenes from Vitis amurensis by flow‐rate gradient high‐performance counter‐current chromatography

A rapid and efficient high‐performance counter‐current chromatography (HPCCC) method was developed to separate five oligostilbenes from the roots of Vitis amurensis. An n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water system (4:8:4:10, v/v/v/v) was selected as an optimal two‐phase solvent system of which the upper phase was used as the stationary phase and the lower phase was used as the mobile one. Partition coefficient values for the target compounds under these optimized conditions were 0.28 ( 1 , ampleosin A), 7.12 ( 2 , (+)‐g‐viniferin), 2.26 ( 3 , vitisin A), 5.38 ( 4 , wilsonol C), and 11.23 ( 5 , vitisin B). Flow‐rate gradient HPCCC (4 mL/min in 0–70 min, 8 mL/min in 70–250 min) was applied to isolate the target compounds in as high purity as possible within the shortest possible run time. Under these conditions, ampelopsin A (12.1 mg), (+)‐g‐viniferin (10.4 mg), vitisin A (2.8 mg), wilsonol C (3.2 mg), and vitisin B (37 mg) were isolated with >95% purity from 150 mg of enriched oligostilbene extract. Although the K_D of the last eluted compound, vitisin B (K_D = 11.23), was relatively large, it was eluted in 115–145 min using the two‐phase solvent system. This study shows that HPCCC is an efficient tool for the isolation and purification of natural products.     

Polycondensation of Sebacic Acid with Primary and Secondary Hydroxyl Groups Containing Diols Catalyzed by Candida antarctica Lipase B

Abstract

The aliphatic polyesters are normally synthesized by ester interchange reactions or direct esterification of hydroxyacids or diacid/diol combinations. Biotransformation, utilizing the enzymes as catalysts, was accepted as an alternative route for the synthesis of aliphatic polyesters and offers various advantages compared with the conventional, metal-catalyzed polymerization reactions. Previous studies indicated that lipase-catalyzed polycondensation reactions between diols and diacids occurred preferentially at primary hydroxyl groups of diols, when diols contained both primary and secondary hydroxyl groups. In this work, we investigated lipase-catalyzed polycondensation of diacids and secondary hydroxyl group–containing diols, and successfully synthesized polyesters by polycondensation with secondary hydroxyl groups as well as primary hydroxyl groups. Various diols, glycerol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, and 2,4-pentanediol were tested for the polycondensation. The polymerization was achieved by heating a mixture of lipase B, sebacic acid, and the diols in anhydrous toluene at 100 °C for 72 h. The resulting polymers were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform–infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography.     

Improved optical and electrical properties of sol–gel-derived boron-doped zinc oxide thin films

Sol–gel spin-coating was used to grow zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films doped with 0–2.5 at.% B on quartz substrates. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the thin films were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and van der Pauw Hall-effect measurements. All the thin films had deposited well onto the quartz substrates and exhibited granular morphology. The average crystallite size, lattice constants, residual stress, and lengths of the bonds in the crystal lattice of the thin films were calculated from the XRD data. The PL spectra showed near-band-edge (NBE) and deep-level emissions, and B doping varied the PL properties and increased the efficiency of the NBE emission. The optical transmittance spectra for the undoped ZnO and boron-doped zinc oxide (BZO) thin films show that the optical transmittance of the BZO thin films was significantly higher than that of the undoped ZnO thin films in the visible region of the spectra and that the absorption edge of the BZO thin films was blue-shifted. In addition, doping the ZnO thin films with B significantly varied the absorption coefficient, optical band gap, Urbach energy, refractive index, extinction coefficient, single-oscillator energy, dispersion energy, average oscillator strength, average oscillator wavelength, dielectric constant, and optical conductivity of the BZO thin films. The Hall-effect data suggested that B doping also improved the electrical properties such as the carrier concentration, mobility, and resistivity of the thin films.     

Rapid and sensitive detection of lower respiratory tract infections by stuffer‐free multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification

Lower respiratory tract infection is one of the most common infectious diseases. However, conventional methods for detecting infectious pathogens are time‐consuming, and generally have a limited impact on early therapeutic decisions. We previously reported a rapid and sensitive method for detecting such pathogens using stuffer‐free multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification coupled with high‐resolution CE‐SSCP. In this study, we report an application of this method to the detection of respiratory pathogens. As originally configured, this method was capable of simultaneously detecting seven bacterial species responsible for lower respiratory tract infections, but its detection limit and assay time were insufficient to provide useful information for early therapeutic decisions. To improve sensitivity and shorten assay time, we added a target‐specific preamplification step, improving the detection limit from 50 pg of genomic DNA to 500 fg. We further decreased time requirements by optimizing the hybridization step, enabling the entire assay to be completed within 7 h while maintaining the same detection limit. Taken together, these improvements enable the rapid detection of infectious doses of pathogens (i.e. a few dozen cells), establishing the strong potential of the refined method, particularly for aiding early treatment decisions.     

A one-pot tandem synthesis of various 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles

A facile method to synthesize various 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles is developed. It is suggested that formation of a Meisenheimer adduct between the substrate, amine, and solvent aids the N-arylation process. The generality of the protocol is demonstrated by the efficient reactions involving numerous substituents ranging from electron-withdrawing groups to electron-donating groups.     

Nucleophile‐Dependent Regio‐ and Stereoselective Ring Opening of 1‐Azoniabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane Tosylate

1‐[(1R)‐(1‐Phenylethyl)]‐1‐azoniabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane tosylate was generated as a stable bicyclic aziridinium salt from the corresponding 2‐(3‐hydroxypropyl)aziridine upon reaction with p‐toluenesulfonyl anhydride. This bicyclic aziridinium ion was then treated with various nucleophiles including halides, azide, acetate, and cyanide in CH₃CN to afford either piperidines or pyrrolidines through regio‐ and stereoselective ring opening, mediated by the characteristics of the applied nucleophile. On the basis of DFT calculations, ring‐opening reactions under thermodynamic control yield piperidines, whereas reactions under kinetic control can yield both piperidines and pyrrolidines depending on the activation energies for both pathways.     

Prediction of African Swine Fever Virus Inhibitors by Molecular Docking-Driven Machine Learning Models

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a highly contagious and severe hemorrhagic viral disease with high mortality in domestic pigs of all ages. Although the virus is harmless to humans, the ongoing ASFV epidemic could have severe economic consequences for global food security. Recent studies have found a few antiviral agents that can inhibit ASFV infections. However, currently, there are no vaccines or antiviral drugs. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify new drugs to treat ASFV. Based on the structural information data on the targets of ASFV, we used molecular docking and machine learning models to identify novel antiviral agents. We confirmed that compounds with high affinity present in the region of interest belonged to subsets in the chemical space using principal component analysis and k-means clustering in molecular docking studies of FDA-approved drugs. These methods predicted pentagastrin as a potential antiviral drug against ASFVs. Finally, it was also observed that the compound had an inhibitory effect on AsfvPolX activity. Results from the present study suggest that molecular docking and machine learning models can play an important role in identifying potential antiviral drugs against ASFVs.     

Changes in the physical properties of low bandgap polymer after interaction with ionic liquids

Over the past few years, polymers shown comprehensive utilization in optical devices, solar cells, sensors, and other such devices. However, the efficiency of these devices remains a problem. We have synthesized new thiophene based, lowband gap polymer, poly(2-heptadecyl-4-vinylthieno[3,4-d] [1,3] selenazole) (PHVTS) and investigated the interactions between the PHVTS and ionic liquids (ILs), in this study. We have used imidazolium- and ammonium-family ILs, and studied the interactions using various spectroscopic techniques such UV–visible, FTIR, and confocal Raman spectroscopies. Additionally, we studied surface morphology of the polymer-IL film. Spectroscopic studies show that both families of ILs can interact with the newly synthesized polymer poly(2-heptadecyl-4-vinylthieno[3,4-d] [1,3] selenazole). However, the imidazolium-family Ionic Liquid-polymer (IL-polymer) mixture films show higher conductivities than ammonium-family IL–polymer mixture films.     

Nanoscale observations of the operational failure for phase-change-type nonvolatile memory devices using Ge2Sb2Te5 chalcogenide thin films

In this study, a phase-change memory device was fabricated and the origin of device failure mode was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) was used as the active phase-change material in the memory device and the active pore size was designed to be 0.5 m. After the programming signals of more than 2×10⁶ cycles were repeatedly applied to the device, the high-resistance memory state (reset) could not be rewritten and the cell resistance was fixed at the low-resistance state (set). Based on TEM and EDS studies, Sb excess and Ge deficiency in the device operating region had a strong effect on device reliability, especially under endurance-demanding conditions. An abnormal segregation and oxidation of Ge also was observed in the region between the device operating and inactive peripheral regions. To guarantee an data endurability of more than 1×10¹⁰ cycles of PRAM, it is very important to develop phase-change materials with more stable compositions and to reduce the current required for programming.     

Effects of gamma irradiation on morphological changes and biological responses in plants

This review discusses the morphological changes and biological responses of plants irradiated with gamma rays. Seedlings exposed to relatively low doses of gamma rays (1-5 Gy) developed normally, while the growth of plants irradiated with a high dose gamma ray (50 Gy) was significantly inhibited. Based on TEM observations, chloroplasts were extremely sensitive to gamma irradiation compared to other cell organelles, particularly thylakoids being heavily swollen. In addition, some portions of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum were structurally altered, for example, distortion and swelling. The cerium perhydroxide deposition, as a maker for H(2)O(2) deposition, was typically manifest on the plasma membranes and cell walls of the tissues from both the control and irradiated plants. However, the intensities of cerium perhydroxide deposits (CPDs) were remarkably increased in the plasma membranes and cell walls of pumpkin tissues such as petiole, cotyledon, hypocotyl and especially leaf after gamma irradiation. These observations are in good agreement with the results of H(2)O(2) content in all tissues. The immuno-localization analysis for peroxidase (POD) on the tissues from pumpkin plant showed the same pattern between the control and irradiated plants, but the density of gold particles as indication of POD localization was significantly increased on the cell corner middle lamellae of parenchyma cells, especially in the petiole after gamma irradiation. However, accumulation and localization of H(2)O(2) and POD in vessels were not significantly different between both plants. The accumulation and localization of both H(2)O(2) and POD were differentially affected by gamma irradiation depending on the different tissue types. The deposition of both H(2)O(2) and POD in parenchyma cells appeared much higher than in vessels, suggesting that the former is more sensitive than the latter against gamma rays.