Algebraic subgroups of GL2(?)

In this note we classify, up to conjugation, all algebraic subgroups of GL₂(?).     

Anodic properties of diarylethene derivatives having organometallic piano-stool tags

The half-sandwich tamoxifen derivative, Mn(CO)(3)(η(5)-C(5)H(4)(Et)C=C(C(6)H(5))(2)), gives a radical cation which is charge-delocalized between the "cymantrenyl" and diphenylethene moieties and undergoes facile metal-carbonyl substitution reactions. Mn and Re complexes with finely tuned redox potentials can be obtained for cancer cell inhibition studies.     

Indole alkaloids from Vinca major and V. minor growing in Turkey

A new indole alkaloid, 11-hydroxypolyneuridine, was isolated from Vinca major subsp. major L. and the known indole alkaloids vallesiachotamine and isovallesiachotamine from Vinca minor L. This is the first report on the alkaloids of both Vinca species growing in Turkey; vallesiachotamine and isovallesiachotamine were isolated from a Vinca species for the first time. V. minor may be considered as a new source for these two alkaloids due to their occurrence in high amount in the aerial parts of the plant. The alkaloid extracts of the two Vinca species were found to have high lipid peroxidation inhibitory and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Anticholinesterase activity of the extracts was also very strong.     

Chemical composition of natural colophony from Pinus brutia and comparison with synthetic colophony

The compositions of colophony resins obtained from Pinus brutia Ten trees by three different methods (acid paste, carved hole and scraping) from Ayvacik, G?kova and Kemalpa?a in Turkey were analyzed by capillary GC-MS. The main components were the monoterpenes alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, and delta3-carene, and the diterpenic resin acids palustric, abietic, kaur-9(11)-16-en-18-oic and neoabietic acid. The synthetic colophony resins exhibited similar contents to those of the natural resins obtained from the G?kova and Kemalpa?a regions of Turkey. However, colophony resins from Ayvacik exhibited only half the diterpenic acid content as those of the G?kova and Kemalpa?a resins. Out of the three techniques, the carved hole method caused rather different percentages in the constituents of the essential oils.     

Towards single-microorganism detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

The identification and discrimination of microorganisms is important not only for clinical reasons but also for pharmaceutical clean room production and food-processing technology. Vibrational spectroscopy such as IR, Raman, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can provide a rapid ‘fingerprint’ on the chemical structure of molecules and is used to obtain a ‘fingerprint’ from microorganisms as well. Because of the requirement that a single bacterium cell and noble metal nanoparticles must be in close contact and the lack of a significant physical support to hold nanoparticles around the single bacterium cell, the acquisition of SERS spectra for a single bacterium using colloidal nanoparticles could be a challenging task. The feasibility of SERS for identification down to a single bacterium is investigated. A Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, is chosen as a model for the investigation. Because the adsorption of silver nanoparticles onto the bacterial cell is an exclusive way for locating nanoparticles close to the bacterium cell, the absorption characteristics of silver nanoparticles with different surface charges are investigated. It is demonstrated that the citrate-reduced colloidal silver solution generates more reproducible SERS spectra. It is found that E. coli cells aggregate upon mixing with silver colloidal solution, and this may provide an additional benefit in locating the bacterial cell under a light microscope. It is also found that a laser wavelength in the UV region could be a better choice for the study due to the shallow penetration depth. It is finally shown that it is possible to obtain SERS spectra from a single cell down to a few bacterial cells, depending on the aggregation properties of bacterial cells for identification and discrimination.