Propellanes-LXXIII: Cyclic oligomers from a [4.3.3]propellene-bis -imide and 1,ω-dibromoalkanes

Cyclic oligomers were made from the title reactants. These were sometimes accompanied by linear oligomers.     

Propellanes—XLIX : Relative diels-alder reaction of an unsubstituted and a substituted diene system in propellanes and 1,6-methano[10]annulenes

The relative reactivity of an unsubstituted cyclohexadiene ring and a substituted cyclohexadiene ring within a propellane system or a 1,6-methano[10]annulene system has been studied.     

Electrochemistry and chemiluminescence techniques compared in the detection of NADPH oxidase activity in phagocyte cells

Several methodologies have been used in clinical chemistry for real-time assessment of NADPH oxidase primary product superoxide anion which dismutases to hydrogen peroxide. Among these methodologies, isoluminol chemiluminescence (CL) is considered to be one of the more sensitive and reliable techniques for the assessment of NADPH oxidase activity in neutrophils. The electrochemical technique was recently designed and also applied for real-time detection of NADPH oxidase activity in neutrophils but its reliability and sensitivity has not been investigated so far. In this study, isoluminol CL and electrochemical techniques were investigated and compared by monitoring the generation of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in both PLB 985 cell line differentiated into neutrophil-like cells and human neutrophils. The electrochemical technique was shown to be as sensitive as that of CL and able to detect the reactive oxygen species (ROS) release of as low as 500 cells. Thus, the electrochemical technique could be used as an alternative to optical techniques for the evaluation of extracellular ROS in phagocyte cells.     

Excited-state proton transfer reactions of 10-hydroxycamptothecin

Time-resolved and steady-state emission characterization of 10-hydroxycamptothecin reveals a rich but less complex proton-transfer behavior than its parent hydroxyquinoline. The electronic effect of the additional electron-withdrawing ring makes the excited-state both less basic and more acidic than the parent and adds to the class of high-acidity excited-state proton donors in photochemistry and photobiology.     

A model for the metal-to-insulator transition in V2O3

The metal-to-insulator transition in V₂O₃ is described by a model that is based on the electronic band structure of this material. The vanadium 3d-t _2g band decomposes in the trigonal symmetry into two bands, a _1g and e _π. The a _1g band consists of orbitals connecting pairs of c-axis neighbouring atoms, while the e _π band consists of orbitals in the plane perpendicular to the c-axis. The change in distance between c-axis neighbours changes the nature of the a _1g band from molecular (delocalized) to atomic (localized). The localization of the a _1g electrons causes through the atomic exchange interaction also the localization of the e _π electrons, and this localization creates a gap in the e _π band which causes the material to become insulating. This model is treated in the Hartree-Fock approximation (the ‘Excitonic’ model) at zero and finite temperatures, and various aspects of the transition, such as changes in the c/a ratio, the creation of magnetic moments, changes in covalency, the effect of pressure and the order of the transition, are investigated.     

Experimental testing of the applicability of a fourth degree polynomial in describing surfaces of equicritical planar stress distributions in glass-reinforced plastics

The possibility of using a fourth degree polynomial for calculating the anisotropy of glass-reinforced plastics in the planar stress state is evaluated experimentally. The experiments were carried out on industrial specimens of glass-reinforced plastic tubes loaded with an internal pressure, and subjected to an axial tensile force and a torque. Surfaces of equicritical planar stress distribution were constructed for the material of the glass-reinforced plastic tubes. The experimental and theoretical values of the breaking stresses were compared statistically. Most of the experimental values of the breaking stresses were found to lie within the confidence intervals of their theoretical values.S. M. Kirov Timber Technology Academy, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 284–294, March–April, 1970.     

Photoinactivation of Deinococcus radiodurans: An Unusual Gram-Positive Microorganism

Abstract— Deinococcus radiodurans is an extremely resistant bacteria to both the mutagenic and lethal effects of ionizing radiation. In the present study, we examined photoinactivation of D. radiodurans by two photosensitizers, the hydrophilic cationic 5, 10, 15, 20-tetra(4- N -methylpyridyl)porphine (TMPyP) and deuteroporphyrin (Dp), which is more hydrophobic. The effects of illumination with various lights at different wavelengths were also examined. Efficient photoinactivation was obtained when D. radiodurans cells were irradiated by blue light (400–450 nm) and treated with TMPyP at a concentration of 0.73 μ M . Under these conditions the viability of the culture was found to be decreased by almost seven orders of magnitude after 2 min of treatment at an intensity of only 2 J/cm². Treatment of the bacterial cells by TMPyP or Dp resulted in an efflux of potassium and magnesium from the cells as well as phosphate loss as a function of light dose. These results can be regarded as a consequence of membrane damage, because transmission electron microscopy revealed cell membrane damage shortly after exposure of the treated bacteria to light. In addition, asymmetric septation and filamentous chromosomal DNA were seen. It seems that the cytoplasmic membrane damage in this bacterial species plays a more important role than in other gram-positive or even gram-negative bacteria, rendering this radiation-resistant bacterium susceptible to photosensitization.     

Novel podands and macrocycles with diacetal (tetraoxadecalin) cores: synthesis, structure, stereochemistry and cation inclusion

A series of functionalized 2,6-dialkyl-cis-1,3,5,7-tetraoxadecalin podands (3-10, alkyl = hydroxy-, mesyloxy-, halo-, azido- and aminomethyl and -ethyl) were prepared, characterized, and used as precursors for a new and interesting class of macrocycles and cryptands (12-21), with the aim to use these as host-guest inclusion systems. Extensive spectroscopic work was performed, structural endorsement was obtained from X-ray diffraction analyses and further insight into the structures was obtained from theoretical/computational studies. A number of macrocycles in the series exhibited good complexation with alkaline-earth metal ions.