Chromatographic fingerprinting and related chemometric techniques for quality control of traditional Chinese medicines

Development of chromatographic fingerprint (CF) and related chemometric methods and their applications to quality control of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) were discussed. CF is essentially a kind of quality control method for TCMs (or Chinese herbal medicines). Also, it is a quality‐relevant‐data high‐throughput and integral tool to explore chemically the complexity of TCMs. With the help of chemometrics, some difficulties in evaluation and analysis of CFs, such as calculation of information content, peak alignment, pattern analysis, deconvolution of overlapping peaks, etc. could be well solved. To further explore TCMs synergic quality, intensive study of CF coupled with chemometrics will create the possibility to achieve the aim to reveal the working mechanisms of TCMs and to further control and strengthen TCMs' intrinsic quality in a comprehensive manner.     

Relationship between Phenolic Compounds,Antioxidant Properties,and the Allergenic Protein Mal d 1 in Different Selenium-Biofortified Apple Cultivars (Malus domestica)

Notable parts of the population in Europe suffer from allergies towards apples. To address this health problem, the analysis of the interactions of relevant allergens with other substances such as phenolic compounds is of particular importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations between the total phenolic content (TPC), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, antioxidant activity (AOA), and the phenolic compound profile and the content of the allergenic protein Mal d 1 in six apple cultivars. It was found that the PPO activity and the content of individual phenolic compounds had an influence on the Mal d 1 content. With regard to the important constituents, flavan-3-ols and phenolic acids, it was found that apples with a higher content of chlorogenic acid and a low content of procyanidin trimers and/or epicatechin had a lower allergenic potential. This is probably based on the reaction of phenolic compounds (when oxidized by the endogenous PPO) with proteins, thus being able to change the conformation of the (allergenic) proteins, which further corresponds to a loss of antibody recognition. When apples were additionally biofortified with selenium, the composition of the apples, with regard to TPC, phenolic profile, AOA, and PPO, was significantly affected. Consequently, this innovative agronomic practice seems to be promising for reducing the allergenic potential of apples.     

A combined ab initio and Franck-Condon factor simulation study on the photodetachment spectrum of ScO2(-)

Restricted-spin coupled-cluster single-double plus perturbative triple excitation {RCCSD(T)} potential energy functions (PEFs) of the X(2)B2 state of ScO2 and the 1A1 state of ScO2(-) were computed, employing the augmented correlation-consistent polarized-weighted core-valence quadruple-zeta (aug-cc-pwCVQZ) basis set for Sc and augmented correlation-consistent polarized valence quadruple-zeta (aug-cc-pVQZ) basis set for O, and with the outer core Sc 3s(2)3p(6) electrons being explicitly correlated. Franck-Condon factors, which include allowance for Duschinsky rotation and anharmonicity, were calculated using the computed RCCSD(T) PEFs, and were used to simulate the first photodetachment band of ScO2(-). The simulated spectrum matches well with the corresponding experimental 355 nm photodetachment spectrum of Wu and Wang, J Phys Chem A 1998, 102, 9129, confirming the assignment of the photodetachment spectrum and the reliability of the RCCSD(T) PEFs used. Further calculations on low-lying electronic states of ScO2 gave adiabatic relative electronic energies (T(e)'s) of, and vertical excitation energies (T(v)'s) to, the 2A1, 2B1, and 2A2 states of ScO2 (from the X(2)B2 state of ScO2), as well as electron affinities (EAs) and vertical detachment energies (VDEs) to these neutral states from the 1A1 state of ScO2(-).     

Automated site-directed drug design: The generation of a basic set of fragments to be used for automated structure assembly

Summary If a method is to be developed to assemble putative ligands structures in site-directed drug design, from molecular graphs generated in the site, then basic building blocks are needed. Structure assembly is a combinatoric process that needs to be optimised if it is to be tractable. What has to be determined is whether small molecular fragments can have transferable properties from one molecule to another. In this paper we determine all possible combinations of 3-, 4- and 5-atom aliphatic fragments from a small set of atoms H, C, N, O, F or Cl. The frequency of occurrence of these candidate fragments is searched for in the Cambridge Structural Database. A similar analysis is performed on charged fragments. A more restricted search is carried out for P and S and aromatic structures. A basic set of fragments can be derived that have a significant frequency in known crystal structures. The transferability of fragment properties is discussed in subsequent papers.     

Ab initio study of low-lying electronic states of SnCl2+

Complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF), multireference configuration interaction (MRCI), and restricted-spin coupled-cluster singles-doubles with perturbative triples [RCCSD(T)] calculations have been carried out on low-lying doublet and quartet states of SnCl2+, employing basis sets of up to aug-cc-pV5Z quality. Effects of core correlation and off-diagonal spin-orbit interaction on computed vertical ionization energies were investigated. The best theoretical estimate of the adiabatic ionization energy (including zero-point vibrational energy correction) to the X2A1 state of SnCl2+ is 10.093+/-0.010 eV. The first photoelectron band of SnCl2 has also been simulated by employing RCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV5Z potential energy functions and including Duschinsky rotation and anharmonicity.     

Conductometric tyrosinase biosensor for the detection of diuron, atrazine and its main metabolites

The determination of diuron, atrazine, desisopropylatrazine (DIA) and desethylatrazine (DEA) were investigated using conductometric tyrosinase biosensor. Tyrosinase was immobilised on the biosensor sensitive part by allowing it to mix with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and then cross-linking in saturated glutaraldehyde (GA) vapour for 30 min. The determination of pollutants in a solution was performed by comparison of the output signal (i.e percentage of the enzymatic activity) of the biosensor before and after contact with pollutants. The measurement of the enzymatic activity was performed using 4-chlorophenol, phenol and catechol substrates and response times ranging from 1 to 5 min were observed. A 4-chlorophenol substrate was used to detect pesticides. A 30 min contact time of the biosensor in the pollutant solution was used. Under the experimental conditions employed, detection limits for diuron and atrazine were about 1 ppb and dynamic range of 2.3-2330 and 2.15-2150 ppb were obtained for diuron and atrazine, respectively. A relative standard deviation (n=3) of the output signal was estimated to be 5% and a slight drift of 1.5 μS h⁻¹ was observed. The 90% of the enzyme activity was still maintained after 23 days of storage in a buffer solution at 4 °C.     

DFT and ab initio calculations on two reactions between hydrogen atoms and the fire suppressants 2-H heptafluoropropane and CF3Br

Reaction enthalpies and barrier heights of the reactions CF3Br+H-->CF3+HBr {reaction (1)} and CF3CHFCF3+H-->CF3CFCF3+H2 {reaction (2)} have been calculated at the near state-of-the-art ab initio level, and also by employing the B3LYP, BH&HLYP, BB1K, MPW1K, MPWB1K and TPSS1KCIS functionals. In addition, the integrated molecular orbital+molecular orbital (IMOMO) method has been used to study reaction (2). The ab initio benchmark values of the reaction enthalpy (298 K) and barrier height (0 K) of reaction (2) are reported for the first time {-(0.7+/-0.7) and 13.3+/-0.5 kcal/mole respectively}. When density functional theory (DFT) results are compared with ab initio benchmarks for both reactions (1) and (2), the MPWB1K functional is found to have the best performance of the six functionals used. The IMOMO method with the RCCSD/aug-cc-pVTZ and/or RCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ levels, as the high levels of calculation on the model system, gives reaction enthalpies and barrier heights of reaction (2), which agree with ab initio benchmark values to within 1 kcal/mole. Computed key geometrical parameters and imaginary vibrational frequencies of the transition state structures of reactions (1) and (2) obtained at different levels of calculation are compared. The magnitudes of the computed imaginary vibrational frequencies of the transition states of both reactions considered are found to be very sensitive to the levels of calculation used to obtain them. The heat of formation (298 K) of CF3CFCF3 calculated at the near state-of-the-art level has a value of -(318+/-3) kcal/mole.     

On optimal investment with processes of long or negative memory

We consider the problem of utility maximization for investors with power utility functions. Building on the earlier work Larsen et al. (2016), we prove that the value of the problem is a Fréchet-differentiable function of the drift of the price process, provided that this drift lies in a suitable Banach space.We then study optimal investment problems with non-Markovian driving processes. In such models there is no hope to get a formula for the achievable maximal utility. Applying results of the first part of the paper we provide first order expansions for certain problems involving fractional Brownian motion either in the drift or in the volatility. We also point out how asymptotic results can be derived for models with strong mean reversion.     

Solid-phase fluorescent BODIPY–peptide synthesis via in situ dipyrrin construction

Traditional fluorescent peptide chemical syntheses hinge on the use of limited fluorescent/dye-taggable unnatural amino acids and entail multiple costly purifications. Here we describe a facile and efficient protocol for in situ construction of dipyrrins on the N-terminus with 20 natural and five unnatural amino acids and the lysine''s side chain of selected peptides/peptide drugs through Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis. The new strategy enables the direct formation of boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY)–peptide conjugates from simple aldehyde and pyrrole derivatives without pre-functionalization, and only requires a single-time chromatographic purification at the final stage. As a model study, synthesized EBNA1-targeting BODIPY1–Pep4 demonstrates intact selectivity in vitro, responsive fluorescence enhancement, and higher light cytotoxicity due to the photo-generation of cytotoxic singlet oxygen. This work offers a novel practical synthetic platform for fluorescent peptides for multifaceted biomedical applications.

Solid-phase fluorescent BODIPY–peptide synthesis via in situ dipyrrin construction offers an efficient fluorescent peptide synthetic platform for multifaceted biomedical applications.     

Determination of alkyl lead compounds in air by gas chromatography and atomic absorption spectrometry

Alkyl lead compounds are condensed from a 70-l street air sample in a series of four traps at-72°C, separated by gas chromatography and determined by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization. Total atmospheric alkyl lead averaged 14 ng Pb m^-3. Vehicular exhaust fumes are an insignificant contributor to this total. Tetraethyllead, the only alkyl lead compound used in southern Ontario gasoline, is unstable in air. Besides decomposing, it reacts to give other alkyl lead compounds, which can be determined by the technique described. Evaporation of gasoline is almost exclusively the source of alkyl lead compounds in street air.