The chemical behaviour of the azido group bonded to copper(I): Synthesis and reactivity of thiothiatriazolato and alkynyl complexes

The copper(I) azido-derivatives, (PPh₃)(phen)CuN₃ (Ia) and (PPh₃)(TMP)CuN₃ (Ib) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; TMP = 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline), obtained from [(PPh₃)₂CuN₃]₂ and the bidentate ligand (biL), react with CS₂ to give the thiothiatriazolato-copper(I) complexes, (PPh₃)(phen)Cu$\text{NC(S)SNN}$ (IIa) and (PPh₃)(TMP)Cu$\text{NC(S)SNN}$ (IIb). The preparation of IIa and IIb occurs only when free triphenylphosphine is present in the reaction medium. The isothiocyanate complexes, (PPh₃)(biL)Cu(NCS) (biL = phen, IIIa; biL = TMP, IIIb) are formed, instead of IIa and IIb, when free PPh₃ is not added to the reaction medium. The complexes IIIa and IIIb are also obtained when CH₂Cl₂ solutions of IIa and IIb are stirred for 15 h in the absence of light; if longer reaction times are used, the dimeric isothiocyanato complexes [(biL)Cu(NCS)]₂ are formed. Compounds IIa and IIb react with PhCOCl to give (PPh₃)(biL)CuCl and 4-benzoyl-1,2,3,4-thiatriazole-5-thione, PhCO$\text{NC(S)SNN}$.Treatment of Ia and Ib, or [(PPh₃)₂CuN₃]₂, with COS did not lead to isolation of characterizable products. An unsaturated molecule such as ethyl propriolate, EtO₂CCCH, does not behave as a 1,3-dipolarophile in its reactions with Ia and Ib, the alkynyl derivatives [(biL)Cu₂(CCCO₂Et)₂]_n (_n is probably 2; biL = phen, IVa; biL = TMP, IVb), being obtained. Similarly the azido-complex [(PPh₃)₂CuN₃]₂ reacts with ethyl propiolate to give the asymmetric binuclear alkynyl derivative, (PPh₃)₃Cu₂(CCCO₂Et)₂ (V). The reaction of V with hydrogen chloride gives EtO₂CCCH and the known complex (PPh₃)₃Cu₂Cl₂, confirming the above formulation. The reactions of V with neutral ligands such as TMP, phen and CyNC have also been studied, leading to the isolation of new copper(I) alkynyl-derivatives.     

The innovative method of high accuracy interferometric calibration of the Precision Laser Inclinometer

In this report a high accuracy method for an interferometric calibration of the Precision Laser Inclinometer (PLI) is proposed. The method is based on the simultaneous measurement of: (a) the PLI base calibration slope (angle), set by a piezoelectric positioner, via laser interferometry and (b) the PLI response signal. A calibration coefficient of 322.5 ± 1.9 μrad/V has been determined experimentally in an interval [4 × 10^–7, 4 × 10^–6] rad in which there is a linear dependence between the PLI-signal and the calibration angle.     

An investigation on microscopic and macroscopic stability phenomena of composite solids with periodic microstructure

An analysis of the effects of microscopic instabilities on the homogenized response of heterogeneous solids with periodic microstructure and incrementally linear constitutive law is here carried out. In order to investigate the possibility to obtain a conservative prediction of microscopic primary instability in terms of homogenized properties, novel macroscopic constitutive stability measures are introduced, corresponding to the positive definiteness of the homogenized moduli tensors relative to a class of conjugate stress–strain pairs.Numerical simulations, addressed to hyperelastic microstructural models representing cellular solids and reinforced composites, are worked out through the implementation of an innovative one-way coupled finite element formulation able to determine sequentially the principal equilibrium solution, the incremental equilibrium solutions providing homogenized moduli and the stability eigenvalue problem solution, for a given monotonic macrostrain path. Both uniaxial and equibiaxial loading conditions are considered.The exact microscopic stability region in the macrostrain space, obtained by taking into account microstructural details, is compared with the macroscopic stability regions determined by means of the introduced macroscopic constitutive measures. These results highlight how the conservativeness of the adopted macroscopic constitutive stability measure with respect to microscopic primary instability, strictly depends on the type of loading condition (tensile or compressive) and the kind of microstructure.     

Preparation of monohalopyrroles

Monobromo-, monochloro- and monoiodopyrroles are obtained in excellent yields by using N-halosuccinimides in dimethylformamide as halogenating agents.     

Real-time MR artifacts filtering during continuous EEG/fMRI acquisition

The purpose of this study was the development of a real-time filtering procedure of MRI artifacts in order to monitor the EEG activity during continuous EEG/fMRI acquisition. The development of a combined EEG and fMRI technique has increased in the past few years. Preliminary “spike-triggered” applications have been possible because in this method, EEG knowledge was only necessary to identify a trigger signal to start a delayed fMRI acquisition. In this way, the two methods were used together but in an interleaved manner. In real simultaneous applications, like event-related fMRI study, artifacts induced by MRI events on EEG traces represent a substantial obstacle for a right analysis. Up until now, the methods proposed to solve this problem are mainly based on procedures to remove post-processing artifacts without the possibility to control electrophysiological behavior of the patient during fMRI scan. Moreover, these methods are not characterized by a strong “prior knowledge” of the artifact, which is an imperative condition to avoid any loss of information on the physiological signals recovered after filtering. In this work, we present a new method to perform simultaneous EEG/fMRI study with real-time artifacts filtering characterized by a procedure based on a preliminary analytical study of EPI sequence parameters-related EEG-artifact shapes. Standard EEG equipment was modified in order to work properly during ultra-fast MRI acquisitions. Changes included: high-performance acquisition device; electrodes/cap/wires/cables materials and geometric design; shielding box for EEG signal receiver; optical fiber link; and software. The effects of the RF pulse and time-varying magnetic fields were minimized by using a correct head cap wires-locked environment montage and then removed during EEG/fMRI acquisition with a subtraction algorithm that takes in account the most significant EPI sequence parameters. The on-line method also allows a further post-processing utilization.     

Solution grown isotactic polystyrene crystals. I. Degree and distribution of crystallinity; thermal stability

The subject of this paper is the degree of crystallinity and annealing behavior of solution grown single crystals of isotactic polystyrene (IPS) in relation to the fold length, an enquiry which acquires special significance in view of the fact that previously the fold length had been found to be identical over a wide range of crystallization temperatures (T_c). It was found that both crystallinity and thermal stability increase with T_c even over the range of constant fold length thus invalidating the usual assumption that the fold length and crystal properties are uniquely correlated. Further, the crystallinity figures as measured by conventional calorimetry are very low (<50% throughout) which by conventional ideas would require an unrealistically thick amorphous surface layer. However, the “linear crystallinity” (crystal core thickness as determined from x-ray linewidths) is much larger, commensurate with crystallinities in single crystals from other materials. It is suggested that this is the more relevant figure for the subdivision of the lamellas into crystal core and surface layer. The additional amorphous content being otherwise accommodated. Further, this “linear crystallinity” is broadly unaffected by fold length changes induced by heat annealing. The thermal stability (including annealing ability) of the crystals differs markedly whether T_c is above or below ～60°C, a T_c value which is in the range where the fold length is constant, but corresponds to a maximum in the crystallization rate. Possible connections between crystallization conditions and the stability of the resulting crystals (fold length considerations apart) are pointed out.     

Quantitative evaluation for brain CT/MRI coregistration based on maximization of mutual information in patients with focal epilepsy investigated with subdural electrodes

Patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy may require intracranial investigations with subdural electrodes. These must be correctly localized with respect to the brain cortical surface and require appropriate monitoring. For this purpose, coregistration techniques, which fuse preimplantation 3D magnetic resonance imaging scans with postimplantation computed tomography scans, have been implemented. In order to reduce localization errors due to the fusion process, we used a coregistration method based on the maximization of mutual information (MI) in 11 patients with extratemporal epilepsy who were invasively investigated. Our registration method is based on three processing steps: rigid-body transformation for coregistration, computation of MI as a similarity measure and the use of the Downhill Simplex optimization method. After consistency analysis, the shift of the registration method reached 0.14+/-0.27 mm in translation and 0.03+/-0.14 degrees in rotation, and the accuracies assessed on voxels of skull surface and voxels of the center of the brain volume were 1.42+/-0.61 and 1.15+/-0.53 mm, respectively. The accuracy of the fusion process reached submillimeter range, and results were considered reliable for surgical planning in all studied patients.     

Plasma proteomics for biomarker discovery: a study in blue

The performance of Cibacron Blue dye (HiTrapBlue or Affigel Blue) in depleting albumin from plasma, as a pre-treatment for biomarker searching in the low-abundance proteome, is here assessed. It is shown that (i) co-depletion of non-albumin species is an ever-present hazard; (ii) the only proper eluant able to release quantitatively the proteins bound to the dye is boiling 4% SDS-25 mM DTT, an ion shock (2 M NaCl) being quite ineffective in releasing the low-abundance species tightly bound to the dye moiety; (iii) the mechanism of dye-protein interaction, after an initial ion-ion docking, is a robust hydrophobic interaction, which progressively augments at lower and lower pH values; (iv) at pH 2.2 in the presence of 0.1% TFA, the blue resin behaves, for all practical purposes, just as a reverse-phase chromatography column, since all residual proteins present in plasma are completely harvested. However Cibacron Blue technology should not necessarily be discarded: As long as also the plasma fraction adsorbed is properly released and analyzed, together with the flow through, one should be able to perform a viable analysis of the low-abundance proteome.     

Nucleophilic substitutions in the isoindole series as a valuable tool to synthesize derivatives with antitumor activity

A novel synthetic approach to the synthesis of 3-substituted isoindoles through nucleophilic substitution of 3-halo derivatives by charged carbon, and neutral nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur nucleophiles, assisted by a 1-acyl group, is reported. Aryl-thio-isoindoles, obtained through a direct nucleophilic substitution with sulfur nucleophiles, showed cytotoxic activity, with GI₅₀ values from micromolar to sub-micromolar concentrations, against the total number of cell lines investigated.