α-Diketones as acyl anion equivalents: a non-enzymatic thiamine-promoted route to aldehyde-ketone coupling in PEG400 as recyclable medium

By mimicking the peculiar behavior of thiamine diphosphate-dependent acetylacetoin synthase, it has been demonstrated that thiamine hydrochloride 2a and its simple analogue thiazolium salt 2b are able to activate α-diketones as acyl anion equivalents in nucleophilic acylations, such as the homo-coupling of α-diketones and the hitherto unreported cross-coupling between α-diketones and α-ketoesters. These carboligation reactions were optimized under stoichiometric (2a) and catalytic conditions (2b) by using eco-friendly PEG₄₀₀ as the reaction medium, thus allowing both solvent and thiazolium salt recycling.     

Self-sustained oscillations of a confined impinging jet

The present paper investigates the dynamics of a laminar plane jet impinging on a flat plate in a channel. An experimental parametric study is carried out to determine the flow regimes at different levels of confinement and Reynolds numbers. For very confined jets, the flow is steady whatever the Reynolds number. The overall structure of the flow is symmetric with respect to the jet axis and is characterized by the presence of recirculation zones at the channel walls. The dynamics is radically different for less confined jets. Above a critical Reynolds number, the flow bifurcates in the form of an oscillating flapping mode of the impinging jet. Analyses of the experimental results provide with a quantitative characterization of this regime in terms of amplitude, wavelength and frequency. This self-oscillating bifurcated flow induces strong sweepings of the target plate by the jet and intense vortex dipole ejections from the impacted wall. Such a regime is expected to be particularly useful in the enhancement of the local heat transfer at relatively low cost in terms of flow rate.     

New Eco-Sustainable Feed in Aquaculture: Influence of Insect-Based Diets on the Content of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Experimental Model Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

According to the concept of circular economy, insects represent good candidates as aquafeed ingredients. Nevertheless, there are some potential chemical risks linked with insect consumption. In this study, we reared the teleost Danio rerio, used as an experimental model, with five experimental diets characterized by increasing levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of full-fat Hermetia illucens (Hi) prepupae, substituting for fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO). We investigated the presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) Cd, Pb, Ni, As, and Hg in larval (20 days), juvenile (2 months), and adult (6 months) fish. Quantitative determinations of Cd, Pb, Ni, and As were made with an atomic absorption spectrometer; the total mercury content was determined by a direct mercury analyzer. The substitution of FM and FO with Hermetia illucens meal led to a reduction in the content of some PTEs, such as Pb, As, and Ni, in fishfeed, leading to concentrations below the legal limit of undesirable substances in animal feed. By increasing the Hi meal dietary content, we observed in the Danio rerio specimens an increase in Cd, Pb, and Ni content and a reduction in As content for all life stages. Moreover, a general increase in the content of Cd, Pb, Hg, and Ni from larvae to juvenile was measured, while the shift of Danio rerio from the juvenile to the adult stage involved a significant increase in the content of Pb, Hg, and Ni. Larvae had a reduced ability to bioaccumulate metal(loid)s compared to juveniles and adults. In conclusion, the content of PTEs in Danio rerio is influenced both by the type of diet administered and by the life stage of the animal itself. This research demonstrates the possibility of using Hi prepupae as an aquafeed ingredient without exposing fish to a chemical risk and, in perspective, allows applying these eco-sustainable diets for the breeding of edible fish species, without endangering human health.     

Über Umlagerungen bei der Cyclialkylierung von Arylpentanolen zu 2,3‐Dihydro‐1H‐inden‐Derivaten, 5. Mitteilung

On Rearrangements by Cyclialkylations of Arylpentanols to 2,3‐Dihydro‐1 H ‐indene Derivatives. Part 5. The Acid‐Catalyzed Cyclialkylation of 2‐(2‐Chlorophenyl)‐2,4‐dimethylpentan‐3‐ol The mechanism proposed in [1] to explain the surprising result of the cyclialkylation of 4‐(2‐chlorophenyl)‐2,4‐dimethylpentan‐2‐ol ( 3 , R=Me), which gives not only the ‘normal' product, i.e., the 4‐chloro‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,1,3,3‐tetramethyl‐ ( 4 ), but also the isomer trans‐4‐chloro‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,1,2,3‐tetramethyl‐1H‐inden ( 5 ), could be differentiated in two sections (cf. Scheme 2): the first from 3 to the intermediary ion IIa ⇌ IIb , and the second from the latter ions to the final product 5 . For the first section, a sufficiently satisfactory explanation has been given in [1]; the second section has received important support from the mechanisms of the cyclialkylation of 2,4‐dimethyl‐2‐phenylpentan‐3‐ol ( 6 ), the precursor of II′a , the ion IIa without the o‐Cl substituent (cf. Schemes 2, 3 and 5 and [4]). The present communication gives an explanation of the influence of the o‐Cl substituent: a mechanism is proposed for the very complex cyclialkylation of 2‐(2‐chlorophenyl)‐2,4‐dimethylpentan‐3‐ol ( 11 ; cf. Scheme 9). Both mechanism may be considered as definitive. It is very surprising that, by the cyclialkylation of the compounds 1, 3, 8, 11, 15 , and 17 , only compound 1 gives the ‘normal' product; the cyclialkylation of all other phenylpentanols follows complex pathways including Et, i‐Pr, and Ph migrations, which could not be expected. In addition, it has been established that the transformation of 21 to 22 (cf. Scheme 12) and that of 23 to 24 (cf. Scheme 13) occur through two consecutive 1,2‐ and not through a single 1,3‐hydride migration or through an elimination‐addition process (cf. Scheme 13). It can be assumed that the transformation of ion IV (the 2‐(2‐chlorophenyl)‐3,4‐dimethylpent‐2‐ylium ion) to the ion V (the 4‐(2‐chlorophenyl)‐3,4‐dimethylpent‐2‐ylium ion (both shown in Scheme 9 as D‐isomers) occurs through the same pathway.     

Ring Vibrations to Sense Anionic Ibuprofen in Aqueous Solution as Revealed by Resonance Raman

We unravel the potentialities of resonance Raman spectroscopy to detect ibuprofen in diluted aqueous solutions. In particular, we exploit a fully polarizable quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methodology based on fluctuating charges coupled to molecular dynamics (MD) in order to take into account the dynamical aspects of the solvation phenomenon. Our findings, which are discussed in light of a natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, reveal that a selective enhancement of the Raman signal due to the normal mode associated with the C–C stretching in the ring, νC=C, can be achieved by properly tuning the incident wavelength, thus facilitating the recognition of ibuprofen in water samples.     

Field and pressure studies of Ce2Pd2In

Various measurements performed on the new ternary compound Ce₂Pd₂In indicate Kondo type interaction (T _K ≈1K) in the presence of strong crystal field splitting. Both an antiferromagnetic and a ferromagnetic transition were observed (T _N =4.4 K,T _C =3.8 K). Work supported by the Austrian FWF, P10269.     

Extraction of light from sources located inside waveguide grating structures

A crossed waveguide grating is presented that can extract the total guided-mode power emitted by a pointsource dipole located in the structure. Results obtained with rigorous numerical simulations are compared with a simple graphic analysis to facilitate an understanding of the far-field radiation pattern of such a luminescent device.     

Virtuality evolution and rapidity structure of a simplified parton shower

We have studied transverse momentum distributions for exclusive ⁰ muoproduction on protons and heavier nuclei at 2Q ²<25>². TheQ ² dependence of the slopes of thep _t ² andt distributions is discussed. The influence of the non-exclusive background is investigated. Thep _t ² -slope for exclusive events is 4.3±0.6±0.7 GeV^–2 at largeQ ². Thep _t ² spectra are much softer than inclusivep _t ² spectra of leading hadrons produced in deep inelastic scattering.Supported by Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie     

Subcellular alterations induced by UV-oxidized low-density lipoproteins in epithelial cells can be counteracted by alpha-tocopherol

Oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) have been involved in the pathogenesis of several human diseases including dermatological pathologies. Oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) is accompanied by both extensive degradation of its polyunsaturated fatty acids and production of lipoperoxides. These highly reactive products induce an intracellular oxidative stress with a variety of cytotoxic effects. In order to evaluate cellular damage induced by oxidative stress in epidermal cells, a human epidermoid carcinoma cell line in culture (A 431) was used as experimental model. Cell treatment with UV-oxidized LDL resulted in cytostatic and cytotoxic effects characterized by morphological and functional alterations: inhibition of cell proliferation, modifications of cytoskeleton network, microtubular derangement, loss of cell–cell and cell–substrate contacts, cell detachment and cell death by apoptosis. The ox-LDL-induced alterations were almost completely prevented by pre-incubating cells with α-tocopherol. The results presented here could be of relevance for a better comprehension of the pathogenic mechanisms of several human diseases, including dermatological pathologies, and could indicate that antioxidants such as α-tocopherol could represent an important therapeutic challenge in the maintenance of cell and tissue homeostasis in the long run.