Integrability of the Hirota-Satsuma equations: Two tests

We examine the Hirota-Satsuma equation from the point of view of integrability. We show that the equation satisfies the Painlevé criterion, which according to the Ablowitz-Ramani-Segur conjecture makes it a candidate for integrability. Moreover we show that the two different kinds of solitons discovered by Hirota and Satsuma can be freely added, another indication of integrability.     

Detection of intact influenza viruses using biotinylated biantennary S-sialosides

We report the modular synthesis of robust, biotinylated biantennary sialylglycoconjugates and their ability to differentiate between two type A influenza strains. This is the first demonstration of glycoconjugate-based discriminatory capture and detection of two strains of intact influenza virus, in the presence of the innate enzymatic activity of viral neuraminidases. We also demonstrate a "carboassay" using glycoconjugates as capture and reporter elements, which therefore, does not require antibodies. The capture of intact influenza viruses is of potential benefit for clinical diagnostics.     

Magnetic face-to-face interaction and electrocommunication in chromium sandwich compounds

The reaction of [{(C5Me5)CrCl2}2] with [2.2](1,4)cyclophane gave [(C5Me5)Cr{[2.2](1,4)cyclophane}] (1) and [(C5Me5)Cr{[2.2](1,4)cyclophane}Cr(C5Me5)] (2), depending on the reaction conditions. X-ray structure analysis showed 2 to be a ministack which in turn is stacked in the lattice. The chromium atoms are 6.035 A apart, and the distortion of the benzene rings to boat-shaped moieties is less pronounced than in parent [2.2](1,4)cyclophane. The NMR and EPR spectra were consistent with a S=1/2 ground state for 1 and with two interacting S=1/2 centers in 2. Spin density was found in the ligand pi systems, where its sign was negative when the pi system was adjacent to chromium, while on the nonbonded benzene moiety of 1 it was positive. Cyclic voltammograms showed reductions to 1- and 2(2-), as well as oxidations to 1+, 2+, and 2(2+) which were quasireversible, whereas oxidations to 1(2+) and 2(3+) were irreversible. Interaction between the metal ions was revealed by a 260 mV separation of the redox waves belonging to 2+, and 2(2+). Both cations were isolated as [B(C6H5)4]- salts, which in solution decomposed to [2.2](1,4)cyclophane and [(C5Me5)Cr{(eta6-C6H5)B(C6H5)3}] (3). The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 3 were in accordance with an S=1 ground state. Solid-state magnetic measurements of the dimetallic compounds showed antiferromagnetic interaction with J=-122 cm-1 for 2, J=-31 cm-1 for 2+ (ground state S=1/2), and J=-23.5 cm-1 for 2(2+) (with H=-JS1S2). The decrease of J in the series 2, 2+, and 2(2+) was traced to the number of unpaired electrons and, for the mixed-valent cation 2+, to additional double exchange.     

Determination of benzoylurea insecticide residues in tomatoes by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-diode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry detection

A simple and sensitive method using high-performance liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of 5 benzoylurea insecticides-diflubenzuron, triflumuron, teflubenzuron, lufenuron, and flufenoxuron-in tomatoes. Residues were successfully separated on a C18 column by methanol-water isocratic elution. Detection was carried out by an ultraviolet diode array detector (UV-DAD) coupled with a quadrupole mass spectrometer, using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in negative-ion mode. The main ions were the deprotonated molecules [M-H]- for triflumuron, and the anions formed by elimination of hydrofluoric acid [M-H-HF]- for diflubenzuron and flufenoxuron, and [M-2H-HF] for lufenuron and teflubenzuron. The calibration plots were linear for both detectors over the range 0.05 to 10 microg/mL, and the method presented good quality parameters. The limits of detection for standard solutions were 0.008-0.01 mg/L (equivalent to 0.08-0.1 ng injected) for both detectors, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were approximately 10 times lower than national maximum residue levels (MRLs). Depending on the compound and the detector, the LOQ values ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 ng injected. The optimum LC-UV-DAD/APCI-MS conditions were applied to the analysis of benzoylureas in tomatoes. The obtained recoveries from fortified tomato samples (50 g), extracted with ethyl acetate and purified by solid-phase extraction on silica sorbent, were 88-100 and 92.9-105% for the UV-DAD and MS detectors, respectively, with precision values (relative standard deviations) of 2.9-11 and 3.7-14%, respectively. The method was applied to 12 tomato samples from local markets, and diflubenzuron and lufenuron were detected in only one sample at concentrations lower than the MRLs. The results indicate that the developed LC/MS method is accurate, precise, and sensitive for quantitative and qualitative analysis at low levels of benzoylureas required by legislation.     

Interrelations of discrete Painlevé equations through limiting procedures

We study the discrete Painlevé equations associated to the affine Weyl group which can be obtained by the implementation of a special limits of -associated equations. This study is motivated by the existence of two -associated discrete both having a double ternary dependence in their coefficients and which have not been related before. We show here that two equations correspond to two different limits of a -associated discrete Painlevé equation. Applying the same limiting procedures to other -associated equations we obtained several -related equations most of which have not been previously derived.     

Phylogenetic and experimental characterization of an acyl-ACP thioesterase family reveals significant diversity in enzymatic specificity and activity

Background

The inorganic (P_i) phosphate transporter (PiT) family comprises known and putative Na⁺- or H⁺-dependent P_i-transporting proteins with representatives from all kingdoms. The mammalian members are placed in the outer cell membranes and suggested to supply cells with P_i to maintain house-keeping functions. Alignment of protein sequences representing PiT family members from all kingdoms reveals the presence of conserved amino acids and that bacterial phosphate permeases and putative phosphate permeases from archaea lack substantial parts of the protein sequence when compared to the mammalian PiT family members. Besides being Na⁺-dependent P_i (NaP_i) transporters, the mammalian PiT paralogs, PiT1 and PiT2, also are receptors for gamma-retroviruses. We have here exploited the dual-function of PiT1 and PiT2 to study the structure-function relationship of PiT proteins.

Results

We show that the human PiT2 histidine, H₅₀₂, and the human PiT1 glutamate, E₇₀, - both conserved in eukaryotic PiT family members - are critical for P_i transport function. Noticeably, human PiT2 H₅₀₂ is located in the C-terminal PiT family signature sequence, and human PiT1 E₇₀ is located in ProDom domains characteristic for all PiT family members. A human PiT2 truncation mutant, which consists of the predicted 10 transmembrane (TM) domain backbone without a large intracellular domain (human PiT2ΔR₂₅₄-V₄₈₃), was found to be a fully functional P_i transporter. Further truncation of the human PiT2 protein by additional removal of two predicted TM domains together with the large intracellular domain created a mutant that resembles a bacterial phosphate permease and an archaeal putative phosphate permease. This human PiT2 truncation mutant (human PiT2ΔL₁₈₃-V₄₈₃) did also support P_i transport albeit at very low levels.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the overall structure of the P_i-transporting unit of the PiT family proteins has remained unchanged during evolution. Moreover, in combination, our studies of the gene structure of the human PiT1 and PiT2 genes (SLC20A1 and SLC20A2, respectively) and alignment of protein sequences of PiT family members from all kingdoms, along with the studies of the dual functions of the human PiT paralogs show that these proteins are excellent as models for studying the evolution of a protein's structure-function relationship.     

A direct comparison of azide and nitrile vibrational probes

The synthesis of 2'-azido-5-cyano-2'-deoxyuridine, N(3)CNdU (1), from trityl-protected 2'-amino-2'-deoxyuridine was accomplished in four steps with a 12.5% overall yield. The IR absorption positions and profiles of the azide and nitrile group of N(3)CNdU were investigated in 14 different solvents and water/DMSO solvent mixtures. The azide probe was superior to the nitrile probe in terms of its extinction coefficient, which is 2-4 times larger. However, the nitrile IR absorbance profile is generally less complicated by accidental Fermi resonance. The IR frequencies of both probes undergo a substantial red shift upon going from water to aprotic solvents such as THF or DMSO. DFT calculations supported the hypothesis that the molecular origin of the higher observed frequency in water is primarily due to hydrogen bonds between the probes and water molecules.     

Selective separation of radium and uranium from aqueous solutions by Chelex-100

The affinity of Chelex-100 for radium has been investigated as a function of pH and salinity compared to the Chelex-100 affinity for uranium to assess possible application of the resin for the selective separation of the two naturally occurring radionuclides from aqueous solutions. According to the experimental data the maximum chemical recovery of Chelex-100 is observed for uranium at pH 5 and for radium at pH 3 indicating a pH controlled selectivity of the resin for the two radionuclides. Moreover, the effect of salinity on the chemical recovery of radium is significant, resulting in a dramatic decrease of the former with increasing salinity. On the other hand, there is almost no effect of the salinity on the chemical recovery of uranium, indicating the higher affinity of Chelex-100 for uranium, which could be attributed to the formation of inner-sphere complexes of U(VI) with the iminoacetic moieties of the resin. The method has been successfully applied for the uranium separation from a radionuclide mixture.     

Stochastic and deterministic simulations of a delayed genetic oscillation model: Investigating the validity of reductions

Quasi-stationary approximations are commonly used in order to simplify and reduce the number of equations of genetic circuit models. Protein/protein and protein/DNA binding reactions are considered to occur on much shorter time scale than protein production and degradation processes and often tacitly assumed at a quasi-equilibrium. Taking a biologically inspired, typical, small, abstract, negative feedback, genetic circuit model as study case, we investigate in this paper how different quasi-stationary approximations change the system behaviour both in deterministic and stochastic frameworks. We investigate the consistence between the deterministic and stochastic behaviours of our time-delayed negative feedback genetic circuit model with different implementations of quasi-stationary approximations. Quantitative and qualitative differences are observed among the various reduction schemes and with the underlying microscopic model, for biologically reasonable ranges and combinations of the microscopic model kinetic rates. The different reductions do not behave in the same way: correlations and amplitudes of the stochastic oscillations are not equally captured and the population behaviour is not always in consistence with the deterministic curves.     

Stability of the co‐continuous morphology during melt mixing for poly(ε‐caprolactone)/polystyrene blends

Over the last 10 years, research into co‐continuous polymer blends has been intense. Despite these efforts, there are very few detailed studies on the stability of this complex morphology. In this work, blends of poly(ε‐caprolactone) and polystyrene were melt‐mixed in an internal mixer for time intervals of 0.5–120 min at set temperatures of 140 and 170 °C, and the effect of the mixing time on the co‐continuous morphology was studied. This blend system was chosen because each component could be selectively dissolved and this allowed for a complete study of the co‐continuous region. The phase continuity was measured with a solvent‐extraction gravimetric technique, and the concentration range for co‐continuity was determined. The phase size and phase size distribution were obtained with the mercury intrusion porosimetry technique. The results indicate that the co‐continuous morphology forms very early in the mixing process and achieves a stable morphology within the first 5 min of mixing for virtually all the co‐continuous compositions. For all cases studied, the co‐continuous morphology remains unchanged over mixing times as long as 1–2 h. These results support the notion of a stable steady‐state formation of co‐continuous morphologies during melt mixing similar to that observed for matrix/dispersed phase type blends. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 864–872, 2007