Who touched the document?: A new overall strategy for collection and identification of DNA from the questioned documents as a supportive evidence

The questions on which judges/prosecutors apply for expertise are mostly about by whom a document was drafted/signed. In this study, a new collective strategy was constructed including a collection method, a modified-silica-based DNA isolation method, and a novel purification method on four contact traces formed on four different paper surface during writing, using PCR with AmpFlSTR®GlobalFiler™ STR kit (after experimental comparison between three different kits) and identification using CE. This collective analysis approach is more sensitive and superior to its equivalents on questioned documents in literature because quantifiable amounts of touch DNA and profiles with high loci percentages (100% on day 1, 72.72% after 1 week) were obtained up to 1 week even after the most challenging conditions of sample forming that a forensic scientist can meet; as washing hands just before drafting and using a very low pressure in a shorter time (simulating a simple contact real conditions while drafting), using no visualizing technique that damages the document. Using the strategy, four most commonly used paper types were compared, to see in which of them DNA could be recovered better. The success of this strategy was shown on the 1-day to 10-year-old real samples from a diary and some archive documents from a law office (including the mix-DNA and different ballpoint pens). Thus, it became possible to show if a person had touched the document, in high success rates up to 1 week as a secondary evidence, when primary evidences are insufficient for the detection of document fraud offenses.     

Experimental and Computational Studies on the 1:1 Complex of Anthranilic Acid with P-Toluenesulfonic Acid

Abstract

The proton-transfer compound (3) was synthesized in good yields by the reaction of anthranilic acid with p-toluenesulfonic acid. It was characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray single-crystal determination. The crystal structure analysis of 2-carboxyanilinium p-toulenesulfonate (3) has revealed a one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network structure, involving the tosylate anion, the carboxyl group, and the ammonium group. The H(N)···O distances range from 1.97 to 2.23 Å. The molecular geometry and vibrational frequencies of 3 were calculated using the ab-initio method (HF) with the 6–31G(d) and 6–31+G(d,p) basis sets. The computed results indicate that the optimized geometry reproduces the crystal structure well, and the assignments of fundamental vibrations also agree well with the theoretical frequencies. The intermolecular proton transfer process between the ionic (3) and nonionic (4) structures was also investigated with the theoretical computations. The nonionic form (4) is energetically more stable than the ionic form (3) and TS(3→4) by 9.76 and 7.01 kcal/mol, respectively, including the zero-point vibrational energy correction at the HF/6–31+G(d,p) level. In addition, the atomic charges, the molecular electrostatic potentials, the nucleus-independent chemical shifts, and the frontier molecular orbitals of 3 were carried out at the HF/6–31+G(d,p) level of theory.

Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfer, and Silicon and the Related Elements for the following free supplemental files: Additional figures and tables     

Role of pyruvate and ascorbate production in regulation of antioxidant enzymes and membrane LPO levels in Fusarium Acuminatum

The role of pyruvate and ascorbate in the regulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD); catalase (CAT); glutathione peroxidase enzymes; and, therefore, membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels in Fusarium acuminatum was investigated in media containing either glycerin or glucose as a carbon source, depending on the incubation period, in the range of 5–25 g/L. Increasing SOD activity between d 9 and 16 of the incubation period showed a positive correlation with a significant increase in pyruvate production up to 15 g/L of glycerin and glucose. In addition, maximum ascorbate production was observed at 15 g/L of glycerin as 82.5 ± 2.1 and 20 g/L of glucose as 54±1.51, whereas CAT activity decreased with an increased concentration of both carbon sources. When compared with the LPO levels determined in media supplemented with glycerin and glucose, the minimum LPO level was 1.88±0.028 nmol of malondialdehyde/g wet wt at 15 g/L of glycerin on d 16, at which it was also observed to have a maximum pyruvate and ascorbate production and SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities of 75±1.42 μg/mL, 82.5±2.1 μg/mL, 32.5±0.634 μg/mL, 86.8±2.58 IU/mg, and 1.867 IU/mg, respectively. These results indicate that the biosynthesis of pyruvate and ascorbate may be involved in the regulation of antioxidant enzymes, depending on the glycerin and glucose concentrations, and also this defense network was effective in preventing membrane damage from oxidative stress.     

Synthesis, characterization and thermal properties of cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 2,6-bis(3,4,5-trimethyl-N-pyrazolyl)pyridine): the crystal structure of [Co(btmpp)(H2O)2(NO3)]NO3

Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) nitrate complexes with btmpp, namely ([Co(btmpp)(H₂O)₂(NO₃)]NO₃ (1), [Ni(btmpp)(H₂O)(NO₃)]NO₃ (2) and [Cu(btmpp)(MeOH)(NO₃)]NO₃ (3), where btmpp = 2,6-bis(3,4,5-trimethyl-N-pyrazolyl)pyridine), have been synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The crystal structure of complex 1 has been determined by single crystal diffraction at 100K. In all the complexes, btmpp is coordinated in a tridentate mode through its nitrogen atoms. One of the nitrates in complex 1 is terminally bonded to the metal center through the oxygen atom, whereas the other one is out of the coordination sphere. The Co(II) atom in complex 1 is hexa-coordinated with a CoN₃O₃ distorted octahedral environment. Decomposition of three complexes was analyzed thermogravimetrically. All three complexes decompose similar to explosive material.     

A computational procedure on higher‐dimensional nilsolitons

In this paper, we develop algorithmic approach to classify nilsoliton metrics on dimension 8. This approach includes finding eigenvalue type of the nilsoliton derivation, the nullity type, the index of the algebra. It can be considered as a continuation of our papers in Abstract and Applied analysis, volume 2013, 1 to 7, (2013), with article ID 871930, and in Journal of Symbolic Computation 50 (2013), 350 ‐ 373. In our previous work, we classified only ordered type, nilsoliton metric Lie algebras ie, the algebras with the derivation type (1 < 2 < 3… < n) in dimension 8 and 9. Here, we consider more general case. We consider such metrics with simple derivations on an indecomposable nilpotent Lie algebra. In one of our previous study, we have already classified nilsoliton metric Lie algebras with nonsingular Gram matrix in dimension 8 in Journal of Symbolic Computation, vol: 50, 350 ‐ 373, 2013. Here, we focus on the metrics with singular Gram matrix. We also develop faster algorithm in classifying such metrics.     

Catena-Poly[[[2,4-dichloro-6-{[(2-hydroxyethyl)imino]methyl}phenolato-κ3N,O,O']-copper(II)]-μ-chlorido]monohydrate]: Synthesis,structural, spectroscopic and luminescent properties

A new chloride bridged polymeric Cu(II) complex, [Cu(HL)(μ-Cl).H₂O]_n, 1, (H₂L = 2,4-dichloro-6-{[(2-hydroxyethyl)imino]methyl}phenol) has been synthesized and characterized by elemental-spectral analysis, crystal structure analysis and photoluminescence measurements. The Copper(II) atom is five-coordinate in a slightly distorted square-pyramidal geometry (τ = 0.085), with one N and two O atoms of the Schiff base ligand and one Cl atom defining the basal plane and a symmetry-related Cl atom occupying the apical position. The bridging Cl atom lies in apical position for one Cu(II) ion and basal for the other, and it makes this structural arrangement unusual. The linked moieties form polymeric zigzag chains running along the c axis. This zigzag chains connect each other with intramolecular and intermolecular O–H···O hydrogen bonds, which form 3D structure through π?π interactions. Furthermore, the photoluminescence properties of H₂L and 1 were investigated, they exhibit unique bright green visible emissions in the solid state, under the excitation of 349 nm UV light. The strong luminescence emission of them makes 1 a potentially useful photoactive material in photo-physical chemistry.     

Angiotensin converting enzyme I/D, angiotensinogen T174M-M235T and angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C gene polymorphisms in Turkish hypertensive patients

Essential hypertension is a multifactorial disease in which genetic and enviromental factors play an important role. These factors differ in each population. As there are no existing data for the Turkish population, we investigated four Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) gene polymorphisms, the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensinogen (AGN) M235T/T174M and angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C polymorphism in 109 hypertensive and 86 normotensive Turkish subjects. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), and agarose gel electrophoresis tecniques were used to determine these polymorphism. The frequencies of person that carry ACE D allel (DD+ID) was significantly higher in hypertensive group (99.1%) than controls (80%) (P 0.000). M235T TT genotype was also found significantly higher in hypertensives than control group (20% vs 2.7%; P 0.001). The frequency of AGN 174M allele was higher in the hypertensive group than control subjects (8.76% vs 4.81%). Frequency of ATR1 C allele (AC+CC genotypes) was found higher hypertensives than controls (39.4% vs 25.9%; P = 0.054). Our results suggest that an interaction exists between the RAS genes and hypertension in Turkish population.     

Carbohydrate metabolite pathways and antibiotic production variations of a novel Streptomyces sp. M3004 depending on the concentrations of carbon sources

To determine the variations of growth, some key enzyme activities such as glucose kinase (GK), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH), and isocitrate lyase (ICL) besides metabolite levels of pyruvate and antibiotic production of newly isolated Streptomyces sp. M3004 were grown in culture media which contain 10–20 g/l concentration with either glucose or glycerol as carbon source. Biomass and intracellular glucose and glycerol levels of Streptomyces sp. M3004 showed positive correlation with the concentration of these carbon sources, and these levels were higher in glucose compared with the glycerol-supplemented mediums. GK, G6PDH, and KGDH activities showed marked correlation with the concentration of both glucose and glycerol, and the activity levels were 4.14-, 1.47-, and 1.27-fold higher in glucose than glycerol. A key enzyme of the glyoxalate cycle, ICL activities decreased with increasing glucose concentrations from 10 to 20 g/l, but increased up to 15 g/l of glycerol. The positive correlations were also determined between intracellular glucose and glycerol levels besides pyruvate and protein variations with respect to concentrations of the carbon sources. Antibacterial activities of Streptomyces sp. M3004 reached maximum on the stationary phase, while it did not change significantly with respect to glucose and glycerol.     

Would one rather store squeezing or entanglement in continuous variable quantum memories?

Given two quantum memories for continuous variables and the possibility to perform passive optical operations on the optical modes before or after the storage, two possible scenarios arise resulting in generally different degrees of final entanglement. Namely, one could either store an entangled state and retrieve it directly from the memory, or rather store two separate single-mode squeezed states and then combine them with a beam-splitter to generate the final entangled state. In this Letter, we analytically determine which of the two options yields more entanglement for several regions of the system?s parameters, and quantify the advantage it entails.