Synthesis of novel 4(5)-(5-aminotetrahydropyran-2-yl)imidazole derivatives and their in vivo release of neuronal histamine measured by brain microdialysis

The (2R,5S)-trans- and (2S,5S)-cis-stereoisomers 1a and 1b of 4(5)-(5-aminotetrahydropyran-2-yl)imidazole, which have two chiral centers and adopt a stable chair conformation, were synthesized via cyclization of diol intermediates 7 using L-glutamine as the starting material. Their enantiomers, (2S,5R)-trans-1c and (2R,5R)-cis-1d, were synthesized by the same methodology from D-glutamine. Stereo isomers 1a-d were converted into cyanoguanidines 11a-d, and into N-isopropyl and N-3,3-dimethylbutyl derivatives 12a-d and 13a-d, respectively. The results of in vivo brain microdialysis of the derivatives apparently indicated that only (2S,5R)-isomers increased the release of neuronal histamine. Among the many (2S,5R)-N-alkyl derivatives, 13c (OUP-133) and 18 (OUP-153) increased histamine release to 180-190% and 180-200% of basal levels, respectively, and were found to be novel histamine H(3) antagonists.     

Dirac's Condition for Completely Independent Spanning Trees

Two spanning trees T₁ and T₂ of a graph G are completely independent if, for any two vertices u and v, the paths from u to v in T₁ and T₂ are internally disjoint. In this article, we show two sufficient conditions for the existence of completely independent spanning trees. First, we show that a graph of n vertices has two completely independent spanning trees if the minimum degree of the graph is at least . Then, we prove that the square of a 2‐connected graph has two completely independent spanning trees. These conditions are known to be sufficient conditions for Hamiltonian graphs.     

Real-time line projection for fast terahertz spectral computed tomography

We demonstrated fast terahertz spectral computed tomography by using real-time line projection of a terahertz beam. Two types of cross-sectional images of continuously rotating samples have been measured in only a few seconds. From temporal data, a peak-to-peak sinogram and cross sections have been reconstructed using a filtered backprojection algorithm. Using fast Fourier transform from temporal data, spectral cross sections of the sample have been obtained.     

Effect of Acetylene on the γ-Ray Crosslinking Polymerization of Various Kinds of Acrylic Monomers

The γ-radiation-induced crosslinking polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), methacrylic acid (MAA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), methyl acrylate (MA), and acrylic acid (AA) was carried out in bulk. The polymerization rates of AA and HEMA were much larger than those of other monomers. Acetylene had no influence on the polymerization rate in the initial stage, and the rate was dependent only on the kinds of monomers. In the absence of acetylene, gelation took place in PMA, PAA, and PHEMA obtained at complete conversion, but not in PMMA and PMAA. By the addition of acetylene, complete gelation of PMMA was observed, but no gel formation was observed for PMAA. Volume and weight swelling ratios were measured for PMA, PAA, PHEMA, and PMMA with complete gelation. It was found that by the addition of acetylene the molar concentration of crosslinks increased as much as about twice for PMA and PHEMA, and over about one hundred times for PMMA AND PAA. The relation between volume S_v and weight swelling ratio S_w was studied theoretically. S_v was expressed by the the equation, S_v = (p_p /p+)S_w+ (1 -p_p/p_s), as a function of S_w and the densities of pure polymer (p_p) and solvent (p_s) in swollen polymer.     

Age estimation of museum wool textiles from Ovis aries using deamidation rates utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Cultural heritage contains a large number of precious proteinaceous specimens, such as wool and silk textiles, leather objects, paper, paint, coatings, binders (and associated adhesives), etc. To minimize the degradation of and to preserve these artifacts, it is desirable to understand the fundamental factors that cause their degradation, to identify the deterioration markers that determine their degradation stage and their age, and to use technologies that can provide this information rapidly while consuming a minimal amount of sample. There are several forces that cause protein degradation, including amino acid racemization, protein deamidation, and protein truncation. The purpose of this paper is to study protein deamidation using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for high-throughput dating of museums wool specimens. For proof of concept, several well-dated sheep's wool textiles from museum collections were analyzed. For wool samples aged from the present to ~400 years ago, the deamidation of two asparagine-containing peptides obtained from the tryptic digest of sheep wool were found to behave linearly in time, indicating that they could act as a potential biomarker of aging for wool samples.     

Blue/red linear dichroic emission from a highly anisotropic crystal of triarylmethane dye conjugated with phenoxo-zinc complexes

We have developed a novel triphenylmethane-based hexanuclear zinc complex that exhibits peculiar photochemical and photophysical properties. Upon UV irradiation, the compound turned from colorless to reddish purple, while the color of emission turned from blue to red. The color change was attributed to an oxidation of the ligand part. It was suggested that an intramolecular energy-transfer mechanism operates to give rise to the red emission. The UV treatment of a single crystal results in simultaneous emission of orthogonally polarized blue and red light. This color switching, namely linear dichroic emission was so distinct that one can recognize with by sight through optical microscope. The columnar arrangement of molecules in the crystal clearly accounts for the observed polarization of the emission.     

Effect of Gold Nanoparticles and Unwanted Residues on Raman Spectra of Graphene Sheets

We report the effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and unwanted sodium citrate residues (UnR) left after deposition of AuNPs by drop-casting method on the Raman spectra of graphene sheets (GS). The AuNPs solution was deposited on three different substrates: 5.0 wt% Yb³⁺-doped (Q5) phosphate glass, silica glass (S1), and Si/SiO₂-300 nm (S2) substrates. For Q5 substrate, a slight increase in intensity of the G peak was observed, mostly for thinner layers, which can be attributed to a weak SERS effect shielded by UnR. The combination of the following aspects: a blue shift of the G band position, a slight increase in the FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum), and a slight increase of the Raman intensities of both G and 2D bands in other GS without UnR supports the argument of shielded SERS effect. On the other hand, the effects of UnR on the S1 and S2 substrates produce a decrease on the Raman intensities of G and 2D bands, opposite to the effect produced by the AuNPs; this result was found more intense for the S2 substrate in relation to S1. This is possibly caused by the greater amount of UnR accumulated on the Si/SiO₂ substrate, due to its higher hydrophilicity in relation to other samples. Additional Raman measurements reveal that the Raman intensity of GS in all substrates is unaffected by the presence of a possible humidity on GS, revealing the effect of UnR. Hence, it is vital to understand how residues influence the salient features of GS/AuNPs.