Investigation of the Interaction Between N-benzyl Piperidones and Bovine Serum Albumin by Spectroscopic Approaches

Fluorescence and ultraviolet spectroscopies were applied to investigate the interaction between five N-benzyl piperidones (NBP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) under imitated physiological conditions. The experimental results show that these NBPs have a static fluorescence quenching effect on the endogenous fluorescence of BSA at the temperatures 302 and 310?K. According to the fluorescence quenching theory, the Stern?CVolmer quenching constant (K _SV), the binding constant (K _a), and the number of binding sites (n) were obtained. Also, the effect of substituents on the binding capacity between NBP and BSA is in the order: C₆H₅?<?4-CH₃OC₆H₄?<?4-CH₃C₆H₄?<?2,4-Cl₂C₆H₃?<?4-ClC₆H₄. The corresponding thermodynamic parameters (??G, ??H, and ??S) were obtained at two different temperatures and indicate that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces play main roles in stabilizing the BSA?CNBP complex. The binding distance between the tryptophan residue in BSA and NBP was found to be much <7?nm based on the F?rster theory of non-radiation energy transfer. The effect of NBP on the conformation of BSA was analyzed as well by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation in a tri-neuron BAM neural network model with multiple delays

In this paper, a tri-neuron BAM neural network model with multiple delays is considered. We show that the connection topology of the network plays a fundamental role in classifying the rich dynamics and bifurcation phenomena. There is a wide range of different dynamical behaviors which can be produced by varying the coupling strength. By choosing the connected weights c ₂₁ and c ₃₁ (the connection weights through the neurons from J-layer to I-layer) as bifurcation parameters, the critical values where a Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation occurs are derived. Then, by computing the normal forms for the system, the bifurcation diagrams are obtained. Furthermore, some interesting phenomena, such as saddle-node bifurcation, pitchfork bifurcation, homoclinic bifurcation, heteroclinic bifurcation and double limit cycle bifurcation are found by choosing the different connection strengths. Some numerical simulations are given to support the analytic results.     

Stabilization of zeylenone in rat plasma by the presence of esterase inhibitors and its LC‐MS/MS assay for pharmacokinetic study

Six esterase inhibitors, namely EDTA·2Na⁺, NaF, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, dichlorvos, bis‐nitrophenyl phosphate (BNPP) and thenoyltrifluoroacetone, and the mixture of NaF and BNPP, were evaluated for the stabilization of labile benzoate containing zeylenone in rat plasma. The mixture appeared to exhibit the most effectively stabilizing effect with the degraded content of zeylenone decreasing from >60% (in the absence of inhibitors) to <6%. Following the stabilization by the addition of NaF (5 mm ) and BNPP (5 mm ), the analytes in rat plasma were acidified by formic acid and extracted into ethyl acetate at 0°C. After chromatographic separation, the detection of zeylenone was performed on a 3200 Q‐Trap with positive ion electrospray mode, monitoring the ion transition m/z 383.2 → 105.0. The method was validated over the range from 2.68 to 1340 ng/mL with inter‐ and intra‐run precision for the quality control samples being less than 6.8%. The assay accuracy was within 100 ± 7.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after the intratracheal administration of zeylenone in free drug or polymeric micellar solutions. The results showed that the pulmonary absorption of zeylenone loaded in micelles was significantly retarded compared with that of free drug solutions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New correlation equations for predicting filter coefficient ratio of submicron particles at high ionic strength when the diffusiophoretic effect is considered

New correlation equations for the deep-bed filtration, including the term of diffusiophoresis, in addition to the Derjaguin and Landau, Verwey and Overbeek interactions, the Brownian diffusion and the interception, for predicting the initial collection efficiency under the favorable deposition condition and the filter coefficient ratio under the unfavorable deposition condition are derived by using the Brownian dynamics-simulation method. These new correlation equations for predicting the filter coefficient ratio are able to describe previous experimental results especially well for those submicron particles that are at high ionic strength.     

The consistent value for fuzzy games: alternative axiomatizations

In the framework of fuzzy transferable-utility games, we propose alternative reduced games by considering the players and their activity levels simultaneously. Further, we characterize the consistent value by means of related consistency and different properties.     

Measurements of charge in heated water

In the literature there are reports of static charges appearing with physical (i.e., phase and temperature) changes of water. One of the purposes of the present report is to refine the measurement of charge in heated water. The experiments described in this report confirm the reported phenomenon by comparing the different amounts of charge produced when different amounts of water are heated to the same temperature and in the same setup. When charge differential is correlated to water differential, the source of charge is better isolated to the change in water temperature rather than to any other possible source.     

A potential flower-like coating consisting of calcium-phosphate nanosheets on titanium surface

A potential calcium-phosphate fl ower-like nanocoating were coated onto the titanium surface in an easy approach. It has high surface area, low cytotoxicity as well as promising cell affi nity, which makes it a potential alternative modifi cation method for titanium surface.     

Visible-Light-Mediated Click Chemistry for Highly Regioselective Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition by a Photoredox Electron-Transfer Strategy

Click chemistry focuses on the development of highly selective reactions using simple precursors for the exquisite synthesis of molecules. Undisputedly, the Cu^I-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) is one of the most valuable examples of click chemistry, but it suffers from some limitations as it requires additional reducing agents and ligands as well as cytotoxic copper. Here, we demonstrate a novel strategy for the azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction that involves a photoredox electron-transfer radical mechanism instead of the traditional metal-catalyzed coordination process. This newly developed photocatalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction can be performed under mild conditions at room temperature in the presence of air and visible light and shows good functional group tolerance, excellent atom economy, high yields of up to 99 %, and absolute regioselectivity, affording a variety of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives, including bioactive molecules and pharmaceuticals. The use of a recyclable photocatalyst, solar energy, and water as solvent makes this photocatalytic system sustainable and environmentally friendly. Moreover, the azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction could be photocatalyzed in the presence of a metal-free catalyst with excellent regioselectivity, which represents an important development for click chemistry and should find versatile applications in organic synthesis, chemical biology, and materials science.