A novel indium-catalysed synthesis of tetra-substituted pyridine derivatives

Indium trichloride was found to be an effective catalyst for the synthesis of various tetra-substituted pyridine derivatives via Michael addition of β-dicarbonyl compounds to α,β-unsaturated oximes and subsequent ring closure.     

Diorganotin(IV) complexes of indole 3-acetic acid

Alkyl derivatives of indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) have been prepared and are suitable for investigating steric substituent effects on hormonal activity without major interference from electronic effects. Triorganotin(IV) derivatives of indole 3-acetic acid and N-methylindole 3-acetic acid have been reported to act as insecticidal, fungicidal and bactericidal agents. Me₃SnIAA is more active as a biocide than Cy₃SnIAA. The activity of these two compounds may be due to the fact that four-coordinated tin monomers or five-coordinated tin polymers are often more active than chelated five-coordinated tin species because these readily undergo hydrolysis to give R₃Sn(H₂O⁺)₂ species. The ligand affects the rate of formation of the ligand-free active organotin entity. Biocidal activity is expected from diorganotin(IV) pentacoordinated complexes of indole 3-acetic acid in the present case due to (i) the activity of pentacoordinated organotin species, (ii) the presence of an—NH moiety in the complexes, which is an active site for binding. The NH moiety may be deprotonated and nitrogen may coordinate with metal ions present in the physiological systems and thus destroy the activity of enzymes.     

Feasibility study of complex wavefield retrieval in off-axis acoustic holography employing an acousto-optic sensor

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a new method for complex-valued wavefield retrieval in off-axis acoustic holography. The method involves use of an intensity-sensitive acousto-optic (AO) sensor, optimized for use at 3.3 MHz, to record the acoustic hologram and a computational method for reconstruction of the object wavefield. The proposed method may circumvent limitations of conventional implementations of acoustic holography and may facilitate the development of acoustic-holography-based biomedical imaging methods.     

Thermal annealing of heavy ion tracks in muscovite mica

Abstract

Thermal annealing of latent tracks caused by the passage of heavy ions, viz. Pb²⁰⁸ (13.8 MeV/n) and Ni⁵⁸ (15.37 MeV/n), in muscovite mica is investigated. The activation energy for track annealing, determined using different annealing models, is compared. The effect of thermal annealing on size and energy resolution of heavy ions in mica, based on the track etch rate and track length reduction, is discussed.     

Ecofriendly Route for the Synthesis of Highly Conductive Graphene Using Extremophiles for Green Electronics and Bioscience

Highly conductive biocompatible graphene is synthesized using ecofriendly reduction of graphene oxide (GO). Two strains of non‐pathogenic extremophilic bacteria are used for reducing GO under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Degree of reduction and quality of bacterially reduced graphene oxide (BRGO) are monitored using UV–vis spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Structural morphology and variation in thickness are characterized using electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Electrical measurements by three‐probe method reveal that the conductivity has increased by 10⁴–10⁵ fold from GO to BRGO. Biocompatibility assay using mouse fibroblast cell line shows that BRGO is non‐cytotoxic and has a tendency to support as well as enhance the cell growth under laboratory conditions. Hereby, a cost effective, non‐toxic bulk reduction of GO to biocompatible graphene for green electronics and bioscience application is achieved using halophilic extremophiles for the first time.     

Pharmacokinetic Characterization of (Poly)phenolic Metabolites in Human Plasma and Urine after Acute and Short-Term Daily Consumption of Mango Pulp

Pharmacokinetic (PK) evaluation of polyphenolic metabolites over 24 h was conducted in human subjects (n = 13, BMI = 22.7 ± 0.4 kg/m²) after acute mango pulp (MP), vitamin C (VC) or MP + VC test beverage intake and after 14 days of MP beverage intake. Plasma and urine samples were collected at different time intervals and analyzed using targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry. The maximum concentrations (C_max) of gallotannin metabolites were significantly increased (p < 0.05) after acute MP beverage intake compared to VC beverage alone. MP + VC beverage non-significantly enhanced the C_max of gallic acid metabolites compared to MP beverage alone. Pyrogallol (microbial-derived metabolite) derivatives increased (3.6%) after the 14 days of MP beverage intake compared to 24 h acute MP beverage intake (p < 0.05). These results indicate extensive absorption and breakdown of gallotannins to galloyl and other (poly)phenolic metabolites after MP consumption, suggesting modulation and/or acclimation of gut microbiota to daily MP intake.     

A gamma-ray scattering technique for estimation of density and moisture content of wood

A densitometer system, operating in a non-destructive and non-invasive way, is presented to investigate the density and moisture variation in wood samples of Pinus roxburghii (known as chir pine). The inherent ability of Compton scattering can ascertain quantitative information of electron density of the target material. A well collimated beam of 662?keV gamma rays from ¹³⁷Cs radioactive source has been used to extract the information of density from interior of sample by recording scattered spectra with NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. An inverse matrix approach for unfolding of observed pulse-height distribution to a true photon spectrum is used, by choosing bin mesh (E^1/2) of 0.025 (MeV)^1/2, for the measurements of scattered spectra. The regression lines, obtained from data of scattered spectra, provide the density and moisture content of selected wood sample. The adjusted R² value 0.984 for fitted curve, justifies the linear dependence of scattered intensity upon wood density. Also, Compton scatter measurements results that the technique is less sensitive beyond wood thickness of ～110?mm due to overlying scatter components in the measured spectrum.     

Endogenous high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry interferences and the case of perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) in human serum; are we overestimating exposure?

Perfluorinated acids have received increasing scientific attention due to their widespread global distribution, environmental persistence and bioaccumulation in wildlife and humans. For perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS, C₆F₁₃SO, m/z 399), all existing human data have been generated using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and its most sensitive tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) transitions (m/z 399/80 [SO₃]^? or m/z 399/99 [SO₃F]^?), but this may be problematic because of co‐eluting endogenous steroid sulfates that share common fragmentation pathways. We examined the magnitude of over‐reporting for PFHxS in pregnant women (n = 29), and in pooled serum of males, non‐pregnant and pregnant females (n = 3, 100 samples per pool), by comparing m/z 399/80 and 399/99 data with an interference‐free transition, m/z 399/119. PFHxS concentrations in pregnant women determined using m/z 399/80 and 399/99 (p < 0.05), but not m/z 399/119, were positively correlated to the response of the steroid sulfates. This led to an average overestimation of PFHxS by 1.5‐ and 4.7‐fold, using m/z 399/80 and 399/99, respectively, and validated the use of m/z 399/119 for the first time. The interferences were a problem in all human serum samples, and analysis of pooled serum revealed statistically significant over‐reporting by m/z 399/80 and 399/99 for pregnant women > non‐pregnant women > men. The magnitude of over‐reporting here represents a worst‐case scenario, but the extent to which the published literature values are biased is unknown due to limited details of methods in existing reports. Instead of using the less sensitive m/z 399/119 transition, we showed that an alternative selection of column and mobile phase can allow for sufficient chromatographic separation of the interferences. In conclusion, it was shown that routine analytical methods are prone to systematically overestimating PFHxS concentrations in serum of men or women, but that this can be avoided by alternative chromatographic steps or MS/MS transitions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental realization of an on-chip all-optical analogue to electromagnetically induced transparency

We provide the first experimental observation of structure tuning of the electromagnetically induced transparency-like spectrum in integrated on-chip optical resonator systems. The system consists of coupled silicon ring resonators with 10 microm diameter on silicon, where the coherent interference between the two coupled resonators is tuned. We measured a transparency-resonance mode with a quality factor of 11,800.     

Growth of InAsSb/InAs MQWs on GaSb for mid-IR photodetector applications

We report the OMVPE growth and characterization of InAsSb/InAs strain balanced multiple quantum wells lattice-matched to GaSb substrates for potential application as mid-infrared detectors for wavelengths beyond 4 μm$\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{m}$. Detailed transmission electron microscopy measurements were performed to evaluate the degree of Ga and Sb intermixing at the GaSb/InAsSb and InAs/InAsSb interfaces. Photoluminescence emission up to 5 μm$\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{m}$ was observed for superlattice structures with only 15% antimony. The dependence of PL on wavelength is red shifted compared to expectations based on type I band alignment.