A new naphthoquinone analogue and antiviral constituents from the root of Rhinacanthus nasutus

Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz (Acanthaceae) is known as traditional medicine for the treatment of fungal and herpes virus infections. A new naphthoquinone racemate, rhinacasutone (1) together with seven known compounds, rhinacanthone (2), rhinacanthins C, D, N, Q, and E (3–7), and heliobuphthalmin (8) were isolated from root of R. nasutus. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D-, 2D-NMR and MS data. All the isolated compounds were tested for their antiviral activities against PR8, HRV1B, and CVB3-infected vero cells. Compounds 3–6 exhibited significant antiviral activities with the IC₅₀ value ranging from 0.03 to 23.7 μM in all three infections.     

Chemiluminescent Probe for the In Vitro and In Vivo Imaging of Cancers Over‐Expressing NQO1

Activatable (turn‐on) probes that permit the rapid, sensitive, selective, and accurate identification of cancer‐associated biomarkers can help drive advances in cancer research. Herein, a NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase‐1 (NQO1)‐specific chemiluminescent probe 1 is reported that allows the differentiation between cancer subtypes. Probe 1 incorporates an NQO1‐specific trimethyl‐locked quinone trigger moiety covalently tethered to a phenoxy‐dioxetane moiety through a para‐aminobenzyl alcohol linker. Bio‐reduction of the quinone to the corresponding hydroquinone results in a chemiluminescent signal. As inferred from a combination of in vitro cell culture analyses and in vivo mice studies, the probe is safe, cell permeable, and capable of producing a “turn‐on” luminescence response in an NQO1‐positive A549 lung cancer model. On this basis, probe 1 can be used to identify cancerous cells and tissues characterized by elevated NQO1 levels.     

Gas–liquid flows in a microscale fractal-like branching flow network

Two-phase air–water flows in a microscale fractal-like flow network were experimentally studied and results were compared to predictions from existing macroscale void fraction correlations and flow regime maps. Void fraction was assessed using (1) two-dimensional analysis of high-speed images (direct method) and (2) experimentally determined using gas velocities (indirect method). Fixed downstream-to-upstream length and width ratios of 1.4 and 0.71, respectively, characterize the five-level flow network. Channels were fabricated in a 38 mm diameter silicon disk, 250 μm deep disk with a terminal channel width of 100 μm. A Pyrex top allowed for flow visualization. Superficial air and water velocities through the various branch levels were varied from 0.007 m/s to 1.8 m/s and from 0.05 m/s to 0.42 m/s, respectively. Two-phase flow regime maps were generated for each level of the flow network and are well predicted by the Taitel and Dukler model. Void fraction assessed using the indirect method shows very good agreement with the homogeneous void fraction model for all branch levels for the given range of flow conditions. Void fraction determined directly varies considerably from that assessed indirectly, showing better agreement with the void fraction correlation of Zivi.     

Germanium- and Tin-Catalyzed Living Radical Polymerizations of Styrene and Methacrylates

Summary : Ge and Sn (non-transition-metal) catalyzed living radical polymerizations were developed. Low-polydispersity (M_w/M_n ∼ 1.1–1.3) polystyrenes, poly(methyl methacrylate)s, poly(glycidyl methacrylate)s, and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) with predicted molecular weights were obtained with a fairly high conversion in a fairly short time. The pseudo-first-order activation rate constant k_act for the styrene/GeI₄ (catalyst) system was large enough, even with a small amount of GeI₄, to explain why the system provides low-polydispersity polymers from an early stage of polymerization. The retardation in the polymerization rate observed for the styrene/GeI₄ system was kinetically proved to be mainly due to the cross-termination between the propagating radical with GeI. Attractive features of the Ge and Sn catalysts include their high reactivity hence small amounts (1–5 mM) being required under a mild condition (at 60–80 °C), high solubility in organic media without ligands, insensitivity to air hence sample preparation being allowed in the air, and minor color and smell. The Ge catalysts may also be attractive for their low toxicity.     

Generic projections, the equations defining projective varieties and Castelnuovo regularity

For a reduced, irreducible projective variety X of degree d and codimension e in the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity is defined as the least k such that X is k-regular, i.e., for , where is the sheaf of ideals of X. There is a long standing conjecture about k-regularity (see [5]): . Here we show that for any smooth fivefold and for any smooth sixfold by extending methods used in [10]. Furthermore, we give a bound for the regularity of a reduced, connected and equidimensional locally Cohen-Macaulay curve or surface in terms of degree d, codimension e and an arithmetic genus (see Theorem 4.1). Received November 12, 1998; in final form May 4, 1999     

Reliability of aerodynamic analysis using a moment method

In this study, a reliability analysis was performed for the aerodynamic analysis. Among various reliability analysis methods, the moment method was used and the results were compared with other methods. The reliability of aerodynamic analysis of a 2D airfoil, a 3D wing and a wing body configuration were considered. In the case of 2D airfoil, the reliability was computed by parameterising an airfoil shape using the PARSEC function and considering uncertainties of its shape. In the case of 3D wing and wing body configuration, it was computed by considering uncertainties of flow conditions.     

Atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry techniques for the analysis of alkyl ethoxysulfate mixtures

This paper compares two liquid introduction atmospheric pressure ionization techniques for the analysis of alkyl ethoxysulfate (AES) anionic surfactant mixtures by mass spectrometry, i. e., electrospray ionization (ESI) in both positive and negative ion modes and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in positive ion mode, using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Two ions are observed in ESI(+) for each individual AES component, [M + Na]⁺ and a “desulfated” ion [M − SO₃ + H]⁺, whereas only one ion, [M − Na]⁻ is observed for each AES component in ESI(−). APCI(+) produces a protonated, “desulfated” ion of the form [M − NaSO₃ + 2H]⁺ for each AES species in the mixture under low cone voltage (10 V) conditions. The mass spectral ion intensities of the individual AES components in either the series from ESI(+) or APCI(+) can be used to obtain an estimate of their relative concentrations in the mixture and of the average ethoxylate (EO) number of the sample. The precursor ions produced by either ESI(+) or ESI(−), when subjected to low-energy (50 eV) collision-induced dissociation, do not fragment to give ions that provide much structural information. The protonated, desulfated ions produced by APCI(+) form fragment ions which reveal structural information about the precursor ions, including alkyl chain length and EO number, under similar conditions. APCI(+) is less susceptible to matrix effects for quantitative work than ESI(+). Thus APCI(+) provides an additional tool for the analysis of anionic surfactants such as AES, especially in complex mixtures where tandem mass spectrometry is required for the identification of the individual components.     

Optical properties of surface-patterned nanostructures

This concepts article describes our developments in nanopatterning related to photonics. We have a nanopatterning toolkit that can generate functional, nanostructured surfaces at nm-length scales and over cm²-areas in a single (or small number of) step(s). This paper will focus on three examples of surface-patterned nanostructures and their optical properties: (i) one-dimensional arrays of metallic nanoparticles; (ii) arrays of small-diameter ZnO nanowires; (iii) mesoscale structures of CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals. The potential for advances in nanopatterning to contribute to a broad range of light-based applications will be discussed.     

Enhancing MQMAS sensitivity using signals from multiple coherence transfer pathways

Multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning experiment removes second-order quadrupolar broadening from the central-transition of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei. This paper presents a novel scheme to enhance the sensitivity of MQMAS using signals from multiple coherence transfer pathways. The enhancement can be obtained in two ways. The first method uses the multiplex phase cycling to acquire MQMAS spectra from various coherence transfer pathways simultaneously. An addition of spectra collected with no extra time enhances the efficiency of the experiment. The second method, soft-pulse-added-mixing, is designed based on a complete alias of coherence transfer pathways. By properly fixing the soft-pulse phase, signals from various coherence transfer pathways can add constructively resulting higher signal intensities. The two methods are demonstrated for sensitivity enhancement with samples of spin-3/2 and 5/2.     

Self- and mutual-diffusion coefficients measurements by 31P NMR 1D profiling and PFG-SE in dextran gels

31P NMR 1D profiling was successfully introduced to measure macroscale mutual-diffusion coefficients (D(m)) of phosphate ions in dextran gels. Series of 1D profiles describing the phosphate concentration along cylindrical dextran gels were acquired at different times. These profiles that included over 600 points could be fitted using equations derived from Fick's law, with D(m) as the single fitting parameter. Release and penetration profiles were recorded providing two alternative approaches for allowing the determination of D(m). The D(m) values were compared with microscale self-diffusion coefficients (D(s)) measured by pulsed field gradient spin echo (PFG-SE) technique. D(m) values, measured between 25 and 45 degrees C, were systematically lower than D(s). The experimental diffusion time and the associated diffusion length of D(s) (60 ms, 10 microm) are short compared to those of D(m) (up to 18 h, 50 mm). These scale differences are considered to be the origin of different D(s) and D(m) and provide information relative to the network in these gels.