A new approach to the synthesis of 2‐aryl‐substituted benzimidazoles,quinazolines, and other related compounds and their antibacterial activity

A new synthesis method of benzimidazoles, dihydroquinazolines, and other related compounds containing a 2,4‐dihydroxyphenyl moiety was elaborated. Their structures were identified from elemental, infrared, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectra analyses. The minimal inhibitory concentration values of the compounds toward eight reference bacterial strains were determined by the two‐fold serial microdilution broth method. The compounds exhibited substantial inhibitory effects against the Gram‐positive strains tested contrary to Gram‐negative ones. The compounds of imidazopyridine, N‐methylbenzimidazole, and dihydroquinazoline structures exhibited the largest activity. The magnification of covering a two‐nitrogen atom heterocyclic ring fused to a benzene one decreases the biological effect. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 23:265–275, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.21012     

Determination of the emission rate of an Am–Be neutron source with a Bonner sphere spectrometer

The Neutron Measurements Laboratory of the Technical University of Madrid (LMN) has an automated panoramic irradiator with a 111 GBq ²⁴¹Am–Be neutron source installed in a bunker-type large room. This facility is going to be used for calibration purposes. Recently, a spectrometry campaign involving four research groups working with different Bonner Sphere Spectrometers (BSS) and using different spectral unfolding codes was carried out. As part of these measurements the emission rate, B(t), was estimated. The application of the generalized fitting method to account for the scattering contribution is difficult due to specific characteristics of the neutron installation. A reduced fitting method, which includes room-return and in-scatter, has instead been used to overcome this problem.Detailed Monte Carlo simulations (with MCNPX code) were also performed to estimate the fluence rate using the measured source strength value. This was performed at different points. Results were then compared with measurements.Finally, the ambient dose equivalent rate measured with a neutron monitor (LB6411) was compared with results using the BSS.     

UV radiation as a potential driving force for zooplankton community structure in Patagonian lakes

This article explores the potential role of UV radiation (UVR) as an influence on zooplankton communities. In the first section we provide a general overview of UVR effects on freshwater zooplankton, with an emphasis on Argentine and Chilean environments. In the second section we present the results of a survey involving 53 temperate lakes across a gradient of UVR exposure to determine patterns of species richness and specific diversity. These community characteristics decreased at high potential UVR exposure (i.e. high mean water column irradiance or low lake optical density). A threshold value of mean water column irradiance of approximately 10% of the surface level seems to limit both richness and diversity to minimum values. On the basis of the collected evidence it is not possible to definitely conclude that UVR rather than another covarying factor is responsible for the decrease in specific diversity observed at the lowest end of lake optical depth. However, lakes with values above the previous threshold are likely to exhibit highly depauperate zooplankton communities regardless of the mechanism. As a cautionary note we suggest that changes in the optical characteristics (i.e. changes due to atmospheric conditions, precipitation patterns or vertical displacement of the tree line) may result in sudden shifts in zooplankton community structure.     

An efficient approach for the isolation, identification and evaluation of antimicrobial plant components on an analytical scale, demonstrated by the example of Radix imperatoriae

Using Radix imperatoriae (the root of masterwort) as an example, we describe an efficient approach for the isolation, identification and evaluation of bioactive plant components on an analytical scale. The extraction of Radix imperatoriae with ethyl acetate was enhanced by the application of ultrasound oscillations. This rhizome extract was applied to three pathogenic bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus) to determine its antimicrobial activity. Disk diffusion was utilized to determine susceptibility. The extract components were separated using a series of chromatography approaches (semi-preparative RP-HPLC, or RP-HPLC on an analytical scale), followed by testing. All fractions were analyzed by LC-UV-ESI-MS and 600 MHz microcoil ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Among other findings, in the fraction with the highest antibacterial activity we were able to identify oxypeucedanin and oxypeucedanin hydrate. Subsequent analysis revealed that only oxypeucedanin hydrate had antibacterial activity, whereas oxypeucedanin itself was inactive at the concentrations applied. Furthermore, oxypeucedanin hydrate appears to be largely, or exclusively, a by-product of sample preparation, since it is either not synthesized by the plant as a second metabolite or is produced by it in only very small quantities.     

The rotational predissociation of HeH+: energy and lifetime measurements

Relative lifetimes and energies above the dissociation limit have been determined for the rotational predissociation of several quasibound levels of the X¹ Σ⁺ state of ⁴HeH⁺. In particular the lifetimes are very sensitive to the shape of the potential energy curve. These measurements are used to discriminate between two ab initio potential curves, which differ by only 0.00004 au (≈ 1 meV). Using the lifetime data, relative population factors were determined for the observed levels.     

Stress State of a Threaded Joint in a Dental Implant–Bone System*

International Applied Mechanics - The load distribution over the turns of an implant–bone threaded joint is studied. Such a joint is modeled by a rod structure in which the functional axial...     

Sensitive detection of salbutamol using europium-enhanced fluorescence with trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as coligand

In this work a simple and sensitive fluorimetric method for determination of salbutamol (4-[2-(tert-butylamino)-1-hydroxyethyl]-2-(hydroxymethyl) phenol) using an Eu enhanced signal was developed. The employed methodology is based on the formation of a ternary complex formed with Eu, salbutamol and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO). Intermolecular transfer of energy from the excited organic molecule to the lanthanide followed by lanthanide emission is responsible for excitation of the lanthanide ion in complex solutions and fluorescent enhancement. The luminescence properties of the ternary complex formed with TOPO and optimum formation conditions were investigated. The calibration curve is linear in the range between 6.92-180 microg l(-1) of salbutamol. The detection limit was 2.31 microg l(-1). Common excipients for these formulations were not found to interfere. A proposed method for the assay in commercial aerosols and nebulizer solutions containing salbutamol was applied with very good precision.     

Scale-free networks from varying vertex intrinsic fitness

A new mechanism leading to scale-free networks is proposed in this Letter. It is shown that, in many cases of interest, the connectivity power-law behavior is neither related to dynamical properties nor to preferential attachment. Assigning a quenched fitness value x(i) to every vertex, and drawing links among vertices with a probability depending on the fitnesses of the two involved sites, gives rise to what we call a good-get-richer mechanism, in which sites with larger fitness are more likely to become hubs (i.e., to be highly connected).     

Renormalized field theory of driven lattice gases under infinitely fast drive

We use field theoretic renormalization group methods to study the critical behavior of a recently proposed Langevin equation for driven lattice gases under infinitely fast drive. We perform an expansion around the upper critical dimension, d(c)=4, and obtain the critical exponents to one-loop order. The main features of the two-loop calculation are also outlined. The renormalized theory is shown to exhibit a behavior different from the standard field theory for the driven lattice gas with finite driving, i.e., it is not mean-field-like.