Synthetic studies on the ingenane diterpenes. An improved entry into a trans-intrabridgehead system

[reaction: see text] The efficient construction of an ingenol intermediate exhibiting "insideminus signoutside" intrabridgehead stereochemistry is reported. The sequence features the net conversion of a cis-intrabridgehead compound into a highly strained trans-species via palladium-mediated isomerization of an allylic epoxide followed by a low-temperature alkoxide-accelerated 1,5-hydrogen migration.     

Determination of mercury(II) by invertase enzyme inhibition coupled with batch injection analysis

The determination of mercury(II) ions at the trace level by inhibition of the invertase enzyme-catalysed hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose coupled to electrochemical batch injection analysis was investigated using two approaches. In the first, the glucose produced was detected by injection of 100 microliters samples into the batch injection cell containing a platinum electrode modified by immobilised glucose oxidase. In the second, the glucose and fructose present in injected samples were oxidised directly at a copper-modified glassy carbon electrode. The experimental parameters were optimised and the degree of enzyme inhibition by mercury(II) ions under both conditions was measured. Mercury concentrations in the ng ml-1 range were determined by these two techniques with low sample and reagent consumption. Comparison is made between the two methods and perspectives as a screening test for field application are indicated.     

Monte Carlo Simulation of Degradation of Porous Poly(lactide) Scaffolds, 1

Summary: Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the degradation of porous PLA scaffolds. The simulated volume was assumed to be divided homogeneously between the pore and solid PLA with the ratio equal to the bulk porosity of the scaffold. The volume was divided into surface and bulk elements where the surface elements were in direct contact with the aqueous degradation medium, while the bulk elements were surrounded by the pore and solid PLA. The effect of degradation time on PLA ester groups and carboxylic acid end‐groups for surface and bulk elements, pH, PLA degradation rate and mass loss, and PLA molecular weight distribution was simulated. For surface elements, pH remained constant at 7.4 over the entire time of degradation, while for bulk elements its value decreased significantly to as low as 5.8. The highest drop in pH within the scaffold was observed for the highest porosity of 90%. There was a lag time of at least 7 weeks in the mass loss for surface as well as bulk elements for porosities ranging from 70 to 90%. The mass loss for bulk elements was considerably faster than the surface elements. This difference in the rate of mass loss between the surface and bulk elements could affect the 3D morphology and dimensional stability of the scaffold in vivo as degradation proceeds. The simulation predicts that, due to differences in the rate of bulk and surface degradation, hollow structures could form inside the scaffold after 19, 17, and 15 weeks for initial porosities of 70, 80, and 90%, respectively.

A schematic diagram illustrating the degradation of an element on the outer surface of the scaffold (surface element) versus an element within the volume of the scaffold (bulk element).     

In Situ Synthesis of Manganese Oxide as an Oxygen-Evolving Catalyst: A New Strategy

All studies on oxygen-evolution reaction by Mn oxides in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) have been so far carried out by synthesizing Mn oxides in the first step. And then, followed by the investigation of the Mn oxides in the presence of oxidants for oxygen-evolution reaction (OER). This paper presents a case study of a new and promising strategy for in situ catalyst synthesis by the adding Mn^II to either CAN or KMnO₄/CAN solution, resulting in the formation of Mn-based catalysts for OER. The catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Both compounds contained nano-sized particles that catalyzed OER in the presence of CAN. The turnover frequencies for both catalysts were 0.02 (mmol /mol_Mn⋅s).     

Antimicrobial activity of nanocellulose conjugated with allicin and lysozyme

In this study, cellulose nanoparticles were prepared by acid hydrolysis, separately conjugated with allicin and lysozyme by a carbodiimide cross-linker, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then, their antimicrobial properties were evaluated by the microdilution method and compared with allicin, lysozyme, and nanocellulose alone. The results showed that nanocellulose had few antimicrobial activities, but allicin-conjugated nanocellulose (ACNC) and lysozyme-conjugated nanocellulose (LCNC) had good antifungal and antibacterial effects against standard strains of Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Noticeably, although allicin and lysozyme had different minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against all strains, the same quantity of MIC₅₀ and MIC₉₀ was observed for both ACNC and LCNC. The authors suggest that both ACNC and LCNC can be used in industries as an antimicrobial agent in food packaging, inside foodstuffs, and in textile materials.     

Vibration analysis and design optimization of viscoelastic sandwich cylindrical shell

Damping properties of viscoelastic sandwich structure can be improved by changing some parameters such as thickness of the layers, distribution of partial treatments, slippage between layers at the interfaces, cutting and its distribution at the top and core layers. Since the optimization problem may result in a thick core layer, for achieving more accuracy a new higher-order Taylor's expansion of transverse and in-plane displacement fields is developed for the core layer of sandwich cylindrical shell in which the displacement fields at the core layer are compatibly described in terms of the displacement fields at the elastic faces. The presented model includes fewer parameters than the previously developed models and therefore decreases the number of degree of freedom in the finite element modeling. The transverse normal stress in the core layer is also considered. The formulations are developed to consider the slippage between layers at the interfaces. Finally, by combining the finite element method and the optimization algorithms based on the genetic algorithm and sequential quadratic programming technique, a design optimization methodology has been formulated to maximize the damping characteristics using the optimal number and location of cuts and partial treatments with optimal thicknesses of top and core layers.     

γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@4-(sulfoamino)butanoic acid as a novel superparamagnetic nanocatalyst promoted green synthesis of 5-(aryl)-5H-spiro[diindeno[1,2-b:2′,1′-e]pyridine-11,3′-indoline]-2′,10,12-trione derivatives

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Grafting of 4-(sulfoamino)butanoic acid on superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3@SiO2 nanoparticles afforded γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@4-(sulfoamino)butanoic acid as a novel...