Synthesis and structural characterisation as 12-helix of the hexamer of a beta-amino acid tethered to a pyrrolidin-2-one ring

Starting from (3S,4R,1'S)-3-amino-2-oxo-1-[1'-(4-methoxyphenylethyl)]pyrrolidine carboxylic acid (2), the first synthesis of a beta-foldamer containing pyrrolidin-2-one rings is described, whose 12-helix conformation is assigned by NMR analysis and confirmed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.     

Laplace equations,Lefschetz properties and line arrangements

In this note we extend the main result in [6] on artinian ideals failing Lefschetz properties, varieties satisfying Laplace equations and existence of suitable singular hypersurfaces. Moreover we characterize the minimal generation of ideals generated by powers of linear forms by the configuration of their dual points in the projective plane and we use this result to improve some propositions on line arrangements and Strong Lefschetz Property at range 2 in [6]. The starting point was an example in [3]. Finally we show the equivalence among failing SLP, Laplace equations and some unexpected curves introduced in [3].     

Evolution of bank efficiency in Brazil: A DEA approach

This paper investigates cost, technical and allocative efficiencies for Brazilian banks in the recent period (2000–2007). We use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to compute efficiency scores. Brazilian banks were found to have low levels of economic (cost) efficiency compared to banks in Europe and in the US. For the period with high macroeconomic volatility (2000–2002) the economic inefficiency in Brazilian banks can be attributed mainly to technical inefficiency rather than allocative inefficiency. State-owned banks are significantly more cost efficient than foreign, private domestic and private with foreign participation. There is no evidence of differences in economic efficiency due to type of activity and bank size. These results may provide some useful guidance for financial regulators and bank managers.     

Cathodoluminescence investigation of residual stress in Er3+:YAlO3 thin films grown on (110) SrTiO3 substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

YAlO3 thin films doped with different amounts of Er3+ have been grown directly onto (110) SrTiO3 substrate using the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition method (MOCVD). X-ray diffraction patterns and the rocking curve of the (002) reflection point to the growth of <001>-oriented YAlO3 phase. Piezo-spectroscopic (PS) biaxial calibration was performed on two luminescence bands, related to transitions from the (4)S3/2 excited state, using a specially designed ball-on-ring loading jig. Such a PS calibration allowed us to retrieve the rate of wavelength shift with stress without separating the grown film from the substrate. The outcome of the PS calibration has been applied to build up in the field emission scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM) high-resolution maps of the residual stress field developed in the film. Results indicate that the residual stress in Er3+:YAlO3 films were compressive in nature and increased with increasing Er3+ dopant concentration.     

Urinary Metabolomics Study of Patients with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect responsible for valvular and aortic complications in affected patients. Causes and mechanisms of this pathology are still elusive and thus the lack of early detection biomarkers leads to challenges in its diagnosis and prevention of associated cardiovascular anomalies. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of urine Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) metabolomics to evaluate a molecular fingerprint of BAV. Both multivariate and univariate statistical analyses were performed to compare the urinary metabolome of 20 patients with BAV with that of 24 matched controls. Orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) showed statistically significant discrimination between cases and controls, suggesting seven metabolites (3-hydroxybutyrate, alanine, betaine, creatine, glycine, hippurate, and taurine) as potential biomarkers. Among these, glycine, hippurate and taurine individually displayed medium sensitivity and specificity by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Pathway analysis indicated two metabolic pathways likely perturbed in BAV subjects. Possible contributions of gut microbiota activity and energy imbalance are also discussed. These results constitute encouraging preliminary findings in favor of the use of urine-based metabolomics for early diagnosis of BAV.     

Synthesis and characterization of graphene-based nanocomposites with potential use for biomedical applications

In this paper, GaN nanoparticles were synthesized from the complex Ga(H₂NCONH₂)₆Cl₃ in the flow of NH₃ at a mild temperature (350 °C). Further purification was performed by the ethanol-thermal method. The ethanol-thermal method also prompted the GaN nanoparticles to grow into an anisotropic morphology. XRD patterns reveal that GaN nanoparticles have crystallized in a hexagonal wurtzite structure. TEM observation shows that the average size of the as-prepared nanoparticles is about 5–10 nm. The photoluminescence spectrum exhibits a broad green emission band with a peak at 510 nm. It can be known from the first-principle theoretic simulation by the TDDFT method that this fluorescence emission band is attributed to the hydride defects of V _N-H on the surface of GaN nanoparticles.     

IDPi Catalysis

High acidity and structural confinement are pivotal elements in asymmetric acid catalysis. The recently introduced imidodiphosphorimidate (IDPi) Brønsted acids have met with remarkable success in combining those features, acting as powerful Brønsted acid catalysts and “silylium” Lewis acid precatalysts in numerous thus far inaccessible transformations. Substrates as challenging to activate as simple olefins were readily transformed, ketones were employed as acceptors in aldolizations allowing sub‐ppm level catalysis, whereas enolates of the smallest donor aldehyde, acetaldehyde, did not polymerize but selectively added a single time to a variety of acceptor aldehydes.     

Cell protection from Ca2+-overloading by bioactive molecules extracted from olive pomace

We are reporting in the present study that molecules extracted from olive pomace prevent cell death induced by Ca²⁺-overloading in different cell types. Exposure of cells to these molecules counteracts the Ca²⁺-induced cell damages by reducing the activation of the Ca²⁺-dependent protease calpain, acting possibly through the modification of the permeability to Ca²⁺ of the plasma membrane. The purification step by RP-HPLC suggests that effective compound(s), differing from the main biophenols known to be present in the olive pomace extract, could be responsible for this effect. Our observations suggest that bioactive molecules present in the olive pomace could be potential candidates for therapeutic applications in pathologies characterised by alterations of intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis.     

Spin chirality in a molecular dysprosium triangle: the archetype of the noncollinear ising model

Single crystal magnetic studies combined with a theoretical analysis show that cancellation of the magnetic moments in the trinuclear Dy3+ cluster [Dy{3}(mu{3}-OH)2L3Cl(H2O){5}]Cl{3}, resulting in a nonmagnetic ground doublet, originates from the noncollinearity of the single-ion easy axes of magnetization of the Dy3+ ions that lie in the plane of the triangle at 120 degrees one from each other. This gives rise to a peculiar chiral nature of the ground nonmagnetic doublet and to slow relaxation of the magnetization with abrupt accelerations at the crossings of the discrete energy levels.