Molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous ions at the liquid–vapor interface accelerated using graphics processors

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a vital tool in chemical research, as they are able to provide an atomistic view of chemical systems and processes that is not obtainable through experiment. However, large‐scale MD simulations require access to multicore clusters or supercomputers that are not always available to all researchers. Recently, scientists have returned to exploring the power of graphics processing units (GPUs) for various applications, such as MD, enabled by the recent advances in hardware and integrated programming interfaces such as NVIDIA's CUDA platform. One area of particular interest within the context of chemical applications is that of aqueous interfaces, the salt solutions of which have found application as model systems for studying atmospheric process as well as physical behaviors such as the Hoffmeister effect. Here, we present results of GPU‐accelerated simulations of the liquid–vapor interface of aqueous sodium iodide solutions. Analysis of various properties, such as density and surface tension, demonstrates that our model is consistent with previous studies of similar systems. In particular, we find that the current combination of water and ion force fields coupled with the ability to simulate surfaces of differing area enabled by GPU hardware is able to reproduce the experimental trend of increasing salt solution surface tension relative to pure water. In terms of performance, our GPU implementation performs equivalent to CHARMM running on 21 CPUs. Finally, we address possible issues with the accuracy of MD simulaions caused by nonstandard single‐precision arithmetic implemented on current GPUs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Nano ceria catalyzed synthesis of α-aminophosphonates under ultrasonication

A simple, efficient and general method has been developed for the one-pot three component syntheses of α-aminophosphonates. The condensation of aldehyde, amine and triethyl phosphite by employing CeO₂ nanoparticles as catalyst gave α-aminophosphonates. The catalyst showed good recyclability. Nano CeO₂ has been found to be an excellent catalyst for the green synthesis of α-aminophosphonates under ultrasound irradiation and solvent-free condition. The α-aminophosphonates are obtained in good to excellent yield. This catalyst provides cleaner conversion, short reaction time and high selectivity which makes the protocol feasible and economical attractive.     

Technology behind commercial devices for blood glucose monitoring in diabetes management: a review

The blood glucose monitoring devices (BGMDs) are an integral part of diabetes management now-a-days. They have evolved tremendously within the last four decades in terms of miniaturization, rapid response, greater specificity, simplicity, minute sample requirement, painless sample uptake, sophisticated software and data management. This article aims to review the developments in the technologies behind commercial BGMD, especially those in the areas of chemistries, mediators and other components. The technology concerns, on-going developments and future trends in blood glucose monitoring (BGM) are also discussed.     

Effect of Donor-Acceptor Chromophores on Photophysical Properties of Newly Synthesized Pyrazolo-Pyrrolo-Pyrimidines (PPP)

Novel pyrazolo-pyrrolo-pyrimidine (PPP) derivatives having remarkable photophysical properties are designed with the help of theoretical semiempirical calculations. These compounds then synthesized successfully and studied effect of substituents on its photophysical properties.

Effect of Specific Solute-Solvent Interaction and Electron Donor-Acceptor Substituents of Novel Pyrazolo Naphthyridines on Fluorescence

Heterocyclic orthoaminoaldehyde such as 4-amino-3-(4-phenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-Pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5-carbaldehyde was synthesized by multistep reactions involving reduction of azido derivative 2 with LAH to yield aminoalcohol 3 and oxidation of it with MnO(2) to aminoaldehyde 4.The pyridine ring annulated on to 4 by Friedl?nder condensation using acetophenones in presence of base to obtained pyrazolo[3,4-h][1,6]naphthyridine 5 in excellent yield. Study of photophysical properties of 5 revealed that the absorption and emission of them depends up on the substituents present on benzene ring in newly annulated pyridine ring.     

1,2,3-Triazolyl-tetrahydropyrimidine Conjugates as Potential Sterol Carrier Protein-2 Inhibitors: Larvicidal Activity against the Malaria Vector Anopheles arabiensis and In Silico Molecular Docking Study

Alteration of insect growth regulators by the action of inhibitors is becoming an attractive strategy to combat disease-transmitting insects. In the present study, we investigated the larvicidal effect of 1,2,3-triazolyl-pyrimidinone derivatives against the larvae of the mosquito Anopheles arabiensis, a vector of malaria. All compounds demonstrated insecticidal activity against mosquito larvae in a dose-dependent fashion. A preliminary study of the structure–activity relationship indicated that the electron-withdrawing substituent in the para position of the 4-phenyl-pyrimidinone moiety enhanced the molecules’ potency. A docking study of these derivatives revealed favorable binding affinity for the sterol carrier protein-2 receptor, a protein present in the intestine of the mosquito larvae. Being effective insecticides against the malaria-transmitting Anopheles arabiensis, 1,2,3-triazole-based pyrimidinones represent a starting point to develop novel inhibitors of insect growth regulators.     

Targeting Akt/NF-κB/p53 Pathway and Apoptosis Inducing Potential of 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic Acid,Bis (2-Methyl Propyl) Ester Isolated from Onosma bracteata Wall. against Human Osteosarcoma (MG-63) Cells

Onosma bracteata Wall. is an important medicinal and immunity-enhancing herbs. This plant is commonly used in the preparation of traditional Ayurvedic drugs to treat numerous diseases. Inspired by the medicinal properties of this plant, the present study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative potential and the primary molecular mechanisms of the apoptotic induction against human osteosarcoma (MG-63) cells. Among all the fractions isolated from O. bracteata, ethyl acetate fraction (Obea) showed good antioxidant activity in superoxide radical scavenging assay and lipid peroxidation assay with an EC₅₀ value of 95.12 and 80.67 µg/mL, respectively. Silica gel column chromatography of ethyl acetate (Obea) fraction of O. bracteata yielded a pure compound, which was characterized by NMR, FTIR, and HR-MS analysis and was identified as 1,2-benzene dicarboxylic acid, bis (2-methyl propyl) ester (BDCe fraction). BDCe fraction was evaluated for the antiproliferative potential against human osteosarcoma MG-63, human neuroblastoma IMR-32, and human lung carcinoma A549 cell lines by MTT assay and exhibited GI₅₀ values of 37.53 μM, 56.05 μM, and 47.12 μM, respectively. In MG-63 cells, the BDCe fraction increased the level of ROS and simultaneously decreased the mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) potential by arresting cells at the G₀/G₁ phase, suggesting the initiation of apoptosis. Western blotting analysis revealed the upregulation of p53, caspase3, and caspase9 while the expressions of p-NF-κB, p-Akt and Bcl-xl were decreased. RT-qPCR studies also showed upregulation in the expression of p53 and caspase3 and downregulation in the expression of CDK2, Bcl-2 and Cyclin E genes. Molecular docking analysis displayed the interaction between BDCe fraction with p53 (−151.13 kcal/mol) and CDK1 (−133.96 kcal/mol). The results of the present work suggest that the BDCe fraction has chemopreventive properties against osteosarcoma (MG-63) cells through the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via Akt/NF-κB/p53 pathways. This study contributes to the understanding of the utilization of BDCe fraction in osteosarcoma treatment.     

3D highly porous microspherical morphology of NiO nanoparticles for supercapacitor application

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the present work, the effect of reaction temperature and urea concentration on the electrochemical performance of NiO nanoparticles is investigated. The...     

Total Synthesis of (E/Z) des-Hydroxy Triticone A and B

The first total synthesis of des-hydroxy triticone A and B was achieved in 12 steps. The highly chemoselective, base mediated iodolactamization of olefins with N-OMe amide motif is a key highlight of the synthesis.     

Analytical method development and validation for the simultaneous estimation of quercetin,berberine, rutin and curcumin in a polyherbal formulation using high-performance thin-layer chromatography

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - People all over the world are affected by the chronic, disabling autoimmune illness known as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Herbal...