Purification and Characterization of a Low Molecular Weight of β-Mannanase from Penicillium occitanis Pol6

The highest β-mannanase activity was produced by Penicillium occitanis Pol6 on flour of carob seed, whereas starch-containing medium gave lower enzymes titles. The low molecular weight enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatography procedures. The purified β-mannanase (ManIII) has been identified as a glycoprotein (carbohydrate content 5%) with an apparent molecular mass of 18 kDa. It was active at 40 °C and pH 4.0. It was stable for 30 min at 70 °C and has a broad pH stability (2.0–12.0). ManIII showed K _m, V _max, and K _cat values of 17.94 mg/ml, 93.52 U/mg, and 28.13 s⁻¹ with locust bean gum as substrate, respectively. It was inhibited by mannose with a K _I of 0.610⁻³ mg/ml. ManIII was activated by CuSO₄ and CaCl₂ (2.5 mM). However, in presence of 2.5 mM Co²⁺, its activity dropped to 60% of the initial activity. Both N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences of ManIII presented no homology with mannanases of glycosides hydrolases. During incubation with locust bean gum and Ivory nut mannan, the enzyme released mainly mannotetraose, mannotriose, and mannobiose.     

A cyano-bridged bimetallic ferrimagnet: Synthesis,X-ray structure and magnetic study

Mixing of trans-[Mn(cyclam)Cl₂]Cl (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) and potassium hexacyanochromate (K₃[Cr(CN)₆]) aqueous solutions instantaneously yields a 1D infinite chain complex {[Mn(cyclam)(μ-CN)₂Cr(CN)₄]·H₂O}_n (1). The crystal structure of 1, crystallizing in the monoclinic system with space group P2₁/n has been solved from X-ray powder diffraction data following direct space approach and refined by the Rietveld method. The structure analysis of 1 reveals alternating [Cr(CN)₆]³⁻ and [Mn(cyclam)]³⁺ ions generating one-dimensional polymeric (–Cr–CN–Mn–NC–)_n chain propagating along the [0 0 1] direction. The coordination environment of both the metal ions, Mn(III) and Cr(III), is octahedral. While a notable distortion in the coordination environment around Mn(III) centers was observed in complex 1, Cr(III) centers have suffered no such distortion. A ferrimagnetic interaction between the heterobimetallic centers was evidenced through variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements. The AC susceptibility measurement reveals that the compound 1 undergoes spontaneous ferrimagnetic ordering. Ferrimagnetic ordering has been rarely observed among the cyano-bridged compounds in the previous studies.     

Entanglement of a quantum optical elliptic vortex

We calculate the entanglement of a generalized elliptical vortex formed by quantized radiation field, using Wigner quasiprobability distribution function for such states. We find a critical squeezing parameter above which the entanglement is less for higher vorticity, which is counter intuitive.     

Conferences/meetings

Conferences/meetings     

Phosphorus-ylides: powerful substituents for the stabilization of reactive main group compounds

Phosphorus ylides are 1,2-dipolar compounds with a negative charge on the carbon atom. This charge is stabilized by the neighbouring onium moiety, but can also be shifted towards other substituents thus making ylides strong π donor ligands and hence ideal substituents to stabilize reactive compounds such as cations and low-valent main group species. Furthermore, the donor strength and the steric properties can easily be tuned to meet different requirements for stabilizing reactive compounds and for tailoring the properties and reactivities of the main group element. Although the use of ylide substituents in main group chemistry is still in its infancy, the first examples of isolated compounds impressively demonstrate the potential of these ligands. This review summarizes the most important discoveries also in comparison to other substituents, thus outlining avenues for future research directions.

The application of ylide substituents as strong donor ligands for the stabilization of reactive main group compounds with unusual properties and reactivities is discussed.     

Reversal of Regioselectivity in Asymmetric C−H Bond Annulation with Bromoalkynes under Cobalt Catalysis**

Metal-catalyzed asymmetric C−H bond annulation strategy offers a versatile platform, allowing the construction of complex P-chiral molecules through atom- and step-economical fashion. However, regioselective insertion of π-coupling partner between M−C bond with high enantio-induction remain elusive. Using commercially available Co(II) salt and chiral-Salox ligands, we demonstrate an unusual protocol for the regio-reversal, enantioselective C−H bond annulation of phosphinamide with bromoalkyne through desymmetrization. The reaction proceeds through ligand-assisted enantiodetermining cyclocobaltation followed by regioselective insertion of bromoalkyne between Co−C, subsequent reductive elimination, and halogen exchange with carboxylate resulted in P-stereogenic compounds in excellent ee (up to >99 %). The isolation of cobaltacycle involved in the catalytic cycle and the outcome of control experiments provide support for a plausible mechanism.     

A Proteinaceous Alpha-Amylase Inhibitor from Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract: Purification,Characterization, and Insecticide Effects against C. maculates Insect Larvae

The main objective of the current study was the extraction, purification, and enzymatic characterization of a potent proteinaceous amylase inhibitor from Moringa oleifera. The antimicrobial potential and insecticide effects against C. maculates insect larvae were also studied. The α-amylase inhibitor was extracted in methanol (with an inhibitory activity of 65.6% ± 4.93). Afterwards, the inhibitor αAI.Mol was purified after a heat treatment at 70 °C for 15 min followed by one chromatographic step of Sephadex G-50. An apparent molecular weight of 25 kDa was analyzed, and the N-terminal sequence showed the highest identity level (89%) with the monomeric α-amylase inhibitor from Triticum dicoccoides. αAI.Mol was found to tolerate pH values ranging from 5.0 to 11.0 and showed maximal activity at pH 9.0. Thermal stability was remarkably important, since the inhibitory activity was maintained at 55% after 1 h of incubation at 70 °C and at 53% after an incubation of 45 min at 80 °C. The potency of the current purified inhibitor against amylases from different origins indicates that αAI.Mol seems to possess the highest affinity toward human salivary α-amylase (90% inhibitory activity), followed by the α-amylase of insects Callosobruchus maculatus and Tribolium confusum (71% and 61%, respectively). The kinetic parameters were also calculated, and the K_max and V_max of the digestive amylase were estimated at 185 (mmol/min/mg) and 0.13 mM, respectively. The inhibitor possesses a strong bactericidal effect against Gram+ and Gram- strains, and the MIC values were >1 against B. cereus but >6 against E. coli. Interestingly, the rates of survival and pupation of C. maculates insect larvae were remarkably affected by the purified αAI.Mol from Moringa oleifera.     

Non-uniform Quantized Data Fusion Rule for Data Rate Saving and Reducing Control Channel Overhead for Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks

Wireless Personal Communications - In this paper a pretty new concept of non-uniform quantized data fusion (N-QDF) rule reducing control channel data overhead has been proposed for energy detection...