Study of benznidazole–cyclodextrin inclusion complexes, cytotoxicity and trypanocidal activity

The current chemotherapy for Chagas disease is still based on benznidazole, which has low solubility, but complexation with cyclodextrins provides a way of increasing the solubility. The objective of this work was to characterize the inclusion complexes formed between benznidazole (BNZ) and randomly 2-methyled-β-cyclodextrin (RM-β-CD) in aqueous solution and study cytotoxicity and trypanocidal. BNZ:RM-β-CD solution complex systems were prepared and characterized using the phase solubility diagram, nuclear magnetic resonance and a photostability assays, also to investigate the in vitro trypanocidal activity with epimastigote forms of Trypanossoma cruzi and the study of cytotoxicity against mammal cells. The phase-solubility diagram displayed an A _L-type feature, providing evidence of the formation of soluble inclusion complexes. The continuous variation method showed the existence of a complex with 1:1 stoichiometry. Toxicity assays demonstrated that inclusion complexes were able to reduce the toxic effects caused by benznidazole alone and that this did not interfere with the trypanocidal activity of the benznidazole. The use of inclusion complexes benznidazole:cyclodextrin is thus a promising alternative for the development of a safe and stable liquid formulation and a new option for the treatment of Chagas disease.     

Antennas for next generation mobile communications

In future mobile communications many antennas will coexist on the device. This creates a number of problems related to bandwidth, efficiency, and correlation. Remedies are discussed in the paper, and attention is called to the promising area of adaptive matching, which also can solve problems related to the user.     

Synthesis and Photochromic Properties of Configurationally Varied Azobenzene Glycosides

Spatial orientation of carbohydrates is a meaningful parameter in carbohydrate recognition processes. To vary orientation of sugars with temporal and spatial resolution, photosensitive glycoconjugates with favorable photochromic properties appear to be opportune. Here, a series of azobenzene glycosides were synthesized, employing glycoside synthesis and Mills reaction, to allow “switching” of carbohydrate orientation by reversible E/Z isomerization of the azobenzene N=N double bond. Their photochromic properties were tested and effects of azobenzene substitution as well as the effect of anomeric configuration and the orientation of the sugars 2-hydroxy group were evaluated.     

The Impact of Shadowing and the Severity of Fading on the First and Second Order Statistics of the Capacity of OSTBC MIMO Nakagami-Lognormal Channels

This article presents a thorough statistical analysis of the capacity of orthogonal space-time block coded (OSTBC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Nakagami- lognormal (NLN) channels. The NLN channel model allows to study the joint effects of fast fading and shadowing on the statistical properties of the channel capacity. We have derived exact analytical expressions for the probability density function (PDF), cumulative distribution function (CDF), level-crossing rate (LCR), and average duration of fades (ADF) of the capacity of MIMO NLN channels. It is observed that an increase in the MIMO dimension or a decrease in the severity of fading results in an increase in the mean channel capacity, while the variance of the channel capacity decreases. On the other hand, an increase in the shadowing standard deviation increases the spread of the channel capacity, however the shadowing effect has no influence on the mean channel capacity. We have also presented approximation results for the statistical properties of the channel capacity, obtained using the Gauss-Hermite integration method. It is observed that approximation results not only reduce the complexity, but also have a very good fitting with the exact results. The presented results are very useful and general because they provide the flexibility to study the impact of shadowing on the channel capacity under different fading conditions. Moreover, the effects of severity of fading on the channel capacity can also be studied. The correctness of theoretical results is confirmed by simulations.     

Toward an interactive poster using digital watermarking and a mobile phone camera

A method for embedding a watermark in print media, posters or other paper printouts and reading the watermark information blindly with a camera phone is proposed. A subtractive-additive embedding method is applied in which the message is coded with a directed periodic pattern. The message is detected and read by searching regularities in the autocorrelation function of a periodic signal. The robustness to disturbance occurring during printing process due to air interface and camera phone properties is ensured using noise reduction, modified JND model, enhanced peak detection with filtering and shaping and two-level coding of the message. The validity of the approach is proven with tests, and an application example of an interactive poster is examined.     

Ground-state correlation properties of charged bosons trapped in strongly anisotropic harmonic potentials

We study systems of a few charged bosons contained within a strongly anisotropic harmonic trap. A detailed examination of the ground-state correlation properties of two-, three-, and four-particle systems is carried out within the framework of the single-mode approximation of the transverse components. The linear correlation entropy of the quasi-1D systems is discussed in dependence on the confinement anisotropy and compared with a strictly 1D limit. Only at weak interaction the correlation properties depend strongly on the anisotropy parameter.     

A majorization inequality for Wright-convex functions revisited

We give an elementary proof of a majorization inequality concerning Wright-convex functions.     

Molecular Recognition in Glycolaldehyde,the Simplest Sugar: Two Isolated Hydrogen Bonds Win Over One Cooperative Pair

Carbohydrates are used in nature as molecular recognition tools. Understanding their conformational behavior upon aggregation helps in rationalizing the way in which cells and bacteria use sugars to communicate. Here, the simplest α-hydroxy carbonyl compound, glycolaldehyde, was used as a model system. It was shown to form compact polar C₂-symmetric dimers with intermolecular O–H⋅⋅⋅O=C bonds, while sacrificing the corresponding intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Supersonic jet infrared (IR) and Raman spectra combined with high-level quantum chemical calculations provide a consistent picture for the preference over more typical hydrogen bond insertion and addition patterns. Experimental evidence for at least one metastable dimer is presented. A rotational spectroscopy investigation of these dimers is encouraged, also in view of astrophysical searches. The binding motif competition of aldehydic sugars might play a role in chirality recognition phenomena of more complex derivatives in the gas phase.     

Mathematical Modeling of Tidal Effects in Groundwater

This paper presents a special use of the linear poroelasticity theory to describe tidally induced groundwater oscillations. Two models of oscillation inducing mechanism make use of this theory to predict groundwater level fluctuations. The numerical solutions of both models are presented and compared with well water level measurement obtained in Police Basin, north-east Bohemia.