Inhibition of Cellobiohydrolases from Trichoderma reesei. Synthesis and Evaluation of Some Glucose-, Cellobiose-, and Cellotriose-Derived Hydroximolactams and Imidazoles

The lactam 16 , the hydroximolactams 8 , 20 , 23 , and 27 , and the imidazole 32 were prepared following known methods. They were tested together with the known tetrazole 35 and the hydroximolactams 2 and 36 as inhibitors of the cellobiohydrolases Cel7A and Cel6A from Trichoderma reesei. Cel7A is only weakly inhibited by these compounds. Comparing their inhibitory activity evidences the importance of occupying subsites +1 and +2. The results strongly suggest that the shape of none of the variants of the lactone-type inhibitor motif embodied by these inhibitors is complementary to the subsite −1, i. e., analogous to the transition state. Cel6A is rather strongly inhibited by the cellobiose analogues 20 , 23 , and 32 , and by the cellotriose analogue 27 . Their relative inhibitory activities evidence that binding at subsite −2 depends upon the shape of the moiety occupying subsite −1. There is only a small difference between the inhibition by the hydroximolactams 20 and 23 , which may be (partially) protonated by the catalytic acid of either anti- or syn-protonating glycosidases, and the imidazole 32 , which can only be protonated by anti-protonating glycosidases. The results strongly suggest that shape requirements must be met by glycosidase inhibitors before they can be used to characterize the proton trajectory of glycosidases.     

Plant-Derived Pesticides as an Alternative to Pest Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: Prospects,Applications and Challenges

Pests and diseases are responsible for most of the losses related to agricultural crops, either in the field or in storage. Moreover, due to indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides over the years, several issues have come along, such as pest resistance and contamination of important planet sources, such as water, air and soil. Therefore, in order to improve efficiency of crop production and reduce food crisis in a sustainable manner, while preserving consumer’s health, plant-derived pesticides may be a green alternative to synthetic ones. They are cheap, biodegradable, ecofriendly and act by several mechanisms of action in a more specific way, suggesting that they are less of a hazard to humans and the environment. Natural plant products with bioactivity toward insects include several classes of molecules, for example: terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, cyanogenic glucosides, quinones, amides, aldehydes, thiophenes, amino acids, saccharides and polyketides (which is not an exhaustive list of insecticidal substances). In general, those compounds have important ecological activities in nature, such as: antifeedant, attractant, nematicide, fungicide, repellent, insecticide, insect growth regulator and allelopathic agents, acting as a promising source for novel pest control agents or biopesticides. However, several factors appear to limit their commercialization. In this critical review, a compilation of plant-derived metabolites, along with their corresponding toxicology and mechanisms of action, will be approached, as well as the different strategies developed in order to meet the required commercial standards through more efficient methods.     

Enantioselective Linchpin Catalysis by SOMO Catalysis: An Approach to the Asymmetric α‐Chlorination of Aldehydes and Terminal Epoxide Formation

Time for SOme MOre : For the first time SOMO (singly occupied molecular orbital) activation has been exploited to allow a new approach to the α‐chlorination of aldehydes. This transformation can be readily implemented as part of a linchpin catalysis approach to the enantioselective production of terminal epoxides.

     

Extension groups between simple Mackey functors

In order to better understand the structure of indecomposable projective Mackey functors, we study extension groups of degree 1 between simple Mackey functors. We explicitly determine these groups between simple functors indexed by distinct normal subgroups. We next study the conditions under which it is possible to restrict ourselves to that case, and we give methods for calculating extension groups between simple Mackey functors which are not indexed by normal subgroups. We then focus on the case where the simple Mackey functors are indexed by the same subgroup. In this case, the corresponding extension group can be embedded in an extension group between modules over a group algebra, and we describe the image of this embedding. In particular, we determine all extension groups between simple Mackey functors for a p-group and for a group that has a normal p-Sylow subgroup. Finally, we compute higher extension groups between simple Mackey functors for a group that has a p-Sylow subgroup of order p.     

On the role of the bridging dicyanamidobenzene ligand in a new binuclear ruthenium complex: [{Ru(tpy)(thd)}2(mu-dicyd)][PF6] with tpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine and thd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione

The dicyanamidobenzene-bridge diruthenium complex [{Ru(tpy)(thd)}(2)(mu-dicyd)][PF(6)] ([3][PF(6)]) (dicyd = 1,4-dicyanamidobenzene, tpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine, thd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione) and its mononuclear counterpart [Ru(tpy)(thd)(Ipcyd)] (2) [Ipcyd = 4-iodophenylcyanamide anion (Ipcyd(-))] were synthesized and fully characterized. Cyclic voltammetry of 3 showed the presence of four reversible one-electron redox couples. UV-vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry and EPR spectroscopy of the electrogenerated paramagnetic intermediates were used to ascertain the oxidation-state distribution. The stable starting dinuclear complex 3(+) is found to be a ligand-centered anion radical as shown by EPR spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and DFT calculations. Oxidation of 3(+) to 3(2+) led to an EPR silent system due to substantial intramolecular antiferromagnetic interaction of the electron spins carried by the low spin ruthenium(III) atom and the bridging anion radical dicyanamido (dicyd(*)(-)), an observation which was supported by UV-vis-NIR, X-ray structure, and DFT calculations. Complex 3(3+) presented an EPR spectra consistent with a total effective spin S = (1)/(2) issued from an antiferromagnetic interaction of electron spins carried by two low spin ruthenium(III) atoms and the bridging anion radical dicyd(*)(-) in accordance with UV-vis-NIR. This study shows that the dicyanamidobenzene bridging ligand has indubitably a noninnocent behavior.     

Synthesis of quantum dot-tagged submicrometer polystyrene particles by miniemulsion polymerization

Submicrometer fluorescent polystyrene (PS) particles have been synthesized via miniemulsion polymerization using CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs). The influence of QD concentration, QD coating (either trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO)-coated or vinyl-functionalized), and surfactant concentration on the polymerization kinetics and the photoluminescence properties of the prepared particles has been analyzed. Polymerization kinetics were not altered by the presence of QDs, whatever their surface coating. Latexes exhibited particle sizes ranging from 100 to 350 nm, depending on surfactant concentration, and a narrow particle size distribution was obtained in all cases. The fluorescence signal of the particles increased with the number of incorporated TOPO-coated QDs. The slight red shift of the emission maximum was correlated with phase separation between PS and QDs, which occurred during the polymerization, locating the QDs in the vicinity of the particle/water interface. QD-tagged particles displayed higher fluorescence intensity with TOPO-coated QDs compared to those with the vinyl moiety. The obtained fluorescent particles open up new opportunities for a variety of applications in biotechnology.     

Identification of the elastic properties of an artificial capsule membrane with the compression test: effect of thickness

The mechanical properties of a capsule membrane are evaluated by means of a compression experiment between two parallel plates. Since large deformations of the membrane are involved, the choice of the wall material constitutive law is essential. In this paper, we explore different classical laws to describe the behavior of the membrane and evaluate also the limit of application of the thin shell approximation. A numerical study of the compression process is performed using Abaqus software and an inverse method is used to identify the material constants of the constitutive laws. The comparison between the model predictions and experimental measurements on capsules with serum albumin-alginate membranes, indicates that the thin shell approximation is valid only for thickness to radius ratios up to 5% and that thick membranes obey non linear elastomer type constitutive laws. The Young modulus of the membrane material is found to increase non-linearly with membrane thickness, thus indicating that fabrication of thicker serum albumin-alginate walls results in capsules stiffer than expected.     

Wet Etching of HgCdTe in Aqueous Bromine Solutions: a Quantitative Chemical Approach

The ability to pattern HgCdTe surfaces using a wet etching solution is an important challenge for processing of third-generation infrared detectors. The reduction of pixel size, the increase of pixel density, and two-color array technology require perfectly mastered etching to remove very thin layers and to control the state of the surface. To perform this process, a new quantitative chemical approach was developed to carry out very accurate wet etching in aqueous HBr/Br₂ solutions. This approach was established to identify the key parameters that govern the etching process and to understand the etching mechanism.