The synthesis of dendrodoine, 5-[3-(N,N-dimethylamino- 1,2,4-thiadiazolyl]-3-indolylmethanone,a metabolite of the marine tunicate dendroda grossular

The cytotoxic natural product dendrodoine has been synthesised by a 1,3-dipolar addition reaction between indolyl-3-carbonyl nitrile and N,N-dimethylaminonitrile sulphide generated $\text{in}$$\text{situ}$ through the thermolysis of 5-(N,N-dimethylamino)-1,3,4-oxathiazol-2-one.     

Evidence for facile atropisomerism and simple (non-nucleophilic) biradical-forming cycloaromatization within kedarcidin chromophore aglycon

The kinetics and thermodynamics of atropisomerism within the protected kedarcidin chromophore aglycon 8, as well as a series of ansa-bridged synthetic intermediates leading to 8, were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The data show that the ratio of atropisomeric forms of chloropyridine-bridged ansa intermediates is subject to wide variation with seemingly subtle structural variation. The vinyl bromide 4, for example, in the first X-ray structure determination of a kedarcidin ansa-bridged system, was found to exist as a single atropisomer in the solid state, but a nearly equal mixture (K = 0.70) of isomers in solution (t1/2 for isomer interconversion approximately 0.2 s at 20 degrees C). The aglycon 8, a 2.2:1 mixture of atropisomers, was found to undergo direct unimolecular biradical-forming cycloaromatization at ambient temperature in a mixture of 1,4-cyclohexadiene-benzene, without nucleophilic activation. The product 9 was formed as a single atropisomer (k = 2 x 10-4 s-1, t1/2 = 58 min, 81% yield), suggesting that the rate of atropisomerism within 8 is rapid with respect to cycloaromatization. The rate of cycloaromatization of 8 was found to be highly solvent-dependent, being more rapid in the presence of a good hydrogen-atom donor, consistent with the earlier model studies of Hirama et al. that showed that certain nine-membered cyclic (Z)-enediynes may equilibrate with their biradical cycloaromatization products. Incubation of 8 with beta-mercaptoethanol, under conditions mimicking experiments leading to DNA cleavage with kedarcidin, showed no evidence for nucleophilic activation. The product of direct cycloaromatization (9) was isolated instead. The evidence suggests that kedarcidin, like the enediyne agent C-1027, is capable of spontaneous thermal biradical formation without prior chemical activation.     

High throughput drug screening by direct RNA profiling on DNA sensors

The feasibility of DNA microarray sensor technology as a routine technique of molecular pharmacology to perform high throughput drug screening and the advantages of directly labeled RNA for a high throughput experiment are presented in this paper. A novel, single-step direct chemical labeling method for DNA microarray target samples has been developed to reduce the sample amount, cost, time and error of the experiment by eliminating the need for enzyme mediated labeling. Reproducibility of the data for high throughput drug screening is demonstrated by monitoring differential gene expression of a set of 45 gene targets involved in the genotoxic stress response pathways.     

Structure and thermoelectric properties of the new quaternary bismuth selenides A(1-x)M(4-x)Bi(11+x)Se21 (A = K and Rb and Cs; M = Sn and Pb)--members of the grand homologous series Km(M6Se8)m(M(5+n)Se(9+n))

Several members of the new family A(1-x)M(4-x)Bi(11+x)Se21 (A = K, Rb, Cs; M = Sn, Pb) were prepared by direct combination of A2Se, Bi2Se3, Sn (or Pb), and Se at 800 degrees C. The single-crystal structures of K(0.54)Sn(3.54)Bi(11.46)Se21, K(1.46)Pb(3.08)Bi(11.46)Se21, Rb(0.69)Pb(3.69)Bi(11.31)Se21, and Cs(0.65)Pb(3.65)Bi(11.35)Se21 were determined. The compounds A(1-x)M(4-x)Bi(11+x) Se21 crystallize in a new structure type with the monoclinic space group C2/m, in which building units of the Bi2Te3 and NaCl structure type join to give rise to a novel kind of three-dimensional anionic framework with alkali-ion-filled tunnels. The building units are assembled from distorted, edge-sharing (Bi,Sn)Se6 octahedra. Bi and Sn/Pb atoms are disordered over the metal sites of the chalcogenide network, while the alkali site is not fully occupied. A grand homologous series Km(M6Se8)m(M(5+n)Se(9+n)) has been identified of which the compounds A(1-x)M(4-x)Bi(11+x)Se21 are members. We discuss here the crystal structure, charge-transport properties, and very low thermal conductivity of A(1-x)M(4-x)Bi(11+x)Se21.     

On the construction of the Taub-NUT congruence

We describe how the null congruence tangent to the multiple Debever-Penrose direction of the Taub-NUT solution of Einstein's vacuum field equations may be constructed emanating into the future from a timelike world tube having normal cross sections. The curious shapes of the cross sections of the world tube are plotted, using a computer, for critical ranges of the parameterb/R ₀ whereb is the Taub-NUT parameter andR ₀ is the radius of the world tube. It is found that these cross sections can be maintained spatially compact only for some values ofb/R ₀.Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant No. GP-41655-X.     

Asymmetric dimeric liquid crystals The preparation and properties of the α-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4'-oxy)-ω-(4-n-alkylanilinebenzylidene-4'-oxy)hexanes

Abstract

The first eleven members of the homologous series of α-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4'-oxy)-ω-(4-n-alkylanilinebenzylidene-4'-oxy)hexanes have been synthesized. The compounds are all enantiotropic nematogens and, with the exception of the heptyl, octyl and nonyl homologues, exhibit smectic phases. The thermal stability of the smectic A phase initially increases with the length of the terminal alkyl chain, passes through a maximum and then falls dramatically before disappearing. The smectic A phase subsequently reappears with the decyl homologue which has the highest smectic A-nematic transition temperature of the series. In order to understand this unusual behavior we have determined the entropies of transition for the compounds and we have measured the layer spacing of the smectic A phase for three of them.     

The Collision Cross Sections of Iodide Salt Cluster Ions in Air via Differential Mobility Analysis-Mass Spectrometry

To date, most collision cross section (CCS) predictions have invoked gas molecule impingement-reemission rules in which specular and elastic scattering of spherical gas molecules from rigid polyatomic surfaces are assumed. Although such predictions have been shown to agree well with CCSs measured in helium bath gas, a number of studies reveal that these predictions do not agree with CCSs for ions in diatomic gases, namely, air and molecular nitrogen. To further examine the validity of specular-elastic versus diffuse-inelastic scattering models, we measured the CCSs of positively charged metal iodide cluster ions of the form [MI]_n[M⁺]_z, where M?=?Na, K, Rb, or Cs, n?=?1 – 25, and z?=?1 – 2. Measurements were made in air via differential mobility analysis mass spectrometry (DMA-MS). The CCSs measured are compared with specular-elastic as well as diffuse-inelastic scattering model predictions with candidate ion structures determined from density functional theory. It is found that predictions from diffuse-inelastic collision models agree well (within 5 %) with measurements from sodium iodide cluster ions, while specular-elastic collision model predictions are in better agreement with cesium iodide cluster ion measurements. The agreement with diffuse-inelastic and specular-elastic predictions decreases and increases, respectively, with increasing cation mass. However, even when diffuse-inelastic cluster ion predictions disagree with measurements, the disagreement is of a near-constant factor for all ions, indicating that a simple linear rescaling collapses predictions to measurements. Conversely, rescaling cannot be used to collapse specular-elastic predictions to measurements; hence, although the precise impingement reemission rules remain ambiguous, they are not specular-elastic.

Rheological and Solubility Properties of Soy Protein Isolate

Soy protein isolate (SPI) powders often have poor water solubility, particularly at pH values close to neutral, which is an attribute that is an issue for its incorporation into complex nutritional systems. Therefore, the objective of this study was to improve SPI solubility while maintaining low viscosity. Thus, the intention was to examine the solubility and rheological properties of a commercial SPI powder at pH values of 2.0, 6.9, and 9.0, and determine if heat treatment at acidic or alkaline conditions might positively influence protein solubility, once re-adjusted back to pH 6.9. Adjusting the pH of SPI dispersions from pH 6.9 to 2.0 or 9.0 led to an increase in protein solubility with a concomitant increase in viscosity at 20 °C. Meanwhile, heat treatment at 90 °C significantly improved the solubility at all pH values and resulted in a decrease in viscosity in samples heated at pH 9.0. All SPI dispersions measured under low-amplitude rheological conditions showed elastic-like behaviour (i.e., G′ > G″), indicating a weak “gel-like” structure at frequencies less than 10 Hz. In summary, the physical properties of SPI can be manipulated through heat treatment under acidic or alkaline conditions when the protein subunits are dissociated, before re-adjusting to pH 6.9.     

Hosing instability in the blow-out regime for plasma-wakefield acceleration

The electron hosing instability in the blow-out regime of plasma-wakefield acceleration is investigated using a linear perturbation theory about the electron blow-out trajectory in Lu et al. [in Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 165002 (2006)10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.165002]. The growth of the instability is found to be affected by the beam parameters unlike in the standard theory Whittum et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 991 (1991)10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.991] which is strictly valid for preformed channels. Particle-in-cell simulations agree with this new theory, which predicts less hosing growth than found by the hosing theory of Whittum et al.