A Note on ＂Global Exponential Convergence Analysis of Hopfield Neural Networks with Continuously Distributed Delays＂

In this note, we would like to point out that （i） of Corollary 1 given by Zhang et al. （cf Commun. Theor. Phys. 39 （2003） 381） is incorrect in general.     

Simultaneous Estimation of Escitalopram and Clonazepam in Tablet Dosage Forms Using HPLC-DAD Method and Optimization of Chromatographic Conditions by Box-Behnken Design

The study aimed to develop a new reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method with diode array detection (DAD) detection for simultaneous estimation of escitalopram (EST) and clonazepam (CZP) in tablet dosage forms with a quality by design (QbD) approach. The chromatographic conditions were optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD) and developed method was validated for the linearity, system suitability, accuracy, precision, robustness, sensitivity, and solution stability according to International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. EST and CZP standard drugs peaks were separated at retention times of 2.668 and 5.046 min by C-18 column with dimension of 4.6 × 100 mm length and particle size packing 2.5 µm. The mobile phase was methanol: 0.1% orthophosphoric acid (OPA) (25:75, v/v), with a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min at temperature of 26 °C. The sample volume injected was 20 µL and peaks were detected at 239 nm. Using the standard calibration curve, the % assay of marketed tablet was founded 98.89 and 98.76 for EST and CZP, respectively. The proposed RP-HPLC method was able to detect EST and CZP in the presence of their degradation products, indicating the stability-indicating property of the developed RP-HPLC method. The validation parameter’s results in terms of linearity, system suitability, accuracy, precision, robustness, sensitivity, and solution stability were in an acceptable range as per the ICH guidelines. The newly developed RP-HPLC method with QbD application is simple, accurate, time-saving, and economic.     

Exploration of the Crystal Structure and Thermal and Spectroscopic Properties of Monoclinic Praseodymium Sulfate Pr2(SO4)3

Praseodymium sulfate was obtained by the precipitation method and the crystal structure was determined by Rietveld analysis. Pr₂(SO₄)₃ is crystallized in the monoclinic structure, space group C2/c, with cell parameters a = 21.6052 (4), b = 6.7237 (1) and c = 6.9777 (1) Å, β = 107.9148 (7)°, Z = 4, V = 964.48 (3) ų (T = 150 °C). The thermal expansion of Pr₂(SO₄)₃ is strongly anisotropic. As was obtained by XRD measurements, all cell parameters are increased on heating. However, due to a strong increase of the monoclinic angle β, there is a direction of negative thermal expansion. In the argon atmosphere, Pr₂(SO₄)₃ is stable in the temperature range of T = 30–870 °C. The kinetics of the thermal decomposition process of praseodymium sulfate octahydrate Pr₂(SO₄)₃·8H₂O was studied as well. The vibrational properties of Pr₂(SO₄)₃ were examined by Raman and Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy methods. The band gap structure of Pr₂(SO₄)₃ was evaluated by ab initio calculations, and it was found that the valence band top is dominated by the p electrons of oxygen ions, while the conduction band bottom is formed by the d electrons of Pr³⁺ ions. The exact position of ZPL is determined via PL and PLE spectra at 77 K to be at 481 nm, and that enabled a correct assignment of luminescent bands. The maximum luminescent band in Pr₂(SO₄)₃ belongs to the ³P₀ → ³F₂ transition at 640 nm.     

Synthesis and Systematic Study on the Effect of Different PEG Units on Stability of PEGylated,Integrin-αvβ6-Specific A20FMDV2 Analogues in Rat Serum and Human Plasma

A20FMDV2 is a 20-mer peptide that exhibits high selectivity and affinity for the tumour-related αvβ6 integrin that can compete with extracellular ligands for the crucial RGD binding site, playing a role as a promising αvβ6-specific inhibitor for anti-cancer therapies. Unfortunately, the clinical value of A20FMDV2 is limited by its poor half-life in blood caused by rapid renal excretion and its reported high susceptibility to serum proteases. The incorporation of poly (ethylene glycol) chains, coined PEGylation, is a well-established approach to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of drug molecules. Here, we report a systematic study on the incorporation of a varying number of ethylene glycol units (1–20) into the A20FMDV2 peptide to establish the effects of PEGylation size on the peptide stability in both rat serum and human plasma. In addition, the effect of acetyl and propionyl PEGylation handles on peptide stability is also described. Selected peptide analogues were assessed for integrin-αvβ6-targeted binding, showing good specificity and activity in vitro. Stability studies in rat serum established that all of the PEGylated peptides displayed good stability, and an A20FMDV2 peptide containing twenty ethylene glycol units (PEG₂₀) was the most stable. Surprisingly, the stability testing in human plasma identified shorter PEGs (PEG₂ and PEG₅) as more resistant to degradation than longer PEGs, a trend which was also observed with affinity binding to integrin αvβ6.     

Copper Binding and Oligomerization Studies of the Metal Resistance Determinant CrdA from Helicobacter pylori

Within this research, the CrdA protein from Helicobacter pylori (HpCrdA), a putative copper-binding protein important for the survival of bacterium, was biophysically characterized in a solution, and its binding affinity toward copper was experimentally determined. Incubation of HpCrdA with Cu(II) ions favors the formation of the monomeric species in the solution. The modeled HpCrdA structure shows a conserved methionine-rich region, a potential binding site for Cu(I), as in the structures of similar copper-binding proteins, CopC and PcoC, from Pseudomonas syringae and from Escherichia coli, respectively. Within the conserved amino acid motif, HpCrdA contains two additional methionines and two glutamic acid residues (MMXEMPGMXXMXEM) in comparison to CopC and PcoC but lacks the canonical Cu(II) binding site (two His) since the sequence has no His residues. The methionine-rich site is in a flexible loop and can adopt different geometries for the two copper oxidation states. It could bind copper in both oxidation states (I and II), but with different binding affinities, micromolar was found for Cu(II), and less than nanomolar is proposed for Cu(I). Considering that CrdA is a periplasmic protein involved in chaperoning copper export and delivery in the H. pylori cell and that the affinity of the interaction corresponds to a middle or strong metal–protein interaction depending on the copper oxidation state, we conclude that the interaction also occurs in vivo and is physiologically relevant for H. pylori.     

不同形貌氮化硅纳米结构的制备与表征

分别通过VLS和VS生长机制得到了Si3N4纳米线和纳米带.产物经X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)等表征手段进行了分析.FTIR图谱表明它们在800～1100cm-1的波数范围内有一个宽的吸收带,这是Si-N键伸缩振动模式的典型吸收带.它们的室温光致发光图谱显示,在420nm左右都有一很强的发射带,表明其将在纳米光电器件中有潜在应用.另外,Si3N4纳米线发光峰与纳米带的发光相比有少许蓝移(蓝移约4nm),这可能和晶须尺寸的少许差别有关.至于纳米带的发光强度大于纳米线的原因,可能是纳米带的比表面积相对较大,有利于悬键的形成,从而导致材料结构内缺陷的浓度较大.     

The stability analysis of rolling motion of hypersonic vehicles and its validations

The stability of the rolling motion of near space hypersonic vehicles with rudder control is studied using method of qualitative analysis of nonlinear differential equations, and the stability criteria of the deflected rolling motions are improved. The outcomes can serve as the basis for further study regarding the influence of pitching and lateral motion on the stability of rolling motion. To validate the theoretical results, numerical simulations were done for the rolling motion of two hypersonic vehicles with typical configurations. Also, wind tunnel experiments for four aircraft models with typical configurations have been done. The results show that: 1) there exist two dynamic patterns of the rolling motion under statically stable condition. The first one is point attractor, for which the motion of aircraft returns to the original state. The second is periodic attractor, for which the aircraft rolls periodically. 2) Under statically unstable condition, there exist three dynamic patterns of rolling motion, namely, the point attractor, periodic attractor around deflected state of rolling motion, and double periodic attractors or chaotic attractors.     

Stable edge dislocations in finite crystals

Dislocations have been considered as mechanically unstable defects in bulk crystals, ignoring the Peierls oscillations. Eshelby [J. Appl. Phys. 24 (1953) p.176] had showed that a screw dislocation can be stable in a thin cylinder. In the current work, considering Eshelby's example of an edge dislocation in a single crystalline plate, we show that an edge dislocation can be stable in a finite crystal. Using specific examples, we also show that the position of stability of an edge dislocation can be off-centre. This shift in the stability from the centre marks the transition from a stable dislocation to an unstable one. The above-mentioned tasks are achieved by simulating edge dislocations using the finite element method.     

利用“神光-Ⅱ”激光装置多路光束叠加直接驱动下的冲击波平面性及稳定性

利用“神光-Ⅱ”的3路基频光输出及小透镜列阵束匀滑技术,通过优化设计和合理地选择光路组合,实现了多路叠加斜入射的驱动激光, 在靶材料中产生一个650~750μm范围内平面性良好的冲击波,有效地提高了“神光-Ⅱ”输出光束的利用率。同时,利用斜面靶进行的冲击稳定性实验表明,在靶面功率密度分别为3.26×1014及2.56×1014W/cm2时,冲击波至少在28.38~55.82和22.13~35.07μm的Al样品厚度内是稳定传播的。     

Simultaneous determination of morniflumate and its major active metabolite,niflumic acid,in human plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography in stability and pharmacokinetic studies

A rapid, sensitive and stable high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of morniflumate and its major active metabolite, niflumic acid, in human plasma. HPLC analysis was carried out using a 5 µm particle size, C₁₈‐bonded silica column with a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.005 m potassium phosphate monobasic in water (60:40, v/v) as the mobile phase and UV detection at 287 nm. The method involved the treatment with 50 μL of 0.4 m hydrochloric acid for the stability of morniflumate, extraction with diethylether and evaporation to dryness under a nitrogen stream. The lower limit of quantitation for morniflumate and niflumic acid was 50 and 500 ng/mL, respectively. The calibration curves for morniflumate and niflumic acid were linear over the concentration range of 50–20,000 ng/mL and 500–50,000 ng/mL, respectively, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9995 and inter‐ or intra‐batch coefficients of variation not exceeding 13.79%. The variability (percentage difference) of incurred sample re‐analysis did not exceed 11.72% and all of the repeat samples fell within 20% of the mean value. This assay procedure was applied successfully to an examination of the pharmacokinetics of morniflumate and its metabolite, niflumic acid, in human subjects. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.