Towards the control and inhibition of glycation-the role of the guanidine reaction center with aldehydic and diketonic dicarbonyls. A mass spectrometry study

Glycation of proteins by glucose and formation of end-stage adducts (AGEs, advanced glycation end products) has been implicated in pathological mechanisms associated with diabetic complications, macrovascular disease, chronic and renal insufficiency, Alzheimer's disease, and aging. Of the carbonyl containing compounds involved in this process, alpha-dicarbonyls have particular importance, being established as direct intermediates in the formation of well-known AGEs. The guanidino group, present in arginine residues, suffers direct modifications by sugars and its derivatives, and is considered to be an important chemical basis, targeting the control and inhibition of glycation.Seven dicarbonyl compounds, aldehydic and diketonic, were reacted with guanidine, in an attempt to establish structure/activity relationships. Electrospray mass spectrometry, together with tandem mass spectrometry, was used to identify and characterize the reaction products. The reactivity of guanidine was found to vary with the dicarbonyls used. For glyoxal, a high amount of dihydroxyimidazolidine was formed, whereas for methylglyoxal, dihydroxyimidazolidine was slowly converted into hydroimidazolone. Interestingly, aqueous guanidine was found to prevent argpyrimidine formation. The formation of several amine-dicarbonyl moieties was observed for the larger alkyl-diketonic dicarbonyls reaction systems, in particular. Molecular structures, bearing a polar chain, of an imidazole ring, and a nonpolar one, of alkyl groups, located at both sides of the imidazole rings, were attributed to these moieties. Gas-phase experiments suggested that the larger alkyl groups have a preference for being located at one of the sides of the imidazole rings. Moreover, the referred amine-dicarbonyl moieties are formed via (dihydroxyimidazolidine - 2H2O) moieties. The latter (dihydroxyimidazolidine - 2H2O) moieties are formed in high amounts in the larger alkyl-diketonic dicarbonyl reactions. Since these moieties react with dicarbonyl molecules, and react even faster with already modified amine functions, we can foresee that these species may be useful for controlling and inhibiting glycation of larger biomolecules, such as proteins.     

Studies of the oxidation of palladium complexes by the advanced oxidation process Pretreatment of model catalysts for precious metal analysis

The advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the pretreatment of model palladium catalysts has been studied. Most standard metal analysis techniques are for metal ions free of organic ligands. Spent palladium catalysts contain organic ligands that need to be removed prior to analysis. AOP uses a combination of hydrogen peroxide and UV light to generate radicals that decompose such ligands, freeing up metals for further analysis. Palladium acetate Pd(OAc)₂, palladium acetylacetonate Pd(acac)₂, and tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium (Pd₂(dba)₃) were chosen as model precious metal catalysts for investigation. AOP was found to decompose ligands in Pd(OAc)₂, Pd(acac)₂ and give accurate Pd(II) quantification, while ligand decomposition and oxidation of Pd(0) to Pd(II) were demonstrated in treatments involving Pd₂(dba)₃. The effects of solubility of the palladium complexes, continuous addition of H₂O₂ during AOP treatments, sample pH, concentration of H₂O₂, and length of UV irradiation are reported.     

A knowledge based approach to loss severity assessment in financial institutions using Bayesian networks and loss determinants

Modelling loss severity from rare operational risk events with potentially catastrophic consequences has proved a difficult task for practitioners in the finance industry. Efforts to develop loss severity models that comply with the BASEL II Capital Accord have resulted in two principal model directions where one is based on scenario generated data and the other on scaling of pooled external data. However, lack of relevant historical data and difficulties in constructing relevant scenarios frequently raise questions regarding the credibility of the resulting loss predictions. In this paper we suggest a knowledge based approach for establishing severity distributions based on loss determinants and their causal influence. Loss determinants are key elements affecting the actual size of potential losses, e.g. market volatility, exposure and equity capital. The loss severity distribution is conditional on the state of the identified loss determinants, thus linking loss severity to underlying causal drivers. We suggest Bayesian Networks as a powerful framework for quantitative analysis of the causal mechanisms determining loss severity. Leaning on available data and expert knowledge, the approach presented in this paper provides improved credibility of the loss predictions without being dependent on extensive data volumes.     

Mathematics teachers’ views about the limited utility of real analysis: A transport model hypothesis

In the United States and elsewhere, prospective teachers of secondary mathematics are usually required to complete numerous advanced mathematics courses before obtaining certification. However, several research studies suggest that teachers’ experiences in these advanced mathematics courses have little influence on their pedagogical practice and efficacy. To understand this phenomenon, we presented 14 secondary mathematics teachers with four statements and proofs in real analysis that related to secondary content and asked the participants to discuss whether these proofs could inform their teaching of secondary mathematics. In analyzing participants’ remarks, we propose that many teachers view the utility of real analysis in secondary school mathematics teaching using a transport model, where the perceived importance of a real analysis explanation is dependent upon the teacher’s ability to transport that explanation directly into their instruction in a secondary mathematics classroom. Consequently, their perceived value of a real analysis course in their teacher preparation is inherently limited. We discuss implications of the transport model on secondary mathematics teacher education.     

Reaction of organic sulfur compounds with superoxide anion—III : Oxidation of organic sulfur compounds to sulf1nic and sulfonic acids

Organic sulfur compounds such as disulfide, thiolsulfinate, thiolsulfonate, thiol, sodium thiolate, and sodium sultinale were readily oxidized to both sulfinic and sulfonic acids with superoxide anion generated from potassium superoxide and 18-crown-6-ether under mild conditions. However, both sulfide and sulfoxide did not react with superoxide anion, O₂^-. Although thiol was easily oxidized to disulfide with O₂^? at room temperature, it was oxidized further with O₂^? at 60° to the corresponding sulfinic and sulfonic acids. Symmetrical disulfide was obtained in the reaction of unsymmetrical thiolsulfinate or thiolsulfonate along with both sulfinic and sulfonic acids. Most reactive was thiolsulfinate which reacted at lower temperature ranging between ?40 and 0° to afford the products within 30 min. Relative reactivities fall in the following order: thiolsulfinate > thiolsulfonate > disulfide ? sodium thiolate ? sodium sulfinate. Polar solvents such as pyridine and acetonitrile were more effective than such a less polar solvent as benzene in the oxidation of the substrate, and increased amount of the crown ether shortened the reaction time. Nucleophilic attack of O₂^? and electron transfer processes are believed to be involved in these oxidations.     

催化湿式共氧化法同时去除硝基苯和苯酚

在150–210 oC,1.0 MPa氧分压条件下,对催化湿式共氧化法同时去除硝基苯和苯酚进行了研究.与无催化剂共氧化降解苯酚和硝基苯相比,均相催化剂的加入极大提高了苯酚和硝基苯的去除.在所研究的过渡金属催化剂中, Cu2+, Co2+和Ni2+是有效的催化剂,其中Cu2+的催化活性最好.引发剂苯酚的连续加入模式对硝基苯的去除有很大的促进作用,分批加入苯酚的促进作用更明显.在200 oC,以Cu2+为催化剂,苯酚分两次加入,反应1 h,硝基苯去除率达到95%.这种催化共氧化体系以及分批进样引发剂的反应模式对有效去除环境中其它有机污染物提供了一种方法.     

Peptide Stapling by Crosslinking Two Amines with α-Ketoaldehydes through Diverse Modified Glyoxal-Lysine Dimer Linkers

α-Ketoaldehydes play versatile roles in the ubiquitous natural processes of protein glycation. However, leveraging the reactivity of α-ketoaldehydes for biomedical applications has been challenging. Previously, the reactivity of α-ketoaldehydes with guanidine has been harnessed to design probes for labeling Arg residues on proteins in an aqueous medium. Herein, a highly effective, broadly applicable, and operationally simple protocol for stapling native peptides by crosslinking two amino groups through diverse imidazolium linkers with various α-ketoaldehyde reagents is described. The use of hexafluoroisopropanol as a solvent facilitates rapid and clean reactions under mild conditions and enables unique selectivity for Lys over Arg. The naturally occurring GOLD/MOLD linkers have been expanded to encompass a wide range of modified glyo xal-l ysine d imer (OLD) linkers. In a proof-of-concept trial, these modular stapling reactions enabled a convenient two-round strategy to streamline the structure–activity relationship (SAR) study of the wasp venom peptide anoplin, leading to enhanced biological activities.     

A mixed integer programming model for advanced planning and scheduling (APS)

This paper presents a mixed integer programming (MIP) model which succeeds in a system integration of the production planning and shop floor scheduling problems. The proposed advanced planning and scheduling (APS) model explicitly considers capacity constraints, operation sequences, lead times and due dates in a multi-order environment. The objective of the model is to seek the minimum cost of both production idle time and tardiness or earliness penalty of an order. The output of the model is operation schedules with order starting time and finish time. Numerical result shows that the suggested APS model can favorably produce optimal schedules.