Anticancer Activity of Hydrogen‐Bond‐Stabilized Half‐Sandwich RuII Complexes with Heterocycles

Neutral half‐sandwich organometallic ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [(η⁶‐cymene)RuCl₂(L)] ( H1 – H10 ), where L represents a heterocyclic ligand, have been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. The structures of five complexes were also established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction confirming a piano‐stool geometry with η⁶ coordination of the arene ligand. Hydrogen bonding between the N? H group of the heterocycle and a chlorine atom attached to Ru stabilizes the metal–ligand interaction. Complexes coordinated to a mercaptobenzothiazole framework ( H1 ) or mercaptobenzoxazole ( H6 ) showed high cytotoxicity against several cancer cells but not against normal cells. In vitro studies have shown that the inhibition of cancer cell growth involves primarily G1‐phase arrest as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The complexes are found to bind DNA in a non‐intercalative fashion and cause unwinding of plasmid DNA in a cell‐free medium. Surprisingly, the cytotoxic complexes H1 and H6 differ in their interaction with DNA, as observed by biophysical studies, they either cause a biphasic melting of the DNA or the inhibition of topoisomerase IIα activity, respectively. Substitution of the aromatic ring of the heterocycle or adding a second hydrogen‐bond donor on the heterocycle reduces the cytotoxicity.     

A note on the eigenvalues of p‐fractional Hardy–Sobolev operator with indefinite weight

In this article, we study the eigenvalues of p‐fractional Hardy operator where , , , and Ω is an unbounded domain in with Lipschitz boundary containing 0. The weight function V may change sign and may have singular points. We also show that the least positive eigenvalue is simple and it is uniquely associated to a nonnegative eigenfunction. Moreover, we proved that there exists a sequence of eigenvalues as .     

Synthesis of Heterobactins A and B and Nocardia Heterobactin

The synthesis of the Rhodococcus erythropolis siderophores heterobactins A and B, and the structurally related Nocardia heterobactin, is described. Two approaches for the assembly of these asymmetric ligand donor chelators are explored. In the first approach, a scheme predicated on the biosynthesis of the Paracoccus denitrificans siderophore, parabactin, is employed. In this approach, the central donor synthon is added last. In the second scheme, the central donor and the terminal 2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl fragment are first fixed to the ligand’s d-ornithine backbone. This is followed by condensation with the cyclic ornithine hydroxamate glycine segment. The schemes offer a flexible approach to other heterobactins. Job’s plots suggest that heterobactin A and Nocardia heterobactin form 1:1 ligand/metal complexes, while heterobactin B forms a 3:2 ligand/metal complex.     

Silicon detector technology development in India for the participation in international experiments

A specific research and development program has been carried out by BARC in India to develop the technology for large area silicon strip detectors for application in nuclear and high energy physics experiments. These strip detectors will be used as pre-shower detector in the CMS experiment at LHC, CERN for π ⁰/λ rejection. The fabrication technology to produce silicon strip detectors with very good uniformity over a large area of ∼40 cm², low leakage currents of the order of 10 nA/cm² per strip and high breakdown voltage of >500 V has been developed by BARC. The production of detectors is already under way to deliver 1000 detector modules for the CMS and 90% production is completed. In this paper, research and development work carried out to develop the detector fabrication technology is briefly described. The performance of the silicon strip detectors produced in India is presented. The present status of the detector technology is discussed.      

Aggregation of silica nanoparticles directed by adsorption of lysozyme

The interaction of the globular protein lysozyme with silica nanoparticles of diameter 20 nm was studied in a pH range between the isoelectric points (IEPs) of silica and the protein (pH 3-11). The adsorption affinity and capacity of lysozyme on the silica particles is increasing progressively with pH, and the adsorbed protein induces bridging aggregation of the silica particles. Structural properties of the aggregates were studied as a function of pH at a fixed protein-to-silica concentration ratio which corresponds to a surface concentration of protein well below a complete monolayer in the complete-binding regime at pH > 6. Sedimentation studies indicate the presence of compact aggregates at pH 4-6 and a loose flocculated network at pH 7-9, followed by a sharp decrease of aggregate size near the IEP of lysozyme. The structure of the bridged silica aggregates was studied by cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering. The structure factor S(q) derived from the scattering profiles displays characteristic features of particles interacting by a short-range attractive potential and can be represented by the square-well Percus-Yevick potential model, with a potential depth not exceeding 3k(B)T.     

Search for anomalous interaction mean free paths of charge, 2≦Z≦18 projectile fragments in emulsions exposed to 1.8 A GeV40Ar ions

⁴⁰Ar-emulsion interactions are studied, to investigate the question of anomalons, in twoG- 5 emulsion stacks. In about 4600 primary interactions, projectile fragments of Z≧2 for all generations have been followed until they interact or leave the stack. After careful estimation of charges of these fragments, variation of their mean free paths is studied as a function of distance from the preceding interaction. Generation effect,N _h dependence and production angle effect are investigated. In addition multi-chain events are analysed separately. Our results do not show anomalons at the 6% level and are consistent with non-occurrence of anomalons. However, this experiment is not sensitive enough to rule out anomalons (with a mfp of the order of 2 to 3 cm) produced at about 1% (or less) level.     

One-pot,three-component synthesis of 1-amidomethyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines catalyzed by ytterbium triflate

A straightforward method has been developed for the synthesis of 1-amidomethyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines by Yb(OTf)₃ catalyzed three-component reaction of aldehydes, acetamide, and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines. A series of substituted 3-substituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines were synthesized in moderate to good yield (21–74%) under mild reaction condition and the catalyst was recycled for four cycles.     

Reusable zinc oxide nanoflowers for the synthesis of α-aminophosphonates under solvent-free ultrasonication

A simple wet chemical method is used to prepare zinc oxide nanoflowers (ZnO NFs) which were subjected to various characterization techniques such as XRD, FTIR, UV–Vis, FE-SEM, and XPS. XRD pattern indicates pure, crystalline, and monodispersed form with hexagonal wurtzite phase. The 3-D flower shape morphology with hexagonal ZnO nanorods was confirmed in FE-SEM. The synthesized ZnO NFs was used to study catalytic behavior in Kabachnik–Fields reaction under controlled ultrasound cavitation technique. High surface-to-volume ratio of ZnO NFs and the effect of ultrasonication enhances the yield of α-aminophosphonate. The catalyst was recycled and reused four times without any significant loss of its catalytic activity. Moreover, existing method becomes attractive and practical due to its easy, clean, fast, cost-effective, and eco-friendly procedure.