Resonance multiplicities in a hadron transport approach

In this article we focus on the multiplicities of resonances, ratios of resonant over non-resonant states and rescattering processes in heavy ion collisions. Therefore we utilize a hadron transport model (UrQMD v1.3). We find that rescattering of decay particles is of great importance when studying resonances in a hadronic medium.     

Patents and literature

Protein engineering and site-directed mutagenesis is becoming immensely important in both fundamental studies and commercial applications involving proteins and enzymes in biocatalysis. Protein engineering has become a powerful tool to help biochemists and molecular enzymologists elucidate structure-function relationships in enzymic active sites, to understand the intricacies of protein folding and denaturation, and to alter the selectivity of enzymatic catalysis. Commercial applications of engineered enzymes are being developed to increase protein stability, widen or narrow substrate specificity, and to develop novel approaches for use of enzymes in organic synthesis, drug design, and clinical applications. In addition to protein engineering, novel expression systems have been designed to prepare large quantities of genetically engineered proteins. Recent US patents and scientific literature on protein engineering, site-directed mutagenesis, and protein expression systems related to protein engineering are surveyed. Patent abstracts are summarized individually and a list of literature references are given.     

Determination of trimethylsilyl methylated nucleic acid bases in urine by gas-liquid chromatography.

A method for the determination of the urinary excretion level of methylated nucleic acid bases by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) has been developed. A clean-up procedure prior to GLC analysis consisted of hydrolysis, filtration, charcoal adsorption, and anion exchange. Studies to determine optimum derivatization conditions for conversion of the methylated bases to their trimethylsilyl derivatives and to evaluate GLC parameters and columns to obtain the best separation were conducted. Application of the method was shown by determining the excretion levels of methylated bases in urine of normal controls and of patients with various types of malignancy.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of biogenic amines in biological materials as o-phthalaldehyde derivatives.

A remarkably sensitive, simple and selective reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed, allowing, for the first time, the direct measurement of histamine, norepinephrine, octopamine, normetanephrine, dopamine, serotonin and tyramine in a single sample of plasma (2 ml), tissue (0.2 g), or urine. The biogenic amines were modified by pre-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde which stabilizes the molecules, aids in extraction, and improves HPLC detection at the nanogram level. To minimize losses during the sampling procedure a careful collection procedure was designed. We developed a simple sample cleanup in which the samples were thawed, neutralized with KOH, immediately derivatized, extracted into ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and then chromatographed by HPLC. The derivatives were stable in EtOAc for more then 24 h. Interfering amino acids were removed from the EtOAc by partitioning twice with Na2HPO4 buffer (pH 10.0). Complete separation was achieved in ca. 60--90 min on a muBondapak phenyl column using a stepwise gradient of acetonitrile and/or methanol-phosphate buffer (pH 5.1). A variable wavelength fluorometer with a 5-microliter flow-cell was used (excitation 340 nm; emission 480 nm). Linearity ranged from 200 pg to 50 ng onto the column. Precision (R.S.D.) for retention times was 1% and for derivatization and injection 2.5%. Recoveries of the seven biogenic amines from plasma spiked with 25 ng/ml averaged 70%, with a relative standard deviation of 6%. Separation studies were also done using a muBondapak C18 column. The effects of various eluents are presented. Gas-liquid chromatography was also investigated but lacked the sensitivity achieved by HPLC. The HPLC method is used routinely for the determination of biogenic amines in plasma from pigs with malignant hyperthemia and thermally stressed bovine. Significant differences in levels of biogenic amines were noted between stressed and non-stressed animals. Data on rat brain tissue samples were compared with the trihydroxyindole method and canine heart tissue was analyzed for ventricular norepinephrine and dopamine. Application of the method to urine from normal persons and a patient with a brain tumor has been demonstrated.     

Enantioselective Preparation of 2‐Aminomethyl Carboxylic Acid Derivatives: Solving the β2‐Amino Acid Problem with the Chiral Auxiliary 4‐Isopropyl‐5,5‐diphenyloxazolidin‐2‐one (DIOZ). Preliminary Communication

Multigram amounts of suitably protected β²‐amino acids with 17 of the 20 proteinogenic side chains are prepared by diastereoselective reactions of Li, B, or Ti enolates of the corresponding 3‐acyl‐4‐isopropyl‐5,5‐diphenyloxazolidin‐2‐ones (acyl‐DIOZ; 1 ) with appropriate electrophiles (amidomethylation, hydroxyalkylation, (benzyloxycarbonyl)methylation) in yields of 55–90% and with diastereoselectivities of 80 to >97% (Scheme). The primary products 2 – 8 thus obtained are converted to protected β²‐amino acids by standard procedures (Table 1). Many of the DIOZ derivatives are highly crystalline compounds (31 X‐ray crystal structures in Table 2). The chiral auxiliary DIOZ, readily prepared in either enantiomeric form, is recovered with high yield.     

Reinvestigation of the Conformation of Cyclosporin A in Chloroform

New investigations of cyclosporin A in CDCl₃ have been performed to obtain additional and more accurate distance restraints than utilized in our previous studies of cyclosporin A. Build-up rates at 600 MHz using 6 different mixing times at low temperatures (252.5 K) were determined and transformed into distances using the two-spin approximation. With the new distance restraints in the MD simulations using the GROMOS package, we can unambiguously conclude the presence of a βII′-turn. The new structure resembles the X-ray structure more than the structure previously determined, especially regarding the orientation of the MeBmt side chain. In the new structure and in the solid state, the side chain is folded over the backbone (although there are substantial differences in the χ₁ torsion), in contrast to the old structure, where the side chain is extended away from the backbone.     

Microporous, fast response cellulose ether hydrogel prepared by freeze-drying

A simple and effective method of preparing fast-response gels is developed. The freeze-drying and subsequent rehydration of thermosensitive gels alters the microstructural properties of the gels in a way that leads to rapid shrinking rates. Microporous hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) gels were created by this method to investigate the influence of the process on the swelling and shrinking kinetics of the gels in response to temperature changes. Micropores of different size ranges were produced by freezing gels with different amounts of water at −20 °C. Water content was the key factor to control the microporosity and the shrinking rates of gels. After the freezing treatment, an effective diffusion coefficient for shrinking could be determined by fitting Fick's law to the data (5.2 × 10⁻⁴ cm²/s). This was an increase of two orders of magnitude over that of the untreated, non-porous gel (6.0 × 10⁻⁶ cm²/s). The magnitude of the shrinking coefficient indicates that the shrinking rate of the microporous gel is probably limited by the convective flow, as unsteady flow through porous media follows the same differential equation as Fick's law, but with much greater transport coefficients, as observed here. Physically, the shrinking rate may be determined by the level of interconnected-cells in a microporous structure present at the beginning of shrinking process because the convection through the interconnected-cells is estimated to be much slower than the polymer network diffusion rate of the struts of micropores (0.1–3.0 μm) as well as heat transfer.     

Optical sensor systems for bioprocess monitoring

Bioreactors are closed systems in which microorganisms can be cultivated under defined, controllable conditions that can be optimized with regard to viability, reproducibility, and product-oriented productivity. To drive the biochemical reaction network of the biological system through the desired reaction optimally, the complex interactions of the overall system must be understood and controlled. Optical sensors which encompass all analytical methods based on interactions of light with matter are efficient tools to obtain this information. Optical sensors generally offer the advantages of noninvasive, nondestructive, continuous, and simultaneous multianalyte monitoring. However, at this time, no general optical detection system has been developed. Since modern bioprocesses are extremely complex and differ from process to process (e.g., fungal antibiotic production versus mammalian cell cultivation), appropriate analytical systems must be set up from different basic modules, designed to meet the special demands of each particular process. In this minireview, some new applications in bioprocess monitoring of the following optical sensing principles will be discussed: UV spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, pulsed terahertz spectroscopy (PTS), optical biosensors, in situ microscope, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIF).     

Modified nucleosides in human serum.

Methylated purines and pyrimidines derived from the degradation of transfer ribonucleic acid have been shown to be excreted in abnormal amounts in the urine of patients with cancer. Recent technology developed by Gehrke and Kuo has allowed the separation and quantification of modified nucleosides in serum using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array measurement. Serum levels of ten modified nucleosides were measured in 37 normal healthy adults to establish normal values and to correlate activity with age and sex. In addition, serum levels of patients with several malignancies were measured to determine activity in these diseases. Levels of modified nucleosides in normal individuals were consistently reproducible and showed no significant variation among males versus females or with age. Patients with malignant diseases showed consistent elevations and these were highest in patients with more advanced disease. The evidence of no significant differences in the mean levels of modified nucleosides in serum with age or sex in normal adults and elevations in patients with malignancies demonstrate the potential value of modified nucleosides as cancer biomarkers.