Studies on the 4-benzoylpyridine-3-carboxamide entity as a fragment model of the Isoniazid-NAD adduct

An ortho-metallation-electrophilic substitution sequence was employed as a key step to build the 4-benzoylpyridine framework. It was found that 4-benzoylpyridine-3-carboxamide and an N-pyridyl alkylated derivative both exist in a unique cyclized hemiamidal structure, not in the usually expected keto-amide open form. These structures represent fragment models of the Isoniazid-NAD adducts involved in the mechanism of action of the antituberculous drug Isoniazid.     

Numerical analysis of TOF measurements in pulsed laser ablation

The results of numerical simulation of pulsed laser ablation both in vacuum and into a background gas are presented. The influences of different processes, such as time evolution of the surface temperature, interspecies interactions (elastic collisions, recombination-dissociation reaction), interaction with an ambient gas, and excitations-relaxation processes on time-of-flight (TOF) distributions are examined. Experimentally obtained time-of-flight distributions are further analyzed, based on the results of numerical simulation. It is found that with the aid of numerical results one can explain not only the shape of the TOF distribution, but also the distance dependency of its maximum position (mean delay time). In addition, the mechanisms leading to the appearance of bimodal time-of-flight distribution are revealed. The study presents particular interest for the analysis of experimental results obtained during pulsed laser ablation.     

A general reduction scheme for the time-dependent Born–Oppenheimer approximation

We construct a general reduction scheme for the study of the quantum propagator of molecular Schrödinger operators with smooth potentials. This reduction is made up to infinitely (resp. exponentially) small error terms with respect to the inverse square root of the mass of the nuclei, depending on the C^∞ (resp. analytic) smoothness of the interactions. Then we apply this result to the case when an electronic level is isolated from the rest of the spectrum of the electronic Hamiltonian. To cite this article: A. Martinez, V. Sordoni, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 185–188.     

Bioactive Compounds from Pale Ale Beer Powder Attenuate Experimental Colitis in BALB/c Mice

Phenolic compounds (PCs) present in foods are associated with a decreased risk of developing inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to extract and characterize PCs from craft beer powder and evaluate their potential benefits in an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). PCs were extracted and quantified from pure beer samples. BALB/c mice received either the beer phenolic extract (BPE) or beer powder fortified with phenolic extract (BPFPE) of PCs daily for 20 days by gavage. Colon samples were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced mice lost more weight, had reduced colon length, and developed more inflammatory changes compared with DSS-induced mice treated with either BPE or BPFPE. In addition, in DSS-induced mice, the densities of CD4- and CD11b-positive cells, apoptotic rates, and activation of NF-κB and p-ERK1/2 MAPK intracellular signaling pathways were higher in those treated with BPE and BPFPE than in those not treated. Pretreatment with the phenolic extract and BPFPE remarkably attenuated DSS-induced colitis. The protective effect of PCs supports further investigation and development of therapies for human IBD.     

On the optimal control for variational inequalities

We prove an existence theorem for the optimal control of variational inequalities governed by a pseudomonotone operator: the cost is assumed to be quadratic. Then, we give an extension of the theorem to more general costs (assuming the operator to be monotone); we also give a result on a perturbation problem.This work is an extended part of the author's thesis, written under the direction of Professor T. Zolezzi. This research was partially supported by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Rome, Italy.     

Determination of anatoxin-a in environmental water samples by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

In the present work, a method was developed and optimized aiming at the determination of anatoxin-a in environmental water samples. The method is based on the direct derivatization of the analyte by adding hexylchloroformate in the alkalinized sample (pH = 9.0). The derivatized anatoxin-a was extracted by a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) procedure, submersing a PDMS fiber in an amber vial for 20 min under magnetic stirring. GC-MS was used to identify and quantify the analyte in the SIM mode. Norcocaine was used as internal standard. The following ions were chosen for SIM analyses (quantification ions in italics): anatoxin-a: 191, 164, 293 and norcocaine: 195, 136, 168. The calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 2.5-200 ng/mL and the LOD was 2 ng/mL. This method of SPME and GC-MS analysis can be readily utilized to monitor anatoxin-a for water quality control.     

Stability of Roots of Polynomials Under Linear Combinations of Derivatives

Let T=α ₀ I+α ₁ D+⋅⋅⋅+α _n D ⁿ , where D is the differentiation operator and a₀ 1 0\alpha_{0}\not=0 , and let f be a square-free polynomial with large minimum root separation. We prove that the roots of Tf are close to the roots of f translated by −α ₁/α ₀.     

On Gevrey singularities of microhyperbolic operators

We study the Gevrey singularities of solutions of microhyperbolic equations using exponential weighted estimates in the phase space. In particular, we recover some known results on the propagation of Gevrey regularity in an elementary way, using microlocal exponential estimates.