Ensemble hybridisation--a new method for exploring sequence dependent fluorescence of dye-nucleic acid conjugates

The fluorescence of thiazole orange as artificial base in PNA was investigated in a nearest neighbour analysis; library-to-library hybridisation allowed the identification of probe sequences suitable for homogeneous DNA detection.     

Mn site substitution of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 with closed shell ions: Effect on magnetic transition temperature

Mn site is substituted with closed shell ions (Al, Ga, Ti, Zr and a certain combination of Zr and Al) and also with Fe and Ru ions carrying the magnetic moment (S=5/2 and 2 respectively) at a fixed concentration of 5 at %. Substitution did not change either the crystal symmetry or the oxygen stoichiometry. All substituents were found to suppress both the metal-insulator and ferromagnetic transition temperatures (T _p(ρ) and T _C, respectively) to varied extents. Two main contributions identified for the suppression are the lattice disorder arising due to difference in the ionic radii between the substituent (r _M) and the Mn³⁺ ion (r _Mn ³⁺) and in the case of the substituents carrying a magnetic moment, the type of magnetic coupling between the substituent and that of the neighboring Mn ion.     

Ultrasound-assisted synthesis of C-glycosides

A significant rate enhancement was observed in the preparation of allyl and allenyl-C-glycosides from glycosyl acetate or methyl O-glycoside precursors when ultrasound irradiation was employed as an energy source. The C-glycosides were obtained in 77-96% yields in <20 min using TMSOTf as promoter. These results show that sonication provides rapid and efficient access to useful C-glycoside-based building blocks.     

Exploring base-pair-specific optical properties of the DNA stain thiazole orange

Double-stranded DNA offers multiple binding sites to DNA stains. Measurements of noncovalently bound dye-nucleic acid complexes are, necessarily, measurements of an ensemble of chromophores. Thus, it is difficult to assign fluorescence properties to base-pair-specific binding modes of cyanine dyes or, vice versa, to obtain information about the local environment of cyanines in nucleic acids by using optical spectroscopy. The feasibility to stain DNA and simultaneously probe local perturbations by optical spectroscopy would be a valuable asset to nucleic acid research. So-called FIT probes (forced intercalation probes) were used to pinpoint the location of the DNA stain thiazole orange (TO) in PNADNA duplexes. A detailed analysis of the base-pair dependence of optical properties is provided and enforced binding of TO is compared with "classical" binding of free TO-PRO1. UV-visible absorbance, circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy, and melting-curve analyses confirmed site-specific TO intercalation. Thiazole orange exhibited base-specific responses that are not observed in noncovalent dye-nucleic acid complexes, such as an extraordinary dependence of the TO extinction coefficient (+/-60 % variation of the averaged epsilon(max) of 57,000 M(-1) cm(-1)) on nearest-neighbor base pairs. TO signals hybridization, as shown by increases in the steady-state fluorescence emission. Studies of TO fluorescence lifetimes in FIT-PNA and in DNADNA and PNADNA complexes highlighted four different fluorescence-decay processes that may be closed or opened in response to matched or single-mismatched hybridization. A very fast decay process (0.04-0.07 ns) and a slow decay process (2.33-3.95 ns) provide reliable monitors of hybridization, and the opening of a fast decay channel (0.22-0.48 ns) that resulted in an attenuation of the fluorescence emission is observed upon the formation of mismatched base pairs.     

DSC analysis of Cu–Zn–Sn shape memory alloy fabricated via electrodeposition route

Cu–Zn–Sn shape memory alloy strips with composition range of 13.70–46.30 mass% Sn were fabricated by electrodepositing Sn on a shim brass surface and then subsequently annealed at a constant temperature of 400 °C for 120 min under flowing nitrogen. Subjecting the Sn-plated strips to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed that the austenitic start (A _s) temperature was essentially constant at 225 °C while the martensite start (M _s) temperature was consistently within the 221.5–222 °C interval. Austenite to martensite phase transformation showed two distinct peaks on the DSC thermogram which can be attributed to the non-homogeneity of the bulk Cu–Zn–Sn ternary alloy. The latent heats of cooling and heating were found to increase with the mass% Sn plated on the shim brass. Effect of annealing temperature was also investigated wherein strips with an essentially constant composition of 26 mass% Sn were annealed at a temperature range of 350–420 °C for 120 min under flowing nitrogen. Varying the annealing temperature has no significant effect on the transformation temperatures of the ternary alloy.     

Ultrasound promoted facile synthesis of arylhydrazones at ambient conditions

Arylhydrazones have been synthesized in excellent yields in short reaction times at ambient temperature conditions in the absence of any added catalyst by the reaction of phenylhydrazines with carbonyl compounds under ultrasonic irradiation.     

A Facile Synthesis of 1,3,4,6-Tetrahydro-1,6-benzodiazocine-2,5-diones

1,3,4,6-Tetrahydro-1,6-benzodiazocine-2,5-diones were synthesized from 3,4-dihydro-1H-benzaze-pine-2,5-diones through the corresponding oximes using simple reagents and procedures.     

Experimental evidence of time-delay-induced death in coupled limit-cycle oscillators

Experimental observations of time-delay-induced amplitude death in two coupled nonlinear electronic circuits that are individually capable of exhibiting limit-cycle oscillations are described. The existence of multiply connected death islands in the parameter space of coupling strength and time delay for coupled identical oscillators is established. The existence of such regions was predicted earlier on theoretical grounds [Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 5109 (1998); Physica (Amsterdam) 129D, 15 (1999)]. The experiments also reveal the occurrence of multiple frequency states, frequency suppression of oscillations with increased time delay, and the onset of both in-phase and antiphase collective oscillations.