Preparation and reactions of mono-reissert compounds and analogs at the 3,4-position of quinazoline

Quinazoline, acid chlorides, and trimethylsilyl cyanide have been converted to mono-Reissert compounds at the 3,4-position of the quinazoline system. Various reactions of these quinazoline Reissert compounds are reported.     

Method for detection of single-base mismatches using bimolecular beacons

This paper describes a method for the detection of single-base mismatches using DNA microarrays in a format that does not require labeling of the sample ("target") DNA. The method is based on disrupting fluorescence energy transfer (FRET) between a fluorophore attached to an immobilized DNA strand ("probe") and a quencher-containing sequence that is complementary except for an artificial mismatch (e.g. 5-nitroindole, 3-nitropyrole, or abasic site) at the site of interrogation. As the displacement of the FRET acceptor and hybridization of the unlabeled probe are bimolecular, the term "bimolecular beacons" is used to describe this approach. The analysis of a mismatch was based on differences in the amount of disruption in FRET upon hybridization of perfectly matched DNA targets and those containing single-base mismatches. Using this method and an oligonucleotide model system, A/C single-base mismatches were successfully discriminated at levels greater than that observed using surface-immobilized molecular beacons. The amount of discrimination was dependent on the identity of the artificial mismatch; greater discrimination was observed with 5-nitroindole (a "universal" base) than with an abasic site. G/T mismatches, considered to be particularly difficult to detect, were also successfully discriminated when quencher sequences containing 5-nitroindole were used.     

Convenient and efficient stereoselective synthesis of (2Z)-2-(chloromethyl)alk-2-enoates using iron(III) or indium(III) chloride

The stereoselective synthesis of (2Z)-2-(chloromethyl)alk-2-enoates has been achieved efficiently and in high yields and in short reaction times from Baylis-Hillman adducts, 3-hydroxy-2-methylene-alkanoates, by treatment with FeCl₃ or InCl₃ at room temperature.     

Electrochemical parameters of aluminum oxide film in situ during anodization of aluminum by white light-optical interferometry

Optical Review - Both Fabry–Pérot interferometry and the DC electrochemical method have been simultaneously used for the first time to measure in situ the anodic current density (J) of...     

Barrier method in nonsmooth convex optimization without convex representation

In this article we want to demonstrate that under mild conditions the barrier method is an effective solution approach for convex optimization problems whose objective is nonsmooth and whose feasible set is described by smooth inequality constraints in which all the constraint functions need not be convex.     

A note on dimension-5 operators in GUTs and their impact

Quantum gravity or string compactification can lead to effective dimension-5 operators in Grand Unified Theories which modify the gauge kinetic terms. We exhaustively discuss the group-theoretic nature of such operators for the popular SU(5), SO(10), and E(6) models. In particular, for SU(5) only a Higgs in the 200 representation can help bring the couplings to unification below the Planck scale and in consistency with proton decay limits while for a supersymmetric version 24, 75, or 200 representations are all acceptable. The results also have a direct application in non-universality of gaugino masses in a class of supersymmetric models where identical group-theoretic features obtain.     

Generalized Nash equilibrium problem, variational inequality and quasiconvexity

It is well known that the generalized Nash equilibrium problem, a model for multi-leader–follower games, can be reformulated as a quasivariational inequality. We show that, in fact, a reformulation in terms of a variational inequality can be obtained in the general setting of quasiconvex nondifferentiable decision functions. An existence result is deduced.     

Study of the vibrational spectra of SO2, H2O and D2O using the U(4) algebraic model

Using the U(4) algebraic model, in this work we report a study of the vibrational spectra of SO₂, H₂0¹⁸ and D₂O¹⁶. The inclusion of intermode couplings in algebraic models has been stated to give a deep insight into detailed spectroscopy for these bent XY₂ molecules. Improved set of algebraic parameters has been reported to provide improved RMS deviations for these molecules.     

Syntheses, transfection efficacy and cell toxicity properties of novel cholesterol-based gemini lipids having hydroxyethyl head group

We have synthesized five new cholesterol based gemini cationic lipids possessing hydroxyethyl (-CH(2)CH(2)OH) function on each head group, which differ in the length of the polymethylene spacer chain. These gemini lipids are important for gene delivery processes as they possess pre-optimized molecular features, e.g., cholesterol backbone, ether linkage and a variable spacer chain between both the headgroups of the gemini lipids. Cationic liposomes were prepared from each of these lipids individually and as a mixture of individual cationic gemini lipid and 1,2-dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). Each gemini lipid based formulation induced better transfection activity than that of their monomeric counterpart. One such gemini lipid with a -(CH(2))(12)- spacer, HG-12, showed dramatic increase in the mean fluorescence intensity due to the expression of green-fluorescence protein (GFP) in the presence of 10% FBS compared to the conditions where there was no serum. Other gemini lipids retained their gene transfection efficiency without any marked decrease in the presence of serum. The only exception was seen with the gemini with a -(CH(2))(3)- spacer, HG-3, which on gene transfection in the presence of 10% FBS lost ~70% of its transfection efficiency. Overall the gemini lipid with a -(CH(2))(5)- spacer, HG-5, showed the highest transfection activity at N/P (lipid/DNA) ratio of 0.5 and lipid : DOPE molar ratio of 2. Upon comparison of the relevant parameters, e.g., %-transfected cells, the amount of DNA transfected to each cell and %-cell viability all together against Lipofectamine 2000, one of the best commercial transfecting agents, the optimized lipid formulation based on DOPE/HG-5 was found to be comparable. In terms of its ability to induce gene-transfer in the presence of serum and shelf-life DOPE/HG-5 liposome was found to be superior to its commercial counterpart. Confocal imaging analysis confirmed that in the presence of 10% serum using a Lipid : DOPE of 1 : 4 and N/P charge ratio of 0.75 with 1.2 μg DNA per well, HG-5 is better than Lipofectamine 2000.     

Superhydrophobic surfaces using selected zinc oxide microrod growth on ink-jetted patterns

The synthesis and properties of superhydrophobic surfaces based on binary surface topography made of zinc oxide (ZnO) microrod-decorated micropatterns are reported. ZnO is intrinsically hydrophilic but can be utilized to create hydrophobic surfaces by creating artificial roughness via microstructuring. Micron scale patterns consisting of nanocrystalline ZnO seed particles were applied to glass substrates with a modified ink-jet printer. Microrods were then grown on the patterns by a hydrothermal process without any further chemical modification. Water contact angle (WCA)(1) up to 153° was achieved. Different micro array patterned surfaces with varying response of static contact angle or sessile droplet analysis are reported.