Synthesis of Some Novel Biologically Active Disperse Dyes Derived from 4-Methyl-2,6-dioxo-1-propyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydro-pyridine-3-carbonitrile as Coupling Component and Their Colour Assessment on Polyester Fabrics

A series of novel azo-disperse dyes containing alkylhydrazonopyridinone structures were synthesized. 4-Methyl-2,6-dioxo-1-propyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carbonitrile (8) is synthesized by one-pot synthesis using ethyl cyanoacetate, propylamine, and ethyl acetoacetate. Compound 8 is then coupled with aromatic and heteroaromatic diazonium salts to afford the corresponding aryl- and heteroaryl-4-methyl-2,6-dioxo-1-propyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carbonitriles 12a,b and 13a-c. Structural assignments to the dyes were made using NMR spectroscopic methods. A high temperature dyeing method was employed to apply these dyes to polyester fabrics. Most of the dyed fabrics tested displayed very good light fastness levels and good wash fastness. Finally, the biological activity of the prepared dyes against Gram positive bacteria and Gram negative bacteria were evaluated.     

Determination of inorganic phosphate by electroanalytical methods: A review

Determination of inorganic phosphate is of very high importance in environmental and health care applications. Hence knowledge of suitable analytical techniques available for phosphate sensing for different applications becomes essential. Electrochemical methods for determining inorganic phosphate have several advantages over other common techniques, including detection selectivity, stability and relative environmental insensitivity of electroactive labels. The different electrochemical sensing strategies adopted for the determination of phosphate using selective ionophores are discussed in this review. The various sensing strategies are classified based on the electrochemical detection techniques used viz., potentiometry, voltammetry, amperometry, unconventional electrochemical methods etc., The enzymatic sensing of phosphate coupled with electrochemical detection is also included. Various electroanalytical methods available in the literature are assessed for their merits in terms of selectivity, simplicity, miniaturisation, adaptability and suitability for field measurements.     

Sleep disturbances in highly stress reactive mice: Modeling endophenotypes of major depression

Background  

Neuronal mechanisms underlying affective disorders such as major depression (MD) are still poorly understood. By selectively breeding mice for high (HR), intermediate (IR), or low (LR) reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, we recently established a new genetic animal model of extremes in stress reactivity (SR). Studies characterizing this SR mouse model on the behavioral, endocrine, and neurobiological levels revealed several similarities with key endophenotypes observed in MD patients. HR mice were shown to have changes in rhythmicity and sleep measures such as rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REM sleep (NREMS) as well as in slow wave activity, indicative of reduced sleep efficacy and increased REMS. In the present study we were interested in how far a detailed spectral analysis of several electroencephalogram (EEG) parameters, including relevant frequency bands, could reveal further alterations of sleep architecture in this animal model. Eight adult males of each of the three breeding lines were equipped with epidural EEG and intramuscular electromyogram (EMG) electrodes. After recovery, EEG and EMG recordings were performed for two days.     

Highly sensitive optical sensor system for blood leakage detection

A highly sensitive method for the detection of blood leakage has been developed, and a practical sensor system for blood concentration measurement has been constructed. The present method is based on the attenuation of laser light by blood cells. The effects of the fluctuations of the incident laser light power are eliminated by normalizing the attenuated light intensity by the incident light intensity. A part of the incident laser light is reflected by a beam splitter mounted at the entrance of the test cell, of which the power is measured to provide base data for normalization. The optical path is extended to enhance sensitivity by using a pair of side mirrors. This multi-reflection method is very effective to increase sensitivity; the maximum sensitivity obtained for blood concentration is about 4 X 10^-6 by volume, which is significantly higher than that of the conventional sensors.     

Finite-field evaluation of static (hyper)polarizabilities based on the linear-scaling divide-and-conquer method

This article describes the finite-field (FF) approach for calculating static (hyper)polarizabilities based on the divide-and-conquer (DC) method. The method is assessed by the Hartree?CFock (HF) and post-HF calculations of ??-conjugated model systems: a terminal donor or acceptor substituent on polyene chains. The DC?CFF approach enables the evaluation of molecular polarizabilities with highly accurate coupled-cluster theory. Numerical assessments demonstrate that the (hyper)polarizabilities calculated by the present DC?CFF method agree with the conventional FF results to within a few percent by employing an appropriate buffer size.