Thermal and dilute-solution properties of zwitterionic copolymers

We report the synthesis, characterization, thermal and dilute-solution properties of zwitterionic copolymers of the sulfobetaine type, where the proportion of ionic groups is varied over a wide range. Two different structures are considered: poly (2-vinyl pyridine sulfopropyl betaine) and poly (4-vinyl pyridine sulfopropyl betaine). Synthesis is carried out to obtain random copolymers which are further characterized and their ionic content determined. At low proportions of ionic groups, the behavior is similar to that observed in ionomers, with substantial differences between the two structures, Increased interaction among the zwitterionic groups at higher charge densities is evidenced, which leads to the formation of clusters and agglomerates. An increase in the intrinsic viscosity with salt content in aqueous solutions is also observed. This behavior is analogous to that of homopolymers with 100% ionic content, but with particular features of interest.     

Twistor diagrams for spinning massless free fields

A set of simple identities is utilized to build up new projective twistor diagrams for massless free fields of arbitrary spin in real Minkowski space. It is effectively shown that the inner structure of the configurations which arise out of implementing the relevant techniques has characteristics that are different from those of the conventional diagrams associated with the Kirchoff-D'Adhemar-Penrose integral expressions. A nonhomogeneous version of the configurations is also provided.     

Observation of baker’s yeast strains used in biotransformation by atomic force microscopy

Different strains of baker’s yeast(Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were imaged with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The images of uncoated and nonfixed samples were reproducible with high-constrast and nanometer-resolution. Molecules from the polysaccharide surface of the cell wall were pictured and the distance of atoms was measured. The preparation of samples was easy, suggesting that AFM is a useful tool in this type of analyses.     

Coordination modes of 2-hydroxynicotinic acid in second- and third-row transition metal complexes

The new Pd(II), Pt(II), Re(V), Mo(VI) and W(VI) complexes of 2-hydroxynicotinic acid (H₂nicO), trans-[PdCl(HnicO)(PPh₃)₂]·0.75CH₃CN (1), K[PdCl(HnicO)₂]·H₂O (2), [Pd(HnicO)₂(bipy)] (3), cis-[PtCl(HnicO)(PPh₃)₂]·0.75CH₃OH·0.5H₂O (4), [PtCl(HnicO)(bipy)] (5), cis-[ReOI₂(HnicO)(PPh₃)] (6), Na₂[Mo₂O₆(HnicO)₂]·5H₂O (7), Na₂[Mo₄O₁₂(HnicO)₂]·2H₂O (8) and Na₂[W₂O₆(HnicO)₂]·5H₂O (9) have been prepared. The crystal structures of 1 and 4, were determined by X-ray diffraction and show the HnicO⁻ ligand coordinated to palladium or platinum through the nitrogen atom only. Infrared, Raman, ¹H and ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectroscopic data for the complexes are presented and are in agreement with the crystallographic results.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of a nucleoside analogue of 1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid synthesized as a potential antiviral agent: Conformational studies in vacuum and in water

Conformational analysis of nucleosides may have direct applications to the structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies and in the design of new drug candidates. Although conformational analysis may be accessed in many different ways, in this work it was performed using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation in order to study the dynamic behavior of a nucleoside derivative of 1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, synthesized by our group as a potential antiviral agent. The MD simulation was carried out during 10 ns in vacuum and in a box of water at two different temperatures (i.e., 300 and 600 K) using the AMBER force field. The in vacuum MD simulation results are in agreement with the crystallographic structure and with the DFT calculations of the nucleoside, revealing the anti conformer as the more stable one. The simulation in water, however, shows that both conformers may exist at 300 K, the temperature of the in vivo and in vitro assays, revealing that both the syn and anti conformers should be considered in a MD simulation study of the inhibitor–enzyme complex. Simulations are also in agreement with the NOE experiment, which shows that the anti conformer is the preferential one in DMSO-d6 solution at 298 K.     

Xylanolytic enzyme production by anAspergillus niger isolate

Production of xylanolytic enzymes by anAspergillus niger CCMI 850 isolate was investigated in batch cultures. The effect of the composition of a fermentation medium that did not include chemical inducers, on β-xylanase, β-xylosidase, α-l-arabinofuranosidase, and total cellulase activity was studied. With 4% xylan as the carbon source, about 65 U/mL of β-xylanase was obtained, whereas the total cellulase activity was undetectable, under the specified conditions. This β-xylanase activity represents the highest reported for a wild-type strain ofA. niger. The effect of pH and temperature on the activity of β-xylanase was studied. Partial characterization of the β-xylanase showed that with insoluble birchwood as substrate theK _m andV _max were 0.3 mM and 19 μmol/min, respectively. Aspects of using the crude β-xylanase preparation for applications in the pulp and paper industry were discussed.     

Interrelations between the parasitophorous vacuole of Toxoplasma gondii and host cell organelles.

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is capable of actively penetrating and multiplying in any nucleated cell of warm-blooded animals. Its survival strategies include escape from fusion of the parasitophorous vacuole with host cell lysosomes and rearrangement of host cell organelles in relation to the parasitophorous vacuole. In this article we report the rearrangement of host cell organelles and elements of the cytoskeleton of LLCMK2 cells, a lineage derived from green monkey kidney epithelial cells, in response to infection by T. gondii tachyzoites. Transmission electron microscopy made on flat embedded monolayers cut horizontally to the apical side of the cells or field emission scanning electron microscopy of monolayers scraped with scotch tape before sputtering showed that association of mitochondria to the vacuole is much less frequent than previously described. On the other hand, all parasitophorous vacuoles were surrounded by elements of the endoplasmic reticulum. These data were complemented by observations by laser scanning microscopy using fluorescent probes from mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum and reinforced by three-dimensional reconstruction from serial sections observed by transmission electron microscopy and labeling of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum by fluorescent probes.     

Solvent dependent conformational isomerism and ligand oxidation of novel Ru(II) cyclen complexes

The synthesis of cis-[Ru(II)(cyclen)(L)(x)](n+) (cyclen = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane and L = 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), phenanthroline (phen) or 4-cyanopyridinium (4-NCpyH(+))) is reported. The freshly prepared complexes are stable in aprotic solvents and cyclen undergoes oxidative dehydrogenation reaction at high pH. These compounds also present solvent dependent conformational isomerization.     

Natural and artificial radionuclides in soils from Paraná State,Brazil

Soil samples from Paraná State, Brazil, were collected in 1991 and compared with others collected at the same location in March 1977 and at the end of 1983. Pedological analyses were practiced on these samples and¹³⁷Cs and²³²Th,²²⁶Ra and⁴⁰K activities were determined by gammaray spectrometry. A latitude dependence of¹³⁷Cs was found as well. It was impossible to determine the¹³⁷Cs contribution from Chernobyl nuclear accident because of low fallout and intense leaching, erosion and re-suspension in soils of regions with high annual precipitation. Natural radionuclides did not show such effects.     

Latex Fractionation by Sedimentation and Colloidal Crystallization: The Case of Poly(styrene-co-acrylamide)

Poly(styrene-co-acrylamide) (PS-AAM) latex was prepared, fractionated by sedimentation under gravity, and characterized by PCS, infrared spectra, secondary and backscattered electron imaging in the scanning electron microscope, and electron spectroscopy imaging in an analytical transmission electron microscope. Three latex fractions were obtained. The lower fraction was opalescent and its particles were the more uniform, concerning size, chemical composition, and topochemical features. This lower fraction was still further fractionated by zonal centrifugation in a density gradient, yielding two fractions with similar macrocrystal-forming abilities but different sizes and chemical compositions. These results confirm those previously obtained for the PS-HEMA latex. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.