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Melatonin is a low-cost natural small indole molecule with versatile biological functions. However, melatonin's fungicidal potential has not been fully exploited, and the mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report that melatonin broadly inhibited 13 plant pathogens. In the rice blast fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, melatonin inhibited fungal growth, formation of infection-specific structures named appressoria, and plant infection, reducing disease severity. Melatonin entered fungal cells efficiently and colocalized with the critical mitogen-activated protein kinase named Mps1, suppressing phosphorylation of Mps1. Melatonin's affinity for Mps1 via two hydrogen bonds was demonstrated using surface plasmon resonance and chemical modifications. To improve melatonin's efficiency, we obtained 20 melatonin derivatives. Tert-butyloxycarbonyl melatonin showed a 25-fold increase in fungicidal activities, demonstrating the feasibility of chemical modifications in melatonin modification. Our study demonstrated the broad-spectrum fungicidal effect of melatonin by suppressing Mps1 as one of the targets. Through further systematic modifications, developing an eco-friendly melatonin derivative of commercial values for agricultural applications appears promising.

Background This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value, as well as the role of long-chain noncoding RNA (lncRNA) colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (CRNDE) in osteosarcoma (OS). Materials and methods A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was to determine lncRNA CRNDE and microRNA-335-3p (miR-335-3p) expressions. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was to analyze the relationship between lncRNA CRNDE expression and survival in patients with OS. Receiver operating characteristic curves were to evaluate the diagnostic value of lncRNA CRNDE in OS. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays were used to predict and confirm the relationship between lncRNA CRNDE and miR-335-3p. Cell counting Kit-8 and transwell migration assays assessed the role of lncRNA CRNDE and miR-335-3p in OS cells. Results lncRNA CRNDE expression was upregulated and miR-355-3p expression was downregulated in OS. In patients with OS, low lncRNA CRNDE expression demonstrated higher overall survival, whereas high lncRNA CRNDE expression was an independent poor prognostic factor. Furthermore, increased lncRNA CRNDE expression was associated with distant metastasis and the tumor-node-metastasis stage in patients with OS, which can be considered as an independent diagnostic biomarker in OS. We revealed that miR-335-3p was the target of lncRNA CRNDE. It also demonstrated that knockdown of lncRNA CRNDE inhibited OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and inhibition of miR-355-3p promoted this effect. Finally, miR-335-3p partially mediated the stimulatory effects of lncRNA CRNDE in OS. Conclusion We demonstrated that lncRNA CRNDE is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for OS, and the lncRNA CRNDE/miR-335-3p axis participates in OS progression.

The chemical investigation on endophytic fungus Annulohypoxylon cf. stygium in leaves of Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl. Sixteen compounds were isolated and their structures were identified as palmarumycin CP2 ( 1 ), (-)-(3R)-mellein methyl ethe ( 2 ), kipukasins D ( 3 ), kipukasins E ( 4 ), secosterigmatocystin ( 5 ), notoamide D ( 6 ), notoamide C ( 7 ), (+)-versicolamide B ( 8 ), (-)-notoamide A ( 9 ), (-)-notoamide B ( 10 ), diorcinal ( 11 ), stephacidin A ( 12 ), sterigmatocystin ( 13 ), versiconol ( 14 ), dihydrosterigmatocystin ( 15 ), and averufanin ( 16 ) respectively by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data. All the compounds were isolated from Annulohypoxylon genus for the first time. Compounds 1 and 13 showed selective cytotoxic activities against HepG2, Hela, MCF-7 and HT-29.

GGGGCC repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most common genetic cause in both frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), two neurodegenerative disorders in association with aging. Bidirectional repeat expansions in the noncoding region of C9orf72 have been shown to produce dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins through repeat‐associated non‐ATG (RAN) translation and to reduce the expression level of the C9orf72 gene product, C9orf72 protein. Mechanisms underlying C9orf72‐linked neurodegeneration include expanded RNA repeat gain of function, DPR toxicity, and C9orf72 protein loss of function. In the current study, we focus on the cellular function of C9orf72 protein. We report that C9orf72 can regulate lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy at the transcriptional level. We show that loss of C9orf72 leads to striking accumulation of lysosomes, autophagosomes, and autolysosomes in cells, which is associated with suppressed mTORC1 activity and enhanced nuclear translocation of MiT/TFE family members MITF, TFE3, and TFEB, three master regulators of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy. We demonstrate that the DENN domain of C9orf72 specifically binds to inactive Rag GTPases, but not active Rag GTPases, thereby affecting the function of Rag/raptor/mTOR complex and mTORC1 activity. Furthermore, active Rag GTPases, but not inactive Rag GTPases or raptor rescued the impaired activity and lysosomal localization of mTORC1 in C9orf72‐deficient cells. Taken together, the present study highlights a key role of C9orf72 in lysosomal and autophagosomal regulation, and demonstrates that Rag GTPases and mTORC1 are involved in C9orf72‐mediated autophagy., Pathogenic mutation in C9orf72 is the most common cause of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Loss of C9orf72 protein will decrease the activity of Rag GTPases and mTOR lysosomal localization. C9orf72 mediates autophagosomal and lysosomal biogenesis through Rag GTPase‐mTORC1‐MITF/TFE3/TFEB signaling axis.

SR protein-specific kinases (SRPKs) uniquely with a spacer region are important splicing factors from yeast to human. However, little is known about their biological functions in filamentous fungi. Therefore, we characterized a SRPK called SRK1 in wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum. Our data showed that Srk1 is required for vegetative growth, sexual reproduction and plant infection, and plays critical roles in pre-mRNA alternative splicing and gene expression. Remarkably, we found that Srk1 displayed dynamic shuttling between cytoplasm and the nucleus, which is regulated by the divergent spacer domain rather than its kinase activity, suggesting a regulatory mechanism for Srk1. Interestingly, Srk1-GFP also localized to the septal pores, indicating a possible role of Srk1 unrelated to mRNA processing. Although both K1 and K2 lobes of the kinase domain are essential for Srk1 functions, the K2 but not K1 lobe is responsible for the septal pore localization. Lastly, we established that Srk1 physically interacts with the two SR proteins, FgNpl3 and FgSrp1. Overall, our results indicated that SRK1 regulates fungal development, plant infection and mRNA processing by phosphorylation of other splicing factors including SR proteins, and the spacer domain regulates the functions of Srk1 by modulating its nucleocytoplasmic shuttling.

Paeoniflorin (PF), one of the main effective ingredients from the root of Paeonia lactiflora Pall., was reported to possess antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiallergic properties. However, the roles of PF in activated human mast cell line, HMC-1 cells, have not yet been elucidated. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the antiallergic and anti-inflammatory effects of PF on phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore (PMACI)-induced human mast cells and to identify the mechanism responsible for these effects. Our results demonstrated that pretreatment with PF effectively attenuated PMACI-induced production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 1β in HMC-1 cells. In addition, PF significantly suppressed PMACI-induced histamine release and caspase-1 activation in HMC-1 cells. Furthermore, PF prevented the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in activated HMC-1 cells. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that PF attenuated the mast cell-mediated allergic inflammatory response through suppressing the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

A labeling of a digraph $D$ with $m$ arcs is a bijection from the set of arcs of $D$ to $\{1, \ldots, m\}$. A labeling of $D$ is antimagic if no two vertices in $D$ have the same vertex-sum, where the vertex-sum of a vertex $u\in V(D)$ for a labeling is the sum of labels of all arcs entering $u$ minus the sum of labels of all arcs leaving $u$. Motivated by the conjecture of Hartsfield and Ringel from 1990 on antimagic labelings of graphs, Hefetz, M\"utze, and Schwartz [On antimagic directed graphs, J Graph Theory 64 (2010) 219--232] initiated the study of antimagic labelings of digraphs, and conjectured that every connected graph admits an antimagic orientation, where an orientation $D$ of a graph $G$ is antimagic if $D$ has an antimagic labeling. It remained unknown whether every disjoint union of cycles admits an antimagic orientation. In this paper, we first answer this question in the positive by proving that every $2$-regular graph has an antimagic orientation. We then show that for any integer $d\ge2$, every connected, $2d$-regular graph has an antimagic orientation. Our technique is new., Comment: 11 pages,1 figure

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and lethal disease in which distant metastasis remains the primary cause of death. Paradoxical roles of LOX have been reported in CRC, and the intracellular function of LOX has also recently been determined. Correlations of LOX expression and its intracellular localization with clinicopathological features in CRC patients remain largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential roles of LOX in CRC. METHODS LOX messenger RNA expression was assayed by quantitative PCR in eight paired normal mucosa and tumor tissues. Immunohistochemistry was conducted using tissue arrays to investigate LOX expression in 201 CRC patients. Regulation of LOX by YAP and TEAD4 was explored by YAP or TEAD4 short hairpin RNA interference in a LoVo cell line. RESULTS LOX messenger RNA expression was elevated in some CRC specimens, and LOX nuclear localization was detected in CRC tumor tissues. LOX nuclear localization was found to correlate with lung/hepatic metastasis, elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen concentration, and mucinous tumor type (P

Endosomal sorting machineries regulate the transport of their cargoes among intracellular compartments. However, the molecular nature of such intracellular trafficking processes in pathogenic fungal development and pathogenicity remains unclear. Here, we dissect the roles and molecular mechanisms of two sorting nexin proteins and their cargoes in endosomal recycling in Fusarium graminearum using high-resolution microscopy and high-throughput co-immunoprecipitation strategies. We show that the sorting nexins, FgSnx41 and FgSnx4, interact with each other and assemble into a functionally interdependent heterodimer through their respective BAR domains. Further analyses demonstrate that the dimer localizes to the early endosomal membrane and coordinates endosomal sorting. The small GTPase FgRab5 regulates the correct localization of FgSnx41-FgSnx4 and is consequently required for its trafficking function. The protein FgSnc1 is a cargo of FgSnx41-FgSnx4 and regulates the fusion of secreted vesicles with the fungal growing apex and plasma membrane. In the absence of FgSnx41 or FgSnx4, FgSnc1 is mis-sorted and degraded in the vacuole, and null deletion of either component causes defects in the fungal polarized growth and virulence. Overall, for the first time, our results reveal the mechanism of FgSnc1 endosomal recycling by FgSnx41-FgSnx4 heterodimer which is essential for polarized growth and pathogenicity in F. graminearum.

The spiro[indoline-3,3′-pyrrolidin]-2-ones were synthesized via a silica gel and alumina-mediated sequential transformation based on tryptamine-derived ynesulfonamide substrates under neat conditions. The inherent tendency of C−C bond migration through Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement in the synthesis of spirooxindole was prevented by water trapping to the spiroindoleninium intermediate. The functional group tolerances of the methodology were investigated using a variety of substrates. The detailed mechanism of the sequential transformation was probed by the isotope-labeled experiments. This strategy was further applied in the formal syntheses of indole alkaloids coerulescine and horsfiline.

Ynamides, as versatile synthetic precursors, have attracted much attention from synthetic chemists and sparked the development of a number of methodologies for the construction of various structures. 1H-Pyrrolo[2,3-d]carbazole is a core scaffold of a series of monoterpene indole alkaloids found in Kopsia, Strychnos, and Aspidosperma, for example. In this study, 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]carbazole derivatives were synthesized by a Brønsted acid-catalyzed tandem cyclization starting from tryptamine-based ynamides. This strategy prevented Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement by instantaneous intramolecular nucleophilic trapping of the indoleninium to afford a tetracyclic indoline via an in situ-formed enol species induced by the formation of a more stable conjugate diene moiety. The functional group tolerances were investigated by using a series of readily available substrates. A plausible mechanism has been proposed based on the evidence of the capture of the hemiaminal intermediate. Lastly, a Büchi ketone, which is the pivotal intermediate in the synthesis of the indole alkaloid vindorosine, was synthesized by utilizing our newly developed methodology.

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathological development of Parkinson's disease (PD). Orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 (Nur77) is abundant in neurons, while its role in microglia-mediated neuroinflammation remains unclear. The present data demonstrated that the expression of Nur77 in microglia was reduced accompanied by microglia activation in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro and in experimental 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-PD mouse model. Nur77 over-expression or application of Nur77 agonist cytosporone B suppressed the expression of proinflammatory genes, such as inducible nitric oxide NOS, cyclooxygenase-2, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the activated microglia, while silenced Nur77 exaggerated the inflammatory responses in microglia. Moreover, activation of Nur77 suppressed the LPS-induced NF-κB activation which was partly dependent on p38 MAPK activity, since inhibition of p38 MAPK by SB203580 abolished the LPS-activated NF-κB in microglia. On the other hand, inhibition of p38 MAPK attenuated LPS-induced Nur77 reduction. Furthermore, in a microglia-conditioned cultured media system, Nur77 ameliorated the cytotoxicity to MN9D dopaminergic cells. Lastly, cytosporone B attenuated microglia activation and loss of dopaminergic neuron in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-PD mouse model. Taken together, these findings revealed the first evidence that Nur77 was an important modulator in microglia function that associated with microglia-mediated dopaminergic neurotoxicity, and thus modulation of Nur77 may represent a potential novel target for treatment for neurodegenerative disease.

Background and Purpose The orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 is implicated in the survival and apoptosis of cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to determine whether and how Nur77 serves to mediate the effect of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α in cancer cells and to identify and characterize new agents targeting Nur77 for cancer therapy. Experimental Approach The effects of TNF-α on the expression and function of Nur77 were studied using in vitro and in vivo models. Nur77 expression was evaluated in tumour tissues from breast cancer patients. The anticancer effects of honokiol and its mechanism of action were assessed by in vitro, cell-based and animal studies. Key Results TNF-α rapidly and potently induced the expression of Nur77 in breast cancer cells through activation of IκB kinase and JNK. Knocking down Nur77 resulted in TNF-α-dependent apoptosis, while ectopic Nur77 expression in MCF-7 cells promoted their growth in animals. Levels of Nur77 were higher in tumour tissues than the corresponding tissues surrounding the tumour in about 50% breast cancer patients studied. Our in vitro and animal studies also identified honokiol as an effective sensitizer of TNF-α-induced apoptosis by inhibiting TNF-α-induced Nur77 mRNA expression, which could be attributed to its interference of TNFR1's interaction with receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIPK1). Conclusions and Implications TNF-α-induced Nur77 serves as a survival factor to attenuate the death effect of TNF-α in cancer cells. With its proven human safety profile, honokiol represents a promising agent that warrants further clinical development.

Background and Purpose Application of orthosteric sigma-1 receptor agonists as anti-seizure drugs has been hindered by questionable efficacy and potential adverse effects. Here, we have investigated the anti-seizure effects of the novel and potent allosteric modulator of sigma-1 receptors, SKF83959 and its derivative SOMCL-668 (3-methyl-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[d]azepin-7-ol). Experimental Approach The anti-seizure effects of SKF83959 were investigated in three mouse models, maximal electroshock seizures, pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions and kainic acid-induced ‘status epilepticus’. Also, in rats, the cortical epileptiform activity induced by topical application of picrotoxin was recorded in electrocorticograms. In rat hippocampal brain slices, effects of the drugs on the high potassium-evoked epileptiform local field potentials were studied. Anti-seizure activities of SOMCL-668, a newly developed sigma-1 receptor selective allosteric modulator, were also investigated. Key Results SKF83959 (20, 40 mg·kg−1) exhibited anti –seizure actitity in the three mouse models and reduced the cortical epileptiform activity without alteration of spontaneous motor activity and motor coordination. These effects were blocked by the sigma-1 receptor antagonist BD1047, but not the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390. SKF83959 alone did not directly inhibit the epileptiform firing of CA3 neurons induced by high potassium in hippocampal slices, but did potentiate inhibition by the orthosteric sigma-1 receptor agonist SKF10047. Lastly, a selective sigma-1 receptor allosteric modulator SOMCL-668, which does not bind to dopamine receptors, exerted similar anti-seizure activities. Conclusions and Implications SKF83959 and SOMCL-668 displayed anti-seizure activities, indicating that allosteric modulation of sigma-1 receptors may provide a novel approach for discovering new anti-seizure drugs.

Various surface signals are recognized by Magnaporthe oryzae to activate the Pmk1 MAP kinase that is essential for appressorium formation and invasive growth. One of upstream sensors of the Pmk1 pathway is the MoMsb2 signalling mucin. However, the activation of MoMsb2 and its relationship with other sensors is not clear. In this study, we showed that the cleavage and transmembrane domains are essential for MoMsb2 functions. Cleavage of MoMsb2 was further confirmed by western blot analysis, and five putative cleavage sites were functionally characterized. Expression of the extracellular region alone partially rescued the defects of Momsb2 in appressorium formation and virulence. The cytoplasmic region of MoMsb2, although dispensable for appressorium formation, was more important for penetration and invasive growth. Interestingly, the Momsb2 cbp1 double mutant deleted of both mucin genes was blocked in Pmk1 activation. It failed to form appressoria on artificial surfaces and was non-pathogenic. In addition, we showed that MoMsb2 interacts with Ras2 but not with MoCdc42 in co-immunoprecipitation assays. Overall, results from this study indicated that the extracellular and cytoplasmic regions of MoMsb2 have distinct functions in appressorium formation, penetration and invasive growth, and MoMsb2 has overlapping functions with Cbp1 in recognizing environmental signals for Pmk1 activation.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal is the key issue for the odor control of sewage treatment facilities. In this paper, the iron oxide sorbents with different surface acid–base properties were prepared by acid and base modification. Effect of surface properties of iron oxide sorbents on H2S removal was revealed by the characterization of surface pH, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The results show that the activity loss of the iron oxide sorbent is mainly due to the gradual oxidation of H2S into elemental sulfur and further into the sulfuric acid and sulfurous acid with time on stream. Meanwhile, the surface basic environment of base-treated iron oxide sorbent significantly increases the H2S removal activity by suppression the formation of H2SO4 or H2SO3 during the desulfurization process. Our findings will help us to prepare novel sorbent for more effective H2S removal from, e.g., odor gas.

This article discusses the finite element approximation of solutions to a variational inequality of a parabolic obstacle problem with a nonsmooth initial data by a piecewise linear finite element discretization in space and an implicit time-stepping scheme. We show that the error of the approximation in a certain norm is of order by regularization method under some realistic regularity assumptions on the exact solution, where is the time step and h is the mesh parameter of the spatial partition. Numerical examples are presented to confirm our theoretical results. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 30: 1740–1754, 2014

Leaching iron from the electric arc furnace dust by using sulfuric acid to prepare iron oxide sorbent for H2S removal was studied in this paper. The influences of sulfuric acid concentration, reaction temperature and the dosage of hydrochloric acid on the iron leaching yield were investigated in the leaching process. The iron oxide sorbent was prepared by the filtrate from the leaching process. The experimental results show that the iron species in the dust were transferred into γ-Fe2O3 · H2O crystal of higher activity for H2S removal in the sorbent. The desulfurization test revealed that the breakthrough sulfur capacity of the sorbent is similar to that of the commercial active carbon on the same test conditions. © 2014 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background It is necessary to find an effective method for the removal of dyes and heavy metals from aqueous solutions. In this work, the effects of carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CMCD) on the photocatalytic degradation of Acid Red R (ARR) and photocatalytic reduction of Pb2+ were investigated in TiO2 suspensions, and the synergistic effects on the simultaneous conversion of ARR and Pb2+ in the presence of CMCD were also evaluated. Results The results showed that CMCD can enhance the photocatalytic degradation of ARR and photocatalytic reduction of Pb2+ in a single system with ARR or Pb2+, respectively. When CMCD was added to the mixed reaction system of ARR and Pb2+, the synergistic effects on the simultaneous conversion of ARR and Pb2+ in aqueous solutions were further enhanced. The photocatalytic removal rates of ARR and Pb2+ in the mixed system were markedly enhanced compared with those in the single systems, and the reaction rate constants of ARR and Pb2+ in the presence of CMCD were higher than those in the absence of CMCD. Conclusions CMCD can simultaneously enhance the photocatalytic removal of ARR and Pb2+ in mixed systems. CMCD-enhanced photocatalytic technology may be a good alternative for the treatment of wastewaters containing dyes and heavy metal ions. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

The glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was carried out using excess ethylene glycol (EG) in the presence of zinc acetate as catalysts under microwave irradiation. The effects of particle size, microwave power, the weight ratio of EG to PET, the weight ratio of catalyst to PET, reaction temperature and stirring speed on the yield of bis(hydroxyethyl terephthalate)(BHET) were investigated. The experimental results indicated that the glycolysis rate was significantly influenced by stirring speed and initial particle size. The optimal parameters of glycolysis reactions were the weight ratio of catalyst to PET of 1%, the weight ratio of EG to PET of 5, 500 W and 196°C, the yield of BHET reached to 78% at only 35 min. The glycolysis products were analyzed and identified by FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry, and elemental analysis. The kinetics of glycolysis of PET under microwave irradiation could be interpreted by the shrinking core model of the film diffusion control. The apparent activation energy was evaluated using the Arrhenius equation and it was found to be 36.5 KJ/mol, which was lower compared to the same process using conventional heating. The experimental results also showed that the reaction time was significantly decreased under microwave irradiation as compared with it by conventional heating. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

An amine-terminated nucleophile Hexakis (4-aminophenoxy) cyclotriphosphazene (HACP) was synthesized. Its chemical structure was identified by 1H NMR and 31P NMR. Novel monodispersed phosphazene-containing microspheres with active amino groups on the surface have been successfully prepared through a one-pot precipitation polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene with HACP. Just by single step, the microspheres were synthesized without stirring, surfactant and ultrasonic irradiation. The diameter of the obtained microspheres ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 μm with the rough surface. And, the onset of the thermal-degradation temperature was 460°C, which is attributed to the highly cross-linked structure and the introduced of the cyclotriphosphazene rings. Moreover, the products at variable stages of polymerization were measured by TEM. The formation mechanism was proposed which is corresponding with an oligomeric species absorbing mechanism. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43336.

Sumoylation is an important post-translational modification, which is also involved in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. We previously reported that DJ-1 decreases Bcl-2 associated X protein expression through repressing p53 transcriptional activity. Here we show that DJ-1(K130R), the non-sumoylatable mutant form of DJ-1, shifts from nucleus to cytoplasm, fails to repress p53 transcriptional activity and loses its protective function against ultraviolet induced cell death. Our findings suggest that sumoylation is critical for DJ-1 to repress p53 transcriptional activity.

A theoretical study of optical properties of subwavelength-diameter silica fibers is presented, with an emphasis on the interplay between dispersion and nonlinearity. The normalized dispersion and effective nonlinearity are used to analyze the diameter-dependent relative strength at all wavelengths. The dispersion and nonlinearity length are calculated for guiding waveguide dimension design for possible applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2086–2090, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23552

BACKGROUND: Endocrine disruptors in the aquatic environment and their potential adverse effects are currently issues of concern. One of these endocrine disruptors is 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methylphenyl)propane (BPP). In this work the molecular recognition interaction of BPP with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was studied using IR spectroscopy and steady state fluorescence spectroscopy, and the photocatalytic degradation behaviour of BPP based on molecular recognition interaction was investigated in a TiO2/UV–visible (λmax = 365 nm) system. This might provide a new method for the treatment of some organic pollutants in wastewater. RESULTS: β-CD reacts with BPP to form a 1:1 inclusion complex, the formation constant of which is 4.94 × 103 L mol−1. The photodegradation rate constant of BPP after molecular recognition by β-CD showed a 1.42-fold increase in the TiO2/UV–visible (λmax = 365 nm) system. The photodegradation of BPP depended on the concentration of β-CD, the pH value, the gaseous medium and the initial concentration of BPP. The photodegradation efficiency of BPP with molecular recognition was higher than that without molecular recognition. After 100 min of irradiation the mineralisation efficiency of BPP after molecular recognition by β-CD reached 94.8%, whereas the mineralisation efficiency of BPP before molecular recognition by β-CD was only 40.6%. CONCLUSION: The photocatalytic degradation of BPP after molecular recognition by β-CD can be enhanced in the TiO2/UV-visible (λmax = 365 nm) system. This enhancement is dependent on the enhancement of the adsorption of BPP, the moderate inclusion depth of BPP in the β-CD cavity and the increase in the frontier electron density of BPP after molecular recognition. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

A dipyridinyl tetraaminodiborane derivative serves as the preligand for the regioselective C—H borylation of a diverse range of electronically and sterically varying aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds.

Enhancement of the photodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was investigated under a 30W UV disinfection lamp (λmax = 254nm). The photodegradation rate of BPA in aqueous solutions with β-CD was faster than that in aqueous solutions without β-CD; for example, after 50min of UV irradiation, β-CD had increased the photodegradation efficiency by about 46.5% for 10mgdm −3 BPA. The photodegradation of 2.5-20mgdm −3 BPA in aqueous solutions was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The first-order rate constant showed a 12-fold increase in the presence of β-CD. Factors such as β-CD concentration, pH, BPA initial concentration and organic solvent influencing the photodegradation of BPA were studied and are described in detail. Variations in the pH and electrical conductivity of solutions were observed during the photodegradation process. The enhancement of photodegradation of BPA results mainly from the lower bond energy between some atoms in the BPA molecule after inclusion interaction with β-CD.  2006 Society of Chemical Industry

We present a new isotopic labeling strategy to modify the N-terminal amino group of peptides in a quantifiable reaction without the use of expensive reagents or solvents. The In Vacuo Isotope Coded Alkylation Technique (IVICAT) is a methylation reaction, carried out at low pressure (

High detection sensitivity and resolution are two critical parameters for recording good peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) of low abundance proteins. This paper reports a mass spectrometry (MS) sample preparation technique that could improve sensitivity and resolution. By coating the MS steel target with a thin layer of pentadecafluorooctamido propyltrimethoxysilane, which was both polar and nonpolar solvent repellent, the transferred sample droplets on its surface were significantly smaller. As a result, the analyte of the peptide mixture became more concentrated and homogeneous, which helped to improve the sensitivity. The advantages of a modified MS target were documented by mass spectra improvement of attomole level standard peptides and silver-stained proteins from polyacrylamide gels. The mass signal of angiotensin II at 100 attomole was difficult to record on the conventional support, whereas it was easily detected on the modified one. The PMF of cytochrome C was also better recorded on the modified support, in terms of both signal-to-noise ratio and the number of detected peptides. When silver-stained proteins from two-dimensional electrophoresis gels were analyzed, in most cases more satisfactory peptide mass spectra were obtained from the modified support. Searching protein databases with more mass data from the improved PMFs, several unknown proteins were successfully identified.

The bicyclic lactones, myrotheciumones A (I) and B (II), possessing a rare ring-fusion system are isolated from the secondary metabolites of M.

In this research, glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with ethylene glycol (EG) was carried out using Zn/Al mixed oxide catalyst. These mixed oxides were prepared by calcining crystalline Zn/Al hydrotalcites at different calcination temperatures. The samples and corresponding precursors were characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET, Fourier-transform infrared spectra, thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, and Hammett titration method. The experimental results showed that Zn/Al mixed oxides obtained from hydrotalcites were found to be more active than their individual oxides for glycolysis of PET. The relationship between catalytic performance and chemical–physical features of catalysts was established. In addition, a study for optimizing the glycolysis reaction conditions, such as the weight ratio of EG to PET, catalyst amount and reaction time, was performed. The conversion of PET and yield of bis(2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate) (BHET) reached about 92% and 79%, respectively, under the optimal experimental conditions. Moreover, it should be noted that Zn/Al mixed oxide not only provided an effective heterogeneous catalyst for glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate), but also presented a novel method for decolorization of discarded colored polyester fabric. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41053.

isolation, structure determination and retinoid X receptor transcriptional activities of two new xanthone glycosides, pruniflorosides A and B (I), a new benzophenone glycoside, prunifloroside C (II) and a new xanthone, pruniflorone S (III)