N‐Benzyl‐4‐((heteroaryl)methyl)benzamides: A New Class of Direct NADH‐Dependent 2‐trans Enoyl–Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase (InhA) Inhibitors with Antitubercular Activity

Isoniazid (INH) remains one of the cornerstones of antitubercular chemotherapy for drug‐sensitive strains of M. tuberculosis bacteria. However, the increasing prevalence of multidrug‐resistant (MDR) and extensively drug‐resistant (XDR) strains containing mutations in the KatG enzyme, which is responsible for the activation of INH into its antitubercular form, have rendered this drug of little or no use in many cases of drug‐resistant tuberculosis. Presented herein is a novel family of antitubercular direct NADH‐dependent 2‐trans enoyl–acyl carrier protein reductase (InhA) inhibitors based on an N‐benzyl‐4‐((heteroaryl)methyl)benzamide template; unlike INH, these do not require prior activation by KatG. Given their direct InhA target engagement, these compounds should be able to circumvent KatG‐related resistance in the clinic. The lead molecules were shown to be potent inhibitors of InhA and showed activity against M. tuberculosis bacteria. This new family of inhibitors was found to be chemically tractable, as exemplified by the facile synthesis of analogues and the establishment of structure–activity relationships. Furthermore, a co‐crystal structure of the initial hit with the enzyme is disclosed, providing valuable information toward the design of new InhA inhibitors for the treatment of MDR/XDR tuberculosis.     

Characterisation of the Essential Oils of some Cultivated Aromatic Plants of Industrial Interest

The compositions of the essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis L, Salvia lavandulifolia V and Lavandula latifolia M, obtained by steam distillation from plants cultivated in the northeast of Spain, have been studied by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The essential oil of rosemary appears to be more complex and richer in flavour notes than other previously studied Spanish rosemary oils, and has an intermediate ratio of α-pinene and of 1,8-cineole in relation to essential oils of rosemary of different geographical origins, but higher proportions of camphor, verbenone and linalool. The essential oil of sage has proportions of 1,8-cineole, camphor, endo-borneol, trans-caryophyllene and α-humulene closer to commercial Salvia officinalis L than to other Spanish sages of different geographical locations, and the difference from commercial Salvia officinalis L is due principally to the higher ratio of terpene hydrocarbons and the lower proportion of thujone in the Spanish sage studied here. The essential oil of the spike lavender has the same main components and similar proportions as other Spanish wild and commercial spike lavender essen-tial oils, but shows differences in the nature of the minor components (rhodinol fraction).     

Nucleation and Crystallization of New Glasses from Fly Ash Originating from Thermal Power Plants

The nucleation and crystallization kinetics of new glasses obtained by melting mixtures of a Spanish carbon fly ash with glass cullet and dolomite slag at 1500°C has been evaluated by a calculation method. These glasses, whose microstructure was examined by TEM carbon replica, were susceptible to controlled crystallization in the 800°–1100°C range. The resulting glass-ceramics developed acicular and branched wollastonite crystals or a network of dendritic pyroxene mixed with anorthite feldspar (SEM and EDX analysis). The time–temperature–transformation curves (processing of the XRD data) showed the crystallization kinetics and the critical cooling rate to be in the 12°–42°C/min range.     

Surface modification of styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers by polyacrylamide grafting via gamma irradiation

Polyacrylamide chains were grafted onto styrene-divinylbenzene (S-DVB) copolymer beads using gamma radiation from a ⁶⁰Co source by applying the simultaneous method. S-DVB macroporous copolymer was synthesized by aqueous suspension polymerization and characterized by determining apparent density, surface area, pore volume distribution and water uptake. Optical and electron microscopies were used in order to observe the copolymer morphology. The effect of parameters such as monomers concentration, irradiation dose and presence of inhibitor (Mohr’s salt) on grafting reaction was studied. The grafting reaction was evaluated with the aid of elemental analysis, FTIR, HR-MAS NMR spectrometry, thermogravimetry (TG) and electron microscopy. Grafting yield (evaluated by nitrogen content) increased with acrylamide concentration and irradiation dose increasing. However, above determined values of those parameters it is observed a tendency of decreasing on the grafting yield. The presence of Mohr’s salt inhibited the production of homopolymer as well as the progress of the grafting reaction.     

Proton-induced γ-ray analysis of lithium in thick samples

A method for proton-induced γ-ray analysis (PIGE) of Li (either elemental or isotopic composition) in thick samples is presented in this work, which is based on a code that integrates the nuclear reaction excitation function, measured at the same experimental conditions, along the depth of the sample. The energy steps needed to define accurately the excitation function are used as energy intervals for the integration procedure. The excitation function and cross-sections of the reaction ⁷Li(p,p^′γ)⁷Li, for protons in the energy range 0.60–2.5 MeV, were obtained and used as input to calculate lithium concentrations in thick and intermediate samples. The calculated thick target yields of samples with several amounts of lithium were compared with the respective measured yields, showing that this is a reliable and accurate method for PIGE analysis of Li in thick samples.     

Electromigration in Sintered Nanoscale Silver Films at Elevated Temperature

Sintered nanoscale silver is a promising interconnection material for semiconductor devices because it provides improved joint properties compared with solder and wire bonds. It has higher electrical and thermal conductivity and is capable of higher operating temperature. Joints with die shear strength above 20 MPa can be formed at around 250°C even without applied pressure. Sintered silver joints were also found to be an order of magnitude more reliable than solder joints and wire bonds. In this work, the electromigration behavior of sintered nanosilver material under conditions of high applied current density and elevated temperature was investigated. Thin strips of sintered nanosilver formed on ceramic substrates were tested under current densities exceeding 150 kA/cm² at temperatures of 150°C and above. Results based on the percentage change in sample resistance showed that the sintered silver lasted at least ten times longer than aluminum wire bonds. Examination of failed strips revealed that hairline cracks formed during sintering were the main cause of failure. Otherwise, defect-free samples exhibited a 10-fold increase in lifetime over wire bonds under similar conditions.     

Second order standard addition method and fluorescence spectroscopy in the quantification of ibuprofen enantiomers in biological fluids

The second order standard addition method and spectrofluorimetry were used for determination of ibuprofen enantiomers in human plasma and urine. The methodology was based on chiral recognition of ibuprofen by formation of an inclusion complex with a chiral auxiliary, β-cyclodextrin, in the presence of 1-butanol. The strategy combines the use of PARAFAC, for extraction of the pure analyte signal, with the standard addition method, for determinations in presence of a matrix effect. A specific PARAFAC model was built for each sample and the scores were related to (S)-ibuprofen concentration using a linear regression in the standard addition method. Feasible results were obtained for determinations in the molar fraction range from 50 to 80% of (S)-ibuprofen, providing absolute errors lowers than 4.0% for plasma and urine.     

Reviewing the world's edible mushroom species: A new evidence-based classification system

Wild mushrooms are a vital source of income and nutrition for many poor communities and of value to recreational foragers. Literature relating to the edibility of mushroom species continues to expand, driven by an increasing demand for wild mushrooms, a wider interest in foraging, and the study of traditional foods. Although numerous case reports have been published on edible mushrooms, doubt and confusion persist regarding which species are safe and suitable to consume. Case reports often differ, and the evidence supporting the stated properties of mushrooms can be incomplete or ambiguous. The need for greater clarity on edible species is further underlined by increases in mushroom-related poisonings. We propose a system for categorizing mushroom species and assigning a final edibility status. Using this system, we reviewed 2,786 mushroom species from 99 countries, accessing 9,783 case reports, from over 1,100 sources. We identified 2,189 edible species, of which 2,006 can be consumed safely, and a further 183 species which required some form of pretreatment prior to safe consumption or were associated with allergic reactions by some. We identified 471 species of uncertain edibility because of missing or incomplete evidence of consumption, and 76 unconfirmed species because of unresolved, differing opinions on edibility and toxicity. This is the most comprehensive list of edible mushrooms available to date, demonstrating the huge number of mushrooms species consumed. Our review highlights the need for further information on uncertain and clash species, and the need to present evidence in a clear, unambiguous, and consistent manner.     

Multi‐element characterisation of carob,fig and almond liqueurs by MP‐AES

Carob pod, fig and almond liqueurs are produced in various Mediterranean regions. This work reports the mineral content of these traditional beverages and evaluates the influence of the raw material. Twenty‐five fruit liqueurs from 16 producers were analysed. A simple open‐vessel sample mineralization by wet digestion using nitric acid–hydrogen peroxide (1:1) was used before spectrometric analysis. Nine essential elements (Cu, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Zn, Mn and P) and two non‐essentials (Cd and Pb) were quantified by microwave plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (MP‐AES). Carob liqueur presented the broader profile of minerals and was the only fruit liqueur containing iron (72.7% of samples), phosphorous, manganese and low levels of lead (in two of the 11 samples). Conversely, almond liqueurs contained the lowest mineral content with only five elements detected. Fruit liqueurs showed variability in mineral content even within the same liqueur, presumably as a consequence of the different manufacturing processes. Despite this variability, application of principal component analysis to essential mineral concentrations (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn) resulted in satisfactory classification (PC1 and PC2 accounting for 78.5% of the total variance) of the Portuguese liqueurs evaluated. Copyright © 2018 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

PI regulation for a class of bioreactors: stability and performance

Stability and performance features of linear PI compensation for continuous bioreactors are studied in this paper. First, it is established that conventional PI control can be represented as the combination of an I/O inverse dynamics feedback with a modeling error dynamic estimator. Then, the analysis of the closed‐loop dynamics carried out with singular perturbation tools shows that PI control can recover the stability and performance induced by exact I/O inverse dynamics feedback controller. The theoretical results are illustrated via a typical numerical example. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.