Dithiocarbamate as an efficient intermediate for the synthesis of 2-(alkylthio)thiazol-4(5H)-ones

An effective approach for the synthesis of 2-(alkylthio)thiazol-4(5H)-ones from alkyl dithiocarbamates and chloroacetyl chloride in the presence of NaHCO₃ has been developed. Good to excellent yields of products, simple reaction conditions and general applicability are the most important advantages of this protocol.     

Microwave irradiation under different pH conditions induced a decrease in β-lactoglobulin antigenicity

Whey proteins adjusted at pH values 2, 4.6, 9 and at the natural milk pH (pH 6.8) were subjected to microwave irradiation at 300 W for 20 min or 700 W for 10 min. The protein composition of treated and native whey proteins were evaluated by Lowry’s method and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The ability of treated whey to bind IgG polyclonal antibody was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera obtained from rabbit immunized to β-Lactoglobulin (β-Lg). Significantly higher losses in soluble protein concentrations were observed for microwave irradiated whey proteins at pH value 4.6 (35.6% at 300 W and 44.33% at 700 W) (P < 0.0001) compared with those irradiated at the natural milk pH (26% at 300 or 700 W). The electrophoretic patterns of these proteins revealed a considerable decrease in intensity of the band corresponding to α-lactalbumin but only a slight modification was observed for the electrophoretic profiles of β-lactoglobulin. The data obtained with a rabbit anti-β-lactoglobulin immunoglobulin indicated a low antigenic response for microwave-irradiated whey proteins at the natural milk pH (up to 29.32% as well as 300–700 W) (P < 0.001). The lowest antigenicity was observed for samples adjusted to pH 4.6 followed by microwave irradiation at 300 or 700 W (46.99% at 300 W and 41.16% at 700 W) (P < 0.0001).     

Natural Ligands of Porcine Olfactory Binding Proteins

Knowledge of endogenous ligands of olfactory binding proteins is a prerequisite for studying their role in odor and pheromone transduction. Here, we report the extraction, derivatization, and characterization by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the natural ligands of pig, Sus scrofa (L.), Von Ebner’s Gland protein (VEG) and odorant binding protein (OBP). We identified two isoforms (VEG1 and VEG2), which differed only by the linkage of an O-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNac) group on VEG1. The natural ligands of VEG1 were characterized as two isomers of testosterone, whereas ligands of VEG2 and OBP were fatty acids or their derivatives. Our findings suggest that the binding specificity of VEG1 for steroids is governed by the presence of an O-GlcNac moiety on the protein. This specificity was confirmed by the binding of radiolabeled testosterone only by VEG1 in an in-gel binding assay. This is the first evidence for a post-translational modification in the process of odorant discrimination by olfactory binding proteins.     

Declining sperm counts in the United States? A critical review

PURPOSE: Recent reports suggest declining sperm counts in the United States. These reports did not include all available data and did not account for geographic variations noted in prior studies. We examined all available data on U.S. sperm counts and evaluated whether geographic variations account for the decline suggested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed all 29 U.S. studies from 1938 to 1996 reporting manually counted semen analyses of 9,612 fertile or presumably fertile men. We determined mean sperm concentrations by geographic location with weighted analysis of variance, and assessed any changes with time by linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Mean sperm concentrations from New York were significantly higher than from all other U.S. cities (98.6 versus 71.6 x 10(6) sperm per cc, respectively, p = 0.006). There has been no statistically significant change with time for mean sperm concentrations reported from New York (p = 0.49) or from U.S. cities other than New York (p = 0.62). Analysis without separating by location revealed a decline (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Sperm concentrations are highest in New York compared to other U.S. cities. When accounting for this geographic difference and examining all available data, there appears to be no significant change in sperm counts in the U.S. during the last 60 years. Further studies addressing the causes of geographic variations are needed.     

The M5 Simulator: Modeling Networked Systems

Developed specifically to enable research in TCP/IP networking, the M5 simulator provides features necessary for simulating networked hosts, including full-system capability, a detailed I/O subsystem, and the ability to simulate multiple networked systems deterministically. M5's usefulness as a general-purpose architecture simulator and its liberal open-source license have led to its adoption by several academic and commercial groups.     

Development of passive viscoelastic damper to attenuate excessive floor vibrations

Recent changes in the construction of building floors have included the use of light material composite systems and long span floor systems. Although these changes have many advantages, such floor systems can suffer from excessive vibration due to human activities. This problem is exacerbated in office buildings due to the reduction in inherent damping associated with modern fit outs. Excessive floor vibrations are often realised after the completion of construction or following structural modifications and normally arise due to inadequate knowledge of the damping values in the design process. Thus rectification measures are normally required to reduce floor accelerations. This paper proposes a new innovative passive viscoelastic damper to reduce floor vibrations. This damper can be easily tuned to the fundamental frequency of the floor and can be designed to achieve various damping values. The paper discusses the analytical development of the damper with experimental results presented on a prototype to demonstrate its effectiveness.     

LEIS for the prediction of turbulent multifluid flows applied to thermal-hydraulics applications

The paper centres on the use of the so-defined LEIS approach (Large-Eddy & Interface Simulation) for turbulent multifluid flows present in thermal-hydraulics applications. Interfacial flows involving deformable, sheared fronts separating immiscible fluids are shown to be within reach of this new approach, featuring direct resolution of turbulence and sheared interface deformations within the interface tracking (ITM) framework, such as level sets and VOF. In this technique supergrid turbulence and interfacial scales are directly solved whereas the sub-grid (SGS) parts are modelled, at least the turbulence part of it. First results are shown (feasibility), and difficulties and open issues are discussed. The connection between these two particular scales will also be discussed, and potential modelling routes evoked, including combining two-fluid and ITM, local grid refinement, or combing particle tracking and ITM for sub-grid inclusions smaller than the grid size.     

Office hysteroscopy versus transvaginal ultrasonography in the evaluation of patients with excessive uterine bleeding

Successful treatment of a severe haemoptysis with microcoil embolization in an en block double-lung transplanted patient is described. A 53 year old woman with advanced bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome experienced severe haemoptysis 26 months after an en bloc double-lung transplantation with direct bronchial artery revascularization using the left internal mammary artery. Bronchoscopy showed that the haemoptysis originated from the lingula. Only two months after the transplant, left internal mammary arteriograms revealed proliferation and enlargement of the bronchial arteries in the lingula. The early occurrence of the vascular malformation indicated a pre-existing bronchiectasis in the donor lung, possibly due to tobacco smoking. After uncomplicated microcoil embolization of the left internal mammary artery, the patient experienced no further episodes of haemoptysis. Microcoil embolization can be used successfully to treat massive haemoptysis related to proliferated and enlarged bronchial arteries in transplanted lungs with bronchial artery revascularization.     

The food preservative potential of essential oils: is lemongrass the answer?

Several essential oils of medicinal plants possess proven antimicrobial activity and are suitable for applications on the food industry. The oil from Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) has been reported to have a wide range of biological activities. However, there are few controlled studies confirming its antimicrobial activity. The aim of our study was to assess the antimicrobial potential of lemongrass oil against a wide spectrum of food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria and yeast in liquid and vapour phase. The chemical composition of the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography; 14 components were identified and geranial (28.93 %), neral (24.30 %) and myrcene (23.92 %) were the most abundant constituents. Lemongrass oil showed potent antimicrobial activity against Gram positive bacteria and exhibited the strongest antifungal effect against Candida albicans and C. parapsilosis. Minimum inhibitory concentration varied from 0.019 to 1.25 mg mL^?1 for Gram positive bacteria and yeasts, indicating Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and C. albicans as the most susceptible strains. Moreover, the diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ) increased with increasing essential oil (EO) volume. Considerably superior antimicrobial activity was observed in the vapour phase. The DIZ resulting from the exposure to EO vapour was significantly larger than that from the same volume in the liquid phase. The DIZ varied from 22 to 90 mm for Candida strains. There is growing evidence that EO in vapour phase are effective antimicrobial systems and that they do have advantages over the use of oil in liquid phase. Our results imply that lemongrass oil could be useful for the development of novel types of natural preservatives for food control.