Optimized Biocatalytic Synthesis of 2-Selenopyrimidine Nucleosides by Transglycosylation**

Selenium-modified nucleosides are powerful tools to study the structure and function of nucleic acids and their protein interactions. The widespread application of 2-selenopyrimidine nucleosides is currently limited by low yields in established synthetic routes. Herein, we describe the optimization of the synthesis of 2-Se-uridine and 2-Se-thymidine derivatives by thermostable nucleoside phosphorylases in transglycosylation reactions using natural uridine or thymidine as sugar donors. Reactions were performed at 60 or 80 °C and at pH 9 under hypoxic conditions to improve the solubility and stability of the 2-Se-nucleobases in aqueous media. To optimize the conversion, the reaction equilibria in analytical transglycosylation reactions were studied. The equilibrium constants of phosphorolysis of the 2-Se-pyrimidines were between 5 and 10, and therefore differ by an order of magnitude from the equilibrium constants of any other known case. Hence, the thermodynamic properties of the target nucleosides are inherently unfavorable, and this complicates their synthesis significantly. A tenfold excess of sugar donor was needed to achieve 40−48 % conversion to the target nucleoside. Scale-up of the optimized conditions provided four Se-containing nucleosides in 6–40 % isolated yield, which compares favorably to established chemical routes.     

Safety Devices Based on Smart Alloys

Journal of Machinery Manufacture and Reliability - A device based on smart alloys has been designed for use in machine building items, in particular, in nuclear engineering, for preventing...     

Effects of malondialdehyde-induced protein oxidation on the structural characteristics of rice protein

Malondialdehyde (MDA) was selected to represent a secondary by-product of lipid peroxidation during rice ageing. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MDA modification on the structural characteristics of rice protein. The results showed that as MDA concentration increased, rice protein carbonyl and disulphide groups increased, but sulphydryl content decreased. The blue shift of maximum fluorescence peak, the decrease of rice protein intrinsic fluorescence intensity and the reduction of surface hydrophobicity indicated the formation of protein aggregates caused by MDA oxidative modification. The results of molecular weight distribution and particle size distribution showed that MDA modification resulted in the formation of soluble protein aggregates, and the decrease of rice protein solubility indicated that insoluble protein aggregates were formed. Results of protein electrophoresis showed that MDA modification contributed to rice protein aggregation via non-disulphide covalent bonds. The results showed that rice protein gradually aggregated with increasing MDA concentration.     

Heuristic Solution to the Diffraction Problem on a Superconducting Half-Plane

Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics - Abstract—The article presents a rigorous numerical solution, using the Wiener–Hopf method, to the problem of plane wave...     

A mini review on two-dimensional nanomaterial assembly

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted a great deal of attention since the discovery of graphene in 2004, due to their intriguing physicochemical properties and wide-ranging applications in catalysis, energy-related devices, electronics and optoelectronics. To maximize the potential of 2D nanomaterials for their technological applications, controlled assembly of 2D nanobulding blocks into integrated systems is critically needed. This mini review summarizes the reported strategies of 2D materials-based assembly into integrated functional nanostructures, from in-situ assembly method to post-synthesis assembly. The applications of 2D assembled integrated structures are also covered, especially in the areas of energy, electronics and sensing, and we conclude with discussion on the remaining challenges and potential directions in this emerging field.