2-Phenyloxazole-4-carboxamide as a Scaffold for Selective Inhibition of Human Monoamine Oxidase B

A series of 2-phenyloxazoles bearing an amide group at position 4 were designed and synthesized for evaluation as potential inhibitors of human recombinant monoamine oxidases (hrMAOs). Results of kinetics experiments demonstrated that all compounds behave as competitive MAO inhibitors, with good selectivity toward the MAO-B isoform. The most potent and selective derivatives are characterized by inhibition constant (K_i) values in the sub-micromolar range and a good selectivity index (K_{i MAO-A}/K_{i MAO-B}>50). Some derivatives were also found to be able to inhibit MAO activity in nerve growth factor (NGF)-differentiated PC12 cells, taken as a model of neuronal cells. In particular, 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-N-phenyloxazole-4-carboxamide (compound 4 a ) may be a promising new scaffold, exerting the highest selectivity and inhibitory effect toward MAOs in NGF-differentiated PC12 cell lysates, without compromising cell viability. Molecular docking analysis allowed a rationalization of the experimentally observed binding affinity and selectivity.     

A Constraint-based Approach for Annotating Music Scores with Gestural Information

The physical gestures that operate music instruments are responsible for the qualities of the sound being produced in a performance. Gestural information is thereby crucial for a model of music performance, paired with a model of sound synthesis where this information is applied. The highly constrained nature of performers gestures makes this task suitable to be modeled via a constraint-based approach, coupled with a strategy aimed at maximizing the gestural comfort of performers. We illustrate the problem representation, the search strategy and a validation of the model against human performance.     

Electrocatalysis of chlorine evolution on different materials and its influence on the performance of an electrochemical reactor for indirect oxidation of pollutants

Two different Ti/Pt–Ir materials (commercial and home made) and Ti/PdO + Co₃O₄ were investigated for their electrocatalytic properties versus Cl₂ evolution reaction. The materials were used in a batch electrochemical reactor to treat biologically recalcitrant di-azo compound. An electrochemically driven oxidation, mediated by a Cl₂/Cl⁻ couple, proved efficient for destruction of this complex organic molecule, causing cleavage of the conjugated double bonds and destruction of unsatured bonds. Both Ti/Pt–Ir materials performed well; lower kinetics obtained with the Ti/PdO + Co₃O₄ anode was caused by adsorption of the model compound, evidenced in preliminary voltammetric measurements. The dye oxidation reaction followed the second order kinetics with partial orders in the model compound and (time varying) chlorine concentrations equal to one. Specific energy consumption of 3.12 kWh m⁻³ proved the process more economic than the homogeneous phase oxidation.     

CO2 abatement by co-firing of natural gas and biomass-derived gas in a gas turbine

In this work, a possible way for partial CO₂ emissions reduction from gas turbine exhausts by co-firing with biomass is investigated. The basic principle is the recirculation of a fraction of the exhausts (still rich in oxygen) to a gasifier, in order to produce syngas to mix with natural gas fuel. As biomass is a CO₂ neutral fuel, the fraction of replaced natural gas is a measure of CO₂ removal potential of the powerplant.     

Specific heat of thin helium films in a cylindrical geometry

We report measurements of the specific heat of thin helium films adsorbed in the 0.2 µm pores of Anopore membranes. Over the temperature range of these studies, two specific heat anomalies, strongly dependent on helium film thickness, were found.     

Believing what you feel: Using proprioceptive feedback to reduce unilateral neglect.

Unilateral spatial neglect declines when participants reach to grip the center of long metal rods compared with when they point to the perceived center, suggesting that visuomotor control systems are less affected by neglect than other representational systems (I. H. Robertson, D. Nico, & B. Hood, 1995). In this study, 16 participants with unilateral left neglect actually picked up rods, and we predicted short-term improvements in neglect because of induced conflict between a phenomenally symmetrical visual world on the one hand and a proprioceptively conveyed rightward-biased world on the other. With participants serving as their own controls, significant short-term improvements in neglect were found on 2 out of 4 neglect tasks after participants experienced proprioceptive feedback discrepant from the judgments they made on the basis of visual information alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distributed Coordination and Workflow on the World Wide Web

This paper describes WebFlow, an environment thatsupports distributed coordination services on theWorld Wide Web. WebFlow leverages the HTTP Webtransport protocol and consists of a number of toolsfor the development of applications that require thecoordination of multiple, distributed servers.Typical applications of WebFlow include distributeddocument workspaces, inter/intra-enterprise workflow,and electronic commerce. In this paper we describe thegeneral WebFlow architecture for distributedcoordination, and then focus on the environment fordistributed workflow.     

Nondegradative microextrusion of resorbable polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications: The cases of poly‐lactic‐acid and poly‐caprolactone

In recent years biodegradable polymers, particularly polyesters such as the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL), have gained high interests for their applicability in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields where they're used for manufacturing various different resorbable devices, from tissue engineering scaffolds to controlled drug release systems. Despite many positive characteristics, processability of these materials still remains a critical issue as they easily tend to degrade during manufacturing. In this article we aimed to assess microextrusion as a nondegradative process for manufacturing PLA and PCL. The results we experimentally obtained, that are hereby presented, set a new point in the on‐going debate on degradation during processing of resorbable polymers as they allow to affirm that microextrusion leaves unmodified molecular weight distributions without producing any evident reductions in mean molecular weight. Microextrusion thus represents a risk‐free high molecular weight polymer processing solution for obtaining nondegraded products within pharmaceutical and biomedical production lines, such as for scaffolds for tissue engineering applications or drug delivery. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008