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.     

Attentional Biases for Negative Interpersonal Stimuli in Clinical Depression.

An information-processing paradigm was used to examine attentional biases in clinically depressed participants, participants with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and nonpsychiatric control participants for faces expressing sadness, anger, and happiness. Faces were presented for 1,000 ms, at which point depressed participants had directed their attention selectively to depression-relevant (i.e., sad) faces. This attentional bias was specific to the emotion of sadness; the depressed participants did not exhibit attentional biases to the angry or happy faces. This bias was also specific to depression; at 1,000 ms, participants with GAD were not attending selectively to sad, happy, or anxiety-relevant (i.e., angry) faces. Implications of these findings for both the cognitive and the interpersonal functioning of depressed individuals are discussed and directions for future research are advanced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intercomparison of scanning probe microscopes

Comparison measurements on reference standards are reported in which 13 partners with different instruments took part. A set of prototype standards which had been produced and calibrated within a European project were used for the measurements. Here, results of measurements on a 240 nm step height standard and a two-dimensional lateral standard with a nominal pitch of 1 μm are reported.     

Numerical realization of an optimal discrepancy principle for Tikhonov-regularization in Hilbert scales

We discuss the numerical realization of an a-posteriori parameter choice for Tikhonov regularization of linear integral equations of the first kind in Hilbert scales that leads to optimal convergence rates and that does not need any information about the exact solution. Numerical examples confirm the theoretical results.     

Introduction

Concluding remarks With this brief exposition of the areas covered in this special double issue on Eurotra, we shall now conclude our introduction. We hope that the volume will achieve its goals, as outlined above, at least to some extent. Certainly, much more could be said about a wide range of topics which have been covered in the lifetime or the project so far. For instance, these article, mainly written by linguists, deliberately neglect the software implementation and environment aspects of the prototype Eurotra Translation System, as well as a number of peripheral tools and components of the system that are available to the user, such as lexical data bases, text-handling mechanisms and the like. The reader interested in aspects of this kind is referred to Raw et al. 1989 for a very brief introduction, and to the Eurotra software team at the Commission of the European Communities (DG XIII, Luxembourg) for more details. However, one goal that we do hope to come close to achieving is to give a fair overview of the Eurotra linguistic theory of translation and the mainstream and sideline formalisms expressing variant versions of it. If we have come anywhere near achieving that, our gratitude is due to the numerous Eurotra colleagues who have supported us in preparing this volume, and to the editor of this journal.     

Mikrotechnik für Raumfahrtanwendungen

This contribution describes the preparation, based upon a chemically amplified novolak resist (CAR), electron beam lithography, and ECR plasma etching, of structures with a high aspect ratio (10∶1) and lateral dimensions in the sub-micrometer range (150nm–300nm) which may serve as collector surfaces for sub-μm dust particles in a space experiment.     

Determination of carbon black fillers in vulcanizates of natural rubber by metathesis degradation

A method for the determination of carbon black fillers in peroxide vulcanizates or sulfur vulcanizates of natural rubber (NR, cis-1,4-polyisoprene) by metathesis degradation with 1-octene was developed using the catalyst WCl₆? (C₂H₅)₃Al₂Cl₃. The carbon black was separated from the reaction mixture by centrifuging and determined by weighing. In this connection, investigations were also performed with the catalyst WCl₆? C₂H₅Al₂Cl₃ which was less suitable for filler determination. The rate of degradation of crosslinked NR with (E)-4-octene was measured. Metathesis reactions of 2-methyl-2-pentene (low-molecular-weight model compound of NR) with 7-tetradecene showed the importance of double bond shift for the degradation of NR.