High‐Affinity Carbohydrate Binding by Trimeric Benzoboroxoles Measured on Carbohydrate Arrays

Carbohydrates are involved in a wide range of biological processes of pharmaceutical relevance. The selective recognition of carbohydrates is therefore of great interest in biology and medicine. In this study we present the synthesis of fluorescent multimeric benzoboroxoles and the analysis of multivalent binding processes to immobilized carbohydrate arrays by fluorescence spectroscopy. We observed high binding affinities of trimeric benzoboroxoles by determination of K_Dsurf values for their interaction with α‐Gal on glass chips. The observed K_Dsurf values were in the mid‐nM range (49 and 104 nM ) and are comparable to the K_Dsurf values for binding of natural lectins, such as that of ConA to immobilized α‐Man (79 nM ). The array technology was found to be an excellent tool for studying the binding processes of multivalent lectin mimetics with respect to profiling and quantitation.     

Generation of Coarse Bubbles and Flow Instability Control by Means of a Bubble Generator

A previously studied bubble generator was tested under new operating conditions to provide for millimeter‐sized bubbles. The basic element of the generator is a vortex chamber with water supplied through tangential ducts while gas (air) is introduced in the radial direction. Bubbles with average diameter of 0.5–2.2 mm were produced and registered by high‐speed photography. The correlation between the water‐air flow rate ratio and the characteristic bubble diameter was established and described by a relationship. Pressure oscillations in the exit section of the device were captured for two‐phase flows with fine and coarse bubbles. With a view to applications in membrane filtration and water treatment, the effect of a pin installed in the exit section of the vortex chamber on the pressure oscillations was studied. The pin results in a drastic increase in pressure amplitude, both in the flow without bubbles and in the case of gas supply.     

Generation of Two‐Phase Air‐Water Flow with Fine Microbubbles

Aiming at the development of a low‐cost technology for multipurpose water and surface treatment in the chemical industry and beyond, using microbubbles, a novel scheme of liquid‐gas interaction within a specially designed bubble generator was tested. Its efficiency for the production of microbubbles with a size distribution in the micron range is confirmed. The basic element of the device is a vortex chamber with water supply through tangential ducts, while the gas (air) is introduced in a highly turbulent swirling flow of water in radial direction through the orifice in the gas supply duct, located on the chamber axis. Bubble diameters, bubble velocities in the pipe flow and effect of the output pressure on the bubble size distribution were studied.     

Synthesis in Jasmone Series. IV. Preparation of Methyl-2-Oxo-5-Pentylcyclopentyl-1-Acetate and its 4-Pentyl Analogue

Two new analogues of methyldihydrojasmonate ( 14 ); methyl-2-oxo-5-pentylcyclopentyl-1-acetate ( 5 ) and methyl-2-oxo-4-pentylcyclopentyl-1-acetate ( 12 ) were synthesized. The key step in these syntheses was 1,4-addition of trialkylborane to α, β-unsaturated cyclopentenones, 4 and 9 .     

Characterization of the human cytomegalovirus UL97 gene product as a virion-associated protein kinase

The cellular localization and virion association of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL97 protein were studied. UL97 protein demonstrated early nuclear localization followed by late perinuclear accumulation. It was found to be a structural virion constituent detected in all three enveloped forms of extracellular viral particles and shown to be phosphorylated by the virion-associated protein kinase. UL97 protein immunoprecipitated from virions and from infected cells demonstrated protein kinase activity manifested by autophosphorylation. This activity was reduced in the presence of a ganciclovir-resistance mutation at residue 460, implicated in nucleotide binding. A mutant virus, from which the proposed UL97 kinase catalytic domain had been deleted, could not be propagated in the absence of a helper wild-type virus. The characterization of UL97 protein as a virion-associated protein kinase which appears essential for viral replication, provides further insight into HCMV replication and could identify a potential novel target for antiviral therapy.     

Segmentation of thin structures in volumetric medical images.

We present a new segmentation method for extracting thin structures embedded in three-dimensional medical images based on modern variational principles. We demonstrate the importance of the edge alignment and homogeneity terms in the segmentation of blood vessels and vascular trees. For that goal, the Chan-Vese minimal variance method is combined with the boundary alignment, and the geodesic active surface models. An efficient numerical scheme is proposed. In order to simultaneously detect a number of different objects in the image, a hierarchal approach is applied.     

Investigation of CuInS2 thin film formation by a low-temperature chemical deposition method

Copper indium disulfide (CuInS(2), CIS) thin films were prepared by an alternative solution-based coating process adapted from the well-established aqueous metal salt/thiourea precursor system. The temperature for the decomposition of the precursors and the formation of CIS was lowered significantly to 130 °C by using the strongly coordinating solvent pyridine instead of the commonly used water. In addition, the influence of different annealing temperatures and concentrations of thiourea (TU) in the precursor solution on the obtained CIS samples was investigated. The films possess highly beneficial properties for photovoltaic applications, showing a chalcopyrite crystal structure, a high optical absorption (>10(4) cm(-1)) and an optical band gap between 1.45 and 1.51 eV. Chemical and morphological changes during the thin film formation were detected and explained by time-resolved simultaneous grazing incident small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS, GIWAXS) measurements, scanning electron microsccopy (SEM) and simultaneous thermogravimetry/mass spectroscopy (TG/MS).     

Selectivity in heterogeneous catalytic processes

The selectivity of several catalytic systems was studied. Shape selectivity of Pt on carbon-fiber catalysts was demonstrated in the competitive hydrogenation of 1-hexene and cyclohexene and in the parallel dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone and phenol. Both reactions were carried out in a gas-phase fixed-bed reactor. Catalysts prepared on carbon fibers, containing pores with small constrictions (5 Å) yielded significantly higher rates of hydrogenation of 1-hexene compared to those of cyclohexene and selectively produced cyclohexanone from cyclohexanol. Other catalysts, supported on carbon fibers with large constrictions (7 Å) or activated carbon, displayed comparable rates of hydrogenation for both reactants and yielded cyclohexanone as well as phenol from cyclohexanol. Nitration of o-xylene with nitrogen dioxide was carried out in the gas phase over a series of solid acid catalysts packed in a fixed bed. Several zeolites, supported sulfuric acid, and sulfated zirconia were tested. Zeolite H-β was found to be the most active and selective catalyst for the production of 4-nitro-o-xylene. A preliminary kinetic model indicated that the selectivity to 4-nitro-o-xylene increased with decreasing concentration of nitrogen dioxide. Alkylation of phenol with methanol was performed on zeolites, supported sulfuric and phosphoric acids, and sulfated zirconia packed in a fixed-bed. The ratio of o- to c-alkylation, measured at 180°C and methanol to phenol feed molar ratio of unity, ranged from 4 with the supported acids to 2 with zeolite H-β. This ratio decreased with temperature. The ratio of o- to p-cresol changed from about 2 in zeolites in supported sulfuric acid and to 0.5 in phosphoric acid supported on carbon fibers.