Structure of pentacyclo[7.4.2.02,6.06,15.011,14]pentadec-4-ene-7,13-dione, a novel pentacyclic C15 quinane system

C 15H 1602 (a synthetic precursor to dodecahedrane), monoclinic, P21/n, a = 12.171 (5), b = 6.976(5), c = 13.868 (3) A, B = 102.56 (3) ° , Z = 4, D m = 1.30, D c = 1.318 g cm -3, F(000) = 488, g(Mo K¢t) = 0.92 cm- 1. Intensity data were collected on a Nonius CAD-4 diffractometer and the structure was solved by direct methods. Full-matrix least-squares refinement gave R = 0.077 (R w = 0.076) for 1337 observed reflections. All the five-membered rings are cis fused and have envelope (C s symmetry) conformations.

Crystal and molecular structure of 15-bromolongibornane-8,9-dione

The crystal and molecular structure of the title compound (1) has been determined by the heavy-atom method from 1038 observed three-dimensional photographic data. Crystals are orthorhombic, with a = 20.07 ± 0.02, b= 10.05 ± 0.02, c= 7.31 ± 0.01 Å, space group P212121, with Z= 4. The structure was refined by block diagonal leastsquares to R 0.099. The conformation of the norbornane moiety is discussed. The seven-membered ring portion of the molecule adopts an approximate chair conformation. The packing of the molecules in the crystal is mainly a consequence of van der Waals interactions.

Rapid transfection assay for screening mutagens and carcinogens

Testing for mutagenicity and carcinogenicity has become an integral part of the toxicological evaluation of drugs and chemicals. Standard carcinogenicity tests in vivo require both large numbers of animals and prolonged experiments. To circumvent these problems, several rapid tests have been developed for preliminary screening of mutagens and carcinogens in vitro. Ames and his associates, the first to develop a mutation test, used mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium [1]. Mutation tests with Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and DNA-repair tests with E. coli and B. subtilis, have been developed. Cytogenetic assays, in vivo as well as in vitro, in both plant and animal systems, are also used to detect potential mutagens and carcinogens. Transfection is inhibited by base mutation, cleavage of DNA, loss of cohesive ends, interaction with histones, spermidine, nalidixic acid, etc. [3]. The efficiency of transfection is affected by temperature, DNA structure and the condition of the competence of the recipient cells [3]. Transfection assays with phages MS: RNA and ~i, x 174-DNA have been reported [15]. A fast and easy transfection assay using colitis bacteriophage DNA is reported in this communication.

Influence of Temperature and High Electric Field on Power Consumption by Piezoelectric Actuated Integrated Structure

The influence of electric field and temperature on power consumption of piezoelectric actuated integrated structure is studied by using a single degree of freedom mass-spring-damper system model coupled with a piezoactuator. The material lead zirconate titanate, is considered as it is capable of producing relatively high strains (e.g., 3000 mu epsilon). Actuators are often subject to high electric fields to increase the induced strain produced, resulting in field dependant piezoelectric coefficient d(31), dielectric coefficient epsilon(33) and dissipation factor delta. Piezostructures are also likely to be used across a wide range of temperatures in aerospace and undersea operations. Again, the piezoelectric properties can vary with temperature. Recent experimental studies by physics researchers have looked at the effect of high electric field and temperature on piezoelectric properties. These properties are used together with an impedance based power consumption model. Results show that including the nonlinear variation of dielectric permittivity and dissipation factor with electric field is important. Temperature dependence of the dielectric constant also should be considered.

Carbon sequestration versus bioenergy: A case study from South India exploring the relative land-use efficiency of two options for climate change mitigation

This case study has been carried out as a comparison between two different land-use strategies for climate change mitigation, with possible application within the Clean Development Mechanisms. The benefits of afforestation for carbon sequestration versus for bioenergy production are compared in the context of development planning to meet increasing domestic and agricultural demand for electricity in Hosahalli village, Karnataka, India. One option is to increase the local biomass based electricity generation, requiring an increased biomass plantation area. This option is compared with fossil based electricity generation where the area is instead used for producing wood for non-energy purposes while also sequestering carbon in the soil and standing biomass. The different options have been assessed using the PRO-COMAP model. The ranking of the different options varies depending on the system boundaries and time period. Results indicate that, in the short term (30 years) perspective, the mitigation potential of the long rotation plantation is largest, followed by the short rotation plantation delivering wood for energy. The bioenergy option is however preferred if a long-term view is taken. Short rotation forests delivering wood for short-lived non-energy products have the smallest mitigation potential, unless a large share of the wood products are used for energy purposes (replacing fossil fuels) after having served their initial purpose. If managed in a sustainable manner all of these strategies can contribute to the improvement of the social and environmental situation of the local community. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Melting of an Anchored Bilayer: Phase Transitions in the Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Pervoskite (CH3NH3)(CH3(CH2)(n)NH3)(2)Pb2I7 (n=11, 13, 15, 17)

The conformation, organization, and phase transitions of alkyl chains in organic-inorganic hybrids based on the double pervoskite-slab lead iodides, (CH3NH3)(CH3(CH2)(n)NH3)(2)Pb2I7 (n = 11, 13, 15, 17) have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, calorimetry, and infrared vibrational spectroscopy. In these hybrid solids, double pervoskite (CH3NH3)Pb2I7 slabs are interleaved with alkyl ammonium chains with the anchored alkyl chains arranged as tilted bilayers and adopting a planar all-trans conformation at room temperature. The (CH3NH3)(CH3(CH2)(n)NH3)(2)Pb2I7 compounds exhibit a single reversible phase transition above room temperature with the associated enthalpy change varying linearly with alkyl chain length. This transition corresponds to the melting in two-dimensions of the alkyl chains of the anchored bilayer and is characterized by increased conformational disorder of the methylene units of the chain and loss of tilt angle coherence leading to an increase in the interslab spacing. By monitoring features in the infrared spectra that are characteristic of the global conformation of the alkyl chains, a quantitative relation between conformational disorder and melting of the anchored bilayer is established. It is found that, irrespective of the alkyl chain length, melting occurs when at least 60% of the chains in the anchored bilayer of (CH3NH3)(CH3(CH2)(n)NH3)(2)Pb2I7 have one or more gauche defects. This concentration is determined by the underlying lattice to which the alkyl chains are anchored.

Fuzzy-logic-based health monitoring and residual-life prediction for composite helicopter rotor

A health-monitoring and life-estimation strategy for composite rotor blades is developed in this work. The cross-sectional stiffness reduction obtained by physics-based models is expressed as a function of the life of the structure using a recent phenomenological damage model. This stiffness reduction is further used to study the behavior of measurable system parameters such as blade deflections, loads, and strains of a composite rotor blade in static analysis and forward flight. The simulated measurements are obtained using an aeroelastic analysis of the composite rotor blade based on the finite element in space and time with physics-based damage modes that are then linked to the life consumption of the blade. The model-based measurements are contaminated with noise to simulate real data. Genetic fuzzy systems are developed for global online prediction of physical damage and life consumption using displacement- and force-based measurement deviations between damaged and undamaged conditions. Furthermore, local online prediction of physical damage and life consumption is done using strains measured along the blade length. It is observed that the life consumption in the matrix-cracking zone is about 12-15% and life consumption in debonding/delamination zone is about 45-55% of the total life of the blade. It is also observed that the success rate of the genetic fuzzy systems depends upon the number of measurements, type of measurements and training, and the testing noise level. The genetic fuzzy systems work quite well with noisy data and are recommended for online structural health monitoring of composite helicopter rotor blades.

Grain boundary sliding during diffusion and dislocation creep in a Mg-0.7 pct Al alloy

Early studies on grain boundary sliding (GBS) in Mg alloys have suggested frequently that the contribution of GBS to creep is high even under conditions corresponding to dislocation creep. The role of creep strain and grain size in influencing the experimental measurements has not been clearly identified. Grain boundary sliding measurements were conducted in detail over experimental conditions corresponding to diffusion creep as well as dislocation creep in a single-phase Mg-0.7 wt pet Al alloy. The results indicated clearly that the GBS contribution to creep was Very high during,, diffusion creep at low stresses (similar to 75 pct) and substantially reduced during dislocation creep at high stresses (similar to 15 pct). These measurements were consistent with the observation of significant intragranular slip band activity observed in most grains at high stresses and very little slip band activity at low stresses. The experimental measurements and analysis indicated also that the GBS contribution to creep was high during the initial stages of creep and decreased to a steady-state value at large strains.

The effect of ageing on microstructure and nanoindentation behaviour of dc magnetron sputter deposited nickel rich NiTi films

Nickel rich NiTi films were sputter deposited on p-doped Si left angle bracket1 0 0right-pointing angle bracket substrates maintained at 300 °C. The films were subsequently solution treated at 700 °C for 30 min followed by ageing at 400 and 500 °C for 5 h. The microstructure of the films was examined by TEM and these studies revealed that the NiTi films were mostly amorphous in the as-deposited condition. The subsequent solution treatment and ageing resulted in crystallization of the films with the film aged at 400 °C exhibiting nanocrystalline grains and three phases viz. B2 (austenite), R and Ni3Ti2 whereas the film aged at 500 °C shows micron sized grains and two phases viz. R and Ni3Ti2. Nanoindentation studies revealed that the nature of the load versus indentation depth response for the films aged at 400 and 500 °C was different. For the same load, the indenter penetrated to a much greater depth for the film aged at 400 °C as compared to the film aged at 500 °C. Also the ratio of the residual indentation depth (hf) to maximum indentation depth (hmax) is lower for the film aged at 400 °C as compared to the film aged at 500 °C. This was attributed to the occurrence of stress induced martensitic transformation of the B2 phase present in the film aged at 400 °C during indentation loading which results in a transformation strain in addition to the normal elastic and plastic strains and its subsequent recovery on unloading. The hardness and elastic modulus measured using the Oliver and Pharr analysis was also found to be lower for the film aged at 400 °C as compared to the film aged at 500 °C which was also primarily attributed to the same effect.

Modular design of synthetic protein mimics. Crystal structures, assembly, and hydration of two 15- and 16-residue apolar, leucyl-rich helical peptides

Two IS- and 16-residue peptides containing a-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) have been synthesized, as part of a strategy to construct stereochemically rigid peptide helices, in a modular approach to design of protein mimics. The peptides Boc-(Val-Ala-Leu-Aib),-OMe ( I ) and Boc-Val-Ala-Leu-Aib-Val-Ala-Leu-(Val-Ala-Leu-Aib()11z)- OhaMvee been crystallized.Both crystals are stable only in the presence of mother liquor or water. The crystal data are as follows. I: C78H140N16019~2H20,P2,, a = 16.391 (3) A, b = 16.860 (3) A, c = 18.428 (3) A, p = 103.02 (I)O, Z = 2, R = 9.6% for 3445 data with lFol >30(F), resolution 0.93 A. 11: C7,Hl,,N,S018.7.5H,0, C2221, a = 18.348 ( 5 ) A, b = 47.382 (1 1) A, c = 24.157 ( 5 ) A, Z =8, R = l0,6%, for 3147 data with lFol > 3a(F), resolution 1.00 A. The 15-residue peptide (11) is entirely a helical, while the 16-residue peptide ( I ) has a short segment of 310 helix at the N terminus. The packing of the helices in the crystals is rather incfficicnt with no particular attractions between Leu-Leu side chains, or any other pair. Both crystals have fairly large voids, which are filled with water molecules in a disordered fashion. Water molecule sites near the polar head-to-tail regions are well detcrmined, those closer to the hydrophobic side chains less so and a number of possible water sites in the remaining "empty" space are not determined. No interdigitation of Leu side chains is observed in the crystal as is hypothesized in the "leucine zipper" class of DNA binding proteins.

Image -asparaginases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains H37Rv and H37Ra

M. tuberculosis H37Ra possesses two Image -asparaginases while the H37Rv strain possesses only a single enzyme. These enzymes have been purified and their properties studied. The two Image -asparaginases in H37Ra strain differ from each other in pH optima, heat inactivation, Michaelis constant and effects of inhibitors, while one of them resembles the single Image -asparaginase present in the H37Rv strain. Image -Cysteine inhibits both Image -asparaginases in an allosteric manner probably because it is one of the end-products in Image -asparagine metabolism. This is the first time that a qualitative difference has been reported in the enzyme pattern between the avirulent and virulent strains of M. tuberculosis.

A new levan producing bacterium, Corynebacterium laev aniformans nov spec

Raw sewage and activated sludge have been shown to be good sources for isolating a levan-synthesising bacterium. The morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics of the bacterium have been described and the designation. Corynebacterium laevaniformans, nov. spec. has been proposed for it. Some of the factors which influence levan synthesis are reported.

A new method of producing local enhancement of buoyancy in liquid flows

We describe here a novel method of generating large volumetric heating in a liquid. The method uses the principle of ohmic heating of the liquid, rendered electrically conducting by suitable additives if necessary. Electrolysis is prevented by the use of high frequency alternating voltage and chemically treated electrodes. The technique is demonstrated by producing substantial heating in an initially neutral jet of water. Simple flow visualisation studies, made by adding dye to the jet, show marked changes in the growth and development of the jet with heat addition.