Mobile Phase Effects in Rh/Sulfonated Phosphine/Molten Salts Catalysed the Biphasic Hydroformylation of Heavy Olefins

Rh(acetylacetonate)(CO)₂/sulfonated-Xantphos dissolved in pure 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid catalyses the hydroformylation of heavy olefins (C₈–C₁₂) with selectivities (up to 99% in n-aldehydes). The selectivity is strongly influenced by the nature of the ionic phase and co-solvent.     

Synthesis and molecular modeling studies of derivatives of a highly potent peptidomimetic vinyl ester as falcipain-2 inhibitors

Herein we report the synthesis of a set of constrained peptidomimetics endowed with an electrophilic vinyl ester warhead and structurally related to a previously identified lead compound, a potent and irreversible inhibitor of falcipain‐2 (FP‐2). FP‐2 is the main hemoglobinase of the malaria parasite P. falciparum. The new compounds were evaluated for their inhibition against FP‐2, and the results were rationalized on the basis of docking experiments. These studies underscore the pivotal role of both the ester function at the P1′ site and the trifluoromethyl group of the P3 side chain in determining the correct orientation of the Michael acceptor warhead in the catalytic site, and as a consequence, the potency of the inhibitors as well as their reversible or irreversible mode of inhibition.     

Sonocrystallization of Interesterified Soybean Oil With and Without Agitation

Interesterified soybean oil was crystallized at 29, 34, and 35 °C with and without the use of high‐intensity ultrasound. Samples were crystallized using either (1) continued agitation for the entire crystallization process (CA) or (2) agitation for 10 min (A10) followed by static crystallization. Sonication and agitation decreased the induction period of nucleation at higher temperatures and changed the crystal morphology, crystallization kinetics, and viscoelasticity of the sample. Sonication reduced the crystal sizes and significantly (P <0.05) increased the viscosity (5.2 ± 1.2 to 2369.6 ± 712.1 Pa s) and elastic modulus (83.2 ± 4.1 to 69,236.7 ± 26,765 Pa) of the crystalline networks obtained at 29 °C under A10 condition. An increase in viscosity and elasticity was also observed for sonicated samples crystallized at 34 and 35 °C under A10 and all CA conditions but these differences were not statistically significant (P >0.05). Sonication increased crystallization rates for all conditions tested. Kinetic constants obtained from an Avrami fit increased from1.3 × 10^?5 to 6.8 × 10^?5 min^?n for samples crystallized at 29 °C A10 without and with sonication, respectively, and from 2.6 × 10^?9 to 2.4 × 10^?7 min^?n for samples crystallized at 34 °C A10 without and with sonication, respectively. This increase in the crystallization rate was also observed for samples crystallized under the CA condition at 29 °C.     

Gender and ergonomics: a case study on the 'non-formal' work of women nurses

Women's work activities are often characterised by 'non-formal actions' (such as giving support). Gender differences in ergonomics may be due to this peculiarity. We applied the method of organisational congruencies (MOC) to ascertain the 'non-formal' work portion of nurses employed in three hospital units (haematology, emergency room and general medicine) during the three work shifts in a major University Hospital in Rome, Italy. We recorded a total of 802 technical actions performed by nine nurses in 72 h of work. Twenty-six percent of the actions in direct patient's care were communicative actions (mainly giving psychological support) while providing physical care. These 'double actions' are often not considered to be a formal part of the job by hospital management. In our case study, the 'non-formal' work of nurses (psychological support) is mainly represented by double actions while taking physical care of the patients. The dual task paradigm in gender oriented research is discussed in terms of its implications in prevention in occupational health. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The main purpose of the study was to assess all the formal and non-formal activities of women in the nursing work setting. Offering psychological support to patients is often not considered to be a formal part of the job. Our case study found that nurses receive no explicit guidelines on this activity and no time is assigned to perform it. In measuring the burden of providing psychological support to patients, we found that this is often done while nurses are performing tasks of physical care for the patients (double actions). The article discusses the significance of non-formal psychological work load of women nurses through double actions from the ergonomic point view.     

A study on the acceptance of website interaction aids by older adults

The goal of the present work is to investigate the potential acceptance of a set of web interaction aids by older adults, in order to help them overcome difficulties associated with ageing and help them continue using the web as a source of information, communication and services. This paper presents a survey with older adults concerning their perceptions about a set of web interaction aids defined after a field observation study, a study with questionnaires and user tests of web applications. The survey involved 313 participants, of which about 44 % were older adults and elderly users. The results showed that the use of aids to support the interaction of older adults with the web promotes improvements in the interaction of older adults and younger users alike, which supports the argument for enhanced universal usability. Finally, it was possible to diagnose barriers that still remain and which aids had best acceptance by older adults.     

Nanocrystalline BaAl2O4 powders prepared by aqueous combustion synthesis

In order to achieve BaAl₂O₄ formation via combustion synthesis, two types of recipes were designed: single fuel recipes (urea, glycine, β-alanine or hexamethylenetetramine) and innovative fuel mixture recipes (urea+glycine, urea+β-alanine and urea+hexamethylenetetramine respectively). No combustion reactions were noticed in the case of single fuel recipes based on urea or hexamethylenetetramine. The only crystalline phase present in the case of the powders obtained in such a way was unreacted Ba(NO₃)₂. Glycine and β-alanine generated smoldering reactions, leading to the formation of black powders, which consist of Ba(NO₃)₂, BaCO₃ and traces of BaAl₂O₄ (in the case of β-alanine). Fuel mixture recipes proved to be better than single fuel recipes, yielding BaAl₂O₄ as main crystalline phase. The specific surface area of the resulted powders ranges between 2.0 and 3.9 m²/g. The urea and glycine fuel mixture was the most efficient yielding BaAl₂O₄ with an average crystallite size of 60 nm.     

Synthesis,Chiral Resolution and Pharmacological Evaluation of a 2,3‐Benzodiazepine‐Derived Noncompetitive AMPA Receptor Antagonist

2,3‐Benzodiazepine derivatives : 1‐(4‐Aminophenyl)‐3,5‐dihydro‐3‐N‐ethylcarbamoyl‐5‐methyl‐7,8‐methylenedioxy‐4H‐2,3‐benzodiazepin‐4‐one was synthesized, and its enantiomers were separated by chiral HPLC. Pharmacological evaluation of each enantiomer showed that (S)‐(?)‐ 5 appears to be more potent than its optical antipode (R)‐(+)‐ 5 in an AMPA receptor binding assay.

     

Structural Characterization of the Interaction of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 with Its Hypoxia Responsive Element at the −964G > A Variation Site of the HLA-G Promoter Region

Human Antigen Leukocyte-G (HLA-G) gene encodes an immune checkpoint molecule that has restricted tissue expression in physiological conditions; however, the gene may be induced in hypoxic conditions by the interaction with the hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF1). Hypoxia regulatory elements (HRE) located at the HLA-G promoter region and at exon 2 are the major HIF1 target sites. Since the G allele of the −964G > A transversion induces higher HLA-G expression when compared to the A allele in hypoxic conditions, here we analyzed HIF1-HRE complex interaction at the pair-atom level considering both −964G > A polymorphism alleles. Mouse HIF2 dimer crystal (Protein Data Bank ID: 4ZPK) was used as template to perform homology modelling of human HIF1 quaternary structure using MODELLER v9.14. Two 3D DNA structures were built from 5′GCRTG’3 HRE sequence containing the −964G/A alleles using x3DNA. Protein-DNA docking was performed using the HADDOCK v2.4 server, and non-covalent bonds were computed by DNAproDB server. Molecular dynamic simulation was carried out per 200 ns, using Gromacs v.2019. HIF1 binding in the HRE containing −964G allele results in more hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contact formation than HRE with −964A allele. Protein-DNA complex trajectory analysis revealed that HIF1-HRE-964G complex is more stable. In conclusion, HIF1 binds in a more stable and specific manner at the HRE with G allele.     

Biotechnological Applications and Health-Promoting Properties of Flavonols: An Updated View

Flavonols are a subclass of natural flavonoids characterized by a remarkable number of biotechnological applications and health-promoting properties. They attract researchers’ attention due to many epidemiological studies supporting their usage. They are phytochemicals commonly present in our diet, being ubiquitous in the plant kingdom and, in particular, relatively very abundant in fruits and vegetables. All these aspects make flavonols candidates of choice for the valorization of products, based on the presence of a remarkable number of different chemical structures, each one characterized by specific chemical features capable of influencing biological targets inside the living organisms in very different manners. In this review, we analyzed the biochemical and physiological characteristics of flavonols focalizing our attention on the most promising compounds to shed some light on their increasing utilization in biotechnological applications in processing industries, as well as their suitable employment to improve the overall wellness of the humankind.