Synthesis of 5,6-substituted benzimidazoles and their evaluation as potential intermediates in the anaerobic vitamin B biosynthesis pathway.

Although benzimidazoles are well-recognized compounds in medicinal chemistry, they occur in the natural world primarily as lower ligands of Vitamin B and other cobamides. In this study, we present the synthesis of 5-methoxy-6-methylbenzimidazole and 5-hydroxy-6-methylbenzimidazole, and demonstrate their ability to produce functional cobamides and N-1'-α-glycosidic-benzimidazolyl-ribosylphosphate isomers which are putative B biosynthesis intermediates.

Guardian of cobamide diversity: Probing the role of CobT in lower ligand activation in the biosynthesis of vitamin B and other cobamide cofactors.

Enzymes catalyze a wide variety of reactions with exquisite precision under crowded conditions within cellular environments. When encountered with a choice of small molecules in their vicinity, even though most enzymes continue to be specific about the substrate they pick, some others are able to accept a range of substrates and subsequently produce a variety of products. The biosynthesis of Vitamin B, an essential nutrient required by humans involves a multi-substrate α-phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme CobT that activates the lower ligand of B.

Effects of grip force on skin conductance measured from a handheld device.

Skin conductance (SC) reflects stimulus significance and can be measured by integrating electrodes directly onto a smartphone housing such that they are naturally contacted when gripped. However, grip artifacts naturally arise during operation since grip forces can vary. We explored the effects of grip force on SC to determine feasibility and to draw guidelines on artifact mitigation.

Estimation of arousal using decomposed skin conductance features - biomed 2009.

Electrodermal response (EDR) shows characteristic signal patterns that correspond to different emotional states. The first major step in using EDR for estimation of emotional state is the separation of various tonic and phasic components. This separation of components is more challenging when the responses overlap each other as they do when responding within shorter inter-stimulus interval.