Changes in Black Truffle () Aroma during Storage under Different Conditions.

The enticing aroma of truffles is a key factor for their culinary value. Although all truffle species tend to be pricy, the most intensely aromatic species are the most sought after. Research into the aroma of truffles encompasses various disciplines including chemistry, biology, and sensory science.

PhenTAA: A Redox-Active N-Macrocyclic Ligand Featuring Donor and Acceptor Moieties.

Here, we present the development and characterization of the novel PhenTAA macrocycle as well as a series of [Ni(RPhenTAA)] complexes featuring two sites for ligand-centered redox-activity. These differ in the substituent R (R = H, Me, or Ph) and overall charge of the complex n (n = -2, -1, 0, +1, or +2). Electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques (CV, UV/vis-SEC, X-band EPR) reveal that all redox events of the [Ni(RPhenTAA)] complexes are ligand-based, with accessible ligand charges of -2, -1, 0, +1, and +2.

Carbene Radicals in Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Reactions.

Discovered as organometallic curiosities in the 1970s, carbene radicals have become a staple in modern-day homogeneous catalysis. Carbene radicals exhibit nucleophilic radical-type reactivity orthogonal to classical electrophilic diamagnetic Fischer carbenes. Their successful catalytic application has led to the synthesis of a myriad of carbo- and heterocycles, ranging from simple cyclopropanes to more challenging eight-membered rings.

On-Site Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are of interest in many different fields. Among them are food and fragrance analysis, environmental and atmospheric research, industrial applications, security or medical and life science. In the past, the characterization of these compounds was mostly performed via sample collection and off-site analysis with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as the gold standard.

Understanding Off-Cycle and Deactivation Pathways in Radical-Type Carbene Transfer Catalysis.

Transition metal radical-type carbene transfer catalysis is a sustainable and atom-efficient method to generate C-C bonds, especially to produce fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. A significant amount of research has therefore been devoted to applying this methodology, which resulted in innovative routes toward otherwise synthetically challenging products and a detailed mechanistic understanding of the catalytic systems. Furthermore, combined experimental and theoretical efforts elucidated the reactivity of carbene radical complexes and their off-cycle pathways.

Marker Substances in the Aroma of Truffles.

The aim of this study was to identify specific truffle marker substances within the truffle aroma. The aroma profile of different truffle species was analyzed using static headspace sampling with gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis (SHS/GC-MS). Possible marker substances were identified, taking the additional literature into account.

Cobalt(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin-catalysed carbene transfer from acceptor-acceptor iodonium ylides via N-enolate-carbene radicals.

Square-planar cobalt(II) systems have emerged as powerful carbene transfer catalysts for the synthesis of numerous (hetero)cyclic compounds via cobalt(III)-carbene radical intermediates. Spectroscopic detection and characterization of reactive carbene radical intermediates is limited to a few scattered experiments, centered around monosubstituted carbenes. Here, we reveal the formation of disubstituted cobalt(III)-carbene radicals derived from a cobalt(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin complex and acceptor-acceptor λ-iodaneylidenes (iodonium ylides) as carbene precursors and their catalytic application.

Simultaneous characterization of poly(acrylic acid) and polysaccharide polymers and copolymers.

Copolymer products that result from grafting acrylic acid and other hydrophilic monomers onto polysaccharides have recently gained significant interest in research and industry. Originating from renewable sources, these biodegradable, low toxicity, and polar copolymer products exhibit potential to replace polymers from fossil sources in several applications and industries. The methods usually employed to characterize these copolymers are, however, quite limited, especially for the measurement of bulk properties.

Power of Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization-MS Reconstructed Ion Chromatograms in the Characterization of Small Differences in Polymer Microstructure.

From simple homopolymers to functionalized, 3-dimensional structured copolymers, the complexity of polymeric materials has become more and more sophisticated. With new applications, for instance, in the semiconductor or pharmaceutical industry, the requirements for the characterization have risen with the complexity of the used polymers. For each additional distribution, an additional dimension in analysis is needed.

The diagnostic accuracy and test-retest reliability of the Dutch PainDETECT and the DN4 screening tools for neuropathic pain in patients with suspected cervical or lumbar radiculopathy.

Background: It is important to identify neuropathic pain early to guide treatment decisions and prevent chronicity. There is lack of evidence whether the Dutch painDETECT questionnaire and Douleure Neuropathique en 4 questions (DN4) can adequately assess neuropathic pain.

Methods: Patients suspected of cervical or lumbar radiculopathy were eligible for inclusion.

Critical Conditions for Liquid Chromatography of Statistical Copolymers: Functionality Type and Composition Distribution Characterization by UP-LCCC/ESI-MS.

Statistical ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) copolymers of different monomer compositions and different average molar masses additionally containing two kinds of end groups (FTD) were investigated by ultra high pressure liquid chromatography under critical conditions (UP-LCCC) combined with electrospray ionization time-of flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS). Theoretical predictions of the existence of a critical adsorption point (CPA) for statistical copolymers with a given chemical and sequence distribution1 could be studied and confirmed. A fundamentally new approach to determine these critical conditions in a copolymer, alongside the inevitable chemical composition distribution (CCD), with mass spectrometric detection, is described.

Substrate-Controlled Product Divergence: Conversion of CO2 into Heterocyclic Products.

Substituted epoxy alcohols and amines allow substrate-controlled conversion of CO2 into a wide range of heterocyclic structures through different mechanistic manifolds. This new approach results in an unusual scope of CO2-derived products by initial activation of CO2 through either the amine or alcohol unit, thus providing nucleophiles for intramolecular epoxy ring opening under mild reaction conditions. Control experiments support the crucial role of the amine/alcohol fragment in this process with the nucleophile-assisted ring-opening step following an SN i pathway, and a 5-exo-tet cyclization, thus leading to heterocyclic scaffolds.

The guinea pig estrous cycle: correlation of vaginal impedance measurements with vaginal cytologic findings.

Immunologic responses elicited after vaginal immunization of laboratory mammals are affected by the stage of the animal's estrous cycle at which antigen is delivered. The study reported here documents vaginal impedance as an improved means of determining accurately precise stages of the estrous cycle of guinea pigs. Impedance changes were correlated with cytologic changes observed in vaginal smears taken from the animals.

A minisatellite polymorphism in intron III of the barramundi (Lates calcarifer) growth hormone gene.

This paper describes the detection of a polymorphism within the growth hormone (GH) gene of the fish barramundi (Lates calcarifer). PCR amplification of barramundi genomic DNA generated three different sized products: A, 409 bp; B, 478 bp; and H, 520 bp. Each barramundi isolate displayed one of four different types of profiles, which contained specific combinations of these PCR products.

Cloning of the barramundi growth hormone-encoding gene: a comparative analysis of higher and lower vertebrate GH genes.

In this work the growth hormone-encoding gene (GH) from the fish barramundi (Lates calcarifer) was characterized by nucleotide (nt) sequence analysis and comparative studies on higher and lower vertebrate GH were performed. The barramundi GH contains six exons and five introns. A putative transcription start point 21 nt downstream from a potential TATAAA box was determined, with a modified primary transcript size of 1615 nt predicted.

An epitope recognised by inhibitory monoclonal antibodies that react with a 51 kilodalton merozoite surface antigen in Plasmodium falciparum.

Monoclonal antibodies designated 8G10/48 and 9E3/48 raised against mature asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum inhibit parasite growth in vitro. Both antibodies bind to an epitope which includes the linear sequence Ser Thr Asn Ser and which is present in a cDNA clone from a P. falciparum expression library.

A procedure for the rapid isolation from rat liver of plasma membrane vesicles exhibiting Ca2+-transport and Ca2+-ATPase activities.

A technique is described for the isolation of a plasma membrane-enriched preparation from a rat liver post-mitochondrial fraction by using discontinuous Percoll density-gradient centrifugation. The procedure is simple, of high reproducibility and yield and requires a total isolation time of only 90 min. The preparation consists almost exclusively of membrane vesicles and is enriched approx.

Inhibition by orthovanadate of ATP-dependent Ca2+ transport in microsomes isolated from rat liver.

A technique employing sucrose-density centrifugation for the enrichment of rat liver microsomes and rat liver plasma membranes in separate subcellular fractions is described. The fractions are enriched in glucose 6-phosphatase and 5'-nucleotidase, respectively, and are free of cytochrome oxidase activity. Vanadate-sensitive Ca2+ transport activity (half-maximal inhibition at approximately 10 microM vanadate, corresponding to approximately 12 nmol/mg of protein) was detected in only that fraction enriched in microsomal membranes.

Characterisation of Ca2+ transport activity by white adipose tissue mitochondria.

Ca2+ transport in mitochondria isolated from rat white adipocytes has been examined and many of the properties found to be similar to those reported for mitochondria isolated from rat liver. Ca2+ transport is ruthenium red-sensitive (Ki approximately 5 pmol . mg protein-1), the affinity for free Ca2+ is high (Km approximately 3.