Synthesis & Evaluation Of Thiophene Derivatives As CXCR4 Antagonists

There is a lack of good CXCR4 inhibitors that treat cancer cell metastasis and autoimmune diseases without serious drawbacks. AMD3100 and WZ811 are the CXCR4 antagonists that were the initial structural basis for our new potential therapeutics. Molecular modeling and the principles of drug discovery and design were used to plan the synthesis of the compounds presented here. These compounds were synthesized via reductive amination, and then purified via flash column chromatography or preparatory thin layer chromatography. The small molecules were then characterized via melting point, high resolution MS, 13C, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The Matrigel invasion assay and binding affinity assay were used to screen the potency of the compounds. Compounds that showed high potency in these assays were then subjected to the carrageenan mouse paw edema test. Two lead compounds have emerged as candidates for further testing (2v, and 2a)

A New Radio Molecular Line Survey of Planetary Nebulae: HNC/HCN as a Diagnostic of Ultraviolet Irradiation

Certain planetary nebulae contain shells, filaments, or globules of cold gas and dust whose heating and chemistry are likely driven by UV and X-ray emission from their central stars and from wind-collision-generated shocks. We present the results of a survey of molecular line emission in the 88-236 GHz range from nine nearby (<1.5 kpc) planetary nebulae spanning a range of UV and X-ray luminosities, using the 30 m telescope of the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique. Rotational transitions of thirteen molecules, including CO isotopologues and chemically important trace species, were observed and the results compared with and augmented by previous studies of molecular gas in PNe. Lines of the molecules HCO+, HNC, HCN, and CN, which were detected in most objects, represent new detections for five planetary nebulae in our study. Specifically, we present the first detections of 13CO (1-0, 2-1), HCO+, CN, HCN, and HNC in NGC 6445; HCO+ in BD+303639; 13CO (2-1), CN, HCN, and HNC in NGC 6853; and 13CO (2-1) and CN in NGC 6772. Flux ratios were analyzed to identify correlations between the central star and/or nebular UV and X-ray luminosities and the molecular chemistries of the nebulae. This analysis reveals a surprisingly robust dependence of the HNC/HCN line ratio on PN central star UV luminosity. There exists no such clear correlation between PN X-rays and various diagnostics of PN molecular chemistry. The correlation between HNC/HCN ratio and central star UV luminosity demonstrates the potential of molecular emission line studies of PNe for improving our understanding of the role that high-energy radiation plays in the heating and chemistry of photodissociation regions.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Perspectives in stem cell proteomics

A brief report on the Perspectives in Stem Cell Proteomics Conference, Hinxton, UK, 22-23 March, 2009

Tripodal P₃^XFe–N₂ Complexes (X = B, Al, Ga): Effect of the Apical Atom on Bonding, Electronic Structure, and Catalytic N₂-to-NH₃ Conversion

Terminal dinitrogen complexes of iron ligated by tripodal, tetradentate P₃^X ligands (X = B, C, Si) have previously been shown to mediate catalytic N₂-to-NH₃ conversion (N₂RR) with external proton and electron sources. From this set of compounds, the tris(phosphino)borane (P₃^B) system is most active under all conditions canvassed thus far. To further probe the effects of the apical Lewis acidic atom on structure, bonding, and N₂RR activity, Fe–N₂ complexes supported by analogous group 13 tris(phosphino)alane (P₃^(Al)) and tris(phosphino)gallane (P₃^(Ga)) ligands are synthesized. The series of P₃^XFe–N₂^([0/1−]) compounds (X = B, Al, Ga) possess similar electronic structures, degrees of N₂ activation, and geometric flexibility as determined from spectroscopic, structural, electrochemical, and computational (DFT) studies. However, treatment of [Na(12-crown-4)₂][P₃^XFe–N₂] (X = Al, Ga) with excess acid/reductant in the form of HBAr^F₄/KC₈ generates only 2.5 ± 0.1 and 2.7 ± 0.2 equiv of NH₃ per Fe, respectively. Similarly, the use of [H₂NPh₂][OTf]/Cp^*₂Co leads to the production of 4.1 ± 0.9 (X = Al) and 3.6 ± 0.3 (X = Ga) equiv of NH₃. Preliminary reactivity studies confirming P₃^XFe framework stability under pseudocatalytic conditions suggest that a greater selectivity for hydrogen evolution versus N₂RR may be responsible for the attenuated yields of NH₃ observed for P₃^(Al)Fe and P₃^(Ga)Fe relative to P₃^BFe

Peer-to-Peer Planning for Space Mission Control

Planning and scheduling for space operations entails the development of applications that embed intimate domain knowledge of distinct areas of mission control, while allowing for significant collaboration among them. The separation is useful because of differences in the planning problem, solution methods, and frequencies of replanning that arise in the different disciplines. For example, planning the activities of human spaceflight crews requires some reasoning about all spacecraft resources at timescales of minutes or seconds, and is subject to considerable volatility. Detailed power planning requires managing the complex interplay of power consumption and production, involves very different classes of constraints and preferences, but once plans are generated they are relatively stable

Towards a Semantic Gas Source Localization under Uncertainty

Towards a Semantic Gas Source Localization under Uncertainty.Communications in Computer and Information Science book series (CCIS, volume 855), doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91479-4_42This work addresses the problem of efficiently and coherently locating a gas source in a domestic environment with a mobile robot, meaning efficiently the coverage of the shortest distance as possible and coherently the consideration of different gas sources explaining the gas presence. The main contribution is the exploitation, for the first time, of semantic relationships between the gases detected and the objects present in the environment to face this challenging issue. Our proposal also takes into account both the uncertainty inherent in the gas classification and object recognition processes. These uncertainties are combined through a probabilistic Bayesian framework to provide a priority-ordered list of (previously observed) objects to check. Moreover the proximity of the different candidates to the current robot location is also considered by a cost function, which output is used for planning the robot inspection path. We have conducted an initial demonstration of the suitability of our gas source localization approach by simulating this task within domestic environments for a variable number of objects, and comparing it with an greedy approach.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The Use of Narrative Therapy with Latina/o Students Pursuing Higher Education: Implications for School Counselors and Counselor Educators

The techniques of narrative therapy show promise when used with Latina/o students in the pursuit of higher education: defining the problem, mapping the influence of the problem, evaluating the effects of the problem, identifying unique outcomes, and re-authoring the story (White & Epston, 1990). This report provides a case example illustrating these narrative techniques in counseling and discusses the implications for school counselors and counselor educators