Enhancing the intensities of lysine-terminated tryptic peptide ions in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Tryptic digests of three proteins are reacted with O-methylisourea in order to convert lysine residues to homoarginines. The resulting homoarginine-terminated peptides exhibit more intense MALDI mass spectral peaks than their lysine-terminated predecessors. This simple chemical reaction should therefore facilitate protein sequencing and mass mapping.     

Comparison of the precision of estimation of copolymerization reactivity ratios by current methods

Six recently proposed methods for analyzing copolymerization composition data have been compared to a nonlinear least-squares analysis to ascertain the precision of the six methods in determining reactivity ratios. Data used were simulated for five hypothetical monomer pairs with three different types of experiment design and contained error structures similar to those observed experimentally. The results of the comparisons suggest that retrospective analyses of existing copolymerization data should only be done with a nonlinear least-squares analysis. For new data, the design of experiments is of great importance, and when done properly allows the use of some of the linear least-squares methods of analysis.     

An improved synthesis of 1-methyl-2,5-piperazinedione

A new synthesis of 1-methyl-2,5-piperazinedione in three steps starting from sarcosine is described. This method proceeds in higher overall yield (49%) than previous methods.     

The dynamics of Charles Taylor’s remarkable one-wheeled vehicle

In the 1950s and 1960s, Charles F. Taylor designed and tested various prototype one-wheeled vehicles. These machines were stabilized and steered using gyroscopes. In this paper, a simple model of a one-wheeled vehicle is presented and analyzed. This analysis explains the ability of these machines to exhibit stable steady motions.