Folate binding protein—Outlook for drug delivery applications

Serum proteins represent an important class of drug and imaging agent delivery vectors. In this minireview, key advantages of using serum proteins are discussed, followed by the particular advantages and challenges associated with employing soluble folate binding protein. In particular, approaches employing drugs that target folate metabolism are reviewed. Additionally, the slow-onset, tightbinding interaction of folate with folate binding protein and the relationship to a natural oligomerization mechanism is discussed. These unique aspects of folate binding protein suggest interesting applications for the protein as a vector for further drug and imaging agent development.     

A study of sloshing absorber geometry for structural control with SPH

A liquid sloshing absorber consists of a container, partially filled with liquid. The absorber is attached to the structure to be controlled, and relies on the structure's motion to excite the liquid. Consequently, a sloshing wave is produced at the liquid free-surface within the absorber, possessing energy dissipative qualities. The primary objective of this work is to numerically demonstrate the effect of a sloshing absorber's shape on its control performance. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is used to model fluid–structure interaction of the structure/sloshing absorber system in two dimensions. The structure to be controlled is a lightly damped single degree-of-freedom structure. The structure is subjected to a transient excitation and then allowed to respond dynamically, coming to rest either due to its own damping alone or with the added control of the sloshing absorber. It is identified that the control performance of the conventionally used rectangular container geometry can be improved by having inward-angled walls. This new arrangement is robust, and of significant advantage in situations when the external disturbance is of uncertain magnitude.     

Synthetic methods for polyamine linkers and their application to combinatorial chemistry

Summary Polyamines and polyamine conjugates display a diverse range of important biological functions, ranging from antibiotics to immunosuppressants and glutamate receptor antagonists. For these reasons, polyamines provide an excellent template/scaffold for combinatorial chemistry. In this paper we present methods for the solid-phase immobilisation of polyamines for use in synthetic and combinatorial chemistry and describe how they have been employed in the preparation of a number of important polyamine conjugates and polyamine libraries. Thus, we have designed, synthesised and utilised a number of polyamine linkers for both solution and resin screening combinatorial application.     

New bifunctional anion-exchange resins for nuclear waste treatment

Additional¹ bifunctional anion-exchange resins have been designed, synthesized and evaluated for their ability to take up Pu(IV) from nitric acid solutions. Bifunctionality is achieved by adding a second anion-exchange site to the pyridine nitrogen (also an anion-exchange site) of the base poly(4-vinylpyridine) resin. Previous work focused on the effect of varying the chemical properties of the added site along with the length of an alkylene ‘spacer’ between the two sites. Here we examine four new 3- and 4-picolyl derivatives which maintain more rigidly defined geometries between the two nitrogen cationic sites. These materials, which have the two anion-exchange sites separated by three and four carbons, respectively, exhibit lower overall Pu(IV) distribution coefficients than the corresponding N-alkylenepyridium derivatieves with more flexible spacers. Methylation of the second pyridium site results in a ca. 20% increase in the Pu(IV) distribution coefficients.     

Further dynamical and experimental LEED results for a clean W<“001”-(1 × 1) surface structure determination

Full dynamical layer-doubling calculations have been made for comparison with precision LEED spectra for the clean W “001”-(l × 1) surface at approximately 470 K. Using 45 beams and 10 phase shifts, multi-layer spacing calculated spectra are critically compared with 12 experimental curves involving 5 different beams and 5 incidence angles. Both visual judgements and a semi-quantitative peak deviation/penalty evaluation yield the same result. A surface-bulk layer spacing of 1.51 ± 0.05 Å is concluded, a 4.4% contraction, in contrast to the most recent other determination of 1.40 ± 0.03 Å. This analysis re-emphasizes the need for a reliable and objective criterion for comparing observed and calculated LEED spectra, and corrects a potentially important input to the analysis of more complex systems. For example, at low temperatures (<370 K) the W “001” clean surface rearranges to a c(2 × 2) structure.