Unconventional Secondary Structure Mimics: Ladder-Rungs

Secondary structures tend to be recognizable because they have repeating structural motifs, but mimicry of these does not have to follow such well-defined patterns. Bioinformatics studies to match side-chain orientations of a novel hydantoin triazole chemotype ( 1 ) to protein-protein interfaces revealed it tends to align well across parallel and antiparallel sheets, like rungs on a ladder. One set of these overlays was observed for the protein-protein interaction uPA⋅uPAR. Consequently, chemotype 1 was made with appropriate side-chains to mimic uPA at this interface. Biophysical assays indicate these compounds did in fact bind uPAR, and elicit cellular responses that affected invasion, migration, and wound healing.     

Facile non‐lithographic route to highly aligned silica nanopatterns using unidirectionally aligned polystyrene‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane films

Thin films (monolayer and bilayer) of cylinder forming polystyrene‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane (PS‐b‐PDMS) were shear aligned by the swelling and deswelling of a crosslinked PDMS pad that was physically adhered to the film during solvent vapor annealing. The nanostructures formed by self‐assembly were exposed to ultraviolet‐ozone to partially oxidize the PDMS, followed by calcination in air at 500 °C. In this process, the PS segments were fully decomposed, while the PDMS yielded silica nanostructures. The highly aligned PDMS cylinders were thus deposited as silica nanolines on the silicon substrate. Using a bilayer film, the center‐to‐center distance of these features were effectively halved from 38 to 19 nm. Similarly, by sequential shear‐alignment of two distinct layers, a rhombic array of silica nanolines was fabricated. This methodology provides a facile route to fabricating complex topographically patterned nanostructures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1058–1064     

Global fit analysis including the ν9 + ν4 − ν4 hot band of ethane: Evidence of an interaction with the ν12 fundamental

The ν₉ fundamental band of ethane occurs in the 12 μm region. It is the strongest band of ethane in a terrestrial window and is commonly used for the identification of ethane in the Jovian planets. The ν₉ + ν₄ − ν₄ band occurs in the same region; neither can be analysed as an isolated band, since both are embedded in the torsional bath of the ground vibrational state. We report here two global fit models including data from both of these bands as well as the ν₃ fundamental and the ν₄, 2ν₄ − ν₄, and 3ν₄ torsional transitions. The first is restricted to −5 ? KΔK ? 15 in the hot band and gives an excellent fit to the included data. Three resonant interactions are identified in this fit—a Coriolis interaction with two resonant cases between the ν₉ torsional stack and that of the ground vibrational state (gs) and a resonant Fermi interaction between the ν₃ fundamental and the gs. Hot band lines with KΔK < −5 are influenced by a fourth perturbation, with a crossing at −11 < KΔK < −10, which has been attributed to an interaction with the ν₁₂ fundamental. A second fit, demonstrating a promising treatment of this interaction, is also presented.