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.     

Physical aging in amorphous poly(ethylene furanoate): Enthalpic recovery,density, and oxygen transport considerations

The current work utilizes three separate techniques to study the physical aging process in amorphous poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF), which is a recently introduced engineering thermoplastic with enhanced properties compared to petroleum‐sourced poly(ethylene terephthalate). Differential scanning calorimetry aging experiments were conducted at multiple aging temperatures and times, and the resultant enthalpic recovery values compared to the theoretical maximum enthalpy loss evaluated from calculations involving extrapolation of the equilibrium liquid line. Density measurements reveal densification of the matrix for the aged versus unaged samples, and provide an estimate for the reduction in free volume for the aged samples. Complementary oxygen permeation and pressure‐decay sorption experiments provide independent verification of the free volume reduction mechanism for physical aging in glassy polymers. The current work provides the first detailed aging study for PEF. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 389–399     

Flutter instability in imperfect structural systems

The periodic oscillations of discrete structural systems with follower-force loading are studied in the region of the critical point. The case in which small initial geometric imperfections exist in the structure is also examined. Flutter instability is found to be much less sensitive to initial imperfections than is static instability. Critical loads are destabilized (or stabilized) in either a linear or parabolic fashion with imperfection amplitude. The postcritical characteristics of the flutter exhibited cannot be altered by initial imperfections.     

The Preparation of Immunosuppressant SR-31747

The preparation of immunosuppressant SR-31747 is described. Attempts to install the Z-allyl amine included Lindlar partial hydrogenation and vinyl stannane methodologies. Ultimately, the Wittig olefination of aldehyde 12, with the ylide derived from β-aminoethyl phosphonium salt 13 proved successful.     

New N-Substituted (±)-Dehydronorglaucine Analogs

The aporphine alkaloid N-carbethoxydehydronorglaucine (1) was found to have promising in vitro antitumor activity, but poor water solubility. We report the synthesis of 1, the efficient hydrolysis of its urethane group and the further transformation into several new dehydronorglaucine analogs.     

Generalized covering designs and clique coverings

Inspired by the “generalized t‐designs” defined by Cameron [P. J. Cameron, Discrete Math 309 (2009), 4835–4842], we define a new class of combinatorial designs which simultaneously provide a generalization of both covering designs and covering arrays. We then obtain a number of bounds on the minimum sizes of these designs, and describe some methods of constructing them, which in some cases we prove are optimal. Many of our results are obtained from an interpretation of these designs in terms of clique coverings of graphs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 19:378‐406, 2011