Investigation of the Interactions of β‐Peptides with DNA Duplexes by Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy

The interaction of β‐peptides with the DNA duplexes of dA₂₀dT₂₀ and a GCN4‐binding CRE sequence was examined. To gauge the factors that govern these interactions, two β‐pentadecapeptides, 1 and 2 , a β‐dodecapeptide, 3 , three β‐decapeptides, 4 – 6 , three β‐heptapeptides, 7 – 9 , and β‐octaarginine 10 were designed and synthesized. The β‐peptides were conceived to adopt a β‐peptide 3₁₄ helix, in which the side chains at position i and i + 3 are aligned vertically along one side of the helix. The side chains of Lys, Asn, and Arg were positioned such that potential H‐bonding sites were created for a helical conformation to interact with the base pairs of DNA. CD Analysis showed that β‐peptides 1, 2 , and 10 interacted with dA₂₀dT₂₀. In addition, β‐peptides 1 and 2 showed significant interaction with a DNA‐duplex 20mer containing the ATF/CREB recognition sequence for the regulatory protein GCN4. It is impossible, at this stage of the investigation, to make a safe proposal about the actual nature of the interaction of the structures(s) of the complexes, the formation of which is suggested by the CD spectra reported herein.     

Synthesis of 2,5-bis{(diethyl-3′-indolyl)methyl}furan and its N,N′-dimetallated complexes (lithium, sodium and potassium): X-ray crystal structures of 2,5-bis{(diethyl-3′-indolyl)methyl}furan and the polymeric tetrahydrofuran adduct of the dilithiated complex

The synthesis of 2,5-bis{(diethyl-3′-indolyl)methyl}furan by the acid catalysed condensation of 2,5-bis(diethylhydroxymethyl)furan with indole is presented. Dilithium, disodium and dipotassium derivatives are prepared by the reaction of the bis(indole) with n-BuLi, NaH and K, respectively, in the presence of various Lewis bases. The X-ray structures of 2,5-bis{(diethyl-3′-indolyl)methyl}furan and the dilithiated derivative (as a polymeric tetrahydrofuran adduct) are reported.     

A Direct Assembly Approach to the Synthesis of N,N′-Bridged Calix[4]pyrroles: The Synthesis of a 1,5-Diazacyclononatriene Locked in a Saddle Conformation

Ring closure of 1,2-bis(1-pyrrolylmethyl)benzene in the acid-catalysed condensation with acetone yields the 1,5-diazacyclononatriene [ O -C₆H₄(CH₂NC₄H₃-2)₂C(CH₃)₂] as the sole identifiable product. The twisted or saddle conformation of the 1,5-diazacyclononatriene, which was confirmed by X-ray crystal structure determination, is conformationally rigid in solution. The conformation of the 1,5-diazacyclononatriene prevents the formation of the target N,N′-bridged calix[4]pyrrole by further acid-catalysed condensation with acetone, the reaction affording unidentified oligomers/polymers instead. The acid-catalysed condensation of 1,3- and 1,4-bis(1-pyrrolylmethyl)benzene with acetone also yields unidentified oligomers/polymers.     

Strong,Self-Healable,and Recyclable Visible-Light-Responsive Hydrogel Actuators

The most pressing challenges for light-driven hydrogel actuators include reliance on UV light, slow response, poor mechanical properties, and limited functionalities. Now, a supramolecular design strategy is used to address these issues. Key is the use of a benzylimine-functionalized anthracene group, which red-shifts the absorption into the visible region and also stabilizes the supramolecular network through π–π interactions. Acid–ether hydrogen bonds are incorporated for energy dissipation under mechanical deformation and maintaining hydrophilicity of the network. This double-crosslinked supramolecular hydrogel developed via a simple synthesis exhibits a unique combination of high strength, rapid self-healing, and fast visible-light-driven shape morphing both in the wet and dry state. As all of the interactions are dynamic, the design enables the structures to be recycled and reprogrammed into different 3D objects.     

Growth of Bose-Einstein condensates from thermal vapor

We report on a quantitative study of the growth process of (87)Rb Bose-Einstein condensates. By continuous evaporative cooling we directly control the thermal cloud from which the condensate grows. We compare the experimental data with the results of a theoretical model based on quantum kinetic theory. We find quantitative agreement with theory for the situation of strong cooling, whereas in the weak cooling regime a distinctly different behavior is found in the experiment.     

Characterisation of Graphs which Underlie Regular Maps on Closed Surfaces

It is proved that a graph K has an embedding as a regular mapon some closed surface if and only if its automorphism groupcontains a subgroup G which acts transitively on the orientededges of K such that the stabiliser G_e of every edge e is dihedralof order 4 and the stabiliser G of each vertex is a dihedralgroup the cyclic subgroup of index 2 of which acts regularlyon the edges incident with . Such a regular embedding can berealised on an orientable surface if and only if the group Ghas a subgroup H of index 2 such that H is the cyclic subgroupof index 2 in G. An analogous result is proved for orientably-regularembeddings.     

The two-body photodisintegration of 3He

The differential cross section for the reaction ³He(γ,d)¹¹H has been measured for proton energies 11–65 MeV. The results are compared with previous measurements and with a recent theoretical calculation.     

Quantum turbulence in condensate collisions: an application of the classical field method

We apply the classical field method to simulate the production of correlated atoms during the collision of two Bose-Einstein condensates. Our nonperturbative method includes the effect of quantum noise, and describes collisions of high density condensates with very large out-scattered fractions. Quantum correlation functions for the scattered atoms show that the correlation between pairs of atoms of opposite momentum is rather small. We also predict the existence of quantum turbulence in the field of the scattered atoms.     

Bridging the Length Scales: Micromechanics of Granular Media

Aristotle's statement that the whole is more than the sum of its parts aptly describes the essence of a granular material's rich and complex behaviour, which ultimately arises from internal mechanisms developed on many length scales. Recently, non-invasive experimental studies have given remarkable insight into the evolution of these mechanisms, thereby providing benchmarks and a unique opportunity for the theoretical modelling of these systems. This paper focuses on the challenges of capturing these multiscale mechanisms within the framework of continuum theory. In particular, a new approach toward developing a non-local micropolar constitutive model of granular media using micromechanics and internal variable theory is discussed. To demonstrate the predictive potential of these models, we present their application in the analysis of two fundamental problems to the mechanics of granular media: (i) formation and evolution of shear bands (the precursors of material failure), (ii) the classical Flamant problem. Finally, we briefly discuss the computational challenges in bridging the gap between micromechanical studies of granular media and the applications of continuum theory on the macro-scale via a finite element analysis of the flat punch problem. In practice, this problem is used to assess the load bearing capacity of a material and is fundamental to civil and structural engineering.     

Sets of Harmonicity for Finely Harmonic Functions

Given an open set U in R ⁿ (n3) and a dense open subset V of U, it is shown that there is a finely harmonic function u on U such that V is the largest open subset of U on which u is harmonic. This result, which establishes the sharpness of a theorem of Fuglede, is obtained following a consideration of fine cluster sets of arbitrary functions.