Exploring the Porosity in Ceramics at the nm Scale: From Understanding Historical Ceramics to Innovative Materials Design

Ceramics are complex objects and a rich source of information: they constitute a large part of the staple memory of past and present human activities. A deep understanding of traditional ceramics is an essential key to designing new ceramic materials. The demanding synthesis of ceramics with fine-tuned properties, such as enhanced mechanical, electrical, optical or magnetic characteristics, must be associated with cutting-edge analysis procedures in order to improve the engineering process. In this context, we describe a neutron-based non-destructive approach to investigating the nanoporosity of an historical pottery matrix as an effective investigation technique for exploring both traditional and advanced ceramic materials.     

Intrinsically Photoswitchable α/β Peptides toward Two‐State Foldamers

A simple, unsaturated, E–Z photoisomerizable β‐amino acid, (Z)‐3‐aminoprop‐2‐enoic acid, has been introduced into peptide foldamers through a one‐pot chemical coupling, based on Pd/Cu‐catalyzed olefin oxidative amidation, between two peptide segments carrying, respectively, a ‐Gly‐NH₂ residue at the C‐terminus and an acryloyl group at the N‐terminus. Reversible conversion between the Z and E configurations of the 3‐aminoprop‐2‐enoic linkage was achieved photochemically. A crystallographic analysis on two model compounds shed light on the consequences, in terms of 3D structure and self‐association properties, brought about by the different configuration of the unsaturated linkage. As a proof of concept, E–Z photoisomerization of a 3‐aminoprop‐2‐enoic acid residue, inserted as the junction between two conformationally distinct peptide domains (one helical while the other β‐sheet promoter), allowed supramolecular self‐association to be reversibly turned on/off.     

Measure properties of the set of initial data yielding non uniqueness for a class of differential inclusions

We study uniqueness property for the Cauchy problemxV(x), x(0)=, whereVR ⁿR is a locally Lipschitz continuous, quasiconvex function (i.e. the sublevel sets {Vc} are convex) and V(x) is the generalized gradient ofV atx. We prove that if 0V(x) forV(x)b, then the set of initial data {V=b} yielding non uniqueness of solution in a geometric sense has (n–1)-dimensional Hausdorff measure zero in {V=b}.     

In silico rationalization of the structural and physicochemical requirements for photobiological activity in angelicine derivatives and their heteroanalogues

In PUVA (Psoralen plus UVA) chemotherapy 8-methoxypsoralen is the most widely used compound, although its efficacy is endowed with undesired side effects. In order to have an evident anti-proliferative activity with a reduced phototoxicity, many linear and angular derivatives have been synthesised. In this paper we describe a QSAR study in which, by means of the neural networks methodology, a useful model for predicting biological activity, expressed as ID₅₀ (the UVA dose that reduces to 50% the DNA synthesis in Ehrlich cells), has been derived. A decision tree that is able to discriminate between active and inactive compounds has been built based on recursive partitioning. The study shows the key structural features responsible for the activity and could be a helpful tool in the rational design of new, less toxic, photochemotherapeuthic agents.     

Docking studies on NSAID/COX-2 isozyme complexes using Contact Statistics analysis

Summary The selective inhibition of COX-2 isozymes should lead to a new generation of NSAIDs with significantly reduced side effects; e.g. celecoxib (Celebrex^®) and rofecoxib (Vioxx^®). To obtain inhibitors with higher selectivity it has become essential to gain additional insight into the details of the interactions between COX isozymes and NSAIDs. Although X-ray structures of COX-2 complexed with a small number of ligands are available, experimental data are missing for two well-known selective COX-2 inhibitors (rofecoxib and nimesulide) and docking results reported are controversial. We use a combination of a traditional docking procedure with a new computational tool (Contact Statistics analysis) that identifies the best orientation among a number of solutions to shed some light on this topic.     

Reaction of sulfenes with heterocyclic N,N-disubstituted α-aminomethyleneketones. XII. Synthesis of [1]benzothiepino[4,5-e][1,2]oxathiin derivatives

The 1,4-cycloaddition of sulfene to N,N-disubstituted (E)-4-aminomethylene-3,4-dihydro[1]benzothiepin-5(2H)-ones I occurred only in the case of aliphatic N,N-disubstitution to give in good yield 4-dialkylamino-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro[1]benzothiepino[4,5-e][1,2]oxathiin 2,2-dioxides, which are derivatives of the new heterocyclic system [1]benzothiepino[4,5-e][1,2]oxathiin. Also the reaction of I with chlorosulfene occurred only in the case of aliphatic N,N-disubstitution to afford chiefly trans-4-dialkylamino-3-chloro-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-[1]benzothiepino[4,5-e][1,2]oxathiin 2,2-dioxides III in satisfactory yield. Adducts III were dehydrochlorinated with DBN to 4-dialkylamino-5,6-dihydro[1]benzothiepino[4,5-e][1,2]oxathiin 2,2-dioxides in good yield.     

Role of ions on structure and stability of a synthetic gramicidin ion channel in solution. A molecular dynamics study

We performed a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to the investigate structure and stability of a synthetic gramicidin-like peptide in solution with and without ions. The starting structures of the MD simulations were taken from two recently solved NMR structures of this peptide in isotropic solution, which forms stable monomers or dimers in the presence or absence of ions, respectively. The monomeric structure is channel-like and is assumed to be stabilized by the presence of two Cs(+) ions bound in the channel, each one close to one channel entrance. In our MD simulations, we observed how the Cs(+) ions bind in the channel formed by the monomeric gramicidin-like peptide using implicit solvent and explicit ions with a concentration of 2 M. MD simulations were performed with and without explicit ions but with an implicit solvent model defined by the generalized Born approximation, which was used to mimic the dielectric properties of the solvent and to speed up the computations.     

Reaction of sulfene with heterocyclic N,N-disubstituted α-aminomethyleneketones. VIII. Synthesis of furo[2,3-h]-1,2-benzoxathiin derivatives

Cycloaddition of sulfene to N,N-disubstituted (E)5-aminomethylene-6,7-dihydrobenzo[b]furan-4(5H)ones I gave, only in the case of aliphatic N-substitution and generally in satisfactory yields, N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-3,4,5,6-tetrahydrofuro[2,3-h]-1,2-benzoxathiin 2,2-dioxides II, which are derivatives of the new heterocyclic system furo[2,3-h]-1,2-benzoxathiin. The 4-dimethylamino and 4-piperidino cycloadducts IIa,e were dehydrogenated with DDQ to the corresponding 4-dialkylamino-3,4-dihydrofuro[2,3-h]-1,2-benzoxathiin 2,2-dioxides IIIa,e in low yield. Compounds IIIa,e were tested for photobiological activity and found to be inactive.