Application of the single comparator method to instrumental photon activation analysis

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Instrumental photon activation analysis (IPAA) is nondestructive and multi-elemental analysis method like instrumental neutron activation...     

Twist-Bend Nematic Glasses: The Synthesis and Characterisation of Pyrene-based Nonsymmetric Dimers

A selection of pyrene-based liquid crystal dimers have been prepared, containing either methylene-ether or diether linked spacers of varying length and parity. All the diether linked materials, CBOnO.Py (n=5, 6, 11, 12), exhibit conventional nematic and smectic A phases, with the exception of CBO11O.Py which is exclusively nematic. The methylene-ether linked dimer, CBnO.Py, with an even-membered spacer (n=5) was solely nematogenic, but odd-members (n=6, 8, 10) exhibited both nematic and twist-bend nematic phases. Replacement of the cyanobiphenyl fragment by cyanoterphenyl giving CT6O.Py, gave elevated melting and nematic-isotropic transition temperatures, and SmA and SmC_A phases were observed on cooling the nematic phase. Intermolecular face-to-face associations of the pyrene moieties drive glass formation, and all these materials have a glass transition temperature at or above room temperature. The stability of the glassy twist-bend nematic phase allowed for its study using AFM, and the helical pitch length, P_TB, was measured as 6.3 and 6.7 nm for CB6O.Py and CB8O.Py, respectively. These values are comparable to the shortest pitch of a twist-bend nematic phase measured to date.     

Chemical changes in engineering thermoplastics

Parts molded from reground BPA polycarbonate (PC) resin recovered from used objects do not always give the desired physical properties as parts molded from virgin resin. This loss of properties appears due to a surface hydrolysis of the PC which results in a reduction in molecular weight and formation of bis-phenol-A (BPA). The hydrolysis appears to be aided by exposure to uv-light and humidity. If the surface of the PC is washed with caustic solution, BPA and low MW oligomers are removed and many of the physical properties of the PC are restored.     

Current development of analytical affinity chromatography: Design and biotechnological uses of molecular recognition surfaces

Analytical high performance liquid affinity chromatography (analytical HPLAC) has been investigated as an experimental guide to both synthetic design and affinity technological use of peptide and protein recognition surfaces. This work has progressed from the ongoing use of analytical affinity chromatography to study interaction mechanisms of naturally-occurring peptides and proteins, including enzyme fragment complexes and neuroendocrine biosynthetic precursors. We recently initiated a study to use analytical HPLAC for de novo design of recognition peptides called “anti-sense peptides”. Present data suggest the potential to use anti-sense peptides as “synthetic antibodies”, in immobilized forms, for biomolecular separation and analysis. Analogous studies have been started with immobilized natural antibodies in analytical immuno HPLAC. Our present data typify the growing usefulness of analytical HPLAC when designing recognition molecules, analyzing their interaction characteristics, and devising ways to use them in affinity technology.     

Peptide-small molecule hybrids via orthogonal deprotection-chemoselective conjugation to cysteine-anchored scaffolds. A model study

The feasibility of an orthogonal deprotection-conjugation protocol, holding the promise of libraries of functionally diverse chemical probes attached to cysteine-anchored peptide scaffolds, has been explored with a model system. The necessary tools for assembly of the hybrid libraries have been prepared and the tandem procedure optimized. S-alkylation and S-sulfenylation are featured as the chemoselective ligation reactions. [reaction: see text]     

On the quintuple product identity

In this note we present a new proof of the quintuple product identity which is based on our study of order theta functions with characteristics and the identities they satisfy. In this context the quintuple product identity is another example of an identity which when phrased in terms of theta functions, rather than infinite products and sums, has a simpler form and is much less mysterious.

     

Testing general relativity: Progress,problems, and prospects

Recent results from radar and radio gravity experiments are:

1. Retardation of radar signals: 1.02 +?0.05 (planetary radar), 1.00 +? 0.04 (spacecraft);
2. Deflection of radio waves: 0.99 +? 0.12 (short baseline interferometry), +0.15 1.04 (short baseline interferometry), ?0.10. 0.90 +? 0.05 (short baseline interferometry);
3. Relativistic perihelion advance of Mercury: 0.99 +? 0.03 (planetary radar), 1.00 +? 0.01 (radar plus optical);
4. Time variation of the gravitational constant: (G/G) < 4 ×10^?10/yr (planetary radar). The first three results are expressed as fractions of the corresponding effects predicted by general relativity. In terms of the Eddington-Robertson parameters, the first two are approximately equal to (1+γ)/2 and the third to (2 + 2γ-β)/3. The third result depends on the assumption that the solar gravitational quadrupole moment vanishes; its effects cannot be separated usefully from those of general relativity with the present data set. The uncertainties are as given by the individual experimenters; in some cases they represent formal standard errors, in others an allowance for possible systematic errors is included.