2020 Physics Nobel laureate Roger Penrose and the Penrose pattern as a forerunner of generalized crystallography

Structural Chemistry -     

Thermal decomposition and spectral characterization of di[carbonatotetraamminecobalt(III)] sulfate trihydrate and the nature of its thermal decomposition products

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Detailed vibrational (IR, Raman, far-IR) and thermal (TGA, TG–MS, DSC) analysis has been performed on...     

Squalyl Crown Ether Self‐Assembled Conjugates: An Example of Highly Selective Artificial K+ Channels

The natural KcsA K⁺ channel, one of the best‐characterized biological pore structures, conducts K⁺ cations at high rates while excluding Na⁺ cations. The KcsA K⁺ channel is of primordial inspiration for the design of artificial channels. Important progress in improving conduction activity and K⁺/Na⁺ selectivity has been achieved with artificial ion‐channel systems. However, simple artificial systems exhibiting K⁺/Na⁺ selectivity and mimicking the biofunctions of the KcsA K⁺ channel are unknown. Herein, an artificial ion channel formed by H‐bonded stacks of squalyl crown ethers, in which K⁺ conduction is highly preferred to Na⁺ conduction, is reported. The K⁺‐channel behavior is interpreted as arising from discreet stacks of dimers resulting in the formation of oligomeric channels, in which transport of cations occurs through macrocycles mixed with dimeric carriers undergoing dynamic exchange within the bilayer membrane. The present highly K⁺‐selective macrocyclic channel can be regarded as a biomimetic alternative to the KcsA channel.     

Breathable rubbery skin protectors: Design,synthesis, characterization,and properties of cyanoacrylated silicone rubber networks

We extended our investigations of rubbery wound closure adhesives and created novel flexible networks by crosslinking cyanoacrylated silicone rubbers (i.e., commercial methylhydrosiloxane‐dimethylsiloxane copolymers, PMHS‐co‐PDMS) with N,N‐dimethyl‐p‐toluidine in tetrahydrofuran and hexamethyldisiloxane solvents at room temperature. Cyanoacrylation was achieved by hydrosilating (anthracene‐protected) allyl cyanoacrylate with PMHS‐co‐PDMS. Steric hindrance and the molecular weight of the copolymer strongly affect the extent of hydrosilation. The rate of crosslinking is proportional with the number of cyanoacrylate groups in the copolymer and networks form in seconds with appropriate amounts of initiator. Networks on porcine skin yield well‐adhering flexible optically‐transparent colorless conformal coatings of good “feel” appropriate for clinically useful non‐occlusive “breathable” skin or wound protectors. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1367‐1372     

Testing for parameter constancy in GARCH() models

We propose a test for a change in the parameters of a GARCH(p,q) model. The test is based on approximate likelihood scores and does not require the observations to have finite variance. We show that the test has asymptotically correct size under weak assumptions on model errors.     

Fluorescence evidence for cholesterol regular distribution in phosphatidylcholine and in sphingomyelin lipid bilayers

Our previous studies indicated that sterols (including cholesterol and dehydroergosterol) can be regularly distributed into hexagonal superlattices in the plane of liquid-crystalline phosphatidylcholine bilayers. It was suggested that regular and irregular regions coexist in the membrane. In the present study, we report supporting evidence for our sterol regular distribution model. We have examined the fractional concentration dependencies of dehydroergosterol (a naturally occurring cholesterol analogue) fluorescence intensity and lifetime in various phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin bilayers. Fluorescence intensity and lifetime dips have been observed at specific sterol mole fractions. At those mole fractions, the acrylamide quenching rate constant of dehydroergosterol fluorescence reaches a local maximum. Those mole fractions match the critical sterol mole fractions at which sterol molecules are expected to be regularly distributed into hexagonal superlattices. The results support the idea that the sterols in the regular region are embedded in the bilayer less deep than those in the irregular regions. We have also examined the fractional cholesterol concentration dependencies of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) fluorescence intensity, lifetime, and polarization in DMPC vesicles. DPH fluorescence intensity and polarization also exhibit distinct dips and peaks, respectively, at critical sterol mole fractions for hexagonal superlattices. However, DPH lifetime changes little with sterol mole fraction. As a comparison, the fluorescence properties of DHE and DPH behave differently in response to the formation of sterol regular distribution. Furthermore, finding evidence for sterol regular distribution in both phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin membranes raises the possibility that sterol regular distribution may occur within phospholipid/cholesterol enriched domains of real biological membranes.     

Synthesis and Anti-HIV Activity of Further Examples of 1-[3-Deoxy-3-(N-hydroxyamino)-β-d-threo-(and β-d-erythro)-pentofuranosyl]thymine Derivatives1

Abstract

Upon sodium cyanoborohydride reduction followed by de-O-silylation, the O-methyloxime and N-benzylnitrone of 5′-TBDMS-3′-ketothymidine gave resolvable epimeric mixtures of 1-[2,3-dideoxy-3-(N-methoxyamino)-β-d-threo-and β-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl]thymine and 1-[3-(N-benzyl-N-hydroxyamino)-2,3-dideoxy-β-d-threo- and β-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl]thymine respectively. These compounds were inactive against HIV. On the other hand, 1-[2,3-dideoxy-3-(N-hydroxyamino)-5-O-TBDMS-β-d-threo-pentofuranosyl]thymine, upon treatment with acetone, then de-O-silylation, gave the bicyclonucleoside analogue 15, slightly more active against HIV in vitro than DDI.