Synthesis of enantiopure 3-substituted morpholines

Enantiopure 3-substituted morpholines were assembled through ring-opening of a N-2-benzothiazolesulfonyl (Bts) activated aziridine with organocuprates followed by a ring annulation reaction with a vinylsulfonium salt under microwave conditions. Deprotection of the N-Bts group proceeds under very mild conditions with 2-mercaptoacetic acid and LiOH at rt.     

Fiber designs for high figure of merit and high slope dispersion compensating fibers

When the first dispersion compensating fiber modules were introduced to the market in the mid '90s, the only requirement to the fiber was that it should have a negative dispersion. As the bit rate and the complexity of the optical communication systems have increased, several other requirements have been added such as low loss, low non-linearities and the ability of broadband dispersion compensation.     

Partial Regularity of Strong Local Minimizers in the Multi-Dimensional Calculus of Variations

Let ⁿ be a bounded domain and F: a given strongly quasiconvex integrand of class C ² satisfying the growth condition for some c>0 and 2p<. Consider the multiple integral where uW ^1,p (, ^N ). The main result of the paper is the proof that any strong local minimizer of I[·] is of class C ^1, _loc for any (0,1) on an open set of full n-dimensional measure. In the case of weak local minimizers we establish the same result under the extra assumption that the oscillations in the gradient of the minimizer are not too large. Without such an assumption weak local minimizers need not be partially regular as we show by a class of examples. We also briefly discuss the question of existence of strong local minimizers for I[·] and connections of our results to extensions of Weierstrass sufficiency theorem to the multi-dimensional setting.     

Investigation of the mesoscopic Aharonov–Bohm effect in low magnetic fields

We have investigated the Aharonov–Bohm effect in mesoscopic semiconductor GaAs/GaA1As rings in low magnetic fields. The oscillatory magnetoconductance of these systems is systematically studied as a function of electron density. We observe phase shifts of π in the magnetoconductance oscillations, and halving of the fundamental h/e period, as the density is varied. Theoretically, we find agreement with the experiment, by introducing an asymmetry between the two arms of the ring.     

Studies on peroxycompounds—XXVI: “SN2”-type decarbethoxylation of o-benzoyltartronates and benzoyloxycyanoacetates. New synthons for 2-hydroxycarboxylic esters and aldehydes

Diethyl O-benzoyl-R-tartronates 1; RH, C₂H₅, Ph undergo S_N2-type dealkylation and subsequent CO₂ elimination at 175–190°C in anhydrous or wet DMSO, with or without inorganic salts as catalysts giving the corresponding 2-benzoyloxyesters 2. Ethyl 2-benzoyloxy-2-benzylcyanoacetate 4 also undergoes decarbethoxylation (140°C, DMSO or wet DMSO) giving 6 in small yields (1–6%). The best yields of 6 (82%) were found when pyridine was the solvent and LiI the catalyst.     

Tempered distributions in infinitely many dimensions

In the present paper we continue investigating spaces of tempered distributions in infinitely many dimensions. In particular, we prove that those linear homogeneous transformations of the canonical pair of field operators, which preserve the commutation relations, can be implemented by an essentially unique intertwining operator. The dependence of this operator on the transformation is studied.     

Improving on nature's defenses: optimization & high throughput screening of antimicrobial peptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous in nature where they play important roles in host defense and microbial control. Despite their natural origin, antimicrobial spectrum and potency, the lead peptide candidates that so far have entered pharmaceutical development have all been further optimized by rational or semi-rational approaches. In recent years, several high throughput screening (HTS) systems have been developed to specifically address optimization of AMPs. These include a range of computational in silico systems and cell-based in vivo systems. The in silico-based screening systems comprise several computational methods such as Quantitative Structure/Activity Relationships (QSAR) as well as simulation methods mimicking peptide/membrane interactions. The in vivo-based systems can be divided in cis-acting and trans-acting screening systems. The cis-acting pre-screens, where the AMP exerts its antimicrobial effect on the producing cell, allow screening of millions or even billions of lead candidates for their basic antimicrobial or membrane-perturbating activity. The trans-acting screens, where the AMP is secreted or actively liberated from the producing cell and interacts with cells different from the producing cell, allow for screening under more complex and application-relevant conditions. This review describes the application of HTS systems employed for AMPs and lists advantages as well as limitations of these systems.