Determination of the electromagnetic properties in magnetic composite materials by inverse homogenisation

The paper proposes a numerical procedure for evaluating the geometrical and electromagnetic properties of the microstructure of a heterogeneous medium starting from the material effective characteristics. The identification process is developed by applying an inverse homogenisation technique, based on multiple scale expansion theory. The Newton–Raphson scheme and the Rosenbrock algorithm are tested. The efficiency of the second approach is proved by reporting several numerical results.     

Synthesis of new 1,3-oxaphosphorinanium salts. Stereochemistry of hydroxide-induced displacement of methoxide ion

[reaction: see text] The synthesis of pure cis- and trans-3-methoxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-3-phenyl-1,3-oxaphosphorinanium tetrafluoroborate salts 3a and 3b, respectively, molecules designed to evaluate the effect of oxygen on the steric course of base-induced nucleophilic displacement of the methoxy group at phosphorus, was accomplished. It was found that these isomeric salts react with aqueous sodium hydroxide to produce the corresponding phosphine oxides 7a and 7b with complete retention of configuration at phosphorus.     

Conformationally restricted analogues of both (S)-β-homoserine and (S)-aspartic acid from chiral 3-acylamino pyrrolidin-2-ones

Starting from chiral 3,4-trans-disubstituted pyrrolidin-2-ones 11a and 11b, obtained from a Baylis-Hillman adduct, conformationally restricted analogues of both (S)-β-homoserine, 17, and (S)-aspartic acid, 21, were synthesized, respectively, and these compounds are suitable either for introduction in peptidomimetics or for synthesis of novel β-foldamers.     

Solid state (13)C NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy of the cocoon silk of two common spiders

The structure of the silk from cocoons of two common spiders, Araneus diadematus (family Araneidae) and Achaearanea tepidariorum (family Theridiidae) was investigated by means of (13)C solid state NMR and FT-IR spectroscopies. The combined use of these two techniques allowed us to highlight differences in the two samples. The cocoon silk of Achaearanea tepidariorum is essentially constituted by helical and beta-sheet structures, whereas that of Araneus diadematus shows a more complex structure, containing also beta-strands and beta-turns. Moreover, the former silk is essentially crystalline while the latter contains more mobile domains. The structural differences of the two cocoon silks are ascribed to the different habitat of the two species.     

Scleroglucan: a versatile polysaccharide for modified drug delivery

Scleroglucan is a natural polysaccharide, produced by fungi of the genus Sclerotium, that has been extensively studied for various commercial applications (secondary oil recovery, ceramic glazes, food, paints, etc.) and also shows several interesting pharmacological properties. This review focuses its attention on the use of scleroglucan, and some derivatives, in the field of pharmaceutics and in particular for the formulation of modified-release dosage forms. The reported investigations refer mainly to the following topics: natural scleroglucan suitable for the preparation of sustained release tablets and ocular formulations; oxidized and crosslinked scleroglucan used as a matrix for dosage forms sensitive to environmental conditions; co-crosslinked scleroglucan/gellan whose delivery rate can be affected by calcium ions. Furthermore, a novel hydrogel obtained with this polysaccharide and borate ions is described, and the particular structure of this hydrogel network has been interpreted in terms of conformational analysis and molecular dynamics. Profound attention is devoted to the mechanisms involved in drug release from the tested dosage forms that depend, according to the specific preparation, on swelling and/or diffusion. Experimental data are also discussed on the basis of a mathematical approach that allows a better understanding of the behavior of the tested polymeric materials.