On the Brownian-directed polymer in a Gaussian random environment

In this paper, we introduce a model of Brownian polymer in a continuous random environment. The asymptotic behavior of the partition function associated to this polymer measure is studied, and we are able to separate a weak and strong disorder regime under some reasonable assumptions on the spatial covariance of the environment. Some further developments, concerning some concentration inequalities for the partition function, are given for the weak disorder regime.     

Shear effect on the phase behavior and morphology in pmma/san-29.5 blend

The effect of simple shear flow on the miscibility and morphology of blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and a styrene-acrylonitrile random copoly-mer with 29.5 wt% acrylonitrile (SAN-29.5) has been investigated using shear apparatus and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained data showed that only shear-induced mixing was observed for all of the composition ratios. The increase of the cloud point (or homogenization temperature) ΔT(γdot; = T(γdot;) - T(0) was investigated as a function of shear rate γdot;; in addition, the normalized shift in the cloud point ΔT(γdot;)/T(0) versus γdot; was also studied and compared with that of simple liquid mixtures and polymer solutions. The results showed that the polymer blends were more sensitive to the shear rate than both simple-liquid mixtures and polymer solutions. The morphology of the PMMN SAN(= 75/25) blend (the critical composition) indicated that shear-induced phase mixing occurred at a critical shear rate value, below which the two phases were highly oriented and elongated in the flow direction. Three regimes, depending on the applied shear rate values, were detected that were in good agreement with the literature data for polymer solutions. The effect of relaxation times after shear cessation showed a decrease in the orientation of the elongated particles, but it did not completely vanish even for 10 min after the shear cessation.     

Structural aspects for evolution of beta-lactamases from penicillin-binding proteins

Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), biosynthetic enzymes of bacterial cell wall assembly, and beta-lactamases, resistance enzymes to beta-lactam antibiotics, are related to each other from an evolutionary point of view. Massova and Mobashery (Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1998, 42, 1-17) have proposed that for beta-lactamases to have become effective at their function as antibiotic resistance enzymes, they would have had to undergo structure alterations such that they would not interact with the peptidoglycan, which is the substrate for PBPs. A cephalosporin analogue, 7beta-[N-Acetyl-L-alanyl-gamma-D-glutamyl-L-lysine]-3-acetoxymethyl-3-cephem-carboxylic acid (compound 6), was conceived and synthesized to test this notion. The X-ray structure of the complex of this cephalosporin bound to the active site of the deacylation-deficient Q120L/Y150E variant of the class C AmpC beta-lactamase from Escherichia coli was solved at 1.71 A resolution. This complex revealed that the surface for interaction with the strand of peptidoglycan that acylates the active site, which is present in PBPs, is absent in the -lactamase active site. Furthermore, insertion of a peptide in the beta-lactamase active site at a location where the second strand of peptidoglycan in some PBPs binds has effectively abolished the possibility for such interaction with the beta-lactamase. A 2.6 ns dynamics simulation was carried out for the complex, which revealed that the peptidoglycan surrogate (i.e., the active-site-bound ligand) undergoes substantial motion and is not stabilized for binding within the active site. These factors taken together disclose the set of structure modifications in the antibiotic resistance enzyme that prevent it from interacting with the peptidoglycan, en route to achieving catalytic proficiency for their intended function.     

Hexafluoroacetone as Protecting and Activating Reagent. A New Approach to N-linked Glycopeptoids

A preparatively simple synthesis of N-linked glycopeptoids starting from iminodiacetic acid and glycosylamines, using hexafluoroacetone as protecting and activating reagent is described.     

A characterization of permutation modules

Let k be a field of positive characteristic p, and let P be a finite p-group. In this paper, I state a combinatorial characterization of finite dimensional permutation kP-modules.     

3'-immobilized probes with 2'-caps: synthesis of oligonucleotides with 2'-N-methyl-2'-(anthraquinone carboxamido)uridine residues

[reaction: see text] A synthesis for oligodeoxynucleotides with a 3'-terminal 2'-N-methyl-2'-acylamido-2'-deoxyuridine residue was developed. Unlike their unmethylated counterparts, these oligodeoxynucleotides can be stably immobilized on aldehyde-displaying glass surfaces to provide DNA microarrays. An anthraquinone carboxamido group as a 2'-substituent doubled the capture efficiency of an immobilized tetradecamer.     

Synthesis of chiral 2-(4-phenoxyphenylsulfonylmethyl)thiiranes as selective gelatinase inhibitors

[reactions: see text] Compound 1, 2-(4-phenoxyphenylsulfonylmethyl)thiirane, is a selective inhibitor of gelatinases, which is showing high promise in studies of animal models for cancer metastasis and stroke. The (R)-1 and (S)-1 enantiomers of compound 1 were each synthesized in this study and were shown to be equally active in inhibition of gelatinases.     

Synthesis of some novel 3,7‐dimethyl‐4H‐pyrazolo[5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazin‐4‐ones

Some novel 3,7‐dimethyl‐6H‐pyrazolo[5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazin‐4‐ones were prepared (3a‐g) . Compounds 3a,b were treated with hydrazines to afford various products 7a,b, 8a,b, 9 and lla,b depending on the type of hydrazine derivative and reaction conditions. The benzoyloxyimino‐pyrazolo[5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazines (13a,b) were synthesized by refluxing of compounds 3a,b with hydroxylamine hydrochloride to afford the corresponding oxime derivatives followed by treatment with benzoyl chloride.     

A critical local energy release rate criterion for fatigue fracture of elastomers

Using Digital Image Correlation on high‐resolution images, the full strain field near the tip of a crack propagating under cyclic loading in an elastomer was characterized. We show unambiguously, and for the first time, the existence of a strongly localized and highly oriented process zone close to the crack tip and propose a simple physical model introducing a local energy release rate g_local = W_unloadingH₀, where W_unloading is the unloading strain energy density in uniaxial tension at the maximum strain measured at the crack tip, and H₀ is the undeformed size of the highly stretched zone in the loading direction. Remarkably, the crack growth rate under cyclic loading is found to fall on a master curve as a function of g_local for three elastomers with different filler contents and crosslinking densities, while the same crack growth rate as a function of the applied macroscopic energy release rate G, differs by two orders of magnitude for the same three elastomers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1518–1524, 2011