Effect of multiple localized geometric imperfections on stability of thin axisymmetric cylindrical shells under axial compression

Stability of imperfect elastic cylindrical shells which are subjected to uniform axial compression is analyzed by using the finite element method. Multiple interacting localized axisymmetric initial geometric imperfections, having either triangular or wavelet shapes, were considered. The effect of a single localized geometric imperfection was analyzed in order to assess the most adverse configuration in terms of shell aspect ratios. Then two or three geometric imperfections of a given shape and which were uniformly distributed along the shell length were introduced to quantify their global effect on the shell buckling strength. It was shown that with two or three interacting geometric imperfections further reduction of the buckling load is obtained. In the ranges of parameters that were investigated, the imperfection wavelength was found to be the major factor influencing shell stability; it is followed by the imperfection amplitude, then by the interval distance separating the localized imperfections. In a wide range of parameters this last factor was recognized to have almost no effect on buckling stresses.     

Systematic synthesis of inhibitors of the two first enzymes of the bacterial heptose biosynthetic pathway: towards antivirulence molecules targeting lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis

L-Heptoses (L-glycero-D-manno-heptopyranoses) are constituents of the inner core of lipolysaccharide (LPS), a molecule playing key roles in the mortality of many infectious diseases as well as in the virulence of many human pathogens. The inhibition of the first enzymes of the bacterial heptose biosynthetic pathway is an almost unexplored field to date although it appears to be a very novel way for the development of antivirulence drugs. We report the synthesis of a series of D-glycero-D-manno-heptopyranose 7-phosphate (H7P) analogues and their inhibition properties against the isomerase GmhA and the the kinase HldE, the two first enzymes of the bacterial heptose biosynthetic pathway. The heptose structures have been modified at the 1-, 2-, 6- and 7-positions to probe the importance of the key structural features of H7P that allow a tight binding to the target enzymes; H7P being the product of GmhA and the substrate of HldE, the second objective was to find structures that could simultaneously inhibit both enzymes. We found that GmhA and HldE were extremely sensitive to structural modifications at the 6- and 7- positions of the heptose scaffold. To our surprise, the epimeric analogue of H7P displaying a D-glucopyranose configuration was found to be the best inhibitor of both enzymes but also the only molecule of this series that could inhibit GmhA (IC(50)=34 μM) and HldE (IC(50)=9.4 μM) in the low micromolar range. Noteworthy, this study describes the first inhibitors of GmhA ever reported, and paves the way to the design of a second generation of molecules targeting the bacterial virulence.     

Hierarchically porous nanostructures through phosphonate-metal alkoxide condensation and growth using functionalized dendrimeric building blocks

Controlled titanium alkoxide mineralization in the presence of phosphonated, dendrimeric nano-building blocks provides a new family of hierarchically porous dendrimer-bridged titanium dioxide materials.     

Effect of Ziziphus and Cordia Gums on Dough Properties and Baking Performance of Cookies

The influence of 2% and 5% Cordia (CG) and Ziziphus (ZG) gums on dough characteristics and cookie quality was investigated. Micro-DoughLab, a texture analyzer (TA), a rapid viscoanalyzer (RVA), and solvent retention capacity were used to examine the effect of CG and ZG gums on dough physicochemical parameters (SRC) and cookie quality. The diameter, thickness, spread, and sensory evaluation of cookies were evaluated. With the addition of CG and ZG, dough softness, mixing time, and mixing tolerance index (MTI) increased, whereas stability and water absorption decreased. TA data showed that adding gums resulted in softer and less sticky doughs than the control, whereas RVA data showed that adding CG resulted in a significant increase in peak viscosity, but no change in flour gel setback. In comparison to the control and CG samples, the ZG samples exhibited the most dough extensibility. The thickness and diameter of the cookies increased but the spread decreased, due to the added gums. The gum-containing cookies had a lower overall acceptability by panelists than the control, although only by a small margin. Gum-containing cookies, on the other hand, can deliver up to 5% soluble fiber.     

Morphology and Linear Viscoelasticity of Poly[ethylene‐co‐(1‐octene)]/Layered Silicate Nanocomposites

Poly[ethylene‐co‐(1‐octene)] nanocomposites with different microstructures were prepared with two kinds of organoclay by melt intercalation. X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the morphology of the composites. Linear storage moduli of the composites in the melt state were found to increase greatly with increasing the extent of dispersion of silicate layers and showed an obvious sensitivity to the morphologies of the composites.     

A New Variant of Wilson’s Functional Equation on Monoids

Acta Mathematica Sinica, English Series - We find on a monoid M the complex-valued solutions f, g : M → ? such that f is central and g is continuous of the functional equation $$f\left(...     

Pyridazine,oxazine, pyrrole,and pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinazoline derivatives from malononitrile dimer

2‐Amino‐1,1,3‐tricyano‐3‐bromopropene was obtained from bromination of 2‐amino‐1,1,3‐tricyanopropene (malononitrile dimer) with N‐bromosuccinimide. This bromo derivative reacts with hydrazine hydrate, phenyl hydrazine, and hydroxylamine hydrochloride to afford pyridazine and oxazine derivatives, respectively. In base‐catalyzed reactions with primary aromatic amines and anthranilic acid derivatives, it produces N‐aryl pyrrol‐3,5‐dicarbonitrile and pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinazolin‐5‐imine, or pyrrolo[1,2‐a]quinazolin‐5‐one derivatives, respectively. The structures of the newly synthesized heterocycles were established on the basis of elemental analyses and spectral data. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 14:612–616, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10199