L-α-Aminoadipic Acid from L-Glutamic Acid

A convenient procedure for the preparation of L-α-aminoadipic acid from L-glutamic acid is described.     

“Push‐pull” supramolecular chromophores supported on cyclopolymers

Well‐defined macromolecules have been obtained through free‐radical cyclopolymerization and cyclocopolymerization of difunctional and acrylic‐like monomers, which contained “push‐pull” supramolecular chromophores, able to form 1:1 complexes with Eu³⁺ ions in solution. The monomeric molecular modules are built around bismalonate crown ethers in a convergent fashion, in which one of the malonate moiety is derivatized as the ylidene malonate push‐pull fragment, and the other malonate moiety is elaborated to introduce two polymerizable and acrylic‐like substituents. The free‐radical induced cyclopolymerization of these monomers, or their cyclocopolymerization with UV/Vis “silent” but structurally related monomers, afforded macromolecular architectures characterized by GPC, NMR and DSC techniques. UV/Vis titration studies, performed with Eu(OTf)₃ as the supramolecular probe, revealed how adjacent chromophores within the polymeric backbone are virtually independent from each other, and how the binding ability towards the probe of these multivalent, highly packed cyclopolymeric architectures, although reduced, is still clearly detectable. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5202–5213, 2008     

Explicit diffusive kinetic schemes for nonlinear degenerate parabolic systems

We design numerical schemes for nonlinear degenerate parabolic systems with possibly dominant convection. These schemes are based on discrete BGK models where both characteristic velocities and the source-term depend singularly on the relaxation parameter. General stability conditions are derived, and convergence is proved to the entropy solutions for scalar equations.

     

Rate determining factors in protein model structures

Previous research has shown a strong correlation of protein folding rates to the native state geometry, yet a complete explanation for this dependence is still lacking. Here we study the rate-geometry relationship with a simple statistical physics model, and focus on two classes of model geometries, representing ideal parallel and antiparallel structures. We find that the logarithm of the rate shows an almost perfect linear correlation with the "absolute contact order", but the slope depends on the particular class considered. We discuss these findings in the light of experimental results.     

Nontopological Condensates for the Self‐Dual Chern‐Simons‐Higgs Model

For the abelian self‐dual Chern‐Simons‐Higgs model we address existence issues of periodic vortex configurations—the so‐called condensates—of nontopological type as k → 0, where k > 0 is the Chern‐Simons parameter. We provide a positive answer to the longstanding problem on the existence of nontopological condensates with magnetic field concentrated at some of the vortex points (as a sum of Dirac measures) as k → 0, a question that is of definite physical interest. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Side-chain modified bile acids: chromatographic separation of 23-methyl epimers

Owing to the re-flourished interest towards the bile acids (BAs) as versatile signalling hormones endowed with diverse endocrine functions, the development of reliable analytical protocols monitoring the synthesis of new BA-based receptor modulators, still represents a cogent concern. On this basis, for the first time, a HPLC study has been engaged with the aim to set up suitable chromatographic conditions for the analysis of three different epimeric couples of 23-methyl-substituted unconjugated BAs. Three different methods (one for each couple) have been successfully established and then validated. Good precision and accuracy (evaluated both in the short and long period) as well as appreciably low LOD and LOQ values have turned out. Moreover, the engagement of an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) has proven its high effectiveness for the analysis of such steroidal species.     

Period two implies chaos for a class of ODEs

We extend a result of J. Andres and K. Pastor concerning scalar time-periodic first order ordinary differential equations without uniqueness, by proving that the existence of just one subharmonic implies the existence of large sets of subharmonics of all given orders. Since these periodic solutions must coexist with complicated dynamics, we might paraphrase T. Y. Li and J. A. Yorke by loosely saying that in this setting even period two implies chaos. Similar results are obtained for a class of differential inclusions.

     

Asymmetric Poincaré inequalities and solvability of capillarity problems

In this paper we first establish an asymmetric version of the Poincaré inequality in the space of bounded variation functions, and then, basically relying on this result, we discuss the existence, the non-existence and the multiplicity of bounded variation solutions of a class of capillarity problems with asymmetric perturbations.