Copper-free Sonogashira coupling of cyclopropyl iodides with terminal alkynes

The substrate scope of the copper-free Sonogashira coupling has been successfully extended to cyclopropyl iodides, allowing an efficient access to a wide variety of functionalized alkynyl cyclopropanes.     

On Spherically Symmetric Motions Of a Viscous Compressible Barotropic and Selfgravitating Gas

We consider the Cauchy problem for the equations of spherically symmetric motions in \mathbb R³{\mathbb {R}^3}, of a selfgravitating barotropic gas, with possibly non monotone pressure law, in two different situations: in the first one we suppose that the viscosities μ(ρ), and λ(ρ) are density-dependent and satisfy the Bresch–Desjardins condition, in the second one we consider constant densities. In the two cases, we prove that the problem admits a global weak solution, provided that the polytropic index γ satisfy γ > 1.     

Gradient elution method in centrifugal partition chromatography for the separation of a complex sophorolipid mixture obtained from Candida bombicola yeasts

Sophorolipids represent an important class of natural surfactants with a variety of environmental, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications. Despite their promising physicochemical and biological properties, the use of sophorolipids is hampered by the lack of information regarding their individual structure‐activity relationships. The major difficulty in isolating pure sophorolipids arises from the high complexity of crude fermentation media composition and from their strong structural similarities. In this work, a centrifugal partition chromatography method was developed in an original gradient elution mode for the separation of sophorolipids produced by the yeast Candida bombicola. Experiments were realized by using three sets of solvent systems composed of n‐heptane, ethyl acetate, n‐butanol, methanol, and water in different proportions. The separation was performed at 5 mL/min in the ascending mode by increasing progressively the polarity of the organic mobile phase. In these conditions, more than 80% of the sophorolipids present in the initial crude fermentation extract were eluted successively from the most hydrophobic lactone forms to the most hydrophilic acid forms. The structures of the isolated sophorolipids were further elucidated by HPLC and NMR analyses.     

Data analysis in stability studies of biopharmaceutical drugs with isothermal and non-isothermal assays

Stability is a particular problem for biopharmaceutical products because the efficacy of peptides and proteins as therapeutic or diagnostic agents can be affected during preparation, shipping, and storage. A particular formulation may have no immediately apparent effect on physical or chemical stability, and the time required for these studies at ambient temperature can be very lengthy because chemical reactions proceed relatively slowly at low temperatures. Undoubtedly, accelerated and stress testing of stability can provide useful information for future product development. The many methods used to study kinetics in aqueous solution may be experimental or computational. Experimental approaches may be isothermal or non-isothermal. Non-linear and linear regression methods can be used to analyze data from these experimental approaches, and the Monte Carlo method could be useful to obtain information about uncertainties in experimental data.The purpose of this review is to describe and to discuss options for the accelerated study of peptide and protein drugs. These options are not necessarily the same as those used for regulatory testing to set expiration dates. We also review statistical techniques to estimate kinetic parameters (rate constant, activation energy, and pre-exponential factor). Further, we establish the advantages and the limitations of both thermal approaches. We analyze and discuss all aspects using the most recent examples of peptide and protein stability.     

Synthesis and fucosidase inhibitory study of unnatural pyrrolidine alkaloid 4-epi-(+)-codonopsinine

The total synthesis of enantiopure 4-epi-(+)-codonopsinine was achieved in 10 steps starting from D-ribose as a chiral building block. The key step involved a highly stereoselective nucleophilic addition of a Grignard reagent to a protected ribosylamine. Synthesis of the N-desmethyl derivative and its p-tolyl analogue was also accomplished, and the compounds were assayed against α-fucosidase.     

Synthesis and antifungal evaluation of novel dicyanoderivatives of rhodanine

This work describes the synthesis and antifungal evaluation of 5‐arylidene‐(Z)‐2‐(1,1‐dicyanomethylene)‐1,3‐thiazol‐4‐ones 5 obtained from the reaction of 2‐(1,1‐dicyanomethylene)‐1,3‐thiazol‐4‐one 3 and benzaldehydes 4. The starting material 3 was synthesized by a condensation reaction of rhodanine 1 and malononitrile 2. The structures of the obtained products were established by IR, NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Controlled growth of rutile TiO2 by atomic layer deposition on oxidized ruthenium

Crystalline rutile TiO₂ films were grown by atomic layer deposition on oxidized Ru electrodes using a titanium methoxide as the metal precursor and O₃ as the oxidant. A protective layer of ～0.3 nm TiO₂ grown with H₂O as the oxidant was first deposited in order to avoid etching of the Ru bottom electrode by the O₃ used for the growth of the TiO₂ (bulk) layer. Electrical evaluation of the capacitor stacks with TiO₂ as dielectric, RuO₂/Ru and Pt as the bottom and top electrodes respectively, resulted in superior characteristics of the rutile phase as compared to the anatase. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Introducing atmospheric attenuation within a diffusion model for room-acoustic predictions

This paper presents an extension of a diffusion model for room acoustics to handle the atmospheric attenuation. This phenomenon is critical at high frequencies and in large rooms to obtain correct acoustic predictions. An additional term is introduced in the diffusion equation as well as in the diffusion constant, in order to take the atmospheric attenuation into account. The modified diffusion model is then compared with the statistical theory and a cone-tracing software. Three typical room-acoustic configurations are investigated: a proportionate room, a long room and a flat room. The modified diffusion model agrees well with the statistical theory (when applicable, as in proportionate rooms) and with the cone-tracing software, both in terms of sound pressure levels and reverberation times.