Periodic homogenization for convex functionals using Mosco convergence

We study the relationship between the Mosco convergence of a sequence of convex proper lower semicontinuous functionals, defined on a reflexive Banach space, and the convergence of their subdifferentiels as maximal monotone graphs. We then apply these results together with the unfolding method (see Cioranescu et al. in C R Math Acad Sci Paris 355:99–104, 2002) to study the homogenization of equations of the form \({-\textrm{ div }d_\varepsilon=f }\), with \({(\nabla u_\varepsilon(x),d_\varepsilon(x)) \in \partial \varphi_\varepsilon(x)}\) where \({\varphi_\varepsilon (x,.)}\) is a Carathéodory convex function with suitable growth and coercivity conditions.     

Nonlinear shear wave interaction in soft solids

This paper describes nonlinear shear wave experiments conducted in soft solids with transient elastography technique. The nonlinear solutions that theoretically account for plane and nonplane shear wave propagation are compared with experimental results. It is observed that the cubic nonlinearity implied in high amplitude transverse waves at f(0)=100 Hz results in the generation of odd harmonics 3f(0), 5f(0). In the case of the nonlinear interaction between two transverse waves at frequencies f(1) and f(2), the resulting harmonics are f(i)+/-2f(j)(i,j=1,2). Experimental data are compared to numerical solutions of the modified Burgers equation, allowing an estimation of the nonlinear parameter relative to shear waves. The definition of this combination of elastic moduli (up to fourth order) can be obtained using an energy development adapted to soft solid. In the more complex situation of nonplane shear waves, the quadratic nonlinearity gives rise to more usual harmonics, at sum and difference frequencies, f(i)+/-f(j). All components of the field have to be taken into account.     

Coupling CE with atmospheric pressure photoionization MS for pharmaceutical basic compounds: optimization of operating parameters

The use of CE coupled with MS (CE-MS) has evolved as a useful tool to analyze charged species in small sample volumes. Because of its sensitivity, versatility and ease of implementation, the ESI interface is currently the method of choice to hyphenate CE to MS. An alternative can be the atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) source, however, numerous parameters must be optimized for its coupling to CE. After evaluation of the sheath liquid composition and the CE capillary outlet position, an experimental design methodology was assessed for optimizing other ionization source parameters, such as sheath liquid flow rate, drying gas flow rate and temperature, nebulizing gas pressure, vaporizer temperature, and capillary voltage. For this purpose, a fractional factorial design (FFD) was selected as a screening procedure to identify factors which significantly influence sensitivity and efficiency. A face-centered central composite design (CCD) was then used to predict and optimize sensitivity, taking into account the most relevant variables. Sensitivity was finally evaluated with the optimized conditions and height-to-noise ratios (H/N) around 10 were achieved for an injection of 200 ng/mL of each analyte.     

Evaluation of multi-modal high salt binding ion exchange materials

The performance and selectivity of novel cation and anion exchange multi-modal chromatographic materials were evaluated. Desorption profiles of 13 proteins possessing a range of properties (e.g. size, charge and hydrophobicity) were determined on the cation exchange materials. Batch experiments were carried out by loading individual proteins on each resin at low salt, and examining the desorption of the proteins during sequential washes with increasing salt concentrations. While all of the resins exhibited some binding of proteins at elevated salt concentrations, this effect was more pronounced on the resins with aromatic ligands as compared to the materials with aliphatic ligands. As expected, materials with higher ionic capacities exhibited higher binding at elevated salts. In addition, some proteins exhibited high binding at elevated salt concentrations to all of the resins. The combined effect of charge and other secondary interactions with these multi-modal chromatographic materials enables high salt binding of a range of proteins as well as unique selectivities for the recovery of certain classes of proteins. Since the anion exchange materials all exhibited high binding at elevated salt concentrations the work with these materials focused on a study of elution strategies to remove proteins from these aromatic based materials. After evaluating various elution protocols, a combined strategy of pH change and chaotropic salt were shown to minimize electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions and was found to be an effective elution strategy for this class of anion exchange materials using peanut lectin as a model protein.     

First total synthesis and assignment of the stereochemistry of crispatenine

The first racemic and enantioselective synthesis of crispatenine 1 has been achieved, which involved a few steps, enabling the assignment of the absolute and relative configurations.     

Effects of the environmental factors on the casein micelle structure studied by cryo transmission electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering/ultrasmall-angle x-ray scattering

Casein micelles are colloidal protein-calcium-transport complexes whose structure has not been unequivocally elucidated. This study used small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and ultrasmall angle x-ray scattering (USAXS) as well as cryo transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) to provide fine structural details on their structure. Cryo-TEM observations of native casein micelles fractionated by differential centrifugation showed that colloidal calcium phosphate appeared as nanoclusters with a diameter of about 2.5 nm. They were uniformly distributed in a homogeneous tangled web of caseins and were primarily responsible for the intensity distribution in the SAXS profiles at the highest q vectors corresponding to the internal structure of the casein micelles. A specific demineralization of casein micelles by decreasing the pH from 6.7 to 5.2 resulted in a reduced granular aspect of the micelles observed by cryo-TEM and the existence of a characteristic point of inflection in SAXS profiles. This supports the hypothesis that the smaller substructures detected by SAXS are colloidal calcium phosphate nanoclusters rather than putative submicelles.     

Acido-triggered nonlinear optical switches: benzazolo-oxazolidines

This work is the continuation of our previous experimental and theoretical studies aiming at designing efficient nonlinear optical (NLO) switches derived from the benzazolo-oxazolidine core. Here, we report the synthesis and the characterization of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of benzothiazolo[2,3-b]oxazolidine acidochromes by means of hyper-Rayleigh scattering as well as quantum chemical calculations. It is shown that these new derivatives incorporating a benzothiazole subunit exhibit very high static first hyperpolarizability values in their acido-generated form. On the basis of previously reported NLO responses of indolino- and benzimidazolo-oxazolidines, structure-properties relationships within the benzazolo-oxazolidine series are proposed.     

Direct preparation of nucleoside vinyl disulfides from 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl sulfides, an access to vinylthiols

We report here a straightforward preparation of various nucleoside vinyl disulfides in high yields under mild conditions using the new reaction of vinyl 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl (TMSE) sulfides with sulfenyl chlorides. This reaction allows the preparation of various mixed disulfides from stable silyl sulfides without formation of oxidizable and/or unstable thiols. The easy preparation of vinyl disulfides through this reaction should offer new perspectives in vinylthiol chemistry.     

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer in 2-(2'-arylsulfonamidophenyl)benzimidazole derivatives: insights into the origin of donor substituent-induced emission energy shifts

Donor-substituted 2-(2'-arylsulfonamidophenyl)benzimidazoles undergo efficient excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) upon photoexcitation. The tautomer emission energy depends strongly on the substituent attachment position on the fluorophore pi-system. While substitution with a donor group in the para-position relative to the sulfonamide moiety yields an emission energy that is red-shifted relative to the unsubstituted fluorophore, fluorescence of the meta-substituted derivative appears blue-shifted. To elucidate the origin of the surprisingly divergent emission shifts, we performed detailed photophysical and quantum chemical studies with a series of methoxy- and pyrrole-substituted derivatives. The nature and contribution of solvent-solute interactions on the emission properties were analyzed on the basis of solvatochromic shift data using Onsager's reaction field model, Reichardt's empirical solvent polarity scale ET(30), as well as Kamlet-Abboud-Taft's empirical solvent index. The studies revealed that all ESIPT tautomers emit from a moderately polarized excited-state whose dipole moment is not strongly influenced by the donor-attachment position. Furthermore, the negative solvatochromic shift behavior was most pronounced in protic solvents presumably due to specific hydrogen-bonding interactions. The extrapolated gas-phase emission energies correlated qualitatively well with the trends in Stokes shifts, suggesting that solute-solvent interactions do not play a significant role in explaining the divergent emission energy shifts. Detailed quantum chemical calculations not only confirmed the moderately polarized nature of the ESIPT tautomers but also provided a rational for the observed emission shifts based on the differential change in the HOMO and LUMO energies. The results gained from this study should provide guidelines for tuning the emission properties of this class of ESIPT fluorophores with potential applications in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, or materials science.