Towards mechanically-linked polymers

This short review describes the progress which is being made towards the self-assembly of mechanically-linked polymers. A new concept in polymer synthesis - self-assembly - is demonstrated to have the potential to create novel high molecular weight polymers which possess repeat units that do not just consist of a main chain backbone built up of entirely covalent bonds, but are constructed of mechanical linkages comprised of catenane and rotaxane motifs.     

Infrared spectroscopy studies of cation effects on lipopolysaccharides in aqueous solution

The conformation of amphiphilic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) influences the behavior of free and cell-bound LPS in aqueous environments, including their adhesion to surfaces. Conformational changes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype 10 LPS aggregates resulting from changes in solution pH (3, 6, and 9), ionic strength [I] 1, 10, and 100 mmol L⁻¹, and electrolyte composition (NaCl and CaCl₂) were investigated via attenuated total reflectance (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. ATR-FTIR data indicate that LPS forms more stable aggregates in NaCl relative to CaCl₂ solutions. Time- and cation-dependent changes in ATR-FTIR data suggest that LPS aggregates are perturbed by Ca²⁺ complexation at lipid A phosphoryl groups, which leads to reorientation of the lipid A at the surface of a ZnSe ATR internal reflection element (IRE). Polarized ATR-FTIR investigations reveal orientation of LPS dipoles approximately perpendicular to the IRE plane for both Na- and Ca-LPS. The results indicate that changes in solution chemistry strongly impact the conformation, intermolecular and interfacial behavior of LPS in aqueous systems.     

A 1:1 cocrystal of baicalein with nicotinamide

Cocrystallization of baicalein with nicotinamide yields a 1:1 cocrystal [systematic name: pyridine‐3‐carboxamide–5,6,7‐trihydroxy‐2‐phenyl‐4H‐chromen‐4‐one (1/1)], C₆H₆N₂O·C₁₅H₁₀O₅. The asymmetric unit contains one baicalein and one nicotinamide molecule, both in neutral forms. Molecules in the cocrystal form column motifs stabilized by an array of intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

A Flawed Argument Against Actual Infinity in Physics

In “Nonconservation of Energy and loss of Determinism II. Colliding with an Open Set” (2010) Atkinson and Johnson argue in favour of the idea that an actual infinity should be excluded from physics, at least in the sense that physical systems involving an actual infinity of component elements should not be admitted. In this paper I show that the argument Atkinson and Johnson use is erroneous and that an analysis of the situation considered by them is possible without requiring any type of rejection of the idea of infinity.     

A metal‐mediated dimerization of the ligand bis(N,N‐diethyl­amino)­carbeniumdi­thio­carboxyl­ate

The title compound, methylene bis[bis(N,N‐diethyl­amino)­carbeniumdi­thio­carboxyl­ate] penta­chloro­oxo­rhenium, (C₂₁H₄₂N₄S₄)[ReCl₅O], is the result of an unusual dimerization of the ligand bis(N,N‐diethyl­amino)­carbeniumdi­thio­carboxyl­ate [(Et₂N)₂C₂S₂] upon reaction with [ReOCl₃(PPh₃)₂] in chloro­form under reflux conditions. The compound was obtained as a dicationic moiety, with the molecular [ReOCl₅]²⁻ anion providing the charge compensation. The planes of the carbenium and thio­carboxyl­ate moieties are nearly perpendicular to one another and the backbone C—C bond length in the N₂CCS₂ group is the same as a normal C—C single‐bond length.     

The Liouville-Bratu-Gelfand Problem for Radial Operators

We determine precise existence and multiplicity results for radial solutions of the Liouville-Bratu-Gelfand problem associated with a class of quasilinear radial operators, which includes perturbations of k-Hessian and p-Laplace operators.     

The Synthesis of L-aminosugar and the studies of L-pyranoses on the ring III of pyranmycins

The synthesis of a novel class of aminoglycoside, pyranmycin, and a convenient method for the preparation of 6-amino-L-idopyranosides were reported. One of the members in the reported pyranmycin families, TC010, has prominent activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus megaterium. We also discovered that the (4)C(1) chair conformation on ring III of pyranmycin is essential for the antibacterial activity. [reaction: see text]     

Optical trapping of nanoparticles and microparticles by a Gaussian standing wave

The optical trapping of nanoparticles and microparticles by a Gaussian standing wave is experimentally demonstrated for the first time to the authors' knowledge. The standing wave is obtained under a microscope objective as a result of the interference of an incoming laser beam and a beam reflected on a microscope slide that has been coated with a system of reflective dielectric layers. Experimental results show that three-dimensional trapping of nanoparticles (100-nm polystyrene spheres) and one or more vertically aligned micro-objects (5-mum polystyrene spheres, yeast cells) can easily be achieved by use of even highly aberrated beams or objectives with low numerical apertures.     

STOPPING RULES AND THE CONTROL OF STOCK POLLUTANTS

A stock pollutant is defined as a residual waste that might accumulate over time. This paper examines some of the important distinctions between degradable and nondegradable stock pollutants and between nondegradable stock pollutants with known versus uncertain environmental cost. The latter case is examined using the more recent literature on stochastic control with Brownian motion. The presence of irreversibility and uncertainty is known to lead to more conservative investment rules and places a value on the preservation of options. In the case of a nondegradable stock pollutant with Brownian environmental cost, options are preserved by stopping accumulation at a lower level than in the corresponding certainty-equivalent problem. The model presented in this paper permits the derivation of closed-form stopping rules. For a simple numerical problem, the optimal nondegradable stock with Brownian environmental cost was 20 to 45 percent lower than the optimal level with known environmental cost. The empirical study of an actual nondegradable stock pollutant will require time series data on private and social cost in order to estimate drift and variance parameters which will influence the actual extent to which the optimal stock is less than the certainty-equivalent stock.     

EOM/Propagator ionization potentials: Extension of the excitation operator manifold

The excitation operator manifold required for the calculation of vertical IPs in the EOM/propagator formalism is extended to include products of five spin orbital field operators (refered to as the h₅ basis). Spin symmetry adaptation is used for all the operators of this manifold. Using a direct diagonalization technique introduced previously the effect of inclusion of the h₅ basis on calculated IPs is illustrated for various levels of approximation to the electron density by numerical applications to ethylene and water. The fourth-order terms thus introduced are shown to have greater magnitude than previously included third-order terms, in agreement with earlier work.