Pore size distribution of micelle-templated silicas studied by thermoporosimetry using water and n-heptane

Thermoporosimetry, i.e., DSC measurements of melting point depression of water and heptane confined in mesopores, has been used for determination the pore size distribution of several mesoporous silicas synthesized with the use of micelle templates. Porosity of these materials was additionally characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and quasi-equilibrated thermodesorption of nonane. The pore size distributions obtained using the water thermoporosimetry were similar to those determined using the other methods, but the pore size values found for the narrow pore materials were underestimated by ca 1?nm. Too large pore sizes obtained for the wide pore silica from heptane thermoporosimetry were attributed to nonlinear dependence of the melting point depression on the reciprocal of the pore size.     

Dual Chemical Modification of a Polytheonamide Mimic: Rational Design and Synthesis of Ion‐Channel‐Forming 48‐mer Peptides with Potent Cytotoxicity

Polytheonamide B ( 1 ) is a natural peptide that displays potent cytotoxicity against P388 mouse leukemia cells (IC₅₀=0.098 nm ). Linear 48‐mer 1 is known to form monovalent cation channels on binding to lipid bilayers. We previously developed a fully synthetic route to 1 , and then achieved the design and synthesis of a structurally simplified analogue of 1 , namely, dansylated polytheonamide mimic 2 . Although the synthetically more accessible 2 was found to emulate the channel function of 1 , its cytotoxicity was decreased 120‐fold. Herein, the chemical preparation and biological evaluation of seven analogues 3 – 9 of 2 are reported. Compounds 3 – 9 were modified at their N terminus and/or the side chain of residue 44 of 2 to alter their physicochemical properties. The total synthesis of 3 – 9 was accomplished in a unified fashion by a combination of solid‐phase and solution‐phase chemistry. Systematic evaluation of the hydrophobicities, single‐channel currents, ion‐exchange activities, and cytotoxicities of 3 – 9 revealed that their hydrophobicities are correlated with the total magnitude of ion exchange and determine their cytotoxic potency. Consequently, the most hydrophobic analogue 9 exhibited the lowest IC₅₀ value, which is comparable to that of 1 . Therefore, these results clarified that the bioactivity of the polytheonamide‐based peptides can be rationally controlled by changing their hydrophobicity at the N and C termini of the 48‐amino‐acid sequence.     

A Fractal Representation of the Complex Clifford Algebra Equivalent to the Fock Representation

We construct a representation of the infinite dimensional complex Clifford algebra on the Hilbert space of square-integrable complex-valued functions on the Cantor set, which we show to be equivalent to the classical Fock representation.     

Does Euclidean distance work well when the p-median model is applied in rural areas?

The p-median model is used to locate P centers to serve a geographically distributed population. A cornerstone of such a model is the measure of distance between a service center and demand points, i.e. the location of the population (customers, pupils, patients, and so on). Evidence supports the current practice of using Euclidean distance. However, we find that the location of multiple hospitals in a rural region of Sweden with a non-symmetrically distributed population is quite sensitive to distance measure, and somewhat sensitive to spatial aggregation of demand points.     

Dynamical behaviour of multi-particle large-scale systems

Collective behaviours can be observed in both natural and man-made systems composed of a large number of elemental subsystems. Typically, each elemental subsystem has its own dynamics but, whenever interaction between individuals occurs, the individual behaviours tend to be relaxed, and collective behaviours emerge. In this paper, the collective behaviour of a large-scale system composed of several coupled elemental particles is analysed. The dynamics of the particles are governed by the same type of equations but having different parameter values and initial conditions. Coupling between particles is based on statistical feedback, which means that each particle is affected by the average behaviour of its neighbours. It is shown that the global system may unveil several types of collective behaviours, corresponding to partial synchronisation, characterised by the existence of several clusters of synchronised subsystems, and global synchronisation between particles, where all the elemental particles synchronise completely.     

Theoretical analysis of discrete contact problems with Coulomb friction

A discrete model of the two-dimensional Signorini problem with Coulomb friction and a coefficient of friction F depending on the spatial variable is analysed. It is shown that a solution exists for any F and is globally unique if F is sufficiently small. The Lipschitz continuity of this unique solution as a function of F as well as a function of the load vector f is obtained. Furthermore, local uniqueness of solutions for arbitrary F > 0 is studied. The question of existence of locally Lipschitz-continuous branches of solutions with respect to the coefficient F is converted to the question of existence of locally Lipschitz-continuous branches of solutions with respect to the load vector f. A condition guaranteeing the existence of locally Lipschitz-continuous branches of solutions in the latter case and results for determining their directional derivatives are given. Finally, the general approach is illustrated on an elementary example, whose solutions are calculated exactly.     

Diffusion of biostimulators into plant tissues

Biostimulators are substances able to enhance the immune system of cultivated crops and support plant metabolism. Their utilization helps to reduce the amount of chemicals used in agriculture. To perform the desired effect, a biostimulator must be able to penetrate into the plant tissue. The time of penetration however, is limited, since the biostimulator must remain in a liquid state. This is of great importance—especially in field conditions, where the treated plants are exposed to different weather condition and other extrinsic factors. A mathematical model based on diffusion mechanisms has been elaborated to describe the biostimulator transport process from penetration of the leaves into the plant’s inner tissues. By means of the effective diffusion coefficient of the prepared specific protein hydrolyzate, this model can be used to estimate the time necessary for the uptake of the minimal active amount of the biostimulator.