Mechanical properties of composite polymer microstructures fabricated by interference lithography

We demonstrate that organized, porous, polymer microstructures with continuous open nanoscale pores and a sub-micron spacing obtained via interference lithography can be successfully utilized in a non-traditional field of ordered polymer microcomposites. The examples presented here include porous matrices for the fabrication of binary, glassy-rubbery microcomposites with intriguing mechanical properties with large energy dissipation and lattice-controlled fracturing.     

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Camptothecin-like Scaffolds: Construction of a New Class of Pseudo-natural Products

The discovery of novel small molecules endowed with high 3D-content remains a powerful tool for interrogating underrepresented biological space. To this end, the pseudo-natural products (pseudo-NP) strategy has become one of the most important tools to deliver biologically significant chemical probes. In this article, we describe the development of a new class of pseudo-NP collection, through connecting tryptamines with a furanose derivative followed by subjecting the product from this operation to a ring distortion strategy that led to diastereoselective synthesis of camptothecin-like compounds. This process is driven by a cascade that unites Pictet–Spengler reaction with Michael addition reaction, followed by oxidative-ring enlargement and subsequent transannular aldol cyclization delivering camptothecin-like architectures. The obtained diastereoselectivity was verified using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.     

Monte Carlo method for computing density of states and quench probability of potential energy and enthalpy landscapes

The thermodynamics and kinetics of a many-body system can be described in terms of a potential energy landscape in multidimensional configuration space. The partition function of such a landscape can be written in terms of a density of states, which can be computed using a variety of Monte Carlo techniques. In this paper, a new self-consistent Monte Carlo method for computing density of states is described that uses importance sampling and a multiplicative update factor to achieve rapid convergence. The technique is then applied to compute the equilibrium quench probability of the various inherent structures (minima) in the landscape. The quench probability depends on both the potential energy of the inherent structure and the volume of its corresponding basin in configuration space. Finally, the methodology is extended to the isothermal-isobaric ensemble in order to compute inherent structure quench probabilities in an enthalpy landscape.     

Experimental studies on droplet characteristics in a microfluidic flow focusing droplet generator: effect of continuous phase on droplet encapsulation

The European Physical Journal E - Interaction of cytoskeletal filaments, motor proteins, and crosslinking proteins drives important cellular processes such as cell division and cell movement....     

Application of ring-closing metathesis for the synthesis of macrocyclic peptidomimetics as inhibitors of HCV NS3 protease

An efficient synthetic approach for the preparation of macrocyclic peptidomimetics for inhibition of HCV NS3 is presented. The macrocyclic core is built using ring-closing metathesis (RCM) of a tripeptidic diene. The presented approach allows the introduction of heteroatoms in strategic places along the macrocyclic ring. The methyl ester moiety in the RCM products was synthetically manipulated to install a keto-amide moiety via a Passerini reaction.     

Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates of acetylenic aldehydes: versatile synthons for substituted pyrroles via a metal-free tandem reaction

A mild and metal-free access to 1,2,4-tri or 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted pyrroles has been developed by the reaction of Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates of acetylenic aldehydes with amines and sulfonamides. This new protocol is based on K(2)CO(3)-promoted tandem allylic substitution/cycloisomerization reactions.     

The Bousfield lattice of a triangulated category and stratification

For a tensor triangulated category which is well generated in the sense of Neeman, it is shown that the collection of Bousfield classes forms a set. This set has a natural structure of a complete lattice which is then studied, using the notions of stratification and support.     

Tuning of tetrahedrality in a silicon potential yields a series of monatomic (metal-like) glass formers of very high fragility

We obtain monatomic glass formers in simulations by modifying the tetrahedral character in a silicon potential to explore a triple point zone between potentials favoring diamond (dc) and bcc crystals. dc crystallization is always preceded by a polyamorphic transformation of the liquid, and is frustrated when the Kauzmann temperature of the high temperature liquid intersects the liquid-liquid coexistence line. The glass forming liquids are extraordinarily fragile. Our results suggest that Si and Ge liquids may be vitrified at a pressure close to the diamond-beta-tin-liquid triple point.     

Complementarity in atomic (finite-level quantum) systems: an information-theoretic approach

We develop an information theoretic interpretation of the number-phase complementarity in atomic systems, where phase is treated as a continuous positive operator valued measure (POVM). The relevant uncertainty principle is obtained as an upper bound on a sum of knowledge of these two observables for the case of two-level systems. A tighter bound characterizing the uncertainty relation is obtained numerically in terms of a weighted knowledge sum involving these variables. We point out that complementarity in these systems departs from mutual unbiasededness in two significant ways: first, the maximum knowledge of a POVM variable is less than log (dimension) bits; second, surprisingly, for higher dimensional systems, the unbiasedness may not be mutual but unidirectional in that phase remains unbiased with respect to number states, but not vice versa. Finally, we study the effect of non-dissipative and dissipative noise on these complementary variables for a single-qubit system.