Global Analysis of the Flows of Fluids with Pressure-Dependent Viscosities

 To describe the flows of fluids over a wide range of pressures, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the viscosity of the fluid depends on the pressure. That the viscosity depends on the pressure has been verified by numerous careful experiments. While the existence of solutions local-in-time to the equations governing the flows of such fluids are available for small, special data and rather unrealistic dependence of the viscosity on the pressure, no global existence results are in place. Our interest here is to establish the existence of weak solutions for spatially periodic three-dimensional flows that are global in time, for a large class of physically meaningful viscosity-pressure relationships. (Accepted May 1, 2002) Published online November 15, 2002 Communicated by S. S. ANTMAN     

Guided modes of integrated optical guides. A mathematical study

A waveguide in integrated optics is defined by its refractiveindex. The guide is assumed to be invariant in the propagationdirection while in the transverse direction it is supposed tobe a compact perturbation of an unbounded stratified medium.We are interested in the modes guided by this device, whichare waves with a transverse energy confined in a neighbourhoodof the perturbation. Our goal is to analyse the existence of such guided modes. Underthe assumptions of weak guidance the problem reduces to a two-dimensionaleigenvalue problem for a scalar field. The associated operatoris unbounded, selfadjoint, and bounded from below. Its spectrumconsists of the discrete spectrum corresponding to the guidedmodes and of the essential spectrum corresponding to the radiationmodes. We present existence results of guided modes and an asymptoticstudy at high frequencies, which shows that contrarily to thecase of optical fibers, the number of guided modes can remainbounded. The major tools are the min-max principle and comparisonof results between different eigenvalue problems. The originalityof the present study lies in the stratified character of theunbounded reference medium.     

Interaction of the mu-opioid receptor with GPR177 (Wntless) inhibits Wnt secretion: potential implications for opioid dependence

Background  

Opioid agonist drugs produce analgesia. However, long-term exposure to opioid agonists may lead to opioid dependence. The analgesic and addictive properties of opioid agonist drugs are mediated primarily via the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Opioid agonists appear to alter neuronal morphology in key brain regions implicated in the development of opioid dependence. However, the precise role of the MOR in the development of these neuronal alterations remains elusive. We hypothesize that identifying and characterizing novel MOR interacting proteins (MORIPs) may help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of opioid dependence.     

Efficient and simple synthesis of 6-aryl-1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazoles

A synthetic method for the preparation of 6-aryl-1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazoles involving a palladium catalyzed coupling reaction of 1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazole-6-boronic acids and (hetero)aryl halides is described.     

High precision delta(17)O isotope measurements of oxygen from silicates and other oxides: method and applications

The use of infrared laser-assisted fluorination to release oxygen from milligram quantities of silicates or other oxide mineral grains is a well-established technique. However, relatively few studies have reported the optimisation of this procedure for oxygen-17 isotope measurements. We describe here details of an analytical system using infrared (10 μm) laser-assisted fluorination, in conjunction with a dual inlet mass spectrometer of high resolving power ( approximately 250) to provide (17)O and (18)O oxygen isotope measurements from 0.5-2 mg of silicates or other oxide mineral grains. Respective precisions (1) of typically 0.08 and 0.04 per thousand are obtained for the complete analytical procedure. Departures from the mass-dependent oxygen isotope fractionation line are quantified by Delta(17)O; our precision (1) of such measurements on individual samples is shown to be +/-0.024 per thousand. In turn, this permits the offset between parallel, mass-dependent fractionation lines to be characterised to substantially greater precision than has been possible hitherto. Application of this system to investigate the (17)O versus (18)O relationship for numerous terrestrial whole-rock and mineral samples, of diverse geological origins and age, indicates that the complete data set may be described by a single, mass-dependent fractionation line of slope 0.5244+/- 0.00038 (standard error). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Test of bell’s inequality using the one-atom micromaser

We examine a local realist bound in the case of a one-atom micromaser. It is shown that such a bound is violated using a simplified treatment of the micromaser. We consider the effect of dissipation in a proposed experiment with the real micromaser. It is seen that the magnitude of violation of a Bell-type inequality depends significantly on the cavity parameters.     

Aromatic garlands,as new foldamers,to mimic protein secondary structure

Proteins modulate the majority of all biological functions and are composed of highly organized secondary structural elements such as helices, turns, and sheets. Many of these functions are affected by a small number of key structural element, protein–protein interactions. Their mimicry by peptide and non-peptide scaffolds has become a major focus of contemporary research. This paper examines oligomeric system as new foldamers, which either reproduce the local topography of the helix, or project appropriately functionality in a similar manner to residues of an alpha-helix.     

Synthesis of new phenylpyridyl scaffolds using the Garlanding approach

One-pot reaction for the synthesis of novel phenylpyridyl derivatives and mixed quater phenylpyridyl compounds is described by using the Garlanding approach. The reactions proceed with moderate to good yields in mild conditions and good reaction times. This work represents a second application of the simplicity and versatility of Garlanding concept for the construction of new phenylpyridyl scaffolds, which can be considered as non-peptidic foldamer α-helix mimetics.     

Synthesis of new linear poly(phenylpyridyl) chains

This paper describes for the first time an efficient approach of Suzuki Miyaura cross-coupling reaction leading to new mixed linear unsymmetric phenylpyridyl chains (garlands). We have studied the synthesis of new phenylpyridyl boronic species and their reactivity with a dihalogenated bipyridine to obtain four and six unit phenylpyridines.     

Synthesis of new L-ascorbic ferulic acid hybrids

A feasibility and chemical study of the coupling conditions of L-ascorbic acid with ferulic acid derivatives are described on the basis of the known synergistic effects of mixtures of various antioxidants. Novel L-ascorbic ferulic hybrids linked at the C-3 hydroxyl group were prepared with the aim to protect the alcohol function and the enediol system.