The synthesis of peptides and proteins containing non-natural amino acids

Methods for the incorporation of non-natural amino acids into proteins have advanced significantly over recent years and in this tutorial review we aim to give a general overview of the area. These techniques offer the possibility of modulating the structures and functions of proteins and thus permit the generation of novel designed systems for both biocatalytic and mechanistic studies. Four complementary approaches are discussed in detail along with examples of their application. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique are also discussed.     

An Interactive Production Planning System in the Chemical Industry

This paper offers an example of a practical production planning system as used routinely by BP Chemicals Ltd. It is based on the interactive control of a linear programming model embedded in a system for data collection and report production. The model solves a "product mix" type of problem with a multi-criteria objective function.     

Solubility enhancement of ibuprofen using tri-ureasil-PPO hybrid: structural,cytotoxic, and drug release investigation

Herein, we used tri-ureasil organic–inorganic hybrid material (tU5000) in order to enhance the solubility of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and fine tuning the drug delivery profile. For the first time, we used tU5000 as a film-forming agent in order to provide an alternative vehicle for transdermal drug delivery systems which the cell viability of practically 100 % for the highest and the lowest tested concentrations of pure tU5000 indicated that the material was not cytotoxic. The physicochemical properties of the tU5000 drug carrier and drug-loaded hybrids were systematically studied using powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, small-angle X-ray scattering, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The structural changes of tU5000 as well as the relationships between the drug content and in vitro drug release behaviors were investigated. The results showed that the ibu molecules were homogeneously distributed in the tU5000 xerogels contributing to fine-tuning the drug delivery profile. Considering the ability to incorporated high drug content, simple and mild preparation procedure by one-pot sol–gel route, high stability of the materials, sustained-release property, this class of hybrid based on polymers and inorganic compounds may have potential applications in the design of pharmaceutical formulation as ophthalmic (contact lenses), transdermal (patches) and implantable (soft tissue) drug delivery systems.     

Particle Size Analysis: A comparative study of various methods

The particle size distribution of component materials can be important parameter governing the proper function of many industrial products. At present, accurate determination of particle size by currently available methods is difficult for both theoretical and practical reasons. In this paper, some elementary notions regarding particle sizing are reviewed as is the relative performance of commercially available particle sizing instrumentation which could be used for particle size analysis of dry powders. Our results indicate that various particle size instruments yield significantly (even vastly) different particle size distributions for the same material. Without great care on the part of the investigator, the results obtained from any given instrument may not accurately describe the powder in question and thus may cause incorrect technical recommendations. The use of Fraunhofer diffraction instruments on samples containing irregularly shaped small ( < 10 μm) particles of low refractive index requires considerable caution.     

3He D-state effects in (d, 3He) reactions

The tensor analysing power of the ²⁷Al(d, ³He)²⁶Mg reaction has been measured at E_d = 12.4 MeV. The results are reproduced by predictions of the DWBA including D-state components in the ³He wave function. The magnitude of the tensor analysing power provides information on the asymptotic D-state to S-state ratio in the ³He wave function. The value obtained for ³He is in agreement with the corresponding value for ³H.     

Low-lying levels of 140Pr

The doubly odd nucleus ¹⁴⁰Pr has been investigated by means of the ¹⁴¹Pr(d, t)¹⁴⁰Pr and ¹⁴⁰Ce(p, nγ)¹⁴⁰Pr reactions. Twenty-eight levels, up to 1300 keV excitation, were observed in the pickup study. DWBA analysis was used to determine l-values and spectroscopic factors for all but a few which are very weakly populated. Gamma-ray angular distributions, measured at E_p = 4.78 MeV for the five strongest γ-rays, show appreciable nuclear alignment and demonstrate the feasibility of such experiments in this mass region. Taken together, the two studies have permitted the identification of the 12 levels expected from the low-lying ($\text{π2}\text{d}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>5</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{ν2}\text{d}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>3</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$), ($\text{π2}\text{d}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>5</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{ν3}\text{s}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$), ($\text{π1}\text{g}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>7</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{ν2}\text{d}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>3</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$) and (π1g_{$\text{7}\text{2}$}ν3s_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}^?1) configurations. Tenta assignments for the strong odd-parity states are suggested on the basis of their spectroscopic factors.     

Photoproduction of πmesons from nuclei

Photoproduction of neutral pions from nuclei (carbon, calcium, niobium, lead) has been studied for incident-photon energies from 200 MeV to 800 MeV with the TAPS detector using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer at the Mainz MAMI accelerator. Data were obtained for the inclusive photoproduction of neutral pions and the partial channels of quasifree single- , double- , and photoproduction. They have been analyzed in terms of the in-medium behavior of nucleon resonances and the pion-nucleus interaction. They are compared to earlier measurements from the deuteron and to the predictions of a Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) transport model for photon-induced pion production from nuclei.PACS: 13.60.Le Meson production - 25.20.Lj Photoproduction reactions     

Synthesis and characterization of polystyrene‐graphite nanocomposites via surface RAFT‐mediated miniemulsion polymerization

Graphite oxide (GO) was prepared and immobilized with dodecyl isobutyric acid trithiocarbonate (DIBTC) reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent. The hydroxyl groups of GO were attached to the DIBTC RAFT agent through an esterification process. The resultant modified GO was used for the preparation of polystyrene (PS)/graphite nanocomposites in miniemulsion polymerization. The RAFT‐grafted GO (GO‐DIBTC) at various loadings was dispersed in styrene monomer, and the resultant mixtures were sonicated in the presence of a surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) and a hydrophobe (hexadecane) to form miniemulsions. The stable miniemulsions thus obtained were polymerized using azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator to yield encapsulated PS‐GO nanocomposites. The molar mass and polydispersity index of PS in the nanocomposites depended on the amount of RAFT‐grafted GO in the system, in accordance with the features of the RAFT polymerization method. The PS‐GO nanocomposites were of exfoliated morphology, as confirmed by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements. The thermal stability and mechanical properties of the PS‐GO nanocomposites were better than those of the neat PS polymer. Furthermore, the mechanical properties were dependent on the modified GO content (i.e., the amount of RAFT‐grafted GO). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011