Syntheses and polymerizations of alpha-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) were reported for the first time by Hermann Leuchs in 1906. Since that time, these cyclic and highly reactive amino acid derivatives were used for stepwise peptide syntheses but mainly for the formation of polypeptides by ring-opening polymerizations. This review summarizes the literature after 1985 and reports on new aspects of the polymerization processes, such as the formation of cyclic polypeptides or novel organometal catalysts. Polypeptides with various architectures, such as diblock, triblock, and multiblock sequences, and star-shaped or dendritic structures are also mentioned. Furthermore, lyotropic and thermotropic liquid-crystalline polypeptides will be discussed and the role of polypeptides as drugs or drug carriers are reviewed. Finally, the hypothetical role of NCAs in molecular evolution on the prebiotic Earth is discussed.

Polypeptides and 100 years of chemistry of alpha-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides.

t. Chirality and Chiral Homogeneity in Nature 2. Biotic Theories 3. Abiotic Theories 3.1. Chance Mechanisms 3.1.1. Models for Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking 3.1.2. Spontaneous Resolution on Crystallization 3.1.3.Asymmetric Syntheses in Chiral Crystals 3.1.4. Asymmetric Adsorption and Catalysis on Quartz 3.1.5.Asymmetric Adsorption and Polymerization on Clays 3.1.6. Conclusions 3.2. Determinate Mechanisms 3.2.1. Regional and/or Temporal Processes 3.2.1.1.Electric, Magnetic and Gravitational Fields 3.2.1.2.Circularly Polarized Eight 3.2.1.2.1.Asymmetric Photoequilibration 3.2.1.2.2.Photochemical Asymmetric Synthesis 3.2.1.2.3.Asymmetric Photolysis 3.2.1.2.4.Sources of Circularly Polarized Eight 3.2.2. Universal Processes 3.2.2.l.The Violation of Parity 3.2.2.2.The Vester-Ulbricht (V-U) ttypothesis 3.2.2.3.Radioracemization 3.2.2.4.Direct Effects of Chiral Particles 3.2.2.4.1 .Electrons 3.2.2.4.2.Protons 3.2.2.4.3.Positrons and Muons 3.2.2.5.Weak Interactions, Neutral Currents and Parity Violating Energy Differences 3.2.3. Conclusions 4. The Amplification of Enantiomeric Excesses

The origin and amplification of biomolecular chirality

X-ray microtomography allows imaging of the interior microstructure of materials non- destructively and with spatial resolution which can approach that of optical microscopy (typically, no better t...

/pdf/x-ray-microtomography-of-materials-2k1jro88gy.pdf

X-ray microtomography of materials

The medical imaging and therapeutic technologies that are based on the use of radiation are reviewed briefly, with special emphasis on the recent developments of synchrotron radiation (SR) methods. New results have been achieved in all of these areas since the last comprehensive reviews were written in this field. This topical review is intended to make the latest possible results and complete set of references available. The different contrast mechanisms in imaging by x-rays are described. The applications range from whole-body imaging to studies of atomic and molecular structures. The SR imaging applications include coronary angiography, bronchography, mammography, computed tomography, x-ray microscopy and imaging by scattering. The therapy applications include photon activation therapy and microbeam radiation therapy.

/pdf/medical-applications-of-synchrotron-radiation-18oy3aimd8.pdf

Medical applications of synchrotron radiation.

Mammography with synchrotron radiation facilitates the potential for increased ability to diagnose true-negative imaging findings.

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/pdf/10.1148/radiol.11100745

Mammography with synchrotron radiation: first clinical experience with phase-detection technique.

The risks and costs of the present method of visualizing the coronary arteries have limited the use of coronary angiography in long-term serial studies needed to establish the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis and its response to interventions. A less invasive method, in which the contrast agent is administered intravenously, has been developed using synchrotron radiation as the illuminating source. The present report describes the initial results in human subjects. The findings indicate that transvenous coronary angiograms can be acquired in this manner. Further refinements in the x-ray imaging system are expected to result in increased x-ray fluence and improved image quality.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/83/24/9724.full.pdf

Transvenous coronary angiography in humans using synchrotron radiation.

https://escholarship.org/content/qt2cz0f6z5/qt2cz0f6z5.pdf?t=p0wt9d

Computed tomography using synchrotron radiation

The intense synchrotron radiation produced at electron storage rings provides a new source of X-rays highly suited to iodine K-edge digital subtraction angiography. The high intensity and small angular divergence permit the radiation to be monochromatized by Bragg diffraction and made available in beams of small vertical size, of arbitrary horizontal width, and of tunable energy. The use of such beams provides maximum sensitivity to intra-arterial iodine and virtually eliminates image contrast due to non-vascular body structures. The sensitivity of this method to iodine offers the prospect of visualizing arteries by peripheral venous injection.

Synchrotron Radiation And Its Application To Digital Subtraction Angiography

The history of experiments bearing on the origin of optical activity in nature by parity non-conservation during the β-decay of radioactive isotopes is briefly reviewed. Following this, we present a more detailed description of our recent published and unpublished data and calculations regarding the generation of optical activity in DL-leucine by means of artificially produced longitudinally polarized electrons from a linear accelerator.

H. D. Zeman

Papers

Transvenous coronary angiography in humans using synchrotron radiation.

Computed tomography using synchrotron radiation

Synchrotron Radiation And Its Application To Digital Subtraction Angiography

Polarized Electrons and the Origin of Optical Activity

The application of synchrotron radiation to non-invasive angiography☆