Biocatalytic Alkylation Cascades: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities for Late-Stage Functionalization

This Concept article describes the latest developments in the emerging area of late-stage biocatalytic alkylation. Central to these developments is the ability to efficiently prepare S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) cofactor analogues and couple this with enzymatic alkyl transfer. Recent developments in the enzymatic synthesis of SAM cofactor analogues are summarized first, followed by their application as alkyl transfer agents catalyzed by methyltransferases (MTases). Second, innovative methods to regenerate SAM cofactors by enzymatic cascades is reported. Finally, future opportunities towards establishing a generalized platform for late-stage alkylation are described.     

Gheo-shih: an ancient pre-Columbian plaza

This paper describes the configuration and cultural context of the oldest known designed space in central America, Gheo-Shih, dating from 5,000 - 4,000 BC. This site may have been a ceremonial space, being employed in a similar fashion to ceremonial spaces of Native American cultures from the North American Great Basin. It contains physical features that set precedents and are similar to the geomantic features of later nearby Mesoamerican cultures.     

Liquefaction evaluation at a California substation site

A probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, in conjunction with subsurface geologic investigations, was used to evaluate the liquefaction potential of sand layers at Western Area Power Adminstration's Tracy, California, substation site. The seismic hazard analysis evaluates the peak ground acceleration corresponding to a lower level earthquake with a 50-percent probability of occurrence in 150 years, and two upper level earthquakes with a 10-percent probability of occurrence in 50 and 100 years. Based on the results of the geologic investigations and seismologic studies, it was concluded that the potential of liquefaction at the site for the design earthquakes was low     

Recent advances in the stabilization of flexible and semirigid PVC

Both the European and USA markets for liquid mixed metal stabilizers have moved or are moving to cadmium-free products. Self-lubricating products now dominate demanding areas such as calendering and extrusion in the European marketplace while the USA market has produced higher efficiency products by other means. In both markets, the use of organic costabilizers has played a major role in the formulation of cadmium-free products. The merits of self-lubricating technology and a new class of patented pyrrolidines are discussed here.     

A Practical and Controllable Hair and Fur Model for Production Path Tracing

We present an energy‐conserving fiber shading model for hair and fur that is efficient enough for path tracing. Our model adopts a near‐field formulation to avoid the expensive integral across the fiber, accounts for all high order internal reflection events with a single lobe, and proposes a novel, closed‐form distribution for azimuthal roughness based on the logistic distribution. Additionally, we derive, through simulation, a parameterization that relates intuitive user controls such as multiple‐scattering albedo and isotropic cylinder roughness to the underlying physical parameters.     

THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF AUTHIGENIC CHLORITE AND RELATED CEMENTS IN OLIGO–MIOCENE RESERVOIR SANDSTONES,TAPTI GAS FIELDS,SURAT DEPRESSION,OFFSHORE WESTERN INDIA

Reservoir sandstones in the Mid‐ and South Tapti gas fields in the Surat Depression (Mumbai Offshore Basin, western India) have been investigated using a range of petrographic techniques, isotope geochemistry and basin modelling. Authigenic chlorite is abundant in the shallow‐marine sandstones of the Miocene Mahim Formation, a major reservoir rock in the Mid‐ and South Tapti fields, which are described here in terms of their quality and diagenetic characteristics. The sandstones are currently at burial depths of between ～1500 and 2800m. The authigenic chlorite has had a significant impact on the resulting reservoir quality of the sandstones and is interpreted to have originated as odinite clay of the verdine facies that replaced faecal or pseudo‐faecal pellets, together with volumetrically small but abundant grain coatings and grain rims, and formed at the site of major riverine iron influx onto the shallow‐marine shelf during periods of relatively low sea level. Pellets have been variably compacted to form pseudomatrix. Reservoir sandstones from similar depositional settings on the west coast of India or other sub‐tropical settings are likely to exhibit comparable diagenetic effects on reservoir quality. Compositionally, the chlorite is the iron‐rich form known as chamosite. The chemistry of all the chlorite morphologies is the same in all studied samples. Oxygen isotope analyses of carbonate cements in the Mahim Formation sandstones have provided an approximate temperature framework for diagenesis of the non‐carbonate cements. Oxygen isotope results for the chlorite, however, suggest much higher temperatures than its position in the paragenetic sequence would warrant. These results suggest that the clay formed first as 1:1 layer clays, in this case odinite, which were then transformed to Fe‐chlorite as burial depths and temperatures increased. Reservoirs in the Mahim, Daman and Mahuva Formation sandstones are thus greatly influenced by the diagenesis of authigenic chlorite and locally by the precipitation of carbonate cements. Reservoir quality is good where thick, continuous chlorite rim cements are present and where chlorite pellets are sufficiently indurated for them not to be compacted. Chlorite rim cements have reduced the extent of quartz overgrowth cementation in the sandstones.     

Gheo‐shih: an ancient pre‐Columbian plaza

This paper describes the configuration and cultural context of the oldest known designed space in central America, Gheo‐Shih, dating from 5,000 – 4,000 BC. This site may have been a ceremonial space, being employed in a similar fashion to ceremonial spaces of Native American cultures from the North American Great Basin. It contains physical features that set precedents and are similar to the geomantic features of later nearby Mesoamerican cultures.     

New organic costabilizers for the stabilization of PVC

Organic costabilizers constitute a very important class of compounds where the replacement of heavy metals in PVC stabilizers is concerned. These materials are typically added at no more than 5% of the stabilizer formulation. They do, however, make a disproportionate contribution to performance based on addition level. This situation has spurred the search for new materials. Recent advances in this field are reviewed with particular emphasis on a new class of polyketones (pyrrolidine-2,4-diones) recently patented by Akcros Chemicals. The regulatory status, performance characteristics, and mechanism of action of this type of material are described.