Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of -Aromatic Acetamides Bearing Thiophene: Effect of Intramolecular Chalcogen-Chalcogen Interaction on Amide Conformational Stability.

The conformations of aromatic amides bearing an -(2-thienyl) or -(3-thienyl) group were investigated in solution and in the crystal state. NMR spectral data indicate that the conformational preferences of these amides in solution are dependent not only on the relative π-electron densities of the -aromatic moieties, but also on the three-dimensional relationship between carbonyl oxygen and the -aromatic moieties. A comparison of the conformational preferences of -(2-thienyl)amides and -(3-thienyl)amides revealed that the -conformers of -(2-thienyl)acetamides are stabilized by 1,5-type intramolecular S···O═C interactions between amide carbonyl and thiophene sulfur.

Prediction of anatomically and biomechanically feasible precision grip posture of the human hand based on minimization of muscle effort.

We developed a method to estimate a biomechanically feasible precision grip posture of the human hand for a given object based on a minimization of the muscle effort. The hand musculoskeletal model was constructed as a chain of 21 rigid links with 37 intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. To grasp an object, the static force and moment equilibrium condition of the object, force balance between the muscle and fingertip forces, and static frictional conditions must be satisfied.

A simple and reliable multi-gene transformation method for switchgrass.

A simple and reliable Agrobacterium -mediated transformation method was developed for switchgrass. Using this method, many transgenic plants carrying multiple genes-of-interest could be produced without untransformed escape. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.