The Longest Words Using the Fewest Letters

An essay about metric entropy within the English language and examples of the longest words using the fewest letters

Synthesis of natural product precursors by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation with cyclohexanone monooxygenase from Acinetobacter

The Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of the 2-substituted ketones 1 and 3 with the coupled system cyclohexanone monooxygenase from Acinetobacter NCIMB 9871 / formate dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas sp. 101 provides the lactones (R)-2 and (R)-4 with high enantiomeric excess which are precursors in the synthesis of lipoic acid. The symmetrically trisubstituted ketone 5 was oxidised to the lactones 6a and 6b in a ratio of approx. 3:1. The absolute configuration of 6a and 6b was determined by hydrolysis of the racemic lactone with PLE yielding the hydroxycarboxylic acid (-)-7 with known absolute configuration.</p

Flat lens effect on seismic waves propagation in the subsoil

Abstract We show that seismic energy simulated by an artificial source that mainly propagates Rayleigh surface waves, is focused in structured soil made of a grid of holes distributed in the ground. We carry out large-scale field tests with a structured soil made of a grid consisting of cylindrical and vertical holes in the ground and a low frequency artificial source (<10 Hz). This allows the identification of a distribution of energy inside the grid, which can be interpreted as the consequence of a dynamic anisotropy akin to an effective negative refraction index. Such a flat lens reminiscent of what Veselago and Pendry envisioned for light opens avenues in seismic metamaterials to counteract partially or totally the most devastating components of seismic signals