7,465 research outputs found
Building block libraries and structural considerations in the self-assembly of polyoxometalate and polyoxothiometalate systems
Inorganic metal-oxide clusters form a class of compounds that are unique in their topological and electronic versatility and are becoming increasingly more important in a variety of applications. Namely, Polyoxometalates (POMs) have shown an unmatched range of physical properties and the ability to form structures that can bridge several length scales. The formation of these molecular clusters is often ambiguous and is governed by self-assembly processes that limit our ability to rationally design such molecules. However, recent years have shown that by considering new building block principles the design and discovery of novel complex clusters is aiding our understanding of this process. Now with current progress in thiometalate chemistry, specifically polyoxothiometalates (POTM), the field of inorganic molecular clusters has further diversified allowing for the targeted development of molecules with specific functionality. This chapter discusses the main differences between POM and POTM systems and how this affects synthetic methodologies and reactivities. We will illustrate how careful structural considerations can lead to the generation of novel building blocks and further deepen our understanding of complex systems
Interface mediated interactions between particles -- a geometrical approach
Particles bound to an interface interact because they deform its shape. The
stresses that result are fully encoded in the geometry and described by a
divergence-free surface stress tensor. This stress tensor can be used to
express the force on a particle as a line integral along any conveniently
chosen closed contour that surrounds the particle. The resulting expression is
exact (i.e., free of any "smallness" assumptions) and independent of the chosen
surface parametrization. Additional surface degrees of freedom, such as vector
fields describing lipid tilt, are readily included in this formalism. As an
illustration, we derive the exact force for several important surface
Hamiltonians in various symmetric two-particle configurations in terms of the
midplane geometry; its sign is evident in certain interesting limits.
Specializing to the linear regime, where the shape can be analytically
determined, these general expressions yield force-distance relations, several
of which have originally been derived by using an energy based approach.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, REVTeX4 style; final version, as appeared in
Phys. Rev. E. Compared to v2 several minor mistakes, as well as one important
minus sign in Eqn. (18a) have been cured. Compared to v1, this version is
significantly extended: Lipid tilt degrees of freedom for membranes are
included in the stress framework, more technical details are given, estimates
for the magnitude of forces are mad
Prospects in the orbital and rotational dynamics of the Moon with the advent of sub-centimeter lunar laser ranging
Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements are crucial for advanced exploration
of the laws of fundamental gravitational physics and geophysics. Current LLR
technology allows us to measure distances to the Moon with a precision
approaching 1 millimeter. As NASA pursues the vision of taking humans back to
the Moon, new, more precise laser ranging applications will be demanded,
including continuous tracking from more sites on Earth, placing new CCR arrays
on the Moon, and possibly installing other devices such as transponders, etc.
Successful achievement of this goal strongly demands further significant
improvement of the theoretical model of the orbital and rotational dynamics of
the Earth-Moon system. This model should inevitably be based on the theory of
general relativity, fully incorporate the relevant geophysical processes, lunar
librations, tides, and should rely upon the most recent standards and
recommendations of the IAU for data analysis. This paper discusses methods and
problems in developing such a mathematical model. The model will take into
account all the classical and relativistic effects in the orbital and
rotational motion of the Moon and Earth at the sub-centimeter level. The new
model will allow us to navigate a spacecraft precisely to a location on the
Moon. It will also greatly improve our understanding of the structure of the
lunar interior and the nature of the physical interaction at the core-mantle
interface layer. The new theory and upcoming millimeter LLR will give us the
means to perform one of the most precise fundamental tests of general
relativity in the solar system.Comment: 26 pages, submitted to Proc. of ASTROCON-IV conference (Princeton
Univ., NJ, 2007
Densities and filling factors of the DIG in the Solar neighbourhood
For the first time we have combined dispersion measures and emission measures
towards 38 pulsars at KNOWN distances from which we derived the mean electron
density in clouds, N_c, and their volume filling factor, F_v, averaged along
the line of sight. The emission measures were corrected for absorption by dust
and contributions from beyond the pulsar distance. Results: The scale height of
the electron layer for our sample is 0.93+/-0.13 kpc and the midplane electron
density is 0.023+/-0.004 cm^-3, in agreement with earlier results. The average
density along the line of sight is = 0.018+/-0.002 cm^-3 and nearly
constant. Since = F_v N_c, an inverse relationship between F_v and N_c is
expected. We find F_v(N_c) = (0.011+/-0.003) N_c^{-1.20+/-0.13}, which holds
for the ranges N_c = 0.05-1 cm^-3 and F_v = 0.4-0.01. Near the Galactic plane
the dependence of F_v on N_c is significantly stronger than away from the
plane. F_v does not systematically change along or perpendicular to the
Galactic plane, but the spread about the mean value of 0.08+/-0.02 is
considerable. Conclusions: The inverse F_v-N_c relation is consistent with a
hierarchical, fractal density distribution in the diffuse ionized gas (DIG)
caused by turbulence. The observed near constancy of then is a signature
of fractal structure in the ionized medium, which is most pronounced outside
the thin disk.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Crossover between Thermally Assisted and Pure Quantum Tunneling in Molecular Magnet Mn12-Acetate
The crossover between thermally assisted and pure quantum tunneling has been
studied in single crystals of high spin (S=10) uniaxial molecular magnet Mn12
using micro-Hall-effect magnetometry. Magnetic hysteresis and relaxation
experiments have been used to investigate the energy levels that determine the
magnetization reversal as a function of magnetic field and temperature. These
experiments demonstrate that the crossover occurs in a narrow (0.1 K) or broad
(1 K) temperature interval depending on the magnitude of the field transverse
to the anisotropy axis.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Bacterial porin disrupts mitochondrial membrane potential and sensitizes host cells to apoptosis
The bacterial PorB porin, an ATP-binding beta-barrel protein of pathogenic Neisseria gonorrhoeae, triggers host cell apoptosis by an unknown mechanism. PorB is targeted to and imported by host cell mitochondria, causing the breakdown of the mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi m). Here, we show that PorB induces the condensation of the mitochondrial matrix and the loss of cristae structures, sensitizing cells to the induction of apoptosis via signaling pathways activated by BH3-only proteins. PorB is imported into mitochondria through the general translocase TOM but, unexpectedly, is not recognized by the SAM sorting machinery, usually required for the assembly of beta-barrel proteins in the mitochondrial outer membrane. PorB integrates into the mitochondrial inner membrane, leading to the breakdown of delta psi m. The PorB channel is regulated by nucleotides and an isogenic PorB mutant defective in ATP-binding failed to induce delta psi m loss and apoptosis, demonstrating that dissipation of delta psi m is a requirement for cell death caused by neisserial infection
Superspreading: Mechanisms and Molecular Design
The
intriguing ability of certain surfactant molecules to drive
the superspreading of liquids to complete wetting on hydrophobic substrates
is central to numerous applications that range from coating flow technology
to enhanced oil recovery. Despite significant experimental efforts,
the precise mechanisms underlying superspreading remain unknown to
date. Here, we isolate these mechanisms by analyzing coarse-grained
molecular dynamics simulations of surfactant molecules of varying
molecular architecture and substrate affinity. We observe that for
superspreading to occur, two key conditions must be simultaneously
satisfied: the adsorption of surfactants from the liquid–vapor
surface onto the three-phase contact line augmented by local bilayer
formation. Crucially, this must be coordinated with the rapid replenishment
of liquid–vapor and solid–liquid interfaces with surfactants
from the interior of the droplet. This article also highlights and
explores the differences between superspreading and conventional surfactants,
paving the way for the design of molecular architectures tailored
specifically for applications that rely on the control of wetting
Genetic noise control via protein oligomerization
Gene expression in a cell entails random reaction events occurring over
disparate time scales. Thus, molecular noise that often results in phenotypic
and population-dynamic consequences sets a fundamental limit to biochemical
signaling. While there have been numerous studies correlating the architecture
of cellular reaction networks with noise tolerance, only a limited effort has
been made to understand the dynamic role of protein-protein interactions. Here
we have developed a fully stochastic model for the positive feedback control of
a single gene, as well as a pair of genes (toggle switch), integrating
quantitative results from previous in vivo and in vitro studies. We find that
the overall noise-level is reduced and the frequency content of the noise is
dramatically shifted to the physiologically irrelevant high-frequency regime in
the presence of protein dimerization. This is independent of the choice of
monomer or dimer as transcription factor and persists throughout the multiple
model topologies considered. For the toggle switch, we additionally find that
the presence of a protein dimer, either homodimer or heterodimer, may
significantly reduce its random switching rate. Hence, the dimer promotes the
robust function of bistable switches by preventing the uninduced (induced)
state from randomly being induced (uninduced). The specific binding between
regulatory proteins provides a buffer that may prevent the propagation of
fluctuations in genetic activity. The capacity of the buffer is a non-monotonic
function of association-dissociation rates. Since the protein oligomerization
per se does not require extra protein components to be expressed, it provides a
basis for the rapid control of intrinsic or extrinsic noise
Compact symmetric objects and supermassive binary black holes in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey
We present multifrequency Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) follow-up observations of VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey sources identified as likely compact symmetric objects (CSOs) or supermassive binary black holes (SBBHs). We also present new spectroscopic redshifts for 11 sources observed with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. While no new SBBHs can be confirmed from these observations, we have identified 24 CSOs in the sample, 15 of which are newly designated, and refuted 52 candidates leaving 33 unconfirmed candidates. This is the first large uniform sample of CSOs which can be used to elicit some of the general properties of these sources, including morphological evolution and environmental interaction. We have detected polarized emission from two of these CSOs the properties of which are consistent with active galactic nuclei unification schemes
Infrared optical properties of Pr2CuO4
The ab-plane reflectance of a Pr2CuO4 single crystal has been measured over a
wide frequency range at a variety of temperatures, and the optical properties
determined from a Kramers-Kronig analysis. Above ~ 250 K, the low frequency
conductivity increases quickly with temperature; the resistivity follows the
form e^(E_a/k_BT), where E_a ~ 0.17 eV is much less than the inferred optical
gap of ~ 1.2 eV. Transport measurements show that at low temperature the
resistivity deviates from activated behavior and follows the form
e^[(T_0/T)^1/4], indicating that the dc transport in this material is due to
variable-range hopping between localized states in the gap. The four
infrared-active Eu modes dominate the infrared optical properties. Below ~ 200
K, a striking new feature appears near the low-frequency Eu mode, and there is
additional new fine structure at high frequency. A normal coordinate analysis
has been performed and the detailed nature of the zone-center vibrations
determined. Only the low-frequency Eu mode has a significant Pr-Cu interaction.
Several possible mechanisms related to the antiferromagnetism in this material
are proposed to explain the sudden appearance of this and other new spectral
features at low temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 7 embedded EPS figures, REVTeX
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