428 research outputs found
Thin-thick coexistence behavior of 8CB liquid crystalline films on silicon
The wetting behavior of thin films of 4'-n-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) on Si
is investigated via optical and x-ray reflectivity measurement. An experimental
phase diagram is obtained showing a broad thick-thin coexistence region
spanning the bulk isotropic-to-nematic () and the nematic-to-smectic-A
() temperatures. For Si surfaces with coverages between 47 and
nm, reentrant wetting behavior is observed twice as we increase the
temperature, with separate coexistence behaviors near and .
For coverages less than 47 nm, however, the two coexistence behaviors merge
into a single coexistence region. The observed thin-thick coexistence near the
second-order NA transition is not anticipated by any previous theory or
experiment. Nevertheless, the behavior of the thin and thick phases within the
coexistence regions is consistent with this being an equilibrium phenomenon.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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Advances in Kriging-Based Autonomous X-Ray Scattering Experiments.
Autonomous experimentation is an emerging paradigm for scientific discovery, wherein measurement instruments are augmented with decision-making algorithms, allowing them to autonomously explore parameter spaces of interest. We have recently demonstrated a generalized approach to autonomous experimental control, based on generating a surrogate model to interpolate experimental data, and a corresponding uncertainty model, which are computed using a Gaussian process regression known as ordinary Kriging (OK). We demonstrated the successful application of this method to exploring materials science problems using x-ray scattering measurements at a synchrotron beamline. Here, we report several improvements to this methodology that overcome limitations of traditional Kriging methods. The variogram underlying OK is global and thus insensitive to local data variation. We augment the Kriging variance with model-based measures, for instance providing local sensitivity by including the gradient of the surrogate model. As with most statistical regression methods, OK minimizes the number of measurements required to achieve a particular model quality. However, in practice this may not be the most stringent experimental constraint; e.g. the goal may instead be to minimize experiment duration or material usage. We define an adaptive cost function, allowing the autonomous method to balance information gain against measured experimental cost. We provide synthetic and experimental demonstrations, validating that this improved algorithm yields more efficient autonomous data collection
Internal segregation and side chain ordering in hairy-rod polypeptide monolayers at the gas/water interface: An x-ray scattering study
We report studies of the structure and packing of Langmuirmonolayers (LMs) of polypeptide poly(γ-4-(n-hexadecyloxy)benzyl α,L-glutamate) (C16–O–PBLG) on the surface of water. The molecule is a “hairy rod” and consists of side attachments of hexadecyloxy chains (–O–C16) to the rigid rod-like core made up of α-helical poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG). Measurements include surface pressure (Π) versus area/monomer (A) isotherms, x-ray specular reflectivity (XR), and grazing incidence diffraction(GID). In contrast to the LM of bare PBLG on water, which undergoes a monolayer/bilayer transition with increasing Π, monolayers of C16–O–PBLG remain stable up to the highest densities. On the basis of XR and GID results, the structure of the C16–O–PBLG monolayer is characterized by the following main features. First, hydrophobicity causes the –O–C16 chains to segregate towards the film/gas interface and away from water and the PBLG cores, which sit parallel to and near the water/film interface. Since the attachment position of some of the side chains is at the core/water interface, the segregation forces these chains into the space between neighboring core rods. Compression associated with increasing Π thickens the film but the internally segregated structure is maintained for all Π (i.e., >∼30 dyne/cm). Second, the C16–O–PBLG rods form domains in which the rods are aligned parallel to each other and to the interface. The correlation length for the interhelix positional order of the rods is short and typically comparable to or less than the length of the rods. With increasing Π the spacing d between nearest-neighbor rods decreases linearly with A at high Π, indicating a direct correspondence between the macroscopic compressibility and the microscopic interhelix compressibility. Third, as Π increases past ∼5 dyne/cm, the local packing of tethered –O–C16 chains displays the same herringbone (HB) order that is common for high-density bulk and monolayer phases of alkyl chains. Various features of the observed GID peaks also imply that the HB order of –O–C16 chains is oriented with respect to the helical axes of aligned PBLG cores. We propose that the HB order is established initially by one-dimensionally confined chains between aligned rods at low Π and grows laterally with compression
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Internal Segregation and Side Chain Ordering in Hairy-Rod Polypeptide Monolayers at the Gas/Water Interface: An X-Ray Scattering Study
We report studies of the structure and packing of Langmuir monolayers (LMs) of polypeptide poly(-4-(n-hexadecyloxy)benzyl ,L-glutamate) (C16–O–PBLG) on the surface of water. The molecule is a “hairy rod” and consists of side attachments of hexadecyloxy chains (–O–C16) to the rigid rod-like core made up of -helical poly(-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG). Measurements include surface pressure () versus area/monomer (A) isotherms, x-ray specular reflectivity (XR), and grazing incidence diffraction (GID). In contrast to the LM of bare PBLG on water, which undergoes a monolayer/bilayer transition with increasing , monolayers of C16–O–PBLG remain stable up to the highest densities. On the basis of XR and GID results, the structure of the C16–O–PBLG monolayer is characterized by the following main features. First, hydrophobicity causes the –O–C16 chains to segregate towards the film/gas interface and away from water and the PBLG cores, which sit parallel to and near the water/film interface. Since the attachment position of some of the side chains is at the core/water interface, the segregation forces these chains into the space between neighboring core rods. Compression associated with increasing thickens the film but the internally segregated structure is maintained for all (i.e., >30 dyne/cm). Second, the C16–O–PBLG rods form domains in which the rods are aligned parallel to each other and to the interface. The correlation length for the interhelix positional order of the rods is short and typically comparable to or less than the length of the rods. With increasing the spacing d between nearest-neighbor rods decreases linearly with A at high , indicating a direct correspondence between the macroscopic compressibility and the microscopic interhelix compressibility. Third, as increases past 5 dyne/cm, the local packing of tethered –O–C16 chains displays the same herringbone (HB) order that is common for high-density bulk and monolayer phases of alkyl chains. Various features of the observed GID peaks also imply that the HB order of –O–C16 chains is oriented with respect to the helical axes of aligned PBLG cores. We propose that the HB order is established initially by one-dimensionally confined chains between aligned rods at low Π and grows laterally with compression.Engineering and Applied Science
The effects of nitroxyl (HNO) on soluble guanylate cyclase activity: interactions at ferrous heme and cysteine thiols
It has been previously proposed that nitric oxide (NO) is the only biologically relevant nitrogen oxide capable of activating the enzyme soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). However, recent reports implicate HNO as another possible activator of sGC. Herein, we examine the affect of HNO donors on the activity of purified bovine lung sGC and find that, indeed, HNO is capable of activating this enzyme. Like NO, HNO activation appears to occur via interaction with the regulatory ferrous heme on sGC. Somewhat unexpectedly, HNO does not activate the ferric form of the enzyme. Finally, HNO-mediated cysteine thiol modification appears to also affect enzyme activity leading to inhibition. Thus, sGC activity can be regulated by HNO via interactions at both the regulatory heme and cysteine thiols
Microscopic Surface Structure of Liquid Alkali Metals
We report an x-ray scattering study of the microscopic structure of the
surface of a liquid alkali metal. The bulk liquid structure factor of the
eutectic K67Na33 alloy is characteristic of an ideal mixture, and so shares the
properties of an elemental liquid alkali metal. Analysis of off-specular
diffuse scattering and specular x-ray reflectivity shows that the surface
roughness of the K-Na alloy follows simple capillary wave behavior with a
surface structure factor indicative of surface induced layering. Comparison of
thelow-angle tail of the K67Na33 surface structure factor with the one measured
for liquid Ga and In previously suggests that layering is less pronounced in
alkali metals. Controlled exposure of the liquid to H2 and O2 gas does not
affect the surface structure, indicating that oxide and hydride are not stable
at the liquid surface under these experimental conditions.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, published in Phys. Rev.
Autonomous Materials Discovery Driven by Gaussian Process Regression with Inhomogeneous Measurement Noise and Anisotropic Kernels
A majority of experimental disciplines face the challenge of exploring large
and high-dimensional parameter spaces in search of new scientific discoveries.
Materials science is no exception; the wide variety of synthesis, processing,
and environmental conditions that influence material properties gives rise to
particularly vast parameter spaces. Recent advances have led to an increase in
efficiency of materials discovery by increasingly automating the exploration
processes. Methods for autonomous experimentation have become more
sophisticated recently, allowing for multi-dimensional parameter spaces to be
explored efficiently and with minimal human intervention, thereby liberating
the scientists to focus on interpretations and big-picture decisions. Gaussian
process regression (GPR) techniques have emerged as the method of choice for
steering many classes of experiments. We have recently demonstrated the
positive impact of GPR-driven decision-making algorithms on autonomously
steering experiments at a synchrotron beamline. However, due to the complexity
of the experiments, GPR often cannot be used in its most basic form, but rather
has to be tuned to account for the special requirements of the experiments. Two
requirements seem to be of particular importance, namely inhomogeneous
measurement noise (input dependent or non-i.i.d.) and anisotropic kernel
functions, which are the two concepts that we tackle in this paper. Our
synthetic and experimental tests demonstrate the importance of both concepts
for experiments in materials science and the benefits that result from
including them in the autonomous decision-making process
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