294 research outputs found
Reaction rate theory for supramolecular kinetics: application to protein aggregation
Probing the reaction mechanisms of supramolecular processes in soft- and
biological matter, such as protein aggregation, is inherently challenging.
These processes emerge from the simultaneous action of multiple molecular
mechanisms, each of which is associated with the rearrangement of a large
number of weak bonds, resulting in a complex free energy landscape with many
kinetic barriers. Reaction rate measurements of supramolecular processes at
different temperatures can offer unprecedented insights into the underlying
molecular mechanisms and their thermodynamic properties. However, to be able to
interpret such measurements in terms of the underlying microscopic mechanisms,
a key challenge is to establish which properties of the complex free energy
landscapes are probed by the reaction rate. Here, we present a reaction rate
theory for supramolecular kinetics based on Kramers rate theory for diffusive
reactions over multiple kinetic barriers, and apply the results to protein
aggregation. Using this framework and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that
reaction rates for protein aggregation are of the Arrhenius-Eyring type and
that the associated activation energies probe only one relevant barrier along
the respective free energy landscapes. We apply this advancement to interpret,
both in experiments and in coarse-grained computer simulations, reaction rate
measurements of amyloid aggregation kinetics in terms of the underlying
molecular mechanisms and associated thermodynamic signatures. Our results
establish a general platform for probing the mechanisms and energetics of
supramolecular phenomena in soft- and biological matter using the framework of
chemical kinetics
Quasi-elastic polarization-transfer measurements on the deuteron in anti-parallel kinematics
We present measurements of the polarization-transfer components in the
H reaction, covering a previously unexplored kinematic
region with large positive (anti-parallel) missing momentum, , up
to 220 MeV, and . These measurements, performed
at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI), were motivated by theoretical calculations which
predict small final-state interaction (FSI) effects in these kinematics, making
them favorable for searching for medium modifications of bound nucleons in
nuclei. We find in this kinematic region that the measured
polarization-transfer components and and their ratio agree with the
theoretical calculations, which use free-proton form factors. Using this, we
establish upper limits on possible medium effects that modify the bound
proton's form factor ratio at the level of a few percent. We also
compare the measured polarization-transfer components and their ratio for H
to those of a free (moving) proton. We find that the universal behavior of
H, He and C in the double ratio
is maintained in the positive
missing-momentum region
Evidence of and search for double-charmonium production in and decays
Using data samples of and
events collected with the Belle detector, a first experimental
search has been made for double-charmonium production in the exclusive decays
, where , , , , and . No significant signal is
observed in the spectra of the mass recoiling against the reconstructed
or except for the evidence of production with a
significance of for . The
measured branching fraction \BR(\Upsilon(1S)\rightarrow J/\psi+\chi_{c1}) is
. The
confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions of the other modes
having a significance of less than are determined. These results are
consistent with theoretical calculations using the nonrelativistic QCD
factorization approach.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. The fit range was extended to include
X(4160) signal according to referee's suggestions. Other results unchanged.
Paper was accepted for publication as a regular article in Physical Review
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Measuring well-being in aphasia: The GHQ-28 versus the NHP
This study aimed to get the opinions of people with aphasia on two subjective well-being measures: the General Health Questionnaire 28-item version (GHQ-28) (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979) and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) (Hunt, McKenna, McEwen, Williams, & Papp, 1981). Twelve persons with moderate to mild aphasia of at least 2-years duration completed the GHQ-28 and the NHP. In a semistructured intenriew, they gave their feedback on the two questionnaires. All participants were able to complete both instruments. Nine out of 12 participants showed high psychological distress (> 5/28) in the GHQ-28. The NHP (part 1 less the physical abilities section) had a correlation of 0.78 (p < .01) with the GHQ-28. The social dysfunction subscale of the NHP identified more problems in the participants with aphasia than the social isolation subscale of the GHQ-28. The majority of the participants (10 out of 12) preferred the NHP, as they found it easier to understand and respond to. This small-scale study indicated that both the GHQ-28 and the NHP can be administered to people with moderate to mild aphasia and provide useful information on their well-being. Participants reported that the NHP was easier to do, and it asked questions more relevant to their situation
Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding
eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers
with zenith angles greater than detected with the Pierre Auger
Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum
confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above
eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law with
index followed by
a smooth suppression region. For the energy () at which the
spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence
of suppression, we find
eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger
Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers.
These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of
the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray
energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30
to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of
the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is
determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated
using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due
to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components.
The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of
the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the
AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air
shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy
-- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy
estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the
surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator
scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent
emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for
the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at
least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy
We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio
emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate
energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of
15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV
arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling
quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from
state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our
measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric
energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with
our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector
against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI.
Supplemental material in the ancillary file
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