Photoinduced charge separation in Q1D heterojunction materials: Evidence for electron-hole pair separation in mixed-halide MXMX solids

Resonance Raman experiments on doped and photoexcited single crystals of mixed-halide $MX$ complexes ($M$=Pt; $X$=Cl,Br) clearly indicate charge separation: electron polarons preferentially locate on PtBr segments while hole polarons are trapped within PtCl segments. This polaron selectivity, potentially very useful for device applications, is demonstrated theoretically using a discrete, 3/4-filled, two-band, tight-binding, extended Peierls-Hubbard model. Strong hybridization of the PtCl and PtBr electronic bands is the driving force for separation.Comment: n LaTeX, figures available by mail from JTG ([email protected]

Gene transfer into hepatocytes using asialoglycoprotein receptor mediated endocytosis of DNA complexed with an artificial tetra-antennary galactose ligand

We have constructed an artificial ligand for the hepatocyte-specific asialoglycoprotein receptor for the purpose of generating a synthetic delivery system for DNA. This ligand has a tetra-antennary structure, containing four terminal galactose residues on a branched carrier peptide. The carbohydrate residues of this glycopeptide were introduced by reductive coupling of lactose to the alpha- and epsilon-amino groups of the two N-terminal lysines on the carrier peptide. The C-terminus of the peptide, containing a cysteine separated from the branched N-terminus by a 10 amino acid spacer sequence, was used for conjugation to 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate-modified polylysine via disulfide bond formation. Complexes containing plasmid DNA bound to these galactose-polylysine conjugates have been used for asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated transfer of a luciferase gene into human (HepG2) and murine (BNL CL.2) hepatocyte cell lines. Gene transfer was strongly promoted when amphipathic peptides with pH-controlled membrane-disruption activity, derived from the N-terminal sequence of influenza virus hemagglutinin HA-2, were also present in these DNA complexes. Thus, we have essentially borrowed the small functional domains of two large proteins, asialoglycoprotein and hemagglutinin, and assembled them into a supramolecular complex to generate an efficient gene-transfer system

Evidence for Modification of the Electronic Density-of-States by Zero-Point Lattice Motion in One-Dimension - Luminescence and Resonance Raman Studies of An Mx Solid

Luminescence spectra, both emission and excitation, and the excitation dependence of the resonance Raman spectra, have been measured for the quasi-one-dimensional charge-density-wave material [Pt(en)2][Pt(en)2Cl2](ClO4)4, en = 1,2-diaminoethane. While the luminescence experiments show the existence of tail states at low temperature in the band gap region, the Raman measurements conclusively demonstrate that this tail does not arise from ordinary static structural disorder. These results can be explained by considering the zero-point motion of the lattice

Spectroscopic effects of disorder and vibrational localization in mixed-halide metal-halide chain solids

Resonance Raman techniques, together with lattice-dynamics and Peierls-Hubbard modelling, are used to explore the electronic and vibrational dynamics of the quasi-one-dimensional metal-halogen chain solids [Pt(en){sub 2}][R(en){sub 2}X{sub 2}](ClO{sub 4}){sub 4}, (en = C{sub 2}H{sub 8}N{sub 2} and X=Cl, Br), abbreviated ``PLX.`` The mixed-halide materials PtCl{sub 1-x}Br{sub x} and PtCl{sub 1-x}I{sub x} consist of long mixed chains with heterojunctions between segments of the two constituent materials. Thus, in addition to providing mesoscale modulation of the chain electronic states, they serve as prototypes for elucidating the properties to be expected for macroscopic heterojunctions of these highly nonlinear materials. Once a detailed understanding of the various local vibrational modes occurring in these disordered solids is developed, the electronic structure of the chain segments and junctions can be probed by tuning the Raman excitation through their various electronic resonances

Spectroscopic effects of disorder and vibrational localization in mixed-halide metal-halide chain solids

Resonance Raman techniques, together with lattice-dynamics and Peierls-Hubbard modelling, are used to explore the electronic and vibrational dynamics of the quasi-one-dimensional metal-halogen chain solids [Pt(en)[sub 2]][R(en)[sub 2]X[sub 2]](ClO[sub 4])[sub 4], (en = C[sub 2]H[sub 8]N[sub 2] and X=Cl, Br), abbreviated PLX.'' The mixed-halide materials PtCl[sub 1-x]Br[sub x] and PtCl[sub 1-x]I[sub x] consist of long mixed chains with heterojunctions between segments of the two constituent materials. Thus, in addition to providing mesoscale modulation of the chain electronic states, they serve as prototypes for elucidating the properties to be expected for macroscopic heterojunctions of these highly nonlinear materials. Once a detailed understanding of the various local vibrational modes occurring in these disordered solids is developed, the electronic structure of the chain segments and junctions can be probed by tuning the Raman excitation through their various electronic resonances

Association study of a dopamine transporter polymorphism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in UK and Turkish samples

Molecular genetic studies in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have focussed on candidate genes within the dopamine system, which is thought to be the main site of action of stimulant drugs, the primary pharmacological treatment of the disorder.(1) Of particular interest are findings with the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1), since stimulant drugs interact directly with the transporter protein.(2,3) To date, there have been eight published association studies of ADHD with a 480 base-pair allele of a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of the gene, five(4-8) that support an association and three(9-11) against. We have analysed the same VNTR marker in a dataset of UK Caucasian children and an independent dataset of Turkish Caucasian children with DSM-IV ADHD, using the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT).(12) Results from the UK (chi (2) = 8.97, P = 0.001, OR = 1.95), but not the Turkish sample (chi (2) = 0.93, P = 0.34) support association and linkage between genetic variation at the DAT1 locus and ADHD. When considered alongside evidence from other published reports, there is only modest evidence for the association, consistent with a very small main effect for the 480-bp allele (chi (2) = 3.45, P = 0.06, OR = 1.15), however we find significant evidence of heterogeneity between the combined dataset (chi (2) = 22.64, df = 8, P = 0.004).</p