13,803 research outputs found
Risso's dolphins alter daily resting pattern in response to whale watching at the Azores
Peer reviewedPreprin
The adsorption and desorption of ethanol ices from a model grain surface
Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature programed desorption (TPD) have been used to probe the adsorption and desorption of ethanol on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) at 98 K. RAIR spectra for ethanol show that it forms physisorbed multilayers on the surface at 98 K. Annealing multilayer ethanol ices (exposures > 50 L) beyond 120 K gives rise to a change in morphology before crystallization within the ice occurs. TPD shows that ethanol adsorbs and desorbs molecularly on the HOPG surface and shows four different species in desorption. At low coverage, desorption of monolayer ethanol is observed and is described by first-order kinetics. With increasing coverage, a second TPD peak is observed at a lower temperature, which is assigned to an ethanol bilayer. When the coverage is further increased, a second multilayer, less strongly bound to the underlying ethanol ice film, is observed. This peak dominates the TPD spectra with increasing coverage and is characterized by fractional-order kinetics and a desorption energy of 56.3 +/- 1.7 kJ mol(-1). At exposures exceeding 50 L, formation of crystalline ethanol is also observed as a high temperature shoulder on the TPD spectrum at 160 K. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics
Tubulin subunit carboxyl termini determine polymerization efficiency
Cleavage of tubulin by subtilisin removes a small (Mr < 2000) fragment from the C-terminal end of both α and β subunits. The resulting protein is much reduced in negative charge. The cleaved, less acidic protein retains its competence to polymerize in a GTP-dependent and cold-, GDP-, and podophyllotoxin-sensitive manner and assembles into sheets or bundles of twisted filaments. The critical concentration for polymerization of the cleaved protein is about 50-fold lower than that for intact tubulin. It is proposed that the C termini of the subunits normally impede polymerization
New Ultraviolet Extinction Curves for Interstellar Dust in M31
New low-resolution UV spectra of a sample of reddened OB stars in M31 were
obtained with HST/STIS to study the wavelength dependence of interstellar
extinction and the nature of the underlying dust grain populations. Extinction
curves were constructed for four reddened sightlines in M31 paired with closely
matching stellar atmosphere models. The new curves have a much higher S/N than
previous studies. Direct measurements of N(H I) were made using the Ly
absorption lines enabling gas-to-dust ratios to be calculated. The sightlines
have a range in galactocentric distance of 5 to 14 kpc and represent dust from
regions of different metallicities and gas-to-dust ratios. The metallicities
sampled range from Solar to 1.5 Solar. The measured curves show similarity to
those seen in the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Maximum Entropy
Method was used to investigate the dust composition and size distribution for
the sightlines observed in this program finding that the extinction curves can
be produced with the available carbon and silicon abundances if the metallicity
is super-Solar.Comment: ApJ, in press, 9 pages, 5 figure
Tubulin, hybrid dimers, and tubulin S. Stepwise charge reduction and polymerization
Limited proteolysis of rat brain tubulin (αβ) by subtilisin cleaves a 1-2-kDa fragment from the carboxyl-terminal ends of both the α and β subunits with a corresponding loss in negative charge of the proteins. The β subunit is split much more rapidly (and exclusively at 5 ° C), yielding a protein with cleaved β and intact α subunit, called α βs, which is of intermediate charge. Further proteolysis cleaves the carboxyl terminus of the α subunit leading, irreversibly, to the doubly cleaved product, named tubulin S, with a composition α s β s. Both cleavage products are polymerization-competent and their polymers are resistant to 1 mM Ca2+- and 0.24 M NaCl-induced depolymerization. The two polymers differ in that the αβs polymer is stable to cold, GDP, and podophyllotoxin, whereas tubulin S polymer is disassembled by these agents; moreover, αβs forms ring-shaped polymers, whereas αsβs forms filaments associated into bundles and sheets. Tubulin S co-polymerizes with native tubulin yielding a mixed product of intermediate stability. The presence of low mole fractions of tubulin S leads to a marked reduction in the critical concentration for polymerization of the mixture
Technical Note: New methodology for measuring viscosities in small volumes characteristic of environmental chamber particle samples
Herein, a method for the determination of viscosities of small sample volumes is introduced, with important implications for the viscosity determination of particle samples from environmental chambers (used to simulate atmospheric conditions). The amount of sample needed is < 1 μl, and the technique is capable of determining viscosities (η) ranging between 10<sup>−3</sup> and 10<sup>3</sup> Pascal seconds (Pa s) in samples that cover a range of chemical properties and with real-time relative humidity and temperature control; hence, the technique should be well-suited for determining the viscosities, under atmospherically relevant conditions, of particles collected from environmental chambers. In this technique, supermicron particles are first deposited on an inert hydrophobic substrate. Then, insoluble beads (~1 μm in diameter) are embedded in the particles. Next, a flow of gas is introduced over the particles, which generates a shear stress on the particle surfaces. The sample responds to this shear stress by generating internal circulations, which are quantified with an optical microscope by monitoring the movement of the beads. The rate of internal circulation is shown to be a function of particle viscosity but independent of the particle material for a wide range of organic and organic-water samples. A calibration curve is constructed from the experimental data that relates the rate of internal circulation to particle viscosity, and this calibration curve is successfully used to predict viscosities in multicomponent organic mixtures
Finite Size Scaling of the 2D Six-Clock model
We investigate the isotropic-anisotropic phase transition of the
two-dimensional XY model with six-fold anisotropy, using Monte Carlo
renormalization group method. The result indicates difficulty of observing
asymptotic critical behavior in Monte Carlo simulations, owing to the marginal
flow at the fixed point.Comment: Short note. revtex, 6 pages, 3 figures. To appear in J. Phys. Soc.
Jpn. Vol.70 No. 2 (Feb 2001
Monomer dynamics of a wormlike chain
We derive the stochastic equations of motion for a tracer that is tightly
attached to a semiflexible polymer and confined or agitated by an externally
controlled potential. The generalised Langevin equation, the power spectrum,
and the mean-square displacement for the tracer dynamics are explicitly
constructed from the microscopic equations of motion for a weakly bending
wormlike chain by a systematic coarse-graining procedure. Our accurate
analytical expressions should provide a convenient starting point for further
theoretical developments and for the analysis of various single-molecule
experiments and of protein shape fluctuations.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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