Spin-selective electron transmission through self-assembled monolayers of double-stranded peptide nucleic acid

Monolayers of chiral molecules can preferentially transmit electrons with a specific spin orientation, introducing chiral molecules as efficient spin filters. This phenomenon is established as chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) and was demonstrated directly for the first time in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)1. Here, we discuss SAMs of double-stranded peptide nucleic acid (dsPNA) as a system which allows for systematic investigations of the influence of various molecular properties on CISS. In photoemission studies, SAMs of chiral, γ-modified PNA show significant spin filtering of up to P = (24.4 ± 4.3)% spin polarization. The polarization values found in PNA lacking chiral monomers are considerably lower at about P = 12%. The results confirm that the preferred spin orientation is directly linked to the molecular handedness and indicate that the spin filtering capacity of the dsPNA helices might be enhanced by introduction of chiral centers in the constituting peptide monomers

Multi-minicore Disease

Multi-minicore Disease (MmD) is a recessively inherited neuromuscular disorder characterized by multiple cores on muscle biopsy and clinical features of a congenital myopathy. Prevalence is unknown. Marked clinical variability corresponds to genetic heterogeneity: the most instantly recognizable classic phenotype characterized by spinal rigidity, early scoliosis and respiratory impairment is due to recessive mutations in the selenoprotein N (SEPN1) gene, whereas recessive mutations in the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RYR1) gene have been associated with a wider range of clinical features comprising external ophthalmoplegia, distal weakness and wasting or predominant hip girdle involvement resembling central core disease (CCD). In the latter forms, there may also be a histopathologic continuum with CCD due to dominant RYR1 mutations, reflecting the common genetic background. Pathogenetic mechanisms of RYR1-related MmD are currently not well understood, but likely to involve altered excitability and/or changes in calcium homeoestasis; calcium-binding motifs within the selenoprotein N protein also suggest a possible role in calcium handling. The diagnosis of MmD is based on the presence of suggestive clinical features and multiple cores on muscle biopsy; muscle MRI may aid genetic testing as patterns of selective muscle involvement are distinct depending on the genetic background. Mutational analysis of the RYR1 or the SEPN1 gene may provide genetic confirmation of the diagnosis. Management is mainly supportive and has to address the risk of marked respiratory impairment in SEPN1-related MmD and the possibility of malignant hyperthermia susceptibility in RYR1-related forms. In the majority of patients, weakness is static or only slowly progressive, with the degree of respiratory impairment being the most important prognostic factor

3D MHD Study of Helias and Heliotron

"Properties of magnetic islands induced by the finite pressure effect are numerically analyzed for three-dimensional magnetohydrostatic equilibria of Helias and l = 2 heliotron/torsatron types. For Helias, it is founnd that an island chain is generated on the 5/6 rational surface, when such a surface appears in the plasma region of a finite-beta equilibrium. The island chain, however, is not so dangerous as to destroy the plasma confinement even if it appears in a vanishingly small shear region. Moreover, it is definitely confirmed that the finite pressure effect sometimes exhibits a surprisingly good aspect, namely, that the vacuum islands are removed as beta increases, which can be called \u27self-healing\u27 of islands. This property can be explained by the numerically discovered fact that the phases of islands induced by the finite pressure effect are always locked i.e. do not change regardless of beta. The way islands appear at finite-beta for heliotron/torsatron is significantly different from that for Helias. However, we find the self-healing of islands can also occur for the heliotron configuration. This phenomenon can partly explain the reason why the fragility of surfaces decreases when they are shifted inward by control of the external vertical field B_upsilon, though the configuration develops a magnetic hill. Furthermore, we analyze the diversion properties of the magnetic field outside the last closed magnetic surface for finite-beta equilibria, and find that divertor concepts which have been developed from the diversion properties of the corresponding vacuum fields can be maintained for finite-beta equilibria for both configurations.

Controlling Chemical Selectivity in Electrocatalysis with Chiral CuO-Coated Electrodes

This work demonstrates the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect for inorganic copper oxide films and exploits it to enhance the chemical selectivity in electrocatalytic water splitting. Chiral CuO films are electrodeposited on a polycrystalline Au substrate, and their spin filtering effect on electrons is demonstrated using Mott polarimetry analysis of photoelectrons. CuO is known to act as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction; however, it also generates side products such as H 2 O 2 . We show that chiral CuO is selective for O 2 ; H 2 O 2 generation is strongly suppressed on chiral CuO but is present with achiral CuO. The selectivity is rationalized in terms of the electron spin-filtering properties of the chiral CuO and the spin constraints for the generation of triplet oxygen. These findings represent an important step toward the development of all-inorganic chiral materials for electron spin filtering and the creation of efficient, spin-selective (photo)electrocatalysts for water splitting

Diverse Human Families and Pet-friendly Work Environments: Pawternity of Dogs

The novel contribution of this chapter is putting dogs in the management of diversity academic literature. In this study, we find that the role, meaning, and purpose of dogs in people’s lives (and in many cases in organizations) are being underestimated