Ab-initio quantum transport simulation of self-heating in single-layer 2-D materials

Through advanced quantum mechanical simulations combining electron and phonon transport from first-principles self-heating effects are investigated in n-type transistors with a single-layer MoS2, WS2, and black phosphorus as channel materials. The selected 2-D crystals all exhibit different phonon-limited mobility values, as well as electron and phonon properties, which has a direct influence on the increase of their lattice temperature and on the power dissipated inside their channel as a function of the applied gate voltage and electrical current magnitude. This computational study reveals (i) that self-heating plays a much more important role in 2-D materials than in Si nanowires, (ii) that it could severely limit the performance of 2-D devices at high current densities, and (iii) that black phosphorus appears less sensitive to this phenomenon than transition metal dichalcogenides

Defect topologies in chiral liquid crystals confined to mesoscopic channels

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in J. Chem. Phys. 142, 194704 (2015) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4920979.We present Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical and canonical ensembles of a chiral liquid crystal confined to mesochannels of variable sizes and geometries. The mesochannels are taken to be quasi-infinite in one dimension but finite in the two other directions. Under thermodynamic conditions chosen and for a selected value of the chirality coupling constant, the bulk liquid crystal exhibits structural characteristics of a blue phase II. This is established through the tetrahedral symmetry of disclination lines and the characteristic simple-cubic arrangement of double-twist helices formed by the liquid-crystal molecules along all three axes of a Cartesian coordinate system. If the blue phase II is then exposed to confinement, the interplay between its helical structure, various anchoring conditions at the walls of the mesochannels, and the shape of the mesochannels gives rise to a broad variety of novel, qualitative disclination-line structures that are reported here for the first time.DFG, 65143814, GRK 1524: Self-Assembled Soft-Matter Nanostructures at Interface

A Political Canary: An Empirical Study of the Correlation Between Hatch Act Complaints and How the Electoral College Votes

The American public witnesses hundreds, if not thousands, of violations of the Hatch Act—an administrative law designed to keep partisan politics out of Government—each year. This study aimed to determine whether there is a correlation between the number of Hatch Act complaints reported in the fiscal year leading up to a Presidential election and how divisive the political landscape is during that Presidential election. Political divisiveness was defined as how close the winning Presidential candidate was to receive fifty percent of the electoral college. To assess the theory that an increase in Hatch Act complaints is an early indicator of a closer Presidential election, the study researched forty years of Hatch Act records and developed a prediction model using multiple regression. This regression model showed that a negative correlation existed between the percent change in Hatch Act complaints during the fiscal year leading up to a Presidential election and the margin by which a Presidential candidate won the election. The regression model created in this study accurately predicted the electoral college results for eight of the past ten Presidential elections; predicting both the 2016 and the 2020 elections within one electoral vote (p ≤ 0.05). These results verify the need for increased funding for enforcement of Hatch Act violations during the years leading up to a Presidential election

Nonlinear nonequilibrium dynamics in a nematic liquid crystal.

Liquid crystals are elongated molecules with a rich and surprising phase behavior. Nonequilibrium conditions open a myriad possibilities of manipulating matter, and reach collective states not accessible under equilibrium conditions. We perform nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of a nematic liquid crystal flowing around a colloidal particle. Because of a mismatch between the nematic far field alignment and the local orientation of the liquid-crystal molecules at the surface of the colloid, defect topologies arise if the host is in thermodynamic equilibrium. We study the flow-induced modications of these topological defects. We find that Saturn ring defects are convected downstream along the flow direction, which is in agreement with experimental observations [1]. As Poiseuille flow is initiated, the Saturn ring is deformed. The degree of deformation is analyzed quantitatively in terms of characteristic geometric parameters fitted to suitable projections of the Saturn ring. Our results suggest that smaller Saturn rings are shifted downstream while approximately maintaining their circular shape, whereas larger ones exhibit an elastic deformation in addition. Additionally, we show that flow distorts Boojum defects into an asymmetrically larger downstream lobe. For a Janus colloid, exhibiting a Boojum defect and a Saturn ring defect, we find that the Boojum defect facing the upstream direction is destroyed and the Saturn ring is convected downstream. Furthermore, we study a similar system of a nematic liquid crystal flowing around a cylindrical pillar. We report flow-induced cavitation in an anisotropic fluid. Cavitation domains nucleate due to a sudden drop in pressure upon flow past the cylindrical obstacle. The inception and growth of cavitation domains ensue in the laminar flow regime. We study the physical principles governing the cavitation phenomena in nematic liquid crystals, and identify a critical value of the Reynolds number for cavitation inception that scales inversely with the characteristic order parameter of the nematic liquid crystal. Strikingly, the critical Reynolds number can be as low as about 50% of the cavitation threshold in the isotropic liquid crystal. These findings suggest that long range ordering, and its tunability, can be potentially applied as a novel control parameter to modulate cavitation inception in anisotropic fluids. Additionally, we find very good agreement with earlier micro fluidic experiments [2] at smaller flow speeds before cavitation initiates. Our simulations are able to reproduce the structural changes within the micro fluidic channel at different flow speeds

Multireactive PV-electrophiles for cysteine directed bioconjugation

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden drei neue Klassen von modular zugänglichen Elektrophilen für die Biokonjugation von Cystein vorgestellt. Diethynyl-phosphinate (DPs) wurden als bisreaktive Elektrophile für die cysteinselektive Markierung von Peptiden, Proteinen und Antikörpern entwickelt. In diesen Molekülen können beide elektronenarmen Dreifachbindungen unter physiologischen Bedingungen mit Thiol-Nukleophilen reagieren und die erhaltenen Konjugate sind in menschlichem Plasma und in Gegenwart großer Mengen an reduziertem Glutathion stabil. Darüber hinaus wurden DPs in der selektiven Herstellung verschiedener Protein-(Doppel)-Konjugate angewandt. Neben der klassischen Proteinmodifikation können DPs auch zur kovalenten Verbrückung der Disulfidbrücken von Antikörpern eingesetzt werden. Weiters wurde mit Hilfe von Dichtefunktionaltheorie-Berechnungen werden Ethinyl-triazolyl-phosphinate (ETP) als eine neue Klasse hochreaktiver Elektrophile für die Cystein-Biokonjugation entdeckt. Die Berechnungen zeigen, dass sowohl die elektronenziehenden als auch die π-Elektronen donierenden Eigenschaften des Triazolrings die Reaktivität erhöhen. Vor allem aber wird gezeigt, dass ETP-Elektrophile über die chemoselektive Cu(I)-katalysierte Azid-Alkin-Cycloaddition in ein azidhaltiges Molekül eingebaut werden können. Da diese Reaktion problemlos in wässrigen Puffersystemen abläuft, konnte eine Vielzahl funktioneller Elektrophile, einschließlich elektrophiler Peptide und Proteine, aus DPs erzeugt werden. Schließlich wurden Diethinylphosphinoxide als chemoselektive Reagenzien zur Disulfidvererbrückung untersucht. Insbesondere Diethinyl-Triazolyl-Phosphinoxide (DTP) sind vielversprechende Kandidaten, da sie die modulare Synthese von ETP-Elektrophilen mit den beiden reaktiven Gruppen in DPs kombinieren. Die Fähigkeit der DTP-Reagenzien, Disulfide zu verbrücken, wurde durch die Bildung mehrerer funktioneller Antikörperkonjugate gezeigt.The present work introduces three new classes of modular accessible electrophiles for cysteine bioconjugation. Diethynyl-phosphinates (DPs) were developed as bisreactive electrophiles for the cysteine-selective modification of peptides, proteins and antibodies. Both electrophilic alkynes can react with thiol-nucleophiles under physiological conditions. The corresponding double-conjugates are stable in human plasma and in the presence of a large excess reduced glutathione. Furthermore, the general applicability of diethynyl phosphinates for cysteine selective bioconjugation was established by the generation of various protein-(double)-conjugates and their application in cell experiments. Additionally, DPs can be employed to covalently rebridge the interchain disulfides of therapeutically relevant IgG1 antibodies. Furthermore, with the help of density functional theory based calculations, ethynyl-triazolyl-phosphinates (ETP) were discovered as a new class of highly reactive electrophilic warheads for cysteine bioconjugation. According to the calculations, both the electron withdrawing as well as the π-electron donating properties of the triazole-ring enhance the reactivity of the electrophile. Most importantly, it was demonstrated that ETP electrophiles can be incorporated into a given azide containing molecule via the chemoselective CuI-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition. ETP-reagents were used to obtain functional peptide-, protein- and antibody-conjugates, as well as site-specifically linked diubiquitins. Finally, diethynyl phosphine oxides were explored as chemoselective reagents for disulfide rebridging. Especially diethynyl-triazolyl-phosphine oxides (DTP) are promising candidates since they combine the modular synthesis of ETP-electrophiles with the two reactive groups present in diethynyl phosphinates. The capability of DTP-reagents to rebridged disulfides was proven by the formation several functional antibody conjugates