Reorientation of anisotropy in a square well quantum hall sample

We have measured magnetotransport at half-filled high Landau levels in a quantum well with two occupied electric subbands. We find resistivities that are isotropic in perpendicular magnetic field but become strongly anisotropic at nu = 9/2 and 11/2 on tilting the field. The anisotropy appears at an in-plane field, B(ip) approximately 2.5 T, with the easy-current direction parallel to B(ip) but rotates by 90 degrees at B(ip) approximately 10 T and points now in the same direction as in single-subband samples. This complex behavior is in quantitative agreement with theoretical calculations based on a unidirectional charge density wave state model.     

Dynamic and redundant regulation of LRRK2 and LRRK1 expression

Background  

Mutations within the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene account for a significant proportion of autosomal-dominant and some late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease. Elucidation of LRRK2 protein function in health and disease provides an opportunity for deciphering molecular pathways important in neurodegeneration. In mammals, LRRK1 and LRRK2 protein comprise a unique family encoding a GTPase domain that controls intrinsic kinase activity. The expression profiles of the murine LRRK proteins have not been fully described and insufficiently characterized antibodies have produced conflicting results in the literature.     

An ultra‐high temperature flow‐through capillary device for bacterial spore lysis

Rapid and specific characterization of bacterial endospores is dependent on the ability to rupture the cell wall to enable analysis of the intracellular components. In particular, bacterial spores from the bacillus genus are inherently robust and very difficult to lyze or solubilize. Standard protocols for spore inactivation include chemical treatment, sonication, pressure, and thermal lysis. Although these protocols are effective for the inactivation of these agents, they are less well suited for sample preparation for analysis using proteomic and genomic approaches. To overcome this difficulty, we have designed a simple capillary device to perform thermal lysis of bacterial spores. Using this device, we were able to super heat (195°C) an ethylene glycol lysis buffer to perform rapid flow‐through rupture and solubilization of bacterial endospores. We demonstrated that the lysates from this preparation method are compatible with CGE as well as DNA amplification analysis. We further demonstrated the flow‐through lysing device could be directly coupled to a miniaturized electrophoresis instrument for integrated sample preparation and analysis. In this arrangement, we were enabled to perform sample lysis, fluorescent dye labeling, and protein electrophoresis analysis of bacterial spores in less than 10 min. The described sample preparation device is rapid, simple, inexpensive, and easily integratable with various microfluidic devices.     

Anomalous thermochromic transition of poly(di‐n‐octylsilane)

The thermochromic behavior of poly(di‐n‐octylsilane) {[Si(C₈H₁₇)₂]_n; PDOS} was studied by ultraviolet (UV) absorption, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray diffraction measurements. The structure of PDOS in the low‐temperature phase strongly depended on not only the temperature but also the rate of cooling, that is, the thermal history. Temperature‐dependent UV absorption spectra were highly dependent on thermal hysteresis. Cooled rapidly (10 K/min), PDOS showed two absorption peaks at 3.32 and 3.51 eV in low‐temperature‐ordered phases, whereas a single absorption peak at 3.32 eV became predominant with slow cooling (0.3 K/min). The appearance of the two peaks at low temperatures suggested that a mixture of different conformations was introduced by rapid cooling. A fiber diffraction pattern measured at 240 K after rapid cooling also showed evidence of the existence of novel conformation. A temperature‐dependent powder X‐ray diffraction pattern changed significantly between 270 and 280 K. Rapid cooling reduced the intensity of the X‐ray diffraction peak in this temperature region. This intensity change was explained by the conformational mixture in the polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 1085–1092, 2001     

Preparation,spectral and structural characterization of (2-benzoylpyridine N(4)-methyl-N(4)-phenylthiosemicarbazonato) chloropalladium(II)

The synthesis, as well as spectral and structural characterization, of (2-benzoylpyridine-N(4)-methyl-N(4)-phenylthiosemicarbazonato)chloropalladium(II), [Pd(Bz4MePh)Cl], is described. The unit cell contains two crystallographically independent molecules [Pd(1)(Bz4MePh)Cl], (1), and [Pd(2)(Bz4MePh)Cl], (2), stabilized by intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The distance between the Pd(1) and Pd(2) centres is 3.5038(11) Å. The spectroscopic techniques used in this study are the following: u.v.-visible, i.r. and ¹H n.m.r. The protonation constants, determined spectrophotometrically, of the uncoordinated HBz4MePh are pK_a1 = 10.82 ± 0.03 and pK_a2 = 4.09 ± 0.02.     

Copper(II) complexes of 2-pyridineformamide N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone

Reduction of 2-cyanopyridine by sodium in dry MeOH in the presence of N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazide produces 2-pyridineformamide N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone, HAm4M. Copper(II) complexes have been prepared and characterized by molar conductivities, magnetic susceptibilities and spectroscopic techniques. Coordination is via the pyridyl nitrogen, imine nitrogen and thione or thiolato sulfur, when coordinating as the neutral or anionic ligand, respectively.     

Lead(II)alkadiynoates. A novel class of liquid-crystalline precursors to poly(diacetylenes)

Lead(II) salts of aliphatic diacetylenic carboxylic acids are found to form highly ordered smectic phases which thermodynamic data indicate are similar to those reported for the saturated lead(II)alkanoates. At room temperature the materials exist as glassy mesophases which can be readily polymerized by U.V. radiation to yield highly coloured poly(diacetylenes).     

Visual spatial memory is enhanced in female rats (but inhibited in males) by dietary soy phytoestrogens

Background  

In learning and memory tasks, requiring visual spatial memory (VSM), males exhibit superior performance to females (a difference attributed to the hormonal influence of estrogen). This study examined the influence of phytoestrogens (estrogen-like plant compounds) on VSM, utilizing radial arm-maze methods to examine varying aspects of memory. Additionally, brain phytoestrogen, calbindin (CALB), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels were determined.     

Interval digraphs: An analogue of interval graphs

Intersection digraphs analogous to undirected intersection graphs are introduced. Each vertex is assigned an ordered pair of sets, with a directed edge uv in the intersection digraph when the “source set” of u intersects the “terminal set” of v. Every n-vertex digraph is an intersection digraph of ordered pairs of subsets of an n-set, but not every digraph is an intersection digraph of convex sets in the plane. Interval digraphs are those having representations where all sets are intervals on the real line. Interval digraphs are characterized in terms of the consecutive ones property of certain matrices, in terms of the adjacency matrix and in terms of Ferrers digraphs. In particular, they are intersections of pairs of Ferrers digraphs whose union is a complete digraph.