Constructing simple yet accurate potentials for describing the solvation of HCl/water clusters in bulk helium and nanodroplets

The infrared spectroscopy of molecules, complexes, and molecular aggregates dissolved in superfluid helium clusters, commonly called HElium NanoDroplet Isolation (HENDI) spectroscopy, is an established, powerful experimental technique for extracting high resolution ro-vibrational spectra at ultra-low temperatures. Realistic quantum simulations of such systems, in particular in cases where the solute is undergoing a chemical reaction, require accurate solute-helium potentials which are also simple enough to be efficiently evaluated over the vast number of steps required in typical Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics sampling. This precludes using global potential energy surfaces as often parameterized for small complexes in the realm of high-resolution spectroscopic investigations that, in view of the computational effort imposed, are focused on the intermolecular interaction of rigid molecules with helium. Simple Lennard-Jones-like pair potentials, on the other hand, fall short in providing the required flexibility and accuracy in order to account for chemical reactions of the solute molecule. Here, a general scheme of constructing sufficiently accurate site-site potentials for use in typical quantum simulations is presented. This scheme employs atom-based grids, accounts for local and global minima, and is applied to the special case of a HCl(H(2)O)(4) cluster solvated by helium. As a first step, accurate interaction energies of a helium atom with a set of representative configurations sampled from a trajectory following the dissociation of the HCl(H(2)O)(4) cluster were computed using an efficient combination of density functional theory and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory, i.e. the DFT-SAPT approach. For each of the sampled cluster configurations, a helium atom was placed at several hundred positions distributed in space, leading to an overall number of about 400,000 such quantum chemical calculations. The resulting total interaction energies, decomposed into several energetic contributions, served to fit a site-site potential, where the sites are located at the atomic positions and, additionally, pseudo-sites are distributed along the lines joining pairs of atom sites within the molecular cluster. This approach ensures that this solute-helium potential is able to describe both undissociated molecular and dissociated (zwitter-) ionic configurations, as well as the interconnecting reaction pathway without re-adjusting partial charges or other parameters depending on the particular configuration. Test calculations of the larger HCl(H(2)O)(5) cluster interacting with helium demonstrate the transferability of the derived site-site potential. This specific potential can be readily used in quantum simulations of such HCl/water clusters in bulk helium or helium nanodroplets, whereas the underlying construction procedure can be generalized to other molecular solutes in other atomic solvents such as those encountered in rare gas matrix isolation spectroscopy.     

On smoothers for multigrid of the second kind

We study smoothers for the multigrid method of the second kind arising from Fredholm integral equations. Our model problems use nonlocal governing operators that enforce local boundary conditions. For discretization, we utilize the Nyström method with the trapezoidal rule. We find the eigenvalues of matrices associated to periodic, antiperiodic, and Dirichlet problems in terms of the nonlocality parameter and mesh size. Knowing explicitly the spectrum of the matrices enables us to analyze the behavior of smoothers. Although spectral analyses exist for finding effective smoothers for 1D elliptic model problems, to the best of our knowledge, a guiding spectral analysis is not available for smoothers of a multigrid of the second kind. We fill this gap in the literature. The Picard iteration has been the default smoother for a multigrid of the second kind. Jacobi‐like methods have not been considered as viable options. We propose two strategies. The first one focuses on the most oscillatory mode and aims to damp it effectively. For this choice, we show that weighted‐Jacobi relaxation is equivalent to the Picard iteration. The second strategy focuses on the set of oscillatory modes and aims to damp them as quickly as possible, simultaneously. Although the Picard iteration is an effective smoother for model nonlocal problems under consideration, we show that it is possible to find better than ones using the second strategy. We also shed some light on internal mechanism of the Picard iteration and provide an example where the Picard iteration cannot be used as a smoother.     

Purification of Acetylcholinesterase by 9-Amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine from Human Erythrocytes

The acetylcholinesterase enzyme was purified from human erythrocyte membranes using a simple and effective method in a single step. Tacrine (9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine) is a well-known drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, which inhibits cholinesterase. We have developed a tacrine ligand affinity resin that is easy to synthesize, inexpensive and selective for acetylcholinesterase. The affinity resin was synthesized by coupling tacrine as the ligand and l-tyrosine as the spacer arm to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B. Acetylcholinesterase was purified with a yield of 23.5 %, a specific activity of 9.22 EU/mg proteins and 658-fold purification using the affinity resin in a single step. During purification, the enzyme activity was measured using acetylthiocholine iodide as a substrate and 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoicacid) as the chromogenic agent. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined as about 70 kDa monomer upon disulphide reduction by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. K _m, V _max, optimum pH and optimum temperature for acetylcholinesterase were found by means of graphics for acetylthiocholine iodide as the substrate. The optimum pH and optimum temperature of the acetylcholinesterase were determined to be 7.4 and 25–35 °C. The Michaelis–Menten constant (K _m) for the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine iodide was found to be 0.25 mM, and the V _max was 0.090 μmol/mL/min. Maximum binding was achieved at 2 °C with pH 7.4 and an ionic strength of approximately 0.1 M. The capacity for the optimum condition was 0.07 mg protein/g gel for acetylcholinesterase.     

Purification of Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using Magnetic Dye-Ligand Affinity Nanostructures

Reactive Green 19 was covalently immobilized onto magnetic nanostructures for purification of alcohol dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Reactive Green 19 immobilized magnetic nanostructures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron spin resonance, atomic force microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Particle size of nanostructures was found to be roughly 70 nm. Alcohol dehydrogenase adsorption experiments were investigated under different conditions in batch system (i.e., medium pH, alcohol dehydrogenase concentration, temperature, and ionic strength). Maximum alcohol dehydrogenase adsorption capacity was found to be 176.09 mg/g polymer while nonspecific alcohol dehydrogenase adsorption onto plain magnetic nanostructures was negligible (19.4 mg/g polymer). Alcohol dehydrogenase molecules were desorbed by using 1.0 M NaCl with 98.4 % recovery. Alcohol dehydrogenase from S. cerevisiae was purified 45.63-fold in single step with dye-immobilized magnetic nanostructures, and purity of alcohol dehydrogenase was shown by silver-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Adsorption kinetics and isotherm parameters of naphthalene onto natural- and chemically modified bentonite from aqueous solutions

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have widely been studied and a special concern because of their mutagenic and carcinogenic activities. In this study, natural- and chemically modified-bentonite were characterized by means of N₂ adsorption method, XRD, SEM, FT-IR, elemental and thermal analysis and zeta potential techniques and their adsorption behavior were then investigated toward naphthalene, which is the first member of the PAHs. The effects of various experimental parameters such as pH, contact time and temperature on adsorption were tested in the experiments. The optimum pH values for naphthalene adsorption onto natural bentonite (NB) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide modified bentonite (HB) were found to be as 4.00 and 5.97, respectively. The equilibrium contact time was 60 min for both of the adsorbent. A comparison of the linear and nonlinear method of three widely used kinetic models, which are Lagergren-first order, the pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetics, and the most popular isotherms, which are Langmuir and Freundlich, were examined to the experimental data of the adsorption of naphthalene onto NB and HB. The kinetic results indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with high correlation coefficients was more suitable than the other kinetic models e.g. Lagergren first-order and Elovich. All results showed that the modified bentonite can be used as an adsorbent to remove PAHs from aqueous solutions by using adsorption method due to its effectiveness, simplicity and low-cost than the other conventional methods.     

Tracing pore-space heterogeneities in X-type zeolites by diffusion studies

Pore-space homogeneity of zeolite NaX was probed by pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR diffusion studies with n-butane as a guest molecule. At a loading of 0.75 molecules per supercage, a wide spectrum of diffusivities was observed. Guest molecules in the (well-shaped) zeolite crystallites were thus found to experience pore spaces of quite different properties. After loading enhancement to 3 molecules per supercage, however, molecular propagation ideally followed the laws of normal diffusion in homogeneous media. At sufficiently high guest concentrations, sample heterogeneity was thus found to be of no perceptible influence on the guest mobilities anymore.     

Synthesis and characterization of chelate polymers containing etheric diphenyl ring in the backbone: thermal,optical, electrochemical,and morphological properties

A novel Schiff base, 4‐bromo‐2‐[(2‐[(5‐bromo‐2‐hydroxyphenyl)methylene]amino‐5‐nitrophenyl)iminomethyl]phenol (M1) was synthesized from the reaction of 5‐brom‐salicylaldehyde with 4‐nitro‐o‐phenylenediamine. Schiff base–metal complex was synthesized from the reaction of 4‐bromo‐2‐[(2‐[(5‐bromo‐2‐ hydroxyphenyl)methylene]amino‐5‐nitrophenyl)iminomethyl]phenol (M1) with copper (II) acetate monohydrate [(CH₃COO)₂ Cu · H₂O] salt. Poly‐ (M1‐Cu‐TDP) was synthesized from the reaction of M1‐Cu with 4,4′‐dithiodiphenol (TDP). Poly(M1‐Cu‐PDP) was synthesized from the reaction of M1‐Cu with 4,4′‐propane‐2,2‐diyldiphenol (PDP). Poly(M1‐Cu‐HDP) was synthesized from the reaction of M1‐Cu with 4,4′‐(1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoropropane‐2,2‐di‐yl)diphenol (HDP). The structures of the synthesized monomer and chelate polymers were confirmed by FT‐IR, UV–Vis, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, and elemental analysis. The characterization was made by TGA‐DTA, DSC, size exclusion chromatography, cyclic voltammetry, and solubility tests. Also, surface morphologies of chelate polymers were investigated by scanning electron microscope. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite amplitude pressure field of elliptical and rhomboid transducers in three dimensions

Design of different type of transducers to enhance image quality by forming narrow beams at the principals of nonlinear acoustics is considered in the paper. Thus, the nonlinear pressure fields of elliptical and rhomboid transducers were simulated in three dimensions. The simulation method presented in this study is based on Aanonsen’s model for circular sources, and closely follows the model that recently explored for the nonlinear wave propagation due to square and rectangular sources in three dimensions [Kaya et al. “Pressure field of rectangular transducers at finite amplitude in three dimensions,” Ultrasound in Med. Biol., vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 271–280, 2006]. It is assumed that elliptical and rhomboid sources are plane sources, and driven at 2.25 MHz fundamental frequency. Typical results of nonlinear acoustical pressure field simulation are presented there in three dimensions for elliptical and rhomboid sources and compared with the results for rectangular source. The similarities and differences between the nonlinear pressure field of rectangular, elliptical and rhomboid sources are discussed. The numerical results show that diffraction effects and acoustical beam cross section depend on the source geometry a lot. It is noticeable that the nonlinear pressure field of a rectangular source has a broader beam profile than elliptical and rhomboid source.     

Thermal QCD sum rules study of vector charmonium and bottomonium states

We calculate the masses and leptonic decay constants of the heavy vector quarkonia, J/ψ and ϒ mesons at finite temperature. In particular, considering the thermal spectral density as well as additional operators coming up at finite temperature, the thermal QCD sum rules are acquired. Our numerical calculations demonstrate that the masses and decay constants are insensitive to the variation of temperature up to T ≅ 100 MeV, however after this point, they start to fall altering the temperature. At deconfinement temperature, the decay constants attain roughly to 45% of their vacuum values, while the masses are diminished about 12%, and 2.5% for J/ψ and ϒ states, respectively. The obtained results at zero temperature are in good consistency with the existing experimental data as well as predictions of the other nonperturbative models.     

Effect of heat treatment procedure on magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ni43Mn46In11 melt spun ribbons

The effect of heat treatment on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ni₄₃Mn₄₆In₁₁ melt-spun ribbons was systematically investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), magnetic force microscope (MFM) and magnetic measurements. From the XRD studies, tetragonal and cubic phases were detected at room temperature for as-spun, quenched and slow-cooled ribbons. Furthermore, it was observed, upon annealing martensite transition temperatures increased when compared to the as-spun ribbon. To avoid magnetic hysteresis losses in the vicinity of the structural transition region, the magnetic entropy changes-ΔS _m of the investigated ribbons were evaluated from temperature-dependent magnetisation-M(T) curves on cooling for different applied magnetic fields. The maximum ΔS _m value was found to be 6.79 J kg^?1 K^?1 for the quenched ribbon in the vicinity of structural transition region for a magnetic field change of 50 kOe.