Active Intermediates in Copper Nitrite Reductase Reactions Probed by a Cryotrapping‐Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Approach

Redox active metalloenzymes catalyse a range of biochemical processes essential for life. However, due to their complex reaction mechanisms, and often, their poor optical signals, detailed mechanistic understandings of them are limited. Here, we develop a cryoreduction approach coupled to electron paramagnetic resonance measurements to study electron transfer between the copper centers in the copper nitrite reductase (CuNiR) family of enzymes. Unlike alternative methods used to study electron transfer reactions, the cryoreduction approach presented here allows observation of the redox state of both metal centers, a direct read‐out of electron transfer, determines the presence of the substrate/product in the active site and shows the importance of protein motion in inter‐copper electron transfer catalyzed by CuNiRs. Cryoreduction‐EPR is broadly applicable for the study of electron transfer in other redox enzymes and paves the way to explore transient states in multiple redox‐center containing proteins (homo and hetero metal ions).     

Peculiarities of resonant interaction in paired impurity centers of 2-fluoronaphthalene in naphthalene

Abstract

Fluorescence and absorption spectra of the 2-fluoronaphthalene admixtures in naphthalene were studied at low temperature (T?=?4.2 К). Two types of pairwise impurity centers were formed at admixture concentrations of more than 1?wt%. Polarization of absorption bands was detected; these spectra were determined by resonance interactions between molecules of the impurity center. Resonant splitting of electronic levels for the translationally nonequivalent molecules in the unit cell of the naphthalene crystal was analyzed for the case, when one molecule was in the similar phase with the incident light wave and the other one was in antiphase.     

Nanoscale detection of faint machinery vibration using the NV center in diamond

We propose a novel method for detection of the faint machinery vibration at the nanometer resolution based on the spin magnetic resonant effect. A suspension magnet acts as a vibration sensor to transfer the vibration signals as the magnetic field fluctuation to excite the spin magnetic resonance. Due to the high sensitivity of the magnetic field of the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond, the theoretical detection limit of mechanical vibration is as high as 5.7 nm, and the actual measurement resolution reached 12.8 nm, and proved the potential for further improvement to ∼pm resolution. The feasibility of this method is verified by dynamic tests. This method provides a novel approach for the detection of micro-mechanical vibrations.     

Nonlinear Measures to Evaluate Upright Postural Stability: A Systematic Review

Conventional biomechanical analyses of human movement have been generally derived from linear mathematics. While these methods can be useful in many situations, they fail to describe the behavior of the human body systems that are predominately nonlinear. For this reason, nonlinear analyses have become more prevalent in recent literature. These analytical techniques are typically investigated using concepts related to variability, stability, complexity, and adaptability. This review aims to investigate the application of nonlinear metrics to assess postural stability. A systematic review was conducted of papers published from 2009 to 2019. Databases searched were PubMed, Google Scholar, Science-Direct and EBSCO. The main inclusion consisted of: Sample entropy, fractal dimension, Lyapunov exponent used as nonlinear measures, and assessment of the variability of the center of pressure during standing using force plate. Following screening, 43 articles out of the initial 1100 were reviewed including 33 articles on sample entropy, 10 articles on fractal dimension, and 4 papers on the Lyapunov exponent. This systematic study shows the reductions in postural regularity related to aging and the disease or injures in the adaptive capabilities of the movement system and how the predictability changes with different task constraints.     

多片导模法蓝宝石晶体的缺陷研究

使用导模法(EFG)生长了多片a面蓝宝石晶体。显微拉曼光谱结合电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP-AES)测试得出晶体的气泡中可能存在含S化合物。晶体表面明显的生长条纹主要与温度、生长速度的波动以及模具的加工精度有关。化学腐蚀分析表明晶体位错密度在4.2×10⁴ cm^-2,未存在小角度晶界缺陷,双晶摇摆曲线半峰宽(FWHM)为70.63″。由于采用石墨保温材料,晶体中存在F心与F⁺色心。晶体在400~3 000 nm波段透过率高于80%,空气中退火后可减弱色心吸收。本文研究结果可为蓝宝石晶体缺陷形成理论研究提供参考,也可为导模法蓝宝石工业生产技术改进提供借鉴。     

Studies on long lasting optical properties of Eu2+ and Dy3+ doped di-barium magnesium silicate phosphors

Di-bariummagnesium silicate phosphors doped with europiumand dysprosium were prepared under a weak reducing atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern of the sample was also done that confirmed the proper preparation of the phosphor. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirmed that the sample has regular surface and uniform grain size distribution. Comparative studies of phosphorescence decay of Ba₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ phosphors with different concentration of Dy³⁺ were done. The phosphor with 0.5/1.5 mol% of Eu/Dy, exhibited optimum green color afterglow properties. This emission is expected to arise due to transition of Eu²⁺ ions from any of the sublevels of 4f⁶5d¹ configuration to ⁸S_7/2 level of the 4f⁷ configuration. For a suitable trap depth, the trap concentration is expected to be proportional to the concentration of Dy³⁺. These traps are responsible for holding the charge career for a reasonable time, subsequently for increasing the time of afterglow. Hence, optimum Dy³⁺ concentration produces the longer afterglow duration with higher intensity of luminescence signals. Trap depth were also calculated using thermoluminescence glow curve which was indicative of formation of traps suitable for long afterglow.     

Natural and artificial light-harvesting systems utilizing the functions of carotenoids

Carotenoids are essential pigments in natural photosynthesis. They absorb in the blue–green region of the solar spectrum and transfer the absorbed energy to (bacterio-)chlorophylls, and so expand the wavelength range of light that is able to drive photosynthesis. This process is an example of singlet–singlet energy transfer and so carotenoids serve to enhance the overall efficiency of photosynthetic light reactions. Carotenoids also act to protect photosynthetic organisms from the harmful effects of excess exposure to light. In this case, triplet–triplet energy transfer from (bacterio-)chlorophyll to carotenoid plays a key role in this photoprotective reaction. In the light-harvesting pigment–protein complexes from purple photosynthetic bacteria and chlorophytes, carotenoids have an additional role, namely the structural stabilization of those complexes. In this article we review what is currently known about how carotenoids discharge these functions. The molecular architecture of photosynthetic systems will be outlined to provide a basis from which to describe the photochemistry of carotenoids, which underlies most of their important functions in photosynthesis. Then, the possibility to utilize the functions of carotenoids in artificial photosynthetic light-harvesting systems will be discussed. Some examples of the model systems are introduced.     

On categories associated to a Quasi-Hopf algebra

A quasi-Hopf algebra H can be seen as a commutative algebra A in the center 𝒵(H-Mod) of H-Mod. We show that the category of A-modules in 𝒵(H-Mod) is equivalent (as a monoidal category) to H-Mod. This can be regarded as a generalization of the structure theorem of Hopf bimodules of a Hopf algebra to the quasi-Hopf setting.     

Brauer代数的中心维数问题

Brauer代数B_n(t)是一种在表示论,数学物理中重要的带一个参数t的有限维代数.当t取普通值时它们的结构已经了解得比较清楚,例如,不可约表示分类.当t取某些特殊值时有关它们还仍有些问题未探明.本文讨论任意参数时Brauer代数的中心的维数问题.主要结论是当t取某些特殊值时,Brauer代数中心的维数必定大于或等于t取普通值时它们的维数.     

金刚石纳米线氮空位色心的表面与尺寸效应

使用大规模自旋极化密度泛函理论计算研究了表面修饰和尺寸对金刚石纳米线(DNs)中氮空位(NV)色心的几何结构、 电子结构、 磁性和稳定性的影响. 理论上设计了几种不同的DNs, 这些DNs具有不同的表面修饰(干净、 氢化和氟化), 并且直径达数百个原子. 实验结果证明, 中性(NV⁰)和带1个负电荷(NV^-)的NV色心的电子结构不受半导体表面修饰和DNs直径大小的影响, 但NV色心的稳定性对这两个因素具有不同的响应. 此外, 研究中还发现, 由于DNs中存在圆柱形表面电偶极子层, 对DNs中掺杂的NV^-色心的稳定性, 表面改性诱导了不依赖尺寸的长程效应. 特别地, 对于n型氟化金刚石表面, 掺杂在DN中的NV^-色心可以稳定存在, 而对于p型氢化表面, NV⁰则相对更稳定. 因此, 表面修饰为控制金刚石纳米线中的NV色心的电子结构和稳定性提供了一种精确有效的调控方法.