Developing Flexible Quinacridone-Derivatives-Based Photothermal Evaporaters for Solar Steam and Thermoelectric Power Generation

Solar-driven interfacial vaporization by localizing solar-thermal energy conversion to the air−water interface has attracted tremendous attention. In the process of converting solar energy into heat energy, photothermal materials play an essential role. Herein, a flexible solar-thermal material di-cyan substituted 5,12-dibutylquinacridone (DCN−4CQA)@Paper was developed by coating photothermal quinacridone derivatives on the cellulose paper. The DCN−4CQA@Paper combines desired chemical and physical properties, broadband light-absorbing, and shape-conforming abilities that render efficient photothermic vaporization. Notably, synergetic coupling of solar-steam and solar-electricity technologies by integrating DCN−4CQA@Paper and the thermoelectric devices is realized without trade-offs, highlighting the practical consideration toward more impactful solar heat exploitation. Such solar distillation and low-grade heat-to-electricity generation functions can provide potential opportunities for fresh water and electricity supply in off-grid or remote areas.     

The effects of resource limitation and consensual incentives on cooperation

Exploring the evolution of cooperation has been one of the most challenging topics and attracted increasing attention in various realms. Hereby, we institute an analytic model where the relationship between the common benefits and contributions is the typical saturation nonlinearity. We investigate the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation with and without consensual incentives respectively. The population always evolves to full defection when the incentives are absent. Cooperation, however, can be promoted by consensual incentives when the degree of cooperators' preferences for incentives is great. There exists an intermediate amount of resources at which the positive effect of consensual incentives on cooperation is minimized. Furthermore, there is a U-shape relationship between the degree of cooperators' preference for an incentive and the evolution of cooperation. A greater basin of full cooperation can be induced when the cooperators' preference for reward is more pronounced than that for punishment.     

Approximation algorithms for dynamic resource allocation

We consider a problem of allocating limited quantities of M types of resources among N independent activities that evolve over T epochs. In each epoch, we assign to each activity a task which consumes resources, generates utility, and determines the subsequent state of the activity. We study the complexity of, and approximation algorithms for, maximizing average utility.     

一种新的WDM光网中的共享链路保护策略

研究了WDM光网中的链路保护问题.提出了一种新的共享链路保护策略--基于SRLG的共享链路保护策略(SRLG-SLP).SRLG(共享风险链路组)定义了对一条工作光通道分配保护资源时的资源可用性的约束.它规定任意两条有着同样故障风险或者说处于同一个SRLG的工作光通道不能利用同样的保护资源.另外,还提出了一种更加符合实际的单链路故障模型,其中链路故障间隔时间和链路故障保持时间被考虑作为两个独立的变量.基于该链路故障模型,通过大量的仿真试验,比较了专用链路保护(DLP)、共享链路保护(SLP)和提出的SRLG-SLP保护策略的资源利用率、保护效率以及业务中断率.结果显示,我们提出的SRLG-SLP在保护效率和业务中断率方面的保护性能远好于DLP和SLP,但会牺牲一些资源利用率.     

A procedure for measuring the flexibility of single wood-pulp fibres

A way of determining the flexibility of wood-pulp fibres is developed, which involves i) a precise measurement of the topology of single-fibres by using a confocal laser scanning microscope and ii) the measurement of the elastic modulus of the fibres by using a single-fibre fatigue cell. Reported in this paper are the initial results of tests carried out on black spruce fibres, which have been subjected to three different levels of mechanical refining energy, namely ∼1100, 2300, and 3500 kWh/t. It is found that the fibre flexibility rises significantly between the first and second energy levels, but it does not change to the same degree between the second and third ones. The described procedure of measuring the flexibility of fibres may be used to establish the appropriate refiner energy necessary for the production of a specific grade of paper. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 115–128, January–February, 2006.     

Internal flexibility of cardiac myosins

Conventional and saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR and ST EPR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to study the motional dynamics and segmental flexibility of cardiac myosins.Cardiac myosins isolated from bovine and human heart muscle were spin-labelled with isothiocyanate- or maleimide-based probe molecules at the reactive sulfhydryl sites (Cys-697 and Cys-707) of the motor domain. The maleimide probe molecules attached to human cardiac myosin rotated with an effective rotational correlation time of 33 ns which was at least eight times shorter than the rotational correlation time of the same label on skeletal myosin (260 ns). In the presence of MgADP and MgADP plus orthovanadate, flexibility changes in the multisubunit structure of myosins were detected, but this did not lead to changes of the overall rotational property of the myosin heads. Significant difference in the internal flexibility was detected on myosin samples isolated from ischemic tissue, the rotational correlation time decreased to 25 ns.DSC measurements supported the view that addition of nucleotides produced additional loosening in the multisubunit structure of cardiac myosin. It is postulated that there is an intersite communication between the nucleotide binding domain and the 20 kDa subunit where the reactive thiol sites are located.This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation (OTKA T 017099) and Ministry of Social Welfare (ETT 737/1993). The Bruker ESP 300 E spectrometer and the SETARAM Micro DSC-II used in the experiments were purchased with funds provided by the National Research Foundation Grants CO-123 and CO-272. The computer (PC-386) was supported by POPEX Ltd., Pécs, Hungary. The authors thank to Prof. Dr. K. Hideg (Central Research Laboratory) for providing the iodoacetamide spin label.     

Electronic structure and conformational flexibility of 1,4-dihydroazines and their 4-ylide derivatives

The conformational flexibility of 1,4-dihydropyridine, 1,4-dihydropyrimidine, 1,4-dihydropyridazine, 1,4-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine, and their 4-oxo, imino, and methylene derivatives was studied by the semiempirical quantum-chemical AM1 method. It was demonstrated that the replacement of the methylene group in the dihydroazine ring by the exocyclic double bond results only in an increase in the rigidity of the heterocycle rather than leading to a loss of its conformational flexibility. It was suggested that nonplanar conformations of rings in ylide derivatives are stabilized by the nonaromatic cyclic -system. Introduction of the exocyclic double bond does not cause a substantial change in the -electronic structure of the heterocycle. The aromaticity indicesI ₆ andI ₆() were calculated. The correlation between these indices and a change in the energy upon bending of the heterocycle was established.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No 8 pp 1938–1941, August, 1996.     

Dynamic stereochemistry of hypervalent silicon, germanium and tin compounds containing amidomethyl C, O-chelating ligands

The results of NMR-spectroscopy studies of the structure, dynamic stereochemistry, and intermolecular interactions in solutions of organic derivatives of penta-and hexacoordinated silicon, germanium, and tin containing amidomethyl, lactamomethyl, and related bidentate ligands are surveyed. For the series of works “Dynamic stereochemistry of hypervalent compounds of silicon, germanium, and tin,” the author was awarded the Academia Europea Prize for young scientists from CIS in 1996. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1912–1934. November, 1997.     

Different approaches toward an automatic structural alignment of drug molecules: Applications to sterol mimics,thrombin and thermolysin inhibitors

Summary A relative comparison of the binding properties of different drug molecules requires their mutual superposition with respect to various alignment criteria. In order to validate the results of different alignment methods, the crystallographically observed binding geometries of ligands in the pocket of a common protein receptor have been used. The alignment function in the program SEAL that calculates the mutual superposition of molecules has been optimized with respect to these references. Across the reference data set, alignments could be produced that show mean rms deviations of approximately 1 Å compared to the experimental situation. For structures with obvious skeletal similarities a multiple-flexible fit, linking common pharmacophoric groups by virtual springs, has been incorporated into the molecular mechanics program MOMO. In order to combine conformational searching with comparative alignments, the optimized SEAL approach has been applied to sets of conformers generated by MIMUMBA, a program for conformational analysis. Multiple-flexible fits have been calculated for inhibitors of ergosterol biosynthesis. Sets of different thrombin and thermolysin inhibitors have been conformationally analyzed and subsequently aligned by a combined MIMUMBA/SEAL approach. Since for these examples crystallographic data on their mutual alignment are available, an objective assessment of the computed results could be performed. Among the generated conformers, one geometry could be selected for the thrombin and thermolysin inhibitors that approached reasonably well the experimentally observed alignment.     

Theoretical studies on the conformation of saccharides

Conformations of 2-methoxytetrahydropyran as a model for the six-membered ring in aldopyranosides have been calculated by the PCILO method using the algorithm of the conjugated gradient to optimize the geometry. The calculated geometry of the fourteen basic forms of 2-methoxytetrahydropyran was found to be in agreement with the available data obtained by X-ray diffraction of pyranosides. The results indicate differences in the geometry of 2-methoxytetrahydropyran resulting from the change of the axial vs. equatorial position of the methoxyl group. These changes are particularly meaningful in the values of bond angles and they are in agreement with the anomeric and exoanomeric effects. The experimentally found differences in the energies of an axial (⁴ C ₁) and equatorial (¹ C ₄) conformer, G = 2.9–3.7 kJ/mol, and the dipole moment, = 1.20 ± 0.05 D (1D = 3.33 10^–30mAs) agree well with the calculated values E = 3.18 kJ/mol and <> = 1.18 D which, in turn, suggest that the axial conformer is preferred over the equatorial one by a ratio a:e = 78:22.