Spatiotemporal dynamics of Ca2+ signaling and its physiological roles

Changes in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration regulate numerous cell functions and display diverse spatiotemporal dynamics, which underlie the versatility of Ca²⁺ in cell signaling. In many cell types, an increase in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration starts locally, propagates within the cell (Ca²⁺ wave) and makes oscillatory changes (Ca²⁺ oscillation). Studies of the intracellular Ca²⁺ release mechanism from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) showed that the Ca²⁺ release mechanism has inherent regenerative properties, which is essential for the generation of Ca²⁺ waves and oscillations. Ca²⁺ may shuttle between the ER and mitochondria, and this appears to be important for pacemaking of Ca²⁺ oscillations. Importantly, Ca²⁺ oscillations are an efficient mechanism in regulating cell functions, having effects supra-proportional to the sum of duration of Ca²⁺ increase. Furthermore, Ca²⁺ signaling mechanism studies have led to the development of a method for specific inhibition of Ca²⁺ signaling, which has been used to identify hitherto unrecognized functions of Ca²⁺ signals.     

Thermoluminescence in single crystals of RbBr:OH− and RbBr:Ca2+

Optical absorption, thermoluminescence glow and emission spectra of RbBr:Ca²⁺ and RbBr:OH⁻ have been studied and analysed. It is observed that both Ca²⁺ and OH⁻ ions enhance theF-centre concentration.F _Z1 band in RbBr:Ca²⁺ appears at 1.55 eV. TL glow peak corresponding toF _Z1 centre on analysis gives a trap depth of 0.84 eV. OH⁻ ions in the crystal seem to act as TL ‘killers’. Spectral distribution of emission under the glow peaks shows five bands around 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, 2.5 and 2.9 eV. Probable models of TL mechanism are suggested to explain the observed TL emission bands.     

Iron ions in ZSM-5 zeolite: Fe3+ in framework, Fe2+ in extra-framework positions in catalytic N2O decomposition

Fe-ZSM-5 samples containing a combination of ⁵⁷Fe³⁺ in framework (FW) and regular iron in extra-framework (EFW) sites were prepared by introducing ⁵⁷Fe in hydrothermal synthesis, then exchanging Fe²⁺ of natural isotope composition into the lattice. The stability for one part of Fe²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ? Fe³⁺ reversibility for the other part in catalytic decomposition of N₂O is demonstrated by in situ Mössbaer measurements. Formation of dinuclear Fe_FW–O–Fe_EFW pairs is not prevailing.     

Theoretical calculation of of B-like ions： photoionization cross sections N^2＋, O^3＋ and F^4＋

There can be found some notable discrepancies with regard to the resonance structures when R-matrix calculations from the Opacity Project and other sources are compared with recent absolute experimental measurements of Bizau et al [Astron.Astrophts.439 387(2005)] for B-like ions N2+,O3+ and F4+.We performed close-coupling calculations based on the R-matrix formalism for the photoionizations of ions mentioned above both for the ground states and first excited states in the near threshold regions.The present results are compared with experimental ones given by Bizau et al and earlier theoretical ones.Excellent agreement is obtained between our theoretical results and the experimental photoionization cross sections.The present calculations show a significant improvement over the previous theoretical results.     

Optical spectroscopy of Mn2+ ions in CaCl2 single crystals

Abstract

In the present investigation the excitation and fluorescence spectra and lifetimes of Mn²⁺ ions in calcium chloride, for various manganese concentrations and sample temperatures have been studied for the first time. The fluorescence spectrum consists of an asymmetric broad band, which upon lowering the sample temperature, shifts its maximum from 580 nm at 300 K to 596 nm at 11 K. This luminescence band was associated with the ⁴T_lg(⁴G)→⁶A_lg(⁶S) spin-forbidden transition in the manganese ions occupying Ca-sites in the lattice of CaCl₂. The excitation spectrum of the Mn²⁺ fluorescence revealed the features of manganese ions in octahedral coordination and consisted of nine excitation peaks which were associated with Mn²⁺-crystal-field-sensitive transitions. A crystal field analysis of the wavelength positions of these transitions by means of the model developed by Curie et al. allowed us to determine the magnitude of the cubic field splitting 10Dq, the reduced Racah parameter B', the Koide-Pryce covalency parameter ε and the spin transfer coefficients f _[sgrave] and f _σ. From the measurement of the temperature dependence of the Mn²⁺ fluorescence lifetime, we have also obtained information about the different mechanisms which are involved in the relaxation of excited Mn²⁺ ions in this host crystal in the temperature range (11–300 K).     

Mechanoluminescence and thermoluminescence of BaFCl:Sm 2+ and BaFBr:Sm 2+ crystals

The alkaline-earth fluorohalide crystals MFX, where M=Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb and X=Cl, Br, I, form an important class of materials crystallizing in the PbFCl-type tetragonal structure which is also called the matlockite structure. These compounds have long been of interest because of the various defect species which can be detected by spin resonance and associated techniques. The crystals were prepared by slow cooling of the melt of a stoichiometric mixture of BaF ₂ and the corresponding chloride or bromide under 0.2 bar of ultrapure argon (5N5), often slightly fluorinated. We have studied the mechanoluminescence (ML) of BaFBr:Sm ²⁺ and BaFCl:Sm ²⁺ crystals. It is seen that after the impact of a moving piston, initially the ML intensity increases with time, attains a maximum value and then it decreases with time up to a particular minimum value, and then it increases again, attaining a peak value and finally disappears. The first peak lies in the deformation region and the second peak lies in the post-deformation region. The ML intensity of the BaFCl:Sm ²⁺ crystal is much higher than the ML intensity of the BaFBr:Sm ²⁺ crystal. For different impact velocities, the ML intensity increases with velocity; and the total ML intensity attains a saturation value for higher impact velocities. The total ML intensity increases with the increase in the applied load. It is suggested that the moving dislocation produced during deformation of crystals captures holes from hole-trapped centers (like H centers), and the subsequent radiative recombination of the dislocation holes with electron gives rise to ML. Thermoluminescence (TL) of BaFBr:Sm ²⁺ and BaFCl:Sm ²⁺ crystals was studied after exposure to ultraviolet rays with the help of a TLD reader. The peak of TL for the BaFBr:Sm ²⁺ crystal is found at ～247°C and for BaFCl:Sm ²⁺ crystals at 283°C. The TL intensity initially increases with increase in the UV radiation and then it attains saturation for higher values of UV exposure. The absorption spectrum was recorded with the help of a UV–visible spectrophotometer (Shimadzu). The band found at 275 nm was attributed to H centers.     

分子动力学模拟不同组分下CaO-Al2O3-SiO2系玻璃微观结构的转变

采用分子动力学模拟的方法研究了CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂系玻璃的微观结构，发现Ca/Al=1/2时CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂系玻璃(网硅酸盐体系)并不像传统理论认为的那样是一个完整的三维网络，而是存在一定量的非桥氧，从而从理论上进一步证实了Stebins等人的实验结果.同时也发现不同的Ca/Al比对Si和Al键接方式产生重要影响，在Ca/Al>1/2时，Al比Si容易成为网络的中间体，其首先插入网络体中间；在Ca/Al<1/2时，Si比Al容易成为网络中间体.虽然在能量上Al—O—Si占有扰势，但当Ca/Al从大于1/2变化到小于1/2时，仍有部分Al—O—Si转变成Al—O—Al和Si—O—Si，丰富了Al自回避规则的内容. 关键词： 2O₃-SiO₂')" href="#">CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ 玻璃 微观结构 分子动力学     

Molecular dynamics simulations of A-DNA in bivalent metal ions salt solution

A-form DNA is one of the biologically active double helical structure. The study of A-DNA structure has an extensive application for developing the field of DNA packaging in biotechnology. In aqueous solution, the A-DNA structure will have a free transformation, the A-DNA structure will be translated into B-form structure with the evolution of time, and eventually stabilized in the B-DNA structure. To explore the stability function of the bivalent metal ions on the A-DNA structure, a series of molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on the A-DNA of sequence (CCCGGCCGGG). The results show that bivalent metal ions (Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺) generate a great effect on the structural stability of A-DNA in the environment of high concentration. As the interaction between metal ions and electronegative DNA chains, the stability of A-DNA in solution is gradually improved with the increasing solution concentration of ions. In metal salt solution with high concentration, metal ions can be easily distributed in the solvation shells around the phosphate groups and further lead to the formation of shorter and more compact DNA structure. Also, under the condition of the same concentration and valency of the metal ions, the stability of A-DNA structure is different. The calculations indicate that the structure of A-DNA in CaCl₂ solution is less stable than in MgCl₂ and ZnCl₂ solution.     

超薄类金刚石膜生长和结构特性的分子动力学模拟

利用分子动力学模拟方法研究了2—3nm厚的类金刚石(DLC)薄膜在金刚石基体(100)表面上的生长过程. 分析了用来表征沉积后无定型碳膜质量的重要结构特性，如sp³杂化比例、薄膜密度、径向分布函数等，计算结果和现有的实验结果基本一致. 不同入射原子能量对结构特性进而对薄膜性能有重要影响，入射原子能量在20—60eV时，薄膜可以获得最优性能. 载能原子入射是生长均匀、连续、致密固体薄膜的前提，稳定的中间区域对于保证薄膜优良的力学性质是必需的. 关键词： DLC膜 分子动力学模拟 3杂化比例')" href="#">sp³杂化比例     

The structure,dynamics and solvation mechanisms of ions in water from long time molecular dynamics simulations: a case study of CaCl2 (aq) aqueous solutions

Systematic long time (5–20 ns) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out to study the structural and dynamical properties of CaCl₂ aqueous solutions over a wide range of concentrations (≤9.26 m) in this study. Our simulations reveal totally different structural characteristics of those yielded from short time (≤1 ns) MD simulations [A.A. Chialvo and J.M. Simonson, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 8052 (2003); T. Megyes, I. Bako, S. Balint, T. Grosz, and T. Radnai, J. Mol. Liq. 129, 63 (2006)]. An apparent discontinuity was found at 4–5 m of CaCl₂ in various properties including ion–water coordination number and self-diffusion coefficient of ions, which were first noticed by Phutela and Pitzer in their thermodynamic modelling [R.C. Phutela and K.S. Pitzer, J. Sol. Chem. 12, 201 (1983)]. In this study, residence time was first taken into consideration in the study of Ca²⁺–Cl^? ion pairing, and it was found that contact ion pair and solvent-sharing ion pair start to form at the CaCl₂(aq) concentrations of about 4.5 and 4 m, respectively, which may be responsible for the apparent discontinuity. In addition, the residence time of water molecules around Ca²⁺ or Cl^? showed that the hydration structures of Ca²⁺ and Cl^? are flexible with short residence time (<1 ns). It needs to be pointed out that it takes much longer simulation time for the CaCl₂–H₂O system to reach equilibrium than what was assumed in previous studies.     

Phonon-assisted luminescence anomalies in Eu2+ doped Ca1-xSrxF2 mixed crystals

Abstract

With increasing X on Ca_1-xSr_xF₂ mixed crystals doped with Eu²⁺ (4f⁶5d) ions, the absorption peak shifted linearly to that of SrF₂:Eu, while the luminescence one moved parabolically with a minimum at around x=0.5. The linewidth broadened nearly twice as large as that of CaF₂ in the vicinity of x=0.5 and subsequently renarrowed for x > 0.5. The temperature dependences of the luminescence intensity and life time revealed that the nonradiative activation energy has a minimum of 0.40 eV around x=0.5. From the calculated result of the lineshape, these non-linear behaviors against x were explained by adjusting the electron-phonon coupling strength.     

Exploration of large amplitude motions in the Ca+Ar2 complex

ABSTRACT

We present a theoretical study of the ground electronic state potential of the Ca⁺Ar₂ complex and of its photoabsorption spectra, simulated at temperatures ranging between 20 and 220?K. These calculations exploit a Monte-Carlo (MC) method, based on a one-electron pseudo-potential approach. A pairwise additive potential fitted to coupled cluster ab initio points, is used to model the Ca⁺Ar₂ complex. Our study shows that the most stable form of Ca⁺Ar₂ is a bent C_2v structure, whereas the linear isomer is located at around 90?±?10?cm^?1 above in energy. The analysis of the photoabsorption spectra establishes that a structural transition from bent Ca⁺Ar₂ to linear ArCa⁺Ar occurs at T～100?K. Trends in binding energies of both isomers, bond lengths and bond angles are also discussed. Molecular orbital overlaps provide an explanation for the order of stability between the bent and linear structures.     

Eu2+,Mn2+在BaZnP2O7中的发光及Eu2+→Mn2+能量传递

采用高温固相法合成了BaZnP₂O₇:Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺荧光粉，并对其发光性质及Eu²⁺对Mn²⁺的能量传递机理进行了研究.Eu²⁺和Mn²⁺在380 nm和670nm的发射峰分别由Eu²⁺的5d—4f跃迁和Mn²⁺的⁴T₁(^{4相似文献}   

Eu2+,Mn2+在BaZnP2O7中的发光及Eu2+→Mn2+能量传递

采用高温固相法合成了BaZnP₂O₇:Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺荧光粉,并对其发光性质及Eu²⁺对Mn²⁺的能量传递机理进行了研究.Eu²⁺和Mn²⁺在380 nm和670nm的发射峰分别由Eu²⁺的5d—4f跃迁和Mn²⁺的⁴T₁(^{4关键词： 磷酸盐 2+}')" href="#">Eu²⁺ 2+')" href="#">Mn²⁺ 能量传递     

Ca2+掺杂铌酸锶钡晶体的光折射变化特性研究

基于Ca²⁺掺杂铌酸锶钡晶体的透射特性,探讨了Ca²⁺在晶体中的电子行为机制，分析了Ca²⁺掺杂而引起的光致折射率变化特性.采用Michelson干涉装置测得了样品折射率随时间变化的特性曲线.实验结果分析表明，适当的Ca²⁺掺杂可以有效改善铌酸锶钡晶体的光折射特性. 关键词： 2+')" href="#">Ca²⁺ 铌酸锶钡 透射率 光折变     

Theoretical explanation of optical absorption spectra and covalent effect of Ni2+ ions in octahedral sites of Ca3Sc2Ge3O12 crystal

The optical absorption spectra (d-d transition bands) and covalent effect of Ni²⁺ ions in octahedral sites of Ca₃Sc₂Ge₃O₁₂ crystal have been investigated by the full energy matrix based on the two spin–orbit coupling parameters model. The bond length of octahedral site is R_i?=?2.19 Å, which can be determined by the cubic crystal-field parameter and optical spectral data. The lattice distortion of the Ni²⁺ center in Ca₃Sc₂Ge₃O₁₂ crystal is also obtained from the calculations. In addition, the result has shown that the covalent effect of Ni²⁺ ion in the octahedral site of Ga₃Sc₂Ge₃O₁₂ is obvious and cannot be ignored. The calculated d-d transition bands agree well with that of the experimental findings, suggesting that the present methods can explain reasonably the optical spectral data and covalent effect of 3d⁸ ions in octahedral lattices.     

Cr4+:Ca2GeO4激光晶体生长及结构表征

采用助熔剂法,以CaCl₂为助熔剂,生长Cr⁴⁺ :Ca₂GeO₄新型近红外可调谐激光晶体.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、激光Raman光谱、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等方法对晶体进行结构表征.结果表明,得到的晶体为单斜晶系镁橄榄石结构的低温γ-Cr⁴⁺ :Ca₂GeO₄单晶,晶格参数为a=5.3209 (1 =0.1 nm)     

Theory studies of the local lattice distortions and the EPR parameters for Cu2+, Mn2+ and Fe3+ centres in ZnWO4

The local lattice distortions and the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters (g factors, hyperfine structure constants and zero-field splittings) for Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺ and Fe³⁺ in ZnWO₄ are theoretically studied based on the perturbation calculations for rhombically elongated octahedral 3d⁹ and 3d⁵ complexes. The impurity centres on Zn²⁺ sites undergo the local elongations of 0.01, 0.002 and 0.013 Å along the C₂ axis and the planar bond angle variations of 8.1°, 8.0° and 8.6° for Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺ and Fe³⁺, respectively, due to the Jahn–Teller effect and size and charge mismatch. In contrast to the host Zn²⁺ site with obvious axial elongation (～0.31 Å) and perpendicular (angular) rhombic distortion, all the impurity centres demonstrate more regular octahedral due to the above local lattice distortions. The copper centre exhibits significant Jahn–Teller reductions for the spin-orbit coupling and orbital angular momentum interactions, characterised by the Jahn–Teller reduction factor J (≈0.29 ? 1). The calculated EPR parameters agree well with the experimental results. The local structures of the impurity centres are analysed in view of the corresponding lattice distortions.     

Theoretical study of the HeN2+ 2 dication

The structure and stability of the helio nitrogen molecular dication, HeN²⁺ ₂, is investigated by means of standard quantum chemical methods based on both single-reference and multi-reference formalisms. Sequences of correlation consistent basis sets are employed to establish convergence with respect to the size and the quality of the single-particle basis set. MRCI and CASPT2 calculations are reported for the HeN²⁺ ₂ ground-state ion which is found to be metastable. The barrier for the transition state of the reaction HeN²⁺ ₂→ N⁺ …NHe⁺ → N⁺ + NHe⁺ is calculated to be 59.5 kcals mol^?1. The structure of the transition state NHeN²⁺ was also determined from calculations using the MRCI and CASPT2 methods.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of twinning in devitrite,Na2Ca3Si6O16

Reports of Type II twins are quite rare for most crystal structures. When they do occur, they are usually one of a number of possible twinning modes observed in a particular material. However, for the triclinic phase devitrite, Na₂Ca₃Si₆O₁₆, which nucleates from commercial soda?lime?silica float glass subjected to suitable heat treatments, the only reported twinning mode to date is a Type II twinning mode. In this study, this Type II twinning mode is first examined by molecular dynamics simulation to determine the lowest energy configuration of perfect twin boundaries for the twin mode. This is then compared with the lowest energy configurations of perfect twin boundaries found for six possible Type I twinning modes for devitrite for which the formal deformation twinning shear is less than 0.6. The most favourable twin plane configuration for the Type II twinning crystallography is shown to produce reasonably low twin boundary energies and sensible predictions for the optimum locations of the twin plane, K ₁, and the [1?0?0] rotation axis, η ₁, about which the 180° Type II twinning operation takes place. By comparison, all the Type I twinning modes were found to have very energetically unstable atomic configurations, and for each of these twinning modes, the lowest energy configurations found all led to high effective K ₁ twin boundary energies relative to perfect crystal. These results therefore provide a rationale for the experimental observation of the particular Type II twinning mode seen in devitrite.