Geometrical method for determining the surface damage threshold for femtosecond laser pulses

A new geometrical method to determine the surface damage threshold for ultrashort pulses is presented. It consists in the formation of a surface damage profile by a movement of the sample across the laser beam focus. A single measurement of the maximum transversal dimension of this damage profile, which depends solely on the laser beam power, is used to calculate the local damage threshold intensity. It is also theoretically shown that the damage in the transverse dimension can be controlled under the diffraction-limited spot.     

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV: a simulation-based approach for the evaluation of intervention strategies

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is the most significant source of HIV infection in children below the age of 15 years. In 2000 alone, about 600 000 new infections occurred, the vast majority from mothers living in developing countries who were not aware of their HIV-positive status. To date, at least 4.3 million children have died from AIDS. In this paper, we discuss the development of an operational model that can be used to evaluate intervention options for the prevention of MTCT of HIV. The problem was approached by defining suitable pregnancy risk groups, prevention options and the required model outputs to evaluate different intervention strategies. The method chosen to approach the problem was a discrete-event, three-phase simulation, built in Visual Basic, with a stochastic semi-Markov structure. The developed model takes individual pregnant women through each stage of their pregnancy, labour and birth. Different intervention strategies may be modelled at any time, including short-course antiretroviral drugs and cessation of breastfeeding. The model is demonstrated with data from Botswana, which has one of the highest HIV-infection rates in the world.     

Reaction kinetics and pathway of hydrothermal decomposition of aspartic acid

The kinetics and pathway of hydrothermal decomposition of aspartic acid were studied using a continuous‐flow tubular reactor. The reaction was carried out in the temperature range of 200–260°C and at a pressure of 20 MPa. Deamination was the primary reaction, indicated by the presence of significant amount of ammonia, fumaric acid, or maleic acid in the products. Other reaction products were pyruvic acid, malic acid, and traces of succinic and lactic acid. Traces of alanine were also detected, showing the possibility of decomposing high‐molecular weight amino acids to obtain simple amino acids such as glycine or alanine. Results on the effect of reaction parameters demonstrated that decomposition of aspartic acid is highly temperature dependent under hydrothermal conditions. For a slight temperature difference of 60°C (from 200 to 260°C), the first‐order reaction rate constants of 0.003 significantly increased to 0.231 s^?1. The activation energy was 144 kJ/mol, as calculated by the Arrhenius equation. No significant effect was exhibited by other reaction parameters such as pH and pressure. The results are useful in controlling the hydrolysis of proteinaceous materials toward high yield of aspartic acid under hydrothermal conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 39: 175–180, 2007     

Phase transitions in silicon single crystals resulting from directional plastic deformation

The formation of polytypic modifications is observed in dislocation-free silicon single crystals under directional plastic deformation. It is shown that the deformation-stimulated phase appears on the surface of the sample in the form of small grains ranging from several hundred to several thousand angstroms in size. A twin structure in the individual grains is observed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 746–749 (April 1998)     

Crystal and molecular structure of thiamine monochloride

The crystal and molecular structure of thiamine monochloride (C₁₂H₁₇N₄OSCl) was determined by X-ray diffraction and refined to a finalR value of 0.042. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space groupP2₁/a, with cell constantsa=18.929(4),b=11.663(2),c=6.376(2) Å and=96.72(8)°. The thiamine molecule is anhydrous and unprotonated, and the torsion angles at the methylene carbon show that it possesses anF conformation. The dihedral angle value of 84.16(6)° between thiazolium and pyrimidine rings is in the normal range found for the thiamine withF conformation, protonated or not, hydrated or not. Thiamine therefore has the same conformation notwithstanding protonation or hydration, with the rings similarly oriented in all the crystal structures containing thiamine.     

New carbon nanofiber/graphite felt composite for use as a catalyst support for hydrazine catalytic decomposition

Graphite felt supporting 40 nm diameter carbon nanofibers was synthesized and successfully used as a support for a high loaded iridium catalyst (30 wt%) in the decomposition of hydrazine; a strong mechanical resistance and a high thermal conductivity led to a very efficient and stable catalyst as compared to that used industrially, iridium supported on a high surface area alumina.     

Preparation of bisdiazoalkane and related complexes from the reactions of diazo compounds with the dinitrogen complexestrans-[M(N2)2(Ph 2PCH2CH2PPh 2)2] (M=Mo or W)

Summary Reactions oftrans-[M(N₂)₂(dppe)₂] (A;M=Mo, W;dppe=Ph ₂PCH₂CH₂PPh ₂) with ethyldiazoacetate, N₂CHCOOEt, yield the bisdiazoalkane speciestrans-[M(N₂CHCOOEt)₂(dppe)₂], upon simple replacement of the dinitrogen ligand by ethyldiazoacetate. However, diazomethane, N₂CH₂, reacts withA with loss of N₂ to give products which we tentatively formulate as containing methylene ligands,trans-[M(CH₂)₂(dppe)₂].

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Herstellung von Bisdiazoalkan- und ähnlichen Komplexen aus den Reaktionen von Diazoverbindungen mit Distickstoffkomplexen des Typstrans-[M(N₂)₂(Ph ₂PCH₂CH₂PPh ₂)₂] mitM=Mo oder W

Zusammenfassung Die Reaktion vontrans-[M(N₂)₂(dppe)₂] (A:dppe=Ph ₂PCH₂CH₂PPh ₂ undM=Mo oder W) mit Ethyldiazoacetat, N₂CHCOOEt, ergab nach einfachem Austausch des Distickstoffliganden mit Ethyldiazoacetat die Bisdiazoalkanetrans-[M(N₂CHCOOEt)₂(dppe)₂]. Diazomethan (N₂CH₂) hingegen reagierte mitA unter Verlust von N₂ zu Produkten, die tentativ alstrans-[M(CH₂)₂(dppe)₂] mit Methylenliganden formuliert wurden.

     

Phase separation of p53 precedes aggregation and is affected by oncogenic mutations and ligands

Mutant p53 tends to form aggregates with amyloid properties, especially amyloid oligomers inside the nucleus, which are believed to cause oncogenic gain-of-function (GoF). The mechanism of the formation of the aggregates in the nucleus remains uncertain. The present study demonstrated that the DNA-binding domain of p53 (p53C) underwent phase separation (PS) on the pathway to aggregation under various conditions. p53C phase separated in the presence of the crowding agent polyethylene glycol (PEG). Similarly, mutant p53C (M237I and R249S) underwent PS; however, the process evolved to a solid-like phase transition faster than that in the case of wild-type p53C. The data obtained by microscopy of live cells indicated that transfection of mutant full-length p53 into the cells tended to result in PS and phase transition (PT) in the nuclear compartments, which are likely the cause of the GoF effects. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments revealed liquid characteristics of the condensates in the nucleus. Mutant p53 tended to undergo gel- and solid-like phase transitions in the nucleus and in nuclear bodies demonstrated by slow and incomplete recovery of fluorescence after photobleaching. Polyanions, such as heparin and RNA, were able to modulate PS and PT in vitro. Heparin apparently stabilized the condensates in a gel-like state, and RNA apparently induced a solid-like state of the protein even in the absence of PEG. Conditions that destabilize p53C into a molten globule conformation also produced liquid droplets in the absence of crowding. The disordered transactivation domain (TAD) modulated both phase separation and amyloid aggregation. In summary, our data provide mechanistic insight into the formation of p53 condensates and conditions that may result in the formation of aggregated structures, such as mutant amyloid oligomers, in cancer. The pathway of mutant p53 from liquid droplets to gel-like and solid-like (amyloid) species may be a suitable target for anticancer therapy.

Mutant p53 tends to form aggregates with amyloid properties, especially amyloid oligomers inside the nucleus, which are believed to cause oncogenic gain-of-function (GoF).