Time-resolved ultrathin cobalt film growth on a colloidal polymer template

Cobalt (Co) sputter deposition onto a colloidal polymer template is investigated using grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). SEM and AFM data picture the sample topography, GISAXS the surface and near-surface film structure. A two-phase model is proposed to describe the time evolution of the Co growth. The presence of the colloidal template results in the correlated deposition of an ultrathin Co film on the sample surface and thus in the creation of Co capped polystyrene (PS) colloids. Well below the percolation threshold, the radial growth is restricted and only height growth is observed.     

Synthesis, structural characterisation and biological activity of novel N-(ferrocenylmethyl)benzene-carboxamide derivatives

A series of N-(ferrocenylmethyl)benzene-carboxamide derivatives (4a-f) have been synthesised by coupling ferrocenylmethyl amine 3 with benzoic acid and various substituted fluorobenzoic acids using the standard 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) protocol. All compounds were fully characterised using a combination of ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹⁹F NMR, DEPT-135, ¹H-¹H COSY and ¹H-¹³C COSY (HMQC) spectroscopy and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The compounds 4a, 4d, 4e and 4f exhibited cytotoxic effects on the MDA-MB-435-S-F breast cancer cell line. Single crystal X-ray crystallographic data for 4d is also presented.     

Strong ligand-protein interactions revealed by ultrafast infrared spectroscopy of CO in the heme pocket of the oxygen sensor FixL

In heme-based sensor proteins, ligand binding to heme in a sensor domain induces conformational changes that eventually lead to changes in enzymatic activity of an associated catalytic domain. The bacterial oxygen sensor FixL is the best-studied example of these proteins and displays marked differences in dynamic behavior with respect to model globin proteins. We report a mid-IR study of the configuration and ultrafast dynamics of CO in the distal heme pocket site of the sensor PAS domain FixLH, employing a recently developed method that provides a unique combination of high spectral resolution and range and high sensitivity. Anisotropy measurements indicate that CO rotates toward the heme plane upon dissociation, as is the case in globins. Remarkably, CO bound to the heme iron is tilted by ~30° with respect to the heme normal, which contrasts to the situation in myoglobin and in present FixLH-CO X-ray crystal structure models. This implies protein-environment-induced strain on the ligand, which is possibly at the origin of a very rapid docking-site population in a single conformation. Our observations likely explain the unusually low affinity of FixL for CO that is at the origin of the weak ligand discrimination between CO and O(2). Moreover, we observe orders of magnitude faster vibrational relaxation of dissociated CO in FixL than in globins, implying strong interactions of the ligand with the distal heme pocket environment. Finally, in the R220H FixLH mutant protein, where CO is H-bonded to a distal histidine, we demonstrate that the H-bond is maintained during photolysis. Comparison with extensively studied globin proteins unveils a surprisingly rich variety in both structural and dynamic properties of the interaction of a diatomic ligand with the ubiquitous b-type heme-proximal histidine system in different distal pockets.     

Orientation-dependent recovery in strongly deformed Al–0.1% Mn crystals

Single crystals of Al–0.1% Mn were channel-die compressed to a true strain of 2.3 and their recovery behaviour at 240–320°C investigated by microhardness measurements, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) microtexture mapping and X-ray line broadening analysis. The crystal orientations were the nominally stable Goss {110}?001?, brass {110}?112? and S {123}?634?. For all three orientations the microhardness decreases with a logarithmic time dependence but the instantaneous recovery rates of the brass oriented crystals are systematically lower than those of the other two orientations by a factor of about 2. The dislocation densities decrease rapidly in the first stages of recovery (<1?min) by dislocation dipole annihilation and more slowly thereafter. In the Goss and S orientations the later stage of recovery is due to sub-grain growth. The orientation dependence is ascribed to the relatively low misorientations developed by plastic straining in the brass crystals (average about 4°) compared with the Goss and S orientations (about 7–8°).     

Di‐Benzo‐18‐Crown‐6 and its Derivatives as Ligands in the Search for Ion Channels

Based on the previously reported one‐dimensional channel system [(H₂O)?(DB18C6)(μ₂‐H₂O)_2/2][(H₃O)?(DB18C6)(μ₂‐H₂O)_2/2]I₃ ( 2 ), which is realized by stacking of crown ether molecules (DB18C6 = dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6), other synthetic approaches towards ionic channels and their results are presented in this paper. The “cutting out” approach using DB18C6 as scissor, applied on NaI, yields the compound [Na?(DB18C6)I(THF)][Na?(DB18C6)(H₂O)₂]I(THF)₂(CHI₃) ( 1 ), in high yield. It is based on a neutral and a cationic complex of sodium by DB18C6 linked via H‐bonding to give short chain fragments. The anion exchange approach, trying to replace I₃^? by Br₃^? leads to the intercalation of a cation into a DB18C6 chain in [(Me₃NPh)(DB18C6)]Br₃ ( 3 ). A similar reaction as for the synthesis of 2 , but replacing iodide with bromine, yields finally a brominated DB18C6 ligand. In the presence of iron, the compound [(H₅O₂)?(Br₄‐DB18C6)₂][FeBr₄], 4 , is observed, in which a H₅O₂⁺‐cation is encapsuled by two brominated crown ether molecules. The absence of Fe and an excess of Br₂ leads to the complexation of H₃O⁺, and co‐crystallisation of bromine in [(H₃O)?(Br₄‐DB18C6)]Br₃Br₂ ( 5 ).     

Cowpea mosaic virus capsid: a promising carrier for the development of carbohydrate based antitumor vaccines

Immunotherapy targeting tumor cell surface carbohydrates is a promising approach for cancer treatment. However, the low immunogenecity of carbohydrates presents a formidable challenge. We describe here the enhancement of carbohydrate immunogenicity by an ordered display on the surface of the cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) capsid. The Tn glycan, which is overexpressed on numerous cancer cell surfaces, was selected as the model antigen for our study. Previously it has been shown that it is difficult to induce a strong T cell-dependent immune response against the monomeric form of Tn presented in several ways on different carriers. In this study, we first synthesized Tn antigens derivatized with either a maleimide or a bromoacetamide moiety that was conjugated selectively to a cysteine mutant of CPMV. The glycoconjugate was then injected into mice and pre- and post-immune antibody levels in the mice sera were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays. High total antibody titers and, more importantly, high IgG titers specific for Tn were obtained in the post-immune day 35 serum, suggesting the induction of T cell-dependent antibody isotype switching by the glycoconjugate. The antibodies generated were able to recognize Tn antigens presented in their native conformations on the surfaces of both MCF-7 breast cancer cells and the multidrug resistant breast cancer cell line NCI-ADR RES. These results suggest that the CPMV capsid can greatly enhance the immunogenicity of weak antigens such as Tn and this can provide a promising tool for the development of carbohydrate based anti-cancer vaccines.     

Out‐of‐Equilibrium Fluctuation‐Dissipation Relations Verified by the Electrical and Thermoelectrical AC‐Conductances in a Quantum Dot

The electrical and heat currents flowing through a quantum dot are calculated in the presence of a time‐modulated gate voltage with the help of the out‐of‐equilibrium Green function technique. From the first harmonics of the currents, we extract the electrical and thermoelectrical trans‐admittances and ac‐conductances. Next, by a careful comparison of the ac‐conductances with the finite‐frequency electrical and mixed electrical‐heat noises, we establish the fluctuation‐dissipation relations linking these quantities, which are thus generalized out‐of‐equilibrium for a quantum system. It is shown that the electrical ac‐conductance associated to the displacement current is directly linked to the electrical noise summed over reservoirs, whereas the relation between the thermoelectrical ac‐conductance and the mixed noise contains an additional term proportional to the energy step that the electrons must overcome when traveling through the junction. A numerical study reveals however that a fluctuation‐dissipation relation involving a single reservoir applies for both electrical and thermoelectrical ac‐conductances when the frequency dominates over the other characteristic energies.     

Determination of the growth rate of instability of low velocity free falling jets

An imaging technique with asymmetric magnification is used to visualise liquid cylindrical jet interface displacements. The wavelet transform technique is applied to the jet interface to localise the perturbations. Scale parameters of the perturbation waves are obtained by a recognition technique. Wave numbers and growth rates are determined for free falling jets. The most representative growth rate of perturbation is measured by a statistical analysis as well as the wavenumber and the initial amplitude of perturbation η₀. The concordance between the appearance of a critical velocity U _c in the stability curve and a minimum in the growth rate is shown. Important variations of η₀ has also been measured in a flow regime where it is usually supposed to be constant. Received: 7 October 1998/Accepted: 13 October 1999     

Absolute Quantification of Noncoding RNA by Microscale Thermophoresis

Accurate quantification of the copy numbers of noncoding RNA has recently emerged as an urgent problem, with impact on fields such as RNA modification research, tissue differentiation, and others. Herein, we present a hybridization‐based approach that uses microscale thermophoresis (MST) as a very fast and highly precise readout to quantify, for example, single tRNA species with a turnaround time of about one hour. We developed MST to quantify the effect of tRNA toxins and of heat stress and RNA modification on single tRNA species. A comparative analysis also revealed significant differences to RNA‐Seq‐based quantification approaches, strongly suggesting a bias due to tRNA modifications in the latter. Further applications include the quantification of rRNA as well as of polyA levels in cellular RNA.