ESCA studies of metal-oxygen surfaces using argon and oxygen ion-bombardment

ESCA has been used to monitor alterations of catalytically and electrochemically important metal-oxygen surfaces following exposure to Ar⁺ and O₂⁺ ion bombardment. This treatment resulted not only in sputtering, but also, in many cases, in reduction to the corresponding metal or lower oxide. A model based on bulk thermodynamic free energy considerations Is proposed to explain this phenomenon. We have also exploited this approach to obtain an in-depth concentration profile of various oxidation states of an element, to selectively prepare desired surface oxide compositio and to aid in interpreting complex O ls spectra. Results obtained from metal-oxygen surfaces for Ni, Ru and Mo are presented. Ni₂O₃ and RuO₃, which are gross defect structures of the bulk species, are present on NiO and RuO₂ respectively, with the former being confined to the surface layers. The MoO₂, on the other hand, is covered with a surface layer of MoO₃ present as a regular crystal structure.     

An experimental study of a turbulent shear layer at a clean and contaminated free-surface

An experimental study was performed to measure the flow properties of a vertically-orientated shear layer in the vicinity of a free-surface. The effect of surface contamination on the near surface flow field was also determined. Digital Particle Image Velocimetry was used to measure instantaneous and averaged velocity, vorticity, and Reynolds stresses. Results show that the presence of surfactants can cause directional shifts of the shear layer, as well as an overall damping of the turbulence in the vicinity of the free-surface, except in the vicinity of a Reynolds ridge where an increase in Reynolds stress was observed.     

Dynamic combinatorial libraries of metalloporphyrins: templated amplification of disulfide-linked oligomers

Disulfide-linked cyclic porphyrin oligomers from dimer to tetramer can be selected and amplified virtually quantitatively from a dynamic combinatorial library using bis-thiol substituted zinc(II) porphyrin units with appropriate amine donor templates.     

PhotochemCAD‡: A Computer-Aided Design and Research Tool in Photochemistry

A database of absorption and fluorescence spectra, including molar absorption coefficients and fluorescence quantum yields, has been compiled for 125 photochemically relevant compounds. An accompanying program enables calculation of oscillator strengths, natural radiative lifetimes, transition dipole moments, Forster energy-transfer rates, multicomponent analysis, simulations of fluorescence spectra upon energy transfer among linear arrays of pigments, calculations of blackbody radiator curves at different temperatures and Lorentzian and Gaussian peak distributions. The program runs under Windows 95 and is equipped with extensive literature references and help features.     

A-type cranberry proanthocyanidins inhibit the RANKL-dependent differentiation and function of human osteoclasts

This study investigated the effect of A-type cranberry proanthocyanidins (AC-PACs) on osteoclast formation and bone resorption activity. The differentiation of human pre-osteoclastic cells was assessed by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, while the secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was measured by ELISA. Bone resorption activity was investigated by using a human bone plate coupled with an immunoassay that detected the release of collagen helical peptides. AC-PACs up to 100 μg/mL were atoxic for osteoclastic cells. TRAP staining evidenced a dose-dependent inhibition of osteoclastogenesis. More specifically, AC-PACs at 50 μg/mL caused a 95% inhibition of RANKL-dependent osteoclast differentiation. This concentration of AC-PACs also significantly increased the secretion of IL-8 (6-fold) and inhibited the secretion of both MMP-2 and MMP-9. Lastly, AC-PACs (10, 25, 50 and 100 μg/ml) affected bone degradation mediated by mature osteoclasts by significantly decreasing the release of collagen helical peptides. This study suggests that AC-PACs can interfere with osteoclastic cell maturation and physiology as well as prevent bone resorption. These compounds may be considered as therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis.     

Using molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics calculations to model fluorescence observables

We provide a critical examination of two different methods for generating a donor-acceptor electronic coupling trajectory from a molecular dynamics (MD) trajectory and three methods for sampling that coupling trajectory, allowing the modeling of experimental observables directly from the MD simulation. In the first coupling method we perform a single quantum-mechanical (QM) calculation to characterize the excited state behavior, specifically the transition dipole moment, of the fluorescent probe, which is then mapped onto the configuration space sampled by MD. We then utilize these transition dipoles within the ideal dipole approximation (IDA) to determine the electronic coupling between the probes that mediates the transfer of energy. In the second method we perform a QM calculation on each snapshot and use the complete transition densities to calculate the electronic coupling without need for the IDA. The resulting coupling trajectories are then sampled using three methods ranging from an independent sampling of each trajectory point (the independent snapshot method) to a Markov chain treatment that accounts for the dynamics of the coupling in determining effective rates. The results show that the IDA significantly overestimates the energy transfer rate (by a factor of 2.6) during the portions of the trajectory in which the probes are close to each other. Comparison of the sampling methods shows that the Markov chain approach yields more realistic observables at both high and low FRET efficiencies. Differences between the three sampling methods are discussed in terms of the different mechanisms for averaging over structural dynamics in the system. Convergence of the Markov chain method is carefully examined. Together, the methods for estimating coupling and for sampling the coupling provide a mechanism for directly connecting the structural dynamics modeled by MD with fluorescence observables determined through FRET experiments.     

Towards an automated, standardized protocol for determination of equilibrium potential of ion-selective electrodes

An automated real-time method for determination of ISE steady state value and response time is developed, following most recent IUPAC recommendations. Specifically, detection of the ‘steady state’ is related to (1) the time derivative of the emf as it reaches a limiting value (ΔE/Δt_limit, e.g., 0.1–1.0 mV min⁻¹) and (2) the duration of time for which the absolute value of the time derivative remains less than this limiting value (stability window, denoted win_st). A suite of representative ISEs, including glass, solid state, and polymer-based electrodes, is examined to determine sensitivity of results to parameterization choice. Measurements taken over a wide range of concentration values and in un-processed samples (i.e., without use of ionic strength adjustment) provide insight into behavior of ISEs in applications where analyte concentrations span a wide range and/or sample pre-processing may not be an option, e.g., use of sensors for in situ environmental sampling. Results show that declared steady state emf is strongly sensitive to variations in ΔE/Δt_limit but relatively unaffected by changes in the stability window when win_st ≥30 s. Linearity of calibration curves produced, quantified by root mean squared error (RMSE) against a linear fit, improves as ΔE/Δt_limit decreases, however the percentage of measurements which reach a declared steady state within the prescribed sample window (∼6.5 min) falls with corresponding decreases in the ΔE/Δt_limit parameter. Response time, defined as the time required to reach declared steady emf, is also a strong function of parameterization. Dependence of response times on sample composition and/or ISE membrane composition and type are also discussed; results for ISEs in samples comprised exclusively of interfering ions are included. In general, limiting emf derivatives of {0.25–0.4 mV min⁻¹} and stability windows of {30–40 s} achieve both good analytical accuracy and compliance with potentially short sampling window requirements. Methodology based on use of these parameters can improve sampling speed and accuracy as well as promote inter-comparison of data and ISE characterizations among research teams.