Lateral diffusion in equimolar mixtures of natural sphingomyelins with dioleoylphosphatidylcholine

Cellular membranes of mammals are composed of a complex assembly of diverse phospholipids. Sphingomyelin (SM) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) are important lipids of eukaryotic cellular membranes and neuronal tissues, and presumably participate in the formation of membrane domains, known as "rafts," through intermolecular interaction and lateral microphase decomposition. In these two-dimensional membrane systems, lateral diffusion of lipids is an essential dynamic factor, which might even be indicative of lipid phase separation process. Here, we used pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance to study lateral diffusion of lipid components in macroscopically oriented bilayers composed of equimolar mixtures of natural SMs of egg yolk, bovine brain, bovine milk and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC). In addition, differential scanning calorimetry was used as a complementary technique to characterize the phase state of the lipid bilayers. In fully liquid bilayers, the lateral diffusion coefficients in both DOPC/DPPC and DOPC/SM systems exhibit mean values of the pure bilayers. For DOPC/SM bilayer system, this behavior can be explained by a model where most SM molecules form short-lived lateral domains with preferential SM-SM interactions occurring within them. However, for bilayers in the presence of their low-temperature gel phase, lateral diffusion becomes complicated and cannot simply be understood solely by a simple change in the liquid phase decomposition.     

Mössbauer investigations of magnetic system stratification in europium and thulium ferromanganites

Strontium-substituted ferromanganites of europium and thulium were investigated. Samples of Eu_0.65Sr_0.35Mn_{1 ? x} Fe _x O₃ and Tm_0.65Sr_0.35Mn_{1 ? x} Fe _x O₃ were prepared using ceramic processing. Based on the data from X-ray analysis, the samples with europium had a perovskite lattice, whereas the thulium samples were crystallized in an ilmenite lattice. Stratification of the magnetic subsystem was observed in the Mössbauer spectra of certain samples at T ≈ 300 K.     

Effect of tunneling on the thermoelectric efficiency of bulk nanostructured materials

The possibility of increasing the thermoelectric figure of merit for bulk nanostructured materials has been investigated theoretically. The kinetic coefficients of the nanostructured material have been calculated and evaluated under the assumption that the dominant role in the transfer is played by the tunneling of electrons between nanoparticles. The limiting case of the absence of phonon thermal conductivity through barrier layers has been considered. It has been demonstrated using the estimates obtained for materials based on Bi₂Te₃ that the thermopower in the nanostructured material can be sufficiently high and that, despite the low electrical conductivity, the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit can be as large as 3–4 at room temperature.     

Synthesis of novel 1,2,3-triazolyl nucleoside analogues bearing uracil, 6-methyluracil, 3,6-dimethyluracil,thymine, and quinazoline-2,4-dione moieties

A series of novel 1,2,3-triazolyl nucleoside analogues was synthesized via the CuAAC reaction of N1-alkynyl uracil, 6-methyluracil, 3,6-dimethyl uracil, thymine and quinazolin-2,4-dione with protected azido β-d-ribofuranose. The obtained compounds differ in both the nature of the pyrimidine-2,4-dione fragment and the length of the polymethylene linker connecting it with the β-d-ribofuranosyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl moiety. The 1,2,3-triazolyl nucleoside analogues were evaluated for their cytotoxicity in vitro.     

Content and Isotope Ratios of Noble Gases in Congelation Ice of Lake Vostok

Isotope ratios of noble gases (He, Ne, Ar) were studied in samples collected by degassing of cores of water frozen over a glacier of Lake Vostok. The gases were collected into glass retorts during three days of degassing of cores, which have just been extracted from the borehole. Within the error, the isotope ³He/⁴He ratios of 0.28 ± 0.08 R_A (R_A = 1.38 × 10^–6 is the ratio for air) correspond to those from [1]. The ⁴He/²⁰Ne and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios (12.4 ± 4.6 R_A and 1.0074 ± 0.0023 R_A, respectively) exceed their contents in air (⁴He/²⁰Ne_A = 0.29; ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar_A = 298.6) and may indicate some contribution of terrigenous gas to the gaseous balance of the lake, as well as the high content of ancient ground waters in the lake. The ³He/⁴He ratio of 0.28 R_A means low mantle ³He flux typical of continental platforms far from active rift zones.     

Three-dimensional diffraction of a shock wave

The diffraction of a shock wave (M₀=4.7) at an angle close to 180 has been experimentally investigated for the three-dimensional case. Interferograms of the flow and the pressure distribution on the back wall in the course of its interaction with the diffracted wave were obtained. Rotation of the flow structure behind the shock wave relative to the axis of symmetry was observed as the flow pattern develops in time and space.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.2, pp. 200–201 March–April, 1993.     

Influence of grain size distribution on the lattice thermal conductivity of Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3-based nanostructured materials

The change of the lattice thermal conductivity of bulk nanostructured materials based on Bi₂Te₃-Sb₂Te₃ solid solutions with grain size distribution has been studied. These materials have a polycrystalline structure with grain sizes ranging from a few tens of a nanometer to a few micrometers. Large grains may contain inclusions or consist of several smaller parts which can be identified with coherent scattering regions seen in X-ray diffraction. The change of the lattice thermal conductivity mediated by additional scattering by inclusions and grain boundaries has been calculated. This calculation allows for the effect of nanoparticle size distribution. The calculated estimates are compared with the available experimental data.     

II. Greetings by the Board of the Mechanics Division of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

International Applied Mechanics -     

Thermal conductivity of Cu2Se taking into account the influence of mobile copper ions

Physics of the Solid State - The temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of nanostructured samples of copper selenide prepared by mechanochemical synthesis from initial pure components...