Growth mechanisms involved in the synthesis of smooth and microtextured films by acetylene magnetron discharges

The growth of hydrogenated amorphous carbons (a-C:H) produced by continuous or pulsed discharges of acetylene (C(2)H(2)) in an unbalanced magnetron setup was investigated. At 5 × 10(-3) Torr, only smooth films are obtained, whereas at 5 × 10(-1) Torr using a pulsed discharge some microtextured films are formed if the duty cycle is low. The morphology of these microtextured films consists of nanoparticles, filamentary particles, and particular agglomerates ("microflowers"). This paper presents a study of acetylene gas phase polymerization by mass spectrometry, and a detailed analysis of bulk structure of films by combining three techniques which include IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (LDI-FTMS). Finally, based on the study of gas phase and film structure, we propose a model for the growth of both smooth and microtextured films.     

Synthesis of a Ferrolite: A Zeolitic All‐Iron Framework

Crystals of the first sodalite‐type zeolite containing an all‐iron framework, a ferrolite, Ba₈(Fe₁₂O₂₄)Na_y(OH)₆?x H₂O, were synthesized using the hydroflux method in nearly quantitative yield. Ba₈(Fe₁₂O₂₄)Na_y(OH)₆?x H₂O crystallizes in the cubic space group with a=10.0476(1) Å. Slightly distorted FeO₄ tetrahedra are linked to form Fe₄O₄ and Fe₆O₆ rings, which in turn yield channels and internal cavities that are characteristic of the sodalite structure. Barium, sodium, and hydroxide ions and water molecules are found in the channels and provide charge balance. Magnetic measurements indicate that the ferrolite exhibits magnetic order up to at least 700 K, with the field‐cooled and zero‐field‐cooled curves diverging. Analysis of the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra revealed two spectral components that have equal spectral areas, indicating the presence of two subsets of iron centers in the structure. Dehydrated versions of the ferrolite were also prepared by heating the sample.     

Design of a calcium-binding protein with desired structure in a cell adhesion molecule

Ca2+, "a signal of life and death", controls numerous cellular processes through interactions with proteins. An effective approach to understanding the role of Ca2+ is the design of a Ca2+-binding protein with predicted structural and functional properties. To design de novo Ca2+-binding sites in proteins is challenging due to the high coordination numbers and the incorporation of charged ligand residues, in addition to Ca2+-induced conformational change. Here, we demonstrate the successful design of a Ca2+-binding site in the non-Ca2+-binding cell adhesion protein CD2. This designed protein, Ca.CD2, exhibits selectivity for Ca2+ versus other di- and monovalent cations. In addition, La3+ (Kd 5.0 microM) and Tb3+ (Kd 6.6 microM) bind to the designed protein somewhat more tightly than does Ca2+ (Kd 1.4 mM). More interestingly, Ca.CD2 retains the native ability to associate with the natural target molecule. The solution structure reveals that Ca.CD2 binds Ca2+ at the intended site with the designed arrangement, which validates our general strategy for designing de novo Ca2+-binding proteins. The structural information also provides a close view of structural determinants that are necessary for a functional protein to accommodate the metal-binding site. This first success in designing Ca2+-binding proteins with desired structural and functional properties opens a new avenue in unveiling key determinants to Ca2+ binding, the mechanism of Ca2+ signaling, and Ca2+-dependent cell adhesion, while avoiding the complexities of the global conformational changes and cooperativity in natural Ca2+-binding proteins. It also represents a major achievement toward designing functional proteins controlled by Ca2+ binding.     

Vibrational relaxation and collision-induced dissociation of xenon fluoride by neon

Rate coefficients were calculated for vibrational relaxation and collision-induced dissociation of ground state xenon fluoride in neon at temperatures between 300 and 1000 K for each of nine vibrational levels. These coefficients were calculated using a pairwise additive potential energy surface, which consists of a Morse function for the XeF interaction and Lennard–Jones functions for the NeXe and NeF interactions. Rate coefficients are provided for both temperature and v- dependences. The vibrational relaxation and dissociation processes occur by multiquanta transitions. Dissociation can take place from all v-levels provided that the internal energy of the XeF molecule is close to the rotationless dissociation limit. The order of increase effectiveness of the various forms of energy in promoting dissociation in XeF was found to be translation–rotation-vibration. At room temperature, neon atoms were found to be more efficient than helium atoms in the dissociation processes; helium atoms were found to be more efficient than neon atoms in the vibrational relaxation of XeF. Strong vibration–rotation coupling in both vibrational relaxation and in the dissociation processes is demonstrated.     

Channel Flow Cell Studies of the Inhibiting Action of Gypsum on the Dissolution Kinetics of Calcite: A Laboratory Approach with Implications for Field Monitoring

The rate of dissolution of surface-treated calcite crystals in aqueous acidic solution has been studied using an adaptation of the channel flow cell method with microdisc electrode detection. Surface treatments of calcite with sulfuric acid lead to the nucleation of gypsum overgrowths, which reduce the rate of dissolution of calcite. Rate constants for untreated calcite and calcite pretreated with sulfuric acid conditions of 0.01 M for 1 h, 0.05 M for 5 h, and 0.1 M for 21 h are found to be 0.035, 0.018, 0.006, and 0.004 cm s(-1), respectively. Deterioration of calcite materials caused by acid deposition was investigated by field exposure of untreated and sulfate pretreated calcite rocks under urban conditions for 12 months. The rate constant for both pretreated and untreated calcite exposed to weathering is 0.003 cm s(-1). This suggests that calcite self-passivates the surface from further reaction when exposed to acid deposition. However, surface studies indicate that the surface undergoes erosion and dissolution before passivation. Pretreatment of the surface with sulfate protects the surface from acid deposition so it remains less reactive toward acid compared with untreated calcite. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Distribution of radionuclides in potato tubers: Implications for dose assessments

A study of the distribution of¹³⁷Cs,⁹⁰Sr, Pu and Am in potato tubers has been carried out. Cesium-137 was essentially uniformly distributed throughout the tuber, whereas up to about 50% of the⁹⁰Sr activity was found in the peel. Results for actinides indicated that most of the activity would be found in the peel and of this more than half would be located in the thin outemost skin. When account is taken of the form in which potatoes are consumed in the UK, the values of soil-plant transfer factors currently assumed in the NRPB model FARMLAND are reasonable for general assessment purposes.     

Subitising activity relative to units construction: a case study

Subitising, a quick apprehension of the numerosity of a small set of items, has been found to change from an individual's reliance on perceptual to conceptual processes. In this study, we utilised a constructivist teaching experiment methodology to investigate how the subitising activity of one preschool student, Amy, related to her construction of prenumerical units. Subitising and counting tasks were designed to assess and perturb Amy's thinking relative to her construction of units, and to observe changes in Amy's activity associated with the different tasks. Findings indicate that as Amy's subitising activity changed from perceptual to conceptual, she constructed subitised motor units and subitised figurative units. Implications of this study suggest that the construction of subitised units may support young children's later development of arithmetic units.     

Kinetics and thermodynamics of the reaction of deoxyhemerythrin with nitric oxide

Deoxyhemerythrin reacts with NO to form a 1:1 adduct shown spectrophotometrically. The kinetics of the formation have been studied directly by stopped-flow measurements at four different temperatures (0.0-23.6 degrees C). The kinetics of the dissociation have been studied, also by stopped-flow techniques, at five different temperatures (4.0-35.1 degrees C) using three different scavengers [Fe(II)(edta)2-, O2 and sperm whale deoxymyoglobin], which gave similar values. For the formation kf = (4.2 +/- 0.2) x 10(6) M-1 s-1, delta Hf not equal = 44.3 +/- 2.3 kJ mol-1, delta Sf not equal to = 30 +/- 8 J mol-1 K-1 and for the dissociation kd = 0.84 +/- 0.02 s-1, delta Hd not equal to 95.6 +/- 2.1 kJ mol-1 delta Sd not equal to = 74 +/- 7 J mol-1 K-1 (25 degrees C, I = 0.2 M and pH 7-8.1). From the kinetic data the thermodynamic data for the formation of HrNO were calculated: Kf = (5.0 +/- 0.3) x 10(6) M-1, delta H = -51.3 +/- 3.1 kJ mol-1 and delta S = -44 +/- 11 J mol-1 K-1 (25 degrees C). The kinetic data suggest that NO occupies the same iron(II) site in deoxyhemerythrin as oxygen does. The equilibrium constant for the formation of Fe(II)(edta)(NO)2- has been redetermined: K1 = (1.45 +/- 0.07) x 10(7) M-1, delta H = -77.5 +/- 1.5 kJ and mol-1 and delta S = -123.5 J mol-1 K-1 (25 degrees C).     

Graphite powder and multiwalled carbon nanotubes chemically modified with 4-nitrobenzylamine.

We demonstrate that graphite powder and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can be derivatised by 4-nitrobenzylamine (4-NBA) simply by stirring the graphite powder or MWCNTs in a solution of acetonitrile containing 10 mM 4-NBA. We propose that 4-NBA partially intercalates at localised edge-plane or edge-plane-like defect sites and this hypothesis with a range of experimental data provided by electrochemistry in both aqueous and nonaqueous media, electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction.