X-ray scattering study of the effect of hydration on the cross-beta structure of amyloid fibrils

We have investigated the effect of sample hydration on the wide-angle X-ray scattering patterns of amyloid fibrils from two different sources, hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and an 11-residue peptide taken from the sequence of transthyretin (TTR105-115). Both samples show an inter-strand reflection at 4.7 A and an inter-sheet reflection which occurs at 8.8 and approximately 10 A for TTR105-115 and HEWL fibrils, respectively. The positions, widths, and relative intensities of these reflections are conserved in patterns obtained from dried stalks and hydrated samples over a range of fibril concentrations. In 2D scattering patterns obtained from flow-aligned hydrated samples, the inter-strand and inter-sheet reflections showed, respectively, axial and equatorial alignment relative to the fibril axis, characteristic of the cross-beta structure. Our results show that the cross-beta structure of the fibrils is not a product of the dehydrating conditions typically employed to produce aligned samples, but is conserved in individual fibrils in hydrated samples under dilute conditions comparable to those associated with other biophysical and spectroscopic techniques. This suggests a structure consisting of a stack of two or more sheets whose interfaces are inaccessible to bulk water.     

Rates and mechanisms of conversion of ice nanocrystals to hydrates of HCl and HBr: acid diffusion in the ionic hydrates

This FTIR study focuses on solid-state chemistry associated with formation and interconversion of the ionic HX (X = Cl, Br) hydrates. Kinetic data are reported for conversions of ice nanocrystal arrays exposed to the saturation pressure of the acids in the 110 approximately 125 K range. The product is amorphous acid dihydrate in the case of HBr, and amorphous monohydrate for HCl. The rate-determining step is identified as HX diffusion through the hydrate product crust toward the interfacial reaction zone, rather than diffusion through ice, as commonly believed. Slowing of the conversion process is thus observed with increasing thickness of the crust. The diffusion coefficient (D(e)) and activation energy values for HX diffusion through the hydrates were evaluated with the help of the shrinking-core model. Hydrate crystallization occurs as a separate step, upon heating above 130 K. Subsequently, rates of reversible transitions between crystal di- and monohydrates were observed upon exposure to acid vapor and acid evacuation. In conversion from di- to monohydrate, the rate slows after fast formation of several layers; subsequently, diffusion through the product crust appears to be the rate-controlling step. The activation energy for HBr diffusion through crystal dihydrate is found to be significantly higher than that for the amorphous analogue. Conjecture is offered for a molecular mechanism of HX transport through the crystal hydrate, based on (i) spectroscopic/computational evidence for the presence of molecular HX bonded to X(-) in each of the ionic hydrate phases and (ii) the relative E(a) values found for HBr and HCl diffusion. Monte Carlo modeling suggests acid transport to the reaction zone along boundaries between "nanocrystallites" generated by multiple hydrate nucleation events at the particle surfaces. The reverse conversion, of crystalline monohydrate particles to the dihydrate phase, as well as dihydrate to trihydrate, displays nearly constant rate throughout the particle conversion; suggesting desorption of HX from the particle surface as the rate-limiting factor. Like for D(e), the activation energies for desorption were found to be approximately 20% greater for HCl than HBr for related hydrate phases.     

Quadrupole moments of highly deformed structures in the A approximately 135 region: probing the single-particle motion in a rotating potential

The latest generation gamma-ray detection system, GAMMASPHERE, coupled with the Microball charged-particle detector, has made possible a new class of nuclear lifetime measurement. For the first time differential lifetime measurements free from common systematic errors for over 15 different nuclei ( >30 rotational bands in various isotopes of Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, and Sm) have been extracted at high spin within a single experiment. This comprehensive study establishes the effective single-particle transition quadrupole moments in the A approximately 135 light rare-earth region. Detailed comparisons are made with theoretical calculations using the self-consistent cranked mean-field theory which convincingly demonstrates the validity of the additivity of single-particle quadrupole moments in this mass region.     

Polymerization of olefin oxides with zinc n-butyl xanthate and zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate catalysts: Mechanism of initiation

Xanthates and dithiocarbamates of metals have been reported to be effective as catalysts for the polymerization of olefin oxides. To investigate the mechanism of initiation, the bulk polymerization at 50°C of 1,2-butene oxide with zinc n-butyl xanthate (ZBX) at a monomer: ZBX molar ratio of 584: 1 was studied by ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. There is a rapid conversion of the sulfur–zinc bond in the metal xanthate to a structure containing sulfur–carbon and oxygen–zinc bonds, the latter acting as the site of the propagation step during polymerization. The xanthate ester moiety is subsequently converted to the oxygenated analogs, namely, O,O-dialkylthiocarbonate and dialkyl carbonate. These changes are independent of the propagation step. The changes observed in the polymerization of butene oxide with zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate are similar, but much slower than in the case of ZBX. The presence of the carbonate ester moiety was also shown in the benzene-insoluble, catalytically active fraction isolated from seeded catalyst, i.e., from the reaction product of propylene oxide and ZBX at a molar ratio of 8:1 or lower. This fraction also contained ionic sulfur.     

Direct spectroscopic observation of proton transfer rates: activation energy for proton exchange in ice Ic

Advantage has been taken of the ability to matrix isolate D₂O in H₂O ice I_c to determine the activation energy for proton transfer. The value computed from spectroscopic data is 9.3 ± 0.3 kcal which is comparable to accepted values of E_a for conduction (8.5–9.0 kcal) and the excitation energy for the OH stretching mode in H₂O ice I_c (≈ 9.2 kcal).     

Non-relativistic QCD for heavy quark systems

We employ a non-relativistic version of QCD (NRQCD) to study heavy bound states in the lowest approximation without fine structure. We use gluon configurations on a 6³×48 lattice at β=6.2 from the UKQCD Collaboration. For a bare quark mass near that of the b-quark (Ma=1.6) we obtain the bound state masses for the S-, P- and both types of D-waves. We also detect signals for two types of hybriges ( states). The results are sufficiently accurate to confirm that the values of the D-wave mass from both D-waves coincide thus indicating that the cubical invariance of the lattice is restored to full rotational invariance to a good approximation. We also study S- and P-wave masses for values of the range of bare quark mass Ma=1.0, 1.3, 1.6 and 1.9. The results confirm the idea that the S/P-splitting is relatively insensitive to the value of the bare quark mass.     

The role of iron in the formation of the magnetic structure and related properties of La0.8Sr0.2Co1−xFexO3 (x=0.15, 0.2, 0.3)

La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_1−xFe_xO₃ (x=0.15, 0.2, 0.3) samples were studied by means of AC magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, magnetoresistance and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrometry. Iron was found to take on a high spin 3d^5−α electronic state in each of the samples, where α refers to a partly delocalized 3d electron. The compounds were found to exhibit a spin-cluster glass transition with a common transition temperature of ∼53 K. The spin-cluster glass transition is visualized in the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra as the slowing down of magnetic relaxation below ∼70 K, thereby showing that iron takes part in the formation of the glassy magnetic phase. The paramagnetic-like phase found at higher temperatures is identified below T_c≈195 K as being composed of weakly interacting, magnetically ordered nanosized clusters of magnetic ions in part with a magnetic moment oriented opposite to the net magnetic moment of the cluster. For each of the samples a considerable low-temperature negative magnetoresistance was found, whose magnitude in the studied range decreases with increasing iron concentration. The observed results obtained on the present compounds are qualitatively explained assuming that the absolute strengths of magnetic exchange interactions are subject to the relation ∣J_Co–Co∣<∣J_Fe–Co∣<∣J_Fe–Fe∣.