A study into the effect of subtle structural details and disorder on the terahertz spectrum of crystalline benzoic acid

The phonon modes of crystalline benzoic acid have been investigated using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, rigid molecule atom-atom model potential and plane-wave density functional theory lattice dynamics calculations. The simulation results show good agreement with the measured terahertz spectra and an assignment of the terahertz absorption features of benzoic acid is made with the help of both computational methods. Focussing on the strongest interactions in the crystal, we describe each vibration in terms of distortions of the benzoic acid hydrogen bonded dimers that are present in the crystal structure. The terahertz spectrum is also shown to be highly sensitive to the location of the carboxylic acid hydrogen atoms in the cyclic hydrogen-bonded dimers and we have systematically explored the influence of the observed disorder in the hydrogen atom positions on the lattice dynamics.     

Unraveling the Pressure Effect on Nucleation Processes of Amyloidogenic Proteins

The influence of pressure on the nucleation rate of insulin under fibril‐forming conditions was studied and subsequently analysed using classical nucleation theory. The aim was a better understanding and quantification of the influence of pressure on protein aggregation/fibrillation reactions. The application of pressure has a drastic accelerating effect on the nucleation and growth process of insulin fibrils. We show that this effect arises from a volume decrease upon nucleus formation, due to formation of a less hydrated and more compact transition state that can be quantified extending nucleation theory by a pressure–volume term. Conversely, the absolute values of the lag time and the critical size of the nucleus cannot be satisfactorily described by the classical nucleation theory, which might be due to the presence of secondary effects, such as parallel aggregation pathways or fragmentation processes.     

A synchrotron radiation study of the one‐dimensional complex of sodium with (1S)‐N‐carboxylato‐1‐(9‐deazaadenin‐9‐yl)‐1,4‐dideoxy‐1,4‐imino‐d‐ribitol,a member of the 'immucillin' family

The sodium salt of [immucillin‐A–CO₂H]⁻ (Imm‐A), namely catena‐poly[[[triaquadisodium(I)](μ‐aqua)[μ‐(1S)‐N‐carboxylato‐1‐(9‐deazaadenin‐9‐yl)‐1,4‐dideoxy‐1,4‐imino‐d ‐ribitol][triaquadisodium(I)][μ‐(1S)‐N‐carboxylato‐1‐(9‐deazaadenin‐9‐yl)‐1,4‐dideoxy‐1,4‐imino‐d ‐ribitol]] tetrahydrate], {[Na₂(C₁₂H₁₃N₄O₆)₂(H₂O)₇]·4H₂O}_n, (I), forms a polymeric chain via Na⁺—O interactions involving the carboxylate and keto O atoms of two independent Imm‐A molecules. Extensive N,O—H...O hydrogen bonding utilizing all water H atoms, including four waters of crystallization, provides crystal packing. The structural definition of this novel compound was made possible through the use of synchrotron radiation utilizing a minute fragment (volume ∼2.4 × 10⁻⁵ mm⁻³) on a beamline optimized for protein data collection. A summary of intra‐ring conformations for immucillin structures indicates considerable flexibility while retaining similar intra‐ring orientations.     

Halide ions complex and deprotonate dipicolinamides and isophthalamides: assessment by mass spectrometry and UV-visible spectroscopy

The F(-), Cl(-), and Br(-) binding selectivity of bis(p-nitroanilide)s of dipicolinic and isophthalic acids was studied by using competitive electrospray mass spectrometry and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Both hosts prefer binding Cl(-) over either F(-) or Br(-). Host deprotonation was observed to some extent in all experiments in which the host was exposed to halide ions. When F(-) was present, host deprotonation was often the major process, whereas little deprotonation was observed by Cl(-) or Br(-), which preferred complexation. A solution of either host changed color when mixed with a F(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), di- or triphenylacetate solution.     

Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Interfacial Free Energies and Line Tensions

Excess contributions to the free energy due to interfaces occur for many problems encountered in the statistical physics of condensed matter when coexistence between different phases is possible (e.g. wetting phenomena, nucleation, crystal growth, etc.). This article reviews two methods to estimate both interfacial free energies and line tensions by Monte Carlo simulations of simple models, (e.g. the Ising model, a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones fluid exhibiting a miscibility gap, and a simple Lennard-Jones fluid). One method is based on thermodynamic integration. This method is useful to study flat and inclined interfaces for Ising lattices, allowing also the estimation of line tensions of three-phase contact lines, when the interfaces meet walls (where “surface fields” may act). A generalization to off-lattice systems is described as well. The second method is based on the sampling of the order parameter distribution of the system throughout the two-phase coexistence region of the model. Both the interface free energies of flat interfaces and of (spherical or cylindrical) droplets (or bubbles) can be estimated, including also systems with walls, where sphere-cap shaped wall-attached droplets occur. The curvature-dependence of the interfacial free energy is discussed, and estimates for the line tensions are compared to results from the thermodynamic integration method. Basic limitations of all these methods are critically discussed, and an outlook on other approaches is given.     

Coherence during scattering of fast H atoms from a LiF(001) surface

The coherence for diffraction effects during grazing scattering of fast hydrogen and helium atoms from a LiF(001) surface with energies up to some keV is investigated via the coincident detection of two-dimensional angular distributions for scattered projectiles with their energy loss. For keV H atoms, we identify electronic excitations of the target surface as the dominant mechanism for decoherence, whereas for He atoms this contribution is small. The suppression of electronic excitations owing to the band gap of insulators plays an essential role for preserving quantum coherence and thus for the application of fast atom diffraction as a surface analytical tool.     

All nonclassical correlations can be activated into distillable entanglement

We devise a protocol in which general nonclassical multipartite correlations produce a physically relevant effect, leading to the creation of bipartite entanglement. In particular, we show that the relative entropy of quantumness, which measures all nonclassical correlations among subsystems of a quantum system, is equivalent to and can be operationally interpreted as the minimum distillable entanglement generated between the system and local ancillae in our protocol. We emphasize the key role of state mixedness in maximizing nonclassicality: Mixed entangled states can be arbitrarily more nonclassical than separable and pure entangled states.     

On the number of distinct prime factors of an odd perfect number

It is not known whether or not there exists an odd perfect number. We describe an algorithmic approach for showing that if there is an odd perfect number then it has t distinct prime factors, and we discuss its application towards showing that t9.     

Dynamics of digging in wet soil

Numerous animals live in, and locomote through, subsea soils. To move in a medium dominated by frictional interactions, many of these animals have adopted unique burrowing strategies. This paper presents a burrowing model inspired by the Atlantic razor clam (Ensis directus), which uses deformations of its body to cyclically loosen and re-pack the surrounding soil in order to locally manipulate burrowing drag. The model reveals how an anisotropic body - composed of a cylinder and sphere varying sinusoidally in size and relative displacement - achieves unidirectional motion through a medium with variable frictional properties. This net displacement is attained even though the body kinematics are reciprocal and inertia of both the model organism and the surrounding medium are negligible. Our results indicate that body aspect ratio has a strong effect on burrowing velocity and efficiency, with a well-defined maximum for given kinematics and soil material properties.