Crystal structure, phase transition and anisotropic thermal expansion of barium zirconium diorthophosphate, BaZr(PO4)2

The crystal structure of BaZr(PO₄)₂ at 298 K was determined from conventional X-ray powder diffraction data using direct methods, and it was further refined by the Rietveld method. The structure was monoclinic (space group C2/m, Z=2) with , , , β=93.086(1)° and . Final reliability indices were R_wp=8.21%, R_p=5.64% and R_B=2.92%. The atom arrangement is similar to that of yavapaiite (KFe(SO₄)₂), however, these crystal structures differ distinctly in the coordination numbers of barium and potassium atoms; the former is tenfold coordinated, whereas the latter is sixfold coordinated. The powder specimens were also examined by high-temperature XRD and DTA to reveal the occurrence of a phase transition from monoclinic to orthorhombic at 732 K during heating. Upon cooling the reverse transition occurred at 710 K. The monoclinic crystal expanded almost one-dimensionally along [503] during the heating process. The orthorhombic phase also showed a tendency to expand one-dimensionally along the c-axis above 732 K.     

Immobilization of histidine-tagged recombinant proteins onto micropatterned surfaces for cell-based functional assays

This letter describes a method for preparing protein microarrays that allow the functional analysis of proteins at a cellular level. This method involves the utilization of recombinant proteins genetically engineered to carry a fusion tag that has an affinity for metal ions. A micropatterned alkanethiol monolayer was used to prepare a microarray having multiple spots with immobilized metal ions. The fusion protein was chelated to the spots under physiological conditions. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated by culturing neural stem cells on the microarray that displayed oligohistidine-tagged epidermal growth factor.     

Study of resolved high-pT neutral pions at the CERN ISR

The inclusive production of π⁰ at large values of p_T in pp collisions at the ISR has been studied. In this experiment the two photons are resolved and separately measured for pT values of up to 6 GeV/c, giving confidence that the desired signal has been separated from various backgrounds.     

Affinity of Hemicellulose for Cellulose Produced by Acetobacter Xylinum

Cellulose composites were produced by culturing Acetobacter aceti subsp. xylinum (ATCC 53524, agitation tolerant strain) under shaking and agitating conditions in the presence of 2% pine or beech Björkman lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) or six different types of hemicellulosic polysaccharides including glucuronoxylan, glucomannan, O-acetyl-glucuronoxylan, arabinoglucuronoxylan, arabinogalactan and xyloglucan. Hemicellulosic polysaccharide contents in cellulose composites were similar in spite of the differences in culture, shaking and agitating conditions. On the basis of hemicellulosic polysaccharide contents and X-ray diffraction patterns after extraction by dilute NaOH solution, glucomannan family polysaccharides were found to have the highest affinity to bacterial cellulose. Composites with neutral and acidic LCCs were resistant against alkali while high lability of their delignified carbohydrates against alkali indicates the importance of lignin for formation of cellulose-hemicellulose-lignin framework of plant secondary cell-walls.     

Synthesis of S‐Aryl Arenethiosulfonates from N,N‐Di(arenesulfonyl)hydrazines: Reduction of Sulfonyl Chlorides with an Organic Reagent

N,N‐Di(arenesulfonyl)‐N′,N′‐dimethyl‐hydrazines, readily prepared from arenesulfonyl chlorides and N,N‐dimethylhydrazine, were heated at 120°C in chlorobenzene to give S‐aryl arenethiosulfonates, ArSSO₂Ar, in good yields.     

Optimizing Charge Switching in Membrane Lytic Peptides for Endosomal Release of Biomacromolecules

Endocytic pathways are practical routes for the intracellular delivery of biomacromolecules. Along with this, effective strategies for endosomal cargo release into the cytosol are desired to achieve successful delivery. Focusing on compositional differences between the cell and endosomal membranes and the pH decrease within endosomes, we designed the lipid-sensitive and pH-responsive endosome-lytic peptide HAad. This peptide contains aminoadipic acid (Aad) residues, which serve as a safety catch for preferential permeabilization of endosomal membranes over cell membranes, and His-to-Ala substitutions enhance the endosomolytic activity. The ability of HAad to destabilize endosomal membranes was supported by model studies using large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and by increased intracellular delivery of biomacromolecules (including antibodies) into live cells. Cerebral ventricle injection of Cre recombinase with HAad led to Cre/loxP recombination in a mouse model, thus demonstrating potential applicability of HAad in vivo.     

Markov Property and Cokernels of Local Operators

We discuss Gaussian generalized random fields indexed by smoothsections of vector bundles with respect to Markov properties.We propose a new set-up which is suitable for the present questionand within which new phenomena are detected naturally. In particular,we give a counterexample to the belief that locality in theRKHS implies the germ Markov property. We also prove the closeconnection between the Markov property and cokernels of localoperators. Furthermore, we prove the Markov property for a verydegenerate Gaussian random field.     

Gene delivery to cells on a miniaturized multiwell plate for high-throughput gene function analysis

The transfectional microarray is a promising tool to conduct high-throughput analysis of gene function. In this study, a miniaturized multiwell plate was prepared by applying a silicone rubber sheet with holes on a gold electrode. The combination of electroporation and a miniaturized multiwell plate successfully achieved spatially controlled gene delivery with absence of cross-contamination between genes. Furthermore, we found that gene delivery efficiency was not dependent on conditions such as plasmid loading, electric field strength, and pulse duration.     

Solving linear programs from sign patterns

This paper is an attempt to provide a connection between qualitative matrix theory and linear programming. A linear program is said to be sign-solvable if the set of sign patterns of the optimal solutions is uniquely determined by the sign patterns of A, b, and c. It turns out to be NP-hard to decide whether a given linear program is sign-solvable or not. We then introduce a class of sign-solvable linear programs in terms of totally sign-nonsingular matrices, which can be recognized in polynomial time. For a linear program in this class, we devise an efficient combinatorial algorithm to obtain the sign pattern of an optimal solution from the sign patterns of A, b, and c. The algorithm runs in O(mγ) time, where m is the number of rows of A and γ is the number of all nonzero entries in A, b, and c.     

The glass transition and dielectric secondary relaxation of fructose-water mixtures

Broad-band dielectric measurements for fructose-water mixtures with fructose concentrations between 70.0 and 94.6 wt% were carried out in the frequency range of 2 mHz to 20 GHz in the temperature range of -70 to 45 degrees C. Two relaxation processes, the alpha process at lower frequency and the secondary beta process at higher frequency, were observed. The dielectric relaxation time of the alpha process was 100 s at the glass transition temperature, T(g), determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The relaxation time and strength of the beta process changed from weaker temperature dependences of below T(g) to a stronger one above T(g). These changes in behaviors of the beta process in fructose-water mixtures upon crossing the T(g) of the mixtures is the same as that found for the secondary process of water in various other aqueous mixtures with hydrogen-bonding molecular liquids, polymers, and nanoporous systems. These results lead to the conclusion that the primary alpha process of fructose-water mixtures results from the cooperative motion of water and fructose molecules, and the secondary beta process is the Johari-Goldstein process of water in the mixture. At temperatures near and above T(g) where both the alpha and the beta processes were observed and their relaxation times, tau(alpha) and tau(beta), were determined in some mixtures, the ratio tau(alpha)/tau(beta) is in accord with that predicted by the coupling model. Fixing tau(alpha) at 100 s, the ratio tau(alpha)/tau(beta) decreases with decreasing concentration of fructose in the mixtures. This trend is also consistent with that expected by the coupling model from the decrease of the intermolecular coupling parameter upon decreasing fructose concentration.