Metrology needs and NIST resources for the forensic DNA community

With the advent of forensic DNA profiling in the mid-1980s, this technology has had a positive impact on the criminal justice system, helping to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. The field has evolved from focusing on multilocus markers throughout the nuclear DNA genome to the use of autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers. Other marker systems such as mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomal STR testing have also found an important niche for the identification of missing persons and historical investigations. Given the importance of forensic DNA testing, it is critical that laboratories include proper controls and validated procedures for making quality measurements. In the United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed several standard reference materials (SRMs) to meet the needs of the forensic DNA community. Here, we discuss a brief history of forensic DNA testing and the development of NIST SRMs and educational resources for the field over the last 20 years.     

Formation of kinetically trapped nanoscopic unilamellar vesicles from metastable nanodiscs

Zwitterionic long-chain lipids (e.g., dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine, DMPC) spontaneously form onion-like, thermodynamically stable structures in aqueous solutions (commonly known as multilamellar vesicles, or MLVs). It has also been reported that the addition of zwitterionic short-chain (i.e., dihexanoyl phosphatidylcholine, DHPC) and charged long-chain (i.e., dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol, DMPG) lipids to zwitterionic long-chain lipid solutions results in the formation of unilamellar vesicles (ULVs). Here, we report a kinetic study on lipid mixtures composed of DMPC, DHPC, and DMPG. Two membrane charge densities (i.e., [DMPG]/[DMPC] = 0.01 and 0.001) and two solution salinities (i.e., [NaCl] = 0 and 0.2 M) are investigated. Upon dilution of the high-concentration samples at 50 °C, thermodynamically stable MLVs are formed, in the case of both weakly charged and high salinity solution mixtures, implying that the electrostatic interactions between bilayers are insufficient to cause MLVs to unbind. Importantly, in the case of these samples small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data show that, initially, nanodiscs (also known as bicelles) or bilayered ribbons form at low temperatures (i.e., 10 °C), but transform into uniform size, nanoscopic ULVs after incubation at 10 °C for 20 h, indicating that the nanodisc is a metastable structure. The instability of nanodiscs may be attributed to low membrane rigidity due to a reduced charge density and high salinity. Moreover, the uniform-sized ULVs persist even after being heated to 50 °C, where thermodynamically stable MLVs are observed. This result clearly demonstrates that these ULVs are kinetically trapped, and that the mechanical properties (e.g., bending rigidity) of 10 °C nanodiscs favor the formation of nanoscopic ULVs over that of MLVs. From a practical point of view, this method of forming uniform-sized ULVs may lend itself to their mass production, thus making them economically feasible for medical applications that depend on monodisperse lipid-based systems for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.     

Enhanced automated structure elucidation by inclusion of two‐bond specific data

The availability of cryogenically cooled probes permits routine acquisition of data from low sensitivity pulse sequences such as inadequate and 1,1‐adequate. We demonstrate that the use of cryo‐probe generated 1,1‐adequate data in conjunction with HMBC dramatically improves computer‐assisted structure elucidation (CASE) both in terms of speed and accuracy of structure generation. In this study data were obtained on two dissimilar natural products and subjected to CASE analysis with and without the incorporation of two‐bond specific data. Dramatic improvements in both structure calculation times and structure candidates were observed by the inclusion of the two‐bond specific data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of antiphase boundaries during ion sputtering and solid phase epitaxy of Si(0 0 1)

The Si(0 0 1) surface morphology during ion sputtering at elevated temperatures and solid phase epitaxy (SPE) following ion sputtering at room temperature has been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy. Two types of antiphase boundaries form on Si(0 0 1) surfaces during ion sputtering and SPE. One type of antiphase boundary, the AP2 antiphase boundary, contributes to the surface roughening. AP2 antiphase boundaries are stable up to 700 °C, and ion sputtering and SPE performed at 700 °C result in atomically flat Si(0 0 1) surfaces.     

Unambiguous assignment of trifluoromethylpyrazole regioisomers by 19F-15N correlation spectroscopy

Analysis of the 19F chemical shifts of trifluoromethylpyrazole regioisomers has shown that while chemical shift is in general a reliable predictor of regiochemistry in this series, there is a narrow chemical shift range in which the two isomers overlap and the regiochemistry cannot be assigned with certainty. We have examined the usage of 19F--15N correlation spectroscopy as a method to provide a second unambiguous confirmation of regiochemistry of 3- and 5-trifluoromethylpyrazole regioisomers. In the case of 3-trifluoromethyl analogs, one expects a three-bond coupling to the pyridine type nitrogen (N-2). In the case of the 5-trifluoromethyl pyrazole the situation is exactly reversed, with the fluorines of the trifluoromethyl moiety being 3-bonds from the pyrrole type nitrogen (N-1). We have observed that 3-trifluromethyl analogs follow the expected pattern of readily observable 3-bond coupling. However, 19F--15N couplings in 5-trifluromethyl analogs do not follow the normal pattern of 3-bond coupling. Using this information we have been able to develop unambiguous methods to distinguish the isomers.     

Extremely strong tubular stacking of aromatic oligoamide macrocycles

As the third-generation rigid macrocycles evolved from progenitor 1, cyclic aromatic oligoamides 3, with a backbone of reduced constraint, exhibit extremely strong stacking with an astoundingly high affinity (estimated lower limit of K _dimer > 10¹³ M^–1 in CHCl₃), which leads to dispersed tubular stacks that undergo further assembly in solution. Computational study reveals a very large binding energy (–49.77 kcal mol^–1) and indicates highly cooperative local dipole interactions that account for the observed strength and directionality for the stacking of 3. In the solid-state, X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that the aggregation of 3 results in well-aligned tubular stacks. The persistent tubular assemblies of 3, with their non-deformable sub-nm pore, are expected to possess many interesting functions. One such function, transmembrane ion transport, is observed for 3.