A biohybrid dynamic random access memory

We report that GABA(A) receptors in a patch-clamped biological cell form a short-term memory circuit when integrated with a scanning-probe microfluidic device. Laminar patterns of receptor activators (agonists) provided by the microfluidic device define and periodically update the data input which is read and stored by the receptors as state distributions (based on intrinsic multistate kinetics). The memory is discharged over time and lasts for seconds to minutes depending on the input function. The function of the memory can be represented by an equivalent electronic circuit with striking similarity in function to a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) used in electronic computers. Multiplexed biohybrid memories may form the basis of large-scale integrated biocomputational/sensor devices with the curious ability to use chemical signals including odorants, neurotransmitters, chemical and biological warfare agents, and many more as input signals.     

Observation of Psi(3770)-->gammachi(c1)-->gammagammaJ/Psi

From e(+)e(-) collision data acquired with the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we observe the non-DD(_) decay Psi(3770))-->gammachi(c1) with a statistical significance of 6.6 standard deviations, using the two-photon cascades to J/Psi and J/Psi-->l(+)l(-). We determine sigma(e(=)e(-)-->Psi(3770))xBeta(Psi(3770)-->gammachi(c1))=(18.0 +/- 3.3 +/- 2.5) pb and branching fraction Beta(Psi(3770)-->gammachi(c1)=(2.8 +/- 0.5+/-0.4) x 10(-3). We set 90% C.L. upper limits for the transition to chi(c2) (chi(c0)): sigma x Beta<5.7 pb (<282 pb) and Beta<0.9 x 10(-3) (<44 x 10(-3)). We also determine Gamma(Psi(3770)gammachi(c1))/Gamma(Psi(3770)-->pi(+)pi(-)J/Psi)=1.5 +/- 0.3 +/- 0.3 (>1.0 at 90% C.L.), which bears upon the interpretation of X(3872).     

Mechanical characterization of melt-textured Y0.95Er0.05Ba2Cu3O7−δ superconductor prepared in air

The effect of Er substitution on the mechanical properties of ab- and a(b)c-planes of melt-textured YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ is reported in the present work. The non-oxygenated samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and mechanical properties by instrumented indentation and conventional Vickers indentation whereas the superconducting properties were determined by resistivity measurements on oxygenated samples. The X-ray pattern and EDS analysis revealed the presence of Y-123, Y-211 and BaCeO₃ phases. Er substitution up to 5 wt.% did not affect the superconducting properties. No difference in hardness was observed for the ab- and a(b)c-planes. Elastic modulus of the a(b)c-plane was 10% higher than of the ab-plane. Differences in indentation fracture toughness obtained by conventional Vickers indentation of the ab- and a(b)c-planes was observed. The addition of 5 wt.% of Er did not affect significantly the mechanical properties of melt-textured samples when compared with pure melt-textured YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ.     

Search for very light CP-odd Higgs Boson in radiative decays of Upsilon(1S)

We search for a non-SM-like CP-odd Higgs boson (a(1)(0)) decaying to tau(+)tau(-) or mu(+)mu(-) in radiative decays of the Upsilon(1S). No significant signal is found, and upper limits on the product branching ratios are set. Our tau(+)tau(-) results are almost 2 orders of magnitude more stringent than previous upper limits. Our data provide no evidence for a Higgs state with a mass of 214 MeV decaying to mu(+)mu(-), previously proposed as an explanation for 3 Sigma(+)-->pmu(+)mu(-) events observed by the HyperCP experiment. Our results constrain NMSSM models.     

Synthesis and characterization of water-operative cationic and anionic metal-ion activated molecular receptors for aromatic anions

Two new, octadentate, water-soluble, macrocyclic ligands, 1,4,7,10-tetrakis((2S)-(-)-2-hydroxy-3-[3'-(N,N,N-trimethylammonium)-phenoxy]-propyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane tetratriflate, ((S)-tmappc12 triflate, L1 triflate) and 1,4,7,10-tetrakis((2S)-(-)-2-hydroxy-3-[2'-sulfo-4'-methylphenoxy]-propyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane, ((S)-sthmppc12, L2H4) have been prepared with a view to using them to study anion sequestration in aqueous solution. Their pKa and metal-ion binding constant values with a range of alkaline earth, transition, and post-transition metals are reported. The eight-coordinate, water-soluble Cd(II) complexes of (L1)4+ and (L2)4-, [CdL1](CF3SO3)6 and (NH4)2-[CdL2], the former cationic and the latter anionic, have both been shown to be capable of acting as anion receptors in aqueous solution. The binding constant values (log(K/M-1) given in parentheses) for binding by the cationic receptor to a range of aromatic anions in water are p-nitrophenolate (1.7), p-formylphenolate (2.1), p-nitrobenzoate (3.0), p-aminobenzoate (4.5), p-dimethylaminobenzoate (>4.5), D- and L-tryptophanate (1.6, 2.2), phenoxyacetate (2.1), and acetate (2.3). With the anionic receptor, nonzero binding constants were only measurable for p-nitrobenzoate (approximately 0.4), p-aminobenzoate (2.0), and p-dimethylaminobenzoate (1.8). By reference to the X-ray determined structures of related, but water-insoluble inclusion complexes, anion retention is thought to occur within a hydrophobic cavity, with four convergent hydroxy groups at its base, which develops in (L1)4+ and (L2)4- through the juxtapositioning of aromatic rings that occurs as a consequence of octadentate coordination.     

Mechanical properties of polycrystalline RuSr2GdCu2O8 superconductor

The main objective of this paper is to report the room temperature hardness and elastic modulus of the RuSr₂GdCu₂O₈ superconductor phase by instrumented indentation. Polycrystalline samples were produced by a solid state reaction technique. The samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electrical resistivity measurements. The influence of porosity on the mechanical properties was avoided by considering only those indentations inside the grains. The hardness and elastic modulus were 8.6 GPa and 145 GPa, respectively. These values are comparable with those of Y-123. The indentation fracture toughness evaluated after conventional Vickers indentation was 1.9 MPa m^1/2.     

Influence of temperature on surface tension of three liquid crystal polymers and polyethylene terephtalate

In this work Pressure Volume Temperature (PVT) data for three different liquid crystal polymers (LCPs), namely Vectra A950^® and two LCPs based on 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl (PB-n) (where n is the number of methylene units present in the polymer) and polyethylene terephtalate (PET), were obtained for temperatures ranging from 50 to 300°C and pressures ranging from 0.1 to 200 MPa. The experimental data were fitted to the Flory-Orwoll-Vrij equation of state and used to predict the influence of temperature on the surface tension of the four materials studied.

The surface tension of PET was shown to decrease linearly with increasing temperature. The surface tension of both PB-11 (γ_PB-11) and Vectra A950^® (γ_Vectra) decreased linearly with increasing temperature for temperatures corresponding to the nematic phases of the materials. Abnormal behaviour was observed for the surface tension of PB-8 (γ_PB-8): at temperatures just above T_b (the temperature at which the material became birefringent), γ levelled off and then decreased. A clear discontinuity was observed for both γ_PB-8 and γ_PB-11 near the mesophase to isotropic transition. For both PB-8 and PB-11, γ decreased linearly with increasing temperature for temperatures corresponding to the isotropic phases of the materials.     

A Proof of the Gibbs—Thomson Formula in the Droplet Formation Regime

We study equilibrium droplets in two-phase systems at parameter values corresponding to phase coexistence. Specifically, we give a self-contained microscopic derivation of the Gibbs–Thomson formula for the deviation of the pressure and the density away from their equilibrium values which, according to the interpretation of the classical thermodynamics, appears due to the presence of a curved interface. The general—albeit heuristic—reasoning is corroborated by a rigorous proof in the case of the two-dimensional Ising lattice gas.     

Centrosymmetric and Non-centrosymmetric Packing of Aligned Molecular Fibers in the Solid State Self Assemblies of Cyclodextrin-based Rotaxanes

Two [2]-rotaxanes each comprising α-cyclodextrin as the rotor, and with either 3,3′-difluoro- or 3,3′-dichloro-stilbene as the axle and trinitrophenylamino substituents as the blocking groups at the 4- and 4′-positions, were prepared and their structures analyzed in solution and the solid state using ¹H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, respectively. With each rotaxane, in solution the stilbene rotates freely within the cyclodextrin annulus. In the solid state the 3,3′-dichlorostilbene-based rotaxane adopts two very similar conformations, each having the chlorines in the anti,anti-orientation. By comparison, the 3,3′-difluorostilbene-based rotaxane adopts anti,anti-, anti,syn- and syn,syn-orientations of the substituents. The crystal packing of each rotaxane displays aligned molecular fibers, which are centrosymmetrically orientated in the case of the difluoride due to the head-to-head/tail-to-tail alignment of the cyclodextrins. By contrast, all of the cyclodextrins in the dichloride are aligned head-to-tail along a single axis to give a polar, non-centrosymmetric crystal.     

Synthesis, structure, and magnetochemical analysis of selected first-row transition-metal anilino- and anisolesquarate compounds

The isomorphous polymeric complexes [M(mu-C(6)H(5)NHC(4)O(3))(2)(CH(3)OH)(2)](n) [M = Mn (1), Co (2), Cu (4), Zn (5)] are produced by reacting the anilinosquarate anion with the appropriate metal nitrates in a methanolic solution. Each of these complexes contains the central metal atom in a slightly distorted octahedral environment, with the coordination polyhedron consisting of four mu-1,2-bridging anilinosquarate ligands and two trans-oriented methanols. The polymer chains propagate to form a two-dimensional net of metal centers, with the conformation of the component sheets in the net being controlled by intramolecular N-H...O and O-H...O hydrogen bonds. Under reaction conditions similar to those used in the synthesis of the polymers 1, 2, 4, and 5, the nickel(II) monomer [Ni(C(6)H(5)NHC(4)O(3))(2)(H(2)O)(4)].2H(2)O (3) is produced in which each nickel center is attached to two cis-coordinated anilinosquarate and four aqua ligands in a distorted octahedral arrangement. The ligand conformation in 3 is stabilized by both intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding, which results in the formation of a sheet polymer having distinct hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Magnetochemical analysis of 1 and 4 reveals normal paramagnetic behavior for 1 and a very weak ferromagnetic interaction in 4; the absence of significant magnetic interactions is attributed to the distortion of the C(4) cycle of the anilinosquarate ligand (lower than C(2)(v) symmetry) in these complexes. Reaction of anisolesquarate with M(NO(3))(2).xH(2)O in acetonitrile produced the set of isomorphous salts [M(H(2)O)(6)][CH(3)OC(6)H(5)C(4)O(3)](2) [M = Mn (6), Co (7), Ni (8), Zn (9)]. The anisolesquarate anions in 6-9 are hydrogen bonded to the [M(H(2)O)(6)](2+) ions to form polymer chains, which are further linked by hydrogen bonds to form complex sheets. Complexation of the anisolesquarate ligand was not observed even when other solvents and reaction conditions were employed.