Quasi-periodic water waves

We present the result and the ideas of the recent paper (Berti and Montalto, Quasi-periodic standing wave solutions of gravity-capillary water waves, http://arxiv.org/abs/1602.02411, 2016) concerning the existence of Cantor families of small-amplitude time quasi-periodic standing wave solutions (i.e. periodic and even in the space variable x) of a 2-dimensional ocean, with infinite depth, in irrotational regime, under the action of gravity and surface tension at the free boundary. These quasi-periodic solutions are linearly stable.     

Some asymptotic limits of reaction–diffusion systems appearing in reversible chemistry

This paper concerns reaction–diffusion systems consisting of three or four equations, which come out of reversible chemistry. We introduce different scalings for those systems, which make sense in various situations (species with very different concentrations or very different diffusion rates, chemical reactions with very different rates, etc.). We show how recently introduced mathematical tools allow to prove that the formal asymptotics associated to those scalings indeed hold at the rigorous level.     

Adlayers of dimannoside thiols on gold: surface chemical analysis

Carbohydrate films on gold based on dimannoside thiols (DMT) were prepared, and a complementary surface chemical analysis was performed in detail by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), FT-IR, and contact angle measurements in order to verify formation of ω-carbohydrate-functionalized alkylthiol films. XPS (C 1s, O 1s, and S 2p) reveals information on carbohydrate specific alkoxy (C-O) and acetal moieties (O-C-O) as well as thiolate species attached to gold. Angle-resolved synchrotron XPS was used for chemical speciation at ultimate surface sensitivity. Angle-resolved XPS analysis suggests the presence of an excess top layer composed of unbound sulfur components combined with alkyl moieties. Further support for DMT attachment on Au is given by ToF-SIMS and FT-IR analysis. Carbon and oxygen K-edge NEXAFS spectra were interpreted by applying the building block model supported by comparison to data of 1-undecanethiol, poly(vinyl alcohol), and polyoxymethylene. No linear dichroism effect was observed in the angle-resolved C K-edge NEXAFS.     

Structural-dynamical investigation of the ZnuA histidine-rich loop: involvement in zinc management and transport

Comparative homology modelling techniques have been used to model the protein ZnuA from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium using the 3D structure of the homologous protein from Escherichia coli. These two-domain proteins bind one Zn²⁺ atom, with high affinity, in the inter-domain cleft and possess a histidine-rich loop in the N-terminal domain. Alternative structures of the ZnuA histidine-rich loop, never resolved by the X-ray diffraction method, have been modelled. A model of the apo form, one with the histidine-rich loop deleted and two alternative structures with a second zinc ion bound to the histidine-rich loop, have been generated. In all the modelled proteins, investigated through molecular dynamics simulation, the histidine-rich loop is highly mobile and its fluctuations are correlated to the ligand stability observed in the zinc sites. Based on the plasticity of the histidine-rich loop and its significant effects on protein mobility a possible role in the capture and/or transfer of the zinc ions has been suggested.     

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharge for Polysiloxane Thin Films Deposition and Comparison with Low Pressure Process

An atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier plasma discharge has been used to study a thin film deposition process. The DBD device is enclosed in a vacuum chamber and one of the electrodes is a rotating cylinder. Thus, this device is able to simulate continuous processing in arbitrary deposition condition of pressure and atmosphere composition. A deposition process of thin organosilicon films has been studied reproducing a nitrogen atmosphere with small admixtures of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) vapours. The plasma discharge has been characterized with optical emission spectroscopy and voltage-current measurements. Thin films chemical composition and morphology have been characterized with FTIR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements. A strong dependency of deposit character from the HMDSO concentration has been found and then compared with the same dependency of a typical low pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition process.     

Supramolecular engineering through temperature-induced chemical modification of 2H-tetraphenylporphyrin on Ag(111): flat phenyl conformation and possible dehydrogenation reactions

Scratching the surface: Formation of a monolayer of 2H-tetraphenylporphyrins (2H-TPP) on Ag(111), either by sublimation of a multilayer in the range 525-600?K or by annealing (at the same temperature) a monolayer deposited at room temperature, induces a chemical modification of the molecules. Rotation of the phenyl rings into a flat conformation is observed and tentatively explained, by using DFT calculations, as a peculiar reaction due to molecular dehydrogenation.     

Communication: are metallic glasses different from other glasses? A closer look at their high frequency dynamics

Using high resolution inelastic x-ray scattering we studied the collective dynamics of the Pd(77)Si(16.5)Cu(6.5) metallic glass, focusing on the energy-momentum region where the boson peak appears. The dispersion relation and the width of the acoustic excitations are determined showing how the longitudinal acoustic modes maintain their dispersive character for frequencies well above the boson peak frequencies. Moreover, we prove that close to these frequencies there is a softening of the apparent sound speed indicating a failure of the Debye continuum approximation at the boson peak frequencies and challenging previous results on other metallic glasses.     

Amphiphilic antioxidants from "cashew nut shell liquid" (CNSL) waste

Hydrogenated cardanol and cardols, contained in industrial grade cardanol oil and obtained by distillation of the raw "cashew nut shell liquid" (CNSL), are easily transformed into efficient 4-thiaflavane antioxidants bearing a long alkyl chain on A ring and a catechol group on B ring.