Polymer translocation under time-dependent driving forces: resonant activation induced by attractive polymer-pore interactions

We study the driven translocation of polymers under time-dependent driving forces using N-particle Langevin dynamics simulations. We consider the force to be either sinusoidally oscillating in time or dichotomic noise with exponential correlation time, to mimic both plausible experimental setups and naturally occurring biological conditions. In addition, we consider both the case of purely repulsive polymer-pore interactions and the case with additional attractive polymer-pore interactions, typically occurring inside biological pores. We find that the nature of the interaction fundamentally affects the translocation dynamics. For the non-attractive pore, the translocation time crosses over to a fast translocation regime as the frequency of the driving force decreases. In the attractive pore case, because of a free energy well induced inside the pore, the translocation time can be a minimum at the optimal frequency of the force, the so-called resonant activation. In the latter case, we examine the effect of various physical parameters on the resonant activation, and explain our observations using simple theoretical arguments.     

Effect of ligand on the synthesis of star polymers by resorcinarene‐based ATRP initiators

The effect of the steric hindrance on the initiating properties of two multifunctional resorcinarene‐based initiators in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was studied by using Cu(I)‐complexes of three multidentate amine ligands in the polymerization of tert‐butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate. These ligands are less sterically hindered and have higher activities in the catalysis of ATRP of (meth)acrylates than 2,2′‐bipyridine. The polymerizations were faster and more controlled than with the 2,2′‐bipyridyl catalyst, but the tendency for bimolecular coupling increased. Even though the initiator was octafunctional, the resulting star polymers had only four arms. This indicates that the steric hindrance arising from the conformations of the initiators determines the structure of the polymer, but the ligand noticeably affects the controllability of the polymerization © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3349–3358, 2005     

Characterisation of optical detectors using high-accuracy instruments

The facilities of the Metrology Research Institute at the Helsinki University of Technology, and methods for characterisation of optical detectors for spectral radiant intensity and irradiance responsivity, are described. The instrumentation for such characterisations includes a reference spectrometer with a number of auxiliary set-ups, and equipment for the spectral irradiance measurements with a filter radiometer based on a trap detector. The methods of realising the spectral responsivity scales based on an absolute cryogenic radiometer in house are addressed. The procedures and results of characterisation of a multipoint measuring system of photosynthetically active radiation, by employing the available facilities, are briefly described. The absolute irradiance responsivity of the device is determined by using a photometric lamp, whose spectral irradiance has been measured with the filter radiometer. The combined standard uncertainty of this set of calibrations is 3.6% at the 1σ level. The uncertainty is caused almost completely by the multipoint measuring system.     

Side-Chain Liquid-Crystalline Polymers with Polystyrene Backbone

Abstract

A series of liquid-crystalline polystyrene derivatives with pendant mesogenic groups has been prepared and characterized. The side-chain is connected to the polystyrene backbone by a methyleneoxyhexyloxy spacer. The mesogenic group is a 4-alkoxy substituted biphenyl group. The length of the alkoxy end-group varied from a methoxy group to an octyloxy group. The polymers were synthesized by a radical reaction. Molar masses (M _n) varied between 17,000 and 46,000, with a molar mass distribution between 1.6 and 2.0. All the polymers were liquid-crystalline, with enantiotropic smectic phases. The polymers were characterized with polarizing microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and calorimetry.     

Succinobucol's new coat--conjugation with steroids to alter its drug effect and bioavailability

Synthesis, detailed structural characterization (X-ray, NMR, MS, IR, elemental analysis), and studies of toxicity, antioxidant activity and bioavailability of unique potent anti-atherosclerotic succinobucol-steroid conjugates are reported. The conjugates consist of, on one side, the therapeutically important drug succinobucol ([4-{2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-[(1-{[3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-5-(propan-2-yl)phenyl]sulfanyl}ethyl)sulfanyl]phenoxy}-4-oxo-butanoic acid]) possessing an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and on the other side, plant stanol/sterols (stigmastanol, β-sitosterol and stigmasterol) possessing an ability to lower the blood cholesterol level. A cholesterol-succinobucol prodrug was also prepared in order to enhance the absorption of succinobucol through the intestinal membrane into the organism and to target the drug into the place of lipid metabolism-The enterohepatic circulation system. Their low toxicity towards mice fibroblasts at maximal concentrations, their antioxidant activity, comparable or even higher than that of ascorbic acid as determined by direct quenching of the DPPH radical, and their potential for significantly altering total and LDL cholesterol levels, suggest that these conjugates merit further studies in the treatment of cardiovascular or other related diseases. A brief discussion of succinobucol's ability to quench the radicals, supported with a computational model of the electrostatic potential mapped on the electron density surface of the drug, is also presented.     

Microscopic calculations of isospin-breaking corrections to superallowed beta decay

The superallowed β-decay rates that provide stringent constraints on physics beyond the standard model of particle physics are affected by nuclear structure effects through isospin-breaking corrections. The self-consistent isospin- and angular-momentum-projected nuclear density functional theory is used for the first time to compute those corrections for a number of Fermi transitions in nuclei from A=10 to A=74. The resulting leading element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix, |V(ud)|=0.97447(23), agrees well with the recent result of Towner and Hardy [Phys. Rev. C 77, 025501 (2008)].     

Three-pion correlations for studying partial coherence in nuclear collisions

Use of three-particle correlations provides a unique tool for studying partial coherence in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Here a theory is presented for multiple coherent source components of partially coherent pion radiation. Results are given for the relative probabilities of emission of one, two, or three pions. The calculations on the relation between two- and three-pion correlators give some evidence, when compared with available experimental data, for the existence of partial coherence and multiple coherent components in heavy-ion collisions.     

Tritium analysis in building dismantling process using digital autoradiography

The aim of our study was to develop a sensitive analytical technique to investigate tritium traces on concrete floor, ceiling and walls of a laboratory under dismantling process. In dismantling process, the behaviour of tritium must be followed very closely and in particular releases to atmosphere and exposure to public must be prevented. The investigations were carried out using liquid scintillation counting (LSC) and digital autoradiography techniques. The LSC investigations were carried out using wipe tests. It was concluded that even though LSC technique provided accurate information on the level of contamination, the loss of exact localisation of contamination spots was considered to be a major disadvantage in this application. The digital autoradiography was shown to provide both quantitative information and localisation of contamination spots. The exposure time on the digital autoradiography films were optimized, the matrix effect and the selectivity of the films were studied using polymethylmethacrylate standards. The studies showed that the digital autoradiography technique can give quantitative results, especially if standards of the investigated material (concrete) are used.     

Influence of high-frequency modulation on Mössbauer resonance: Experiments with67Zn

Hyperfine Interactions - Temporal aspects related to the Mössbauer resonance are reviewed, in particular time-dependent transient effects produced by high-frequency modulation of the...     

Exact solution of the spin-isospin proton-neutron pairing Hamiltonian

The exact solution of the proton-neutron isoscalar-isovector (T=0,1) pairing Hamiltonian with nondegenerate single-particle orbits and equal pairing strengths is presented for the first time. The Hamiltonian is a particular case of a family of integrable SO(8) Richardson-Gaudin models. The exact solution of the T=0,1 pairing Hamiltonian is reduced to a problem of 4 sets of coupled nonlinear equations that determine the spectral parameters of the complete set of eigenstates. The microscopic structure of individual eigenstates is analyzed in terms of evolution of the spectral parameters in the complex plane for a system of A=80 nucleons. The spectroscopic trends of the exact solutions are discussed in terms of generalized rotations in isospace.