Crystallization and characterization of an inflammatory lectin purified from the seeds of Dioclea wilsonii

DwL, a lectin extracted from the seeds of Dioclea wilsonii, is a metalloprotein with strong agglutinating activity against rabbit and ABO erythrocytes, inhibited by glucose and mannose. DwL was purified by affinity chromatography on a Sephadex G-50 column and ion exchange chromatography on a HiTrap SP XL column. SDS-PAGE revealed three electrophoretic bands corresponding to the α (25,634 ± 2 Da), β (12,873 ± 2 Da) and γ (12,779 ± 2 Da) chains. Protein sequencing was done by Tandem Mass Spectrometry. The primary sequence featured 237 amino acids and was highly homologous to other reported Diocleinae lectins. A complete X-ray dataset was collected at 2.0 ? for X-Man-complexed DWL crystals produced by the vapor diffusion method. The crystals were orthorhombic and belonged to the space group I222, with the unit-cell parameters a = 59.6, b = 67.9 and c = 109.0 ?. DWL differed in potency from other ConA-like lectins and was found to induce neutrophil migration in rats, making it particularly useful in structural/functional studies of this class of proteins.     

A Self‐Improved Water‐Oxidation Catalyst: Is One Site Really Enough?

The homogeneous catalysis of water oxidation by transition‐metal complexes has experienced spectacular development over the last five years. Practical energy‐conversion schemes, however, require robust catalysts with large turnover frequencies. Herein we introduce a new oxidatively rugged and powerful dinuclear water‐oxidation catalyst that is generated by self‐assembly from a mononuclear catalyst during the catalytic process. Our kinetic and DFT computational analysis shows that two interconnected catalytic cycles coexist while the mononuclear system is slowly and irreversibly converted into the more stable dinuclear system: an extremely robust water‐oxidation catalyst that does not decompose over extended periods of time.     

Spectroscopic and theoretical studies on solid 1,2-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride salt.

A structural study of [H3N(CH2)2NH3)]2+.2Cl-, the smallest element of the homologous series of the alpha,omega-diamine dihydrochlorides, was carried out by means of Raman and FTIR spectroscopy coupled to ab initio molecular orbital (MO) calculations. As a primary concern, an adequate molecular model for the representation of these solid amine salts was chosen. Thus, several models, varying in the number and position of the counterions as well as in the number of diamine units, were considered. It was found that the best molecular system (i.e., that yielding the best compromise between accuracy and computational requirements) consists of one ethylenediamine cation surrounded by six chloride ions in an arrangement based on the crystal structure reported in the literature for [H3N(CH2)2NH3)]2+.2Cl-. This conclusion will hopefully allow for a better understanding of the conformational preferences, in the solid state, of these biologically relevant linear polyamines.     

Effect of quantum entanglement on Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, spin-polarized transport and current magnification effect

We present a simple model of transmission across a metallic mesoscopic ring. In one of its arm an electron interacts with a single magnetic impurity via an exchange coupling. We show that entanglement between electron and spin impurity states leads to reduction of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the transmission coefficient. The spin-conductance is asymmetric in the flux reversal as opposed to the two-probe electrical conductance which is symmetric. In the same model, in contradiction to the naive expectation of a current magnification effect, we observe enhancement as well as suppression of this effect depending on the system parameters. The limitations of this model to the general notion of dephasing or decoherence in quantum systems are pointed out.     

Residual stress measurements on cold-formed profiles

Experimental Techniques -     

Nonlocal magnetic field-tuned quantum criticality in cubic CeIn(3-x)Sn(x) (x = 0.25)

We show that antiferromagnetism in lightly (approximately 8%) Sn-doped CeIn3 terminates at a critical field mu0H(c) = 42 +/- 2 T. Electrical transport and thermodynamic measurements reveal the effective mass m* not to diverge, suggesting that cubic CeIn3 is representative of a critical spin-density wave (SDW) scenario, unlike the local quantum critical points reported in anisotropic systems such as CeCu(6-x)Au(x) and YbRh2Si(2-x)Ge(x). The existence of a maximum in m* at a lower field mu0H(x) = 30 +/- 1 T may be interpreted as a field-induced crossover from local moment to SDW behavior as the Néel temperature falls below the Fermi temperature.     

Sample Preparation for the Determination of Metals in Food Samples Using Spectroanalytical Methods—A Review

Abstract

The present article gives an overview of recent publications and modern techniques of sample preparation for food analysis employing atomic and inorganic mass spectrometric techniques, such as flame atomic absorption spectrometry, chemical vapor generation atomic absorption and atomic fluorescence spectrometry, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Among the most frequently applied sample preparation techniques for food analysis are dry ashing, usually with the addition of an ashing aid, and acid digestion, preferably with the assistance of microwave energy. Slurry preparation, particularly with the assistance of ultrasound, is increasingly used to reduce acid consumption and sample preparation time. Direct analysis of solid samples is gaining importance in the field of food analysis as it offers the highest sensitivity, avoids the use of acids and other aggressive reagents, makes possible the analysis of micro‐samples, and can be applied for fast screening analysis, e.g., of fresh meat.     

Strong coupling approach to actinide metals

We present a strongly correlated approach to the electronic structure of actinide metals by deriving a low-energy Hamiltonian H[over] under the assumption that kinetic energy is small compared to Coulomb and spin-orbit interactions. The H[over]Pu for Pu metal is similar to the models used for Ce and other lanthanides but qualitatively different from the H[over] presented for the rest of the actinides. With H[over]Pu, we computed the photoemission spectrum and specific heat for alpha and delta-Pu and found good agreement with experiment.