On Spectral Properties of Translationally Invariant Magnetic Schrödinger Operators

We consider a class of translationally invariant magnetic fields such that the corresponding potential has a constant direction. Our goal is to study basic spectral properties of the Schr?dinger operator with such a potential. In particular, we show that the spectrum of is absolutely continuous and we find its location. Then we study the long-time behaviour of solutions exp of the time dependent Schr?dinger equation. It turns out that a quantum particle remains localized in the plane orthogonal to the direction of the potential. Its propagation in this direction is determined by group velocities. It is to a some extent similar to an evolution of a one-dimensional free particle but “exits” to +∞ and −∞ in the direction of the potential might be essentially different. Submitted: June 7, 2007. Accepted: August 20, 2007.     

Differential Many‐Body Cooperativity in Electronic Spectra of Oligonuclear Transition‐Metal Complexes

In computational chemistry, non‐additive and cooperative effects can be defined in terms of a (differential) many‐body expansion of the energy or any other physical property of the molecular system of interest. One‐body terms describe energies or properties of the subsystems, two‐body terms describe non‐additive but pairwise contributions and three‐body as well as higher‐order terms can be interpreted as a measure for cooperativity. In the present article, this concept is applied to the analysis of ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) spectra of homotrinuclear transition‐metal complexes by means of a many‐body expansion of the change in the spectrum induced by replacing each of the three transition‐metal ions by another transition‐metal ion to yield a different homotrinuclear transition‐metal complex. Computed spectra for the triangulo‐complexes [M₃{Si(mt^Me)₃}₂] (M=Pd/Pt, mt^Me=methimazole) and tritopic triphenylene‐based N‐heterocyclic carbene Rh/Ir complexes illustrate the concept, showing large and small differential three‐body cooperativity, respectively.     

Neglect of four- and approximation of one-, two-, and three-center two-electron integrals in a symmetrically orthogonalized basis

A new integral approximation for use in molecular electronic structure calculations is proposed as an alternative to the traditional neglect of diatomic differential overlap models. The similarity between the symmetrically orthogonalized and the original basis functions (assumed orthonormal within each atomic set but nonorthogonal between different centers) is used to construct a robust approximation for the two-electron integrals, with the error being quadratic in the deviation between the products of the functions. Invariance properties of this procedure are rigorously proved. Numerical studies on a representative set of molecules at valence-only minimal basis Hartree-Fock level show that the approximation introduces relatively small errors, encouraging its future application in the semiempirical field.     

Investigation of photobleaching and saturation of single molecules by fluorophore recrossing events

A method for investigation of photobleaching and saturation of single molecules by fluorophore recrossing events in a laser beam is described. The diffraction-limited probe volumes encountered in single-molecule detection (SMD) produce high excitation irradiance, which can decrease available signal. The single molecules of several dyes were detected and the data was used to extract interpeak times above a defined threshold value. The interpeak times revealed the number of fluorophore recrossing events. The number of molecules detected that were within 2 ms of each other represented a molecular recrossing for this work. Calcein, fluorescein and R-phycoerythrin were analyzed and the saturation irradiance and photobleaching effects were determined as a function of irradiance. This approach is simple and it serves as a method of optimizing experimental conditions for single-molecule detection.     

Multiscale theory of fluctuating interfaces: renormalization of atomistic models

We describe a framework for the multiscale analysis of atomistic surface processes which we apply to a model of homoepitaxial growth with deposition according to the Wolf-Villain model and concurrent surface diffusion. Coarse graining is accomplished by calculating renormalization-group (RG) trajectories from initial conditions determined by the regularized atomistic theory. All of the crossover and asymptotic scaling regimes known from computer simulations are obtained, but we also find that two-dimensional substrates show an intriguing transition from smooth to mounded morphologies along the RG trajectory.     

Structure of the molybdenum site in YedY, a sulfite oxidase homologue from Escherichia coli

YedY from Escherichia coli is a new member of the sulfite oxidase family of molybdenum cofactor (Moco)-containing oxidoreductases. We investigated the atomic structure of the molybdenum site in YedY by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in comparison to human sulfite oxidase (hSO) and to a Mo(IV) model complex. The K-edge energy was indicative of Mo(V) in YedY, in agreement with X- and Q-band electron paramagnetic resonance results, whereas the hSO protein contained Mo(VI). In YedY and hSO, molybdenum is coordinated by two sulfur ligands from the molybdopterin ligand of the Moco, one thiolate sulfur of a cysteine (average Mo-S bond length of ～2.4 ?), and one (axial) oxo ligand (Mo═O, ～1.7 ?). hSO contained a second oxo group at Mo as expected, but in YedY, two species in about a 1:1 ratio were found at the active site, corresponding to an equatorial Mo-OH bond (～2.1 ?) or possibly to a shorter Mo-O(-) bond. Yet another oxygen (or nitrogen) at a ～2.6 ? distance to Mo in YedY was identified, which could originate from a water molecule in the substrate binding cavity or from an amino acid residue close to the molybdenum site, i.e., Glu104, that is replaced by a glycine in hSO, or Asn45. The addition of the poor substrate dimethyl sulfoxide to YedY left the molybdenum coordination unchanged at high pH. In contrast, we found indications that the better substrate trimethylamine N-oxide and the substrate analogue acetone were bound at a ～2.6 ? distance to the molybdenum, presumably replacing the equatorial oxygen ligand. These findings were used to interpret the recent crystal structure of YedY and bear implications for its catalytic mechanism.     

Single molecule fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of single apoptotic cells using a red-fluorescent caspase probe

The detection of single molecules in single cells has enabled biochemical analyses to be conducted with high sensitivity and high temporal resolution. In this work, detection of apoptosis was studied by single molecule fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) in single living cells. Caspase activity was assayed using a new red fluorogenic probe that avoids the spectral overlap of green fluorescent probes and cell autofluorescence. This new probe, 2SBPO-Casp, was synthesized by coupling a water-soluble Nile Blue derivative (2SBPO) to an aspartic acid residue. Upon apoptosis induction and caspase activation, free 2SBPO dye is shown to accumulate inside the cell after probe cleavage. In previous work in our lab, single molecule fluorescence in single apoptotic cells was detected 45 min after induction using a rhodamine 110-based probe. However, significant statistical analysis was needed to exclude false positives. The use of 2SBPO-Casp overcomes the autofluorescence problem and offers a steady fluorescence signal. In our single molecule FCS measurements, Ramos cells were determined apoptotic on the basis of their correlation coefficient value (R(2)). Cells that contain an R(2) ≥ 0.65 were identified as highly correlated and therefore determined to be apoptotic. Single apoptotic cells identified in this manner were found as early as 30 min after induction and the number of apoptotic cells reached a peak value at the 3rd hour, which is consistent with other techniques. Using single molecule techniques and a new apoptosis probe, the temporal dynamics were elucidated with better sensitivity and resolution than in previous studies.     

A joint application of spectroscopic, electrochemical and theoretical approaches in evaluation of the radical scavenging activity of 3-OH flavones and their iron complexes towards different radical species

Combined spectroscopic (UV/visible, MS and EPR), electrochemical (CV) and theoretical approaches were used to evaluate the relevant interactions of morin and quercetin, as well as their respective iron(III) complexes with DPPH, tempone, hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. The results on iron complexation specify the stoichiometry and the relevant structural forms entering the chelation of the molecules. The spectroscopic DPPH assay shows better antioxidant activity of quercetin and its iron complex both in terms of EC(50) values and stoichiometry. The results of 2-deoxyribose degradation suggest that antioxidant activities of morin and quercetin may originate from their combined effect of iron chelation and radical scavenging. The distinctive difference in the EPR spectra of morin and quercetin radicals suggests different positions of the radical centers which may account for different sequences of their activities towards investigated radicals. Activity ranking of quercetin and morin, established by cyclic voltammetry, confirms their activity sequence obtained by EPR results and is also in agreement with the results of conformational analysis. The equilibrium geometries, optimized with the M052X functionals and 6-311G(d,p) basis set, predict structural modifications between the ligand molecules in the free state and in the complex structures. The arguments gained through experimental results can also be rationalized in terms of overall molecular geometry and structural features governing antioxidant behavior i.e. substitution pattern of the ring B.