Deuteron Solid-State NMR Relaxation Measurements Reveal Two Distinct Conformational Exchange Processes in the Disordered N-Terminal Domain of Amyloid-β Fibrils

We employed deuterium solid-state NMR techniques under static conditions to discern the details of the μs–ms timescale motions in the flexible N-terminal subdomain of Aβ_1–40 amyloid fibrils, which spans residues 1–16. In particular, we utilized a rotating frame (R_1ρ) and the newly developed time domain quadrupolar Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (QCPMG) relaxation measurements at the selectively deuterated side chains of A2, H6, and G9. The two experiments are complementary in terms of probing somewhat different timescales of motions, governed by the tensor parameters and the sampling window of the magnetization decay curves. The results indicated two mobile “free” states of the N-terminal domain undergoing global diffusive motions, with isotropic diffusion coefficients of 0.7−1 ⋅ 10⁸ and 0.3−3 ⋅ 10⁶ad² s⁻¹. The free states are also involved in the conformational exchange with a single bound state, in which the diffusive motions are quenched, likely due to transient interactions with the structured hydrophobic core. The conformational exchange rate constants are 2−3 ⋅ 10⁵ s⁻¹ and 2−3 ⋅ 10⁴ s⁻¹ for the fast and slow diffusion free states, respectively.     

Magnetooptical and structural investigations of five dimeric cobalt(II) complexes mimicking metalloenzyme active sites

Four novel cobalt(II) complexes mimicking metalloenzyme active sites, novel C(14)H(22)Cl(12)Co(2)O(13)·2C(3)H(8)O (1), C(28)H(36)Cl(24)Co(4)O(28)·4C(4)H(8)O(2) (2), C(16)H(22)Cl(12)Co(2)O(13)·C(2)HCl(3)O(2) (3), C(16)H(22)Cl(12)Co(2)O(13) (4), and one known C(40)H(78)Cl(8)Co(2)O(17) (5) are composed of the same core of two high-spin cobalt(II) centers triply bridged by water and two trichloroacetato (1-4) or two pivalate (5) groups but differ in terminal ligands. The crystal structures of new compounds 1-4 belong to the space groups P ?1, P2(1)/c, P ?1, and Pbcn, respectively. All five investigated complexes contain Co atoms in distorted octahedral coordination. The complexes were characterized by magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements and by variable-temperature variable-field magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Experimental data were analyzed in the frame of the theoretical model, which includes an unquenched orbital moment of the Co(II) ions. All investigated compounds are antiferromagnetically coupled with exchange constants in the range -1.5 to -2.1 cm(-1). However, there is a significant difference between the crystal-field-splitting parameters.     

Comparative study of the dark and light-induced toxicity of lipofuscin granules from human retinal pigment epithelium and their chromophore A2E on the cardiolipin liposome model

The damaging effect of lipofuscin granules from the human retinal pigment epithelium and fluorophore A2E was studied on models of calcein- and ascorbate-loaded cardiolipin liposomes and outer segments of the bovine eye photoreceptor cells in dark and under visible light irradiation. In dark fluorophore A2E induces the release of calcein from calcein-loaded liposomes and reduces the lifetime of the artificial bilayer lipid membrane prepared from dioleyl phosphatidilcholine. A similar detergent-like action A2E exhibits towards ascorbate-loaded liposomes, significantly accelerating the release of ascorbate in dark. In the presence of A2E, irradiation with the full visible light (390?C700 nm) stimulates both the release of ascorbate from liposomes and accelerates the destruction of the bilayer lipid membrane. Retinal pigment epithelium lipofuscin granules also accelerate the release of ascorbate from ascorbate-loaded liposomes under visible light irradiation; the blue light (457.9 nm) was twice as more efficient as the green light (514.5 nm). The preliminary irradiation of A2E with the visible light decreases its detergent-like action on the cardiolipin liposomal membranes under the dark conditions and the photosensitizing effect on the lipid peroxidation of the outer segments of photoreceptor cells. Unlike A2E, the visible light irradiation of a suspension of lipofuscin granules under similar conditions does not noticeably decrease their sensitizing activity towards lipid peroxidation. It is assumed that the phototoxicity of retinal pigment epithelium lipofuscin granules is related not only to A2E in their composition, but depends mainly on the content of other photosensitizers (chromophores) in the granules.     

Enhancing the blocking temperature in single-molecule magnets by incorporating 3d-5d exchange interactions

We report the first single-molecule magnet (SMM) to incorporate the [Os(CN)(6)](3-) moiety. The compound (1) has a trimeric, cyanide-bridged Mn(III)-Os(III)-Mn(III) skeleton in which Mn(III) designates a [Mn(5-Brsalen)(MeOH)](+) unit (5-Brsalen=N,N'-ethylenebis(5-bromosalicylideneiminato)). X-ray crystallographic experiments reveal that 1 is isostructural with the Mn(III)-Fe(III)-Mn(III) analogue (2). Both compounds exhibit a frequency-dependent out-of-phase χ'(T) alternating current (ac) susceptibility signal that is suggestive of SMM behaviour. From the Arrhenius expression, the effective barrier for 1 is found to be Δ(eff)/k(B)=19 K (τ(0)=5.0×10(-7) s; k(B)=Boltzmann constant), whereas only the onset (1.5 kHz, 1.8 K) of χ'(T) is observed for 2, thus indicating a higher blocking temperature for 1. The strong spin-orbit coupling present in Os(III) isolates the E'(1g(1/2))(O(h)*) Kramers doublet that exhibits orbital contributions to the single-ion anisotropy. Magnetic susceptibility and inelastic neutron-scattering measurements reveal that substitution of [Fe(CN)(6)](3-) by the [Os(CN)(6)](3-) anion results in larger ferromagnetic, anisotropic exchange interactions going from quasi-Ising exchange interactions in 2 to pure Ising exchange for 1 with J(parallel)(MnOs)=-30.6 cm(-1). The combination of diffuse magnetic orbitals and the Ising-type exchange interaction effectively contributes to a higher blocking temperature. This result is in accordance with theoretical predictions and paves the way for the design of a new generation of SMMs with enhanced SMM properties.     

Maximum likelihood method in the problem of adaptive detection of signals with unknown noninformative parameters

A new algorithm of signal detection is synthesized with an estimate of signal noninformative parameters against the noise background with an arbitrary distribution law. It has been shown by a simple example of Gaussian clutter that the efficiency of the synthesized detector approaches the efficiency of deterministic signal detection. Antiaircraft Command High School of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 41, No, 5, pp. 640–650, May, 1998.     

Dynamics of particles in the steady flows of an inviscid fluid

Advection of small particles with inertia in two-dimensional ideal flows is studied both numerically and analytically. It is assumed that the flow disturbance around the particle corresponds to a potential dipole, so that the motion is driven by pressure gradient, inertial, and added-mass forces. It is found that in general the motion is nonintegrable, but particular exact solutions can be obtained. The problem is then studied for the cases of axisymmetric flow, when the motion proves to be completely integrable, and of a cellular flow, for which both regular and stochastic (bounded and unbounded) trajectories are calculated. In the latter case, the unbounded stochastic motion is of Brownian-like character, and the results derived show that the particle dispersion process is generally anomalous.     

Optical solitons: Perspectives and applications

This article serves as an introduction to the focus issue on optical solitons. After a short review of the history of solitons and the field of integrable systems, a brief overview of the development of nonlinear optics and optical solitons is provided. Next, the various contributions to this focus issue are presented, and a few separate remarks are devoted to optical communications, where solitons promise to play a decisive role in the next generation of commercial systems. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.