Two‐Color Valence‐to‐Core X‐ray Emission Spectroscopy Tracks Cofactor Protonation State in a Class I Ribonucleotide Reductase

Proton transfer reactions are of central importance to a wide variety of biochemical processes, though determining proton location and monitoring proton transfers in biological systems is often extremely challenging. Herein, we use two‐color valence‐to‐core X‐ray emission spectroscopy (VtC XES) to identify protonation events across three oxidation states of the O₂‐activating, radical‐initiating manganese–iron heterodinuclear cofactor in a class I‐c ribonucleotide reductase. This is the first application of VtC XES to an enzyme intermediate and the first simultaneous measurement of two‐color VtC spectra. In contrast to more conventional methods of assessing protonation state, VtC XES is a more direct probe applicable to a wide range of metalloenzyme systems. These data, coupled to insight provided by DFT calculations, allow the inorganic cores of the Mn^IVFe^IV and Mn^IVFe^III states of the enzyme to be assigned as Mn^IV(μ‐O)₂Fe^IV and Mn^IV(μ‐O)(μ‐OH)Fe^III, respectively.     

Photophysical and computational investigations of bis(phosphine) organoplatinum(II) metallacycles

A series of endohedral and exohedral amine-functionalized ligands were synthesized and used in the construction of supramolecular D(2h) rhomboids and a D(6h) hexagon. These supramolecular polygons were obtained via self-assembly of 120° dipyridyl donors with 180° or 120° diplatinum precursors when combined in 1:1 ratios. Steady-state absorption and emission spectra were collected for each ligand and metallacycle. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations were employed to probe the nature of the observed optical transitions for the rhomboids. The emissive properties of these bis(phosphine) organoplatinum metallacycles arise from ligand-centered transitions involving π-type molecular orbitals with modest contributions from metal-based atomic orbitals. The D(2h) rhomboid self-assembled from 2,6-bis(4-pyridylethynyl)aniline and a 60° organoplatinum(II) acceptor has a low-energy excited state in the visible region and emits above 500 nm, properties which greatly differ from those of the parent 2,6-bis(4-pyridylethynyl)aniline ligand.     

A facile approach toward multicomponent supramolecular structures: selective self-assembly via charge separation

A novel approach toward the construction of multicomponent two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) metallosupramolecules is reported. Simply by mixing carboxylate and pyridyl ligands with cis-Pt(PEt(3))(2)(OTf)(2) in a proper ratio, coordination-driven self-assembly occurs, allowing for the selective generation of discrete multicomponent structures via charge separation on the metal centers. Using this method, a variety of 2-D rectangles and 3-D prisms were prepared under mild conditions. Moreover, multicomponent self-assembly can also be achieved by supramolecule-to-supramolecule transformations. The products were characterized by (31)P and (1)H multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and pulsed-field-gradient spin echo NMR techniques together with computational simulations.     

Synthesis and characterization of immobilized PAMAM dendrons

This communication describes the synthesis and characterization of immobilized PAMAM dendrons onto a surface modified silicon wafer substrate (functionalized using plasma polymerized PAA) using a "growing from" strategy.     

Assigning resources and targets to an organization’s activities

Each of an organization’s many activities transforms inputs into outputs. Managing these activities involves allocating input resources for some activities and assigning output targets for others. Making these decisions is especially difficult in the presence of uncertainty. In practice, many organizations address these problems by using a fairly simple “proportional allocation” heuristic (e.g., “allocate to each activity the same percentage increase (or decrease) in its resources or targets”). But proportional allocation does not consider the uncertainty inherent in the ability of each activity to make use of its resources (or meet its targets).     

Convergence of goal‐oriented adaptive finite element methods for nonsymmetric problems

In this article, we develop convergence theory for a class of goal‐oriented adaptive finite element algorithms for second‐order nonsymmetric linear elliptic equations. In particular, we establish contraction results for a method of this type for Dirichlet problems involving the elliptic operator with A Lipschitz, symmetric positive definite, with b divergence‐free, and with . We first describe the problem class and review some standard facts concerning conforming finite element discretization and error‐estimate‐driven adaptive finite element methods (AFEM). We then describe a goal‐oriented variation of standard AFEM. Following the recent work of Mommer and Stevenson for symmetric problems, we establish contraction and convergence of the goal‐oriented method in the sense of the goal function. Our analysis approach is signficantly different from that of Mommer and Stevenson, combining the recent contraction frameworks developed by Cascon, Kreuzer, Nochetto, and Siebert; by Nochetto, Siebert, and Veeser; and by Holst, Tsogtgerel, and Zhu. We include numerical results, demonstrating performance of our method with standard goal‐oriented strategies on a convection problem. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 32: 479–509, 2016     

Optimal Sequencing of Inspection of Dependent Characteristics

We address the problem of sequentially inspecting the dependent characteristics of a product, where the dependency is expressed in terms of the joint probabilities of the fitness of the characteristics. We show that, even when the inspection has classification errors, the joint probability mass function of the observed fitness of the characteristics is independent of the sequence of inspection. Using this result, a dynamic programming approach is presented for finding the optimal sequence that minimizes the expected total cost of inspection. Previously reported policies for independent characteristics are shown to be special cases of the results presented here.     

Three-dimensional blow-up solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations

In this paper we extend the plane blow-up results of Grundy& McLaughlin (1997) to the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations.Using a solution structure originally due to Lin we first providenumerical evidence for the existence of blow-up solutions on- < x, z < , 0 y 1 with boundary conditions on y = 0and y = 1 involving derivatives of the velocity components.The formulation enables us to consider plane and radial flowas special cases. Various features of the computations are isolatedand are used to construct a formal asymptotic solution closeto blow-up. We show that the numerical and asymptotic analysesprovide a mutually consistent global picture which supportsthe conclusion that, for the family of problems we considerhere, blow-up in fact can take place in three dimensions butat an inverse linear rate rather than the faster inverse squareof the plane case.     

Long-term retention of ice-nucleating active Pseudomonas fluorescens by overwintering colorado potato beetles

Ice nucleating-active Pseudomonas fluorescens F264C was fed to Colorado potato beetles to determine bacterial retentioin in the beetle gut and its effect on the cold hardiness of this insect pest. The bacrterium was present in beetles recovered after overwintering in the field, seven months after their exposure to P. fluorescens. Retention was evident not only in the detection of the P. fluorescens ice nucleating gene, inaW, in bacterial cultures from beetle guts but also in the elevated supercooling points of some treated beetles.     

Coordination complexes containing multidentate ligands : V. The reactions between trans-carbonylchlorobis(triphenylphosphine)iridium and trans-carbonylchloro(triphenylarsine)iridium and some tridentate group VB ligands

Bis[3-(dimethylarsino)propyl]phenylarsine, (tas), reacts with trans-Ir(CO)(EPh₃)₂ X (E = P, As; X = F, Cl, Br, I) to yield the (Ir(CO)(tas)] X complexes. In contrast, the similar ligand bis[3-(dimethylarsino)propyl]phenylphosphine, (dap), reacts with trans-Ir(CO)(EPh₃)₂X (E = P, As; X = Cl, Br, I) to yield a mixture of [Ir(CO)(dap)X] and [Ir(CO)(dap)]X, and with trans Ir(CO)(EPh₃)₂F (E = P, As) to yield solely [Ir(CO)(dap)F]. The cations [Ir(CO)(L)]⁺ (L = tas, dap) readily yield tetraphenylborate derivatives, [Ir(CO)(L)]BPh₄. The oxygenation of [Ir(CO)(tas)]⁺ in solution proceeds almost to completion after 15 h, whereas [Ir(CO)(dap)]⁺ does not appear to undergo oxygenation.