Native Mass Spectrometry Characterizes the Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex from the Purple Bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodobacter sphaeroides</Emphasis>

Native mass spectrometry (MS) is an emerging approach to study protein complexes in their near-native states and to elucidate their stoichiometry and topology. Here, we report a native MS study of the membrane-embedded reaction center (RC) protein complex from the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The membrane-embedded RC protein complex is stabilized by detergent micelles in aqueous solution, directly introduced into a mass spectrometer by nano-electrospray (nESI), and freed of detergents and dissociated in the gas phase by collisional activation. As the collision energy is increased, the chlorophyll pigments are gradually released from the RC complex, suggesting that native MS introduces a near-native structure that continues to bind pigments. Two bacteriochlorophyll a pigments remain tightly bound to the RC protein at the highest collision energy. The order of pigment release and their resistance to release by gas-phase activation indicates the strength of pigment interaction in the RC complex. This investigation sets the stage for future native MS studies of membrane-embedded photosynthetic pigment–protein and related complexes.

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Highly sensitive detection of urinary cadmium to assess personal exposure

A series of Boron-Doped Diamond (BDD) ultramicroelectrode arrays were fabricated and investigated for their performance as electrochemical sensors to detect trace level metals such as cadmium. The steady-state diffusion behavior of these sensors was validated using cyclic voltammetry followed by electrochemical detection of cadmium in water and in human urine to demonstrate high sensitivity (>200 μA ppb⁻¹ cm⁻²) and low background current (<4 nA). When an array of ultramicroelectrodes was positioned with optimal spacing, these BDD sensors showed a sigmoidal diffusion behavior. They also demonstrated high accuracy with linear dose dependence for quantification of cadmium in a certified reference river water sample from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as well as in a human urine sample spiked with 0.25–1 ppb cadmium.     

Convenient Synthesis of Substituted 2-Phenylbenzothiazoles Using Solid-Supported Triphenylphosphine

We report an improved procedure using solid-supported triphenylphosphine for the concise synthesis of biologically relevant 2-phenylbenzothiazoles featuring a variety of substituents on both the benzothiazole and phenyl rings. Substituted 2-phenylbenzothiazoles were synthesized by heating equimolar quantities of 2-aminothiophenol disulfides with benzaldehydes and p-toluenesulfonic acid in the presence of polymer-supported triphenylphosphine in dimethylformamide/toluene. Appealing features of this new method include simple isolation of product (removal of phosphine oxide by-product by filtration), avoidance of column chromatography, and good yields of substituted 2-phenylbenzothiazole products.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® to view the free supplemental file.     

Models are a “metaphor in your brain”: How potential and preservice teachers understand the science and engineering practice of modeling

We investigated beginning secondary science teachers’ understandings of the science and engineering practice of developing and using models. Our study was situated in a scholarship program that served two groups: undergraduate STEM majors interested in teaching, or potential teachers, and graduate students enrolled in a teacher education program to earn their credentials, or preservice teachers. The two groups completed intensive practicum experiences in STEM‐focused academies within two public high schools. We conducted a series of interviews with each participant and used grade‐level competencies outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards to analyze their understanding of the practice of developing and using models. We found that potential and preservice teachers understood this practice in ways that both aligned and did not align with the NGSS and that their understandings varied across the two groups and the two practicum contexts. In our implications, we recommend that teacher educators recognize and build from the various ways potential and preservice teachers understand this complex practice to improve its implementation in science classrooms. Further, we recommend that a variety of practicum contexts may help beginning teachers develop a greater breadth of understanding about the practice of developing and using models.     

Development and validation of a multiresidue method for determination of 37 pesticides in soil using GC-NPD

In this study, a multiresidue analytical method for the detection of 37 pesticides in a soil matrix was developed and validated. The soil sample was fortified with a known quantity of pesticides at two different concentration levels (0.1 and 0.01 µg/g) and the analytes were extracted via a liquid–solid extraction method. The pesticides were separated on an HP5 capillary column and were analyzed with a gas chromatograph coupled to a nitrogen–phosphorous detector (GC‐NPD). Method validation was accomplished with good linearity (r² = 0.994–0.999) within a considerable range of concentrations. Satisfactory recoveries (70.5–110.4%) were obtained with 32 pesticides at both spiking concentration levels, whereas five pesticides—dimepiperate, buprofezin, prometryn, pirimicarb, and fludioxonil—were recovered at relatively low levels (43.6–61.8%). The applicability of the method was demonstrated by analyzing field samples collected from 24 different sites around Yeongsan and Sumjin rivers in the Republic of Korea. No residues of the selected pesticides were detected in any of the samples. The developed method could be employed as a simple and cost‐effective method for the routine detection and analysis of 37 pesticides in soil samples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transport of charged Aerosol OT inverse micelles in nonpolar liquids

Surfactants such as Aerosol OT (AOT) are commonly used to stabilize and electrically charge nonpolar colloids in devices such as electronic ink displays. The electrical behavior of such devices is strongly influenced by the presence of charged inverse micelles, formed by excess surfactant that does not cover the particles. The presence of charged inverse micelles results in increased conductivity of the solution, affecting both the energy consumption of the device and its switching characteristics. In this work, we use transient current measurements to investigate the electrical properties of suspensions of the surfactant Aerosol OT in dodecane. No particles are added, to isolate the effect of excess surfactant. The measured currents upon application of a voltage step are found to be exponentially decaying, and can be described by an analytical model based on an equivalent electric circuit. This behavior is physically interpreted, first by the high generation rate of charged inverse micelles giving the suspension resistor like properties, and second by the buildup of layers of charged inverse micelles at both electrodes, acting as capacitors. The model explains the measurements over a large range of surfactant concentrations, applied voltages, and device thicknesses.     

Electrochemistry of P(CH2Fc)3 and derivatives

The oxidative electrochemistry of P(CH₂Fc)₃ and three of its derivatives was examined. The electrochemistry of these compounds is sensitive to the functionality added to the phosphorus lone pair and the supporting electrolyte used.     

Preparative Mass Spectrometry Using a Rotating‐Wall Mass Analyzer

The design of functional interfaces is central to both fundamental and applied research in materials science and energy technology. We introduce a new, broadly applicable technique for the precisely controlled high‐throughput preparation of well‐defined interfaces containing polyatomic species ranging from small ions to nanocrystals and large protein complexes. The mass‐dispersive deposition of ions onto surfaces is achieved using a rotating‐wall mass analyzer, a compact device which enables the separation of ions using low voltages and has a theoretically unlimited mass range. We demonstrate an efficient deposition of singly charged Au₁₄₄(SC₄H₉)₆₀ ions (33.7 kDa), which opens up exciting opportunities for the structural characterization of nanocrystals and their assemblies using transmission electron microscopy. Our approach also enables the high‐throughput deposition of mass‐selected ions from multicomponent mixtures, which is of interest to the controlled preparation of surface gradients and rapid screening of molecules in mixtures for a specific property.     

光量子开关

经典信息网络中数据包通过路由器被准确地发送至收信地址。同样,在量子信息网络中,信息在网络节点间的准确传输也需要量子开关(量子路由器)。光子系统是量子通信和量子计算中常用的信息载体,因此光量子开关需要在不破坏光子所携带信息的情况下控制光子的传输路径。最近,以色列雷霍沃特的魏茨曼科学研究所Barak Dayan小组的一项研究有望解决这一问题。 他们设计了一个光量子开关,实验原理如图1 所示。通过控制耦合于微球光学谐振腔的铷原子量子态,能够实现量子开关对光纤中光子传输路径的选择(包含两个输入路径和两个输出路径)。通过原子与光子的连续相互作用,光量子开关能够达到控制光子传输路径而不破坏编码在光子叠加态中的量子信息的效果。