New coherent state representation for the imaginary time propagator with applications to forward-backward semiclassical initial value representations of correlation functions

There have been quite a few attempts in recent years to provide an initial value coherent state representation for the imaginary time propagator exp(-betaH). The most notable is the recent time evolving Gaussian approximation of Frantsuzov and Mandelshtam [J. Chem. Phys. 121, 9247 (2004)] which may be considered as an expansion of the imaginary time propagator in terms of coherent states whose momentum is zero. In this paper, a similar but different expression is developed in which exp(-betaH) is represented in a series whose terms are weighted phase space averages of coherent states. Such a representation allows for the formulation of a new and simplified forward-backward semiclassical initial value representation expression for thermal correlation functions.     

Self-assembling of ABC linear triblock copolymers in nanocylindrical tubes

By employing Monte Carlo simulations for various tube diameters and preferences of the tube surface for the A, B, and C segments, the morphologies of A(5)B(5)C(5), A(5)B(10)C(5), and A(5)B(5)C(10) triblock copolymer melts confined in nanocylindrical tubes were examined. The interaction parameters between different segments were considered constant epsilon(AB)=epsilon(AC)=epsilon(BC)=0.3k(B)T, the tube diameter was changed from d=9xlattice parameter to d=33xlattice parameter, and the preferences of the tube surface for the segments A, B, and C (-epsilon(AS),-epsilon(BS), and -epsilon(CS)) were varied between 0.05k(B)T and k(B)T. ABCCBA alternately stacked disks were generated in most tubes when the preference of the tube surface for any of the segments was weak, and the morphologies tended to transform into curved lamellae in tubes with large diameters when the preference for one of the segments was high. Numerous novel morphologies, such as ABC double helixes, AB single helix+C double helixes, AB double helixes+C quadruple helixes, plate morphologies with fins, dendrites, etc., which were located in the phase diagram between the stacked disks and the curved lamellar structures, were identified. Additionally, the orientation parameters indicating the alignments of the polymer chains were calculated and correlated with the morphologies.     

Fluid density profile transitions and symmetry breaking in a closed nanoslit

The density profiles in a fluid interacting with the two identical solid walls of a closed long slit were calculated for wide ranges of the number of fluid molecules in the slit and temperature by employing density functional theory in the local density approximation. Two potentials, the van der Waals and the Lennard-Jones, were considered for the fluid-fluid and the fluid-walls interactions. It was shown that the density profile corresponding to the stable state of the fluid considerably changes its shape with increasing average density (rhoav) of the fluid inside the slit, the details of changes being dependent on the selected potential. For the van der Waals potential, a single temperature-dependent critical value rhosb of rhoav was identified, such that for rhoav < rhosb the stable state of the system is described by a symmetric density profile, whereas for rhoav >/= rhosb it is described by an asymmetric one. This transition constitutes a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the fluid density distribution in a closed slit with identical walls. For rhoav >/= rhosb, a metastable state, described by a symmetric density profile, was present in addition to the stable asymmetric one. The shape of the symmetric profile changed suddenly at a value rhoc-h > rhosb of the average density, the density rhoc-h being almost independent of temperature. Because of the shapes of the profiles before and after the transformation, this transition was named cup-hill transformation. At the transition point, the density of the fluid near the walls decreased suddenly from a liquid-like value becoming comparable with the density of a gaseous phase, and the density in the middle of the slit increased suddenly from a gaseous-like value becoming on the order of the density of a liquid phase. For the Lennard-Jones potential, there are two temperature-dependent critical densities, rhosb1 and rhosb2, such that the stable density profile is asymmetric (symmetry breaking occurs) for rhosb1 相似文献   

Effects of phenolic compounds on gelation behavior of gelatin gels

The effects of phenolic additives on the gelation behavior of gelatin gels were investigated using thermomechanical analysis (TMA) for study of gel‐melting temperature, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for study of gel‐storage modulus and gel‐aging stability, viscometry for study of gelation time, and texture analyzer for study of gel strength and gel melting. Thermodynamically, the addition of 1,3‐benzenediol, 1,4‐benzenediol or 1,3,5‐benzenetriol favored the gelation process of gelatin solutions (increases in T_m and aging stability) due to the introduction of extra physical crosslinks among gelatin chains through hydrogen bonding, while the addition of 1,2‐benzenediol had a negative effect (decreases in T_m and aging stability) possibly due to intra‐hydrogen bonding of the additive molecule itself. All the phenolic compounds had little effect on gel moduli. Kinetically, the introduction of 1,2‐benzenediol or 1,4‐benzenediol slowed the gelation process, while introduction of catechin, a polyphenol, accelerated the first stage of the gelation process. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 224–231, 2001     

Aptamer-modified DNA tetrahedra-gated metal–organic framework nanoparticle carriers for enhanced chemotherapy or photodynamic therapy

UiO-66 metal–organic framework nanoparticles (NMOFs) gated by aptamer-functionalized DNA tetrahedra provide superior biomarker-responsive hybrid nano-carriers for biomedical applications. Hybrid nano-carriers consisting of ATP-aptamer or VEGF-aptamer functionalized tetrahedra-gated NMOFs are loaded with the chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin (DOX). In the presence of ATP or VEGF, both abundant in cancer cells, the tetrahedra-gated NMOFs are unlocked to release the drug. Enhanced and selective permeation of the DOX-loaded ATP/VEGF-responsive tetrahedra-gated NMOFs into MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells as compared to the reference ATP/VEGF-responsive duplex-gated NMOFs or non-malignant MCF-10A epithelial breast cells is observed. This results in enhanced and selective cytotoxicity of the tetrahedra-gated DOX-loaded NMOFs toward the malignant cells. Additional nano-carriers, consisting of photosensitizer Zn(ii) protoporphyrin IX (Zn(ii)-PPIX)-loaded VEGF-responsive tetrahedra-gated NMOFs, are introduced. The VEGF-triggered unlocking of the NMOFs yields separated G-quadruplex-VEGF aptamer complexes conjugated to the tetrahedra, resulting in the release of loaded Zn(ii)-PPIX. Association of the released Zn(ii)-PPIX to the G-quadruplex structures generates highly fluorescent supramolecular Zn(ii)-PPIX/G-quadruplex VEGF aptamer-tetrahedra structures. The efficient and selective generation of the highly fluorescent Zn(ii)-PPIX/G-quadruplex VEGF aptamer-tetrahedra nanostructures in malignant cells allows the light-induced photosensitized generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to high-efficacy PDT treatment of the malignant cells.

UiO-66 metal–organic framework nanoparticles (NMOFs) gated by aptamer-functionalized DNA tetrahedra provide superior biomarker-responsive hybrid nano-carriers for biomedical applications.     

Crosslinking of chlorine‐containing polymers by dicyclopentadiene dicarboxylic salts

Alkali‐ and alkali‐earth‐metal salts of dicyclopentadiene dicarboxylic acid (DCPDCA) were prepared and employed as crosslinkers for chlorine‐containing polymers such as polychloromethylstyrene (PCMS), chlorinated polypropylene (CPP), polyepichlorohydrin (PECH), and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Thermally reversible covalent crosslinks (i.e.,  DCPD bridges) between polymer chains were generated through esterification between the chlorine–carbon bonds of the polymer and the carboxylic salt groups of the crosslinker. The crosslinking reactivity decreased in the following sequence: K > Na > LiDCPDCA > alkali‐earth‐metal salts of DCPDCA. In addition, PCMS and CPP had higher gelation rates than PECH and PVC. Good flowability at about 195 °C and solubility in maleimide‐containing dichlorobenzene on heating indicated that the crosslinked PCMS and CPP exhibited thermally reversible crosslinking because of dimer/monomer (cyclopentadiene) conversion of  DCPD moieties via reversible Diels–Alder cycloaddition. Samples of PECH and PVC crosslinked by the alkali salts of DCPDCA were insoluble even when heated in maleimide‐containing dichlorobenzene. However, these crosslinked polymers could be dissolved partially after the same treatment when the crosslinker was an alkali‐earth‐metal salt of DCPDCA. Thermal degradation such as dehydrochlorination of the PECH and PVC might have been responsible for uncontrolled crosslinking because these two polymers are known to be thermally unstable. The unreacted COOK, COONa, or COOLi of the crosslinkers might have initiated base‐induced dehydrochlorination when PECH and PVC were heated at high temperatures. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 818–825, 2000     

The Influence of the Symmetry of Identical Particles on Flight Times

In this work, our purpose is to show how the symmetry of identical particles can influence the time evolution of free particles in the nonrelativistic and relativistic domains as well as in the scattering by a potential δ-barrier. For this goal, we consider a system of either two distinguishable or indistinguishable (bosons and fermions) particles. Two sets of initial conditions have been studied: different initial locations with the same momenta, and the same locations with different momenta. The flight time distribution of particles arriving at a ‘screen’ is calculated in each case from the density and flux. Fermions display broader distributions as compared with either distinguishable particles or bosons, leading to earlier and later arrivals for all the cases analyzed here. The symmetry of the wave function seems to speed up or slow down the propagation of particles. Due to the cross terms, certain initial conditions lead to bimodality in the fermionic case. Within the nonrelativistic domain, and when the short-time survival probability is analyzed, if the cross term becomes important, one finds that the decay of the overlap of fermions is faster than for distinguishable particles which in turn is faster than for bosons. These results are of interest in the short time limit since they imply that the well-known quantum Zeno effect would be stronger for bosons than for fermions. Fermions also arrive earlier and later than bosons when they are scattered by a δ-barrier. Although the particle symmetry does affect the mean tunneling flight time, in the limit of narrow in momentum initial Gaussian wave functions, the mean times are not affected by symmetry but tend to the phase time for distinguishable particles.     

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene using fluorinated indenyltitanium complexes

Nine new fluorinated half-sandwich titanocene complexes (1b–9b) based on substituted alkylindenes were synthesized, by reacting Me₃SnF with the corresponding chloride species, and employed as catalyst precursors for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. When activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), the new precursors 1b–9b exhibited increased activities by factors of 15-40 compared with the corresponding chlorinated compounds and provided improved syndiotacticity, enhanced melting temperature, and higher polymer molecular weights. The activities of indenyl and methyl- or phenyl-substituted indenyl complexes were found to be higher by factors of 4-12.5 than those of CpTiF₃ and Cp*TiF₃. More importantly, the amount of MAOcan be reduced to an Al : Ti molar ratio of 300 in the temperature range of 10-90°C. It is likely that Ti F, more polarized than the Ti Cl bond in the half-sandwich titanocenes, allows the formation of more active and stable active sites of Ti(III) complexes needed for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. Evidence in this direction is brought via the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum and redox titration. The higher activity and syndiospecificity of the fluorinated catalysts are attributable to a greater number, more stable Ti(III) active sites, and/or higher propagation rate constant. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2481–2488, 1999     

无溶剂及微乳液体系中脂肪酶催化红花油水解的动力学

 在无溶剂及二(2-乙基己基)丁二酸酯磺酸钠(AOT)/异辛烷/磷酸盐缓冲液微乳液体系中,研究了黑曲霉脂肪酶催化红花油水解反应的动力学. 结果表明,无溶剂及微乳液体系中反应的活化能分别为32.205和7.391 kJ/mol. 酶在无溶剂体系中的热稳定性高于微乳液中. 无溶剂及微乳液体系中的表观米氏常数分别为0.135和0.101 mol/L. 在两种体系中,乙醇对水解反应的抑制作用均为竞争性可逆抑制,且均在底物浓度大于0.819 mol/L时出现底物抑制现象. 结合胶团催化理论和酯键水解机理对两种体系中酶水解性能的差异进行了解释.