Laser trapping of 225Ra and 226Ra with repumping by room-temperature blackbody radiation

We have demonstrated Zeeman slowing and capture of neutral 225Ra and 226Ra atoms in a magneto-optical trap. The intercombination transition 1S0-->3P1 is the only quasicycling transition in radium and was used for laser-cooling and trapping. Repumping along the 3D1-->1P1 transition extended the lifetime of the trap from milliseconds to seconds. Room-temperature blackbody radiation was demonstrated to provide repumping from the metastable 3P0 level. We measured the isotope shift and hyperfine splittings on the 3D1-->1P1 transition with the laser-cooled atoms, and set a limit on the lifetime of the 3D1 level based on the measured blackbody repumping rate. Laser-cooled and trapped radium is an attractive system for studying fundamental symmetries.     

Double bubbles in<Emphasis Type="Bold">S</Emphasis><Superscript>3</Superscript> and<Emphasis Type="Bold">H</Emphasis><Superscript>3</Superscript>

We prove the double bubble conjecture in the three-sphereS ³ and hyperbolic three-spaceH ³ in the cases where we can apply Hutchings theory:

Inhibition of Escherichia coli RecA by rationally redesigned N-terminal helix

Bacterial RecA promotes the development and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes by self-assembling into an ATP-hydrolyzing filamentous homopolymer on single-stranded DNA. We report the design of a 29mer peptide based on the RecA N-terminal domain involved in intermonomer contact that inhibits RecA filament assembly with an IC50 of 3 microM.     

Probing the enantioselectivity of a diverse group of purified cobalt-centred nitrile hydratases

In this study a diverse range of purified cobalt containing nitrile hydratases (NHases, EC 4.2.1.84) from Rhodopseudomonas palustris HaA2 (HaA2), Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 (009), Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 (1021), and Nitriliruptor alkaliphilus (iso2), were screened for the first time for their enantioselectivity towards a broad range of chiral nitriles. Enantiomeric ratios of >100 were found for the NHases from HaA2 and CGA009 on 2-phenylpropionitrile. In contrast, the Fe-containing NHase from the well-characterized Rhodococcus erythropolis AJ270 (AJ270) was practically aselective with a range of different α-phenylacetonitriles. In general, at least one bulky group in close proximity to the α-position of the chiral nitriles seemed to be necessary for enantioselectivity with all NHases tested. Nitrile groups attached to a quaternary carbon atom were only reluctantly accepted and showed no selectivity. Enantiomeric ratios of 80 and >100 for AJ270 and iso2, respectively, were found for the pharmaceutical intermediate naproxennitrile, and 3-(1-cyanoethyl)benzoic acid was hydrated to the corresponding amide by iso2 with an enantiomeric ratio of >100.     

Effects of noise levels and call types on the source levels of killer whale calls

Accurate parameter estimates relevant to the vocal behavior of marine mammals are needed to assess potential effects of anthropogenic sound exposure including how masking noise reduces the active space of sounds used for communication. Information about how these animals modify their vocal behavior in response to noise exposure is also needed for such assessment. Prior studies have reported variations in the source levels of killer whale sounds, and a more recent study reported that killer whales compensate for vessel masking noise by increasing their call amplitude. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the source levels of a variety of call types in southern resident killer whales while also considering background noise level as a likely factor related to call source level variability. The source levels of 763 discrete calls along with corresponding background noise were measured over three summer field seasons in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands, WA. Both noise level and call type were significant factors on call source levels (1-40 kHz band, range of 135.0-175.7 dB(rms) re 1 [micro sign]Pa at 1 m). These factors should be considered in models that predict how anthropogenic masking noise reduces vocal communication space in marine mammals.     

Ambient acceleration dependence of single-bubble sonoluminescence

Much of the research performed to study SBSL deals with the influence of external parameters (e.g., the host water temperature, the ambient pressure, the type and amount of dissolved gas in the liquid, to name a few) on the bubble dynamics and light emission. In the current paper, work carried out to study the influence of another external parameter-ambient acceleration-is described. The experiments described here were performed on the NASA KC-135 which provided both periods of reduced gravity (10(-3) g) and increased gravity (1.8 g) by flying repeated parabolic maneuvers. The resulting measurements are compared with the predictions of a numerical model and can be understood in the context of the changing hydrostatic head pressure and buoyant force acting on the bubble.     

Spectroscopic characterization of the binding and isomerization cycle of Brooker’s merocyanine with α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins

Complexes of Brooker’s merocyanine dye with α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrin (CD) have been characterized to determine the relative strength and thermodynamics of binding, as well as the effect of binding on the protolytic-photochemical isomerization cycle of the dye. It was found that the dye binds most tightly to β-CD, with a binding equilibrium constant of 430 M^?1, in agreement with previous results (Hamasaki et al. J. Incl. Phenom. Mol. Rec. Chem. 13, 349–359 (1992)), while α-CD and γ-CD complexes have a binding constant of approximately 110 M^?1 and 70 M^?1, respectively, determined using absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. The isomerization cycle for the dye in α- and γ-CD complexes was found to be the same as for the free dye. Complexation with β-CD, however, resulted in depressed trans-to-cis photoisomerization in acidic conditions followed by spontaneous cis-to-trans isomerization (with the addition of base). Thermodynamic results also indicated differences between α-CD (ΔS° = ?48 J K^?1) and β-CD (ΔS° =  +12 J K^?1) complexes. There was no temperature dependence observed for the γ-CD complexes. These results can be justified in terms of the location of the dye molecule within the cyclodextrin cavity for each of the complexes.