Scientific Publications 2010
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V
2010. "Morphology of Mixed Primary and Secondary Organic Particles and the Adsorption of Spectator Organic Gases during Aerosol Formation." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107(15):6658-6663. doi:10.1073/pnas.0911206107 Abstract Traditional semi-empirical secondary organic aerosol (SOA) models assume that SOA mixes well with primary organic aerosols (POA), which significantly enhances the modeled SOA yields. These models further assume that the organic compounds in the gas phase do no condense on SOA as it forms. These assumptions were challenged through a detailed experimental investigation of the compositions and morphologies of SOA particles formed during ozonolysis of α-pinene in the presence of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) particles and DOP gas phase component using a single particle mass spectrometer. Ultraviolet (UV) laser depth-profiling experiments were used to characterize different types of mixed SOA/DOP particles: those formed by condensation of the oxidized α-pinene products on size-selected DOP particles and by condensation of DOP on size-selected α-pinene SOA particles. The results of these measurements conclusively show that the hydrophilic SOA and hydrophobic DOP do not mix, but instead form distinct phases. An examination of homogeneously-nucleated SOA particles formed in the presence of DOP shows them to be encapsulated by a thin DOP layer. Thus SOA can adsorb gas-phase DOP even though it has an extremely low vapor pressure (1.3×10-7 Torr), which has significant implications for SOA formation and fate in the atmosphere, where numerous organic compounds with various volatilities are present.
2010. "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies on Vanadium(IV) Electrolyte Solutions for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery ." Journal of Power Sources 195(22 SP ISS):7709-7717. Abstract The vanadium (IV) electrolyte solutions with various vanadium concentrations are studied by variable temperature 1H and 17O Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The structure and kinetics of vanadium (IV) species in the electrolyte solutions are explored with respect to vanadium concentration and temperature. It was found that the vanadium (IV) species exist as hydrated vanadyl ion, i.e. [VO(H2O)5]2+ forming an octahedral coordination with vanadyl oxygen in the axial position and the remaining positions occupied by water molecules. This hydrated vanadyl ion structure is stable in vanadium concentrations up to 3M and in the temperature range of 240 to 340 K. The sulfate anions in the electrolyte solutions are found to be weekly bound to this hydrated vanadyl ion and occupies its second coordination sphere. The possible effects of these sulfate anions in proton and water exchange between vanadyl ion and solvent molecules are discussed based on 1H and 17O NMR results.
2010. "HCMV pUS28 initiates pro-migratory signaling via activation of Pyk2 kinase." Herpesviridae 1(1):Article No.: 2. doi:10.1186/2042-4280-1-2 Abstract The HCMV-encoded chemokine receptor US28 mediates smooth muscle cell (SMC) and macrophage motility and this activity has been implicated in the acceleration of vascular disease. US28 induced SMC migration involves the activation of the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) Src and Focal adhesion kinase as well as the small GTPase RhoA. In the current study, we examined the involvement of the PTK Pyk2 in US28-induced cellular motility. Expression of a Pyk2 lacking the autophosphorylation site (Tyr-402) blocks US28-mediated SMC migration in response to RANTES, while the kinase-inactive mutant failed to elicit the same negative effect on migration. US28 stimulation with RANTES results in ligand-dependent and calcium-dependent phosphorylation of Pyk2 Tyr-402 and induced the formation of an active Pyk2 kinase complex containing several novel Pyk2 binding proteins. Interestingly, expression of the autophosphorylation site mutant Pyk2 F402Y did not abrogate the formation of an active Pyk2 kinase complex, but instead prevented US28-mediated activation of RhoA. These findings represent the first demonstration that US28 signals through Pyk2 and that this PTK participates in US28-mediated cellular motility via activation of RhoA. Additionally, US28 activated RhoA via Pyk2 in the U373 glioblastoma cells. Interestingly, the Pyk2 kinase complex in U373 contained several proteins known to participate in glioma tumorigenesis. These results provide a potential mechanistic link between HCMV-US28 and glioblastoma cell activation and motility.
2010. "Phosphine Oxide Based Electron Transporting and Hole Blocking Materials for Blue Electrophosphorescent Organic Light Emitting Devices." Chemistry of Materials 22(20):5678-5686. doi:10.1021/cm1013653 Abstract We report the design, synthesis, thermal, and photophysical properties of two phosphine oxide based electron transport/hole blocking materials, 2,6-bis(4-(diphenylphosphoryl)phenyl)pyridine (BM-A11) and 2,4-bis(4-(diphenyl-phosphoryl)phenyl)pyridine (BM-A10) for blue electrophosphorescent organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). The use of these materials in blue OLED with iridium (III) bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2’]picolinate (Firpic) as the phosphor was demonstrated. Using the dual host device architecture with BM-A10 as the ETM yields a maximum EQE of 8.9% with a power efficiency of 21.5 lm/W (4.0V and 35 cd/m2). When BM-A11 is used as the ETM, the maximum EQE and power efficiency improves to 14.9% and 48.4 lm/W, respectively (3.0V and 40 cd/m2).
2010. "Comparative Dynamics of Leucine Methyl Groups in FMOC-Leucine and in a ProteinHydrophobic Core Probed by Solid-State Deuteron Nuclear Magnetic Resonance over7-324 K Temperature Range." Journal of Physical Chemistry B 114(48):15799-15807. Abstract Quantitative dynamics of methyl groups in 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-leucine (FMOC-leu) have been analyzed and compared with earlier studies of methyl dynamics in chicken villin headpiece subdomain protein (HP36) labeled at L69, a key hydrophobic core position. A combination of deuteron solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments over the temperature range of 7-324 K and computational modeling indicated that while the two compounds show the same modes of motions, there are marked differences in the best-fit parameters of these motions. One of the main results is that the crossover observed in the dynamics of the methyl groups in the HP36 sample at 170 K is absent in FMOC-leu. A second crossover at around 95-88 K is present in both samples. The differences in the behavior of the two compounds suggest that some of the features of methyl dynamics reflect the complexity of the protein hydrophobic core and are not determined solely by local interactions.
2010. "Freezing of Dynamics of a Methyl Group in a Protein Hydrophobic Core at Cryogenic Temperatures by Deuteron NMR Spectroscopy." Journal of the American Chemical Society 132(12):4038-4039. doi:10.1021/ja909599k Abstract Proteins undergo a number of changes when their temperature is dropped from the physiological range to much lower values. One of the most well-known dynamical changes undergone by proteins in a solid state is a so-called protein glass-transition, which is a dynamic transition occurring at about 200-230K leading to a loss of biological activity.1,2 X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering studies, and dielectric spectroscopy, as well as evidence from NMR relaxation measurements, indicate freezing of slow collective modes of motion below the glass transition temperature.3-8 Various arguments have been presented that connect the transition to solvent participation.1,4,8-10 In addition to the solvent-related modes that are frozen below the glass-transition temperature, there are anharmonic motions at temperatures below 200K which are likely to be dominated by methyl group dynamics down to about 100K.2,5,7 Recent neutron-scattering and NMR studies emphasize the role of these modes in low temperature dynamics. 2,5,7,11,12 One of the latest works on the subject by Bajaj et al.11 has reported a structural transition associated with dynamic processes in a solvent-free polypeptide. Thus, protein dynamics at low temperatures are complex and more studies are required to discern their pattern.
