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A very simple and robust method is described to prepare MgF 2-based optical thin films exhibiting refractive indices ranging from 1.08 to 1.2. These coatings were deposited on solid substrates through chemical solution deposition from a single and extremely stable (up to few years old) sol−gel solution composed of magnesium acetate and trifluoroacetic acid dissolved in a mixture of ethanol and water. The present work shows that the generation of the porosity responsible for the ultralow refractive indices of these materials is triggered by the thermal decomposition of the metallic precursor ligands. The resulting nanobubbles of gas are then frozen-in by the thermally induced condensation and partial crystallization of the mineral network around them. We demonstrate that such a process is governed, and can be perfectly controlled, by the heating rate and the atmospheric water content applied during calcination, through which nanobubble size, quantity, and the material’s chemical makeup are tuned. The resulting vesicle-like porous materials demonstrate a range of tunable compositions with varying refractive indices and combine good mechanical properties with high chemical and thermal resistance. This work is supported by a novel thermal ellipsometry analysis (TEA) method that allows for in situ monitoring of the films’ optical constants, structure, and thickness during thermal treatment. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that this technique has been used in the dynamic characterization of evolving unstructured porosity, allowing valuable insight into the thermal decomposition, condensation, crystallization, and sintering processes occurring during calcination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic behavior of nanoscale mesoporous oxide materials exposed to aqueous solutions under biologically relevant conditions is shown to be highly dependent on composition, porosity, and calcination temperature. Dynamic processes were followed as a function of exposure on thin oxide films amenable to environmental ellipsometry porosimetry for the analysis of mechanical strength and pore size distributions as a function of exposure. Additionally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used for the elucidation of compositional changes as a function of exposure. Combined, this approach gives the first detailed, quantitative information of the degradation of nanoscale oxide materials under biologically relevant conditions. This approach also shows the utility of using film geometry as a convenient model system for the study of dynamic properties, as films are amenable to sensitive ellipsometric characterization. Pure silica films underwent a rapid degradation, occurring on the time scale of hours, while silica films mixed with 10% or less of zirconia or alumina were significantly more stable. These mixed metal oxide films showed structural changes on two time scales, undergoing a rapid partial degradation followed by a stabilization of the structure as the composition of the films evolved toward a depleted silica state. The time scales of these two processes were on the order of hours and days, respectively, and could be tuned by varying the composition and the calcination temperature of the films. These time scales are especially relevant to the culture and growth of mammalian cells and for drug release applications. Titania materials were shown to be stable under all conditions studied, making them suitable candidates for applications where the scaffold functions as a permanent support. These results yield unprecedented levels of detail on the kinetics of degradation and the dynamic structural and compositional changes occurring in these nanostructured materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the human PBGD (porphobilinogen deaminase) gene cause the inherited defect AIP (acute intermittent porphyria). In the present study we report the structure of the human uPBGD (ubiquitous PBGD) mutant, R167Q, that has been determined by X-ray crystallography and refined to 2.8 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm) resolution (Rfactor=0.26, Rfree=0.29). The protein crystallized in space group P21212 with two molecules in the asymmetric unit (a=81.0 Å, b=104.4 Å and c=109.7 Å). Phases were obtained by molecular replacement using the Escherichia coli PBGD structure as a search model. The human enzyme is composed of three domains each of approx. 110 amino acids and possesses a dipyrromethane cofactor at the active site, which is located between domains 1 and 2. An ordered sulfate ion is hydrogen-bonded to Arg26 and Ser28 at the proposed substrate-binding site in domain 1. An insert of 29 amino acid residues, present only in mammalian PBGD enzymes, has been modelled into domain 3 where it extends helix α23 and forms a β-hairpin structure that contributes to a continuous hydrogen-bonding network spanning domains 1 and 3. The structural and functional implications of the R167Q mutation and other mutations that result in AIP are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precision reactor oscillation and spectrum experiment, PROSPECT, is designed to make a precise measurement of the antineutrino spectrum from a highly-enriched uranium reactor and probe eV-scale sterile neutrinos by searching for neutrino oscillations over a distance of several meters. PROSPECT is conceived as a 2-phase experiment utilizing segmented 6Li-doped liquid scintillator detectors for both efficient detection of reactor antineutrinos through the inverse beta decay reaction and excellent background discrimination. PROSPECT Phase I consists of a movable 3 ton antineutrino detector at distances of 7–12 m from the reactor core. It will probe the best-fit point of the disappearance experiments at 4σ in 1 year and the favored region of the sterile neutrino parameter space at in 3 years. With a second antineutrino detector at 15–19 m from the reactor, Phase II of PROSPECT can probe the entire allowed parameter space below 10 eV2 at 5σ in 3 additional years. The measurement of the reactor antineutrino spectrum and the search for short-baseline oscillations with PROSPECT will test the origin of the spectral deviations observed in recent experiments, search for sterile neutrinos, and conclusively address the hypothesis of sterile neutrinos as an explanation of the reactor anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An all-glass optical fiber derived from single-crystal LuAG is investigated for its potential use in athermal Brillouin distributed strain sensors. Such sensor systems are comprised of fiber whose Brillouin frequency shift is independent of temperature, but not independent of strain. Bulk Brillouin spectroscopy measurements on the precursor LuAG crystal are performed to gain insight into the crystal-to-glass transition. Results suggest that both the mass density and acoustic velocity are reduced relative to the crystal phase, in common with the other rare earth aluminosilicates. Advantages of the LuAG derived fiber over other rare earth garnet-derived fibers for the sensing application are a stronger strain response and larger Brilloun gain with narrower Brillouin spectral width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]