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We report the first systematic photoelectron measurements of the three outer-valence bands of liquid water as a function of the ionizing photon energy in the near-threshold region. We use extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) radiation tunable between ∼17.1 and 35.6 eV, obtained through monochromatization of a high-harmonic source. We show that the absolute values of the apparent vertical ionization energies and their respective peak widths show a decreasing trend of their magnitudes with increasing photon energy close to the ionization threshold. We find that the observed effects do not only depend on the electron kinetic energy but are also different for the various outer-valence bands. These observations are consistent with, but not fully explained by, the effects of inelastic electron scattering., The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 12 (11), ISSN:1948-7185

We demonstrate femtosecond time–resolved soft–X–ray absorption spectroscopy of liquid samples by combining a sub–micrometer–thin flat liquid jet with a high–harmonic table–top source covering the entire water-window range (284 - 538 eV). Our measurements temporally resolve the gradual appearance of absorption features below the carbon K-edge of ethanol and methanol during strong–field ionization, which trace the valence-shell ionization dynamics of the liquid alcohols with a temporal resolution of ~30 fs.

Femtosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful method to investigate the dynamical behavior of a system after photoabsorption in real time. So far, the application of this technique has remained limited to large-scale facilities, such as femtosliced synchrotrons and free-electron lasers (FEL). In this work, we demonstrate femtosecond time-resolved soft-X-ray absorption spectroscopy of liquid samples by combining a sub-micrometer-thin flat liquid jet with a high-harmonic tabletop source covering the entire water-window range (284–538 eV). Our work represents the first extension of tabletop XAS to the oxygen edge of a chemical sample in the liquid phase. In the time domain, our measurements resolve the gradual appearance of absorption features below the carbon K-edge of ethanol and methanol during strong-field ionization and trace the valence-shell ionization dynamics of the liquid alcohols with a temporal resolution of ∼30 fs. This technique opens unique opportunities to study molecular dynamics of chemical systems in the liquid phase with elemental, orbital, and site sensitivity. ISSN:1948-7185

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 11 (5), ISSN:1948-7185

We demonstrate femtosecond time–resolved soft–X–ray absorption spectroscopy of liquid samples by combining a sub–micrometer–thin flat liquid jet with a high–harmonic table–top source covering the entire water-window range (284 - 538 eV). Our work represents the first extension of table-top XAS to the oxygen edge of a chemical sample in the liquid phase. In the time domain, our measurements resolve the gradual appearance of absorption features below the carbon K-edge of ethanol and methanol during strong–field ionization, which trace the valence-shell ionization dynamics of the liquid alcohols with a temporal resolution of ~30 fs.

Epigenetic modifications of cytosine have been found to influence differently in many processes in biological systems. In order to investigate the differences in electron attachment to different epigenetic modifications of cytosine, we reported the A″ component of the integral cross section of electron scattering by cytosine (C) and its epigenetic modifications 5-methylcytosine (5mC), 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). Our results were obtained with the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials in the static-exchange (SE) and static-exchange plus polarization (SEP) approximations. In addition to the scattering results, we present electron attachment energies obtained through an empirical scaling relation for the five molecules. We observed three π* resonances for C, 5mC, and 5hmC and four for 5fC and 5caC, in both SE and SEP approximations. The cross sections show that the π* resonances of 5mC and 5hmC are located at higher energies than the resonances of C, while the resonances of 5fC and 5caC are located at lower energies. In order to investigate this shift in the resonances' positions, we analyzed the π* lowest-lying orbitals and the electronic density over the molecules. Using the inductive and mesomeric effects, we were able to analyze the influence of each substituent over the molecule and on the resonances' positions.

We employed elastic scattering calculations, performed in the static exchange approximation, to investigate the π ∗ transient anion states of cytosine, guanine and the cytosine-guanine pair. Our results for the isolated monomers, also obtained in the static-exchange plus polarization approximation, are in good agreement with the available calculations and electron transmission data. Virtual orbital analysis for the lower-lying π ∗ anion states, with pure shape resonance character, indicates that electron attachment to the cytosine-guanine pair gives rise to resonances located on either monomer (the orbitals do not delocalize over the pair). The π ∗ shape resonances of the pair localized on the cytosine unit have lower energies in comparison with those of the isolated base, with the opposite trend for the guanine unit. The underlying mechanism would be the net positive charge transfer to the cytosine unit, as the guanine monomer acts as a proton donor in two out of the three hydrogen bonds formed in the pair. Even though the calculations were performed in the static-exchange approximation (due to the size of the system), the conclusions drawn were also corroborated by empirical estimates of the vertical attachment energies. The results for the cytosine-guanine pair are compared to those previously obtained for the formic acid-formamide complex, having two hydrogen bonds with opposite donor/acceptor characters and negligible charge transfer.

As the population ages, osteometabolic diseases and osteoporotic fractures emerge, resulting in substantial healthcare resource utilization and impaired quality of life. Many types of mechanical stimulation have the potential of being recognized by bone cells after a mechanical sign is transformed into a biological one (a process called mechanotransduction). The therapeutic ultrasound (TU) is one of several resources capable of promoting bone cell mechanical stimulation. Therefore, the main purpose of present study was to evaluate the effect of TU on the proliferation of pre-osteoblasts using in vitro bioassays.We used MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast lineage cells kept in Alpha medium. Cells were treated using pulsed mode therapeutic ultrasound, with frequency of 1 MHz, intensity of 0.2 W/cm(2) (SATA), duty cycle of 20%, for 30 minutes. Nifedipine and rapamycin were used to further investigate the role of L-type Ca(2+) channels and mTOR pathway. Intracellular calcium, TGF-β1, magnesium, and the mRNA levels of osteopontin, osteonectin, NF-κB1, p38α were evaluated.The results show that TU stimulates the growth of MC3T3-E1 cells and decreases the supernatant calcium and magnesium content. Also, it increases intracellular calcium, activates NF-κB1 and mTOR complex via p38α. Moreover, TU promoted a decrease in the TGF-β1 synthesis, which is a cell growth inhibitor.Therapeutic ultrasound, with frequency of 1 MHz, intensity of 0.2 W/cm(2) (SATA) and pulsed mode, for 30 minutes, was able to increase the proliferation of preosteoblast-like bone cells. This effect was mediated by a calcium influx, with a consequent activation of the mTOR pathway, through increased NF-κB1 and p38α.

We report integral cross sections (ICSs) for both positron and electron scattering by glycine and alanine amino acids. These molecules differ only by a methyl group. We computed the scattering cross sections using the Schwinger multichannel method for both glycine and alanine in different levels of approximation for both projectiles. The alanine ICSs are greater in magnitude than the glycine ICSs for both positron and electron scattering, probably due to the larger size of the molecule. In electron scattering calculations, we found two resonances for each molecule. Glycine presents one at 1.8 eV, and another centered at around 8.5 eV, in the static-exchange plus polarization (SEP) approximation. The ICS for alanine shows one resonance at 2.5 eV and another at around 9.5 eV, also in SEP approximation. The results are in good agreement with most of the data present in the literature. The comparison of the electron scattering ICSs for both molecules indicates that the methylation of glycine destabilizes the resonances, shifting them to higher energies.

We report calculated elastic integral (ICS) and differential (DCS) cross sections for positron collisions with C3H6 isomers, propene and cyclopropane. The ICSs computations were performed with the Schwinger multichannel method, at the static plus polarization level of approximation from 0.001 up to 8 eV. These ICSs are compared with the only experimental total cross sections (TCSs) available in literature for low energy positron scattering by these isomers [Makochekanwa C et al 2008 Phys. Rev. A 77 042717]. Even though there are significant differences between the two molecules (for instance propene has a dipole moment while cyclopropane has not), the ICSs for both systems are remarkably similar. This is mainly due to the fact that the dipole moment of propene is very small (0.39 D), and the increase of cyclopropane's ICS at low impact energy is possibly due to the presence of a virtual state. This same resemblance occurs for the DCSs at lower energies, with the differences between the isomers becoming clearer as the energy increases.