Local Frustration Determines Molecular and Macroscopic Helix Structures

The effect of displaying cytochromes from an amyloid fibre is modelled as perturbation of -strands in a bilayer of helical -sheets, thereby explaining the spiral morphology of decorated amyloid and the dynamic response of morphology to cytochrome conformation. The morphology of the modelled fibre, which consists of minimal energy assemblies of rigid building blocks containing two anisotropic interacting units, depends primarily on the rigid constraints between units rather than the soft interactions between them. The framework is a discrete version of the bilayered frustration principle that drives morphology in Bauhinia seedpods. We show that self-assembly of frustrated long range structures can occur if the building blocks themselves are internally frustrated, e.g. amyloid morphology is governed by the conformation of the misfolded protein nucleating the fibre. Our model supports the idea that any peptide sequence can form amyloid if bilayers can form first, albeit stabilised by additional material such as chaperones or cytochromes. Analysis of experimentally derived amyloid structures supports our conclusions and suggests a range of frustration effects, which natural amyloid fibres may exploit. From this viewpoint, amyloid appears as a molecular example of a more general universal bilayered frustration principle, which may have profound implications for materials design using fibrous systems. Our model provides quantitative guidance for such applications. The relevance to longer length scales was proved by designing the morphology of a series of macroscopic magnetic stacks. Finally, this work leads to the idea of mixing controlled morphologically defined species to generate higher-order assembly and complex functional behaviour. The systematic kinking of decorated fibres and the nested frustration of the Bauhinia seed pod are two outstanding examples.

DTADH and quantum critical phenomena caused by anisotropy and external magnetic field for spin-1/2 Heisenberg diamond chains

Using the transfer matrix renormalization group (TMRG) method, we study the connection between the first derivative of the thermal average of driving-term Hamiltonian (DTADH) and the trace of quantum critical behaviors at finite temperatures. Connecting with the exact diagonalization method, we give the phase diagrams and analyze the properties of each phase for both the ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic frustrated J(3) anisotropy diamond chain models. The finite-temperature scaling behaviors near the critical regions are also investigated. Further, we show the critical behaviors driven by external magnetic field, analyze the formation of the 1/3 magnetic plateau and the influence of different interactions on those critical points for both the ferrimagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic distorted diamond chains.

Quantum phase transitions in the S=1/2 distorted diamond chain

By means of the second derivative of the ground-state and first-excited energy, the quantum phase transitions (QPTs) for the distorted diamond chain (DDC) with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic frustrated interactions and the trimerized case are investigated, respectively. Our results show the plentiful quantum phases owing to the spin interaction competitions in the model. Meanwhile, by using the transfer-matrix renormalization-group technique, we study the two-site thermal entanglement of the DDC model in the thermodynamic limit for a further understanding of the QPTs.

Narrowing of band gap and low-temperature spin glass behavior of FeNi co-doped ZnO nanowires

This letter reports on the Raman, optical and magnetic properties of FeNi co-doped ZnO nanowires prepared via a soft chemical solution method. The microstructural investigations show that the NiFe co-dopants are substituted into wurtzite ZnO nanostructure without forming any secondary phase. The co-doped nanowires show a remarkable reduction of 34 nm (267.9 meV) in the optical band gap, while suppression in the deep-level defect transition in visible luminescence. Furthermore, these nanowires exhibit ferromagnetism and an interesting low-temperature spin glass behavior, which may arise due to the presence of disorder and strong interactions of frustrated spin moments of Ni and Fe co-dopants on the ZnO lattice sites. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2009

功能菌剂的混合发酵研究

随着化工行业的发展，大量有毒有害难降解有机物随工业废水的排放进入环境，这些物质能够在环境中长期存在、积累和扩散，通过食物链对动植物的生存及人类的健康造成不良影响。本文以苯酚、对氯硝基苯、氯苯和十六烷为模拟污染物，以前期研制的功能菌剂为对象，经过紫外线线诱变筛选出优于出发菌株的功能菌，对诱变后功能菌的理化性能进行了研究，对菌种进行了鉴定，在此基础上，就其相互之间的微生态关系进行研究，为混合发酵提供理论基础，并就其最佳发酵条件及发酵参数进行了研究，最后对发酵产品的性能进行了检测。目前，国内外有关功能菌剂的研究还存在多方面的不足，主要包括：①由于多菌种混合发酵过程较为复杂，各菌之间存在复杂的相互作用，影响因素较多，关于菌种之间的相互关系研究得很少，环境功能菌剂的发酵方法大多采用单独发酵后混合的方式。单独发酵对原材料、设备和能源的利用率较低，对于多菌种制剂发酵，在设备、能源和原材料的方面造成的浪费更大，将会大幅增加菌剂的生产成本，影响多菌种功能菌剂的发展；②功能菌剂生产过程的质量控制方面研究得较少；③功能菌剂产品的稳定性、抗冲击性能研究得较少，对环境微生物制剂的研究主要集中在菌种选育和培养条件优化方面。 通过本论文研究，得到以下主要结论。 （1）在紫外线诱变处理中，用紫外线对发生一定程度退化的出发菌株进行诱变处理后，六株具有高效降解性能的菌株被筛选出来，诱变筛选出的菌株形态和ERIC-PCR指纹图谱与出发菌株相比发生了明显改变；而且诱变后的菌株对目标难降解底物的降解能力均得到改善，其中，FPN、FCB、F14、FEm对目标底物的降解率提高了20%以上；诱变后菌株经过7次连续传代接种后，对目标难降解底物的降解率无显著变化，具有一定的遗传稳定性。并对诱变后的功能菌进行了初步的鉴定，这6株菌都分别是芽孢杆菌。 （2）对诱变后的功能菌相互之间的微生态关系进行了研究，通过抑菌实验、生长量以及基质消耗量的比较，确定它们之间的生长关系是无害共栖关系，可以进行混合发酵。 （3）对该功能菌剂进行发酵培养条件研究，结果表明发酵培养基的最佳成分（g/L）：葡萄糖 31.0g/L、玉米粉10.0g/L、磷酸氢二钾1.0g/L、硫酸铵1.1g/L、硫酸镁0.55g/L。通过研究不同的培养条件对菌体生长和降解性能的影响，确定了最佳培养条件：培养基初始pH7.5；最适温度32℃；培养基装液量125mL（250 mL三角瓶），以及培养时间对降解性能的影响，培养20 h的产物对降解最为有利。通过研究添加不同目标污染物对菌体生长和降解性能的影响，确定了添加目标污染物的最佳量以及最佳时间：苯酚投加量：1.125 g/L，对氯硝基苯投加量：0.1 g/L；最佳投加时间为发酵培养开始后4 h。 （4）以摇瓶分批发酵最优条件为基础，对FPN、F10、FCB、FNa、F14 和 FEm进行了摇瓶分批发酵试验。以摇瓶分批发酵试验数据为依据，对功能菌剂分批发酵动力学进行了研究，建立了菌体生长和基质消耗的动力学模型，拟合模型能较好的反映功能菌剂分批发酵过程。 （5）功能菌剂和活性污泥协同作用，可以提高系统的生物降解能力，功能菌剂投加量为2%，新鲜活性污泥3500 mg/L，降解24 h条件下，功能菌剂和活性污泥的协同作用对COD的去除率和对照组相比，最多的提高了36.8%。功能菌剂和活性污泥协同作用以及活性污泥的单独作用，其生物降解过程均符合一级反应动力学过程，功能菌剂和活性污泥协同作用的生物降解动力学方程为：，相关系数97%。采用SBR运行方式，引入功能菌剂的SBR系统明显能够改善和提高生物降解的效率。与仅有活性污泥的系统相比，系统对COD的平均去除率可以提高27.1%，同时，系统的耐负荷冲击以及耐毒害冲击的性能比仅有活性污泥的SBR系统强，特别是负荷冲击对引入功能菌剂的SBR系统影响很小。仅有活性污泥的SBR系统经过负荷冲击和毒害冲击之后，不能恢复到冲击之前的水平，而且系统有效作用时间的周期比引入功能菌剂的SBR系统相比大大缩短，而引入功能菌剂的SBR系统处理效果较为稳定，恢复能力很强。 Along with the development of industries, many recalcitrant organic chemicals have been discharged into natural environments together with wastewaters and can exist in waters, soil and sediments for a long time without degradation. These haz-ardous substances, their byporducts and metabolizabilities can be highly toxic, mu-tagenic and carcinogenic, thereby threatening animals, plants and human health through food chain. Consequently the removal of these compounds is of significant interest in the area of wastewater treatment. In this dissertation, the phenol, hydro-quinone, chlorobenzene and hexadecane treated as the model pollutants, the func-tional microorganism agent was used as the starting strains, they treated with ultra-violet light, and then the mutant strains with high degradation ability were screened out and identified primarily, the relationship between these stains were studied, the medium composition and fermentation conditions were optimized, the degradation ability of the fermented production was tested. The literature survey indicates that the study of the microorganism agent is far from complete and more information is re-quired on following problems. 1, Because of the complexity of relationship in mixed fermentation and the complicated factors, the study is hardly to process.2, There is a lack of information on the quality control of the producing process .3, And there is a lack of information on the stability about the microorganism agent. In this dissertation, the main results of the present study could be summarized as follows: (1)The degenerate starting strains were treated with the ultraviolet light, and six mutant strains with high biodegradation ability were screened out by using the me-dium with selective pressure of model pollutants. The mutant strains had great changes in colonialmorphology and ERIC-PCR fingerprinting. And the mutant strains got obvious advantages over the starting strains in degradation ability and over 20% improvement of removal rates was achieved for FPN、FCB、F14 and FEm. The de-gradation ability of the mutant strains was stable after seven generations. After that, the mutant strains were primarily identified as bacillus respectively. (2) The relationship between these mutant strains was studied. By the compari-son of antibiosis effect, biomass and consumption of substrate, the relationships were neutralism and they could be mixed fermented. (3) The optimized cultivation conditions were as follows: glucose 31.0 g/L, corn power 10 g/L, K2HPO4 1.0 g/L, (NH4)2SO4 1.1 g/L, MgSO4 0.55 g/L, initial pH7.5, temperature 32℃, working volume 125 mL/250 mL, and cultivation time 20h (con-sidering the time effect on degradation ability), adding pollutants phenol (1.125 g/L) and hydroquinone (0.1 g/L) into the broth at 4 h after cultivation. (4) Based on the above optimum condition, the batch fermentation was per-formed with strains FPN, F10, FCB, FNa, F14 and FEm in shake flask. The batch fermentation kinetics was studied based on the experimental data. Two kinetic models were constructed which could reflect the regularity of growth and substrate consump-tion in the process of batch fermentation. (5) The co-operation of functional microorganism agent and activated sludge could raise biodegradation of system by adding some microorganism agent and 3500 mg/L fresh activated sludge. Bioaugumentation by the addition of high effective deg-radation culture enhanced the treatment effect of SBR system and the COD removal rate was increased by 20%-36.8%. Its biodegradation matched first-order dynamical reaction equation, and the reaction equation was ln0.2327.391ct=−+. The micro-organism agent had the effect of optimization to activated sludge micro-ecosystem. The SBR system adding 2% microorganism agent, the average COD removal rate of that was increased by 27.1% and stronger anti-shock ability to load and toxicant were achieved (compared with SBR system just adding activated sludge). Especially the load-shock has barely effect to the SBR system adding microorganism agent. After the load and toxicant shock, the SBR system just adding activated sludge couldn’t come back to original level and the activated sludge micro-ecosystem was frustrated. The applying of microorganism agent increased biological activity and system’s re-sistance ability to load shock and toxicant shock.

Structure, electric and magnetic properties of new compounds CdYMWO7 (M = Cr and Mn)

Two new compounds with the formula of CdYMWO7 (M = Cr, Mn) were prepared by solid state reaction. They crystallized with orthorhombic structure with the cell parameters of a = 11.7200 Angstrom, b = 7.1779 Angstrom, c = 6.9805 Angstrom (CdYCrWO7), and a = 11.7960 Angstrom, b = 6.1737 Angstrom, c = 7.6530 Angstrom (CdYMnWO7). These compounds are insulators with high resistivities at room temperature. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of CdYMWO7 (M = Cr and Mn) show Curie-Weiss Law's behaviors from 80 to 300 K. The magnetic moments at room temperature fit very well with those corresponding to Cr3+ and Mn3+ ions. This suggests that both Cr and Mn ions exist in + 3 oxidation state in CdYMWO7 compounds. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Workplace learning and the employment relationship in the public sector.

Training that is relevant to employers is not necessarily enriching for employees, especially those on the lower salary scales. The authors argue that the analysis of training and development needs to be understood in the context of the employment relationship. Drawing on reasearch evidence from six case studies in the public sector, the article examines the impact of changes in work organisation on workplace learning, managers' and employees' own strategies towards it and the limitations of tools such as appraisal. Since employees' existing qualifications are poorly utilised and their development needs often frustrated, issues concerning job design, occupational progression routes and employee entitlements need to be addressed

A finite volume unstructured mesh approach to dynamic fluid-structure interaction: an assessment of the challenge of flutter analysis

Computational modelling of dynamic fluid-structure interaction (DFSI) is problematical since conventionally computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is solved using finite volume (FV) methods and computational structural mechanics (CSM) is based entirely on finite element (FE) methods. Hence, progress in modelling the emerging multi-physics problem of dynamic fluid-structure interaction in a consistent manner is frustrated and significant problems in computation convergence may be encountered in transferring and filtering data from one mesh and solution procedure to another, unless the fluid-structure coupling is either one way, very weak or both. This paper sets out the solution procedure for modelling the multi-physics dynamic fluid-structure interaction problem within a single software framework PHYSICA, using finite volume, unstructured mesh (FV-UM) procedures and will focus upon some of the problems and issues that have to be resolved for time accurate closely coupled dynamic fluid-structure flutter analysis.

A generic time and space accurate numerical approach to closely coupled fluid-structure interaction problems

Fluid structure interaction, as applied to flexible structures, has wide application in diverse areas such as flutter in aircraft, flow in elastic pipes and blood vessels and extrusion of metals through dies. However a comprehensive computational model of these multi-physics phenomena is a considerable challenge. Until recently work in this area focused on one phenomenon and represented the behaviour of the other more simply even to the extent in metal forming, for example, that the deformation of the die is totally ignored. More recently, strategies for solving the full coupling between the fluid and soild mechanics behaviour have developed. Conventionally, the computational modelling of fluid structure interaction is problematical since computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is solved using finite volume (FV) methods and computational structural mechanics (CSM) is based entirely on finite element (FE) methods. In the past the concurrent, but rather disparate, development paths for the finite element and finite volume methods have resulted in numerical software tools for CFD and CSM that are different in almost every respect. Hence, progress is frustrated in modelling the emerging multi-physics problem of fluid structure interaction in a consistent manner. Unless the fluid-structure coupling is either one way, very weak or both, transferring and filtering data from one mesh and solution procedure to another may lead to significant problems in computational convergence. Using a novel three phase technique the full interaction between the fluid and the dynamic structural response are represented. The procedure is demonstrated on some challenging applications in complex three dimensional geometries involving aircraft flutter, metal forming and blood flow in arteries.

Identification and doing without it, V: A formal mathematical analysis for a case of mix-up of individuals, and of recovery from failure to attain identification

Identification, when sought, is not necessarily obtained. Operational guidance that is normatively acceptable may be necessary for such cases. We proceed to formalize and illustrate modes of exchanges of individual identity, and provide procedures of recovery strategies in specific prescriptions from an ancient body of law for such situations when, for given types of purposes, individuals of some relevant kind had become intermixed and were undistinguishable. Rules were devised, in a variety of domains, for coping with situations that occur if and when the goal of identification was frustrated. We propose or discuss mathematical representations of such recovery procedures.

Halfway to heaven

When some 700 people throng the auditorium at Earl’s Court to hear a debate about whether eco houses are ugly, then a frustrated tree-hugger like myself may feel that we are halfway to heaven, not that I plan to share my Elysium with Germaine Greer in ranting mode if I can avoid it.

Selection Power and Selection Labor for Information Retrieval

This study examines the relation between selection power and selection labor for information retrieval (IR). It is the first part of the development of a labor theoretic approach to IR. Existing models for evaluation of IR systems are reviewed and the distinction of operational from experimental systems partly dissolved. The often covert, but powerful, influence from technology on practice and theory is rendered explicit. Selection power is understood as the human ability to make informed choices between objects or representations of objects and is adopted as the primary value for IR. Selection power is conceived as a property of human consciousness, which can be assisted or frustrated by system design. The concept of selection power is further elucidated, and its value supported, by an example of the discrimination enabled by index descriptions, the discovery of analogous concepts in partly independent scholarly and wider public discourses, and its embodiment in the design and use of systems. Selection power is regarded as produced by selection labor, with the nature of that labor changing with different historical conditions and concurrent information technologies. Selection labor can itself be decomposed into description and search labor. Selection labor and its decomposition into description and search labor will be treated in a subsequent article, in a further development of a labor theoretic approach to information retrieval.

The challenge of patients’ unmet palliative care needs in the final stages of chronic illness.

Background: There is consensus in the literature that the end of life care for patients with chronic illness is suboptimal, but research on the specific needs of this population is limited. Aim: This study aimed to use a mixed methodology and case study approach to explore the palliative care needs of patients with a non-cancer diagnosis from the perspectives of the patient, their significant other and the clinical team responsible for their care. Patients (n 18) had a diagnosis of either end-stage heart failure, renal failure or respiratory disease. Methods: The Short Form 36 and Hospital and Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire were completed by all patients. Unstructured interviews were (n 35) were conducted separately with each patient and then their significant other. These were followed by a focus group discussion (n 18) with the multiprofessional clinical team. Quantitative data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and simple descriptive statistics. All qualitative data were taped, transcribed and analysed using Colaizzi’s approach to qualitative analysis. Findings: Deteriorating health status was the central theme derived from this analysis. It led to decreased independence, social isolation and family burden. These problems were mitigated by the limited resources at the individual’s disposal and the availability of support from hospital and community services. Generally resources and support were perceived as lacking. All participants in this study expressed concerns regarding the patients’ future and some patients described feelings of depression or acceptance of the inevitability of imminent death. Conclusion: Patients dying from chronic illness in this study had many concerns and unmet clinical needs. Care teams were frustrated by the lack of resources available to them and admitted they were ill-equipped to provide for the individual’s holistic needs. Some clinicians described difficulty in talking openly with the patient and family regarding the palliative nature of their treatment. An earlier and more effective implementation of the palliative care approach is necessary if the needs of patients in the final stages of chronic illness are to be adequately addressed. Pa

Desire, Resentment and Reprisal: Revisiting the Emotions of Myth in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

This article aims to reassess F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby (1925), taking into consideration the myth-critical hypotheses of philosopher René Girard. Specifically, this essay will analyse the concepts of mimetic desire, resentment and reprisal violence as emotional components of myth, paying close attention to how the reinterpreted mythical pattern of the novel influences the depiction of such emotions as social traits of corruption. Finally, this article will challenge interpretations that have regarded Gatsby as a successful scapegoat-figure, examining instead how the mythical meanings and structures of the text stage an emotional crisis of frustrated desire and antagonism that ultimately offers no hope of communal restoration.

Lorentz TEM investigation of the switching behavior in artificial spin ice building blocks

Frustration – the inability to simultaneously satisfy all interactions – occurs in a wide range of systems including neural networks, water ice and magnetic systems. An example of the latter is the so called spin-ice in pyrochlore materials [1] which have attracted a lot of interest not least due to the emergence of magnetic monopole defects when the ‘ice rules’ governing the local ordering breaks down [2]. However it is not possible to directly measure the frustrated property – the direction of the magnetic moments – in such spin ice systems with current experimental techniques. This problem can be solved by instead studying artificial spin-ice systems where the molecular magnetic moments are replaced by nanoscale ferromagnetic islands [3-8]. Two different arrangements of the ferromagnetic islands have been shown to exhibit spin ice behaviour: a square lattice maintaining four moments at each vertex [3,8] and the Kagome lattice which has only three moments per vertex but equivalent interactions between them [4-7]. Magnetic monopole defects have been observed in both types of lattices [7-8]. One of the challenges when studying these artificial spin-ice systems is that it is difficult to arrive at the fully demagnetised ground-state [6-8].
Here we present a study of the switching behaviour of building blocks of the Kagome lattice influenced by the termination of the lattice. Ferromagnetic islands of nominal size 1000 nm by 100 nm were fabricated in five island blocks using electron-beam lithography and lift-off techniques of evaporated 18 nm Permalloy (Ni80Fe20) films. Each block consists of a central island with four arms terminated by a different number and placement of ‘injection pads’, see Figure 1. The islands are single domain and magnetised along their long axis. The structures were grown on a 50 nm thick electron transparent silicon nitride membrane to allow TEM observation, which was back-coated with a 5 nm film of Au to prevent charge build-up during the TEM experiments.
To study the switching behaviour the sample was subjected to a magnetic field strong enough to magnetise all the blocks in one direction, see Figure 1. Each block obeys the Kagome lattice ‘ice-rules’ of “2-in, 1-out” or “1-in, 2-out” in this fully magnetised state. Fresnel mode Lorentz TEM images of the sample were then recorded as a magnetic field of increasing magnitude was applied in the opposite direction. While the Fresnel mode is normally used to image magnetic domain structures [9] for these types of samples it is possible to deduce the direction of the magnetisation from the Lorentz contrast [5]. All images were recorded at the same over-focus judged to give good Lorentz contrast.
The magnetisation was found to switch at different magnitudes of the applied field for nominally identical blocks. However, trends could still be identified: all the blocks with any injection pads, regardless of placement and number, switched the direction of the magnetisation of their central island at significantly smaller magnitudes of the applied magnetic field than the blocks without injection pads. It can therefore be concluded that the addition of an injection pad lowers the energy barrier to switching the connected island, acting as a nucleation site for monopole defects. In these five island blocks the defects immediately propagate through to the other side, but in a larger lattice the monopoles could potentially become trapped at a vertex and observed [10].
References

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[2] C Castelnovo, R Moessner and S L Sondhi, Nature 451 (2008) p. 42.
[3] R F Wang et al, Nature 439 (2006) 303.
[4] M Tanaka et al, Phys Rev B 73 (2006) 052411.
[5] Y Qi, T Brintlinger and J Cumings, Phys Rev B 77 (2008) 094418.
[6] E Mengotti et al, Phys Rev B 78 (2008) 144402.
[7] S Ladak et al, Nature Phys 6 (2010) 359.
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[9] J N Chapman, J Phys D 17 (1984) 623.
[10] The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the EPSRC under grant number EP/D063329/1.