A mixture of nonelongated monomers A and B capable of formation of three kinds of mesogenic dimers AA, BB, and AB is investigated. We show the possibility of a temperature-induced transition from one nematic phase consisting mostly of dimers AB composed of dissimilar monomers to a different nematic phase consisting mostly of dimers AA and BB composed of similar monomers. The binding energy of dimers AB is supposed to be lower (the binding of monomers A and B is more preferable) than that of dimers AA and BB (the binding of monomers A with each other and monomers B with each other is less preferable). On the contrary, the interactions of dimers AA themselves with each other, dimers BB with each other, and dimers AA with dimers BB are supposed to be stronger (the interaction energy is lower) than those of dimers AB with each other and with dimers AA and BB. If inequality of binding energies is stronger than inequality of interactions between various dimers, but the corresponding energy difference is small, the entropy can play a crucial role in the formation of particular dimer kinds and can drive the transitions between two nematic phases. The theoretical prediction is well reproduced experimentally.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.87.062502 | DOI Listing |
BMC Neurosci
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Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by protein aggregates mostly consisting of misfolded alpha-synuclein (αSyn). Progressive degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs) and nigrostriatal projections results in severe motor symptoms. While the preferential loss of mDANs has not been fully understood yet, the cell type-specific vulnerability has been linked to a unique intracellular milieu, influenced by dopamine metabolism, high demand for mitochondrial activity, and increased level of oxidative stress (OS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Chem
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
Copper is ubiquitous as a structural material, and as a reagent in (bio)chemical transformations. A vast number of chemical reactions rely on the near-inevitable preference of copper for positive oxidation states to make useful compounds. Here we show this electronic paradigm can be subverted in a stable compound with a copper-magnesium bond, which conforms to the formal oxidation state of Cu(-I).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
January 2025
School of Materials, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China; State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China. Electronic address:
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants. However, thorough degradation of PFAS remains exceptionally difficult due to the high dissociation energy of the C-F bond. Here, we report a viable strategy to markedly degrade PFAS completely by capitalizing on a harmless polytetrafluoroetylene (PTFE) as a piezocatalyst.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem A
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, 36714 Shahrood, Iran.
This study investigates the nature and interplay of noncovalent interactions (NCIs)─tetrel bonds (TB), hydrogen bonds (HB), and halogen bonds (XB)─in molecular assemblies formed between trifluorogermyl hypochlorite (FGeOCl) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Using a combination of high-level computational methods, we explored the geometric, energetic, and electronic properties of dimers, trimers, and tetramers formed in different molar ratios of interacting reagents. Various analyses reveal a significant cooperativity between TB and HB, which mutually reinforce each other, while XB interactions are diminished in the presence of TB and HB.
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