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Abstract: AC electrochemical processes have found applications in controlled surface roughening of aluminium (AC electrograining), fine-tip sharpening for field ion microscopy (AC machining) and thin film anodising (AC anodising). The formation of a surface layer and copious amounts of hydrogen gas are inherent in these AC processes. The presence of a resistance is observed in these processes but it is the source of the resistance that is important to the understanding of ionic transport through the surface film.The AC electrograining process is chosen here, as the annual worldwide production of aluminium plate for high quality lithographic printing and for energy storage super-capacitors is in excess of 800 km(2). In this study, a method to detect gas in the surface layer (smut) in-situ with Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) is proposed. The total scattering from the in-situ SAXS is used with knowledge of the total volume of smut to explain how a gas fraction can be determined by comparing two samples. Results suggest that a gas fraction can be retained in smut during AC electrograining, the degree to which varies with smut properties. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Abstract: The group 13 monoalkoxometallanes [Me_{2}Ga(OC(CH_{3})_{2}CH_{2}OMe)]_{2} (1) and [Me_{2}In(OCH(CH_{3})CH_{2}OMe)]_{2} (2), incorporating donor functionalised alkoxides, were synthesised from the reaction of GaMe_{3} or InMe_{3} with ROH (R=C(CH_{3})_{2}CH_{2}OMe (1); R=CH(CH_{3})CH_{2}OMe (2)) in toluene. X-ray crystallography showed that both compounds adopt dimeric structures with a planar M_{2}O_{2} ring, and each group 13 atom is coordinated in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. The AACVD reaction of GaMe_{3} and ROH (R =C(CH_{3})_{2}CH_{2}OMe, CH_{2}CH_{2}OMe, CH_{2}CH_{2}NMe_{2}) resulted in the formation of thin films of Ga_{2}O_{3} on glass substrates at 450°C. The gallium oxide films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays, wavelength dispersive analysis of X-rays and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This CVD technique offers a rapid, convenient route to Ga_{2}O_{3}, which involves the in situ formation of dimethylgallium alkoxides, of the type [Me_{2}Ga(?-OR)]_{2} similar to compound 1.

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Abstract: The metal cofactor determines the thermal stability in cupredoxins, but how the redox state of copper modulates their melting points remains unknown. The metal coordination environment is highly conserved in cyanobacterial plastocyanins. However, the oxidised form is more stable than the reduced one in thermophilic Phormidium, but the opposite occurs in mesophilic Synechocystis. We have performed neutral amino-acid substitutions at loops of Phormidium plastocyanin far from the copper site. Notably, mutation P49G/G50P confers a redox-dependent thermal stability similar to that of the mesophilic plastocyanin. Moreover, X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that P49G/G50P mutation makes the electron density distribution at the oxidised copper site shift towards that of Synechocystis plastocyanin.

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Abstract: Enterococcus hirae vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) is composed of a soluble catalytic domain (V1; NtpA3-B3-D-G) and an integral membrane domain (V0; NtpI-K10) connected by a central and peripheral stalk(s) (NtpC and NtpE-F). Here we examined the nucleotide binding of NtpA monomer, NtpB monomer or NtpD-G heterodimer purified by using Escherichia coli expression system in vivo or in vitro, and the reconstitution of the V1 portion with these polypeptides. The affinity of nucleotide binding to NtpA was 6.6 ?M for ADP or 3.1 ?M for ATP, while NtpB or NtpD-G did not show any binding. The NtpA and NtpB monomers assembled into NtpA3-B3 heterohexamer in nucleotide binding-dependent manner. NtpD-G bound NtpA3-B3 forming V1 (NtpA3-B3-D-G) complex independent of nucleotides. The V1 formation from individual NtpA and NtpB monomers with NtpD-G heterodimer was absolutely dependent on nucleotides. The ATPase activity of reconstituted V1 complex was as high as that of native V1-ATPase purified from the V0V1 complex by EDTA treatment of cell membrane. This in vitro reconstitution system of E. hirae V1 complex will be valuable for characterizing the subunit-subunit interactions and assembly mechanism of the V1-ATPase complex.

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Abstract: Controlling a phase of matter by coherently manipulating specific vibrational modes has long been an attractive (yet elusive) goal for ultrafast science. Solids with strongly correlated electrons, in which even subtle crystallographic distortions can result in colossal changes of the electronic and magnetic properties, could be directed between competing phases by such selective vibrational excitation. In this way, the dynamics of the electronic ground state of the system become accessible, and new insight into the underlying physics might be gained. Here we report the ultrafast switching of the electronic phase of a magnetoresistive manganite via direct excitation of a phonon mode at 17-THz. A prompt, five-order-of-magnitude drop in resistivity is observed, associated with a non-equilibrium transition from the stable insulating phase to a metastable metallic phase. In contrast with light-induced1, 2, 3 and current-driven4 phase transitions, the vibrationally driven bandgap collapse observed here is not related to hot-carrier injection and is uniquely attributed to a large-amplitude Mn-O distortion. This corresponds to a perturbation of the perovskite-structure tolerance factor, which in turn controls the electronic bandwidth via inter-site orbital overlap5, 6. Phase control by coherent manipulation of selected metal-oxygen phonons should find extensive application in other complex solids-notably in copper oxide superconductors, in which the role of Cu-O vibrations on the electronic properties is currently controversial.