A simple theory for the dependence of the electrical resistance of the magnetic superconductors TmRh4B4 and ErRh4B4 on temperature and field

The warmup rate of the¹⁶⁵Ho-enhanced nuclear spins in a HoVO₄ single crystal in contact with dilute³He is shown to be dominated by the Kapitza resistanceR _K at low bath temperature (T _b <100 mK). This result is obtained from an analysis of the NMR signal during the warmup, following a demagnetization which cools the sample to a temperature of about 5 mK. The temperature variation ofR _K (T _b< ^/–3 ) is consistent with the acoustic mismatch model, but the magnitude is 40 times smaller than the theoretical predictions for a solid-liquid interface. The spin-lattice relaxation is also estimated, and found to be in agreement with the results of other authors.     

Metabolic consequences of phosphotransferase (PTS) mutation in a phenylalanine-producing recombinant Escherichia coli

E. coli strain PPA305, which has a wild-type PTS system, and PPA316, which utilizes a proton-galactose symport system for glucose uptake, were used as host strains to harbor a phenylalanine overproduction plasmid pSY130-14 and to study the effects of using different glucose uptake systems on phenylalanine production. The non-PTS strain (PPA316/pSY130-14) produced much less phenylalanine, ranging from 0 to 67% of that produced by the PTS strain (PPA305/pSY130-14) depending on cultivation conditions used. The non-PTS strain PPA316/pSY130-14 had an intracellular PEP concentration only one-sixth that of the PTS strain, PPA305/pSY130-14. Additionally, PPA316/pSY130-14 had a substantially lower energy state in terms of the size of the pool of high-energy phosphate compounds and the magnitude of the pH difference across the cytoplasmic membrane. The non-PTS strain consumed oxygen at a higher rate, attained lower biomass concentration, and produced no acetate and phenylalanine during fermentation, suggesting more carbon was oxidized to CO2, most likely through the TCA cycle. Analysis of intracellular fluxes through the central carbon pathways was performed for each strain utilizing exponential phase data on extracellular components and assuming quasi-steady state for intermediate metabolites. The non-PTS strain had a higher flux through pyruvate kinase (PYK) and TCA cycle which, in agreement with the observed higher oxygen uptake rate, suggests that more carbon was oxidized to CO2 through the TCA cycle. Further analysis using rate expression data for PYK and NMR data for the intracellular metabolites identified the regulatory properties of PYK as the probable cause for lower intracellular PEP levels in PPA316/pSY130-14.     

Monodisperse Polymer Capsules: Tailoring Size,Shell Thickness,and Hydrophobic Cargo Loading via Emulsion Templating

The preparation of monodisperse polymer (polydopamine, PDA) capsules by a one‐step interfacial polymerization of dopamine onto dimethyldiethoxysilane (DMDES) emulsion droplets and removal of the DMDES templates with ethanol is reported. The diameters of the PDA capsules can be tailored from 400 nm to 2.4 µm by varying either the DMDES emulsion condensation time or the emulsion concentration used for templating. Further, capsules with defined nanometer‐scale shell thicknesses (ranging from ～10 to 30 nm) can be prepared by adjusting the emulsion concentration. This shell thickness can be increased by repeated interfacial polymerization of dopamine, with three cycles yielding capsules with a shell thickness of up to 140 nm (for a 0.6% v/v suspension). Functional substances, such as organically stabilized magnetic (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles, quantum dots (CdSe/CdS), and hydrophobic drugs (thiocoraline), can be preloaded in the emulsion droplets, and following PDA coating and DMDES removal, these materials remain encapsulated in the polymer capsules. All of the unloaded and loaded PDA capsules are monodisperse and do not aggregate. This work provides new avenues for the preparation of polymer capsules with defined size and shell thickness and for the encapsulation of a range of hydrophobic substances.     

Control and regulation of metabolic fluxes in microbes by substrates and enzymes

The control of enzymes and substrates on the flux through microbial metabolic pathways can be quantified in terms of flux control coefficients. In pathways involving group transfer, the summation theorem for flux control by the enzymes has to be modified: the sum of control by all enzymes is between 1 and 2. The phosphoenolpyruvate:glucose phosphotransferase system is such a pathway. Experimental determination of the control by the enzymes in this pathway is under way. The control of the enzymes on the glycolytic flux in yeast is low, with the possible exception of the uptake step. In Klebsiella pneumoniae potassium and ammonium ions can simultaneously be 'limiting', (i.e. have significant control on growth) at pH6, but not at pH8. This may be due to the fact that at pH8 the high-affinity potassium uptake system is absent.