Investigation of Diffusion in Molecular Sieves by Neutron Scattering Techniques

Author(s):  
H. Jobic
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Downs ◽  
Wilson Ribot ◽  
Joseph W. Farchaus

Many bacteria possess surface layers (S-layers) that consist of a two-dimensional protein lattice external to the cell envelope. These S-layer arrays are usually composed of a single species of protein or glycoprotein and are not covalently linked to the underlying cell wall. When removed from the cell, S-layer proteins often reassemble into a lattice identical to that found on the cell, even without supporting cell wall fragments. S-layers exist at the interface between the cell and its environment and probably serve as molecular sieves that exclude destructive macromolecules while allowing passage of small nutrients and secreted proteins. Some S-layers are refractory to ingestion by macrophages and, generally, bacteria are more virulent when S-layers are present.When grown in rich medium under aerobic conditions, B. anthracis strain Delta Sterne-1 secretes large amounts of a proteinaceous extractable antigen 1 (EA1) into the growth medium. Immunocytochemistry with rabbit polyclonal anti-EAl antibody made against the secreted protein and gold-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG showed that EAI was localized at the cell surface (fig 1), which suggests its role as an S-layer protein.


Author(s):  
T. Egami ◽  
H. D. Rosenfeld ◽  
S. Teslic

Relaxor ferroelectrics, such as Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) or (Pb·88La ·12)(Zr·65Ti·35)O3 (PLZT), show diffuse ferroelectric transition which depends upon frequency of the a.c. field. In spite of their wide use in various applications details of their atomic structure and the mechanism of relaxor ferroelectric transition are not sufficiently understood. While their crystallographic structure is cubic perovskite, ABO3, their thermal factors (apparent amplitude of thermal vibration) is quite large, suggesting local displacive disorder due to heterovalent ion mixing. Electron microscopy suggests nano-scale structural as well as chemical inhomogeneity.We have studied the atomic structure of these solids by pulsed neutron scattering using the atomic pair-distribution analysis. The measurements were made at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) of Argonne National Laboratory. Pulsed neutrons are produced by a pulsed proton beam accelerated to 750 MeV hitting a uranium target at a rate of 30 Hz. Even after moderation by a liquid methane moderator high flux of epithermal neutrons with energies ranging up to few eV’s remain.


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