Molecular model of biaxial ordering in nematic liquid crystals composed of flat molecules with four mesogenic groups

Relative stability of uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases is analyzed in a model nematic liquid crystal composed of flat molecules of C2h symmetry with four mesogenic groups rigidly linked to the same center. The generalized effective quadrupole mean-field potential is proposed and its constants are evaluated numerically for the pair intermolecular potential based on Gay-Berne interaction between mesogenic groups. The dependencies of the constants on molecular shape parameters are systematically analyzed. Order parameters of the uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases are evaluated by direct minimization of the free energy at different temperatures. The corresponding phase diagrams are obtained enabling one to study the effects of molecular model parameters on the stability regions of uniaxial and biaxial phases. The results are used to clarify the nature of experimentally observed biaxial ordering in nematic liquid crystals composed of tetrapode molecules with the same symmetry.

[Renal transplantation and urinary diversion]

For patients with end-stage renal disease and dysfunctional or absent lower urinary tract, complex therapeutic strategies are necessary combining kidney transplantation and - if possible - continent urinary diversion. In this concept urinary diversion is the first step in a two-stage procedure followed by renal transplantation. Meticulous preoperative diagnostics, careful patient selection and life-long close surveillance are critical for the success of this concept. The published data concerning long-term graft and patient survival are promising.

Mutational spectrum of the C1INH (SERPING1) gene in patients with hereditary angioedema

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease that manifests as intermittent acute swellings of the skin and mucosal surfaces, which, in the gastrointestinal tract and larynx, may even be fatal. HAE results from functional deficiency of the C1 inhibitor (C1INH) protein, which plays a key role in the classical pathway of complement activation. C1INH is the sole inhibitor of the activated proteases C1r and C1s, and is the major regulator of activated coagulation Factor XII and plasma kallikrein, which limits the generation of the vasoactive peptide bradykinin. In this paper, we report on the genetic analysis of 173 families (including 326 members) with a clinical diagnosis of HAE. Direct sequencing, Southern blotting and quantitative PCR by the MLPA method were used to screen for mutations in C1INH (SERPING1). In 142 families (82.1%), a causative C1INH gene mutation could be identified. A total of 80 novel point mutations of C1INH not published previously were detected in 96 pedigrees (including 172 members). Our results corroborate C1INH (SERPING1) deficiency as a disease of extreme allelic heterogeneity with almost each individual family carrying their own mutation. Routine molecular genetic analysis is an effective way of confirming the clinical diagnosis and identifying mutation carriers early on before any clinical manifestation becomes apparent. It is, therefore, a valuable tool in prevention and adequate treatment of acute and life-threatening oedema.

Experimental demonstration, using polarized Raman and infrared spectroscopy, that both conventional and de Vries smectic-A phases may exist in smectic liquid crystals with a first-order A-C* transition

Two models exist for the orientational distribution of the long molecular axes in smectic-A liquid crystals: the conventional unimodal distribution and the "cone-shaped" de Vries distribution. The de Vries hypothesis provides a plausible picture of how, at a molecular level, a first-order Sm-A to Sm-C* transition may occur, especially if there is little or no concomitant shrinkage of the layer spacing. This work investigates two materials with such transitions: C7 and TSiKN65. The azimuthal distribution of in-layer directors is probed using IR and polarized Raman spectroscopy, which allows us to obtain orientational order parameters. In C7, we observe a discontinuous change in the order parameter, the magnitude of which is small compared with the corresponding change in the in-layer director tilt angle Theta . Assuming that the smectic-A liquid crystal is of the de Vries type, we calculate the Theta required to reproduce the apparent order parameter <P2>app, obtained from IR, by using the true order parameter <P2>, obtained from polarized Raman scattering. The results indicate that, for C7, the tilt angle so calculated is much smaller than that in the Sm-C* angle and hence de Vries behavior may not be the appropriate explanation in this case. Conversely, we find that TSiKN65 shows a different behavior to C7, which can be explained in terms of the de Vries concept. Thus, we conclude that either type of distribution may exist in Sm-A phases which undergo a first-order transition to the Sm-C* phase. We also discuss the changes in the smectic layer spacing and the orientational order parameters across the Sm-A-Sm-C* phase transition, together with changes in birefringence with applied electric field.

Atomic force microscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy investigations of human heart valves

Human aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary heart valves were investigated by the contact mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) in air, and using FT-IR spectroscopy in the frequency range 950-4000 cm(-1). Heart valves were collected post mortem from 65-78 years old patients who died from non-cardiac diseases. All of the examined valves showed considerable heterogeneity in the surface topography of collagen fibrils as well as in their organization on the tissue surface. The AFM images revealed areas with significantly different spatial organization of the collagen fibril bundles. We observed zones with multidirectional, stacked collagen fibrils as well as areas of thin fibrils packed regularly, densely and "in phase". The majority of the collagen fibrils reproduced the typical transverse D-banding pattern, with the band interval varying in rather wide range of 70-90 nm. Using AFM imaging, objects that correspond to some pathological states of heart valves at their early stages, i.e. some forms of mineral deposits, were observed. The FT-IR spectra allowed us to recognize main components, i.e. collagen and elastin, in di.erent layers (ventricularis, fibrosa) of the valve leaflets as well as they gave also support for the presence of mineral deposits on the valve surface. The presented results showed, that the AFM imaging and FT-IR spectroscopy can be applied as a complementary methods for structural characterization of heart valves at the molecular and supramolecular levels.

Tannic acid-stabilized pericardium tissue: IR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and dielectric spectroscopy investigations

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and dielectric spectroscopy methods were employed to study structural and dynamic changes in the tannic acid (TA)-stabilized pericardium tissue. Chemically stabilized pericardium tissue is widely used in construction of the tissue derived bioprostheses. IR spectra recorded in the range 400-4000 cm-1 allowed us to recognize different types of TA-collagen interactions. Formation of hydrogen bonds between amine as well as amide NH groups from collagen and hydroxyl groups of TA was analyzed. The AFM imaging showed that the stabilization procedure with TA introduces considerable changes in both surface topography and thickness of collagen fibrils as well as in fibril arrangement on the tissue surface. It was found, that these structural changes have an impact on the dielectric behavior of the TA-stabilized tissue. The dielectric spectra for the native and TA-stabilized tissues were measured in the frequency and temperature ranges of 10(-1) -10(7) Hz and 120-270 K, respectively. The dielectric spectra revealed the relaxation process due to orientation of bound water supplemented by the fluctuation of collagen polar side groups. At the temperatures above approximately 210 K, the relaxation due to ion migration process was observed. It was found that both relaxation processes were influenced by the TA-collagen interaction.

Orientational order and dynamics of the dendritic liquid crystal organo-siloxane tetrapodes determined using dielectric spectroscopy

The dielectric measurements have been carried out on the two zeroth generation dendrimers with four branched arms (called tetrapodes) based on the siloxane cores. The results are analyzed in the framework of the molecular theory of dielectric permittivity by Maier and Meier for nematogens. At least four molecular processes are resolved in the dielectric relaxation spectra in the nematic phase for each of the two tetrapodes. Three of them are assigned to the reorientation of the monomeric unit whereas the fourth is assigned to the rotation of the molecular segments in the individual arms of the monomeric unit around the long molecular axis. The dielectric relaxation strength of the low frequency process has been used to calculate the orientational order parameter. The dynamics of the resolved processes has been quantitatively analyzed using the results of the microscopic model of the rotational diffusion, given by Coffey and Kalmykov [W. T. Coffey and Yu. P. Kalmykov, Adv. Chem. Phys. 113, 487 (2000)] using the calculated order parameter. All molecular processes: the rotation around the short molecular axis (end-over-end rotation), precession around the director and the rotation around the long molecular axis (also called the spinning motion) are shown to have successfully been reproduced by the model. The anisotropy of the rotational diffusion coefficients gradually increases with a reduction in temperature, to a factor of 3 in the nematic phase relative to its isotropic phase.

Self-assembly of biaxial ordering and molecular tilt angle of chiral smectic liquid crystals in homeotropically aligned cells investigated using infrared spectroscopy

Temperature dependences of the infrared absorbance have been measured for the four chiral liquid crystal samples in the homeotropic cell configuration. It is shown that the values of the orientational order parameter obtained using this method exhibit a remarkable similarity to the x-ray diffraction results of the smectic layer spacing and lead to accurate values of the molecular tilt angle. This has important consequences for the existing interpretation of the x-ray data. The proposed method, in many cases, may be considered as a valuable alternative to the x-ray diffraction, giving additional, important information about the orientations and the ordering of the molecular fragments. It is found that if the experimentally obtained order parameter is low, then the molecular biaxiality is exceptionally large. The average phenyl ring plane is found to lie close to the molecular tilt plane.

Thermotropic biaxial nematic phase in liquid crystalline organo-siloxane tetrapodes

Infrared absorbance measurements have been carried out on two liquid crystalline organo-siloxane tetrapodes. Results unambiguously show the existence of a biaxial nematic phase below a uniaxial nematic phase. The three components of IR absorbance are used to calculate the various order parameters. On cooling, a weak first-order transition from isotropic to nematic is observed, followed by a second-order phase transition to biaxial nematic where the biaxiality parameters are found to be significantly large. Results are supported by observations from conoscopy and texture. Temperature dependences of the order parameters are well explained by the mean-field model for a biaxial phase.

Infrared study of orientational order parameters of a ferroelectric liquid crystal

A method of determining the set of four order parameters S , D , P , and C for a ferroelectric liquid crystal, using complementary results for different sample geometries, is presented. IR measurements have been performed for homeotropic, planar heterogeneous and, planar homogenous sample geometries. Orientational order parameters were determined in two frames of reference to obtain complete information on molecular arrangement. Results for the D , P , and C parameters indicate the importance of both the intrinsic and extrinsic biaxialities. The molecular rotation around the long molecular axis is not free, and the carbonyl dipole and plane of the central phenyl ring are oriented close to the tilt plane. It has been found that transition dipole moments show significant correlations, antiparallel for longitudinal dipoles and parallel for transversal ones.

The orientational order parameters of a dendritic liquid crystal organo-siloxane tetrapode oligomer, determined using polarized infrared spectroscopy

The observed macroscopic anisotropic properties such as the components of infrared (IR) absorbances of liquid crystals are expressed in terms of the order parameters of the long molecular axis, molecular, and phase biaxiality. The order parameters of the organo-siloxane tetrapode liquid crystal of zero dendritic order (G0) in its nematic and smectic phases have been determined using results of the polarized IR spectroscopic measurements on a planar homogenously and hometropic aligned cells. The spatial components of the absorbances for the vibrational bands (in the mesogenic unit, terminal chains, and spacer) have been measured and analyzed. For the laboratory reference system, the apparent orientational order parameter S of the mesogen unit shows a significant drop in the transition from the nematic to the smectic phase while the phase biaxiality order parameter P increases to almost 0.4 in the smectic phase. This result shows that the director is tilted out of the sample plane in the smectic phase. The molecular biaxiality parameter D is found to be positive both for the nematic and smectic phases. This suggests that the carbonyl dipoles are oriented close to the tilt plane. For the vibrational bands in the chains, low values of S and D indicative of their low orientational order are obtained. As a result of the interaction among the molecules in the tilted smectic phases, the transition dipoles show positive correlations for the transversal and negative for the longitudinal dipoles.

Ionic diffusion and space charge polarization in structural characterization of biological tissues

In this study, a new approach to the analysis of the low-frequency (1-10(7) Hz) dielectric spectra of biological tissue, has been described. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of ionic diffusion and space charge polarization according to Sawada's theory. The new presentation of dielectric spectra, i.e. ([Formula: see text]) [Formula: see text] has been used. This method results in peaks which are narrower and better resolved than both the measured loss peaks and an alternative loss quantity [Formula: see text]. The presented method and Sawada's expression have been applied to the analysis of changes in the spatial molecular structure of a collagen fibril network in pericardium tissue exposed to glutaraldehyde (GA), with respect to the native tissue. The diffusion coefficient of ions was estimated on the basis of a dielectric dispersion measurement for an aqueous NaCl solution with a well-calibrated distance between the electrodes. The fitting procedure of a theoretical function to the experimental data allowed us to determine three diffusive relaxation regions with three structural distance parameters d(s), describing the spatial arrangement of collagen fibrils in pericardium tissue. It has been found that a significant decrease in the structural distance d(s) from 87 nm to 45 nm may correspond to a reduction in the interfibrillar distance within GA cross-linked tissue.

Photoconductivity of synthetic dopa-melanin polymer

The photoconductivity effect in synthetic dopa-melanin polymer with relation to the charge hopping conduction has been investigated. Measurements of the rise and decay of photocurrents upon visible radiation (400-800 nm) and at temperatures of 293-326 K allowed the determination of the major trapping levels as follows: 56, 35 and 26 kJ/mol. Spectral response of the steady-state photocurrent in the range 367-1100 nm showed significant departures from the absorption spectrum of melanin. The high concentration of traps or recombination centers can explain the long time-constants calculated from the photocurrent rise and decay curves. The results obtained can support the postulated earlier polarons and hopping model of conductivity in synthetic dopa-melanin.