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The current study explored effects of continuous hand motion on the allocation of visual attention. A concurrent paradigm was used to combine visually concealed continuous hand movements with an attentionally demanding letter discrimination task. The letter probe appeared contingent upon the moving right hand passing through one of six positions. Discrimination responses were then collected via a keyboard press with the static left hand. Both the right hand’s position and its movement direction systematically contributed to participants’ visual sensitivity. Discrimination performance increased substantially when the right hand was distant from, but moving toward the visual probe location (replicating the far-hand effect, Festman et al., 2013). However, this effect disappeared when the probe appeared close to the static left hand, supporting the view that static and dynamic features of both hands combine in modulating pragmatic maps of attention.

Prevailing diffusion-limited analyses of evaporating sessile droplets are facilitated by a quasisteady model for the evolution of vapor concentration in space and time. When attempting to employ that model in two dimensions, however, one encounters an impasse: the logarithmic growth of concentration at large distances, associated with the Green's function of Laplace's equation, is incompatible with the need to approach an equilibrium concentration at infinity. Observing that the quasisteady description breaks down at large distances, the diffusion problem is resolved using matched asymptotic expansions. Thus the vapor domain is conceptually decomposed into two asymptotic regions: one at the scale of the drop, where vapor transport is indeed quasisteady, and one at a remote scale, where the drop appears as a point singularity and transport is genuinely unsteady. The requirement of asymptotic matching between the respective regions furnishes a self-consistent description of the time-evolving evaporation process. Its solution provides the droplet lifetime as a universal function of a single physical parameter. Our scheme avoids the use of a remote artificial boundary, which introduces a nonremovable dependence upon a nonphysical parameter.

The ConSurf web-sever for the analysis of proteins, RNA, and DNA provides a quick and accurate estimate of the per-site evolutionary rate among homologues. The analysis reveals functionally important regions, such as catalytic and ligand-binding sites, which often evolve slowly. Since the last report in 2016, ConSurf has been improved in multiple ways. It now has a user-friendly interface that makes it easier to perform the analysis and to visualize the results. Evolutionary rates are calculated based on a set of homologous sequences, collected using hidden Markov model-based search tools, recently embedded in the pipeline. Using these, and following the removal of redundancy, ConSurf assembles a representative set of effective homologues for protein and nucleic acid queries to enable informative analysis of the evolutionary patterns. The analysis is particularly insightful when the evolutionary rates are mapped on the macromolecule structure. In this respect, the availability of AlphaFold model structures of essentially all UniProt proteins makes ConSurf particularly relevant to the research community. The UniProt ID of a query protein with an available AlphaFold model can now be used to start a calculation. Another important improvement is the Python re-implementation of the entire computational pipeline, making it easier to maintain. This Python pipeline is now available for download as a standalone version. We demonstrate some of ConSurf's key capabilities by the analysis of caveolin-1, the main protein of membrane invaginations called caveolae., (© 2023 The Authors. Protein Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Protein Society.)

The human Na + /H + antiporter NHA2 (SLC9B2) transports Na + or Li + across the plasma membrane in exchange for protons, and is implicated in various pathologies. It is a 537 amino acids protein with an 82 residues long hydrophilic cytoplasmic N-terminus followed by a transmembrane part comprising 14 transmembrane helices. We optimized the functional expression of HsNHA2 in the plasma membrane of a salt-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain and characterized in vivo a set of mutated or truncated versions of HsNHA2 in terms of their substrate specificity, transport activity, localization, and protein stability. We identified a highly conserved proline 246, located in the core of the protein, as being crucial for ion selectivity. The replacement of P246 with serine or threonine resulted in antiporters with altered substrate specificity that were not only highly active at acidic pH 4.0 (like the native antiporter), but also at neutral pH. P246T/S versions also exhibited increased resistance to the HsNHA2-specific inhibitor phloretin. We experimentally proved that a putative salt bridge between E215 and R432 is important for antiporter function, but also structural integrity. Truncations of the first 50-70 residues of the N-terminus doubled the transport activity of HsNHA2, while changes in the charge at positions E47, E56, K57, or K58 decreased the antiporter's transport activity. Thus, the hydrophilic N-terminal part of the protein appears to allosterically auto-inhibit cation transport of HsNHA2. Our data also show this in vivo approach to be useful for a rapid screening of SNP's effect on HsNHA2 activity., (© 2022 The Protein Society.)

Protein-protein interactions and protein modifications play central roles in all living organisms. Of the more than 200 types of post-translational modifications, ubiquitylation is the most abundant, and it profoundly regulates the functionality of the eukaryotic proteome. Various in vitro and in vivo methodologies to study protein interactions and modifications have been developed, each presenting distinctive benefits and caveats. Here, we present a comprehensive protocol for applying a split-Chloramphenicol Acetyl-Transferase (split-CAT) based system, to study protein-protein interactions and ubiquitylation in E. coli . Functional assembly of bait and prey proteins tethered to the split-CAT fragments result in antibiotic resistance and growth on selective media. We demonstrate assays for protein interactions, protein ubiquitylation, and the system response to small compound modulators. To facilitate data collection, we provide an updated Scanner Acquisition Manager Program for Laboratory Experiments (SAMPLE; https://github.com/PragLab/SAMPLE ) that can be employed to monitor the growth of various microorganisms, including E. coli and S. cerevisiae . The advantage posed by this system lies in its sensitivity to a wide range of chloramphenicol concentrations, which allows the detection of a large spectrum of protein-protein interactions, without the need for their purification. The tight linkage between binding or ubiquitylation and growth enables the estimation of apparent relative affinity, and represents the system's quantitative characteristics. Graphical abstract., Competing Interests: Competing interests GP has equity in Coltac therapeutics LTD, other authors declare no competing interests. Company and patents: Patents: US10982252, US20200385706, and US20210356467., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors; exclusive licensee Bio-protocol LLC.)

Split reporter protein-based genetic section systems are widely used to identify and characterize protein-protein interactions (PPI). The assembly of split markers that antagonize toxins, rather than required for synthesis of missing metabolites, facilitates the seeding of high density of cells and selective growth. Here we present a newly developed split chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (split-CAT) -based genetic selection system. The N terminus fragment of CAT is fused downstream of the protein of interest and the C terminus fragment is tethered upstream to its postulated partner. We demonstrate the system's advantages for the study of PPIs. Moreover, we show that co-expression of a functional ubiquitylation cascade where the target and ubiquitin are tethered to the split-CAT fragments results in ubiquitylation-dependent selective growth. Since proteins do not have to be purified from the bacteria and due to the high sensitivity of the split-CAT reporter, detection of challenging protein cascades and post-translation modifications is enabled. In addition, we demonstrate that the split-CAT system responds to small molecule inhibitors and molecular glues (GLUTACs). The absence of ubiquitylation-dependent degradation and deubiquitylation in E. coli significantly simplify the interpretation of the results. We harnessed the developed system to demonstrate that like NEDD4, UBE3B also undergoes self-ubiquitylation-dependent inactivation. We show that self-ubiquitylation of UBE3B on K665 induces oligomerization and inactivation in yeast and mammalian cells respectively. Finally, we showcase the advantages of split-CAT in the study of human diseases by demonstrating that mutations in UBE3B that cause Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome exhibit clear E. coli growth phenotypes., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

We consider the self-diffusiophoresis of axisymmetric particles using a continuum description where the interfacial chemical reaction is modeled by first-order kinetics with a prescribed axisymmetric distribution of rate-constant magnitude. We employ the standard macroscale framework where the interaction of solute molecules with the particle boundary is represented by diffusio-osmotic slip. The dimensionless problem governing the solute transport involves two parameters (the particle slenderness ϵ and the Damköhler number Da ) as well as two arbitrary functions which describe the axial distributions of the particle shape and rate-constant magnitude. The resulting particle speed is determined throughout the solution of the accompanying problem governing the flow about the force-free particle. Motivated by experimental configurations, we employ slender-body theory to investigate the asymptotic limit ϵ ≪ 1. In doing so, we seek algebraically accurate approximations where the asymptotic error is smaller than a positive power of ϵ. The resulting approximations are thus significantly more useful than those obtained in the conventional manner, where the asymptotic expansion is carried out in inverse powers of ln ϵ. The price for that utility is that two linear integral equations need to be solved: one governing the axial solute-sink distribution and the other governing the axial distribution of Stokeslets. When restricting the analysis to spheroidal particles, no need arises to solve for the Stokeslet distribution. The integral equation governing the solute-sink distribution is then solved using a numerical finite-difference scheme. This solution is supplemented by a large- Da asymptotic analysis, wherein a subtle nonuniformity necessitates a careful treatment of the regions near the particle ends. The simple approximations thereby obtained are in excellent agreement with the numerical solution.

Sulfur is essential for biological processes such as amino acid biogenesis, iron-sulfur cluster formation, and redox homeostasis. To acquire sulfur-containing compounds from the environment, bacteria have evolved high-affinity uptake systems, predominant among which is the ABC transporter family. Theses membrane-embedded enzymes use the energy of ATP hydrolysis for transmembrane transport of a wide range of biomolecules against concentration gradients. Three distinct bacterial ABC import systems of sulfur-containing compounds have been identified, but the molecular details of their transport mechanism remain poorly characterized. Here we provide results from a biochemical analysis of the purified Escherichia coli YecSC-FliY cysteine/cystine import system. We found that the substrate-binding protein FliY binds l-cystine, l-cysteine, and d-cysteine with micromolar affinities. However, binding of the l- and d-enantiomers induced different conformational changes of FliY, where the l- enantiomer-substrate-binding protein complex interacted more efficiently with the YecSC transporter. YecSC had low basal ATPase activity that was moderately stimulated by apo FliY, more strongly by d-cysteine-bound FliY, and maximally by l-cysteine- or l-cystine-bound FliY. However, at high FliY concentrations, YecSC reached maximal ATPase rates independent of the presence or nature of the substrate. These results suggest that FliY exists in a conformational equilibrium between an open, unliganded form that does not bind to the YecSC transporter and closed, unliganded and closed, liganded forms that bind this transporter with variable affinities but equally stimulate its ATPase activity. These findings differ from previous observations for similar ABC transporters, highlighting the extent of mechanistic diversity in this large protein family., (© 2020 Sabrialabed et al.)

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS) is a central metalloenzyme in the mevalonate pathway, crucial for the prenylation of small GTPases. As small GTPases are pivotal for cellular survival, GGPPS was highlighted as a potential target for treating human diseases, including solid and hematologic malignancies and parasitic infections. Most available GGPPS inhibitors are bisphosphonates, but the clinically available compounds demonstrate poor pharmacokinetic properties. Although the design of novel bisphosphonates with improved physicochemical properties is highly desirable, the structure of wild-type human GGPPS (hGGPPS) bound to a bisphosphonate has not been resolved. Moreover, various metal-bisphosphonate-binding stoichiometries were previously reported in structures of yeast GGPPS (yGGPPS), hampering computational drug design with metal-binding pharmacophores (MBP). In this study, we report the 2.2 Å crystal structure of hGGPPS in complex with ibandronate, clearly depicting the involvement of three Mg 2+ ions in bisphosphonate-protein interactions. Using drug-binding assays and computational docking, we show that the assignment of three Mg 2+ ions to the binding site of both hGGPPS and yGGPPS greatly improves the correlation between calculated binding energies and experimentally measured affinities. This work provides a structural basis for future rational design of additional MBP-harboring drugs targeting hGGPPS. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Bisphosphonates are inhibitors of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS), a metalloenzyme crucial for cell survival. Bisphosphonate binding depends on coordination by Mg 2+ ions, but various Mg 2+ -bisphosphonate-binding stoichiometries were previously reported. In this study, we show that three Mg 2+ ions are vital for drug binding and provide a structural basis for future computational design of GGPPS inhibitors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that no conflict of interest exists., (Copyright © 2019 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.)

With diminishing fraction of their solid portion, compound gas-solid superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit a large amount of slip which allows for appreciable velocity amplification in pressure-driven microchannel flows. We address this small solid-fraction limit in the context of a grating-like configuration, where superhydrophobicity is provided by a periodic array of flat-meniscus bubbles which are trapped in a Cassie state within the grooved channel walls. Asymptotic analysis for both longitudinal and transverse flows reveals a logarithmic scaling of the effective slip length in the solid fraction of the compound boundaries, thus refuting earlier claims of an algebraic singularity. The logarithmic scaling in the longitudinal problem is explained using an analogy between the unidirectional velocity and the velocity potential in two-dimensional irrotational flows. In the transverse problem it has to do with the Stokes paradox. The mechanisms identified herein explain the absence of slip-length singularity in the comparable asymmetric configuration, where only one of the channel walls is superhydrophobic.

When a zero-net-charge particle is placed under a uniform electric field, the decay of the Maxwell stress with the third power of distance ensures a nil electric force. A nonzero force may nonetheless be generated in the presence of a planar wall due to a mechanism which resembles conventional dielectrophoresis under nonuniform fields. In the prototypical case of a spherical particle this force acts perpendicular to the wall; its magnitude depends upon the pertinent boundary conditions governing the electric potential. When a particle is suspended in an electrolyte solution, where the double-layer structure ensures zero net charge, these conditions are electrokinetic in nature; they involve a balance between bulk conduction and diffusion, represented by normal derivatives, and an effective surface-conduction mechanism, represented by surface-Laplacian terms whose magnitude is quantified by appropriate Dukhin numbers. The dimensionless force depends upon the particle and wall Dukhin numbers as well as the ratio λ of the size of the particle to its distance from the wall. The remote-particle limit λ ≪ 1 is addressed using successive reflections. Calculation of the first few terms in the asymptotic expansion of the force only requires the evaluation of a single reflection from the wall. The leading-order term, scaling as λ(4), is repulsive, with a magnitude that varies non-monotonically with the particle Dukhin number and is independent of the wall Dukhin number. Surface conditions on the wall enter only at the O(λ(5)) leading-order correction.

We consider the motion of self-propelling Brownian particles in two-dimensional periodically corrugated channels. The point-size swimmers propel themselves in a direction which fluctuates by Brownian rotation; in addition, they undergo Brownian motion. The impermeability of the channel boundaries in conjunction with an asymmetry of the unit-cell geometry enables ratcheting, where a nonzero particle current is animated along the channel. This effect is studied here in the continuum limit using a diffusion-advection description of the probability density in a four-dimensional position-orientation space. Specifically, the mean particle velocity is calculated using macrotransport (generalized Taylor-dispersion) theory. This description reveals that the ratcheting mechanism is indirect: swimming gives rise to a biased spatial particle distribution which in turn results in a purely diffusive net current. For a slowly varying channel geometry, the dependence of this current upon the channel geometry and fluid-particle parameters is studied via a long-wave approximation over a reduced two-dimensional space. This allows for a straightforward seminumerical solution. In the limit where both rotational diffusion and swimming are strong, we find an asymptotic approximation to the particle current, scaling inversely with the square of the swimming Péclet number. For a given swimmer-fluid system, this limit is physically realized with increasing unit-cell size.

We utilize macrotransport theory to compute the effective diffusion coefficient of a point-sized particle in a periodic channel of slowly varying cross-section to the second order in the long-wavelength limit. This asymptotic result serves as a benchmark test for the respective modifications of the Fick-Jacobs equation proposed by Zwanzig [J. Phys. Chem. 96, 3926 (1992)], Reguera and Rubi [Phys. Rev. E 64, 061106 (2001)], and Kalinay and Percus [Phys. Rev. E 74, 041203 (2006)]. While all three modifications result in an identical effective diffusivity at first order, only the model proposed by Kalinay and Percus agrees at second order with our asymptotic result.

We analyze electro-osmotic flow about a dielectric solid of zero surface charge, using the prototypic configurations of a spherical particle and an infinite circular cylinder. We assume that the ratio δ of Debye width to particle size is asymptotically small, and consider the flow engendered by the application of a uniform electric field; the control parameter is E-the voltage drop on the particle (normalized by the thermal scale) associated with this field. For moderate fields, E=O(1), the induced ζ potential scales as the product of the applied-field magnitude and the Debye width; being small compared with the thermal voltage, its resolution requires addressing one higher asymptotic order than that resolved in the comparable analysis of electrophoresis of charged particles. For strong fields, E=O(δ-1), the ζ potential becomes comparable to the thermal voltage, depending nonlinearly on δ and E. We obtain a uniform approximation for the ζ-potential distribution, valid for both moderate and strong fields; it holds even under intense fields, E≫δ-1, where it scales as log|E|. The induced-flow magnitude therefore undergoes a transition from an E2 dependence at moderate fields to an essentially linear variation with |E| at intense fields. Remarkably, surface conduction is negligible as long as E≪δ-2: the ζ potential, albeit induced, remains mild even under intense fields. Thus, unlike the related problem of induced-charge flow about a perfect conductor, the theoretical velocity predictions in the present problem may actually be experimentally realized.

The response of an electrolyte solution bounded between two blocking electrodes subjected to an ac voltage is considered. We focus on the pertinent thin-double-layer limit, where this response is governed by a reduced dynamic model [L. Højgaard Olesen, M. Z. Bazant, and H. Bruus, Phys. Rev. E 82, 011501 (2010)]. During a transient stage, the system is nonlinearly entrained towards periodic oscillations of the same frequency as that of the applied voltage. Employing a strained-coordinate perturbation scheme, valid for moderately large values of the applied voltage amplitude V, we obtain a closed-form asymptotic approximation for the periodic orbit which is in remarkable agreement with numerical computations. The analysis elucidates the nonlinear characteristics of the system, including a slow (logarithmic) growth of the zeta-potential amplitude with V and a phase straining scaling as V-1lnV. In addition, an asymptotic current-voltage relation is provided, capturing the numerically observed rapid temporal variations in the electric current.

We consider electric conductance through a narrow nanochannel in the thick-double-layer limit, where the space-charge Debye layers adjacent to the channel walls overlap. At moderate surface-charge densities the electrolyte solution filling the channel comprises mainly of counterions. This allows to derive an analytic closed-form approximation for the channel conductance, independent of the salt concentration in the channel reservoirs. The derived expression consists of two terms. The first, representing electromigratory transport, is independent of the channel depth. The second, representing convective transport, depends upon it weakly.

In the thin-double-layer limit κa>>1, electrokinetic flows about free surfaces are driven by a combination of an electro-osmotic slip and effective shear-stress jump. An intriguing case is that of a highly conducting liquid drop of radius a, where the inability to balance the viscous shear by Maxwell stresses results in an O(κa) velocity amplification relative to the familiar electro-osmotic scale. To illuminate the inherent nonlinearity we consider uncharged drops, where the induced surface-charge distribution results in a fore-aft symmetric electrokinetic flow profile with no attendant drop translation. This problem is analyzed using a macroscale model, where the double layer is represented by effective boundary conditions. Because of the intense flow, ionic convection within the O(1/κ)-wide diffuse-charge layer is manifested by a moderate-zeta-potential surface-conduction effect. The drop deforms to a prolate shape in response to the combination of hydrodynamic forces and the effective electrocapillary reduction of the surface-tension coefficient, both mechanisms being asymptotically comparable. The flow field and the concomitant drop deformation are calculated using both a weak-field approximation and numerical simulations of the nonlinear macroscale model.

We provide a macroscale description of electrokinetic particle-electrode interactions at high frequencies, where chemical reactions at the electrodes are negligible. Using a thin-double-layer approximation, our starting point is the set of macroscale equations governing the "bounded" configuration comprising of a particle suspended between two electrodes, wherein the electrodes are governed by a capacitive charging condition and the imposed voltage is expressed as an integral constraint. In the large-cell limit the bounded model is transformed into an effectively equivalent "unbounded" model describing the interaction between the particle and a single electrode, where the imposed-voltage condition is manifested in a uniform field at infinity together with a Robin-type condition applying at the electrode. This condition, together with the standard no-flux condition applying at the particle surface, leads to a linear problem governing the electric potential in the fluid domain in which the dimensionless frequency ω of the applied voltage appears as a governing parameter. In the high-frequency limit ω>>1 the flow is dominated by electro-osmotic slip at the particle surface, the contribution of electrode electro-osmosis being O(ω(-2)) small. That simplification allows for a convenient analytical investigation of the prevailing case where the clearance between the particle and the adjacent electrode is small. Use of tangent-sphere coordinates allows to calculate the electric and flows fields as integral Hankel transforms. At large distances from the particle, along the electrode, both fields decay with the fourth power of distance.

Standard thin-double-layer modeling of electro-osmotic flows about metal objects typically predicts an induced zeta-potential distribution whose characteristic magnitude varies linearly with the applied voltage. At moderately large zeta potential, comparable with several thermal voltages, surface conduction enters the dominant electrokinetic transport, throttling that linear scaling. We derive here a macroscale model for induced-charge electro-osmosis accounting for that mechanism. Unlike classical analyses of surface conduction about dielectric surfaces, the present nonlinear problem cannot be linearized about a uniform-zeta-potential reference state. With the transition to moderately large zeta potentials taking place nonuniformly, the Dukhin number, representing the magnitude of surface conduction, is reinterpreted as a local dimensionless group, varying along the boundary. Debye-scale analysis provides effective boundary conditions about two types of generic boundary points, corresponding to small and moderate Dukhin numbers. The boundary decomposition into the respective asymptotic domains is unknown in advance and must be determined throughout the solution of the macroscale problem, itself hinging upon the proper formulation of effective boundary conditions. This conceptual obstacle is surmounted via introduction of a uniform approximation to these conditions.

For highly charged dielectric surfaces, the asymptotic structure underlying electrokinetic phenomena in the thin-double-layer limit reshuffles. The large counterion concentration near the surface, associated with the Boltzmann distribution in the diffuse layer, supports appreciable tangential fluxes appearing as effective surface currents in a macroscale description. Their inevitable nonuniformity gives rise in turn to comparable transverse currents, which, for logarithmically large zeta potentials, modify the electrokinetic transport in the electroneutral bulk. To date, this mechanism has been studied only using a weak-field linearization. We present here a generic thin-double-layer analysis of the electrokinetic transport about highly charged dielectric solids, which is not restricted to weak fields. We identify the counterion concentration amplification with the emergence of an internal boundary layer--within the diffuse part of the double layer--characterized by distinct scaling of ionic concentrations and electric field. In this multiscale description, surface conduction is conveniently localized within the internal layer. Our systematic scheme thus avoids the cumbersome procedure of retaining small asymptotic terms which change their magnitude at large zeta potentials. The electrokinetic transport predicted by the resulting macroscale model is inherently accompanied by bulk concentration polarization, which in turn results in nonlinear bulk transport. A novel fundamental subtlety associated with this intrinsic feature, overlooked in the weak-field approximation, has to do with the ambiguity of the "particle zeta potential" concept: In general, even uniformly charged surfaces are characterized by a nonuniform zeta-potential distribution. This impairs the need for a careful identification of the dimensionless number representing the transition to large zeta potentials.

Stokes-flow reversibility is violated in electrolyte solutions by a streaming-potential mechanism, where nonuniform convective currents within Debye layers surrounding charged particles induce electric fields in the electroneutral Ohmic bulk. We demonstrate the irreversibility consequences of this phenomenon for the problem of particle-pair sedimentation, where the two particles experience a repulsive force driven by bulk Maxwell stresses. At small separations the force scales inversely with the third power of separation distance. This singular behavior is associated with the counterrotation of the two torque-free particles, which leads through a lubrication mechanism to an intense electric field in the narrow gap between them. At large separations the force follows an inverse dependence upon the fourth power of separation, now associated with rectilinear particle motion.

Supporting-electrolyte solutions comprise chemically inert cations and anions, produced by salt dissolution, together with a reactive ionic species that may be consumed and generated on bounding ion-selective surfaces (e.g., electrodes or membranes). Upon application of an external voltage, a Faraday current is thereby established. It is natural to analyze this ternary-system process through a one-dimensional transport problem, employing the thin Debye-layer limit. Using a simple model of ideal ion-selective membranes, we have recently addressed this problem for moderate voltages [Yariv and Almog, Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 176101 (2010)], predicting currents that scale as a fractional power of Debye thickness. We address herein the complementary problem of moderate currents. We employ matched asymptotic expansions, separately analyzing the two inner thin Debye layers adjacent to the ion-selective surfaces and the outer electroneutral region outside them. A straightforward calculation following comparable singular-perturbation analyses of binary systems is frustrated by the prediction of negative ionic concentrations near the cathode. Accompanying numerical simulations, performed for small values of Debye thickness, indicate a number unconventional features occurring at that region, such as inert-cation concentration amplification and electric-field intensification. The current-voltage correlation data of the electrochemical cell, obtained from compilation of these simulations, does not approach a limit as the Debye thickness vanishes. Resolution of these puzzles reveals a transformation of the asymptotic structure of the cathodic Debye layer. This reflects the emergence of an internal boundary layer, adjacent to the cathode, wherein field and concentration scaling differs from those of the Gouy-Chapman theory. The two-scale feature of the cathodic Debye layer is manifested through a logarithmic voltage scaling with Debye thickness. Accounting for this scaling, the complied current-voltage data collapses upon a single curve. This curve practically coincides with an asymptotically calculated universal current-voltage relation.

We analyze one-dimensional charge conduction within an ionic solution in the presence of supporting electrolytes that do not discharge on the electrodes. For thin Debye layers, numerical simulations predict current abatement, in agreement with experimental knowledge; in addition, they reveal unconventional features absent from classical analyses of binary solutions, such as high cation concentration near the electrodes. We derive a companion asymptotic description of the problem in the singular thin-Debye-layer limit, reproducing these attributes. The asymptotic analysis reveals a nested boundary-layer structure about the reactive electrodes and furnishes a universal current-voltage relation.

A charged colloidal particle which is suspended in an electrolyte solution drifts due to an external voltage application. For direct currents, particle motion is affected by two separate mechanisms: electro-osmotic slip associated with the electric field and chemi-osmotic slip associated with the inherent salt concentration gradient in the solution. These two mechanisms are interrelated and are of comparable magnitude. Their combined effect is demonstrated for cation-exchange electrodes using a weak-current approximation. The linkage between the two mechanisms results in an effectively modified mobility, whose dependence on the particle zeta potential is nonlinear. At small potentials, the electro-osmotic mechanism dominates and the particle migrates according to the familiar Smoluchowski mobility, linear in the electric field. At large zeta potentials, chemiosmosis becomes dominant: for positively charged particles, it tends to arrest motion, leading to mobility saturation; for negatively charged particles, it enhances the drift, effectively leading to a shifted linear dependence of the mobility on the zeta potential, with twice the Smoluchowski slope.

We consider the one-dimensional transport of ions into a perm-selective solid. Direct attempts to evaluate the current-voltage characteristics for currents exceeding the diffusion limit are frustrated by the appearance of nonconverging integrals. We describe how to overcome this obstacle using a regularization scheme.

Silica-zirconia materials as well as silica-zirconia ormosils prepared by the sol-gel technique were doped with the laser dyes Rhodamine B and Rhodamine 6G and used as solid state dye lasers. The photostability and efficiency of the solid state laser samples were measured in a transverse pumping configuration by either a nitrogen laser or the second harmonic of a Nd-YAG laser. Under the excitation of a nitrogen laser the photostability of Rhodamine B in silica-zirconia materials was low and decreased with a growing amount of zirconia. The photophysical properties of the incorporated dyes were studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence lifetimes of both dyes increased when the matrix was modified by organic compounds Furthermore, the threshold energy of Rhodamine 6G in two ormosils containing 3 and 50% methylsilica was measured. The results revealed that the threshold energy was lower for the matrix with a higher amount of ormosil while the slope efficiency was higher in the matrix containing 30% ormosil.