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Publication Transport properties of CO2-expanded acetonitrile from molecular dynamics simulations(American Institute of Physics, 2007-02-21) Houndonougbo, Yao; Laird, Brian Bostian; Kuczera, KrzysztofCarbon-dioxide-expanded liquids, which are mixtures of organic liquids and compressed CO2, are novel media used in chemical processing. The authors present a molecular simulation study of the transport properties of liquid mixtures formed by acetonitrile and carbon dioxide, in which the CO2 mole fraction is adjusted by changing the pressure, at a constant temperature of 298K. They report values of translational diffusion coefficients, rotational correlation times, and shear viscosities of the liquids as function of CO2 mole fraction. The simulation results are in good agreement with the available experimental data for the pure components and provide interesting insights into the largely unknown properties of the mixtures, which are being recognized as important novel materials in chemical operations. We find that the calculated quantities exhibit smooth variation with composition that may be represented by simple model equations. The translational and rotational diffusion rates increase with CO2 mole fraction for both the acetonitrile and carbon dioxide components. The shear viscosity decreases with increasing amount of CO2, varying smoothly between the values of pure acetonitrile and pure carbon dioxide. Our results show that adjusting the amount of CO2 in the mixture allows the variation of transport rates by a factor of 3–4 and liquidviscosity by a factor of 8. Thus, the physical properties of the mixture may be tailored to the desired range by changes in the operating conditions of temperature and pressure.Publication Influence of temperature and viscosity on anthracene rotational diffusion in organic solvents: Molecular dynamics simulations and fluorescence anisotropy study(American Institute of Physics, 1997-01-01) Jas, Gouri S.; Wang, Yan; Pauls, Steven W.; Johnson, Carey K.; Kuczera, KrzysztofMolecular dynamics simulations and fluorescenceanisotropy decay measurements are used to investigate the rotational diffusion of anthracene in two organic solvents—cyclohexane and 2-propanol—at several temperatures. Molecular dynamics simulations of 1 ns length were performed for anthracene in cyclohexane (at 280, 296, and 310 K) and in 2-propanol (at 296 K). The calculated time constants for reorientation of the short in-plane axis were 7–9 and 11–16 ps at 296 K in cyclohexane and 2-propanol, respectively, in excellent agreement with corresponding fluorescence depolarization measurements of 8 and 14 ps. The measured rotational reorientation times and the calculated average rotational diffusion coefficients varied in accord with Debye–Stokes–Einstein theory. Their magnitudes were close to values predicted for an ellipsoid of shape and size equivalent to an anthracene molecule, and exhibited predictable variation with external conditions—increasing with temperature and decreasing with solventviscosity. However, analysis of the calculated rotational diffusion coefficients for the individual molecular axes gave a more complex picture. The diffusion was highly anisotropic and changes in temperature and solvent type led to nonuniform variation of the diffusion coefficients. The nature of these changes was rationalized based on analysis of variation of solvation patterns with temperature and solvent.Publication beta-tubulin C354 mutations that severely decrease microtubule dynamics do not prevent nuclear migration in yeast(American Society for Cell Biology, 2002-08) Bode, Claudia Janelle; Himes, Richard H.; Bloom, Kerry S.; Suprenant, Kathy A.; Pearson, Chad G.; Thrower, Douglas A.; Gupta, Mohan L., Jr.Microtubule dynamics are influenced by interactions of microtubules with cellular factors and by changes in the primary sequence of the tubulin molecule. Mutations of yeast beta-tubulin C354, which is located near the binding site of some antimitotic compounds, reduce microtubule dynamicity greater than 90% in vivo and in vitro. The resulting intrinsically stable microtubules allowed us to determine which, if any, cellular processes are dependent on dynamic microtubules. The average number of cytoplasmic microtubules decreased from 3 in wild-type to 1 in mutant cells. The single microtubule effectively located the bud site before bud emergence. Although spindles were positioned near the bud neck at the onset of anaphase, the mutant cells were deficient in preanaphase spindle alignment along the mother-bud axis. Spindle microtubule dynamics and spindle elongation rates were also severely depressed in the mutants. The pattern and extent of cytoplasmic microtubule dynamics modulation through the cell cycle may reveal the minimum dynamic properties required to support growth. The ability to alter intrinsic microtubule dynamics and determine the in vivo phenotype of cells expressing the mutant tubulin provides a critical advance in assessing the dynamic requirements of an essential gene function.