Cognitive and psychomotor responses to high-altitude exposure in sea level and high-altitude residents of Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: High-altitude inhabitants have cardiovascular and respiratory adaptations that are advantageous for high-altitude living, but they may have impaired cognitive function. This study evaluated the influence of altitude of residence on cognitive and psychomotor function upon acute exposure to very high altitude. FINDINGS: Ecuadorians (31 residing at 0-1,500 m [LOW], 78 from 1,501-3,000 m [MOD], and 23 living >3,000 m [HIGH]) were tested upon their arrival to a hut at 4,860 m on Mount Chimborazo. Cognitive/psychomotor measurements included a go-no-go test (responding to a non-visual stimulus), a verbal fluency test (verbalizing a series of words specific to a particular category), and a hand movement test (rapidly repeating a series of hand positions). Mean differences between the three altitude groups on these cognitive/psychomotor tests were evaluated with one-way ANOVA. There were no significant differences (p = 0.168) between LOW, MOD, and HIGH for the verbal fluency test. However, the go-no-go test was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the HIGH group (8.8 ± 1.40 correct responses) than the LOW (9.8 ± 0.61) or MOD (9.8 ± 0.55) groups, and both MOD (97.9 ± 31.2) and HIGH (83.5 ± 26.7) groups completed fewer correct hand movements than the LOW (136.6 ± 37.9) subjects (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on this field study, high-altitude residents appear to have some impaired cognitive function suggesting the possibility of maladaptation to long-term exposure to hypobaric hypoxia.

Water dynamics in large and small reverse micelles: from two ensembles to collective behavior.

The dynamics of water in Aerosol-OT reverse micelles are investigated with ultrafast infrared spectroscopy of the hydroxyl stretch. In large reverse micelles, the dynamics of water are separable into two ensembles: slow interfacial water and bulklike core water. As the reverse micelle size decreases, the slowing effect of the interface and the collective nature of water reorientation begin to slow the dynamics of the core water molecules. In the smallest reverse micelles, these effects dominate and all water molecules have the same long time reorientational dynamics. To understand and characterize the transition in the water dynamics from two ensembles to collective reorientation, polarization and frequency selective infrared pump-probe experiments are conducted on the complete range of reverse micelle sizes from a diameter of 1.6-20 nm. The crossover between two ensemble and collective reorientation occurs near a reverse micelle diameter of 4 nm. Below this size, the small number of confined water molecules and structural changes in the reverse micelle interface leads to homogeneous long time reorientation.

Water dynamics at the interface in AOT reverse micelles.

The orientational dynamics of water molecules at the interface in large Aerosol-OT (AOT) reverse micelles are investigated using ultrafast infrared spectroscopy of the OD stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O. In large reverse micelles ( approximately 9 nm diameter or larger), a significant amount of the nanoscopic water is sufficiently distant from the interface that it displays bulk-like characteristics. However, some water molecules interact with the interface and have vibrational absorption spectra and dynamics distinct from bulk water. The different characteristics of these interfacial waters allow their contribution to the data to be separated from the bulk. The infrared absorption spectrum of the OD stretch is analyzed to show that the interfacial water molecules have a spectrum that peaks near 2565 cm(-1) in contrast to 2509 cm(-1) in bulk water. A two-component model is developed that simultaneously describes the population relaxation and orientational dynamics of the OD stretch in the spectral region of the interfacial water. The model provides a consistent description of both observables and demonstrates that water interacting with the interface has slower vibrational relaxation and orientational dynamics. The orientational relaxation of interfacial water molecules occurs in 18 +/- 3 ps, in contrast to the bulk water value of 2.6 ps.

Geometry and nanolength scales versus interface interactions: water dynamics in AOT lamellar structures and reverse micelles.

To determine the relative importance of the confining geometry and nanoscopic length scale versus water/interface interactions, the dynamic interactions between water and interfaces are studied with ultrafast infrared spectroscopy. Aerosol OT (AOT) is a surfactant that can form two-dimensional lamellar structures with known water layer thickness as well as well-defined monodispersed spherical reverse micelles of known water nanopool diameter. Lamellar structures and reverse micelles are compared based on two criteria: surface-to-surface dimensions to study the effect of confining length scales, and water-to-surfactant ratio to study water/interface interactions. We show that the water-to-surfactant ratio is the dominant factor governing the nature of water interacting with an interface, not the characteristic nanoscopic distance. The detailed structure of the interface and the specific interactions between water and the interface also play a critical role in the fraction of water molecules influenced by the surface. A two-component model in which water is separated into bulk-like water in the center of the lamellar structure or reverse micelle and interfacial water is used to quantitatively extract the interfacial dynamics. A greater number of perturbed water molecules are present in the lamellar structures as compared to the reverse micelles due to the larger surface area per AOT molecule and the greater penetration of water molecules past the sulfonate head groups in the lamellar structures.

Water dynamics in salt solutions studied with ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) vibrational echo spectroscopy.

Water is ubiquitous in nature, but it exists as pure water infrequently. From the ocean to biology, water molecules interact with a wide variety of dissolved species. Many of these species are charged. In the ocean, water interacts with dissolved salts. In biological systems, water interacts with dissolved salts as well as charged amino acids, the zwitterionic head groups of membranes, and other biological groups that carry charges. Water plays a central role in a vast number of chemical processes because of its dynamic hydrogen-bond network. A water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds in an approximately tetrahedral arrangement. These hydrogen bonds are continually being broken, and new bonds are being formed on a picosecond time scale. The ability of the hydrogen-bond network of water to rapidly reconfigure enables water to accommodate and facilitate chemical processes. Therefore, the influence of charged species on water hydrogen-bond dynamics is important. Recent advances in ultrafast coherent infrared spectroscopy have greatly expanded our understanding of water dynamics. Two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) vibrational echo spectroscopy is providing new observables that yield direct information on the fast dynamics of molecules in their ground electronic state under thermal equilibrium conditions. The 2D IR vibrational echoes are akin to 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) but operate on time scales that are many orders of magnitude shorter. In a 2D IR vibrational echo experiment (see the Conspectus figure), three IR pulses are tuned to the vibrational frequency of interest, which in this case is the frequency of the hydroxyl stretching mode of water. The first two pulses "label" the initial molecular structures by their vibrational frequencies. The system evolves between pulses two and three, and the third pulse stimulates the emission of the vibrational echo pulse, which is the signal. The vibrational echo pulse is heterodyne, detected by combining it with another pulse, the local oscillator. Heterodyne detection provides phase and amplitude information, which are both necessary to perform the two Fourier transforms that take the data from the time domain to a two-dimensional frequency domain spectrum. The time dependence of a series of 2D IR vibrational echo spectra provides direct information on system dynamics. Here, we use two types of 2D IR vibrational echo experiments to examine the influence that charged species have on water hydrogen-bond dynamics. Solutions of NaBr and NaBF(4) are studied. The NaBr solutions are studied as a function of the concentration using vibrational echo measurements of spectral diffusion and polarization-selective IR pump-probe measurements of orientational relaxation. Both types of measurements show the slowing of hydrogen-bond network structural evolution with an increasing salt concentration. NaBF(4) is studied using vibrational echo chemical-exchange spectroscopy. In these experiments, it is possible to directly observe the chemical exchange of water molecules switching their hydrogen-bond partners between BF(4)(-) and other water molecules. The results demonstrate that water interacting with ions has slower hydrogen-bond dynamics than pure water, but the slowing is a factor of 3 or 4 rather than orders of magnitude.

Water dynamics and interactions in water-polyether binary mixtures.

Poly(ethylene) oxide (PEO) is a technologically important polymer with a wide range of applications including ion-exchange membranes, protein crystallization, and medical devices. PEO's versatility arises from its special interactions with water. Water molecules may form hydrogen-bond bridges between the ether oxygens of the backbone. While steady-state measurements and theoretical studies of PEO's interactions with water abound, experiments measuring dynamic observables are quite sparse. A major question is the nature of the interactions of water with the ether oxygens as opposed to the highly hydrophilic PEO terminal hydroxyls. Here, we examine a wide range of mixtures of water and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDE), a methyl-terminated derivative of PEO with 4 repeat units (5 ether oxygens), using ultrafast infrared polarization selective pump-probe measurements on water's hydroxyl stretching mode to determine vibrational relaxation and orientational relaxation dynamics. The experiments focus on the dynamical interactions of water with the ether backbone because TEGDE does not have the PEO terminal hydroxyls. The experiments observe two distinct subensembles of water molecules: those that are hydrogen bonded to other waters and those that are associated with TEGDE molecules. The water orientational relaxation has a fast component of a few picoseconds (water-like) followed by much slower decay of approximately 20 ps (TEGDE associated). The two decay times vary only mildly with the water concentration. The two subensembles are evident even in very low water content samples, indicating pooling of water molecules. Structural change as water content is lowered through either conformational changes in the backbone or increasing hydrophobic interactions is discussed.

Ion-water hydrogen-bond switching observed with 2D IR vibrational echo chemical exchange spectroscopy.

The exchange of water hydroxyl hydrogen bonds between anions and water oxygens is observed directly with ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo chemical exchange spectroscopy (CES). The OD hydroxyl stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O in concentrated (5.5 M) aqueous solutions of sodium tetrafluoroborate (NaBF(4)) displays a spectrum with a broad water-like band (hydroxyl bound to water oxygen) and a resolved, blue shifted band (hydroxyl bound to BF(4)(-)). At short time (200 fs), the 2D IR vibrational echo spectrum has 4 peaks, 2 on the diagonal and 2 off-diagonal. The 2 diagonal peaks are the 0-1 transitions of the water-like band and the hydroxyl-anion band. Vibrational echo emissions at the 1-2 transition frequencies give rise to 2 off-diagonal peaks. On a picosecond time scale, additional off-diagonal peaks grow in. These new peaks arise from chemical exchange between water hydroxyls bound to anions and hydroxyls bound to water oxygens. The growth of the chemical exchange peaks yields the time dependence of anion-water hydroxyl hydrogen bond switching under thermal equilibrium conditions as T(aw) = 7 +/- 1 ps. Pump-probe measurements of the orientational relaxation rates and vibrational lifetimes are used in the CES data analysis. The pump-probe measurements are shown to have the correct functional form for a system undergoing exchange.

Water at the surfaces of aligned phospholipid multibilayer model membranes probed with ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy.

The dynamics of water at the surface of artificial membranes composed of aligned multibilayers of the phospholipid dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine (DLPC) are probed with ultrafast polarization selective vibrational pump-probe spectroscopy. The experiments are performed at various hydration levels, x = 2 - 16 water molecules per lipid at 37 degrees C. The water molecules are approximately 1 nm above or below the membrane surface. The experiments are conducted on the OD stretching mode of dilute HOD in H 2O to eliminate vibrational excitation transfer. The FT-IR absorption spectra of the OD stretch in the DLPC bilayer system at low hydration levels shows a red-shift in frequency relative to bulk water, which is in contrast to the blue-shift often observed in systems such as water nanopools in reverse micelles. The spectra for x = 4 - 16 can be reproduced by a superposition of the spectra for x = 2 and bulk water. IR Pump-probe measurements reveal that the vibrational population decays (lifetimes) become longer as the hydration level is decreased. The population decays are fit well by biexponential functions. The population decays, measured as a function of the OD stretch frequency, suggest the existence of two major types of water molecules in the interfacial region of the lipid bilayers. One component may be a clathrate-like water cluster near the hydrophobic choline group and the other may be related to the hydration water molecules mainly associated with the phosphate group. As the hydration level increases, the vibrational lifetimes of these two components decrease, suggesting a continuous evolution of the hydration structures in the two components associated with the swelling of the bilayers. The agreement of the magnitudes of the two components obtained from IR spectra with those from vibrational lifetime measurements further supports the two-component model. The vibrational population decay fitting also gives an estimation of the number of phosphate-associated water molecules and choline-associated water molecules, which range from 1 to 4 and 1 to 12, respectively, as x increases from 2 to 16. Time-dependent anisotropy measurements yield the rate of orientational relaxation as a function of x. The anisotropy decay is biexponential. The fast component is almost independent of x, and is interpreted as small orientational fluctuations that occur without hydrogen-bond rearrangement. The slower component becomes very long as the hydration level decreases. This component is a measure of the rate of complete orientational randomization, which requires H-bond rearrangement and is discussed in terms of a jump reorientation model.

Water inertial reorientation: hydrogen bond strength and the angular potential.

The short-time orientational relaxation of water is studied by ultrafast infrared pump-probe spectroscopy of the hydroxyl stretching mode (OD of dilute HOD in H(2)O). The anisotropy decay displays a sharp drop at very short times caused by inertial orientational motion, followed by a much slower decay that fully randomizes the orientation. Investigation of temperatures from 1 degrees C to 65 degrees C shows that the amplitude of the inertial component (extent of inertial angular displacement) depends strongly on the stretching frequency of the OD oscillator at higher temperatures, although the slow component is frequency-independent. The inertial component becomes frequency-independent at low temperatures. At high temperatures there is a correlation between the amplitude of the inertial decay and the strength of the O-D O hydrogen bond, but at low temperatures the correlation disappears, showing that a single hydrogen bond (OD O) is no longer a significant determinant of the inertial angular motion. It is suggested that the loss of correlation at lower temperatures is caused by the increased importance of collective effects of the extended hydrogen bonding network. By using a new harmonic cone model, the experimentally measured amplitudes of the inertial decays yield estimates of the characteristic frequencies of the intermolecular angular potential for various strengths of hydrogen bonds. The frequencies are in the range of approximately 400 cm(-1). A comparison with recent molecular dynamics simulations employing the simple point charge-extended water model at room temperature shows that the simulations qualitatively reflect the correlation between the inertial decay and the OD stretching frequency.

Water dynamics--the effects of ions and nanoconfinement.

Hydrogen bond dynamics of water in highly concentrated NaBr salt solutions and reverse micelles are studied using ultrafast 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy and polarization-selective IR pump-probe experiments performed on the OD hydroxyl stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O. The vibrational echo experiments measure spectral diffusion, and the pump-probe experiments measure orientational relaxation. Both experimental observables are directly related to the structural dynamics of water's hydrogen bond network. The measurements performed on NaBr solutions as a function of concentration show that the hydrogen bond dynamics slow as the NaBr concentration increases. The most pronounced change is in the longest time scale dynamics which are related to the global rearrangement of the hydrogen bond structure. Complete hydrogen bond network randomization slows by a factor of approximately 3 in approximately 6 M NaBr solution compared to that in bulk water. The hydrogen bond dynamics of water in nanoscopically confined environments are studied by encapsulating water molecules in ionic head group (AOT) and nonionic head group (Igepal CO 520) reverse micelles. Water dynamics in the nanopools of AOT reverse micelles are studied as a function of size by observing orientational relaxation. Orientational relaxation dynamics deviate significantly from bulk water when the size of the reverse micelles is smaller than several nm and become nonexponential and slower as the size of the reverse micelles decreases. In the smallest reverse micelles, orientational relaxation (hydrogen bond structural randomization) is almost 20 times slower than that in bulk water. To determine if the changes in dynamics from bulk water are caused by the influence of the ionic head groups of AOT or the nanoconfinement, the water dynamics in 4 nm nanopools in AOT reverse micelles (ionic) and Igepal reverse micelles (nonionic) are compared. It is found that the water orientational relaxation in the 4 nm diameter nanopools of the two types of reverse micelles is almost identical, which indicates that confinement by an interface to form a nanoscopic water pool is a primary factor governing the dynamics of nanoscopic water rather than the presence of charged groups at the interface.

Water dynamics and proton transfer in nafion fuel cell membranes.

The dynamics of water and its effect on proton transport kinetics in Nafion membranes are compared at several hydration levels. Nafion is the most widely used polyelectrolyte membrane in fuel cells. Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy of the O-D stretch of dilute HOD in H2O provides a probe of the local environment and hydrogen bond network dynamics of water confined in the hydrophilic regions of Nafion. The kinetics of proton transfer in Nafion are tracked by following the excited-state proton transfer and recombination kinetics of a molecular probe, pyranine (HPTS). The hydrophilic domains of Nafion grow with increased hydration, and the interfacial regions reorganize, leading to a changing local environment for water near the interface. Swelling is not uniform throughout the membrane, and heterogeneity is observed in the fluorescence anisotropy decays of the methoxy derivative of pyranine. Measurements of the time-dependent anisotropy of water in Nafion provide a direct probe of the hydrogen bond network dynamics. These dynamics, as well as the rate of proton transport over nanoscopic distances, are observed to slow significantly as the hydration level of the membrane decreases. The results provide insights into the influence of changes in the dynamics of water on the proton-transfer processes.

Confinement or the nature of the interface? Dynamics of nanoscopic water.

The dynamics of water confined in two different types of reverse micelles are studied using ultrafast infrared pump-probe spectroscopy of the hydroxyl OD stretch of HOD in H2O. Reverse micelles of the surfactant Aerosol-OT (ionic head group) in isooctane and the surfactant Igepal CO 520 (nonionic head group) in 50/50 wt % cyclohexane/hexane are prepared to have the same diameter water nanopools. Measurements of the IR spectra and vibrational lifetimes show that the identity of the surfactant head groups affects the local environment experienced by the water molecules inside the reverse micelles. The orientational dynamics (time-dependent anisotropy), which is a measure of the hydrogen bond network rearrangement, are very similar for the confined water in the two types of reverse micelles. The results demonstrate that confinement by an interface to form a nanoscopic water pool is a primary factor governing the dynamics of nanoscopic water rather than the presence of charged groups at the interface.

Proton transport and the water environment in nafion fuel cell membranes and AOT reverse micelles.

The properties of confined water and diffusive proton-transfer kinetics in the nanoscopic water channels of Nafion fuel cell membranes at various hydration levels are compared to water in a series of well-characterized AOT reverse micelles with known water nanopool sizes using the photoacid pyranine as a molecular probe. The side chains of Nafion are terminated by sulfonate groups with sodium counterions that are arrayed along the water channels. AOT has sulfonate head groups with sodium counterions that form the interface with the reverse micelle's water nanopool. The extent of excited-state deprotonation is observed by steady-state fluorescence measurements. Proton-transfer kinetics and orientational relaxation are measured by time-dependent fluorescence using time-correlated single photon counting. The time dependence of deprotonation is related to diffusive proton transport away from the photoacid. The fluorescence reflecting the long time scale proton transport has an approximately t-0.8 power law decay in contrast to bulk water, which has a t-3/2 power law. For a given hydration level of Nafion, the excited-state proton transfer and the orientational relaxation are similar to those observed for a related size AOT water nanopool. The effective size of the Nafion water channels at various hydration levels are estimated by the known size of the AOT reverse micelles that display the corresponding proton-transfer kinetics and orientational relaxation.

Water Dynamics in Nafion Fuel Cell Membranes: the Effects of Confinement and Structural Changes on the Hydrogen Bond Network.

The complex environments experienced by water molecules in the hydrophilic channels of Nafion membranes are studied by ultrafast infrared pump-probe spectroscopy. A wavelength dependent study of the vibrational lifetime of the O-D stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O confined in Nafion membranes provides evidence of two distinct ensembles of water molecules. While only two ensembles are present at each level of membrane hydration studied, the characteristics of the two ensembles change as the water content of the membrane changes. Time dependent anisotropy measurements show that the orientational motions of water molecules in Nafion membranes are significantly slower than in bulk water and that lower hydration levels result in slower orientational relaxation. Initial wavelength dependent results for the anisotropy show no clear variation in the time scale for orientational motion across a broad range of frequencies. The anisotropy decay is analyzed using a model based on restricted orientational diffusion within a hydrogen bond configuration followed by total reorientation through jump diffusion.

What nonlinear-IR experiments can tell you about water that the IR spectrum cannot.

Frequently, the IR spectrum of water is used to characterize the structure and strength of the associated hydrogen bond network. Here, we use nonlinear-IR spectroscopy to investigate the dynamics of four aqueous systems that have very similar absorption spectra. We address the question: to what extent can the dynamics of water vary in systems with very similar absorption spectra? The results illustrate that the vibrational lifetimes and orientational relaxation time scales vary dramatically between the four samples and do not correlate with the amount of water relative to surfactant or solute in solution. Nonlinear-IR spectroscopies are therefore important for providing detailed information necessary to understand hydrogen bonded systems.

Tracking water's response to structural changes in Nafion membranes.

As the water content of Nafion membranes increases, the local environments of water molecules change due to reorganization of the pendant side chains in the hydrophilic domains. Changes in local structure as a function of water content are studied by measuring the IR spectra and the vibrational lifetimes of the hydroxyl stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O. The main features of the IR spectra are fit well by a weighted sum of the spectra of bulk water and almost dry Nafion, suggesting a two-environment model. An additional small peak on the high frequency side of the main band associated with non-hydrogen-bonded water embedded in the polymer near the interface is analyzed quantitatively as a function of the membrane water content. The spectra of this peak show that a significant reorganization of the interfacial region occurs when the water content of the membrane exceeds the threshold for ion conduction. Vibrational excited state population relaxation times (lifetimes) of the main band lengthen substantially as the water content of the membrane is decreased. The population decays are not single exponentials and indicate that multiple ensembles of water molecules exist, and the characteristics of the individual ensembles change with water content. This is in contrast to the spectra of the main water absorption band, which is only sensitive to two classes of water molecules.

Testing the core/shell model of nanoconfined water in reverse micelles using linear and nonlinear IR spectroscopy.

A core/shell model has often been used to describe water confined to the interior of reverse micelles. The validity of this model for water encapsulated in AOT/isooctane reverse micelles ranging in diameter from 1.7 to 28 nm (w0 = 2-60) and bulk water is investigated using four experimental observables: the hydroxyl stretch absorption spectra, vibrational population relaxation times, orientational relaxation rates, and spectral diffusion dynamics. The time dependent observables are measured with ultrafast infrared spectrally resolved pump-probe and vibrational echo spectroscopies. Major progressive changes appear in all observables as the system moves from bulk water to the smallest water nanopool, w0 = 2. The dynamics are readily distinguishable for reverse micelle sizes smaller than 7 nm in diameter (w0 = 20) compared to the response of bulk water. The results also demonstrate that the size dependent absorption spectra and population relaxation times can be quantitatively predicted using a core-shell model in which the properties of the core (interior of the nanopool) are taken to be those of bulk water and the properties of the shell (water associated with the headgroups) are taken to be those of w0 = 2. A weighted sum of the core and shell components reproduces the size dependent spectra and the nonexponential population relaxation dynamics. However, the same model does not reproduce the spectral diffusion and the orientational relaxation experiments. It is proposed that, when hydrogen bond structural rearrangement is involved (orientational relaxation and spectral diffusion), dynamical coupling between the shell and the core cause the water nanopool to display more homogeneous dynamics. Therefore, the absorption spectra and vibrational lifetime decays can discern different hydrogen bonding environments whereas orientational and spectral diffusion correlation functions predict that the dynamics are size dependent but not as strongly spatially dependent within a reverse micelle.