Detection of the mineral constituents in human renal calculi by vibrational spectroscopic analysis combined with allied techniques Powder XRD, TGA, SEM, IR imaging and TXRF.

Detection of the mineral constituents in a batch of 310 samples of human urinary calculi (kidney stones-235 and bladder stones-75) combined with a semi-quantitative analysis has been presented on the basis of Fourier Transform based IR and Raman spectral measurements. Some of the observed characteristic IR and Raman bands have been proposed as 'Marker Bands' for the most reliable identification of the constituents. A detailed vibrational spectral analysis combined with a DFT level calculation for the functional groups in Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate (COM), Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate Hexahydrate (MAPH), Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate (CHPD), Penta-Calcium Hydroxy-Triphosphate (PCHT) and Uric Acid (UA) has been proposed.

Role of charged impurities in thermoelectric transport in molybdenum disulfide monolayers.

A theoretical study of the electronic properties, namely, electrical conductivity (EC), electronic thermal conductivity (ETC) and thermoelectric power (TEP) in 2D MoS monolayers (MLs), over a wide range of temperatures (10  <  T  <  300 K), is presented employing Boltzmann transport formalism. Considering the electrons to be scattered by screened charged impurities and the acoustic, optical and remote phonons, the transport equation is solved using Ritz iterative method. Numerical calculations of EC, ETC and TEP presented for supported and free-standing MLs with high electron concentrations, as a function of temperature, bring out the relative importance of the various scattering mechanisms operative.

Interaction and energy transfer studies between bovine serum albumin and CdTe quantum dots conjugates: CdTe QDs as energy acceptor probes.

In this paper, a systematic investigation of the interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with water-soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs) of two different sizes capped with carboxylic thiols is presented based on steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Efficient Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) was observed to occur from BSA donor to CdTe acceptor as noted from reduction in the fluorescence of BSA and enhanced fluorescence from CdTe QDs. FRET parameters such as Förster distance, spectral overlap integral, FRET rate constant and efficiency were determined.

Spectroscopic investigation of water-soluble alloyed QDs with bovine serum albumin.

We present here a systematic investigation on the interaction between a water-soluble alloyed semiconductor quantum dot and bovine serum albumin using various spectroscopic techniques i.e. fluorescence quenching, resonance light scattering and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.

Identification of mineral compositions in some renal calculi by FT Raman and IR spectral analysis.

We present in this paper accurate and reliable Raman and IR spectral identification of mineral constituents in nine samples of renal calculi (kidney stones) removed from patients suffering from nephrolithiasis. The identified mineral components include Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate (COM, whewellite), Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate (COD, weddellite), Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate Hexahydrate (MAPH, struvite), Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate (CHPD, brushite), Pentacalcium Hydroxy Triphosphate (PCHT, hydroxyapatite) and Uric Acid (UA). The identification is based on a satisfactory assignment of all the observed IR and Raman bands (3500-400c m(-1)) to chemical functional groups of mineral components in the samples, aided by spectral analysis of pure materials of COM, MAPH, CHPD and UA.

Spectroscopic investigation of alloyed quantum dot-based FRET to cresyl violet dye.

Quantum dots (QDs), bright luminescent semiconductor nanoparticles, have found numerous applications ranging from optoelectronics to bioimaging. Here, we present a systematic investigation of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from hydrophilic ternary alloyed quantum dots (CdSeS/ZnS) to cresyl violet dye with a view to explore the effect of composition of QD donors on FRET efficiency. Fluorescence emission of QD is controlled by varying the composition of QD without altering the particle size.

UV laser radiation alters the embryonic protein profile of adrenal-kidney-gonadal complex and gonadal differentiation in the lizard, Calotes Versicolor.

Purpose: To examine the impact of ultraviolet (UV) laser radiation on the embryos of Calotes versicolor in terms of its effects on the protein profile of the adrenal-kidney-gonadal complex (AKG), sex determination and differentiation, embryonic development and hatching synchrony.

Materials And Methods: The eggs of C. versicolor, during thermo-sensitive period (TSP), were exposed to third harmonic laser pulses at 355 nm from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for 180 sec.

Dipole tuning of charge transport in molecular junctions.

Molecules with different magnitude and direction of dipole moments are sandwiched between mercury (Hg) and p(+)-Si to form Hg-molecules-(p(+)) Si junctions. The importance of the dipole moment of molecules in controlling the symmetry of current-voltage curves is shown by carrying out charge transport measurements at these molecular junctions. Junction parameters are obtained by considering charge transport across the junction as a combination of tunneling and Schottky emission.

Rotational diffusion of coumarins: a dielectric friction study.

The rotational diffusion of three probes: coumarin 522B (C522B), coumarin 307 (C307) and coumarin 138 (C138) with nearly identical size was studied at room temperature employing steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy techniques in series of alcohols and alkanes. Experimental observations indicate faster rotation of C138 compared to the other two dyes in alcohols and a faster rotation of C522B than C307 in alkanes. The dielectric friction theories of Nee-Zwanzig (NZ) and van der Zwan-Hynes (ZH) were employed to estimate the friction experienced by the probes in alcohols, in addition to the mechanical friction calculated using Stokes-Einstein-Debye (SED) hydrodynamic with slip boundary condition and Dote-Kivelson-Schwartz (DKS) quasihydrodynamic theories.

Ambient synthesis and characterization of high-quality CdSe quantum dots by an aqueous route.

Herein, we report the ambient synthesis of CdSe nanoparticles of widely tunable particle size by a solution route. The proposed protocol uses hydrazine hydrate to form an air-stable complex of selenium. These nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction, FTIR, optical absorption, photoluminescence, and transmission electron microcopy measurements.

Formation of electronic junctions on molecularly modified surfaces by lift-and-float electrical contacts.

Here, we report a simple method of forming electrical contacts on soft surfaces of organic monolayers and organically capped nanoparticles. It is based on the lift of predefined contacts of silver paste on a water surface and their pickup and float on a soft surface by capillary force. Three different surfaces of silicon--hydrogen terminated, covalently bonded organic molecules, and a thin film of organically capped CdSe nanoparticles--were used to constitute electronic junctions by lift and float of individual contacts.

Molecularly controlled metal-semiconductor junctions on silicon surface: a dipole effect.

Silicon surface was chemically modified by covalent attachment of homologous organic molecules having different dipole moments. Surface photovoltage measurements clearly confirm that organic molecules have a profound effect on surface band bending of semiconductor. Metal-molecules--silicon junctions were constituted for molecules belonging to ethynylbenzene series using soft mercury contact.

Solvent effect on absorption and fluorescence spectra of coumarin laser dyes: evaluation of ground and excited state dipole moments.

The effect of solvents on absorption and fluorescence spectra and dipole moments of coumarin 307 (C307) and coumarin 522B (C522B) have been studied extensively in various solvents, viz., general solvents, alcohols and binary mixtures (acetonitrile-benzene) at 298K. The bathchromic shift observed in absorption and fluorescence spectra of C307 and C522B with increasing solvent polarity indicates that transition involved are pi-->pi*.

Rotational diffusion and solvatochromic correlation of coumarin 6 laser dye.

Rotational diffusion of coumarin 6 (C6) laser dye has been examined in n-decane and methanol as a function of temperature. The rotational reorientation of this probe has been measured in these solvents. It is observed that the decrease in viscosity of the solution is responsible for the decrease in the rotational relaxation time of the probe molecule.

Solvent effects on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of coumarins 6 and 7 molecules: determination of ground and excited state dipole moment.

Absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of coumarins 6 and 7 were recorded in solvents with different solvent parameters, viz., dielectric constant epsilon and refractive index n. The fluorescence lifetime of these dyes were measured in butanol at higher values of viscosity over temperature.