Development of Positively Charged Poly-L-Lysine Magnetic Nanoparticles as Potential MRI Contrast Agent.

A colloidal solution of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified with biocompatible positively charged poly-L-lysine (PLL) with an oleate (OL) layer employed as an initial coating was produced as a potential MRI contrast agent. The effect of various PLL/MNPs' mass ratios on the samples' hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, and isoelectric point (IEP) was studied by the dynamic light-scattering method. The optimal mass ratio for MNPs' surface coating was 0.

Surface acoustic wave investigation of magnetic nanoparticle size and concentration effect on liquid crystal behavior.

The effect of spherical magnetic nanoparticles with different size (5, 10, 15, and 20 nm) and volume concentration (10-3, 5 × 10-4, and 10-4) on liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-hexylbiphenyl (6CB) behavior was investigated using surface acoustic wave (SAW). The attenuation response of SAW propagating along with the substrate/liquid crystal interface was used to study the structural changes induced by an applied magnetic field. The obtained results showed the shift of the threshold magnetic field with an increase in the volume concentration of nanoparticles toward lower fields and also the decrease in the isotropic-nematic phase transition temperature depending on the nanoparticle size and the nanoparticle volume fraction.

Experimental Analysis of Tear Fluid and Its Processing for the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.

A pilot analysis of the tear fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) collected by glass microcapillary was performed using various experimental methods: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and atomic-force microscopy. Infrared spectroscopy found no significant difference between the tear fluid of MS patients and the control spectra; all three significant peaks were located at around the same positions. Raman analysis showed differences between the spectra of the tear fluid of MS patients and the spectra of healthy subjects, which indicated a decrease in tryptophan and phenylalanine content and changes in the relative contributions of the secondary structures of the polypeptide chains of tear proteins.

Modulation of Insulin Amyloid Fibrillization in Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids with Hofmeister Series Anions.

Amyloid fibrils have immense potential to become the basis of modern biomaterials. The formation of amyloid fibrils in vitro strongly depends on the solvent properties. Ionic liquids (ILs), alternative solvents with tunable properties, have been shown to modulate amyloid fibrillization.

Design and synthesis of novel carbohydrate-amino acid hybrids and their antioxidant and anti-β-amyloid aggregation activity.

Herein we report the synthesis of new furanoid sugar amino acids and thioureas, prepared by coupling aromatic amino acids and dipeptides with isothiocyanato- functionalized ribofuranose ring. Since carbohydrate-derived structures possess many biological activities, synthesized compounds were evaluated as anti-amyloid and antioxidant agents. The anti-amyloid activity of the studied compounds was evaluated based on their potential to destroy amyloid fibrils of intrinsically disordered Aβ peptide and globular hen egg-white (HEW) lysozyme.

Excitation-Dependent High-Lying Excitonic Exchange Interlayer Energy Transfer from -- Bandgap 2D Material.

High light absorption (∼15%) and strong photoluminescence (PL) emission in monolayer (1L) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) make them ideal candidates for optoelectronic device applications. Competing interlayer charge transfer (CT) and energy transfer (ET) processes control the photocarrier relaxation pathways in TMD heterostructures (HSs). In TMDs, long-distance ET can survive up to several tens of nm, unlike the CT process.

Unusual flash cooling-induced phase in a crystal of triphenylsilanol.

The unique phase in a crystal of triphenylsilanol (PhSiOH) is reported. It is observed that after the crystal is flash-cooled from room temperature to 100 K, a new stable ordered phase II occurs with an increase in the unit-cell parameters compared to the earlier reported phase I. The new phase II occurs upon fast cooling while on slow cooling the disordered phase I is present.

Tuning SERS Signal via Substrate Structuring: Valves of Different Diatom Species with Ultrathin Gold Coating.

The discovered light modulation capabilities of diatom silicious valves make them an excellent toolkit for photonic devices and applications. In this work, a reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement was achieved with hybrid substrates employing diatom silica valves coated with an ultrathin uniform gold film. Three structurally different hybrid substrates, based on the valves of three dissimilar diatom species, have been compared to elucidate the structural contribution to SERS enhancement.

WO Thin-Film Optical Gas Sensors Based on Gasochromic Effect towards Low Hydrogen Concentrations.

Hydrogen gas sensors have recently attracted increased interest due to the explosive nature of H and its strategic importance in the sustainable global energy system. In this paper, the tungsten oxide thin films deposited by innovative gas impulse magnetron sputtering have been investigated in terms of their response to H. It was found that the most favourable annealing temperature in terms of sensor response value, as well as response and recovery times, was achieved at 673 K.

Dielectric spectrum of a ferrofluid layer exposed to a gradient magnetic field.

A low-frequency dielectric response of a ferrofluid based on transformer oil and MnZn ferrite nanoparticles is investigated in a gradient magnetic field. Four ferrofluid samples of various nanoparticle concentrations were introduced into planar micro-capacitors located over a magnetized tip. The dielectric spectra were measured in the frequency range from 0.

Three-in-One Strategy Constructing the First High-Performance Nonlinear Optical Sulfide Crystallizing with the P4 Space Group.

The balance between large nonlinear optical (NLO) effect and wide bandgap is the key scientific issue for the exploration of infrared NLO materials. Targeting this issue, two new pentanary chalcogenides KGaGe Sn S (1) and KGaGe Sn Se (2) are obtained by the three-in-one strategy, viz. three types of fourfold-coordinated metal elements co-occupying the same site.

Stability and Reversible Oxidation of Sub-Nanometric Cu Metal Clusters: Integrated Experimental Study and Theoretical Modeling.

Sub-nanometer metal clusters have special physical and chemical properties, significantly different from those of nanoparticles. However, there is a major concern about their thermal stability and susceptibility to oxidation. In situ X-ray Absorption spectroscopy and Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal that supported Cu clusters are resistant to irreversible oxidation at least up to 773 K, even in the presence of 0.

Surface-modified cerium dioxide nanoparticles with improved anti-amyloid and preserved nanozymatic activity.

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO NPs) are used increasingly in nanotechnology and particularly in biotechnology and bioresearch. Thus, CeO NPs have been successfully tested in vitro as a potential therapeutic agent for various pathologies associated with oxidative stress, including the formation of protein amyloid aggregates. In this study, to increase the anti-amyloidogenic efficiency and preserve the antioxidant potential, the surface of the synthesized CeO NPs is modified with a nonionic, sugar-based surfactant, dodecyl maltoside (DDM), which is known for its high anti-amyloidogenic activity and biocompatibility.

Ultralong 100 ns spin relaxation time in graphite at room temperature.

Graphite has been intensively studied, yet its electron spins dynamics remains an unresolved problem even 70 years after the first experiments. The central quantities, the longitudinal (T) and transverse (T) relaxation times were postulated to be equal, mirroring standard metals, but T has never been measured for graphite. Here, based on a detailed band structure calculation including spin-orbit coupling, we predict an unexpected behavior of the relaxation times.

Excited Electronic States of Sr: Ab Initio Predictions and Experimental Observation of the 2Σ State.

Despite its apparently simple nature with four valence electrons, the strontium dimer constitutes a challenge for modern electronic structure theory. Here we focus on excited electronic states of Sr, which we investigate theoretically up to 25000 cm above the ground state, to guide and explain new spectroscopic measurements. In particular, we focus on potential energy curves for the 1Σ, 2Σ, 1Π, 2Π, and 1Δ states computed using several variants of ab initio coupled-cluster and configuration-interaction methods to benchmark them.

Evolution of the full energy structure of Mn in fluoride phosphors under high pressure conditions.

This paper analyzes the photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra of fluoride phosphors doped with Mn: KNaSiF:Mn, RbGeF:Mn, and NaHTiF:Mn under high pressure conditions. From the optical spectra, the pressure-dependent energies of optically active T, T, and E crystal field subterms of Mn have been determined in the 0-30 GPa pressure range. A strong blueshift of the T and T subterms was found, as expected from the Tanabe-Sugano diagram for Mn (d).

Green tea leaf constituents inhibit the formation of lysozyme amyloid aggregates: An effect of mutual interactions.

Amyloidoses represent a group of pathological conditions characterized by amyloid fibrils accumulating in the form of deposits in intra- or extracellular space, leading to tissue damage. The lysozyme from hen egg-white (HEWL) is often used as a universal model protein to study the anti-amyloid effects of small molecules. The in vitro anti-amyloid activity and mutual interactions of green tea leaf constituents: (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), (-)-epicatechin (EC), gallic acid (GA), caffeine (CF) and their equimolar mixtures were studied.

On the possibility of the existence of orienting hydrodynamic steering effects in the kinetics of receptor-ligand association.

In the vast majority of biologically relevant cases of receptor-ligand complex formation, the binding site of the receptor is a small part of its surface, and moreover, formation of a biologically active complex often requires a specific orientation of the ligand relative to the binding site. Before the formation of the initial form of the complex, only long-range, electrostatic and hydrodynamic interactions can act between the ligand approaching the binding site and the receptor. In this context, the question arises whether as a result of these interactions, there is a pre-orientation of the ligand towards the binding site, which to some extent would accelerate the formation of the complex.

Towards superior mRNA caps accessible by click chemistry: synthesis and translational properties of triazole-bearing oligonucleotide cap analogs.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)-based gene delivery is a powerful strategy for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Consequently, approaches that enable efficient synthesis of mRNAs with high purity and biological activity are in demand. Chemically modified 7-methylguanosine (mG) 5' caps can augment the translational properties of mRNA; however, efficient synthesis of structurally complex caps, especially on a large scale, is challenging.

Hydrogen Gas Sensing Properties of Mixed Copper-Titanium Oxide Thin Films.

Hydrogen is an efficient source of clean and environmentally friendly energy. However, because it is explosive at concentrations higher than 4%, safety issues are a great concern. As its applications are extended, the need for the production of reliable monitoring systems is urgent.

The effect of temperature and excitation energy on Raman scattering in bulkHfS2.

Raman scattering (RS) in bulk hafnium disulfide (HfS2) is investigated as a function of temperature (5 K - 350 K) with polarization resolution and excitation of several laser energies. An unexpected temperature dependence of the energies of the main Raman-active (A1gand E) modes with the temperature-induced blueshift in the low-temperature limit is observed. The low-temperature quenching of a mode(134 cm) and the emergence of a new mode at approx.

Salt-Specific Suppression of the Cold Denaturation of Thermophilic Multidomain Initiation Factor 2.

Thermophilic proteins and enzymes are attractive for use in industrial applications due to their resistance against heat and denaturants. Here, we report on a thermophilic protein that is stable at high temperatures ( 67 °C) but undergoes significant unfolding at room temperature due to cold denaturation. Little is known about the cold denaturation of thermophilic proteins, although it can significantly limit their applications.

Extreme ultraviolet metalens by vacuum guiding.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is a key technology for material science, attosecond metrology, and lithography. Here, we experimentally demonstrate metasurfaces as a superior way to focus EUV light. These devices exploit the fact that holes in a silicon membrane have a considerably larger refractive index than the surrounding material and efficiently vacuum-guide light with a wavelength of ~50 nanometers.