Hybrid Parametric Solitons in Nonlinear Photonic Crystals

We analyze the characteristics of a three-frequency spatial parametric soliton formed by virtue of the cascade frequency tripling in quadratic, periodically poled crystals. A variational approach and a method of averaging are developed, which make it possible to describe analytically, with good accuracy, the characteristics of the spatial solitons studied numerically.     

Matrix polyelectrolyte microcapsules: new system for macromolecule encapsulation

A new approach to fabricate polyelectrolyte microcapsules is based on exploiting porous inorganic microparticles of calcium carbonate. Porous CaCO3 microparticles (4.5-5.0 microns) were synthesized and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method of nitrogen adsorption/desorption to get a surface area of 8.8 m2/g and an average pore size of 35 nm. These particles were used as templates for polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer assembly of two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride). Calcium carbonate core dissolution resulted in formation ofpolyelectrolyte microcapsules with an internal matrix consisting of a polyelectrolyte complex. Microcapsules with an internal matrix were analyzed by confocal Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, force microscopy, and confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy. The structure was found to be dependent on a number of polyelectrolyte adsorption treatments. Capsules have a very high loading capacity for macromolecules, which can be incorporated into the capsules by capturing them from the surrounding medium into the capsules. In this paper, we investigated the loading by dextran and bovine serum albumin as macromolecules. The amount of entrapped macromolecules was determined by two independent methods and found to be up to 15 pg per microcapsule.     

Microgel-based engineered nanostructures and their applicability with template-directed layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte assembly in protein encapsulation

A novel strategy for the fabrication of microcapsules is elaborated by employing biomacromolecules and a dissolvable template. Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) microparticles were used as sacrificial templates for the two-step deposition of polyelectrolyte coatings by surface controlled precipitation (SCP) followed by the layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption technique to form capsule shells. When sodium alginate was used for inner shell assembly, template decomposition with an acid resulted in simultaneous formation of microgel-like structures due to calcium ion-induced gelation. An extraction of the calcium after further LbL treatment resulted in microcapsules filled with the biopolymer. The hollow as well as the polymer-filled polyelectrolyte capsules were characterized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning force microscopy (SFM). The results demonstrated multiple functionalities of the CaCO(3) core - as supporting template, porous core for increased polymer accommodation/immobilization, and as a source of shell-hardening material. The LbL treatment of the core-inner shell assembly resulted in further surface stabilization of the capsule wall and supplementation of a nanostructured diffusion barrier for encapsulated material. The polymer forming the inner shell governs the chemistry of the capsule interior and could be engineered to obtain a matrix for protein/drug encapsulation or immobilization. The outer shell could be used to precisely tune the properties of the capsule wall and exterior. [Diagram: see text] Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) image of microcapsules (insert is after treating with rhodamine 6G to stain the capsule wall).     

Intensity measurement for Kβ η satellites in the radiative auger effect

Calculations have been performed on the integral shapes of the K lines, which are long-wave satellites of the K ₁ lines, for Cl, Ti, and Fe, where allowance has been made for interference between states in the 2p^–1 and 3p^–2p configurations. The calculations show that these satellites represent short-wave branches of the K lines strengthened by the 3p-1s transition with simultaneous M electron ejection. The strong interference between the amplitudes of these processes in the final state means that it is in principle quite impossible to speak of the intensities of the K satellites without stating how they are isolated from the measured spectrum.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 34–39, September, 1984.     

Structural and thermodynamic features of complexes formed by DNA and synthetic polynucleotides with dodecylamine and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide

Complex formation of native and denatured DNA, single-stranded polyribonucleotides poly(A) and poly(U), as well as double-stranded poly(A).poly(U) with dodecylamine (DDA) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) has been studied by UV-, CD-, IR-spectroscopy and fluorescence analysis of hydrophobic probe pyrene. DDA and DTAB were shown to bind cooperatively with DNA and polyribonucleotides, resulting in the formation of complexes containing hydrophobic micelle-like clusters. Critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of DDA and DTAB shifts sharply to lower values (30-50 times) in the presence of DNA and polynucleotides as compared to critical micelle concentration (CMC) of free DDA and DTAB in solution. The analysis of binding isotherms within the frame of the model of cooperative binding of low-molecular ligands to linear polymers allowed us to determine the thermodynamic parameters of complex formation and estimate the contribution of electrostatic interaction of positively charged heads of amphiphiles with negatively charged phosphate groups of DNA and polyribonucleotides, and hydrophobic interaction of aliphatic chains to complex stability. Electrostatic interaction was shown to make the main contribution to the stability of DNA complexes with DDA, while preferential contribution of hydrophobic interactions is characteristic of DTAB complexes with DNA. The opposite effect of DDA and DTAB on the thermal stability of DNA double helix was demonstrated from UV-melting of DNA-while DTAB stabilizes the DNA helix, DDA, to the contrary, destabilizes it. The destabilizing effect of DDA seems to originate from the displacement of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in complementary Watson-Crick A.T and G.C base pairs with intermolecular H-bonds between unsubstituted DDA amino groups and proton-accepting sites of nucleic bases.     

Simulation of thermally-induced processes of diffusion and phase formation in layered metal-metalloid systems

A physical model of thermally induced processes of diffusion and phase formation in layered metal-metalloid systems is offered. The software for the model is created, which allows one to quantitatively describe the kinetics of these processes under arbitrary modes of annealing. The results of theoretical computations are compared with the data of experimental studies of a ⁵⁷Fe:O⁺ layered implantation system using the methods of M?ssbauer spectroscopy. The agreement between the numerical and experimental results indicates that the nature of phase transformations in the investigated system is determined by a change in the local concentration of the metalloid during its interstitial diffusion and corresponds to peculiarities of the phase equilibrium diagram of the Fe-O binary system.     

Band structure and broadband compensation of absorption by amplification in layered optical metamaterials

The frequency dependence of the gain required to compensate for absorption is determined for a layered structure consisting of alternating absorbing and amplifying layers. It is shown that the fulfillment of the same conditions is required for the existence of a band structure consisting of alternating bands allowed and forbidden for optical radiation propagation in the frequency-wave vector parametric region. Conditions are found under which the gain required for compensation is smaller than thresholds for absolute (parasitic lasing) and convective (waveguide amplification of radiation) instabilities.     

Chemosensors and biosensors based on polyelectrolyte microcapsules containing fluorescent dyes and enzymes

The concept of enzyme-assisted substrate sensing based on use of fluorescent markers to detect the products of enzymatic reaction has been investigated by fabrication of micron-scale polyelectrolyte capsules containing enzymes and dyes in one entity. Microcapsules approximately 5 μm in size entrap glucose oxidase or lactate oxidase, with peroxidase, together with the corresponding markers Tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) dichloride (Ru(dpp)) complex and dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR123), which are sensitive to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. These capsules are produced by co-precipitation of calcium carbonate particles with the enzyme followed by layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolytes over the surface of the particles and incorporation of the dye in the capsule interior or in the multilayer shell. After dissolution of the calcium carbonate the enzymes and dyes remain in the multilayer capsules. In this study we produced enzyme-containing microcapsules sensitive to glucose and lactate. Calibration curves based on fluorescence intensity of Ru(dpp) and DHR123 were linearly dependent on substrate concentration, enabling reliable sensing in the millimolar range. The main advantages of using these capsules with optical recording is the possibility of building single capsule-based sensors. The response from individual capsules was observed by confocal microscopy as increasing fluorescence intensity of the capsule on addition of lactate at millimolar concentrations. Because internalization of the micron-sized multi-component capsules was feasible, they could be further optimized for in-situ intracellular sensing and metabolite monitoring on the basis of fluorescence reporting.     

Synthesis of tris(β,β,γ-oximinoalkyl)amines from aliphatic nitro compounds and methyl vinyl ketone

A general strategy for the assembly of previously unknown tris(β,β,γ-oximinoalkyl)amines from aliphatic nitro compounds and methyl vinyl ketone is described. The strategy involves N,N-bis(siloxy)enamines as key intermediates. The latter are accessible by double silylation of alkylnitro compounds. Nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of tris(β,β,γ-oximinoalkyl)amines are prepared and structurally characterized.