Investigation on damage of BSA molecules under irradiation of low frequency ultrasound in the presence of FeIII-tartrate complexes

The interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Fe(III)-tartrate complexes ([Fe(III)(tar)(H(2)O)(3)](-) and [Fe(III)(tar)(2)](5-)) as well as the damage of BSA in the presence of Fe(III)-tartrate complexes under ultrasonic irradiation was studied by UV-vis and fluorescence spectra. In addition, the influences of ultrasonic irradiation time, Fe(III)-tartrate complex concentration, ionic strength and solution acidity (pH value) were also examined on the damage of BSA. The results showed that the fluorescence quenching of BSA caused by the Fe(III)-tartrate complexes belonged to the static quenching. The BSA and Fe(III)-tartrate complexes interacted with each other mainly through weak interaction and coordinate actions. The corresponding binding association constants (K) and the binding site numbers (n) were calculated. The results were as follows: K(1)=1.67x10(3)Lmol(-1) and n(1)=0.9699 for [Fe(III)(tar)(H(2)O)(3)](-), K(2)=1.54x10(3)Lmol(-1) and n(2)=0.8754 for [Fe(III)(tar)(2)](5-). Otherwise, under ultrasonic irradiation the BSA molecules were obviously damaged by the Fe(III)-tartrate complexes. The damage degree rose up with the increase of ultrasonic irradiation time, Fe(III)-tartrate complex concentration, pH value and ionic strength. And that, [Fe(III)(tar)(H(2)O)(3)](-) exhibited higher sonocatalytic activity in a way than [Fe(III)(tar)(2)](5-).     

Spectroscopic analyses on interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with toluidine blue (TB) and its sonodynamic damage under ultrasonic irradiation

In this paper, the toluidine blue (TB) with tricyclic quinone imide plane structure is used as sonosensitizer to study the interaction and sonodynamic damage to bovine serum albumin (BSA) by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that the TB can bind to BSA molecules, obviously, and the synergetic effects of TB and ultrasonic irradiation can efficiently damage the BSA molecules. Otherwise, some influencing factors such as ultrasonic irradiation time, TB concentration, pH value and ionic strength on the damage of BSA molecules were also considered by the numbers. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy indicates that the tyrosine (Tyr) residues of BSA molecules are damaged more seriously than the tryptophan (Trp) residues under ultrasonic irradiation.     

光谱法研究纳米二氧化硅(SiO_2)催化超声波照射对牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的损伤

利用紫外-可见(Uv-Vis)光谱和荧光光谱研究了超声波照射激活纳米二氧化硅(SiO2)粒子对牛血清白蛋白(BSA)分子的损伤,并考查了超声波照射时间、纳米SiO2粉末加入量、溶液酸度和超声波照射功率等因素对BSA分子损伤程度的影响.结果表明,对于体系温度为(37.0±0.2)℃和浓度为1.0×10-5mol·-1的BSA溶液,UV-Vis光谱显示,随着超声波照射时间,纳米SiO2粉末加入量,溶液pH值和照射功率的增大呈现出越来越明显的增色效应.然而,BSA溶液的荧光光谱却随着上述因素的增大呈现出越来越明显的猝灭现象.此外,还初步探讨了超声波照射激活纳米siO2粒子对BSA分子损伤的机理,认为是声致发光或高热激发使纳米siO2粒子产生·OH自由基,进而损伤溶液中的BSA分子.这一研究结果对声催化方法应用于临床治疗肿瘤以及纳米药物的开发具有一定的指导意义.     

Poly(4-vinylpyridine) supported acidic ionic liquid: A novel solid catalyst for the efficient synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones under ultrasonic irradiation

A novel poly(4-vinylpyridine) supported acidic ionic liquid catalyst was synthesized by the reaction of 4-vinylpyridine with 1,3-propanesultone, followed by the polymerization and the addition of the heteropolyacid. Due to the combination of polymer features and ionic liquid, it acted as a heterogeneous catalyst to effectively catalyze the cyclocondensation reaction of anthranilamide with aldehydes under ultrasonic irradiation and afforded the corresponding 2,3-dihydro-4(1H)-quinazolinones compounds in good to excellent yields. In addition, the catalyst could be easily recovered by the filtration and reused six times without significant loss of catalytic activity. More importantly, the use of ultrasonic irradiation can obviously accelerate the reaction.     

Increase of photoluminescence from fullerenes-doped poly (alkyl methacrylate) under laser irradiation

Increase of photoluminescence (PL) from fullerenes (C₆₀ and C₇₀)-doped poly(alkyl methacrylate), such as poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA), poly(isopropyl methacrylate) (PiPMA) and poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (PiBMA), have been studied under laser irradiation with wavelength of in air. After laser irradiation, PL peaks of all fullerenes doped-polymers are broadened and blue-shifted. This PL increase depends on the fullerene concentrations. By comparing with fullerenes-doped PMMA, fullerenes-doped PEMA have the greatest PL increase among the four kinds of polymers, including PEMA, PiPMA, PiBMA and PMMA. PL intensity of C₇₀-doped polymers increases much more quickly than the corresponded C₆₀-doped polymers at the initial stage of laser irradiation. Great change on their UV-visible absorption spectra before and after laser irradiation indicate some great variation on chemical structure of fullerene molecules dispersed in polymer matrix under laser irradiation. This great PL increase may be attributed to formation of fullerene oxide-polymer and oxidized fullerene-polymer adducts due to laser-induced photochemical reactions among fullerene, oxygen and polymer.     

Structural and tribological responses of phenolphthalein poly(ether sulfone) on electron irradiation

The blocks of phenolphthalein poly(ether sulfone) (PES-C) were prepared by hot pressing. Then the blocks were irradiated with electron beams under N₂ atmosphere at room temperature. The structural and tribological responses of PES-C on electron irradiation were investigated. Results showed that partial degradation took place on the surface of PES-C after electron irradiation. Even so, the infrared spectra (FTIR) of PES-C after electron irradiation maintained much memory of the pristine sample, the reason for this might be due to the radiation-resistant property of PES-C and the less damage caused by the lower liner energy transfer of electron with respect to other ions. In addition, amorphous carbon and carbides formed on the surface of PES-C after electron irradiation. Friction and wear tests revealed that with increasing irradiation dose, it took more time for the friction coefficient to decrease from a higher value to a lower one and level off. And the wear rate decreased with the increase of irradiation dose. It was concluded that the variation of the tribological behavior of PES-C resulted from its structural responses on electron irradiation on the surface.     

The study of gamma irradiation effects on poly (glycolic acid)

We have investigated the effects of gamma irradiation on chemical structure, thermal and morphological properties of biodegradable semi-crystalline poly (glycolic acid) (PGA). PGA samples were subjected to irradiation treatment using a ⁶⁰Co gamma source with a delivered dose of 30, 60 and 90?kGy, respectively. Gamma irradiation induces cleavage of PGA main chains forming ～O?H₂ and ?H₂COO～ radicals in both amorphous and crystalline regions. The free radicals formed in the amorphous region abstract atmospheric oxygen and convert them to peroxy radicals. The peroxy radical causes chain scission at the crystal interface through hydrogen abstraction from methylene groups forming the ～?HCOO～ (I) radical. Consequently, the observed electron spin resonance (ESR) doublet of irradiated PGA is assigned to (I). The disappearance of the ESR signal above 190°C indicates that free radicals are formed in the amorphous region and decay below the melting temperature of PGA. Fourier transform infrared and optical absorption studies confirm that the groups are not influenced by gamma irradiation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies showed that the melting temperature of PGA decreased from 212°C to 202°C upon irradiation. Degree of crystallinity increased initially and then decreased with an increase in radiation as per DSC and X-ray diffraction studies. Irradiation produced changes in the physical properties of PGA as well as affecting the morphology of the material.     

Degradation behavior of electrical properties of GaInAs (1.0 eV) and GaInAs (0.7 eV) sub-cells of IMM4J solar cells under1-MeV electron irradiation

In this work the degradation effects of the Ga_(0.7)In_(0.3)As(1.0 eV) and Ga_(0.42)In_(0.58)As(0.7 eV) sub-cells for IMM4J solar cells are investigated after 1-MeV electron irradiation by using spectral response and photoluminescence(PL) signal amplitude analysis, as well as electrical property measurements. The results show that, compared with the electrical properties of traditional single junction(SJ) GaAs(1.41 eV) solar cell, the electrical properties(such as Isc, Voc, and Pmax)of the newly sub-cells degrade similarly as a function of log ?, where ? represents the electron fluence. It is found that the degradation of Voc is much more than that of Isc in the irradiated Ga_(0.42)In_(0.58)As(0.7 eV) cells due to the additional intrinsic layer, leading to more serious damage to the space charge region. However, of the three types of SJ cells with the gap widths of 0.7, 1.0, and 1.4 eV, the electric properties of the Ga_(0.7)In_(0.3)As(1.0 eV) cell decrease largest under each irradiation fluence. Analysis on the spectral response indicates that the Jsc of the Ga_(0.7)In_(0.3)As(1.0 eV) cell also shows the most severe damage. The PL amplitude measurements qualitatively confirm that the degradation of the effective minority carrier life-time(τeff) in the SJ Ga_(0.7)In_(0.3)As cells is more drastic than that of SJ GaAs cells during the irradiation. Thus,the output current of Ga_(0.7)In_(0.3)As sub-cell should be controlled in the irradiated IMM4J cells.     

Spectroscopic investigation on the sonodynamic activity of amsacrine (AMSA) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) damage

The sonodynamic damage of bovine serum albumin (BSA) under ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of amsacrine (AMSA) was studied by hyperchromic effect of UV-vis spectra and quenching effect of intrinsic fluorescence. In addition, several influencing factors such as ultrasonic irradiation time, AMSA concentration, system acidity and ionic strength about the damage of BSA molecules were reviewed. The results showed that the damage degree was obviously enhanced with the increase of ultrasonic irradiation time and AMSA concentration, but it was only slightly increased with the increase of solution pH value and ionic strength. Furthermore, the binding and damaging sites to BSA molecules were estimated by synchronous fluorescence spectra. The different chances to damage tryptophan (Trp) and tyrosine (Tyr) residues were found through the ratios of synchronous fluorescence quenching (R_SFQ). At last, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in sonodynamic process was estimated by the method of oxidation-extraction Spectrometry (OES). And then, several radical scavengers were used to determine the kind of ROS, which includes singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH). Perhaps, the result would bring a certain guiding significance to use sonosensitive drugs in the fields of tumor treatment.     

In-situ synchrotron X-ray imaging of ultrasound (US)-generated bubbles: Influence of US frequency on microbubble cavitation for membrane fouling remediation

Gaining an in-depth understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of ultrasound (US)--generated bubbles is crucial to effectively remediate membrane fouling. The goal of present study is to conduct in-situ visualization of US-generated microbubbles in water to examine the influence of US frequency on the dynamics of microbubbles. This study utilized synchrotron in-line phase contrast imaging (In-line PCI) available at the biomedical imaging and therapy (BMIT) beamlines at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) to enhance the contrast of liquid/air interfaces at different US frequencies of 20, 28 and 40 KHz at 60 Watts. A high-speed camera was used to capture 2,000 frames per second of the bubble cavitation generated in water under the ultrasound influence. Key parameters at the polychromatic beamlines were optimized to maximize the phase contrast of gas/liquid of the microbubbles with a minimum size of 5.5 µm. ImageJ software was used to analyze the bubble characteristics and their behavior under the US exposure including the microbubble number, size, and fraction of the total area occupied by the bubbles at each US frequency. Furthermore, the bubble characteristics over the US exposure time and at different distances from the transducer were studied. The qualitative and quantitative data analyses showed that the microbubble number or size did not change over time; however, it was observed that most bubbles were created at the middle of the frames and close to the US field. The number of bubbles created under the US exposure increased with the frequency from 20 kHz to 40 kHz (about 4.6 times). However, larger bubbles were generated at 20 kHz such that the average bubble radius at 20 kHz was about 6.8 times of that at 40 kHz. Microbubble movement/traveling through water was monitored, and it was observed that the bubble velocity increased as the frequency was increased from 20 kHz to 40 kHz. The small bubbles moved faster, and the majority of them traveled upward towards the US transducer location. The growth pattern (a correlation between the mean growth ratio and the exposure time) of bubbles at 20 kHz and 60 W was obtained by tracking the oscillation of 22 representative microbubbles over the 700 ms of imaging. The mean growth ratio model was also obtained.     

Radiation-induced defects in thin Cu(In,Ga)Se<Subscript>2</Subscript> films on exposure to high-energy electron irradiation

At 4.2 K, the photoluminescence spectra of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ films irradiated by electrons with an energy of 5 MeV displayed the 0.93-and 0.79-eV bands that owe their origin to the radiative recombination of nonequilibrium charge carriers on radiation-induced defects. The position of the energy levels of the defects is determined and their nature is discussed. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 6, pp. 805–808, November–December, 2005.     

Efficient one-pot three-component synthesis of N-(4-arylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazones in water under ultrasound irradiation

A highly efficient and facile one-pot three-component synthesis of N-(4-arylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazones was carried out in excellent yield without any catalyst in water under ultrasound irradiation.     

Poly(4-vinylpyridinium)hydrogen sulfate: a novel and efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 14-aryl-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes under conventional heating and ultrasound irradiation

A simple and convenient procedure for the synthesis of 14-aryl-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes is described through a one-pot condensation of 2-naphthol with aryl aldehydes in the presence of poly(4-vinylpyridinium)hydrogen sulfate as an efficient, cheap, readily synthesized and eco-friendly catalyst in a solvent free media using conventional heating and ultrasound irradiation.     

An experimental study on the motion of water droplets in oil under ultrasonic irradiation

The motion of a single water droplet in oil under ultrasonic irradiation is investigated with high-speed photography in this paper. First, we described the trajectory of water droplet in oil under ultrasonic irradiation. Results indicate that in acoustic field the motion of water droplet subjected to intermittent positive and negative ultrasonic pressure shows obvious quasi-sinusoidal oscillation. Afterwards, the influence of major parameters on the motion characteristics of water droplet was studied, such as acoustic intensity, ultrasonic frequency, continuous phase viscosity, interfacial tension, and droplet diameter, etc. It is found that when the acoustic intensity and frequency are 4.89 W cm⁻² and 20 kHz respectively, which are the critical conditions, the droplet varying from 250 to 300 μm in lower viscous oil has the largest oscillation amplitude and highest oscillation frequency.     

Tuning the geometry of shape-restricted DNA molecules on the functionalized Si(1 1 1)

Designing a well-defined and stable interface between biomolecules and semiconductor surfaces is of great importance for current and future biosensing and bioelectronic applications. The well-characterized chemistry, stability, and easily tunable electronic properties of silicon substrate make it a practical platform for this type of interface. It has been established in our previous work that a robust, covalent attachment between thiol-DNA molecules of a pre-designed geometrical shape and a modified silicon surface can be achieved. This work focuses on using this binding model and altering the distance between the DNA molecules and silicon surface by strategically placing thiol linkers within the pre-determined geometric design of the rectangularly shaped DNA. The statistical analysis of the height profiles of DNA molecules attached to the surface, as determined by AFM, provides specific insight into how the construction of the DNA molecules affects the binding distance. A comparison between two thiol-DNA molecules with different numbers of thiol groups placed either within the rectangular shape or anchored to the free loop of the same geometric design suggest that the average distance of these molecules to the functionalized silicon surface can be changed by approximately 0.5 nm.     

Studies of left-handed Z DNA: Characteristics of Raman spectra of d(GpCpGpCpGpC)

Studies of laser Raman spectra of synthesized DNA fragment, d (GpCpGpCpGpC), were performed. The similarities and differences between the characteristic spectra of the oligomer and those of its structural components, 5′-dGMP and 5′-dCMP, were dis cussed. The information obtained on the characteristic Raman spectrum susceptible to B-Z conformation transition of oligomer might be helpful in further investigation of the biology of left-handed DNA.     

Potential-modulated electrochemiluminescence of a tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) / lidocaine system under 430 kHz ultrasound irradiation

The electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) in the presence of lidocaine was investigated under ultrasound (US) irradiation. The sonoelectrochemical experiments are conducted by indirect irradiation of ultrasound with a piezoelectric transducer operating at 430 kHz. In a supporting electrolyte at pH 11, the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/lidocaine system gave weak ECL peaks around +1.2 V and +1.45 V, respectively. The ECL signal at +1.2 V was attributed to redox reactions of the oxidative intermediates of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and lidocaine, while the signal at +1.45 V was assumed to be caused by an advanced oxidation process due to the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) at the electrode surface. In this study, the potential modulation approach is employed in the study of ECL process upon US irradiations because it can suppress the noise components from sonoluminescence effectly and improve the resolution of ECL-potential profiles. It is found ECL signals were greatly enhanced upon US irradiation at the output power of 30 W, however, the relative intensity of ECL signal at +1.2 V was larger than that obtained with a rotating disk electrode even though the mass transport effect is equilvalent. The experiment results suggest that the chemical effect (i.e., generation of OH) by 430 kHz US becomes remarkable in the electrochemical process. Detailed ECL reaction routes under US are proposed in this study.     

Effect of gamma-ray irradiation on isothermal crystallization of biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate)

The effects of gamma-ray irradiation on the isothermal crystallization of biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate) (PESu) and the growth behavior of PESu spherulites have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. The irradiation doses used in the study are 0, 200, 400, and 600 kGy. The kinetic parameters for the isothermal crystallization have been determined, using the Avrami relationship. The nucleation constants and activation energy for the growth of the PESu spherulites have been analyzed, using the Lauritzen-Hoffman growth theory. Triple melting points have been observed for all the irradiated PESu. The gamma irradiation has no observable effect on the Avrami exponent, and the composite rate constant increases first with the increase of the crystallization temperature, reaches maximum at the crystallization temperature of ~35 °C, and then decreases with the increase of the crystallization temperature for both the non-irradiated and irradiated PESu. There exists a transition of the growth of the PESu spherulites from regime II to regime III. Both the nucleation constants and activation energy increase with increasing the irradiation dose. The gamma irradiation increases the energy barrier for the migration of polymer chains.     

Effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the properties and performance of biodiesel produced from date seed oil used in the diesel engine

In the present study, the effect of ultrasound irradiation on the transesterification parameters, biodiesel properties, and its combustion profiles in the diesel engine was investigated. Moreover, date seed oil (DSO) was firstly utilized in the ultrasound-assisted transesterification reaction. DSO was extracted from Zahidi type date (Phoenix dactylifera) and was esterified to reduce its Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content. Biodiesel yield was optimized in both heating methods, so that the yield of 96.4% (containing 93.5% ester) at 60 °C, with 6 M ratio of methanol/oil, 1 wt% of catalyst (NaOH) and at 90 min of reaction time was reported. The ultrasound irradiation did not influence the reaction conditions except reaction time, reduced to 5 min (96.9% yield and 91.9% ester). The ultrasonic irradiation also influenced on the physicochemical properties of DSO biodiesel and improved its combustion in the diesel engine. The analysis results related to the engine and gas emission confirmed that the ultrasound-assisted produced biodiesel has lower density and viscosity, and higher oxygen content facilitating injection of fuel in the engine chamber and its combustion, respectively. Although, B40 (biodiesel blend consisting of 40% biodiesel and 60% net diesel fuel) as a blend of both fuels presented higher CO₂ and lower CO and HC in the emissions, the DSO biodiesel produced by ultrasound irradiation presented better specifications (caused about 2-fold improvement in emissions than that of conventional method). The findings of the study confirmed the positive effect of the ultrasound irradiation on the properties of the produced biodiesel along with its combustion properties in the diesel engine, consequently reducing air pollution problems.     

Sonocatalytic degradation of methyl parathion in the presence of nanometer and ordinary anatase titanium dioxide catalysts and comparison of their sonocatalytic abilities

The degradation of methyl parathion (O,O-dimethyl-O-(4-nitrophenyl)-phosphorothioate) using anatase titanium dioxide (TiO₂) powder as heterogeneous sonocatalysts is reported. The influences of reaction parameters such as the species of TiO₂ sonocatalysts, methyl parathion concentrations, TiO₂ adding amount, pH, ultrasonic intensity, ultrasonic frequency and temperature have been investigated and the optimal conditions for eliminating methyl parathion have been identified. The efficiencies of sonocatalytic degradation in both nanometer and ordinary anatase systems are compared and the results indicate that the sonocatalytic activity of nanometer anatase TiO₂ powder is better than that of ordinary anatase TiO₂ powder. The primary degradation and the total mineralization of methyl parathion have been monitored by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV–vis spectra, respectively. Methyl parathion got destroyed to some extent in both nanometer and ordinary anatase systems under ultrasonic irradiation. The kinetics for the degradation process of methyl parathion follows the first-order reaction. The degradation ratio of methyl parathion surpassed 90% within 50 min in the optimal experiment conditions.