In situ sonochemical reduction and direct functionalization of graphene oxide: A robust approach with thermal and biomedical applications

The rapid, robust, scalable and non-hazardous sonochemical approach for in situ reduction and direct functionalization of graphene oxide has been developed for non-toxic biomedical applications. The graphene oxide (GrO) was directly functionalized with tryptamine (TA) without using any hazardous acylating and coupling reagents. The reaction was completed within 20 min. An impact of ultrasound was inferred for a direct functionalization with other conventional methods. The evolved electronic states were confirmed with near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). The direct covalent functionalization and formation of f-(TA) GrO was proven with FTIR, ¹³C solid state NMR, XPS, XRD, Raman‚ HRTEM, AFM and TGA. The total percentage weight loss in TGA confirms an enhanced thermal stability of f-(TA) GrO. The f-(TA) GrO was further explored for an investigation of in vitro antimicrobial activity to ensure the health and environmental safety. An outstanding antibacterial activity of f-(TA) GrO was found against gram positive Staphylococcus aureus at MIC 128 mg mL⁻¹. It confirms a suitability of f-(TA) GrO for thermally stable antibacterial coating. The f-(TA) GrO showed 39.14–48.9% antioxidant activities, evaluated with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical assay. The inherent cytotoxicity of f-(TA) GrO was evaluated with SRB assay to living cells, MCF-7 and Vero. The estimated cell viabilities were >80% upon addition of f-(TA) GrO over a wide concentration range of 10–80 μg mL⁻¹. The high cytocompatibility of f-(TA) GrO confirms the low toxicity and an excellent biocompatibility. The morphological effect on Vero cell line, evidently confirmed the biocompatibility of f-(TA) GrO. Therefore, f-(TA) GrO was emerged as an advanced functional biomaterial for thermal and biomedical applications.     

High pressure polymorph of CdS predicted by first principles

Ab initio phonon calculations on CdS are performed to probe the high pressure structural behaviors. We predicted an unstable transverse acoustic (TA) mode for NaCl-CdS (B1) and a phase transition of B1→Pmmn driven by this soft mode is thus identified, excluding probable high pressure Cmcm phase. Furthermore, a softening TA phonon mode at the zone boundary M point of CsCl-CdS (B2) is predicted, which results in the phase transition from Pmmn to tetrahedral P4/nmm (B10). Enthalpy calculation reveals that Pmmn phase becomes energetically more favorable than the B1 phase over 51.2 GPa, and B10 phase is stable in a pressure range of 80.3-85.5 GPa, above which B10 phase will decompose into Cd and S.     

Inelastic neutron scattering by TA phonons in heavily doped gallium arsenide

The temperature dependence of the shape of the inelastic neutron scattering peak from TA phonons in GaAs heavily doped by Te was studied within the temperature interval from 363 to 253 K. It was shown that doping with tellurium (to a carrier concentration N _e ≈ 2 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3) gives rise to the appearance of an additional contribution to neutron scattering on the high-energy side of the TA phonon resonances at values of the reduced wave vector q < 0.1a*. Below 320 K, the intensity of this additional component rises sharply, and then, below 273 K, the main TA peak and the additional shoulder merge almost completely. This additional scattering is believed to be due to a defect-induced mode, which may be responsible for the observed anomalies in the physical properties in this crystal.     

Pressure dependence of the zone edge TA phonons in silicon

The sharpest peak in the 2TA second order Raman spectrum of Si has been measured as a function of hydrostatic stress up to 6 kbar. This peak is assigned to overtones of two phonons near the X point of the Brillouin zone. The Grüneisen parameter of the TA (X) phonon so obtained (? 1.4) is considerably larger than that obtained in model calculations including up to second order neighbors (～?0.6). From this discrepancy the necessity of including anharmonic forces between further neighbors is concluded.     

Anharmonicity of short-wavelength acoustic phonons in silicon at high temperatures

Second-order Raman spectra corresponding to transverse acoustic phonons are studied in detail for crystalline Si over the temperature range 20–620°C. The largest relative softening and anharmonicity at the boundaries of the Brillouin zone were observed for the TA(X) mode. Extrapolation of the TA(X) frequency to high temperatures suggests that the Si lattice should be dynamically unstable at temperatures on the order of a doubled melting temperature. It is found that the main contribution to the softening of the transverse acoustic phonons in silicon comes from the anharmonicity and not from the volume expansion.     

Preparation of Cu–Ag core–shell particles with their anti-oxidation and antibacterial properties

Cu–Ag core–shell particles were fabricated from Cu particles and silver sulphate with the environmental-friendly TA (tartaric acid, C₄H₆O₆) as reducing and chelating agent in an aqueous system. The influences of [TA]/[Ag] and [Ag]/[Cu] molar ratios on the formation of Ag coatings on the Cu particles were investigated. The SEM images and SEM–EDS analyses showed that [TA]/[Ag] = 0.5 and [Ag]/[Cu] ≥0.2, the Cu particles were coated with uniform Ag nanoparticles. XRD analyses revealed that for these Cu–Ag particles heated at 250 °C, the oxidation of Cu was significantly reduced. Both anti-Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and anti-Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) characteristics of this Cu–Ag composite particles showed satisfactory antibacterial ability. The characteristics of the composite Cu–Ag particles were discussed in detail.     

Microeconomic co-evolution model for financial technical analysis signals

Technical analysis (TA) has been used for a long time before the availability of more sophisticated instruments for financial forecasting in order to suggest decisions on the basis of the occurrence of data patterns. Many mathematical and statistical tools for quantitative analysis of financial markets have experienced a fast and wide growth and have the power for overcoming classical TA methods. This paper aims to give a measure of the reliability of some information used in TA by exploring the probability of their occurrence within a particular microeconomic agent-based model of markets, i.e., the co-evolution Bak–Sneppen model originally invented for describing species population evolutions. After having proved the practical interest of such a model in describing financial index so-called avalanches, in the prebursting bubble time rise, the attention focuses on the occurrence of trend line detection crossing of meaningful barriers, those that give rise to some usual TA strategies. The case of the NASDAQ crash of April 2000 serves as an illustration.     

Vibrational modes and phase transition of Si-Ge solid solution

We present the simplified treatment where the lattice vibrations of Si or Ge atoms in the Si-Ge solid solution are replaced with that of pure Si or Ge crystal at lattice constants of the alloy. Considering the volume effect on the force constants of the pure constituent, we obtain the phonon dispersion curves of the local and band modes for Si_0.91Ge_0.09 and Si_0.11Ge_0.89 systems and the concentration x-dependence of the local and band modes frequencies in the Si_1?xGe_x solid solutions. Then, from the calculation of the effective mode Grüneisen parameter γ_i for the average phonon modes in the Si_1?xGe_x systems, we obtain the predominant correlation between TA mode Grüneisen parameter γ^X_TA at the point X and the phase transition pressure P_t, and the softening of TA modes is related to the pressure-induced phase transition of the Si-Ge solid solution.     

Dependence of residual dipolar couplings on foot angle in H MR spectra from skeletal muscle

Foot dorsi and plantar flexion affects the pennation angle of skeletal muscle fibers and changes the fiber direction with respect to the main magnetic field, thereby affecting MR spectrum of the muscle. In order to analyze the effect that foot flexion has on the MR spectrum, tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus muscles were studied in humans and rats. Localized MRS was performed at different foot angles in clinical and pre-clinical settings using a 3 T MRI/MRS GE Excite HD and 7 T Bruker Clinscan scanner, respectively. In this study we show the effect of foot angle variation on total Creatine (tCr) resonance of ¹H spectrum at 3.03 and 3.93 ppm for TA and soleus muscles. In addition to this, we observe a 4-line splitting pattern for methylene resonance of tCr in the rat TA spectrum for a specific foot angle. This observation is attributed to the individual splitting of creatine and phosphocreatine of the tCr signal. Novel hydrogel application is demonstrated and used to support our in vivo observations and for the first time splitting of individual resonances of Cr and PCr has been shown in an in vitro set-up.     

Improving p-type contact characteristics by Ni-assisted annealing and effects on surface morphologic evolution of InGaN LED films grown on Si (1 1 1)

Ni thin layer was deposited to assist to activate p-GaN and then was removed. The process was named Ni-assisted annealing (NA). We investigate the surface morphology and p-type contact behaviors of InGaN LED films grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates. Compared with conventional thermal annealing (TA), NA can improve the p-type contact characteristic at lower anneal temperature and a smaller specific contact resistivity (ρ_c = 6.1 × 10⁻⁵ Ω cm²) employing nonalloy Pt electrode was obtained. A wet etching method using acid-hydrogen peroxide was adopted to boil films surface after activation. We found that some nano-pits appeared on surfaces while original surface step structure was still clearly visible, which shows a defect-selective etching characteristic. Otherwise, we demonstrated that the surface morphology could be affected by NA while independent to TA. Some mechanisms for experimental phenomena were also discussed in the letter.     

Far-infrared quasi-local modes of ZnTe in CdTe

We report the very far-infrared absorption spectra of the mixed-crystals Cd_1-xZn_xTe for small x in the temperature range of 4.2K–150K and the wavenumber region of 20cm⁻¹–100cm⁻¹. The quasi-local mode induced by ZnTe in CdTe and CdTe-like 2TA two-phonon creations are observed, to be best of our knowledge, for the first time. The frequencies of the modes are estimated by using the mass-defect model combined with Green's functions calculations. Besides, the temperature dependence of the absorption peak is well explained in the light of the characteristics of the modes.     

Magnetic excitations in neodymium,a sinusoidally modulated antiferromagnet

We report the first unambiguous observations of the magnetic excitations in neodymium metal, which exhibits complex antiferromagnetic structures below T_N = 20 K. The wavevector and temperature dependence of the excitations have been determined from neutron inelastic scattering measurements made at the Institut Laue-Langevin. Two district, low-energy, magnetic modes are observed for the [100] basal plane direction (TM) whilst there is only a single mode in the c-direction (TA) These modes are only observed clearly at low temperatures (T?8 K): they broaden and soften as the temperature is raised through T_N. Measurements were also made of the longitudinal and transverse acoustic phonon spectra in neodymium. The predictions of current theories of the excitations in sinusoidally modulated magnetic structures are discussed and compared with the results of our observations.     

Ab initio lattice dynamics and thermodynamic properties of SrO under pressure

We present an ab initio calculation of lattice dynamics and thermodynamic properties of SrO in the NaCl (B1) and CsCl (B2) structured phases under pressure. We employ the density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT) within the local density approximation (LDA) in conjunction with the quasi-harmonic approximation. At zero pressure, the calculated dispersions agree well with the measured ones for the B1 phase. A pressure-induced soft transverse acoustic (TA) phonon mode is identified at the zone boundary X point of the Brillouin zone. The B2 phase is stable at high pressure. Our analysis suggest that this soft transverse mode is responsible for the pressure induced structural phase transition. The increase of the electronic dielectric function with pressure is attributed to the closure of the p–d gaps. The thermal expansion coefficient decreases with pressure and does not show any negative behavior. The predicted transition pressure decreases with temperature.     

Pressure dependent optical phonon anharmonicity in GaP

The asymmetric Raman line shape of the TO(Γ) phonon in GaP has been carefully measured under hydrostatic pressure up to 87 kbar (room temperature). At high pressure the peak becomes symmetric and a weak sideband emerges. These results can be explained as due to the third order anharmonic interaction of TO(Γ) with the combination modes TA + LA(≈ X). A calculation of this effect, based on the measured phonon dispersion of GaP, is successful in fitting the observed line shape at all pressures. The anharmonic coupling strength for the decay TO(Γ) → TA + LA(≈ X) is found to decrease linearly with pressure by an appreciable amount.     

Piezospectroscopic investigation of the nature of the subsidiary valence band extrema in TiO2

In order to assess the localization in k-space of the secondary valence band extrema, we have measured the stress dependence of the indirect transition of TiO₂, at 1.6 K, for static uniaxial compression along the [100] and [110] directions. From the stress-induced splittings we localize the secondary valence-band extrema in [100] direction (Δ direction) and associate the indirect gap of TiO₂ with a Δ_4v → Γ_1c phonon-assisted transition. The shear deformation potential of the Δ_4v valence band has been determined from the stress-induced splitting of the TA phonon-assited transition. We find |C_Δ4v| = 0.75 eV.     

Correlation between spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging and postural response latencies in persons with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study

PurposeLonger latency of postural response in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be linked to imbalance and increased likelihood of falls. It may be caused by the compromised microstructural integrity in the spinal cord, as evidenced by slowed somatosensory conduction in the spinal cord. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between latency of postural responses and microstructural integrity of the cervical spinal cord, the region particularly related to the disease severity in MS, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics.MethodsSeventeen persons with MS with mild-to-moderate disease severity were enrolled in this study. Postural response latencies of each patient were measured using electromyography of the tibialis anterior muscle (TA) and gastrocnemius muscle (GN) in response to surface perturbations. Cervical spinal cord DTI images were obtained from each patient. DTI mean, radial, axial diffusivity, and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured between segments C4 and C6. Correlations of DTI metrics with postural response latencies, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores, and 25-foot walk (T25FW) were assessed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient at α = 0.05.ResultsLower FA was significantly correlated with longer latencies measured on right TA in response to forward postural perturbations (r = −0.51, p = .04). DTI metrics showed no significant correlations with EDSS scores (r = −0.06–0.09, p = .73–0.95) or T25FW (r = −0.1–0.14, p = .6–0.94). DTI metrics showed no significant differences between subjects with and without spinal cord lesions (p = .2–0.7).ConclusionsOur results showed a significant correlation between lower FA in the cervical spinal cord and longer latencies measured on right TA in response to forward postural perturbations in persons with MS, suggesting that impaired cervical spinal cord microstructure assessed by DTI may be associated with the delayed postural responses.     

Determination of a transmembrane pH difference in chloroplasts with a spin label tempamine

We present a method for measuring the transmembrane pH difference (deltapH=pHin-pHout) in chloroplasts with a spin label TEMPAMINE (4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) accumulating inside the thylakoids in response to generation of deltapH. Experiments with chloroplasts suspended in the media of different osmolarity demonstrated that most of TEMPAMINE (TA) molecules taken up by chloroplasts were localized in the bulk of the thylakoid lumen. The DeltapH value was determined from the relationship deltapH=lg([H+]in/[H+]out) approximately equal to lg(Cin/Cout), where Cin and Cout are the concentrations of TA inside and outside the thylakoids, respectively. To quantify the internal concentration Cin, we used the threshold nature of the concentration-dependent broadening of the EPR signal from TA. It was demonstrated that spin-exchange interactions between TA molecules caused an observable broadening of the signal only when the concentration of TA exceeded the threshold level, [TA]theta approximately 2.0-2.2mM. The concentration dependencies of the signal parameters (the peak-to-peak amplitude, App, and the linewidth, deltaHpp) were described within a model of the non-homogeneous broadening of an unresolved hyperfine multiplet from the protons of TA molecule. If the concentration of TA inside the thylakoids went beyond the threshold level, the spin-exchange broadening of the EPR signal was accompanied by a reversible decrease in the signal height (parameter deltaA). By measuring the signal behavior at different levels of microwave power, we were able to discriminate between the line broadening effects caused by concentrating TA molecules inside the thylakoids or the light-induced changes in the concentration of oxygen. We developed a general algorithm for determination of the deltapH value and the internal volume of thylakoids, Vin, from the non-linear dependence of parameter deltaA on the concentration C0 of TA in a chloroplast suspension. Advantages of this method are: (i) it avoids the use of a broadening agent; (ii) it allows the internal volume of thylakoids to be evaluated; and (iii) the concentrations of TA used to measure the deltapH are below the range of concentrations that could cause the uncoupling electron transport to ATP synthesis in chloroplasts. Results of our measurements are consistent with the literature data on deltapH determinations by other methods.     

Clustering Properties in Turbulent Signals

We consider the telegraph approximation (TA) of turbulent signals by ignoring their amplitude variability and retaining only their ‘zero’-crossing information. We establish a unique relationship between the spectral exponent of a signal and that of its TA, whenever the signal possesses a Gaussian PDF and a spectral shape in which the high-frequency cut-off is sufficiently sharp. The velocity signals in most turbulent flows away from the wall satisfy these conditions adequately, so that the Kolmogorov spectral exponent of −5/3 for the turbulent velocity spectrum corresponds to a −4/3 spectral exponent for its TA. By introducing a new scaling exponent to characterize the tendency of small-scale fluctuations to cluster, we show that the velocity and passive scalar signals display a finite tendency to cluster even in the limit of Re . We advance the notion, on the basis of the properties of the TA, that turbulent processes belong to one of two classes—either the ‘white noise’ type or the ‘Markov-Lorentzian’ type. PACS: 47.27.-i, 47.27.Gs, 47.27.Nz     

Resonant Raman study of LO + acoustic phonon modes in CdSe

In studying resonant Raman scattering in the vicinity of the A and B excitons of CdSe, we have observed three new Raman peaks. Two of the peaks have been identified as two-phonon modes consisting of a longitudinal optical (LO) phonon plus respectively a transverse acoustic (TA) and a longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonon. A theory which involves the scattering of photoexcited B excitons to the A exciton by acoustic phonons via the piezoelectric exciton-phonon interaction was found to explain quantitatively the peak positions, lineshape and resonance enhancements of the observed peaks.