Hybrid gold nanoparticles in molecular imaging and radiotherapy

Metallic nanoparticles, because of their size, chemical and physical properties, are particularly attractive as therapeutic probes in treating cancer. Central to any clinical advances in nanoparticulate based therapy will be to produce hybrid nanoparticles that can be targeted to vascular, extracellular or cell surface receptors. Development of hybrid nanoparticles that specifically target cancer vasculature has received considerable attention. Most cancers have leaky vasculature and the defective vascular architecture, created due to the rapid vascularization necessary to serve fast growing cancers, in combination with poor lymphatic drainage allows increased permeation and retention effects. The leaky vasculature, because of higher porosity and permeability, serve as natural high affinity targets to metallic nanoparticles. Another attractive approach toward the application of nanotechnology to nanomedicine is the utility of nanoparticles that display inherent therapeutic properties. For example radioactive gold nanoparticles present attractive prospects in therapy of cancer. The radioactive properties of Au-198 (β_max = 0.96 MeV; t_1/2 = 2.7 d) and Au-199 (β_max = 0.46 MeV; t_1/2 = 3.14 d) make them ideal candidates for use in radiotherapeutic applications. In addition, they both have imageable gamma emissions for dosimetry and pharmacokinetic studies and Au-199 can be made carrier-free by indirect methods. Gold nanoparticles are of interest for treatment of disease as they can deliver agents directly into cells and cellular components with a higher concentration of radioactivity, e.g. higher dose of radioactivity, to cancerous tumor cells.     

Imaging {Au0-PAMAM} Gold-dendrimer Nanocomposites in Cells

Dendrimer nanocomposites (DNC) are hybrid nanoparticles formed by the dispersion and immobilization of guest atoms or small clusters in dendritic polymer matrices. They have a great potential in biomedical applications due to their controlled composition, predetermined size, shape and variable surface functionalities. In this work, d=5–25nm spherical nanoparticles composed of gold and poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers have been selected to demonstrate this nanoparticle based concept. {Au(0)_n-PAMAM} gold dendrimer nanocomposites with a well-defined size were synthesized and imaged by transmission electron microscopy both in vitro and in vivo. DNC have also the potential to be used for imaging and drug delivery vehicles either by utilizing bioactive guests or through the incorporation of radioactive isotopes, such as Au-198.     

Hyperfine interaction of111Cd in antiferromagnetic cobalt oxide

The temperature dependence of the hyperfine field of substitutional¹¹¹Cd in antiferromagnetic CoO has been measured by means of the perturbed angular correlation technique. The Larmor frequency ω_L is found to obey a power law ω_L(t=ω₀ t ^β) up tot _max=0.4 wheret=1−T/T _N is the reduced temperature withT _N=291.2(3) K and β=0.393 (5) the critical exponent. The results are discussed and compared with PAC experiments on¹¹¹Cd in NiO and Ni and with results obtained by other methods.     

Beta-gamma-gamma directional correlation in103Rh

β-γ-γ directional correlation studies for the cascades (i)β-rays ofE _max=0.12 MeV,γ-rays of 557 keV andγ-rays of 53 keV and (ii)β-rays ofE _max=0.21 MeV,γ-rays of 444 keV andγ-rays of 53 keV have been made. The triple correlation functionsW(θ) were obtained to beW(θ)=1+(−0.153±0.031)P ₂(cosθ)+(0.004±0.035)P ₄(cosθ) forβ-rays ofE _max 0.12 MeV→557→53 keV cascade andW(θ)=1+(0.163±0.042)P ₂(cosθ)+(−0.035±0.058)P ₄(cosθ) forβ rays ofE _max=0.21 MeV→444 keV→53 keV cascade. Spins and parities of the 650, 537 and 93 keV levels of¹⁰³Rh are deduced by triple angular correlation and the internal conversion coefficient studies. Multipolarities of the transitions are also determined.     

Experimentelle Untersuchung von Elektronen-Photonen-Kaskaden in Blei-Szintillator-Anordnungen für Primärenergien zwischen 100 und 440 MeV

Showers generated by electrons of 200 and 440 MeV energy in single lead plates of 2, 5, and 10 radiation lengths are measured in scintillator material (NE 102 A) varying between 1.24 and 10.5 g/cm². The mean energy deposited in a scintillator is derived fromNagel's Monte-Carlo calculations. The photon contributionn _γ to the total pulseheight is of the order 15% near shower maximum t_max, it dominates the electron contributionn _e in a 3 cm thick scintillator for shower depthst ≧ 4.2 · t_max. The slope of the total ionizationn _e+n _γ behind the shower maximum can be approximated byn(t) ～ exp(?0.264t). The shower absorption in scintillator depends on the thicknessx (g/cm²) as exp (?0.068x). An arrangement of counter trays, scintillators and lead plates is calibrated with electrons between 100 and 440 MeV energy. A suitably defined track-lengthS is shown to give minimum error in energy measurement and to depend linearly on electron energy. The track-length constant of 22 MeV/r.l. is compared with the results of other authors.     

The simulations of Ca-Ca collisions: Binary break-up, onset of multifragmentation and vaporization

The incomplete fusion, onset of multifragmentation and vaporization is studied in Ca-Ca collisions at bombarding energies between 20–1000 A MeV and at impact parameters between b=0 to b _max using quantum molecular dynamics model. We find incomplete fusion events at E/A=20 MeV. The light mass fragment production at a given incident energy does not show any rise and fall with a change in the impact parameter. Whereas, the IMF production at higher energies (≥ 150 A MeV) has a clear rise and fall.     

Nucleation of electroactive β-phase poly(vinilidene fluoride) with CoFe2O4 and NiFe2O4 nanofillers: a new method for the preparation of multiferroic nanocomposites

Multiferroic and magnetoelectric materials show enormous potential for technological developments. Multiferroic composites are more attractive for applications due to their enhanced properties with respect to single-phase multiferroic materials. In this paper we report on the nucleation of the electroactive β-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, by the addition of CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles in order to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride)/ferrite nanocomposite for multiferroic and magnetoelectric applications,. The dispersed ferrite nanofiller particles strongly enhance the nucleation of the β-phase of the polymer matrix. In this way, magnetoelectric polymer nanocomposites can be processed avoiding the usual α- to β-phase transformation by stretching of the polymer matrix.     

Constraining the Surface Gravitational Redshift of Proto Neutron Stars with New Nucleon Coupling Constants

A new set of nucleon coupling constants (CZ11) is obtained for the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory based on the recent experimental information on the symmetry energy derived from the data from NSCL/MSU. The surface gravitational redshift of a proto neutron star (PNS) is examined within the RMF framework for the baryon octet system by using this set of parameters. It is found that the surface gravitational redshift for CZ11 is smaller than that for GL97. For the CZ11 parameter set, the surface gravitational redshift of a PNS at T=15 MeV is smaller than that at T=0 MeV. It is also found that the surface gravitational redshift corresponding to M _max/R for the CZ11 parameter set is smaller by about 10 percent than that for GL97, with M _max being the maximum mass and R being the corresponding radius.     

Spectroscopy of Na: Bridging the two-proton radioactivity of Mg

The unbound nucleus ¹⁸Na, the intermediate nucleus in the two-proton radioactivity of ¹⁹Mg, was studied by the measurement of the resonant elastic scattering reaction H(¹⁷Ne,p)¹⁷Ne performed at 4 A.MeV using a radioactive beam from the SPIRAL Facility. Spectroscopic properties of the low-lying states were obtained in an R-matrix analysis of the excitation function.     

Trinucleon cluster structure at high-excitation energies in A=6 nuclei

Trinucleon molecular structures in ⁶He and ⁶Be were investigated by using the ⁶Li(⁷Li, ⁷Be)⁶He reaction at 455 MeV and ⁶Li(³He, t)⁶Be reaction at 450 MeV, respectively. Binary decays into t + t from a broad state at E _x =18.0±1.0 MeV in ⁶He and into ³He + ³He from one at E _x =18.0±1.2 MeV in ⁶Be, respectively, were observed by measuring trinucleon cluster decays in coincidence with reaction particles. The branching ratios for binary decay were estimated to be about 0.7 for ⁶He and ⁶Be. These large branching ratios show that a trinucleon cluster state exists as an isobaric partner around E _x =18 MeV in ⁶He and ⁶Be.     

Gamma-spectroscopy of the 199At nucleus with the Recoil Filter Detector

The neutron deficient ¹⁹⁹At nucleus has been studied in the ¹⁷⁵Lu+²⁸Si reaction at E_b= 141 MeV. In order to select events of interest in the presence of the very strong background caused by fission, γ-rays have been detected in coincidence with recoiling evaporation residues. The excited states of ¹⁹⁹At observed for the first time may indicate that this nucleus is deformed. Received: 17 September 1998 / Revised version: 14 October 1998     

First evidence for the two-proton decay of 45Fe

Decays of five ⁴⁵Fe atoms have been observed at the fragment separator of GSI. Whereas one event is consistent with the β-decay of ⁴⁵Fe accompanied by the emission of a 10 MeV proton, four decays are consistent with the emission of particle(s) of total energy 1.1±0.1 MeV. This observation represents the first evidence for two-proton ground-state radioactivity, a decay mode predicted for ⁴⁵Fe. The time distribution of the observed decay events corresponds to a half-life of 3.2^+2.6 _-1.0 ms. Received: 17 May 2002 / Accepted: 28 May 2002     

On the limit of nuclear stability — The region of double magic100Sn and bound-state β-decay of187Re75+

Experiments which led to the discovery of the heaviest, self-conjugated double magic nucleus¹⁰⁰Sn and the bound-state β-decay of completely ionized¹⁸⁷Re are presented.¹⁰⁰Sn was produced by fragmentation of 1.1 A GeV¹²⁴Xe beams, separated and implanted in a 4π Si-stack detector. From its decay a half-lifeT _1/2=0.94(+0.54, −0.27) s and a β⁺ endpoint energy ofE _β=3.4(+0.7, −0.3) MeV were determined for the 0⁺−1⁺ Gamov-Teller transition. Completely stripped¹⁸⁷Re⁷⁵⁺ was produced and stored in a coolerring with an energy of 351 A MeV for several hours. The products of bound-state β-decay of¹⁸⁷Re⁷⁵⁺ were detected by two independent methods, which allowed to determine a half-life ofT _1/2=33±6 y for this decay, which is of importance for the calibration of the Re/Os nucleosynthesis chronometer.     

Magnetic moments of <Superscript>33</Superscript>Mg in the time-odd relativistic mean field approach

The configuration-fixed deformation constrained relativistic mean field approach with time-odd component has been applied to investigate the ground state properties of 33Mg with effective interaction PK1.The ground state of 33Mg has been found to be prolate deformed,β2=0.23,with the odd neutron in 1/2[330] orbital and the energy -251.85 MeV which is close to the data -252.06 MeV.The magnetic moment -0.9134 μN is obtained with the effective electromagnetic current which well reproduces the data -0.7456 μN se...     

Shape-driving effect of the proton 1/2[541] band in 171Ta

High-spin states in ¹⁷¹Ta were populated through the heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reaction ¹⁵⁷Gd (¹⁹F, 5n)¹⁷¹Ta at 105MeV beam energy. Lifetimes of the levels of the πh_9/21/2[541] band have been measured by using the Doppler shift attenuation method. The transition quadrupole moments ( Q_t) and the quadrupole deformation (β₂) have been extracted. Both β₂ and Q_t values decrease slightly with increasing rotational frequency. The average β₂ value of 0.26 is 18% larger than that of the πh_11/2 9/2[514] band. Total Routhian Surface calculations have been performed with the non-axial deformed Woods-Saxon potential and the predicted values of the quadrupole deformation β₂ are in good agreement with that deduced from our lifetime measurement. The shape-driving effect is discussed.     

An exactly solvable linear model giving indication of stochastic resonance

The linear stochastic equation dx _β /dt+[1+f _β (t)]x _β (t)=A sin (Ωt) is discussed. The functionƒ _β (t) is defined as a Poissonian noise dependent on a parameterβ>0,ƒ _β (t)=β Σ _j [δ(t − t _j ⁺ ) −δ (t − t _j ⁻ )]. The mean frequency of the delta-pulses is chosen asβ-dependent in the formλ(β)=2γ(β ⁻² + 1) exp(−β) whereγ is a constant from the interval (0, 0.974). With the stochastic functionƒ _β (t) defined in this way, attention is paid on the oscillational term of the averaged function 〈x(t)〉, 〈x(t)〉_osc=Āsin(Ωt − α). It is found that the dependenceĀ=Ā(β) exhibits one maximum and one minimum. The occurrence of these extrema seems to affirm the presence of stochastic resonance. This work has been supported by the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA under contract No. 1/4319/97.     

Facile shape control synthesis and optical properties of silver nanoparticles stabilized by Daxad 19 surfactant

It is known that silver (Ag) nanoparticles are attractive due to their novel and mild chemical and physical properties. In this research, anisotropic mono-dispersed silver nanoparticles are synthesized via a simple chemical reduction method and assisted by Daxad 19 surfactant. The reactant temperatures and weight ratios of the chemical constituents play a key role in controlling the hybrid shaping mechanism. The results indicate that the reduction rate of Ag⁺ to Ag⁰ nanoparticles is enhanced significantly with increasing weight ratios of Daxad 19 and AgNO₃ under controlled reactant temperature. The results show that the as-prepared silver nanoparticles are well-dispersed and uniform in size and shape. The dimensions of the particles are easily controlled. A comparison between experimental absorbance UV-visible spectra and simulated spectra from Mie's Scattering Theory is carried out. It is observed that the simulated spectrum confirms well with the optical behaviour of the experimental spectra.     

Resonance states of hydrogen nuclei 4H and 5H obtained in transfer reactions with exotic beams

To investigate ⁵H resonance states with a better instrumental resolution, we utilized the two-neutron transfer reaction ³H(t, p)⁵H accomplished with the use of a cryogenic liquid-tritium target and 57.5-MeV triton beam. As a result of this study, a valuable fraction of protons detected at ? _lab=18°–32° in ptn coincidence events was attributed to the states of the ⁵H nucleus. Two resonance states situated at 1.8±0.1 and 2.7±0.1 MeV above the t + n + n decay threshold were obtained in the missing mass energy spectrum of the ⁵H nucleus. The peak located close to E5_H was clearly seen in the ⁵H spectrum obtained from the energy distributions of ³H nuclei emitted in the reaction ²H(⁶He, ⁵H)³He at ? _lab=17°–32°. The width (Γ_obs≤0.5 MeV) obtained for the two ⁵H resonance states is surprisingly small. A state of ⁴H with E _res=3.3 MeV and γ ²=2.3 MeV was obtained in the reaction ²H(t, p)⁴H from the spectra of protons leaving the target at ? _lab=18°–32° and detected in coincidence with neutrons emitted in the decay of ⁴H nuclei.     

Size effects in monodomain magnetite based ferrofluids

Ferrofluids based on two types of hybrid particles Fe₃O₄/β-cyclodextrin were prepared: Using monodomain (below 60 nm) magnetite nanoparticles with (A) non-superparamagnetic (non-SPM) behaviour and (B) with superparamagnetic (SPM) behaviour. We found a strong dependence of the hybrid particles’ magnetic properties on their size and homogeneity. In both types of ferrofluids we observed hyperthermia upon applying an ac electromagnetic field with frequency 40 kHz and amplitude 30 kA/m. The maximal ΔТ upon irradiation with duration of about 12 min for the non-SPM particles was 12 °C, while for the SPM ones it was 3.5 °C.