Meltblown fibers: Influence of viscosity and elasticity on diameter distribution

Both melt viscosity (η_o) and elasticity (correlated here with the longest melt relaxation time λ₁) were found to control the diameter distribution of meltblown fibers. Fibers were formed by melt blowing binary polystyrene (PS) blends containing widely differing component molecular weights using a custom-built laboratory apparatus. Varying the concentration and molecular weight of a high molecular weight PS provided independent control over η_o and λ₁. These rheological parameters influence the average diameter (d_av) and the distribution of diameters (coefficient of variation, CV) of meltblown fibers in different ways. Increasing η_o leads to an increase in d_av but has little impact on CV. On the other hand, increasing λ₁ beyond a threshold value reduces CV while simultaneously increasing d_av. A one-dimensional slender-jet theoretical model with both upper convected Maxwell and Phan–Thien and Tanner constitutive equations was developed to investigate the influence of viscoelasticity and processing parameters on the properties of meltblown fibers. This model predicts a strong dependence of fiber diameter on the air shear stress and variations in fiber diameter with viscoelasticity that are in qualitative agreement with the experimental results. We believe these results suggest that carefully controlling the viscoelastic profile of polymers used in melt blowing is a viable approach for producing nanofibers with narrow fiber diameter distributions using current commercial equipment.     

Gravity induced particle production in earth’s gravitational field in TeV region

We discuss the production of particles via interaction with the earth’s gravitational field. Explicit calculations are done for high energy scalars passing through earth’s gravitational field. We show for example, that the width for the scalar processφ→3φ can become comparable with a typical weak decay width at an energy scale of a few TeV. (Similar conclusions can be drawn about particles that ultimately couple to some scalar field.) We speculate that similar processes may be responsible for many of the anomalies in the 10–10⁴ TeV experimental data.     

FRET Enhancement in Aluminum Zero‐Mode Waveguides

Zero‐mode waveguides (ZMWs) can confine light into attoliter volumes, which enables single molecule fluorescence experiments at physiological micromolar concentrations. Of the fluorescence spectroscopy techniques that can be enhanced by ZMWs, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is one of the most widely used in life sciences. Combining zero‐mode waveguides with FRET provides new opportunities to investigate biochemical structures or follow interaction dynamics at micromolar concentrations with single‐molecule resolution. However, prior to any quantitative FRET analysis on biological samples, it is crucial to establish first the influence of the ZMW on the FRET process. Here, we quantify the FRET rates and efficiencies between individual donor–acceptor fluorophore pairs that diffuse into aluminum zero‐mode waveguides. Aluminum ZMWs are important structures thanks to their commercial availability and the large amount of literature that describe their use for single‐molecule fluorescence spectroscopy. We also compared the results between ZMWs milled in gold and aluminum, and found that although gold has a stronger influence on the decay rates, the lower losses of aluminum in the green spectral region provide larger fluorescence brightness enhancement factors. For both aluminum and gold ZMWs, we observed that the FRET rate scales linearly with the isolated donor decay rate and the local density of optical states. Detailed information about FRET in ZMWs unlocks their application as new devices for enhanced single‐molecule FRET at physiological concentrations.     

Stochastic Analysis of Macrodispersion in a Semi‐Confined Aquifer

In this paper, the macroscopic dispersion resulting from one and twodimensional flows through a semiconfined aquifer with spatially variable hydraulic conductivity K which is represented by a stationary (statistically homogeneous) random process is analyzed using the spectral representation technique. Stochastic fluctuation equations of the steady flow and solute transport are solved to construct the macroscopic dispersive flux and evaluate the resulting macrodispersivity tensor in terms of the leakage factor and input covariances describing the hydraulic conductivity in a semiconfined aquifer bounded by a leaky layer above and an impervious stratum below. The macrodispersivity tensor is studied using some convenient forms of the log hydraulic conductivity process. The sensitivity of the resulting macrodispersivity to the input covariances is discussed along with the influence of the leakage factor for both one and twodimensional flows. It is found that the longitudinal macrodispersivities are increased due to the presence of leakage, while the transverse macrodispersivities are reduced due to leakage.     

Immuno-fluorescence based Vi capsular polysaccharide detection for specific recognition of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in clinical samples

Typhoid fever is a life threatening bacterial infection that remains a major global health concern. This continued high burden associated with significant morbidity and mortality rate demands specific and rapid detection technique. This work reports a new sandwich type fluorescence immunoassay format using polymyxin B, a cationic receptor molecule, as a binder agent while anti-Vi antibody served as the capturing agent for specifically detecting Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Anti-Vi IgG antibody raised against Vi–BSA conjugate revealed affinity of 7.779 nM⁻¹ signifying immunodominancy of O-acetyls groups in Vi polysaccharide. The detection limit of the developed assay was around 10¹ cells mL⁻¹ of Vi expressing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi with a correlation coefficient (R²) equal to 0.97. Positive response obtained for all the tested serovar Typhi clinical isolates as well as the pathogen spiked blood samples recommended specificity and accuracy of Vi antigen as a biomarker during typhoid fever. The intra- and inter-assay precision with Vi spiked samples were satisfactory revealing coefficient of variance (CV%) with a mean of 4.05% and 5.97% respectively. This may be the novel attempt and constructive report on the fluorescence based detection of Vi antigen of serovar Typhi in the epidemic as well as pandemic outbreaks.     

Selective recognition of the ditopic trimethylammonium cations by water-soluble aminocalix[4]arene

In this Letter, the role of the depth of the cavity in the recognition processes of the guests by the hosts has been investigated. The hosts 2, 3 interact with both the cationic function and the aromatic moiety in the guests 5, 6 but with a slight preference for the cationic functions. The host 4 selectively recognizes the trimethylammonium functions of the guests 5 and 6. However, the host 1 selectively recognizes the aromatic moiety of the ditopic trimethylammonium guests 5 and 6. The recognition and orientation of the guest in the cavity of the host are directly dependent on the depth of the hydrophobic cavity of the host.     

Lysozyme coated DNA and DNA/SWNT fibers by solution spinning

DNA fibers were prepared by solution spinning of DNA in a lysozyme (LSZ) coagulation/gelation bath. Strong positive charges carried by LSZ protein condensed the DNA (strong negative charged) molecules resulting in self‐assembly and the formation of fibrillar structures in a gel‐like network. DNA/LSZ fibril formation was found to be dependent on the ratio of DNA to LSZ. A minimum 0.1 wt.‐% of LSZ was necessary to condense 0.1 wt.‐% of DNA into micro‐fibrils. Macroscopic fiber spinning was possible by introducing a 0.1 wt.‐% DNA aqueous solution into a 0.2 wt.‐% LSZ coagulation bath which resulted in fibers with ≈20 µm diameter. Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were also incorporated into these fibers to explore the possibility for creating hybrid materials. All DNA‐based fibers exhibit strong birefringence confirming molecular orientation along the fiber axis. Due to the presence of LSZ, the fibers exhibit antimicrobial activity against bacteria like Micrococcus lysodeikticus.

     

Gold‐Nanoparticle‐Decorated Boron Nitride Nanosheets: Structure and Optical Properties

Synergetic cooperation of individual components of the nanocomposites (NCs) is responsible for their novel properties that lead to various technological applications. A simple chemical process depicting the deposition of functionalized gold nanoparticles on the surface of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) in solution is reported. The structure, chemical composition, and optical properties of nanosheets are systematically studied. The deposition of Au nanoparticles on BNNS (BNNS_Au) results in plasmonic band modulation, thus altering the optoelectronic properties of BNNSs. The intense surface plasmon absorption band of BNNS_Au is narrowed and red‐shifted relative to the absorption band of as synthesized monometallic BNNSs. The observations reflect the strong interfacial interaction between BNNS and Au nanoparticles. This approach constitutes a basis for a simple process leading to the preparation of functionalized BNNSs and their utilization as nanoscale templates for assembly and integration with other nanoscale materials for futuristic optoelectronic devices.     

Zinc Mediated Reactions in Organic Synthesis: Efficient Synthesis of Silyl Ethers under Mild Conditions

General and practical method for the synthesis of silyl ethers in the presence of zinc powder under mild conditions has been described.