Synthesis of bombesin-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles and their specific uptake in prostate cancer cells

The imaging of molecular markers associated with disease offers the possibility for earlier detection and improved treatment monitoring. Receptors for gastrin-releasing peptide are overexpressed on prostate cancer cells offering a promising imaging target, and analogs of bombesin, an amphibian tetradecapeptide have been previously demonstrated to target these receptors. Therefore, the pan-bombesin analog [β-Ala11, Phe13, Nle14]bombesin-(7–14) was conjugated through a linker to dye-functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for the development of a new potential magnetic resonance imaging probe. The peptide was conjugated via click chemistry, demonstrating a complementary alternative methodology to conventional peptide-nanoparticle conjugation strategies. The peptide-functionalized nanoparticles were then demonstrated to be selectively taken up by PC-3 prostate cancer cells relative to unfunctionalized nanoparticles and this uptake was inhibited by the presence of free peptide, confirming the specificity of the interaction. This study suggests that these nanoparticles have the potential to serve as magnetic resonance imaging probes for the detection of prostate cancer.     

Kinetics of protein-release by an aptamer-based DNA nanodevice

A recently introduced DNA nanodevice can be used to selectively bind or release the protein thrombin triggered by DNA effector strands. The release process is not well described by simple first or second order reaction kinetics. Here, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments are used to explore the kinetics of the release process in detail. To this end the influence of concentration variations and also of temperature is determined. The relevant kinetic parameters are extracted from these experiments and the kinetic behavior of the system is simulated numerically using a set of rate equations. The hydrodynamic radii of the aptamer device alone and bound to thrombin are determined as well as the dissociation constant for the aptamer device-thrombin complex. The results from the experiments and a numerical simulation support the view that the DNA effector strand first binds to the aptamer device followed by the displacement of the protein.     

Guided wave helical ultrasonic tomography of pipes

Ultrasonic guided waves have been used for a wide variety of ultrasonic inspection techniques. We describe here a new variation called helical ultrasound tomography (HUT) that uses guided ultrasonic waves along with tomographic reconstruction algorithms that have been developed by seismologists for what they call "cross borehole" tomography. In HUT, the Lamb-like guided waves travel the various helical criss-cross paths between two parallel circumferential transducer arrays instead of the planar criss-cross seismic paths between two boreholes. Although the measurement itself is fairly complicated, the output of the tomographic reconstruction is a readily interpretable map of a quantity of interest such as pipe wall thickness. In this paper we demonstrate HUT via laboratory scans on steel pipe segments into which controlled thinnings have been introduced.     

Hawking radiation by Kerr black holes and conformal symmetry

The exponential blueshift associated with the event horizon of a black hole makes conformal symmetry play a fundamental role in accounting for its thermal properties. Using a derivation based on two-point functions, we show that the full spectrum of thermal radiation of scalar particles by Kerr black holes can be explicitly derived on the basis of a conformal symmetry arising in the wave equation near the horizon. The simplicity of our approach emphasizes the depth of the connection between conformal symmetry and black hole radiance.     

Interaction between rhodanine and silver species on a nanocolloidal surface and in the solid state

This paper discusses and compares molecular interactions of rhodanine (Rd), the heterocyclic compound containing N, S, and O atoms, with two forms of silver species, i.e. Ag(I) ions and silver nanocolloidal particles. Vibrational spectroscopic and powder crystallography studies on coordination of Ag(I) ions in the solid state, supported by density functional theory, clearly indicate complexation through the nitrogen (the deprotonated imino group) and exocyclic sulfur atoms. Molecules of the complex are arranged in a one‐dimensional infinite polymeric chain structure that intertwines to give a helix motif. On the other hand, adsorption geometry of Rd on the silver surface was determined by using surface‐enhancement Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. Observed differences between the SERS and the normal Raman spectra of Rd suggest that Rd adsorbs on the silver species after the rearrangement of the keto‐thione form into the enol‐thiol tautomer in acidic and neutral solutions. This leads to adsorption on this silver species through the thiolate ion. On the other hand, the alkaline pH forces first N‐deprotonation of Rd, and, in consequence, the obtained anion of the keto‐thione form interacts with the silver surface as a result of the presence of lone pairs of nitrogen and sulfur atoms, similar to the case discussed for the solid state. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatially Resolved Confocal Resonant Raman Microscopic Analysis of Anode‐Grown Geobacter sulfurreducens Biofilms

When grown on the surface of an anode electrode, Geobacter sulfurreducens forms a multi‐cell thick biofilm in which all cells appear to couple the oxidation of acetate with electron transport to the anode, which serves as the terminal metabolic electron acceptor. Just how electrons are transported through such a biofilm from cells to the underlying anode surface over distances that can exceed 20 microns remains unresolved. Current evidence suggests it may occur by electron hopping through a proposed network of redox cofactors composed of immobile outer membrane and/or extracellular multi‐heme c‐type cytochromes. In the present work, we perform a spatially resolved confocal resonant Raman (CRR) microscopic analysis to investigate anode‐grown Geobacter biofilms. The results confirm the presence of an intra‐biofilm redox gradient whereby the probability that a heme is in the reduced state increases with increasing distance from the anode surface. Such a gradient is required to drive electron transport toward the anode surface by electron hopping via cytochromes. The results also indicate that at open circuit, when electrons are expected to accumulate in redox cofactors involved in electron transport due to the inability of the anode to accept electrons, nearly all c‐type cytochrome hemes detected in the biofilm are oxidized. The same outcome occurs when a comparable potential to that measured at open circuit (?0.30 V vs. SHE) is applied to the anode, whereas nearly all hemes are reduced when an exceedingly negative potential (?0.50 V vs. SHE) is applied to the anode. These results suggest that nearly all c‐type cytochrome hemes detected in the biofilm can be electrochemically accessed by the electrode, but most have oxidation potentials too negative to transport electrons originating from acetate metabolism. The results also reveal a lateral heterogeneity (x–y dimensions) in the type of c‐type cytochromes within the biofilm that may affect electron transport to the electrode.     

Third body modeling in fretting using the combined finite-discrete element method

A new approach was developed for modeling the effect of the third body on fretting. This was accomplished using the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) in which the third body is analyzed as discrete elements while the first bodies are modeled using finite elements. This approach provides a link between large scale models which treat the mass of wear debris as a single or small number of bodies and small scale models which only study a control volume. The FDEM was used to analyze the behavior of third body particles between flat sliding surfaces. When the third body mass is composed of unconnected particles, it behaves as a Newtonian fluid, but this behavior ceases when the particles are connected into platelets. The FDEM was also used to study the behavior of third body particles inside a Hertzian line contact. As the number of particles and platelet size increase the load carried by the worn slip zone grows larger in relationship to the unworn stick zone.