Towards Nanoscale Biomedical Devices in Medicine: Biofunctional and Spectroscopic Characterization of Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles

Medical interest in nanotechnology originates from a belief that nanoscale therapeutic devices can be constructed and directed towards its target inside the human body. Such nanodevices can be engineered by coupling superparamagnetic nanoparticle to biomedically active proteins. We hereby report the immobilization of a PhEst, a S-formylglutathione hydrolase from the psychrophilic P. haloplanktis TAC125 onto the gold coated surface of modified superparamagnetic core-shell nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@Au). The synthesis of the nanoparticles is also reported. S-formylglutathione hydrolases constitute a family of ubiquitous enzymes which play a key role in formaldehyde detoxification both in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. PhEst was originally annotated as a putative feruloyl esterase, an enzyme that releases ferulic acid (an antioxidant reactive towards free radicals such as reactive oxygen species) from polysaccharides esters. Dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, magnetic separation technique and enzyme catalytic assay confirmed the chemical composition of the gold covered superparamagnetic nanoparticles, the binding and activity of the enzyme onto the nanoparticles. Activity data in U/ml confirmed that the immobilized enzyme is approximately 2 times more active than the free enzyme in solution. Such particles can be directed with external magnetic fields for bio-separation and focused towards a medical target for therapeutical as well as bio-sensor applications.     

Heavy quarkonia spectra and their decays in a relativistic quark model

Using the phenomenological relativistic harmonic model (RHM) for quarks, we have obtained the masses of S wave charmonium and bottomonium states. The full Hamiltonian used in the investigation has Lorentz scalar plus vector confinement potential, along with the confined one gluon exchange potential (COGEP). A good agreement with the experimental masses for the ground and the radially excited states is obtained both for the triplet and singlet S wave mesons. The decay properties of the ground state charmonium and bottomonium are investigated.     

Recent radiochemical studies of the fission process

This article summarizes the recent radiochemical investigations on mass, charge kinetic energy and fragment angular distributions in low energy fission of actinides.     

Direct quadrature method of moments solution of the Fokker–Planck equation

The direct quadrature method of moments is presented as an efficient and accurate means of numerically computing solutions of the Fokker–Planck equation corresponding to stochastic nonlinear dynamical systems. The theoretical details of the solution procedure are first presented. The method is then used to solve Fokker–Planck equations for both 1D and 2D (noisy van der Pol oscillator) processes which possess nonlinear stochastic differential equations. Higher-order moments of the stationary solutions are computed and prove to be very accurate when compared to analytic (1D process) and Monte Carlo (2D process) solutions.     

New massively parallel linear-response coupled-cluster module in ACES III: application to static polarisabilities of closed-shell molecules and oligomers and of open-shell radicals

ABSTRACT

Stemming from our implementation of parallel coupled-cluster (CC) capabilities for electron spin resonance properties [J. Chem. Phys. 139, 174103 (2013)], we present a new massively parallel linear response CC module within ACES III. Unlike alternative parallel CC modules, this general purpose module evaluates any type of first- and second-order CC properties of both closed- and open-shell molecules employing restricted, unrestricted and restricted-open-shell Hartree–Fock (HF) references. We demonstrate the accuracy and usefulness of this module through the calculation of static polarisabilities of large molecules. Closed-shell calculations are performed at the following levels: second-order many-body perturbation theory [MBPT(2)], CC with single- and double-excitations (CCSD), coupled-perturbed HF and density functional theory (DFT), and open-shell calculations at the unrestricted CCSD (UCSSD) one. Applications involve eight closed-shell organic-chemistry molecules (Set I), the first four members of the closed-shell thiophene oligomer series (Set II), and five open-shell radicals (Set III). In Set I, all calculated average polarisabilities agree reasonably well with experimental data. In Set II, all calculated average polarisabilities vs. the number of monomers show comparable values and saturation patterns and demonstrate that experimental polarisabilities may be inaccurate. In Set III, UCCSD perpendicular polarisabilities show a reasonable agreement with previous UCCSD(T) and restricted-open-shell-MBPT(2) values.     

Simulation of electron solid interactions in NbC and NbN using Monte Carlo method

A computer program has been developed using Rutherford’s Screened Scattering Model and Energy loss model due to Bethe and applied to simulate the electron interaction pattern in the sample of NbC and NbN with a resist layer of PMMA (Polymethyl Methylacrylate). Using the program we have studied the extent of penetration, lateral spread for different electron energies and the degree of electron back scattering. It has been found that backscattering and lateral spread is more in case of NbC than in NbN signifying hard, refractory and ceramic properties of NbC.     

Nanocrystalline Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> electrodes for supercapattery application

Nanocrystalline Li₂TiO₃ was successfully synthesized using solid-state reaction method. The microstructural and electrochemical properties of the prepared material are systematically characterized. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the prepared material exhibits predominant (002) orientation related to the monoclinic structure with C2/c space group. HRTEM images and SAED analysis reveal the well-developed nanostructured particles with average size of ～40 nm. The electrochemical properties of the prepared sample are carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry (CP) using Pt//Li₂TiO₃ cell in 1 mol L^?1 Li₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. The Li₂TiO₃ electrode exhibits a specific discharge capacity of 122 mAh g^?1; it can be used as anode in Li battery within the potential window 0.0–1.0 V, while investigated as a supercapacitor electrode, it delivers a specific capacitance of 317 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 mA g^?1 within the potential range ?0.4 to +0.4 V. The demonstration of both anodic and supercapacitor behavior concludes that the nanocrystalline Li₂TiO₃ is a suitable electrode material for supercapattery application.     

Chemical synthesis and magnetic properties of HCP and FCC nickel nanoparticles

In this study, we successfully synthesized single-phase hexagonal closed packed (HCP) and face-centered cubic (FCC) nickel nanoparticles via reduction of nickel nitrate hexahydrate and nickel acetate tetrahydrate, respectively, in polyethylene glycol-200. Structural information of the as-synthesized nickel nanoparticles are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) as a function of the molar concentration of the nickel precursor. XRD results reveal that low concentrations of nickel precursor (0.005?M and below) favor the HCP, while high concentrations favor the mixture of HCP and FCC crystal structures. Particle size of HCP structure is found in the range of ～15?nm via transmission electron microscope analysis. Vibratory sample magnetometer is employed to study its magnetic behavior and the results reveal that FCC crystalline phase shows ferromagnetic nature with high saturation magnetization (M _s?～?39.6?emu?gm^?1) as compared to metastable HCP crystalline structure (M _s?～?2?emu?gm^?1). The surfactants bonding on the surface of nickel nanoparticles are studied.     

Working group report: Quantum chromodynamics

This is the report of the subgroup QCD of Working Group-4 at WHEPP-9. We present the activities that had taken place in the subgroup and report some of the partial results arrived at following the discussion at the working group meetings.     

Collinear broadband optical parametric generation in periodically poled lithium niobate crystals by group velocity matching

Collinear broadband optical parametric generation (OPG) using periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystals were designed and experimentally demonstrated with the quasi-phase matching (QPM) periods of 21.5, 24.0, and 27.0 μm. The broad gain bandwidth was accomplished by choosing a specific set of the period and the pump wavelength that allows the group velocities of the signal and the idler to match close to the degeneracy point. OPG gain bandwidth and also the spectral region could be controlled by proper design of QPM period and pump wavelength. The total OPG gain bandwidth of 600, 900, and 1200 nm was observed for the PPLN devices with QPM periods of 21.5, 24.0, and 27.0 μm, respectively. We have also observed multiple color visible generation whenever the OPG spectrum was significantly broad. From the visible peaks of the three PPLN samples, it is found that broad gain bandwidth is crucial in the temperature-insensitive collinear simultaneous RGB generation from a single crystal.