Single domain antibody–quantum dot conjugates for ricin detection by both fluoroimmunoassay and surface plasmon resonance

The combination of stable biorecognition elements and robust quantum dots (QDs) has the potential to yield highly effective reporters for bioanalyses. Llama-derived single domain antibodies (sdAb) provide small thermostable recognition elements that can be easily manipulated using standard DNA methods. The sdAb was self-assembled on dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) ligand-capped CdSe–ZnS core–shell QDs made in our laboratory through the polyhistidine tail of the protein, which coordinated to zinc ions on the QD surface. The sdAb–QD bioconjugates were then applied in both fluorometric and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunoassays for the detection of ricin, a potential biothreat agent. The sdAb–QD conjugates functioned in fluoroimmunoassays for the detection of ricin, providing equivalent limits of detection when compared to the same anti-ricin sdAb labeled with a conventional fluorophore. In addition, the DHLA-QD–sdAb conjugates were very effective reporter elements in SPR sandwich assays, providing more sensitive detection with a signal enhancement of ∼10-fold over sdAb reporters and 2–4 fold over full sized antibody reporters. Commercially prepared streptavidin-modified polymer-coated QDs also amplified the SPR signal for the detection of ricin when applied to locations where biotinylated anti-ricin sdAb was bound to target; however, we observed a 4-fold greater amplification when using the DHLA-QD–sdAb conjugates in this format.     

Shelling the coset poset

It is shown that the coset lattice of a finite group has shellable order complex if and only if the group is complemented. Furthermore, the coset lattice is shown to have a Cohen-Macaulay order complex in exactly the same conditions. The group theoretical tools used are relatively elementary, and avoid the classification of finite simple groups and of minimal finite simple groups.     

Continuity and Invariance of the Sacker–Sell Spectrum

The Sacker–Sell (also called dichotomy or dynamical) spectrum \(\varSigma \) is a fundamental concept in the geometric, as well as for a developing bifurcation theory of nonautonomous dynamical systems. In general, it behaves merely upper-semicontinuously and a perturbation theory is therefore delicate. This paper explores an operator-theoretical approach to obtain invariance and continuity conditions for both \(\varSigma \) and its dynamically relevant subsets. Our criteria allow to avoid nonautonomous bifurcations due to collapsing spectral intervals and justify numerical approximation schemes for \(\varSigma \).     

Thermodynamic suppression of Brownian motion

We have used helium-3 nuclear reaction analysis to measure the Brownian motion (intradiffusion coefficient) of polystyrene in a partially miscible blend with poly(alpha-methylstyrene). In the one-phase region, when the correlation length is close to the polystyrene chain size, the intradiffusion coefficient falls to half of its thermal value. For larger and smaller values of the correlation length, diffusion is normal. These results show that the correlation length of a polymer blend constrains polymer diffusion, as suggested from previous neutron scattering measurements, and mean-field theory.     

The coordination of Ni11 in glasses and glass-ceramics of the system MgOAl2O3SiO2

Differences in strength connected with colour variations in NiO-containing Mg-alumosilicate glass ceramics give rise to a remission spectroscopic analysis of the Ni-on. In the base glass, Ni¹¹ occupies tetrahedral and octahedral positions of the dark green NiAl spinel. An increase of the Mg-component and a rise of the melting intensity promote the octahedral nickel coordination and along with it the formation of the strength-reducing, light green Ni-forsterite. The demand for a strong final product is thus met by the technologically desirable shortening of the melting time.     

The Development of Dioptric Projection Lenses for Deep Ultraviolet Lithography

Advanced dioptric projection lenses from Carl Zeiss are used in some of the world’s most advanced deep ultraviolet projection lithography systems. These lenses provide a resolution of better than 100nm across the entire field of view with a level of aberration control that maximizes critical dimension uniformity and lithographic process latitude. These dioptric projection lenses are currently being used for critical layer device patterning for a wide array of complex logic, memory, and application specific integrated circuits.     

Elektronenstossinduzierte fragmentierung von polymethylbenzaldehyden—II: Mechanismus der Methyl-Abspaltung aus dem Molekül-Ion von Tri- und Pentamethylbenzaldehyden

The electron-impact-induced elimination of CH₃ from tri-and pentamethylbenzaldehydes can be explained by the mechanism of a vinylogous α-cleavage. Rearrangements can be excluded.     

Dichotomy spectrum for difference equations in Banach spaces

In this paper, we study the structure and properties of the dichotomy spectrum for linear difference equations in Banach spaces avoiding the commonly made assumption of having a compact flow. In this situation, any compact subset of the positive-half line may occur as a dichotomy spectrum. To overcome this difficulty, we introduce the upper and lower dichotomy index by means of a measure of noncompactness. It allows to decompose the dichotomy spectrum into the upper, essential and lower dichotomy spectrum. The main result is a Spectral Theorem which describes all possible cases of the upper and lower dichotomy spectrum and yields a “nonautonomous linear algebra” appropriate also for systems in the absence of Lyapunov regularity. Furthermore, we give explicit examples of difference equations to illustrate the different cases of the Spectral Theorem and to underline that a new form of the spectrum not present in the literature can occur. Finally, we indicate applications to nonlinear difference equations and the continuous time situation.     

Nitroxide/substrate weak hydrogen bonding: attitude and dynamics of collisions in solution

The study of intermolecular collisions and bonding interactions in solutions is of critical importance in understanding and predicting solute/solvent properties. Previous work has established that stable paramagnetic nitroxide molecules are excellent probes of intermolecular interactions for hydrogen bonding in polar solvents. In this study, 1H, 2H, 13C, 15N NMR and liquid/liquid intermolecular transfer dynamic nuclear polarization (L2IT DNP) results are obtained for the paramagnetic probe molecule, TEMPO, interacting with the common aprotic and protic polar solvents, CH3CN and CH3CONH2, yielding a profile of both dipolar and scalar interactions. A significant scalar contact hyperfine is observed for the N-O...H-C interaction (13CH3 hyperfine, a/h=0.66 MHz) in the CH3CN/TEMPO system, whereas the N-O...H-C and N-O...H-N interactions for the TEMPO/CH3CONH2 system yield 13CH3 and 15N hyperfine couplings of a/h=0.16 and -0.50 MHz, respectively. The distance and attitude of the scalar interaction for the nitroxide hydrogen bonding at the methyl group in CH3CN and the amino group in CH3CONH2 are computed using density functional theory (DFT), yielding good agreement with the experimental results. These results show that the hyperfine coupling provides a sensitive probe of weak hydrogen-bonding interactions in solution.