Structural-morphological and biological properties of selenium nanoparticles stabilized by bovine serum albumin

Nanostructures formed during the reduction of ionic selenium in the selenite-ascorbate redox system in an aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied using static and dynamic light scattering and flow birefringence. It was established that this process results in the formation of stable aggregates of selenium nanoparticles that adsorb BSA molecules. It was found that highly-ordered superhigh-molecular-weight spherical nanostructures with high density and unique morphology are formed. Experiments with a cell culture of promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 showed that BSA adsorbed on selenium nanoparticles can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and deactivate free radicals with an efficiency comparable with that of sodium selenite.     

Analytical investigation into the mechanism of dielectric losses due to interlayer polarization

The theory of dielectric space-charge polarization losses describes well both the model of an inhomogeneous dielectric [1] and the polarization resulting from mosaic blocks of alkali-halide crystals [2]. The Debye frequency dependences ε*(ω) and tan δ(ω) with non-Arrhenius relaxation time are calculated in the first approximation of perturbation theory [3, 4] with the use of a nonlinear system of the Fokker-Planck and Poisson equations for the interlayer polarization with allowance for tunnel transitions of relaxation oscillators. For the Maxwell mechanism of space-charge relaxation, tan δ(ω) also has the Debye form [5]. It should be noted that in studies cited above the electric field was considered uniform, and the nonlinearity of the initial system of equations was not investigated. This paper removes these restrictions and elaborates a theory of relaxation mechanism. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 28–34, November, 2006.     

Construction of the Exact Solution to a Torsion Problem for an Elastic Shaft of Variable Cross Section

The exact solution is constructed to a torsion problem for a circular elastic shaft in a medium referred to a spherical coordinate system. One end of the shaft is rigidly fixed and the other is subjected to either tangential forces or a torque. New integral transforms are obtained to solve the problem.     

Carbon diffusion between the volume and surface of (100) molybdenum

The diffusion of carbon atoms between the volume and the surface of (100) molybdenum is directly studied at temperatures between 1400 and 2000 K (i.e., at process temperatures) for the first time. The balance of carbon atoms in the system is determined. The difference in the activation energies of carbon dissolution and precipitation, ΔE=E s 1-E1s, is found for the case when the diffusion fluxes of dissolved and precipitated carbon atoms are in equilibrium. This difference defines the enrichment of the surface by carbon relative to the bulk. The experimentally found activation energy of carbon dissolution is Es1=3.9 eV. The activation energy of carbon precipitation is estimated at E 1 s=1.9 eV. The latter value is close to the energy of bulk diffusion of carbon in molybdenum.     

Kinetics of polarization reversal in irradiated thin PZT films

The effect of irradiation with electrons and neutrons and of exposure to synchrotron radiation on cyclic switching of polarization in thin films of lead zirconate titanate Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) was studied. It is shown that variations in the shape of switching currents are due to the generation of a spatially nonuniform bound internal field with account for an increase in the rate of bulk screening caused by irradiation. A correlation between structural variations and the evolution of the switching current measured during and after irradiation is established.     

Regular trends in distribution of substituted benzoic acids between organic solvents and water

The influence of physicochemical properties of organic solvents on the distribution constants of aromatic carboxylic acids between the organic and aqueous phases was examined.     

Diffraction of the Electromagnetic Wave on a Small Obstacle of Elliptic Form in a Layer

The problem on the diffraction of the electromagnetic plane wave on a small obstacle included in a layer is investigated. The obstacle is assumed to be an elliptic cylinder whose diameter and focal distance are small in comparison with the length of the incident wave. It is proved that the small obstacle radiates as a point source, and its amplitude is proportional to the area of the cross-section and the jumps of the dielectric and magnetic constants on the interfaces. Bibliography: 5 titles.     

Controlled/living polymerization of 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and its block copolymer with tert‐butyl methacrylate by atom transfer radical polymerization

Polymerization of 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) via homogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization under various reaction conditions is described. The effects of the initiators and solvents were examined. With 1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyl triethylenetetramine/copper(I) chloride/p‐toluenesulfonyl chloride as the ligand/catalyst/initiator system in methanol, poly(DEAEMA) with a polydispersity index as low as 1.07 was synthesized. Kinetic studies demonstrated the polymerization was very well controlled and exhibited the living characteristic of the process. Well‐defined block copolymers of DEAEMA and tert‐butyl methacrylate (tBMA) were successfully synthesized. The copolymers could be synthesized with equally good results by starting with either p(DEAEMA) or p(tBMA) as the macroinitiators. However, only the macroinitiators terminated with chlorine should be used. The corresponding macroinitiators with bromine as a transferable group did not yield well‐defined copolymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2688–2695, 2003