Characteristics of light emission from surface plasmons based on rectangular silver gratings

We investigated the characteristics of transmitted light from propagating surface plasmons based on rectangular silver gratings. The results calculated by rigorous coupled-wave analysis presented that silver diffraction gratings can produce significant transmittance and conversion efficiency, comparable to the case of dielectric gratings. Especially, silver gratings optimized at a wide range of grating thickness and period may lead to an improved diffraction efficiency larger than 64%. Moreover, the effect of silver oxide layer on the transmittance was examined and a bimetallic structure with a thin gold coating was introduced to prevent an oxidation of silver substrates. As a practical sensor application, silver grating-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) configuration showed an enhanced sensitivity associated with an increase of surface reaction area and strong excitations of local plasmon fields, outperforming a conventional thin-film-based SPR structure.     

InGaAsP/InP DH Ridge Waveguide Phase Modulator with High Modulation Efficiency

The P-p-n-N InGaAsP/InP ridge waveguide phase modulator has been fabricated and investigated at a wavelength of 1550nm. The phase modulation efficiency measured by the Fabry-Perot resonance method is as high as 34°/V.mm for TE mode. The QEO effect becomes dominant from -4V to -8V.     

Evidence for viscoelastic effects in surface capillary waves of molten polymer films

The surface dynamics of supported ultrathin polystyrene films with thickness comparable to the radius of gyration were investigated by surface sensitive x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. We show for the first time that the conventional model of capillary waves on a viscous liquid has to be modified to include the effects of a shear modulus in order to explain both static and dynamic scattering data from ultrathin molten polymer films.     

Conformational preferences and cis-trans isomerization of azaproline residue

The conformational study of N-acetyl-N'-methylamide of azaproline (Ac-azPro-NHMe, the azPro dipeptide) is carried out using ab initio HF and density functional methods with the self-consistent reaction field method to explore the effects of the replacement of the backbone CHalpha group by the nitrogen atom on the conformational preferences and prolyl cis-trans isomerization in the gas phase and in solution (chloroform and water). The incorporation of the Nalpha atom into the prolyl ring results in the different puckering, backbone population, and barriers to prolyl cis-trans isomerization from those of Ac-Pro-NHMe (the Pro dipeptide). In particular, the azPro dipeptide has a dominant backbone conformation D (beta2) with the cis peptide bond preceding the azPro residue in both the gas phase and solution. This may be ascribed to the favorable electrostatic interaction or intramolecular hydrogen bond between the prolyl nitrogen and the amide hydrogen following the azPro residue and to the absence of the unfavorable interactions between electron lone pairs of the acetyl carbonyl oxygen and the prolyl Nalpha. This calculated higher population of the cis peptide bond is consistent with the results from X-ray and NMR experiments. As the solvent polarity increases, the conformations B and B* with the trans peptide bond become more populated and the cis population decreases more, which is opposite to the results for the Pro dipeptide. The conformation B lies between conformations D and A (alpha) and conformation B* is a mirror image of the conformation B on the phi-psi map. The barriers to prolyl cis-trans isomerization for the azPro dipeptide increase with the increase of solvent polarity, and the cis-trans isomerization proceeds through only the clockwise rotation with omega' approximately +120 degrees about the prolyl peptide bond for the azPro dipeptide in the gas phase and in solution, as seen for the Pro dipeptide. The pertinent distance d(N...H-NNHMe) and the pyramidality of imide nitrogen can describe the role of this hydrogen bond in stabilizing the transition state structure and the lower rotational barriers for the azPro dipeptide than those for the Pro dipeptide in the gas phase and in solution.     

Selective assembly and guiding of actomyosin using carbon nanotube network monolayer patterns

We report a new method for the selective assembly and guiding of actomyosin using carbon nanotube patterns. In this method, monolayer patterns of the single-walled carbon nanotube (swCNT) network were prepared via the self-limiting mechanism during the directed assembly process, and they were used to block the adsorption of both myosin and actin filaments on specific substrate regions. The swCNT network patterns were also used as an efficient barrier for the guiding experiments of actomyosin. This is the first result showing that inorganic nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes can be used to control the adsorption and activity of actomyosin. This strategy is advantageous over previous methods because it does not require complicated biomolecular linking processes and nonbiological nanostructures are usually more stable than biomolecular linkers.     

One-pot reductive mono-N-alkylation of aniline and nitroarene derivatives using aldehydes

One-pot reductive mono-N-alkylation of aniline and nitroarene derivatives using various aldehydes by Pd/C catalyst in aqueous 2-propanol solvent with ammonium formate as in situ hydrogen donor is illustrated. The reaction proceeded smoothly and selectively with excellent yield at room temperature. Our protocol presents a facile, economical, and environmentally benign alternative for reductive amination.     

Thermal residual stresses in thick graphite/epoxy composite laminates—Uniaxial approach

Thermal residual stresses have been known to be very large in laminates of continuous-fiber-reinforced polymer composites. When the thickness of the laminate is large, however, the measurement of the residual stresses raises questions on the accuracy of the conventional methods. A novel concept of layer separation is developed to measure quantitatively and precisely the tensile residual stresses in thick plates with layered distribution of residual stresses. It is applied to thick [O₂/9O₄]_13s, AS/3501-6 graphite/epoxy laminates. The test specimens were mechanically modeled into the thin strips for the application of the new concept of layer separation. The tensile residual stresses measured in the 90-deg layers of these laminates are nonuniform throughout the specimen, and vary from 55.6 MPa to 71.4 MPa. It is very interesting to compare these values with the transverse strengthF ₂ ^tu of AS/3501-6 unidirectional composites, which is 65.4 MPa.     

Colorimetric detection of PCR products of DNA from pathogenic bacterial targets based on a simultaneously amplified DNAzyme

A novel strategy was devised for colorimetric analysis of the products of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The method takes advantage of simultaneous amplification of a horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme (HRPzyme) during the PCR process. It is performed using a DNA specific forward primer and a universal reverse primer containing a complementary HRPzyme sequence. The double-strand PCR products, which include the HRPzyme sequence, are treated with a mixture of hemin and TMB (3,3′,5,5′–tetramethylbenzidine) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The resulting HRPzyme/hemin complex then promotes a peroxidase mimicking reaction, which produces the blue colored oxidized TMB. This colorimetric method can be more easily performed than previously developed gel based detection procedures and, as a result, can be conveniently applied to the specific and sensitive colorimetric analysis of DNA sequences arising from pathogenic bacteria. The potentially broad applicability of the new method has been demonstrated by its use in the identification of the 16s rDNA of Salmonella Typhimurium. Figure

A novel strategy was devised for simple colorimetric analysis of PCR products with amplification of a horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme(HRPzyme). This colorimetric method can be much more easily performed than previously developed gel based detection procedures and potentially broad applicability for other DNA analysis.     

Structure Determination of [Au18(SR)14]

Unravelling the atomic structures of small gold clusters is the key to understanding the origin of metallic bonds and the nucleation of clusters from organometallic precursors. Herein we report the X‐ray crystal structure of a charge‐neutral [Au₁₈(SC₆H₁₁)₁₄] cluster. This structure exhibits an unprecedented bi‐octahedral (or hexagonal close packing) Au₉ kernel protected by staple‐like motifs including one tetramer, one dimer, and three monomers. Until the present, the [Au₁₈(SC₆H₁₁)₁₄] cluster is the smallest crystallographically characterized gold cluster protected by thiolates and provides important insight into the structural evolution with size. Theoretical calculations indicate charge transfer from surface to kernel for the HOMO–LUMO transition.