A loop-by-loop defect rectification procedure for optimal synthesis of Stephenson III path generators

This paper presents a formulation of constraints for the synthesis of Stephenson III mechanism and a loop-by-loop defect-rectification procedure. The procedure divides the Stephenson III mechanism into two loops, namely, Loop I, i.e., four-bar, and Loop II, i.e., five-bar mechanisms. Then, the defects are identified using the established methodology to formulate the defect-specific constraints in the simplified form. Based on the constraints, an optimization problem is formulated to synthesize a Stephenson III mechanism for path generation. A well-established meta-heuristic algorithm is used to solve the constrained optimization problem. For demonstrating the effectiveness of the formulated constraints, two numerical examples are considered, in which Stephenson III path generator mechanisms are synthesized. It is found that the mechanisms synthesized using the proposed procedure are defect-free when constraints are imposed, which is verified using the stick-diagram.

     

Relation between the activation parameters of low-temperature slip and the mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations in cubic metals

The available data on various activation parameters of low-temperature slip in 9 body-centred cubic and 5 face-centred cubic elements have been examined as a function of a single microscopic parameter, namely mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations <u ²>, specific to the material. It is found that for a given crystal structure, the microscopic parameters of the unit activation process of yielding, e.g. the initial length of dislocation segment, the critical height of the kink-pair nucleated, the associated activation volume, the binding energy per interatomic spacing along the glide dislocation on the slip plane etc. correlate well with the mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations <u ²> through a power regression formula.     

Hollow‐Core Magnetic Colloidal Nanocrystal Clusters with Ligand‐Exchanged Surface Modification as Delivery Vehicles for Targeted and Stimuli‐Responsive Drug Release

The fabrication of hierarchical magnetic nanomaterials with well‐defined structure, high magnetic response, excellent colloidal stability, and biocompatibility is highly sought after for drug‐delivery systems. Herein, a new kind of hollow‐core magnetic colloidal nanocrystal cluster (HMCNC) with porous shell and tunable hollow chamber is synthesized by a one‐pot solvothermal process. Its novelty lies in the “tunability” of the hollow chamber and of the pore structure within the shell through controlled feeding of sodium citrate and water, respectively. Furthermore, by using the ligand‐exchange method, folate‐modified poly(acrylic acid) was immobilized on the surface of HMCNCs to create folate‐targeted HMCNCs (folate‐HMCNCs), which endowed them with excellent colloidal stability, pH sensitivity, and, more importantly, folate receptor‐targeting ability. These assemblages exhibited excellent colloidal stability in plasma solution. Doxorubicin (DOX), as a model anticancer agent, was loaded within the hollow core of these folate‐HMCNCs (folate‐HMCNCs‐DOX), and drug‐release experiments proved that the folate‐HMCNCs‐DOX demonstrated pH‐dependent release behavior. The folate‐HMCNCs‐DOX assemblages also exhibited higher potent cytotoxicity to HeLa cells than free doxorubicin. Moreover, folate‐HMCNCs‐DOX showed rapid cell uptake apart from the enhanced cytotoxicity to HeLa cells. Experimental results confirmed that the synthesized folate‐HMCNCs are smart nanovehicles as a result of their improved folate receptor‐targeting abilities and also because of their combined pH‐ and magnetic‐stimuli response for applications in drug delivery.     

Thermal conduction through porous and dispersed three-phase systems

A loose three-phase system made of metal, non-metal and air is considered resulting from small successive dispersions in effective continuous medium (ecm). The effective thermal conductivity of loose three-phase systems is estimated by extending theecm approach to multi-phase systems. The unsteady state line source (needle) method is employed to determine the effective thermal conductivity of some selected three-phase materials. The calculated and observed values show good agreement suggesting that the continuous medium approach can be applied to estimate effective thermal conductivity of multi-phase systems.     

Facile synthesis,growth mechanism,and optical properties of CdSe nanoparticles in self-assembled micellar media and their efficient conjugation with proteins

This article demonstrates the influence of various surfactants of different polarities—anionic, sodium dodecyl sulfate, cationic, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and non-ionic, and polyoxyethylene iso-octyl phenyl ether (TX-100)—on the formation of CdSe nanoparticles in aqueous solutions. The surfactant-stabilizing effect has been monitored using transmission electron microscopy. Spectral properties of CdSe nanoparticles have been investigated; the structure of the long-wave edge of the fundamental absorption band of CdSe nanoparticles has been analyzed. It has been shown that the variation of the synthesizing conditions (stabilizer’s nature and concentration, CdSe concentration, etc.) allows the tailoring of the CdSe nanoparticle size in the range of 8–17 nm. Lifshitz–Slyrzov–Wagner kinetic analysis has also been performed using the size variation according to ripening temperature and time period. The differences in the stabilization ability of tested substances are discussed with respect to their structure and possible mechanism of the surface interaction with the nanoparticles. The flexible surface chemistry of the CdSe-micelles causes them to be water soluble and allows their further conjugation with protein molecules through electrostatic attraction. The interaction between functionalized CdSe nanoparticles with protein molecules have been investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Photoelectronic properties of PbI2 using dye-lasers

Summary Pure PbI₂ single crystals have been grown by the zone-refining technique and the spectral distribution of the photocurrent by using different dye-lasers has been recorded withE‖c andE⊥c. The fundamental absorption edge appears at 2.36 eV (E⊥c) and is found to be dichromatic in nature with a splitting of 0.05 eV. The decay pattern of the photocurrent at different voltages, temperatures and intensities of illumination has been used to calculate the lifetimes of charge carriers. The photocurrent-voltage characteristics have been used to calculate the trap concentration and mobility of the charge carriers. The lux-ampère characteristics at the band edge frequency have been studied at different applied voltages.

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Riassunto Monocristalli puri di PbI₂ sono stati accresciuti con la tecnica di raffinazione a zone ed è stata registrata la distribuzione spettrale della fotocorrente con l'uso di diversi laser a colore conE‖c eE⊥c. Il bordo di assorbimento fondamentale appare a 2.36 eV (E⊥c) e appare essere dicromatico in natura con una separazione di 0.05 eV. Lo schema di decadimento della fotocorrente a diversi voltaggi, temperature ed intensità d'illuminazione è stato usato per calcolare le vite medie dei portatori di carica. Le caratteristiche di voltaggio-fotocorrente sono state usate per calcolare la concentrazione di trappole e la mobilità dei portatori di carica. Le caratteristiche lux-ampère alla frequenza del bordo della banda sono state studiate con diversi voltaggi applicati.

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Резюме Выращивается чистый монокристалл PbI₂. Регистрируется спектральное распределение фототока, используя различные лазеры на красителях, в случаеE‖c иE⊥c. Фундаментальный край поглощения возникает при 2.36 эВ (E⊥c). Обнаружена дихроматичность с расщеплением 0.05 эВ. Кривые затухания фототока при различных напряжениях, температурах и интенсивностях облучения используется для вычисления времени жизни носителей заряда. Зависимость фототока от напряжения используется для вычисления концентрации ловушек и подвижности носителей зарядов. При различных приложенных напряжениях исследуются зависимости фототока от интенсивности облучения при частотах, соответствующих краю зоны.

     

An informatics search for the low-molecular weight chromium-binding peptide

Background  

The amino acid composition of a low molecular weight chromium binding peptide (LMWCr), isolated from bovine liver, is reportedly E:G:C:D::4:2:2:2, though its sequence has not been discovered. There is some controversy surrounding the exact biochemical forms and the action of Cr(III) in biological systems; the topic has been the subject of many experimental reports and continues to be investigated. Clarification of Cr-protein interactions will further understanding Cr(III) biochemistry and provide a basis for novel therapies based on metallocomplexes or small molecules.     

Investigation of adsorption behaviour of mercury in microamounts on manganese dioxide from aqueous solutions

Adsorption of mercury onto manganese dioxide was studied in relation to the concentrations of electrolyte, adsorbent and adsorbate and foreign ions. Adsorption of other metal ions under similar conditions was also measured. Adsorption decreases with increasing electrolyte concentration. Thiosulfate, thiocyanate, iodide and all cations tested suppress the adsorption; the greater the ionic potential of cation, the weaker the adsorption of mercury. Adsorption follows the Freundlich-type isotherm over a wide range of mercury concentration (10^–7–10^–8 g·ml^–1). 98% of the adsorbed mercury can be eluted from the oxide column with 60 ml of 3M nitric acid solution.     

Validating regulatory-compliant wide dynamic range bioanalytical assays using chip-based nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Automated chip-based infusion nanoelectrospray ionization coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nanoESI-MS/MS) was used to validate a bioanalytical assay conforming to United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory guidelines and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). Reboxetine was used as the analyte fortified in dog plasma along with an analog internal standard (IS). The best nanoESI response for reboxetine was observed with 90% acetonitrile (ACN)/water without any mobile phase modifiers. The analyte and IS were extracted from dog plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). The supernatant was concentrated to dryness and redissolved in 90% ACN/water for nanoESI. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) data were collected for all samples to generate ion current profiles with a base width of approximately 20 s. Selectivity experiments showed no interferences in blank plasma samples. Interferences as a result of in-source collision-induced dissociation of metabolites were not an issue due to the previously documented metabolism of reboxetine. Matrix suppression was evaluated across multiple lots of dog plasma as well as over different animal species (rabbit, rat, mouse) and different anticoagulants (heparin, EDTA). Matrix suppression ranged from approximately 30-60% across the different lots, species etc.; however, in all instances, the analyte and the IS were suppressed by similar amounts, suggesting the similarity in ionization properties between the two. A three-batch validation was performed (each batch consisting of four different concentrations, six replicates of each concentration) and demonstrated inter-assay accuracy (% relative error; RE) of less than +/-8% and an inter-assay precision (% relative standard deviation; RSD) of less than 7%, thus meeting regulatory guidelines. A comparison of analyses by nanoESI-MS/MS and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) showed that nanoESI-MS/MS had a greater slope for the calibration standard curve compared to LC/MS/MS, indicating greater sensitivity for the former technique. It is also noteworthy that the amount of sample infused during nanoESI-MS/MS was approximately 80-fold less compared to the amount of sample injected during LC/MS/MS. The absence of carryover (attributed to the lack of a common fluid path) in the nanoESI technique enabled the extension of the assay linear dynamic range to 500,000-fold, and the possibility of analyzing samples in a single batch without the need for re-analysis of samples with high concentrations. This technology offers the possibility for increased throughput for studies supporting drug development by providing fast data turnaround for assays conforming to regulatory guidelines and GLPs.