Quantitative real-time measurements of DNA hybridization with alkylated nonoxidized silicon nanowires in electrolyte solution

The quantitative, real-time detection of single-stranded oligonucleotides with silicon nanowires (SiNWs) in physiologically relevant electrolyte solution is demonstrated. Debye screening of the hybridization event is circumvented by utilizing electrostatically adsorbed primary DNA on an amine-terminated NW surface. Two surface functionalization chemistries are compared: an amine-terminated siloxane monolayer on the native SiO2 surface of the SiNW, and an amine-terminated alkyl monolayer grown directly on a hydrogen-terminated SiNW surface. The SiNWs without the native oxide exhibit improved solution-gated field-effect transistor characteristics and a significantly enhanced sensitivity to single-stranded DNA detection, with an accompanying 2 orders of magnitude improvement in the dynamic range of sensing. A model for the detection of analyte by SiNW sensors is developed and utilized to extract DNA-binding kinetic parameters. Those values are directly compared with values obtained by the standard method of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and demonstrated to be similar. The nanowires, however, are characterized by higher detection sensitivity. The implication is that SiNWs can be utilized to quantitate the solution-phase concentration of biomolecules at low concentrations. This work also demonstrates the importance of surface chemistry for optimizing biomolecular sensing with silicon nanowires.     

MRI of blood volume with superparamagnetic iron in choroidal melanoma treated with thermotherapy

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a new intravascular contrast agent, monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles (MION), was applied to assess the effect of transpupillary thermotherapy in a rabbit model of choroidal melanoma. 3D-spoiled gradient recalled sequences were used for quantitative assessment of blood volume. The MRI-parameters were 5/22/35 degrees (time of repetition (TR)/echo delay (TE)/flip angle (FA)) for T(1)- and 50/61/10 degrees for T(2)-weighted sequences. Images were collected before and at different times after MION injection. In all untreated tissues studied, MION reduced the T(2)-weighted signal intensity within 0.5 h and at 24 h (all p <== 0.012), whereas no significant changes were detected in treated tumors. T(1)-weighted images also revealed differences of MION-related signal changes between treated tumors and other tissues, yet at lower sensitivity and specificity than T(2). The change of T(2)-weighted MRI signal caused by intravascular MION allows early distinction of laser-treated experimental melanomas from untreated tissues. Further study is necessary to determine whether MRI can localize areas of tumor regrowth within tumors treated incompletely.     

An efficient palladium-benzimidazolyl phosphine complex for the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of aryl mesylates: facile ligand synthesis and metal complex characterization

A new class of easily accessible hemilabile benzimidazolyl phosphine ligands has been developed. The ligand skeleton is prepared from commercially available and inexpensive o-phenylenediamine and 2-bromobenzoic acid. With catalyst loading down to 0.5 mol% palladium, excellent catalytic activity towards the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of aryl mesylates is still observed. This represents the lowest catalyst loading achieved so far for this reaction in general. X-Ray crystallography shows that new ligand L2 is coordinated with Pd in a κ(2)-P,N fashion.     

On product-cordial index sets and friendly index sets of 2-regular graphs and generalized wheels

A vertex labeling f : V → Z2 of a simple graph G = (V, E) induces two edge labelings f+ , f*: E → Z2 defined by f+ (uv) = f(u)+f(v) and f*(uv) = f(u)f(v). For each i∈Z2 , let vf(i) = |{v ∈ V : f(v) = i}|, e+f(i) = |{e ∈ E : f+(e) = i}| and e*f(i)=|{e∈E:f*(e)=i}|. We call f friendly if |vf(0)-vf(1)|≤ 1. The friendly index set and the product-cordial index set of G are defined as the sets{|e+f(0)-e+f(1)|:f is friendly} and {|e*f(0)-e*f(1)| : f is friendly}. In this paper we study and determine the connection between the friendly index sets and product-cordial index sets of 2-regular graphs and generalized wheel graphs.     

Synthesis of Biomorphic ZrO2-CeO2 Nanostructures by Silkworm Silk Template

A simple and green technique has been developed to prepare hierarchical biomorphic ZrO₂-CeO₂, using silkworm silk as the template. Different from traditional immersion technics, the whole synthesis process depends more on the restriction or direction functions of the silkwormsilk template. The analytic results showed that ZrO₂-CeO₂ exhibited a well-crystallized hierarchically interwoven hollow fiber structure with 16-28 μm in diameter. The grain size of the sample calcined at 800 oC was about 14 nm. Consequently, the interwoven meshwork at three dimensions is formed due to the direction of biotemplate. The action mechanism is summarily discussed here. It may bring the biomorphic ZrO₂-CeO₂ nanomaterials with hierarchical interwoven structures to more applications, such as catalysts.     

Crystal structure of a non-stoichiometric channel inclusion complex of 1-benzyl-6-phenylpiperidin-2-one-5-carboxylic acid with acetonitrile

C₁₉H₁₉NO₃·x CH₃CN (x=0.3),M _r=643.35, hexagonal, space groupP6₁ (No. 169),a=23.027(5),c=5.775(1) Å,V=2652(1) ų,Z=6. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined toR=0.077 for 1562 observed MoK reflections. The title heterocyclic carboxylic acid was established as thetrans isomer, with the phenyl and carboxyl substituents occupying pseudo-equatorial and equatorial positions, respectively, of the piperidin-2-one ring in a half-chair conformation. Acid host molecules related by the 6₁ screw operation are linked by intermolecular O–H...O (cyclic amide) hydrogen bonds to generate an open channel bounded by coaxial intertwined helices each having a pitch of 5c. Within each channel of free diameterca. 6.0 Å the acetonitrile molecules partially occupy highly disordered sites which do not lie on thec axis. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82067 (13 pages).