Biocompatible bacteria@Au composites for application in the photothermal destruction of cancer cells

We have successfully transformed the infectious E. coli bacteria into biocompatible bacteria@Au composites for photothermal therapy.     

Effect of a charged boundary on electrophoresis in a Carreau fluid: a sphere at an arbitrary position in a spherical cavity

The influence of a charged boundary on the electrophoretic behavior of an entity in a non-Newtonian fluid is studied by considering a sphere at an arbitrary position in a spherical cavity filled with a Carreau fluid under the conditions of low surface potential and weak applied electric field. The dependence of the mobility of a sphere on its position in a cavity, the size of a cavity, the thickness of a double layer, and the nature of a fluid is investigated. In addition to the fact that the effect of shear-thinning is advantageous to the movement of a sphere, several other interesting results are also observed. For instance, if an uncharged sphere is in a positively charged cavity, where the electroosmotic flow and the induced charge on the sphere surface play a role, the effect of shear-thinning is important only if the thickness of the double layer is either sufficiently thin or sufficiently thick. However, this might not be the case if a positively charged sphere is in an uncharged cavity.     

Porous iron oxide based nanorods developed as delivery nanocapsules

A low-temperature solution approach (90-95 degrees C) using FeCl(3) and urea was carried out to synthesize beta-FeOOH nanorods in aqueous solution. The as-synthesized beta-FeOOH nanorods were further calcined at 300 degrees C to form porous nanorods with compositions including both beta-FeOOH and alpha-Fe(2)O(3). The derived porous nanorods were engineered to assemble with four layers of polyelectrolytes (polyacrylic acid (PAA)/polyethylenimine(PEI)/PAA/PEI) on their surfaces as polyelectrolyte multilayer nanocapsules. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) molecules were loaded into the polyelectrolyte multilayer nanocapsules in order to investigate drug release and intracellular delivery in Hela cells. The as-prepared nanocapsules showed ionic strength-dependent control of the permeability of the polyelectrolyte shells. The release behavior of the entrapped FITC from the FITC-loaded nanocapsules exhibited either controlled- or sustained-release trends, depending on the compactness of the polyelectrolyte shells on the nanorod surfaces. Cytotoxicity measurements demonstrate that the native nanorods and the polymer-coated nanorods have excellent biocompatibility in all dosages between 0.1 ng mL(-1) and 100 microgm L(-1). The time dependence of uptake of FITC-loaded nanocapsules by Hela cancer cells observed by laser confocal microscopy indicates that the nanocapsules can readily be taken up by cancer cells in 15 min, a relatively short period of time, while the slow release of the FITC from the initial perimembrane space into the cytoplasm was followed by release into the nucleus after 24 h.     

Controlling size, shape and homogeneity of embryoid bodies using poly(ethylene glycol) microwells

Directed differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells is useful for creating models of human disease and could potentially generate a wide array of functional cell types for therapeutic applications. Methods to differentiate ES cells often involve the formation of cell aggregates called embryoid bodies (EBs), which recapitulate early stages of embryonic development. EBs are typically made from suspension cultures, resulting in heterogeneous structures with a wide range of sizes and shapes, which may influence differentiation. Here, we use microfabricated cell-repellant poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) wells as templates to initiate the formation of homogenous EBs. ES cell aggregates were formed with controlled sizes and shapes defined by the geometry of the microwells. EBs generated in this manner remained viable and maintained their size and shape within the microwells relative to their suspension counterparts. Intact EBs could be easily retrieved from the microwells with high viability (>95%). These results suggest that the microwell technique could be a useful approach for in vitro studies involving ES cells and, more specifically, for initiating the differentiation of EBs of greater uniformity based on controlled microenvironments.     

Effect of molecular structure on wetting behavior of water+amphiphile mixtures: a density functional approach

A density functional approach is applied to investigate the effect of molecular structure on wetting behavior of water+amphiphile mixtures. The interaction-site model is employed to describe isomeric amphiphile structures. The hydrogen bonding between water and amphiphile is mimicked by energy enhancement according to specific molecular orientation. The calculations show that these systems exhibit Cahn-type criticality-related wetting transitions and pronounced adsorption behavior difference between isomeric systems. Excellent qualitative agreements with experiments are achieved.     

Quantification of SMN1 and SMN2 genes by capillary electrophoresis for diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy

We present the first CE method for the separation and quantification of SMN1 and SMN2 genes. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder deleted or mutated in SMN1 gene and retained at least one copy of SMN2 gene. However, these two genes are highly homologous, differentiation and quantification of SMN1 and SMN2 are therefore required in diagnosis to identify SMA patients and carriers. We developed a fluorescence-labeled conformation-sensitive CE method to quantitatively analyze PCR products covering the variable position in the SMN1/SMN2 genes using a copolymer solution composed of hydroxyethylcellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose. The DNA samples included 24 SMA patients, 52 parents of SMA patients (obligatory carriers), and 255 controls. Those 331 samples were blind analyzed to evaluate the method, and the results compared with those obtained using denaturing HPLC (DHPLC). Validation of accuracy was performed by comparing the results with those of DHPLC. Nine of total samples showed different results. Diagnosis of one fetus DNA among them was related to abortion or not, which was further confirmed by gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Our method showed good coincidence with them, and proved the misdiagnosis of DHPLC. This simple and reliable CE method is a powerful tool for clinical genotyping of large populations to detect carriers and SMA patients.     

A New Series of Fluorescent Indicators for Super Acids

The photophysical properties of fluorescent Hammett acidity indicator derived from 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydrobis(pyrido[3,2‐g]indolo)[2,3‐a:3′,2′‐j]acridine (1a), 6‐bis(pyrido[3,2‐g]indol‐2′‐yl)pyridine (1b) and their analogues have been investigated in sulfuric acid solutions by means of absorption, fluorimetry, relaxation dynamics and computational approach. These new indicators undergo a reversible protonation process in the Hammett acidity range of H₀ < 0, accompanied by a drastic increase of the bright blue‐green (1a) or yellow (1b) fluorescence intensity upon increasing the acidity. For 1a in H₂SO₄, the emission yield increases as large as 200 folds from pH = ?0.41 to the Hammett acidity range of ?5.17, the results of which are rationalized by a much increase of the steric hindrance upon third protonation toward the central pyridinic site, together with their accompanied changes of electronic configuration from charge transfer to a delocalized ππ* character in the lowest lying excited state. The combination of 1a and 1b renders a wide and linear range of H₀ measurement from ?1.2 to ?5.1 detected by highly intensive fluorescence.     

Turbulent flow investigation inside and outside plain-orifice atomizers with rounded orifice inlets

The performances of three linear eddy viscosity models (LEVM) and one algebraic Reynolds stress model (ARSM) on the simulation of the internal and external flows in the plain-orifice atomizers with rounded orifice inlets are evaluated. The validity of the computational model is first assessed through the testing of a backward facing step flow, a sudden expansion pipe flow and a liquid column collapsing problem. Then the atomizer internal and external flows are analyzed by comparing the computed discharge coefficients with available experimental data and by comparing the turbulence intensity profiles at the orifice exit. The results are also illustrated by the fluid/air interface plot. It is found that the turbulence models investigated exhibit zonal behaviors, i.e., none of the models investigated performs well throughout the entire flow field. It is worthwhile to note that the standard k-model is not necessarily the worst among the models investigated. In average, the ARSM model gives better results as compared to the standard k-model and the low Reynolds number models. The turbulence strength has a significant influence on the global characteristics of the flow field. The models with better predictions of the turbulence kinetic energy, such as Gatski–Speziales ARSM model and Nagano–Hishidas low Reynolds number model, can yield better predictions of the global characteristics of the flow field, e.g., the reattachment lengths for the backward-facing step flow and the sudden expansion pipe flow, and the discharge coefficient for the atomizer flow.     

Increased carrier mobility in end-functionalized oligosilanes

We show that a class of oligosilane–arene σ, π-hybrid materials exhibits distinct and enhanced solid-state electronic properties relative to its parent components. In the single crystal structure, the σ-conjugation axis of one molecule points towards the π-face of a neighboring molecule due to an unusual gauche conformation. This organization is hypothesized to be beneficial for charge transport. We show that solution-deposited crystalline films of the hybrid materials show up to a 100-fold increase in space-charge limited current (SCLC) mobility relative to literature reports of photoinduced hole transport in oligosilane films. The discovery that σ, π-hybrids are more than the sum of their parts offers a design opportunity for new materials.