Digital operation of an ytterbium-doped two-mode fiber interferometric optical intensity switch

Digital operation of an all-optical intensity switch is demonstrated in a two-mode interferometer constructed from ytterbium-doped fiber. We clamp the resonantly enhanced phase shift responsible for the switching by allowing the fiber to lase, resulting in a bistable, digital response. The degree of phase shift at the clamping point can be controlled by adjustment of the laser threshold, and for complete switching (phase shift of pi) the power length product PL(pi) was estimated to be 1.3 mW m . Isolation of 11 dB was observed, with switching speed limited by the relaxation time of ytterbium.     

A Spectroscopic Study of an Anhydrous Tetraethyl Orthosilicate-Boric Acid-Ethanol System

Hydrolysis and condensation reactions in an anhydrous sol-gel system comprising tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, Si(OC2H5)4), boric acid (H3BO3) and ethanol have been studied using X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy, and similarities and differences with the more traditional aqueous system are discussed. Boric acid is able to hydrolyse TEOS directly, and subsequent condensation reactions form borosiloxane (=B–O–Si) and siloxane (Si–O–Si) linkages. In an aqueous system, borosiloxanes are unstable to hydrolysis and are formed only upon heat treatment of the gel, a restriction avoided with anhydrous conditions. The anhydrous mixture is stable indefinitely against gelation, but can be readily gelled by addition of NaOH in ethanol. This system may be useful for preparing borosilicate glasses at lower temperatures with good homogeneity.     

Bioinspired Scaffolding by Supramolecular Amines Allows the Formation of One- and Two-Dimensional Silica Superstructures

Silica materials attract an increasing amount of interest in (fundamental) research, and find applications in, for example, sensing, catalysis, and drug delivery. As the properties of these (nano)materials not only depend on their chemistry but also their size, shape, and surface area, the controllable synthesis of silica is essential for tailoring the materials to specific applications. Advantageously, bioinspired routes for silica production are environmentally friendly and straightforward since the formation process is spontaneous and proceeds under mild conditions. These strategies mostly employ amine-bearing phosphorylated (bio)polymers. In this work, we expand this principle to supramolecular polymers based on the water-soluble cationic cyanine dye Pinacyanol acetate. Upon assembly in water, these dye molecules form large, polyaminated, supramolecular fibers. The surfaces of these fibers can be used as a scaffold for the condensation of silicic acid. Control over the ionic strength, dye concentration, and silicic acid saturation yielded silica fibers with a diameter of 25 nm and a single, 4 nm pore. Unexpectedly, other unusual superstructures, namely, nummulites and spherulites, are also observed depending on the ionic strength and dye concentration. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) showed that these superstructures are formed by aligned silica fibers. Close examination of the dye scaffold prior silicification using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and UV/Vis spectroscopy revealed minor influence of the ionic strength and dye concentration on the morphology of the supramolecular scaffold. Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) during silicification unraveled that if the reaction is kept under static conditions, only silica fibers are obtained. Experiments performed on the dye scaffold and silica superstructures evidenced that the marked structural diversity originates from the arrangement of silica/dye fibers. Under these mild conditions, external force fields can profoundly influence the morphology of the produced silica.     

On the modeling of demand spill for a stochastic demand system under competition

When customers for a product from N substitutable alternatives find their first choice sold out, they might “spill” to their secondmost preferred product. The existing literature typically assumes an exogenous spill rate. We develop a surprisingly simple model that links the spill rate to economic factors associated with direct demand systems.     

FT-IR study of the effect of zinc exposure on the biochemical contents of the muscle of Labeo rohita

Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem in the modern world due to increasing human activities. Zinc is an essential element involved in a wide variety of cellular processes. However, it becomes toxic when elevated concentrations are introduced into the environment. The goal of the present study is to investigate the effect of zinc exposure on the biochemical contents of the muscle tissues of freshwater species Labeo rohita using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Since the muscle constitutes the greatest mass of the fish that is consumed, the present study has paid particular attention to muscle component. The result reveals that the zinc exposure causes significant changes in the biochemical contents of the L. rohita muscle tissues. In addition, it causes an alteration in the protein secondary structures by decreasing the α-helix and increasing the β-sheet contents of muscle tissues. Further, it has been observed that the administration of chelating agent D-penicillamine improves the protein and lipid contents in the muscle tissues compared to zinc exposed tissues. This result shows that D-penicillamine is the effective chelator of zinc in reducing the body burden of L. rohita fingerlings.     

Untersuchung von Wasser

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Syntheses,characterization, and functionalization of poly(ester amide)s with pendant amine functional groups

Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) comprising α‐amino acids, diols, and diacids are promising materials for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and drug delivery because of their tunability and potential for either hydrolytic or enzymatic degradation. Although a number of PEAs of different compositions have been reported, there is a significant need for the incorporation of amino acids with functional side chains. This will allow for the conjugation of drugs or cell signaling molecules in tissue engineering scaffolds, thus expanding the potential applications of these materials. The objective of this work was the incorporation of l ‐lysine into PEAs to provide functionalizable pendant amine groups. Thus, varying percentages of lysine were incorporated into PEAs comprised of l ‐phenylalanine, 1,4‐butanediol, and succinic acid by tuning the ratio of ε‐protected‐l ‐lysine and l ‐phenylalanine derived monomers. The polymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The lysine ε‐protecting group was removed, then the reactivity of the pendant amines was demonstrated by reaction with amino acid and tri(ethylene glycol) derivatives. The degradation of thin films of polymers were studied using scanning electron microscopy and the incorporation of lysine was found to significantly accelerate both the hydrolytic and enzymatic degradation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6376–6392, 2008     

Optimization of bivalent glutathione S-transferase inhibitors by combinatorial linker design

Dimeric glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are pharmacological targets for several diseases, including cancer. Isoform specificity has been difficult to achieve due to their overlapping substrate selectivity. Here we demonstrate the utility of bivalent GST inhibitors and their optimization via combinatorial linker design. A combinatorial library with dipeptide linkers emanating symmetrically from a central scaffold (bis-3,5-aminomethyl benzoic acid, AMAB) to connect two ethacrynic acid moieties was prepared and decoded via iterative deconvolution, against the isoforms GSTA1-1 and GSTP1-1. The library yielded high affinity GSTA1-1 selective inhibitors (70-120-fold selectivity) and with stoichiometry of one inhibitor: one GSTA1-1 dimer. Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) NMR with one of these inhibitors, with linker structure (Asp-Gly-AMAB-Gly-Asp) and K(D) = 42 nM for GSTA1-1, demonstrates that the Asp-Gly linker interacts tightly with GSTA1-1, but not P1-1. H/D exchange mass spectrometry was used to map the protein binding site and indicates that peptides within the intersubunit cleft and in the substrate binding site are protected by inhibitor from solvent exchange. A model is proposed for the binding orientation of the inhibitor, which is consistent with electrostatic complementarity between the protein cleft and inhibitor linker as the source of isoform selectivity and high affinity. The results demonstrate the utility of combinatorial, or "irrational", linker design for optimizing bivalent inhibitors.