The effect of crucible bottom deformation on the quality of Nd:GGG crystals grown by Czochralski method

In this paper, we report the growth of neodymium doped Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (Nd: GGG) crystal using Czochralski (CZ) method, and study the effects of crucible bottom deformation and thermal insulator thickness on the growth process and crystal quality. Garnet structure and <111> crystallography orientation of the crystal were confirmed by the X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Macroscopic defects, residual stresses, quality, and homogeneity of the crystals were investigated by means of parallel plane polariscope and laser fizeau interferometer respectively and the results compared together. Experimental observations show that the crucible bottom deformation from flat to convex, and decreasing the thickness of zirconia insulator under the crucible result in the formation of lateral cores and increasing the crystal inhomogeneity and tensions, leading to the decrease of the crystal quality. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Identification and quantification of protein carbonylation using light and heavy isotope labeled Girard's P reagent

Protein carbonyls are one of the most widely studied markers of oxidative stress. Determining increases in the concentration of protein carbonyls known to be associated with neurodegenerative diseases, heart disease, cancer and ageing. Identification of carbonylation sites in oxidized proteins has been a challenge. Even though recent advances in proteomics has facilitate the identification of carbonylation sites in oxidized proteins, confident identification remains a challenge due to the complicated nature of oxidative damage and the wide range of oxidative modifications. Here, we report the development of a multiplexing strategy that facilitates confident carbonylated peptide identification through a combination of heavy and light isotope coding and a multi-step filtering process. This procedure involves (1) labeling aliquots of oxidized proteins with heavy and light forms of Girard's reagent P (GPR) and combining them in a 1:1 ratio along with (2) LC/MS and MALDI-MS/MS analysis. The filtering process uses LC/MS and MALDI-MS/MS data to rule out false positives by rejecting peptide doublets that do not appear with the correct concentration ratio, retention time, tag number, or resolution. This strategy was used for the identification of heavily oxidized transferrin peptides and resulted in identification 13 distinct peptides. The competency of the method was validated in a complex mixture using oxidized transferrin in a yeast lysate as well as oxidized yeast. Twenty-five percent of the peptides identified in a pure oxidized sample of transferrin were successfully identified from the complex mixture. Analysis of yeast proteome stressed with hydrogen peroxide using this multiplexing strategy resulted in identification of 41 carbonylated peptides from 36 distinct proteins. Differential isotope coding of model peptides at different concentrations followed by mixing at different ratios was used to establish the linear dynamic range for quantification of carbonylated peptides using light and heavy forms of GPR.     

Silicon carbide nanocones: Computational analysis of chemical shieldings for pristine and boron/nitrogen decorated models

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the electronic and structural properties of pristine and boron/nitrogen (B/N) decorated models of a representative silicon carbide nanocone (SiCNC). The atoms of apexes and tips were differently decorated by B/N atoms to make all possible decorations of the investigated SiCNC. The evaluated parameters by the optimization processes and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) calculations indicated that the overall and atomic scale properties of the investigated SiCNCs are significantly dependent on the ways of decorations of Si/C atoms by B/N atoms. The Si/C atoms close to the decorated regions also exhibited notable changes in comparison to the pristine model.     

The Effect of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Collagen Incorporated with Exo-Polysaccharides Derived from Rhodotorula mucilaginosa sp. on Burn Healing

Burn is one of the physically debilitating injuries that can be potentially fatal; therefore, providing appropriate coverage in order to reduce possible mortality risk and accelerate wound healing is mandatory. In this study, collagen/exo-polysaccharide (Col/EPS 1–3%) scaffolds are synthesized from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) skins incorporated with Rhodotorula mucilaginosa sp. GUMS16, respectively, for promoting Grade 3 burn wound healing. Physicochemical characterizations and, consequently, biological properties of the Col/EPS scaffolds are tested. The results show that the presence of EPS does not affect the minimum porosity dimensions, while raising the EPS amount significantly reduces the maximum porosity dimensions. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, and tensile property results confirm the successful incorporation of the EPS into Col scaffolds. Furthermore,the biological results show that the increasing EPS does not affect Col biodegradability and cell viability, and the use of Col/EPS 1% on rat models displays a faster healing rate. Finally, histopathological examination reveals that the Col/EPS 1% treatment accelerates wound healing, through greater re-epithelialization and dermal remodeling, more abundant fibroblast cells and Col accumulation. These findings suggest that Col/EPS 1% promotes dermal wound healing via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which can be a potential medical process in the treatment of burn wounds.