Characterization of silver selenide thin films grown on Cr‐covered Si substrates

Thermal stability of silver selenide thin films formed from the solid‐state reaction of Ag‐Se diffusion couples on Si substrates covered with a thin Cr film, is investigated. Glancing angle X‐ray diffraction (GXRD), XPS, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) are used to characterize the as‐deposited films and those annealed at 100, 200, 300, and 400 °C. The results reveal the formation of polycrystalline orthorhombic silver selenide films that remain stable without compositional change upon thermal annealing, in marked contrast to the agglomeration exhibited by silver selenide films deposited on Si without Cr film. The improvement in the thermal stability is attributed to compressive stress relief by a grainy morphology with large surface area, the formation of which is promoted by partially oxidized Cr adhesion film. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on divergence measures for intuitionistic fuzzy sets and its application in medical diagnosis

As far as medical diagnosis problem is concerned, predicting the actual disease in complex situations has been a concerning matter for the doctors/experts. The divergence measure for intuitionistic fuzzy sets is an effective and potent tool in addressing the medical decision making problems. We define a new divergence measure for intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS) and its interesting properties are studied. The existing divergence measures under intuitionistic fuzzy environment are reviewed and their counter-intuitive cases has been explored. The parameter $\alpha $ is incorporated in the proposed divergence measure and it is defined as parametric intuitionistic fuzzy divergence measure (PIFDM). The different choices of the parameter $\alpha$ provide different decisions about the disease. As we increase the value of $\alpha $, the information about the disease increases and move towards the optimal solution with the reduced in the uncertainty. Finally, we compare our results with the already existing results, which illustrate the role of the parameter $\alpha $ in obtaining the optimal solution in the medical decision making application. The results demonstrate that the parametric intuitionistic fuzzy divergence measure (PIFDM) is more comprehensive and effective than the proposed intuitionistic fuzzy divergence measure and the existing intuitionistic fuzzy divergence measures for decision making in medical investigations.     

Density functional theory of freezing of a system of highly elongated ellipsoidal oligomer solutions

We have used the density functional theory of freezing to study the liquid crystalline phase behavior of a system of highly elongated ellipsoidal conjugated oligomers dispersed in three different solvents namely chloroform, toluene and their equimolar mixture. The molecules are assumed to interact via solvent-implicit coarse-grained Gay–Berne potential. Pair correlation functions needed as input in the density functional theory have been calculated using the Percus–Yevick (PY) integral equation theory. Considering the isotropic and nematic phases, we have calculated the isotropic–nematic phase transition parameters and presented the temperature–density and pressure–temperature phase diagrams. Different solvent conditions are found not only to affect the transition parameters but also determine the capability of oligomers to form nematic phase in various thermodynamic conditions. In principle, our results are verifiable through computer simulations.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigations of modifications in plasmid DNA after interaction with Hg nanoparticles

The electronic structure of plasmid DNA both prior to and after its conjugation with Hg nanoparticles (NP) has been investigated here. The DNA molecules undergo severe perturbation on their interaction with Hg-NP. The circular plasmid DNA becomes predominantly linearised on interaction with 10 mM Hg salt solution. These perturbations are also reflected in the electronic structure of C1s and O1s suggesting severe modifications in the exocyclic groups, of the nucleic acid bases, participating in the hydrogen bondings. The results reflect the rupturing of the purine-pyrimidine bonds after interaction with the NP. The study also suggests selective and specific interactions of DNA bases with the Hg nanoparticles leading to the formation of metal-purine-pyrimidine complexes through rupturing of G-C base pairs. Hg-NP exclusively interact with the nitrogen bases of the DNA molecule and do not cause any significant modification to the phosphate backbone of DNA.     

Development and Validation of a LC-MS/MS Technique for the Analysis of Short Chain Fatty Acids in Tissues and Biological Fluids without Derivatisation Using Isotope Labelled Internal Standards

The gut microbiota is critical to the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and as such is implicated in a range of diseases such as colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are key metabolites produced by the gut microbiota from the fermentation of dietary fibre. Here we present a novel, sensitive, and direct LC-MS/MS technique using isotopically labelled internal standards without derivatisation for the analysis of SCFAs in different biological matrices. The technique has significant advantages over the current widely used techniques based on sample derivatization and GC-MS analysis, including fast and simple sample preparation and short LC runtime (10 min). The technique is specific and sensitive for the quantification of acetate, butyrate, isobutyrate, isovalerate, lactate, propionate and valerate. The limits of detection were all 0.001 mM except for acetate which was 0.003 mM. The calibration curves for all the analytes were linear with correlation coefficients r² > 0.998. The intra- and inter-day precisions in three levels of known concentrations were <12% and <20%, respectively. The quantification accuracy ranged from 92% to 120%. The technique reported here offers a valuable analytical tool for use in studies of SCFA production in the gut and their distribution to host tissues.     

Non-enzymatic glucose sensing with hybrid nanostructured Cu2O-ZnO prepared by single-step coelectrodeposition technique

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Conjugated hybrid nanostructured Cu2O-ZnO has been grown via the single-step coelectrodeposition (CED) technique. Though ZnO nanostructures grown alone by...     

Active Bicomponent Nanoparticle Assembly with Temporal,Microstructural, and Functional Control

Transient supramolecular self-assembly has evolved as a tool to create temporally programmable smart materials. Yet, so far single-component self-assembly has been mostly explored. In contrast, multicomponent self-assembly provides an opportunity to create unique nanostructures exhibiting complex functional outcomes, newer and different than individual components. Even two-component can result in multiple organizations, such as self-sorted domains or co-assembled heterostructures, can occur, thus making it highly complex to predict and reversibly modulate these microstructures. In this study, we attempted to create active bicomponent nanoparticle assemblies of orthogonally pH-responsive-group-functionalized gold and cadmium selenide nanoparticles with temporal microstructural control on their composition (self-sorted or co-assembly) in order to harvest their emergent transient photocatalytic activity by coupling to temporal changes in pH. Moving towards multicomponent systems can deliver next level control in terms of structural and functional outcomes of supramolecular systems.     

White-light emissive upconversion nanoparticles for visual and colorimetric determination of the pesticide thiram

Microchimica Acta - A chip-based array is described for magnetic solid-phase microextraction (MSPME) of the ions of Pt, Au and Bi. Magnetic porous organic polymers (MOPs) prepared from magnetite...     

Velogenic Newcastle Disease Virus as an Oncolytic Virotherapeutics: In Vitro Characterization

Cancer is one of the killer diseases in humans and needs alternate curative measures despite recent improvement in modern treatment modalities. Oncolytic virotherapy seems to be a promising nonconventional way to treat cancers. Newcastle disease virus (NDV), a poultry virus, is nonpathogenic to human and domestic animals and has a long history of being used in oncotherapy research in several preclinical studies. The ability of NDV to successfully infect and destroy cancer cells is dependent on the strain and the pathotype of the virus. Adaptation of viruses to heterologous hosts without losing its replicative and oncolytic potential is prerequisite for use as cancer virotherapeutics. In the present study, velogenic NDV was adapted for replication in HeLa cells, and its cytotoxic potential was evaluated by observing morphological, biochemical, and nuclear landmarks of apoptosis. Our results indicated that the NDV-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells was dependent on upregulation of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and caspases activation. Different determinants of apoptosis evaluated in the present study indicated that this strain could be a promising candidate for cancer therapy in future.     

Parity checking and generating circuit with semiconductor optical amplifier in all-optical domain

In this paper, an all-optical parity checker and parity generator circuit is proposed in which SOA-MZI configuration is used to implement the XOR logic gate. This performance monitoring logic device is simulated at ultra high speed i.e. 120 GHz. Two logic circuits are proposed for parity generator, in one design inverter used to generate parity bit is implemented by the same additional XOR gate as inverter while in 2nd design inverter is implemented using XGM in SOA and thus number of SOA in 2nd design is reduced. ER ratio achieved in 1st case is 9.28 with maximum Q factor 73.39 and minimum BER 0 while in 2nd design it is 9.35 with maximum Q factor 8.41 and minimum BER 1.93e−17. ER ratio achieved in parity checker circuit is 32.54 with maximum Q factor 77.76 and minimum BER 0.