Frequency-selective quantitation of short-echo time 1H magnetic resonance spectra

Accurate and efficient filtering techniques are required to suppress large nuisance components present in short-echo time magnetic resonance (MR) spectra. This paper discusses two powerful filtering techniques used in long-echo time MR spectral quantitation, the maximum-phase FIR filter (MP-FIR) and the Hankel-Lanczos Singular Value Decomposition with Partial ReOrthogonalization (HLSVD-PRO), and shows that they can be applied to their more complex short-echo time spectral counterparts. Both filters are validated and compared through extensive simulations. Their properties are discussed. In particular, the capability of MP-FIR for dealing with macromolecular components is emphasized. Although this property does not make a large difference for long-echo time MR spectra, it can be important when quantifying short-echo time spectra.     

The regulation of biothiol-responsive performance and bioimaging application of benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole dyes

The different oxidation states of sulphur atom play a significant role on functional materials. In this work, a aryl-thioether and its sulphone substituted benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazole dyes were synthesized and utilized to determine thiol-containing amino acids. The result of selectivity experiments showed they detected the cysteine and homocysteine under physiological condition with negligible interference from other amino acids. In comparison to the thioether dye, the sulphone-based dye exhibited much faster response time for Cys and Hcy. However, the sulphone restricted its thiol-reactivity and bioimaging performance in living cells. By reducing the oxidation state of sulphur atom, we amazedly found that the sulfoxide-based dye still maintained high selectivity ultrafast response time for Cys/Hcy under physiological condition. It was worth mentioning that it also had high reactivity and good bioimaging performance that sulfone compounds did not have.     

Fenna-Matthews-Olson捕光复合物中的冗余结构

研究了绿色硫细菌中捕光天线复合物Fenna-Matthews-Olson的一个子单元和反应中心的能量传递.通过细菌叶绿素分子的能量和耦合强度,构建了包含反应中心的哈密顿量及约化模型.通过级联运动方程研究了不同分子间和反应中心的激子布居演化.计算了Fenna-Matthews-Olson及其约化模型的二维三阶光子回波谱,获得能量传榆过程中不同激子态间的相干性.结果表明在能量捕获过程中,Fenna-Matthews-Olson复合物存在冗余结构.     

一种宽能谱多球中子谱仪能量响应的MC模拟

利用蒙特卡罗程序FLUKA模拟计算了聚乙烯慢化球和辅助材料慢化球对低能中子到高能中子的响应函数曲线。结果表明,对纯聚乙烯球来说,随着聚乙烯层厚度的增加,响应曲线峰逐步右移,峰值在高能区有所下降,对20 Me V以上的中子,无论纯聚乙烯球的尺寸有多大,其响应均下降到很低的程度;对辅助材料慢化球来说,中子能量小于1 Me V时,辅助材料慢化球与聚乙烯慢化球的响应曲线相似,但当中子能量大于20 Me V时,中子与辅助材料层发生(n,xn)反应,慢化球的响应呈显著上升趋势。分析计算结果,最终能够确定宽能谱多球中子谱仪的尺寸组合。     

Responsive mechanism of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole-based two-photon fluorescent probes for zinc and hydroxide ions

Response theory is used to investigate one- and two-photon absorption(TPA) as well as the emission properties of a series of potential zinc ion and pH sensitive materials containing 2-(2’-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole(HPBO) end groups.Special emphasis is placed on the evolution of their optical properties upon combining with zinc ions or deprotonation.Our calculated results indicate that upon combining with zinc ions or deprotonation,these HPBO derivatives show drastic changes in their one-photon absorption(OPA),emission,and TPA properties.Moreover,the mechanisms of the probes are analyzed and found to be an intramolecular charge transfer.These compounds are thus proved to be excellent candidates for two-photon fluorescent zinc and pH probes.     

Fabrication of Sensitive Potentiometric Cholesterol Biosensor Based on Co3O4 Interconnected Nanowires

Highly sensitive, selective, reliable and inexpensive cholesterol biosensors are highly demanded for the routine monitoring of cholesterol molecules in order to prevent heart failure incidents. In this study, Co₃O₄ nanostructures are synthesized using polyvinyl pyrrolidone surfactant as growth template by a low temperature aqueous chemical growth method. The morphology of nanostructures was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction techniques. The nanostructures exhibit interconnected nanowires like morphology with interconnected network of nanowires. The nanostructures of Co₃O₄ are polycrystalline. The cholesterol oxidase was physically adsorbed on the interconnected nanowires of Co₃O₄ for the chemical sensing of cholesterol molecules. The sensor device detected a wide range of cholesterol from 1×10^?7 M to 1×10^?3 M concentrations with sensitivity of ?94.031 mV/decade. A detection limit of 0.035×10^?7 M cholesterol concentration was observed and a fast response time of 10 s was also noticed. The fabricated device is highly stable, selective, sensitive, reproducible and repeatable. All the collected information about presented cholesterol biosensor indicates its potential application for the monitoring of cholesterol concentrations from human blood serum and real‐life samples.     

Effect of Particle Size on Electro-Optic Properties of Liquid Crystal Devices Doped with γ-Cyclodextrin Stabilized Barium Titanate Nanoparticles

Barium titanate stabilized by γ-cyclodextrin nanoparticles were prepared by using a microwave reactor equipped with ultrasonic nozzle mixing at 240°C in a tetraethylene glycol solution of barium ethoxide and titanium ethoxide in the presence of γ-cyclodextrin. Particles in γ-cyclodextrin-stabilized BaTiO₃ nanoparticles had an average diameter of 2.1 nm and mainly distributed within the range of about 1 to 4 nm. The γ-cyclodextrin-stabilized BaTiO₃ nanoparticles were mixed with 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl at room temperature resulting in a liquid crystal sol of 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl. The response time of liquid crystal devices in the presence of γ-cyclodextrin-stabilized BaTiO₃ nanoparticles was faster than that in the absence.     

Mechanically Adaptive and Shape‐Memory Behaviour of Chitosan‐Modified Cellulose Whisker/Elastomer Composites in Different pH Environments

Biomimetic polymer composites with water‐active mechanically adaptive and shape‐memory behaviour in different pH environments are synthesised by using chitosan‐modified cellulose whiskers (CS‐CWs) as the stimulus‐responsive phase and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the resilient matrix. The effect of surface modification on the mechanically adaptive behaviour of CS‐CW/TPU composites is investigated by using three representative solutions with various pH values. The results show that surface modification significantly enhances the modulus contrast under wet and dry conditions with the acidic solution as the stimulus, while maintaining the high modulus contrast with the basic solution as the stimulus. CS‐CW/TPU composites also exhibit excellent shape‐memory effects in all three solutions that are comparable to those pristine CW/TPU composites. Furthermore, activation of force generation in the stretched CS‐CW/TPU composites by water absorption/desorption was observed.     

Tumor Microenvironment Stimuli-Responsive Fluorescence Imaging and Synergistic Cancer Therapy by Carbon-Dot–Cu2+ Nanoassemblies

A method is developed to fabricate tumor microenvironment (TME) stimuli-responsive nanoplatform for fluorescence (FL) imaging and synergistic cancer therapy via assembling photosensitizer (chlorine e6, Ce6) modified carbon dots (CDs-Ce6) and Cu²⁺. The as-obtained nanoassemblies (named Cu/CC nanoparticles, NPs) exhibit quenched FL and photosensitization due to the aggregation of CDs-Ce6. Their FL imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) functions are recovered efficiently once they entering tumor sites by the stimulation of TME. Introducing of Cu²⁺ not only provides extra chemodynamic therapy (CDT) function through reaction with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), but also depletes GSH in tumors by a redox reaction, thus amplifying the intracellular oxidative stress and enhancing the efficacy of reactive oxygen species (ROS) based therapy. Cu/CC NPs can act as a FL imaging guided trimodal synergistic cancer treatment agent by photothermal therapy (PTT), PDT, and thermally amplified CDT.