Backscattering in the vicinity of a mode cutoff

In a recent paper to this journal (Whitman A M et al 2003 Waves Random Media 13 269-86) we derived a set of coupled equations that describe the intermodal scattering of acoustic radiation in a duct whose speed of sound varies randomly in space and time. In the paper we were mainly interested in modes that were not near cutoff. Here we study the solution of these equations in the vicinity of the cutoff. We find that near cutoff almost all the energy is reflected back independent of the other duct parameters. In addition to presenting these results, we analyse the mathematical structure of the equations in these regions in order to elucidate the reason for this behaviour.     

Geometric and electronic factors in paraffin dehydrogenation on bimetallic platinum catalysts

Summary Relationships between specific activity of bimetallic platinum catalysts in paraffin dehydrogenation and atomic sizes of promoters (i) and enthalpies of alloying with platinum (ii) were considered. The leading role of the size (geometric) effect was demonstrated.     

Nonlinear wave interactions in patterned Silica and AlGaAs waveguides

We study nonlinear interactions between discrete optical solitons that propagate in different regimes of diffraction, and the nonlinear scattering of dispersive waves by local optical potentials. It is well known in optics that when linear coherent waves meet, they interfere without interactions. Linear waves also scatter through local optical structures not exchanging any power with the guided modes of these structures. As a focusing Kerr nonlinearity is present, such linearly-inhibited phenomena can exist. Our studies are performed in silica and AlGaAs nonlinear waveguides, excited by ultra-short pulses in the near infrared. Presented at 9-th International Workshop on Nonlinear Optics Applications, NOA 2007, May 17–20, 2007, Świnoujście, Poland     

Microbial genotoxicity bioreporters based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">sulA</Emphasis> activation

A bacterial genotoxicity reporter strain was constructed in which the tightly controlled strong promoter of the Escherichia coli SOS response gene sulA was fused to the alkaline phosphatase-coding phoA reporter gene. The bioreporter responded in a dose-dependent manner to three model DNA-damaging agents—hydrogen peroxide, nalidixic acid (NA), and mitomycin C (MMC)—detected 30–60 min after exposure. Detection thresholds were 0.15 μM for MMC, 7.5 μM for nalidixic acid, and approximately 50 μM for hydrogen peroxide. A similar response to NA was observed when the bioreporter was integrated into a specially designed, portable electrochemical detection platform. Reporter sensitivity was further enhanced by single and double knockout mutations that enhanced cell membrane permeability (rfaE) and inhibited DNA damage repair mechanisms (umuD, uvrA). The rfaE mutants displayed a five- and tenfold increase in sensitivity to MMC and NA, respectively, while the uvrA mutation was advantageous in the detection of hydrogen peroxide. A similar sensitivity was displayed by the double rfaE/uvrA mutant when challenged with the pre-genotoxic agents 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-aminoanthracene following metabolic activation with an S9 mammalian liver fraction.     

A printed nanolitre-scale bacterial sensor array

The last decade has witnessed a significant increase in interest in whole-cell biosensors for diverse applications, as well as a rapid and continuous expansion of array technologies. The combination of these two disciplines has yielded the notion of whole-cell array biosensors. We present a potential manifestation of this idea by describing the printing of a whole-cell bacterial bioreporters array. Exploiting natural bacterial tendency to adhere to positively charged abiotic surfaces, we describe immobilization and patterning of bacterial "spots" in the nanolitre volume range by a non-contact robotic printer. We show that the printed Escherichia coli-based sensor bacteria are immobilized on the surface, and retain their viability and biosensing activity for at least 2 months when kept at 4 °C. Immobilization efficiency was improved by manipulating the bacterial genetics (overproducing curli protein), the growth and the printing media (osmotic stress and osmoprotectants) and by a chemical modification of the inanimate surface (self-assembled layers of 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane). We suggest that the methodology presented herein may be applicable to the manufacturing of whole-cell sensor arrays for diverse high throughput applications.     

On the correlation between hydrophobicity, liposome binding and cellular uptake of porphyrin sensitizers

A crucial factor in choosing a porphyrin or analogous photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) is its ability to incorporate into the cells. For hydrophobic compounds that partition passively into the cytoplasmic membrane, a partition coefficient between an organic solvent and water, P, is one factor that could be used to predict the molecule's ability to diffuse into biomembranes. We synthesized several porphyrins, modified with two, three or four meso-substituents and studied their spectroscopic and photophysical properties. The octanol-water partitioning coefficients, log P, were calculated as a parameter for hydrophobicity. We found these porphyrins to be very hydrophobic, with log P values in the range of 8.9-11.8. These were correlated with the binding constants of these porphyrins into liposomes, K(b), as well as to their uptake by cells. The correlation between the estimated log P and K(b) is nearly linear but negative, indicating, apparently, that there is lesser binding to liposomes with increased hydrophobicity. On the other hand, all of the studied porphyrins are taken up by cells, but there is no clear correlation between cellular uptake and the log P or K(b). Lipinski's pharmacological "rule of 5" predicts poor permeation of drugs into cells when log P is greater than five. This may be relevant for diffusional binding to liposomes, where aqueous aggregation can interfere strongly with cellular uptake. In such extreme conditions, neither liposome binding nor other rules seem to predict porphyrin behavior in vitro.     

Transverse spectra of waves in random media

We consider the statistics of the transverse spectra of forward-propagating waves in a stationary random medium. A short-range perturbation solution is used to derive the difference equations that govern the long-range evolution of the ensemble-averaged transverse wave spectrum and coherence. The conditions under which these equations may be approximated by differential and integro-differential equations are given, and it is shown that the approximation is valid for the treatment of beam propagation provided that the transverse dimension of the beam is sufficiently large, and at ranges where the transverse coherence length of the beam remains larger than a wavelength. The equations that are derived are not limited by the parabolic approximation, and are amenable to numerical solution by marching techniques. We use the equation that governs the spectral density of the total energy flux, and also the propagation of waves which are statistically homogeneous in transverse planes, to show the conditions under which previously studied approximations derive from the present formulation, and to illustrate the numerical solution of the problem.     

Effect of ion sputtering on the surface composition of tin-lead alloys

The surface compositions of two SnPb alloys (Sn_0.998Pb_0.002 and Sn_0.03Pb_0.97) were monitored by Auger electron spectroscopy during the relaxation that occurs after the cessation of argon ion sputtering. The data show that sputtering enriches the near surface region in Sn. It is concluded that, for this system, chemical bonding, i.e., the heat of vaporization, determines which component is enriched in the near surface region during sputtering.