Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Protein Oligomerization in Membranes

Fluorescence spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools for characterization of a multitude of biological processes. Of these, the phenomenon of protein oligomerization attracts especial interest due to its crucial role in the formation of fibrillar protein aggregates (amyloid fibrils) involved in ethiology of so-called protein misfolding diseases. It is becoming increasingly substantiated that protein fibrillization in vivo can be initiated and modulated at membrane-water interface. All steps of membrane-assisted fibrillogenesis, viz., protein adsorption onto lipid bilayer, structural transition of polypeptide chain into a highly aggregation-prone partially folded conformation, assembly of oligomeric nucleus from membrane-bound monomeric species and fiber elongation can be monitored with a mighty family of fluorescence-based techniques. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind cytotoxicity of prefibrillar protein oligomers are highly amenable to fluorescence analysis. The applications of fluorescence spectroscopy to monitoring protein oligomerization in a membrane environment are exemplified and some problems encountered in such kinds of studies are highlighted.     

Time-resolved luminescent spectroscopy of YAG:Ce single crystal and single crystalline films

The peculiarities of the luminescence and energy transfer from YAG host to the emission centers formed by the Y_Al antisite defects and Ce³⁺ ions have been studied in YAG:Ce single crystals, grown from the melt by modified Bridgman method in Ar and CO₂ + H₂ atmospheres, and YAG:Ce single crystalline film, grown by liquid phase epitaxy method, using the comparative time-resolved luminescent spectroscopy under excitation by synchrotron radiation in the range of fundamental adsorption of this garnet.     

Ion conductivity,structural features,and multifractal properties of grain boundaries in CuCr<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>V<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>S<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The ion conductivity, crystal structure, and multifractal parameters of the sections of grain boundaries in CuCr_1?x V _x S₂ superionic conductors with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 have been investigated. It is established that an increase in the surface area of grain boundaries and complication of their shape in such compounds facilitate ion transport. The effect of crystal structure peculiarities on the grain structure of these compounds has been revealed.     

Chemical depth profiling and 3D reconstruction of III–V heterostructures selectively grown on non‐planar Si substrates by MOCVD

The chemical characterization of novel 3D architectures with nanometre‐scale dimensions is extremely challenging. The chemical composition of InGaAs/AlAs quantum wells selectively grown in SiO₂ trenches, 100–300 nm wide, is studied. Combining high lateral resolution 3D ToF‐SIMS analysis and Auger measurements, the chemical composition of individual trenches was obtained confirming the uniformity of these III–V heterostructures. These results correlate well with an average approach using SIMS depth profiling. The effects of ion beam orientation on the surface topography of confined structures were highlighted. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Measurement of the generalized polarizabilities of the proton in virtual Compton scattering at Q2=0.92 and 1.76 GeV2

We report a virtual Compton scattering study of the proton at low c.m. energies. We have determined the structure functions P(LL)-P(TT)/epsilon and P(LT), and the electric and magnetic generalized polarizabilities (GPs) alpha(E)(Q2) and beta(M)(Q2) at momentum transfer Q(2)=0.92 and 1.76 GeV2. The electric GP shows a strong falloff with Q2, and its global behavior does not follow a simple dipole form. The magnetic GP shows a rise and then a falloff; this can be interpreted as the dominance of a long-distance diamagnetic pion cloud at low Q2, compensated at higher Q2 by a paramagnetic contribution from piN intermediate states.     

Transverse asymmetry AT' from the quasielastic 3He(e,e') process and the neutron magnetic form factor

We have measured the transverse asymmetry A(T') in 3He(e,e(')) quasielastic scattering in Hall A at Jefferson Laboratory with high precision for Q2 values from 0.1 to 0.6 (GeV/c)(2). The neutron magnetic form factor G(n)(M) was extracted based on Faddeev calculations for Q2 = 0.1 and 0.2 (GeV/c)(2) with an experimental uncertainty of less than 2%.     

Kinetic effects in manganites La1 − x Ag y MnO3 (y ≤ x)

We have measured the resistivity, magnetoresistance, and thermopower of ceramic manganite samples La_{1 ? x} Ag _y MnO₃ (y ≤ x) doped with silver as functions of temperature (4.2–350 K) and magnetic field (up to 26 kOe). A metal-insulator phase transition is observed in all investigated samples at temperatures close to room temperature. The behavior of the resistivity and thermopower in the high-temperature paramagnetic region is interpreted using the concept of small radius polaron; the activation energy decreases with increasing doping level. The resistivity in the low-temperature ferromagnetic region is approximated by the expression ρ_FM(T) = ρ₀ + AT ² + BT ^4.5 presuming the existence of electron-electron and electron-magnon interactions. A resistivity minimum and a strong magnetoresistive effect are observed at low temperatures. The latter effect is associated with scattering of charge carriers at grain boundaries, which are antiferromagnetically ordered relative to one another. The temperature dependence of thermopower in the magnetically ordered phase is described in the framework of a model taking into account the drag of charge carriers by magnons.     

High‐perfomance Ce‐doped multicomponent garnet single crystalline film scintillators

We report for the first time the optimized content and excellent scintillation properties of single crystalline film (SCF) scintillators of multicomponent Gd_3–xLu_x Al_5–yGa_y O₁₂:Ce garnet compounds grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) method. The Gd_1.5Lu_1.5Al_2.75Ga_2.25O₁₂:Ce and Gd₃Al_2.75–2Ga_2.25–3O₁₂:Ce SCF show the light yield (LY) comparable with that of high‐quality bulk crystal analogues of these garnets but faster scintillation decay and very low thermoluminescence in the above room temperature range. To our knowledge, these SCF possess the highest LY values ever obtained in LPE grown garnet SCF scintillators exceeding by at least 1.5–1.6 times the values previously reported for SCF scintillators.

     

Luminescence characteristics of Pb centres in undoped and Ce-doped Lu3Al5O12 single-crystalline films and Pb→Ce energy transfer processes

At 4.2-350 K, the steady-state and time-resolved emission and excitation spectra and luminescence decay kinetics were studied under excitation in the 2.5-15 eV energy range for the undoped and Ce³⁺-doped Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ (LuAG) single-crystalline films grown by liquid phase epitaxy method from the PbO-based flux. The spectral bands arising from the single Pb²⁺-based centres were identified. The processes of energy transfer from the host lattice to Pb²⁺ and Ce³⁺ ions and from Pb²⁺ to Ce³⁺ ions were investigated. Competition between Pb²⁺ and Ce³⁺ ions in the processes of energy transfer from the LuAG crystal lattice was evidenced especially in the exciton absorption region. Due to overlap of the 3.61 eV emission band of Pb²⁺ centres with the 3.6 eV absorption band of Ce³⁺ centres, an effective nonradiative energy transfer from Pb²⁺ ions to Ce³⁺ ions takes place, resulting in the appearance of slower component in the luminescence decay kinetics of Ce³⁺ centres and decrease of the Ce³⁺-related luminescence intensity.