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Reassembly of S-layer proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pum, Dietmar; Sleytr, Uwe B

2014-01-01

Crystalline bacterial cell surface layers (S-layers) represent the outermost cell envelope component in a broad range of bacteria and archaea. They are monomolecular arrays composed of a single protein or glycoprotein species and represent the simplest biological membranes developed during evolution. They are highly porous protein mesh works with unit cell sizes in the range of 3 to 30 nm, and pore sizes of 2 to 8 nm. S-layers are usually 5 to 20 nm thick (in archaea, up to 70 nm). S-layer proteins are one of the most abundant biopolymers on earth. One of their key features, and the focus of this review, is the intrinsic capability of isolated native and recombinant S-layer proteins to form self-assembled mono- or double layers in suspension, at solid supports, the air-water interface, planar lipid films, liposomes, nanocapsules, and nanoparticles. The reassembly is entropy-driven and a fascinating example of matrix assembly following a multistage, non-classical pathway in which the process of S-layer protein folding is directly linked with assembly into extended clusters. Moreover, basic research on the structure, synthesis, genetics, assembly, and function of S-layer proteins laid the foundation for their application in novel approaches in biotechnology, biomimetics, synthetic biology, and nanotechnology. (topical review)
S-Layer Protein-Based Biosensors

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Bernhard Schuster

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The present paper highlights the application of bacterial surface (S- layer proteins as versatile components for the fabrication of biosensors. One technologically relevant feature of S-layer proteins is their ability to self-assemble on many surfaces and interfaces to form a crystalline two-dimensional (2D protein lattice. The S-layer lattice on the surface of a biosensor becomes part of the interface architecture linking the bioreceptor to the transducer interface, which may cause signal amplification. The S-layer lattice as ultrathin, highly porous structure with functional groups in a well-defined special distribution and orientation and an overall anti-fouling characteristics can significantly raise the limit in terms of variety and the ease of bioreceptor immobilization, compactness of bioreceptor molecule arrangement, sensitivity, specificity, and detection limit for many types of biosensors. The present paper discusses and summarizes examples for the successful implementation of S-layer lattices on biosensor surfaces in order to give a comprehensive overview on the application potential of these bioinspired S-layer protein-based biosensors.
S-Layer Protein-Based Biosensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Bernhard

2018-04-11

The present paper highlights the application of bacterial surface (S-) layer proteins as versatile components for the fabrication of biosensors. One technologically relevant feature of S-layer proteins is their ability to self-assemble on many surfaces and interfaces to form a crystalline two-dimensional (2D) protein lattice. The S-layer lattice on the surface of a biosensor becomes part of the interface architecture linking the bioreceptor to the transducer interface, which may cause signal amplification. The S-layer lattice as ultrathin, highly porous structure with functional groups in a well-defined special distribution and orientation and an overall anti-fouling characteristics can significantly raise the limit in terms of variety and the ease of bioreceptor immobilization, compactness of bioreceptor molecule arrangement, sensitivity, specificity, and detection limit for many types of biosensors. The present paper discusses and summarizes examples for the successful implementation of S-layer lattices on biosensor surfaces in order to give a comprehensive overview on the application potential of these bioinspired S-layer protein-based biosensors.
Characterization of Three Different Unusual S-Layer Proteins from Viridibacillus arvi JG-B58 That Exhibits Two Super-Imposed S-Layer Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Günther, Tobias J.; Raff, Johannes; Pollmann, Katrin

2016-01-01

Genomic analyses of Viridibacillus arvi JG-B58 that was previously isolated from heavy metal contaminated environment identified three different putative surface layer (S-layer) protein genes namely slp1, slp2, and slp3. All three genes are expressed during cultivation. At least two of the V. arvi JG-B58 S-layer proteins were visualized on the surface of living cells via atomic force microscopy (AFM). These S-layer proteins form a double layer with p4 symmetry. The S-layer proteins were isolated from the cells using two different methods. Purified S-layer proteins were recrystallized on SiO2 substrates in order to study the structure of the arrays and self-assembling properties. The primary structure of all examined S-layer proteins lack some features that are typical for Bacillus or Lysinibacillus S-layers. For example, they possess no SLH domains that are usually responsible for the anchoring of the proteins to the cell wall. Further, the pI values are relatively high ranging from 7.84 to 9.25 for the matured proteins. Such features are typical for S-layer proteins of Lactobacillus species although sequence comparisons indicate a close relationship to S-layer proteins of Lysinibacillus and Bacillus strains. In comparison to the numerous descriptions of S-layers, there are only a few studies reporting the concomitant existence of two different S-layer proteins on cell surfaces. Together with the genomic data, this is the first description of a novel type of S-layer proteins showing features of Lactobacillus as well as of Bacillus-type S-layer proteins and the first study of the cell envelope of Viridibacillus arvi. PMID:27285458
Fluorescent S-layer fusion proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kainz, B.

2010-01-01

This work describes the construction and characterisation of fluorescent S-layer fusion proteins used as building blocks for the fabrication of nanostructured monomolecular biocoatings on silica particles with defined fluorescence properties. The S-layer protein SgsE of Geobacillus stearothermophilus NRS 2004/3a was fused with the pH-dependant cyan, green and yellow variant of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the red fluorescent protein mRFP1. These fluorescent S-layer fusion proteins, acting as scaffold and optical sensing element simultaneously, were able to reassemble in solution and on silica particles forming 2D nanostructures with p2 lattice symmetry (a=11 ±0.5 nm, b=14 ±0.4 nm, g=80 ±1 o ). The pH-dependant fluorescence behaviour was studied with fluorimetry, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. These fluorescent S-layer fusion proteins can be used as pH-sensor. 50% of the fluorescence intensity decreases at their calculated pKa values (pH6 - pH5). The fluorescence intensity of the GFP variants vanished completely between pH4 and pH3 whereas the chromophore of the red protein mRFP1 was only slightly affected in acidic conditions. At the isoelectric point of the S-layer coated silica particles (pH4.6 ±0.2) an increase in particle aggregation was detected by flow cytometry. The cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins were chosen to create a bi-fluorescent S-layer tandem fusion protein with the possibility for resonance energy transfer (FRET). A transfer efficiency of 20% and a molecular distance between the donor (ECFP) and acceptor (YFP) chromophores of around 6.2 nm could be shown. This bi-fluorescent ECFP-SgsE-YFP tandem fusion protein was able to reassemble on solid surfaces. The remarkable combination of fluorescence and self-assembly and the design of bi-functional S-layer tandem fusion protein matrices makes them to a promising tool in nanobiotechnology. (author) [de
S-layer architectures : extending the morphogenetic potential of S-layer protein self-assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuster, D.

2013-01-01

Self-assembly of molecular building blocks is a common principle for bottom up based building principles in nature. One example are crystalline bacterial surface layers, termed S-layers, which are the most commonly observed cell surface structures in prokaryotic organisms. They recrystallize into highly ordered, porous protein meshworks with unit cell sizes of 3 to 30 nm and pore sizes of 2 to 8 nm. In this work, S-layers were self-assembled on various three dimensional scaffolds in order to fabricate novel S-layer architectures. Exploiting the stabilizing effect of silica deposited on the S-layer protein meshwork led to the construction of hollow S-layer nano-containers derived from coated liposomes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques and release experiments with fluorescent dyes confirmed the dissolution of the supporting lipids. Silica deposition on different spherical particles in solution, as well as on planar S-layer coated surfaces, could be monitored by measuring the ζ-potential, the decline of monosilicic acid in solution, by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis or by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Both, ζ-potential and release experiments showed differences between silicified plain liposomes and silicified S-layer coated liposomes. In addition, nanocapsules with calcium carbonate cores served as another template for the construction of silica supported S-layer architectures. These were investigated by SEM and fluorescence microscopy after fluorescence labeling. Additional coating with polyelectrolytes increased the stability of the nanocapsules. Their mechanical properties were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The influence of silica deposition was investigated by AFM and SEM. Further on, emulsomes and gas filled lipid supported microbubbles may serve as other templates for the design of spherical protein constructs although extraction of the
Surface-Layer (S-Layer) Proteins Sap and EA1 Govern the Binding of the S-Layer-Associated Protein BslO at the Cell Septa of Bacillus anthracis

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Kern, Valerie J.; Kern, Justin W.; Theriot, Julie A.; Schneewind, Olaf

2012-01-01

The Gram-positive pathogen Bacillus anthracis contains 24 genes whose products harbor the structurally conserved surface-layer (S-layer) homology (SLH) domain. Proteins endowed with the SLH domain associate with the secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) following secretion. Two such proteins, Sap and EA1, have the unique ability to self-assemble into a paracrystalline layer on the surface of bacilli and form S layers. Other SLH domain proteins can also be found within the S layer and have been designated Bacillus S-layer-associated protein (BSLs). While both S-layer proteins and BSLs bind the same SCWP, their deposition on the cell surface is not random. For example, BslO is targeted to septal peptidoglycan zones, where it catalyzes the separation of daughter cells. Here we show that an insertional lesion in the sap structural gene results in elongated chains of bacilli, as observed with a bslO mutant. The chain length of the sap mutant can be reduced by the addition of purified BslO in the culture medium. This complementation in trans can be explained by an increased deposition of BslO onto the surface of sap mutant bacilli that extends beyond chain septa. Using fluorescence microscopy, we observed that the Sap S layer does not overlap the EA1 S layer and slowly yields to the EA1 S layer in a growth-phase-dependent manner. Although present all over bacilli, Sap S-layer patches are not observed at septa. Thus, we propose that the dynamic Sap/EA1 S-layer coverage of the envelope restricts the deposition of BslO to the SCWP at septal rings. PMID:22609927
A study of the thermal denaturation of the S-layer protein from Lactobacillus salivarius

Science.gov (United States)

Lighezan, Liliana; Georgieva, Ralitsa; Neagu, Adrian

2012-09-01

Surface layer (S-layer) proteins display an intrinsic self-assembly property, forming monomolecular crystalline arrays, identified in outermost structures of the cell envelope in many organisms, such as bacteria and archaea. Isolated S-layer proteins also possess the ability to recrystallize into regular lattices, being used in biotechnological applications, such as controlling the architecture of biomimetic surfaces. To this end, the stability of the S-layer proteins under high-temperature conditions is very important. In this study, the S-layer protein has been isolated from Lactobacillus salivarius 16 strain of human origin, and purified by cation-exchange chromatography. Using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, we have investigated the thermal denaturation of the S-layer protein. The far- and near-UV CD spectra have been collected, and the temperature dependence of the CD signal in these spectral domains has been analyzed. The variable temperature results show that the secondary and tertiary structures of the S-layer protein change irreversibly due to the heating of the sample. After the cooling of the heated protein, the secondary and tertiary structures are partially recovered. The denaturation curves show that the protein unfolding depends on the sample concentration and on the heating rate. The secondary and tertiary structures of the protein suffer changes in the same temperature range. We have also detected an intermediate state in the protein denaturation pathway. Our results on the thermal behavior of the S-layer protein may be important for the use of S-layer proteins in biotechnological applications, as well as for a better understanding of the structure and function of S-layer proteins.
Two Outer Membrane Proteins Contribute to Caulobacter crescentus Cellular Fitness by Preventing Intracellular S-Layer Protein Accumulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Overton, K. Wesley; Park, Dan M.; Yung, Mimi C.; Dohnalkova, Alice; Smit, John; Jiao, Yongqin

2016-09-23

ABSTRACT
Surface layers, or S-layers, are two-dimensional protein arrays that form the outermost layer of many bacteria and archaea. They serve several functions, including physical protection of the cell from environmental threats. The high abundance of S-layer proteins necessitates a highly efficient export mechanism to transport the S-layer protein from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior.Caulobacter crescentusis unique in that it has two homologous, seemingly redundant outer membrane proteins, RsaF_aand RsaF_b, which together with other components form a type I protein translocation pathway for S-layer export. These proteins have homology toEscherichia coliTolC, the outer membrane channel of multidrug efflux pumps. Here we provide evidence that, unlike TolC, RsaF_aand RsaF_bare not involved in either the maintenance of membrane stability or the active export of antimicrobial compounds. Rather, RsaF_aand RsaF_bare required to prevent intracellular accumulation and aggregation of the S-layer protein RsaA; deletion of RsaF_aand RsaF_bled to a general growth defect and lowered cellular fitness. Using Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that loss of both RsaF_aand RsaF_bled to accumulation of insoluble RsaA in the cytoplasm, which in turn caused upregulation of a number of genes involved in protein misfolding and degradation pathways. These findings provide new insight into the requirement for RsaF_aand RsaF_bin cellular fitness and tolerance to antimicrobial agents and further our understanding of the S-layer export mechanism on both the transcriptional and translational levels in
Conserved S-Layer-Associated Proteins Revealed by Exoproteomic Survey of S-Layer-Forming Lactobacilli

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Brant R.; Hymes, Jeffrey; Sanozky-Dawes, Rosemary; Henriksen, Emily DeCrescenzo

2015-01-01

The Lactobacillus acidophilus homology group comprises Gram-positive species that include L. acidophilus, L. helveticus, L. crispatus, L. amylovorus, L. gallinarum, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. gasseri, and L. johnsonii. While these bacteria are closely related, they have varied ecological lifestyles as dairy and food fermenters, allochthonous probiotics, or autochthonous commensals of the host gastrointestinal tract. Bacterial cell surface components play a critical role in the molecular dialogue between bacteria and interaction signaling with the intestinal mucosa. Notably, the L. acidophilus complex is distinguished in two clades by the presence or absence of S-layers, which are semiporous crystalline arrays of self-assembling proteinaceous subunits found as the outermost layer of the bacterial cell wall. In this study, S-layer-associated proteins (SLAPs) in the exoproteomes of various S-layer-forming Lactobacillus species were proteomically identified, genomically compared, and transcriptionally analyzed. Four gene regions encoding six putative SLAPs were conserved in the S-layer-forming Lactobacillus species but not identified in the extracts of the closely related progenitor, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, which does not produce an S-layer. Therefore, the presence or absence of an S-layer has a clear impact on the exoproteomic composition of Lactobacillus species. This proteomic complexity and differences in the cell surface properties between S-layer- and non-S-layer-forming lactobacilli reveal the potential for SLAPs to mediate intimate probiotic interactions and signaling with the host intestinal mucosa. PMID:26475115
Interaction of S-layer proteins of Lactobacillus kefir with model membranes and cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollmann, Axel; Delfederico, Lucrecia; Santos, Nuno C; Disalvo, E Anibal; Semorile, Liliana

2018-06-01

In previous works, it was shown that S-layer proteins from Lactobacillus kefir were able to recrystallize and stabilize liposomes, this feature reveling a great potential for developing liposomal-based carriers. Despite previous studies on this subject are important milestones, a number of questions remain unanswered. In this context, the feasibility of S-layer proteins as a biomaterial for drug delivery was evaluated in this work. First, S-layer proteins were fully characterized by electron microscopy, 2D-electrophoresis, and anionic exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Afterward, interactions of S-layer proteins with model lipid membranes were evaluated, showing that proteins adsorb to the lipid surface following a non-fickean or anomalous diffusion, when positively charged lipid were employed, suggesting that electrostatic interaction is a key factor in the recrystallization process on these proteins. Finally, the interaction of S-layer coated liposomes with Caco-2 cell line was assessed: First, cytotoxicity of formulations was tested showing no cytotoxic effects in S-layer coated vesicles. Second, by flow cytometry, it was observed an increased ability to transfer cargo molecules into Caco-2 cells from S-layer coated liposomes in comparison to control ones. All data put together, supports the idea that a combination of adhesive properties of S-layer proteins concomitant with higher stability of S-layer coated liposomes represents an exciting starting point in the development of new drug carriers.
The secondary structure and the thermal unfolding parameters of the S-layer protein from Lactobacillus salivarius.

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Lighezan, Liliana; Georgieva, Ralitsa; Neagu, Adrian

2016-09-01

Surface layer (S-layer) proteins have been identified in the cell envelope of many organisms, such as bacteria and archaea. They self-assemble, forming monomolecular crystalline arrays. Isolated S-layer proteins are able to recrystallize into regular lattices, which proved useful in biotechnology. Here we investigate the structure and thermal unfolding of the S-layer protein isolated from Lactobacillus salivarius 16 strain of human origin. Using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and the software CDSSTR from DICHROWEB, CONTINLL from CDPro, as well as CDNN, we assess the fractions of the protein's secondary structural elements at temperatures ranging between 10 and 90 °C, and predict the tertiary class of the protein. To study the thermal unfolding of the protein, we analyze the temperature dependence of the CD signal in the far- and near-UV domains. Fitting the experimental data by two- and three-state models of thermal unfolding, we infer the midpoint temperatures, the temperature dependence of the changes in Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of the unfolding transitions in standard conditions, and the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constant. We also estimate the changes in heat capacity at constant pressure in standard conditions. The results indicate that the thermal unfolding of the S-layer protein from L. salivarius is highly cooperative, since changes in the secondary and tertiary structures occur simultaneously. The thermodynamic analysis predicts a "cold" transition, at about -3 °C, of both the secondary and tertiary structures. Our findings may be important for the use of S-layer proteins in biotechnology and in biomedical applications.
A Highly Expressed High-Molecular-Weight S-Layer Complex of Pelosinus sp. Strain UFO1 Binds Uranium

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Thorgersen, Michael P. [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Lancaster, W. Andrew [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Rajeev, Lara [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biological Systems and Engineering Division; Ge, Xiaoxuan [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Vaccaro, Brian J. [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Poole, Farris L. [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Arkin, Adam P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biological Systems and Engineering Division; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biological Systems and Engineering Division; Adams, Michael W. W. [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

2016-12-02

Cell suspensions of Pelosinus sp. strain UFO1 were previously shown, using spectroscopic analysis, to sequester uranium as U(IV) complexed with carboxyl and phosphoryl group ligands on proteins. The goal of our present study was to characterize the proteins involved in uranium binding. Virtually all of the uranium in UFO1 cells was associated with a heterodimeric protein, which was termed the uranium-binding complex (UBC). The UBC was composed of two S-layer domain proteins encoded by UFO1_4202 and UFO1_4203. Samples of UBC purified from the membrane fraction contained 3.3 U atoms/heterodimer, but significant amounts of phosphate were not detected. The UBC had an estimated molecular mass by gel filtration chromatography of 15 MDa, and it was proposed to contain 150 heterodimers (UFO1_4203 and UFO1_4202) and about 500 uranium atoms. The UBC was also the dominant extracellular protein, but when purified from the growth medium, it contained only 0.3 U atoms/heterodimer. The two genes encoding the UBC were among the most highly expressed genes within the UFO1 genome, and their expressions were unchanged by the presence or absence of uranium. Therefore, the UBC appears to be constitutively expressed and is the first line of defense against uranium, including by secretion into the extracellular medium. Although S-layer proteins were previously shown to bind U(VI), here we showed that U(IV) binds to S-layer proteins, we identified the proteins involved, and we quantitated the amount of uranium bound. Widespread uranium contamination from industrial sources poses hazards to human health and to the environment. Here in this paper, we identified a highly abundant uranium-binding complex (UBC) from Pelosinus sp. strain UFO1. The complex makes up the primary protein component of the S-layer of strain UFO1 and binds 3.3 atoms of U(IV) per heterodimer. Finally, while other bacteria have been shown to bind U(VI) on their S-layer, we demonstrate here an example of U(IV) bound by
Bacterial S-layer protein coupling to lipids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weygand, M.; Wetzer, B.; Pum, D.

1999-01-01

structure before and after protein recrystallization shows minimal reorganization of the lipid chains. By contrast, the lipid headgroups show major rearrangements. For the B. sphaericus CCM2177 protein underneath DPPE monolayers, x-ray reflectivity data suggest that amino acid side chains intercalate......The coupling of bacterial surface (S)-layer proteins to lipid membranes is studied in molecular detail for proteins from Bacillus sphaericus CCM2177 and B. coagulans E38-66 recrystallized at dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) monolayers on aqueous buffer. A comparison of the monolayer...... the lipid headgroups at least to the phosphate moieties, and probably further beyond. The number of electrons in the headgroup region increases by more than four per lipid. Analysis of the changes of the deduced electron density profiles in terms of a molecular interpretation shows...
S-layer fusion protein as a tool functionalizing emulsomes and CurcuEmulsomes for antibody binding and targeting.

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Ucisik, Mehmet H; Küpcü, Seta; Breitwieser, Andreas; Gelbmann, Nicola; Schuster, Bernhard; Sleytr, Uwe B

2015-04-01

Selective targeting of tumor cells by nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems is highly desirable because it maximizes the drug concentration at the desired target while simultaneously protecting the surrounding healthy tissues. Here, we show a design for smart nanocarriers based on a biomimetic approach that utilizes the building principle of virus envelope structures. Emulsomes and CurcuEmulsomes comprising a tripalmitin solid core surrounded by phospholipid layers are modified by S-layer proteins that self-assemble into a two-dimensional array to form a surface layer. One significant advantage of this nanoformulation is that it increases the solubility of the lipophilic anti-cancer agent curcumin in the CurcuEmulsomes by a factor of 2700. In order to make the emulsomes specific for IgG, the S-layer protein is fused with two protein G domains. This S-layer fusion protein preserves its recrystallization characteristics, forming an ordered surface layer (square lattice with 13 nm unit-by-unit distance). The GG domains are presented in a predicted orientation and exhibit a selective binding affinity for IgG. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
S-Layer Based Bio-Imprinting - Synthetic S-Layer Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-09

AFRL-OSR-VA-TR-2015-0161 S-Layer Based Bio- Imprinting - Synthetic S-Layer Polymers Dietmar Pum ZENTRUM FUER NANOBIOTECHNOLOGIE Final Report 07/09...COVERED (From - To) 01-06-2012 to 31-05-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE S-Layer Based Bio- Imprinting - Synthetic S-Layer Polymers 5a. CONTRACT...technology for the fabrication of nano patterned thin film imprints by using functional S-layer protein arrays as templates. The unique feature of
Expression, secretion and antigenic variation of bacterial S-layer proteins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boot, H.J.; Pouwels, P.H.

1996-01-01

The function of the S-layer, a regularly arranged structure on the outside of numerous bacteria, appears to be different for bacteria living in different environments. Almost no similarity exists between the primary sequences of S-proteins, although their amino acid composition is comparable.
High level heterologous protein production in Lactococcus and Lactobacillus using a new secretion system based on the Lactobacillus brevis S-layer signals.

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Savijoki, K; Kahala, M; Palva, A

1997-02-28

A secretion cassette, based on the expression and secretion signals of a S-layer protein (SlpA) from Lactobacillus brevis, was constructed. E. coli beta-lactamase (Bla) was used as the reporter protein to determine the functionality of the S-layer signals for heterologous expression and secretion in Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus casei using a low-copy-number plasmid derived from pGK12. In all hosts tested, the bla gene was expressed under the slpA signals and all Bla activity was secreted to the culture medium. The Lb. brevis S-layer promoters were very efficiently recognized in L. lactis, Lb. brevis and Lb. plantarum, whereas in Lb. gasseri the slpA promoter region appeared to be recognized at a lower level and in Lb. casei the level of transcripts was below the detection limit. The production of Bla was mainly restricted to the exponential phase of growth. The highest yield of Bla was obtained with L. lactis and Lb. brevis. Without pH control, substantial degradation of Bla occurred during prolonged cultivations with all lactic acid bacteria (LAB) tested. When growing L. lactis and Lb. brevis under pH control, the Bla activity could be stabilized also at the stationary phase. L. lactis produced up to 80 mg/l of Bla which to our knowledge represents the highest amount of a heterologous protein secreted by LAB so far. The short production phase implied a very high rate of secretion with a calculated value of 5 x 10(5) Bla molecules/cell per h. Such a high rate was also observed with Lb. plantarum, whereas in Lb. brevis the competition between the wild type slpA gene and the secretion construct probably lowered the rate of Bla production. The results obtained indicate wide applicability of the Lb. brevis slpA signals for efficient protein production and secretion in LAB.
A novel carbohydrate-binding surface layer protein from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii.

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Goda, Shuichiro; Koga, Tomoyuki; Yamashita, Kenichiro; Kuriura, Ryo; Ueda, Toshifumi

2018-04-08

In Archaea and Bacteria, surface layer (S-layer) proteins form the cell envelope and are involved in cell protection. In the present study, a putative S-layer protein was purified from the crude extract of Pyrococcus horikoshii using affinity chromatography. The S-layer gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Isothermal titration calorimetry analyses showed that the S-layer protein bound N-acetylglucosamine and induced agglutination of the gram-positive bacterium Micrococcus lysodeikticus. The protein comprised a 21-mer structure, with a molecular mass of 1,340 kDa, as determined using small-angle X-ray scattering. This protein showed high thermal stability, with a midpoint of thermal denaturation of 79 °C in dynamic light scattering experiments. This is the first description of the carbohydrate-binding archaeal S-layer protein and its characteristics.
S-layer proteins from Lactobacillus sp. inhibit bacterial infection by blockage of DC-SIGN cell receptor.

Science.gov (United States)

Prado Acosta, Mariano; Ruzal, Sandra M; Cordo, Sandra M

2016-11-01

Many species of Lactobacillus sp. possess Surface(s) layer proteins in their envelope. Among other important characteristics S-layer from Lactobacillus acidophilus binds to the cellular receptor DC-SIGN (Dendritic Cell-Specific Intercellular adhesion molecule-3-Grabbing Non-integrin; CD209), which is involved in adhesion and infection of several families of bacteria. In this report we investigate the activity of new S-layer proteins from the Lactobacillus family (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus kefiri) over the infection of representative microorganisms important to human health. After the treatment of DC-SIGN expressing cells with these proteins, we were able to diminish bacterial infection by up to 79% in both gram negative and mycobacterial models. We discovered that pre-treatment of the bacteria with S-layers from Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus brevis reduced bacteria viability but also prevent infection by the pathogenic bacteria. We also proved the importance of the glycosylation of the S-layer from Lactobacillus kefiri in the binding to the receptor and thus inhibition of infection. This novel characteristic of the S-layers proteins may contribute to the already reported pathogen exclusion activity for these Lactobacillus probiotic strains; and might be also considered as a novel enzymatic antimicrobial agents to inhibit bacterial infection and entry to host cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The structure of the S-layer of Clostridium difficile.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, William J; Roberts, April K; Shone, Clifford C; Acharya, K Ravi

2018-03-01

The nosocomially acquired pathogen Clostridium difficile is the primary causative agent of antibiotic associated diarrhoea and causes tens of thousands of deaths globally each year. C. difficile presents a paracrystalline protein array on the surface of the cell known as an S-layer. S-layers have been demonstrated to possess a wide range of important functions, which, combined with their inherent accessibility, makes them a promising drug target. The unusually complex S-layer of C. difficile is primarily comprised of the high- and low- molecular weight S-layer proteins, HMW SLP and LMW SLP, formed from the cleavage of the S-layer precursor protein, SlpA, but may also contain up to 28 SlpA paralogues. A model of how the S-layer functions as a whole is required if it is to be exploited in fighting the bacterium. Here, we provide a summary of what is known about the S-layer of C. difficile and each of the paralogues and, considering some of the domains present, suggest potential roles for them.
Heterologous protein display on the cell surface of lactic acid bacteria mediated by the s-layer protein

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Han Lanlan

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous studies have revealed that the C-terminal region of the S-layer protein from Lactobacillus is responsible for the cell wall anchoring, which provide an approach for targeting heterologous proteins to the cell wall of lactic acid bacteria (LAB. In this study, we developed a new surface display system in lactic acid bacteria with the C-terminal region of S-layer protein SlpB of Lactobacillus crispatus K2-4-3 isolated from chicken intestine. Results Multiple sequence alignment revealed that the C-terminal region (LcsB of Lb. crispatus K2-4-3 SlpB had a high similarity with the cell wall binding domains SA and CbsA of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lb. crispatus. To evaluate the potential application as an anchoring protein, the green fluorescent protein (GFP or beta-galactosidase (Gal was fused to the N-terminus of the LcsB region, and the fused proteins were successfully produced in Escherichia coli, respectively. After mixing them with the non-genetically modified lactic acid bacteria cells, the fused GFP-LcsB and Gal-LcsB were functionally associated with the cell surface of various lactic acid bacteria tested. In addition, the binding capacity could be improved by SDS pretreatment. Moreover, both of the fused proteins could simultaneously bind to the surface of a single cell. Furthermore, when the fused DNA fragment of gfp:lcsB was inserted into the Lactococcus lactis expression vector pSec:Leiss:Nuc, the GFP could not be secreted into the medium under the control of the nisA promoter. Western blot, in-gel fluorescence assay, immunofluorescence microscopy and SDS sensitivity analysis confirmed that the GFP was successfully expressed onto the cell surface of L. lactis with the aid of the LcsB anchor. Conclusion The LcsB region can be used as a functional scaffold to target the heterologous proteins to the cell surfaces of lactic acid bacteria in vitro and in vivo, and has also the potential for biotechnological
Inhibition of H9N2 virus invasion into dendritic cells by the S-layer protein from L. acidophilus ATCC 4356

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Xue Gao

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Probiotics are essential for the prevention of virus invasion and the maintenance of the immune balance. However, the mechanism of competition between probiotics and virus are unknown. The objectives of this study were to isolate the surface layer (S-layer protein from L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 as a new antiviral material, to evaluate the stimulatory effects of the S-layer protein on mouse dendritic cells (DCs and to verify its ability to inhibit the invasion of H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV in DCs. We found that the S-layer protein induced DCs activation and up-regulated the IL-10 secretion. The invasion and replication of the H9N2 virus in mouse DCs was successfully demonstrated. However, the invasion of H9N2 virus into DCs could be inhibited by treatment with the S-layer protein prior to infection, which was verified by the reduced hemagglutinin (HA and neuraminidase (NA mRNA expression, and nucleoprotein (NP protein expression in the DCs. Furthermore, treatment with the S-layer protein increases the Mx1, Isg15, and Ddx58 mRNA expressions, and remits the inflammatory process to inhibit H9N2 AIV infection. In conclusion, the S-layer protein stimulates the activation of mouse DCs, inhibits H9N2 virus invasion of DCs, and stimulates the IFN-I signalling pathway. Thus, the S-layer protein from Lactobacillus is a promising biological antiviral material for AIV prevention.
High-fiber diets with reduced crude protein for commercial layers

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MFFM Praes

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at evaluating diets containing different fiber sources and two crude protein levels on the performance, egg quality, and nitrogen metabolism of commercial layers. In total, 392 48-wk-old Isa Brown layers were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 3x2+1 (control factorial arrangement, resulting in seven treatments with seven replicates of eight birds each. Treatments consisted of three fiber feedstuffs (cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, and rice hulls and two dietary crude protein levels (12% and 16%. Cottonseed hulls associated with the high crude protein level (16% resulted in the worst feed conversion ratio per dozen eggs. Diets with 16% crude protein resulted in the highest feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg mass values, and improved feed conversion ratio (kg eggs/kg feed. The dietary inclusion of soybean hulls determined low yolk pigmentation, and of rice hulls, low egg specific gravity. The 16% crude protein diet with rice hulls promoted the best feed conversion ratio. Hens fed the reference diet presented higher egg mass and better feed conversion ratio per kg eggs and per dozen eggs. Hens fed the diets with low crude protein level (12% had reduced nitrogen excretion, but presented worse egg production.
Archaeal S-Layers: Overview and Current State of the Art

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Thiago Rodrigues-Oliveira

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In contrast to bacteria, all archaea possess cell walls lacking peptidoglycan and a number of different cell envelope components have also been described. A paracrystalline protein surface layer, commonly referred to as S-layer, is present in nearly all archaea described to date. S-layers are composed of only one or two proteins and form different lattice structures. In this review, we summarize current understanding of archaeal S-layer proteins, discussing topics such as structure, lattice type distribution among archaeal phyla and glycosylation. The hexagonal lattice type is dominant within the phylum Euryarchaeota, while in the Crenarchaeota this feature is mainly associated with specific orders. S-layers exclusive to the Crenarchaeota have also been described, which are composed of two proteins. Information regarding S-layers in the remaining archaeal phyla is limited, mainly due to organism description through only culture-independent methods. Despite the numerous applied studies using bacterial S-layers, few reports have employed archaea as a study model. As such, archaeal S-layers represent an area for exploration in both basic and applied research.
Mucosal Immunogenicity of Genetically Modified Lactobacillus acidophilus Expressing an HIV-1 Epitope within the Surface Layer Protein.

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Akinobu Kajikawa

Full Text Available Surface layer proteins of probiotic lactobacilli are theoretically efficient epitope-displaying scaffolds for oral vaccine delivery due to their high expression levels and surface localization. In this study, we constructed genetically modified Lactobacillus acidophilus strains expressing the membrane proximal external region (MPER from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1 within the context of the major S-layer protein, SlpA. Intragastric immunization of mice with the recombinants induced MPER-specific and S-layer protein-specific antibodies in serum and mucosal secretions. Moreover, analysis of systemic SlpA-specific cytokines revealed that the responses appeared to be Th1 and Th17 dominant. These findings demonstrated the potential use of the Lactobacillus S-layer protein for development of oral vaccines targeting specific peptides.
Metal ion-specific thermal stability of bacterial S-Layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drobot, Bjoern; Raff, Johannes [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Div. Biogeochemistry; Fahmy, Karim [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Div. Biophysics

2016-07-01

Many bacteria are covered by a surface layer (S-layer), i.e., a para-crystalline two-dimensional array of proteins which control cell shape, act as molecular sieves and have potential applications as radionuclide-binding material for bioremediation of polluted areas. Knowledge and control of the metal-dependent stability of the purified proteins is required for their technical application. Here, we have explored by differential scanning calorimetry the thermal stability of the S-layer protein slp-B53 from Lysinibacillus sphaericus, a Gram-positive bacterium isolated from a uranium mining waste pile [1].
Calcium dependent formation of tubular assemblies by recombinant S-layer proteins in vivo and in vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Korkmaz, Nuriye; Ostermann, Kai; Rödel, Gerhard

2011-03-01

Surface layer proteins have the appealing property to self-assemble in nanosized arrays in solution and on solid substrates. In this work, we characterize the formation of assembly structures of the recombinant surface layer protein SbsC of Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATTC 12980, which was tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein and expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The tubular structures formed by the protein in vivo are retained upon bursting the cells by osmotic shock; however, their average length is decreased. During dialysis, monomers obtained by treatment with chaotropic chemicals recrystallize again to form tube-like structures. This process is strictly dependent on calcium (Ca2 + ) ions, with an optimal concentration of 10 mM. Further increase of the Ca2 + concentration results in multiple non-productive nucleation points. We further show that the lengths of the S-layer assemblies increase with time and can be controlled by pH. After 48 h, the average length at pH 9.0 is 4.13 µm compared to 2.69 µm at pH 5.5. Successful chemical deposition of platinum indicates the potential of recrystallized mSbsC-eGFP structures for nanobiotechnological applications.
HPTLC-aptastaining - Innovative protein detection system for high-performance thin-layer chromatography

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Morschheuser, Lena; Wessels, Hauke; Pille, Christina; Fischer, Judith; Hünniger, Tim; Fischer, Markus; Paschke-Kratzin, Angelika; Rohn, Sascha

2016-05-01

Protein analysis using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is not commonly used but can complement traditional electrophoretic and mass spectrometric approaches in a unique way. Due to various detection protocols and possibilities for hyphenation, HPTLC protein analysis is a promising alternative for e.g., investigating posttranslational modifications. This study exemplarily focused on the investigation of lysozyme, an enzyme which is occurring in eggs and technologically added to foods and beverages such as wine. The detection of lysozyme is mandatory, as it might trigger allergenic reactions in sensitive individuals. To underline the advantages of HPTLC in protein analysis, the development of innovative, highly specific staining protocols leads to improved sensitivity for protein detection on HPTLC plates in comparison to universal protein derivatization reagents. This study aimed at developing a detection methodology for HPTLC separated proteins using aptamers. Due to their affinity and specificity towards a wide range of targets, an aptamer based staining procedure on HPTLC (HPTLC-aptastaining) will enable manifold analytical possibilities. Besides the proof of its applicability for the very first time, (i) aptamer-based staining of proteins is applicable on different stationary phase materials and (ii) furthermore, it can be used as an approach for a semi-quantitative estimation of protein concentrations.
High-pressure polymorphism of As2S3 and new AsS2 modification with layered structure

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Bolotina, N. B.; Brazhkin, V. V.; Dyuzheva, T. I.; Katayama, Y.; Kulikova, L. F.; Lityagina, L. V.; Nikolaev, N. A.

2014-01-01

At normal pressure, the As2S3 compound is the most stable equilibrium modification with unique layered structure. The possibility of high-pressure polymorphism of this substance remains questionable. Our research showed that the As2S3 substance was metastable under pressures P > 6 GPa decomposing into two high-pressure phases: As2S3 → AsS2 + AsS. New AsS2 phase can be conserved in the single crystalline form in metastable state at room pressure up to its melting temperature (470 K). This modification has the layered structure with P1211 monoclinic symmetry group; the unit-cell values are a = 7.916(2) Å, b = 9.937(2) Å, c = 7.118(1) Å, β = 106.41° ( Z = 8, density 3.44 g/cm3). Along with the recently studied AsS high-pressure modification, the new AsS2 phase suggests that high pressure polymorphism is a very powerful tool to create new layered-structure phases with "wrong" stoichiometry.
Assembly and Function of the Bacillus anthracis S-Layer.

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Missiakas, Dominique; Schneewind, Olaf

2017-09-08

Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax agent, is a member of the Bacillus cereus sensu lato group, which includes invasive pathogens of mammals or insects as well as nonpathogenic environmental strains. The genes for anthrax pathogenesis are located on two large virulence plasmids. Similar virulence plasmids have been acquired by other B. cereus strains and enable the pathogenesis of anthrax-like diseases. Among the virulence factors of B. anthracis is the S-layer-associated protein BslA, which endows bacilli with invasive attributes for mammalian hosts. BslA surface display and function are dependent on the bacterial S-layer, whose constituents assemble by binding to the secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) via S-layer homology (SLH) domains. B. anthracis and other pathogenic B. cereus isolates harbor genes for the secretion of S-layer proteins, for S-layer assembly, and for synthesis of the SCWP. We review here recent insights into the assembly and function of the S-layer and the SCWP.
The structure and assembly of surface layer proteins : a combined approach of in silico and experimental methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horejs, C.

2011-01-01

Self-assembly of matter is one of nature's most sophisticated strategies to organize molecules on a large scale and to create order from disorder. Surface (S-)layer proteins self-assemble in a highly reproducible and robust fashion in order to form crystalline layers that completely cover and protect prokaryotic cells. Long conserved during evolution, S-layers constitute a unique model system to study the molecular mechanisms of functional self-assembly, while additionally, they provide a basic matrix for the specific construction of ordered nanostructures. Due to their intrinsic capabilities to self-assemble into two-dimensional crystals, the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of single S-layer proteins demands an approach beyond conventional structure determination methods. In this work, computer simulations were combined with experimental techniques in order to study the structure and intra- and intermolecular potentials guiding the proteins to self-assemble into lattices with different symmetries. Molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo methods, small-angle X-ray scattering involving a new theoretical description, and AFM-based single-molecule force spectroscopy yield new insights into the three-dimensional structure of S-layer proteins, the location, type and distribution of amino acids in S-layer lattices, the molecular mechanisms behind the self-assembly process, the mechanical stability and adaptive structural conformations that S-layer proteins are able to establish. In silico studies - embedded in an adequate experimental and theoretical scaffold - offer the possibility to calculate structural and thermodynamic features of proteins, while this work demonstrates the growing impact of such theoretical techniques in the fascinating field of biophysics at the nano-scale. (author) [de
Self-Healing Textile: Enzyme Encapsulated Layer-by-Layer Structural Proteins.

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Gaddes, David; Jung, Huihun; Pena-Francesch, Abdon; Dion, Genevieve; Tadigadapa, Srinivas; Dressick, Walter J; Demirel, Melik C

2016-08-10

Self-healing materials, which enable an autonomous repair response to damage, are highly desirable for the long-term reliability of woven or nonwoven textiles. Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer (LbL) films are of considerable interest as self-healing coatings due to the mobility of the components comprising the film. In this work mechanically stable self-healing films were fabricated through construction of a polyelectrolyte LbL film containing squid ring teeth (SRT) proteins. SRTs are structural proteins with unique self-healing properties and high elastic modulus in both dry and wet conditions (>2 GPa) due to their semicrystalline architecture. We demonstrate LbL construction of multilayers containing native and recombinant SRT proteins capable of self-healing defects. Additionally, we show these films are capable of utilizing functional biomolecules by incorporating an enzyme into the SRT multilayer. Urease was chosen as a model enzyme of interest to test its activity via fluorescence assay. Successful construction of the SRT films demonstrates the use of mechanically stable self-healing coatings, which can incorporate biomolecules for more complex protective functionalities for advanced functional fabrics.
Lactobacillus kefiri shows inter-strain variations in the amino acid sequence of the S-layer proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Malamud, Mariano; Carasi, Paula; Bronsoms, Sílvia; Trejo, Sebastián A; Serradell, María de Los Angeles

2017-04-01

The S-layer is a proteinaceous envelope constituted by subunits that self-assemble to form a two-dimensional lattice that covers the surface of different species of Bacteria and Archaea, and it could be involved in cell recognition of microbes among other several distinct functions. In this work, both proteomic and genomic approaches were used to gain knowledge about the sequences of the S-layer protein (SLPs) encoding genes expressed by six aggregative and sixteen non-aggregative strains of potentially probiotic Lactobacillus kefiri. Peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) analysis confirmed the identity of SLPs extracted from L. kefiri, and based on the homology with phylogenetically related species, primers located outside and inside the SLP-genes were employed to amplify genomic DNA. The O-glycosylation site SASSAS was found in all L. kefiri SLPs. Ten strains were selected for sequencing of the complete genes. The total length of the mature proteins varies from 492 to 576 amino acids, and all SLPs have a calculated pI between 9.37 and 9.60. The N-terminal region is relatively conserved and shows a high percentage of positively charged amino acids. Major differences among strains are found in the C-terminal region. Different groups could be distinguished regarding the mature SLPs and the similarities observed in the PMF spectra. Interestingly, SLPs of the aggregative strains are 100% homologous, although these strains were isolated from different kefir grains. This knowledge provides relevant data for better understanding of the mechanisms involved in SLPs functionality and could contribute to the development of products of biotechnological interest from potentially probiotic bacteria.
In Vitro Characterization of the Two-Stage Non-Classical Reassembly Pathway of S-Layers

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Andreas Breitwieser

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The recombinant bacterial surface layer (S-layer protein rSbpA of Lysinibacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 is an ideal model system to study non-classical nucleation and growth of protein crystals at surfaces since the recrystallization process may be separated into two distinct steps: (i adsorption of S-layer protein monomers on silicon surfaces is completed within 5 min and the amount of bound S-layer protein sufficient for the subsequent formation of a closed crystalline monolayer; (ii the recrystallization process is triggered—after washing away the unbound S-layer protein—by the addition of a CaCl2 containing buffer solution, and completed after approximately 2 h. The entire self-assembly process including the formation of amorphous clusters, the subsequent transformation into crystalline monomolecular arrays, and finally crystal growth into extended lattices was investigated by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D and atomic force microscopy (AFM. Moreover, contact angle measurements showed that the surface properties of S-layers change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic as the crystallization proceeds. This two-step approach is new in basic and application driven S-layer research and, most likely, will have advantages for functionalizing surfaces (e.g., by spray-coating with tailor-made biological sensing layers.
High performance CaS solar-blind ultraviolet photodiodes fabricated by seed-layer-assisted growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Qing Lin; Lai, Ying Hoi; Sou, Iam Keong; Liu, Yi; Beltjens, Emeline; Qi, Jie

2015-01-01

CaS, with a direct bandgap of 5.38 eV, is expected to be a strong candidate as the active-layer of high performance solar-blind UV photodiodes that have important applications in both civilian and military sectors. Here, we report that a seed-layer-assisted growth approach via molecular beam epitaxy can result in high crystalline quality rocksalt CaS thin films on zincblende GaAs substrates. The Au/CaS/GaAs solar-blind photodiodes demonstrated , more than five orders in its visible rejection power, a photoresponse of 36.8 mA/w at zero bias and a corresponding quantum efficiency as high as 19% at 235 nm
Bacterial surface layer proteins as a novel capillary coating material for capillary electrophoretic separations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moreno-Gordaliza, Estefanía, E-mail: emorenog@ucm.es [Division of Analytical Biosciences, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Universiteit Leiden, Einsteinweg 55, 2300, RA, Leiden (Netherlands); Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Stigter, Edwin C.A. [Division of Analytical Biosciences, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Universiteit Leiden, Einsteinweg 55, 2300, RA, Leiden (Netherlands); Department of Molecular Cancer Research, Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Wilhelmina Kinder Ziekenhuis, Lundlaan 6, 3584, EA Utrecht (Netherlands); Lindenburg, Petrus W.; Hankemeier, Thomas [Division of Analytical Biosciences, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Universiteit Leiden, Einsteinweg 55, 2300, RA, Leiden (Netherlands)

2016-06-07

A novel concept for stable coating in capillary electrophoresis, based on recrystallization of surface layer proteins on hydrophobized fused silica capillaries, was demonstrated. Surface layer protein A (SlpA) from Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria was extracted, purified and used for coating pre-silanized glass substrates presenting different surface wettabilities (either hydrophobic or hydrophilic). Contact angle determination on SlpA-coated hydrophobic silica slides showed that the surfaces turned to hydrophilic after coating (53 ± 5°), due to a protein monolayer formation by protein-surface hydrophobic interactions. Visualization by atomic force microscopy demonstrated the presence of a SlpA layer on methylated silica slides displaying a surface roughness of 0.44 ± 0.02 nm. Additionally, a protein layer was visualized by fluorescence microscopy in methylated silica capillaries coated with SlpA and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled. The SlpA-coating showed an outstanding stability, even after treatment with 20 mM NaOH (pH 12.3). The electroosmotic flow in coated capillaries showed a partial suppression at pH 7.50 (3.8 ± 0.5 10{sup −9} m{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}) when compared with unmodified fused silica (5.9 ± 0.1 10{sup −8} m{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}). To demonstrate the potential of this novel coating, the SlpA-coated capillaries were applied for the first time for electrophoretic separation, and proved to be very suitable for the isotachophoretic separation of lipoproteins in human serum. The separations showed a high degree of repeatability (absolute migration times with 1.1–1.8% coefficient-of-variation (CV) within a day) and 2–3% CV inter-capillary reproducibility. The capillaries were stable for more than 100 runs at pH 9.40, and showed to be an exceptional alternative for challenging electrophoretic separations at long-term use. - Highlights: • New coating using recrystallized surface-layer proteins on
Potential and limitations of S-layers as support for planar lipid bilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiene, E.

2011-01-01

A huge step in the development of life was most certainly the formation of lipid membranes and the resulting possibility for generating confined volumes, structurally discrete from the environment. Yet, communication had to be maintained with the outside world, so these membrane borders were populated with functional units, like membrane receptors and transporters, enabling the exchange of material, energy and information. Therefore, from a scientific point of view, the requirement for analysis platforms for membrane proteins incorporated into model membrane scaffolds emerged. The membrane systems hosting arbitrary membrane proteins are desired to unite the features of stability and fluidity and to provide a quasi natural environment for the membrane proteins in order to maintain their structure and function. In the current state of the art there are hardly any relevant fluid membrane models, which is why in this project a prokaryotic protein-lipid architecture was mimicked as a promising supportive system for biological membranes. A large number of bacteria and archaea envelope their outer cell membrane with a proteinaceous lattice, the so-called surface- or S-layer. The present work deals with S-layer protein lattices as a support for anchored lipid bilayers. S-layer proteins show the intrinsic ability to self-assemble into periodically structured, two-dimensional patterns with a porous character. Genetic or chemical modification of the proteinaceous crystal layers can provide regularly spread binding moieties for functionalised lipids as components of a lipid membrane. In this project, a wildtype S-layer (SbpA from L. sphaericus exhibiting p4 lattice symmetry) was chemically activated to provide anchors for amino-functionalised lipids; and in a genetic approach a recombinant, HIS-tagged derivative was used for attracting Ni-functionalised lipids. The latter method seemed a more elegant way of lipid binding, since the anchoring regions were more regularly spread
Binding properties of a streptavidin layer formed on a biotinylated Langmuir–Schaefer film of unfolded protein

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furuno, Taiji, E-mail: t_furuno@a8.keio.jp

2016-04-01

A Langmuir monolayer of carbonic anhydrase (CA) unfolded at an air/water interface was transferred onto the hydrophobic surface of a silicon wafer by means of the Langmuir–Schaefer technique. The transferred CA film was biotinylated and was incubated in a streptavidin (SAv) solution to obtain a densely packed SAv layer by biotin–SAv linkage. Biotinylated proteins including ferritin, catalase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and carbonic anhydrase were incubated with the SAv layer and binding of these proteins was examined by atomic force microscopy. High-density binding of the biotinylated proteins was observed, whereas the amount of adsorbed non-biotinylated proteins was low or negligible. The SAv layer on the Langmuir–Schaefer film of unfolded protein could become a basic architecture for protein immobilization studies. - Highlights: • Langmuir–Schaefer film of carbonic anhydrase (LSF-CA) was biotinylated. • A densely packed streptavidin (SAv) layer was formed on the biotinylated LSF-CA. • Biotinylated proteins were bound to the SAv layer at high density. • Nonspecific adsorption of intact proteins to the SAv layer was weak. • Atomic force microscopy showed the binding of proteins at molecular resolution.
High temperature study on the thermal properties of few-layer Mo0.5W0.5S2 and effects of capping layers

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Hong Gu

Full Text Available We investigated the thermal properties of few-layer Mo0.5W0.5S2 using a series of samples with different kinds of capping layers. Temperature-dependent Raman measurements were conducted in the range of 300–500 K, with power-dependent measurements also carried out. It indicated, for the few-layer Mo0.5W0.5S2, the temperature coefficients of the WS2-like E12g mode, MoS2-like E12g mode and A1g mode were −0.0155 cm−1/K, −0.0146 cm−1/K, and −0.0130 cm−1/K, respectively. And the thermal conductivity was estimated to be 44.8 W/mK. Moreover, the Mo0.5W0.5S2 samples coated with capping layers (ZrO2, HfO2 both showed a better thermal stability and a larger thermal conductivity than the one without. The results revealed that the capping layer should be an important factor in the thermal property. Keywords: Mo0.5W0.5S2, TMDs, Thermal properties, High temperature, Capping layers, Raman

Layer-by-Layer Hybrids of MoS2 and Reduced Graphene Oxide for Lithium Ion Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jing, Yu; Ortiz-Quiles, Edwin O.; Cabrera, Carlos R.; Chen, Zhongfang; Zhou, Zhen

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Layer-by-layer MoS 2 /rGO hybrids were prepared by rGO involved lithiation-exfoliation method. • This hybrid exhibited enhanced electrochemical performances due to the existence of rGO. • The roles of rGO in different charging/discharging processes were interpreted by computations. - Abstract: Two-dimensional MoS 2 shows great potential for effective Li storage due to its good thermal and chemical stability, high theoretical capacity, and experimental accessibility. However, the poor electrical conductivity and the restacking tendency significantly restrict its applications to lithium ion batteries (LIBs). To overcome these problems, we introduced reduced graphene oxides (rGO) to the intercalation-exfoliation preparation process of few-layered MoS 2 and obtained layer-by-layer MoS 2 /rGO hybrids. With the addition of rGO, the restacking of MoS 2 layers was apparently inhibited, and MoS 2 with 1 ∼ 3 layers was obtained in the composite. Due to the positive role of rGO, MoS 2 /rGO hybrids exhibited highly enhanced cyclic stability and high-rate performances as LIB anodes in comparison with bare MoS 2 layers or bulk MoS 2 . Moreover, the experimental results were well interpreted through density functional theory computations
Identification and functional analysis of the S-layer protein SplA of Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood of honey bees.

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Lena Poppinga

Full Text Available The gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae is the etiological agent of American Foulbrood (AFB, a globally occurring, deathly epizootic of honey bee brood. AFB outbreaks are predominantly caused by two genotypes of P. larvae, ERIC I and ERIC II, with P. larvae ERIC II being the more virulent genotype on larval level. Recently, comparative proteome analyses have revealed that P. larvae ERIC II but not ERIC I might harbour a functional S-layer protein, named SplA. We here determine the genomic sequence of splA in both genotypes and demonstrate by in vitro self-assembly studies of recombinant and purified SplA protein in combination with electron-microscopy that SplA is a true S-layer protein self-assembling into a square 2D lattice. The existence of a functional S-layer protein is novel for this bacterial species. For elucidating the biological function of P. larvae SplA, a genetic system for disruption of gene expression in this important honey bee pathogen was developed. Subsequent analyses of in vivo biological functions of SplA were based on comparing a wild-type strain of P. larvae ERIC II with the newly constructed splA-knockout mutant of this strain. Differences in cell and colony morphology suggest that SplA is a shape-determining factor. Marked differences between P. larvae ERIC II wild-type and mutant cells with regard to (i adhesion to primary pupal midgut cells and (ii larval mortality as measured in exposure bioassays corroborate the assumption that the S-layer of P. larvae ERIC II is an important virulence factor. Since SplA is the first functionally proven virulence factor for this species, our data extend the knowledge of the molecular differences between these two genotypes of P. larvae and contribute to explaining the observed differences in virulence. These results present an immense advancement in our understanding of P. larvae pathogenesis.
Biosensing for the Environment and Defence: Aqueous Uranyl Detection Using Bacterial Surface Layer Proteins

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David J.R. Conroy

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of novel uranyl (UO22+ binding protein based sensors is reported. The new biosensor responds to picomolar levels of aqueous uranyl ions within minutes using Lysinibacillus sphaericus JG-A12 S-layer protein tethered to gold electrodes. In comparison to traditional self assembled monolayer based biosensors the porous bioconjugated layer gave greater stability, longer electrode life span and a denser protein layer. Biosensors responded specifically to UO22+ ions and showed minor interference from Ni2+, Cs+, Cd2+ and Co2+. Chemical modification of JG-A12 protein phosphate and carboxyl groups prevented UO22+ binding, showing that both moieties are involved in the recognition to UO22+.
Fast and easy protocol for the purification of recombinant S-layer protein for synthetic biology applications

KAUST Repository

Norville, Julie E.

2011-06-17

A goal of synthetic biology is to make biological systems easier to engineer. One of the aims is to design, with nanometer-scale precision, biomaterials with well-defined properties. The surface-layer protein SbpA forms 2D arrays naturally on the cell surface of Lysinibacillus sphaericus, but also as the purified protein in solution upon the addition of divalent cations. The high propensity of SbpA to form crystalline arrays, which can be simply controlled by divalent cations, and the possibility to genetically alter the protein, make SbpA an attractive molecule for synthetic biology. To be a useful tool, however, it is important that a simple protocol can be used to produce recombinant wild-type and modified SbpA in large quantities and in a biologically active form. The present study addresses this requirement by introducing a mild and non-denaturing purification protocol to produce milligram quantities of recombinant, active SbpA.
Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography mutation analysis in patients with reduced Protein S levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bathum, Lise; Münster, Anna-Marie; Nybo, Mads

2008-01-01

diagnosis and risk estimation. The aim was to design a high-throughput genetic analysis based on denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography to identify sequence variations in the gene coding for Protein S. PATIENTS: In total, 55 patients referred to the Section of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Odense......BACKGROUND: Patients with congenital Protein S deficiency have increased risk of venous thromboembolism. However, Protein S levels show large intra-individual variation and the biochemical assays have low accuracy and a high interlaboratory variability. Genetic analysis might aid in a more precise......, giving a precise diagnosis and subsequently a better risk estimation....
Surface (glyco-)proteins: primary structure and crystallization under microgravity conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Claus, H.; Akca, E.; Schultz, N.; Karbach, G.; Schlott, B.; Debaerdemaeker, T.; De Clercq, J.-P.; König, H.

2001-08-01

The Archaea comprise microorganisms that live under environmental extremes, like high temperature, low pH value or high salt concentration. Their cells are often covered by a single layer of (glyco)protein subunits (S-layer) in hexagonal arrangement. In order to get further hints about the molecular mechanisms of protein stabilization we compared the primary and secondary structures of archaeal S-layer (glyco)proteins. We found an increase of charged amino acids in the S-layer proteins of the extreme thermophilic species compared to their mesophilic counterparts. Our data and those of other authors suggest that ionic interactions, e.g., salt bridges seem to be played a major role in protein stabilization at high temperatures. Despite the differences in the growth optima and the predominance of some amino acids the primary structures of S-layers revealed also a significant degree of identity between phylogenetically related archaea. These obervations indicate that protein sequences of S-layers have been conserved during the evolution from extremely thermophilic to mesophilic life. To support these findings the three-dimensional structure of the S-layer proteins has to be elucidated. Recently, we described the first successful crystallization of an extreme thermophilic surface(glyco)protein under microgravity conditions.
Optical properties of single-layer, double-layer, and bulk MoS2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molina-Sanchez, Alejandro; Wirtz, Ludger [University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Hummer, Kerstin [University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria)

2013-07-01

The rise of graphene has brought attention also to other layered materials that can complement graphene or that can be an alternative in applications as transistors. Single-layer MoS{sub 2} has shown interesting electronic and optical properties such as as high electron mobility at room temperature and an optical bandgap of 1.8 eV. This makes the material suitable for transistors or optoelectronic devices. We present a theoretical study of the optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra of single-layer, double-layer and bulk MoS{sub 2}. The excitonic states have been calculated in the framework of the Bethe-Salpeter equation, taking into account the electron-hole interaction via the screened Coulomb potential. In addition to the step-function like behaviour that is typical for the joint-density of states of 2D materials with parabolic band dispersion, we find a bound excitonic peak that is dominating the luminescence spectra. The peak is split due to spin-orbit coupling for the single-layer and split due to layer-layer interaction for few-layer and bulk MoS{sub 2}. We discuss the changes of the optical bandgap and of the exciton binding energy with the number of layers, comparing our results with the reported experimental data.
Immobilization of bacterial S-layer proteins from Caulobacter crescentus on iron oxide-based nanocomposite: synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of zincite-coated Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Habibi, Neda

2014-05-05

Zinc oxide was coated on Fe2O3 nanoparticles using sol-gel spin-coating. Caulobacter crescentus have a crystalline surface layer (S-layer), which consist of one protein or glycoprotein species. The immobilization of bacterial S-layers obtained from C. crescentus on zincite-coated nanoparticles of iron oxide was investigated. The SDS PAGE results of S-layers isolated from C. crescentus showed the weight of 50 KDa. Nanoparticles of the Fe2O3 and zinc oxide were synthesized by a sol-gel technique. Fe2O3 nanoparticles with an average size of 50 nm were successfully prepared by the proper deposition of zinc oxide onto iron oxide nanoparticles surface annealed at 450 °C. The samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hemoglobin protein hollow shells fabricated through covalent layer-by-layer technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duan Li; He Qiang; Yan Xuehai; Cui Yue; Wang Kewei; Li Junbai

2007-01-01

Hemoglobin (Hb) protein microcapsules held together by cross-linker, glutaraldehyde (GA), were successfully fabricated by covalent layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The Schiff base reaction occurred on the colloid templates between the aldehyde groups of GA and free amino sites of Hb results in the formation of GA/Hb microcapsules after the removal of the templates. The structure of obtained monodisperse protein microcapsule was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The UV-Vis spectra measurements demonstrate the existence of Hb in the assembled capsules. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and potential-controlled amperometric measurements (I-t curve) confirm that hemoglobin microcapsules after fabrication remain their heme electroactivity. Moreover, direct electron transfer process from protein to electrode surface was performed to detect the heme electrochemistry without using any mediator or promoter. The experiments of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) by CLSM demonstrate that the hemoglobin protein microcapsules have an improved permeability comparing to the conventional polyelectrolyte microcapsules
Solar cell of 6.3% efficiency employing high deposition rate (8 nm/s) microcrystalline silicon photovoltaic layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobajima, Yasushi; Nishino, Mitsutoshi; Fukumori, Taiga; Kurihara, Masanori; Higuchi, Takuya; Nakano, Shinya; Toyama, Toshihiko; Okamoto, Hiroaki [Department of Systems Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Machikaneyama-cho 1-3, Osaka 560-8531 (Japan)

2009-06-15

Microcrystalline silicon ({mu}c-Si) films deposited at high growth rates up to 8.1 nm/s prepared by very-high-frequency-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD) at 18-24 Torr have been investigated. The relation between the deposition rates and input power revealed the depletion of silane. Under high-pressure deposition (HPD) conditions, the structural properties were improved. Furthermore, applying {mu}c-Si to n-i-p solar cells, short-circuit current density (J{sub SC}) was increased in accordance with the improvement of microstructure of i-layer. As a result, a conversion efficiency of 6.30% has been achieved employing the i-layer deposited at 8.1 nm/s under the HPD conditions. (author)
AcmB Is an S-Layer-Associated β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase and Functional Autolysin in Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Brant R; Klaenhammer, Todd R

2016-09-15

Autolysins, also known as peptidoglycan hydrolases, are enzymes that hydrolyze specific bonds within bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan during cell division and daughter cell separation. Within the genome of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, there are 11 genes encoding proteins with peptidoglycan hydrolase catalytic domains, 9 of which are predicted to be functional. Notably, 5 of the 9 putative autolysins in L. acidophilus NCFM are S-layer-associated proteins (SLAPs) noncovalently colocalized along with the surface (S)-layer at the cell surface. One of these SLAPs, AcmB, a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase encoded by the gene lba0176 (acmB), was selected for functional analysis. In silico analysis revealed that acmB orthologs are found exclusively in S-layer- forming species of Lactobacillus Chromosomal deletion of acmB resulted in aberrant cell division, autolysis, and autoaggregation. Complementation of acmB in the ΔacmB mutant restored the wild-type phenotype, confirming the role of this SLAP in cell division. The absence of AcmB within the exoproteome had a pleiotropic effect on the extracellular proteins covalently and noncovalently bound to the peptidoglycan, which likely led to the observed decrease in the binding capacity of the ΔacmB strain for mucin and extracellular matrices fibronectin, laminin, and collagen in vitro These data suggest a functional association between the S-layer and the multiple autolysins noncovalently colocalized at the cell surface of L. acidophilus NCFM and other S-layer-producing Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most widely used probiotic microbes incorporated in many dairy foods and dietary supplements. This organism produces a surface (S)-layer, which is a self-assembling crystalline array found as the outermost layer of the cell wall. The S-layer, along with colocalized associated proteins, is an important mediator of probiotic activity through intestinal adhesion and modulation of the mucosal immune
Few-layer MoS2 as nitrogen protective barrier

Science.gov (United States)

Akbali, B.; Yanilmaz, A.; Tomak, A.; Tongay, S.; Çelebi, C.; Sahin, H.

2017-10-01

We report experimental and theoretical investigations of the observed barrier behavior of few-layer MoS2 against nitrogenation. Owing to its low-strength shearing, low friction coefficient, and high lubricity, MoS2 exhibits the demeanor of a natural N-resistant coating material. Raman spectroscopy is done to determine the coating capability of MoS2 on graphene. Surface morphology of our MoS2/graphene heterostructure is characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. In addition, density functional theory-based calculations are performed to understand the energy barrier performance of MoS2 against nitrogenation. The penetration of nitrogen atoms through a defect-free MoS2 layer is prevented by a very high vertical diffusion barrier, indicating that MoS2 can serve as a protective layer for the nitrogenation of graphene. Our experimental and theoretical results show that MoS2 material can be used both as an efficient nanocoating material and as a nanoscale mask for selective nitrogenation of graphene layer.
The structure of the cysteine protease and lectin-like domains of Cwp84, a surface layer-associated protein from Clostridium difficile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bradshaw, William J. [University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom); Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG (United Kingdom); Kirby, Jonathan M. [Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG (United Kingdom); Thiyagarajan, Nethaji [University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom); Chambers, Christopher J.; Davies, Abigail H. [University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom); Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG (United Kingdom); Roberts, April K.; Shone, Clifford C. [Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG (United Kingdom); Acharya, K. Ravi, E-mail: bsskra@bath.ac.uk [University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom)

2014-07-01

The crystal structure of Cwp84, an S-layer protein from Clostridium difficile is presented for the first time. The cathepsin L-like fold of cysteine protease domain, a newly observed ‘lectin-like’ domain and several other features are described. Clostridium difficile is a major problem as an aetiological agent for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. The mechanism by which the bacterium colonizes the gut during infection is poorly understood, but undoubtedly involves a myriad of components present on the bacterial surface. The mechanism of C. difficile surface-layer (S-layer) biogenesis is also largely unknown but involves the post-translational cleavage of a single polypeptide (surface-layer protein A; SlpA) into low- and high-molecular-weight subunits by Cwp84, a surface-located cysteine protease. Here, the first crystal structure of the surface protein Cwp84 is described at 1.4 Å resolution and the key structural components are identified. The truncated Cwp84 active-site mutant (amino-acid residues 33–497; C116A) exhibits three regions: a cleavable propeptide and a cysteine protease domain which exhibits a cathepsin L-like fold followed by a newly identified putative carbohydrate-binding domain with a bound calcium ion, which is referred to here as a lectin-like domain. This study thus provides the first structural insights into Cwp84 and a strong base to elucidate its role in the C. difficile S-layer maturation mechanism.
The structure of the cysteine protease and lectin-like domains of Cwp84, a surface layer-associated protein from Clostridium difficile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradshaw, William J.; Kirby, Jonathan M.; Thiyagarajan, Nethaji; Chambers, Christopher J.; Davies, Abigail H.; Roberts, April K.; Shone, Clifford C.; Acharya, K. Ravi

2014-01-01

The crystal structure of Cwp84, an S-layer protein from Clostridium difficile is presented for the first time. The cathepsin L-like fold of cysteine protease domain, a newly observed ‘lectin-like’ domain and several other features are described. Clostridium difficile is a major problem as an aetiological agent for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. The mechanism by which the bacterium colonizes the gut during infection is poorly understood, but undoubtedly involves a myriad of components present on the bacterial surface. The mechanism of C. difficile surface-layer (S-layer) biogenesis is also largely unknown but involves the post-translational cleavage of a single polypeptide (surface-layer protein A; SlpA) into low- and high-molecular-weight subunits by Cwp84, a surface-located cysteine protease. Here, the first crystal structure of the surface protein Cwp84 is described at 1.4 Å resolution and the key structural components are identified. The truncated Cwp84 active-site mutant (amino-acid residues 33–497; C116A) exhibits three regions: a cleavable propeptide and a cysteine protease domain which exhibits a cathepsin L-like fold followed by a newly identified putative carbohydrate-binding domain with a bound calcium ion, which is referred to here as a lectin-like domain. This study thus provides the first structural insights into Cwp84 and a strong base to elucidate its role in the C. difficile S-layer maturation mechanism
The Surface Layer Homology Domain-Containing Proteins of Alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 Play an Important Role in Alkaline Adaptation via Peptidoglycan Synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujinami, Shun; Ito, Masahiro

2018-01-01

It is well known that the Na + cycle and the cell wall are essential for alkaline adaptation of Na + -dependent alkaliphilic Bacillus species. In Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4, surface layer protein A (SlpA), the most abundant protein in the surface layer (S-layer) of the cell wall, is involved in alkaline adaptation, especially under low Na + concentrations. The presence of a large number of genes that encode S-layer homology (SLH) domain-containing proteins has been suggested from the genome sequence of B. pseudofirmus OF4. However, other than SlpA, the functions of SLH domain-containing proteins are not well known. Therefore, a deletion mutant of the csaB gene, required for the retention of SLH domain-containing proteins on the cell wall, was constructed to investigate its physiological properties. The csaB mutant strain of B. pseudofirmus OF4 had a chained morphology and alkaline sensitivity even under a 230 mM Na + concentration at which there is no growth difference between the parental strain and the slpA mutant strain. Ultra-thin section transmission electron microscopy showed that a csaB mutant strain lacked an S-layer part, and its peptidoglycan (PG) layer was disturbed. The slpA mutant strain also lacked an S-layer part, although its PG layer was not disturbed. These results suggested that the surface layer homology domain-containing proteins of B. pseudofirmus OF4 play an important role in alkaline adaptation via peptidoglycan synthesis.
The S-layer homology domain-containing protein SlhA from Paenibacillus alvei CCM 2051(T) is important for swarming and biofilm formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Janesch, Bettina; Koerdt, Andrea; Messner, Paul; Schäffer, Christina

2013-01-01

Swarming and biofilm formation have been studied for a variety of bacteria. While this is well investigated for Gram-negative bacteria, less is known about Gram-positive bacteria, including Paenibacillus alvei, a secondary invader of diseased honeybee colonies infected with Melissococcus pluton, the causative agent of European foulbrood (EFB). Paenibacillus alvei CCM 2051(T) is a Gram-positive bacterium which was recently shown to employ S-layer homology (SLH) domains as cell wall targeting modules to display proteins on its cell surface. This study deals with the newly identified 1335-amino acid protein SlhA from P. alvei which carries at the C‑terminus three consecutive SLH-motifs containing the predicted binding sequences SRGE, VRQD, and LRGD instead of the common TRAE motif. Based on the proof of cell surface location of SlhA by fluorescence microscopy using a SlhA-GFP chimera, the binding mechanism was investigated in an in vitro assay. To unravel a putative function of the SlhA protein, a knockout mutant was constructed. Experimental data indicated that one SLH domain is sufficient for anchoring of SlhA to the cell surface, and the SLH domains of SlhA recognize both the peptidoglycan and the secondary cell wall polymer in vitro. This is in agreement with previous data from the S-layer protein SpaA, pinpointing a wider utilization of that mechanism for cell surface display of proteins in P. alvei. Compared to the wild-type bacterium ΔslhA revealed changed colony morphology, loss of swarming motility and impaired biofilm formation. The phenotype was similar to that of the flagella knockout Δhag, possibly due to reduced EPS production influencing the functionality of the flagella of ΔslhA. This study demonstrates the involvement of the SLH domain-containing protein SlhA in swarming and biofilm formation of P. alvei CCM 2051(T).
The S-layer homology domain-containing protein SlhA from Paenibacillus alvei CCM 2051(T is important for swarming and biofilm formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bettina Janesch

Full Text Available Swarming and biofilm formation have been studied for a variety of bacteria. While this is well investigated for Gram-negative bacteria, less is known about Gram-positive bacteria, including Paenibacillus alvei, a secondary invader of diseased honeybee colonies infected with Melissococcus pluton, the causative agent of European foulbrood (EFB.Paenibacillus alvei CCM 2051(T is a Gram-positive bacterium which was recently shown to employ S-layer homology (SLH domains as cell wall targeting modules to display proteins on its cell surface. This study deals with the newly identified 1335-amino acid protein SlhA from P. alvei which carries at the C‑terminus three consecutive SLH-motifs containing the predicted binding sequences SRGE, VRQD, and LRGD instead of the common TRAE motif. Based on the proof of cell surface location of SlhA by fluorescence microscopy using a SlhA-GFP chimera, the binding mechanism was investigated in an in vitro assay. To unravel a putative function of the SlhA protein, a knockout mutant was constructed. Experimental data indicated that one SLH domain is sufficient for anchoring of SlhA to the cell surface, and the SLH domains of SlhA recognize both the peptidoglycan and the secondary cell wall polymer in vitro. This is in agreement with previous data from the S-layer protein SpaA, pinpointing a wider utilization of that mechanism for cell surface display of proteins in P. alvei. Compared to the wild-type bacterium ΔslhA revealed changed colony morphology, loss of swarming motility and impaired biofilm formation. The phenotype was similar to that of the flagella knockout Δhag, possibly due to reduced EPS production influencing the functionality of the flagella of ΔslhA.This study demonstrates the involvement of the SLH domain-containing protein SlhA in swarming and biofilm formation of P. alvei CCM 2051(T.
Single-layer MoS2 electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lembke, Dominik; Bertolazzi, Simone; Kis, Andras

2015-01-20

CONSPECTUS: Atomic crystals of two-dimensional materials consisting of single sheets extracted from layered materials are gaining increasing attention. The most well-known material from this group is graphene, a single layer of graphite that can be extracted from the bulk material or grown on a suitable substrate. Its discovery has given rise to intense research effort culminating in the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. Graphene however represents only the proverbial tip of the iceberg, and increasing attention of researchers is now turning towards the veritable zoo of so-called "other 2D materials". They have properties complementary to graphene, which in its pristine form lacks a bandgap: MoS2, for example, is a semiconductor, while NbSe2 is a superconductor. They could hold the key to important practical applications and new scientific discoveries in the two-dimensional limit. This family of materials has been studied since the 1960s, but most of the research focused on their tribological applications: MoS2 is best known today as a high-performance dry lubricant for ultrahigh-vacuum applications and in car engines. The realization that single layers of MoS2 and related materials could also be used in functional electronic devices where they could offer advantages compared with silicon or graphene created a renewed interest in these materials. MoS2 is currently gaining the most attention because the material is easily available in the form of a mineral, molybdenite, but other 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors are expected to have qualitatively similar properties. In this Account, we describe recent progress in the area of single-layer MoS2-based devices for electronic circuits. We will start with MoS2 transistors, which showed for the first time that devices based on MoS2 and related TMDs could have electrical properties on the same level as other, more established semiconducting materials. This
Formation of the outer layer of the Dictyostelium spore coat depends on the inner-layer protein SP85/PsB.

Science.gov (United States)

Metcalf, Talibah; Kelley, Karen; Erdos, Gregory W; Kaplan, Lee; West, Christopher M

2003-02-01

The Dictyostelium spore is surrounded by a 220 microm thick trilaminar coat that consists of inner and outer electron-dense layers surrounding a central region of cellulose microfibrils. In previous studies, a mutant strain (TL56) lacking three proteins associated with the outer layer exhibited increased permeability to macromolecular tracers, suggesting that this layer contributes to the coat permeability barrier. Electron microscopy now shows that the outer layer is incomplete in the coats of this mutant and consists of a residual regular array of punctate electron densities. The outer layer is also incomplete in a mutant lacking a cellulose-binding protein associated with the inner layer, and these coats are deficient in an outer-layer protein and another coat protein. To examine the mechanism by which this inner-layer protein, SP85, contributes to outer-layer formation, various domain fragments were overexpressed in forming spores. Most of these exert dominant negative effects similar to the deletion of outer-layer proteins, but one construct, consisting of a fusion of the N-terminal and Cys-rich C1 domain, induces a dense mat of novel filaments at the surface of the outer layer. Biochemical studies show that the C1 domain binds cellulose, and a combination of site-directed mutations that inhibits its cellulose-binding activity suppresses outer-layer filament induction. The results suggest that, in addition to a previously described early role in regulating cellulose synthesis, SP85 subsequently contributes a cross-bridging function between cellulose and other coat proteins to organize previously unrecognized structural elements in the outer layer of the coat.
FTIR spectroscopy structural analysis of the interaction between Lactobacillus kefir S-layers and metal ions

Science.gov (United States)

Gerbino, E.; Mobili, P.; Tymczyszyn, E.; Fausto, R.; Gómez-Zavaglia, A.

2011-02-01

FTIR spectroscopy was used to structurally characterize the interaction of S-layer proteins extracted from two strains of Lactobacillus kefir (the aggregating CIDCA 8348 and the non-aggregating JCM 5818) with metal ions (Cd +2, Zn +2, Pb +2 and Ni +2). The infrared spectra indicate that the metal/protein interaction occurs mainly through the carboxylate groups of the side chains of Asp and Glut residues, with some contribution of the NH groups belonging to the peptide backbone. The frequency separation between the νCOO - anti-symmetric and symmetric stretching vibrations in the spectra of the S-layers in presence of the metal ions was found to be ca. 190 cm -1 for S-layer CIDCA 8348 and ca. 170 cm -1 for JCM 5818, denoting an unidentate coordination in both cases. Changes in the secondary structures of the S-layers induced by the interaction with the metal ions were also noticed: a general trend to increase the amount of β-sheet structures and to reduce the amount of α-helices was observed. These changes allow the proteins to adjust their structure to the presence of the metal ions at minimum energy expense, and accordingly, these adjustments were found to be more important for the bigger ions.

Role of S-layer proteins in the biosorption capacity of lead by Lactobacillus kefir.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerbino, Esteban; Carasi, Paula; Araujo-Andrade, Cuauhtémoc; Tymczyszyn, E Elizabeth; Gómez-Zavaglia, Andrea

2015-04-01

The role of S-layer proteins (SLP) on the Pb(2+) sequestrant capacity by Lactobacillus kefir CIDCA 8348 and JCM 5818 was investigated. Cultures in the stationary phase were treated with proteinase K. A dot blot assay was carried out to assess the removal of SLP. Strains with and without SLP were exposed to 0-0.5 mM Pb(NO3)2. The maximum binding capacity (q max ) and the affinity coefficient (b) were calculated using the Langmuir equation. The structural effect of Pb(2+) on microorganisms with and without SLP was determined using Raman spectroscopy. The bacterial interaction with Pb(2+) led to a broadening in the phosphate bands (1,300-1,200 cm(-1) region) and strong alterations on amide and carboxylate-related bands (νCOO(-) as and νCOO(-) s). Microorganisms without SLP removed higher percentages of Pb(2+) and had higher q max than those bearing SLP. Isolated SLP had much lower q max and also removed lower percentages of Pb(2+) than the corresponding whole microorganisms. The hydrofobicity of both strains dramatically dropped when removing SLP. When bearing SLP, strains do not expose a large amount of charged groups on their surfaces, thus making less efficient the Pb(2+) removal. On the contrary, the extremely low hydrofobicity of microorganisms without SLP (and consequently, their higher capacity to remove Pb(2+)) can be explained on the basis of a greater exposure of charged chemical groups for the interaction with Pb(2+). The viability of bacteria without SLP was not significantly lower than that of bacteria bearing SLP. However, microorganisms without SLP were more prone to the detrimental effect of Pb(2+), thus suggesting that SLP acts as a protective rather than as a sequestrant layer.
Fast and easy protocol for the purification of recombinant S-layer protein for synthetic biology applications

KAUST Repository

Norville, Julie E.; Kelly, Deborah F.; Knight, Thomas F.; Belcher, Angela M.; Walz, Thomas

2011-01-01

A goal of synthetic biology is to make biological systems easier to engineer. One of the aims is to design, with nanometer-scale precision, biomaterials with well-defined properties. The surface-layer protein SbpA forms 2D arrays naturally
Biotunable Nanoplasmonic Filter on Few-Layer MoS2 for Rapid and Highly Sensitive Cytokine Optoelectronic Immunosensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Younggeun; Ryu, Byunghoon; Oh, Bo-Ram; Song, Yujing; Liang, Xiaogan; Kurabayashi, Katsuo

2017-06-27

Monitoring of the time-varying immune status of a diseased host often requires rapid and sensitive detection of cytokines. Metallic nanoparticle-based localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensors hold promise to meet this clinical need by permitting label-free detection of target biomolecules. These biosensors, however, continue to suffer from relatively low sensitivity as compared to conventional immunoassay methods that involve labeling processes. Their response speeds also need to be further improved to enable rapid cytokine quantification for critical care in a timely manner. In this paper, we report an immunobiosensing device integrating a biotunable nanoplasmonic optical filter and a highly sensitive few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) photoconductive component, which can serve as a generic device platform to meet the need of rapid cytokine detection with high sensitivity. The nanoplasmonic filter consists of anticytokine antibody-conjugated gold nanoparticles on a SiO 2 thin layer that is placed 170 μm above a few-layer MoS 2 photoconductive flake device. The principle of the biosensor operation is based on tuning the delivery of incident light to the few-layer MoS 2 photoconductive flake thorough the nanoplasmonic filter by means of biomolecular surface binding-induced LSPR shifts. The tuning is dependent on cytokine concentration on the nanoplasmonic filter and optoelectronically detected by the few-layer MoS 2 device. Using the developed optoelectronic biosensor, we have demonstrated label-free detection of IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, with a detection limit as low as 250 fg/mL (14 fM), a large dynamic range of 10 6 , and a short assay time of 10 min. The presented biosensing approach could be further developed and generalized for point-of-care diagnosis, wearable bio/chemical sensing, and environmental monitoring.
Small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy study of the Lactobacillus brevis S-layer protein

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaeaeskelaeinen, Pentti [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science, PO Box 2200, FI-02015 Aalto University School of Science and Technology (Finland); Engelhardt, Peter [Haartman Institute, Department of Pathology, PO Box 21, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Hynoenen, Ulla; Palva, Airi [Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, Division of Microbiology, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Torkkeli, Mika; Serimaa, Ritva, E-mail: ritva.serimaa@helsinki.f [Department of Physics, POB 64, 00014 University of Helsinki (Finland)

2010-10-01

The structure of self-assembly domain containing recombinant truncation mutants of Lactobacillus brevis surface layer protein SlpA in aqueous solution was studied using small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The proteins were found out to interact with each other forming stable globular oligomers of about 10 monomers. The maximum diameter of the oligomers varied between 75 A and 435 A.
Transparent 1T-MoS2 nanofilm robustly anchored on substrate by layer-by-layer self-assembly and its ultra-high cycling stability as supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Danqin; Zhou, Weiqiang; Zhou, Qianjie; Ye, Guo; Wang, Tongzhou; Wu, Jing; Chang, Yanan; Xu, Jingkun

2017-09-01

Two-dimensional MoS2 materials have attracted more and more interest and been applied to the field of energy storage because of its unique physical, optical, electronic and electrochemical properties. However, there are no reports on high-stable transparent MoS2 nanofilms as supercapacitors electrode. Here, we describe a transparent 1T-MoS2 nanofilm electrode with super-long stability anchored on the indium tin oxide (ITO) glass by a simple alternate layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly of a highly charged cationic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and negative single-/few-layer 1T MoS2 nanosheets. The ITO/(PDDA/MoS2)20 electrode shows a transmittance of 51.6% at 550 nm and obviously exhibits excellent transparency by naked eye observation. Ultrasonic damage test validates that the (PDDA/MoS2)20 film with the average thickness about 50 nm is robustly anchored on ITO substrate. Additionally, the electrochemical results indicate that the ITO/(PDDA/MoS2)20 film shows areal capacitance of 1.1 mF cm-2 and volumetric capacitance of 220 F cm-3 at 0.04 mA cm-2, 130.6% retention of the original capacitance value after 5000 cycles. Further experiments indicate that the formation of transparent (PDDA/MoS2) x nanofilm by LBL self-assembly can be extended to other substrates, e.g., slide glass and flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Thus, the easily available (PDDA/MoS2) x nanofilm electrode has great potential for application in transparent and/or flexible optoelectronic and electronics devices.
The Adhesion of Lactobacillus salivarius REN to a Human Intestinal Epithelial Cell Line Requires S-layer Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ran; Jiang, Lun; Zhang, Ming; Zhao, Liang; Hao, Yanling; Guo, Huiyuan; Sang, Yue; Zhang, Hao; Ren, Fazheng

2017-03-10

Lactobacillus salivarius REN, a novel probiotic isolated from Chinese centenarians, can adhere to intestinal epithelial cells and subsequently colonize the host. We show here that the surface-layer protein choline-binding protein A (CbpA) of L. salivarius REN was involved in adherence to the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29. Adhesion of a cbpA deletion mutant was significantly reduced compared with that of wild-type, suggesting that CbpA acts as an adhesin that mediates the interaction between the bacterium and its host. To identify the molecular mechanism of adhesion, we determined the crystal structure of a truncated form of CbpA that is likely involved in binding to its cell-surface receptor. The crystal structure identified CbpA as a peptidase of the M23 family whose members harbor a zinc-dependent catalytic site. Therefore, we propose that CbpA acts as a multifunctional surface protein that cleaves the host extracellular matrix and participates in adherence. Moreover, we identified enolase as the CbpA receptor on the surface of HT-29 cells. The present study reveals a new class of surface-layer proteins as well as the molecular mechanism that may contribute to the ability of L. salivarius REN to colonize the human gut.
Feeding Value of Low and High Protein Dried Distillers Grains and Corn Gluten Meal for Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Tangendjaja

2011-08-01

Full Text Available A feeding trial has been conducted to compare feeding value of low and high protein dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS, and corn gluten meal (CGM to brown layer in the tropics. Both types of DDGS was included at level 0%, 4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% in the diet while CGM was included at 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% in similar content of metabolizable energy (ME value (2650 kcal/kg and protein (17%. Each dietary treatment was fed to 4 birds in individual wire cage and replicated 5 times. The trial was performed for 10 weeks and egg production, egg weight, feed intake was measured. At the end of feeding period, manure was collected and analyzed for moisture content while samples of eggs were measured for yolk color and the yolk was analyzed for xanthophyll level. Result showed that feeding Lopro DDGS, Hipro DDGS, and CGM did not affect egg production (egg mass, egg number, and egg weight, however, feeding DDGS resulted in less feed intake (111 g/day compared to feeding CGM (114 g/day. Feeding DDGS up to 16% did not affect egg production and similar to feeding CGM up to 8%. Feeding high level of DDGS or CGM did not significantly affect the moisture content of excreta which were between 78.1%-81.9%. Increasing levels of DDGS or CGM increased yolk color score related to the higher level of xanthophylls content in egg yolk. The coloring ability of CGM to egg yolk was higher than that of DDGS. In conclusion, DDGS can be fed to layer up to 16% without affecting egg production while CGM can be fed up to 8% in the diet. DDGS can be used as source of yellow pigment for egg yolk as also found in CGM.
Highly Enhanced Gas Adsorption Properties in Vertically Aligned MoS2 Layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Soo-Yeon; Kim, Seon Joon; Lee, Youhan; Kim, Jong-Seon; Jung, Woo-Bin; Yoo, Hae-Wook; Kim, Jihan; Jung, Hee-Tae

2015-09-22

In this work, we demonstrate that gas adsorption is significantly higher in edge sites of vertically aligned MoS2 compared to that of the conventional basal plane exposed MoS2 films. To compare the effect of the alignment of MoS2 on the gas adsorption properties, we synthesized three distinct MoS2 films with different alignment directions ((1) horizontally aligned MoS2 (basal plane exposed), (2) mixture of horizontally aligned MoS2 and vertically aligned layers (basal and edge exposed), and (3) vertically aligned MoS2 (edge exposed)) by using rapid sulfurization method of CVD process. Vertically aligned MoS2 film shows about 5-fold enhanced sensitivity to NO2 gas molecules compared to horizontally aligned MoS2 film. Vertically aligned MoS2 has superior resistance variation compared to horizontally aligned MoS2 even with same surface area exposed to identical concentration of gas molecules. We found that electrical response to target gas molecules correlates directly with the density of the exposed edge sites of MoS2 due to high adsorption of gas molecules onto edge sites of vertically aligned MoS2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations corroborate the experimental results as stronger NO2 binding energies are computed for multiple configurations near the edge sites of MoS2, which verifies that electrical response to target gas molecules (NO2) correlates directly with the density of the exposed edge sites of MoS2 due to high adsorption of gas molecules onto edge sites of vertically aligned MoS2. We believe that this observation extends to other 2D TMD materials as well as MoS2 and can be applied to significantly enhance the gas sensor performance in these materials.
Improved Gate Dielectric Deposition and Enhanced Electrical Stability for Single-Layer MoS2 MOSFET with an AlN Interfacial Layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Qingkai; Li, Baikui; Hua, Mengyuan; Zhang, Zhaofu; Lan, Feifei; Xu, Yongkuan; Yan, Ruyue; Chen, Kevin J

2016-06-09

Transistors based on MoS2 and other TMDs have been widely studied. The dangling-bond free surface of MoS2 has made the deposition of high-quality high-k dielectrics on MoS2 a challenge. The resulted transistors often suffer from the threshold voltage instability induced by the high density traps near MoS2/dielectric interface or inside the gate dielectric, which is detrimental for the practical applications of MoS2 metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). In this work, by using AlN deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) as an interfacial layer, top-gate dielectrics as thin as 6 nm for single-layer MoS2 transistors are demonstrated. The AlN interfacial layer not only promotes the conformal deposition of high-quality Al2O3 on the dangling-bond free MoS2, but also greatly enhances the electrical stability of the MoS2 transistors. Very small hysteresis (ΔVth) is observed even at large gate biases and high temperatures. The transistor also exhibits a low level of flicker noise, which clearly originates from the Hooge mobility fluctuation instead of the carrier number fluctuation. The observed superior electrical stability of MoS2 transistor is attributed to the low border trap density of the AlN interfacial layer, as well as the small gate leakage and high dielectric strength of AlN/Al2O3 dielectric stack.
The S-layer Associated Serine Protease Homolog PrtX Impacts Cell Surface-Mediated Microbe-Host Interactions of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brant R. Johnson

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Health-promoting aspects attributed to probiotic microorganisms, including adhesion to intestinal epithelia and modulation of the host mucosal immune system, are mediated by proteins found on the bacterial cell surface. Notably, certain probiotic and commensal bacteria contain a surface (S- layer as the outermost stratum of the cell wall. S-layers are non-covalently bound semi-porous, crystalline arrays of self-assembling, proteinaceous subunits called S-layer proteins (SLPs. Recent evidence has shown that multiple proteins are non-covalently co-localized within the S-layer, designated S-layer associated proteins (SLAPs. In Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, SLP and SLAPs have been implicated in both mucosal immunomodulation and adhesion to the host intestinal epithelium. In this study, a S-layer associated serine protease homolog, PrtX (prtX, lba1578, was deleted from the chromosome of L. acidophilus NCFM. Compared to the parent strain, the PrtX-deficient strain (ΔprtX demonstrated increased autoaggregation, an altered cellular morphology, and pleiotropic increases in adhesion to mucin and fibronectin, in vitro. Furthermore, ΔprtX demonstrated increased in vitro immune stimulation of IL-6, IL-12, and IL-10 compared to wild-type, when exposed to mouse dendritic cells. Finally, in vivo colonization of germ-free mice with ΔprtX led to an increase in epithelial barrier integrity. The absence of PrtX within the exoproteome of a ΔprtX strain caused morphological changes, resulting in a pleiotropic increase of the organisms’ immunomodulatory properties and interactions with some intestinal epithelial cell components.
Large-area few-layer MoS 2 deposited by sputtering

KAUST Repository

Huang, Jyun-Hong

2016-06-06

Direct magnetron sputtering of transition metal dichalcogenide targets is proposed as a new approach for depositing large-area two-dimensional layered materials. Bilayer to few-layer MoS2 deposited by magnetron sputtering followed by post-deposition annealing shows superior area scalability over 20 cm(2) and layer-by-layer controllability. High crystallinity of layered MoS2 was confirmed by Raman, photo-luminescence, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The sputtering temperature and annealing ambience were found to play an important role in the film quality. The top-gate field-effect transistor by using the layered MoS2 channel shows typical n-type characteristics with a current on/off ratio of approximately 10(4). The relatively low mobility is attributed to the small grain size of 0.1-1 mu m with a trap charge density in grain boundaries of the order of 10(13) cm(-2).
Resilient protein co-expression network in male orbitofrontal cortex layer 2/3 during human aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Pabba, Mohan; Scifo, Enzo; Kapadia, Fenika; Nikolova, Yuliya S; Ma, Tianzhou; Mechawar, Naguib; Tseng, George C; Sibille, Etienne

2017-10-01

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is vulnerable to normal and pathologic aging. Currently, layer resolution large-scale proteomic studies describing "normal" age-related alterations at OFC are not available. Here, we performed a large-scale exploratory high-throughput mass spectrometry-based protein analysis on OFC layer 2/3 from 15 "young" (15-43 years) and 18 "old" (62-88 years) human male subjects. We detected 4193 proteins and identified 127 differentially expressed (DE) proteins (p-value ≤0.05; effect size >20%), including 65 up- and 62 downregulated proteins (e.g., GFAP, CALB1). Using a previously described categorization of biological aging based on somatic tissues, that is, peripheral "hallmarks of aging," and considering overlap in protein function, we show the highest representation of altered cell-cell communication (54%), deregulated nutrient sensing (39%), and loss of proteostasis (35%) in the set of OFC layer 2/3 DE proteins. DE proteins also showed a significant association with several neurologic disorders; for example, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Notably, despite age-related changes in individual protein levels, protein co-expression modules were remarkably conserved across age groups, suggesting robust functional homeostasis. Collectively, these results provide biological insight into aging and associated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain normal brain function with advancing age. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Atmospheric spatial atomic layer deposition of Zn(O,S) buffer layer for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frijters, C.H.; Poodt, P.; Illeberi, A.

2016-01-01

Zinc oxysulfide has been grown by spatial atomic layer deposition (S-ALD) and successfully applied as buffer layer in Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells. S-ALD combines high deposition rates (up to nm/s) with the advantages of conventional ALD, i.e. excellent control of film composition and superior
Superconductivity in REO0.5F0.5BiS2 with high-entropy-alloy-type blocking layers

Science.gov (United States)

Sogabe, Ryota; Goto, Yosuke; Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu

2018-05-01

We synthesized new REO0.5F0.5BiS2 (RE: rare earth) superconductors with high-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) REO blocking layers. The lattice constant a systematically changed in the HEA-type samples with the RE concentration and the RE ionic radius. A sharp superconducting transition was observed in the resistivity measurements for all the HEA-type samples, and the transition temperature of the HEA-type samples was higher than that of typical REO0.5F0.5BiS2. The sharp superconducting transition and the enhanced superconducting properties of the HEA-type samples may indicate the effectiveness of the HEA states of the REO blocking layers in the REO0.5F0.5BiS2 system.
Growth of highly textured SnS on mica using an SnSe buffer layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.F.; Fong, W.K.; Wang, W.; Surya, C.

2014-01-01

We report the growth of SnS thin films on mica substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Excellent 2D layered structure and strong (001) texture were observed with a record low rocking curve full width at half maximum of ∼ 0.101° for the SnS(004) diffraction. An interface model is used to investigate the nucleation of SnS on mica which indicates the co-existence of six pairs of lateral growth orientations and is in excellent agreement with the experimental Φ-scan measurements indicating 12 peaks separated by 30° from each other. To control the lateral growth of the SnS epilayers we investigate the utilization of a thin SnSe buffer layer deposited on the mica substrate prior to the growth of the SnS thin film. The excellent lattice match between SnSe and mica enhances the alignment of the nucleation of SnS and suppresses the minor lateral orientations along the mica[110] direction and its orthogonal axis. Detailed low-frequency noise measurement was performed to characterize the trap density in the films and our results clearly demonstrate substantial reduction in the density of the localized states in the SnS epilayer with the use of an SnSe buffer layer. - Highlights: • A record low rocking curve FWHM for deposited SnS on mica • Investigation of the nucleation of SnS on mica using the interface model • Investigation of nucleation mechanism by phi-scan measurement • Grain boundary formation from crystallites of various nucleation orientations • Suppression of nucleation orientations using an SnSe buffer layer
Energy filtering transmission electron microscopy immunocytochemistry and antigen retrieval of surface layer proteins from Tannerella forsythensis using microwave or autoclave heating with citraconic anhydride

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Tannerella forsythensis (Bacteroides forsythus), an anaerobic Gram-negative species of bacteria that plays a role in the progression of periodontal disease, has a unique bacterial protein profile. It is characterized by two unique protein bands with molecular weights of more than 200 kDa. It also is known to have a typical surface layer (S-layer) consisting of regularly arrayed subunits outside the outer membrane. We examined the relationship between high molecular weight proteins and the S-layer using electron microscopic immunolabeling with chemical fixation and an antigen retrieval procedure consisting of heating in a microwave oven or autoclave with citraconic anhydride. Immunogold particles were localized clearly at the outermost cell surface. We also used energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) to visualize 3, 3′-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) reaction products after microwave antigen retrieval with 1% citraconic anhydride. The three-window method for electron spectroscopic images (ESI) of nitrogen by the EFTEM reflected the presence of moieties demonstrated by the DAB reaction with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated secondary antibodies instead of immunogold particles. The mapping patterns of net nitrogen were restricted to the outermost cell surface. PMID:22984898
Structural, optical and compositional stability of MoS2 multi-layer flakes under high dose electron beam irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Rotunno, E.; Fabbri, F.; Cinquanta, E.; Kaplan, D.; Longo, M.; Lazzarini, L.; Molle, A.; Swaminathan, V.; Salviati, G.

2016-06-01

MoS2 multi-layer flakes, exfoliated from geological molybdenite, have been exposed to high dose electron irradiation showing clear evidence of crystal lattice and stoichiometry modifications. A massive surface sulfur depletion is induced together with the consequent formation of molybdenum nanoislands. It is found that a nanometric amorphous carbon layer, unwillingly deposited during the transmission electron microscope experiments, prevents the formation of the nanoislands. In the absence of the carbon layer, the formation of molybdenum grains proceeds both on the top and bottom surfaces of the flake. If carbon is present on both the surfaces then the formation of Mo grains is completely prevented.
Symmetry of order-parameters in high-Tc layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajagopal, A.K.; Jha, Sudhanshu S.

1997-01-01

It is well known that the anisotropy and wave-vector dependence of the energy-gap function determine many important properties of a superconductor which are relevant for device applications. Apart from a weak dependence on the wave-vector k - > in the direction perpendicular to the reciprocal layer-plane of a high-T c layered superconductor, it is shown that anisotropic superconducting order parameters for intra-layer pairing in the class of such materials with orthorhombic crystal structures, can have either pure s-wave like symmetry or mixed d-wave and anisotropic extended s-wave like symmetries in the reciprocal layer-plane. However, in such materials with tetragonal crystal structures, it is possible to have a pure s-wave like symmetry, which may be either isotropic or anisotropic in the layer k - >-space, or a pure d-wave like symmetry, as far the k - >-dependence in the reciprocal layer plane is concerned. In view of this, some suggestions for analysing experimental data will also be presented. (author)
Structural and functional analysis of the S-layer protein crystallisation domain of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 : evidence for protein : protein interaction of two subdomains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, E.; Jager, D.; Martinez, B.; Tielen, F.J.; Pouwels, P.H.

2002-01-01

The structure of the crystallisation domain, SAN, of the S A-protein of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 was analysed by insertion and deletion mutagenesis, and by proteolytic treatment. Mutant S A-protein synthesised in Escherichia coli with 7-13 amino acid insertions near the N terminus or
The presence of two S-layer-protein-encoding genes is conserved among species related to Lactobacillus acidophilus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boot, H.J.; Kolen, C.P.A.M.; Pot, B.; Kersters, K.; Pouwels, P.H.

1996-01-01

Previously we have shown that the type strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus possesses two S-protein-encoding genes, one of which is silent, on a chromosomal segment of 6 kb. The S-protein-encoding gene in the expression site can be exchanged for the silent S-protein-encoding gene by inversion of this

Surface protein composition of Aeromonas hydrophila strains virulent for fish: identification of a surface array protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dooley, J.S.G.; Trust, T.J.

1988-01-01

The surface protein composition of members of a serogroup of Aeromonas hydrophila was examined. Immunoblotting with antiserum raised against formalinized whole cells of A. hydrophila TF7 showed a 52K S-layer protein to be the major surface protein antigen, and impermeant Sulfo-NHS-Biotin cell surface labeling showed that the 52K S-layer protein was the only protein accessible to the Sulfo-NHS-Biotin label and effectively masked underlying outer membrane (OM) proteins. In its native surface conformation the 52K S-layer protein was only weakly reactive with a lactoperoxidase 125 I surface iodination procedure. A UV-induced rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutant of TF7 was found to produce an intact S layer, but a deep rough LPS mutant was unable to maintain an array on the cell surface and excreted the S-layer protein into the growth medium, indicating that a minimum LPS oligosaccharide size required for A. hydrophila S-layer anchoring. The native S layer was permeable to 125 I in the lactoperoxidase radiolabeling procedure, and two major OM proteins of molecular weights 30,000 and 48,000 were iodinated. The 48K species was a peptidoglycan-associated, transmembrane protein which exhibited heat-modifiable SDS solubilization behavior characteristic of a porin protein. A 50K major peptidoglycan-associated OM protein which was not radiolabeled exhibited similar SDS heat modification characteristics and possibly represents a second porin protein
Sporadic E S Layers at High Latitudes During a Magnetic Storm of March 17, 2015 According to the Vertical and Oblique Ionospheric Sounding Data

Science.gov (United States)

Blagoveshchensky, D. V.; Maltseva, O. A.; Anishin, M. M.; Rogov, D. D.

2017-11-01

We consider the behavior of the parameters of the ionospheric E s layers according to the vertical sounding at the Sodankylä observatory and oblique sounding at the Lovozero (Murmansk region)—Gor'kovskaya station (Leningrad region) path during a superstorm of March 17, 2015. Temporal and spatial behavior of these parameters is compared. It was found that the storm significantly distorted the normal course of variations of the sporadic E s layer characteristics. Specific behavior of the layers during a storm at points separated by about 300 km was detected. With the help of ray tracing calculations using the IRI model, oblique sounding ionograms were constructed for the radio path analyzed. Primary attention is given to the maximum usable frequency of the F 2 layer—MUF- F 2. Additionally, for the disturbed conditions where there is only a high-power E s layer on the experimental ionograms, the values of MUF- E s and the ratio K =MUF- E s/ f o E s for various cutoff frequencies f o E s of the E s layer and its altitudes {h}_{E_s} are calculated within the framework of the well-known approximations. Calculations for the case of weak disturbance and semitransparent E s layers are carried out with the IRI model adapted to the current diagnostics parameters. It was found that the calculated and experimental values of MUF- F 2 are close to each other or coincide, while this cannot be said about MUF- E s. The calculated and experimental values of MUF- E s can be matched in the model of mirror reflection from a flat layer for intense layers and the model of the E layer for thick E s layers of low intensity.
Detection and size analysis of proteins with switchable DNA layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rant, Ulrich; Pringsheim, Erika; Kaiser, Wolfgang; Arinaga, Kenji; Knezevic, Jelena; Tornow, Marc; Fujita, Shozo; Yokoyama, Naoki; Abstreiter, Gerhard

2009-04-01

We introduce a chip-compatible scheme for the label-free detection of proteins in real-time that is based on the electrically driven conformation switching of DNA oligonucleotides on metal surfaces. The switching behavior is a sensitive indicator for the specific recognition of IgG antibodies and antibody fragments, which can be detected in quantities of less than 10(-18) mol on the sensor surface. Moreover, we show how the dynamics of the induced molecular motion can be monitored by measuring the high-frequency switching response. When proteins bind to the layer, the increase in hydrodynamic drag slows the switching dynamics, which allows us to determine the size of the captured proteins. We demonstrate the identification of different antibody fragments by means of their kinetic fingerprint. The switchDNA method represents a generic approach to simultaneously detect and size target molecules using a single analytical platform.
Cold cathode emission studies on topographically modified few layer and single layer MoS2 films

Science.gov (United States)

Gaur, Anand P. S.; Sahoo, Satyaprakash; Mendoza, Frank; Rivera, Adriana M.; Kumar, Mohit; Dash, Saroj P.; Morell, Gerardo; Katiyar, Ram S.

2016-01-01

Nanostructured materials, such as carbon nanotubes, are excellent cold cathode emitters. Here, we report comparative field emission (FE) studies on topographically tailored few layer MoS2 films consisting of ⟨0001⟩ plane perpendicular (⊥) to c-axis (i.e., edge terminated vertically aligned) along with planar few layer and monolayer (1L) MoS2 films. FE measurements exhibited lower turn-on field Eto (defined as required applied electric field to emit current density of 10 μA/cm2) ˜4.5 V/μm and higher current density ˜1 mA/cm2, for edge terminated vertically aligned (ETVA) MoS2 films. However, Eto magnitude for planar few layer and 1L MoS2 films increased further to 5.7 and 11 V/μm, respectively, with one order decrease in emission current density. The observed differences in emission behavior, particularly for ETVA MoS2 is attributed to the high value of geometrical field enhancement factor (β), found to be ˜1064, resulting from the large confinement of localized electric field at edge exposed nanograins. Emission behavior of planar few layers and 1L MoS2 films are explained under a two step emission mechanism. Our studies suggest that with further tailoring the microstructure of ultra thin ETVA MoS2 films would result in elegant FE properties.
Highly Uniform Atomic Layer-Deposited MoS2@3D-Ni-Foam: A Novel Approach To Prepare an Electrode for Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Nandi, Dip K; Sahoo, Sumanta; Sinha, Soumyadeep; Yeo, Seungmin; Kim, Hyungjun; Bulakhe, Ravindra N; Heo, Jaeyeong; Shim, Jae-Jin; Kim, Soo-Hyun

2017-11-22

This article takes an effort to establish the potential of atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique toward the field of supercapacitors by preparing molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) as its electrode. While molybdenum hexacarbonyl [Mo(CO) 6 ] serves as a novel precursor toward the low-temperature synthesis of ALD-grown MoS 2 , H 2 S plasma helps to deposit its polycrystalline phase at 200 °C. Several ex situ characterizations such as X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and so forth are performed in detail to study the as-grown MoS 2 film on a Si/SiO 2 substrate. While stoichiometric MoS 2 with very negligible amount of C and O impurities was evident from XPS, the XRD and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses confirmed the (002)-oriented polycrystalline h-MoS 2 phase of the as-grown film. A comparative study of ALD-grown MoS 2 as a supercapacitor electrode on 2-dimensional stainless steel and on 3-dimensional (3D) Ni-foam substrates clearly reflects the advantage and the potential of ALD for growing a uniform and conformal electrode material on a 3D-scaffold layer. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed both double-layer capacitance and capacitance contributed by the faradic reaction at the MoS 2 electrode surface. The optimum number of ALD cycles was also found out for achieving maximum capacitance for such a MoS 2 @3D-Ni-foam electrode. A record high areal capacitance of 3400 mF/cm 2 was achieved for MoS 2 @3D-Ni-foam grown by 400 ALD cycles at a current density of 3 mA/cm 2 . Moreover, the ALD-grown MoS 2 @3D-Ni-foam composite also retains high areal capacitance, even up to a high current density of 50 mA/cm 2 . Finally, this directly grown MoS 2 electrode on 3D-Ni-foam by ALD shows high cyclic stability (>80%) over 4500 charge-discharge cycles which must invoke the research community to further explore the potential of ALD for such applications.
Bec Model of HIGH-Tc Superconductivity in Layered Cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Lomnitz, M.; Villarreal, C.; de Llano, M.

2013-11-01

High-Tc superconductivity in layered cuprates is described in a BCS-BEC formalism with linearly-dispersive s- and d-wave Cooper pairs moving in quasi-2D finite-width layers around the CuO2 planes. This yields a closed formula for Tc involving the layer width, the Debye frequency, the pairing energy and the in-plane penetration depth. The new formula has no free parameters and reasonably reproduces empirical values of superconducting Tcs for 11 different layered superconductors over a wide doping regime including YBCO itself as well as other compounds like LSCO, BSCCO and TBCCO. In agreement with the London formalism, the formula also yields a fair description of the Tc dependence of the lower critical magnetic field in highly underdoped YBCO.
Hydrothermal synthesis of layer-controlled MoS_2/graphene composite aerogels for lithium-ion battery anode materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Bing; Wang, Zhixuan; Gao, Yang; Chen, Lu; Lu, Mengna; Jiao, Zheng; Jiang, Yong; Ding, Yuanzhang; Cheng, Lingli

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Layer-controlled MoS_2/GA composites are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route. • Few-layer (5–15 layers) MoS_2 nanosheets are decorated on the surface of GNS homogeneously and tightly. • The growth mechanism of the lay-controlled MoS_2/GA composites is proposed. • The composite delivers high specific capacity of 1085.0 mAh g"−"1 at 0.1 A g"−"1. - Abstract: Layer-controlled MoS_2/graphene aerogels (MoS_2/GA) composites are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route, in which few-layer (5–15 layers) MoS_2 nanosheets with high crystalline are decorated on the surface of graphene nanosheets homogeneously and tightly. The number of the MoS_2 layers can be easily controlled through adjusting the amount of molybdenum source in the reaction system. Moreover, the growth mechanism of the lay-controlled MoS_2/GA composites is proposed. The three-dimensional MoS_2/GA with macroporous micro-structure not only shortens the transportation length of electrons and ions, but also restrains the re-stacking of MoS_2 effectively, stabilizing the electrode structure during repeated charging/discharging processes. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that this few-layer MoS_2/GA composite exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1085.0 mAh g"−"1 at current density of 100 mA g"−"1, as well as extraordinarily high cycling stability and rate capability.
Preparation of FeS2 nanotube arrays based on layer-by-layer assembly and their photoelectrochemical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Mudan; Xue, Dongpeng; Qin, Haiying; Zhang, Lei; Ling, Guoping; Liu, Jiabin; Fang, Youtong; Meng, Liang

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Amorphous Fe 2 O 3 nanotube arrays are prepared via layer-by-layer assembly. • Pyrite FeS 2 nanotube arrays are obtained by sulfurizing Fe 2 O 3 nanotube arrays. • Various electrochemical properties are characterized. • A comparison between FeS 2 nanotube and nanoparticle films is conducted. • Nanotube arrays show enhanced corrosion resistance and photoresponse. - Abstract: Well-aligned one-dimensional iron pyrite FeS 2 nanotube arrays have been fabricated via layer-by-layer assembly technique on ZnO nanorod arrays in combination with subsequent sulfurization. The as-prepared products were confirmed to be pure phase pyrite FeS 2 with Fe/S ratio approaching 1/2. Typical nanotube structure was observed for the FeS 2 with average outer diameter of 150 ± 20 nm and wall thickness of 50 ± 5 nm. Comparisons of photoelectrochemical properties between FeS 2 nanotubes and FeS 2 nanoparticles were conducted. Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicate that FeS 2 nanotubes possess high corrosion resistance and electrochemical stability. The J–V curves show that the photocurrent at 1.0 V for FeS 2 nanotubes is more than five times larger than that of FeS 2 nanoparticles, indicating enhanced photoresponse and rapid charge transfer performances of 1-D nanotube structure. The enhanced photoelectrochemical properties mainly benefit from the unique architecture features of nanotube array structure.
Detailed analysis of RNA-protein interactions within the bacterial ribosomal protein L5/5S rRNA complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Perederina, Anna; Nevskaya, Natalia; Nikonov, Oleg; Nikulin, Alexei; Dumas, Philippe; Yao, Min; Tanaka, Isao; Garber, Maria; Gongadze, George; Nikonov, Stanislav

2002-12-01

The crystal structure of ribosomal protein L5 from Thermus thermophilus complexed with a 34-nt fragment comprising helix III and loop C of Escherichia coli 5S rRNA has been determined at 2.5 A resolution. The protein specifically interacts with the bulged nucleotides at the top of loop C of 5S rRNA. The rRNA and protein contact surfaces are strongly stabilized by intramolecular interactions. Charged and polar atoms forming the network of conserved intermolecular hydrogen bonds are located in two narrow planar parallel layers belonging to the protein and rRNA, respectively. The regions, including these atoms conserved in Bacteria and Archaea, can be considered an RNA-protein recognition module. Comparison of the T. thermophilus L5 structure in the RNA-bound form with the isolated Bacillus stearothermophilus L5 structure shows that the RNA-recognition module on the protein surface does not undergo significant changes upon RNA binding. In the crystal of the complex, the protein interacts with another RNA molecule in the asymmetric unit through the beta-sheet concave surface. This protein/RNA interface simulates the interaction of L5 with 23S rRNA observed in the Haloarcula marismortui 50S ribosomal subunit.
Colorimetric As (V) detection based on S-layer functionalized gold nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lakatos, Mathias; Matys, Sabine; Raff, Johannes; Pompe, Wolfgang

2015-11-01

Herein, we present simple and rapid colorimetric and UV/VIS spectroscopic methods for detecting anionic arsenic (V) complexes in aqueous media. The methods exploit the aggregation of S-layer-functionalized spherical gold nanoparticles of sizes between 20 and 50 nm in the presence of arsenic species. The gold nanoparticles were functionalized with oligomers of the S-layer protein of Lysinibacillus sphaericus JG-A12. The aggregation of the nanoparticles results in a color change from burgundy-red for widely dispersed nanoparticles to blue for aggregated nanoparticles. A detailed signal analysis was achieved by measuring the shift of the particle plasmon resonance signal with UV/VIS spectroscopy. To further improve signal sensitivity, the influence of larger nanoparticles was tested. In the case of 50 nm gold nanoparticles, a concentration of the anionic arsenic (V) complex lower than 24 ppb was detectable. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Trichohyalin-like 1 protein, a member of fused S100 proteins, is expressed in normal and pathologic human skin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamakoshi, Takako [Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194 (Japan); Makino, Teruhiko, E-mail: tmakino@med.u-toyama.ac.jp [Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194 (Japan); Ur Rehman, Mati; Yoshihisa, Yoko [Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194 (Japan); Sugimori, Michiya [Department of Integrative Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194 (Japan); Shimizu, Tadamichi, E-mail: shimizut@med.u-toyama.ac.jp [Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194 (Japan)

2013-03-01

Highlights: ► Trichohyalin-like 1 protein is a member of the fused-type S100 protein gene family. ► Specific antibodies against the C-terminus of the TCHHL1 protein were generated. ► TCHHL1 proteins were expressed in the basal layer of the normal epidermis. ► TCHHL1 proteins were strongly expressed in tumor nests of BCC and SCC. ► The expression of TCHHL1 proteins increased in epidermis of psoriasis vulgaris. - Abstract: Trichohyalin-like 1 (TCHHL1) protein is a novel member of the fused-type S100 protein gene family. The deduced amino acid sequence of TCHHL1 contains an EF-hand domain in the N-terminus, one trans-membrane domain and a nuclear localization signal. We generated specific antibodies against the C-terminus of the TCHHL1 protein and examined the expression of TCHHL1 proteins in normal and pathological human skin. An immunohistochemical study showed that TCHHL1 proteins were expressed in the basal layer of the normal epidermis. In addition, signals of TCHHL1 proteins were observed around the nuclei of cultured growing keratinocytes. Accordingly, TCHHL1 mRNA has been detected in normal skin and cultured growing keratinocytes. Furthermore, TCHHL1 proteins were strongly expressed in the peripheral areas of tumor nests in basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. A dramatic increase in the number of Ki67 positive cells was observed in TCHHL1-expressing areas. The expression of TCHHL1 proteins also increased in non-cancerous hyperproliferative epidermal tissues such as those of psoriasis vulgaris and lichen planus. These findings highlight the possibility that TCHHL1 proteins are expressed in growing keratinocytes of the epidermis and might be associated with the proliferation of keratinocytes.
Trichohyalin-like 1 protein, a member of fused S100 proteins, is expressed in normal and pathologic human skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamakoshi, Takako; Makino, Teruhiko; Ur Rehman, Mati; Yoshihisa, Yoko; Sugimori, Michiya; Shimizu, Tadamichi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Trichohyalin-like 1 protein is a member of the fused-type S100 protein gene family. ► Specific antibodies against the C-terminus of the TCHHL1 protein were generated. ► TCHHL1 proteins were expressed in the basal layer of the normal epidermis. ► TCHHL1 proteins were strongly expressed in tumor nests of BCC and SCC. ► The expression of TCHHL1 proteins increased in epidermis of psoriasis vulgaris. - Abstract: Trichohyalin-like 1 (TCHHL1) protein is a novel member of the fused-type S100 protein gene family. The deduced amino acid sequence of TCHHL1 contains an EF-hand domain in the N-terminus, one trans-membrane domain and a nuclear localization signal. We generated specific antibodies against the C-terminus of the TCHHL1 protein and examined the expression of TCHHL1 proteins in normal and pathological human skin. An immunohistochemical study showed that TCHHL1 proteins were expressed in the basal layer of the normal epidermis. In addition, signals of TCHHL1 proteins were observed around the nuclei of cultured growing keratinocytes. Accordingly, TCHHL1 mRNA has been detected in normal skin and cultured growing keratinocytes. Furthermore, TCHHL1 proteins were strongly expressed in the peripheral areas of tumor nests in basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. A dramatic increase in the number of Ki67 positive cells was observed in TCHHL1-expressing areas. The expression of TCHHL1 proteins also increased in non-cancerous hyperproliferative epidermal tissues such as those of psoriasis vulgaris and lichen planus. These findings highlight the possibility that TCHHL1 proteins are expressed in growing keratinocytes of the epidermis and might be associated with the proliferation of keratinocytes
High-throughput oxidation screen of antibody-drug conjugates by analytical protein A chromatography following IdeS digest.

Science.gov (United States)

Buecheler, Jakob W; Winzer, Matthias; Weber, Christian; Gieseler, Henning

2018-05-01

Oxidation of protein therapeutics is a major chemical degradation pathway which may impact bioactivity, serum half-life and stability. Therefore, oxidation is a relevant parameter which has to be monitored throughout formulation development. Methods such as HIC, RPLC and LC/MS achieve a separation of oxidized and non-oxidized species by differences in hydrophobicity. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) although are highly more complex due to the heterogeneity in linker, drug, drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) and conjugation site. The analytical protein A chromatography can provide a simple and fast alternative to these common methods. A miniature analytical protein A chromatography method in combination with an IdeS digest was developed to analyse ADCs. The IdeS digest efficiency of an IgG1 was monitored using SEC-HPLC and non-reducing SDS-PAGE. An antibody-fluorescent dye conjugate was conjugated at different dye-to-antibody ratios as model construct to mimic an ADC. With IdeS, an almost complete digest of a model IgG1 can be achieved (digested protein amount >98%). This enables subsequent analytical protein A chromatography, which consequently eliminates any interference of payload with the stationary phase. A novel high-throughput method for an interchain cysteine-linked ADC oxidation screens during formulation development was developed. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Adsorption properties of BSA and DsRed proteins deposited on thin SiO2 layers: optically non-absorbing versus absorbing proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Scarangella, A.; Soumbo, M.; Villeneuve-Faure, C.; Mlayah, A.; Bonafos, C.; Monje, M.-C.; Roques, C.; Makasheva, K.

2018-03-01

Protein adsorption on solid surfaces is of interest for many industrial and biomedical applications, where it represents the conditioning step for micro-organism adhesion and biofilm formation. To understand the driving forces of such an interaction we focus in this paper on the investigation of the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) (optically non-absorbing, model protein) and DsRed (optically absorbing, naturally fluorescent protein) on silica surfaces. Specifically, we propose synthesis of thin protein layers by means of dip coating of the dielectric surface in protein solutions with different concentrations (0.01-5.0 g l-1). We employed spectroscopic ellipsometry as the most suitable and non-destructive technique for evaluation of the protein layers’ thickness and optical properties (refractive index and extinction coefficient) after dehydration, using two different optical models, Cauchy for BSA and Lorentz for DsRed. We demonstrate that the thickness, the optical properties and the wettability of the thin protein layers can be finely controlled by proper tuning of the protein concentration in the solution. These results are correlated with the thin layer morphology, investigated by AFM, FTIR and PL analyses. It is shown that the proteins do not undergo denaturation after dehydration on the silica surface. The proteins arrange themselves in a lace-like network for BSA and in a rod-like structure for DsRed to form mono- and multi-layers, due to different mechanisms driving the organization stage.
2D MoS2 as an efficient protective layer for lithium metal anodes in high-performance Li-S batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Eunho; Patel, Mumukshu D.; Park, Juhong; Hwang, Jeongwoon; Prasad, Vish; Cho, Kyeongjae; Choi, Wonbong

2018-04-01

Among the candidates to replace Li-ion batteries, Li-S cells are an attractive option as their energy density is about five times higher ( 2,600 Wh kg-1). The success of Li-S cells depends in large part on the utilization of metallic Li as anode material. Metallic lithium, however, is prone to grow parasitic dendrites and is highly reactive to several electrolytes; moreover, Li-S cells with metallic Li are also susceptible to polysulfides dissolution. Here, we show that 10-nm-thick two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 can act as a protective layer for Li-metal anodes, greatly improving the performances of Li-S batteries. In particular, we observe stable Li electrodeposition and the suppression of dendrite nucleation sites. The deposition and dissolution process of a symmetric MoS2-coated Li-metal cell operates at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 with low voltage hysteresis and a threefold improvement in cycle life compared with using bare Li-metal. In a Li-S full-cell configuration, using the MoS2-coated Li as anode and a 3D carbon nanotube-sulfur cathode, we obtain a specific energy density of 589 Wh kg-1 and a Coulombic efficiency of 98% for over 1,200 cycles at 0.5 C. Our approach could lead to the realization of high energy density and safe Li-metal-based batteries.
Young’s modulus of multi-layer microcantilevers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhikang Deng

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A theoretical model for calculating the Young’s modulus of multi-layer microcantilevers with a coating is proposed, and validated by a three-dimensional (3D finite element (FE model using ANSYS parametric design language (APDL and atomic force microscopy (AFM characterization. Compared with typical theoretical models (Rayleigh-Ritz model, Euler-Bernoulli (E-B beam model and spring mass model, the proposed theoretical model can obtain Young’s modulus of multi-layer microcantilevers more precisely. Also, the influences of coating’s geometric dimensions on Young’s modulus and resonant frequency of microcantilevers are discussed. The thickness of coating has a great influence on Young’s modulus and resonant frequency of multi-layer microcantilevers, and the coating should be considered to calculate Young’s modulus more precisely, especially when fairly thicker coating is employed.
Intercalation of Si between MoS2 layers

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Rik van Bremen

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We report a combined experimental and theoretical study of the growth of sub-monolayer amounts of silicon (Si on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2. At room temperature and low deposition rates we have found compelling evidence that the deposited Si atoms intercalate between the MoS2 layers. Our evidence relies on several experimental observations: (1 Upon the deposition of Si on pristine MoS2 the morphology of the surface transforms from a smooth surface to a hill-and-valley surface. The lattice constant of the hill-and-valley structure amounts to 3.16 Å, which is exactly the lattice constant of pristine MoS2. (2 The transitions from hills to valleys are not abrupt, as one would expect for epitaxial islands growing on-top of a substrate, but very gradual. (3 I(V scanning tunneling spectroscopy spectra recorded at the hills and valleys reveal no noteworthy differences. (4 Spatial maps of dI/dz reveal that the surface exhibits a uniform work function and a lattice constant of 3.16 Å. (5 X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy measurements reveal that sputtering of the MoS2/Si substrate does not lead to a decrease, but an increase of the relative Si signal. Based on these experimental observations we have to conclude that deposited Si atoms do not reside on the MoS2 surface, but rather intercalate between the MoS2 layers. Our conclusion that Si intercalates upon the deposition on MoS2 is at variance with the interpretation by Chiappe et al. (Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 2096–2101 that silicon forms a highly strained epitaxial layer on MoS2. Finally, density functional theory calculations indicate that silicene clusters encapsulated by MoS2 are stable.
Thin-layer chromatography can resolve phosphotyrosine, phosphoserine, and phosphothreonine in a protein hydrolyzate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neufeld, E.; Goren, H.J.; Boland, D.

1989-01-01

A solution of propionic acid, 1 M ammonium hydroxide, and isopropyl alcohol (45/17.5/17.5, v/v) was the ascending solvent in the separation of phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, and phosphoserine by thin-layer chromatography. The immobile phase was cellulose. The relative migrations were 0.44, 0.38, and 0.2, respectively. A previously described thin-layer system consisting of isobutyric acid and 0.5 M ammonium hydroxide (50/30, v/v) gave very similar relative migrations. To determine the usefulness of thin-layer chromatography in phosphoamino acid analysis, the propionic acid/ammonium hydroxide/isopropyl alcohol solution was used to characterize phosphorylated residues in a plasma membrane protein which is a substrate for the insulin receptor kinase, in insulin receptor phosphorylated histone H2B, and in an in vivo phosphorylated 90000-Da protein from IM9 cells. 32 P-labeled proteins were separated by dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, digested with trypsin, and then hydrolyzed with 6 N HCl, 2 h, 110 degrees C. Following thin-layer chromatography of the hydrolyzates and autoradiography, phosphotyrosine was detected in insulin receptor substrates, and phosphoserine and phosphothreonine were found in the in vivo-phosphorylated protein. This study supports previous reports about the practicality of thin-layer chromatography in phosphoamino acid analysis and it demonstrates that a propionic acid, ammonium hydroxide, isoprophyl alcohol solution may be a useful ascending solvent mixture for this purpose
Hydrothermal synthesis of layer-controlled MoS{sub 2}/graphene composite aerogels for lithium-ion battery anode materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Bing; Wang, Zhixuan [School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Gao, Yang; Chen, Lu [Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800 (China); Lu, Mengna [School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Jiao, Zheng [Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800 (China); Jiang, Yong, E-mail: jiangyong@shu.edu.cn [School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Ding, Yuanzhang [Jiangsu Aoxin New Energy Automobile Ltd., Jiangsu 224007 (China); Cheng, Lingli, E-mail: chenglingli@shu.edu.cn [Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800 (China)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Layer-controlled MoS{sub 2}/GA composites are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route. • Few-layer (5–15 layers) MoS{sub 2} nanosheets are decorated on the surface of GNS homogeneously and tightly. • The growth mechanism of the lay-controlled MoS{sub 2}/GA composites is proposed. • The composite delivers high specific capacity of 1085.0 mAh g{sup −1} at 0.1 A g{sup −1}. - Abstract: Layer-controlled MoS{sub 2}/graphene aerogels (MoS{sub 2}/GA) composites are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route, in which few-layer (5–15 layers) MoS{sub 2} nanosheets with high crystalline are decorated on the surface of graphene nanosheets homogeneously and tightly. The number of the MoS{sub 2} layers can be easily controlled through adjusting the amount of molybdenum source in the reaction system. Moreover, the growth mechanism of the lay-controlled MoS{sub 2}/GA composites is proposed. The three-dimensional MoS{sub 2}/GA with macroporous micro-structure not only shortens the transportation length of electrons and ions, but also restrains the re-stacking of MoS{sub 2} effectively, stabilizing the electrode structure during repeated charging/discharging processes. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that this few-layer MoS{sub 2}/GA composite exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1085.0 mAh g{sup −1} at current density of 100 mA g{sup −1}, as well as extraordinarily high cycling stability and rate capability.
Facile synthesis of novel magnetic silica nanoparticles functionalized with layer-by-layer detonation nanodiamonds for secretome study.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hong; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Lei; Lu, Haojie; Zhou, Zhongjun; Wei, Liming; Yang, Pengyuan

2015-12-07

Novel magnetic silica nanoparticles functionalized with layer-by-layer detonation nanodiamonds (dNDs) were prepared by coating single submicron-size magnetite particles with silica and subsequently modified with dNDs. The resulting layer-by-layer dND functionalized magnetic silica microspheres (Fe3O4@SiO2@[dND]n) exhibit a well-defined magnetite-core-silica-shell structure and possess a high content of magnetite, which endow them with high dispersibility and excellent magnetic responsibility. Meanwhile, dNDs are known for their high affinity and biocompatibility towards peptides or proteins. Thus, a novel convenient, fast and efficient pretreatment approach of low-abundance peptides or proteins was successfully established with Fe3O4@SiO2@[dND]n microspheres. The signal intensity of low-abundance peptides was improved by at least two to three orders of magnitude in mass spectrometry analysis. The novel microsphere also showed good tolerance to salt. Even with a high concentration of salt, peptides or proteins could be isolated effectively from samples. Therefore, the convenient and efficient enrichment process of this novel layer-by-layer dND-functionalized microsphere makes it a promising candidate for isolation of protein in a large volume of culture supernatant for secretome analysis. In the application of Fe3O4@SiO2@[dND]n in the secretome of hepatoma cells, 1473 proteins were identified and covered a broad range of pI and molecular weight, including 377 low molecular weight proteins.

Characterization and use of crystalline bacterial cell surface layers

Science.gov (United States)

Sleytr, Uwe B.; Sára, Margit; Pum, Dietmar; Schuster, Bernhard

2001-10-01

Crystalline bacterial cell surface layers (S-layers) are one of the most common outermost cell envelope components of prokaryotic organisms (archaea and bacteria). S-layers are monomolecular arrays composed of a single protein or glycoprotein species and represent the simplest biological membranes developed during evolution. S-layers as the most abundant of prokaryotic cellular proteins are appealing model systems for studying the structure, synthesis, genetics, assembly and function of proteinaceous supramolecular structures. The wealth of information existing on the general principle of S-layers have revealed a broad application potential. The most relevant features exploited in applied S-layer research are: (i) pores passing through S-layers show identical size and morphology and are in the range of ultrafiltration membranes; (ii) functional groups on the surface and in the pores are aligned in well-defined positions and orientations and accessible for chemical modifications and binding functional molecules in very precise fashion; (iii) isolated S-layer subunits from a variety of organisms are capable of recrystallizing as closed monolayers onto solid supports (e.g., metals, polymers, silicon wafers) at the air-water interface, on lipid films or onto the surface of liposomes; (iv) functional domains can be incorporated in S-layer proteins by genetic engineering. Thus, S-layer technologies particularly provide new approaches for biotechnology, biomimetics, molecular nanotechnology, nanopatterning of surfaces and formation of ordered arrays of metal clusters or nanoparticles as required for nanoelectronics.
A Novel Matrix Protein Hic31 from the Prismatic Layer of Hyriopsis Cumingii Displays a Collagen-Like Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaojun; Zeng, Shimei; Dong, Shaojian; Jin, Can; Li, Jiale

2015-01-01

In this study, we clone and characterize a novel matrix protein, hic31, from the mantle of Hyriopsis cumingii. The amino acid composition of hic31 consists of a high proportion of Glycine residues (26.67%). Tissue expression detection by RT-PCR indicates that hic31 is expressed specifically at the mantle edge. In situ hybridization results reveals strong signals from the dorsal epithelial cells of the outer fold at the mantle edge, and weak signals from inner epithelial cells of the same fold, indicating that hic31 is a prismatic-layer matrix protein. Although BLASTP results identify no shared homology with other shell-matrix proteins or any other known proteins, the hic31 tertiary structure is similar to that of collagen I, alpha 1 and alpha 2. It has been well proved that collagen forms the basic organic frameworks in way of collagen fibrils and minerals present within or outside of these fibrils. Therefore, hic31 might be a framework-matrix protein involved in the prismatic-layer biomineralization. Besides, the gene expression of hic31 increase in the early stages of pearl sac development, indicating that hic31 may play important roles in biomineralization of the pearl prismatic layer.
A Novel Matrix Protein Hic31 from the Prismatic Layer of Hyriopsis Cumingii Displays a Collagen-Like Structure.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaojun Liu

Full Text Available In this study, we clone and characterize a novel matrix protein, hic31, from the mantle of Hyriopsis cumingii. The amino acid composition of hic31 consists of a high proportion of Glycine residues (26.67%. Tissue expression detection by RT-PCR indicates that hic31 is expressed specifically at the mantle edge. In situ hybridization results reveals strong signals from the dorsal epithelial cells of the outer fold at the mantle edge, and weak signals from inner epithelial cells of the same fold, indicating that hic31 is a prismatic-layer matrix protein. Although BLASTP results identify no shared homology with other shell-matrix proteins or any other known proteins, the hic31 tertiary structure is similar to that of collagen I, alpha 1 and alpha 2. It has been well proved that collagen forms the basic organic frameworks in way of collagen fibrils and minerals present within or outside of these fibrils. Therefore, hic31 might be a framework-matrix protein involved in the prismatic-layer biomineralization. Besides, the gene expression of hic31 increase in the early stages of pearl sac development, indicating that hic31 may play important roles in biomineralization of the pearl prismatic layer.
TargetCrys: protein crystallization prediction by fusing multi-view features with two-layered SVM.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jun; Han, Ke; Li, Yang; Yang, Jing-Yu; Shen, Hong-Bin; Yu, Dong-Jun

2016-11-01

The accurate prediction of whether a protein will crystallize plays a crucial role in improving the success rate of protein crystallization projects. A common critical problem in the development of machine-learning-based protein crystallization predictors is how to effectively utilize protein features extracted from different views. In this study, we aimed to improve the efficiency of fusing multi-view protein features by proposing a new two-layered SVM (2L-SVM) which switches the feature-level fusion problem to a decision-level fusion problem: the SVMs in the 1st layer of the 2L-SVM are trained on each of the multi-view feature sets; then, the outputs of the 1st layer SVMs, which are the "intermediate" decisions made based on the respective feature sets, are further ensembled by a 2nd layer SVM. Based on the proposed 2L-SVM, we implemented a sequence-based protein crystallization predictor called TargetCrys. Experimental results on several benchmark datasets demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed 2L-SVM for fusing multi-view features. We also compared TargetCrys with existing sequence-based protein crystallization predictors and demonstrated that the proposed TargetCrys outperformed most of the existing predictors and is competitive with the state-of-the-art predictors. The TargetCrys webserver and datasets used in this study are freely available for academic use at: http://csbio.njust.edu.cn/bioinf/TargetCrys .
Accurate Classification of Protein Subcellular Localization from High-Throughput Microscopy Images Using Deep Learning

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Tanel Pärnamaa

2017-05-01

Full Text Available High-throughput microscopy of many single cells generates high-dimensional data that are far from straightforward to analyze. One important problem is automatically detecting the cellular compartment where a fluorescently-tagged protein resides, a task relatively simple for an experienced human, but difficult to automate on a computer. Here, we train an 11-layer neural network on data from mapping thousands of yeast proteins, achieving per cell localization classification accuracy of 91%, and per protein accuracy of 99% on held-out images. We confirm that low-level network features correspond to basic image characteristics, while deeper layers separate localization classes. Using this network as a feature calculator, we train standard classifiers that assign proteins to previously unseen compartments after observing only a small number of training examples. Our results are the most accurate subcellular localization classifications to date, and demonstrate the usefulness of deep learning for high-throughput microscopy.
Accurate Classification of Protein Subcellular Localization from High-Throughput Microscopy Images Using Deep Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Pärnamaa, Tanel; Parts, Leopold

2017-05-05

High-throughput microscopy of many single cells generates high-dimensional data that are far from straightforward to analyze. One important problem is automatically detecting the cellular compartment where a fluorescently-tagged protein resides, a task relatively simple for an experienced human, but difficult to automate on a computer. Here, we train an 11-layer neural network on data from mapping thousands of yeast proteins, achieving per cell localization classification accuracy of 91%, and per protein accuracy of 99% on held-out images. We confirm that low-level network features correspond to basic image characteristics, while deeper layers separate localization classes. Using this network as a feature calculator, we train standard classifiers that assign proteins to previously unseen compartments after observing only a small number of training examples. Our results are the most accurate subcellular localization classifications to date, and demonstrate the usefulness of deep learning for high-throughput microscopy. Copyright © 2017 Parnamaa and Parts.
Kinetics of protein adsorption/desorption mediated by pH-responsive polymer layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Xiao-Hang; Lei Qun-Li; Ren Chun-Lai

2015-01-01

We propose a new way of regulating protein adsorption by using a pH-responsive polymer. According to the theoretical results obtained from the molecular theory and kinetic approaches, both thermodynamics and kinetics of protein adsorption are verified to be well controlled by the solution pH. The kinetics and the amount of adsorbed proteins at equilibrium are greatly increased when the solution environment changes from acid to neutral. The reason is that the increased pH promotes the dissociation of the weak polyelectrolyte, resulting in more charged monomers and more stretched chains. Thus the steric repulsion within the polymer layer is weakened, which effectively lowers the barrier felt by the protein during the process of adsorption. Interestingly, we also find that the kinetics of protein desorption is almost unchanged with the variation of pH. It is because although the barrier formed by the polymer layer changes along with the change of pH, the potential at contact with the surface varies equally. Our results may provide useful insights into controllable protein adsorption/desorption in practical applications. (paper)
A layer-by-layer ZnO nanoparticle-PbS quantum dot self-assembly platform for ultrafast interfacial electron injection

KAUST Repository

Eita, Mohamed Samir

2014-08-28

Absorbent layers of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are now used as material platforms for low-cost, high-performance solar cells. The semiconductor metal oxide nanoparticles as an acceptor layer have become an integral part of the next generation solar cell. To achieve sufficient electron transfer and subsequently high conversion efficiency in these solar cells, however, energy-level alignment and interfacial contact between the donor and the acceptor units are needed. Here, the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique is used to assemble ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), providing adequate PbS QD uptake to achieve greater interfacial contact compared with traditional sputtering methods. Electron injection at the PbS QD and ZnO NP interface is investigated using broadband transient absorption spectroscopy with 120 femtosecond temporal resolution. The results indicate that electron injection from photoexcited PbS QDs to ZnO NPs occurs on a time scale of a few hundred femtoseconds. This observation is supported by the interfacial electronic-energy alignment between the donor and acceptor moieties. Finally, due to the combination of large interfacial contact and ultrafast electron injection, this proposed platform of assembled thin films holds promise for a variety of solar cell architectures and other settings that principally rely on interfacial contact, such as photocatalysis. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Mechanically delaminated few layered MoS2 nanosheets based high performance wire type solid-state symmetric supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnamoorthy, Karthikeyan; Pazhamalai, Parthiban; Veerasubramani, Ganesh Kumar; Kim, Sang Jae

2016-07-01

Two dimensional nanostructures are increasingly used as electrode materials in flexible supercapacitors for portable electronic applications. Herein, we demonstrated a ball milling approach for achieving few layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) via exfoliation from their bulk. Physico-chemical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, and laser Raman analyses confirmed the occurrence of exfoliated MoS2 sheets with few layers from their bulk via ball milling process. MoS2 based wire type solid state supercapacitors (WSCs) are fabricated and examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge discharge (CD) measurements. The presence of rectangular shaped CV curves and symmetric triangular shaped CD profiles suggested the mechanism of charge storage in MoS2 WSC is due to the formation of electrochemical double layer capacitance. The MoS2 WSC device delivered a specific capacitance of 119 μF cm-1, and energy density of 8.1 nW h cm-1 with better capacitance retention of about 89.36% over 2500 cycles, which ensures the use of the ball milled MoS2 for electrochemical energy storage devices.
Analysis of oligomeric transition of silkworm small heat shock protein sHSP20.8 using high hydrostatic pressure native PAGE

Science.gov (United States)

Fujisawa, Tetsuro; Ueda, Toshifumi; Kameyama, Keiichi; Aso, Yoichi; Ishiguro, Ryo

2013-06-01

The small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) solubilize thermo-denatured proteins without adenosine triphosphate energy consumption to facilitate protein refolding. sHSP20.8 is one of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) sHSPs having only one cystein in the N-terminal domain: Cys43. We report a simple measurement of oligomeric transition of sHSP20.8 using high hydrostatic pressure native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (high hydrostatic pressure (HP) native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE)). At ambient pressure under oxydative condition, the native PAGE of thermal transition of sHSP20.8 oligomer displayed a cooperative association. In contrast, HP native PAGE clearly demonstrated that sHSP20.8 dissociated at 80 MPa and 25°C, and the resultant molecular species gradually reassociated with time under that condition. In addition, the reassociation process was suppressed in the presence of the reductant. These results are consistent with the idea that sHSP20.8 oligomer temporally dissociates at the first thermo-sensing step and reassociates with the oxidation of Cys43.
In vivo visualization of photoreceptor layer and lipofuscin accumulation in Stargardt’s disease and fundus flavimaculatus by high resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Querques

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Giuseppe Querques, Rosy Prato, Gabriel Coscas, Gisèle Soubrane, Eric H SouiedDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hopital Intercommunal de Creteil, University Paris XII, FranceIntroduction: To assess photoreceptor (PR layer morphology in patients with Stargardt’s disease (STGD and fundus flavimaculatus (FFM using high resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT; OCT 4000 Cirrus, Humphrey-Zeiss, San Leandro, CA.Methods: This was a prospective observational case series. Sixteen consecutive patients with STGD and FFM underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination. Optical coherence tomography examination was performed with HD-OCT, a high-speed (27,000 axial scans per second OCT system using spectral/Fourier domain detection, with an axial image resolution of 5 µm.Results: A total of 31 eyes were included in the study. Transverse loss of the PR layer in the foveal region was shown by HD-OCT. Twenty eyes with clinically evident central atrophy had a disruption of either the Verhoeff‘s membrane (VM or the layer corresponding to the interface of inner segment (IS and outer segment (OS of PR in the foveal region. Among these eyes, 12/20 eyes had a loss of the PR layer (loss of both VM and IS-OS interface in the foveal region. Eleven eyes (11/31 without clinically evident central atrophy had an intact interface of IS and OS of PR centrally. Moreover, we observed hyperreflective deposits: type 1 lesions located within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE layer and at the level of the outer segments of PR, and type 2 lesions located at the level of the outer nuclear layer and clearly separated from the RPE layer. Type 1 lesions alone were associated with absence of loss of the PR layer in the foveal region in all eyes; type 2 lesions were always associated with presence of type 1 lesions, and often (8/12 eyes associated with loss of the PR layer within the foveal region. Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA was significantly
Layered SnS sodium ion battery anodes synthesized near room temperature

KAUST Repository

Xia, Chuan

2017-08-10

In this report, we demonstrate a simple chemical bath deposition approach for the synthesis of layered SnS nanosheets (typically 6 nm or ~10 layers thick) at very low temperature (40 °C). We successfully synthesized SnS/C hybrid electrodes using a solution-based carbon precursor coating with subsequent carbonization strategy. Our data showed that the ultrathin carbon shell was critical to the cycling stability of the SnS electrodes. As a result, the as-prepared binder-free SnS/C electrodes showed excellent performance as sodium ion battery anodes. Specifically, the SnS/C anodes delivered a reversible capacity as high as 792 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g−1. They also had superior rate capability (431 mAh·g−1 at 3,000 mA·g−1) and stable long-term cycling performance under a high current density (345 mAh·g−1 after 500 cycles at 3 A·g−1). Our approach opens up a new route to synthesize SnS-based hybrid materials at low temperatures for energy storage and other applications. Our process will be particularly useful for chalcogenide matrix materials that are sensitive to high temperatures during solution synthesis.
Hierarchical Layered WS2 /Graphene-Modified CdS Nanorods for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Quanjun; Cheng, Feiyue; Lang, Di

2016-05-10

Graphene-based ternary composite photocatalysts with genuine heterostructure constituents have attracted extensive attention in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Here we report a new graphene-based ternary composite consisting of CdS nanorods grown on hierarchical layered WS2 /graphene hybrid (WG) as a high-performance photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. The optimal content of layered WG as a co-catalyst in the ternary CdS/WS2 /graphene composites was found to be 4.2 wt %, giving a visible light photocatalytic H2 -production rate of 1842 μmol h(-1) g(-1) with an apparent quantum eﬃciency of 21.2 % at 420 nm. This high photocatalytic H2 -production activity is due to the deposition of CdS nanorods on layered WS2 /graphene sheets, which can efficiently suppress charge recombination, improve interfacial charge transfer, and provide reduction active sites. The proposed mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of CdS nanorods modified with hierarchical layered WG was further confirmed by transient photocurrent response. This work shows that a noble-metal-free hierarchical layered WS2 /graphene nanosheets hybrid can be used as an effective co-catalyst for photocatalytic water splitting. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Atomic layer MoS2-graphene van der Waals heterostructure nanomechanical resonators.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Fan; Lee, Jaesung; Feng, Philip X-L

2017-11-30

Heterostructures play significant roles in modern semiconductor devices and micro/nanosystems in a plethora of applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and transducers. While state-of-the-art heterostructures often involve stacks of crystalline epi-layers each down to a few nanometers thick, the intriguing limit would be hetero-atomic-layer structures. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of freestanding van der Waals heterostructures and their functional nanomechanical devices. By stacking single-layer (1L) MoS 2 on top of suspended single-, bi-, tri- and four-layer (1L to 4L) graphene sheets, we realize an array of MoS 2 -graphene heterostructures with varying thickness and size. These heterostructures all exhibit robust nanomechanical resonances in the very high frequency (VHF) band (up to ∼100 MHz). We observe that fundamental-mode resonance frequencies of the heterostructure devices fall between the values of graphene and MoS 2 devices. Quality (Q) factors of heterostructure resonators are lower than those of graphene but comparable to those of MoS 2 devices, suggesting interface damping related to interlayer interactions in the van der Waals heterostructures. This study validates suspended atomic layer heterostructures as an effective device platform and provides opportunities for exploiting mechanically coupled effects and interlayer interactions in such devices.
Kinetics of protein adsorption/desorption mediated by pH-responsive polymer layer

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xiao-Hang; Lei, Qun-Li; Ren, Chun-Lai

2015-11-01

We propose a new way of regulating protein adsorption by using a pH-responsive polymer. According to the theoretical results obtained from the molecular theory and kinetic approaches, both thermodynamics and kinetics of protein adsorption are verified to be well controlled by the solution pH. The kinetics and the amount of adsorbed proteins at equilibrium are greatly increased when the solution environment changes from acid to neutral. The reason is that the increased pH promotes the dissociation of the weak polyelectrolyte, resulting in more charged monomers and more stretched chains. Thus the steric repulsion within the polymer layer is weakened, which effectively lowers the barrier felt by the protein during the process of adsorption. Interestingly, we also find that the kinetics of protein desorption is almost unchanged with the variation of pH. It is because although the barrier formed by the polymer layer changes along with the change of pH, the potential at contact with the surface varies equally. Our results may provide useful insights into controllable protein adsorption/desorption in practical applications. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21274062, 11474155, and 91027040).
Optical and structural properties of protein/gold hybrid bio-nanofilms prepared by layer-by-layer method.

Science.gov (United States)

Pál, Edit; Hornok, Viktória; Sebok, Dániel; Majzik, Andrea; Dékány, Imre

2010-08-01

Lysozyme/gold thin layers were prepared by layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly method. The build-up of the films was followed by UV-vis-absorbance spectra, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques. The structural property of films was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, while their morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that gold nanoparticles (NPs) had cubic crystalline structure, the primary particles form aggregates in the thin layer due to the presence of lysozyme molecules. The UV-vis measurements prove change in particle size while the colour of the film changes from wine-red to blue. The layer thickness of films was determined using the above methods and the loose, porous structure of the films explains the difference in the results. The vapour adsorption property of hybrid layers was also studied by QCM using different saturated vapours and ammonia gas. The lysozyme/Au films were most sensitive for ammonia gas among the tested gases/vapours due to the strongest interaction between the functional groups of the protein. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Planar heterojunction perovskite solar cell based on CdS electron transport layer

KAUST Repository

Abulikemu, Mutalifu

2017-07-02

We report on planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells employing a metal chalcogenide (CdS) electron transport layer with power conversion efficiency up to 10.8%. The CdS layer was deposited via solution-process chemical bath deposition at low-temperature (60°C). Pinhole-free and uniform thin films were obtained with good structural, optical and morphological properties. An optimal layer thickness of 60nm yielded an improved open-circuit voltage and fill factor compared to the standard TiO2-based solar cells. Devices showed a higher reproducibility of the results compared to TiO2-based ones. We also tested the effect of annealing temperature on the CdS film and the effect of CdCl2 treatment followed by high temperature annealing (410°C) that is expected to passivate the surface, thus eliminating eventual trap-states inducing recombination.
Planar heterojunction perovskite solar cell based on CdS electron transport layer

KAUST Repository

Abulikemu, Mutalifu; Barbe, Jeremy; El Labban, Abdulrahman; Eid, Jessica; Del Gobbo, Silvano

2017-01-01

We report on planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells employing a metal chalcogenide (CdS) electron transport layer with power conversion efficiency up to 10.8%. The CdS layer was deposited via solution-process chemical bath deposition at low-temperature (60°C). Pinhole-free and uniform thin films were obtained with good structural, optical and morphological properties. An optimal layer thickness of 60nm yielded an improved open-circuit voltage and fill factor compared to the standard TiO2-based solar cells. Devices showed a higher reproducibility of the results compared to TiO2-based ones. We also tested the effect of annealing temperature on the CdS film and the effect of CdCl2 treatment followed by high temperature annealing (410°C) that is expected to passivate the surface, thus eliminating eventual trap-states inducing recombination.
Anomalous photoluminescence thermal quenching of sandwiched single layer MoS_2

KAUST Repository

Tangi, Malleswararao

2017-09-22

We report an unusual thermal quenching of the micro-photoluminescence (µ-PL) intensity for a sandwiched single-layer (SL) MoS2. For this study, MoS2 layers were chemical vapor deposited on molecular beam epitaxial grown In0.15Al0.85N lattice matched templates. Later, to accomplish air-stable sandwiched SL-MoS2, a thin In0.15Al0.85N cap layer was deposited on the MoS2/In0.15Al0.85N heterostructure. We confirm that the sandwiched MoS2 is a single layer from optical and structural analyses using µ-Raman spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy, respectively. By using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, no structural phase transition of MoS2 is noticed. The recombination processes of bound and free excitons were analyzed by the power-dependent µ-PL studies at 77 K and room temperature (RT). The temperature-dependent micro photoluminescence (TDPL) measurements were carried out in the temperature range of 77 – 400 K. As temperature increases, a significant red-shift is observed for the free-exciton PL peak, revealing the delocalization of carriers. Further, we observe unconventional negative thermal quenching behavior, the enhancement of the µ-PL intensity with increasing temperatures up to 300K, which is explained by carrier hopping transitions that take place between shallow localized states to the band-edges. Thus, this study renders a fundamental insight into understanding the anomalous thermal quenching of µ-PL intensity of sandwiched SL-MoS2.
Anomalous photoluminescence thermal quenching of sandwiched single layer MoS_2

KAUST Repository

Tangi, Malleswararao; Shakfa, Mohammad Khaled; Mishra, Pawan; Li, Ming-Yang; Chiu, Ming-Hui; Ng, Tien Khee; Li, Lain-Jong; Ooi, Boon S.

2017-01-01

We report an unusual thermal quenching of the micro-photoluminescence (µ-PL) intensity for a sandwiched single-layer (SL) MoS2. For this study, MoS2 layers were chemical vapor deposited on molecular beam epitaxial grown In0.15Al0.85N lattice matched templates. Later, to accomplish air-stable sandwiched SL-MoS2, a thin In0.15Al0.85N cap layer was deposited on the MoS2/In0.15Al0.85N heterostructure. We confirm that the sandwiched MoS2 is a single layer from optical and structural analyses using µ-Raman spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy, respectively. By using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, no structural phase transition of MoS2 is noticed. The recombination processes of bound and free excitons were analyzed by the power-dependent µ-PL studies at 77 K and room temperature (RT). The temperature-dependent micro photoluminescence (TDPL) measurements were carried out in the temperature range of 77 – 400 K. As temperature increases, a significant red-shift is observed for the free-exciton PL peak, revealing the delocalization of carriers. Further, we observe unconventional negative thermal quenching behavior, the enhancement of the µ-PL intensity with increasing temperatures up to 300K, which is explained by carrier hopping transitions that take place between shallow localized states to the band-edges. Thus, this study renders a fundamental insight into understanding the anomalous thermal quenching of µ-PL intensity of sandwiched SL-MoS2.

Observations of propagating double layers in a high current discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindberg, L.

1988-01-01

Observations of current disruptions and strong electric fields along the magnetic field in a high-density (2 x 10 19 m - 3 , highly-ionized, moving, and expanding plasma column are reported. The electric field is interpreted in terms of propagating, strong electric double layers (3-5kV). An initial plasma column is formed in an axial magnetic field (0.1T) by means of a conical theta-pinch plasma gun. When an axial current (max 5kA, 3-5 kV) is drawn through the column spontaneous disruptions and double-layer formation occur within a few microseconds. Floating, secondary emitting Langmuir probes are used. They often indicate very high positive potential peaks (1-2 kV above the anode potential during a few μs) in the plasma on the positive side of the double layer. Short, intense bursts of HF radiation are detected at the disruptions
Layered compression for high-precision depth data.

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Dan; Fu, Jingjing; Lu, Yan; Li, Shipeng; Chen, Chang Wen

2015-12-01

With the development of depth data acquisition technologies, access to high-precision depth with more than 8-b depths has become much easier and determining how to efficiently represent and compress high-precision depth is essential for practical depth storage and transmission systems. In this paper, we propose a layered high-precision depth compression framework based on an 8-b image/video encoder to achieve efficient compression with low complexity. Within this framework, considering the characteristics of the high-precision depth, a depth map is partitioned into two layers: 1) the most significant bits (MSBs) layer and 2) the least significant bits (LSBs) layer. The MSBs layer provides rough depth value distribution, while the LSBs layer records the details of the depth value variation. For the MSBs layer, an error-controllable pixel domain encoding scheme is proposed to exploit the data correlation of the general depth information with sharp edges and to guarantee the data format of LSBs layer is 8 b after taking the quantization error from MSBs layer. For the LSBs layer, standard 8-b image/video codec is leveraged to perform the compression. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed coding scheme can achieve real-time depth compression with satisfactory reconstruction quality. Moreover, the compressed depth data generated from this scheme can achieve better performance in view synthesis and gesture recognition applications compared with the conventional coding schemes because of the error control algorithm.
Piezoelectricity of single-atomic-layer MoS2 for energy conversion and piezotronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Wenzhuo; Wang, Lei; Li, Yilei; Zhang, Fan; Lin, Long; Niu, Simiao; Chenet, Daniel; Zhang, Xian; Hao, Yufeng; Heinz, Tony F; Hone, James; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-10-23

The piezoelectric characteristics of nanowires, thin films and bulk crystals have been closely studied for potential applications in sensors, transducers, energy conversion and electronics. With their high crystallinity and ability to withstand enormous strain, two-dimensional materials are of great interest as high-performance piezoelectric materials. Monolayer MoS2 is predicted to be strongly piezoelectric, an effect that disappears in the bulk owing to the opposite orientations of adjacent atomic layers. Here we report the first experimental study of the piezoelectric properties of two-dimensional MoS2 and show that cyclic stretching and releasing of thin MoS2 flakes with an odd number of atomic layers produces oscillating piezoelectric voltage and current outputs, whereas no output is observed for flakes with an even number of layers. A single monolayer flake strained by 0.53% generates a peak output of 15 mV and 20 pA, corresponding to a power density of 2 mW m(-2) and a 5.08% mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency. In agreement with theoretical predictions, the output increases with decreasing thickness and reverses sign when the strain direction is rotated by 90°. Transport measurements show a strong piezotronic effect in single-layer MoS2, but not in bilayer and bulk MoS2. The coupling between piezoelectricity and semiconducting properties in two-dimensional nanomaterials may enable the development of applications in powering nanodevices, adaptive bioprobes and tunable/stretchable electronics/optoelectronics.
A pressure tuned stop-flow atomic layer deposition process for MoS2 on high porous nanostructure and fabrication of TiO2/MoS2 core/shell inverse opal structure

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xianglin; Puttaswamy, Manjunath; Wang, Zhiwei; Kei Tan, Chiew; Grimsdale, Andrew C.; Kherani, Nazir P.; Tok, Alfred Iing Yoong

2017-11-01

MoS2 thin films are obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in the temperature range of 120-150 °C using Mo(CO)6 and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) as precursors. A pressure tuned stop-flow ALD process facilitates the precursor adsorption and enables the deposition of MoS2 on high porous three dimensional (3D) nanostructures. As a demonstration, a TiO2/MoS2 core/shell inverse opal (TiO2/MoS2-IO) structure has been fabricated through ALD of TiO2 and MoS2 on a self-assembled multilayer polystyrene (PS) structure template. Due to the self-limiting surface reaction mechanism of ALD and the utilization of pressure tuned stop-flow ALD processes, the as fabricated TiO2/MoS2-IO structure has a high uniformity, reflected by FESEM and FIB-SEM characterization. A crystallized TiO2/MoS2-IO structure can be obtained through a post annealing process. As a 3D photonic crystal, the TiO2/MoS2-IO exhibits obvious stopband reflecting peaks, which can be adjusted through changing the opal diameters as well as the thickness of MoS2 layer.
Dynamics of proteins and of their hydration layer studied by neutron scattering and additional biophysical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallat, Francois-Xavier

2011-01-01

This thesis work focused on the dynamics of proteins, surrounded by their hydration layer, a water shell around the protein vital for its biological function. Each of these components is accompanied by a specific dynamics which union reforms the complex energy landscape of the system. The joint implementation of selective deuteration, incoherent neutron scattering and tera-hertz spectroscopy allowed to explore the dynamics of proteins and that of the hydration shell. The influence of the folding state of protein on its dynamics has been studied by elastic neutron scattering. Globular proteins were less dynamic than its intrinsically disordered analogues. Themselves appear to be stiffer than non-physiological unfolded proteins. The oligomerization state and the consequences on the dynamics were investigated. Aggregates of a globular protein proved to be more flexible than the soluble form. In contrast, aggregates of a disordered protein showed lower average dynamics compared to the soluble form. These observations demonstrate the wide range of dynamics among the proteome. Incoherent neutron scattering experiences on the hydration layer of globular and disordered proteins have yielded information on the nature of water motion around these proteins. The measurements revealed the presence of translational motions concomitant with the onset of the transition dynamics of hydration layers, at 220 K. Measurements have also shown a stronger coupling between a disordered protein and its hydration water, compared to a globular protein and its hydration shell. The nature of the hydration layer and its influence on its dynamics has been explored with the use of polymers that mimic the water behavior and that act as a source of flexibility for the protein. Eventually, the dynamics of methyl groups involved in the dynamical changes observed at 150 and 220 K, was investigated. (author) [fr
CuGaS2 and CuGaS2–ZnS Porous Layers from Solution-Processed Nanocrystals

Science.gov (United States)

Guardia, Pablo; Estradé, Sònia; Peiró, Francesca; Cabot, Andreu

2018-01-01

The manufacturing of semiconducting films using solution-based approaches is considered a low cost alternative to vacuum-based thin film deposition strategies. An additional advantage of solution processing methods is the possibility to control the layer nano/microstructure. Here, we detail the production of mesoporous CuGaS2 (CGS) and ZnS layers from spin-coating and subsequent cross-linking through chalcogen-chalcogen bonds of properly functionalized nanocrystals (NCs). We further produce NC-based porous CGS/ZnS bilayers and NC-based CGS–ZnS composite layers using the same strategy. Photoelectrochemical measurements are used to demonstrate the efficacy of porous layers, and particularly the CGS/ZnS bilayers, for improved current densities and photoresponses relative to denser films deposited from as-produced NCs. PMID:29621198
Link-layer Jamming Attacks on S-MAC

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Law, Y.W.; Hartel, Pieter H.; den Hartog, Jeremy; Havinga, Paul J.M.

2004-01-01

We argue that among denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, link-layer jamming is a more attractive option to attackers than radio jamming is. By exploiting the semantics of the link-layer protocol (aka MAC protocol), an attacker can achieve better efficiency than blindly jamming the radio signals alone.
Link-layer jamming attacks on S-MAC

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Law, Y.W.; Hartel, Pieter H.; den Hartog, Jeremy; Havinga, Paul J.M.

We argue that among denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, link-layer jamming is a more attractive option to attackers than radio jamming is. By exploiting the semantics of the link-layer protocol (aka MAC protocol), an attacker can achieve better efficiency than blindly jamming the radio signals alone.
Protein consensus-based surface engineering (ProCoS): a computer-assisted method for directed protein evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Shivange, Amol V; Hoeffken, Hans Wolfgang; Haefner, Stefan; Schwaneberg, Ulrich

2016-12-01

Protein consensus-based surface engineering (ProCoS) is a simple and efficient method for directed protein evolution combining computational analysis and molecular biology tools to engineer protein surfaces. ProCoS is based on the hypothesis that conserved residues originated from a common ancestor and that these residues are crucial for the function of a protein, whereas highly variable regions (situated on the surface of a protein) can be targeted for surface engineering to maximize performance. ProCoS comprises four main steps: ( i ) identification of conserved and highly variable regions; ( ii ) protein sequence design by substituting residues in the highly variable regions, and gene synthesis; ( iii ) in vitro DNA recombination of synthetic genes; and ( iv ) screening for active variants. ProCoS is a simple method for surface mutagenesis in which multiple sequence alignment is used for selection of surface residues based on a structural model. To demonstrate the technique's utility for directed evolution, the surface of a phytase enzyme from Yersinia mollaretii (Ymphytase) was subjected to ProCoS. Screening just 1050 clones from ProCoS engineering-guided mutant libraries yielded an enzyme with 34 amino acid substitutions. The surface-engineered Ymphytase exhibited 3.8-fold higher pH stability (at pH 2.8 for 3 h) and retained 40% of the enzyme's specific activity (400 U/mg) compared with the wild-type Ymphytase. The pH stability might be attributed to a significantly increased (20 percentage points; from 9% to 29%) number of negatively charged amino acids on the surface of the engineered phytase.
Polytypism and unexpected strong interlayer coupling in two-dimensional layered ReS2

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Xiao-Fen; Wu, Jiang-Bin; Zhou, Linwei; Qiao, Jingsi; Shi, Wei; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Jun; Ji, Wei; Tan, Ping-Heng

2016-04-01

Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and anisotropic-like (AI) N layer (NL, N > 1) ReS2 are revealed by ultralow- and high-frequency Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and first-principles density functional theory calculation. Two interlayer shear modes are observed in AI-NL-ReS2 while only one shear mode appears in IS-NL-ReS2, suggesting anisotropic- and isotropic-like stacking orders in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2, respectively. This explicit difference in the observed frequencies identifies an unexpected strong interlayer coupling in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2. Quantitatively, the force constants of them are found to be around 55-90% of those of multilayer MoS2. The revealed strong interlayer coupling and polytypism in multi-layer ReS2 may stimulate future studies on engineering physical properties of other anisotropic 2D materials by stacking orders.Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and
On the formation and functions of high and very high magnesium calcites in the continuously growing teeth of the echinoderm Lytechinus variegatus: development of crystallinity and protein involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Veis, Arthur; Stock, Stuart R; Alvares, Keith; Lux, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Sea urchin teeth grow continuously and develop a complex mineralized structure consisting of spatially separate but crystallographically aligned first stage calcitic elements of high Mg content (5-15 mol% mineral). These become cemented together by epitaxially oriented second stage very high Mg calcite (30-40 mol% mineral). In the tooth plumula, ingressing preodontoblasts create layered cellular syncytia. Mineral deposits develop within membrane-bound compartments between cellular syncytial layers. We seek to understand how this complex tooth architecture is developed, how individual crystalline calcitic elements become crystallographically aligned, and how their Mg composition is regulated. Synchrotron microbeam X-ray scattering was performed on live, freshly dissected teeth. We observed that the initial diffracting crystals lie within independent syncytial spaces in the plumula. These diffraction patterns match those of mature tooth calcite. Thus, the spatially separate crystallites grow with the same crystallographic orientation seen in the mature tooth. Mineral-related proteins from regions with differing Mg contents were isolated, sequenced, and characterized. A tooth cDNA library was constructed, and selected matrix-related proteins were cloned. Antibodies were prepared and used for immunolocaliztion. Matrix-related proteins are acidic, phosphorylated, and associated with the syncytial membranes. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy of various crystal elements shows unique amino acid, Mg, and Ca ion distributions. High and very high Mg calcites differ in Asp content. Matrix-related proteins are phosphorylated. Very high Mg calcite is associated with Asp-rich protein, and it is restricted to the second stage mineral. Thus, the composition at each part of the tooth is related to architecture and function. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Corrosion resistance of ZrTi alloys with hydroxyapatite-zirconia-silver layer in simulated physiological solution containing proteins for biomaterial applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mareci, D., E-mail: danmareci@yahoo.com [Technical University “Gheorghe Asachi” of Iasi, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, D. Mangeron, Iasi, 700050 (Romania); Trincă, L.C. [“Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Horticulture, Science Department, 3, Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, Iaşi, 700490 (Romania); Căilean, D. [Technical University “Gheorghe Asachi” of Iasi, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, D. Mangeron, Iasi, 700050 (Romania); Souto, R.M., E-mail: rsouto@ull.es [Department of Chemistry, Universidad de La Laguna, E-38200 La Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands) (Spain); Institute of Material Science and Nanotechnology, Universidad de La Laguna, E-38200 La Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands) (Spain)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Hydroxyapatite-zirconia coated ZrTi alloys were characterized for biocompatibility. • Silver nanoparticles added for antimicrobial activity. • Electrochemical behaviour consistent with surface layer of duplex structure. • Porous coating forms on passivating oxide layer. • HA-ZrO{sub 2}-Ag coated Zr45Ti exhibits high potential for implant application. - Abstract: The degradation characteristics of hydroxyapatite-zirconia-silver films (HA-ZrO{sub 2}-Ag) coatings on three ZrTi alloys were investigated in Ringer’s solution containing 10% human albumin protein at 37 °C. Samples were immersed for 7 days while monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and linear potentiodynamic polarization (LPP). The electrochemical analysis in combination with surface analytical characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX) reveals the stability and corrosion resistance of the HA-ZrO{sub 2}-Ag coated ZrTi alloys. The characteristic feature that describes the electrochemical behaviour of the coated alloys is the coexistence of large areas of the coating presenting pores in which the ZrTi alloy substrate is exposed to the simulated physiological environment. The EIS interpretation of results was thus performed using a two-layer model of the surface film. The blocking effect in the presence the human albumin protein produces an enhancement of the corrosion resistance. The results disclose that the Zr45Ti alloy is a promising material for biomedical devices, since electrochemical stability is directly associated to biocompatibility.
Protein Correlation Profiles Identify Lipid Droplet Proteins with High Confidence*

Science.gov (United States)

Krahmer, Natalie; Hilger, Maximiliane; Kory, Nora; Wilfling, Florian; Stoehr, Gabriele; Mann, Matthias; Farese, Robert V.; Walther, Tobias C.

2013-01-01

Lipid droplets (LDs) are important organelles in energy metabolism and lipid storage. Their cores are composed of neutral lipids that form a hydrophobic phase and are surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer that harbors specific proteins. Most well-established LD proteins perform important functions, particularly in cellular lipid metabolism. Morphological studies show LDs in close proximity to and interacting with membrane-bound cellular organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and endosomes. Because of these close associations, it is difficult to purify LDs to homogeneity. Consequently, the confident identification of bona fide LD proteins via proteomics has been challenging. Here, we report a methodology for LD protein identification based on mass spectrometry and protein correlation profiles. Using LD purification and quantitative, high-resolution mass spectrometry, we identified LD proteins by correlating their purification profiles to those of known LD proteins. Application of the protein correlation profile strategy to LDs isolated from Drosophila S2 cells led to the identification of 111 LD proteins in a cellular LD fraction in which 1481 proteins were detected. LD localization was confirmed in a subset of identified proteins via microscopy of the expressed proteins, thereby validating the approach. Among the identified LD proteins were both well-characterized LD proteins and proteins not previously known to be localized to LDs. Our method provides a high-confidence LD proteome of Drosophila cells and a novel approach that can be applied to identify LD proteins of other cell types and tissues. PMID:23319140
Perturbation of hydration layer in solvated proteins by external electric and electromagnetic fields: Insights from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Nandi, Prithwish K.; Futera, Zdenek; English, Niall J.

2016-11-01

Given the fundamental role of water in governing the biochemistry of enzymes, and in regulating their wider biological activity (e.g., by local water concentration surrounding biomolecules), the influence of extraneous electric and electromagnetic (e/m) fields thereon is of central relevance to biophysics and, more widely, biology. With the increase in levels of local and atmospheric microwave-frequency radiation present in modern life, as well as other electric-field exposure, the impact upon hydration-water layers surrounding proteins, and biomolecules generally, becomes a particularly pertinent issue. Here, we present a (non-equilibrium) molecular-dynamics-simulation study on a model protein (hen egg-white lysozyme) hydrated in water, in which we determine, inter alia, translational self-diffusivities for both hen egg-white lysozyme and its hydration layer together with relaxation dynamics of the hydrogen-bond network between the protein and its hydration-layer water molecules on a residue-per-residue basis. Crucially, we perform this analysis both above and below the dynamical-transition temperature (at ˜220 K), at 300 and 200 K, respectively, and we compare the effects of external static-electric and e/m fields with linear-response-régime (r.m.s.) intensities of 0.02 V/Å. It was found that the translational self-diffusivity of hen egg-white lysozyme and its hydration-water layer are increased substantially in static fields, primarily due to the induced electrophoretic motion, whilst the water-protein hydrogen-bond-network-rearrangement kinetics can also undergo rather striking accelerations, primarily due to the enhancement of a larger-amplitude local translational and rotational motion by charged and dipolar residues, which serves to promote hydrogen-bond breakage and re-formation kinetics. These external-field effects are particularly evident at 200 K, where they serve to induce the protein- and solvation-layer-response effects redolent of dynamical
CuGaS2 and CuGaS2–ZnS Porous Layers from Solution-Processed Nanocrystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taisiia Berestok

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The manufacturing of semiconducting films using solution-based approaches is considered a low cost alternative to vacuum-based thin film deposition strategies. An additional advantage of solution processing methods is the possibility to control the layer nano/microstructure. Here, we detail the production of mesoporous CuGaS2 (CGS and ZnS layers from spin-coating and subsequent cross-linking through chalcogen-chalcogen bonds of properly functionalized nanocrystals (NCs. We further produce NC-based porous CGS/ZnS bilayers and NC-based CGS–ZnS composite layers using the same strategy. Photoelectrochemical measurements are used to demonstrate the efficacy of porous layers, and particularly the CGS/ZnS bilayers, for improved current densities and photoresponses relative to denser films deposited from as-produced NCs.
Heterogeneous nucleation of protein crystals on fluorinated layered silicate.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keita Ino

Full Text Available Here, we describe an improved system for protein crystallization based on heterogeneous nucleation using fluorinated layered silicate. In addition, we also investigated the mechanism of nucleation on the silicate surface. Crystallization of lysozyme using silicates with different chemical compositions indicated that fluorosilicates promoted nucleation whereas the silicates without fluorine did not. The use of synthesized saponites for lysozyme crystallization confirmed that the substitution of hydroxyl groups contained in the lamellae structure for fluorine atoms is responsible for the nucleation-inducing property of the nucleant. Crystallization of twelve proteins with a wide range of pI values revealed that the nucleation promoting effect of the saponites tended to increase with increased substitution rate. Furthermore, the saponite with the highest fluorine content promoted nucleation in all the test proteins regardless of their overall net charge. Adsorption experiments of proteins on the saponites confirmed that the density of adsorbed molecules increased according to the substitution rate, thereby explaining the heterogeneous nucleation on the silicate surface.
Fluorescent sensors based on bacterial fusion proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mateu, Batirtze Prats; Pum, Dietmar; Sleytr, Uwe B; Toca-Herrera, José L; Kainz, Birgit

2014-01-01

Fluorescence proteins are widely used as markers for biomedical and technological purposes. Therefore, the aim of this project was to create a fluorescent sensor, based in the green and cyan fluorescent protein, using bacterial S-layers proteins as scaffold for the fluorescent tag. We report the cloning, expression and purification of three S-layer fluorescent proteins: SgsE-EGFP, SgsE-ECFP and SgsE-13aa-ECFP, this last containing a 13-amino acid rigid linker. The pH dependence of the fluorescence intensity of the S-layer fusion proteins, monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy, showed that the ECFP tag was more stable than EGFP. Furthermore, the fluorescent fusion proteins were reassembled on silica particles modified with cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes. Zeta potential measurements confirmed the particle coatings and indicated their colloidal stability. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy showed that the fluorescence of the fusion proteins was pH dependent and sensitive to the underlying polyelectrolyte coating. This might suggest that the fluorescent tag is not completely exposed to the bulk media as an independent moiety. Finally, it was found out that viscosity enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the three fluorescent S-layer proteins. (paper)
Optical properties of oxygen-implanted CdS:O layers in terms of band anticrossing theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morozova, N. K., E-mail: MorozovaNK@mail.ru; Kanakhin, A. A.; Miroshnikova, I. N. [Moscow Power Engineering Institute, National Research University (Russian Federation); Galstyan, V. G. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography (Russian Federation)

2013-08-15

The microcathodoluminescence (MCL) and photoreflection spectra of CdS:O layers implanted with oxygen ions to 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3} are investigated. Used method of MCL spectroscopy yields information only about the implanted-layer volume. Exciton MCL spectra, which allow one to determine the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the CdS:O layers and the influence of deviation of the substrates from stoichiometry, are recorded. The homogeneity of the ion-implanted layers is studied by cathodoluminescence (CL) scanning electron microscopy. The relationship between light-emitting areas and the luminescence band at {approx}630 nm is established. The reason for enhancement of this band upon radiation annealing is revealed and its nature as the luminescence of F{sup +} centers in CdS is confirmed. New photoreflection spectroscopy data are obtained, which describe the specific behavioral features of oxygen on the layer surface as an isoelectronic impurity in highly mismatched alloys (HMAs). It is shown that sulfur completely bonds and removes oxygen from CdS:O. Oxygen-free CdS remains on the surface in the form of nanoparticles, the size of which depends on the oxygen concentration in the CdS:O layer bulk. The results obtained are in agreement with the predictions of band anticrossing theory.
The clinical expression of hereditary protein C and protein S deficiency: : a relation to clinical thrombotic risk-factors and to levels of protein C and protein S

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Henkens, C. M. A.; van der Meer, J.; Hillege, J. L.; Bom, V. J. J.; Halie, M. R.; van der Schaaf, W.

We investigated 103 first-degree relatives of 13 unrelated protein C or protein S deficient patients to assess the role of additional thrombotic risk factors and of protein C and protein S levels in the clinical expression of hereditary protein C and protein S deficiency. Fifty-seven relatives were
High conductivity and transparent aluminum-based multi-layer source/drain electrodes for thin film transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Rihui; Zhang, Hongke; Fang, Zhiqiang; Ning, Honglong; Zheng, Zeke; Li, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Xiaochen; Cai, Wei; Lu, Xubing; Peng, Junbiao

2018-02-01

In this study, high conductivity and transparent multi-layer (AZO/Al/AZO-/Al/AZO) source/drain (S/D) electrodes for thin film transistors were fabricated via conventional physical vapor deposition approaches, without toxic elements or further thermal annealing process. The 68 nm-thick multi-layer films with excellent optical properties (transparency: 82.64%), good electrical properties (resistivity: 6.64 × 10-5 Ω m, work function: 3.95 eV), and superior surface roughness (R q = 0.757 nm with scanning area of 5 × 5 µm2) were fabricated as the S/D electrodes. Significantly, comprehensive performances of AZO films are enhanced by the insertion of ultra-thin Al layers. The optimal transparent TFT with this multi-layer S/D electrodes exhibited a decent electrical performance with a saturation mobility (µ sat) of 3.2 cm2 V-1 s-1, an I on/I off ratio of 1.59 × 106, a subthreshold swing of 1.05 V/decade. The contact resistance of AZO/Al/AZO/Al/AZO multi-layer electrodes is as low as 0.29 MΩ. Moreover, the average visible light transmittance of the unpatterned multi-layers constituting a whole transparent TFT could reach 72.5%. The high conductivity and transparent multi-layer S/D electrodes for transparent TFTs possessed great potential for the applications of the green and transparent displays industry.

High quality protein microarray using in situ protein purification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fleischmann Robert D

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the postgenomic era, high throughput protein expression and protein microarray technologies have progressed markedly permitting screening of therapeutic reagents and discovery of novel protein functions. Hexa-histidine is one of the most commonly used fusion tags for protein expression due to its small size and convenient purification via immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC. This purification process has been adapted to the protein microarray format, but the quality of in situ His-tagged protein purification on slides has not been systematically evaluated. We established methods to determine the level of purification of such proteins on metal chelate-modified slide surfaces. Optimized in situ purification of His-tagged recombinant proteins has the potential to become the new gold standard for cost-effective generation of high-quality and high-density protein microarrays. Results Two slide surfaces were examined, chelated Cu2+ slides suspended on a polyethylene glycol (PEG coating and chelated Ni2+ slides immobilized on a support without PEG coating. Using PEG-coated chelated Cu2+ slides, consistently higher purities of recombinant proteins were measured. An optimized wash buffer (PBST composed of 10 mM phosphate buffer, 2.7 mM KCl, 140 mM NaCl and 0.05% Tween 20, pH 7.4, further improved protein purity levels. Using Escherichia coli cell lysates expressing 90 recombinant Streptococcus pneumoniae proteins, 73 proteins were successfully immobilized, and 66 proteins were in situ purified with greater than 90% purity. We identified several antigens among the in situ-purified proteins via assays with anti-S. pneumoniae rabbit antibodies and a human patient antiserum, as a demonstration project of large scale microarray-based immunoproteomics profiling. The methodology is compatible with higher throughput formats of in vivo protein expression, eliminates the need for resin-based purification and circumvents
High-throughput Screening for Protein-based Inheritance in S. cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Byers, James S; Jarosz, Daniel F

2017-08-08

The encoding of biological information that is accessible to future generations is generally achieved via changes to the DNA sequence. Long-lived inheritance encoded in protein conformation (rather than sequence) has long been viewed as paradigm-shifting but rare. The best characterized examples of such epigenetic elements are prions, which possess a self-assembling behavior that can drive the heritable manifestation of new phenotypes. Many archetypal prions display a striking N/Q-rich sequence bias and assemble into an amyloid fold. These unusual features have informed most screening efforts to identify new prion proteins. However, at least three known prions (including the founding prion, PrP Sc ) do not harbor these biochemical characteristics. We therefore developed an alternative method to probe the scope of protein-based inheritance based on a property of mass action: the transient overexpression of prion proteins increases the frequency at which they acquire a self-templating conformation. This paper describes a method for analyzing the capacity of the yeast ORFeome to elicit protein-based inheritance. Using this strategy, we previously found that >1% of yeast proteins could fuel the emergence of biological traits that were long-lived, stable, and arose more frequently than genetic mutation. This approach can be employed in high throughput across entire ORFeomes or as a targeted screening paradigm for specific genetic networks or environmental stimuli. Just as forward genetic screens define numerous developmental and signaling pathways, these techniques provide a methodology to investigate the influence of protein-based inheritance in biological processes.
The S-Layer Glycome—Adding to the Sugar Coat of Bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin Ristl

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The amazing repertoire of glycoconjugates present on bacterial cell surfaces includes lipopolysaccharides, capsular polysaccharides, lipooligosaccharides, exopolysaccharides, and glycoproteins. While the former are constituents of Gram-negative cells, we review here the cell surface S-layer glycoproteins of Gram-positive bacteria. S-layer glycoproteins have the unique feature of self-assembling into 2D lattices providing a display matrix for glycans with periodicity at the nanometer scale. Typically, bacterial S-layer glycans are O-glycosidically linked to serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues, and they rely on a much wider variety of constituents, glycosidic linkage types, and structures than their eukaryotic counterparts. As the S-layer glycome of several bacteria is unravelling, a picture of how S-layer glycoproteins are biosynthesized is evolving. X-ray crystallography experiments allowed first insights into the catalysis mechanism of selected enzymes. In the future, it will be exciting to fully exploit the S-layer glycome for glycoengineering purposes and to link it to the bacterial interactome.
Surface Display of the Receptor-Binding Region of the Lactobacillus brevis S-Layer Protein in Lactococcus lactis Provides Nonadhesive Lactococci with the Ability To Adhere to Intestinal Epithelial Cells

OpenAIRE

Åvall-Jääskeläinen, Silja; Lindholm, Agneta; Palva, Airi

2003-01-01

Lactobacillus brevis is a promising lactic acid bacterium for use as a probiotic dietary adjunct and a vaccine vector. The N-terminal region of the S-layer protein (SlpA) of L. brevis ATCC 8287 was recently shown to mediate adhesion to various human cell lines in vitro. In this study, a surface display cassette was constructed on the basis of this SlpA receptor-binding domain, a proteinase spacer, and an autolysin anchor. The cassette was expressed under control of the nisA promoter in Lactoc...
Synthesis and characterization of Zn(O,OH)S and AgInS2 layers to be used in thin film solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Vallejo, W.; Arredondo, C. A.; Gordillo, G.

2010-11-01

In this paper AgInS2 and Zn(O,OH)S thin films were synthesized and characterized. AgInS2 layers were grown by co-evaporation from metal precursors in a two-step process, and, Zn(O,OH)S thin films were deposited from chemical bath containing thiourea, zinc acetate, sodium citrate and ammonia. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that AgInS2 thin films grown with chalcopyrite structure, and the as-grown Zn(O,OH)S thin films were polycrystalline. It was also found that the AgInS2 films presented p-type conductivity, a high absorption coefficient (greater than 104 cm-1) and energy band-gap Eg of about 1.95 eV, Zn(O,OH),S thin films presented Eg of about 3.89 eV. Morphological analysis showed that under this synthesis conditions Zn(O,OH),S thin films coated uniformly the absorber layer. Additionally, the Zn(O,OH)S kinetic growth on AgInS2 layer was studied also. Finally, the results suggest that these layers possibly could be used in one-junction solar cells and/or as top cell in a tandem solar cell.
Heterojunction PbS nanocrystal solar cells with oxide charge-transport layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyun, Byung-Ryool; Choi, Joshua J; Seyler, Kyle L; Hanrath, Tobias; Wise, Frank W

2013-12-23

Oxides are commonly employed as electron-transport layers in optoelectronic devices based on semiconductor nanocrystals, but are relatively rare as hole-transport layers. We report studies of NiO hole-transport layers in PbS nanocrystal photovoltaic structures. Transient fluorescence experiments are used to verify the relevant energy levels for hole transfer. On the basis of these results, planar heterojunction devices with ZnO as the photoanode and NiO as the photocathode were fabricated and characterized. Solution-processed devices were used to systematically study the dependence on nanocrystal size and achieve conversion efficiency as high as 2.5%. Optical modeling indicates that optimum performance should be obtained with thinner oxide layers than can be produced reliably by solution casting. Room-temperature sputtering allows deposition of oxide layers as thin as 10 nm, which enables optimization of device performance with respect to the thickness of the charge-transport layers. The best devices achieve an open-circuit voltage of 0.72 V and efficiency of 5.3% while eliminating most organic material from the structure and being compatible with tandem structures.
Proteomes of the barley aleurone layer: A model system for plant signalling and protein secretion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Finnie, Christine; Andersen, Birgit; Shahpiri, Azar

2011-01-01

molecules in an isolated system. These properties have led to its use as a model system for the study of plant signalling and germination. More recently, proteome analysis of the aleurone layer has provided new insight into this unique tissue including identification of plasma membrane proteins and targeted...... analysis of germination-related changes and the thioredoxin system. Here, analysis of intracellular and secreted proteomes reveals features of the aleurone layer system that makes it promising for investigations of plant protein secretion mechanisms....... to gibberellic acid produced by the embryo, the aleurone layer synthesises hydrolases that are secreted to the endosperm for the degradation of storage products. The barley aleurone layer can be separated from the other seed tissues and maintained in culture, allowing the study of the effect of added signalling...
Expression of cbsA encoding the collagen-binding S-protein of Lactobacillus crispatus JCM5810 in Lactobacillus casei ATCC 393T

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martínez, B.; Sillanpää, J.; Smit, E.; Korhonen, T.K.; Pouwels, P.H.

2000-01-01

The cbsA gene encoding the collagen-binding S-layer protein of Lactobacillus crispatus JCM5810 was expressed in L. casei ATCC 393T. The S-protein was not retained on the surface of the recombinant bacteria but was secreted into the medium. By translational fusion of CbsA to the cell wall sorting
Piezo-Catalytic Effect on the Enhancement of the Ultra-High Degradation Activity in the Dark by Single- and Few-Layers MoS2 Nanoflowers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jyh Ming; Chang, Wei En; Chang, Yu Ting; Chang, Chih-Kai

2016-05-01

Single- and few-layer MoS2 nanoflowers are first discovered to have a piezo-catalyst effect, exhibiting an ultra-high degradation activity in the dark by introducing external mechanical strains. The degradation ratio of the Rhodamine-B dye solution reaches 93% within 60 s under ultrasonic-wave assistance in the dark. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Facile synthesis of 3D few-layered MoS2 coated TiO2 nanosheet core-shell nanostructures for stable and high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Biao; Zhao, Naiqin; Guo, Lichao; He, Fang; Shi, Chunsheng; He, Chunnian; Li, Jiajun; Liu, Enzuo

2015-07-01

Uniform transition metal sulfide deposition on a smooth TiO2 surface to form a coating structure is a well-known challenge, caused mainly due to their poor affinities. Herein, we report a facile strategy for fabricating mesoporous 3D few-layered (glucose as a binder. The core-shell structure has been systematically examined and corroborated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. It is found that the resultant 3D FL-MoS2@TiO2 as a lithium-ion battery anode delivers an outstanding high-rate capability with an excellent cycling performance, relating to the unique structure of 3D FL-MoS2@TiO2. The 3D uniform coverage of few-layered (glucose as a binder. The core-shell structure has been systematically examined and corroborated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. It is found that the resultant 3D FL-MoS2@TiO2 as a lithium-ion battery anode delivers an outstanding high-rate capability with an excellent cycling performance, relating to the unique structure of 3D FL-MoS2@TiO2. The 3D uniform coverage of few-layered (<4 layers) MoS2 onto the TiO2 can remarkably enhance the structure stability and effectively shortens the transfer paths of both lithium ions and electrons, while the strong synergistic effect between MoS2 and TiO2 can significantly facilitate the transport of ions and electrons across the interfaces, especially in the high-rate charge-discharge process. Moreover, the facile fabrication strategy can be easily extended to design other oxide/carbon-sulfide/oxide core-shell materials for extensive applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Supplementary SEM, TEM, XPS and EIS analyses. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03334a
Significance of the S100A4 protein in psoriasis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zibert, John R; Skov, Lone; Thyssen, Jacob P

2010-01-01

the expression and significance of S100A4 in psoriasis. We found significant upregulation of S100A4 in the dermis of psoriatic skin compared with normal skin. This pattern of S100A4 expression differs considerably from that of other S100 proteins, S100A7 and S100A8/9, with predominant expression in the epidermis...... of psoriasis. Furthermore, we revealed a massive release of the biologically active forms of S100A4 from psoriatic skin. Interestingly, we found stabilization (increase) of p53 in the basal layer of epidermis in close proximity to cells expressing S100A4. To examine the possible implication of S100A4...... in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, we analyzed the effect of S100A4 blocking antibodies in a human psoriasis xenograft SCID mouse model and observed a significant reduction of the epidermal thickness and impairment in cell proliferation and dermal vascularization. In conclusion, we showed strong upregulation...
Preparation and Characterization of TiO2/CdS Layers as Potential Photoelectrocatalytic Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teofil-Danut Silipas

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The TiO2/CdS semiconductor composites were prepared on
indium tin oxide (ITO substrates in di®erent mass proportions via wet-chemical techniques using bi-distilled water, acetyl-acetone, poly-propylene-glycol and Triton X-100 as additives. The composite layers were annealed in normal conditions at the temperature of 450±C, 120 min. with a rate of temperature increasing of 5±C/min. The structural and optical properties of all the TiO2/CdS ayers were characterized by X-ray di®raction, UV-VIS spectroscopy, spectrofluorimetry and FT/IR microscopy. The microstructural properties of the deposited TiO2/CdS layers can be modi¯ed by varying the mass proportions of TiO2:CdS. The good crystallinity level and the high optical adsorption of
the TiO2/CdS layers make them attractive for photoelectrochemical cell applications.
Layer-by-Layer Assembly for Preparation of High-Performance Forward Osmosis Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Libin; Zhang, Jinglong; Song, Peng; Wang, Zhan

2018-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) membrane with high separation performance is needed to promote its practical applications. Herein, layer-by-layer (LbL) approach was used to prepare a thin and highly cross-linked polyamide layer on a polyacrylonitrile substrate surface to prepare a thin-film composite forward osmosis (TFC-FO) membrane with enhanced FO performance. The effects of monomer concentrations and assembly cycles on the performance of the TFC-FO membranes were systematically investigated. Under the optimal preparation condition, TFC-FO membrane achieved the best performance, exhibiting the water flux of 14.4/6.9 LMH and reverse salt flux of 7.7/3.8 gMH under the pressure retarded osmosis/forward osmosis (PRO/FO) mode using 1M NaCl as the draw against a DI-water feed, and a rejection of 96.1% for 2000 mg/L NaCl aqueous solution. The result indicated that layer-by-layer method was a potential method to regulate the structure and performance of the TFC-FO membrane.
High thermal conductivity lossy dielectric using a multi layer configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Tiegs, Terry N.; Kiggans, Jr., James O.

2003-01-01

Systems and methods are described for loss dielectrics. A loss dielectric includes at least one high dielectric loss layer and at least one high thermal conductivity-electrically insulating layer adjacent the at least one high dielectric loss layer. A method of manufacturing a loss dielectric includes providing at least one high dielectric loss layer and providing at least one high thermal conductivity-electrically insulating layer adjacent the at least one high dielectric loss layer. The systems and methods provide advantages because the loss dielectrics are less costly and more environmentally friendly than the available alternatives.
A genetic electrophoretic variant of high-sulfur hair proteins for forensic hair comparisons. I. Characterization of variant high-sulfur proteins of human hair.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyake, B

1989-02-01

In a survey of the proteins from human hair, a genetic electrophoretic variant has been observed in the high-sulfur protein region. S-carboxymethylated proteins were examined by 15% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.9. Out of 150 unrelated samples of Japanese head hairs analyzed, 107 showed 6 major high-sulfur protein bands (normal) and the remaining 43 samples showed an additional high-sulfur protein band (variant). Of 21 Caucasian samples analyzed only one variant sample was found. Characterization of the proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis evidenced a variant protein spot which showed an apparent molecular weight of 30 k Da. Isoelectric points of the high-sulfur proteins ranged from 3.25-3.55 and that of variant protein band from 3.3-3.4. Family studies of 21 matings resulting in 49 children indicated that this variant was inherited in an autosomal fashion.
Layer-controlled large area MoS{sub 2} layers grown on mica substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Y.Y.; Yang, C. [College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014 (China); Jiang, S.Z. [College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014 (China); State Key Lab of Crystal Materials Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Man, B.Y., E-mail: byman@sdnu.edu.cn [College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014 (China); Liu, M.; Chen, C.S.; Zhang, C.; Sun, Z.C.; Qiu, H.W. [College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014 (China); Li, H.S. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology of Shandong Province, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Jinan 250117 (China); Feng, D.J. [College of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Zhang, J.X. [College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014 (China)

2015-12-01

Highlights: • Layer-controlled large-area and continuous MoS{sub 2} atomic layers were obtained on mica substrate by thermally decomposing ammonium thiomolybdate at relatively low temperature. • The as-grown MoS{sub 2}/mica substrate was demonstrated to be suitable as a substrate for enhancing Raman signals without any modification and we even collected Raman signals of R6G as low as 10{sup −7} M. • Using the Raman peak of R6G at 1361 cm{sup −1} as a signature, Raman intensity showed an approximately linear increase with the increasing of the logarithm of R6G concentrations. - Abstract: Molybdenum disulfide has recently raised more and more interest due to its layer-related properties and potential applications in optoelectronics and electronics. Here, layer-controlled large-area and continuous MoS{sub 2} atomic layers were obtained on mica substrate by thermally decomposing ammonium thiomolybdate. The obtained MoS{sub 2} film is three layers uniformly. Because of the small lattice mismatch between MoS{sub 2} and mica, the epitaxial MoS{sub 2} film is well grown on the substrate. The as-grown MoS{sub 2}/mica substrate is demonstrated to be suitable as a substrate for enhancing Raman signals of adsorbed molecules without any modification, which even can compare with graphene and will expand the application of MoS{sub 2} to microanalysis.
Modeling of protein electrophoresis in silica colloidal crystals having brush layers of polyacrylamide

Science.gov (United States)

Birdsall, Robert E.; Koshel, Brooke M.; Hua, Yimin; Ratnayaka, Saliya N.; Wirth, Mary J.

2013-01-01

Sieving of proteins in silica colloidal crystals of mm dimensions is characterized for particle diameters of nominally 350 and 500 nm, where the colloidal crystals are chemically modified with a brush layer of polyacrylamide. A model is developed that relates the reduced electrophoretic mobility to the experimentally measurable porosity. The model fits the data with no adjustable parameters for the case of silica colloidal crystals packed in capillaries, for which independent measurements of the pore radii were made from flow data. The model also fits the data for electrophoresis in a highly ordered colloidal crystal formed in a channel, where the unknown pore radius was used as a fitting parameter. Plate heights as small as 0.4 μm point to the potential for miniaturized separations. Band broadening increases as the pore radius approaches the protein radius, indicating that the main contribution to broadening is the spatial heterogeneity of the pore radius. The results quantitatively support the notion that sieving occurs for proteins in silica colloidal crystals, and facilitate design of new separations that would benefit from miniaturization. PMID:23229163
Protein S is protective in pulmonary fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Urawa, M; Kobayashi, T; D'Alessandro-Gabazza, C N; Fujimoto, H; Toda, M; Roeen, Z; Hinneh, J A; Yasuma, T; Takei, Y; Taguchi, O; Gabazza, E C

2016-08-01

Essentials Epithelial cell apoptosis is critical in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Protein S, a circulating anticoagulant, inhibited apoptosis of lung epithelial cells. Overexpression of protein S in lung cells reduced bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Intranasal therapy with exogenous protein S ameliorated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Background Pulmonary fibrosis is the terminal stage of interstitial lung diseases, some of them being incurable and of unknown etiology. Apoptosis plays a critical role in lung fibrogenesis. Protein S is a plasma anticoagulant with potent antiapoptotic activity. The role of protein S in pulmonary fibrosis is unknown. Objectives To evaluate the clinical relevance of protein S and its protective role in pulmonary fibrosis. Methods and Results The circulating level of protein S was measured in patients with pulmonary fibrosis and controls by the use of enzyme immunoassays. Pulmonary fibrosis was induced with bleomycin in transgenic mice overexpressing human protein S and wild-type mice, and exogenous protein S or vehicle was administered to wild-type mice; fibrosis was then compared in both models. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis had reduced circulating levels of protein S as compared with controls. Inflammatory changes, the levels of profibrotic cytokines, fibrosis score, hydroxyproline content in the lungs and oxygen desaturation were significantly reduced in protein S-transgenic mice as compared with wild-type mice. Wild-type mice treated with exogenous protein S showed significant decreases in the levels of inflammatory and profibrotic markers and fibrosis in the lungs as compared with untreated control mice. After bleomycin infusion, mice overexpressing human protein S showed significantly low caspase-3 activity, enhanced expression of antiapoptotic molecules and enhanced Akt and Axl kinase phosphorylation as compared with wild-type counterparts. Protein S also inhibited apoptosis of alveolar
Heterojunction PbS Nanocrystal Solar Cells with Oxide Charge-Transport Layers

KAUST Repository

Hyun, Byung-Ryool

2013-12-23

Oxides are commonly employed as electron-transport layers in optoelectronic devices based on semiconductor nanocrystals, but are relatively rare as hole-transport layers. We report studies of NiO hole-transport layers in PbS nanocrystal photovoltaic structures. Transient fluorescence experiments are used to verify the relevant energy levels for hole transfer. On the basis of these results, planar heterojunction devices with ZnO as the photoanode and NiO as the photocathode were fabricated and characterized. Solution-processed devices were used to systematically study the dependence on nanocrystal size and achieve conversion efficiency as high as 2.5%. Optical modeling indicates that optimum performance should be obtained with thinner oxide layers than can be produced reliably by solution casting. Roomerature sputtering allows deposition of oxide layers as thin as 10 nm, which enables optimization of device performance with respect to the thickness of the charge-transport layers. The best devices achieve an open-circuit voltage of 0.72 V and efficiency of 5.3% while eliminating most organic material from the structure and being compatible with tandem structures. © 2013 American Chemical Society.
Characterization of the regions from E. coli 16 S RNA covalently linked to ribosomal proteins S4 and S20 after ultraviolet irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehresmann, B.; Backendorf, C.; Ehresmann, C.; Ebel, J.P.

1977-01-01

The use of ultraviolet irradiation to form photochemical covalent bonds between the 16 S RNA and a ribosomal protein is a reliable method to check RNA regions which are interacting with the protein. This technique was successfully used to covalently link RNA or DNA and specific proteins in several cases. In the case of ribosome, it has been shown that the irradiation of 30 S and 50 S subunits using high doses of ultraviolet light allowed the covalent binding of almost all of the ribosomal proteins to the 16 S or 23 S RNAs. Using mild conditions, only proteins S7 and L4 could be covalently linked to the 16 S and 23 S RNAs, respectively, and the 16 S RNA region linked to protein S7 has now been characterized. The specificity of the photoreaction was demonstrated earlier and the tryptic peptides from proteins S4 and S7, photochemically linked to the 16 S RNA complexes, were identified. A report is presented on the sequences of the RNA regions which can be photochemically linked to proteins S4 and S7 after ultraviolet irradiation of the specific S4-16 S RNA and 20 S-16 S RNA complexes

Case study of elevated layers of high sulfate concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNaughton, D.J.; Orgill, M.M.

1979-01-01

During studies in August 1976 that were part of the Multi-State Atmospheric Power Production Pollutant Study (MAP3S), Alkezweeny et al., (1977) noted that in the Milwaukee urban plume, layers of relatively high sulfate concentrations occurred at high altitudes with respect to the boundary layer. This paper represents a progress report on studies undertaken to investigate possible causes for a bimodel vertical profile of sulfate concentrations. Data presented by Alkezweeny et al., (1977) serve as a basis for this study. Data from August 23, 1976, and August 24, 1978, indicate concentrations relatively high in sulfate, at 1000 and 6000 ft, respectively, with lower concentrations at lower altitudes. Concentrations of trace metals also indicate no peaks in the vertical concentration profiles above the surface. Initial studies of the high, elevated sulfate concentrations have centered on the August 23 measurements taken over southeast Wisconsin using synoptic data from the national weather service, emissions data from the national emissions data bank system (EPA), air quality data from the national air surveillance network (EPA), and satellite photographs from the EROS Data Center
S-Glutathionylation and Redox Protein Signaling in Drug Addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Womersley, Jacqueline S; Uys, Joachim D

2016-01-01

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder that comes at a high cost to individuals and society. Therefore understanding the mechanisms by which drugs exert their effects is of prime importance. Drugs of abuse increase the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species resulting in oxidative stress. This change in redox homeostasis increases the conjugation of glutathione to protein cysteine residues; a process called S-glutathionylation. Although traditionally regarded as a protective mechanism against irreversible protein oxidation, accumulated evidence suggests a more nuanced role for S-glutathionylation, namely as a mediator in redox-sensitive protein signaling. The reversible modification of protein thiols leading to alteration in function under different physiologic/pathologic conditions provides a mechanism whereby change in redox status can be translated into a functional response. As such, S-glutathionylation represents an understudied means of post-translational protein modification that may be important in the mechanisms underlying drug addiction. This review will discuss the evidence for S-glutathionylation as a redox-sensing mechanism and how this may be involved in the response to drug-induced oxidative stress. The function of S-glutathionylated proteins involved in neurotransmission, dendritic spine structure, and drug-induced behavioral outputs will be reviewed with specific reference to alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Thioredoxin 1 regulation of protein S-desulfhydration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youngjun Ju

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The importance of H2S in biology and medicine has been widely recognized in recent years, and protein S-sulfhydration is proposed to mediate the direct actions of H2S bioactivity in the body. Thioredoxin 1 (Trx1 is an important reducing enzyme that cleaves disulfides in proteins and acts as an S-denitrosylase. The regulation of Trx1 on protein S-sulfhydration is unclear. Here we showed that Trx1 facilitates protein S-desulfhydration. Overexpression of Trx1 attenuated the basal level and H2S-induced protein S-sulfhydration by direct interaction with S-sulfhydrated proteins, i.e., glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase. In contrast, knockdown of Trx1 mRNA expression by short interfering RNA or blockage of Trx1 redox activity with PX12 or 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene enhanced protein S-sulfhydration. Mutation of cysteine-32 but not cysteine-35 in the Trp–Cys32–Gly–Pro–Cys35 motif eliminated the binding of Trx1 with S-sulfhydrated proteins and abolished the S-desulfhydrating effect of Trx1. All these data suggest that Trx1 acts as an S-desulfhydrase.
Meissner effect in clean proximity-contact N-S double layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higashitani, S.; Nagai, K.

1994-01-01

The Meissner effect in proximity-contact normal-superconducting (N-S) double layers is discussed in the clean limit. We obtain the quasi-classical Green's function linear in the vector potential such that satisfies the boundary conditions at the layer ends and also at the N-S interface with a finite reflection coefficient R. We find that, when there is no pairing interaction in the normal layer, the diamagnetic current in the normal layer is constant in space, consequently the magnetic field decreases linearly in the normal layer. To compare our theory with experiments, we calculate the screening length and find a good agreement in the temperature dependence with the experiments in the Au-Nb system. (orig.)
Improved integration of ultra-thin high-k dielectrics in few-layer MoS2 FET by remote forming gas plasma pretreatment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Tian-Bao; Yang, Wen; Zhu, Hao; Chen, Lin; Sun, Qing-Qing; Zhang, David Wei

2017-01-01

The effective and high-quality integration of high-k dielectrics on two-dimensional (2D) crystals is essential to the device structure engineering and performance improvement of field-effect transistor (FET) based on the 2D semiconductors. We report a 2D MoS2 transistor with ultra-thin Al2O3 top-gate dielectric (6.1 nm) and extremely low leakage current. Remote forming gas plasma pretreatment was carried out prior to the atomic layer deposition, providing nucleation sites with the physically adsorbed ions on the MoS2 surface. The top gate MoS2 FET exhibited excellent electrical performance, including high on/off current ratio over 109, subthreshold swing of 85 mV/decade and field-effect mobility of 45.03 cm2/V s. Top gate leakage current less than 0.08 pA/μm2 at 4 MV/cm has been obtained, which is the smallest compared with the reported top-gated MoS2 transistors. Such an optimized integration of high-k dielectric in 2D semiconductor FET with enhanced performance is very attractive, and it paves the way towards the realization of more advanced 2D nanoelectronic devices and integrated circuits.
Effect of CuPc layer insertion on the memory performance of CdS nanocomposite diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tripathi, S.K., E-mail: surya@pu.ac.in; Kaur, Ramneek; Jyoti

2016-09-15

Highlights: • CdS nanocomposite as an active layer investigated for memory device application. • Effect of copper phthalocyanine layer insertion on the memory performance studied. • Bipolar switching behaviour with high ON/OFF ratio ∼1.4 × 10{sup 4}. • Series resistance and interface states dominate the electrical properties of the device. - Abstract: In the present work, semiconductor diodes with CdS nanocomposite as an active layer have been fabricated and investigated for memory device applications. The effect of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) layer insertion between the bottom electrode and CdS nanocomposite has been studied. I–V characteristics show electrical hysteresis behaviour vital for memory storage application. The as-fabricated devices exhibit bipolar switching behaviour with OFF to ON state transition at positive bias and vice versa. Device with CuPc layer exhibits I{sub ON}/I{sub OFF} ratio ∼ 1.4 × 10{sup 4}. Possible conduction mechanism has been described on the basis of theoretical current conduction models. The frequency dispersion capacitance, series resistance and conductance of the devices have been studied and discussed. At low frequency, the series resistance and the interface states dominate the electrical properties of the device. The results indicate that the multilayered devices open up the possibility of new generation non-volatile memory devices with low cost, high density and stability.
A high-sensitivity fiber-optic evanescent wave sensor with a three-layer structure composed of Canada balsam doped with GeO2.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Nianbing; Zhao, Mingfu; Zhong, Lianchao; Liao, Qiang; Zhu, Xun; Luo, Binbin; Li, Yishan

2016-11-15

In this paper, we present a high-sensitivity polymer fiber-optic evanescent wave (FOEW) sensor with a three-layer structure that includes bottom, inter-, and surface layers in the sensing region. The bottom layer and inter-layer are POFs composed of standard cladding and the core of the plastic optical fiber, and the surface layer is made of dilute Canada balsam in xylene doped with GeO2. We examine the morphology of the doped GeO2, the refractive index and composition of the surface layer and the surface luminous properties of the sensing region. We investigate the effects of the content and morphology of the GeO2 particles on the sensitivity of the FOEW sensors by using glucose solutions. In addition, we examine the response of sensors incubated with staphylococcal protein A plus mouse IgG isotype to goat anti-mouse IgG solutions. Results indicate very good sensitivity of the three-layer FOEW sensor, which showed a 3.91-fold improvement in the detection of the target antibody relative to a conventional sensor with a core-cladding structure, and the novel sensor showed a lower limit of detection of 0.2ng/l and a response time around 320s. The application of this high-sensitivity FOEW sensor can be extended to biodefense, disease diagnosis, biomedical and biochemical analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Synthesis of Epitaxial Single-Layer MoS2 on Au(111).

Science.gov (United States)

Grønborg, Signe S; Ulstrup, Søren; Bianchi, Marco; Dendzik, Maciej; Sanders, Charlotte E; Lauritsen, Jeppe V; Hofmann, Philip; Miwa, Jill A

2015-09-08

We present a method for synthesizing large area epitaxial single-layer MoS2 on the Au(111) surface in ultrahigh vacuum. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction, the evolution of the growth is followed from nanoscale single-layer MoS2 islands to a continuous MoS2 layer. An exceptionally good control over the MoS2 coverage is maintained using an approach based on cycles of Mo evaporation and sulfurization to first nucleate the MoS2 nanoislands and then gradually increase their size. During this growth process the native herringbone reconstruction of Au(111) is lifted as shown by low energy electron diffraction measurements. Within the MoS2 islands, we identify domains rotated by 60° that lead to atomically sharp line defects at domain boundaries. As the MoS2 coverage approaches the limit of a complete single layer, the formation of bilayer MoS2 islands is initiated. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of both single and bilayer MoS2 samples show a dramatic change in their band structure around the center of the Brillouin zone. Brief exposure to air after removing the MoS2 layer from vacuum is not found to affect its quality.
Determination of band offsets at GaN/single-layer MoS2 heterojunction

KAUST Repository

Tangi, Malleswararao

2016-07-25

We report the band alignment parameters of the GaN/single-layer (SL) MoS2 heterostructure where the GaN thin layer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CVD deposited SL-MoS2/c-sapphire. We confirm that the MoS2 is an SL by measuring the separation and position of room temperature micro-Raman E1 2g and A1 g modes, absorbance, and micro-photoluminescence bandgap studies. This is in good agreement with HRTEM cross-sectional analysis. The determination of band offset parameters at the GaN/SL-MoS2 heterojunction is carried out by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy accompanying with electronic bandgap values of SL-MoS2 and GaN. The valence band and conduction band offset values are, respectively, measured to be 1.86 ± 0.08 and 0.56 ± 0.1 eV with type II band alignment. The determination of these unprecedented band offset parameters opens up a way to integrate 3D group III nitride materials with 2D transition metal dichalcogenide layers for designing and modeling of their heterojunction based electronic and photonic devices.
Determination of band offsets at GaN/single-layer MoS2 heterojunction

KAUST Repository

Tangi, Malleswararao; Mishra, Pawan; Ng, Tien Khee; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Janjua, Bilal; Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Tseng, Chien-Chih; Shi, Yumeng; Joyce, Hannah J.; Li, Lain-Jong; Ooi, Boon S.

2016-01-01

We report the band alignment parameters of the GaN/single-layer (SL) MoS2 heterostructure where the GaN thin layer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CVD deposited SL-MoS2/c-sapphire. We confirm that the MoS2 is an SL by measuring the separation and position of room temperature micro-Raman E1 2g and A1 g modes, absorbance, and micro-photoluminescence bandgap studies. This is in good agreement with HRTEM cross-sectional analysis. The determination of band offset parameters at the GaN/SL-MoS2 heterojunction is carried out by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy accompanying with electronic bandgap values of SL-MoS2 and GaN. The valence band and conduction band offset values are, respectively, measured to be 1.86 ± 0.08 and 0.56 ± 0.1 eV with type II band alignment. The determination of these unprecedented band offset parameters opens up a way to integrate 3D group III nitride materials with 2D transition metal dichalcogenide layers for designing and modeling of their heterojunction based electronic and photonic devices.
High strain rate deformation of layered nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae-Hwang; Veysset, David; Singer, Jonathan P.; Retsch, Markus; Saini, Gagan; Pezeril, Thomas; Nelson, Keith A.; Thomas, Edwin L.

2012-11-01

Insight into the mechanical behaviour of nanomaterials under the extreme condition of very high deformation rates and to very large strains is needed to provide improved understanding for the development of new protective materials. Applications include protection against bullets for body armour, micrometeorites for satellites, and high-speed particle impact for jet engine turbine blades. Here we use a microscopic ballistic test to report the responses of periodic glassy-rubbery layered block-copolymer nanostructures to impact from hypervelocity micron-sized silica spheres. Entire deformation fields are experimentally visualized at an exceptionally high resolution (below 10 nm) and we discover how the microstructure dissipates the impact energy via layer kinking, layer compression, extreme chain conformational flattening, domain fragmentation and segmental mixing to form a liquid phase. Orientation-dependent experiments show that the dissipation can be enhanced by 30% by proper orientation of the layers.
High strain rate deformation of layered nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae-Hwang; Veysset, David; Singer, Jonathan P; Retsch, Markus; Saini, Gagan; Pezeril, Thomas; Nelson, Keith A; Thomas, Edwin L

2012-01-01

Insight into the mechanical behaviour of nanomaterials under the extreme condition of very high deformation rates and to very large strains is needed to provide improved understanding for the development of new protective materials. Applications include protection against bullets for body armour, micrometeorites for satellites, and high-speed particle impact for jet engine turbine blades. Here we use a microscopic ballistic test to report the responses of periodic glassy-rubbery layered block-copolymer nanostructures to impact from hypervelocity micron-sized silica spheres. Entire deformation fields are experimentally visualized at an exceptionally high resolution (below 10 nm) and we discover how the microstructure dissipates the impact energy via layer kinking, layer compression, extreme chain conformational flattening, domain fragmentation and segmental mixing to form a liquid phase. Orientation-dependent experiments show that the dissipation can be enhanced by 30% by proper orientation of the layers.
Covalent assembly of poly(ethyleneimine) via layer-by-layer deposition for enhancing surface density of protein and bacteria attachment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia, Bing, E-mail: xiabing@njfu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology (Ministry of Education of China), Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037 (China); Advanced Analysis and Testing Center, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037 (China); Shi, Jisen; Dong, Chen; Zhang, Wenyi; Lu, Ye [Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology (Ministry of Education of China), Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037 (China); Guo, Ping [Nanjing College of Information Technology, Nanjing 210023 (China)

2014-02-15

Covalently assembly of low molecular weight poly(ethyleneimine) was introduced to glass surfaces via glutaraldehyde crosslinking, with focus on its application on protein immobilization or bacteria attachment. Characterizations of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ellipsometry measurement revealed a stepwise growth of poly(ethyleneimine) films by layer-by-layer deposition. After fluorescein isothiocyanate labelling, photoluminescence spectroscopy measurement indicated that the amount of surface accessible amine groups had been gradually enhanced with increasing poly(ethyleneimine) layers deposition. As compared with traditional aminosilanized surfaces, the surface density of amine groups was enhanced by ∼11 times after five layers grafting, which resulted in ∼9-time increasing of surface density of immobilized bovine serum albumin. Finally, these as-prepared PEI multi-films with excellent biocompatibility were adopted as culture substrates to improve Escherichia coli adherence, which showed that their surface density had been increased by ∼251 times.
The interaction of protein S with the phospholipid surface is essential for the activated protein C-independent activity of protein S

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijnen, M.; Stam, J. G.; van't Veer, C.; Meijers, J. C.; Reitsma, P. H.; Bertina, R. M.; Bouma, B. N.

1996-01-01

Protein S is a vitamin-K dependent glycoprotein involved in the regulation of the anticoagulant activity of activated protein C (APC). Recent data showed a direct anticoagulant role of protein S independent of APC, as demonstrated by the inhibition of prothrombinase and tenase activity both in
Maglev performance of a double-layer bulk high temperature superconductor above a permanent magnet guideway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Z; Wang, J; Zheng, J; Lin, Q; Zhang, Y; Wang, S [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031 (China)], E-mail: asclab@asclab.cn

2009-05-15

In order to improve the performance of the present high temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev vehicle system, the maglev performance of single- and double-layer bulk high temperature superconductors (HTSC) was investigated above a permanent magnet guideway (PMG). It is found that the maglev performance of a double-layer bulk HTSC is not a simple addition of each layer's levitation and guidance force. Moreover, the applied magnetic field at the position of the upper layer bulk HTSC is not completely shielded by the lower layer bulk HTSC either. 53.5% of the levitation force and 27.5% of the guidance force of the upper layer bulk HTSC are excited in the double-layer bulk HTSC arrangement in the applied field-cooling condition and working gap, bringing a corresponding improvement of 16.9% and 8.8% to the conventional single-layer bulk HTSC. The present research implies that the cost performance of upper layer bulk HTSC is a little low for the whole HTS maglev system.
Fabrication of selenization-free superstrate-type CuInS{sub 2} solar cells based on all-spin-coated layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheshme khavar, Amir Hossein [Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box. 14155-4383, Gisha Bridge, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mahjoub, Alireza, E-mail: mahjouba@modares.ac.ir [Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box. 14155-4383, Gisha Bridge, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Samghabadi, Farnaz Safi [Physics Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 14588 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Taghavinia, Nima, E-mail: taghavinia@sharif.edu [Physics Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 14588 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 14588 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-01-15

Today manufacturing of high efficiency chalcogenide thin film solar cells is based on high cost vacuum-based deposition processes at high temperature (>500 °C) and in chalcogen -containing atmosphere. In this paper, we introduce a simple vacuum-free and selenization-free, solution processing for fabricating a superstrate-type CuInS{sub 2} (CIS) solar cell. The absorber, buffer and blocking layers were all deposited by spin coating of molecular precursor inks. We demonstrate the deposition of In{sub 2}S{sub 3} buffer layer by sol-gel spin casting for the first time. The rapid sintering process of CIS layer was carried out at 250 °C that is considered a very low temperature in CIGS thin-film technologies. A novel molecular-ink route to deposit In{sub 2}S{sub 3} type buffer layer is presented. For the back contact we employed carbon, deposited by simple knife coating method. Different parameters including type of buffer, thickness of absorber layer, CIS and In{sub 2}S{sub 3} annealing temperature and morphology were optimized. Our air stable simple device structure consisting of S{sub 3}/CIS/Carbon > showed promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.67%. - Highlights: • This work is an effort on the fabrication of all spin-coated CIS solar cells. • A novel molecular-ink route to deposit In{sub 2}S{sub 3} type buffer layer is presented. • The best devices showed power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.67%.
Investigating the Effect of Growth Phase on the Surface-Layer Associated Proteome of Lactobacillus acidophilus Using Quantitative Proteomics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Courtney Klotz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Bacterial surface-layers (S-layers are semi-porous crystalline arrays that self-assemble to form the outermost layer of some cell envelopes. S-layers have been shown to act as scaffolding structures for the display of auxiliary proteins externally. These S-layer associated proteins have recently gained attention in probiotics due to their direct physical contact with the intestinal mucosa and potential role in cell proliferation, adhesion, and immunomodulation. A number of studies have attempted to catalog the S-layer associated proteome of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM under a single condition. However, due to the versatility of the cell surface, we chose to employ a multiplexing-based approach with the intention of accurately contrasting multiple conditions. In this study, a previously described lithium chloride isolation protocol was used to release proteins bound to the L. acidophilus S-layer during logarithmic and early stationary growth phases. Protein quantification values were obtained via TMT (tandem mass tag labeling combined with a triple-stage mass spectrometry (MS3 method. Results showed significant growth stage-dependent alterations to the surface-associated proteome while simultaneously highlighting the sensitivity and reproducibility of the technology. Thus, this study establishes a framework for quantifying condition-dependent changes to cell surface proteins that can easily be applied to other S-layer forming bacteria.
Spontaneous layering of porous silicon layers formed at high current densities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parkhutik, Vitali; Curiel-Esparza, Jorge; Millan, Mari-Carmen [R and D Center MTM, Technical University of Valencia, Valencia (Spain); Albella, Jose [Institute of Materials Science (ICMM CSIC) Madrid (Spain)

2005-06-01

We report here a curious effect of spontaneous fracturing of the silicon layers formed in galvanostatic conditions at medium and high current densities. Instead of formation of homogeneous p-Si layer as at low currents, a stack of thin layers is formed. Each layer is nearly separated from others and possesses rather flat interfaces. The effects is observed using p{sup +}-Si wafers for the p-Si formation and starts being noticeable at above 100 mA/cm{sup 2}. We interpret these results in terms of the porous silicon growth model where generation of dynamic mechanical stress during the p-Si growth causes sharp changes in Si dissolution mechanism from anisotropic etching of individual needle-like pores in silicon to their branching and isotropic etching. At this moment p-Si layer loses its adhesion to the surface of Si wafer and another p-Si layer starts growing. One of the mechanisms triggering on the separation of p-Si layers from one another is a fluctuation of local anodic current in the pore bottoms associated with gas bubble evolution during the p-Si formation. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)
An optimized multilayer structure of CdS layer for CdTe solar cells application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Junfeng; Liao Cheng; Jiang Tao; Spanheimer, C.; Haindl, G.; Fu, Ganhua; Krishnakumar, V.; Zhao Kui; Klein, A.; Jaegermann, W.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Two different methods to prepare CdS films for CdTe solar cells. → A new multilayer structure of window layer for the CdTe solar cell. → Thinner CdS window layer for the solar cell than the standard CdS layer. → Higher performance of solar cells based on the new multilayer structure. - Abstract: CdS layers grown by 'dry' (close space sublimation) and 'wet' (chemical bath deposition) methods are deposited and analyzed. CdS prepared with close space sublimation (CSS) has better crystal quality, electrical and optical properties than that prepared with chemical bath deposition (CBD). The performance of CdTe solar cell based on the CSS CdS layer has higher efficiency than that based on CBD CdS layer. However, the CSS CdS suffers from the pinholes. And consequently it is necessary to prepare a 150 nm thin film for CdTe/CdS solar cell. To improve the performance of CdS/CdTe solar cells, a thin multilayer structure of CdS layer (∼80 nm) is applied, which is composed of a bottom layer (CSS CdS) and a top layer (CBD CdS). That bi-layer film can allow more photons to pass through it and significantly improve the short circuit current of the CdS/CdTe solar cells.
Highly doped layer for tunnel junctions in solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Fetzer, Christopher M.

2017-08-01

A highly doped layer for interconnecting tunnel junctions in multijunction solar cells is presented. The highly doped layer is a delta doped layer in one or both layers of a tunnel diode junction used to connect two or more p-on-n or n-on-p solar cells in a multijunction solar cell. A delta doped layer is made by interrupting the epitaxial growth of one of the layers of the tunnel diode, depositing a delta dopant at a concentration substantially greater than the concentration used in growing the layer of the tunnel diode, and then continuing to epitaxially grow the remaining tunnel diode.

Electronic and magnetic structures of GdS layers investigated by first principle and series expansions calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masrour, R.; Hlil, E.K.; Hamedoun, M.; Benyoussef, A.

2014-01-01

Self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach and using Full Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FLAPW) method within GGA+U approximation, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the GdS layers. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Gd layers. Magnetic moment considered to lie along (001) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. Using the Heisenberg model, the exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Gd–Gd in the same layer and between the magnetic atoms in the adjacent bilayers are estimated. This estimate is obtained using the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic energies computed by abinitio calculations for GdS layers. The High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) of the magnetic susceptibility of GdS with antiferromagnetic moment (m Gd ) is given up to sixth order series versus of (J 11 (Gd–Gd)/k B T). The Néel temperature T N is obtained by mean field theory and by HTSEs of the magnetic susceptibility series using the Padé approximant method. The critical exponent γ associated with the magnetic susceptibility is calculated for GdS layers. - Highlights: • Electronic and magnetic properties of GdS are investigated using the ab initio calculations. • Obtained data from abinitio calculations are used as input for HTSEs to compute other magnetic parameters. • Néel temperature and critical exponent are deduced using HTSE method
Atomic layer deposition of two dimensional MoS{sub 2} on 150 mm substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valdivia, Arturo; Conley, John F., E-mail: jconley@eecs.oregonstate.edu [School of EECS, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (United States); Tweet, Douglas J. [Sharp Labs of America, Camas, Washington 98607 (United States)

2016-03-15

Low temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) of monolayer to few layer MoS{sub 2} uniformly across 150 mm diameter SiO{sub 2}/Si and quartz substrates is demonstrated. Purge separated cycles of MoCl{sub 5} and H{sub 2}S precursors are used at reactor temperatures of up to 475 °C. Raman scattering studies show clearly the in-plane (E{sup 1}{sub 2g}) and out-of-plane (A{sub 1g}) modes of MoS{sub 2}. The separation of the E{sup 1}{sub 2g} and A{sub 1g} peaks is a function of the number of ALD cycles, shifting closer together with fewer layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that stoichiometry is improved by postdeposition annealing in a sulfur ambient. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirms the atomic spacing of monolayer MoS{sub 2} thin films.
Monitoring layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte multi-layers using high-order cladding mode in long-period fiber gratings

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tian, F.; Kaňka, Jiří; Li, X.; Du, H.

-, č. 196 (2014), s. 475-479 ISSN 0925-4005 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH11038 Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Layer-by-layer assembly * Polyelectrolyte * Cladding mode Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 4.097, year: 2014
Genetic evidence for the involvement of the S-layer protein gene sap and the sporulation genes spo0A, spo0B, and spo0F in Phage AP50c infection of Bacillus anthracis.

Science.gov (United States)

Plaut, Roger D; Beaber, John W; Zemansky, Jason; Kaur, Ajinder P; George, Matroner; Biswas, Biswajit; Henry, Matthew; Bishop-Lilly, Kimberly A; Mokashi, Vishwesh; Hannah, Ryan M; Pope, Robert K; Read, Timothy D; Stibitz, Scott; Calendar, Richard; Sozhamannan, Shanmuga

2014-03-01

In order to better characterize the Bacillus anthracis typing phage AP50c, we designed a genetic screen to identify its bacterial receptor. Insertions of the transposon mariner or targeted deletions of the structural gene for the S-layer protein Sap and the sporulation genes spo0A, spo0B, and spo0F in B. anthracis Sterne resulted in phage resistance with concomitant defects in phage adsorption and infectivity. Electron microscopy of bacteria incubated with AP50c revealed phage particles associated with the surface of bacilli of the Sterne strain but not with the surfaces of Δsap, Δspo0A, Δspo0B, or Δspo0F mutants. The amount of Sap in the S layer of each of the spo0 mutant strains was substantially reduced compared to that of the parent strain, and incubation of AP50c with purified recombinant Sap led to a substantial reduction in phage activity. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole-genome sequences of B. cereus sensu lato strains revealed several closely related B. cereus and B. thuringiensis strains that carry sap genes with very high similarities to the sap gene of B. anthracis. Complementation of the Δsap mutant in trans with the wild-type B. anthracis sap or the sap gene from either of two different B. cereus strains that are sensitive to AP50c infection restored phage sensitivity, and electron microscopy confirmed attachment of phage particles to the surface of each of the complemented strains. Based on these data, we postulate that Sap is involved in AP50c infectivity, most likely acting as the phage receptor, and that the spo0 genes may regulate synthesis of Sap and/or formation of the S layer.
Nanoparticles-cell association predicted by protein corona fingerprints

Science.gov (United States)

Palchetti, S.; Digiacomo, L.; Pozzi, D.; Peruzzi, G.; Micarelli, E.; Mahmoudi, M.; Caracciolo, G.

2016-06-01

In a physiological environment (e.g., blood and interstitial fluids) nanoparticles (NPs) will bind proteins shaping a ``protein corona'' layer. The long-lived protein layer tightly bound to the NP surface is referred to as the hard corona (HC) and encodes information that controls NP bioactivity (e.g. cellular association, cellular signaling pathways, biodistribution, and toxicity). Decrypting this complex code has become a priority to predict the NP biological outcomes. Here, we use a library of 16 lipid NPs of varying size (Ø ~ 100-250 nm) and surface chemistry (unmodified and PEGylated) to investigate the relationships between NP physicochemical properties (nanoparticle size, aggregation state and surface charge), protein corona fingerprints (PCFs), and NP-cell association. We found out that none of the NPs' physicochemical properties alone was exclusively able to account for association with human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa). For the entire library of NPs, a total of 436 distinct serum proteins were detected. We developed a predictive-validation modeling that provides a means of assessing the relative significance of the identified corona proteins. Interestingly, a minor fraction of the HC, which consists of only 8 PCFs were identified as main promoters of NP association with HeLa cells. Remarkably, identified PCFs have several receptors with high level of expression on the plasma membrane of HeLa cells.In a physiological environment (e.g., blood and interstitial fluids) nanoparticles (NPs) will bind proteins shaping a ``protein corona'' layer. The long-lived protein layer tightly bound to the NP surface is referred to as the hard corona (HC) and encodes information that controls NP bioactivity (e.g. cellular association, cellular signaling pathways, biodistribution, and toxicity). Decrypting this complex code has become a priority to predict the NP biological outcomes. Here, we use a library of 16 lipid NPs of varying size (Ø ~ 100-250 nm) and surface
S-40: Acute Phase Protein Increse in High Altitude Mountaineers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tolga Saka

2017-03-01

Full Text Available “Erciyes Tigers” are an elite group of high altitude climbers. They have been climbing ErciyesMountain (3500 m, in Kayseri, Turkey once a week at least for ten years. When they climb Erciyes in winter, they also take a snow bath. This study investigated the effects of regular high altitude climbing on the metabolic and hematological responses of mountaineers. Venous blood samples were taken to investigate hematological, biochemical parameters and some hormone values from 21 mountaineers and 16 healthy age-matched sedentary volunteers at resting condition. The neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L ratio was calculated. The N/L was associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality and it could provide a good measure of exercise stress and subsequent recovery. Most of the hematological and biochemical parameters i.e., erythrocyte, leukocyte, hemoglobin and hematocrit values did not change significantly. The neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L ratio was significantly (p<0.04 decreased in the mountaineer compared with the sedentary group. Total protein (p<0.000 and albumin (0.001 were lower, while ferritin (p<0.04, creatine (p<0.03 and creatine phosphokinase levels (p<0.01 were higher in mountaineers. Our results show that regular high altitude climbing increased serum levels of some acute-phase proteins and these increments were not transient.
Proteins interacting with the 26S proteasome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartmann-Petersen, R; Gordon, C

2004-01-01

The 26S proteasome is the multi-protein protease that recognizes and degrades ubiquitinylated substrates targeted for destruction by the ubiquitin pathway. In addition to the well-documented subunit organization of the 26S holoenzyme, it is clear that a number of other proteins transiently...... associate with the 26S complex. These transiently associated proteins confer a number of different roles such as substrate presentation, cleavage of the multi-ubiquitin chain from the protein substrate and turnover of misfolded proteins. Such activities are essential for the 26S proteasome to efficiently...... fulfill its intracellular function in protein degradation....
Performance of High Layer Thickness in Selective Laser Melting of Ti6Al4V

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuezhi Shi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available To increase building rate and save cost, the selective laser melting (SLM of Ti6Al4V with a high layer thickness (200 μm and low cost coarse powders (53 μm–106 μm at a laser power of 400 W is investigated in this preliminary study. A relatively large laser beam with a diameter of 200 μm is utilized to produce a stable melt pool at high layer thickness, and the appropriate scanning track, which has a smooth surface with a shallow contact angle, can be obtained at the scanning speeds from 40 mm/s to 80 mm/s. By adjusting the hatch spacings, the density of multi-layer samples can be up to 99.99%, which is much higher than that achieved in previous studies about high layer thickness selective laser melting. Meanwhile, the building rate can be up to 7.2 mm3/s, which is about 2 times–9 times that of the commercial equipment. Besides, two kinds of defects are observed: the large un-melted defects and the small spherical micropores. The formation of the un-melted defects is mainly attributed to the inappropriate overlap rates and the unstable scanning tracks, which can be eliminated by adjusting the processing parameters. Nevertheless, the micropores cannot be completely eliminated. It is worth noting that the high layer thickness plays a key role on surface roughness rather than tensile properties during the SLM process. Although a sample with a relatively coarse surface is generated, the average values of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation are 1050 MPa, 1140 MPa, and 7.03%, respectively, which are not obviously different than those with the thin layer thickness used in previous research; this is due to the similar metallurgical bonding and microstructure.
Performance of High Layer Thickness in Selective Laser Melting of Ti6Al4V.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Xuezhi; Ma, Shuyuan; Liu, Changmeng; Chen, Cheng; Wu, Qianru; Chen, Xianping; Lu, Jiping

2016-12-01

To increase building rate and save cost, the selective laser melting (SLM) of Ti6Al4V with a high layer thickness (200 μm) and low cost coarse powders (53 μm-106 μm) at a laser power of 400 W is investigated in this preliminary study. A relatively large laser beam with a diameter of 200 μm is utilized to produce a stable melt pool at high layer thickness, and the appropriate scanning track, which has a smooth surface with a shallow contact angle, can be obtained at the scanning speeds from 40 mm/s to 80 mm/s. By adjusting the hatch spacings, the density of multi-layer samples can be up to 99.99%, which is much higher than that achieved in previous studies about high layer thickness selective laser melting. Meanwhile, the building rate can be up to 7.2 mm³/s, which is about 2 times-9 times that of the commercial equipment. Besides, two kinds of defects are observed: the large un-melted defects and the small spherical micropores. The formation of the un-melted defects is mainly attributed to the inappropriate overlap rates and the unstable scanning tracks, which can be eliminated by adjusting the processing parameters. Nevertheless, the micropores cannot be completely eliminated. It is worth noting that the high layer thickness plays a key role on surface roughness rather than tensile properties during the SLM process. Although a sample with a relatively coarse surface is generated, the average values of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation are 1050 MPa, 1140 MPa, and 7.03%, respectively, which are not obviously different than those with the thin layer thickness used in previous research; this is due to the similar metallurgical bonding and microstructure.
High Protein Diet and Huntington's Disease

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Wu, Yih-Ru; Chen, Pei; Tsai, Fuu-Jen; Yang, Chueh-Lien; Tsao, Ya-Tzu; Chang, Wen; Hsieh, I-Shan; Chern, Yijuang; Soong, Bing-Wen

2015-01-01

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the huntingtin (HTT) gene with expanded CAG repeats. In addition to the apparent brain abnormalities, impairments also occur in peripheral tissues. We previously reported that mutant Huntingtin (mHTT) exists in the liver and causes urea cycle deficiency. A low protein diet (17%) restores urea cycle activity and ameliorates symptoms in HD model mice. It remains unknown whether the dietary protein content should be monitored closely in HD patients because the normal protein consumption is lower in humans (~15% of total calories) than in mice (~22%). We assessed whether dietary protein content affects the urea cycle in HD patients. Thirty HD patients were hospitalized and received a standard protein diet (13.7% protein) for 5 days, followed by a high protein diet (HPD, 26.3% protein) for another 5 days. Urea cycle deficiency was monitored by the blood levels of citrulline and ammonia. HD progression was determined by the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS). The HPD increased blood citrulline concentration from 15.19 μmol/l to 16.30 μmol/l (p = 0.0378) in HD patients but did not change blood ammonia concentration. A 2-year pilot study of 14 HD patients found no significant correlation between blood citrulline concentration and HD progression. Our results indicated a short period of the HPD did not markedly compromise urea cycle function. Blood citrulline concentration is not a reliable biomarker of HD progression. PMID:25992839
Bowman’s layer transplantation: evidence to date

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Sharma B

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Bhavana Sharma,1 Aditi Dubey,2 Gaurav Prakash,3 Rasik B Vajpayee4–6 1Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, India; 3Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services, NMC Eye Care, New Medical Center Specialty Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 4Vision Eye Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 5Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 6North West Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Abstract: Surgical management of keratoconus (KC has undergone a paradigm shift in the last two decades and component corneal transplantation technique of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty has established itself as a modality of choice for management of advanced cases of KC. Every now and then, new minimalist modalities are being innovated for the management of KC. On the same lines, a new technique, Bowman’s layer transplantation, for surgical management of moderate to advanced KC has been reported in recent years. The procedure has shown to be beneficial in reducing ectasia in advanced KC with minimal intraoperative and postoperative complications. In this review, we intend to describe available information and literature with reference to this new surgical technique – Bowman’s layer transplantation. Keywords: keratoconus, Bowman’s Layer, keratoplasty, post PRK haze, component keratoplasty
The Role of S-Nitrosylation and S-Glutathionylation of Protein Disulphide Isomerase in Protein Misfolding and Neurodegeneration

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M. Halloran

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Neurodegenerative diseases involve the progressive loss of neurons, and a pathological hallmark is the presence of abnormal inclusions containing misfolded proteins. Although the precise molecular mechanisms triggering neurodegeneration remain unclear, endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress, elevated oxidative and nitrosative stress, and protein misfolding are important features in pathogenesis. Protein disulphide isomerase (PDI is the prototype of a family of molecular chaperones and foldases upregulated during ER stress that are increasingly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. PDI catalyzes the rearrangement and formation of disulphide bonds, thus facilitating protein folding, and in neurodegeneration may act to ameliorate the burden of protein misfolding. However, an aberrant posttranslational modification of PDI, S-nitrosylation, inhibits its protective function in these conditions. S-nitrosylation is a redox-mediated modification that regulates protein function by covalent addition of nitric oxide- (NO- containing groups to cysteine residues. Here, we discuss the evidence for abnormal S-nitrosylation of PDI (SNO-PDI in neurodegeneration and how this may be linked to another aberrant modification of PDI, S-glutathionylation. Understanding the role of aberrant S-nitrosylation/S-glutathionylation of PDI in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases may provide insights into novel therapeutic interventions in the future.
Homologous high-throughput expression and purification of highly conserved E coli proteins

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Duchmann Rainer

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genetic factors and a dysregulated immune response towards commensal bacteria contribute to the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD. Animal models demonstrated that the normal intestinal flora is crucial for the development of intestinal inflammation. However, due to the complexity of the intestinal flora, it has been difficult to design experiments for detection of proinflammatory bacterial antigen(s involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Several studies indicated a potential association of E. coli with IBD. In addition, T cell clones of IBD patients were shown to cross react towards antigens from different enteric bacterial species and thus likely responded to conserved bacterial antigens. We therefore chose highly conserved E. coli proteins as candidate antigens for abnormal T cell responses in IBD and used high-throughput techniques for cloning, expression and purification under native conditions of a set of 271 conserved E. coli proteins for downstream immunologic studies. Results As a standardized procedure, genes were PCR amplified and cloned into the expression vector pQTEV2 in order to express proteins N-terminally fused to a seven-histidine-tag. Initial small-scale expression and purification under native conditions by metal chelate affinity chromatography indicated that the vast majority of target proteins were purified in high yields. Targets that revealed low yields after purification probably due to weak solubility were shuttled into Gateway (Invitrogen destination vectors in order to enhance solubility by N-terminal fusion of maltose binding protein (MBP, N-utilizing substance A (NusA, or glutathione S-transferase (GST to the target protein. In addition, recombinant proteins were treated with polymyxin B coated magnetic beads in order to remove lipopolysaccharide (LPS. Thus, 73% of the targeted proteins could be expressed and purified in large-scale to give soluble proteins in the range of 500
Facile Synthesis of In–Situ Nitrogenated Graphene Decorated by Few–Layer MoS2 for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Xiaoping; Li, Zhanzhao; Du, Kangli; Sun, Hui; Yang, Ying; Zhang, Xin; Ma, Xingyu; Wang, Jie

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: In–situ nitrogenated graphene–few layer MoS 2 composites are fabricated by combinating chemical and hydrothermal reduction. The resulting MoS 2 /N–rGO–HA by N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O and NH 3 ·H 2 O as co-reductant exhibits high activity and remarkable stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The excellent electro-catalytic performance is ascribed to the synergistic effects, confinement effects and highly dispersed MoS 2 nanosheets on N-doping rGO. Display Omitted -- Highlights: • In–situ nitrogenated graphene–few layer MoS 2 composites are fabricated by combinating chemical and hydrothermal co-reduction. • The resulting MoS 2 /N–rGO–HA exhibits high activity and remarkable stability for HER. • The excellent electro-catalytic performance is ascribed to the synergistic effects, confinement effects and highly dispersed MoS 2 nanosheets on N-doping rGO. -- Abstract: A facile one–step synthetic strategy by combinating chemical and hydrothermal reduction of graphene oxide and Mo precursor is proposed to fabricate in–situ nitrogenated graphene–few layer MoS 2 composite (MoS 2 /N–rGO–HA) for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The N–doping graphene nanosheets and highly dispersed MoS 2 nanosheets by ammonia and hydrozine as co–reductant have greatly promoted the N content, concentrations of pyridinic and graphitic N, the electron transport in electrodes, and assure high catalytic efficiency. The MoS 2 /N–rGO–HA composite exhibits extremely high activity in acidic solutions with a small onset potential of 100 mV and Tafel slope of 45 mV/dec, as well as a current density about 32.4 mA cm −2 at overpotential about 0.2 V. Moreover, such MoS 2 /N–rGO–HA electroncatalyst also shows an excellent stability during 1000 cycles with negligible loss of the cathodic current. This facile hydrothermal method could provide a promising strategy for the synthesis of in–situ nitrogen–doping graphene sheets and few–layer
Research on High Layer Thickness Fabricated of 316L by Selective Laser Melting

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Shuo Wang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Selective laser melting (SLM is a potential additive manufacturing (AM technology. However, the application of SLM was confined due to low efficiency. To improve efficiency, SLM fabrication with a high layer thickness and fine powder was systematically researched, and the void areas and hollow powders can be reduced by using fine powder. Single-track experiments were used to narrow down process parameter windows. Multi-layer fabrication relative density can be reached 99.99% at the exposure time-point distance-hatch space of 120 μs-40 μm-240 μm. Also, the building rate can be up to 12 mm3/s, which is about 3–10 times higher than the previous studies. Three typical defects were found by studying deeply, including the un-melted defect between the molten pools, the micro-pore defect within the molten pool, and the irregular distribution of the splashing phenomenon. Moreover, the microstructure is mostly equiaxed crystals and a small amount of columnar crystals. The averages of ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are 625 MPa, 525 MPa, and 39.9%, respectively. As exposure time increased from 80 μs to 200 μs, the grain size is gradually grown up from 0.98 μm to 2.23 μm, the grain aspect ratio is close to 1, and the tensile properties are shown as a downward trend. The tensile properties of high layer thickness fabricated are not significantly different than those with a coarse-powder layer thickness of low in previous research.
Research on High Layer Thickness Fabricated of 316L by Selective Laser Melting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuo; Liu, Yude; Shi, Wentian; Qi, Bin; Yang, Jin; Zhang, Feifei; Han, Dong; Ma, Yingyi

2017-09-08

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a potential additive manufacturing (AM) technology. However, the application of SLM was confined due to low efficiency. To improve efficiency, SLM fabrication with a high layer thickness and fine powder was systematically researched, and the void areas and hollow powders can be reduced by using fine powder. Single-track experiments were used to narrow down process parameter windows. Multi-layer fabrication relative density can be reached 99.99% at the exposure time-point distance-hatch space of 120 μs-40 μm-240 μm. Also, the building rate can be up to 12 mm³/s, which is about 3-10 times higher than the previous studies. Three typical defects were found by studying deeply, including the un-melted defect between the molten pools, the micro-pore defect within the molten pool, and the irregular distribution of the splashing phenomenon. Moreover, the microstructure is mostly equiaxed crystals and a small amount of columnar crystals. The averages of ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are 625 MPa, 525 MPa, and 39.9%, respectively. As exposure time increased from 80 μs to 200 μs, the grain size is gradually grown up from 0.98 μm to 2.23 μm, the grain aspect ratio is close to 1, and the tensile properties are shown as a downward trend. The tensile properties of high layer thickness fabricated are not significantly different than those with a coarse-powder layer thickness of low in previous research.
Amino acid sequences of ribosomal proteins S11 from Bacillus stearothermophilus and S19 from Halobacterium marismortui. Comparison of the ribosomal protein S11 family.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, M; Kimura, J; Hatakeyama, T

1988-11-21

The complete amino acid sequences of ribosomal proteins S11 from the Gram-positive eubacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus and of S19 from the archaebacterium Halobacterium marismortui have been determined. A search for homologous sequences of these proteins revealed that they belong to the ribosomal protein S11 family. Homologous proteins have previously been sequenced from Escherichia coli as well as from chloroplast, yeast and mammalian ribosomes. A pairwise comparison of the amino acid sequences showed that Bacillus protein S11 shares 68% identical residues with S11 from Escherichia coli and a slightly lower homology (52%) with the homologous chloroplast protein. The halophilic protein S19 is more related to the eukaryotic (45-49%) than to the eubacterial counterparts (35%).
Formation of CuxS Layers on Polypropylene Sulfurized by Molten Sulfur

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Rasa ALABURDAITĖ

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The processes of formation of electrically conductive layers of copper sulfides CuxS by the sorption-diffusion method on polypropylene (PP using molten sulfur as sulfurizing agent was investigated. The amount of sorbed sulfur increased with the increase of the duration of treatment. Copper sulfide layers were formed on the surface of polypropylene after the treatment of sulfurized polymer with Cu(II/I salt solution. The amount of copper sulfide in layer increased with the increase of treatment duration in copper salt solution. XRD spectra of PP films treated for 3 min with molten sulfur and then with Cu(II/I salt solution for the different time showed that the copper sulfide phases, mostly digenite, Cu2-xS and a-chalcocite, Cu2S were formed in the layers. Electromotive force measurement results confirmed the composition of formed CuxS layers on PP. The phase composition of layers also changed after the annealing. The value of electrical resistance of copper sulfide layers on PP varied from 20 W/cm2 to 80 W/cm2 and after annealing at 80 °C - in the interval of 10 W/cm2 - 60 W/cm2.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.17.4.776
Identification of mineral dust layers in high alpine snow packs

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Greilinger, Marion; Kau, Daniela; Schauer, Gerhard; Kasper-Giebl, Anne

2017-04-01

allow a retrospective evaluation of previous snow chemistry data of snow packs of previous years or different locations. Thus the unique time of almost 30 years of snow chemistry data from glaciers surrounding the Sonnblick observatory [5] can be evaluated, focusing on the intensity and frequency of the occurance of Saharan dust layers in high alpine snow packs. Literature: [1] Boucher, O., Randall, D., Artaxo, P., Bretherton, C., Feingold, G., Forster, P., Kerminen, V.M., Kondo, Y., Liao, H., Lohmann, U., Rasch, P., Satheesh, S.K., Sherwood, S., Stevens, B., Zhang, X.Y., 2013. Clouds and aerosols. In: Stocker, T.F., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M., Allen, S.K., Boschung, J., Nauels, A., Xia, Y., Bex, V., Midgley, P.M. (Eds.), Climate Change 2013: the Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. [2] Prospero, J.M., 1996. Saharan Dust Transport Over the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean: An Overview, in: Guerzoni, S., Chester, R. (Eds.), The Impact of Desert Dust Across the Mediterranean, Environmental Science and Technology Library. Springer Netherlands, pp. 133-151. [3] Avila, A., Rod_a, F., 1991. Red rains as major contributors of nutrients and alkalinity to terrestrial ecosystems at Montseny (NE Spain). Orsis Org. Sist. 6, 215e229. [4] Miles, L.J., Yost, K.J., 1982. Quality analysis of USGS precipitation chemistry data for New York. Atmos. Environ. 1967 (16), 2889e2898. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ 0004-6981(82)90039-7. [5] Greilinger, Marion, et al. "Temporal changes of inorganic ion deposition in the seasonal snow cover for the Austrian Alps (1983-2014)." Atmospheric Environment 132 (2016): 141-152.
Microstructural characterization of chemical bath deposited and sputtered Zn(O,S) buffer layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gautron, E.; Buffière, M.; Harel, S.; Assmann, L.; Arzel, L.; Brohan, L.; Kessler, J.; Barreau, N.

2013-01-01

The present work aims at investigating the microstructure of Zn(O,S) buffer layers relative to their deposition route, namely either chemical bath deposition (CBD) or RF co-sputtering process (PVD) under pure Ar. The core of the study consists of cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization of the differently grown Zn(O,S) thin films on co-evaporated Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGSe) absorbers. It shows that the morphology of Zn(O,S) layer deposited on CIGSe using CBD process is made of a thin layer of well oriented ZnS sphalerite-(111) and/or ZnS wurtzite-(0002) planes parallel to CIGSe chalcopyrite-(112) planes at the interface with CIGSe followed by misoriented nanometer-sized ZnS crystallites in an amorphous phase. As far as (PVD)Zn(O,S) is concerned, the TEM analyses reveal two different microstructures depending on the S-content in the films: for [S] / ([O] + [S]) = 0.6, the buffer layer is made of ZnO zincite and ZnS wurtzite crystallites grown nearly coherently to each other, with (0002) planes nearly parallel with CIGSe-(112) planes, while for [S] / ([O] + [S]) = 0.3, it is made of ZnO zincite type crystals with O atoms substituted by S atoms, with (0002) planes perfectly aligned with CIGSe-(112) planes. Such microstructural differences can explain why photovoltaic performances are dependent on the Zn(O,S) buffer layer deposition route. - Highlights: ► Zn(O,S) layers were grown by chemical bath (CBD) or physical vapor (PVD) deposition. ► For CBD, a 3 nm ZnS layer is followed by ZnS nano-crystallites in an amorphous phase. ► For PVD with [S] / ([O] + [S]) = 0.3, the layer has a Zn(O,S) zincite structure. ► For PVD with [S] / ([O] + [S]) = 0.6, ZnS wurtzite and ZnO zincite phases are mixed

Electronic and magnetic structures of GdS layers investigated by first principle and series expansions calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masrour, R., E-mail: rachidmasrour@hotmail.com [Laboratory of Materials, Processes, Environment and Quality, Cady Ayyed University, National School of Applied Sciences, 63 46000 Safi (Morocco); LMPHE (URAC 12), Faculty of Science, Mohammed V-Agdal University, Rabat (Morocco); Hlil, E.K. [Institut Néel, CNRS et Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, F-38042 Grenoble cedex 9 (France); Hamedoun, M. [Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, MAScIR, Rabat (Morocco); Benyoussef, A. [LMPHE (URAC 12), Faculty of Science, Mohammed V-Agdal University, Rabat (Morocco); Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, MAScIR, Rabat (Morocco); Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology, Rabat (Morocco)

2014-04-01

Self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach and using Full Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FLAPW) method within GGA+U approximation, are performed to investigate both electronic and magnetic properties of the GdS layers. Polarized spin and spin–orbit coupling are included in calculations within the framework of the antiferromagnetic state between two adjacent Gd layers. Magnetic moment considered to lie along (001) axes are computed. Obtained data from ab initio calculations are used as input for the High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) calculations to compute other magnetic parameters. Using the Heisenberg model, the exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms Gd–Gd in the same layer and between the magnetic atoms in the adjacent bilayers are estimated. This estimate is obtained using the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic energies computed by abinitio calculations for GdS layers. The High Temperature Series Expansions (HTSEs) of the magnetic susceptibility of GdS with antiferromagnetic moment (m{sub Gd}) is given up to sixth order series versus of (J{sub 11}(Gd–Gd)/k{sub B}T). The Néel temperature T{sub N} is obtained by mean field theory and by HTSEs of the magnetic susceptibility series using the Padé approximant method. The critical exponent γ associated with the magnetic susceptibility is calculated for GdS layers. - Highlights: • Electronic and magnetic properties of GdS are investigated using the ab initio calculations. • Obtained data from abinitio calculations are used as input for HTSEs to compute other magnetic parameters. • Néel temperature and critical exponent are deduced using HTSE method.
On the applicability of the layered sine-Gordon model for Josephson-coupled high-Tc layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandori, I; Jentschura, U D; Nagy, S; Sailer, K; Vad, K; Meszaros, S

2007-01-01

We find a mapping of the layered sine-Gordon model to an equivalent gas of topological excitations and determine the long-range interaction potentials of the topological defects. This enables us to make a detailed comparison to the so-called layered vortex gas, which can be obtained from the layered Ginzburg-Landau model. The layered sine-Gordon model has been proposed in the literature as a candidate field-theoretical model for Josephson-coupled high-T c superconductors, and the implications of our analysis for the applicability of the layered sine-Gordon model to high-T c superconductors are discussed. We are led to the conjecture that the layered sine-Gordon and the layered vortex gas models belong to different universality classes. The determination of the critical temperature of the layered sine-Gordon model is based on a renormalization-group analysis
Layer by layer assembly of glucose oxidase and thiourea onto glassy carbon electrode: Fabrication of glucose biosensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salimi, Abdollah, E-mail: absalimi@yahoo.com [Department of Chemistry, University of Kurdistsn, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Center for Nanotechnology, University of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Noorbakhsh, Abdollah [Department of Chemistry, University of Kurdistsn, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Nanotechnology Engenering, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, 81746-73441 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-07-01

Highlights: > Although various enzymes immobilization have been approve for the construction of glucose biosensor, a layer by layer (LBL) technique has attracted more attention due to simplicity of the procedure, wide choice of materials that can be used, controllability of film thickness and unique mechanical properties. > In this paper, we described a novel and simple strategy for developing an amperometric glucose biosensor based on layer-by-layer self assembly of glucose oxidase on the glassy carbon electrode modified by thiourea. > Thiourea has two amino groups that the one can be immobilized on the activated glassy carbon electrode and the other can be used for the coupling of glucose oxidase enzyme. > The biosensor exhibited good performance for electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose, such as high sensitivity, low detection limit, short response time and wide concentration range. > Finally, the new method is strongly recommended for immobilization of many other enzymes or proteins containing carbaldehyde or carboxylic groups for fabricating third generation biosensors and bioelectronics devices. - Abstract: For the first time a novel, simple and facile approach is described to construct highly stable glucose oxidase (GOx) multilayer onto glassy carbon (GC) electrode using thiourea (TU) as a covalent attachment cross-linker. The layer by layer (LBL) attachment process was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy (FT-IR-RS) techniques. Immobilized GOx shows excellent electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation using ferrocenemethanol as artificial electron transfer mediator and biosensor response was directly correlated to the number of bilayers. The surface coverage of active GOx per bilayer, heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k{sub s}) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K{sub M}), of immobilized GOx were 1.50 x 10{sup -12} mol cm{sup -2}, 9.2 {+-} 0.5 s{sup -1
Layer by layer assembly of glucose oxidase and thiourea onto glassy carbon electrode: Fabrication of glucose biosensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salimi, Abdollah; Noorbakhsh, Abdollah

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Although various enzymes immobilization have been approve for the construction of glucose biosensor, a layer by layer (LBL) technique has attracted more attention due to simplicity of the procedure, wide choice of materials that can be used, controllability of film thickness and unique mechanical properties. → In this paper, we described a novel and simple strategy for developing an amperometric glucose biosensor based on layer-by-layer self assembly of glucose oxidase on the glassy carbon electrode modified by thiourea. → Thiourea has two amino groups that the one can be immobilized on the activated glassy carbon electrode and the other can be used for the coupling of glucose oxidase enzyme. → The biosensor exhibited good performance for electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose, such as high sensitivity, low detection limit, short response time and wide concentration range. → Finally, the new method is strongly recommended for immobilization of many other enzymes or proteins containing carbaldehyde or carboxylic groups for fabricating third generation biosensors and bioelectronics devices. - Abstract: For the first time a novel, simple and facile approach is described to construct highly stable glucose oxidase (GOx) multilayer onto glassy carbon (GC) electrode using thiourea (TU) as a covalent attachment cross-linker. The layer by layer (LBL) attachment process was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy (FT-IR-RS) techniques. Immobilized GOx shows excellent electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation using ferrocenemethanol as artificial electron transfer mediator and biosensor response was directly correlated to the number of bilayers. The surface coverage of active GOx per bilayer, heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k s ) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K M ), of immobilized GOx were 1.50 x 10 -12 mol cm -2 , 9.2 ± 0.5 s -1 and 3.42(±0
Protein S100B and physical exercise

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Álvaro Reischak Oliveira

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Protein S100B has been used as a peripheral biochemical marker of brain injury and/or activity. However, recent studies have demonstrated that this protein is also increased in serum after physical exercise, although the interpretation of this finding remains controversial. Although predominantly released by astrocytes in the central nervous system, extracerebral sources of protein S100B have been suggested to contribute to the increase in serum levels of this protein. However, in the case of exercises that have an impact on the brain such as boxing, elevated levels are clearly associated with brain damage. More recently, some studies have proposed that protein S100B might be released by activated adipocytes and by damaged muscle cells. If confirmed experimentally, protein S100B might be potentially useful in sports training. We are currently investigating the potential role of serum protein S100B as an indicator of muscle damage. Therefore, the objective of this review was to discuss the current knowledge about the relationship between physical exercise and serum protein S100B and its possible leakage from muscle cells injured by exercise.
Accumulation of [35S]taurine in peripheral layers of the olfactory bulb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quinn, M.R.; Wysocki, C.J.; Sturman, J.A.; Wen, G.Y.

1981-01-01

Accumulation of [ 35 S]taurine in the laminae of the olfactory bulb of the adult cat, rat, mouse and rabbit was examined autoradiographically. [ 35 S]Taurine was administered either i.p. or i.v. and olfactory bulbs were excised 24 h post-injection. High concentrations of [ 35 S]taurine were restricted to the olfactory nerve and glomerular layers of the olfactory bulb in all species examined. Olfactory neurons are continuously renewed and the results obtained suggest that taurine may have an important role in olfactory receptor axons. (Auth.)
Surface display of the receptor-binding region of the Lactobacillus brevis S-layer protein in Lactococcus lactis provides nonadhesive lactococci with the ability to adhere to intestinal epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Avall-Jääskeläinen, Silja; Lindholm, Agneta; Palva, Airi

2003-04-01

Lactobacillus brevis is a promising lactic acid bacterium for use as a probiotic dietary adjunct and a vaccine vector. The N-terminal region of the S-layer protein (SlpA) of L. brevis ATCC 8287 was recently shown to mediate adhesion to various human cell lines in vitro. In this study, a surface display cassette was constructed on the basis of this SlpA receptor-binding domain, a proteinase spacer, and an autolysin anchor. The cassette was expressed under control of the nisA promoter in Lactococcus lactis NZ9000. Western blot assay of lactococcal cell wall extracts with anti-SlpA antibodies confirmed that the SlpA adhesion domain of the fusion protein was expressed and located within the cell wall layer. Whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunofluorescence microscopy verified that the SlpA adhesion-mediating region was accessible on the lactococcal cell surface. In vitro adhesion assays with the human intestinal epithelial cell line Intestine 407 indicated that the recombinant lactococcal cells had gained an ability to adhere to Intestine 407 cells significantly greater than that of wild-type L. lactis NZ9000. Serum inhibition assay further confirmed that adhesion of recombinant lactococci to Intestine 407 cells was indeed mediated by the N terminus-encoding part of the slpA gene. The ability of the receptor-binding region of SlpA to adhere to fibronectin was also confirmed with this lactococcal surface display system. These results show that, with the aid of the receptor-binding region of the L. brevis SlpA protein, the ability to adhere to gut epithelial cells can indeed be transferred to another, nonadhesive, lactic acid bacterium.
Proteins at fluid interfaces: adsorption layers and thin liquid films.

Science.gov (United States)

Yampolskaya, Galina; Platikanov, Dimo

2006-12-21

A review in which many original published results of the authors as well as many other papers are discussed. The structure and some properties of the globular proteins are shortly presented, special accent being put on the alpha-chymotrypsin (alpha-ChT), lysozyme (LZ), human serum albumin (HSA), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) which have been used in the experiments with thin liquid films. The behaviour of protein adsorption layers (PAL) is extensively discussed. The dynamics of PAL formation, including the kinetics of adsorption as well as the time evolution of the surface tension of protein aqueous solutions, are considered. A considerable place is devoted to the surface tension and adsorption isotherms of the globular protein solutions, the simulation of PAL by interacting hard spheres, the experimental surface tension isotherms of the above mentioned proteins, and the interfacial tension isotherms for the protein aqueous solution/oil interface. The rheological properties of PAL at fluid interfaces are shortly reviewed. After a brief information about the experimental methods for investigation of protein thin liquid (foam or emulsion) films, the properties of the protein black foam films are extensively discussed: the conditions for their formation, the influence of the electrolytes and pH on the film type and stability, the thermodynamic properties of the black foam films, the contact angles film/bulk and their dynamic hysteresis. The next center of attention concerns some properties of the protein emulsion films: the conditions for formation of emulsion black films, the formation and development of a dimpling in microscopic, circular films. The protein-phospholipid mixed foam films are also briefly considered.
Electrically Tunable and Negative Schottky Barriers in Multi-layered Graphene/MoS2 Heterostructured Transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Dongri; Kim, Eun Kyu

2015-09-01

We fabricated multi-layered graphene/MoS2 heterostructured devices by positioning mechanically exfoliated bulk graphite and single-crystalline 2H-MoS2 onto Au metal pads on a SiO2/Si substrate via a contamination-free dry transfer technique. We also studied the electrical transport properties of Au/MoS2 junction devices for systematic comparison. A previous work has demonstrated the existence of a positive Schottky barrier height (SBH) in the metal/MoS2 system. However, analysis of the SBH indicates that the contacts of the multi-layered graphene/MoS2 have tunable negative barriers in the range of 300 to -46 meV as a function of gate voltage. It is hypothesized that this tunable SBH is responsible for the modulation of the work function of the thick graphene in these devices. Despite the large number of graphene layers, it is possible to form ohmic contacts, which will provide new opportunities for the engineering of highly efficient contacts in flexible electronics and photonics.
Electrically Tunable and Negative Schottky Barriers in Multi-layered Graphene/MoS2 Heterostructured Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Dongri; Kim, Eun Kyu

2015-09-03

We fabricated multi-layered graphene/MoS2 heterostructured devices by positioning mechanically exfoliated bulk graphite and single-crystalline 2H-MoS2 onto Au metal pads on a SiO2/Si substrate via a contamination-free dry transfer technique. We also studied the electrical transport properties of Au/MoS2 junction devices for systematic comparison. A previous work has demonstrated the existence of a positive Schottky barrier height (SBH) in the metal/MoS2 system. However, analysis of the SBH indicates that the contacts of the multi-layered graphene/MoS2 have tunable negative barriers in the range of 300 to -46 meV as a function of gate voltage. It is hypothesized that this tunable SBH is responsible for the modulation of the work function of the thick graphene in these devices. Despite the large number of graphene layers, it is possible to form ohmic contacts, which will provide new opportunities for the engineering of highly efficient contacts in flexible electronics and photonics.
High-Protein Soybean Mutants by Using Irradiation Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yathaputanon, C.; Kumsueb, B.; Srisombun, S.

2009-07-01

Full text: Soybean variety improvement for high seed protein using induced mutation was initiated. Approximately 5,000 seeds of soybean variety Chiang Mai 60 were irradiated with gamma rays at the dose of 200 Grays at Kasetsart University. High-protein seed mutants in M2 to M4 generations were selected at Nakhon Ratchasima Field Crops Research Center during 2004-2008. The Pedigree method of selection was used. Kjeldahl method was used to analyze seed protein percentages. The M2 seeds protein content of the M2 generation was 45.2% while that of the original parent was 43.0%. M3s were seeded plant to row. In each row, the best four plants were selected for protein analysis. The average protein content of selected mutant lines was 3.9% while the check variety had average protein content of 42.4%. In the M4 generation, the result showed that the average protein contents of the selected mutant lines and the check variety were 42.8% and 42.0%, respectively. In the 2007-2008 trials, four promising mutants had and average protein content of 428%, while the check variety had and average protein content of 41.1%. The four mutants produced the mean grain yield of 2.20-2.42 t/Ha, which was 10.21% higher than that of Chiang Mai 60. The mutant lines produced both a high grain protein content and a high grain yield. They will be further tested their adaptability in the research centers and farmer fields
Sustained ophthalmic delivery of highly soluble drug using pH-triggered inner layer-embedded contact lens.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Qiang; Cheng, Hongbo; Huo, Yingnan; Mao, Shirui

2018-06-10

In the present work the feasibility of using inner layer-embedded contact lenses (CLs) to achieve sustained release of highly water soluble drug, betaxolol hydrochloride (BH) on the ocular surface was investigated. Blend film of cellulose acetate and Eudragit S100 was selected as the inner layer, while silicone hydrogel was used as outer layer to construct inner layer-embedded contact lenses. Influence of polymer ratio in the blend film on in vitro drug release behavior in phosphate buffered solution or simulated tear fluid was studied and drug-polymer interaction, erosion and swelling of the blend film were characterized to better understand drug-release mechanism. Storage stability of the inner layer-embedded contact lenses in phosphate buffer solution was also conducted, with ignorable drug loss and negligible change in drug release pattern within 30 days. In vivo pharmacokinetic study in rabbits showed sustained drug release for over 240 h in tear fluid, indicating prolonged drug precorneal residence time. In conclusion, cellulose acetate/Eudragit S100 inner layer-embedded contact lenses are quite promising as controlled-release carrier of highly water soluble drug for ophthalmic delivery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Characterization of mini-protein S, a recombinant variant of protein S that lacks the sex hormone binding globulin-like domain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijnen, M.; Stam, J. G.; Chang, G. T.; Meijers, J. C.; Reitsma, P. H.; Bertina, R. M.; Bouma, B. N.

1998-01-01

Protein S is a vitamin K-dependent glycoprotein involved in the regulation of the anticoagulant activity of activated protein C (APC). Also, an anticoagulant role for protein S, independent of APC, has been described. Protein S has a unique C-terminal sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)-like domain
Response of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Soil Layer to a High Altitude, Dense Aerosol Cover.

Science.gov (United States)

Garratt, J. R.; Pittock, A. B.; Walsh, K.

1990-01-01

The response of the atmospheric boundary layer to the appearance of a high-altitude smoke layer has been investigated in a mesoscale numerical model of the atmosphere. Emphasis is placed on the changes in mean boundary-layer structure and near-surface temperatures when smoke of absorption optical depth (AOD) in the, range 0 to 1 is introduced. Calculations have been made at 30°S, for different soil thermal properties and degrees of surface wetness, over a time period of several days during which major smoke-induced cooling occurs. The presence of smoke reduces the daytime mixed-layer depth and, for large enough values of AOD, results in a daytime surface inversion with large cooling confined to heights of less than a few hundred meters. Smoke-induced reductions in daytime soil and air temperatures of several degrees are typical, dependent critically upon soil wetness and smoke AOD. Locations near the coast experience reduced cooling whenever there is a significant onshore flow related to a sea breeze (this would also be the case with a large-scale onshore flow). The sea breeze itself disappears for large enough smoke AOD and, over sloping coastal terrain, a smoke-induced, offshore drainage flow may exist throughout the diurnal cycle.
Formation of protein/surfactant adsorption layer at the air/water interface as studied by dilational surface rheology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikhailovskaya, A A; Noskov, B A; Lin, S-Y; Loglio, G; Miller, R

2011-08-25

The dynamic dilatational surface elasticity of mixed solutions of globular proteins (β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) with cationic (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB)) and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) surfactants was measured as a function of the surfactant concentration and surface age. If the cationic surfactant concentration exceeds a certain critical value, the kinetic dependencies of the dynamic surface elasticity of BLG/DTAB and BSA/DTAB solutions become nonmonotonous and resemble those of mixed solutions of proteins with guanidine hydrochloride. This result indicates not only the destruction of the protein tertiary structure in the surface layer of mixed solution but also a strong perturbation of the secondary structure. The corresponding kinetic dependencies for protein solutions with added anionic surfactants are always monotonous, thereby revealing a different mechanism of the adsorption layer formation. One can assume that the secondary structure is destroyed to a lesser extent in the latter case and hinders the formation of loops and tails at the interface. The increase of the solution's ionic strength by the addition of sodium chloride results in stronger changes of the protein conformations in the surface layer and the appearance of a local maximum in the kinetic dependencies of the dynamic surface elasticity in a relatively narrow range of SDS concentration. © 2011 American Chemical Society
Ultra-thin MoS{sub 2} irradiated with highly charged ions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hopster, J.; Kozubek, R.; Krämer, J.; Sokolovsky, V.; Schleberger, M., E-mail: marika.schleberger@uni-due.de

2013-12-15

Single MoS{sub 2} layers exfoliated on KBr have been irradiated with highly charged Xe ions, i.e. with Xe{sup 35+} and Xe{sup 40+}. By atomic force microscopy (AFM) we identified pits and hillocks induced by single ion impacts. The latter ones appear on single layer and bulk-like MoS{sub 2} after both irradiations, whereas their diameter and height apparently depend on the charge state q and layer number. By comparison of contact mode and tapping mode AFM measurements we deduce that these ion induced defects are topographical hillocks accompanied by an enhanced friction. In contrast to this, pit-like structures were only observed on single layer MoS{sub 2} irradiated with q = 40. Taking into account the well known ion induced pit formation on KBr due to defect mediated sputtering, we deduce that pit formation takes place in the substrate and not in the MoS{sub 2} layer.
Layer by layer assembly of a biocatalytic packaging film: lactase covalently bound to low-density polyethylene.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Dana E; Talbert, Joey N; Goddard, Julie M

2013-06-01

Active packaging is utilized to overcome limitations of traditional processing to enhance the health, safety, economics, and shelf life of foods. Active packaging employs active components to interact with food constituents to give a desired effect. Herein we describe the development of an active package in which lactase is covalently attached to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) for in-package production of lactose-free dairy products. The specific goal of this work is to increase the total protein content loading onto LDPE using layer by layer (LbL) deposition, alternating polyethylenimine, glutaraldehyde (GL), and lactase, to enhance the overall activity of covalently attached lactase. The films were successfully oxidized via ultraviolet light, functionalized with polyethylenimine and glutaraldehyde, and layered with immobilized purified lactase. The total protein content increased with each additional layer of conjugated lactase, the 5-layer sample reaching up to 1.3 μg/cm2 . However, the increase in total protein did not lend to an increase in overall lactase activity. Calculated apparent Km indicated the affinity of immobilized lactase to substrate remains unchanged when compared to free lactase. Calculated apparent turnover numbers (kcat ) showed with each layer of attached lactase, a decrease in substrate turnover was experienced when compared to free lactase; with a decrease from 128.43 to 4.76 s(-1) for a 5-layer conjugation. Our results indicate that while LbL attachment of lactase to LDPE successfully increases total protein mass of the bulk material, the adverse impact in enzyme efficiency may limit the application of LbL immobilization chemistry for bioactive packaging use. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®
Mapping the layer count of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride at high lateral spatial resolutions

Science.gov (United States)

Mohsin, Ali; Cross, Nicholas G.; Liu, Lei; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Duscher, Gerd; Gu, Gong

2018-01-01

Layer count control and uniformity of two dimensional (2D) layered materials are critical to the investigation of their properties and to their electronic device applications, but methods to map 2D material layer count at nanometer-level lateral spatial resolutions have been lacking. Here, we demonstrate a method based on two complementary techniques widely available in transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) to map the layer count of multilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films. The mass-thickness contrast in high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) mode allows for thickness determination in atomically clean regions with high spatial resolution (sub-nanometer), but is limited by surface contamination. To complement, another technique based on the boron K ionization edge in the electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum (EELS) of h-BN is developed to quantify the layer count so that surface contamination does not cause an overestimate, albeit at a lower spatial resolution (nanometers). The two techniques agree remarkably well in atomically clean regions with discrepancies within ±1 layer. For the first time, the layer count uniformity on the scale of nanometers is quantified for a 2D material. The methodology is applicable to layer count mapping of other 2D layered materials, paving the way toward the synthesis of multilayer 2D materials with homogeneous layer count.
An Energy-Aware Trajectory Optimization Layer for sUAS

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, William A.

The focus of this work is the implementation of an energy-aware trajectory optimization algorithm that enables small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to operate in unknown, dynamic severe weather environments. The software is designed as a component of an Energy-Aware Dynamic Data Driven Application System (EA-DDDAS) for sUAS. This work addresses the challenges of integrating and executing an online trajectory optimization algorithm during mission operations in the field. Using simplified aircraft kinematics, the energy-aware algorithm enables extraction of kinetic energy from measured winds to optimize thrust use and endurance during flight. The optimization layer, based upon a nonlinear program formulation, extracts energy by exploiting strong wind velocity gradients in the wind field, a process known as dynamic soaring. The trajectory optimization layer extends the energy-aware path planner developed by Wenceslao Shaw-Cortez te{Shaw-cortez2013} to include additional mission configurations, simulations with a 6-DOF model, and validation of the system with flight testing in June 2015 in Lubbock, Texas. The trajectory optimization layer interfaces with several components within the EA-DDDAS to provide an sUAS with optimal flight trajectories in real-time during severe weather. As a result, execution timing, data transfer, and scalability are considered in the design of the software. Severe weather also poses a measure of unpredictability to the system with respect to communication between systems and available data resources during mission operations. A heuristic mission tree with different cost functions and constraints is implemented to provide a level of adaptability to the optimization layer. Simulations and flight experiments are performed to assess the efficacy of the trajectory optimization layer. The results are used to assess the feasibility of flying dynamic soaring trajectories with existing controllers as well as to verify the interconnections between
Structure of Rotavirus Outer-Layer Protein VP7 Bound with a Neutralizing Fab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aoki, Scott T.; Settembre, Ethan C.; Trask, Shane D.; Greenberg, Harry B.; Harrison, Stephen C.; Dormitzer, Philip R.; (Stanford-MED); (CH-Boston)

2009-06-17

Rotavirus outer-layer protein VP7 is a principal target of protective antibodies. Removal of free calcium ions (Ca{sup 2+}) dissociates VP7 trimers into monomers, releasing VP7 from the virion, and initiates penetration-inducing conformational changes in the other outer-layer protein, VP4. We report the crystal structure at 3.4 angstrom resolution of VP7 bound with the Fab fragment of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody. The Fab binds across the outer surface of the intersubunit contact, which contains two Ca{sup 2+} sites. Mutations that escape neutralization by other antibodies suggest that the same region bears the epitopes of most neutralizing antibodies. The monovalent Fab is sufficient to neutralize infectivity. We propose that neutralizing antibodies against VP7 act by stabilizing the trimer, thereby inhibiting the uncoating trigger for VP4 rearrangement. A disulfide-linked trimer is a potential subunit immunogen.

Identification of Protein-Protein Interactions with Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) Fusion Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Einarson, Margret B; Pugacheva, Elena N; Orlinick, Jason R

2007-08-01

INTRODUCTIONGlutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins have had a wide range of applications since their introduction as tools for synthesis of recombinant proteins in bacteria. GST was originally selected as a fusion moiety because of several desirable properties. First and foremost, when expressed in bacteria alone, or as a fusion, GST is not sequestered in inclusion bodies (in contrast to previous fusion protein systems). Second, GST can be affinity-purified without denaturation because it binds to immobilized glutathione, which provides the basis for simple purification. Consequently, GST fusion proteins are routinely used for antibody generation and purification, protein-protein interaction studies, and biochemical analysis. This article describes the use of GST fusion proteins as probes for the identification of protein-protein interactions.
Analysis of corrosion layers in ancient Roman silver coins with high resolution surface spectroscopic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keturakis, Christopher J.; Notis, Ben; Blenheim, Alex; Miller, Alfred C.; Pafchek, Rob; Notis, Michael R.; Wachs, Israel E.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Five ancient silver alloy coins (225 BCE–244 CE) were analyzed using surface characterization techniques. • Both destructive and non-destructive surface characterization methods were developed. • Alloying with copper, even in small amounts, leads to the formation of an outer Cu 2 O corrosion layer. - Abstract: Determination of the microchemistry of surface corrosion layers on ancient silver alloy coins is important both in terms of understanding the nature of archaeological environmental conditions to which these ancient coins were exposed and also to help in their conservation. In this present study, five ancient silver alloy coins (225 BCE–244 CE) were used as test vehicles to measure their immediate surface microchemistry and evaluate the appropriateness and limitations of High Sensitivity-Low Energy Ion Scattering Spectroscopy (HS-LEIS, 0.3 nm depth analysis), High Resolution-X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HR-XPS, 1–3 nm depth analysis) and High Resolution-Raman Spectroscopy (HR-Raman, ∼1000 nm depth analysis). Additional information about the deeper corrosion layers, up to ∼300–1000 nm, was provided by dynamic HS-LEIS and HR-Raman spectroscopy. While not archeologically significant, the use of these coins of small commercial value provides data that is more representative of the weaker signals typically obtained from ancient corroded objects, which can be in stark contrast to pristine data often obtained from carefully prepared alloys of known composition. The oldest coins, from 225 to 214 BCE, possessed an outermost surface layer containing Cu 2 O, Na, Al, Pb, and adsorbed hydrocarbons, while the more recent coins, from 98 to 244 CE, contained Cu 2 O, Ag, N, F, Na, Al, S, Cl, and adsorbed hydrocarbons in similar corresponding surface layers. It thus appears that alloying with copper, even in small amounts, leads to the formation of an outer Cu 2 O layer. Depth profiling revealed the presence of K, Na, Cl, and S as key
Gibberellic Acid-Induced Aleurone Layers Responding to Heat Shock or Tunicamycin Provide Insight into the N-Glycoproteome, Protein Secretion, and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barba Espin, Gregorio; Dedvisitsakul, Plaipol; Hägglund, Per

2014-01-01

respond to gibberellic acid by secreting an array of proteins and provide a unique system for the analysis of plant protein secretion. Perturbation of protein secretion in gibberellic acid-induced aleurone layers by two independent mechanisms, heat shock and tunicamycin treatment, demonstrated overlapping...... and secretion, such as calreticulin, protein disulfide isomerase, proteasome subunits, and isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase. Sixteen heat shock proteins in 29 spots showed diverse responses to the treatments, with only a minority increasing in response to heat shock. The majority, all of which were small heat...... shock proteins, decreased in heat-shocked aleurone layers. Additionally, glycopeptide enrichment and N-glycosylation analysis identified 73 glycosylation sites in 65 aleurone layer proteins, with 53 of the glycoproteins found in extracellular fractions and 36 found in intracellular fractions...
Determination of band offsets at GaN/single-layer MoS{sub 2} heterojunction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tangi, Malleswararao; Mishra, Pawan; Ng, Tien Khee; Janjua, Bilal; Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Ooi, Boon S., E-mail: boon.ooi@kaust.edu.sa [Photonics Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia); Hedhili, Mohamed Nejib; Anjum, Dalaver H. [Adavanced Nanofabrication Imaging and Characterization, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia); Tseng, Chien-Chih; Shi, Yumeng; Li, Lain-Jong [Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia); Joyce, Hannah J. [Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0FA (United Kingdom)

2016-07-18

We report the band alignment parameters of the GaN/single-layer (SL) MoS{sub 2} heterostructure where the GaN thin layer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CVD deposited SL-MoS{sub 2}/c-sapphire. We confirm that the MoS{sub 2} is an SL by measuring the separation and position of room temperature micro-Raman E{sup 1}{sub 2g} and A{sup 1}{sub g} modes, absorbance, and micro-photoluminescence bandgap studies. This is in good agreement with HRTEM cross-sectional analysis. The determination of band offset parameters at the GaN/SL-MoS{sub 2} heterojunction is carried out by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy accompanying with electronic bandgap values of SL-MoS{sub 2} and GaN. The valence band and conduction band offset values are, respectively, measured to be 1.86 ± 0.08 and 0.56 ± 0.1 eV with type II band alignment. The determination of these unprecedented band offset parameters opens up a way to integrate 3D group III nitride materials with 2D transition metal dichalcogenide layers for designing and modeling of their heterojunction based electronic and photonic devices.
Inhibition of the intrinsic factor X activating complex by protein S: evidence for a specific binding of protein S to factor VIII

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koppelman, S.J.

1995-01-01

Protein S is a vitamin K-dependent nonenzymatic anticoagulant protein that acts as a cofactor to activated protein C. Recently it was shown that protein S inhibits the prothrombinase reaction independent of activated protein C. In this study, we show that protein S can also inhibit the intrinsic
Rebalance between 7S and 11S globulins in soybean seeds of differing protein content and 11SA4.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, A; Yu, X; Zheng, A; James, A T

2016-11-01

Protein content and globulin subunit composition of soybean seeds affect the quality of soy foods. In this proteomic study, the protein profile of soybean seeds with high (∼45.5%) or low (∼38.6%) protein content and with or without the glycinin (11S) subunit 11SA4 was examined. 44 unique proteins and their homologues were identified and showed that both protein content and 11SA4 influenced the abundance of a number of proteins. The absence of 11SA4 exerted a greater impact than the protein content, and led to a decreased abundance of glycinin G2/A2B1 and G5/A5A4B3 subunits, which resulted in lower total 11S with a concomitant higher total β-conglycinin (7S). Low protein content was associated with higher glycinin G3/A1aB1b and lower glycinin G4/A5A4B3. Using the proteomic approach, it was demonstrated that 11SA4 deficiency induced compensatory accumulation of 7S globulins and led to a similar total abundance for 7S+11S irrespective of protein content or 11SA4. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
High-Efficiency Polycrystalline CdS/CdTe Solar Cells on Buffered Commercial TCO-Coated Glass

Science.gov (United States)

Colegrove, E.; Banai, R.; Blissett, C.; Buurma, C.; Ellsworth, J.; Morley, M.; Barnes, S.; Gilmore, C.; Bergeson, J. D.; Dhere, R.; Scott, M.; Gessert, T.; Sivananthan, Siva

2012-10-01

Multiple polycrystalline CdS/CdTe solar cells with efficiencies greater than 15% were produced on buffered, commercially available Pilkington TEC Glass at EPIR Technologies, Inc. (EPIR, Bolingbrook, IL) and verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). n-CdS and p-CdTe were grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and close space sublimation, respectively. Samples with sputter-deposited CdS were also investigated. Initial results indicate that this is a viable dry-process alternative to CBD for production-scale processing. Published results for polycrystalline CdS/CdTe solar cells with high efficiencies are typically based on cells using research-grade transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) requiring high-temperature processing inconducive to low-cost manufacturing. EPIR's results for cells on commercial glass were obtained by implementing a high-resistivity SnO2 buffer layer and by optimizing the CdS window layer thickness. The high-resistivity buffer layer prevents the formation of CdTe-TCO junctions, thereby maintaining a high open-circuit voltage and fill factor, whereas using a thin CdS layer reduces absorption losses and improves the short-circuit current density. EPIR's best device demonstrated an NREL-verified efficiency of 15.3%. The mean efficiency of hundreds of cells produced with a buffer layer between December 2010 and June 2011 is 14.4%. Quantum efficiency results are presented to demonstrate EPIR's progress toward NREL's best-published results.
Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from in situ formation of few-layered MoS2/CdS nanosheet-based van der Waals heterostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, Shahid; Pan, Ziwei; Zhou, Kebin

2017-05-25

Here we report for the first time that the H 2 bubbles generated by photocatalytic water splitting are effective in the layer-by-layer exfoliation of MoS 2 nanocrystals (NCs) into few layers. The as-obtained few layers can be in situ assembled with CdS nanosheets (NSs) into van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) of few-layered MoS 2 /CdS NSs which, in turn, are effective in charge separation and transfer, leading to enhanced photocatalytic H 2 production activity. The few-layered MoS 2 /CdS vdWHs exhibited a H 2 evolution rate of 140 mmol g (CdS) -1 h -1 and achieved an apparent quantum yield of 66% at 420 nm.
The 'tubulin-like' S1 protein of Spirochaeta is a member of the hsp65 stress protein family

Science.gov (United States)

Munson, D.; Obar, R.; Tzertzinis, G.; Margulis, L.

1993-01-01

A 65-kDa protein (called S1) from Spirochaeta bajacaliforniensis was identified as 'tubulin-like' because it cross-reacted with at least four different antisera raised against tubulin and was isolated, with a co-polymerizing 45-kDa protein, by warm-cold cycling procedures used to purify tubulin from mammalian brain. Furthermore, at least three genera of non-cultivable symbiotic spirochetes (Pillotina, Diplocalyx, and Hollandina) that contain conspicuous 24-nm cytoplasmic tubules displayed a strong fluorescence in situ when treated with polyclonal antisera raised against tubulin. Here we summarize results that lead to the conclusion that this 65-kDa protein has no homology to tubulin. S1 is an hsp65 stress protein homologue. Hsp65 is a highly immunogenic family of hsp60 proteins which includes the 65-kDa antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (an active component of Freund's complete adjuvant), Borrelia, Treponema, Chlamydia, Legionella, and Salmonella. The hsp60s, also known as chaperonins, include E. coli GroEL, mitochondrial and chloroplast chaperonins, the pea aphid 'symbionin' and many other proteins involved in protein folding and the stress response.
Physicochemical properties and storage stability of soybean protein nanoemulsions prepared by ultra-high pressure homogenization.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jing; Mukherjee, Dipaloke; Chang, Sam K C

2018-02-01

This study investigated the effects of the ultrahigh pressure homogenization (pressure, protein concentration, oil phase fraction, pH, temperature, and ionic strength) and storage on the properties of nanoemulsions (100-500nm range), which were stabilized by laboratory-prepared soybean protein isolate (SPI), β-conglycinin (7S) and glycinin (11S). The nanoemulsions made with SPI, 7S and 11S proteins exhibited considerable stability over various ionic strengths (0-500mM NaCl), pH (7), thermal treatments (30-60°C) and storage (0-45days). The far-UV spectra of SPI, 7S, 11S dispersions, and SPI-, 7S-, 11S protein-stabilized nanoemulsions were analyzed for the protein structural changes following lipid removal. The ultra-high pressure homogenization changed the secondary structure of SPI, 7S, 11S proteins in the nanoemulsions, and enhanced their stability. This study demonstrated that SPI, 7S, and 11S proteins can be used as effective emulsifiers in nanoemulsions prepared by ultra-high pressure homogenization. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
High performance thin layer chromatography profile of Cassytha filiformis

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Mythili Sathiavelu; Sathiavelu Arunachalam

2012-01-01

Objective: To study the phenols, flavonoids, saponin profile of the medicinal plant Cassytha filiformis (C. filiformis) using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Methods:The extracts were tested to determine the presence of various phytochmeicals like alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, tannins, fixed oils, fats and protein and aminoacids (Harborne and Harborne, 1998). HPTLC studies were carried out by Harborne and Wagner et al method. Different compositions of the mobile phase for HPTLC analysis were tested in order to obtain high resolution and reproducible peaks. Results: The results of the preliminary phytochemical studies confirm the presence of phenols, alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, flavanoids, terpenoids and tannins in the methanolic extracts of C. filiformis. The methanolic extracts of C. filiformis displayed the presence of 13 types of phenolic substances with 13 different Rf values ranging from 0.01 to 0.96. The results illustrated the presence of 9 different types of flavonoides with 9 different Rf values ranging from 0.01 to 0.97. The results of HPTLC analysis of saponins demonstrated the presence of 11 different types of saponins with 11 different Rf values ranging from 0.04 to 0.92. Conclusions: In the present study we observed the phenols, flavonoids, saponin profile of the medicinal plant C. filiformis using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Hence it was concluded that the phenolic compounds present in the methonolic extract could be responsible for antioxidant activities. Plant derived antioxidants, especially phenols and flavonoids, have been described to have various properties like anticancer, antiaging and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Furthur, separation and characterization of the bioactive compound from the plant is to be evaluated and reported in near future.
Foaming and adsorption behavior of bovine and camel proteins mixed layers at the air/water interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Lajnaf, Roua; Picart-Palmade, Laetitia; Attia, Hamadi; Marchesseau, Sylvie; Ayadi, M A

2017-03-01

The aim of this work was to examine foaming and interfacial behavior of three milk protein mixtures, bovine α-lactalbumin-β-casein (M1), camel α-lactalbumin-β-casein (M2) and β-lactoglobulin-β-casein (M3), alone and in binary mixtures, at the air/water interface in order to better understand the foaming properties of bovine and camel milks. Different mixture ratios (100:0; 75:25; 50:50; 25:75; 0:100) were used during foaming tests and interfacial protein interactions were studied with a pendant drop tensiometer. Experimental results evidenced that the greatest foam was obtained with a higher β-casein amount in all camel and bovine mixtures. Good correlation was observed with the adsorption and the interfacial rheological properties of camel and bovine protein mixtures. The proteins adsorbed layers are mainly affected by the presence of β-casein molecules, which are probably the most abundant protein at interface and the most efficient in reducing the interfacial properties. In contrast of, the globular proteins, α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin that are involved in the protein layer composition, but could not compact well at the interface to ensure foams creation and stabilization because of their rigid molecular structure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The 5HT(1A) receptor ligand, S15535, antagonises G-protein activation: a [35S]GTPgammaS and [3H]S15535 autoradiography study.

Science.gov (United States)

Newman-Tancredi, A; Rivet, J; Chaput, C; Touzard, M; Verrièle, L; Millan, M J

1999-11-19

4-(Benzodioxan-5-yl)1-(indan-2-yl)piperazine (S15535) is a highly selective ligand at 5-HT(1A) receptors. The present study compared its autoradiographic labelling of rat brain sections with its functional actions, visualised by guanylyl-5'-[gamma-thio]-triphosphate ([35S]GTPgammaS) autoradiography, which affords a measure of G-protein activation. [3H]S15535 binding was highest in hippocampus, frontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, lateral septum, interpeduncular nucleus and dorsal raphe, consistent with specific labelling of 5-HT(1A) receptors. In functional studies, S15535 (10 microM) did not markedly stimulate G-protein activation in any brain region, but abolished the activation induced by the selective 5-HT(1A) agonist, (+)-8-hydroxy-dipropyl-aminotetralin ((+)-8-OH-DPAT, 1 microM), in structures enriched in [3H]S15535 labelling. S15535 did not block 5-HT-stimulated activation in caudate nucleus or substantia nigra, regions where (+)-8-OH-DPAT was ineffective and [3H]S15535 binding was absent. Interestingly, S15535 attenuated (+)-8-OH-DPAT and 5-HT-stimulated G-protein activation in dorsal raphe, a region in which S15535 is known to exhibit agonist properties in vivo [Lejeune, F., Millan, M.J., 1998. Induction of burst firing in ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons by activation of serotonin (5-HT)(1A) receptors: WAY100,635-reversible actions of the highly selective ligands, flesinoxan and S15535. Synapse 30, 172-180.]. The present data show that (i) [3H]S15535 labels pre- and post-synaptic populations of 5-HT(1A) sites in rat brain sections, (ii) S15535 exhibits antagonist properties at post-synaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors in corticolimbic regions, and (iii) S15535 also attenuates agonist-stimulated G-protein activation at raphe-localised 5-HT(1A) receptors.
High quality InAsSb grown on InP substrates using AlSb/AlAsSb buffer layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, B.-R.; Liao, C.; Cheng, K. Y.

2008-01-01

High quality InAsSb grown on semi-insulating InP substrates by molecular beam epitaxy was achieved using AlSb/AlAsSb structure as the buffer layer. A 1000 A InAsSb layer grown on top of 1 μm AlSb/AlAsSb buffer layer showed a room temperature electron mobility of ∼12 000 cm 2 /V s. High structural quality and low misfit defect density were also demonstrated in the InAsSb layer. This novel AlSb/AlAsSb buffer layer structure with the AlAsSb layer lattice matched to InP substrates could enhance the performance of optoelectronic devices utilizing 6.1 A family of compound semiconductor alloys
Mechanical properties of protein adsorption layers at the air/water and oil/water interface: a comparison in light of the thermodynamical stability of proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitropoulos, Varvara; Mütze, Annekathrin; Fischer, Peter

2014-04-01

Over the last decades numerous studies on the interfacial rheological response of protein adsorption layers have been published. The comparison of these studies and the retrieval of a common parameter to compare protein interfacial activity are hampered by the fact that different boundary conditions (e.g. physico-chemical, instrumental, interfacial) were used. In the present work we review previous studies and attempt a unifying approach for the comparison between bulk protein properties and their adsorption films. Among many common food grade proteins we chose bovine serum albumin, β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme for their difference in thermodynamic stability and studied their adsorption at the air/water and limonene/water interface. In order to achieve this we have i) systematically analyzed protein adsorption kinetics in terms of surface pressure rise using a drop profile analysis tensiometer and ii) we addressed the interfacial layer properties under shear stress using an interfacial shear rheometer under the same experimental conditions. We could show that thermodynamically less stable proteins adsorb generally faster and yield films with higher shear rheological properties at air/water interface. The same proteins showed an analog behavior when adsorbing at the limonene/water interface but at slower rates. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Evaluating Mechanical Properties of Few Layers MoS2 Nanosheets-Polymer Composites

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Muhammad Bilal Khan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The reinforcement effects of liquid exfoliated molybdenum disulphide (MoS2 nanosheets, dispersed in polystyrene (PS matrix, are evaluated here. The range of composites (0~0.002 volume fraction (Vf MoS2-PS is prepared via solution casting. Size selected MoS2 nanosheets (3~4 layers, with a lateral dimension L 0.5~1 µm, have improved Young’s modulus up to 0.8 GPa for 0.0002 Vf MoS2-PS as compared to 0.2 GPa observed for PS only. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS is improved considerably (~×3 with a minute addition of MoS2 nanosheets (0.00002 Vf. The MoS2 nanosheets lateral dimension and number of layers are approximated using atomic force microscopy (AFM. The composites formation is confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Theoretical predicted results (Halpin-Tsai model are well below the experimental findings, especially at lower concentrations. Only at maximum concentrations, the experimental and theoretical results coincide. The high aspect ratio of MoS2 nanosheets, homogeneous dispersion inside polymer, and their probable planar orientation are the possible reasons for the effective stress transfer, resulting in enhanced mechanical characteristics. Moreover, the micro-Vickers hardness (HV of the MoS2-PS is also improved from 19 (PS to 23 (0.002 Vf MoS2-PS as MoS2 nanosheets inclusion may hinder the deformation more effectively.
Analysis of the interaction between Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus thuringiensis S-layers and calcium ions by XRD, light microscopy, and FTIR.

Science.gov (United States)

Babolmorad, Ghazal; Emtiazi, Giti; Emamzadeh, Rahman

2014-05-01

S-layer is a self-assemble regularly crystalline surface that covers major cell wall component of many bacteria and archaea and exhibits a high metal-binding capacity. We have studied the effect of the calcium ions and type of solid support (glass or mica) on the structure of the S-layers from Bacillus coagulans HN-68 and Bacillus thuringiensis MH14 upon simple methods based on light microscopy and AFM. Furthermore, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study is indicated that the calcium-S-layer interaction occurred mainly through the carboxylate groups of the side chains of aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu) and nitrogen atoms of Lys, Asn, and histidine (His) amino acids and N-H groups of the peptide backbone. Studied FTIR revealed that inner faces of S-layer are mainly negative, and outer faces of S-layer are mainly positive. Probably, calcium ions with positive charges bound to the carboxyl groups of Glu and Asp. Accordingly, calcium ions are anchored in the space between the inner faces of S-layer with negative charge and the surface of mica with negative charge. This leads to regular arrangement of the S-layer subunits.
Few-layer molybdenum disulfide transistors and circuits for high-speed flexible electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Rui; Jiang, Shan; Chen, Yu; Liu, Yuan; Weiss, Nathan; Cheng, Hung-Chieh; Wu, Hao; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2014-10-08

Two-dimensional layered materials, such as molybdenum disulfide, are emerging as an exciting material system for future electronics due to their unique electronic properties and atomically thin geometry. Here we report a systematic investigation of MoS2 transistors with optimized contact and device geometry, to achieve self-aligned devices with performance including an intrinsic gain over 30, an intrinsic cut-off frequency fT up to 42 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency fMAX up to 50 GHz, exceeding the reported values for MoS2 transistors to date (fT~0.9 GHz, fMAX~1 GHz). Our results show that logic inverters or radio frequency amplifiers can be formed by integrating multiple MoS2 transistors on quartz or flexible substrates with voltage gain in the gigahertz regime. This study demonstrates the potential of two-dimensional layered semiconductors for high-speed flexible electronics.
Few-layer molybdenum disulfide transistors and circuits for high-speed flexible electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Rui; Jiang, Shan; Chen, Yu; Liu, Yuan; Weiss, Nathan; Cheng, Hung-Chieh; Wu, Hao; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2014-01-01

Two-dimensional layered materials, such as molybdenum disulfide, are emerging as an exciting material system for future electronics due to their unique electronic properties and atomically thin geometry. Here we report a systematic investigation of MoS2 transistors with optimized contact and device geometry, to achieve self-aligned devices with performance including an intrinsic gain over 30, an intrinsic cut-off frequency fT up to 42 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency fMAX up to 50 GHz, exceeding the reported values for MoS2 transistors to date (fT ~ 0.9 GHz, fMAX ~ 1 GHz). Our results show that logic inverters or radio frequency amplifiers can be formed by integrating multiple MoS2 transistors on quartz or flexible substrates with voltage gain in the gigahertz regime. This study demonstrates the potential of two-dimensional layered semiconductors for high-speed flexible electronics. PMID:25295573
Theoretical study of thermoelectric properties of few-layer MoS2 and WSe2.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wen; Luo, Xin; Gan, Chee Kwan; Quek, Su Ying; Liang, Gengchiau

2014-06-14

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten diselenide (WSe2) are prototypical layered two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide materials, with each layer consisting of three atomic planes. We refer to each layer as a trilayer (TL). We study the thermoelectric properties of 1-4TL MoS2 and WSe2 using a ballistic transport approach based on the electronic band structures and phonon dispersions obtained from first-principles calculations. Our results show that the thickness dependence of the thermoelectric properties is different under n-type and p-type doping conditions. Defining ZT1st peak as the first peak in the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT as doping levels increase from zero at 300 K, we found that ZT1st peak decreases as the number of layers increases for MoS2, with the exception of 2TL in n-type doping, which has a slightly higher value than 1TL. However, for WSe2, 2TL has the largest ZT1st peak in both n-type and p-type doping, with a ZT1st peak value larger than 1 for n-type WSe2. At high temperatures (T > 300 K), ZT1st peak dramatically increases when the temperature increases, especially for n-type doping. The ZT1st peak of n-type 1TL-MoS2 and 2TL-WSe2 can reach 1.6 and 2.1, respectively.

Uplink Cross-Layer Scheduling with Differential QoS Requirements in OFDMA Systems

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Chen Wei

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Fair and efficient scheduling is a key issue in cross-layer design for wireless communication systems, such as 3GPP LTE and WiMAX. However, few works have considered the multiaccess of the traffic with differential QoS requirements in wireless systems. In this paper, we will consider an OFDMA-based wireless system with four types of traffic associated with differential QoS requirements, namely, minimum reserved rate, maximum sustainable rate, maximum latency, and tolerant jitter. Given these QoS requirements, the traffic scheduling will be formulated into a cross-layer optimization problem, which is convex fortunately. By separating the power allocation through the waterfilling algorithm in each user, this problem will further reduce to a kind of continuous quadratic knapsack problem in the base station which yields low complexity. It is then demonstrated that the proposed cross-layer method cannot only guarantee the application layer QoS requirements, but also minimizes the integrated residual workload in the MAC layer. To further enhance the ability of QoS assurance in heavily loaded scenario, a call admission control scheme will also be proposed. The simulation results show that the QoS requirements for the four types of traffic are guaranteed effectively by the proposed algorithms.
High heat flux testing of TiC coated molybdenum with a tungsten intermediate layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujitsuka, Masakazu; Fukutomi, Masao; Okada, Masatoshi

1988-01-01

The use of low atomic number (Z) material coatings for fusion reactor first-wall components has proved to be a valuable technique to reduce the plasma radiation losses. Molybdenum coated with titanium carbide is considered very promising since it has a good capability of receiving heat from the plasma. An interfacial reaction between the TiC film and the molybdenum substrate, however, causes a severe deterioration of the film at elevated temperatures. In order to solve this problem a TiC coated molybdenum with an intermediate tungsten layer was developed. High temperature properties of this material was evaluated by a newly devised electron beam heating apparatus. TiC coatings prepared on a vacuum-heat-treated molybdenum with a tungsten intermediate layer showed good high temperature stability and survived 2.0 s pulses of heating at a power density as high as 53 MW/m 2 . The melt area of the TiC coatings in high heat flux testings also markedly decreased when a tungsten intermediate layer was applied. The melting mechanism of the TiC coatings with and without a tungsten intermediate layer was discussed by EPMA measurements. (author)
High-Performance All 2D-Layered Tin Disulfide: Graphene Photodetecting Transistors with Thickness-Controlled Interface Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ren-Jie; Tan, Haijie; Wang, Xiaochen; Porter, Benjamin; Chen, Tongxin; Sheng, Yuewen; Zhou, Yingqiu; Huang, Hefu; Bhaskaran, Harish; Warner, Jamie H

2018-04-18

Tin disulfide crystals with layered two-dimensional (2D) sheets are grown by chemical vapor deposition using a novel precursor approach and integrated into all 2D transistors with graphene (Gr) electrodes. The Gr:SnS 2 :Gr transistors exhibit excellent photodetector response with high detectivity and photoresponsivity. We show that the response of the all 2D photodetectors depends upon charge trapping at the interface and the Schottky barrier modulation. The thickness-dependent SnS 2 measurements in devices reveal a transition from the interface-dominated response for thin crystals to bulklike response for the thicker SnS 2 crystals, showing the sensitivity of devices fabricated using layered materials on the number of layers. These results show that SnS 2 has photosensing performance when combined with Gr electrodes that is comparable to other 2D transition metal dichalcogenides of MoS 2 and WS 2 .
Cyanobacterial high-light-inducible proteins - Protectors of chlorophyll-protein synthesis and assembly

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Komenda, Josef; Sobotka, R.

2016-01-01

Roč. 1857, č. 3 (2016), s. 288-295 ISSN 0005-2728 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LO1416; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/11/0377 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : Chlorophyll * Cyanobacteria * High-light-inducible protein Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 4.932, year: 2016
Development of gel-filter method for high enrichment of low-molecular weight proteins from serum.

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Lingsheng Chen

Full Text Available The human serum proteome has been extensively screened for biomarkers. However, the large dynamic range of protein concentrations in serum and the presence of highly abundant and large molecular weight proteins, make identification and detection changes in the amount of low-molecular weight proteins (LMW, molecular weight ≤ 30kDa difficult. Here, we developed a gel-filter method including four layers of different concentration of tricine SDS-PAGE-based gels to block high-molecular weight proteins and enrich LMW proteins. By utilizing this method, we identified 1,576 proteins (n = 2 from 10 μL serum. Among them, 559 (n = 2 proteins belonged to LMW proteins. Furthermore, this gel-filter method could identify 67.4% and 39.8% more LMW proteins than that in representative methods of glycine SDS-PAGE and optimized-DS, respectively. By utilizing SILAC-AQUA approach with labeled recombinant protein as internal standard, the recovery rate for GST spiked in serum during the treatment of gel-filter, optimized-DS, and ProteoMiner was 33.1 ± 0.01%, 18.7 ± 0.01% and 9.6 ± 0.03%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the gel-filter method offers a rapid, highly reproducible and efficient approach for screening biomarkers from serum through proteomic analyses.
Wafer-scale synthesis of monolayer and few-layer MoS2 via thermal vapor sulfurization

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, John; Liu, Xue; Yue, Chunlei; Escarra, Matthew; Wei, Jiang

2017-12-01

Monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is an atomically thin, direct bandgap semiconductor crystal potentially capable of miniaturizing optoelectronic devices to an atomic scale. However, the development of 2D MoS2-based optoelectronic devices depends upon the existence of a high optical quality and large-area monolayer MoS2 synthesis technique. To address this need, we present a thermal vapor sulfurization (TVS) technique that uses powder MoS2 as a sulfur vapor source. The technique reduces and stabilizes the flow of sulfur vapor, enabling monolayer wafer-scale MoS2 growth. MoS2 thickness is also controlled with great precision; we demonstrate the ability to synthesize MoS2 sheets between 1 and 4 layers thick, while also showing the ability to create films with average thickness intermediate between integer layer numbers. The films exhibit wafer-scale coverage and uniformity, with electrical quality varying depending on the final thickness of the grown MoS2. The direct bandgap of grown monolayer MoS2 is analyzed using internal and external photoluminescence quantum efficiency. The photoluminescence quantum efficiency is shown to be competitive with untreated exfoliated MoS2 monolayer crystals. The ability to consistently grow wafer-scale monolayer MoS2 with high optical quality makes this technique a valuable tool for the development of 2D optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaics, detectors, and light emitters.
Ultrathin TiO2 layer coated-CdS spheres core-shell nanocomposite with enhanced visible-light photoactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhang; Xu, Yi-Jun

2013-12-26

Development of various strategies for controllable fabrication of core-shell nanocomposites (CSNs) with highly active photocatalytic performance has been attracting ever-increasing research attention. In particular, control of the ultrathin layer TiO2 shell in constructing CSNs in an aqueous phase is a significant but technologically challenging issue. Here, this paper demonstrates the interface assembly synthesis of CdS nanospheres@TiO2 core-shell photocatalyst via the electrostatic interaction of negatively charged water-stable titania precursor with positively charged CdS nanospheres (CdS NSPs), followed by the formation of the ultrathin-layer TiO2 shell through a facile refluxing process in aqueous phase. The as-formed CdS NSPs@TiO2 core-shell nanohybrid exhibits a high visible-light-driven photoactivity for selective transformation and reduction of heavy metal ions. The ultrathin TiO2 layer coated on CdS NSPs results in excellent light transmission property, enhanced adsorption capacity, and improved transfer of charge carriers and lifespan of photoinduced electron-hole pairs, which would prominently contribute to the significant photoactivity enhancement. It is anticipated that this facile aqueous-phase synthesis strategy could be extended to design a variety of more efficient CSN photocatalysts with controllable morphology toward target applications in diverse photoredox processes.
Lipid and protein maps defining arterial layers in atherosclerotic aorta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Martin-Lorenzo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Subclinical atherosclerosis cannot be predicted and novel therapeutic targets are needed. The molecular anatomy of healthy and atherosclerotic tissue is pursued to identify ongoing molecular changes in atherosclerosis development. Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI accounts with the unique advantage of analyzing proteins and metabolites (lipids while preserving their original localization; thus two dimensional maps can be obtained. Main molecular alterations were investigated in a rabbit model in response to early development of atherosclerosis. Aortic arterial layers (intima and media and calcified regions were investigated in detail by MALDI-MSI and proteins and lipids specifically defining those areas of interest were identified. These data further complement main findings previously published in J Proteomics (M. Martin-Lorenzo et al., J. Proteomics. (In press; M. Martin-Lorenzo et al., J. Proteomics 108 (2014 465–468. [1,2].
Komposisi Kimiawi dan Fraksinasi Protein Susu Kuda Sumba (THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND PROTEIN FRACTIONATION OF SUMBA MARE’S MILK

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Annytha Ina Rohi Detha

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study were to determine both chemical composition and fraction of the proteincompounds of sumba mare’s milk. Determination of the chemical compositions of sumba mare’s milk havedone by analyzing protein content using the Kjeldahl method, fat content using Gerber method, lactosecontent and the total solids content. Identification of antimicrobial compounds of whey proteins in milkusing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC method. The results showed that the average ofsumba mare’s milk contained protein, fat, lactose and total solids were; 1.82%, 1.67%, 6.48% and 11.37%respectively. The average value of protein and fat in sumba mare’s milk was decrease significantly at fifthmonth of lactation period. Based on identification of antimicrobial compounds using HPLC method, thereare six main peaks with different polarities and retention times. In conclusion, sumba mare’s milk havea balance composition that can be used as a source of nutritious food and the milk likely also has six mainantimicrobial compounds in its whey protein.
Wear resistance of layers hard faced by the high-alloyed filler metal

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Dušan Arsić

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to determine the wear resistance of layers hard faced by the high-alloyed filler metal, with or without the austenite inter-layer, on parts that operate at different sliding speeds in conditions without lubrication. The samples were hard faced with the filler metal E 10-UM-60-C with high content of C, Cr and W. Used filler metal belongs into group of alloys aimed for reparatory hard facing of parts damaged by abrasive and erosive wear and it is characterized by high hardness and wear resistance. In experiments, the sliding speed and the normal loading were varied and the wear scar was monitored, based on which the volume of the worn material was calculated analytically. The contact duration time was monitored over the sliding path of 300 mm. The most intensive wear was established for the loading force of 100 N and the sliding speed of 1 m.s-1, though the significant wear was also noticed in conditions of the small loading and speed of 0.25 m.s-1, which was even greater that at larger speeds.
Low-temperature atomic layer deposition of MoS{sub 2} films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jurca, Titel; Wang, Binghao; Tan, Jeffrey M.; Lohr, Tracy L.; Marks, Tobin J. [Department of Chemistry and the Materials Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States); Moody, Michael J.; Henning, Alex; Emery, Jonathan D.; Lauhon, Lincoln J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Materials Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States)

2017-04-24

Wet chemical screening reveals the very high reactivity of Mo(NMe{sub 2}){sub 4} with H{sub 2}S for the low-temperature synthesis of MoS{sub 2}. This observation motivated an investigation of Mo(NMe{sub 2}){sub 4} as a volatile precursor for the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of MoS{sub 2} thin films. Herein we report that Mo(NMe{sub 2}){sub 4} enables MoS{sub 2} film growth at record low temperatures - as low as 60 C. The as-deposited films are amorphous but can be readily crystallized by annealing. Importantly, the low ALD growth temperature is compatible with photolithographic and lift-off patterning for the straightforward fabrication of diverse device structures. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Anti-thrombin III, Protein C, and Protein S deficiency in acute coronary syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dasnan Ismail

2002-06-01

Full Text Available The final most common pathway for the majority of coronary artery disease is occlusion of a coronary vessel. Under normal conditions, antithrombin III (AT III, protein C, and protein S as an active protein C cofactor, are natural anticoagulants (hemostatic control that balances procoagulant activity (thrombin antithrombin complex balance to prevent thrombosis. If the condition becomes unbalanced, natural anticoagulants and the procoagulants can lead to thrombosis. Thirty subjects with acute coronary syndrome (ACS were studied for the incidence of antithrombin III (AT III, protein C, and protein S deficiencies, and the result were compare to the control group. Among patients with ACS, the frequency of distribution of AT-III with activity < 75% were 23,3% (7 of 30, and only 6,7% ( 2 of 30 in control subject. No one of the 30 control subject have protein C activity deficient, in ACS with activity < 70% were 13,3% (4 of 30. Fifteen out of the 30 (50% control subjects had protein S activity deficiency, while protein S deficiency activity < 70% was found 73.3.% (22 out of 30. On linear regression, the deterministic coefficient of AT-III activity deficiency to the development ACS was 13,25 %, and the deterministic coefficient of protein C activity deficient to the development of ACS was 9,06 %. The cut-off point for AT-III without protein S deficiency expected to contribute to the development of vessel disease was 45%. On discriminant analysis, protein C activity deficiency posed a risk for ACS of 4,5 greater than non deficient subjects, and AT-III activity deficiency posed a risk for ACS of 3,5 times greater than non deficient subjects. On binary logistic regression, protein S activity acted only as a reinforcing factor of AT-III activity deficiency in the development of ACS. Protein C and AT III deficiency can trigger ACS, with determinant coefficients of 9,06% and 13,25% respectively. Low levels of protein C posed a greater risk of
The S-Layer Glycoprotein of the Crenarchaeote Sulfolobus acidocaldarius Is Glycosylated at Multiple Sites with Chitobiose-Linked N-Glycans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elham Peyfoon

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Glycosylation of the S-layer of the crenarchaea Sulfolobus acidocaldarius has been investigated using glycoproteomic methodologies. The mature protein is predicted to contain 31 N-glycosylation consensus sites with approximately one third being found in the C-terminal domain spanning residues L1004-Q1395. Since this domain is rich in Lys and Arg and therefore relatively tractable to glycoproteomic analysis, this study has focused on mapping its N-glycosylation. Our analysis identified nine of the 11 consensus sequence sites, and all were found to be glycosylated. This constitutes a remarkably high glycosylation density in the C-terminal domain averaging one site for each stretch of 30–40 residues. Each of the glycosylation sites observed was shown to be modified with a heterogeneous family of glycans, with the largest having a composition Glc1Man2GlcNAc2 plus 6-sulfoquinovose (QuiS, consistent with the tribranched hexasaccharide previously reported in the cytochrome b558/566 of S. acidocaldarius. S. acidocaldarius is the only archaeal species whose N-glycans are known to be linked via the chitobiose core disaccharide that characterises the N-linked glycans of Eukarya.
High Reynolds number rough wall turbulent boundary layer experiments using Braille surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Michael; Monty, Jason; Nova, Todd; Allen, James; Chong, Min

2007-11-01

This paper details smooth, transitional and fully rough turbulent boundary layer experiments in the New Mexico State high Reynolds number rough wall wind tunnel. The initial surface tested was generated with a Braille printer and consisted of an uniform array of Braille points. The average point height being 0.5mm, the spacing between the points in the span was 0.5mm and the surface consisted of span wise rows separated by 4mm. The wavelength to peak ratio was 8:1. The boundary layer thickness at the measurement location was 190mm giving a large separation of roughness height to layer thickness. The maximum friction velocity was uτ=1.5m/s at Rex=3.8 x10^7. Results for the skin friction co-efficient show that this surface follows a Nikuradse type inflectional curve and that Townsends outer layer similarity hypothesis is valid for rough wall flows with a large separation of scales. Mean flow and turbulence statistics will be presented.
Molecular mechanisms of Ca(2+) signaling in neurons induced by the S100A4 protein

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiryushko, Darya; Novitskaya, Vera; Soroka, Vladislav

2006-01-01

The S100A4 protein belongs to the S100 family of vertebrate-specific proteins possessing both intra- and extracellular functions. In the nervous system, high levels of S100A4 expression are observed at sites of neurogenesis and lesions, suggesting a role of the protein in neuronal plasticity. Ext...... at the cell surface. Thus, glycosaminoglycans may act as coreceptors of S100 proteins in neurons. This may provide a mechanism by which S100 proteins could locally regulate neuronal plasticity in connection with brain lesions and neurological disorders....
Analysis of corrosion layers in ancient Roman silver coins with high resolution surface spectroscopic techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keturakis, Christopher J. [Operando Molecular Spectroscopy and Catalysis Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States); Notis, Ben [Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453 (United States); Blenheim, Alex [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, College Park, PA 16802 (United States); Miller, Alfred C.; Pafchek, Rob [Zettlemoyer Center for Surface Studies, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States); Notis, Michael R., E-mail: mrn1@lehigh.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States); Wachs, Israel E., E-mail: iew0@lehigh.edu [Operando Molecular Spectroscopy and Catalysis Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States)

2016-07-15

Highlights: • Five ancient silver alloy coins (225 BCE–244 CE) were analyzed using surface characterization techniques. • Both destructive and non-destructive surface characterization methods were developed. • Alloying with copper, even in small amounts, leads to the formation of an outer Cu{sub 2}O corrosion layer. - Abstract: Determination of the microchemistry of surface corrosion layers on ancient silver alloy coins is important both in terms of understanding the nature of archaeological environmental conditions to which these ancient coins were exposed and also to help in their conservation. In this present study, five ancient silver alloy coins (225 BCE–244 CE) were used as test vehicles to measure their immediate surface microchemistry and evaluate the appropriateness and limitations of High Sensitivity-Low Energy Ion Scattering Spectroscopy (HS-LEIS, 0.3 nm depth analysis), High Resolution-X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HR-XPS, 1–3 nm depth analysis) and High Resolution-Raman Spectroscopy (HR-Raman, ∼1000 nm depth analysis). Additional information about the deeper corrosion layers, up to ∼300–1000 nm, was provided by dynamic HS-LEIS and HR-Raman spectroscopy. While not archeologically significant, the use of these coins of small commercial value provides data that is more representative of the weaker signals typically obtained from ancient corroded objects, which can be in stark contrast to pristine data often obtained from carefully prepared alloys of known composition. The oldest coins, from 225 to 214 BCE, possessed an outermost surface layer containing Cu{sub 2}O, Na, Al, Pb, and adsorbed hydrocarbons, while the more recent coins, from 98 to 244 CE, contained Cu{sub 2}O, Ag, N, F, Na, Al, S, Cl, and adsorbed hydrocarbons in similar corresponding surface layers. It thus appears that alloying with copper, even in small amounts, leads to the formation of an outer Cu{sub 2}O layer. Depth profiling revealed the presence of K, Na, Cl, and
High pressure synthesis of BiS2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard-Pedersen, Simone; Nielsen, Morten Bormann; Bremholm, Martin

crystal structures and electrical properties.1,2 Up until now, the most sulfur rich phase in the Bi-S phase diagram was Bi2S3.3 For BiS2 the Bi atoms have anisotropic charge distribution and more complex structures are expected when comparing the layered structures of transition metal dichalcogenides....... The possibilities of using high pressure synthesis to discover new phases in the Bi-S binary system were investigated as early as the 1960’s.4 The research led to discovery of a compound with BiS2 stoichiometry, but no structure solution of BiS2 was reported. A reason behind making this new phase is to study...... the physical properties since the related compound Bi2S3 is known to be a thermoelectric material.5 In this research the BiS2 compound was synthesized by a high pressure and high temperature method using a multi-anvil large volume press and the structure was solved by single crystal diffraction. The structure...
ZnS/Zn(O,OH)S-based buffer layer deposition for solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Raghu N [Littleton, CO

2009-11-03

The invention provides CBD ZnS/Zn(O,OH)S and spray deposited ZnS/Zn(O,OH)S buffer layers prepared from a solution of zinc salt, thiourea and ammonium hydroxide dissolved in a non-aqueous/aqueous solvent mixture or in 100% non-aqueous solvent. Non-aqueous solvents useful in the invention include methanol, isopropanol and triethyl-amine. One-step deposition procedures are described for CIS, CIGS and other solar cell devices.
Edge-spin-derived magnetism in few-layer MoS2 nanomeshes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Kondo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Magnetism arising from edge spins is highly interesting, particularly in 2D atomically thin materials in which the influence of edges becomes more significant. Among such materials, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2; one of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD family is attracting significant attention. The causes for magnetism observed in the TMD family, including in MoS2, have been discussed by considering various aspects, such as pure zigzag atomic-structure edges, grain boundaries, and vacancies. Here, we report the observation of ferromagnetism (FM in few-layer MoS2 nanomeshes (NMs; honeycomb-like array of hexagonal nanopores with low-contamination and low-defect pore edges, which have been created by a specific non-lithographic method. We confirm robust FM arising from pore edges in oxygen(O-terminated MoS2-NMs at room temperature, while it disappears in hydrogen(H-terminated samples. The observed high-sensitivity of FM to NM structures and critical annealing temperatures suggest a possibility that the Mo-atom dangling bond in pore edge is a dominant factor for the FM.
Thin-layer chromatography coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for determining tetrabromobisphenol A/S and their derivatives in soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Aifeng; Shen, Zhaoshuang; Tian, Yong; Shi, Rongguang; Liu, Yi; Zhao, Zongshan; Xian, Mo

2017-12-01

As brominated flame retardants (BFRs), tetrabromobisphenol A/S (TBBPA/S) and their derivatives have raised wide concerns owing to their widely usage, distributions and adverse effects on human health, thus monitoring these BFRs was urgently needed. In this study, a rapid and cost-effective method based on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) sample pre-treatment coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) (UV=214nm) was developed for determining TBBPA/S and their derivatives in soils, including TBBPA, TBBPA bis(allyl ether) (TBBPA-BAE), TBBPA bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-BDBPE), TBBPS bis(allyl ether) (TBBPS-BAE) and TBBPS bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPS-BDBPE). The method detection limits (MDLs) and the method quantification limits (MQLs) for these BFRs ranged from 0.023 to 0.087μgg -1 dw and 0.076-0.29μgg -1 dw, respectively. The recoveries were 41-108% and both RSD of repeatability and intermediate precision were less than 11%. The developed method presented good performance for analyzing natural soil samples collected from BFRs industrial park, suggesting its great application potential for monitoring environmental TBBPA/S and their derivatives. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of mRNA expression for secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (sFRP2) in chick embryos.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chung-Tien; Lin, Yu-Ting; Kuo, Tzong-Fu

2007-08-01

The roles of secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (sFRP2) in organ development of vertebrate animals are not well understood. We investigated expression of sFRP2 during embryogenesis of Arbor Acre broiler chicken eggs. Expression of sFRP2 was detected in the folds and lateral layer of developing brains. The sFRP2 signals in the developing eye were marked as a circle along the orbit. In younger embryos on days 3-6, the sFRP2 signals were consistent with growth of the sclerotome, suggesting that sFRP2 may be associated with somite development. Furthermore, with the exception of bones, sFRP2 mRNA was detectable in the interdigital tissue of embryos older than eight days as the limbs matured. This revealed that sFRP2 might play a role in myogenesis. In situ hybridization was also used to analyze the expression of sFRP2 in day 3-10 chick embryos. Signals were expressed in the gray matter of the developing brain coelom, including the optic lobe, metencephalon, myelencephalon, mesencephalon and diencephalon. The developing eyes contained an intercellular distribution of sFRP2 in the pigmented layer of the retina and photoreceptors. Furthermore, sFRP2 was expressed in the mantle layer of the neural tube and notochord. Based on these findings, it seems reasonable to suggest that sFRP2 may play an active role in embryogenesis, especially in development of the neural system, eyes, muscles and limbs.
Patterned layers of adsorbed extracellular matrix proteins: influence on mammalian cell adhesion.

Science.gov (United States)

Dupont-Gillain, C C; Alaerts, J A; Dewez, J L; Rouxhet, P G

2004-01-01

Three patterned systems aiming at the control of mammalian cell behavior are presented. The determinant feature common to these systems is the spatial distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (mainly collagen) on polymer substrates. This distribution differs from one system to another with respect to the scale at which it is affected, from the supracellular to the supramolecular scale, and with respect to the way it is produced. In the first system, the surface of polystyrene was oxidized selectively to form micrometer-scale patterns, using photolithography. Adsorption of ECM proteins in presence of a competitor was enhanced on the oxidized domains, allowing selective cell adhesion to be achieved. In the second system, electron beam lithography was used to engrave grooves (depth and width approximately 1 microm) on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substratum. No modification of the surface chemistry associated to the created topography could be detected. Cell orientation along the grooves was only observed when collagen was preadsorbed on the substratum. In the third system, collagen adsorbed on PMMA was dried in conditions ensuring the formation of a nanometer-scale pattern. Cell adhesion was enhanced on such patterned collagen layers compared to smooth collagen layers.
Ultra-high resolution protein crystallography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Kazuki; Hirano, Yu; Miki, Kunio

2010-01-01

Many protein structures have been determined by X-ray crystallography and deposited with the Protein Data Bank. However, these structures at usual resolution (1.5< d<3.0 A) are insufficient in their precision and quantity for elucidating the molecular mechanism of protein functions directly from structural information. Several studies at ultra-high resolution (d<0.8 A) have been performed with synchrotron radiation in the last decade. The highest resolution of the protein crystals was achieved at 0.54 A resolution for a small protein, crambin. In such high resolution crystals, almost all of hydrogen atoms of proteins and some hydrogen atoms of bound water molecules are experimentally observed. In addition, outer-shell electrons of proteins can be analyzed by the multipole refinement procedure. However, the influence of X-rays should be precisely estimated in order to derive meaningful information from the crystallographic results. In this review, we summarize refinement procedures, current status and perspectives for ultra high resolution protein crystallography. (author)
Application of Mastic Asphalt Waterproofing Layer in High-Speed Railway Track in Cold Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song Liu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Freeze-thaw damage is a typical distress incurred in road and railway engineering in cold regions. Concrete waterproofing layer is commonly used in high-speed railway tracks to prevent the penetration of surface water, however, it cracks easily under thermal stress, especially in cold regions. Recently solutions have been proposed to increase the waterproofing layer’s cracking resistance by using asphalt layers. Nonetheless, the use of emulsified asphalt as well as dense-graded asphalt mixture were not effective enough. To improve the effectiveness, in this study, mastic asphalt was designed for application as the waterproofing layer on the subgrade surface of high-speed railway tracks in cold regions. The overall performance of mastic asphalt was preliminarily evaluated by laboratory tests, then a 200-m test section was constructed for field validation in northeastern China as part of a new high-speed railway line, and water content sensors were placed inside the subgrade to monitor the performance of the mastic asphalt waterproofing layer (MAWL. The subsequent field investigation and monitoring data during the two years operation showed that MAWL dramatically outperformed the conventional concrete waterproofing layer in terms of waterproof performance. Plenty of serious cracks were found in the conventional concrete waterproofing layer, but only a limited number of local cracks were observed in MAWL. As a result, MAWL keeps the water content of subgrade at a stable level. In addition, MAWL showed relatively high stability during the two years investigation period, and no obvious deterioration was observed in the test section.
Protein-protein interactions within late pre-40S ribosomes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melody G Campbell

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Ribosome assembly in eukaryotic organisms requires more than 200 assembly factors to facilitate and coordinate rRNA transcription, processing, and folding with the binding of the ribosomal proteins. Many of these assembly factors bind and dissociate at defined times giving rise to discrete assembly intermediates, some of which have been partially characterized with regards to their protein and RNA composition. Here, we have analyzed the protein-protein interactions between the seven assembly factors bound to late cytoplasmic pre-40S ribosomes using recombinant proteins in binding assays. Our data show that these factors form two modules: one comprising Enp1 and the export adaptor Ltv1 near the beak structure, and the second comprising the kinase Rio2, the nuclease Nob1, and a regulatory RNA binding protein Dim2/Pno1 on the front of the head. The GTPase-like Tsr1 and the universally conserved methylase Dim1 are also peripherally connected to this second module. Additionally, in an effort to further define the locations for these essential proteins, we have analyzed the interactions between these assembly factors and six ribosomal proteins: Rps0, Rps3, Rps5, Rps14, Rps15 and Rps29. Together, these results and previous RNA-protein crosslinking data allow us to propose a model for the binding sites of these seven assembly factors. Furthermore, our data show that the essential kinase Rio2 is located at the center of the pre-ribosomal particle and interacts, directly or indirectly, with every other assembly factor, as well as three ribosomal proteins required for cytoplasmic 40S maturation. These data suggest that Rio2 could play a central role in regulating cytoplasmic maturation steps.
Electron mobility in few-layer MoxW1-xS2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandrasekar, Hareesh; Nath, Digbijoy N

2015-01-01

Heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are increasingly being explored for electronics in order to potentially extend conventional transistor scaling and to exploit new device designs and architectures. Alloys form a key underpinning of any heterostructure device technology and therefore an understanding of their electronic properties is essential. In this paper, we study the intrinsic electron mobility in few-layer Mo x W 1−x S 2 as limited by various scattering mechanisms. The room temperature, energy-dependent scattering times corresponding to polar longitudinal optical (LO) phonon, alloy and background impurity scattering mechanisms are estimated based on the Born approximation to Fermi’s golden rule. The contribution of individual scattering rates is analyzed as a function of 2D electron density as well as of alloy composition in Mo x W 1−x S 2 . While impurity scattering limits the mobility for low carrier densities (<2–4×10 12 cm −2 ), LO polar phonon scattering is the dominant mechanism for high electron densities. Alloy scattering is found to play a non-negligible role for 0.5 < x < 0.7 in Mo x W 1−x S 2 . The LO phonon-limited and impurity-limited mobilities show opposing trends with respect to alloy mole fractions. The understanding of electron mobility in Mo x W 1−x S 2 presented here is expected to enable the design and realization of heterostructures and devices based on alloys of MoS 2 and WS 2 . (paper)
Ultra-Thin Optically Transparent Carbon Electrodes Produced from Layers of Adsorbed Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Alharthi, Sarah A.; Benavidez, Tomas E.; Garcia, Carlos D.

2013-01-01

This work describes a simple, versatile, and inexpensive procedure to prepare optically transparent carbon electrodes, using proteins as precursors. Upon adsorption, the protein-coated substrates were pyrolyzed under reductive conditions (5% H2) to form ultra-thin, conductive electrodes. Because proteins spontaneously adsorb to interfaces forming uniform layers, the proposed method does not require a precise control of the preparation conditions, specialized instrumentation, or expensive precursors. The resulting electrodes were characterized by a combination of electrochemical, optical, and spectroscopic means. As a proof-of-concept, the optically-transparent electrodes were also used as substrate for the development of an electrochemical glucose biosensor. The proposed films represent a convenient alternative to more sophisticated, and less available, carbon-based nanomaterials. Furthermore, these films could be formed on a variety of substrates, without classical limitations of size or shape. PMID:23421732
Layer-by-layer cell membrane assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Matosevic, Sandro; Paegel, Brian M.

2013-11-01

Eukaryotic subcellular membrane systems, such as the nuclear envelope or endoplasmic reticulum, present a rich array of architecturally and compositionally complex supramolecular targets that are as yet inaccessible. Here we describe layer-by-layer phospholipid membrane assembly on microfluidic droplets, a route to structures with defined compositional asymmetry and lamellarity. Starting with phospholipid-stabilized water-in-oil droplets trapped in a static droplet array, lipid monolayer deposition proceeds as oil/water-phase boundaries pass over the droplets. Unilamellar vesicles assembled layer-by-layer support functional insertion both of purified and of in situ expressed membrane proteins. Synthesis and chemical probing of asymmetric unilamellar and double-bilayer vesicles demonstrate the programmability of both membrane lamellarity and lipid-leaflet composition during assembly. The immobilized vesicle arrays are a pragmatic experimental platform for biophysical studies of membranes and their associated proteins, particularly complexes that assemble and function in multilamellar contexts in vivo.
S100B proteins in febrile seizures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkonen, Kirsi; Pekkala, Niina; Pokka, Tytti

2011-01-01

S100B protein concentrations correlate with the severity and outcome of brain damage after brain injuries, and have been shown to be markers of blood-brain barrier damage. In children elevated S100B values are seen as a marker of damage to astrocytes even after mild head injuries. S100B proteins...... may also give an indication of an ongoing pathological process in the brain with respect to febrile seizures (FS) and the likelihood of their recurrence. To evaluate this, we measured S100B protein concentrations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid from 103 children after their first FS. 33 children...
The primary structures of ribosomal proteins S14 and S16 from the archaebacterium Halobacterium marismortui. Comparison with eubacterial and eukaryotic ribosomal proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, J; Kimura, M

1987-09-05

The amino acid sequences of two ribosomal proteins, S14 and S16, from the archaebacterium Halobacterium marismortui have been determined. Sequence data were obtained by the manual and solid-phase sequencing of peptides derived from enzymatic digestions with trypsin, chymotrypsin, pepsin, and Staphylococcus aureus protease as well as by chemical cleavage with cyanogen bromide. Proteins S14 and S16 contain 109 and 126 amino acid residues and have Mr values of 11,964 and 13,515, respectively. Comparison of the sequences with those of ribosomal proteins from other organisms demonstrates that S14 has a significant homology with the rat liver ribosomal protein S11 (36% identity) as well as with the Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S17 (37%), and that S16 is related to the yeast ribosomal protein YS22 (40%) and proteins S8 from E. coli (28%) and Bacillus stearothermophilus (30%). A comparison of the amino acid residues in the homologous regions of halophilic and nonhalophilic ribosomal proteins reveals that halophilic proteins have more glutamic acids, asparatic acids, prolines, and alanines, and less lysines, arginines, and isoleucines than their nonhalophilic counterparts. These amino acid substitutions probably contribute to the structural stability of halophilic ribosomal proteins.
Dissociation of activated protein C functions by elimination of protein S cofactor enhancement.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Harmon, Shona

2008-11-07

Activated protein C (APC) plays a critical anticoagulant role in vivo by inactivating procoagulant factor Va and factor VIIIa and thus down-regulating thrombin generation. In addition, APC bound to the endothelial cell protein C receptor can initiate protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1)-mediated cytoprotective signaling. Protein S constitutes a critical cofactor for the anticoagulant function of APC but is not known to be involved in regulating APC-mediated protective PAR-1 signaling. In this study we utilized a site-directed mutagenesis strategy to characterize a putative protein S binding region within the APC Gla domain. Three single amino acid substitutions within the APC Gla domain (D35T, D36A, and A39V) were found to mildly impair protein S-dependent anticoagulant activity (<2-fold) but retained entirely normal cytoprotective activity. However, a single amino acid substitution (L38D) ablated the ability of protein S to function as a cofactor for this APC variant. Consequently, in assays of protein S-dependent factor Va proteolysis using purified proteins or in the plasma milieu, APC-L38D variant exhibited minimal residual anticoagulant activity compared with wild type APC. Despite the location of Leu-38 in the Gla domain, APC-L38D interacted normally with endothelial cell protein C receptor and retained its ability to trigger PAR-1 mediated cytoprotective signaling in a manner indistinguishable from that of wild type APC. Consequently, elimination of protein S cofactor enhancement of APC anticoagulant function represents a novel and effective strategy by which to separate the anticoagulant and cytoprotective functions of APC for potential therapeutic gain.
Interaction of single and multi-layer graphene oxide with fetal bovine serum: assessing the protein corona formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franqui, Lidiane Silva; Farias, Marcelo Alexandre de; Portugal, Rodrigo Villares; Costa, Carlos Alberto; Leme, Adriana Franco Paes; Martinez, Diego Stefani Teodoro, E-mail: lidiane.franqui@pos.ft.unicamp.br [Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM), Campinas, SP (Brazil); Coluci, Vitor Rafael [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Full text: When in contact with biological systems, nanomaterials surface adsorbs biomolecules present in the biological medium, mainly proteins, yielding a molecular coating 'protein corona' which affects the biological response and toxicity of the nanomaterials. Several factors can influence the protein corona formation, such as nanomaterial physicochemical properties and the nature of biological medium. In this work, we have performed a comparative study between the single and multi-layer graphene oxide nanomaterials (SL-GO and ML-GO, respectively) after their interaction with DMEM cell culture medium containing fetal bovine serum (FBS). Bare GOs and FBS protein corona-coated GOs were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The protein corona composition was characterized by gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our results showed that, after interaction with FBS, GO particle size increased due to the protein corona formation. Besides, the presence of proteins also has significantly increased the dispersion stability of SLGO and ML-GO over time. Whereas the main proteins have been identified in both SL-GO and ML-GO, SL-GO has adsorbed larger amounts of proteins than ML-GO. Finally, the number of GO layers influences its interactions with FBS proteins and dispersion stability in DMEM medium. These results point out implications for in vitro cytotoxicity assessment and biomedical applications of these promising carbon nanomaterials. (author)
Interaction of single and multi-layer graphene oxide with fetal bovine serum: assessing the protein corona formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franqui, Lidiane Silva; Farias, Marcelo Alexandre de; Portugal, Rodrigo Villares; Costa, Carlos Alberto; Leme, Adriana Franco Paes; Martinez, Diego Stefani Teodoro; Coluci, Vitor Rafael

2016-01-01

Full text: When in contact with biological systems, nanomaterials surface adsorbs biomolecules present in the biological medium, mainly proteins, yielding a molecular coating 'protein corona' which affects the biological response and toxicity of the nanomaterials. Several factors can influence the protein corona formation, such as nanomaterial physicochemical properties and the nature of biological medium. In this work, we have performed a comparative study between the single and multi-layer graphene oxide nanomaterials (SL-GO and ML-GO, respectively) after their interaction with DMEM cell culture medium containing fetal bovine serum (FBS). Bare GOs and FBS protein corona-coated GOs were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The protein corona composition was characterized by gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our results showed that, after interaction with FBS, GO particle size increased due to the protein corona formation. Besides, the presence of proteins also has significantly increased the dispersion stability of SLGO and ML-GO over time. Whereas the main proteins have been identified in both SL-GO and ML-GO, SL-GO has adsorbed larger amounts of proteins than ML-GO. Finally, the number of GO layers influences its interactions with FBS proteins and dispersion stability in DMEM medium. These results point out implications for in vitro cytotoxicity assessment and biomedical applications of these promising carbon nanomaterials. (author)
Voc enhancement of a solar cell with doped Li+-PbS as the active layer

Science.gov (United States)

Chávez Portillo, M.; Alvarado Pulido, J.; Gallardo Hernández, S.; Soto Cruz, B. S.; Alcántara Iniesta, S.; Gutiérrez Pérez, R.; Portillo Moreno, O.

2018-06-01

In this report, we investigate the fabrication of solar cells obtained by chemical bath technique, based on CdS as window layer and PbS and PbS-Li+-doped as the active layer. We report open-circuit-voltage Voc values of ∼392 meV for PbS and ∼630 meV for PbSLi+-doped, a remarkable enhanced in the open circuit voltage is shown for solar cells with doped active layer. Li+ ion passivate the dangling bonds in PbS-metal layer interface in consequence reducing the recombination centers.
Role of boundary layer diffusion in vapor deposition growth of chalcogenide nanosheets: the case of GeS.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chun; Huang, Liang; Snigdha, Gayatri Pongur; Yu, Yifei; Cao, Linyou

2012-10-23

We report a synthesis of single-crystalline two-dimensional GeS nanosheets using vapor deposition processes and show that the growth behavior of the nanosheet is substantially different from those of other nanomaterials and thin films grown by vapor depositions. The nanosheet growth is subject to strong influences of the diffusion of source materials through the boundary layer of gas flows. This boundary layer diffusion is found to be the rate-determining step of the growth under typical experimental conditions, evidenced by a substantial dependence of the nanosheet's size on diffusion fluxes. We also find that high-quality GeS nanosheets can grow only in the diffusion-limited regime, as the crystalline quality substantially deteriorates when the rate-determining step is changed away from the boundary layer diffusion. We establish a simple model to analyze the diffusion dynamics in experiments. Our analysis uncovers an intuitive correlation of diffusion flux with the partial pressure of source materials, the flow rate of carrier gas, and the total pressure in the synthetic setup. The observed significant role of boundary layer diffusions in the growth is unique for nanosheets. It may be correlated with the high growth rate of GeS nanosheets, ~3-5 μm/min, which is 1 order of magnitude higher than other nanomaterials (such as nanowires) and thin films. This fundamental understanding of the effect of boundary layer diffusions may generally apply to other chalcogenide nanosheets that can grow rapidly. It can provide useful guidance for the development of general paradigms to control the synthesis of nanosheets.
Large theoretical thermoelectric power factor of suspended single-layer MoS2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babaei, Hasan; Khodadadi, J. M.; Sinha, Sanjiv

2014-01-01

We have calculated the semi-classical thermoelectric power factor of suspended single-layer (SL)- MoS 2 utilizing electron relaxation times derived from ab initio calculations. Measurements of the thermoelectric power factor of SL-MoS 2 on substrates reveal poor power factors. In contrast, we find the thermoelectric power factor of suspended SL-MoS 2 to peak at ∼2.8 × 10 4 μW/m K 2 at 300 K, at an electron concentration of 10 12 cm −2 . This figure is higher than that in bulk Bi 2 Te 3 , for example. Given its relatively high thermal conductivity, suspended SL-MoS 2 may hold promise for in-plane thin-film Peltier coolers, provided reasonable mobilities can be realized
Dynamic Contact Angle Analysis of Protein Adsorption on Polysaccharide Multilayer’s Films for Biomaterial Reendothelialization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Safiya Benni

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Atherosclerosis is a major cardiovascular disease. One of the side effects is restenosis. The aim of this work was to study the coating of stents by dextran derivates based polyelectrolyte’s multilayer (PEM films in order to increase endothelialization of injured arterial wall after stent implantation. Films were composed with diethylaminoethyl dextran (DEAE as polycation and dextran sulphate (DS as polyanion. One film was composed with 4 bilayers of (DEAE-DS4 and was labeled D−. The other film was the same as D− but with an added terminal layer of DEAE polycation: (DEAE-DS4-DEAE (labeled D+. The dynamic adsorption/desorption of proteins on the films were characterized by dynamic contact angle (DCA and atomic force microscopy (AFM. Human endothelial cell (HUVEC adhesion and proliferation were quantified and correlated to protein adsorption analyzed by DCA for fibronectin, vitronectin, and bovine serum albumin (BSA. Our results showed that the endothelial cell response was optimal for films composed of DS as external layer. Fibronectin was found to be the only protein to exhibit a reversible change in conformation after desorption test. This behavior was only observed for (DEAE-DS4 films. (DEAE-DS4 films could enhance HUVEC proliferation in agreement with fibronectin ability to easily change from conformation.
Thermal and hydrodynamic study of a whirling liquid hydrogen layer under high heat flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ewald, R.

1969-01-01

In order to achieve a cold neutrons source (λ ≥ 4.10 -10 m) in a high flux reactor (∼ 10 15 neutrons/cm 2 .s), a whirling liquid hydrogen layer (145 mm OD, effective thickness 15 mm, height about 180 mm) was formed, out-of-pile, in a cylindrical transparent glass vessel. The whirling motion was obtained by tangential injection of the liquid, near the wall. Thermal and hydrodynamical conditions of formation and laws of similarity of such a layer were studied. The characteristics of this whirling flow were observed as a function of mass flow rate (5 to 27 g/s; 4.3 to 23 l/mn), and of spillway width (18 and 25 mm). Six different nozzles were used : 1.0; 1.5; 1.9; 2.25; 2.65 and 3.0 mm ID. The total heat influx was found between 8.6 and 10.4 kW. The heat flux density was about 9.4 W/cm 2 and the mean layer density around 80 per cent of that of the liquid hydrogen at 20.4 Kelvin. High speed movies were used to analyze the boiling regime. (author) [fr
Inferring high-confidence human protein-protein interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Xueping

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As numerous experimental factors drive the acquisition, identification, and interpretation of protein-protein interactions (PPIs, aggregated assemblies of human PPI data invariably contain experiment-dependent noise. Ascertaining the reliability of PPIs collected from these diverse studies and scoring them to infer high-confidence networks is a non-trivial task. Moreover, a large number of PPIs share the same number of reported occurrences, making it impossible to distinguish the reliability of these PPIs and rank-order them. For example, for the data analyzed here, we found that the majority (>83% of currently available human PPIs have been reported only once. Results In this work, we proposed an unsupervised statistical approach to score a set of diverse, experimentally identified PPIs from nine primary databases to create subsets of high-confidence human PPI networks. We evaluated this ranking method by comparing it with other methods and assessing their ability to retrieve protein associations from a number of diverse and independent reference sets. These reference sets contain known biological data that are either directly or indirectly linked to interactions between proteins. We quantified the average effect of using ranked protein interaction data to retrieve this information and showed that, when compared to randomly ranked interaction data sets, the proposed method created a larger enrichment (~134% than either ranking based on the hypergeometric test (~109% or occurrence ranking (~46%. Conclusions From our evaluations, it was clear that ranked interactions were always of value because higher-ranked PPIs had a higher likelihood of retrieving high-confidence experimental data. Reducing the noise inherent in aggregated experimental PPIs via our ranking scheme further increased the accuracy and enrichment of PPIs derived from a number of biologically relevant data sets. These results suggest that using our high
Fault-tolerant and QoS based Network Layer for Security Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Naceur Abdelkrim

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks have profound effects on many application fields like security management which need an immediate, fast and energy efficient route. In this paper, we define a fault-tolerant and QoS based network layer for security management of chemical products warehouse which can be classified as real-time and mission critical application. This application generate routine data packets and alert packets caused by unusual events which need a high reliability, short end to end delay and low packet loss rate constraints. After each node compute his hop count and build his neighbors table in the initialization phase, packets can be routed to the sink. We use FELGossiping protocol for routine data packets and node-disjoint multipath routing protocol for alert packets. Furthermore, we utilize the information gathering phase of FELGossiping to update the neighbors table and detect the failed nodes, and we adapt the network topology changes by rerun the initialization phase when chemical units were added or removed from the warehouse. Analysis shows that the network layer is energy efficient and can meet the QoS constraints of unusual events packets.

Two-phase convection in Ganymede's high-pressure ice layer - Implications for its geological evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Kalousová, Klára; Sotin, Christophe; Choblet, Gaël; Tobie, Gabriel; Grasset, Olivier

2018-01-01

Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, has a fully differentiated interior with a layer of high-pressure (HP) ice between its deep ocean and silicate mantle. In this paper, we study the dynamics of this layer using a numerical model of two-phase ice-water mixture in two-dimensional Cartesian geometry. While focusing on the generation of water at the silicate/HP ice interface and its upward migration towards the ocean, we investigate the effect of bottom heat flux, the layer thickness, and the HP ice viscosity and permeability. Our results suggest that melt can be generated at the silicate/HP ice interface for small layer thickness ( ≲ 200 km) and high values of heat flux ( ≳ 20 mW m-2) and viscosity ( ≳ 1015 Pa s). Once generated, the water is transported through the layer by the upwelling plumes. Depending on the vigor of convection, it stays liquid or it may freeze before melting again as the plume reaches the temperate (partially molten) layer at the boundary with the ocean. The thickness of this layer as well as the amount of melt that is extracted from it is controlled by the permeability of the HP ice. This process constitutes a means of transporting volatiles and salts that might have dissolved into the melt present at the silicate/HP ice interface. As the moon cools down, the HP ice layer becomes less permeable because the heat flux from the silicates decreases and the HP ice layer thickens.
Water polygons in high-resolution protein crystal structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jonas; Kim, Sung-Hou

2009-07-01

We have analyzed the interstitial water (ISW) structures in 1500 protein crystal structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank that have greater than 1.5 A resolution with less than 90% sequence similarity with each other. We observed varieties of polygonal water structures composed of three to eight water molecules. These polygons may represent the time- and space-averaged structures of "stable" water oligomers present in liquid water, and their presence as well as relative population may be relevant in understanding physical properties of liquid water at a given temperature. On an average, 13% of ISWs are localized enough to be visible by X-ray diffraction. Of those, averages of 78% are water molecules in the first water layer on the protein surface. Of the localized ISWs beyond the first layer, almost half of them form water polygons such as trigons, tetragons, as well as expected pentagons, hexagons, higher polygons, partial dodecahedrons, and disordered networks. Most of the octagons and nanogons are formed by fusion of smaller polygons. The trigons are most commonly observed. We suggest that our observation provides an experimental basis for including these water polygon structures in correlating and predicting various water properties in liquid state.
Quantitative atom column position analysis at the incommensurate interfaces of a (PbS)1.14NbS2 misfit layered compound with aberration-corrected HRTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garbrecht, M.; Spiecker, E.; Tillmann, K.; Jaeger, W.

2011-01-01

Aberration-corrected HRTEM is applied to explore the potential of NCSI contrast imaging to quantitatively analyse the complex atomic structure of misfit layered compounds and their incommensurate interfaces. Using the (PbS) 1.14 NbS 2 misfit layered compound as a model system it is shown that atom column position analyses at the incommensurate interfaces can be performed with precisions reaching a statistical accuracy of ±6 pm. The procedure adopted for these studies compares experimental images taken from compound regions free of defects and interface modulations with a structure model derived from XRD experiments and with multi-slice image simulations for the corresponding NCSI contrast conditions used. The high precision achievable in such experiments is confirmed by a detailed quantitative analysis of the atom column positions at the incommensurate interfaces, proving a tetragonal distortion of the monochalcogenide sublattice. -- Research Highlights: → Quantitative aberration-corrected HRTEM analysis of atomic column positions in (PbS) 1.14 NbS 2 misfit layered compound reveals tetragonal distortion of the PbS subsystem. → Detailed comparison of multi-slice simulations with the experimental NCSI contrast condition imaging results lead to a high precision (better than 10 pm) for determining the positions of atoms. → Precision in gaining information of local structure at atomic scale is demonstrated, which may not be accessible by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction analysis.
Observation of anisotropic interlayer Raman modes in few-layer ReS{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagler, Philipp; Plechinger, Gerd; Schueller, Christian; Korn, Tobias [Institut fuer Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universitaet Regensburg, 93040, Regensburg (Germany)

2016-02-15

ReS{sub 2} has recently emerged as a new member in the rapidly growing family of two-dimensional materials. Unlike MoS{sub 2} or WSe{sub 2}, the optical and electrical properties of ReS{sub 2} are not isotropic due to the reduced symmetry of the crystal. Here, we present layer-dependent Raman measurements of ReS{sub 2} samples ranging from monolayers to ten layers in the ultralow frequency regime. We observe layer breathing and shear modes which allow for easy assignment of the number of layers. Polarization-dependent measurements give further insight into the crystal structure and reveal an energetic shift of the shear mode which stems from the in-plane anisotropy of the shear modulus in this material. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Purification, identification and preliminary crystallographic studies of a 2S albumin seed protein from Lens culinaris

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Pankaj; Gaur, Vineet; Salunke, Dinakar M.

2008-01-01

A 2S albumin from L. culinaris was purified and crystallized and preliminary crystallographic studies were carried out. Lens culinaris (lentil) is a widely consumed high-protein-content leguminous crop. A 2S albumin protein (26.5 kDa) has been identified using NH 2 -terminal sequencing from a 90% ammonium sulfate saturation fraction of total L. culinaris seed protein extract. The NH 2 -terminal sequence shows very high homology to PA2, an allergy-related protein from Pisum sativum. The 2S albumin protein was purified using a combination of size-exclusion and ion-exchange chromatography. Crystals of the 2S seed albumin obtained using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method diffracted to 2.5 Å resolution and were indexed in space group P4 1 (or P4 3 ), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 78.6, c = 135.2 Å
Field layer important for Nordic people’s forest preferences [Policy Brief

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anders Busse; Jensen, Frank Søndergaard; Gundersen, Vegard Sverre

2016-01-01

New SNS supported research shows that field layer characteristics largely influenced the Nordic population’s forest preferences. Active introduction and management of field layer may be encouraging for forest manag-ers and policy makers - especially in an ur-ban context - as it proposes...
Gold Dispersion and Activation on the Basal Plane of Single-Layer MoS2

KAUST Repository

Merida, Cindy S.; Le, Duy; Echeverrí a, Elena M.; Nguyen, Ariana E.; Rawal, Takat B; Naghibi Alvillar, Sahar; Kandyba, Viktor; Al-Mahboob, Abdullah; Losovyj, Yaroslav B.; Katsiev, Khabiboulakh; Valentin, Michael D.; Huang, Chun-Yu; Gomez, Michael J.; Lu, I-Hsi; Guan, Alison; Barinov, Alexei; Rahman, Talat S; Dowben, Peter A.; Bartels, Ludwig

2017-01-01

Gold islands are typically associated with high binding affinity to adsorbates and catalytic activity. Here we present the growth of such dispersed nanoscale gold islands on single layer MoS2, prepared on an inert SiO2/Si support by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This study offers a combination of growth process development, optical characterization, photoelectron spectroscopy at sub-micron spatial resolution, and advanced density functional theory modeling for detailed insight into the electronic interaction between gold and single-layer MoS2. In particular, we find the gold density of states in Au/MoS2/SiO2/Si to be far less well-defined than Au islands on other 2-dimensional materials such as graphene, for which we also provide data. We attribute this effect to the presence of heterogeneous Au adatom/MoS2-support interactions within the nanometer-scale gold cluster. As a consequence, theory predicts that CO will exhibit adsorption energies in excess of 1 eV at the Au cluster edges, where the local density of states is dominated by Au 5dz2 symmetry.
Gold Dispersion and Activation on the Basal Plane of Single-Layer MoS2

KAUST Repository

Merida, Cindy S.

2017-12-09

Gold islands are typically associated with high binding affinity to adsorbates and catalytic activity. Here we present the growth of such dispersed nanoscale gold islands on single layer MoS2, prepared on an inert SiO2/Si support by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This study offers a combination of growth process development, optical characterization, photoelectron spectroscopy at sub-micron spatial resolution, and advanced density functional theory modeling for detailed insight into the electronic interaction between gold and single-layer MoS2. In particular, we find the gold density of states in Au/MoS2/SiO2/Si to be far less well-defined than Au islands on other 2-dimensional materials such as graphene, for which we also provide data. We attribute this effect to the presence of heterogeneous Au adatom/MoS2-support interactions within the nanometer-scale gold cluster. As a consequence, theory predicts that CO will exhibit adsorption energies in excess of 1 eV at the Au cluster edges, where the local density of states is dominated by Au 5dz2 symmetry.
Low-Frequency Noise in Layered ReS2 Field Effect Transistors on HfO2 and Its Application for pH Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Wugang; Wei, Wei; Tong, Yu; Chim, Wai Kin; Zhu, Chunxiang

2018-02-28

Layered rhenium disulfide (ReS 2 ) field effect transistors (FETs), with thickness ranging from few to dozens of layers, are demonstrated on 20 nm thick HfO 2 /Si substrates. A small threshold voltage of -0.25 V, high on/off current ratio of up to ∼10 7 , small subthreshold swing of 116 mV/dec, and electron carrier mobility of 6.02 cm 2 /V·s are obtained for the two-layer ReS 2 FETs. Low-frequency noise characteristics in ReS 2 FETs are analyzed for the first time, and it is found that the carrier number fluctuation mechanism well describes the flicker (1/f) noise of ReS 2 FETs with different thicknesses. pH sensing using a two-layer ReS 2 FET with HfO 2 as a sensing oxide is then demonstrated with a voltage sensitivity of 54.8 mV/pH and a current sensitivity of 126. The noise characteristics of the ReS 2 FET-based pH sensors are also examined, and a corresponding detection limit of 0.0132 pH is obtained. Our studies suggest the high potential of ReS 2 for future low-power nanoelectronics and biosensor applications.
The utility of protein structure as a predictor of site-wise dN/dS varies widely among HIV-1 proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Austin G; Wilke, Claus O

2015-10-06

Protein structure acts as a general constraint on the evolution of viral proteins. One widely recognized structural constraint explaining evolutionary variation among sites is the relative solvent accessibility (RSA) of residues in the folded protein. In influenza virus, the distance from functional sites has been found to explain an additional portion of the evolutionary variation in the external antigenic proteins. However, to what extent RSA and distance from a reference site in the protein can be used more generally to explain protein adaptation in other viruses and in the different proteins of any given virus remains an open question. To address this question, we have carried out an analysis of the distribution and structural predictors of site-wise dN/dS in HIV-1. Our results indicate that the distribution of dN/dS in HIV follows a smooth gamma distribution, with no special enrichment or depletion of sites with dN/dS at or above one. The variation in dN/dS can be partially explained by RSA and distance from a reference site in the protein, but these structural constraints do not act uniformly among the different HIV-1 proteins. Structural constraints are highly predictive in just one of the three enzymes and one of three structural proteins in HIV-1. For these two proteins, the protease enzyme and the gp120 structural protein, structure explains between 30 and 40% of the variation in dN/dS. Finally, for the gp120 protein of the receptor-binding complex, we also find that glycosylation sites explain just 2% of the variation in dN/dS and do not explain gp120 evolution independently of either RSA or distance from the apical surface. © 2015 The Author(s).
Cross-layer protocol design for QoS optimization in real-time wireless sensor networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hortos, William S.

2010-04-01

The metrics of quality of service (QoS) for each sensor type in a wireless sensor network can be associated with metrics for multimedia that describe the quality of fused information, e.g., throughput, delay, jitter, packet error rate, information correlation, etc. These QoS metrics are typically set at the highest, or application, layer of the protocol stack to ensure that performance requirements for each type of sensor data are satisfied. Application-layer metrics, in turn, depend on the support of the lower protocol layers: session, transport, network, data link (MAC), and physical. The dependencies of the QoS metrics on the performance of the higher layers of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model of the WSN protocol, together with that of the lower three layers, are the basis for a comprehensive approach to QoS optimization for multiple sensor types in a general WSN model. The cross-layer design accounts for the distributed power consumption along energy-constrained routes and their constituent nodes. Following the author's previous work, the cross-layer interactions in the WSN protocol are represented by a set of concatenated protocol parameters and enabling resource levels. The "best" cross-layer designs to achieve optimal QoS are established by applying the general theory of martingale representations to the parameterized multivariate point processes (MVPPs) for discrete random events occurring in the WSN. Adaptive control of network behavior through the cross-layer design is realized through the parametric factorization of the stochastic conditional rates of the MVPPs. The cross-layer protocol parameters for optimal QoS are determined in terms of solutions to stochastic dynamic programming conditions derived from models of transient flows for heterogeneous sensor data and aggregate information over a finite time horizon. Markov state processes, embedded within the complex combinatorial history of WSN events, are more computationally
Proteomic identification of S-nitrosylated proteins in Arabidopsis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindermayr, C.; Saalbach, G.; Durner, J.

2005-01-01

Although nitric oxide (NO) has grown into a key signaling molecule in plants during the last few years, less is known about how NO regulates different events in plants. Analyses of NO-dependent processes in animal systems have demonstrated protein S-nitrosylation of cysteine (Cys) residues...... to be one of the dominant regulation mechanisms for many animal proteins. For plants, the principle of S-nitrosylation remained to be elucidated. We generated S-nitrosothiols by treating extracts from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cell suspension cultures with the NO-donor S......-nitrosoglutathione. Furthermore, Arabidopsis plants were treated with gaseous NO to analyze whether S-nitrosylation can occur in the specific redox environment of a plant cell in vivo. S-Nitrosylated proteins were detected by a biotin switch method, converting S-nitrosylated Cys to biotinylated Cys. Biotin-labeled proteins were...
Enhancement of near-infrared detectability from InGaZnO thin film transistor with MoS2 light absorbing layer

Science.gov (United States)

Pak, Sang Woo; Chu, Dongil; Song, Da Ye; Kyo Lee, Seung; Kim, Eun Kyu

2017-11-01

We report an enhancement of near-infrared (NIR) detectability from amorphous InGaZnO (α-IGZO) thin film transistor in conjunction with randomly distributed molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) flakes. The electrical characteristics of the α-IGZO grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering exhibit high effective mobility exceeding 15 cm2 V-1 s-1 and current on/off ratio up to 107. By taking advantages of the high quality α-IGZO and MoS2 light absorbing layer, photodetection spectra are able to extend from ultra-violet to NIR range. The α-IGZO channel detector capped by MoS2 show a photo-responsivity of approximately 14.9 mA W-1 at 1100 nm wavelength, which is five times higher than of the α-IGZO device without MoS2 layer.
Identification of a novel gene cluster in the upstream region of the S-layer gene sbpA involved in cell wall metabolism of Lysinibacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 and characterization of the recombinantly produced autolysin and pyruvyl transferase.

Science.gov (United States)

Pleschberger, Magdalena; Hildner, Florian; Rünzler, Dominik; Gelbmann, Nicola; Mayer, Harald F; Sleytr, Uwe B; Egelseer, Eva M

2013-05-01

The S-layer protein SbpA of Lysinibacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 assembles into a square (p4) lattice structure and recognizes a pyruvylated secondary cell wall polymer (SCWP) as the proper anchoring structure to the rigid cell wall layer. Sequencing of 8,004 bp in the 5'-upstream region of the S-layer gene sbpA led to five ORFs-encoding proteins involved in cell wall metabolism. After cloning and heterologous expression of ORF1 and ORF5 in Escherichia coli, the recombinant autolysin rAbpA and the recombinant pyruvyl transferase rCsaB were isolated, purified, and correct folding was confirmed by circular dichroism. Although rAbpA encoded by ORF1 showed amidase activity, it could attack whole cells of Ly. sphaericus CCM 2177 only after complete extraction of the S-layer lattice. Despite the presence of three S-layer-homology motifs on the N-terminal part, rAbpA did not show detectable affinity to peptidoglycan-containing sacculi, nor to isolated SCWP. As the molecular mass of the autolysin lies above the molecular exclusion limit of the S-layer, AbpA is obviously trapped within the rigid cell wall layer by the isoporous protein lattice. Immunogold-labeling of ultrathin-sectioned whole cells of Ly. sphaericus CCM 2177 with a polyclonal rabbit antiserum raised against rCsaB encoded by ORF5, and cell fractionation experiments demonstrated that the pyruvyl transferase was located in the cytoplasm, but not associated with cell envelope components including the plasma membrane. In enzymatic assays, rCsaB clearly showed pyruvyl transferase activity. By using RT-PCR, specific transcripts for each ORF could be detected. Cotranscription could be confirmed for ORF2 and ORF3.
Effect of layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte method on encapsulation of vanillin.

Science.gov (United States)

Noshad, Mohammad; Mohebbi, Mohebbat; Shahidi, Fakhri; Koocheki, Arash

2015-11-01

The objective of this work was to microencapsulate vanillin by multilayer emulsion followed by spray drying, aiming to protect it and control its release. An electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition method was used to create the multilayered interfacial membranes around microcapsules with different compositions: (i) one-layer (soy protein isolate); (ii) two-layer (soy protein isolate - OSA starch); (iii) three-layer (soy protein isolate - OSA starch - Chitosan). The morphology of the microcapsules was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy. The hygroscopicity, solubility, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and release into water (37°C and 80°C) were also examined. FTIR confirmed the interaction between the wall materials. All microcapsules were not very water-soluble or hygroscopic while three-layer microcapsules compared to one and two layer microcapsules have lower moisture content and predominantly shriveled surfaces. The results indicated it was possible to encapsulate vanillin with the techniques employed and that these protected the vanillin even at 80°C. The reduced solubility and low release rates indicated the enormous potential of the vehicle developed in controlling the release of the vanillin into the food and pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Immobilization of immunoglobulin G in a highly oriented manner on a protein-A terminated multilayer system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zengin, Adem [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Art and Science, Gazi University, 06500 Besevler, Ankara (Turkey); Caykara, Tuncer, E-mail: caykara@gazi.edu.tr [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Art and Science, Gazi University, 06500 Besevler, Ankara (Turkey)

2011-01-01

In this study, we have fabricated a multilayer system consisting of 3-glycidoxypropyldimethylmethoxysilane (GPDS), poly(dimethylsiloxane) bis 3-aminopropyl terminated (PDMS) and protein-A on a silicon wafer surface for oriented immobilization of immunoglobilin G (IgG). The multilayer system with a different component in each layer was characterized by ellipsometry, contact-angle goniometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence microscopy. The epoxy-terminated monolayer was formed by the chemisorption of GPDS molecules on the hydroxylated silicon surface. The PDMS film about 4.5 nm thick was produced on the GPDS-monolayer by the chemical reaction between the amine groups at the end of PDMS chain and the epoxy groups of GPDS molecules. By introducing the PDMS chains, the hydrophilic character of GPDS-monolayer decreased. Study of the time dependence of polymer grafting showed that the chemisorption of GPDS is fast, whereas at least 16 h is needed to generate the homogeneous PDMS layer. For immobilization of IgG molecules in a highly oriented manner, protein-A molecules were first chemically bound to an ultrathin ({approx}4.5 nm) PDMS reactive polymer layer and later used to capture IgG. It was shown that the existence of protein-A in the multilayer system has a strong influence on the binding properties of IgG not only in the efficiency of binding, but also in its specificity. In conclusion, the multilayer system with protein-A has the potential to be further developed into an efficient immunoassay protein chip.
Nanoparticle layer deposition for highly controlled multilayer formation based on high-coverage monolayers of nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yue; Williams, Mackenzie G.; Miller, Timothy J.; Teplyakov, Andrew V.

2016-01-01

This paper establishes a strategy for chemical deposition of functionalized nanoparticles onto solid substrates in a layer-by-layer process based on self-limiting surface chemical reactions leading to complete monolayer formation within the multilayer system without any additional intermediate layers — nanoparticle layer deposition (NPLD). This approach is fundamentally different from previously established traditional layer-by-layer deposition techniques and is conceptually more similar to well-known atomic and molecular layer deposition processes. The NPLD approach uses efficient chemical functionalization of the solid substrate material and complementary functionalization of nanoparticles to produce a nearly 100% coverage of these nanoparticles with the use of “click chemistry”. Following this initial deposition, a second complete monolayer of nanoparticles is deposited using a copper-catalyzed “click reaction” with the azide-terminated silica nanoparticles of a different size. This layer-by-layer growth is demonstrated to produce stable covalently-bound multilayers of nearly perfect structure over macroscopic solid substrates. The formation of stable covalent bonds is confirmed spectroscopically and the stability of the multilayers produced is tested by sonication in a variety of common solvents. The 1-, 2- and 3-layer structures are interrogated by electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy and the thickness of the multilayers formed is fully consistent with that expected for highly efficient monolayer formation with each cycle of growth. This approach can be extended to include a variety of materials deposited in a predesigned sequence on different substrates with a highly conformal filling. - Highlights: • We investigate the formation of high-coverage monolayers of nanoparticles. • We use “click chemistry” to form these monolayers. • We form multiple layers based on the same strategy. • We confirm the formation of covalent bonds
A KINETIC MODEL FOR MONO-LAYER GLOBULAR PROTEIN ADSORPTION ON SOLID/LIQUID INTERFACES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamal I. M. Al-Malah

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A kinetic model was derived for globular protein adsorption. The model takes into account the three possible scenarios of a protein molecule in solution, being exposed to an interface: adsorption step from the solution to the interface; the possible desorption back into the solution; and the surface-induced unfolding or spreading of the protein unto the substrate surface. A globular protein molecule is visualized as a sphere with radius D. In addition to the general case of protein adsorption, which portrays either the surface coverage (Theta or surface concentration (� as a function of the adsorption time, special cases, like equilibrium condition, lowsurface coverage, irreversible, and Langmuirian were also presented and treated in light of the derived model. The general model was simplified for each of the subset cases. The irreversibility versus reversibility of protein adsorption was discussed. The substrate surface energetics or effects are accounted for via the proposition of the percent relative change in D/V ratio for the adsorbing protein, called (D/VPRC parameter. (D/VPRC is calculated with respect to the monolayer surface concentration of protein, where the latter is given by D/Vratio. This can be used as a landmark to protein adsorption isotherms or even kinetics. This is visualized as an indicator for solid substrate effects on the adsorbing proteins. (D/VPRC can be zero (fresh monolayer, negative (aged monolayer, or positive (multi-layer. The reference surface concentration is reported for some selected proteins.
Highly Stable Trypsin-Aggregate Coatings on Polymer Nanofibers for Repeated Protein Digestion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Byoung Chan; Lopez-Ferrer, Daniel; Lee, Sang-mok; Ahn, Hye-kyung; Nair, Sujith; Kim, Seong H.; Kim, Beom S.; Petritis, Konstantinos; Camp, David G.; Grate, Jay W.; Smith, Richard D.; Koo, Yoon-mo; Gu, Man Bock; Kim, Jungbae

2009-04-01

A stable and robust trypsin-based biocatalytic system was developed and demonstrated for proteomic applications. The system utilizes polymer nanofibers coated with trypsin aggregates for immobilized protease digestions. After covalently attaching an initial layer of trypsin to the polymer nanofibers, highly concentrated trypsin molecules are crosslinked to the layered trypsin by way of a glutaraldehyde treatment. This new process produced a 300-fold increase in trypsin activity compared with a conventional method for covalent trypsin immobilization and proved to be robust in that it still maintained a high level of activity after a year of repeated recycling. This highly stable form of immobilized trypsin was also resistant to autolysis, enabling repeated digestions of bovine serum albumin over 40 days and successful peptide identification by LC-MS/MS. Finally, the immobilized trypsin was resistant to proteolysis when exposed to other enzymes (i.e. chymotrypsin), which makes it suitable for use in “real-world” proteomic applications. Overall, the biocatalytic nanofibers with enzyme aggregate coatings proved to be an effective approach for repeated and automated protein digestion in proteomic analyses.
Highly flexible transparent and conductive ZnS/Ag/ZnS multilayer films prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zhinong; Leng, Jian; Xue, Wei; Zhang, Ting; Jiang, Yurong; Zhang, Jie; Zhang, Dongpu

2012-01-01

ZnS/Ag/ZnS (ZAZ) multilayer films were prepared on polyethene terephthalate (PET) by ion beam assisted deposition at room temperature. The structural, optical and electrical characteristics of ZAZ multilayers dependent on the thickness of silver layer were investigated. The ZAZ multilayers exhibit a low sheet resistance of about 10 Ω/sq., a high transmittance of 92.1%, and the improved resistance stabilities when subjected to bending. When the inserted Ag thickness is over 12 nm, the ZAZ multilayers show good resistance stabilities due to the existence of a ductile Ag metal layer. The results suggest that ZAZ film has better optoelectrical and anti-deflection characteristics than conventional indium tin oxide (ITO) single layer.

Physically Unclonable Cryptographic Primitives by Chemical Vapor Deposition of Layered MoS2.

Science.gov (United States)

Alharbi, Abdullah; Armstrong, Darren; Alharbi, Somayah; Shahrjerdi, Davood

2017-12-26

Physically unclonable cryptographic primitives are promising for securing the rapidly growing number of electronic devices. Here, we introduce physically unclonable primitives from layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) by leveraging the natural randomness of their island growth during chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We synthesize a MoS 2 monolayer film covered with speckles of multilayer islands, where the growth process is engineered for an optimal speckle density. Using the Clark-Evans test, we confirm that the distribution of islands on the film exhibits complete spatial randomness, hence indicating the growth of multilayer speckles is a spatial Poisson process. Such a property is highly desirable for constructing unpredictable cryptographic primitives. The security primitive is an array of 2048 pixels fabricated from this film. The complex structure of the pixels makes the physical duplication of the array impossible (i.e., physically unclonable). A unique optical response is generated by applying an optical stimulus to the structure. The basis for this unique response is the dependence of the photoemission on the number of MoS 2 layers, which by design is random throughout the film. Using a threshold value for the photoemission, we convert the optical response into binary cryptographic keys. We show that the proper selection of this threshold is crucial for maximizing combination randomness and that the optimal value of the threshold is linked directly to the growth process. This study reveals an opportunity for generating robust and versatile security primitives from layered transition metal dichalcogenides.
Effects of cloud-point grafting, chain length, and density of PEG layers on competitive adsorption of ocular proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kingshott, P.; Thissen, H.; Griesser, H.J.

2002-01-01

The effects of pinning density, chain length, and 'cloud point' (CP) versus non-CP grafting conditions have been studied on the ability of polyethylene glycol (PEG) layers to minimize adsorption from a multicomponent (lysozyme, human serum albumin (HSA), IgG and lactoferrin) protein solution...... density) r.f.g.d. polymer layers. The PEG graft density was varied also by increasing the temperature and salt (K2SO4) content of the grafting solution; it reached a maximum at the CP of the PEGs. The CP reaction conditions were critical for producing PEG layers capable of minimizing protein adsorption. X...... density and chain length are interrelated, but the key factor is optimization of PEG chain density by use of the CP conditions, provided that a sufficient density of pinning sites exists. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved....
Secreted Frizzled related protein-4 (sFRP4) promotes epidermal differentiation and apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maganga, Richard; Giles, Natalie; Adcroft, Katharine; Unni, Ambili; Keeney, Diane; Wood, Fiona; Fear, Mark; Dharmarajan, Arunasalam

2008-01-01

The skin provides vital protection from infection and dehydration. Maintenance of the skin is through a constant program of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of epidermal cells, whereby proliferating cells in the basal layer differentiating to form the keratinized, anucleated stratum corneum. The WNT signalling pathway is known to be important in the skin. WNT signalling has been shown to be important both in epidermal development and in the maintenance and cycling of hair follicles and epidermal stem cells. However, the precise role for this pathway in epidermal differentiation remains unknown. We investigated the role of the WNT signalling inhibitor sFRP4 in epidermal differentiation. sFRP4 is expressed in both normal skin and keratinocytes in culture. Expression of sFRP4 mRNA and protein increases with keratinocyte differentiation and apoptosis, whilst exposure of keratinocytes to exogenous sFRP4 promotes apoptosis and expression of the terminal differentiation marker Involucrin. These data suggest sFRP4 promotes epidermal differentiation.
Impact of the deposition conditions of buffer and windows layers on lowering the metastability effects in Cu(In,Ga)Se2/Zn(S,O)-based solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Naghavi, Negar; Hildebrandt, Thibaud; Bouttemy, Muriel; Etcheberry, Arnaud; Lincot, Daniel

2016-02-01

The highest and most reproducible (Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) based solar-cell efficiencies are obtained by use of a very thin n-type CdS layer deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD). However because of both Cadmium's adverse environmental impact and the narrow bandgap of CdS (2.4-2.5 eV) one of the major objectives in the field of CIGSe technology remains the development and implementation in the production line of Cd-free buffer layers. The CBDZn( S,O) remains one the most studied buffer layer for replacing the CdS in Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based solar cells and has already demonstrated its potential to lead to high-efficiency solar cells up to 22.3%. However one of the key issue to implement a CBD-Zn(S,O) process in a CIGSe production line is the cells stability, which depends both on the deposition conditions of CBD-Zn(S,O) and on a good band alignment between CIGSe/Zn(S,O)/windows layers. The most common window layers applied in CIGSe solar cells consist of two layers : a thin (50-100 nm) and highly resistive i-ZnO layer deposited by magnetron sputtering and a transparent conducting 300-500 nm ZnO:Al layer. In the case of CBD-Zn(S,O) buffer layer, the nature and deposition conditions of both Zn(S,O) and the undoped window layer can strongly influence the performance and stability of cells. The present contribution will be specially focused on the effect of condition growth of CBD-Zn(S,O) buffer layers and the impact of the composition and deposition conditions of the undoped window layers such as ZnxMgyO or ZnxSnyO on the stability and performance of these solar cells.
Gold nanoparticles on MoS2 layered crystal flakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Wei; Pankratov, Vladimir; Huttula, Marko; Shi, Xinying; Saukko, Sami; Huang, Zhongjia; Zhang, Meng

2015-01-01

Inorganic layered crystal MoS 2 is considered as one of the most promising and efficient semiconductor materials for future transistors, photoelectronics, and electrocatalysis. To boost MoS 2 -based material applications, one direction is to grow physically and chemically reactive nanoparticles onto MoS 2 . Here we report on a simple route to synthesis crystalized MoS 2 –Au complexes. The gold nanoparticles were grown on MoS 2 flakes through a wet method in the oxygen free environment at room temperature. Nanoparticles with diameters varying from 9 nm to 429 nm were controlled by the molar ratios of MoS 2 and HAuCl 4 precursors. MoS 2 host flakes keep intrinsic honeycomb layered structures and the Au nanoparticles cubic-center crystal microstructures. From product chemical states analysis, the synthesis was found driven by redox reactions between the sulphide and the chloroauric acid. Photoluminescence measurement showed that introducing Au nanoparticles onto MoS 2 stacks substantially prompted excitonic transitions of stacks, as an analogy for doping Si wafers with dopants. Such composites may have potential applications in wide ranges similar as the doped Si. - Highlights: • The Au nanoparticles were decorated on MoS 2 in oxygen free ambiences via a wet method. • The Au nanoparticles are size-controllable and crystalized. • Chemical reaction scheme was clarified. • The MoS 2 –Au complexes have strong photoluminescent properties
Junctionless Diode Enabled by Self-Bias Effect of Ion Gel in Single-Layer MoS2 Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muhammad Atif; Rathi, Servin; Park, Jinwoo; Lim, Dongsuk; Lee, Yoontae; Yun, Sun Jin; Youn, Doo-Hyeb; Kim, Gil-Ho

2017-08-16

The self-biasing effects of ion gel from source and drain electrodes on electrical characteristics of single layer and few layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) field-effect transistor (FET) have been studied. The self-biasing effect of ion gel is tested for two different configurations, covered and open, where ion gel is in contact with either one or both, source and drain electrodes, respectively. In open configuration, the linear output characteristics of the pristine device becomes nonlinear and on-off ratio drops by 3 orders of magnitude due to the increase in "off" current for both single and few layer MoS 2 FETs. However, the covered configuration results in a highly asymmetric output characteristics with a rectification of around 10 3 and an ideality factor of 1.9. This diode like behavior has been attributed to the reduction of Schottky barrier width by the electric field of self-biased ion gel, which enables an efficient injection of electrons by tunneling at metal-MoS 2 interface. Finally, finite element method based simulations are carried out and the simulated results matches well in principle with the experimental analysis. These self-biased diodes can perform a crucial role in the development of high-frequency optoelectronic and valleytronic devices.
Resting serum concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Resting serum concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in sportsmen and untrained male adults. F.A. Niyi-Odumosu, O. A. Bello, S.A. Biliaminu, B.V. Owoyele, T.O. Abu, O.L. Dominic ...
High-efficiency green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with double-emission layer and thick N-doped electron transport layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nobuki, Shunichiro, E-mail: shunichiro.nobuki.nb@hitachi.com [Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd., 7-1-1 Omika-cho, Hitachi-city, Ibaraki 319-1292 (Japan); Wakana, Hironori; Ishihara, Shingo [Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd., 7-1-1 Omika-cho, Hitachi-city, Ibaraki 319-1292 (Japan); Mikami, Akiyoshi [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichimachi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan)

2014-03-03

We have developed green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with high external quantum efficiency of 59.7% and power efficiency of 243 lm/W at 2.73 V at 0.053 mA/cm{sup 2}. A double emission layer and a thick n-doped electron transport layer were adopted to improve the exciton recombination factor. A high refractive index hemispherical lens was attached to a high refractive index substrate for extracting light trapped inside the substrate and the multiple-layers of OLEDs to air. Additionally, we analyzed an energy loss mechanism to clarify room for the improvement of our OLEDs including the charge balance factor. - Highlights: • We developed high efficiency green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode (OLED). • Our OLED had external quantum efficiency of 59.7% and power efficiency of 243 lm/W. • A double emission layer and thick n-doped electron transport layer were adopted. • High refractive index media (hemispherical lens and substrate) were also used. • We analyzed an energy loss mechanism to clarify the charge balance factor of our OLED.
Effects of buried high-Z layers on fast electron propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Xiaohu; Zhuo, Hongbin; Ma, Yanyun; Shao, Fuqiu; Xu, Han; Yin Yan; Borghesi, M.

2014-01-01

The transport through high density plasmas of relativistic electron beams generated by ultra-intense laser-plasma interaction has potential applications in laser-driven ion acceleration and in the fast igniter scheme for inertial confinement fusion. By extending a prior model [A.R. Bell, J.R. Davies, S.M. Guerin, Phys. Rev. E 58, 2471 (1998)], the magnetic field generated during the transport of a fast electron beam driven by an ultra-intense laser in a solid target is derived analytically and applied to estimate the effect of such field on fast electron propagation through a buried high-Z layer in a lower-Z target. It is found that the effect gets weaker with the increase of the depth of the buried layer, the divergence of the fast electrons, and the laser intensity, indicating that magnetic field effects on the fast electron divergence as measured from K a X-ray emission may need to be considered for moderate laser intensities. On the basis of the calculations, some considerations are made on how one can mitigate the effect of the magnetic field generated at the interface. (authors)
Silica nanoparticles for the layer-by-layer assembly of fully electro-active cytochrome c multilayers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feifel Sven C

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background For bioanalytical systems sensitivity and biomolecule activity are critical issues. The immobilization of proteins into multilayer systems by the layer-by-layer deposition has become one of the favorite methods with this respect. Moreover, the combination of nanoparticles with biomolecules on electrodes is a matter of particular interest since several examples with high activities and direct electron transfer have been found. Our study describes the investigation on silica nanoparticles and the redox protein cytochrome c for the construction of electro-active multilayer architectures, and the electron transfer within such systems. The novelty of this work is the construction of such artificial architectures with a non-conducting building block. Furthermore a detailed study of the size influence of silica nanoparticles is performed with regard to formation and electrochemical behavior of these systems. Results We report on interprotein electron transfer (IET reaction cascades of cytochrome c (cyt c immobilized by the use of modified silica nanoparticles (SiNPs to act as an artificial matrix. The layer-by-layer deposition technique has been used for the formation of silica particles/cytochrome c multilayer assemblies on electrodes. The silica particles are characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, Zeta-potential and transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The modified particles have been studied with respect to act as an artificial network for cytochrome c and to allow efficient interprotein electron transfer reactions. We demonstrate that it is possible to form electro-active assemblies with these non-conducting particles. The electrochemical response is increasing linearly with the number of layers deposited, reaching a cyt c surface concentration of about 80 pmol/cm2 with a 5 layer architecture. The interprotein electron transfer through the layer system and the
The fabrication of highly uniform ZnO/CdS core/shell structures using a spin-coating-based successive ion layer adsorption and reaction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, Jinmyoung; Kim, Darae; Yun, Dong-Jin; Jun, Hwichan; Rhee, Shi-Woo; Lee, Jae Sung; Yong, Kijung; Jeon, Sangmin; Kim, Sungjee

2010-01-01

We developed a successive ion layer adsorption and reaction method based on spin-coating (spin-SILAR) and applied the method to the fabrication of highly uniform ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire arrays. Because the adsorption, reaction, and rinsing steps occur simultaneously during spin-coating, the spin-SILAR method does not require rinsing steps between the alternating ion adsorption steps, making the growth process simpler and faster than conventional SILAR methods based on dip-coating (dip-SILAR). The ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire arrays prepared by spin-SILAR had a denser and more uniform structure than those prepared by dip-SILAR, resulting in the higher power efficiency for use in photoelectrochemical cells.
The fabrication of highly uniform ZnO/CdS core/shell structures using a spin-coating-based successive ion layer adsorption and reaction method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joo, Jinmyoung; Kim, Darae; Yun, Dong-Jin; Jun, Hwichan; Rhee, Shi-Woo; Lee, Jae Sung; Yong, Kijung; Jeon, Sangmin [System on Chip Chemical Process Research, Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sungjee, E-mail: jeons@postech.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

2010-08-13

We developed a successive ion layer adsorption and reaction method based on spin-coating (spin-SILAR) and applied the method to the fabrication of highly uniform ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire arrays. Because the adsorption, reaction, and rinsing steps occur simultaneously during spin-coating, the spin-SILAR method does not require rinsing steps between the alternating ion adsorption steps, making the growth process simpler and faster than conventional SILAR methods based on dip-coating (dip-SILAR). The ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire arrays prepared by spin-SILAR had a denser and more uniform structure than those prepared by dip-SILAR, resulting in the higher power efficiency for use in photoelectrochemical cells.
Regulation of human protein S gene (PROS1) transcription

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolf, Cornelia de

2006-01-01

This thesis describes the investigation of the transcriptional regulation of the gene for anticoagulant plasma Protein S, PROS1. Protein S is a cofactor for Protein C in the Protein C anticoagulant pathway. The coagulation cascade is negatively regulated by this pathway through inactivation of
Single protein omission reconstitution studies of tetracycline binding to the 30S subunit of Escherichia coli ribosomes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buck, M.; Cooperman, B.S.

1990-01-01

In previous work the authors showed that on photolysis of Escherichia coli ribosomes in the presence of [ 3 H]tetracycline (TC) the major protein labeled is S7, and they presented strong evidence that such labeling takes place from a high-affinity site related to the inhibitory action of TC. In this work they use single protein omission reconstitution (SPORE) experiments to identify those proteins that are important for high-affinity TC binding to the 30S subunit, as measured by both cosedimentation and filter binding assays. With respect to both sedimentation coefficients and relative Phe-tRNA Phe binding, the properties of the SPORE particles they obtain parallel very closely those measured earlier, with the exception of the SPORE particle lacking S13. A total of five proteins, S3, S7, S8, S14, and S19, are shown to be important for TC binding, with the largest effects seen on omission of proteins S7 and S14. Determination of the protein compositions of the corresponding SPORE particles demonstrates that the observed effects are, for the most part, directly attributable to the omission of the given protein rather than reflecting an indirect effect of omitting one protein on the uptake of another. A large body of evidence supports the notion that four of these proteins, S3, S7, S14, and S19, are included, along with 16S rRNA bases 920-1,396, in one of the major domains of the 30S subunit. The results support the conclusion that the structure of this domain is important for the binding of TC and that, within this domain, TC binds directly to S7
Mechanism of Properties of Noble ZnS-SiO2 Protection Layer for Phase Change Optical Disk Media

Science.gov (United States)

Tsu, David V.; Ohta, Takeo

2006-08-01

A ZnS-SiO2 composite dielectric is widely used in the optical stack designs of rewritable optical recording media as an index-matching medium and as a protection layer for the high-index chalcogenide (compound with sixth group element of S, Se, Te) phase change material used in these media. The addition of Si and O to ZnS is primarily intended to stabilize against crystalline grain growth of ZnS with high numbers of direct overwriting cycles. In this study, we carry out infrared (IR) spectroscopy to clarify the role of Si in this stabilization process. IR spectroscopy is performed on sputter as-deposited and annealed ZnS-SiO2 dielectric protection layers. We find that Si exists not in the SiO2 oxide phase but as [SiS4-nOn] tetrahedrons. Moreover, zinc and sulfur do not exist as ZnS, but in highly chemically disordered ZnS:O crystallites. The highly directional and rigid covalent bonds in the [SiS4-nOn] tetrahedrons are key to establishing thermal stability against the coalescence of ZnS. The importance of the Si-S bond also extends into a more thorough understanding of the low thermal conductivity of the ZnS-SiO2 material. The consideration of elastic implications allows us to predict an average phonon velocity less than 50% compared to that in SiO2. With this, we predict a thermal conductivity of 0.0067 W cm-1 K-1 for this material, which is in complete agreement with measured values.
S100 Proteins As an Important Regulator of Macrophage Inflammation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Xia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The S100 proteins, a family of calcium-binding cytosolic proteins, have a broad range of intracellular and extracellular functions through regulating calcium balance, cell apoptosis, migration, proliferation, differentiation, energy metabolism, and inflammation. The intracellular functions of S100 proteins involve interaction with intracellular receptors, membrane protein recruitment/transportation, transcriptional regulation and integrating with enzymes or nucleic acids, and DNA repair. The S100 proteins could also be released from the cytoplasm, induced by tissue/cell damage and cellular stress. The extracellular S100 proteins, serving as a danger signal, are crucial in regulating immune homeostasis, post-traumatic injury, and inflammation. Extracellular S100 proteins are also considered biomarkers for some specific diseases. In this review, we will discuss the multi-functional roles of S100 proteins, especially their potential roles associated with cell migration, differentiation, tissue repair, and inflammation.
Phonon-limited mobility in n-type single-layer MoS2 from first principles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaasbjerg, Kristen; Thygesen, Kristian S.; Jacobsen, Karsten W.

2012-01-01

We study the phonon-limited mobility in intrinsic n-type single-layer MoS2 for temperatures T > 100 K. The materials properties including the electron-phonon interaction are calculated from first principles and the deformation potentials and Frohlich interaction in single-layer MoS2 are established...... to recent experimental findings for the mobility in single-layer MoS2 (similar to 200 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1)), our results indicate that mobilities close to the intrinsic phonon-limited mobility can be achieved in two-dimensional materials via dielectric engineering that effectively screens static Coulomb...
Blocking peptides against HBV: PreS1 protein selected from a phage display library

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Wei; Liu, Yang; Zu, Xiangyang; Jin, Rui; Xiao, Gengfu

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Successfully selected specific PreS1-interacting peptides by using phage displayed library. → Alignment of the positive phage clones revealed a consensus PreS1 binding motif. → A highly enriched peptide named P7 had a strong binding ability for PreS1. → P7 could block PreS1 attachment. -- Abstract: The PreS1 protein is present on the outermost part of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface and has been shown to have a pivotal function in viral infectivity and assembly. The development of reagents with high affinity and specificity for PreS1 is of great significance for early diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection. A phage display library of dodecapeptide was screened for interactions with purified PreS1 protein. Alignment of the positive phage clones revealed a putative consensus PreS1 binding motif of HX n HX m HP/R. Moreover, a peptide named P7 (KHMHWHPPALNT) was highly enriched and occurred with a surprisingly high frequency of 72%. A thermodynamic study revealed that P7 has a higher binding affinity to PreS1 than the other peptides. Furthermore, P7 was able to abrogate the binding of HBV virions to the PreS1 antibody, suggesting that P7 covers key functional sites on the native PreS1 protein. This newly isolated peptide may, therefore, be a new therapeutic candidate for the treatment of HBV. The consensus motif could be modified to deliver imaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic agents to tissues affected by HBV.
Blocking peptides against HBV: PreS1 protein selected from a phage display library

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Wei; Liu, Yang; Zu, Xiangyang; Jin, Rui [State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071 (China); Xiao, Gengfu, E-mail: xiaogf@wh.iov.cn [State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071 (China)

2011-09-09

Highlights: {yields} Successfully selected specific PreS1-interacting peptides by using phage displayed library. {yields} Alignment of the positive phage clones revealed a consensus PreS1 binding motif. {yields} A highly enriched peptide named P7 had a strong binding ability for PreS1. {yields} P7 could block PreS1 attachment. -- Abstract: The PreS1 protein is present on the outermost part of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface and has been shown to have a pivotal function in viral infectivity and assembly. The development of reagents with high affinity and specificity for PreS1 is of great significance for early diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection. A phage display library of dodecapeptide was screened for interactions with purified PreS1 protein. Alignment of the positive phage clones revealed a putative consensus PreS1 binding motif of HX{sub n}HX{sub m}HP/R. Moreover, a peptide named P7 (KHMHWHPPALNT) was highly enriched and occurred with a surprisingly high frequency of 72%. A thermodynamic study revealed that P7 has a higher binding affinity to PreS1 than the other peptides. Furthermore, P7 was able to abrogate the binding of HBV virions to the PreS1 antibody, suggesting that P7 covers key functional sites on the native PreS1 protein. This newly isolated peptide may, therefore, be a new therapeutic candidate for the treatment of HBV. The consensus motif could be modified to deliver imaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic agents to tissues affected by HBV.
The occurrence of gibberellin-binding protein(s) in pea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Z.H.

1988-01-01

In vitro gibberellin (GA) binding properties of a cytosol fraction from epicotyls of dwarf pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Progress No. 9) and tall pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska) were investigated using ({sup 3}H)GA{sub 4} in a DEAE filter paper assay at 0-3 C. The binding obtained is saturable, reversible, and temperature labile in dwarf pea, and has a half-life of dissociation of 5-6 min. By varying the concentration of ({sup 3}H)GA{sub 4} in the incubation medium the Kd was estimated to be 120-140 nM in dwarf pea and 70 nM in tall pea. The number of binding sites (n) was estimated to be 0.66 and 0.43 pmole mg{sup {minus}1} soluble protein in dwarf pea and in tall pea, respectively. In competition binding assays, biologically active GAs, such as GA{sub 3} and GA{sub 4} could reduce the level of ({sup 3}H)GA{sub 4} binding much more than the biologically inactive GA{sub 4} methyl ester and epi-GA{sub 4}. Changes in gibberellin-binding protein(s) were studied during seed germination. While the Kd of the binding protein(s) for ({sup 3}H)GA{sub 4} remained the same, there was a marked increase in the number of binding sites from 24 h soaked seed to 8-day old seedlings. Also, the Kd and the number of binding sites in the GA-responsive apical part and in the nonresponsive basal part in the epicotyl were similar. The effect of light on gibberellin-binding protein in dwarf pea was also studied. The GA-binding protein in dwarf pea was partially purified by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography.

O3 Layers via Spray Pyrolysis at Low Temperatures and Their Application in High Electron Mobility Transistors

KAUST Repository

Isakov, Ivan

2017-04-06

The growth mechanism of indium oxide (InO) layers processed via spray pyrolysis of an aqueous precursor solution in the temperature range of 100-300 °C and the impact on their electron transporting properties are studied. Analysis of the droplet impingement sites on the substrate\\'s surface as a function of its temperature reveals that Leidenfrost effect dominated boiling plays a crucial role in the growth of smooth, continuous, and highly crystalline InO layers via a vapor phase-like process. By careful optimization of the precursor formulation, deposition conditions, and choice of substrate, this effect is exploited and ultrathin and exceptionally smooth layers of InO are grown over large area substrates at temperatures as low as 252 °C. Thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using these optimized InO layers exhibit superior electron transport characteristics with the electron mobility reaching up to 40 cm V s, a value amongst the highest reported to date for solution-processed InO TFTs. The present work contributes enormously to the basic understanding of spray pyrolysis and highlights its tremendous potential for large-volume manufacturing of high-performance metal oxide thin-film transistor electronics.
Facile preparation of layered double hydroxide/MoS{sub 2}/poly(vinyl alcohol) composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Keqing, E-mail: zhoukq@cug.edu.cn [Faculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), 388 Lumo Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074 (China); Hu, Yixin [Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Liu, Jiajia [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 (China); Gui, Zhou, E-mail: zgui@ustc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 (China); Jiang, Saihua [School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, 510641 (China); Tang, Gang [School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, 59 Hudong Road, Ma' anshan, Anhui, 243002 (China)

2016-08-01

In present study, the layered double hydroxide/MoS{sub 2} hybrids are facilely synthesized by self-assembly of exfoliated MoS{sub 2} nanosheets and layered double hydroxide nanoplates via electrostatic interaction, with the aim of combining their physical and chemical functionalities to form a promising nanofiller for flame retardancy in polymer composites. The structure and morphology of the layered double hydroxide/MoS{sub 2} hybrids are probed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, the hybrids are incorporated into poly (vinyl alcohol) to serve as reinforcements. The flame retardant efficiency of MoS{sub 2} nanosheets in poly (vinyl alcohol) is significantly enhanced after the incorporation of layered double hydroxide nanoplates, which can be explained by the forming of a compact and uniform char during combustion. - Highlights: • The LDH/MoS{sub 2} hybrids were facilely synthesized by self-assembly method. • The flame retardant efficiency of LDH/MoS{sub 2} hybrids in PVA was significantly enhanced. • It is a promising strategy for improving the flame retardant efficiency of MoS{sub 2}.
The crystal structure of the Split End protein SHARP adds a new layer of complexity to proteins containing RNA recognition motifs.

Science.gov (United States)

Arieti, Fabiana; Gabus, Caroline; Tambalo, Margherita; Huet, Tiphaine; Round, Adam; Thore, Stéphane

2014-06-01

The Split Ends (SPEN) protein was originally discovered in Drosophila in the late 1990s. Since then, homologous proteins have been identified in eukaryotic species ranging from plants to humans. Every family member contains three predicted RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) in the N-terminal region of the protein. We have determined the crystal structure of the region of the human SPEN homolog that contains these RRMs-the SMRT/HDAC1 Associated Repressor Protein (SHARP), at 2.0 Å resolution. SHARP is a co-regulator of the nuclear receptors. We demonstrate that two of the three RRMs, namely RRM3 and RRM4, interact via a highly conserved interface. Furthermore, we show that the RRM3-RRM4 block is the main platform mediating the stable association with the H12-H13 substructure found in the steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA), a long, non-coding RNA previously shown to play a crucial role in nuclear receptor transcriptional regulation. We determine that SHARP association with SRA relies on both single- and double-stranded RNA sequences. The crystal structure of the SHARP-RRM fragment, together with the associated RNA-binding studies, extend the repertoire of nucleic acid binding properties of RRM domains suggesting a new hypothesis for a better understanding of SPEN protein functions. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
Co-Immobilization of Proteins and DNA Origami Nanoplates to Produce High-Contrast Biomolecular Nanoarrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Hager, Roland; Burns, Jonathan R; Grydlik, Martyna J; Halilovic, Alma; Haselgrübler, Thomas; Schäffler, Friedrich; Howorka, Stefan

2016-06-01

The biofunctionalization of nanopatterned surfaces with DNA origami nanostructures is an important topic in nanobiotechnology. An unexplored challenge is, however, to co-immobilize proteins with DNA origami at pre-determined substrate sites in high contrast relative to the nontarget areas. The immobilization should, in addition, preferably be achieved on a transparent substrate to allow ultrasensitive optical detection. If successful, specific co-binding would be a step towards stoichiometrically defined arrays with few to individual protein molecules per site. Here, we successfully immobilize with high specificity positively charged avidin proteins and negatively charged DNA origami nanoplates on 100 nm-wide carbon nanoislands while suppressing undesired adsorption to surrounding nontarget areas. The arrays on glass slides achieve unprecedented selectivity factors of up to 4000 and allow ultrasensitive fluorescence read-out. The co-immobilization onto the nanoislands leads to layered biomolecular architectures, which are functional because bound DNA origami influences the number of capturing sites on the nanopatches for other proteins. The novel hybrid DNA origami-protein nanoarrays allow the fabrication of versatile research platforms for applications in biosensing, biophysics, and cell biology, and, in addition, represent an important step towards single-molecule protein arrays. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Growth of high purity semiconductor epitaxial layers by liquid phase ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

semiconductor materials in high purity form by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique. Various possible sources of impurities in such ... reference to the growth of GaAs layers. The technique of growing very high purity layers ... the inner walls of the gas lines and (e) the containers for storing, handling and cleaning of the mate-.
Quality control methodology for high-throughput protein-protein interaction screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Vazquez, Alexei; Rual, Jean-François; Venkatesan, Kavitha

2011-01-01

Protein-protein interactions are key to many aspects of the cell, including its cytoskeletal structure, the signaling processes in which it is involved, or its metabolism. Failure to form protein complexes or signaling cascades may sometimes translate into pathologic conditions such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. The set of all protein interactions between the proteins encoded by an organism constitutes its protein interaction network, representing a scaffold for biological function. Knowing the protein interaction network of an organism, combined with other sources of biological information, can unravel fundamental biological circuits and may help better understand the molecular basics of human diseases. The protein interaction network of an organism can be mapped by combining data obtained from both low-throughput screens, i.e., "one gene at a time" experiments and high-throughput screens, i.e., screens designed to interrogate large sets of proteins at once. In either case, quality controls are required to deal with the inherent imperfect nature of experimental assays. In this chapter, we discuss experimental and statistical methodologies to quantify error rates in high-throughput protein-protein interactions screens.
Ge nano-layer fabricated by high-fluence low-energy ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Tiecheng; Dun Shaobo; Hu Qiang; Zhang Songbao; An Zhu; Duan Yanmin; Zhu Sha; Wei Qiangmin; Wang Lumin

2006-01-01

A Ge nano-layer embedded in the surface layer of an amorphous SiO 2 film was fabricated by high-fluence low-energy ion implantation. The component, phase, nano-structure and luminescence properties of the nano-layer were studied by means of Rutherford backscattering, glancing incident X-ray diffraction, laser Raman scattering, transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence. The relation between nano-particle characteristics and ion fluence was also studied. The results indicate that nano-crystalline Ge and nano-amorphous Ge particles coexist in the nano-layer and the ratio of nano-crystalline Ge to nano-particle Ge increases with increasing ion fluence. The intensity of photoluminescence from the nano-layer increases with increasing ion fluence also. Prepared with certain ion fluences, high-density nano-layers composed of uniform-sized nano-particles can be observed
2D proteome analysis initiates new Insights on the Salmonella Typhimurium LuxS protein

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanderleyden Jos

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Quorum sensing is a term describing a bacterial communication system mediated by the production and recognition of small signaling molecules. The LuxS enzyme, catalyzing the synthesis of AI-2, is conserved in a wide diversity of bacteria. AI-2 has therefore been suggested as an interspecies quorum sensing signal. To investigate the role of endogenous AI-2 in protein expression of the Gram-negative pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium, we performed a 2D-DIGE proteomics experiment comparing total protein extract of wildtype S. Typhimurium with that of a luxS mutant, unable to produce AI-2. Results Differential proteome analysis of wildtype S. Typhimurium versus a luxS mutant revealed relatively few changes beyond the known effect on phase 2 flagellin. However, two highly differentially expressed protein spots with similar molecular weight but differing isoelectric point, were identified as LuxS whereas the S. Typhimurium genome contains only one luxS gene. This observation was further explored and we show that the S. Typhimurium LuxS protein can undergo posttranslational modification at a catalytic cysteine residue. Additionally, by constructing LuxS-βla and LuxS-PhoA fusion proteins, we demonstrate that S. Typhimurium LuxS can substitute the cognate signal peptide sequences of β-lactamase and alkaline phosphatase for translocation across the cytoplasmic membrane in S. Typhimurium. This was further confirmed by fractionation of S. Typhimurium protein extracts, followed by Western blot analysis. Conclusion 2D-DIGE analysis of a luxS mutant vs. wildtype Salmonella Typhimurium did not reveal new insights into the role of AI-2/LuxS in Salmonella as only a small amount of proteins were differentially expressed. However, subsequent in depth analysis of the LuxS protein itself revealed two interesting features: posttranslational modification and potential translocation across the cytoplasmic membrane. As
Acetylene black incorporated layered copper sulfide nanosheets for high-performance supercapacitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Ke-Jing; Zhang, Ji-Zong; Jia, Yu-Ling; Xing, Ke; Liu, Yan-Ming

2015-01-01

Highlights: • CuS/AB composites were synthesized by a simple solvothermal route. • Supercapacitor electrode based on CuS/AB was fabricated. • Microstructures and electrochemical properties of the electrodes were evaluated. • CuS/AB electrode exhibited ultrahigh specific capacitance and good cycling stability. - Abstract: Two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenides are attracting increasing attention in energy storage due to their unique structures and electronic properties. CuS has been demonstrated with a metal-like electronic conductivity and a high theoretical capacity. In this work, a facile strategy was reported for one-step synthesis of acetylene black (AB) incorporated layered CuS nanosheet via a simple solvothermal route. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the morphologies and microstructures of the as-prepared materials. Electrochemical data showed that the CuS/AB composites displayed a high specific capacitance of 2981 F/g at 1.0 A/g and retained 64.6% (1924.5 F/g) at a high current density of 20 A/g, indicative of good rate capability. Furthermore, the composites retained approximately 92% of the initial specific capacitance after 600 cycles at a current density of 1.0 A/g, demonstrating good cycling stability. The outstanding electrochemical properties of the CuS/AB composite suggested that it had great potential for practical applications in high-performance supercapacitors and the present synthesis strategy maybe readily extended to the preparation of other composites based on CuS for potential applications in energy storage and conversion devices
High voltage switches having one or more floating conductor layers

Science.gov (United States)

Werne, Roger W.; Sampayan, Stephen; Harris, John Richardson

2015-11-24

This patent document discloses high voltage switches that include one or more electrically floating conductor layers that are isolated from one another in the dielectric medium between the top and bottom switch electrodes. The presence of the one or more electrically floating conductor layers between the top and bottom switch electrodes allow the dielectric medium between the top and bottom switch electrodes to exhibit a higher breakdown voltage than the breakdown voltage when the one or more electrically floating conductor layers are not present between the top and bottom switch electrodes. This increased breakdown voltage in the presence of one or more electrically floating conductor layers in a dielectric medium enables the switch to supply a higher voltage for various high voltage circuits and electric systems.
Protein S-sulfhydration by hydrogen sulfide in cardiovascular system.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Guoliang; Zhao, Shuang; Xie, Liping; Han, Yi; Ji, Yong

2018-04-01

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), independently of any specific transporters, has a number of biological effects on the cardiovascular system. However, until now, the detailed mechanism of H 2 S was not clear. Recently, a novel post-translational modification induced by H 2 S, named S-sulfhydration, has been proposed. S-sulfhydration is the chemical modification of specific cysteine residues of target proteins by H 2 S. There are several methods for detecting S-sulfhydration, such as the modified biotin switch assay, maleimide assay with fluorescent thiol modifying regents, tag-switch method and mass spectrometry. H 2 S induces S-sulfhydration on enzymes or receptors (such as p66Shc, phospholamban, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and ATP synthase subunit α), transcription factors (such as specific protein-1, kelch-like ECH-associating protein 1, NF-κB and interferon regulatory factor-1), and ion channels (such as voltage-activated Ca 2+ channels, transient receptor potential channels and ATP-sensitive K + channels) in the cardiovascular system. Although significant progress has been achieved in delineating the role of protein S-sulfhydration by H 2 S in the cardiovascular system, more proteins with detailed cysteine sites of S-sulfhydration as well as physiological function need to be investigated in further studies. This review mainly summarizes the role and possible mechanism of S-sulfhydration in the cardiovascular system. The S-sulfhydrated proteins may be potential novel targets for therapeutic intervention and drug design in the cardiovascular system, which may accelerate the development and application of H 2 S-related drugs in the future. This article is part of a themed section on Spotlight on Small Molecules in Cardiovascular Diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.8/issuetoc. © 2017 The British Pharmacological Society.
Real-Time Detection of Application-Layer DDoS Attack Using Time Series Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tongguang Ni

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Distributed denial of service (DDoS attacks are one of the major threats to the current Internet, and application-layer DDoS attacks utilizing legitimate HTTP requests to overwhelm victim resources are more undetectable. Consequently, neither intrusion detection systems (IDS nor victim server can detect malicious packets. In this paper, a novel approach to detect application-layer DDoS attack is proposed based on entropy of HTTP GET requests per source IP address (HRPI. By approximating the adaptive autoregressive (AAR model, the HRPI time series is transformed into a multidimensional vector series. Then, a trained support vector machine (SVM classifier is applied to identify the attacks. The experiments with several databases are performed and results show that this approach can detect application-layer DDoS attacks effectively.
Stable MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors Using TiO2 Interfacial Layer at Metal/MoS2 Contact

KAUST Repository

Park, Woojin

2017-09-07

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is an emerging 2-dimensional (2D) semiconductor for electronic devices. However, unstable and low performance of MoS2 FETs is an important concern. In this study, inserting an atomic layer deposition (ALD) titanium dioxide (TiO2) interfacial layer between contact metal and MoS2 channel is suggested to achieve more stable performances. The reduced threshold voltage (VTH) shift and reduced series resistance (RSD) were simultaneously achieved.
Role of blood ribosomal protein S19 in coagulum resorption: a study using Gln137Glu-ribosomal protein S19 gene knock-in mouse.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jun; Fujino, Rika; Zhao, Rui; Semba, Umeko; Araki, Kimi; Yamamoto, Tetsuro

2014-11-01

Sera of human, guinea pig or mouse contain a strong monocyte chemoattractant capacity that is attributed to the ribosomal protein S19 (RP S19) oligomers generated during blood coagulation. In contrast, sera prepared from Gln137Glu-RP S19 gene knock-in mice contained negligible chemoattractant capacity. When coagula that had been pre-formed from the blood of both the wild type and knock-in mice were intraperitoneally inserted into host mice, after 3 days of recovery, the knock-in mouse coagula remained larger than the wild type mouse coagula. The wild type mouse coagula were covered by multiple macrophage layers at the surface and were infiltrated inside by macrophages. Knock-in mouse coagula exhibited less macrophage involvement. When coagula of knock-in mice and coagula of knock-in mice containing C5a/RP S19, an artificial substitute of the RP S19 oligomers, were intraperitoneally inserted as pairs, the C5a/RP S19 containing coagulum was more rapidly absorbed, concomitant with increased macrophage involvement. Finally, when the knock-in mouse and wild type mouse coagula pairs were inserted into mice in which macrophages had been depleted using clodronate liposome, the size difference of recovered coagula was reversed. These results indicate the importance of the RP S19 oligomer-induced macrophage recruitment in coagulum resorption. © 2014 Japanese Society of Pathology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
Formation of truncated proteins and high-molecular-mass aggregates upon soft illumination of photosynthetic proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rinalducci, Sara; Campostrini, Natascia; Antonioli, Paolo

2005-01-01

Different spot profiles were observed in 2D gel electrophoresis of thylakoid membranes performed either under complete darkness or by leaving the sample for a short time to low visible light. In the latter case, a large number of new spots with lower molecular masses, ranging between 15,000 and 25......,000 Da, were observed, and high-molecular-mass aggregates, seen as a smearing in the upper part of the gel, appeared in the region around 250 kDa. Identification of protein(s) contained in these new spots by MS/MS revealed that most of them are simply truncated proteins deriving from native ones...
High Gain and High Directive of Antenna Arrays Utilizing Dielectric Layer on Bismuth Titanate Ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. H. Wee

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A high gain and high directive microstrip patch array antenna formed from dielectric layer stacked on bismuth titanate (BiT ceramics have been investigated, fabricated, and measured. The antennas are designed and constructed with a combination of two-, four-, and six-BiT elements in an array form application on microwave substrate. For gain and directivity enhancement, a layer of dielectric was stacked on the BiT antenna array. We measured the gain and directivity of BiT array antennas with and without the dielectric layer and found that the gain of BiT array antenna with the dielectric layer was enhanced by about 1.4 dBi of directivity and 1.3 dB of gain over the one without the dielectric layer at 2.3 GHz. The impedance bandwidth of the BiT array antenna both with and without the dielectric layer is about 500 MHz and 350 MHz, respectively, which is suitable for the application of the WiMAX 2.3 GHz system. The utilization of BiT ceramics that covers about 90% of antenna led to high radiation efficiency, and small-size antennas were produced. In order to validate the proposed design, theoretical and measured results are provided and discussed.
Wounding coordinately induces cell wall protein, cell cycle and pectin methyl esterase genes involved in tuber closing layer and wound periderm development.

Science.gov (United States)

Neubauer, Jonathan D; Lulai, Edward C; Thompson, Asunta L; Suttle, Jeffrey C; Bolton, Melvin D

2012-04-15

Little is known about the coordinate induction of genes that may be involved in agriculturally important wound-healing events. In this study, wound-healing events were determined together with wound-induced expression profiles of selected cell cycle, cell wall protein, and pectin methyl esterase genes using two diverse potato genotypes and two harvests (NDTX4271-5R and Russet Burbank tubers; 2008 and 2009 harvests). By 5 d after wounding, the closing layer and a nascent phellogen had formed. Phellogen cell divisions generated phellem layers until cessation of cell division at 28 d after wounding for both genotypes and harvests. Cell cycle genes encoding epidermal growth factor binding protein (StEBP), cyclin-dependent kinase B (StCDKB) and cyclin-dependent kinase regulatory subunit (StCKS1At) were induced by 1 d after wounding; these expressions coordinated with related phellogen formation and the induction and cessation of phellem cell formation. Genes encoding the structural cell wall proteins extensin (StExt1) and extensin-like (StExtlk) were dramatically up-regulated by 1-5 d after wounding, suggesting involvement with closing layer and later phellem cell layer formation. Wounding up-regulated pectin methyl esterase genes (StPME and StPrePME); StPME expression increased during closing layer and phellem cell formation, whereas maximum expression of StPrePME occurred at 5-14 d after wounding, implicating involvement in later modifications for closing layer and phellem cell formation. The coordinate induction and expression profile of StTLRP, a gene encoding a cell wall strengthening "tyrosine-and lysine-rich protein," suggested a role in the formation of the closing layer followed by phellem cell generation and maturation. Collectively, the genes monitored were wound-inducible and their expression profiles markedly coordinated with closing layer formation and the index for phellogen layer meristematic activity during wound periderm development; results were more
Large-area growth of multi-layered MoS{sub 2} for violet (∝405 nm) photodetector applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Soo Hyun; Kim, Sanghun; Lee, Seunghyun; Yu, Jae Su [Department of Electronic Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

2017-10-15

The two-dimensional multi-layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS{sub 2}) was grown over a large area by chemical vapor deposition process for violet (∝405 nm) photodetector (PD) applications. The high-quality MoS{sub 2} layers were successfully fabricated and transferred on HfO{sub 2}/Si substrate. The inherent surface structure originated from the surface oxidation was also analyzed. The electrical properties of the multi-layered MoS{sub 2}-based violet PDs with various channel widths (W{sub ch}) were measured and compared under dark state and violet illumination operating at 405 nm. For the device with W{sub ch} of 4 μm, at the bias of -5 V, the photocurrent and on/off ratio were obtained to be 54.0 nA and 55.2, respectively. Under violet illumination, the photocurrent was ∝4.6 times higher compared to green illumination. At the bias of -5 V, the photoresponse properties of the device were characterized with average rise time and reset time of ∝55.7 and 46.0 s, respectively, during four cycles of operation. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Receptivity of a high-speed boundary layer to temperature spottiness

OpenAIRE

Fedorov, A. V.; Ryzhov, A. A.; Soudakov, V. G.; Utyuzhnikov, S. V.

2013-01-01

Two-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the receptivity of a flat-plate boundary layer to temperature spottiness in the Mach 6 free stream is carried out. The influence of spottiness parameters on the receptivity process is studied. It is shown that the temperature spots propagating near the upper boundary-layer edge generate mode F inside the boundary layer. Further downstream mode F is synchronized with unstable mode S (Mack second mode) and excites the latter via the inter-mod...
Effects of ZnS layer on the performance improvement of the photosensitive ZnO nanowire arrays solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Javed, Hafiz Muhammad Asif [Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, International Center for Dielectric Research, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); Que, Wenxiu, E-mail: wxque@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, International Center for Dielectric Research, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); Gao, Yanping; Xing, Yonglei [Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, International Center for Dielectric Research, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); Kong, Ling Bing, E-mail: ELBKong@ntu.edu.sg [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, 639798 (Singapore)

2016-08-01

The impact of ZnS layer as an interface modification on the photosensitive ZnO nanowire arrays solar cells was studied. CdS, CdSe and ZnS were deposited on ZnO nanowire arrays by SILAR method. When a ZnS layer was deposited, the quantum dot barrier was indirectly become in contact with the electrolyte, which thus restrained the flow of electrons. The CdS sensitized solar cells has an efficiency of 0.55% with the deposition of the ZnS(3) layer, that is, with a deposition of three times, whereas the CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells has an efficiency of 2.03% with the deposition of the ZnS(1) layer. It was also noted that as the thickness of the of ZnS layer was increased, V{sub oc}, I{sub sc} and efficiencies of both the solar cells were first increased and then decreased. In addition, the CdS/N719 solar cells has an efficiency of 0.75% with the deposition of the ZnS(2) layer. - Highlights: • The impact of ZnS layer on the photosensitive ZnO nanowire solar cells was studied. • ZnS layer restrained the flow of electrons to the electrolyte. • CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells have higher efficiency than CdS solar cells. • When ZnS layer was increased, V{sub oc} and I{sub sc} firstly increased and then decreased.

The role of PEG conformation in mixed layers: from protein corona substrate to steric stabilization avoiding protein adsorption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan Comenge

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Although nanoparticles (NPs have been traditionally modified with a single ligand layer, mixture of ligands might help to combine different functionalities and to further engineer the NP surface. A detailed study of the competition between an alkanethiol (11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and SH-PEG for the surface of AuNPs and the resultant behaviors of this model nanoconjugate is presented here. As a result, the physicochemical properties of these conjugates can be progressively tuned by controlling the composition and especially the conformation of the mixed monolayer. This has implications in the physiological stability. The controlled changes on the SH-PEG conformation rather than its concentration induce a change in the stabilization mechanism from electrostatic repulsion to steric hindrance, which changes the biological fate of NPs. Importantly, the adsorption of proteins on the conjugates can be tailored by tuning the composition and conformation of the mixed layer.
Cover-layer with High Refractive Index for Near-Field Recording Media

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jin-Hong; Lee, Jun-Seok

2007-06-01

TiO2 nanoparticles are added into UV-curable resin to increase the refractive index of the cover-layer laminated for cover-layer incident near-field recording media. A high refractive index is required for the cover-layer operating with an optical head with a high numerical aperture. The eye pattern from a cover-layer coated 20 GB read-only memory disc in which the refractive index of the cover-layer is 1.75 is achieved, but the gap servo is unstable owing to the rough surface of the cover-layer. Even though the light loss due to the nanoparticles is negligible, a rough microstructure is developed by adding the nanoparticles into an organic binder material. To achieve a smooth surface for a stable gap servo, the solubility of the nanoparticles should be enhanced by the optimization of the surface of the nanoparticles.
Operation mode switchable charge-trap memory based on few-layer MoS2

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Xiang; Yan, Xiao; Liu, Chunsen; Ding, Shijin; Zhang, David Wei; Zhou, Peng

2018-03-01

Ultrathin layered two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors like MoS2 and WSe2 have received a lot of attention because of their excellent electrical properties and potential applications in electronic devices. We demonstrate a charge-trap memory with two different tunable operation modes based on a few-layer MoS2 channel and an Al2O3/HfO2/Al2O3 charge storage stack. Our device shows excellent memory properties under the traditional three-terminal operation mode. More importantly, unlike conventional charge-trap devices, this device can also realize the memory performance with just two terminals (drain and source) because of the unique atomic crystal electrical characteristics. Under the two-terminal operation mode, the erase/program current ratio can reach up to 104 with a stable retention property. Our study indicates that the conventional charge-trap memory cell can also realize the memory performance without the gate terminal based on novel two dimensional materials, which is meaningful for low power consumption and high integration density applications.
Hydrogen-induced structural transition in single layer ReS2

Science.gov (United States)

Yagmurcukardes, M.; Bacaksiz, C.; Senger, R. T.; Sahin, H.

2017-09-01

By performing density functional theory-based calculations, we investigate how structural, electronic and mechanical properties of single layer ReS2 can be tuned upon hydrogenation of its surfaces. It is found that a stable, fully hydrogenated structure can be obtained by formation of strong S-H bonds. The optimized atomic structure of ReS2H2 is considerably different than that of the monolayer ReS2 which has a distorted-1T phase. By performing phonon dispersion calculations, we also predict that the Re2-dimerized 1T structure (called 1T {{}\\text{R{{\\text{e}}2}}} ) of the ReS2H2 is dynamically stable. Unlike the bare ReS2 the 1T {{}\\text{R{{\\text{e}}2}}} -ReS2H2 structure which is formed by breaking the Re4 clusters into separated Re2 dimers, is an indirect-gap semiconductor. Furthermore, mechanical properties of the 1T {{}\\text{R{{\\text{e}}2}}} phase in terms of elastic constants, in-plane stiffness (C) and Poisson ratio (ν) are investigated. It is found that full hydrogenation not only enhances the flexibility of the single layer ReS2 crystal but also increases anisotropy of the elastic constants.
Atomic-scale structure of single-layer MoS2 nanoclusters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helveg, S.; Lauritsen, J. V.; Lægsgaard, E.

2000-01-01

We have studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) the atomic-scale realm of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoclusters, which are of interest as a model system in hydrodesulfurization catalysis. The STM gives the first real space images of the shape and edge structure of single-layer MoS2...
High Dietary Protein Intake and Protein-Related Acid Load on Bone Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Jay J

2017-12-01

Consumption of high-protein diets is increasingly popular due to the benefits of protein on preserving lean mass and controlling appetite and satiety. The paper is to review recent clinical research assessing dietary protein on calcium metabolism and bone health. Epidemiological studies show that long-term, high-protein intake is positively associated with bone mineral density and reduced risk of bone fracture incidence. Short-term interventional studies demonstrate that a high-protein diet does not negatively affect calcium homeostasis. Existing evidence supports that the negative effects of the acid load of protein on urinary calcium excretion are offset by the beneficial skeletal effects of high-protein intake. Future research should focus on the role and the degree of contribution of other dietary and physiological factors, such as intake of fruits and vegetables, in reducing the acid load and further enhancing the anabolic effects of protein on the musculoskeletal system.
A synthetic arabinose-inducible promoter confers high levels of recombinant protein expression in hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peng, Nan; Deng, Ling; Mei, Yuxia

2012-01-01

Despite major progresses in genetic studies of hyperthermophilic archaea, recombinant protein production in these organisms always suffers from low yields and a robust expression system is still in great demand. Here we report a versatile vector that confers high levels of protein expression...... to remove the peptide tags from expressed recombinant proteins. While pEXA employed an araS promoter for protein expression, pSeSD utilized P(araS-SD), an araS derivative promoter carrying an engineered ribosome-binding site (RBS; a Shine-Dalgarno [SD] sequence). We found that P(araS-SD) directed high...... levels of target gene expression. More strikingly, N-terminal amino acid sequencing of recombinant proteins unraveled that the protein synthesized from pEXA-N-lacS lacked the designed 6×His tag and that translation initiation did not start at the ATG codon of the fusion gene. Instead, it started...
CuNi/Nb S-F hybrid heterostructures for investigation of induced magnetization in superconducting layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaydukov, Yu.; Kim, J.-H.; Logvenov, G.; Morari, R.; Babakova, E.; Sidorenko, A.

2013-01-01

The mutual influence of the magnetism and superconductivity in superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) nano fabricated thin films hybrid heterostructures has been an exciting topic in solid-state physics during last decade. However, the interesting theoretical predictions still wait for unambiguous experimental verification. One of such effect is the so-called spin screening (often called inverse proximity effect), which designates a spin polarization in the superconducting layer close to the S/F interface. It is theoretically shown that a spin polarization develops in the S layer with direction opposite to the spin polarization of the conduction electrons in the F layer. If the thicknesses of the ferromagnetic and superconducting layers are small compared to the London penetration length, then the orbital effect, caused by Meissner screening currents of superconductor will be small compared to the spin effect due to spin polarization. The thickness of the spin polarized sub-layer is comparable to the coherence length ξ of the superconductor. Therefore an advanced technology should be used for fabrication of S/F nanostructures with thin superconducting layers. (authors)
Improved performance of CdSe/CdS/PbS co-sensitized solar cell with double-layered TiO2 films as photoanode

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaolong; Lin, Yu; Wu, Jihuai; Jing, Jing; Fang, Biaopeng

2017-07-01

Improving the photovoltaic performance of CdSe/CdS/PbS co-sensitized double-layered TiO2 solar cells is reported. Double-layered TiO2 films with TiO2 microspheres as the light blocking layers were prepared. PbS, CdS and CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were assembled onto TiO2 photoanodes by simple successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) to fabricate CdSe/CdS/PbS co-sensitized solar cells. An improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.11% was achieved for CdSe/CdS/PbS co-sensitized solar cells at one sun illumination (AM 1.5 G, 100 mW cm-2), which had an improvement of 22.6% over that of the CdSe/CdS co-sensitized solar cells (4.17%). This enhancement is mainly attributed to their better ability of the absorption of solar light with the existence of PbS QDs, the reduction of charge recombination of the excited electron and longer lifetime of electrons, which have been proved with the photovoltaic studies and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).
Synthetic peptides and ribosomal proteins as substrate for 60S ribosomal protein kinase from yeast cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grankowski, N; Gasior, E; Issinger, O G

1993-01-01

Kinetic studies on the 60S protein kinase were conducted with synthetic peptides and ribosomal proteins as substrate. Peptide RRREEESDDD proved to be the best synthetic substrate for this enzyme. The peptide has a sequence of amino acids which most closely resembles the structure of potential...... phosphorylation sites in natural substrates, i.e., acidic ribosomal proteins. The superiority of certain kinetic parameters for 60S kinase obtained with the native whole 80S ribosomes over those of the isolated fraction of acidic ribosomal proteins indicates that the affinity of 60S kinase to the specific protein...
Application of high-pressure techniques: stabilization and oxidation-state control of novel superconductive and related multi-layered copper oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, H.; Karppinen, M.

2000-01-01

Copper oxide superconductors possess multi-layered structures with a layer sequence of -CuO 2 -(Q-CuO 2 ) n-1 -AO-(MO 1±δ ) m -AO- or -CuO 2 -B-(O 2 -B) s-1 -CuO 2 -AO-(MO 1±δ ) m -AO- along the elongated c axis. Based on this layer sequence, the known copper oxide structures are categorized as members of the homologous series, M m A r Q n-1 Cu n O m+r+2 +n ±δ (M-mr(n-1)n ; category A) or M m A 2k B s Cu 1+k O m +4k +2s±δ (M-m(2k)s (1+k ); category B). Stabilization of such structures especially in the case of high values of the n /s parameter, i.e. the higher members of the homologous series, has been demonstrated to be apparently promoted under high pressures and/or strongly oxidizing conditions. Consequently, techniques for applying both high oxygen gas pressures (10-2000 atm) and ultra-high solid-medium pressures (2-8 GPa) have been advantageously utilized in synthesizing various superconductive copper oxide phases. Especially the ultra-high solid-medium pressure synthesis carried out in the so-called cubic-anvil/belt-type apparatus has proven to be extremely successful in synthesizing novel superconductive phases. In order to achieve high partial pressures of oxygen in the solid-medium environment, 'external' oxygen-generating oxides such as KClO 4 , KClO 3 and Ag 2 O 2 are commonly added to the precursor mixtures. It is emphasized that in some cases it is possible to utilize 'internal' oxidizing agents alone, i.e. highly oxidized precursors such as BaCuO 2+δ and Ba 2 Cu 3 O 5+δ containing metal constituents common with the desired copper oxide phase only. In the present paper, the potential and applications of high-pressure techniques in synthesizing multi-layered copper oxides and related structures are reviewed and discussed with emphasis on the important 'historical' discoveries of novel phases and the present status of controlled production of high-quality samples of such phases. (author)
High energy PIXE: A tool to characterize multi-layer thick samples

Science.gov (United States)

Subercaze, A.; Koumeir, C.; Métivier, V.; Servagent, N.; Guertin, A.; Haddad, F.

2018-02-01

High energy PIXE is a useful and non-destructive tool to characterize multi-layer thick samples such as cultural heritage objects. In a previous work, we demonstrated the possibility to perform quantitative analysis of simple multi-layer samples using high energy PIXE, without any assumption on their composition. In this work an in-depth study of the parameters involved in the method previously published is proposed. Its extension to more complex samples with a repeated layer is also presented. Experiments have been performed at the ARRONAX cyclotron using 68 MeV protons. The thicknesses and sequences of a multi-layer sample including two different layers of the same element have been determined. Performances and limits of this method are presented and discussed.
Optimization of nitridation conditions for high quality inter-polysilicon dielectric layers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klootwijk, J.H.; Bergveld, H.J.; van Kranenburg, H.; Woerlee, P.H.; Wallinga, Hans

1996-01-01

Nitridation of deposited high temperature oxides (HTO) was studied to form high quality inter-polysilicon dielectric layers for embedded non volatile memories. Good quality dielectric layers were obtained earlier by using an optimized deposition of polysilicon and by performing a post-dielectric
The interaction between endogenous 30S ribosomal subunit protein S11 and Cucumber mosaic virus LS2b protein affects viral replication, infection and gene silencing suppressor activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruilin Wang

Full Text Available Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV is a model virus for plant-virus protein interaction and mechanism research because of its wide distribution, high-level of replication and simple genome structure. The 2b protein is a multifunctional protein encoded by CMV that suppresses RNA silencing-based antiviral defense and contributes to CMV virulence in host plants. In this report, 12 host proteins were identified as CMV LS2b binding partners using the yeast two-hybrid screen system from the Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA library. Among the host proteins, 30S ribosomal subunit protein S11 (RPS11 was selected for further studies. The interaction between LS2b and full-length RPS11 was confirmed using the yeast two-hybrid system. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BIFC assays observed by confocal laser microscopy and Glutathione S-transferase (GST pull-down assays were used to verify the interaction between endogenous NbRPS11 and viral CMVLS2b both in vivo and in vitro. TRV-based gene silencing vector was used to knockdown NbRPS11 transcription, and immunoblot analysis revealed a decline in infectious viral RNA replication and a decrease in CMV infection in RPS11 down-regulated Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Thus, the knockdown of RPS11 likely inhibited CMV replication and accumulation. The gene silencing suppressor activity of CMV2b protein was reduced by the RPS11 knockdown. This study demonstrated that the function of viral LS2b protein was remarkably affected by the interaction with host RPS11 protein.
A tunnelling study on polymer/1T-LixTaS2 layered nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enomoto, Hiroyuki; Takai, Hiroyuki; Ozaki, Hajime; Lerner, Michael M

2004-01-01

Electronic structures near the Fermi level of polymer/1T-Li x TaS 2 layered nanocomposites have been studied by tunnelling spectroscopy. Polymer/1T-Li x TaS 2 layered nanocomposites were synthesized by using the exfoliation-adsorption technique. Single crystals of 1T-TaS 2 were used as host materials. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) with different molecular weights were adopted as guest intercalants. Powder x-ray diffraction patterns showed that all samples of the polymer/1T-Li x TaS 2 layered nanocomposites contain organic polymer between all individual 1T-TaS 2 sheets. Although 1T-TaS 2 single crystal is well known to show quite unique temperature dependences of the resistivity due to the charge density wave (CDW), the resistivities of all polymer/1T-Li x TaS 2 nanocomposites showed semiconductor-like temperature dependences. The tunnelling spectra of polymer/1T-Li x TaS 2 nanocomposites revealed that the CDW gap disappears in the density of states near the Fermi level of polymer/1T-Li x TaS 2 nanocomposites and their electronic structures show a metallic behaviour
Ultrathin ZnS and ZnO Interfacial Passivation Layers for Atomic-Layer-Deposited HfO2 Films on InP Substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seung Hyun; Joo, So Yeong; Jin, Hyun Soo; Kim, Woo-Byoung; Park, Tae Joo

2016-08-17

Ultrathin ZnS and ZnO films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were employed as interfacial passivation layers (IPLs) for HfO2 films on InP substrates. The interfacial layer growth during the ALD of the HfO2 film was effectively suppressed by the IPLs, resulting in the decrease of electrical thickness, hysteresis, and interface state density. Compared with the ZnO IPL, the ZnS IPL was more effective in reducing the interface state density near the valence band edge. The leakage current density through the film was considerably lowered by the IPLs because the film crystallization was suppressed. Especially for the film with the ZnS IPL, the leakage current density in the low-voltage region was significantly lower than that observed for the film with the ZnO IPL, because the direct tunneling current was suppressed by the higher conduction band offset of ZnS with the InP substrate.
Artificial twin-layer configurations of Zn(O,S) films by radio frequency sputtering in all dry processed eco-friendly Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Fan, Yu; Li, Xiaodong; Lin, Shuping; Liu, Yang; Shi, Sihan; Wang, He; Zhou, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Yi; Sun, Yun

2018-03-01

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells are of great interest for research and industrial applications with their high conversion efficiencies, long-term stability and significant lifetimes. Such a solar cell of a p-n junction consists of p-type Cu(In,Ga)Se2 films as a light absorber and n-type CdS as a buffer layer, which often emerges with intrinsic ZnO. Aimed at eco-friendly fabrication protocols, a large number of strategies have been investigated to fabricate a Cd-free n-type buffer layer such as Zn(O,S) in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. Also, if the Zn(O,S) films are prepared by coevaporation or sputtering, it will offer high compatibility with the preferred mass production. Here, we propose and optimize a dry method for Zn(O,S) deposition in a radio frequency sputtering. In particular, the strategy for the twin-layer configurations of Zn(O,S) films not only greatly improve their electrical conductance and suppress charge carrier recombination, but also avoid degradation of the Zn(O,S)/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interfaces. Indeed, the high quality of such twin Zn(O,S) layers have been reflected in the similar conversion efficiencies of the complete solar cells as well as the large short-circuit current density, which exceeds the CdS reference device. In addition, Zn(O,S) twin layers have reduced the production time and materials by replacing the CdS/i-ZnO layers, which removes two fabrication steps in the multilayered thin film solar cells. Furthermore, the device physics for such improvements have been fully unveiled with both experimental current-voltage and capacitance-voltage spectroscopies and device simulations via wxAMPS program. Finally, the proposed twin-layer Zn(O,S)/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interfaces account for the broadening of the depletion region of photogenerated charge carriers, which greatly suppress the carrier recombination at the space charge region, and eventually lead to the more efficient collection of charge carriers at both electrodes.
Metallic few-layered VS2 ultrathin nanosheets: high two-dimensional conductivity for in-plane supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jun; Sun, Xu; Wu, Changzheng; Peng, Lele; Lin, Chenwen; Hu, Shuanglin; Yang, Jinlong; Xie, Yi

2011-11-09

With the rapid development of portable electronics, such as e-paper and other flexible devices, practical power sources with ultrathin geometries become an important prerequisite, in which supercapacitors with in-plane configurations are recently emerging as a favorable and competitive candidate. As is known, electrode materials with two-dimensional (2D) permeable channels, high-conductivity structural scaffolds, and high specific surface areas are the indispensible requirements for the development of in-plane supercapacitors with superior performance, while it is difficult for the presently available inorganic materials to make the best in all aspects. In this sense, vanadium disulfide (VS(2)) presents an ideal material platform due to its synergic properties of metallic nature and exfoliative characteristic brought by the conducting S-V-S layers stacked up by weak van der Waals interlayer interactions, offering great potential as high-performance in-plane supercapacitor electrodes. Herein, we developed a unique ammonia-assisted strategy to exfoliate bulk VS(2) flakes into ultrathin VS(2) nanosheets stacked with less than five S-V-S single layers, representing a brand new two-dimensional material having metallic behavior aside from graphene. Moreover, highly conductive VS(2) thin films were successfully assembled for constructing the electrodes of in-plane supercapacitors. As is expected, a specific capacitance of 4760 μF/cm(2) was realized here in a 150 nm in-plane configuration, of which no obvious degradation was observed even after 1000 charge/discharge cycles, offering as a new in-plane supercapacitor with high performance based on quasi-two-dimensional materials.
Fabrication of high crystalline SnS and SnS2 thin films, and their switching device characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyeongsu; Lee, Jeongsu; Shin, Seokyoon; Lee, Juhyun; Lee, Seungjin; Park, Hyunwoo; Kwon, Sejin; Lee, Namgue; Bang, Minwook; Lee, Seung-Beck; Jeon, Hyeongtag

2018-05-01

Representative tin sulfide compounds, tin monosulfide (SnS) and tin disulfide (SnS2) are strong candidates for future nanoelectronic devices, based on non-toxicity, low cost, unique structures and optoelectronic properties. However, it is insufficient for synthesizing of tin sulfide thin films using vapor phase deposition method which is capable of fabricating reproducible device and securing high quality films, and their device characteristics. In this study, we obtained highly crystalline SnS thin films by atomic layer deposition and obtained highly crystalline SnS2 thin films by phase transition of the SnS thin films. The SnS thin film was transformed into SnS2 thin film by annealing at 450 °C for 1 h in H2S atmosphere. This phase transition was confirmed by x-ray diffractometer and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and we studied the cause of the phase transition. We then compared the film characteristics of these two tin sulfide thin films and their switching device characteristics. SnS and SnS2 thin films had optical bandgaps of 1.35 and 2.70 eV, and absorption coefficients of about 105 and 104 cm‑1 in the visible region, respectively. In addition, SnS and SnS2 thin films exhibited p-type and n-type semiconductor characteristics. In the images of high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, SnS and SnS2 directly showed a highly crystalline orthorhombic and hexagonal layered structure. The field effect transistors of SnS and SnS2 thin films exhibited on–off drain current ratios of 8.8 and 2.1 × 103 and mobilities of 0.21 and 0.014 cm2 V‑1 s‑1, respectively. This difference in switching device characteristics mainly depends on the carrier concentration because it contributes to off-state conductance and mobility. The major carrier concentrations of the SnS and SnS2 thin films were 6.0 × 1016 and 8.7 × 1013 cm‑3, respectively, in this experiment.
Cross Layer QoS Provisioning in Home Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Jiayuan; Brewka, Lukasz Jerzy; Ruepp, Sarah Renée

2011-01-01

This paper introduces an innovative QoS provisioning scheme in home networks, by utilizing Optical Wireless (OW) MAC specification proposed by Home Gigabit Access Project (OMEGA) project. The specification is characterized by its resource reservation protocol and the use of Time Division Multiple...... Access (TDMA). By adopting OW MAC to the widely supported Universal Plug and Play – Quality of Service (UPnP-QoS) Architecture in the simulated home domain, algorithms for cross layer mapping QoS requirements are proposed. Compared to utilizing WLAN MAC, our scheme is able to provide guaranteed Qo......S levels to streams with different priorities, especially to delay-sensitive services. Efficiencies of the algorithms and network performance are validated by analyzing the results collected from OPNET simulation models....

Synergistic inhibition of the intrinsic factor X activation by protein S and C4b-binding protein

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koppelman, S.J.

1995-01-01

The complement protein C4b-binding protein plays an important role in the regulation of the protein C anticoagulant pathway. C4b-binding protein can bind to protein S, thereby inhibiting the cofactor activity of protein S for activated protein C. In this report, we describe a new role for
Colloidal Gold--Collagen Protein Core--Shell Nanoconjugate: One-Step Biomimetic Synthesis, Layer-by-Layer Assembled Film, and Controlled Cell Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Ruirui; Jiao, Tifeng; Yan, Linyin; Ma, Guanghui; Liu, Lei; Dai, Luru; Li, Junbai; Möhwald, Helmuth; Yan, Xuehai

2015-11-11

The biogenic synthesis of biomolecule-gold nanoconjugates is of key importance for a broad range of biomedical applications. In this work, a one-step, green, and condition-gentle strategy is presented to synthesize stable colloidal gold-collagen core-shell nanoconjugates in an aqueous solution at room temperature, without use of any reducing agents and stabilizing agents. It is discovered that electrostatic binding between gold ions and collagen proteins and concomitant in situ reduction by hydroxyproline residues are critically responsible for the formation of the core-shell nanoconjugates. The film formed by layer-by-layer assembly of such colloidal gold-collagen nanoconjugates can notably improve the mechanical properties and promote cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation. Thus, the colloidal gold-collagen nanoconjugates synthesized by such a straightforward and clean manner, analogous to a biomineralization pathway, provide new alternatives for developing biologically based hybrid biomaterials toward a range of therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
Categorizing Biases in High-Confidence High-Throughput Protein-Protein Interaction Data Sets*

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xueping; Ivanic, Joseph; Memišević, Vesna; Wallqvist, Anders; Reifman, Jaques

2011-01-01

We characterized and evaluated the functional attributes of three yeast high-confidence protein-protein interaction data sets derived from affinity purification/mass spectrometry, protein-fragment complementation assay, and yeast two-hybrid experiments. The interacting proteins retrieved from these data sets formed distinct, partially overlapping sets with different protein-protein interaction characteristics. These differences were primarily a function of the deployed experimental technologies used to recover these interactions. This affected the total coverage of interactions and was especially evident in the recovery of interactions among different functional classes of proteins. We found that the interaction data obtained by the yeast two-hybrid method was the least biased toward any particular functional characterization. In contrast, interacting proteins in the affinity purification/mass spectrometry and protein-fragment complementation assay data sets were over- and under-represented among distinct and different functional categories. We delineated how these differences affected protein complex organization in the network of interactions, in particular for strongly interacting complexes (e.g. RNA and protein synthesis) versus weak and transient interacting complexes (e.g. protein transport). We quantified methodological differences in detecting protein interactions from larger protein complexes, in the correlation of protein abundance among interacting proteins, and in their connectivity of essential proteins. In the latter case, we showed that minimizing inherent methodology biases removed many of the ambiguous conclusions about protein essentiality and protein connectivity. We used these findings to rationalize how biological insights obtained by analyzing data sets originating from different sources sometimes do not agree or may even contradict each other. An important corollary of this work was that discrepancies in biological insights did not
A low-frequency asymptotic model of seismic reflection from a high-permeability layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silin, Dmitriy; Goloshubin, Gennady

2009-03-01

Analysis of compression wave propagation through a high-permeability layer in a homogeneous poroelastic medium predicts a peak of reflection in the low-frequency end of the spectrum. An explicit formula expresses the resonant frequency through the elastic moduli of the solid skeleton, the permeability of the reservoir rock, the fluid viscosity and compressibility, and the reservoir thickness. This result is obtained through a low-frequency asymptotic analysis of the Biot's model of poroelasticity. A new physical interpretation of some coefficients of the classical poroelasticity is a result of the derivation of the main equations from the Hooke's law, momentum and mass balance equations, and the Darcy's law. The velocity of wave propagation, the attenuation factor, and the wave number, are expressed in the form of power series with respect to a small dimensionless parameter. The latter is equal to the product of the kinematic reservoir fluid mobility, an imaginary unit, and the frequency of the signal. Retaining only the leading terms of the series leads to explicit and relatively simple expressions for the reflection and transmission coefficients for a planar wave crossing an interface between two permeable media, as well as wave reflection from a thin highly-permeable layer (a lens). The practical implications of the theory developed here are seismic modeling, inversion, and attribute analysis.
Layering in peralkaline magmas, Ilímaussaq Complex, S Greenland

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Emma J.; Finch, Adrian A.; Donaldson, Colin H.

2017-01-01

The peralkaline to agpaitic Ilímaussaq Complex, S. Greenland, displays spectacular macrorhythmic (> 5 m) layering via the kakortokite (agpaitic nepheline syenite), which outcrops as the lowest exposed rocks in the complex. This study applies crystal size distribution (CSD) analyses and eudialyte-group mineral chemical compositions to study the marker horizon, Unit 0, and the contact to the underlying Unit - 1. Unit 0 is the best-developed unit in the kakortokites and as such is ideal for gaining insight into processes of crystal formation and growth within the layered kakortokite. The findings are consistent with a model whereby the bulk of the black and red layers developed through in situ crystallisation at the crystal mush-magma interface, whereas the white layer developed through a range of processes operating throughout the magma chamber, including density segregation (gravitational settling and flotation). Primary textures were modified through late-stage textural coarsening via grain overgrowth. An open-system model is proposed, where varying concentrations of halogens, in combination with undercooling, controlled crystal nucleation and growth to form Unit 0. Our observations suggest that the model is applicable more widely to the layering throughout the kakortokite series and potentially other layered peralkaline/agpaitic rocks around the world.
Tunable UV-visible absorption of SnS2 layered quantum dots produced by liquid phase exfoliation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xiao; Ilanchezhiyan, P; Mohan Kumar, G; Cho, Hak Dong; Zhang, Lei; Chan, A Sattar; Lee, Dong J; Panin, Gennady N; Kang, Tae Won

2017-02-02

4H-SnS 2 layered crystals synthesized by a hydrothermal method were used to obtain via liquid phase exfoliation quantum dots (QDs), consisting of a single layer (SLQDs) or multiple layers (MLQDs). Systematic downshift of the peaks in the Raman spectra of crystals with a decrease in size was observed. The bandgap of layered QDs, estimated by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and the tunneling current measurements using graphene probes, increases from 2.25 eV to 3.50 eV with decreasing size. 2-4 nm SLQDs, which are transparent in the visible region, show selective absorption and photosensitivity at wavelengths in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum while larger MLQDs (5-90 nm) exhibit a broad band absorption in the visible spectral region and the photoresponse under white light. The results show that the layered quantum dots obtained by liquid phase exfoliation exhibit well-controlled and regulated bandgap absorption in a wide tunable wavelength range. These novel layered quantum dots prepared using an inexpensive method of exfoliation and deposition from solution onto various substrates at room temperature can be used to create highly efficient visible-blind ultraviolet photodetectors and multiple bandgap solar cells.
Fluorescence detection of a protein-bound 2Fe2S cluster.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoff, Kevin G; Goodlitt, Rochelle; Li, Rui; Smolke, Christina D; Silberg, Jonathan J

2009-03-02

A fluorescent biosensor is described for 2Fe2S clusters that is composed of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to glutaredoxin 2 (Grx2), as illustrated here. 2Fe2S detection is based on the reduction of GFP fluorescence upon the 2Fe2S-induced dimerization of GFP-Grx2. This assay is sufficiently sensitive to detect submicromolar changes in 2Fe2S levels, thus making it suitable for high-throughput measurements of metallocluster degradation and synthesis reactions.
Integrated and comparative proteomics of high-oil and high-protein soybean seeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiu Ping; Liu, Hui; Tian, Lihong; Dong, Xiang Bai; Shen, Shi Hua; Qu, Le Qing

2015-04-01

We analysed the global protein expression in seeds of a high-oil soybean cultivar (Jiyu 73, JY73) by proteomics. More than 700 protein spots were detected and 363 protein spots were successfully identified. Comparison of the protein profile of JY73 with that of a high-protein cultivar (Zhonghuang 13, ZH13) revealed 40 differentially expressed proteins, including oil synthesis, redox/stress, hydrolysis and storage-related proteins. All redox/stress proteins were less or not expressed in JY73, whereas the expression of the major storage proteins, nitrogen and carbon metabolism-related proteins was higher in ZH13. Biochemical analysis of JY73 revealed that it was in a low oxidation state, with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. Vitamin E was more active than antioxidant enzymes and protected the soybean seed in a lower oxidation state. The characteristics of high oil and high protein in soybean, we revealed, might provide a reference for soybean nutrition and soybean breeding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dual layer hollow fiber sorbents for trace H2S removal from gas streams

KAUST Repository

Bhandari, Dhaval A.; Bessho, Naoki; Koros, William J.

2013-01-01

Hollow fiber sorbents are pseudo monolithic materials with potential use in various adsorption based applications. Dual layer hollow fiber sorbents have the potential to allow thermal regeneration without direct contact of the regeneration fluid with the sorbent particles. This paper considers the application of dual layer hollow fiber sorbents for a case involving trace amounts of H2S removal from a simulated gas stream and offers a comparison with single layer hollow fiber sorbents. The effect of spin dope composition and core layer zeolite loading on the gas flux, H2S transient sorption capacity and pore structure are also studied. This work can be used as a guide to develop and optimize dual layer hollow fiber sorbent properties beyond the specific example considered here. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Dual layer hollow fiber sorbents for trace H2S removal from gas streams

KAUST Repository

Bhandari, Dhaval A.

2013-05-01

Hollow fiber sorbents are pseudo monolithic materials with potential use in various adsorption based applications. Dual layer hollow fiber sorbents have the potential to allow thermal regeneration without direct contact of the regeneration fluid with the sorbent particles. This paper considers the application of dual layer hollow fiber sorbents for a case involving trace amounts of H2S removal from a simulated gas stream and offers a comparison with single layer hollow fiber sorbents. The effect of spin dope composition and core layer zeolite loading on the gas flux, H2S transient sorption capacity and pore structure are also studied. This work can be used as a guide to develop and optimize dual layer hollow fiber sorbent properties beyond the specific example considered here. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
A plasma coagulation assay for an activated protein C-independent anticoagulant activity of protein S

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijnen, M.; van 't Veer, C.; Meijers, J. C.; Bertina, R. M.; Bouma, B. N.

1998-01-01

To study the physiological importance of the activated protein C (APC)-independent anticoagulant activity of protein S, we developed an assay specific for this activity. The ability of protein S to prolong the clotting time in an APC-independent way was expressed as the ratio of the clotting time in
Au Nanoparticles as Interfacial Layer for CdS Quantum Dot-sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhu Guang

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Quantum dot-sensitized solar cells based on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO/Au/TiO2/CdS photoanode and polysulfide electrolyte are fabricated. Au nanoparticles (NPs as interfacial layer between FTO and TiO2 layer are dip-coated on FTO surface. The structure, morphology and impedance of the photoanodes and the photovoltaic performance of the cells are investigated. A power conversion efficiency of 1.62% has been obtained for FTO/Au/TiO2/CdS cell, which is about 88% higher than that for FTO/TiO2/CdS cell (0.86%. The easier transport of excited electron and the suppression of charge recombination in the photoanode due to the introduction of Au NP layer should be responsible for the performance enhancement of the cell.
Evolution of electronic structure in highly charge doped MoS2 compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Bin Subhan, Mohammed; Watson, Matthew; Liu, Zhongkai; Walters, Andrew; Hoesch, Moritz; Howard, Chris; Diamond I05 beamline Collaboration

Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are a group of layered materials that exhibit a rich array of electronic ground states including semiconductivity, metallicity, superconductivity and charge density waves. In recent years, 2D TMDCs have attracted considerable attention due to their unique properties and potential applications in optoelectronics. It has been shown that the charge carrier density in few layer MoS2 can be tunably increased via electrostatic gating. At high levels of doping, MoS2 exhibits superconductivity with a dome-like dependence of Tc on doping analogous to that found in the cuprate superconductors. High doping can also be achieved via intercalation of alkali metals in bulk MoS2. The origin of this superconductivity is not yet fully understood with predictions ranging from exotic pairing mechanisms in bulk systems to Ising superconductivity in single layers. Despite these interesting properties, there has been limited research to date on the electronic structure of these doped compounds. Here we present our work on alkali metal intercalated MoS2 using the low temperature metal ammonia solution method. Using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and ARPES measurements we will discuss the physical and electronic structure of these materials. EPSRC, Diamond Light Source.
Raman study of supported molybdenum disulfide single layers

Science.gov (United States)

Durrer, William; Manciu, Felicia; Afanasiev, Pavel; Berhault, Gilles; Chianelli, Russell

2008-10-01

Owing to the increasing demand for clean transportation fuels, highly dispersed single layer transition metal sulfides such as MoS2-based catalysts play an important role in catalytic processes for upgrading and removing sulfur from heavy petroleum feed. In its crystalline bulk form, MoS2 is chemically rather inactive due to a strong tendency to form highly stacked layers, but, when dispersed as single-layer nanoclusters on a support, the MoS2 becomes catalytically active in the hydrogenolysis of sulphur and nitrogen from organic compounds (hydrotreating catalysis). In the present studies alumina-supported MoS2 samples were analyzed by confocal Raman spectroscopy. Evidence of peaks at 152 cm-1, 234 cm-1, and 336 cm-1, normally not seen in the Raman spectrum of the standard bulk crystal, confirms the formation of single layers of MoS2. Furthermore, the presence of the 383 cm-1 Raman line suggests the trigonal prismatic coordination of the formed MoS2 single layers. Depending on the sample preparation method, a restacking of MoS2 layers is also observed, mainly for ex-thiomolybdate samples sulfided at 550 C.
Extractable Bacterial Surface Proteins in Probiotic–Host Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fillipe L. R. do Carmo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Some Gram-positive bacteria, including probiotic ones, are covered with an external proteinaceous layer called a surface-layer. Described as a paracrystalline layer and formed by the self-assembly of a surface-layer-protein (Slp, this optional structure is peculiar. The surface layer per se is conserved and encountered in many prokaryotes. However, the sequence of the corresponding Slp protein is highly variable among bacterial species, or even among strains of the same species. Other proteins, including surface layer associated proteins (SLAPs, and other non-covalently surface-bound proteins may also be extracted with this surface structure. They can be involved a various functions. In probiotic Gram-positives, they were shown by different authors and experimental approaches to play a role in key interactions with the host. Depending on the species, and sometime on the strain, they can be involved in stress tolerance, in survival within the host digestive tract, in adhesion to host cells or mucus, or in the modulation of intestinal inflammation. Future trends include the valorization of their properties in the formation of nanoparticles, coating and encapsulation, and in the development of new vaccines.
Development and characterization of high refractive index and high scattering acrylate polymer layers

Science.gov (United States)

Eiselt, Thomas; Gomard, Guillaume; Preinfalk, Jan; Gleißner, Uwe; Lemmer, Uli; Hanemann, Thomas

2016-11-01

In this work, we develop a wet-processable scattering layer exhibiting a high refractive index that can be used in organic light-emitting diodes for light outcoupling purposes. The composite layers contain an acrylate casting resin, benzylmethacrylate, and phenanthrene, which is employed to increase the refractive index. The mixtures are first rheologically characterized and then polymerized with heat and UV radiation. For the refractive index measurements, the polymerized samples require a planar surface without air bubbles. To produce flat samples, a special construction consisting of a glass plate, a teflon sheet, a silicone ring (PDMS mold), another teflon sheet, and another glass plate is developed. Glue clamps are used to hold the construction together. The refractive index of the samples can be increased from 1.565 to 1.585 at 20°C at a wavelength of 589 nm following the addition of 20 wt% phenanthrene. A master mixture with a high refractive index is taken for further experiments. Nanoscaled titanium dioxide is added and dispersed into the master mixture and then spin coated on a glass substrate. These layers are optically characterized. Most of the presented layers present the expected haze of over 50%.
Graphene electric double layer capacitor with ultra-high-power performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, John R.; Outlaw, R.A.; Holloway, B.C.

2011-01-01

We have demonstrated, for the first time, efficient 120 Hz filtering by an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC). The key to this ultra-high-power performance is electrodes made from vertically oriented graphene nanosheets grown directly on metal current collectors. This design minimized both electronic and ionic resistance and produced capacitors having RC time-constants of less than 200 μs. Significantly, graphene nanosheets have a preponderance of exposed edge planes that greatly increase stored charge over designs relying on basal plane surfaces. Collectively these factors make vertically oriented graphene nanosheet electrodes ideally suited for producing high-frequency EDLCs. Capacitors constructed with these electrodes are predicted to be significantly smaller than aluminum electrolyte capacitors that they could functionally replace plus be manufactured using standard semiconductor process equipment, creating interesting commercial opportunities.
Protein mediated synthesis of fluorescent Au-nanoclusters for metal sensory coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogel, Manja; Raff, Johannes [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Biogeochemistry

2017-06-01

Fluorescent Au-nanocluster were successfully synthesized and used for the selective detection of Cu{sup 2} {sup +}. The synthesized Au-BSA-nanoclusters remain functional also after immobilization and show high thermal stability. Additionally, the transfer of the protein mediated Au-nanocluster synthesis route to S-layer proteins was achieved. (The presented work is part of the project BIONEWS dealing with long-term stable cells for the set-up and regeneration of sensor and actor materials for strategic relevant metals, in particular rare earth elements).
InGaN/GaN nanowires epitaxy on large-area MoS2 for high-performance light-emitters

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Chao; Ng, Tien Khee; Tseng, Chien-Chih; Li, Jun; Shi, Yumeng; Wei, Nini; Zhang, Daliang; Consiglio, Giuseppe Bernardo; Prabaswara, Aditya; Alhamoud, Abdullah Ali; Albadri, Abdulrahman M.; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; Zhang, Xixiang; Li, Lain-Jong; Ooi, Boon S.

2017-01-01

The recent study of a wide range of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has created a new era for device design and applications. In particular, the concept of van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) utilizing layered TMDCs has the potential to broaden the family of epitaxial growth techniques beyond the conventional methods. We report herein, for the first time, the monolithic high-power, droop-free, and wavelength tunable InGaN/GaN nanowire light-emitting diodes (NW-LEDs) on large-area MoS2 layers formed by sulfurizing entire Mo substrates. MoS2 serves as both a buffer layer for high-quality GaN nanowires growth and a sacrificial layer for epitaxy lift-off. The LEDs obtained on nitridated MoS2 via quasi vdWE show a low turn-on voltage of ∼2 V and light output power up to 1.5 mW emitting beyond the “green gap”, without an efficiency droop up to the current injection of 1 A (400 A cm−2), by virtue of high thermal and electrical conductivities of the metal substrates. The discovery of the nitride/layered TMDCs/metal heterostructure platform also ushers in the unparalleled opportunities of simultaneous high-quality nitrides growth for high-performance devices, ultralow-profile optoelectronics, energy harvesting, as well as substrate reusability for practical applications.
InGaN/GaN nanowires epitaxy on large-area MoS2 for high-performance light-emitters

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Chao

2017-05-18

The recent study of a wide range of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has created a new era for device design and applications. In particular, the concept of van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) utilizing layered TMDCs has the potential to broaden the family of epitaxial growth techniques beyond the conventional methods. We report herein, for the first time, the monolithic high-power, droop-free, and wavelength tunable InGaN/GaN nanowire light-emitting diodes (NW-LEDs) on large-area MoS2 layers formed by sulfurizing entire Mo substrates. MoS2 serves as both a buffer layer for high-quality GaN nanowires growth and a sacrificial layer for epitaxy lift-off. The LEDs obtained on nitridated MoS2 via quasi vdWE show a low turn-on voltage of ∼2 V and light output power up to 1.5 mW emitting beyond the “green gap”, without an efficiency droop up to the current injection of 1 A (400 A cm−2), by virtue of high thermal and electrical conductivities of the metal substrates. The discovery of the nitride/layered TMDCs/metal heterostructure platform also ushers in the unparalleled opportunities of simultaneous high-quality nitrides growth for high-performance devices, ultralow-profile optoelectronics, energy harvesting, as well as substrate reusability for practical applications.

High-Protein Diets: Are They Safe?

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating Are high-protein diets safe for weight loss? Answers from Katherine ... L.D. For most healthy people, a high-protein diet generally isn't harmful, particularly when followed ...
Layer-by-Layer-Assembled High-Performance Broadband Antireflection Coatings

KAUST Repository

Shimomura, Hiroomi; Gemici, Zekeriyya; Cohen, Robert E.; Rubner, Michael F.

2010-01-01

uniformity, thickness control, roughness control, mechanical durability, and incorporation of a diverse set of functional organic molecules into nanoparticle thin films are major challenges. We have used the electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly technique
Nitrosative Stress in the Nervous System: Guidelines for Designing Experimental Strategies to Study Protein S-Nitrosylation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Tomohiro; Lipton, Stuart A

2016-03-01

Reactive nitrogen species, such as nitric oxide (NO), exert their biological activity in large part through post-translational modification of cysteine residues, forming S-nitrosothiols. This chemical reaction proceeds via a process that we and our colleagues have termed protein S-nitrosylation. Under conditions of normal NO production, S-nitrosylation regulates the activity of many normal proteins. However, in degenerative conditions characterized by nitrosative stress, increased levels of NO lead to aberrant S-nitrosylation that contributes to the pathology of the disease. Thus, S-nitrosylation has been implicated in a wide range of cellular mechanisms, including mitochondrial function, proteostasis, transcriptional regulation, synaptic activity, and cell survival. In recent years, the research area of protein S-nitrosylation has become prominent due to improvements in the detection systems as well as the demonstration that protein S-nitrosylation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and other neurological disorders. To further promote our understanding of how protein S-nitrosylation affects cellular systems, guidelines for the design and conduct of research on S-nitrosylated (or SNO-)proteins would be highly desirable, especially for those newly entering the field. In this review article, we provide a strategic overview of designing experimental approaches to study protein S-nitrosylation. We specifically focus on methods that can provide critical data to demonstrate that an S-nitrosylated protein plays a (patho-)physiologically-relevant role in a biological process. Hence, the implementation of the approaches described herein will contribute to further advancement of the study of S-nitrosylated proteins, not only in neuroscience but also in other research fields.
High-resistivity unintentionally carbon-doped GaN layers with nitrogen as nucleation layer carrier gas grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fu Chen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this letter, high-resistivity unintentionally carbon-doped GaN layers with sheet resistivity greater than 106 Ω/□ have been grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD. We have observed that the growth of GaN nucleation layers (NLs under N2 ambient leads to a large full width at half maximum (FWHM of (102 X-ray diffraction (XRD line in the rocking curve about 1576 arc sec. Unintentional carbon incorporation can be observed in the secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS measurements. The results demonstrate the self-compensation mechanism is attributed to the increased density of edge-type threading dislocations and carbon impurities. The AlGaN/GaN HEMT grown on the high-resistivity GaN template has also been fabricated, exhibiting a maximum drain current of 478 mA/mm, a peak transconductance of 60.0 mS/mm, an ON/OFF ratio of 0.96×108 and a breakdown voltage of 621 V.
High-resistivity unintentionally carbon-doped GaN layers with nitrogen as nucleation layer carrier gas grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Fu; Sun, Shichuang; Deng, Xuguang; Fu, Kai; Yu, Guohao; Song, Liang; Hao, Ronghui; Fan, Yaming; Cai, Yong; Zhang, Baoshun

2017-12-01

In this letter, high-resistivity unintentionally carbon-doped GaN layers with sheet resistivity greater than 106 Ω/□ have been grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). We have observed that the growth of GaN nucleation layers (NLs) under N2 ambient leads to a large full width at half maximum (FWHM) of (102) X-ray diffraction (XRD) line in the rocking curve about 1576 arc sec. Unintentional carbon incorporation can be observed in the secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements. The results demonstrate the self-compensation mechanism is attributed to the increased density of edge-type threading dislocations and carbon impurities. The AlGaN/GaN HEMT grown on the high-resistivity GaN template has also been fabricated, exhibiting a maximum drain current of 478 mA/mm, a peak transconductance of 60.0 mS/mm, an ON/OFF ratio of 0.96×108 and a breakdown voltage of 621 V.
Poly(l-glutamic acid)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) external layer in polyelectrolyte multilayer films: Characterization and resistance to serum protein adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Szczepanowicz, Krzysztof; Kruk, Tomasz; Świątek, Wiktoria; Bouzga, Aud M; Simon, Christian R; Warszyński, Piotr

2018-06-01

Formation of protein-resistant surfaces is a major challenge in the design of novel biomaterials and an important strategy to prevent protein adsorption is the formation of protein-resistant coatings. It can be achieved by proper modification of surfaces, e.g., by immobilization of hydrophilic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). An appropriate method to immobilize PEG at charged surfaces is the adsorption of copolymers with PEG chains grafted onto polyelectrolyte backbone. The growing interest in the use of polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings in biomedical applications to improve biocompatibility and/or to prepare coating with antiadhesive properties has been the main reason for these studies. Therefore the aim was to produce protein resistant polyelectrolyte multilayer films. They were formed via the layer-by-layer approach, while their pegylation by the deposition of pegylated polyanion, PGA-g-PEG, as an external layer. The influence of PEG chain length and grafting density of PGA-g-PEG copolymers on the protein antiadhesive properties of pegylated polyelectrolyte multilayer films was investigated. To monitor the formation of pegylated and non-pegylated multilayer films, adsorption of the following proteins: HSA, Fibrinogen, and FBS were measured by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM - D). We found that protein adsorption onto all pegylated polyelectrolyte multilayers was significantly reduced in comparison to non-pegylated ones. Long-term performance tests confirmed the stability and the durability of the protein resistant properties of the pegylated multilayers. Antiadhesive properties of tested surfaces pegylated by PGA-g-PEG were compared to the available data for pegylated polycation PLL-g-PEG. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Large theoretical thermoelectric power factor of suspended single-layer MoS{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babaei, Hasan, E-mail: babaei@illinois.edu, E-mail: babaei@auburn.edu [Mechanical Science and Engineering Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801-2906 (United States); Mechanical Engineering Department, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849-5341 (United States); Khodadadi, J. M. [Mechanical Engineering Department, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849-5341 (United States); Sinha, Sanjiv [Mechanical Science and Engineering Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801-2906 (United States)

2014-11-10

We have calculated the semi-classical thermoelectric power factor of suspended single-layer (SL)- MoS{sub 2} utilizing electron relaxation times derived from ab initio calculations. Measurements of the thermoelectric power factor of SL-MoS{sub 2} on substrates reveal poor power factors. In contrast, we find the thermoelectric power factor of suspended SL-MoS{sub 2} to peak at ∼2.8 × 10{sup 4} μW/m K{sup 2} at 300 K, at an electron concentration of 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2}. This figure is higher than that in bulk Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, for example. Given its relatively high thermal conductivity, suspended SL-MoS{sub 2} may hold promise for in-plane thin-film Peltier coolers, provided reasonable mobilities can be realized.
High frequency ground temperature fluctuation in a Convective Boundary Layer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garai, A.; Kleissl, J.; Lothon, M.; Lohou, F.; Pardyjak, E.; Saïd, F.; Cuxart, J.; Steeneveld, G.J.; Yaguë, C.; Derrien, S.; Alexander, D.; Villagrasa, D.M.

2012-01-01

To study influence of the turbulent structures in the convective boundary layer (CBL) on the ground temperature, during the Boundary Layer Late Afternoon and Sunset Turbulence (BLLAST) observational campaign, high frequency ground temperature was recorded through infra-red imagery from 13 June - 8
Chemical-bath ZnO buffer layer for CuInS{sub 2} thin-film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ennaoui, A.; Weber, M.; Scheer, R.; Lewerenz, H.J. [Hahn-Meitner-Institut, Abt. Grenzflaechen, Bereich Physikalische Chemie, Glienicker Strasse 100, D-14109 Berlin (Germany)

1998-07-13

ZnO buffer layers were grown by a chemical-bath deposition (CBD) in order to improve the interface quality in p-CuInS{sub 2} based solar cells, to improve the light transmission in the blue wavelength region, but also as an alternative to eliminate the toxic cadmium. The process consists of immersion of different substrates (glass, CIS) in a dilute solution of tetraamminezinc II, [Zn(NH{sub 2}){sub 4}]{sup 2+}, complex at 60-95C. During the growth process, a homogeneous growth mechanism which proceeds by the sedimentation of a mixture of ZnO and Zn(OH){sub 2} clusters formed in solution, competes with the heterogeneous growth mechanism. The mechanism consists of specific adsorption of a complex Zn(II) followed by a chemical reaction. The last process of growth results in thin, hard, adherent and specularly reflecting films. The characterization of the deposited CBD-ZnO layers was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical transmittance, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as-deposited films on glass show hexagonal zincite structure with two preferred orientations (1 0 0) and (1 0 1). High optical transmittance up to 80% in the near-infrared and part of the visible region was observed. The low growth rate of the films on CIS suggests an atomic layer-by-layer growth process.The device parameters and performance are compared to heterojunction with a standard CdS buffer layer
Layer-by-Layer Motif Architectures: Programmed Electrochemical Syntheses of Multilayer Mesoporous Metallic Films with Uniformly Sized Pores.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Bo; Li, Cuiling; Qian, Huayu; Hossain, Md Shahriar A; Malgras, Victor; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2017-06-26

Although multilayer films have been extensively reported, most compositions have been limited to non-catalytically active materials (e.g. polymers, proteins, lipids, or nucleic acids). Herein, we report the preparation of binder-free multilayer metallic mesoporous films with sufficient accessibility for high electrocatalytic activity by using a programmed electrochemical strategy. By precisely tuning the deposition potential and duration, multilayer mesoporous architectures consisting of alternating mesoporous Pd layers and mesoporous PdPt layers with controlled layer thicknesses can be synthesized within a single electrolyte, containing polymeric micelles as soft templates. This novel architecture, combining the advantages of bimetallic alloys, multilayer architectures, and mesoporous structures, exhibits high electrocatalytic activity for both the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Dynamic Negative Compressibility of Few-Layer Graphene, h-BN, and MoS2

Science.gov (United States)

Neves, Bernardo; Barboza, Ana Paula; Chacham, Helio; Oliveira, Camilla; Fernandes, Thales; Martins Ferreira, Erlon; Archanjo, Braulio; Batista, Ronaldo; Oliveira, Alan

2013-03-01

We report a novel mechanical response of few-layer graphene, h-BN, and MoS2 to the simultaneous compression and shear by an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. The response is characterized by the vertical expansion of these two-dimensional (2D) layered materials upon compression. Such effect is proportional to the applied load, leading to vertical strain values (opposite to the applied force) of up to 150%. The effect is null in the absence of shear, increases with tip velocity, and is anisotropic. It also has similar magnitudes in these solid lubricant materials (few-layer graphene, h-BN, and MoS2), but it is absent in single-layer graphene and in few-layer mica and Bi2Se3. We propose a physical mechanism for the effect where the combined compressive and shear stresses from the tip induce dynamical wrinkling on the upper material layers, leading to the observed flake thickening. The new effect (and, therefore, the proposed wrinkling) is reversible in the three materials where it is observed.[2] Financial support from CNPq, Fapemig, Rede Nacional de Pesquisa em Nanotubos de Carbono and INCT-Nano-Carbono
Layer-by-layer assembled polyaniline nanofiber/multiwall carbon nanotube thin film electrodes for high-power and high-energy storage applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyder, Md Nasim; Lee, Seung Woo; Cebeci, Fevzi Ç; Schmidt, Daniel J; Shao-Horn, Yang; Hammond, Paula T

2011-11-22

Thin film electrodes of polyaniline (PANi) nanofibers and functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are created by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly for microbatteries or -electrochemical capacitors. Highly stable cationic PANi nanofibers, synthesized from the rapid aqueous phase polymerization of aniline, are assembled with carboxylic acid functionalized MWNT into LbL films. The pH-dependent surface charge of PANi nanofibers and MWNTs allows the system to behave like weak polyelectrolytes with controllable LbL film thickness and morphology by varying the number of bilayers. The LbL-PANi/MWNT films consist of a nanoscale interpenetrating network structure with well developed nanopores that yield excellent electrochemical performance for energy storage applications. These LbL-PANi/MWNT films in lithium cell can store high volumetric capacitance (~238 ± 32 F/cm(3)) and high volumetric capacity (~210 mAh/cm(3)). In addition, rate-dependent galvanostatic tests show LbL-PANi/MWNT films can deliver both high power and high energy density (~220 Wh/L(electrode) at ~100 kW/L(electrode)) and could be promising positive electrode materials for thin film microbatteries or electrochemical capacitors. © 2011 American Chemical Society
Efficacy of In2S3 interfacial recombination barrier layer in PbS quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basit, Muhammad Abdul; Abbas, Muhammad Awais; Bang, Jin Ho; Park, Tae Joo

2015-01-01

In 2 S 3 interfacial recombination barrier layer (IBL) via successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) was successfully employed between PbS quantum dots and mesoporous TiO 2 in quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). In 2 S 3 IBL significantly increased the resistance against back electron transfer from TiO 2 , resulting an increment in the photocurrent density (J SC ) for the cell with single SILAR cycle of In 2 S 3 IBL. Further increase in the number of SILAR cycles of In 2 S 3 IBL deteriorated the J SC , whereas open-circuit voltage sustained the increasing trend. Therefore, an optimal photo-conversion efficiency of ∼2.2% was obtained for the cell with 2 SILAR cycles of In 2 S 3 IBL, which strategically reached a value of ∼2.70% after annealing (increased by 40% compared to the control cell without IBL). In 2 S 3 IBL not only improved the recombination resistance and electron life time of the cells, but it also enhanced the photostability of the cells. - Highlights: • In 2 S 3 interfacial recombination barrier layer was deposited on TiO 2 photoanode via SILAR process. • Resistance against back electron transfer from TiO 2 (recombination) increased notably. • Fabricated PbS-QDSSCs were characterized using IPCE, OCVD and EIS techniques. • In 2 S 3 IBL improved chemical capacitance, electron life time and photostability of modified cells. • 2In 2 S 3 IBL showed optimal performance, yielding 40% improvement in PCE after heat treatment.
Timing is everything: early degradation of abscission layer is associated with increased seed shattering in U.S. weedy rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hepler Peter K

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Seed shattering, or shedding, is an important fitness trait for wild and weedy grasses. U.S. weedy rice (Oryza sativa is a highly shattering weed, thought to have evolved from non-shattering cultivated ancestors. All U.S. weedy rice individuals examined to date contain a mutation in the sh4 locus associated with loss of shattering during rice domestication. Weedy individuals also share the shattering trait with wild rice, but not the ancestral shattering mutation at sh4; thus, how weedy rice reacquired the shattering phenotype is unknown. To establish the morphological basis of the parallel evolution of seed shattering in weedy rice and wild, we examined the abscission layer at the flower-pedicel junction in weedy individuals in comparison with wild and cultivated relatives. Results Consistent with previous work, shattering wild rice individuals possess clear, defined abscission layers at flowering, whereas non-shattering cultivated rice individuals do not. Shattering weedy rice from two separately evolved populations in the U.S. (SH and BHA show patterns of abscission layer formation and degradation distinct from wild rice. Prior to flowering, the abscission layer has formed in all weedy individuals and by flowering it is already degrading. In contrast, wild O. rufipogon abscission layers have been shown not to degrade until after flowering has occurred. Conclusions Seed shattering in weedy rice involves the formation and degradation of an abscission layer in the flower-pedicel junction, as in wild Oryza, but is a developmentally different process from shattering in wild rice. Weedy rice abscission layers appear to break down earlier than wild abscission layers. The timing of weedy abscission layer degradation suggests that unidentified regulatory genes may play a critical role in the reacquisition of shattering in weedy rice, and sheds light on the morphological basis of parallel evolution for shattering in weedy and wild
How Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae build Fe/S proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Barras, Frédéric; Loiseau, Laurent; Py, Béatrice

2005-01-01

Owing to the versatile electronic properties of iron and sulfur, iron sulfur (Fe/S) clusters are perfectly suited for sensing changes in environmental conditions and regulating protein properties accordingly. Fe/S proteins have been recruited in a wide array of diverse biological processes, including electron transfer chains, metabolic pathways and gene regulatory circuits. Chemistry has revealed the great diversity of Fe/S clusters occurring in proteins. The question now is to understand how iron and sulfur come together to form Fe/S clusters and how these clusters are subsequently inserted into apoproteins. Iron, sulfide and reducing conditions were found to be sufficient for successful maturation of many apoproteins in vitro, opening the possibility that insertion might be a spontaneous event. However, as in many other biological pathways such as protein folding, genetic analyses revealed that Fe/S cluster biogenesis and insertion depend in vivo upon auxiliary proteins. This was brought to light by studies on Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase, which, in particular, led to the concept of scaffold proteins, the role of which would be to allow transient assembly of Fe/S cluster. These studies paved the way toward the identification of the ISC and SUF systems, subjects of the present review that allow Fe/S cluster assembly into apoproteins of most organisms. Despite the recent discovery of the SUF and ISC systems, remarkable progress has been made in our understanding of their molecular composition and biochemical mechanisms. Such a rapid increase in our knowledge arose from a convergent interest from researchers engaged in unrelated fields and whose complementary expertise covered most experimental approaches used in biology. Also, the high conservation of ISC and SUF systems throughout a wide array of organisms helped cross-feeding between studies. The ISC system is conserved in eubacteria and most eukaryotes, while the SUF system arises in eubacteria, archaea
Cross-linking of L5 protein to 5 S RNA in rat liver 60-S subunits by ultraviolet irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terao, K.; Uchiumi, T.; Ogata, K.

1980-01-01

After rat liver 60-S ribosomal subunits were irradiated with ultraviolet light at 254 nm, they were treated with EDTA and then subjected to sucrose density-gradient centrifugation to isolate 5 S RNA-protein complex. When 5 S RNA-protein was analyzed by SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis which dissociated noncovalent 5 S RNA-protein, two protein bands were observed. The one showed a slower mobility than the protein band (L5) of 5 S RNA-protein from non-irradiated 60 S subunit and the other showed the same mobility as L5 protein. Since the former band was shown to be specific to ultraviolet-irradiation, it was considered as cross-linked 5 S RNA-protein. After the two protein bands were iodinated with 125 I, labeled protein was extracted and treated with RNAase. Thereafter, it was analyzed by two-dimensional acrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by autoradiography. The results indicate that the protein component of cross-linked 5 S RNA-protein is L5 protein (ribosomal protein); these proteins are designated according to the proposed uniform nomenclature. (Auth.)
Effect of the ZnS shell layer on the charge storage capabilities of organic bistable memory devices fabricated utilizing CuInS2–ZnS core–shell quantum dots embedded in a poly(methylmethacrylate) layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Dong Yeol; Kim, Tae Whan; Kim, Sang Wook

2013-01-01

The electrical characteristics of organic bistable memory devices (OBDs) fabricated utilizing CuInS 2 (CIS) core or CIS–ZnS core–shell quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) layer on indium–tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra demonstrated that the stoichiometries of the QDs embedded in a PMMA layer were CIS or CIS–ZnS QDs. Current–voltage measurements on Al/CIS or CIS–ZnS QDs embedded in PMMA layer/ITO glass devices at 300 K showed current bistabilities. The maximum ON/OFF current ratios of the OBDs with CIS or CIS–ZnS QDs were approximately 1 × 10 3 and 1 × 10 5 , respectively. The retention number of ON and OFF states was measured by 1 × 10 5 . The memory mechanisms of the OBDs with CIS or CIS–ZnS QDs are described on the basis of the experimental results. - Highlights: • Organic bistable devices utilizing nanocomposites were fabricated. • Current–voltage results on organic bistable devices showed current bistabilities. • Maximum ON/OFF current ratio of the device with core–shell quantum dots was 1 × 10 5 . • Retention number of the device with core–shell quantum dots was 1 × 10 5
Phase transitions during formation of Ag nanoparticles on In{sub 2}S{sub 3} precursor layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yang, E-mail: yang.liu@helmholtz-berlin.de; Fu, Yanpeng; Dittrich, Thomas; Sáez-Araoz, Rodrigo; Schmid, Martina; Hinrichs, Volker; Lux-Steiner, Martha Ch.; Fischer, Christian-Herbert

2015-09-01

Phase transitions have been investigated for silver deposition onto In{sub 2}S{sub 3} precursor layers by spray chemical vapor deposition from a trimethylphosphine (hexafluoroacetylacetonato) silver (Ag(hfacac)(PMe{sub 3})) solution. The formation of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on top of the semiconductor layer set on concomitant with the formation of AgIn{sub 5}S{sub 8}. The increase of the diameter of Ag NPs was accompanied by the evolution of orthorhombic AgInS{sub 2}. The formation of Ag{sub 2}S at the interface between Ag NPs and the semiconductor layer was observed. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy indicated charge separation and electronic transitions in the ranges of corresponding band gaps. The phase transition approach is aimed to be applied for the formation of plasmonic nanostructures on top of extremely thin semiconducting layers. - Highlights: • Silver nanoparticles were deposited onto In{sub 2}S{sub 3} precursor layer by spray pyrolysis. • The silver nanoparticle size and density could be controlled by deposition time. • Phase transitions during deposition and material properties were investigated. • The layers still show semiconducting properties after phase transitions. • Plasmonic absorption enhancement has been demonstrated.
High-performance polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Heidecker, Matthew J.

High-performance layered-silicate nanocomposites of Polycarbonate (PC), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and their blends were produced via conventional melt-blending techniques. The focus of this thesis was on the fundamentals of dispersion, control of thermal stability, maintenance of melt-blending processing conditions, and on optimization of the composites' mechanical properties via the design of controlled and thermodynamically favorable nano-filler dispersions within the polymer matrices. PET and PC require high temperatures for melt-processing, rendering impractical the use of conventional/commercial organically-modified layered-silicates, since the thermal degradation temperatures of their ammonium surfactants lies below the typical processing temperatures. Thus, different surfactant chemistries must be employed in order to develop melt-processable nanocomposites, also accounting for polymer matrix degradation due to water (PET) or amine compounds (PC). Novel high thermal-stability surfactants were developed and employed in montmorillonite nanocomposites of PET, PC, and PC/PET blends, and were compared to the respective nanocomposites based on conventional quaternary-ammonium modified montmorillonites. Favorable dispersion was achieved in all cases, however, the overall material behavior -- i.e., the combination of crystallization, mechanical properties, and thermal degradation -- was better for the nanocomposites based on the thermally-stable surfactant fillers. Studies were also done to trace, and ultimately limit, the matrix degradation of Polycarbonate/montmorillonite nanocomposites, through varying the montmorillonite surfactant chemistry, processing conditions, and processing additives. Molecular weight degradation was, maybe surprisingly, better controlled in the conventional quaternary ammonium based nanocomposites -- even though the thermal stability of the organically modified montmorillonites was in most cases the lowest. Dependence of the
Layer-by-Layer-Assembled High-Performance Broadband Antireflection Coatings

KAUST Repository

Shimomura, Hiroomi

2010-03-24

Nanoparticles are indispensable ingredients of solution-processed optical, dielectric, and catalytic thin films. Although solution-based methods are promising low-cost alternatives to vacuum methods, they can have significant limitations. Coating uniformity, thickness control, roughness control, mechanical durability, and incorporation of a diverse set of functional organic molecules into nanoparticle thin films are major challenges. We have used the electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly technique to make uniform, conformal multistack nanoparticle thin films for optical applications with precise thickness control over each stack. Two particularly sought-after optical applications are broadband antireflection and structural color. The effects of interstack and surface roughness on optical properties of these constructs (e.g., haze and spectral response) have been studied quantitatively using a combination of Fourier-transform methods and atomic force microscopy measurements. Deconvoluting root-mean-square roughness into its large-, intermediate-, and small-scale components enables enhanced optical simulations. A 4-stack broadband antireflection coating (<0.5% average reflectance in the visible range, and 0.2% haze) composed of alternating high-index (n ≈ 1.96) and low-index (n ≈ 1.28) stacks has been made on glass substrate. Films calcinated at 550 °C endure a one-hour-long cloth cleaning test under 100 kPa normal stress. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Penetration-depth calculations in the ab and c directions in a layered S/N superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkinson, W.A.; Carbotte, J.P.

1995-01-01

We present the results of calculations of the penetration depths λ ab and λ c (the subscripts refer to the direction of the screening currents). Our model is a layered superconducting/normal metal (S/N) model, in which the two types of layers are stacked in alternating fashion. The S and N layers are coupled in a coherent fashion and the N layer is driven superconducting by a proximity effect. We calculate the penetration depths for both d-wave and s-wave order parameters for a range of interlayer coupling strengths, and we discuss the effect that the interlayer coupling has on the temperature dependence of the penetration depths. We finish by comparing our results with experimental observations of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7
Ultrathin MoS2 and WS2 layers on silver nano-tips as electron emitters

Science.gov (United States)

Loh, Tamie A. J.; Tanemura, Masaki; Chua, Daniel H. C.

2016-09-01

2-dimensional (2D) inorganic analogues of graphene such as MoS2 and WS2 present interesting opportunities for field emission technology due to their high aspect ratio and good electrical conductivity. However, research on 2D MoS2 and WS2 as potential field emitters remains largely undeveloped compared to graphene. Herein, we present an approach to directly fabricate ultrathin MoS2 and WS2 onto Ag nano-tips using pulsed laser deposition at low temperatures of 450-500 °C. In addition to providing a layer of chemical and mechanical protection for the Ag nano-tips, the growth of ultrathin MoS2 and WS2 layers on Ag led to enhanced emission properties over that of pristine nano-tips due to a reduction of the effective barrier height arising from charge injection from Ag to the overlying MoS2 or WS2. For WS2 on Ag nano-tips, the phasic mixture was also an important factor influencing the field emission performance. The presence of 1T-WS2 at the metal-WS2 interface in a hybrid film of 2H/1T-WS2 leads to improvement in the field emission capabilities as compared to pure 2H-WS2 on Ag nano-tips.
Interaction of a non-histone chromatin protein (high-mobility group protein 2) with DNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodwin, G.H.; Shooter, K.V.; Johns, E.W.

1975-01-01

The interaction with DNA of the calf thymus chromatin non-histone protein termed the high-mobility group protein 2 has been studied by sedimentation analysis in the ultracentrifuge and by measuring the binding of the 125 I-labelled protein to DNA. The results have been compared with those obtained previously by us [Eur. J. Biochem. (1974) 47, 263-270] for the interaction of high-mobility group protein 1 with DNA. Although the binding parameters are similar for these two proteins, high-mobility group protein 2 differs from high-mobility group protein 1 in that the former appears to change the shape of the DNA to a more compact form. The molecular weight of high-mobility group protein 2 has been determined by equilibrium sedimentation and a mean value of 26,000 was obtained. A low level of nuclease activity detected in one preparation of high-mobility group protein 2 has been investigated. (orig.) [de
The applicability of the vortex glass model in the layered superconductor Cu0.03TaS2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Junchao; Zhu Xiangde; Pi Li; Qu Zhe; Tan Shun; Zhang Yuheng

2011-01-01

The vortex glass theory has been successfully employed to describe the vortex phase state of high T C superconductors (HTSCs). Its validity can be examined by scaling the current-voltage isotherms with appropriate exponents and a universal scaling function. However, this second order phase transition model is not applicable for the layered superconductor Cu 0.03 TaS 2 due to its weak pinning, which could be proved by the peak effect in the M-H loop. Finally, we give the different pinning mechanisms with H||ab and H||c. Vortex strings and pancake vortices are formed under parallel and perpendicular magnetic fields, respectively. The vortex strings are pinned by normal layers in layered superconductors, while the pancake vortices are connected by Josephson coupling.
Investigations of vertical chemical gradients in Cu(In,Ga)S{sub 2}-thin films prepared by sulfurization of sputtered precursor layers using highly spatially resolved cathodoluminescence microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribbe, Stefan; Mueller, Mathias; Bertram, Frank; Hempel, Thomas; Christen, Juergen [Institute for Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Germany); Rodriguez-Alvarez, Humberto; Lauche, Jakob; Schock, Hans-Werner [Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy (Germany)

2012-07-01

The luminescence properties of Cu(In,Ga)S{sub 2}(CIGS)-absorber layers for thin film solar cells have been studied by highly spatially resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) at low temperature (T=5 K). In/Cu-Ga-precursors were annealed with elementary sulfur pellets in a rapid thermal process at different annealing times to represent different growth steps of the CIGS absorber layer. Spatially integral CL spectra show a dominant peak at 825 nm accompanied by a low-energy shoulder at 890 nm. Only a slight blue shift of the main peak is observed by variation of the excitation density. Investigations of cross-sections show for all samples a similar luminescence distribution. Near the molybdenum back contact distinct areas show luminescence emitting at 680-750 nm. In contrast, in upper regions of the layer a homogeneous low-energy luminescence at around 820 nm is observed which exhibits the most intensive spots on the cross-section. In local spectra we observe a change of the dominant recombination channel at the interface of these two regions.
Multifunctional high-reflective and antireflective layer systems with easy-to-clean properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gloess, D.; Frach, P.; Gottfried, C.; Klinkenberg, S.; Liebig, J.-S.; Hentsch, W.; Liepack, H.; Krug, M.

2008-01-01

High-reflective (HR) and even more antireflective (AR) layer systems are in use for widespread applications. Multifunctional layer systems providing high optical functionality with an easy-to-clean or a self-cleaning behaviour would be preferable for many applications to avoid soiling of the surface. In this paper, the feasibility of fabrication by highly productive pulse magnetron sputtering in an in-line coating plant is investigated. Easy-to-clean properties are achieved by a top layer of photocatalytic and photoinduced hydrophilic TiO 2 . Multifunctional HR layer systems were successfully deposited on glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at a low deposition temperature of 150 deg. C, demonstrating the possibility of coating certain polymer materials. Double-sided multifunctional AR layer systems with a single-sided photoinduced hydrophilic TiO 2 top coating have a resulting reflectivity of about 3% and transmittance of about 97% in the visible range of light
Protective layer formation on magnesium in cell culture medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagener, V.; Virtanen, S., E-mail: virtanen@ww.uni-erlangen.de

2016-06-01

In the past, different studies showed that hydroxyapatite (HA) or similar calcium phosphates can be precipitated on Mg during immersion in simulated body fluids. However, at the same time, in most cases a dark grey or black layer is built under the white HA crystals. This layer seems to consist as well of calcium phosphates. Until now, neither the morphology nor its influence on Mg corrosion have been investigated in detail. In this work commercially pure magnesium (cp) was immersed in cell culture medium for one, three and five days at room temperature and in the incubator (37 °C, 5% CO{sub 2}). In addition, the influence of proteins on the formation of a corrosion layer was investigated by adding 20% of fetal calf serum (FCS) to the cell culture medium in the incubator. In order to analyze the formed layers, SEM images of cross sections, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements were carried out. Characterization of the corrosion behavior was achieved by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and by potentio-dynamic polarization in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) at 37 °C. Surface analysis showed that all formed layers consist mainly of amorphous calcium phosphate compounds. For the immersion at room temperature the Ca/P ratio indicates the formation of HA, while in the incubator probably pre-stages to HA are formed. The different immersion conditions lead to a variation in layer thicknesses. However, electrochemical characterization shows that the layer thickness does not influence the corrosion resistance of magnesium. The main influencing factor for the corrosion behavior is the layer morphology. Thus, immersion at room temperature leads to the highest corrosion protection due to the formation of a compact outer layer. Layers formed in the incubator show much worse performances due to completely porous
High-temperature adsorption layers based on fluoridated polyimide and diatomite carrier

Science.gov (United States)

Yakovleva, E. Yu.; Shundrina, I. K.; Gerasimov, E. Yu.

2017-09-01

A way of preparing separation layers by the pyrolysis of fluorinated polyimide obtained from 2,4,6-trimethyl- m-phenylenediamine (2,4,6-TM mPDA) and 2,2-bis(3',4'-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane (6FDA) applied onto a diatomite carrier is described. Thermogravimetry, elemental analysis, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, high-resolution electron microscopy, and gas chromatography are used to study changes in the texture and chromatographic characteristics of these layers. It is found that changes in the structure and the effectivity of separation characteristic of the layers depend on the temperature of pyrolysis, which ranges from 250 to 1100°C. It is established that a layer of separation is formed at 250-350°C, and the order of elution of hydrocarbons is similar to their chromatographic behavior on such stationary phases as OV-101. Layers of amorphous carbon formed on the surfaces of individual particles on a diatomite surface at 500-700°C. These layers ensure highly stable and selective separation of permanent gases and hydrocarbons when they are present together.
Highly sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography assay for the detection of Tamm-Horsfall protein in human urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Akimoto, Masaru; Hokazono, Eisaku; Ota, Eri; Tateishi, Takiko; Kayamori, Yuzo

2016-01-01

Tamm-Horsfall protein (also known as uromodulin) is the most abundant urinary protein in healthy individuals. Since initially characterized by Tamm and Horsfall, the amount of urinary excretion and structural mutations of Tamm-Horsfall protein is associated with kidney diseases. However, currently available assays for Tamm-Horsfall protein, which are mainly enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based, suffer from poor reproducibility and might give false negative results. We developed a novel, quantitative assay for Tamm-Horsfall protein using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A precipitation pretreatment avoided urine matrix interference and excessive sample dilution. High-performance liquid chromatography optimization based on polarity allowed excellent separation of Tamm-Horsfall protein from other major urine components. Our method exhibited high precision (based on the relative standard deviations of intraday [≤2.77%] and interday [≤5.35%] repetitions). The Tamm-Horsfall protein recovery rate was 100.0-104.2%. The mean Tamm-Horsfall protein concentration in 25 healthy individuals was 31.6 ± 18.8 mg/g creatinine. There was a strong correlation between data obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (r = 0.906), but enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay values tended to be lower than high-performance liquid chromatography values at low Tamm-Horsfall protein concentrations. The high sensitivity and reproducibility of our Tamm-Horsfall protein assay will reduce the number of false negative results of the sample compared with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, our method is superior to other high-performance liquid chromatography methods, and a simple protocol will facilitate further research on the physiological role of Tamm-Horsfall protein. © The Author(s) 2015.
Plasma resonance and flux dynamics in layered high-Tc superconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Niels Falsig; Sakai, S.

2000-01-01

Flux dynamics of layered high Tc superconductors are considered with special emphasis on the small oscillation modes. In particular we find the dispersion relation for the plasma modes and discuss the spectra to be observed in microwave experiments.......Flux dynamics of layered high Tc superconductors are considered with special emphasis on the small oscillation modes. In particular we find the dispersion relation for the plasma modes and discuss the spectra to be observed in microwave experiments....
New Metaphors and Multi Layered in Khaqani´s Poem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadamir Mashhadi

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Metaphor is the most important transmission device language than true application to figurative application, It plays a role more than other poetic elements in new creation and forming Personal Style. Khaqani is a creator of new metaphor in number and the most creative power speaking persian. He used artistic creation and hard to obtain in making poem. He profits of new and rare metaphors. Comprehension the metaphors of Kaqani ´ s Poem results to Underestanding his creation in Imaginary and his Poem. This article with this aim is studing background metaphor creation in Kaqani ´ s poem and his modernity new relation and similarity between objects and phenomenons that cause making new metaphor. Sometime his discovery relation between two objects formed in several relation layer that could call them Multi layered metaphor.
Observations of high droplet number concentrations in Southern Ocean boundary layer clouds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Chubb

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cloud physics data collected during the NSF/NCAR High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO campaigns provide a snapshot of unusual wintertime microphysical conditions in the boundary layer over the Southern Ocean. On 29 June 2011, the HIAPER sampled the boundary layer in a region of pre-frontal warm air advection between 58 and 48° S to the south of Tasmania. Cloud droplet number concentrations were consistent with climatological values in the northernmost profiles but were exceptionally high for wintertime in the Southern Ocean at 100–200 cm−3 in the southernmost profiles. Sub-micron (0.06  < D <  1 µm aerosol concentrations for the southern profiles were up to 400 cm−3. Analysis of back trajectories and atmospheric chemistry observations revealed that while conditions in the troposphere were more typical of a clean remote ocean airmass, there was some evidence of continental or anthropogenic influence. However, the hypothesis of long-range transport of continental aerosol fails to explain the magnitude of the aerosol and cloud droplet concentration in the boundary layer. Instead, the gale force surface winds in this case (wind speed at 167 m above sea level was > 25 m s−1 were most likely responsible for production of sea spray aerosol which influenced the microphysical properties of the boundary layer clouds. The smaller size and higher number concentration of cloud droplets is inferred to increase the albedo of these clouds, and these conditions occur regularly, and are expected to increase in frequency, over windy parts of the Southern Ocean.
Atom-scale depth localization of biologically important chemical elements in molecular layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneck, Emanuel; Scoppola, Ernesto; Drnec, Jakub; Mocuta, Cristian; Felici, Roberto; Novikov, Dmitri; Fragneto, Giovanna; Daillant, Jean

2016-08-23

In nature, biomolecules are often organized as functional thin layers in interfacial architectures, the most prominent examples being biological membranes. Biomolecular layers play also important roles in context with biotechnological surfaces, for instance, when they are the result of adsorption processes. For the understanding of many biological or biotechnologically relevant phenomena, detailed structural insight into the involved biomolecular layers is required. Here, we use standing-wave X-ray fluorescence (SWXF) to localize chemical elements in solid-supported lipid and protein layers with near-Ångstrom precision. The technique complements traditional specular reflectometry experiments that merely yield the layers' global density profiles. While earlier work mostly focused on relatively heavy elements, typically metal ions, we show that it is also possible to determine the position of the comparatively light elements S and P, which are found in the most abundant classes of biomolecules and are therefore particularly important. With that, we overcome the need of artificial heavy atom labels, the main obstacle to a broader application of high-resolution SWXF in the fields of biology and soft matter. This work may thus constitute the basis for the label-free, element-specific structural investigation of complex biomolecular layers and biological surfaces.
Evolutionary conservation of nuclear and nucleolar targeting sequences in yeast ribosomal protein S6A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lipsius, Edgar; Walter, Korden; Leicher, Torsten; Phlippen, Wolfgang; Bisotti, Marc-Angelo; Kruppa, Joachim

2005-01-01

Over 1 billion years ago, the animal kingdom diverged from the fungi. Nevertheless, a high sequence homology of 62% exists between human ribosomal protein S6 and S6A of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To investigate whether this similarity in primary structure is mirrored in corresponding functional protein domains, the nuclear and nucleolar targeting signals were delineated in yeast S6A and compared to the known human S6 signals. The complete sequence of S6A and cDNA fragments was fused to the 5'-end of the LacZ gene, the constructs were transiently expressed in COS cells, and the subcellular localization of the fusion proteins was detected by indirect immunofluorescence. One bipartite and two monopartite nuclear localization signals as well as two nucleolar binding domains were identified in yeast S6A, which are located at homologous regions in human S6 protein. Remarkably, the number, nature, and position of these targeting signals have been conserved, albeit their amino acid sequences have presumably undergone a process of co-evolution with their corresponding rRNAs
Designing high-Performance layered thermoelectric materials through orbital engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jiawei; Song, Lirong; Madsen, Georg K. H.

2016-01-01

Thermoelectric technology, which possesses potential application in recycling industrial waste heat as energy, calls for novel high-performance materials. The systematic exploration of novel thermoelectric materials with excellent electronic transport properties is severely hindered by limited...... insight into the underlying bonding orbitals of atomic structures. Here we propose a simple yet successful strategy to discover and design high-performance layered thermoelectric materials through minimizing the crystal field splitting energy of orbitals to realize high orbital degeneracy. The approach...... naturally leads to design maps for optimizing the thermoelectric power factor through forming solid solutions and biaxial strain. Using this approach, we predict a series of potential thermoelectric candidates from layered CaAl2Si2-type Zintl compounds. Several of them contain nontoxic, low-cost and earth...
NMR of proteins (4Fe-4S): structural properties and intramolecular electron transfer; RMN de proteines (4Fe-4S): proprietes structurales et transfert electronique intramoleculaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huber, J G

1996-10-17

NMR started to be applied to Fe-S proteins in the seventies. Its use has recently been enlarged as the problems arising from the paramagnetic polymetallic clusters ware overcome. Applications to [4Fe-4S] are presented herein. The information derived thereof deepens the understanding of the redox properties of these proteins which play a central role in the metabolism of bacterial cells. The secondary structure elements and the overall folding of Chromatium vinosum ferredoxin (Cv Fd) in solution have been established by NMR. The unique features of this sequence have been shown to fold as an {alpha} helix at the C-terminus and as a loop between two cysteines ligand of one cluster: these two parts localize in close proximity from one another. The interaction between nuclear and electronic spins is a source of additional structural information for (4Fe-AS] proteins. The conformation of the cysteine-ligands, as revealed by the Fe-(S{sub {gamma}}-C{sub {beta}}-H{sub {beta}})Cys dihedral angles, is related to the chemical shifts of the signals associated with the protons of these residues. The longitudinal relaxation times of the protons depend on their distance to the cluster. A quantitative relationship has been established and used to show that the solution structure of the high-potential ferredoxin from Cv differs significantly from the crystal structure around Phe-48. Both parameters (chemical shifts and longitudinal relaxation times) give also insight into the electronic and magnetic properties of the [4Fe-4S] clusters. The rate of intramolecular electron transfer between the two [4FE-4S] clusters of ferredoxins has been measured by NMR. It is far slower in the case of Cv Fd than for shorter ferredoxins. The difference may be associated with changes in the magnetic and/or electronic properties of one cluster. The strong paramagnetism of the [4Fe-4S] clusters, which originally limited the applicability of NMR to proteins containing these cofactors, has been proven
ZnSe passivation layer for the efficiency enhancement of CuInS2 quantum dots sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Zhuoyin; Liu, Yueli; Zhao, Yinghan; Chen, Keqiang; Cheng, Yuqing; Kovalev, Valery; Chen, Wen

2014-01-01

Highlights: • ZnSe is employed as passivation layer in CuInS 2 quantum dots sensitized solar cells. • Slight red-shift has been occurred in UV–vis absorption spectra with ZnSe coating. • CuInS 2 based solar cells coated by ZnSe have better efficiency than that of ZnS. • Higher rate of charge transport can be produced after coating with ZnSe. -- Abstract: The effect of ZnSe passivation layer is investigated in the CuInS 2 quantum dot sensitized solar cells, which is used to improve the photovoltaic performance. The CuInS 2 quantum dot sensitized TiO 2 photo-anodes are prepared by assembly linking technique, and then deposited by the ZnSe passivation layer using the successive ionic layer absorption and reaction technique. The optical absorption edge and photoluminescence peak have slightly red-shifted after the passivation layer coating. Under solar light illumination, the ZnSe passivation layer based CuInS 2 quantum dot sensitized solar cells have the higher photovoltaic efficiency of 0.95% and incident photon conversion efficiency response than that of pure CuInS 2 based solar cells and ZnS passivation layer based solar cells, as the electron injection rate becomes faster after coating with ZnSe passivation layer
Low-power logic computing realized in a single electric-double-layer MoS2 transistor gated with polymer electrolyte

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Junjie; Xie, Dingdong; Yang, Bingchu; Jiang, Jie

2018-06-01

Due to its mechanical flexibility, large bandgap and carrier mobility, atomically thin molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has attracted widespread attention. However, it still lacks a facile route to fabricate a low-power high-performance logic gates/circuits before it gets the real application. Herein, we reported a facile and environment-friendly method to establish the low-power logic function in a single MoS2 field-effect transistor (FET) configuration gated with a polymer electrolyte. Such low-power and high-performance MoS2 FET can be implemented by using water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer as proton-conducting electric-double-layer (EDL) dielectric layer. It exhibited an ultra-low voltage (1.5 V) and a good performance with a high current on/off ratio (Ion/off) of 1 × 105, a large electron mobility (μ) of 47.5 cm2/V s, and a small subthreshold swing (S) of 0.26 V/dec, respectively. The inverter can be realized by using such a single MoS2 EDL FET with a gain of ∼4 at the operation voltage of only ∼1 V. Most importantly, the neuronal AND logic computing can be also demonstrated by using such a double-lateral-gate single MoS2 EDL transistor. These results show an effective step for future applications of 2D MoS2 FETs for integrated electronic engineering and low-energy environment-friendly green electronics.
Self-assembling layers created by membrane proteins on gold.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, D S; Thomas, M B; Phillips, S; Cisneros, D A; Le Brun, A P; Holt, S A; Lakey, J H

2007-06-01

Membrane systems are based on several types of organization. First, amphiphilic lipids are able to create monolayer and bilayer structures which may be flat, vesicular or micellar. Into these structures membrane proteins can be inserted which use the membrane to provide signals for lateral and orientational organization. Furthermore, the proteins are the product of highly specific self-assembly otherwise known as folding, which mostly places individual atoms at precise places in three dimensions. These structures all have dimensions in the nanoscale, except for the size of membrane planes which may extend for millimetres in large liposomes or centimetres on planar surfaces such as monolayers at the air/water interface. Membrane systems can be assembled on to surfaces to create supported bilayers and these have uses in biosensors and in electrical measurements using modified ion channels. The supported systems also allow for measurements using spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance and atomic force microscopy. By combining the roles of lipids and proteins, highly ordered and specific structures can be self-assembled in aqueous solution at the nanoscale.
Structure and microstructure of the high pressure synthesised misfit layer compound [Sr2O2][CrO2]1.85

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castillo-Martinez, E.; Schoenleber, A.; Smaalen, S. van; Arevalo-Lopez, A.M.; Alario-Franco, M.A.

2008-01-01

The strontium chromium oxide [Sr 2 O 2 ][CrO 2 ] 1.85 misfit layer compound has been synthesised at high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. Electron diffraction patterns and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images along [001] show the misfit character of the different layers composing the structure with a supercell along the incommensurate parameter b∼7b 1 ∼13b 2 . The modulated crystal structure has been refined within the superspace formalism against single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, employing the (3+1)-dimensional superspace group C'nmb(0σ 2 0)0 0 s. The compound has a composite structure with lattice parameters a 1 =5.182(1) A, b 1 =5.411(1) A, c 1 =18.194(3) A for the first, SrO, subsystem and the same a and c, but with b 2 =2.925(1) A for the second, CrO 2 , subsystem. The layer stacking is similar to that of orthorhombic PbS(TiS 2 ) 1.18 , but with a much stronger intersubsytem bonding in the case of the oxide. The intersubsystem lattice mismatch is mainly handled by displacement modulations of the Sr atoms, correlated with modulations of the valence, the coordination and the anisotropic displacement parameters. - Graphical abstract: A strontium chromium oxide, [Sr 2 O 2 ][CrO 2 ] 1.85 , with an orthorhombic misfit layer structure has been synthesised under high pressure. Mainly modulations on the Sr position, ADPs and coordination save the subsystems lattice mismatch

High throughput protein production screening

Science.gov (United States)

Beernink, Peter T [Walnut Creek, CA; Coleman, Matthew A [Oakland, CA; Segelke, Brent W [San Ramon, CA

2009-09-08

Methods, compositions, and kits for the cell-free production and analysis of proteins are provided. The invention allows for the production of proteins from prokaryotic sequences or eukaryotic sequences, including human cDNAs using PCR and IVT methods and detecting the proteins through fluorescence or immunoblot techniques. This invention can be used to identify optimized PCR and WT conditions, codon usages and mutations. The methods are readily automated and can be used for high throughput analysis of protein expression levels, interactions, and functional states.
Filtering high-throughput protein-protein interaction data using a combination of genomic features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patil Ashwini

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein-protein interaction data used in the creation or prediction of molecular networks is usually obtained from large scale or high-throughput experiments. This experimental data is liable to contain a large number of spurious interactions. Hence, there is a need to validate the interactions and filter out the incorrect data before using them in prediction studies. Results In this study, we use a combination of 3 genomic features – structurally known interacting Pfam domains, Gene Ontology annotations and sequence homology – as a means to assign reliability to the protein-protein interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae determined by high-throughput experiments. Using Bayesian network approaches, we show that protein-protein interactions from high-throughput data supported by one or more genomic features have a higher likelihood ratio and hence are more likely to be real interactions. Our method has a high sensitivity (90% and good specificity (63%. We show that 56% of the interactions from high-throughput experiments in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have high reliability. We use the method to estimate the number of true interactions in the high-throughput protein-protein interaction data sets in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens to be 27%, 18% and 68% respectively. Our results are available for searching and downloading at http://helix.protein.osaka-u.ac.jp/htp/. Conclusion A combination of genomic features that include sequence, structure and annotation information is a good predictor of true interactions in large and noisy high-throughput data sets. The method has a very high sensitivity and good specificity and can be used to assign a likelihood ratio, corresponding to the reliability, to each interaction.
[Family of ribosomal proteins S1 contains unique conservative domain].

Science.gov (United States)

Deriusheva, E I; Machulin, A V; Selivanova, O M; Serdiuk, I N

2010-01-01

Different representatives of bacteria have different number of amino acid residues in the ribosomal proteins S1. This number varies from 111 (Spiroplasma kunkelii) to 863 a.a. (Treponema pallidum). Traditionally and for lack of this protein three-dimensional structure, its architecture is represented as repeating S1 domains. Number of these domains depends on the protein's length. Domain's quantity and its boundaries data are contained in the specialized databases, such as SMART, Pfam and PROSITE. However, for the same object these data may be very different. For search of domain's quantity and its boundaries, new approach, based on the analysis of dicted secondary structure (PsiPred), was used. This approach allowed us to reveal structural domains in amino acid sequences of S1 proteins and at that number varied from one to six. Alignment of S1 proteins, containing different domain's number, with the S1 RNAbinding domain of Escherichia coli PNPase elicited a fact that in family of ribosomal proteins SI one domain has maximal homology with S1 domain from PNPase. This conservative domain migrates along polypeptide chain and locates in proteins, containing different domain's number, according to specified pattern. In this domain as well in the S1 domain from PNPase, residues Phe-19, Phe-22, His-34, Asp-64 and Arg-68 are clustered on the surface and formed RNA binding site.
Sub-second photonic processing of solution-deposited single layer and heterojunction metal oxide thin-film transistors using a high-power xenon flash lamp

KAUST Repository

Tetzner, Kornelius

2017-11-01

We report the fabrication of solution-processed In2O3 and In2O3/ZnO heterojunction thin-film transistors (TFTs) where the precursor materials were converted to their semiconducting state using high power light pulses generated by a xenon flash lamp. In2O3 TFTs prepared on glass substrates exhibited low-voltage operation (≤2 V) and a high electron mobility of ∼6 cm2 V−1 s−1. By replacing the In2O3 layer with a photonically processed In2O3/ZnO heterojunction, we were able to increase the electron mobility to 36 cm2 V−1 s−1, while maintaining the low-voltage operation. Although the level of performance achieved in these devices is comparable to control TFTs fabricated via thermal annealing at 250 °C for 1 h, the photonic treatment approach adopted here is extremely rapid with a processing time of less than 18 s per layer. With the aid of a numerical model we were able to analyse the temperature profile within the metal oxide layer(s) upon flashing revealing a remarkable increase of the layer\\'s surface temperature to ∼1000 °C within ∼1 ms. Despite this, the backside of the glass substrate remains unchanged and close to room temperature. Our results highlight the applicability of the method for the facile manufacturing of high performance metal oxide transistors on inexpensive large-area substrates.
Enhancement of carrier mobility in MoS{sub 2} field effect transistors by a SiO{sub 2} protective layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shao, Peng-Zhi; Zhao, Hai-Ming; Cao, Hui-Wen; Wang, Xue-Feng; Pang, Yu; Li, Yu-Xing; Deng, Ning-Qin; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling, E-mail: RenTL@tsinghua.edu.cn, E-mail: zhangsh@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Microelectronics and Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology (TNList), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhang, Jing [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Zhang, Guang-Yu [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); CollaborativeInnovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100190 (China); Zhang, Sheng, E-mail: RenTL@tsinghua.edu.cn, E-mail: zhangsh@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Microelectronics and Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology (TNList), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); The State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Shanghai 200050 (China); Advanced Sensor and Integrated System Lab, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055 (China)

2016-05-16

Molybdenum disulfide is a promising channel material for field effect transistors (FETs). In this paper, monolayer MoS{sub 2} grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was used to fabricate top-gate FETs through standard optical lithography. During the fabrication process, charged impurities and interface states are introduced, and the photoresist is not removed cleanly, which both limit the carrier mobility and the source-drain current. We apply a SiO{sub 2} protective layer, which is deposited on the surface of MoS{sub 2}, in order to avoid the MoS{sub 2} directly contacting with the photoresist and the ambient environment. Therefore, the contact property between the MoS{sub 2} and the electrodes is improved, and the Coulomb scattering caused by the charged impurities and the interface states is reduced. Comparing MoS{sub 2} FETs with and without a SiO{sub 2} protective layer, the SiO{sub 2} protective layer is found to enhance the characteristics of the MoS{sub 2} FETs, including transfer and output characteristics. A high mobility of ∼42.3 cm{sup 2}/V s is achieved, which is very large among the top-gate CVD-grown monolayer MoS{sub 2} FETs.
Exceptional heat stability of high protein content dispersions containing whey protein particles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saglam, D.; Venema, P.; Vries, de R.J.; Linden, van der E.

2014-01-01

Due to aggregation and/or gelation during thermal treatment, the amount of whey proteins that can be used in the formulation of high protein foods e.g. protein drinks, is limited. The aim of this study was to replace whey proteins with whey protein particles to increase the total protein content and
Detection, Characterization, and In Vitro and In Vivo Expression of Genes Encoding S-Proteins in Lactobacillus gallinarum Strains Isolated from Chicken Crops

Science.gov (United States)

Hagen, Karen E.; Guan, Le Luo; Tannock, Gerald W.; Korver, Doug R.; Allison, Gwen E.

2005-01-01

Thirty-eight isolates of Lactobacillus gallinarum cultured from the crops of broiler chickens were screened for the presence of genes encoding S-layer proteins. All of the isolates had two S-protein genes, which were designated Lactobacillus gallinarum S-protein (lgs) genes. One gene in each isolate was either lgsA or lgsB. The Lactobacillus isolates were further characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of DNA digests, which grouped the isolates into 17 genotypes (strains). The second gene in each of eight representative strains was sequenced and shown to differ among strains (lgsC, lgsD, lgsE, lgsF, lgsG, lgsH, and lgsI). The genome of each strain thus encoded a common S-protein (encoded by either lgsA or lgsB) and a strain-specific S-protein. The extraction of cell surface proteins from cultures of the eight strains showed that each strain produced a single S-protein that was always encoded by the strain-specific lgs gene. Two of the strains were used to inoculate chickens maintained in a protected environment which were Lactobacillus-free prior to inoculation. DNAs and RNAs extracted from the digesta of the chickens were used for PCR and reverse transcription-PCR, respectively, to demonstrate the presence and transcription of lgs genes in vivo. In both cases, only the strain-specific gene was transcribed. Both of the strains adhered to the crop epithelium, consistent with published data predicting that S-proteins of lactobacilli are adhesins. The results of this study provide a basis for the investigation of gene duplication and sequence variation as mechanisms by which bacterial strains of the same species can share the same habitat. PMID:16269691
High quality antireflective ZnS thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tec-Yam, S.; Rojas, J.; Rejón, V.; Oliva, A.I.

2012-01-01

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) thin films for antireflective applications were deposited on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition (CBD). Chemical analysis of the soluble species permits to predict the optimal pH conditions to obtain high quality ZnS films. For the CBD, the ZnCl 2 , NH 4 NO 3 , and CS(NH 2 ) 2 were fixed components, whereas the KOH concentration was varied from 0.8 to 1.4 M. Groups of samples with deposition times from 60 to 120 min were prepared in a bath with magnetic agitation and heated at 90 °C. ZnS films obtained from optimal KOH concentrations of 0.9 M and 1.0 M exhibited high transparency, homogeneity, adherence, and crystalline. The ZnS films presented a band gap energy of 3.84 eV, an atomic Zn:S stoichiometry ratio of 49:51, a transmittance above 85% in the 300–800 nm wavelength range, and a reflectance below 25% in the UV–Vis range. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a cubic structure in the (111) orientation for the films. The thickness of the films was tuned between 60 nm and 135 nm by controlling the deposition time and KOH concentration. The incorporation of the CBD-ZnS films into ITO/ZnS/CdS/CdTe and glass/Mo/ZnS heterostructures as antireflective layer confirms their high optical quality. -- Highlights: ► High quality ZnS thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD). ► Better CBD-ZnS films were achieved by using 0.9 M-KOH concentration. ► Reduction in the reflectance was obtained for ZnS films used as buffer layers.
High-energy X-ray production in a boundary layer of an accreting neutron star

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanawa, Tomoyuki

1991-01-01

It is shown by Monte Carlo simulation that high-energy X-rays are produced through Compton scattering in a boundary layer of an accreting neutron star. The following is the mechanism for the high-energy X-ray production. An accreting neutron star has a boundary layer rotating rapidly on the surface. X-rays radiated from the star's surface are scattered in part in the boundary layer. Since the boundary layer rotates at a semirelativistic speed, the scattered X-ray energy is changed by the Compton effect. Some X-rays are scattered repeatedly between the neutron star and the boundary layer and become high-energy X-rays. This mechanism is a photon analog of the second-order Fermi acceleration of cosmic rays. When the boundary layer is semitransparent, high-energy X-rays are produced efficiently. 17 refs
Magnetic Au Nanoparticles on Archaeal S-Layer Ghosts as Templates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja Selenska-Pobell

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Cell‐ghosts representing empty cells of the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, consisting only of their highly ordered and unusually stable outermost proteinaceous surface layer (S‐layer, were used as templates for Au nanoparticles fabrication. The properties of these archaeal Au nanoparticles differ significantly from those produced earlier by us onto bacterial S‐layer sheets. The archaeal Au nanoparticles, with a size of about 2.5 nm, consist exclusively of metallic Au(0, while those produced on the bacterial S‐layer had a size of about 4 nm and represented a mixture of Au(0 and Au(III in the ratio of 40 to 60 %. The most impressive feature of the archaeal Au nanoparticles is that they are strongly paramagnetic, in contrast to the bacterial ones and also to bulk gold. SQUID magnetometry and XMCD measurements demonstrated that the archaeal Au nanoparticles possess a rather large magnetic moment of about 0.1 µB/atom. HR‐ TEM‐EDX analysis revealed that the archaeal Au nanoparticles are linked to the sulfur atoms of the thiol groups of the amino acid cysteine, characteristic only for archaeal S‐layers. This is the first study demonstrating the formation of such unusually strong magnetic Au nanoparticles on a non‐modified archaeal S‐layer.
Spiral growth of few-layer MoS{sub 2} by chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, X.; Yan, C.; Tomer, D.; Li, L., E-mail: lianli@uwm.edu [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211 (United States); Li, C. H. [Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)

2016-08-01

Growth spirals exhibit appealing properties due to a preferred layer stacking and lack of inversion symmetry. Here, we report spiral growth of MoS{sub 2} during chemical vapor deposition on SiO{sub 2}/Si and epitaxial graphene/SiC substrates, and their physical and electronic properties. We determine the layer-dependence of the MoS{sub 2} bandgap, ranging from 2.4 eV for the monolayer to a constant of 1.3 eV beyond the fifth layer. We further observe that spirals predominantly initiate at the step edges of the SiC substrate, based on which we propose a growth mechanism driven by screw dislocation created by the coalescence of two growth fronts at steps.
Achieving Ohmic Contact for High-quality MoS2 Devices on Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xu

MoS2, among many other transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), holds great promise for future applications in nano-electronics, opto-electronics and mechanical devices due to its ultra-thin nature, flexibility, sizable band-gap, and unique spin-valley coupled physics. However, there are two main challenges that hinder careful study of this material. Firstly, it is hard to achieve Ohmic contacts to mono-layer MoS2, particularly at low temperatures (T) and low carrier densities. Secondly, materials' low quality and impurities introduced during the fabrication significantly limit the electron mobility of mono- and few-layer MoS2 to be substantially below theoretically predicted limits, which has hampered efforts to observe its novel quantum transport behaviours. Traditional low work function metals doesn't necessary provide good electron injection to thin MoS2 due to metal oxidation, Fermi level pinning, etc. To address the first challenge, we tried multiple contact schemes and found that mono-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and cobalt (Co) provide robust Ohmic contact. The mono-layer spacer serves two advantageous purposes: it strongly interacts with the transition metal, reducing its work function by over 1 eV; and breaks the metal-TMDCs interaction to eliminate the interfacial states that cause Fermi level pinning. We measure a flat-band Schottky barrier of 16 meV, which makes thin tunnel barriers upon doping the channels, and thus achieve low-T contact resistance of 3 kohm.um at a carrier density of 5.3x10. 12/cm. 2. Similar to graphene, eliminating all potential sources of disorder and scattering is the key to achieving high performance in MoS2 devices. We developed a van der Waals heterostructure device platform where MoS2 layers are fully encapsulated within h-BN and electrically contacted in a multi-terminal geometry using gate-tunable graphene electrodes. The h-BN-encapsulation provides excellent protection from environmental factors, resulting in
Vortex Generator Induced Flow in a High Re Boundary Layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Velte, Clara Marika; Braud, C.; Coudert, S.

2014-01-01

Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry measurements have been conducted in cross-planes behind three different geometries of Vortex Generators (VGs) in a high Reynolds number boundary layer. The VGs have been mounted in a cascade producing counter-rotating vortices and the downstream flow...... development was examined. Three VG geometries were investigated: rectangular, triangular and cambered. The various VG geometries tested are seen to produce different impacts on the boundary layer flow. Helical symmetry of the generated vortices is confirmed for all investigated VG geometries in this high...... Reynolds number boundary layer. From the parameters resulting from this analysis, it is observed at the most upstream measurement position that the rectangular and triangular VGs produce vortices of similar size, strength and velocity induction whilst the cambered VGs produce smaller and weaker vortices...
Vortex Generator Induced Flow in a High Re Boundary Layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Velte, Clara Marika; Braud, C.; Coudert, S.

2012-01-01

Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry measurements have been conducted in cross-planes behind three different geometries of Vortex Generators (VGs) in a high Reynolds number boundary layer. The VGs have been mounted in a cascade producing counter-rotating vortices and the downstream flow...... development was examined. Three VG geometries were investigated: rectangular, triangular and cambered. The various VG geometries tested are seen to produce different impacts on the boundary layer flow. Helical symmetry of the generated vortices is confirmed for all investigated VG geometries in this high...... Reynolds number boundary layer. From the parameters resulting from this analysis, it is observed at the most upstream measurement position that the rectangular and triangular VGs produce vortices of similar size, strength and velocity induction whilst the cambered VGs produce smaller and weaker vortices...
Mixed layers of sodium caseinate + dextran sulfate: influence of order of addition to oil-water interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Jourdain, Laureline S; Schmitt, Christophe; Leser, Martin E; Murray, Brent S; Dickinson, Eric

2009-09-01

We report on the interfacial properties of electrostatic complexes of protein (sodium caseinate) with a highly sulfated polysaccharide (dextran sulfate). Two routes were investigated for preparation of adsorbed layers at the n-tetradecane-water interface at pH = 6. Bilayers were made by the layer-by-layer deposition technique whereby polysaccharide was added to a previously established protein-stabilized interface. Mixed layers were made by the conventional one-step method in which soluble protein-polysaccharide complexes were adsorbed directly at the interface. Protein + polysaccharide systems gave a slower decay of interfacial tension and stronger dilatational viscoelastic properties than the protein alone, but there was no significant difference in dilatational properties between mixed layers and bilayers. Conversely, shear rheology experiments exhibited significant differences between the two kinds of interfacial layers, with the mixed system giving much stronger interfacial films than the bilayer system, i.e., shear viscosities and moduli at least an order of magnitude higher. The film shear viscoelasticity was further enhanced by acidification of the biopolymer mixture to pH = 2 prior to interface formation. Taken together, these measurements provide insight into the origin of previously reported differences in stability properties of oil-in-water emulsions made by the bilayer and mixed layer approaches. Addition of a proteolytic enzyme (trypsin) to both types of interfaces led to a significant increase in the elastic modulus of the film, suggesting that the enzyme was adsorbed at the interface via complexation with dextran sulfate. Overall, this study has confirmed the potential of shear rheology as a highly sensitive probe of associative electrostatic interactions and interfacial structure in mixed biopolymer layers.
Equivalent physical models and formulation of equivalent source layer in high-resolution EEG imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Dezhong; He Bin

2003-01-01

In high-resolution EEG imaging, both equivalent dipole layer (EDL) and equivalent charge layer (ECL) assumed to be located just above the cortical surface have been proposed as high-resolution imaging modalities or as intermediate steps to estimate the epicortical potential. Presented here are the equivalent physical models of these two equivalent source layers (ESL) which show that the strength of EDL is proportional to the surface potential of the layer when the outside of the layer is filled with an insulator, and that the strength of ECL is the normal current of the layer when the outside is filled with a perfect conductor. Based on these equivalent physical models, closed solutions of ECL and EDL corresponding to a dipole enclosed by a spherical layer are given. These results provide the theoretical basis of ESL applications in high-resolution EEG mapping
Equivalent physical models and formulation of equivalent source layer in high-resolution EEG imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao Dezhong [School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu City, 610054, Sichuan Province (China); He Bin [The University of Illinois at Chicago, IL (United States)

2003-11-07

In high-resolution EEG imaging, both equivalent dipole layer (EDL) and equivalent charge layer (ECL) assumed to be located just above the cortical surface have been proposed as high-resolution imaging modalities or as intermediate steps to estimate the epicortical potential. Presented here are the equivalent physical models of these two equivalent source layers (ESL) which show that the strength of EDL is proportional to the surface potential of the layer when the outside of the layer is filled with an insulator, and that the strength of ECL is the normal current of the layer when the outside is filled with a perfect conductor. Based on these equivalent physical models, closed solutions of ECL and EDL corresponding to a dipole enclosed by a spherical layer are given. These results provide the theoretical basis of ESL applications in high-resolution EEG mapping.
Some evidence for the high density phase of excitons in CdS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rueckmann, I.; May, V.; Voigt, J.

1980-01-01

Reflection spectra without and with additional pumping are measured in CdS at 1.8 and 77 K, respectively, starting from very low pump intensities. At low pump intensities a special behaviour of the reflection minimum is found indicating the importance of an exciton dead layer. The experimental spectra up to the highest pump intensities can be fitted very well taking into account spatial dispersion, exciton dead layer, and density dependent excitonic parameters. Polarizability, damping, and layer thickness change continuously in the whole range of excitation intensities. On the other side, the transverse dielectric function of a high density gas of interacting 1s excitons is calculated. A comparison between theoretically and experimentally obtained excitonic parameters at different densities shows good agreement. Hence, the importance of many-exciton interaction for the reflection spectra up to vanishing at highest pump intensities is concluded. (author)
Characteristics of the magnetospheric boundary layer and magnetopause layer as observed by Imp 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eastman, T.E.; Hones, E.W. Jr.

1979-01-01

Imp 6 observations of the low-latitude magnetospheric boundary layer indicate that the plasma within it is supplied primarily by direct entry of magnetosheath plasma across the magnetopause layer. We define the magnetopause layer as the current layer (separating the magnetosheath from the boundary layer) through which the magnetic field shifts in direction. High temporal resolution (3-s average) data reveal that in a majority of Imp 6 magnetopause crossing, no distinct changes in electron density or energry spectra are observed at the magne opause layer. In all Imp 6 crossings, some magnetosheathlike plasma is observed earthward of the magnetopause layer, implying the existence of a boundary layer. Boundary layer electron energy spectra are often virtually indistinguishable from the adjacent magnetosheath spectra. Low-latitude boundary layer bulk plasma flow as observed by Imp 6 almost always has an antisunward component and often has a significant cross-field component. The boundary layer thickness is highly variable and is generally much larger than the magnetopause layer thickness. Energetic electron pitch angle distributions indicate that the low-latitude boundary layers is normally on closed field lines. We conclude that diffusive as well as nondiffusive processes probably contribute to the entry of magnetosheath plasma into the boundary layer
Distribution of protein and RNA in the 30S ribosomal subunit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramakrishnan, V.

1986-01-01

In Escherichia coli, the small ribosomal subunit has a sedimentation coefficient of 30S, and consists of a 16S RNA molecule of 1541 nucleotides complexed with 21 proteins. Over the last few years, a controversy has emerged regarding the spatial distribution of RNA and protein in the 30S subunit. Contrast variation with neutron scattering was used to suggest that the RNA was located in a central core of the subunit and the proteins mainly in the periphery, with virtually no separation between the centers of mass of protein and RNA. However, these findings are incompatible with the results of efforts to locate individual ribosomal proteins by immune electron microscopy and triangulation with interprotein distance measurements. The conflict between these two views is resolved in this report of small-angle neutron scattering measurements on 30S subunits with and without protein S1, and on subunits reconstituted from deuterated 16S RNA and unlabeled proteins. The results show that (i) the proteins and RNA are intermingled, with neither component dominating at the core or the periphery, and (ii) the spatial distribution of protein and RNA is asymmetrical, with a separation between their centers of mass of about 25 angstroms

Group-III nitride based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with barrier/spacer layer

Science.gov (United States)

Chavarkar, Prashant; Smorchkova, Ioulia P.; Keller, Stacia; Mishra, Umesh; Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw; Wu, Yifeng

2005-02-01

A Group III nitride based high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) is disclosed that provides improved high frequency performance. One embodiment of the HEMT comprises a GaN buffer layer, with an Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N (y=1 or y 1) layer on the GaN buffer layer. An Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N (0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.5) barrier layer on to the Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer, opposite the GaN buffer layer, Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer having a higher Al concentration than that of the Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N barrier layer. A preferred Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer has y=1 or y.about.1 and a preferred Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N barrier layer has 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.5. A 2DEG forms at the interface between the GaN buffer layer and the Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer. Respective source, drain and gate contacts are formed on the Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N barrier layer. The HEMT can also comprising a substrate adjacent to the buffer layer, opposite the Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer and a nucleation layer between the Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N buffer layer and the substrate.
Analysis of sulphurisation processes of electrodeposited S-rich CuIn (S,Se){sub 2} layers for photovoltaic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izquierdo-Roca, V.; Fontane, X. [EME/CERMAE/IN2UB, Departament d' Electronica, Universitat de Barcelona, C. Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Calvo-Barrio, L. [EME/CERMAE/IN2UB, Departament d' Electronica, Universitat de Barcelona, C. Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Lab. Analisis de Superficies, SCT, Univ. Barcelona, C. Lluis Sole i Sabaris 1-3, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Perez-Rodriguez, A. [EME/CERMAE/IN2UB, Departament d' Electronica, Universitat de Barcelona, C. Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)], E-mail: perez-ro@el.ub.es; Morante, J.R. [EME/CERMAE/IN2UB, Departament d' Electronica, Universitat de Barcelona, C. Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Alvarez-Garcia, J. [Centre de Recerca i Investigacio de Catalunya (CRIC), Travessera de Gracia 108, 08012 Barcelona (Spain); Duault, F.; Parissi, L.; Bermudez, V. [IRDEP, Institute of Research and Development of Photovoltaic Energy (UMR 71714, CNRS/EDF/ENSCP), 6 Quai Watier - BP 49, 78401 Chatou cedex (France)

2009-02-02

This work reports a microstructural analysis of S-rich CuIn (S,Se){sub 2} layers produced by electrodeposition of CuInSe{sub 2} precursors followed by annealing at 500 deg. C under sulphurising conditions, as function of the annealing time (t{sub ann}). The characterisation of the layers by Raman scattering (RS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques has allowed to observe a strong dependence of the layer microstructure and the secondary phases synthesised during the sulphurising step on the annealing parameters. The experimental data show the existence of two distinct regimes: For t{sub ann} < 20 min, increasing t{sub ann} leads to a significant improvement of the crystalline quality of the absorbers. For longer annealing times, the changes observed in the frequency of the main CuIn (S,Se){sub 2} A{sub 1} mode in the Raman spectra have been attributed to a higher incorporation of S in the chalcopyrite lattice. The characterisation of devices fabricated with these absorbers has allowed to analyse the impact of the microstructural features on the parameters of the solar cells, observing the existence of a strong correlation between the solar cell parameters and the spectral features of the main Raman mode.
Unstacked double-layer templated graphene for high-rate lithium-sulphur batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Meng-Qiang; Zhang, Qiang; Huang, Jia-Qi; Tian, Gui-Li; Nie, Jing-Qi; Peng, Hong-Jie; Wei, Fei

2014-03-01

Preventing the stacking of graphene is essential to exploiting its full potential in energy-storage applications. The introduction of spacers into graphene layers always results in a change in the intrinsic properties of graphene and/or induces complexity at the interfaces. Here we show the synthesis of an intrinsically unstacked double-layer templated graphene via template-directed chemical vapour deposition. The as-obtained graphene is composed of two unstacked graphene layers separated by a large amount of mesosized protuberances and can be used for high-power lithium-sulphur batteries with excellent high-rate performance. Even after 1,000 cycles, high reversible capacities of ca. 530 mA h g-1 and 380 mA h g-1 are retained at 5 C and 10 C, respectively. This type of double-layer graphene is expected to be an important platform that will enable the investigation of stabilized three-dimensional topological porous systems and demonstrate the potential of unstacked graphene materials for advanced energy storage, environmental protection, nanocomposite and healthcare applications.
Translational regulation of ribosomal protein S15 drives characteristic patterns of protein-mRNA epistasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallik, Saurav; Basu, Sudipto; Hait, Suman; Kundu, Sudip

2018-04-21

Do coding and regulatory segments of a gene co-evolve with each-other? Seeking answers to this question, here we analyze the case of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S15, that represses its own translation by specifically binding its messenger RNA (rpsO mRNA) and stabilizing a pseudoknot structure at the upstream untranslated region, thus trapping the ribosome into an incomplete translation initiation complex. In the absence of S15, ribosomal protein S1 recognizes rpsO and promotes translation by melting this very pseudoknot. We employ a robust statistical method to detect signatures of positive epistasis between residue site pairs and find that biophysical constraints of translational regulation (S15-rpsO and S1-rpsO recognition, S15-mediated rpsO structural rearrangement, and S1-mediated melting) are strong predictors of positive epistasis. Transforming the epistatic pairs into a network, we find that signatures of two different, but interconnected regulatory cascades are imprinted in the sequence-space and can be captured in terms of two dense network modules that are sparsely connected to each other. This network topology further reflects a general principle of how functionally coupled components of biological networks are interconnected. These results depict a model case, where translational regulation drives characteristic residue-level epistasis-not only between a protein and its own mRNA but also between a protein and the mRNA of an entirely different protein. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Atom depth analysis delineates mechanisms of protein intermolecular interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alocci, Davide; Bernini, Andrea; Niccolai, Neri

2013-01-01

Highlights: •3D atom depth analysis is proposed to identify different layers in protein structures. •Amino acid contents for each layers have been analyzed for a large protein dataset. •Charged amino acids in the most external layer are present at very different extents. •Atom depth indexes of K residues reflect their side chains flexibility. •Mobile surface charges can be responsible for long range protein–protein recognition. -- Abstract: The systematic analysis of amino acid distribution, performed inside a large set of resolved protein structures, sheds light on possible mechanisms driving non random protein–protein approaches. Protein Data Bank entries have been selected using as filters a series of restrictions ensuring that the shape of protein surface is not modified by interactions with large or small ligands. 3D atom depth has been evaluated for all the atoms of the 2,410 selected structures. The amino acid relative population in each of the structural layers formed by grouping atoms on the basis of their calculated depths, has been evaluated. We have identified seven structural layers, the inner ones reproducing the core of proteins and the outer one incorporating their most protruding moieties. Quantitative analysis of amino acid contents of structural layers identified, as expected, different behaviors. Atoms of Q, R, K, N, D residues are increasingly more abundant in going from core to surfaces. An opposite trend is observed for V, I, L, A, C, and G. An intermediate behavior is exhibited by P, S, T, M, W, H, F and Y. The outer structural layer hosts predominantly E and K residues whose charged moieties, protruding from outer regions of the protein surface, reorient free from steric hindrances, determining specific electrodynamics maps. This feature may represent a protein signature for long distance effects, driving the formation of encounter complexes and the eventual short distance approaches that are required for protein–protein
Edge structures and properties of triangular antidots in single-layer MoS2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan, Li-Yong; Cheng, Yingchun; Huang, Wei; Schwingenschlögl, Udo; Yao, Yingbang; Zhao, Yong; Zhang, Xi-xiang

2016-01-01

Density functional theory and experiments are employed to shed light on the edge structures of antidots in O etched single-layer MoS 2 . The equilibrium morphology is found to be the zigzag Mo edge with each Mo atom bonded to two O atoms, in a wide range of O chemical potentials. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the orientation of the created triangular antidots is opposite to the triangular shape of the single-layer MoS 2 samples, in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Furthermore, edges induced by O etching turn out to be p-doped, suggesting an effective strategy to realize p-type MoS 2 devices.
Centimeter Scale Patterned Growth of Vertically Stacked Few Layer Only 2D MoS2/WS2 van der Waals Heterostructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, Nitin; Park, Juhong; Hwang, Jun Yeon; Chung, Hee-Suk; Dumas, Kenneth H; Khondaker, Saiful I; Choi, Wonbong; Jung, Yeonwoong

2016-05-05

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waal (vdW) heterostructures composed of vertically-stacked multiple transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) are envisioned to present unprecedented materials properties unobtainable from any other material systems. Conventional fabrications of these hybrid materials have relied on the low-yield manual exfoliation and stacking of individual 2D TMD layers, which remain impractical for scaled-up applications. Attempts to chemically synthesize these materials have been recently pursued, which are presently limited to randomly and scarcely grown 2D layers with uncontrolled layer numbers on very small areas. Here, we report the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of large-area (>2 cm(2)) patterned 2D vdW heterostructures composed of few layer, vertically-stacked MoS2 and WS2. Detailed structural characterizations by Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution/scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM/STEM) directly evidence the structural integrity of two distinct 2D TMD layers with atomically sharp vdW heterointerfaces. Electrical transport measurements of these materials reveal diode-like behavior with clear current rectification, further confirming the formation of high-quality heterointerfaces. The intrinsic scalability and controllability of the CVD method presented in this study opens up a wide range of opportunities for emerging applications based on the unconventional functionalities of these uniquely structured materials.
2D Space-Confined Synthesis of Few-Layer MoS2 Anchored on Carbon Nanosheet for Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jingwen; Qin, Jian; Zhang, Xiang; Shi, Chunsheng; Liu, Enzuo; Li, Jiajun; Zhao, Naiqin; He, Chunnian

2015-04-28

A facile and scalable 2D spatial confinement strategy is developed for in situ synthesizing highly crystalline MoS2 nanosheets with few layers (≤5 layers) anchored on 3D porous carbon nanosheet networks (3D FL-MoS2@PCNNs) as lithium-ion battery anode. During the synthesis, 3D self-assembly of cubic NaCl particles is adopted to not only serve as a template to direct the growth of 3D porous carbon nanosheet networks, but also create a 2D-confined space to achieve the construction of few-layer MoS2 nanosheets robustly lain on the surface of carbon nanosheet walls. In the resulting 3D architecture, the intimate contact between the surfaces of MoS2 and carbon nanosheets can effectively avoid the aggregation and restacking of MoS2 as well as remarkably enhance the structural integrity of the electrode, while the conductive matrix of 3D porous carbon nanosheet networks can ensure fast transport of both electrons and ions in the whole electrode. As a result, this unique 3D architecture manifests an outstanding long-life cycling capability at high rates, namely, a specific capacity as large as 709 mAh g(-1) is delivered at 2 A g(-1) and maintains ∼95.2% even after 520 deep charge/discharge cycles. Apart from promising lithium-ion battery anode, this 3D FL-MoS2@PCNN composite also has immense potential for applications in other areas such as supercapacitor, catalysis, and sensors.
Effects of CdS Buffer Layers on Photoluminescence Properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Le Donne

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS absorber layers grown by sputtering were investigated by photoluminescence before and after the chemical bath deposition of CdS in order to evaluate the possible passivation of point defects by Cd atoms at the absorber/buffer layer interface. According to the literature, a broad emission around 1.21 eV was observed at low temperature under above bandgap excitation of the as-grown CZTS samples. Broad bands at 1.075 eV and 0.85 eV were detected for the first time under below bandgap excitation of the as-grown CZTS samples at low temperature, which were explained in terms of radiative transitions involving point defect-related levels determined in the literature by first-principles calculations. The emissions observed in the as-grown samples were monitored by both above and below bandgap excitations also in standard CZTS solar cells produced on the same layers. The obtained results suggest that, as in the case of Cu(In, GaSe2, Cd atoms passivate point defects at the absorber/buffer layer interface also in CZTS.
Protein S Protects against Podocyte Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Fang; Chen, Haibing; Xie, Yifan; Azeloglu, Evren U; Wei, Chengguo; Zhang, Weijia; Li, Zhengzhe; Chuang, Peter Y; Jim, Belinda; Li, Hong; Elmastour, Firas; Riyad, Jalish M; Weber, Thomas; Chen, Hongyu; Wang, Yongjun; Zhang, Aihua; Jia, Weiping; Lee, Kyung; He, John C

2018-05-01

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a leading cause of ESRD in the United States, but the molecular mechanisms mediating the early stages of DN are unclear. Methods To assess global changes that occur in early diabetic kidneys and to identify proteins potentially involved in pathogenic pathways in DN progression, we performed proteomic analysis of diabetic and nondiabetic rat glomeruli. Protein S (PS) among the highly upregulated proteins in the diabetic glomeruli. PS exerts multiple biologic effects through the Tyro3, Axl, and Mer (TAM) receptors. Because increased activation of Axl by the PS homolog Gas6 has been implicated in DN progression, we further examined the role of PS in DN. Results In human kidneys, glomerular PS expression was elevated in early DN but suppressed in advanced DN. However, plasma PS concentrations did not differ between patients with DN and healthy controls. A prominent increase of PS expression also colocalized with the expression of podocyte markers in early diabetic kidneys. In cultured podocytes, high-glucose treatment elevated PS expression, and PS knockdown further enhanced the high-glucose-induced apoptosis. Conversely, PS overexpression in cultured podocytes dampened the high-glucose- and TNF- α -induced expression of proinflammatory mediators. Tyro3 receptor was upregulated in response to high glucose and mediated the anti-inflammatory response of PS. Podocyte-specific PS loss resulted in accelerated DN in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, whereas the transient induction of PS expression in glomerular cells in vivo attenuated albuminuria and podocyte loss in diabetic OVE26 mice. Conclusions Our results support a protective role of PS against glomerular injury in DN progression. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Nephrology.
Active Boundary Layer Control on a Highly Loaded Turbine Exit Case Profile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Kurz

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A highly loaded turbine exit guide vane with active boundary layer control was investigated experimentally in the High Speed Cascade Wind Tunnel at the University of the German Federal Armed Forces, Munich. The experiments include profile Mach number distributions, wake traverse measurements as well as boundary layer investigations with a flattened Pitot probe. Active boundary layer control by fluidic oscillators was applied to achieve improved performance in the low Reynolds number regime. Low solidity, which can be applied to reduce the number of blades, increases the risk of flow separation resulting in increased total pressure losses. Active boundary layer control is supposed to overcome these negative effects. The experiments show that active boundary layer control by fluidic oscillators is an appropriate way to suppress massive open separation bubbles in the low Reynolds number regime.
SU-8 Guiding Layer for Love Wave Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael I. Newton

2007-11-01

Full Text Available SU-8 is a technologically important photoresist used extensively for thefabrication of microfluidics and MEMS, allowing high aspect ratio structures to beproduced. In this work we report the use of SU-8 as a Love wave sensor guiding layerwhich allows the possibility of integrating a guiding layer with flow cell during fabrication.Devices were fabricated on ST-cut quartz substrates with a single-single finger design suchthat a surface skimming bulk wave (SSBW at 97.4 MHz was excited. SU-8 polymer layerswere successively built up by spin coating and spectra recorded at each stage; showing afrequency decrease with increasing guiding layer thickness. The insertion loss andfrequency dependence as a function of guiding layer thickness was investigated over thefirst Love wave mode. Mass loading sensitivity of the resultant Love wave devices wasinvestigated by deposition of multiple gold layers. Liquid sensing using these devices wasalso demonstrated; water-glycerol mixtures were used to demonstrate sensing of density-viscosity and the physical adsorption and removal of protein was also assessed usingalbumin and fibrinogen as model proteins.
Structural changes induced by high-pressure processing in micellar casein and milk protein concentrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadesky, Lee; Walkling-Ribeiro, Markus; Kriner, Kyle T; Karwe, Mukund V; Moraru, Carmen I

2017-09-01

Reconstituted micellar casein concentrates and milk protein concentrates of 2.5 and 10% (wt/vol) protein concentration were subjected to high-pressure processing at pressures from 150 to 450 MPa, for 15 min, at ambient temperature. The structural changes induced in milk proteins by high-pressure processing were investigated using a range of physical, physicochemical, and chemical methods, including dynamic light scattering, rheology, mid-infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, proteomics, and soluble mineral analyses. The experimental data clearly indicate pressure-induced changes of casein micelles, as well as denaturation of serum proteins. Calcium-binding α S1 - and α S2 -casein levels increased in the soluble phase after all pressure treatments. Pressurization up to 350 MPa also increased levels of soluble calcium and phosphorus, in all samples and concentrations, whereas treatment at 450 MPa reduced the levels of soluble Ca and P. Experimental data suggest dissociation of calcium phosphate and subsequent casein micelle destabilization as a result of pressure treatment. Treatment of 10% micellar casein concentrate and 10% milk protein concentrate samples at 450 MPa resulted in weak, physical gels, which featured aggregates of uniformly distributed, casein substructures of 15 to 20 nm in diameter. Serum proteins were significantly denatured by pressures above 250 MPa. These results provide information on pressure-induced changes in high-concentration protein systems, and may inform the development on new milk protein-based foods with novel textures and potentially high nutritional quality, of particular interest being the soft gel structures formed at high pressure levels. The Authors. Published by the Federation of Animal Science Societies and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
Expression of microphthalmia transcription factor, S100 protein, and HMB-45 in malignant melanoma and pigmented nevi.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Jianxin; Wang, Yanlong; Li, Fuqiu; Wang, Jinfeng; Mu, Yan; Mei, Xianglin; Li, Xue; Zhu, Wenjing; Jin, Xianhua; Yu, Kai

2016-09-01

Malignant melanoma (MM) is a type of malignant tumor, which originates from neural crest melanocytes. MM progresses rapidly and results in a high mortality rate. The present study aims to investigate the expression of microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF), the S100 protein, and HMB-45 in MM and pigmented nevi. A total of 32 MM samples (including three skin metastasis, three lymph node metastasis and two spindle cell MM samples), two Spitz nevus samples, four pigmented nevus samples and two blue nevus samples were collected. The expression levels of S100 protein, HMB-45, and MITF were observed via immunostaining. The S100 protein exhibited high positive rates in MM and pigment disorders (96.7 and 100%, respectively), but with low specificity. The S100 protein was also expressed in fibroblasts, myoepithelial cells, histocytes and Langerhans cells in normal skin samples. HMB-45 had high specificity. Its positive expression was only confined to MM cells and junctional nevus cells. Furthermore, HMB-45 was not expressed in melanocytes in the normal tissue samples around the tumor or in the benign intradermal nevus cells. MITF exhibited high specificity and high sensitivity. It was expressed in the nuclei of melanocytes, MM cells and nevus cells. It was observed to be strongly expressed in metastatic MM and spindle cell MMs. Thus, MITF may present as a specific immunomarker for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of MM.
Tuning band alignment by CdS layers using a SILAR method to enhance TiO2/CdS/CdSe quantum-dot solar-cell performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bingkai; Zheng, Jiaxin; Li, Xiaoning; Fang, Yanyan; Wang, Lin-Wang; Lin, Yuan; Pan, Feng

2016-04-28

We report tuning band alignment by optimized CdS layers using a SILAR method to achieve the recorded best performance with about 6% PCE in TiO2/CdS/CdSe QDSSCs. Combining experimental and theoretical studies, we find that a better lattices match between CdS and TiO2 assists the growth of CdSe, and the combined effect of charge transfer and surface dipole moment at the TiO2/CdS/CdSe interface shifts the energy levels of TiO2 upward and increases Voc of the solar cells. More importantly, the band gap of CdS buffer layers is sensitive to the distortion induced by lattice mismatch and numbers of CdS layers. For example, the barrier for charge transfer disappears when there are more than 4 layers of CdS, facilitating the charge injection from CdSe to TiO2.
High-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance studies of proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Jonas, Jiri

2002-03-25

The combination of advanced high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques with high-pressure capability represents a powerful experimental tool in studies of protein folding. This review is organized as follows: after a general introduction of high-pressure, high-resolution NMR spectroscopy of proteins, the experimental part deals with instrumentation. The main section of the review is devoted to NMR studies of reversible pressure unfolding of proteins with special emphasis on pressure-assisted cold denaturation and the detection of folding intermediates. Recent studies investigating local perturbations in proteins and the experiments following the effects of point mutations on pressure stability of proteins are also discussed. Ribonuclease A, lysozyme, ubiquitin, apomyoglobin, alpha-lactalbumin and troponin C were the model proteins investigated.
Evolution of oxygenated cadmium sulfide (CdS:O) during high-temperature CdTe solar cell fabrication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meysing, Daniel M.; Reese, Matthew O.; Warren, Charles W.; Abbas, Ali; Burst, James M.; Mahabaduge, Hasitha P.; Metzger, Wyatt K.; Walls, John M.; Lonergan, Mark C.; Barnes, Teresa M.; Wolden, Colin A.

2016-12-01

Oxygenated cadmium sulfide (CdS:O) produced by reactive sputtering has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional CdS for use as the n-type window layer in CdTe solar cells. Here, complementary techniques are used to expose the window layer (CdS or CdS:O) in completed superstrate devices and combined with a suite of materials characterization to elucidate its evolution during high temperature device processing. During device fabrication amorphous CdS:O undergoes significant interdiffusion with CdTe and recrystallization, forming CdS1-yTey nanocrystals whose Te fraction approaches solubility limits. Significant oxygen remains after processing, concentrated in sulfate clusters dispersed among the CdS1-yTey alloy phase, accounting for ~30% of the post-processed window layer based on cross-sectional microscopy. Interdiffusion and recrystallization are observed in devices with un-oxygenated CdS, but to a much lesser extent. Etching experiments suggest that the CdS thickness is minimally changed during processing, but the CdS:O window layer is reduced from 100 nm to 60-80 nm, which is confirmed by microscopy. Alloying reduces the band gap of the CdS:O window layer to 2.15 eV, but reductions in thickness and areal density improve its transmission spectrum, which is well matched to device quantum efficiency. The changes to the window layer in the reactive environments of device fabrication are profoundly different than what occurs by thermal annealing in an inert environment, which produced films with a band gap of 2.4 eV for both CdS and CdS:O. These results illustrate for the first time the significant changes that occur to the window layer during processing that are critical to the performance of CdTe solar cells.
Highly sensitive multi-layer pressure sensor with an active nanostructured layer of an organic molecular metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laukhin, V; Lebedev, V; Laukhina, E; Rovira, C; Veciana, J

2016-01-01

This work addresses to the modern technologies that need to be instrumented with lightweight highly sensitive pressure sensors. The paper presents the development of a new plain flexible thin pressure sensor using a nanostructured layer of the highly sensitive organic piezoresistive metal β-(BEDT-TTF) 2 I 3 as an active component; BEDT-TTF=bis (ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene. The original construction approach permits one to operate the developed sensor on the principle of electrical resistance variations when its piezoresistive layer is elongated under a pressure increase. The pressure sensing element and a set of gold electrodes were integrated into one compact multi-layer design. The construction was optimized to enable one generic design for pressure ranges from 1 to 400 bar. The pressure tests showed that the sensor is able to control a small pressure change as a well definite electrical signal. So the developed type of the sensors is very attractive as a new generation of compact, lightweight, low-cost sensors that might monitor pressure with a good level of measurement accuracy. (paper)
ZnSe passivation layer for the efficiency enhancement of CuInS{sub 2} quantum dots sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Zhuoyin; Liu, Yueli; Zhao, Yinghan; Chen, Keqiang; Cheng, Yuqing [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070 (China); Kovalev, Valery [Department of Mechanics and Mathematics, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Leninskie Gory 1, 119992 Moscow (Russian Federation); Chen, Wen, E-mail: chenw@whut.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070 (China)

2014-02-25

Highlights: • ZnSe is employed as passivation layer in CuInS{sub 2} quantum dots sensitized solar cells. • Slight red-shift has been occurred in UV–vis absorption spectra with ZnSe coating. • CuInS{sub 2} based solar cells coated by ZnSe have better efficiency than that of ZnS. • Higher rate of charge transport can be produced after coating with ZnSe. -- Abstract: The effect of ZnSe passivation layer is investigated in the CuInS{sub 2} quantum dot sensitized solar cells, which is used to improve the photovoltaic performance. The CuInS{sub 2} quantum dot sensitized TiO{sub 2} photo-anodes are prepared by assembly linking technique, and then deposited by the ZnSe passivation layer using the successive ionic layer absorption and reaction technique. The optical absorption edge and photoluminescence peak have slightly red-shifted after the passivation layer coating. Under solar light illumination, the ZnSe passivation layer based CuInS{sub 2} quantum dot sensitized solar cells have the higher photovoltaic efficiency of 0.95% and incident photon conversion efficiency response than that of pure CuInS{sub 2} based solar cells and ZnS passivation layer based solar cells, as the electron injection rate becomes faster after coating with ZnSe passivation layer.
High-frequency internal waves and thick bottom mixed layers observed by gliders in the Gulf Stream

Science.gov (United States)

Todd, Robert E.

2017-06-01

Autonomous underwater gliders are conducting high-resolution surveys within the Gulf Stream along the U.S. East Coast. Glider surveys reveal two mechanisms by which energy is extracted from the Gulf Stream as it flows over the Blake Plateau, a portion of the outer continental shelf between Florida and North Carolina where bottom depths are less than 1000 m. Internal waves with vertical velocities exceeding 0.1 m s-1 and frequencies just below the local buoyancy frequency are routinely found over the Blake Plateau, particularly near the Charleston Bump, a prominent topographic feature. These waves are likely internal lee waves generated by the subinertial Gulf Stream flow over the irregular bathymetry of the outer continental shelf. Bottom mixed layers with O(100) m thickness are also frequently encountered; these thick bottom mixed layers likely form in the lee of topography due to enhanced turbulence generated by O(1) m s-1 near-bottom flows.

High-throughput Cloning and Expression of Integral Membrane Proteins in Escherichia coli

Science.gov (United States)

Bruni, Renato

2014-01-01

Recently, several structural genomics centers have been established and a remarkable number of three-dimensional structures of soluble proteins have been solved. For membrane proteins, the number of structures solved has been significantly trailing those for their soluble counterparts, not least because over-expression and purification of membrane proteins is a much more arduous process. By using high throughput technologies, a large number of membrane protein targets can be screened simultaneously and a greater number of expression and purification conditions can be employed, leading to a higher probability of successfully determining the structure of membrane proteins. This unit describes the cloning, expression and screening of membrane proteins using high throughput methodologies developed in our laboratory. Basic Protocol 1 deals with the cloning of inserts into expression vectors by ligation-independent cloning. Basic Protocol 2 describes the expression and purification of the target proteins on a miniscale. Lastly, for the targets that express at the miniscale, basic protocols 3 and 4 outline the methods employed for the expression and purification of targets at the midi-scale, as well as a procedure for detergent screening and identification of detergent(s) in which the target protein is stable. PMID:24510647
Mycobacterium tuberculosis HspX/EsxS Fusion Protein: Gene Cloning, Protein Expression, and Purification in Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Khademi, Farzad; Yousefi-Avarvand, Arshid; Derakhshan, Mohammad; Meshkat, Zahra; Tafaghodi, Mohsen; Ghazvini, Kiarash; Aryan, Ehsan; Sankian, Mojtaba

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study was to clone, express, and purify a novel multidomain fusion protein of Micobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in a prokaryotic system. An hspX/esxS gene construct was synthesized and ligated into a pGH plasmid, E. coli TOP10 cells were transformed, and the vector was purified. The vector containing the construct and pET-21b (+) plasmid were digested with the same enzymes and the construct was ligated into pET-21b (+). The accuracy of cloning was confirmed by colony PCR and sequencing. E. coli BL21 cells were transformed with the pET-21b (+)/hspX/esxS expression vector and protein expression was evaluated. Finally, the expressed fusion protein was purified on a Ni-IDA column and verified by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. The hspX/esxS gene construct was inserted into pET-21b (+) and recombinant protein expression was induced with IPTG in E. coli BL21 cells. Various concentrations of IPTG were tested to determine the optimum concentration for expression induction. The recombinant protein was expressed in insoluble inclusion bodies. Three molar guanidine HCl was used to solubilize the insoluble protein. An HspX/EsxS Mtb fusion protein was expressed in E. coli and the recombinant protein was purified. After immunological analysis, the HspX/EsxS fusion protein might be an anti-tuberculosis vaccine candidate in future clinical trial studies.
Immunoevasive protein (IEP)-containing surface layer covering polydnavirus particles is essential for viral infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Furihata, Shunsuke; Tanaka, Kohjiro; Ryuda, Masasuke; Ochiai, Masanori; Matsumoto, Hitoshi; Csikos, Gyorge; Hayakawa, Yoichi

2014-01-01

Polydnaviruses (PDVs) are unique symbiotic viruses associated with parasitoid wasps: PDV particles are injected into lepidopteran hosts along with the wasp eggs and express genes that interfere with aspects of host physiology such as immune defenses and development. Recent comparative genomic studies of PDVs have significantly improved our understanding of their origin as well as the genome organization. However, the structural features of functional PDV particles remain ambiguous. To clear up the structure of Cotesia kariyai PDV (CkPDV) particles, we focused on immunoevasive protein (IEP), which is a mediator of immunoevasion by the wasp from the encapsulation reaction of the host insect's hemocytes, because it has been demonstrated to be present on the surface of the virus particle. We discovered that IEP tends to polymerize and constitutes a previously unidentified thin surface layer covering CkPDV particles. This outermost surface layer looked fragile and was easily removed from CkPVD particles by mechanical stressors such as shaking, which prevented CkPDV from expressing the encoded genes in the host target tissues such as fat body or hemocytes. Furthermore, we detected IEP homologue gene expression in the wasp's venom reservoirs, implying IEP has another unknown biological function in the wasp or parasitized hosts. Taken together, the present results demonstrated that female C. kariyai wasps produce the fragile thin layer partly composed of IEP to cover the outer surfaces of CkPDV particles; otherwise, they cannot function as infectious agents in the wasp's host. The fact that IEP family proteins are expressed in both venom reservoirs and oviducts suggests an intimate relationship between both tissues in the development of the parasitism strategy of the wasp. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ni foam supported quasi-core-shell structure of ultrathin Ti3C2 nanosheets through electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly as high rate-performance electrodes of supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yapeng; Yang, Chenhui; Que, Wenxiu; He, Yucheng; Liu, Xiaobin; Luo, Yangyang; Yin, Xingtian; Kong, Ling Bing

2017-11-01

Supercapacitor, as an important energy storage device, is a critical component for next generation electric power system, due to its high power density and long cycle life. In this study, a novel electrode material with quasi-core-shell structure, consisting of negatively charged few layer Ti3C2 nanosheets (FL-Ti3C2) and positively charged polyethyleneimine as building blocks, has been prepared by using an electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly method, with highly conductive Ni foam to be used as the skeleton. The unique quasi-core-shell structured ultrathin Ti3C2 nanosheets provide an excellent electron channel, ion transport channel and large effective contact area, thus leading to a great improvement in electrochemical performance of the material. The specific capacitance of the binder-free FL-Ti3C2@Ni foam electrodes reaches 370 F g-1 at the scan rate of 2 mV s-1 and a specific capacitance of 117 F g-1 is obtained even at the scan rate of 1000 mV s-1 in the electrolyte of Li2SO4, indicating a high rate performance. In addition, this electrode shows a long-term cyclic stability with a loss of only 13.7% after 10,000 circles. Furthermore, quantitative analysis has been conducted to ensure the relationship between the capacitive contribution and the rate performance of the as-fabricated electrode.
Phase transformation synthesis of TiO2/CdS heterojunction film with high visible-light photoelectrochemical activity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Canjun; Yang, Yahui; Li, Jie; Chen, Shu

2018-06-01

CdS/TiO2 heterojunction film used as a photoanode has attracted much attention in the past few years due to its good visible light photocatalytic activity. However, CdS/TiO2 films prepared by conventional methods (successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction, chemical bath deposition and electrodeposition) show numerous grain boundaries in the CdS layer and an imperfect contact at the heterojunction interface. In this study, we designed a phase transformation method to fabricate CdS/TiO2 nanorod heterojunction films. The characterization results showed that the CdS layer with fewer grain boundaries was conformally coated on the TiO2 nanorod surface and the formation mechanism has been explained in this manuscript. Moreover, the prepared CdS/TiO2 films show a high photocatalytic activity and the photocurrent density is as high as 9.65 mA cm‑2 at 0.80 V versus RHE. It may be attributed to fewer grain boundaries and a compact heterojunction contact, which can effectively improve charge separation and transportation.
Effect of Al 2 O 3 Recombination Barrier Layers Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition in Solid-State CdS Quantum Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Roelofs, Katherine E.

2013-03-21

Despite the promise of quantum dots (QDs) as a light-absorbing material to replace the dye in dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) efficiencies remain low, due in part to high rates of recombination. In this article, we demonstrate that ultrathin recombination barrier layers of Al2O3 deposited by atomic layer deposition can improve the performance of cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dot-sensitized solar cells with spiro-OMeTAD as the solid-state hole transport material. We explored depositing the Al2O3 barrier layers either before or after the QDs, resulting in TiO2/Al2O3/QD and TiO 2/QD/Al2O3 configurations. The effects of barrier layer configuration and thickness were tracked through current-voltage measurements of device performance and transient photovoltage measurements of electron lifetimes. The Al2O3 layers were found to suppress dark current and increase electron lifetimes with increasing Al 2O3 thickness in both configurations. For thin barrier layers, gains in open-circuit voltage and concomitant increases in efficiency were observed, although at greater thicknesses, losses in photocurrent caused net decreases in efficiency. A close comparison of the electron lifetimes in TiO2 in the TiO2/Al2O3/QD and TiO2/QD/Al2O3 configurations suggests that electron transfer from TiO2 to spiro-OMeTAD is a major source of recombination in ss-QDSSCs, though recombination of TiO2 electrons with oxidized QDs can also limit electron lifetimes, particularly if the regeneration of oxidized QDs is hindered by a too-thick coating of the barrier layer. © 2013 American Chemical Society.
Comparison of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fetuin-A levels before and after treatment for subjects with subclinical hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgir, Oktay; Bilgir, Ferda; Topcuoglu, Tuba; Calan, Mehmet; Calan, Ozlem

2014-03-01

This study was designed to show the effect of propylthiouracil treatment on sCD40L, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fetuin-A levels on subjects with subclinical hyperthyroidism. After checking sCD40L, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fetuin-A levels of 35 patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism, each was given 50 mg tablets of propylthiouracil three times daily. After 3 months, sCD40L, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fetuin-A levels were then compared to the levels before treatment. Although high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and sCD40L levels were normal in the subclinical hyperthyroidism patients compared to the healthy controls, fetuin-A levels were statistically significantly higher (*p = 0.022). After treatment, fetuin-A levels of subclinical hyperthyroidism patients decreased statistically significantly compared to the levels before treatment (**p = 0.026). sCD40L and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels did not have a statistically significant difference compared to the control group and post-propylthiouracil treatment. In subclinical hyperthyroidism patients, high fetuin-A levels before propylthiouracil treatment and decreases in these levels after treatment in cases with subclinical hyperthyroidism indicated the possibility of preventing long-term cardiac complications with propylthiouracil treatment.
High-Yield Preparation and Electrochemical Properties of Few-Layer MoS2 Nanosheets by Exfoliating Natural Molybdenite Powders Directly via a Coupled Ultrasonication-Milling Process

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Huina; Chen, Deliang; Wang, Kai; Zhang, Rui

2016-09-01

Cost-effective and scalable preparation of two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been the bottleneck that limits their applications. This paper reports a novel coupled ultrasonication-milling (CUM) process to exfoliate natural molybdenite powders to achieve few-layer MoS2 (FL-MoS2) nanosheets in the solvent of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) molecules. The synergistic effect of ultrasonication and sand milling highly enhanced the exfoliation efficiency, and the precursor of natural molybdenite powders minimizes the synthetic cost of FL-MoS2 nanosheets. The exfoliation of natural molybdenite powders was conducted in a home-made CUM system, mainly consisting of an ultrasonic cell disruptor and a ceramic sand mill. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectra, Raman spectra, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, AFM, and N2 adsorption-desorption. The factors that influence the exfoliation in the CUM process, including the initial concentration of natural molybdenite powders ( C in, 15-55 g L-1), ultrasonic power ( P u, 200-350 W), rotation speed of sand mill ( ω s, 1500-2250 r.p.m), exfoliation time ( t ex, 0.5-6 h), and the molar ratio of PVP unit to MoS2 ( R pm, 0-1), were systematically investigated. Under the optimal CUM conditions (i.e., C in = 45 g L-1, P u = 280 W, ω s = 2250 r.p.m and R pm = 0.5), the yield at t ex = 6 h reaches 21.6 %, and the corresponding exfoliation rate is as high as 1.42 g L-1 h-1. The exfoliation efficiency of the CUM mode is much higher than that of either the ultrasonication (U) mode or the milling (M) mode. The synergistic mechanism and influencing rules of the CUM process in exfoliating natural molybdenite powders were elaborated. The as-obtained FL-MoS2 nanosheets have a high specific surface area of 924 m2 g-1 and show highly enhanced electrocatalytic performance in hydrogen evolution reaction and good electrochemical sensing property in detecting ascorbic acid. The CUM process
Identification of herpesvirus proteins that contribute to G1/S arrest.

Science.gov (United States)

Paladino, Patrick; Marcon, Edyta; Greenblatt, Jack; Frappier, Lori

2014-04-01

Lytic infection by herpesviruses induces cell cycle arrest at the G1/S transition. This appears to be a function of multiple herpesvirus proteins, but only a minority of herpesvirus proteins have been examined for cell cycle effects. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the viral proteins that contribute to G1/S arrest, we screened a library of over 200 proteins from herpes simplex virus type 1, human cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) for effects on the G1/S interface, using HeLa fluorescent, ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci) cells in which G1/S can be detected colorimetrically. Proteins from each virus were identified that induce accumulation of G1/S cells, predominantly tegument, early, and capsid proteins. The identification of several capsid proteins in this screen suggests that incoming viral capsids may function to modulate cellular processes. The cell cycle effects of selected EBV proteins were further verified and examined for effects on p53 and p21 as regulators of the G1/S transition. Two EBV replication proteins (BORF2 and BMRF1) were found to induce p53 but not p21, while a previously uncharacterized tegument protein (BGLF2) was found to induce p21 protein levels in a p53-independent manner. Proteomic analyses of BGLF2-interacting proteins identified interactions with the NIMA-related protein kinase (NEK9) and GEM-interacting protein (GMIP). Silencing of either NEK9 or GMIP induced p21 without affecting p53 and abrogated the ability of BGLF2 to further induce p21. Collectively, these results suggest multiple viral proteins contribute to G1/S arrest, including BGLF2, which induces p21 levels likely by interfering with the functions of NEK9 and GMIP. Most people are infected with multiple herpesviruses, whose proteins alter the infected cells in several ways. During lytic infection, the viral proteins block cell proliferation just before the cellular DNA replicates. We used a novel screening method to identify proteins
Ballistic Limit of High-Strength Steel and Al7075-T6 Multi-Layered Plates Under 7.62-mm Armour Piercing Projectile Impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. A. Rahman

Full Text Available Abstract This paper presents the computational-based ballistic limit of laminated metal panels comprised of high strength steel and aluminium alloy Al7075-T6 plate at different thickness combinations to necessitate the weight reduction of existing armour steel plate. The numerical models of monolithic configuration, double-layered configuration and triple-layered configuration were developed using a commercial explicit finite element code and were impacted by 7.62 mm armour piercing projectile at velocity range of 900 to 950 m/s. The ballistic performance of each configuration plate in terms of ballistic limit velocity, penetration process and permanent deformation was quantified and considered. It was found that the monolithic panel of high-strength steel has the best ballistic performance among all panels, yet it has not caused any weight reduction in existing armour plate. As the weight reduction was increased from 20-30%, the double-layered configuration panels became less resistance to ballistic impact where only at 20% and 23.2% of weight reduction panel could stop the 950m/s projectile. The triple-layered configuration panels with similar areal density performed much better where all panels subjected to 20-30% weight reductions successfully stopped the 950 m/s projectile. Thus, triple-layered configurations are interesting option in designing a protective structure without sacrificing the performance in achieving weight reduction.
Genetic mapping and validation of the loci controlling 7S α' and 11S A-type storage protein subunits in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.].

Science.gov (United States)

Boehm, Jeffrey D; Nguyen, Vi; Tashiro, Rebecca M; Anderson, Dale; Shi, Chun; Wu, Xiaoguang; Woodrow, Lorna; Yu, Kangfu; Cui, Yuhai; Li, Zenglu

2018-03-01

Four soybean storage protein subunit QTLs were mapped using bulked segregant analysis and an F 2 population, which were validated with an F 5 RIL population. The storage protein globulins β-conglycinin (7S subunit) and glycinin (11S subunits) can affect the quantity and quality of proteins found in soybean seeds and account for more than 70% of the total soybean protein. Manipulating the storage protein subunits to enhance soymeal nutrition and for desirable tofu manufacturing characteristics are two end-use quality goals in soybean breeding programs. To aid in developing soybean cultivars with desired seed composition, an F 2 mapping population (n = 448) and an F 5 RIL population (n = 180) were developed by crossing high protein cultivar 'Harovinton' with the breeding line SQ97-0263_3-1a, which lacks the 7S α', 11S A 1 , 11S A 2 , 11S A 3 and 11S A 4 subunits. The storage protein composition of each individual in the F 2 and F 5 populations were profiled using SDS-PAGE. Based on the presence/absence of the subunits, genomic DNA bulks were formed among the F 2 plants to identify genomic regions controlling the 7S α' and 11S protein subunits. By utilizing polymorphic SNPs between the bulks characterized with Illumina SoySNP50K iSelect BeadChips at targeted genomic regions, KASP assays were designed and used to map QTLs causing the loss of the subunits. Soybean storage protein QTLs were identified on Chromosome 3 (11S A 1 ), Chromosome 10 (7S α' and 11S A 4 ), and Chromosome 13 (11S A 3 ), which were also validated in the F 5 RIL population. The results of this research could allow for the deployment of marker-assisted selection for desired storage protein subunits by screening breeding populations using the SNPs linked with the subunits of interest.
Edge structures and properties of triangular antidots in single-layer MoS2

KAUST Repository

Gan, Li Yong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Yao, Yingbang; Zhao, Yong; Zhang, Xixiang; Huang, Wei

2016-01-01

Density functional theory and experiments are employed to shed light on the edge structures of antidots in O etched single-layer MoS2. The equilibrium morphology is found to be the zigzag Mo edge with each Mo atom bonded to two O atoms, in a wide range of O chemical potentials. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the orientation of the created triangular antidots is opposite to the triangular shape of the single-layer MoS2 samples, in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Furthermore, edges induced by O etching turn out to be p-doped, suggesting an effective strategy to realize p-type MoS2 devices. Published by AIP Publishing.
Edge structures and properties of triangular antidots in single-layer MoS2

KAUST Repository

Gan, Li Yong

2016-08-30

Density functional theory and experiments are employed to shed light on the edge structures of antidots in O etched single-layer MoS2. The equilibrium morphology is found to be the zigzag Mo edge with each Mo atom bonded to two O atoms, in a wide range of O chemical potentials. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the orientation of the created triangular antidots is opposite to the triangular shape of the single-layer MoS2 samples, in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Furthermore, edges induced by O etching turn out to be p-doped, suggesting an effective strategy to realize p-type MoS2 devices. Published by AIP Publishing.
Preparation and layer-by-layer solution deposition of Cu(In,GaO2 nanoparticles with conversion to Cu(In,GaS2 films.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walter J Dressick

Full Text Available We present a method of Cu(In,GaS2 (CIGS thin film formation via conversion of layer-by-layer (LbL assembled Cu-In-Ga oxide (CIGO nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes. CIGO nanoparticles were created via a novel flame-spray pyrolysis method using metal nitrate precursors, subsequently coated with polyallylamine (PAH, and dispersed in aqueous solution. Multilayer films were assembled by alternately dipping quartz, Si, and/or Mo substrates into a solution of either polydopamine (PDA or polystyrenesulfonate (PSS and then in the CIGO-PAH dispersion to fabricate films as thick as 1-2 microns. PSS/CIGO-PAH films were found to be inadequate due to weak adhesion to the Si and Mo substrates, excessive particle diffusion during sulfurization, and mechanical softness ill-suited to further processing. PDA/CIGO-PAH films, in contrast, were more mechanically robust and more tolerant of high temperature processing. After LbL deposition, films were oxidized to remove polymer and sulfurized at high temperature under flowing hydrogen sulfide to convert CIGO to CIGS. Complete film conversion from the oxide to the sulfide is confirmed by X-ray diffraction characterization.
Termination layer compensated tunnelling magnetoresistance in ferrimagnetic Heusler compounds with high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Jaewoo; Ferrante, Yari; Faleev, Sergey V; Samant, Mahesh G; Felser, Claudia; Parkin, Stuart S P

2016-01-18

Although high-tunnelling spin polarization has been observed in soft, ferromagnetic, and predicted for hard, ferrimagnetic Heusler materials, there has been no experimental observation to date of high-tunnelling magnetoresistance in the latter. Here we report the preparation of highly textured, polycrystalline Mn3Ge films on amorphous substrates, with very high magnetic anisotropy fields exceeding 7 T, making them technologically relevant. However, the small and negative tunnelling magnetoresistance that we find is attributed to predominant tunnelling from the lower moment Mn-Ge termination layers that are oppositely magnetized to the higher moment Mn-Mn layers. The net spin polarization of the current reflects the different proportions of the two distinct termination layers and their associated tunnelling matrix elements that result from inevitable atomic scale roughness. We show that by engineering the spin polarization of the two termination layers to be of the same sign, even though these layers are oppositely magnetized, high-tunnelling magnetoresistance is possible.
The hybrid-cluster protein ('prismane protein') from Escherichia coli. Characterization of the hybrid-cluster protein, redox properties of the [2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-2S-2O] clusters and identification of an associated NADH oxidoreductase containing FAD and[2Fe-2S

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berg, van den W.A.M.; Hagen, W.R.; Dongen, van W.M.A.M.

2000-01-01

Hybrid-cluster proteins ('prismane proteins') have previously been isolated and characterized from strictly anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria. These proteins contain two types of Fe/S clusters unique in biological systems: a [4Fe-4S] cubane cluster with spin-admixed S = 3/2 ground-state
Effects of high-impact exercise on the physical properties of bones of ovariectomized rats fed to a high-protein diet.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimano, R C; Yanagihara, G R; Macedo, A P; Yamanaka, J S; Shimano, A C; Tavares, J M R S; Issa, J P M

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high-impact physical exercise as a prophylactic and therapeutic means in osteopenic bones of rats submitted to ovariectomy and protein diet intake. A total of 64 Wistar rats were divided into eight groups (n = 8 each), being: OVX, ovx, standard diet and sedentary; OVXE, ovx, standard diet and jump; OVXP, ovx, high-protein diet and sedentary; and OVXEP, ovx, high-protein diet and jump; SH, sham, standard diet and sedentary; SHE, sham, standard diet and jump; SHP, sham, high-protein diet and sedentary; and SHEP, sham, high-protein diet and jump. OVX surgery consists of ovariectomy, and sham was the control surgery. The jumping protocol consisted of 20 jumps/day, 5 days/week. The bone structure was evaluated by densitometry, mechanical tests, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical analyses. A high-protein diet resulted in increased bone mineral density (P = .049), but decreased maximal load (P = .026) and bone volume fraction (P = .023). The benefits of physical exercise were demonstrated by higher values of the maximal load in the trained groups compared to the sedentary groups (P high-protein diet (P = .005) and jump exercise (P = .017) resulted in lower immunostaining of osteopontin compared to the standard diet and sedentary groups, respectively. In this experimental model, it was concluded that ovariectomy and a high-fat diet can negatively affect bone tissue and the high-impact exercise was not enough to suppress the deleterious effects caused by the protein diet and ovariectomy. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
High-power piezoelectric characteristics of textured bismuth layer structured ferroelectric ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, Hirozumi; Kawada, Shinichiro; Kimura, Masahiko; Shiratsuyu, Kousuke; Sakabe, Yukio

2007-12-01

Abstract-The high-power piezoelectric characteristics in h001i oriented ceramics of bismuth layer structured ferroelectrics (BLSF), SrBi(2)Nb(2)O(9) (SBN), (Bi,La)(4)Ti(3)O(12) (BLT), and CaBi(4)Ti(4)O(15) (CBT), were studied by a constant voltage driving method. These textured ceramics were fabricated by a templated grain growth (TGG) method, and their Lotgering factors were 95%, 97%, and 99%, respectively. The vibration velocities of the longitudinal mode (33-mode) increased proportionally to an applied electric field up to 2.5 m/s in these textured BLSF ceramics, although, the vibration velocity of the 33-mode was saturated at more than 1.0 m/s in the Pb(Mn,Nb)O(3)-PZT ceramics. The resonant frequencies were constant up to the vibration velocity of 2.5 m/s in the SBN and CBT textured ceramics; however, the resonant frequency decreased with increasing over the vibration velocity of 1.5 m/s in the BLT textured ceramics. The dissipation power density of the BLT was almost the same as that of the Pb(Mn,Nb)O(3)-PZT ceramics. However, the dissipation power densities of the SBN and CBT were lower than those of the BLT and Pb(Mn,Nb)O(3)-PZT ceramics. The textured SBN and CBT ceramics are good candidates for high-power piezoelectric applications.
Epstein-Barr virus-encoded EBNA-5 binds to Epstein-Barr virus-induced Fte1/S3a protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashuba, Elena; Yurchenko, Mariya; Szirak, Krisztina; Stahl, Joachim; Klein, George; Szekely, Laszlo

2005-01-01

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transforms resting human B cells into immortalized immunoblasts. EBV-encoded nuclear antigens EBNA-5 (also called EBNA-LP) is one of the earliest viral proteins expressed in freshly infected B cells. We have recently shown that EBNA-5 binds p14ARF, a nucleolar protein that regulates the p53 pathway. Here, we report the identification of another protein with partially nucleolar localization, the v-fos transformation effector Fte-1 (Fte-1/S3a), as an EBNA-5 binding partner. In transfected cells, Fte-1/S3a and EBNA-5 proteins showed high levels of colocalization in extranucleolar inclusions. Fte-1/S3a has multiple biological functions. It enhances v-fos-mediated cellular transformation and is part of the small ribosomal subunit. It also interacts with the transcriptional factor CHOP and apoptosis regulator poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Fte-1/S3a is regularly expressed at high levels in both tumors and cancer cell lines. Its high expression favors the maintenance of malignant phenotype and undifferentiated state, whereas its down-regulation is associated with cellular differentiation and growth arrest. Here, we show that EBV-induced B cell transformation leads to the up-regulation of Fte-1/S3a. We suggest that EBNA-5 through binding may influence the growth promoting, differentiation inhibiting, or apoptosis regulating functions of Fte-1/S3a
Conformational Heterogeneity in Antibody-Protein Antigen Recognition IMPLICATIONS FOR HIGH AFFINITY PROTEIN COMPLEX FORMATION

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Addis, P. W.; Hall, c. J.; Bruton, S.; Veverka, Václav; Wilkinson, I. C.; Muskett, F. W.; Renshaw, P. S.; Prosser, C. E.; Carrington, B.; Lawson, A. D. G.; Griffin, R.; Taylor, R. J.; Waters, L. C.; Henry, A. J.; Carr, M. D.

2014-01-01

Roč. 289, č. 10 (2014), s. 7200-7210 ISSN 0021-9258 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : NMR * antibody * protein-protein interaction * protein conformation Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 4.573, year: 2014

O3 Layers via Spray Pyrolysis at Low Temperatures and Their Application in High Electron Mobility Transistors

KAUST Repository

Isakov, Ivan; Faber, Hendrik; Grell, Max; Wyatt-Moon, Gwenhivir; Pliatsikas, Nikos; Kehagias, Thomas; Dimitrakopulos, George P.; Patsalas, Panos P.; Li, Ruipeng; Anthopoulos, Thomas D.

2017-01-01

The growth mechanism of indium oxide (InO) layers processed via spray pyrolysis of an aqueous precursor solution in the temperature range of 100-300 °C and the impact on their electron transporting properties are studied. Analysis of the droplet impingement sites on the substrate's surface as a function of its temperature reveals that Leidenfrost effect dominated boiling plays a crucial role in the growth of smooth, continuous, and highly crystalline InO layers via a vapor phase-like process. By careful optimization of the precursor formulation, deposition conditions, and choice of substrate, this effect is exploited and ultrathin and exceptionally smooth layers of InO are grown over large area substrates at temperatures as low as 252 °C. Thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using these optimized InO layers exhibit superior electron transport characteristics with the electron mobility reaching up to 40 cm V s, a value amongst the highest reported to date for solution-processed InO TFTs. The present work contributes enormously to the basic understanding of spray pyrolysis and highlights its tremendous potential for large-volume manufacturing of high-performance metal oxide thin-film transistor electronics.
Structural and elemental characterization of high efficiency Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kejia; Shin, Byungha; Reuter, Kathleen B.; Todorov, Teodor; Mitzi, David B.; Guha, Supratik

2011-01-01

We have carried out detailed microstructural studies of phase separation and grain boundary composition in Cu2ZnSnS4 based solar cells. The absorber layer was fabricated by thermal evaporation followed by post high temperature annealing on hot plate. We show that inter-reactions between the bottom molybdenum and the Cu2ZnSnS4, besides triggering the formation of interfacial MoSx, results in the out-diffusion of Cu from the Cu2ZnSnS4 layer. Phase separation of Cu2ZnSnS4 into ZnS and a Cu-Sn-S compound is observed at the molybdenum-Cu2ZnSnS4 interface, perhaps as a result of the compositional out-diffusion. Additionally, grain boundaries within the thermally evaporated absorber layer are found to be either Cu-rich or at the expected bulk composition. Such interfacial compound formation and grain boundary chemistry likely contributes to the lower than expected open circuit voltages observed for the Cu2ZnSnS4 devices.
Anti-fouling and high water permeable forward osmosis membrane fabricated via layer by layer assembly of chitosan/graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Hasan; Rastgar, Masoud; Shakeri, Alireza

2017-08-01

To date, forward osmosis (FO) has received considerable attention due to its potential application in seawater desalination. FO does not require external hydraulic pressure and consequently is believed to have a low fouling propensity. Despite the numerous privileges of FO process, a major challenge ahead for its development is the lack of high performance membranes. In this study, we fabricated a novel highly-efficient FO membrane using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of positive chitosan (CS) and negative graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets via electrostatic interaction on a porous support layer. The support layer was prepared by blending hydrophilic sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) into polyethersulfone (PES) matrix using wet phase inversion process. Various characterization techniques were used to confirm successful fabrication of LbL membrane. The number of layers formed on the SPES-PES support layer was easily adjusted by repeating the CS and GO deposition cycles. Thin film composite (TFC) membrane was also prepared by the same SPES-PES support layer and polyamide (PA) active layer to compare membranes performances. The water permeability and salt rejection of the fabricated membranes were obtained by two kinds of draw solutions (including Na2SO4 and sucrose) under two different membrane orientations. The results showed that membrane coated by a CS/GO bilayers had water flux of 2-4 orders of magnitude higher than the TFC one. By increasing the number of CS/GO bilayers, the selectivity of the LbL membrane was improved. The novel fabricated LbL membrane showed better fouling resistance than the TFC one in the feed solution containing 200 ppm of sodium alginate as a foulant model.
Quantitative characterization of conformational-specific protein-DNA binding using a dual-spectral interferometric imaging biosensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xirui; Daaboul, George G.; Spuhler, Philipp S.; Dröge, Peter; Ünlü, M. Selim

2016-03-01

not fully understood. Recently, it was discovered that DNA-binding proteins recognize specific binding sites to carry out their functions through an indirect readout mechanism by recognizing and capturing DNA conformational flexibility and deformation. High-throughput DNA microarray-based methods that provide large-scale protein-DNA binding information have shown effective and comprehensive analysis of protein-DNA binding affinities, but do not provide information of DNA conformational changes in specific protein-DNA complexes. Building on the high-throughput capability of DNA microarrays, we demonstrate a quantitative approach that simultaneously measures the amount of protein binding to DNA and nanometer-scale DNA conformational change induced by protein binding in a microarray format. Both measurements rely on spectral interferometry on a layered substrate using a single optical instrument in two distinct modalities. In the first modality, we quantitate the amount of binding of protein to surface-immobilized DNA in each DNA spot using a label-free spectral reflectivity technique that accurately measures the surface densities of protein and DNA accumulated on the substrate. In the second modality, for each DNA spot, we simultaneously measure DNA conformational change using a fluorescence vertical sectioning technique that determines average axial height of fluorophores tagged to specific nucleotides of the surface-immobilized DNA. The approach presented in this paper, when combined with current high-throughput DNA microarray-based technologies, has the potential to serve as a rapid and simple method for quantitative and large-scale characterization of conformational specific protein-DNA interactions. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: DNA sequences and nomenclature (Table 1S); SDS-PAGE assay of IHF stock solution (Fig. 1S); determination of the concentration of IHF stock solution by Bradford assay (Fig. 2S); equilibrium binding isotherm fitting
Microstructure of absorber layers in CdTe/CdS solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cousins, M.A.

2001-04-01

This work concerns the microstructure of CSS-grown CdTe layers used for CdTe/CdS solar cells. Particular attention is given to how the development of microstructure on annealing with CdCl 2 may correlate with increases in efficiency. By annealing pressed pellets of bulk CdTe powder, it is shown that microstructural change does occur on heating the material, enhanced by the inclusion of CdCl 2 flux. However, the temperature required to cause significant effects is demonstrated to be higher than that at which heavy oxidation takes place. The dynamics of this oxidation are also examined. To investigate microstructural evolution in thin-films of CdTe, bi-layers of CdTe and CdS are examined by bevelling, thus revealing the microstructure to within ∼1 μm of the interface. This allows optical microscopy and subsequent image analysis of grain structure. The work shows that the grain-size, which is well described by the Rayleigh distribution, varies linearly throughout the layer, but is invariant under CdCl 2 treatment. Electrical measurements on these bi-layers, however, showed increased efficiency, as is widely reported. This demonstrates that the efficiency of these devices is not dictated by the bulk microstructure. Further, the region within 1 μm of the interface, of similar bi-layers to above, is examined by plan-view TEM. This reveals five-fold grain-growth on CdCl 2 treatment. Moreover, these grains show a considerably smaller grain size than expected from extrapolating the linear trend in the bulk. These observations are explained in terms of the pinning of the CdTe grain size to the underlying CdS, and the small grain size this causes. A simple model was proposed for a link between the grain-growth to the efficiency improvement. The study also examines the behaviour of defects within grains upon CdCl 2 treatment provided the first direct evidence of recovery on CdCl 2 treatment in this system. Finally, a computer model is presented to describe the evolution of
Layered bismuth selenide utilized as hole transporting layer for highly stable organic photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Yuan, Zhongcheng

2015-11-01

Abstract Layered bismuth selenide (L-Bi2Se3) nanoplates were implemented as hole transporting layers (HTLs) for inverted organic solar cells. Device based on L-Bi2Se3 showed increasing power conversion efficiency (PCE) during ambient condition storage process. A PCE of 4.37% was finally obtained after 5 days storage, which outperformed the ones with evaporated-MoO3 using poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as donor material and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) as acceptor. The improved device efficiency can be attributed to the high conductivity and increasing work function of L-Bi2Se3. The work function of L-Bi2Se3 increased with the storage time in ambient condition due to the oxygen atom doping. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were conducted to verify the increased work function, which originated from the p-type doping process. The device based on L-Bi2Se3 exhibited excellent stability in ambient condition up to 4 months, which was much improved compared to the device based on traditional HTLs. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.
Printing Proteins as Microarrays for High-Throughput Function Determination

Science.gov (United States)

MacBeath, Gavin; Schreiber, Stuart L.

2000-09-01

Systematic efforts are currently under way to construct defined sets of cloned genes for high-throughput expression and purification of recombinant proteins. To facilitate subsequent studies of protein function, we have developed miniaturized assays that accommodate extremely low sample volumes and enable the rapid, simultaneous processing of thousands of proteins. A high-precision robot designed to manufacture complementary DNA microarrays was used to spot proteins onto chemically derivatized glass slides at extremely high spatial densities. The proteins attached covalently to the slide surface yet retained their ability to interact specifically with other proteins, or with small molecules, in solution. Three applications for protein microarrays were demonstrated: screening for protein-protein interactions, identifying the substrates of protein kinases, and identifying the protein targets of small molecules.
Biological properties of Lactobacillus surface proteins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Buda

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Lactobacillus, a genus of Gram-positive bacteria, includes many strains of probiotic microflora. Probiotics, by definition, are living microorganisms that exert beneficial effects on the host organism. The morphology and physiology of the Lactobacillus bacterial genus are described. The structure of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria is discussed. The surface S-layer of Lactobacillus composed of proteins (SLP with low molecular mass is presented. Cell surface proteins participating in the regulation of growth and survival of the intestinal epithelium cells are characterized. The influence of stress factors such as increased temperature, pH, and enzymes of gastric and pancreatic juice on SLP expression is described. The ability of binding of heavy metal ions by S-layer proteins is discussed. The characteristics of these structures, including the ability to adhere to epithelial cells, and the inhibition of invasion of pathogenic microflora of type Shigella, Salmonella, Escherichia coli and Clostridium and their toxins, are presented.
Surface Morphology Transformation Under High-Temperature Annealing of Ge Layers Deposited on Si(100).

Science.gov (United States)

Shklyaev, A A; Latyshev, A V

2016-12-01

We study the surface morphology and chemical composition of SiGe layers after their formation under high-temperature annealing at 800-1100 °C of 30-150 nm Ge layers deposited on Si(100) at 400-500 °C. It is found that the annealing leads to the appearance of the SiGe layers of two types, i.e., porous and continuous. The continuous layers have a smoothened surface morphology and a high concentration of threading dislocations. The porous and continuous layers can coexist. Their formation conditions and the ratio between their areas on the surface depend on the thickness of deposited Ge layers, as well as on the temperature and the annealing time. The data obtained suggest that the porous SiGe layers are formed due to melting of the strained Ge layers and their solidification in the conditions of SiGe dewetting on Si. The porous and dislocation-rich SiGe layers may have properties interesting for applications.
Towards nanometer-spaced silicon contacts to proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Schukfeh, Muhammed I.; Sepunaru, Lior; Behr, Pascal; Li, Wenjie; Pecht, Israel; Sheves, Mordechai; Cahen, David; Tornow, Marc

2016-03-01

A vertical nanogap device (VND) structure comprising all-silicon contacts as electrodes for the investigation of electronic transport processes in bioelectronic systems is reported. Devices were fabricated from silicon-on-insulator substrates whose buried oxide (SiO2) layer of a few nanometers in thickness is embedded within two highly doped single crystalline silicon layers. Individual VNDs were fabricated by standard photolithography and a combination of anisotropic and selective wet etching techniques, resulting in p+ silicon contacts, vertically separated by 4 or 8 nm, depending on the chosen buried oxide thickness. The buried oxide was selectively recess-etched with buffered hydrofluoric acid, exposing a nanogap. For verification of the devices’ electrical functionality, gold nanoparticles were successfully trapped onto the nanogap electrodes’ edges using AC dielectrophoresis. Subsequently, the suitability of the VND structures for transport measurements on proteins was investigated by functionalizing the devices with cytochrome c protein from solution, thereby providing non-destructive, permanent semiconducting contacts to the proteins. Current-voltage measurements performed after protein deposition exhibited an increase in the junctions’ conductance of up to several orders of magnitude relative to that measured prior to cytochrome c immobilization. This increase in conductance was lost upon heating the functionalized device to above the protein’s denaturation temperature (80 °C). Thus, the VND junctions allow conductance measurements which reflect the averaged electronic transport through a large number of protein molecules, contacted in parallel with permanent contacts and, for the first time, in a symmetrical Si-protein-Si configuration.
Smooth-surface silver nanowire electrode with high conductivity and transparency on functional layer coated flexible film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, So Hee; Lim, Sooman; Kim, Haekyoung, E-mail: hkkim@ynu.ac.kr

2015-08-31

Transparent conductive electrode (TCE) with silver nanowires has been widely studied as an alternative of indium tin oxide for flexible electronic or optical devices such as organic light-emitting diodes, and solar cells. However, it has an issue of surface roughness due to nanowire's intrinsic properties. Here, to achieve a smooth electrode with high conductivity and transmittance on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, a functional layer of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) is utilized with a mechanical transfer process. The silver nanowire electrode on PVP-coated PET with low surface roughness of 9 nm exhibits the low sheet resistance of 18 Ω □{sup −1} and high transmittance of 87.6%. It is produced by transferring the silver nanowire electrode spin-coated on the glass to PVP-coated PET using a pressure of 10 MPa for 10 min. Silver nanowire electrode on PVP-coated PET demonstrates the stable sheet resistance of 18 Ω □{sup −1} after the mechanical taping test due to strong adhesion between PVP functional layer and silver nanowires. Smooth TCE with silver nanowires could be proposed as a transparent electrode for flexible electronic or optical devices, which consist of thin electrical active layers on TCE. - Highlights: • Silver nanowire (Ag NWs) transparent electrodes were fabricated on flexible film. • Flexible film was coated with poly N-vinylpyrrolidone (PVP). • PVP layer plays roles as an adhesive layer and matrix in electrode. • Ag NWs electrode exhibited with low surface roughness of 9 nm. • Ag NWs electrode has a low resistance (18 Ω ☐{sup −1}) and high transmittance (87.6%)
Smooth-surface silver nanowire electrode with high conductivity and transparency on functional layer coated flexible film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, So Hee; Lim, Sooman; Kim, Haekyoung

2015-01-01

Transparent conductive electrode (TCE) with silver nanowires has been widely studied as an alternative of indium tin oxide for flexible electronic or optical devices such as organic light-emitting diodes, and solar cells. However, it has an issue of surface roughness due to nanowire's intrinsic properties. Here, to achieve a smooth electrode with high conductivity and transmittance on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, a functional layer of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) is utilized with a mechanical transfer process. The silver nanowire electrode on PVP-coated PET with low surface roughness of 9 nm exhibits the low sheet resistance of 18 Ω □ −1 and high transmittance of 87.6%. It is produced by transferring the silver nanowire electrode spin-coated on the glass to PVP-coated PET using a pressure of 10 MPa for 10 min. Silver nanowire electrode on PVP-coated PET demonstrates the stable sheet resistance of 18 Ω □ −1 after the mechanical taping test due to strong adhesion between PVP functional layer and silver nanowires. Smooth TCE with silver nanowires could be proposed as a transparent electrode for flexible electronic or optical devices, which consist of thin electrical active layers on TCE. - Highlights: • Silver nanowire (Ag NWs) transparent electrodes were fabricated on flexible film. • Flexible film was coated with poly N-vinylpyrrolidone (PVP). • PVP layer plays roles as an adhesive layer and matrix in electrode. • Ag NWs electrode exhibited with low surface roughness of 9 nm. • Ag NWs electrode has a low resistance (18 Ω ☐ −1 ) and high transmittance (87.6%)
Structural evidence for solvent-stabilisation by aspartic acid as a mechanism for halophilic protein stability in high salt concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenton, Samuel; Walsh, Danielle L; Rhys, Natasha H; Soper, Alan K; Dougan, Lorna

2016-07-21

Halophilic organisms have adapted to survive in high salt environments, where mesophilic organisms would perish. One of the biggest challenges faced by halophilic proteins is the ability to maintain both the structure and function at molar concentrations of salt. A distinct adaptation of halophilic proteins, compared to mesophilic homologues, is the abundance of aspartic acid on the protein surface. Mutagenesis and crystallographic studies of halophilic proteins suggest an important role for solvent interactions with the surface aspartic acid residues. This interaction, between the regions of the acidic protein surface and the solvent, is thought to maintain a hydration layer around the protein at molar salt concentrations thereby allowing halophilic proteins to retain their functional state. Here we present neutron diffraction data of the monomeric zwitterionic form of aspartic acid solutions at physiological pH in 0.25 M and 2.5 M concentration of potassium chloride, to mimic mesophilic and halophilic-like environmental conditions. We have used isotopic substitution in combination with empirical potential structure refinement to extract atomic-scale information from the data. Our study provides structural insights that support the hypothesis that carboxyl groups on acidic residues bind water more tightly under high salt conditions, in support of the residue-ion interaction model of halophilic protein stabilisation. Furthermore our data show that in the presence of high salt the self-association between the zwitterionic form of aspartic acid molecules is reduced, suggesting a possible mechanism through which protein aggregation is prevented.
Microtubule-Associated Proteins in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with and without Psychiatric Comorbidities and Their Relation with Granular Cell Layer Dispersion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludmyla Kandratavicius

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Despite strong association between epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities, biological substrates are unknown. We have previously reported decreased mossy fiber sprouting in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE patients with psychosis and increased in those with major depression. Microtubule associated proteins (MAPs are essentially involved in dendritic and synaptic sprouting. Methods. MTLE hippocampi of subjects without psychiatric history, MTLE + major depression, and MTLE + interictal psychosis derived from epilepsy surgery and control necropsies were investigated for neuronal density, granular layer dispersion, and MAP2 and tau immunohistochemistry. Results. Altered MAP2 and tau expression in MTLE and decreased tau expression in MTLE with psychosis were found. Granular layer dispersion correlated inversely with verbal memory scores, and with MAP2 and tau expression in the entorhinal cortex. Patients taking fluoxetine showed increased neuronal density in the granular layer and those taking haloperidol decreased neuronal density in CA3 and subiculum. Conclusions. Our results indicate relations between MAPs, granular layer dispersion, and memory that have not been previously investigated. Differential MAPs expression in human MTLE hippocampi with and without psychiatric comorbidities suggests that psychopathological states in MTLE rely on differential morphological and possibly neurochemical backgrounds. This clinical study was approved by our institution’s Research Ethics Board (HC-FMRP no. 1270/2008 and is registered under the Brazilian National System of Information on Ethics in Human Research (SISNEP no. 0423.0.004.000-07.
Final Report: Rational Design of Wide Band Gap Buffer Layers for High-Efficiency Thin-Film Photovoltaics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lordi, Vincenzo [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-09-30

The main objective of this project is to enable rational design of wide band gap buffer layer materials for CIGS thin-film PV by building understanding of the correlation of atomic-scale defects in the buffer layer and at the buffer/absorber interface with device electrical properties. Optimized wide band gap buffers are needed to reduce efficiency loss from parasitic absorption in the buffer. The approach uses first-principles materials simulations coupled with nanoscale analytical electron microscopy as well as device electrical characterization. Materials and devices are produced by an industrial partner in a manufacturing line to maximize relevance, with the goal of enabling R&D of new buffer layer compositions or deposition processes to push device efficiencies above 21%. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is the reference material for analysis, as the prototypical high-performing buffer material.
Chemically exfoliated Mo S2 layers: Spectroscopic evidence for the semiconducting nature of the dominant trigonal metastable phase

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Banabir; Singh, Anjali; Sharada, G.; Mahale, Pratibha; Kumar, Abhinav; Thirupathaiah, S.; Sezen, H.; Amati, M.; Gregoratti, Luca; Waghmare, Umesh V.; Sarma, D. D.

2017-11-01

A metastable trigonal phase, existing only as small patches on a chemically exfoliated few-layered, thermodynamically stable 1 H phase of Mo S2 , is believed to critically influence the properties of Mo S2 -based devices. The electronic structure of this metastable phase is little understood in the absence of a direct experimental investigation of its electronic properties, complicated further by conflicting claims from theoretical investigations. We address this issue by investigating the electronic structure of this minority phase in chemically exfoliated Mo S2 few-layered systems by enhancing its contributions with the use of highly spatially resolved (≤120 nm resolution) photoemission spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with state-of-the-art electronic structure calculations. Based on these results, we establish that the ground state of this phase, arrived at by the chemical exfoliation of Mo S2 using the usual Li intercalation technique, is a small gap (˜90 ±40 meV ) semiconductor in contrast to most claims in the literature; we also identify the specific trigonal structure it has among many suggested ones.
CBE growth of high-quality ZnO epitaxial layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Shaer, A.; Bakin, A.; Mofor, A.C.; Kreye, M.; Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Blaesing, J.; Krost, A. [Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Germany); Stoimenos, J. [Physics Department, Aristotele University, Univ. Campus, 54006 Thessaloniki (Greece); Pecz, B. [Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary); Heuken, M. [Aixtron AG, Kackertstr. 15-17, 52072 Aachen (Germany)

2006-03-15

Further improvements on the recently reported novel approach to zinc oxide Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) are presented. Hydrogen peroxide is employed as a very efficient novel oxidant. ZnO layers with a thickness from 100 nm to 600 nm were grown on c-sapphire using a MgO buffer. PL-mapping as well as conductivity mapping shows a good uniformity across the 2 inch ZnO-on-sapphire epiwafers. The measured surface roughness for the best layers is as low as 0.26 nm. HRXRD measurements of the obtained ZnO layers show excellent quality of the single crystalline ZnO. The FWHM of the HRXRD (0002) rocking curves measured for the 2 inch ZnO-on-sapphire wafers is as low as 27 arcsec with a very high lateral homogeneity across the whole wafer. Plane view HRTEM observations reveal the very good quality of the ZnO films. The results indicate that CBE is a suitable technique to fabricate ZnO of very high structural quality, which can eventually be used as an alternative to bulk ZnO substrates. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)
Cross-layer design in optical networks

CERN Document Server

Brandt-Pearce, Maïté; Demeester, Piet; Saradhi, Chava

2013-01-01

Optical networks have become an integral part of the communications infrastructure needed to support society’s demand for high-speed connectivity. Cross-Layer Design in Optical Networks addresses topics in optical network design and analysis with a focus on physical-layer impairment awareness and network layer service requirements, essential for the implementation and management of robust scalable networks. The cross-layer treatment includes bottom-up impacts of the physical and lambda layers, such as dispersion, noise, nonlinearity, crosstalk, dense wavelength packing, and wavelength line rates, as well as top-down approaches to handle physical-layer impairments and service requirements.
Highly ductile multilayered films by layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged polyurethanes for biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Podsiadlo, Paul; Qin, Ming; Cuddihy, Meghan; Zhu, Jian; Critchley, Kevin; Kheng, Eugene; Kaushik, Amit K; Qi, Ying; Kim, Hyoung-Sug; Noh, Si-Tae; Arruda, Ellen M; Waas, Anthony M; Kotov, Nicholas A

2009-12-15

Multilayered thin films prepared with the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique are typically "brittle" composites, while many applications such as flexible electronics or biomedical devices would greatly benefit from ductile, and tough nanostructured coatings. Here we present the preparation of highly ductile multilayered films via LBL assembly of oppositely charged polyurethanes. Free-standing films were found to be robust, strong, and tough with ultimate strains as high as 680% and toughness of approximately 30 MJ/m(3). These results are at least 2 orders of magnitude greater than most LBL materials presented until today. In addition to enhanced ductility, the films showed first-order biocompatibility with animal and human cells. Multilayered structures incorporating polyurethanes open up a new research avenue into the preparation of multifunctional nanostructured films with great potential in biomedical applications.
Highly Stable Operation of Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by the Formation of a Transient High Concentration Electrolyte Layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Jianming; Yan, Pengfei; Mei, Donghai; Engelhard, Mark H.; Cartmell, Samuel S.; Polzin, Bryant; Wang, Chong M.; Zhang, Jiguang; Xu, Wu

2016-02-08

Lithium (Li) metal has been extensively investigated as an anode for rechargeable battery applications due to its ultrahigh specific capacity and the lowest redox potential. However, significant challenges including dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency are still hindering the practical applications of rechargeable Li metal batteries. Here, we demonstrate that long-term cycling of Li metal batteries can be realized by the formation of a transient high concentration electrolyte layer near the surface of Li metal anode during high rate discharge process. The highly concentrated Li+ ions in this transient layer will immediately solvate with the available solvent molecules and facilitate the formation of a stable and flexible SEI layer composed of a poly(ethylene carbonate) framework integrated with other organic/inorganic lithium salts. This SEI layer largely suppresses the corrosion of Li metal anode by free organic solvents and enables the long-term operation of Li metal batteries. The fundamental findings in this work provide a new direction for the development and operation of Li metal batteries that could be operated at high current densities for a wide range of applications.

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