Sensitive detection of C-reactive protein using optical fiber Bragg gratings

An accurate and highly sensitive sensor platform has been demonstrated for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP) using optical fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The CRP detection has been carried out by monitoring the shift in Bragg wavelength (Delta lambda(B)) of an etched FBG (eFBG) coated with an anti-CRP antibody (aCRP)-graphene oxide (GO) complex. The complex is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. A limit of detection of 0.01 mg/L has been achieved with a linear range of detection from 0.01 mg/L to 100 mg/L which includes clinical range of CRP. The eFBG sensor coated with only aCRP (without GO) show much less sensitivity than that of aCRP-GO complex coated eFBG. The eFBG sensors show high specificity to CRP even in the presence of other interfering factors such as urea, creatinine and glucose. The affinity constant of similar to 1.1 x 10(10) M-1 has been extracted from the data of normalized shift (Delta lambda(B)/lambda(B)) as a function of CRP concentration. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Inhibitors as Cancer Therapeutics

Among DNA damages, double-strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most harmful lesions to a cell. Failure in DSB repair could lead to genomic instability and cancer. Homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) are major DSB repair pathways in higher eukaryotes. It is known that expression of DSB repair genes is altered in various cancers. Activation of DSB repair genes is one of the reasons for chemo-and radioresistance. Therefore, targeting DSB repair is an attractive strategy to eliminate cancer. Besides, therapeutic agents introduce breaks in the genome as an intermediate. Therefore, blocking the residual repair using inhibitors can potentiate the efficacy of cancer treatment. In this review, we discuss the importance of targeting DSB repair pathways for the treatment of cancer. Recent advances in the development of DSB repair inhibitors and their clinical relevance are also addressed.

Magnetic frustration and dielectric relaxation in insulating Nd2NiMnO6 double perovskites

We have investigated structural, dielectric, and magnetic properties of polycrystalline double perovskite Nd2NiMnO6 compound. The compound crystallizes in monoclinic P2(1)/n symmetry and is partially B-site disordered depending on the synthesis conditions. It undergoes second-order ferromagnetic transition at 192K and shows glassy behaviour at low temperature. The glassy phase is due to anti-site disorder within the homogeneous sample. Temperature and frequency dependent dielectric measurements reveal colossal values of dielectric constant and is best interpreted using Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization model. Impedance spectroscopy has been used to analyse the intrinsic dielectric response. This enabled us to differentiate the conduction process at the grain and grain boundaries. Arrhenius behaviour is favoured at the grain boundary, while variable range hopping mechanism is considered most suitable within the grain region. dc conductivity measurements corroborate variable range hopping conduction. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Poly(alkylene itaconate)s - an interesting class of polyesters with periodically located exo-chain double bonds susceptible to Michael addition

Itaconic acid is a bio-sourced dicarboxylic acid that carries a double bond; although several reports have dealt with the radical-initiated chain polymerization of dialkyl itaconates, only a few studies have utilized it as a di-acid monomer to prepare polyesters. In this study, we demonstrate that dibutyl itaconate can be melt-condensed with aliphatic diols to generate unsaturated polyesters; importantly, we show that the double bonds remain unaffected during the melt polymerization. A particularly useful attribute of these polyesters is that the exo-chain double bonds are conjugated to the ester carbonyl and, therefore, can serve as excellent Michael acceptors. A variety of organic thiols, such as alkane thiols, MPEG thiol, thioglycerol, derivatized cysteine etc., were shown to quantitatively Michael-add to the exo-chain double bonds and generate interesting functionalized polyesters. Similarly, organic amines, such as N-methyl-benzylamine, diallyl amine and proline, also add across the double bond; thus, these poly(alkylene itaconate)s could serve as potentially bio-benign polyesters that could be quantitatively transformed into a variety of interesting and potentially useful functionalized polymers.

Small signal Nonquasi-Static Model for Common Double-Gate MOSFETs Adapted to Gate Oxide Thickness Asymmetry

We present a physics-based closed form small signal Nonquasi-static (NQS) model for a long channel Common Double Gate MOSFET (CDG) by taking into account the asymmetry that may prevail between the gate oxide thickness. We use the unique quasi-linear relationship between the surface potentials along the channel to solve the governing continuity equation (CE) in order to develop the analytical expressions for the Y parameters. The Bessel function based solution of the CE is simplified in form of polynomials so that it could be easily implemented in any circuit simulator. The model shows good agreement with the TCAD simulation at-least till 4 times of the cut-off frequency for different device geometries and bias conditions.

Changes in the expression of DNA double strand break repair genes in primordial follicles from immature and aged rats

Oocytes present at birth undergo a progressive process of apoptosis in humans and other mammals as they age. Accepted opinion is that no fresh oocytes are produced other than those present at the time of birth. Studies have shown that DNA repair genes in oocytes of mice and women decline with age, and lack of these genes show higher DNA breaks and increased oocyte death rates. In contrast to the ethical problems associated with monitoring the changes in DNA double-strand breaks in oocytes from young and old humans, it is relatively easy to carry out such a study using a rodent model. In this study, the mRNA levels of DNA repair genes are compared with protein products of some of the genes in the primordial follicles isolated from immature (18-20 days) and aged (400-450 days) female rats. Results revealed a significant decline in mRNA levels of BRAC1 (P < 0.01), RAD51 (P < 0.05), ERCC2 (P < 0.05), and H2AX (P < 0.01) of DNA repair genes and phospho-protein levels of BRAC1 (P < 0.01) and H2AX (P < 0.05) in primordial follicles of aged rats. Impaired DNA repair is confirmed as a mechanism of oocyte ageing. (C) 2014 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pulse transit time differential measurement by fiber Bragg grating pulse recorder

The present study reports a noninvasive technique for the measurement of the pulse transit time differential (PTTD) from the pulse pressure waveforms obtained at the carotid artery and radial artery using fiber Bragg grating pulse recorders (FBGPR). PTTD is defined as the time difference between the arrivals of a pulse pressure waveform at the carotid and radial arterial sites. The PTTD is investigated as an indicator of variation in the systolic blood pressure. The results are validated against blood pressure variation obtained from a Mindray Patient Monitor. Furthermore, the pulse wave velocity computed from the obtained PTTD is compared with the pulse wave velocity obtained from the color Doppler ultrasound system and is found to be in good agreement. The major advantage of the PTTD measurement via FBGPRs is that the data acquisition system employed can simultaneously acquire pulse pressure waveforms from both FBGPRs placed at carotid and radial arterial sites with a single time scale, which eliminates time synchronization complexity. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Study on effect of optical wavelength on photo induced strain sensitivity in carbon nanotubes using fiber Bragg grating

In this work, the role of optical wavelength on the photo induced strain in carbon nanotubes (CNT) is probed using a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG), upon exposure to infrared (IR) (21 mu epsilon mW(-1)) and visible (9 mu epsilon mW(-1)) radiations. The strain sensitivity in CNT is monitored over a smaller range (10(-3) to 10(-9) epsilon) by exposing to a low optical power varying in the range 10(-3) to 10(-6) W. In addition, the wavelength dependent response and recovery periods of CNT under IR (tau(rise) = 150 ms, tau(fall) = 280 ms) and visible (tau(rise) = 1.07 s, tau(fall) = 1.18 s) radiations are evaluated in detail. This study can be further extended to measure the sensitivity of nano-scale photo induced strains in nano materials and opens avenues to control mechanical actuation using various optical wavelengths.

N-Terminal Disordered Domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hop1 Protein Is Dispensable for DNA Binding, Bridging, and Synapsis of Double-Stranded DNA Molecules But Is Necessary for Spore Formation

The cytological architecture of the synaptonemal complex (SC), a meiosis-specific proteinaceous structure, is evolutionarily conserved among eukaryotes. However, little is known about the biochemical properties of SC components or the mechanisms underlying their roles in meiotic chromosome synapsis and recombination. Functional analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hop1, a key structural component of SC, has begun to reveal important insights into its function in interhomolog recombination. Previously, we showed that Hop1 is a structure-specific DNA-binding protein, exhibits higher binding affinity for the Holliday junction, and induces structural distortion at the core of the junction. Furthermore, Hop1 promotes DNA condensation and intra- and intermolecular synapsis between duplex DNA molecules. Here, we show that Hop1 possesses a modular domain organization, consisting of an intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain and a protease-resistant C-terminal domain (Hop1CTD). Furthermore, we found that Hop1CTD exhibits strong homotypic as well as heterotypic protein protein interactions, and its biochemical activities were similar to those of the full-length Hop1 protein. However, Hop1CTD failed to complement the meiotic recombination defects of the Delta hop1 strain, indicating that both N- and C-terminal domains of Hop1 are essential for meiosis and spore formation. Altogether, our findings reveal novel insights into the structure-function relationships of Hop1 and help to further our understanding of its role in meiotic chromosome synapsis and recombination.

Non-invasive pressure monitoring by hoop strain using Fiber Bragg Grating sensor

Non-invasive, real-time dynamic monitoring of pressure inside a column with the aid of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor is presented in the present work. A bare FBG sensor is adhered on the circumference of a pressure column normal to its axis, which has the ability to acquire the hoop strain induced by the pressure variation inside the column. Pressure induced hoop strain response obtained using FBG sensor is validated against the pressure measurements obtained from conventional pressure gauge. Further, a protrusion setup on the outer surface of the column has been proposed over which a secondary FBG sensor is bonded normal to its axis, in order to increase the gauge length of this FBG sensor. This is carried out in order to validate the variation in sensitivity of the protrusion bonded FBG sensor compared to the bare FBG sensor bonded over the surface. A comparative study is done between the two FBG sensors and a conventional pressure gauge in order to establish the capacity of FBG sensor obtained hoop strain response for pressure monitoring inside the column.

Ag+-induced reverse vesicle to helical fiber transformation in a self-assembly by adjusting the keto-enol equilibrium of a chiral salicylideneaniline

A new chiral amphiphilic salicylideneaniline bearing a terminal pyridine was synthesized. It formed reverse vesicles in toluene. The addition of Ag+, however, reversibly transforms these reverse vesicles into left-handed nanohelices accompanied by spontaneous gel formation at room temperature.

Photoresponse of double-stacked graphene to Infrared radiation

We report the photoresponse of stacked graphene layers towards infrared radiation. Graphene is stacked in two configurations, namely, crossed and parallel layers. Raman analysis demonstrated a strong interaction among the stacked graphene layers. Graphene in the crossed configuration exhibited the presence of both negative and positive conductivities; however, other configurations of graphene exhibited positive conductivity only. The presence of negative photoconductivity is proposed to be due to oxygen or oxygen-related functional group absorbents that are trapped in between two monolayers of graphene and act as scattering centers for free carriers. An interesting trend is reported in differential conductivity when stacked layers are compared with multilayers and parallel-stacked graphene layers.

Eye-hand coordination during a double-step task: evidence for a common stochastic accumulator

Many studies of reaching and pointing have shown significant spatial and temporal correlations between eye and hand movements. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether these correlations are incidental, arising from common inputs (independent model); whether these correlations represent an interaction between otherwise independent eye and hand systems (interactive model); or whether these correlations arise from a single dedicated eye-hand system (common command model). Subjects were instructed to redirect gaze and pointing movements in a double-step task in an attempt to decouple eye-hand movements and causally distinguish between the three architectures. We used a drift-diffusion framework in the context of a race model, which has been previously used to explain redirect behavior for eye and hand movements separately, to predict the pattern of eye-hand decoupling. We found that the common command architecture could best explain the observed frequency of different eye and hand response patterns to the target step. A common stochastic accumulator for eye-hand coordination also predicts comparable variances, despite significant difference in the means of the eye and hand reaction time (RT) distributions, which we tested. Consistent with this prediction, we observed that the variances of the eye and hand RTs were similar, despite much larger hand RTs (similar to 90 ms). Moreover, changes in mean eye RTs, which also increased eye RT variance, produced a similar increase in mean and variance of the associated hand RT. Taken together, these data suggest that a dedicated circuit underlies coordinated eye-hand planning.

Ultra sensitive NO2 gas detection using the reduced graphene oxide coated etched fiber Bragg gratings

We report a simple and highly sensitive methodology for the room temperature NO2 gas sensing using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) coated clad etched fiber Bragg grating (eFBG). A significant shift (>10 pm) is observed in the reflected Bragg wavelength (lambda(B)) upon exposing RGO coated on the surface of eFBG to the NO2 gas molecules of concentration 0.5 ppm. The shift in Bragg wavelength is due to the change in the refractive index of RGO by charge transfer from the adsorbing NO2 molecules. The range of NO2 concentration is tested from 0.5 ppm to 3 ppm and the estimated time taken for 50% increase in Delta lambda(B) ranges from 20 min (for 0.5 ppm) to 6 min (for 3 ppm). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.