Calibration of etched fiber bragg grating sensor arrays for measurement of molecular surface adsorption

Etched Fiber Bragg Grating (EFBG) sensors are attractive from the point of the inherently high multiplexing ability of fiber based sensors. However, the strong dependence of the sensitivity of EFBG sensors on the fiber diameter requires robust methods for calibration when used for distributed sensing in a large array format. Using experimental data and numerical modelling, we show that knowledge of the wavelength shift during the etch process is necessary for high-fidelity calibration of EFBG arrays. However as this approach requires the monitoring of every element of the sensor array during etching, we also proposed and demonstrated a calibration scheme using data from bulk refractometry measurements conducted post-fabrication without needing any information about the etching process. Although this approach is not as precise as the first one, it may be more practical as there is no requirement to monitor each element of the sensor array. We were able to calibrate the response of the sensors to within 3% with the approach using information acquired during etching and to within 5% using the post-fabrication bulk refractometry approach in spite of the sensitivities of the array element differing by more than a factor of 4. These two approaches present a tradeoff between accuracy and practicality.

Molecular dynamics simulations of PPI dendrimer-drug complexes

Dendrimeric nanoparticles are potential drug delivery devices which can enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, thus increasing their bioavailability and sustained release action. A quantitative understanding of the dendrimer-drug interactions can give valuable insight into the solubility and release profile of hydrophobic drug molecules in various solvent conditions. Fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to study the interactions of G5 PPIEDA (G5 ethylenediamine cored poly(propylene imine)) dendrimer and two well known drugs (Famotidine and Indomethacin) at different pH conditions. The study suggested that at low pH the dendrimer-drug complexes are thermodynamically unstable as compared to neutral and high pH conditions. Calculated Potential of Mean Force (PMF) by umbrella sampling showed that the release of drugs from the dendrimer at low pH is spontaneous, median release at neutral pH and slow release at high pH. In addition, Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) binding free energy calculations were also performed at each umbrella sampling window to identify the various energy contributions. To understand the effect of dendrimer chemistry and topology on the solubility and release profile of drugs, this study is extended to explore the solubility and release profile of phenylbutazone drug complexed with G3 poly(amidoamine) and G4 diaminobutane cored PPI dendrimers. The results indicate that the pH-induced conformational changes in dendrimer, ionization states, dendrimer type and pK(a) of the guest molecules influence the free energy barrier and stability of complexation, and thus regulate drug loading, solubility and release.

H/F isosteric substitution to attest different equi-energetic molecular conformations in crystals

The sequential replacement of aromatic H-atoms by F-atoms in 1,6-bis(phenylcarbonate) hexa-2,4-diyne allows access to its possible iso-energetic ``syn'', ``gauche'' and ``anti'' conformations.

Solvation dynamics of tryptophan in water-dimethyl sulfoxide binary mixture: In search of molecular origin of composition dependent multiple anomalies

Experimental and simulation studies have uncovered at least two anomalous concentration regimes in water-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) binary mixture whose precise origin has remained a subject of debate. In order to facilitate time domain experimental investigation of the dynamics of such binary mixtures, we explore strength or extent of influence of these anomalies in dipolar solvation dynamics by carrying out long molecular dynamics simulations over a wide range of DMSO concentration. The solvation time correlation function so calculated indeed displays strong composition dependent anomalies, reflected in pronounced non-exponential kinetics and non-monotonous composition dependence of the average solvation time constant. In particular, we find remarkable slow-down in the solvation dynamics around 10%-20% and 35%-50% mole percentage. We investigate microscopic origin of these two anomalies. The population distribution analyses of different structural morphology elucidate that these two slowing down are reflections of intriguing structural transformations in water-DMSO mixture. The structural transformations themselves can be explained in terms of a change in the relative coordination number of DMSO and water molecules, from 1DMSO:2H(2)O to 1H(2)O:1DMSO and 1H(2)O:2DMSO complex formation. Thus, while the emergence of first slow down (at 15% DMSO mole percentage) is due to the percolation among DMSO molecules supported by the water molecules (whose percolating network remains largely unaffected), the 2nd anomaly (centered on 40%-50%) is due to the formation of the network structure where the unit of 1DMSO:1H(2)O and 2DMSO:1H(2)O dominates to give rise to rich dynamical features. Through an analysis of partial solvation dynamics an interesting negative cross-correlation between water and DMSO is observed that makes an important contribution to relaxation at intermediate to longer times.

Molecular flexibility tuned emission in ``V'' shaped naphthalimides: Hg(II) detection and aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE)

Four ``V'' shaped 1,8-naphthalimides (1-4) have been synthesized and their fluorescence quantum-yields correlated to their molecular flexibility. The correlation was used for detection of Hg(II) via a chemodosimetric approach. 4 was found to be an AIE active molecule with the formation of fluorescent nanoaggregates.

Relation Between the Diffusivity, Viscosity, and Ionic Radius of LiCl in Water, Methanol, and Ethylene Glycol: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation

A molecular dynamics (MD) investigation of LiCl in water, methanol, and ethylene glycol (EG) at 298 K is reported. Several; structural and dynamical properties of the ions as well as the solvent such as self-diffusivity, radial distribution functions, void and neck distributions, velocity autocorrelation functions, and mean residence times of solvent in the first solvation shell have been computed. The results show that the reciprocal relationship between the self-diffusivity of the ions and the viscosity is valid in almost all solvents with the exception of water. From an analysis of radial distribution functions and coordination numbers the nature of hydrogen bonding within the solvent and its influence on the void and neck distribution becomes evident. It is seen that the solvent solvent interaction is important in EG while solute solvent interactions dominate in water and methanol. From Voronoi tessellation, it is seen that the voids and necks within methanol are larger as compared to those within water or EG. On the basis of the void and neck distributions obtained from MD simulations and literature experimental data of limiting ion conductivity for various ions of different sizes we show that there is a relation between the void and neck radius on e one hand and dependence of conductivity on the ionic radius on the other. It is shown that the presence of large diameter voids and necks in methanol is responsible for maximum in limiting ion conductivity (lambda(0)) of TMA(+), while in water in EG, the maximum is seen for Rb+. In the case of monovalent anions, maximum in lambda(0) as a function ionic radius is seen for Br- in water EG but for the larger ClO4- ion in methanol. The relation between the void and neck distribution and the variation in lambda(0) with ionic radius arises via the Levitation effect which is discussed. These studies show the importance of the solvent structure and the associated void structure.

Impact of substrate nitridation on the photoluminescence and photovoltaic characteristics of GaN grown on p-Si (100) by molecular beam epitaxy

This report focuses on the structural and optical properties of the GaN films grown on p-Si (100) substrates along with photovoltaic characteristics of GaN/p-Si heterojunctions fabricated with substrate nitridation and in absence of substrate nitridation. The high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic studies reveal that the significant enhancement in the structural as well as in the optical properties of GaN epifilms grown with silicon nitride buffer layer when compared with the sample grown without silicon nitride buffer layer. The low temperature PL shows a free excitonic (FX) emission peak at 3.51 eV at the temperature of 5 K with a very narrow line width of 35 meV. Temperature dependent PL spectra follow the Varshni equation well and peak energy blue shifts by similar to 63 meV from 300 to 5 K. Raman data confirms the strain free nature and reasonably good crystallinity of the films. The GaN/p-Si heterojunctions fabricated without substrate nitridation show a superior photovoltaic performance compared to the devices fabricated in presence of substrate nitridation. The discussions have been carried out on the junction properties. Such single junction devices exhibit a promising fill factor and conversion efficiency of 23.36 and 0.12 %, respectively, under concentrated AM1.5 illumination.

Gap renormalization of molecular crystals from density-functional theory

Fundamental gap renormalization due to electronic polarization is a basic phenomenon in molecular crystals. Despite its ubiquity and importance, all conventional approaches within density-functional theory completely fail to capture it, even qualitatively. Here, we present a new screened range-separated hybrid functional, which, through judicious introduction of the scalar dielectric constant, quantitatively captures polarization-induced gap renormalization, as demonstrated on the prototypical organic molecular crystals of benzene, pentacene, and C-60. This functional is predictive, as it contains system-specific adjustable parameters that are determined from first principles, rather than from empirical considerations.

Kinetic proofreading at single molecular level: aminoacylation of tRNA(Ile) and the role of water as an editor

Proofreading/editing in protein synthesis is essential for accurate translation of information from the genetic code. In this article we present a theoretical investigation of efficiency of a kinetic proofreading mechanism that employs hydrolysis of the wrong substrate as the discriminatory step in enzyme catalytic reactions. We consider aminoacylation of tRNA(Ile) which is a crucial step in protein synthesis and for which experimental results are now available. We present an augmented kinetic scheme and then employ methods of stochastic simulation algorithm to obtain time dependent concentrations of different substances involved in the reaction and their rates of formation. We obtain the rates of product formation and ATP hydrolysis for both correct and wrong substrates (isoleucine and valine in our case, respectively), in single molecular enzyme as well as ensemble enzyme kinetics. The present theoretical scheme correctly reproduces (i) the amplitude of the discrimination factor in the overall rates between isoleucine and valine which is obtained as (1.8x10(2)).(4.33x10(2)) = 7.8x10(4), (ii) the rates of ATP hydrolysis for both Ile and Val at different substrate concentrations in the aminoacylation of tRNA(Ile). The present study shows a non-michaelis type dependence of rate of reaction on tRNA(Ile) concentration in case of valine. The overall editing in steady state is found to be independent of amino acid concentration. Interestingly, the computed ATP hydrolysis rate for valine at high substrate concentration is same as the rate of formation of Ile-tRNA(Ile) whereas at intermediate substrate concentration the ATP hydrolysis rate is relatively low. We find that the presence of additional editing domain in class I editing enzyme makes the kinetic proofreading more efficient through enhanced hydrolysis of wrong product at the editing CP1 domain.

Information content of molecular graph and prediction of gas phase thermal entropy of organic compounds

Entropy is a fundamental thermodynamic property that has attracted a wide attention across domains, including chemistry. Inference of entropy of chemical compounds using various approaches has been a widely studied topic. However, many aspects of entropy in chemical compounds remain unexplained. In the present work, we propose two new information-theoretical molecular descriptors for the prediction of gas phase thermal entropy of organic compounds. The descriptors reflect the bulk and size of the compounds as well as the gross topological symmetry in their structures, all of which are believed to determine entropy. A high correlation () between the entropy values and our information-theoretical indices have been found and the predicted entropy values, obtained from the corresponding statistically significant regression model, have been found to be within acceptable approximation. We provide additional mathematical result in the form of a theorem and proof that might further help in assessing changes in gas phase thermal entropy values with the changes in molecular structures. The proposed information-theoretical molecular descriptors, regression model and the mathematical result are expected to augment predictions of gas phase thermal entropy for a large number of chemical compounds.

Molecular structures and antiproliferative activity of side-chain saturated and homologated analogs of 2-chloro-3-(n-alkylamino)-1,4-napthoquinone

Side chain homologated derivatives of 2-chloro-3-(n-alkylamino)-1,4-naphthoquinone {n-alkyl: pentyl; L-5, hexyl; L-6, heptyl; L-7 and octyl; L-8} have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, H-1 NMR, UV-visible spectroscopy and LC-MS. Compounds, L-4, n-alkyl: butyl; L-4}, L-6 and L-8 have been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The single crystal X-ray structures reveal that L-4 and L-8 crystallizes in P2(1) space group, while L-6 in P2(1)/c space group. Molecules of L-4 and L-8 from polymeric chains through C-H center dot center dot center dot O and N-H center dot center dot center dot O close contacts. L-6 is a dimer formed by N-H center dot center dot center dot O interaction. Slipped pi-pi stacking interactions are observed between quinonoid and benzenoid rings of L-4 and L-8. Orientations of alkyl group in L-4 and L-8 is on same side of the chain and polymeric chains run opposite to one another to form zip like structure to the alkyl groups. Antiproliferative activities of L-1 to L-8{n-alkyl: methyl; L-1, ethyl; L-2, propyl; L-3 and butyl; L-4} were studied in cancer cells of colon (COLO205), brain (U87MG) and pancreas (MIAPaCa2) where L-1, L-2 and L-3 were active in MIAPaCa2 (L-1 = 1-2 > L-3) and COLO205 (L-2 = L-3 > L-1) and inactive in U87MG. From antiproliferative studies with compounds L-1 to L-8 it can be concluded that homologation of 2-chloro-3-(n-alkylamino)-1,4-napthoquinone with saturated methyl groups yielded tissue specific compounds such as L-2 (for MIAPaCa2) and L-3 (for COLO205) with optimal activity. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wurtzite InN nanodots on Si(100) by molecular beam epitaxy

Studies were carried on the growth behavior of InN nanodots by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on bare Si(100) substrates and their structural, optical, electrical properties. The growth was carried out by two different methods such as, (i) mono-step growth process at a low temperature and a (ii) bi-step growth process with the combination of low and high temperatures for the formation of single crystalline nanodots with well defined crystallographic facets due to cluster migration. Low temperature photoluminescence shows a free excitonic (FE) luminescence at 0.80 eV. The Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the nanodots as well as the film were of wurtzite structure and strain free.

Growth and properties of nonpolar a-plane GaN grown on r-sapphire by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

The growth of nonpolar a- plane (1 1 -2 0) orientation of the GaN epilayers were confirmed by high resolution x-ray diffraction studies. An in-plane orientation relationship was found to be 0 0 0 1] GaN parallel to -1 1 0 1] sapphire and -1 1 0 0] GaN parallel to 1 1 -2 0] sapphire. SEM image shows the reasonably smooth surface. The photoluminescence spectrum shows near band emission (NBE) at 3.439 eV. The room temperature I-V characteristics of Au/a-GaN schottky diode performed. The Schottky barrier height (phi(b)) and the ideality factor (eta) for the Au/a-GaN schottky diode found to be 0.50 eV and 2.01 respectively.

Classification of Myopathies on Molecular basis in Drosophila using Raman spectroscopy

Myopathies are muscular diseases in which muscle fibers degenerate due to many factors such as nutrient deficiency, infection and mutations in myofibrillar etc. The objective of this study is to identify the bio-markers to distinguish various muscle mutants in Drosophila (fruit fly) using Raman Spectroscopy. Principal Components based Linear Discriminant Analysis (PC-LDA) classification model yielding >95% accuracy was developed to classify such different mutants representing various myopathies according to their physiopathology.