Stabilization and activation of {alpha}-chymotrypsin in water-organic solvent systems by complex formation with oligoamines

Formation of enzyme–oligoamine complexes was suggestedas an approach to obtain biocatalysts with enhanced resistancetowards inactivation in water–organic media. Complex formationresults in broadening (by 20–40% v/v ethanol) of the rangeof cosolvent concentrations where the enzyme retains its catalyticactivity (stabilization effect). At moderate cosolvent concentrations(20–40% v/v) complex formation activates the enzyme (by3–6 times). The magnitude of activation and stabilizationeffects increases with the number of possible electrostaticcontacts between the protein surface and the molecules of oligoamines(OA). Circular dichroism spectra in the far-UV region show thatcomplex formation stabilizes protein conformation and preventsaggregation in water–organic solvent mixtures. Two populationsof the complexes with different thermodynamic stabilities werefound in -chymotrypsin (CT)–OA systems depending on theCT/OA ratio. The average dissociation constants and stoichiometriesof both low- and high-affinity populations of the complexeswere estimated. It appears that it is the low-affinity siteson the CT surface that are responsible for the activation effect.     

Activation γ-Spectrometric Method of Determining the Mass of Samples of Nuclear Materials

The possibility of using activation -spectrometry to determine the mass content of nuclear materials in matter is investigated. Irradiation of samples for a short time with moderated neutrons from a ~10⁷ sec^–1 Pu–Be source is used to induce 1436 keV -ray emission from ¹³⁸Cs. These -rays are suitable for measurements; the mass of the nuclear materials is determined from the intensity of the radiation. Three series of experiments are performed with sets of samples consisting of uranium and uranium dioxide with different mass and degrees of enrichment.Experiments showed that the error in determining the mass of uranium samples can reach 1–3% with 30–60 min irradiation and the same measurement duration.Special experiments were performed to investigate the influence of the experimental geometry and the self-absorption of the rays in the sample, which limit the possibility of -spectrometric measurements on samples of nuclear materials.The activation -spectrometric method can be used for analyzing metallic uranium samples, powder samples, samples of fuel micropellets and uranium hexafluoride, and plutonium samples.     

Development and evaluation of fast branch-and-bound algorithm for feature matching based on line segments

By extending the previously proposed geometric branch-and-bound algorithm with bounded alignment for point pattern matching, the paper presents the development and evaluation of a new and fast algorithm for image registration based on line segments. Using synthetically generated data sets with randomly distributed line segments and hard test cases with highly symmetric line patterns, as well as real remote sensing images, the developed algorithm is shown to be computationally fast, highly robust, capable of handling severely corrupted data sets with considerable line segment position errors as well as significant fragmented and spurious line segments in the images to be matched.     

Numerical Analysis of Quasioptical Multireflector Antennas in 2-D With the Method of Discrete Singularities: E-Wave Case

Numerical method for modeling the E-polarized wave scattering by electrically large quasioptical two-dimensional (2-D) reflectors is presented. Reflectors are assumed zero-thickness and perfectly electrically conducting. Efficient numerical solution is obtained from the coupled singular integral equations discretized using new quadrature formulas of interpolation type. It has controlled accuracy and deals with small-size matrices. To simulate a small-horn feeding, the incident field is taken as a beam generated by a complex-source-point (CSP) current. Presented numerical results validate empirical rule of -10 dB edge illumination needed to provide the best electromagnetic performance of reflector     

A model of preferential (100) crystal orientation of Si grains grown by aluminium-induced layer-exchange process

The aluminium-induced layer-exchange process allows to grow thin large-grained polycrystalline Si films on foreign substrates. A characteristic feature of these films is the preferential (100) orientation of Si grains, favourable for subsequent epitaxial thickening at low temperatures. In this work, a model based on the preferential nucleation is proposed, which elucidates a possible origin of the preferential (100) orientation and its sensitivity to the preparation and process conditions. The probability of Si nuclei to have respective orientation is attributed to the nucleation barrier, i.e. the critical value of the change of the Gibbs energy during nucleation. The preferential orientation is formed statistically by the nuclei having the lowest nucleation barriers.     

Acoustic scattering at a gap between two orthogonal,semi-infinite barriers: coordinate and spectral equations

The 2-D problem of diffraction by a gap between two orthogonal semi-infinite barriers is considered. The method of reflections is applied and the diffraction problem is reformulated as a propagation problem on a multi-sheet surface. An auxiliary problem, with a single incident wave, is formulated. By applying an embedding formula the auxiliary problem is reduced to that of finding a set of edge Green’s functions for the surface. The edge Green’s functions are proven to satisfy two sets of differential equations: the coordinate equations and the spectral equation. Although too complicated to be solved analytically, these ordinary differential equations offer some advantages over partial differential equations or integral equations.     

Synthesis of <Superscript>177</Superscript>Lu-based bioconjugate for radioimmunotherapy and evaluation of its stability in physiological media

Labeling of the conjugated molecule of human serum albumin (HSA) and humanized scFv 4D5 mini-antibody specific to her-2/neu receptor with β-emitting ¹⁷⁷Lu radionuclide via p-SCN-benzyl-DTPA chelator was studied. The radioconjugate can be prepared with the decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 82%. The stability of the synthesized complex in physiological solutions (normal saline, human blood serum) was evaluated. The complex is stable in physiological solutions for no less than 10 days.     

NEXAFS study of electronic and atomic structure of active layer in Al/indium tin oxide/TiO2 stack during resistive switching

We have studied the stability of the resistive switching process in the Al/(In₂O₃)_0.9(SnO₂)_0.1/TiO₂ assembly grown by atomic layer deposition. Besides electrical characterization the effect of electric field on the atomic electronic structure of the TiO₂ layer was studied using near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The region of the current instability in the I-V characteristics was revealed. Presumably this current instability is supported by the amorphous structure of the TiO₂ film but is initiated by the surface morphology of the Al substrate. A formation of the O₂ molecules was established which occurs specifically in the region of the current instability that is a result of electrical Joule heating manifestation.     

Temperature‐Dependent Exciton and Trap‐Related Photoluminescence of CdTe Quantum Dots Embedded in a NaCl Matrix: Implication in Thermometry

Temperature‐dependent optical studies of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are fundamentally important for a variety of sensing and imaging applications. The steady‐state and time‐resolved photoluminescence properties of CdTe QDs in the size range from 2.3 to 3.1 nm embedded into a protective matrix of NaCl are studied as a function of temperature from 80 to 360 K. The temperature coefficient is found to be strongly dependent on QD size, with the highest sensitivity obtained for the smallest size of QDs. The emission from solid‐state CdTe QD‐based powders is maintained with high color purity over a wide range of temperatures. Photoluminescence lifetime data suggest that temperature dependence of the intrinsic radiative lifetime in CdTe QDs is rather weak, and it is mostly the temperature‐dependent nonradiative decay of CdTe QDs which is responsible for the thermal quenching of photoluminescence intensity. By virtue of the temperature‐dependent photoluminescence behavior, high color purity, photostability, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (26%–37% in the solid state), CdTe QDs embedded in NaCl matrices are useful solid‐state probes for thermal imaging and sensing over a wide range of temperatures within a number of detection schemes and outstanding sensitivity, such as luminescence thermochromic imaging, ratiometric luminescence, and luminescence lifetime thermal sensing.     

Virus Matryoshka: A Bacteriophage Particle—Guided Molecular Assembly Approach to a Monodisperse Model of the Immature Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Immature human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) is approximately spherical, but is constructed from a hexagonal lattice of the Gag protein. As a hexagonal lattice is necessarily flat, the local symmetry cannot be maintained throughout the structure. This geometrical frustration presumably results in bending stress. In natural particles, the stress is relieved by incorporation of packing defects, but the magnitude of this stress and its significance for the particles is not known. In order to control this stress, we have now assembled the Gag protein on a quasi‐spherical template derived from bacteriophage P22. This template is monodisperse in size and electron‐transparent, enabling the use of cryo‐electron microscopy in structural studies. These templated assemblies are far less polydisperse than any previously described virus‐like particles (and, while constructed according to the same lattice as natural particles, contain almost no packing defects). This system gives us the ability to study the relationship between packing defects, curvature and elastic energy, and thermodynamic stability. As Gag is bound to the P22 template by single‐stranded DNA, treatment of the particles with DNase enabled us to determine the intrinsic radius of curvature of a Gag lattice, unconstrained by DNA or a template. We found that this intrinsic radius is far larger than that of a virion or P22‐templated particle. We conclude that Gag is under elastic strain in a particle; this has important implications for the kinetics of shell growth, the stability of the shell, and the type of defects it will assume as it grows.