Direct evidence for covalent functionalization of carbon nanohorns by high-resolution electron microscopy imaging of C60 conjugated onto their skeleton

Carbon nanohorns (CNHs) functionalized with aryl units, possessing ethylene glycol chains terminated to amine groups, were condensed with modified C₆₀ carrying a free carboxylic acid group. Direct evidence for the covalent functionalization of CNHs was given by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) imaging of C₆₀ present in that CNH hybrid material. In addition, it was found that C₆₀ remained unaffected even after prolonged exposure to the electron beam. Finally, monitoring the wave motion of the connecting ethylene glycol chains, through sequential HR-TEM images, further proved the stability of the covalent bond that links the two carbon nanostructures.     

Investigation of the antiviral properties of copper iodide nanoparticles against feline calicivirus

This study demonstrated the antiviral properties of copper iodide (CuI) nanoparticles against the non-enveloped virus feline calicivirus (FCV) as a surrogate for human norovirus. The effect of CuI nanoparticles on FCV infectivity to Crandell-Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cells was elucidated. The infectivity of FCV to CRFK cells was greatly reduced by 7 orders of magnitude at 1000μgml(-1) CuI nanoparticles. At the conditions, electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis proved hydroxyl radical production in CuI nanoparticle suspension. Furthermore, amino acid oxidation in the viral capsid protein of FCV was determined by nanoflow liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric (nano LC-MS) analysis. The use of CuI nanoparticles showed extremely high antiviral activity against FCV. The high antiviral property of CuI nanoparticles was attributed to Cu(+), followed by ROS generation and subsequent capsid protein oxidation. CuI nanoparticles could be proposed as useful sources of a continuous supply of Cu(+) ions for efficient virus inactivation. Furthermore, this study brings new insights into toxic actions of copper iodide nanoparticles against viruses.     

Organic field-effect transistors based on J-aggregate thin films of a bisazomethine dye

We report on the fabrication and the characterization of p-type organic field-effect transistors based on vapor-deposited J-aggregate bisazomethine dye thin films. The absorption spectra of this non-ionic organic semiconductor in the solid state show a strong influence of the film thickness on the J-aggregate formation. However, the electrical characteristics of the devices demonstrate that the hole transport properties do not vary significantly in films thicker than 100 nm. This is due to the fact that the J-aggregates are formed in this material at the surface of the crystalline grains and do not influence the semiconductor/gate dielectric interface and the charge transport properties of the devices. Hole field-effect mobilities as high as 2.4 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1 were obtained and could be slightly improved by a solvent vapor treatment due to changes in the film crystallinity. Overall, this study demonstrates that J-aggregate bisazomethine dye thin films are good candidates for the realization of organic electronic devices.     

New drug-resistant cassettes for gene disruption and epitope tagging in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We describe new heterologous modules for PCR-based gene targeting in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Two bacterial genes, hph and nat, which display dominant drug-resistance phenotypes, are used as new selectable markers in these modules. Both genes have been used successfully in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in which hph confers resistance to hygromycin B, while nat confers nourseothricin resistance (Goldstein and McCusker, 1999). Vector modules for gene disruption and C-terminal tagging with 3HA, 13Myc and GFP(S65T) are constructed using previously constructed pFA6a-MX6-derived plasmids (B?hler et al., 1998; Wach et al., 1997). In combination with the existing systems that are based upon the G418-resistance gene (kan), triple gene deletions or tags could be constructed. In addition a vector for one-step integration of a monomeric RFP (mRFP) to the C-terminus of proteins of interest is developed. Finally, oligonucleotides that allow a simple marker switch from kan to hph or nat, and vice versa, are described. The new constructs developed here should facilitate post-genomic molecular analysis of protein functions in fission yeast.     

Pre-treatment of sperm reduces success of ICSI in the pig

In pigs, although ICSI is a feasible fertilization technique, its efficiency is low. In general, injected pig sperm are insufficient to induce oocyte activation and embryonic development. Pretreatments for disrupting sperm membranes have been applied to improve the fertility of ICSI oocytes; however, we hypothesize that such pretreatment(s) may reduce the ability of the sperm to induce oocyte activation. We first evaluated the effects of sperm pretreatments (sonication (SO) to isolate the sperm heads from the tails, Triton X-100 (TX), and three cycles of repeated freezing/thawing (3×-FT) for disrupting sperm membranes) on the rate of pronucleus (PN) formation after ICSI. We found that oocytes injected with control (whole) sperm had higher rates of PN formation than those obtained after subjecting the sperm to SO, TX, and 3×-FT. The amounts of phospholipase Cζ (PLCζ), which is thought to be the oocyte-activating factor in mammalian sperm, in sperm treated by each method was significantly lower than that in whole untreated sperm. Furthermore, using immunofluorescence, it was found that in pig sperm, PLCζ was localized to both the post-acrosomal region and the tail area. Thus we demonstrated for the first time that sperm pretreatment leads to a reduction of oocyte-activating capacity. Our data also show that in addition to its expected localization to the sperm head, PLCζ is also localized in the tail of pig sperm, thus raising the possibility that injection of whole sperm may be required to attain successful activation in pigs.     

Synthesis of one-dimensional potassium tungsten bronze with excellent near-infrared absorption property

Potassium tungsten oxide nanofibers were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal reaction route in the presence of sulfate. After reduction under a reductive atmosphere of H(2)(5 vol %)/N(2), the potassium tungsten oxide transformed to potassium tungsten bronze. Because of the lack of free electrons, the potassium tungsten oxide (K(x)WO(3+x/2)) showed no NIR shielding performance; however, the potassium tungsten bronze (K(x)WO(3)) showed promising optical characteristics such as high transmittance for visible light, as well as high shielding performance for near-infrared lights, indicating its potential application as a solar filter. Meanwhile, the potassium tungsten bronze (K(x)WO(3)) showed strong absorption of near-infrared light and instantaneous conversion of photoenergy to heat.     

Gas detection by structural variations of fluorescent guest molecules in a flexible porous coordination polymer

The development of a new methodology for visualizing and detecting gases is imperative for various applications. Here, we report a novel strategy in which gas molecules are detected by signals from a reporter guest that can read out a host structural transformation. A composite between a flexible porous coordination polymer and fluorescent reporter distyrylbenzene (DSB) selectively adsorbed CO? over other atmospheric gases. This adsorption induced a host transformation, which was accompanied by conformational variations of the included DSB. This read-out process resulted in a critical change in DSB fluorescence at a specific threshold pressure. The composite shows different fluorescence responses to CO? and acetylene, compounds that have similar physicochemical properties. Our system showed, for the first time, that fluorescent molecules can detect gases without any chemical interaction or energy transfer. The host-guest coupled transformations play a pivotal role in converting the gas adsorption events into detectable output signals.     

A bona fide two-dimensional percolation model: an insight into the optimum photoactivator concentration in La2/3-xEuxTa2O7 nanosheets

La–Eu solid solution nanosheets La_2/3−xEu_xTa₂O₇ have been synthesized, and their photoluminescence properties have been investigated. La_2/3−xEu_xTa₂O₇ nanosheets were prepared from layered perovskite compounds Li₂La_2/3−xEu_xTa₂O₇ as the precursors by soft chemical exfoliation reactions. Both the precursors and the exfoliated nanosheets exhibit a decrease in intralayer lattice parameters as the Eu contents increase. However, there is a discontinuity in this trend between the nominal Eu content ranges x≤ 0.3 and x ≥ 0.4. This discontinuity is attributed to the difference in degree of TaO₆ octahedra tilting for the La- and Eu-rich phases. La_2/3−xEu_xTa₂O₇ nanosheets exhibit red emission, characteristic of the f–f transitions in Eu³⁺ photoactivators. The photoluminescence emission can be obtained from both host and direct photoactivator excitation. However, photoluminescence emission through host excitation is much more dominant than that through direct photoactivator excitation, and this behavior is consistent with that of all the other rare-earth photoactivated nanosheets reported previously. The absolute photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the La_2/3−xEu_xTa₂O₇ nanosheets increases as the experimentally determined Eu contents increase up to x=0.45 and decrease above it. This result is in good agreement with the optimum photoactivator concentration expected from the percolation theory. These solid solution La_2/3−xEu_xTa₂O₇ nanosheets are excellent models for validating the theory of optimum photoactivator concentration in the truly two-dimensional photoactivator matrix.