On Rectifying Dual Space Curves

We give some characterizations of the rectifying curves in the dual space and show that rectifying dual space curves can be stated with the aid of dual unit spherical curves. Thus, we have a link between rectifying dual space curves and classical surfaces in the Euclidean three-space

Observed climate variability and change in Urmia Lake Basin, Iran

This paper analyzes climate variability and change in the Urmia Lake Basin, northwest of Iran. Annual average of the following data time series has been analyzed by statistical methods: dry bulb temperature, maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, and number of rainy and snowy days. We have also used mean monthly temperature and precipitation data for analysis of drought spells for the period 1964-2005 to find out whether fluctuations in the lake level are attributable to natural drought. Our results indicate that mean precipitation has decreased by 9.2% and the average maximum temperature has increased by 0.8°C over these four decades. The seasonal changes are particularly visible in winter and spring. Results of the Palmer Drought Severity Index show that on average, drought episodes have hit the Urmia Lake Basin every 5years and most of them reached severe levels, but recent droughts have become more intense and last longe

Glycosaminoglycan mimetric peptide nanofibers promote mineralization by osteogenic cells

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Bone tissue regeneration is accomplished by concerted regulation of protein-based extracellular matrix components, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and inductive growth factors. GAGs constitute a significant portion of the extracellular matrix and have a significant impact on regulating cellular behavior, either directly or through encapsulation and presentation of growth factors to the cells. In this study we utilized a supramolecular peptide nanofiber system that can emulate both the nanofibrous architecture of collagenous extracellular matrix and the major chemical composition found on GAGs. GAGs and collagen mimetic peptide nanofibers were designed and synthesized with sulfonate and carboxylate groups on the peptide scaffold. The GAG mimetic peptide nanofibers interact with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), which is a critical growth factor for osteogenic activity. The GAG mimicking ability of the peptide nanofibers and their interaction with BMP-2 promoted osteogenic activity and mineralization by osteoblastic cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity, Alizarin red staining and energy dispersive X-ray analysis spectroscopy indicated the efficacy of the peptide nanofibers in inducing mineralization. The multifunctional and bioactive microenvironment presented here provides osteoblastic cells with osteogenic stimuli similar to those observed in native bone tissue

Co doping induced structural and optical properties of sol-gel prepared ZnO thin films

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The preparation conditions for Co doping process into the ZnO structure were studied by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique. Structural and optical properties of the Co:ZnO thin films as a function of Co concentrations were examined. It was observed that hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO is dominant up to the critical value, and after the value, the cubic structural phase of the cobalt oxide appears in the X-ray diffraction patterns. Every band-edge of Co:ZnO films shifts to the lower energies and all are confirmed with the PL measurements. Co substitution in ZnO lattice has been proved by the optical transmittance measurement which is observed as the loss of transmission appearing in specific region due to Co2+ characteristic transitions. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Theoretical calculations of second and third-order nonlinear susceptibilities and their corresponding hyperpolarizabilities of a styrylquinolinium dye

The second (Xexp(2)) and third-order (Xexp(3)) susceptibilities of a styrylquinolinium dye (1) have been determined utilizing second-harmonic generation (SHG) and third-harmonic generation (THG) techniques, respectively. The reported measurement findings on Xexp(2) and Xexp(3) have been compared with the theoretical data evaluated here by means of ab-initio quantum mechanical calculations. The electric dipole moments (μ), static dipole polarizabilities (a) and first hyperpolarizabilities (β) have been computed by density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p) level. To reveal the frequency-dependent second and third-order microscopic nonlinear optical (NLO) behavior of the title compound, the dynamic dipole polarizabilities, first and second (γ) hyperpolarizabilities have been theoretically investigated using time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) method. According to the experimental and theoretical results, the values of susceptibilities and the corresponding microscopic coefficients with large non-zero responses make the examined dye promising candidate for NLO applications

Bone-Like Mineral Nucleating Peptide Nanofibers Induce Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Mature Osteoblasts

Cataloged from PDF version of article.A bone implant should integrate to the tissue through a bone-like mineralized interface, which requires increased osteoblast activity at the implant-tissue boundary. Modification of the implant surface with synthetic bioinstructive cues facilitates on-site differentiation of progenitor stem cells to functional mature osteoblasts and results in subsequent mineralization. Inspired by the bioactive domains of the bone extracellular matrix proteins and the mussel adhesive proteins, we synthesized peptide nanofibers to promote bone-like mineralization on the implant surface. Nanofibers functionalized with osteoinductive collagen I derived Asp-Gly-Glu-Ala (DGEA) peptide sequence provide an advantage in initial adhesion, spreading, and early commitment to osteogenic differentiation for mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). In this study, we demonstrated that this early osteogenic commitment, however, does not necessarily guarantee a priority for maturation into functional osteoblasts. Similar to natural biological cascades, early commitment should be further supported with additional signals to provide a long-term effect on differentiation. Here, we showed that peptide nanofibers functionalized with Glu-Glu-Glu (EEE) sequence enhanced mineralization abilities due to osteoinductive properties for late-stage differentiation of hMSCs. Mussel-inspired functionalization not only enables robust immobilization on metal surfaces, but also improves bone-like mineralization under physiologically simulated conditions. The multifunctional osteoinductive peptide nanofiber biointerfaces presented here facilitate osseointegration for long-term clinical stability. © 2014 American Chemical Society

Amyloid Inspired Self-Assembled Peptide Nanofibers

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Amyloid peptides are important components in many degenerative diseases as well as in maintaining cellular metabolism. Their unique stable structure provides new insights in developing new materials. Designing bioinspired selfassembling peptides is essential to generate new forms of hierarchical nanostructures. Here we present oppositely charged amyloid inspired peptides (AIPs), which rapidly self-assemble into nanofibers at pH 7 upon mixing in water caused by noncovalent interactions. Mechanical properties of the gels formed by selfassembled AIP nanofibers were analyzed with oscillatory rheology. AIP gels exhibited strong mechanical characteristics superior to gels formed by self-assembly of previously reported synthetic short peptides. Rheological studies of gels composed of oppositely charged mixed AIP molecules (AIP-1 + 2) revealed superior mechanical stability compared to individual peptide networks (AIP-1 and AIP-2) formed by neutralization of net charges through pH change. Adhesion and elasticity properties of AIP mixed nanofibers and charge neutralized AIP-1, AIP-2 nanofibers were analyzed by high resolution force− distance mapping using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nanomechanical characterization of self-assembled AIP-1 + 2, AIP-1, and AIP-2 nanofibers also confirmed macroscopic rheology results, and mechanical stability of AIP mixed nanofibers was higher compared to individual AIP-1 and AIP-2 nanofibers self-assembled at acidic and basic pH, respectively. Experimental results were supported with molecular dynamics simulations by considering potential noncovalent interactions between the amino acid residues and possible aggregate forms. In addition, HUVEC cells were cultured on AIP mixed nanofibers at pH 7 and biocompatibility and collagen mimetic scaffold properties of the nanofibrous system were observed. Encapsulation of a zwitterionic dye (rhodamine B) within AIP nanofiber network was accomplished at physiological conditions to demonstrate that this network can be utilized for inclusion of soluble factors as a scaffold for cell culture studies. Copyright © 2012 American Chemical Societ

Optical and structural characterization of thin films containing metallophthalocyanine chlorides

Abstract The structural and optical investigation of thin films containing aluminum and gallium phthalocyanine chlorides is presented. The films were fabricated by Physical Vapor Deposition technique onto quartz substrates and annealed after fabrication in an ambient atmosphere for 24 h at the temperature equal to 150 °C or 250 °C. The experimental results and theoretical calculation of the Third Harmonic Generation process are reported. The third order nonlinear optical properties are expected and can be more or less accurately predicted due to the assembly of the molecules and theoretical calculations of the frequency-dependent dipole polarizabilities, third hyperpolarizabilities, third order susceptibilities, frontier and second frontier molecular orbitals. These parameters were used to understand the relationship of optical properties with the molecular structures. We found that the annealing process causes formation of nanostructures and the value of the third order optical susceptibility makes these materials interesting for future nonlinear optical applications

Second and third-order nonlinear optical behavior of natural pigment: chlorophyll and crocin

To provide an insight into the microscopic second and third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) behavior of chlorophyll a and crocin, we have computed the electric dipole moments (μ), dispersion-free first hyperpolarizabilities (β), frequency-dependent first and second (γ) hyperpolarizabilities at 1064 nm wavelength area using time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) method. According to ab-initio calculation results, the examined compounds exhibit first and second hyperpolarizabilities with non-zero values, implying second and third-order NLO phenomena