Results of the 17th All-Russian Youth Conference on Semiconductor and Nanoctructure Physics and Semiconductor Opto- and Nanoelectronics

The paper summarizes the results of the 17th All-Russian Youth Conference on Semiconductor and Nanostructure Physics and Semiconductor Opto- and Nanoelectronics that took place in St. Petersburg on November 23–27, 2015. The organizers and the sponsors of the conference have been listed. The reports presented in the 6 sections of the conference have been reviewed analytically. The participants whose reports were awarded certificates and money prizes by the Conference Program Committee have been mentioned. The list of reports is presented that are recommended to take part in the ‘UMNIK’ contest (the acronym for the youth science and innovation contest means ‘a clever person’ in Russian) in the nomination ‘Scientific results which have significant novelty and the prospect of commercialization’ and shall be further funded by the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises in Science and Technology

A digital system of fluorescence visualization for antibacterial photodynamic therapy in dentistry

In the present work, a novel compact system for visualizing the spatial intensity distribution of the photosensitizer fluorescence for antibacterial photodynamic therapy in dentistry is suggested. The compact intraoral system includes a visible imaging camera and a violet laser diode. The wavelength of laser radiation is matched to the short-wavelength absorption peak of Photoditazin, so the effective excitation of its fluorescence is ensured. The built-in spectral-selective optical filter allows the camera to detect only the spatial distribution of the fluorescence intensity while the excitation radiation is blocked. Intraoral fluorescent images obtained with the suggested system can be used for diagnosis of residual amount of pathogens

Effects of an External Magnetic Field on the Interband and Intraband Optical Properties of an Asymmetric Biconvex Lens-Shaped Quantum Dot

The theoretical investigation of interband and intraband transitions in an asymmetric biconvex lens-shaped quantum dot are considered in the presence of an external magnetic field. The selection rules for intraband transitions are obtained. The behaviors of linear and nonlinear absorption and photoluminescence spectra are observed for different temperatures and magnetic field strengths. The second and third harmonic generation coefficients as a function of the photon energy are examined both in the absence and presence of an external magnetic field

Realization of the Kohn’s Theorem in Ge/Si Quantum Dots with Hole Gas: Theory and Experiment

This article discusses specific quantum transitions in a few-particle hole gas, localized in a strongly oblate lens-shaped quantum dot. Based on the adiabatic method, the possibility of realizing the generalized Kohn theorem in such a system is shown. The criteria for the implementation of this theorem in a lens-shaped quantum dot, fulfilled in the experiment, is presented. An analytical expression is obtained for the frequencies of resonant absorption of far-infrared radiation by a gas of heavy holes, which depends on the geometric parameters of the quantum dot. The results of experiments on far-infrared absorption in the arrays of p-doped Ge/Si quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with gradually increasing average number of holes in dot are presented. Experimental results show that the Coulomb interaction between the holes does not affect the resonant frequency of the transitions. A good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results is shown

Multiple Mutations in the Non-Ordered Red Ω-Loop Enhance the Membrane-Permeabilizing and Peroxidase-like Activity of Cytochrome <i>c</i>

A key event in the cytochrome c-dependent apoptotic pathway is the permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane, resulting in the release of various apoptogenic factors, including cytochrome c, into the cytosol. It is believed that the permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane can be induced by the peroxidase activity of cytochrome c in a complex with cardiolipin. Using a number of mutant variants of cytochrome c, we showed that both substitutions of Lys residues from the universal binding site for oppositely charged Glu residues and mutations leading to a decrease in the conformational mobility of the red Ω-loop in almost all cases did not affect the ability of cytochrome c to bind to cardiolipin. At the same time, the peroxidase activity of all mutant variants in a complex with cardiolipin was three to five times higher than that of the wild type. A pronounced increase in the ability to permeabilize the lipid membrane in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, as measured by calcein leakage from liposomes, was observed only in the case of four substitutions in the red Ω-loop (M4 mutant). According to resonance and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, the mutations caused significant changes in the heme of oxidized cytochrome c molecules resulting in an increased probability of the plane heme conformation and the enhancement of the rigidity of the protein surrounding the heme. The binding of wild-type and mutant forms of oxidized cytochrome c to cardiolipin-containing liposomes caused the disordering of the acyl lipid chains that was more pronounced for the M4 mutant. Our findings indicate that the Ω-loop is important for the pore formation in cardiolipin-containing membranes

Membrane Binding of Neuronal Calcium Sensor-1: Highly Specific Interaction with Phosphatidylinositol-3-Phosphate

Neuronal calcium sensors are a family of N-terminally myristoylated membrane-binding proteins possessing a different intracellular localization and thereby targeting unique signaling partner(s). Apart from the myristoyl group, the membrane attachment of these proteins may be modulated by their N-terminal positively charged residues responsible for specific recognition of the membrane components. Here, we examined the interaction of neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1) with natural membranes of different lipid composition as well as individual phospholipids in form of multilamellar liposomes or immobilized monolayers and characterized the role of myristoyl group and N-terminal lysine residues in membrane binding and phospholipid preference of the protein. NCS-1 binds to photoreceptor and hippocampal membranes in a Ca2+-independent manner and the binding is attenuated in the absence of myristoyl group. Meanwhile, the interaction with photoreceptor membranes is less dependent on myristoylation and more sensitive to replacement of K3, K7, and/or K9 of NCS-1 by glutamic acid, reflecting affinity of the protein to negatively charged phospholipids. Consistently, among the major phospholipids, NCS-1 preferentially interacts with phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol with micromolar affinity and the interaction with the former is inhibited upon mutating of N-terminal lysines of the protein. Remarkably, NCS-1 demonstrates pronounced specific binding to phosphoinositides with high preference for phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate. The binding does not depend on myristoylation and, unexpectedly, is not sensitive to the charge inversion mutations. Instead, phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate can be recognized by a specific site located in the N-terminal region of the protein. These data provide important novel insights into the general mechanism of membrane binding of NCS-1 and its targeting to specific phospholipids ensuring involvement of the protein in phosphoinositide-regulated signaling pathways