178 research outputs found
The Effect of Fused 12-Membered Nickel Metallacrowns on DNA and their Antibacterial Activity
The synthesis, characterization and the biological study of a series of Ni(ll)2(carboxylato)2 [12-
MCNi(II)N(shi)2(pko)2-4][12-MCNi(ii)N(sh03(pko)-4] (CH3OH)3(H3O) fused 12-membered metallacrowns with 10 metal ions and commercial available herbicides or anti-inflammatory drugs as carboxylato ligands are
reported. All the compounds have a mixed ligand composition with salicylhydroxamic acid and di-2-pyridylketonoxime
as chelate agents. The compounds construct metallacrown cores {[12-MCNi(n)N(sj02(pko)2-4][12-MCNi(ll)N(shO3(pko)-4]}2+ following the pattern [-Ni-O-N-]4. The neutral decanuclear [Ni(II)(A)]2[12-MCNi(II)N(shi)2(pko)2-4][12-MCNi(II)N(pko)3(pko)-4] fused metallacrown, consists of two [12-MCM(ox)N(ligand)-4] units the {Ni(ll)(A)[12-MCNi(II)N(shi)2(pko)2-4]} and {Ni(II)(A)[12-MCNi(II)N(shi)3(pko)-4]} with 1+ and 1- charge, respectively. Each metallacrown unit has four ring Ni(II) ions and one additional encapsulated Ni(II) ion in planar arrangement. The anionic unit is bonded with cationic one creating binuclear moieties. The herbicide or antiiflammatory carboxylato ligands are bridging the central octahedral nickel atom with a ring metal ion
in a bindetate fashion. The effect on DNA and their antibacterial activity was examined. The changes in the
mobility can be attributed to the altered structures of the pDNA treated with Ni(II) complexes. Evaluating the
data of the antibacterial activity of the compounds tested, we can conclude that nickel complexes present
strong antibacterial activity
Incommensurate ground state of double-layer quantum Hall systems
Double-layer quantum Hall systems possess interlayer phase coherence at
sufficiently small layer separations, even without interlayer tunneling. When
interlayer tunneling is present, application of a sufficiently strong in-plane
magnetic field drives a commensurate-incommensurate (CI)
transition to an incommensurate soliton-lattice (SL) state. We calculate the
Hartree-Fock ground-state energy of the SL state for all values of
within a gradient approximation, and use it to obtain the
anisotropic SL stiffness, the Kosterlitz-Thouless melting temperature for the
SL, and the SL magnetization. The in-plane differential magnetic susceptibility
diverges as when the CI transition is approached
from the SL state.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Physical Review
Cell morphology as a design parameter in the bioengineering of cell-biomaterial surface interactions
Control of cell–surface interaction is necessary for biomaterial applications such as cell sheets, intelligent cell culture surfaces, or functional coatings. In this paper, we propose the emergent property of cell morphology as a design parameter in the bioengineering of cell–biomaterial surface interactions. Cell morphology measured through various parameters can indicate ideal candidates for these various applications thus reducing the time taken for the screening and development process. The hypothesis of this study is that there is an optimal cell morphology range for enhanced cell proliferation and migration on the surface of biomaterials. To test the hypothesis, primary porcine dermal fibroblasts (PDF, 3 biological replicates) were cultured on ten different surfaces comprising components of the natural extracellular matrix of tissues. Results suggested an optimal morphology with a cell aspect ratio (CAR) between 0.2 and 0.4 for both increased cell proliferation and migration. If the CAR was below 0.2 (very elongated cell), cell proliferation was increased whilst migration was reduced. A CAR of 0.4+ (rounded cell) favoured cell migration over proliferation. The screening process, when it comes to biomaterials is a long, repetitive, arduous but necessary event. This study highlights the beneficial use of testing the cell morphology on prospective prototypes, eliminating those that do not support an optimal cell shape. We believe that the research presented in this paper is important as we can help address this screening inefficiency through the use of the emergent property of cell morphology. Future work involves automating CAR quantification for high throughput screening of prototypes
Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling of Ferromagnetic Domain Walls
Quantum tunneling of domain walls out of an impurity potential in a
mesoscopic ferromagnetic sample is investigated. Using improved expressions for
the domain wall mass and for the pinning potential, we find that the cross-over
temperature between thermal activation and quantum tunneling is of a different
functional form than found previously. In materials like Ni or YIG, the
crossover temperatures are around 5 mK. We also find that the WKB exponent is
typically two orders of magnitude larger than current estimates. The sources
for these discrepancies are discussed, and precise estimates for the transition
from three-dimensional to one-dimensional magnetic behavior of a wire are
given. The cross-over temperatures from thermal to quantum transitions and
tunneling rates are calculated for various materials and sample sizes.Comment: 10 pages, 2 postscript figures, REVTe
Transient Dynamics of Confined Charges in Quantum Dots in the Sequential Tunnelling Regime
We investigate the time-dependent, coherent, and dissipative dynamics of
bound particles in single multilevel quantum dots in the presence of sequential
tunnelling transport. We focus on the nonequilibrium regime where several
channels are available for transport. Through a fully microscopic and
non-Markovian density matrix formalism we investigate transport-induced
decoherence and relaxation of the system. We validate our methodology by also
investigating the Markov limit on our model. We confirm that not only does this
limit neglect the coherent oscillations between system states as expected, but
also the rate at which the steady state is reached under this limit
significantly differs from the non-Markovian results. By a systematic analysis
of the decay constants and frequencies of coherent oscillations for the
off-diagonal elements of the reduced density matrix under various realistic
tunneling rate anisotropies and energy configurations, we outline a criteria
for extended decoherence times.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, 1 tabl
Three dimensional porous scaffolds derived from collagen, elastin and fibrin proteins orchestrate adipose tissue regeneration
Current gold standard to treat soft tissue injuries caused by trauma and pathological condition are autografts and off the shelf fillers, but they have inherent weaknesses like donor site morbidity, immuno-compatibility and graft failure. To overcome these limitations, tissue-engineered polymers are seeded with stem cells to improve the potential to restore tissue function. However, their interaction with native tissue is poorly understood so far. To study these interactions and improve outcomes, we have fabricated scaffolds from natural polymers (collagen, fibrin and elastin) by custom-designed processes and their material properties such as surface morphology, swelling, wettability and chemical cross-linking ability were characterised. By using 3D scaffolds, we comprehensive assessed survival, proliferation and phenotype of adipose-derived stem cells in vitro. In vivo, scaffolds were seeded with adipose-derived stem cells and implanted in a rodent model, with X-ray microtomography, histology and immunohistochemistry as read-outs. Collagen-based materials showed higher cell adhesion and proliferation in vitro as well as higher adipogenic properties in vivo. In contrast, fibrin demonstrated poor cellular and adipogenesis properties but higher angiogenesis. Elastin formed the most porous scaffold, with cells displaying a non-aggregated morphology in vitro while in vivo elastin was the most degraded scaffold. These findings of how polymers present in the natural polymers mimicking ECM and seeded with stem cells affect adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo can open avenues to design 3D grafts for soft tissue repair
Understanding consumer demand for new transport technologies and services, and implications for the future of mobility
The transport sector is witnessing unprecedented levels of disruption.
Privately owned cars that operate on internal combustion engines have been the
dominant modes of passenger transport for much of the last century. However,
recent advances in transport technologies and services, such as the development
of autonomous vehicles, the emergence of shared mobility services, and the
commercialization of alternative fuel vehicle technologies, promise to
revolutionise how humans travel. The implications are profound: some have
predicted the end of private car dependent Western societies, others have
portended greater suburbanization than has ever been observed before. If
transport systems are to fulfil current and future needs of different
subpopulations, and satisfy short and long-term societal objectives, it is
imperative that we comprehend the many factors that shape individual behaviour.
This chapter introduces the technologies and services most likely to disrupt
prevailing practices in the transport sector. We review past studies that have
examined current and future demand for these new technologies and services, and
their likely short and long-term impacts on extant mobility patterns. We
conclude with a summary of what these new technologies and services might mean
for the future of mobility.Comment: 15 pages, 0 figures, book chapte
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