2,228 research outputs found
Novel magnetic properties of graphene: Presence of both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic features and other aspects
Investigations of the magnetic properties of graphenes prepared by different
methods reveal that dominant ferromagnetic interactions coexist along with
antiferromagnetic interactions in all the samples. Thus, all the graphene
samples exhibit room-temperature magnetic hysteresis. The magnetic properties
depend on the number of layers and the sample area, small values of both
favoring larger magnetization. Molecular charge-transfer affects the magnetic
properties of graphene, interaction with a donor molecule such as
tetrathiafulvalene having greater effect than an electron-withdrawing molecule
such as tetracyanoethyleneComment: 16 pges, 5 figure
Quenching of fluorescence of aromatic molecules by graphene due to electron transfer
Investigations on the fluorescence quenching of graphene have been carried
out with two organic donor molecules, pyrene butanaoic acid succinimidyl ester
(PyBS, I) and oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) methyl ester (OPV-ester, II).
Absorption and photoluminescence spectra of I and II recorded in mixture with
increasing the concentrations of graphene showed no change in the former, but
remarkable quenching of fluorescence. The property of graphene to quench
fluorescence of these aromatic molecules is shown to be associated with
photo-induced electron transfer, on the basis of fluorescence decay and
time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopic measurements.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
Testudines of India: A Review on Diversity, Threats and Conservation Initiatives
The present review is a collection of the available literature resources related to Testudines of India. Different aspects of diversity studies pertaining to turtles in India is presented in this review along with threats and conservation initiatives in different parts of India in different timeline
Encapsulation of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical active ingredients using electrospinning processes
Electrospinning is an inexpensive and powerful method that employs a polymer solution and strong electric field to produce nanofibers. These can be applied in diverse biological and medical applications. Due to their large surface area, controllable surface functionalization and properties, and typically high biocompatibility electrospun nanofibers are recognized as promising materials for the manufacturing of drug delivery systems. Electrospinning offers the potential to formulate poorly soluble drugs as amorphous solid dispersions to improve solubility, bioavailability and targeting of drug release. It is also a successful strategy for the encapsulation of nutraceuticals. This review aims to briefly discuss the concept of electrospinning and recent progress in manufacturing electrospun drug delivery systems. It will further consider in detail the encapsulation of nutraceuticals, particularly probiotics
Two-Dimenslonal Analysis of Electrical Breakdown in a Nonuniform Gap Between a Wire and a Plane
Electrical breakdown of a gap between a wire (modeled as a hyperboloid) and a plane has been investigated numerically by solving the two-dimensional form of the diffusion flux equations for the charged particle number densities and Poisson\u27s equation for the self-consistent electric field. Electron impact ionization, thermal ionization, and three-body recombination have been considered as the charged particle production and loss mechanisms. The electrode surfaces are considered to be absorbing and the initial density of the particles is small, but nonzero, A gap length of 0.5 mm is investigated and the gas medium is air or argon at atmospheric pressure. The temporal development of the profiles of ion and electron number densities, potential and electric field, and current growth on both the electrodes are presented when the applied voltage is 1500 and 2500 V for both positive and negative wires. When the wire is negatively biased, the peaks in the radial distribution of both of the charged particle densities near the wire occur off the axis except during the very early part of the breakdown. With positive polarity, the electron density maximum always occurs on the discharge axis, while for ions it moves away from the axis, later in the transient, due to the reverse particle drift in the electric field from the negative polarity case, The discharge spreads farther out into the ambient (almost two times the gap length) when the wire is negatively biased than with positive polarity. The effect of charge separation on the externally applied electric field is significant at voltages 2500 V and higher. Ionization is greater in argon than in air for a fixed potential difference between the electrodes
Effect of Negative Ions on Electrical Breakdown in a Nonuniform Air Gap Between a Wire and a Plane
Electrical breakdown of an axisymmetric, atmospheric pressure air gap between a wire and a plane has been investigated for a gap length of 0.5 mm. 0- and 02- have been identified as the negative ions affecting the discharge development in air, besides electrons and positive ions, and have been included in the electrical breakdown model. Five coupled two-dimensional transient partial differential equations describing the discharge evolution in the air gap have been solved using a finite difference algorithm developed earlier. Temporal development of the charged particle number densities, electrostatic potential, electric field, and current at both the electrodes is presented when the wire is negatively biased at 2500 V. The impact of negative ions on gap breakdown has been assessed by comparing the results of analyses with and without negative ions. It is concluded that the negative ions have negligible effect during the early stages of the discharge development. However, as the discharge evolves, the negative ions cause a net loss of electrons from the discharge. The effect is most pronounced away from the discharge axis, where peaks in the electron density occur as breakdown proceeds. Radial spread of discharge and current growth rate are relatively unaffected by the presence of negative ions, but the magnitude of total current at the electrodes has been found to decrease by a decade when the negative ions are present
Effect of Vibrio cholerae on Chemokine Gene Expression in HT29 cells and its Modulation by Lactobacillus GG
Epithelial cells participate in the innate immune response to pathogenic bacteria by elaborating chemokines. This study examined the effect of Vibrio cholerae and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on inflammatory chemokine gene expression in the HT29 human intestinal epithelial cell line. HT29 cells were exposed to V. cholerae 0139, Lactobacillus or both for 2 h and cultured further thereafter for 4 h. RNA was extracted from the cells and expression of genes for chemokines and related molecules was quantitated by real time PCR using a pathway-focused PCR array. TLR4 was silenced using shRNA and output of interleukin-8 (IL-8) into the media quantitated with and without V. cholerae exposure. NFκB and p38 MAP kinase activation were determined by immunoblotting for IκBα and phosphorylated p38. Vibrio cholerae significantly upregulated gene expression for the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL chemokines, IL-8, CXCL and CXCL in HT29 cells, while downregulating the expression of macrophage-attracting C-C chemokines. TLR4 silencing did not reduce IL-8 output from HT29 cells in response to V. cholerae. IκBα degradation was noted in the HT29 cells soon after exposure to V. cholerae and this recovered over time after removal of bacteria. p38 MAP kinase activation was not noted. Vibrio cholerae upregulated the expression of neutrophil attractant chemokines, most prominently IL-8, in HT29 cells, but downregulated macrophage-attracting chemokines. Probiotic lactobacilli modulated the IL-8, but not the other chemokine gene changes, in response to V. cholerae
Sub-wavelength imaging at optical frequencies using canalization regime
Imaging with sub-wavelength resolution using a lens formed by periodic
metal-dielectric layered structure is demonstrated. The lens operates in
canalization regime as a transmission device and it does not involve negative
refraction and amplification of evanescent modes. The thickness of the lens
have to be an integer number of half-wavelengths and can be made as large as
required for ceratin applications, in contrast to the other sub-wavelength
lenses formed by metallic slabs which have to be much smaller than the
wavelength. Resolution of at 600 nm wavelength is confirmed by
numerical simulation for a 300 nm thick structure formed by a periodic stack of
10 nm layers of glass with and 5 nm layers of metal-dielectric
composite with . Resolution of is predicted for a
structure with same thickness, period and operating frequency, but formed by
7.76 nm layers of silicon with and 7.24 nm layers of silver with
.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Imaging the Near Field
In an earlier paper we introduced the concept of the perfect lens which
focuses both near and far electromagnetic fields, hence attaining perfect
resolution. Here we consider refinements of the original prescription designed
to overcome the limitations of imperfect materials. In particular we show that
a multi-layer stack of positive and negative refractive media is less sensitive
to imperfections. It has the novel property of behaving like a fibre-optic
bundle but one that acts on the near field, not just the radiative component.
The effects of retardation are included and minimized by making the slabs
thinner. Absorption then dominates image resolution in the near-field. The
deleterious effects of absorption in the metal are reduced for thinner layers.Comment: RevTeX, (9 pages, 8 figures
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