Surface plasmon resonance imaging detection of silver nanoparticle-tagged immunoglobulin

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2011 The Royal Society.The detection sensitivity of silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-tagged goat immunoglobulin G (gIgG) microarrays was investigated by studying surface plasmon resonance (SPR) images captured in the visible wavelength range with the help of a Kretchmann-configured optical coupling set-up. The functionalization of anti-gIgG molecules on the AgNP surface was studied using transmission electron microscopy, photon correlation measurements and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. A value of 1.3 × 107 M−1 was obtained for the antibody–antigen binding constant by monitoring the binding events at a particular resonance wavelength. The detection limit of this SPR imaging instrument is 6.66 nM of gIgG achieved through signal enhancement by a factor of larger than 4 owing to nanoparticle tagging with the antibody.The European Commissio

A comparative evaluation of post placental intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) insertion between normal delivery and caesarean section

Background: Adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes are related to pregnancies spaced too closely together. Objective of present study was to compare the expulsion rate and complications between post placental IUCD insertion between caesarean section and vaginal delivery.Methods: This study was a prospective comparative study conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at Agartala Government Medical College over 1.5 Years (January 2016-June2017) All cases at term pregnancy delivering by caesarean section and vaginal delivery were divided into two different groups. Sample size of 105 in each group. Subjects recruited from-obstetrics OPD and casualty of Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and GB Pant Hospital expulsion rate and complications. Comparative evaluation of Expulsion rate and complications following post placental IUCD insertion between caesarean section and vaginal delivery at the end of six months, one year and one and half year.Results: There was no significant difference in either complications between the two groups (P value-.913) or outcomes (p value-.035). Expulsion rate 18.2% following vaginal delivery compared to those with intracaesarean insertion i.e 3.8%.Conclusions: The complications associated with postplacental Intrauterine device insertion is insignificant, still the awareness, acceptance and continuation are very low. Therefore Information, education Communication activity by the field workers must be enhanced to overcome this knowledge gap

Manganese‐Doping‐Induced Quantum Confinement within Host Perovskite Nanocrystals through Ruddlesden–Popper Defects

The concept of doping Mn2+ ions into II–VI semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) was recently extended to perovskite NCs. To date, most studies on Mn2+ doped NCs focus on enhancing the emission related to the Mn2+ dopant via an energy transfer mechanism. Herein, we found that the doping of Mn2+ ions into CsPbCl3 NCs not only results in a Mn2+‐related orange emission, but also strongly influences the excitonic properties of the host NCs. We observe for the first time that Mn2+ doping leads to the formation of Ruddlesden–Popper (R.P.) defects and thus induces quantum confinement within the host NCs. We find that a slight doping with Mn2+ ions improves the size distribution of the NCs, which results in a prominent excitonic peak. However, with increasing the Mn2+ concentration, the number of R.P. planes increases leading to smaller single‐crystal domains. The thus enhanced confinement and crystal inhomogeneity cause a gradual blue shift and broadening of the excitonic transition, respectively

Deuterium oxide stabilizes conformation of tubulin: a biophysical and biochemical study

The present study was aimed to elucidate the mechanism of stabilization of tubulin by deuterium oxide $(D_2O)$. Rate of decrease of tryptophan fluorescence during aging of tubulin at $4^oC$ and $37^oC$ was significantly lower in $D_2O$ than in $H_2O$. Circular dichroism spectra of tubulin after incubation at $4^oC$, suggested that complete stabilization of the secondary structure in $D_2O$ during the first 24 hours of incubation. The number of available cysteine measured by DTNB reaction was decreased to a lesser extent in $D_2O$ than in $H_2O$. During the increase in temperature of tubulin, the rate of decrease of fluorescence at 335 nm and change of CD value at 222 nm was lesser in $D_2O$. Differential Scanning calorimetric experiments showed that the $T_m$ values for tubulin unfolding in $D_2O$ were $58.6^oC$ and $62.17^oC$, and in $H_2O$ those values were $55.4^oC$ and $59.35^oC$

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Nuclear Physics

University of Dallas (UD) physics majors are offered a variety of undergraduate research opportunities in nuclear physics through an established program at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (UKAL). The 7-MV Model CN Van de Graaff accelerator and the neutron production and detection facilities located there are used by UD students to investigate how neutrons scatter from materials that are important in nuclear energy production and for our basic understanding of how neutrons interact with matter. Recent student projects include modeling of the laboratory using the neutron transport code MCNP to investigate the effectiveness of laboratory shielding, testing the long-term gain stability of C6D6 liquid scintillation detectors, and deducing neutron elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections for 12C. Results of these student projects are presented that indicate the pit below the scattering area reduces background by as much as 30%; the detectors show no significant gain instabilities; and new insights into existing 12C neutron inelastic scattering cross-section discrepancies near a neutron energy of 6.0 MeV are obtained

0\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e States in \u3csup\u3e130,132\u3c/sup\u3eXe: A Search for E(5) Behavior

The level structures of 130,132Xe were studied with the inelastic neutron scattering reaction followed by γ-ray detection. Level lifetimes were measured using the Doppler-shift attenuation method and low-lying excited states in these nuclei were characterized. With a focus on the decay properties of the 0+ states, these nuclei were examined as representations of the E(5) critical-point symmetry

Neutron Scattering Cross Section Measurements for \u3csup\u3e56\u3c/sup\u3eFe

Elastic and inelastic differential cross sections for neutron scattering from 56Fe have been measured for several incident energies from 1.30 to 7.96 MeV at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory. Scattered neutrons were detected using a C6D6 liquid scintillation detector using pulse-shape discrimination and time-of-flight techniques. The deduced cross sections have been compared with previously reported data, predictions from evaluation databases ENDF, JENDL, and JEFF, and theoretical calculations performed using different optical model potentials using the TALYS and EMPIRE nuclear reaction codes. The coupled-channel calculations based on the vibrational and soft-rotor models are found to describe the experimental (n,n0) and (n,n1) cross sections well

Identification of Significant \u3cem\u3eE\u3c/em\u3e0 Strength in the 2\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e → 2\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e Transitions of \u3csup\u3e58,60,62\u3c/sup\u3eNi

The E0 transition strength in the 22+ → 21+ transitions of 58,60,62Ni have been determined for the first time following a series of measurements at the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Kentucky (UK). The CAESAR Compton-suppressed HPGe array and the Super-e solenoid at ANU were used to measure the δ(E2/M1) mixing ratio and internal conversion coefficient of each transition following inelastic proton scattering. Level half-lives, δ(E2/M1) mixing ratios and γ-ray branching ratios were measured at UK following inelastic neutron scattering. The new spectroscopic information was used to determine the E0 strengths. These are the first 2+ → 2+ E0 transition strengths measured in nuclei with spherical ground states and the E0 component is found to be unexpectedly large; in fact, these are amongst the largest E0 transition strengths in medium and heavy nuclei reported to date