A new fluorescence method for the determination of ammonia

753-754A new method is described for the determination of ammonia by exploiting the change in fluorescence intensity of the ethanolic solution of salicylaldehyde with the addition of trace amounts of aqueous ammonia solution. The method is simple, sensitive and accurate

Synthesis and characterization of superparamagnetic Ni-Pt nanoalloy

A room-temperature wet chemical method of synthesis for sphere- and rod-shaped magnetic “solid solution” type Ni−Pt nanoparticles in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelle is reported. The particles have been found to be moderately monodispersed without adopting any further size-selection procedure. The composition of the alloy becomes tunable through adjustment of the ratio of the reactants. The temperature-dependent magnetic property, size distribution, and percentage composition of the alloyed structures are characterized by SQUID magnetometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. The preferential evolution of nanorods over spherical particles in higher surfactant concentrations and the coalescence of the magnetic particles have been examined

Label-free biosensing based on single gold nanostars as plasmonic transducers

Gold nanostars provide high sensitivity for single nanoparticle label-free biosensing. The nanostars present multiple plasmon resonances of which the lower energy ones, corresponding to the nanostar tips and core-tip interactions, are the most sensitive to environmental changes. Streptavidin molecules are detected upon binding to individual, biotin-modified gold nanostars by spectral shifts in the plasmon resonances. Concentrations as low as 0.1 nM produce a shift of the tip related plasmon resonances of about 2.3 nm (5.3 meV).Fil: Dondapati, Srujan K.. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Sau, Tapan K.. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Hrelescu, Calin. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Klar, Thomas A.. Technical University of Ilmenau; AlemaniaFil: Stefani, Fernando Daniel. Technical University of Ilmenau; Alemania. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Feldmann, Jochen. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; Alemani

Wet chemical method for synthesis of superparamagnetic alloyed NiPd and NiPt nanomagnets in micelles

The evolution of sphere- and rod-shaped superparamagnetic NiPd and NiPt nanoparticles by wet chemical methods is reported. It has been shown that increased CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) concentration at room temperature promotes the formation of a higher proportion of rod-shaped nanomagnets over spherical particles. Temperature-dependent magnetic properties, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) studies reveal the superparamagnetic behavior, size distribution, and percentage composition of the alloyed structures

Efficient One-Pot Synthesis and pH-Dependent Tuning of Photoluminescence and Stability of Au₁₈(SC₂H₄CO₂H)₁₄ Cluster

Developing efficient ways to control the nanocluster properties and synthesize atomically precise metal nanoclusters are the foremost goals in the field of metal nanocluster research. In this article, we demonstrate that the direct synthesis of atomically precise, hydrophilic metal nanoclusters as well as tuning of their properties can be achieved by an appropriate selection of reactants, binding ligand, and their proportions. Thus, a facile, single-step method has been developed for the direct synthesis of Au₁₈(SC₂H₄CO₂H)₁₄ nanocluster in an aqueous medium under ambient conditions. The synthesis does not require any pH or temperature control and postsynthesis size-separation step. The use of a hydrophilic, bifunctional short carbon-chain capping ligand, HSC₂H₄CO₂H, allows tuning of cluster properties such as the photoluminescence and stability in an aqueous medium via the variation of pH of the cluster solution. By using a phase transfer catalyst, the nanoclusters can also be transferred into toluene solvent, which further enhances the nanocluster photoluminescence. The formation, composition, and purity of the product clusters have been characterized by using a number of methods such as the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, UV–visible and FTIR spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Gold nanoclusters with properties such as water solubility, water-to-organic phase-transfer ability, and tunable stability and photoluminescence are promising for various studies and applications. The work reveals a few principles that can be helpful in the development of a general toolbox for the rational design of size-selective synthesis and properties tuning of the metal nanoclusters

Management of coronary disease in patients with advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND Clinical trials that have assessed the effect of revascularization in patients with stable coronary disease have routinely excluded those with advanced chronic kidney disease. METHODS We randomly assigned 777 patients with advanced kidney disease and moderate or severe ischemia on stress testing to be treated with an initial invasive strategy consisting of coronary angiography and revascularization (if appropriate) added to medical therapy or an initial conservative strategy consisting of medical therapy alone and angiography reserved for those in whom medical therapy had failed. The primary outcome was a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction. A key secondary outcome was a composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. RESULTS At a median follow-up of 2.2 years, a primary outcome event had occurred in 123 patients in the invasive-strategy group and in 129 patients in the conservative-strategy group (estimated 3-year event rate, 36.4% vs. 36.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.29; P=0.95). Results for the key secondary outcome were similar (38.5% vs. 39.7%; hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.29). The invasive strategy was associated with a higher incidence of stroke than the conservative strategy (hazard ratio, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.52 to 9.32; P=0.004) and with a higher incidence of death or initiation of dialysis (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.11; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with stable coronary disease, advanced chronic kidney disease, and moderate or severe ischemia, we did not find evidence that an initial invasive strategy, as compared with an initial conservative strategy, reduced the risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction

Health status after invasive or conservative care in coronary and advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND In the ISCHEMIA-CKD trial, the primary analysis showed no significant difference in the risk of death or myocardial infarction with initial angiography and revascularization plus guideline-based medical therapy (invasive strategy) as compared with guideline-based medical therapy alone (conservative strategy) in participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease (an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <30 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 or receipt of dialysis). A secondary objective of the trial was to assess angina-related health status. METHODS We assessed health status with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) before randomization and at 1.5, 3, and 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. The primary outcome of this analysis was the SAQ Summary score (ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating less frequent angina and better function and quality of life). Mixed-effects cumulative probability models within a Bayesian framework were used to estimate the treatment effect with the invasive strategy. RESULTS Health status was assessed in 705 of 777 participants. Nearly half the participants (49%) had had no angina during the month before randomization. At 3 months, the estimated mean difference between the invasive-strategy group and the conservative-strategy group in the SAQ Summary score was 2.1 points (95% credible interval, 120.4 to 4.6), a result that favored the invasive strategy. The mean difference in score at 3 months was largest among participants with daily or weekly angina at baseline (10.1 points; 95% credible interval, 0.0 to 19.9), smaller among those with monthly angina at baseline (2.2 points; 95% credible interval, 122.0 to 6.2), and nearly absent among those without angina at baseline (0.6 points; 95% credible interval, 121.9 to 3.3). By 6 months, the between-group difference in the overall trial population was attenuated (0.5 points; 95% credible interval, 122.2 to 3.4). CONCLUSIONS Participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease did not have substantial or sustained benefits with regard to angina-related health status with an initially invasive strategy as compared with a conservative strategy