179 research outputs found
Transition Metal Doping in CdS Quantum Dots: Diffusion, Magnetism, and Ultrafast Charge Carrier Dynamics
Transition metal (TM) doping in pristine II-VI semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is known to add several otherwise unavailable properties by introducing midgap states in the host material. Albeit being extensively investigated, the periodicity of the observed properties with respect to the electronic structure has not been attempted so far. In this work, we investigate CdS QDs doped with several different TM ions (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy to study dopant-induced structural perturbations and femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy to study the ultrafast charge carrier dynamics. This provides solid evidence for the origin of magnetization in doped QDs that has been lacking despite extensive studies. Further, we demonstrate that the ionic radius and the dopant oxidation state play crucial roles in determining the dopant-anion bond lengths. Based on the investigation of the relaxation pathways of excited charge carriers using ultrafast TA spectroscopy, we hypothesize that there exists photoinduced switching between multiple oxidation states in some dopants
Hesperidin Ameliorates Immobilization-Stress-Induced Behavioral and Biochemical Alterations and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Mice by Modulating Nitrergic Pathway
The present study was aimed to evaluate the protective effect of hesperidin against immobilization-stress-induced alterations in biochemical, behavioral, and mitochondrial functions in mice. In many instances neuroscientists have reported that acute immobilization stress for 6 h resulted in anxiety and impaired locomotor activity due to excess oxidative-nitrergic stress, depletion of antioxidant defense mechanisms, and mitochondrial dysfunction in animals. In the present study, 6 h of acute immobilization stress had significantly altered the behavioral (anxiety and memory) and biochemical parameters coupled with mitochondrial dysfunction in Swiss albino mice. Fourteen days of pretreatment with Hesperidin (50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly and dose-dependently inhibited the behavioral and biochemical alterations and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by acute immobilization stress. Furthermore, pre-treatment of l-arginine (50 mg/kg, i.p.), a nitric oxide precursor, reversed the protective effect of Hesperidin (50 and 100 mg/kg) (P < 0.05). In contrast, pretreatment of l-NAME
(5 mg/kg, i.p.), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, potentiated the protective effect of Hesperidin (P < 0.05). These results suggest the possible involvement of nitrergic pathway in the protective effect Hesperidin against immobilization-stress-induced behavioral, biochemical, and mitochondrial dysfunction in mice
Electronic structure of and Quantum size effect in III-V and II-VI semiconducting nanocrystals using a realistic tight binding approach
We analyze the electronic structure of group III-V semiconductors obtained
within full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method and
arrive at a realistic and minimal tight-binding model, parameterized to provide
an accurate description of both valence and conduction bands. It is shown that
cation sp3 - anion sp3d5 basis along with the next nearest neighbor model for
hopping interactions is sufficient to describe the electronic structure of
these systems over a wide energy range, obviating the use of any fictitious s*
orbital, employed previously. Similar analyses were also performed for the
II-VI semiconductors, using the more accurate FP-LAPW method compared to
previous approaches, in order to enhance reliability of the parameter values.
Using these parameters, we calculate the electronic structure of III-V and
II-VI nanocrystals in real space with sizes ranging upto about 7 nm in
diameter, establishing a quantitatively accurate description of the band-gap
variation with sizes for the various nanocrystals by comparing with available
experimental results from the literature.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
An accurate description of quantum size effects in InP nanocrystallites over a wide range of sizes
We obtain an effective parametrization of the bulk electronic structure of
InP within the Tight Binding scheme. Using these parameters, we calculate the
electronic structure of InP clusters with the size ranging upto 7.5 nm. The
calculated variations in the electronic structure as a function of the cluster
size is found to be in excellent agreement with experimental results over the
entire range of sizes, establishing the effectiveness and transferability of
the obtained parameter strengths.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, pdf file available at
http://sscu.iisc.ernet.in/~sampan/publications.htm
Magnetic oxide semiconductors
Magnetic oxide semiconductors, oxide semiconductors doped with transition
metal elements, are one of the candidates for a high Curie temperature
ferromagnetic semiconductor that is important to realize semiconductor
spintronics at room temperature. We review in this paper recent progress of
researches on various magnetic oxide semiconductors. The magnetization,
magneto-optical effect, and magneto-transport such as anomalous Hall effect are
examined from viewpoint of feasibility to evaluate the ferromagnetism. The
ferromagnetism of Co-doped TiO2 and transition metal-doped ZnO is discussed.Comment: 26 pages, 5 tables, 6 figure
Effect of [OH-] linkages on luminescent properties of ZnO nanoparticles
Optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles prepared from a simple chemical
method using sodium zincate bath show strong white light emission. X-ray
absorption fine structure studies reveal a completely different local
environment around Zn in these ZnO nanoparticles. The observed luminescence
properties and local structural changes have been explained on the basis of a
linkage between Zn and OH- ions in the surface layers of ZnO nanoparticles.Comment: J. Phys. Chem. C. (2011) (in print
Splenic diffuse red-pulp small B-cell lymphoma associated with hepatitis B virus: a report of two cases
Assay platform for clinically relevant metallo-beta-lactamases
Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are a growing threat to the use of almost all clinically used β-lactam antibiotics. The identification of broad-spectrum MBL inhibitors is hampered by the lack of a suitable screening platform, consisting of appropriate substrates and a set of clinically relevant MBLs. We report procedures for the preparation of a set of clinically relevant metallo-β-lactamases (i.e., NDM-1 (New Delhi MBL), IMP-1 (Imipenemase), SPM-1 (São Paulo MBL), and VIM-2 (Verona integron-encoded MBL)) and the identification of suitable fluorogenic substrates (umbelliferone-derived cephalosporins). The fluorogenic substrates were compared to chromogenic substrates (CENTA, nitrocefin, and imipenem), showing improved sensitivity and kinetic parameters. The efficiency of the fluorogenic substrates was exemplified by inhibitor screening, identifying 4-chloroisoquinolinols as potential pan MBL inhibitors
Etiological factors in primary hepatic B-cell lymphoma
Sixty-four cases of malignant lymphoma involving the liver were examined. Of these, 20 cases were histologically confirmed to be primary hepatic B-cell lymphoma. Twelve of these 20 cases were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and eight cases were mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Of the 12 cases of DLBCL, six were immunohistologically positive for CD10 and/or Bcl6 (indicating a germinal center phenotype), six were positive for Bcl2, and five were positive for CD25. Eight of the 12 DLBCL cases (66.7%) and two of the eight MALT lymphoma cases (25%) had serum anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and HCV RNA. The incidence of HCV infection was significantly higher in the hepatic DLBCL cases than in systemic intravascular large B-cell cases with liver involvement (one of 11 cases, 9.1%) and T/NK-cell lymphoma cases (one of 19 cases, 5.3%) (p < 0.01 for both). Two hepatic DLBCL cases (16.7%) had rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate, and four MALT lymphoma cases (50%) had Sjögren’s syndrome, primary biliary cirrhosis, or autoimmune hepatitis; one case in each of these two groups was complicated by chronic HCV-seropositive hepatitis. Although primary hepatic lymphoma is rare, persistent inflammatory processes associated with HCV infection or autoimmune disease may play independent roles in the lymphomagenesis of hepatic B cells
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