Recyclable and Robust Optical Nanoprobes with Engineered Enzymes for Sustainable Serodiagnostics

Recyclable fluorescence assays that can be stored at room temperature would greatly benefit biomedical diagnostics by bringing sustainability and cost-efficiency, especially for point-of-care serodiagnostics in developing regions. Here, a general strategy is proposed to generate recyclable fluorescent probes by using engineered enzymes with enhanced thermo-/chemo-stability, which maintains an outstanding serodiagnostic performance (accuracy >95%) after 10 times of recycling as well as after storage at elevated temperatures (37 °C for 10 days). With these three outstanding properties, recyclable fluorescent probes can be designed to detect various biomarkers of clinical importance by using different enzymes

Multi-Channel Lanthanide Nanocomposites for Customized Synergistic Treatment of Orthotopic Multi-Tumor Cases

<p>Simultaneous photothermal ablation of multiple tumors is limited by unpredictable photo-induced apoptosis, caused by individual intratumoral differences. Here, a multi-channel lanthanide nanocomposite was used to achieve tailored synergistic treatment of multiple subcutaneous orthotopic tumors under non-uniform whole-body infrared irradiation prescription. The nanocomposite reduces intratumoral glutathione by simultaneously activating the fluorescence and photothermal channels. The fluorescence provides individual information on different tumors, allowing customized prescriptions to be made. This enables optimal induction of hyperthermia and dosage of chemo drugs, to ensure treatment efficacy, while avoiding overtherapy. With an accessional therapeutic laser system, customized synergistic treatment of subcutaneous orthotopic cancer cases with multiple tumors is possible with both high efficacy and minimized side effects.</p&gt

Multi-Channel Lanthanide Nanocomposites for Customized Synergistic Treatment of Orthotopic Multi-Tumor Cases

Simultaneous photothermal ablation of multiple tumors is limited by unpredictable photo-induced apoptosis, caused by individual intratumoral differences. Here, a multi-channel lanthanide nanocomposite was used to achieve tailored synergistic treatment of multiple subcutaneous orthotopic tumors under non-uniform whole-body infrared irradiation prescription. The nanocomposite reduces intratumoral glutathione by simultaneously activating the fluorescence and photothermal channels. The fluorescence provides individual information on different tumors, allowing customized prescriptions to be made. This enables optimal induction of hyperthermia and dosage of chemo drugs, to ensure treatment efficacy, while avoiding overtherapy. With an accessional therapeutic laser system, customized synergistic treatment of subcutaneous orthotopic cancer cases with multiple tumors is possible with both high efficacy and minimized side effects.</p

Rationality of Bershadsky-Polyakov vertex algebras

We prove the conjecture of Kac-Wakimoto on the rationality of exceptional W-algebras for the first non-trivial series, namely, for the Bershadsky-Polyakov vertex algebras $W_3^{(2)}$ at level $k=p/2-3$ with $p=3,5,7,...$. This gives new examples of rational conformal field theories.Comment: To appear in Comm. Math. Phy

Austenite in Transformation-Induced Plasticity Steel Subjected to Multiple Isothermal Heat Treatments

The thermodynamic limit to the progress of the bainite reaction in steels containing a cementite inhibitor often leaves large quantities of thermally or mechanically unstable austenite. Such austenite is not effective in delaying the onset of plastic instabilities during the course of deformation. In such circumstances, it is useful to conduct isothermal transformation at a high temperature where the rate of reaction is relatively rapid, followed by a lower temperature step that permits more bainite to be generated. This in turn increases the stability of the refined austenite, which then transforms gently over a large range of strain during a tensile test. A significant corollary is that the two-step heat treatments are unnecessary in low-carbon steels, where the bainite reaction is able to proceed to a greater extent before reaching the thermodynamic limit. Furthermore, the two-step process can be counterproductive in low carbon steel, because the austenite content is reduced to a level below which it does not enhance the mechanical properties. Other circumstances in which multiple heat treatments are necessary are also discussed.The authors are grateful to POSCO for support through Steel Innovation Programme, and to the World Class University Programme of the National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, project number R32-2008-000-10147.This is the accepted manuscript version. The final published version is available from Springer at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11661-014-2405-z

Improved protocols of secure quantum communication using W states

Recently, Hwang et al. [Eur. Phys. J. D. 61, 785 (2011)] and Yuan et al. [Int. J. Theo. Phys. 50, 2403 (2011)] have proposed two efficient protocols of secure quantum communication using 3-qubit and 4-qubit symmetric W state respectively. These two dense coding based protocols are generalized and their efficiencies are considerably improved. Simple bounds on the qubit efficiency of deterministic secure quantum communication (DSQC) and quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocols are obtained and it is shown that dense coding is not essential for designing of maximally efficient DSQC and QSDC protocols. This fact is used to design maximally efficient protocols of DSQC and QSDC using 3-qubit and 4-qubit W states.Comment: 8 page

Coherent spin valve phenomena and electrical spin injection in ferromagnetic/semiconductor/ferromagnetic junctions

Coherent quantum transport in ferromagnetic/ semiconductor/ ferromagnetic junctions is studied theoretically within the Landauer framework of ballistic transport. We show that quantum coherence can have unexpected implications for spin injection and that some intuitive spintronic concepts which are founded in semi-classical physics no longer apply: A quantum spin-valve (QSV) effect occurs even in the absence of a net spin polarized current flowing through the device, unlike in the classical regime. The converse effect also arises, i.e. a zero spin-valve signal for a non-vanishing spin-current. We introduce new criteria useful for analyzing quantum and classical spin transport phenomena and the relationships between them. The effects on QSV behavior of spin-dependent electron transmission at the interfaces, interface Schottky barriers, Rashba spin-orbit coupling and temperature, are systematically investigated. While the signature of the QSV is found to be sensitive to temperature, interestingly, that of its converse is not. We argue that the QSV phenomenon can have important implications for the interpretation of spin-injection in quantum spintronic experiments with spin-valve geometries.Comment: 15 pages including 11 figures. To appear in PR

The 136Xe + 198Pt reaction: a detailed re-examination

We extend previous measurements of the transfer product yields in the reaction of Ec.m.=450MeV136Xe with 198Pt by measurements of the product yields using Gammasphere. By recording events occurring in beam bursts and in between beam bursts, we are able to extend the number of measured product yields from 78 to 171 nuclides. Our new data span a much wider range of Z and A than observed in previous work and when compared to theoretical predictions, these new measurements provide a more stringent and thorough test of models of multi-nucleon transfer (MNT) reactions

Possible double-octupole phonon band in U238

The level scheme of U238 has been extended using the so-called unsafe Coulomb excitation technique. One positive-parity band was uncovered for the first time, and its most important features can be related to a double-octupole phonon excitation. This band decays to the known K=0 octupole band via E1 transitions, with strengths much larger than those to the ground-state band. It also decays to the K=1 and 2 octupole bands. Comparisons among the proposed zero-, one-, and two-phonon bands in U238 and those in Pu240 shed more light on the recently proposed concept of rotationally aligned octupole phonon condensation

α decay of 97249Bk and levels in 95245Am

α decay of 249Bk has been investigated by measuring its α and γ-ray spectra, both in singles and in coincidence modes. The α spectrum of a freshly purified 249Bk sample was measured with a high-resolution, double-focusing magnetic spectrometer. γ singles, γ-γ coincidence, and γ-α coincidence spectra were also recorded. The absolute intensity of the 327.45-keV γ ray has been determined to be (1.44±0.08)×10-5% per 249Bk decay. Assignments of previously known single-particle states were confirmed. A new rotational band was identified in the α singles spectrum and Am K x rays have been observed in its decay. This single-particle state, with an energy of 154 keV, has been assigned to the 3/2-[521] Nilsson state. This is the lowest excitation energy for this orbital in any Am nucleus. More precise energies and intensities of the 249Bk α groups and γ-ray transitions are provided