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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Sub-picosecond temporal resolution of anomalous Hall currents in GaAs
    (Berlin : Nature Pulishing, 2017) Schmidt, Christian B.; Priyadarshi, Shekhar; Bieler, Mark
    Peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme was applied as a catalyst of silver deposition on gold nanoparticles. This DNAzyme is formed when hemin binds to the G-quadruplex-forming DNA sequence. Such a system is able to catalyze a redox reaction with a one- or two-electron transfer. The process of silver deposition was monitored via a localized surface plasmon resonance technique (LSPR), which allows one to record scattering spectrum of a single nanoparticle. Our study showed that DNAzyme is able to catalyze silver deposition. The AFM experiments proved that DNAzyme induced the deposition of silver shells of approximately 20 nm thickness on Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Such an effect is not observed when hemin is absent in the system. However, we noticed non-specific binding of hemin to the capture oligonucleotides on a gold NP probe that also induced some silver deposition, even though the capture probe was unable to form G-quadruplex. Analysis of SEM images indicated that the surface morphology of the silver layer deposited by DNAzyme is different from that obtained for hemin alone. The proposed strategy of silver layer synthesis on gold nanoparticles catalyzed by DNAzyme is an innovative approach and can be applied in bioanalysis (LSPR, electrochemistry) as well as in material sciences.
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    Efficient laser-driven proton acceleration from cylindrical and planar cryogenic hydrogen jets
    (Berlin : Nature Pulishing, 2017) Obst, Lieselotte; Göde, Sebastian; Rehwald, Martin; Brack, Florian-Emanuel; Branco, Joao; Bock, Stefan; Bussmann, Michael; Cowan, Thomas E.; Curry, Chandra B.; Fiuza, Frederico; Gauthier, Maxence; Gebhardt, Rene; Helbig, Uwe; Huebl, Axel; Hübner, Uwe; Irman, Arie; Kazak, Lev; Kim, Jongjin B.; Kluge, Thomas; Kraft, Stephan; Löser, Markus; Metzkes, Josefine; Mishra, Rohini; Rödel, Christian; Schlenvoigt, Hans-Peter; Siebold, Mathias; Tiggesbäumker, Josef; Wolter, Steffen; Ziegler, Tim; Schramm, Ulrich; Glenzer, Siegfried H.; Zeil, Karl
    We report on recent experimental results deploying a continuous cryogenic hydrogen jet as a debris-free, renewable laser-driven source of pure proton beams generated at the 150 TW ultrashort pulse laser Draco. Efficient proton acceleration reaching cut-off energies of up to 20 MeV with particle numbers exceeding 109 particles per MeV per steradian is demonstrated, showing for the first time that the acceleration performance is comparable to solid foil targets with thicknesses in the micrometer range. Two different target geometries are presented and their proton beam deliverance characterized: cylindrical (∅ 5 μm) and planar (20 μm × 2 μm). In both cases typical Target Normal Sheath Acceleration emission patterns with exponential proton energy spectra are detected. Significantly higher proton numbers in laser-forward direction are observed when deploying the planar jet as compared to the cylindrical jet case. This is confirmed by two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (2D3V PIC) simulations, which demonstrate that the planar jet proves favorable as its geometry leads to more optimized acceleration conditions.
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    The Staphylococcus aureus extracellular matrix protein (Emp) has a fibrous structure and binds to different extracellular matrices
    (Berlin : Nature Pulishing, 2017) Geraci, Jennifer; Neubauer, Svetlana; Pöllath, Christine; Hansen, Uwe; Rizzo, Fabio; Krafft, Christoph; Westermann, Martin; Hussain, Muzaffar; Peters, Georg; Pletz, Mathias W.; Löffler, Bettina; Makarewicz, Oliwia; Tuchscherr, Lorena
    The extracellular matrix protein Emp of Staphylococcus aureus is a secreted adhesin that mediates interactions between the bacterial surface and extracellular host structures. However, its structure and role in staphylococcal pathogenesis remain unknown. Using multidisciplinary approaches, including circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron (TEM) and immunogold transmission electron microscopy, functional ELISA assays and in silico techniques, we characterized the Emp protein. We demonstrated that Emp and its truncated forms bind to suprastructures in human skin, cartilage or bone, among which binding activity seems to be higher for skin compounds. The binding domain is located in the C-terminal part of the protein. CD spectroscopy revealed high contents of β-sheets (39.58%) and natively disordered structures (41.2%), and TEM suggested a fibrous structure consisting of Emp polymers. The N-terminus seems to be essential for polymerization. Due to the uncommonly high histidine content, we suggest that Emp represents a novel type of histidine-rich protein sharing structural similarities to leucine-rich repeats proteins as predicted by the I-TASSER algorithm. These new findings suggest a role of Emp in infections of deeper tissue and open new possibilities for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
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    Analytic model for the complex effective index of the leaky modes of tube-type anti-resonant hollow core fibers
    (Berlin : Nature Pulishing, 2017) Zeisberger, Matthias; Schmidt, Markus A.
    Due to their promising applications, hollow-core fibers, in particular, their anti-resonant versions, have recently attracted the attention of the photonics community. Here, we introduce a model that approximates, using the reflection of a wave on a single planar film, modal guidance in tube-type anti-resonant waveguides whose core diameters are large compared to the wavelength. The model yields analytic expressions for the real and imaginary parts of the complex effective index of the leaky modes supported, and is valid in all practically relevant situations, excellently matching all the important dispersion and loss parameters. Essential principles such as the fourth power dependence of the modal loss on the core radius at all wavelengths and the geometry-independent transition refractive index, below which modal discrimination favors the fundamental mode are discussed. As application examples, we use our model for understanding higher-order mode suppression in revolver-type fibers and for uncovering the tuning capabilities associated with nonlinear pulse propagation.
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    Mastering the Wrinkling of Self-supported Graphene
    (Berlin : Nature Pulishing, 2017) Pacakova, Barbara; Verhagen, Timotheus; Bousa, Milan; Hübner, Uwe; Vejpravova, Jana; Kalbac, Martin; Frank, Otakar
    We present an approach that allows for the preparation of well-defined large arrays of graphene wrinkles with predictable geometry. Chemical vapor deposition grown graphene transferred onto hexagonal pillar arrays of SiO2 with sufficiently small interpillar distance forms a complex network of two main types of wrinkle arrangements. The first type is composed of arrays of aligned equidistantly separated parallel wrinkles propagating over large distances, and originates from line interfaces in the graphene, such as thin, long wrinkles and graphene grain boundaries. The second type of wrinkle arrangement is composed of non-aligned short wrinkles, formed in areas without line interfaces. Besides the presented hybrid graphene topography with distinct wrinkle geometries induced by the pre-patterned substrate, the graphene layers are suspended and self-supporting, exhibiting large surface area and negligible doping effects from the substrate. All these properties make this wrinkled graphene a promising candidate for a material with enhanced chemical reactivity useful in nanoelectronic applications.