This review explores the synthesis of inorganic metallic-based nanoparticles (MBNPs) (metals, alloys, metal oxides) using biological and biologically inspired nanoreactors for precipitation/crystallisation. Such nanoparticles exhibit a range of nanoscale properties such as surface plasmon resonance (nobel metals e.g. Au), fluorescence (semiconductor quantum dots e.g. CdSe) and nanomagnetism (ma...

We have theoretically investigated thermoelectric (TE) effects of narrow-gap single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with randomly substituted nitrogen (N) impurities, i.e., N-substituted \((20,0)\) SWCNTs a band gap 0.497 eV. For such system, the thermal excitation from valence to conduction contributes its TE properties even at room temperature. In this study, N-impurity bands are treated bot...

40 nm thick CoPt and FePt films were prepared on oxidized Si substrates with 10 nm MgO underlayers. The maximum coercivity ( ) for CoPt films was found to be 10 kOe after annealing at 700 C for 20–30 minutes (min). Structural analysis showed a significant amount of FCC phase as well as the ordered L10 phase in these films. FePt films showed an abrupt increase of ordered volume fraction and in t...

The length scale of the local chemical anisotropy responsible for the growth-temperature-induced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of face-centered cubic CoPt(3) alloy films was investigated using polarized extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). These x-ray measurements were performed on a series of four (111) CoPt(3) films epitaxially grown on (0001) sapphire substrates. The EXAFS d...

We study the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect and magnetocrystalline anisotropy in a series of magnetic junctions (MTJs) with $L{1}_{1}$-ordered fcc ferromagnetic alloys MgO barrier along [111] direction. Considering (111)-oriented MTJs different $L{1}_{1}$ alloys, we calculate their TMR ratios anisotropies on basis first-principles calculations. The analysis shows that Co-based (CoNi, CoP...

Ipsilateral actions of pyramidal tract (PT) neurons are weak but may, if strengthened, compensate for deficient crossed PT actions following brain damage. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can strengthen ipsilateral PT (iPT) actions; in particular, those relayed by reticulospinal neurons co-excited by axon collaterals of fibre...

Schistosomiasis constitutes a major public health problem, with an estimated 200 million people infected worldwide. Many areas of Brazil show low endemicity of schistosomiasis, and the current standard parasitological techniques are not sufficiently sensitive to detect the low-level helminth infections common in areas of low endemicity (ALEs). This study compared the Kato-Katz (KK); Hoffman, Po...

We have isolated 2'-Fluoro-substituted RNA aptamers that bind to streptavidin (SA) with an affinity around 7 +/- 1.8 nM, comparable with that of recently described peptide aptamers. Binding to SA was not prevented by prior saturation with biotin, enabling nucleic acid aptamers to form useful ternary complexes. Mutagenesis, secondary structure analysis, ribonuclease footprinting and deletion ana...