Cristian E. Botez

Exposure studies of core–shell Fe/Fe3O4 and Cu/CuO NPs to lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants: Are they a potential physiological and nutritional hazard?

Iron and copper nanomaterials are widely used in environmental remediation and agriculture. However, their effects on physiological parameters and nutritional quality of terrestrial plants such as lettuce (Lactuca sativa) are still unknown. In this research, 18-day-old hydroponically grown lettuce seedlings were treated for 15 days with core-shell nanoscale materials (Fe/Fe(3)O(4), Cu/CuO) at 10 and 20mg/L, and FeSO(4)·7H(2)O and CuSO(4)·5H(2)O at 10mg/L. At harvest, Fe, Cu, micro and macronutrients were determined by ICP-OES. Also, we evaluated chlorophyll content, plant growth, and catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities. Our results showed that iron ions/NPs did not affect the physiological parameters with respect to water control. Conversely, Cu ions/NPs reduced water content, root length, and dry biomass of the lettuce plants. ICP-OES results showed that nano-Cu/CuO treatments produced significant accumulation of Cu in roots compared to the CuSO(4)·5H(2)O treatment. In roots, all Cu treatments increased CAT activity but decreased APX activity. In addition, relative to the control, nano-Cu/CuO altered the nutritional quality of lettuce, since the treated plants had significantly more Cu, Al and S but less Mn, P, Ca, and Mg.

Sorption kinetic study of selenite and selenate onto a high and low pressure aged iron oxide nanomaterial.

The sorption of selenite (SeO(3)(2-)) and selenate (SeO(4)(2-)) onto Fe(3)O(4) nanomaterials produced by non microwave-assisted or microwave-assisted synthetic techniques was investigated through use of the batch technique. The phase of both synthetic nanomaterials was determined to be magnetite by X-ray diffraction. The average grain sizes of non microwave-assisted and microwave-assisted synthetic Fe(3)O(4) were determined to be 27 and 25 nm, respectively through use of the Scherrers equation. Sorption of selenite was pH independent in the pH range of 2-6, while sorption of selenate decreased at pH 5 and 6. The addition of Cl(-) had no significant effect on selenite or selenate binding, while the addition of NO(3)(-) only affected selenate binding to the microwave assisted Fe(3)O(4). A decrease of selenate binding to both synthetic particles was observed after the addition of SO(4)(2-) while selenite binding was not affected. The addition of PO(4)(3-) beginning at concentrations of 0.1 ppm had the most prominent effect on the binding of both selenite and selenate. The capacities of binding, determined through the use of Langmuir isotherm, were found to be 1923 and 1428 mg Se/kg of non microwave-assisted Fe(3)O(4) and 2380 and 2369 mg Se/kg of microwave-assisted Fe(3)O(4) for selenite and selenate, respectively.

Crystal structure of anhydrous δ-D-mannitol

The crystal structure of anhydrous d-D-mannitol (C6H14O6) was solved from high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data collected on a mixture containing 20% and 80% w/w of band d-D-mannitol, respectively. The direct space simulated annealing program PSSP, and Rietveld analysis employing GSAS were used to determine and refine the structure. The polymorph has monoclinic symmetry, space group P21 with a55.089 41(5) A, b518.2504(2) A, c 54.917 02(5) A, and b5118.303(2)°. There is one molecule in the irreducible volume of the unit cell. The pattern of hydrogen bonding is significantly different than the previously known a and b forms.

Evidence of low-temperature superparamagnetism in Mn3O4 nanoparticle ensembles

Using ac-susceptibility, dc-magnetization, and transmission electron microscopy, we have investigated the magnetic behavior of Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticle ensembles at temperatures below the paramagnetic-to-ferrimagnetic transition of the title material (T(N) approximately equal 41 K). Our data show no evidence of the complex magnetic ordering exhibited by bulk Mn(3)O(4), or of a magnetic behavior around T(N) that has a dynamic (relaxation) origin. Instead, we find a low-temperature (at approximately 11 K) magnetic anomaly that manifests itself as a peak in the out-of-phase component of the ac-susceptibility. Analysis of the frequency and average-particle-size dependence of the peak temperature demonstrates that this behavior is due to the onset of superparamagnetic relaxation, and not to a previously hinted at spin-glass-like transition. Indeed, the relative peak temperature variation per frequency decade DeltaT/TDeltalog(f) is 0.11, an order of magnitude larger than the value expected for collective spin freezing, but within the range of values observed for superparamagnetic blocking. Furthermore, attempts to fit the frequency f/observation time tau = 1/2pif dependence of the peak temperature by a power law led to parameter values unexpected for a spin-glass transition. On the other hand, a Vogel-Fulcher law tau = tau(0)exp[E(B)/k(B)(T - T(0))]-where E(B) is the energy barrier to magnetization reversal, k(B) is the Boltzmann constant, tau(0) and T(0) are constants related to the attempt frequency and the interparticle interaction strength-correctly describes the peak shift and yields values consistent with the superparamagnetic behavior of a slightly interacting system of nanoparticles. In addition, the peak temperature T is sensitive to minute changes in the average particle size (D), and scales as (T - T(0) is proportional to(D)3, another signature of superparamagnetic relaxation.

Dynamic susceptibility evidence of surface spin freezing in ultrafine NiFe2O4 nanoparticles

We investigated the dynamic behavior of ultrafine NiFe2O4 nanoparticles (average size D = 3.5 nm) that exhibit anomalous low temperature magnetic properties such as low saturation magnetization and high-field irreversibility in both M(H) and ZFC-FC processes. Besides the expected blocking of the superspin, observed at T1 approximately 45 K, the system undergoes a magnetic transition at T2 approximately 6 K. For the latter, frequency- and temperature-resolved dynamic susceptibility data reveal characteristics that are unambiguously related to collective spin freezing: the relative variation (per frequency decade) of the in-phase susceptibility peak temperature is approximately 0.025, critical dynamics analysis yields an exponent znu = 9.6 and a zero-field freezing temperature T(F) = 5.8 K, and, in a magnetic field, T(F)(H) is excellently described by the de Almeida-Thouless line delta T(F) = 1 - T(F)(H)/T(F) alpha H(2/3). Moreover, out-of-phase susceptibility versus temperature datasets collected at different frequencies collapse on a universal dynamic scaling curve. All these observations indicate the existence of a spin-glass-like surface layer that surrounds the superparamagnetic core and undergoes a transition to a frozen state upon cooling below 5.8 K.

Coexistence of spin glass behavior and long-range ferrimagnetic ordering in La- and Dy-doped Co ferrite

The structure, dc magnetization and ac susceptibility characteristics of the rare-earth (R = La,Dy) ionsubstituted cobalt-ferrites (CoO.Fe1.925La0.075O3 and CoO.Fe1.925Dy0.075O3) are evaluated. R-substituted Co-ferrites crystallize in the cubic inverse spinel phase. The irreversible temperature (Tirr) between zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization for CoO.Fe1.925La0.075O3 and CoO.Fe1.925Dy0.075O3 determined from the temperature variation of magnetization measurements are 283 and 292 K, respectively. The broadening of ZFC magnetization and more than one maximum indicates the coexistence of short-range ferrimagnetic clusters of different size with a long-range ferrimagnetic phase. Magnetization curves indicate no saturation up to 30 kOe suggesting the canted spin structure inside the clusters. The relaxation times of spin clusters calculated using theVogel−Fulcher law for the frequency-dependent ac susceptibility measurements are on the order of ∼10−6 s.

High-temperature phase transitions in CsH2PO4 under ambient and high-pressure conditions: A synchrotron x-ray diffraction study

To clarify the microscopic origin of the temperature-induced three-order-of-magnitude jump in the proton conductivity of CsH(2)PO(4) (superprotonic behavior), we have investigated its crystal structure modifications within the 25-300 degrees C temperature range under both ambient- and high-pressure conditions using synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Our high-pressure data show no indication of the thermal decomposition/polymerization at the crystal surface recently proposed as the origin of the enhanced proton conductivity [Phys. Rev. B 69, 054104 (2004)]. Instead, we found direct evidence that the superprotonic behavior of the title material is associated with a polymorphic structural transition to a high-temperature cubic phase. Our results are in excellent agreement with previous high-pressure ac impedance measurements.

Evidence of superspin-glass behavior in Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles

We have used dc-magnetization and ac-susceptibility to investigate the superspin dynamics in 9 nm average size Zn(0.5)Ni(0.5)Fe(2)O(4) magnetic particles at temperatures (T) between 3 and 300 K. Dc-magnetization M versus T data collected in a H = 50 Oe magnetic field using a field-cooled-zero-field-cooled protocol indicate that the onset of irreversibility occurs in the vicinity of 190 K. This is confirmed by M versus H|(T) hysteresis loops, as well as by frequency- and temperature-resolved ac-susceptibility data. We demonstrate that this magnetic event is not due to the blocking of individual superspins, but can be unequivocally ascribed to their collective freezing in a spin-glass-like fashion. Indeed, the relative variation (per frequency decade) of the in-phase susceptibility peak temperature is ∼0.032, critical dynamics analysis of this peak shift yields an exponent zν = 10.0 and a zero-field freezing temperature T(g) = 190 K, and, in a magnetic field, Tg(H) is excellently described by the de Almeida-Thouless line δT(g) = 1 - T(g)(H)/T(g) ∝ H(2/3). In addition, out-of-phase susceptibility versus temperature datasets collected at different frequencies collapse on a universal dynamic scaling curve. Finally, memory imprinting during a stop-and-wait magnetization protocol confirms the collective freezing nature of the state below 190 K.

ac susceptibility study of a magnetite magnetic fluid

Magnetite nanometric powder was synthesized from metal salts using a coprecipitation technique. The powders were used to produce magnetic fluid via a peptization method, with hydrocarbon Isopar M as liquid carrier and oleic acid as surfactant. The complex magnetic susceptibility χ=χ′+iχ″ was measured as a function of temperature T in steps of 2.5 K from 3 to 298 K for frequencies ranging from f=10 to 10 000 Hz. The magnetic fluid real and imaginary components of the ac susceptibility show a prominent maximum at temperatures that increase with the measuring frequency, which is attributed to a spin-glass-like behavior. The peak temperature Tp1 of χ″ depends on f following the Vogel–Fulcher law f=f0 exp[E/kB(Tp1−T0)], where f0 and E are positive constants and T0 is a parameter related to particle interactions. There is another kind of peak temperature, Tp2, in the loss factor tan δ=χ″/χ′ which is related to a magnetic aftereffect. The peak temperature Tp2 is far less than Tp1 and shows an Arrhenius-type depe...

A genomics approach to identify susceptibilities of breast cancer cells to " fever-range" hyperthermia

BackgroundPreclinical and clinical studies have shown for decades that tumor cells demonstrate significantly enhanced sensitivity to “fever range” hyperthermia (increasing the intratumoral temperature to 42-45°C) than normal cells, although it is unknown why cancer cells exhibit this distinctive susceptibility.MethodsTo address this issue, mammary epithelial cells and three malignant breast cancer lines were subjected to hyperthermic shock and microarray, bioinformatics, and network analysis of the global transcription changes was subsequently performed.ResultsBioinformatics analysis differentiated the gene expression patterns that distinguish the heat shock response of normal cells from malignant breast cancer cells, revealing that the gene expression profiles of mammary epithelial cells are completely distinct from malignant breast cancer lines following this treatment. Using gene network analysis, we identified altered expression of transcripts involved in mitotic regulators, histones, and non-protein coding RNAs as the significant processes that differed between the hyperthermic response of mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells. We confirmed our data via qPCR and flow cytometric analysis to demonstrate that hyperthermia specifically disrupts the expression of key mitotic regulators and G2/M phase progression in the breast cancer cells.ConclusionThese data have identified molecular mechanisms by which breast cancer lines may exhibit enhanced susceptibility to hyperthermic shock.