Publications with Fulltext
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/6
Browse
100 results
Search Results
Publication Open Access Emergence of near-infrared photoluminescence via ZnS shell growth on the AgBiS2 nanocrystals(American Chemical Society, 2024) Department of Chemistry; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Önal, Asım; Kaya, Tarık Safa; Metin, Önder; Nizamoğlu, Sedat; Department of Chemistry; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Sciences; College of EngineeringAgBiS2 nanocrystals (NCs), composed of nontoxic, earth-abundant materials and exhibiting an exceptionally high absorption coefficient from visible to near-infrared (>105 cm(-1)), hold promise for photovoltaics but have lack of photoluminescence (PL) due to intrinsic nonradiative recombination and challenging shell growth. In this study, we reported a facile wet-chemical approach for the epitaxial growth of ZnS shell on AgBiS2 NCs, which triggered the observation of PL emission in the near-infrared (764 nm). Since high quality of the core is critical for epitaxial shell growth, we first obtained rock-salt structured AgBiS2 NCs with high crystallinity, nearly spherical shape and monodisperse size distribution (<6%) via a dual-ligand approach reacting Ag-Bi oleate with elemental sulfur in oleylamine. Next, a zincblende ZnS shell with a low-lattice mismatch of 4.9% was grown on as-prepared AgBiS2 NCs via a highly reactive zinc (Zn(acac)(2)) precursor that led to a higher photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 15.3%, in comparison with a relatively low reactivity precursor (Zn(ac)(2)) resulting in reduced PLQY. The emission from AgBiS2 NCs with ultrastrong absorption, facilitated by shell growth, can open up new possibilities in lighting, display, and bioimaging.Publication Open Access Synchronous and asynchronous response in dynamically perturbed proteins(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2021) Erkip, Albert; Erman, Batu; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Hacısüleyman, Aysima; Erman, Burak; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Engineering; N/A; 179997We present a dynamic perturbation-response model of proteins based on the Gaussian Network Model, where a residue is perturbed periodically, and the dynamic response of other residues is determined. The model shows that periodic perturbation causes a synchronous response in phase with the perturbation and an asynchronous response that is out of phase. The asynchronous component results from the viscous effects of the solvent and other dispersive factors in the system. The model is based on the solution of the Langevin equation in the presence of solvent, noise, and perturbation. We introduce several novel ideas: The concept of storage and loss compliance of the protein and their dependence on structure and frequency; the amount of work lost and the residues that contribute significantly to the lost work; new dynamic correlations that result from perturbation; causality, that is, the response of j when i is perturbed is not equal to the response of i when j is perturbed. As examples, we study two systems, namely, bovine rhodopsin and the class of nanobodies. The general results obtained are (i) synchronous and asynchronous correlations depend strongly on the frequency of perturbation, their magnitude decreases with increasing frequency, (ii) time-delayed mean-squared fluctuations of residues have only synchronous components. Asynchronicity is present only in cross correlations, that is, correlations between different residues, (iii) perturbation of loop residues leads to a large dissipation of work, (iv) correlations satisfy the hypothesis of pre-existing pathways according to which information transfer by perturbation rides on already existing equilibrium correlations in the system, (v) dynamic perturbation can introduce a selective response in the system, where the perturbation of each residue excites different sets of responding residues, and (vi) it is possible to identify nondissipative residues whose perturbation does not lead to dissipation in the protein. Despite its simplicity, the model explains several features of allosteric manipulation.Publication Open Access Understanding the link between inflammasome and apoptosis through the response of THP-1 cells against drugs using droplet-based microfluidics(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2022) Gençtürk, E.; Kasım, M.; Ülgen, K.O.; Department of Physics; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Kiraz, Alper; Morova, Berna; Faculty Member; Researcher; Department of Physics; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; College of Sciences; College of Engineering; 22542; N/ADroplet-based microfluidic devices are used to investigate monocytic THP-1 cells in response to drug administration.Consistent and reproducible droplets are created, each of which acts as a bioreactor to carry out single cell experiments withminimized contamination and live cell tracking under an invertedfluorescence microscope for more than 2 days. Here, the effects ofthree different drugs (temsirolimus, rifabutin, and BAY 11-7082) on THP-1 are examined and the results are analyzed in the contextof the inflammasome and apoptosis relationship. The ASC adaptor gene tagged with GFP is monitored as the inflammasomereporter. Thus, a systematic way is presented for deciphering cell-to-cell heterogeneity, which is an important issue in cancertreatment. The drug temsirolimus, which has effects of disrupting the mTOR pathway and triggering apoptosis in tumor cells, causesTHP-1 cells to express ASC and to be involved in apoptosis. Treatment with rifabutin, which inhibits proliferation and initiatesapoptosis in cells, affects ASC expression byfirst increasing and then decreasing it. CASP-3, which has a role in apoptosis and isdirectly related to ASC, has an increasing level in inflammasome conditioning. Thus, the cell under the effect of rifabutin might befaced with programmed cell death faster. The drug BAY 11-7082, which is responsible for NF Kappa B inhibition, shows similar results totemsirolimus with more than 60% of cells having highfluorescence intensity (ASC expression). The microfluidic platform presentedhere offers strong potential for studying newly developed small-molecule inhibitors for personalized/precision medicine.Publication Open Access Introduction to noise radar and its waveforms(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2020) De Palo, Francesco; Galati, Gaspare; Pavan, Gabriele; Wasserzier, Christoph; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Savcı, Kubilay; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and EngineeringIn the system-level design for both conventional radars and noise radars, a fundamental element is the use of waveforms suited to the particular application. In the military arena, low probability of intercept (LPI) and of exploitation (LPE) by the enemy are required, while in the civil context, the spectrum occupancy is a more and more important requirement, because of the growing request by non-radar applications; hence, a plurality of nearby radars may be obliged to transmit in the same band. All these requirements are satisfied by noise radar technology. After an overview of the main noise radar features and design problems, this paper summarizes recent developments in "tailoring" pseudo-random sequences plus a novel tailoring method aiming for an increase of detection performance whilst enabling to produce a (virtually) unlimited number of noise-like waveforms usable in different applications.Publication Open Access Electronic structure of atomically dispersed supported iridium catalyst controls iridium aggregation(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2020) Hoffman, Adam S.; Akgül, Deniz; Babucci, Melike; Aviyente, Viktorya; Gates, Bruce C.; Bare, Simon R.; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Öztulum, Samira Fatma Kurtoğlu; Uzun, Alper; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Koç University Surface Science and Technology Center (KUYTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Yüzey Teknolojileri Araştırmaları Merkezi (KUYTAM); Koç University Tüpraş Energy Center (KUTEM) / Koç Üniversitesi Tüpraş Enerji Merkezi (KÜTEM); Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Engineering; N/A; 59917Supported iridium complexes, Ir(C2H4)2/support, were characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy during a temperature ramp to 120 °C in flowing H2. Iridium in complexes bonded to weak and moderate electron-donor supports, SiO2and ?-Al2O3, underwent aggregation, forming nanoparticles and clusters, respectively. When the support was a strong electron-donor (MgO), iridium remained site-isolated. Density functional theory calculations confirm the dependence of iridium-support bond strength on the support's electron-donor character. Coating the SiO2-supported complexes with 1- n-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate enhanced electron density on the iridium, hindering its aggregation. These results demonstrate opportunities for stabilizing atomically dispersed supported noble metals under reducing conditions by choice of support/ionic liquid sheath combinations.Publication Open Access Mechanistic differences of activation of Rac1(P29S) and Rac1(A159V)(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2021) Jang, Hyunbum; Nussinov, Ruth; N/A; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Computer Engineering; Şenyüz, Simge; Keskin, Özlem; Gürsoy, Attila; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Computer Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Engineering; N/A; 26605; 8745Rac1 is a small GTPase that plays key roles in actin reorganization, cell motility, and cell survival/growth as well as in various cancer types and neurodegenerative diseases. Similar to other Ras superfamily GTPases, Rac1 switches between active GTP-bound and inactive GDP-bound states. Switch I and II regions open and close during GDP/GTP exchange. P29S and A159V (paralogous to K-Ras(A146)) mutations are the two most common somatic mutations of Rac1. Rac1(P2)(9S)( )is a known hotspot for melanoma, whereas Rac1(A159V) most commonly occurs in head and neck cancer. To investigate how these substitutions induce the Rac1 dynamics, we used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on the wild-type Rac1 and two mutant systems (P29S and A159V) in the GTP bound state, and on the wild-type Rac1 and P29S mutated system in the GDP bound state. Here, we show that P29S and A159V mutations activate Rac1 with different mechanisms. In Rac1(P29S)-GTP, the substitution increases the flexibility of Switch I based on RMSF and dihedral angle calculations and leads to an open conformation. We propose that the open Switch I conformation is one of the underlying reasons for rapid GDP/GTP exchange of Rac1(P29S). On the other hand, in Rac1(A159V)-GTP, some of the contacts of the guanosine ring of GTP with Rac1 are temporarily lost, enabling the guanosine ring to move toward Switch I and subsequently close the switch. Rac1(A159V)-GTP adopts a Ras state 2 like conformation, where both switch regions are in closed conformation and Thr35 forms a hydrogen bond with the nucleotide.Publication Open Access Effect of MOF database selection on the assessment of gas storage and separation potentials of MOFs(Wiley, 2021) Eruçar, İlknur; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; N/A; Harman, Hilal Dağlar; Gülbalkan, Hasan Can; Aksu, Gökhan Önder; Altundal, Ömer Faruk; Altıntaş, Çiğdem; Avcı, Gökay; Keskin, Seda; Researcher; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Engineering; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 40548Development of computation‐ready metal–organic framework databases (MOF DBs) has accelerated high‐throughput computational screening (HTCS) of materials to identify the best candidates for gas storage and separation. These DBs were constructed using structural curations to make MOFs directly usable for molecular simulations, which caused the same MOF to be reported with different structural features in different DBs. We examined thousands of common materials of the two recently updated, very widely used MOF DBs to reveal how structural discrepancies affect simulated CH4, H2, CO2 uptakes and CH4/H2 separation performances of MOFs. Results showed that DB selection has a significant effect on the calculated gas uptakes and ideal selectivities of materials at low pressure. A detailed analysis on the curated structures was provided to isolate the critical elements of MOFs determining the gas uptakes. Identification of the top‐performing materials for gas separation was shown to strongly depend on the DB used in simulations.Publication Open Access Epitranscriptomics of ischemic heart disease-the IHD-EPITRAN study design and objectives(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2021) Sikorski, Vilbert; Karjalainen, Pasi; Blokhina, Daria; Oksaharju, Kati; Khan, Jahangir; Katayama, Shintaro; Rajala, Helena; Suihko, Satu; Tuohinen, Suvi; Teittinen, Kari; Nummi, Annu; Nykanen, Antti; Eskin, Arda; Stark, Christoffer; Biancari, Fausto; Kiss, Jan; Simpanen, Jarmo; Ropponen, Jussi; Lemstrom, Karl; Savinainen, Kimmo; Lalowski, Maciej; Kaarne, Markku; Jormalainen, Mikko; Elomaa, Outi; Koivisto, Pertti; Raivio, Peter; Backstrom, Pia; Dahlbacka, Sebastian; Syrjala, Simo; Vainikka, Tiina; Vahasilta, Tiina; Karelson, Mati; Mervaala, Eero; Juvonen, Tatu; Laine, Mika; Laurikka, Jari; Vento, Antti; Kankuri, Esko; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Tunçbağ, Nurcan; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; School of Medicine; College of Engineering; 245513Epitranscriptomic modifications in RNA can dramatically alter the way our genetic code is deciphered. Cells utilize these modifications not only to maintain physiological processes, but also to respond to extracellular cues and various stressors. Most often, adenosine residues in RNA are targeted, and result in modifications including methylation and deamination. Such modified residues as N-6-methyl-adenosine (m(6)A) and inosine, respectively, have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and contribute to disease pathologies. The Ischemic Heart Disease Epitranscriptomics and Biomarkers (IHD-EPITRAN) study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding to their nature and role in cardiovascular pathology. The study hypothesis is that pathological features of IHD are mirrored in the blood epitranscriptome. The IHD-EPITRAN study focuses on m(6)A and A-to-I modifications of RNA. Patients are recruited from four cohorts: (I) patients with IHD and myocardial infarction undergoing urgent revascularization; (II) patients with stable IHD undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting; (III) controls without coronary obstructions undergoing valve replacement due to aortic stenosis and (IV) controls with healthy coronaries verified by computed tomography. The abundance and distribution of m(6)A and A-to-I modifications in blood RNA are charted by quantitative and qualitative methods. Selected other modified nucleosides as well as IHD candidate protein and metabolic biomarkers are measured for reference. The results of the IHD-EPITRAN study can be expected to enable identification of epitranscriptomic IHD biomarker candidates and potential drug targets.Publication Open Access Distinguishing genuine Imperial Qing Dynasty porcelain from ancient replicas by on-site non-invasive XRF and Raman spectroscopy(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2022) Colomban, P.; Gironda, M.; d'Abrigeon, P.; Franci, Gülsu Şimşek; Researcher; Koç University Surface Science and Technology Center (KUYTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Yüzey Teknolojileri Araştırmaları Merkezi (KUYTAM)The combined use of non-invasive on-site portable techniques, Raman microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy on seven imperial bowls and two decorated dishes, attributed to the reigns of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Daoguang emperors (Qing Dynasty), allows the identification of the coloring agents/opacifiers and composition types of the glazes and painted enamels. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the elements used in the (blue) marks and those found in the blue, yellow, red, and honey/gilded backgrounds on which, or in reserve, a floral motif is principally drawn. The honey-colored background is made with gold nanoparticles associated with a lead- and arsenic-based flux. One of the red backgrounds is also based on gold nanoparticles, the second containing copper nanoparticles, both in lead-based silicate enamels like the blue and yellow backgrounds. Tin and arsenic are observed, but cassiterite (SnO2) is clearly observed in one of the painted decors (dish) and in A676 yellow, whereas lead (calcium/potassium) arsenate is identified in most of the enamels. Yellow color is achieved with Pb-Sn-Sb pyrochlore (Naples yellow) with various Sb contents, although green color is mainly based on lead-tin oxide mixed with blue enamel. The technical solutions appear very different from one object to another, which leads one to think that each bowl is really a unique object and not an item produced in small series. The visual examination of some marks shows that they were made in overglaze (A608, A616, A630, A672). It is obvious that different types of cobalt sources were used for the imprinting of the marks: cobalt rich in manganese for bowl A615 (Yongzheng reign), cobalt rich in arsenic for bowl A613 (but not the blue mark), cobalt with copper (A616), and cobalt rich in arsenic and copper (A672). Thus, we have a variety of cobalt sources/mixtures. The high purity of cobalt used for A677 bowl indicates a production after similar to 1830-1850.Publication Open Access An aging model of NH3 storage sites for predicting kinetics of NH3 adsorption, desorption and oxidation over hydrothermally aged Cu-chabazite(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2020) Şanlı, D.; Özener, B.; Hisar, G.; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Bozbağ, Selmi Erim; Erkey, Can; Researcher; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; College of Engineering; N/A; 29633A unified transient kinetic model which can predict the adsorption, desorption and oxidation kinetics of NH3 over hydrothermally aged Cu-chabazite was developed. The model takes into account the variation of fractional coverages of NH3 storage sites due to hydrothermal aging. In order to determine the fractional coverage of these sites, the catalyst was aged for various times at a certain temperature followed by NH3 adsorption, desorption and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments. TPD profiles were deconvoluted mainly into three peaks with centres at 317, 456 and 526 oC, respectively. Hydrothermal aging resulted in the progressive increase in the intensity of the peak at 317 oC and decrease in the intensity of the peaks at 456 and 526 oC, along with decreased NH3 oxidation at high temperatures. A model for hydrothermal aging kinetics of the fractional coverage of storage sites was developed using three reactions with appropriate rate expressions with parameters regressed from experimental data. The model was then incorporated into a multi-site kinetic model for the degreened Cu-Chabazite by the addition of aging reactions on each storage site. The effects of both aging time and temperature on the kinetics NH3 adsorption, desorption and oxidation were successfully predicted in the 155-540 oC range. This study is the first step towards the development of a hydrothermal aging-unified kinetic model of NH3-Selective Catalytic Reduction over Cu-chabazite.