Design and assembly of ternary Pt/Re/SnO2 NPs by controlling the zeta potential of individual Pt, Re, and SnO2 NPs.

In this study Pt, Re, and SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were combined in a controlled manner into binary and ternary combinations for a possible application for ethanol oxidation. For this purpose, zeta potentials as a function of the pH of the individual NPs solutions were measured. In order to successfully combine the NPs into Pt/SnO2 and Re/SnO2 NPs, the solutions were mixed together at a pH guaranteeing opposite zeta potentials of the metal and oxide NPs. The individually synthesized NPs and their binary/ternary combinations were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. FTIR and XPS spectroscopy showed that the individually synthesized Pt and Re NPs are metallic and the Sn component was oxidized to SnO2. STEM showed that all NPs are well crystallized and the sizes of the Pt, Re, and SnO2 NPs were 2.2, 1.0, and 3.4 nm, respectively. Moreover, EDS analysis confirmed the successful formation of binary Pt/SnO2 and Re/SnO2 NP, as well as ternary Pt/Re/SnO2 NP combinations. This study shows that by controlling the zeta potential of individual metal and oxide NPs, it is possible to assemble them into binary and ternary combinations. Graphical abstractᅟ.

Further Evidence of the Association of the Diacylglycerol Kinase Kappa (DGKK) Gene With Hypospadias.

PURPOSE: Hypospadias is a common developmental anomaly of the male external genitalia. In previous studies conducted on West European, Californian, and Han Chinese populations the relationship between polymorphic variants of the diacylglycerol kinase kappa (DGKK) gene and hypospadias have been reported. The aim was to study the possible associations between polymorphic variants of the DGKK gene and hypospadias using an independent sample of the Polish population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms in DGKK, which were reported to have an impact on the risk of hypospadias in other populations, were genotyped using high-resolution melting curve analysis in a group of 166 boys with isolated anterior (66%) and middle (34%) forms of hypospadias and 285 properly matched controls without congenital anomalies. RESULTS: Two DGKK variants rs11091748 and rs12171755 were associated with increased risk of hypospadias in the Polish population. These results were statistically significant, even after applying the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (P < .005). All the tested nucleotide variants were involved in haplotype combinations associated with hypospadias. The global p-values for haplotypes comprising of rs4143304-rs11091748, rs11091748-rs17328236, rs1934179-rs4554617, rs1934183-rs1934179-rs4554617 and rs12171755-rs1934183-rs1934179-rs4554617 were statistically significant, even after the permutation test correction. CONCLUSION: Our study provides strong evidence of an association between DGKK nucleotide variants, haplotypes and hypospadias susceptibility.

EVC gene polymorphisms and risks of isolated hypospadias - a preliminary study.

INTRODUCTION: Hypospadias has a complex etiology with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to the condition. Urogenital abnormalities including hypospadias, are found in 22% of cases with Ellis van Creveld syndrome (EvC). Mutations in the EVC gene can cause major and minor anomalies, which form phenotypes that partially overlap with those present in EvC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between nucleotide variants of the EVC gene and the risk of hypospadias. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the EVC gene (rs3774856, rs2302075, rs1383180, rs7680768) were taken under investigation in 96 patients with isolated hypospadias and 284 matched controls. Genotyping of all polymorphisms was carried out by PCR and followed by appropriate restriction enzyme digestion (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: Individuals homozygous for the SNP rs2302075 (p.Thr449Lys) showed an elevated risk for hypospadias. Haplotypes containing the rs2302075 variant also revealed modest associations with hypospadias, which did not survive multiple testing corrections. None of the other tested EVC polymorphisms displayed significant association with the risk of hypospadias, either in dominant or recessive inheritance models. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that polymorphic variants of the EVC gene do not substantially contribute to the risk of hypospadias based on our study population. However, further studies should help to clarify the relationship between polymorphisms of EVC and hypospadias.

Propionylcarnitine and methionine concentrations in newborns with hypospadias.

INTRODUCTION: Of interest is if factors like maternal diet can influence the risk of hypospadias-affected pregnancy. Increased propionylcarnitine (C3) is regarded as a biomarker of vitamin B12 deficiency. The retrospective study was undertaken to determine whether increased propionylcarnitine and low methionine in newborns are associated with hypospadias. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 41 newborns with hypospadias and 90 control newborns without congenital anomalies were investigated. Whole blood propionylcarnitine and methionine concentrations were measured using tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The mean concentration of propionylcarnitine was higher in newborns with hypospadias compared with newborns without congenital anomalies (p = 0.026). The mean methionine level in cases was insignificantly lower than in controls. CONCLUSION: There appears to be an association between decreased vitamin B12, as indexed by an increase of propionylcarnitine, and hypospadias in the investigated group of patients.

Ab initio molecular geometry and anharmonic vibrational spectra of thiourea and thiourea-d4.

Potential energy surface (PES) of thiourea, SC(NH(2))(2), has been searched for stable conformers under C(1), C(s), C(2), and C(2v) symmetry constraints by post-Hartree-Fock ab initio methods with electron correlation level varying from second-order Moeller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) to quadratic configuration interaction with single and double excitations (QCISD) and basis sets of double- and triple-zeta quality within 6-31+G(d,p) to aug-cc-pVTZ range. Thiourea conformers of C(2) and C(s) symmetry have been found as stationary points on the PES with no imaginary frequencies at MP2/6-31+G(d,p) level, whereas only the C(2) conformer seems as true minimum when basis sets containing more polarization and/or diffuse functions were used. At QCISD/cc-pVTZ level, only the C(2) thiourea conformer has been found as true minimum on the PES. Anharmonic vibrational spectra of C(2) conformers of thiourea and thiourea-d(4) have been computed by vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) and correlation-corrected VSCF methods using quartic force field approximation at MP2/TZV+(2d,2p), and MP2/6-311+G(3df,2p) level and direct approach at MP2/6-31+G(2d,p) level. Both quartic force field and direct VSCF methods used PES expansion in curvilinear (internal) coordinates. Wavenumbers of fundamental, first overtone, and combination transitions of C(2) symmetry conformer have been calculated for natural abundance thiourea and thiourea-d(4) isotopomer. Anharmonic corrections originating from mean field and mode coupling effects vary from 5 to 60 cm(-1), whereas mode-mode correlation contribution seems significant in the case of ν(N-H) stretching and δ(NH(2)) deformation modes (15-5 cm(-1)). Application of internal coordinates in the VSCF calculation results in slight underestimation of δ(NH(2)) deformation mode fundamentals and correct description of out-of-plane large-amplitude τ(SCNH) modes.

First-principles calculation of geometry and anharmonic vibrational spectra of thioformamide and thioformamide-d2.

The equilibrium geometry of thioformamide HCSNH2 has been determined at the MP2 and CCSD(T) electron correlation levels under C(s) symmetry constraints using triple-zeta basis sets up to cc-pVTZ. All optimized planar structures are true minima on the potential-energy surface and are characterized by the C-N bond length within 1.353-1.343 A, C-S distances of 1.656-1.628 A, and NCS angle between 125.7 degrees and 125.9 degrees . The wave number of the NH2 out-of-plane wagging mode computed in the harmonic approximation shows stronger dependence on the basis set rather than the electron correlation level and varies from 85.9 cm(-1) at CCSD(T)cc-pVDZ level to 335 cm(-1) at MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. Anharmonic vibrational spectra of HCSNH2 and HCSND2 have been determined directly from the potential-energy surfaces computed at MP2 level in triple-zeta valence (TZV)(2df,2p) and TZV+(2df,2p) basis sets using vibrational self-consistent-field (VSCF) and correlation-corrected VSCF (CC-VSCF) methods. CC-VSCF wave numbers of fundamental, first overtone, and most intense combination transitions are reported for thioformamide and those of fundamentals for thioformamide-d2. The NH2 wagging (nu12) mode is strongly anharmonic and its fundamentals have been computed at 406.9 cm(-1) [TZV(2df,2p)] and 399.5 cm(-1) [TZV+(2df,2p)], which is remarkably close to the experimental energy of 393 cm(-1). Anharmonically computed fundamentals of this mode in thioformamide-d2, 299.7 cm(-1) [TZV(2df,2p)] and 299.6 cm(-1) [TZV+(2df,2p)], are only approximately 7 cm(-1) higher than the transition energy (293 cm(-1)) observed in the gas phase spectrum of HCSND2. The first overtone of the NH2 wagging mode of thioformamide (nu12 (02)) has been calculated by CC-VSCF procedure at 830.8 cm(-1) [TZV(2df,2p)] and 880.0 cm(-1) [TZV+(2df,2p)], which implies "negative" (nu12 (02)>2*nu12 (01)) anharmonicity of this mode.

Anharmonic vibrational spectra of hydroxylamine and its 15N, 18O, and deuterium substituted analogs.

Vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) and correlation-corrected vibrational self-consistent field (CC-VSCF) methods were used to compute the anharmonic frequencies of fundamentals, overtones, and combination transitions of natural abundance hydroxylamine, 15NH2OH, NH2(18)OH, ND2OD, ND2OH, and NH2OD isotopomers at second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) in basis sets of triple-zeta quality. Frequencies of the fundamental transitions observed in the gas phase spectrum were reproduced by CC-VSCF treatment within 20 cm(-1) in TZV(d,p) and TZV(2d,2p) basis sets, and the change of basis set composition had only minor effect on the frequencies of the computed fundamentals. CC-VSCF computed wave numbers of overtone and combination transitions were typically within 1-40 cm(-1) of the gas phase band positions, except for those resulting from multiple excitations of v2, v3, and v7 fundamentals, because of a strong mutual coupling between these modes. Integral transition intensities calculated at MP2 level closely followed those of experimental spectrum, including intensity decrease in v1, 2v1, 3v1 progression, and 30-fold intensity increase of 2v8 in respect to that of v8 fundamental. The frequency of the OH torsional fundamental was found to be strongly dependent on the mode-mode interaction potential among v9 and v1, v7, v2, v4, v5 modes. Band shifts resulting from 15N, 18O and complete 2H substitutions were reproduced almost quantitatively by CC-VSCF computation in TZV(d,p) basis. Computed anharmonic isotope frequency shifts were different from those obtained in the harmonic approximation and no scaling procedure seemed capable of performing their interchange.

Polystyrene latex adsorption at the gold/electrolyte interface.

Irreversible deposition of polystyrene latex particles (average diameter, 1.5 microm) on various solid/electrolyte interfaces was studied experimentally by using the direct microscope observation method. The substrate surfaces included bare mica (reference interface), gold covered mica (layer thickness of 50 nm), and solid gold plate. The morphology and thickness of the gold layer on mica was determined by atomic force microscopy. Well-defined transport conditions of particles were created by using the new impinging-jet cell. A characteristic feature of the cell was that the suspension stream was directed obliquely to the interface. This unique characteristic was advantageous allowing one for direct, in situ, observation of particle deposition at metals and other nontransparent interfaces. Experiments performed for various flow intensities indicated that the initial deposition kinetics at all interfaces was identical within the error bounds, in accordance with the model based on the convective-diffusion theory. It was concluded that the limiting flux was governed by the bulk transport rather than by the specific surface interactions.