Nanowerk January 10, 2022 Understanding the relationship between protein structural dynamics and function is crucial for both basic research and biotechnology. However, methods for studying the fast dynamics of structural changes are limited. Researchers in Canada have developed fluorescent nanoantennas as a spectroscopic technique to sense and report protein conformational changes through noncovalent dye-protein interactions. Using experiments and molecular simulations, they detected and characterized five distinct conformational states of intestinal alkaline phosphatase, including the transient enzyme–substrate complex. They explored the universality of the nanoantenna strategy with another model protein, Protein G and its interaction with antibodies, and demonstrated a rapid […]
Tag Archives: S&T Canada
Nature’s strongest glue now works in both wet and salty environments
Phys.org October 27, 2021 An aquatic bacterium called Caulobacter crescentus produces an extremely powerful glue called “holdfast,” which adheres to its surrounding wet surfaces, such as pipes and fresh water. To improve holdfast adhesion in high salinity environments researchers in Canada compared Caulobacter crescentus with a marine relative called Hirschia baltica. They found both had the same genes to synthesize holdfast indicating they used the same type of glue. Hirschia baltica holdfast also appeared to perform very well in a saline environment, which is its natural environment. By manipulating the level of expression of a particular gene whose function is […]
Researchers discover unique ‘spider web’ mechanism that traps, kills viruses
Phys.org June 29, 2021 Injectable vaccines are designed to bolster antibodies in the blood, but those antibodies are not as prevalent at the sites where infection begins. Researchers in Canada found that neutrophils, the most abundant white blood cells in the human body, explode when they bind to pathogens coated in antibodies and release DNA outside of the cell, creating a sticky tangle which acts as a trap. Mechanisms that can stop the infection at the site where it enters our body can prevent the spread and serious complications. According to the researchers we should be thinking carefully about next […]
Automated next generation sequencing platform can accurately screen thousands for COVID-19
EurekAlert March 3, 2021 Researchers in Canada have developed a multiplexed, scalable, readily automated platform “Systematic Parallel Analysis of RNA coupled to Sequencing for Covid-19 screening” (C19-SPAR-Seq), for SARS-CoV-2 detection that can analyze tens of thousands of patient samples in a single run. To address strict requirements for control of assay parameters and output demanded by clinical diagnostics, they employed a control-based Precision-Recall and Receiver Operator Characteristics (coPR) analysis to assign run-specific quality control metrics. C19-SPAR-Seq coupled to coPR on a trial cohort of several hundred patients performed with a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 91% on samples with […]
Bound-charge engineering: A new strategy to develop nanowire transistors
Phys.org January 13, 2021 Low-dimensional materials can have a relatively small number of free charges and weak screening compared to 3-D materials. This screening is especially crucial for the development of tunnel field-effect transistors, which heavily rely on the quantum tunneling of electrons across junctions. By atomistic quantum transport simulations researchers in Canada show how bound charges can be engineered at interfaces of Si and low- oxides to strengthen screening. To avoid compromising gate control, low- and high- oxides are used in conjunction. They demonstrated that in Si nanowire tunnel field-effect transistors bound charge engineering increases the on-state current by […]
Invisible organic light-emitting diodes reach new world record
EurekAlert November 11, 2020 Inspired by a class of molecules previously used for biomedical imaging researchers in Canada developed two new organic compounds with emission peak at a wavelength of 840 nm. The OLED showed a quantum efficiency of 3.8%. The latter corresponds to the percentage of electrons circulating throughout the device, electrons which are then converted into useable light. The efficiency is more than three times higher than that of the best previously reported fluorescent OLEDs in this spectral range and approaches that achievable with the best platinum‐containing phosphorescent emitters. The device has possible applications in biomedicine, facial recognition, […]
First Photonic Quantum Computer on the Cloud
IEEE Spectrum September 9, 2020 A Canadian company working with their US partners has made a quantum computing platform publicly available. Applicants can access 8, 12, and soon 24 qubit machines over the cloud. In the coming months, the company will release a blueprint for photonic quantum computing that is essentially a primer on how to scale to millions of qubits in a fault-tolerant manner. They use continuous variable quantum computing which relies on “squeezed states” consisting of superpositions of multiple photons. Squeezed states take advantage of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle reducing the uncertainty in the measurements of a given variable […]
Physicists develop technology to transform information from microwaves to optical light
Phys.org July 23, 2020 Researchers in Canada have developed a new technology that can translate data from microwaves to optical light. It works by introducing a strong interaction between microwave radiation and atomic gas. The microwaves are then modulated with an audio signal, encoding information into the microwave. This modulation is passed through the gas atoms, which are then probed with optical light to encode the signal into the light. The transfer of information from the microwave domain to the optical domain is the key result. The wavelengths of these two carrier signals differ by a factor of 50,000. It […]
UBCO researchers create liquid-repelling substance that works on all surfaces
EurekAlert July 15, 2020 Omniphobic–all-liquid repellent–films can repel a broad range of liquids, but the applicability of these coatings has always been limited to silicon wafers or smooth glass. Researchers in Canada have developed a facile procedure to generate an omniphobic coating on any surface, including metals, paper, ceramics, etc. The process involves depositing an ultra smooth, silicon wafer-like silica layer and then treating this layer with a highly reactive chlorosilane, which grafts polydimethylsiloxane chains onto the surface. Negligible contact angle hysteresis (≤1°) for various liquids, including ultralow surface tension oils, alcohols, and fluoro-solvents, was achieved on many different substrates […]
A self-cleaning surface that repels even the deadliest superbugs
EurekAlert December 13, 2019 Researchers in Canada have developed a plastic surface that can be shrink-wrapped onto door handles, railings, IV stands and other surfaces that can be magnets for bacteria such as MRSA and C. difficile. The surface is also treated chemically to further enhance its repellent properties, resulting in a barrier that is flexible, durable and inexpensive to reproduce. It works through a combination of nano-scale surface engineering and chemistry. The surface is textured with microscopic wrinkles that exclude all external molecules. A drop of water or blood or bacteria bounces away when it lands on the surface. […]