N.E.Quest Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2011

Newsletter of North East India Research Forum

N. E. Quest; Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2011

Newsletter Of

NORTH EAST INDIA RESEARCH FORUM

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/northeast_india_research/ www.neindiaresearch.org

http://www.neindiaresearch.org/�



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EDITORIAL

It is a great privilege to address the editorial of N. E. Quest. Thanks to for giving me this opportunity. At the outset I wish success for N. E. Quest, current and forthcoming issues. Congratulations for all published issues with the accomplishments in its intended purposes. Thanks to advisory committee, editorial board and members and contributors for their leadership in bringing the community into one place called North East India Research Forum. Heartiest welcome to all new members and hope they will actively participate exchanging their ideas and goals.

I am glad to introduce few new contents in this issue. Spectrum is one of them that holds you

dream. Facebook discussion brings us to talk about several crucial and sensitive topics with valuable opinions by the forum members. Invited article is a creative thought particularly publishing articles like Industrialization, Capitalism and Communism that surely provides flavour from off domain. Thank to authors and contributors.

I want to focus the importance of two closely related all-encompassing topics, teaching and

research. Teaching and basic research can only bring the prosperity and integrity of a nation. The famous quote by Abraham Lincoln during the midst of civil war, "I strongly refused to accept America's sole purpose was mere survival, so I created National Academy of Sciences, founded colleges, and began the work of the transcontinental railroad and towards the discovery of new and useful things" easily demonstrates tremendous importance of science for a better world and mankind. People always love to talk about "research", "technology", "innovation" like exciting phrases. But we should be always cautiously attentive to teaching and how to educate people. Nevertheless we all know the quality of teaching is the most influential single factor in determining whether a student will succeed or fail. The progress and prosperity of future generations will depend on what we do now to educate the next generation. Thus without genuine expertise in the field of teaching the problem is only going to get worse. It is true that integration of a nation is strongly dependent on basic scientific research, innovation, and technologies. Vannevar Bush, who was the scientific advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt, quoted as "Basic scientific research is the scientific capital".

Let me share you one novel thought of present time in the development of pharmaceutical

industries. We all probably know the development of just one successful drug from its design stage to over the counter (tablets or doses form) costing billion dollars and 10-20 valuable years to the industry. All manufacturing processes involved in this development are performed individually known as batch processes. MIT and the Swiss pharma industry Novartis in collaboration started a multi-year innovative project with the aim of bringing all batch processes into continuous mode. This means starting from the synthesis of a drug in organic laboratory to the manufacturing of tablet will be in continuous. This is one of the simple attempts to put forward ideas towards application and ease life. I am sure if we work with our friends around the world, we proceed more rapidly and more cost-effectively to resolve many of the challenges we face. Also this will help us reflect globally in character. Let’s work hard with a genuine goal and legal motivation and look for new frontiers. I wish long live of this forum. We shall feel happy if N. E. Quest is contributing something toward educate our people by sharing knowledge.

Dr. Bipul Sarma

Chem. Eng. Dept., MIT, USA



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CONTENT 1 About The North East India Research Forum 5 2 Science News 9 3 Spectrum by Bipul Sarma 12 4 Instrument (a) Flash Chromatography [CombiFlash® Companion®]

by Progyashree Goswami 13

(b) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) - Mega Hertz to Giga Hertz by Dr. Ashim J. Thakur

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5 Article Section (a) Synthesis and Radical Polymerization of Adamantyl Methacrylate Monomers

having Hemiacetal Moieties by Dr. Balaka Barkataky

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(b) Quantum Dots and its application in cancer research by Dr. Mausam Kalita

25

(c) The Flying Jewel of Nature - Butterfly by Nabanita Das

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(d) Next generation optical tools for biomedical applications by Dr. Bhargab Das

37

6 Invited Article (a) Industrialization, Capitalism and Communism

by Pradyumna Kalita 42

(b) Growth of Single Crystals from Hydrothermal Synthesis by Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes

44

7 Thesis Synopsis (a) Automated Analysis of Stellar Photometric and Spectroscopic Data from Space

Missions and Classification of Astronomical Objects Archana Bora

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(b) Synthesis and labeling strategy for indirect detection of estrogen-derived DNA adducts using aqueous quantum dots Mausam Kalita

50

(c) Total Synthesis of Medium Sized Natural Lactones Partha Pratim Saikia

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8 Facebook Discussion Does Indian Research meet World class standard? Eds: Saitanya K Bharadwaj 54 9 Members Face 59 10 News & Achievements 61 11 Letters to Editor 61 by Gitashree Goswami 12 Through The Lenses 62 by Bipul Sarma 13 Fellowship, Advertisement, Opportunity 63



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ABOUT North East India Research Forum 1. Created on 13

th November 2004.

2. Growth Every forum has to pass through difficult phases at the time of birth. NE India Research Forum is also no exception. At the very beginning, it was a march hardly with few members (from chemistry only) and today the forum comprised of a force of over 400 elite members. Now we are in a position such that people voluntarily come and join the group irrespective of disciplines.

Graph of no of members vs months 3. Forum Discussions Necessity of directory of all the

members of the forum. Possibility of organising conference in

the N. E. India. Taking initiation on setting up of South

East Asian Scientific Institute. On selection of Best paper award. Let us introspect.

4. Poll conducted and results • North East India is lacking behind the rest

of the country due to- 1. Geographical constrain = 0% 2. Bad leadership = 40% 3. Lack of work culture = 36% 4. Corruption = 18%

5. Apathy from Central Govt. = 4%

• Which area of science is going to dominate by creating a great impact on society in next decade? 1. Nanoscience & nanotechnology = 22% 2. Biotechnology = 11% 3. Nanobiotechnology = 38% 4. Chemical Engineering = 0% 5. Medicine = 11% 6. Others = 16% 7. None = 0%

• Kindly let us know your view regarding the following topic. What activities of this group you like most? 1. Research articles = 33% 2. Information about vacancy/positions available = 10% 3. Way to have a contact with all members = 29% 4. Scientific discussions = 14% 5. Others = 2%

• Selection of name for Newsletter There were total 36 proposals submitted by

members of the forum for the Newsletter. The name proposed by Mr. Abhishek Choudhury N. E. QUEST received the maximum number of votes and accepted as the name of the Newsletter. • How often should we publish our newsletter

'' N. E. Quest’’? 1. Every 3 months = 61% 2. Every 6 months = 38% 3. Once a year = 0%

5. Editors of NE-Quest Issues 1. Vol 1 Issue 1 April, 2007 Dr. Arindam Adhikari 2. Vol 1 Issue 2 July 2007 Dr. Tankeswar Nath 3. Vol 1 Issue 3 October 2007 Dr. Ashim Jyoti Thakur 4. Vol 1 Issue 4 January 2008 Mr. Pranjal Saikia 5. Vol 2 Issue 1 April 2008



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Dr. Sasanka Deka 6. Vol 2 Issue 2 July 2008 Dr. Rashmi Rekha Devi 7. Vol 2 Issue 3 October 2008 Dr. Prodeep Phukan 8. Vol 2 Issue 4 January 2009 Dr. Manab Sharma 9. Vol 3 Issue 1 April 2009 Dr. Debananda Ningthoujam 10. Vol 3 Issue 2 July 2009 Dr. Robert Singh Thangjam 11. Vol 3 Issue 3 October 2009 Dr. Pankaj Bharali 12. Vol 3 Issue 4 January 2010 Dr. Abdul Wahab 13. Vol 4 Issue 1 April 2010 Dr. Utpal Bora 14. Vol 4 Issue 2 July 2010 Dr. Babita Baruwati 15. Vol 4 Issue 3, October 2010 Ms. Ananya Saikia 16. Vol 4 Issue 4, Janury 2011 Dr. Saitanya Bharadwaj 17. Vol 5 Issue 1, April 2011 Dr. Mahen Konwar 18. Vol 5 Issue 2, July 2011 Dr. Bipul Sarma 6. Moderator Arindam Adhikari, Ph.D. CECRI, Kadaikudi, Tamilnadu Email: [email protected] Ashim J. Thakur, Ph.D. Chemical Science Dept, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam Email: [email protected] Utpal Borah, Ph.D. Dibrugarh University, Assam, India Email: [email protected] Khirud Gogoi, Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, USA; Email:[email protected] 7. Cover Page design Anirban Adhikari

8. Logo design Manab Sharma 9. Domain/URL www.neindiaresearch.org 10. Future activities Proper planning and consequent implementation always play an important role in every aspect. Some of the topics / activities / suggestions which were being discussed, time to time in the forum will get top priorities in our future activities. Those are mentioned here, • Preparing complete online database of N.E.

researchers with details. • Organising conference in the N.E. region-

proposed by Dr. Utpal Bora. • Research collaboration among forum

members. • Motivate student to opt for science

education. • Help master’s students in doing projects in

different organisation-proposed by Dr. Khirud Gogoi.

• Supporting schools in rural areas by different ways.

• Best paper awards. • Compilation of book on ‘Education system

of different countries’. Initiative for this project is taken by Dr. Mantu Bhuyan, NEIST, Jorhat, Assam

11. New activities • Guidelines for the members are being

formulated by the moderators of the NE India Research Forum. These guidelines are placed in the forum for discussion.

• HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd is willing to sponsor some future activities of the forum and have asked for space to advertise for their products in the N. E. Quest. Starting this issue (July 2009) N. E. Quest is providing one page for the advertisement. Details about this deal will be informed soon once finalised. Thanks to Dr. Robert Thangjam for his initiative in this matter.

• North East India Research Forum cell has been started in the following colleges,

mailto:[email protected]�





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Dibrugarh University; Contact: Dr. Jitu Ranjan Chetia, Dept. of Chemistry Email: [email protected] Tezpur University; Contact: Dr. Ashim J. Thakur, Dept. of Chemistry Email: [email protected] Phone: 03712 267008/9/10 (5059) Manipur University; Contact: Dr. Debananda S. Ningthoujam, Coordinator, Microbial Biotech Lab Reader & Head, Dept of Biochemistry, Manipur University, Imphal Email: [email protected] Mizoram University; Contact: Dr. Thangjam Robert Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Mizoram University, Aizawl Jorhat Institute of Technology; Contact: Mr. Prasanta Kumar Bordoloi, Senior Lecturer Email: [email protected] Mobile: 09957036339 Arya Vidyapeth College, Guwahati Contact: Mr. Pabitra Kalita, Senior Lecturer Email: [email protected] Mobile No: 09613133859 & Dr. Pradip Bhattacharyya, Senior Lecturer Email: [email protected] Mobile No: 09864087494 Pandu College; Contact: Mr. Sanchay Jyoti Bora Lecturer, Department of Chemistry E-mail: [email protected] Mobile: 09854078814 Bajali college, Pathsala; Contact: Mr. Arindam Talukdar, Lecturer, Environmental & Tourism Dept. Email: [email protected] & Mr. Satyendra Nath Kalita, Lecturer, Dept. of Zoology; Email: [email protected] B. Borooah College, Guwahati; Contact: Dr. Diganta K. Sarma, Lecturer, Dept of Physics. Email: [email protected] To run the forum smoothly, to make it more organised and to speed up activities, formation of a committee/team is essential. The combined

discussion of the moderators and senior members make the forum feel the importance of Advisors, co-ordinator, volunteer, webmasters etc. Of course it needs more discussion and will be approved by poll. 12. Guidelines for the forum The moderators formulated some guidelines for the forum which are as follow. These guidelines were kept open for discussion in the forum. With time and need the guidelines will be changed.

1. Anybody in the forum can start a meaningful and constructive discussion after discussion with moderators.

2. Comments from the individual members do not necessarily reflect the view of the forum.

3. No single moderator can take a crucial decision. All decision would be taken by the moderators unanimously or together with the group as majority.

4. One should not write any massage to the forum addressing some particular members. It should always start with Dear all / Dear esteemed members etc.

5. If one has to write a mail to a particular member she/he should write personal mail.

6. Everyone has the freedom to speak but that doesn’t mean that one should attack personally. Of course we do have differences. There can be debate or discussion, but it should always be a healthy one. One’s personal comment should be written in such a way that it reflects his/her view only. It should not touch other's sentiments/emotions.

7. Whenever we are in a forum, society, home, members should be sensitive / caring enough to their comments so that it does not hurt sentiment of any second members.








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8. Members should not post greetings messages (Bihu wish, New Year wish etc) to the forum.

9. Members should post authentic news only. The source of the news should be authentic. No controversial news or comment should be posted to the forum.

10. Our main aim is to discuss science to generate science consciousness, scientific temperament, sensitivity, awareness and research for the benefit of the mankind in general and North East India in particular.

11. In severe cases, moderators can take a hard decision unanimously or majority wise (may be through poll). (This point needs to be accepted by all the members).

While sending request or while fulfilling request for articles please follow the following points.

• The forum has been formed to help each other. When a member requests articles/literature to forum, members of the forum are always happy to help the

person by supplying the articles. But at this stage we have to keep in mind that the article should be sent to the person who requested it, not to the whole forum as it creates lots of unnecessary mails in the message box of the forum. Moreover if it continues, it become a irritation also for many members.

• It is also the duty of the person who requests article to acknowledge the person who helped him/her. This can be done by writing ' Request fulfilled by......' in the subject area while composing the mail and write a thanking message in the main message board. Once this is done, then if some other members want to send the article will know about the status of the request. This will also help members in keeping mailbox clean. For example

• Moreover sending articles (copyright protected articles) to the open forum violates copyright act. So please send the article to the person who requests not to everybody through this open forum.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/northeast_india_research/ http://www.neindiaresearch.org/

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SCIENCE NEWS Bipul Sarma, MIT Sources: www.sciencenews.org, New York Times, Scince Daily, MIT Tech News

1. Hurricane: Irene 2011 Hurricanes begin as

tropical storms over the warm moist waters of

the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the equator

(also called typhoons). As the moisture

evaporates it rises until enormous amounts of

heated moist air are twisted high in the

atmosphere. The winds begin to circle counter

clockwise north of the equator or clockwise

south of the equator. Around this center winds

moves at speed between 74 and 200 miles per

hour. As long as the hurricane remains over

waters of 79F or warmer, it continues to pull

moisture from the surface and grow in size and

force.

When a hurricane crosses land or cooler waters,

it loses its source of power, and its wind

gradually slow until they are no longer of

hurricane force less than 74 miles per hour. The

most recent hurricane Irene formed in the

southern Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert,

Harvey, Ten, Jose, Katia etc. are recent

examples of tropical storm. Irene storm slashed

directly across Puerto Rico, headed out to sea

north of the Dominican Republic and buffeting

the north coast with dangerous sea surge and

downpours. Irene grew into a category 2

hurricane when arrive United States coast from

category 3 at Turks, Caicos Islands, southeastern

Bahamas which could have been a monster.

Then moved to the Bahamian capital of Nassau,

Henry Vera, of Long Island, New York and

shifted towards New England areas.

2. Mind-Altering Microbes Recently researcher

from McMaster University in Canada reported

that probiotic bacteria have the potential to alter

brain neurochemistry and treat anxiety and

depression-related disorders. They demonstrated

that mice fed with Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-

1 showed significantly fewer stress, anxiety and

depression-related behaviours than those fed

with just broth. Moreover, ingestion of the

bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of

the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone.

These findings highlight the important role that

gut bacteria play in the bidirectional

communication between the gut and the brain,

the gut-brain axis, and opens up the intriguing

opportunity of developing unique microbial-

based strategies for treatment for stress-related

psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and

depression. The researchers also showed that

regular feeding with the Lactobacillus strain

caused changes in the expression of receptors for

http://www.sciencenews.org/�



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the neurotransmitter GABA in the mouse brain,

which is the first time that it has been

demonstrated that potential probiotics have a

direct effect on brain chemistry in normal

situations. The authors also established that the

vagus nerve is the main relay between the

microbiome (bacteria in the gut) and the brain.

This three way communication system is known

as the microbiome-gut-brain axis and these

findings highlight the important role of bacteria

in the communication between the gut and the

brain, and suggest that certain probiotic

organisms may prove to be useful adjunct

therapies in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

3. Vocabulary Linked to Early Brain

Differentiation Researchers at the University of

Washington's report that the brains of babies

raised in bilingual households show a longer

period of being flexible to different languages,

especially if they hear a lot of language at home.

The researchers also show that the relative

amount of each language, English and Spanish,

babies were exposed to affect their vocabulary

as toddlers. The study is the first to measure

brain activity throughout infancy and relate it to

language exposure and speaking ability. The

bilingual brain is fascinating because it reflects

human abilities for flexible thinking. Bilingual

babies learn that objects and events in the world

have two names, and flexibly switch between

these labels, giving the brain lots of good

exercise. Previous studies show that between 8

and 10 months of age, monolingual babies

become increasingly able to distinguish speech

sounds of their native language, while at the

same time their ability to distinguish sounds

from a foreign language declines. E.g. they are

better at detecting the difference between "r" and

"l" sounds, which are prevalent in the English

language.

This is the same age when Japanese babies, who

are not exposed to as many "r" and "l" sounds,

decline in their ability to detect them. Babies

from monolingual (English or Spanish) and

bilingual (English and Spanish) households

wore caps fitted with electrodes to measure brain

activity with an electroencephalogram, or EEG,

a device that records the flow of energy in the

brain. Babies heard background speech sounds

in one language, and then a contrasting sound in

the other language occurred occasionally. For

example, a sound that is used in both Spanish

and English served as the background sound and

then a Spanish "da" and an English "ta" each

randomly occurred 10 percent of the time as

contrasting sounds. If the brain can detect the

contrasting sound, there is a signature pattern



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called the mismatch response that can be

detected with the EEG. Monolingual babies at 6-

9 months of age showed the mismatch response

for both the Spanish and English contrasting

sounds, indicating that they noticed the change

in both languages. But at 10-12 months of age,

monolingual babies only responded to the

English contrasting sound. Bilingual babies

showed a different pattern. At 6-9 months,

bilinguals did not show the mismatch response,

but at 10-12 months they showed the mismatch

for both sounds.

4. Kill any Type of Virus Researchers at MIT's

Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can

identify cells that have been infected by any type

of virus, and then kill those cells to terminate the

infection (published in PLoS ONE). Drug

against 15 viruses were tested and found

effective against all of them including

rhinoviruses that cause the common cold, H1N1

influenza, a stomach virus, a polio virus, dengue

fever and several other types of hemorrhagic

fever.

The drug works by targeting a type of RNA

produced only in cells that have been infected by

viruses. Todd Rider, inventor of this new

technology says this is a broad-spectrum

technology, could potentially be use to combat

outbreaks of new viruses, such as the 2003

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

When viruses infect a cell, they take over its

cellular machinery for their own purpose that is,

creating more copies of the virus. During this

process, the viruses create long strings of

double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which is not

found in human or other animal cells. As part of

their natural defenses against viral infection,

human cells have proteins that latch onto

dsRNA, setting off a cascade of reactions that

prevents the virus from replicating itself.

However, many viruses can outsmart that system

by blocking one of the steps further down the

cascade. They combined a dsRNA-binding

protein with another protein that induces cells to

undergo apoptosis launched. Therefore, when

one end of the DRACO (Double-stranded RNA

Activated Caspase Oligomerizers) binds to

dsRNA, it signals the other end of the DRACO

to initiate cell suicide. However, if no dsRNA is

present, DRACO leaves the cell unharmed. Most

of the tests reported in this study were done in

human and animal cells cultured in the lab.

@ "If it's green or wriggles, it's biology. If it

stinks, it's chemistry. If it doesn't work, it's

physics..." — Science handy guide.



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SPECTRUM

Srikanth Bolla, a 19-year-old sophomore

who is blind recently realized a dream when he

travelled to Hyderabad, India, to develop a

computer-training center for visually challenged

students. Last year, Bolla shared his dream to

create the center with staff at MIT’s Public

Service Center, which provided Bolla with a

fellowship and know how to make his dream

come true. He created a curriculum, then with

additional grants, he bought five computers,

rented a building, hired a faculty member, and

began 10-week computer classes. The center

now trains 30 blind high school students each

year, but with more funding, he hopes to add

more computers and more students. “Villagers

told my parents: ‘He cannot see. Let him die.’

My grandmother said, ‘No. One day he may be

useful to our family.’” He spent his childhood in

loneliness and always wanted to play sports and

games with other children, but they gave him no

attention. At the age of seven, one of his uncles

urged him to enroll in a school for the blind in

Hyderabad, a city 250 miles away from his

home. Soon after, Bolla made a commitment to

excel. “I worked hard, and I never looked back.”

First, he learned Braille, then English, then how

to use a computer. He won awards in debating,

creative writing, chess, and blind cricket. He

became the school’s top student. Thanks to

Bolla for his efforts, because of that all blind

students in India can study science beyond grade

10. Bolla, who now stars on a blind baseball

team in Cambridge, is working with the Board

of Education in the Indian state of Andhra

Pradesh to get his computer-training course

accredited. His other goals include expanding

the computer center to several locations in India,

finding jobs for trained students, and raising

money to educate more young people.

“My lifetime ambition is to become the

President of India,” says Bolla, who was a

member of Lead India 2020, a national

movement to train youth in leadership, human

values, and employment skills. The idea is that

the transformed 540 million youth would lead

India to become a developed nation by 2020. In

2010, Bolla received an excellence award from

that organization from the former President of

India. “I want to dedicate my life to community

and social service,” he says. “I want a place in

society where people look up to me as a role

model and great leader.”

I am glad to meet him at MIT campus

and around. I wish all his dream come through

and stay healthy.

composed by Bipul Sarma



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INSTRUMENTS 1. Flash Chromatography [CombiFlash® Companion®]

Progyashree Goswami Ph. D. Student Natural Products Chemistry Division, NEIST, Jorhat. [email protected]

The Greek word chroma means ‘color’

and graphein means ‘to write’ is collectively

known as “Chromatography”. This is a

laboratory technique for the separation of

mixtures based on the difference in partitioning

between the two phases, i.e. mobile and

stationary. The mixture dissolved in a "mobile

phase" and passes through a “stationary phase”,

which separates the analyte in the mixture.

Every compound has a unique partition

coefficient result in differential retention on the

stationary phase that changes the separation.

There are two principal applications of

Chromatography. (i) Preparative

chromatography is used to separate the

components of a mixture and (ii) Analytical

chromatography is done with smaller amounts of

material to measure the relative proportions of

analytes in a mixture. Chromatography was first

used primarily for the separation of plant

pigments such as chlorophyll in the beginning of

the 20th century.

Before going into details I would like to

put a short note on the terms and phrases used in

chromatography. Analytes are the components in

the mixture or separated during analytical

chromatography. Chromatogram is the plot

between retention time (x-axis) versus signal (y-

axis) corresponding to the response created by

analytes that is proportional to the concentration

of the components. The equipment is known as

chromatograph. In chromatography which is a

physical method of separation consist of two

phases. The eluate is the mobile phase leaving

the column and the eluent is the solvent that will

carry the analyte. The second one is a stationary

phase which is immobilized on the support

particles.

The mobile phase moves in a definite

direction which may be a liquid, a gas, or a

supercritical fluid distinguishing them as Liquid

Chromatography (LC), Gas Chromatography

(GC) and Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

(SFC). Gas chromatography is always carried

out in a column, which is typically "packed" or

"capillary". Gas chromatography is based on

partition equilibrium of analyte between a solid

stationary phase (i.e. silica, alumina etc.) and a

mobile gas (i.e. Helium). GC is widely used in

the petrochemical, environmental monitoring

and remediation, and industrial chemical fields




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and extensively in chemistry research. However

in liquid chromatography the mobile phase is a

liquid and carried out either in a column or a

plane. The High Performance Liquid

Chromatography (HPLC) uses non-polar solvent

as normal phase and polar solvents in reverse

phase that consist the mobile phase. The

stationary phase normally includes irregularly or

spherically shaped particles, a porous monolithic

layer, or a porous membrane. Depending on

mobile phase HPLC can be of two types, (i)

more polar stationary phase than the mobile

phase (e.g. toluene as the mobile phase, silica as

the stationary phase) are termed normal phase

liquid chromatography (NPLC) and (ii) less

polar stationary phase (e.g. water-methanol

mixture as the mobile phase and C18 =

octadecylsilyl as the stationary phase) is termed

reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC).

RPLC has considerably more use. The

chromatographic techniques based on the

concept of bed shape can be two types, (i)

Column chromatography and (ii) Planar

chromatography. Planar chromatography can be

subdivided into (a) Paper chromatography and

(b) Thin layer chromatography (TLC). In

column chromatography the stationary bed is

within a tube with two open ends. A modified

version of column chromatography that the

solvent is driven through the column by

applying positive pressure was first introduced

in 1978 by W. Clark Still from Columbia

University, New York and is known as flash

column chromatography. This reduces the

separation time exceptionally to a great extent.

In planar chromatography the stationary phase is

present as or on a plane. The plane can be a

paper (paper chromatography) or a layer of solid

particles spread on a support such as a glass

plate (thin layer chromatography). Apart from

these common chromatographic techniques there

are several modified or integrated techniques

available depending on the type of the mixture

to be separated. Affinity chromatography, Ion

exchange chromatography, size exclusion

chromatography etc. In some cases it is possible

to direct a series of unresolved peaks onto a

second column with different physico-chemical

properties. Since the mechanism of retention on

this new solid support is different from the first

dimensional separation, it can be possible to

separate compounds that are indistinguishable

by one-dimensional chromatography. The

sample is spotted at one corner of a square plate,

developed, air-dried, then rotated by 90° and

usually redeveloped in a second solvent system.

This technique is known as the two dimensional

chromatography. Chiral chromatography is

another technique involves the separation of

stereoisomers. Only difference appears in the

stationary phase which is now made chiral.

Coming back to the discussion about

Combi Flash chromatography where normal

phase and reversed phase chromatography are

fully supported in all modern equipments. Isco

also offers empty RediSep columns that can be

packed with user-supplied media. Isco

CombiFlash systems are designed specifically



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for organic purification customers. They are

compatible with organic solvents, hexane, ethyl

acetate, methanol, also chlorinated solvents,

including methylene chloride and chloroform.

The CombiFlash® Companion® personal flash

chromatography system can be controlled or

monitored from anywhere via internet with

plenty of modern facilities like e-mail

notification when separation is done, advance

automation and communication capabilities.

Fully touch screen operational with

optional solvent management module that

controls via sensor up to 4 solvents on line.

Companion uses precision packed RediSep® Rf

columns to yield more pure compound in less

time than any glass column or other disposable.

Columns from 4 grams to 330 grams are quickly

interchangeable with no additional hardware, for

fast, easy scale-up from milligrams to tens of

grams of purified sample. CombiFlash

Companion automatically senses the column

size and programs itself with optimal conditions

for that column. The column runs with flow rate

5 to 100 ml/min and pressure 50 psi (3.5 bar).

The software is specifically designed to meet the

needs of purification rather than analysis. We

can change the gradient any time during a run to

immediately modify the solvent mixture in real

run time. The primary applications are in drug

discovery, agrochemistry, petrochemistry, and

quick scale up of intermediate compounds from

milligram to several grams. CombiFlash

Companion’s standard features like (i)

parameters may be changed during the run, (ii)

automatic detection of column size, (iii) quick

conversion from normal to reversed phase

conditions, (iv) change solvents rapidly with the

optional solvent management module, (v)

sensory detection of remaining solvent volume

in each reservoir, (vi) tunable UV (Photodiode

array absorbance detector) wavelength from 200

to 360 nm, (vii) touch screen, desktop, or laptop

and control from anywhere using Internet, (viii)

reliable fraction collection uses Isco Foxy®

technology, (ix) auto rack-sensing eliminates

spilled compounds, (x) equipped with a vapor

sensor and an over-pressure sensor to meet

regulatory safety requirements.

Accessories like solvent management

module, fraction collector (External Foxy),

collection racks for additional tube sizes,

RediSep Rf prepacked columns (4g to 330g),

sample load prepacked, silica gel cartridges,

sample load empty cartridges etc. are provided a

hustle free smooth functioning of the instrument.

(Information culled from web sources)



16

2. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) - Mega Hertz to Giga Hertz Dr. Ashim J. Thakur Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University [email protected]

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

phenomenon is a manifestation due to

interaction of the magnetic moment

characteristic of every nucleus with an external

magnetic field. NMR is a powerful, versatile,

indispensable, nondestructive, contact free

analytical and diagnostic tool. The NMR

technique is based on the sensitivity of magnetic

properties, typically isotropic chemical

shieldings (ICS), to the chemical environment of

the nuclei. In this article, a very brief chronology

of developments of NMR is being given. At the

very beginning, NMR was used only for

chemical analysis: (i) Characterisation &

molecular structure determination; (ii) Content

& purity Checks: Detection/quantisation of

impurities, detection of enantiomers, analysis/

deconvolution of liquid mixtures, water content

measurement; (ii) Process & reaction

monitoring: suitable for studying molecular

dynamics (processes & reactions. It also helps

chemists in optimizing chemical processes & to

determine equilibrium constants, rate constants,

diffusion coefficients & to evaluate structural

properties.

NMR was mostly used in chemistry,

petroleum industry and food industry. There

were no medical applications. As soon as there

were developments both in hardware and

software, NMR tried to enter into other fields,

like biology and medical science. In 1971,

Damadian publishes and patents describing idea

for using NMR to distinguish healthy and

malignant tissues. At that time, no image

formation method proposed. In 1973, Lauterbur

described projection method for creating NMR

images. That marked the milestone for using

NMR in medical sciences. As superior to X-ray,

NMR has many advantages: (i) eliminate risk of

X-radiation, (ii) excellent spatial & contrast

resolution, (iii) detecting diseases at earlier

stages.

Following are some of the important

milestones in NMR starting from 1938

1938 - Discovery of magnetic properties of

nuclei Isadoor Rabi (Columbia University)

1946 - NMR first detected (protons in water) at

Stanford (Felix Bloch) and Harvard Edward

Purcell)

1952 - First commercial NMR spectrometer,

Varian HR-30

1962 - First Superconducting Magnet for NMR

1968 - Fourier Transform NMR invented

(Richard Ernst)

1969 - First Concept of MRI Scanners

1970 - FT-NMR instruments available

1971 - First 2D NMR Experiment – COSY (Jean

Jeener), applied by Ernst in 1975

1980 - 2D NOESY, Ernst & Kurt Wüthrich

1983 - Solution conformation of protein (Lac

repressor headpiece), Erik Zuiderweg, Robert

Kaptein, Kurt Wüthrich



17

2009 - First Gigahertz NMR Spectrometer

(AVANCE 1000).

AVANCE 1000 , the world’s first 1

Gigahertz NMR spectrometer with a record-

breaking 23.5 T standard-bore (54 mm)

superconducting NMR magnet delivered to the

new ‘Centre de RMN à Très Hauts Champs’ in

Lyon, France in July 2009.

Since the discovery, the impact of NMR is very

strong and thatswhy, Nobel Prize was awarded

to few scientists for their contribution in NMR:

1944, Isador Rabi, Physics, Discovery of

magnetic properties of nuclei

1952, Felix Bloch & Edwin Purcell discovery of

new methods for nuclear magnetic precision

1991, Richard Ernst methodology of high

resolution NMR

2002, Kurt Wüthrich determined 3D structures

of biological macromolecules by NMR.

2003, Paul Lauterbur & Sir Peter Mansfield

discoveries concerning MRI

Research in NMR era wise can be

considered as (based on molecular size):

1946-66 Small molecules (<30 atoms)

1966-75 <100 atoms, analytical tool for

Chemists

1975-85 <1000 atoms, small proteins,

nucleic acids cellular NMR

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of

tissues and animals MRI,

Biomedical NMR

1985-95 <3000 atoms, Functional MRI

1995- large biomolecules

Following are the developments in

NMR technology wise:

Magnetic Fields (kGauss)

1H Frequency (MHz)

1946-60 7.0 - 23.4 30-100

1960-70 23.4 - 46.8 100-200

1970-80 46.8 - 117 200-500

1980-90 117 - 141 500-600

1990-00 141 - 187.9 600-800

2000- 221 900

2009- 235 1000

Over the years, NMR theory and

instrumentation have advanced symbiotically

supported by developments in hardware and

software. Multidimensional nuclear magnetic

resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a widely used

tool in the study of biomolecular dynamics.

Modern NMR-based structural biology relies on

acquisition of multidimensional spectra.

In recent years, coupled instruments

have revolutionized the whole concept of

spectroscopy/ spectrometry and

chromatography. Coupled instruments are:

→ cheaper



18

→ can couple many techniques e.g. LC-MS-

NMR.

→ quite easy

→ routinely used as an analytical technique of

mixtures

→ high speed and use of deuterated solvents can

be minimised

→maintaining balance between chromatography

and spectroscopy/spectrometry

For an example, LC-NMR and LC-NMR/MS are

two very powerful analytical techniques for

resolving complex mixtures.“LC-NMR” is the

hyphenation of (i) an HPLC (reversed-phase)

separation, (ii) followed by “implied

chromatographic detectors” such as UV, RI, etc.,

(iii) followed by NMR detection (serially). The

following chromatographic variations have been

published (listing the year of the first

publication):

• GPC-NMR (gel-phase chromatography; 1981)

• SFC-NMR (supercritical fluid chromatography;

1988)

• CE-NMR (capillary electrophoresis; 1994)

• CapLC-NMR (capillary LC-NMR; 1996)

• CEC-NMR (capillary electrochromatography;

1998)

• SEC-NMR (size-exclusion chromatography;

1998)

Most recently, ‘miniature’ is the given

name to new technology, i.e. going smaller and

smaller. The World’s First Miniature NMR

Spectrometer Debuts at $20,000, developed by

picoSpin, LLC, Boulder, Colo.,

(http://www.picospin.com, picoSpin -45 nuclear

magnetic resonance spectrometer) with (i)

operating frequency, 45 MHz, (ii) 100 times

smaller and 10 times less expensive, (iii)

resolution better than 80 parts-per-billion, (iv)

resolves proton chemical shifts, (v) very small

sample volume of less than 40 micro liters, (vi)

liquid phase 1H NMR

To conclude, I want to quote the following

statement from Prof. Richard Ernst (Nobel Prize

in Chemistry, 1991): “Because there is hardly

any technique that is so informative for so many

different types of applications & because, no

other technique provides so much fun”

http://www.picospin.com/�



19

ARTICLE SECTION 1. Synthesis and Radical Polymerization of Adamantyl Methacrylate Monomers having Hemiacetal Moieties Dr. Balaka Barkakaty Research Associate University of Akron, USA [email protected]

The design strategy and synthesis of bulky,

hydrophobic and thermally stable adamantyl

methacrylate monomers with attached

hydrophilic and acid labile three different types

of alkyl (1°, 2°, 3°) hemiacetal side groups are

described. Free radical polymerizations of the

obtained monomers furnished the desired

polymers with high molecular weights. The

properties such as thermal stability, moisture

stability and acid sensitivity of the obtained

adamantyl hemiacetal ester homopolymers were

evaluated which showed strong structure-

property dependence. The bond dissociation

enthalpy of the obtained polymers depended on

the electronic effects of the type of pendant

hemiacetal ester side groups.

Photolithography using chemical

amplification technology has been a powerful

tool so far in the advancement of

microelectronic devices. The success story of

this emerging technology is aided by the

innovation of novel architecture to meet the

demands of properties required to fabricate

integrated circuits with continuously decreasing

feature sizes. It is largely the successful etching

of gradual smaller structures that have fueled the

continued performance increases in

microprocessors. The core chemical property

utilized in the present state of art for chemical

amplification is the acid sensitivity of the

protective group unit in the various copolymer

systems used as photoresists. The ideal features

for designing a novel protective group unit for

photoresist applications can be assigned as 1)

high acid sensitivity 2) good solubility in

common organic solvents 3) thermal stability to

withstand the pre and post exposure bakes 4)

high transmittance to the exposed wavelength of

irradiation 5) no out gassing during the

deprotection step and 6) high base solubility of

the deprotected part.

In the meantime, hemiacetal esters as latent

initiators have attracted enormous attention for

their wide applications in developing adhesives

and coating materials with simple procedures.

Their characteristic thermal stability (>160 °C)

coupled with high acid sensitivity also makes

them an attractive and potential candidate to be

used as the protective group unit part in

chemically amplified photoresist systems.

However, there are only few reports using

different hemiacetal ester moieties for such

https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Akron/107284575980070�



20

photoresist applications. It might be due to the

high acid and moisture sensitivity of hemiacetal

polymers which raises serious concerns about

easy decompositions on exposure to stringent

conditions during resist formulations.

Incorporation of rigid and bulky adamantyl

groups to the side chain of various parent

polymers are driving great interests due to its

ability to tune the various chemical and physical

properties of the polymers such as thermal

properties, stiffness, glass transition

temperatures (Tg), solubility, high density,

resistance to oxidation, hydrophobicity, and

crystallinity. Therefore, the architecture of a

sophisticated molecular system such as one

having the highly acid sensitive hemiacetal ester

functionality tethered to the thermally stable

adamantane group might offer a plausible

solution in developing a new and high

performance protecting group unit for

chemically amplified resist systems with

contrast characteristics like high thermal and

moisture stability along with high acid

sensitivity.

Herein, we report the synthesis and free

radical polymerization of novel adamantyl

methacrylate monomers having various types of

alkyl hemiacetal ester moieties. Typically alkyl

types of hemiacetal esters were synthesized in

order to meet the requirement of imaging at 193

nm of light. Different types of alkyl vinyl ethers

(1°, 2°, 3°) were used to synthesize

electronically and sterically different hemiacetal

ester monomers in order to investigate structure-

property relationship of the polymers. The

fundamental properties of the polymers such as

moisture stability, thermal stability and acid

sensitivity were examined, which are essential to

evaluate their feasibility to function as possible

protective group units for photoresist

applications. It was found that all the polymers

show good thermal stability along with high acid

sensitivity. The comparative moisture and

thermal characteristics of the polymers

correlates to the electronic effects of the

hemiacetal ester moieties.

The adamantyl methacrylate monomers

with hemiacetal side groups were synthesized by

using 3-hydroxy-1-adamantane acetic acid as the

starting precursor. The synthesis of the

monomers follows a very simple and facile

synthetic pathway as shown in Scheme 1.

O

OH

OH

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

OO

OR

O

OH

OO

(i) (ii)

(iii)R =

1 23

4a-c

a

c

b

Scheme 1 Synthesis of adamantyl methacrylate

monomers with hemiacetal moietiesa aConditions: (i) triethylamine, methacryloyl

chloride, CH2Cl2, 0 °C- room temperature; (ii)

pyridine, H2O, room temperaturet; (iii) vinyl

ether, bis(2-ethylhexyl)hydrogenphosphate,

room temperature.

The presence of both carboxylic acid group

and hydroxyl group in the starting precursor 1



21

makes it feasible to attach two different

functional groups (anhydride and ester) with

varied reactivity in a single one pot reaction. The

more reactive anhydride group was then

selectively hydrolyzed in pyridine / H2O system

to obtain the adamantane acetic acid

methacrylate monomer 3. Finally, the

methacrylate type adamantane acid monomer 3

on reaction with various types of vinyl ethers in

presence of catalytic amount of bis(2-

ethylhexyl)hydrogenphosphate yielded the

desired methacrylate type adamantyl hemiacetal

ester monomers 4a-c in reasonable overall yields

(27-32 %). The free radical polymerization of

the obtained adamantyl methacrylate monomers

with hemiacatal side groups were carried out in

MEK using 3 mol% AIBN as initiator (Table 1).

O

O

OO

OR

O

OO

OR

On

AIBN(3 mol %)MEK, 60 οC, 16 h

R = a b c, ,

The hemiacetal monomers 4a-c showed

high polymerizability and good stability in the

reaction conditions as evident from their high

conversions and high yields without any

decomposition (Table 1).

Table 1 Polymerization of adamantyl

methacrylate monomers with different

hemiacetal ester side groups in MEK

entry

mon

omer

Con

v.

(%)a

Yie

ld

(%)b

Mw

Mn

PDIc

1.

2.

3.

4a

4b

4c

100

100

100

87

73

79

289,

000

475,

000

412,

000

93,0

00

134,

000

139,

000

3.

09

3.

54

2.

95

a: Confirmed by 1H NMR of the crude after 16 h

of reaction; b: Determined by the weight of the

dried polymer after precipitation in hexane; c:

Determined by SEC using CHCl3 as the eluent

and polystyrene as the calibration standards.

The obtained homopolymers showed high

solubility in common organic solvents like

MEK, CHCl3, toluene, DMF and THF. The

presence of bulky and high carbon containing

adamantyl groups is expected to impart rigidity,

good thermal and moisture stability to the

hemiacetal ester polymers which is an important

requirement for designing a photoresist with

high etch resistance and longer shelf life. On the

other hand, the presence of hydrophilic, highly

sensitive acid labile hemiacetal ester group as

the side chain of the bulky adamantyl moiety

can assist to meet the solubility parameter in

common organic solvents and is also expected to

improve the acid sensitivity of the resist



22

polymer. The thermal stability of the obtained

hemiacetal polymers were tested by TGA

analysis (Table 2).

Table 2 TGA analyses of the polymers

entry polymer %Td-5 (C)

1.

2.

3.

poly-4a

poly-4b

poly-4c

191

166

140

The difference in thermal stability of the

hemiacetal polymers poly-4(a-c) can be

correlated to the electron donating ability of

their corresponding alkyl groups with higher the

electron donation, lower is the bond enthalpy of

the ester bond and hence lower is the

corresponding Td. Since the order of electron

donation from an alkyl group varies in the order

3° > 2° > 1° therefore the order of thermal

stabilities for the obtained hemiacetal ester

polymers corresponds to the order poly-4c <

poly-4b < poly-4a.

To determine the moisture stability of the

hemiacetal ester polymers poly-4(a-c), solution

of each polymer in PGMEA were immersed in

more than 4900 equivalent of H2O at room

temperature and allowed to stir in the same

condition for 7 days.

The 1H NMR of the samples before and

after the study showed similar results to that

obtained for thermal stabilities. Poly-4a and

poly-4b showed no decomposition while poly-4c

decomposed under the conditions as evident

from the disappearance of the hemiacetal peaks

around δ = 6.0 ppm in the 1H NMR.

Figure 1 Dependence of bond dissociation energy on the electron donating ability of side groups in hemiacetal ester polymers.

Thus, poly-4a and poly-4b showed

exceptional stability to moisture while poly-4c

decomposed on exposure to high moisture

content due to lowering of the dissociation

enthalpy of the hemiacetal ester bond as a result

of higher electron donating effect of the attached

t-butyl group.

The acid sensitivity of the polymers poly-

4(a-c) was evaluated by addition of aqueous HCl

to polymer solution in THF. The dried polymers

obtained after 5 min reaction with an aqueous

solution of 5.0 M HCl in THF were found to be

insoluble in most of the common organic

solvents at normal temperature which made it

difficult to analyze the obtained materials by 1H

NMR spectroscopy. However, the solubility of

the polymers increased to some extent in DMSO

at higher temperature thereby making it feasible

to measure the 1H NMR of the decomposed

compounds in DMSO-d6 at 40 °C. Although the

intensity of 1H NMR signals of the polymers



23

after acid addition were not very distinct even at

40 °C but the clear absence of the hemiacetal

ester peaks around δ = 6.0 ppm justified the high

acid sensitive nature of the synthesized

adamantyl type hemiacetal polymers (Figure 2-

4). Furthermore, the clear difference in the IR

spectra of the dried polymers before and after

acid exposure measured at room temperature

reconfirms the decomposition of hemiacetal

ester bond and formation of acid group by its

typical broad absorption around 3300-2500 cm-1.

The insolubility of the polymer in common

organic solvents after acid addition might be the

result of crosslinking in the fully or partially

decomposed polymers via ionic interaction of

the polar acid groups or hydrophobic interaction

between the adamantyl moieties. However, the

weight of the dried polymers after treatment

with acid corresponded to the quantitative loss

of the hemiacetal ester side groups. Moreover,

the hemiacetal ester polymers were insoluble in

the standard developer solution for resist

formulation (2.38 % tetramethyl ammonium

hydroxide) before reaction with acid whereas the

polymers which were obtained after reaction

with acid showed high solubility in the standard

developer solution. The selective solubility of

the polymers in the developer basic solution

before and after reaction with acid also implies

the decomposition of the hemiacetal ester

moiety and formation of acid group as indicated

by IR spectroscopy.

OO

OO

OHCDCl3

δ 5.8

before acid addition (at rt)

after acid addition (at 40 οC)

DMSO-d6

1 02345678

012345678

Figure 2 1H NMR of poly-4a before and after

acid addition

OO

OO

OH

δ 6.0


CDCl3

after acid addition (at 40 οC)DMSO-d6

1 02345678

012345678

Figure 3 1H NMR of poly-4b before and after acid addition



24

O

OO

O

O

Hδ 6.10CDCl3


DMSO-d6

after acid addition (at 40 οC)

012345678

012345678

Figure 4 1H NMR of poly-4c before and after acid addition

In summary, adamantyl methacrylate

monomers having hemiacetal ester side groups

were synthesized. Free radical polymerizations

of the obtained monomers at 60 °C proceeded to

obtain the corresponding polymers with high

molecular weights in high yields. The obtained

hemiacetal polymers showed high acid

sensitivity with deprotection of the hemiacetal

groups when exposed to acid. The comparative

moisture and thermal stability of the bulky

hemiacetal ester polymers exhibited strong

structure-property inter dependence with the

bond enthalpy of the hemiacetal ester polymers

progressively decreasing with increase in

electron donation from the substituted ester

group. The easy synthetic pathway, high

polymerizability of the monomers, good thermal

and moisture stability of the homopolymers with

high acid sensitivity along with strong structure-

property dependence ideally fits into the

characteristic properties required for designing

potential protective group units for photoresists.

Note: Visit http://pubs.acs.org for experimental

details, synthesis, tests for moisture stability, test

for acid sensitivity and references.

@ A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective. Edward Teller

http://pubs.acs.org/�

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edwardtell107614.html�



25

2. Quantum Dots and its application in cancer research Dr. Mausam Kalita Research Associate Kansas State University, USA [email protected]

Introduction

During last decade and half, the research

in the field of quantum dots and its applications

has been explosive. The number of publications

in recent years is very suggestive of staggering

research in this area:

Publications on Quantum Dot Vs Publication Year

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

1987

Years

Num

ber o

f Pub

licat

ions

Figure 1 There is an exponential growth in the number of quantum dot related publications which gives an idea of its future applications (from Scifinder)

The discovery of quantum dots and its

high luminescence properties has inspired this

generation of scientists to explore its application

as bioimaging agents in detection of cancerous

cells and photosensitizing agents in

photodynamic therapy of cancer. 2006 Nobel

Prize winner Roger D. Kornberg is also part of

this ‘nanotechnology revolution’ and he has

devised a method of rigid, specific labeling of

proteins with gold nanoparticles1 and has started

working on to develop DNA-nanoparticle

conjugates.2 Quantum dots, the smallest regime

of nanoparticles, are semiconductor nanocrystals

of the size between 2 and 10 nm. They have the

size and composition tunable electronic and

optical properties with sharp, Gaussian emission

spectra. The following table shows the large

absorption coefficient of quantum dots across a

wide spectral range. These are definite

advantages of quantum dots over traditional

dyes as imaging agent in vivo and in vitro.

In this review, I would like to discuss

the application of quantum dots in cancer

research and its future promises in cancer

detection and therapy. I will also address the

issues of cytotoxicity of quantum dots at the end

of the review.

Quantum Dots: A Brief Overview

Quantum dots are semiconductors

composed of atoms from groups II-VI or III-V

elements of periodic table3 e.g. CdSe. CdTe, InP

etc. Their brightness is attributed to the

quantization of energy levels due to confinement

of an electron in a three dimensional box. The

optical properties of these dots can be

manipulated by a shell around it. Such dots are

known as core-shell quantum dots. e.g. CdSe-

ZnS, InP-ZnS, InP-CdSe etc. In this section,

different properties of quantum dots based on

their size and composition will be discussed.

Electronic and Optical Properties of Quantum Dots A quantum dot, also often called an




26

Table 1 Size and composition tunable properties of quantum dots (www.evidenttech.com)

artificial atom, represents the electron

confinement in a sphere smaller than its exciton

(electron-hole) Bohr radius which gives rise to

discrete energy levels. The band gap, ΔE,

between the valance and conduction band of the

semiconductor is a function of the nanocrystal’s

size. (Fig 2)

Figure 2 (a) electron confinement in a sphere, (b) a typical semiconductor with band gap, Δ E, between the valance band and conduction band. (by Dr.Viktor Chikan)

As the quantum dot size increases, ΔE

decreases and there is a red shift in the first

excitation peak. The emission can be tuned to

even the far-red and near-infrared (NIR) region

by increasing the size. Electronic excitations at

ΔE

http://www.evidenttech.com/�



27

short wavelengths are possible due to presence

of multiple electronic states as the quantum dot

size increases. 3 Large molar extinction

coefficients across a wide spectral range allow in

simultaneous excitation of multiple color Q-dots

with single light source. (Figure 3)

These dots have slightly lower quantum

yield than the traditional organic dyes but they

have much larger absorption cross-sections and

low rate of photobleaching. Molar extinction

coefficients of Q-dots are about 105–106 M-1

cm-1 which is 10-100 times larger than dyes.4,5

2.2. Type I and type II core-shell quantum dots.

Core-shell quantum dots have higher

band gap shells around their lower band gap

cores which emits light without any absorption

by the shell. This shell passivates surface

nonradiative emission from the core thereby

enhancing the photoluminescence quantum yield

and preventing natural degradation.5

The shell of the type I QDs has the

higher energy conduction band and lower energy

valance band than those of the core which

results in confinement of both electron and hole

in the core. e.g. CdSe/Zns (c/s), CdSe/CdS (c/s).

On the contrary, the shell of the type II QDs

have both conduction and valance bands lower

(or higher) in energy than those of the core.

Thus, the motions of the electron and the hole

are restricted to one dimension.6,7 e.g.

CdTe/CdSe (c/s), CdSe/ZnTe (c/s).6 Radiative

recombination of the exciton at the core-shell

interface gives rise to the type-II emission. Type

II QDs behave as indirect semiconductors near

band edges and therefore, has an absorption tail

into the red and near-infrared. This property of

type II QDs was employed for sentinel lymph

node mapping which will be discussed later in

this paper.8

Alloyed semiconductor Q-dots

(CdSeTe) have been reported; the alloy

composition and internal structure, which can be

varied, permits to tune the optical properties

without changing the particles’ size.9 These Q-

dots can be used to develop near infrared

fluorescent probes for in vivo biological assays

as they can emit up to 850nm.(Figure 4)9

Figure 3 A. Absorption Spectra and B. Emission Spectra of CdSe quantum dots. As the Q-dot size increases the absorption and emission maxima shift to longer Wavelength (or, red shift) (www.evidenttech.com)



28

Surface modification of quantum dots for biocompatibility Quantum dots are synthesized in organic

solvents and therefore, incompatible to use in

vivo and in vitro. Q-dot solubilization in

aqueous phase can be achieved by attaching

these dots with polar ligands. The tri-(n-octyl)

phosphine oxide passivated quantum dot surface

can be functionalized by adding a layer of

amphiphilic molecules such as cross-linked

polymer shells10, amphiphilic triblock

copolymers11 or phospholipids micelles.12

(Figure 5)13

Figure 4 Comparison of emission spectra of core-shell and alloyed CdSe0.6Te0.4 quantum dots. (3) and (4) are homogeneous and gradient alloyed dots respectively.9

TOPO exchange with other ligands such

as thiol,14 amine,15 containing molecules can

bring the Q-dot from the nonpolar organic to

polar aqueous layer (Figure 6).13 Use of

amphiphilic poly(acrylic acid) as a primary coat

on Q-dots followed by methoxy-terminated

poly-(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) coating makes

them biocompatible for in vivo imaging of

lymph nodes, liver, spleen and bone marrow of

mice.16 PEGylation of Q-dots reduces its uptake

by reticuloendothelian system and thereby

increases circulating lifetime. Other ligands such

as streptavidin to detect Her2 cancer markers,17

secondary antibodies to detect the integrin αv

subunit in SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma

cells18 and recognition peptides for protein

recognition18 are also used to link the quantum

dots. In the next section, I will discuss the role

of quantum dots in detecting cancer cells in

vivo.

Figure 5 Quantum dot functionalization to solubilize in aqueous buffer by adding amphiphilic polymer coat around TOPO passivated Q-dot surface.13



29

Figure 6 Ligand exchange is another way to functionalize the Q-dots to enhance its biocompatibility.13

Quantum Dots in detecting Cancer Cells

There is no doubt that cancer is one of the

most life threatening diseases in the world.

According to WHO, cancer accounts for 13%

(7.6 million) of all deaths in 2005. The number

of deaths is increasing very fast and will touch 9

million in 2015 and 11.4 million in 203019, if

no major breakthroughs in cancer treatment can

be achieved. The early and effective detection of

cancer can reduce the deaths dramatically.

Luminescent quantum dots can detect the cancer

cells even when injected at the picomolar level.

In this section, I will discuss the reported in vivo

cancer targeting and imaging with quantum dots

in recent times.

First in vivo cancer targeting and imaging with quantum dots: passive and active targeting mechanisms20

The first ever in vivo use of ZnS

capped-CdSe quantum dots as fluorescent

probes to target human prostate cancer grown in

nude mice have been carried out by Shuming

Nie and his group.20 The surface of these dots

was made biocompatible by an amphiphilic

ABC triblock copolymer, multiple PEG

molecules and tumor antigen targeting ligands

cross-linked with the amphiphilic polymer

(Figure 7).20 Each Q-dot had about 200 TOPO

molecules, 4-5 triblock copolymers, 5-6 PEG

molecules and 5-6 antibody molecules.

Figure 7 Surface modifications of quantum dots for in vivo cancer targeting.20

The tumor targeting is achieved by both

passive and active targeting. Accumulation of

quantum dots sans any affinity ligands

(antibodies in this case) at the tumor sites

through enhanced permeability and retention is

the passive mode of targeting which is achieved



30

since the tumors lack an effective lymphatic

drainage system (leaky tumors).20 The active

targeting involves the antibody-conjugated

quantum dots. They were used to target a

prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA).

(Figure 8)20

Figure 8 Passive and active modes of tumor targeting.20

When PSMA Ab conjugated Q-dots are injected,

strong and specific binding of these dots with

human prostate cell line, C4-2 (which expresses

PSMA on cell surface) is observed although

these dots couldn’t target the PSMA-negative

cell line, PC-3. Q-dots without PSMA Ab fail to

detect C4-2 cell line (Figure 9).20

Figure 9 Spectral image of PSMA Ab conjugated Q-dots in (a) a healthy mouse without any tumor and (b) in a mouse with human prostate cancer growing which is confirmed by the orange red fluorescent signal.20 When the probe brightness is compared between

green fluorescent protein (GFP) dye and Q-dots,

it is found that the emission spectra of the dots

undergo a large Stokes shift and hence, can be

detected at low signal intensities whereas GFP

emits in the region of background fluorescence

(autofluorescence) and therefore difficult to

distinguish. The detection of photons limited by

in vivo conditions demands very bright probes

with large absorption coefficients. The quantum

dots are the “best bets” since they can absorb 10-

50 times more light than the organic dyes at

same excitation wavelength.

Immunofluorescent labeling of breast cancer marker Her2 and tongue cancer marker p- glycoprotein (p-gp) with quantum dots.21,22

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and streptavidin

conjugated CdSe-ZnS core-shell quantum dots

have been used by Wu et al.21 to target the breast

cancer marker Her2, which is, overexpressed on

the surface of human SK-BR-3 breast cancer

cells. These dots were also used for

simultaneous labeling of nuclear antigens and to

stain actin and microtubule fibers in the

cytoplasm. These SK-BR-3 cancer cells

incubated with monoclonal anti-Her2 antibody

were recognized by QD-IgG. The

immunofluorescent labeling of Her2 was also

successfully achieved by QD-streptavidin

conjugated with anti-Her2 antibody and anti-

human IgG.21

L-cysteine capped CdTe quantum dots

synthesized in aqueous solution were linked to

biotin and PEG to detect Tca8113/BLM cells

which overexpress p- glycoprotein (p-gp). This

was the first time when water-soluble quantum



31

dots have been used as immunofluorescent

probe. The Q-dots conjugated to streptavidin,

which are, in turn, linked to anti-p-gp antibody,

have successfully stained p-gp on the surface of

Tca8113/BML cells. Confocal luminescence

images showed that there was target specific

binding on the Tca8113/BML cells (Figure

10).22

Figure 10 Overexpressed p-gp (a) and low expressed p-gp (b) is labeled by CdTe quantum dot as observed under confocal microscope.22 When the photostability of the Q-dots was compared with a organic dye, FITC; fluorescence of Q-dots remained unchanged even after 30 min whereas FITC luminescence became diminished over this time period. (Figure 11)22

Figure 11 Photostability of Q-dots (the top row) conjugated to Tca8113/BLM tongue cancer cells remain unchanged when fluorescence was observed in the interval of 5 minutes. The bottom rows show the emission of FITC conjugated signals.22

3.3. Near infrared emitting type II quantum dots for imaging and image-guided cancer surgery.23, 24 Near infra-red emitting (NIR) type II

quantum dots (10 nm in diameter) have been

used in pico molar level to map sentinel lymph

node, 1cm deep in the skin, for successful

imaging guided cancer surgery.23 Polydentate

phosphine coating of these CdTe(CdSe) core-

shell Q-dots was responsible for their solubility

in serum and for enhanced brightness as fluence

rate increased showing no deterioration in

fluorescence emission. On the contrary, The

conventional NIR fluorophores, such as

IRDye78-CA, photobleach when the fluence

rates exceeds their photobleaching threshold.

The first in vivo targeting and imaging of

peptide based NIR Q-dots has been reported.24

Arginie-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide-

labeled CdTe(ZnS) core-shell Q-dots have been

used to image integrin αvβ3-positive tumor

vasculature. Integrin αvβ3 is overexpressed in

some cancer cells such as breast, ovarian and

prostate and in almost all tumor vasculature.

Inhibition of integrin αvβ3 requires its precise

detection and NIR Q-dots have great potential in

its imaging and image-guided surgery of the

cancer cells. In vivo NIR fluorescence imaging

of U87MG tumor-bearing mice shows the

precise location of the tumor cell after injection

of 200 pmol QD705-RGD (emission maximum=

705nm) (Figure 12) 24



32

Figure 12 U87MG tumor cell mapping by QD705-RGD (left) and QD705 (right).24

Quantum dots and cytotoxicity

Though quantum dots are supposed to

revolutionize clinical diagnostics and

therapeutics, these nanocrystal semiconductors

are not without damaging effect inside the cell.

The heavy metal toxicity is the impediment in

using Q-dots as most potent fluorescent probes.

In this section, I will review the cytotoxicity

studies of Q-dots in vitro and in vivo.25,26

Studies have shown that synthesis and

ligand exchange of CdSe Q-dots with

marcaptoacetic acid in an inert atmosphere made

them nontoxic. However, exposure of the Q-dots

to air before ligand exchange and to UV light

after ligand exchange made these Q-dots

cytotoxic. This may result from the oxidation of

surface of CdSe Q-dots to SeO2 and Cd2+ ions.

(Figure 13)25 The toxicity depended linearly

upon the exposure time of these dots to UV light

and dose of the dots injected.

Figure 13 Surface oxidation of CdSe catalyzed by air and UV light.25

The surface coating of CdSe by ZnS,

DHLA, BSA and polyacrylate reduces the

surface oxidation significantly. It was found that

ZnS capping can stop air oxidation of the

surface though it failed to eliminate UV assisted

oxidation of the CdSe surface (Figure 14).25 The

surface oxidation can be reduced to almost zero

by adding more layers to the Q-dots which is

also a requirement to enhance biocompatibility.

It is more difficult to stop UV light or

inflammatory response assisted CdSe surface

oxidation in vivo. Surface modifications by

using polymer coating or lipid-micelles with

protein cross-linking may successfully protect

the surface from deterioration. More research in

this field will make quantum dots an appealing

replacement of the organic dyes.

Figure 14 ZnS capping almost eliminates the surface oxidation of CdSe and thereby the cytotoxicity due to Cd2+ ions.25

Conclusion

The promise of quantum dots in the field

of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics is

enormous. These dots can detect cancer cell

markers by bioimaging and remain stable for a

long time, thus, they are to replace the dyes

which suffer from photobleaching in the living



33

system. The biggest advantage of quantum dot is

their size tunable optical properties and

inexpensive synthesis in the lab. Though a few

questions of safety issues have to be addressed

before its adoption in human trials, a wide-

spread revolution can be envisioned in

biosensing and analytical detection in coming

years. In other words, quantum dot are going to

change the perception of clinical world.

Reference

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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2004, 102, 13383-

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Science, 2002, 298, 1259-1762; 13. Science,

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2001, 13, 1673; 19. http://www.who.int/media

centre/factsheets/fs297/en/; 20. Nat. Biotechnol.

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21, 41-46; 22. Anal. Biochem. 2006, 354, 169-

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3. The Flying Jewel of Nature- Butterfly Nabanita Das Ph. D. Student NEIST, Jorhat, India Email: [email protected]

Introduction North-East India is a part of

vavilion centre of biodiversity and holds a large

number of rare species that are now under

serious threat. North-East India comprising 8

states including Assam represents one of the few

hot spots of biodiversity of the world. Insect

comprises more than half of earth’s diversity of

species (May, 1992). Healthy biological

communities depend on insects as pollinators,

seed dispersers, herbivores, predators and prey.

Butterflies are regarded as one of the best

taxonomically studied groups of insect

(Robbins, 1997). They have been studied

systematically since the early 18th century and

about 19,238 species are documented worldwide

by 1998(Heppner, 1998). India possesses 1501

species of butterflies (Kunte et al.1999) out of

which northeast India accounts for nearly a two-

third (962 species) (Evans,1932) of the species.

Their admirable beauty of this flying jewel has

been admired since human civilization.

Butterflies are free living; they go wherever they

please and whenever they please. They are the

messenger of nature, not only by adding

brilliance to our surroundings but also

pollinating flowers and expressing the

healthiness of our community. Butterflies

exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and

http://www.who.int/media%20centre/factsheets/fs297/en/�

http://www.who.int/media%20centre/factsheets/fs297/en/�



34

aposematism. Some, like the Monarch, will

migrate over long distances. Some butterflies

have evolved symbiotic and parasitic

relationships with social insects such as ants.

Butterflies are important economically as agents

of pollination. The caterpillars of some

butterflies eat harmful insects. A few species are

pests because in their larval stages they can

damage domestic crops or trees. Butterfly & Moth The butterfly and moth,

included in the order Lepidoptera means the

wings with scales. The butterfly and moth

complete their lifecycle in 4 distinct life stages

i.e. eggs, larva (caterpillar), pupa and adult.

Although both group of insects are included in

the same order, but they bear distinct difference

in all life stages of the insects. The evolutionary

root of both group of insects are same but on the

way of evolution the divergence of butterfly

group has appeared. The emergence of butterfly

and their rapid modification subsequently with

time, make them fit in survival for which

butterfly could be designated as one of the

modern group of insects. With time, the butterfly

is losing their phylogenic origin property and

subsequently gaining new qualities, essential for

better survival in the changing nature. But still

some dominant quality of their origin is

remained on their body for which no distinct

difference could be drawn in between butterfly

and moth. The members of Hesperiidae are

better representative of this ambiguity which

possesses both the characters of butterfly and

moth, though of course included under butterfly

family. These differences are, however,

superficial. The butterflies are classified into 5

families. Among the families, diversity is more

in the families Lycaenidae and Nymphalidae,

comprising 6000 species each. The member of

Papilionidae is the most acclaimed butterfly for

the collector for their extra large size and unique

beauty.

A brief introduction of their Life Cycle

Butterfly completes their life cycle into 4 stages

i.e. egg, larva, pupa and adult.

Image Life Cycle of Palm Fly Butterfly on it host Plant

About the Egg, Larva or Caterpillar, Pupa

and Adult The adult female after mating, lays

their egg on the undersurface of the tender

leaves of host plants. In general eggs are laid

singly or in group of 5 to 10. During laying, the

mother always consider the availability of larval

food for the young. The choice of tender leaves

for egg laying assures the mother about the

longevity of the leaves for a longer period with

available soft tissues up to the emergence of

potential young. The limited number of eggs

deposited per leaf (single or 5 to 10) also

provides opportunity for the young in feeding

the resources without any competition. Further,

tedious effort that is undertaken by the mother in

finding suitable host plants for egg laying gives

the larvae better opportunity to survive.



35

Image Different types of Eggs of Different Butterflies

The tiny caterpillar just after emergence, satiate

their appetite by feeding the egg shell. The egg

shell, which is rich in nitrogenous nutrients, is

like vitamin tablets for the tiny caterpillar. By

feeding the egg shell, they could remain turgid

for another 6 to 7 hours and during this time

they could search the required host plants, host

parts (if necessary). The grown up caterpillars

are voracious feeder. They generally feed on the

leaves of the host plants from the edge, in a way

of curve. Their harvested nutrients during larval

stages, also serve as the resources for survival

and reproduction during adult. The caterpillar

undergoes 5 to 6 moults and each successive

moults facilitate to increase their body size.

Caterpillars mature through a series of stages

called instars.

Image Larvae of different butterfly species

When the larva is fully grown, hormones such as

prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) are

produced. At this point the larva stops feeding

and begins "wandering" in the quest of a suitable

pupation site. The pupae of butterfly are naked

and optect in form. The mature larvae take

position on twigs or undersurface of the leaves

for formation of pupa. In absence of suitable

pupal site, they migrate to nearby area for

pupation. The pupae either remain hanging

freely by sticking their cremaster on the leaf

surface or partially so for the upper side of the

body by a body band. The pupae have little or no

protection device as in larvae and adults. Even

they cannot move like larvae and adults.

Therefore, camoflaguing their body with the

background is very commonly seen in pupae and

very often they escape from the sight of

predators.

Image Common Earl (Adult Female) with its Pupa after and before adult emergence After pupation is completed, the adult butterfly

emerges with speckled hues in their wings. The

adult, sexually mature, stage of the insect is

known as the imago. As Lepidoptera, butterflies

have four wings that are covered with tiny

scales. The fore and hind wings are not hooked

together, permitting a more graceful flight. The

adult butterfly has feeding upon the nectar of the

flowers.

Image Some butterfly species nectaring on their host plants The longevity of adult butterfly varies with

species to species. Thus the longevity ranges

from 5 days to 1 years. Smaller the size less is

the longevity. Likewise, the larger butterflies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imago�



36

survive for many days – even months.

Butterflies are host specific i.e specific butterfly

depends on specific host plant for their food in

larval and adult stage, all the species of butterfly

not feed upon all the species of plants. Each

species of butterfly has its own hostplant range

and while some species of butterfly are restricted

to just one species of plant, others use a range of

plant species, often including members of a

common family.

Image Some Common Larval Host Plants of Butterflies

Diversity in North-East India The 1st major

account on the butterflies of Assam was

compiled in a series of papers by Butler (1879),

Doherty (1889), Elwes (1891) & Swinhoe

(1893). The biogeography of the Assam

butterflies was discussed by several authors

including Bingham(1907),Evans(1932),

Talbot(1939),Parsons&Cantlie(1947),Wynter-

Blyth(1957), Gupta & Shukla(1988). The State

of Assam in NE-India is home to a rich butterfly

fauna. Some reports of butterflies in certain

areas of northeast India have also been published

by various workers (Borang et al., 2008;

Talukdar and Sarma,2010; Choudhury and

Ghosh,2009; Bhuyan et al.,2005;

Greeshma,2010). Large scale deforestation &

habitat fragmentation have led to the decline

several butterfly populations in the region and

many species, which were listed as common

during the early part of the 20th century, have

now declined rapidly throughout much of their

range. Our campus (CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat) itself

possess more than 70 species (Bhuyan et al.,

2005). Very little work has been done regarding

its diversity in Assam. We found more than 70

species of butterfly in Garampani WildLife

Sanctuary too, situated at the border of golaghat

and karbi angling district of Assam covering 6

sq K.M.s of area, during our study covering 4

seasons. And existence of these species also

indicates that these areas also possess their host

plants too.

Image Some Butterfly Species from Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

Importance of Butterfly As butterflies are

extremely sensitive to changes in vegetation

composition and structure, butterfly assemblages

may be used to characterize different habitats

(Erhardt, 1985). Within the ecological

communities insect comprise a large proportion

of the biomass and are critical conduits of

energy through the system (Battist,1988).

Butterflies are one of the most important food-

chain for birds, reptiles, spiders and predatory

insects. They are also good indicator of

environmental changes. They are also good

pollution indicator.

Now a days, butterflies encounter a

number of threats viz. habitat destruction,

fragmentation and degradation due to expansion



37

of agricultural land, industrial set-up, extensive

monoculture tree or tea-plantation, grazing,

forest fires, application of pesticides and

weedicides, air pollution etc. As the butterfly has

a great role towards the environment, so we

should take some measures to conserve such an

important component of our ecosystem, through

legal protection by creating protected areas like

national parks and sanctuaries and thus

protecting butterfly habitats, research and

management, nature education and awareness

among the public and plantation of more larval

and nectaring host plants. Butterflies are living

creature of our earth and they also have equal

right to live as we human do.

4. Next generation optical tools for biomedical applications Dr. Bhargab Das Research Associate, Physics Department University of Massachusetts Boston, USA Email: [email protected] Modern medicine and therapy rely on early and

precise diagnosis to permit localized and

specific treatments. In particular imaging the

various epithelia at the surface of organs inside

or outside the body is of particular importance

for the early detection of dysfunction and

lesions. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging of

complex microscopic and sub-microscopic

processes in tissues, down to cellular level, is

still a challenging issue. Rapid, sensitive, non-

invasive methods with high resolution capability

are thus needed for diagnosis of lesions or tissue

dysfunctions.

Optical microscopy has been a major tool for

biological and biomedical imaging for centuries

and various related technologies have been

developed over the past years [Science 2003,

300, 82]. Although other techniques such as

electron microscopy offer significantly better

spatial resolution, light microscopy occupies

central role in biomedical science because of its

ease of use and the potential for being

noninvasive, live cell imaging. In particular,

since the invention of the phase contrast

microscope by Frits Zernike, for which he was

awarded Nobel Prize in physics 1953, this

instrument and its related techniques have been a

cornerstone of every cell biology laboratory

[Science 1955, 121, 345; Research (London)

1955, 8, 385; Opt. Express 2010, 18, 4717]. In

spite of their enormous value as non-invasive

investigational tools, however, traditional phase

methods such as phase contrast and differential

interference contrast (DIC) are inherently

qualitative and lack sub-cellular specificity. At

the same time, extrinsic contrast techniques such

as fluorescence microscopy offer molecular

specificity and high spatial resolution.

Nevertheless, these methods generally require

alteration or modification of cellular and

molecular structure including cell

permeabilization, chemical or immune-staining,

or genetic modification, and are therefore less

than ideal for characterization of live cells in

their native physiological state.




38

Digital Holographic Microscopy Various

biological samples, including live cells, are quite

transparent under visible light illumination and

behave essentially as phase objects. Phase

objects do not provide contrast with their

environment and alter only the phase of the

incident light wave. The optical thickness of

such objects generally varies from point to point

due to changes either in the refractive index or

sample thickness or both. Since our eyes or a

digital camera cannot detect these phase

changes, such biological specimens are invisible

with conventional bright field microscopes.

Retrieving the phase information from biological

structures in a quantitative manner allow for a

variety of novel applications in the biological

investigation of structure and dynamics.

Quantitative phase provides unique information

about unstained live cells. Light travels slower

in the cell than in the medium due to the

relatively higher refractive index of cells, which

causes a relative phase delay of light in the cell

with respect to that in the medium. The

magnitude of the phase delay is approximately

proportional to both thickness and the average

refractive index of the specimen. Specifically,

the physical relation between phase and optical

path is given by

,

where ; is the phase delay induced by

the cell, the cell height map, is

the average refractive index of cell, is

the refractive index of medium, and is the

wavelength of the light source in air. Over the

past several years, significant progress has been

made in quantitative phase microscopy methods

that promise to overcome limitation of

traditional phase microscopy. In particular, full-

field quantitative phase microscopy techniques

that provide simultaneous information from a

wide field of view offer an ideal experimental

approach to characterize spatial and temporal

behavior of biological specimens. Digital

holographic microscopy (DHM) is a quantitative

phase microscopy technique based on

interferometry methods which enables

simultaneous imaging of amplitude-contrast and

quantitative phase-contrast images of biological

specimens such as cellular bodies [Appl. Opt.

1999, 38, 6994; Opt. Lett. 1999, 24, 291; Opt.

Lett. 2010, 35, 3426; SPIE Reviews 2010, 1,

018005; Opt. Lett. 2005, 30, 468]. DHM has the

advantage of being non-invasive thanks to its

low requirement of light intensity, and of

providing high contrast images without requiring

any extraneous dye, making it particularly

suitable for live cell imaging. Quantifying the

optical phase shifts associated with biological

structures reveals information about the

morphological and dynamical properties at the

nanometer scale.

Principle of digital holographic microscopy

Digital holography is based on the classical

holographic principle, with the difference that

the hologram recording is performed by a digital

image sensor, e. g. CCD or CMOS sensor array

[Appl Opt 1994, 33, 179]. The subsequent



39

reconstruction of the holographic image that

contains the information about the object wave

is carried out numerically with a computer.

Figure 1 depicts the schematics of an “off-axis”

setup for DHM based on a Mach-Zehander

interferometer. A linearly polarized light from

an Ar-Kr laser (λ=488 nm) is first spatial filtered

and collimated. The beam then divided by a

beam splitter (BS1). The sample is illuminated

by one beam through a condenser (C). A

microscope objective (MO) collects the

transmitted light and forms the object wave (O),

which interferes, in off-axis geometry, with a

reference wave R to produce hologram intensity

(IH). The reconstruction of the digitally recorded

holograms is performed numerically in a

standard computer. A detailed procedure for

digital hologram processing in particular for

phase reconstruction of the object wave is

described. Holograms acquired by the CCD are

first submitted to a procedure of apodization and

filtered in the Fourier plane in order to remove

the zero order and the twin image. Then, the

resulting hologram (IH) is multiplied by a digital

reference wave (RD) that simulate an

illumination wave and a propagation calculation

in the Fresnel approximation is applied to

reconstruct a focused image of the specimen in a

plane of co-ordinates . In summary, the

reconstructed wavefront , is

computed according to the following expression:

........1

Where, k, l, m, and n are integers (-N/2 ≤ k, l, m,

n ≤ N/2 ), FFT is the fast Fourier transform

operator, A= exp(i2πd/λ)/( iλd), Δξ and Δη are

the sampling intervals in the observation plane,

Δx and Δy are the pixel size of the CCD.

Figure 1 Basic configuration of a DHM for transmission imaging. BS, beam splitter; C, condenser lens; M, mirror; MO, microscope objective; O, object wave; R, reference wave. Inset: a detail showing the off-axis geometry at the incidence on the CCD As seen from the above equation for phase-

contrast imaging, the digital hologram has to

be multiplied by a digital reference wave RD,

which must be an exact replica of the

experimental reference wave R. If we

assume that a perfect plane wave is used as

reference for hologram recording, RD is

calculated as follows

........2

where AR is the amplitude and kx , ky are the

two components of the wave vector that

must be adjusted such that the propagation

direction of RD matches as closely as

possible to that of the experimental



40

reference wave. Further, Φ(m, n) in Eq. (1)

is a digital phase correction applied to

compensate for the wave front curvature

induced by the objective lens. This digital

phase correction is computed according to

the expression of a parabolic wave front and

is given by

where parameters d1 and d2 define the field

curvature along respectively and digitally

adjusted to correct the defocusing aberration due

to the objective lens. Since is an array

of complex numbers, we can obtain an

amplitude contrast image by calculating the

intensity,

and a phase-contrast image by calculating the

argument,

An example of microscopic imaging DHM is

shown in Figure 2. A USAF (U. S. Air Force,

1950) resolution chart constitutes the amplitude

object. Fig. 2(a) shows a digital hologram

recorded with the experimental setup presented

before with a MO of magnification 20×, with the

details shown in the inset where the interference

fringes are visible. The reconstructed

holographic image is shown in Fig. 2(b)

depicting clearly resolved images of Group 6

and 7 of the resolution chart. The finest structure

shown is the sixth element of Group 7, and the

corresponding width of the line is 4.4 µm. In

order to demonstrate the imaging capability for

phase objects, we performed experiments on

human airway smooth muscle cells cultured on a

4 kPa stiffness Polyacrylamide gel. Figure 2(c)

shows the bright field image of the cells and as

expected it is not possible to extract any

information about the cells from this image.

Figures 2(d) shows the reconstructed wrapped

phase profile of the cells using DHM and Figure

2(e) shows the unwrapped quantitative phase

contrast image of the cell. The vertical bars

represent the phase values in radians. The image

clearly shows the shape of the cell. The cell

thickness can be determined from the

quantitative phase contrast image (representing

the optical path length changes effected by the

cells in comparison to the surrounding medium)

by taking into account the integral cellular

refractive index and the refractive index of the

cell suspension medium.

The specific advantages of DHM are-

1. DHM provides quantitative measurement of

the optical path length distribution that allows

semitransparent samples, such as living cells to

be described with diffraction limited transverse

resolution and sub-wavelength axial accuracy.

This quantitative information can be employed

in order to recover biological parameters such as

intracellular refractive index or dry mass [Opt.

Express 2005, 13, 9362].

2. DHM provides a marker-free topographic or

morphological analysis, which enables a non-

invasive dynamic detection of deformations and



41

movements in cell biology. For this reasons,

DHM is particularly suitable for investigations

of dynamic processes in the field of life cell

analysis with high potential for applications in

basic research as well as for commercial

utilization e. g. in the fields of pharmacy and

tissue engineering [Biomed. Opt. Express 2010,

1, 414; Opt. Lett.2007, 32, 1572; Phys. Rev. Lett.

2006, 97, 218101, Blood cells Mol. Dis. 2008,

41, 10; Opt. Express 2009, 17, 12031].

3. The capability of modular approach of DHM

opens up prospects for integration into various

existing commercial microscopy systems as well

as for combined measurements with other

established methods such as fluorescence

microscopy. Thus comprehensive information

about any biological specimen can be obtained

by combining the optical imaging modalities of

QPM and fluorescence microscopy [J.

Biophoton. 2010, 3, 432; Opt. Express 2006, 14,

8263].

4. DHM offers new opportunities that are likely

to fulfill the current challenges associated with

three-dimensional imaging (3D) of complex

microscopic and submicroscopic processes. It

has been shown that, when this technique is

combined with the use of light with low

temporal coherence, it is possible to perform

wide-field optical coherence tomography

(WOCT) of the specimen [Opt. Lett. 2006, 31,

178; Opt. Lett. 2009, 34, 1243]. DHM can also

be efficiently combined with optical diffraction

tomography (ODT) to reveal the three-

dimensional internal distribution of cellular

components such as 3D spatial distribution of

refractive index (RI). Pioneering works have

established the theoretical basis of

reconstructing the 3D scattering potential of

weakly scattering objects, by recording the

waves scattered from the different directions of

parallel illumination. The main advantages of

DHM for complex diffracted wave retrieval is

that only a single hologram is needed for each

orientation of the specimen, leading to short

acquisition time and low stability requirements

for the system. The knowledge of the 3D RI

spatial distribution of a cell leads to invaluable

information concerning the distribution and the

optical properties of the intracellular organelles

a b c

d e Figure 2 An example of microscopic imaging using DHM. (a) Digital hologram of a USAF resolution chart (inset shows the interference fringes); (b) Reconstructed holographic image; (c) Brightfield image of human airway smooth muscle cells cultured on a 4 kPa stiffness Polyacrylamide gel; (d) Reconstructed wrapped phase profile of the cells; (e) Unwrapped quantitative phase image of the cell. The vertical bar shows the phase values in radian.



42

INVITED ARTICLE (a) Industrialization, Capitalism and Communism Pradyumna Kalita Zarb business school of Hofstra University in New York

The industrial revolution had started

from around 18th century up to 19th century.

This revolution has changed the socioeconomic

condition of the whole world, especially Europe

and North America. Then it spread to all over

the world. In the Industrial revolution, Adam

Smith, Karl Marx and F.W. Taylor have

numerous influences.

In the book “wealth of nation”, Adam

Smith refurnished the idea division of labor

(Plato, David Hume already talked about

Division of Labor) and it represents mainly

qualitative increase in productivity. This idea

relates primarily to the specialization of the

labor force. It emphasized on three key points

as how to increase the quantity of work,

1. Incease the dexterity of each and every

workman The division of labor reduces every

man’s work to one simple operation, and by

making this operation the sole employment of

his life and it will increase the dexterity of the

workman significantly.

2. How to save time which is commonly lost in

passing from one work to another “Adam

Smith suggests that it is impossible to pass very

quickly from one kind of work to another that is

carried on in a different place, and with quite

different tools. A country weaver, who cultivates

a small farm, must lose a good deal of time in

passing from his loom to his field and from the

field to his loom. When the two trades can be

carried on in the same workhouse, the loss of

time is no doubt much less.” [Smith, A. (N. d.).

The Wealth of Nation, Glasgow ed., pp. 17-19,

N. p.: Oxford University press.]

3. Adam Smith saw the importance of

machines and that’s why he said Invention of

new machines would be more effective

According to Smith, the use of the machines in

manufactures made the work more efficient.

F.W. Taylor is regarded as the father of

scientific management. The main aim of the

scientific management was to improve economic

efficiencies in the industry. This was one of the

revolutionary thought in the industrial

revolution. In the 1st chapter of the book The

Principles of Scientific Management, F.W.

Taylor found that there are three reasons why

workers are inefficient and the reasons are

inefficient rule of thumb methods, Defective

management systems and wrong belief that a

material increase in the output of each man or

each machine in the trade would throw people

out of work. In the 2nd chapter F.W. Taylor

explained how to solve those problems through



43

his principles of scientific management. They

are as follows ---

1. Replace rule of thumb work methods with

scientific study methods.

2. Scientifically select and then train, teach, and

develop the workman.

3. Provide detailed instruction and supervision

of each worker.

4. Divide the work between managers and

workers, managers will apply scientific

management principles to planning the work and

the workers actually perform the tasks.

Karl Marx’s reaction on industrial

revolution and criticize the concept of

capitalism. He believed that alienation is a

systematic result of capitalism and in the long

run, it won’t create harmony in the society. Karl

Marx’s identified there were four types of social

alienation of labor under capitalism --- they are

1. Alienation of the worker from the work he

produces, from the product of his labor The

product doesn’t belong to the workers. The

capitalist class determined the product’s design

and the manner in which it is produced. Both

intellectual and creative workers will be under

the control of capitalist.

2. Alienation of the worker from working,

from the act of producing itself Labour is

forced and doesn’t satisfy worker. According to

Marx, one's species being is fulfilled when it

maintains control over the subject of its labour

by the ability to determine how it shall be used

directly or exchanged for something else. In

Capitalism economy, capitalist removes the right

of the worker to exercise control over the value

or effects of his labor.

3. Alienation of the worker from himself

Industrialization gave capitalist more power and

eventually progress to a state of near-total

mechanization and automation of productive

processes. During this process, the newly

dominant Bourgeoisie Capitalist class would

exploit the Industrial working class.

4. Alienation of the worker from other

workers or producers Capitalism reduces labor

to a commercial commodity to be traded on the

market, rather than a social relationship between

people involved in a common effort for survival

or betterment.

[According to Karl Marx species-being' or

'species-essence' means this is that humans are

capable of making or shaping their own nature

to some extent.]

Pradyumna Kalita graduated from the

Gauhati Commerce College in 2002 with a Bachelors

degree in Management and Post Graduation from

Dubin Business School (Ireland) in 2007. Since post

graduation Pradyumna has held several positions in

bank, telecommunication and marketing. He then

joined Zarb business school of Hofstra University in

New York in 2011 for his masters in business

management. He keeps his passion towards

travelling, photography, social activity, soccer and

cross cultural interest.



44

(b) Growth of Single Crystals from Hydrothermal Synthesis Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes Lehrstuhl fürAnorganische Chemie mit Schwerpunkt Neue Materialien Technische Universität München,Germany

Introduction The hydrothermal

technique has been most popular, garnering

interest from scientists and technologists of

different disciplines, particularly in the last

twenty years. The term hydrothermal is purely

of geological origin. It was first used by the

British Geologist, Sir Roderick Murchison

(1792–1871), to describe the action of water at

elevated temperature and pressure in bringing

about changes in the earth’s crust leading to the

formation of various rocks and minerals. The

term hydrothermal usually refers to any

heterogeneous reaction in the presence of

aqueous solvents (water) under pressure and at

temperatures above its normal boiling point

(100°C) as a means of speeding up the reaction

between solids. Some of the single crystals

grown by hydrothermal method are shown in

Figure 1.

History Probably the first clue was found by

Schafhäutl in 1845, when he observed quartz

micro crystals upon transformation of freshly

precipitated silicic acid in a Papin’s digestor. In

1848, the German chemist Bunsen obtained

crystals of barium carbonate and strontium

carbonate by cooling an ammoniacal solution

from 200°C and 15 bars.

Figure 1 Selected single crystals grown from the hydrothermal techniques (a) Zinc oxide (b) blue topaz (c) citrine quartz.

The introduction of hydrothermal synthesis in its

modern form into geological science is ascribed

to de Sénarmont, who produced only

microscopic crystals. In the following years, the

method became widely used in Europe and in

the USA. By 1900 about 80 silicate minerals

were synthesized. Over the period of time this

method was further developed by the

contribution of various scientists. Other notable

contributions have been made by Chrustschoff

(1873), Morey (1914), Smith (1923), Adams

(1923), Nacken (1943), Tuttle (1949) and

Capponi (1973). The year and the developments

in the hyrothermal synthesis are listed Table 1.

Experimental To withstand the pressures

involved in hydrothermal syntheses, the use of

autoclaves is usually required (Figure 2). They

serve to protect the reaction vessel; often the

autoclave itself assumes the role of reaction

vessel. Autoclaves usually have thick-walled

steel cylinders with a hermetic seal so as to

withstand high temperatures and pressures for

prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, the

autoclave material must be inert with respect

to the solvent. The closure is the most

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http://www.thefullwiki.org/Solvent�



45

important element of the autoclave. In most

cases steel-corroding solutions are used in

hydrothermal experiments.

Figure 2 Reaction vessels employed for hydrothermal syntheses: Teflon autoclaves used below 170°C is shown on the left (1. Teflon autoclave, 2. Inline, 3. Lower part, 4. Screw Cap). The Teflon- lined steel autoclave used up to 240°C is shown on the right To prevent corrosion of the internal cavity

of the autoclave, protective inlets are

generally used. These may have the same

shape of the autoclave and fit in the interior.

Inlets are usually made up of Teflon, carbon

free iron, copper, silver, gold, platinum, titan

ium, glass or quartz, depending on the

temperature and solutions used.

Mineraliser For the growth of single

crystals by hydrothermal methods it is often

necessary to add mineralisers. A mineraliser

is any compound added to the aqueous

solution that speeds up its crystallization. It

usually increases the solubility of the solute

through the formation of soluble species.

For instance, the solubility of quartz is very

low at 400°C and 2 Kbar to permit

recrystallization in a temperature gradient

within a reasonable space of time, however

when NaOH is added as a mineraliser, large

single crystals can be grown.

Advantages and disadvantages

Hydrothermal synthesis, in contrast to

conventional synthetic methods, offers a

number of advantages which include (1) to

obtain compounds with elements in

oxidation states that are difficult to attain,

especially important for transition metals (2)

the ability to create crystalline phases which

are not stable at the melting point, (3) the

materials which have a high vapour pressure

near their melting points can also be grown

by the hydrothermal method and (4) useful

for the so called low-temperature phases,

and (5) the method is also particularly

suitable for the growth of large good-quality

crystals while maintaining good control over

their composition. Disadvantages of the

method include the safety as it can be

dangerous to open such high-pressured

autoclaves, need of expensive autoclaves

and the impossibility of observing the

crystal as it grows.

Uses A large number of compounds

belonging to practically all classes have

been synthesized under hydrothermal

conditions: elements, simple and complex

oxides, tungstates, molybdates, carbonates,

silicates, germinates, stannates,

chacogenides etc. Hydrothermal synthesis is

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http://www.thefullwiki.org/Corrosion�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Teflon�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Iron�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Copper�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Silver�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Gold�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Platinum�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Titanium�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Titanium�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Glass�

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Quartz�



46

commonly used to grow synthetic quartz,

gems and other single crystals with

commercial value. Some of the crystals

which have been efficiently grown are

emeralds, rubies, quartz, alexandrite and

others. The method has proved to be

extremely efficient both in the search for

new compounds with specific physical

properties and in the systematic

physicochemical investigation of intricate

multi-component systems at elevated

temperatures and pressures. Also the

inorganic-organic hybrid materials of the

heavier periodic group 13-15 elements have

been extensively synthesized under

hydrothermal syntheses.

Reference 1 A. Rabaneu, The Role of

Hydrothermal Synthesis in the Preparative

Chemistry, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl

1985, 24, 1026-1040; 2 A. West, Solid State

Chemistry and Its Applications, John Wiley

& Sons.

Table 1 Developments in the field of hydrothermal synthesis

Year Name Arrangement Comments 1845 Schafhäutl Papin’s digestor Quartz microcrystals 1848 Bunsen Thick-walled glass tubes carbonates: forerunner of the visual

autoclaving 1851 Sénarmont Glass ampoules in autoclave Mineral carbonates, sulfates, sulfides,

fluorides; founder of hydrothermal synthesis in geological sciences

1873 Chrustschoff Noble metal lining Protection against corrosive solvents 1914 Morey Morey-type autoclaves “Closed” system; standard 1923 Smith, Adams Internally heated autoclave very high pressures and temperatures:

≥ 10 kbar, ≥ 1400°C 1943 Nacken Foundation for the industrial quartz

growth Introduction of hydrothermal synthesis into solid state physics

1949 Tuttle “Cold steal” or test tube arrangement

external pressure regulation and measurement, more extensive working range than Morey-Standard

1973 Capponi Modified belt apparatus Extremely high pressures and temperatures: ≥ 100 kbar, ≥ 1500°C


N. E. Quest; Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2011 47

THESIS SYNOPSIS 1. Automated Analysis of Stellar Photometric and Spectroscopic Data from Space Missions and Classification of Astronomical Objects

Archana Bora Gauhati University Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Kalpana Duorah (G.U), Dr. Ranjan Gupta (IUCAA)

Astronomers today are awash by sea of data.

The current rapid progress in science and

technology and the subsequent developments in

the astronomical instruments provide us with a

torrent of new data. These data are being

collected everyday in huge volumes through

both automated ground based telescopes as well

as by the space based surveys. The light

reaching us from a distant star contains plethora

of information about the source, the medium it

has passed through and other objects it has

encountered on its way to the observer. The

temperature of the source object, its velocity, the

red shift and hence the distance, the metal

abundance of the object as well as of the

intervening medium, are some of the physical

quantities that can be extracted from the spectra.

The most usual way of extracting these

parameters is to visually inspect and compare

the program spectra with a set of standard

spectra. The presence or the absence of the

absorptions and emission lines yield the

temperature information of the source on the

basis of the Saha's ionization equation. The

measurements of the equivalent widths and line

ratios tell about the surface gravity in case of the

stellar spectra. Photometry is another powerful

tool to reveal some other host of important

parameters, not only about the source objects but

also about the intervening medium between the

objects and the observer. On the basis of such

measurable features a stellar database, for

instance, can be grouped into different classes.

Such classification is important to identify each

individual newly seen star as well as to study the

stellar atmospheric composition and their

population. Similarly, classification can be

carried out for galaxy or other astronomical

database also. There was time when manpower 1

was invested in large scale for stellar

classification. In those days, people used to

visually compare the program star spectra with

that of the standard stars. Such practice of

classification was subject to human error and

time consuming. Further, the human vision

system is not apt to repetitive identification task

often required in classification work. Also in this

new age of astronomical instrumentation, tera

byte of data is getting collected every day. To

compile a comprehensive and homogeneous

database of billions of data sets, it will be

necessary to devise and develop highly robust,

fast, efficient and automated classifiers, based on

computer vision and artificial intelligence tools.

In fact, it is only this increasing availability of

large data sets that has motivated the astronomer

to use computer-aided statistical and pattern

recognition analysis techniques, which can

emulate the behavior of human experts. Some

examples of such statistical methods are the



cross correlation and height of correlation

function, principal component and cluster

analysis. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) has

also been used for similar purposes. The starting

of the Space Science has also opened up a new

window to the astronomer in the shorter wave

band of the electromagnetic spectrum. The UV

window, including both the far-UV (FUV) and

near-UV (NUV) windows, was found to be

extremely useful to address wide range of

astrophysical aspects ranging from planetary

science to cosmology. However, this does not

signify any lesser contribution of the other

wavebands to the understanding of the

astrophysics. As a matter of fact, to understand

the nature of cosmic sources, their radiation

processes and environment, it is necessary to

measure their emissions over the entire

electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously. To

accomplish such objectives India is going to join

this golden era of Space Astronomy by

launching its first dedicated multi-wavelength

astronomy mission, ASTROSAT. Another joint

collaborative UV dedicated mission, Tel Aviv

University Ultraviolet Explorer (TAUVEX),

between Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA),

India and Tel-Aviv University, Israel, was also

on-schedule for launch. ASTROSAT is expected

to focus on high resolution UV imaging for

morphological studies of galactic and

extragalactic objects, broadband studies of X-ray

sources and other multi-wavelength targets

ranging from nearby stars to the very distant

AGNs. This will facilitate multi-wavelength

temporal analysis of astrophysical sources like

AGNs, X-ray binaries, Gamma-Ray Bursts

(GRBs) and to detect the correlation between

different energy bands. 2 The measurement of

such correlation is important to put constraints

on the number of radiative processes active in

the sources and can be used to validate or to rule

out their physical models (which are based on

their spectral analysis). The detection is usually

carried out numerically either by using

expensive simulations or by dividing the time-

series in large number of segments to and the

variance, which makes the process ineffective

for light curves of transient sources with lesser

number of data points in the light curve. Like

any other successful missions, the TAUVEX and

the AS-TROSAT satellite missions were

expected to yield a huge set of data during their

lifetime, requiring automatization of

classification and parameterization process of

the astronomical data. Till now several studies

have demonstrated that ANN schemes can

reliably and successfully classify stellar spectral

data and extract fundamental stellar parameters

in the visible region. However, the extension of

applicability of this scheme to UV region has

been less prevalent mainly because of non-

availability of abundant data in the region.

Nevertheless, some attempts have been made in

the past to automate the process of classification

of spectral data of hot stars from the IUE

satellite. Going beyond the full spectra and also

beyond the hot stars, this thesis is aimed to use

ANN with simpler topology that can improve



with experience, and generalize what it learnt to

accomplish the job of the astronomical

classification, segregation and parameterization.

Such tools are truly useful when one needs to

solve for some hidden parameters and

particularly when such parameters are related by

nonlinear relation. This goal has been achieved

by using both the full spectra as well as the

band-integrated spectra in the UV waveband.

Such photometric band integrated data were

expected from the upcoming TAUVEX satellite.

As a matter of fact, this part of the thesis is one

of the integral aspects in the development of the

automated pipeline for analyzing the TAUVEX

database

(http://tauvex.iiap.res.in/htmls/projects). In the

process the pipeline will also prepare us for

other upcoming missions like AS- TROSAT and

GAIA. The work has used the multilayer back

propagation based algorithm in the hierarchical

fashion to segregate galaxies from stars, to

classify the stars into different spectral types,

and to and interstellar reddening in terms of the

E (B–V) magnitude. This will provide the

interstellar extinction map of our Galaxy, which

in turn could be used for dust modeling. An

analytical expression to estimate the error on the

cross correlation between two light curves 3 is

also worked out in this thesis. This will facilitate

the analysis of light-curves with relatively small

(~1000) number of points, as well as to obtain

the longest time-scale available. However, it is

to be mentioned here that the TAUVEX mission

went down after the GSAT-4 failure in April

2010. The following provides a brief overview

of the structure of the thesis. Chapter 1 of the

thesis gives a general introduction to the stellar

spectral classification, galaxy morphological

classification, and interstellar extinction and on

the importance of the temporal analysis of the

astro-physical sources. Classification is the

process of systematic grouping of a database so

that each group reflects some of the fundamental

characteristics of their own. It provides a better

framework and logical approach for any further

study on the data base. A general survey on the

available method for temporal analysis has been

presented with the emphasis that there is yet

need to and out method other than the available

ones, to be useful in the analysis of short

duration light-curves. Artificial Neural Network

(ANN) can emulate the behavior of human

experts by the process of learning. When this

learning takes place under the supervision of

examples, the learning is known as the

supervised learning; otherwise it is known as the

unsupervised learning. The present work has

made use of the supervised multilayer back

propagation algorithm based ANN for the

astronomical classification and parameterization.

In Chapter 2 we present a pedagogical

introduction to ANN. Stellar spectra show wide

range of spectral variation on the course of their

evolution. Yet the underlying factors that shape

them can be summarized as the effective

temperature and the gas pressure at the outer

surface of the star. It is these two factors that are

attributed to the two dimensions - spectral type



and luminosity class, of the stellar classification

system. Chapter 3 features the stellar spectra in

the light of UV waveband. The implementation

of the application of the ANN for stellar

classification and for determination of the

interstellar extinction in terms of the E (B – V)

has been accomplished in this chapter. As a

matter of fact, the stars are not standing alone in

the sky; rather they group among themselves to

form the galaxy in conjunction with the gas, dust

and other form of matter. The spectra of the

galaxies are the integrated spectra of their

constituent stars. But their appearance has only a

small number of shapes and galaxies have been

classified on the basis of these morphological

structures. Chapter 4 presents some of the

special features of the spectra of different galaxy

morphological structures and how the galaxy

spectra can be separated from the stellar spectra

using ANN Many space missions monitor the

sky in their respective wave bands to look for

new transient events. The temporal analysis of

such transient events in multi-band can tell us

about the size and shape of the emitting region.

This is usually done by calculating the cross

correlation function (CCF) in different energy

bands using numerically expensive simulations

or by dividing the light curves into large number

of segments to and the variance. This makes it

ineffective to use the method for the shorter light

curves from the transient sources. In Chapter 5,

we present an analytical expression to and the

CCF and to estimate the error on the CCF for

such light curves containing relatively small

(~1000) number of points.

2. Synthesis and labeling strategy for indirect detection of estrogen-derived DNA adducts using aqueous quantum dots Mausam Kalita State University, Manhattan, KS Advisors: Prof. Stefan H. Bossmann and Prof. Ryszard Jankowiak

Chapter 1 Synthesis of DNA-Estrogen Adducts

and Their Structural Modifications for

Bioconjugation

A variety of experimental evidence led to the

hypothesis that catechol estrogen-3, 4-quinones

(CE-3, 4-Q) react with DNA to initiate cancer.

CE-3, 4-Q reacts with DNA purine bases to form

depurinating adducts: N3-adenine and N7-

guanine adducts of 4-hydroxyestrone (estradiol)

[4-OHE1(E2)-1-N3Ade and 4-OHE1(E2)-1-

N7Gua]. These depurinating estrogen-derived

DNA adducts are released and found in urine of

women at high risk and women with breast

cancer making these adducts potential

biomarkers. It is feasible that by inhibiting

formation of estrogen-derived DNA adducts, one



could prevent initiation of breast cancer.

Therefore new methodologies for detection of

these adducts need to be developed. Organic

synthesis of the standard adducts and their

structural modifications to conjugate with highly

fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) and to

formhapten for monoclonal antibody (mAb)

generation have been reported.

Chapter 2 Direct Synthesis of Aqueous

Quantum Dots through 4, 4’-bipyridine-Based

Twin Ligand Strategy

We report a new class of derivatized 4, 4’-

bipyridinium ligands to synthesize highly

fluorescent, extremely stable, water soluble

CdSe and CdTe quantum dots (QDs) for

bioconjugation. We employed evaporation-

condensation technique, also known as solvated

metal atom dispersion (SMAD) followed by

digestive ripening procedure. This method is

used to synthesize both metal nanoparticles and

semiconductors in gram scale with different

stabilizing ligands in different solvents. The

SMAD involved evaporation/ condensation and

stabilization of CdSe or CdTe in tetrahydrofuran

(THF). The as-prepared product was then

digestively ripened both in water and dimethyl

formamide (DMF), leading to narrowing of

particle size distribution. The ligands were

synthesized by nucleophilic substitution (SN2)

reaction using 4, 4’-bipyridine as a nucleophile.

Confocal microscopy images confirmed the

orange color of the QDs with nanocrystal

diameter of ~5nm as observed under

transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

images. As part of our strategy; 85% of 4, 4’-

bipyridinium salt of carboxylic acid was used to

both stabilize the QDs in water and label basic

amino acids and different biomarkers through

carboxylic acid functional group. 15% 4, 4’-

bipyridinium salt of N-propyl maleimide was

used as second ligand in order to label any

protein containing cysteine amino acid through

1, 4- Michael addition.

Chapter 3 Double Bioconjugation Schemes with

Aqueous Quantum Dot Synthesized By Twin

Ligand Strategy

We present double bioconjugation schemes by

using a new class of aqueous quantum dots

(QDs) synthesized by evaporation/co-



condensation/digestive ripening method. These

QDs were synthesized through 4, 4’-bipyridine

based twin ligand strategy for both water

solubility and covalent conjugation. The labeling

schemes involved (a) potential breast and

prostate cancer biomarkers: 4-hydroxy-estradiol-

2-N3-Adenine (4-OH-E2-N3-Ade) and 4-

hydroxy-estradiol-2-N7-Guanine (4-OH-E2-N7-

Gua) adducts through EDC/NHS coupling

reaction of 4, 4’-bipyridinium carboxylic acid

ligand, (b) known carcinogen thio-pyrene

through 1, 4- Michael addition reaction of 4, 4’-

bipyridinium maleimide terminal ligand. The

labeling of QDs with DNA-estrogen adducts and

thio-pyrene was investigated by ion exchange

high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)

and capillary electrophoresis. Imaging of these

labeled adducts-antibodies interactions on

ELISA plate substantiated the in vitro

application of these QDs. The TEM images of

the labeled QDs are also presented.

Selected Publication

Kalita, M. et.al. (submitted to JACS)

Kalita, M. et. al. (manuscript in preparation)

Kalita, M. et. al.; Chapter 16 Optical and

Electronic Properties of Metal and

Semiconductor Nanostructiures; Editor(s):

Klabunde, Kenneth J.; Richards, Ryan M.

Nanoscale Materials in Chemistry (2nd Edition)

(2009), 539-578. Publisher: John Wiley &

Sons, Inc., Hoboken, N. J.

Pokhrel, M.; Gamage, P. Kalita, M.; Shi, A.;

Bossmann, S. J. Nepal Chem. Soc., 2009, 23, 2-

10.

Dani, R. K.; Kang, M.; Kalita, M.; Smith, P. E.;

Bossmann, S. H.; Chikan, V. Nano Letters,

2008, 8(4), 1229-1236.

3. Total Synthesis of Medium Sized Natural Lactones Partha Pratim Saikia Supervisor: Dr. N. C. Baruah North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, India

Short Review Total Synthesis of Medium Sized

Natural Lactones. This short review discusses a

few total syntheses of medium sized natural

lactones which are categorized as a rare class of

organic molecules.

Chapter I An efficient reduction protocol for the

synthesis of β-hydroxycarbamates from β-nitro

alcohols in one pot: A facile synthesis of (-)-β-

conhydrine

An efficient and practical one-pot protocol for

the reduction of β-nitro alcohols to their

corresponding N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl) amino

alcohols using Zn-NH4Cl in aqueous methanol is

described. This methodology allows a short

synthesis of (-)-β-conhydrine to be achieved.



Chapter II An efficient and stereoselective route

to 1-deoxy-5-hydroxy sphingosine analogues

A short and efficient synthesis of 1-deoxy-5-

hydroxy sphingolipid is described. The key steps

involved are a Jacobsen hydrolytic kinetic

resolution (HKR) and Shibasaki’s asymmetric

Henry reaction.

Chapter III Stereoselective Total Synthesis of

Cytotoxic Oxylipin Topsentolide B2

An efficient stereoselective synthesis of marine

oxylipin Topsentolide B2 is described. The key

steps involved are Yamaguchi coupling, ring

closing metathesis and Julia-Kocienski

olefination.

PhD Comics (www.phdcomics.com)



FACEBOOK DISSCUSSION Does Indian Research meet World class standard? Edited by Dr. Saitanya K Bharadwaj

Facebook is found to be one of the best

communications media worldwide. Facebook

offers easy, fast communication among group

members and open discussions. A group has

been created for "North east India Research

Forum" which was long before created in yahoo.

Few active students join in the group recently.

One of the members Mr. Neelkamal Deka put a

question from the lecture of Indian-Origin Nobel

Laureates Venkataraman Ramakrishan, who

won Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2009. Since

1930 there is no Nobel Prize in Science from

India, However Indian Origin staying abroad are

honored with the same. The young student

Neelkamal Deka, therefore, put forward his

doubt in the form of question-“Is the research

environment/facility in India not meeting the

world class standard”. Many of forum members

responded on this query and it is the longest

discussion in the forum ever. Few members

shared their view from their personal experience.

There is no doubt about the advanced facility in

western research laboratory and to compete with

them India must need some well equipped

laboratory. Indians were more scientific in

ancient time. The concept of TV, Rocket,

Missile were given in the era of Mahabharat

itself. No one can forget the discovery of

"ZERO" by an INDIAN. The well known

"Raman effect" originated in India. The current

status of India as well as world has changed.

The other countries developed very fast and

India remain in the same position, in fact one

can say it is going down. Once British left India,

they took away everything except the language

English. The Poverty, corruption, not having

proper leader are some of the main cause for

being developing country.

Indians were smart, intelligent, intellectual…and

still they are!!! USA does not have anything they

import all the good things from other countries.

They import smart people, really smart people

from INDIA- one documentary mentioned!!!

USA buys brain of INDIANs and use to develop

them. The first class INDIANs move to USA

and settled in- Saitanya K Bharadwaj bubbled

his feeling. “In reality, the whole western

research positions mostly occupied by Indian,

Chinese and Japanese”- Gitanjal Deka added.

It is always better to go abroad and learn the

advanced techniques for 3-5 years and should be

back to the motherland, should spread the

knowledge, idea improve the system, however it

doesnot happen. Once left, Indians never come

back, even CSIR/DST/DBT spending millions in

research –Viz Brahma Ramchiary said. However

current trend has been changed, after recession

majority of the Indian returned home and started

own career in India- Neelkamal and Gitanjal

pointed out the current status.



We can never agree with the fact that there is no

facility or research exposure in India. In basic

Research India is always in first row and is from

ancient time. Government has invested so much

now a days in all the aspects of Science, we

can’t say that there is lack of facility. If one is

willing to expense his knowledge with those

facilities, surely he/she can do the best. We need

to have attitude-again Ramchiary expressed her

feeling.

Then Saitanya raise a question about

cancellation of appointment letter of an INDIAN

scientist joined in CSIR lab from MIT. Viz

Brahma Ramchiary replied that he (the

scientists) wanted to change the entire Indian

CSIR system to MIT, which was not possible in

INDIA and therefore he has been sent back!!!

Arindam Adhikari supports the comment made

by Ramchiary. And he added- That's not totally

correct. It's not because of recession. The trend

has changed over the years. People who left few

decades back, they are not returning or they

don't want to return or they can't return after

spending so many years now. Whether for last 8-

10 years it has changed, may be it's because of

effect of globalisation, opening of market,

moreover everything one gets in India now a

days. There is increasing urge to do something

for its own people and for the country

eventhough the corruption is rampant

everywhere. Younger generation now

understand pain of living abroad far from family

and friends and wants to spend time with his/her

own people. After returning people are trying to

create something of their own, becoming

entrepreneur. However there are so many factors

to carry out your own research eg. your file not

in time without buttering, long time to get

project funding and many more… Govt. system

is totally rotten system. One who is in the

system he understands well.

Againg Neelkamal Deka mentioned that

Brilliant students are not heading towards the

basic research, which may be one of the reasons

why Indian research is not far behind from the

other. In this contrast, Bharadwaj referred a

documentary where it was shown 60% computer

engineers in USA are Indian. The brilliant

students get into the IIT and they fly to USA for

a comfortable life and work for them.

Saitanya again mentioned that an institute should

have minimum basic facilities for basic research.

He was experienced with lack of distill water,

proper ventilation etc. in IIT Guwahati, which is

one of the premier institute. If there is scarcity of

distill water in such institute, what can be expect

from it!!! Ramchiary pointed out that there are

funding agencies to make the lab well equipped

which may be competitive. So one should go for

that!!! However institute should have at least

some basic infrastructure before staring

research- Saitanya argued. Ramchiary then said

that she belongs to a CSIR Lab and it has some

good facilities than in USA and if Scientists are

competitive enough foreign funding agencies

also provide funds.



Arindam Adhikari mentioned that people from

abroad say Indians and Chinese are good in

basic research. May be it was good several

decades back during C.V.Raman, Satyendranath

Bose 's time. But now we are in nowhere, neither

in basic and for applied, its a dream. Govt. lab

scientists are getting project funding just to get

some PhD students on whom they can dictate

terms. We are not able to do good innovative

research, no originality, no new idea, no good

quality papers, which can atleast give a new

dimension in science. We are just doing

permutation combination, change the %, ratios,

check properties and publishing, that's not a real

science.

Gitanjal Deka pointed out that the facilities in

western countries are not comparable with India.

He is a student of laser and told that hardly few

lab has modern laser system in India, but in

western labs almost every lab has highly

equipped and modern lasers.

Debajyoti Mahanta, a researches from IISc

Bangalore, compared Indian Science with World

Science under three different points. 1) Talent or

man power: Talent is well distributed all over

the World. If we consider the “Brain Drain”,

then also we have enough talent in India to lead

us. 2) Money or facilities: Yes, we don’t have

world class facilities or money. But the

important question: “are we utilizing the less

money, we have in a proper way????” The

answer is NO. Then the question is “why???”.

For this let me move to the third but the most

important point. 3) Research Culture: The main

difference comes from this point. In any World

top university, they take a problem where they

really have interests and many good people work

on it to understand the problem and to find out a

solution. In the process they may take long time,

but finally they make a contribution to Science.

But in India, research is publication oriented.

We take ten different problems (it does not

matter whether we have interest on it or not, but

it should give us a publication), and work hard

on all these problems and get some publications.

Finally we don’t have any clear understanding in

any of those problems. So, there is no proper

contribution to Science. Now important thing is

“Can we change it?”.

Binita pathak said “It’s time for refinement of

old systems...It’s time to reunite and do work for

benefit of society, nation and off course for

survival of human being. From my opinion it’s

their (say Vekataraman Ramakrishan etc)

responsibility to contribute to resolve the

shortcomings in Indian Scientific research

systems (to an extent excluding Govt. policy as

Iis a different issue, still modification is also

required there ) if they are aware of those (as

they are experiencing it)! Surely its possible for

them”. Prof. Gautam Desiraju discussed all these

themes that relate to research globally in his

editorial in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 2-

Bipul Sarma added.

Anupam Patgiri, a researcher from NYU, shared

the original video of the Interview of



Ramakrishnan, given to CNN-IBN just after his

Nobel Prize was announced

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dr-ramakrishnan-on-

winning-the-nobel-prize/102884-11.html.

Anupam said that Ramakrishnan never applied

to any Institute in India for an academic

position, but his application was rejected by

most American universities, which made him

work at the Brookhaven National Lab before

finally moving to University of Utah as a

tenured faculty member

(http://www.nigms.nih.gov/News/Meetings/Stett

en/venki.htm,

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laur

eates/2009/ramakrishnan.html). There are people

who contributed more to ribosome research than

Ramakrishnan, but he had a big MRC lobby

(famous for producing Nobel laureates) behind

him-Anupam hinted. Again, regarding Rarayana

Murthy's statement in the interview with Leslie

Stahl on CBS 60 min, it is important to mention

that he always brags about Indian engineers to

the western media mostly for commercial gain

(Infosys hasn't invented anything in its 30 years

of existence with Narayana Murthy's legion of

geniuses). Anupam also suggested to read "Geek

Nation" by Angela Saini where real measure of

India on a global stage is described. Anupam has

been a student at IISc and now a grad student at

NYU, and he has visited some US labs

(including some at Harvard, MIT and Berkeley),

from his experience he said that IISc has no less

facilities than most US universities to do

"WORLD CLASS" research, but most (NOT

ALL though) IISc labs (most Indian labs for that

matter) lack vision or long term goals. Again,

following up Viz Brahma Ramchiary’s

comment, he said that we lack innovation in

India (or we are not encouraged to cultivate it),

most grad students in India are treated as lab rats

(by their PIs) rather than stimulating them to

think independently. One of the reasons why the

PIs in India lack innovations is because there is

no competition for grants (US labs stand at the

opposite pole in this matter). Lastly, there is no

collaborative mindset (except for NCBS,

Bangalore), which is important to foster

innovation (most big grants by NIH or NSF are

awarded to collaborative projects only). He sum

upped-“we can't just whine about not having

facilities or money in India to do WORLD

CLASS RESEARCH, when we have no clear

idea about what to do with these instruments or

money, substituting Chlorine with Bromine

kinda science will take us nowhere, At the same

time, most of the good chemistry publications

(JACS, Angew Chem, Org Lett etc) is also

coming from Indian Lab, these days.”

Pankaj Barah, a graduate student in Norway

Institute was fortunate to meet and listen to

Venky, It was in Centre for Cellular and

Molecular Biology (CCMB-Hyderabad)

(http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/08/stories/2009

100857520200.htm). "Dr. Ramakrishnan

advised researchers at the Centre for Cellular

and Molecular Biology (CCMB) to use high-

resolution tools to get valuable insights into the

functions of bio-molecules in cells or bacteria."-



The Hindu. Pankaj mentioned that labs like

IISC, TIFR, NCBS etc also have world class

brains and dedicated scientists and researchers,

still they have to struggle a lot for international

recognition. The same way in the past G. N.

Ramachandran

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._N._Ramachand

ran ) was being deprived of Nobel Prize simply

because he was an Indian. However, all the

Indian research laboratory is not well equipped,

for example, Indian Synchrotron facility in

Indore is not powerful enough for such high

resolution works. Rajan Shankarnarayan the key

scientist in macromolecular crystallography lab

has to go to Germany every now and then to

collect x-ray diffraction data. India purchases a

technology when western world things that it is

time to procure next generation technology for

the same. Political and bureaucratic red tapping

is also one of the major draw back in Indian

science- Pankaj concluded.

In conclusion, as an editor and participant of this

discussion, I would like to thank all of the

research scholars of North East India Research

Forum, for sharing their view among us. Finally

one can conclude that some Indian laboratory

has world class facility, however there is no long

term innovative goal. No one can directly say we

donot have ultramodern technique to do basic

research, we need an innovative mind.

PhD Comics (www.phdcomics.com)



MEMBERS FACE Dr. Mausam Kalita

Kansas State

University, USA

Mausam Kalita Received his MS from

University of Delhi in 2003. Then he moved to

USA for his doctoral research and completed

graduation from Kansas State University, USA

under advisors Dr. Prof. Stefan H. Bossmann

and Prof. Ryszard Jankowiak in 2010. His Ph.

D. thesis entitled Synthesis and labeling strategy

for indirect detection of estrogen-derived DNA

adducts using aqueous quantum dots. Currently

he is a post-doctoral research at the same

university. He is the older son of Mr. Dilip

Kalita, residence of Guwahati.

Papori Gogoi

IIT-Guwahati

Papori Gogoi ([email protected]),

daughter of Joy Nath Gogoi and Bonti Gogoi

belong to Niz Mancotta Gaon, East Milan

Nagar, Dibrugarh, Assam. She received her

B.Sc. degree under Gauhati University and

M.Sc. from IIT-Delhi in 2007 and 2010

respectively. She qualified following national

level examinations: (1) Joint admission to M.Sc.

program (JAM) 2008 [rank 207], (2) joint CSIR-

UGC test for junior research fellowship (NET)

Dec 2009 [rank 33], (3) Graduate Aptitude Test

in Engineering (GATE) March 2010 [rank 182].

Currently she is working with Dr. Perumal

Alagarsamy, Associate Professor, Department of

Physics, Indian Institute of Technology

Guwahati, in a project entitled Development of

Domain wall free Fe-Ta-C based soft magnetic

thin film.

Dr. Archana Bora

Gauhati University

Archana Bora, received her Ph.D. degree in

2011 jointly from Gauhati University and Inter

University Center for Astronomy Astrophysics

(IUCAA), Pune. Her thesis title is Automated

Analysis of Stellar Photometric and

Spectroscopic Data from Space Missions and

Classification of Astronomical Objects with Dr.

Kalpana Duorah (G.U), Dr. Ranjan Gupta

(IUCAA). Her other major achievements are (i)

GATE in Physics in 2004, (ii)JEST in Physics in




2004, (iii) NET (LS) in physics in 2005. During

2005-2009 she worked as JRF on ISRO respond

project at IUCAA, Pune. She worked as assistant

professor at Arya Vidyapeeth College, Guwahati

in 2010 -2011 and currently she is at department

of physical science, G.U. as assistant professor.

Nabanita Das

NEIST, Jorhat

Nabanita Das, daughter of Sri Kanak Ch. Das

from Barpeta town (Assam). She received her

Master’s of Science from Gauhati University in

2007 and then joined North-East Institute of

Science and Technology (NEIST), Jorhat as

Rsearch Scholar under the supervision of Dr. P.

R. Bhattacharyya, senior principal scientist. She

is also registered as a Ph. D. Student to

Dibrugarh University, Assam.

Dhrubajyoti

Talukdar

Tezpur University

Dhrubajyoti Talukdar belongs to Tezpur, Assam.

He received his B.Sc. degree from Biswanath

College in 2006 and M.Sc. from Tezpur

University in Applied chemistry (Specialization

in catalysis) in 2008. Currently he is a Ph. D.

Student in the department of Chemical sciences,

Tezpur University with Dr. Ashim Jyoti Thakur,

Assistant Professor. His research area is green

chemistry and catalysis. He published his work

in the international journal.

Quotes

@ Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly. Linus Pauling @ Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. Martin Luther King, Jr.

@ A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, - a mere heart of stone. Charles Darwin @ Scientific truth is marvelous, but moral truth is divine and whoever breathes its air and walks by its light has found the lost paradise. Horace Mann @ I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy. Marie Curie @ Socialism is... not only a way of life, but a certain scientific approach to social and economic problems. Jawaharlal Nehru @ Anybody who has been seriously engaged is scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: 'Ye must have faith.' Max Planck

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mariecurie398323.html�

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jawaharlal387199.html�

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/maxplanck126264.html�

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NEWS & ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Dr B K Saikia, Research Officer, Indian Oil

Corporation Ltd, Haldia has been conferred the

title of 'Fellow of Institution of Chemists (India),

FIC' in 2010 by the Institution of Chemists

(India), Kolkota for his achievement in

contributing towards analytical chemistry.

2. Dr. Pankaj Bharali joined Department of

Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University as

Assistant Professor in August 2011.

3. Dr. Gakul Baishya joined as Scientist at North

East Institute of Science and Technology

(NEIST), Jorhat in September 2011.

4. Dr. Pranjal Gogoi joined as Scientist at North

East Institute of Science and Technology

(NEIST), Jorhat in September 2011.

5. Partha Pratim Saikia received his Ph. D.

degree from Dibrugarh University. He did his

doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. N.

C. Baruah at the Natural Products Chemistry

Division, North East Institute of Science and

Technology, Jorhat, India.

LETTERS TO EDITOR

I have been recently introduced to this

North-East India Research Group by the group

elite members. I thank to them. I would say this

is a fantastic idea by our researcher, scientists

grown from this community. This is certainly a

strong inspiration to all, particularly in science

related subjects. I think no one can deny that this

group is not a great source of help and

motivation. I am really happy to be associated to

this family. Currently I am working at Assam

Agricultural University, Jorhat and look forward

to this community to share news, views and

opportunities as well as help in pursuing

research work. We all are more or less facebook

addicted and the idea of North East India

Facebook Research Forum is simply candid. I

have gone through several must and sensitive

topics that have been discussed and shared our

opinions. I believe this kind of discussion and

blog writing would build up motivation and

carry expected changes. I would like to thank all

associated with this group specially moderators,

the editorial team, contributors towards NE

Quest and others. Loads of information by NE

Quest, Forum discussions, and email response

are definitely an honest help towards the

community. I admire and wish long-live of

North-East Research Group.

Gitashree Goswami

Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat



Through The Lenses by Bipul Sarma

Sunset is evenly beautiful whether in Grand Canyon (a) or historic Joysagar Pukhuri (b)

The nature conservancy protects earth's natural resources and beauty. Whether a concrete world or a

household flower tub (Kopou phool) can never barricade the beauty of Spring.

All comes from our culture (left, Ranghar Bakori) in confronting ourselves pride worldwide (right)



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Fellowship recipients will be assigned according to his or her scientific or technical discipline. For detail visit http://www.dep.anl.gov/postdocs/namedpostdoc.htm 5. Imp link for postdocs and job opportunities in Switzerland: http://www.academicjobseu.com 6. An International Conference on Nanotechnology And Biosensors (ICNB-2) -2011 will be held During Wednesday 28th Dec to Thursday 29th Dec 2011 at Raghu Engineering college, Dakamarri,




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N.E.Quest Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2011

Documents

Transcript of N.E.Quest Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2011