This thesis presents the development of theranostic gold nanostars (GNS) for multimodality cancer imaging and therapy. Furthermore, it demonstrates that a novel two-pronged treatment, combining immune-checkpoint inhibition and GNS-mediated photothermal nanotherapy, can not only eradicate primary treated tumors but also trigger immune responses to treat distant untreated tumors in a mouse animal model. Cancer has become a significant threat to human health with more than eight million deaths each year, and novel methods for cancer management to improve patients' overall survival are urgently needed. The developed multifunctional GNS nanoprobe with tip-enhanced plasmonics in the near-infrared region can be combined with (1) surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), (2) two-photon photoluminescence (TPL), (3) X-ray computed tomography (CT), (4) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), (5) positron emission tomography (PET), and (6) photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer imaging and treatment. The ability of the GNS nanoprobe to detect submillimeter intracranial brain tumors was demonstrated using PET scan - a superior non-invasive imaging modality - in a mouse animal model. In addition, delayed rechallenge with repeated cancer cell injection in cured mice did not lead to new tumor formation, indicating generation of a memorized immune response to cancer. The biocompatible gold nanostars with superior capabilities for cancer imaging and treatment have great potential for translational medicine applications.

The thesis presents experimental and theoretical results about the surface dynamics and the surface Dirac fermion (DF) spectral function of the strong topological insulators Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3. The experimental results reveal the presence of a strong Kohn anomaly in the measured surface phonon dispersion of a low-lying optical mode, and the absence of surface Rayleigh acoustic phonons. Fitting the experimental data to theoretical models employing phonon Matsubara functions allowed the extraction of the matrix elements of the coupling Hamiltonian and the modifications to the surface phonon propagator that are encoded in the phonon self-energy. This allowed, for the first time, calculation of phonon mode-specific DF coupling (q) from experimental data, with average coupling significantly higher than typical values for metals, underscoring the strong coupling between optical surface phonons and surface DFs in topological insulators. Finally, to connect to experimental results obtained from photoemission spectroscopies, an electronic (DF) Matsubara function was constructed using the determined electron-phonon matrix elements and the optical phonon dispersion. This allowed calculation of the DF spectral function and density of states, allowing for comparison with photoemission and scanning tunneling spectroscopies. The results set the necessary energy resolution and extraction methodology for calculating from the DF perspective.

Dear Readers, Since the ground-breaking, Nobel-prize crowned work of Heeger, MacDiarmid, and Shirakawa on molecularly doped polymers and polymers with an alternating bonding structure at the end of the 1970s, the academic and industrial research on hydrocarbon-based semiconducting materials and devices has made encouraging progress. The strengths of semiconducting polymers are currently mainly unfolding in cheap and easily assembled thin ?lm transistors, light emitting diodes, and organic solar cells. The use of so-called "plastic chips" ranges from lightweight, portable devices over large-area applications to gadgets demanding a degree of mechanical ?exibility, which would overstress conventionaldevices based on inorganic,perfect crystals. The ?eld of organic electronics has evolved quite dynamically during the last few years; thus consumer electronics based on molecular semiconductors has gained suf?cient market attractiveness to be launched by the major manufacturers in the recent past. Nonetheless, the numerous challenges related to organic device physics and the physics of ordered and disordered molecular solids are still the subjects of a cont- uing lively debate. The future of organic microelectronics will unavoidably lead to new devi- physical insights and hence to novel compounds and device architectures of - hanced complexity. Thus, the early evolution of predictive models and precise, computationally effective simulation tools for computer-aided analysis and design of promising device prototypes will be of crucial importance.

This book provides the most updated information of how membrane lipids mediate protein signaling from studies carried out in animal and plant cells. Also, there are some chapters that go beyond and expand these studies of protein-lipid interactions at the structural level. The book begins with a literature review from investigations associated to sphingolipids, followed by studies that describe the role of phosphoinositides in signaling and closing with the function of other key lipids in signaling at the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles.

The intrinsic or natural fluorescence of proteins is perhaps the most complex area of biochemical fluorescence. Fortunately the fluorescent amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan are relatively rare in proteins. Tr- tophan is the dominant intrinsic fluorophore and is present at about one mole % in protein. As a result most proteins contain several tryptophan residues and even more tyrosine residues. The emission of each residue is affected by several excited state processes including spectral relaxation, proton loss for tyrosine, rotational motions and the presence of nearby quenching groups on the protein. Additionally, the tyrosine and tryptophan residues can interact with each other by resonance energy transfer (RET) decreasing the tyrosine emission. In this sense a protein is similar to a three-particle or mul- particle problem in quantum mechanics where the interaction between particles precludes an exact description of the system. In comparison, it has been easier to interpret the fluorescence data from labeled proteins because the fluorophore density and locations could be controlled so the probes did not interact with each other. From the origins of biochemical fluorescence in the 1950s with Prof- sor G. Weber until the mid-1980s, intrinsic protein fluorescence was more qualitative than quantitative. An early report in 1976 by A. Grindvald and I. Z. Steinberg described protein intensity decays to be multi-exponential. Attempts to resolve these decays into the contributions of individual tryp- phan residues were mostly unsuccessful due to the difficulties in resolving closely spaced lifetimes.

This is the third volume in the Reviews in Fluorescence series. To date, two volumes have been both published and well received by the scientific community. Several book reviews have also favorably described the series as an "excellent compilation of material which is well balanced from authors in both the US and Europe". Of particular mention we note the recent book review in JACS by Gary Baker, Los Alamos. In this 3rd volume we continue the tradition of publishing leading edge and timely articles from authors around the world. We hope you find this volume as useful as past volumes, which promises to be just as diverse with regard to content. Finally, in closing, we would like to thank Dr Kadir Asian for the typesetting of the entire volume and our counterparts at Springer, New York, for its timely publication. Professor Chris D. Geddes Professor Joseph R. Lakowicz August 20*^ 2005.

This volume describes prominent methodologies developed by laboratories that have been leading the field of quantitative proteomics by mass spectrometry. The procedures for performing the experiments are described in an easy-to-understand manner with many technical details that usually are not reported in typical research articles. This second edition of Quantitative Proteomics by Mass Spectrometry provides a broad perspective of the methodologies used for quantifying proteins and post-translational modifications in different types of biomedical specimens. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and thorough, Quantitative Proteomics by Mass Spectrometry, Second Edition is a valuable resource to help researchers understand and learn about the latest tools used in the study of quantitative proteomics by mass spectrometry.

The primary aim of this volume is to make the chemist familiar with the numerous stationary phases and column types, with their advantages and disadvantages, to help in the selection of the most suitable phase for the type of analytes under study. The book also provides detailed information on the chemical structure, physico-chemical behaviour, experimental applicability, physical data of liquid and solid stationary phases and solid supports. Such data were previously scattered throughout the literature. To understand the processes occurring in the separation column and to offer a manual both to the beginner and to the experienced chromatographer, one chapter is devoted to the basic theoretical aspects. Further, as the effectiveness of the stationary phase can only be considered in relation to the column type, a chapter on different column types and the arrangement of the stationary phase within the column is included.

The secondary aim of this book is to stimulate the development of new and improved standardized stationary phases and columns, in order to improve the reproducibility of separations, as well as the range of applications.

Extracellular MRI and X-ray contrast agents are characterized by their phar- cokinetic behaviour.After intravascular injection their plasma-level time curve is characeterized by two phases. The agents are rapidly distributed between plasma and interstitial spaces followed by renal elimination with a terminal half-live of approximatly 1-2 hours. They are excreted via the kidneys in unchanged form by glomerular filtration. Extracellular water-soluble contrast agents to be applied for X-ray imaging were introduced into clinical practice in 1923. Since that time they have proved to be most valuable tools in diagnostics.They contain iodine as the element of choice with a sufficiently high atomic weight difference to organic tissue. As positive contrast agents their attenuation of radiation is higher compared with the attenuation of the surrounding tissue. By this contrast enhancement X-ray diagnostics could be improved dramatically. In 2,4,6-triiodobenzoic acid derivatives iodine is firmly bound. Nowadays diamides of the 2,4,6-triiodo-5-acylamino-isophthalic acid like iopromide (Ultravist, Fig. 1) are used as non-ionic (neutral) X-ray contrast agents in most cases [1].

This thesis reports studies on the substrate specificity of crucial ketosynthase (KS) domains from trans-AT Polyketide Synthases (PKSs). Using a combination of electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and simple N-acetyl cysteamine (SNAC) substrate mimics, the specificity of a range of KS domains from the bacillaene and psymberin PKSs have been succsessfully studied with regard to the initial acylation step of KS-catalysis. In addition, the ability to alter the substrate tolerance of KS domains by simple point mutations in the active site has been demonstrated. A series of acyl-ACPs have been synthesised using a novel methodology and employed to probe the substrate specificity of both KS domains and the previously uncharcterised acyl hydrolase domain, PedC. KS-catalysed chain elongation reactions have also been conducted and monitored by ESI-MS/MS. All KS domains studied exhibited higher substrate specificity at the elongation step than in the preceeding acylation step. Furthermore, a mechanism of reversible acylation is proposed using the PsyA ACP1-KS1 di-domain. The findings in this thesis provide important insights into mechanisms of KS specificity and show that mutagenesis can be used to expand the repertoire of acceptable substrates for future PKS engineering.

Mass spectrometry underwent dramatic changes during the decade of the 1980s. Fast atom bombardment (F AB) ionization, developed by Barber and coworkers, made it possible for all mass spectrometry laboratories to analyze polar, highly functionalized organic molecules, and in some cases ionic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds. The emphasis of much of this work was on molecular weight determination. Parallel with the development of ionization methods (molecular weight mass spectrometry) for polar biological molecules, the increased mass range of sector and quadrupole mass spectrometers and the development of new instruments for tandem mass spectrometry fostered a new era in structural mass spectrometry. It was during this same period that new instrument technologies, such as Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, radio frequency quadrupole ion trap, and new types of time-of-flight mass spectrometers, began to emerge as useful analytical instruments. In addi tion, laser methods useful for both sample ionization and activation became commonplace in almost every analytical mass spectrometry laboratory. In the last 5 years, there has been explosive growth in the area of biological mass spectrometry. Such ionization methods as electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) have opened new frontiers for both molecular weight and structural mass spectrometry, with mass spectrometry being used for analysis at the picomole and even femto mole levels. In ideal cases, subfemtomole sample levels can be successfully analyzed. Sample-handling methods are now the limiting factor in analyz ing trace amounts of biological samples."

The volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern theoretical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciates consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as possible way, with the working details of a specific technique.

This thesis represents the first wide-field photometric and spectroscopic survey of star clusters in the nearby late-spiral galaxy M33. This system is the nearest example of a dwarf spiral galaxy, which may have a unique role in the process of galaxy formation and evolution. The cold dark matter paradigm of galaxy formation envisions large spiral galaxies, such as the Milky Way, being formed from the merger and accretion of many smaller dwarf galaxies. The role that dwarf spiral galaxies play in this process is largely unclear. One of the goals of this thesis is to use the star cluster population of M33 to study its formation and evolution from its early stages to the present. The thesis presents a new comprehensive catalog of M33 star clusters, which includes magnitudes, colors, structural parameters, and several preliminary velocity measurements. Based on an analysis of these data, the thesis concludes that, among other things, the evolution of M33 has likely been influenced by its nearby massive neighbor M31.

Elucidating Organic Reaction Mechanisms using photo-CIDNP Spectroscopy, by Martin Goez. Parahydrogen Induced Polarization by Homogeneous Catalysis: Theory and Applications, by Kerstin Munnemann et al. Improving NMR and MRI Sensitivity with Parahydrogen, by R. Mewis & Simon Duckett. The Solid-state Photo-CIDNP Effect, by Jorg Matysik et al. Parahydrogen-induced Polarization in Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes, by Igor Koptyug et al. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Enhanced NMR Spectroscopy, by U. Akbey & H. Oschkinat. Photo-CIDNP NMR Spectroscopy of Amino Acids and Proteins, by Lars T. Kuhn."

The study of quantum disorder has generated considerable research activity in mathematics and physics over past 40 years. While single-particle models have been extensively studied at a rigorous mathematical level, little was known about systems of several interacting particles, let alone systems with positive spatial particle density. Creating a consistent theory of disorder in multi-particle quantum systems is an important and challenging problem that largely remains open. Multi-scale Analysis for Random Quantum Systems with Interaction presents the progress that had been recently achieved in this area. The main focus of the book is on a rigorous derivation of the multi-particle localization in a strong random external potential field. To make the presentation accessible to a wider audience, the authors restrict attention to a relatively simple tight-binding Anderson model on a cubic lattice Zd. This book includes the following cutting-edge features: an introduction to the state-of-the-art single-particle localization theory an extensive discussion of relevant technical aspects of the localization theory a thorough comparison of the multi-particle model with its single-particle counterpart a self-contained rigorous derivation of both spectral and dynamical localization in the multi-particle tight-binding Anderson model. Required mathematical background for the book includes a knowledge of functional calculus, spectral theory (essentially reduced to the case of finite matrices) and basic probability theory. This is an excellent text for a year-long graduate course or seminar in mathematical physics. It also can serve as a standard reference for specialists.

High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the properties of these fascinating materials. The essential properties of high-temperature cuprate superconductors are reviewed on the background of their theoretical interpretation. The experimental results for structural, magnetic, thermal, electric, optical and lattice properties of various cuprate superconductors are presented with respect to relevant theoretical models. A critical comparison of various theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, phonons and excitons provides a background for understanding of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Recent achievements in their applications are also reviewed. A large number of illustrations and tables gives valuable information for specialists. A text-book level presentation with formulation of a general theory of strong-coupling superconductivity will help students and researches to consolidate their knowledge of this remarkable class of materials.

Physical techniques such as X-ray crystallography, IR spectroscopy and solution-phase NMR spectroscopy have played key roles in the development of supramolecular chemistry. In recent years other spectroscopic techniques have been applied, expanding the range of information obtainable. The most widely used technique is solid-state NMR spectroscopy but techniques such as neutron scattering and NQR spectroscopy can yield significant information. Computational approaches are now becoming powerful complementary methods to experimental techniques and this book reviews the application of these methods to supramolecular systems. The ten chapters provide up-to-date information on the applications of spectroscopic and computational techniques to a wide range of supramolecular systems: Solid State NMR Studies of Host-Guest Materials Infrared Studies of Zeolite Complexes NQR Studies of Inclusion Compounds Neutron Scattering Studies of Zeolite Complexes Solid State NMR Studies of Catalytic Reactions on Molecular Sieves Recent Advances in Computational Studies of Zeolites Theoretical Studies of Cyclodextrins and their Inclusion Complexes Computer Modelling of the Structures of Host-Guest Complexes Computational Studies of Clathrate Hydrates Ab initio Electronic Structure Calculations on Endohedral Complexes of the C60 Cluster. This timely book will prove to be of great value to supramolecular researchers who are familiar with the spectroscopic techniques but who wish to extend their knowledge of the computational methods (and vice versa), to supramolecular researchers working in allied areas whose work would benefit from applying spectroscopic and computational methods, and finally to workers just entering the fascinating area of supramolecular chemistry.

NMR of Ordered Liquids gives a unique overview of the scope and limitations of the NMR of oriented liquids, based on contributions from acknowledged experts in the field. The book consists of four sections:

-detailed general introduction which covers the basic principles and sophisticated experimental techniques;
-wide variety of applications ranging from NMR studies of small atoms and molecules in anisotropic liquids to the utilization of residual dipolar couplings for structure determination of biological molecules;
-summary of the sophisticated theoretical treatments, computer simulations, and phenomenological models for anisotropic intermolecular interactions that are widely used in the analysis of experimental results;
-overview of the dynamical aspects and relaxation processes relevant for orientationally ordered molecules.

- __ * ___ __ * - __ e _e __ M-A-S-S S-P-GBP-C-T-R-O-M-GBP-T-R-Y in Morse code This volume collects descriptions of selected recent developments in state-of- the-art mass spectrometric methods and reflects the broad-based approaches that mass spectroscopists apply to a variety of important clinical and bio- medical problems. One chapter reviews current mass-spectrometric instrumen- tation and techniques, and other chapters describe the use of mass-spectro- metric methods for the analysis of diacylglycerylphospholipids; modifications to DNA molecules; the characterization of variant hemoglobins; and charac- terization of urinary nucleosides. The final chapter describes the new technique of combined microdialysis/mass spectrometry. This volume represents the collected efforts of several highly productive researchers who have developed new methods and instrumentation and have applied them to current research problems, such as lipid storage diseases, cancer, hemoglobinopathies, and brain neurochemistry. The chapters in Vol- umes 1 and 2 define the outlines of clinical and biomedical mass spectrometry and attest to the flexibility and creativity of mass spectroscopists and their interaction with biologic and clinical scientists. The authors in this volume are to be congratulated for their writing efforts, their scientific vigor and rigor, their intellectual contributions, and the ex- perimental details that are described in these chapters. I thank each author for collaborating with me on the production of this volume, and I hope these chapters will help the practitioners of, and the newcomers to, the field of mass spectrometry.

Evanescent waves play a growing role in many different areas such as guided optics, optical-fiber couplers, integrated optical elements, internal reflection spectroscopy, atom optics, dark-field microscopy, scanning tunneling optical microscopy, microaperture microscopy, and apertureless microscopies. This book describes the near field of an object through the role of the evanescent field in these areas of research. It is intended as a reference for scientists and as an introduction at the graduate level.

Describes the instruments and initial results of the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph (FISS) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. This collection of papers describes the instrument and initial results obtained from the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph (FISS), one of the post-focus instruments of the 1.6 meter New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. The FISS primarily aims at investigating structures and dynamics of chromospheric features. This instrument is a dual-band Echelle spectrograph optimized for the simultaneous recording of the H I 656.3 nm band and the Ca II 854.2 nm band. The imaging is done with the fast raster scan realized by the linear motion of a two-mirror scanner, and its quality is determined by the performance of the adaptive optics of the telescope. These papers illustrate the capability of the early FISS observations in the study of chromospheric features. Since the imaging quality has been improved a lot with the advance of the adaptive optics, one can obtain much better data with the current FISS observations. This volume is aimed at graduate students and researchers working in the field of solar physics and space sciences. Originally published in Solar Physics, Vol. 288, Issue 1, 2013, and Vol. 289, Issue 11, 2014.

Although based on lectures given for graduate students and postgraduates starting in plasma physics, this concise introduction to the fundamental processes and tools is as well directed at established researchers who are newcomers to spectroscopy and seek quick access to the diagnostics of plasmas ranging from low- to high-density technical systems at low temperatures, as well as from low- to high-density hot plasmas. Basic ideas and fundamental concepts are introduced as well as typical instrumentation from the X-ray to the infrared spectral regions. Examples, techniques and methods illustrate the possibilities.

This book directly addresses the experimentalist who actually has to carry out the experiments and their interpretation. For that reason about half of the book is devoted to experimental problems, the instrumentation, components, detectors and calibration.

This book presents written versions of selected invited lectures from the spring meeting of the Arbeitskreis Festkorperphysik of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft which was held from 27 to 31 March 2006 in Dresden, Germany. Many topical talks given at the numerous symposia are included. Most of these were organized collaboratively by several of the divisions of the Arbeitskreis. The book presents, to some extent, the status of the field of solid-state physics in 2006 not only in Germany but also internationally.

The book develops a comprehensive understanding of the surface impedance of the oxide high-temperature superconductors in comparison with the conventional superconductor Nb3Sn. Linear and nonlinear microwave responses are treated separately, both in terms of models, theories or numerical approaches and in terms of experimental results. The theoretical treatment connects fundamental aspects of superconductivity to the specific high-frequency properties. The experimental data review the state of the art, as reported by many international groups. The book describes further the main features of appropriate preparation, handling, mounting, and refrigeration techniques, and finally discusses possible applications in passive and active microwave devices.

Chromatography is the separation method for biological molecules from the analytical to the preparative scale. Few of the recent advances in life science, whether in "proteomics" or in the industrial production of recombinant therapeutics, would have been possible without the help of chromatographic separations. Concomitantly, chromatography nowadays stands for much more than a batch column packed with porous particles. In this book eminent experts from academia and industry introduce the reader to some of the recent new developments in this exciting area. Ranging from evolving nanoanalytical techniques to advances in the material sciences and artificial antibodies and finally continuous large scale separations of the most fragile biologicals, this book should provide interesting reading material for students and practitioners from various fields.