A new microcontroller-based RADFET dosimeter reader

A new reader for radiation dose measurements using RADFET (pMOSFET) dosemeters has been developed. The threshold voltage (V_T) of the pMOSFETs is measured using a “one-point” method that determines V_T as the gate voltage for a given drain current. Using V_T, the absorbed dose, which is directly proportional to the threshold voltage shift, is calculated. The reader is based on a low cost 8-bit PIC 18F4520 microcontroller (MCU), and works independently of a personal computer, uses a touch screen and stores the data in microcontroller memory. Good agreement in threshold voltage values, obtained using a high-quality source-measure unit and the reader, was obtained. In addition, the reader can be used for threshold voltage measurement with other types of MOSFETs, especially in long duration experiments, as well as for the real-time measurements in radiotherapy, either as an autonomous system or integrated in a larger monitoring configuration.     

High-resolution calorimetric study of pb(mg_{1/3}nb_{2/3})o_{3} single crystal

Motivated by the long-standing unresolved enigma of the relaxor ferroelectric ground state, we performed a high-resolution heat capacity and polarization study of the field-induced phase transition in the relaxor ferroelectric single crystal Pb(Mg_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})O_{3} (PMN) oriented along the [110] direction. We show that the discontinuous evolution of polarization as a function of the electric field or temperature is a consequence of a true first order transition from a glassy to ferroelectric state, which is accompanied by an excess heat capacity anomaly and released latent heat. We also find that in a zero field there is no ferroelectric phase transition in bulk PMN at any temperature, indicating that the nonergodic dipolar glass phase persists down to the lowest temperatures.     

The innate reactivity of a membrane associated peptide towards lipids: acyl transfer to melittin without enzyme catalysis

The innate reactivity of the peptide melittin (H-GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH(2)) towards membrane lipids has been explored using LC-MS methods. The high sensitivity afforded by LC-MS analysis enabled acyl transfer to the peptide to be detected, within 4 h, from membranes composed of phosphocholines (PCs). Acyl transfer from PCs was also observed from mixtures of PC with phosphoserine (PS) or phosphoglycerol (PG). In the latter case, transfer from PG was also detected. The half-lives for melittin conversion varied between 24 h and 75 h, being fastest for POPC and slowest for DOPC/DMPG mixtures. The order of reactivity for amino groups on the peptide was N-terminus > K23 ? K21 > K7. Products arising from double-acylation of melittin were detected as minor components, together with a putative component derived from transesterification involving S18 of the peptide.     

Interfacial layers from the protein HFBII hydrophobin: dynamic surface tension, dilatational elasticity and relaxation times

The pendant-drop method (with drop-shape analysis) and Langmuir trough are applied to investigate the characteristic relaxation times and elasticity of interfacial layers from the protein HFBII hydrophobin. Such layers undergo a transition from fluid to elastic solid films. The transition is detected as an increase in the error of the fit of the pendant-drop profile by means of the Laplace equation of capillarity. The relaxation of surface tension after interfacial expansion follows an exponential-decay law, which indicates adsorption kinetics under barrier control. The experimental data for the relaxation time suggest that the adsorption rate is determined by the balance of two opposing factors: (i) the barrier to detachment of protein molecules from bulk aggregates and (ii) the attraction of the detached molecules by the adsorption layer due to the hydrophobic surface force. The hydrophobic attraction can explain why a greater surface coverage leads to a faster adsorption. The relaxation of surface tension after interfacial compression follows a different, square-root law. Such behavior can be attributed to surface diffusion of adsorbed protein molecules that are condensing at the periphery of interfacial protein aggregates. The surface dilatational elasticity, E, is determined in experiments on quick expansion or compression of the interfacial protein layers. At lower surface pressures (<11 mN/m) the experiments on expansion, compression and oscillations give close values of E that are increasing with the rise of surface pressure. At higher surface pressures, E exhibits the opposite tendency and the data are scattered. The latter behavior can be explained with a two-dimensional condensation of adsorbed protein molecules at the higher surface pressures. The results could be important for the understanding and control of dynamic processes in foams and emulsions stabilized by hydrophobins, as well as for the modification of solid surfaces by adsorption of such proteins.     

Microwave Assisted Graft Copolymerization of N-Isopropyl Acrylamide and Methyl Acrylate on Cellulose: Solid State NMR Analysis and CaCO3 Crystallization

Summary: Graft copolymerization of N-isopropyl acrylamide and methyl acrylate on α-cellulose was carried out under microwave irradiation at specific cut off temperatures with cerium (IV) ammonium nitrate and potassium persulfate (KPS) as the initiating system. The role of KPS was to oxidize Ce (III) to Ce (IV) which is the active species in radical formation. The reactions at a temperature cut off of 60 °C were confirmed by ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance cross-polarization with magic- angle spinning (¹³C NMR CP/MAS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The extent of grafting was calculated from weight gain and ¹³C resonances. The grafted cellulose was thermally more stable than the parent cellulose. An attempt to do grafting at a higher cut off temperature of 80 °C was made, however, no grafting was observed from ¹³C NMR CP/MAS but TGA results showed that a cellulose having more thermal stability resulted which was attributed to cross linking. Crystallization of CaCO₃ was carried out using the grafted materials as templates showed better nucleation and different crystal structure was observed.     

Geometric analysis of a two-body problem with quick loss of mass

Nonlinear Dynamics - We consider a two-body problem with quick loss of mass which was formulated by Verhulst (Verhulst in J Inst Math Appl 18: 87–98, 1976). The corresponding dynamical system...     

Prevention and medication of HIV/AIDS: the case of Botswana

In this paper we developed a mathematical model which allows estimating and projecting the effects of prevention and treatment programs on the total population size, HIV-induced deaths, and life expectancies. Considering only the female population we project the changes of the demographic developments and the situation of HIV/AIDS for Botswana up to 2060. Our mathematical model is used to project the female population development considering their age-structure. Treatment programs are included through selecting a price for medication (or giving it for free). Prevention programs consist of two parts: school-based programs which try to change risky behavior and instantaneous prevention (e.g., free condoms) which has only a short-time effect on the infection risk. The main conclusions drawn from our results are that prevention-only programs always yield the fastest decrease in HIV/AIDS prevalence. Adding a medication program reduces the efficiency of the prevention interventions regarding prevalence, but it reduces the number of HIV-induced deaths and increases life expectancies. This research was partly financed by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) under grant No P18161-N13.     

Facile preparation of bis(thiocarbonyl)disulfides via elimination

A robust facile synthetic preparation of bis(thiocarbonyl)disulfides is presented. The route follows an elimination mechanism rather than the more common oxidation. Addition of p-tosyl chloride to a thiocarbonyl thiolate results in the elimination of the chloride by the trithiocarbonate anion and subsequent elimination of the tosyl leaving group (by a second thiocarbonyl thiolate). The side products of the reaction are bis(4-methylphenyl)disulfone and tosylate salts/acids.