Detection of multiple cardiac markers with an integrated acoustic platform for cardiovascular risk assessment

This work describes the application of a newly emerged biosensing configuration incorporating a Surface Acoustic Wave device integrated with a multi-channel microfluidic module for the rapid and efficient analysis of cardiac markers. The examined cardiac markers of creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), cardiac reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), comprise a group of both established and emerging heart disease proteins, that has never been probed before with any kind of biochip-related platform. The four markers were successfully detected; kinetics and affinity studies on their interactions with the surface immobilized antibodies are also presented. A concentration detection limit of less than 1 nM was achieved, with a dynamic range of more than two orders of magnitude, covering some of the pathological and healthy areas of interest. Mixtures of biomarkers applied to the device surface were used to prove the specificity of each binding event and investigate the microsystem's performance in the presence of complex fluids, towards future utilization with real samples. The simplicity and multiplexing ability of the integrated platform render the system ideal as a potential diagnostic tool for cardiovascular risk assessment, where simultaneous analysis of various protein markers is required.     

Ultrasonic Scattering by a Spheroidal Suspension Including Dissipative Effects

This study treats the axisymmetric interaction of a plane compressional sound wave with a viscoelastic (viscous) prolate spheroidal particle (droplet) suspended in a boundless viscous fluid medium. The method of eigen‐function expansion along with the novel features of Havriliak‐Negami model for viscoelastic material behavior and the linearized equations of Navier‐Stokes for wave motion in a viscous non‐heat‐conducting compressible fluid are employed to develop a closed form series solution involving Spheroidal harmonics of complex argument. The complications arising due to the non‐orthogonality of angular Spheroidal functions corresponding to different wave numbers as well as problems associated with the appearance of additional angular dependent terms in the boundary conditions are all avoided by expansion of the angular Spheroidal functions in terms of Lengedre functions which are themselves expanded in terms of transcendental functions and subsequent integration, leading to a linear set of independent equations in terms of unknown scattering and transmission coefficients. The presented solution demonstrates that the acoustic characteristics of particulate suspensions are strongly influenced by spheroidicity of particle cross‐section. Limiting case involving an elastic (ideal) spheroidal particle (droplet) in an ideal fluid is considered and fair agreement with available solution is established.     

Ultrasonic Scattering by a Viscoelastic Fiber of Elliptic Cross‐Section Suspended in a Viscous Fluid Medium

This study treats the two‐dimensional interaction of a plane compressional sound wave with a viscoelastic fiber of elliptic cross‐section submerged in a boundless viscous nonheat‐conducting compressible fluid medium. The classical method of eigen‐function expansion along with the novel features of Havriliak‐Negami model for viscoelastic material behavior and the pertinent boundary conditions are used to develop a closed form series solution involving Mathieu and modified Mathieu functions of complex argument. The complications that arise because of the nonorthogonality of angular Mathieu functions corresponding to different wave numbers, as well as problems associated with the appearance of additional angular dependent terms in the boundary conditions, are all avoided by expansion of the angular Mathieu functions in terms of transcendental functions and subsequent integration, leading to a linear set of independent equations in terms of the unknown scattering coefficients. The presented solution demonstrates that acoustic characteristics of fiber suspensions are strongly influenced by cross‐sectional ellipticity of the fibers in addition to the dynamic viscoelastic properties of the fiber material. It also shows that the common rigid circular fiber approximations used to model fiber suspensions can not capture the important resonance and damping effects associated with the highly viscoelastic noncircular fibers. The proposed model is valid for a wide range of cross‐sectional geometries (aspect ratios) and incident wave frequencies where most numerical methods fail. Limiting case involving an elastic elliptic cylinder in an ideal fluid is considered and fair agreement with a recent solution is established.     

Electrochemical behavior of CoCrMo implant in Ringer's solution

CoCrMo has been successfully employed as an orthopedic and orthodontic material because of its excellent corrosion resistant and suitable biocompatibility. The purpose of this research was to investigate the susceptibility of CoCrMo in Ringer's solution at three different temperatures: 22 °C, 37 °C, and 60 °C. The corrosion behavior of CoCrMo was carried out by using common electrochemical methods such as open circuit potential, potentiodynamic measurement, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Mott–Schottky measurements. CoCrMo was passivated by the air, forming a passive film, which was not destroyed during the immersion in electrolytes under different temperatures. Results from potentiodynamic tests showed that at high anodic potentials, the passive film did not demonstrate significant localized corrosion and rather exhibited overall passive film degradation corresponding to the general corrosion of the alloy in Ringer's solution at the three temperatures. EIS measurements showed the presence of the stable passive film on the alloy surface when tested at open circuit potential. Mott–Schottky test indicated that the preformed passive film is an n‐type semiconductor due to the presence of a donor species. This is implied by the existence of oxygen vacancies and interstitial metallic cations. As the potential increased, the Cr³⁺ oxidized and produced soluble Cr⁴⁺ species. This resulted in the film changing to a p‐type semiconductor owing to the dissolution and creation of cation vacancies (acceptor species). The passive film rupture was not due to p‐type characteristics but rather was a result of the considerable oxidative dissolution of the film at high anodic potential. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Research of Silica Particles Dispersion in Polymer Matrix Under Acoustic Levitation

Series of resins consisting different amount of silica particles with different sizes and surface properties were prepared as suspended samples under an acoustic levitator. The resulting composites after curing under irradiation have been investigated. Fracture surface morphologies of the resins were compared to those with same composition prepared in a normal gravity field via scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that except for such factors like particle sizes, surface properties, particles concentration, and monomer viscosity, the microgravity state produced by acoustic levitation could also be an element that affects silica particles dispersion in the resins.     

Impedance spectroscopic study of corrosion inhibition of Al-Pure by organic Schiff base in hydrochloric acid

A new corrosion inhibitor namely o-Chloroaniline-N-benzylidene (o-CANB) has been synthesized and its inhibitive performance toward the corrosion of Al-Pure in 1.0 M hydrochloric acid has been investigated. Corrosion inhibition was studied by chemical method (weight loss) and electrochemical techniques including polarization method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The present study has shown that this inhibitor is good in acidic media and the inhibition efficiency up to >99% in 1.0 M HCl. Polarization measurement revealed that the investigated inhibitor is a mixed type with a predominant action on cathode. Impedance measurement showed that the charge transfer resistance (R_ct) increased and double layer capacitance (C_dl) decreased with an increase in the inhibitor's concentration. Obtained results about inhibition efficiency from weight loss, polarization study and EIS are in good agreement with each other. The adsorption of the inhibitor on the metal surface in the acid solution was found to obey Langmuir's adsorption isotherm.     

电位对α-Fe2O3和掺钛α-Fe2O3光氧化水电荷转移速率常数的影响

外加一定的阳极电位可提高未掺杂的α-Fe₂O₃和Ti掺杂的α-Fe₂O₃(Ti-Fe₂O₃)电极的光电流或光电化学氧化水的速率, 但文献中通常假定电位全部降落在半导体固体一侧(带边钉扎), 其对界面电荷转移速率常数的影响鲜见报道. 本文应用电化学阻抗谱研究了外加电位对这两种电极光电化学氧化水时界面电荷转移速率常数的影响.结果表明: 随着外加阳极电位增大,两种电极的界面电荷转移速率常数均增大,但速率常数增幅比理论预期的要小, 表明电位并不是全部降落在电极的亥姆霍兹层, 而是同时降落在空间电荷层和亥姆霍兹层(费米能级钉扎). 表面态电容测量结果表明光生电荷可在表面态中积累, 导致了电位在电极界面重新分布并提高了界面电荷转移速率常数.相同电位下, 光强越强, 光生空穴在表面态积累越多, 降落在亥姆霍兹层中的电位增加,电荷转移速率常数也更大. 与α-Fe₂O₃相比,外加阳极电位对Ti-Fe₂O₃的界面转移速率常数提高更为明显.     

Electrochemical Aptasensor for the Determination of Ochratoxin A at the Au Electrode Modified with Ag Nanoparticles Decorated with Macrocyclic Ligand

An electrochemical aptasensor for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection has been developed on the base of a gold electrode covered with electropolymerized neutral red and silver nanoparticles obtained by chemical reduction with macrocyclic ligands bearing catechol fragments. Thiolated aptamers against OTA were covalently attached to silver nanoparticles via Ag? S bonding. The interaction with OTA induced the conformational switch of the aptamer, which caused increase of the charge transfer resistance measured by EIS in the presence of ferricyanide ions. The LOD achieved (0.05 nM) was comparable to other electrochemical aptasensors employing sophisticated assembling technique and enzyme amplification of the signal. The aptasensor was validated in spiked beer samples. The recovery of the OTA determination was found to be 66.3±14.1 % for light beer and 64.3±1.8 % for dark beer.     

The Synthesis and Characterization of 2-Amino-3-methylpyridinium Dihydrogenmonophosphate: (C6H9N2)H2PO4

A new crystal of 2-amino-3-methylpyridinium dihydrogenmonophosphate has been prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography, thermal analysis, and impedance and NMR spectroscopies. This compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P with a = 7.343(2) Å, b = 7.987(2) Å, c = 8.116(4) Å, α = 77,62(3)°, β = 77,74(3)°, γ = 87,03(2)°, V = 454.3 (3)ų, and Z = 2. The crystal structure was solved and refined to R = 0.030 with 1602 independent reflections. The atomic arrangement can be described as (H₂PO₄ ^?)_n polymeric chains anchoring the 2-amino-3-methylpyridinium cations through short hydrogen bonds. All ring atoms of the organic entity are coplanar. The exocyclic N atom is an electron receiving center, which is consistent with features of imino resonance evidenced by bond lengths and angles. Solid state ³¹P, ¹³C, and ¹⁵N CP-MAS-NMR spectroscopies are in agreement with the X-ray structure. Ab initio calculations allow the attribution of carbons and nitrogen to the independent crystallographic sites.     

Corrosion resistance of electroless Cu–P and Cu–P–SiC composite coatings in 3.5% NaCl

The Cu–P and Cu–P–SiC composite coatings on carbon steel substrates were deposited via electroless plating. The anti-corrosion properties of Cu–P and Cu–P–SiC coatings were studied in 3.5% NaCl solution. The anti-corrosion properties of Cu–P and Cu–P–SiC coatings were investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution by the weight loss, potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. It has been found that the shift in the corrosion potential (E_corr) towards the noble direction, decrease in the corrosion current density (I_corr), increase in the charge transfer resistance (R_ct) and decrease in the double layer capacitance (C_dl) values indicated an improvement in corrosion resistance with the incorporation of SiC particles in the Cu–P matrix. The effects of varying the SiC concentration on the corrosion resistance of carbon steel were investigated and it was found that the best anti-corrosion property of Cu–P–SiC is at 5 g L^?1 SiC in the bath formulation.