Photon channelling in foams

Experiments by Gittings, Bandyopadhyay and Durian (Europhys. Lett. 65, 414 (2004)) demonstrate that light possesses a higher probability to propagate in the liquid phase of a foam due to total reflection. The authors term this observation photon channelling which we investigate in this article theoretically. We first derive a central relation in the work of Gitting et al. without any free parameters. It links the photon's path-length fraction f in the liquid phase to the liquid fraction ɛ. We then construct two-dimensional Voronoi foams, replace the cell edges by channels to represent the liquid films and simulate photon paths according to the laws of ray optics using transmission and reflection coefficients from Fresnel's formulas. In an exact honeycomb foam, the photons show superdiffusive behavior. It becomes diffusive as soon as disorder is introduced into the foams. The dependence of the diffusion constant on channel width and refractive index is explained by a one-dimensional random-walk model. It contains a photon channelling state that is crucial for the understanding of the numerical results. At the end, we shortly comment on the observation that photon channelling only occurs in a finite range of ɛ.     

Sulfated glycopolymer thin films - preparation, characterization, and biological activity

The impact of heparinoid characteristics on model surfaces obtained from immobilization of sole sulfate groups as well as sulfated glycosides, sulfated cellulose, and definite heparin has been investigated. The obtained layers were physico-chemically characterized regarding film thickness, chemical composition, wettability, and surface morphology. Antithrombin adsorption, studied by fluorescence labeling, revealed a strong dependence on the presence of glycosidic structures and on the molecular weight of the grafted saccharide. On contact with whole blood, the coatings resulted in a diminished plasmatic and cellular coagulation in vitro, which did not reflect well the antithrombin binding. Therefore, more complex activating pathways are discussed.     

High precision delta(17)O isotope measurements of oxygen from silicates and other oxides: method and applications

The use of infrared laser-assisted fluorination to release oxygen from milligram quantities of silicates or other oxide mineral grains is a well-established technique. However, relatively few studies have reported the optimisation of this procedure for oxygen-17 isotope measurements. We describe here details of an analytical system using infrared (10 μm) laser-assisted fluorination, in conjunction with a dual inlet mass spectrometer of high resolving power ( approximately 250) to provide (17)O and (18)O oxygen isotope measurements from 0.5-2 mg of silicates or other oxide mineral grains. Respective precisions (1) of typically 0.08 and 0.04 per thousand are obtained for the complete analytical procedure. Departures from the mass-dependent oxygen isotope fractionation line are quantified by Delta(17)O; our precision (1) of such measurements on individual samples is shown to be +/-0.024 per thousand. In turn, this permits the offset between parallel, mass-dependent fractionation lines to be characterised to substantially greater precision than has been possible hitherto. Application of this system to investigate the (17)O versus (18)O relationship for numerous terrestrial whole-rock and mineral samples, of diverse geological origins and age, indicates that the complete data set may be described by a single, mass-dependent fractionation line of slope 0.5244+/- 0.00038 (standard error). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper and iron interactions with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. A study by fast-atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

Fast atom bombardment, combined with high-energy collision-induced tandem mass spectrometry, has been used to investigate gas-phase metal-ion interactions with captopril, enalaprilat and lisinopril, all angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.Suggestions for the location of metal-binding sites are presented. For captopril, metal binding occurs most likely at both the sulphur and the nitrogen atom. For enalaprilat and lisinopril, binding preferably occurs at the amine nitrogen. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and characterization of rat monoclonal antibodies for N-acylated homoserine lactones

Quorum sensing (QS) is a communication mechanism between bacteria using diffusible chemical signaling molecules, which are called autoinducers (AI). By detecting the concentration of quorum sensing molecules through binding to a specific receptor protein, bacteria regulate their gene expressions when the concentration of autoinducers and thus the cell density reaches a threshold level. Many Gram-negative bacteria use acylated homoserine lactones (HSLs) as autoinducers. Because of the broad biological functions of HSLs, interest in detection and analysis of HSLs is increasing with a view to their medical, biotechnological, and agricultural applications. In this study, an anti-HSL antibody-based immunochemical detection method has been developed. Four structurally distinct HSL haptens, named HSL1, HSL2, HSL3, and HSL4, have been designed for antibody and assay development. New rat anti-HSL monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been produced in-house and characterized with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), both in the coating antigen and in the enzyme tracer format. Eight mAbs (HSL1-1A5, HSL1-8E1, HSL1/2-2C10, HSL1/2-4H5, HSL4-4C9, HSL4-5E12, HSL4-5H3, and HSL4-6D3) will be presented in this paper. We demonstrate that the anti-HSL mAbs have distinguished sensitivity and selectivity toward HSLs depending upon their chemical structures. The optimized assays are capable of detecting HSLs in the microgram per liter (low micromolar to nanomolar) range. The best IC₅₀ (test midpoint) was 134 ± 30 μg L⁻¹ (n = 54) for N-(3-oxodecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C10-HSL) using mAb HSL1/2-2C10 and HSL1–HRP in the enzyme tracer format. In the coating antigen format, the most selective mAb for N-octanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (C8-HSL) was mAb HSL4-4C9. Additionally, anti-HSL mAbs showed higher sensitivity against hydrolyzed HSLs, namely homoserines. These compounds might also occur under certain biological conditions. This study marks the beginning of new ways for quick and cost-effective HSL detection, requiring small sample amounts (less than 1 mL) and little to no sample preparation.     

A study of some parameters relevant to the response of harwell PMMA dosimeters to gamma and electron irradiation

The effects on the radiation response of Harwell polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) dosimeters of dose-rate, radiation type, temperature during irradiation and post-irradiation storage, and post-irradiation stability, are of importance to the operators of commercial irradiation facilities.

This paper describes recent studies of the effects of some of these parameters on the radiation response of Harwell Red 4034, Amber 3042, and Gammachrome YR Perspex dosimeters, and provides data on batch to batch variation and shelf-life.     

Development and characterization of new rat monoclonal antibodies for procalcitonin

The development of selective and sensitive biological recognition elements, e.g., antibodies, for the detection of relevant blood markers is a great challenge in the field of biosensors. In this context, five new rat monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for procalcitonin (PCT), a marker for bacterial infection and sepsis, were developed and characterized. One mAb, PROC1 3G3, was used as capture antibody. Four mAbs, PROC4 6C6, PROC4 6B2, PROC4 1G3, and PROC4 1D6, were used as detection mAbs, either as Protein G-purified or as biotinylated mAbs. A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor was used to characterize the antigen-antibody biomolecular interactions. The capture mAb (PROC1 3G3) has an equilibrium dissociation constant (K (D)) of 3.42 x 10(-8) M. All four detection mAbs (PROC4 6C6, PROC4 6B2, PROC4 1G3, and PROC4 1D6) are of high affinity (K (A) = 2.81-6.11 x 10(8) M(-1); K (D) = 1.64-3.56 x 10(-9) M) and have moderate dissociation rate constants (k (d) = 1.70-2.40 x 10(-3) s(-1)). Four different sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) with standards of human recombinant (hr) PCT, using PROC1 3G3 as capture mAb and PROC4 mAbs as detection mAbs, respectively, led to highly specific determinations of PCT without cross-reactivities to calcitonin and katacalcin. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) for hrPCT (in 40 mM phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.6) with these assays ranged from 2.3 to 12.8 microg L(-1). In addition, sandwich ELISAs were set up with biotinylated PROC4 mAbs, and with hrPCT in 4% human serum albumin (diluted 1:10 in 40 mM PBS, including 1:5 (v/v) LowCross Buffer(R)). The LLOQs of these sandwich assays ranged from 4.1 to 6.0 microg L(-1) and were thus much closer together for the different assays. With the latter assay setup (PROC1 3G3 as capture mAb, PROC4 6C6-biotin as detection mAb) a first collection of five serum samples was determined (healthy volunteers, unspiked, and spiked). Recovery rates for the spiked samples ranged from 98.3 to 115.7%. The newly developed anti-PCT mAbs should find broad applications in immunosensors for point-of-care diagnostics of sepsis and systemic inflammation processes.