Effect of Dosimetric and Physiological Factors on the Lethal Photosensitization of Porphyromonas gingivalis in vitro

The aims of this study were to (1) determine the effect of dosimetric and physiological factors on the lethal photosensitization of Porphyromonas gingivalis using tolui-dine blue O (TBO) and light from a helium/neon (HeNe) laser; (2) determine the influence of sensitizer concentration, preirradiation time, serum and growth phase on sensitizer uptake by P. gingivalis. The dosimetric factors studied were concentration of TBO, light dose and preirradiation time. The physiological factors were presence of serum, pH and bacterial growth phase. Sensitizer uptake by P. gingivalis under various conditions was determined using tritiated TBO (³H-TBO). In the presence of TBO, a light dose-dependent increase in kill was attained (100% kill at 4.4 J). There was no significant effect on the numbers killed when TBO was increased from 12.5 to 50 µg/mL. An increase in preirradiation time gave slightly increased kills. High kills were achieved at all three pH (6.8–8.0). Although kills were substantial in the presence of serum, they were significantly less than those obtained in the presence of saline. Cells in all three growth phases were susceptible to lethal photosensitization, although stationary phase cells were slightly less susceptible. Maximum uptake of TBO occurred within 60 s and uptake in serum was less than in saline. The uptake by the log phase cells was greater at lower concentrations of sensitizer (50 µg/mL), compared to the other two phases.     

Comparative characterisation by atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry of soft and solid thin films

Ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the film thickness and the surface roughness of both ‘soft’ and solid thin films. ‘Soft’ polymer thin films of polystyrene and poly(styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene) block copolymer were prepared by spin‐coating onto planar silicon wafers. Ellipsometric parameters were fitted by the Cauchy approach using a two‐layer model with planar boundaries between the layers. The smooth surfaces of the prepared polymer films were confirmed by AFM. There is good agreement between AFM and ellipsometry in the 80–130 nm thickness range. Semiconductor surfaces (Si) obtained by anisotropic chemical etching were investigated as an example of a randomly rough surface. To define roughness parameters by ellipsometry, the top rough layers were treated as thin films according to the Bruggeman effective medium approximation (BEMA). Surface roughness values measured by AFM and ellipsometry show the same tendency of increasing roughness with increased etching time, although AFM results depend on the used window size. The combined use of both methods appears to offer the most comprehensive route to quantitative surface roughness characterisation of solid films. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potential distribution in the solution interface of a scanning tunneling microscope

The linearized Poisson—Boltzmann equation is solved in the region between a sphere and a plane, which is modelling the electrolyte solution interface between the tip and the substrate in a scanning tunneling microscope. A series expansion in modified Bessel functions and Legendre polynomials, which are solutions to the linearized Poisson—Boltzmann equation, is used to fit the boundary conditions. Another numerical method of finite difference is also used with the domain transformed into bispherical coordinates. Results for cases of different potential values on the boundary surfaces and different distances of the sphere from the plane are presented.     

Liquid-vapour coexistence and correlations in the interface

From the derivative of the statistical mechanical definition of the number density (the first Yvon equation), we derive an infinite set of sum rules that must be satisfied by the density profile and the pair correlation function of a liquid-vapour system with pairwise central interactions. For a particular class of approximate pair correlation functions, the sum rules reduce to equations linking the pressure and temperature with the densities of the two bulk phases. Good agreement with experimental data is obtained.     

Discussion notes on “Electrowetting: Electrocapillarity,saturation, and dynamics”, by R. Sedev

Comments are provided for [3].     

Immobilization of [Pt2(μ-S)2(PPh3)4] on Polymeric Supports by Sulfide Alkylation and Phosphine Exchange Reactions

Abstract

The immobilization of the dinuclear platinum(II) sulfido complex [Pt₂(μ-S)₂ (PPh₃)₄] on solid supports has been investigated. Reaction with haloalkyl functionalized polymers [Merrifield's resin (chloromethylated polystyrene), chloropropyl silica, chloropropyl controlled pore glass, and bromopropyl polysiloxane] gives complexes immobilized through alkylation of one of the sulfide ligands, forming a μ-thiolate ligand acting as an anchor to the polymer support, akin to well-established reactions of [Pt₂(μ-S)₂(PPh₃)₄] with molecular alkylating agents. The model complex [Pt₂(μ-S)(μ-SCH₂SiMe₃)(PPh₃)₄]PF₆ was prepared as the first molecular silicon-containing derivative of [Pt₂(μ-S)₂(PPh₃)₄] and was fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Immobilization of [Pt₂(μ-S)₂(PPh₃)₄] by phosphine exchange reactions was also achieved using commercial polystyrene-grafted triphenylphosphine or a new immobilized phosphine [derived by sequential functionalization of Merrifield's resin with a polyether amine and then Ph₂PCH₂OH].     

Peptide structural analysis using continuous Ar cluster and C60 ion beams

A novel application of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) with continuous Ar cluster beams to peptide analysis was investigated. In order to evaluate peptide structures, it is necessary to detect fragment ions related to multiple neighbouring amino acid residues. It is, however, difficult to detect these using conventional ToF-SIMS primary ion beams such as Bi cluster beams. Recently, C₆₀ and Ar cluster ion beams have been introduced to ToF-SIMS as primary ion beams and are expected to generate larger secondary ions than conventional ones. In this study, two sets of model peptides have been studied: (des-Tyr)-Leu-enkephalin and (des-Tyr)-Met-enkephalin (molecular weights are approximately 400 Da), and [Asn¹ Val⁵]-angiotensin II and [Val⁵]-angiotensin I (molecular weights are approximately 1,000 Da) in order to evaluate the usefulness of the large cluster ion beams for peptide structural analysis. As a result, by using the Ar cluster beams, peptide molecular ions and large fragment ions, which are not easily detected using conventional ToF-SIMS primary ion beams such as Bi₃ ⁺, are clearly detected. Since the large fragment ions indicating amino acid sequences of the peptides are detected by the large cluster beams, it is suggested that the Ar cluster and C₆₀ ion beams are useful for peptide structural analysis.     

A Robust Algorithm for Roots Selection and Saturation Pressure Calculation for Cubic Equations of State

Journal of Solution Chemistry - In this work, a robust and rigorous procedure for roots calculation and selection for a Cubic Equation of State is presented. Roundoff errors are detected and...     

A rapid heating and high magnetic field thermal analysis technique

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A new thermal analysis technique is described that allows measurements to be performed on bulk samples at extreme heating and cooling rates and in high...