Thin film membrane based on a-SiGe: B and MEMS technology for application in cochlear implants

In this work is presented the fabrication of a thin film membrane as a bio-transducer for aural assistance detection, therefore it will operate at low pressure. The resonant membrane was deposited by PECVD technique at low temperature of deposition T = 270 °C, using SiH₄, GeH₄, and Boron gases. The membrane was suspended on a micromachined crystalline silicon frame obtained by wet chemical etching. The a-SiGe:B film presented a resistivity of 2.46 × 10³ (Ω-cm), resistance of 20.8 kΩ. Using these experimental data we succeeded in designing a simple structure for sensing low pressure variations. The output voltage of the sensor was measured for a range of pressure from 0 to 3000 Pa and at bias voltage of 10 V.     

Zampanolide, a potent new microtubule-stabilizing agent, covalently reacts with the taxane luminal site in tubulin α,β-heterodimers and microtubules

Zampanolide and its less active analog dactylolide compete with paclitaxel for binding to microtubules and represent a new class of microtubule-stabilizing agent (MSA). Mass spectrometry demonstrated that the mechanism of action of both compounds involved covalent binding to β-tubulin at residues N228 and H229 in the taxane site of the microtubule. Alkylation of N228 and H229 was also detected in α,β-tubulin dimers. However, unlike cyclostreptin, the other known MSA that alkylates β-tubulin, zampanolide was a strong MSA. Modeling the structure of the adducts, using the NMR-derived dactylolide conformation, indicated that the stabilizing activity of zampanolide is likely due to interactions with the M-loop. Our results strongly support the existence of the luminal taxane site of microtubules in tubulin dimers and suggest that microtubule nucleation induction by MSAs may proceed through an allosteric mechanism.     

Ring Puckering in Chloride-[N,N′-Bis(2,6-Diisopropylphenyl)-2,2,6,6-Tetramethylheptane-3,5-Diiminato]Tin(II)

Abstract  

Reaction of the β-diketiminato lithium salt {CH[(C^tBu)(2,6-ⁱPr₂C₆H₃N)]₂}⁻Li⁺ with SnCl₂ provided the derivative {CH[(C^tBu)(2,6-ⁱPr₂C₆H₃N)₂}SnCl with a three-coordinate tin(II) ion. The crystal structure shows a non-planar ligand skeleton and a tin(II) ion with a distorted tetrahedral pyramidal geometry with one vertex occupied by an unshared electron pair. The Sn(II) ion out of the N2–C3–C2–C1–N1 plane (Φ-length) is 0.674 ? because of the steric hindrance between the tert-butyl groups and the N-aryl groups. The Sn–N1 [2.224 (19) ?] and Sn–N2 [2.1423 (18) ?] distances in the heterocycle corresponded with a delocalized system, while the most acute angle was associated with the bite of the chelating ligand N–Sn–N 87.94 (7)°.     

Study of the thermal degradation of bioactive sol–gel coatings for the optimization of its curing process

A set of materials has been prepared by sol–gel process containing different quantities of hydroxyapatite (0, 2.5 and 5% HAp w/w) using as silica precursors glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and triethoxyvinylsilane (VTES). In order to optimize the curing process to obtain sintherized systems (inorganic network) or hybrid systems (organic–inorganic) a TG and FTIR studies have been developed and degradation kinetic triplet parameters were obtained (the activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and function of degree of conversion). The kinetic study was analyzed by means of an integral isoconversional non-isothermal procedure (model free), and the kinetic model was determined by the Coats–Redfern method and through the compensation effect (IKR). All the systems followed the n = 6 kinetic model. The addition of HAp increases the thermal stability of the systems. The isothermal degradation was simulated from non-isothermal data, and the curing process could be defined to obtain the two types of materials. Temperature under 250 °C allows the formation of hybrids networks.     

Retrieval of the complex refractive index of aerosol droplets from optical tweezers measurements

The cavity enhanced Raman scattering spectrum recorded from an aerosol droplet provides a unique fingerprint of droplet radius and refractive index, assuming that the droplet is homogeneous in composition. Aerosol optical tweezers are used in this study to capture a single droplet and a Raman fingerprint is recorded using the trapping laser as the source for the Raman excitation. We report here the retrieval of the real part of the refractive index with an uncertainty of ± 0.0012 (better than ± 0.11%), simultaneously measuring the size of the micrometre sized liquid droplet with a precision of better than 1 nm (< ± 0.05% error). In addition, the equilibrium size of the droplet is shown to depend on the laser irradiance due to optical absorption, which elevates the droplet temperature above that of the ambient gas phase. Modulation of the illuminating laser power leads to a modulation in droplet size as the temperature elevation is altered. By measuring induced size changes of <1 nm, we show that the imaginary part of the refractive index can be retrieved even when less than 10 × 10(-9) with an accuracy of better than ± 0.5 × 10(-9). The combination of these measurements allows the complex refractive index of a droplet to be retrieved with high accuracy, with the possibility of making extremely sensitive optical absorption measurements on aerosol samples and the testing of frequently used mixing rules for treating aerosol optical properties. More generally, this method provides an extremely sensitive approach for measuring refractive indices, particularly under solute supersaturation conditions that cannot be accessed by simple bulk-phase measurements.     

Coimmobilization of a redox enzyme and a cofactor regeneration system

The coimmobilization of nitrobenzene nitroreductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in silica particles enables the continuous conversion of nitrobenzene to hydroxylaminobenzene with NADPH recycling.     

Application of the Specific Ion Interaction Theory → the Solubility Product and First Hydrolysis Constant of Europium

The specific ion interaction theory (SIT) was applied to the first hydrolysis constants of Eu(III) and solubility product of Eu(OH)₃ in aqueous 2, 3 and 4 mol⋅dm⁻³ NaClO₄ at 303.0 K, under CO₂-free conditions. Diagrams of pEu_aq versus pC_H were constructed from solubilities obtained by a radiometric method, the solubility product log₁₀ K_{sp, Eu(OH)3}^I {Eu(OH)_3(s) Eu_aq³⁺+ 3OH_aq⁻ } values were calculated from these diagrams and the results obtained are log₁₀ K_sp,Eu(OH)3^I = − 22.65 ± 0.29, −23.32 ± 0.33 and −23.70 ± 0.35 for ionic strengths of 2, 3 and 4 mol⋅dm⁻³ NaClO₄, respectively. First hydrolysis constants {Eu_aq³⁺+H₂O Eu(OH)_(aq)²⁺+H⁺ } were also determined in these media by pH titration and the values found are log₁₀β_Eu,H^I = − 8.19 ± 0.15, −7.90 ± 0.7 and −7.61 ± 0.01 for ionic strengths of 2, 3, and 4 mol⋅dm⁻³ NaClO₄, respectively. Total solubilities were estimated taking into account the formation of both Eu³⁺ and Eu(OH)²⁺ (7.7 < pC_H < 9) and the values found are: 1.4 × 10⁻⁶ mol⋅dm⁻³, 1.2 × 10⁻⁶ mol⋅dm⁻³ and 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ mol⋅dm⁻³, for ionic strengths of 2, 3 and 4 mol⋅dm⁻³ NaClO₄, respectively. The limiting values at zero ionic strength were extrapolated by means of the SIT from the experimental results of the present research together with some other published values. The results obtained are log₁₀ K_{sp, Eu(OH)3}^o = − 23.94 ± 0.51 (1.96 SD) and log₁₀β_Eu,H⁰ = − 7.49 ± 0.15 (1.96 SD).     

Effect of aza substitution on the photophysical and electrochemical properties of porphycenes: Characterization of the near-IR-absorbing photosensitizers 2,7,12,17-tetrakis(p-substituted phenyl)-3,6,13,16-tetraazaporphycenes

The need for new photodynamic-therapy photosensitizers has stimulated the search of new families of compounds absorbing strongly in the 700-900 nm range, the region where tissue is most transparent to radiation capable to induce the photodynamic effect. Using computational chemistry techniques, 3,6,13,16-tetraazaporphycenes were previously identified as interesting target candidates. This work reports on the photophysical and electrochemical properties of selected members of this new family of macrocycles. Compared to porphycenes, the tetra-aza counterparts show stronger absorption in the near-infrared, lower-lying singlet and triplet excited states, and substantially larger internal conversion quantum yield (Phi(IC) = 0.93). Energy transfer to oxygen is observed, which results in the formation of the cytotoxic species singlet oxygen. The process is found to be reversible, consistent with a triplet-energy value close to that of singlet oxygen.