Oriented polymer dispersed discotic liquid crystals

Polymer dispersed discotic liquid crystals (PDDLCs) were prepared using the hexa-n-octanoate of rufigallol (RHO) and three polymer matrices: polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA). The molecular orientation of RHO in stretched PDDLC films was characterized by means of infrared dichroism. It was found that the stretching of films that contain RHO in both the columnar D1 and crystalline phase can effectively align columns of RHO along the stretching direction, with the short axes of the rigid cores lying in the plane of the film. By contrast with stretched polymer dispersed nematic liquid crystals, no orientation of RHO is induced for films stretched with RHO in the isotropic phase, followed by rapid cooling to room temperature. However, if stretched films are cooled under strain into the columnar D1 phase, orientation of RHO can develop with time.     

基于小型电磁动力驱动器的微流道混合控制研究

对于许多微流体应用系统来说,流体的混合是至关重要的.本文研究了基于电磁流体动力混合器的微流道主动混合控制方法,建立了该微流道混合系统的理论模型并进行了数值模拟.在交变Lorentz驱动下,流经混合器流道的流体及其分界面在混合器流道内往复运动,流体界面的反复折叠与流体局部流动使流体混合,流体的横向往复运动使流体分界面反复折叠从而使流体间的接触面积大大增加.对流体混合过程进行了讨论并给出了漉体混合程度评价方法.     

Control of vortex breakdown in a closed cylinder with a rotating lid

The flow within a closed cylinder with a rotating lid is considered as a prototype for fundamental studies of vortex breakdown. Numerical simulations for various parameter values have been carried out to reproduce the known effect of a thin rotating rod positioned along the center axis as well as analyze the influence of local vorticity sources. As expected, the results show that the breakdown bubbles in the steady axisymmetric flow can be affected dramatically, i.e., fully suppressed or significantly enhanced, by rotating the rod. The main contribution of this article is to show that the observed behavior can be explained by the vorticity generated by the rod locally near the rotating lid and near the fixed lid, as analogous behavior is caused by the introduction of local vorticity sources in the flow without a rod. Moreover, we describe the influence on the breakdown bubbles of the vorticity sources by an analytical model. In addition to improving our understanding, this finding should also open the door to other types of flow control devices capable of generating localized vorticity.     

Development of reference materials for microbiological analysis

The reliability of reference materials (RMs) depends on properties such as fitness, robustness, commutability, stability and homogeneity. The development of RMs for microbiological analysis is especially challenged through questions around the stabilisation and recovery of viable cells, the dispersion of precise numbers of cells, matrix effects and, when using molecular techniques, the presence of nucleic acids (e.g. DNA) of dead and live target organisms. However, RMs are indispensable tools for quality control in microbiological analysis. The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), as part of the European Commission, concentrates its efforts on the development of RMs to support the development, implementation and monitoring of EU legislation. A special focus is given to highly precise RMs for presence/absence and enumeration tests in microbiological food and water analysis. Another group of new RMs certified by the IRMM comprise DNA-based materials to control the identity of micro-organisms in qualitative assays. All of these activities serve to improve quality control in microbiological analysis. Presented at ‘BERM-10’, April 2006, Charleston, SC, USA.     

Multidimensional De Novo Design Reveals 5‐HT2B Receptor‐Selective Ligands

We report a multi‐objective de novo design study driven by synthetic tractability and aimed at the prioritization of computer‐generated 5‐HT_2B receptor ligands with accurately predicted target‐binding affinities. Relying on quantitative bioactivity models we designed and synthesized structurally novel, selective, nanomolar, and ligand‐efficient 5‐HT_2B modulators with sustained cell‐based effects. Our results suggest that seamless amalgamation of computational activity prediction and molecular design with microfluidics‐assisted synthesis enables the swift generation of small molecules with the desired polypharmacology.     

The Hijazi inequality on conformally parabolic manifolds

We prove the Hijazi inequality, an estimate for Dirac eigenvalues, for complete manifolds of finite volume. Under some additional assumptions on the dimension and the scalar curvature, this inequality is also valid for elements of the essential spectrum. This allows to prove the conformal version of the Hijazi inequality on conformally parabolic manifolds if the spin analog to the Yamabe invariant is positive.     

OH�� Radical Production Induces Direct Enhancement of the Amylo?d �� Protein/Chondroitin Sulfate Binding: Inhibition by Potentially Radical Scavengers, a Biochromatographic and Thermodynamic Model

??-Amyloid (A??) is a major component of the senile plaques characteristic of Alzheimer disease (AD). Chondroitin sulfate (CS) and glycoaminoglycan (GAG) are also localized throughout the senile plaques in AD. In previous studies, the interaction of the A?? protein with CS immobilized on a chromatographic support and the role of aluminum and copper cations was studied using a molecular chromatographic approach [1, 2]. Here, we demonstrated the direct implication of OH· radical formation on this binding via a novel analytical procedure. The binding of A?? amyloid on CS was accompanied by an OH· radical uptake. The A?¨CCS complex was stabilized by the OH· radical via the creation of about one to two hydrogen bonds. The addition in the medium of a radical scavenger allowed decreasing the A??/CS association and thus confirmed the positive role of these compounds in amyloidosis.     

Formulation of Cannabidiol in Colloidal Lipid Carriers

In this study, the general processability of cannabidiol (CBD) in colloidal lipid carriers was investigated. Due to its many pharmacological effects, the pharmaceutical use of this poorly water-soluble drug is currently under intensive research and colloidal lipid emulsions are a well-established formulation option for such lipophilic substances. To obtain a better understanding of the formulability of CBD in lipid emulsions, different aspects of CBD loading and its interaction with the emulsion droplets were investigated. Very high drug loads (>40% related to lipid content) could be achieved in emulsions of medium chain triglycerides, rapeseed oil, soybean oil and trimyristin. The maximum CBD load depended on the type of lipid matrix. CBD loading increased the particle size and the density of the lipid matrix. The loading capacity of a trimyristin emulsion for CBD was superior to that of a suspension of solid lipid nanoparticles based on trimyristin (69% vs. 30% related to the lipid matrix). In addition to its localization within the lipid core of the emulsion droplets, cannabidiol was associated with the droplet interface to a remarkable extent. According to a stress test, CBD destabilized the emulsions, with phospholipid-stabilized emulsions being more stable than poloxamer-stabilized ones. Furthermore, it was possible to produce emulsions with pure CBD as the dispersed phase, since CBD demonstrated such a pronounced supercooling tendency that it did not recrystallize, even if cooled to −60 °C.