Improving imprinted shape cavities of molecularly imprinted sol–gel host matrix with minimal relaxation for sensing of creatinine

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is of great attention in biomimetic recognition systems due to its selective molecular recognition towards any guest...     

Compatibility and fungal degradation of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]/aliphatic copolyester blend

Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) was blended with an aliphatic copolyester, which was synthesized by the esterification of adipic acid, ethylene glycol, and lactic acid. The blend showed a single T_g, which varied systematically but convexly upwards with the composition. The growth rate of PHB spherulites, the crystallization temperature, and the equilibrium melting temperature of the blend were decreased as the amount of the copolyester was increased. Therefore, the blend system was determined to be compatible. However, the degree of crystallinity, and the enthalpies of crystallization and fusion of PHB in the blend remained almost constant, regardless of the compositional change, although the crystallization rate was decreased upon blending. No chemical change such as transesterification was observed as a result of the blending, yet there was a slight change in the crystalline morphology of PHB. The rate of fungal degradation was lowered with an increase in the copolyester content of the blend. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Energy transfer of highly vibrationally excited 2-methylnaphthalene: Methylation effects

The methylation effects in the energy transfer between Kr atoms and highly vibrationally excited 2-methylnaphthalene in the triplet state were investigated using crossed-beam/time-sliced velocity-map ion imaging at a translational collision energy of approximately 520 cm(-1). Comparison of the energy transfer between naphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene shows that the difference in total collisional cross section and the difference in energy transfer probability density functions are small. The ratio of the total cross sections is sigma(naphthalene): sigma(methylnaphthalene)=1.08+/-0.05:1. The energy transfer probability density function shows that naphthalene has a little larger probability at small T-->VR energy transfer, DeltaE(u)<300 cm(-1), and 2-methylnaphthalene has a little larger probability at large V-->T energy transfer, -800 cm(-1)相似文献   

Redox equilibria of iron oxides in aqueous-based magnetite dispersions: effect of pH and redox potential

The effect of pH and redox potential on the redox equilibria of iron oxides in aqueous-based magnetite dispersions was investigated. The ionic activities of each dissolved iron species in equilibrium with magnetite nanoparticles were determined and contoured within the Eh-pH framework of a composite stability diagram. Both standard redox potentials and equilibrium constants for all major iron oxide redox equilibria in magnetite dispersions were found to differ from values reported for noncolloidal systems. The "triple point" position of redox equilibrium among Fe(II) ions, magnetite, and hematite shifted to a higher standard redox potential and an equilibrium constant which was several orders of magnitude higher. The predominant area of magnetite stability was enlarged to cover a wider range of both pH and redox potentials as compared to that of a noncolloidal magnetite system.     

Propane fuel cells using phosphoric-acid-doped polybenzimidazole membranes

Propane fuel cells using H(3)PO(4)-doped polybenzimidazole polymer membranes produce low and unsustainable current densities at temperatures up to 250 degrees C under anhydrous conditions. Stable intermediate species blocked the surface of noble metal anode catalysts, and the intermediate species could not react further into desorbable final products. In contrast, when water was introduced by light humidification (S(r) 0.08%) of the propane stream, sustainable and higher current densities were achieved. Water participated in the reaction sequence to form surface-bound hydrocarbon and then oxygen-containing intermediates and thereby generated CO and CO(2) as the only carbon-containing products.     

N-(4-(di-tert-butyl[F]fluorosilyl)benzyl)-2-hydroxy-N,N-dimethylethylammonium bromide ([F]SiFANBr): A novel lead compound for the development of hydrophilic SiFA-based prosthetic groups for F-labeling

¹⁸F-labeled compounds play a major role in the development of new in vivo imaging agents for Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a non invasive imaging modality depicting the biodistribution of radioactive compounds in humans. Recently we reported a new method for the introduction of fluorine-18 into a range of organic molecules exploiting the very fast ¹⁸F-¹⁹F isotope exchange of fluorosilanes (termed SiFA compounds). Here, we wish to report the labeling of the first charged SiFA molecule N-(4-(di-tert-butylfluorosilyl)benzyl)-2-hydroxy-N,N-dimethylethylammonium bromide (SiFAN⁺Br⁻) serving as a lead compound in the development of SiFA-based prosthetic groups of reduced lipophilicity for biomolecule labeling. Mild conditions for synthesis of [¹⁸F]SiFAN⁺Br⁻ and an easy purification procedure using simple C-18 solid phase cartridge have been developed yielding the [¹⁸F]SiFAN⁺Br⁻ in radiochemical yields of 34% (non-decay corrected) within 40 min. A series of kinetic experiments were performed that show high isotopic exchange rate constants. Low activation energy (15.7 kcal/mol) and a large preexponential factor (7.9 × 10¹³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) were calculated for the isotopic exchange reaction from a corresponding Arrhenius plot. For comparison, the ¹⁸F-fluorination of ethyleneglycol-di-p-tosylate via the formation of a carbon-¹⁸F bond showed a 1.3 kcal/mol higher activation energy and a much lower preexponential factor of 2.9 × 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Moderate hydrophilicity (log D = 0.44), stability in aqueous media at pH up to 7.4 and a high specific activity of [¹⁸F]SiFAN⁺Br⁻ (SA = 20.4 GBq/μmol, 0.55 Ci/μmol) make this charged SiFA compound useful for the development of novel SiFA-based ¹⁸F-labeling synthons.     

Investigation of viscoelastic focusing of particles and cells in a zigzag microchannel

Microfluidic particle focusing has been a vital prerequisite step in sample preparation for downstream particle separation, counting, detection, or analysis, and has attracted broad applications in biomedical and chemical areas. Besides all the active and passive focusing methods in Newtonian fluids, particle focusing in viscoelastic fluids has been attracting increasing interest because of its advantages induced by intrinsic fluid property. However, to achieve a well-defined focusing position, there is a need to extend channel lengths when focusing micrometer-sized or sub-microsized particles, which would result in the size increase of the microfluidic devices. This work investigated the sheathless viscoelastic focusing of particles and cells in a zigzag microfluidic channel. Benefit from the zigzag structure of the channel, the channel length and the footprint of the device can be reduced without sacrificing the focusing performance. In this work, the viscoelastic focusing, including the focusing of 10 μm polystyrene particles, 5 μm polystyrene particles, 5 μm magnetic particles, white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), and cancer cells, were all demonstrated. Moreover, magnetophoretic separation of magnetic and nonmagnetic particles after viscoelastic pre-focusing was shown. This focusing technique has the potential to be used in a range of biomedical applications.     

Vitamin A and Bone Health: A Review on Current Evidence

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble micronutrient essential for growth, immunity, and good vision. The preformed retinol is commonly found in food of animal origin whereas provitamin A is derived from food of plant origin. This review summarises the current evidence from animal, human and cell-culture studies on the effects of vitamin A towards bone health. Animal studies showed that the negative effects of retinol on the skeleton were observed at higher concentrations, especially on the cortical bone. In humans, the direct relationship between vitamin A and poor bone health was more pronounced in individuals with obesity or vitamin D deficiency. Mechanistically, vitamin A differentially influenced the stages of osteogenesis by enhancing early osteoblastic differentiation and inhibiting bone mineralisation via retinoic acid receptor (RAR) signalling and modulation of osteocyte/osteoblast-related bone peptides. However, adequate vitamin A intake through food or supplements was shown to maintain healthy bones. Meanwhile, provitamin A (carotene and β-cryptoxanthin) may also protect bone. In vitro evidence showed that carotene and β-cryptoxanthin may serve as precursors for retinoids, specifically all-trans-retinoic acid, which serve as ligand for RARs to promote osteogenesis and suppressed nuclear factor-kappa B activation to inhibit the differentiation and maturation of osteoclasts. In conclusion, we suggest that both vitamin A and provitamin A may be potential bone-protecting agents, and more studies are warranted to support this hypothesis.