Faster and improved microchip electrophoresis using a capillary bundle

Joule heating generated in CE microchips is known to affect temperature gradient, electrophoretic mobility, diffusion of analytes, and ultimately the efficiency and reproducibility of the separation. One way of reducing the effect of Joule heating is to decrease the cross-section area of microchannels. Currently, due to the limit of fabrication technique and detection apparatus, the typical dimensions of CE microchannels are in the range of 50-200 microm. In this paper, we propose a novel approach of performing microchip CE in a bundle of extremely narrow channels by using photonic crystal fiber (PCF) as separation column. The PCF was simply encapsulated in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchannel right after a T-shaped injector. CE was simultaneously but independently carried out in 54 narrow capillaries, each capillary with diameter of 3.7 microm. The capillary bundle could sustain high electric field strength up to 1000 V/cm due to efficient heat dissipation, thus faster and enhanced separation was attained.     

Deposition of CuInS2 thin films using copper- and indium/sulfide-containing precursors through a two-stage MOCVD method

Copper indium disulfide (CuInS2; CIS) films were deposited on various substrates by two-stage metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at relatively mild conditions, using Cu- and In/S-containing precursors without toxic H2S gas: first, a pure Cu thin film was prepared on glass or indium/tin oxide glass substrates by using a single-source precursor, bis(ethylbutyrylacetato)copper(II) or bis(ethylisobutyrylacetato)copper(II); second, on the resulting Cu film, tris(N,N-ethylbutyldithiocarbamato)indium(III) was treated to produce CIS films by a MOCVD method at 430 degrees C. In this process, their thicknesses and stoichiometries were found to be elaborately controlled on demand by adjusting the process conditions. The optical band gap of the stoichiometric CIS film was about 1.41 eV, which is in the near-optimal range for harvesting solar radiation energy.     

Origin of transient and intermittent dynamics in spatiotemporal chaotic systems

Nonattracting chaotic sets (chaotic saddles) are shown to be responsible for transient and intermittent dynamics in an extended system exemplified by a nonlinear regularized long-wave equation, relevant to plasma and fluid studies. As the driver amplitude is increased, the system undergoes a transition from quasiperiodicity to temporal chaos, then to spatiotemporal chaos. The resulting intermittent time series of spatiotemporal chaos displays random switching between laminar and bursty phases. We identify temporally and spatiotemporally chaotic saddles which are responsible for the laminar and bursty phases, respectively. Prior to the transition to spatiotemporal chaos, a spatiotemporally chaotic saddle is responsible for chaotic transients that mimic the dynamics of the post-transition attractor.     

Exercise type and muscle fiber specific induction of caveolin-1 expression for insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle

It is well known that exercise can have beneficial effects on insulin resistance by activation of glucose transporter. Following up our previous report that caveolin-1 plays an important role in glucose uptake in L6 skeletal muscle cells, we examined whether exercise alters the expression of caveolin-1, and whether exercise-caused changes are muscle fiber and exercise type specific. Fifty week-old Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were trained to climb a ladder and treadmill for 8 weeks and their soleus muscles (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus muscles (EDL) were removed after the last bout of exercise and compared with those from non-exercised animals. We found that the expression of insulin related proteins and caveolins did not change in SOL muscles after exercise. However, in EDL muscles, the expression of insulin receptor beta (IR beta) and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4) as well as phosphorylation of AKT and AMPK increased with resistance exercise but not with aerobic exercise. Also, caveolin-1 and caveolin-3 increased along with insulin related proteins only in EDL muscles by resistance exercise. These results suggest that upregulation of caveolin-1 in the skeletal muscle is fiber specific and exercise type specific, implicating the requirement of the specific mode of exercise to improve insulin sensitivity.     

Characteristics of SiO2 etching by using pulse-time modulation in 60 MHz/2 MHz dual-frequency capacitive coupled plasma

60 MHz pulsed radio frequency (rf) source power and 2 MHz continuous wave rf bias power, were used for SiO₂ etching masked with an amorphous carbon layer (ACL) in an Ar/C₄F₈/O₂ gas mixture, and the effects of the frequency and duty ratio of the 60 MHz pulse rf power on the SiO₂ etch characteristics were investigated. With decreasing duty ratio of the 60 MHz pulse rf power, not only the etch rate of SiO₂ but also the etch rate of ACL was decreased, however, the etch selectivity of SiO₂ over ACL was improved with decreasing the duty ratio. On the other hand, when the pulse frequency was varied at a constant duty ratio, no significant change in the etch rate and etch selectivity of both materials could be observed. The variation of the etch characteristics was believed to be related to the change in the gas dissociation characteristics caused by the change in the average electron temperature for different pulsing conditions. The improvement in the etch selectivity with the decrease of duty ratio, therefore, was related to the decreased gas dissociation of C₄F₈ by the decrease of average electron temperature and, which resulted in a change in composition of the fluorocarbon polymer on the etched materials surface from C–C rich to CF₂ rich. With decreasing the duty ratio, not only the etch selectivity but also the improvement in the SiO₂ etch profile could be observed.     

Single-pot derivatisation strategy for enhanced gliotoxin detection by HPLC and MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry

Gliotoxin is produced by non-ribosomal peptide synthesis and secreted from certain fungi, including Aspergillus fumigatus. It is an epipolythiodioxopiperazine that contains an intact disulphide bridge and is the focus of intense research as a consequence of its negative immunomodulatory properties. Gliotoxin detection is generally enabled by reversed-phase–high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), with absorbance detection (220–280 nm), or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, yet detection is not readily achievable by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS). We have developed a single-pot derivatisation strategy which uses sodium borohydride-mediated reduction of gliotoxin followed by immediate alkylation of exposed thiols by 5′-iodoacetamidofluorescein to yield a stable product, diacetamidofluorescein-gliotoxin (GT-(AF)₂), of molecular mass 1103.931 Da ((M + H)+). This product is readily detectable by RP-HPLC and exhibits a 6.8-fold increase in molar absorptivity compared with gliotoxin, which results in a higher sensitivity of detection (40 ng; 125 pmoL). GT-(AF)₂ also fluoresces (excitation/emission, 492:518 nm). Unlike free gliotoxin, the product (>800 fmol) is detectable by MALDI-ToF MS. Sporidesmin A can also be detected by RP-HPLC and MALDI-ToF MS (>530 fmol) using this strategy. We also demonstrate that the strategy facilitates detection of gliotoxin (mean ± SD = 3.55 ± 0.07 μg 100 μL⁻¹; n = 2) produced by A. fumigatus, without the requirement for organic extraction of culture supernatants and associated solvent removal. GT-(AF)₂ is also detectable (150 ng; 460 pmol) by thin-layer chromatography.     

Preparation of Polyester Polyol from Epoxidized Palm Olein

In this work, polyester polyols with high weight average molecular weight (M_w) (M_w?10000–15000) were prepared from epoxidized palm olein (EPO_o) and a series of dicarboxylic acids (C₆–C₁₂) at elevated temperature under non‐catalyzed condition. The optimal reaction conditions were determined as 180°C for 4 h. Longer carbon chain length of dicarboxylic acids was more reactive when reacted with EPO_o. The physical appearance of the product was observed as liquid at room temperature. This palm oil‐based polyester polyol is proposed as starting material for flexible polyurethane. For reaction monitoring purposes, FTIR was used while ¹H NMR analysis was carried out to characterize the important functional groups of the products. The effects of reaction time and temperature on the M_w of the reaction mixture were also studied by GPC.     

One component photo‐curing agent for epoxy resins based on multifunctional photobase generators containing oxime–urethane groups

In order to develop a one‐component photo‐curing system for epoxy resin, the photo‐crosslinking reactions of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) in the presence of a multifunctional photobase generator (PBG) containing oxime–urethane groups were studied. The cross‐linking of DGEBA films and adhesion properties of DGEBA formulations containing the PBG and benzophenone increased with irradiation dose, post‐exposure baking (PEB) time, PEB temperature, and the number of oxime–urethane groups in the PBG. A synergistic effect was observed between the PBG and a base amplifier on the film cross‐linking of DGEBA. A trifunctional PBG containing oxime–urethane groups was found to be the most efficient PBG in terms of the photo‐crosslinking and adhesion properties of the DGEBA‐based formulations. Moreover, the devised formulations, including the PBG and benzophenone, were stable for at least 1 month at room temperature. The photocuring system developed in this study appears to offer a one‐pack epoxy resin curing system with practical useful properties. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hybrid electrokinetic manipulation in high-conductivity media

This study reports a hybrid electrokinetic technique for label-free manipulation of pathogenic bacteria in biological samples toward medical diagnostic applications. While most electrokinetic techniques only function in low-conductivity buffers, hybrid electrokinetics enables effective operation in high-conductivity samples, such as physiological fluids (～1 S m(-1)). The hybrid electrokinetic technique combines short-range electrophoresis and dielectrophoresis, and long-range AC electrothermal flow to improve its effectiveness. The major technical hurdle of electrode instability for manipulating high conductivity samples is tackled by using a Ti-Au-Ti sandwich electrode and a 3-parallel-electrode configuration is designed for continuous isolation of bacteria. The device operates directly with biological samples including urine and buffy coats. We show that pathogenic bacteria and biowarfare agents can be concentrated for over 3 orders of magnitude using hybrid electrokinetics.