Nanoindentation of glass wool fibers

The nanoindentation technique is used to analyze the depth dependence of the hardness and the reduced elastic modulus of bulk glasses and glass wool fibers (4-12 μm in diameter) of calcium aluminosilicate composition. In spite of the fiber geometry and the delicate sample mounting-technique, nanoindentation proves to be a relatively accurate method that provides reproducible data for both hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (E_r) of thin glass fibers. It is found that H and E_r are generally lower for the fiber than for the bulk sample. Within a given fiber, both H and E_r are approximately constant with increasing indentation depth. However, both of these parameters decrease with diminishing fiber diameter. This trend is attributed to an increase of the free volume of the fibers with decreasing fiber diameter, i.e. to an increase of the fictive temperature.     

Solvent-Enhanced Conformational Flexibility of Cyclic Tetrapeptides

Solvent and temperature can affect the structural properties of cyclic peptides by controlling their flexibility. Here, we investigate two cyclic peptides, featuring beta turns. Using temperature-dependent NMR and FT-IR, we observed a pronounced temperature effect on the conformation of the cyclic peptide D-1 in CHCl₃ but a much smaller effect in CH₃CN. Almost no effect was observed for its diastereomer L-1 within a similar temperature range and using the same solvents. With the aid of Replica Exchange Molecular Dynamics simulations and Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics calculations, we were able to explain this behavior based on the increased flexibility of D-1 (in CHCl₃) in terms of intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The largest temperature dependence is observed for D - 1 in CHCl₃, while the temperature effect is less pronounced for L-1 in CHCl₃ and for both peptides in CH₃CN. This work provides new insights into the role of the environment and temperature on the conformations of cyclic peptides.     

The Effect of Air Plasma Activated Liquid on Uropathogenic Bacteria

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - Urinary tract infections (UTI) are often caused by resistant uropathogenic bacteria and can lead to sepsis or chronic renal failure. Cold plasma activated...     

Free Massive Fermions¶Inside the Quantum Discrete sine-Gordon Model

We extend the notion of space shifts introduced in [FV3] for certain quantum light cone lattice equations of sine-Gordon type at root of unity (e.g. [FV1,FV2,BKP,BBR]). As a result, we obtain a compatibility equation for the roots of central elements within the algebra of observables (also called current algebra). The equation, which is obtained by exponentiating these roots, is exactly the evolution equation for the?“classical background” as described in [BBR]. As an application for the introduced constructions, we derive a one to one correspondence between a special case of the quantum light cone lattice equations of sine-Gordon type and free massive fermions on a lattice, as a special case of the lattice Thirring model constructed in [DV]. Received: 2 December 1996 / Accepted: 19 January 1999     

Beyond Kozeny–Carman: Predicting the Permeability in Porous Media

Transport in Porous Media - Various processes such as heterogeneous reactions or biofilm growth alter a porous medium’s underlying geometric structure. This significantly affects its...     

Nonradiative deactivation of europium(III) luminescence as a detection scheme for moisture

The nonradiative deactivation of the excited state of europium(III)-based phosphors via OH-vibrations in the presence of water allows the detection of moisture in nitrogen at concentration levels down to at least 25 ppm (0.09% RH).     

Poly(ethylene carbonate) Nanoparticles as Carrier System for Chemotherapy Showing Prolonged in vivo Circulation and Anti‐Tumor Efficacy

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of PEC nanoparticles as delivery system for cancer chemotherapy. Assembly of paclitaxel‐loaded nanoparticles with high loading efficiency and narrow‐size distribution is successful. For non‐invasive in vivo tracing, nanoparticle blends of chelator bearing poly(lactide) with PEC and PLGA are successfully prepared. Pharmacokinetic studies in mice reveal a twofold higher circulation time of PEC as compared to PLGA. A tumor model shows an accumulation of PEC NPs in cancerous tissue and a higher anti‐tumor efficiency compared to the standard Taxol?, which is reflected in a significantly slower tumor growth compared to the NaCl control group.