Hydrodynamic simulation of cell docking in microfluidic channels with different dam structures

The immobilization of biological cells in micro-devices requires high efficiency and easy control while maintaining cell viability. One approach for cell immobilization is to utilize constriction structures such as dams to trap cells in microfluidics. In this paper, we present a comprehensive hydrodynamic analysis of two different types of constriction structures for cell immobilization: dams either in perpendicular or in parallel to the main flow route. Various structural models and experimental conditions were compared for cell docking and alignment, and the pressure and velocity profiles of the flow in the micro-channels and the hydrodynamic force and shear stress on the docked cells were calculated based on fluid dynamic theory and numerical simulation. The effects of the dam structures and cell docking on the flow properties, the transportation efficiency, and the induced stress on the docked cells were analyzed. Improved hydraulic pressure profiles in the auxiliary inlets were discussed for the modulation of the flow characteristics and attenuation of hydrodynamic forces exerted on the cells. Furthermore, a new design combining the advantages of perpendicular and parallel dam structures was proposed for cell-based microfluidics.     

DFT study on the geometric, electronic structure and Raman spectra of 5,15-diphenylporphine

The ground state geometric, electronic structure and Raman spectra of 5,15-diphenylporphine (H(2)DPP) have been studied using B3LYP/6-31G(d) method and compared with that of well-studied free base porphine (H(2)P) and meso-tetraphenylporphine (H(2)TPP). Calculation shows that 5,15-substitution causes remarkable in-plane distortion, whereas the resulting out-of-plane distortion is negligible. The calculated electronic structure of H(2)DPP is consistent with the absorption spectra compared with H(2)P and H(2)TPP. The calculated vibrational frequencies of H(2)DPP scaled with a single factor of 0.971 agree well with experimental data (the rms error is 8.0 cm(-1)). The assignment of experimental Raman bands of H(2)DPP was discussed on the basis of theoretical calculation and the comparison with that of H(2)P and H(2)TPP. The splitting of some vibrational modes involving the motion of C(m) atom, such as nu(1), nu(8), and nu(10), was observed and was attributed to the diversification of the environment around C(m) atoms. As the shift of absorption peaks, the shift of some structure-sensitive Raman bands of H(2)DPP form that of H(2)TPP and H(2)P was attributed to the in-plane nuclear reorganization (IPNR) induced by phenyl-substitution, though the contribution of nonplanarity mechanism could not be excluded completely.     

Palladium salicylaldimine complexes containing boronate esters

Reactions of salicylaldehydes with boronate ester derivatives of aniline have been examined. Addition of these Schiff base ligands to palladium acetate or Na₂PdCl₄ afforded novel boron-containing trans-bis(N-arylsalicylaldiminato) palladium complexes.Condensation of salicylaldehyde (2-HOC₆H₄C(O)H) with H₂NC₆H₄Bpin (pin=1,2-O₂C₂Me₄) afforded the boron-containing Schiff bases, 2-HOC₆H₄C(H)=NC₆H₄Bpin (1–3a). Similar reactivity with 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde gave the corresponding Schiff bases (1-3b) and (1-3c), respectively. Reaction of Schiff bases (2) and (3) with palladium acetate or Na₂PdCl₄ afforded complexes of the type PdL₂ (4,5), where L=deprotonated Schiff base. The molecular structure of the nitro-salicylaldehyde 4-Bpin palladium complex (5b) was characterized by an X-ray diffraction study. All new palladium compounds have been characterized fully and tested for their antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus.     

Rapid separation of phenylthiohydantoin amino acids: ambient pressure ion-mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS)

An electrospray ionization (ESI) ambient pressure ion-mobility spectrometer (APIMS) interfaced to an orthogonal reflector time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) was evaluated for the first time as a detector for the identification of phenylthiohydantoin (PTH)-derivatized amino acids, the final products in the Edman sequencing process of peptides and proteins. The drift and flight times of the twenty common PTH amino acids were characterized by a well-defined 2-D mobility/mass spectral pattern. The combination of mobility/mass modes of analysis gave rise to a unique trend-line formation for the series of PTH amino acids. In addition, each PTH amino acid had a unique reduced mobility constant K(o), thus enabling the differentiation of all the amino acid derivatives including the PTH-leucine and PTH-isoleucine isomers. More importantly it was shown that it was possible to resolve a complete reference mixture of PTH amino acids in a single experimental run in less than 1 min. Detection limits for the PTH amino acids were found to range from 1.04 to 3.52 ng; indicating that the limits of detection were less than 17.0 pmol for all of the PTH amino acids.     

Characterization of cyclodextrin-modified infrared chemical sensors: Part I. Modeling the mechanisms of interaction

To explore the properties of cyclodextrins (CDs) as an optical sensing phase, the behavior of immobilized CD in interaction with analytes was studied in this work. CDs having different cavity sizes were immobilized onto the surface of infrared (IR) internal reflection-sensing element (IRE) to kinetically monitor the behavior of CD in interaction with analytes. Several aromatic compounds having various molecular sizes and functional groups were used to characterize the interaction mechanism. A two-layer modification method was proposed in this work, which utilized a thin hydrophobic film (polyvinyl benzyl chloride) to stick on the IRE and to covalently bond to the CDs through an ethylene diamine linker. The synthesized CD phases exhibited high stability in aqueous solution. To analyze the behavior during the formation of complexes between the guest molecules and the CD phases, we modeled the interaction behavior and treated the kinetic data with the theoretical equations developed in this work. The results indicate that the behavior of the interaction between guest molecules and CDs was explained by considering the formation of two types of complexes: adsorbed complexes and inclusion complexes. The formation of the inclusion complexes was relatively fast, the time required to reach equilibrium could be shorter than a few minutes. The adsorbed complexes were also observed, but their rate of formation was relatively slow; equilibrium could be reached at times greater than 60 min. Based on the signals observed under equilibrium conditions, the concentration of inclusion complexes was approximately three times than that of the adsorbed complexes.     

Synthesis,crystal structure and luminescent property of a novel H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O-bridged cobalt(II) polymer with one-dimensional chain structure

The coordination compound [Co(C₁₀H₇COO)₂(H₂O)₃]_2n · 4nH₂O was prepared by the reaction of 1-naphthoic acid and cobalt(II) acetate tetrahydrate in basic solution, and was fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, element analysis, FTIR, TG-DTA and luminescent spectra. In the crystal the six-coordinated Co(II) centers are linked into one-dimensional zigzag chains by water molecules, which are further assembled into a two-dimensional network through weak inter-chain C–H···π interactions. The solid complex exhibits favorable fluorescent properties similar to those of free ligand at room temperature, which can be assigned to the intraligand electronic transfer.     

Conversion of 3-benzoyl-1-methyl-4-phenyl-γ-piperidol by arylamines and arylhydrazines. Synthesis of 3-arylamino-1-oxo-1-phenylpropanes and 1,3-diarylpyrazoles and their fragmentation under electron impact

It has been established that on heating, 3-benzoyl-4-hydroxy-1-methyl-4-phenylpiperidine is ring-opened in the presence of arylamines by a type of retroaldol reaction, with subsequent transamination of the intermediate Mannich base and the formation of 3-arylamino-1-oxo-1-phenylpropanes. When using arylhydrazines this γ-piperidol is recyclized with the formation of 1,3-diarylpyrazoles and their 4,5-dihydro derivatives. The mass spectral behavior of a series of 3-arylamino-substituted 1-phenylpropanones has been studied. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1486–1495, October, 2007.     

Studies on the properties of ionic liquid EMIInCl4

This paper reports that an ionic liquid (IL) has been prepared by directly mixing InCl₃ and 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) with molar ratio 1/1 under dry argon atmosphere. The densities, and surface tension of the pure IL were determined at temperature range of 293.15 to 343.15 ± 0.1 K. The volumetric properties and the properties of surface for ionic liquid based on group III were discussed by Glasser's theory and Yang's interstice model.     

The Effect of Alkane Chain Length on the Liquid–Liquid Critical Temperatures of Oligostyrene/Linear-Alkane Mixtures

Summary. Upper critical solution temperatures (UCSTs) for liquid–liquid demixing in a set of mixtures of linear alkanes (pentane (N ₁=5) to pentacontane (N ₁=50)) with an oligostyrene (1241amu, N ₂=12) are reported. We find strong correlation between the Hildebrand solubility parameters of the alkanes and the UCST. Correlations are developed which enable predictions concerning the miscibility of mixtures of compounds with longer chains.     

Stable and efficient algorithms for Xα multiple scattering calculations

Solutions to some practical problems that arise in multiple scattering calculations on large molecules are discussed. (1) Numerical instabilities near the zero of energy can be removed by rescaling the secular matrix. (2) The calculation of structure factors can be made much more efficient by the application of symmetry projection operators. (3) An energy search procedure is described that ensures that no states are inadvertently neglected. Test calculations incorporating these changes illustrate the improved numerical stability, and show decreases in computation time of 30–60%, when compared to previous codes. The procedures suggested here are applicable to both relativistic and nonrelatitistic calculations.