Pre-turn-on source bipolar injection in graded NMOSTs

The influence of the pre-turn-on source bipolar injection on graded NMOST breakdown characteristics is investigated. Double-implanted As-P (n⁺n^-) source-drain NMOS structures (DD NMOSTs) with different effective channel lengths, ranging from 1.15 to 9.15 μm, are measured. Using a simple, but accurate, semi-empirical model for the transistor operating in the breakdown region, it is shown that the DD NMOST snapback voltage is substantially decreased due to the enhanced pre-turn-on source electron emission current     

Quadratic soliton self-reflection at a quadratically nonlinear interface

The reflection of bulk quadratic solutions incident onto a quadratically nonlinear interface in periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate was observed. The interface consisted of the boundary between two quasi-phase-matched regions displaced from each other by a half-period. At high intensities and small angles of incidence the soliton is reflected.     

Tellurite glasses with peak absolute Raman gain coefficients up to 30 times that of fused silica

An experimental system has been assembled to measure the absolute values of the Raman gain spectrum for millimeter-thick glass samples. Results are reported for two new oxide glasses with Raman gain coefficients as much as 30 times larger than that of fused silica and more than twice its spectral coverage.     

Two-dimensional type I quadratic spatial solitons in KNbO(3) near noncritical phase matching

Experiments on the properties of quadratic, two-dimensional spatial soliton properties in KNbO(3) near and at noncritical phase matching (NCPM) are reported. The NCPM geometry leads to unique features such as a large angular bandwidth for soliton generation, weak dependence of soliton composition on intensity and incidence angle, and unique multisoliton-generation properties.     

Evaluation of DNA-Damaging Effects Induced by Different Tanning Agents Used in the Processing of Natural Leather—Pilot Study on HepG2 Cell Line

For a long time, the production and processing of cowhide was based on the use of chrome tanning. However, the growing problem with chromium waste and its negative impact on human health and the environment prompted the search for more environmentally friendly processes such as vegetable tanning or aldehyde tanning. In the present study, we investigated the DNA-damaging effects induced in HepG2 cells after 24 h exposure to leather samples (cut into 1 × 1 cm² rectangles) processed with different tanning agents. Our main objective was to determine which tanning procedure resulted in the highest DNA instability. The extent of treatment-induced DNA damage was determined using the alkaline comet assay. All tanning processes used in leather processing caused primary DNA damage in HepG2 cells compared to untreated cells. The effects measured in the exposed cells indicate that the leaching of potentially genotoxic chemicals from the same surface is variable and was highest after vegetable tanning, followed by synthetic tanning and chrome tanning. These results could be due to the complex composition of the vegetable and synthetic tanning agents. Despite all limitations, these preliminary results could be useful to gain a general insight into the genotoxic potential of the processes used in the processing of natural leather and to plan future experiments with more specific cell or tissue models.     

Evaluation of a method for treatment of iron gall ink corrosion on paper

Iron gall ink was the most widely used writing ink for paper from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the ink ingredients contain corrosive transition metal ions and acids that cause severe damage to the paper carrier. New or improved paper conservation methods for iron gall ink stabilization are constantly sought. The aim of the study was evaluation of a recently proposed stabilization treatment, adapted to lower relative humidity, applied to various model and historical paper samples containing iron gall ink. The effect of stabilization treatment on paper samples during artificial thermal aging was followed by the determination of the molecular weight distribution by size exclusion chromatography and colorimetry. Migration of iron and copper compounds from the ink lines was monitored by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate that effective stabilization of iron gall ink-containing paper can be successfully achieved by interleaving with papers impregnated with the antioxidant tetrabutylammonium bromide and alkaline buffer under experimental conditions. Negative side effects of the stabilization treatment, such as migration of iron or copper ions from the ink lines and changes of color after the treatment and after accelerated thermal degradation, were limited, proving that the proposed stabilization treatment can be considered for future use by conservators.     

Effect of the size of the charged group on the properties of alkoxylated NFCs

The impact of the size of the charged group on the properties of alkoxylated NFC was studied by two chloroalkyl acid reagents. It was found that the employment of the larger 2-chloropropionic acid reagent leads to improved properties, e.g. higher fraction of nano-sized materials, and significantly better redispersion as compared to when the smaller monochloroacetic acid was employed. The differences in the impacts of the different reagents were hypothesized to be due to a more efficient disruption of the cohesion between the nanofibrils when a larger charged group was employed.     

Determination of Anthelmintic Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater by Solid-Phase Extraction and Thin-Layer Chromatography

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - The presented study describes the development, optimization, and validation of a method for the determination of four structurally...     

Airborne particles in the Miyagi Museum of Art in Sendai, Japan, studied by electron probe X-ray microanalysis and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis.

The presented work provides baseline data on the existing airborne conditions in the Miyagi Museum of Art in Sendai, Japan, during the summer of 2000. The chemical composition, size and indoor and outdoor origin of the suspended particulate matter were identified using a number of advanced X-ray techniques, such as Electron Probe X-Ray Microanalysis (EPXMA) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis (EDXRF). Our results, to the best of our knowledge, represent the first detailed study of the chemical nature of the indoor particulate matter in a Japanese museum and, as such, may contribute to future improvements of the air quality inside museums and to the lasting conservation of works of art.     

Determination of dithiothreitol in complex protein mixtures by HPLC-MS

Dithiothreitol (DTT) and other reducing agents are typically used in refolding processes of recombinant human proteins during their purification from inclusion bodies. Due to its toxicity, it is essential to monitor the clearance of DTT throughout the analytical flow from the refolding phase to the final formulated product. Here we report a direct, simple, and fast liquid chromatography method using UV and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection for DTT evaluation in complex protein mixtures. In aqueous solution DTT exists as an equilibrium mixture of the oxidized and the reduced form (H(2)DTT --> DTT(ox)) and the quantitation tools should therefore be applicable to both forms in a single step or in multiple steps. Oxidation of DTT with aqueous copper(II) nitrate trihydrate solution was introduced to determine a single oxidized compound, i. e. DTT(ox). Proteins and other components of high molecular masses were separated from DTT(ox) by ultrafiltration. Consequently, efficient separation of the DTT(ox )from other flow-through mixture components (sugars, polymers, salts, protein stabilizers) was achieved on an Atlantis dC(18) column. After chromatographic separation, DTT(ox) was selectively identified by UV absorbance at 285 nm or by selected reaction monitoring, measuring signal transition between m/z 151 --> 105. The method was validated in terms of specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, and limit of quantification and detection. A reversed-phase HPLC separation method with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and MS/MS detection in negative ion mode is highlighted as a viable alternative to currently existing quantitation methods involving DTT derivatization and HPLC fluorescence detection. The described approach offers simple, straightforward, selective, and high-throughput DTT quantitation in protein mixtures.