Size of Micelles Determined by Static Fluorescence Quenching

We developed a new method to measure the average aggregation number of large rod-like micelles using static fluorescence self-quenching of a solubilized fluorophore. The method is based on the increase of self-quenching of micelle-solubilized pyrene through excimer formation. We consider the effect of random distribution of pyrene in micelles and the micellar size distribution. The measured average aggregation <n> _M is based on a new M-weighted raging similar to our exponential-weighted averaging in the transient decay method. We apply this method to study the effect of a large concentration of salt on the average aggregation behavior of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyle tetraammonium bromide (CTAB). The sizes increase with increasing ionic concentrations. For SDS, we used the thermodynamic model developed by Missel et al. to calculate < n > _M which we compare with experimental results.     

Trends in lipase-catalyzed asymmetric access to enantiomerically pure/enriched compounds

Over the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of publications in the field of lipase-catalyzed reactions performed in common organic solvents, ionic liquids or even non-conventional solvents. A fairly large percentage of these publications have emerged from organic chemists who have recognized the potential of biocatalysis as a viable and popular technique in organic synthesis. Considerable research has shown that reactions catalyzed by enzymes are more selective and efficiently performed than many of their analogues in the organic chemistry laboratory. This review article focuses on some of the recent developments in the rapidly growing field of lipase-catalyzed asymmetric access to enantiomerically pure/enriched compounds. The literature search is dated back to the last five years and covers some comprehensive examples.     

Steroids as chiral model compounds for selective reactions with metals

Our own work on steroid compounds with defined conformation as chiral model compounds for investigations of chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity of metal-mediated new reactions is reviewed. Reactions with nickelacycles, (π-allyl)zirconoxycarbene complexes, iron tricarbonyl complexes of dienes and 1-azadienes, the Ru-catalyzed synthesis of 1,3-dihydropyrrol-2-ones from 1-azadienes, the Pd-catalyzed cyclopropanation of 1-azadienes, syntheses with cuprio steroids, copper complexes of amino alcohol derivatives and the copper-mediated hydroxylation of nonactivated C-H bonds with molecular oxygen are discussed.     

Exhaled breath condensate: Determination of non-volatile compounds and their potential for clinical diagnosis and monitoring. A review

Exhaled breath condensate is a promising, non-invasive, diagnostic sample obtained by condensation of exhaled breath. Starting from a historical perspective of early attempts of breath testing towards the contemporary state-of-the-art breath analysis, this review article focuses mainly on the progress in determination of non-volatile compounds in exhaled breath condensate. The mechanisms by which the aerosols/droplets of non-volatile compounds are formed in the airways are discussed with methodological consequences for sampling. Dilution of respiratory droplets is a major problem for correct clinical interpretation of the measured data and there is an urgent need for standardization of EBC. This applies also for collection instrumentation and therefore various commercial and in-house built devices are described and compared with regard to their design, function and collection parameters. The analytical techniques and methods for determination of non-volatile compounds as potential markers of oxidative stress and lung inflammation are scrutinized with an emphasis on method suitability, sensitivity and appropriateness. The relevance of clinical findings for each group of possible non-volatile markers of selected pulmonary diseases and methodological recommendations with emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration that is essential for future development into a fully validated clinical diagnostic tool are given.     

Numerical and experimental characterization of antenna positioning in a dual-radio mesh router

This paper investigates the influence of the position of the antennas in a dual-radio mesh router by characterizing the router components from an electromagnetic point of view. Since the behavior of a wireless router equipped with multiple devices and antennas can be affected by mutual coupling among several close conducting bodies, numerical and experimental tests are carried out to provide some suggestions for an accurate positioning of the antennas. A reference configuration is implemented in an electromagnetic Computer-Aided Design (CAD) simulator. The most significant numerical results are validated by performing a campaign of measurements in anechoic chamber and deploying a testbed for the derivation of the experimental values of throughput, return loss, power density, and directivity.     

An investigation of preservice teachers’ use of guess and check in solving a semi open-ended mathematics problem

Open-ended problems have been regarded as powerful tools for teaching mathematics. This study examined the problem solving of eight mathematics/science middle-school teachers. A semi-structured interview was conducted with (PTs) after completing an open-ended triangle task with four unique solutions. Of particular emphasis was how the PTs used a specific heuristic strategy. The results showed that the primary strategy PTs employed in attempting to solve the triangle problem task was guess and check; however, from the PTs’ reflections, we found there existed misapplications of guess and check as a systematic problem-solving strategy. In order to prepare prospective teachers to effectively teach, teacher educators should pay more attention to the mathematical proficiency of PTs, particularly their abilities to systematically and efficiently use guess and check while solving problems and explain their solutions and reasoning to middle-school students.