Future of biological aerosol detection

Biological aerosol detection in real time is an urgent civilian and military requirement. Such detection capability will be useful in environmental monitoring, for example, in gathering information in perceived hazardous areas such as housing developments downwind of sewage treatment plants. To be truly functional, the instrument has to operate continuously, 24 h a day and 7 days a week with minimal maintenance and few false alarms. A novel concept is proposed. The system employs a rapid front-end warning/alarming mechanism based on optical technologies that provides useful information for protection decision makers. This is connected to a sample collector that feeds a slower back-end liquid chemistry system that provides analytical results to the medical personnel to assist in prophylaxis and therapy decisions. Experience gained from measuring fluorescence signals of single bacterial spores under flow cytometry (FCM) using UV excitation at 340-360 nm, was applied to concept testing of a prototype instrument, built to do the same for aerosols. This machine was capable of resolving particle size as well as fluorescence intensity of each particle under laboratory and field conditions; it was called the fluorescent aerodynamic particle sizer (FLAPS). This paper describes practical aspects of measuring biological aerosols when the results must be compared to reference samplers that provide culturable or “live” data. Treatment of particle size and fluorescence information is discussed with respect to FLAPS and reference data fidelity. Along with an objective method to evaluate FLAPS data correlation to reference data, an approach for determining limit of detection in the field is discussed. In addressing the back-end detector chemistry, we have prioritized a number of important biological characteristics that must be given to a clinician to help in prophylaxis and therapy decisions. A series of biochemical measurements are proposed to define the threat of a sample and different solutions are given to implement these tests. We predict that the future for biological detection looks promising for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques in identifying microorganisms. A conceptual instrument based on merging FCM and microchip-based analysis is described.     

Influence of the particle size distribution on the CRTA curves for the solid-state reactions of interface shrinkage type

The kinetic curves at infinite temperature for the solid-state reactions of the interface shrinkage type were drawn theoretically by taking account the particle size distribution in the sample mixture. The CRTA curves for the reactions with the particle size distribution can be drawn by utilizing the universal kinetic curves at infinite temperature. The proper kinetic treatment for the CRTA curves with the particle size distribution is discussed in connection with the property of the kinetic equation with respect to the particle size distribution. The present kinetic consideration is taken as a simulation for the reactions with a certain distribution in among the reactant particles, produced preferably by the mass and heat transfer phenomena during the thermoanalytical measurements. The merit of the rate jump method by a single cyclic CRTA curve is also discussed on the basis of the present results.     

SiO2/α-FeOOH和SiO2/γ-Fe2O3微粒的界面研究

α－FeOOH微粒由于其表面高活性，在转变成γ－Fe2O3的热处理过程中容易烧结，一旦这种烧结现象发生，得到的γ－Fe2O3磁粉磁性能大大下降[1]．为了克服这一困难，目前采用在α-FeOOH微粒表面包敷有机物[2]和无机物[3]来隔离颗粒，阻止其聚集．其中SiO2表面包敷处理是最令人感兴趣的研究课题之一[4，5]．SiO2是一种难烙性的非磁性材料，它包敷在α-FeOOH微粒表面外，不仅可提高α－FeOOH转变成γ－Fe2O3的热处理温度，有利于得到外形完好、晶格完整的γ－Fe2O3磁粉，而且由包效层与内核之间的界面相互作用引起的表面各向异性常…     

双嵌段共聚物薄膜介观结构的耗散粒子动力学模拟

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative Particle Dynamics, DPD)方法模拟两平行平板间的双嵌段共聚物体系的介观结构. 模拟结果表明, 随板间距的增大, 体系分层数量的增加是不连续的, 在分层数量的增加过程中, 出现不规则结构的过渡区；聚合物链末端距随板间距的增大呈周期性振荡, 振荡幅度逐渐减小. 对模拟结果的分析表明：层状结构转变点与分层数量之间存在近似线性关系；层状结构转变点近似与共聚物链长的2/3次方成正比.     

On the Hydrolytic Stability of Organic Ligands in Al-, Ti- and Zr-Alkoxide Complexes

The complexation degrees of Al-, Ti- and Zr-butoxide (M) with unsaturated and saturated -diketones (3-allylpentane-2.4-dione-APD, acetylacetone-ACAC) and -ketoesters (methacryloxyethyl-acetoacetate-MEAA, allylacetoacetate-AAA, ethylacetoacetate-EAA) as organic ligands (L) were examined by IR and ¹³ C NMR spectroscopy and were found to be L:M 1.5. The hydrolytic stability of the ligands of the metal alkoxide complexes (L:M = 1) during hydrolysis/condensation reactions at the molar ratio h (H₂O : OR) = 0.5–2.0 decreases with increasing H$$₂O:complex ratio. Furthermore, the ligand stability depends on the type of metal in the complexes and decreases in the order Al- > Zr- > Ti-butoxide complexes at h=1. The ACAC ligand likewise shows in the Al-, Ti- and Zr-butoxide complexes a high hydrolytic stability (95–100%) at h=1 within 7 days. The Ti- and Zr-butoxide complexes with -ketoesters as ligand show at h=1> a release to a different extent e.g., up to 60% in the case of the MEAA-ligand in the Ti-butoxide complex after 2 days. In general, the hydrolytic stability of the ligands in the Ti-butoxide complexes (L:M = 1, h=1) decreases in the order ACAC > APD > AAA > EAA MEAA. The hydrolysis/condensation reaction of complexes having a weak ligand stability leads to larger particle sizes in the sols than those with stable ACAC ligands. The results contribute to a more controlled synthesis of sols and of new inorganic-organic hybrid polymers via the sol-gel process.     

Thermocapillary Alignment of Gas Bubbles Induced by Convective Transport

The effect of a weak convective heat transfer on the thermocapillary interaction of two bubbles with an arbitrary orientation relative to an externally imposed temperature gradient is examined. Asymptotic analysis of the case of large separation distances, Z, suggests that the corrections to the bubbles' velocities are of (Pe/Z²), rather than (Pe²) previously found for an isolated bubble. Equal-sized bubbles are known to move with the same velocities, as if they were isolated, when heat conduction is the only transport mechanism. However, the convective transport results in a relative motion of the bubbles. The tendency of equal bubbles to line up in a plane perpendicular to the applied thermal gradient is shown analytically in the weakly nonlinear limit of small Pe numbers, and an interesting interaction behavior in the case of unequal bubbles is discussed.     

Spin-orbit and spin-spin couplings in He2 and He2−

The spin-orbit and the spin-spin coupling constants of the ⁴Π_g state of the He₂ ⁻ ion, of the parent a³Σ_u ⁺, and of the b³Π_g states of He₂ have been evaluated by a multireference configuration interaction method. The theoretical spin-spin splittings of the a³Σ_u ⁺ state and the R-dependent spin-spin function are found to be in excellent agreement with experiment, with deviations in the range of a few MHz. The theoretical spin-orbit constants and splittings of the b³Π_g state are larger than the experimental values by about 370 MHz. The spin-orbit coupling constant of the ⁴Π_g state of He₂ ⁻ is␣estimated to be three times smaller than in the b³Π_g state, but one of the intramultiplet off-diagonal spin-spin interactions is predicted to give a large contribution to the fine structure of the metastable ion. The theoretical fine structure constants for the He₂ ⁻ ion are expected to␣aid future spectroscopic investigations of the fine structure splittings of the negative ion. Received: 14 April 1998 / Accepted: 27 July 1998 / Published online: 19 October 1998     

Effect of Variant Counterions on Stability and Particle Size of Silica Sol

The effects of variant counterions with ionic strength of 0.05, 0.10, 0.20 and 0.25 mol·kg^-1 on the stability and particle size of silica sols have been studied using the traditional methods of Ubbelohde viscosity measurement, TEM and titration respectively, finding that the stability and particle size of the silica sols are all concerned with the acidic, positively electric properties and the sizes of the counterions, as well as the attraction between the counterions and surface silicon hydroxyl groups of the silica sols. The small positively charged counterions lead to the decrease in particle sizes, making the silica sol the most stable. But the larger weakly acidic counterions can restrict the particle sizes of the silica sols and easily make the sols coagulate. It was also found that there existed a linear relationship between log r and log η, which has not ever been reported. The effect of temperature on the stability and particle sizes was also discussed.     

DIFFUSION OF LONG CHAINS THROUGH A POROUS THIN GEL NETWORK

Using a core(142 nm)made of linear polystyrene(PS)chains as a seed,we further polymerized a thin layer of cross-linked PS shell(7 nm)on it in water to form a core-shell particle.Such a particle swells in toluene,which enables linear PS chains inside the core to gradually diffuse out through the porous shell.Using a combination of static and dynamic laser light scattering,we examined the chain diffusion process by following the change of the scattering intensity(i.e.the average molar mass of the particles).For the first time,we have revealed that the diffusion exhibits three stages.In the first stage,the chain diffusion through the shell is even faster than their translational diffusion in a dilute solution.The three stages respectively correspond to the change of the solution in the core from concentrated to semidilute and then from semidilute to dilute.     

Template functions of particle monolayers on hydrophobic solid substrates

The template function of cationic particle monolayers bearing quaternary ammonium groups on their surfaces towards anionic colloids was investigated in this paper. Monodispersed cationic polymer particles having quaternary ammonium groups were self-organized on octadecylated glass plates through hydrophobic interaction. The morphology of the resulting particle monolayers was changed by tuning hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance of particles to fabricate aggregated type and dispersed type of particle monolayers. Gold and silver colloids were selectively deposited onto the particle monolayers through electrostatic interaction. The deposited gold and silver colloids on particle monolayers showed plasmon absorbance. Fluorescent silica colloids were also selectively deposited on particle monolayers to permit fluorescence labeling of the particle monolayers. Cationic particle monolayers fabricated on hydrophobic solid octadecylated were found to effectively work as templates for the deposition of above mentioned inorganic colloids.