Magnetic resonance study of Rh complexes in AgCl microcrystals

X-ray or UV irradiation at room temperature of Rh3+ doped AgCl emulsion powders leads to the production of three paramagnetic Rh2+ related centres, labeled R4, R5 and R6. A combined X and Q band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) study allowed the determination of a nearly complete structural model for these centres. In the X band ENDOR spectra of R4 and R5 interactions of the unpaired electron with nearby protons have been identified, indicating that for these centres Cl- ligands have been exchanged by H2O or OH-. The R6 centre, identified as a (RhCl6)4- complex, has been found to be fundamentally different from the dominant centre in large Rh2+ doped AgCl single crystals grown from the melt. The results are compared with recent work by other researchers in the same field.     

Qualitative By-Product Identification of Plasma-Assisted TCE Abatement by Mass Spectrometry and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

In this study, the formation of by-products resulting from the decomposition of trichloroethylene with a negative DC glow discharge has been investigated. By combining the qualitative data from mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, the formation of phosgene, dichloroacetylchloride and trichloroacetaldehyde have been confirmed as incomplete oxidation products. Hydrogen chloride, chlorine, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide were also detected. Also, formation of ozone was found in the outlet stream. Based on this information, it is possible to chose an appropriate catalyst to combine with non thermal plasma. In this way emission of harmful, incomplete oxidation products can be further reduced at a lower energy cost.     

Ultrasound-responsive polymer-coated microbubbles that bind and protect DNA

Ultrasound in combination with microbubbles has recently been considered by gene delivery scientists to be an interesting approach to enhance gene transfer into cells. Its low toxicity and simplicity to apply in vivo without major complications make this technology (sonoporation) especially attractive. Sonoporation of DNA has been evaluated in vivo by the injection of free plasmid DNA (pDNA) together with microbubbles (as used in diagnostic imaging) in the bloodstream. However, the in vivo gene-transfer efficiency in these experiments remained rather low. Both the enzymatic degradation of the injected pDNA as well as the low pDNA concentration in the neighborhood of sonoporated cell membranes may explain this low efficiency. Therefore, we developed polymer-coated microbubbles that can bind and protect the pDNA. Coating albumin-shelled microbubbles with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) makes the surface charge of the microbubbles positive without drastically affecting the size distribution of the microbubbles, thereby not affecting the ultrasound responsiveness and injectability. The cationic coating allowed both to bind up to 0.1 pg of DNA per microbubble as well as to protect the bound DNA against nucleases. Finally, the PAH coating significantly increased the lifetime of the microbubbles (half-life approximately 7 h), making them more convenient for in vivo applications because more microbubbles are expected to reach the target organ. Binding and nuclease protection of DNA by polymer-coated diagnostic microbubbles has, to our knowledge, never been demonstrated. We conclude that these LbL-coated microbubbles might be significant in the further development of ultrasound-mediated gene delivery.     

Modeling and Experimental Study of Trichloroethylene Abatement with a Negative Direct Current Corona Discharge

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - In this work, we study the abatement of dilute trichloroethylene (TCE) in air with a negative direct current corona discharge. A numerical model is used to...