Potential For Use In Applications Research Articles

Atomic layer deposition of titanium dioxide nanostructures using carbon nanosheets as a template

Nanostructured films of anatase TiO 2 is deposited on carbon nanosheet (CNS) templates using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The high-surface area of the CNS together with the unique step coverage of the ALD process makes it possible to obtain sheet-like TiO 2 nanostructures, for use in potential applications, e.g. photocatalysis and photovoltaics. A problem with ALD on CNS was the low nucleation rate giving TiO 2 films with pinholes. It is shown that introduction of defects by an acid-treatment process can be used to control initial nucleation and growth of the films. The TiO 2 on the defect-rich CNS nucleates faster and results in a film with no observable pinholes consisting of crystalline grains in an amorphous matrix.

Cell-compatible, multicomponent protein arrays with subcellular feature resolution.

Recent developments in micro/nano-scale technology have enabled the generation of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein microarrays with well-defined geometries. These patterned surfaces have shown utility for the study and control of a variety of cellular behaviors.[1–7] In particular, the patterning of proteins with feature sizes smaller than a single cell have demonstrated potential application for use as tools to control cellular activity.[4, 8] To date, most research has been limited to studies with single protein factors due to technical limitations of existing printing methods. Herein, we describe the development of a microscale direct writing (MDW) technology for the generation of complex ECM protein arrays at subcellular feature size with multiple components. Automated printing techniques based on atomic force microscopy were developed to allow programmable generation of cell-compatible surfaces with multiple ECM proteins, at a subcellular feature size of 6–9 microns. Cell-compatible, two component ECM protein arrays were systematically generated with varying spacing and composition. These arrays were then studied for their effects on cellular attachment and spreading of a model cell line, human myofibroblasts. Interestingly, the precise tuning of spacing and placement two components at subcellular resolution can lead to an increase in cellular alignment. Given the complexity of the in vivo cellular microenvironment, we believe the MDW methods described here could prove generally applicable for the study and optimization of biomaterial surfaces.

The Use of Supplementary Podcasting as an Instructional Tool in an Online Classroom Setting

Abstract The use of podcasting is incredibly widespread, with experts estimating that 60 million Americans will be using podcasting in some form by 2010. The use of podcasting has grown beyond entertainment to become an educational tool, showing promise as a way to disseminate information and create networks of professional learners. However, despite the growing clinical and educational uses of podcasting in other professional disciplines, podcasting is being used primarily as a continuing education tool for speech-language pathologists and audiologists at this time. This article provides guidelines and examines the potential applications for use of podcasting in teaching and learning in communication sciences and disorders.

Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid diagnosis of ovine theileriosis in China

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel nucleic acid detection method in which the target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can be efficiently amplified with high specificity and sensitivity under isothermal conditions using a set of either four or six specific primers. In this study, we have identified a conserved sequence for Theileria luwenshuni (UTRlu8) and for T. uilenbergi (UTRu6) suitable for designing a set of six primers for the simultaneous detection by LAMP of these pathogens causing theileriosis in sheep and goats in China. LAMP was performed at 63 degrees C, and the amplified DNA was detectable within 15 min. The specificity of the reaction was confirmed through EcoRI restriction enzyme digestion analysis and sequencing. The assay was proven sensitive since specific amplification was obtained from 0.1 pg DNA of T. luwenshuni or T. uilenbergi. The LAMP assay was evaluated by testing 86 field samples in comparison to the reverse line blot method, showing a sensitivity and specificity of 66.0% and 97.4%, respectively. These results indicate that the LAMP assay is rapid and simple to run, cost effective, sensitive, and specific and has potential usefulness for application in diagnostics of and epidemiological studies on T. luwenshuni and T. uilenbergi infection of small ruminants.

Development and Evaluation of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Diagnosis of Tropical Theileriosis

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed and evaluated for diagnosis of tropical theileriosis. A set of six primers was designed based on the unique gene of Theileria annulata (Theileria annulata strain Ankara hypothetical protein (GeneDB TA04795). The protocol for the reaction was setup and the specificity and sensitivity of the assay were established. The specificity experiment showed that LAMP primers amplified T. annulata DNA successfully, while no amplification was seen for Theileria parva, Theileria mutans, Theileria sergenti, Theileria sinensis, Babesia bovis as well as bovine genomic DNA and water control. When the sensitivity of LAMP assay was compared with that of conventional PCR a 10-fold higher sensitivity was found, with a detection limit of 10 pg/microl of genomic DNA isolated from a T. annulata-infected cell line. The LAMP product was confirmed by restriction digestion and staining with SYBR Green I. Furthermore, the LAMP assay was applied for the diagnosis of T. annulata in field samples and compared with reverse line blot (RLB), demonstrating that results of the LAMP assay corresponded to those of RLB. These results indicate that the LAMP assay is rapid and simple to run, cost-effective, sensitive and specific and has potential usefulness for application in epidemiological studies on T. annulata infection of cattle.

Meaning in life for patients with cancer: validation of the Life Attitude Profile‐Revised Scale

This paper is a report of a study to adapt the Life Attitude Profile-Revised Scale for Turkish patients with cancer and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Cancer is a life-threatening illness that can challenge the experience of meaning in life. Meaning in life is a multidimensional concept involving meaning and purpose in life, as well as the motivation to find meaning and purpose in life. As meaning in life may be influenced by culture, a culture-sensitive tool is needed for its measurement. A convenience sample of 199 patients with cancer at a Turkish university hospital completed a structured questionnaire including demographic characteristics and the Life Attitude Profile-Revised Scale for Patients with Cancer in 2006. Item analysis, principal components analysis, internal consistency reliability and Cronbach's alpha were used to measure the psychometric properties of the items of the scale. In the assessment of construct validity, identified four factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 explained 46.91% of the total variance. Internal reliability coefficients of these four factor-based scales were 0.73 and 0.82 respectively. The present study provides evidence of the Life Attitude Profile-Revised Scale's validity, reliability and acceptability. This scale should be further evaluated with a larger sample, in different regions in Turkey and diverse populations of world. The scale has potential applications for use both in research and as a screening tool in clinical settings.

The copper-resistant bacterium ACU isolated from the rhizosphere ofEichhornia crassipes(Mart.) increased the endurance ofPotamogeton crispusL. to copper toxicity

This study aimed to develop endurance to copper stress in Potamogeton crispus L. by inoculation with the anti-copper strain ACU - a novel Enterobacteriaceae bacterium isolated from the rhizosphere of Eichhornia crassipes with high copper-removal ability. A spherical copper-resistant bacterium, namely ACU, was isolated from the rhizosphere of E. crassipes. It was demonstrated to have substantial copper-removing capability, even at copper concentrations as high as 69 mg l(-1). The 16S rRNA gene sequence of ACU suggested it to be a novel Enterobacteriaceae bacterium most closely related to Providencia sp. With increasing copper concentrations, the growth rate of ACU gradually decreased with a delay in the logarithmic growth phase. ACU demonstrated high copper-removal ability at the lag phase when cultivated in media with high copper concentrations. A 48-kDa extracellular copper-binding protein was detected in ACU. When P. crispus was inoculated with ACU, the growth ability of P. crispus significantly improved at all the tested copper concentrations, and the lethal time for 10 mg l(-1) was delayed. Further study revealed that while ACU cells were rarely detected in the culture solution, they were associated with the surface of P. crispus. These findings indicated that ACU grew by anchoring itself on the surface of P. crispus and could increase the ability of P. crispus to resist copper toxicity. To the best of our knowledge, the Enterobacteriaceae bacterium ACU is a novel nonpathogenic bacterium with high copper-removing ability from water. This study demonstrated that the Enterobacteriaceae bacterium ACU has potential applicability for use in copper removal and in the protection of aquatic plants in copper-polluted water.

Effects of low-temperature carbon encapsulation on the electrochemical performance of SnO 2 nanopowders

Carbon encapsulated SnO 2 composites were prepared by a thermal evaporation and decomposition of malic acid (C 4H 6O 5) at low temperature to demonstrate their potential use for application in lithium ion batteries. The solution-based chemical approach was effective for coating amorphous C layers on the surface of SnO 2 nanopowders without significant oxygen reduction. The desirable crystalline structure and oxygen stoichiometry of SnO 2 were maintained, while amorphous C homogeneously encapsulated SnO 2 nanopowders. The strong enhancement on the anodic reversible capacity and cyclic performance was discussed for the C-encapsulated SnO 2 composites. It is expected that the low-temperature processing can be a new general route for preparing composites with C from economic point of view.

High-frequency gratings for applications to microoptical ellipsometer/polarimeter systems

We report on experimental results which we conducted on manufactured microretarder arrays. The array consists of miniaturized retarder elements with different orientations of their fast axes. Diffractive phase retardation elements are chosen as microretarder elements since nanostructuring techniques such as electron beam lithography and successive reactive ion etching allow in principle an effortless way to arrange the microretarders as desired by the application. In this paper, we discuss the fabrication and the experimental results of manufactured retarder arrays. Furthermore, their use for potential applications in the fields of polarimetry is discussed.

Stylochronometry: Stylistic Development, Sequence of Composition, and Relative Dating

This article examines representative successful and unsuccessful applications of stylochronometric approaches of the last sixty years in a thematic fashion, aiming to present in a concise manner, although not exhaustive, modern approaches. Differences concerned with adopted methodologies, stylistic markers, and text size render any comparisons among the studies difficult. Nevertheless, common problems may be traced, whereas groups of different stylistic marker types of potential use for applications concerned with stylistic change in time are identifiable.

Characterization of Irradiated Nanostructured Ferritic Steels

The past decade has seen the development of a new class of mechanically alloyed (MA) ferritic steels with outstanding mechanical properties that come, at least in part, from the presence of high concentrations (>10{sup 23} m{sup -3}) of Ti-, Y-, and O-enriched nanoclusters (NC). From the outset, there has been much interest in their potential use for applications to fission and proposed fusion reactors, not only because of their attractive high-temperature strength, but also because the presence of NC may result in a highly radiation-resistant material by efficiently trapping point defects to enhance recombination. Of special interest for fusion applications is the potential of NC to trap transmutation-produced He in high concentrations of small cavities, rather than in fewer but larger cavities that lead to greater radiation-induced swelling and other degraded properties.

Effects of Disorder on the Performance of Magnesium Diboride Microwave Resonators

A comprehensive understanding of the role of disorder in two-band superconducting magnesium diboride is an essential requirement for its use in potential applications. Within this framework, we investigated the role of disorder in modifying the performance of microwave coplanar resonators, characterized as a function of temperature and input power, before and after successive uniform irradiations with 250 MeV Au ions. Also sample aging has been considered as a further source of disorder. We show the main features of the peculiar phenomenology concerning the effects of disorder on the electromagnetic response of the resonator, due to surface resistance reduction at low-temperatures and to non-monotonic residual resistance as a function of disorder level. The analysis is mainly focused on the nonlinear response of the device. These results are discussed in the framework of the two-gap model with significant interband scattering, taking also into account the grain-boundary network underlying polycrystalline films.

Properties of Carbon Nanotubes and Their Use in Potential Applications

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

Modeling the Growth and Death Kinetics of Salmonella in Poultry Litter as a Function of pH and Water Activity

Contaminated poultry litter, serving as a reservoir for Salmonella, can be linked to both food safety concerns when contaminated birds enter processing plants and environmental concerns when used as a fertilizer. Predictive modeling allows for the estimation of microbial growth or inactivation as a function of controlling environmental growth factors. A study was conducted to observe the combined effects of pH and water activity (A(w)) at a constant temperature on Salmonella populations in used turkey litter to predict microbial response over time. Litter, first pH-adjusted and then inoculated with a 3-strain Salmonella serovar cocktail to an initial concentration of approximately 10(7) cfu/g, was placed into individual sealed plastic containers with saturated salt solutions for controlling A(w). A balanced design including 3 A(w) values (0.84, 0.91, 0.96), 3 pH values (4, 7, 9), and a constant temperature of 30 degrees C was used, with litter samples periodically removed and analyzed for Salmonella populations, pH, and A(w). At each combination of environmental factors, the Churchill or exponential inactivation mathematical models were used to describe the growth and death of Salmonella over time. Salmonella populations exhibited growth (approximately 2 log) with little decline up to 42 d in litter environments of pH 7 and 9 and a A(w) of 0.96. As litter A(w) and pH levels were reduced, populations declined, with the most drastic reductions (approximately 5 log in 9 h) occurring in low-pH (4) and low-A(w) (0.84) environments. Generalized models for bacterial growth and death under grouped pH environments were successfully developed to predict Salmonella behavior in litter over time. These findings suggest that the best management practices and litter treatments that lower litter A(w) to < or =0.84 and pH to < or =4 are effective in reducing Salmonella populations. The use of a single equation to predict the growth and decline of Salmonella populations as a function of pH and A(w) has potential application for use in the development of effective pathogen control strategies at the farm level.

Biocompatibility of a Lab-on-a-Pill Sensor in Artificial Gastrointestinal Environments

In this paper, we present a radiotelemetry sensor, designed as a lab-in-a-pill, which incorporates a two-channel microfabricated sensor platform for real-time measurements of temperature and pH. These two parameters have potential application for use in remote biological sensing (for example they may be used as markers that reflect the physiological environment or as indicators for disease, within the gastrointestinal tract). We have investigated the effects of biofouling on these sensors, by exploring their response time and sensitivity in a model in vitro gastrointestinal system. The artificial gastric and intestinal solutions used represent a model both for fasting, as well as for the ingestion of food and subsequent digestion to gastrointestinal chyme. The results showed a decrease in pH sensitivity after exposure of the sensors for 3 h. The response time also increased from an initial measurement time of 10 s in pure GI juice, to ca. 25 s following the ingestion of food and 80 s in simulated chyme. These in vitro results indicate that changes in viscosity in our model gastrointestinal system had a pronounced effect on the unmodified sensor.

Effects of biomass co-firing with coal on ash properties. Part I: Characterisation and PSD

The alterations of ash quality and utilisation aspects when co-firing coal with biomass were investigated. Co-combustion tests were performed in lab and semi-industrial scale facilities, using several coal–biomass blends. The collected ash samples were analysed for major elements and heavy metals content, loss on ignition (LOI), free CaO content and grain size distribution. Since a variety of co-combustion residues were tested, important implications concerning the ash composition and, consequently, its further use in potential applications came up. Results showed that properties of co-combustion residues are directly connected to the combustion conditions and the individual blend components. Biomass exploitation as secondary fuel in co-combustion processes is technically and economically feasible up to 20% w/w and the produced ash could be further utilised without any major treatment.

Comparison of Popular Mouthguard Materials to a Photocured Thiol-Ene Thermoset

PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to compare the material properties of a novel photocured thiol-ene thermoset to popular contemporary materials used in sport dental applications. METHODS: We measured the Shore A hardness values and energy dissipated upon impact for the thiol-ene-acry late based photocured materials as well as 3 popular contemporary dental materials (Glidewell Erkonex™(EVA), Proform™ (EVA), and Volara™ EO Foam). The Shore A hardness of each photocured thiol-ene acry late was measured at room temperature according to ASTM guidelines (D2240-97). Materials were fabricated into 6 mm test specimens at least 12 mm in length and width. For testing, the specimen was placed on a surface that was hard and horizontal. The hardness indenter was introduced to the test specimen from the vertical position as quickly as possible without shock and held for one second. The results from multiple sites were used to obtain an average hardness. The capacity of the material to dissipate energy upon impact was measured using the Charpy tup impact head mounted on a Tinius Olsen Model 92T pendulum impacter at room temperature. The Charpy tup that was affixed to the pendulum device was raised to a height where 1.13 joules of energy would be imparted to the specimen. Multiple samples were run and the mean value determined. RESULTS: As anticipated, the foam showed the lowest hardness (6 durometer). The hardness of EVA based elastomers was found to be in the range of 80–90 durometer and in agreement with the literature. The hardness of the thiol-ene acry late material was comparable to EVA based elastomers and was in compliance with the range of hardness of traditional materials used for mouthguard applications. Commercial EVA based mouthguard elastomers absorbed 40–50 % of the impact energy. The foam absorbed slightly larger energy, 60 %. The thiol-ene acrylate system showed promising impact energy dissipation, 86%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the novel thiol-ene acrylate thermoset material can dissipate shock forces better than currently recommended materials while maintaining similar Shore A hardness values. Such materials have tremendous potential to exceed the current standards (Academy for Sports Dentistry, American Society for Testing and Materials, and Standards Australia International) for athletic mouthguard materials. Unlike current materials, our photocured thiol-ene acrylate material is environmentally friendly. Further investigation into the complete mechanical properties of this thiol-ene acrylate thermoset system and its potential application for use as protective materials is warranted.

Knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning in Israel

The success of mammal cloning in 1997 has brought the issue of human cloning into public discussion. Human cloning has several aspects and potential applications for use in both reproductive and non-reproductive matters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning in Israel. Data from 120 respondents (68 health professionals and 52 non-health professionals), all Jewish, Hebrew speaking with at least 15 years of education each, were collected using two questionnaires that dealt with knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning. Results showed that although health professionals had significantly more knowledge than non-health professionals, all respondents had poor knowledge about cloning. No difference in attitudes was found between the groups. Most respondents opposed human cloning, but more positive attitudes toward non-reproductive cloning were found. The results are discussed in the context of the deficit model. The findings indicate a need to provide information about human cloning to allow people to form their attitudes based on factual knowledge.

Properties of Carbon Nanotubes and Their Use in Potential Applications

Many laboratories in the world are doing research in the field of nanotechnology. Among lot of nanomaterials carbon nanotubes became very popular because of their unique properties which could be used in many applications. But first, lot of problems with their preparation need to be solved.

PMMA-based polymer gel electrolytes containing NH 4PF 6: Role of molecular weight of polymer

The effect of the molecular weight of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) on the conductivity and viscosity behavior of proton conducting polymer gel electrolytes containing ammonium hexafluorophosphate (NH 4PF 6) in propylene carbonate (PC) has been studied. The addition of PMMA having molecular weights: 15,000; 120,000; 350,000; 996,000 results in an increase in conductivity and gels with conductivity higher than the corresponding liquid electrolytes have been obtained. The maxima observed in the variation of conductivity with PMMA concentration shifts towards higher concentrations of PMMA with an increase in the molecular weight of PMMA. The increase in conductivity with PMMA addition also depends upon the molecular weight of PMMA and has been found to be more for gels containing PMMA with lowest molecular weight (15,000). The increase in conductivity at low concentrations of PMMA is due to an increase in free ion concentration with the dissociation of ion aggregates, whereas the decrease in conductivity at higher concentrations of PMMA, is due to the exponential increase in viscosity, which lowers mobility and as a result conductivity decreases. These gels show high value of conductivity (∼10 −2 S/cm at 25 °C) which does not vary with time and shows only a small increase over the 20–100 °C temperature range and is desirable for their potential use in applications.