The effects of washing a collagen sample prior to TEM examination

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an important analysis technique to visualize (bio)macromolecules and their assemblies, including collagen fibers. Many protocols for TEM sample preparation of collagen involve one or more washing steps to remove excess salts from the dispersion that could hamper analysis when dried on a TEM grid. Such protocols are not standardized and washing times as well as washing solvents vary from procedure to procedure, with each research group typically having their own protocol. Here, we investigate the influence of washing with water, ethanol, but also methanol and 2-propanol, for both mineralized and unmineralized collagen samples via a protocol based on centrifugation. Washing with water maintains the hydrated collagen structure and the characteristic banding pattern can be clearly observed. Conversely, washing with ethanol results in dehydration of the fibrils, often leading to aggregation of the fibers and a less obvious banding pattern, already within 1 min of ethanol exposure. As we show, this process is fully reversible. Similar observations were made for methanol and propanol. Based on these results, a standardized washing protocol for collagenous samples is proposed.     

Shape Factor Effect on Inclusion Sedimentation in Aluminum Melts

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - The quality requirements of aluminum products are steadily increasing, and the presence of non-metallic inclusions have a large impact on the quality of...     

Defining Dry Eye from a Clinical Perspective

Over the past decades, the number of patients with dry eye disease (DED) has increased dramatically. The incidence of DED is higher in Asia than in Europe and North America, suggesting the involvement of cultural or racial factors in DED etiology. Although many definitions of DED have been used, discrepancies exist between the various definitions of dry eye disease (DED) used across the globe. This article presents a clinical consensus on the definition of DED, as formulated in four meetings with global DED experts. The proposed new definition is as follows: “Dry eye is a multifactorial disease characterized by a persistently unstable and/or deficient tear film (TF) causing discomfort and/or visual impairment, accompanied by variable degrees of ocular surface epitheliopathy, inflammation and neurosensory abnormalities.” The key criteria for the diagnosis of DED are unstable TF, inflammation, ocular discomfort and visual impairment. This definition also recommends the assessment of ocular surface epitheliopathy and neurosensory abnormalities in each patient with suspected DED. It is easily applicable in clinical practice and should help practitioners diagnose DED consistently. This consensus definition of DED should also help to guide research and clinical trials that, to date, have been hampered by the lack of an established surrogate endpoint.     

Über die Anwendung von Ionensensitiven Feldeffekttransistoren zur Untersuchung von Korrosionsvorgängen

On the application of ion sensitive field-effect transistors for the investigation of corrosion phenomena Ion sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFET) are chemical sensors based on semiconductor technology. They exhibit small dimensions, a plane measuring surface and have short response times. Thus, they are very suitable for the determination of local changes of the pH value at electrochemical corrosion studies. The described in this paper experimental set-up allows in situ measurements of the pH value by means of ISFET sensors in amounts of liquids below 1 mm³; the active surface area of the material under test may be below 1 mm². In model tests preferably changes of the pH value of dist. water due to the corrosion of steel St 38 have been investigated. After an initial short-time rise caused by oxygen reduction a decay of the pH value to pH = 3 ?4 was obseved. Furthermore, ISFET sensors have been used as a potential probe for electrochemical polarization measurements in low conductive media. It was shown, that the dynamic behaviour of potentiostatic control circuits may be influenced favourably by the low output resistance of the ISFET.     

Stability of proximal femoral grafts in canine hip arthroplasty

In a canine model, the fixation stability of a prosthesis and proximal bone graft composite were measured relative to the distal femur. One group had the prosthesis graft composite cemented into the distal femur. The second group had the prosthesis graft composite press fit into the distal femur for biologic ingrowth. Displacements of the proximal femoral grafts relative to the host bone in each group were measured after ex vivo (acute with graft) implantation and 4 months after implantation. A third group with no osteotomy (acute intact) simulated perfect graft to host bone union. Relative displacements representing 6 degrees freedom (translation and rotation) were calculated from the displacement values measured by 9 eddy current transducers. Measurements of displacement were used to test the hypothesis that distal press fit fixation equals distal cement fixation at 4 months after implantation. In all cases the measured translations and rotations of the graft to implant construct were small and of a magnitude that should encourage bone ingrowth (< 0.05 mm and < 0.1 degree, respectively). The stability of the press fit group at 4 months was not significantly different from the cemented group in axial and transverse displacement during axial and transverse loading, respectively. There was no difference in stabilities at 4 months between distal press fit and cemented fixation in hip replacements requiring a proximal femoral graft.     

A superconducting X-ray spectrometer with a tantalum absorber andlateral trapping

We report the development of Nb-Ta-Al-Al₂O₃-Al superconducting tunnel junction structures for high energy resolution and high efficiency X-ray detection. These devices utilize a Ta X-ray absorber with superconductor “bandgap engineered” quasiparticle trapping to improve charge collection. Experimental results at 0.3 K are presented, showing energy resolution of 102 eV full-width-half-maximum for 6 keV X-rays. Collected charge is in excess of 5×10⁶ electrons. The absorption efficiency is better than 35%. Devices thermally cycle with no change in characteristics     

Comparative studies on the enzymatic absorption of protein hydrolysates in the small intestine of the rat. 3. The absorption trypsins thermatatic and trypsin-thermatatic hydrolysates of a fava bean protein isolate compared to an equimolar mixture of free amino acids

Tryptic, thermitatic, and tryptic-thermitatic Faba bean protein hydrolyzates as well as their equimolar mixture of amino acids were perfused through proximal and distal parts of the intestine (10 cm length) of non-narcotized rats. The total amino-acid concentration of the perfused solution was 50 mM. The absorption of nitrogen and total amino acids from the tryptic and tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates was lower than that from the amino-acid mixture, the absorption from the thermitatic hydrolyzate was in accordance with that from the amino-acid mixture. The absorption pattern of the amino acids which preferably undergo a peptidic absorption is similar with the three hydrolyzates: in the proximal intestinal part this concerns glutamic acid and serine, in the distal intestinal part--methionine, alanine, glycin, and serine. The absorption pattern of the amino acids is different between the three hydrolyzates and the amino-acid mixture. Between the absorption pattern of the amino acids from the three hydrolyzates little differences were evident only in the proximal intestinal part. The coefficients of variation of the tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates are in accordance with those of the amino-acid mixture, whereas that of the thermitatic hydrolyzates is significantly lower. In the distal intestinal part all supplied forms are more rapidly absorbed than in the proximal part of the intestine.