TEOS surface modification of CLST ceramic particles for PTFE-based composites

PTFE-based ceramic-polymer dielectric composites have been widely researched in the communication field due to their good processing, wide range frequency and temperature stability and being able to provide tunable dielectric constant in a scale. In order to improve the compatibility between the ceramic fillers and polymer matrix without damage of dielectric properties, surface modifiers with less carbon remain are preferred. In this paper, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) is employed as a surface modifier to improve the compatibility between the (Ca, Li, Sm)TiO₃ (CLST) ceramic and PTFE, and the dispersion of the ceramic particles in the matrix. FTIR, XPS and TEM results indicate that TEOS is coated on the ceramic particles successfully and forms a silica coating layer. The surface modification improves the dispersion of particles in PTFE and interface contact between the ceramic fillers and PTFE matrix. These improve the thermal stability and reduce the dielectric loss of the dielectric composites. The CLST/PTFE composite modified by TEOS exhibits a dielectric constant of 6.22 with dielectric loss just 0.0012 at microwave frequencies (around 10 GHz).     

Isolation of alpaca anti-hapten heavy chain single domain antibodies for development of sensitive immunoassay

Some unique subclasses of Camelidae antibodies are devoid of the light chain, and the antigen binding site is comprised exclusively of the variable domain of the heavy chain (VHH). Although conventional antibodies dominate current assay development, recombinant VHHs have a high potential as alternative reagents for the next generation of immunoassay. We expressed VHHs from an immunized alpaca and developed a VHH-based immunoassay using 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), a major metabolite of pyrethroid insecticides as a model system. A phage VHH library was constructed, and seven VHH clones were selected by competitive binding with 3-PBA. The best immunoassay developed with one of these VHHs showed an IC(50) of 1.4 ng/mL (limit of detection (LOD) = 0.1 ng/mL). These parameters were further improved by using the phage borne VHH, IC(50) = 0.1 ng/mL and LOD = 0.01 ng/mL. Both assays showed a similar tolerance to methanol and dimethylsulfoxide up to 50% in assay buffer. The assay was highly specific to 3-PBA and its 4-hydroxylated derivative, 4-hydroxy 3-PBA, (150% cross reactivity) with negligible cross reactivity with other tested structural analogues, and the recovery from spiked urine sample ranged from 80 to 112%. In conclusion, a highly specific and sensitive VHH for 3-PBA was developed using sequences from immunized alpaca and phage display technology for antibody selection.     

Electrical conductivity of homopolymer and copolymers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-vinylcarbazole

Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVCz) is well known as an electroactive material due to its good photoconductivity, charge-transfer complexes, photoluminescence and electroluminescence properties. The block copolymers of N-vinylcarbazole were prepared and the effects of the relative composition, molar masses, architecture and doping on its electrical behavior were investigated. Controlled free radical polymerization has been carried out using nitroxide-mediated process in order to prepare a series of block copolymers of N-vinylcarbazole. 2,2,6,6-Tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy radical (TEMPO) was used to end-cap “living” homopolymer of p-bromostyrene, which was further used as a macroinitiator to polymerize N-vinylcarbazole and styrene. The copolymers have been doped at room temperature with LiClO₄ and the electrical conductivities were measured by two-probe method, which have shown to depend on copolymer’s relative composition and molar masses.     

Circumvention of immunity to the adenovirus major coat protein hexon

Immunity to adenoviruses is an important hurdle to be overcome for successful gene therapy. The presence of antibodies to the capsid proteins prevents efficacious adenovirus vector administration in vivo. We tested whether immunity to a particular serotype of adenovirus (Ad5) may be overcome with a vector that encodes the hexon sequences from a different adenovirus serotype (Ad12). We successfully constructed an adenovirus vector with a chimeric Ad5-Ad12 hexon which was not neutralized by plasma from C57BL/6 mice immunized with Ad5. The vector was also capable of transducing the livers of C57BL/6 mice previously immunized with Ad5.     

Co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior in adolescence: A common genetic liability.

Recent reviews of research on child and adolescent psychopathology have highlighted the consistently high rates of co-occurring dimensions of psychopathology, particularly between internalizing and externalizing disorders, and have suggested that further research examining the causes of co-occurring syndromes is needed. The authors examined this question in a national sample of 720 same-sex adolescent siblings between 10 and 18 years of age consisting of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, full siblings, half siblings, and unrelated siblings. Composite measures of adolescent and parent reports and observational measures of depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior were subjected to behavioral genetic models that examine the genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in each dimension as well as in the co-occurrence between dimensions. Results indicated that approximately half of the variability in depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior is attributed to genetic factors; shared and nonshared environmental influences were also significant. The co-occurrence of depressive and antisocial symptoms was explained by genetic and shared and nonshared environmental influences. Specifically, approximately 45% of the observed covariation between depressive and antisocial symptoms could be explained by a common genetic liability. Results are interpreted in light of contribution of genetic studies to debates on child and adolescent psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familial antecedents of young adult health risk behavior: A longitudinal study.

With a sample of 116, the authors asked how characteristics of the family, rated by adolescents, predicted health risk behavior at young adulthood 6 years later and whether adolescent and young adult personal and emotional functioning mediated these relationships. The authors also explored the consistency of relationships among these variables across 4 types of families: balanced, traditional, disconnected, and emotionally strained. The family variables significantly predicted young adult health risk behavior over time and functioning at adolescence and young adulthood did not serve as a mediator. The family model operated well in 3 of the 4 family contexts; it failed to operate among offspring from disconnected families. Characteristics of the family affect the display of health risk behavior when offspring come from families that have well-defined and coherent family structures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associations in the Course of Personality Disorders and Axis I Disorders Over Time.

In this study, the authors examined time-varying associations between schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), or obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) personality disorders and co-occurring Axis I disorders in 544 adult participants from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The authors tested predictions of specific longitudinal associations derived from a model of crosscutting psychobiological dimensions (L. J. Siever & K. L. Davis, 1991) with participants with the relevant Axis I disorders. The authors assessed participants at baseline and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up evaluations. BPD showed significant longitudinal associations with major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. AVPD was significantly associated with anxiety disorders (specifically social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder). Two of the four personality disorders under examination (STPD and OCPD) showed little or no association with Axis I disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two-Year Stability and Change of Schizotypal, Borderline, Avoidant, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders.

The authors examined the stability of schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD) and obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) personality disorders (PDs) over 2 years of prospective multiwave follow-up. Six hundred thirty-three participants recruited at 4 collaborating sites who met criteria for 1 or more of the 4 PDs or for major depressive disorder (MOD) without PD were assessed with semistructured interviews at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months. Lifetable survival analyses revealed that the PD groups had slower time to remission than the MDD group. Categorically, PD remission rates range from 50% (AVPD) to 61% (STPD) for dropping below diagnostic threshold on a blind 24-month reassessment but range from 23% (STPD) to 38% (OCPD) for a more stringent definition of improvement. Dimensionally, these findings suggest that PDs may be characterized by maladaptive trait constellations that are stable in their structure (individual differences) but can change in severity or expression over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of Clean-Bed Head Loss in Crumb Rubber Filters

Crumb rubber media have been beneficially invented for ballast water and tertiary wastewater treatment. There is a critical need for precise prediction of clean-bed head loss for engineering design purposes. Pilot crumb rubber filters were tested to study their clean-bed head loss under the influences of three design and operational parameters (media size, media depth, and filtration rate). Data from the filtration tests were used to evaluate the application of the Kozeny and Ergun equations in crumb rubber filters and to develop a statistical model for examination of the effects of each parameter and for clean-bed head loss prediction. Results showed that both the Kozeny and Ergun equations had limitations for crumb rubber filters, especially when the data of compressed media depth were unavailable from the filtration tests. The statistical model developed by the multiplicative power-law relationship was proved to be valid, and it could be used to predict clean-bed head loss in crumb rubber filters.     

Anxiety and perceptual structure: Individual differences in neuropsychological function.

Studied the cognitive performance of 24 high and 36 low trait anxious undergraduates under conditions of high and low situational stress, using tasks requiring greater contribution of the right or left hemisphere. In addition, a perceptual task was adapted from visual information processing research to assess Ss' global or analytic approaches to perception; if anxiety increased the left hemisphere's contribution to perception, anxious Ss might be expected to be more analytic and detail oriented. Results show no significant differences on left hemisphere tasks but a significant interaction of trait by state anxiety for right hemisphere tasks: Low trait Ss performed better and high trait Ss performed more poorly under situational stress. Trait anxiety showed a significant main effect on visual information processing strategy, low Ss tending to be more global and high Ss tending to process the stimulus analytically. Results support the utility of a neuropsychological model in describing the effects of emotion on perception. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)