Fluorescence studies of Rhodamine 6G functionalized silicon oxide nanostructures

Selective anchoring of optically active molecules on nanostructured surfaces is a promising step towards the creation of nanoscale devices with new functionalities. Recently we have demonstrated the electrostatic attachment of charged fluorescent molecules on silicon oxide nanostructures prepared by atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanolithography via local anodic oxidation (LAO) of dodecyl-terminated silicon. In this paper we report on our findings from a more detailed optical investigation of the bound dye Rhodamine 6G. High sensitivity optical wide field microscopy as well as confocal laser microscopy have been used to characterize the Rhodamine fluorescence emission. A highly interesting question concerns the interaction between an emitter close to a silicon surface because mechanisms such as energy transfer and fluorescence quenching will occur which are still not fully understood. Since the oxide thickness can be varied during preparation continuously from 1 to ～ 5 nm, it is possible to investigate the fluorescence of the bound dye in close proximity to the underlying silicon. Using confocal laser microscopy we were also able to obtain optical spectra from the bound molecules. Together with the results from an analysis of their photochemical bleaching behaviour, we conjecture that some of the Rhodamine 6G molecules on the structure are interacting with the oxide, causing a spectral shift and differences in their photochemical properties.     

Experimental and analytical strength analysis of double-lap joints for marine applications

Weight-critical marine structures, such as high-speed craft, are often made of high-strength aluminium, and the usual joining method is welding. To improve the performance of high-speed craft there is a tendency to seeking lighter weight materials, especially in parts of the structure where weight-saving is particularly beneficial, such as in the superstructure. Light-weight materials can be fibre-reinforced composites. When joining structures made of composites to components of aluminium or steel, welding is no longer an option. On the other hand, adhesive bonding becomes an attractive joining method. Thus, there is a need to investigate the strength of bonded steel-composite joints.In the present paper, the stress distribution and strength of bonded double-lap steel-composite joints are investigated through theoretical analysis and experimental testing. The strength of a set of joints, with a variety of overlap lengths and two different bonding techniques and environmental conditions, has been measured experimentally. Furthermore, a new elastic–plastic stress analysis, accounting for adhesive shear deformations as well as axial and shear deformations in the adherends, has been derived.Predictions using the new theory derived herein as well as linear models are compared with the reported results. It is clearly demonstrated that linear theories are completely inappropriate for modelling such joints when loaded to failure. On the other hand, the strength predictions obtained by the new nonlinear theory agree well with the experimental results.     

Restricted Least Squares Estimation of the Spectra and Concentration of Two Unknown Constituents Available in Mixtures

The problem considered is the identification of two unknown chemical compounds and the estimation of their proportions in a set of unknown mixtures of the two compounds, given data that are vectors of measurements on their mixtures. It is assumed that the expected value of a mixture vector is an unknown convex linear combination of two unknown component vectors and least squares estimation is used to obtain a set of possible solutions of the mixing proportions and the component vectors. Obtaining a unique solution requires additional constraints or information. The solution set is interpreted geometrically and examples involving amino acids and light absorbance data are given.     

Systematic study of alginate-based microcapsules by micropipette aspiration and confocal fluorescence microscopy

Micropipette aspiration and confocal fluorescence microscopy were used to study the structure and mechanical properties of calcium alginate hydrogel beads (A beads), as well as A beads that were additionally coated with poly-l-lysine (P) and sodium alginate (A) to form, respectively, AP and APA hydrogels. A beads were found to continue curing for up to 500 h during storage in saline, due to residual calcium chloride carried over from the gelling bath. In subsequent saline washes, micropipette aspiration proved to be a sensitive indicator of gel weakening and calcium loss. Aspiration tests were used to compare capsule stiffness before and after citrate extraction of calcium. They showed that the initial gel strength is largely due to the calcium alginate gel cores, while the long term strength is solely due to the poly-l-lysine–alginate polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) shells. Confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that calcium chloride exposure after PLL deposition led to PLL redistribution into the hydrogel bead, resulting in thicker but more diffuse and weaker PEC shells. Adding a final alginate coating to form APA capsules did not significantly change the PEC membrane thickness and stiffness, but did speed the loss of calcium from the bead core.     

Shedding Light on Metal‐Based Nanoparticles in Zebrafish by Computed Tomography with Micrometer Resolution

Metal‐based nanoparticles are clinically used for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. After parenteral administration, they will distribute throughout different organs. Quantification of their distribution within tissues in the 3D space, however, remains a challenge owing to the small particle diameter. In this study, synchrotron radiation‐based hard X‐ray tomography (SRμCT) in absorption and phase contrast modes is evaluated for the localization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in soft tissues based on their electron density and X‐ray attenuation. Biodistribution of SPIONs is studied using zebrafish embryos as a vertebrate screening model. This label‐free approach gives rise to an isotropic, 3D, direct space visualization of the entire 2.5 mm‐long animal with a spatial resolution of around 2 µm. High resolution image stacks are available on a dedicated internet page ( http://zebrafish.pharma-te.ch ). X‐ray tomography is combined with physico‐chemical characterization and cellular uptake studies to confirm the safety and effectiveness of protective SPION coatings. It is demonstrated that SRμCT provides unprecedented insights into the zebrafish embryo anatomy and tissue distribution of label‐free metal oxide nanoparticles.     

Monte Carlo algorithm for least dependent non-negative mixture decomposition

We propose a simulated annealing algorithm (stochastic non-negative independent component analysis, SNICA) for blind decomposition of linear mixtures of non-negative sources with non-negative coefficients. The demixing is based on a Metropolis-type Monte Carlo search for least dependent components, with the mutual information between recovered components as a cost function and their non-negativity as a hard constraint. Elementary moves are shears in two-dimensional subspaces and rotations in three-dimensional subspaces. The algorithm is geared at decomposing signals whose probability densities peak at zero, the case typical in analytical spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution. The decomposition performance on large samples of synthetic mixtures and experimental data is much better than that of traditional blind source separation methods based on principal component analysis (MILCA, FastICA, RADICAL) and chemometrics techniques (SIMPLISMA, ALS, BTEM).     

In situ surface-enhanced Raman scattering analysis of biofilm

Biofilms represent the predominant form of microbial life on Earth. They are aggregates of microorganisms embedded in a matrix formed by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Detailed information about chemical composition and structure of the EPS matrix is relevant e.g. for the optimization of biocides, of antifouling strategies and for biological wastewater treatment. Raman microscopy (RM) is a capable tool that can provide detailed chemical information about biofilm constituents with spatial resolution of optical microscope. However, the sensitivity of RM is limited. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which enables investigations of biomolecules at very low concentration levels, allows overcoming this drawback. To our knowledge, this paper is the first report on reproducible SERS spectra from different constituents of a multispecies biofilm. We believe that the reproducibility is partly owed to the in situ measurement of the biofilm, while up to now SERS measurements of microbiological samples by RM were carried out after sample drying. We employed colloidal silver nanoparticles for in situ SERS measurements by RM. The achieved enhancement factor of up to 2 orders of magnitude illustrates a high potential of SERS for ultrasensitive chemical analysis of biofilms, including the detection of different components and the determination of their relative abundance in the complex biofilm matrix.     

Brain dynamics in spider-phobic individuals exposed to phobia-relevant and other emotional stimuli.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 9(4) of Emotion (see record 2009-11528-006). This article contained an incorrect DOI for the supplemental materials. The correct DOI is as follows: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015550.supp.] Dense sensor event-related brain potentials were measured in participants with spider phobia and nonfearful controls during viewing of phobia-relevant spider and standard emotional (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) pictures. Irrespective of the picture content, spider phobia participants responded with larger P1 amplitudes than controls, suggesting increased vigilance in this group. Furthermore, spider phobia participants showed a significantly enlarged early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) during the encoding of phobia-relevant pictures compared to nonfearful controls. No group differences were observed for standard emotional materials indicating that these effects were specific to phobia-relevant material. Within group comparisons of the spider phobia group, though, revealed comparable EPN and LPP evoked by spider pictures and emotional (unpleasant and pleasant) picture contents. These results demonstrate a temporal unfolding in perceptual processing from unspecific vigilance (P1) to preferential responding (EPN and LPP) to phobia-relevant materials in the spider phobia group. However, at the level of early stimulus processing, these effects of increased attention seem to be related to emotional relevance of the stimulus cues rather than reflecting a fear-specific response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Circulating cytomegalovirus (CMV)-infected endothelial cells in patients with an active CMV infection

In 10 of 14 patients with an active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, distinctive large cells (35-45 microns in diameter) were present in the peripheral blood. Morphologically these cells closely resembled the classic cytomegalic inclusion cells, generally regarded as a diagnostic hallmark of CMV infection. Moreover, these cells were shown to express CMV antigens belonging to all three stages of the viral replication cycle, indicating a productive CMV infection. In addition, immunologic staining with monoclonal antibodies directed against cell differentiation and marker proteins showed that these circulating cytomegalic cells were of endothelial origin. The presence of CMV-infected endothelial cells in the peripheral blood of patients with an active CMV infection indicates that such an infection might be accompanied by widespread occult vascular damage.     

Diarylpropane‐1,3‐dione Derivatives as TetR‐Inducing Tetracycline Mimetics: Synthesis and Biological Investigations

Synthesis, biological investigations and molecular docking studies of nonantibiotic and nontetracyclic inducers that feature a minimal key motif of the natural lead tetracycline are presented. The diarylpropane‐1,3‐dione motif was identified as the minimal substructure responsible for TetR induction by tetracyclines. The first nontetracyclic surrogates of the natural tetracyclines displayed significant inducing effects for TetR(BD)S135L, whereby the chlorohydroxyphenyl‐substituted β‐diketone 31 displayed the highest activity. Interestingly, antibiotic activity could not be detected for 31 . Homology modeling based on the X‐ray structure of 7‐chlorotetracycline bound to TetR indicated analogous binding modes for the natural inducer and the synthetic diarylpropane‐1,3‐dione derivatives.