The application of inverse titania opals in nanostructured solar cells

The synthesis and characterization of nanostructured heterojunction solar cells based on inverse opal titanium dioxide (TiO₂) films is discussed. Photonic films with thicknesses of 0.9 and 3.7 μm are deposited using self-organisation of latex spheres with diameters of 400 and 100 nm. The voids between the spheres are filled with a TiO₂ precursor and a subsequent heat treatment yields a highly organized porous structure. Sensitization with Ru 535-dye (cis-[L₂Ru(SCN)₂] in which L is 2,2′-dipyridine-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid), yields solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 0.6% under simulated solar light. At present, the small area of the ordered structure is limiting the performance of the cells. These cells may be promising for future applications, if improved fabrication techniques will enable an enlargement of the ordered area.     

Genome-wide association study identifies loci influencing natural antibody titers in milk of Dutch Holstein-Friesian cattle

Natural antibodies (NAb) are produced without any antigenic stimulation as a part of the innate immune system and provide a first line of defense against pathogens. Hence, they may be a useful trait when estimating an animal's potential immune competence and in selection for disease resistance. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with different NAb traits in milk and potentially describe candidate genes. Milk samples from 1,695 first-lactation Holstein Friesian cows with titer measurements for keyhole limpet hemocyanin, lipopolysaccharide, lipoteichoic acid, and peptidoglycan-binding total NAb and isotypes IgG₁, IgM, and IgA were used. Genome-wide association study analyses were performed using imputed 777K SNP genotypes, accounting for relationships using pedigree information. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on the significantly associated genomic regions to look for candidate genes. For IgM NAb, significant associations (false discovery rate <0.05) were found on Bos taurus autosome (BTA) 17, 18, and 21 with candidate genes related to immunoglobulin structure and early B cell development. For IgG₁, associations were found on BTA3, and we confirmed a quantitative trait loci on BTA21 previously reported for IgG NAb in serum. Our results provide new insights into the regulation of milk NAb that will help unravel the complex relationship between milk immunoglobulins and disease resistance in dairy cattle.     

Electrosprayed Enzyme Coatings as Bioinspired Alternatives to Bioceramic Coatings for Orthopedic and Oral Implants

The biological performance of orthopedic and oral implants can be significantly improved by functionalizing the non‐physiological metallic implant surface through the application of biologically active coatings. In this paper, a cost‐effective alternative to traditional biomedical coatings for bone substitution through exploitation of the specific advantages of the electrospray deposition technique for the immobilization of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP) onto the implant surface is presented. Since ALP increases the local inorganic phosphate concentration required for physiological mineralization of hard tissues, ALP coatings will enable enzyme‐mediated mineralization onto titanium surfaces. To evaluate the bone‐bioactive capacity of the ALP‐coated titanium surface, soaking experiments are performed. Although the purely inorganic so‐called simulated body fluid is the standard in vitro procedure for predictive studies on potential bone bonding in vivo, an alternative testing solution is proposed that also contains organic phosphates (cell culture medium supplemented with the organic β‐b;‐glycerophosphate (β‐b;‐GP) and serum proteins), thereby resembling the in vivo conditions more closely. Under these physiological conditions, the electrosprayed ALP coatings accelerated mineralization onto the titanium surface as compared to noncoated implant material by means of enzymatic pathways. Therefore, this novel approach toward implant fixation holds significant promise.     

Protein profiling in pathology: analysis and evaluation of 239 frozen tissue biopsies for diagnosis of B-cell lymphomas

Purpose : We determined the potential value of protein profiling of tissue samples by assessing how precise this approach enables discrimination of B‐cell lymphoma from reactive lymph nodes, and how well the profiles can be used for lymphoma classification. Experimental design : Protein lysates from lymph nodes (n=239) from patients with the diagnosis of reactive hyperplasia (n=44), follicular lymphoma (n=63), diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (n=43), mantle cell lymphoma (n=47), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic B‐cell lymphoma (n=42) were analysed by SELDI‐TOF MS. Data analysis was performed by (i) classification and regression tree‐based analysis and (ii) binary and polytomous logistic regression analysis. Results : After internal validation by the leave‐one‐out principle, both the classification and regression tree and logistic regression classification correctly identified the majority of the malignant (87 and 96%, respectively) and benign cases (73 and 75%, respectively). Classification was less successful since approximately one‐third of the cases of each group were misclassified according to the histological classification. However, an additional mantle cell lymphoma case that was misclassified as chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic B‐cell lymphoma initially was identified based on the protein profile. Conclusions and clinical relevance : SELDI‐TOF MS protein profiling allows for reliable identification of the majority of malignant lymphoma cases; however, further validation and testing robustness in a diagnostic setting is needed.     

Toward more useful in vitro toxicity data with measured free concentrations

In vitro assays and computer models are promising alternatives for in vivo animal testing, but the power of these alternative methods to predict in vivo risk is still very limited. One step forward is to make the outcome of in vitro assays (such as median effect concentrations (EC50 values)) independent of assay conditions such as protein content. Here we show that measured free concentrations of chemicals in the in vitro assay medium result in system-independent EC50 values. We introduce a very simple method to measure free concentrations in miniature test systems using negligible depletion solid-phase microextraction. The generated data are much more suitable for extrapolation to in vivo, provide unbiased input for computational methods (for example, quantitative structure-activity relationships), and can shed an entirely different light on the activity of environmental contaminants.     

Dynamically compacted all-ceramic lithium-ion batteries

This paper deals with a cell design and a unique manufacturing process for all solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Detailed analyses of the manufacturing of the components for such a battery and the compaction of the green battery are presented. The electrodes were made of coatings of LiMn₂O₄ on metal foils. The electrolyte was a free-standing foil of the ceramic electrolyte Li-doped BPO₄ in a polymer matrix. The different layers were wound and compacted by using magnetic pulse compaction. Several characteristics of the compacted batteries are presented.     

Bioconcentration of organic chemicals: is a solid-phase microextraction fiber a good surrogate for biota?

When organic chemicals are extracted from a water sample with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers, the resulting concentrations in exposed fibers are proportional to the hydrophobicity of the compounds. This fiber accumulation is analogous to the bioconcentration of chemicals observed in aquatic organisms. The objective of this study was to investigate the prospect of measuring the total concentration in SPME fibers to estimate the total body residue in biota for the purpose of risk assessment. Using larvae of the midge, Chironomus riparius and disposable 15-microm poly(dimethylsiloxane) fibers, we studied the accumulation and accumulation kinetics of a number of narcotic compounds with a range of log K(ow) between 3 and 6. The fibers, which have a larger surface area-to-volume ratio, had consistently higher uptake and elimination rate constants (k1 and k2, respectively) than midge larvae and accumulated the chemicals 5 times faster. Comparison of the relationships of the partition coefficients K(PDMS-water) and K(midge-water) (lipid-normalized) to log K(ow) for all compounds yielded a factor of 28 for translating fiber concentrations to biota concentrations. This factor can be used to estimate internal concentrations in biota for compounds structurally similar to the compounds in this study. The exact chemical domain to which this factor can be applied needs to be defined in future research.     

Copper-decorated carbon nanotubes based composite electrodes for non-enzymatic detection of glucose

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to prepare three types of multi-wall carbon nanotube (CNT)-based composite electrodes and to modify their surface by copper electrodeposition for non-enzymatic oxidation and determination of glucose from aqueous solution. Copper decorated multi-wall carbon nanotube composite electrode (Cu/CNT-Epoxy) exhibited the highest sensitivity to glucose determination. The reliability of the Cu/CNT-Epoxy electrode was verified by application of this composite electrode for the determination of glucose in real blood serum samples.