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Average Diameter (average + diameter)
Selected AbstractsFDG-PET in the Clinically Negative Neck in Oral Squamous Cell CarcinomaTHE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 5 2006Bart M. Wensing MD Abstract Objective: With improved diagnostic imaging techniques, it remains difficult to reduce occult metastatic disease in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to less than 20%. Therefore, supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) still is a valuable staging procedure in these patients. Methods: Patients with clinically and ultrasonographically staged cN0 SCC of the oral cavity underwent FDG-PET before SOHND. Histologic examination of neck dissection specimens was used as a "gold standard." Results: Twenty-eight consecutive patients were included, representing 30 necks. Occult metastatic disease was found in 30% of SOHND specimens. Average diameter of metastatic deposits was 4.3 mm. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FDG-PET was 33%, 76%, and 63%, respectively. Conclusions: In patients with cN0 SCC of the oral cavity, FDG-PET does not contribute to the preoperative workup. FDG-PET does not replace SOHND as a staging procedure. [source] Morphological, structural and optical study of quasi-1D SnO2 nanowires and nanobeltsCRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10-11 2005D. Calestani Abstract 0.1,0.3 mm thick entanglements of quasi-one-dimensional semiconducting Tin dioxide nanocrystals, in form of nanowires and nanobelts, are successfully grown by low cost Chemical Vapour Deposition directly on large area (100 mm2) Al2O3, SiO2 and Si substrates. Their lateral size ranges from 50 to 700 nm and their length can achieve several hundreds of micrometers. Transmission Electron Microscopy reveals either the nanowires and the nanobelts grow in the tetragonal Rutile structure. Diffraction contrast analyses and selected area diffraction investigations show the nanowires are single crystals without defects while the nanobelts sometimes present twins inside. An almost cylindrical shape and an average diameter of about 30,50 nm for the smallest nanowires is reported. X-ray diffraction investigations exclude the presence of spurious phases. A broad band structured in two emissions peaked at about 450 nm and 560 nm is revealed by large area Cathotoluminescence, while single nanocrystal spectroscopy shows that the reduction of the lateral dimension of the nanobelts from 1000 nm to 50 nm blue-shifts the main emission band at 560 nm of about 40 nm (at room temperature). These preliminary results suggest a possible role of oxygen vacancies and of the surface/volume ratio on the origin and the blue shift of Cathodoluminescence spectra. The near band edge emission, typical of bulk tin dioxide (,320 nm), is not found in nanobelts narrower than 1000 nm. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Ammonia Gas Sensor Using Polypyrrole-Coated TiO2/ZnO NanofibersELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 12 2009Ying Wang Abstract Highly porous polypyrrole (PPy)-coated TiO2/ZnO nanofibrous mat has been successfully synthesized. The core TiO2/ZnO nanofibers have an average diameter of ca. 100,nm and the shell of ultrathin PPy layer has a thickness of ca. 7,nm. The NH3 gas sensor using the as-prepared material exhibited a fast response over a wide dynamic range and high sensitivity with a detection limit of 60,ppb (S/N=3). Compared to conventional pristine PPy film, the improved performance in NH3 detection can be attributed to the free access of NH3 to PPy and a minimized gas diffusion resistance through the ultrathin PPy layer. [source] Capillary electrophoresis of liposomes functionalized for protein bindingELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 20 2006Gerhard Bilek Abstract CE enabled assessing the attachment of hexa-histidine-tagged proteins to functionalized phospholipid liposomes. The liposomes were made of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine, phosphatidyl-ethanolamine, cholesterol and distearoyl-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine- N -methoxy(polyethylene glycol) in a molar ratio of 29:26:40:5. The unilamellar vesicles, which had an average diameter of 170,nm, were labelled by inclusion of FITC-dextran for fluorescence detection. CE was carried out in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-coated capillaries at 25°C with a BGE consisting of Tris-HCl (50,mM, pH,8.0). For conjugation of the liposomes with the proteins (soluble synthetic receptor fragments with molecular mass of 60 and 70,kDa, respectively), Ni2+ was implanted into the vesicle surface by an anchor lipid containing a nitrilotriacetate acid (NTA) group as complexation agent for the metal ions. The difference in surface charge enabled the separation of the different species of interest by CE: plain vesicles, vesicles functionalised with Ni-NTA, vesicle,protein complexes and the species formed upon removal of the Ni-ions by complexation with EDTA. Loss of the Ni-ions resulted in the release of the proteins and the reappearance of the plain Ni-free NTA-liposome species in the electropherograms. [source] Application of toxicity identification evaluation procedures for characterizing produced water using the tropical mysid, Metamysidopsis insularisENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2004Najila Elias-Samlalsingh Abstract Toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) were performed on seven produced water (PW) effluents from inland discharge facilities operated in Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean tropical country with one of the oldest commercial oil industries in the world. The research was performed to determine the presence and magnitude of toxicity and characterize which toxicants are responsible for observed effects. Marine effluent toxicity characterizations with Metamysidopsis insularis revealed high whole acute toxic-unit response for produced water ranged from 8.1 to >17.0 acute toxic-unit (initial toxicity test) and 5.7 to 1,111 acute toxic-unit (baseline toxicity test). Toxicity test results for all sites except one, which had the highest toxicity, are comparative with similar studies on produced water. The toxicological causality of this complex mixture differed for each PW with nonpolar organics being consistently toxic in all samples. Other potential toxicants contributing to overall toxicity to a much lesser extent were metals, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds. With the use of sodium thiosulfate and filtration manipulations for only PW6 sample, there was very slight reduction in toxicity; therefore, oxidants and filterable materials were not a great contributing factor. Whole effluent toxicity also can be attributed to ionic imbalance and the very stable oil-in-water emulsion that consists of fine oil droplets (less than 0.1,10 ,m with an average diameter of 2.5 ,m). This investigation is the first of its type in Trinidad and demonstrates clearly the applicability of this test method and local test species for evaluating complex effluents in tropical environments. [source] Synthesis of Zinc Glycerolate Microstacks from a ZnO Nanorod Sacrificial TemplateEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 24 2009Róbert Rémiás Abstract We synthesized zinc glycerolate (ZnGly) microstacks bytreating ZnO with glycerol at 100 °C under reflux. We observed that the morphology of the ZnO source has a pronounced effect on the appearance of the ZnGly product. In the absence of structure-directing effects the product ZnGly is obtained as a random heap of hexagonal prisms with an average diameter and thickness of ca. 2.5 ,m and ca. 350 nm, respectively. However, bundles of nanorod-shaped ZnO obtained by the thermal decomposition of zinc oxalate nanorods could readily be transformed into 2,4 ,m long zinc glycerolate microstacks in which 6,12 hexagonal prisms are aligned face-to-face. We present evidence that the ZnGly plates in the microstacks are bound together by forces strong enough to withstand mechanical deformation exercised by a contacting AFM tip. The ZnGly microstacks appear to emerge from the ZnO nanorod bundles in an approx. 1:1 ratio in the reactive template synthesis.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Versatility of Laser Pyrolysis Applied to the Synthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles , Application to UV AttenuationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2008Bruno Pignon Abstract TiO2 nanoparticles show interesting catalytic and optical properties and are therefore highly demanded for several applications. In this paper, we show that pure and N-doped TiO2 powders with an average diameter as low as 8 nm can be synthesized by laser pyrolysis, with the use of an aerosol of TTIP (titanium tetraisopropoxide) as the main precursor sensitized by C2H4. We demonstrate the possibility to control the anatase/rutile phase ratio over a large range, which was not achieved before, by tuning the experimental parameters. N-doped particles have also been produced for the first time by this method by using a one-step process through addition of NH3. First results illustrating the consequences in terms of UV absorption properties are also presented and correlated with the structural evolution and the presence of a doping element.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008) [source] Novel Rice-shaped Bioactive Ceramic Nanoparticles (Adv. Eng.ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 5 2009Mater. The cover of Advanced Biomaterials shows Rice-shaped bioactive ceramic nanoparticles with 70 nm in average diameter and around 200 nm in length were produced by an improved sol-gel method. In comparison to most traditional bioactive glass/ceramic materials this novel bioactive ceramic contains a significant lower quantity of silicon and higher content of phosphorous. In vitro bioactivity test showed that this new class of materials can induce the deposition of an apatite layer from SBF solution, having potential to be used in both conventional orthopedic applications or in bone tissue engineering when incorporated in composite scaffolds. More information can be found in the article of J. F. Mano et al. on page B25. [source] Novel Rice-shaped Bioactive Ceramic Nanoparticles,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 5 2009Zhongkui Hong Rice-shaped bioactive ceramic nanoparticles of 70 nm average diameter and around 200 nm length were produced by an improved sol-gel method. In comparison to most traditional bioactive glass/ceramic materials, this novel bioactive ceramic contains a significant lower quantity of silicon and higher content of phosphorous. In vitro bioactivity tests showed that this new class of materials can induce the deposition of an apatite layer from simulated body fluid, having the potential to be used in both conventional orthopedic applications or in bone tissue engineering when incorporated in composite scaffolds. [source] Triple-Shape Polymeric Composites (TSPCs)ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 16 2010Xiaofan Luo Abstract In this paper, the fabrication and characterization of triple-shape polymeric composites (TSPCs) that, unlike traditional shape memory polymers (SMPs), are capable of fixing two temporary shapes and recovering sequentially from the first temporary shape (shape 1) to the second temporary shape (shape 2), and eventually to the permanent shape (shape 3) upon heating, are reported. This is technically achieved by incorporating non-woven thermoplastic fibers (average diameter ,760 nm) of a low- Tm semicrystalline polymer into a Tg -based SMP matrix. The resulting composites display two well-separated transitions, one from the glass transition of the matrix and the other from the melting of the fibers, which are subsequently used for the fixing/recovery of two temporary shapes. Three thermomechanical programming processes with different shape fixing protocols are proposed and explored. The intrinsic versatility of this composite approach enables an unprecedented large degree of design flexibility for functional triple-shape polymers and systems. [source] The impact of Sirococcus shoot blight on radial and height growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies) in young plantationsFOREST PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2000E. Halmschlager Summary The impact of Sirococcus shoot blight on the radial and height growth of Norway spruce in a young plantation (approximately 20 years old) was investigated by examining the increment losses for four infection intensities (classes). The average diameter at breast height of trees in the lightly damaged class was 72% when compared with the average diameter of the healthy trees, whereas moderately and severely damaged tree classes were 67 and 57%, respectively. Using tree ring analysis, the development of radial growth over time due to intensity of infection was studied. Height growth of affected trees was also significantly reduced (up to 43%) compared with the healthy trees, thus indicating a dramatic impact of Sirococcus conigenus on the growth of young Norway spruce. [source] High Performance Carbon-Supported Core@Shell PdSn@Pt Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction ReactionFUEL CELLS, Issue 4 2010W. Zhang Abstract In this report, a low-cost and high performance PdSn@Pt/C catalyst with core,shell structure is prepared by two-stage route. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examinations show that the composite catalyst particles distribution is quite homogeneous and has a high surface area and the PdSn@Pt/C catalyst has an average diameter of ca. 5.6,nm. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of PdSn@Pt/C was higher than commercial Pt/C catalyst. Catalytic activity is studied by cyclic voltammetry. High electrocatalytic activities could be attributed to the synergistic effect between Pt and PdSn. [source] The Nanocrystalline Nickel with Catalytic Properties on Methanol Oxidation in Alkaline MediumFUEL CELLS, Issue 5 2009R. M. A. Tehrani Abstract The hexagonal closed packed (hcp) nanocrystalline nickel (Ni), with an average diameter of 9.7,±,2.27,nm was deposited uniformly on composite graphite (CG) by the rapid scanning (6,500,mVs,1) voltammetry technique. The hcp-nano Ni-modified CG electrode was investigated for the catalytic oxidation of methanol in alkaline medium through the formation of NiOOH. A high anodic current was obtained at peak potential of +570,mV vs Ag/AgCl. Both the scan rate and the methanol concentration affected the oxidation of methanol. The results showed that catalytic activity had increased with decrease in Ni particle diameter. It was also shown that the hcp-nano Ni/CG modified electrode was the most efficient catalyst in the oxidation of methanol. [source] Generation of Monodisperse Inorganic,Organic Janus Microspheres in a Microfluidic DeviceADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 10 2009Naveen Prasad Abstract This study presents a simple synthetic approach for the in situ preparation of monodisperse hybrid Janus microspheres (HJM) having organic and inorganic parts in a PDMS-based microfluidic device. Based on the mechanism of shear-force-driven break-off, merged droplets of two photocurable oligomer solutions having distinctive properties are generated into an immiscible continuous phase. Functionalized perfluoropolyether (PFPE) as the organic phase and hydrolytic allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS) as the inorganic phase are used for the generation in aqueous medium of HJM with well-defined morphology and high monodispersity (average diameter of 162,µm and a 3.5% coefficient of variation). The size and shape of the HJM is controlled by varying the flow rate of the disperse and continuous phases. The HJM have two distinctive regions: a hydrophobic hemisphere (PFPE) having a smooth surface and a relatively hydrophilic region (AHPCS) with a rough, porous surface. In addition, pyrolysis and subsequent oxidation of these HJM convert them into SiC-based ceramic hemispheres through the removal of the organic portion and etching off the silica shell. The selective incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles into the inorganic part shows the feasibility of the forced assembly of HJM in an applied magnetic field. [source] Luminescence of Nanocrystalline Erbium-Doped YttriaADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 5 2009Yuanbing Mao Abstract In this paper, the luminescence, including photoluminescence, upconversion and cathodoluminescence, from single-crystalline erbium-doped yttria nanoparticles with an average diameter of 80,nm, synthesized by a molten salt method, is reported. Outstanding luminescent properties, including sharp and well-resolved photoluminescent lines in the infrared region, outstanding green and red upconversion emissions, and excellent cathodoluminescence, are observed from the nanocrystalline erbium-doped yttria. Moreover, annealing by the high power laser results in a relatively large increase in photoluminescent emission intensity without causing spectral line shift. These desirable properties make these nanocrystals promising for applications in display, bioanalysis and telecommunications. [source] Acrylic Nanocomposite Resins for Use in Stereolithography and Structural Light Modulation Based Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing Technologies,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 16 2008Matthias Gurr Abstract A novel family of optically transparent acrylic nanocomposites containing up to 30,wt,% silica nanoparticles with an average diameter of 20,nm was developed for application in structural light modulation (SLM) and stereolithography (SL) technologies. The uniform dispersion of nanoparticles affords a significantly improved toughness/stiffness-balance of the photopolymerized and postcured nanocomposites. It is possible to increase stiffness, as expressed by Young's modulus, from 1290 to 1700,MPa without encountering the embrittlement typical for many other conventional filled polymers. Fracture behaviour is examined by means of fracture mechanics investigation and SEM analyses of fracture surfaces. According to TEM analyses and measurement of optical transmittance remarkable uniform dispersion of silica nanoparticles was achieved. The silica nanoparticle concentrations up to 17,wt,% give only marginally higher viscosities and do not affect transmittance, while slightly increasing the exposure times needed in photopolymerization. Moreover, the silica nanoparticles afford materials with reduced shrinkage and improved properties. The green effective ankle splay out (EASO) measured on H-shaped diagnostic specimens, is significantly reduced for the nanocomposite materials from 1.38,mm for the unfilled material to 0.82,mm for nanocomposites containing 30,wt,% nanosilica. The building accuracy is increased significantly with increasing content of silica nanofillers. [source] Preparation of poly(ester imide) ultrafine fibers by gas-jet/electrospinningJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Bing Wang Abstract In this study, ultrafine fibers of poly(ester imide) (PEI) were produced by gas-jet/electrospinning of its solutions in mixtures of phenol and dichloromethane (DCM). The process parameters, including the solution concentration, gas flow rate, applied voltage, tip-to-collector distance (TCD), and inner diameter of the metal needle, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the solution concentration, gas flow rate, TCD, and inner diameter of the needle were the most important process parameters influencing the average diameter and morphology of the PEI gas-jet/electrospun fibers. An increase in the solution concentration resulted in a larger average diameter in the PEI gas-jet/electrospun fibers. Mixed-bead fibers were obtained when the concentration of PEI in phenol/DCM was below 20 wt % during gas-jet/electrospinning. A larger diameter of the capillary and a smaller gas flow rate favored the formation of ultrafine fibers with thicker fibers. Thinner and uniform PEI fibers with an average diameter of 298 nm were formed at a TCD of 25 cm. On the basis of the systematic parameters study, uniform PEI ultrafine fibers with an average diameter of 293 nm were prepared by this gas-jet/electrospinning with the following optimal process parameters: the concentration of the polymer solution was 20 wt %, the gas flow rate was 10.0 L/min, the applied voltage was 25.0 kV, the TCD was 25 cm, and the inner diameter of the metal needle was 0.24 mm. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009 [source] Effect of rheological behavior of epoxy during precuring on foamingJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008Osamu Takiguchi Abstract In this study, the effect of rheological behavior of epoxy during precuring on foaming was investigated. Dynamic time sweep test of epoxy/curing agent (100/1, w/w) was conducted. The viscosities as a function of time showed extremely rapid increase from the order of 102,103 to 106Pa · s at a certain time, followed by slow increase of the viscosities. Dynamic frequency sweep test of precured epoxy with curing agent was conducted at 90°C. The critical gelation time was obtained by using rheological criterion proposed by Winter and Chambon. We found that the slopes of G,(,) and G,(,) decreased with increasing precuring time. Correspondingly, tan , showed a change from negative to positive slope at a critical time. By using the results, the critical gelation time was determined as t = 895,935 s. Samples of epoxy/curing agent/blowing agent (100/1/0.5) were precured for 960,1620 s. And then precured samples were foamed at 230°C for 300 s to decompose chemical blowing agent. The formed bubble size distribution becomes sharp with increase of the precuring time. There are roughly two sizes of bubbles when precured for relatively short time (t < 1080 s) before foaming: large bubbles (>100 ,m) and small ones (,30 ,m). On the other hand, foams precured for long time (t > 1200 s) before foaming, large bubbles disappear, and the average diameter of the bubble becomes small while the porosity is low. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source] Electrospinning of degradable elastomeric nanofibers with various morphology and their interaction with human fibroblastsJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008Erik Borg Abstract Artelon® (degradable poly(urethane urea) elastomer) was electrospun into scaffolds for tissue engineering. The diameter of the electrospun fibers, studied by scanning electron microscopy, ranged from 100 nm to a few ,m, with an average diameter of 750 nm. The molar mass of the polymer had a major influence on the morphology of the scaffold. Furthermore, aging of the polymer solution caused changes in viscosity, as measured by stress sweeps between 13.5,942 Pa that affected the morphology. The electrospun Artelon mats exhibited about the same elongations to break, both exceeding 200%, measured by tensile tests. The degradation study showed similar degradation behavior in electrospun mats and solids. In vitro study showed that human fibroblasts not only adhere to the surface but also migrate, proliferate, and produce components of an extracellular matrix. These results strongly support the use of electrospun Artelon as a scaffold in tissue engineering. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source] Preparation of poly(ether sulfone) nanofibers by gas-jet/electrospinningJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008Yi Lin Abstract Poly(ether sulfone) (PES) nanofibers were prepared by the gas-jet/electrospinning of its solutions in N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF). The gas used in this gas-jet/electrospinning process was nitrogen. The morphology of the PES nanofibers was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The process parameters studied in this work included the concentration of the polymer solution, the applied voltage, the tip,collector distance (TCD), the inner diameter of the needle, and the gas flow rate. It was found from experimental results that the average diameter of the electrospun PES fibers depended strongly on these process parameters. A decrease in the polymer concentration in the spinning solutions resulted in the formation of nanofibers with a smaller diameter. The use of an 18 wt % polymer solution yielded PES nanofibers with an average diameter of about 80 nm. However, a morphology of mixed bead fibers was formed when the concentration of PES in DMF was below 20 wt % during gas-jet/electrospinning. Uniform PES nanofibers with an average diameter of about 200 nm were prepared by this electrospinning with the following optimal process parameters: the concentration of PES in DMF was 25 wt %, the applied voltage was 28.8 kV, the gas flow was 10.0 L/min, the inner diameter of the needle was 0.24 mm, the TCD was 20 cm, and the flow rate was 6.0 mL/h. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008 [source] Investigation on characterization and transfection of a novel multi-polyplex gene delivery systemJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2007Yu Nie Abstract pDNA was condensed by polycationic peptide polylysine (PLL) to form a core, and then encapsulated in biodegradable monomethoxy (poly ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide- co -glycolide)-monomethoxy (poly ethylene glycol) (PELGE) to form core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) as a novel multi-polyplex gene delivery system,PPD(PELGE-PLL-DNA). NPs were prepared by a double emulsification-solvent evaporation technique, using F68 (Pluronic F68, namely Poloxamer 188) as surfactant (not traditional stabilizer PVA), and characterized by morphology, particle size, zeta potential, nuclease, and sonication protection ability, as well as transfection efficiency. Results showed that PPD had a regular spherical shape, with an average diameter of 155 ± 2.97 nm and a zeta potential of ,25.6 ± 1.35 mV. PPD could protect plasmid DNA from nuclease degradation and sonication during preparation, while the transfection efficiencies in HepG2 cells and Hela cells were much higher than that of NPs without PLL. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007 [source] Biporous polymeric beads fabricated by double emulsification for high-speed protein chromatographyJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007Guo-Yong Sun Abstract Rigid biporous beads (BiPB) were fabricated by double emulsification. An aqueous suspension of superfine calcium carbonate granules and organic solvent were used as porogenic agents to create superpores and micropores, respectively. The polymerization of monomers, glycidyl methacrylate, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was initiated with benzoin ethyl ether by ultraviolet irradiation. Modified with diethylamine (DEA), the BiPB were derivatized into an anion-exchange medium (which is denoted as DEA,BiPB). The DEA,BiPB with an average diameter of 46.3 ,m was characterized to possess two types of pores, that is, micropores (20,200 nm) and superpores (500,5300 nm). Flow hydrodynamic experiments showed that the DEA,BiPB column had a smaller backpressure than that of the conventional microporous beads column at a given flow rate. The static adsorption capacity of the DEA,BiPB was close to that of the DEA,MiPB for bovine serum albumin. However, frontal analysis demonstrated that the dynamic binding capacity of the DEA,BiPB column was two times higher than that of the DEA,MiPB at a flow rate of 1800 cm/h. Moreover, the purification of the molecular chaperone GroEL was carried out with the DEA,BiPB column at two flow rates (150 and 1500 cm/h). This showed that the GroEL purification was nearly the same at the two flow rates tested. These results indicate that the DEA,BiPB column is promising for high-speed protein chromatography. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 17,23, 2007 [source] Preparation and adsorption characteristic of polymeric microsphere with strong adsorbability for creatinineJOURNAL OF BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Baojiao Gao Abstract Cross-linking terpolymer microspheres (HEMA/NVP/MBA; it can also be designated as HEMA/NVP because HEMA and NVP are main components) with an average diameter of 180 µm, were prepared via inverse suspension copolymerization by using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and N -vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) as monomers and N,N,-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as cross-linked agent. The microsphere HEMA/NVP was chemically modified with 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride (DNBC), and the functional microsphere DNBZ-HEMA/NVP, on which a great number of 3,5-dinitrobenzoate group (DNBZ) were bound, was obtained. The functional microsphere DNBZ-HEMA/NVP were characterized with FTIR and the chemical analysis method. The adsorption characteristics and mechanism of the absorption of DNBZ-HEMA/NVP for creatine was mainly studied. The results of static adsorption experiments show that the functional microsphere DNBZ-HEMA/NVP has very strong adsorption ability for creatinine, and the saturated adsorption amount is 25 mg/g. The adsorption capacity of the functional microsphere DNBZ-HEMA/NVP for creatinine is enhanced 20 times as against unmodified microsphere HEMA/NVP. The adsorption capacity is smaller, at lower and higher pH, and has a maximum as pH 8.5. The higher the salinity of the medium, the smaller the adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacity decreases with increasing temperature. The study results show that the adsorption of the microsphere DNBZ-HEMA/NVP for creatinine is ascribed to a chemical adsorption by driving of electrostatic interaction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 22:166,174, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20221 [source] The characterization and optimization of injectable silicone resin particles in conjunction with dermal fibroblasts and growth factors: An in vitro studyJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010Robert M. Crews Abstract Minimally invasive subdermal injection of liquid silicone has been used clinically to augment the soft tissue of the foot to mitigate high pressures that cause diabetic foot ulcers. However, implant migration has been a clinical issue. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of three specific concentrations of silicone resin particles (12 ,m average diameter) in conjunction with either platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on fibroblast cell proliferation, collagen synthesis, cell morphology, and migration through in vitro assays and a monolayer scratch wound model. PDGF and bFGF enhanced the proliferation of fibroblasts 5.7-fold and fivefold, respectively, while the addition of silicone particles had no significant effect on proliferation. Collagen production was increased approximately twofold with the addition of bFGF and the medium concentration of particles over bFGF without particles and the PDGF groups. The addition of silicone particles had no significant effect on collagen production compared with control groups without particles. Fibroblast migration was enhanced by the addition of both PDGF and bFGF compared to controls, although slower scratch wound closure rates were observed in the presence of particles compared to controls without particles. Cell morphology suggested that particles induced cellular aggregation encircling silicone particles postwounding as well as migration into the wound area. These results suggest that silicone particles in combination with a growth factor might enhance fibroblast aggregation and implant stability, and could promote connective tissue ingrowth and implant encapsulation in the soft tissue of the diabetic foot. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010 [source] Mechanical load induced by glass microspheres releases angiogenic factors from neonatal rat ventricular myocytes cultures and causes arrhythmiasJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 5b 2008D. Y. Barac Abstract In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that similar to other mechanical loads, notably cyclic stretch (simulating pre-load), glass microspheres simulating afterload will stimulate the secretion of angiogenic factors. Hence, we employed glass microspheres (average diameter 15.7 ,m, average mass 5.2 ng) as a new method for imposing mechanical load on neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) in culture. The collagen-coated microspheres were spread over the cultures at an estimated density of 3000 microspheres/mm2, they adhered strongly to the myocytes, and acted as small weights carried by the cells during their contraction. NRVM were exposed to either glass microspheres or to cyclic stretch, and several key angiogenic factors were measured by RT-PCR. The major findings were: (1) In contrast to other mechanical loads, such as cyclic stretch, microspheres (at 24 hrs) did not cause hypertrophy. (2) Further, in contrast to cyclic stretch, glass microspheres did not affect Cx43 expression, or the conduction velocity measured by means of the Micro-Electrode-Array system. (3) At 24 hrs, glass microspheres caused arrhythmias, probably resulting from early afterdepolarizations. (4) Glass microspheres caused the release of angiogenic factors as indicated by an increase in mRNA levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (80%), angiopoietin-2 (60%), transforming growth factor-, (40%) and basic fibroblast growth factor (15%); these effects were comparable to those of cyclic stretch. (5) As compared with control cultures, conditioned media from cultures exposed to microspheres increased endothelial cell migration by 15% (P<0.05) and endothelial cell tube formation by 120% (P<0.05), both common assays for angiogenesis. In conclusion, based on these findings we propose that loading cardiomyocytes with glass microspheres may serve as a new in vitro model for investigating the role of mechanical forces in angiogenesis and arrhythmias. [source] Fabrication by three-phase emulsification of pellicular adsorbents customised for liquid fluidised bed adsorption of bioproductsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2003Mohsen Jahanshahi Abstract A novel dense pellicular adsorbent, custom-designed for liquid fluidised bed adsorption of protein bioproducts, has been fabricated by coating zirconia,silica particles with agarose gel in a three-phase emulsification process. A slurry feedstock comprising solid zirconia,silica particles (120 µm average diameter) suspended in an aqueous solution of agarose was emulsified in an oil,surfactant mixture in a stirred vessel to yield composite droplets. These were subsequently stabilised by cooling to form spherical pellicular particles characterised by a porous, pellicular coat cast upon a solid core. The impact of agitation speed, surfactant concentration, oil viscosity and slurry composition upon the pellicle depth and overall particle diameter was investigated. Pellicle depth decreased with increasing impeller speed and decreased oil viscosity, whilst increased slurry viscosity enhanced that parameter. Initial increases from low concentrations of Span 80 surfactant (0.1% w/v oil) reduced the depth of the agarose pellicle, but the highest values investigated (1.5% w/v oil) promoted particle aggregation. The fluidisation behaviour of particles fabricated under various conditions was characterised by the measurement of expansion coefficients and axial dispersion coefficients for the liquid phase when operated in a standard fluidised bed contactor. Both parameters were found to be comparable or superior to those reported for conventional, composite fluidised bed adsorbents. The controlled coating of porous agarose upon a solid core to yield specific pellicular geometries is discussed in the context of the fabrication of adsorbents customised for the recovery of a variety of bioproducts (macromolecules, nanoparticulates) from complex particulate feedstocks (whole broths, cell disruptates and unclarified bio-extracts). Given the agreement between the size of the pellicular particles and the trends expected from theory, the large-scale manufacture of such particles for customised industrial use is recommended. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] CORRELATING SHRINKAGE WITH YIELD, WATER CONTENT AND TEXTURE OF PORK HAM BY COMPUTER VISIONJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2005CHENG-JIN DU ABSTRACT An automatic method for shrinkage evaluation of pork ham was developed using computer vision. First, a sequence of image-processing algorithms was developed to estimate the average diameter, short axis, long axis, perimeter, volume and surface area before and after cooking and cooling. This sequence consisted of three steps, i.e., shape extraction, protrusion deletion and measurement. Based on the estimated shape characteristics, three kinds of shrinkage were evaluated as the percentage change before and after a process, i.e., shrinkages caused by the cooking process, cooling process and total shrinkage during the entire cooking and cooling processes. Then the cooking shrinkage was related to cooking loss; the cooling shrinkage to cooling loss and the total shrinkage to yield, water content and texture. It was found that among the three shrinkages, the cooking shrinkage in volume was the highest with up to 9.36%, and was significantly correlated with cooking loss (r = 0.91). The total shrinkage was highly negatively correlated with water content, and had positive correlations with the texture attributes. However, no significant relationships were found between cooling shrinkage and cooling loss, and between total shrinkage and yield. [source] Three-photon microscopy shows that somatic release can be a quantitatively significant component of serotonergic neurotransmission in the mammalian brainJOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 15 2008S.K. Kaushalya Abstract Recent experiments on monoaminergic neurons have shown that neurotransmission can originate from somatic release. However, little is known about the quantity of monoamine available to be released through this extrasynaptic pathway or about the intracellular dynamics that mediate such release. Using three-photon microscopy, we directly imaged serotonin autofluorescence and investigated the total serotonin content, release competence, and release kinetics of somatic serotonergic vesicles in the dorsal raphe neurons of the rat. We found that the somata of primary cultured neurons contain a large number of serotonin-filled vesicles arranged in a perinuclear fashion. A similar distribution is also observed in fresh tissue slice preparations obtained from the rat dorsal raphe. We estimate that the soma of a cultured neuron on an average contains about 9 fmoles of serotonin in about 450 vesicles (or vesicle clusters) of ,370 nm average diameter. A substantial fraction (>30%) of this serotonin is released with a time scale of several minutes by K+ -induced depolarization or by para-chloroamphetamine treatment. The amount of releasable serotonin stored in the somatic vesicles is comparable to the total serotonin content of all the synaptic vesicles in a raphe neuron, indicating that somatic release can potentially play a major role in serotonergic neurotransmission in the mammalian brain. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Detecting regime transitions in slurry bubble columns using pressure time seriesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2005Keshav C. Ruthiya Abstract Changes in the coherent standard deviation and in the average frequency of measured pressure time series with gas velocity, are proposed, as unique and unambiguous criteria to mark flow regime transitions in slurry bubble columns. In a 2-dimensional (2-D) slurry bubble column, pressure time series are measured at different gas velocities simultaneously with high-speed video recording of the gas-liquid flow. The frequency of occurrence and the average diameter of the large bubbles are determined from video image analysis. The gas velocity where the first large bubbles are detected, with an average diameter of 1.5 cm, and with a frequency of occurrence of one bubble per s, is designated as the first regime transition point (transition from the homogeneous regime to the transition regime). At this point, the coherent standard deviation of the measured pressure fluctuations clearly increases from zero. The gas velocity where the average diameter and the frequency of occurrence of the large bubbles become constant, is designated as the second regime transition point (transition from the transition regime to the heterogeneous regime). From this point onward, the slope of the coherent standard deviation of the measured pressure fluctuations clearly decreases with gas velocity, while the average frequency becomes constant. These clear changes with gas velocity in the coherent standard deviation, and in the average frequency are also demonstrated in a 3-D slurry bubble column. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005 [source] Controlled release tamsulosin hydrochloride from alginate beads with waxy materialsJOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 12 2005Min-Soo Kim The objective of this study was to develop oral controlled release delivery systems for tamsulosin hydrochloride (TSH) using alginate beads with various waxy materials, such as Compritol 888 ATO, Precirol ATO 5 and Gelucires. The beads were prepared from sodium alginate,waxy material,TSH slurry dropped onto calcium chloride to form spherical beads. The effects of the addition of various waxy materials to alginate beads on the drug encapsulation efficiency, bead size and morphology were investigated. The drug encapsulation efficiency significantly increased with the addition of waxy materials. The TSH-loaded alginate beads with and without waxy materials were almost spherical particles with an average diameter of 1.44 and 1.22mm, respectively. In dissolution study, the TSH-loaded alginate beads with waxy materials exhibited controlled release behaviour over a 6-h period, while beads without waxy materials showed release of 100% TSH within 2h. These results may be attributed to the formation of a more rigid alginate matrix structure due to incorporated waxy materials. From the Dunnett's t -test and the f2 factor, the release of TSH from alginate beads, a similar dissolution pattern to that of the marketed product (Harunal capsules) could be achieved by adding Gelucire 50/13 into TSH-loaded alginate beads. From these results, oral controlled release of TSH could be achieved with loading in alginate beads with waxy materials, such as Compritol 888 ATO, Precirol ATO 5 and Gelucires. 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