Differential Dynamic Microscopy: a High-Throughput Method for Characterizing the Motility of Microorganism

We present a fast, high-throughput method for characterizing the motility of microorganisms in 3D based on standard imaging microscopy. Instead of tracking individual cells, we analyse the spatio-temporal fluctuations of the intensity in the sample from time-lapse images and obtain the intermediate scattering function (ISF) of the system. We demonstrate our method on two different types of microorganisms: bacteria, both smooth swimming (run only) and wild type (run and tumble) Escherichia coli, and the bi-flagellate alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We validate the methodology using computer simulations and particle tracking. From the ISF, we are able to extract (i) for E. coli: the swimming speed distribution, the fraction of motile cells and the diffusivity, and (ii) for C. reinhardtii: the swimming speed distribution, the amplitude and frequency of the oscillatory dynamics. In both cases, the motility parameters are averaged over \approx 10^4 cells and obtained in a few minutes.

UEGO based measurement of EGR rate and residual gas fraction

A technique is presented for measuring the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and residual gas fraction (RGF) using a fast UEGO based O2 measurement of the manifold or in-cylinder gases, and of the exhaust gases. The technique has some advantages over the more common CO2-based method. In the case of an RGF measurement, fuel interference must be eliminated and special fuelling arrangements are is required. It is shown how a UEGO-based measurement, though sensitive to reactive species in the exhaust (such as H 2), as a system reports EGR/ RGF rates faithfully. Preliminary tests showed that EGR and RGF measurements using the O2 approach agreed well with CO2-based measurements. Copyright © 2011 SAE International.

Simultaneous determination of chromium(VI) and chromium(III) of bioavailable fraction in bottom mud by flow injection-atomic absorption spectroscopy

A rapid and sensitive method for separation and determination of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in bottom mud of lake by flow injection on-line preconcentrtion system and GFAAS was developed. The available Cr(VI) and Cr(III) were extracted by HOAc or EDTA + NH4 NO3 and adsorbed simultaneously by an anion and a cation resin microclummn and then eluted simultaneously by 2 mol/L NH4 NO3 + 0.05 mol/L ascorbate and 2 mol/L H2SO4, respectively. The elution was performed for 50 s after adsorption for 2 min, and the efficiencies of elution were 85.4% - 94.8% and 96.7% - 106% for Cr(VI) and Cr(M) respectively. The detection limits of the method were 0.9 mu g/L and 2.7 mu g/L with relative standard deviations of 3.5% and 6.4% for the determination of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in sample, respectively.

Highly efficient photoluminescence of Er2SiO5 films grown by reactive magnetron sputtering method

E2SiO5 thin films were fabricated on Si substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering method with subsequent annealing treatment. The morphology properties of as-deposited films have been studied by scanning electron microscope. The fraction of erbium is estimated to be 23.5 at% based on Rutherford backscattering measurement in as-deposited Er-Si-O film. X-ray diffraction measurement revealed that Er2SiO5 crystalline structure was formed as sample treated at 1100 degrees C for 1 h in O-2 atmosphere. Through proper thermal treatment, the 1.53 mu m Er3+-related emission intensity can be enhanced by a factor of 50 with respect to the sample annealed at 800 degrees C. Analysis of pump-power dependence of Er3+ PL intensity indicated that the upconversion phenomenon could be neglected even under a high photon flux of 10(21) (photons/cm(2)/sec). Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) of Er2SiO5 was studied and showed a weak thermal quenching factor of 2. Highly efficienct photoluminescence of Er2SiO5 films has been demonstrated with Er3+ concentration of 10(22)/cm(3), and it opens a promising way towards future Si-based light source for Si photonics. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peculiarity of constant photocurrent method for silicon films with mixed amorphous-nanocrystalline structure

The results of conductivity, photoconductivity and constant photocurrent method absorption measurements by DC and AC methods in hydrogenated silicon films with mixed amorphous-nanocrystalline structure are presented. A series of diphasic silicon films was deposited by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique, using different hydrogen dilution ratios of silane. The increase of hydrogen dilution ratio results in five orders of magnitude increase of conductivity and a sharp increase of grain volume fraction. The comparison of the absorption spectra obtained by DC and AC methods showed that they are similar for silicon films with the predominantly amorphous structure and films with high grain volume fraction. However we found a dramatic discrepancy between the absorption spectra obtained by DC and AC constant photocurrent methods in silicon films deposited in the regime of the structure transition from amorphous to nanocrystalline state. AC constant photocurrent method gives higher absorption coefficient than DC constant photocurrent method in the photon energy range of 1.2-1.7 eV. This result indicates the possibility of crystalline grains contribution to absorption spectra measured by AC constant photocurrent method in silicon films with intermediate crystalline grain volume fraction. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.

A novel method for positioning of InAs islands on GaAs(110)

A novel method for positioning of InAs islands on GaAs (110) by cleaved edge overgrowth is reported. The first growth sample contains strained InxGa1-xAs/GaAs superlattice (SL) of varying indium fraction, which acts as a strain nanopattern for the cleaved-edge overgrowth. Atoms incident on the cleaved edge will preferentially migrate to InGaAs regions where favorable bonding sites are available. By this method InAs island chains with lateral periodicity defined by the thickness of InGaAs and GaAs of SL have been realized by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). They are observed by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The strain nanopattern's effect is studied by the different indium fraction of SL and MBE growth conditions. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of self-assembly of symmetric coil-rod-coil ABA-type triblock copolymers by self-consistent field lattice method

The self-assembly of symmetric coil-rod-coil ABA-type triblock copolymer melts is studied by applying self-consistent field lattice techniques in a three-dimensional space. The self-assembled ordered structures differ significantly with the variation of the volume fraction of the rod component, which include lamellar, wave lamellar, gyroid, perforated lamellar, cylindrical, and spherical-like phases. To understand the physical essence of these phases and the regimes of occurrence, we construct the phase diagram, which matches qualitatively with the existing experimental results. Compared with the coil-rod AB diblock copolymer, our results revealed that the interfacial grafting density of the separating rod and coil segments shows important influence on the self-assembly behaviors of symmetric coil-rod-coil ABA triblock copolymer melts. We found that the order-disorder transition point changes from f(rod)=0.5 for AB diblock copolymers to f(rod)=0.6 for ABA triblock copolymers. Our results also show that the spherical-like and cylindrical phases occupy most of the region in the phase diagram, and the lamellar phase is found stable only at the high volume fraction of the rod.

A new method of measuring alcohol clusters in polyimide membrane: combination of inverse gas chromatography with equilibrium swelling

A new method of measuring the mean size of solvent clusters in swollen polymer membrane is presented in this paper. This method is based on a combination of inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and equilibrium swelling. The mechanism is that weight fraction activity coefficient of solvent in swollen polymer is influenced by its clusters size. The mean clusters size of solvent in swollen polymer can be calculated as the quotient of the weight fraction activity coefficient of clustering system dividing the weigh fraction activity coefficient of non-clustering system. In this experiment, the weigh fraction activity coefficient of non-clustering system was measured with IGC. Methanol, ethanol and polyimide systems were tested with the new method at three temperatures, 20, 40, and 60degreesC. The mean clusters size of methanol in polyimide was five, four, and three at each temperature condition, respectively. Ethanol did not form clusters (the mean clusters size was one). In contrast to the inherent narrow temperature range in DSC, XRD, and FTIR methods, the temperature range in IGC and equilibrium swelling is broad. Compared with DSC. XRD. and FTIR, this new method can detect the clusters of solvent-polymer system at higher temperature.

Decomposition of circular dichroism of norepinephrine by singular value decomposition-least square method

Singular value decomposition - least squares (SVDLS), a new method for processing the multiple spectra with multiple wavelengths and multiple components in thin layer spectroelectrochemistry has been developed. The CD spectra of three components, norepinephrine reduced form of norepinephrinechrome and norepinephrinequinone, and their fraction distributions with applied potential were obtained in three redox processes of norepinephrine from 30 experimental CD spectra, which well explains electrochemical mechanism of norepinephrine as well as the changes in the CD spectrum during the electrochemical processes.

Two-step-method extraction of endohedral metallofullerenes

A new and efficient extraction method of endohedral metallofullerenes, especially of rare-earth elements encapsulated metallofullerenes, has been reported in this paper. Soxhlet-extraction of raw soot with toluene was used in the first step to wash away most accompanying C-60, C-70. Then pyridine was chosen as solvent to obtain high-temperature and high pressure extract. Two kinds of extract were analysed by DEI-MS and LDI-MS, the results indicate that this two-step method can provide the extract which has the highest fraction of endohedral metallofullerenes. So it will greatly simplify the following separation and purification processes of metallofullerenes.

KINETIC-STUDY OF ELECTROCATALYTIC REDUCTION OF HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE AT IRON(III) PORPHYRIN MODIFIED GLASSY-CARBON ELECTRODE IN ALKALINE-MEDIUM USING THE ROTATION-SCAN METHOD

Reduction of hydrogen peroxide at a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with sigma-bonded pyrrole iron(III) octaethylporphyrin complex, (OEP)Fe(Pyr), was studied by cyclic voltammetry and a rotating disk electrode. In 0.1N NaOH solution, it is shown that such an (OEP)Fe(Pyr)/GC electrode has a significant catalytic activity towards hydrogen peroxide reduction (E(D) = -0.80 V, k = 0.066 cm s(-1)); however, the electrode stability is low. The deactivation is observed when the reaction charge (Q) is passing through the (OEP)Fe(Pyr)/GC disk electrode. A linear rotation scan method is applied to study the kinetic process by determining the disk electrochemical response (i(D)) to rotation rate (omega) at a definite disk potential (E(D)). Considering that the number of adsorbed electroreduced catalyst molecules (Red) varies according to the disk potential, a factor theta(= Gamma(Red)/(Gamma(Red) + Gamma(Ox))) is introduced to describe the electrode surface area fraction for electroreduced species. The obtained Koutecky-Levich equation is applicable whatever the potential is.

Isolation of the main light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex from thylakoid membranes of marine alga, Bryopsis corticulans by a direct method

The main chlorophyll a/b light-harvesting complex (LHC 11) has been isolated directly from thylakoid membranes of marine green alga (Bryopsis corticulans Setch.) by two consecutive runs of anion exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. LHC 11 proteins in the membrane extracts treated with 3% n-Octyl-b-D-glucopyranoside (OG) obtained specific binding ability on Q Sepharose column, and thus were isolated from the thylakoid membranes in a highly selective fraction. The monomeric, trimeric and oligomeric subcomplexes of LHC 11 have been obtained by fractionation of the LHC 11 mixes with sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. The SDS-PAGE analysis of peptide composition and absorption spectrum showed that LHC 11 monomers, trimers and oligomers prepared through this work were intact and in high purity. Our report is the first to show that it is possible to purify LHC If directly from thylakoid membranes without extensively biochemical purification.

Construction of Drug–Polymer Thermodynamic Phase Diagrams Using Flory–Huggins Interaction Theory: Identifying the Relevance of Temperature and Drug Weight Fraction to Phase Separation within Solid Dispersions

Amorphous drug-polymer solid dispersions have the potential to enhance the dissolution performance and thus bioavailability of BCS class II drug compounds. The principle drawback of this approach is the limited physical stability of amorphous drug within the dispersion. Accurate determination of the solubility and miscibility of drug in the polymer matrix is the key to the successful design and development of such systems. In this paper, we propose a novel method, based on Flory-Huggins theory, to predict and compare the solubility and miscibility of drug in polymeric systems. The systems chosen for this study are (1) hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate HF grade (HPMCAS-HF)-felodipine (FD) and (2) Soluplus (a graft copolymer of polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol)-FD. Samples containing different drug compositions were mixed, ball milled, and then analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The value of the drug-polymer interaction parameter ? was calculated from the crystalline drug melting depression data and extrapolated to lower temperatures. The interaction parameter ? was also calculated at 25 °C for both systems using the van Krevelen solubility parameter method. The rank order of interaction parameters of the two systems obtained at this temperature was comparable. Diagrams of drug-polymer temperature-composition and free energy of mixing (?G mix) were constructed for both systems. The maximum crystalline drug solubility and amorphous drug miscibility may be predicted based on the phase diagrams. Hyper-DSC was used to assess the validity of constructed phase diagrams by annealing solid dispersions at specific drug loadings. Three different samples for each polymer were selected to represent different regions within the phase diagram

Quantifying mircoorganism/organic matter interactions in saturated porous media.

Proteins and humic acids are common constituents of waste water. Latex colloids (colloids) acted as surrogates for microorganisms in multiple pulse dynamic column experiments (MPEs) that permitted colloid mobility to be quantified before and after the injection of either BSA (a protein), or Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA).
At low OM coverage colloid breakthrough curves demonstrated both BSA and SRHA reduced colloid deposition rates, but did not affect colloid irreversible deposition mechanisms. By contrast, high levels of SRHA surface coverage not only further reduced the matrix’s ability to attenuate colloids, but also resulted in reversible adsorption of a significant fraction of colloids deposited. Modelling of colloid responses using random sequential adsorption modelling suggested that 1 microgram of SRHA had the same effect as the deposition of 5.90±0.14 x109 colloids; the model suggested that adsorption of the same mass of BSA was equivalent to the deposition of between 7.1x108 and 2.3x109 colloids.
Colloid responses in MPEs where BSA coverage of colloid deposition sites approached saturation demonstrated the sand matrix remained capable of adsorbing colloids. However, in contrast to responses observed in MPEs at low surface coverage, continued colloid injection showed that the sand’s attenuation capacity increased with time, i.e. colloid concentrations declined as more were deposited (filter ripening).
Importance: Study results highlight the contrasting responses that may arise due to the interactions between colloids and OM in porous media. Results not only underscore that colloids can interact differently with various forms of deposited OM, but also that a single type of OM may generate dramatically different responses depending on the degree of surface coverage. The MPE method provides a means of quantifying the influence of OM on microorganism mobility in porous media such as filter beds, which may be used for either drinking water treatment or waste water treatment. In the wider environment study findings have potential to allow more confident predictions of the mobility of sewage derived pathogens discharging to groundwater.

Prediction of limit cycle oscillations under uncertainty using a Harmonic Balance method

The Harmonic Balance method is an attractive solution for computing periodic responses and can be an alternative to time domain methods, at a reduced computational cost. The current paper investigates using a Harmonic Balance method for simulating limit cycle oscillations under uncertainty. The Harmonic Balance method is used in conjunction with a non-intrusive polynomial-chaos approach to propagate variability and is validated against Monte Carlo analysis. Results show the potential of the approach for a range of nonlinear dynamical systems, including a full wing configuration exhibiting supercritical and subcritical bifurcations, at a fraction of the cost of performing time domain simulations.