Abstract: A novel label-free folding induced aptamer-based electrochemical biosensor for the detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) in the presence of its analogues has been developed. CAP is a broad-spectrum antibiotic which has lost its favor due to its serious adverse toxic effects on human health. Aptamers are artificial nucleic acid ligands (ssDNA or RNA) able to specifically recognize a target such as CAP. In this article, the aptamers are fixed onto a gold electrode surface by a self-assembly approach. In the presence of CAP, the unfolded ssDNA on the electrode surface changes to a hairpin structure bringing the target molecules close to the surface and trigger electron transfer. Detection limits were determined to be 1.6×10-9 mol L-1. In addition, thiamphenicol (TAP) and florfenicol (FF), antibiotics with a similar structure to CAP, did not influence the performance of the aptasensor, suggesting a good selectivity of the CAP-aptasensor. Simplicity and lower detection limit (because of the home-selected aptamers) make that the electrochemical aptasensor is suitable for practical use in the detection of CAP in milk samples.

Abstract: The early growth stages of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond on a solgel TiO2 film with buried ultra dispersed diamond seeds (UDD) have been studied. In order to investigate the diamond growth mechanism and understand the role of the TiO2 layer in the growth process, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-filtered TEM and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) techniques were applied to cross sectional diamond film samples. We find evidence for the formation of TiC crystallites inside the TiO2 layer at different diamond growth stages. However, there is no evidence that diamond nucleation starts from these crystallites. Carbon diffusion into the TiO2 layer and the chemical bonding state of carbon (sp2/sp3) were both extensively investigated. We provide evidence that carbon diffuses through the TiO2 layer and that the diamond seeds partially convert to amorphous carbon during growth. This carbon diffusion and diamond to amorphous carbon conversion make the seed areas below the TiO2 layer grow and bend the TiO2 layer upwards to form the nucleation center of the diamond film. In some of the protuberances a core of diamond seed remains, covered by amorphous carbon. It is however unlikely that the remaining seeds are still active during the growth process.

Abstract: We analyzed pattern formation and identified various morphologies in a system of particles interacting through a non-monotonic potential with a competing range interaction characterized by a repulsive core (r < r(c)) and an attractive tail (r > r(c)), using molecular-dynamics simulations. Depending on parameters, the interaction potential models the inter-particle interaction in various physical systems ranging from atoms, molecules and colloids to vortices in low kappa type-II superconductors and in recently discovered 'type-1.5' superconductors. We constructed a 'morphology diagram' in the plane 'critical radius r(c)-density n' and proposed a new approach to characterizing the different types of patterns. Namely, we elaborated a set of quantitative criteria in order to identify the different pattern types, using the radial distribution function (RDF), the local density function and the occupation factor.

Abstract: A crucial step, which is still not well understood in the destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with low temperature plasmas, is the initiation of the process. Here, we present a kinetic model for the destruction of ethylene in low temperature plasmas that allows us to calculate the relative importance of all plasma species and their related reactions. Modifying the ethylene concentration and/or the SED had a major impact on the relative importance of the radicals (i.e., mainly atomic oxygen) and the metastable nitrogen (i.e., more specifically N2(equation image)) in the destruction process. Our results show that the direct destruction by electron impact reactions for ethylene can be neglected; however, we can certainly not neglect the influence of N2(equation image)).

Abstract: Nanocrystalline palladium thin films deposited by electron-beam evaporation and deformed by on-chip tensile testing reveal a surprisingly large strain hardening capacity when considering the small similar to 25 nm grain size. The as-grown films contain several coherent single and multifold twin boundaries. The coherency of the twin boundaries considerably decreases with deformation due to dislocation/twin boundary interactions. These reactions are described based on a detailed analysis of the number and the type of dislocations located at the twin boundaries using high-resolution TEM, including aberration corrected microscopy. Sessile Frank dislocations were observed at the twin/matrix interfaces, explaining the loss of the TB coherency due to the Burgers vector pointing out of the twinning plane. Grain boundary mediated processes were excluded as a mechanism dominating the plastic deformation based on the investigation of the grain size distribution as well as the crystallographic texture using Automated Crystallographic Orientation Indexation TEM. Other factors influencing the plastic deformation such as impurities and the presence of a native passivation oxide layer at the surface of the films were investigated using analytical TEM. The twin boundaries observed in the present work partly explain the high strain hardening capacity by providing both increasing resistance to dislocation motion with deformation and a source for dislocation multiplication. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: An increased pulse pressure (difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure) suggests aortic stiffening. The objective of this study was to examine the acute effects of both particulate matter (PM) mass and composition on blood pressure, among elderly persons. We carried out a panel study in persons living in elderly homes in Antwerp, Belgium. We recruited 88 non-smoking persons, 70% women with a mean age of 83 years (standard deviation: 5.2). Blood pressure was measured and a blood sample was collected on two time points, which were chosen so that there was an exposure contrast in ambient PM exposure. The elemental content of the collected indoor and outdoor PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) mass concentration was measured. Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (oxy-PAHs) on outdoor PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm) were measured. Each interquartile range increase of 20.8 μg/m³ in 24-h mean outdoor PM2.5 was associated with an increase in pulse pressure of 4.0 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 1.86.2), in persons taking antihypertensive medication (n=57), but not in persons not using antihypertensive medication (n=31) (p for interaction: 0.02). Vanadium, iron and nickel contents of PM2.5 were significantly associated with systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure, among persons on antihypertensive medication. Similar results were found for indoor concentrations. Of the oxy-PAHs, chrysene-5,6-dione and benzo[a]pyrene-3,6-dione were significantly associated with increases in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. In elderly, pulse pressure was positively associated with acute increases in outdoor and indoor air pollution, among persons taking antihypertensive medication. These results might form a mechanistic pathway linking air pollution as a trigger of cardiovascular events.

Abstract: The local and average crystal structures and magnetic properties of the oxygen-deficient perovskite Sr2Fe1.5Cr0.5O5+y were studied using powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, neutron-pair distribution function analysis, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. This material crystallizes in the cubic Pm3̅m space group, with a = 3.94491(14) Å. The oxygen vacancies are distributed randomly throughout the perovskite-type structure, and the average coordination number of the Fe(Cr) sites is 5. Refinement of the neutron diffraction data indicates y 0.05. This is in discordance with an earlier report on a material with the same nominal composition and cell constant. Electron energy-loss Cr L2,3-edge spectroscopy shows that Cr3+ is present, which is also contrary to previous speculation. Neutron-pair distribution function studies show that a brownmillerite-like model involving ordered vacancies and alternating octahedral and tetrahedral coordination at the metal sites, gives a better description of the local structure out to 5 Å. A remarkable phenomenon determined by neutron diffraction in Sr2Fe1.5Cr0.5O5 is the occurrence of a long-range G-type antiferromagnetic ordering with Tc ≈ 565 K because cubic oxygen-deficient perovskites with B-site disorder usually do not undergo transitions to magnetically ordered states. The observation of long-range antiferromagnetic order and the Tc value are in accordance with previous Mössbauer spectroscopic studies.

Abstract: Combining long-range magnetic order with polarity in the same structure is a prerequisite for the design of (magnetoelectric) multiferroic materials. There are now several demonstrated strategies to achieve this goal, but retaining magnetic order above room temperature remains a difficult target. Iron oxides in the +3 oxidation state have high magnetic ordering temperatures due to the size of the coupled moments. Here we prepare and characterize ScFeO3 (SFO), which under pressure and in strain-stabilized thin films adopts a polar variant of the corundum structure, one of the archetypal binary oxide structures. Polar corundum ScFeO3 has a weak ferromagnetic ground state below 356 K-this is in contrast to the purely antiferromagnetic ground state adopted by the well-studied ferroelectric BiFeO3.

Abstract: We develop a model for the tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) based on the Wentzel-Kramer-Brillouin approximation which improves over existing semi-classical models employing generation rates. We hereby introduce the concept of a characteristic tunneling length in direct semiconductors. Based on the model, we show that a limited density of states results in an optimal doping concentration as well as an optimal material's band gap to obtain the highest TFET on-current at a given supply voltage. The observed optimal-doping trend is confirmed by 2-dimensional quantum-mechanical simulations for silicon and germanium. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4714544]

Abstract: Source size broadening is an important resolution limiting effect in modern STEM experiments. Here, we propose an alternative method to measure the source size broadening making use of a holographic biprism to create interference patterns in an empty Ronchigram. This allows us to measure the exact shape of the source size broadening with a much better sampling than previously possible. We find that the shape of the demagnified source deviates considerably from a Gaussian profile that is often assumed. We fit the profile with a linear combination of a Gaussian and a bivariate Cauchy distribution showing that even though the full width at half maximum is similar to previously reported measurements, the tails of the profile are considerable wider. This is of fundamental importance for quantitative comparison of STEM simulations with experiments as these tails make the image contrast dependent on the interatomic distance, an effect that cannot be reproduced by a single Gaussian profile of fixed width alone.

Abstract: Context: Asthma affects 20 million Americans resulting in an economic burden of approximately $18 billion in the US alone (Allergies and Asthma Foundation 2000; National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) 1999). Research studies based on differences in patient-specific airway morphology for asthma and the associated effect on deposition of inhaled aerosols are currently not available in the literature. Therefore, the role of morphological variations such as upper airway (extrathoracic) occlusion is not well documented. Objective: Functional imaging based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of the respiratory airways for five asthmatic subjects is performed in this study using computed tomography (CT) based patient-specific airway models and boundary conditions. Methods: CT scans for 5 asthma patients were used to reconstruct 3D lung models using segmentation software. An averaged inhalation profile and patient-specific lobar flow distribution were used to perform the simulation. The simulations were used to obtain deposition for BDP/Formoterol (R) HFA pMDI in the patient-specific airway models. Results: The lung deposition obtained using CFD was in excellent agreement with available in vivo data using the same product. Specifically, CFD resulted in 30% lung deposition, whereas in vivo lung deposition was reported to be approximately 31%. Conclusion: It was concluded that a combination of patient-specific airway models and lobar boundary conditions can be used to obtain accurate lung deposition estimates. Lower lung deposition can be expected for patients with higher extrathoracic resistance. Novel respiratory drug delivery devices need to accommodate population subgroups based on these morphological and anatomical differences in addition to subject age.

Abstract: We apply neutron diffraction, high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction, magnetization measurements, electronic structure calculations, and quantum Monte-Carlo simulations to unravel the structure and magnetism of (CuCl)LaTa2O7. Despite the pseudo-tetragonal crystallographic unit cell, this compound features an orthorhombic superstructure, similar to the Nb-containing (CuX)LaNb2O7 with X = Cl and Br. The spin lattice entails dimers formed by the antiferromagnetic fourth-neighbor coupling J(4), as well as a large number of nonequivalent interdimer couplings quantified by an effective exchange parameter J(eff). In (CuCl)LaTa2O7, the interdimer couplings are sufficiently strong to induce the long-range magnetic order with the Neel temperature T-N similar or equal to 7 K and the ordered magnetic moment of 0.53 mu(B), as measured with neutron diffraction. This magnetic behavior can be accounted for by J(eff)/J(4) similar or equal to 1.6 and J(4) similar or equal to 16 K. We further propose a general magnetic phase diagram for the (CuCl)LaNb2O7-type compounds, and explain the transition from the gapped spin-singlet (dimer) ground state in (CuCl)LaNb2O7 to the long-range antiferromagnetic order in (CuCl)LaTa2O7 and (CuBr)LaNb2O7 by an increase in the magnitude of the interdimer couplings J(eff)/J(4), with the (CuCl)LaM2O7 (M = Nb, Ta) compounds lying on different sides of the quantum critical point that separates the singlet and long-range-ordered magnetic ground states.