Voltammetry at porous electrodes: A theoretical study

Theory is presented to simulate both chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry at porous electrodes fabricated by means of electro-deposition around spherical templates. A theoretical method to extract heterogeneous rate constants for quasireversible and irreversible systems is proposed by the approximation of decoupling of the diffusion within the porous electrode and of bulk diffusion to the electrode surface

Double potential step chronoamperometry at a microband electrode: Theory and experiment

Numerical simulation is used to characterise double potential step chronoamperometry at a microband electrode for a simple redox process A + e- goes to B, under conditions of full support such that diffusion is the only active form of mass transport. The method is shown to be highly sensitive for the measurement of the diffusion coefficient of both A and B, and is applied to the one electron reduction of decamethylferrocene (DMFc), DMFc - e- goes to DMFc+, in the room temperature ionic liquid 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium bistrifluoromethylsulfonylimide. Theory and experiment are seen to be in excellent agreement and the following values of the diffusion coefficients were measured at 298 K: D_(DMFc) = 2.50 x 10^(-7) cm^(2) s^(-1) and D_(DMFc+) = 9.50 x 10^(-8) cm^(2) s^(-1)

Dual Band Electrodes in Generator-Collector Mode: Simultaneous Measurement of Two Species

A computational model for the simulation of a double band collector-generator experiment is applied to the situation where two electrochemical reactions occur concurrently. It is shown that chronoamperometric measurements can be used to take advantage of differences in diffusion coefficients to measure the concentrations of both electroactive species simultaneously, by measuring the time at which the collection efficiency reaches a specific value. The separation of the electrodes is shown to not affect the sensitivity of the method (in terms of percentage changes in the measured time to reach the specified collection efficiency), but wider gaps can provide a greater range of (larger) absolute values of this characteristic time. It is also shown that measuring the time taken to reach smaller collection efficiencies can allow for the detection of smaller amounts of whichever species diffuses faster. The case of a system containing both ascorbic acid and opamine in water is used to exemplify the method, and it is shown that mole fractions of ascorbic acid between 0.055 and 0.96 can, in principle, be accurately measured.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figure

Samakalina, Vol. 7 (Agrahayana, 1366)

Samakalina is a Bengali journal of literary criticism published from Calcutta between 1953 and 1993. Publishers and Printers changed several times

Interdigitated ring electrodes: Theory and experiment

The oxidation of potassium ferrocyanide, K_4Fe(CN)_6, in aqueous solution under fully supported conditions is carried out at interdigitated band and ring electrode arrays, and compared to theoretical models developed to simulate the processes. Simulated data is found to fit well with experimental results using literature values of diffusion coefficients for Fe(CN)_6^(4-) and Fe(CN)_6^(3-). The theoretical models are used to compare responses from interdigitated band and ring arrays, and the size of ring array required to approximate the response to a linear band array is investigated. An equation is developed for the radius of ring required for a pair of electrodes in a ring array to give a result with 5% of a pair of electrodes in a band array. This equation is found to be independent of the scan rate used over six orders of magnitude

Safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary assessment of efficacy of mecasermin (recombinant human IGF-1) for the treatment of Rett syndrome

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder mainly affecting females and is associated with mutations in MECP2, the gene encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2. Mouse models suggest that recombinant human insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) (rhIGF1) (mecasermin) may improve many clinical features. We evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of IGF-1 in 12 girls with MECP2 mutations (9 with RTT). In addition, we performed a preliminary assessment of efficacy using automated cardiorespiratory measures, EEG, a set of RTT-oriented clinical assessments, and two standardized behavioral questionnaires. This phase 1 trial included a 4-wk multiple ascending dose (MAD) (40–120 μg/kg twice daily) period and a 20-wk open-label extension (OLE) at the maximum dose. Twelve subjects completed the MAD and 10 the entire study, without evidence of hypoglycemia or serious adverse events. Mecasermin reached the CNS compartment as evidenced by the increase in cerebrospinal fluid IGF-1 levels at the end of the MAD. The drug followed nonlinear kinetics, with greater distribution in the peripheral compartment. Cardiorespiratory measures showed that apnea improved during the OLE. Some neurobehavioral parameters, specifically measures of anxiety and mood also improved during the OLE. These improvements in mood and anxiety scores were supported by reversal of right frontal alpha band asymmetry on EEG, an index of anxiety and depression. Our data indicate that IGF-1 is safe and well tolerated in girls with RTT and, as demonstrated in preclinical studies, ameliorates certain breathing and behavioral abnormalities

Telomeric expression sites are highly conserved in trypanosoma brucei

Subtelomeric regions are often under-represented in genome sequences of eukaryotes. One of the best known examples of the use of telomere proximity for adaptive purposes are the bloodstream expression sites (BESs) of the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei. To enhance our understanding of BES structure and function in host adaptation and immune evasion, the BES repertoire from the Lister 427 strain of T. brucei were independently tagged and sequenced. BESs are polymorphic in size and structure but reveal a surprisingly conserved architecture in the context of extensive recombination. Very small BESs do exist and many functioning BESs do not contain the full complement of expression site associated genes (ESAGs). The consequences of duplicated or missing ESAGs, including ESAG9, a newly named ESAG12, and additional variant surface glycoprotein genes (VSGs) were evaluated by functional assays after BESs were tagged with a drug-resistance gene. Phylogenetic analysis of constituent ESAG families suggests that BESs are sequence mosaics and that extensive recombination has shaped the evolution of the BES repertoire. This work opens important perspectives in understanding the molecular mechanisms of antigenic variation, a widely used strategy for immune evasion in pathogens, and telomere biology

Reviews and bibliographical notices

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Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization

We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop (Vienna August 2005) Proceeding