Fabrication of Highly Ordered Polymeric Nanodot and Nanowire Arrays Templated by Supramolecular Assembly Block Copolymer Nanoporous Thin Films

Realizing the vast technological potential of patternable block copolymers requires both the precise controlling of the orientation and long-range ordering, which is still a challenging topic so far. Recently, we have demonstrated that ordered nanoporous thin film can be fabricated from a simple supramolecular assembly approach. Here we will extend this approach and provide a general route to fabricate large areas of highly ordered polymeric nanodot and nanowire arrays. We revealed that under a mixture solvent annealing atmosphere, a near-defect-free nanoporous thin film over large areas can be achieved. Under the direction of interpolymer hydrogen bonding and capillary action of nanopores, this ordered porous nanotemplate can be properly filled with phenolic resin precursor, followed by curation and pyrolysis at middle temperature to remove the nanotemplate, a perfect ordered polymer nanodot arrays replication was obtained. The orientation of the supramolecular assembly thin films can be readily re-aligned parallel to the substrate upon exposure to chloroform vapor, so this facile nanotemplate replica method can be further extend to generate large areas of polymeric nanowire arrays. Thus, we achieved a successful sub-30 nm patterns nanotemplates transfer methodology for fabricating polymeric nanopattern arrays with highly ordered structure and tunable morphologies

Differences in Candidate Gene Association between European Ancestry and African American Asthmatic Children

Candidate gene case-control studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with asthma susceptibility. Most of these studies have been restricted to evaluations of specific SNPs within a single gene and within populations from European ancestry. Recently, there is increasing interest in understanding racial differences in genetic risk associated with childhood asthma. Our aim was to compare association patterns of asthma candidate genes between children of European and African ancestry.Using a custom-designed Illumina SNP array, we genotyped 1,485 children within the Greater Cincinnati Pediatric Clinic Repository and Cincinnati Genomic Control Cohort for 259 SNPs in 28 genes and evaluated their associations with asthma. We identified 14 SNPs located in 6 genes that were significantly associated (p-values <0.05) with childhood asthma in African Americans. Among Caucasians, 13 SNPs in 5 genes were associated with childhood asthma. Two SNPs in IL4 were associated with asthma in both races (p-values <0.05). Gene-gene interaction studies identified race specific sets of genes that best discriminate between asthmatic children and non-allergic controls.We identified IL4 as having a role in asthma susceptibility in both African American and Caucasian children. However, while IL4 SNPs were associated with asthma in asthmatic children with European and African ancestry, the relative contributions of the most replicated asthma-associated SNPs varied by ancestry. These data provides valuable insights into the pathways that may predispose to asthma in individuals with European vs. African ancestry

Processing of Body Odor Signals by the Human Brain

Brain development in mammals has been proposed to be promoted by successful adaptations to the social complexity as well as to the social and non-social chemical environment. Therefore, the communication via chemosensory signals might have been and might still be a phylogenetically ancient communication channel transmitting evolutionary significant information. In humans, the neuronal underpinnings of the processing of social chemosignals have been investigated in relation to kin recognition, mate choice, the reproductive state and emotional contagion. These studies reveal that human chemosignals are probably not processed within olfactory brain areas but through neuronal relays responsible for the processing of social information. It is concluded that the processing of human social chemosignals resembles the processing of social signals originating from other modalities, except that human social chemosignals are usually communicated without the allocation of attentional resources, that is below the threshold of consciousness. Deviances in the processing of human social chemosignals might be related to the development and maintenance of mental disorders

An electrochemical glucose sensor from an organically modified nanocomposite of viologen and TiO <inf>2</inf>

An organically modified TiO 2 nanocomposite was explored for glucose detection. Bis-Butyl viologen (BBV) was mixed with TiO 2 nanoparticles to generate highly dispersed nanocomposite solution, which provided organically modified nanocomposite film of TiO 2 (BBV-TiO 2). A transistor type sensor was fabricated using the BBV-TiO 2 film and platinum gate electrode. The BBV-TiO 2 nanocomposite sensor showed higher sensitivity to glucose sensing in low concentration region compared to that of TiO 2 sensor. This result was ascribed to facilitated electron transport by the adsorbed viologen molecules on TiO 2 nanoparticles, where viologen molecules act as an electron transfer mediator between enzyme and TiO 2. Copyright © 2010 American Scientific Publishers

A glucose sensor via stable immobilization of the GOx enzyme on an organic transistor using a polymer brush

Recently, there has been significant research in the area of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) because of their superior aptitude of chemical and biological sensing. Here it is shown for the first time the incorporation of polymer brushes to a transistor. Polymer brushes were chosen for their biocompatible properties and their ability to covalently tether enzymes and other biomolecules to different surfaces. OECTs were fabricated from the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate), PEDOT:PSS, and polymerized from the surface a mixed polymer brush of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). The brushes were functionalized with glucose oxidase and measured in terms of electrical performance and long-term stability

Electrical control of protein conformation

Conducting polymer devices that enable precise control of fibronectin conformation over macroscopic areas are reported. Single conformations as well as conformation gradients are achieved by applying an appropriate potential. These surfaces remain biologically relevant and support cell culture; hence, they may serve as a model to understand and control cell-surface interactions, with applications in basic research, medical diagnostics, and tissue engineering. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim