The room temperature phosphine-free synthesis of near-infrared emitting HgSe quantum dots

Luminescent mercury selenide (HgSe) quantum dots have been synthesised by a phosphine-free method using oleic acid as a capping agent. The modification of experimental conditions such as temperature resulted in particles of various sizes (15–100 nm) and morphologies not previously seen in HgSe, with emission tuneable between 1000 nm and 1350 nm

High Energy Proton Induced X-Ray Emission and its Applications

High energy protons of energies between 30 and 60 MeV are particularly valuable in particle induced X-ray analysis of elements in the rare earth region and above. Transmission samples of thickness up to 100 μm can be used, and damage to both biological and mineral samples is minimal. Detection limits are estimated, and the use of Fourier transformation techniques in the analysis of data is discussed in some detail. The quality of the raw data from mineralogical and biological experiments is such as to permit immediate identification of all elements above Germanium present at the part per million level or above in a sample. Particle induced K X-ray spectra from Au ore, sperrylite, rutheniridosmine and autonite are shown, indicating that all elements from As to U are readily identified when K X-rays are generated by protons of appropriately high energy

Detection of blood clots using a whole stent as an active implantable biosensor

Many cardiovascular problems stem from blockages that form within the vasculature and often treatment includes fitting a stent through percutaneous coronary intervention. This offers a minimally invasive therapy but re-occlusion through restenosis or thrombosis formation often occurs post-deployment. Research is ongoing into the creation of smart stents that can detect the occurrence of further problems. In this study, it is shown that selectively metalizing a non-conductive stent can create a set of electrodes that are capable of detecting a build-up of material around the stent. The associated increase in electrical impedance across the electrodes is measured, testing the stent with blood clot to mimic thrombosis. It is shown that the device is capable of sensing different amounts of occlusion. The stent can reproducibly sense the presence of clot showing a 16% +/−3% increase in impedance which is sufficient to reliably detect the clot when surrounded by explanted aorta (one sample t-test, p = 0.009, n = 9). It is demonstrated that this approach can be extended beyond the 3D printed prototypes by showing that it can be applied to a commercially available stent and it is believed that it can be further utilized by other types of medical implants

Starve to Sustain - An Ancient Syrian Landrace of Sorghum as Tool for Phosphorous Bio-Economy?

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient, playing a role in developmental and metabolic processes in plants. To understand the local and systemic responses of sorghum to inorganic phosphorus (Pi) starvation and the potential of straw and ash for reutilisation in agriculture, we compared two grain (Razinieh) and sweet (Della) sorghum varieties with respect to their morpho-physiological and molecular responses. We found that Pi starvation increased the elongation of primary roots, the formation of lateral roots, and the accumulation of anthocyanin. In Razinieh, lateral roots were promoted to a higher extent, correlated with a higher expression of SbPht1 phosphate transporters. Infrared spectra of straw from mature plants raised to maturity showed two prominent bands at 1371 and 2337 cm−1, which could be assigned to P-H(H2) stretching vibration in phosphine acid and phosphinothious acid, and their derivates, whose abundance correlated with phosphate uptake of the source plant and genotype (with a higher intensity in Razinieh). The ash generated from these straws stimulated the shoot elongation and root development of the rice seedlings, especially for the material derived from Razinieh raised under Pi starvation. In conclusion, sorghum growing on marginal lands has potential as a bio-economy alternative for mineral phosphorus recycling

Analysis of circulating tumour cells in early-stage uveal melanoma: Evaluation of tumour marker expression to increase capture

Background: The stratification of uveal melanoma (UM) patients into prognostic groups is critical for patient management and for directing patients towards clinical trials. Current classification is based on clinicopathological and molecular features of the tumour. Analysis of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) has been proposed as a tool to avoid invasive biopsy of the primary tumour. However, the clinical utility of such liquid biopsy depends on the detection rate of CTCs. Methods: The expression of melanoma, melanocyte, and stem cell markers was tested in a primary tissue microarray (TMA) and UM cell lines. Markers found to be highly expressed in primary UM were used to either immunomagnetically isolate or immunostain UM CTCs prior to treatment of the primary lesion. (3) Results: TMA and cell lines had heterogeneous expression of common melanoma, melanocyte, and stem cell markers. A multi-marker panel of immunomagnetic beads enabled isolation of CTCs in 37/43 (86%) patients with UM. Detection of three or more CTCs using the multi-marker panel, but not MCSP alone, was a significant predictor of shorter progression free (p = 0.040) and overall (p = 0.022) survival. Conclusions: The multi-marker immunomagnetic isolation protocol enabled the detection of CTCs in most primary UM patients. Overall, our results suggest that a multi-marker approach could be a powerful tool for CTC separation for non-invasive prognostication of UM

Dealing with registration issues on the PPSR

The Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (the PPSA) has been in operation for over two years now. The two-year transitional period ended at the end of January 2014 and all PPSA security interests must be properly perfected in order to preserve their priority in contests with other security interests and to avoid the vesting of the security interest upon formal insolvency/bankruptcy

Reviewing retention of title arrangements in supply agreements

With the conclusion of the transitional period of the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (PPSA) at the end of January 2014 it is a good time for those dealing with supply contracts that contain retention of title arrangements to review their effectiveness

An automated system to control and manipulate the flight activity of captive birds

Biologists have long been interested in the behavioural and physiological mechanisms that regulate flight. The manipulation of physical activity of birds under captive conditions, however, faces the experimenter with some technical problems. In this article, we describe a simple automated system that allows control and manipulation of the flight activity of captive birds and use it for the first time to induce blood oxidative stress in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Finches subjected to a short-term flight effort regime had an increase of plasma oxidative damage and a decrease of thiol concentration in red blood cells and of body mass, respectively. However, no change in red blood cell glutathione peroxidase was observed. This simple experiment shows that our automated system may be successfully used to induce changes in the physiological state of small birds