67 research outputs found
Conjugatable water-soluble Pt(ii) and Pd(ii) porphyrin complexes: Novel nano- and molecular probes for optical oxygen tension measurement in tissue engineering
Measurement of oxygen tension in compressed collagen sheets was performed using matrix-embedded optical oxygen sensors based on platinum(II) and palladium(II) porphyrins supported on polyacrylamide nanoparticles. Bespoke, fully water-soluble, mono-functionalised Pt(II) and Pd(II) porphyrin complexes designed for conjugation under mild conditions were obtained using microwave-assisted metallation. The new sensors display a linear response (1/Ï vs. Oâ) to varying oxygen tension over a biologically relevant range (7.0 Ă 10â»âŽ to 2.7 Ă 10â»Âč mM) in aqueous solutions; a behaviour that is maintained following conjugation to polyacrylamide nanoparticles, and following embedding of the nanosensors in compressed collagen sheets, paving the way to innovative approaches for real-time resolution of oxygen gradients throughout 3D matrices useful for tissue regeneration
Conductance Phases in Aharonov-Bohm Ring Quantum Dots
The regimes of growing phases (for electron numbers N~0-8) that pass into
regions of self-returning phases (for N>8), found recently in quantum dot
conductances by the Weizmann group are accounted for by an elementary Green
function formalism, appropriate to an equi-spaced ladder structure (with at
least three rungs) of electronic levels in the quantum dot. The key features of
the theory are physically a dissipation rate that increases linearly with the
level number (and tentatively linked to coupling to longitudinal optical
phonons) and a set of Fano-like meta-stable levels, which disturb the
unitarity, and mathematically the change over of the position of the complex
transmission amplitude-zeros from the upper-half in the complex gap-voltage
plane to the lower half of that plane. The two regimes are identified with
(respectively) the Blaschke-term and the Kramers-Kronig integral term in the
theory of complex variables.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure
Model-Independent Sum Rule Analysis Based on Limited-Range Spectral Data
Partial sum rules are widely used in physics to separate low- and high-energy
degrees of freedom of complex dynamical systems. Their application, though, is
challenged in practice by the always finite spectrometer bandwidth and is often
performed using risky model-dependent extrapolations. We show that, given
spectra of the real and imaginary parts of any causal frequency-dependent
response function (for example, optical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility,
acoustical impedance etc.) in a limited range, the sum-rule integral from zero
to a certain cutoff frequency inside this range can be safely derived using
only the Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations without any extra model
assumptions. This implies that experimental techniques providing both active
and reactive response components independently, such as spectroscopic
ellipsometry in optics, allow an extrapolation-independent determination of
spectral weight 'hidden' below the lowest accessible frequency.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
The self-force on a static scalar test-charge outside a Schwarzschild black hole
The finite part of the self-force on a static scalar test-charge outside a
Schwarzschild black hole is zero. By direct construction of Hadamard's
elementary solution, we obtain a closed-form expression for the minimally
coupled scalar field produced by a test-charge held fixed in Schwarzschild
spacetime. Using the closed-form expression, we compute the necessary external
force required to hold the charge stationary. Although the energy associated
with the scalar field contributes to the renormalized mass of the particle (and
thereby its weight), we find there is no additional self-force acting on the
charge. This result is unlike the analogous electrostatic result, where, after
a similar mass renormalization, there remains a finite repulsive self-force
acting on a static electric test-charge outside a Schwarzschild black hole. We
confirm our force calculation using Carter's mass-variation theorem for black
holes. The primary motivation for this calculation is to develop techniques and
formalism for computing all forces - dissipative and non-dissipative - acting
on charges and masses moving in a black-hole spacetime. In the Appendix we
recap the derivation of the closed-form electrostatic potential. We also show
how the closed-form expressions for the fields are related to the infinite
series solutions.Comment: RevTeX, To Appear in Phys. Rev.
The hybrid spectral problem and Robin boundary conditions
The hybrid spectral problem where the field satisfies Dirichlet conditions
(D) on part of the boundary of the relevant domain and Neumann (N) on the
remainder is discussed in simple terms. A conjecture for the C_1 coefficient is
presented and the conformal determinant on a 2-disc, where the D and N regions
are semi-circles, is derived. Comments on higher coefficients are made.
A hemisphere hybrid problem is introduced that involves Robin boundary
conditions and leads to logarithmic terms in the heat--kernel expansion which
are evaluated explicitly.Comment: 24 pages. Typos and a few factors corrected. Minor comments added.
Substantial Robin additions. Substantial revisio
Targeted delivery of photosensitizers: efficacy and selectivity issues revealed by multifunctional ORMOSIL nanovectors in cellular systems
PEGylated and non-PEGylated ORMOSIL nanoparticles prepared by microemulsion condensation of vinyltriethoxy-silane (VTES) were investigated in detail for their micro-structure and ability to deliver photoactive agents. With respect to pure silica nanoparticles, organic modification substantially changes the microstructure and the surface properties. This in turn leads to a modulation of both the photophysical properties of embedded photosensitizers and the interaction of the nanoparticles with biological entities such as serum proteins. The flexibility of the synthetic procedure allows the rapid preparation and screening of multifunctional nanosystems for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Selective targeting of model cancer cells was tested by using folate, an integrin specific RGD peptide and anti-EGFR antibodies. Data suggest the interference of the stealth-conferring layer (PEG) with small targeting agents, but not with bulky antibodies. Moreover, we showed that selective photokilling of tumour cells may be limited even in the case of efficient targeting because of intrinsic transport limitations of active cellular uptake mechanisms or suboptimum localization
Organization specific predictors of job satisfaction: findings from a Canadian multi-site quality of work life cross-sectional survey
BACKGROUND: Organizational features can affect how staff view their quality of work life. Determining staff perceptions about quality of work life is an important consideration for employers interested in improving employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to identify organization specific predictors of job satisfaction within a health care system that consisted of six independent health care organizations. METHODS: 5,486 full, part and causal time (non-physician) staff on active payroll within six organizations (2 community hospitals, 1 community hospital/long-term care facility, 1 long-term care facility, 1 tertiary care/community health centre, and 1 visiting nursing agency) located in five communities in Central West Ontario, Canada were asked to complete a 65-item quality of work life survey. The self-administered questionnaires collected staff perceptions of: co-worker and supervisor support; teamwork and communication; job demands and decision authority; organization characteristics; patient/resident care; compensation and benefits; staff training and development; and impressions of the organization. Socio-demographic data were also collected. RESULTS: Depending on the organization, between 15 and 30 (of the 40 potential predictor) variables were found to be statistically associated with job satisfaction (univariate analyses). Logistic regression analyses identified the best predictors of job satisfaction and these are presented for each of the six organizations and for all organizations combined. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that job satisfaction is a multidimensional construct and although there appear to be some commonalities across organizations, some predictors of job satisfaction appear to be organization and context specific
Comparative effect of ALA derivatives on protoporphyrin IX production in human and rat skin organ cultures
Samples of human and rat skin in short-term organ culture exposed to ALA or a range of hydrophobic derivatives were examined for their effect on the accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) measured using fluorescence spectroscopy. With the exception of carbobenzoyloxy-D-phenylalanyl-5-ALA-ethyl ester the data presented indicate that, in normal tissues, ALA derivatives generate protoporphyrin IX more slowly than ALA, suggesting that they are less rapidly taken up and/or converted to free ALA. However, the resultant depot effect may lead to the enhanced accumulation of porphyrin over long exposure periods, particularly in the case of ALA-methyl ester or ALA-hexyl ester, depending on the applied concentration and the exposed tissue. Addition of the iron chelator, CP94, greatly increased PpIX accumulation in human skin exposed to ALA, ALA-methyl ester and ALA-hexyl ester. The effect in rat skin was less marked.</p
Correlation of real-time haemoglobin oxygen saturation monitoring during photodynamic therapy with microvascular effects and tissue necrosis in normal rat liver
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