Scientific publications and presentations relating to planetary quarantine. Volume 5 - The 1970 supplement

Bibliography of scientific publications and presentations relating to planetary quarantine for year 1970 - Vol.

LEDs based on conjugated PPV block copolymers

A way to control the bandgap in semi-conducting polymers is by preparing polymers with a partially conjugated backbone. In our laboratory, three conjugated copolymers containing PPV trimers as light emitting chromophores have been synthesized, which emit in the blue, green and orange wavelength region. The copolymers have a well defined conjugated backbone consisting of regularly alternating terphenylene and p-phenylene-vinylene blocks. The desired control of conjugation length is achieved through steric interaction induced by the side-chains in the terphenyl blocks of the copolymer. In this paper we evaluate the electrical and optical properties of LED devices based on these conjugated PPV block copolymers

Manipulation and Optical Detection of Colloidal Functional Plasmonic Nanostructures in Microfluidic Systems

The very strong optical resonances of plasmonic nanostructures can be harnessed for sensitive detection of chemical and biomolecular analytes in small volumes. Here we describe an approach towards optical biosensing in microfluidic systems using plasmonic structures (functionalized gold nanoparticles) in colloidal suspension. The plasmonic nanoparticles provide the optical signal, in the form of resonant light scattering or absorption, and the microfluidic environment provides means for selectively manipulating the nanoparticles through fluid dynamics and electric fields. In the first part we discuss recent literature on functionalized colloidal particles and the methods for handling them in microfluidic systems. Then we experimentally address aspects of nanoparticle functionalization, detection through plasmonic resonant light scattering under dark-field illumination and the electrokinetic behavior of the particles under the action of an alternating electric field

Single administration of intracameral bimatoprost implant 10 µg in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering efficacy and safety of a single intracameral administration of bimatoprost implant 10 µg in adults with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. METHODS: Two identically designed, randomized, 20-month, parallel-group, phase 3 clinical trials (one study eye/patient) compared three administrations of 10- or 15-µg bimatoprost implant (day 1, weeks 16 and 32) with twice-daily topical timolol maleate 0.5%. An open-label, 24-month, phase 1/2 clinical trial compared one or two implants administered in the study eye with once-daily topical bimatoprost 0.03% in the fellow eye. Separate analyses of the pooled phase 3 and phase 1/2 study datasets evaluated outcomes in the 10-µg bimatoprost implant and comparator treatment arms after a single implant administration, up to the time of implant re-administration or rescue with IOP-lowering medication. RESULTS: In the phase 3 studies, 10-µg bimatoprost implant single administration demonstrated IOP reductions (hour 0) of 4.9-7.0 mmHg through week 15 from a mean (standard deviation, SD) baseline IOP of 24.5 (2.6) mmHg (n = 374); IOP in the topical timolol BID group was reduced by 6.0-6.3 mmHg from a mean (SD) baseline IOP of 24.5 (2.6) mmHg (n = 373). In the phase 1/2 study (n = 21), median time to use of additional IOP-lowering treatment (Kaplan-Meier analysis) was 273 days (approximately 9 months), and 5 of 21 enrolled patients (23.8%) required no additional IOP-lowering treatment up to 24 months after single administration. In each study, after a single implant administration there were no reports of corneal edema, corneal endothelial cell loss, or corneal touch, and no patients had 20% or greater loss in corneal endothelial cell density. CONCLUSIONS: Bimatoprost implant single administration lowers IOP and has a favorable safety profile. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate the duration of effect and factors predicting long-term IOP lowering after a single implant administration. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02247804, NCT02250651, and NCT01157364

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy reveals strong fluorescence quenching of FITC adducts on PEGylated gold nanoparticles in water and the presence of fluorescent aggregates of desorbed thiolate ligands

Colloidal gold particles functionalised with oligoethylene-glycolated disulfide ligands and fluorescent moieties derived from fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) have been prepared and studied in aqueous suspension using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). FCS probes the dynamics of the particles at the single object level, and reveals the desorption of fluorescent ligands which subsequently aggregate into larger (slower diffusing) objects. Cross-correlation spectroscopy of the FITC fluorescence and the Rayleigh-Mie scattering (RM-FCCS) of the gold cores shows that the only detectable fluorescent objects are free ligands and aggregates not associated with a gold particle. The fluorescence of bound fluorophores is quenched making their fluorescence too weak to be detected. FCS and RM-FCCS are useful tools for characterising functionalised noble metal particles in solution, under conditions similar to those used in optical bio-imaging. Desorption of thiolates from gold nanoparticles needs to be taken into account when working with these materials at low concentration

The intrinsic luminescence of individual plasmonic nanostructures in aqueous suspension by photon time-of-flight spectroscopy

We have studied the intrinsic one-photon excited luminescence of freely diffusing gold nanoparticles of different shapes in aqueous suspension. Gold nanospheres were used as a reference, since their luminescence has been investigated previously and their light absorption and scattering properties are described analytically by Mie theory. We then studied gold nanobipyramids and nanostars that have recently gained interest as building blocks for new plasmonic nanosensors. The aim of our study is to determine whether the luminescence of gold nanoparticles of complex shape (bipyramids and nanostars) is a plasmon-assisted process, in line with the conclusions of recent spectroscopic studies on spheres and nanorods. Our study has been performed on particles in suspension in order to avoid any artefact from the heterogeneous environment created when particles are deposited on a substrate. We employ a recently developed photon time-of-flight method in combination with correlation spectroscopy of the light scattered by the particles to probe the luminescent properties of individual particles based on a particle-by-particle spectral analysis. Furthermore, we have performed resonant light scattering spectroscopic measurements on the same samples. Our work demonstrates the power of our time-of flight method for uncovering the plasmonic signatures of individual bipyramids and nanostars during their brief passage in the focal volume of a confocal set-up. These spectral features of individual particles remain hidden in macroscopic measurements. We find that the intrinsic photoluminescence emission of gold bipyramids and gold nanostars is mediated by their localized surface plasmons

A Radiation Oncology Based Electronic Health Record in an Integrated Radiation Oncology Network

Purpose: The goal of this ongoing project is to develop and integrate a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) throughout a multi-facility radiation oncology network to facilitate more efficient workflow and improve overall patient care and safety. Methodology: We required that the EHR provide pre-defined record and verify capability for radiation treatment while still providing a robust clinical health record. In 1996, we began to integrate the Local Area Network Treatment Information System (LANTIS®) across the West Penn Allegheny Radiation Oncology Network (currently including 9 sites). By 2001, we began modifying and expanding the assessment components and creating user-defined templates and have developed a comprehensive electronic health record across our network. Results: In addition to access to the technical record and verify information and imaging obtained for image-guided therapy, we designed and customized 6 modules according to our networks needs to facilitate information acquisition, tracking, and analysis as follows: 1) Demographics/scheduling; 2) Charge codes; 3) Transcription/clinical documents; 4) Clinical/technical assessments; 5) Physician orders 6) Quality assurance pathways. Each module was developed to acquire specific technical/clinical data prospectively in an efficient manner by various staff within the department in a format that facilitates data queries for outcomes/statistical analyses and promotes standardized quality guidelines resulting in a more efficient workflow and improved patient safety and care. Conclusions: Development of a comprehensive EHR across a radiation oncology network is feasible and can be customized to promote clinical/technical standards, facilitate outcomes studies, and improve communication and peer review. The EHR has improved patient care and network integration across a multi-facility radiation oncology system and has markedly reduced the flow and storage of paper across the network

2-Dibutyl­amino-1-(2,7-dichloro-9H-fluoren-4-yl)ethanol

In the title compound, C23H29Cl2NO, the fluorene ring is essentially planar, with a maximum deviation from the mean plane of 0.041 (1) Å. The amine group adopts a pyramidal configuration, the sum of the bond angles being 336.2 (3)°. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are linked into dimers by inter­molecular O—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Weak C—H⋯π and π–π [centroid–centroid distance = 3.7544 (7) Å] inter­actions are also observed

Optical extinction and scattering cross sections of plasmonic nanoparticle dimers in aqueous suspension

Absolute extinction and scattering cross sections for gold nanoparticle dimers were determined experimentally using a chemometric approach involving singular-value decomposition of the extinction and scattering spectra of slowly aggregating gold nanospheres in aqueous suspension. Quantitative spectroscopic data on plasmonic nanoparticle assemblies in liquid suspension are rare, in particular for particles larger than 40 nm, and in this work we demonstrate how such data can be obtained directly from the aggregating suspension. Our method can analyse, non invasively, the evolution of several sub-populations of nanoparticle assemblies. It may be applied to other self-assembling nanoparticle systems with an evolving optical response. The colloidal systems studied here are based on 20, 50 and 80 nm gold nanospheres in aqueous solutions containing sodium lipoate. In these systems, the reversible dimerisation process can be controlled using pH and ionic strength, and this control is rationalised in terms of DLVO theory. The dimers were identified in suspension by their translational and rotational diffusion through scattering correlation spectroscopy. Moreover, their gigadalton molecular weight was measured using electrospray charge-detection mass spectrometry, demonstrating that mass spectrometry can be used to study nanoparticles assemblies of very high molecular mass. The extinction and scattering cross sections calculated in the discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) agree very well with those obtained experimentally using our approach