Novel Approaches to Prepare and Utilize SERS Substrates: Multiplex Microfluidics and Nanotransfer Printing

Over the past few decades, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has garnered respect as an analytical technique with significant chemical and biological applications. SERS is important for the life sciences because it can provide trace level detection and a high level of molecular structure information. The development of quantitative, highly sensitive substrates requires control over size, shape, and position of metal nanoparticles which function as the SERS active medium. Thus, creating and successfully implementing a sensitive, reproducible, and robust SERS active substrate continues to be a challenging ask. Its future development depends critically on techniques for lithography and nanofabrication. Herein, we report a novel method for SERS that is based upon using colloidal silver nanoparticles in a multiplexed microfluidics (MMFs) platform. The MMF is created in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer material and used to perform parallel, high throughput, and sensitive detection/identification of single or various analytes under easily manipulated conditions. A facile passive pumping method is used to deliver samples into the channels under flowing conditions that are highly conducive for SERS measurments. Also an unconventional nanofabrication approach is modified to produce efficient SERS substrates. Metallic nanopatterns of silver discs are transferred from a stamp onto PDMS to create nanocomposite substrates with regular periodic morphologies. The stamp with periodic arrays of square, triangular, and elliptical pillars is created via Electron Beam Lithography of ma-N 2403 resist. A modified cyclodextrin is thermally evaporated on the stamp to overcome the adhesive nature of the ebeam resist and to function as a releasing layer. Subsequently, the stamp is over coated with Ag by physical vapor deposition at a controlled rate and thickness and used directly for nanotransfer printing (nTP). Stamps, substrates, and the efficiency of the nTP process were explored by SEM. Ag nano-disc-PDMS substrates are studied by SERS using Rhodamine 6G as the probe analyte. The SERS response of metallic nano-discs of various shapes/sizes on the original stamp is compared to the corresponding nTP substrates. We demonstrate that physical manipulation of the PDMS post nTP can be used to alter morphology. Additionally, stamps are shown to be reusable after the nTP process

The Efficacy of Native and Non-Native English Teachers on Teaching and Learning: Perceptions of Students and Advisors

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of students and teacher advisers on the efficacy of native and non-native English teachers on the language teaching and learning in Abu Dhabi schools. The data was collected by surveying 400 students and 59 teacher advisers and interviewing 40 students and 10 advisers. The findings of this study indicate significant differences between the efficacy of both native and non-native English teachers in four aspects; (a) teaching competencies, (b) pedagogy, (c) students\u27 learning and (d) awareness of students\u27 cultural and social background. The students and teacher advisers perceive English native teachers as possessing the strengths of having a good command of the language, a superior ability to teach conversation and speaking, being a good model for teaching pronunciation and communication skills, having a good knowledge of vocabulary, as well as superior skill at teaching language, literature and culture. On the other hand, non-native English teachers possess strengths in teaching grammar, anticipating learners\u27 difficulties, class management, understanding students\u27 needs, engaging students in all activities, using varied teaching methods, and being an effective model of language learning. It is recommended that more consideration should be paid to qualifications, expertise and experience while recruiting any English teacher. Native and non-native English teachers need varied professional development programs due to their diverse needs and capabilities. The two types of teachers need to develop their performance through reciprocal communication and co-operation. Creating an ideal environment in which native and non-native English teachers meet their full potential will be beneficial to improve teaching and learning

Social Values and Self-assertion among a Sample of University Students Expected to Graduate, A Comparative Study According to the Variable of Specialization

The current study aimed to reveal the level of both social values and self-affirmation among a sample of university students and to identify the nature of the relationship between the two variables. One of the psychometric characteristics of the two scales of validity and reliability, and the study was applied in the second semester of the year 2020/2021 and was applied to a random sample of students, numbering (183) male and female university students expected to graduate from Mutah University, and the results of the study found that the level of each Of social values and self-affirmation came average, and that there is a positive correlation between social values and self-affirmation, and that students of humanities colleges are better than students of scientific colleges in social values and in upward assertion, and based on the results of the study, some recommendations were made, including the need to pay attention to students expected to graduate so that The level of social values and their self-assertion are raise

The Impact of Regional Integration on Intra-Arab Trade in Agrifood Commodities: A Panel Data Approach

This paper assesses the impact of Arab integration arrangements on intra-Arab Agrifood trade. The main results indicate that Arab regional integration efforts have been ineffective in promoting Agrifood trade flows among the Arab countries. The results also show that actual intra-Arab Agrifood trade is consistently lower than the predicted values by the gravity model. Furthermore, Arab sub-regional trade agreements have had a modest impact on intra-Arab Agrifood trade. Taken together, these findings suggest that i) there is untapped trade potential in agricultural and food commodities among the Arab countries and thus they could potentially attain deeper levels of Agrifood trade integration, and ii) despite the significant progress that has been made over the past two decades in lowering tariff barriers, Agrifood trade among Arab countries has remained below its potential which in turn points out to the existence of non-tariff barriers that restrain the trade effects of Arab economic integration

The Impact of Regional Integration on Intra-Arab Trade in Agrifood Commodities: A Panel Data Approach

This paper assesses the impact of Arab integration arrangements on intra-Arab Agrifood trade. The main results indicate that Arab regional integration efforts have been ineffective in promoting Agrifood trade flows among the Arab countries. The results also show that actual intra-Arab Agrifood trade is consistently lower than the predicted values by the gravity model. Furthermore, Arab sub-regional trade agreements have had a modest impact on intra-Arab Agrifood trade. Taken together, these findings suggest that i) there is untapped trade potential in agricultural and food commodities among the Arab countries and thus they could potentially attain deeper levels of Agrifood trade integration, and ii) despite the significant progress that has been made over the past two decades in lowering tariff barriers, Agrifood trade among Arab countries has remained below its potential which in turn points out to the existence of non-tariff barriers that restrain the trade effects of Arab economic integration

GFP : green fluorescent protein a versatile gene marker for entomopathogenic nematodes

L'expression des gènes et la répartition des protéines dans les cellules peuvent être révélées à l'aide de gènes rapporteurs, tels que la bêta-galactosidase, la luciférase du vert luisant et la luciférase bactérienne. Ces systèmes rapporteurs nécessitent des substrats et des cofacteurs exogènes qui tuent les cellules ou les organismes. Le gène de la protéine fluorescente verte (gfp) de la méduse #Aequoria victoria est utilisé comme marqueur de l'expression de gènes chez #Caenorhabditis elegans. Les substrats ou cofacteurs exogènes n'étant pas nécessaires, la gfp peut servir à suivre l'expression de gènes dans les organismes vivants. Cependant l'autofluorescence naturelle des nématodes peut gêner l'utilisation de ces marqueurs. Nous avons examiné l'autofluorescence chez les nématodes entomophages pour établir l'utilité de la gfp comme marqueur de l'expression de gènes. Des espèces d'#Heterorhabditis et de #Steinernema de tous stades montraient une autofluorescence allant du vert au jaune pâle, son intensité s'accroissant avec l'âge des nématodes. La gfp utilisée a été sous le contrôle du promoteur mec-4 de #C. elegans. Le plasmide (pGFP/mec-4) a été injecté par microinjection dans la gonade de #Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. La gfp a été exprimée dans #H. bacteriophora et a pu être facilement repérée dans la région caudale du nématode. L'expression par mec-4 indique la présence de neurones récepteurs tactiles chez #H. bacteriophora au même endroit que chez #C. elegans$. Nous concluons que la gfp est un marqueur efficace de l'expression de gènes chez les nématodes entomopathogènes. (Résumé d'auteur

Standardizing the Measures of Assessment in Legal Translation Profession

Practicing legal translations may lead to shortcomings that need to be assessed and addressed. Therefore, to respond to such shortcomings and specificities emerging during the legal translation process, the paper proposes a comprehensive model to evaluate translation quality. The proposed model is built on a functionalist perspective that links legal, contextual, macro-textual, and microtextual criteria to outline an appropriate translation strategy that drives endeavors to overcome issues throughout the translation process. The same criteria persistently appear from the translation brief through to the final translation product crossing intermediate stages – reception, revision, delivery assessment. In identifying predictable evaluation criteria and competence needs for translators and quality controllers, they serve as the standard. The approach presents implications for both quality assessment and management practices, including those in training contexts. By reducing subjectivity and enhancing predictability based on specific legal translation methodologies, the model ultimately demonstrates the potential benefits. Legal Translation Studies can greatly enhance professional standards, underscored by the importance of having legal translation experts evaluate quality. This demonstrates the fundamental role of legal translation expertise

Microwave-Assisted Solvothermal Synthesis of Mo-Doped TiO2 with Exceptional Textural Properties and Superior Adsorption Kinetics

Assigned to their outstanding physicochemical properties, TiO2-based materials have been studied in various applications. Herein, TiO2 doped with different Mo contents (Mo-TiO2) was synthesized via a microwave-assisted solvothermal approach. This was achieved using titanium (IV) butoxide and molybdenum (III) chloride as a precursor and dodecylamine as a surface directing agent. The uniform effective heating delivered by microwave heating reduced the reaction time to less than 30 min, representing several orders of magnitude lower than conventional heating methods. The average particle size ranged between 9.7 and 27.5 nm and it decreased with increasing the Mo content. Furthermore, Mo-TiO2 revealed mesoporous architectures with a high surface area ranging between 170 and 260 m2 g−1, which is superior compared to previously reported Mo-doped TiO2. The performance of Mo-TiO2 was evaluated towards the adsorption of Rhodamine B (RhB). In contrast to TiO2, which revealed negligible adsorption for RhB, Mo-doped samples depicted rapid adsorption for RhB, with a rate that increased with the increase in Mo content. Additionally, Mo-TiO2 expressed enhanced adsorption kinetics for RhB compared to state-of-the-art adsorbents. The introduced synthesis procedure holds a grand promise for the versatile synthesis of metal-doped TiO2 nanostructures with outstanding physicochemical properties.NPRP Grant no. NPRP 12S-0304-190218 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors