Peatland organic matter quality varies with latitude as suggested by combination of FTIR and Ramped Pyrolysis Oxidation.

We employed two compelling and distinct methods, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ramped Pyrolysis Oxidation (Ramped PyrOx), to examine the quality of organic matter (OM) stored in four peatlands located along a latitudinal gradient (Tropical (4˚N), Subtropical (27˚N), Boreal (48˚N), and Polar (68˚N)). FTIR was used to quantify the relative abundance of carbohydrates, a relatively labile compound class, and aromatics, which are more recalcitrant, in a sample set of four peat cores. These samples were then prepared using Ramped PyrOx, a second, independent method of determining OM quality that mimics the natural diagenetic maturation of OM that would take place over long timescales.

Development of a furosemide-containing expandable system for gastric retention.

More than 50 years ago, the first gastroretentive dosage forms came up. Since then, no practical and at the same time reliable gastroretentive system is available on market. A major obstacle in the development of novel gastroretentive systems is the lack of proper predictive test methods.

Significance of Perylene for Source Allocation of Terrigenous Organic Matter in Aquatic Sediments.

Perylene is a frequently abundant, and sometimes the only polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in aquatic sediments, but its origin has been subject of a longstanding debate in geochemical research and pollutant forensics because its historical record differs markedly from typical anthropogenic PAHs. Here we investigate whether perylene serves as a source-specific molecular marker of fungal activity in forest soils. We use a well-characterized sedimentary record (1735-1999) from the anoxic-bottom waters of the Pettaquamscutt River basin, RI to examine mass accumulation rates and isotope records of perylene, and compare them with total organic carbon and the anthropogenic PAH fluoranthene.

The impact of area on BAW resonator performance and an approach to device miniaturization.

The dependence of the performance of thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) and solidly mounted resonator (SMR), on their areas is studied with the aid of finite element method (FEM) software. Dual step frame method is applied for both types of the resonators in order to improve their quality factors at resonance and at antiresonance frequency when they are miniaturized. The important role of the material quality in promoting the benefit of this method is also emphasized in this study.

Constitutive Equations of Piezoelectric Layered Beams With Interdigitated Electrodes.

This paper establishes the constitutive equations, or linear two-port models, of piezoelectric layered beams with interdigital electrodes (IDEs). The effect of the nontrivial field on the transduction is analyzed. Based on conformal mapping techniques, we derive new analytic expressions for the capacitance, the electric field, and the electromechanical coupling factor of an anisotropic dielectric with the IDE configuration on top.

A Design Approach for High-Q FBARs With a Dual-Step Frame.

This paper presents a new approach for the design of film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) with high-quality factor ${Q}_{a}$ at antiresonant frequency ${f}_{a}$ . Lamb waves are among the main contributors to the loss of energy at ${f}_{a}$ and the deterioration of ${Q}_{a}$ . The targeted approach is an optimization process of a dual-step frame structure to alleviate the problem with Lamb waves at ${f}_{a}$ .

Actuation of Piezoelectric Layered Beams With and Coupling.

In this paper, we derive and compare the linear static bending of piezoelectric actuators with transversal ( ) and longitudinal ( ) coupling. The transducers are, respectively, structures utilizing top and bottom electrodes (TBEs) and interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). While the theory is well developed for the TBE beam, governing equations for the bending of the piezoelectric beams with IDEs are far less developed.

What on Earth Have We Been Burning? Deciphering Sedimentary Records of Pyrogenic Carbon.

Humans have interacted with fire for thousands of years, yet the utilization of fossil fuels marked the beginning of a new era. Ubiquitous in the environment, pyrogenic carbon (PyC) arises from incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels, forming a continuum of condensed aromatic structures. Here, we develop and evaluate C records for two complementary PyC molecular markers, benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), preserved in aquatic sediments from a suburban and a remote catchment in the United States (U.

Preparation and characterization of gastrointestinal wafer formulations.

Many active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) have a very poor or highly variable bioavailability after oral administration. One possibility to overcome this problem might be found in the application of mucoadhesive dosage forms like gastrointestinal wafers. However, a currently unsolved challenge is the control of the adhesion of the wafer to the intestinal mucus.

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids (BPCA).

Fire-derived, pyrogenic carbon (PyC), sometimes called black carbon (BC), is the carbonaceous solid residue of biomass and fossil fuel combustion, such as char and soot. PyC is ubiquitous in the environment due to its long persistence, and its abundance might even increase with the projected increase in global wildfire activity and the continued burning of fossil fuel. PyC is also increasingly produced from the industrial pyrolysis of organic wastes, which yields charred soil amendments (biochar).

Toward the Standardization of Biochar Analysis: The COST Action TD1107 Interlaboratory Comparison.

Biochar produced by pyrolysis of organic residues is increasingly used for soil amendment and many other applications. However, analytical methods for its physical and chemical characterization are yet far from being specifically adapted, optimized, and standardized. Therefore, COST Action TD1107 conducted an interlaboratory comparison in which 22 laboratories from 12 countries analyzed three different types of biochar for 38 physical-chemical parameters (macro- and microelements, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pH, electrical conductivity, and specific surface area) with their preferential methods.

Characterisation of selected active agents regarding pKa values, solubility concentrations and pH profiles by SiriusT3.

The aim of this work was to determine pKa values and solubility properties of 34active agents using the SiriusT3 apparatus. The selected drug substances belong to the groups of ACE-inhibitors, β-blockers, antidiabetics and lipid lowering substances. Experimentally obtained pKa and intrinsic solubility values were compared to calculated values (program ACD/ChemSketch) and pKa values to published data as well.

Recent developments in optical detection technologies in lab-on-a-chip devices for biosensing applications.

The field of microfluidics has yet to develop practical devices that provide real clinical value. One of the main reasons for this is the difficulty in realizing low-cost, sensitive, reproducible, and portable analyte detection microfluidic systems. Previous research has addressed two main approaches for the detection technologies in lab-on-a-chip devices: (a) study of the compatibility of conventional instrumentation with microfluidic structures, and (b) integration of innovative sensors contained within the microfluidic system.

Mechanisms of water interaction with pore systems of hydrochar and pyrochar from poplar forestry waste.

The aim of this study was to understand the water-surface interactions of two chars obtained by gasification (pyrochar) and hydrothermal carbonization (hydrochar) of a poplar biomass. The two samples revealed different chemical compositions as evidenced by solid state (13)C NMR spectroscopy. In fact, hydrochar resulted in a lignin-like material still containing oxygenated functionalities.

Hunger and thirst numeric rating scales are not valid estimates for gastric content volumes: a prospective investigation in healthy children.

Aim: A rating scale for thirst and hunger was evaluated as a noninvasive, simple and commonly available tool to estimate preanesthetic gastric volume, a surrogate parameter for the risk of perioperative pulmonary aspiration, in healthy volunteer school age children.

Method: Numeric scales with scores from 0 to 10 combined with smileys to rate thirst and hunger were analyzed and compared with residual gastric volumes as measured by magnetic resonance imaging and fasting times in three settings: before and for 2 h after drinking clear fluid (group A, 7 ml/kg), before and for 4 vs 6 h after a light breakfast followed by clear fluid (7 ml/kg) after 2 vs 4 h (crossover, group B), and before and for 1 h after drinking clear fluid (crossover, group C, 7 vs 3 ml/kg).

Results: In 30 children aged 6.

Integrated optical microfluidic biosensor using a polycarbazole photodetector for point-of-care detection of hormonal compounds.

A picogram-sensitive optical microfluidic biosensor using an integrated polycarbazole photodiode is developed. The photodetector is mainly composed of the blend heterojunction of poly [N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) and the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as the hole transport layer. Analyte detection is accomplished via a chemiluminescent immunoassay performed in a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-gold-glass hybrid microchip, on which antibodies were immobilized and chemiluminescent horseradish peroxidase-luminol-peroxide reactions were generated.

Drug interactions between the immunosuppressant tacrolimus and the cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe in healthy volunteers.

Immunosuppressive therapy is frequently associated with hypercholesterolemia, calling for lipid-lowering treatment without adverse drug interactions. One option is treatment with the cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe. We have shown in vitro that ezetimibe and tacrolimus may interact in competition for intestinal UGT1A1 and ABCB1 at concentrations reached in gut lumen after oral administration.

Commonly used nonionic surfactants interact differently with the human efflux transporters ABCB1 (p-glycoprotein) and ABCC2 (MRP2).

The efflux transporters ABCB1 (p-glycoprotein) and ABCC2 (MRP2) play an essential role in the limitation of oral bioavailability of drugs. In the last years, pharmaceutical surfactants like cremophor® EL or polysorbate 80 have been shown to interact with ABCB1. However, the knowledge about their influence on ABCC2 is still limited.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions between the immunosuppressant sirolimus and the lipid-lowering drug ezetimibe in healthy volunteers.

Organ transplant recipients who have dyslipidemia related to immunosuppression may benefit from cholesterol-lowering therapy with ezetimibe, a substrate of ABCB1, ABCC2, and OATP1B1. Adverse pharmacokinetic interactions are hypothesized with sirolimus, which is a substrate of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 and an inhibitor of ABCB1, OATP1B1, and OATP1B3 but not of ABCC2. However, competition between sirolimus and ezetimibe for ABCB1 and OATP1B1 is not of major clinical relevance, as confirmed in our randomized, controlled, single-dose study in healthy subjects.

A three-hybrid approach to scanning the proteome for targets of small molecule kinase inhibitors.

In this study, we explored the application of a yeast three-hybrid (Y3H)-based compound/protein display system to scanning the proteome for targets of kinase inhibitors. Various known cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, including purine and indenopyrazole analogs, were displayed in the form of methotrexate-based hybrid ligands and deployed in cDNA library or yeast cell array-based screening formats. For all inhibitors, known cell cycle CDKs as well as novel candidate CDK-like and/or CDK-unrelated kinase targets could be identified, many of which were independently confirmed using secondary enzyme assays and affinity chromatography.