Naphthalene Detection in Air by Highly Sensitive TiO Sensor: Real Time Response to Concentration Changes Monitored by Simultaneous UV Spectrophotometry.

Volatile low-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to be potentially toxic to humans and animals. Their detection in ambient air has been of great interest in recent years and various detection methods have been implemented. In this study, we used naphthalene as a basic model of such compounds and constructed our own version of a titanium oxide-based sensor system for its detection.

Regulation of pseudopodia localization in lymphocytes through application of mechanical forces by optical tweezers.

T-lymphocytes are responsible for cell-mediated immunity, and recognize antigens on target cells (e.g., tumor cells, virus-infected cells) and antigen presenting cells (e.

Analysis of fragments induced by simulated lattice protein folding.

The folding process of a set of 42 proteins, representative of the various folds, has been simulated by means of a Monte Carlo method on a discrete lattice, using two different potentials of mean force. Multiple compact fragments of contiguous residues are formed in the simulation, stable in composition, but not in geometry. During time, the number of fragments decreases until one final compact globular state is reached.

Effects of cryogen spray cooling and high radiant exposures on selective vascular injury during laser irradiation of human skin.

Background: Increasing radiant exposure offers a means to increase treatment efficacy during laser-mediated treatment of vascular lesions, such as port-wine stains; however, excessive radiant exposure decreases selective vascular injury due to increased heat generation within the epidermis and collateral damage to perivascular collagen.

Objective: To determine if cryogen spray cooling could be used to maintain selective vascular injury (ie, prevent epidermal and perivascular collagen damage) when using high radiant exposures (16-30 J/cm2).

Design: Observational study.

Temporal effects of cell adhesion on mechanical characteristics of the single chondrocyte.

Cell adhesion to material surfaces is a fundamental phenomenon in tissue response to implanted devices, and an important consideration in tissue engineering. For example, elucidation of phenomena associated with adhesion of chondrocytes to biomaterials is critical in addressing the difficult problem of articular cartilage regeneration. The first objective of this study was to measure the mechanical adhesiveness characteristics of individual rabbit articular chondrocytes as a function of seeding time to provide further understanding of the cell adhesion process.

Methodology for estimation of time-dependent surface heat flux due to cryogen spray cooling.

Cryogen spray cooling (CSC) is an effective technique to protect the epidermis during cutaneous laser therapies. Spraying a cryogen onto the skin surface creates a time-varying heat flux, effectively cooling the skin during and following the cryogen spurt. In previous studies mathematical models were developed to predict the human skin temperature profiles during the cryogen spraying time.

Membrane tether formation from outer hair cells with optical tweezers.

Optical tweezers were used to characterize the mechanical properties of the outer hair cell (OHC) plasma membrane by pulling tethers with 4.5-microm polystyrene beads. Tether formation force and tether force were measured in static and dynamic conditions.