Heterodyne-detected (phase-sensitive) vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy was used to investigate molecular structures of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) monolayers on water (Langmuir monolayer) and monolayers on a fused silica substrate (Langmuir-Blodgett [LB] monolayer). The spectral features in the CH stretching region depended on the phase of the Langmuir mo...

CO-free hydrogen is produced by the reversible cyclic stepwise steam reforming of methane for use in fuel cells and other processes that are sensitive to CO poisoning. The process consists of two steps involving the decomposition of methane in a first step followed by steam gasification of the surface carbon in a second step. The ease of carbon removal in step II is strongly dependent on temper...

Two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides et al. have drawn extraordinary attention recently. For these 2D materials, atoms within their monolayer are covalently bonded. An interesting question arises: Can molecules form a 2D monolayer crystal via van der Waals interactions? Here, we first study the structural stability of a free-standing infini...

We suggest a minimal model for the coupling of the lateral phase behavior in an asymmetric lipid membrane across its two monolayers. Our model employs one single order parameter for each monolayer leaflet, namely its composition. Regular solution theory on the mean-field level is used to describe the free energy in each individual leaflet. Coupling between monolayers entails an energy penalty f...

In vitro monolayer culture of human primary osteoblasts (hOBs) often shows unsatisfactory results for extracellular matrix deposition, maturation and calcification. Nevertheless, monolayer culture is still the method of choice for in vitro differentiation of primary osteoblasts. We believe that the delay in mature ECM production by the monolayer cultured osteoblasts is determined by their state...

The type of cell death occurring in the same cell line (MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells) grown in monolayer or as three-dimensional spheroids after exposure to 5 Gy of ionizing radiation was determined. Morphological analyses using the chromatin dye Hoechst 33258 demonstrated that spheroids showed the typical characteristics of apoptosis, while monolayer cells revealed those typical of mitotic c...

Researchers have observed that response of tumor cells to treatment varies depending on whether the cells are grown in monolayer, as in vitro spheroids or in vivo. This study uses data from the literature on monolayer treatment of SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells with 15-deoxy-PGJ2 and couples it with data on growth rates for untreated SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells grown as multicellular spheroids. A ...

The morphological consequences of differences in the monolayer surface areas of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) have been examined employing cryoelectron microscopy techniques. Surface area was varied by inducing net transbilayer transport of dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC):DOPG (9:1, mol:mol) LUVs in response to transmembrane pH gradients. It is show...