Natural origin, biocompatibility, low production cost and particularly ability of controlled release of the alginate gel are among the parameters which allow their utilization in pharmaceutical and food applications. For these purposes stability of gel, swelling and shrinkage due to the surrounding conditions like pH, temperature, ionic strength or interaction with molecules such as enzyme or s...

A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) chip functionalized with citric acid-doped polyvinyl acetate (PVAc/CA) nanofibers is used as a highly sensitive and selective trimethylamine (TMA) gas sensor operating at room temperature.

Qualitative representations have proven to be useful formalisms for capturing human mental models. As a result, qualitative modeling could become an important tool for cognitive science. Specifically, an environment in which qualitative representations can be used to explore mental models and different type of reasoning and simulations can be performed on these models can be a useful tool for c...

Lysozyme interaction with an acrylic-based hydrogel, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) co-methacrylic acid (P(HEMA-MAA)), was investigated using a combination of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and dual polarisation interferometry (DPI). This combination of techniques demonstrated that lysozyme initially absorbed into the hydrogel matrix and...

There has been an increasing demand for analytical tools to quantify the interactions and/or reactions of nanoscale particles, polymers and bio-molecules, with a variety of surfaces, in real time. Understanding the behavior of such molecules at the nano-scale enables researchers to optimize the conditions for desired results at macro scale. Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitorin...

A QCM device employing ionic liquids as the sensing materials for organic vapors has been developed and evaluated. The sensing mechanism is based on the fact that the viscosity of the ionic liquid membrane decreases rapidly due to solubilization of analytes in the ionic liquids. This change in viscosity, which varies with the chemical species of the vapors and the types of ionic liquids, result...

The electrochemical reduction of tert-butylcalix[8]arene-C(60) particle films was studied using the scanning electrochemical microscope combined with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for several electrolytes in MeCN. Complexation of the fullerene within the film results in a negative shift of the peak potential of the first cathodic wave by about 400 mV compared to the reduction of a pure C(...

Water adsorption and capillary bridge formation within a layer of SiO2-nanoparticles were studied in situ by means of a combination of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D) with dissipation analysis and Fourier transformation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (FT-IRRAS). FT-IR data were employed to distinguish the "ice-like" and "liquid-like" contributions and to support the analysis of...

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of pyridylthio-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (pythio-MWNTs) have been constructed on the gold substrate surface, which were used as a support to immobilize cytochrome c (Cyt c). The assembly processes of the SAMs and adsorption of Cyt c were monitored by using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Based on the frequency change of the QCM resonator, th...

Perforin is an essential component in the cytotoxic lymphocyte-mediated cell death pathway. The traditional view holds that perforin monomers assemble into pores in the target cell membrane via a calcium-dependent process and facilitate translocation of cytotoxic proteases into the cytoplasm to induce apoptosis. Although many studies have examined the structure and role of perforin, the mechani...