We report on the loading and release of curcumin (a hydrophobic polyphenol with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties) from polyelectrolyte multilayers composed of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS). We have used the in situ techniques of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FTIR spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance with di...

With the tremendous growth in the semiconductor and coatings industries, spectroscopic methods of examining extremely thin films on high refractive index substrates have become increasingly important. One infrared method for analyzing monolayers on substrates such as silicon and gold that has recently gained popularity is 'grazing' or high angle of incidence attenuated total reflection (ATR) sp...

The present review highlights the recent applications of mid-infrared spectroscopy and in particular of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFT) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and processing methods (e.g., deconvolution, derivative and chemometrics) to rapidly provide valuable information on soil composition and organic geochemistry. Research has demonstrated that both DRIFT and ATR tec...

JCT CoatingsTech In this JCT COATINGSTECH series of introductory tutorial articles, the emphasis sought is on the applications of modern analytical, characterization, and testing methods for coatings. And while it is easy to cite many examples of recent applications of mid-infrared spectroscopy, the most common sampling techniques employed have been well established for a long time and, as a co...

The environmental impact of metal complexes such as organotin(IV) compounds is of increasing concern. Genotoxic effects of organotin(IV) compounds (0.01 mug/ml, 0.1 mug/ml or 1.0 mug/ml) were measured using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay to measure DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) and the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay to determine micronucleus formation....

Botanical cotton trash mixed with lint reduces cotton’s marketability and appearance. During cotton harvesting, ginning, and processing, trash size reduction occurs, thus complicating its removal and identification. This trash causes problems by increasing ends down in yarn formation and thus processing efficiency. The Uster® High Volume Instrument (HVI) and Shirley Analyzer are extensively use...

Surgical management of ovarian tumours largely depends on their histo-pathological diagnosis. Currently, screening for ovarian malignancy with tumour markers in conjunction with radiological investigations has a low specificity for discriminating benign from malignant tumours. Also, pre-operative biopsy of ovarian masses increases the risk of intra-peritoneal dissemination of malignancy. Intra-...