Extraordinary transmission through metal-coated monolayers of microspheres.

The spectral dependence of the extraordinary transmission through monolayers of close-packed silica or polystyrene microspheres on a quartz support, covered with different thin metal films (Ag, Au and Ni) was investigated. The measured spectra were compared with modeled transmission spectra using finite difference time domain (FDTD) calculations. Measured and modeled spectra show good overall agreement. The supported modes in the sphere array were found to be of utmost importance for the transmission mechanism and the results also suggest that the presence of guided modes in the photonic crystal may further enhance the extraordinary transmission through the metal film.

Self-cooling of a micromirror by radiation pressure.

Cooling of mechanical resonators is currently a popular topic in many fields of physics including ultra-high precision measurements, detection of gravitational waves and the study of the transition between classical and quantum behaviour of a mechanical system. Here we report the observation of self-cooling of a micromirror by radiation pressure inside a high-finesse optical cavity. In essence, changes in intensity in a detuned cavity, as caused by the thermal vibration of the mirror, provide the mechanism for entropy flow from the mirror's oscillatory motion to the low-entropy cavity field. The crucial coupling between radiation and mechanical motion was made possible by producing free-standing micromirrors of low mass (m approximately 400 ng), high reflectance (more than 99.6%) and high mechanical quality (Q approximately 10,000). We observe cooling of the mechanical oscillator by a factor of more than 30; that is, from room temperature to below 10 K. In addition to purely photothermal effects we identify radiation pressure as a relevant mechanism responsible for the cooling. In contrast with earlier experiments, our technique does not need any active feedback. We expect that improvements of our method will permit cooling ratios beyond 1,000 and will thus possibly enable cooling all the way down to the quantum mechanical ground state of the micromirror.

[Changes in needs for assistance and care after hip fractures in the elderly]. / Veränderungen des Hilfe- und Pflegebedarfs nach hüftnahen Frakturen im höheren Lebensalter.

For the prevention and rehabilitation of fall-related fractures, not only functional status is important. It is necessary to describe the level of help and care needed at the time the fracture happened and its changes after a certain period. Investigations of the changes in the need of help and care after a fall-related fracture hardly exist for the Federal Republic of Germany. The first step in the present investigation was to analyze the changes in the need of help and care. In a second step, different developments of changes in the need of help and care after a fall-related hip fracture should be identified. Data for the present analysis were taken from a prospective 12-month observational survey (Fractures in late life). A total of 332 people aged 65 and over were assessed at two timepoints (T1-within the first 4 days post-fracture and T2-six months later by phone call). The assessed aspects were formal and informal support, financial support, ability to walk, cognition (only at T1) and form of housing. After the fall-related fracture the strain of formal and informal support increases. The strain of financial support and institutional care also increases. 20% of the patients achieved for the first time the criteria for the lowest level in the legal care system of Germany which indicates a higher level of need of care. 5% of the patients achieved post-fracture a higher level in the legal care system. Six different groups of patients could be identified by cluster analyses. They show differences in the changes in the ability to walk, form of housing, mortality and level of care and help. The different health status before and after the fall-related fracture leads to different developments post-fracture. In prevention and rehabilitation of patients with fall-related fractures, the individual needs of the subgroups should be taken into consideration.

In situ analysis of metal melts in metallurgic vacuum devices by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

We report on rapid in situ analysis of liquid metal melts under reduced ambient pressure by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using a transportable system. LIBS denotes a method in which characteristic optical emission line intensities of excited species in laser-generated plasma plumes are used for a quantitative chemical analysis of target materials. It is a fast, noncontact method that can be carried out under various atmospheric conditions, allowing large working distances between the sample under investigation and the detection system. For these reasons, LIBS is applicable in particular for process control in metallurgy under reduced ambient pressure. This was demonstrated for two types of vacuum devices under production conditions at a steel mill. The results of these experiments, including calibration curves for Cr, Ni, and Mg in liquid steel, are presented. The influence of variations in the ambient pressure on the results of the LIBS analysis is discussed within the frame of a generalized shock-wave model for the expansion of the laser-induced plasma plume.

Cell adhesion on polytetrafluoroethylene modified by UV-irradiation in an ammonia atmosphere.

We report on the modification of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) light of a Xe(2)*-excimer lamp at a wavelength of 172 nm in an ammonia atmosphere. Typical treatment times were up to 30 min. Subsequently, the samples were grafted with the amino acid alanine from an aqueous solution. The samples were characterized by means of optical transmission spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence and contact-angle measurements. We studied the adhesion of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) and mouse fibroblasts (3T3 cells) to the modified polymer samples using an in vitro technique, where the population density and spread of adhering cells is determined 24 h after seeding by image analysis. For both cell types the exposure of PTFE to UV-light in an ammonia atmosphere resulted in a significant increase in the number of adhering cells and in the size of their spreading area. The grafting with alanine enhanced this effect. Additional experiments with human endothelial cells (HEC) also demonstrated improved adhesion to modified PTFE. Thus, PTFE modified by our method appears to be a promising material for fabrication of artificial vascular prostheses and implants or for cultivation of skin substitutes.

Adhesion and proliferation of human endothelial cells on photochemically modified polytetrafluoroethylene.

We studied the adhesion and proliferation of human endothelial cells on photochemically modified polytetrafluoroethylene samples. The polymer surfaces were modified by exposure to the ultraviolet light of a Xe(2)(*)-excimer lamp at a wavelength of 172 nm in an ammonia atmosphere. Treatment times were between 10 and 20 min. The endothelial cell density was determined 1, 3 and 8 days after seeding by image analysis. Surface modification of the samples resulted in a significant increase in the number of adhering cells and in the formation of a confluent cell layer after 3-8 days. The results were comparable than those obtained on polystyrene Petri dishes, which are used as standard substrates in cell cultivation. Thus modified PTFE appears to be a promising material for the fabrication of artificial vascular prostheses coated with endothelial cells.

Matrix metalloproteinase production in regenerating axolotl spinal cord.

In urodele amphibian spinal cord regeneration, the ependymal cells lining the central canal remodel the lesion site to favor axonal regrowth. We profiled the production of matrix metalloproteinases by injury-reactive mesenchymal ependymal cells in vivo and in vitro and found that matrix metalloproteinases are involved in this remodeling process in the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). The production of cell-associated matrix metalloproteinases in vivo was shown to be identical to that in our cultured ependymal cell model system. Activated and zymogen forms of matrix metalloproteinases were identified using zymography, chemical inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases, and cleavage of propeptides by organomercurials. The principal cellular proteinases consisted of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (gelatinase A) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (type I collagenase), which display characteristic shifts in molecular weight following proenzyme processing by organomercurials. In addition, ependymal cell conditioned medium contained secreted forms of the enzyme undetectable in situ. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B) as well as matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-1 were secreted and casein substrate zymography showed the presence of a small amount of a very high molecular weight matrix metalloproteinase-3 (prostromelysin) secreted into the culture medium. Matrix metalloproteinases were still present at 4 weeks post-lesioning when the ependymal cells have just re-epithelialized, but decreased near the completion of regeneration (8 weeks post-lesioning). Zymography showed no detectable matrix metalloproteinases in unlesioned cord but the presence of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in intact cord was seen by Western blotting. This study shows that matrix metalloproteinases are associated with urodele spinal cord regeneration and validates the use of our ependymal cell tissue culture model system to evaluate ependymal cell behavior during spinal cord regeneration.

Regulation of human bone marrow lactoferrin and myeloperoxidase gene expression by tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Lactoferrin (LF) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) are glycoproteins synthesized in early myeloid cells (promyelocytes, myelocytes) and stored in granules of polymorphonuclear neutrophilic granulocytes. Both proteins are involved in the host inflammatory response, and LF has been found to have myelosuppressive activity in vivo and in vitro. Little is known, however, about the regulation of their production. We investigated the stability of LF and MPO mRNA and the effects of purified recombinant human TNF-alpha on LF and MPO levels in normal human bone marrow. Low density human bone marrow cells were cultured in the presence or absence of actinomycin D (10 micrograms/ml) or TNF-alpha (200 U/ml). LF and MPO RNA levels were analyzed by Northern blots using, respectively, a 650-bp insert from the plasmid pHL41, and a 2.3-kb insert from the plasmid pMPO2 as probes. It was found that: 1) LF mRNA is a fairly stable molecule, with a half-life of between 8 and 9 h, whereas MPO is less stable, with a half-life of between 4 and 5 h; 2) TNF-alpha decreases both LF and MPO mRNA levels, an effect seen by 24 h with MPO mRNA and 48 h with LF mRNA; 3) nuclear run-on assays revealed that TNF decreases transcription of the LF gene by 70% and the MPO gene by 50%; and 4) the suppressive effect of TNF-alpha on LF and MPO mRNA levels is not due to cell killing or selective differentiation and is reversible.