Phosphor-Free InGaN White Light Emitting Diodes Using Flip-Chip Technology.

Monolithic phosphor-free two-color gallium nitride (GaN)-based white light emitting diodes (LED) have the potential to replace current phosphor-based GaN white LEDs due to their low cost and long life cycle. Unfortunately, the growth of high indium content indium gallium nitride (InGaN)/GaN quantum dot and reported LED's color rendering index (CRI) are still problematic. Here, we use flip-chip technology to fabricate an upside down monolithic two-color phosphor-free LED with four grown layers of high indium quantum dots on top of the three grown layers of lower indium quantum wells separated by a GaN tunneling barrier layer. The photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectra of this white LED reveal a broad spectrum ranging from 475 to 675 nm which is close to an ideal white-light source. The corresponding color temperature and color rendering index (CRI) of the fabricated white LED, operated at 350, 500, and 750 mA, are comparable to that of the conventional phosphor-based LEDs. Insights of the epitaxial structure and the transport mechanism were revealed through the TEM and temperature dependent PL and EL measurements. Our results show true potential in the Epi-ready GaN white LEDs for future solid state lighting applications.

Irradiation Enhances the Ability of Monocytes as Nanoparticle Carrier for Cancer Therapy.

The tumor-homing ability of monocytes renders them a potential cellular delivery system for alternative cancer therapies, although their migratory ability can be impaired following reagent uptake. Approaches that enhance monocyte tumor homing and promote their migration will improve the clinical value of these cells as cellular carriers. Previous studies have shown that irradiation (IR) can promote macrophage aggregation in hypoxic regions. To investigate whether IR enhances the infiltration of bone marrow-derived monocytes (BMDMs) into tumors, the infiltration of BMDMs from GFP-transgenic mice in a murine prostate adenocarcinoma TRAMP-C1 model was examined by fluorescence microscopy. IR did not increase the number of BMDMs that infiltrated initially, but did increase monocyte retention within IR-treated tumors for up to 2 weeks. We also showed that BMDMs can take up various imaging and therapeutic agents, although the mobility of BMDMs decreased with increasing load. When BMDMs were differentiated in IR-treated tumor-conditioned medium (IR-CM) in vitro, the nanoparticle load-mediated inhibition of migration was attenuated. These IR-CM-differentiated BMDMs delivered polymer vesicles encapsulating doxorubicin to radiation therapy (RT)-induced hypoxic tumor regions, and enhanced the efficacy of RT. The prolonged retention of monocytes within irradiated tumor tissues and the ability of IR-CM to enhance the migratory ability of cargo-laden BMDMs suggest that monocytes pre-conditioned by IR-CM can potentially act as cellular carriers for targeted therapy following conventional RT.

Tumortropic monocyte-mediated delivery of echogenic polymer bubbles and therapeutic vesicles for chemotherapy of tumor hypoxia.

Overcoming limitations often experienced in nanomedicine delivery toward hypoxia regions of malignant tumors remains a great challenge. In this study, a promising modality for active hypoxia drug delivery was developed by adopting tumortropic monocytes/macrophages as a cellular vehicle for co-delivery of echogenic polymer/C5F12 bubbles and doxorubicin-loaded polymer vesicles. Through the remote-controlled focused ultrasound (FUS)-triggered drug liberation, therapeutic monocytes show prominent capability of inducing apoptosis of cancer cells. The in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging shows appreciable accumulation of cell-mediated therapeutics in tumor as compared to the nanoparticle counterpart residing mostly in liver. Inhibition of tumor recurrence with γ-ray pre-irradiated Tramp-C1-bearing mice receiving therapeutic monocytes intravenously alongside the FUS activation at tumor site was significantly observed. Immunohistochemical examination of tumor sections confirms successful cellular transport of therapeutic payloads to hypoxic regions and pronounced cytotoxic action against hypoxic cells. Following the intravenous administration, the cellular-mediated therapeutics can penetrate easily to a depth beyond 150 µm from the nearest blood vessels within pre-irradiated tumor while nanoparticles are severely limited to a depth of ca 10-15 µm. This work demonstrates the great promise of cellular delivery to carry therapeutic payloads for improving chemotherapy in hypoxia by combining external trigger for drug release.

Exploring threshold operation criteria of biostimulation for azo dye decolorization using immobilized cell systems.

This follow-up study provided an evaluation on threshold operation criteria of biostimulation in immobilized cell systems (ICSs) with Aeromonas hydrophila onto packing materials Porites corals. Essential nutrients in appropriate flow rate for biostimulation were inevitably required to maintain maximum attached cell population for cost-effective biodecolorization. With the method of "graphical reconstruction", the most economically feasible strategy of medium stimulation for color removal was quantitatively revealed. Our findings pointed out no matter what operation mode of reactor was (e.g., suspended batch cultures or ICS) color removal efficiency for A. hydrophila still strongly depended upon intrinsic kinetics and chemical reactivities of azo dyes. Mass transport effects in ICS might not play most significant roles to limit dye biodecolorization of A. hydrophila (except Reactive red 198, Reactive green 19), as relative rankings of color removal rates of various dyes were almost in parallel with those in suspended batch cultures.

Cost-effective biostimulation strategy for wastewater decolorization using immobilized-cell systems.

This study tended to evaluate threshold operation criteria of biostimulation for optimal biodecolorization in immobilized-cell systems (ICSs) using Porites corals as packing matrices. Indigenous Aeromonas hydrophila with high efficiency for decolorization isolated from Northeast Taiwan was used for study. As maximal treatment performance of ICS could only be achieved with maximal absorbed biomass with highest color removal capability. Maintaining optimal attached cells for cost-effective color removal efficiency inevitably required essential nutrients provided from rich media for biostimulation. With consideration of efficient cell attachment and maximal dye biodecolorization, our proposed method of "graphical reconstruction" quantitatively revealed the most economically-feasible strategy of medium stimulation for color removal. Our findings pointed out the maximal allowable inlet concentration and treatment capacity using our prediction of constant-slope isoclines of ICSs at cultures fed with different concentrations of nutrient sources. The method of isoclines upon transient dynamics of ICSs also provided a technically viable assessment for on-site professionals to quantitatively determine maximal biotreatment thresholds in biostimulation.

Understanding effects of chemical structure on azo dye decolorization characteristics by Aeromonas hydrophila.

This novel comparative study tended to disclose how the molecular structures present in seven azo dyes including two types of azo dyes (i.e., naphthol type azo dyes--Reactive Black 5 (RB 5), Reactive Blue 171 (RB 171), Reactive Green 19 (RG19), Reactive Red 198 (RR198), Reactive Red 141 (RR141), and non-naphthol type azo dyes--Direct Yellow 86 (DY86), Reactive Yellow 84 (RY84)) affected color removal capability of Aeromonas hydrophila. Generally speaking, the decolorization rate of naphthol type azo dye with hydroxyl group at ortho to azo bond was faster than that of non-naphthol type azo dye without hydroxyl group, except of RG19. The azo dyes with electron-withdrawing groups (e.g., sulfo group in RR198, RB5 and RR141) would be easier to be decolorized than the azo dyes with the electron-releasing groups (e.g., -NH-triazine in RB171 and RG19). In addition, the azo dyes containing more electron-withdrawing groups (e.g., RR198, RB5 and RR141) showed significantly faster rate of decolorization. The azo dyes with electron-withdrawing groups (e.g., sulfo group) at para and ortho to azo bond (e.g., RR198, RB5 and RR141) could be more preferred for color removal than those at meta (e.g., DY86 and RY84). The former azo dyes with para and ortho sulfo group provided more effective resonance effects to withdraw electrons from azo bond, causing azo dyes to be highly electrophilic for faster rates of reductive biodecolorization. However, since the ortho substituent caused steric hindrance near azo linkage(s), azo dyes with para substituent could be more favorable (e.g., SO(2)(CH(2))(2)SO(4)(-) in RR198 and RB5) than those with ortho substituent (e.g., sulfo group at RR141) for decolorization. Thus, the ranking of the position for the electron-withdrawing substituent in azo dyes to escalate decolorization was para>ortho>meta. This study suggested that both the positions of substituents on the aromatic ring and the electronic characteristics of substituents in azo dyes all significantly affected the performance of biodecolorization of A. hydrophila.

Revealing interactive toxicity of aromatic amines to azo dye decolorizer Aeromonas hydrophila.

This study attempted to combine chemostat pulse technique (CPT) and dose-mortality assessment in pursuit of quantitative rankings of toxicity of model aromatic amines (MAAs) in the presence of diazo dye reactive red 141 (or Evercion Red H-E7B; RR141) upon Aeromonas hydrophila. As known, bacterial decolorization performance of azo dyes is directly dependent upon both the characteristics of biochemical reactivity and biotoxicity of dyes and related aromatic amines towards color removal. Thus, the findings herein indicated that the relative toxicity series of MAAs were (1) ortho>para>MAA-free control>meta position (for isomeric aminophenols); (2) -OH>-SO(3)H>MAA-free control (-NH(2) at ortho position); (3) -COOH>MAA-free control>-OH (-NH(2) at meta position) through the CPT at 200mg/L MAAs. Comparison on results in higher levels of MAAs at 1000 mg/L almost showed parallel relative toxicity rankings at 200mg/L. Quantification using traditional plate count method also confirmed nearly similar trends for corresponding MAAs except 3-aminophenol, revealing the promising feasibility of CPT for the toxicity assessment in practical applications. In addition, dose-mortality analysis regularly used in toxicology was used to quantitatively determine toxicity rankings of MAAs. In conclusion, this study directly provided a kinetic model to quantify the relative toxicity ranking of MAAs in the presence of RR141. It could provide a feasible guideline for assessment on the toxicity or treatability of azo dyes and MAAs to A. hydrophila in wastewater treatment.