We tracked over time the conductance switching of single and bundled phenylene ethynylene oligomers isolated in matrices of alkanethiolate monolayers. The persistence times for isolated and bundled ...molecules in either the ON or OFF switch state range from seconds to tens of hours. When the surrounding matrix is well ordered, the rate at which the inserted molecules switch is low. Conversely, when the surrounding matrix is poorly ordered, the inserted molecules switch more often. We conclude that the switching is a result of conformational changes in the molecules or bundles, rather than electrostatic effects of charge transfer.
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The electronic properties of alkanethiolate CH3(CH2) n S−, n = 9 and 11 and alkaneselenolate CH3(CH2) n Se−, n = 9 and 11 self-assembled monolayers on Au{111} have been quantitatively compared. ...Simultaneously acquired apparent tunneling barrier height (ATBH) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images reveal that alkanethiolate molecules have a lower barrier to tunneling, and therefore a higher conductance than alkaneselenolates of the same alkyl chain length. Molecular and contact conductance differences were elucidated by using observed STM topographic tunneling height differences between the analogous species. This apparent topographic difference combined with comparative ATBH data indicate that the observed decrease in conductance for alkaneselenolates compared to alkanethiolates originates exclusively from the Au-chalcogenide physical, chemical, and electronic contact.
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Coexisting adsorbate phases in high-coverage decaneselenolate and dodecaneselenolate CH3(CH2) n Se, n = 9 and 11 self-assembled monolayers on Au{111} have been characterized by scanning tunneling ...microscopy and consist of two types: a densely packed distorted hexagonal lattice incommensurate to the underlying gold substrate, as revealed by the observation of a moiré pattern, and a commensurate linear missing-row structure. Examination of the nearest neighbor distances in the tightly packed lattice reveal two distinct repeat distances of 4.90 and 5.20 Å, which complements previous surface X-ray data. The linear missing row structure manifests in several variants of the (√3 × 3√3)R30° unit cell differentiated by whether the molecules bind at 2- or 3-fold substrate sites. While the number of molecules within this unit cell is typically two, in some cases an additional alkaneselenolate molecule is located at a site one Au atom lower than the rest. The structural conclusions are supported by excellent agreement of experimental lattice parameters and those derived from molecular packing models. Comparison of the alkaneselenolate data with analogous structural phases reported for alkanethiolate monolayers on Au{111} shows that differences between the two systems can be understood on the basis that self-assembly is guided both by headgroup−headgroup as well as headgroup−substrate interactions.
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We report the phase separation of a self-assembled monolayer formed from a binary mixture of adsorbates, n-decanethiol, and an amide-containing alkanethiol of similar length ...(3-mercapto-N-nonylpropionamide), as studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. While mixtures of n-alkanethiols of similar length (i.e., n-decanethiol and n-dodecanethiol) show no phase separation, the introduction of a hydrogen-bonding functionality buried deep within the film induces the formation of single-component domains on the nanometer scale. Phase separation occurs at all relative compositions studied, and for these molecules maintains the same exposed terminal functionality across the entire film. In nonequimolar concentrations of adsorbates, we observe that the solution component present in greater concentration will dominate the composition of the adsorbed monolayer in super proportion to that in solution, consistent with enthalpic contributions from both the solvent and intermolecular interactions of adsorbates.
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IMPORTANCE Although vitamin E and memantine have been shown to have beneficial effects in moderately severe Alzheimer disease (AD), evidence is limited in mild to moderate AD. OBJECTIVE To determine ...if vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), memantine, or both slow progression of mild to moderate AD in patients taking an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial involving 613 patients with mild to moderate AD initiated in August 2007 and concluded in September 2012 at 14 Veterans Affairs medical centers. INTERVENTIONS Participants received either 2000 IU/d of alpha tocopherol (n = 152), 20 mg/d of memantine (n = 155), the combination (n = 154), or placebo (n = 152). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study/Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) Inventory score (range, 0-78). Secondary outcomes included cognitive, neuropsychiatric, functional, and caregiver measures. RESULTS Data from 561 participants were analyzed (alpha tocopherol = 140, memantine = 142, combination = 139, placebo = 140), with 52 excluded because of a lack of any follow-up data. Over the mean (SD) follow-up of 2.27 (1.22) years, ADCS-ADL Inventory scores declined by 3.15 units (95% CI, 0.92 to 5.39; adjusted P = .03) less in the alpha tocopherol group compared with the placebo group. In the memantine group, these scores declined 1.98 units less (95% CI, −0.24 to 4.20; adjusted P = .40) than the placebo group’s decline. This change in the alpha tocopherol group translates into a delay in clinical progression of 19% per year compared with placebo or a delay of approximately 6.2 months over the follow-up period. Caregiver time increased least in the alpha tocopherol group. All-cause mortality and safety analyses showed a difference only on the serious adverse event of “infections or infestations,” with greater frequencies in the memantine (31 events in 23 participants) and combination groups (44 events in 31 participants) compared with placebo (13 events in 11 participants). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with mild to moderate AD, 2000 IU/d of alpha tocopherol compared with placebo resulted in slower functional decline. There were no significant differences in the groups receiving memantine alone or memantine plus alpha tocopherol. These findings suggest benefit of alpha tocopherol in mild to moderate AD by slowing functional decline and decreasing caregiver burden. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00235716
Abstract Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with both oxidative stress and excessive glutamate activity. A clinical trial was designed to compare the effectiveness of ( i ) ...alpha-tocopherol, a vitamin E antioxidant; ( ii ) memantine (Namenda), an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist; ( iii ) their combination; and ( iv ) placebo in delaying clinical progression in AD. Methods The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program initiated a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in August 2007, with enrollment through March 2012 and follow-up continuing through September 2012. Participants with mild-to-moderate AD who were taking an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor were assigned randomly to 2000 IU/day of alpha-tocopherol, 20 mg/day memantine, 2000 IU/day alpha-tocopherol plus 20 mg/day memantine, or placebo. The primary outcome for the study is the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study/Activities of Daily Living Inventory. Secondary outcome measures include the Mini-Mental State Examination; the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale, cognitive portion; the Dependence Scale; the Neuropsychiatric Inventory; and the Caregiver Activity Survey. Patient follow-up ranged from 6 months to 4 years. Results A total of 613 participants were randomized. The majority of the patients were male (97%) and white (86%), with a mean age of 79 years. The mean Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study/Activities of Daily Living Inventory score at entry was 57 and the mean Mini-Mental State Examination score at entry was 21. Conclusion This large multicenter trial will address the unanswered question of the long-term safety and effectiveness of alpha-tocopherol, memantine, and their combination in patients with mild-to-moderate AD taking an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. The results are expected in early 2013.
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Pilot-scale cooling towers can be used to evaluate corrosion, scaling, and biofouling control strategies when using particular cooling system makeup water and particular operating conditions. To ...study the potential for using a number of different impaired waters as makeup water, a pilot-scale system capable of generating 27,000 kJ∕h heat load and maintaining recirculating water flow with a Reynolds number of 1.92 × 10(4) was designed to study these critical processes under conditions that are similar to full-scale systems. The pilot-scale cooling tower was equipped with an automatic makeup water control system, automatic blowdown control system, semi-automatic biocide feeding system, and corrosion, scaling, and biofouling monitoring systems. Observed operational data revealed that the major operating parameters, including temperature change (6.6 °C), cycles of concentration (N = 4.6), water flow velocity (0.66 m∕s), and air mass velocity (3660 kg∕h m(2)), were controlled quite well for an extended period of time (up to 2 months). Overall, the performance of the pilot-scale cooling towers using treated municipal wastewater was shown to be suitable to study critical processes (corrosion, scaling, biofouling) and evaluate cooling water management strategies for makeup waters of complex quality.
A facile two-step process was developed to synthesize hierarchical nanostructured CuO. First, copper acetate reacts with ethylene glycol to produce organocopper precursors with tunable morphologies; ...second, the organocopper precursors are calcinated to produce CuO structures which preserve the morphology of the precursors. The product consists of nanometer-sized CuO crystallites self-organized into micrometer-sized monoliths with tunable complex structures, including microplates, doughnut-like structures, and multilayer microspheres. The doughnut-like CuO structure possesses high removal capacity for As(III) and can be easily separated and recycled during water treatment processes.
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