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Kunststoff- und Kunststoffrasenflächen kommt bei intensiv genutzten Flächen als Allwetterbeläge eine große Bedeutung zu. Sie leisten einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Absicherung eines ganzjähriger Sportangebote.
Gerade Kunststoffrasen ist aber in den letzten Jahren häufig in die Kritik geraten, insbesondere durch gefährliche Inhaltsstoffe und andere negative Einflüsse auf die Umwelt. Dies hat bei Bauherren zu einer Verunsicherung geführt und Fragen aufgeworfen, die erst teilweise beantwortet sind. Die Diskussionen rund um diesen Allwetterbelag haben bereits dazu geführt, dass von Seiten der Industrie viel verändert wurde und neue innovative Lösungen gefunden werden.
Der Fachbericht stellt eine Handreichung für Fachleute und interessierte Laien dar, um mehr Klarheit besonders hinsichtlich der Umweltanforderungen zu erzielen.
The maximum magnetisation (saturation magnetisation) obtainable for iron oxide nanoparticles can be increased by doping the nanocrystals with non-magnetic elements such as zinc. Herein, we closely study how only slightly different synthesis approaches towards such doped nanoparticles strongly influence the resulting sub-nano/atomic structure. We compare two co-precipitation approaches, where we only vary the base (NaOH versus NH3), and a thermal decomposition route. These methods are the most commonly applied ones for synthesising doped iron oxide nanoparticles. The measurable magnetisation change upon zinc doping is about the same for all systems. However, the sub-nano structure, which we studied with Mössbauer and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, differs tremendously. We found evidence that a much more complex picture has to be drawn regarding what happens upon Zn doping compared to what textbooks tell us about the mechanism. Our work demonstrates that it is crucial to study the obtained structures very precisely when “playing” with the atomic order in iron oxide nanocrystals.
The molecular dynamics of the triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystal HAT6 is investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy, advanced dynamical calorimetry and neutron scattering. Differential scanning calorimetry in combination with X-ray scattering reveals that HAT6 has a plastic crystalline phase at low temperatures, a hexagonally ordered liquid crystalline phase at higher temperatures and undergoes a clearing transition at even higher temperatures. The dielectric spectra show several relaxation processes: a localized gamma-relaxation a lower temperature and a so called alpha-2-relaxation at higher temperatures. The relaxation rates of the alpha-2-relaxation have a complex temperature dependence and bear similarities to a dynamic glass transition. The relaxation rates estimated by hyper DSC, Fast Scanning calorimetry and AC Chip calorimetry have a different temperature dependence than the dielectric alpha-2-relaxation and follows the VFT-behavior characteristic for glassy dynamics. Therefore, this process is called alpha-1-relaxation. Its relaxation rates show a similarity with that of polyethylene. For this reason, the alpha-1-relaxation is assigned to the dynamic glass transition of the alkyl chains in the intercolumnar space. Moreover, this process is not observed by dielectric spectroscopy which supports its assignment. The alpha-2-relaxation was assigned to small scale translatorial and/or small angle fluctuations of the cores.
The neutron scattering data reveal two relaxation processes. The process observed at shorter relaxation times is assigned to the methyl group rotation. The second relaxation process at longer time scales agree in the temperature dependence of its relaxation rates with that of the dielectric gamma-relaxation.
Under the auspices of the Protein Analysis Working Group (PAWG) of the Comité Consultatif pour la Quantité de Matière (CCQM) a pilot study, CCQM-P216, was coordinated by the Chinese National Institute of Metrology (NIM), National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). Eleven Metrology Institutes or Designated Institutes and the BIPM participated in the first phase of the pilot study (Part 1). The purpose of this pilot study was to develop measurement capabilities for larger proteins using a recombinant humanized IgG monoclonal antibody against Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (Anti-S IgG mAb) in solution. The first phase of the study was designed to employ established methods that had been previously studies by the CCQM Protein Analysis Working Group, involving the digestion of protein down to the peptide or amino acid level. The global coronavirus pandemic has also led to increased focus on antibody quantitation methods. IgG are among the immunoglobulins produced by the immune system to provide protection against SARS-CoV-2. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG can therefore be detected in samples from affected patients. Antibody tests can show whether a person has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2, and whether or not they potentially show lasting immunity to the disease. With the constant spread of the virus and the high pressure of re-opening economies, antibody testing plays a critical role in the fight against COVID-19 by helping healthcare professionals to identify individuals who have developed an immune response, either via vaccination or exposure to the virus. Many countries have launched large-scale antibody testing for COVID-19. The development of measurement standards for the antibody detection of SARS-CoV-2 is critically important to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, the SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody is being used as a model system to build capacity in methods that can be used in antibody quantification. Amino acid reference values with corresponding expanded uncertainty of 36.10 ± 1.55 mg/kg, 38.75 ± 1.45 mg/kg, 18.46 ± 0.78 mg/kg, 16.20 ± 0.67 mg/kg and 30.61 ± 1.30 mg/kg have been established for leucine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and proline, respectively. Agreement between nearly all laboratories was achieved for the amino acid analysis within 2 to 2.5 %, with one participant achieving markedly higher results due to a technical issue found in their procedure; this result was thus excluded from the reference value calculations. The relatively good agreement within a laboratory between different amino acids was not dissimilar to previous results for peptides or small proteins, indicating that factors such as hydrolysis conditions and calibration procedures could be the largest sources of variability. Peptide reference values with corresponding expanded uncertainty of 4.99 ± 0.28 mg/kg and 6.83 ± 0.65 mg/kg have been established for ALPAPIEK and GPSVFPLAPSSK, respectively. Not surprisingly due to prior knowledge from previous studies on peptide quantitation, agreement between laboratories for the peptide-based analysis was slightly poorer at 3 to 5 %, with one laboratory's result excluded for the peptide GPSVFPLAPSSK. Again, this level of agreement was not significantly poorer than that achieved in previous studies with smaller or less complex proteins. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report.
The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (SC NCs) are largely controlled by their size and surface chemistry, i.e., the chemical composition and thickness of inorganic passivation shells and the chemical nature and number of surface ligands as well as the strength of their bonds to surface atoms.
The latter is particularly important for CdTe NCs, which – together with alloyed CdₓHg₁₋ₓTe – are the only SC NCs that can be prepared in water in high quality without the need for an additional inorganic passivation shell. Aiming at a better understanding of the role of stabilizing ligands for the control of the application-relevant fluorescence features of SC NCs, we assessed the influence of two of the most commonly used monodentate thiol ligands, thioglycolic acid (TGA) and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA),
on the colloidal stability, photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY), and PL decay behavior of a set of CdTe NC colloids. As an indirect measure for the strength of the coordinative bond of the ligands to SC NC surface atoms, the influence of the pH (pD) and the concentration on the PL properties of these colloids was examined in water and D₂O and compared to the results from previous dilution studies with a set of thiol-capped Cd₁₋ₓHgₓTe SC NCs in D₂O. As a prerequisite for these studies, the number of surface ligands was determined photometrically at different steps of purification after SC NC synthesis with Ellman’s test.
Our results demonstrate ligand control of the pH-dependent PL of these SC NCs, with MPA-stabilized CdTe NCs being less prone to luminescence quenching than TGA-capped ones. For both types of CdTe colloids, ligand desorption is more pronounced in H₂O compared to D₂O, underlining also the role of hydrogen bonding and solvent molecules.
A surface-labeled lyophilized lymphocyte (sLL) preparation has been developed using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells prelabeled with a fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. The sLL preparation is intended to be used as a reference material for CD4+ cell counting including the development of higher order reference measurement procedures and has been evaluated in the pilot study CCQM-P102. This study was conducted across 16 laboratories from eight countries to assess the ability of participants to quantify the CD4+ cell count of this reference material and to document cross-laboratory variability plus associated measurement uncertainties. Twelve different flow cytometer platforms were evaluated using a standard protocol that included calibration beads used to obtain quantitative measurements of CD4+ T cell counts. There was good overall cross-platform and counting method agreement with a grand mean of the laboratory calculated means of (301.7 ± 4.9) µL-1 CD4+ cells. Excluding outliers, greater than 90% of participant data agreed within ±15%. A major contribution to variation of sLL CD4+ cell counts was tube to tube variation of the calibration beads, amounting to an uncertainty of 3.6%. Variation due to preparative steps equated to an uncertainty of 2.6%. There was no reduction in variability when data files were centrally reanalyzed. Remaining variation was attributed to instrument specific differences. CD4+ cell counts obtained in CCQM-P102 are in excellent agreement and show the robustness of both the measurements and the data analysis and hence the suitability of sLL as a reference material for interlaboratory comparisons and external quality assessment.
This report focuses on the characterization of CD4 expression level in terms of equivalent number of reference fluorophores (ERF). Twelve different flow cytometer platforms across sixteen laboratories were utilized in this study. As a first step the participants were asked to calibrate the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) channel of each flow cytometer using commercially available calibration standard consisting of five populations of microspheres. Each population had an assigned value of equivalent fluorescein fluorophores (EFF denotes a special case of the generic term ERF with FITC as the reference fluorophore). The EFF values were assigned at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A surface-labelled lyophilized cell preparation was provided by the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) pre-labeled with a FITC conjugated anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. Three PBMC sample vials, provided to each participant, were used for the CD4 expression analysis. The PBMC are purported to have a fixed number of surface CD4 receptors. On the basis of the microsphere calibration, the EFF value of the PBMC samples was measured to characterize the population average CD4 expression level of the PBMC preparations. Both the results of data analysis performed by each participant and the results of centralized analysis of all participants' raw data are reported. Centralized analysis gave a mean EFF value of 22,300 and an uncertainty of 750, corresponding to 3.3% (level of confidence 68%) of the mean EFF value. The next step will entail the measurement of the ERF values of the lyophilized PBMC stained with labels for other fluorescence channels. The ultimate goal is to show that lyophilized PBMC is a suitable biological reference cell material for multicolor flow cytometry and that it can be used to present multicolor flow cytometry measurements in terms of ABC (antibodies bound per cell) units.