Shadow-casted ultrathin surface coatings of titanium and titanium/silicon oxide sol particles via ultrasound-assisted deposition

Ultrasound-assisted deposition (USAD) of sol nanoparticles enables the formation of uniform and inherently stable thin films. However, the technique still suffers in coating hard substrates and the use of fast-reacting sol-gel precursors still remains challenging. Here, we report on the deposition of ultrathin titanium and titanium/silicon hybrid oxide coatings using hydroxylated silicon wafers as a model hard substrate. We use acetic acid as the catalyst which also suppresses the reactivity of titanium tetraisopropoxide while increasing the reactivity of tetraethyl orthosilicate through chemical modifications. Taking the advantage of this peculiar behavior, we successfully prepared titanium and titanium/silicon hybrid oxide coatings by USAD. Varying the amount of acetic acid in the reaction media, we managed to modulate thickness and surface roughness of the coatings in nanoscale. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy studies showed the formation of conformal coatings having nanoroughness. Quantitative chemical state maps obtained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggested the formation of ultrathin (<10nm) coatings and thickness measurements by rotating analyzer ellipsometry supported this observation. For the first time, XPS chemical maps revealed the transport effect of ultrasonic waves since coatings were directly cast on rectangular substrates as circular shadows of the horn with clear thickness gradient from the center to the edges. In addition to the progress made in coating hard substrates, employing fast-reacting precursors and achieving hybrid coatings; this report provides the first visual evidence on previously suggested "acceleration and smashing" mechanism as the main driving force of USAD.

Liver mobilisation and vascular isolation, diaphragmatic stripping and resection, periportal lymphadenectomy, liver resection

WS13.1 Ataluren significantly reduces exacerbations in nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis patients not receiving tobramycin

WS13.1.1 Ataluren in nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis patients not receiving tobramycin: significant lung function benefits in the paediatric age range

WS16.5 Website based educational program on cystic fibrosis (CF) for community physicians

WS17.1 Validation of a new ultrasonographic protocol for early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis liver disease (CFLD)

223 Infertility among women with cystic fibrosis: prevalence and risk factors

256 Improved outcome in cystic fibrosis – results of the Israeli CF Patient Registry 2005–2013

264 Natural history of patients with cystic fibrosis carrying nonsense mutations: an analysis of placebo-treated patients from the 009 study

Comprehensive Metabolite Identification Strategy Using Multiple Two-Dimensional NMR Spectra of a Complex Mixture Implemented in the COLMARm Web Server

Identification of metabolites in complex mixtures represents a key step in metabolomics. A new strategy is introduced, which is implemented in a new public web server, COLMARm, that permits the coanalysis of up to three two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectra, namely, 13 C- 1 H HSQC (heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy), 1 H- 1 H TOCSY (total correlation spectroscopy), and 13 C- 1 H HSQC-TOCSY, for the comprehensive, accurate, and efficient performance of this task. The highly versatile and interactive nature of COLMARm permits its application to a wide range of metabolomics samples independent of the magnetic field. Database query is performed using the HSQC spectrum, and the top metabolite hits are then validated against the TOCSY-type experiment(s) by superimposing the expected cross-peaks on the mixture spectrum. In this way the user can directly accept or reject candidate metabolites by taking advantage of the complementary spectral information offered by these experiments and their different sensitivities. The power of COLMARm is demonstrated for a human serum sample uncovering the existence of 14 metabolites that hitherto were not identified by NMR.