Other

Syracuse University

4 Thought Technologies

Mark S Braiman

Susan E Plunkett

James J Stone

Ranga Partha

Roy E Jonas

There is described a process for depositing carbon on a surface, comprising, while contacting a mixture of COand Brwith a polar substrate presenting apposed surfaces, exposing a sufficient area of said mixture in the region of said apposed surfaces to light of sufficient intensity and frequency to result in deposition of carbon on at least some of said apposed surfaces. Other embodiments are also described.

Bromine-sensitized solar photolysis of carbon dioxide

A method for purifying a membrane protein is disclosed which includes providing a test sample potentially including a target membrane protein; adding incremental amounts of a precipitating agent to the test sample to form one or more mixtures; and treating the one or more mixtures under conditions effective to obtain precipitated, purified target membrane protein if present in the test sample.

Rapid and inexpensive method for the purification of proteorhodopsin

Miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30&#x2013;50 &#x3bc;m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates and tapered quasi-tapered waveguides, tapered from a thickness of 1 mm at the ends to a minimum of 1&#x2013;100 &#x3bc;m at the center, are disclosed. The surface sensitivity is increased as a function of incidence or bevel angle. The tapered waveguide improves the efficiency of the optical coupling both into the waveguide from an FTIR spectrometer, and out of the waveguide onto a small-area IR detector. The tapering makes it possible to dispense with using an IR microscope couple light through the waveguide, enabling efficient coupling with a detector directly coupled to an immersion lens. This optical arrangement makes such thin supported waveguides more useful as sensors, because they can be made quite long (e.g. 50 mm) and mounted horizontally. Furthermore, even with a 20-&#x3bc;m&#xd7;1-mm cross section, sufficient throughput is obtained to give signal/noise ratios in excess of 1000 over most of the 1000&#x2013;5000 cm-range, with just 2 min of scanning at 8 cm-resolution.

Support planar and tapered quasi-planar germanium waveguides for infrared evanescent-wave sensing

Miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30-50 &mgr;m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates and tapered quasi-tapered waveguides, tapered from a thickness of 1 mm at the ends to a minimum of 1-100 &mgr;m at the center, are disclosed. The surface sensitivity is increased as a function of incidence or bevel angle. The tapered waveguide improves the efficiency of the optical coupling both into the waveguide from an FTIR spectrometer, and out of the waveguide onto a small-area IR detector. The tapering makes it possible to dispense with using an IR microscope couple light through the waveguide, enabling efficient coupling with a detector directly coupled to an immersion lens. This optical arrangement makes such thin supported waveguides more useful as sensors, because they can be made quite long (e.g. 50 mm) and mounted horizontally. Furthermore, even with a 20-&mgr;m&times;1-mm cross section, sufficient throughput is obtained to give signal/noise ratios in excess of 1000 over most of the 1000-5000 cm range, with just 2 min of scanning at 8 cm solution.

We have fabricated miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30-50 .mu.m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates. Evidence for efficient propagation of broadband IR light through these waveguides is provided by the presence of characteristic high and low frequency optical cut-offs of Ge; by the observation of an oscillatory interference pattern in the transmittance spectrum, which exhibits a dependence on waveguide thickness and propagation angle closely matching waveguide theory; and by the detection of strong evanescent-wave absorption from small (2 mm.sup.2) droplets of liquid, e.g. water, on the waveguide surface. As also predicted by theory, the surface sensitivity (detected light absorbance per unit area of sample-waveguide contact) was shown to increase as a function of incidence or bevel angle.

Support planar germanium waveguides for infrared evanescent-wave sensing

A particular uncommon isomer of retinoic acid (namely 11-cis-retinoic acid, or neotretinoin) is useful in treating conditions involving abnormal cellular differentiation and hyperproliferation, such as psoriasis. A new method of synthesizing this isomer, in quantities that has allowed it to be compared therapeutically with the more commonly available all-trans and 13-cis isomers, is presented. As measured on the inventor's own psoriasis-affected skin, topical treatment with 11-cis-retinoic acid is much more efficacious in reducing symptoms and has substantially reduced side effects, as compared to topical treatment with the other isomers. A single application of a 0.001% neotretinoin cream to psoriasis lesions leads within 48 hours to substantial amelioration of associated dermatological symptoms, including itching, scaling, bleeding, and abnormal appearance. Continued application leads to complete remission, and replacement of lesions by skin that is indistinguishable from surrounding healthy tissue, without any noticeable irritation, erythema, or other problematic side effects. A less efficacious but more easily-implemented version of the same invention employs ultraviolet or blue-light irradiation of a commercially-available gel containing tretinoin as a means of effecting partial conversion of the tretinoin to neotretinoin, prior to application of the gel to psoriasis-affected areas of skin.

Treatment of psoriasis with 11-cis-retinoic acid

A light source to optical fiber coupling device comprising: a diamond coupler, a light source located at an end of the diamond coupler, an optical fiber having an end which is adjacent the other end of the diamond coupler, the optical fiber being in optical coupling relation with the diamond coupler.

Growing community of inventors

Cazenovia, NY, United States of America

Mark S Braiman