This chapter provides an overview of current research into the synthesis and properties of gold nanorods. It outlines the origin of the shape-dependent optical properties of rods. The chapter focuses on the latest advances in the chemical synthesis of metal nanorods, in particular of gold nanorods, as well as their properties and some applications. It chapter reviews some of the key attributes of non-spherical particles. Comprehensive reviews of the optical properties of metal particles are given in a range of texts and journals that discuss electromagnetic theory, size effects, the light scattering features or the surface chemical perturbations. In 1912, R. Gans predicted that for very small ellipsoids, where the dipole approximation holds, the surface plasmon mode would split into distinct modes. This is a consequence of the surface curvature, which determines classically the restoring force or depolarization field that acts on the confined conduction electron population.
This study was designed to investigate potential factors involved in the disruption of the circadian blood pressure (BP) pattern in diabetes mellitus, as well as the relation between BP, cardiac autonomic neuropathy, and estimated cardiovascular risk. We studied 101 diabetic patients (58% with type 2 diabetes; 59% men), age 21-65 yrs, evaluated by 48 h BP monitoring. We performed three autonomic tests in a single session: deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, and standing up from a seated position. Patients were classified according to the number of abnormal tests and their 10 yr risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. The prevalence of non-dipping 24 h patterning ranged from 47.6% in type 1 to 42.4% in type 2 diabetes. The awake/asleep ratio of systolic BP (SBP) was comparable between patients with or without abnormal autonomic tests. Pulse pressure (PP) was significantly higher in patients with > or =1 abnormal autonomic test (p < 0.001). Ambulatory SBP was significantly elevated in the group with higher risk of coronary heart disease (p < 0.001). Patients with higher stroke-risk had higher SBP but lower diastolic BP, and thus an elevated ambulatory PP by 9 mmHg, compared to those with lower risk (p < 0.001). Cardiac autonomic neuropathy is not the main causal-factor for the non-dipper BP pattern in diabetes mellitus. The most significant finding from this study is the high ambulatory PP found in patients with either cardiac autonomic dysfunction or high risk for coronary heart disease or stroke. After correcting for age, this elevated PP level emerged as the main cardiovascular risk factor in diabetes mellitus.
Abstract Estimation of the effective size ( N e ) of large populations with a continuous distribution across wide geographic areas and limited dispersal of individuals has been elusive so far. Estimates of the contemporary N e from genetic markers for such large, structured populations, typically of plant and marine species, tend to be strongly biased downwards, which has led to question their relevance. Here we show that a recently proposed estimation method of N e from linkage disequilibrium between markers, which accounts for population structure, yields estimates of metapopulation N e when the sampling area is sufficiently large. The method is applied to empirical data of maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster Aiton). While previous estimates of N e in pine populations were of the order of a few hundred individuals, we show that estimates of the metapopulation N e can reach values of the order of tens of thousands of individuals. This result is especially relevant from a conservation point of view, as populations with N e lower than 500 individuals are considered to be under the risk of extinction.
A reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method was developed for the quantitative determination of three major hypotensive compounds, namely geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, and geniposide in the bark of Eucommia ulmoides. Soxhlet extraction of GPA, GPS, and CA from E. ulmoides was optimized according to the Taguchi experimental design. Maximum global yields were obtained using the following conditions: extraction temperature, 80?C; extraction time, 1 h; number of extractions, three; solvent volume, 16 ml/g of sample; and 50% ethanol concentration in water. Optimal conditions of separation and detection were achieved on a Diamonsil ODS C18 column (150 mm ? 4.6 mm, 5 ?m) with a linear gradient of methanol and 0.04% aqueous phosphoric acid (v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and detection wavelength of 240 nm. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r2 > 0.999) within test ranges. The relative deviation of this method was less than 3% for intra- and inter-day assays, and the recovery percentage of the method was 95-104%, with a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of less than 5%. The current assay method was used for quantitative determination of geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, and geniposide in five samples of E. ulmoides with different age. The results indicate that the developed method could be readily utilized as a quality control method in working with E. ulmoides.