Drexel University

About: Drexel University is a education organization based out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 26770 authors who have published 51438 publications receiving 1949443 citations. The organization is also known as: Drexel & Drexel Institute.

Brain stem projections of sensory and motor components of the vagus complex in the cat: I. The cervical vagus and nodose ganglion.

Abstract: The motor and sensory connections of the cervical vagus nerve and of its inferior ganglion (nodose ganglion) have been traced in the medulla oblongata of 32 adult cats with the neuroanatomical methods of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) histochemistry and amino acid autoradiography (ARG). In 14 of these subjects, an aqueous solution of HRP was applied unilaterally to the central end of the severed cervical vagus nerve. In 13 other cases, HRP was injected directly into the nodose ganglion. Three of these 13 subjects had undergone infranodose vagotomy 6 weeks prior to the HRP injection. A mixture of tritiated amino acid was injected into the nodose ganglion in five additional cats. The retrograde transport of HRP yielded reaction product in nerve fibers and perikarya of parasympathetic and somatic motoneurons in the medulla oblongata. Furthermore, a tetramethyl benzidine (TMB) method for visualizing HRP enabled the demonstration of anterograde and transganglionic transport, so that central sensory connections of the nodose ganglion and of the vagus nerve could also be traced. The central distribution of silver grain following injections of tritiated amino acids in the nodose ganglion corresponded closely with the distribution of sensory projections demonstrated with HRP, thus confirming the validity of HRP histochemistry as a method for tracing these projections. The histochemical and autoradiographic experiments showed that the vagus nerve enters the medulla from its lateral aspect in multiple fascicles and that it contains three major components--axons of preganglionic parasympathetic neurones, axons of skeletal motoneurons, and central processes of the sensory neurons in the nodose ganglion. Retrogradely labeled neurons were seen in the dorsal motor nucleus of X(dmnX), the nucleus ambiguus (nA), the nucleus retroambigualis (nRA), the nucleus dorsomedialis (ndm) and the spinal nucleus of the accessory nerve (nspA). The axons arising from motoneurons in the nA did not traverse the medulla directly laterally; rather, all of these axons were initially directed dorsomedially toward the dmnX, where they formed a hairpin loop and then accompanied the axons of dmnX neurons to their points of exit. Afferent fibers in the vagus nerve reached most of the subnuclei of the nTS bilaterally, with the more intense labeling being found on the ipsilateral side. Labeling of sensory vagal projections was also found in the area postrema of both sides and around neurons of the dmnX. These direct sensory projections terminating within the dmnX may provide an anatomical substrate for vagally mediated monosynpatic reflexes. Following deefferentiation by infranodose vagotomy 6 weeks prior to HRP injections into the nodose ganglion, a number of neurons in the dmnX were still intensely labeled with the HRP reaction product. The axons of these HRP-labeled perikarya may constitute the bulbar component of the accessory nerve.

Synthesis of two-dimensional materials by selective extraction.

Abstract: CONSPECTUS: Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted much attention in the past decade. They offer high specific surface area, as well as electronic structure and properties that differ from their bulk counterparts due to the low dimensionality. Graphene is the best known and the most studied 2D material, but metal oxides and hydroxides (including clays), dichalcogenides, boron nitride (BN), and other materials that are one or several atoms thick are receiving increasing attention. They may deliver a combination of properties that cannot be provided by other materials. The most common synthesis approach in general is by reacting different elements or compounds to form a new compound. However, this approach does not necessarily work well for low-dimensional structures, since it favors formation of energetically preferred 3D (bulk) solids. Many 2D materials are produced by exfoliation of van der Waals solids, such as graphite or MoS2, breaking large particles into 2D layers. However, these approaches are not universal; for example, 2D transition metal carbides cannot be produced by any of them. An alternative but less studied way of material synthesis is the selective extraction process, which is based on the difference in reactivity and stability between the different components (elements or structural units) of the original material. It can be achieved using thermal, chemical, or electrochemical processes. Many 2D materials have been synthesized using selective extraction, such as graphene from SiC, transition metal oxides (TMO) from layered 3D salts, and transition metal carbides or carbonitrides (MXenes) from MAX phases. Selective extraction synthesis is critically important when the bonds between the building blocks of the material are too strong (e.g., in carbides) to be broken mechanically in order to form nanostructures. Unlike extractive metallurgy, where the extracted metal is the goal of the process, selective extraction of one or more elements from the precursor materials releases 2D structures. In this Account, in addition to graphene and TMO, we focused on MXenes as an example for the use of selective extraction synthesis to produce novel 2D materials. About 10 new carbides and carbonitrides of transition metals have been produced by this method in the past 3 years. They offer an unusual combination of metallic conductivity and hydrophilicity and show very attractive electrochemical properties. We hope that this Account will encourage researchers to extend the use of selective extraction to other layered material systems that in turn will result in expanding the world of nanomaterials in general and 2D materials in particular, generating new materials that cannot be produced by other means.

Comparison of Direct and Indirect Effects of Non‐Thermal Atmospheric‐Pressure Plasma on Bacteria

Abstract: Direct and indirect influence on microorganisms of non-thermal atmospheric-pressure DBD in air is compared in terms of bacterial inactivation rates. It is demonstrated that direct influence of the plasma, where charged particles contact bacteria directly, produces inactivation much faster than the indirect treatment, where plasma afterglow is delivered to the bacteria with a gas flow through the plasma region. This leads to an important conclusion that the effect of charged particles on plasma plays the essential role in interaction with living organisms, although synergy with longer living active molecules and atoms as well as UV radiation generated in plasma and at the surface of tissues may also play a role in inactivation.

Fabrication of Ti3C2Tx MXene Transparent Thin Films with Tunable Optoelectronic Properties

Abstract: MXenes, a new class of 2D transition metal carbides and carbonitrides, show great promise in supercapacitors, Li-ion batteries, fuel cells, and sensor applications. A unique combination of their metallic conductivity, hydrophilic surface, and excellent mechanical properties renders them attractive for transparent conductive electrode application. Here, a simple, scalable method is proposed to fabricate transparent conductive thin films using delaminated Ti3C2 MXene flakes by spray coating. Homogenous films, 5–70 nm thick, are produced at ambient conditions over a large area as shown by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The sheet resistances (Rs) range from 0.5 to 8 kΩ sq−1 at 40% to 90% transmittance, respectively, which corresponds to figures of merit (the ratio of electronic to optical conductivities, σDC/σopt) around 0.5–0.7. Flexible, transparent, and conductive films are also produced and exhibit stable Rs values at up to 5 mm bend radii. Furthermore, the films' optoelectronic properties are tuned by chemical or electrochemical intercalation of cations. The films show reversible changes of transmittance in the UV–visible region during electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation of tetramethylammonium hydroxide. This work shows the potential of MXenes to be used as transparent conductors in electronic, electrochromic, and sensor applications.

Dye adsorption and decomposition on two-dimensional titanium carbide in aqueous media

Abstract: Recently a large family of two-dimensional (2D) layered early transition metal carbides and carbonitrides – labelled MXene – possessing metallic conductivity and hydrophilic surfaces was discovered. Herein we report on the adsorption and photocatalytic decomposition of organic molecules in aqueous environments containing Ti3C2Tx, a representative of the MXene family. This material possesses excellent adsorption toward cationic dyes, best described by a Freundlich isotherm. We also found that the material may undergo structural changes in aqueous media.