The number of cycles was 35. The changes in gene expression (n-fold) selleck compound calculated from the qRT-PCR data. Analysis of relative gene expression data was done using the 2-2∆∆CT method

as described previously [41]. The 16S rRNA was used as the internal controls. Statistical analysis All experiments were repeated a minimum of three times, and data are expressed as mean ± SD. Differences were considered significant for P < 0.05 (*, P value 0.05-0.01; **, P value <0.01). Comparison of two groups was made with an unpaired, two-tailed student’s t-test. Comparison of multiple groups was made with ANOVA. Acknowledgements The study was not supported by any external funding. References 1. Silva J, Leite D, Fernandes M, Mena C, Gibbs PA, Teixeira P: Campylobacter spp. as a Foodborne Pathogen: a review. Front Microbiol 2011, 2:1–12. article number 200 2. Olson CK, Ethelberg S, van Pelt W, Tauxe RV: Epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni infections in industrialized nations. In Campylobacter. Edited by: Nachamkin I, Szymanski C, Blaser MJ. Washigton,

DC, USA: ASM Press; 2008:163–189. 3. Jeon B, Muraoka WT, Zhang Q: Advances in Campylobacter biology and implications for biotechnological Sorafenib cost applications. Microb Biotechnol 2010,3(3):242–258.PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef 4. Nougayrede JP, Fernandes PJ, Donnenberg MS: Adhesion of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli to host cells. Cell Microbiol 2003,5(6):359–372.PubMedCrossRef 5. Rubinchik S, Karlyshev AV, Seddon A: Molecular mechanisms and biological role of Campylobacter jejuni attachment to host cells. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2012,2(1):32–40.CrossRef 6. Magalhaes A, Reis CA: Helicobacter pylori adhesion to gastric epithelial cells is mediated by glycan receptors. Braz J Med Biol Res 2010,43(7):611–618.PubMedCrossRef 7. Aspholm M, Olfat FO, Norden J, Sonden B, Lundberg C, Sjostrom

R, Altraja S, Peptide 17 Odenbreit S, Haas R, Wadstrom T, Engstrand L, Semino-Mora C, Liu H, Dubois A, Teneberg S, Arnqvist A, Boren T: SabA is the H. pylori hemagglutinin and is polymorphic Olopatadine in binding to sialylated glycans. PLoS Pathog 2006,2(10):e110.PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef 8. Tsuji S, Uehori J, Matsumoto M, Suzuki Y, Matsuhisa A, Toyoshima K, Seya T: Human intelectin is a novel soluble lectin that recognizes galactofuranose in carbohydrate chains of bacterial cell wall. J Biol Chem 2001,276(26):23456–23463.PubMedCrossRef 9. Day CJ, Tiralongo J, Hartnell RD, Logue CA, Wilson JC, von Itzstein M, Korolik V: Differential carbohydrate recognition by Campylobacter jejuni strain 11168: influences of temperature and growth conditions. PLoS One 2009,4(3):e4927.PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef 10. Guerry P, Szymanski CM: Campylobacter sugars sticking out.

Sci Food Agric 1977, 28:661–668.CrossRef 60. Ying QL, Kemme M, Simon SR: www.selleckchem.com/products/MK-1775.html Alginate, the slime exopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , binds human leukocyte elastase, retards inhibition by alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor, and accelerates inhibition by secretory leukoprotease inhibitor. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1996,15(2):283–291.PubMedCrossRef 61. Franklin MJ, Ohman DE: Identification of algF in the alginate biosynthetic gene cluster of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is required for alginate acetylation. J Bacteriol 1993,175(16):5057–5065.PubMed 62. Franklin MJ, Ohman DE: Identification of algI

and algJ in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate biosynthetic gene cluster which are required for alginate O acetylation. J Bacteriol 1996,178(8):2186–2195.PubMed 63. Wilhelm S, Rosenau F, Becker S, Buest S, Hausmann S, Kolmar H, Jaeger KE: Functional cell-surface display of a lipase-specific chaperone. Chem Bio Chem 2007,8(1):55–60.PubMedCrossRef 64. Kovach ME, Phillips RW, Elzer PH, Roop RM 2nd, Peterson KM: pBBR1MCS: a broad-host-range cloning vector. Biotechniques 1994,16(5):800–802.PubMed 65. Simon R, Priefer U, Pühler A: A broad

host range mobilization system for in vitro genetic engeneering: transposon mutagenesis in Gram-negative bacteria. Biological Technology 1983, 1:784–791.CrossRef 66. Ohman DE, Chakrabarty AM: Genetic mapping of chromosomal determinants for the production of the exopolysaccharide alginate in a Pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis isolate. Infect Immun 1981,33(1):142–148.PubMed 67. Grobe S, Wingender J, Truper HG: Characterization of INCB024360 order mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from technical water systems. J Appl Bacteriol 1995,79(1):94–102.PubMedCrossRef

68. Wingender J, Strathmann M, Rode A, Leis A, Flemming HC: Isolation and biochemical characterization of extracellular polymeric substances from Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Methods IWR-1 datasheet Enzymol 2001, 336:302–314.PubMedCrossRef 69. Singer VL, Paragas VB, Larison KD, Wells KS, Fox CJ, Haugland RP: Fluorescence-based signal amplification SPTLC1 technology. Am Biotechnol Lab 1994,12(11):55–56. 58PubMed 70. Dubois M, Gilles K, Hamilton JK, Rebers PA, Smith F: A colorimetric method for the determination of sugars. Nature 1951,168(4265):167.PubMedCrossRef 71. Blumenkrantz N, Asboe-Hansen G: New method for quantitative determination of uronic acids. Anal Biochem 1973,54(2):484–489.PubMedCrossRef 72. Berman HM, Westbrook J, Feng Z, Gilliland G, Bhat TN, Weissig H, Shindyalov IN, Bourne PE: The protein data bank. Nucleic Acids Res 2000,28(1):235–242.PubMedCrossRef 73. MacKerell JAD, Bashford D, Bellott M, Dunbrack JRL, Evanseck JD, Field MJ, Fischer S, Gao J, Guo H, Ha S, et al.: All-atomempirical potential for molecular modeling and dynamics studies of proteins. J Phys Chem 1998, 102:3586–3616. 74.

In the context of this study, I predicted that a more heterogeneous riparian ecosystem would have higher total woody species richness, which would be mostly due to

the presence of sclerophyllous plants in addition to (rather than replacing) strictly selleck riparian plants. The findings in this study corroborate this prediction; as total learn more richness increases, sclerophyllous species richness increases at a similar rate, while riparian species richness has a lower effect (Fig. 2). However, from the negative relationship between richness and presence of human activities it can be inferred that increased sclerophyllus richness does not seem to be a function of the structure of the riparian ecosystem. Human activities in the riparian ecosystem included development of roads, fences, walls, houses, and artificial water channels, which in turn create higher fragmentation and gaps within the riparian

vegetation. Furthermore, changes in water rights policies have altered the management prescriptions for riparian zones, allowing neighbouring land-owners to clear-cut riparian trees for easier access to water. These factors have also been identified by other authors as major causes of the decrease in strictly riparian richness in other riparian areas (Aguiar and Ferreira 2005; Hilty and Merenlender www.selleckchem.com/products/netarsudil-ar-13324.html 2004; Malanson 1993; Miller 2002; Pollock et al. 1998; Salinas et al. 2000; Tabacchi et al. 2002). However, this

effect may be only temporary, matching Pollock et al. (1998) pattern of different seral stages. Younger seral stages will be dominated by riparian plants, and as sclerophyllous species may colonize gaps, mixed mosaics of riparian and sclerophyllous plant species appear as older seral stages, resulting ultimately in an increase in total species richness. This study results also revealed that riparian species richness (total and strictly riparian) was positively affected by the presence of a developed shrub layer and it was negatively affected by the presence of goats. The most commonly found shrub species in the study area were blackberry shrubs (79.5%), and rock-rose (36.1%). While the first is mostly found in riparian areas, the second is a sclerophyllous Cell press shrub. Blackberry shrubs are probably the most related to the observed positive influence on riparian richness, since they are the ones most detected. Blackberry shrubs tend to create a very dense canopy, which may prevent light from reaching the riparian species seeds; however, willows and poplar seeds are known to germinate in the dark (Karrenberg et al. 2002). Thus, blackberry bushes may facilitate the germination seeds from these species, which occurs in a short period (a few days), and also prevent seed mortality from desiccation by providing shade (Karrenberg et al. 2002).

Secondary endpoints included length of the period to the occurrence of new vertebral fractures, the risk of patients and length of the period to the occurrence of clinical fractures, changes in height, and relative changes in bone turnover markers. Assessment of vertebral fractures Lateral radiographs of the thoracic and lumbar spine were taken at the screening visit to determine the presence of prevalent fractures. Subjects were enrolled based

on a visual assessment of prevalent fractures in T4 to L4. All the radiologic specifications and the levels of vertebra at the thoracic sand lumbar spine were standardized throughout learn more the study sites. The assessment of prevalent fractures was made if the ratio of anterior or middle vertebral body height to the posterior vertebral body height was less than 0.8 [11]. Quantitative and semiquantitative techniques [12, 13] were used to identify incident vertebral fractures for the purposes of the efficacy determination. Lateral radiographs of the spine were performed at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months for the assessment of incident fractures. An incident of new vertebral fracture was diagnosed if the anterior, posterior, or middle vertebral height had decreased by at least 15% and by 4 mm in a vertebra that was normal at baseline, or semiquantitatively

as a progress in grades [11]. Morphological diagnosis of fractures was made by quantitative and semiquantitative assessment of two evaluators who were blinded CYC202 cell line to the sequence Paclitaxel of films at two independent central reading facilities at Tottori University, Yonago, Japan by Hagino, H. and at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan by Nakamura, T., with adjudication by a third investigator (Nakano,T. at Tamana Central Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan) in the event of discrepant results. Assessment of non-vertebral fractures All non-vertebral fractures were identified symptomatically as clinical fractures, and only non-traumatic fractures assessed by investigators were reported. Suspected clinical fractures at six non-vertebral sites (humerus, radius/ulna,

subclavia, pelvis, femur, and tibia/fibula) were adjudicated radiographically, and only radiographically confirmed fractures were listed. Assessment of bone turnover Serum and urine samples were collected at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months for measurement of bone turnover markers, including urinary total deoxypyridinoline (DPD) measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (SRL, Tokyo, Japan) [14] after acid hydrolysis, urinary type I collagen Compound C cost N-telopeptide (NTX; Osteomark, Ostex International, Seattle, WA, USA), serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP; Osteolinks “BAP”, Quidel, San Diego, CA, USA), serum osteocalcin (BGP-IRMA Mitsubishi; Mitsubishi Kagaku Iatron, Tokyo, Japan), and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D; 125I RIA Kit, DiaSorin Inc., Saluggia, Italy).

The least inhibited fungus in these bioassays was Piloderma croceum, closely related to the mycorrhizal fungus Piloderma sp., the fungus which dominated in the Norway spruce mycorrhizal roots used for isolations. This suggests the potential of such a niche-related community for protecting Norway spruce-Piloderma mycorrhizas from fungal and bacterial parasites without incurring harm to the host fungus. The production of secondary

metabolites by mycorrhiza associated streptomycetes After many years of intensive screening of actinomycetes, the frequency of discovering structurally new compounds is apparently decreasing [27]. Since the current strategies for addressing Z-IETD-FMK mw the urgent need for new

buy C59 wnt antibiotics are not efficient enough, another approach might be to examine new niches, or sources, for microbial resources that produce novel compounds [28]. To search for compounds that affect fungal growth we performed HPLC analyses coupled with UV/Vis detection and mass spectrometry with five selected mycorrhiza-associated streptomycetes, possessing different activities in Streptomyces-fungus bioassays. Typically, only a limited number of metabolites are produced Selleck AZD1480 in synthetic media [27], and to promote production of diverse metabolites two different culture media were employed. The five strains produced diffusible secondary metabolites, of which only seven could be identified using the HPLC-UV–vis database containing 960 reference compounds [29], NIST database, and MS analyses. The identified metabolites included antifungal and antimicrobial substances as well as siderophores. The fungal inhibitory strain Streptomyces AcM11 produced the most characterized metabolites, the antibiotics Acta 2930 B1, actiphenol, cycloheximide and the siderophore ferulic acid. This indicates that function based screening, e.g. selection of isolates that are highly inhibitory towards fungi for biocontrol applications, may create a bias towards strains producing Cyclooxygenase (COX) known

compounds. Based on spectral measurements and MS analyses, a total of twenty one compounds were produced by the five isolates, suggesting an abundance of yet unreported, putatively bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, at least 7000 secondary metabolites have been discovered from streptomycetes [27], and the genome sequences of Streptomyces spp. commonly contain 20-30 gene clusters for secondary metabolite synthesis, of which approximately 30% may encode biochemical pathways for antibiotics production [30]. Thus, to conclusively determine the novelty of such substances both structural and chemical elucidation as well as the use of comprehensive substance databases is indispensable.

All authors worked read and approved the final manuscript.”
“Background The term “”energy drink”" refers to soft drinks believed to reduce or prevent fatigue, enhance physical performance, enhance disposition and improve cognitive performance [1]. Energy drinks are frequently consumed by athletes

prior to competitions with a view to improving their performance [2]. The belief in energy drinks is held by most athletes, Sapanisertib chemical structure particularly because the term “”energy drink”" conveys a message that the product has a connection with physical activity. Consequently, an uninformed consumer may assume that some benefits would be derived after consuming these beverages [3]. Paddock [3] indicated that the drive to improve athletic performance and exhibit one’s athletic identity could influence student-athletes in particular to consume energy drinks at a relatively higher level than the student population in general. Most energy drinks contain whopping quantities of sugar (up to a quarter of a cup per can) and caffeine, the main active ingredient, although other substances such as taurine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, nicotinamide, B vitamins, and various stimulating herbal derivatives (guarana, ginseng and ginkgo biloba) may be present [4]. The typical high sugar

content (usually approximately 9% or 10%) does not only make energy this website drinks more calorific but also impedes fluid absorption and may lead to abdominal cramping. 3 Methyladenine caffeine concentrations may range from 70 to 80 milligrams per 8 ounce serving, about three to five times the concentration in cola. However, this has been found to have detrimental health consequences [5]. For instance, Riesenhuber EGFR inhibitor et al. [6] reported that caffeine in energy drinks promotes natriuresis. It also acts as a diuretic agent, resulting in greater fluid losses. Another study revealed that high intakes of caffeine reduces insulin sensitivity [7] and raises the mean arterial blood pressure level of the body [8]. In sum, although

caffeine, a component in most energy drinks, provides the consumer with desirable effects such as increased alertness and improved memory, and enhances a person’s mood, caffeine also has harmful health consequences as well [1]. For example, energy drinks – such as Red Bull, Lucozade, Rox, Blue Jeans, Gluconade and Burn have become ubiquitous in shops on university campuses. Most athletes consume energy drinks with the hope of obtaining energy, although there is no scientific confirmation of the ergogenic effectiveness of energy drinks [9]. However, one experimental study found out that an intake of energy drinks, compared with a placebo, had energizing effects which were strongest 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, and which were sustained for at least 90 minutes [10].

Additional Diatrypaceae were also reported from surveys

of fungi associated with canker diseases in grapevine in New South Wales (NSW), but learn more identification of these isolates remained incomplete (Pitt et al. 2010). Diatrypaceous Entospletinib mouse fungi from native plant species have been reported sporadically in Australia. In his handbook of “Australian fungi”, Cooke (1892) described seven putative species of Diatrypaceae, including Diatrype glomeraria Berk, Diatrype stigma, Diatrype chlorosarca Berk. & Broome, Cryptovalsa elevata Berk., E. lata, E. lubidunda (Sacc.) Thüm. (= E. leprosa [Pers.] Berl.), and Eutypella stellulata (Fr. : Fr.) Sacc. Additional species were described from intertidal host plants in north Queensland, including Cryptovalsa halosarceicola K.D. Hyde on Halosarcia halocnemoides (Nees) Paul G. Wilson in a mangrove at Cairns Airport (Hyde 1993), Eutypa bathurstensis K.D. Hyde & Rappaz (Hyde and Rappaz 1993) and Eutypella naqsii K.D. Hyde (Hyde 1995) on Avicennia sp. at Bathurst Heads. Later, Yuan (1996) documented Cryptovalsa protracta (Pers.) De Not., Diatrype stigma and Eutypella scoparia (Schwein. : Fr.) Ellis & Everh. on Acacia and Eucalyptus plants on Melville Island in the Northern Territory, while Trouillas et al. (2010a, b) described two additional species from native Acacia shrubs in the Coorong National Park, SA.

To the best of our knowledge, the above references constitute the only studies that illustrate the diatrypaceous mycota in Australia. During this study, we selleck chemicals conducted surveys and investigated the diversity of diatrypaceous fungi associated

with grapevines and other woody plants and in SA, NSW and Western Australia (WA). In many instances, fungal colonies displaying morphological characteristics typical of Diatrypaceae were isolated from diseased Osimertinib price grapevines. Fruiting bodies typical of Diatrypaceae were also observed from grapevines. The diversity, identity and distribution of these fungi in the main wine grape growing regions of Australia are currently unknown. Hence, much work is necessary not only in the collection and identification of the various species, but also in the determination of their pathogenicity to grapevines and role in the overall complex of grapevine canker diseases. The objectives of this study were to collect, identify and describe the diatrypaceous fungi in and near Australian vineyards, and characterize species using morphology and molecular phylogeny. Materials and methods Origin and deposit of isolates During spring and summer of 2008 and 2009, we obtained strains of Diatrypaceae from cankers in infected grapevine spurs, cordons or trunks, and from fruiting bodies on dead grapevines as well as dead wood of native, ornamental and cultivated plants neighboring vineyards.

Also, the presence of larger primary size of TiO2 NPs (i.e., T240) in the photoelectrode generated higher value of V oc than smaller TiO2 NPs (i.e., T25), and the value of V oc was increased with increasing the light concentration as shown in Figure 2b. Therefore, the resulting PCE of T25/find more T240-DL©-based DSSCs remained very stably with the highest values under the higher light concentrations as shown in Figure 2c. Here, © denotes the condenser lens-based solar concentrator installed on top of DSSCs. Figure 2 Photovoltaic properties of T25/T25-DL-, T25/T240-DL-, and T240/T240-DL-based Alisertib DSSCs. The evolution of (a) I sc, (b) V oc, and (c)

PCE of T25/T25-DL-, T25/T240-DL-, and T240/T240-DL-based DSSCs as a function of light concentration. Table 2 and Figures 3 and 4 provide further details on the photovoltaic performance of three different types of DSSCs with T25/T25, T25/T240, and T240/T240 DL. With the synergistic effect of the presence of the light-scattering layer in the photoelectrodes of DSSCs and the adoption of

maximized light concentration (i.e., 3.72 Suns) in this study, T25/T240-DL©-DSSCs generated the I sc of 11.92 mA at 0.36 cm2, which is comparable BYL719 mouse with the I sc of 12.12 mA at 0.36 cm2 generated by T25/T25-DL©-DSSCs. However, the resulting PCE of T25/T240-DL©-DSSCs was approximately 4.11%, which is larger than approximately 3.84% of T25/T25-DL©-DSSCs. This is because the application of Clomifene the light-scattering layer (T240) on top of the dye-absorbing layer (T25) (i.e., T25/T240 DL) increases light retention in the photoelectrodes of DSSCs; consequently, a considerably larger number of photogenerated electrons are injected into the TiO2 layer, resulting in relatively high photocurrent. Also, the adoption of T25/T240 DL© increased the resulting V oc of 0.74 V, which

is 6% increase compared to the V oc of 0.70 V made by T25/T25 DL©. Furthermore, the increase in photogenerated electrons appears to slightly lower the recombination (R rec) and transport resistances (R t), and simultaneously increase the electron lifetime (τ e) due to increase in the diffusion coefficient of electrons. This result suggests that trapping and detrapping of electrons in TiO2 layers occurs at shallow levels under very high light intensity, and therefore, the electron transfer rate in the multi-layered DSSCs is considerably greater than that in the reference single-layered DSSCs. Table 2 Summary of photovoltaic characteristics of DSSCs with T25/T25 DL, T25/T240 DL and T240/T240 DL Type I SC (mA) V OC (V) FF PCE (%) R rec (Ω) R t (Ω) τ e (ms) T25/T25 DL© 12.12 0.70 0.61 3.84 5 5 2.0 T25/T240 DL© 11.92 0.74 0.62 4.11 3 2 3.1 T240/T240 DL© 2.21 0.77 0.47 0.60 25 12 1.3 The photoelectrodes of DSSCs with condenser lens-based solar concentrator was under the light concentration of approximately 3.

The bbk32 gene was amplified from B31 genomic DNA, however, PCR product was not detected in the N40D10/E9 strain. (B) Southern blot of EcoR1-digested genomic DNA of both strains (top) was hybridized with the probe prepared

using the bbk32 PCR product from B31. An approximately 1.8 kb size fragment was detected only in B31, as expected, but not in the N40D10/E9 genomic DNA containing lane. In another study, we compared two important, highly variable virulence factors of B. burgdorferi, OspC and DbpA. As expected, both of these Selleckchem RAD001 molecules are present in both spirochete strains but showed high sequence variation [29]. Therefore, irrespective of the phylogenetic grouping of these strains using RST and OspC categorization, the presence of known virulence factors in both strains suggests that B31 and N40D10/E9 could possibly exhibit similar levels of pathogenicity. Furthermore, although BBK32 is an adhesin [41], previous

studies showed that its GDC0449 absence results in a subtle infectivity defect, exhibiting disease attenuation only at low dose of infection [45, 102, 103]. Divergence of fibronectin-binding adhesin gene bbk32 in N40D10/E9 strain BBK32 could possibly find more contribute to the adherence-mediated tissue colonization in B31 as compared to N40D10/E9 strain but a negative PCR result is not sufficient to demonstrate this difference. Since sequence divergence at the priming sites may lead to unsuccessful PCR amplification, Southern hybridization was conducted to determine the presence of a homolog of bbk32 gene in the N40D10/E9 strain. Absence of a band in N40

even under low stringency conditions (data not shown) indicated that either bbk32 homolog in the N40D10/E9 strain was absent or had substantial pentoxifylline DNA sequence divergence from that in the B31 strain (Figure 3B). Therefore, irrespective of the presence of BBK32, the two B. burgdorferi strains examined here (B31 and N40D10/E9) show similar levels of binding to most cells, indicating redundancy of function. However, BBK32 may contribute to the binding of Lyme spirochetes to specific cell line(s), such as Vero cells, and potentially to epithelial cells in vivo. B31 and N40D10/E9 showed remarkably different protein expression profiles Although known virulence factors are present in both B31 and N40D10/E9 strains (Figure 3A), they only represent the molecular profile of previously identified virulence factors and molecules associated with infectivity. Therefore, it would be erroneous to conclude that they represent the full repertoire of the virulence factors of B. burgdorferi that play important roles during pathogenesis in the mammalian host.

The films were produced by the N2-reactive and the co-sputtering methods as a function of [N]/[Si] ratio. The data are compared with a new model (black curve) and with two models (dashed curves) but concerning hydrogenated films.

Nevertheless, one can notice in Figure 3 that our experimental results progressively selleck chemicals diverge from the models obtained by this group and also by Hasegawa et al. [25] while x is decreased. However, the two HKI 272 groups both studied hydrogenated SiN x films (SiN x :H) in contrast to our results. Besides, these latter authors have shown that the Si-H density increased while x was experimentally decreased. Consequently, the drop of n is explained by the H incorporation in their material as suggested elsewhere [26]. However, we could use this model to fit the experimental data but using the refractive index of a-Si (n a-Si = 4.37, see Figure 2) instead of hydrogenated a-Si (n a-Si:H = 3.3) used by Bustarret et al. [24]. This shows again the influence of H on the optical properties of the films. We obtained = 1.85, which is similar to many previous results [25–27], but is lower than 2.03 that is commonly used for a-Si3N4[28]. This difference could be explained by the incorporation of voids in the microstructure [27] as attested by the

presence of residual Ar atoms detected by RBS in the as-deposited films. Besides, this explanation is confirmed by the density ρ v of our SiN x films which was calculated using the atomic areal density ρ s , and the film thickness d, obtained by RBS and ellipsometry analyses, respectively, IWP-2 cell line with the following relation: ρ v = ρ s / d. We found that the density varied from 2.4 to 2.8 g/cm3, which is again sensibly lower than that of a-Si3N4 of 3.1 g/cm3 reported in the literature [29]. Considering the RBS and the ellipsometry spectra, we have produced thin SiN x films with various compositions that do not depend on the synthesis method, but only on the Si content. As a consequence, n

C59 is a precise indicator of the composition that will be used in the following sections. FTIR Figure 4 shows the typical FTIR spectra of a SiN x film with a low refractive index of 2.1 (SiN1.12) which were recorded with a normal incidence and with an incidence angle of 65°. One can observe only one absorption band centered at 833 cm−1 in the spectrum measured with the normal incidence, whereas an additional shoulder at 1115 cm−1 emerged while the incidence angle was changed to 65°. Moreover, it is essential to note that no other absorption bands were discernible in the 700 to 4000 cm−1 spectral range whatever the deposition approach. No Si-O absorption bands (transverse optical (TO4) at 1200 cm−1, longitudinal optical (LO4) at 1160 cm−1, TO3 at 1020 to 1,090 cm−1, LO3 at 1215 to 1260 cm−1, TO2 at 810 cm−1, and LO2 at 820 cm−1) [30, 31] were detected in all spectra.