bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced renoprotective effect of IGF-1 modified human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells on gentamicin-induced acute kidney injury
Authors: Liu Pengfei , Feng Yetong , Dong Delu , Liu Xiaobo , Chen Yaoyu , Wang Yi , Zhou Yulai
Published: February 2016

The therapeutic action of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) against acute kidney injury (AKI) has been demonstrated by several groups. However, how to further enhance the renoprotective effect of UC-MSCs and improve the therapy effect, are still unclear. In this study, we mainly investigated whether insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)-modified UC-MSCs hold an enhanced protective effect on gentamicin-induced AKI in vivo. Our results indicated that the IGF-1 overexpression could enhance the therapeutic action of human UC-MSCs and the AKI rats treated with IGF-1-overexpressed UC-MSCs (UC-MSCs-IGF-1) showed better recovery of biochemical variables in serum or urine associated with renal function, histological injury and renal apoptosis, compared with AKI rats treated with normal UC-MSCs. RNA microarray analysis indicated that some key genes in the signal pathways associated with anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory and cell migratory capacity were up-regulated in UC-MSCs-IGF-1 and the results were further confirmed with qPCR. Furthermore, a series of detection in vitro and in vivo indicated that the UC-MSCs-IGF-1 hold better anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory and cell migratory capacity for IGF-1 overexpression. Thus, our study indicated that enhancement of UC-MSCs bioactivities with IGF-1 overexpression could increase the UC-MSCs therapeutic potential and further developed a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AKI.
Integrated Microfluidic Lectin Barcode Platform for High-Performance Focused Glycomic Profiling
Authors: Shang Yuqin , Zeng Yun , Zeng Yong
Published: February 2016

Protein glycosylation is one of the key processes that play essential roles in biological functions and dysfunctions. However, progress in glycomics has considerably lagged behind genomics and proteomics, due in part to the enormous challenges in analysis of glycans. Here we present a new integrated and automated microfluidic lectin barcode platform to substantially improve the performance of lectin array for focused glycomic profiling. The chip design and flow control were optimized to promote the lectin-glycan binding kinetics and speed of lectin microarray. Moreover, we established an on-chip lectin assay which employs a very simple blocking method to effectively suppress the undesired background due to lectin binding of antibodies. Using this technology, we demonstrated focused differential profiling of tissue-specific glycosylation changes of a biomarker, CA125 protein purified from ovarian cancer cell line and different tissues from ovarian cancer patients in a fast, reproducible and high-throughput fashion. Highly sensitive CA125 detection was also demonstrated with a detection limit much lower than the clinical cutoff value for cancer diagnosis. This microfluidic platform holds the potential to integrate with sample preparation functions to construct a fully integrated “sample-to-answer” microsystem for focused differential glycomic analysis. Thus, our technology should present a powerful tool in support of rapid advance in glycobiology and glyco-biomarker development.
Longitudinal metabolic imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma in transgenic mouse models identifies acylcarnitine as a potential biomarker for early detection
Authors: Yaligar Jadegoud , Teoh Wei Wei. , Othman Rashidah , Verma Sanjay Kumar , Phang Beng Hooi , Lee Swee Shean , Wang Who Whong , Toh Han Chong , Gopalan Venkatesh , Sabapathy Kanaga , Velan S. Sendhil
Published: February 2016

The cumulative effects of hepatic injury due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1) exposure are the major risk factors of HCC. Understanding early metabolic changes involving these risk factors in an animal model closely resembling human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is critical for biomarker discovery and disease therapeutics. We have used the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) transgenic mouse model that mimics HBV carriers with and without AFB1 treatment. We investigated early metabolic changes from preneoplastic state to HCC by non-invasive longitudinal imaging in three HCC groups of mice: HBsAg + AFB1(Gp-I), AFB1 alone (Gp-II), HBsAg alone (Gp-III) and a control group (wild-type untreated; Gp-IV). For the first time, we have identified acylcarnitine signals in vivo in the liver prior to the histological manifestation of the tumors in all three groups. Acylcarnitine concentration increased with increase in tumor growth in all HCC mouse models, indicating elevated metabolic activity and increased cell turnover. This was confirmed in a pilot study using human serum from HCC patients, which revealed a higher concentration of acylcarnitine compared with normal subjects. Translational clinical studies can be designed to detect acylcarnitine in patients with high risk factors for HCC.
Significant enhancement of magnetoresistance with the reduction of particle size in nanometer scale
Authors: Das Kalipada , Dasgupta P. , Poddar A. , Das I.
Published: February 2016

The Physics of materials with large magnetoresistance (MR), defined as the percentage change of electrical resistance with the application of external magnetic field, has been an active field of research for quite some times. In addition to the fundamental interest, large MR has widespread application that includes the field of magnetic field sensor technology. New materials with large MR is interesting. However it is more appealing to vast scientific community if a method describe to achieve many fold enhancement of MR of already known materials. Our study on several manganite samples [La1−xCaxMnO3 (x = 0.52, 0.54, 0.55)] illustrates the method of significant enhancement of MR with the reduction of the particle size in nanometer scale. Our experimentally observed results are explained by considering model consisted of a charge ordered antiferromagnetic core and a shell having short range ferromagnetic correlation between the uncompensated surface spins in nanoscale regime. The ferromagnetic fractions obtained theoretically in the nanoparticles has been shown to be in the good agreement with the experimental results. The method of several orders of magnitude improvement of the magnetoresistive property will have enormous potential for magnetic field sensor technology.
Chemical Changes in Nonthermal Plasma-Treated N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) Solution and TheirContribution to Bacterial Inactivation
Authors: Ercan Utku K. , Smith Josh , Ji Hai-Feng , Brooks Ari D. , Joshi Suresh G.
Published: February 2016

In continuation of our previous reports on the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activityof atmospheric non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatedN-Acetylcysteine (NAC) solution against planktonic and biofilm forms of differentmultidrug resistant microorganisms, we present here the chemical changes thatmediate inactivation of Escherichia coli. In this study, the mechanism andproducts of the chemical reactions in plasma-treated NAC solution are shown.UV-visible spectrometry, FT-IR, NMR and colorimetric assays were utilized forchemical characterization of plasma treated NAC solution. The characterizationresults were correlated with the antimicrobial assays using determined chemicalspecies in solution in order to confirm the major species that are responsible forantimicrobial inactivation. Our results have revealed that plasma treatment of NACsolution creates predominantly reactive nitrogen species versus reactive oxygenspecies and the generated peroxynitrite is responsible for significant bacterialinactivation.
Quantum dots-based double imaging combined with organic dye imaging to establish an automatic computerized method for cancer Ki67 measurement
Authors: Wang Lin-Wei , Qu Ai-Ping , Liu Wen-Lou , Chen Jia-Mei , Yuan Jing-Ping , Wu Han , Li Yan , Liu Juan
Published: February 2016

As a widely used proliferative marker, Ki67 has important impacts on cancer prognosis, especially for breast cancer (BC). However, variations in analytical practice make it difficult for pathologists to manually measure Ki67 index. This study is to establish quantum dots (QDs)-based double imaging of nuclear Ki67 as red signal by QDs-655, cytoplasmic cytokeratin (CK) as yellow signal by QDs-585 and organic dye imaging of cell nucleus as blue signal by 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and to develop a computer-aided automatic method for Ki67 index measurement. The newly developed automatic computerized Ki67 measurement could efficiently recognize and count Ki67-positive cancer cell nuclei with red signals and cancer cell nuclei with blue signals within cancer cell cytoplasmic with yellow signals. Comparisons of computerized Ki67 index, visual Ki67 index and marked Ki67 index for 30 patients of 90 images with Ki67 ≤ 10% (low grade), 10% < Ki67 < 50% (moderate grade) and Ki67 ≥ 50% (high grade) showed computerized Ki67 counting is better than visual Ki67 counting, especially for Ki67 low and moderate grades. Based on QDs-based double imaging and organic dye imaging on BC tissues, this study successfully developed an automatic computerized Ki67 counting method to measure Ki67 index.
Insensitivity to Flaws Leads to Damage Tolerance in Brittle Architected Meta-Materials
Authors: Montemayor L. C. , Wong W. H. , Zhang Y.-W. , Greer J. R.
Published: February 2016

Cellular solids are instrumental in creating lightweight, strong, and damage-tolerant engineering materials. By extending feature size down to the nanoscale, we simultaneously exploit the architecture and material size effects to substantially enhance structural integrity of architected meta-materials. We discovered that hollow-tube alumina nanolattices with 3D kagome geometry that contained pre-fabricated flaws always failed at the same load as the pristine specimens when the ratio of notch length (a) to sample width (w) is no greater than 1/3, with no correlation between failure occurring at or away from the notch. Samples with (a/w) > 0.3, and notch length-to-unit cell size ratios of (a/l) > 5.2, failed at a lower peak loads because of the higher sample compliance when fewer unit cells span the intact region. Finite element simulations show that the failure is governed by purely tensile loading for (a/w) < 0.3 for the same (a/l); bending begins to play a significant role in failure as (a/w) increases. This experimental and computational work demonstrates that the discrete-continuum duality of architected structural meta-materials may give rise to their damage tolerance and insensitivity of failure to the presence of flaws even when made entirely of intrinsically brittle materials.
A high-risk group of pregnant women with elevated levels of conflict-related trauma, intimate partner violence, symptoms of depression and other forms of mental distress in post-conflict Timor-Leste
Authors: Rees S J , Tol W , Mohammad M , Tay A K , Tam N , dos Reis N , da Costa E , Soares C , Silove D M
Published: February 2016

Women in post-conflict, low-income, post-conflict (LI-PC) countries are at risk of exposure to the traumatic events (TEs) of war and intimate partner violence (IPV), forms of stress that are known to lead to depression and other adverse mental health outcomes. We aimed to assess an index of exposure to these two forms of trauma to identify pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in conflict-affected Timor-Leste at high risk of depression and other forms of stress. A large, cross-sectional study of women in the second trimester of pregnancy was conducted in the four main government antenatal clinics in Dili district of Timor-Leste, between May 2014, and January 2015. The sample consisted of 1672 consecutive women, 3 to 6 months pregnant, with a response rate of 96%. We applied the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Kessler-10 psychological distress scale and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. IPV was assessed by the World Health Organisation measure. Composite categories of conflict-related TEs and severity of IPV showed a dose–response relationship with depressive symptoms: for exposure to four or more conflict-related TEs and severe psychological IPV, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was 3.95 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.10–7.40); for four or more TEs and physical abuse, AOR 8.16 (95% CI 3.53–18.85); and for four or more TEs and severe psychological and physical abuse, AOR 9.78 (95% CI 5.31–18.02). For any mental distress, the AOR for four or more TEs and severe psychological abuse was 3.60 (95% CI 2.08–6.23); for four or more TEs and physical abuse 7.03 (95% CI 3.23–15.29); and for four or more TEs and severe psychological and physical abuse the AOR was 10.45 (95% CI 6.06–18.01). Of 184 women (11% of the sample) who reported ⩾4 TEs and either physical abuse alone or in combination with severe psychological abuse, 78 (42%) reached threshold for depressive symptoms and 93 (51%) for any mental distress, a 10-fold increase in depressive and other mental health symptoms. Priority should be directed to providing urgent mental health and social interventions for this group of women. Our findings offer a framework for a tiered approach to detection, guiding prevention and intervention strategies for IPV and associated mental health problems in low-income post-conflict countries.
β-Cyclodextrin functionalized carbon quantum dots as sensors for determination of water-soluble C60fullerenes in water
Authors: Cayuela Angelina , Laura Soriano M. , Valcárcel Miguel
Published: February 2016

A selective photoluminescence method based on Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) functionalized with carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin for the direct determination of water-soluble C60fullerene has been developed.
Electrochemical detection of peroxynitrite using hemin–PEDOT functionalized boron-doped diamond microelectrode
Authors: Peteu Serban F. , Whitman Brandon W. , Galligan James J. , Swain Greg M.
Published: February 2016

A diamond microelectrode platform modified with hemin and PEDOT functions as a quality amperometric sensor for PON.
Photochemical water oxidation by cyclometalated iridium(iii) complexes: a mechanistic insight
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Sujay , Singh Roop Shikha , Biswas Arnab , Pandey Daya Shankar
Published: February 2016

Three cyclometalated Ir(iii) complexes for photochemical water oxidation with the realization of high valent iridium in the catalytic cycle are presented.
A rare polyniobotungstate-based framework and its structural transformation in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal process induced by iodide ions
Authors: Jin Lu , Li Xin-Xiong , Zhao Dan , Li Hao-Hong , Zheng Shou-Tian
Published: February 2016

A rare polyniobotungstate-based framework constructed from Lindqvist [Nb3W3O19]5− polyanions and mixed-valent copper ions has been made, which can undergo a solid–liquid reaction with KI solution to form a copper halide via a single-crystal-to-single-crystal process.
Fundamental aspects in surface self-assembly: theoretical implications of molecular polarity and shape
Authors: Tuca Emilian , Paci Irina
Published: February 2016

We investigate fundamental aspects of structure formation in molecular self-assembly, by examining the emergence of order upon adsorption of a series of model molecules.
Factors influencing the formation of polybromide monoanions in solutions of ionic liquid bromide salts
Authors: Easton Max E. , Ward Antony J. , Chan Bun , Radom Leo , Masters Anthony F. , Maschmeyer Thomas
Published: February 2016

The formation of polybromide addition products from six different bromide salts was analyzedviaspectroscopic and computational means. The examination of tribromide and pentabromide anion formation yielded important insights into the targeted synthesis of highly efficient bromine sequestration agents.
Evidence for electrohydrodynamic convection as a source of spontaneous self-ordering in porous anodic alumina films
Authors: Pashchanka Mikhail , Schneider Jörg J.
Published: February 2016

A comparative study of self-ordering behaviour of anodic alumina films fabricated in a series of diluted (down to 0.05 M) oxalic acid electrolytes allowed developing a relationship between the supporting electrolyte concentration and self-ordering voltages for the formation of porous oxide materials.
Selective separation behavior of graphene flakes in interaction with halide anions in the presence of an external electric field
Authors: Farajpour E. , Sohrabi B. , Beheshtian J.
Published: February 2016

The adsorption of halide anions in the absence, and presence, of a perpendicularly external electric field on the C54H18 graphene surface has been investigated using M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) density functional theory (DFT).
The enantioselectivity in asymmetric ketone hydrogenation catalyzed by RuH2(diphosphine)(diamine) complexes: insights from a 3D-QSSR and DFT study
Authors: Li Longfei , Pan Yuhui , Lei Ming
Published: February 2016

The 3D-QSSR method was carried out to investigate the enantioselectivity of the asymmetric ketone hydrogenation (AKH) catalyzed by RuH2(diphosphine)(diamine) complexes integrating with DFT method, which could provide a way to design homogeneous transition-metal catalysts.
Role of different coordinated Cu and reactive oxygen species on the highly active Cu–Ce–Zr mixed oxides in NH3-SCO: a combined in situ EPR and O2-TPD approach
Authors: Qu Zhenping , Wang Zhong , Zhang Xiaoyu , Wang Hui
Published: February 2016

Novel Cu–Ce–Zr mixed oxides were synthesized by a citric acid sol–gel method, and they exhibited an excellent NH3-SCO activity (180 °C, TOF = 1.33 h−1).
AlPd15B7: a new superconducting cage-compound with an anti-Yb3Rh4Sn13-type of structure
Authors: Zheng Qiang , Schnelle Walter , Prots Yurii , Bobnar Matej , Burkhardt Ulrich , Leithe-Jasper Andreas , Gumeniuk Roman
Published: February 2016

AlPd15B7 is the first boride with a crystal structure comprising the framework of the Remeika phases.
Copper-induced ammonia N–H functionalization
Authors: Álvarez María , Álvarez Eleuterio , Fructos Manuel R. , Urbano Juan , Pérez Pedro J.
Published: February 2016

The TpMsCu core has been found to bind ammonia as well as to promote stoichiometric or catalytic modification of the ammonia N–H bond.
A perspective on low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells
Authors: Gao Zhan , Mogni Liliana V. , Miller Elizabeth C. , Railsback Justin G. , Barnett Scott A.
Published: February 2016

This article provides a perspective review of low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells research and development.
On micro-electrokinetic scalar turbulence in microfluidics at a low Reynolds number
Authors: Wang Guiren , Yang Fang , Zhao Wei , Chen Chien-Pin
Published: February 2016

We recently demonstrated the direct observation of micro-electrokinetic turbulence in a microchannel at a low Reynolds number (Re) when a pressure-driven flow was forced electrokinetically.
Molecular modeling studies to characterize N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine selectivity for CDK2 and CDK4 through 3D-QSAR and molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Chohan Tahir Ali , Chen Jiong-Jiong , Qian Hai-Yan , Pan You-Lu , Chen Jian-Zhong
Published: February 2016

Molecular modeling simulations were carried out to understand the structure–activity and selectivity correlation of N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amines binding to CDK2 and CDK4.
Redefining the functions of nanocapsule materials
Authors: Crespy D. , Lv L. P. , Landfester K.
Published: February 2016

Nanocapsules are tailored so that the degradation products formed after their use yield useful active molecules.
Highly branched PtCu bimetallic alloy nanodendrites with superior electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction reactions
Authors: Fu Shaofang , Zhu Chengzhou , Shi Qiurong , Xia Haibing , Du Dan , Lin Yuehe
Published: February 2016

The highly branched PtCu bimetallic alloy nanodendrites were synthesized by a facile chemical reduction method using Brij 58 as the soft template. The as-prepared alloys presented superior electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction reactions.
Flexible, transparent and exceptionally high power output nanogenerators based on ultrathin ZnO nanoflakes
Authors: Van Ngoc Huynh , Kang Dae Joon
Published: February 2016

Novel nanogenerator structures composed of ZnO nanoflakes of less than 10 nm thickness were fabricated using a novel method involving a facile synthetic route and a rational design.
Preparation of useful building blocks, α-iodo- and bromoalkanols from cyclic ethers using the Dowex H+/NaX (X = I, Br) approach
Authors: Turhanen Petri A. , Vepsäläinen Jouko J.
Published: February 2016

Novel method for preparation of α-iodo- and bromoalkanols directly from cyclic ethers has been developed. Prepared compounds are highly important building blocks in synthetic chemistry for the preparation of more complex molecules.
Preparation of jujube-cake structure membranes through in situ polymerization of hyperbranched polysiloxane in ethylene-vinyl acetate matrix for separation of ethyl acetate from water
Authors: Zhang Chun-fang , Wu Guo-liang , Dong Liang-liang , Tang Jun , Bai Yun-xiang , Zhu Yuan-hua , Liu Qing-sheng , Sun Yu-ping , Gu Jin
Published: February 2016

The addition of hyperbranched polysiloxane (HPSiO) could improve the hydrophobic of the membranes which is helpful to recover EA from water.
An effective compound thermal diffusivity characterization method for polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Zheng Boyu , Dong HuiLong , Chen Feifan
Published: February 2016

An effective compound thermal diffusivity characterization method is proposed for the layer-structured polymer composites.
Poly(caprolactone)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(caprolactone) (PCL–PEG–PCL) nanoparticles: a valuable and efficient system for in vitro and in vivo delivery of curcumin
Authors: Manjili Hamidreza Kheiri , Sharafi Ali , Danafar Hossein , Hosseini Mirjamal , Ramazani Ali , Ghasemi Mohammad Hossein
Published: February 2016

Curcumin was encapsulated within PCL–PEG–PCL micelles through a single-step nano-precipitation method, leading to the creation of CUR/PCL–PEG–PCL micelles..
Efficient pyrene-imidazole derivatives for organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Liu Yulong , Bai Qing , Li Jinyu , Zhang Shitong , Zhang Chen , Lu Fang , Yang Bing , Lu Ping
Published: February 2016

A highly efficient green OLED based on an AIE-active pyrene-imidazole derivative PyTPEI achieves the highest LE of 8.73 cd A−1 with low efficiency roll-off.
High-throughout identification of telomere-binding ligands based on photo-induced electron transfer
Authors: Shi Zhilu , Zhang Xiafei , Cheng Rui , Zhang Qi , Jin Yan
Published: February 2016

A fast and cost-effective method is developed for high-throughout screening G-quadruplex-binding ligands based on the photo-induced electron transfer.
Influence of oxodiperoxovanadate complexes on prion neuropeptide fibril formation
Authors: Zhang Baohong , Zhu Dengsen , Wang Wenji , Gong Gehui , Du Weihong
Published: February 2016

Different oxodiperoxovanadate complexes inhibit the fibril formation of prion neuropeptides by different action modes.
Aminal linked inorganic–organic hybrid nanoporous materials (HNMs) for CO2 capture and H2 storage applications
Authors: Muhammad Raeesh , Rekha Pawan , Mohanty Paritosh
Published: February 2016

Cyclophosphazene based nitrogen-rich aminal-linked inorganic–organic hybrid nanoporous materials were synthesized by a Schiff-base condensation reaction, which captures 18.9 wt% of CO2.
A 32full factorial design for development and characterization of a nanosponge-based intravaginal in situ gelling system for vulvovaginal candidiasis
Authors: Osmani Riyaz Ali M. , Kulkarni Parthasarathi K. , Shanmuganathan S. , Hani Umme , Srivastava Atul , M Prerana , Shinde Chetan G. , Bhosale Rohit R.
Published: February 2016

The rationale behind present research effort was to enhance CTZ solubility and efficacyviaforming complex with hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) nanosponges.
Removal of chromium(vi) from wastewater using weakly and strongly basic magnetic adsorbents: adsorption/desorption property and mechanism comparative studies
Authors: Sun Xitong , Li Qian , Yang Liangrong , Liu Huizhou
Published: February 2016

Two novel strongly basic magnetic adsorbents were prepared, and the adsorption/desorption property and mechanism of weakly and strongly basic magnetic adsorbents were compared.
Synthesis of ultrahigh molecular weight polymers by homopolymerisation of higher α-olefins catalysed by aryloxo-modified half-titanocenes
Authors: Nomura Kotohiro , Pengoubol Sarntamon , Apisuk Wannida
Published: February 2016

Polymerisations of 1-dodecene, 1-hexadecene, 1-octadecene by Cp*TiX2(O-2,6-iPr2C6H3) – cocatalysts afforded (ultra)high molecular weight polymers with unimodal molecular weight distributions.
Synthesis of fused oxazole-containing coumarin derivatives via oxidative cross coupling reaction using a combination of CuCl2 and TBHP
Authors: Belal Md. , Khan Abu T.
Published: February 2016

Various fused oxazoles containing coumarin derivatives were synthesized via an oxidative cross coupling reaction by employing 20 mol% CuCl2 as the catalyst and TBHP as an oxidant.
The use of modelling to understand the mechanism of hydrogen peroxide direct synthesis from batch, semibatch and continuous reactor points of view
Authors: Gemo Nicola , Salmi Tapio , Biasi Pierdomenico
Published: February 2016

Modelling is a powerful tool to understand the mechanism of H2O2 direct synthesis.
A self-assembling β-peptide hydrogel for neural tissue engineering
Authors: Motamed S. , Del Borgo M. P. , Kulkarni K. , Habila N. , Zhou K. , Perlmutter P. , Forsythe J. S. , Aguilar M. I.
Published: February 2016

We have synthesised the first helical β3-peptide amphiphile and shown its ability to form an injectable, stable and biocompatible hydrogel.
Bifunctional Au–Pd decorated MnOxnanomembranes as cathode materials for Li–O2batteries
Authors: Lu Xueyi , Zhang Long , Sun Xiaolei , Si Wenping , Yan Chenglin , Schmidt Oliver G.
Published: February 2016

Au and Pd decorated MnOxnanomembranes were employed as bifunctional catalysts for ORR and OER in Li–O2batteries.
Multi-stimuli-responsive self-healing metallo-supramolecular polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Zheng Qifeng , Ma Zhenqiang , Gong Shaoqin
Published: February 2016

Metallo-supramolecular polymer nanocomposites show a rare combination of strong, tough, and elastic mechanical properties and were able to self-heal via multiple stimuli.
Combination assay of lung cancer associated serum markers using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Song Chunyuan , Yang Yanjun , Yang Boyue , Min Linghua , Wang Lianhui
Published: February 2016

A highly sensitive and specific SERS-based combination assay of lung cancer associated serum markers is reported, and the LODs of CEA and NSE in human serum specimens are 1.48 pg mL−1 and 2.04 pg mL−1, respectively.
Facile synthesis of homogeneous CuInS2 quantum dots with tunable near-infrared emission
Authors: Qi Kezhen , Wang Yu , Wang Ruidan , Wu Di , Li Guo-Dong
Published: February 2016

Ternary CuInS2 quantum dots (QDs) with homogeneous and tunable emission ranging from 693 to 835 nm were synthesized via a one-pot thermolysis route. The fluorescence of CuInS2 QDs was greatly enhanced via surface passivation of ZnS layers.
The “Parade Blue”: effects of short-term emission control on aerosol chemistry
Authors: Li Haiyan , Zhang Qiang , Duan Fengkui , Zheng Bo , He Kebin
Published: February 2016

The strict control on emissions implemented in Beijing, China, during the 2015 China Victory Day Parade (V-day Parade) to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Victory in World War II, provided a good opportunity to investigate the relationship between emission sources and aerosol chemistry in a heavily polluted megacity. From August 11 to September 3, 2015, an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor was deployed in urban Beijing, together with other collocated instruments, for the real-time measurement of submicron aerosol characteristics. The average PM1 mass concentration was 11.3 (±6.7) μg m−3 during the V-day Parade, 63.5% lower than that before the V-day Parade. Differently to the relatively smaller decrease of organics (53%), secondary inorganic aerosols (sulfate, nitrate and ammonium) showed significant reductions of 65–78% during the V-day Parade. According to the positive matrix factorization results, primary organic aerosol (POA) from traffic and cooking emissions decreased by 41.5% during the parade, whereas secondary organic aerosol (SOA) presented a much greater reduction (59%). The net effectiveness of emission control measures was investigated further under comparable weather conditions before and during the parade. By excluding the effects of meteorological parameters, the total PM1 mass was reduced by 52–57% because of the emission controls. Although the mass concentrations of aerosol species were reduced substantially, the PM1 bulk composition was similar before and during the control period as a consequence of synergetic control of various precursors. The emission restrictions also suppressed the secondary formation processes of sulfate and nitrate, indicated by the substantially reduced SOR and NOR (molar ratios of sulfate or nitrate to the sums of the sulfate and SO2 or nitrate and NO2) during the event. The study also explored the influence of emission controls on the evolution of organic aerosol using the mass ratios of SOA/POA and oxygen-to-carbon ratios. The results showed that for northwesterly airflows, emission restrictions during the V-day Parade also reduced the oxidation degree of organic aerosol.
Fabricating three-dimensional mesoporous carbon network-coated LiFePO4/Fe nanospheres using thermal conversion of alginate-biomass
Authors: Guo Hui , Zhang Xudong , He Wen , Yang Xuena , Liu Qinze , Li Mei , Wang Jichao
Published: February 2016

Three-dimensional mesoporous carbon network-coated LiFePO4/Fe nanospheres with high-rate capability.
Facile synthesis of Pd nanostructures with enhanced electrocatalytic performance for ethanol oxidation by a bio-based method
Authors: Pang Guigui , Sun Muxue , Liu Peng , Hou Li , Gao Faming
Published: February 2016

A facile method was developed for the controlled synthesis of well-defined Pd nanoparticles and nanowires, with the assistance of polyhedrin as a growth-directing agent.
Solvent desulfurization regeneration process and analysis of activated carbon for low-sulfur real diesel
Authors: Li Weiwei , Chen Jingwen , Cong Guojing , Tang Lei , Cui Qun , Wang Haiyan
Published: February 2016

The adsorption desulfurization process of diesel fuel is suffering from adsorbent regeneration limitation.
Adenosine monophosphate-capped gold(i) nanoclusters: synthesis and lanthanide ion-induced enhancement of their luminescence
Authors: Vanegas Julie P. , Zaballos-García Elena , González-Béjar María , Londoño-Larrea Pablo , Pérez-Prieto Julia
Published: February 2016

Reduction of Au3+ in the presence of just AMP and HEPES, combined with light exposure, gives rise to luminescent, water-soluble Au+ nanoclusters. Their photoluminescence is considerably enhanced by adding Y3+ or Yb3+, which leads to Au+/Y3+ and Au+/Yb3+ NCs, respectively.
Promotional effect and mechanism study of nonmetal-doped Cr/CexTi1−xO2 for NO oxidation: tuning O2 activation and NO adsorption simultaneously
Authors: Zhong Lei , Zhong Qin , Cai Wei , Zhang Shen , Yu Yang , Ou Man , Song Fujiao
Published: February 2016

Nonmetal-doped Cr/CexTi1−xO2 was conductive to tune O2 activation and NO adsorption strength simultaneously. Moreover, the catalytic mechanism was investigated for NO oxidation.
Ni-doped MoS2 nanoparticles as highly active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts
Authors: Wang Dezhi , Zhang Xiangyong , Shen Yilin , Wu Zhuangzhi
Published: February 2016

The replacement of Pt with cheap metal electrocatalysts with high efficiency and superior stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a great challenge.
Intranasal vaccination with γ-irradiated Streptococcus pneumoniae whole-cell vaccine provides serotype-independent protection mediated by B-cells and innate IL-17 responses
Authors: Babb Rachelle , Chen Austen , Hirst Timothy R. , Kara Ervin E. , McColl Shaun R. , Ogunniyi Abiodun D. , Paton James C. , Alsharifi Mohammed
Published: February 2016

Generating a pneumococcal vaccine that is serotype independent and cost effective remains a global challenge. γ-Irradiation has been used widely to sterilize biological products. It can also be utilized as an inactivation technique to generate whole-cell bacterial and viral vaccines with minimal impact on pathogen structure and antigenic determinants. In the present study, we utilized γ-irradiation to inactivate an un-encapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae strain Rx1 with an unmarked deletion of the autolysin gene lytA and with the pneumolysin gene ply replaced with an allele encoding a non-toxic pneumolysoid (PdT) (designated γ-PN vaccine). Intranasal vaccination of C57BL/6 mice with γ-PN was shown to elicit serotype-independent protection in lethal challenge models of pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis. Vaccine efficacy was shown to be reliant on B-cells and interleukin (IL)-17A responses. Interestingly, immunization promoted IL-17 production by innate cells not T helper 17 (Th17) cells. These data are the first to report the development of a non-adjuvanted intranasal γ-irradiated pneumococcal vaccine that generates effective serotype-independent protection, which is mediated by both humoral and innate IL-17 responses.
Digital encoding calibrated unit used in 8 bit 1 GS/s folding and interpolating ADC
Authors: Wang Linfeng , Meng Qiao , He Wenwei , Zhang Daoyuan , Ma Hengfei
Published: February 2016

In high‐speed folding and interpolating ADC design, an important issue is the encoding error result from the fine and coarse channel joint encoding technology. The last bit of the coarse channel only uses the last comparator of the fine channel to encode, the misjudgement of this comparator caused by offset and other non‐ideal factors will lead to the encoding error of the last bit of the coarse channel and deteriorate the linearity. A digital encoding calibrated unit is presented. It utilises the lowest four comparators of the fine channel instead of one to calibrate error encoding of the comparator. An 8 bit 1 GS/s folding and interpolating ADC with this digital encoding calibrated unit is fabricated in 180 nm CMOS technology has been used to assess the validity of the calibration.
Solving multi‐objective optimal power flow problem via forced initialised differential evolution algorithm
Authors: Shaheen Abdullah M. , El‐Sehiemy Ragab A. , Farrag Sobhy M.
Published: February 2016

This study proposes a multi‐objective differential evolution algorithm (MO‐DEA) based on forced initialisation to solve the optimal power flow (OPF) problem. The OPF problem is formulated as a non‐linear MO optimisation problem. The considered objective functions are fuel cost minimisation, power losses minimisation, voltage profile improvement, and voltage stability enhancement. For solving the MO‐OPF, the proposed approach combines a new variant of DE (DE/best/1) with the ɛ‐constraint approach. This combination guarantees high convergence speed and good diversity of Pareto solutions without computational burden of Pareto ranking and updating or additional efforts to preserve the diversity of the non‐dominated solutions. The proposed approach has the ability to generate Pareto‐optimal solutions in a single simulation run through adaptive variation of the ɛ‐value. In addition, the best compromise solution is extracted based on fuzzy set theory. The effectiveness of the proposed MO‐DEA is tested on the IEEE 30‐bus and IEEE 57‐bus standard systems. The numerical results obtained by the proposed MO‐DEA are compared with other evolutionary methods reported in this literature to prove the potential and capability of the proposed MO‐DEA for solving the MO‐OPF at acceptable economical and technical levels.
Theoretical modelling of fog computing: a green computing paradigm to support IoT applications
Authors: Sarkar Subhadeep , Misra Sudip
Published: February 2016

In this study, the authors focus on theoretical modelling of the fog computing architecture and compare its performance with the traditional cloud computing model. Existing research works on fog computing have primarily focused on the principles and concepts of fog computing and its significance in the context of internet of things (IoT). This work, one of the first attempts in its domain, proposes a mathematical formulation for this new computational paradigm by defining its individual components and presents a comparative study with cloud computing in terms of service latency and energy consumption. From the performance analysis, the work establishes fog computing, in collaboration with the traditional cloud computing platform, as an efficient green computing platform to support the demands of the next generation IoT applications. Results show that for a scenario where 25% of the IoT applications demand real‐time, low‐latency services, the mean energy expenditure in fog computing is 40.48% less than the conventional cloud computing model.
New observation strategy for X‐ray pulsar navigation using a single detector
Authors: Liang Hao , Zhan Yafeng , Yin Hailiang
Published: February 2016

X‐ray pulsar navigation using a single detector will be applied in the spacecraft because of limited payloads. For the limited position precision problem of traditional methods which observe pulsars in turn, this study proposed a new observation strategy. On the basis of the posterior covariance matrix in the Bayesian filter structure, the proposed observation strategy gives priority to the pulsar which minimises the relative degree of divergence. Simulation results verify the validity of the observation strategy.
Echo correlation analysis in diversity multiple‐input multiple‐output radars
Authors: Liu Jieyi , Zhang Linrang , Zhao Shanshan , Liu Nan
Published: February 2016

The existing circular target model has a huge limitation which just represents the target angle or frequency interval with respect to the station, but ignores the influence of observed direction. To solve this problem, in this study the correlation coefficient for rectangular scattering model which has two parameters of width and length in spatial and frequency diversity multiple‐input multiple‐output radars is studied. Under the rectangular scattering model, the authors can describe accurately the change of effective target size varying with the observed direction, which represent a better approximation of the scattering characteristics that the target shape brings. The uniform analytic expressions of correlation coefficient are derived, and the results are verified by numerical simulations.
Electrochemical sensor based on glassy carbon electrode modified with copper vanadate nanobelts for detection of benzoic acid
Authors: Lin Nan , Pei LiZhai , Wei Tian , Liu HanDing , Cai ZhengYu
Published: February 2016

The copper vanadate nanobelts have been used as the materials modifying glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the electrochemical detection of benzoic acid (BA). Two pairs of electrochemical cyclic voltammogram (CV) peaks are observed with anodic peak potentials at 0.13 and −0.06 V. The intensities of the electrochemical CV peaks have a positive linear correlation with the BA concentration and scan rate. The linear range is 0.001–2 mM and the detection limit is 0.61 μM, 1.21 μM at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 for cvp1 and cvp2, respectively. The intensities of the CV peaks of BA at the GCE modified with copper vanadate nanobelts increase with the decrease of the pH value in acidic solution. The GCE modified with copper vanadate nanobelts exhibits good stability and reproducibility.
Infection or Malignancy? Malignant Pulmonary Mass Mimicking Pneumonia
Authors: Evman Serdar , Bostanci Korkut , Yuksel Mustafa
Published: February 2016

A 36-year-old woman, unresponsive to pneumonia antibiotherapy followed by antituberculosis treatment, was referred to our clinic. Thorax computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography CT showed cystic mass and mediastinal lymph node with suspicion of malignancy. Fine needle aspiration biopsy and mediastinoscopy showed no malignancy, so the patient underwent an exploratory thoracotomy. A frozen section of wedge-resected mass was reported as adenocarcinoma, leading to right lower lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. Besides cutting-edge diagnostic techniques, exploratory thoracotomy for cavitary lung lesions can still be necessary, as the last-line choice. The probability of malignancy must always be considered, despite a patient's age or symptoms.
Achieving the delicate balance between risks & outcomes in a large-scale IT project – a case study on BCIA's airport security system
Authors: Chong-Leng Goh Jenson , Yun Zuo Mei , Pan Shan L
Published: February 2016

This teaching case describes the journey undertaken by the Beijing Capital International Airport's IT department in the implementation of various large-scale IT projects during the construction of the Terminal 3 project. The case specifically singled out the Airport Security system in the Terminal 3 project and provided a detailed description on its implementation. Airport security has always been one of the key concerns in all Airport management activities. In recent times, Airport security has become a hot topic especially given the increasing threats posted by terrorists (e.g., 9/11 incident and MH370). The case portrays Mr. Roland Lee, the project manager of the Airport Security system, as the central protagonist confronting the various challenges in balancing the risks and the requirements to keep the project on time, on budget and of high quality.
Existence of topological hairy dyons and dyonic black holes in anti-de Sitter 𝔰𝔲(N) Einstein-Yang-Mills theory
Authors: Baxter J. Erik
Published: February 2016

We investigate dyonic black hole and dyon solutions of four-dimensional 𝔰𝔲(N) Einstein-Yang-Mills theory with a negative cosmological constant. We derive a set of field equations in this case, and prove the existence of non-trivial solutions to these equations for any integer N, with 2N − 2 gauge degrees of freedom. We do this by showing that solutions exist locally at infinity, and at the event horizon for black holes and the origin for solitons. We then prove that we can patch these solutions together regularly into global solutions that can be integrated arbitrarily far into the asymptotic regime. Our main result is to show that dyonic solutions exist in open sets in the parameter space, and hence that we can find non-trivial dyonic solutions in a number of regimes whose magnetic gauge fields have no zeros, which is likely important to the stability of the solutions.
A microfluidic electrochemical biosensor based on multiwall carbon nanotube/ferrocene for genomic DNA detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical isolates
Authors: Zribi B. , Roy E. , Pallandre A. , Chebil S. , Koubaa M. , Mejri N. , Magdinier Gomez H. , Sola C. , Korri-Youssoufi H. , Haghiri-Gosnet A.-M.
Published: February 2016

Herein we present a microfluidic-multiplexed platform that integrates electrochemical sensors based on carbon nanotubes associated with ferrocene as redox marker (carbon nanotube (CNT)/ferrocene) for direct detection of pathogenic viral DNA from Hepatitis C and genomic DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical isolates. By operating the fluidic device under high flow (150 μl/min), the formation of a very thin depletion layer at the sensor surface (δS = 230 nm) enhances the capture rate up to one DNA strand per second. By comparison, this capture rate is only 0.02 molecule/s in a static regime without flow. This fluidic protocol allows thus enhancing the limit of detection of the electrochemical biosensor from picomolar in bulk solution to femtomolar with a large dynamic range from 0.1 fM to 1 pM. Kinetics analysis also demonstrates an enhancement of the rate constant of electron transfer (kS) of the electrochemical process from 1 s−1 up to 6 s−1 thanks to the geometry of the miniaturized fluidic electrochemical cell. This microfluidic device working under high flow allows selective direct detection of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv) rpoB allele from clinical isolate extracted DNA. We envision that a microfluidic approach under high flow associated with a multiwall CNT/ferrocene sensor could find useful applications as the point-of-care for multi-target diagnostics of biomarkers in real samples.
Sub-band gap photo-enhanced secondary electron emission from high-purity single-crystal chemical-vapor-deposited diamond
Authors: Yater J. E. , Shaw J. L. , Pate B. B. , Feygelson T. I.
Published: February 2016

Secondary-electron-emission (SEE) current measured from high-purity, single-crystal (100) chemical-vapor-deposited diamond is found to increase when sub-band gap (3.06 eV) photons are incident on the hydrogenated surface. Although the light does not produce photoemission directly, the SEE current increases by more than a factor of 2 before saturating with increasing laser power. In energy distribution curves (EDCs), the emission peak shows a corresponding increase in intensity with increasing laser power. However, the emission-onset energy in the EDCs remains constant, indicating that the bands are pinned at the surface. On the other hand, changes are observed on the high-energy side of the distribution as the laser power increases, with a well-defined shoulder becoming more pronounced. From an analysis of this feature in the EDCs, it is deduced that upward band bending is present in the near-surface region during the SEE measurements and this band bending suppresses the SEE yield. However, sub-band gap photon illumination reduces the band bending and thereby increases the SEE current. Because the bands are pinned at the surface, we conclude that the changes in the band levels occur below the surface in the electron transport region. Sample heating produces similar effects as observed with sub-band gap photon illumination, namely, an increase in SEE current and a reduction in band bending. However, the upward band bending is not fully removed by either increasing laser power or temperature, and a minimum band bending of ∼0.8 eV is established in both cases. The sub-band gap photo-excitation mechanism is under further investigation, although it appears likely at present that defect or gap states play a role in the photo-enhanced SEE process. In the meantime, the study demonstrates the ability of visible light to modify the electronic properties of diamond and enhance the emission capabilities, which may have potential impact for diamond-based vacuum electron sources, particle detectors, and other electronic devices.
Global small solutions to a tropical climate model without thermal diffusion
Authors: Wan Renhui
Published: February 2016

We obtain the global well-posedness of classical solutions to a tropical climate model with only the dissipation of the first baroclinic model of the velocity (−ηΔv) under small initial data. This model is a modified version of the original system derived by Frierson-Majda-Pauluis in Frierson et al. [Commun. Math. Sci. 2, 591-626 (2004)]. The main difficulty is the absence of thermal diffusion. To overcome it, we exploit the structure of the equations coming from the coupled terms, dissipation term, and damp term. Then, we find the hidden thermal diffusion. In addition, based on the Littlewood-Paley theory, we establish a generalized commutator estimate, which may be applied to other partial differential equations.