(Metal yolk)/(porous ceria shell) nanostructures for high-performance plasmonic photocatalysis under visible light

We describe a route to the preparation of (metal yolk)/(porous ceria shell) nanostructures through the heterogeneous growth of ceria on porous metal nanoparticles followed by the calcination-induced shrinkage of the nanoparticles. The approach allows for the control of the ceria shell thickness, the metal yolk composition and size, which is difficult to realize through common templating approaches. The yolk/shell nanostructures with monometallic Pt and bimetallic PtAg yolks featuring plasmon-induced broadband light absorption in the visible region are rationally designed and constructed. The superior photocatalytic activities of the obtained nanostructures are demonstrated by the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol under visible light. The excellent activities are ascribed to the synergistic effects of the metal yolk and the ceria shell on the light absorption, electron-hole separation and efficient mass transfer. Our synthesis of the (metal yolk)/(porous ceria shell) nanostructures points out a way to the creation of sophisticated heteronanostructures for high-performance photocatalysis.

     

The moderation effects of mobile technology advancement and system barrier on m-commerce channel preference behavior

Information Systems and e-Business Management - Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, has quickly become a powerful, indispensable approach for diverse business to consumer (B2C) industries to secure...     

Media,Technologies, Cooperation – Rethinking Publics and Publicness in the MENA Region

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) -     

Stationary and Progressive Phenotypes Caused by the p.G90D Mutation in Rhodopsin Gene

Mutations in rhodopsin gene (RHO) are a frequent cause of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and less often, congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB). Mutation p.G90D has previously been associated with CSNB based on the examination of one family. This study screened 60 patients. Out of these 60 patients, 32 were affected and a full characterization was conducted in 15 patients. We described the clinical characteristics of these 15 patients (12 male, median age 42 years, range 8–71) from three families including visual field (Campus Goldmann), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and electrophysiology. Phenotypes were classified into four categories: CSNB (N = 3, 20%) sector RP (N = 3, 20%), pericentral RP (N = 1, 6.7%) and classic RP (N = 8, 53.3% (8/15)). The phenotypes were not associated with family, sex or age (Kruskal–Wallis, p > 0.05), however, cystoid macular edema (CME) was observed only in one family. Among the subjects reporting nyctalopia, 69% (22/32) were male. The clinical characteristics of the largest p.G90D cohort so far showed a large frequency of progressive retinal degeneration with 53.3% developing RP, contrary to the previous report.     

Taking on a wider view: public value interests of construction clients in a changing construction industry

For financial and strategic reasons, public and semi-public construction clients increasingly depend on private parties to carry out public service delivery. They subcontract operational responsibilities to private parties while remaining socio-politically responsible for ensuring public values. Public administration literature mainly addresses the importance of procedural and performance values in safeguarding public values. However, safeguarding the quality of the built environment also requires a focus on product values. In this study, we aim to increase the understanding of the meaning and significance of public values in the daily practice of public construction clients and identify the challenges they face in commissioning these seemingly opposing values. A set of semi-structured interviews with the public administrators of a variety of public and semi-public construction client organizations in the Netherlands shows that both internal and external factors influence the collaborative practices between clients and contractors. This causes a value shift from an emphasis on procedural values to managing performance and product values, indicating that clients need to take on a wider view on public values. Six main public value dilemmas were found that complicate the task of developing an open, transparent and sustainable long-term client–contractor relationship. The current contractual system, however, lacks the flexibility to facilitate this product-based value view in construction.     

Iron‐mediated lipid oxidation in 70% fish oil‐in‐water emulsions: effect of emulsifier type and pH

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of five different emulsifiers on iron‐mediated lipid oxidation in 70% fish oil‐in‐water emulsions. The emulsifiers were either based on protein (whey protein isolate and sodium caseinate) or based on phospholipid (soy lecithin and two milk phospholipids with different phospholipid contents, MPL20 and MPL75). Lipid oxidation was studied at pH 4.5 and 7.0, and results were compared to lipid oxidation in neat fish oil. Results showed that all emulsions oxidised more than neat oil. Furthermore, emulsions prepared with proteins oxidised more at low pH than at high pH, and casein emulsions oxidised the least (Peroxide value (PV) at day 7 was 0.5–0.7 meq kg^?1). Among emulsions prepared with phospholipids, emulsions with MPL75 were the most oxidised followed by emulsions prepared with lecithin and MPL20. Thus, PV in MPL75 emulsions was 5.0–5.5 meq kg^?1 at day 7 compared with 0.9–1.9 meq kg^?1 in MPL20 emulsions.     

Salmonella biofilms: An overview on occurrence,structure, regulation and eradication

The ability of Salmonella to form complex surface-associated communities, called biofilms, contributes to its resistance and persistence in both host and non-host environments and is especially important in food processing environments. In this review, the different types of abiotic (plastic, glass, cement, rubber, and stainless steel) and biotic surfaces (plant surfaces, epithelial cells, and gallstones) on which Salmonella biofilms have been described are discussed, as well as a number of commonly used laboratory setups to study Salmonella biofilm formation (rdar morphotype, pellicle formation, and biofilms on polystyrene pegs). Furthermore, the structural components important during Salmonella biofilm formation are described (curli and other fimbriae, BapA, flagella, cellulose, colanic acid, anionic O-antigen capsule and fatty acids), with special attention to the structural variations of biofilms grown on different surfaces and under different conditions. Indeed, biofilm formation is strongly influenced by different environmental signals, via a complex regulatory network. An extensive overview is given on the current understanding of this genetic network and the interactions between its different components (CsgD, RpoS, Crl, OmpR, IHF, H-NS, CpxR, MlrA, c-di-GMP, BarA/SirA, Csr, PhoPQ, RstA, Rcs, metabolic processes and quorum sensing). To further illustrate that biofilm formation is a mechanism of Salmonella to adapt to different environments, the resistance of Salmonella biofilms against different stress factors including desiccation stress, disinfectants (e.g. hypochlorite, glutaraldehyde, cationic tensides and triclosan) and antibiotics (e.g. ciprofloxacin) is described. Finally, a number of Salmonella biofilm inhibitors, identified through bottom-up- and top-down-approaches, are discussed, such as surfactin, glucose, halogenated furanones, 4(5)-aryl 2-aminoimidazoles, furocoumarins and salicylates. Also the potential of combination therapy (e.g. combinations of triclosan and quaternary ammonium salts or halogenated furanones and antibiotics/disinfectants) and nano- and micro-emulsions to inhibit Salmonella biofilm formation is discussed. Insight into the pathogen's complex biofilm process will eventually lead to further unraveling of its intricacies and more efficient strategies to combat Salmonella biofilms.     

In vitro digestibility of phenolic compounds from edible fruits: could it be explained by chemometrics?

The health benefits of phenolic compounds depend on the ingested amount, molecular diversity and gastrointestinal digestibility. The phenolic profile of eight fruits (blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, mulberry, pomegranate, green and red globe grapes) was chemometrically associated with their in vitro digestibility (oral, gastric, intestinal). Extractable phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins strongly correlated with each other (r ≥ 0.84), proanthocyanidins with anthocyanins (r = 0.62) and hydrolysable phenols with both extractable phenols (r = 0.45) and proanthocyanidins (r = ?0.54). Two principal components explained 93% of the variance [61% (free‐phenols), 32% (bounded‐phenols)], and four clusters were confirmed by hierarchical analysis, based in their phenolic richness (CLT 1‐4: low to high) and molecular diversity. In vitro digestibility of extractable phenols and flavonoids was blackberry (CLT‐4)> raspberry (CLT‐2)> red grape (CLT‐1) related to their phenolic richness (r ≥ 0.96; P < 0.001), but anthocyanins’ digestibility was pH‐dependent. Chemometrics is useful to predict the in vitro digestibility of phenolic compounds in the assayed fruits.