Completely eliminating the metal barrier cracks on Nafion for suppressing methanol crossover with anodic aluminum oxide substrates

Methanol crossover is one of the main challenges for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Depositing a metal barrier on Nafion can reduce the crossover but usually faces the metal cracking issues. This study presents a new composite membrane in which an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) substrate is impregnated with a Nafion solution and then coated with a layer of Au. The AAO/Nafion/Au composite membrane shows an ideal metal crack-free surface. Higher and more stable voltage has been achieved for the cell with the membrane, indicating an effectively suppressed methanol-crossover. Results reveal that there is a tradeoff between suppressing the methanol crossover and increasing the ion transmission. By optimizing the membrane, it can not only suppress the methanol crossover but also enhance the output performance of DMFCs. The current density and power density of the cells can be enhanced by 59% and 52.85%, respectively, compared to the cell with a commercial Nafion 117. Overall, this work provides a new approach to designing crack-free membranes for DMFCs.     

Italian translation,validation, and repeatability of Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) Questionnaire

PurposeThe assessment of symptoms of dry eye disease using a questionnaire is an effective and simple method of quantifying symptoms. The aim of this study was to translate the SPEED questionnaire and adapt it for the Italian language and verify the main psychometric performance of the translated version, including repeatability and agreement.MethodsThe SPEED questionnaire was translated into Italian following a standard methodology. The resulting questionnaire was administered to 206 adult participants in order to perform a validation analysis. A subgroup of 82 participants was retested after one week to give a repeatability and agreement assessment.ResultsInternal consistency showed an alpha of 0.852 (95% CI 0.818–0.881) and no unnecessary items. The factor analysis showed a saturation for three main factors related to (i) Dryness and Soreness, (ii) Fatigue, and (iii) Burning. Repeatability was high, with a CCC of 0.896 (95% CI 0.844–0.931). Agreement analysis showed no significant bias between sessions and an interval of agreement of 5 points for SPEED score.ConclusionThe translation and adaptation of the SPEED questionnaire for the Italian language have demonstrated good psychometric properties for the translated questionnaire, confirming and expanding the original psychometric characteristics. Consequently, the SPEED questionnaire could be used to measure the presence of symptoms of dry eye quantitatively.     

Chemically complex intermetallic alloys: A new frontier for innovative structural materials

Intermetallic materials are bestowed by diverse ordered superlattice structures together with many unusual properties. In particular, the advent of chemically complex intermetallic alloys (CCIMAs) has received considerable attention in recent years and offers a new paradigm to develop novel metallic materials for advanced structural applications. These newly emerged CCIMAs exhibit synergistic modulations of structural and chemical features, such as self-assembled long-range close-packed ordering, complex sublattice occupancy, and interfacial disordered nanoscale layer, potentially allowing for superb physical and mechanical properties that are unmatched in conventional metallic materials. In this paper, we critically review the historical developments and recent advances in ordered intermetallic materials from the simple binary to chemically complex alloy systems. We are focused on the unique multicomponent superlattice microstructures, nanoscale grain-boundary segregation, and disordering, as well as the various extraordinary mechanical and functional properties of these newly developed CCIMAs. Finally, perspectives on the future research orientation, challenges, and opportunities of this new frontier are provided.     

Antioxidant Activity of Piceatannol in Canola Oil

Piceatannol has shown to be a strong antioxidant in vivo, however, its ability to suppress lipid oxidation in foods has not been examined. The present study is to examine the antioxidant effect of piceatannol on heated canola oil compared with that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The oxidation of canola oil is conducted at 60, 90, 120, and 150 °C by monitoring the depletion of oxygen, the decrease in unsaturated fatty acids, and the changes of primary and secondary oxidation products. Results demonstrated that piceatannol can suppress lipid oxidation of canola oil in a dose-dependent manner with its effect being more effective than BHT. Practical Applications: Lipid oxidation is a major factor in the deterioration of food quality. Synthetic antioxidants, such as BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole, are used to inhibit oxidation in foods, but their safety has been always concerned. Piceatannol has exhibited a strong antioxidant activity to attenuate lipid oxidation and it should be further explored for use as a natural antioxidant in foods.     

Solution-Synthesized Multifunctional Janus Nanotree Microswimmer

Synthetic active matters are perfect model systems for non-equilibrium thermodynamics and of great potential for novel biomedical and environmental applications. However, most applications are limited by the complicated and low-yield preparation, while a scalable synthesis for highly functional microswimmers is highly desired. In this paper, an all-solution synthesis method is developed where the gold-loaded titania-silica nanotree can be produced as a multi-functional self-propulsion microswimmer. By applying light, heat, and electric field, the Janus nanotree demonstrated multi-mode self-propulsion, including photochemical self-electrophoresis by UV and visible light radiation, thermophoresis by near-infrared light radiation, and induced-charge electrophoresis under AC electric field. Due to the scalable synthesis, the Janus nanotree is further demonstrated as a high-efficiency, low-cost, active adsorbent for water decontamination, where the toxic mercury ions can be reclaimed with enhanced efficiency.     

Identification of Novel Fragments Binding to the PDZ1-2 Domain of PSD-95

Inhibition of PSD-95 has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic stroke, as shown with peptide-based compounds that target the PDZ domains of PSD-95. In contrast, developing potent and drug-like small molecules against the PSD-95 PDZ domains has so far been unsuccessful. Here, we explore the druggability of the PSD-95 PDZ1-2 domain and use fragment screening to investigate if this protein is prone to binding small molecules. We screened 2500 fragments by fluorescence polarization (FP) and validated the hits by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), including an inhibition counter-test, and found four promising fragments. Three ligand efficient fragments were shown by ¹H,¹⁵N HSQC NMR to bind in the small hydrophobic P⁰ pockets of PDZ1-2, and one of them underwent structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. Overall, we demonstrate that fragment screening can successfully be applied to PDZ1-2 of PSD-95 and disclose novel fragments that can serve as starting points for optimization towards small-molecule PDZ domain inhibitors.     

Enhancing upconversion of Nd3+ through Yb3+-mediated energy cycling towards temperature sensing

Photon upconversion of lanthanides has been a powerful means to convert low-energy photons into high-energy ones. However, in contrast to the mostly investigated lanthanide ions, it has remained a challenge for the efficient upconversion of Nd³⁺ due to the deleterious concentration quenching effect. Here we report an efficient strategy to enhance the upconversion of Nd³⁺ through the Yb³⁺-mediated energy cycling in a core-shell-shell nanostructure. Both Nd³⁺ and Yb³⁺ are confined in the interlayer, and the presence of Yb³⁺ in the Nd-sublattice provides a more matched energy for the upconversion transitions occurring at the intermediate state of Nd³⁺ towards much better population at its emissive levels. Moreover, this design also minimizes the possible cross-relaxation processes at both intermediate level and the emissive levels of Nd³⁺ which are the primary factors limiting the upconversion performance for the Nd³⁺-doped materials. Such energy cycling-enhanced upconversion shows promise in temperature sensing.     

The coordination of workarounds: Insights from responses to misfits between local realities and a mandated global enterprise system

We investigate how employees react when confronted with an enterprise system (ES) that does not fit with work processes dictated by local realities. We draw on interview data (n = 31) from a multinational company to reveal how employees devised and coordinated workarounds that were not compliant with corporate IT policy, but enabled the completion of essential activities, thereby creating value for the firm and its customers. The coordination of these workarounds proved essential to their persistence. We discuss both the theoretical implications of our findings regarding workarounds and the practical contributions associated with the idea that non-compliance can be beneficial.