Endometriosis detection and localization in laparoscopic gynecology

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Endometriosis is a common gynecologic condition typically treated via laparoscopic surgery. Its visual versatility makes it hard to identify for non-specialized...     

Bewertung alternativer Arbeitsmittel für Wärmepumpen im Gebäudesektor

Forschung im Ingenieurwesen - Das Arbeitsmittel in Wärmepumpen unterliegt einer Vielzahl von Anforderungen, welche für einen effizienten und sicheren Betrieb eingehalten werden...     

Organofluorine Hydrazone Derivatives as Multifunctional Anti-Alzheimer's Agents with CK2 Inhibitory and Antioxidant Features

A set of novel hydrazone derivatives were synthesized and analyzed for their biological activities. The compounds were tested for their inhibitory effect on the phosphorylating activity of the protein kinase CK2, and their antioxidant activity was also determined in three commonly used assays. The hydrazones were evaluated for their radical scavenging against the DPPH, ABTS and peroxyl radicals. Several compounds have been identified as good antioxidants as well as potent protein kinase CK2 inhibitors. Most hydrazones containing a 4-N(CH₃)₂ residue or perfluorinated phenyl rings showed high activity in the radical-scavenging assays and possess nanomolar IC₅₀ values in the kinase assays.     

Superradiant Emission from Coherent Excitons in van Der Waals Heterostructures

Recent advancements in isolation and stacking of layered van der Waals materials have created an unprecedented paradigm for demonstrating varieties of 2D quantum materials. Rationally designed van der Waals heterostructures composed of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and few-layer hBN show several unique optoelectronic features driven by correlations. However, entangled superradiant excitonic species in such systems have not been observed before. In this report, it is demonstrated that strong suppression of phonon population at low temperature results in a formation of a coherent excitonic-dipoles ensemble in the heterostructure, and the collective oscillation of those dipoles stimulates a robust phase synchronized ultra-narrow band superradiant emission even at extremely low pumping intensity. Such emitters are in high demand for a multitude of applications, including fundamental research on many-body correlations and other state-of-the-art technologies. This timely demonstration paves the way for further exploration of ultralow-threshold quantum-emitting devices with unmatched design freedom and spectral tunability.     

Effects of feed composition,protein denaturation and storage of milk serum protein/lactose powders on lactosylation

During whey powder production, the feed is subjected to several heat treatments which can cause lactosylation of proteins. In this study, lactosylation of whey proteins was evaluated in spray-dried powders before and after storage by varying the native protein fraction as well as the serum protein/lactose ratio in the powders. The lactosylation of native α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin in the powders before storage was not affected to a large extent by the protein denaturation or if the feed had been heat treated in a high or low lactose environment. After storage (relative humidity of 23.5%, 30 °C, 25 days), the kinetic of lactosylation tended to increase with increasing native protein fraction and bulk protein content in the powders. An explanation could be that proteins dissolved in the lactose glassy structure might have a lower reactivity, while proteins present in the protein glassy structure with dissolved lactose may display higher lactosylation reactivity.     

Nanolayer CrAlN/TiSiN coating designed for tribological applications

With the goal to produce a hard and tough coating intended for tribological applications, CrAlN/TiSiN nanolayer coating was prepared by alternative deposition of CrAlN and TiSiN layers. In the first part of the article, a detailed study of phase composition, microstructure, and layer structure of CrAlN/TiSiN coating is presented. In the second part, its mechanical properties, fracture and tribological behavior are compared to the nanocomposite TiSiN coating. An industrial magnetron sputtering unit was used for coating deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used for compositional and microstructural analysis. Mechanical properties and fracture behavior were studied by instrumented indentation and focused ion beam techniques. Tribological properties were evaluated by ball-on-disk test in a linear reciprocal mode. A complex layer structure was found in the nanolayer coating. The TiSiN layers were epitaxially stabilized inside the coating which led to formation of dislocations at interfaces, to introduction of disturbances in the coating growth, and as a result, to development of fine-grained columnar microstructure. Indentation load required for the onset of fracture was twice lower for the nanolayer CrAlN/TiSiN, compared to the nanocomposite TiSiN coating. This agrees very well with their mechanical properties, with H³/E² being twice higher for the TiSiN coating. However, the nanolayer coating experienced less severe damage, which had a strong impact on tribological behavior. A magnitude of order lower wear rate and four times lower steady state friction coefficient were found for the nanolayer coating.     

Prediction of Flooding in Packed Liquid-Liquid and High-Pressure Extraction Columns Using a Gaussian Process

Reliable prediction of flooding conditions is needed for sizing and operating packed extraction columns. Due to the complex interplay of physicochemical properties, operational parameters and the packing-specific properties, it is challenging to develop accurate semi-empirical or rigorous models with a high validity range. State of the art models may therefore fail to predict flooding accurately. To overcome this problem, a data-driven model based on Gaussian processes is developed to predict flooding for packed liquid-liquid and high-pressure extraction columns. The optimized Gaussian process for the liquid-liquid extraction column results in an average absolute relative error (AARE) of 15.23 %, whereas the algorithm for the high-pressure extraction column results in an AARE of 13.68 %. Both algorithms can predict flooding curves for different packing geometries and chemical systems precisely.     

Calcium deficient hydroxyapatite by precipitation: Continuous process by vortex reactor and semi-batch synthesis

Precipitation of calcium deficient hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in an environmentally benign manner by using only dilute solutions of calcium hydroxide and phosphoric acid without pH adjustment and addition of other chemicals, and water, being the only by-product was investigated by using continuous flow Vortex Reactor (VR) and Semi-Batch Reactor (SBR). The effect of hydrodynamics by changing the Reynolds number of the jets providing residence times of 8.4 ms to 4.37 s for VR, and by changing the stirrer speed between 100 rpm (Re = 2656) and 1000 rpm (Re = 26560) for SBR, on the particle size, particle size distribution, and morphology of the particles was investigated for both systems. It has been shown that it is possible to produce pure phase hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in the desired morphology by changing production system, without resorting to additives. While VR produced rod-like particles with the crystallite size around 4 nm, SBR produced spherical particles with the crystallite size of around 5 nm.