Virus‐Based Nanoparticles with Inorganic Cargo: What Does the Future Hold?

An analysis of the accumulated knowledge on virus-based nanoparticles (VNPs) consisting of virus protein capsids and inorganic cargo, such as nanoparticles (NPs), nanowires, and thin layers, is presented. Virus capsids (VCs) can serve either as templates or nanoreactors when inorganic materials are formed outside or inside VCs. The third possibility is when inorganic NPs nucleate the formation of VCs. The structural and mechanistic studies of VNP formation are paving the way to a better understating of virus structure and behavior, and these facilitate promising applications of VNPs in biomedical and materials research.     

Public Policies to Support Basic Research: What Can the Rest of the World Learn from US Theory and Practice? (And What They Should Not Learn)

The information-based theoretical model for public support ofbasic research, developed in the USA at the end of the 1950s,has held up well in political practice, in spite of its neglectof training benefits, of necessary prior investment in researchinfrastructure and of its consequently limited relevance outsidethe USA. At the same time, US practice in basic research hasoften been misinterpreted as being driven by short-term usefulness,whereas its key features are massive and pluralistic governmentfunding, high academic quality, and the ability to invest inthe long-term development of new (often multidisciplinary) fields.Challenges for the future include greater (and often ill-judged)pressures from governments for demonstrable usefulness of thebasic research it supports, the entirely separate developmentof direct links to application in biomedical and software fields,and more complicated links between national basic research andapplication resulting from the changes in the internationalizationof corporate R&D. And perhaps we can learn as much fromsuccessful practices in Scandinavia and Switzerland as fromthe USA.     

Ambipolar Conjugated Polymers with Ultrahigh Balanced Hole and Electron Mobility for Printed Organic Complementary Logic via a Two‐Step C?H Activation Strategy

High mobility ambipolar conjugated polymers are seriously absent regardless their great potential for flexible and printed plastic devices and circuits. Here, ambipolar polymers with ultrahigh balanced hole and electron mobility are developed via a two‐step C? H activation strategy. Diketopyrrolopyrrole‐benzothiadiazole‐diketopyrrolopyrrole (DBD) and its copolymers with thiophene/selenophene units (short as PDBD‐T and PDBD‐Se) are used as examples. PDBD‐Se exhibits highly efficient ambipolar transport with hole and electron mobility up to 8.90 and 7.71 cm² V^?1 s^?1 in flexible organic field‐effect transistors, presenting a milestone for ambipolar copolymer screening. Based on this performance metrics and good solubility, PDBD‐Se is investigated as inkjet‐printable semiconductor ink for organic complementary logic circuits. Under ambient processing, maximum hole and electron mobilities reach 6.70 and 4.30 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively. Printed complementary inverter and NAND gates with transition voltages near V_DD/2 are fabricated, providing an easy‐handling, general material for printed electronics and logic.     

P&E2014发布了哪些好东西?

正第17届中国国际照相机械影像器材与技术博览会,来自国内外的上百家厂商集中展示了该领域的最新产品和技术,让我们来看一下吧!1经典设计追求纯粹摄影徕片发布首款微单T系列今年是徕卡100年,徕卡终于发布了微单徕卡T系列,与奥迪设计(AUDI DeTsign)合作,强调"德国制造",由一块1.2kg的铝块雕琢成94g的机身,带有3.7英寸触摸屏、1600万像素APS-C画幅CMOS,还是徕卡相机家族中首款配有集成Wi-Fi模块的相机。其相机配件有4种流行色以供选择-甜瓜黄、橘红、黑色和白色,此外还有大量的优质相机包和套,均为奥迪设计出品,沿袭了徕卡相机的一贯设计理念。     

CALPHAD—Is It Ready for Superalloy Design?

Thermodynamic calculations on complex, multi‐component alloys are becoming more common in metallurgical research. They are now used on a daily basis in industrial laboratories such as the GE Research Center. They have proven to be of great assistance in the development of new alloys, and in the selection of processing conditions for existing or new alloys. This paper presents an evaluation of the usefulness of the CALPHAD calculations for Ni‐base superalloys by showing case study validations and examples of their use.     

Does gender structure influence R&D efficiency? A regional perspective

Scientometrics - The gender structure in research and development (R&D) activities has received more and more attention in terms of its increasing importance in R&D management, but...     

Does bottle color protect red wine from photo‐oxidation?

Even if bottled red wines have an extended shelf life, they undergo several chemical changes, and producers are well aware of the importance of the packaging. However, there is a lack of research into the effect of light on their composition. Therefore, the storage conditions of a Sangiovese wines with respect to artificial light exposure (present/absent) and bottle color (transparent, brown, and green) were investigated. Thirty‐five chemical characteristics (physicochemical, UV‐VIS indexes, and volatile compounds) were recorded after 6 months of storage. Light exposure caused significant differences in total SO₂ and a shift from red to yellow/orange color. For wines kept in transparent bottles, total red pigments, total phenol index, monomeric anthocyanins, copigmentation, chemical age, and some volatile compounds showed significant differences, depending on whether it was exposed to light or not. On the contrary, light exposure was found not significant for the wine stored in green and brown bottles, Finally, an overall increase in variability was found for light‐exposed wine in transparent bottles which could be considered, in itself, a measure of lack of quality.     

What limits the expansion of self‐care dialysis at home?

Self-care dialysis at home, whether peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis, is more cost-effective than in-center dialysis and treatment outcome is at least comparable. Still, both self-care modalities are considered underutilized and we wished to identify the perceived reasons for this underutilization among nephrology professionals. A questionnaire was distributed at 5 international nephrology meetings in 2006. Questions addressed the most important stakeholders and the most important issues for patients and nephrology professionals to enable the expansion of self-care dialysis and commonly mentioned barriers were given as alternative responses. The proportion of patients considered suitable for self-care was also investigated. Seven thousand responses were collected. The listed stakeholders, i.e., health care and reimbursement authorities, nurses and physicians, and finally patients and their families, are considered approximately equally important for the process. Nephrology professionals feel that patient motivation for choosing and performing self-care dialysis is the strongest driver. The need for dedicated resources for self-care is judged to be vital for the expansion of this modality of treatment. Thirty-two percent of incident patients are considered able to perform self-care dialysis at home. This international survey among 7000 nephrology professionals has identified patient motivation as one of the strongest drivers of self-care dialysis at home. The need for dedicated resources for the staff to devote time to developing such motivation is given as one of the major reasons for the slow adoption. Under ideal conditions, it is felt that one-third of all patients starting dialysis can be trained to perform self-care dialysis.     

How Does Graphene Grow? Easy Access to Well‐Ordered Graphene Films

The selective formation of large‐scale graphene layers on a Rh‐YSZ‐Si(111) multilayer substrate by a surface‐induced chemical growth mechanism is investigated using low‐energy electron diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy. It is shown that well‐ordered graphene layers can be grown using simple and controllable procedures. In addition, temperature‐dependent experiments provide insight into the details of the growth mechanisms. A comparison of different precursors shows that a mobile dicarbon species (e.g., C₂H₂ or C₂) acts as a common intermediate for graphene formation. These new approaches offer scalable methods for the large‐scale production of high‐quality graphene layers on silicon‐based multilayer substrates.     

‘A Pretence of What is Not’? A Study of Simulation(s) from the ENIAC Perspective

What is the significance of high-speed computation for the sciences? How far does it result in a practice of simulation which affects the sciences on a very basic level? To offer more historical context to these recurring questions, this paper revisits the roots of computer simulation in the development of the ENIAC computer and the Monte Carlo method.

With the aim of identifying more clearly what really changed (or not) in the history of science in the 1940s and 1950s due to the computer, I will emphasize the continuities with older practices and develop a two-fold argument. Firstly, one can find a diversity of practices around ENIAC which tends to be ignored if one focuses only on the ENIAC itself as the originator of Monte Carlo simulation. Following from this, I claim, secondly, that there was no simulation around ENIAC. Not only is the term ‘simulation’ not used within that context, but the analysis also shows how ‘simulation’ is an effect of three interrelated sets of different practices around the machine: (1) the mathematics which the ENIAC users employed and developed, (2) the programs, (3) the physicality of the machine. I conclude that, in the context discussed, the most important shifts in practice are about rethinking existing computational methods. This was done in view of adapting them to the high-speed and programmability of the new machine. Simulation then is but one facet of this process of adaptation, singled out by posterity to be viewed as its principal aspect.

     

Particle‐Based Optical Sensing of Intracellular Ions at the Example of Calcium – What Are the Experimental Pitfalls?

Colloidal particles with fluorescence read‐out are commonly used as sensors for the quantitative determination of ions. Calcium, for example, is a biologically highly relevant ion in signaling, and thus knowledge of its spatio‐temporal distribution inside cells would offer important experimental data. However, the use of particle‐based intracellular sensors for ion detection is not straightforward. Important associated problems involve delivery and intracellular location of particle‐based fluorophores, crosstalk of the fluorescence read‐out with pH, and spectral overlap of the emission spectra of different fluorophores. These potential problems are outlined and discussed here with selected experimental examples. Potential solutions are discussed and form a guideline for particle‐based intracellular imaging of ions.     

Molecular Signatures in the Transport Properties of Molecular Wire Junctions: What Makes a Junction “Molecular”?

The simplest component of molecular electronics consists of a single-molecule transport junction: a molecule sandwiched between source and drain electrodes, with or without a third gate electrode. In this Concept article, we focus on how molecules control transport in metal-electrode molecular junctions, and where the molecular signatures are to be found. In the situation where the molecule is relatively short and the gap between injection energy and molecular eigenstates is large, transport occurs largely by elastic tunneling, stochastic switching is common, and the vibronic signature can be found using inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). As the energy gaps for injection become smaller, one begins to see stronger molecular signatures - these include Franck-Condon-like structures in the current/voltage characteristic and strong vibronic interactions, which can lead to hopping behavior at the polaron limit. Conformational changes induced by the strong electric field lead to another strong manifestation of the molecular nature of the junction. We overview some of this mechanistic landscape, focusing on significant effects of switching (both stochastic and controlled by the electric field) and of molecular vibronic coupling.     

Toward energy finance market transition: Does China’s oil futures shake up global spots market?

China is breaking through the petrodollar system, establishing RMB-dominating crude oil futures market. The country is achieving a milestone in its transition to energy finance market internationalization. This study explores the price leadership of China’s crude oil futures and identifies its price co-movement to uncover whether it truly shakes up the global oil spots market. First, we find that for oil spots under different gravities, China’s oil futures is only a net price information receiver from light-, medium-, and heavy-gravity oil spots, but it has a relatively stronger price co-movement with these three spots. Second, for oil spots under different sulfur contents, China’s oil futures still has weak price leadership in sweet, neutral, and sour oil spots, but it has strong co-movement with them. Third, for oil spots under different geographical origins, China’s oil futures shows price leadership in East Asian and Australian oil spots at the medium- and long-run time scales and strong price co-movement with East Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Australian oil spots. China’s oil futures may not have good price leadership in global spots market, but it features favorable price co-movement.     

What makes a successful industry-level catch-up? General framework and case study of China’s LED industry

How latecomers from emerging countries catch up on technological innovation is an important topic for industrial practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers. This study systematically reviews 37 empirical studies on the precursors of industry catch-up in emerging countries. A general framework on what makes a successful catch-up in latecomer industries is suggested based on literature review. The framework comprises six generic determinants, including technological capability, business ecosystem, government roles, market condition, technological regime, and windows of opportunity. In addition, this framework is applied to the Chinese LED industry, and a case analysis of the catch-up is performed in Chinese LED firms.