Electrochemical properties of self-assembled monolayer based on mono-(6-deoxy-6-mercapto)-β-cyclodextrin toward controlled molecular recognition

The present work describes the construction of nanoporous assemblies based on single self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mono-(6-deoxy-6-mercapto)-β-cyclodextrin (βCDSH) and two-component monolayers of βCDSH and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. An investigation of its supramolecular properties toward the tricyclic antidepressants drugs chlorprothixene and imipramine is also presented. The adsorption process was investigated by using surface plasmon resonance and the selectivity of the SAM was verified by using electroactive species permeable and not permeable into the cyclodextrin SAM, such as ferrocenemonocarboxylic acid, hexacyanoferrate, methylene blue and hexamineruthenium (II). The redox probe was chosen based on its capability to permeate the grafted cyclodextrin molecules and its electrochemical characteristics. It was applied to imipramine and chlorprothixene competitive assay by the mono-(6-deoxy-6-mercapto)-β-cyclodextrin self-assembled cavity. Finally, the pK_a of the surface and its effects on thee host-guest interaction properties were also investigated.     

A low-power transmission-gate-based 16-bit multiplier for digital hearing aids

The most widespread 16-bit multiplier architectures are compared in terms of area occupation, dissipated energy, and EDP (Energy-Delay Product) in view of low-power low-voltage signal processing for digital hearing aids and similar applications. Transistor-level simulations including back-annotated wire parasitics confirm that the propagation of glitches along uneven and re-convergent paths results in large unproductive node activity. Because of their shorter full-adder chains, Wallace-tree multipliers indeed dissipate less energy than the carry-save (CSM) and other traditional array multipliers (6.0 µW/MHz versus 10.9 µW/MHz and more for 0.25 µm CMOS technology at 0.75 V). By combining the Wallace-tree architecture with transmission gates (TGs), a new approach is proposed to improve the energy efficiency further (3.1 µW/MHz), beyond recently published low-power architectures. Besides the reduction of the overall capacitance, minimum-sized transmission gate full-adders act as RC-low-pass filters that attenuate undesired switching. Finally, minimum size TGs increase the V _dd to ground resistance, hence decreasing leakage dissipation (0.55 nW versus 0.84 nW in CSM and 0.94 nW in Wallace).     

Drop in Combined Sewer Manhole for Supercritical Flow

Manholes often contain small drops for various reasons, the most important being submergence. While this may be appropriate for subcritical flow, its effect was considered doubtful for supercritical flow. This note aims at investigating the effect of a manhole drop on the hydraulics of sewer flow. Based on systematic experimental observations, the flow pattern associated with a manhole drop was established. A distinction was also made between small and intermediate drops. Then, the main wave features were analyzed to result in expressions that contain both the upstream filling ratio and the Froude number of the approach flow. In addition, the discharge capacity was also investigated, and selected photographs show typical drop flow in combined sewer manholes. The result of the present study is evident, based on these observations, and recommendations towards future design of combined sewer manholes are also made.     

A technical characterization of APTs by leveraging public resources

Advanced persistent threats (APTs) have rocketed over the last years. Unfortunately, their technical characterization is incomplete—it is still unclear if they are advanced usages of regular malware or a different form of malware. This is key to develop an effective cyberdefense. To address this issue, in this paper we analyze the techniques and tactics at stake for both regular and APT-linked malware. To enable reproducibility, our approach leverages only publicly available datasets and analysis tools. Our study involves 11,651 regular malware and 4686 APT-linked ones. Results show that both sets are not only statistically different, but can be automatically classified with F1 > 0.8 in most cases. Indeed, 8 tactics reach F1 > 0.9. Beyond the differences in techniques and tactics, our analysis shows thats actors behind APTs exhibit higher technical competence than those from non-APT malwares.

     

Is Melanoma Progression Affected by Thyroid Diseases?

Clinical and epidemiological evidence indicate a relationship between thyroid diseases and melanoma. In particular, the hypothyroidism condition appears to promote melanoma spread, which suggests a protective role of thyroid hormones against disease progression. In addition, experimental data suggest that, in addition to thyroid hormones, other hormonal players of the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis, namely the thyrotropin releasing hormone and the thyrotropin, are likely to affect melanoma cells behavior. This information warrants further clinical and experimental studies in order to build a precise pattern of action of the HPT hormones on melanoma cells. An improved knowledge of the involved molecular mechanism(s) could lead to a better and possibly personalized clinical management of these patients.