Polymer Film Supported Bimetallic Au–Ag Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Ammonia Borane in Alkaline Media

Nano-Micro Letters - Ammonia borane is widely used in most areas including fuel cell applications. The present paper describes electrochemical behavior of ammonia borane in alkaline media on the...     

Effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on Na(+)-K(+)-Adenosine triphosphatase activity following experimental spinal cord trauma

The mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (Vme) neurons are primary sensory neurons transmitting orofacial proprioceptive sensation. The neurons innervating the periodontal ligaments and the masticatory muscles are intermingled with each other in the caudal part of the Vme. After fluorescent tracers, propridium iodide and bisbenzimide were applied to the inferior alveolar nerve and the masseter nerve on the same side of the rat, and a doubled-labeled neurons were observed in ipilateral Vme, mainly in the caudal part, and a few in the middle, rostral part. This reflects simultaneous innervation of both the periodontal ligaments and the masseter spindles by collaterals of peripheral process of single Vme neurons.     

Microbial quality, and effect of cooking on survival of Salmonella, in Kokariç

A special preparation from the small intestine of lamb, called kokariç, is widely consumed in Turkey. In this study, Salmonella was not isolated from raw kokariç. Conventional ways of cooking, except precooking, destroyed Salmonella in artificially contaminated kokariç. The microbial quality of cooked kokariç bought from street sellers was not safe for public health consumption because of environmental contamination.     

Fuzzy clustering complex-valued neural network to diagnose cirrhosis disease

In this study, fuzzy clustering complex-valued neural network (FCCVNN) was proposed to classify portal vein Doppler signals recorded from 54 patients with cirrhosis and 36 healthy subjects. This proposed neural network is a new model for biomedical pattern classification. The FCCVNN was composed of three phases: fuzzy clustering, calculation of FFT values and complex-valued neural network (CVNN). In first phase, fuzzy clustering was done to reduce the number of segments in training pattern. After that, FFT values of Doppler signals were calculated for pre-processing and then obtained values, which include real and imaginary components, were used as the inputs of the CVNN for classification of Doppler signals. Classification results of FCCVNN were evaluated by the different performance evaluation criterion in literature. It shows that Doppler signals were classified successfully with 100% correct classification rate using the proposed method. Moreover, the rates of sensitivity and specificity were calculated as 100% using FCCVNN method. These results were seen to be appropriate with the expected results that are derived from physician’s direct diagnosis. This method would be assisted the physician to make the final decision.     

Adsorption of phenol by MMT-CTAB and WPT-CTAB: Equilibrium,kinetic, and thermodynamic study

In this study, the phenol adsorption capacity of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide modified clays (MMT-CTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide modified pulp tea (WPT-CTAB) were studied. In batch adsorption experiments performed with MMT-CTAB, the effects of parameters such contact time, phenol concentration, pH of solution and adsorbent dosage were investigated. The effect of temperature on phenol adsorption onto MMT-CTAB and WPT-CTAB was examined; equilibrium and thermodynamic studies were completed. The highest phenol removal was found at pH 4.0 for MMT-CTAB and WPT-CTAB. To analyze the kinetics of phenol adsorption onto MMT-CTAB, the pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order kinetic models were applied. The kinetic data fitted better to the pseudo second-order model than the pseudo first-order kinetic model for MMT-CTAB. The characterization of adsorbents in phenol adsorption was clarified with the FTIR technique. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH°, ΔS° and ΔG° were calculated for each adsorption process. The adsorption process was found to be exothermic and spontaneous for phenol adsorption by MMT-CTAB and WPT-CTAB. The results were analyzed with the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Harkins–Jura equations using linearized correlation coefficients at different temperatures. The Langmuir equation was found to best represent the equilibrium data for phenol adsorption onto MMT-CTAB and WPT-CTAB.     

Smart monopole antenna with pattern and frequency reconfiguration characteristics based on programmable metasurface

Metasurfaces having ultrathin and planar structure with sub‐wavelength unit cell, have recently gained significant potential for use thanks to their control capabilities over the electromagnetic waves from microwave to the visible range. The structure and the dimensions of the sub‐wavelength elements determine the electromagnetic properties, capabilities, and functionalities of the metasurfaces providing a full control of the reflected and transmitted fields and these metasurfaces are referred to as analog metasurfaces. When adjustability is added to the unit cells, programmable or digital metasurfaces are obtained, allowing us to take multiple unique functionality advantages controlled by external stimuli. In this study, we propose a metasurface structure, also known as 1‐bit coding metasurface, which is controlled depending on the “On/Off” state. The “On/Off” state is controlled by a computer program using genetical algorithm. Depending on the operating state, electromagnetic waves can be manipulated and different functionalities of the metasurfaces can be realized. The contribution and innovation of the study is the demonstration of the beam rotation, resonance frequency shift and radiation pattern reconfiguration properties of a simple monopole antenna by using controllable metasurface composed of T shaped resonator and circular patch with an operating frequency between 4.3 and 5.6 GHz.     

3D‐Printed Microrobotic Transporters with Recapitulated Stem Cell Niche for Programmable and Active Cell Delivery

Poor retention rate, low targeting accuracy, and spontaneous transformation of stem cells present major clinical barriers to the success of therapies based on stem cell transplantation. To improve the clinical outcome, efforts should focus on the active delivery of stem cells to the target tissue site within a controlled environment, increasing survival, and fate for effective tissue regeneration. Here, a remotely steerable microrobotic cell transporter is presented with a biophysically and biochemically recapitulated stem cell niche for directing stem cells towards a pre‐destined cell lineage. The magnetically actuated double‐helical cell microtransporters of 76 µm length and 20 µm inner cavity diameter are 3D printed where biological and mechanical information regarding the stem cell niche are encoded at the single‐cell level. Cell‐loaded microtransporters are mobilized inside confined microchannels along computer‐controlled trajectories under rotating magnetic fields. The mesenchymal stem cells are shown retaining their differentiation capacities to commit to the osteogenic lineage when stimulated inside the microswimmers in vitro. Such a microrobotic approach has the potential to enable the development of active microcarriers with embedded functionalities for controlled and precisely localized therapeutic cell delivery.     

Kinetic study of the thermal decomposition of (2‐phenyl‐1,3‐dioxolane‐4‐yl) methyl methacrylate and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers

The kinetics of nonisothermal decomposition of (2‐phenyl‐1,3‐dioxolane‐4‐yl) methyl methacrylate (PDMMA), 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and vinyl‐pyrrolidone (VPy) copolymers were investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The data indicated that the major weight loss occurs in the range of 270 to 450°C. The decomposition characteristics showed essentially two regimes and varied depending on the temperature and the copolymer composition. The apparent kinetic parameters of the decompositions were estimated from both TG and DTA data by using the alternative calculation methods. The results suggest that the weight loss rates may be represented, depending on the type of sample, by a reaction model of overall order 1.0 to 1.6, with an activation energy of approximately 65–95 kJ mol^?1. The DTA data estimated considerably higher values for the overall activation energies, around 198–240 kJ mol^?1. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1500–1508, 2005