Recent Progress on Silica Coating of Nanoparticles and Related Nanomaterials

In recent years, new strategies for silica coating of inorganic nanoparticles and organic nanomaterials, which differ from the classical methodologies, have emerged at the forefront of materials science. Silica as a coating material promises an unparalleled opportunity for enhancement of colloidal properties and functions by using core–shell rational designs and profiting from its synthetic versatility. This contribution provides a brief overview of recent progress in the synthesis of silica‐coated nanomaterials and their significant impact in different areas such as spectroscopy, magnetism, catalysis, and biology.     

开花的扇子

正制扇师在法国是一个非常稀有的行业。据西尔万·乐岗(Sylvain Le Guen)说,他所知道的从事这项工作的人,全法国只有几个。他对扇子的兴趣源于童年,10岁的时候,人生第一次在跳蚤市场上见到了一把中国折扇。从那时起,折扇的精巧结构和它身上所携带的东方意境便让他着迷不已。苦于没有地方学习这项工艺,所有关于扇子的知识以及制作技术都是在他自己的努力之下积累起来的。2008年,他曾来过折扇的故乡中国,但是那一年的大雪让他没有太大收获。他开始一步一步自学扇子的制作技艺,参考古老的扇子制法并融入自己的创意。     

Service profiling and outcomes benchmarking using the CORE-OM: Toward practice-based evidence in the psychological therapies.

To complement the evidence-based practice paradigm, the authors argued for a core outcome measure to provide practice-based evidence for the psychological therapies. Utility requires instruments that are acceptable scientifically, as well as to service users, and a coordinated implementation of the measure at a national level. The development of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) is summarized. Data are presented across 39 secondary-care services (n?=?2,710) and within an intensively evaluated single service (n?=?1,455). Results suggest that the CORE-OM is a valid and reliable measure for multiple settings and is acceptable to users and clinicians as well as policy makers. Baseline data levels of patient presenting problem severity, including risk, are reported in addition to outcome benchmarks that use the concept of reliable and clinically significant change. Basic quality improvement in outcomes for a single service is considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An enriched macro finite element for the static analysis of thick general quadrilateral laminated composite plates

This article presents the formulation of an enriched macro finite element based on the trigonometric shear deformation theory for the static analysis of symmetrically laminated composite plates. Shear correction factor is not required because this theory accounts for tangential stress-free boundary conditions on the plate boundary surfaces. The macro element is obtained using the principle of virtual work and Gram-Schmidt orthogonal polynomials as enrichment functions. The implementation of the obtained algorithm is simple and efficient, and allows studying general quadrilateral plates with a single macro element. Several examples are presented to show the capability and applicability of the developed formulation.     

Encapsulation of Single Plasmonic Nanoparticles within ZIF‐8 and SERS Analysis of the MOF Flexibility

Hybrid nanostructures composed of metal nanoparticles and metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently received increasing attention toward various applications due to the combination of optical and catalytic properties of nanometals with the large internal surface area, tunable crystal porosity and unique chemical properties of MOFs. Encapsulation of metal nanoparticles of well‐defined shapes into porous MOFs in a core–shell type configuration can thus lead to enhanced stability and selectivity in applications such as sensing or catalysis. In this study, the encapsulation of single noble metal nanoparticles with arbitrary shapes within zeolitic imidazolate‐based metal organic frameworks (ZIF‐8) is demonstrated. The synthetic strategy is based on the enhanced interaction between ZIF‐8 nanocrystals and metal nanoparticle surfaces covered by quaternary ammonium surfactants. High resolution electron microscopy and tomography confirm a complete core–shell morphology. Such a well‐defined morphology allowed us to study the transport of guest molecules through the ZIF‐8 porous shell by means of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering by the metal cores. The results demonstrate that even molecules larger than the ZIF‐8 aperture and pore size may be able to diffuse through the framework and reach the metal core.     

Dark‐Exciton‐Mediated Fano Resonance from a Single Gold Nanostructure on Monolayer WS2 at Room Temperature

Strong spatial confinement and highly reduced dielectric screening provide monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides with strong many‐body effects, thereby possessing optically forbidden excitonic states (i.e., dark excitons) at room temperature. Herein, the interaction of surface plasmons with dark excitons in hybrid systems consisting of stacked gold nanotriangles and monolayer WS₂ is explored. A narrow Fano resonance is observed when the hybrid system is surrounded by water, and the narrowing of the spectral Fano linewidth is attributed to the plasmon‐enhanced decay of dark K‐K excitons. These results reveal that dark excitons in monolayer WS₂ can strongly modify Fano resonances in hybrid plasmon–exciton systems and can be harnessed for novel optical sensors and active nanophotonic devices.     

Intentional learning agent architecture

Dealing with changing situations is a major issue in building agent systems. When the time is limited, knowledge is unreliable, and resources are scarce, the issue becomes more challenging. The BDI (Belief-Desire-Intention) agent architecture provides a model for building agents that addresses that issue. The model can be used to build intentional agents that are able to reason based on explicit mental attitudes, while behaving reactively in changing circumstances. However, despite the reactive and deliberative features, a classical BDI agent is not capable of learning. Plans as recipes that guide the activities of the agent are assumed to be static. In this paper, an architecture for an intentional learning agent is presented. The architecture is an extension of the BDI architecture in which the learning process is explicitly described as plans. Learning plans are meta-level plans which allow the agent to introspectively monitor its mental states and update other plans at run time. In order to acquire the intricate structure of a plan, a process pattern called manipulative abduction is encoded as a learning plan. This work advances the state of the art by combining the strengths of learning and BDI agent frameworks in a rich language for describing deliberation processes and reactive execution. It enables domain experts to specify learning processes and strategies explicitly, while allowing the agent to benefit from procedural domain knowledge expressed in plans.     

An empirical study of interest-based negotiation

While argumentation-based negotiation has been accepted as a promising alternative to game-theoretic or heuristic-based negotiation, no evidence has been provided to confirm this theoretical advantage. We propose a model of bilateral negotiation extending a simple monotonic concession protocol by allowing the agents to exchange information about their underlying interests and possible alternatives to achieve them during the negotiation. We present an empirical study that demonstrates (through simulation) the advantages of this interest-based negotiation approach over the more classic monotonic concession approach to negotiation.     

Chemical Characterization of Bromine Oxidized Potato Starch

Potato starch was oxidized with a neutral aqueous bromine solution at seven different levels of molar ratios of bromine/starch (1/40–5/1). The molecular weight distribution of the products obtained was analysed by gel permeation chromatography on two different agarose gels, Sepharose CL-2B and Superose 6. A gradually increased fragmentation of the molecules with increased oxidation level was noticed. Some of the modified samples were debranched and the products obtained were analysed by gel permeation chromatography. For comparison amylose and waxy maize starch were also treated at the 1/20 and 1/5 molar ratios. The results indicate that the amylose is more easily degraded to small fragments than amylopectin during the oxidation process. An enzymatic starch analysis method was applied on the oxidized samples. This method was found suitable for estimating the total content of introduced keto and carboxylic groups into the modified product.     

Formation of Silver Nanoprisms with Surface Plasmons at Communication Wavelengths

Silver nanoprisms with strong absorption in the near‐IR have been synthesized using a modification of the photoinduced method by illuminating preformed silver seeds under different illumination conditions. Low‐intensity light‐emitting diodes and white light combined with different color filters are used as light sources. The lateral dimensions of the nanoprisms are found to be correlated in a quasilinear fashion with the emission wavelength and the position of the main in‐plane dipole plasmon band. The structural characterization of the Ag nanoparticles, carried out using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution TEM, and electron diffraction, reveal that the particles are flat and have a single‐crystal face‐centered‐cubic structure. Time‐resolved studies suggest that the nanoprisms are formed by steady consumption of the original Ag seeds with little variation of the aspect ratio after a short induction time.