The Adhesion Properties of a Plasma Modified Thermoplastic Olefin Elastomer

The effects of nitrogen plasma on the adhesion of thermoplastic olefin elastomer (TPO) are studied with attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR), the lap shear test, and the contact angle measurement. The plasma is applied after the TPO is dip‐coated with acrylic acid (AA), mixed with benzophenone (BP), benzoyl peroxide, and 2,2‐azoisobutyronitrile initiators. ATR spectra confirm the presence of grafted AA on TPO, with the amount depending on the exposure time and the initiator used. The total surface energy and the polar component of the grafted TPO increase while the lap shear strength (LSS) decreases with exposure time, and all these also vary with the initiator. The plasma treatment and the grafted AA improve the LSS of the TPO. The greatest LSS is obtained from the specimen grafted with AA and BP. The nature of the reacted surface layer has a significant effect on the adhesion strength of the TPO.     

A Possible Role for HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors and Its Association with HMGCR Genetic Variation in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease characterised by both motor- and non-motor symptoms, including cognitive impairment. The aetiopathogenesis of PD, as well as its protective and susceptibility factors, are still elusive. Neuroprotective effects of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors—statins—via both cholesterol-dependent and independent mechanisms have been shown in animal and cell culture models. However, the available data provide conflicting results on the role of statin treatment in PD patients. Moreover, cholesterol is a vital component for brain functions and may be considered as protective against PD. We present possible statin effects on PD under the hypothesis that they may depend on the HMG-CoA reductase gene (HMGCR) variability, such as haplotype 7, which was shown to affect cholesterol synthesis and statin treatment outcome, diminishing possible neuroprotection associated with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors administration. Statins are among the most prescribed groups of drugs. Thus, it seems important to review the available data in the context of their possible neuroprotective effects in PD, and the HMG-CoA reductase gene’s genetic variability.     

Multimodal Optically Nonlinear Nanoparticles Exhibiting Simultaneous Higher Harmonics Generation and Upconversion Luminescence for Anticounterfeiting and 8-bit Optical Coding

Nonlinear optical materials are essential in areas such as nanophotonics, optical information processing, and biomedical imaging. However, nanomaterials employed for these diverse applications to date are efficient only for one type of nonlinear optical activity. Herein, the first multimodal nonlinear optically active class of nanomaterials based on lanthanide-doped lithium niobate nanoparticles, which simultaneously exhibit unprecedentedly efficient second and third harmonic generation, as well as up-conversion photoluminescence, is reported. These dielectric nanoparticles retain their high nonlinear optical conversion efficiency both as powder and as aqueous colloidal solution. The high stability also allows for the fabrication of optically active biocompatible micron-sized fibers and polymer-based 3D-printable objects, as well as for fingerprint detection. Finally, the first 8-bit coding platform purely based on multimodal nonlinear optical activity originating from different parametric and nonparametric processes is demonstrated, showcasing the technological potential of these materials for both anti-counterfeiting and advanced optical information processing.     

Dithizone modified gold nanoparticles films for potentiometric sensing

For the first time, application of a membrane composed of gold nanoparticles decorated with complexing ligand for potentiometric sensing is shown. Gold nanoparticles drop cast from a solution form a porous structure on a substrate electrode surface. Sample cations can penetrate the gold nanoparticles layer and interact with ligand acting as a charged ionophore, resulting in Nernstian potentiometric responses. Anchoring of complexing ligand on the gold surface abolishes the necessity of ionophore application. Moreover, it opens the possibility of preparation of potentiometric sensors using chelators of significantly different selectivity patterns further enhanced by the absence of polymeric membrane matrix. This was clearly seen, for example, for gold nanoparticles stabilizing the applied ligand-dithizone-thiol conformation leading to a high potentiometric selectivity toward copper ions, much higher than that of ionophores typically used to induce selectivity for polymeric ion-selective membranes.     

Characterization of fatigued Al lines by means of SThM and XRD: Analysis using fast Fourier transform

Longitudinal performance and reliability of microelectronic structures is strongly influenced by the condition of interconnects. Degradation processes invoke changes, progressive in time, on the surface, in the body of interconnect layer, in the boundary between interconnect and the Si/SiO₂ substrate, and in the area of substrate near Al line. Geometrical scale of these changes may vary in wide range, reaching nanometers. The authors investigate the condition of Al path of a fatigued commercial electronic circuit (memory), using in-house developed scanning thermal microscope (SThM) and commercial high resolution X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Series of SThM images were obtained for varying temperature of Wollaston probe working in active mode. The images, after processing by 2-dimensional spatial FFT, reveal various ingredients of the surface and internal structure of the Al line. FFT power spectrum dispersion is proposed as a measure of the amount of information available from the scan image. This measure may be used to determine the most efficient temperature of Wollaston probe. The result is a preliminary analysis of feasibility of the SThM approach for characterization of degradation process. In general SThM shall be perceived as a new technique for reliability analysis.     

Design and implementation of a contact‐less power charger for robot applications

In this paper, a contact‐less power charger for robot applications is studied and developed. Contact‐less charging can be achieved by a separable transformer design. The transformer primary core is in the charger unit, and the secondary core is in the robots. The transformer air‐gap is equal to the distance between these two parts. By theoretical analysis, software simulations, and circuit implementation, the relationship among the transformer's coupling coefficient, the core geometry, and gap are formulated. In addition, a high‐efficiency circuit topology for the studied contact‐less charger is fulfilled. It is anticipated that the research results of this paper can contribute to the development of the contact‐less charging techniques for robot systems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biodegradability evaluation of wastewaters from malt and beer production

This study reports results of respirometric measurements of activated sludge biodegrading the substrate in wastewater originating from the following brewery plant production departments: malt house, brewhouse, fermentation house and racking house. The process was conducted at two temperatures: 10 and 20°C with activated sludge adapted to brewery wastewaters. The loading of activated sludge reached 0.25 g chemical oxygen demand per gram dry matter per day, which assured complete degradation of organic matter. The physicochemical characteristics of the wastewaters are provided. The study demonstrates a correlation between the site of wastewater generation, the specific character of a unitary technological process and the quality of the wastewater discharged to the sewage system, including biodegradability. Despite significant differences in the quality of the wastewaters, they were characterized by high biodegradability at a temperature of 10 and 20°C and by the C:N:P ratio being beneficial for biological treatment, irrespective of their source of origin. Copyright © 2013 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling