Applying reticular synthesis to the design of Cu-based MOFs with mechanically interlocked linkers

The concept of“robust dynamics”describes the incorporation of mechanically interlocked molecules(MIMs)into metal-organic framework(MOF)materials such that large amplitude motions(e.g.,rotation or translation of a macrocycle)can occur inside the free volume pore of the MOF.To aid in the preparation of such materials,reticular synthesis was used herein to design rigid molecular building blocks with predetermined ordered structures starting from the well-known MOF NOTT-101.New linkers were synthesized that have a T-shape,based on a triphenylene tetra-carboxylate strut,and their incorporation into Cu(II)-based MOFs was investigated.The single-crystal structures of three new MOFs,UWCM-12(fof),β-UWCM-13(loz),UWCM-14(lil),with naked T-shaped linkers were determined;β-UWCM-13 is the first reported example of the loz topology.A fourth MOF,UWDM-14(lil)is analogous to UWCM-14(lil)but contains a[2]rotaxane linker.Variable-temperature,²H solid-state NMR was used to probe the dynamics of a 24-membered macrocycle threaded onto the MOF skeleton.     

Reference Range Estimation: Accounting for Measurement System Errors

Reference range is a statistic that is used in health related fields to represent the range of the most likely values for a variable of interest. Based on this range, individuals are classified as being healthy or unhealthy. In biostatistics, the reference range is calculated as the (1 ? α)% prediction interval, where this prediction interval is based on the estimated population variance from the data. Such estimation of population variance is not precise, because obtained test results do usually have errors associated with them. These errors are due to the imprecise test procedure or gauge used. In this paper, the total variability in the data is decomposed into two categories. The first is the patient‐to‐patient variability and the other is the variability due to the measurement system used. Estimation of the two kinds is performed through a gauge repeatability and reproducibility study, then the reference range is calculated, taking into account only the patient‐to‐patient variability. The revised reference range procedure is illustrated through a case study of vitamin B12 test results. A closed form formula is given to calculate the probability of a given test result being within the revised reference range. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incremental Learning Framework for Mining Big Data Stream

At this current time, data stream classification plays a key role in big data analytics due to its enormous growth. Most of the existing classification methods used ensemble learning, which is trustworthy but these methods are not effective to face the issues of learning from imbalanced big data, it also supposes that all data are pre-classified. Another weakness of current methods is that it takes a long evaluation time when the target data stream contains a high number of features. The main objective of this research is to develop a new method for incremental learning based on the proposed ant lion fuzzy-generative adversarial network model. The proposed model is implemented in spark architecture. For each data stream, the class output is computed at slave nodes by training a generative adversarial network with the back propagation error based on fuzzy bound computation. This method overcomes the limitations of existing methods as it can classify data streams that are slightly or completely unlabeled data and providing high scalability and efficiency. The results show that the proposed model outperforms state-of-the-art performance in terms of accuracy (0.861) precision (0.9328) and minimal MSE (0.0416).     

Switched diversity approach for multireceiving optical wireless systems

A number of existing spatial diversity schemes have been shown to improve the performance of optical wireless communication systems in diversity-rich environments. Among all, switched diversity has low complexity and is simple to implement. In this paper, an innovative spatial diversity scheme based on switched diversity is proposed. The scheme, namely switch-to-dominant combining, contributes to a higher bit error rate (BER) performance when compared to conventional switched diversity schemes, including switch-and-stay and switch-and-examine diversity. The optical multireceiver wireless system operates in a spatially correlated and lognormally distributed fading channel. Analytical analyses are conducted to demonstrate BER and processing load performance offered by the new scheme and compare them to available schemes, i.e., conventional switched combining and selection combining.     

Flexural Performance of Drilled Shafts with Minor Flaws in Stiff Clay

Lateral loads are often the primary forces that act on drilled shafts when they support retaining walls, bridge piers, or building foundations. The construction of drilled shafts often inadvertently introduces flaws that are not always detectable with well-performed nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. The effect of such undetectable minor flaws on the lateral-load performance of drilled shafts needs to be assessed and subsequently considered in the design. This paper summarizes a field study that consisted of NDE of six, full-scale drilled shafts with preinstalled voids and lateral-load tests that were performed on the six test shafts. Results from the field study indicated that undetectable (by NDE) void flaws occupying areas of up to 15% of the cross-sectional area of the drilled shaft could reduce free-head shear capacity up to 16%. A subsequent numerical analysis was performed to filter out all variables, other than void flaws, that could affect the lateral-load deformation of drilled shafts. Numerical analysis results validated the field tests measurements. A parametric study of variables affecting the load-deformation behavior of drilled shafts suggests that a reduction in moment capacity of up to 27% is possible with undetected voids present in the shafts that were tested.     

Molecular Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide (NO) Signaling and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Homeostasis during Abiotic Stresses in Plants

Abiotic stressors, such as drought, heavy metals, and high salinity, are causing huge crop losses worldwide. These abiotic stressors are expected to become more extreme, less predictable, and more widespread in the near future. With the rapidly growing human population and changing global climate conditions, it is critical to prevent global crop losses to meet the increasing demand for food and other crop products. The reactive gaseous signaling molecule nitric oxide (NO) is involved in numerous plant developmental processes as well as plant responses to various abiotic stresses through its interactions with various molecules. Together, these interactions lead to the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS), proline and glutathione biosynthesis, post-translational modifications such as S-nitrosylation, and modulation of gene and protein expression. Exogenous application of various NO donors positively mitigates the negative effects of various abiotic stressors. In view of the multidimensional role of this signaling molecule, research over the past decade has investigated its potential in alleviating the deleterious effects of various abiotic stressors, particularly in ROS homeostasis. In this review, we highlight the recent molecular and physiological advances that provide insights into the functional role of NO in mediating various abiotic stress responses in plants.     

Effects of Trichoderma harzianum on Photosynthetic Characteristics and Fruit Quality of Tomato Plants

The beneficial role of fungi from the Trichoderma genus and its secondary metabolites in promoting plant growth, uptake and use efficiency of macronutrients and oligo/micro-nutrients, activation of plant secondary metabolism and plant protection from diseases makes it interesting for application in environmentally friendly agriculture. However, the literature data on the effect of Trichoderma inoculation on tomato fruit quality is scarce. Commercially used tomato cultivars were chosen in combination with indigenous Trichodrema species previously characterized on molecular and biochemical level, to investigate the effect of Trichoderma on photosynthetic characteristics and fruit quality of plants grown in organic system of production. Examined cultivars differed in the majority of examined parameters. Response of cultivar Gružanski zlatni to Trichoderma application was more significant. As a consequence of increased epidermal flavonols and decreased chlorophyll, the nitrogen balance index in leaves has decreased, indicating a shift from primary to secondary metabolism. The quality of its fruit was altered in the sense of increased total flavonoids content, decreased starch, increased Bioaccumulation Index (BI) for Fe and Cr, and decreased BI for heavy metals Ni and Pb. Higher expression of swolenin gene in tomato roots of more responsive tomato cultivar indicates better root colonization, which correlates with observed positive effects of Trichodrema.     

Modulations in Chlorophyll a Fluorescence Based on Intensity and Spectral Variations of Light

Photosynthetic efficiency is significantly affected by both qualitative and quantitative changes during light exposure. The properties of light have a profound effect on electron transport and energy absorption in photochemical reactions. In addition, fluctuations in light intensity and variations in the spectrum can lead to a decrease in photosystem II efficiency. These features necessitate the use of a simple and suitable tool called chlorophyll a fluorescence to study photosynthetic reactions as a function of the aforementioned variables. This research implies that chlorophyll a fluorescence data can be used to determine precise light conditions that help photoautotrophic organisms optimally function.