Electrochemically deposited polypyrrole films and their characterization

Ionically conductive polypyrrole films have been deposited at 295 K from anhydrous acetonitrile, acetonitrile/H₂O and NaBF₄ aqueous solutions onto platinum, mild steel and stainless steel discs, using cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic and galvanostatic techniques. Cyclic voltammetry of the polymer films has been studied as a function of water content of the acetonitrile solvent, polypyrrole concentration and potential sweep rate. Potentiostatic growth of thicker (< 30 micron) films on stainless steel allowed free-standing polypyrrole membranes to be produced. Well adherent and conductive films were deposited at constant potential in stirred solutions from acetonitrile electrolytes containing 1% (v/v) of water. The membrane resistivity of the reduced films in 0.5 mol dm^− 3 KCl_(aq) at 295 K was ≈ 1 × 10⁶ Ω cm, while the resistivity of the oxidised membrane was 2700 Ω cm.     

The Trend Toward Latin American Economic Integration

Revolutionary developments in the patterns of world trade have taken place during the past five years, and Latin America is no exception. This article discusses the effects of the Latin American Free Trade Association, the Central American Common Market, and the Inter-American Development Bank on the economic integration of Latin America.     

CMS环境下基于智能优化算法的单元间布局问题研究*

研究了单元制造系统(CMS)设计中单元间布局设计问题,从单元制造系统的实际出发,提出了一种基于割树(Slicing-tree)的单元间布局设计模型.该模型考虑了单元形状约束、单元I/O点位置优化等诸因素对布局结果的影响.针对基于割树的描述形式,采用遗传算法求解,提出了一种新的割树编码方案,克服了以往编码方案易产生非法子串、不能覆盖整个解空间以及实现困难等缺点.计算结果表明,该算法是有效的、可行的.     

粗糙集理论及其在图像处理中的应用*

首先描述了粗糙集理论的基本概念,包括粗糙集知识表示方法和粗糙集约简理论;叙述了粗糙集理论及其与其他非线性理论相结合在图像处理中的应用情况;最后指出了粗糙集理论应用于图像处理的基本思路,并指出将粗糙集理论与其他非线性理论相结合应用于图像处理,将会产生更加有效的结果.     

Optimization of post-classification processing of high-resolution satellite image: A case study

The application of remote sensing monitoring techniques plays a crucial role in evaluating and governing the vast amount of ecological construction projects in China. However, extracting information of ecological engineering target through high-resolution satellite image is arduous due to the unique topography and complicated spatial pattern on the Loess Plateau of China. As a result, enhancing classification accuracy is a huge challenge to high-resolution image processing techniques. Image processing techniques have a definitive effect on image properties and the selection of different parameters may change the final classification accuracy during post-classification processing. The common method of eliminating noise and smoothing image is majority filtering. However, the filter function may modify the original classified image and the final accuracy. The aim of this study is to develop an efficient and accurate post-processing technique for acquiring information of soil and water conservation engineering, on the Loess Plateau of China, using SPOT image with 2.5 m resolution. We argue that it is vital to optimize satellite image filtering parameters for special areas and purposes, which focus on monitoring ecological construction projects. We want to know how image filtering influences final classified results and which filtering kernel is optimum. The study design used a series of window sizes to filter the original classified image, and then assess the accuracy of each output map and image quality. We measured the relationship between filtering window size and classification accuracy, and optimized the post-processing techniques of SPOT5 satellite images. We conclude that (1) smoothing with the majority filter is sensitive to the information accuracy of soil and water conservation engineering, and (2) for SPOT5 2.5 m image, the 5×5 pixel majority filter is most suitable kernel for extracting information of ecological construction sites in the Loess Plateau of China.     

Early-Life Development of the Bifidobacterial Community in the Infant Gut

The establishment of the gut microbiota poses implications for short and long-term health. Bifidobacterium is an important taxon in early life, being one of the most abundant genera in the infant intestinal microbiota and carrying out key functions for maintaining host-homeostasis. Recent metagenomic studies have shown that different factors, such as gestational age, delivery mode, or feeding habits, affect the gut microbiota establishment at high phylogenetic levels. However, their impact on the specific bifidobacterial populations is not yet well understood. Here we studied the impact of these factors on the different Bifidobacterium species and subspecies at both the quantitative and qualitative levels. Fecal samples were taken from 85 neonates at 2, 10, 30, 90 days of life, and the relative proportions of the different bifidobacterial populations were assessed by 16S rRNA–23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Absolute levels of the main species were determined by q-PCR. Our results showed that the bifidobacterial population establishment is affected by gestational age, delivery mode, and infant feeding, as it is evidenced by qualitative and quantitative changes. These data underline the need for understanding the impact of perinatal factors on the gut microbiota also at low taxonomic levels, especially in the case of relevant microbial populations such as Bifidobacterium. The data obtained provide indications for the selection of the species best suited for the development of bifidobacteria-based products for different groups of neonates and will help to develop rational strategies for favoring a healthy early microbiota development when this process is challenged.     

Usher Syndrome in the Inner Ear: Etiologies and Advances in Gene Therapy

Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder with ~466 million people worldwide affected, representing about 5% of the population. A substantial portion of hearing loss is genetic. Hearing loss can either be non-syndromic, if hearing loss is the only clinical manifestation, or syndromic, if the hearing loss is accompanied by a collage of other clinical manifestations. Usher syndrome is a syndromic form of genetic hearing loss that is accompanied by impaired vision associated with retinitis pigmentosa and, in many cases, vestibular dysfunction. It is the most common cause of deaf-blindness. Currently cochlear implantation or hearing aids are the only treatments for Usher-related hearing loss. However, gene therapy has shown promise in treating Usher-related retinitis pigmentosa. Here we review how the etiologies of Usher-related hearing loss make it a good candidate for gene therapy and discuss how various forms of gene therapy could be applied to Usher-related hearing loss.     

Therapeutic Potential for Regulation of the Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Transcription Factor p65 to Prevent Cellular Senescence and Activation of Pro-Inflammatory in Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells have an important potential in the treatment of age-related diseases. In the last years, small extracellular vesicles derived from these stem cells have been proposed as cell-free therapies. Cellular senescence and proinflammatory activation are involved in the loss of therapeutic capacity and in the phenomenon called inflamm-aging. The regulators of these two biological processes in mesenchymal stem cells are not well-known. In this study, we found that p65 is activated during cellular senescence and inflammatory activation in human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell. To demonstrate the central role of p65 in these two processes, we used small-molecular inhibitors of p65, such as JSH-23, MG-132 and curcumin. We found that the inhibition of p65 prevents the cellular senescence phenotype in human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Besides, p65 inhibition produced the inactivation of proinflammatory molecules as components of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) (interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 (IL-6 and IL-8)). Additionally, we found that the inhibition of p65 prevents the transmission of paracrine senescence between mesenchymal stem cells and the proinflammatory message through small extracellular vesicles. Our work highlights the important role of p65 and its inhibition to restore the loss of functionality of small extracellular vesicles from senescent mesenchymal stem cells and their inflamm-aging signature.