Influence of surface diffusion on the formation of hollow nanostructures induced by the Kirkendall effect: the basic concept

The Kirkendall effect has been widely applied for fabrication of nanoscale hollow structures, which involves an unbalanced counterdiffusion through a reaction interface. Conventional treatment of this process only considers the bulk diffusion of growth species and vacancies. In this letter, a conceptual extension is proposed: the development of the hollow interior undergoes two main stages. The initial stage is the generation of small Kirkendall voids intersecting the compound interface via a bulk diffusion process; the second stage is dominated by surface diffusion of the core material (viz., the fast-diffusing species) along the pore surface. This concept applies to spherical as well as cylindrical nanometer and microscale structures, and even to macroscopic bilayers. As supporting evidence, we show the results of a spinel-forming solid-state reaction of core-shell nanowires, as well as of a planar bilayer of ZnO-Al2O3 to illustrate the influence of surface diffusion on the morphology evolution.     

Low-frequency electrophoretic actuation of nanoscale optoentropic transduction mechanisms

Inherent bistabilities within DNA-assembled fluorescent resonant energy transfer systems demonstrated time-varying optical signals in response to an electrophoretic driving force. Frequency responses of electrophoretically driven FRET systems were shown to be sequence specific. Integration of these signals over time gave near single-molecule sensitivity within a high background of autofluorescence. This research suggests that externally driven nanoscale mechanical systems may help improve information flow within morphologically intact specimens.     

IL-33 Enhances IFNγ and TNFα Production by Human MAIT Cells: A New Pro-Th1 Effect of IL-33

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells represent a distinct T cell population restricted by the MHC-class-I-related molecule, MR1, which recognizes microbial-derived vitamin B2 (riboflavin) metabolites. Their abundance in humans, together with their ability to promptly produce distinct cytokines including interferon γ (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), are consistent with regulatory functions in innate as well as adaptive immunity. Here, we tested whether the alarmin interleukin 33 (IL-33), which is secreted following inflammation or cell damage, could activate human MAIT cells. We found that MAIT cells stimulated with IL-33 produced high levels of IFNγ, TNFα and Granzyme B (GrzB). The action of IL-33 required IL-12 but was independent of T cell receptor (TCR) cross-linking. MAIT cells expressed the IL-33 receptor ST2 (suppression of tumorigenicity 2) and upregulated Tbet (T-box expressed in T cells) in response to IL-12 or IL-33. Electronically sorted MAIT cells also upregulated the expression of CCL3 (Chemokine C-C motif ligand 3), CD40L (CD40 Ligand), CSF-1 (Colony Stimulating Factor 1), LTA (Lymphotoxin-alpha) and IL-2RA (IL-2 receptor alpha chain) mRNAs in response to IL-33 plus IL-12. In conclusion, IL-33 combined with IL-12 can directly target MAIT cells to induce their activation and cytokine production. This novel mechanism of IL-33 activation provides insight into the mode of action by which human MAIT cells can promote inflammatory responses in a TCR-independent manner.     

Zur Genauigkeit von Heizwärme‐Bilanzverfahren. Einführung eines Heizperiodenbilanzverfahrens mit analytischen Klimafunktionen

Precision of heating energy balance methods. Introduction of annual heating energy balance with analytical climate function. By smoothing the outdoor temperature and global radiation intensities to cosine functions it is possible to obtain the length of the heating period, the mean outdoor temperature and the radiation during the heating period as functions of the base temperatures. Neglecting the time difference between radiation intensities and outdoor temperature it is also possible to represent the mean base temperature as a simple function of building parameters and outdoor climate values. With these functions the accuracy of the monthly heating energy balance method and of the annual heating energy balance method according to the European Standard EN 832 can be tested for very low heat gains. Comparisons show, that the monthly heating energy balance method and even more the annual heating energy balance method according to EN 832 tend to underestimate the annual heating energy demand. With short heating periods, this tendency is stronger. At heating periods shorter than 4 months the qualification of the monthly heating energy balance method as reference method seems to be questionable. The analytic heating energy balance method, a simple completely analytical method using energy balance over the heating period for different energetic standards is introduced. The accuracy in the calculation of annual heating energy demand is checked in comparisons with the monthly heating energy balance method. For heating periods longer than 5 months the annual heating energy demand calculated with this method differs less than 2 percent from the equivalent value of the monthly heating energy balance method in most cases. The annual method of energy balance over the heating period introduced by Loga for buildings with different energetic standards is analysed and compared with the analytic balance method.     

Acetylation of faba bean legumin: conformational changes and aggregation

The effect of progressive acetylation upon the conformation of the 11S globulin legumin from faba bean has been studied using chemical analysis, UV, fluorescence and CD spectroscopy, viscometry and analytical ultracentrifugation. The modification did not induce complete dissociation of the oligomeric protein. Only 30% of the protein was found to be a dissociated 3S subunit after excessive acetylation, whereas 70% was a dimeric legumin aggregate with a molecular mass of about 700 kDa. The aggregation of the highly modified legumin in high‐ionic‐strength buffer solution leads to soluble higher legumin oligomers. The acetylation resulted in a moderate molecular expansion of legumin due to a changed tertiary structure, whereas the far‐UV circular dichroism spectra did not provide definitive evidence of a decrease in domain‐stabilizing β‐sheet conformations in their secondary structure. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

New Aromatic Azapentalenes: 3H‐ and 2H‐Imidazo[1,2‐d]tetrazoles

A number of title compounds ( 3a,c,4a—c ) were prepared by cyclization of 5‐aminotetrazolium salts having ketonic substituents ( 1,2 ). The following procedures were applied: a) for 3a, 4a,b : heating of 1a, 2a,b with acetic anhydride‐ base; b) for 3c,4c : heating of 1b,2b in a buffer solution of pH 6.5 (Tschitschibabin reaction). The proclivity for ring closure was more pronounced with the salts 2 . The 6‐unsubstituted representatives 3c and 4c underwent S_E‐reactions, the 2H‐isomer 4c being slightly more reactive; this was confirmed by AM1 calculations. The nitroso product 4g exists predominantly as the valence‐isomeric nitrile oxide 6 .     

Structured latex particles based on natural rubber for high-impact polymer blends

Natural latex (NR) particles, modified with a hard shell of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and with a substructure of PMMA (type "NR-M") or polystyrene (type "NR-SM"), were tested as compatibilizers in blends of polycarbonate (of bisphenol A, PC) and PMMA or PS. During melt blending, the modified NR particles were torn apart, from an original size of >0.5 μm down to ≅0.1 μm in diameter. Two different types of particle distribution were observed in the blends: in PC/PMMA/NR-M blends, the NR-M particles were dispersed in the PMMA phase, whereas, in PC/PS/NR-SM blends, the NR-SM particles formed interface layers between PC and PS phase domains. The latter blend morphology, distinguished by continuous rubbery interface layers of NR-SM, turned out to be mechanically excellent in injection-moulded parts. The poor impact strength of PC/PS was raised by an order of magnitude. The effect depends on the orientation in the injection-moulded test bars.     

Recent trends in environmentally friendly lubricants

Many of the lubricants used in the world today cause environmental pollution through total‐loss applications, spillage, evaporation, and in other ways. To reduce this environmental damage, new lubricants that are rapidly biodegradable and ecologically non‐toxic have started to be developed and marketed. This paper discusses the introduction of environmentally friendly lubricants and their constituents, with particular emphasis on their environmental benefits, applications, the limits to their use, their technical performance characteristics, and relative cost aspects; many of these lubricants are based on vegetable oils and esters. Comparisons are also made in the paper with conventional mineral‐oil based materials.