In situ Characterization of SiO2 Nanoparticle Biointeractions Using BrightSilica

By adding a gold core to silica nanoparticles (BrightSilica), silica‐like nanoparticles are generated that, unlike unmodified silica nanoparticles, provide three types of complementary information to investigate the silica nano‐biointeraction inside eukaryotic cells in situ. Firstly, organic molecules in proximity of and penetrating into the silica shell in live cells are monitored by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS data show interaction of the hybrid silica particles with tyrosine, cysteine and phenylalanine side chains of adsorbed proteins. Composition of the biomolecular corona of BrightSilica nanoparticles differs in fibroblast and macrophage cells. Secondly, quantification of the BrightSilica nanoparticles using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) micromapping indicates a different interaction of silica nanoparticles compared to gold nanoparticles under the same experimental conditions. Thirdly, the metal cores allow the investigation of particle distribution and interaction in the cellular ultrastructure by cryo nanoscale X‐ray tomography (cryo‐XT). In 3D reconstructions the assumption is confirmed that BrightSilica nanoparticles enter cells by an endocytotic mechanism. The high SERS intensities are explained by the beneficial plasmonic properties due to agglomeration of BrightSilica. The results have implications for the development of multi‐modal qualitative and quantitative characterization in comparative nanotoxicology and bionanotechnology.     

Computational aspects of the expected differential probability of 4-round AES and AES-like ciphers

In this paper we study the security of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and AES-like block ciphers against differential cryptanalysis. Differential cryptanalysis is one of the most powerful methods for analyzing the security of block ciphers. Even though no formal proofs for the security of AES against differential cryptanalysis have been provided to date, some attempts to compute the maximum expected differential probability (MEDP) for two and four rounds of AES have been presented recently. In this paper, we will improve upon existing approaches in order to derive better bounds on the EDP for two and four rounds of AES based on a slightly simplified S-box. More precisely, we are able to provide the complete distribution of the EDP for two rounds of this AES variant with five active S-boxes and methods to improve the estimates for the EDP in the case of six active S-boxes.     

Numerical and experimental analysis of stresses and failure in T-bolt joints

T-bolt joints are widely used in the wind turbine industry. This paper describes the constitution and function of the different components of the joint, showing the different parameters that affect its performance, and presents a parametric analysis, useful for joint design and optimization, relating laminate thickness, bolt and cylinder diameters to pitch distance, and pretension of the bolt with external load. In order to provide information on the influence of the T-bolt geometry on the strength of the laminate in the net tension and bearing zones, tests for two different glass fiber – epoxy laminates, under different pitch/diameter ratios have been performed, forcing either bearing or tension failure modes. Stress and strain concentrations in the laminate have been estimated trough a three-dimensional finite element model that takes into account pretension effects and contact nonlinearities. How experimental results correlate with simple and finite element model analysis is discussed. Stress Point Criteria may be applied for joint tension failure with a characteristic distance of d₀ = 0.9 mm.     

Insult, aggression, and the southern culture of honor: An "experimental ethnography."

Three experiments examined how norms characteristic of a "culture of honor" manifest themselves in the cognitions, emotions, behaviors, and physiological reactions of southern White males. Participants were University of Michigan students who grew up in the North or South. In 3 experiments, they were insulted by a confederate who bumped into the participant and called him an "asshole." Compared with northerners (who were relatively unaffected by the insult) southerners were more likely to think their masculine reputation was threatened, more upset (as shown by a rise in cortisol levels), more physiologically primed for aggression (as shown by a rise in testosterone levels), more cognitively primed for aggression, and more likely to engage in aggressive and dominant behavior. Findings highlight the insult–aggression cycle in cultures of honor, in which insults diminish a man's reputation and he tries to restore his status by aggressive or violent behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sodium molybdate—a possible alternate additive for sodium dichromate in the electrolytic production of sodium chlorate

Sodium dichromate is commonly used in sodium chlorate production to maintain high current efficiency; however, it is also a well documented carcinogen. To reduce the environmental impact, identification of a suitable alternative with similar buffering characteristics to dichromate and without adverse effect on the electrolytic performance of sodium chlorate production is important; sodium molybdate is a good candidate. Molybdate ion and its conjugated acid work as a buffer pair at pH 5–6, a lower and slightly narrower pH window than the typical buffer region of dichromate. Nonetheless, the molybdate buffer works effectively during the electrolytic process by maintaining pH at 5.9. Although the use of molybdate buffer will lower the overpotential of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by 100 mV, the average off-gas oxygen content is noticeably compromised at 3.6–4.6%, measured using a pilot cell operated at 3 kA m⁻²and 80 °C during a 3-day trial. The resulting current efficiency of 91 92% is significantly lower than when dichromate is employed as the process additive (> 96%). Mixtures of different dichromate and molybdate ratio were also investigated in terms of the resulting cathode surface potential.     

Applications of heat-diffusion equation for surface wrapping: hole detection and normal orientation

This paper presents a method for detecting holes during the surface wrapping process which cause surface leaks into the volume parts that shall not be meshed. The method solves a heat-diffusion equation on the background octree mesh, which is generated based on user-defined parameters, and its resolution corresponds to the resolution of the wrapper surface mesh. The heat problem is posed with the constant heat source in the volume, and the holes are detected as regions of high temperature gradients. The method detects both holes with open-boundary edges and semantic holes due to some missing parts. The sensitivity of the method is controlled via user-adjustable parameter which represents the ratio between the volume that shall not be meshed and the area of the hole. In addition, it is demonstrated that the method can be used to correct the orientation of normals in the surface mesh by utilising the property that high temperature is always found inside the volume. The potential of the method is presented on complex engineering examples.     

Microstructure study of poly(isobutyl acrylate) and poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">sec</Emphasis>-butyl acrylate) by incremental analysis of <Superscript>13</Superscript>C NMR spectra

Microstructure of poly(isobutyl acrylate) (PiBuA) and poly(sec-butyl acrylate) (PsBuA), prepared by free radical and anionic polymerization, was investigated by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The carbonyl signal in the 100 MHz ¹³C NMR spectra of both homopolymers provided sufficient resolution to perform detailed analysis of distribution of configurational sequences at the pentad/heptad level. Application of Bernoulli and first order Markov statistics to determine probabilities of configurational sequences and incremental calculation to estimate chemical shifts of the individual sequences allowed for positive simulation of carbonyl signals.     

Investigations on Selectivity of Gas-Liquid Reactions in Capillaries

Biocatalysis offers a broad spectrum of possible ecological and economic advantages over conventional chemical catalysis processes, e.g., lower energy consumption and high enantio selectivity. The focus of this work is on gas-liquid reactions. These are of great importance in the chemical and biochemical industry and subject of current research since they are often limited by mass transfer or show low selectivity. Different suitable biocatalytically gas-liquid reaction systems were tested in capillary reactor designs in order to obtain information about the interaction between reaction and fluid mechanics. Furthermore, an optical measuring method was established. The experiments were performed in batch mode in a glass beaker with a flow cuvette for UV/Vis measurement of product concentration.     

Validation of the performance of a GMO multiplex screening assay based on microarray detection

A new screening method for the detection and identification of GMO, based on the use of multiplex PCR followed by microarray, has been developed and is presented. The technology is based on the identification of quite ubiquitous GMO genetic target elements first amplified by PCR, followed by direct hybridisation of the amplicons on a predefined microarray (DualChip^® GMO, Eppendorf, Germany). The validation was performed within the framework of a European project (Co-Extra, contract no 007158) and in collaboration with 12 laboratories specialised in GMO detection. The present study reports the strategy and the results of an ISO complying validation of the method carried out through an inter-laboratory study. Sets of blind samples were provided consisting of DNA reference materials covering all the elements detectable by specific probes present on the array. The GMO concentrations varied from 1% down to 0.045%. In addition, a mixture of two GMO events (0.1% RRS diluted in 100% TOPAS19/2) was incorporated in the study to test the robustness of the assay in extreme conditions. Data were processed according to ISO 5725 standard. The method was evaluated with predefined performance criteria with respect to the EC CRL method acceptance criteria. The overall method performance met the acceptance criteria; in particular, the results showed that the method is suitable for the detection of the different target elements at 0.1% concentration of GMO with a 95% accuracy rate. This collaborative trial showed that the method can be considered as fit for the purpose of screening with respect to its intra- and inter-laboratory accuracy. The results demonstrated the validity of combining multiplex PCR with array detection as provided by the DualChip^® GMO (Eppendorf, Germany) for the screening of GMO. The results showed that the technology is robust, practical and suitable as a screening tool.     

Bifurcation and chaos analysis of nonlinear rotor system with axial-grooved gas-lubricated journal bearing support

Axial-grooved gas-lubricated journal bearings have been widely applied to precision instrument due to their high accuracy, low friction, low noise and high stability. The rotor system with axial-grooved gas-lubricated journal bearing support is a typical nonlinear dynamic system. The nonlinear analysis measures have to be adopted to analyze the behaviors of the axial-grooved gas-lubricated journal bearing-rotor nonlinear system as the linear analysis measures fail. The bifurcation and chaos of nonlinear rotor system with three axial-grooved gas-lubricated journal bearing support are investigated by nonlinear dynamics theory. A time-dependent mathematical model is established to describe the pressure distribution in the axial-grooved compressible gas-lubricated journal bearing. The time-dependent compressible gas-lubricated Reynolds equation is solved by the differential transformation method. The gyroscopic effect of the rotor supported by gas-lubricated journal bearing with three axial grooves is taken into consideration in the model of the system, and the dynamic equation of motion is calculated by the modified Wilson-0-based method. To analyze the unbalanced responses of the rotor system supported by finite length gas-lubricated journal bearings, such as bifurcation and chaos, the bifurcation diagram, the orbit diagram, the Poincar6 map, the time series and the frequency spectrum are employed. The numerical results reveal that the nonlinear gas film forces have a significant influence on the stability of rotor system and there are the rich nonlinear phenomena, such as the periodic, period-doubling, quasi-periodic, period-4 and chaotic motion, and so on. The proposed models and numerical results can provide a theoretical direction to the design of axial-grooved gas-lubricated journal bearing-rotor system.