ZnO nanosquids: branching nanowires from nanotubes and nanorods

One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor nanostructures are promising building blocks for future nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. ZnO has proven to be a multifunctional and multistructural nanomaterial with promising properties. Here we report the growth of ZnO nanosquids which can be directly grown on planar oxidized Si substrates without using catalysts and templates. The formation of these nanosquids can be explained by the theory of nucleation, and the vapor-solid crystal growth mechanism. The branching nanowires of these ZnO nanosquids could have potential application in multiplexing future nanoelectronic devices. The sharp band-edge emission at approximately 380 nm indicates that these ZnO nanosquids are also applicable for interesting optoelectronic devices.     

Insecticidal properties of eugenol, isoeugenol and methyleugenol and their effects on nutrition of Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Eugenol, isoeugenol and methyleugenol showed similar contact toxicity to Sitophilus zeamais (LD₅₀ values approximately 30 μg/mg insect). For Tribolium castaneum, the order of potency of these chemicals compared by the LD₅₀ level was isoeugenol>eugenol>methyleugenol. Furthermore, S. zeamais was generally more susceptible than T. castaneum to these three compounds except for isoeugenol based on the LD₅₀ level. When sublethal doses (doses that produce no appreciable mortality) of eugenol, isoeugenol and methyleugenol were topically applied to adults of either species of beetles pre-treated with deltamethrin, the toxicity of deltamethrin was enhanced. A flour disc bioassay using no-choice tests was employed to assess, in terms of food consumption and growth rate, the susceptibility of S. zeamais and T. castaneum to media treated with eugenol, isoeugenol, and methyleugenol. Only eugenol significantly (P<0.05) reduced food consumption (RCR) in the adults of S. zeamais at a concentration of 13.2 mg/g food. However, it reduced the growth rate (RGR), food consumption and food utilisation (ECI) in adults and larvae of T. castaneum at concentrations of 35 and 99 mg/g food, respectively. Isoeugenol reduced the RGR and RCR in S. zeamais adults and T. castaneum adults and larvae, in a concentration-dependent manner, but only reduced ECI in the adults of T. castaneum at the concentration of 76 mg/g food. In comparison, methyleugenol reduced the RGR and RCR in the three groups of insects, and the ECI of S. zeamais adults and T. castaneum larvae.     

Display of the antigenic region of Nipah virus nucleocapsid protein on hepatitis B virus capsid

The C-terminal domain of Nipah virus (NiV) nucleocapsid protein (NP_401–532) was inserted at the N-terminus and the immunodominant loop of hepatitis B core antigen (HBc). The stability of NP_401–532 increased tremendously when displayed on the HBc particles. These particles reacted specifically with the swine anti-NiV and the human anti-HBc antisera.     

A survey of information technology in the U.K. service sector

Relationships between the use of information technology and organizational variables have been analysed using a sample of 638 business organizations in the service sector in the U.K. Data for the study were collected through a mail survey. Among the results presented here are the variation of the proportions of managers and information workers with size of organization, and the relationship between the use of computers and profitability. Discriminant analysis was used to distinguish between organizations using computers and those not using them. The study shows that organizations using computers tend to have more formality in communications, a higher growth rate and a higher proportion of information workers than organizations not using computers. The variation of computer capacity with size of organization is also examined.     

Identification of NRAS Diagnostic Biomarkers and Drug Targets for Endometrial Cancer—An Integrated in Silico Approach

The diagnosis of endometrial cancer involves sequential, invasive tests to assess the thickness of the endometrium by a transvaginal ultrasound scan. In 6–33% of cases, endometrial biopsy results in inadequate tissue for a conclusive pathological diagnosis and 6% of postmenopausal women with non-diagnostic specimens are later discovered to have severe endometrial lesions. Thus, identifying diagnostic biomarkers could offer a non-invasive diagnosis for community or home-based triage of symptomatic or asymptomatic women. Herein, this study identified high-risk pathogenic nsSNPs in the NRAS gene. The nsSNPs of NRAS were retrieved from the NCBI database. PROVEAN, SIFT, PolyPhen-2, SNPs&GO, PhD-SNP and PANTHER were used to predict the pathogenicity of the nsSNPs. Eleven nsSNPs were identified as “damaging”, and further stability analysis using I-Mutant 2.0 and MutPred 2 indicated eight nsSNPs to cause decreased stability (DDG scores < −0.5). Post-translational modification and protein–protein interactions (PPI) analysis showed putative phosphorylation sites. The PPI network indicated a GFR-MAPK signalling pathway with higher node degrees that were further evaluated for drug targets. The P34L, G12C and Y64D showed significantly lower binding affinity towards GTP than wild-type. Furthermore, the Kaplan–Meier bioinformatics analyses indicated that the NRAS gene deregulation affected the overall survival rate of patients with endometrial cancer, leading to prognostic significance. Findings from this could be considered novel diagnostic and therapeutic markers.     

高压单边器件的衬底电流再次升高和相关的热载流子注入效应

基于泊松方程和幸运电子模型,推出了适用于高压n型器件衬底电流(ISUB)的公式,并且为模拟和实验测量的结果所验证.普通n型低压器件的热载流子注入(HCI)效应和ISUB相关.因此,ISUB特征曲线的解释理论和基于理论的正确公式表述对于确保器件设计的可靠性尤为重要.高压器件的ISUB随栅极电压变化在峰值后再次升高.然而在普通低压器件的经典特征曲线中,ISUB仅呈现一个峰.高压器件的ISUB再次升高及其相关的可靠性问题成为新的研究热点.最广为接受的理论(Kirk effect)认为,ISUB再次升高是因为栅控沟道内的经典强电场区移动到沟道外n+漏极的边缘.本文与之不同,认为高压器件ISUB的再次升高并非因为经典强电场区的移动,而是因为在n+漏极边缘出现独立的强电场区,和经典强电场区同时并存,这就是双强电场模型.该双强电场模型仅有经典强电场的ISUB方程不适用于高压器件,新的ISUB方程也由此双强电场模型推导出来,公式与实验结果吻合.进一步地,双强电场模型引进了空穴在氧化层的陷落机制,解释了高压器件的热载流子注入效应.     

Cyber–Physical Production Systems for Data-Driven,Decentralized, and Secure Manufacturing—A Perspective

With the concepts of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing gaining popularity, there is a growing notion that conventional manufacturing will witness a transition toward a new paradigm, targeting innovation, automation, better response to customer needs, and intelligent systems. Within this context, this review focuses on the concept of cyber–physical production system (CPPS) and presents a holistic perspective on the role of the CPPS in three key and essential drivers of this transformation: data-driven manufacturing, decentralized manufacturing, and integrated blockchains for data security. The paper aims to connect these three aspects of smart manufacturing and proposes that through the application of data-driven modeling, CPPS will aid in transforming manufacturing to become more intuitive and automated. In turn, automated manufacturing will pave the way for the decentralization of manufacturing. Layering blockchain technologies on top of CPPS will ensure the reliability and security of data sharing and integration across decentralized systems. Each of these claims is supported by relevant case studies recently published in the literature and from the industry; a brief on existing challenges and the way forward is also provided.     

Tailoring Additively Manufactured Titanium Implants for Short-Time Pediatric Implantations with Enhanced Bactericidal Activity

Paediatric titanium (Ti) implants are used for the short-term fixation of fractures, after which they are removed. However, bone overgrowth on the implant surface can complicate their removal. The current Ti implants research focuses on improving their osseointegration and antibacterial properties for long-term use while overlooking the requirements of temporary implants. This paper presents the engineering of additively manufactured Ti implants with antibacterial properties and prevention of bone cell overgrowth. 3D-printed implants were fabricated followed by electrochemical anodization to generate vertically aligned titania nanotubes (TNTs) on the surface with specific diameters (∼100 nm) to reduce cell attachment and proliferation. To achieve enhanced antibacterial performance, TNTs were coated with gallium nitrate as antibacterial agent. The physicochemical characteristics of these implants assessed by the attachment, growth and viability of osteoblastic MG-63 cells showed significantly reduced cell attachment and proliferation, confirming the ability of TNTs surface to avoid cell overgrowth. Gallium coated TNTs showed strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa with reduced bacterial attachment and high rates of bacterial death. Thus a new approach for the engineering of temporary Ti implants with enhanced bactericidal properties with reduced bone cell attachment is demonstrated as a new strategy toward a new generation of short-term implants in paediatrics.     

Porous Salts as Platforms for Heterogeneous Catalysis

The preparation of a new class of reactive porous solids, prepared via straightforward salt metathesis reactions, is described here. Reaction of the dimethylammonium salt of a magnesium-based porous coordination cage with the chloride salt of [Cr^IICl(Me₄cyclam)]⁺ affords a porous solid with concomitant removal of dimethylammonium chloride. The salt consists of the ions combined in the expected ratio based on their charge as confirmed by UV–vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, ion chromatography (IC), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The porous salt boasts a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 213 m² g⁻¹. Single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals the chromium(II) cations in the structure reside in the interstitial space between porous cages. Importantly, the chromium(II) centers, previously shown to react with O₂ to afford reactive chromium(III)-superoxide adducts, are still accessible in the solid state as confirmed by UV–vis spectroscopy. The site-isolated reactive centers have competence toward hydrogen atom abstraction chemistry and display significantly increased stability and reactivity as compared to dissolved ions.