Strongly Photosensitive and Fluorescent F8T2 Electrospun Fibers

Electrospun fibers of poly[(9,9‐dioctylfluorenyl‐2,7‐diyl)‐co‐bithiophene] (F8T2) with exceptional electro‐optical performance are obtained. The I/T characteristics measured in fibers with 7–15 µm diameter and 1 mm length show a semiconductor behavior; their thermal activation energy is 0.5 eV and the dark conductivity at RT is 5 × 10^?9 (Ω cm)^?1. Besides exhibiting a photosensitivity of about 60 under white light illumination with a light power intensity of 25 mW · cm^?2, the fibers also attain RT photoluminescence in the cyan, yellow, and red wavelength range under ultraviolet, blue, and green light excitation, respectively. Optical microscope images of F8T2 reveal homogeneous electrospun fibers, which are in good agreement with the uniformly radial fluorescence observed.

     

Pentacene TFTs with parylene passivation layer

We have fabricated bottom contact pentacene TFTs on flexible polyimide substrate and silicon substrate using different passivation layers in order to reduce the electrical instability of pentacene devices, induced by water diffusion in the film, as evidenced by electrical measurements under different environments. Experimental data show that parylene passivation layer does not introduce appreciable degradation of device characteristics and allows standard lithographic process, but it is not an effective barrier for water diffusion. The encapsulation of pentacene TFTs with an additional acryl layer does not reduce the device sensitivity to the water, whereas devices encapsulated by a parylene/acryl/aluminum triple layer do not show increase of transfer characteristics hysteresis when measured in air.     

New global optimization methods for ship design problems

The aim of this paper is to solve optimal design problems for industrial applications when the objective function value requires the evaluation of expensive simulation codes and its first derivatives are not available. In order to achieve this goal we propose two new algorithms that draw inspiration from two existing approaches: a filled function based algorithm and a Particle Swarm Optimization method. In order to test the efficiency of the two proposed algorithms, we perform a numerical comparison both with the methods we drew inspiration from, and with some standard Global Optimization algorithms that are currently adopted in industrial design optimization. Finally, a realistic ship design problem, namely the reduction of the amplitude of the heave motion of a ship advancing in head seas (a problem connected to both safety and comfort), is solved using the new codes and other global and local derivative-free optimization methods. All the numerical results show the effectiveness of the two new algorithms.     

Recyclable,Flexible, Low‐Power Oxide Electronics

The ability to process and dimensionally scale field‐effect transistors with and on paper and to integrate them as a core component for low‐power‐consumption analog and digital circuits is demonstrated. Low‐temperature‐processed p‐ and n‐channel integrated oxide thin‐film transistors in the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverter architecture are seamlessly layered on mechanically flexible, low‐cost, recyclable paper substrates. The possibility of building these circuits using low‐temperature processes opens the door to new applications ranging from smart labels and sensors on clothing and packaging to electronic displays printed on paper pages for use in newspapers, magazines, books, signs, and advertising billboards. Because the CMOS circuits reported constitute fundamental building blocks for analog and digital electronics, this development creates the potential to have flexible form factor computers seamlessly layered onto paper. The holistic approach of merging low‐power circuitry with a recyclable substrate is an important step towards greener electronics.     

Galectin-3 in Cardiovascular Diseases

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a β-galactoside-binding protein belonging to the lectin family with pleiotropic regulatory activities and several physiological cellular functions, such as cellular growth, proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, cellular adhesion, and tissue repair. Inflammation, tissue fibrosis and angiogenesis are the main processes in which Gal-3 is involved. It is implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including organ fibrosis, chronic inflammation, cancer, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This review aims to explore the connections of Gal-3 with cardiovascular diseases since they represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We herein discuss the evidence on the pro-inflammatory role of Gal-3 in the atherogenic process as well as the association with plaque features linked to lesion stability. We report the biological role and molecular mechanisms of Gal-3 in other CVDs, highlighting its involvement in the development of cardiac fibrosis and impaired myocardium remodelling, resulting in heart failure and atrial fibrillation. The role of Gal-3 as a prognostic marker of heart failure is described together with possible diagnostic applications to other CVDs. Finally, we report the tentative use of Gal-3 inhibition as a therapeutic approach to prevent cardiac inflammation and fibrosis.     

Functional Validation of Glutamine synthetase and Glutamate synthase Genes in Durum Wheat near Isogenic Lines with QTL for High GPC

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) is a minor crop grown on about 17 million hectares of land worldwide. Several grain characteristics determine semolina’s high end-use quality, such as grain protein content (GPC) which is directly related to the final products’ nutritional and technological values. GPC improvement could be pursued by considering a candidate gene approach. The glutamine synthetase (GS)/glutamate synthase (GOGAT) cycle represents a bottleneck in the first step of nitrogen assimilation. QTL for GPC have been located on all chromosomes, and several major ones have been reported on 2A and 2B chromosomes, where GS2 and Fd-GOGAT genes have been mapped. A useful and efficient method to validate a putative QTL is the constitution of near-isogenic lines (NILs) by using the marker found to be associated to that QTL. Here, we present the development of two distinct sets of heterogeneous inbred family (HIF)- based NILs segregating for GS2 and Fd-GOGAT genes obtained from heterozygous lines at those loci, as well as their genotypic and phenotypic characterizations. The results allow the validation of the previously identified GPC QTL on 2A and 2B chromosomes, along with the role of these key genes in GPC control.     

QoS guarantee in telecommunication networks: technologies and solutions

The aim of this paper is to show the effect of the presence of specific management functions within a network that offers quality of service (QoS). The objective is not privileging a particular technology but to highlight the importance to know which control functions a solution may use, which performance limits the functions have and what can be a realistic user expectation. The paper focuses on the meaning of QoS and on the applications requiring quality, then describes QoS solutions including transport technologies, QoS‐oriented technologies, parameters and management functions. In more detail, the effect on QoS provision of the following issues is investigated and discussed concerning the possibility (or not) to aggregate and differentiate traffic, the implementation of call admission control and of traffic filtering to limit flows to their committed rates. Again, the conclusions should not be considered a merit mark about technology, but only an investigation about: what users and customers should expect by the technologies using specific control functions evidencing that the real limitations are not imposed by a specific technology, whose features may be changed and extended, but by the application of control functions that can guarantee requirements' matching. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reusable Cellulose‐Based Hydrogel Sticker Film Applied as Gate Dielectric in Paper Electrolyte‐Gated Transistors

A new concept for reusable eco‐friendly hydrogel electrolytes based on cellulose is introduced. The reported electrolytes are designed and engineered through a simple, fast, low‐cost, and eco‐friendly dissolution method of microcrystalline cellulose at low temperature using an aqueous LiOH/urea solvent system. The cellulose solution is combined with carboxymethyl cellulose, followed by the regeneration and simultaneous ion incorporation. The produced free standing cellulose‐based electrolyte films exhibit interesting properties for application in flexible electrochemical devices, such as biosensors or electrolyte‐gated transistors (EGTs), because of their high specific capacitances (4–5 µF cm^?2), transparency, and flexibility. Indium–gallium–zinc‐oxide EGTs on glass with laminated cellulose‐based hydrogel electrolytes (CHEs) as the gate dielectric are produced presenting a low working voltage (<2 V), showing an on–off current ratio (I _on/off) of 10⁶, a subthreshold swing lower than 0.2 V dec^?1, and saturation mobility (μ_Sat) reaching 26 cm² V^?1 s^?1. The flexible CHE‐gated transistors on paper are also demonstrated, which operate at switching frequencies up to 100 Hz. Combining the flexibility of the EGTs on paper with the reusability of the developed CHEs is a breakthrough toward biodegradable advanced functional materials allied with disposable/recyclable and low‐cost electronic devices.