Editorial: the March 2022 cover paper

Journal of Materials Science -     

Resource management in UAV-assisted MEC: state-of-the-art and open challenges

Wireless Networks - Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have been widely used in various fields because of their high mobility and portability. At the same time, due to the rapid development of...     

Endometriosis detection and localization in laparoscopic gynecology

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Endometriosis is a common gynecologic condition typically treated via laparoscopic surgery. Its visual versatility makes it hard to identify for non-specialized...     

Bewertung alternativer Arbeitsmittel für Wärmepumpen im Gebäudesektor

Forschung im Ingenieurwesen - Das Arbeitsmittel in Wärmepumpen unterliegt einer Vielzahl von Anforderungen, welche für einen effizienten und sicheren Betrieb eingehalten werden...     

Organofluorine Hydrazone Derivatives as Multifunctional Anti-Alzheimer's Agents with CK2 Inhibitory and Antioxidant Features

A set of novel hydrazone derivatives were synthesized and analyzed for their biological activities. The compounds were tested for their inhibitory effect on the phosphorylating activity of the protein kinase CK2, and their antioxidant activity was also determined in three commonly used assays. The hydrazones were evaluated for their radical scavenging against the DPPH, ABTS and peroxyl radicals. Several compounds have been identified as good antioxidants as well as potent protein kinase CK2 inhibitors. Most hydrazones containing a 4-N(CH₃)₂ residue or perfluorinated phenyl rings showed high activity in the radical-scavenging assays and possess nanomolar IC₅₀ values in the kinase assays.     

Dysprosium doped copper oxide (Cu1-xDyxO) nanoparticles enabled bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting

The production of hydrogen, a favourable alternative to an unsustainable fossil fuel remains as a significant hurdle with the pertaining challenge in the design of proficient, highly productive and sustainable electrocatalyst for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, the dysprosium (Dy) doped copper oxide (Cu_1-xDy_xO) nanoparticles were synthesized via solution combustion technique and utilized as a non-noble metal based bi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. Due to the improved surface to volume ratio and conductivity, the optimized Cu_1-xDy_xO (x = 0.01, 0.02) electrocatalysts exhibited impressive HER and OER performance respectively in 1 M KOH delivering a current density of 10 mAcm^?2 at a potential of ?0.18 V vs RHE for HER and 1.53 V vs RHE for OER. Moreover, the Dy doped CuO electrocatalyst used as a bi-functional catalyst for overall water splitting achieved a potential of 1.56 V at a current density 10 mAcm^?2 and relatively high current density of 66 mAcm^?2 at a peak potential of 2 V. A long term stability of 24 h was achieved for a cell voltage of 2.2 V at a constant current density of 30 mAcm^?2 with only 10% of the initial current loss. This showcases the accumulative opportunity of dysprosium as a dopant in CuO nanoparticles for fabricating a highly effective and low-cost bi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.     

Effects of feed composition,protein denaturation and storage of milk serum protein/lactose powders on lactosylation

During whey powder production, the feed is subjected to several heat treatments which can cause lactosylation of proteins. In this study, lactosylation of whey proteins was evaluated in spray-dried powders before and after storage by varying the native protein fraction as well as the serum protein/lactose ratio in the powders. The lactosylation of native α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin in the powders before storage was not affected to a large extent by the protein denaturation or if the feed had been heat treated in a high or low lactose environment. After storage (relative humidity of 23.5%, 30 °C, 25 days), the kinetic of lactosylation tended to increase with increasing native protein fraction and bulk protein content in the powders. An explanation could be that proteins dissolved in the lactose glassy structure might have a lower reactivity, while proteins present in the protein glassy structure with dissolved lactose may display higher lactosylation reactivity.     

A review of phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors for fingerprint detection

Currently, the efficient detection of fingerprints is essential for the crime investigations. Revealing fingerprints is commonly achieved with fluorescent organic compounds but they are not efficient for fingerprint detection on porous or reflective surfaces. In order to solve the problem of collecting fingerprints on porous/reflective surfaces, inorganic phosphors have been employed, since they have characteristics of variable color emission, afterglow, high chemical stability and nano-size, which allow the fingerprint detection on any porous or non-porous surfaces. Due to these last properties, this review presents a summary about the use of phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors for the detection of latent fingerprints. First, we discussed the main physical and chemical characteristics of the fingerprints which permit their detection and collection from any surface. After this, we presented the main morphological, structural and luminescent properties of the phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors that allow their use for fingerprint detection. Later, we demonstrated with pictures of fingerprints (with and without light emission from the phosphors deposited on them) that both, phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors can be used to visualize fingerprints with high resolution and high contrast without interference of the background surface, which is ideal for its collection and registration in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). We believe that this review could be useful to understand how to select an appropriate phosphorescent or fluorescent material for fingerprint detection depending on the type of surface (porous or non-porous, reflective or not reflective) where the fingerprint is deposited.