Enhanced photoelectric properties of PbSnSe thin films via quick oxygen ion-implantation sensitization

Journal of Materials Science - Although chalcogenide materials continue to generate considerable interest due to great potentials for various optoelectronic devices, annealing for a long time in...     

One step from nanofiber to functional hybrid structure: Pd doped ZnO/SnO2 heterojunction nanofibers with hexagonal ZnO columns for enhanced low-temperature hydrogen gas sensing

In this paper, a novel hybrid structure of Pd doped ZnO/SnO₂ heterojunction nanofibers with hexagonal ZnO columns was one step synthesized from electrospun precursor nanofibers. Due to the synergistic effect of hexagonal ZnO, SnO₂ and Pd, the structure exhibited excellent hydrogen (H₂) gas sensing properties. At low-temperature of 120 °C, the response (R_a/R_g) to 100 ppm H₂ gas exceeded 160, the response/recovery time was only 20 s and 6 s respectively and the limit of detection was only 0.5 ppm. Meanwhile, it also had good selectivity for H₂ gas and excellent linearity. In addition, the materials were characterized by XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, XPS, and the synthesis mechanism and gas sensing mechanism were proposed.     

Improving gelling properties of myofibrillar proteins incorporating with cellulose micro/nanofibres

The effects of cellulose microfibres (CMFs, Average size: 100 ± 5 μm) and cellulose nanofibres (CNFs, Average size: 60 ± 3 nm) on the properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) gels from duck breast meat were studied. The results demonstrated that CMFs and CNFs were mostly connected to MP by non-covalent bonds, the diffusion and cross-linking of MP molecules was promoted, and a denser and more complete gel network was formed. With the increases of CMFs and CNFs concentration (0–10%), the hardness was increased by 13.15% and 19.78% for CMFs10% and CNFs10% gels, respectively, and the elasticity was increased by 40% and 80%, respectively. At the same concentration (0–10%), the increase in gel hardness, viscoelasticity and immobilised water content was greater in the CNFs-MP group than in the CMFs-MP group. The CNFs-MP group had a tighter gel network, and CNFs had a better potential to improve the gelation performance of MP.     

Three dimensional reconstruction of brain tumor along with space occupying in lesions

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The three-dimensional models of brain tumors serve as diagnostic assistance for physicians, surgeons, and radiologists. The proposed system establishes an...     

Designing optical glasses by machine learning coupled with a genetic algorithm

Engineering new glass compositions have experienced a sturdy tendency to move forward from (educated) trial-and-error to data- and simulation-driven strategies. In this work, we developed a computer program that combines data-driven predictive models (in this case, neural networks) with a genetic algorithm to design glass compositions with desired combinations of properties. First, we induced predictive models for the glass transition temperature (T_g) using a dataset of 45,302 compositions with 39 different chemical elements, and for the refractive index (n_d) using a dataset of 41,225 compositions with 38 different chemical elements. Then, we searched for relevant glass compositions using a genetic algorithm informed by a design trend of glasses having high n_d (1.7 or more) and low T_g (500 °C or less). Two candidate compositions suggested by the combined algorithms were selected and produced in the laboratory. These compositions are significantly different from those in the datasets used to induce the predictive models, showing that the used method is indeed capable of exploration. Both glasses met the constraints of the work, which supports the proposed framework. Therefore, this new tool can be immediately used for accelerating the design of new glasses. These results are a stepping stone in the pathway of machine learning-guided design of novel glasses.     

Syndecan-1 (CD138), Carcinomas and EMT

Cell surface proteoglycans are known to be important regulators of many aspects of cell behavior. The principal family of transmembrane proteoglycans is the syndecans, of which there are four in mammals. Syndecan-1 is mostly restricted to epithelia, and bears heparan sulfate chains that are capable of interacting with a large array of polypeptides, including extracellular matrix components and potent mediators of proliferation, adhesion and migration. For this reason, it has been studied extensively with respect to carcinomas and tumor progression. Frequently, but not always, syndecan-1 levels decrease as tumor grade, stage and invasiveness and dedifferentiation increase. This parallels experiments that show depletion of syndecan-1 can be accompanied by loss of cadherin-mediated adhesion. However, in some tumors, levels of syndecan-1 increase, but the characterization of its distribution is relevant. There can be loss of membrane staining, but acquisition of cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining that is abnormal. Moreover, the appearance of syndecan-1 in the tumor stroma, either associated with its cellular component or the collagenous matrix, is nearly always a sign of poor prognosis. Given its relevance to myeloma progression, syndecan-1-directed antibody—toxin conjugates are being tested in clinical and preclinical trials, and may have future relevance to some carcinomas.     

Inhibition of Autophagy Does Not Re-Sensitize Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells Resistant to Cytarabine

Elevated activation of the autophagy pathway is currently thought to be one of the survival mechanisms allowing therapy-resistant cancer cells to escape elimination, including for cytarabine (AraC)-resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Consequently, the use of autophagy inhibitors such as chloroquine (CQ) is being explored for the re-sensitization of AraC-resistant cells. In our study, no difference in the activity of the autophagy pathway was detected when comparing AraC-Res AML cell lines to parental AraC-sensitive AML cell lines. Furthermore, treatment with autophagy inhibitors CQ, 3-Methyladenine (3-MA), and bafilomycin A1 (BafA1) did not re-sensitize AraC-Res AML cell lines to AraC treatment. However, in parental AraC-sensitive AML cells, treatment with AraC did activate autophagy and, correspondingly, combination of AraC with autophagy inhibitors strongly reduced cell viability. Notably, the combination of these drugs also yielded the highest level of cell death in a panel of patient-derived AML samples even though not being additive. Furthermore, there was no difference in the cytotoxic effect of autophagy inhibition during AraC treatment in matched de novo and relapse samples with differential sensitivity to AraC. Thus, inhibition of autophagy may improve AraC efficacy in AML patients, but does not seem warranted for the treatment of AML patients that have relapsed with AraC-resistant disease.     

传统牦牛酸奶源高产胞外多糖乳酸菌特性及发酵性能

为了研究四川藏区传统牦牛酸奶中高产胞外多糖乳酸菌特性及发酵性能，以本实验室分离出的六株高产胞外多糖乳酸菌为研究对象，以菌株生长量、耐酸性、胆盐耐受力、渗透压耐受力和细胞表面疏水性为指标进行特性研究；以发酵酸奶的凝乳时间、持水力、酸化及后酸化能力、挥发性物质及质构等为指标进行发酵性能研究。菌株的生长曲线表明，6株菌株分别在14 h（218、276、266）、16 h（271、285、231）进入对数生长稳定期，其中编号218的菌株生长量最高，OD值为2.188。耐受性实验结果表明，菌株276具有良好的耐酸能力（P<0.05）；菌株266、218、231耐胆盐的能力较强；6株菌株均具有较好的耐渗透压的能力，其中菌株285对高渗透压的耐受性较强；菌株285和218在两种有机试剂中的疏水性均显著（P<0.05）高于其他菌株，且与十六烷的结合效果较好。发酵试验结果表明，6株菌株所发酵酸奶均在6~8 h内凝固，酸乳在冷藏期间，活菌数均保持在107 CFU/mL以上，均符合发酵剂的标准，其中菌株276的最高为3.22×106 CFU/mL；菌株218发酵制得的酸奶质构特性较好，持水力和酸化能力较其余菌株均最强，分别为60.98%和83 °T；菌株276、266抗后酸化能力较好；菌株231产香性能最优，乙醛含量为24~26 μg/mL，双乙酰含量为1.58~3.73 μg/mL，能够明显改善酸奶的风味。通过综合比较6株高产胞外多糖乳酸菌特性及发酵性能，菌株218为一株性能良好、具有良好稳定性的菌株，可作为乳酸菌发酵剂且具有一定的应用潜力。研究为利用四川藏区传统牦牛酸奶中分离出的高产胞外多糖乳酸菌在发酵乳制品的应用提供理论依据。     

Analysis of energy saving in user equipment in LTE-A using stochastic modelling

Telecommunication Systems - Energy saving in User Equipment (UE) is one of the important issues for limited sources of power in the device. It is critical for the UE to maximize its energy...