Tunable colors and conductivity by electroless growth of Cu/Cu2O particles on sol-gel modified cellulose

Nano Research - Development of colored surfaces by formation of nano-structured aggregates is a widely used strategy in nature to color lightweight structures (e.g. butterflies) without the use of...     

Lignin from Annual Plants as Raw Material Source for Flavors and Basic Chemicals

The enzymatic conversion of lignins, possibly in combination with electrochemical oxidation, makes aromatics such as syringol, guaiacol, vanillin and catechol available in the qualities required by the fragrance industry. The lignins were obtained by soda digestion from wheat straw and Miscanthus, characterized and then converted with laccases. The overall yield amounted up to 9 wt % with a product spectrum confined to four substances. Catechol was the major product, with a fraction of ≈75 %. It can easily be isolated by extraction with acetone.     

Tetrahydroindoles as Multipurpose Screening Compounds and Novel Sirtuin Inhibitors

Indoles are privileged structures in medicinal and bioorganic chemistry that are particularly well suited to serve as platforms for diversity. Among many other therapeutic areas, the indole scaffold has been used to design aromatic compounds useful to interfere with enzymes engaged in the regulation of substrate acylation status, such as sirtuins. However, the planarity of the indole ring is not necessarily optimal for all target enzymes, especially when functionalization with aromatic side chains is required. Replacement of flat scaffolds by nonplanar molecular cores dominated by sp³ hybridization is a common strategy to avoid the disadvantages associated with poor solubility and high promiscuity, while covering less-well-explored areas of chemical space. Thus, we synthesized fragment-like tetrahydroindoles suitable for fragment-based drug discovery as well as a well-characterized small library intended as multipurpose screening compounds. For proof of principle, these compounds were screened against sirtuins 1–3, enzymes known to be addressable by indoles. We found that 2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-indole-3-carboxamides are potent and selective SIRT2 inhibitors. Compound 16 t displayed an IC₅₀ value of 0.98 μm and could serve as exquisite starting point for hit-to-lead profiling.     

Multiple Scan Chain Design for Two-Pattern Testing

Non-standard fault models often require the application of two-pattern testing. A fully-automated approach for generating a multiple scan chain-based architecture is presented so that two-pattern test sets generated for the combinational core can be applied to the sequential circuit. Test time and area overhead constraints are considered.     

Technology-transfer analysis of the materials research program “Matfo”

The commercial success of the German Federal Ministry's materials research program “Mafto” (1985–1994) was recently evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the direct-funding model in supporting innovative industrial research. Based on the results of a questionnaire, where a 97% return rate was achieved, it was found that the results obtained in 27% of the projects have already been commercialized to some degree, for 26% of the projects a commercialization of the results is planned but has not yet taken place, and for 54% of the projects no commercialization is planned. This study included only projects where at least four years had elapsed since project completion. The reasons why scientifically and technically successfully projects were not commercialized were also surveyed.     

EEG spectral abnormalities and psychosis as predictors of cognitive and functional decline in probable Alzheimer's disease

We examined whether either psychotic features (e.g., delusions and hallucinations) or EEG abnormalities are associated with more rapid progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD patients with psychosis have exhibited more EEG abnormalities than those without psychosis, and both abnormal EEG and psychosis have been noted to be predictors of functional and cognitive decline in AD. Ninety-five probable AD patients participating in a longitudinal study of dementia had an EEG and a semistructured psychiatric interview at baseline. Using EEG spectral analysis, we classified records as normal/abnormal based on the parasagittal mean frequency. Patients with abnormal EEGs were more functionally (e.g., Blessed Rating Scale for activities of daily living) and cognitively (e.g., Mini-Mental State) impaired than patients with normal EEG. AD patients with psychosis were only more functionally impaired than patients without psychosis. A two-factor analysis showed no interaction between abnormal EEG and psychosis. In addition, using a Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for age and education, the presence of an abnormal EEG or psychotic symptom at study entry was associated with higher risk of reaching severe cognitive and functional impairment during follow-up. Neither abnormal EEG nor the presence of psychosis predicted death. These results indicate that both abnormal EEG and psychosis are independent predictors of disease progression but not of physical survival.     

Display reflectance: Basics,measurement, and rating

Abstract— In this paper, methods and instruments for measurement and evaluation of reflection characteristics are reviewed as needed for research and development of electronic displays and for material and surface modeling with ray‐tracing and rendering software packages. Contrast under ambient illumination and recognizability under daylight illumination are prime development targets in the electronic‐display field, while computation and synthesis of realistic scenes and objects are pushing the need for physical data in computer graphics applications. Three categories of instruments are available for detailed reflection analysis. They are based on (1) gonioscopic (mechanical) and conoscopic (optical) directional scanning, (2) imaging approaches, and (3) on arrangements with variable source or receiver aperture. The capabilities, advantages, and limitations of these methods are introduced and discussed in order to facilitate appropriate selection of methods and instruments. For illustration purposes we present typical results obtained from commercial electronic display screens. A basis for continued widespread implementation and standardization of reflection metrology as required for objective rating and comparison of electronic‐display screen performance under ambient illumination is provided.     

Reliability Potential Of Epoxy Based Encapsulants For Automotive Applications

Automotive under-the-hood electronics often have to withstand temperatures up to 175 °C in combination with harsh environment conditions. This paper gives an overview about the reliability potential of epoxy based encapsulants for automotive applications. Therefore the resistance of epoxy molding compound against typical automotive fluids at temperature of use is analyzed. Six epoxy molding compounds available on the market, showing high temperature automotive potential have been carefully selected to undergo a media resistance testing. For this purpose a dedicated mold tool has been designed and manufactured to prepare these encapsulants for material testing. Thermo-mechanical, mechanical and thermal properties had been determined in initial state directly after molding and after storage in aggressive fluids typical for automotive applications as e.g. gas oil, automatic transmission fluid (ATF), brake fluid or accumulator acid at the respective temperature of use.     

Overcoming the challenges in deploying user provisioning/identity access management backbone

This paper sets out to share BT's leadership and experience by determining the identity management opportunities and issues, then document the lessons learnt in previous deployments and recommend strategies for all types and sizes of organisation. Today's ICT environment has created a mixed approach to access management across sectors. Browser-based any time, anywhere, anyone access, coupled with the business need to access more systems and services across a changing infrastructure of distributed platforms and networked services, has changed the administrative landscape. Enterprises are being forced to add administrative support staff or invest in technology-driven process change. At the same time, users are undergoing significant change, creating new expectations in service quality. Moreover, regulatory bodies are demanding confirmation that processes granting access are controlled and documented. In this world of increasing demands, complexity and expectation, the service management tools, techniques and options available to improve user access management are as varied and numerous as the issues faced by management in their deployment. Identity management is widely heralded as an opportunity to improve the end user experience, reduce costs, improve security and deliver regulatory compliance — but is often misunderstood. Projects regularly fail to achieve the expected benefits. These failures are the result of expectations being inappropriately set, deployment of solutions turning out to be more complex or taking longer than expected, and/or products selected before required functionality has been determined. For the larger more mature organisations, or those organisations that are the amalgamation of mergers and acquisitions, the dilemma is where to start and what approach to take.