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Abstract Surface energies described by Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) of a synthetic organophilic fluoromica (MAE), molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), and graphene are used to predict their delamination properties in a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). This prediction suggests MAE as the most appropriate filler for COC, followed by MoS 2 and graphene. Nanocomposites are prepared via solution process and have been investigated on their delamination state using X-ray-diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and angle-resolved light scattering (ARS). Nanocomposites based on MAE shown morphologies close to complete delamination. Agglomerations are detected in the case of MoS 2 and graphene. For a potential barrier application, water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) are experimentally determined. In such nanocomposites, inorganic fillers increase the diffusion length of water, known as tortuous path model, which enhances the barrier properties. Highest barrier enhancements are obtained using MAE based nanocomposites reducing the WVTR down to 40% of the initial value. The prediction of delamination based on Hansen solubility parameters is found to be a very helpful tool for selecting fillers in composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative method for cancer treatment that involves the administration of a photosensitizing agent followed by exposure to visible light. An appreciable amount of a particular light source is a key to activate photosensitizers in PDT. However, the external excitation light source is a problem for clinical application because of the limitation of tissue-penetrating properties. Additionally, the wavelength of laser emission should match the absorption wavelength of each photosensitizer for efficient generation of reactive oxygen species and cell killing. In this study, Renilla luciferase-immobilized quantum dots-655 (QD-RLuc8) was used for bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-mediated PDT to resolve these problems. The bioluminescent QD-RLuc8 conjugate exhibits self-illumination at 655 nm after coelenterazine addition, which can activate the photosensitizer, Foscan®-loaded micelles for PDT. Our results show that BRET-mediated PDT by QD-RLuc8 plus coelenterazine (20 μg/mL) successfully generated reactive oxygen species (40.8%), killed ∼ 50% A549 cells at 2 μg/mL equivalent Foscan® in vitro and significantly delayed tumor growth in vivo due to cell apoptosis under TUNEL analysis without obvious weight loss. Based on immunohistochemical observations, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-negative area of tumor sections after BRET-mediated PDT was obviously increased compared to the PDT-untreated groups without an external light source. We conclude that this nanotechnology-based PDT possesses several clinical benefits, such as overcoming light penetration issues and treating deeper lesions that are intractable by PDT alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Weblog is a good paradigm of online social network which constitutes web-based regularly updated journals with reverse chronological sequences of dated entries, usually with blogrolls on the sidebars, allowing bloggers link to favorite site which they are frequently visited. In this study we propose a blog recommendation mechanism that combines trust model, social relation and semantic analysis and illustrates how it can be applied to a prestigious online blogging system – wretch in Taiwan. By the results of experimental study, we found a number of implications from the Weblog network and several important theories in domain of social networking were empirically justified. The experimental evaluation reveals that the proposed recommendation mechanism is quite feasible and promising. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study presents a new approach in developing an expert system to assess financial quality of an enterprise. In dealing with the complexity of financial statement analysis, this approach separates knowledge content into domain knowledge of financial statements and operational knowledge of analysts’ analytical process. The former represents the well defined relationships of accounting items of financial statements. The latter represents the reasoning processes that use the domain knowledge to appraise the quality of given financial statements. We apply ontology to model the content of domain knowledge, and use decision rules to represent operational knowledge. This system integrates Protégé, as domain knowledge base, and JESS, as operational knowledge base, into one complete expert system. The performance validity of the system was verified with financial statements from Taiwanese stock market. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The pulverized coal injection (PCI) system was modified from single lance injection into double lance injection at No. 3 Blast Furnace of CSC. It is beneficial to reduce the cost of coke. However, the injected coal was found very close to the inner wall of the tuyere during the operation, such as to cause the possibility of erosion for the tuyere. In this study a three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed based on a computational fluid dynamics software PHOENICS to simulate the fluid flow phenomena inside blast furnace tuyere. The model was capable of handling steady-state, three-dimensional multi-phase flow of pulverized coal injection. The model was applied to simulate the flow patterns of the injection coal inside the tuyere with two kinds of lance design for the PCI system. The distribution of injection coal was simulated such as to estimate the possibility of erosion for the tuyere. The calculated results agreed with the operating experience of CSC plant and the optimum design of double lance was suggested. The model was also applied to simulate the oxygen concentration distribution with these different oxygen enrichments for the coal/oxygen lance system. The calculated results agreed with the experimental measurement. These test results demonstrate that the model is both reasonably reliable and efficient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tumor necrosis factor-α stimulates fractalkine production by mesangial cells and regulates monocyte transmigration: Down-regulation by cAMP. Background. Fractalkine is a CX3 C chemokine for mononuclear cells that has been implicated in the recruitment and accumulation of monocytes seen in glomerular diseases. We investigated the mechanisms by which tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α stimulates mesangial cell (MC) fractalkine expression, and the effects of MC-derived fractalkine on monocyte transmigration. Methods. Cultured rat MCs were incubated with TNF-α, with or without pretreatment with pharmacologic inhibitors of protein kinases or transcriptional factors downstream to TNF-α. Fractalkine mRNA and protein were analyzed by Northern and Western blotting. Translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB was evaluated by immunocytochemical staining. Monocyte transmigration was determined by in vitro chemotaxis assay. Results. TNF-α stimulated MC fractalkine mRNA as well as cell-bound and soluble protein expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The soluble fractalkine was shed from the cell-bound form via metalloproteinase-dependent cleavage, and mediated in part TNF-α–induced monocyte transmigration in vitro. The incubation of MCs with calphostin C [a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC)] or PD98059 [a selective inhibitor of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase] attenuated TNF-α–stimulated fractalkine mRNA and protein expression. Coincubation of MCs with calphostin C and PD98059 resulted in a synergistic inhibition of TNF-α–stimulated fractalkine mRNA and protein expression. Incubation of MCs with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) for four hours resulted in an increase in fractalkine mRNA expression that could be suppressed by calphostin C or depletion of PKC by pretreatment with PMA for 24 hours. Further, activation of PKC-depleted MCs with TNF-α stimulated... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]