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In traditional Chinese medicine, curcuma longa L has been applied to treat pain and tumour-related symptoms for over thousands of years. Curcuminoids, polyphenolic compounds, are the main pharmacological component from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. Pharmacological investigations have found that curcuminoids have many pharmacological activities of anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, and anti-metastasis. 3β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD1) catalyses the production of steroid precursors for androgens and estrogens, which play an essential role in cancer metastasis. We explored the potency and mode of action of curcuminoids and their metabolites of inhibiting 3β-HSD1 activity and compared the species difference between human and rat. In this study, we investigated the direct inhibition of 6 curcuminoids on human placental 3β-HSD1 activity and compared the species-dependent difference in human 3β-HSD1 and rat placental homolog 3β-HSD4. Results : The inhibitory potency of curcuminoids on human 3β-HSD1 was demethoxycurcumin (IC 50 , 0.18 μM) > bisdemethoxycurcumin (0.21 μM)>curcumin (2.41 μM)> dihydrocurcumin (4.13 μM)>tetrahydrocurcumin (15.78 μM)>octahydrocurcumin (ineffective at 100 μM). The inhibitory potency of curcuminoids on rat 3β-HSD4 was bisdemethoxycurcumin (3.34 μM)>dihydrocurcumin (5.12 μM)>tetrahydrocurcumin (41.82 μM)>demethoxycurcumin (88.10 μM)>curcumin (137.06 μM)> octahydrocurcumin (ineffective at 100 μM). Human choriocarcinoma JAr cells with curcuminoid treatment showed that these chemicals had similar potency to inhibit progesterone secretion under basal and 8bromo-cAMP stimulated conditions. Docking analysis showed that all chemicals bind pregnenolone-binding site with mixed/competitive mode for 3β-HSD. Some curcuminoids are potent human placental 3β-HSD1 inhibitors, possibly being potential drugs to treat prostate cancer and breast cancer. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-Chip Multiwavelength Single-Mode Lasers with CdSe Nanoribbons-Embedded Microcavities B Single-Mode Lasers b In article number 2200367, Shaowei Wang and co-workers propose on-chip multi-wavelength single-mode lasers with CdSe nanoribbons embedded in microcavities. The number and wavelength of integrated lasers can be easily controlled by the thickness of the microcavities. [Extracted from the article]

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare type of tumor which occurs in the intraocular spaces of eye. Carboplatin (CRB) has been used for the treatment of RB along with focal therapy. In this study, we have demonstrated the preparation of EpCAM-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the successful delivery of carboplatin (CRB) to the retinoblastoma cells. The particles size and morphology was nanosized and spherical and exhibited a controlled release kinetics. Cellular uptake studies reveal that enhanced internalization was observed for EpCMSN compared to that of CMSN. The remarkable difference in cellular uptake might be attributed to the specific receptor mediated cellular internalization for EpCMSN compared to that of CMSN which might entered the cells by passive diffusion. Consistently, EpCMSN exhibited a superior anticancer effect in retinoblastoma cells. The IC50 value of EpCMSN was 1.38 μg/ml which is significantly lesser compared to that of free CRB (3.26 μg/ml). EpCMSN resulted in 2-fold increase in caspase-3 level compared to that of free CRB. The higher targeting effect of EpCAM receptor resulted in enhanced apoptosis of cancer cells after treatment with EpCMSN in retinoblastoma cells. Taken together, EpCAM conjugated MSN might be advantageous for the targeted treatment of receptor-overexpressed ocular malignancies like retinoblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many insecticides and fungicides are endocrine-disrupting compounds, which possibly interfere with the placental endocrine system. In the placenta, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Δ5,4-isomerase type 1 (HSD3B1) is the major steroidogenic enzyme, which makes progesterone from pregnenolone to support the placental stability. In this study, we screened 12 classes of insecticides and fungicides to inhibit placental HSD3B1 activity and compared them to the rat homolog type 4 (HSD3B4) isoform. Human HSD3B1 activity and rat HSD3B4 activity were measured in the presence of 200 nM pregnenolone and 0.2 mM NAD+ and 100 μM of test chemical. Triclosan, triflumizole, dichlone, and oxine at 100 μM significantly inhibited human HSD3B1 activity with the residual activity being less than 50% of the control. Further study showed that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) values of triclosan, triflumizole, dichlone, and oxine were 85.53 ± 9.14, 73.75 ± 3.42, 2.54 ± 0.40, and 102.93 ± 6.10 μM, respectively. In the presence of pregnenolone, triclosan, triflumizole, and dichlone were mixed inhibitors of HSD3B1, while oxine was a noncompetitive inhibitor. In the presence of NAD+, triclosan exhibited competitive inhibition while triflumizole possessed uncompetitive inhibition. Docking analysis showed that triclosan bound NAD+-binding site, while triflumizole, dichlone, and oxine mostly bound steroid-binding site. When the effect of these insecticides on rat placental HSD3B4 activity was screened in the presence of 200 nM pregnenolone, atrazine, triclosan, triflumizole, oxine, cyprodinil, and diphenyltin at 100 μM significantly inhibited rat HSD3B4 activity, with IC 50 values of triclosan, triflumizole, oxine, and cyprodinil were 82.99 ± 6.48, 35.45 ± 2.73, 105.59 ± 12.04, and 43.37 ± 3.00 μM, respectively. The mode action analysis showed that t riflumizole and cyprodinil were almost competitive inhibitors, while triclosan and oxine were almost noncompetitive inhibitors of rat HSD3B4. Docking analysis showed that triclosan and oxine bound cofactor NAD+ binding residues more than steroid-binding residues of rat HSD3B4 while triflumizole and cyprodinil bound most pregnenolone-interactive residues. In conclusion, some insecticides such as triclosan, triflumizole, and oxine can effectively inhibit both human and rat placental HSD3B activity and they have unique mode action due to the structure difference. [Display omitted] • Triclosan, triflumizole, and dichlone are mixed inhibitors of human HSD3B1. • Triclosan, triflumizole, cyprodinil are mixed inhibitors of rat HSD3B4. • Oxine is a non-competitive inhibitor of human HSD3B1 and rat HSD3B4. • Primary structure difference in catalytic residue S125T may explain the species-dependent difference of these chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the separation process of the conventional supersonic separator, the shockwave easily occurs in the nozzle expanding section before the cyclone, the low temperature section is short and the cooling effect is not satisfied, and the swirling flow occurs in subsonic conditions with poor efficiency. Based on this, structure improvement of the supersonic separator was carried out by reducing the nozzle expand angle and extending the length of expanding section, which helps to improve the refrigeration performance and separation efficiency of the separator. The flow characteristics of natural gas in the improved supersonic separator were obtained by three-dimensional numerical simulation. The results show that the shockwave occurs in the back of the cyclone and the improved supersonic separator can achieve a wider range of deep cooling. The shockwave moves back with the increase of the pressure loss ratio, when the pressure loss ratio increases to 70%, the position of shockwave moves back to the diffuser. The numerical results show that when the inlet pressure is 600 kPa and the pressure loss ratio is 47.5%, the improved supersonic separator has a good cooling and separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-dimensional (LD), especially two-dimensional(2D) materials have unique optical and photoelectric properties which can be used in fields such as nanolasers, sensors and communications. Complex refractive index including refractive index n and extinction coefficient k of LD materials is vital for the design of optical devices. However, it is difficult to be accurately measured because the thickness and size of LD, especially 2D materials, are too small. In this work, a new cavity-resonant method is proposed to solve this problem by embedding materials into dielectric optical microcavities. The n and k of embedded LD materials can be accurately obtained by measuring the shift and intensity of cavity mode with and without them. This method is valid for any monolayer 2D materials since the cavity structures and materials can be prepared separately. The complex refractive index of small size monolayer WS 2 and MoS 2 were obtained by this method for demonstration. The o and e light refractive index of CdS nanoribbon can also be determined by the cavity resonant method easily. The results show that it can precisely determine the complex refractive index of ultrathin and miniature size LD materials, which is especially useful for the study and development of LD materials based optical devices. • A cavity resonant method is proposed to accurately extract the complex refractive index of low-dimensional materials. • This method is suitable for ultrathin and miniature size low-dimensional materials, especially for 2D materials. • This method can distinguish the refractive index of o light and e light for birefringent crystal as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A digital lens and an asymmetric triangle reflector are employed. • Complex beams are created without the burden of the zero-order. • New complex-amplitude coding algorithms are proposed by introducing the digital lens. • Zero-order-free beam shaping is of interest to the optical trapping and microscopy community. • Zero-order-free beam shaping can be applied to high-power applications. The unwanted zero-order diffraction is still an issue in beam shaping using pixelated spatial light modulators. In this paper, we report a new approach for zero-order free beam shaping by designing an asymmetric triangle reflector and introducing a digital blazed grating and a digital lens to the phase hologram addressed onto the spatial light modulator. By adding the digital lens phase to the previously reported complex-amplitude coding algorithms, we realized the generation of complex beams without the burden of zero-order diffraction. We comparatively investigated the produced complex light fields using a modified complex-amplitude coding algorithm to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper aims to investigate whether equibiaxial tensile strain alters chondrocyte gene expression via controlling subcellular localization of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4). Materials and Methods: Murine chondrocytes transfected with GFP-HDAC4 were subjected to 3 h cyclic equibiaxial tensile strain (CTS, 6% strain at 0.25 Hz) by a Flexcell® FX-5000™ Tension System. Fluorescence microscope and western blot were used to observe subcellular location of HDAC4. The gene expression was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. The concentration of Glycosaminoglycans in culture medium was quantified by bimethylmethylene blue dye; Collagen II protein was evaluated by western blot. Cells phenotype was identified by immunohistochemistry. Cell viability was evaluated by live-dead cell detect kit. Okadaic acid, an inhibitor of HDAC4 nuclear relocation, was used to further validate whether HDAC4 nuclear relocation plays a role in gene expression in response to tension stimulation. Results: 87.5% of HDAC4 was located in the cytoplasm in chondrocytes under no loading condition, but it was relocated to the nucleus after CTS. RT-PCR analysis showed that levels of mRNA for aggrecan, collagen II, LK1 and SOX9 were all increased in chondrocytes subjected to CTS as compared to no loading control chondrocytes; in contrast, the levels of type X collagen, MMP-13, IHH and Runx2 gene expression were decreased in the chondrocytes subjected to CTS as compared to control chondrocytes. Meanwhile, CTS contributed to elevation of glycosaminoglycans and collagen II protein, but did not change collagen I production. When Okadaic acid blocked HDAC4 relocation from the cytoplasm to nucleus, the changes of the chondrocytes induced by CTS were abrogated. There was no chondrocyte dead detected in this study in response to CTS. Conclusions: CTS is able to induce HDAC4 relocation from cytoplasm to nucleus. Thus, CTS alters chondrocytes gene expression in association with the relocation of HDAC4 induced by CTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although patients with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury have a high risk of developing posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), the role of meniscus hypertrophy and mineralization in PTOA after an ACL injury remains unknown. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine if menisci respond to abnormal loading and if an ACL injury results in meniscus hypertrophy and calcification. The hypotheses were that (1) abnormal mechanical loading after an ACL injury induces meniscus hypertrophy and mineralization, which correlates to articular cartilage damage in vivo, and (2) abnormal mechanical loading on bovine meniscus explants induces the overexpression of hypertrophic and mineralization markers in vitro. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: In vivo guinea pig study (hypothesis 1): Three-month-old male Hartley guinea pigs (n = 9) underwent ACL transection (ACLT) on the right knee; the left knee served as the control. Calcification in the menisci was evaluated by calcein labeling 1 and 5 days before knee harvesting at 5.5 months. Cartilage and meniscus damage and mineralization were quantified by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International score and meniscus grade, respectively. Indian hedgehog (Ihh), matrix metalloproteinase–13 (MMP-13), collagen type X (Col X), progressive ankylosis homolog (ANKH), ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase–1 (ENPP1), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), and inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In vitro bovine meniscus explant study (hypothesis 2): Bovine meniscus explants were subjected to 25% strain at 0.3 Hz for 1, 2, and 3 hours. Cell viability was determined using live/dead staining. The levels of mRNA expression and protein levels were measured using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot after 24, 48, and 72 hours in culture. The conditioned medium was collected for sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) release and Pi/PPi assay. Results: In vivo guinea pig study: Meniscus size and area as well as intensity of meniscus calcification were significantly increased in the ACLT group compared with the control group. Both calcified area and intensity were correlated with cartilage damage in the ACLT group (meniscus calcified area: r = 0.925, P < .0001; meniscus calcified intensity: r = 0.944, P < .0001). Ihh, MMP-13, Col X, ANKH, ENPP1, and ALP expression were increased in the ACLT group compared with the control group. The Pi level and Pi/PPi ratio increased by 63% and 42%, respectively, in the ACLT group compared with the control group. In vitro bovine meniscus explant study: Cell death was found in the superficial zone of the bovine meniscus explants after loading for 3 hours. The mRNA expression and protein levels of MMP-13, ANKH, ENPP1, and ALP were up-regulated in all 3-hour loaded samples. The Pi/PPi ratio and sulfated GAG content in the culture medium were increased in the 3-hour loaded group. Conclusion: Meniscus hypertrophy and mineralization correlated to cartilage degeneration after ACL injuries. Clinical Relevance: The study data suggest that the suppression of meniscus hypertrophy and calcification may decrease the risk of PTOA after ACL injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of Pb(II) from wastewater by Ca-rectorite was investigated as various environmental factors containing contact time, pH, ionic strength, solid content, coexisting ions, humic acid (HA), and temperature. The kinetic sorption of Pb(II) on Ca-rectorite was well described by the pseudo second-order model. The sorption process was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. The results indicated that the presence of HA and coexisting ions influenced the sorption of Pb(II) on Ca-rectorite obviously. Besides, the Langmuir and Freundlich models were employed to simulate the sorption isotherms. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. It is possible to conclude that Ca-rectorite has a good potential for disposal of lead-contaminated wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The foundation boundaries of numerical simulation models of hydraulic structures dominated by a vertical load are investigated. The method used is based on the stress formula for fundamental solutions to semi-infinite space body elastic mechanics under a vertical concentrated force. The limit method is introduced into the original formula, which is then partitioned and analyzed according to the direction of the depth extension of the foundation. The point load will be changed to a linear load with a length of 2a. Inverse proportion function assumptions are proposed at parameter a and depth l of the calculation points to solve the singularity questions of elastic stress in a semi-infinite space near the ground. Compared with the original formula, changing the point load to a linear load with a length of 2a is more reasonable. Finally, the boundary depth criterion of a hydraulic numerical simulation model is derived and applied to determine the depth boundary formula for gravity dam numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the fluidization behaviors of the superfine particles with the mean diameter of 5.181 μm were studied. The bed collapse experiment was conducted to study the fluidization quality and regime. The minimum fluidization velocity based on the agglomerate was determined. The agglomerate size distribution characteristic was studied by the 2D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The agglomerate voidage was measured and discussed. The results showed that the micro-particles can also be fluidized in the agglomerate particulate fluidization regime like the nano-particles. The minimum fluidization velocity based on the agglomerate is 3.4 cm/s and much larger than that based on the primary particle. The agglomerate size has the multi-scale characteristic. The distribution of agglomerate diameter is in subject to the Gaussian distribution. And there exists the minimum agglomerate diameter under the effect of van der Waals cohesive force. The agglomerates in different sizes and shapes may have the similar particle arrangement structure. The measured averaged agglomerate voidage is 0.966. It may have an important effect on the interaction between the gas and agglomerate phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prohibited components in pesticides can be rapidly and accurately determined by near infrared spectroscopy. • The correlation coefficient of prediction set is as high as 0.989. RMSEP and RPD are 0.27% and 9.17, respectively. • The prediction concentration limit can be as low as 0.5%. Highly toxic pesticides are forbidden because of threatening to human lives, property, and the environment. However, some of them are still used illegally by added into normal pesticides to enhance the effectiveness and lower the cost. Therefore, it is very important to detect the illegally added ingredients in pesticides, such as Isofenphos-methyl in Tolfenpyrad. In this research, a rapid and accurate method for determining the concentration of Isofenphos-methyl in Tolfenpyrad is studied by near infrared spectroscopy with only nine characteristic wavelengths. Different pre-treating methods of direct orthogonal signal correction and first-order derivative on raw spectra and analysis methods of back propagation neural network and partial least squares are investigated to establish quantitative analysis models for comparison. Among them, the back propagation neural network model pre-treated with the direct orthogonal signal correction method has good prediction accuracy and prevents the data from being over-corrected. The correlation coefficients of the model calibration set and prediction set are as high as 0.999 and 0.989, respectively. Root Mean Square Error of Prediction and Ratio of Prediction to Deviation are 0.27% and 9.17, respectively. The prediction concentration limit can be as low as 0.5%. The results show that the direct orthogonal signal correction pre-treating method combined with back propagation neural network can be used for precisely quantitative determination of pesticide doping concentration. It provides an effective approach for rapid and accurate determination of prohibited components in pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A typical duplex tissue composed of γ and γ/α2 obtained after HIP of Ti48Al2Cr2Nb. • Refinement of grains and reduction of LGBs after HIP of Ti48Al2Cr2Nb. • HIP treatment is an effective method for SLM samples' microstructure refinement. The Ti48Al2Cr2Nb sample was prepared by Selective laser melting (SLM), and the effect of hot isostatic pressing on its microstructure evolution was studied. The results show that the grains in the sample after hot isostatic pressing are significantly refined. The γ phase has a pinning effect, which will hinder the growth of grains, a large number of dislocations accumulate, hinder the growth of grain boundaries. The proportion of low-angle grain boundaries in the sample after hot isostatic pressing is less than that of the SLM sample. This is because some of the low-angle grain boundaries absorb dislocations during the hot isostatic pressing process, dynamic recrystallization occurs, gradually transformed into a high-angle grain boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichuris (whipworm) infects 1 billion people worldwide and causes a disease (trichuriasis) that results in major socioeconomic losses in both humans and pigs. Trichuriasis relates to an inflammation of the large intestine manifested in bloody diarrhea, and chronic disease can cause malnourishment and stunting in children. Paradoxically, Trichuris of pigs has shown substantial promise as a treatment for human autoimmune disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and multiple sclerosis. Here we report whole-genome sequencing at ∼140-fold coverage of adult male and female T. suis and ∼80-Mb draft assemblies. We explore stage-, sex- and tissue-specific transcription of mRNAs and small noncoding RNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: ZnO/graphene (ZnO/G) composite and S6 aptamer were employed to sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) strategy for the specific detection of SK-BR-3 cancer cells based on a portable indium tin oxide microdevice. ZnO/G composite was synthesized using a facile ultrasonic method, and then applied to improve the PEC performance due to the unique hollow structure of ZnO naospheres and the superior properties of graphene. Subsequently, S6 aptamer was applied to this specific detection of SK-BR-3 cancer cells. And the concentration of SK-BR-3 cells was measured with a low detection limit of 58cellsmL−1 and a wide linear range of 1×102−1×106 cellsmL−1, through the decrease in photocurrent intensity resulting from the increase in steric hindrances when specifically recognized with S6 aptamers. Excellent discrimination against target and analogous cells was demonstrated, indicating the high selectivity of the proposed cell sensor. Our work also demonstrated a sensitive, stable and low cytotoxicity approach for early and accurate detection of cancer cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Numerous laboratory and field studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance of deicing and anti-icing products and the resulting friction coefficient of treated pavement. However, laboratory results often do not translate to the field performance due to varying temperatures, wind, traffic, etc. in actual field conditions. Also, the existing laboratory tests fail to address all the significant issues in the actual field environment or to provide actual performance of deicers to guide practitioners. This study sheds light on the challenges of developing a laboratory test that correlates to the field results and the results from the literature review and practitioner interviews may assist in developing a test method that would better mimic the actual deicer performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor combined with a 3D origami device for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was developed based on novel porous silver nanoparticles modified paper working electrode (Ag-PWE) as sensor platform and CdTe quantum dots functionalized nanoporous silver (QDs/NPS) as signal amplification label. The microfluidic origami device was fabricated by directly screen-printed electrodes on wax-patterned cellulose paper in bulk. The Ag-PWE was fabricated by a seed-mediated growth approach and served as an effective matrix for antibody attachment with good bioactivity, and stability. The ECL nanoprobe (Ab2/QDs/NPS) was designed by covalent assembly of signal antibodies (Ab2) on QDs/NPS. After a sandwich immunoreaction, the functionalized NPS labels were captured onto the Ag-PWE surface. On the basis of the considerably amplified ECL signal and sandwich-type format, the proposed method successfully fulfilled the highly sensitive detection of CEA with a linear range of 0.5pgmL−1 to 20ngmL−1 with a detection limit of 0.12pgmL−1. This facile origami ECL immunodevice exhibited high sensitivity, specificity and excellent performance in real human serum assay, and could be applied in point-of-care testing of other tumor markers for remote regions and developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A simple approach based on exfoliating and disintegrating treatments for graphite oxide, followed by hydrothermal synthesis, was developed to prepare water-soluble graphene quantum dots (GQDs). The as-prepared GQDs exhibited bright blue emission under ultraviolet irradiation (∼365nm), and showed an excitation-independent photoluminescence feature. More importantly, a newly anodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) was observed from the water-soluble GQDs with H2O2 as coreactant for the first time, and the ECL induced a strong light emission at a low potential (ca. 0.4V vs. Ag/AgCl). The ECL mechanism is investigated in detail. Employing SiO2 nanospheres as signal carrier, a novel SiO2/GQDs ECL signal amplification labels were synthesized based on which a ultrasensitive ECL aptamer sensor was proposed. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the proposed ECL aptamer sensor exhibited excellent analytical performance for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) determination, ranging from 5.0×10–12 to 5.0×10–9 molL−1 with the detection limit of 1.5×10–12 molL−1. Due to the low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility, GQDs are demonstrated to be an eco-friendly material as well as excellent ECL labeling agents for biosensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed at the facile detection of lengthy DNA molecules, an easily operated sandwich-type electrochemiluminescence (ECL) DNA biosensor was constructed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) based on CdTe quantum dots coated hollow ZnO nanoparticles (CdTe–ZnO NPs)–S2O82− ECL system in this work. To fabricate a high-performance protocol, the GCE surface was successively modified by graphene nanosheet (GS), carbon nanotube (CNT) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to form AuNPs dotted CNT–GS composites (Au@CNT–GS) platform, which improved the electronic transmission rate as well as increased the amount of immobilized capture probe CMV-F (S1). For further ultrasensitive, stable and low-potential ECL detection, CdTe–ZnO NPs were synthesized, and employed to label signal probe T7 promoter (S3). Based on the hybridization effect, the immobilized capture probe S1, target DNA and labeled signal probe S3 formed a sandwich-type DNA complex, which produced the ECL emission in the presence with S2O82− coreactant. Under optimal conditions, the DNA ECL biosensor showed a good linear range over 10−14 M to 10−19 M with a low detection limit of 0.61 × 10−19 M. The proposed strategy demonstrates a reproducible, stable, and potent method that can be expanded to detect the genome which exists in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Convenient sensor array for simultaneous multi-analyte testing was increasingly needed in clinical diagnosis. A novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor array for the sequential detection of multiple tumor markers was developed by site-selectively immobilizing multiple antigens on different electrodes. Disposable indium tin oxide (ITO) glass array was employed as detection platform. With a sandwich-type immunoassay format, the amount of carbon dots coated silica (SiO2@C-dots) labeled antibodies increased with the increment of antigens in the samples. The ECL signal from different immunosensors was collected in turn by a photomultiplier (PMT) with the aid of a home-made potential transformer equiped with a home-made multiplexed-switch. Using carcino embryonic antigen (CEA), prostate specific antigen (PSA) and α-fetoprotein (α-AFP) as model analytes, the proposed immunoassay exhibited excellent precision and sensitivity. For all three analytes, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) for six times detection were lower than 7.1% and the detection limits were in the range of 0.003–0.006ngmL−1. The results for real sample analysis demonstrated that the newly constructed immunosensor array provided a rapid, simple, simultaneous multi-analyte immunoassay with high throughput, cost-effective and sufficiently low detection limits for clinical applications. Importantly, the novel individually addressable immunosensor array for multi-analyte immunoassay by introducing the ECL readout mechanism with the aid of the home-made potential transformer and multiplexed-switch could be a useful supplement to commercial assay methods in clinical chemistry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes the plasmon resonances in AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. It is shown that wide tunable resonances with the frequency located at terahertz band can be obtained in this material system. The results originate from the ultra-high electron density induced by the polarization effect and higher order plasmon excitation. At room temperature, the dielectric response caused by phonon-polariton interactions obliterates the higher order plasmon resonances at frequency higher than 10 THz. However, the viscosity contribution to the damping of plasmons is very small in these devices. Our results also show the potential of this device for terahertz applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films of molecularly imprinted sol–gel polymer with specific binding sites for trichlorfon were prepared, fixed on glassy carbon electrodes and used as recognition material. The binding characteristic of the imprinted films to trichlorfon was evaluated by equilibrium binding experiments; and, the morphology was studied by scanning electronic microscope. A novel electrochemical sensor for determination of trichlorfon was developed based on the reaction between trichlorfon and the molecularly imprinted sol–gel film, which was a modified glassy carbon electrode. The sensor displayed excellent selectivity and high sensitivity. The linear response range of the sensor was 10 −8 –10 −6 g mL −1, and the limit of detection was 2.8 × 10 −9 g mL −1. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 10 −7 g mL −1 trichlorfon was 3.5%. The sensor was applied to the determination of trichlorfon in vegetables with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel flow injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) sensor for the determination of bovine serum albumin (BSA) using molecularly imprinted polymeric microspheres (MIPMs) as recognition element is reported. The BSA–MIPM was synthesized by suspension polymerization in toluene, using methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker in the bovine serum albumin template molecule. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to characterize the surface morphology of the resultant imprinted microspheres. Molecular modeling was employed to simulate the possible recognition process of the MIPM. Then the synthesized BSA–MIPM was employed as recognition element by packing into flow cell to establish a novel FI-CL sensor. The chemiluminescence (CL) intensity was correlated linear with the concentration of BSA over the range of 1.0×10−8 to 5.0×10−6 gmL−1 and the detection limit was 1.5×10−9 gmL−1. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for the determination of 1.0×10−7 gmL−1 BSA was 1.4% (n =11). The sensor is reusable and has a great improvement in sensitivity and selectivity for CL analysis. As a result, the new MIPM–CL sensor had been successfully applied to the determination of BSA in milk samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: ZnO nanorods had been successfully prepared by annealing the precursors, which are produced by the chemical precipitation method. The annealing temperature is found to be a key parameter for the preparation of ZnO nanorods. The largest ratio of the length to diameter for nanorods has been obtained at the annealing temperature of 400°C. The microstructure of the resultant nanorods was studied by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectra. The UV and visible emission are observed at room temperature. Spectra analyses show that the green emission depends strongly on the annealing temperature. The green and the yellow emission are attributed to the single ionized oxygen vacancy Vo+ and the interstitial oxygen Oi −, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We have observed hysteretic loops in the structural phase transition of VO2 thin films using Raman microscopy. A model is presented concerning the size distribution to illustrate the relative Raman intensity–temperature hysteretic loops in the VO2 films. We also found the different changing behavior of Ag and Bg phonon modes during the phase transition process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In precision agriculture, efficient fertilization is one of the most important pursued goals. Vegetation spectral profiles and the corresponding spectral parameters are usually employed for vegetation growth status indication, i.e., vegetation classification, bio-chemical content mapping, and efficient fertilization guiding. In view of the fact that the spectrometer works by relying on ambient lighting condition, hyperspectral/multi-spectral LiDAR (HSL/MSL) was invented to collect the spectral profiles actively. However, most of the HSL/MSL works with the wavelength specially selected for specific applications. For precision agriculture applications, a more feasible HSL capable of collecting spectral profiles at wide-range spectral wavelength is necessary to extract various spectral parameters. Inspired by this, in this paper, we developed a hyperspectral LiDAR (HSL) with 10 nm spectral resolution covering 500~1000 nm. Different vegetation leaf samples were scanned by the HSL, and it was comprehensively assessed for wide-range wavelength spectral profiles acquirement, spectral parameters extraction, vegetation classification, and the laser incident angle effect. Specifically, three experiments were carried out: (1) spectral profiles results were compared with that from a SVC spectrometer (HR-1024, Spectra Vista Corporation); (2) the extracted spectral parameters from the HSL were assessed, and they were employed as the input features of a support vector machine (SVM) classifier with multiple labels to classify the vegetation; (3) in view of the influence of the laser incident angle on the HSL reflected laser intensities, we analyzed the laser incident angle effect on the spectral parameters values. The experimental results demonstrated the developed HSL was more feasible for acquiring spectral profiles with wide-range wavelength, and spectral parameters and vegetation classification results also indicated its great potentials in precision agriculture application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel visible-light and air-promoted direct radical difluoromethylation of N-benzamides for synthesis of CF 2 H-containing isoquinoline-1,3-diones has been achieved, which represents the first metal-free catalytic synthesis of CF 2 H-containing isoquinoline-1,3-diones. This protocol provides an efficient strategy for the synthesis of a variety of CF 2 H-containing isoquinoline-1,3-diones with commercially available NaSO 2 CF 2 H. The reaction features mild reaction conditions, metal-free, air oxidation and additives free. Image 1 • An efficient metal-free and visible-light-promoted radical difluoromethylation of N-benzamides is developed. • CF 2 H-containing isoquinoline-1,3-diones are constructed readily with commercially available NaSO 2 CF 2 H. • The important potential pharmaceutical N-OH substituted isoquinoline-1,3-dione has been successfully synthesized. • Mechanistic studies indicate that the O 2 in air was the oxidant in this reaction system. • The reaction was performed in mild reaction conditions and additives free. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flat plate solar air heaters (SAHs) are widely used in many solar thermal applications, to enhance its capability to harvest solar radiation, the solar selective coating should be used. Consequently, a novel solar selective coating with high solar absorptance(α) and low emittance(ε) is fabricated by embedding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and cupric oxide nanoparticle (CuO) into the black paint. By using UV–Vis and FTIR spectroscopies, the optical properties of several percentages of the CNTs and CuO nanoparticles are studied. Besides, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) are used to study the chemical composition and surface morphology, respectively. The results showed that 4% CNTs/CuO-black paint is the highest solar selective coating with solar absorptance and thermal emittance reaches 0.964 and 0.124, respectively. Energy and Exergy performances of SAH coated with the new selective coating are investigated under four airflow rates. The obtained results show that energy efficiency enhanced by approximately 24.4%. The difference between outlet and inlet temperatures of the air across SAH raises up to 22% based on averaged values. SAH with new coating shows higher exergy efficiency. • Carbon nanotubes and cupric oxide nanoparticles boosted the solar selectivity of the black paint. • Thermal efficiency of solar air heaters enhanced by using 4% CNTs/CuO-black paint. • Exergy efficiency of SAHs coated with 4% CNTs/CuO-black paint have been improved. • SAHs coated with 4% CNTs/CuO-black paint could be suitable for agricultural drying systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancements in heat transfer, and consequently the thermohydraulic performance of solar air heaters (SAHs), are necessary to widen and optimize their use in many applications such as solar drying or heating buildings. In this investigation, two techniques were used. A novel solar selective coating combined with broken arc ribs roughness was employed with a SAH and the evaluation of the energetic and exergetic performance was applied under four airflow working conditions compared to a smooth absorber SAH coated with the same coating. The results revealed that the Nusselt number of roughened SAH with the new coating exhibited a notable improvement compared to a smooth absorber SAH and a roughened SAH without a coating. Furthermore, the thermal efficiency increased with the increase in the air flow rate and the maximum rise was 18.8% compared to a smooth SAH. The highest increase in exergy was 51.6% with minimum values of exergy destruction and improvement potentials. In brief, the roughened SAH with 4% CNTs/CuO-black paint under the airflow rate of 0.0244 m3/s (condition C) exhibited the best energetic and exergetic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huizhou-style ancient architecture was one of the most important genres of architectural heritage in China. The architecture employed bricks, woods, and stones as raw materials, and timber frames were significant structures. Due to the drawback that the timbers were vulnerable to moisture and atmospheric agents, ancient timber buildings needed frequent protective interventions to maintain its good condition. Such interventions unavoidably disrupted the consistency between the original timber components. Besides this, the modifications brought about difficulty in correctly analysing and judging the state of existing ancient buildings, which, in current preservation practices, mainly rely on the expertise of skilled craftsmen to classify wood species and to identify the building-age of the timber components. Therefore, the industry and the research community urgently need a technique to rapidly and accurately classify wood materials and to discriminate building-age. In the paper, we designed an eye-safe 81-channel hyperspectral LiDAR (HSL) to tackle these issues. The HSL used an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) as a spectral bandpass filter, offering the HSL measurements with 5 nm spectral resolution. Based on the HSL measurements, we analysed the relationship between the surface and cross-section spectral profiles of timber components from different ancient architectures built in the early Qing dynasty (~300 years), late Qing dynasty (~100 years), and nowadays, and confirmed the feasibility of using surface spectra of timber components for classification purpose. We classified building-ages and wood species with multiple Naive Bayes (NB) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers by the surface spectra of timber components; this also unveiled the possibility of classifying gnawed timber components from its spectra for the first time. The encouraging experimental results supported that the AOTF-HSL is feasible for historic timber building preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to save energy and protect the environment, the cold energy of liquefied natural gas and industrial waste heat are utilized in the Rankine cycle. In this study, a novel two-stage Rankine cycle that combines the advantages of the cascade two-stage Rankine cycle, parallel two-stage Rankine cycle, and regenerative Rankine cycle was proposed, in which the cold energy of LNG is utilized step by step. Ethane + R32, ethane + propylene, R23 + propylene, and R23 + R32 are selected as the working fluid combinations. The performance of working fluid is compared by studying the cycle performance under different parameters, and the cycle parameters are optimized through a genetic algorithm. The results show that Ethane + R32 is the best combination, with a higher exergy and thermal efficiency in most cases; further, ethane + propylene achieved the maximum exergy and thermal efficiency of 31% and 20.8%, respectively. When the temperature of the heat source is changed from 303 K to 323 K, the exergy efficiency of the cycle varies by approximately 16%. Compared with the parallel two-stage Rankine cycle + direct expansion cycle and the cascade two-stage Rankine cycle + direct expansion cycle, the exergy efficiency of the novel cycle increases by 104% and 29.76%, respectively. • A novel two-stage Rankine cycle using LNG as cold source was proposed. • The maximum exergy and thermal efficiency were optimized through genetic algorithm. • The ethane and propylene combination was screened from four combinations. • The novel cycle has a higher exergy efficiency than that of conventional cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For studying the performance of spiral wound heat exchangers (SWHEs) applied in the LNG-FPSO (LNG Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit) dual mixed refrigerant (DMR) liquefaction process, an experimental device and a numerical simulation model of DMR liquefaction process are established. Based on the experimental results and the REFPROP software, the effects of sloshing on the performance of SWHE are selected as the disturbances to test the responses of the DMR liquefaction process. The results show that the sloshing-induced reduction of SWHE heat transfer performance is within 50% for all sloshing cases. The decrease of specific power consumption of DMR liquefaction process is within 13%, when the SWHE is under sloshing angles from 3° to 9° and sloshing periods from 6 s to 30 s. • An experimental device of SWHE in LNG-FPSO is constructed. • A numerical simulation model of DMR liquefaction process is established. • The heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of SWHE under sloshing conditions are investigated. • Dynamically call REFPROP software to obtain the non-dimensional parameters of FLNG SWHE. • The liquefaction performance of DMR liquefaction process under sloshing conditions is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three experimental devices of SWHEs and two sloshing platforms are constructed. • The pressure drop characteristics under offshore conditions are investigated. • A modified method for the shell-side friction coefficient of SWHE is recommended. FLNG (Floating liquefied natural gas) has been proposed for the production and transportation of natural gas in the deep water area. The effects of offshore condition on the performance of the SWHE (spiral wound heat exchanger) applied in FLNG attract much attention. Three experimental devices of SWHEs are constructed to quantitatively evaluate how the shell-side pressure drops of FLNG SWHEs are affected by different sloshing angles (3–9°), periods (6–30 s) and amplitudes (120–255 mm). The experimental offshore conditions include inclining, yawing, pitching, heaving, surging and compound sloshing conditions. The results show that shell-side pressure fluctuation influenced by pitching motion is much more dramatic than that influenced by other sloshing conditions. The shell-side pressure fluctuation of falling film flow (within 80%) influenced by pitching motion is greater than that of vapor flow (within 21%). The increase of pitching periods and angles can increase the pressure fluctuation. A continuous dimensionless correlation for shell-side friction coefficient was obtained within a deviation of ±15% for the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new simple way for tuning the phase transition temperature (PTT) of VO2 thin films has been proposed to solve the problem of changing the doping ratio by using the dual-target co-sputtering method. A series of samples with W doping ratios of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% have been fabricated by sputtering V films with the power of pure and 2% W-doped V targets from 500 W: 0 W, 500 W: 250 W, 500 W: 500 W, 250 W: 500 W to 0 W: 500 W respectively and then annealed in an oxygen atmosphere to form VO2. The XRD results of both pure and W-doped VO2 samples reveal that VO2 forms and is the main component after annealing. The PTT can be tuned by controlling the sputtering power ratio of the pure and doped targets. It can be tuned easily from 64.3 °C to 36.5 °C by using the pure and 2% W-doped targets for demonstration, with W doping ratios from 0% to 2%. It is also valid for other doping elements and is a promising approach for the large-scale production of sputtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]