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Owing to the potential ability of metal nanoparticles to enhance the performance of energy storage devices, their catalytic performance has been studied by many researchers. However, a limited number of suitable characterization techniques does not allow fully elucidating their catalytic mechanism. Herein, high-accuracy operando magnetometry is employed to investigate the catalytic properties of a cobalt oxide electrode for lithium-ion batteries fabricated by magnetron sputtering. Using this technique, the magnetic responses generated by the Co-catalyzed reversible formation and decomposition of a polymer/gel-like film are successfully detected. A series of CoO/Co films are prepared by magnetron sputtering in different environments at various sputtering times to study the influence of Co content and film thickness on their catalytic properties. It is clearly demonstrated that increasing the Co content enhances the magnetic signal associated with the catalysis process. Furthermore, decreasing the electrode thickness increases the area affected by the catalytic reactions, which in turn enhances the corresponding magnetic responses. The obtained results experimentally confirm the catalytic activity of Co metal nanoparticles and provide a scientific guidance for designing advanced energy storage devices. This work also shows that operando magnetometry is a versatile technique for studying the catalytic effects of transition metals.

Ferromagnetic metals show great prospects in ultralow-power-consumption spintronic devices, due to their high Curie temperature and robust magnetization. However, there is still a lack of reliable solutions for giant and reversible voltage control of magnetism in ferromagnetic metal films. Here, we propose a novel space-charge approach which allows us to achieve a modulation of 30.3 emu g

In spite of the excellent electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), transition-metal compounds usually show inferior capacity and cyclability in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), implying different reaction schemes between these two types of systems. Herein, coupling operando magnetometry with electrochemical measurement, we peformed a comprehensive investigation on the intrinsic relationship between the ion-embedding mechanisms and the electrochemical properties of the typical FeS2/Na (Li) cells. Operando magnetometry together with ex-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement reveal that only part of FeS2 is involved in the conversion reaction process, while the unreactive parts form "inactive cores" that lead to the low capacity. Through quantification with Langevin fitting, we further show that the size of the iron grains produced by the conversion reaction are much smaller in SIBs than that in LIBs, which may lead to more serious pulverization, thereby resulting in worse cycle performance. The underlying reason for the above two above phenomena in SIBs is the sluggish kinetics caused by the larger Na-ion radius. Our work paves a new way for the investigation of novel SIB materials with high capacity and long durability.

Background: A substantial portion of patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can progress to critical illness which is associated with high mortality, and prolonged length of hospital stay. Currently, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is reported widely in these specific population globally. However, the impact of IVIG treatment on clinically relevant outcomes in the critically ill patients with COVID-19 still remained controversial.Methods: The major databases including PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register were searched from January 1, 2019 through January 12, 2022. Studies were limited to severely ill patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who receiving IVIG with a comparative group. The primary outcome was the overall mortality. Length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital, utilization rate of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and ventilators free days were secondary outcomes. Meanwhile, sensitivity and subgroup analyses, as well as a trial sequential analysis (TSA), were performed.Results: 4 prospective randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 6 retrospective cohort studies (involving 2,054 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in our meta-analysis. Compare to standard of care (SOC), the use of IVIG was not associated with decreased odds of death significantly (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.63–1.67; P = 0.92). No significant difference was detected in either hospital (MD 1.56; 95% CI -1.43–4.55; P = 0.31) or ICU LOS (MD 0.75; 95% CI -0.36–1.86; P = 0.18) between the two groups. A sensitivity analysis revealed that administering IVIG may harmful to patients with moderate to severe ARDS induced by SARS-CoV-2 (OR 2.24; 95% CI 1.09–4.63; P = 0.03). The high level of heterogeneity remained substantial after multiple sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed. The TSA indicated a lack of sufficient evidence to draw decisive conclusions from the current results since the required information size (RIS) of 8,373 still not reached yet.Conclusions: Current evidence do not support the use of IVIG in treatment for critically ill patients with COVID-19. Further prospective study with well design urgently needed for conclusive findings.

In spite of the excellent electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), transition-metal compounds usually show inferior capacity and cyclability in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), implying different reaction schemes between these two types of systems. Herein, coupling operando magnetometry with electrochemical measurement, we peformed a comprehensive investigation on the intrinsic relationship between the ion-embedding mechanisms and the electrochemical properties of the typical FeS

The rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is of great significance for the control and treatment of TB. However, TB remains a major healthy, social, and economic burden worldwide because of the lack of ideal diagnostic biomarkers. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis)-encoded small RNA (sRNA) is a class of regulation small RNA. Several studies have identified M. tuberculosis encoded-sRNAs in the serum/plasm of M. tuberculosis-infected patients. Small extracellular vesicles are small membrane vesicles secreted by many cell types during physiological and pathological conditions. Recent evidence has indicated that most of the nucleic acids in the serum/plasma are packaged in the small extracellular vesicles and could serve as ideal diagnostic biomarkers. In this study, we attempted a novel approach for TB diagnosis: targeting small extracellular vesicles M. tuberculosis encoded sRNA (sRNA) by qRT-PCR. The results showed that M. tuberculosis-encoded ASdes and MTB-miR5 only existed in tuberculosis patients and have the potential to serve as a sensitive and accurate methodology for TB diagnosis.

Membrane fouling mitigation was observed during the development of novel sponge membrane bioreactor coupled with fiber bundle anoxic bio-filter (AF-MBMBR). Soluble microbial product (SMP) was found to be positively correlated with membrane fouling. To further clarify the mechanism of fouling mitigation, the effects of bio-carriers (sponge and fiber bundles) on characteristics and fouling potential of SMP were investigated. Characterization of SMP implied that as a consequence of employing bio-carriers, tyrosine and tryptophan in SMP significantly decreased, instead relative proportions of humic and fulvic acids increased. Meanwhile, batch filtration tests demonstrated that fouling potential of SMP was significantly alleviated, flux decline caused by filtrating SMP decreased from 84.5% to 60.1%. Further analysis on foulants and filtrate revealed that proteins performed high adhesion propensity on membrane while humic and fulvic acids mainly can pass through the membrane; this finding could well explain the mitigation of SMP fouling potential induced by bio-carriers.

High-quality Fe-doped TiO2 films are epitaxially grown on MgF2 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The x-ray diffraction and Raman spectra prove that they are of pure rutile phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) further demonstrates that the epitaxial relationship between rutile-phased TiO2 and MgF2 substrates is 110 TiO2 ∥ 110 MgF2. The room temperature ferromagnetism is detected by alternative gradient magnetometer. By increasing the ambient oxygen pressure, magnetization shows that it decreases monotonically while absorption edge shows a red shift. The transport property measurement demonstrates a strong correlation between magnetization and carrier concentration. The influence of ambient oxygen pressure on magnetization can be well explained by a modified bound magnetization polarization model.

The (002) texture, compactness, and smoothness Ti2AlN thin films render them promising for many potential applications, especially in the surface modification of wear-resistant components. In this study, Ti2AlN thin films were fabricated by the vacuum annealing of Ti/AlN multilayers deposited by high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS). The influence of the multilayer modulation ratio and modulation period of Ti/AlN on the microstructure and properties of the Ti2AlN thin film were explored. The results indicate that a Ti/AlN modulation ratio close to 6:4 and period less than 30 nm are appropriate for yielding high-quality crystallized Ti2AlN thin films. The microstructure of the Ti2AlN thin film is (002) textured, nanocrystalline, smooth, and compact, which benefits from the HPPMS technique. The Ti2AlN thin film adheres well to the substrate and has a hardness of 32.5 ± 2.1 GPa and has a friction coefficient of 0.15 while tested with a Si3N4 friction pair.

Fast and effective transportation of beads/molecules into living cells with high cell viability is essential for drug development and cell biology. This study presents a new approach of injecting single magnetic nanobeads with low surface temperature into living cells using a continuous-wave laser. Experimental results demonstrate the successful injection of magnetic nanobeads into living cells with high injection rates reaching 100%, short injection times of about 1 s, and maximal cell survival rates of 100%.

Ti-Mn-N films were deposited on CoCrMo alloys and Si substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of Mn content on the structure, surface composition and surface energy of Ti-Mn-N film were investigated by XRD, SEM, XPS, and contact angle measurements. Primary mouse osteoblasts were cultured on the Ti-Mn-N films for 1 and 3 d to evaluate cell adhesion and cell viability. RAW264.7 macrophages were cultured on the Ti-Mn–N films for 24 h to evaluate the cell activation and inflammatory cytokine release. The results showed that after culturing for 3 days, there were a greater number of osteoblasts on the 2.2%Mn-TiN and 4.4%Mn-TiN films as compared to the other films. When the Mn content was higher than 4.4 at.%, the osteoblasts viability on Ti-Mn-N films was reduced. In addition, the results of the released inflammatory factors showed that Ti-Mn-N films induced a lower inflammatory response than that induced by CoCrMo alloy, while demonstrating the same excellent biocompatibility as that of TiN film. Hence, Ti-Mn–N films with 2.2 at.% and 4.4 at.% Mn have potential application on the surface modification of dental implant.

This study aimed to analyze the risk factors of ischemic stroke in young adults of different ages; explore the changes in these risk factors with time; analyze the clinical characteristics of ischemic stroke in young adults; and assess how to better prevent ischemic stroke in young adults.All patients with ischemic stroke who presented to the Department of Emergency Medicine, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School were enrolled. The data of patients aged 18-50 years were retrospectively evaluated for two periods, January-December 2008 and January-December 2018. Additionally, we collected the data of patients aged 51-90 years with ischemic stroke in the same ward in 2018. The subjects were divided into three groups: ischemic stroke in young people in 2008 ("Youth 2008"), ischemic stroke in young people in 2018 ("Youth 2018"), and ischemic stroke in elderly people in 2018 ("Senior 2018"). Risk factors, clinical characteristics and test indices were recorded and analyzed statistically.The "Youth 2008" group included 28 patients-19 males (67.9%) and 9 females (31.2%) with a male-to-female ratio of 2.11:1. The "Youth 2018" group included 23 patients-20 males (87.0%) and 3 females (13.0%) with a male-to-female ratio of 6.67:1. The "Senior 2018" group included 210 patients-150 males (71.4%) and 60 females (28.6%) with a male-to-female ratio of 2.50:1. The risk factors in "Youth 2018" were higher than those in "Youth 2008" in terms of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hypercholesterolemia without significant difference. Smoking and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were significantly increased (P 0.05) in this population. Smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were more prevalent among the "Youth 2018" group than among the "Senior 2018" group, whereas carotid plaques, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation were less common in the younger group (P 0.05). There was no significant difference between the younger and older groups in terms of thrombolysis rate, cerebral infarction type, and complications, except pulmonary infections (P 0.05).There was no significant change in the main risk factors of ischemic stroke in young adults during the 10-year period. Traditional risk factors-smoking and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-were still common but with a significantly greater prevalence, whereas carotid plaques, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation had become less common. The clinical characteristics, other than pulmonary infection, were not significantly different between the younger and older patients with ischemic stroke.

In this paper, we propose the selective adhesion and rapid injection of a fluorescent sensor into a target cell via the optical control of zeta potential and local vibration stimulus using optical tweezers. A multi-fluorescent sensor, which can respond to both temperature and pH, was encapsulated in anionic lipid layers containing a photochromic material (spiropyran) via the layer-by-layer method. The zeta potential of the lipid layers containing spiropyran was adjusted from negative to positive by photo-isomerization of spiropyran using UV illumination. A single sensor was manipulated by optical tweezers and transferred to a cell surface, thereafter adhering selectively to the cell surface under UV illumination without excess sensor adhesion. We then drove the focal point of the optical tweezers to move up and down circularly near the sensor, mimicking a vibration on the sensor or rapid injection. The surface zeta potential of the liposome layers was measured using a zeta potential analyzer. The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method was used to observe the changes in contact area between the adhered sensor and cell membrane before and after vibration. Holographic optical tweezers (HOT) and laser confocal microscopy were used to manipulate the single sensor and to capture fluorescent images. The results showed that the vibration applied on the sensor could push down the sensor, inducing a downward displacement. This displacement caused a corresponding deformation of the cell membrane, which increased the contact area between the sensor and the cell membrane. Without vibration, the sensor was injected into the cytoplasm in 5 h at an injection rate of 40%. By applying the vibration stimulus, we succeeded in the rapid injection of the sensor in 30 min at an injection rate of 80%.

To evaluate the role of gray-white-matter ratio (GWR) on neurological outcome in patients with coma after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) post-respiratory and cardiac arrest (CA).Respiratory and CA patients with restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and coma after CPR admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University from February 2013 to June 2016 were enrolled. All patients were subjected to target temperature management (TTM) after CPR, and received cranial CT within 5 days after ROSC. Attenuation (hounsfield units) was measured at special sites (basal ganglia, centrum semiovale), and specific locus (caudate nucleus, put amen, corpus callosum, posterior limb of internal capsule, medial cortex, medial white matter). The GWR was calculated for basal ganglia and cerebrum. Neurological outcome was judged according to the Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance category (CPC) at 3 months after ICU discharge. CPC 1-3 were divided into good prognosis, CPC 4-5 were divided into poor prognosis. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the prognostic value of GWR in patients with respiratory and CA.Forty-three patients were enrolled, including 26 males and 17 females; age (63±15) years old; 14 good prognosis and 29 poor prognosis. Compared with the good prognosis group, the basal ganglia GWR (GWRRespiratory and CA patients receiving TTM with high GWR had favorable neurological outcome. GWR, especially GWR

In this study, a novel multi-fluorescent micro-sensor that can respond to both pH and temperature was designed and synthesized. It is based on amino-polystyrene microbeads, and two different fluorescent indicators (Rhodamine B and Fluorescein isothiocyanate) were used simultaneously to synthesize the fluorescent micro-sensor. Rhodamine B was embedded inside the amino-polystyrene microbeads, whereas Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was used to modify the surface of the beads. Because of the different fluorescence wavelengths and measurement positions of FITC and Rhodamine B, interference from each fluorescent indicator should be avoided. The fluorescence responses of FITC and Rhodamine B to pH and temperature, respectively, were detected. Rhodamine B demonstrates an excellent linear relationship between relative fluorescence intensity and temperature, while the relative fluorescence intensity was found to be independent of the pH. The calibrated sensitivity of Rhodamine B is −3.4%/°C, with a temperature accuracy of 0.1 °C. Therefore, changes in the temperature information can be calibrated based on the relative fluorescence intensity changes in Rhodamine B. On the other hand, FITC is sensitive to both pH and temperature. We propose a temperature compensation method for pH calibration. After temperature compensation, the pH accuracy calibrated based on the pH sensitivity of FITC improves from 1.5 to 0.2.

Titanium nitride (TiN) thin films have excellent physical and chemical properties, and are widely used as cutting tools, drills and die protective coatings. However, their limited hardness and corrosion resistance caused by the rough, loose, columnar structure will affect its application in extreme environments. TiN films with refined grains and nanostructure might solve this problem. In this paper, Co and Cr atoms were doped into TiN film to tailor its structure. The effects of Co and Cr content on the Ti(CoCr)N film structure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), microhardness tester and electrochemical corrosion tester. The results show that Co and Cr doping can disturb the columnar growth of TiN films, and lead to refinement of TiN grains. Compared to TiN films without Co and Cr doping, the hardness of Ti(CoCr)N with 2.7 at.% Co and 1.9 at.% Cr increases by about 37% to 31.3 GPa. And Ti(CoCr)N films with 2.7 at.% Co and 1.9 at.% Cr have the best corrosion resistance.

TiN films deposited by magnetron sputtering are widely used to improve the surface properties of components and prolong their service life. However, for complex shaped workpieces, such as hoods, the shadow effect will cause the nonuniformity of thickness, structure and performance of the as-deposited films and thus reduce their service life. High-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) is characterized by high ionization rate of target atoms, which makes it easy to control the energy and direction of deposited particles, and then to prepare highly uniform and compact films. In this paper, TiN films were deposited on the inner surfaces of a hemispherical workpiece by HPPMS at different working pressure. The film thickness, crystallographic structure, microhardness and morphology of the films were investigated by surface profilometer, XRD, SEM and microhardness tester. The results show that the thickness uniformity of TiN film on the inner surface of the hemispherical workpiece decreases, and the uniformity of structure and hardness increase with the increase of working pressure.

Cu2O/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker (T-ZnOW) nanocompound was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal chemical method. The chemical composition, morphology, band gap and photocatalytic property of the Cu2O/T-ZnOW nanocompound were studied in detail. It was observed that the Cu2O particles deposited on T-ZnOW surface had a cubic structure and the crystallinity of T-ZnOW did not change with the increase of Cu2O crystals. The morphology and content of Cu2O in the Cu2O/T-ZnOW nanocompound played an important role on the photocatalytic activity. In addition, the coexistence of Cu2O and T-ZnOW nanoparticles was propitious to the high photocatalytic activity owing to their hetero-junction effect. The Cu2O/T-ZnOW nanocompound prepared by 7.2% Cu/Zn MR exhibited the best photocatalytic activity on the degradation of MO solution under UV light irradiation. At the first 100 min of irradiation, the photodegradation efficiency of MO solution reached up to 99.16%, which still retained its high photocatalytic activity about 89.10% even at the end of the fourth cycle. Little change was found in their phase compositions after the photocatalytic reaction process, except partial oxidation of particles’ surface. The mechanism for UV light driven photocatalytic activity enhancement over Cu2O/T-ZnOW nanocompound was discussed.

Influenza virus infection can result in changes in the cellular ion levels at 2–3 hours post-infection. More H+ is produced by glycolysis, and the viral M2 proton channel also plays a role in the capture and release of H+ during both viral entry and egress. Then the cells might regulate the intracellular pH by increasing the export of H+ from the intracellular compartment. Increased H+ export could lead indirectly to increased extracellular acidity. To detect changes in extracellular pH of both virus-infected and uninfected cells, pH sensors were synthesized using polystyrene beads (1μm) containing Rhodamine B and Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The fluorescence intensity of FITC can respond to both pH and temperature. So Rhodamine B was also introduced in the sensor for temperature compensation. Then the pH can be measured after temperature compensation. The sensor was adhered to cell membrane for extracellular pH measurement. The results showed that the multiplication of influenza virus in host cell decreased extracellular pH of the host cell by 0.5–0.6 in 4 hours after the virus bound to the cell membrane, compared to that in uninfected cells. Immunostaining revealed the presence of viral PB1 subunits in the nucleus of virus-bound cells that exhibited extracellular pH changes, but no PB1 subunits are detected in virus-unbound cells where the extracellular pH remained constant.

Rapid and effective injection of functional nanobeads into a specific living cell with high cell viability is one of the most important issues for single cell analysis. This paper reports a novel method of injecting single magnetic nanobeads into a living Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell using a continuous-wave near infrared laser. Experimental results demonstrated the successful injection of magnetic nanobeads into living cells with high injection rates reaching 100 %, maximal cell survival rates of 90 % at 14 mW laser power. Injection times was achieved about 1.4 sec.

The influence on the tribological properties in a modified metal‐on‐polymer (CoCrMo/UHMWPE) articulation should be tested with DLC coated or N + ion implanted into artificial hip joint heads. For this a diamond like carbon (DLC) film was deposited on a CoCrMo artificial hip joint head by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique (FCVA) with a thickness of approximately 600 nm. Alternatively nitrogen ions were implanted into the CoCrMo artificial hip joint head by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) technology. Before wear tests, the surface morphology and topography of unmodified, DLC coated and N + implanted CoCrMo heads were investigated by optical microscopy (OM) and stylus profilometry. Then a MTS hip joint simulator was used to characterize the tribological properties of the artificial hip joint implants. The wear loss of UHMWPE cup and wear morphology of both the CoCrMo head and UHMWPE cup were investigated after hip joint simulator wear tests. The results showed that the DLC film deposited on the CoCrMo joint head by FCVA method had excellent tribological properties and didn't fail during two million wear cycles while the N + implanted layer formed on the CoCrMo head was damaged during the wear test. Compared with sliding against unmodified CoCrMo head, the UHMWPE cup had a higher wear rate when sliding against DLC coated or N + implanted CoCrMo head. In our opinion, only applying the surface modification (DLC film or N + implantation) on the CoCrMo head could not improve the wear resistance of metal‐on‐polymer (CoCrMo/UHMWPE) articulation for artificial hip joint implant.

CuO/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker (T-ZnOw) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using a simple photo-deposition method. Some nanocomposites exhibit remarkably improved photocatalytic property, while the extents of the improvements vary with different Cu/Zn molar ratios and polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations. Moreover, it is found that excessively high Cu/Zn molar ratio or PEG concentration would reduce the photocatalytic property of the nanocomposites. A direct relationship between the morphology and the photocatalytic property of CuO/T-ZnOw was established and then analyzed by discussing the photocatalytic mechanism of the CuO/T-ZnOw nanocomposites.

In this work, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was modified with oxygen plasma generated by microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR). Surface microstructure and properties of UHMWPE were studied by means of water contact angle measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scratch test and wear test. The results showed that O 2 plasma treatment could effectively improve the wettability, anti-scratch and tribological properties of UHMWPE. Many oxygen-based functional groups generated on the surface of the O 2 plasma modified UHMWPE, which resulted in the improvement of wettability. The plasma treatment process increased the crosslinking of UHMWPE molecular chains, which further enhanced the action force between the molecular chains and finally increased the surface hardness, anti-scratch capacity and tribological properties of UHMWPE.

The paper presents the investigation of the effect of the process parameters on the structure of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films deposited on Si(100) substrate by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition method (ECR-PCVD). The investigation is based on an orthogonal experimental design and analysis method. Both the carbon sp3/sp2 bonding ratio and hydrogen content are evaluated from the visible Raman spectra deconvolution. The statistical results indicate that the sp3/sp2 bonding ratio is mainly affected by microwave power, and it decreases as the microwave power increases. The hydrogen content in a-C:H films is mainly affected by the substrate bias voltage, and it decreases with increasing the bias voltage. The effect of other parameters on the structure of a-C:H films is relatively not significant, but is also discussed in the paper.

In this work, argon (Ar) plasma generated by microwave electron cyclotron resonance (MWECR) has been used to modify the UHMWPE in order to increase the wear resistance. The results showed that the wettability, anti-scratch and wear resistance of UHMWPE treated by the Ar plasma had been improved, comparing with native UHMWPE. The FTIR and XPS spectra indicated the improvement of wettability should come from the oxygen based functional groups generated on the surface of UHMWPE. The improvement of anti-scratch and wear resistance may come from the enhancement of crosslinking of UHMWPE by Ar plasma treatment.

In prosthetic hip replacements, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) wear debris is identified as the main factor limiting the lifetime of the artificial joints. Especially UHMWPE debris from the joint can induce tissue reactions and bone resorption that may lead to the joint loosening. The diamond like carbon (DLC) film has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years mainly because of its excellent tribological property, biocompatibility and chemically inert property. In order to improve the wear-resistance of UHMWPE, a-C:H films were deposited on UHMWPE substrate by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (ECR-PECVD) technology. During deposition, the working gases were argon and acetylene, the microwave power was set to 800 W, the biased pulsed voltage was set to −200 V (frequency 15 kHz, duty ratio 20%), the pressure in vacuum chamber was set to 0.5 Pa, and the process time was 60 min. The films were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, nano-indentation, anti-scratch and wear test. The results showed that a typical amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) film was successfully deposited on UHMWPE with thickness up to 2 μm. The nano-hardness of the UHMWPE coated with a-C:H films, measured at an applied load of 200 μN, was increased from 10 MPa (untreated UHMWPE) to 139 MPa. The wear test was carried out using a ball (O 6 mm, SiC) on disk tribometer with an applied load of 1 N for 10000 cycles, and the results showed a reduction of worn cross-sectional area from 193 μm 2 of untreated UHMWPE to 26 μm 2 of DLC coated sample. In addition the influence of argon/acetylene gas flow ratio on the growth of a-C:H films was studied.

The ordered arrays of Fe–Pd binary alloy nanotubes were synthesized from the mixed metal-complex solution by a simple electrodeposition method with the assistance of nanoporous anodic alumina (AAO). The electrodeposition potentials of Fe2+ and Pd2+ can be controlled by complexing agents, which has allowed for the fabrication of the Fe–Pd nanotubes by the AAO-template-assisted electrodeposition. Furthermore, the adjustment of the cathodic current density has caused the variation of the inner diameters and Fe–Pd composition ratios of the alloy nanotubes. Although the as-prepared Fe–Pd nanotubes are comprised of f.c.c. crystal structures, the metastable phase structure has been converted to L12 supper-lattice structure by annealing. The results of this work have shown a potential applicability of AAO-template-assisted electrodeposition to the preparation of other new binary alloy nanotubes by selecting adequate complexing agents.

Optical heating of metallic nanoparticles is of great significance to biological and biomedical applications, such as gene/molecule delivery and intracellular microenvironment measurement. In this study, we propose to employ optical heating of metallic nanoparticles to achieve fast injection of single nanoscale sensor into living cells. The nanoscale sensor consists of polystyrene bead, which is embedded with iron oxide nanoparticles and dyed with Rhodamine B for temperature sensitivity. A fluid of the nanoscale sensors was incubated into cell culture medium for adhesion onto cell membrane. When irradiated by 1064 nm continuous-wave laser, the embedded iron oxide nanoparticles serve as heater due to their surface plasmonic properties. It contributes to fast injection of the nanoscale sensor into living cells. Our experiment results indicate that under laser irradiation with power of 7 mW the nanoscale sensor is successfully injected into living cells in 8 sec. Furthermore, with an increase in power from 7 to 35 mW the injection time decreases from 8 to 1 sec. In addition, our experimental results indicate that after injecting the nanoscale sensor into living cell the injected cells have a survival rate of 100%.

This paper reports on a high-level neutron coincidence counter equipped with 18 {sup 3}He tubes and a JSR-11 shift register unit with a detection limit of 0.20 n/s for a 2-h run which is used to study the neutron signals in D{sub 2} gas experiments. Different material pretreatments are selected to review the changes in frequency and size of the neutron burst production. Experimental sequence is deliberately designed to distinguish the neutron burst from fake signals, e.g., electronic noise pickup, cosmic rays, and other sources of environmental background. Ten batches of dry fusion samples are tested, among them, seven batches with neutron burst signals that occur roughly from {minus}100{degrees}C to near room temperature. In the first four runs of a typical sample batch, seven neutron bursts are observed with neutron numbers from 15 to 482, which are 3 and 75 times, respectively, higher than the uncertainty of the background. The samples seem to be inactive after four or five temperature cycles, and the inactive samples could be reactivated by degassing and recharging of deuterium. The same anomalous phenomena were observed in the Mentou Valley Underground Laboratory situated 580 m below ground.