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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequently occurring severe disease with high mortality. Cystatin C (Cys-C), as a biomarker of early kidney failure, can be used to detect and prevent acute renal injury. In this paper, a biosensor based on a silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (SiNW FET) was studied for the quantitative detection of Cys-C. Based on the spacer image transfer (SIT) processes and channel doping optimization for higher sensitivity, a wafer-scale, highly controllable SiNW FET was designed and fabricated with a 13.5 nm SiNW. In order to improve the specificity, Cys-C antibodies were modified on the oxide layer of the SiNW surface by oxygen plasma treatment and silanization. Furthermore, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel was involved in improving the effectiveness and stability of detection. The experimental results show that the SiNW FET sensors realize the lower limit of detection (LOD) of 0.25 ag/mL and have a good linear correlation in the range of Cys-C concentration from 1 ag/mL to 10 pg/mL, exhibiting its great potential in the future real-time application.

Due to continuous self-sealing and good mechanical properties, the Tamusu clay rock of Inner Mongolia has been identified as the pre-selected site for high-level radioactive waste geological disposal site in China. The study of chemical behaviors related to Tamusu clay rock, such as nuclide migration, will be an important content of the performance assessment and safety assessment of the disposal repository in the future. The diffusion behavior of HTO and Se(IV)/Se(VI) with different compacted column lengths in Tamusu clay rock is discussed by the through-diffusion method. The diffusion coefficient, rock capacity factor, effective porosity, and other diffusion parameters closely related to nuclide migration are calculated, and the mechanism of nuclide diffusion is preliminarily discussed. The results show that D a (6.23 × 10−11∼17.96 × 10−11 m2 s−1), D e (1.62 × 10−11∼4.67 × 10−11 m2 s−1) for HTO increase with the increase of the compacted column length, and it is proposed that the diffusion process of HTO is affected by the change of geometrical factor and path tortuosity. D a (7.29 × 10−13∼1.74 × 10−13 m2 s−1), D e (5.15 × 10−12∼2.15 × 10−12 m2 s−1) for Se(IV), D a (3.11 × 10−12∼1.09 × 10−12 m2 s−1), D e (2.53 × 10−12∼1.09 × 10−12 m2 s−1) for Se(VI), which decrease with the increase of the compacted column length, it is mainly due to the existence of anion repulsion effect.

In clinical application, it's highly desirable for developing bio-functionalized cutaneous scaffold with transparent features for convenient observation, excellent biocompatibility, and high efficiency for promoting wound repair. Herein, allantoin-functionalized composite hydrogel was developed by coupling silk fibroin (SF) and sodium alginate (SA) for treatment of cutaneous wounds. The prepared allantoin-functionalized SF-SA composite scaffolds (AFAS) exhibited excellent mechanical properties, especially featured by similar ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation at breaking to human skin. Besides, the solvent-casting method guaranteed the AFAS to obtain highly transparent properties with sufficient moisture permeability and excellent adhesion in wet state. In vitro cellular experiments demonstrated excellent biocompatibility of the scaffold that attachment and proliferation of NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells was promoted in the presence of AFAS. Furthermore, the scaffolds exhibited efficient hemostatic property, based on rat hepatic hemorrhage model. In a cutaneous excisional mouse wound model, the AFAS significantly improved the wound closure rate, compared with pure SF-SA scaffolds and blank control. Moreover, the histomorphological assessments showed that AFAS facilitated the integrity of skin and wound healing process by enhancing collagen deposition, re-epithelialization and vascularization at wound site. The results demonstrate that the novel allantoin-functionalized SF/SA transparent hydrogel has great potential for clinical treatment of cutaneous wound.

We report herein the influence of skeletal connectivity on the conformation-dependent optical properties of cyclosilane homo- and copolymers. 1,3-Linked cyclosilanes were bathochromically shifted by 20 nm in solution relative to 1,4-linked cyclosilanes, an effect reproduced by quantum chemical calculations on oligomeric model systems. Polysilane optical properties are conformation-dependent, and 1,3-linked cyclosilanes were hypothesized to adopt a favorable conformation unavailable to 1,4-linked cyclosilanes constrained to an endocyclic gauche conformation. Copolymerization of the isomeric cyclosilanes

Based on the one-dimensional diffusion theory, the diffusion parameters were obtained from numerical fitting by the Cyclic Initial Value (CIV) program written by MATLAB. Taking the through-diffusion experimental of cesium (stable isotope 133Cs) as an example, on the premise of ensuring accuracy, fitting calculation was used to obtain the diffusion equilibrium time of Cs in different lengths bentonite column. The fitting results of diffusion test for tritium water (HTO) and Cs are both very well. The calculation results of the equilibrium time for Cs diffusion show that the equilibrium time obtained by CIV is less than the experimental period in both groundwater (GW) and seawater (SW). In GW environment, when the sensitivity is at the maximum setting value, the diffusion coefficient of Cs in 1.5 cm bentonite column could be calculated in a shorter period of time. Compared with the experimental period, the time was shortened by 110 days. The main purpose is to verify the feasibility of CIV through the experimental data of Cs in different column lengths. The CIV program can also be used to fit and calculate the experimental data of other ongoing diffusion experiments and get the equilibrium time required for diffusion experiments. It shows that the proposed models offer the advantages of saving experimental time and reducing experimental waste.

Oligosilanes are important compounds in industrial and synthetic chemistry. Here, we develop a general approach for the synthesis of linear and cyclic oligosilanes via the reductive activation of readily available chlorosilanes. The efficient and selective generation of silyl anion intermediates, which are arduous to achieve by other means, allows for the synthesis of various novel oligosilanes. In particular, this work presents a modular synthesis for a variety of functionalized cyclosilanes, which may give rise to materials with distinct properties from linear silanes but remain challenging synthetic targets. In comparison to the traditional Wurtz coupling, our method features milder conditions and improved chemoselectivity, broadening the functional groups that are compatible in oligosilane preparation. Computational studies support a mechanism whereby differential activation of two sterically and electronically distinct chlorosilanes are achieved in an electrochemically driven radical-polar crossover mechanism.

Main group organometallic compounds can exhibit unusual optical properties arising from hybrid σ,π-conjugation. While linear silanes are extensively studied, the shortage of methods for the controlled synthesis of well-defined cyclic materials has precluded the study of cyclic conjugation. Herein we report that Ru-catalyzed addition of cyclosilanes to aryl acetylenes (hydrosilylation) proceeds with high chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and diastereoselectivity, affording complex organosilanes that absorb visible light. We further show that the hydrosilylation products are useful building blocks towards novel conjugated polymers.

The thick soft superficial layers of the seabed greatly influence ground motion generally. It is worth studying how to find out the influence of these soft layers on ground motion parameters and determine reasonable seismic fortification parameters for ocean engineering. Numerical experiments of site response analysis are designed using two offshore engineering sites in this study. First, the borehole profiles are selected and stripped layer by layer to generate new profiles. Second, 108 acceleration time histories are synthesized which basically represent the diversity of input motions’ amplitude and frequency. Third, a method that can automatically calculate characteristic periods and normalize response spectra is created to improve calculation efficiency. Fourth, peak accelerations, response spectra, and characteristic periods at different depths of the profiles with different stripping depths are calculated. The results show that the thick soft superficial layers can significantly decrease peak ground accelerations and increase characteristic periods, resulting in serious “low-fat” response spectra. The situation can be greatly improved by stripping off the soft superficial layers. After stripping off the thick soft superficial silt layers, if stripping is continued further, the variation in the superficial amplification ratios of peak accelerations and superficial characteristic periods will no longer be drastic, and the superficial amplification ratios and characteristic periods both tend to be mostly the same. The relative deviation of the amplification ratio of peak ground acceleration between a profile stripped and that without stripping can be 143%, and it can be 83% for characteristic period. It is advisable to strip off thick soft superficial layers to perform site response analysis, and the shear force at the bottom of the silt should be considered in engineering based on local seismic activity level, and the silt’s and the structure’s physical parameters.

Thermal characterization of polysilanes has focused on the influence of organic side chains, whereas little is understood about the influence of silane backbone microstructure on thermal stability, phase properties, and pyrolysis. To address this knowledge gap, we prepared three distinct polycyclosilanes: linear polymers synthesized from the cyclosilane building blocks 1,4Si6 and 1,3Si6, as well as a cyclic polymer of 1,3Si6. Thermal properties across the temperature range 25 to 600 °C were investigated using differential scanning calromietry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). We found differences between linear and cyclic materials, including a phase transition unique to the cyclic polymer and lower rates of mass loss during pyrolysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided insight into microstructure-dependent pyrolysis.

Predicting apparent gas permeability (AGP) in nanopores is a major challenge for shale gas development. Considering the differences in the gas molecule-pore wall interactions in inorganic and organic nanopores, the gas transport mechanisms in shale remain unclear. In this paper, gas flow channels in shale, which are separated into inorganic pores and organic pores, are treated as nanotubes. Inorganic pores are assumed to be hydrophilic, and organic pores are assumed to be hydrophobic. In organic pores, multiple bulk free gas and surface adsorbed gas transport mechanisms are incorporated, while the bulk gas and water film are considered within inorganic pores. This paper presents a unified multiple transport mechanism model for both organic nanopores and inorganic nanopores. Unlike the earlier models, the presented models consider the absorption, stress dependence, real gas, and water storage effects on gas transport comprehensively for the entire flow regime. The results are validated with published data which is more in line with the real situation. The results show that (1) the AGP decreases gradually as the pore pressure decreases but that the decrease is sharp in small pores, (2) the AGP decreases dramatically when considering the real gas effect at 50 MPa in a 2 nm pore size, and (3) for a small pore size at the critical high-water saturation, AGP might increase suddenly as the flow regime changes from continuum flow to slip flow. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the gas transport mechanisms for the entire flow regime in shale.

Anastomosis of renal artery and renal vein in mouse models of kidney transplantation is technically challenging. Conventional technique using suture may result in vascular thrombosis. We developed a simple cuff method to anastomose both renal artery and vein.Briefly, the left renal artery was occluded at the junction with abdominal aorta using a small vessel clip, transected at the renal hilum, irrigated with heparinized saline, and passed through the lumen of a seamless tubing made of polyimide. The loose end of the artery was everted over the cuff and secured using an 8-0 silk suture. The cuffed artery was inserted into the donor renal artery and secured with an 8-0 suture. Anastomosis of the renal vein was performed similarly. Isograft transplantation was conducted using BALB/c mice as donor and recipient mice (n = 20). The total operative time was 77 ± 3 min, and the cold ischemic time of the graft kidney was minimized to 20 min. One animal was excluded due to anatomic variant vessels and another one died at three day after surgery without thrombosis.Serum creatinine increased insignificantly after transplantation and remained stable over 12 weeks posttransplant. Five recipient mice were sacrificed for histologic examination at 12 weeks after transplantation. No vascular thrombosis was observed at the site of anastomosis. The isografts showed no evidence of acute and chronic lesions such as extinctive ischemic sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis.In summary, cuff anastomosis can be used to eliminate thrombosis formation in the mouse model of kidney transplantation.

Benzylic cations and anions are implicated in the mechanism of critical organic transformations, such as styrene polymerization. We investigate the influence of BN for CC bond substitution on the reactivity of benzylic ions and the effect on BN 2-vinylnaphthalene (BN2VN) ionic polymerization. Calculations suggest that the proximity of a N donor to a cation influences the stability of a BN benzylic cation, rationalizing unsuccessful protonation of BN2VN. Organolithium reagents undergo clean nucleophilic aromatic substitution with BN2VN and related BN naphthalenes

Seismic data denoising and interpolation are generally essential steps for reflection processing and imaging workflow especially for the complex surface geologic conditions and the irregular acquisition field area. The rank-reduction method is a valid way for the attenuation of random noise and data interpolation by selecting the suitable threshold, i.e., the rank of the useful signals. However, it is difficult for the traditional rank-reduction method to select an appropriate threshold. In this paper, we propose an adaptive rank-reduction method based on the energy entropy to automatically estimate the rank as the threshold for seismic data processing and interpolation. This method considers the energy entropy into the traditional rank-reduction method. The energy entropy of signals can be used to indicate the energy intensity of a signal component in the total energy. The difference of the energy entropy between the useful signals and random noise is perceived as a measurement for selecting the appropriate threshold. Synthetic and field examples indicate that the proposed method can well achieve the attenuation of random noise and interpolation automatically without the estimation of the ranks and demonstrate the feasibility of the new adaptive method in seismic data denoising and interpolation.

In this paper, we investigate the apparent liquid permeability (ALP) of shale composed of inorganic matter (IOM) and organic matter (OM). An ALP model for porous media is developed based on water t...

Although the treatment of burn wounds has made great progress, the incidence of wound infection is still the main cause of high mortality. In this study, a silk fibroin (SF) scaffold wound dressing incorporated with Gentamicin Sulfate (GS) was developed for the treatment of burn infected wounds, in which GS was used as anti-bacterial agent. GS was mixed with silk fibroin solution and then processed into GS-SF composite scaffold via electro-spinning. The results showed the scaffold exhibited uniform polyporous morphology with 80% porosity. Induced by methanol, the scaffold presented much improved mechanical properties and stability to protease XIV. More important, the scaffold presented significant growth inhibition on both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacteria.

Background The significance of renal arteriosclerosis in the prediction of the renal outcomes of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains undetermined. Methods We enrolled 174 patients with DKD from three centres from January 2010 to July 2017. The severity and extent of arteriosclerosis were analysed on sections based on dual immunohistochemical staining of CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin. An X-tile plot was used to determine the optimal cut-off value. The primary endpoint was renal survival (RS), defined as the duration from renal biopsy to end-stage renal disease or death. Results The baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 135 qualified patients was 45 (29 ~ 70) ml/min per 1.73 m2, and the average 24-h urine protein was 4.52 (2.45 ~ 7.66) g/24 h. The number of glomeruli in the biopsy specimens was 21.07 ± 9.7. The proportion of severe arteriosclerosis in the kidney positively correlated with the Renal Pathology Society glomerular classification (r = 0.28, P r = 0.39, P < 0.001), urine protein (r = 0.213, P = 0.013), systolic BP (r = 0.305, P = 0.000), and age (r = 0.220, P = 0.010) and significantly negatively correlated with baseline eGFR (r = − 0.285, P = 0.001). In the multivariable model, the primary outcomes were significantly correlated with glomerular class (HR: 1.72, CI: 1.15 ~ 2.57), IFTA (HR: 1.96, CI: 1.26 ~ 3.06) and the modified arteriosclerosis score (HR: 2.21, CI: 1.18 ~ 4.13). After risk adjustment, RS was independently associated with the baseline eGFR (HR: 0.97, CI: 0.96 ~ 0.98), urine proteinuria (HR: 1.10, CI: 1.04 ~ 1.17) and the modified arteriosclerosis score (HR: 2.01, CI: 1.10 ~ 3.67), and the nomogram exhibited good calibration and acceptable discrimination (C-index = 0.82, CI: 0.75 ~ 0.87). Conclusions The severity and proportion of arteriosclerosis may be helpful prognostic indicators for DKD.

The temperature dependence of magnetoresistance and switching characterization based on spin transfer torque (STT) effect of perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with MgO/CoFeB/W/CoFeB/MgO double-interface free layer was studied. The tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio increases from 95% to 176% for both 84 and 64 nm-diameter p-MTJs, upon decreasing the temperature from 400 to 20 K. This change of TMR is dominated by a steady increase in the resistance of antiparallel state while the parallel state conductance remains almost constant. Switching behavior at various temperatures is investigated for pulse voltage-dependent STT measurements; resistance versus voltage loops for both the switching directions become more symmetric with decreasing temperature. Furthermore, low-temperature measurements of magnetic properties suggest that the effect of stray field for STT becomes weaker as the temperature decreases, which suggests the p-MTJs design for cryogenic memories.

In this work, a novel method consisting of side-wall passivation and a top-metal reveal process is proposed for spintronics devices based on magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The method can efficiently protect ferromagnetic metals and magnesium oxide, which are the key materials of MTJs, and effectively establish electrical contact with the interconnect metals for perpendicular MTJs (p-MTJs). The scheme consists of the passivation of MTJs with dual dielectrics – silicon nitride and silicon oxide – followed by planarization and selective wet etching. The proposed integration scheme was successfully demonstrated with 80-nm-diameter p-MTJ devices.

A label-free method for sulfadimethoxine (SDM) detection using an aptamer-based liquid crystal biosensor is developed. The sensor probe is fabricated by immobilizing amine-functionalized aptamers onto the glass slide decorating mixed self-assembled layers of triethoxysilylbutyraldehyde (TEA) and N,N-dimethyl-n-octadecyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilylchloride (DMOAP). Liquid crystals (LCs) are supported on the surface and serve as response elements, which assume the homeotropic alignment and cause a dark optical appearance under crossed polarizers. In the presence of SDM, the formation of SDM-aptamer compounds induces a notable change in the topographical structure of the surface, which disturbs the original homeotropic orientation of LCs and results in a bright optical appearance. A detection limit of 10 μg L-1 is obtained, which is far lower than the maximum residue limit (100 μg L-1 in China). This facile method shows good specificity for SDM detection and may have great potential for detecting other small molecules.

The intense fluid-dynamic interaction associated with the complex flow structure in the centrifugal pump is detrimental to the stable operation of the pump. Based on the particle image velocimetry (PIV) measuring technique, flow structures in a low specific speed centrifugal pump are measured and presented in detail. Emphasis is laid upon the complex flow structures around the volute tongue region, where intense rotor–stator interaction appears. Results show that the typical jet-wake flow pattern at the blade outlet is observed for flow rates lower than the nominal working condition, and the inflection point of the jet-wake region is found to be at the center of the blade channel. At high flow rate, the jet-wake flow pattern is not apparent due to the high momentum fluid concentrating on the blade suction side. Within the pump, several typical vorticity sheets (both positive and negative) are captured on the blade pressure and suction sides at high flow rates, while at low flow rates, the negative vorticity sheets on the blade suction side disappear due to the separated and reverse flow structures occurring. When the vorticity sheet sheds from the blade trailing edge, it would impinge on the volute tongue with subsequent cutting and distortion. Three typical interacting modes are observed at different flow rates, and the cutting effect of the volute tongue on the vorticity sheet is dependent strongly on the local absolute velocity distribution. At high flow rates, the cutting effect is more significant, and the entire vorticity sheets (positive and negative) would be cut and torn by the volute tongue.

Despite the progress in chronic wound treatment, antibacterial cutaneous scaffold with high efficiency in wound healing is still the hot spot in the field. In present study, a functionalized silk fibroin (SF) cutaneous scaffold incorporated with natural medicine usnic acid (UA) is investigated, in which UA is used as an antibacterial and wound-healing reagent. Via electrospinning, UA-SF mixture is fabricated into UA-SF composite scaffold (USCS), which is composed of uniform nanofibers with average diameters of around 360 ± 10 nm. The interwoven nanofibers form mesh structure providing sufficient moisture permeability for scaffold. With methanol treatment, USCS presents improved mechanical properties and stability to protease XIV. In the presence of USCS, the growth rate of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococci pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is significantly inhibited in plate culture and suspension assays. In a cutaneous excisional mouse wound model, USCS presents a significant increase of wound closure rate, compared with pure SF scaffold and commercial dressing, Tegaderm Hydrocolloid 3M . The histological assessments further prove that USCS can enhance re-epithelialization, vascularization, and collagen deposition in wound site to promote the wound-healing process, which indicates the potential application of USCS in chronic wound treatment.

A review on the rotating stall in the vaneless diffuser of centrifugal compressors is presented showing that different stall modes characterized by different numbers of cells can be detected within the diffuser even if the operating condition remains unchanged. The interaction between the inlet perturbation and the stall cells near the diffuser outlet is supposed to be the trigger of the stall mode transformation. In order to determine if the inlet perturbation will interact with the downstream stall cells, a characteristic time analysis is proposed to estimate the characteristic time of the perturbation in radial and tangential directions. An additional theoretical model which focused on the development of the vaneless diffuser rotating stall is presented to determine the propagation velocity of the cells. The comparison between the characteristic time in two directions shows that one stall mode is able to evolve into another stall mode if a critical condition is met, and the stall mode transformation is more likely to start from a mode with a higher number of cells and is more likely to occur in the diffuser with a large radius ratio. Experimental results are also employed to validate the proposed critical condition, and good agreements are obtained.