Carbon nanotube research developments in terms of published papers and patents, synthesis and production

AbstractProgress of carbon nanotube (CNT) research and development in terms of published papers and patents is reported. Developments concerning CNT structures, synthesis, and major parameters, in terms of the published documents are surveyed. Publication growth of CNTs and related fields are analyzed for the period of 2000–2010. From the explored search term, “carbon nanotubes”, the total number of papers containing the CNT concept is 52,224, and for patents is 5,746, with a patent/paper ratio of 0.11. For CNT research in the given period, an annual increase of 8.09% for paper and 8.68% for patents are resulted. Published papers for CNT, CVD and CCVD synthesis parameters for the period of 2000–2010 are compared. In other research, publications for CNT laser synthesis, for the period of 2000–2010, are reviewed. Publications for major laser parameters in CNT synthesis for the period of 2000–2010 are described. The role of language of the published references for CNT research for the period of 2000–2010 is also investigated. Published papers/patents in English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, German, French, Polish, and Spanish languages are compared. As expected, the number of paper/patent publications in English dominates other languages

Deep Inspiration and the Emergence of Ventilation Defects during Bronchoconstriction: A Computational Study

Deep inspirations (DIs) have a dilatory effect on airway smooth muscle (ASM) that helps to prevent or reduce more severe bronchoconstriction in healthy individuals. However, this bronchodilation appears to fail in some asthmatic patients or under certain conditions, and the reason is unclear. Additionally, quantitative effects of the frequency and magnitude of DIs on bronchodilation are not well understood. In the present study, we used a computational model of bronchoconstriction to study the effects of DI volumes, time intervals between intermittent DIs, relative speed of ASM constriction, and ASM activation on bronchoconstriction and the emergence of ventilation defects (VDefs). Our results showed a synergistic effect between the volume of DIs and the time intervals between them on bronchoconstriction and VDefs. There was a domain of conditions with sufficiently large volumes of DIs and short time intervals between them to prevent VDefs. Among conditions without VDefs, larger volumes of DIs resulted in greater airway dilation. Similarly, the time interval between DIs, during which the activated ASM re-constricts, affected the amplitude of periodic changes in airway radii. Both the relative speed of ASM constriction and ASM activation affected what volume of DIs and what time interval between them could prevent the emergence of VDefs. In conclusion, quantitative characteristics of DIs, such as their volume and time interval between them, affect bronchoconstriction and may contribute to difficulties in asthma. Better understanding of the quantitative aspects of DIs may result in novel or improved therapeutic approaches

Development and validation of a novel panel of 16 STR markers for simultaneous diagnosis of β-thalassemia, aneuploidy screening, maternal cell contamination detection and fetal sample authenticity in PND and PGD/PGS cases

Prenatal diagnosis (PND) may be complicated with sample mix-up; maternal cell contamination, non-paternity and allele drop out at different stages of diagnosis. Aneuploidy screening if combined with PND for a given single gene disorder, can help to detect any common aneuploidy as well as aiding sample authenticity and other probable complications which may arise during such procedures. This study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel panel of STR markers combined as a multiplex PCR kit (HapScreen� kit) for the detection of β-thalassemia, aneuploidy screening, ruling in/out maternal cell contamination (MCC), and sample authenticity. The kit uses 7 STR markers linked to β-globin gene (HBB) as well as using 9 markers for quantitative analysis of chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X and Y. Selection of the markers was to do linkage analysis with β-globin gene, segregation analysis and to perform a preliminary aneuploidy screening of fetal samples respectively. These markers (linked to the β-globin gene) were tested on more than 2185 samples and showed high heterozygosity values (68.4�91.4). From 2185 fetal cases we found 3 cases of non-paternity, 5 cases of MCC, one case of sample mix-up and one case of trisomy 21 which otherwise may have end up to misdiagnosis. This kit was also successfully used on 231 blastomeres for 29 cases of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and screening (PGS). The markers used for simultaneous analysis of haplotype segregation and aneuploidy screening proved to be very valuable to confirm results obtained from direct mutation detection methods (i.e. ARMS, MLPA and sequencing) and aneuploidy screening. © 2019, The Author(s)

How Precalculus Course Coordination Can Impact Students’ Academic Performance

This study aims to measure the impact of course coordination and instructor support to implement a research-based curriculum on students’ academic performance. Our results confirm that a careful curriculum design in addition to a dedicated course coordination can have a positive impact on students’ learning. A reflective teaching philosophy and opportunity to engage in critical conversations about teaching and learning promoted through course coordination can influence classroom practice and result in improved student outcomes. We recommend that departments should recognize the importance of course coordination and encourage faculty to work closely towards the common aim of delivering the best teaching practices