A series of nano/micro-sized metal-organic frameworks with tunable photoluminescence properties

Present studies on metal-organic frameworks (MOF) mainly focus on macro-scaled single crystals. However, the realization of MOF nanocrystals via a bottom-up one-step method still remains a significant challenge. Here, hierarchically assembled nanostructures of lanthanide-based MOFs with 1D and 3D morphologies have been successfully fabricated via a simple and rapid solution phase method at room temperature. Upon UV excitation, these nanomaterials exhibit highly efficient tunable luminescence properties, which come from the Eu3+ or Tb3+ ions. Moreover, white-light emission can be achieved by co-activating the organic ligand, Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions in the nano-MOFs. This journal i

The Adsorption of α-Amylase onto Activated Carbon Modified by Nitrocellulose Combustion and its Resulting Hydrolysis Activity towards Starch

The combustion oxidation of nitrocellulose at 300 o C was employed to modify activated carbon by the introduction of oxygen-containing complexes onto its surface. The pore structure, elemental composition and chemical nature of the functional groups attached to the surface of the activated carbon were investigated after such oxidation. The results obtained show that oxygen-containing complexes may be introduced efficiently via the combustion of nitrocellulose, with the adsorption capacity of the resulting activated carbon towards α-amylase being enhanced due to interaction between the amino groups of α-amylase and the oxygen-containing surface groups. Thus, oxidized activated carbons with α-amylase immobilized on their surfaces exhibited a hydrolysis activity greater than 63% (based on free α-amylase) after five runs, while the hydrolysis activity of α-amylase immobilized on the original activated carbon was only 15% after two runs. A simple method for introducing oxygen-containing complexes onto the surface of activated carbon through the use of nitrocellulose combustion is described in the present work. The resulting oxidized activated carbon may be used as a support for the immobilization of α-amylase, with the immobilized α-amylase exhibiting a high hydrolysis activity even after repeated use

Correction: A series of nano/micro-sized metal–organic frameworks with tunable photoluminescence properties

Hierarchically assembled nanostructures of lanthanide-based MOFs with tunable emission have been successfully fabricated via a simple method at room temperature.</p

Correction: A series of nano/micro-sized metal-organic frameworks with tunable photoluminescence properties (vol 17, pg 2321, 2015)

Hierarchically assembled nanostructures of lanthanide-based MOFs with tunable emission have been successfully fabricated via a simple method at room temperature.</p

Electron trapping induced electrostatic adsorption of cations: a general factor leading to photoactivity decay of nanostructured TiO2

In this work, a mechanism of electron trapping induced electrostatic adsorption of electrolyte cations (ETIEA) is proposed to explain the general photoactivity decay of nanostructured TiO2 electrodes, usually occurring during the initial several minutes of photoelectrochemical (PEC) processes. A series of designed “electron trapping” experiments and combined photo/electrochemical measurements revealed that it is the defect states of TiO2 that lead to ETIEA. A higher amount of surface defects will lead to larger ETIEA, which consequently accelerates the photoactivity decay. Different from the well-known “trap-filling” effect that decreases transport resistance, we find that the electron-trapping induced electrostatic attraction cannot make trap states inactive but can increase the detrapping energy barrier of trapped electrons. Our research reveals an important but easily overlooked fact, that is, carrier kinetics in nanostructured TiO2 may not be able to reach a steady state. In other words, a stable photocurrent may not be obtained because the photoelectrochemical process will alter the carrier dynamics constantly due to the existence of defect states. This result could also be applicable to other photoactive semiconductors

CT Lymphangiography (CTL) in Different Type of Primary Intestinal Lymphangiectasia (PIL): A Comparative Study

Objective: To explore the clinical and imaging characteristics and application value CT lymphangiography (CTL) in patients with different types of primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (PIL). Methods: Patients diagnosed as PIL in our center were recruited in this retrospective study from January 2016 to December 2019, All CTL data were blindly reviewed by two radiologists separately, and the evaluation indicators included: sex, onset age, symptoms and signs, serum albumin, wall thickening, serous cavity effusion, abnormal distribution of lymphatics, lymph reflux, lymph nodes, fistula and abnormal lymphatics around neck area. Based on the abnormal lymphatics in intestinal wall and/or mesentery, PIL was classified into type Ⅰ (positive type) and type Ⅱ (negative type). The clinical and imaging features were compared between the two groups. Results: 34 PIL patients were recruited in this study, including 15 cases of Ⅰ and 19 cases of Ⅱ. Type I showed older age of first onset (15.3±9.4 vs. 8.3±3.8), higher rate of diarrhea, and lower rate of limb and/or facial edema than type Ⅱ, with no statistical difference in sex and serum albumin. For imaging features comparisons, type Ⅰ demonstrated higher rate of abnormal dilated lymphatics and fistula, lower rate of increased attenuation of mesentery and lymph nodes, while no statistical difference was found between wall thickening, serous cavity effusion, lymph reflux and abnormal dilated lymphatics around neck area. Conclusion: CTL demonstrated capability of evaluation in detection of location, distribution and range of abnormal lymphatics in PIL. Based on CTL, the imaging classification of PIL was proposed. Different types of PIL showed different clinical and imaging features, which was useful for therapeutic adoptions

A Novel Mobile App for Personalized Dietary Advice Leveraging Persuasive Technology, Computer Vision, and Cloud Computing: Development and Usability Study

BackgroundThe Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) translate the best available evidence in nutrition into food choice recommendations. However, adherence to the ADG is poor in Australia. Given that following a healthy diet can be a potentially cost-effective strategy for lowering the risk of chronic diseases, there is an urgent need to develop novel technologies for individuals to improve their adherence to the ADG. ObjectiveThis study describes the development process and design of a prototype mobile app for personalized dietary advice based on the ADG for adults in Australia, with the aim of exploring the usability of the prototype. The goal of the prototype was to provide personalized, evidence-based support for self-managing food choices in real time. MethodsThe guidelines of the design science paradigm were applied to guide the design, development, and evaluation of a progressive web app using Amazon Web Services Elastic Compute Cloud services via iterations. The food layer of the Nutrition Care Process, the strategies of cognitive behavioral theory, and the ADG were translated into prototype features guided by the Persuasive Systems Design model. A gain-framed approach was adopted to promote positive behavior changes. A cross-modal image-to-recipe retrieval model under an Apache 2.0 license was deployed for dietary assessment. A survey using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the usability of the prototype through convenience sampling (N=15). ResultsThe prominent features of the prototype included the use of image-based dietary assessment, food choice tracking with immediate feedback leveraging gamification principles, personal goal setting for food choices, and the provision of recipe ideas and information on the ADG. The overall prototype quality score was “acceptable,” with a median of 3.46 (IQR 2.78-3.81) out of 5 points. The median score of the perceived impact of the prototype on healthy eating based on the ADG was 3.83 (IQR 2.75-4.08) out of 5 points. In-depth interviews identified the use of gamification for tracking food choices and innovation in the image-based dietary assessment as the main drivers of the positive user experience of using the prototype. ConclusionsA novel evidence-based prototype mobile app was successfully developed by leveraging a cross-disciplinary collaboration. A detailed description of the development process and design of the prototype enhances its transparency and provides detailed insights into its creation. This study provides a valuable example of the development of a novel, evidence-based app for personalized dietary advice on food choices using recent advancements in computer vision. A revised version of this prototype is currently under development

A Novel Mobile App for Personalized Dietary Advice Leveraging Persuasive Technology, Computer Vision, and Cloud Computing: Development and Usability Study

Background: The Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) translate the best available evidence in nutrition into food choice recommendations. However, adherence to the ADG is poor in Australia. Given that following a healthy diet can be a potentially cost-effective strategy for lowering the risk of chronic diseases, there is an urgent need to develop novel technologies for individuals to improve their adherence to the ADG. Objective: This study describes the development process and design of a prototype mobile app for personalized dietary advice based on the ADG for adults in Australia, with the aim of exploring the usability of the prototype. The goal of the prototype was to provide personalized, evidence-based support for self-managing food choices in real time. Methods: The guidelines of the design science paradigm were applied to guide the design, development, and evaluation of a progressive web app using Amazon Web Services Elastic Compute Cloud services via iterations. The food layer of the Nutrition Care Process, the strategies of cognitive behavioral theory, and the ADG were translated into prototype features guided by the Persuasive Systems Design model. A gain-framed approach was adopted to promote positive behavior changes. A cross-modal image-to-recipe retrieval model under an Apache 2.0 license was deployed for dietary assessment. A survey using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the usability of the prototype through convenience sampling (N=15). Results: The prominent features of the prototype included the use of image-based dietary assessment, food choice tracking with immediate feedback leveraging gamification principles, personal goal setting for food choices, and the provision of recipe ideas and information on the ADG. The overall prototype quality score was “acceptable,” with a median of 3.46 (IQR 2.78-3.81) out of 5 points. The median score of the perceived impact of the prototype on healthy eating based on the ADG was 3.83 (IQR 2.75-4.08) out of 5 points. In-depth interviews identified the use of gamification for tracking food choices and innovation in the image-based dietary assessment as the main drivers of the positive user experience of using the prototype. Conclusions: A novel evidence-based prototype mobile app was successfully developed by leveraging a cross-disciplinary collaboration. A detailed description of the development process and design of the prototype enhances its transparency and provides detailed insights into its creation. This study provides a valuable example of the development of a novel, evidence-based app for personalized dietary advice on food choices using recent advancements in computer vision. A revised version of this prototype is currently under development