1,232 research outputs found

    Synthesis of bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers containing isosorbide and polycarbonate diol and their biocompatible properties.

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    A new family of highly elastic polyurethanes (PUs) partially based on renewable isosorbide were prepared by reacting hexamethylene diisocyanate with a various ratios of isosorbide and polycarbonate diol 2000 (PCD) via a one-step bulk condensation polymerization without catalyst. The influence of the isorsorbide/PCD ratio on the properties of the PU was evaluated. The successful synthesis of the PUs was confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance. The resulting PUs showed high number-average molecular weights ranging from 56,320 to 126,000 g mol(-1) and tunable Tg values from -34 to -38℃. The thermal properties were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The PU films were flexible with breaking strains from 955% to 1795% at from 13.5 to 54.2 MPa tensile stress. All the PUs had 0.9-2.8% weight lost over 4 weeks and continual slow weight loss of 1.1-3.6% was observed within 8 weeks. Although the cells showed a slight lower rate of proliferation than that of the tissue culture polystyrene as a control, the PU films were considered to be cytocompatible and nontoxic. These thermoplastic PUs were soft, flexible and biocompatible polymers, which open up a range of opportunities for soft tissue augmentation and regeneration

    Topographical changes of ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway

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    To study the effects of sand protection project on modern aeolian landform, the types, distribution, and intensity of topographical changes of the ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway were determined by measuring the deflation and deposition of sand surface in the Tazhong area located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results showed that (1) the newly-formed landform in sand protection systems is dominated by aeolian deposition including the small-scale Nabkha Dunes, the medium-scale sheet-like sand deposition and the large-scale ridge-like sand deposition. To some degree, aeolian deflation landform can also be formed in the open space in the shelterbelt. Furthermore, it is difficult for aeolian deflation landform to develop in a large scale in the interdunes. However, aeolian deflation landform can be developed in a large-scale on the windward slope of secondary dunes in longitudinal complex sand ridges; (2) on the windward side of the sand protection systems, both the morphology and strike of dwarf mobile dunes in the interdunes are changed by the sand-obstructing forest belts and the ridge-like sand deposition around it. The windward slope of the ridge-like deposition around the sand-obstructing forest belt forms a stable ground surface. After being damaged by forward-moving dunes in a short period, the ground surface is recovered gradually; (3) on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, aeolian deflations are formed widely. Particularly, the deflation depression is formed in the interdunes. In addition, the dunes in the region with highly topographic relief are cut flat by aeolian deflations; thereafter its relief of topography is reduced. The above analysis indicates that shelterbelts have obvious effects on the windward wind-sand flux in terms of dissipating energy and intercepting sand. With the recovery of wind velocity on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, the wind-sand flux gradually tends to be unsaturated; therefore the sand surface deflation is formed

    A Study of Brain Networks Associated with Swallowing Using Graph-Theoretical Approaches

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    Functional connectivity between brain regions during swallowing tasks is still not well understood. Understanding these complex interactions is of great interest from both a scientific and a clinical perspective. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was utilized to study brain functional networks during voluntary saliva swallowing in twenty-two adult healthy subjects (all females, 23.1±1.52 years of age). To construct these functional connections, we computed mean partial correlation matrices over ninety brain regions for each participant. Two regions were determined to be functionally connected if their correlation was above a certain threshold. These correlation matrices were then analyzed using graph-theoretical approaches. In particular, we considered several network measures for the whole brain and for swallowing-related brain regions. The results have shown that significant pairwise functional connections were, mostly, either local and intra-hemispheric or symmetrically inter-hemispheric. Furthermore, we showed that all human brain functional network, although varying in some degree, had typical small-world properties as compared to regular networks and random networks. These properties allow information transfer within the network at a relatively high efficiency. Swallowing-related brain regions also had higher values for some of the network measures in comparison to when these measures were calculated for the whole brain. The current results warrant further investigation of graph-theoretical approaches as a potential tool for understanding the neural basis of dysphagia. © 2013 Luan et al

    Electron quantum metamaterials in van der Waals heterostructures

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    In recent decades, scientists have developed the means to engineer synthetic periodic arrays with feature sizes below the wavelength of light. When such features are appropriately structured, electromagnetic radiation can be manipulated in unusual ways, resulting in optical metamaterials whose function is directly controlled through nanoscale structure. Nature, too, has adopted such techniques -- for example in the unique coloring of butterfly wings -- to manipulate photons as they propagate through nanoscale periodic assemblies. In this Perspective, we highlight the intriguing potential of designer sub-electron wavelength (as well as wavelength-scale) structuring of electronic matter, which affords a new range of synthetic quantum metamaterials with unconventional responses. Driven by experimental developments in stacking atomically layered heterostructures -- e.g., mechanical pick-up/transfer assembly -- atomic scale registrations and structures can be readily tuned over distances smaller than characteristic electronic length-scales (such as electron wavelength, screening length, and electron mean free path). Yet electronic metamaterials promise far richer categories of behavior than those found in conventional optical metamaterial technologies. This is because unlike photons that scarcely interact with each other, electrons in subwavelength structured metamaterials are charged, and strongly interact. As a result, an enormous variety of emergent phenomena can be expected, and radically new classes of interacting quantum metamaterials designed

    Transgenic Zebrafish Recapitulating tbx16 Gene Early Developmental Expression

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    We describe the creation of a transgenic zebrafish expressing GFP driven by a 7.5 kb promoter region of the tbx16 gene. This promoter segment is sufficient to recapitulate early embryonic expression of endogenous tbx16 in the presomitic mesoderm, the polster and, subsequently, in the hatching gland. Expression of GFP in the transgenic lines later in development diverges to some extent from endogenous tbx16 expression with the serendipitous result that one line expresses GFP specifically in commissural primary ascending (CoPA) interneurons of the developing spinal cord. Using this line we demonstrate that the gene mafba (valentino) is expressed in CoPA interneurons

    Fructose-Bisphophate Aldolase Exhibits Functional Roles between Carbon Metabolism and the hrp System in Rice Pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola

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    Fructose-bisphophate aldolase (FbaB), is an enzyme in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in living organisms. The mutagenesis in a unique fbaB gene of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak, led the pathogen not only unable to use pyruvate and malate for growth and delayed its growth when fructose was used as the sole carbon source, but also reduced extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production and impaired bacterial virulence and growth in rice. Intriguingly, the fbaB promoter contains an imperfect PIP-box (plant-inducible promoter) (TTCGT-N9-TTCGT). The expression of fbaB was negatively regulated by a key hrp regulatory HrpG and HrpX cascade. Base substitution in the PIP-box altered the regulation of fbaB with the cascade. Furthermore, the expression of fbaB in X. oryzae pv. oryzicola RS105 strain was inducible in planta rather than in a nutrient-rich medium. Except other hrp-hrc-hpa genes, the expression of hrpG and hrpX was repressed and the transcripts of hrcC, hrpE and hpa3 were enhanced when fbaB was deleted. The mutation in hrcC, hrpE or hpa3 reduced the ability of the pathogen to acquire pyruvate and malate. In addition, bacterial virulence and growth in planta and EPS production in RΔfbaB mutant were completely restored to the wild-type level by the presence of fbaB in trans. This is the first report to demonstrate that carbohydrates, assimilated by X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, play critical roles in coordinating hrp gene expression through a yet unknown regulator

    An Integrated Meta-Analysis of Two Variants in HOXA1/HOXB1 and Their Effect on the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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    BACKGROUND: HOXA1 and HOXB1 have been strongly posed as candidate genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) given their important role in the development of hindbrain. The A218G (rs10951154) in HOXA1 and the insertion variant in HOXB1 (nINS/INS, rs72338773) were of special interest for ASD but with inconclusive results. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis integrating case-control and transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) studies to clearly discern the effect of these two variants in ASD. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Multiple electronic databases were searched to identify studies assessing the A218G and/or nINS/INS variant in ASD. Data from case-control and TDT studies were analyzed in an allelic model using the Catmap software. A total of 10 and 7 reports were found to be eligible for meta-analyses of A218G and nINS/INS variant, respectively. In overall meta-analysis, the pooled OR for the 218G allele and the INS allele was 0.97 (95% CI = 0.76-1.25, P(heterogeneity) = 0.029) and 1.14 (95% CI = 0.97-1.33, P(heterogeneity) = 0.269), respectively. No significant association was also identified between these two variants and ASD risk in stratified analysis. Further, cumulative meta-analysis in chronologic order showed the inclination toward null-significant association for both variants with continual adding studies. Additionally, although the between-study heterogeneity regarding the A218G is not explained by study design, ethnicity, and sample size, the sensitive analysis indicated the stability of the result. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests the HOXA1 A218G and HOXB1 nINS/INS variants may not contribute significantly to ASD risk

    CNx-modified Fe3O4 as Pt nanoparticle support for the oxygen reduction reaction

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    A novel electrocatalyst support material, nitrogendoped carbon (CNx)-modified Fe3O4 (Fe3O4-CNx), was synthesized through carbonizing a polypyrrole-Fe3O4 hybridized precursor. Subsequently, Fe3O4-CNx-supported Pt (Pt/Fe3O4-CNx) nanocomposites were prepared by reducing Pt precursor in ethylene glycol solution and evaluated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The Pt/Fe3O4-CNx catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of the as-prepared electrocatalysts toward ORR were studied by cyclic voltammetry and steady-state polarization measurements. The results showed that Pt/ Fe3O4-CNx catalysts exhibited superior catalytic performance for ORR to the conventional Pt/C and Pt/C-CNx catalysts.Web of Scienc

    f(R) theories

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    Over the past decade, f(R) theories have been extensively studied as one of the simplest modifications to General Relativity. In this article we review various applications of f(R) theories to cosmology and gravity - such as inflation, dark energy, local gravity constraints, cosmological perturbations, and spherically symmetric solutions in weak and strong gravitational backgrounds. We present a number of ways to distinguish those theories from General Relativity observationally and experimentally. We also discuss the extension to other modified gravity theories such as Brans-Dicke theory and Gauss-Bonnet gravity, and address models that can satisfy both cosmological and local gravity constraints.Comment: 156 pages, 14 figures, Invited review article in Living Reviews in Relativity, Published version, Comments are welcom

    Facile, scalable synthesis of edge-halogenated graphene nanoplatelets as efficient metal-free eletrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

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    A series of edge-selectively halogenated (X = Cl, Br, I) graphene nanoplatelets (XGnPs = ClGnP, BrGnP, IGnP) were prepared simply by ball-milling graphite in the presence of Cl-2, Br-2 and I-2, respectively. High BET surface areas of 471, 579 and 662 m(2)/g were observed for ClGnP, BrGnP and IGnP, respectively, indicating a significant extent of delamination during the ball-milling and subsequent workup processes. The newly-developed XGnPs can be well dispersed in various solvents, and hence are solution processable. Furthermore, XGnPs showed remarkable electrocatalytic activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a high selectivity, good tolerance to methanol crossover/CO poisoning effects, and excellent long-term cycle stability. First-principle density-functional calculations revealed that halogenated graphene edges could provide decent adsorption sites for oxygen molecules, in a good agreement with the experimental observations.open271
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