Estimation of Acacia melanoxylon unbleached Kraft pulp brightness by NIR spectroscopy

Aim of the study: The ability of NIR spectroscopy for predicting the ISO brightness was studied on unbleached Kraft pulps of Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. Area of study: Sites covering littoral north, mid interior north and centre interior of Portugal. Materials and methods: The samples were Kraft pulped in standard identical conditions targeted to a kappa number of 15. A Near Infrared (NIR) partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was developed for the ISO brightness prediction using 75 pulp samples with a variation range of 18.9 to 47.9 %. Main results: Very good correlations between NIR spectra and ISO brightness were obtained. Ten methods were used for PLS analysis (cross validation with 48 samples), and a test set validation was made with 27 samples. The 1stDer pre-processed spectra coupling two wavenumber ranges from 9404 to 7498 cm-1 and 4605 to 4243 cm-1 allowed the best model with a root mean square error of ISO brightness prediction of 0.5 % (RMSEP), a r2 of 99.5 % with a RPD of 14.7. Research highlights: According to AACC Method 39-00, the present model is sufficiently accurate to be used for process control (RPD ≥ 8)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An−1A_{n-1} Gaudin model with open boundaries

The $A_{n-1}$ Gaudin model with integerable boundaries specified by non-diagonal K-matrices is studied. The commuting families of Gaudin operators are diagonalized by the algebraic Bethe ansatz method. The eigenvalues and the corresponding Bethe ansatz equations are obtained.Comment: Latex file, 22 pages; V.2: some clarifications and references added, the version will appear in Nucl. Phys.

Emerging Theranostic Nanomaterials in Diabetes and Its Complications

Diabetes mellitus (DM) refers to a group of metabolic disorders that are characterized by hyperglycemia. Oral subcutaneously administered antidiabetic drugs such as insulin, glipalamide, and metformin can temporarily balance blood sugar levels, however, long-term administration of these therapies is associated with undesirable side effects on the kidney and liver. In addition, due to overproduction of reactive oxygen species and hyperglycemia-induced macrovascular system damage, diabetics have an increased risk of complications. Fortunately, recent advances in nanomaterials have provided new opportunities for diabetes therapy and diagnosis. This review provides a panoramic overview of the current nanomaterials for the detection of diabetic biomarkers and diabetes treatment. Apart from diabetic sensing mechanisms and antidiabetic activities, the applications of these bioengineered nanoparticles for preventing several diabetic complications are elucidated. This review provides an overall perspective in this field, including current challenges and future trends, which may be helpful in informing the development of novel nanomaterials with new functions and properties for diabetes diagnosis and therapy.Peer reviewe

NAMA3DS1-COSPAD1: Subjective video quality assessment database on coding conditions introducing freely available high quality 3D stereoscopic sequences

Research in stereoscopic 3D coding, transmission and subjective assessment methodology depends largely on the availability of source content that can be used in cross-lab evaluations. While several studies have already been presented using proprietary content, comparisons between the studies are difficult since discrepant contents are used. Therefore in this paper, a freely available dataset of high quality Full-HD stereoscopic sequences shot with a semiprofessional 3D camera is introduced in detail. The content was designed to be suited for usage in a wide variety of applications, including high quality studies. A set of depth maps was calculated from the stereoscopic pair. As an application example, a subjective assessment has been performed using coding and spatial degradations. The Absolute Category Rating with Hidden Reference method was used. The observers were instructed to vote on video quality only. Results of this experiment are also freely available and will be presented in this paper as a first step towards objective video quality measurement for 3DTV

Mild temperature photothermal assisted anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory nanosystem for synergistic treatment of post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis

Rationale: Endophthalmitis, which is one of the severest complications of cataract surgeries, can seriously threaten vision and even lead to irreversible blindness owing to its complicated microenvironment, including both local bacterial infection and severe inflammation. It is urgent to develop a comprehensive treatment for both anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Methods: Herein, we developed AuAgCu2O-bromfenac sodium nanoparticles (AuAgCu2O-BS NPs), which was designed to combine anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects for integrated therapy of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. The AuAgCu2O-BS NPs could eradicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterial strain relied on their photodynamic effects and the release of metal ions (Ag+ and Cu+) by the hollow AuAgCu2O nanostructures mediated mild photothermal effects. The anti-inflammatory drug, bromfenac sodium, released from the nanoparticles were able to significantly reduce the local inflammation of the endophthalmitis and promote tissue rehabilitation. In vivo bacterial elimination and anti-inflammation were confirmed by a postcataract endophthalmitis rabbit model. Results: Excellent antibacterial ability of AuAgCu2O-BS NPs was verified both in vitro and in vivo. Ophthalmological clinical observation and pathologic histology analysis showed prominent treatment of inflammatory reaction. Importantly, the mild temperature photothermal effect not only promoted the release of metal ions and bromfenac sodium but also avoided the thermal damage of the surrounding tissues, which was more suitable for the practical application of ophthalmology due to the complex structure of the eyeball. Moreover, superior biocompatibility was approved by the preliminary toxicity investigations, including low cytotoxicity, negligible damage to major organs, and stable intraocular pressure. Conclusions: Our studies of nanosystem provide a promising synergic therapeutic strategy for postcataract endophthalmitis treatment with favorable prognosis and promise in clinical translations.Peer reviewe

Drinfeld Twists and Symmetric Bethe Vectors of Supersymmetric Fermion Models

We construct the Drinfeld twists (factorizing $F$-matrices) of the $gl(m|n)$-invariant fermion model. Completely symmetric representation of the pseudo-particle creation operators of the model are obtained in the basis provided by the $F$-matrix (the $F$-basis). We resolve the hierarchy of the nested Bethe vectors in the $F$-basis for the $gl(m|n)$ supersymmetric model.Comment: Latex File, 24 pages, no figure, some misprints are correcte

Deletion of a Single beta-Catenin Allele in Osteocytes Abolishes the Bone Anabolic Response to Loading

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is essential for bone cell viability and function and for skeletal integrity. To determine if β-catenin in osteocytes plays a role in the bone anabolic response to mechanical loading, 18- to 24-week-old osteocyte β-catenin haploinsufficient mice (Dmp1-Cre × β-catenin fl/ + ; HET cKO) were compared with their β-catenin fl/fl (control) littermates. Trabecular bone volume (BV/TV) was significantly less (58.3%) in HET cKO females versus controls, whereas male HET cKO and control mice were not significantly different. Trabecular number was significantly less in HET cKO mice compared with controls for both genders, and trabecular separation was greater in female HET cKO mice. Osteoclast surface was significantly greater in female HET cKO mice. Cortical bone parameters in males and females showed subtle or no differences between HET cKO and controls. The right ulnas were loaded in vivo at 100 cycles, 2 Hz, 2500 µϵ, 3 days per week for 3 weeks, and the left ulnas served as nonloaded controls. Calcein and alizarin complexone dihydrate were injected 10 days and 3 days before euthanization, respectively. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) analysis detected an 8.7% and 7.1% increase in cortical thickness in the loaded right ulnas of male and female control mice, respectively, compared with their nonloaded left ulnas. No significant increase in new cortical bone formation was observed in the HET cKO mice. Histomorphometric analysis of control mice showed a significant increase in endocortical and periosteal mineral apposition rate (MAR), bone-formation rate/bone surface (BFR/BS), BFR/BV, and BFR/TV in response to loading, but no significant increases were detected in the loaded HET cKO mice. These data show that deleting a single copy of β-catenin in osteocytes abolishes the anabolic response to loading, that trabecular bone in females is more severely affected and suggest that a critical threshold of β-catenin is required for bone formation in response to mechanical loading

Short-range order and its impacts on the BCC NbMoTaW multi-principal element alloy by the machine-learning potential

We employ a machine-learning force field, trained by a neural network (NN) with bispectrum coefficients as descriptors, to investigate the short-range order (SRO) influences on the BCC NbMoTaW alloy strengthening mechanism. The NN interatomic potential provides a transferable force field with density functional theory accuracy. This novel NN potential is applied to elucidate the SRO effects on the elasticity, vibrational modes, plasticity, and strength in the NbMoTaW multi-principal element alloy (MPEA). The results show the strong attraction among Mo-Ta pairs forming the local ordered B2 structures, which could be tuned via temperature and improved by Nb content. SRO increases the elastic constants and high-frequency phonon modes as well as introduces extra lattice friction of dislocation motion. This approach enables a rapid compositional screening, paves the way for computation-guided materials design of new MPEAs with better performance, and opens avenues for tuning the mechanical properties by processing optimization.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure