Controlled Porosity in Thermochromic Coatings

Vanadium dioxide is a promising thermochromic material, seemed as the great candidate for smart window applications. The real application of VO2 requires high visible transmission (Tlum) as well as large solar modulating abilities (∆Tsol), which could not be achieved by pristine VO2 materials due to the trade-off between Tlum and ∆Tsol. Here in, the porosity design is thoroughly reviewed from the effect on modulating the thermochromic performance to the porous control and preparation. To begin with, the history, advantages, challenges and approaches to tackle the issues comprised of antireflection multilayer structure, nanothermochromism, patterning and porous design is introduced in detail. Then, the effect of porosity on improving the thermochromic performance of VO2 thin films is demonstrated using the newest experimental and simulation results. In the following, the porous control and structural synthesis, including the polymer-assisted deposition (PAD), freeze-drying, colloidal lithography as well as the dual phase transformation is summarized. Fourthly, the characterization methods, composed of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy as well as UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy are demonstrated. Finally, the challenges that the porous design faces and possible approaches to optimize the performance are presented

An initial biochemical and cell biological characterization of the mammalian homologue of a central plant developmental switch, COP1

BACKGROUND: Constitutive photomorphogenic 1 (COP1) has been defined as a central regulator of photomorphogenic development in plants, which targets key transcription factors for proteasome-dependent degradation. Although COP1 mammalian homologue has been previously reported, its function and distribution in animal kingdom are not known. RESULTS: Here we report the characterization of full-length human and mouse COP1 cDNAs and the genomic structures of the COP1 genes from several different species. Mammalian COP1 protein binds to ubiquitinated proteins in vivo and is itself ubiquitinated. Furthermore, mammalian COP1 is predominately nuclear localized and exists primarily as a complex of over 700 kDa. Through mutagenesis studies, we have defined a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) within the coiled-coil domain of mammalian COP1 and a nuclear localization signal (NLS), which is composed of two clusters of positive-charged amino acids, bridged by the RING finger. Disruption of the RING finger structure abolishes the nuclear import, while deletion of the entire RING finger restores the nuclear import. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that mammalian COP1, similar to its plant homologue, may play a role in ubiquitination. Mammalian COP1 contains a classic leucine-rich NES and a novel bipartite NLS bridged by a RING finger domain. We propose a working model in which the COP1 RING finger functions as a structural scaffold to bring two clusters of positive-charged residues within spatial proximity to mimic a bipartite NLS. Therefore, in addition to its well-characterized role in ubiquitination, the RING finger domain may also play a structural role in nuclear import

Hilbert Series and Operator Counting on the Higgs Effective Field Theory

We present a systematic procedure for determining the Hilbert series that counts the number of independent operators in the Higgs effective field theory. After removing the redundancies from equation-of-motion and integration-by-part, we provide an algorithm of treating the redundancy from the operators involving in spurion fields parametrizing the custodial symmetry breaking. Furthermore, we utilize the outer automorphism of the Lorentz and internal symmetries to separate operators with different CP properties. With these new implements, the Hilbert series up to chiral dimension 10 are obtained, and CP-even and CP-odd operators can be further divided. Extensions to all orders are straightforward.Comment: 28 pages, 3 figures, 6 table

Effect of scopoletin on fascia-wrapped diced cartilage grafts

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of scopoletin (SL) on fascia-wrapped diced cartilage grafts in rhinoplasty surgery.Methods: Cartilage grafts (2 × 2 cm) from the ears of New Zealand rabbits were diced into sections (1 mm3) and then wrapped in muscle fascia taken from the right rear leg. Each graft was placed on the back of the animal after measuring its weight, and then the rabbits were separated into two groups, viz, control and the SL-treated groups {10 mg/kg, per os (p.o.)}. The treatments were administered for 3 months, the rabbits were sacrificed, and the histopathological features and weight of the grafts were examined.Results: The weight of the grafts in the two groups did not significantly (p < 0.05) differ but the histopathological results suggested that there was a pronounced increase in the viability of the graft tissues in the SL-treated group compared to the control group. Treatment with SL decreased the resorption rate and enhanced basophilia relative to the control group. However, fibrosis, inflammation, and bone metaplasia- and calcification-like factors did not significantly differ (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Treatment with SL significantly enhances the viability of the grafts, and thus may have a beneficial effect on fascia-wrapped diced cartilage grafts.Keywords: Scopoletin, Rhinoplasty surgery, Fascia-wrapped diced cartilage graft, Histopathology, Basophilia, Inflammatio