Experimental probes of silver metal nanoparticle formation kinetics: Comparing indirect versus more direct methods

The kinetics of noble metal nanoparticle formation in bottom-up syntheses are important for controlling and optimizing these methods. Hence, experimental probes that are easily accessible to most laboratories are also of interest. We collected kinetic curves for the formation of silver nanoparticles in a modified Turkevich method with citrate acting as the reducing and stabilizing agent by (i) measuring the change in silver nanoparticle surface plasmon resonance by UV-visible spectroscopy, a somewhat indirect method, and then also by (ii) measuring the change in silver ion concentration by ion-selective electrode potentiometry and/or atomic absorption spectroscopy, two more direct methods. The resulting sigmoidal kinetic curves were curvefitted with the Finke-Watzky two-step kinetic model of slow, continuous nucleation and fast autocatalytic growth to extract average rate constants. We found that the kinetic curves obtained by following the change in silver ion concentration were apparent mirror images of those constructed by following the change in nanoparticle surface plasmon resonance, and that their respective curvefits displayed the same sigmoidal characteristics. The resultant values of the rate constants for nucleation and growth overlapped within experimental error between the methods and showed similar trends over the range of citrate concentrations studied. The use of multiple probes in this work to follow the kinetics of nanoparticle formation helps fill a need for the comparison and evaluation of different methods available to scientists, particularly those considered easily accessible.     

柚皮素/β-环糊精超分子体系的包合行为

本文采用超声法制备了柚皮素（NAR）与β-环糊精（βCD）的包合物.粉末-X射线衍射（XRD）和红外吸收光谱（IR）测定均表明形成的包合物具有不同于主客体的新的结构性质.¹H NMR与ROESY核磁共振（NMR）实验表明NAR以苯环端从βCD的宽口端进入，并形成稳定的超分子包合物.量子化学计算分析NAR/βCD包合物的形成过程表明，驱动力源于焓驱动与氢键弱相互作用力；能隙和结合能分析得到的最优包合模式与NMR研究结果一致；ONIOM分层计算验证了上述结果.分子对接模拟出的最优包合模式也与量子化学计算、NMR的分析结果吻合.本文获取了清晰的NAR/βCD包合物构型及其形成机理，为该超分子药物的定量构效关系研究提供了理论参考.     

刀锋伪影校正技术在精神疾病患者海马MRI检查中的应用

为探讨磁共振刀锋伪影校正（BLADE）技术提升精神疾病患者海马磁共振图像质量的效果，本文分别使用结合了BLADE技术的BLADE T₂WI TSE、BLADE T₂WI FLAIR及传统T₂WI TSE、T₂WI FLAIR四种序列，对47例精神疾病患者和美国放射学院（ACR）标准模体在3.0 T磁共振成像（MRI）设备上分别进行常规海马斜冠状位扫描和ACR标准检测.患者的磁共振图像由2名放射科医师采用5分法对运动伪影、搏动伪影、颗粒度、海马磁共振图像质量进行评价，并应用Wilcoxon符号秩检验进行数据分析.模体图像通过识别图像的钻孔阵列和轮辐的数目，半定量评价各序列的高对比空间分辨力（HCSR）和低对比物体探测能力（LCD）.结果表明相比传统序列，结合BLADE技术的序列能够明显改善海马磁共振图像的运动伪影、搏动伪影（p<0.001），提高图像质量（p<0.05）；但在图像颗粒度方面，传统序列表现更优（p<0.001）.ACR模体半定量分析显示，结合BLADE技术序列与传统序列相比，在LCD检测方面结果更优、在HCSR检测方面结果相同或略逊.本文推荐将BLADE技术应用于不合作的精神疾病患者海马的MRI检查.     

Facile Synthesis of Manganese Tellurite Nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

In this study, manganese tellurite (MnTeO₃) nanoparticles are developed as theranostic agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided photothermal therapy of tumor. MnTeO₃ nanoparticles are synthesized via a simple one-step method. The as-synthesized MnTeO₃ nanoparticles with uniform size show good biocompatibility. In particular, MnTeO₃ nanoparticles exhibit a high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 26.3%), which is higher than that of gold nanorods. Moreover, MnTeO₃ nanoparticles also have high MRI performance. The longitudinal relaxivity (r₁) value of MnTeO₃ nanoparticles is determined to be 8.08 ± 0.2 mm ⁻¹ s⁻¹, which is higher than that of clinically approved T₁-contrast agents Gd-DTPA (4.49 ± 0.1 mm ⁻¹ s⁻¹). The subsequent MnTeO₃ nanoparticles-mediated photothermal therapy displays a highly efficient ablation of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo with negligible toxicity. It is demonstrated that MnTeO₃ nanoparticles can serve as promising theranostic agents with great potentials for MRI-guided photothermal therapy.     

基于级联卷积神经网络的前列腺磁共振图像分类

针对深度学习训练成本高，以及基于磁共振图像的前列腺癌临床诊断需要大量医学常识且极为耗时的问题，本文提出了一种基于级联卷积神经网络（Convolutional Neural Network，CNN）和磁共振图像的前列腺癌（Prostate Cancer，PCa）自动分类诊断方法，该网络以Faster-RCNN作为前网络，对前列腺区域进行提取分割，用于排除前列腺附近组织器官的干扰；以基于ResNet改进的网络结构CNN40_bottleneck作为后网络，用于对前列腺区域病变进行分类.后网络由瓶颈结构串联组成，其中使用批量标准化（Batch Normalization，BN）、全局平均池化（Global Average Pooling，GAP）进行优化.实验结果证明，本文方法对前列腺癌诊断结果较好，而且缩减了训练时间和参数量，有效降低了训练成本.     

Comparative structural analysis of a histone-like protein from Spiroplasma melliferum in the crystalline state and in solution

A solution of a histone-like protein from Spiroplasma melliferum (HUSpm) was examined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The experimental SAXS curve was compared with those calculated for the HUSpm structures from the PDB databank obtained by both X-ray diffraction analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The model of the HUSpm structure in solution, which best agrees with the experimental SAXS data, has a shorter distance between the centers of mass of the HUSpm monomers compared to the crystal structure, indicating that the HUSpm monomers can be located closer to each other in solution than in the crystalline state.     

Majorana fermions induced fast-and slow-light in a hybrid semiconducting nanowire/superconductor device

We investigate theoretically Rabi-like splitting and Fano resonance in absorption spectra of quantum dots(QDs)based on a hybrid QD-semiconducting nanowire/superconductor(SNW/SC)device mediated by Majorana fermions(MFs).Under the condition of pump on-resonance and off-resonance,the absorption spectrum experiences the conversion from Fano resonance to Rabi-like splitting in different parametric regimes.In addition,the Fano resonances are accompanied by the rapid normal phase dispersion,which will indicate the coherent optical propagation.The results indicate that the group velocity index is tunable with controlling the interaction between the QD and MFs,which can reach the conversion between the fast-and slow-light.Fano resonance will be another method to detect MFs and our research may indicate prospective applications in quantum information processing based on the hybrid QD-SNW/SC devices.     

固体核磁共振结合密度泛函理论计算研究SSZ-39分子筛的钠离子落位与铝分布

具有AEI结构的SSZ-39分子筛的骨架外阳离子落位和铝分布对其催化性能影响显著.AEI笼中有三个结晶学不等价位，且铝取代T位具有一定的倾向性.本文结合固体核磁共振（NMR）技术（²⁷Al/²³Na MQ MAS NMR），以及密度泛函理论（DFT）计算，研究了不同硅铝比Na-SSZ-39分子筛中的Na⁺落位和铝分布.在孤立铝分布的情况下，铝原子优先占据于T3位，Na⁺主要落位于AEI笼中的SIIa0和SIII'a0位点上，其中SIII'a0位点的优先度较高，此外少部分Na⁺还落位于六棱柱内部的SIa0.当铝对存在时，AlSiSiAl分布的铝对占据六元环的对位（T3-T3），对应的Na⁺分别落位于SIIa1和SⅢ'a1位点.随着分子筛结构的部分破坏，游离的Na⁺可能形成明显的SIII'b位点.本文可加深对SSZ-39分子筛构效关系的理解，为更好地调控催化性能奠定基础.     

田字形地震超材料甚低频宽带隙机理

在地球中传播的地震波主要有体波和表面波,而表面波中Rayleigh波对建筑物造成的破坏最为强烈。针对Rayleigh波的振动控制,提出一种田字形超材料结构。相比于传统的地震超材料,这种超材料屏障是由外部口字形框体内部嵌套十字形柱体组成,形成4个可填充区域,其外部框体采用部分埋入的方式,具有高强度、强稳定性、填充方式灵活的特点。应用有限元法计算了田字形超材料的能带结构和传输特性,并通过分析带隙边界处模态振型可知,带隙的打开是由于柱体的局域共振。结合带隙机理可知,柱体结构中土壤填充量不同可改变柱体的质量,形成不同的谐振频率,产生甚低频带隙。为进一步拓宽带隙,设计研究了正、负梯度的质量填充方式,均可得到3.3~13.1 Hz甚低频宽带隙,在谐振频率范围内两者的隔震方式分别为Rayleigh波彩虹捕获和Rayleigh波到体波的转化。最后,采用EI-Centro地震波对填充屏障进行了时程验证,加速度最大幅值衰减超过80%,为地震超材料在减震隔震方面应用提供了新的设计思路和方法。     

MOF Encapsulated AuPt Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Improved Plasmonic-induced Photothermal Catalysis of CO2 Hydrogenation

Exploring new catalytic strategies for achieving efficient CO₂ hydrogenation under mild conditions is of great significance for environmental remediation. Herein, a composite photocatalyst Zr-based MOF encapsulated plasmonic AuPt alloy nanoparticles (AuPt@UiO-66-NH₂) was successfully constructed for the efficient photothermal catalysis of CO₂ hydrogenation. Under light irradiation at 150 °C, AuPt@UiO-66-NH₂ achieved a CO production rate of 1451 μmol g_metal⁻¹ h⁻¹ with 91 % selectivity, which far exceeded those obtained by Au@Pt@UiO-66-NH₂ with Pt shell on Au (599 μmol g_metal⁻¹ h⁻¹) and Au@UiO-66-NH₂ (218 μmol g_metal⁻¹ h⁻¹). The outstanding performances of AuPt@UiO-66-NH₂ were attributed to the synergetic effect originating from the plasmonic metal Au, doped active metal Pt, and encapsulation structure of UiO-66-NH₂ shell. This work provides a new way for photothermal catalysis of CO₂ and a reference for the design of high-performance plasmonic catalysts.