Structural relation and epitaxial properties of hexagonal InN and oxidized cubic In2O3

The epitaxial properties and structural relation between hexagonal InN and cubic In₂O₃ phases were studied by synchrotron X-ray scattering and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The cubic bixbyite In₂O₃ phase on the sapphire(0001) substrate was formed after an annealing time of 10 min at 10⁻⁵ Torr after the hexagonal InN film was grown at 550 °C, above the dissociation temperature of InN, by RF-magnetron sputtering. The crystal orientation was cubic In₂O₃(222), parallel to Al₂O₃(0001) and parallel to hexagonal InN(0002) before the oxidation process. The cubic In₂O₃ phase was believed to be formed layer by layer by the oxidation of the hexagonal InN phase.     

Modulational Instability in the Whitham Equation for Water Waves

We show that periodic traveling waves with sufficiently small amplitudes of the Whitham equation, which incorporates the dispersion relation of surface water waves and the nonlinearity of the shallow water equations, are spectrally unstable to long‐wavelengths perturbations if the wave number is greater than a critical value, bearing out the Benjamin–Feir instability of Stokes waves; they are spectrally stable to square integrable perturbations otherwise. The proof involves a spectral perturbation of the associated linearized operator with respect to the Floquet exponent and the small‐amplitude parameter. We extend the result to related, nonlinear dispersive equations.     

Oleuropein prevents the progression of steatohepatitis to hepatic fibrosis induced by a high-fat diet in mice

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by hepatocyte injury and inflammatory cell infiltration, which has been linked to peripheral insulin resistance and increased levels of triglycerides in the liver. The purposes of this study were to establish a mouse model of NASH by feeding mice a 60% high-fat diet (HFD) and to demonstrate the anti-fibrotic effects of oleuropein, which has been shown to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, in this HFD-induced mouse model of NASH. C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: a regular diet group (Chow), a HFD group and an oleuropein-supplemented HFD group (OSD), which was fed a 0.05% OSD for 6 months. The effects of oleuropein in this model were evaluated using biochemical, histological and molecular markers. The expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)and collagen type I in the HFD and OSD groups were evaluated using real-time PCR and western blotting. The body weight, biochemical marker levels, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score, homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and leptin levels observed in the HFD group at 9 and 12 months were higher than those observed in the Chow group. The HOMA-IR and leptin levels in the OSD group were decreased compared with the HFD group. In addition, α-SMA and collagen type I expression were decreased by oleuropein treatment. We established a NASH model induced by HFD and demonstrated that this model exhibits the histopathological features of NASH progressing to fibrosis. Our results suggest that oleuropein may be pharmacologically useful in preventing the progression of steatohepatitis and fibrosis and may be a promising agent for the treatment of NASH in humans.     

Cobalt ion-doped polyaniline,poly(N-methylaniline), and poly(N-ethylaniline): electrosynthesis and characterisation using electrochemical methods in acidic solutions

Cobalt ion (Co²⁺)-doped polyaniline (PANI-Co), poly(N-methylaniline) (PNMA-Co), and poly(N-ethylaniline) (PNEA-Co) films were synthesised electrochemically on a pencil graphite electrode (PGE) and their electrochemical properties were investigated for supercapacitor applications. The polymer film-coated electrodes (PGE/PANI-Co, PGE/PNMA-Co, and PGE/PNEA-Co) thus obtained were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and different electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were employed in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solution to calculate the specific capacitance (C _S) values of the electrodes. The maximum C _S of 192.94 F g^?1, 139.83 F g^?1, and 47.12 F g^?1 were achieved for PGE/PANI-Co, PGE/PNMA-Co, and PGE/PNEA-Co at 1 mV s^?1, respectively. On the other hand, the charge/discharge stability of the electrodes was analysed using the repeating chronopotentiometry (RCP) method. The RCP measurements indicate that the electrodes could be used as an electrode active material for low voltage supercapacitor applications.     

Practical Labeling Methodology for Choline‐Derived Lipids and Applications in Live Cell Fluorescence Imaging

Lipids of the plasma membrane participate in a variety of biological processes, and methods to probe their function and cellular location are essential to understanding biochemical mechanisms. Previous reports have established that phosphocholine‐containing lipids can be labeled by alkyne groups through metabolic incorporation. Herein, we have tested alkyne, azide and ketone‐containing derivatives of choline as metabolic labels of choline‐containing lipids in cells. We also show that 17‐octadecynoic acid can be used as a complementary metabolic label for lipid acyl chains. We provide methods for the synthesis of cyanine‐based dyes that are reactive with alkyne, azide and ketone metabolic labels. Using an improved method for fluorophore conjugation to azide or alkyne‐modified lipids by Cu(I)‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), we apply this methodology in cells. Lipid‐labeled cell membranes were then interrogated using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, we explored the utility of this labeling strategy for use in live cell experiments. We demonstrate measurements of lipid dynamics (lateral mobility) by fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR). In addition, we show that adhesion of cells to specific surfaces can be accomplished by chemically linking membrane lipids to a functionalized surface. The strategies described provide robust methods for introducing bioorthogonal labels into native lipids.     

Batch arrival queues with vacations and server setup

We study a single server queueing system whose arrival stream is compound Poisson and service times are generally distributed. Three types of idle period are considered: threshold, multiple vacations, and single vacation. For each model, we assume after the idle period, the server needs a random amount of setup time before serving. We obtain the steady-state distributions of system size and waiting time and expected values of the cycle for each model. We also show that the distributions of system size and waiting time of each model are decomposed into two parts, whose interpretations are provided. As for the threshold model, we propose a method to find the optimal value of threshold to minimize the total expected operating cost.     

Determination of <Superscript>3</Superscript>H and <Superscript>14</Superscript>C in the Dry Active Wastes (DAW) generated from the Light Water Reactors (LWR) by a wet oxidation method

³H and ¹⁴C Measurements of the dry active waste (DAW), such as the cotton, paper, and vinyl, generated from a nuclear power plant (NPP) were conducted with wet oxidation using open vessel equipment based on simulation results. The recovery efficiency with the simulated samples was around 93% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1–3%. A liquid scintillation counter (LSC) was used for counting and adjusted to a quenching correction curve. The counting value was evaluated for the minimum detectable activity (MDA), which was found to be about 4 × 10⁻¹ Bq/g for ³H and 2 × 10⁻² for ¹⁴C when approximately 5 g of the samples were measured. The measured DAW samples for the cotton, paper, and vinyl generated from NPP achieved of RSD values of 25, 25, and 60%, respectively, for ³H and 0–50% for ¹⁴C.