An information‐based burn‐in procedure for minimally repaired items from mixed population

Burn‐in is a method used to eliminate the initial failures in field use. In this paper, we will consider an information‐based burn‐in procedure for repairable items, which is completely new type of burn‐in procedure. By this procedure, based on the operational (failure and repair) history of the items observed during burn‐in procedure, those with poor reliability performance are eliminated. From a probabilistic point of view, this burn‐in procedure utilizes the information contained in the ‘random paths’ of the corresponding point processes. A general formulation of the model will be suggested, and under the suggested framework, two‐stage optimization procedure for determining optimal burn‐in procedures will be studied in detail. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of the GM1 pentasaccharide-Vibrio cholera toxin interaction using a carbohydrate-based electrochemical system

Antibody- or DNA-based electrochemical systems have been developed widely for several decades, while carbohydrate-based electrochemical systems have been rarely reported. Herein, we used an electrochemical detection system to understand the molecular relationships in carbohydrate-protein interactions that can provide useful information about biological processes in living organisms. This system was also helpful for the development of potent biomedical agents. Electrochemical detection was achieved through the observation of electrochemical response changes of ferrocyanide solution that resulted from the interaction of carbohydrate and protein using a modified GM1 pentasaccharide containing an anchoring thiol group that was directly immobilized on a gold electrode. As the concentration of the GM1 pentasaccharide increased, the current decreased gradually and saturated after 2 nM. We also found that the drop in current depended on the size of the carbohydrate (larger size of the carbohydrate denoted a higher slope of the current reduction), indicating that the current could be modulated by the molecular size of the carbohydrate as well as its concentration. This system was able to detect very low concentrations of carbohydrate (down to 20 fM), which highlighted the advantage of the electrochemical system. Interestingly, we found that a potential shift at the maximum current occurred upon interaction with cholera toxin proteins. By comparing results for different sizes of GM1 analogues, we surmise that the potential shift is closely associated with the specificity for the carbohydrate-protein interaction. Collectively, a carbohydrate-based electrochemical system can be leveraged for the facile and rapid analysis of carbohydrate-protein interactions.     

Magnetic nanoparticles entrapped in siliceous mesocellular foam: a new catalyst support

γ-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles were formed inside the cage-like pores of mesocellular foam (MCF). These magnetic nanoparticles showed a uniform size distribution that could be easily controlled by the MCF pore size, as well as by the hydrocarbon chain length used for MCF surface modification. Throughout the entrapment process, the pore structure and surface area of the MCF remained intact. The resulting magnetic MCF facilitated the immobilization of biocatalysts, homogeneous catalysts, and nanoclusters. Moreover, the MCF allowed for facile catalyst recovery by using a simple magnet. The supported catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic efficiencies that were comparable to their homogeneous counterparts.     

Optically active, lyotropic liquid crystalline poly(diphenylacetylene) derivative: hierarchical chiral ordering from isotropic solution to anisotropic solid films

The side chain chirality of a poly(diphenylacetylene) derivative was transferred and amplified spontaneously from solution to a bulk film due to lyotropic liquid crystallinity.     

High-density chemical intercalation of zero-valent copper into Bi2Se3 nanoribbons

A major goal of intercalation chemistry is to intercalate high densities of guest species without disrupting the host lattice. Many intercalant concentrations, however, are limited by the charge of the guest species. Here we have developed a general solution-based chemical method for intercalating extraordinarily high densities of zero-valent copper metal into layered Bi(2)Se(3) nanoribbons. Up to 60 atom % copper (Cu(7.5)Bi(2)Se(3)) can be intercalated with no disruption to the host lattice using a solution disproportionation redox reaction.     

Understanding pre-structured motifs (PreSMos) in intrinsically unfolded proteins

Intrinsically unfolded proteins (IUPs) do not obey the golden rule of structural biology, 3D structure = function, as they manifest their inherent functions without resorting to three-dimensional structures. Absence of a compact globular topology in these proteins strongly implies that their ligand recognition processes should involve factors other than spatially well-defined binding pockets. Heteronuclear multidimensional (HetMulD) NMR spectroscopy assisted with a stable isotope labeling technology is a powerful tool for quantitatively investigating detailed structural features in IUPs. In particular, it allows us to delineate the presence and locations of pre-structured motifs (PreSMos) on a per-residue basis. PreSMos are the transient local structural elements that presage target-bound conformations and act as specificity determinants for IUP recognition by target proteins. Here, we present a brief chronicle of HetMulD NMR studies on IUPs carried out over the past two decades along with a discussion on the functional significance of PreSMos in IUPs.     

Structurally tailored hexagonal ferroelectricity and multiferroism in epitaxial YbFeO3 thin-film heterostructures

Multiferroics have received a great deal of attention because of their fascinating physics of order-parameter cross-couplings and their potential for enabling new device paradigms. Considering the rareness of multiferroic materials, we have been exploring the possibility of artificially imposing ferroelectricity by structurally tailoring antiferromagnets in thin-film forms. YbFeO(3) (YbFO hereafter), a family of centrosymmetric rare-earth orthoferrites, is known to be nonferroelectric (space group Pnma). Here we report that a YbFO thin-film heterostructure fabricated by adopting a hexagonal template surprisingly exhibits nonferroelastic ferroelectricity with the Curie temperature of 470 K. The observed ferroelectricity is further characterized by an extraordinary two-step polarization decay, accompanied by a pronounced magnetocapacitance effect near the lower decay temperature, ~225 K. According to first-principles calculations, the hexagonal P6(3)/mmc-P6(3)mc-P6(3)cm consecutive transitions are primarily responsible for the observed two-step polarization decay, and the ferroelectricity originates from the c-axis-oriented asymmetric Yb 5d(z(2))-O 2p(z) orbital hybridization. Temperature-dependent magnetization curves further reveal an interesting phenomenon of spontaneous magnetization reversal at 83 K, which is attributed to the competition between two distinct magnetocrystalline anisotropy terms, Fe 3d and Yb 4f moments.     

S-nitrosothiol detection via amperometric nitric oxide sensor with surface modified hydrogel layer containing immobilized organoselenium catalyst

A novel electrochemical device for the direct detection of S-nitrosothiol species (RSNO) is proposed by modifying an amperometric nitric oxide (NO) gas sensor with thin hydrogel layer containing an immobilized organoselenium catalyst. The diselenide, 3,3'-dipropionicdiselenide, is covalently coupled to primary amine groups in polyethylenimine (PEI), which is further cross-linked to form a hydrogel layer on a dialysis membrane support. Such a polymer film containing the organoselenium moiety is capable of decomposing S-nitrosothiols to generate NO(g) at the distal tip of the NO sensor. Under optimized conditions, various RSNOs (e.g., nitrosocysteine (CysNO), nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), etc.) are reversibly detected at 相似文献   

Tissue engineering of heart valves by recellularization of glutaraldehyde-fixed porcine valves using bone marrow-derived cells

To increase the biocompatibility and durability of glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed valves, a biological coating with viable endothelial cells (ECs) has been proposed. However, stable EC layers have not been formed successfully on GA-fixed valves due to their inability to repopulate. In this study, to improve cellular adhesion and proliferation, the GA-fixed prostheses were detoxified by treatment with citric acid to remove free aldehyde groups. Canine bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) were differentiated into EC-like cells and myofibroblast-like cells in vitro. Detoxified prostheses were seeded and recellularized with differentiated bone marrow- derived cells (BMCs) for seven days. Untreated GA-fixed prostheses were used as controls. Cell attachment, proliferation, metabolic activity, and viability were investigated and cell-seeded leaflets were histologically analyzed. On detoxified GA-fixed prostheses, BMC seeding resulted in uninhibited cell proliferation after seven days. In contrast, on untreated GA-fixed prostheses, cell attachment was poor and no viable cells were observed. Positive staining for smooth muscle a-actin, CD31, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen was observed on the luminal side of the detoxified valve leaflets, indicating differentiation and proliferation of the seeded BMCs. These results demonstrate that the treatment of GA-fixed valves with citric acid established a surface more suitable for cellular attachment and proliferation. Engineering heart valves by seeding detoxified GA-fixed biological valve prostheses with BMCs may increase biocompatibility and durability of the prostheses. This method could be utilized as a new approach for the restoration of heart valve structure and function in the treatment of end-stage heart valve disease.