Energy efficiency of mobile handsets: Measuring user attitudes and behavior

The purpose of this research is to understand the behavior and expectations of mobile handset users towards energy consumption. We analyze mobile handset monitoring traces from subsequent years with N = 253 and 105, and questionnaire studies with N = 155 and 150. The data allows us to study both the actual behavior of the users and their explicit attitudes, expectations, and experiences. Additional difference to prior work is the use of longitudinal data from multiple years and a user sample that is much larger than in earlier studies. We present hypotheses drawn both from literature and from our own experience, and use the datasets to support or refute them. Our results indicate that mobile device users need more detailed and clearer information of the battery status and energy consumption. Moreover, users want to understand how different applications and services affect the energy consumption and to learn what they can do to control it.     

Dynamic Ink Oil Absorption in a Pigmented Porous Coating Medium Studied by Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

The rate of absorption (both long and short timescale) of typical heatset offset printing ink oils, namely mineral and linseed oil, has been studied on model ground calcium carbonate coating pigment tablets containing various amounts of either styrene–acrylic or styrene–butadiene binder. The pore structure characteristics of the tablets were determined using mercury intrusion porosimetry. The movement of the oils both on the surface of and within the porous structure of the pigment/binder tablets was studied under the influence of pressure-less capillary flow with subsequent diffusion through the connected void volume of the tablet. The wetting was analyzed by near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy both as a single probe measurement and by hyperspectral imaging. The results showed that the rate of oil filling the structure was strongly dependent on the binder amount in the structure as well as the binder chemistry (oil- or non-absorbing binder), which supports previous findings. The liquid properties, and especially the viscosity of the liquid (oil), influenced the absorption rate. The gradients in absorbance indicated the presence of latex blocking access to some pores and reducing connectivity.     

Inverse Scattering at Fixed Energy on Surfaces with Euclidean Ends

On a fixed Riemann surface (M ₀, g ₀) with N Euclidean ends and genus g, we show that, under a topological condition, the scattering matrix S _V (λ) at frequency λ > 0 for the operator Δ+V determines the potential V if \({V\in C^{1,\alpha}(M_0)\cap e^{-\gamma d(\cdot,z_0)^j}L^\infty(M_0)}\) for all γ > 0 and for some \({j\in\{1,2\}}\) , where d(z, z ₀) denotes the distance from z to a fixed point \({z_0\in M_0}\) . The topological condition is given by \({N\geq \max(2g+1,2)}\) for j = 1 and by N ≥ g + 1 if j = 2. In \({\mathbb {R}^2}\) this implies that the operator S _V (λ) determines any C ^{1, α} potential V such that \({V(z)=O(e^{-\gamma|z|^2})}\) for all γ > 0.     

Adjustable wettability of paperboard by liquid flame spray nanoparticle deposition

Liquid flame spray process (LFS) was used for depositing TiO_x and SiO_x nanoparticles on paperboard to control wetting properties of the surface. By the LFS process it is possible to create either superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic surfaces. Changes in the wettability are related to structural properties of the surface, which were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The surface properties can be ascribed as a correlation between wetting properties of the paperboard and the surface texture created by nanoparticles. Surfaces can be produced inline in a one step roll-to-roll process without need for additional modifications. Furthermore, functional surfaces with adjustable hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity can be fabricated simply by choosing appropriate liquid precursors.     

Matrix Gla protein inhibits ectopic calcification by a direct interaction with hydroxyapatite crystals

Mice lacking the gene encoding matrix gla protein (MGP) exhibit massive mineral deposition in blood vessels and die soon after birth. We hypothesize that MGP prevents arterial calcification by adsorbing to growing hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals. To test this, we have used a combined experimental-computational approach. We synthesized peptides covering the entire sequence of human MGP, which contains three sites of serine phosphorylation and five sites of γ-carboxylation, and studied their effects on HA crystal growth using a constant-composition autotitration assay. In parallel studies, the interactions of these sequences with the {100} and {001} faces of HA were analyzed using atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. YGlapS (amino acids 1-14 of human MGP) and SK-Gla (MGP43-56) adsorbed rapidly to the {100} and {001} faces and strongly inhibited HA growth (IC(50) = 2.96 μg/mL and 4.96 μg/mL, respectively). QR-Gla (MGP29-42) adsorbed more slowly and was a moderate growth inhibitor, while the remaining three (nonpost-translationally modified) peptides had little or no effect in either analysis. Substitution of gla with glutamic acid reduced the adsorption and inhibition activities of SK-Gla and (to a lesser extent) QR-Gla but not YGlapS; substitution of phosphoserine with serine reduced the inhibitory potency of YGlapS. These studies suggest that MGP prevents arterial calcification by a direct interaction with HA crystals that involves both phosphate groups and gla residues of the protein. The strong correlation between simulated adsorption and measured growth inhibition indicates that MD provides a powerful tool to predict the effects of proteins and peptides on crystal formation.     

Hyperpolarized [1-13C]-ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid: vitamin C as a probe for imaging redox status in vivo

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of (13)C-labeled metabolic substrates in vitro and their subsequent intravenous administration allow both the location of the hyperpolarized substrate and the dynamics of its subsequent conversion into other metabolic products to be detected in vivo. We report here the hyperpolarization of [1-(13)C]-ascorbic acid (AA) and [1-(13)C]-dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), the reduced and oxidized forms of vitamin C, respectively, and evaluate their performance as probes of tumor redox state. Solution-state polarization of 10.5 ± 1.3% was achieved for both forms at pH 3.2, whereas at pH 7.0, [1-(13)C]-AA retained polarization of 5.1 ± 0.6% and [1-(13)C]-DHA retained 8.2 ± 1.1%. The spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)'s) for these labeled nuclei are long at 9.4 T: 15.9 ± 0.7 s for AA and 20.5 ± 0.9 s for DHA. Extracellular oxidation of [1-(13)C]-AA and intracellular reduction of [1-(13)C]-DHA were observed in suspensions of murine lymphoma cells. The spontaneous reaction of DHA with the cellular antioxidant glutathione was monitored in vitro and was approximately 100-fold lower than the rate observed in cell suspensions, indicating enzymatic involvement in the intracellular reduction. [1-(13)C]-DHA reduction was also detected in lymphoma tumors in vivo. In contrast, no detectable oxidation of [1-(13)C]-AA was measured in the same tumors, consistent with the notion that tumors maintain a reduced microenvironment. This study demonstrates that hyperpolarized (13)C-labeled vitamin C could be used as a noninvasive biomarker of redox status in vivo, which has the potential to translate to the clinic.     

Serum/plasma methylmercury determination by isotope dilution gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of methylmercury in plasma and serum samples was developed. The method uses isotope dilution with ¹⁹⁸Hg-labeled methylmercury, extraction into dichloromethane, back-extraction into water, aqueous-phase ethylation, purge and trap collection, thermal desorption, separation by gas chromatography, and mercury isotope specific detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. By spiking 2 mL sample with 1.2 ng tracer, measurements in a concentration interval of (0.007–2.9) μg L⁻¹ could be performed with uncertainty amplification factors <2. A limit of quantification of 0.03 μg L⁻¹ was estimated at 10 times the standard deviation of concentrations measured in preparation blanks. Within- and between-run relative standard deviations were <10% at added concentration levels of 0.14 μg L⁻¹, 0.35 μg L⁻¹ and 2.8 μg L⁻¹, with recoveries in the range 82–110%. Application of the method to 50 plasma/serum samples yielded a median (mean; range) concentration of methylmercury of 0.081 (0.091; <0.03–0.19) μg L⁻¹. This is the first time methylmercury has been directly measured in this kind of specimen, and is therefore the first estimate of a reference range.     

Study of PEGylated lipid layers as a model for PEGylated liposome surfaces: molecular dynamics simulation and Langmuir monolayer studies

We have combined Langmuir monolayer film experiments and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a bilayer to study the surface structure of a PEGylated liposome and its interaction with the ionic environment present under physiological conditions. Lipids that form both gel and liquid-crystalline membranes have been used in our study. By varying the salt concentration in the Langmuir film experiment and including salt at the physiological level in the simulation, we have studied the effect of salt ions present in the blood plasma on the structure of the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) layer. We have also studied the interaction between the PEG layer and the lipid bilayer in both the liquid-crystalline and gel states. The MD simulation shows two clear results: (a) The Na(+) ions form close interactions with the PEG oxygens, with the PEG chains forming loops around them and (b) PEG penetrates the lipid core of the membrane for the case of a liquid-crystalline membrane but is excluded from the tighter structure of the gel membrane. The Langmuir monolayer results indicate that the salt concentration affects the PEGylated lipid system, and these results can be interpreted in a fashion that is in agreement with the results of our MD simulation. We conclude that the currently accepted picture of the PEG surface layer acting as a generic neutral hydrophilic polymer entirely outside the membrane, with its effect explained through steric interactions, is not sufficient. The phenomena we have observed may affect both the interaction between the liposome and bloodstream proteins and the liquid-crystalline-gel transition and is thus relevant to nanotechnological drug delivery device design.