Metallic thin film depth measurements by X-ray microanalysis

In this study, a low-cost technique, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), was used to explore the application of X-ray microanalysis in depth determination of metallic films. Al, Ni and Au films with varied thicknesses from 50 to 400 nm were deposited on silicon (Si) substrates by magnetron sputtering. Electron beam energies ranging from 4 to 30 keV were applied while other parameters were kept constant to determine the electron beam energy required to penetrate the films. The effect of the atomic number of the metallic films on the penetration capability of the electron beam was investigated. Based on the experimental results, mathematical models for Al, Ni and Au films were established and the interaction volume was simulated using a Monte Carlo program. The simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results. Al/Ni/Au multilayers were also studied.     

Effect of multiple passes of tractor with varying normal load on subsoil compaction

A field experiment was conducted on alluvial soil with sandy loam texture, in a complete randomized design, to determine the compaction of sub-soil layers due to different passes of a test tractor with varying normal loads. The selected normal loads were 4.40, 6.40 and 8.40 kN and the number of passes 1, 6, 11 and 16. The bulk density and cone penetration resistance were measured to determine the compaction at 10 equal intervals of 5 cm down the surface. The observations were used to validate a simulation model on sub-soil compaction due to multiple passes of tractor in controlled conditions. The bulk density and penetration resistance in 0–15 cm depth zone continuously increased up to 16 passes of the test tractor, and more at higher normal loads. The compaction was less in different sub-soil layers at lower levels of loads. The impact of higher loads and larger number of passes on compaction was more effective in the soil depth less than 30 cm; for example the normal load of 8.40 kN caused the maximum bulk density of 1.53 Mg/m³ after 16 passes. In 30–45 cm depth layer also, the penetration resistance increased with the increase in loads and number of passes but to a lesser extent which further decreased in the subsoil layers below 45 cm. Overall, the study variables viz. normal load on tractor and number of passes influenced the bulk density and soil penetration resistance in soil depth in the range of 0–45 cm at 1% level of significance. However, beyond 45 cm soil depth, the influence was not significant. The R² calculated from observed and predicted values with respect to regression equations for bulk density and penetration resistance were 0.7038 and 0.76, respectively.     

Penetration of sub-micron aerosol droplets in composite cylindrical filtration elements

Advection-diffusion transport of aerosol droplets in composite cylindrical filtration elements is analyzed and compared to experimental data. The penetration, characterizing the fraction of droplets that passes through the pores of a filtration element, is quantified for a range of flow rates. The advection-diffusion transport in a laminar Poiseuille flow is treated numerically for slender pores using a finite difference approach in cylindrical coordinates. The algebraic dependence of the penetration on the Peclet number as predicted theoretically, is confirmed by experimental findings at a variety of aspect ratios of the cylindrical pores. The effective penetration associated with a composite filtration element consisting of a set of parallel cylindrical pores is derived. The overall penetration of heterogeneous composite filtration elements shows an algebraic dependence to the fourth power on the radii of the individual pores that are contained. This gives rise to strong variations in the overall penetration in cases with uneven distributions of pore sizes, highly favoring filtration by the larger pores. The overall penetration is computed for a number of basic geometries, providing a point of reference for filtration design and experimental verification.     

Peculiarities of a novel bioenzymatic reactor using carbon nanotubes as enzyme activity enhancers: application to arginase

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been entrapped in a porous monolithic chromatographic support. This support was used for the covalent immobilization of the arginase enzyme a novel target in hypertension. The effect of the nanotube (NT) amount into the monolith was analyzed. The obtained results demonstrated the ability of carbon nanotubes to increase significantly the performance of this novel bioactive support.     

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建立了计算托卡马克加料中弹丸消融的物理模型,结合1维输运模型编制了1.5维弹丸消融计算机模拟代码。使用ITER-FEAT的相关参数,对半径为6mm,初速度为2000m·s?1,从低磁场侧注入弹丸的消融速率进行了模拟计算。结果显示,弹丸消融速率先随注入深度而逐渐增大,最大消融速率约6×1026s?1,然后由于弹丸半径的减小,消融速率迅速减小,穿透深度约0.45m。这一结果与中性气体屏蔽模型(NGS)的结果一致,证明计算代码正确有效。同时,从计算结果反映出,对ITER这样的堆级托卡马克,采用常规弹丸注入方式,尽管速度高达2000m·s?1,穿透深度也远未达到等离子体中心,因此应采取其他有效措施来提高等离子体加料效率。     

Translational Enhancer of Tobacco mosaic virus Enhancing Expression of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Transgenic Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer Callus

The 5＇-nontranslated leader（omega sequence） of Tobacco mosaic virus（TMV） was used as a translational enhancer sequence in the expression of the hepatitis B surface antigen（HBsAg） gene in transgenic ginseng callus cultures. The adr subtype HBsAg gene was placed under the control of the Cauliflower mosaic virus（CaMV） 35S promoter linking to the TMV leader sequence. The antisense omega sequence was used in a control construct. The resulting constructs cloned in the binary vector pBI121 were used to transform the ginseng callus tissue via the Agrobacterium-mediated procedure. The integration and expression of the HBsAg gene were evaluated by PCR and western blot, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunoassays（ELISA） using a monoclonal antibody directed against human serum-derived HBsAg revealed a three to four-fold enhanced expression of HBsAg in ginseng cells conferred by the TMV omega element.     

Exploiting Reusable Edge-Functionalized Metal-Free Polyphthalocyanine Networks for Efficient Polymer Synthesis at Near Infrared Wavelengths

Heterogeneous catalysts are highly advantageous for industrial applications owing to their distinctive merits including easy separation and effective recovery. However, utilizing heterogeneous photocatalysts to harness longer wavelength light remains a critical area of research. This contribution explores the use of edge-functionalized metal-free polyphthalocyanine networks (PPc-x) to promote efficient polymer synthesis under near infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Our screening process revealed that both phenyl-edged PPc-x (PPc-p) and naphthyl-edged PPc-x (PPc-n) offer promising performance for photopolymerization. With the assistance of ppm-level PPc-n catalyst, well-defined polymers were synthesized within a few hours under the regulation of three NIR lights, regardless of shielded by synthetic and biological barriers. An excellent control over the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution was achieved. Furthermore, PPc-x can be easily recovered and reused for multiple cycles, with negligible leaching and maintenance of the catalytic performance. This study expands a new avenue in developing versatile photocatalysts for the modern synthetic toolkits and offer benefits in diverse applications.     

Enhanced skin anti-inflammatory and moisturizing action of gold nanoparticles produced utilizing Diospyros kaki fruit extracts

Inflammatory skin diseases (ISD) cause very severe itchy skin and dryness which is now a days an important issue which has to be taken care. Nanotechnology plays a main role in manufacturing cosmetic ingredients at a nanoscale size. Among different nanoparticles, gold (Au) is one of the non-toxic materials synthesized organically or inorganically. For synthesizing nanoparticles (NPs), using inorganic methods may cause some toxicity to cells, but using organic synthesis like plant extract is less toxic and environmentally friendly. Therefore, we synthesized DK-AuNPs using Diospyros kaki fruit extract. UPLC-MS/MS was used to evaluate phytochemicals responsible for converting salt into nanoparticles. The DK-AuNPs were characterized to confirm the formation of NPs. Furthermore, we analyzed the activity of DK-AuNPs on human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). The DK-AuNPs showed 98.2 % cell survival upto 200 µg/mL against HaCaT cells. Additionally, compared to DK treatment, DK-AuNPs therapy decreased ROS production in TNF-α/IFN-γ (T + I) stimulated HaCaT cells by 68.7 %, whereas DK treatment reduced ROS generation by 27.8 %. Moreover, the skin anti-inflammatory potential and moisturizing effect of DK-AuNPs were analyzed using HaCaT cells. Furthermore, skin inflammatory activity biomarkers were downregulated through the MAPK/NFκB signaling pathway and showed significant inhibition by DK-AuNPs. Also, the skin moisturizing biomarkers such as HAS (1–3) were upregulated and HYAL (1–2) were downregulated by PI3K/AKT/NFκB through HAS2 regulation. Therefore, skin anti-inflammatory and moisturizing activity were enhanced by treatment with DK-AuNPs. In summary, we conclude that the DK-AuNPs could be a new alternative for skin disease.     

High Resolution ATR μ-FTIR to map the diffusion of conservation treatments applied to painted plasters

Here we demonstrate the extension of applicability of high resolution Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier transform infrared μ-mapping (ATR μ-FTIR) to the investigation of the diffusion of a conservation treatment, ammonium oxalate, within painted plasters. The method demonstrates its potentiality in situations where high lateral resolution is required and the compounds are not easily detectable with conventional analytical techniques. It was applied successfully to explore the interaction between ammonium oxalate solutions and the carbonatic matrix at the microscale. The reaction of the carbonatic aggregate particles was assessed as well as the influence of the treatment parameters on the penetration depth. High resolution ATR μ-FTIR represents a new spectroscopy imaging modality expanding the portfolio of chemically specific analytical tools.