Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Oxidation of Protein and Fat and Its Relationship with the Formation of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines and Advanced Glycation End Products in Raw Meat

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of the number of freeze–thaw cycles (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7) on porcine longissimus protein and lipid oxidation, as well as changes in heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their precursors. We analyzed the relationship among HAAs, AGEs, oxidation, and precursors and found the following results after seven freeze–thaw cycles. The HAAs, Norharman and Harman, were 20.33% and 16.67% higher, respectively. The AGEs, Nε-carboxyethyllysine (CEL) and Nε-carboxymethyllysine (CML), were 11.81% and 14.02% higher, respectively. Glucose, creatine, and creatinine were reduced by 33.92%, 5.93%, and 1.12%, respectively after seven freeze–thaw cycles. Norharman was significantly correlated with thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS; r² = 0.910) and glucose (r² = −0.914). Harman was significantly correlated to TBARS (r² = 0.951), carbonyl (r² = 0.990), and glucose (r² = −0.920). CEL was correlated to TBARS (r² = 0.992) and carbonyl (r² = 0.933). These changes suggest that oxidation and the Maillard reaction during freeze–thaw cycles promote HAA and AGE production in raw pork.     

The Effects of CO2 Additional on Flame Characteristics in the CH4/N2/O2 Counterflow Diffusion Flame

The effects (chemical, thermal, transport, and radiative) of CO₂ added to the fuel side and oxidizer side on the flame temperature and the position of the flame front in a one-dimensional laminar counterflow diffusion flame of methane/N₂/O₂ were studied. Overall CO₂ resulted in a decrease in flame temperature whether on the fuel side or on the oxidizer side, with the negative effect being more obvious on the latter side. The prominent effects of CO₂ on the flame temperature were derived from its thermal properties on the fuel side and its radiative properties on the oxidizer side. The results also highlighted the differences in the four effects of CO₂ on the position of the flame front on different sides. In addition, an analysis of OH and H radicals and the heat release rate of the main reactions illustrated how CO₂ affects the flame temperature.     

An optimization method for designing SENSE imaging RF coil arrays

An optimization method in RF coil array design for SENSE imaging is described. Using this method the optimized RF coil geometries can be calculated numerically given the required SENSE imaging performance. Although this method can be applied to optimize the RF coil arrays for both 1D and 2D SENSE imaging, to demonstrate the potential applications of this method, we designed RF coil arrays for 2D SENSE imaging and compared their performance by simulation. An optimized 4-channel receive-only RF coil array designed for 2D SENSE imaging was implemented and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique. Imaging results showed reasonable agreement with the simulations, thus the method can be applied to RF coil array designs for SENSE imaging when optimum imaging performance is desired.     

4T split TEM volume head and knee coils for improved sensitivity and patient accessibility

Split RF coils offer improved patient access by eliminating the need for the coil to be slid over the region of interest. For unshielded birdcage coils, the presence of end ring currents necessitates a direct electrical connection between two halves of the coil. For high-field (>3T) shielded birdcage coils, both the shield and the coil must be split and reliably connected electrically. This problem can be circumvented by the use of split TEM volume coils. Since the elements of a TEM coil are coupled inductively, no direct electrical connection between the halves is necessary. In this work we demonstrate that the effects of splitting the shield for head and knee TEMs can be compensated for, and performance retained. For the knee, the improved access allowed the coil diameter to be reduced, enhancing the sensitivity by 15-20%.     

Silver versus white sheet as a back reflector for microcrystalline silicon solar cells deposited on LPCVD‐ZnO electrodes of various textures

We compare the performance of two back reflector designs on the optoelectrical properties of microcrystalline silicon solar cells. The first one consists of a 5‐µm‐thick low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD)‐ZnO electrode combined with a white sheet; the second one incorporates an Ag reflector deposited on a thin LPCVD‐ZnO layer (with thickness below 200 nm). For this latter design, the optical loss in the nano‐rough Ag reflector can be strongly reduced by smoothing the surface of the thin underlying ZnO layer, by means of an Ar‐plasma treatment. Because of its superior lateral conductivity, the thin‐ZnO/Ag back reflector design provides a higher fill factor than the dielectric back reflector design. When decreasing the roughness of the front electrode with respect to our standard front LPCVD‐ZnO layer, the electrical cell performance is improved; in addition, the implementation of the thin‐ZnO/Ag back reflector leads to a significant relative gain in light trapping. Applying this newly optimized combination of front and back electrodes, the conversion efficiency is improved from 8.9% up to 9.4%, for cells with an active‐layer thickness of only 1.1 µm. We thereby highlight the necessity to optimize simultaneously the front and back electrodes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TNF-α、IL-6、IL-8在Modic I型改变腰椎终板与椎间盘髓核中的表达及关系研究

目的 探讨腰椎Modic I型改变的腰椎终板与椎间盘髓核中TNF-α、IL-6、IL-8 的相关性。方法 收集30 例因下腰痛入院手术治疗并行腰椎MRI 检查确认为腰椎Modic I型改变患者的术中病灶椎间盘标本,进行免疫组化检测,并观察椎间盘组织病理变化及炎症因子的表达,IL-6、IL-8 相对表达水平以相对表达量△Ct 或（2-△Ct×104）进行分析。结果 Modic I型终板中TNF-α表达水平（9.2±0.7）高于髓核（7.2±0.5）,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;髓核中△Ct IL-6、△Ct IL-8 相对表达量（6.34±1.82、10.62±1.88）高于终板（4.07±1.86、5.92±1.31）,差异均有统计学意义（均P＜0.05）。结论 Modic I型终板中TNF-α、IL-6、IL-8的表达水平明显高于髓核,其引起下腰痛的原因主要为终板的炎症改变。     

Fabrication of Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1−x)4 thin film solar cell by single step sulfo-selenization of stacked metallic precursors

We have synthesized an efficient Cu₂ZnSn(S_xSe_1−x)₄ (CZTSSe) absorbers by using single-step rapid thermal sulfo-selenization process of sputtered stack metallic precursor (Zn/Sn/Cu) films. The structural and morphological studies confirm that the suitability of the rapid thermal sulfo-selenization process for the synthesis of a CZTSSe absorber without any secondary phases with large grains. The annealing atmosphere with a mixed-chalcogen source enhances the grain growth of the CZTSSe absorber as compared with pure Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) and Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ (CZTSe) absorbers. The CZTSSe thin film solar cell shows the best conversion efficiency of ∼7%.     

Electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides as transparent electrode and anti-reflection coating for solar cells

We have studied the electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides (ITSOs) as transparent electrodes and anti-reflection coatings for Si-based solar cells. The ITSO thin films were obtained by co-sputtering of ITO and SiO₂ targets under target power control. The resistivity of the ITSO thin films deposited at 0.625 in terms of power ratio (ITO/SiO₂) were 391 Ωcm. In this condition, the ITSO thin films showed very high resistivity compared to sputted pure ITO thin films (1.08 × 10⁻³ Ωcm). However, refractive index of ITSO thin films deposited at the same condition at 500 nm is somewhat lowered to 1.97 compared to ITO thin films (2.06). The fabricated graded refractive index AR coatings using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ thin films kept over 80% of transmittance regardless of their thickness varing from 97 nm to 1196 nm because of their low extinction coefficient. As the AR coating with graded refractive indices using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ layers was applied to general silicon-based solar cell, the current level increased nearly twice more than that of bare silicon solar cell without AR coating.     

Preparation of Fluorescent Polystyrene via ATRP with Dimethylamino Chalcones as Initiator

4‐(3‐(4‐(Dimethylamino)phenyl)acryloyl)phenyl‐2‐bromo‐2‐methylpropanoate (APPBr) was used for the heterogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene (St) with copper(I) bromide/N,N,N′,N′′,N′′‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) catalytic system. The functional end group was characterized via UV‐Vis and ¹H NMR spectra. The polymerization showed a first‐order kinetic characteristic and each of the obtained polymers had well‐controlled molecular weight and relatively low polydispersity index (PDI). Furthermore, the obtained end‐functionalized polystyrene (PS) in solution showed strong green‐light emission which is further affected by mixing different metal cations. In particular, the fluorescent intensity of the polymer was decreased in the presence of Ag⁺, Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺.     

Fabrication of Melamine/Tb3+-Intercalated Polydiacetylene Nanosheets and Their Thermochromic Reversibility

Polydiacetylene (PDA) is one kind of the conjugated polymer with layered structure, which can serve as a host to accommodate the guest components through intercalation. In these intercalated PDAs, some of them were reported to have a nearly perfect organized structure and perform completely reversible thermochromism. Till now, these reported intercalated PDAs were made by only introducing a single component for intercalation. Here, we chose 10, 12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) as the monomer, of which the carboxyl-terminal groups can interact with either Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions or melamines (MAs). When the feeding molar ratio of PCDA, MA, and Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ion was 3:267:1, only Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions were intercalated though excess MAs existed. Such Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document}-intercalated poly-PCDA exhibited completely reversible thermochromism, where almost all the carboxyl groups interacted with Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions to form the nearly perfect structure. When the feeding molar ratio of PCDA, MA, and Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ion was 3:267:0.6, both Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document} ions and MAs were intercalated. There existed some defects in the imperfect MA-intercalated domains and at the domain boundaries. The MA/Tb\begin{document}$ ^{3+} $\end{document}-intercalated poly-PCDA exhibits partially reversible thermochromism, where the backbones near the defects are hard to return the initial conformation, while the rest, those at nearly perfect organized domains, are still able to restore the initial conformation.