Fatigue life enhancement by irradiation of 12Cr1MoV steel with a Zr<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion beam. Mesoscale deformation and fracture

The structure and properties of 12Cr1MoV steel irradiated with a zirconium ion beam were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and micro- and nanoindentation. It is shown that the modification covers the entire cross-section of the irradiated specimens to a depth of 1 mm. The data on irradiation-induced structural changes are used to interpret the changes in mechanical properties of the irradiated specimens under static and cyclic loading. Particular attention is given to analysis of strain estimation by the digital image correlation method.     

HPLC with fluorescence detection assay of perampanel,a novel AMPA receptor antagonist,in human plasma for clinical pharmacokinetic studies

Perampanel (Fycompa®), a novel α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist, is registered for the adjunctive treatment of patients (aged ≥12 years) with refractory partial‐onset seizures. To support therapeutic drug monitoring, a simple high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay with fluorescence detection was developed to determine perampanel concentrations in human plasma and validated to support clinical trials. Human plasma samples (1.0 mL) were processed by liquid extraction using diethyl ether, followed by chromatographic separation on a YMC Pack Pro C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 µm) with isocratic elution of acetonitrile–water–acetic acid–sodium acetate (840:560:3:1.8, v/v/v/w) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Column eluent was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 290 and 430 nm, respectively. The assay was linear (range 1.0–500 ng/mL) and this could be extended to 25 µg/mL by 50‐fold dilution integrity. No endogenous peaks were detected in the elution of analytes in drug‐free blank human plasma from six individuals and no interference was observed with co‐medications tested. Intra‐ and inter‐batch reproducibility studies demonstrated accuracy and precision within the acceptance criteria of bioanalytical guidelines. Validation data demonstrated that our assay is simple, selective, reproducible and suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring of perampanel. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The visible and ultraviolet organic light-emitting diodes with germanium dioxide as facile solution-processed anode buffer layer

Germanium dioxide (GeO₂) aqueous solutions are facilely prepared and the corresponding anode buffer layers (ABLs) with solution process are demonstrated. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that solution-processed GeO₂ behaves superior film morphology and enhanced work function. Using GeO₂ as ABL of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), the visible device with tris(8-hydroxy-quinolinato)aluminium as emitter gives maximum luminous efficiency of 6.5 cd/A and power efficiency of 3.5 lm/W, the ultraviolet device with 3-(4-biphenyl)-4-phenyl-5-tert-butylphenyl-1,2,4-triazole as emitter exhibits short-wavelength emission with peak of 376 nm, full-width at half-maximum of 42 nm, maximum radiance of 3.36 mW/cm² and external quantum efficiency of 1.5%. The performances are almost comparable to the counterparts with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) as ABL. The current, impedance, phase and capacitance as a function of voltage characteristics elucidate that the GeO₂ ABL formed from appropriate concentration of GeO₂ aqueous solution favors hole injection enhancement and accordingly promoting device performance.     

Intrinsic electrochemical performance and precise control of surface porosity of graphene-modified electrodes using the drop-casting technique

Graphenes have for a long time been shown to exhibit enhanced electrochemical sensing and fast heterogeneous electron transfers, but the nature of such improved electrochemistry is disputed due to its inherent porosity. Adsorption and thin layer effects may additionally contribute to the observed behaviour. Furthermore, overall extents of the impact from these factors are typically unclear. Towards a practical solution to this issue, we show that electrode porosity can be adequately controlled close to the case of an ideal planar electrode. With increased mass loadings, the apparent porosity can still be precisely controlled by performing multiple drop-casts from less concentrated dispersions. Thus with application of such experimental practices, the drop-casting technique remains a reliable option for nanomaterial electrode preparation.     

Studies on metabolism of total glucosides of paeony from Paeoniae Radix Alba in rats by UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS

Total glucosides of paeony are the active constituents of Paeoniae Radix Alba. In this study, a novel strategy was proposed to find more metabolites and the differences between paeoniflorin, albiflorin and total glucosides of paeony (TGP). This strategy was characterized as follows: firstly, the animals were divided into three groups (paeoniflorin, albiflorin and TGP) to identify the source of TGP metabolites from paeoniflorin or albiflorin; secondly, a generic information‐dependent acquisition scan for the low‐level metabolites was triggered by the multiple mass defect filter and dynamic background subtraction; thirdly, the metabolites were identified with a combination of data‐processing methods including mass defect filtering, neutral loss filtering and product ion filtering; finally, a comparative study was used in the metabolism of paeoniflorin, albiflorin and TGP. Based on the strategy, 18 metabolites of TGP, 10 metabolites of paeoniflorin and 13 metabolites of albiflorin were identified respectively. The results indicated that the hydrolysis, conjugation reaction and oxidization were the major metabolic pathways, and the metabolic sites were the glycosidic linkage, the ester bond and the benzene ring. This study is first to explore the metabolism of TGP, and these findings enhance our understanding of the metabolism and the interactions of paeoniflrin and albiflorin in TGP. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SIMS as a subnanometer probe: A new tool for chemical profile analysis of grafted molecules

The complexity of modern engineered surfaces requires the development of very powerful methods to analyze and characterize them. We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain chemical information about the skeleton of organic molecules constituting SAMs grafted on a silicon surface by using a new type of SIMS method. A profile can be achieved by the investigation of the temporal variation of secondary ion intensities that correspond to the fractional parts of the molecule constituting the SAMs. The equivalent ablation rate is less than 0.5 nm/min.     

Optimization of the surface texture for silicon carbide sliding in water

Surface texturing has been recognized as an effective means to improve the tribological performances of sliding surfaces. Usually, generation additional hydrodynamic pressure to increase the load carrying capacity is regarded as the most significant effect of surface texture. In the case of silicon carbide sliding against identical material in water, the experimental results indicate that surface texture is also helpful to improve the running-in progress to smooth the contact surfaces, showing another reason to result in low friction. Based on the consideration of enhancing the generation of hydrodynamic pressure and improving running-in progress, a surface texture pattern, which was combined with large (circle, 350 μm in diameter) and small (rectangular, 40 μm in length) dimples, was designed to maximize the texture effect on the load carrying capacity of SiC surfaces sliding in water. The friction coefficient of such textured surface was evaluated and compared with that of untextured and those only with large or small dimples only. The friction reduction mechanisms of the patterns with different dimples in size are discussed.