Non-thermal Plasma Activated Water for Increasing Germination and Plant Growth of Lactuca sativa L

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - Non-thermal plasma is widely considered as an effective technology for applications in agriculture. Particularly, numerous reports studies have highlighted...     

DEAD-(cat)ZnBr2 an efficient system for the oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds

The combination of diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) and a catalytic amount of ZnBr₂ is an efficient system for the dehydrogenation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds. The scope and limitations of this process have been studied.     

Hydrogenated Graphene and Hydrogenated Silicene: Computational Insights

Density functional calculations are performed to study the energetic, structural, and electronic properties of graphene and silicene functionalized with hydrogen. Our calculations predict that H atoms bind much more strongly to silicene than to graphene. The adsorbed H atoms tend to cooperatively stabilize each other leading to a two‐dimensional nucleation and growth mechanism. The different structural and electronic modifications induced by H in fully functionalized graphene and silicene (known as graphane and silicane) are also explained. Finally, the electronic properties of defective graphane with multiple hydrogen vacancies are investigated. Engineering the vacancies in graphane offers a way to modify the electronic properties of this material.     

碱金属钾对Ni基催化剂纤维素水蒸气气化活性的影响

采用两段式催化气化方式研究了生物质热解气化过程中碱金属的挥发对Ni基催化剂活性的影响。实验结果表明,负载K盐的纤维素水蒸气催化气化过程中,K挥发后会在催化剂表面沉积,而少量K的存在和表面沉积不但能够提高镍基催化剂的抗积炭能力,而且有助于提高其催化活性,产生更多的氢气。然而纤维素中K的浓度过大,将会抑制Ni基催化剂的效果;K在催化剂上的沉积随催化剂循环次数的增加而增加,K的含量愈高,对催化剂的抑制效果愈明显,从而缩短了催化剂的使用寿命。     

On the global minimization of a convex function under general nonconvex constraints

The problem of globally minimizing a convex function subject to general continuous inequality constraints is investigated. A convergent outer approximation method is proposed which systematically exploits the convexity of the objective function in order to transcend local optimality. Also the question of finding a good starting point by using a local approach is discussed.     

Effects of shear rate on propagation of blood clotting determined using microfluidics and numerical simulations

This paper describes microfluidic experiments with human blood plasma and numerical simulations to determine the role of fluid flow in the regulation of propagation of blood clotting. We demonstrate that propagation of clotting can be regulated by different mechanisms depending on the volume-to-surface ratio of a channel. In small channels, propagation of clotting can be prevented by surface-bound inhibitors of clotting present on vessel walls. In large channels, where surface-bound inhibitors are ineffective, propagation of clotting can be prevented by a shear rate above a threshold value, in agreement with predictions of a simple reaction-diffusion mechanism. We also demonstrate that propagation of clotting in a channel with a large volume-to-surface ratio and a shear rate below a threshold shear rate can be slowed by decreasing the production of thrombin, an activator of clotting. These in vitro results make two predictions, which should be experimentally tested in vivo. First, propagation of clotting from superficial veins to deep veins may be regulated by shear rate, which might explain the correlation between superficial thrombosis and the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Second, nontoxic thrombin inhibitors with high binding affinities could be locally administered to prevent recurrent thrombosis after a clot has been removed. In addition, these results demonstrate the utility of simplified mechanisms and microfluidics for generating and testing predictions about the dynamics of complex biochemical networks.