Preparation,characterization, and antibacterial activity of γ-irradiated silver nanoparticles in aqueous gelatin

Colloidal silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were obtained through γ-irradiation of aqueous solutions containing AgNO₃ and gelatin as a silver source and stabilizer, respectively. The absorbed dose of γ-irradiation influences the particle diameter of the Ag-NPs, as evidenced from surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. When the γ-irradiation dose was increased (from 2 to 50 kGy), the mean particle size was decreased continuously as a result of γ-induced Ag-NPs fragmentation. The antibacterial properties of the Ag-NPs were tested against Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Gram-positive) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.a) (Gram-negative) bacteria. This approach reveals that the γ-irradiation-mediated method is a promising simple route for synthesizing highly stable Ag-NPs in aqueous solutions with good antibacterial properties for different applications.     

Reduction in secondary dendrite arm spacing in cast eutectic Al-Si piston alloys by cerium addition

The effects of Ce on the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) and mechanical behavior of Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys were investigated. The reduction of SDAS at different Ce concentrations was evaluated in a directional solidification experiment via computer-aided cooling curve thermal analysis (CA CCTA). -The results showed that 0.1wt%-1.0wt% Ce addition resulted in a rapid solidification time, △T_S, and low solidification temperature, △T_S, whereas 0.1wt% Ce resulted in a fast solidification time, △ta-Al, of the α-Al phase. Furthermore, Ce addition refined the SDAS, which was reduced to approximately 36%. The mechanical properties of the alloys with and without Ce were investigated using tensile and hardness tests. The quality index (Q) and ultimate tensile strength of (UTS) Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys significantly improved with the addition of 0.1wt% Ce. Moreover, the base alloy hardness was improved with increasing Ce concentration.     

Facile cathodic electrosynthesis and characterization of iron oxide nano-particles

Fe2O3 nano-particles have been synthesized by simple cathodic electrodeposition from the low-temperature nitrate bath.The morphology and crystal structure of the obtained oxide powder were analyzed by means of scanning and transmission microscopy(SEM and TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy.Thermal behavior and phase transformation during the heat treatment of as-deposited sample were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and thermogramimetric analysis(TGA).The results showed that the deposited Fe2O3 was composed of the nanoparticles with grain size of approximately 10-60 nm.A serious problem during cathodic electrodeposition of iron oxide was splashing of deposit into electrolyte due to its low adhesion.This problem was tackled by reducing the bath temperature and dielectric constant of solvent.     

Transmit Power Optimization for Relay-Aided Multi-Carrier D2D Communication

In this paper,we consider the power optimization problem in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing(OFDM)-based relay-enhanced device-to-device(D2D) communication.In a single cell transmission scenario,dualhop communication is assumed in which each D2D user re-uses the spectrum of just one Cellular User(CU).In this work,we formulate a joint optimization scheme under a Decode-and-Forward(DF) relaying protocol to maximize the sum throughput of D2D and cellular networks via power allocation over different sub-carriers.The problem is thus transformed into a standard convex optimization,subject to individual power constraints at different transmitting nodes.We exploit the duality theory to decompose the problem into several sub-problems and use Karush–Kuhn–Tucker(KKT) conditions to solve each sub-problem.We provide simulation results to validate the performance of our proposed scheme.     

New Synthesis of Pt-Ru Nanoparticles on Surface Modified Carbon Vulcane XC-72 as an Effective Catalyst for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

1 Results Pt-Ru nanoparticles are synthesised on the surface oxidized carbon Vulcane XC-72 as catalyst support by chemically anchoring Pt and Ru onto the surface of modified carbon vulcane XC-72 (by refluxing in 70% HNO3 at 120 ℃ for 12 h to introduce surface functional groups) .The nanoparticles of Pt and Ru are synthesized by reduction of H2PtCl6 and K4Ru(CN)6 with sodium borohydride in a 5.5 buffer solution of sodium citrate,the complexation of citrate with metal ions is beneficial to the formati...     

用两比特海森堡XY模型实现量子稠密编码

文章主要研究在有限温度下,外加磁场和DM相互作用对两比特海森堡XY模型中实现量子稠密编码的影响。通过稠密编码的信道容量表达式分析了每个参数对稠密编码的影响并且发现平均耦合常数J-,DM相互作用和各向异性参数J＋对稠密编码起积极作用。均匀磁场B和非均匀磁场b对稠密编码起消极作用。     

量子关联研究综述

由EPR佯谬,薛定谔“猫态”等超越直观的纯量子现象产生的量子纠缠理论从其概念提出以来一直被人们认为既是量子理论最为重要的概念之一,也是在量子通讯中实现“稠密编码”和“隐形传态”的关键。然而,最近研究结果显示,量子纠缠并不能够完全解释量子关联所有特性。人们发现,除了纠缠以外,还存在对量子信息和量子计算具有极其重要意义的其它非经典关联,如量子失协是一个纯量子比特确定性量子计算机具有计算效率的原因。这说明,量子失协完全可以成为量子计算新的一种资源。文章介绍了非经典关联（包括量子纠缠）的基本概念及其度量方法,对量子失协在各类模型中表现出的量子关联特性进行分析和与量子纠缠,经典关联比较,从而体现出在各类量子体系中对量子失协进行研究的意义,同时引导理论和实验研究者去研究量子失协的潜在研究价值。     

Combining theoretical and experimental data to decipher CFTR 3D structures and functions

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has recently provided invaluable experimental data about the full-length cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) 3D structure. However, this experimental information deals with inactive states of the channel, either in an apo, quiescent conformation, in which nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) are widely separated or in an ATP-bound, yet closed conformation. Here, we show that 3D structure models of the open and closed forms of the channel, now further supported by metadynamics simulations and by comparison with the cryo-EM data, could be used to gain some insights into critical features of the conformational transition toward active CFTR forms. These critical elements lie within membrane-spanning domains but also within NBD1 and the N-terminal extension, in which conformational plasticity is predicted to occur to help the interaction with filamin, one of the CFTR cellular partners.     

Melatonin receptors limit dopamine reuptake by regulating dopamine transporter cell-surface exposure

Melatonin, a neuro-hormone released by the pineal gland, has multiple effects in the central nervous system including the regulation of dopamine (DA) levels, but how melatonin accomplishes this task is not clear. Here, we show that melatonin MT₁ and MT₂ receptors co-immunoprecipitate with the DA transporter (DAT) in mouse striatal synaptosomes. Increased DA re-uptake and decreased amphetamine-induced locomotor activity were observed in the striatum of mice with targeted deletion of MT₁ or MT₂ receptors. In vitro experiments confirmed the interactions and recapitulated the inhibitory effect of melatonin receptors on DA re-uptake. Melatonin receptors retained DAT in the endoplasmic reticulum in its immature non-glycosylated form. In conclusion, we reveal one of the first molecular complexes between G protein-coupled receptors (MT₁ and MT₂) and transporters (DAT) in which melatonin receptors regulate the availability of DAT at the plasma membrane, thus limiting the striatal DA re-uptake capacity in mice.