MgH2@Mg(BH4)2 Core-Shell-like Nanostructures: Synthesis, Hydrolysis Performance, and Promotion Mechanism.

The hydrolysis of hydrides, represented by MgH2, delivers substantial capacity and presents an appealing prospect for an on-site hydrogen supply. However, the sluggish hydrolysis kinetics and low hydrogen yield of MgH2 caused by the formation of a passivation Mg(OH)2 layer hinder its practical application. Herein, we present a dual strategy encompassing microstructural design and compounding, leading to the successful synthesis of a core-shell-like nanostructured MgH2@Mg(BH4)2 composite, which demonstrates excellent hydrolysis performance. Specifically, the optimal composite with a low Ea of 9.05 kJ mol-1 releases 2027.7 mL g-1 H2 in 60 min, and its hydrolysis rate escalates to 1356.7 mL g-1 min-1 H2 during the first minute at room temperature. The nanocoating Mg(BH4)2 plays a key role in enhancing the hydrolysis kinetics through the release of heat and the formation of local concentration of Mg2+ field after its hydrolysis. This work offers an innovative concept for the design of hydrolysis materials.

Photoredox Catalysis for the Fabrication of Water-Repellent Surfaces with Application for Oil/Water Separation.

Silanization processes with perfluoroalkyl silanes have been demonstrated to be effective in developing advanced materials with many functional properties, including hydrophobicity, water repellency, and self-cleaning properties. However, practical industrial applications of perfluoroalkyl silanes are limited by their extremely high cost. On the basis of our recent work on photoredox catalysis for amidation with perfluoroalkyl iodides, its application for surface chemical modification on filter paper, as an illustrative example, has been developed and evaluated. Before photocatalytic amidation, the surface is functionalized with amine functional groups by silanization with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylamine. All chemically modified surfaces have been fully characterized by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and three-dimensional (3D) profiling to confirm the successful silanization and photocatalytic amidation. After surface modification of the filter papers with perfluoroalkanamide, they show high water repellency and hydrophobicity with contact angles over 120°. These filter papers possess high wetting selectivity, which can be used to effectively separate the organic and aqueous biphasic mixtures. The perfluoroalkanamide-modified filter papers can be used for separating organic/aqueous biphasic mixtures over many cycles without lowering the separating efficiency, indicating their reusability and excellent durability.

Development of Direct-Laser-Printable Light-Powered Nanocomposites.

Four-dimensional (4D) printable light-powered materials have emerged as a new generation of materials for the development of functional devices. The design of these types of materials is mostly based on the trans-cis transformation of azobenzene moieties in a liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) matrix, in which the motion is triggered by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. In this paper, we first report on a direct laser printable photoresist for producing light-powered 4D structures with enhanced mechanical properties and near-infrared (NIR) responsive mechanical deformation. The reported nanocomposite design is based on the photothermal effects of gold nanorods (AuNRs), which can induce the nematic-to-isotropic transition of LCE upon exposure to NIR irradiation. The miscibility between AuNRs and LCE is enhanced by thiol functionalization. Appropriate printing parameters are determined, and nanocomposites containing 0-3 wt % of AuNR loading are fabricated via femtosecond two-photon direct laser writing. The effects of the AuNR loading fraction and laser power on the light-powered actuating performance are evaluated. It is found that the nanocomposite with AuNR loading of 3 wt % demonstrates the maximum percentage (20%) of elongation under an NIR laser power of 2 W. An increase in laser power can lead to faster deformation but slower restoration. The nanocomposites demonstrate relatively good stability. Even after 300 actuation cycles, 80% of the elongation magnitude can be retained. In addition, an improvement of 80% in the complex modulus of the nanocomposites, due to the inclusion of AuNRs, is observed.

Eigenstrain as a mechanical set-point of cells.

Cell contraction regulates how cells sense their mechanical environment. We sought to identify the set-point of cell contraction, also referred to as tensional homeostasis. In this work, bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs), cultured on substrates with different stiffness, were characterized using traction force microscopy (TFM). Numerical models were developed to provide insights into the mechanics of cell-substrate interactions. Cell contraction was modeled as eigenstrain which could induce isometric cell contraction without external forces. The predicted traction stresses matched well with TFM measurements. Furthermore, our numerical model provided cell stress and displacement maps for inspecting the fundamental regulating mechanism of cell mechanosensing. We showed that cell spread area, traction force on a substrate, as well as the average stress of a cell were increased in response to a stiffer substrate. However, the cell average strain, which is cell type-specific, was kept at the same level regardless of the substrate stiffness. This indicated that the cell average strain is the tensional homeostasis that each type of cell tries to maintain. Furthermore, cell contraction in terms of eigenstrain was found to be the same for both BAECs and fibroblast cells in different mechanical environments. This implied a potential mechanical set-point across different cell types. Our results suggest that additional measurements of contractility might be useful for monitoring cell mechanosensing as well as dynamic remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This work could help to advance the understanding of the cell-ECM relationship, leading to better regenerative strategies.

Automated quantification of mitral valve anatomy using anatomical intelligence in three-dimensional echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative analysis of mitral valve morphology with three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) provides anatomic information that can assist clinical decision-making. However, routine use of mitral valve quantification has been hindered by tedious workflow and high operator-dependence. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the feasibility, accuracy and efficiency of a novel computer-learning algorithm using anatomical intelligence in ultrasound (AIUS) to automatically detect and quantitatively assess the mitral valve anatomy. METHODS: A novice operator used AIUS to quantitatively assess mitral valve anatomy on the 3D TEE images of 55 patients (33 with mitral valve prolapse, 11 with functional mitral regurgitation, and 11 normal valves). The results were compared to that of manual mitral valve quantification by an experienced 3D echocardiographer and, in the 24 patients who underwent mitral valve repair, the surgical findings. Time consumption and reproducibility of AIUS were compared to the manual method. RESULTS: AIUS mitral valve quantification was feasible in 52 patients (95%). There were excellent agreements between AIUS and expert manual quantification for all mitral valve anatomic parameters (r=0.85-0.99, p<0.05). AIUS accurately classified surgically defined location of prolapse in 139 of 144 segments analyzed (97%). AIUS improved the intra- [intraclass-correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.91-0.99] and inter-observer (ICC=0.86-0.98) variability of novice users, surpassing the manual approach (intra-observer ICC=0.32-0.95; inter-observer ICC=0.45-0.93), yet requiring significantly less time (144±24s vs. 770±89s, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Anatomic intelligence in 3D TEE image can provide accurate, reproducible, and rapid quantification of the mitral valve anatomy.

Novel bioactive antimicrobial lignin containing coatings on titanium obtained by electrophoretic deposition.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the most suitable biocompatible material for bone implant coatings; its brittleness, however, is a major obstacle, and the reason why research focuses on creating composites with biopolymers. Organosolv lignin (Lig) is used for the production of composite coatings, and these composites were examined in this study. Titanium substrate is a key biomedical material due to its well-known properties, but infections of the implantation site still impose a serious threat. One approach to prevent infection is to improve antimicrobial properties of the coating material. Silver doped hydroxyapatite (Ag/HAP) and HAP coatings on titanium were obtained by an electrophoretic deposition method in order to control deposited coating mass and morphology by varying applied voltage and deposition time. The effect of lignin on microstructure, morphology and thermal behavior of biocomposite coatings was investigated. The results showed that higher lignin concentrations protect the HAP lattice during sintering, improving coating stability. The corrosion stability was evaluated in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 °C. Newly formed plate-shaped carbonate-HAP was detected, indicating enhanced bioactive performance. The antimicrobial efficiency of Ag/HAP/Lig was confirmed by its higher reduction of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus TL (S. aureus TL) than of HAP/Lig coating. Cytotoxicity assay revealed that both coatings can be classified as non-toxic against healthy immunocompetent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Quantification of mitral valve morphology with three-dimensional echocardiography--can measurement lead to better management?

The mitral valve (MV) has complex 3-dimensional (3D) morphology and motion. Advance in real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) has revolutionized clinical imaging of the MV by providing clinicians with realistic visualization of the valve. Thus far, RT3DE of the MV structure and dynamics has adopted an approach that depends largely on subjective and qualitative interpretation of the 3D images of the valve, rather than objective and reproducible measurement. RT3DE combined with image-processing computer techniques provides precise segmentation and reliable quantification of the complex 3D morphology and rapid motion of the MV. This new approach to imaging may provide additional quantitative descriptions that are useful in diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making. Quantitative analysis of the MV using RT3DE has increased our understanding of the pathologic mechanism of degenerative, ischemic, functional, and rheumatic MV disease. Most recently, 3D morphologic quantification has entered into clinical use to provide more accurate diagnosis of MV disease and for planning surgery and transcatheter interventions. Current limitations of this quantitative approach to MV imaging include labor-intensiveness during image segmentation and lack of a clear definition of the clinical significance of many of the morphologic parameters. This review summarizes the current development and applications of quantitative analysis of the MV morphology using RT3DE.

Automatic selective removal of embedded patient information from image content of DICOM files.

OBJECTIVE: Patient data may appear as burned-in text on the image content of DICOM image files, which is commonly seen in ultrasound images and some secondarily scanned images. The purpose of this article is to discuss the removal of such information, which can be cumbersome and demands human intervention. CONCLUSION: This article presents a computerized scheme that automatically removes patient data from the image content by finding burned-in texts that match information in the DICOM header, thus cleaning the entire DICOM image file while preserving other useful labels.