Single nanopore transport of synthetic and biological polyelectrolytes in three-dimensional hybrid microfluidic∕nanofluidic devices

This paper presents a study of electrokinetic transport in single nanopores integrated into vertically stacked three-dimensional hybrid microfluidic∕nanofluidic structures. In these devices, single nanopores, created by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in thin polymer films, provide fluidic connection between two vertically separated, perpendicular microfluidic channels. Experiments address both systems in which the nanoporous membrane is composed of the same (homojunction) or different (heterojunction) polymer as the microfluidic channels. These devices are then used to study the electrokinetic transport properties of synthetic (i.e., polystyrene sulfonate and polyallylamine) and biological (i.e., DNA) polyelectrolytes across these nanopores using both electrical current measurements and confocal microscopy. Both optical and electrical measurements indicate that electro-osmotic transport is predominant over electrophoresis in single nanopores with d>180 nm, consistent with results obtained under similar conditions for nanocapillary array membranes.     

Novel progress in the development of hydrogen storage materials

A new dehydrogenation mechanism for LiBH_4, a new hydrogen storage material, has recently been developed     

Recent progress on BFT in the era of blockchainsOA

<正>Blockchains can be generally divided into permissionless blockchains (e.g.Bitcoin,Ethereum) and permissioned blockchains (e.g.Hyperledger Fabric,Diem).Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT),which can tolerate Byzantine failures and malicious attacks,has long been understood as a generic building block for critical infrastructures.Nowadays,BFT is known as the standard model for permissioned blockchains.Moreover,     

State structures in digital filter configurations—I. conventional and nodal state structures

This paper presents a formal precedure for determining the state-space representations of any digital network consisting of adders, multipliers, and delays. Such representations are called state structures whenever the state variables are exclusively identified to the appropriately chosen internal node variables of the network. In general, the state structures corresponding to a given network are not unique. In Part I of the paper we present techniques of obtaining the various state structures where the associated state vectors have dimensions equal to the number of dynamic elements (in our case delays) in the network. In Part II we shall treat the subject of lowering the dimension of such state-space representations.     

State structures in digital filter configurations—II. reduced and minimal state structures

In Part I of this paper we presented a formal procedure for determining the various state structures associated with any given digital network with the dimension of state vector equal to the number of dynamic elements in the network. For noncanonic networks, it is sometimes possible to find state structures with state vectors of reduced and even lowest dimension. Such a state structure is defined to be reduced state structure except for the case where state vector dimension is the lowest possible (the associated state structure is termed minimal). A graph-theoretic procedure for determing the existence of conditions under which a state structure can be simplified is outlined in this part of the paper.     

An integrated microfluidic chip for immunocapture,preconcentration and separation of β-amyloid peptides

We present an integrated microfluidic chip for detection of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides. Aβ peptides are major biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) in its early stages. This microfluidic device consists of three main parts: (1) An immunocapture microcolumn based on self-assembled magnetic beads coated with antibodies specific to Aβ peptides, (2) a nano-porous membrane made of photopolymerized hydrogel for preconcentration, and (3) a microchip electrophoresis (MCE) channel with fluorescent detection. Sub-milliliter sample volume is either mixed off-chip with antibody coated magnetic beads and injected into the device or is injected into an already self-assembled column of magnetic beads in the microchannel. The captured peptides on the beads are then electrokinetically eluted and re-concentrated onto the nano-membrane in a few nano-liters. By integrating the nano-membrane, total assay time was reduced and also off-chip re-concentration or buffer exchange steps were not needed. Finally, the concentrated peptides in the chip are separated by electrophoresis in a polymer-based matrix. The device was applied to the capture and MCE analysis of differently truncated peptides Aβ (1–37, 1–39, 1–40, and 1–42) and was able to detect as low as 25 ng of synthetic Aβ peptides spiked in undiluted cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The device was also tested with CSF samples from healthy donors. CSF samples were fluorescently labelled and pre-mixed with the magnetic beads and injected into the device. The results indicated that Aβ1-40, an important biomarker for distinguishing patients with frontotemporal lobe dementia from controls and AD patients, was detectable. Although the sensitivity of this device is not yet enough to detect all Aβ subtypes in CSF, this is the first report on an integrated or semi-integrated device for capturing and analyzing of differently truncated Aβ peptides. The method is less demanding and faster than the conventional Western blotting method currently used for research.     

Rewriting and the Original Work——An analysis of the adapted version of Outlaws of the Marsh

One of the best known and best loved of the ancientChinese novels to have come down through the ages, ShiNai’an’s Outlaws of the Marsh is based on a peasant up-rising which took place in the reign of Hui Zong, a SongDynasty emperor who ruled from 1101 t…     

Sectoral Transformation in the Photovoltaics Industry in Australia,Germany and Japan: Contrasting the Co‐evolution of Actors,Knowledge, Institutions and Markets 1

This paper studies the evolution of the photovoltaics industry in Australia, Germany and Japan taking a comparative perspective. A modification of the sectoral innovation system framework is used to discuss: knowledge and technologies, actors and interactions, institutions and funding, development of markets and technological structure, as a way to understand the changes. In the process of transition from niche to mass production, national players have specialised in different activities, and the institutions’ building block has been a key determinant. In the case of Australia, it is also the least developed area which ultimately exposes the country to losing its innovation benefits.