Expert recommendations based on link prediction during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Since the emergence of COVID-19, the number of infections has significantly increased. As of April 7, 8:00 am, the total number of global infections has already reached 1,338,415, with the number of deaths being 74,556. Medical experts from various countries have conducted relevant researches in their own fields and countries, and the development of an effective vaccine has been expected soon.

Optical plasmon nanostrip probe as an effective ultrashort pulse delivery system.

In this paper, we analyze the ultrafast temporal and spectral responses of optical fields in tapered and metalized optical fibers (MOFs) and optical plasmon nanostrip probes (NPs). Computational experiment shows that output pulses of the NPs are virtually unchanged in shape and duration for input pulses with a duration of >1 fs and are not sensitive to changes in the parameters of the probe (such as convergence angle and taper length), while local enhancement of the electric field intensity reaches 300 times at the NP apex. Compared with the NPs, MOFs lead to significant output pulse distortions, even for input pulses with a duration of 10 fs.

Cleavage of Organosiloxanes with Dimethyl Carbonate: A Mild Approach To Graft-to-Surface Modification.

In this work, we explore the depolymerization of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS-100) and poly(methylphenylsiloxane) (PMPS) using dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and develop a surface functionalization method by utilizing the DMC-imparted active methoxy end groups of the partially depolymerized polysiloxanes. The efficiency of dimethyl carbonate as a reagent for organosiloxane cleavage was confirmed by means of H NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, and viscosity measurements. The reaction of fumed silica with organosiloxanes (PMPS, PDMS-50) in the presence of DMC was investigated using the ζ-potential, Si and C solid-state NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, CHN analysis, contact angle goniometry, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and rheology.

A New Route for Preparation of Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles Using a Mixture of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) and Diethyl Carbonate.

Organosilicon layers chemically anchored on silica surfaces show high carbon content, good thermal and chemical stability and find numerous applications as fillers in polymer systems, thickeners in dispersing media, and as the stationary phases and carriers in chromatography. Methyl-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxanes) (PDMSs) are typically considered to be inert and not suitable for surface modification because of the absence of readily hydrolyzable groups. Therefore, in this paper, we report a new approach for surface modification of silica (SiO₂) nanoparticles with poly(dimethylsiloxanes) with different lengths of polymer chains (PDMS-20, PDMS-50, PDMS-100) in the presence of diethyl carbonate (DEC) as initiator of siloxane bond splitting.