Carbon-Nitride Popcorn-A Novel Catalyst Prepared by Self-Propagating Combustion of Nitrogen-Rich Triazenes.

The interest in development of non-graphitic polymeric carbon nitrides (PCNs), with various C-to-N ratios, having tunable electronic, optical, and chemical properties is rapidly increasing. Here the first self-propagating combustion synthesis methodology for the facile preparation of novel porous PCN materials (PCN3-PCN7) using new nitrogen-rich triazene-based precursors is reported. This methodology is found to be highly precursor dependent, where variations in the terminal functional groups in the newly designed precursors (compounds 3-7) lead to different combustion behaviors, and morphologies of the resulted PCNs.

Principles, design and implementation of a direct AC-to-AC power converter-Regulated electronic transformer.

In the last three decades, the energy conversion market has been dominated by switching power converters due to reduction of size and cost of electronic components. This market includes four types of conversion: DC-DC, DC-AC, AC-DC, and AC-AC. While the first three types are applied directly in a single conversion, the AC-AC converter is comprised of two serial converters leading to an AC-DC-AC conversion.

Fast identification and susceptibility determination of E. coli isolated directly from patients' urine using infrared-spectroscopy and machine learning.

For effective treatment, it is crucial to identify the infecting bacterium at the species level and to determine its antimicrobial susceptibility. This is especially true now, when numerous bacteria have developed multidrug resistance to most commonly used antibiotics. Currently used methods need ∼ 48 h to identify a bacterium and determine its susceptibility to specific antibiotics.

Rapid determination of Proteus mirabilis susceptibility to antibiotics using infrared spectroscopy in tandem with random forest.

Bacterial infections cause serious illnesses that are treated with antibiotics. Currently used methods for detecting bacterial antibiotic susceptibility consume 48-72 h, leading to overuse of antibiotics. Thus, many bacterial species have acquired resistance to a broad range of available antibiotics.

Culture-independent susceptibility determination of isolated directly from patients' urine using FTIR and machine-learning.

One of the most common human bacterial infections is the urinary tract infection (UTI). The main cause of UTI is (.) bacteria (∼75%).

Immunomodulatory fibrous hyaluronic acid-Fmoc-diphenylalanine-based hydrogel induces bone regeneration.

Aim: To investigate the potential of an ultrashort aromatic peptide hydrogelator integrated with hyaluronic acid (HA) to serve as a scaffold for bone regeneration.

Materials And Methods: Fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-diphenylalanine (FmocFF)/HA hydrogel was prepared and characterized using microscopy and rheology. Osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts was investigated using Alizarin red, alkaline phosphatase and calcium deposition assays.

Preliminary study of thermal density distribution and entropy analysis during cycling exercise stress test using infrared thermography.

Considerable differences related to the results of temperature changes acquired during exercise exist, and in many cases, these lead to poor correlation with physiological variables. In this preliminary study we investigated the temperature changes and the temperature distribution (entropy) of the torso during a graded cycling exercise stress test using thermal imaging and studied the correlation between the increase in pulmonary ventilation (VE) and the changes in the surface temperature of the anterior torso during exercise. Thermal images of the anterior torso were captured every 30 s during the exercise, while the resistance was gradually increased every minute until exhaustion.

A novel approach based on machine learning analysis of flow velocity waveforms to identify unseen abnormalities of the umbilical cord.

Introduction: A Doppler ultrasound (DUS) is essential for detecting blood flow abnormalities in the umbilical cord (UC). Any morphological abnormalities of the UC may lead to morbidity and stillbirth. Some abnormalities such as torsion, strictures and true-knot, however, may only be discovered at birth.

Hybrid Offspring of C57BL/6J Mice Exhibit Improved Properties for Neurobehavioral Research.

C57BL/6 is the most commonly used mouse strain in neurobehavioral research, serving as a background for multiple transgenic lines. However, C57BL/6 exhibit behavioral and sensorimotor disadvantages that worsen with age. We bred FVB/NJ females and C57BL/6J males to generate first-generation hybrid offspring (FVB/NJ x C57BL/6J)F1.

Reducing Test Anxiety by Device-Guided Breathing: A Pilot Study.

Test anxiety remains a challenge for students and has considerable physiological and psychological impacts. The routine practice of slow, Device-Guided Breathing (DGB) is a major component of behavioral treatments for anxiety conditions. This paper addresses the effectiveness of using DGB as a self-treatment clinical tool for test anxiety reduction.

Stabilizing gelatin-based bioinks under physiological conditions by incorporation of ethylene-glycol-conjugated Fmoc-FF peptides.

Over the last decade, three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies have attracted the interest of researchers due to the possibility of fabricating tissue- and organ-like structures with similarities to the organ of interest. One of the most widely used materials for the fabrication of bioinks is gelatin (Gel) due to its excellent biocompatibility properties. However, in order to fabricate stable scaffolds under physiological conditions, the most common approach is to use gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) that allows the crosslinking and therefore the stabilization of the hydrogel through UV crosslinking.

Transit use reduction following COVID-19: The effect of threat appraisal, proactive coping and institutional trust.

Transit systems suffered from a significant demand decrease during COVID-19. Understanding the psychological motivators underlying reduced transit use can help transit authorities and operators to take proactive action towards returning to the "new normal" and increasing their preparedness towards future pandemics. This study is based on the protection motivation theory to understand the effect of threat appraisal, and coping appraisal and denial mechanisms on transit use reduction for commuting.

Smartphone use behavior and quality of life: What is the role of awareness?

How does smartphone use behavior affect quality of life factors? The following work suggests new insights into smartphone use behavior, mainly regarding two contradicting smartphone modes of use that affect quality of life in opposite ways. The Aware smartphone mode of use reflects an active lifestyle, while the Unaware mode of use reflects the use of the smartphone in conjunction with other activities. Using data from 215 individuals who reported their quality of life and smartphone use habits, we show that high levels of smartphone use in the Unaware mode of use have a significant negative effect on the quality of life.

Infra-red spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms enables early determination of Pseudomonas aeruginosa's susceptibility to antibiotics.

Pseudomonas (P.) aeruginosa is a bacterium responsible for severe infections that have become a real concern in hospital environments. Nosocomial infections caused by P.

Molecular Co-Assembly of Two Building Blocks Harnesses Both their Attributes into a Functional Supramolecular Hydrogel.

Engineering ordered nanostructures through molecular self-assembly of simple building blocks constitutes the essence of modern nanotechnology to develop functional supramolecular biomaterials. However, the lack of adequate chemical and functional diversity often hinders the utilization of unimolecular self-assemblies for practical applications. Co-assembly of two different building blocks can essentially harness both of their attributes and produce nanostructured macro-scale objects with improved physical properties and desired functional complexity.

Programmable smart fast gas chromatograph and open probe controller.

Today, labs that carry out chemical analyses for regulation, food safety, health, forensics, or even security purposes are looking for ways to accelerate the analytical process. Slow procedures are costly because the necessary instruments are expensive and require maintenance and a highly trained staff to operate them. One of the more ubiquitous instruments in such labs is a Gas Chromatograph (GC), which accepts a solution and outputs each of the compounds within it in a gaseous form, one by one to be further analyzed and identified, usually by a Mass Spectrometer (MS).

Determination of Susceptibility to Antibiotics Using Infrared Microscopy.

( is one of the most aggressive multidrug-resistant bacteria associated with human infections, resulting in high mortality and morbidity. We obtained 1190 isolates from different patients with urinary tract infections. The isolates were measured to determine their susceptibility regarding nine specific antibiotics.

Noise-to-noise ratios in correlation length calculations near criticality.

For finite quenched random systems, on regular lattices, it is possible to define two types of variances (noises). It is demonstrated that their ratio is useful in calculating the correlation length of an infinite and rather general random system, as a function of temperature. The numerical method of obtaining those variables is not relevant.

Modification of a Single Atom Affects the Physical Properties of Double Fluorinated Fmoc-Phe Derivatives.

Supramolecular hydrogels formed by the self-assembly of amino-acid based gelators are receiving increasing attention from the fields of biomedicine and material science. Self-assembled systems exhibit well-ordered functional architectures and unique physicochemical properties. However, the control over the kinetics and mechanical properties of the end-products remains puzzling.

Automated processing of thermal imaging to detect COVID-19.

Rapid and sensitive screening tools for SARS-CoV-2 infection are essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to properly allocate national resources. Here, we developed a new point-of-care, non-contact thermal imaging tool to detect COVID-19, based on advanced image processing algorithms. We captured thermal images of the backs of individuals with and without COVID-19 using a portable thermal camera that connects directly to smartphones.

Physiological measurements of facial skin response under personal protective equipment.

Medical device-related pressure ulcers (MDRPUs) were traditionally associated with skin-contacting medical devices applied to patients, eventually causing tissue damage. The coronavirus-2019 pandemic has brought a new variant of MDRPUs: facial skin irritation or damage associated with extended use of protective personal equipment (PPE), e.g.

Globalization, quality and systems thinking: integrating global quality Management and a systems view.

A global approach towards quality management highlights the need for constructing a new body of knowledge that views the field of global quality from a systems perspective. The current article presents the results of an ongoing research based on quantitative and qualitative studies. The qualitative study used Grounded Theory as its theoretical and methodological framework.

Assessment of blood distribution in response to post-surgical steal syndrome: A novel technique based on Thermo-Anatomical Segmentation.

The distal ischemic steal syndrome (ISS) is a complication following the construction of an arteriovenous (A-V) access for hemodialysis. The ability to non-invasively monitor changes in skin microcirculation improves both the diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases. In this study, we propose a novel technique for evaluating the palms' blood distribution following arteriovenous access, based on thermal imaging.