Filtering Super-Resolution Scan Conversion of Medical Ultrasound Frames

Wireless Personal Communications - In this paper, we consider a challenging problem of reconstruction of high resolution (HR) B-mode ultrasound (US) image by proposing a novel multi-frame based...     

Synthesis and characterization of chemically stable sulfonated copoly(triazole imide)s with high proton conductivity

The synthesis and characterization of a series of new sulfonated copoly(triazole imide)s (PTPQSH‐XX) are reported in this work. The PTPQSH‐XX with different degree of sulfonation (DS) were prepared by click polymerization of equimolar amounts of a diimide‐based dialkyne monomer, namely bis‐N,N′‐(prop‐2‐ynyl)pyromellitic diimide (TP) and a mixture of two different diazide monomers (one sulfonated, 4,4‐bis[3′‐trifluoromethyl‐4′{4‐azidobenzoxy} benzyl] biphenyl, and another nonsulfonated, 4,4′‐diazido‐2,2′‐stilbene disulfonic acid disodium salt [SAZ]), in different molar ratios. The copolymers showed high inherent viscosity (1.12–1.28 dL/g) in n‐methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) indicating the formation of high molar masses. Freestanding membranes were prepared from these copolymers by solution casting method. DS of the copolymers was determined from ¹H NMR signal intensities, and the values were in good agreement with the quantity of SAZ monomer used in polymer feed, indicating the successful incorporation of the sulfonated monomer. The copolymers exhibited high thermal and mechanical stabilities. The PTPQSH‐80 membrane showed proton conductivity as high as 178 mS/cm at 90°C with good oxidative and hydrolytic stability. Cross‐sectional transmission electron microscope micrographs of the membranes indicated phase segregated morphology along with interconnected hydrophilic domains with dimension in the range 15–150 nm. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:2279–2289, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis,structure, CO oxidation,and H2 production activities of CaCu3−xMnxTi4−xMnxO12 (x = 0, 0.5, and 1.0)

Synthesis of nanocrystalline pristine and Mn-doped calcium copper titanate quadruple perovskites, CaCu_3?xMn_xTi_4?xMn_xO₁₂ (x = 0, 0.5, and 1.0) by modified citrate solution combustion method has been reported. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns attest the phase purity of the perovskite materials. Average particle sizes of all the materials obtained from the Scherrer's formula are in the range of 55–70 nm. The specific surface areas for all the perovskites obtained from BET isotherms are found to be low as expected for the condensed oxide systems and fall in the range of 13–17 m² g^?1. Transmission electron microscopy studies show a reduction in particle size of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ with increase in Mn doping. Ca and Ti are present in +2 and +4 oxidation states in all the materials as demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. Cu²⁺ gets reduced in CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ with higher Mn content. Mn is observed to be present only in +3 oxidation state. All the materials have been examined to be active in CO oxidation as well as H₂ production from methanol steam reforming. CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ with ~14 at.% Mn is found to show best catalytic activities among these materials. A comprehensive analysis of the catalytic activities of these perovskites toward CO oxidation and H₂ production from MSR reveal the cooperative activity of copper-manganese in the doped perovskites and it is more effective at lower manganese content.     

Self-Assembly and Neurotoxicity of β-Amyloid (21–40) Peptide Fragment: The Regulatory Role of GxxxG Motifs

The three GxxxG repeating motifs from the C-terminal region of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide play a significant role in regulating the aggregation kinetics of the peptide. Mutation of these glycine residues to leucine greatly accelerates the fibrillation process but generates a varied toxicity profile. Using an array of biophysical techniques, we demonstrated the uniqueness of the composite glycine residues in these structural repeats. We used solvent relaxation NMR spectroscopy to investigate the role played by the surrounding water molecules in determining the corresponding aggregation pathway. Notably, the conformational changes induced by Gly³³ and Gly³⁷ mutations result in significantly decreased toxicity in a neuronal cell line. Our results indicate that G³³xxxG³⁷ is the primary motif responsible for Aβ neurotoxicity, hence providing a direct structure–function correlation. Targeting this motif, therefore, can be a promising strategy to prevent neuronal cell death associated with Alzheimer's and other related diseases, such as type II diabetes and Parkinson's.     

Reversible,repeatable and low phase transition behaviour of spin coated nanostructured vanadium oxide thin films with superior mechanical properties

Smooth, uniform and crystalline vanadium oxide thin films were deposited on quartz by spin coating technique with four different rpm i.e., 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 and subsequently post annealed at 350, 450 and 550?°C in vacuum. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were utilized for microstructural characterizations and phase analysis, respectively, for vanadium oxide powder and deposited film. Nanorods were observed to be grown after vacuum annealing. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique was utilized to study the elemental oxidation state of deposited vanadium oxide films. Thermo-optical and electrical properties such as solar transmittance (τ_s), reflectance (ρ_s), absorptance (α_s), infrared (IR) emittance (ε_ir) and sheet resistance (R_s) of different thin films were evaluated. Based on the optical characteristics the optimized condition of the film processing was identified to be spin coated at 3000?rpm. Subsequently, the nanoindentation technique was utilized to measure hardness and Young's modulus of the optimized film. The measured nanomechanical properties were found to be superior to those reported for sputtered vanadium oxide films. Finally, temperature dependent phase transition characteristics of optimized vanadium oxide films were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. Reversible and repeatable phase transition was found to occur in the range of 44–48?°C which was significantly lower than the phase transition temperature (i.e., 68?°C) of bulk VO₂.     

Liquid gadolinium corrosion study of TaC coating on tantalum

Spectroscopic information of gadolinium isotopes is necessary to exploit the full potential of various isotopes in nuclear and medical applications. Container materials to handle liquid gadolinium during spectroscopic studies is an important aspect. Tantalum carbide (TaC) has excellent stability and also exhibits superior resistance to attack by various reactive actinide metals at high temperature for long durations. Tantalum crucibles with TaC coating were prepared and tested for compatibility against liquid gadolinium at 1673?K upto 14?h in vacuum. Optical microscopy and SEM/EDS investigations were done to evaluate the micro structural features of the coating and the liquid gadolinium attack. Experimental results show that TaC coating exhibits excellent corrosion resistance against liquid gadolinium at 1673?K.     

Heavy Water Additive in Formamidinium: A Novel Approach to Enhance Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency

Heavy water or deuterium oxide (D₂O) comprises deuterium, a hydrogen isotope twice the mass of hydrogen. Contrary to the disadvantages of deuterated perovskites, such as shorter recombination lifetimes and lower/invariant efficiencies, the serendipitous effect of D₂O as a beneficial solvent additive for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of triple-A cation (cesium (Cs)/methylammonium (MA)/formaminidium (FA)) perovskite solar cells from ≈19.2% (reference) to 20.8% (using 1 vol% D₂O) with higher stability is reported. Ultrafast optical spectroscopy confirms passivation of trap states, increased carrier recombination lifetimes, and enhanced charge carrier diffusion lengths in the deuterated samples. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy validate the N–H₂ group as the preferential isotope exchange site. Furthermore, the NMR results reveal the induced alteration of the FA to MA ratio due to deuteration causes a widespread alteration to several dynamic processes that influence the photophysical properties. First-principles density functional theory calculations reveal a decrease in PbI₆ phonon frequencies in the deuterated perovskite lattice. This stabilizes the PbI₆ structures and weakens the electron–LO phonon (Fröhlich) coupling, yielding higher electron mobility. Importantly, these findings demonstrate that selective isotope exchange potentially opens new opportunities for tuning perovskite optoelectronic properties.