As the lipophilic surfactant tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOAB) was cast from its organic solutions, needle-shape crystals formed. However, with the addition of an amphiphilic noncrystalline diblock copolymer [(poly(acrylic acid-b-styrene)] into the TOAB solutions, spherulites formed in the solid films cast from the solutions. Under preferable conditions, millimeter-sized spherulites could be obtained. It has been found that some factors such as the type of solvent, the film-forming temperature, and the ratio of polymer to surfactant can affect the spherulite formation. Small angle X-ray scattering and wide-angle X-ray diffraction investigation suggests that the formation of the spherulites and the pure TOAB crystals are organized by closely packed lamellar structure, while the addition of diblock copolymer decreased the degree of order of TOAB crystals. Dynamic light scattering study reveals that, in organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, TOAB formed molecular-disperse solution, while the amphiphilic copolymer chains formed micelles with or without the presence of TOAB molecules in the solution. We suppose that the morphology change of TOAB crystal is induced by the diblock polymer chains: During the solvent-evaporating film formation, the hydrophobic PS blocks of the amphiphilic copolymer resided between some of the TOAB lamellar crystallites, which might cause the splaying and branching of the surfactant crystallites during the crystal growth and eventually lead to spherulite formation. This result could provide a useful way for spherulite formation, and open interesting opportunities for adjusting the crystal morphology and/or properties of lipophilic surfactant.
Ein Komplex als Lichtschalter: Die reversible photochemische Fluoreszenzmodulation infolge supramolekularer Komplexbildung eines Rhodamin-Gastmoleküls (RhB) mit einem Spiropyran-Cyclodextrin (siehe Bild) führt zu einer lichtschaltbaren Fluoreszenzemission des eingeschlossenen Farbstoffs. Bei UV-Bestrahlung kann der Chromophor seine Energie auf die Spiropyraneinheit übertragen, die Bestrahlung mit sichtbarem Licht bleibt dagegen ohne Energietransfer.
Anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta is a rare anomaly, comprising approximately 0.1% of all congenital heart diseases. Patients suffered congestive heart failure in infancy, and some patients will experience progressive pulmonary vascular disease without surgical repair. In patients of this disease, early surgical intervention is generally advised and has demonstrated a high level of safety and efficacy, yielding excellent outcomes. We report a unique case involving a 10-day-old boy, characterized by the rare anomalous origination of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta. This case is further complicated by the presence of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and a right descending aorta. The ligation of the PDA and reimplantation of the right pulmonary artery (RPA) were successfully performed. The patient exhibited a favorable recovery trajectory postoperatively.
In recent years, the complex international environment and economic situation have made soybean futures prices increasingly unstable, which is not conducive to financial stability. Therefore, this paper uses a BO-CNN-LSTM model to accurately predict soybean futures prices and to manage price fluctuations for investors and governments. Firstly, LSTM network is employed to predict soybean futures prices using the local features extracted by CNN network. In addition, CNN-LSTM hyperparameters are optimally solved using Bayesian optimization algorithms. Finally, the constructed model is compared with BP neural network, LSTM model and CNN-LSTM model. This paper selects the basic daily data of the soybean futures contract No.1 of Dalian Commodity Exchange from 2014 to 2021 for research. According to the results, CNN-LSTM models based on Bayesian optimization algorithms perform best. Compared with the basic CNN-LSTM model, MAPE increased by 44.17%, RMSE increased by 24.61%, MAE increased by 41.48%, and R2 increased by 0.06%, which demonstrates Bayesian optimization's superiority.
There has been a recent booming development of multifunctional nanoparticles with precisely defined materials and an accompanying abundance of synthesis methods. However, developing a rational strategy to choose the proper nanoparticle and optimal synthesis method for geological applications remains a bottleneck. Here, a rhodamine B covalently decorated Fe3O4 nanoparticle was studied to assess its application as a novel bifunctional nanomarker for the optical imaging of the pore structure in geomaterials. With this bifunctional nanomarker, we were able to combine magnetic injection, which provides a simple and non-destructive way of introducing the nanomarker into rocks, with fluorescence imaging techniques, which provide clear contrast imaging between geomaterials (black) and porosity (bright). The covalent bifunctional nanomarker exhibits higher fluorescence and less leakage of the fluorescence dye than those produced by the physical coating method. It offers not only a more practical and reliable nanomarker for the analysis of the pore structure in geomaterials but also contributes to nanomaterial-oriented research for various geological applications.
A complex light switch: Photoreversible fluorescence modulation was achieved by supramolecular complexation of a guest rhodamine molecule (RhB) with spiropyran-modified cyclodextrin (see picture). Upon UV irradiation, the chromophore within the cyclodextrin cavity can transfer its energy to the spiropyran moiety, while upon visible-light irradiation, no energy transfer occurs. Thus, light can be used to turn “on” and “off” the fluorescence emission of a dye inside the cyclodextrin cavity.
Right atrial appendage aneurysm is an extremely rare cardiac anomaly. With unclear etiology, there is still no standard treatment method. Clinical symptoms and complications are important indicators for surgical resection. A 2-year-old boy without obvious cardiac symptoms was diagnosed with a giant right atrial outpouching arising from the right atrial appendage by computed tomography. The right atrial outpouching measured approximately 95 × 43 mm. Due to its large size and potential impact on function of right atrium and ventricle, the aneurysm was resected in surgery. During the surgery a 105 × 55 mm noncontractile cystic structure was found locating on the right anterior side of the right atrium. No other abnormalities like intracavity thrombus were detected. The patient was discharged five days after surgery. Postoperative recovery was uneventful.
A facile strategy was employed to create a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based ratiometric sensing system for ferric ions in all-aqueous media by using nanosized poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene micelles as the scaffold. A hydrophobic fluorescent dye nitrobenzoxadiazolyl derivative (NBD), which served as the energy transfer donor, was incorporated into the micelle core during the micelle formation; a spirolactam rhodamine derivative (SRhB-OH) was chosen as a sensitive and selective sensor for Fe(III) ions and was then 'adsorbed' into the micelle core/corona interface. A highly efficient ring-opening reaction of SRhB-OH induced by Fe(III) generates the long-wavelength rhodamine B fluorophore which can act as the energy acceptor; thus, the micelle nanoparticles can serve as a FRET-based ratiometric detection system for ferric ions. The effects of PS block length on the ion sensing performance of the micelles were investigated, and it has been found that the micelles formed by the copolymer with moderate block length (PEO113-b-PS115) were preferable as the scaffold for the FRET system and exhibited a sensitive and selective sensing capacity for Fe(III) with a detection limit of 1 µM. This nanoparticle-based sensing strategy may be utilized to construct other ratiometric chemosensors by replacing the current dyes with other suitable ones.