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To estimate the prevalence and identify the factors associated with undiagnosed hypertension in India. A secondary data analysis using the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) covering the period 2019–2021. Information on hypertension among individuals aged 15–49 years was extracted from the survey dataset. We estimated the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension using physical measurements along with self-reported data from the survey. A log-binomial model with survey-adjusted Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence ratio between undiagnosed and diagnosed hypertension. Multinomial logistic regression analysis examined the factors associated with diagnosed hypertension (vs healthy) and undiagnosed hypertension (vs healthy). All the analyses were survey-weight adjusted and stratified by gender. The survey-adjusted prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was 8.75% (8.62%–8.87%) and was higher among males [13.56% (13.03%–14.12%)] than in females [8.14% (8.03%–8.25%)]. The proportion of individuals with undiagnosed hypertension among total hypertension was 44.99% (44.44%–45.55%) and was higher in males [65.94% (64.25%–67.60%)] than in females [42.18% (41.66%–42.71%)]. Our findings revealed that age, higher body mass index, no access to health care, and having no comorbidities were risk factors for undiagnosed hypertension. One in twelve people had undiagnosed hypertension, and of those with hypertension, one in two were undiagnosed, with males being disproportionately affected. Targeted public health interventions are crucial to improve hypertension screening, particularly among middle-aged and obese individuals without comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L'inactivité physique constitue un facteur de risque de la majorité des maladies non transmissibles (MNT) dans le monde. Cette recherche a été réalisée pour étudier le profil de l'activité physique (AP) chez une population résidente dans la Région de Souss-Massa au Sud du Maroc, ainsi que des déterminants sociodémographiques, et de la santé, qui lui sont associés. C'est une étude prospective transversale menée en 2016 auprès de 226 sujets adultes de la Province de Tiznit et régions. L'enquête a été effectuée via un questionnaire et le test de Ricci et Gagnon d'activité physique. Les différentes variables étudiées étaient : le statut sociodémographique, le mode de vie, l'anthropométrie, les habitudes nutritionnelles, l'état de santé, et l'activité physique. L'âge moyen des sujets était de 42 ans, parmi eux, 66,81 % avaient un statut inactif à peu actif, et un IMC au-delà de la normale. Les variables : âge, statut marital, surpoids/obésité et pression artérielle systolique (PAS) étaient associées à une absence ou à un manque d'activité physique (OR = 3,92, OR = 4,06, OR = 6,05, et OR = 2,02, respectivement). Seulement 1/3 des sujets avaient un mode de vie actif, ce chiffre alarmant pourrait avoir des conséquences négatives sur la santé de la population générale, et donc contribuer à l'accroissement de la charge des MNT. Les résultats générés pourraient contribuer aux programmes de prévention primaire, d'éducation, et de sensibilisation contre l'inactivité physique dans la population générale. Physical inactivity is a risk factor for the majority of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. This research was carried out to study physical activity (PA) profile in a Souss-Massa-dwelling population, South of Morocco, as well as its associated socio-demographic and health determinants. It is a prospective cross-sectional study conducted in 2016 among 226 adults living in Tiznit Province and regions. A questionnaire and the Ricci and Gagnon score for PA were implemented. The questionnaire variables covered socio-demographic status, lifestyle, anthropometry, nutritional habits, health status, and physical activity. The average age of subjects was 42 years, about 2/3 of them were physically inactive, and with a BMI above the normal. Variables such as age, marital status, overweight/obesity, and systolic blood pressure were associated with the physical inactivity status (OR = 3.92, OR = 4.06, OR = 6.05, and OR = 2.02, respectively). Only 1/3 of the subjects had an active lifestyle, this alarming trend could have negative consequences on population health, and thus would contribute to the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases. These generated results could contribute to primary prevention, education and awareness programs against physical inactivity in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Influenza vaccination rate for participants 60–85 in Switzerland was 36% in 2019. • 60–85 year-olds with NCD had a higher vaccination rate than those without NCD. • There is no association between cantonal legal frameworks and flu vaccination rate. • The number of health activities available isn't associated with vaccination uptake. • Age, disease status, and linguistic region show to influence vaccination uptake. Seasonal influenza may cause serious illness, especially in high-risk populations such as older adults and individuals suffering from non-communicable diseases (NCD) and may be prevented by a vaccination. However, an assessment of the impact of the Swiss legal frameworks and number of health activities on influenza vaccination coverage of the population at the cantonal level is lacking. Two participating healthcare insurers sent out 25,000 semi-structured questionnaires to their subscribers aged 60–85 in five Swiss cantons selected according to the number of health activities and legal framework regarding influenza vaccination and linguistic region. Influenza vaccination coverage of the participants was evaluated and stratified by disease status, age, canton, and linguistic region. Results were compared by cantonal activities, legal framework, and linguistic region. 7,617 valid questionnaires were evaluated from the cantons Aargau, Jura, St. Gallen, Schwyz, and Vaud. 47.9 % stated to have an NCD, with the most frequent being muscle/ skeletal disease (36.7%). Before 2018, 48.6% were vaccinated against influenza, and 35.9% in 2019, with the highest in canton Vaud. In all cantons and in both survey periods, NCD patients and those aged 73–85 had a higher vaccination coverage than participants without NCD, and aged 60–72. There was no difference in the odds of getting an influenza shot based on legal framework. Although a comparison of the number of activities between the German-speaking cantons did not reveal any significant differences, the odds of the participants living in a French-speaking canton getting an influenza vaccination was more likely than those living in a German-speaking canton. There was no association between the investigated cantonal frameworks and number of health activities and influenza vaccination coverage in NCD patients in the selected cantons. However, age, disease status and linguistic region appear to have an influence on vaccination uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) not meeting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services National Coverage Determination (NCD) criteria, resulting in increased adherence to the NCD criteria. Trends of the specific reasons for patients not meeting the NCD criteria and in-hospital outcomes for those patients are not known.Methods and Results: We analyzed 300,151 primary-prevention ICDs from 2007-2015 at 1809 hospitals. We calculated the rates of in-hospital adverse events and the proportion of ICDs not meeting the 4 NCD criteria before and after the announcement of the DOJ investigation, stratified by whether hospitals paid settlements to the DOJ. Most reductions in the use of devices in patients not meeting NCD criteria were in patients with recently diagnosed heart failure (15.5%-6.8% for settled; 13.5%-7.3% for nonsettled) and who had had a recent myocardial infarction (8.4%-1.3% for settled; 7.4% to 1.5% for nonsettled). Adverse-event rates were significantly higher for ICDs not meeting NCD criteria (odds ratio 1.26 for settled; P < 0.001; 1.18 for nonsettled; P = 0.001).Conclusions: After the investigation, there was a rapid reduction in the placement of ICDs in patients with recent acute myocardial infarction or recent diagnosis of heart failure. Patients who did not meet NCD criteria experienced more in-hospital adverse events and higher mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films were grown on the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) (110) single crystal (SC) diamond substrates by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPCVD) in methane/hydrogen/nitrogen plasma. The thickness of the films was varied between 2.2 and 22.5 μm. The cauliflower-like surface morphology was observed by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The scaling behavior of NCD films growth was investigated. The relatively high value of the roughness exponent α s = 1.5–1.6 was found indicating anomalous scaling. Therefore, shadowing and diffusional instabilities can affect the film growth. The tribological properties of the NCD films deposited on the SC(110) diamond were compared with the NCD films prepared on the Si(100) substrates. Both types of specimens were tested under similar Hertzian contact pressure. The lower wear volume losses were observed on the NCD/SC(110) specimens. Therefore, the influence of substrate and substrate/film interface properties on the tribological behavior of the NCD films grown on Si(100) can be expected to cause NCD films deflection. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, a comparative study of diamond films consisting of alternate microcrystalline (MCD) and nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) layers is conducted. Diamond films including monolayer, bilayer and multilayer diamond films are coated on cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co) substrates by adopting a bias-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique. Tribological properties of the diamond films are evaluated by using a reciprocal tribometer without lubrication. Further milling tests are carried out to examine the cutting performances with sintered zirconia ceramics as workpiece comparatively. In friction test against zirconia ceramics, the monolayer NCD film shows the lowest friction coefficient (0.128) because of its smooth surface. Also, the bilayer diamond film with surface coating of NCD layer (MNCD) and both of the multilayer diamond films exhibit good friction property while the monolayer MCD film has the largest friction coefficient (0.292). The milling test demonstrates that the monolayer diamond (MCD and NCD) coated milling tools show poor tool life due to abrasive action of hard workpiece. Working life of all the bilayer and multilayer diamond coated tools is enhanced, but large area shedding of coatings appears after some milling passes except the multilayer diamond film with surface coating of NCD layer (MNMN-CD). The multilayer film (MNMN-CD) presents superior machining performance and its working life increases by 3–7.5 times compared with the monolayer diamond coated ones. Highlights • Diamond films with distinct multilayer structures are fabricated. • Multilayer diamond films are consisted of alternate MCD and NCD layers. • Multilayer diamond films exhibit good friction properties and low COF values. • Multilayer diamond films could improve the life of mills greatly. • Multilayer diamond coated mills show the best potential for zirconia machining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nitrogen compounds in a waste tire pyrolysis oil and its fractions were characterized in detail. • The structures of several nitrogen compounds in the heavy fraction were determined as amides. • The origin oCf nitriles in light fractions were mainly from the amides. • Nitrogen transformation during the pyrolysis of waste tires were suggested. The waste tire pyrolysis oil (WTPO) has been widely concerned because it's a promising recycling method of waste tires. However, the high content of nitrogen in WTPO is unfavorable to its application. In this work, nitrogen compounds in the full distillation range of a waste tire pyrolysis oil were characterized by gas chromatograph-nitrogen chemiluminescence detector (GC–NCD), gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). In the gasoline fraction of WTPO, the most abundant nitrogen compounds were benzonitrile, aniline and small molecule nitriles. In the diesel fraction of WTPO, the most abundant nitrogen compounds were benzothiazole, quinoline derivatives, p-phthalodinitrile, benzonitrile derivatives, hexadecanenitrile and octadecanenitrile. In the heavy fraction of WTPO, significant amounts of N x O y (x = 2–3 and y = 1–2) species were discovered after the separation of solvent dissolution and solid phase extraction. The molecular structures of these N x O y species were determined as amide derivatives of diphenylamine by tandem mass spectra of FT-ICR MS. Therefore, the origin of nitriles in the light fractions of WTPO was suspected as the pyrolysis of these amides in the heavy fractions. Finally, the nitrogen transformation during the pyrolysis of waste tires was suggested based on the results of quantum chemistry simulations. These results would be helpful for the treatment and removal of these undesirable nitrogen compounds in WTPO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear characteristics were shown in I-V curves for nanocrytalline diamond (NCD) films deposited in a nitrogen rich atmosphere by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). In order to figure out how grain size, fraction and structure of N incorporated NCD films influence the electric performances of NCD films, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were applied. Different surface morphologies are shown while the nitrogen concentration was varied. A similar tendency of electrical conductivity change versus grain size decrease and grain boundary network increase in NCD films has been observed. C1s core-energy, N1s core-energy and Raman spectra showed that the fraction and the chemical bonds of carbon atoms varied when the N 2 concentration in plasma was different. All these measurements indicate that N 2 concentration in plasma is a critical parameter for the growth, grain size, chemical bond and the electrical performance of deposited NCD films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

End-binding proteins are capable of tracking the plus-ends of growing microtubules (MTs). The motor protein Ncd, a member of the kinesin-14 family, interacts with EB1 protein and becomes a non-autonomous tip-tracker. Here, we attempted to find out whether at least for Ncd, the efficient EB1-mediated tip-tracking involves the interaction of the kinesin with the MT surface. We prepared a series of Ncd tail mutants in which the MT-binding sites were altered or eliminated. Using TIRF microscopy, we characterized their behavior as tip-trackers and measured the dwell times of single molecules of EB1 and Ncd tail or its mutated forms. The mutated forms of Ncd tail exhibited tip-tracking in the presence of EB1 and the effectiveness of this process was proportional to the affinity of the mutant's tail to MT. Even though the interaction of Ncd with EB1 was weak (K d ∼ 9 μM) the half saturating concentration of EB1 for tip-tracking was 7 nM. The dwell time of Ncd tail in the presence of EB1 was ∼1 s. The dwell time of EB1 alone was shorter (∼0.3 s) and increased considerably in the presence of a large excess of Ncd tail. We demonstrated that tip-tracking of kinesin-14 occurs through several concurrent mechanisms: binding of kinesin only to EB1 located at the MT end, interaction of the kinesin molecules with a composite site formed by EB1 and the MT tip, and probably surface diffusion of the tail along MT. The second mechanism seems to play a crucial role in efficient tip-tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abutment screw loosening is the most common complication of implanting teeth. Aimed at improving the long-term stability of them, well-adherent and homogeneous micro-crystalline diamond (MCD) and nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) were deposited on DIO ® (Dong Seo, Korea) abutment screws using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system. Compared with bare DIO ® screws, diamond coated ones showed higher post reverse toque values than the bare ones ( p <0.05) after cyclic loading one million times under 100 N, and no obvious flaking happened after loading test. Diamond coated disks showed lower friction coefficients of 0.15 and 0.18 in artificial saliva when countered with ZrO 2 than that of bare Ti6Al4V disks of 0.40. Though higher cell apoptosis rate was observed on film coated disks, but no significant difference between MCD group and NCD group. And the cytotoxicity of diamond films was acceptable for the fact that the cell viability of them was still higher than 70% after cultured for 72 h. It can be inferred that coating diamond films might be a promising modification method for Ti6Al4 V abutment screws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermionic energy conversion is one of the promising technologies for transforming thermal energy into electrical energy. A stable cathode electrode with high conductivity and low work function is required to realize this application. It is already well known that hydrogen-terminated diamond exhibits negative electron affinity, which is a great advantage of an electron emission electrode. In this study, we focus on phosphorus doping, which gives n-type donors with 0.57 eV in single crystal diamond to control the conductivity of diamond, in an attempt to develop a nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) electrode for thermionic emission by heavily phosphorus doping. Phosphorus concentration and structural characterization were performed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The thermionic emission properties were characterized in vacuum as a function of cathode temperature from 300 to 600 °C. The work function of heavily phosphorus-doped NCD electrode was estimated based on the Richardson–Dushman equation, and the effect of heavily phosphorus doping on thermionic emission was briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum alloy 7075 is widely used for producing micro-scale heat sinks, micro-fluidic devices, micro-propellers and so on. This paper deals with optimizing microstructure and thickness of diamond coatings on microdrills used in 7075 aluminum alloy machining. Firstly, the friction tests between microcrystalline diamond (MCD), nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films and aluminum alloy reveal that the stable coefficient of friction (COF) of MCD–aluminum alloy working pair is 0.240, much higher than that of NCD–aluminum alloy working pair (0.072). The decrease of COF is mainly attributed to the lower roughness of NCD films and the presence of more graphite or the non-diamond phases in NCD coatings. Afterwards, comparative cutting tests involving MCD, NCD, diamond-like coating (DLC) and TiAlN coated microdrills show that after drilling 200 holes, NCD coated microdrills exhibit the best cutting performance. Furthermore, NCD coated microdrills with coating thicknesses of 1 μm, 2 μm, 4.5 μm and 7 μm are fabricated and their cutting performance is studied in aluminum alloy machining. The cutting experiments show that the NCD coated microdrill with coating thickness of 4.5 μm shows the best cutting performance, exhibiting not only lowest flank wear and no tool tipping or chipping on the main cutting edges but also the highest quality of drilled holes because of the outstanding adhesive strength and wear resistance of the NCD coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films with and without a diamond buffer layer (BL) have been grown on p-type silicon substrates by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique at different values of deposition temperature (652–884 °C). The photo- and thermionic electron emission properties of NCD films have been investigated, illustrated and explained by analyzing the surface morphology and the grain shape determined by atomic force microscopy, the chemical-structural properties by Raman spectroscopy and nanocrystallites size by X-ray diffraction. The NCD films with BL grown at the highest deposition temperature have shown the highest photo- and thermionic emission currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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[Display omitted] • The diamond coating on QCM improves sensor sensitivity (for BSA and FN). • Functionalized diamond-coated QCM enables adjustment of the sensor selectivity. • The diamond coating does not disturb the operation of the QCM sensor. • Quantitative measurements of the mass of deposited proteins. • Fibronectin adheres on HNCD during prolonged exposure. This study presents a sensor based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) coated with nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin film, functionalization method and novel application of such sensor. Diamond-coated QCMs (DQCMs) were superficially terminated by hydrogen and oxygen (H-NCD and O-NCD) to control its surface dipole/potential. Two protein solutions were tested: bovine serum albumin (BSA) and fibronectin (FN). We performed reference measurements of serial resonant frequency (SRF) of clean QCMs loaded with protein and compared them with SRF shifts DQCMs loaded with proteins. In order to investigate the influence of the deposited NCD thin film on QCM measuring capabilities, additional FEM analysis was performed. The simulation results showed that QCM sensors maintain the sensing capabilities with a rigid thin film of NCD on its surface. The shift of SRF was demonstrably caused by the weight of protein adhered to the diamond film's surface. We compared masses estimated from the Sauerbrey equation to characterize the adhesive properties of the studied proteins. Comparing bare QCM and DQCM, we discovered diamonds enhance the sensing performance for proteins. At the same time, it saturates quickly with phosphate buffer saline used as a diluent solution for proteins. Results showed a significant increase in protein adhesion confirmed by the increase of the mass for both oxygen and hydrogen-terminated DQCMs. Moreover, a different time-dependent behaviour (i.e. different adsorption rate, degrees of physisorption and/or preference of the diamond surface functionalization) of the O-NCD and H-NCD QCMs was observed for BSA and FN proteins. In this meaning, we propose a schematic model which describes the detection principle of BSA and FN proteins on H- and O-terminated DQCM sensors. Finally, a simple proof of concept for using the functionalized diamond-coated sensors with current stimulation and EQCM (Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance) is also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] AlN grain has lattice orientation of their c-axis perpendicular to the interface. [•] After 0.5micron, the c-axis is roughly well oriented for piezoelectric applications. [•] The grain size increase with the height in the layer. [•] Two subfamilies of grain orientation are observed: (01-10) and (2-1-10). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The thermal properties of sub-μm nanocrystalline diamond films in the range of 0.37–1.1μm grown by hot filament CVD, initiated by bias enhanced nucleation on a nm-thin Si-nucleation layer on various substrates, have been characterized by scanning thermal microscopy. After coalescence, the films have been outgrown with a columnar grain structure. The results indicate that even in the sub-μm range, the average thermal conductivity of these NCD films approaches 400Wm−1 K−1. By patterning the films into membranes and step-like mesas, the lateral component and the vertical component of the thermal conductivity, klateral and kvertical , have been isolated showing an anisotropy between vertical conduction along the columns, with kvertical ≈1000Wm−1 K−1, and a weaker lateral conduction across the columns, with klateral ≈300Wm−1 K−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Diamond exhibits good biocompatibility and a large electrochemical potential window, and thus, it is particularly suitable for bio-functionalization and bio-sensing. Modification of the diamond surface can be achieved through mussel-inspired surface chemistry based on polydopamine (PDA) while maintaining the intrinsic properties of the surface. We present a comparative study on the polymerization/deposition of PDA from an aqueous solution of dopamine on hydrogen- (H) and oxygen- (O) terminated nanocrystalline diamond films (NCD). The dopamine polymerization/deposition was performed under mild conditions, which resulted in a confluent PDA layer. A detailed investigation of the growth kinetics of the PDA film on H- and O-terminated NCD substrates was performed using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The chemical composition, the functional group distribution, the surface topography and the wetting properties of the adherent PDA films were evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and water contact angle goniometry, respectively. According to the results, a PDA layer can be used as a platform for future bio-functionalization and/or optical bio-sensing applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two bilayer systems (TaN/Mo and ZrN/Mo) have been deposited onto WC–Co cermets in order to limit the cobalt diffusion from this substrate and to promote the diamond nucleation. Mo was the top layer. The diamond CVD coating process includes two steps: 1) Bias Enhance Nucleation (BEN) step for diamond nucleation control, 2) diamond growth step with a time-modulated negative substrate polarization to form nanocrystalline diamond grains (NCD). Original cluster morphology of diamond film was obtained, and patented under the name PyrNCD (for pyramidal NCD). Clusters are multilayered and composed of two diamond layers (resp. grain sizes: about 1nm and 10nm) periodically repeated. Thermomechanical computations have been carried out to understand the stress distribution inside the multilayer systems before and after diamond deposition. Computation results demonstrate that the architecture of the system is optimized and the morphology of PyrNCD diamond clusters should not degrade their substrate adhesion. A mechanism for the formation of the diamond layer is proposed for a time-modulated polarized diamond growth process to understand the formation of both the specific morphology and the NCD grains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper demonstrates a reverse engineering method that takes a bitstream as input and produces an NCD (Native Circuit Description) file for a Xilinx FPGA chip. The work can be divided into two parts: mapping table generation and NCD generation. The mapping tables include the mapping relation among configurable points, configurable options, control bits and control values. An automatic distributed high performance analysis architecture and offset formula theory are developed to quickly generate the test cases, work out the mapping tables and verify their correctness. Based on the tables, we generate an XDL (Xilinx Design Language) file which is equivalent to the NCD file. Our work is the first which can rebuild the NCD file for a bitstream. We also evaluate our method with respect to time consumption and accuracy rate. Benchmarks using real circuits indicate that the accuracy rate on XC5VLX50T is above 88% even in the worst case. Our method is applicable to all series of Xilinx FPGA chips and the accuracy can be guaranteed if the scale of the chip is increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nitrogen speciation in crude oil and its fractions has become an important issue due to the undesirable effects of nitrogen compounds during important petroleum refining processes. In this work, a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography method with a nitrogen chemiluminescence detector (GC×GC-NCD) was used for the speciation and quantification of nitrogen compounds in middle distillates. The developed method is based on an extraction of nitrogen compounds from the hydrocarbon matrix followed by their fractionation using solid phase extraction (SPE). Two fractions were collected thus minimizing misidentifications; the first one contained anilines, indoles and carbazoles and the second one contained pyridines, quinolines and acridines. An excellent agreement for total nitrogen content was found between the results obtained with the present method and those from the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) method. Good recoveries, repeatability and low detection limits (LOD), in a range from 10 to 20μgL−1, were also achieved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In September 2011 a unique high level summit on non-communicable diseases will be held in New York. For cancer as for many of the other chronic diseases this marks their first high level recognition. However, the reality of cancer control in middle and low income countries is and will be very different from the trajectory experienced by developed countries. This perspective seeks to critically examine the approach being taken, mapping pitfalls and presenting alternative solutions for an international cancer control policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films are ideal to realize platform for bio-chemical sensors. They interface in a very specific way with the environment and the surface termination controls their electrochemical behavior. Generally the as-deposited NCD diamond surface is hydrogen terminated and several techniques are reported to obtain covalent bonding of biological matter. Among others, amino-functional groups are very versatile linkers to biomolecules. Grafting of amino groups to the diamond surface includes: chlorination and exposure to ammonia gas under thermal conditions, radio-frequency plasma or a one step method consisting of UV irradiation in a pure ammonia atmosphere. This last technique is very promising, combining surface functionalization with the realization of SGFETs (Solution Gate FET), and thus being compatible with semiconductor technologies. Experimental data from literature show that ammonia functional groups are always accompanied by the presence of oxygen which degrades the NCD conductivity. In this work we report on XPS in situ study to understand the role of oxygen in the one step amination process. Five NCD samples with different surface terminations (hydrogenated, plasma oxidized, chemically oxidized and UV oxidized) were irradiated with UV photons in different atmospheres (pure NH3 or NH3 +O2). XPS analysis shows that the presence of oxygen, both on the surface and in the gas mixture, strongly increases the efficiency of the UV surface amination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Extending the knowledge related to nitrogen-containing compounds presents an important interest for the petroleum industry due to their implication in atmosphere pollution as well as their inhibitive or refractive behaviour towards hydroprocessing. Most of the nitrogenated species are concentrated in heavy petroleum cuts. As no analytical method is resolutive enough for these heavy cuts, particularly regarding nitrogen-containing compounds, a new approach is needed. For this reason, this study focuses on the development of a GC×GC technique, through the hyphenation of a specific NCD detector with a GC×GC system at high temperature. The performances of highly polar thermally stable stationary phases, in particular those composed of promising ionic liquids, were monitored in normal and reversed configurations. Subsequently, after the extraction of neutral or basic compounds by adsorption on an ion-exchange resin, a first quantitative determination was attempted for a straight-run and a direct coal liquefaction vacuum gas oils. This study led to a better understanding of the behaviour of highly aromatic N-compounds by 2D-GC including an ionic liquid phase as well as a deeper N-characterization of heavy petroleum fractions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report on the fabrication of a boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) 3×3 high-density microelectrode array (MEA) for amperometric measurements, with a single electrode area of 3×5μm2 and a separation in the μm scale. The NCD microelectrodes were grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) on a double-side polished sapphire wafer in order to preserve the diamond transparency. Bias enhanced nucleation (BEN) was performed to ensure a covalent adhesion of the films to the substrate. A current background noise of less than 5pA peak to peak over a 1kHz bandwidth resulted from an electrochemical investigation of the new device, using 100mM KCl solutions and ferrocyanide red-ox couples. Cyclic voltammetry measurements in physiological buffer solution and in the presence of oxidizable bio-molecules strengthened its suitability for bio-sensing. When compared to a 2×2 NCD microelectrode array prototype, already used for in vitro cell measurements, the signal to noise ratio of the amperometric response of the new 3×3 device proved twice as good. In addition, the optical transmittance of the boron-doped thin layers exceeded 40% in the visible wavelength range. The excellent electrochemical properties of NCD electrodes and the transparency in combination with the high spatial resolution make the new 3×3 NCD MEA a promising tool for electrochemical sensing in a variety of applications, ranging from medical to industrial, in neutral or harsh environments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The nonprocessive kinesin-14 Ncd motor binds to microtubules and hydrolyzes ATP, undergoing a single displacement before releasing the microtubule. A lever-like rotation of the coiled-coil stalk is thought to drive Ncd displacements or steps along microtubules. Crystal structures and cryoelectron microscopy reconstructions imply that stalk rotation is correlated with ADP release and microtubule binding by the motor. Here we report FRET assays showing that the end of the stalk is more than ~9nm from the microtubule when wild-type Ncd binds microtubules without added nucleotide, but the stalk is within ~6nm of the microtubule surface when the microtubule-bound motor binds an ATP analogue, matching the rotated state observed in crystal structures. We propose that the stalk rotation is initiated when the motor binds to microtubules and releases ADP, and is completed when ATP binds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Various oxidation techniques (plasma-beam, sulfo-chromic acid, UV-ozone, heating in air) were applied to single-crystalline (111) and (100) diamond surfaces as well as nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films and analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with respect to oxygen content and type of carbon–oxygen groups formed upon oxidation. Due to their increased surface, NCD films show a significantly higher oxygen uptake as compared to their single-crystal counterparts. No marked differences were observed between the different oxidation techniques. For all oxidation techniques used, several carbon–oxygen groups are simultaneously present on the surface. The relative fraction of singly-oxidized carbon atoms (attributed to isolated ether or epoxy-like groups) generally decreases slightly with increasing oxygen content, but always remains the dominating species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The control of the nucleation density is essential for the production of ultra-thin, continuous and well adhered nanocrystalline diamond coatings. Surface pre-treatments such as abrasive scratching with diamond powder or bias enhanced nucleation are commonly used methods. In this work, surface activation by a pre-growth step is done using the hot-filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) technique prior to seeding with diamond. The Si surface is modified during exposure to typical CVD diamond growth conditions. After ultrasonication with suspension of diamond in ethanol or n-hexane, an amorphous carbon layer is revealed at the surface of the Si substrates. The densest NCD films were obtained for the surface activation step done using a lower temperature and poorer methane mixture due to the improved seeding allowed by the amorphous carbon layer. Intermediate growth temperature of 750°C resulted in high nucleation density while lower temperatures decrease it and higher ones produce a DLC nanostructured layer along with moderate NCD nucleation density. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The molecular knowledge of nitrogen compounds in diesel feedstocks has become a key issue in the development of hydrotreatment processes, especially for ultra-low sulfur diesel production. Indeed, nitrogen species have a strong impact on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) pathway, since basic nitrogen is known to poison acidic sites of HDS catalysts. Since conventional methods only allow a poor degree of information, the increased separation power of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC-NCD) was used in this study to obtain a detailed overview of nitrogen compounds by type (basic/neutral), by family and by carbon breakdown in diesel and liquefied coal samples. Partially hydrogenated compounds such as tetrahydrocarbazole and tetrahydroquinoline derivatives could even be detected in liquefied coal samples as well as diesel from ebullated bed conversion units. Comparison of GC-NCD with GC×GC-NCD for quantitative determination of nitrogen compounds by family was achieved in a first step. These results demonstrate the superiority of GC×GC to allow for a comprehensive characterization of nitrogen compounds in diesel and related samples in one injection. Furthermore, nitrogen speciation by GC×GC-NCD technique allows identifying most nitrogen species in conventional diesel or liquefied coal samples, with no use of mass spectrometry. GC×GC-NCD was also applied to a wide range of diesel feedstocks obtained from distillation, cokefaction, FCC, ebullated bed hydroconversion units to correlate nitrogen species to the origin of the feedstocks or distillation end points, giving interesting indications on reaction mechanisms involved in the processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In our recent paper [M. K. Singh et al., Chem. Mater. 20 (2008) 1725], we reported the fabrication of Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) fibers by template (a-SiO2 nanowires) technique. Our present work demonstrate that the addition of nitrogen of 20% by volume in the reaction gas during synthesis induce the formation of feather-like morphology of NCD on a-SiO2 nanowires. The feather-like morphology consists oriented diamond nanorods surrounded by an sp 2-bonded carbon sheath. These have been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (high-resolution mode) and Micro-Raman spectroscopy. Electron field emission (EFE) of as-synthesized NCD fibers (with 20% N2 addition) was observed with a threshold field of 3.5 V/µm which is quite less in comparison to previous grown NCD fibers and the current density at 10 V/µm increases around 20 times with 20% nitrogen doping in the gas source during synthesis. This may be because each diamond nanorod is enveloped in a sheath of sp 2-bonded nanocarbons which provides a conducting path for electron emission. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A carbon hybrid composed by nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) was successfully synthesized by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD), assisted by a continuous delivery of a Fe catalyst. This way, both carbon forms were grown simultaneously, originating a composite structure mainly formed by nanodiamond conglomerates well interconnected by multiwall carbon nanotubes. NCD clusters often develop at the crossing points of different CNTs. A good NCD/CNT mechanical link is predicted based on the observation of carbon nanotubes penetrating and/or involving isolated nanocrystalline diamond clusters. The overall appearance of the NCD/CNT material resembles that of a 2D neuronal network. The nanocrystalline diamond and carbon nanotube phases were structurally confirmed by μ-Raman spectroscopy, the morphological features were characterized by SEM and EDS was used to appraise the catalyst surface distribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Highly transparent and hard nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films were prepared on quartz glass by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The effects of total gas pressure, substrate''s temperature, and concentration of CH4 on the grain size, surface''s roughness and hardness, growth rate, as well as the optical properties of NCD films were investigated. The results indicated that with a low total gas pressure and high CH4 concentration, high frequency of secondary nucleation can be obtained. In addition, low substrate temperature can increase the rate of the hydrogen atom etched sp2 graphite carbon in the film, yielding a smooth surface of NCD films and very high sp3 content. Under optimized conditions, the hardness can be enhanced up to 65 Gpa, with 80% maximum transmittance in the visible light region. The aforementioned reaction platform outcomes a 1.2 μm thickness of NCD coating with a low root-mean-square (r.m.s.) surface roughness around 12–13 nm and a high growth rate around 1 μm/h. The influences of the total gas pressure, substrate''s temperature, and CH4 concentration for growing NCD films were also discussed in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The concept of an ion-sensitive FET (ISFET) on diamond with boron delta-doped channel and oxygen-terminated surface for pH sensing has been successfully transferred to large-area nano-crystalline diamond on silicon substrates. The nano-crystalline diamond layers, including the boron delta-doped channels of the FETs, were grown by hot-filament CVD. The fabricated layers were characterised by their peak concentration of boron of 3×1020 1/cm3 and FWHM of about 1 nm. This allowed approx. 50% modulation of the channel current within the gate potential range corresponding to the potential window of water electrolysis on the diamond surface. The O-termination by combination of oxygen-plasma and wet chemical treatments resulted in a pH sensitivity of the ISFETs close to the Nernst''s limit in the range between pH1 and pH13. The ISFET characteristics were stable even after anodic treatment in KOH. This allows using nano-crystalline diamond ISFETs with O-termination also as electrodes and even at anodic overpotentials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Characterization tools such as confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy, Laser Ablation (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) and SEM-EDS were used to characterize meteorites: primitive achondrite — not classified NWA XXX ureilite found in 2006 in Morocco and the graphite nodula from the Canyon Diablo iron meteorite. The presence of diamond was confirmed in both samples. There are two kinds of meteoritic diamonds: diamonds of the sizes of microns up to millimeters are most probably of impact origin, nanodiamonds of the sizes of 1–3 nm, called presolar diamonds because of the isotopic anomalies, are believed to be formed before our Solar System was formed. There are many theories concerning presolar diamonds formation, among them: impact shock metamorphism driven by supernovae or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from stellar outflows. We examined the properties of diamond nanopowders obtained by the PA CVD and detonation methods. Nanodiamonds obtained by the detonation method, called ultradispersed detonation diamonds (UDD), are of the same range of sizes as presolar diamonds. The results show both differences and similarities among meteoritic, terrestrial and laboratory diamonds. The comparison will help to understand the processes during presolar nanodiamonds formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report a template technique for the fabrication of high density nanocrystalline diamond (NCD)-coated silica (a-SiO2) nanofibers with diameters of 1–5 μm. This method includes the synthesis of templates (a-SiO2 nanofibers) by conventional Vapor–Liquid–Solid method and the conformal coating of the nanofibers with nanodiamond by Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition technique in hydrogen-deficient conditions. A detailed micro-structural analysis was performed to probe the interaction of the NCD grains with a-SiO2 nanofibers. The specimen for Transmission Electron Microscopy was prepared using Focused Ion Beam lift-out method. Room temperature micro-Raman was performed to study the crystalline quality of the NCD-coated silica nanofibers. Field electron emission of as-synthesized NCD-coated silica nanofibers was observed with a threshold field of ~3 V/µm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of diamond as the extraction window membrane for electron beam (EB) irradiation systems has been investigated by preliminary experiments and static simulations. The EB transmission characteristics of a fabricated 1.1 μm thick poly-crystalline diamond membrane were evaluated. A very high EB transmittance was observed, up to 70% at a 28 KeV accelerating voltage. Static simulations of EB extraction through a diamond membrane with a Si support have been carried out, under conditions from vacuum to atmosphere. Compared with Si, diamond/Si suffers a higher stress and strain, but, the displacement of a diamond film is much smaller. These results form a basis for the application of thin film, nanocrystalline and ultranano crystalline diamond on Si in the realization of the next generation miniature EB irradiation systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanocrystalline materials are of high interest, because mechanical and physical properties of such materials are different from those or coarse-grained type. Continuous and smooth nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films were successfully grown on mirror polished silicon substrates, using double bias plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique. A gas mixture of Ar:CH4:H2 and CH4:H2 was used as the precursor gas. The effect of the gas composition, flow rate and substrate bias during deposition on diamond crystallite size was investigated. Changing the growth parameters facilitates control of grain size of polycrystalline diamond thin films from microcrystalline to nanocrystalline. The structure of fine-grained NCD films has been studied with scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports an analytical method for the comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) separation and identification of nitrogen compounds (N-compounds) in middle distillates according to their types (basicity). For the evaluation of the best chromatographic conditions, a non-polar×polar approach was chosen. The impact of the second dimension (stationary phase and column length) on the separation of basic and neutral N-compounds was evaluated by mean of two-dimensional resolution. This study revealed that the implementation of polar secondary column having free electron pairs improves drastically the separation of N-compounds. Indeed, the presence of permanent dipole-permanent dipole interactions between neutral N-compounds and the stationary phase was enlightened. The comparison of two different nitrogen chemiluminescence detectors (NCD) was also evaluated for GC×GC selective monitoring of N-compounds. Owing to higher resolution power and enhanced sensitivity achieved using developed chromatographic and detection conditions, it was possible to identify univocally and to quantitate N-compounds (i) by class of compounds and (ii), within a class, by carbon number. Finally, quantitative comparison of GC×GC-NCD with conventional gas chromatography illustrates the benefits of GC×GC leading to an excellent correlation with results obtained by American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) methods for the determination of basic/neutral nitrogen ratio in diesel samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A biocompatible Si3N4-bioglass composite was coated with nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) by the hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique (HFCVD) using a H2/Ar/CH4 gas mixture. The advantages of the biocomposite are combined with a hard, smooth and low friction coating, making it a potential material for biotribological applications. Very low intrinsic surface roughness in the range 5 to 15 nm was determined by AFM and crystallite sizes of 1 to 30 nm were measured by TEM. The substrate temperature, Ar/H2 ratio, starting roughness and cooling rate after deposition are key factors in determining the uniformity and adhesion of the NCD film to the biocomposite. To avoid blistering and guarantee high adhesion levels, depositions must be conducted below the bioglass crystallization temperature (637 °C). The highest growth rate (1 μm h−1) was reached with a Ar/H2 =0.1 ratio. Brale indentation tests with 200 N showed that flat lapped substrates give a better adhesion relatively to smoother ones pre-polished in soft cloths. Slow cooling rates after deposition (2 °C min−1) prevented film delamination under this applied load. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we discuss the transport mechanism in nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline (N-UNCD) and B-doped nanocrystalline (B-NCD) diamond thin films, which have recently attracted significant attention due to possible applications in electronics and bioelectronics. We present clear evidence that the transport in UNCD films at LHeT has low-dimensional quantum character and can be explained by a weak localisation (WL) model. Our model explains the negative magnetoresistance, observed in these films for the first time, and confirms the WL phenomena. For comparison, we have prepared thin B-NCD films, doped by B using TMB. Films with thickness of about 150 nm deposited on glass wafers are fully transparent and highly conductive. B-concentrations close to the Metal Insulating Transition (MIT) are confirmed by Raman measurements. We discuss the positive magnetoresistance data observed also for the first time in B-NCD films and compare the transport mechanism with UNCD films. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanodiamond films containing uniformly small diamond grains (<20 nm) were synthesized using porous anodic alumina (PAA) as template in conjunction with bias-enhanced nucleation growth (BEG) process. PAA with uniform pore size distribution is required and the bottom of channel should be free of residual alumina layer for the purpose of effectively nucleating diamond seeds. Thus obtained PAA-patterns can then effectively enhance the formation of diamond nuclei, resulting in patterned nanodiamond films, which possess superior electron field emission properties to the non-patterned nanodiamond films. Benefit of PAA patterning process on improving the electron field emission properties of the nanodiamond films is ascribed to the suppression on the formation of trans-polyacetylene layer and the presence of hillock structure, which facilitates the electron transport from Si surface to top surface of nanodiamond. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Methods for seeding silicon substrates with pretreatments and the in situ generation of diamond nuclei by the bias enhanced nucleation (BEN) have been studied to examine their effects on the nucleation density as well as the morphology of grown and seeded sides, the growth rate, and the quality of nanocrystalline diamond films. Pretreatments including mechanical abrasion by diamond paste, exposure of the silicon substrate to a hydrocarbon plasma, and ultrasonication of silicon in solvents with suspended nano- or micro-diamond powders were studied. With an optimized diamond seeding or nucleation process, ultra-thin, smooth and homogenous nanocrystalline diamond films can be fabricated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A rectifying nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) pn-structure has been grown by Hot-Filament CVD onto a large-area silicon substrate. N-type as well as p-type doping has been realized with this HFCVD process. IV-measurements at different temperatures show a diode behavior with an ideality factor of approximately n =10 and a barrier height for current injection of approximately 0.76 eV. CV-plots show a dielectric barrier of 4.2 eV. This points towards a complex interface behavior, which is analysed on the basis of highly disordered materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gas mixtures containing up to 40% nitrogen by volume and 1% CH4 with the balance being argon have been used for the deposition of nitrogen doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films by means of microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD). The CVD plasma was monitored by optical emission spectroscopy to reveal the plasma species, e.g., CN molecules, as a function of the nitrogen additive. Structural properties of the deposited NCD films were studied by FESEM and Raman spectroscopy. Effects of nitrogen doping on the electrical resistivity and electron field emission characteristics of the NCD films were measured. In this work, correlation between the structural and electrical properties of NCD films and the nitrogen additive to the CVD plasma will be presented and discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Novel insights into mechanistic, kinetic and thermodynamic details of ATP synthesis by F1F0-ATP synthase in oxidative phosphorylation and photophosphorylation have been offered from the perspective of the torsional mechanism of energy transduction and ATP synthesis [Nath, S., Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 85 (2003) 125–180]; [Nath, S., Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 74 (2002) 65–98]. A fundamental energetic analysis of membrane phosphorylation has been performed that highlights the merits of the new paradigm. Biological implications for energy transduction have been discussed in detail. The action of uncouplers and inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation has been explained by a fresh and completely different rationale. New experimental data that further supports the torsional mechanism has been presented, and the consistency of proposed mechanisms with the laws of thermodynamics has been assessed. A general kinetic analysis of oxygen exchange has been shown to reveal the absence of site-site cooperativity in F1-ATPase. Details of the nanomechanics of coupling between F1 and F0 in ATP hydrolysis-driven proton pumping have been postulated. The original thinking and power of the theoretical approaches embodied in the torsional mechanism have been shown to prove invaluable to unravel the functioning of other biological machines through a new Molecular Systems Biology. The generality and universality of the principles in the theory have been illustrated by taking specific examples of other molecular motors such as myosin and kinesin, revealing the deep underlying unity in diverse energy transduction processes in biology. Changes required in our scientific thinking and industrial technology and particularly in the education of the next generation of biological scientists have been identified as challenging issues that urgently need to be addressed in the near future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Titanium alloys, materials that show the best mechanical biocompatibility with human bones, should be modified in order to improve their chemical biocompatilbility and friction properties. In this work we have produced a perfectly bioinert composite build of d.c. ion nitrided Ti6Al4V alloy coated with NCD (nanocrystalline diamond) film. Examinations of friction coefficient (μ) and wear (Δm) of the alloy unmodified, nitrided and coated with the composite layer in contact with polyethylene (HDPE and UHMWPE) were performed under conditions simulating the operation of the total joint implant within a human body (dry, contact pressure 4 MPa). The results indicate that, although the modification of surface worsened its roughness and μ value, the coating reduced wear (Δ m) up to 103 times. The composite produced at 850 °C provided the best protection and the NCD film diminished friction in a specific way via a “third body” lubricant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]