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Cu additions notably strengthen Al-Mg-Si and Al-Si-Mg alloys due to the dense precipitation of quaternary nano precipitates during ageing. However, the chemical evolution and mechanical behaviors of the quaternary micro-scale Q constituent phase occurring in cast and homogenized states have rarely been studied. Meanwhile, there exists a type of AlCuMgSi cluster in the cast state, which has been regarded as Q particles. The accurate identification of phase constituents is the basis for the future design of alloys with better performance. In our work, this type of cluster was revealed to consist of α-Al, θ-Al2Cu, Q, and Si phases through micro-to-atomic scale studies using scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The skeleton of the dendrite was θ phase. The second phases in the dendritic eutectic cluster dissolved quickly during a 4 h homogenization at 550 °C. The Q phase was found to effectively absorb the Fe impurities during casting and homogenization. As a result, the formation of other harmful Fe-rich intermetallics was suppressed. These Q constituent particles were observed to break into separate pieces in an intermediately brittle manner when compressed in situ in a scanning electron microscope. These findings provide insights into the thermodynamic modeling of the Al-Mg-Si-Cu system and alloy design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrigraft polymers have a multi-level branched architecture resulting from the covalent assembly of macromolecular building blocks. Most of these materials are obtained in divergent (core-first) synthetic procedures whereby the molecule grows outwards in successive grafting reactions or generations. Two main types of dendrigraft polymers can be identified depending on the distribution of reactive sites over the grafting substrate: Arborescent polymers have a large and variable number of more or less uniformly distributed sites, while dendrimer-like star polymers have a lower but well-defined number of grafting sites strictly located at the ends of the substrate chains. An overview of the synthesis and the characterization of dendrigraft copolymers with phase-segregated morphologies is provided in this review for both dendrigraft polymer families. The tethering of side-chains with a different composition onto branched substrates confers unusual physical properties to these copolymers, which are highlighted through selected examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being able to bind, select, and transport species is central to a number of fields, including medicine, materials, and environmental science. In particular, recognizing a specific species from one phase and transporting it across, or into another phase, has obvious applications in environ-mental science, for example, removal of unwanted or toxic materials from an aqueous or organic phase. In this paper, we describe an approach that uses a functionalized dendritic polymer to bind and transport a small anionic molecule across an organic phase (and between two aqueous phases). The design was based on encapsulation principles borrowed from nature, where anions are bound and transported by proteins that have specific sites within their globular ordered structures. For the work reported here, a globular dendritic polymer functionalized with an isophthalamide-based receptor was used to replace the protein structure and anion-binding site. Along with control experiments, the binding and transport properties of two functionalized HBPs were assessed using a Pressman U tube experiment. Both HBPs demonstrated an enhanced ability to bind and transport anions (when compared to the anion-binding site used in isolation). Furthermore, optimum binding and transport occurred when the smaller of the two HBPs were used. This supports our previous observations regarding the existence of a dense packed limit for HBPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2O3 nanocone films functionalized with an overlayer of TiO2 were deposited by d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering. The aforementioned nanocone structures were formed via a vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) growth, starting from a catalytic bismuth seed layer. The resultant nanocones exhibit an improved surface area, measured by atomic force microscopy, when compared to non-VLS deposition of the same metal oxide. X-ray diffraction texture analysis enabled the determination of the crystallographic β-phase of Bi2O3. A very thin TiO2 overlayer (6 nm thick), undoped and doped with nitrogen, was deposited onto the nanocones template, in order to functionalize these structures with a photocatalytic, self-cleaning, cap material. N-doped TiO2 overlayers increased the selective absorption of visible light due to nitrogen doping in the anatase cell, thus, resulting in a concomitant increase in the overall photocatalytic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surfaces with gold dendritic nanoforests (Au DNFs) on Si chips demonstrate broadband-light absorption. This study is the first to utilize localized surface plasmons of Au DNFs/Si chips for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applications. A convenient halogen lamp was used as the heating source to illuminate the Au DNFs/Si chip for PCR. A detection target of Salmonella spp. DNA fragments was reproduced in this plasmonic PCR chip system. By semi-quantitation in gel electrophoresis analysis, the plasmonic PCR with 30 cycles and a largely reduced processing time provided results comparable with those of a commercial PCR thermal cycler with 40 cycles in more than 1 h. In the presence of an Au DNFs/Si chip, the plasmonic PCR provides superior results in a short processing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unit hydrographs (UHs) remain widely used in hydrologic modeling to predict the stormflow that is produced at a basin outlet in response to runoff generated throughout the basin. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a basin's UH depends on its geomorphic properties, and several methods estimate synthetic UHs using such properties. However, previous studies have not examined whether the channel network type (such as dendritic, parallel, pinnate, rectangular, and trellis) impacts the UH shape. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) whether those five network types exhibit distinct UHs, and (2) whether knowledge of the network type is sufficient to replace the actual flow path structure in UH estimation. To achieve these objectives, a UH framework is developed based on kinematic wave theory. The framework allows the impacts of the network structure on the UH to be isolated into two random variables, which facilitates comparisons between network types. The framework is applied to 10 basins of each type. The results show that the five network types exhibit distinct instantaneous UHs, but the type allows accurate UH determination only for pinnate basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the bi-directional natural killer–dendritic cell crosstalk in coordinating anti-tumour and anti-microbial responses in vivo has been well established. However, physical parameters associated with natural killer–dendritic cell interactions have not been fully elucidated. We have previously used a simple "Y" shaped microfluidic device to study natural killer cell-migratory responses toward chemical gradients from a conditioned medium of dendritic cells. There are, however, limitations of the Y-shaped microfluidic devices that could not support higher throughput analyses and studies of cell–cell interactions. Here, we report two novel microfluidic devices (D3-Chip, T2-Chip) we applied in advanced studies of natural killer-cell migrations and their interactions with dendritic cells in vitro. The D3-Chip is an improved version of the previously published Y-shaped device that supports high-throughput analyses and docking of the cells of interest in the migration assay before they are exposed to a chemical gradient. The T2-Chip is created to support analyses of natural killer–dendritic cell cell–cell interactions without the requirement of promoting a natural killer cell to migrate long distances to find a loaded dendritic cell in the device. Using these two microfluidic platforms, we observe quantitative differences in the abilities of the immature and lipopolysaccharide-activated mature dendritic cells to interact with activated natural killer cells. The contact time between the activated natural killer cells and immature dendritic cells is significantly longer than that of the mature dendritic cells. There is a significantly higher frequency of an immature dendritic cell coming into contact with multiple natural killer cells and/or making multiple simultaneous contacts with multiple natural killer cells. To contrast, an activated natural killer cell has a significantly higher frequency of coming into contact with the mature dendritic cells than immature dendritic cells. Collectively, these differences in natural killer–dendritic cell interactions may underlie the differential maturation of immature dendritic cells by activated natural killer cells. Further applications of these microfluidic devices in studying natural killer–dendritic cell crosstalk under defined microenvironments shall enrich our understanding of the functional regulations of natural killer cells and dendritic cells in the natural killer–dendritic cell crosstalk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current trend for future flame retardants (FRs) goes to novel efficient halogen-free materials, due to the ban of several halogenated FRs. Among the most promising alternatives are phosphorus-based FRs, and of those, polymeric materials with complex shape have been recently reported. Herein, we present novel halogen-free aromatic and aliphatic hyperbranched polyphosphoesters (hbPPEs), which were synthesized by olefin metathesis polymerization and investigated them as a FR in epoxy resins. We compare their efficiency (aliphatic vs. aromatic) and further assess the differences between the monomeric compounds and the hbPPEs. The decomposition and vaporizing behavior of a compound is an important factor in its flame-retardant behavior, but also the interaction with the pyrolyzing matrix has a significant influence on the performance. Therefore, the challenge in designing a FR is to optimize the chemical structure and its decomposition pathway to the matrix, with regards to time and temperature. This behavior becomes obvious in this study, and explains the superior gas phase activity of the aliphatic FRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of multifunctionality on material properties of synthetic polymer aerogels. For this purpose, we present the synthesis and characterization of monolithic dendritic-type urethane-acrylate monomers based on an aliphatic/flexible (Desmodur N3300), or an aromatic/rigid (Desmodur RE) triisocyanate core. The terminal acrylate groups (three at the tip of each of the three branches, nine in total) were polymerized with 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) via free radical chemistry. The resulting wet-gels were dried with supercritical fluid (SCF) CO2. Aerogels were characterized with ATR-FTIR and solid-state 13C NMR. The porous network was probed with N2-sorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal stability of aerogels was studied with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Most aerogels were macroporous materials (porosity > 80%), with high thermal stability (up to 300 °C). Aerogels were softer at low monomer concentrations and more rigid at higher concentrations. The material properties were compared with those of analogous aerogels bearing only one acrylate moiety at the tip of each branch and the same cores, and with those of analogous aerogels bearing norbornene instead of acrylate moieties. The nine-terminal acrylate-based monomers of this study caused rapid decrease of the solubility of the growing polymer and made possible aerogels with much smaller particles and much higher surface areas. For the first time, aliphatic/flexible triisocyanate-based materials could be made with similar properties in terms of particle size and surface areas to their aromatic/rigid analogues. Finally, it was found that with monomers with a high number of crosslinkable groups, material properties are determined by multifunctionality and thus aerogels based on 9-acrylate- and 9-norbornene-terminated monomers were similar. Materials with aromatic cores are carbonizable with satisfactory yields (20–30% w/w) to mostly microporous materials (BET surface areas: 640–740 m2 g−1; micropore surface areas: 360–430 m2 g−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dendritic fin was introduced to improve the solid-liquid phase change in heat exchangers. A theoretical model of melting phase change in dendritic heat exchangers was developed and numerically simulated. The solid-liquid phase interface, liquid phase rate and dynamic temperature change in dendritic heat exchanger during melting process are investigated and compared with radial-fin heat exchanger. The results indicate that the dendritic fin is able to enhance the solid-liquid phase change in heat exchanger for latent thermal storage. The presence of dendritic fin leads to the formation of multiple independent PCM zones, so the heat can be quickly diffused from one point to across the surface along the metal fins, thereby making the PCM far away from heat sources melt earlier and faster. In addition, the dendritic structure makes the PCM temperature distribution more uniform over the entire zone inside heat exchangers due to high-efficient heat flow distribution of dendritic fins. As a result, the time required for the complete melting of the PCM in dendritic heat exchanger is shorter than that of the radial-fin heat exchanger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine histiocytic malignancies (HM) are aggressive tumors that occur with particularly high frequency in certain breeds including Bernese mountain dogs and flat-coated retrievers. Robust diagnosis of HM commonly utilizes immunohistochemical stains that are broadly ineffective on formalin-fixed tissues; thus the diagnosis is often one of exclusion. Clinical outcomes are generally poor, with frequent metastasis and therapeutic failure lowering overall survival at time of diagnosis to an average of less than two months in the majority of published work. The limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying HM has hindered the development of more effective diagnostic modalities and the identification of therapeutic targets. A potential avenue exists for advancing clinical management of canine cancers through extrapolation from a close counterpart in human medicine. Historically, HM have been compared to the rare and understudied subset of human cancers involving the dendritic lineage, such as dendritic cell sarcoma or Langerhans cell sarcoma. Recent data have now thrown into question the cellular origin of HM, suggesting that the disease may originate from the macrophage lineage. This review summarizes existing knowledge of HM from the clinical, histologic and molecular perspectives, and highlights avenues for future research that may aid the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In turn, a more advanced appreciation of the mechanisms underlying HM should clarify their cellular origin and identify appropriate opportunities for synergistic extrapolation between related canine and human cancers.