Search

The triphenylphosphonium (TPP) cation has been widely used as a carrier for mitochondria-targeting molecules. We synthesized two commonly employed targeting systems, namely, ω-triphenylphosphonium fatty acids (group 2) and ω-triphenylphosphonium fatty alcohols (group 3), to assess the impact of the TPP module on the biological efficacy of mitochondria-targeting molecules. We evaluated their fungicidal activities against nine plant pathogenic fungi in comparison to alkyl-1-triphenylphosphonium compounds (group 1). All three compound groups exhibited fungicidal activity and displayed a distinct "cut-off effect", which depended on the length of the carbon chain. Specifically, group 1 compounds showed a cut-off point at C10 (compound 1–7), while group 2 and 3 compounds exhibited cut-off points at C15 (compound 2–12) and C14 (compound 3–11), respectively. Notably, group 1 compounds displayed significantly higher fungicidal activity compared to groups 2 and 3. However, group 2 and 3 compounds showed similar activity to each other, although susceptibility may depend on the pathogen tested. Initial investigations into the mechanism of action of the most active compounds suggested that their fungicidal performance may be primarily attributed to their ability to damage the membrane, as well as uncoupling activity and inhibition of fungal respiration. Our findings suggest that the TPP module used in delivery systems as aliphatic acyl or alkoxyl derivatives with carbon chains length < 10 will contribute negligible fungicidal activity to the TPP-conjugate compared to the effect of high level of accumulation in mitochondria due to its mitochondria-targeting ability. These results provide a foundation for utilizing TPP as a promising carrier in the design and development of more effective mitochondria-targeting drugs or pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a two-axis fast steering mirror (FSM) based on the flexible chain structure support and voice coil motor drive, the two axes are strongly coupled. This strong coupling may decrease the system positioning accuracy. In this study, the electric kinematics model associated with the voice coil motor and the motion and frequency equations associated with the flexible chain structure were analysed. A comprehensive system model was established considering shaft coupling, a digital controller with compensation coupling was designed, and the method of active compensation was used for decoupling. The experimental results showed that compared with the traditional non-decoupling control algorithm, the decoupling control method decreased the coupling degree from 7% to 0.8% and reduced the positioning accuracy error from 1.5% to 0.3%. • The motion characteristics of the FSM in actual operation are more complex than the conventional kinematic electrical model. • The active compensation method is used to preprocess the output signal, and the coupling is separated from the system to improve the accuracy. • The model after active compensation can be combined with any control algorithms to improve the control accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the performance degradation of the conventional linear frequency modulation signal ranging method in the presence of impulse noise, this paper proposes a novel technique that integrates a sliding-window tracking differentiator (TD) with the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) ranging method. First, the sliding-window TD filtering algorithm is used to suppress the noise in the echo. Subsequently, the filtered signal is subjected to FrFT to calculate the time delay based on the difference in the peak point positions in the fractional domain for realizing target ranging. The simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively suppress impulse noise of different intensities and achieve an accurate and robust ranging of the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although 1-hydroxy-4-quinolone derivatives, such as 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide (HQNO), aurachin C, and floxacrine, have been reported as effective cytochrome bc1 complex inhibitors, the bioactivity of these products is not ideal, presumably due to their low bioavailability in tissues, particularly their poor solubility and low mitochondrial accumulation. In order to overcome the drawbacks of these compounds and develop their use as agricultural fungicides acting by cytochrome bc1 inhibition, in this study, three novel mitochondria-targeting quinolone analogs (mitoQNOs) were designed and synthesized by conjugating triphenylphosphonium (TPP) with quinolone. They exhibited greatly enhanced fungicidal activity compared to the parent molecule, especially mitoQNO11, which showed high antifungal activity against Phytophthora capsici and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum with EC50 values of 7.42 and 4.43 μmol/L, respectively. In addition, mitoQNO11 could inhibit the activity of the cytochrome bc1 complex of P. capsici in a dose-dependent manner and effectively depress its respiration and ATP production. The greatly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and massively generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) strongly suggested that the inhibition of complex III led to the leakage of free electrons, which resulted in the damage of the pathogen cell structure. The results of this study indicated that TPP-conjugated QNOs might be used as agricultural fungicides by conjugating them with TPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epigenetic regulation of gene functions has been proven to be strongly associated with the development and progression of cancer. Reprogramming the cancer epigenome landscape is one of the most promising target therapies in both treatments and in reversing drug resistance. Proteolytic targeted chimeras (PROTACs) are an emerging therapeutic modality for selective degradation via the native ubiquitin-proteasome system. Rapid advances in PROTACs have facilitated the exploration of targeting epigenetic proteins, a lot of PROTAC degraders have already been designed in the field of epigenetic cancer therapy, and PROTACs targeting epigenetic proteins can better exploit target druggability and improve the mechanistic understanding of the epigenetic regulation of cancer. Thus, this review focuses on the progress made in the development of PROTAC degraders and PROTAC drugs targeting epigenetics in cancer and discusses challenges and future opportunities for the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LFM signals are widely applied in radar, communication, sonar and many other fields. LFM signals received by these systems contain a lot of noise and outliers. In order to suppress the interference of strong impulse noise on target signals and realize the accurate estimation of LFM signal parameters, the impulse noise of echo signals need to be filtered. In this paper, to solve the problem of poor performance of LFM signal parameter estimation based on fractional Fourier transform in impulse noise, alpha stable distribution is used to establish the mathematical model of impulse noise. The proposed fastest tracking differentiator with an adaptive tracking factor is used to suppress the strong impulse noise, and fractional Fourier transform is used to estimate the parameter of the LFM signals. The experimental results show that the proposed fastest tracking differentiator with an adaptive tracking factor has a good filtering performance. It can effectively filter the impulse noise in the echo signal and allows the FrFT method to accurate estimate the parameters of the LFM signals in strong impulse noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Ambrosia trifida are annual invasive plants that cause serious harm to agriculture, animal husbandry, and human health. Based on the important characteristic of high-density, cluster distribution of their populations, it is speculated that its autotoxins have an effect on density regulation. This study explored the regulation of autotoxicity on intraspecific density. We used water extracts from two plants to compare and verify the autotoxicity of seed germination, analysed the components of autotoxins. The results showed that A. artemisiifolia and A. trifida had significant autotoxicity, and the highest inhibition rates on seed germination were 27.21% and 77.94%, respectively; ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and vanillin were the main autotoxins of the two plants. After the seeds were washed with water, the germination recovery rate of seeds increased with the increased of inhibition degree of autotoxins treatment. Therefore, this study verified the autotoxicity of A. artemisiifolia and A. trifida, which can promote and inhibit the seed germination of A. artemisiifolia and A. trifida to regulate intraspecific competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three kinds of fiber oriented laser propulsion micro-structures are presented. • The laser pulse propulsion mechanism and potential application are explored. • The plasma formation regime and shockwave propagation characteristic are analyzed. • The influence of parameters on the motion efficiency of particle are discussed. • Potential applications of directional propulsion micro-structure are simulated. Three kinds of fiber oriented laser propulsion micro-structures (tapered fiber, fiber-capillary, and flat fiber micro-structure) were proposed in this study. The directional of the shock wave generated at the tip of the micro-structure, which can realize the directional propulsion of the particles. The propulsion mechanism, power source, and motion effect of the particles based on the three kinds of propulsion micro-structures were investigated. To better understand the physical mechanism behind the experimental phenomena, physical model of micro-structures were established. The experimental and simulation results demonstrate that the oriented laser propulsion based on three kinds of fiber propulsion micro-structures was dominated by the shock wave ejection mechanism, which was caused by the high pressure of the shock wave. By analyzing the positions of characteristic peaks in the plasma spectra, it is proved that the driving force of particle motion derives from the shock wave formed by the expansion of air plasma. In the process of particle oriented propulsion, it is found that the motion effect of particles strongly depends on the propulsion micro-structure design, laser energy, particle size as well as gap distance d , and it is found that compared with the tapered fiber and flat fiber micro-structure oriented propulsion experiment, the motion effect of particles based on fiber-capillary micro-structure propulsion experiment is more obvious. In addition, based on the characteristic that the fiber oriented laser propulsion micro-structures can realize the directional propulsion of particles, and the micro-structure has shown potential application value in microinjection, laser fun billiard ball, and directional removal of contamination particles inside microsystems, providing theoretical support for later research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium and iron make up the perfect combination for the growing demand for sustainable energy storage systems, given the natural abundance and sustainability of the two building block elements. However, most sodium–iron electrode chemistries are plagued by intrinsic low energy densities with continuous ongoing efforts to solve this. Herein, the chemical space of a series of (meta)stable, off‐stoichiometric Fe‐PO4‐F phases is analyzed. Some are found to display markedly improved electrochemical activity for sodium storage, as compared to the amorphous or thermodynamically stable phases of equivalent composition. The metastable crystalline Na1.2Fe1.2PO4F0.6 delivers a reversible capacity of more than 140 mAh g−1 with an average discharge potential of 2.9 V (vs Na+/Na0) resulting in a practical specific energy density of 400 Wh kg−1 (estimated at the material level), outperforming many developed Fe‐PO4 analogs thus far, with further multiple possibilities to be explored toward improved energy storage metrics. Overall, this study unlocks the possibilities of off‐stoichiometric Fe‐PO4‐F cathode materials and reveals the importance to explore the oft‐overlooked metastable or transient state materials for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium and iron make up the perfect combination for the growing demand for sustainable energy storage systems, given the natural abundance and sustainability of the two building block elements. However, most sodium–iron electrode chemistries are plagued by intrinsic low energy densities with continuous ongoing efforts to solve this. Herein, the chemical space of a series of (meta)stable, off‐stoichiometric Fe‐PO4‐F phases is analyzed. Some are found to display markedly improved electrochemical activity for sodium storage, as compared to the amorphous or thermodynamically stable phases of equivalent composition. The metastable crystalline Na1.2Fe1.2PO4F0.6 delivers a reversible capacity of more than 140 mAh g−1 with an average discharge potential of 2.9 V (vs Na+/Na0) resulting in a practical specific energy density of 400 Wh kg−1 (estimated at the material level), outperforming many developed Fe‐PO4 analogs thus far, with further multiple possibilities to be explored toward improved energy storage metrics. Overall, this study unlocks the possibilities of off‐stoichiometric Fe‐PO4‐F cathode materials and reveals the importance to explore the oft‐overlooked metastable or transient state materials for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to their effectiveness in underwater acoustic communication, linear frequency modulation (LFM) signals have been widely used in commercial and military applications. The existing approaches based on the traditional target function can estimate only single-component LFM signal parameters, as these approaches assume that the order of the optimal fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is one. To overcome this limitation, we developed an LFM signal parameter estimation method that exploits the information entropy in its target function and optimizes the order of the FRFT using search algorithms, such as sequential search, multistage step search, and particle swarm optimization. Unlike existing solutions, the proposed technique can estimate both single and multicomponent LFM signal parameters. Experiments were performed to compare the proposed method with state-of-the-art techniques that rely on the maximum value, high-order cumulants, and fractional broadening target functions. The proposed approach was noted to be computationally more efficient and more accurate. Moreover, the parameter estimation precision of this approach was comparable to that of classic FRFT schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target recognition difficulty quantification and prediction using the search time for the human visual system to target an object is a challenging task, which can effectively guide the training of machine learning models such as target recognition and target location. Our work focuses on how to use region-of-interest (ROI) information to improve the accuracy of the visual search difficulty prediction model. First, the influence of ROI information on visual search difficulty is explored in this paper. Then, based on the learning using privileged information paradigm, we build a support vector regression model using privileged information (SVR +), which uses the deep features of ROIs in the training stage. Next, a coordinate descent algorithm is developed to solve the dual optimization problem in SVR + training. Comprehensive experiments validate the improvement in the accuracy of the proposed model in predicting the difficulty of visual search and the efficiency of our coordinate descent algorithm in model training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The principle of Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) is briefly reviewed. • The optical properties of liquid crystal in WGM are introduced. • The types of WGM sensor with different resonators are reviewed. • The sensing applications of biology, biology and physics are introduced. • The potential application of the WGM is prospected. The Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) operates on principles akin to those of acoustics. It involves an optical micro-cavity with an echo wall structure, where light waves undergo continuous reflection along the micro-cavity boundary, resulting in the formation of a high quality factor (Q) value. This mode finds applications in various fields, including miniature lasers, sensors, light filters, and optical switches. In comparison to alternative laser technologies, those based on the WGM principle, such as liquid crystal (LC) droplet resonators, solid resonators, and all-optical tunable micro-cavity lasers, exhibit superior sensitivity and high Q. Numerous research groups are actively exploring the potential applications of the WGM. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to WGM concepts. This article aims to introduce the concept of WGM comprehensively. This paper introduces the fundamental parameters of WGM, conducts a theoretical analysis of the electromagnetic field within the micro-cavity, and explores the optical and sensing characteristics of LC. Furthermore, the paper presents various types of WGM lasers, encompassing solid active resonators, solid passive resonators, liquid active resonators, and liquid passive resonators. The final section of the paper offers a concise overview of the application of resonant cavities based on the WGM in biochemical molecular studies, life sciences, and physical sensing. The paper aims to elucidate the principles and applications of WGM, thereby contributing to the advancement of this promising area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CsPbBr3/SiO2 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs), which exhibit good stability in water, air, and light, are synthesised using the water-trigger method. Due to the interaction between the long alkyl ligands of the PQDs and the liquid crystal, the liquid-crystal molecules prefer to align perpendicular to the surface of the PQDs, which disturbs the liquid crystal order and decreases its clearing point. The effect of CsPbBr3/SiO2 PQDs on the electro-optical properties and physical parameters of a nematic liquid crystal are investigated. The dielectric anisotropy (Δε) and splay elastic constant (K11) decrease substantially with increasing concentration of PQDs. PQDs, which are doped into the liquid crystal, can effectively reduce the threshold voltage (Vth), which opens possibilities to reduce energy consumption in many optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain has been widely applied in various fields, such as finance, Internet of Things, law, etc. However, it is a challenge to apply blockchain to mobile applications, as some mobile devices cannot afford computing resources required by the mining processes. Therefore, edge computing is introduced to provide computing resources for mobile devices. We propose an allocation mechanism based on combinatorial double auction to offload the mining tasks to the edge servers. The corresponding allocation and payment schemes are proposed to generate allocation results and calculate clearing prices, respectively. Moreover, we prove that the proposed mechanism is computation efficient, and it satisfies three auction properties: budget balance, individual rationality and truthfulness. Experimental results show that the proposed mechanism is able to yield higher total utility, together with good scalability. For the case of 500 miners in the auction, the total utility increases by 6 times, and utilization ratio of edge server increases by 1.5 times, in comparison to the existing benchmark approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borosilicate glasses are the primary waste forms for the industrial immobilization of high‐level liquid waste. Yet, the compositional variation of waste glasses can form the diopside phase, which can be detrimental to the melting process and the properties of the final glass products. This study prepared simulated waste glasses with variable contents of alkaline earth metals, boron, transition metals, and rare earth metal oxide and subjected them to heat treatments. The effect of the compositional variation on the diopside crystallization behavior was explored using differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results revealed that the average size of diopside crystals was proportional to the square root of the heat treatment durations. Increased contents of alkaline earth and transition metal oxides could contribute to the growth of diopside crystals, while boron oxide tended to inhibit it. Finally, a prediction model correlating the average crystal size, compositional variation, and heat treatment durations was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Computer-Controlled Optical Surfacing technology, the precision of the removal function directly affects the accuracy of computer-aided processing software predictions, which in turn influences subsequent polishing machine processing. A key parameter for constructing the removal function is the material removal rate, which is often challenging to obtain accurately. Currently, the Preston equation is widely used to describe the principles of material removal. However, as a linear equation that omits many factors, it struggles to accurately model the removal function in complex machining scenarios. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid neural network model combining Convolutional Neural Networks and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory to predict the material removal rate. The model's parameters are optimized using an improved Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm, ultimately establishing a removal function closely consistent with an actual removal function. We first tested our method on the PHM2016 Data Challenge dataset, achieving a mean squared error of 6.19 and an R2 of 0.9949, outperforming other mainstream neural network prediction models developed in recent years. Additionally, we further validated the performance of the neural network using a small grinding head polishing dataset, achieving MSE and R2 values of 1.9035 and 0.99902, respectively. Finally, we applied this method to construct the removal function on an actual small grinding head production line. Compared to the traditional Preston equation-based removal function, the predicted residual surface's PV and RMS errors were reduced from 28.24 % to 35.58 %–4.563 % and 4.86 %, respectively. These validation results demonstrate that the proposed method not only facilitates easier acquisition of the removal function model but also significantly enhances the accuracy of computer-aided processing software predictions, thereby better guiding ultra-precision machining processes. • Proposed a CNN-BiLSTM hybrid neural network to predict material removal rates. • First to construct a small grinding head removal function using a BiLSTM Predictor. • Optimized the neural network parameter sets using an improved Grey Wolf algorithm. • Achieved MSE of 6.19 and R2 of 0.9949 on the PHM2016 Data Challenge dataset. • Reduced polishing residual surface PV and RMS prediction errors to 4.563 % and 4.86 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bio-based copolyesters involving 2,6-pyridine structure with isosorbide as a second diol were synthesized. • Incorporation of isosorbide enhanced thermal properties of the pyridine-based polyesters. • Isosorbide significantly improved the mechanical properties of the pyridine-based polyesters. • The copolyesters showed high gas barrier properties. Driven by sustainable development and low-carbon policies, many high-performance bio-based polyesters are produced. Our previous work uncovered the high barrier but low thermal and mechanical properties of a renewable 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic-based polyester. In this article, the copolymerization with isosorbide as a second diol is considered to ameliorate these properties. The chemical structures of copolyesters and the successful introduction of isosorbide were confirmed by FT-IR and 1H NMR. The 1H NMR spectra also allowed the calculation of isosorbide ratio in polymers. GPC revealed a decrease in molar masses with the increase of isosorbide ratio. Contact angle and water/gas permeation measurements disclosed an increase in hydrophilicity and water/gas permeability with the introduction of isosorbide. TGA and DSC analyses demonstrated an enhancement in thermal stability: 8 mol% of isosorbide to the total diol ratio increased the 5 % weight loss temperature (T 5%) by 9 °C, the maximum weight loss temperature (T max) by 8 °C and the glass transition temperature (T g) by 6 °C. DSC investigation showed that the incorporation of isosorbide significantly influenced the crystallization properties, particularly from the melt, by decreasing the crystallinity. XRD patterns indicated the presence of similar crystallization units in these polyesters. Tensile test revealed that incorporating 8 mol% of isosorbide greatly improved the mechanical properties by doubling Young's modulus and tripling the strength at break. Such enhancement in thermal and mechanical properties is important for high gas barrier food packaging applications of these polyesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban traffic, motor vehicles, nonmotor vehicles, pedestrians, and other traffic are mixed, which seriously affects the urban traffic efficiency. At the intersections of urban roads especially, the priority setting of various travel modes is crucial to improve the urban traffic efficiency. In the urban hybrid traffic system, the architecture and algorithm flowchart of the single-point adaptive control system for urban hybrid traffic flow are presented. The control effect of this method is verified by VISSIM software. The simulation results show that the traffic efficiency of the priority objects at the intersection is increased by 6.03%, and the overall traffic efficiency is also significantly improved. This method has a certain practical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to solve the problem that the stabilization accuracy of photoelectric stabilized platforms is affected by disturbance. An improved disturbance observer was established to observe the disturbance. By using the ultra-high control bandwidth of the current loop, the observer was used as the input of the current loop. The design of the improved disturbance observer consists of an inverse model of the control object and an improved filter. The high-order disturbance observer not only has good suppression ability compared to the high order disturbance model, but also has good robustness, meeting the application requirements of photoelectric stabilized platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of disturbance in the working process of a photoelectric stabilized platform, an improved algorithm based on improving extended state observer (ESO) technology is proposed. An extended state observer based on disturbance frequency adaptation was designed to reduce phase delay when the extended state observer observes second-order and above systems. The simulation experiment tested the disturbance rejection ability of the improved algorithm and compared it with the existing classical control method. The results show that the ESO can effectively suppress the influence of various frequency disturbances, and its anti-interference ability is clearly improved. Finally, an experiment was performed to test the disturbance rejection performance of the ESO when the speed disturbance rejection performance was between 0.1 Hz and 2.5 Hz. The results show that the improved algorithm has high practical value for improving the anti-disturbance performance of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Photocatalytic ozonation is an attractive advanced oxidation process for wastewater treatment, but highly active catalysts with strong response to visible light are urgently needed to push forward its practical application. In this study, a hierarchical biomimetic monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4) with leaves morphology was synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and employed as catalyst for oxalic acid and penicillin degradation in photocatalytic ozonation. The results show that the organics degradation was more efficient using leaves shaped BiVO 4 as catalyst than the bulk shaped one in photocatalytic ozonation and the synergy index is ranged from 2.8 to 3.3, indicating a superior positive synergistic effect between photocatalysis and ozonation. The higher activity of the leaves shaped BiVO 4 was probably attributed to the distinctive biomimetic morphology and preferable band structure with more negative CB potential. Mechanism studies suggested that the main reactive species were h+ and OH for the degradation of persistent oxalic acid in photocatalytic ozonation. In addition, the effect of ozone concentration and inorganic ions and reusability of the material were also intensively investigated. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Hierarchical biomimetic BiVO 4 with leaves morphology is synthesized. • L-BiVO 4 exhibits high synergy in photocatalytic ozonation process. • The reactive oxidizing species in photocatalytic ozonation is h+ and OH. • The high CB position plays an important role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accuracy and speed of parameters estimation for radar signal is very important in optical wireless communications. In order to implement high accuracy and fast speed of parameters estimation, a new estimation algorithm is presented in the paper. The method is based on quadratic phase function (QPF) and fractional Fourier transform (FRFT), which is used to estimate parameters for the chirp signal. In order to avoid two-dimensional searching during FRFT, chirp rate is directly estimated by QPF method, and then the optimum transform order of FRFT is calculated by estimating the chirp rate. Finally, center frequency and amplitude of the chirp signal are estimated by FRFT. Simulation results show that the proposed QPF-FRFT method is faster than the FRFT method and two step maximum modulus searching method. Otherwise, when the SNR is higher than -4dB, the center frequency, chirp rate and amplitude of chirp signal can be estimated by QPF-FRFT method more accurately than FRFT method. In conclusion, results on experimental of chirp signal illustrate the efficient performance of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • An ammonium polyphosphate ester (BAPPE) was designed and synthesized. • BAPPE can be used as a water soluble and self-expanded reactive charring agent. • Fire resistant transparent coating containing BAPPE was successfully prepared. • BAPPE improved the fire protection time and significantly reduced smoke release. • BAPPE enhanced the char formation of coating through cross-linking. Abstract This work reports the synthesis of an effective charring agent (ammonium polyphosphate ester (BAPPE)) and its application in preparing intumescent transparent fire resistive coatings. Bisphenol A epoxy resin reacted with diethanol amine to produce a waterborne epoxy resin (WEP), and then WEP was further reacted with orthophosphoric acid (PA) and urea (U) to obtain BAPPE. The chemical structure of BAPPE was confirmed by FT-IR and 1H NMR. Transparent fire resistive coating containing BAPPE and melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) resin was prepared. The thermal gravimetric analysis showed that BAPPE could enhance char formation of the coating in the temperature range of 320–800 ℃. The flammability evaluation by simulated big panel method, smoke density test, and cone calorimeter (CONE) indicated that the presence of BAPPE significantly increased the fire resistant time, suppressed the smoke release amount, and remarkably reduced the peak heat release rate (pHRR) to 6.6 kW/m2. It was proved BAPPE could act as a three sources integrated reactive flame retardant in transparent coating. It is proposed that BAPPE can form cross-linking networks with MUF, thus enhancing the char formation upon heating and improving the fire resistance of the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The present paper is concerned with the calculation of the dispersion curves of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) propagation on materials with machined surfaces. Using a DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State) laser as the excitation source, experiments are performed on the surfaces of silicon wafer, steel and aluminum alloy plates respectively. The theoretic analysis shows that the location of the wavelet coefficients peaks at different scales in time-frequency domain are related to the arrival times of surface acoustic waves with different frequencies. The wavelet transform using the Sym8 wavelet is applied to the time-frequency analysis of weakly-dispersive SAWs and the propagation velocities of SAWs with different frequencies are calculated by extracting relevant data. Combined with the nanoindentation experiments, the relationships between the variation trend of the SAWs' dispersion curves and the surface properties of the materials are analyzed. The repeatability of the experimental method and analysis method is also verified by multiple experiments on different materials, the results indicate that the dispersion curves of multiple groups of signals on the propagation path have good consistency. Highlights • Application of wavelet analysis in studying weak SAW dispersion • Surface acoustic wave dispersion on machined material surface • Relationship between the variation trend of the dispersion curves and the surface properties of materials [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear frequency modulation (LFM) signals are a class of important radar signals, but it is difficult to estimate their parameters in electronic warfare. Fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is one of the most important methods for estimating the parameters of LFM signals, but the computational efficiency is strongly influenced by the search range and evaluation of the optimum FRFT order. To improve the estimation speed, we present a novel method for the parameter estimation of LFM signals using sampling theorem and fractional broadening. First, sampling theorem is used to calculate the search range of the optimum FRFT transform order. Then, the LFM signals are transformed by FRFT in the search range. Finally, the fractional broadening of the LFM signals is calculated, and the optimum FRFT order is obtained according to the relationship between the fractional broadening and the FRFT order. Experiments are performed to compare the proposed method and the traditional FRFT method. The results show that the proposed method is six times faster than the traditional FRFT method while preserving the accuracy. Moreover, it can quickly and accurately achieve the parameter estimation of multi-component LFM signals in the case of white Gaussian noise with a low signal-to-noise ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • At room temperature, low-toxicity and ligand-free Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Bi was prepared for ammonia determination in water. • The method has the advantages of rapid determination, good selectivity and wide determination range (1.00–20.00 mg L-1, determination limit is 0.40 mg L-1). • The reaction mechanism of Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Bi and ammonia was discussed. • The method can determinate ammonia quantitatively with sensitively in environmental water samples. Ammonia (NH 3) is a common pollutant in water and an important indicator of environmental pollution. Its determination is of great significance to environmental protection. We synthesized ligand-free Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Bi at room temperature to establish a low toxicity, rapid, and simple fluorescence assay for the selective determination of NH 3 in water. Studies have shown that there is a good linear relationship with the concentration of NH 3 in the range of 1.00 ∼ 20.00 mg L-1 and the determination limit is 0.40 mg L-1. The selectivity for NH 3 is higher than other substances may exist in the water (eg. Na+, SO 4 2-). Subsequently, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and ultraviolet absorption spectra were used to investigate the possible mechanism of NH 3 reaction with Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Bi. The water samples of lakes and rivers were analyzed by the proposed method and indophenolblue method, the results shown that there is no significant difference between the two methods. The reliable results (0.1%< RSD < 4.1%) and the satisfactory recovery (99.0%∼102.5%) were obtained by direct determination method and mark recovery method. Therefore, the simple, rapid and low-toxicity fluorescence method established in this work provides a promising approach for NH 3 analysis in environmental water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The intracerebroventricular injection of visfatin increases feed intake. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism in chicks. This study was conducted to assess the effect of visfatin on the feeding behavior of chicks and the associated molecular mechanism. Results: In response to the intraventricular injection of 40 ng and 400 ng visfatin, feed intake in chicks was significantly increased, and the concentrations of glucose, insulin, TG, HDL and LDL were significantly altered. Using RNA-seq, we identified DEGs in the chick hypothalamus at 60 min after injection with various doses of visfatin. In total, 325, 85 and 519 DEGs were identified in the treated chick hypothalamus in the LT vs C, HT vs C and LT vs HT comparisons, respectively. The changes in the expression profiles of DEGs, GO functional categories, KEGG pathways, and PPI networks by visfatin-mediated regulation of feed intake were analyzed. The DEGs were grouped into 8 clusters based on their expression patterns via K-mean clustering; there were 14 appetite-related DEGs enriched in the hormone activity GO term. The neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway was the key pathway affected by visfatin. The PPI analysis of DEGs showed that POMC was a hub gene that interacted with the maximum number of nodes and ingestion-related pathways, including POMC, CRH, AgRP, NPY, TRH, VIP, NPYL, CGA and TSHB. Conclusion: These common DEGs were enriched in the hormone activity GO term and the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway. Therefore, visfatin causes hyperphagia via the POMC/CRH and NPY/AgRP signaling pathways. These results provide valuable information about the molecular mechanisms of the regulation of food intake by visfatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Self-healing properties of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) copolymer were confirmed. • PVB exhibited shape memory properties. • The influence of quadruple hydrogen bonding on PVB performances was investigated. • Enhanced thermo-mechanical resistance was obtained by incorporating UPy. • 100% healing efficiency was achieved at 120 °C with a UPy content of 2.5 mol.%. Herein we report an easily accessible supramolecular polymer readily made from polyvinyl butyral (PVB) by cross-linking with non-covalent self-complementary ureido-pyrimidinone (UPy) dimers. The resulting materials exhibit multifunctional properties, not only self-healing and shape memory, but also enhanced thermo-mechanical resistance. The UPy content, which represents the quadruple hydrogen bonding density, shows an important influence on tuning polymer performances. Moderate UPy content (2.5 mol.%) is important to impart the optimal comprehensive properties. Both infrared analyses and dynamic mechanical analyses indicate that the quadruple hydrogen bonding is stable up to 120 °C, thus enabling the healing process. The healing efficiency highly depends on the glass transition temperature (T g) of the final polymer, itself being controlled by the UPy content. A 100% healing efficiency can be achieved at 120 °C when the UPy content is controlled up to 2.5 mol.%. Meanwhile, around 90% healing efficiency was achieved in water at 60 °C for all materials. All samples exhibit shape memory properties without obvious dependence on the UPy content. This work illustrates that the physical cross-linking, formed by non-covalent hydrogen bonding, cannot only provide a practical strategy to obtain multi-responsive shape memory polymers with self-healing feature but also offers the possibility to tune the polymer thermal and mechanical properties. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si is of great interest as anode candidate for high energy-density lithium ion batteries. However, the rapid capacity fading and low first-cycle coulombic efficiency strongly hinder its applications. Ultrafine Si/C nanoparticles mixed graphite powders as composite anode materials have been synthesized through magnesiothermic reduction of ultrafine SiO 2 /C, and then mixed with graphite. Electron microscopy investigation indicates that the ultrafine Si/C particles with size ca. 10 nm are attached on the graphite surface. Electrochemical evaluation demonstrates that the cyclic performance of the ultrafine Si/C-graphite composite materials has been improved compared with Si and Si/C, in which the reversible capacity can reach 662.4 mAh g −1 with the first-cycle coulombic efficiency as high as 90.9%. Meanwhile, the capacity retention can reach 90.8% over 100 cycles. These ultrafine Si/C-graphite composite materials are promising anode candidate with combined electrochemical properties to meet multiple requirements of high energy-density lithium ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most common fungal pathogen of humans, severe drug resistance has emerged in the clinically isolated Candida albicans , which lead to the urgency to develop novel antifungal agents. Here, four our previously characterized cathelicidins (cathelicidin-BF, Pc-CATH1, Cc-CATH2, Cc-CATH3) were selected and their antifungal activities against C. albicans were evaluated in vitro and in vivo using amphotericin B and LL-37 as control. Results showed that all four cathelicidins could eradicate standard and clinically isolated C. albicans strains with most MIC values ranging from 1 to 16 μg/ml, in less than 0.5 h revealed by time-kill kinetic assay. Four peptides only exhibited slight hemolytic activity with most HC 50 > 200 μg/ml, and retained potent anti- C. albicans activity at salt concentrations below and beyond physiological level. In animal experiment, 50 mg/kg administration of the four cathelicidins could significantly reduce the fungal counts in a murine oral candidiasis model induced by clinically isolated C. albicans . The antibiofilm activity of cathelicidin-BF, the most potent among the five peptides was evaluated, and result showed that cathelicidin-BF strongly inhibited C. albicans biofilm formation at 20 μg/ml. Furthermore, cathelicidin-BF also exhibited potent anti- C. albicans activity in established biofilms as measured by metabolic and fluorescent viability assays. Structure-function analyses suggest that they mainly adopt an α-helical conformations, which enable them to act as a membrane-active molecule. Altogether, the four cathelicidins display great potential for antifungal agent development against candidiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work contributes to develop bioplastics with high gas barrier properties. Here we reported a new bio-based semi-aromatic polyester poly(decylene 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate) (PDePD26) for food packaging applications, synthesized from 2,6-pyridinedicarbonyl dichloride (PDD26) and 1,10-decanediol (DD) by a traditional polycondensation reaction. Two analogs, poly(decylene 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylate) (PDePD25) and poly(decylene isophthalate) (PDeIP) were also synthesized. The obtained polyesters were confirmed semicrystalline with M w ‾ higher than 50 000 g mol−1. The structure polarity and geometric symmetry of the aromatic moieties revealed to be efficient tools to tailor the ability of crystallization, and then affect thermal, mechanical and transport performances. The polyesters containing pyridine rings (PDePD26 and PDePD25) showed lower thermal degradation temperatures (341 and 304 °C) than the one containing phenyl rings (PDeIP, 371 °C), but T g , T m and crystallinities were higher. PDePD26 displayed the preferred mechanical strength (σ b = 12.5 ± 4.8 MPa) and elongation (ε b = 25.0 ± 6.0%) at break. The highest gas barrier properties of PDePD26 were much better than PLA and comparable to amorphous PET. [Display omitted] • A new bio-based polyester was synthesized from 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid. • The high performance polyester was proposed for food packaging application. • The obtained polyester film had comparable gas barrier properties to amorphous PET. • The polar pyridine structure enhanced the polymer crystallization properties. • The asymmetric polar pyridine structure favored the gas barrier properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsurface damage (SSD) induced during the processing of optical components, which are key parts of large optical systems, can deteriorate optical system performance or damage the complete system. To eliminate the SSD of optical components in subsequent processing, it must be accurately detected. This paper presents a review of the principle, characteristics, research status, and development trends of SSD detection methods for optical components. This review finds that destructive detection methods can damage the components and cannot detect SSD online, but they are reliable and accurate and characterized by facile principles, easy implementation, and inexpensive equipment. Consequently, such methods are widely used for the validation of non-destructive methods and quality control of components in industrial production. In comparison, non-destructive detection methods can detect SSD online without destroying the components, shorten the detection cycle, increase the overall production efficiency, and decrease the cost. Therefore, non-destructive detection methods have promising development prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiDAR point cloud object recognition is widely adopted in 3D perception applications and plays an important role in remote sensing, autonomous driving, robotics and other fields. We propose a novel point cloud object recognition method based on histograms of dual deviation angle feature, which we call the HDDAF. First, we use the normal alignment radial feature to sample feature points. Second, we construct the local reference frame (LRF) for the point cloud. Third, we calculate the connecting line between the barycentre and LRF origin, and calculate the deviation angle between connecting line and the LRF and deviation angle between connecting line and point cloud normal vectors. Fourth, we construct feature histograms of the two kinds of deviation angle. Finally, we construct a model library using the HDDAF algorithm to transform the point cloud data into a feature histogram, and we transform the point cloud of unknown objects into a feature histogram in the same way. We match the histogram of unknown objects with the model library histogram to recognize the unknown object. We rigorously test the proposed method on B3R and ModelNet40 standard datasets and real scenes, and compare with those of 10 other methods. For standard, noise and real scene data, the precisionrecall curve of the proposed method is superior to that of the comparison methods. The average computation times of the proposed method on the two datasets and real scenes are 0.221, 0.051 and 0.448 seconds, which are shorter than those of the comparison methods. The results show that the proposed method is highly descriptive, robust and computationally efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an intestine-inhabiting bacterium associated with many severe disease outbreaks worldwide. It may enter the soil environment with the excreta of infected animals (including horses, cattle and chickens) and human. Earthworms are able to protect themselves against invading pathogens due to their efficient innate defense system. To better understand the mechanisms earthworms (Eisenia fetida) utilize to defend and eliminate Escherichia coli O157:H7, we examined the changes in the growth rate, as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial functions of earthworms in response to various concentrations of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in an artificial soil. Our results show that earthworms can inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Upon exposure to Escherichia coli O157:H7 from 0d to 24d, coelomic cytolytic factor (CCF) in earthworms is induced, the reactive oxygen species (ROSs) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are also elevated. Under lower bacterial concentrations (105–106 CFUg−1), these ROSs can be rapidly scavenged by superoxide dismutase (SOD) to avoid peroxidation damage, but when the bacterial concentrations are high (107–108 CFUg−1), excess amount of ROSs then cause accumulation of lipid peroxidation molecular malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, exposure to Escherichia coli O157:H7 can induce the gene expression of antimicrobial peptide lumbricin I in the tissues of the earthworms. In conclusion, antioxidant systems and antimicrobial immune function may play important roles in the defense of the earthworms Eisenia fetida against Escherichia coli O157:H7. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • An optical oxygen sensing platform for the detection of dissolved O 2 in aqueous medium was reported. • We tried the combination of Ru(II)-bpy complex and carbon dots (CDs) via covalent bonds. • Self-calibrated sensing signal for dissolved oxygen was observed. • A good linearity of 99.1% and a high sensitivity (2.18) were reported, along with good selectivity and signal stability. O 2 is a life-supporting gas and has been widely recognized as an important analyte in life science, medical care and environmental science. Optical sensing for gaseous oxygen has been widely reported owing to the simple, cost-effective and easy-to-go procedure. On the other hand, optical sensors for dissolved oxygen in aqueous media have been rarely reported, since most of them are incompatible with water, leading to poor sensitivity and linearity. In this effort, we tried the combination of Ru(II)-bpy complex and carbon dots (CDs) via covalent bonds, where bpy = bipyridine. A hybrid structure, named as Ru@CD, was constructed for the detection of dissolved oxygen, using Ru(II)-bpy as sensing probe and CDs as water-compatible supporting matrix. Ru@CD was carefully characterized to confirm its hybrid structure. Detailed analysis suggested that its emission showed self-calibrated sensing signals for dissolved oxygen. A good linearity of 99.1% was realized. Its sensitivity (3.18) was higher than most literature values for dissolved oxygen detection. Its working equation was confirmed as a corrected Stern-Volmer equation (Lehrer mode). Good selectivity and signal stability were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parameters estimation of linear frequency modulation (LFM) signals, which also called chirp signals, have been widely applied in optical communication, LIDAR and many other fields. Fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is one of the most important methods for estimating the frequency of chirp signals. However, the traditional estimation methods based on FRFT are incapable of high-precision parameter estimation for chirp signals, especially multi-component LFM signals. Therefore, we present a novel parameter estimation method based on the Otsu ratio, i.e., the interclass ratio of impulse signal to noise. An algorithm is used to determine this ratio, and then the frequency parameters of chirp signals are estimated by using the ratio as the fitness function. The parameter estimation of single-component and multi-component chirp signals is simulated. The results show that the proposed method has higher estimation accuracy than the traditional FRFT method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A glassy carbon electrode modified with Mn−MoS2/MWCNTs/Nafion was used for the field determination of Pb2+ in water coupled with an electrochemical flow analysis device. The potential mechanism for signal enhancement of Pb2+ was preliminarily confirmed in this work. A limit of detection (3σ/slope) for Pb2+ was 0.08 μg L−1 within the concentration from 0.2 to 100 μg L−1 using this method. The relative standard deviation of response currents for 30 μg L−1 Pb2+ was 3.6 % (n=80) and the recoveries varied from 97.3 % to 105.6 % in the determination of tap water and lake water samples obtained from laboratories and the university campus. Finally, the continuous monitoring of Pb2+ in water was successfully realized by this Mn−MoS2/MWCNTs/Nafion modified electrode coupled with the analysis device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tagging the lapping and polishing slurries with quantum dots (QDs) is a promising method for detecting the distribution and depth of subsurface damage (SSD) in optical element at the same time. However, QDs are prone to photobleaching which affects the detection accuracy of SSD distribution and depth. The photobleaching properties of QDs with different structure and composition are different. This paper proposes a SSD detection method of optical element by analyzing the photobleaching properties of QDs. C QDs, CdSe QDs, CdSe/ZnS QDs, InP/ZnS QDs, and CuInS 2 /ZnS QDs were selected to tag SSD of optical element. A fluorescence detection system for SSD was developed to collect fluorescence images of QD-tagged optical elements under various excitation intensities, excitation time, and excitation numbers. The photobleaching properties of the QDs in SSD of optical elements were quantitatively analyzed by two parameters: (1) fluorescence conversion efficiency under various excitation intensities and (2) fluorescence stability index under various excitation time and excitation numbers. The distribution and depth of SSD were detected to comprehensively analyze the influence of the photobleaching properties of QDs on the SSD detection accuracy. The results show that the anti-photobleaching properties of C QDs, InP/ZnS QDs, CdSe/ZnS QDs, and CuInS 2 /ZnS QDs were strong, and they can detect SSD distribution and depth with high accuracy; while the anti-photobleaching property of CdSe QDs was poor, and they can detect SSD distribution and depth with low accuracy, making them unsuitable for tagging SSD. For CdSe/ZnS QDs, they can be used to detect SSD accurately only when the excitation intensity was higher than 33 mW. This paper lays a foundation for investigating the formation mechanism of SSD and detecting SSD non-destructively and accurately. • A subsurface damage detection method by analyzing the photobleaching properties of quantum dots is proposed. • The anti-photobleaching properties of C, InP/ZnS, CdSe/ZnS and CuInS 2 /ZnS QDs are strong, and they can detect SSD accurately. • CdSe/ZnS QDs can be used to detect SSD accurately only when the excitation intensity is higher than 33 mW. • CdSe QDs with poor anti-photobleaching property, can detect SSD with low accuracy, making them unsuitable for tagging SSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam is a mangrove plant that spread in many parts of the world. Though mangrove plant polyphenols have been reported to exhibit many biological activities, little is known about mangrove plant tannins. To explore the application value of tannins from B. gymnorhiza, analyses on the structure and biological activity of condensed tannins (CTs) from Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam were carried out. The results from 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) and reversed-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) showed that the CTs were dominated by procyanidins, with a small quantity of prodelphinidins and propelargonidins; and that the monomeric constituents of B. gymnorhiza tannins were catechin/epicatechin, gallocatechin/epigallocatechin and afzelechin/epiafzelechin. The CTs were reversible and mixed competitive inhibitors of tyrosinase and the 50% inhibiting concentration (IC50) was estimated to be 123.90 ± 0.140 μg/mL. The antioxidant activities of CTs from B. gymnorhiza leaves were evaluated, the IC50 for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt) (ABTS) scavenging activities were 88.81 ± 0.135 and 105.03 ± 0.130 μg/mL, respectively, and the ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) value was 1052.27 ± 4.17 mgAAE/g. In addition, the results from fresh-keeping assays on fresh-cut lotus root reveal that CTs from B. gymnorhiza had excellent effects on inhibiting the activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD), protecting fresh-cut lotus root from the oxidation of total phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA) content and slowing the increase in total phenol content (TPC) at 4 °C during the whole storage period. Therefore, CTs showed good effects against the browning of fresh-cut lotus root. Together, these results suggested that B. gymnorhiza CTs are promising antibrowning agents for fresh-cut fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing oxime ether and phenoxy pyridine moiety were designed and synthesized. The new compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Compound (Z)-1-(6-(4-nitrophenoxy)pyridin-3-yl)-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)ethan-1-one O-methyl oxime (5a18) was further confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction. Their antifungal activities were evaluated against eight phytopathogens. The in vitro bioassays indicated that most of the title compounds displayed moderate to high fungicidal activities. Compound (Z)-1-(6-(4-bromo-2-chlorophenoxy)pyridin-3-yl)-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)ethan-1-one O-methyl oxime (5a4) exhibited a broad-spectrum antifungal activities with the EC50 values of 1.59, 0.46, 0.27 and 11.39 mg/L against S. sclerotiorum, P. infestans, R. solani and B. cinerea, respectively. Compound (Z)-1-(6-(2-chlorophenoxy)pyridin-3-yl)-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)ethan-1-one O-benzyl oxime (5b2) provided the lowest EC50 value of 0.12 mg/L against S. sclerotiorum, which were comparable to the commercialized difenoconazole. Moreover, homologous modeling and molecular docking disclosed possible binding modes of compounds 5a4 and 5b2 with CYP51. This work provided useful guidance for the discovery of new 1,2,4-triazole fungicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, surface initiation was used to form dense and flat films in liquid crystal media. As a result, low-surface-energy components are thermodynamically forced to segregate on the liquid crystal-polymer interface already during the polymerization process. This finding is confirmed by ATR and XPS. In addition, more low-surface-energy components accumulate on the wall surface of the polymer upon decreasing the UV light intensity during polymerization. These components reduce both the anchoring energy of the polymer wall as well as the threshold voltage of any liquid crystal device that uses this polymer wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper iodide (CuI) clusters have continued been to arouse increasing attention in many fields due to their high cost-performance, abundant reserves, hypotoxicity and structural diversity. Despite the oxygen sensing capability of coordinate CuI clusters has been demonstrated, the ionic counterparts with better structural stability hold potential to construct more durable sensing platform. However, the optical applications of the ionic CuI clusters have been hindered largely by their prominently weak emission. With the progress of ion assembly in recent years, ionic CuI clusters with specific emission properties can be attainable. Herein, two ionic dinuclear CuI clusters with Mn(Ⅱ) crystal field are introduced through fabricating sensing films to exhibit their oxygen sensing performance for the first time. The results reveal that both sensing films presented good reversibility, fast response associated with wide linear responses in the range from 0 % to 90 % gaseous O 2. When the sensing behaviors of the two clusters were compared, different I 0 /I 100 ratios of 6.6 and 2.1 are observed. Through investigating EPR spectra and time-resolved luminescence spectra, we highlight that different Mn(Ⅱ) crystal field intensity in corresponding clusters lead to distinct oxygen sensing behaviors. In our perception, the possible mechanism could offer new performance modulation strategy based on CuI clusters with multi-emission centers. Owing to the good structural stability of such materials, one of the clusters is used to demonstrate the dissolved oxygen sensing capability of the platform. The study constructs a stable sensing system and will pave the new way for optical application of the family of ionic CuI clusters. • A new O 2 sensing platform based on two ionic copper iodide clusters with Mn(Ⅱ) crystal field is shown. • Fast and reversible response, as well as wide range linearity were observed for the both materials. • The performance modulation strategy based on Mn(Ⅱ) crystal field intensity is proposed. • Dissolved O 2 determination of the sensing platform is achieved by taking one material as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional interpolation algorithms often fail to meet the precision requirements of ultra-precision machining when applied to super-precision polishing machines. Moreover, the processing of fused silica glass optical components is frequently threatened by mechanical impacts due to their fragility. In order to address this issue, this paper proposes a high-precision motion interpolation method based on fourth-order Runge-Kutta and velocity-flexible planning. This method is designed for open-architecture small multi-axis optical polishing machines to polish quartz glass. The algorithm initially employs composite Simpson's rule to calculate the lengths of sub-paths within the polishing trajectory. Based on these length values, flexible velocity planning is executed to ensure the smooth continuity of velocity, acceleration, and jerk during motion interpolation. This reduces the risk of mechanical impacts that could damage the components during the machining process. The introduction of the adaptive fourth-order Runge-Kutta method significantly enhances the parameter point calculation accuracy of NURBS curves. The incorporation of adaptive principles also maintains a higher processing speed, thereby greatly improving processing efficiency. This method comprehensively addresses both the precision of curve interpolation and execution efficiency. Finally, experimental validation is conducted on an open-architecture small multi-axis optical polishing machine. The proposed method based on FRKVF not only mitigates mechanical impacts resulting from discontinuous acceleration, thereby ensuring the machining quality of optical components, but also satisfies the high-precision requirements for processing fused silica optical elements. • Trigonometric functions enhance curve controllability, reducing the risk of mechanical damage during optical processing. • Adaptive 4th-order Runge-Kutta method improves NURBS curve calculation accuracy and efficiency for ultra-precision machining. • Five-axis small tool polishing machine experiment shows a significant reduction in surface roughness and height difference. • Surface roughness decreased by 34.8% and 24.2%; RMS value by 35% and 23%; peak-valley by 15.5% and 26.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Six isosorbide (IS) and isomannide (IM) based aliphatic polyesters were synthesized. • Polyesters containing ten repeated carbons (C10) showed more toughness than PLA. • ISC10 and IMC10 polyesters were semi-crystalline. • ISC10 and IMC10 polyester films showed good CO 2 /O 2 selectivity. • ISC10 polyester film showed the highest barrier properties to gases. In the present work, biodegradable polyesters were synthesized by polycondensation reactions of renewable 1,4:3,6-dianhydrohexitols (isosorbide, IS; isomannide, IM) with aliphatic dicarboxylic acid chlorides containing 4, 6 and 10 carbons (namely, C4, C6 and C10) using a non-solvent method. All polyesters showed a thermal stability up to 320 °C and the glass transition temperature varied from 0 to 68 °C. Films were prepared by hot pressing. The semi-crystalline ISC10 and IMC10 films showed good mechanical properties with Young's modulus E = 127 ± 20 MPa, E = 125 ± 10 MPa and elongation at break ε = 19 ± 5%, ε = 16 ± 3%, respectively. The water sorption (liquid and vapor) of films was slow and low due to their crystalline micro-structures. The films were strongly barrier for gases with permeability coefficients P N2 = 0.09, P O2 = 0.26, P CO2 = 1.32 barrer for ISC10, and P N2 = 0.18, P O2 = 0.46, P CO2 = 2.04 barrer for IMC10. Furthermore, the high CO 2 and O 2 selectivity coefficients of ISC10 (α CO2/O2 = 5.1) and IMC10 (α CO2/O2 = 4.4) were favorable for the fruits and vegetables preservation. ISC10 film showed a better quality for food packaging in terms of mechanical and gas permeation properties compared to IMC10 film. A detailed discussion of the relationships between microstructures and sorption/permeation properties was conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The principles of K -means cluster denoising and K -d tree cluster denoising for 3D point cloud are analyzed, and the factors of slow speed for these two methods are studied. • A non-iterative dual threshold denoising method is proposed. The proposed method is more robust and faster with different 3D point cloud models at a high level of noise. • The proposed method relies on the idea of Canny in image edge detection and the idea of divide and conquer. Traditional iterative denoising methods can achieve good results, but are time consuming. To address this problem, a non-iterative dual threshold denoising method is proposed. Based on Canny's work in image edge detection, 3D point cloud denoising is divided into two-stages of a small and a large threshold. In each stage, the 3D point cloud is processed hierarchically using the divide and conquer concept. Experiments are conducted to compare the proposed method with the K -means cluster denoising method, the improved K -means cluster denoising method based on the K -d tree and the local density denoising method. The results show that the proposed method runs twice as fast as the other three methods. It is also more robust and quicker with 3D point cloud models at a high level of noise, and the precision of the denoising is better than 78%. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method is confirmed through its practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological cancers. Accumulated evidence shows that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in cervical cancer occurrence and progression, but their specific functions and mechanisms remain to be further explored. Methods: The RT‐qPCR assay was used to detect the expression of NEAT1 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. CCK‐8, colony formation, flow cytometry, western blotting, and Transwell assays were used to evaluate the impact of NEAT1 on the malignant behavior of cervical cancer cells. Glucose consumption, lactate production, ATP levels, ROS levels, MMP levels, and the mRNA expressions of glycolysis‐related genes and tricarboxylic acid cycle‐related genes were detected to analyze the effect of NEAT1 on metabolism reprograming in cervical cancer cells. The expressions of PDK1, β‐catenin and downstream molecules of the WNT/β‐catenin signaling pathway in cervical cancer cells and tissues were detected by western blotting, RT‐qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry assays. Results: This study investigated the role and possible molecular mechanism of lncRNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) in cervical cancer. Our results showed that NEAT1 was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of NEAT1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and glycolysis of cervical cancer cells, while overexpression of NEAT1 led to the opposite effects. Mechanistically, NEAT1 upregulated pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK1) through the WNT/β‐catenin signaling pathway, which enhanced glycolysis and then facilitated cervical cancer metastasis. Furthermore, NEAT1 maintained the protein stability of β‐catenin but did not affect its mRNA level. We also excluded the direct binding of NEAT1 to the β‐catenin protein via RNA pull‐down assay. The suppressive impact of NEAT1 knockdown on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration was rescued by β‐catenin overexpression. The WNT inhibitor iCRT3 attenuated the carcinogenic effect induced by NEAT1 overexpression. Conclusion: In summary, these findings indicated that NEAT1 may contribute to the progression of cervical cancer by activating the WNT/β‐catenin/PDK1 signaling axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of laser beams in tracking Lissajous scan trajectories is severely limited by beam jitter. To enhance the performance of fast steering mirror (FSM) control in tracking Lissajous scan trajectories, this paper proposed a fractional order active disturbance rejection controller (FOADRC) and verified its effectiveness in improving system scanning tracking accuracy. A dynamic mathematical model of a fast steering mirror was studied, and the design of parameters for the control mode of the closed-loop system was determined. A reduced-order linear active disturbance rejection controller suitable for FSM systems was designed, and the corresponding fractional-order proportional differentiation (FOPD) controller was determined according to the mathematical model. The use of the designed controller enabled high-performance tracking of high-frequency Lissajous scanning curves (X-axis 500 Hz, Y-axis 350 Hz) and met the need for high-frequency repetitive scanning. The controller has the characteristics of simple implementation and low computational complexity and is suitable for closed-loop control applications in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subsurface defects (SSD) of optical elements have a significant impact on the service life and laser damage threshold of the inertial confinement nuclear fusion optical system. Due to the optical diffraction limit, fluorescence microscopy has limited image resolution for detecting SSD in optical elements, making it challenging to meet the requirements for precision detection. A super-resolution method is proposed in this paper for detecting SSD in optical elements based on the fluorescence polarization characteristics of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots fluorescence dichroism. By enhancing the imaging sparsity of adjacent fluorophores through a polarization modulated excitation laser and utilizing the fluorescence polarization modulation algorithm, the resolution is achieved beyond the optical diffraction limit. The results demonstrate that the proposed method in this paper can obtain super-resolution images of SSD in optical elements with at least a two-fold increase in lateral resolution. This approach effectively improves detection accuracy for SSD and holds significant guiding significance. In addition, it also has application value for assessing the quality of high-precision optical elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denoising algorithms for obtaining the effective data of depth images affected by random noise mainly focus on the processing of gray images. These algorithms are not distinct from traditional image-processing methods, and there is no way to evaluate the effectiveness of denoising after the point cloud transformation of denoised depth images. In this paper, the principle of fractional-order integral denoising is studied in detail and inverse distance weighted interpolation is introduced into a denoising model, which is based on the G–L (Grünwald–Letnikov) fractional-order integral to construct a fractional-order integral with an inverse distance weighted denoising model. The model is used to solve the blurring problem caused by sharp changes at the edge and achieves an excellent denoising effect. By using the optimized fractional-order integral denoising operator to construct a denoising model for depth images, the results of the experiments demonstrate that the fractional-order integral of the best denoising effect achieved by the model is −0.6 ≤ ν ≤ −0.4, and the peak signal-to-noise ratio is improved from +6 to +13 dB. In the same condition, median denoising has a distortion of −30 to −15 dB. The depth image that has been denoised is converted into an image of point clouds, and subjective evaluation indicates that the noise is effectively removed. On the whole, the results demonstrate that the fractional-order integral denoising operator with inverse distance weight shows the high efficiency and the outstanding effect in removing noise from depth images while maintaining the image related to the edge and texture information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]