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ZnO/CdS core/shell nanorods (NRs) constructed of ZnO NR cores and CdS coating shells were fabricated by hydrothermally growing ZnO NRs and pulsed laser depositing CdS coatings on the grown ZnO NRs. The fabricated ZnO/CdS NRs were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and Raman backsattering spectroscopy. The optical and photoelectrochemical properties were evaluated and their correlation was studied. The ZnO cores and CdS shells are both in a hexagonal wurtzite structure with c-axis orientation. Compared with the bare ZnO NRs, the heterostructured ZnO/CdS NRs exhibit improved optical properties including strong visible light absorption and quenched photoluminescence. The former facilitates the generation of electron-hole pairs by visible optical excitation, and the latter reveals the suppressed radiative recombination of photogenerated charges and hence efficient charge transfer and separation. Correlated with the improved optical properties and charge behaviors, the ZnO/CdS NRs show high visible photoelectrochemical activity and excellent photoswitching property, and high visible light harvesting efficiencies can be expected for the ZnO/CdS NRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzyme rates are usually considered to be dependent on local properties of the molecules involved in reactions. However, for large molecules, distant constraints might affect reaction rates by affecting dynamics leading to transition states. In single-molecule experiments we have found that enzymes that relax DNA torsional stress display rates that depend strongly on how the distant ends of the molecule are constrained; experiments with different-sized particles tethered to the end of 10-kb DNAs reveal enzyme rates inversely correlated with particle drag coefficients. This effect can be understood in terms of the coupling between molecule extension and local molecular stresses: The rate of bead thermal motion controls the rate at which transition states are visited in the middle of a long DNA. Importantly, we have also observed this effect for reactions on unsupercoiled DNA; other enzymes show rates unaffected by bead size. Our results reveal a unique mechanism through which enzyme rates can be controlled by constraints on macromolecular or supramolecular substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural and topological data suggest that serine site-specific DNA recombinases exchange duplex DNAs by rigid-body relative rotation of the two halves of the synapse, mediated by a flat protein-protein interaction surface. We present evidence for this rotational motion for a simple serine recombinase, the Bxb1 phage integrase, from a single-DNA-based supercoil-release assay that allows us to follow crossover site cleavage, rotation, religation, and product release in real time. We have also used a two-DNA braiding-relaxation experiment to observe the effect of synapse rotation in reactions on two long molecules. Relaxation and unbraiding are rapid (averaging 54 and 70 turns/s, respectively) and complete, with no discernible pauses. Nevertheless, the molecular friction associated with rotation is larger than that of type-I topoisomerases in a similar assay. Surprisingly we find that the synapse can stay rotationally "open" for many minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myosin is an actin-based motor protein that generates force by cycling between actin-attached (strong binding: ADP or rigor) and actin-detached (weak binding: ATP or ADP·Pi) states during its ATPase cycle. However, it remains unclear what specific conformational changes in the actin binding site take place on binding to actin, and how these structural changes lead to product release and the production of force and motion. We studied the dynamics of the actin binding region of myosin V by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor conformational changes in the upper-50-kDa domain of the actin binding cleft in the weak and strong actin binding states. Steady-state and lifetime data monitoring the FRET signal suggest that the cleft is in a more open conformation in the weak actin binding states. Transient kinetic experiments suggest that a rapid conformational change occurs, which is consistent with cleft closure before actin-activated phosphate release. Our results have identified a pre-force-generation actomyosin ADP·Pi state, and suggest force generation may occur from a state not yet seen by crystallography in which the actin binding cleft and the nucleotide binding pocket are closed. Computational modeling uncovers dramatic changes in the rigidity of the upper-50-kDa domain in different nucleotide states, which suggests that the intrinsic flexibility of this domain allows myosin motors to accomplish simultaneous tight nucleotide binding (closed nucleotide binding pocket) and high-affinity actin binding (closed actin binding cleft). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework to restore the 2D content printed on documents in the presence of geometric distortion and nonuniform illumination. Compared with text-based document imaging approaches that correct distortion to a level necessary to obtain sufficiently readable text or to facilitate optical character recognition (OCR), our work targets nontextual documents where the original printed content is desired. To achieve this goal, our framework acquires a 3D scan of the document's surface together with a high-resolution image. Conformal mapping is used to rectify geometric distortion by mapping the 3D surface back to a plane while minimizing angular distortion. This conformal "deskewing" assumes no parametric model of the document's surface and is suitable for arbitrary distortions. Illumination correction is performed by using the 3D shape to distinguish content gradient edges from illumination gradient edges in the high-resolution image. Integration is performed using only the content edges to obtain a reflectance image with significantly less illumination artifacts. This approach makes no assumptions about light sources and their positions. The results from the geometric and photometric correction are combined to produce the final output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel framework called space-time light field rendering, which allows continuous exploration of a dynamic scene in both space and time. Compared to existing light field capture/rendering systems, it offers the capability of using unsynchronized video inputs and the added freedom of controlling the visualization in the temporal domain, such as smooth slow motion and temporal integration. In order to synthesize novel views from any viewpoint at any time instant, we develop a two-stage rendering algorithm. We first interpolate in the temporal domain to generate globally synchronized images using a robust spatial-temporal image registration algorithm followed by edge-preserving image morphing. We then interpolate these software-synchronized images in the spatial domain to synthesize the final view. in addition, we introduce a very accurate and robust algorithm to estimate subframe temporal offsets among input video sequences. Experimental results from unsynchronized videos with or without time stamps show that our approach is capable of maintaining photorealistic quality from a variety of real scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correspondence deals with the stability issue in adaptive IIR filters from a structural view. A new condition, under which the bounded-input bounded-output (BIBO) stability of the filters can be ensured, is derived. Based on this result, a normal state-space realization for second-order IIR filters is proposed. It is shown that the adaptive IIR filter realized with such a structure is BIBO stable no matter it is implemented with infinite or finite precision. This property is very important for real-time applications. Though both the proposed and the normalized lattice-based structures are BIBO stable, the former is simpler and has minimal pole sensitivities. Two adaptive IIR filter structures are developed based on a cascade form of second-order filters. The first structure is fit for the filters whose poles are all complex and the second one is for the constrained notch filters. Simulations are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents adaptive repetitive learning control for trajectory tracking of uncertain robotic manipulators. Through the introduction of a novel Lyapunov-like function, the proposed method only requires the system to start from where it stopped at the last cycle, and avoids the strict requirement for initial repositioning for all the cycles. In addition, it is more applicable, as it only requires the variables to be learned in an iteration-independent manner, rather than satisfying the periodicity requirement in a number of the conventional methods. With the adoption of fully saturated learning, all the signals in the closed loop are guaranteed to be bounded, and the iterative trajectories are proven to follow the profiles of desired trajectories over the entire operation interval. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown through extensive numerical simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of periodic disturbance rejection arising from rotational plants following periodic trajectories. Repetitive control is a method usually employed in solving such a problem. The reported analysis results give sufficient conditions for stability of the controlled systems in the frequency domain. In this paper, discrete-time variable-structure repetitive control (VSRC) is proposed, where the periodicity features are taken into account and no disturbance estimate is involved explicitly. The presented VSRC control scheme ensures robust stability of the resultant quasi-sliding-mode dynamics to parameter variations and exogenous disturbances. The complete rejection of periodic disturbances and the perfect tracking of periodic trajectories are achieved. Time-domain sufficient conditions for the robust stability are presented by which the controller parameters can be chosen. A numerical simulation is conducted to illustrate the validity of the developed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]