Search

International audience; Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) have been found in a wide variety of marine habitats, ranging from intertidal sediments to deep-seaseamounts. Deep-sea hydrothermal fields are rich in metal sulfides, which are suitable areas for the growth of magnetotacticbacteria. However, magnetotactic bacteria in hydrothermal fields have never been reported. Here the occurrence of MTB insediments from the Tangyin hydrothermal field was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis, metagenomics and transmissionelectron microscopy. Sequencing 16S rRNA gene yielded a total of 709 MTB sequences belonging to 20 OTUs, affiliated withDesulfobacterota, Alphaproteobacteria, and Nitrospirae. Three shapes of magnetofossil were identified by transmission electronmicroscopy: elongated-prismatic, bullet-shaped, and cuboctahedron. All of these structures were composed of Fe3O4. Totally 121sequences were found to be homologous to published MTB magnetosome-function-related genes, and relevant domains wereidentified. Further analysis revealed that diverse MTB are present in the Tangyin hydrothermal field, and that multicellularmagnetotactic prokaryotes (MMPs) might be the dominant MTB. And the MTB of Desulfobacterota and Nitrospirae here shownevolutionarily unique compared with known MTB.

Additional file 1. Fig. S1: Sampling point on Pacific Ocean. Fig. S2: Exotoxin genes of which different richness were observed in the microbiome of the Mariana Trench and Pacific basin sites. (a) and (b) show exotoxin genes which exist higher abundance in sediment than in water. Similarly, (c) and (d) show exotoxins which are more present in water. Fig. S3: Relative abundance of virulence factor genes in the microbiome of the Mariana Trench and adjacent basin. 50 virulence factors with the highest abundance in these metagenomes were shown in (a). Color of each box is correlated with the relative abundance of each virulence factor in samples. (b) shows number of type of found virulence factors in each metagenome. Fig. S4: Relative abundance and richness of ARGs in the sediment microbiome of the Mariana Trench. The left Y axis and bar charts showed the relative percentage of ARG subtypes while the right Y axis and lines denoted the abundance sum (as copies per 16S rRNA gene copy, GP16S, b, c and d) of ARG subtypes. SP5856, SM6038 and SM10898 represented sediment metagenomes from different depths. The symbols before gene names, i.e., *, ** and !, denoted the degrees of fold change in abundance from SM10898 to SP5856 of ≥ 1, ≥ 10 and positive infinity, respectively. Fig. S5: Relative distribution of the taxonomy (in phylum-level) of toxin gene-carrying resistance contigs taxonomy. Fig. S6: Principal component analysis of relative abundance of ARGs which was annotation by predicted ORFs, % variance explained shown in parentheses. SP5856, SM6038 and SM10898 represented sediment metagenomes from different depths. WM9600, WM10400, WM10500 represented seawater metagenomes from different depths.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Microbial taxonomic profiles of seawater samples at the domain, phylum and class levels. Figure S2. Potential eukaryotic sources of DMSP in the natural (T0) coastal seawater. Figure S3. Potential prokaryotic sources of DMSP in the natural (T0) coastal seawater. Figure S4. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of DmdA proteins. Figure S5. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of DddP proteins. Figure S6. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees of DddQ, DddL, DddK, DddY, DddW and DddX proteins. Figure S7. 16S rRNA gene profiles of seawater samples enriched with DMSP analysed by DGGE. Figure S8. Bacterial community profiles of coastal seawater samples analysed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Figure S9. Relative abundance and taxonomy of ancillary genes from the DMSP demethylation pathway in coastal seawater samples. Figure S10. Relative abundance and taxonomic affiliation of ancillary genes from the DMSP cleavage pathway in coastal seawater metagenomes. Figure S11. Relative abundance and taxonomic affiliation of DMS cycling genes in coastal seawater samples. Table S1. Relative abundance of genes encoding proteins involved in the cycling of DMSP, DMS and related compounds in metagenomes from seawater samples. Table S2. Relative abundance (RA) of main bacterial genera from seawater samples analysed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon (16S) and metagenomics (MG) sequencing. Table S3. Dominant bacterial genera in T0 seawater samples analysed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Table S4. Relative abundance (RA) of main bacterial orders from seawater samples analysed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon (16S) and metagenomics (MG) sequencing. Table S5. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) with homologous sequences to genes involved in DMSP cycling reconstructed from metagenomes from seawater samples. Table S6. Characteristics of bacterial strains with DMSP-degrading activity isolated from seawater incubations with DMSP. Table S7. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing results for coastal seawater samples. Table S8. Statistics for metagenomic sequencing and assemblies. Table S9. Accession numbers of previously ratified enzymes involved in the cycling of DMSP and related compounds.

Additional file 1:. Supplementary figures and tables.

Supplementary figures and tables (DOCX 3821 kb)

Supplementary methods (DOCX 33 kb)

Supplemental Material for Effects of Intranasal Cellulose Powder on Asthma Control in Children With Mild-to-Moderate Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial by Xi Chen, Wei-jie Guan, Shi-xue Sun, Pei-yan Zheng, Li-hong Sun, De-hui Chen, Dan-dan Wang, Chang Chen, Bao-qing Sun and Xiao-hua Douglas Zhang in American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy

By introducing redox active substances into electrolyte, the energy density can be effectively increased without reducing the power density. Considering the influence of ionic conductivity and environmental safety, we introduce the redox small molecule hydroquinone (HQ) into the PVA/H3PO4 gel electrolyte, which then will recombine with the carbon nanotube arrays (ACNT) possessing high specific surface area and vertical orientation structure. The symmetrical “sandwich” type redox-enhanced solid-state super capacitor is then designed and prepared. We systematically study the effects of oriented structure and pore space on the electrochemical properties of the ACNT@PVA@HQ device and charge storage mechanism. With the addition of hydroquinone (0.1%, mol%), the specific capacitance of ACNT@PVA@HQ composite device increases 6.4 times compared with that of the ACNT@PVA, and maintains the extremely high rate performance and cyclic stability. When the current density increases 10 times, the specific capacitance of the device still possesses 85% of the original value. The energy storage mechanism is mainly ascribed to a diffusion-control behavior at a low scan rate while it will change into a capacitive behavior at a high scan speed. Furthermore, we prepare highly densified oriented carbon nanotube arrays (DACNT) by solvent evaporation, enhancing the mechanical stability of carbon nanotube arrays and improving the specific capacitance and energy density of the devices. Compared with the specific capacitance of ACNT and random carbon nanotube (CCNT), that of DACNT@PVA@HQ device under the current density of 11.1 mA·cm–2 increases up to 385 mF·cm–2 (1674 mF·cm–3), which is 6.6 times higher than that of the CCNT@PVA@HQ device and 18 times higher than that of the ACNT@PVA device. The maximum energy density can finally reach as high as 0.06 mW·h·cm–2 (0.26 mW·h·cm–3), which is much better than those of many other reported CNTs-based devices. The oriented structure of the arrays effectively shortens the ion migration path of the device, achieving a good rate performance and lower internal resistance. This new type of redox-enhanced solid-state supercapacitor not only has excellent electrochemical energy storage properties, but also meets the requirements for environmental protection and safety. This design provides a new idea for developing the new energy devices in the future, which has a good prospect in practical applications.

Malignant glioma is the most common type of brain tumor with poor clinical outcome and survival. Therefore, it is imperative to develop novel therapeutic agents for managing glioma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of amentoflavone (AF), an active flavonoid component in Selaginella tamariscina Spring, in glioma cells and the underlying mechanism of its action. Our results showed that miR-124-3p expression was significantly down-regulated in glioma tissues relative to normal brain tissues. AF decreased cell viability and triggered apoptosis in both glioma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. AF induced apoptosis and inhibited glycolysis in the glioma cells by upregulating miR-124-3p. Furthermore, AF upregulated miR-124-3p by repressing DNMT1 through Sp1, which in turn was caused by the activation of ROS/AMPK signaling pathway by AF. In conclusion, AF could induce apoptosis and inhibited glycolysis in glioma cells via miR-124-3p. Our findings provide preliminary experimental data that support further investigation on the therapeutic efficacy of AF in glioma.

Figure S2. COGs classification of the specific genomes of V. rotiferianus B64D1 and V. mediterranei QT6D1. Designations of functional categories: [A] RNA processing and modification, [B] chromatin structure and dynamics, [C] energy production and conversion, [D] cell cycle control and mitosis, [E] amino acid metabolism and transport, [F] nucleotide metabolism and transport, [G] carbohydrate metabolism and transport, [H] coenzyme metabolism, [I] lipid metabolism, [J] translation, [K] transcription, [L] replication and repair, [M] cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis, [N] Cell motility, [O] post-translational modification, protein turnover, chaperone functions, [P] Inorganic ion transport and metabolism, [Q] secondary metabolites biosynthesis, transport and catabolism, [R] general functional prediction only, [S] function unknown, [T] signal transduction, [U] intracellular trafficking and secretion, [V] Defense mechanisms, [W] Extracellular structures, [Y] nuclear structure, [Z] cytoskeleton. (PDF 822Â kb)

Figure S3. Pan genome tree. The tree was created based on the presence or absence of gene clusters in the 20 complete Vibrio genomes. The number at each node denotes the bootstrap value based on 1000 replicates. The color red and yellow are corresponding to the core genome tree, suggesting the discrepancy between core and pan genome trees. (PDF 194Â kb)

Figure S6. Genes related to the chitin-degrading process in 20 vibrios with complete genomes. Each column indicates a chitin metabolism-related gene family, with the family name indicating the predicted function. The number in the box indicates the copy number of that gene family in the corresponding genome. (PDF 282Â kb)

Supplemental material, Supplement_2-CONSORT_checklist for Effects of Information Technology–Based Two-Way Referral on Diagnosis and Management of Cervical Lesions: A Cluster-Controlled Trial in China by Long-Mei Jin, Ling Xu, Jun Xu, Xiao-Hua Zhang, Lin-Lin Zhang, Li-Hong Zhu, Hui-Bin Yang, Lei Zhang, Yan Yao and Hua Feng in Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health

Figure S1. Pan and core plot of the 20 Vibrio species with complete genomes. Accumulation curves for (A) the number of genes in common or (B) total number of genes are plotted. The grey dots represent 10 different random input sequences of genomes, and the extrapolated limiting value for core genes is shown as a dashed line. Equations which can be used to fit the curves are shown above the plot respectively. (PDF 1023Â kb)

Figure S4. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree of the 20 vibrios genomes based on 16S rRNA gene. The number at each node denotes the bootstrap value based on 1000 replicates. S. denitrificans OS217 was used as the outgroup. Bar, 0.01 substitutions per site. (PDF 186Â kb)

Figure S4. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree of the 20 vibrios genomes based on 16S rRNA gene. The number at each node denotes the bootstrap value based on 1000 replicates. S. denitrificans OS217 was used as the outgroup. Bar, 0.01 substitutions per site. (PDF 186Â kb)

Supplemental material, Supplementary_1 for Effects of Information Technology–Based Two-Way Referral on Diagnosis and Management of Cervical Lesions: A Cluster-Controlled Trial in China by Long-Mei Jin, Ling Xu, Jun Xu, Xiao-Hua Zhang, Lin-Lin Zhang, Li-Hong Zhu, Hui-Bin Yang, Lei Zhang, Yan Yao and Hua Feng in Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health

Figure S5. Heatmap presentation of pairwise average nucleotide identity of the 19 Vibrio species with complete genomes. The genomes are hierarchical clustered according to the values of rows. The clusters present in blue and orange are corresponding to the core genome tree. (PDF 212Â kb)

Figure S3. Pan genome tree. The tree was created based on the presence or absence of gene clusters in the 20 complete Vibrio genomes. The number at each node denotes the bootstrap value based on 1000 replicates. The color red and yellow are corresponding to the core genome tree, suggesting the discrepancy between core and pan genome trees. (PDF 194Â kb)

Table S1. General features of the 20 complete genomes of Vibrio species analyzed. (DOCX 48Â kb)

Figure S6. Genes related to the chitin-degrading process in 20 vibrios with complete genomes. Each column indicates a chitin metabolism-related gene family, with the family name indicating the predicted function. The number in the box indicates the copy number of that gene family in the corresponding genome. (PDF 282Â kb)

Table S2. General features of the 13 marine bacteria complete genomes used to compare with Vibrio. (DOCX 34Â kb)

Figure S5. Heatmap presentation of pairwise average nucleotide identity of the 19 Vibrio species with complete genomes. The genomes are hierarchical clustered according to the values of rows. The clusters present in blue and orange are corresponding to the core genome tree. (PDF 212Â kb)

Figure S1. Pan and core plot of the 20 Vibrio species with complete genomes. Accumulation curves for (A) the number of genes in common or (B) total number of genes are plotted. The grey dots represent 10 different random input sequences of genomes, and the extrapolated limiting value for core genes is shown as a dashed line. Equations which can be used to fit the curves are shown above the plot respectively. (PDF 1023Â kb)

Clinicians are confronted with an increasing number of patients with thyroid nodules. Reliable preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules remains a challenge because of inconclusive cytological examination of fine-needle aspiration biopsies. Although molecular analysis of thyroid tissue has shown promise as a diagnostic tool in recent years, it has not been successfully applied in routine clinical use, particularly in Chinese patients.Whole-transcriptome sequencing of 19 primary papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) samples and matched adjacent normal thyroid tissue (NT) samples were performed. Bioinformatics analysis was carried out to identify candidate diagnostic genes. Then, RT-qPCR was performed to evaluate these candidate genes, and four genes were finally selected. Based on these four genes, diagnostic algorithm was developed (training set: 100 thyroid cancer (TC) and 65 benign thyroid lesions (BTL)) and validated (independent set: 123 TC and 81 BTL) using the support vector machine (SVM) approach.We discovered four genes, namely fibronectin 1 (FN1), gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor beta 2 subunit (GABRB2), neuronal guanine nucleotide exchange factor (NGEF) and high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2). A SVM model with these four genes performed with 97.0 % sensitivity, 93.8 % specificity, 96.0 % positive predictive value (PPV), and 95.3 % negative predictive value (NPV) in training set. For additional independent validation, it also showed good performance (92.7 % sensitivity, 90.1 % specificity, 93.4 % PPV, and 89.0 % NPV).Our diagnostic panel can accurately distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules using a simple and affordable method, which may have daily clinical application in the near future.

As a new energy storage device, supercapacitor (or electrochemical capacitor) has an ultra-long cycle life, extremely high power density and enhanced energy density. It fills the gap in the energy-power spectrum between traditional capacitor and battery. In general, the traditional energy storage and conversion device cannot have a perfect trade-off between high energy density and high power density. With the rapid development of modern society, developing light, portable, safe and environmentally friendly high-performance energy storage devices has become increasingly vital. Therefore, there are numerous researches of flexible solid supercapacitors emerging at this historic moment. The selection of flexible electrode materials and that of electrolytes are crucial factors in designing the flexible solid state supercapacitors, which have been the research hotspots in recent years. Carbon nanotube array has been widely used in electrode material of super capacitors due to its excellent electrical conductivity, large specific surface area and super high chemical stability. But in assembly process, carbon nanotube array easily collapses and breaks its neat orientation because of its poor mechanical strength. In consideration of environmental contamination and practical demands, in this paper the neutral gel electrolyte is adopted to embed carbon nanotube array to form flexible composite film electrode. Besides the fact that we use hydrophilic flexible carbon cloth as current collector and neutral gel electrolyte as separator to prepare flexible devices, we compare the electrochemical properties among different devices by changing the electrolyte salt added in gel electrolyte. Meanwhile, after continuous bending and folding, the properties of flexible devices have not been significantly damaged, indicating good flexibility and mechanical stability. The specific capacity of the whole device with PVA-NaCl used as gel electrolyte increases up to 104.5 mF·cm–3, which is much higher than the specific capacity of the composite device formed by organic ionic gels with carbon nanotube array and that of the composite device formed by commercial short carbon nanotubes with hydrogels. A maximum energy density of 0.034 mW·h·cm–3 is obtained at the same time. In addition, it has good rate performance, cycling stability, suppressing self-discharge property, and good chemical stability at a high voltage of 1.6 V. Neutral gel/carbon nanotube array composite devices not only meet the needs of the era of green safety, flexible and portable folding, but also open up the future application prospects of medical implants.

Clinicopathologic characteristics of 223 thyroid cancer patients enrolled in the study. (DOCX 16Â kb)

Clinicopathologic characteristics of 146 benign thyroid lesions patients enrolled in the study. (DOCX 14Â kb)

Clinicopathologic characteristics of 146 benign thyroid lesions patients enrolled in the study. (DOCX 14Â kb)

Nowadays flexible solid-state supercapacitors (FSCs) have received more and more attention than conventional capacitors due to the good operability and flexible fabrication process as well as high specific/volumetric energy density. In general, carbon based materials including amorphous carbon, carbon nanotube, grapheme, etc. can be used to fabricate electrolytic double-layer capacitance (EDLC)-type FSCs due to its extraordinary cyclic stability at high current density. Aligned carbon nanotube (ACNT) arrays are one of the ideal electrode candidates for energy storage due to their good capacity, highly efficient charge transfer rate, excellent rate performance and long cycle life compared with those of other carbon-based materials carbon nanotubes. However, the low density and the weak interaction between the carbon tubes cause the CNT arrays to tend to easily collapse during processing and transferring. Thus pure carbon nanotube arrays are unable to be directly used to assemble flexible electronic devices. In this paper, we use ethyl alcohol to shrink the CNT array to increase the density and mechanical strength. At the same time we embed the conductive polyvingle alcohol (PVA) gel into the carbon nanotube array to fabricate a flexible solid supercapacitor. Hydrogel-based solid electrolytes have been long considered to be used to prepare FSCs, because this method possesses obvious advantages including low cost, good environmental compatibility and simple manufacturing process. The ACNT/PVA complex can maintain good mechanical stability and flexibility during its folding and bending, and can also keep the high orientation of carbon nanotubes. The maximum capacitance of the hybrid flexible device can reach 458 mFcm-3 at a current density of 10 mAcm-3, which is much higher than the capacitance reported in the literature. After 5000 charging-discharging cycles, a capacity still keeps nearly 100%. The maximum energy density of CNTs/gel composite device can reach 0.04 mWhcm-3 with an average power density of 3.7 mWcm-3. The capacitance can be further increased to 618 mFcm-3 by a simple in-situ electrochemical oxidation treatment. The energy density can be further increased to 0.07 mWhcm-3 by the electro-oxidation treatment. The electrochemical performance of the device is far superior to that of EDLC-typed FSC reported in the literature. Additionally the equivalent series resistance (RESR) of the devices decreases from 120 to 30 and also the charge transfer resistance declines from 90 to 10 . This is mainly due to the effect of pseudo capacitance and electro-wetting effect caused by electro-oxidation. This easy-to-assemble hybrid devices thus potentially pave the way for manufacturing wearable devices and implantable medical devices.

Gas chromatograph-ion trap mass spectrometer (GC-ITMS) was widely used in the analysis of a broad range of medicine, environment, pesticide residues, foodstuff, drugs, chemical and biological compounds, etc. As a detector of gas chromatograph, ITMS showed the high sensitivity and powerful resolution. With the development of the ion trap from 3D hyperbolic Paul traps to 2D liner ion traps, the mass discrimination was highly optimized together with the improved sensitivity. The Rectlinear ion trap is a kind of new device used as a linear ion trap, which is simple and easy to be manufactured. Therefore, it possesses tremendous advantage of coupling with GC. The configuration of the Rectlinear ion trap mass spectrometer coupled with Agilent 6890 is introduced in this study. A variety of activities, including the system performance, mass resolution, mass discrimination, and the applicability for pesticides with EI source, are also described.

The magnetic field distribution of an emission antenna is studied in this paper. When the slenderness ratio of the emission antenna is high, the emission antenna can be simplified as a magnetic dipole for practical application. The numerical results of the magnetic dipole magnetic field show that the magnetic magnitude distribution has a hump-shape, whose direction is perpendicular with the antenna axis direction. A localization method based on the hump-shape signal detection is presented. The experimental result shows that the precision can reach a value of ±5 cm. The method can be used to localize a pipeline robot working in a metal pipe.

ORFs related to chemotaxis in XH031T genome. (DOC 279 kb)

The predicted genes to be involved in the general metabolism of Luteimonas abyssi XH031T. (DOC 108 kb)

The genes of secondary metabolite biosynthesis predicted in XH031T. (DOC 94 kb)

Summary of genomic information of 30 Flavobacteriaceae genomes. (DOCX 21 kb)

The genes of secondary metabolite biosynthesis predicted in XH031T. (DOC 94 kb)

General genomic features of Luteimonas abyssi XH031T. (DOC 75 kb)

ORFs related to chemotaxis in XH031T genome. (DOC 279 kb)

We experimentally investigate the antiphase dynamics phenomenon that occurs in a diode-pumped passively Q-switched Yb:YAG multimode laser with a Nd,Cr:YAG saturable absorber. Due to the effect of spatial hole burning, the multimode lasers with one, two, or three modes at different pump power are observed, and the pulses sequences display classic antiphase dynamics.

In this paper a new concept of `optical ballast' is put forward. Optical ballast is a kind of device that can be used to decrease the variation and fluctuation of the propagation characteristics of light beams caused by the disturbance of refractive index of the medium. To illustrate the idea clearly and concretely, a fully adaptive dynamic stable solid-state laser resonator is presented as application example of optical ballast.

The issue of optimal controller design which is based on exact linearization of state feedback in the uncertain and chaotic systems with external disturbances is researched. First, based on the mature quadratic optimal control theory, the nonlinear chaotic system model with disturbance is converted to an equivalent linear system model without disturbance. Second, an optimal controller design method based on quadratic performance index is given which aims at pseudo-linear-system. The optimal control rate is shown after equation solution, and then the nonlinear chaotic system is changed into an equivalent linear system with Lie derivative transformation which makes the project simple and easily realized. With the simulation for parameter uncertainty in Liu chaotic systems, the result shows that the control quality has been greatly improved.

Cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) is a homotetramer of 560 kDa polypeptides regulated by calmodulin (CaM), which decreases its open probability at diastolic and systolic Ca2+ concentrations. Point mutations in the CaM-binding domain of RyR2 (W3587A/L3591D/F3603A, RyR2ADA) in mice result in severe cardiac hypertrophy, poor left ventricle contraction and death by postnatal day 16, suggesting that CaM inhibition of RyR2 is required for normal cardiac function. Here, we report on Ca2+ signalling properties of enzymatically isolated, Fluo-4 dialysed whole cell clamped cardiac myocytes from 10–15-day-old wild-type (WT) and homozygous Ryr2ADA/ADA mice. Spontaneously occurring Ca2+ spark frequency, measured at −80 mV, was 14-fold lower in mutant compared to WT myocytes. ICa, though significantly smaller in mutant myocytes, triggered Ca2+ transients that were of comparable size to those of WT myocytes, but with slower activation and decay kinetics. Caffeine-triggered Ca2+ transients were about three times larger in mutant myocytes, generating three- to four-fold bigger Na+-Ca2+ exchanger NCX currents (INCX). Mutant myocytes often exhibited Ca2+ transients of variable size and duration that were accompanied by similarly alternating and slowly activating INCX. The data suggest that RyR2ADA mutation produces significant reduction in ICa density and ICa-triggered Ca2+ release gain, longer but infrequently occurring Ca2+ sparks, larger sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ loads, and spontaneous Ca2+ releases accompanied by activation of large and potentially arrhythmogenic inward INCX.

The nanotechnology has emerged as an effective tool to fabricate next-generation microelectronics, biologically responsive materials, and structured membranes. The self-assembly of nanoscale phases has extensively been studied in thin films because of their potential applications in sub-100 nm structures. The control of the ordering of nanaoscale patterns is critical for various technological applications. A variety of approaches such as topographical and chemical patterning have resulted in an enhancement in long-range orders of nanoscale patterns. The macroscopically large areas of nanoscale domains with single-crystal order in polymer thin films can be utilized to fabricate portable ultra-high density data storages, advanced sensors and ultra-light electronic devices. However, as pattern size decreases below 100 nm, there appear many new challenges such as the cost of patterning and the precise control of the line edge roughness and line width roughness. Precisely controlling nanostructure shapes and placements in material is a continuing challenge. Measurement platform to provide accurate and detailed information about nanostructure orientations and placements is a key to this challenge. In this review, we examine the recent progress of characterization tools in polymer thin films. We highlight our efforts to control surface pattern formations of polymer thin films and our use of statistically-useful scattering techniques and real-space imaging tools to quantify the order of nanoscale patterns. In some technological applications of biological membranes, such as chemical separations, drug delivery and sensors, the orientation distribution of nanostructures is often more important. The real-space imaging methods of characterizing the orientation distribution of nanostructures, such as cross-sectional electron microscopy measurements and depth profiling by alternating etch and surface imaging steps are readily performed on thin polymer films over large areas. However, these real-space imaging techniques are destructive measures of nanostructures in polymer thin films. Also it is challenging to in-situ measure the evolution of orientation of nanoscale patterns during processing by using these destructive real-space imaging techniques. Rotational small-angle neutron scattering (RSANS) and grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) are effective and non-destructive measurement tools to measure the evolution of orientation distribution of nanoscale patterns during processing. In this rotational small angle neutron scattering method, the sample is rotated in the neuron beam. By accumulating the scattering density at each sample rotation angle, the three-dimensional Fourier space of the internal ordering in the nanostructured film can be mapped. By using this relatively new rotational small angle neutron scattering method and established models for nanoscale patterns, the full three-dimensional orientation distribution of nanoscale patterns can be obtained.

As the key technology of electric vehicles(EV) ", "control systems is always the research hotspot of EV field. When the battery component of HEV operates at charge sustaining (CS) mode, the most important problem is how to split the whole vehicle's required power between engine and battery component reasonably and effectively so as to make the good economy and driving performance. Taking battery component of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Bus as the research object", "this paper established the model of feedback control system for battery component. Then the feedback control systems gains are optimized with the objective function of equivalent fuel consumption and accumulated power requirement error", "which is based on BUSRTE driving cycle. The obtained gains are testified and verified by NEWYORK and CBDBUS driving cycle respectively. The results indicate that the optimized control system for batteries has good fuel economy and driving performance.

The reduction of speckle in SAR image is important for SAR images processing. In this paper, we present an efficient despeckle algorithm based on dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) and bivariate shrinkage functions. A block-wise despeckle method is proposed to exploit the dependence between the coefficient and its neighbours. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm shows great advantage in speckle reduction over the original bivariate shrinkage algorithm.