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Oil palm is a versatile oil crop with numerous applications. Significant progress has been made in applying histological techniques in oil palm research in recent years. Whole genome sequencing of oil palm has been carried out to explain the function and structure of the order genome, facilitating the development of molecular markers and the construction of genetic maps, which are crucial for studying important traits and genetic resources in oil palm. Transcriptomics provides a powerful tool for studying various aspects of plant biology, including abiotic and biotic stresses, fatty acid composition and accumulation, and sexual reproduction, while proteomics and metabolomics provide opportunities to study lipid synthesis and stress responses, regulate fatty acid composition based on different gene and metabolite levels, elucidate the physiological mechanisms in response to abiotic stresses, and explain intriguing biological processes in oil palm. This paper summarizes the current status of oil palm research from a multi-omics perspective and hopes to provide a reference for further in-depth research on oil palm.

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a typical tropical oil crop with a temperature of 26–28 °C, providing approximately 35% of the total world’s vegetable oil. Growth and productivity are significantly affected by low-temperature stress, resulting in inhibited growth and substantial yield losses. To comprehend the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying the response and acclimation of oil palm under low-temperature stress, multi-omics approaches, including metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics, have emerged as powerful tools. This comprehensive review aims to provide an in-depth analysis of recent advancements in multi-omics studies on oil palm under low-temperature stress, including the key findings from omics-based research, highlighting changes in metabolite profiles, protein expression, and gene transcription, as well as including the potential of integrating multi-omics data to reveal novel insights into the molecular networks and regulatory pathways involved in the response to low-temperature stress. This review also emphasizes the challenges and prospects of multi-omics approaches in oil palm research, providing a roadmap for future investigations. Overall, a better understanding of the molecular basis of the response of oil palm to low-temperature stress will facilitate the development of effective breeding and biotechnological strategies to improve the crop’s resilience and productivity in changing climate scenarios.

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease, which has seriously affected human health. Berberine is a plant alkaloid with significant anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, we aimed to determine whether topical application of berberine could ameliorate skin inflammation in psoriasis and explore the potential molecular mechanism. Imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice was firstly used to reveal the potential pathogenic mechanism. The transcriptome analysis showed that Janus kinase (JAK)-Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway was significantly enriched in IMQ-induced dermatitis, which included the key genes such as Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), Interleukin-2 (IL2), Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha isoform (PIK3CA), Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit beta isoform (PIK3CB) and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1). Network pharmacology and molecular docking then predicted that topical berberine may treat psoriasis by JAK-STAT signaling pathway, especially act on JAK1, IL2, PIK3CA and PIK3CB. Experimental studies in vivo further demonstrated that topical application of berberine could ameliorate IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation by suppressing JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In addition, experimental studies in vitro showed that berberine could directly act on and enter into human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). Meanwhile, berberine may inhibit the hyperproliferation and proinflammatory functions of HaCaT cells induced by Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) via suppressing JAK1/STAT1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study suggested that berberine may be a promising topical agent to ameliorate skin inflammation in psoriasis.

AP2/ERF transcription factor genes play an important role in regulating the responses of plants to various abiotic stresses, such as cold, drought, high salinity, and high temperature. However, less is known about the function of oil palm AP2/ERF genes. We previously obtained 172 AP2/ERF genes of oil palm and found that the expression of EgAP2.25 was significantly up-regulated under salinity, cold, or drought stress conditions. In the present study, the sequence characterization and expression analysis for EgAP2.25 were conducted, showing that it was transiently over-expressed in Nicotiana tabacum L. The results indicated that transgenic tobacco plants over-expressing EgAP2.25 could have a stronger tolerance to salinity stress than wild-type tobacco plants. Compared with wild-type plants, the over-expression lines showed a significantly higher germination rate, better plant growth, and less chlorophyll damage. In addition, the improved salinity tolerance of EgAP2.25 transgenic plants was mainly attributed to higher antioxidant enzyme activities, increased proline and soluble sugar content, reduced H2O2 production, and lower MDA accumulation. Furthermore, several stress-related marker genes, including NtSOD, NtPOD, NtCAT, NtERD10B, NtDREB2B, NtERD10C, and NtP5CS, were significantly up-regulated in EgAP2.25 transgenic tobacco plants subjected to salinity stress. Overall, over-expression of the EgAP2.25 gene significantly enhanced salinity stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco plants. This study lays a foundation for further exploration of the regulatory mechanism of the EgAP2.25 gene in conferring salinity tolerance in oil palm.

As a strong interference source for the all-time optical imaging surveillance of maritime targets, sea surface glare is difficult to mitigate accurately because of its time-varying characteristics due to lighting conditions and seawater fluctuations. In this paper, we propose an adaptive suppression approach to sea surface glare, which establishes a geographic polarization suppression model based on real-time information regarding geographic positioning and the orientation information of the floating platform, and also combines dynamic polarization control and pixel normalization to achieve adaptive suppression of sea surface glare. Experimental results show that this approach can mitigate the influence of rapidly changing glare effectively, and the SSIM indexes between the images without glare and those with glare suppression of the same scenes exceed 0.8, which is suitable for all-time glare suppression on the sea surface under natural lighting conditions.

Flexible electronics is a cutting-edge field that has paved the way for artificial tactile systems that mimic biological functions of sensing mechanical stimuli. These systems have an immense potential to enhance human–machine interactions (HMIs). However, tactile sensing still faces formidable challenges in delivering precise and nuanced feedback, such as achieving a high sensitivity to emulate human touch, coping with environmental variability, and devising algorithms that can effectively interpret tactile data for meaningful interactions in diverse contexts. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of tactile sensory systems, such as piezoresistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric tactile sensors. We also review the state-of-the-art fabrication techniques for artificial tactile sensors. Next, we focus on the potential applications of HMIs, such as intelligent robotics, wearable devices, prosthetics, and medical healthcare. Finally, we conclude with the challenges and future development trends of tactile sensors.

Catalases (CATs) play crucial roles in scavenging H2O2 from reactive oxygen species, controlling the growth and development of plants. So far, genome-wide identification and characterization of CAT genes in oil palm have not been reported. In the present study, five EgCAT genes were obtained through a genome-wide identification approach. Phylogenetic analysis divided them into two subfamilies, with closer genes sharing similar structures. Gene structure and conserved motif analysis demonstrated the conserved nature of intron/exon organization and motifs among the EgCAT genes. Several cis-acting elements related to hormone, stress, and defense responses were identified in the promoter regions of EgCATs. Tissue-specific expression of EgCAT genes in five different tissues of oil palm was also revealed by heatmap analysis using the available transcriptome data. Stress-responsive expression analysis showed that five EgCAT genes were significantly expressed under cold, drought, and salinity stress conditions. Collectively, this study provided valuable information on the oil palm CAT gene family and the validated EgCAT genes can be used as potential candidates for improving abiotic stress tolerance in oil palm and other related crops.

The newly released ‘Snow White’ (SW), a white-fleshed loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) cultivar, holds promise for commercial production. However, the specifics of the phenolic composition in white-fleshed loquats, along with the antioxidant substances and their regulatory mechanisms, are not yet fully understood. In this study, we examined the dynamic changes in the phenolic compounds, enzyme activities, antioxidant capacity, and gene expression patterns of SW during the key stages of fruit development and ripening. A total of 18 phenolic compounds were identified in SW, with chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and coniferyl alcohol being the most predominant. SW demonstrated a stronger antioxidant capacity in the early stages of development, largely due to total phenolics and flavonoids. Neochlorogenic acid may be the most significant antioxidant contributor in loquat. A decline in enzyme activities corresponded with fruit softening. Different genes within a multigene family played distinct roles in the synthesis of phenolics. C4H1, 4CL2, 4CL9, HCT, CCoAOMT5, F5H, COMT1, CAD6, and POD42 were implicated in the regulation of neochlorogenic acid synthesis and accumulation. Consequently, these findings enhance our understanding of phenolic metabolism and offer fresh perspectives on the development of germplasm resources for white-fleshed loquats.

Although the spectrum sensing algorithms based on deep learning have achieved remarkable detection performance, the sensing performance is easily affected by adversarial attacks due to the fragility of neural networks. Even slight adversarial perturbations lead to a sharp deterioration of the model detection performance. To enhance the defense capability of the spectrum sensing model against such attacks, an unsupervised learning-based spectrum sensing algorithm with defending adversarial attacks (USDAA) is proposed, which is divided into two stages: adversarial pre-training and fine-tuning. In the adversarial pre-training stage, encoders are used to extract the features of adversarial samples and clean samples, respectively, and then decoders are used to reconstruct the samples, and comparison loss and reconstruction loss are designed to optimize the network parameters. It can reduce the dependence of model training on labeled samples and improve the robustness of the model to attack perturbations. In the fine-tuning stage, a small number of adversarial samples are used to fine-tune the pre-trained encoder and classification layer to obtain the spectrum sensing defense model. The experimental results show that the USDAA algorithm is better than the denoising autoencoder and distillation defense algorithm (DAED) against FGSM and PGD adversarial attacks. The number of labeled samples used in USDAA is only 11% of the DAED. When the false alarm probability is 0.1 and the SNR is −10 dB, the detection probability of the USDAA algorithm for the fast gradient sign method (FGSM) and the projected gradient descent (PGD) attack samples with random perturbations is above 88%, while the detection probability of the DAED algorithm for both attack samples is lower than 69%. Additionally, the USDAA algorithm has better robustness to attack with unknown perturbations.

With the implementation of the regional coordinated development strategy, traffic flow has grown explosively. The construction of a larger tunnel section becomes an effective way to solve the highway network’s insufficient transport capability problem. Currently, there is little research on the factors influencing and methods of calculating the loose pressure in the surrounding rock mass for highway tunnels with super-large cross-sections. Based on the Bifurcation Tunnel, which is one of the sign projects in the past five years, this paper discusses the influencing factors for the range of loose zone in deeply buried tunnels using a combination of a numerical analysis and an orthogonal test. The weight of influencing factors is calculated via an efficiency evaluation method. This paper establishes a limit analysis model of the loose pressure in the surrounding rock mass under a non-linear failure criterion based on the fitted boundary function and upper bound limit analysis method and deduces the correlations of the loose pressure. The distribution law of the loose pressure, obtained via the limit analysis method, is consistent with the pressure-monitoring results, verifying the correctness of the proposed calculation method. This study can provide a calculation basis for the design of a supporting structure and the selection of similar super-section tunnel projects.

Hydrogen evolution reaction and dendrite growth seriously break the Zn plating/stripping process at the electrolyte/electrode interface, causing the instability of the Zn anode of aqueous zinc ion batteries. To improve the Zn anode stability and reversibility, we report a new electrolyte additive of aqueous electrolyte with the hydrophobic group. This interfacial hydrophobicity maximises the exclusion of free water from the Zn anode surface, which blocks water erosion and reduces interfacial side reactions. Thus, in an optimal 2 M ZnSO4 electrolyte with 2 g·L−1 Tween-85, the hydrogen evolution reaction and other water-induced undesired reactions can be suppressed, which greatly improves the cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency (CE) of Zn plating/stripping process. The stable cycle time of the Zn//Zn symmetric battery reaches over 1300 h, especially at a high current density and a high areal capacity (more than 650 h at 5 mA·cm−2, 5 mAh·cm−2). The average Coulomb efficiency (CE) of Zn//Ti asymmetric cell achieves 98.11% after 300 cycles. The capacity retention rate of Zn//MnO2 full battery is up to 88.6% after 1000 cycles.

Antheraea pernyi is one of the most famous edible and silk-producing wild silkworms of Saturniidae. Structural cuticular proteins (CPs) are the primary component of insect cuticle. In this paper, the CPs in the genome of A. pernyi were identified and compared with those of the lepidopteran model species Bombyx mori, and expression patterns were analyzed based on the transcriptomic data from the larval epidermis/integument (epidermis in the following) and some non-epidermis tissues/organs of two silkworm species. A total of 217 CPs was identified in the A. pernyi genome, a comparable number to B. mori (236 CPs), with CPLCP and CPG families being the main contribution to the number difference between two silkworm species. We found more RR-2 genes expressed in the larval epidermis of fifth instar of A. pernyi than B. mori, but less RR-2 genes expressed in the prothoracic gland of A. pernyi than B. mori, which suggests that the hardness difference in the larval epidermis and prothoracic gland between the two species may be caused by the number of RR-2 genes expressed. We also revealed that, in B. mori, the number of CP genes expressed in the corpus allatum and prothoracic gland of fifth instar was higher than that in the larval epidermis. Our work provided an overall framework for functional research into the CP genes of Saturniidae.

Liposarcoma (LPS) is one of the most common subtypes of sarcoma with a high recurrence rate. CENPF is a regulator of cell cycle, differential expression of which has been shown to be related with various cancers. However, the prognostic value of CENPF in LPS has not been deciphered yet. Using data from TCGA and GEO datasets, the expression difference of CENPF and its effects on the prognosis or immune infiltration of LPS patients were analyzed. As results show, CENPF was significantly upregulated in LPS compared to normal tissues. Survival curves illustrated that high CENPF expression was significantly associated with adverse prognosis. Univariate and multivariate analysis suggested that CENPF expression could be an independent risk factor for LPS. CENPF was closely related to chromosome segregation, microtubule binding and cell cycle. Immune infiltration analysis elucidated a negative correlation between CENPF expression and immune score. In conclusion, CENPF not only could be considered as a potential prognostic biomarker but also a potential malignant indicator of immune infiltration-related survival for LPS. The elevated expression of CENPF reveals an unfavorable prognostic outcome and worse immune score. Thus, therapeutically targeting CENPF combined with immunotherapy might be an attractive strategy for the treatment of LPS.

Structural unsteadiness and sluggish diffusion of divalent zinc cations in cathodes during cycling severely limit further applications of MoS2 for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). To circumvent these hurdles, herein, phosphorus (P) atom embedded three-dimensional marigold-shaped 1T MoS2 structures combined with the design of S vacancies (Sv) are synthesized via the oxygen-assisted solvent heat method. The oxygen-assisted method is utilized to aid the P-embedding into the MoS2 crystal, which can expand the interlayer spacing of P-MoS2 and strengthen Zn2+ intercalation/deintercalation. Meanwhile, the three-dimensional marigold-shaped structure with 1T phase retains the internal free space, can adapt to the volume change during charge and discharge, and improve the overall conductivity. Moreover, Sv is not only conducive to the formation of rich active sites to diffuse electrons and Zn2+ but also improves the storage capacity of Zn2+. The electrochemical results show that P-MoS2 can reach a high specific capacity of 249 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. The capacity remains at 102 mAh g−1 after 3260 cycles at a current of 0.5 A g−1, showing excellent electrochemical performance for Zn2+ ion storage. This research provides a more efficient method of P atom embedded MoS2-based electrodes and will heighten our comprehension of developing cathodes for the ZIBs.

The areca palm (Areca catechu L.) is one of the most economically important palm trees in tropical areas. To inform areca breeding programs, it is critical to characterize the genetic bases of the mechanisms that regulate areca fruit shape and to identify candidate genes related to fruit-shape traits. However, few previous studies have mined candidate genes associated with areca fruit shape. Here, the fruits produced by 137 areca germplasms were divided into three categories (spherical, oval, and columnar) based on the fruit shape index. A total of 45,094 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified across the 137 areca cultivars. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the areca cultivars into four subgroups. A genome-wide association study that used a mixed linear model identified the 200 loci that were the most significantly associated with fruit-shape traits in the germplasms. In addition, 86 candidate genes associated with areca fruit-shape traits were further mined. Among the proteins encoded by these candidate genes were UDP-glucosyltransferase 85A2, the ABA-responsive element binding factor GBF4, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase SIAH1, and LRR receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase ERECTA. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the gene that encoded UDP-glycosyltransferase, UGT85A2, was significantly upregulated in columnar fruits as compared to spherical and oval fruits. The identification of molecular markers that are closely related to fruit-shape traits not only provides genetic data for areca breeding, but it also provides new insights into the shape formation mechanisms of drupes.

The heat released from an aluminum-air battery has a great effect on its performance and operating life during the discharge process. A theoretical model was proposed to evaluate the resulting thermal effect, and the generated heat was divided into the following sources: anodic aluminum oxidation reaction, cathodic oxygen reduction reaction, heat production against the battery internal resistance, and hydrogen-evolution reaction. Quantitative analysis was conducted on each part, showing that all heat production sources increased with discharge current density. It should be noted that the heat caused by hydrogen evolution accounted for the most, up to 90%. Furthermore, the regulation strategy for inhibiting hydrogen evolution was developed by addition of hybrid additives to the electrolyte, and the hydrogen-evolution rate was greatly reduced by more than 50% as was the generated heat. This research has important guidance for the thermal effect analysis of aluminum–air batteries, together with control of the thermal management process by inhibiting hydrogen evolution, thus promoting their practical application.

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) induce vasodilation, natriuresis, and diuresis, counteract the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and autonomic nervous system, and are key regulators of cardiovascular volume and pressure homeostasis. Baroreflex afferent pathway is an important reflex loop in the neuroregulation of blood pressure (BP), including nodose ganglion (NG) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). Dysfunction of baroreflex would lead to various hypertensions. Here, we carried out functional experiments to explore the effects of NPs on baroreflex afferent function. Under physiological and hypertensive condition (high-fructose drinking-induced hypertension, HFD), BP was reduced by NPs through NG microinjection and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) was enhanced via acute intravenous NPs injection. These anti-hypertensive effects were more obvious in female rats with the higher expression of NPs and its receptor A/B (NPRA/NPRB) and lower expression of its receptor C (NPRC). However, these effects were not as obvious as those in HFD rats compared with the same gender control group, which is likely to be explained by the abnormal expression of NPs and NPRs in the hypertensive condition. Our data provide additional evidence showing that NPs play a crucial role in neurocontrol of BP regulation via baroreflex afferent function and may be potential targets for clinical management of metabolic-related hypertension.

In this work, density functional theory calculations are performed to explore the unique role of Mo dopant on MgO in oxidative coupling of methane. It is revealed that subsurface Mo dopant significantly enhanced the adsorption and activation of oxygen molecules. The combination of adsorbed oxygen and surface Mg exhibited a balanced activity for C-H bond activation and release of methyl radical which paves the way to activate methane with a promising yield.

The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) on MgO is often computationally explored via Mars-Krevelen (MvK) mechanism. However, the difficult desorption of CH3 radical at stepped MgO surface shadow the feasibility of mechanism. In this work, density functional theory calculations are performed to unravel the syngenetic effects between reactants which lead to a new Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H)-like mechanism. It was found that co-adsorption of reactants pave ways for CH3 radical formation with negligible desorption energy. The role of oxygen molecule is not only to oxidize reduced surface but also decrease the reactivity of Mg-O site which facile CH3 desorption. Electronic structure analysis indicated the distinct feature along pathway between MvK and L-H. The current work clearly indicated the importance of effective interactions between reactants and provided new insights on the reaction mechanism of OCM.

Chlorimuron-ethyl is a widely used herbicide in agriculture. However, uncontrolled chlorimuron-ethyl application causes serious environmental problems. Chlorimuron-ethyl can be effectively degraded by microbes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we identified the possible pathways and key genes involved in chlorimuron-ethyl degradation by the Chenggangzhangella methanolivorans strain CHL1, a Methylocystaceae strain with the ability to degrade sulfonylurea herbicides. Using a metabolomics method, eight intermediate degradation products were identified, and three pathways, including a novel pyrimidine-ring-opening pathway, were found to be involved in chlorimuron-ethyl degradation by strain CHL1. Transcriptome sequencing indicated that three genes (atzF, atzD, and cysJ) are involved in chlorimuron-ethyl degradation by strain CHL1. The gene knock-out and complementation techniques allowed for the functions of the three genes to be identified, and the enzymes involved in the different steps of chlorimuron-ethyl degradation pathways were preliminary predicted. The results reveal a previously unreported pathway and the key genes of chlorimuron-ethyl degradation by strain CHL1, which have implications for attempts to enrich the biodegradation mechanism of sulfonylurea herbicides and to construct engineered bacteria in order to remove sulfonylurea herbicide residues from environmental media.

With the increasing intensity of underground development, the planned metro lines will inevitably pass through water-rich soft stratum. The existing research results show that shield tunneling in water-rich stratum is prone to ground settlement and segment cracking due to the large moisture content and the low soil strength, which will pose risks to the safety of construction. The prediction of ground deformation characteristics and influencing ranges caused by shield tunneling in water-rich soft stratum has been a topical issue among the tunnel research community. Based on the shield tunnel project of Tianjin Metro Line 6, supported by the monitoring data, this paper analyses the ground deformation characteristics caused by shield tunneling in water-rich soft stratum. The results suggest that the surface settlement ranges from −14.20 mm to −28.00 mm in Tianjin’s water-rich soft stratum, which is at an acceptable level of engineering. A refined 3D model addressing fluid–structure interactions is developed to consider the construction process in water-rich soft stratum. Based on this technique, this article focuses on the effect of the support pressure at the excavation surface, the friction between the shield skin and the soil, and synchronous grouting quantity on the ground settlement and structural deformation. The results show that the friction between the shield skin and the soil is the most detrimental to deformation control, whereas the synchronous grouting quantity is the most advantageous to ground and segment deformation control. In practice, timely injection of bentonite slurry reduces friction between the shield skin and the soil, and effective synchronous grouting reduces shield tunneling disruption. This technique can provide calculation support in the optimization of shield tunneling schemes in water-rich soft stratum.

The introduction of inorganic additive or nanoparticles into fluorine-free proton exchange membranes (PEMs) can improve proton conductivity and have considerable effects on the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Based on the sol–gel method and in situ polycondensation, novel cross-linked PEM and nanocomposite PEMs based on a sulfonated polysulfone (SPSU) matrix were prepared by introducing graphene oxide (GO) polymeric brushes and incorporating Pt-TiO2 nanoparticles into an SPSU matrix, respectively. The results showed that the incorporation of Pt-TiO2 nanoparticles could obviously enhance self-humidifying and thermal stability. In addition, GO polymer brushes fixed on polymeric PEM by forming a cross-linked network structure could not only solve the leakage of inorganic additives during use and compatibility problem with organic polymers, but also significantly improve proton conductivity and reduce methanol permeability of the nanocomposite PEM. Proton conductivity, water uptake and methanol permeability of the nanocomposite PEM can be up to 6.93 mS cm−1, 46.58% and be as low as 1.4157 × 10−6 cm2 s−1, respectively, which represent increases of about 70%, about 22% and a decrease of about 40%, respectively, compared with that of primary SPSU. Therefore, the synergic action of the covalent cross-linking, GO polymer brush and nanoparticles can significantly and simultaneously improve the overall performance of the composite PEM.

As the charge transport layer of quantum dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (QLEDs), metal oxides are expected to be more stable compared with organic materials. However, the efficiency of metal oxide-based all-inorganic QLEDs is still far behind that of organic–inorganic hybrid ones. The main reason is the strong interaction between metal oxide and QDs leading to the emission quenching of QDs. Here, we demonstrated nickel oxide (NiOx)-based all-inorganic QLEDs with a maximum current efficiency of 20.4 cd A−1 and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 5.5%, which is among the most efficient all-inorganic QLEDs. The high efficiency is mainly attributed to the aluminum oxide (Al2O3) deposited at the NiOx/QDs interface to suppress the strong quenching effect of NiOx on the QD emission, together with the molybdenum oxide (MoOx) that reduced the leakage current and facilitated hole injection, more than 300% enhancement was achieved compared with the pristine NiOx-based QLEDs. Our study confirmed the effect of decorating the NiOx/QDs interface on the performance enhancement of the all-inorganic QLEDs.

Cervical cells classification is a crucial component of computer-aided cervical cancer detection. Fine-grained classification is of great clinical importance when guiding clinical decisions on the diagnoses and treatment, which remains very challenging. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNN) provide a novel way to classify cervical cells by using automatically learned features. Although the ensemble of CNN models can increase model diversity and potentially boost the classification accuracy, it is a multi-step process, as several CNN models need to be trained respectively and then be selected for ensemble. On the other hand, due to the small training samples, the advantages of powerful CNN models may not be effectively leveraged. In order to address such a challenging issue, this paper proposes a transfer learning based snapshot ensemble (TLSE) method by integrating snapshot ensemble learning with transfer learning in a unified and coordinated way. Snapshot ensemble provides ensemble benefits within a single model training procedure, while transfer learning focuses on the small sample problem in cervical cells classification. Furthermore, a new training strategy is proposed for guaranteeing the combination. The TLSE method is evaluated on a pap-smear dataset called Herlev dataset and is proved to have some superiorities over the exiting methods. It demonstrates that TLSE can improve the accuracy in an ensemble manner with only one single training process for the small sample in fine-grained cervical cells classification.

Laryngeal lesions can cause great inconvenience to patients. Early diagnosis and corresponding treatments are critical to the survival of patients. However, the diagnosis and precise removal of tumors remain a challenge under the use of a white light laryngoscope. In this work, an integrated, multifunctional laryngoscope was designed and tested for the imaging evaluation and precision laser surgery for laryngeal tissue. This integrated diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic system included two imaging modes (i.e., optical coherence tomography and white light endoscopy) and a laser ablation treatment mode. The endoscope had a common-path design to ensure that the same position could be imaged and treated simultaneously. The ex vivo porcine larynx experimental results showed that the system imaging modes could simultaneously acquire both superficial and cross-sectional images of the sample tissue, and the ablation treatment could be performed under imaging guidance. This multifunctional laryngoscope has great potential for the early diagnosis of and accurate laser ablation surgery for laryngeal tumors.

The influences on thermal and optical performances of light emitting diode (LED) bulbs with three different filament arrangements are investigated in detail. The average junction temperature, temperature of the surface of the bulb, and luminous flux of three samples all increased with increasing power. The thermal performance test results show that between the average junction, temperature and power were linear. The junction temperatures of the three samples at a power of 3.5 W were 102.48, 98.46, and 88.88 °C. The optical performance test results revealed that the luminous flux and efficiency in the two vertical filament arrangements were closely related to each other and higher than that of the horizontal filament arrangement. A numerical model of LED filament bulbs was established by the Floefd 17.2 software for analyzing the temperature distribution of the cross section and the gas flow path inside the bulb. The simulation results illustrated that the average temperatures of three samples were 105.88, 101.83, and 96.12 °C. Additionally, the gas flow inside the bulb of the two vertical filament arrangements was subject to forming a thermal cycle during operation work more than that of the horizontal filament arrangement. As a result, the flexible spiral LED filament bulb is feasible as a new light source.