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In this paper, we demonstrated a method of filling the air holes of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF), coated with gold film, with magnetic fluid (MF) to enhance the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). The simulation results show that at the wavelength of 1260–1675 nm, the minimum loss coefficient of the y-polarization mode is 4.7 times that before filling with MF, and the x-polarization mode is 0.45 times greater. Then, based on this method, we designed a polarizing filter with a core diameter of 9 µm. The numerical simulation results indicate that it not only maintains the same core diameter as the single-mode fiber, but also has a larger bandwidth and a higher extinction ratio (ER). Additionally, we can optimize its ER at a specific wavelength by adjusting the magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the factors such as complex alternating load,meshing stiffness,meshing clearance,manufacturing and installation errors,the nonlinear multi-degree-of-freedom dynamics model of the clearance between the gear pair of the bridge crane reducer under complex excitation is established. By using the Runge-Kutta method of MATLAB/Simulink,the simulation solution of the nonlinear dynamic model of gear clearance is carried out. The effects of parameters such as load,tooth backlash,excitation frequency and damping ratio on the dynamic performance of the system are analyzed.

The species Brassica rapa includes enormous leafy vegetables with extreme leaf morphological diversity. Leaf traits such as size, shape, weight, and ratio of the leaf blade to the petiole contribute to yield, appearance, and desirability to consumers. These leaf-related traits are controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). The construction of high-density bin maps using low-coverage sequencing is a powerful method for QTL fine-mapping and gene identification. In this study, we performed whole-genome re-sequencing of Wutacai 'Zhongbaye' and Chinese cabbage 'HN53' and 150 F2 individuals to construct a high-density bin map for QTL mapping of 11 leaf-related traits. The parental lines and F2 population were re-sequenced at 10x and 1x coverage, respectively. A map containing 565 bin markers was constructed based on parental single-nucleotide polymorphisms and a modified sliding window approach. The total map length was 944.6 cM and the average distance of the bins was 1.65 cM. In total, 60 significant QTLs controlling 11 leaf-related traits were detected. We further identified candidate genes responsible for these complex leaf-related traits. These findings suggest that this cost-effective bin-mapping approach is capable of rapid identification of QTLs and candidate genes, and will thus facilitate the dissection of the underlying molecular basis of leaf morphological variations and accelerate the improvement of B. rapa vegetable breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell surface engineering is an effective strategy to improve the tolerance of living cells against harsh environments as well as endow cells with various properties and functionalities, which they do not possess inherently. However, the research emphasis on single-cell surface engineering with the emergence of collective functionality is still rare. In this study, we encapsulate a single living cell with TiO2 nanoparticles (Degussa P25, composed of anatase and rutile crystallites) and conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy). The driving force generated from the nanoparticles TiO2 and PPy could be utilized to manipulate cells that are more than a hundred times their own body size. Different collective behaviors of unicellular organisms can be achieved under various conditions. Especially, the engineered cells could be endowed with a swarming negative phototaxis migration under UV light in the presence of ferrocene methanol (MFc). Given that the collective behaviors of organismic swarms can greatly improve the adaptability and survivability compared to individual ones, we thus anticipate that such a studied technique could open up opportunities for the manipulation of the collective behaviors of unicellular organisms and have great potential in cell therapy as well as biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]