Investigation of the Viscoelastic Effect on Optical- Fiber Sensing and Its Solution for 3D-Printed Sensor Packages

Viscoelasticity is an effect seen in a wide range of materials and it affects the reliability of static measurements made using Fiber Bragg Grating-based sensors, because either the target structure, the adhesive used, or the fiber itself could be viscoelastic. The effect of viscoelasticity on FBG-based sensing has been comprehensively researched through theoretical analysis and simulation using a finite-element approach and a further data processing method to reconstruct the graphical data has been developed. An integrated sensor package comprising of an FBG-based sensor in a polymer host and manufactured by using three-dimensional printing was investigated and examined through tensile testing to validate the approach. The application of the 3D-printed FBG-based sensor package, coupled to the data process method has been explored to monitor the height of a railway pantograph, a critical measurement requirement to monitor elongation, employing a method that can be used in the presence of electromagnetic interference. The results show that the effect of viscoelasticity can be effectively eliminated, and the graphical system response allows results that are sufficiently precise for field use to be generated

Progress and challenges in photocatalytic ammonia synthesis

Photocatalytic ammonia (NH_{3}) synthesis from N_{2} and water driven by solar energy is a sustainable and environmentally friendly technology, which has gained considerable attention in recent years. In this review, the recent development in the fundamental understanding of photocatalytic NH_{3} synthesis and the methods of precise NH_{3} detection are summarized. More importantly the strategy for surface engineering and interface engineering of photocatalysts toward photocatalytic NH_{3} production has been thoroughly analyzed with the aim to stimulate critical thinking about the effective methodology for catalyst modification instead of exploring new materials. At the end the challenges and a few concerns are raised from the current reports and future perspectives in this research field are discussed targeting to clarify the reliability and reproducibility of the photochemical process and to direct the future research direction, such as flow reactor design and in-depth understanding of the underlying reaction pathway

Seismic performance of a load-bearing prefabricated composite wall panel structure for residential construction

To improve both seismic performance and thermal insulation of low-rise housing in rural areas of China, this study proposes a load-bearing prefabricated composite wall panel structure that achieves appropriate seismic performance and energy efficiency using field-assembled load-bearing prefabricated composite wall panels. A 1:2 scale prototype built using load-bearing prefabricated composite wall panel is subjected to quasi-static testing so as to obtain damage characteristics, load-bearing capacity and load–displacement curves in response to a simulated earthquake. As a result, seismic performance indicators of load-bearing capacity, deformation and energy-dissipating characteristics, are assessed against the corresponding seismic design requirements for rural building structures of China. Experimental results indicate that the earthquake-resistant capacity of the prototype is 68% higher than the design value. The sample has a ductility factor of 4.7, which meets the seismic performance requirement mandating that the ductility factor of such concrete structures should exceed 3. The design can be further optimized to save the consumption of material. This shows that the load-bearing prefabricated composite wall panel structure developed here has decent load-bearing capacity, ductility and energy dissipation abilities, a combination of which is in line with the seismic design code. A new construction process proposed here based on factory prefabrication and field assembly leads to a considerable reduction of energy consumption. </jats:p

PTEN Regulation of Local and Long-Range Connections in Mouse Auditory Cortex

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are highly heritable developmental disorders caused by a heterogeneous collection of genetic lesions. Here we use a mouse model to study the effect on cortical connectivity of disrupting the ASD candidate gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10). Through Cre-mediated recombination, we conditionally knocked out PTEN expression in a subset of auditory cortical neurons. Analysis of long-range connectivity using channelrhodopsin-2 revealed that the strength of synaptic inputs from both the contralateral auditory cortex and from the thalamus onto PTEN-cko neurons was enhanced compared with nearby neurons with normal PTEN expression. Laser-scanning photostimulation showed that local inputs onto PTEN-cko neurons in the auditory cortex were similarly enhanced. The hyperconnectivity caused by PTEN-cko could be blocked by rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of the PTEN downstream molecule mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1. Together, our results suggest that local and long-range hyperconnectivity may constitute a physiological basis for the effects of mutations in PTEN and possibly other ASD candidate genes

KDM2B/FBXL10 targets c-Fos for ubiquitylation and degradation in response to mitogenic stimulation.

KDM2B (also known as FBXL10) controls stem cell self-renewal, somatic cell reprogramming and senescence, and tumorigenesis. KDM2B contains multiple functional domains, including a JmjC domain that catalyzes H3K36 demethylation and a CxxC zinc-finger that recognizes CpG islands and recruits the polycomb repressive complex 1. Here, we report that KDM2B, via its F-box domain, functions as a subunit of the CUL1-RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL1/SCF(KDM2B)) complex. KDM2B targets c-Fos for polyubiquitylation and regulates c-Fos protein levels. Unlike the phosphorylation of other SCF (SKP1-CUL1-F-box)/CRL1 substrates that promotes substrates binding to F-box, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced c-Fos S374 phosphorylation dissociates c-Fos from KDM2B and stabilizes c-Fos protein. Non-phosphorylatable and phosphomimetic mutations at S374 result in c-Fos protein which cannot be induced by EGF or accumulates constitutively and lead to decreased or increased cell proliferation, respectively. Multiple tumor-derived KDM2B mutations impaired the function of KDM2B to target c-Fos degradation and to suppress cell proliferation. These results reveal a novel function of KDM2B in the negative regulation of cell proliferation by assembling an E3 ligase to targeting c-Fos protein degradation that is antagonized by mitogenic stimulations

Influenza-associated mortality in Yancheng, China, 2011-15

Introduction: The Yangtze river delta in eastern China, centred on Shanghai, is one of the most populated regions of the world with more than 100 million residents. We examined the impact of influenza on excess mortality in Yancheng, a prefecture-level city with 8.2 million population located 250km north of Shanghai, during 2011-2015. Methods: We obtained individual data on deaths by date, age, sex and cause in Yancheng from the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and used these to derive weekly rates of mortality from respiratory causes, respiratory and cardiovascular causes combined, and all causes. We used data on influenza-like illnesses and laboratory detections of influenza to construct a proxy measure of the weekly incidence of influenza virus infections in the community. We used regression models to estimate the association of influenza activity with mortality and excess mortality by age, cause and influenza type/subtype. Results: We estimated that an annual average of 4.59 (95% confidence interval: 3.94, 7.41) excess respiratory deaths per 100,000 persons were associated with influenza, which was 4.6% of all respiratory deaths in the years studied. Almost all influenza-associated excess deaths occurred in persons ≥65 years. Influenza A(H3N2) had the greatest impact on mortality and was associated with around 50% of the influenza-associated respiratory deaths in the 5 years studied. Conclusions: Influenza has a substantial impact on respiratory mortality in Yancheng, mainly in older adults. Influenza vaccination has the potential to reduce disease burden, and cost-effectiveness analysis could be used to compare policy options.published_or_final_versio

Excitonics of semiconductor quantum dots and wires for lighting and displays

Cataloged from PDF version of article.In the past two decades, semiconductor quantum dots and wires have developed into new, promising classes of materials for next-generation lighting and display systems due to their superior optical properties. In particular, exciton-exciton interactions through nonradiative energy transfer in hybrid systems of these quantum-confined structures have enabled exciting possibilities in light generation. This review focuses on the excitonics of such quantum dot and wire emitters, particularly transfer of the excitons in the complex media of the quantum dots and wires. Mastering excitonic interactions in low-dimensional systems is essential for the development of better light sources, e.g., high-efficiency, high-quality white-light generation; wide-range color tuning; and high-purity color generation. In addition, introducing plasmon coupling provides the ability to amplify emission in specially designed exciton-plasmon nanostructures and also to exceed the Forster limit in excitonic interactions. In this respect, new routes to control excitonic pathways are reviewed in this paper. The review further discusses research opportunities and challenges in the quantum dot and wire excitonics with a future outlook

AutoDeconJ: a GPU accelerated ImageJ plugin for 3D light field deconvolution with optimal iteration numbers predicting

Light field microscopy is a compact solution to high-speed 3D fluorescence imaging. Usually, we need to do 3D deconvolution to the captured raw data. Although there are deep neural network methods that can accelerate the reconstruction process, the model is not universally applicable for all system parameters. Here, we develop AutoDeconJ, a GPU accelerated ImageJ plugin for 4.4x faster and accurate deconvolution of light field microscopy data. We further propose an image quality metric for the deconvolution process, aiding in automatically determining the optimal number of iterations with higher reconstruction accuracy and fewer artifact

Quantum dots on vertically aligned gold nanorod monolayer: plasmon enhanced fluorescence

Cataloged from PDF version of article.CTAB-coated Au nanorods were directly self-assembled into a vertically aligned monolayer with highly uniform hot spots through a simple but robust approach. By coupling with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots, a maximum enhancement of 10.4 is achieved due to: increased excitation transition rate, radiative rate, and coupling efficiency of emission to the far field