Assembling convolution neural networks for automatic viewing transformation

Images taken under different camera poses are rotated or distorted, which leads to poor perception experiences. This paper proposes a new framework to automatically transform the images to the conformable view setting by assembling different convolution neural networks. Specifically, a referential 3D ground plane is firstly derived from the RGB image and a novel projection mapping algorithm is developed to achieve automatic viewing transformation. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-ofthe-art vanishing points based methods by a large margin in terms of accuracy and robustness

Manipulating and Dispensing Micro/Nanoliter Droplets by Superhydrophobic Needle Nozzles

There is rapidly increasing research interest focused on manipulating and dispensing tiny droplets in nanotechnology and biotechnology. A micro/nanostructured superhydrophobic nozzle surface is one promising candidate for the realization of tiny droplet manipulating applications. Here, we explore the feasibility of using superhydrophobicity for guided dispensing of tiny water droplets. A facile dip-coating method is developed to prepare superhydrophobic needle nozzles (SNNs) based on commercial needle nozzles with reduced inner diameter. The SNNs can manipulate tiny droplets of different volumes by only changing the inner diameter of the nozzle, rather than reducing the nozzle size as a whole. Different from the previous electric-field-directed process or pyroelectrodynamic-driven technique, quasi-stable water drops down to the picoliter scale can be produced by SNNs without employing any extra driving mechanisms. Due to their intrinsic superhydrophobic nature, the SNNs also possess the properties of reducing sample liquid retention, improving sample volume transfer accuracy, and saving expensive reagents. In addition, this kind of dip-coating method can also be applied to micropipet tips, inkjet or bio-printer heads, <i>etc</i>. As the issues of reducing drop size and increasing drop volume accuracy are quite important in the laboratory and industry, this facile but effective superhydrophobic nozzle-coating method for manipulating tiny droplets could be of great help to make breakthroughs in next-generation liquid transport and biometric and inkjet printing devices

Smartly Aligning Nanowires by a Stretching Strategy and Their Application As Encoded Sensors

The nanotechnology world is being more and more attracted toward high aspect ratio one-dimensional nanostructures due to their potentials as building blocks for electronic/optical devices. Here, we propose a novel method to generate nanowire patterns with assistance of superhydrophobic flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. Micropillar gaps are tunable <i>via</i> a stretching process of the PDMS surface; thus, diverse nanowire patterns can be formed by stretching the same PDMS surface in various ways. Importantly, square nanowire loops with alternative compositions can be generated through a double-stretching process, showing an advanced methodology in controlling the alignment of nanowires. Since alternative fluorescent molecules will be quenched by diverse chemical substances, this alternative nanowire loop shows a selective detection for diverse target compounds, which greatly improves the application of this nanowire patterning approach. Furthermore, such alternative nanowire patterns can be transferred from pillar-structured surfaces to flat films, indicating further potentials in microcircuits, sensitive sensors, and other organic functional nanodevices

Multiphase Media Antiadhesive Coatings: Hierarchical Self-Assembled Porous Materials Generated Using Breath Figure Patterns

The cleaning of interface pollutants typically consumes a large amount of energy. Therefore, the development of multiphase media antiadhesive materials is urgently required to meet the demand of energy savings and environmental protection. In this study, the antiadhesive properties toward several liquid droplets and bubbles in multiple media are demonstrated on a porous Fe₂O₃ coating, which is prepared <i>via</i> a facile spin-coating-assisted breath figure approach and a phase separation strategy. The prominent antiadhesive characteristic of these porous surfaces lies in their high-surface-energy hierarchical micro/nanoscale structure, which easily entraps one medium (oil or water) in the pore and repels other unmixable liquids and air bubbles. In addition, we successfully demonstrate an antifouling application of the coating, which shows excellent antiadhesive and super-antiwetting characteristics under multiple liquids. Our work extends relevant antiadhesion research from a single medium to multiple media and promises to broaden the applications of antiadhesive materials in sophisticated activities performed under complicated liquid environments, such as marine antifouling or pipeline transportation

The geographical distributions of the index <i>χ</i>.

<p>The geographical distributions of the index <i>χ</i>.</p

Spatial distributions of the standard deviation in the global SST anomaly time series during the time 1870–2009.

<p>Spatial distributions of the standard deviation in the global SST anomaly time series during the time 1870–2009.</p

Manipulating and Dispensing Micro/Nanoliter Droplets by Superhydrophobic Needle Nozzles

There is rapidly increasing research interest focused on manipulating and dispensing tiny droplets in nanotechnology and biotechnology. A micro/nanostructured superhydrophobic nozzle surface is one promising candidate for the realization of tiny droplet manipulating applications. Here, we explore the feasibility of using superhydrophobicity for guided dispensing of tiny water droplets. A facile dip-coating method is developed to prepare superhydrophobic needle nozzles (SNNs) based on commercial needle nozzles with reduced inner diameter. The SNNs can manipulate tiny droplets of different volumes by only changing the inner diameter of the nozzle, rather than reducing the nozzle size as a whole. Different from the previous electric-field-directed process or pyroelectrodynamic-driven technique, quasi-stable water drops down to the picoliter scale can be produced by SNNs without employing any extra driving mechanisms. Due to their intrinsic superhydrophobic nature, the SNNs also possess the properties of reducing sample liquid retention, improving sample volume transfer accuracy, and saving expensive reagents. In addition, this kind of dip-coating method can also be applied to micropipet tips, inkjet or bio-printer heads, <i>etc</i>. As the issues of reducing drop size and increasing drop volume accuracy are quite important in the laboratory and industry, this facile but effective superhydrophobic nozzle-coating method for manipulating tiny droplets could be of great help to make breakthroughs in next-generation liquid transport and biometric and inkjet printing devices

Interactions of Hyaluronan Layers with Similarly Charged Surfaces: The Effect of Divalent Cations

We used colloidal probe atomic force microscopy to measure the normal forces between the surface of a silica colloidal particle and a sparse layer of hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HA, MW ≈ 10⁶ Da) covalently attached to a planar silica surface, both across pure water and following the addition of 1 mM MgCl₂. It was found that in the absence of salt the HA layer repelled the colloidal silica surface during both approach and retraction. The addition of the MgCl₂, however, changes the net force between the negatively charged HA layer and the opposing negatively charged silica surface from repulsion to adhesion. This interaction reversal is attributed to the bridging effect of the added Mg²⁺ ions. Our results provide first direct force data to support earlier simulation and predictions that such divalent cations could bridge between negative charges on opposing surfaces, leading to an overall reversal of force from repulsion to attraction

Spatial distributions of the scaling exponents in the global SST anomaly time series during the time 1870–2009 employing DFA2.

<p>Spatial distributions of the scaling exponents in the global SST anomaly time series during the time 1870–2009 employing DFA2.</p