557 research outputs found
Rethinking Context Aggregation in Natural Image Matting
For natural image matting, context information plays a crucial role in
estimating alpha mattes especially when it is challenging to distinguish
foreground from its background. Exiting deep learning-based methods exploit
specifically designed context aggregation modules to refine encoder features.
However, the effectiveness of these modules has not been thoroughly explored.
In this paper, we conduct extensive experiments to reveal that the context
aggregation modules are actually not as effective as expected. We also
demonstrate that when learned on large image patches, basic encoder-decoder
networks with a larger receptive field can effectively aggregate context to
achieve better performance.Upon the above findings, we propose a simple yet
effective matting network, named AEMatter, which enlarges the receptive field
by incorporating an appearance-enhanced axis-wise learning block into the
encoder and adopting a hybrid-transformer decoder. Experimental results on four
datasets demonstrate that our AEMatter significantly outperforms
state-of-the-art matting methods (e.g., on the Adobe Composition-1K dataset,
\textbf{25\%} and \textbf{40\%} reduction in terms of SAD and MSE,
respectively, compared against MatteFormer). The code and model are available
at \url{https://github.com/QLYoo/AEMatter}
Determining molecular orientation via single molecule SERS in a plasmonic nano-gap
In this work, plasmonic nano-gaps consisting of a silver nanoparticle coupled to an extended silver film have been fully optimized for single molecule Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The SERS signal was found to be strongly dependent on the particle size and the molecule orientation with respect to the field inside the nano-gap. Using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations to complement the experimental measurements, the complex interplay between the excitation enhancement and the emission enhancement of the system as a function of particle size were highlighted. Additionally, in conjunction with Density Functional Theory (DFT), the well-defined field direction in the nano-gap enables to recover the orientation of individual molecules
Facile fabrication of P(OVNG-<i>co</i>-NVCL) thermoresponsive double-hydrophilic glycopolymer nanofibers for sustained drug release
The thermoresponsive double-hydrophilic glycopolymer (DHG), Poly (6-O-vinyl-nonanedioyl-D-galactose-co-N-vinylcaprolactam) (P(OVNG-co-NVCL)) was synthesized via a chemo-enzymatic process and a free radical copolymerization and the resulting nanofibers were fabricated using an electrospinning process. The desired lower critical solution temperature (LCST) between 32 and 40 °C of the DHG polymers was achieved by adjusting the molar fraction of galactose monomer in the copolymers during the synthesis. The thermoresponsive DHG polymers were found to have good cytocompatibility with Hela cells as determined by the MTT assay, and special recognition of the protein peanut agglutinin (PNA). The drug release properties of these newly designed thermoresponsive DHG P(OVNG-co-NVCL) nanofibers are temperature regulated, can target specific proteins and have the potential application in the field of sustained drug release
Resolving the electromagnetic mechanism of surface-enhanced light scattering at single hot spots
Light scattering at nanoparticles and molecules can be dramatically enhanced in the 'hot spots' of optical antennas, where the incident light is highly concentrated. Although this effect is widely applied in surface-enhanced optical sensing, spectroscopy and microscopy, the underlying electromagnetic mechanism of the signal enhancement is challenging to trace experimentally. Here we study elastically scattered light from an individual object located in the well-defined hot spot of single antennas, as a new approach to resolve the role of the antenna in the scattering process. We provide experimental evidence that the intensity elastically scattered off the object scales with the fourth power of the local field enhancement provided by the antenna, and that the underlying electromagnetic mechanism is identical to the one commonly accepted in surface-enhanced Raman scattering. We also measure the phase shift of the scattered light, which provides a novel and unambiguous fingerprint of surface-enhanced light scattering
Momentum matching and band-alignment type in van der Waals heterostructures: Interfacial effects and materials screening
Momentum-matched type II van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) have been
designed by assembling layered two-dimensional semiconductors (2DSs) with
special band-structure combinations - that is, the valence band edge at the
Gamma point (the Brillouin-zone center) for one 2DS and the conduction band
edge at the Gamma point for the other [Ubrig et al., Nat. Mater. 19, 299
(2020)]. However, the band offset sizes, band-alignment types, and whether
momentum matched or not, all are affected by the interfacial effects between
the component 2DSs, such as the quasichemical-bonding (QB) interaction between
layers and the electrical dipole moment formed around the vdW interface. Here,
based on density-functional theory calculations, first we probe the interfacial
effects (including different QBs for valence and conduction bands, interface
dipole, and, the synergistic effects of these two aspects) on band-edge
evolution in energy and valley (location in the Brillouin zone) and the
resulting changes in band alignment and momentum matching for a typical vdWH of
monolayer InSe and bilayer WS2, in which the band edges of subsystems satisfy
the special band-structure combination for a momentum-matched type II vdWH.
Then, based on the conclusions of the studied interfacial effects, we propose a
practical screening method for robust momentum-matched type II vdWHs. This
practical screening method can also be applied to other band alignment types.
Our current study opens a way for practical screening and designing of vdWHs
with robust momentum-matching and band alignment type
MimoDB 2.0: a mimotope database and beyond
Mimotopes are peptides with affinities to given targets. They are readily obtained through biopanning against combinatorial peptide libraries constructed by phage display and other display technologies such as mRNA display, ribosome display, bacterial display and yeast display. Mimotopes have been used to infer the protein interaction sites and networks; they are also ideal candidates for developing new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. However, such valuable peptides are not collected in the central data resources such as UniProt and NCBI GenPept due to their ‘unnatural’ short sequences. The MimoDB database is an information portal to biopanning results of random libraries. In version 2.0, it has 15 633 peptides collected from 849 papers and grouped into 1818 sets. Besides the core data on panning experiments and their results, broad background information on target, template, library and structure is included. An accompanied benchmark has also been compiled for bioinformaticians to develop and evaluate their new models, algorithms and programs. In addition, the MimoDB database provides tools for simple and advanced searches, structure visualization, BLAST and alignment view on the fly. The experimental biologists can easily use the database as a virtual control to exclude possible target-unrelated peptides. The MimoDB database is freely available at http://immunet.cn/mimodb
Aim and shoot: molecule-imprinting polymer coated MoO3 for selective SERS detection and photocatalytic destruction of low-level organic contaminants
A sensitive and selective SERS sensor with easy and excellent recyclability is highly demanded because of its great potential application in complex detection environments. Here, using methylene blue (MB) as a model target, a semiconductor-based SERS substrate composed of a MoO3 nanorod core and a uniform molecule-imprinting polymethacrylic acid shell (MIP) with a thickness of 4 nm was designed and fabricated (MoO3@MIP) to achieve selective detection. The key to the successful coating of the ultrathin uniform MIP shell lies in the pretreatment of a MoO3 core with nitric acid, providing sufficient surficial hydroxyls for the anchoring of a polymer precursor. The molecule-imprinted voids for MB were formed simply via light irradiation as a result of photocatalytic degradation by a MoO3 semiconductor. This core–shell MIP composite shows a high SERS selectivity towards low-level MB in a mixed MB/CV solution. The enhanced factor (EF) is high, at 1.6 × 104. More importantly, the selective detection allows the further photocatalytic recycling of MoO3@MIP in an “aim-and-shoot” way, which well preserves the detection selectivity and sensitivity towards MB at least for 4 cycles. Based on decreased sensitivity with the increasing shell thickness (10–24 nm), a MIP-gating charge transfer mechanism is proposed to demonstrate the high EF instead of the molecule-enrichment effect. This “aim-and-shoot” strategy is expected to push forward the prosperous application of selective SERS for trace detection in versatile environments
Stabilizing single-molecular Raman spectrum of a nonbonding molecule on Ag nanoparticles
First evidence on different transportation modes of arsenic and phosphorus in arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata
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