Approximate Sparse Regularized Hyperspectral Unmixing

Sparse regression based unmixing has been recently proposed to estimate the abundance of materials present in hyperspectral image pixel. In this paper, a novel sparse unmixing optimization model based on approximate sparsity, namely, approximate sparse unmixing (ASU), is firstly proposed to perform the unmixing task for hyperspectral remote sensing imagery. And then, a variable splitting and augmented Lagrangian algorithm is introduced to tackle the optimization problem. In ASU, approximate sparsity is used as a regularizer for sparse unmixing, which is sparser than l1 regularizer and much easier to be solved than l0 regularizer. Three simulated and one real hyperspectral images were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in comparison to l1 regularizer. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is more effective and accurate for hyperspectral unmixing than state-of-the-art l1 regularizer

Direct Observationof DegenerateTwo-Photon Absorption and Its Saturation in WS2 and MoS2 Monolayer and Few-Layer Films

The optical nonlinearity of WS2, MoS2 monolayer and few-layer films was investigated using the Z-scan technique with femtosecond pulses from the visible to the near infrared. The dependence of nonlinear absorption of the WS2 and MoS2 films on layer number and excitation wavelength was studied systematically. WS2 with 1~3 layers exhibits a giant two-photon absorption (TPA) coefficient. Saturation of TPA for WS2 with 1~3 layers and MoS2 with 25~27 layers was observed. The giant nonlinearity of WS2 and MoS2 is attributed to two dimensional confinement, a giant exciton effect and the band edge resonance of TPA

Giant Two-Photon Absorption in Monolayer MoS2

Strong two-photon absorption (TPA) in monolayer MoS2 is demonstrated in contrast to saturable absorption (SA) in multilayer MoS2 under the excitation of femtosecond laser pulses in the near infrared region. MoS2 in the forms of monolayer single crystal and multilayer triangular islands are grown on either quartz or SiO2/Si by employing the seeding method through chemistry vapor deposition. The nonlinear transmission measurements reveal that monolayer MoS2 possesses a giant nonsaturation TPA coefficient, larger than that of conventional semiconductors. As a result of TPA, two-photon pumped frequency up-converted luminescence is observed directly in the monolayer MoS2. For the multilayer MoS2, the SA response is demonstrated with the ratio of the excited-state absorption cross section to ground-state cross section of 0.18. In addition, the laser damage threshold of the monolayer MoS2 is 97 GW/cm2, larger than that of the multilayer MoS2 of 78 GW/cm2

Optical Limiting and Theoretical Modelling of Layered Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets

Nonlinear optical property of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) nanosheet dispersions, including MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, was performed by using Z-scan technique with ns pulsed laser at 1064 nm and 532 nm. The results demonstrate that the TMDC dispersions exhibit significant optical limiting response at 1064 nm due to nonlinear scattering, in contrast to the combined effect of both saturable absorption and nonlinear scattering at 532 nm. Selenium compounds show better optical limiting performance than that of the sulfides in the near infrared. A liquid dispersion system based theoretical modelling is proposed to estimate the number density of the nanosheet dispersions, the relationship between incident laser fluence and the size of the laser generated micro-bubbles, and hence the Mie scattering-induced broadband optical limiting behavior in the TMDC dispersions

A molecular bowl with barium ion as bottom

A molecular bowl with barium ion covering one portal of decamethylcucurbit[5]uril as a 'metal-ion-bottom' has been synthesized. The structure of the molecular bowl has been confirmed by the single crystal X-ray diffraction determination. It belongs to orthorhombic with space group of Pna2(1). The crystal unit cell parameters are: a=3.2108(6) nm, b=1.4742(3) nm, c=1.151 6(2) run, and V=5.4509(18) nm(3), D-c=1.677 Mg(.)m(3), Z=4, F(000)= 2832, R=0.0551, wR=0.1568

The UK Biobank imaging enhancement of 100,000 participants: rationale, data collection, management and future directions

UK Biobank is a population-based cohort of half a million participants aged 40–69 years recruited between 2006 and 2010. In 2014, UK Biobank started the world’s largest multi-modal imaging study, with the aim of re-inviting 100,000 participants to undergo brain, cardiac and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and carotid ultrasound. The combination of large-scale multi-modal imaging with extensive phenotypic and genetic data offers an unprecedented resource for scientists to conduct health-related research. This article provides an in-depth overview of the imaging enhancement, including the data collected, how it is managed and processed, and future direction

Multi-Echo Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping for Strategically Acquired Gradient Echo (STAGE) Imaging

Purpose: To develop a method to reconstruct quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) from multi-echo, multi-flip angle data collected using strategically acquired gradient echo (STAGE) imaging. Methods: The proposed QSM reconstruction algorithm, referred to as “structurally constrained Susceptibility Weighted Imaging and Mapping” scSWIM, performs an ℓ1 and ℓ2 regularization-based reconstruction in a single step. The unique contrast of the T1 weighted enhanced (T1WE) image derived from STAGE imaging was used to extract reliable geometry constraints to protect the basal ganglia from over-smoothing. The multi-echo multi-flip angle data were used for improving the contrast-to-noise ratio in QSM through a weighted averaging scheme. The measured susceptibility values from scSWIM for both simulated and in vivo data were compared to the: original susceptibility model (for simulated data only), the multi orientation COSMOS (for in vivo data only), truncated k-space division (TKD), iterative susceptibility weighted imaging and mapping (iSWIM), and morphology enabled dipole inversion (MEDI) algorithms. Goodness of fit was quantified by measuring the root mean squared error (RMSE) and structural similarity index (SSIM). Additionally, scSWIM was assessed in ten healthy subjects. Results: The unique contrast and tissue boundaries from T1WE and iSWIM enable the accurate definition of edges of high susceptibility regions. For the simulated brain model without the addition of microbleeds and calcium, the RMSE was best at 5.21ppb for scSWIM and 8.74ppb for MEDI thanks to the reduced streaking artifacts. However, by adding the microbleeds and calcium, MEDI’s performance dropped to 47.53ppb while scSWIM performance remained the same. The SSIM was highest for scSWIM (0.90) and then MEDI (0.80). The deviation from the expected susceptibility in deep gray matter structures for simulated data relative to the model (and for the in vivo data relative to COSMOS) as measured by the slope was lowest for scSWIM + 1%(−1%); MEDI + 2%(−11%) and then iSWIM −5%(−10%). Finally, scSWIM measurements in the basal ganglia of healthy subjects were in agreement with literature. Conclusion: This study shows that using a data fidelity term and structural constraints results in reduced noise and streaking artifacts while preserving structural details. Furthermore, the use of STAGE imaging with multi-echo and multi-flip data helps to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in QSM data and yields less artifacts

Aedes albopictus life table: environment, food, and age dependence survivorship and reproduction in a tropical area.

BackgroundEnvironmental conditions affect the biology of mosquito vectors. Aedes albopictus is a major vector of many important diseases including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya in China. Understanding the development, fecundity, and survivorship of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes in different environmental conditions is beneficial for the implementation of effective vector control measures.MethodsAedes albopictus larval and adult life-table experiments were conducted under natural conditions in indoor, half-shaded, and fully shaded settings, simulating the three major habitat types in Hainan Province, a tropical island in the South China Sea. Temperature, humidity, and light intensity were recorded daily. Larval rearing used habitat water and tap water, with and without additional artificial food. Development time, survivorship, pupation rate, and adult emergence rates were monitored. Adult mosquito survivorship and fecundity were monitored daily and reproductive rates were determined, and age-dependent survivorship and reproduction were analyzed.ResultsThe pupation time and male and female emergence times were significantly shorter in indoor conditions than in shaded and half-shaded conditions for both tap water with added food and habitat water with added food groups. For habitat water with added food, the shaded environment had the lowest pupation rate among the settings. For tap water with added food group, the shaded environment had the lowest pupation rate. The mean survival time of females was 27.3 ± 0.8 days in the indoor condition, which was significantly longer than that in the half-shaded (18.4 ± 0.6 days) and shaded (13.8 ± 1.2 days) conditions. Adult mortality was age-dependent, and the rate of change in mortality with age was not significantly different among different environmental conditions. The mean net replacement rate (R0) of female mosquitoes showed no significant difference among the three conditions, whereas the per capita intrinsic growth rate (r) in the shaded condition was 42.0% and 20.4% higher than that in the indoor and half-shaded conditions, respectively. Female daily egg mass was also age-dependent in all the settings, decaying exponentially with age.ConclusionsOur results imply that half-shaded conditions are likely the best natural condition for adult emergence and female reproduction, and food supply is crucial for larval development and pupation. The results provide new avenues for integrated mosquito management in indoor and outdoor areas, especially in half-shaded areas

Adducts of aqua complexes of Ln3+ with hexahydroxyhexamethylcucurbit[6]uril: potential application in the isolation of heavy lanthanides

The interactions of a series of lanthanide cations (Ln) with hexahydroxyhexamethylcucurbit[6]uril (HHQ[6]) have been investigated. The interaction results in the formation of solid crystals of adducts of HHQ[6] with aqua complexes of lanthanide cations of type ([Ln(HO)]) for Ln = Gd-Lu to yield HHQ[6]-Ln(NO)-CdCl-HO species in neutral solution. Conversely, no solid crystals were obtained for systems containing La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, or Eu. Unit cell determination by X-ray diffraction shows all of these adducts to be isomorphous. Thermodynamic parameters, K, ΔH, and ΔS determined by ITC, show clear differences in the systems involving the six lightest lanthanides compared to those involving the eight heavier lanthanides. Energy-dispersive spectrometry indicated that the lighter or heavier lanthanide cations could be isolated from their heavier or lighter counterparts through interaction with HHQ[6]