Large‐area integrated triboelectric sensor array for wireless static and dynamic pressure detection and mapping

Large-area flexible pressure sensors are of paramount importance for various future applications, such as electronic skin, human-machine interfacing, and health-monitoring devices. Here, we report a self-powered and large-area integrated triboelectric sensor array (ITSA) based on coupling a triboelectric sensor array (TSA) and an array chip of CD4066 through a traditional connection way. Enabled by a simple and cost-effective fabrication process, the size of the ITSA can be scaled up to 38 × 38 cm2. In addition, unlike the proposed triboelectric sensors array before which can only react to the dynamic interaction, this ITSA is able to detect static and dynamic pressure. Moreover, through integrating the ITSA with a signal processing circuit, a complete wireless sensing system is present. Diverse applications of the system are demonstrated in details, including detecting pressure, identifying position, tracking trajectory and recognizing the profile of external contact objects. Thus, the ITSA in this work opens a new route in the direction of large-area, self-powered, and wireless triboelectric sensing system

Study on the Vibration and Sound Radiation Performance of Micro-Perforated Laminated Cylindrical Shells

In response to the problem of vibration and noise reduction in equipment with cylindrical shell structures, this paper focuses on the micro-perforated laminated cylindrical shell structure and establishes its finite element model. Through comparative analysis with experimental results, the reliability of the finite element modeling method is verified. Based on this, the paper places particular emphasis on the vibration and acoustic radiation performance of the structure in the 1–1000 Hz frequency range under free conditions to understand the impact of different laminated shell structures, micro-perforation parameters (porosity, aperture), sound-absorbing foam materials, and placement methods. The results indicate that micro-perforated structures can efficiently reduce the structural radiated sound power level at specific frequencies, but the overall reduction in radiated sound power level is not significant. Various types of foam are effective in reducing the structural radiation acoustic power level, with polyurethane performing best among them. Changing the location of foam placement has a relatively insignificant impact on the structural radiation acoustic power level.© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Folate-receptor-targeted co-self-assembly carrier-free gemcitabine nanoparticles loading indocyanine green for chemo-photothermal therapy

The carrier-free chemo-photothermal therapy has become a promising strategy to improve anti-cancer therapeutic efficacy owing to the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy, with improved chemotherapy drug pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, high drug loading, and reduced toxicity. We designed a novel carrier-free targeting nanoparticles, co-self-assembled amphiphilic prodrugs 3′,5′-dioleoyl gemcitabine (DOG), and tumor-targeted γ-octadecyl folate (MOFA), with encapsulated US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy. The DOG linking oleic acid to the sugar moiety of gemcitabine (GEM) showed better self-assembly ability among GEM amphiphilic prodrugs linking different fatty acids. The readily available and highly reproducible 3′,5′-dioleoyl gemcitabine/γ-octadecyl folate/indocyanine green (DOG/MOFA/ICG) nanoparticles were prepared by reprecipitation and showed nano-scale structure with mono-dispersity, great encapsulation efficiency of ICG (approximately 74%), acid- and laser irradiation-triggered GEM release in vitro and sustained GEM release in vivo after intravenous administration as well as excellent temperature conversion (57.0°C) with near-infrared laser irradiation. The combinational DOG/MOFA/ICG nanoparticles with near-infrared laser irradiation showed better anti-tumor efficacy than individual chemotherapy or photothermal therapy, with very low hemolysis and inappreciable toxicity for L929 cells. This co-self-assembly of the ICG and the chemotherapy drug (GEM) provides a novel tactic for the rational design of multifunctional nanosystems for targeting drug delivery and theranostics

Gas-liquid flow regimes identification using non-intrusive Doppler ultrasonic sensor and convolutional recurrent neural networks in an S-shaped riser

The problem of gas-liquid (two-phase) flow regime identification in an S-shaped riser using an ultrasonic sensor and convolutional recurrent neural networks (CRNN) is addressed. This research systematically evaluates three different schemes with four CRNN-based classifiers over fourteen experiments. Four metrics are used as the evaluation criteria: categorical accuracy, categorical cross-entropy, mean square error (MSE), and computation graph complexity. Compared with existing results, a compatible performance is achieved while considerably reducing the model complexity. The testing and validation accuracies were 98.13% and 98.06%, while the complexity decreased by 98.4% (only 117,702 parameters). The proposed approach is i) accurate, low complexity, and non-intrusive and hence suitable for industry, and ii) could provide a benchmark for flow regime identification

A 42-Markers Pharmacokinetic Study Reveals Interactions of Berberine and Glycyrrhizic Acid in the Anti-diabetic Chinese Medicine Formula Gegen-Qinlian Decoction

Herbal medicines are commonly used as compound formulas in clinical practice to achieve optimal therapeutic effects. However, the combination mechanisms usually lack solid evidence. In this study, we report synergistic interactions through altering pharmacokinetics in Gegen-Qinlian Decoction (GQD), an anti-diabetic Chinese medicine formula. A multi-component pharmacokinetic study of GQD and the single herbs was conducted by simultaneously monitoring 42 major bioactive compounds (markers) in rats plasma using LC/MS/MS within 30 min. GQD could remarkably improve the plasma concentrations of berberine (BER) and other alkaloids in Huang-Lian by at least 30%, and glycyrrhizic acid (GLY) from Gan-Cao played a major role. A Caco-2 cell monolayer test indicated that GLY improved the permeability of BER by inhibiting P-glycoprotein. Although GLY alone did not show observable effects, the co-administration of GLY (ig, 50 or 80 mg/kg) could improve the anti-diabetic effects of berberine (ig, 50 mg/kg) in db/db mice in a dose-dependent manner. The blood glucose decreased by 46.9%, whereas the insulin level increased by 40.8% compared to the control group. This is one of the most systematic studies on the pharmacokinetics of Chinese medicine formulas, and the results demonstrate the significance of pharmacokinetic study in elucidating the combination mechanisms of compound formulas

Semantic terrain segmentation in the navigation vision of planetary rovers – a systematic literature review

Background: The planetary rover is an essential platform for planetary exploration. Visual semantic segmentation is significant in the localization, perception, and path planning of the rover autonomy. Recent advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence brought about new opportunities. A systematic literature review (SLR) can help analyze existing solutions, discover available data, and identify potential gaps. Methods: A rigorous SLR has been conducted, and papers are selected from three databases (IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Scopus) from the start of records to May 2022. The 320 candidate studies were found by searching with keywords and bool operators, and they address the semantic terrain segmentation in the navigation vision of planetary rovers. Finally, after four rounds of screening, 30 papers were included with robust inclusion and exclusion criteria as well as quality assessment. Results: 30 studies were included for the review, and sub-research areas include navigation (16 studies), geological analysis (7 studies), exploration efficiency (10 studies), and others (3 studies) (overlaps exist). Five distributions are extendedly depicted (time, study type, geographical location, publisher, and experimental setting), which analyzes the included study from the view of community interests, development status, and reimplementation ability. One key research question and six sub-research questions are discussed to evaluate the current achievements and future gaps. Conclusions: Many promising achievements in accuracy, available data, and real-time performance have been promoted by computer vision and artificial intelligence. However, a solution that satisfies pixel-level segmentation, real-time inference time, and onboard hardware does not exist, and an open, pixel-level annotated, and the real-world data-based dataset is not found. As planetary exploration projects progress worldwide, more promising studies will be proposed, and deep learning will bring more opportunities and contributions to future studies. Contributions: This SLR identifies future gaps and challenges by proposing a methodical, replicable, and transparent survey, which is the first review (also the first SLR) for semantic terrain segmentation in the navigation vision of planetary rovers

Hippocampal Synaptic and Neural Network Deficits in Young Mice Carrying the Human APOE4 Gene

Introduction: Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) is a major genetic risk factor for late-onset sporadic Alzheimer disease. Emerging evidence demonstrates a hippocampus-associated learning and memory deficit in aged APOE4 human carriers and also in aged mice carrying human APOE4 gene. This suggests that either exogenous APOE4 or endogenous APOE4 alters the cognitive profile and hippocampal structure and function. However, little is known regarding how Apoe4 modulates hippocampal dendritic morphology, synaptic function, and neural network activity in young mice. Aim: In this study, we compared hippocampal dendritic and spine morphology and synaptic function of young (4 months) mice with transgenic expression of the human APOE4 and APOE3 genes. Methods: Hippocampal dendritic and spine morphology and synaptic function were assessed by neuronal imaging and electrophysiological approaches. Results: Morphology results showed that shortened dendritic length and reduced spine density occurred at hippocampal CA1 neurons in Apoe4 mice compared to Apoe3 mice. Electrophysiological results demonstrated that in the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses of young Apoe4 mice, basic synaptic transmission, and paired-pulse facilitation were enhanced but long-term potentiation and carbachol-induced hippocampal theta oscillations were impaired compared to young Apoe3 mice. However, both Apoe genotypes responded similarly to persistent stimulations (4, 10, and 40 Hz for 4 seconds). Conclusion: Our results suggest significant alterations in hippocampal dendritic structure and synaptic function in Apoe4 mice, even at an early age