Applications of Degradable Hydrogels in Novel Approaches to Disease Treatment and New Modes of Drug Delivery

Hydrogels are particularly suitable materials for loading drug delivery agents; their high water content provides a biocompatible environment for most biomolecules, and their cross-linked nature protects the loaded agents from damage. During delivery, the delivered substance usually needs to be released gradually over time, which can be achieved by degradable cross-linked chains. In recent years, biodegradable hydrogels have become a promising technology in new methods of disease treatment and drug delivery methods due to their many advantageous properties. This review briefly discusses the degradation mechanisms of different types of biodegradable hydrogel systems and introduces the specific applications of degradable hydrogels in several new methods of disease treatment and drug delivery methods

Providing trusted data for industrial wireless sensor networks

Abstract The deployment of wireless sensor networks, or WSNs, in industrial domains has attracted much attention over the past few years. An increasing number of applications have been developed such as for condition monitoring in the railway industry. Nevertheless, compared with traditional WSNs, the industrial environment is harsher, noisier, and more complex, which poses a higher requirement for the network security especially in terms of data trustiness and which further deters WSN practical integration in industrial applications. The main contribution of this research is to partially address the security issues by means of providing trusted data for industrial WSNs. To this end, a negative binomial distribution-based trust scheme combined with the D–S belief theory and a noise filter method is proposed and designed for industrial WSNs. In this paper, we first discuss the trust theory in WSNs and the disadvantages of traditional trust schemes for industrial applications, then analyze and evaluate the proposed method, and finally compare the performance of our method with some classic trust schemes. Through simulation tests about temperature readings of a factory workshop, it shows that the proposed method can improve the data trustiness, reliability, and robustness in the trust evaluation process under industrial environments and ensure the security of the network

Flat electronic band structure and anisotropic optical, mechanical, and thermoelectric properties of two-dimensional fullerene networks

Nanoclusters like fullerenes as the unit to build intriguing two-dimensional topological structures is of great challenge. Here we propose three bridged fullerene monolayers and comprehensively investigate the novel fullerene monolayer as synthesized experimentally Zheng et al.,[Nature 606, 507-510 (2022)] by state of the art first principles calculations. Our results show that alpha-C60-2D has a direct bandgap of 1.49 eV owing to a flat conduction band bottom close to the experimental value, the optical linear dichroism with strong absorption in long-wave ultraviolet region, a small anisotropic Youngs modulus, the large hole mobility, and the ultrahigh Seebeck coefficient at middle low temperatures. Moreover, Li ions are found to migrate easily along the X path in alpha-C60-2D. It is unveiled that the anisotropic optical, mechanical, electrical, and thermoelectric properties of alpha-C60-2D originate from the asymmetric bridging arrangements between C60 clusters. Our study promises potential applications of monolayer fullerene networks in diverse fields

Time bound of atomic adiabatic evolution in the accelerated optical lattice

The accelerated optical lattice has emerged as a valuable technique for the investigation of quantum transport physics and has found widespread application in quantum sensing, including atomic gravimeters and atomic gyroscopes. In our study, we focus on the adiabatic evolution of ultra-cold atoms within an accelerated optical lattice. Specifically, we derive a time bound that delimits the duration of atomic adiabatic evolution in the oscillating system under consideration. To experimentally substantiate the theoretical predictions, precise measurements to instantaneous band populations were conducted within a one-dimensional accelerated optical lattice, encompassing systematic variations in both lattice's depths and accelerations. The obtained experimental results demonstrate a quantitatively consistent correspondence with the anticipated theoretical expressions. Afterwards, the atomic velocity distributions are also measured to compare with the time bound. This research offers a quantitative framework for the selection of parameters that ensure atom trapped throughout the acceleration process. Moreover, it contributes an experimental criterion by which to assess the adequacy of adiabatic conditions in an oscillating system, thereby augmenting the current understanding of these systems from a theoretical perspective

Atomic Ramsey interferometry with S- and D-band in a triangular optical lattice

Ramsey interferometers have wide applications in science and engineering. Compared with the traditional interferometer based on internal states, the interferometer with external quantum states has advantages in some applications for quantum simulation and precision measurement. Here, we develop a Ramsey interferometry with Bloch states in S- and D-band of a triangular optical lattice for the first time. The key to realizing this interferometer in two-dimensionally coupled lattice is that we use the shortcut method to construct $\pi/2$ pulse. We observe clear Ramsey fringes and analyze the decoherence mechanism of fringes. Further, we design an echo $\pi$ pulse between S- and D-band, which significantly improves the coherence time. This Ramsey interferometer in the dimensionally coupled lattice has potential applications in the quantum simulations of topological physics, frustrated effects, and motional qubits manipulation

Biaxial strain modulated electronic structures of layered two-dimensional MoSiGeN4 Rashba systems

The two-dimensional (2D) MA2Z4 family has received extensive attention in manipulating its electronic structure and achieving intriguing physical properties. However, engineering the electronic properties remains a challenge. Herein, based on first-principles calculations, we systematically investigate the effect of biaxial strains on the electronic structures of 2D Rashba MoSiGeN4 (MSGN), and further explore how the interlayer interactions affect the Rashba spin splitting in such strained layered MSGNs. After applying biaxial strains, the band gap decreases monotonically with increasing tensile strains but increases when the compressive strains are applied. An indirect-direct-indirect band gap transition is induced by applying a moderate compressive strain (< 5%) in the MSGNs. Due to the symmetry breaking and moderate spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the monolayer MSGN possess an isolated Rashba spin splitting (R) near the Fermi level, which could be effectively regulated to the Lifshitz transition (L) by biaxial strain. For instance, a L-R-L transformation of Fermi surface is presented in monolayer and a more complex and changeable L-R-L-R evolution is observed in bilayer and trilayer MSGNs as the biaxial strain vary from -8% to 12%, which actually depend on the appearance, variation, and vanish of the Mexican hat band in the absence of SOC under different strains. The contribution of Mo-dz2 orbital hybridized with N-pz orbital in the highest valence band plays a dominant role on the band evolution under biaxial strains, where the R-L evolution corresponds to the decreased Mo-dz2 orbital contribution. Our study highlights the biaxial strain controllable Rashba spin splitting, in particular the introduction and even the evolution of Lifshitz transition near Fermi surface, which makes the strained MSGNs as promising candidates for future applications in spintronic devices.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, supplementary informatio

Design of an endoscopic OCT probe based on piezoelectric tube with quartered outside electrodes

Introduction: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a pivotal imaging modality in ophthalmology for real-time, in vivo visualization of retinal structures. To enhance the capability and safety of OCT, this study focuses on the development of a micro intraocular OCT probe. The demand for minimal invasiveness and precise imaging drives the need for advanced probe designs that can access tight and sensitive areas, such as the ocular sclera.Methods: A novel OCT probe was engineered using a piezoelectric tube with quartered electrodes to drive Lissajous scanning movements at the end of a single-mode fiber. This design allows the probe to enter the eyeball through a scleral opening. Structural innovation enables the outer diameter of the endoscopic OCT probe to be adjusted from 13G (2.41 mm) to 25G (0.51 mm), accommodating various imaging field sizes and ensuring compatibility with different scleral incisions.Results: The fabricated micro intraocular OCT probe successfully performed preliminary imaging experiments on in vivo fingers. The Lissajous scanning facilitated comprehensive coverage of the target area, enhancing the imaging capabilities.Discussion: The integration of a piezoelectric tube with quartered outside electrodes into the OCT probe design proved effective for achieving precise control over scanning movements and adaptability to different surgical needs. The design characteristics and practical applications demonstrated the probe’s potential in clinical settings