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Ideal binding ligands for anchoring proteins are essential for the design and assembly of desirable molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). In this study, bovine serum albumin-MIPs (BSA-MIPs) were successfully prepared by orchestrating the involvement of orientation-controllable binding ligands via sequential thiol-ene click and thiol-ene-amine conjugation. We showed that the optimal thiol-ene-amine conjugates and binding ligands were decisive in determining the rebinding capacity and selectivity. The pyrrolidinyl MIPs exhibited the best adsorption capacity of 352 ± 22 mg/g and a superior imprinting factor of 4.72 among MIPs with various binding ligands. These favourable results were further studied by computational simulation and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Molecular docking revealed the preferential binding free energy and H-bonds between BSA residues and the thiol-ene-amine conjugates. Meanwhile, the pyrrolidinyl ligand motif enabled entropy-favourable affinity to be achieved via hydrophobic effects with the BSA template by ITC thermodynamics. Because of these favourable bindings, the MIPs exhibited excellent adsorption specificity to BSA over competing proteins. The proof-of-concept of MIPs with orientation-controllable conjugates and proven binding ligands for target proteins demonstrates that this material is promising for use with a real biological sample.

In patients with detrusor overactivity with impaired contractility (DOIC), it is difficult to relieve abnormal lower urinary tract symptoms during both storage and voiding using sacral neuromodulation (SNM) with constant frequency stimulation (CFS). We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SNM using variable frequency stimulation (VFS) in patients with DOIC by comparing it with outcomes of SNM with CFS.Between September 2020 and May 2021, we prospectively enrolled 20 patients with DOIC, confirmed on urodynamic examination, and administered SNM with VFS. The patients were followed up and required to maintain voiding diaries and record scale scores of overactive bladder symptoms, psychology and quality of life, uroflowmetry, ultrasonic postvoid residual urine, and adverse events at baseline and during the CFS and VFS phases.The average testing phase was 26.3 ± 4.1 days. Compared with baseline values, overactive bladder symptom, psychologic health questionnaire, and quality of life scores, in addition to voiding frequency, urgency incontinence frequency, daily catheterization volume of voiding diary, and ultrasonic postvoid residual (PVR) decreased significantly during both the CFS and VFS phases (p 0.05). The average voided volume, functional bladder capacity, and maximum urine flow rate significantly increased during the CFS and VFS phases (p 0.05). In the VFS phase, voiding frequency, urgency incontinence frequency, daily catheterization volume of voiding diary, and ultrasonic PVR further decreased (p 0.05), whereas functional bladder capacity, maximum urine flow rate, quality of life score, overactive bladder symptom score, and psychologic health questionnaire score further improved compared with results obtained in the CFS phase (p 0.05). In the VFS phase, the success rate of further improvement of symptoms was 85.0%, and no new complications were noted.SNM that converts CFS into VFS may be an effective treatment option for patients with DOIC, exhibiting no increase in adverse events.

Symmetric quadrupolar molecules generally exhibit apolar ground states and dipolar excited states in a polar environment, which is explained by the excited state evolution from initial charge delocalization over all molecules to localization on one branch of the molecules after a femtosecond pulse excitation. However, direct observation of excited-state charge redistribution (delocalization/localization) is hardly accessible. Here, the intramolecular charge delocalization/localization character of a newly synthesized acceptor-donor-acceptor molecule (ADA) has been intensively investigated by femtosecond stimulated Raman scattering (FSRS) together with femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy. By tracking the excited state Raman spectra of the specific alkynyl (-C≡C-) bonds at each branch of ADA, we found that the nature of the relaxed S1 state is strongly governed by solvent polarity: symmetric delocalized intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characters occurred in apolar solvent, whereas the asymmetric localized ICT characters appeared in polar solvent because of solvation. The solvation dynamics of ADA extracted from fs-TA is consistent with the time constants obtained by FSRS, but the FSRS clearly tracks the excited state intramolecular charge transfer delocalization/localization.

In recent years, ionic liquids (ILs) have received increasing attention because of low vapor pressure, environment friendliness, good thermal and chemical stability and strong solubility. However, the liquid nature and high viscosity restrict their applications in some fields. Encapsulation of ILs is an attractive way to handle them easily. Herein, we proposed a facile method to prepare IL-loaded microcapsules using IL-in-oil emulsion as template, poly(amide-thioether) as surfactant and interfacial thiol–isocyanate click reaction for shell formation. In this system, core materials ILs were proved to be able to catalyze thiol–isocyanate reaction without side products, which significantly simplified the preparation process of microcapsules. The shell of the microcapsules was composed of polythiourethane and poly(amide-thioether), which provided a strong protection for ILs. In addition, compared with IL-in-water emulsion, the application of IL-in-oil emulsion avoided the side reactions of the highly active isocyanate. The IL content of the resulted microcapsules could reach as high as 70 wt.%. It was also demonstrated that the proposed encapsulation technology was suitable for ILs with different polarities. This work provides an efficient way to encapsulate ILs using emulsion template, which will make ILs find widespread applications across various fields.

A novel microcapsule-type thermal latent curing agent with a double-shell structure was successfully fabricated. 1-Benzyl-2-methylimidazole (1B2MZ) was encapsulated by poly(methyl methacrylate-n-butyl acrylate) (PMMA/BA) using the solvent evaporation method, which served as the primary microcapsules (PMCs) to be deposited by polydopamine (PDA). Various glass transition temperatures (Tg, from 116.7 to 57.2 °C) and thermal properties of shell material PMMA/BA were obtained by tuning the mass ratio of BA to MMA monomer. PMMA/BA with 20 wt% of BA ratio was selected as the shell of PMCs for its appropriate Tg (92.33 °C) and relatively good thermal resistance. (Decomposition temperature was 222.83 °C.) The obtained PMCs and the double-shell microcapsules (DMCs) had good spherical shape, and the chemical structure of DMCs was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the core contents of PMCs and DMCs were 11.95 and 11.37%, respectively. After being coated by PDA, the solvent resistances of microcapsules in weak-polar (toluene) and high-polar (dichloromethane, DCM and acetone) solvents were significantly improved. When storing at room temperature for more than 4 months, the mixture of DMCs and the diluted epoxy could be cured at 120 °C for 1 h.

Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) is primarily associated with common cold in children, elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Outbreaks caused by HCoV-NL63 are rare. Here we report a cluster of HCoV-NL63 cases with severe lower respiratory tract infection that arose in Guangzhou, China, in 2018. Twenty-three hospitalized children were confirmed to be HCoV-NL63 positive, and most of whom were hospitalized with severe pneumonia or acute bronchitis. Whole genomes of HCoV-NL63 were obtained using next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic and single amino acid polymorphism analyses showed that this outbreak was associated with two subgenotypes (C3 and B) of HCoV-NL63. Half of patients were identified to be related to a new subgenotype C3. One unique amino acid mutation at I507 L in spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) was detected, which segregated this subgenotype C3 from other known subgenotypes. Pseudotyped virus bearing the I507 L mutation in RBD showed enhanced entry into host cells as compared to the prototype virus. This study proved that HCoV-NL63 was undergoing continuous mutation and has the potential to cause severe lower respiratory disease in humans.

Given the outstanding room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) of Mn–ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and the specific recognition performance of the aptamer, we built phosphorescent composites from aptamers conjugated with polyethyleneimine quantum dots (PEI-QDs) and applied them to cytochrome c (Cyt c) detection. Specifically, QDs/CBA composites were generated from the electrostatic interaction between the positively-charged PEI-QDs and the negatively-charged Cyt c binding aptamer (CBA). With the presence of Cyt c, the Cyt c can specifically bind with the QDs/CBA composites, and quench the RTP of QDs through photoinduced electron-transfer (PIET). Thereby, an optical biosensor for Cyt c detection was built, which had a detection range of 0.166–9.96 μM and a detection limit of 0.084 μM. This aptamer-mediated phosphorescent sensor with high specificity and operational simplicity can effectively avoid the interference of scattering light from complex substrates. Our findings offer a new clue for building biosensors based on QDs and aptamers.

Two bismuth–organic network polymers were synthesized by means of a one-step polycondensation reaction between an aromatic dithiol/trithiol and triphenylbismuth. The materials were characterized by solid-state UV–vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, elemental microanalysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. Uniform dispersion of the hydrophobic and water-insoluble bismuth-containing polymers in aqueous media was achieved by the addition of 2 kDa poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether thiol. This enabled quantitative phantom imaging experiments on a clinical computed tomography (CT) scanner, which showed that the coordination polymers possessed strong CT contrast properties. The observed X-ray attenuation properties of each coordination polymer were correlated with its bismuth payload. The X-ray opacity, thermal and chemical stabilities, and aqueous dispersibility of this novel class of bismuth–organic materials make them potentially useful as biomedical CT contrast agents and radiopaque materials.

Nacre-mimetic strategy provides an enlightening approach to design high-performance bioinspired nanocomposites. Yet, it is still a big challenge to integrate excellent mechanical properties and tunable multifunctionality into artificial nacre materials. Herein, we develop a pioneering strategy to simultaneously modulate the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of nacre-mimetic nanocomposite films by controlling interlay supramolecular interactions. A series of novel waterborne polyurethanes with 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) quadruple hydrogen bonding motifs in the side-chains were elaborately designed and synthesized, and further assembled with Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets to construct lamellar nacre-mimetic nanocomposite films with highly ordered nanostructure. This research revealed for the first time that merely varying the content of UPy groups on polyurethane realize significant modulation of mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and even the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of nacre-mimetic nanocomposites. Strikingly, the tensile strength of the nanocomposites can be improved from 87.91 to 136.96 MPa and the electrical conductivity from 3214.0 to 4136.1 S cm−1 when the UPy content is increased from 0 to 15%. Additionally, the nacre-mimetic nanocomposite film is capable of fast responsive Joule heating performance at low trigger voltage. This work would open up a new avenue for fabricating multifunctional and mechanically robust biomimetic nanocomposites.

In order to obtain high tomato production, chemical fertilizers have been intensively applied in solar greenhouse in Northern China. This unreasonable use of chemical fertilizers always leads to so...

The highly efficient base-catalyzed thiol-epoxy reactions were exploited in dispersion polymerizations as a simple method for the preparation of uniform and cross-linked particles with a tunable size, glass transition temperature (Tg) and network structure. Particles with sizes ranging from 1 μm to 3 μm could be obtained by varying monomer concentration and reaction medium, while the Tgs could be increased from −10 °C to 65 °C by adjusting the monomer functionality and structure. In order to further demonstrate the potential of these particles, the thioether bonds were simply oxidized to sulfoxides and sulfones to increase the Tgs and stiffness of the particles significantly. Moreover, the cross-linked particles proved to be reprocessable to a polymer material when a proper catalyst was incorporated. We believe that this simple and efficient method will become a powerful tool for particle preparation, and paves the way for polymer particle reinforcement and recycling.

A deep-blue-emitting sultam-based hetero[5]helicene was synthesized in four steps, and its crystal structure and physical properties were characterized. The helicene displays more than two-fold crystallization-induced emission enhancement as well as atypical blue-shifting of its solid-state emission relative to the solution phase. This rapid synthesis of an unusual sulfonamide-based helicene fluorophore is expected to generate new molecular design options that will help address the ongoing challenges associated with designing pure-blue emitters for organic optoelectronic and sensing applications.

Given the outstanding room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) of Mn-ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and the specific recognition performance of the aptamer, we built phosphorescent composites from aptamers conjugated with polyethyleneimine quantum dots (PEI-QDs) and applied them to cytochrome

OH radical is the most important oxidant in the atmosphere, and controls the tropospheric concentration of tropospheric trace gases such as CO, SO2, NO2, CH4 and other volatile organic compounds. Accurate measurement of the concentration of OH radical in troposphere is the key to clarifying the formation mechanism of secondary pollution in China. The laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique is widely used in tropospheric OH radical field observation due to its high sensitivity, high selectivity, and small interference. However, the LIF technique is not an absolute measurement technology. In recent years, OH radical measurements and simulations in many field observations show that the improvement of accuracy of calibration is a way to reduce the differences. Currently, the common calibration methods are ozone-alkene method and water photolysis method. Further improving the accuracy of calibration is a key factor to ensure the accurate measurement of OH radicals. In this paper, a portable calibration method of OH radicals based on simultaneous photolysis is introduced. The synthetic air with a certain water vapor concentration is irradiated in laminar flow by 185 nm light of mercury lamp, and the photolysis of water vapor and O2 produce OH, HO2 radicals and O3. The concentration of OH radicals is calculated by oxygen concentration, water vapor concentration, ozone concentration, oxygen absorption cross section and water vapor absorption cross section. The water vapor is measured by a high-precision temperature and humidity probe, and the systematic error of the probe is corrected by 911-0016 ammonia (NH3, H2O) analyzer. As the ozone concentration is only 0.5－1 ppb in the calibration, the commercial ozone analyzer cannot meet the requirement for the measurement. A high-precision ozone analyzer O3-CRDS based on cavity-ring-down spectrocopy is built to achieve the detection limit of 15 ppt (1σ). Using the O3-CRDS analyzer, the concentration distribution coefficient of ozone in laminar flow along the radial direction of the flow tube (P = 1.9) is measured. Because the absorption cross section of oxygen at 185 nm is seriously affected by oxygen column concentration and the characteristics of mercury lamp, the oxygen absorption cross section is remeasured based on Lambert’s law, which is \begin{document}$ \sigma_{\rm O_2} $\end{document} = (1.25 ± 0.08)×10–20 cm2. The portable calibration device is established by establishing the corresponding relationship between ozone concentration and light intensity. By changing the concentration of water vapor in the flow tube, the OH radicals with concentrations in a range of 3×108－2.8×109 cm–3 are produced, which are used to calibrate the atmospheric OH radical measurement instrument based on LIF technique. The fluorescence signal has a good correlation with the concentration of OH. The calibration device of OH radical is used to calibrate the LIF system during “a comprehensive study of the ozone formation mechanism in Shenzhen” (STORM) field observation in Autumn 2018. The calibration results under the field condition show that the calibration uncertainty of the calibration device for LIF instrument is 13.0%, which has good stability and accuracy.

A series of first-generation pentafluorosulfanyl-substituted chromophores with high two-photon cross-sections is described. The pentafluorosulfanyl functional group is a very intriguing moiety that possesses not only a strong inductive effect due to its high electronegativity but also a sizable resonance acceptor constant due to negative hyperconjugation involving the sulfur(VI) center. This negative hyperconjugation effect imparts cationic character to the sulfurs, a feature that we exploit in the design of potent two-photon-absorbing systems where the pentafluorosulfanyl groups serve as strong terminal acceptors. Herein, we report five multibranched triarylamine-based dyes with two-photon absorption cross-sections ranging from 1100–2200 GM. This demonstrates for the first time that when coupled to a suitable donor, pentafluorosulfanyl acceptors are a viable molecular handle for designing large cross-sections in relatively small metal-free π-conjugated systems.

A greenhouse pot test was conducted to study the impacts of replacing mineral fertilizer with organic fertilizers for one full growing period on soil fertility, tomato yield and quality using soils with different tomato planting history. Four types of fertilization regimes were compared: (1) conventional fertilizer with urea, (2) chicken manure compost, (3) vermicompost, and (4) no fertilizer. The effects on plant growth, yield and fruit quality and soil properties (including microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, [Formula: see text]-N, [Formula: see text]-N, soil water-soluble organic carbon, soil pH and electrical conductivity) were investigated in samples collected from the experimental soils at different tomato growth stages. The main results showed that: (1) vermicompost and chicken manure compost more effectively promoted plant growth, including stem diameter and plant height compared with other fertilizer treatments, in all three types of soil; (2) vermicompost improved fruit quality in each type of soil, and increased the sugar/acid ratio, and decreased nitrate concentration in fresh fruit compared with the CK treatment; (3) vermicompost led to greater improvements in fruit yield (74%), vitamin C (47%), and soluble sugar (71%) in soils with no tomato planting history compared with those in soils with long tomato planting history; and (4) vermicompost led to greater improvements in soil quality than chicken manure compost, including higher pH (averaged 7.37 vs. averaged 7.23) and lower soil electrical conductivity (averaged 204.1 vs. averaged 234.6 μS/cm) at the end of experiment in each type of soil. We conclude that vermicompost can be recommended as a fertilizer to improve tomato fruit quality and yield and soil quality, particularly for soils with no tomato planting history.

A new class of push–pull fluorophores featuring the pentafluorosulfanyl (SF5) group as a potent acceptor has been synthesized. Known for its excellent chemical and thermal stability, the unique SF5 functionality is also strongly electron-withdrawing but at the same time highly lipophilic. We report six new fluorescent dyes, which were characterized by UV–vis/fluorescence spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. Notable dye properties include large Stokes shifts (>100 nm), pronounced solvatofluorochromic effects arising from intramolecular charge transfer, moderate fluorescence quantum yields in both solutions and thin films, and extensive supramolecular C–H···F interactions in their crystalline states. Reversible mechanofluorochromism was also observed in dye 5, where grinding and fuming of a solid sample gave blue- and red-shifted emissions, respectively. Postfunctionalization of dye 3 to afford a pair of strong visible-light absorbers was also demonstrated.

We consider the joint sparsity Model 1 (JSM-1) in a decentralized scenario, where a number of sensors are connected through a network and there is no fusion center. A novel algorithm, named distributed compact sensing matrix pursuit (DCSMP), is proposed to exploit the computational and communication capabilities of the sensor nodes. In contrast to the conventional distributed compressed sensing algorithms adopting a random sensing matrix, the proposed algorithm focuses on the deterministic sensing matrices built directly on the real acquisition systems. The proposed DCSMP algorithm can be divided into two independent parts, the common and innovation support set estimation processes. The goal of the common support set estimation process is to obtain an estimated common support set by fusing the candidate support set information from an individual node and its neighboring nodes. In the following innovation support set estimation process, the measurement vector is projected into a subspace that is perpendicular to the subspace spanned by the columns indexed by the estimated common support set, to remove the impact of the estimated common support set. We can then search the innovation support set using an orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm based on the projected measurement vector and projected sensing matrix. In the proposed DCSMP algorithm, the process of estimating the common component/support set is decoupled with that of estimating the innovation component/support set. Thus, the inaccurately estimated common support set will have no impact on estimating the innovation support set. It is proven that under the condition the estimated common support set contains the true common support set, the proposed algorithm can find the true innovation set correctly. Moreover, since the innovation support set estimation process is independent of the common support set estimation process, there is no requirement for the cardinality of both sets; thus, the proposed DCSMP algorithm is capable of tackling the unknown sparsity problem successfully.

High temperature and high light intensity is a common environment posing a great risk to organisms. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of sub-high temperature and high light intensity stress (HH, 35°C, 1000 μmol⋅m-2⋅s-1) and recovery on the photosynthetic mechanism, photoinhibiton of photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI), and reactive oxygen (ROS) metabolism of tomato seedlings. The results showed that with prolonged stress time, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), Rubisco activity, maximal photochemistry efficiency (Fv/Fm), efficient quantum yield and electron transport of PSII [Y(II) and ETR(II)] and PSI [Y(I) and ETR(I)] decreased significantly whereas yield of non-regulated and regulated energy dissipation of PSII [Y(NO) and Y(NPQ)] increased sharply. The donor side limitation of PSI [Y(ND)] increased but the acceptor side limitation of PSI [Y(NA)] decreased. Content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were increased while activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were significantly inhibited compared with control. HH exposure affected photosynthetic carbon assimilation, multiple sites in PSII and PSI, ROS accumulation and elimination of Solanum lycopersicum L.

Upper tract urothelial carcinomas in the proximal ureter are an uncommon disease. We present a case in which it was firstly detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization and not by endoscopy and radiologic imaging. Consequently, a radical nephroureterectomy with excision of the bladder cuff was performed as the gold standard treatment.

Soil microbial abundance and diversity change constantly in continuous cropping systems, resulting in the prevalence of soil-borne pathogens and a decline in crop yield in solar greenhouses. To investigate the effects of rice straw and biochar on soil microbial abundance and diversity in soils with a history of continuous planting, three treatments were examined: mixed rice straw and biochar addition (RC), rice straw addition (R), and biochar addition (C). The amount of C added in each treatment group was 3.78 g kg−1 soil. Soil without rice straw and biochar addition was treated as a control (CK). Results showed that RC treatment significantly increased soil pH, available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and potassium (AK) by 40.3%, 157.2%, and 24.2%, respectively, as compared to the CK soil. The amount of soil labile organic carbon (LOC), including readily oxidizable organic carbon (ROC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), was significantly greater in the RC, R, and C treatment groups as compared to CK soil. LOC levels with RC treatment were higher than with the other treatments. Both rice straw and biochar addition significantly increased bacterial and total microbial abundance, whereas rice straw but not biochar addition improved soil microbial carbon metabolism and diversity. Thus, the significant effects of rice straw and biochar on soil microbial carbon metabolism and diversity were attributed to the quantity of DOC in the treatments. Therefore, our results indicated that soil microbial diversity is directly associated with DOC. Based on the results of this study, mixed rice straw and biochar addition, rather than their application individually, might be key to restoring degraded soil.

Soil-related obstacles resulting from continuous monoculture have limited the sustainable development of the tomato industry in China. An experiment on tomatoes with seven continuous monoculture treatments (the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th crops, respectively) was conducted in a solar greenhouse, to investigate the influence of monoculture on soil quality. Most soil quality indicators first increased and then decreased with increasing continuous monoculture crops, and significant differences among crops were observed. Indicators at the 13th crop were significantly lower than those at the other crops in terms of average well color development (AWCD), substrate richness (S), the Shannon diversity index (H), and the McIntosh index (U) of the soil microbial community (SMC), soil urease (UR), and neutral phosphatase (N-PHO) activities, and available nitrogen (AN) and potassium (AK). However, fungal abundance (FUN) at the 13th crop was significantly higher than that at the other crops. As principal component analysis (PCA) revealed, SMC functional diversity at the 1st, 11th, and 13th crops were similar, and were obviously distinguished from those at the other crops. Moreover, the tomato yield was significantly and positively correlated with soil-available potassium and SMC functional diversity indexes. Our findings indicated that short-term continuous monoculture, e.g., for fewer than seven or nine crops, was beneficial for soil quality improvement. However, continuous monoculture for greater than 11 crops had adverse effects on soil enzyme activities, soil microbial abundances, soil chemical properties, soil SMC functional diversity, and the tomato yield, particularly at the 13th crop.

The effect of exogenous CaCl2 on photosystem I and II (PSI and PSII) activities, cyclic electron flow (CEF), and proton motive force of tomato leaves under low night temperature (LNT) was investigated. LNT stress decreased the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), effective quantum yield of PSII [Y(II)], and photochemical quenching (qP), whereas CaCl2 pretreatment improved Pn, Y(II), and qP under LNT stress. LNT stress significantly increased the non-regulatory quantum yield of energy dissipation [Y(NO)], whereas CaCl2 alleviated this increase. Exogenous Ca2+ enhanced stimulation of CEF by LNT stress. Inhibition of oxidized PQ pools caused by LNT stress was alleviated by CaCl2 pretreatment. LNT stress reduced zeaxanthin formation and ATPase activity, but CaCl2 pretreatment reversed both of these effects. LNT stress caused excess formation of a proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane, whereas CaCl2 pretreatment decreased the said factor under LNT. Thus, our results showed that photoinhibition of LNT-stressed plants could be alleviated by CaCl2 pretreatment. Our findings further revealed that this alleviation was mediated in part by improvements in carbon fixation capacity, PQ pools, linear and cyclic electron transports, xanthophyll cycles, and ATPase activity.

This paper presents an information potential method for integrated path planning and control. The method is applicable to unicycle robotic sensors deployed to classify multiple targets in an obstacle-populated environment. A new navigation function, referred to as information potential, is generated from the target conditional mutual information, and used to design a closed-loop stable switched control law. The information potential is shown to obey the properties of potential navigation functions and to enable measurements that maximize the information value over time. The information potential is also used to construct a local roadmap for escaping local minima. The properties and computational complexity of the local roadmap algorithm are analyzed. Numerical simulation results show that the method outperforms other strategies, such as rapidly exploring random trees and classical potential field methods. © 2014 IEEE.

This paper investigates the comparative performance of several information-driven search strategies and decision rules using a canonical target classification problem. Five sensor models are considered: one obtained from classical estimation theory and four obtained from Bernoulli, Poisson, binomial, and mixture-of-binomial distributions. A systematic approach is presented for deriving information functions that represent the expected utility of future sensor measurements from mutual information, Renyi divergence, Kullback-Leibler divergence, information potential, quadratic entropy, and the Cauchy-Schwarz distance. The resulting information-driven strategies are compared to direct-search, alert-confirm, task-driven (TS), and log-likelihood-ratio (LLR) search strategies. Extensive numerical simulations show that quadratic entropy typically leads to the most effective search strategy with respect to correct-classification rates. In the presence of prior information, the quadratic-entropy-driven strategy also displays the lowest rate of false alarms. However, when prior information is absent or very noisy, TS and LLR strategies achieve the lowest false-alarm rates for the Bernoulli, mixture-of-binomial, and classical sensor models.

The quality of service of a network performing cooperative track detection is represented by the probability of obtaining multiple elementary detections over time along a target track. Recently, two different lines of research, namely, distributed-search theory and geometric transversals, have been used in the literature for deriving the probability of track detection as a function of random and deterministic sensors' positions, respectively. In this paper, we prove that these two approaches are equivalent under the same problem formulation. Also, we present a new performance function that is derived by extending the geometric-transversal approach to the case of random sensors' positions using Poisson flats. As a result, a unified approach for addressing track detection in both deterministic and probabilistic sensor networks is obtained. The new performance function is validated through numerical simulations and is shown to bring about considerable computational savings for both deterministic and probabilistic sensor networks.