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The Anthropocene proposal suggested that the Earth may have entered a new geological epoch, in which human activity and climate change are influencing the environment at global scale. Arrival of the Anthropocene is bringing an unprecedented challenge to the biodiversity that is essential to humans, and enhancing many benefits of nature to human being. However, biodiversity loss is aggravating in the rhythm of inevitable change in the Anthropocene, and the adaptation of biodiversity to the anthropogenic disturbance seems unable to keep pace with the human activity and climate change. Therefore, re-examination of the assumptions and practices upon the current conservation endeavor are needed. We suggested that biodiversity conservation should be paid more attention to the response from biodiversity to the human activity and climate change in the Anthropocene. Thus, the concept of biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene is proposed, that is, biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene are the areas where vulnerable biodiversity is sheltered to alleviate human activity and buffered from climate change under the anthropogenic disturbance. The concept should be implemented for biodiversity conservation to fill gaps between our knowledge and build on successful conservation and sustainability in the Anthropocene. It will be certainly important to conservation policy instruction and management under climate change, especially the implementation of climate buffering zones preserving biodiversity in the face of warming climate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to present our experience in the management of ruptured intracranial aneurysms associated with moyamoya disease (MMD), and to discuss their treatment strategies and the timing of revascularization surgery.Patients and methods: Thirteen patients who had ruptured intracranial aneurysms associated with MMD were enrolled in this study. Different treatment strategies were adopted based on the location of the aneurysms. Their clinical and radiologic features, treatment selection and outcomes were retrospectively reviewed.Results: Among the five patients with major artery aneurysms in anterior circulation, three were embolized and two clipped. Among the five patients with major artery aneurysms in posterior circulation, three were treated by endovascular coiling. Among the three peripheral aneurysms, one was treated by endovascular embolization, one by aneurysmectomy, and the other one by revascularization alone. For the patients whose aneurysms were treated by endovascular embolization or surgery, a staged revascularization was performed on day 28 to day 87 after the first operation. For the two patients with aneurysms untreated directly, the timing of revascularization was 20 days and 54 days after hemorrhage, respectively. During the follow-up recurrent intracranial hemorrhage occurred in a patient, but not caused by the previous aneurysm. No other patients suffered recurrent intracranial hemorrhage or ischemic stroke. Complete occlusion was achieved in all the 11 aneurysms that had been clipped or embolized. Of the remaining three aneurysms that had not been directly treated, one disappeared spontaneously, whereas the other two remained stable. The direct and indirect bypasses were confirmed patent in the 11 patients who had undergone revascularization.Conclusion: Our current treatment strategies and timing of revascularization may provide a benefit for the patients with MMD accompanied by ruptured intracranial aneurysms.

In an earlier study micro-LED micro display (

The novel methods for rapid detection and discrimination of aroma have gained huge attentions not only because of the growing demands for food safety supervision, but also due to their high potentials in monitoring and regulating fermentation process in food production. In this work, a prototype of electronic nose was developed by eight metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors which were fabricated based on two different types of CuO heterojunction, namely ZnO-CuO (n-p) and NiO-CuO (p-p). The sensing performance of as-fabricated electronic nose towards 7 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) gases samples and 4 real samples of Chinese Jing Wine was conducted. The responses were analyzed with standard statistical methods, e.g., hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), and were distinguished accurately against one another with no errors or misclassifications.

Protein-based therapies hold great promise for treating many diseases. Nevertheless, the challenges of producing therapies with targeted attributes via standardized processes may hinder the development of protein formulations and clinical translation of the advanced therapies. Microfluidics represents a promising technology to develop protein formulations with pre-programmed functional characteristics, including size, morphology, and controlled drug release property. In this review, we discuss some examples of adopting microfluidics for fabricating particle- and fiber/tube-based formulations and highlight the advantages of microfluidics-assisted fabrication.

Development of portable, sensitive and reliable devices for Ochratoxin A (OTA) detection is highly demanded, especially for resource-limited regions. Herein, a novel paper-based analytical device (PAD) is designed through wax printing and screen-printed technologies, which integrates sample flowing, electrode modification, cleaning and electrochemical (EC)/colorimetric signal output. To greatly enhance the detection sensitivity, we synthesized a chitosan functionalized MoS2–Au@Pt (Ch-MoS2-Au@Pt) via electrostatic self-assembly, and used it to immobilize the label aptamer (apta2) for signal regulation and amplification. Concretely, with the addition of analytes, the Ch-MoS2-Au@Pt-apta2 could be combined on the sensing interface by specific biorecognition and catalyzed reduction of H2O2, resulting in a remarkable EC response. Meanwhile, the released hydroxyl radicals (·OH) flowed to the visualization zone and promoted the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine for colorimetric detection. Consequently, the dual-mode PAD achieved acceptable prediction and accurate analysis in the range of 0.1–200 ng mL−1 and 1 × 10−4-200 ng mL−1 by matching the visual and EC signal intensity, respectively. Compared with traditional single-mode sensor for OTA, the proposed dual-mode aptasensor featuring independent signal conversion and readout, not only avoided the false-positive signal associated with detection condition and operation, but also enlarged the detection ranges and improved the sensitivity. Furthermore, the consistency of EC/colorimetric assay was validated in real OTA samples. Overall, this work provided a portable, cost-effective, sensitive and visualized aptasensor platform, which could be extended to various other mycotoxins in the field of food safety.

Objective To explore the surgical efficacy of microvascular decompression(MVD) when the recent magnetic resonance tomography angiography(MRA) is unable to determine the relationship between blood vessels and nerves in patients with trigeminal neuralgia(TN). Materials and methods The MRI images of 146 patients with TN who underwent MVD from January 2016 to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The relationship between nerves and vessels was categorized as no contact, suspicious contact, and clear contact. Suspicious contact and clear contact were both defined as positive neurovascular relationship, whereas no contact was defined as negative neurovascular relationship. The efficacy of MVD in positive and negative groups was compared. Results 1. A total of 146 TN patients underwent MVD. Intraoperative examination revealed that out of 146, 143 patients exhibited contacts, including 110 cases with arterial contact, 22 cases with combined arterial and venous contact, and 11 cases with venous contact. Considering the surgical result as a gold standard, the sensitivity of three-dimensional time leap angiography (3D-TOF-MRA) in assessing vascular compression in TN was 74.0 %; and the sensitivity of three-dimensional steady-state precession rapid imaging sequence (3D-FIESTA) in determining vascular compression was 82.2 %. Out of a total of 17 cases demonstrating negative neurovascular relationship by 3D-TOF-MRA together with 3D-FIESTA, 14 cases were found to have vascular contact during the surgery, and the sensitivity was determined to be 88.4 %. 2.Among the 38 patients with a negative neurovascular relationship demonstrated by 3D-TOF, postoperative efficacy was noted as a cure: 30 cases, improved: 5 cases, no effect: 3 cases. 3D-FIESTA showed 26 cases of negative neurovascular relationship, among them, cured: 20 cases, improved: 3 cases, no effect: 3 cases. A total of 17 patients with negative neurovascular relationships were established by 3D-TOF-MRA together with 3D-FIESTA, and the postoperative effects were found to be cure: 13 cases, improvement: 2 cases, and no effect: 2 cases. There was no statistically significant difference between the negative group and the positive group (x2 test; p > 0.05). Conclusion To conclude, 3D-TOF-MRA, together with 3D-FIESTA, can illustrate the large blood vessels surrounding the trigeminal nerve efficiently, and determine whether it is the offending blood vessel. The interpretation would help reproduce the local anatomical spatial structure of the site before surgery, yet it is impossible to assess the peripheral anatomical relationship of the trigeminal nerve cistern comprehensively and accurately. This hints that a perfect prediction of the surgical effect of MVD is not possible at present. Thus, typical symptoms of TN are the most critical indicators for MVD surgery.

Background: Large-scale, placebo-controlled trials established that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs confer a cardiovascular hazard: this has been attributed to depression of cardioprotective products of cyclooxygenase (COX)–2, especially prostacyclin. An alternative mechanism by which nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs might constrain cardioprotection is by enhancing the formation of methylarginines in the kidney that would limit the action of nitric oxide throughout the vasculature. Methods: Targeted and untargeted metabolomics were used to investigate the effect of COX-2 deletion or inhibition in mice and in osteoarthritis patients exposed to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the l -arginine/nitric oxide pathway. Results: Analysis of the plasma and renal metabolome was performed in postnatal tamoxifen-inducible Cox-2 knockout mice, which exhibit normal renal function and blood pressure. This revealed no changes in arginine and methylarginines compared with their wild-type controls. Moreover, the expression of genes in the l -arginine/nitric oxide pathway was not altered in the renal medulla or cortex of tamoxifen inducible Cox-2 knockout mice. Therapeutic concentrations of the selective COX-2 inhibitors, rofecoxib, celecoxib, and parecoxib, none of which altered basal blood pressure or renal function as reflected by plasma creatinine, failed to elevate plasma arginine and methylarginines in mice. Finally, plasma arginine or methylarginines were not altered in osteoarthritis patients with confirmed exposure to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that inhibit COX-1 and COX-2. By contrast, plasma asymmetrical dimethylarginine was increased in mice infused with angiotensin II sufficient to elevate blood pressure and impair renal function. Four weeks later, blood pressure, plasma creatinine, and asymmetrical dimethylarginine were restored to normal levels. The increase in asymmetrical dimethylarginine in response to infusion with angiotensin II in celecoxib-treated mice was also related to transient impairment of renal function. Conclusions: Plasma methylarginines are not altered by COX-2 deletion or inhibition but rather are elevated coincident with renal compromise.

The worldwide COVID-19 outbreak that crushed the global economy and healthcare increased the public willingness to acquire more information and enthusiasm to engage online among billions of users through social networks. As more towns, cities, and regions turn to lockdown, government social media accounts (GSMAs) develop as a trustworthy source to obtain information about the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, investigating the determinants and consequences of citizens' participation behavior on GSMAs is essential. Drawing on the self-determination theory (SDT) and civic volunteer model (CVM), we examine the influence of motivational factors (i.e., intrinsic extrinsic) on citizens' participation behavior on GSMAs, which leads to online civic behavior. Comparative research between China and Pakistan is carried out using data collected through an online survey. This study shows that information-seeking, political benefits, self-development, altruism, and perceived reciprocity are the critical antecedents of citizens' participatory behavior on GSMAs in both countries, resulting in online civic behavior. Furthermore, moderating results reveal that perceived connectivity moderates the relationship between certain motivational factors (intrinsic and extrinsic) and citizens' participatory behavior on GSMAs, whereas trust in government moderates the relationship between participatory behavior on GSMAs and online civic behavior during COVID-19. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in detail.

Optimizing efficiencies of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a structure of Al/glass/nanometer-thick polycrystalline p-Si (NPPS) anode/SiO2/N′-bis-(1-naphthl)-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (NPB)/tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3)/4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BPhen):Cs2CO3/Sm/Au were studied. The NPPS anodes were fabricated by magnetron sputtering (MS) Si and Ni layers followed by Ni-induced crystallization of the amorphous Si layers. By adjusting the resistivity of the p-Si target adopted in MS, the electroluminescent efficiency of the OLED was optimized. When the resistivity of the p-Si target is 0.01 Ω·cm, the current and power efficiencies of the NPPS anode OLED reach maximum values of 6.7 cd·A−1 and 4.64 lm·W−1, respectively, which are 2.7 and 3.1 times those of the resistivity-optimized bulk p-Si anode counterpart and 2.9 and 3.7 times those of the indium tin oxide (ITO) anode counterpart, and then, the physical reasons were discussed.

Objectives To evaluate the Lung Operation Three-dimensional Imaging System software by Xiamen TRONG Technology Co. Ltd in detecting the precise position of solitary pulmonary nodules or ground-glass opacity nodules before surgery. Methods Chest, arterial phase, portal venous phase, enhanced and delayed-phase images of 10 cases with 12 nodules were obtained with a Toshiba Aquilion One 320 computed tomography (CT) scanner. According to the image data of the nodules, 0.5 mm thick images of 320-row multislice CT scanners were reconstructed as 3D images, and the boundary of each segment was automatically partitioned and pigmented in accordance with the pulmonary artery system. To locate the nodules, the 3D images and coloured segments were merged. The clearly labelled lung structure was utilized in a preoperative virtual segmentectomy and the subsequently planned thoracoscopic surgery. Results In all 10 cases, the reconstruction of the pulmonary artery could image branches as far as Grade 5. The anatomically adjacent relationship of the nodules among the arteries, veins and bronchi in the target pulmonary segments could be displayed in any view. The thoracoscopic anatomic pulmonary segmentectomy was performed successfully. All 12 nodules, which had deeply settled in the parenchyma, were resected using the virtual planning software and diagnosed pathologically. Conclusions The software can be used preoperatively as a tracing method to identify the location of nodules in most general thoracic surgeries, subsequently providing guidance during the surgery.

We use silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) with an average diameter of 2.6 ± 0.5 nm as the light emitting material and fabricate inverted structure light emitting diodes (SiQD-LEDs) with bottom cathodes. ZnO nanoparticles with high electron mobility, a deep valence band edge, and robust features to resist dissolving by the SiQD solvent were used as the electron transport layer. 1,1-Bis[(di-4-tolylamino)phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC) with high hole transport mobility and a high lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level was used as the hole transport layer. Poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) modified indium-tin oxide (ITO) was used as the low work function (∼3.1 eV) cathode and MoO3/Al as the high work function anode. Electroluminescence of the SiQD-LEDs is mainly from the SiQDs with a peak located at ∼700 nm. The maximum external quantum efficiencies of the SiQD-LEDs are 2.7%.

Sustainable initiatives have been widely fulfilled by corporations, which can acquire better reputations by performing environmental, social, and economic responsibilities. However, if a corporation&rsquo, s propaganda about sustainable orientation is contrary to the actual action, or even does not have a clear orientation, then it may also fall into the reputation of hypocrisy. In this study, from the perspective of consumer behavior and based on the moral responsibility theory of corporate sustainability, we identify six types of sustainable corporations by their orientations toward sustainability, including value, goals, and structure. We empirically examine their direct effects on consumers&rsquo, sustainable quality perception and trust, as well as the moderating effects of corporate social responsibility associations and consumer&ndash, corporation identity. Data are collected in China, 203 adults participated in the survey. The results reveal that the types of sustainable goals and structure have a significant effect on consumers' sustainable quality perception and trust. Furthermore, consumers' perception is also positively associated with their trust in a corporation. Moreover, the consumer&ndash, corporation identity negatively moderates the relationship between perception and trust. These findings also bring theoretical and practical insights for governments and corporations.

Semiconductor metal oxide (SMO)-based GC detector was investigated by rational design of 2D materials used as detector sensing film, which was verified to be a feasible way to overcome tailing and peak spreading phenomena usually existed in SMOs-based GC detector. Specifically, 2D flake-like ZnO chosen as an example was successfully synthesized by employing 2D ZIF-8 as template, and then acted as detector in portable gas chromatograph. The properties of detector were evaluated via detection of alcohols and other oxygen-containing VOCs. The results exhibited good linear dependence between peak heights and concentrations of target gases with a short response and recovery time (several seconds) and a high sensitivity, low detection limit (ppb level), together with prominent selectivity for oxygen-containing VOCs than hydrocarbons. Moreover, tailing and peak spreading phenomena mentioned above were hardly observed due to a smaller diffusion barrier for 2D material as compared to 3D counter parts. It is concluded that 2D materials-based portable GC detectors indeed possess great potential in practical application in the future.

A highly sensitive and fast responsive semiconductor metal oxide detector based on In 2 O 3 nanoparticle film was developed and evaluated. The mechanical structure of the detector was properly designed to obtain a small chamber volume in order to well fit to a commercial gas chromatographic capillary column. The detector was constructed by coating In 2 O 3 nanoparticle film onto a small ceramic plate. Results indicate that the proposed semiconductor metal oxide detector in this study shows a fast response (several seconds) and a high sensitivity. Moreover, the detector can be operated at ambient condition, which largely simplifies the design of portable gas chromatograph. The fabricated detector was also used to detect gas mixtures with a detection limit down to several ppb. It is concluded that the semiconductor metal oxide detector based on nanostructured materials possesses great potential for constructing portable gas chromatograph.

Inflammation and other common disorders including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are often the result of several molecular abnormalities and are not likely to be resolved by a traditional single-target drug discovery approach. Though inflammation is a normal bodily reaction, uncontrolled and misdirected inflammation can cause inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or celecoxib are commonly used to relieve aches and pains, but often these drugs have undesirable and sometimes even fatal side effects. To facilitate safer and more effective anti-inflammatory drug discovery, a balanced treatment strategy should be developed at the biological network level. In this Account, we focus on our recent progress in modeling the inflammation-related arachidonic acid (AA) metabolic network and subsequent multiple drug design. We first constructed a mathematical model of inflammation based on experimental data and then applied the model to simulate the effects of commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs. Our results indicated that the model correctly reproduced the established bleeding and cardiovascular side effects. Multitarget optimal intervention (MTOI), a Monte Carlo simulated annealing based computational scheme, was then developed to identify key targets and optimal solutions for controlling inflammation. A number of optimal multitarget strategies were discovered that were both effective and safe and had minimal associated side effects. Experimental studies were performed to evaluate these multitarget control solutions further using different combinations of inhibitors to perturb the network. Consequently, simultaneous control of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 and leukotriene A4 hydrolase, as well as 5-lipoxygenase and prostaglandin E2 synthase were found to be among the best solutions. A single compound that can bind multiple targets presents advantages including low risk of drug-drug interactions and robustness regarding concentration fluctuations. Thus, we developed strategies for multiple-target drug design and successfully discovered several series of multiple-target inhibitors. Optimal solutions for a disease network often involve mild but simultaneous interventions of multiple targets, which is in accord with the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To this end, our AA network model can aptly explain TCM anti-inflammatory herbs and formulas at the molecular level. We also aimed to identify activators for several enzymes that appeared to have increased activity based on MTOI outcomes. Strategies were then developed to predict potential allosteric sites and to discover enzyme activators based on our hypothesis that combined treatment with the projected activators and inhibitors could balance different AA network pathways, control inflammation, and reduce associated adverse effects. Our work demonstrates that the integration of network modeling and drug discovery can provide novel solutions for disease control, which also calls for new developments in drug design concepts and methodologies. With the rapid accumulation of quantitative data and knowledge of the molecular networks of disease, we can expect an increase in the development and use of quantitative disease models to facilitate efficient and safe drug discovery.

Mining user’s learning preference is one of the key issues in the personalized online learning system, which is of great significance technology for modern educational. In this paper, using the hierarchical characteristics of the knowledge points in the course domain, we defined the equivalence relation and equivalence of knowledge points, and defined the structure of the knowledge points quotient space. Then, the functions of support, pheromone concentration and preference were defined on various levels, and an improved ant colony optimization was proposed to handle the multi granularity data structure of quotient space. An algorithm of multi-granularity Learning Preference Mining based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO-LPM) was proposed to address the problems about too many learning knowledge points and too few user’s test data in the online personalized learning system. The pheromone has the characteristic of dynamic evaporation, so, the preference patterns mined by ACO-LPM can be changed with the change of user interest in real time. The experimental results show that the algorithm can mining the user’s learning preferences in online learning system effectively and efficiently.

Objective Current treatment of apnea attributable to acute tonsillar herniation often is inadequate. This study was undertaken to verify the clinical usefulness of normal saline injection via lumbar puncture for the treatment of apnea secondary to acute tonsillar herniation. Methods Between 1969 and 2009, 45 patients who had not regained spontaneous respiratory function after external ventricular drainage or removal of a supratentorial lesion via open craniotomy received an injection of normal saline via lumbar puncture. Patient data were retrospectively analyzed. Results Eleven of the 45 patients regained spontaneous breathing and recovered fully (24.4%). Sixteen patients regained spontaneous breathing but died later (35.6%), and 18 patients did not regain spontaneous respiration (40.0%). The overall rate of effectiveness of injected normal saline was therefore 60.0%. Conclusion For patients with tonsillar hernia who did not regain spontaneous respiration after external ventricular drainage or removal of a supratentorial lesion, an aggressive approach may be considered. Injection of normal saline via lumbar puncture could improve outcome in some of these patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The blood coagulation enzyme-AT complex (TAT), anticoagulant enzyme (AT), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activin inhibitor (PAI-1), and mean blood flow velocity were measured. The TAT level was significantly higher 6 h after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), whereas AT was significantly lower. These changes were maintained at 12 h to 1 d after SAH, returned to normal at 3 d, significantly changed again at 7 d to 14 d. The tPA level gradually increased after SAH and peaked at 14 d, and then returned to normal at 21 d. The PAI-1 levels were significantly lower than those in the control group 1 d after SAH gradually increased, and returned to normal at 21 d. In the cerebral vasospasm (CVS) groups, the levels of TAT, and AT significantly changed compared to the non-CVS groups after SAH. The PAI-1 levels were higher at 7 d and 14 d, but the changes were not significant. In groups Fisher III and IV as well as Hunt III to V, the TAT, AT, tPA, and PAI-1 levels were significantly higher than those in both Fisher and Hunt I and II 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 7 d, and 14 d after SAH. The changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system of patients with SAH are correlated with the progress and symptoms of SAH as well as the blood content and CVS.

Objective The aim was to evaluate the best intra-thoracoscopic surgery technique between video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) combined with laparoscopy and right open transthoracic esophagectomy, in patients with esophageal cancer.

The relatively high sheet resistance of graphene compared with indium tin oxide (ITO) blocks the applications of graphene as transparent electrodes in organic light-emitting diodes. A novel copper (Cu)/graphene composite electrode is presented and employed as the anode of a top-emission organic light-emitting diode with the structure of Cu/graphene/V2O5/NPB/Alq3/Alq3: C545T/Bphen: Cs2CO3/Sm/Au. The Cu/graphene composite electrodes are fabricated by growing graphene directly on Cu substrates via the chemical vapor deposition method without any transfer process. The maxima of current efficiency and power efficiency of a typical Cu/graphene composite anode device reach 6.1 cd/A and 7.6 lm/W, respectively, which are markedly higher than those of the control devices with a graphene anode, a Cu anode or an ITO anode. The low sheet resistance of the composite electrode, the high quality of graphene without any transfer process and the avoidance of wave guiding loss in glass or polyethylene terephthalate substrates result in the improvements of light emission efficiencies.

The shield machine is a large complete sets of equipment used for underground tunnel excavation in the city construction,it has been widely used in the tunnel excavation. Cutter is one of the key components of shield machine. Different geological conditions and badly application environment make the cutter stress complex. German Herrenknecht S749 shield cutter as an example, using PRO/E software to establish the three-dimensional model, ANSYS Workbench module establishes the cutter corresponding finite element calculation model, the force characteristics of the cutter in working process were analyzed, obtained the cutter`s stress strain distribution. The research results can provide basic data for the wheel structure design and construction maintenance.

Impurity-dependent photoresponse properties of semiconductor nanostructures are studied for the first time in the photodetectors (PDs) made from intrinsic (i-) and extrinsic n-type single CdSe nanobelts (NBs). Both ohmic and Schottky contact based CdSe NB PDs were studied. The sizes of i- and n- NBs were purposely chosen to be nearly identical to minimize the size-dependent effect. Our experimental results demonstrate that i-CdSe NBs are more suitable for fast and sensitive PD applications, while n-CdSe NBs are more advantageous for high-gain PD applications. The different photoresponse properties result mainly from the impurity induced traps inside the CdSe NBs. This conclusion can be applicable to other semiconductor nanomaterials. Moreover, we have achieved short response/recovery times (∼15/31 μs) and a high photosensitivity (∼100) simultaneously from the i-CdSe NB PDs under a 3500 Hz pulsed illumination. This may be the best reported result so far in the effort of getting fast speed and high photosensitivity simultaneously from nanostructure based PDs for practical applications.

Fully-surrounded Zn3P2/ZnS core/shell nanowires (NWs) were synthesized for the first time via a two-step method: a catalyst free chemical vapor deposition followed by a low-pressure vulcanization process. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and high-angle angular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the morphologies, crystal structure, and element composition of the core/shell NWs. The band structure analysis demonstrates that the Zn3P2/ZnS core–shell NW type-II heterostructures have bright potential in photovoltaic nanodevice applications. The core/shell NW growth method used here can be extended to other material system.

In this paper, a novel control method by using parallel online mixing and supplying technology for glue system with multi-input, strong coupling and nonlinear was provided. The neural network controller design method is adopted to design the intelligent controller, in which one as the main controller and the other one as the identifier to revise main controller. Both advantages and disadvantages of the two neural network controllers were analyzed. Simulation results showed that both methods obtained a more favorable effect than the traditional control method.

Graphene is a favorable candidate for electrodes of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Graphene has quite a high work function of ~4.5 eV, and has been extensively studied when used as anodes of OLEDs. In order to use graphene as a cathode, the electron injection barrier between the graphene cathode and the electron transport layer has to be low enough. Using 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen):Cs2CO3 to n-dope graphene is a very good method, but the electron injection barrier between the n-doped graphene and Bphen:Cs2CO3 is still too high to be ~1.0 eV. In this work, in order to further reduce the electron injection barrier, a novel method is suggested. On the graphene cathode, a Sm layer with a lot of nano-hollows, and subsequently a layer of Bphen:Cs2CO3, are deposited. The Bphen:Cs2CO3 can n-dope graphene in the nano-hollows, and the Fermi level of the graphene rises. The nano Sm layer is very easily oxidized. Oxygen adsorbed on the surface of graphene may react with Sm to form an O−–Sm+ dipole layer. On the areas of the Sm oxide dipole layer without nano-hollows, the electron injection barrier can be further lowered by the dipole layer. Electrons tend to mainly inject through the lower electron barrier where the dipole layer exists. Based on this idea, an effective inverted small molecular OLED with the structure of graphene/1 nm Sm layer with a lot of nano-hollows/Bphen:Cs2CO3/Alq3:C545T/NPB/MoO3/Al is presented. The maximum current efficiency and maximum power efficiency of the OLED with a 1 nm Sm layer are about two and three times of those of the reference OLED without any Sm layer, respectively.

This paper proposes a real-time dynamic hand gesture recognition system based on Hidden Markov Models with incremental learning method (IL-HMMs) to provide natural human-computer interaction. The system is divided into four parts: hand detecting and tracking, feature extraction and vector quantization, HMMs training and hand gesture recognition, incremental learning. After quantized hand gesture vector being recognized by HMMs, incremental learning method is adopted to modify the parameters of corresponding recognized model to make itself more adaptable to the coming new gestures. Experiment results show that comparing with traditional one, the proposed system can obtain better recognition rates.

Ozone disinfection was widely used in rural drinking water supply projects in North China, however, more attention needed to be drawn to the fact that the ozone did not have continuous disinfection effect and the bromate by-product formed may be over standard in the disinfection process. The researches on ozone decay and bromate by-product formation were both done in this paper, the purpose of which was to explore the applicability of the ozone disinfection in rural drinking water supply projects. Ozone decay rate was affected by a number of factors, such as temperature, pH, pipe, initial ozone concentration, ozone dosing methods, etc. The bromate formation was affected by the bromide concentration and CODMn of raw water, ozone dosage, etc. The results showed that ozone disinfection was compatible when the bromide concentration of raw water was lower, and the pipe network was shorter in rural water supply projects, especially for those that used plastic pipe. Meanwhile, the ozone dosage must be strictly controlled.

Semiconductor nanosheets have several unique applications in electronic and optoelectronic nanodevices. We have successfully synthesized single-crystalline n-type CdS nanosheets via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method in a Cd-enriched ambient. The as-synthesized nanosheets are typically 40-100 nm thick, 10-300 µm wide, and up to several millimeters long. Using the nanosheets, we fabricated for the first time (to our knowledge), nano thin-film transistors (nano-TFTs) based on individual CdS nanosheets. A typical unit of such nanosheet TFTs has a high on-off ratio (∼1.7 ×10(9)) and peak transconductance (∼14.1µS), which to our knowledge are the best values reported so far for semiconductor nano-TFTs. In addition, we fabricated n-CdS nanosheet/p(+)-Si heterojunction light emitting diodes (LEDs) with a top electrode structure. This structure, where the n-type electrode is directly above the junction, has the advantage of a large active region and injection current favorable for high-efficiency electroluminescence (EL) and lasing. Room-temperature spectra of the LEDs consist of only an intense CdS band-edge emission peak (∼507.7 nm) with a full width at half-maximum of about 14 nm.

This paper selects five crossing places to study road and junction crossings. The five places include: 1) the road crossing near the intersection, 2) a multiple-roadway (at least three) crossing, 3) the road crossing near a bus stop, 4) the intersection, and 5) the intersection within one of imports is three-dimensional form of crossing. Based on the survey, this paper gives a summary of the main factors leading to a traffic crash from road users’ behavior, safety measurements, traffic channelization, and so on. In order to reduce conflicts and improve the safety of vulnerable road users, improvement countermeasures are provided. We adopt the multi-criteria method–Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to structure an evaluation system for vulnerable road users, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures above.

We report novel graphene nanoribbon (GNR)/semiconductor nanowire (SNW) heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for the first time. The GNR and SNW have a face-to-face contact structure, which has the merit of bigger active region. ZnO, CdS, and CdSe NWs were employed in our case. At forward biases, the GNR/SNW heterjunction LEDs could emit light with wavelengths varying from ultraviolet (380 nm) to green (513 nm) to red (705 nm), which were determined by the band-gaps of the involved SNWs. The mechanism of light emitting for the GNR/SNW heterojunction LED was discussed. Our approach can easily be extended to other semiconductor nano-materials. Moreover, our achievement opens the door to next-generation display technologies, including portable, "see-through", and conformable products., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

We develop a simple and scalable graphene patterning method using electron-beam or ultraviolet lithography followed by a lift-off process. This method, with the merits of: high pattern resolution and high alignment accuracy, free from additional etching or harsh process, universal to arbitrary substrates, compatible to Si microelectronic technology, can be easily applied to diverse graphene-based devices, especially in array-based applications, where large-scale graphene patterns are desired. We have applied this method to fabricate CdSe nanobelt (NB)/graphene Schottky junction solar cells, which have potential application in integrated nano-optoelectronic systems. Typical as-fabricated solar cell shows excellent photovoltaic behavior with an open-circuit voltage of ~ 0.51 V, a short-circuit current density of ~ 5.75 mA/cm2, and an energy conversion efficiency of ~1.25%. We attribute the high performance of the cell to the as-patterned high-performance graphene, which can form an ideal Schottky contact with CdSe NB. Our results suggest both the developed graphene patterning method and the as-fabricated CdSe nanobelt (NB)/graphene Schottky junction solar cells have reachable application prospect., 11 pages, 5 figures

The virtual ion meter is developed based on LABVIEW 8.0 by homemade adjusting circuit, data acquisition (DAQ) board, and computer. This note provides details of the structure of testing system and flow chart of DAQ program. This virtual instrument system is applied to multitask testing such as determining rate constant of second-order reaction by p X , p X potentiometric titration, determining oscillating reaction by potential, etc. The result of application indicates that this test system not only has function of real-time data acquiring, displaying, storage, but also realizes remote monitoring and controlling test-control spots through internet, automatic analyzing and processing of data, reporting of result according to the different testing task; moreover, the veracity and repeatability of data processing result are higher than the results of manual data processing.

TSP is well-known issue in the field of mathematics. With the increasing calculation nodes, the convergence degree and computing difficulty of TSP will increase enormously. Artificial fish is an optimize algorithm based on biology model putting forward at present. We describe the relative knowledge of artificial fish algorithm, put forward artificial fish algorithm model for TSP, then make the qualitative analysis of the basic steps for simulating TSP.

Purpose : To investigate the effect of Phellodendron chinense Schneid (PCS) extracts on carrageenaninduced chronic prostatitis in rats. Methods : Experimental chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (CNP) was induced in rats by injecting carrageenan into prostatitis. Rats in treated groups were administered either PCS extract or positive control (cernilton) for 3 weeks while those in the control group received saline instead. After treatment, prostate index (PI) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of all rats were examined by ELISA. The degree of chronic inflammatory cell infiltrates, acinar changes and interstitial fibrosis were evaluated by histopathological examination. In addition, relative inflammatory factors, viz, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin1β (IL-1β), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PEG2), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) of prostate tissues of all the rats were measured by ELISA. Results : High-dose PCS (400 mg/kg) significantly decreased PI (1.0 ± 0.1 mg/ml) relative to reference group (2.1 ± 0.2, p < 0.01) while high-dose PCS (400 mg/kg) significantly decreased PSA level (154.2 ± 14.3 pg/ml) relative to the reference group (312.5 ± 20.5 pg/ml, p < 0.01). Morphometric analysis demonstrated the presence of chronic inflammatory cell infiltrates, and interstitial fibrosis decreased significantly compared to the reference group. Compared with reference group (165.4 ± 14.2 pg/ml), TNF-α level in the prostate tissues of high-dose PCS group rats decreased (116.5 ± 9.3) significantly (p < 0.01). Similarly, compared with reference group (176.1 ± 12.1 pg/ml), IL-1β level of prostate tissues of high-dose PCS group rats decreased (97.6 ± 11.3) significantly (p < 0.01). Conclusion : PCS extract has significant therapeutic effect on carrageenan-induced chronic prostatitis in rats. Keywords : Phellodendron chinense, Chronic prostatitis, Chronic inflammation

We demonstrate a high-repetition-rate Er-doped all fiber laser with nonlinear-polarization-rotation mode-locking. The highest repetition rate of the laser is 217 MHz. The fiber laser has a very simple and compact structure and can output a stable mode-locking pulse only by using one polarization-dependent isolator and a polarization controller. The pulse width, spectral width and signal-to-noise ratio are measured to be 69 fs, 56 nm and 76 dB respectively.

This paper discusses the framework of a training system for maintenance personnel based on an analogical reasoning and a prototype system that is developed to check the effectiveness. It is difficult to get similar information on trouble and failure reports in short time. By combining trouble database and design database, and by searching using plant ontology, similar results can be searched.

During the terminal atmospheric flight phase, the tran-atmospheric vehicle is an unpowered glide vehicle. The terminal area energy management (TAEM) system uses energy-vs-range profile to guide the vehicle and control the energy dissipation, so, the determination of the energy-vs-range profile is one of the basic problems of TAEM system. This paper introduces the following: (a) the functional requirements of TAEM system; (b) the analysis of elements that affect energy dissipation rate with glide range; and (c) then the means of controlling the energy dissipation rate with respect to range. Based on these, the calculation method and simulation results for guidance boundaries are given.

A saturable absorber of 3.9% modulation depth was prepared on the surface of a fiber clad with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) using chemical corrosion method. An all-fiber Er-doped fiber laser was setup with a ring cavity, and was mode-locked successfully by evanescent field mode-locking using prepared saturable absorber of single-walled carbon nanotubes. A 147 fs mode-locking pulse is obtained near 1556 nm with a 3 dB bandwidth of 24 nm. The output power is 21 mW at a pump power of 520 mW, corresponding to a pulse energy of 0.14 nJ with a repetition rate of 150 MHz.

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) or nanobelts (NBs) have attracted more and more attention due to their potential application in novel optoelectronic devices. In this review, we present our recent work on novel NB photodetectors, where a three-terminal metal–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) device structure was exploited. In contrast to the common two-terminal NB (NW) photodetectors, the MESFET-based photodetector can make a balance among overall performance parameters, which is desired for practical device applications. We also present our recent work on graphene nanoribbon/semiconductor NW (SNW) heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Herein, by taking advantage of both graphene and SNWs, we have fabricated, for the first time, the graphene-based nano-LEDs. This achievement opens a new avenue for developing graphene-based nano-electroluminescence devices. Moreover, the novel graphene/SNW hybrid devices can also find use in other applications, such as high-sensitivity sensor and transparent flexible devices in the future.

High performance metal–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) based on single n-CdSe nanobelts (NBs) have been fabricated and applied as photodetectors. Au is used as the gate metal, which formed a good Schottky contact with the CdSe NB with a rectification ratio of about 2 × 108. The CdSe NB MESFETs exhibit a near-zero threshold voltage (−0.55 V), low subthreshold swing (60.4 mV per dec), no clearly observed current hysteresis, and the highest on/off current ratio (5 × 108) reported so far for NW/NB MESFETs. We have also investigated the photoresponse properties of these MESFETs. Typical CdSe NB MESFET based photodetectors have high current responsivity (∼1.4 × 103 A W−1), high gain (∼2.7 × 103), and fast photoresponse speed (the rise time and the decay time are about 35 and 60 μs, respectively.) under a gate voltage of −1 V. All these results show that the CdSe NB based MESFETs can be promising candidates for both electronic and opto-electronic nanodevices.

Semiconductor nanocables are good candidates for developing robust and environmental stable nanolasers. In this work, high-quality CdSe/SiO(2) nanocables were synthesized by the facile chemical vapor deposition method. The as-synthesized nanocables were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results confirm that the cores in the nanocables are single crystalline hexagonal CdSe nanowires (NWs) with the growth direction of [0001], and the shells are amorphous SiO(2). Room-temperature lasing properties of single nanocables were reported for the first time by fabricating the nanocables into Fabry-Pérot cavities. The finite element method was employed to simulate the electromagnetic field distributions inside and outside the nanocable optical resonant cavities. Both the theoretical and experimental results show that there exists a strong dependence of the photonic mode confinement on the core diameter of the nanocable.