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The prevalence of thyroid nodules in population is increasing around the world.To categorize thyroid nodules and stratify their malignant risk, thyroid imaging reporting and data system(TIRADS)was developed 6 years ago based on US , which is similar to breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS). This paper aims at summarizing the particular content of kinds of TIRADS proposed by different researcher, clinic value of the application of TIRADS, the research status of TIRADS application, as well as the prospect of TIRADS based on CT and MRI.

Sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) was identified as a functional receptor for hepatitis D virus (HDV) and its helper hepatitis B virus (HBV). In cultured cell lines, HDV infection through mouse NTCP is restricted by residues 84 to 87 of the receptor. This study shows that mice with these three amino acids altered their corresponding human residues (H84R, T86K, and S87N) in endogenous mouse NTCP support de novo HDV infection in vivo . HDV infection was documented by the presence of replicative forms of HDV RNA and HDV proteins in liver cells at day 6 after viral inoculation. Monoclonal antibody specifically binding to the motif centered on K86 in NTCP partially inhibited HDV infection. These studies demonstrated specific interaction between the receptor and the viral envelopes in vivo and established a novel mouse model with minimal genetic manipulation for studying HDV infection. The model will also be useful for evaluating entry inhibitors against HDV and its helper HBV. IMPORTANCE NTCP was identified as a functional receptor for both HDV and HBV in cell cultures. We recently showed that neonatal C57BL/6 transgenic (Tg) mice exogenously expressing human NTCP (hNTCP-Tg) in liver support transient HDV infection. In this study, we introduced alterations of three amino acids in the endogenous NTCP of FVB mice through genome editing. The mice with the humanized NTCP residues (H84R, T86K, and S87N) are susceptible to HDV infection, and the infection can be established in both neonatal and adult mice with this editing. We also developed a monoclonal antibody specifically targeting the region of NTCP centered on lysine residue 86, and it can differentiate the modified mouse NTCP from that of the wild type and partially inhibited HDV infection. These studies shed new light on NTCP-mediated HDV infection in vivo , and the NTCP-modified mice provide a useful animal model for studying HDV infection and evaluating antivirals against the infection.

In this study, spent activated carbon (AC) saturated with caramel was regenerated by using yeast and NaOH. The efficiency of regeneration was evaluated under parameters such as amount, treatment time, temperature, pH value, stirring temperature of yeast and NaOH concentration. The optimum condition for AC regeneration was 8 h for yeast treatment time, 35°C for 0.075% yeast culture temperature, a pH value of 6 for the yeast dealing with the spent AC, 90°C for NaOH stirring temperature of AC and 6% NaOH for washing after the spent AC was treated by yeast. Under these conditions, methylene blue (MB) adsorption was 213 mg·g−1 in comparison with 60 mg·g−1 of spent AC. The micro structure and surface area of the regenerated AC were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and N2 sorption, respectively. The pore size distributions of virgin and regenerated AC were analyzed by means of H-K equation, resulting in a mean pore diameter of 1.28 nm and a pore volume of 1.13 cm3·g−1. This study provides data for theoretical support of the AC regeneration technology.

Despite sustained effort over the years, the exploration of an effective strategy toward understanding the structure and properties of graphene oxide (GO) is still highly desirable. Herein, a facile route to revisit the structure of GO is demonstrated by elucidating its chemical-conversion process solely in the presence of ammonia. Such a strategy can contribute to settling some arguments in recent models of GO, and also offers a prerequisite to identify critical components that can act as ultraviolet absorbers (UVAs) in resulting dispersions of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGSs). Inspired by this, for the first time, the performance of NGSs, serving as new-style UVAs, is investigated through directly assessing the effect of NGSs on the photofastness of azo dyes (Food Black). These studies reveal that, distinct from the common understanding, the as-prepared NGSs can dramatically enhance the photostability of Food Black under UV irradiation and exhibit greatly applied potential as a multifunctional UVA for new-generation inkjet inks that can simultaneously integrate the advantages of dye-based and pigment-based inks.

An electromagnetic localization method for implantable wireless capsules has been developed that employs a three-axial magnetic sensor embedded in the capsules and three energized coils attached on the abdomen. In order to further improve the localization accuracy, a novel localization model has been derived based on the Biot-Savart Law. For simplicity of the calculation without increasing the position error, the method of truncated series expansion has been used in modeling. The experiment showed that the improved model had higher precision than the original dipole model. Using the improved model, the localization error can be greatly reduced. The improved model is an elementary math function and suitable for resolving some inverse magnetic problems in engineering.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is the smallest virus known to infect human. About 15 million people worldwide are infected by HDV among those 240 million infected by its helper hepatitis B virus (HBV). Viral hepatitis D is considered as one of the most severe forms of human viral hepatitis. No specific antivirals are currently available to treat HDV infection and antivirals against HBV do not ameliorate hepatitis D. Liver sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) was recently identified as a common entry receptor for HDV and HBV in cell cultures. Here we show HDV can infect mice expressing human NTCP (hNTCP-Tg). Antibodies against critical regions of HBV envelope proteins blocked HDV infection in the hNTCP-Tg mice. The infection was acute yet HDV genome replication occurred efficiently, evident by the presence of antigenome RNA and edited RNA species specifying large delta antigen in the livers of infected mice. The resolution of HDV infection appears not dependent on adaptive immune response, but might be facilitated by innate immunity. Liver RNA-seq analyses of HDV infected hNTCP-Tg and type I interferon receptor 1 (IFNα/βR1) null hNTCP-Tg mice indicated that in addition to induction of type I IFN response, HDV infection was also associated with up-regulation of novel cellular genes that may modulate HDV infection. Our work has thus proved the concept that NTCP is a functional receptor for HDV infection in vivo and established a convenient small animal model for investigation of HDV pathogenesis and evaluation of antiviral therapeutics against the early steps of infection for this important human pathogen.

reliability Abstract: Due to the complexity of structure and control on machining center, its reliability is usually difficult to ensure. In this paper, taking NBP1100 machining center spindle for example, the reliability virtual prototype model was built and the effects of thermal characteristics on reliability were analyzed. The spindle thermal reliability was analyzed by reliability simulation system in ANSYS. The distribution type and characteristic parameters of input variables were identified. The distributions of random sample variables were analyzed. The cumulative distribution function and failure probability of output variables were obtained. According to the sensitivity map, the main variables influencing spindle thermal characteristics were obtained. Methods and suggestions of improving spindle thermal reliability were also presented with the scatter diagrams.

The receptor-interacting kinase-3 (RIP3) and its downstream substrate mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) have emerged as the key cellular components in programmed necrotic cell death. Receptors for the cytokines of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family and Toll-like receptors (TLR) 3 and 4 are able to activate RIP3 through receptor-interacting kinase-1 and Toll/IL-1 receptor domain-containing adapter inducing IFN-β, respectively. This form of cell death has been implicated in the host-defense system. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive the activation of RIP3 by a variety of pathogens, other than the above-mentioned receptors, are largely unknown. Here, we report that human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection triggers RIP3-dependent necrosis. This process requires MLKL but is independent of TNF receptor, TLR3, cylindromatosis, and host RIP homotypic interaction motif-containing protein DNA-dependent activator of IFN regulatory factor. After HSV-1 infection, the viral ribonucleotide reductase large subunit (ICP6) interacts with RIP3. The formation of the ICP6-RIP3 complex requires the RHIM domains of both proteins. An HSV-1 ICP6 deletion mutant failed to cause effective necrosis of HSV-1-infected cells. Furthermore, ectopic expression of ICP6, but not RHIM mutant ICP6, directly activated RIP3/MLKL-mediated necrosis. Mice lacking RIP3 exhibited severely impaired control of HSV-1 replication and pathogenesis. Therefore, this study reveals a previously uncharacterized host antipathogen mechanism.

This paper presents a study to introduce and experimentally validate an innovative concrete filled steel tubular (CFT) column system, named as confined CFT or CCFT, for improved seismic design of steel and concrete composite structures. Based on fundamental mechanics, the concept is aimed at controlling the local buckling of the steel tube and confining the concrete in the potential plastic hinge regions of a CFT column. To achieve this, several efficient details of transverse confinement are proposed. In the first phase of the study, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic as additional confinement of CCFT columns was examined through experimental testing. As demonstrated from the results of axial compression tests and seismic loading tests, the new type of CFT column system can provide excellent seismic performance. The complicated local buckling and confinement mechanisms were examined using a proposed simple analytical model.

Relaxor [011]c PMN-0.35PT single crystal phase transition characteristics are investigated through various methods including variable temperature dielectric properties, X-ray diffraction, bipolar ferroelectric hysteresis loops (P-E) and electric-field-induced strain (S-E) hysteresis loops measurements. The results reveal that two phase transitions exist within the range from room temperature to 250 °C: orthorhombic (O)-tetragonal (T)-cubic (C). The O-to-T and T-to-C phase transition temperatures have been identified as 84 °C and 152 °C, respectively. Diffuseness degree of the T-to-C phase transition for the unpoled single crystal has been calculated to be 1.56, implying an intermediate state between normal and relaxor ferroelectrics. Temperature-dependent remanent polarization (Pr), coercive field (Ec), saturation polarization (Ps), hysteresis loop squareness (Rsq), and longitudinal piezoelectric constant (d* 33) are also explored to learn the details of the phase transitions. Variable temperature unipolar Suni-E hysteresis loops avail additional evidence for the microstructure change in the as-measured single crystal.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small, non-coding RNAs that play important roles in plant growth, development and stress response. There have been an increasing number of investigations aimed at discovering miRNAs and analyzing their functions in model plants (such as Arabidopsis thaliana and rice). In this research, we constructed small RNA libraries from both polyethylene glycol (PEG 6,000) treated and control potato samples, and a large number of known and novel miRNAs were identified. Differential expression analysis showed that 100 of the known miRNAs were down-regulated and 99 were up-regulated as a result of PEG stress, while 119 of the novel miRNAs were up-regulated and 151 were down-regulated. Based on target prediction, annotation and expression analysis of the miRNAs and their putative target genes, 4 miRNAs were identified as regulating drought-related genes (miR811, miR814, miR835, miR4398). Their target genes were MYB transcription factor (CV431094), hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (TC225721), quaporin (TC223412) and WRKY transcription factor (TC199112), respectively. Relative expression trends of those miRNAs were the same as that predicted by Solexa sequencing and they showed a negative correlation with the expression of the target genes. The results provide molecular evidence for the possible involvement of miRNAs in the process of drought response and/or tolerance in the potato plant.

A highly phosphorescent molecular Au(I) cluster capable of rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of cyanide has been successfully fabricated. The origin of the outstanding sensing performance of the molecular Au(I) cluster toward cyanide is justified by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analyses. The response mechanism employed with the molecular Au(I) cluster and the cost-effectiveness in cyanide detection affords several key sensor features, making this molecular Au(I) cluster-based sensor unique compared to other cyanide sensing schemes. Importantly, by exploring the phosphorescent properties of the molecular Au(I) cluster in solid state, we demonstrate the first example of the molecular gold(I) cluster-based macroporous sensing film for colorimetric detection of cyanide in complex samples, including red wine, coffee, juice, and soil. Remarkably, the as-prepared sensing film inherits the sensing ability of the molecular Au(I) cluster, and offers a high mechanical flexibility and novel opportunities for real-time monitoring cyanide release in cassava manufacturing.

The liver bile acids transporter sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) is responsible for the majority of sodium-dependent bile salts uptake by hepatocytes. NTCP also functions as a cellular receptor for viral entry of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) through a specific interaction between NTCP and the pre-S1 domain of HBV large envelope protein. However, it remains unknown if these two functions of NTCP are independent or if they interfere with each other. Here we show that binding of the pre-S1 domain to human NTCP blocks taurocholate uptake by the receptor; conversely, some bile acid substrates of NTCP inhibit HBV and HDV entry. Mutations of NTCP residues critical for bile salts binding severely impair viral infection by HDV and HBV; to a lesser extent, the residues important for sodium binding also inhibit viral infection. The mutation S267F, corresponding to a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found in about 9% of the East Asian population, renders NTCP without either taurocholate transporting activity or the ability to support HBV or HDV infection in cell culture. These results demonstrate that molecular determinants critical for HBV and HDV entry overlap with that for bile salts uptake by NTCP, indicating that viral infection may interfere with the normal function of NTCP, and bile acids and their derivatives hold the potential for further development into antiviral drugs. IMPORTANCE Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its satellite virus, hepatitis D virus (HDV), are important human pathogens. Available therapeutics against HBV are limited, and there is no drug that is clinically available for HDV infection. A liver bile acids transporter (sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide [NTCP]) critical for maintaining homeostasis of bile acids serves as a functional receptor for HBV and HDV. We report here that the NTCP-binding lipopeptide that originates from the first 47 amino acids of the pre-S1 domain of the HBV L protein blocks taurocholate transport. Some bile salts dose dependently inhibit HBV and HDV infection mediated by NTCP; molecular determinants of NTCP critical for HBV and HDV entry overlap with that for bile acids transport. This work advances our understanding of NTCP-mediated HBV and HDV infection in relation to NTCP's physiological function. Our results also suggest that bile acids or their derivatives hold potential for development into novel drugs against HBV and HDV infection.

Because of its environmentally friendly, highly efficient, and multifunctional, the new hybrid EMU will have a broad space for development. Hybrid EMU ESS links lithium battery and intermediate DC bus together, bidirectional energy flow, its load is nonlinear, time-varying, and other characteristics. This work establishes the equivalent small-signal model of ESS based on the Thevenin equivalent circuit model of the power lithium battery. On this basis, choose a right charge and discharge control strategy according to the complicated working condition of the hybrid EMU ESS, and the voltage and current double-closed-loop controller is designed. The simulation shows that the system controller is robust and suitable for the complex working condition application of the ESS.

This paper analyzed the online uninterruptible power supply (UPS) topology and compared the similarities and differences with the existing traction converter topology. Meanwhile, research on the bi-directional DC/DC converter, which is the key component of the topology, in three aspects (topology selection, the inductance parameter selection, and control model) was conducted. A simulation model was built based on MATLAB/Simulink to be the validation of bi-directional DC/DC converter; simulation results achieved desired design goals. A novel possible topology of energy-storage traction converter was proposed; several advantages of the novel topology were also enumerated. Finally, some prospects for future developments of the energy-storage electronic vehicles were briefly discussed.

Light rail is developing very fast in China. With the help of battery-based energy storage system, the light rail vehicle will perform much better than before. Light rail vehicle energy storage system links lithium battery and DC-link together, and energy flow two-way through it. The topology of the energy storage system is studied and its working principle is analyzed. The lithium battery is a very suitable energy storage device for the energy storage system for its good charging and discharging characteristics. A double closed-loop including a voltage loop and a current loop is developed to control the energy storage system. The simulation in the MATLAB shows that the energy storage system coordinates very well with the other subsystems in the light rail vehicle in all working conditions.

Infection of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in hepatocytes has been known to be controlled by multiple cellular factors, while the relationship of the infection and liver microRNAs remains obscure. In this study, a miRNA database, containing 168 unique mature miRNA members from primary hepatocytes of a primate-like animal, northern treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri) that is the only species susceptible for HBV infection other than human and chimpanzee, was established. The relative level of a liver predominant microRNA, miR-122, was markedly increased upon HBV infection of the primary tupaia hepatocyte (PTH). However, introducing neither miR-122 nor its antagonist anti-miR-122 into PTHs, or, HepG2–NTCP that is HepG2 cells with the newly identified receptor sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) did not alter the viral infection on these cells. These data suggest that de novo HBV infection of cultured hepatocytes does not depend on the expression level of intracellular miR-122 of the target cells.

Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its satellite virus, hepatitis D virus (HDV), primarily infect humans, chimpanzees, or tree shrews ( Tupaia belangeri ). Viral infections in other species are known to be mainly restricted at the entry level since viral replication can be achieved in the cells by transfection of the viral genome. Sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) is a functional receptor for HBV and HDV, and amino acids 157 to 165 of NTCP are critical for viral entry and likely limit viral infection of macaques. However, the molecular determinants for viral entry restriction in mouse NTCP (mNTCP) remain unclear. In this study, mNTCP was found to be unable to support either HBV or HDV infection, although it can bind to pre-S1 of HBV L protein and is functional in transporting substrate taurocholate; comprehensive swapping and point mutations of human NTCP (hNTCP) and mNTCP revealed molecular determinants restricting mNTCP for viral entry of HBV and HDV. Remarkably, when mNTCP residues 84 to 87 were substituted by human counterparts, mNTCP can effectively support viral infections. In addition, a number of cell lines, regardless of their species or tissue origin, supported HDV infection when transfected with hNTCP or mNTCP with residues 84 to 87 replaced by human counterparts, highlighting the central role of NTCP for viral infections mediated by HBV envelope proteins. These studies advance our understanding of NTCP-mediated viral entry of HBV and HDV and have important implications for developing the mouse model for their infections.

In this study, the spent activated carbon (AC) saturated with caramel was regenerated using solvent assisted with microwave radiation. The efficiency of regeneration was evaluated under parameters such as power and time of microwave radiation, and concentrations and pH of an activator. The quality of regenerated AC (RAC) was assessed by methylene blue (MB) and iodine adsorption. The optimum condition for AC regeneration was under a microwave power of 680 W and 10 min radiation, with 20% ethyl alcohol in the activator and pH of 9–10. Under this condition, the adsorption of iodine and MB on RAC was 878 and 218 mg/g, respectively. The micro structure of RAC was characterized by SEM observation. The surface area of RAC was determined under N2 sorption. The pore size distributions of virgin and RAC determined by Horvath–Kawazoe (HK) and DFT methods resulted in a mean pore diameter of 1.2 nm and a pore volume of 1 cm3/g. A regeneration efficiency of more than 85% could be achieved by microwave assisted solvent regeneration.

Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and HBV-related diseases remain a major public health problem. Individuals coinfected with its satellite hepatitis D virus (HDV) have more severe disease. Cellular entry of both viruses is mediated by HBV envelope proteins. The pre-S1 domain of the large envelope protein is a key determinant for receptor(s) binding. However, the identity of the receptor(s) is unknown. Here, by using near zero distance photo-cross-linking and tandem affinity purification, we revealed that the receptor-binding region of pre-S1 specifically interacts with sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), a multiple transmembrane transporter predominantly expressed in the liver. Silencing NTCP inhibited HBV and HDV infection, while exogenous NTCP expression rendered nonsusceptible hepatocarcinoma cells susceptible to these viral infections. Moreover, replacing amino acids 157–165 of nonfunctional monkey NTCP with the human counterpart conferred its ability in supporting both viral infections. Our results demonstrate that NTCP is a functional receptor for HBV and HDV. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00049.001, eLife digest Liver diseases related to the human hepatitis B virus (HBV) kill about 1 million people every year, and more than 350 million people around the world are infected with the virus. Some 15 million of these people are also infected with the hepatitis D virus (HDV), which is a satellite virus of HBV, and this places them at an even higher risk of liver diseases, including cancer. The viruses are known to enter liver cells by binding to receptors on their surface before being engulfed. Both HBV and HDV have outer coats that consist of three kinds of envelope proteins, and a region called the pre-S1 domain in one of them is known to have a central role in the interaction between the viruses and the receptors and, therefore, in infecting the cells. However, the identity of the HBV receptor has remained a mystery. Now Yan et al. have identified this receptor to be sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide. This protein, known as NTCP for short, is normally involved in the circulation of bile acids in the body. In addition to humans, only two species are known to be susceptible to infection by human HBV and HDV—chimpanzees and a small mammal known as the treeshrew. Yan et al. started by isolating primary liver cells from treeshrews, and then used a combination of advanced purification and mass spectrometry analysis to show that the NTCP on the surface of the cells interacts with the pre-S1 domain in HBV. The authors then performed a series of gene knockdown experiments on liver cells of both human and treeshrew origin: when the gene that codes for NTCP was silenced, HBV infection was greatly reduced. Moreover, they were able to transfect HepG2 cells—which are widely used in research into liver disease, but are not susceptible to HBV and HDV infection—with NTCP from humans and treeshrews to make them susceptible. Similarly, although monkeys are not susceptible to HBV, replacing just five amino acids in monkey NTCP with their human counterparts was enough to make the monkey NTCP a functional receptor for the viruses. In the past, basic research into HBV and the development of antiviral therapeutics have both been hindered by the lack of suitable in vitro infection systems and animal models. Now, the work of Yan et al. means that it will be possible to use NTCP-complemented HepG2 cells for challenges as diverse as fundamental studies of basic viral entry/replication mechanisms and large-scale drug screening. It is also possible that HBV and HDV infection might interfere with some of the important physiological functions carried out by NTCP, so the latest work could also be of interest to medical scientists working on other diseases related to these infections. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00049.002

This paper suggests the structure of patent data integration and analysis based on business intelligence (BI) to help enterprises make the effective decisions about patent strategy and orientation of technological development by extracting effective information from mass data. Firstly, the patent data is acquired from heterogeneous data sources into the local database. Then, we can load the business data into the data warehouse after fulfilling the data extraction, transformation, and cleaning through extraction-transformation-loading (ETL) tools. Thirdly, the patent analysis based on key performance indicators (KPI) is performed with data mining models. Finally, the patent graphs drawn by KPI analysis can be published on the Microsoft Office Share point Server (MOSS) platform to realize information sharing and centralized management.

This paper proposes a new method for extracting loess shoulder-lines from grid DEMs. The morphological characteristics of loess shoulder-lines are investigated firstly. Loess shoulder-lines is the border line of loess inner gully area and inter gully area and its upper side is the relatively flat area(with slope less than 20 degrees) called Inner gully, the lower side is the inter gully with slope between 30 degrees and 35 degrees. There is remarkable morphological variation between the upper side and the lower side. The variation is a clue to extract candidate points of loess shoulder-lines. By applying the edge detection operator LOG to noise removed DEM, the method for extracting loess shoulder-lines candidate points is proposed based on the prominent height variation of the points along the shoulder-lines. This method can detect shoulder-lines described above. The algorithm then connects the candidate points to small line segments by morphological method which labels points in an eight neighborhood window as a line, and finally, precise and systematic loess shoulder lines are extracted after refining the line segments by a simple filter of line length. Experiments in the loess hilly areas show that the loess shoulder-lines extracted by LOG operator has very good matching ratio to standard shoulder-lines extracted manually and good performances on line integration. This ratio is achieved by the so called contour matching method for line matching. Our experiments show that the LOG edge detector has the potential of detecting the explicit shoulder-lines by the zero cross of height second derivatives and the morphological filter can restrain the affection of random noise. The matching scores of extracted shoulder-lines with the standard shoulder-lines from real terrain show the LOG edge detector is a good shoulder line extraction method.

The paper discusses the magnetic marker localization method utilizing four tri-axis magnetoresistive sensors for non-invasive detecting capsule in GI tract. Because two silver oxide button batteries in capsule, which outer shell is made from high permeable Co-Ni-Fe alloy, supply power for all modules of the capsule, and the alloy is strong permeable, the batteries will affect magnetic localization precise. Authors employ magnetic dipole theory and magnetic field superposition principle, deducts math model as considering the batteries' affects. Experiment shows the calculation model is feasible.

The work of research and development of noninvasive monitoring system for human GI (gastrointestinal tract) has been very successful all over the world, and without questions, the system as such will extensively be applied in the future. However, the method for localization of the monitoring capsule in the system is not perfect. This paper reports the status quo of the research process for the capsule localization system, and analyzes their advantages and defects.

Localization system was designed based on analytic equation of permanent magnetic field to localize the swallowing electrical capsule in the gastrointestinal. Algorithm was presented and experiment was made. Two three-axis magnetism sensors were mounted in the capsule. The non linear equations set of sensor's output and capsule's position and attitude was created according to space position and attitude relationship model. The equations set was resolved with numerical method. Comparison between the calculation value and expected value showed that this method was feasible.

The phase structure, piezoelectric, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties of (0.80 − x)PMN-0.10PFN-0.10PZ-xPT were investigated systematically. The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) was confirmed to be 0.30

A size-controllable synthesis of hollow structures of apatite in the hexane–water–bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate is presented, and the hollow sphere sizes can be easily regulated within a range o...

In order to measure the position and orientation of implantable microcapsules in the gastrointestinal tract, a novel non-contact method based on electromagnetic induction was presented. Six cylindrical coils were arrayed on the abdominal surface of a human body. These coils were excited one-by-one in sequence with a sinusoidal signal to generate an alternating magnetic field. Meanwhile, a small induction coil along with a signal-processing circuit and radio-frequency transmitter was mounted inside the microcapsule to measure the magnetic signal produced by the six excitation coils. Based on the newly derived localization model and the particle swarm algorithm, the position and orientation of the microcapsule can be calculated. The experiments show that the localization system has good stability, high precision and wide localization range.