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With the advancement of manufacturing processes, imaging sensors have become more and more sophisticated, the amount of image data generated is increasing, and application scenarios and functional algorithms have become more and more complex. The traditional serial processing method can no longer meet the real-time requirements of image processing. The use of hardware to accelerate image algorithms has become a basic trend in image acquisition and processing systems. Xilinx’s Zynq7000 series chip integrates a dual-core A9 series ARM processor (PS) and an A7 series FPGA (PL). The industry standard AXI interface (advanced extensible interface) is used for information between ARM and FPGA. Interactive. This paper designs an image acquisition and processing system based on Zynq, which collects images through OV5640, uses Zynq as the main control chip to analyze and process the image data, and uses RGB LCD for image display. This article develops the OV5640 video capture IP, LCD driver IP, and image edge detection IP, and calls these key IPs in the ZYNQ system to establish an image capture and processing system that integrates image data collection, transmission, storage, image display, and edge extraction. The overall effect of the system is good, and it can effectively detect the edge information of the target. At the same time, the image collection and display can reach the design target of 60 frames per second, which has strong applicability.

With Zn deficiency increasing in the global population, functional plant food (including tea) can help to fill the nutrition gap that the main crops cannot meet. Glycinebetaine (GB), an important bioactive substance with a wide range of natural sources, has received limited attention towards its effects on Zn biofortification and the quality of tea. The Zn enrichment and metabolite responses of albino tea [cv. White leaf No. 1 (WL-1)] to the foliar application of GB, Zn, and their combination (Zn + GB) were investigated in a field experiment. The result indicated that the 100-buds weight, total N, Zn, Thea, and total amino acid content in the young leaves of WL-1 with Zn2 + GB2 treatment were significantly increased, whereas the Chla contents were decreased (p < 0.05). The total catechins and CAF contents of Zn2 + GB2 treatment were lower than those of other treatments, with significance (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis and general quantitative analysis returned complementary results, revealing that Zn2 + GB2 treatment was better for the apparent and functional quality of WL-1. The more theanine and Zn, limited chlorophyll, catechin, and caffeine contributed to the quality improvement, as well as to maintaining the leaf albinistic characteristics, inhibiting astringency and bitterness, exerting flavor and umami, and improving the ultimate beneficial functions. The combined application of Zn and GB is a promising practice for Zn biofortification and for the quality improvement of tea, with spraying 750 L ha−1 of 2.0 g L−1 Zn fertilizer and 3.2 g L−1 GB mixture recommended.

To screen efficacious neoantigens for the development of LIHC mRNA vaccines, construct LIHC immune clusters, and therefore select patients who might benefit from vaccination.RNA-seq data and clinical information of 371 TCGA-LIHC and 231 ICGC-LIHC cohorts were downloaded. Differentially expressed genes and their associations with prognosis were analyzed by GEPIA, genetic alterations were examined in the cBioPortal portal, and the association between genes and immune infiltrating cells was explored by TIMER. The immune clusters were constructed by consistency clustering, and the immune landscape was described using CIBERSORT.POLR3C and KPNA2 were identified as LIHC tumor neoantigens related to inferior prognosis and antigen-presenting cell infiltration. In addition, three immune clusters (IC1, IC2 and IC3) with significant differences in molecular, immune cytological, and clinical features were identified in both the TCGA and ICGC LIHC cohorts. Immune "hot" phenotype IC3 displayed a better survival than IC2, and immune "cold" phenotype IC1 exhibited a high tumor mutation burden.In conclusion, for the development of anti-LIHC mRNA vaccines, we identified efficacious neoantigens POLR3C and KPNA2, profiled the tumor microenvironment of LIHC, and identified IC1 patients as the subgroup who might not most benefit from vaccination.

Aiming at the low measurement accuracy of magnetometer, a high stability constant current source circuit is developed to drive indium arsenide Hall sensor, designs a self stabilizing zero preamplifier to pick up the magnetic field signal, and uses a low-noise circuit structure to adaptively adjust the signal amplification to make the magnetic field signal reach the highest signal-to-noise ratio. After analog-to-digital conversion with high-linearity ADC, the least square method is used to correct the nonlinearity caused by the hall sensor, so as to improve the accuracy of the magnetometer in the whole range. Through verification and test, the accuracy of the magnetometer is better than 0.5% within the measuring range of 3T, which meets the requirements of high-precision magnetic field measurement in industrial production.

Organic farming is considered an efficient approach to improve soil fertility for sustainable agriculture. However, its soil micro-ecological effects and functions in intensive rice cropping systems are still obscure. Twelve soil samples were collected from a field experiment with four treatments such as M0 (no pig manure), M1 (1.6 t ha

With Zn deficiency increasing in the global population, functional plant food (including tea) can help to fill the nutrition gap that the main crops cannot meet. Glycinebetaine (GB), an important bioactive substance with a wide range of natural sources, has received limited attention towards its effects on Zn biofortification and the quality of tea. The Zn enrichment and metabolite responses of albino tea [cv. White leaf No. 1 (WL-1)] to the foliar application of GB, Zn, and their combination (Zn + GB) were investigated in a field experiment. The result indicated that the 100-buds weight, total N, Zn, Thea, and total amino acid content in the young leaves of WL-1 with Zn2 + GB2 treatment were significantly increased, whereas the Chla contents were decreased (

Phytoextraction is an attractive strategy for remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metal (HM), yet the effects of this practice on biochemical processes involved in soil nutrient cycling remain unknown. Here we investigated the impact of successive phytoextraction with a Cd/Zn co-hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii (Crassulaceae) on potential nitrification rates (PNRs), abundance and composition of nitrifying communities and functional genes associated with nitrification using archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene profiling and quantitative real-time PCR. The PNRs in rhizosphere were significantly (P 0.05) lower than in the unplanted soils, and decreased markedly with planting time. The decrease of PNR was more paralleled by changes in numbers of copy and transcript of archaeal amoA gene than the bacterial counterpart. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that phytoextraction induced shifts in community structure of soil group 1.1b lineage-dominated ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), Nitrosospira cluster 3-like ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and Nitrospira-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). A strong positive correlation was observed between amoA gene transcript numbers and PNRs, whereas root exudates showed negative effect on PNR. This effect was further corroborated by incubation test with the concentrated root exudates of S. alfredii. Partial least squares path model demonstrated that PNR was predominantly controlled by number of AOA amoA gene transcripts which were strongly influenced by root exudation and HM level in soil. Our result reveals that successive phytoextraction of agricultural soil contaminated by HMs using S. alfredii could inhibit ammonia oxidation and thereby reduce nitrogen loss.

A hominoid-specific gene promotes cortical expansion via regulating histone modification., Genomic changes during human linage evolution contribute to the expansion of the cerebral cortex to allow more advanced thought processes. The hominoid-specific gene TBC1D3 displays robust capacity of promoting the generation and proliferation of neural progenitors (NPs), which are thought to contribute to cortical expansion. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we found that TBC1D3 interacts with G9a, a euchromatic histone lysine N-methyltransferase, which mediates dimethylation of histone 3 in lysine 9 (H3K9me2), a suppressive mark for gene expression. TBC1D3 displayed an inhibitory role in G9a’s histone methyltransferase activity. Treatment with G9a inhibitor markedly increased NP proliferation and promoted human cerebral organoid expansion, mimicking the effects caused by TBC1D3 up-regulation. By contrast, blockade of TBC1D3/G9a interaction to disinhibit G9a caused up-regulation of H3K9me2, suppressed NP proliferation, and impaired organoid development. Together, this study has demonstrated a mechanism underlying the role of a hominoid-specific gene in promoting cortical expansion.

Global organic waste is increasing, bioconversion of organic waste arises because it can recover valuable nutrients and produce bioactive substances. Betaines are important bioactive substances in plants under environmental stress, but have received limited attention in vermicompost/larvae bioconversion compost. In this study, betaines in organic waste and vermicompost/larvae bioconversion compost were identified and quantified by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. We observed the existence of glutamine betaine in all samples, which was first found in natural sources recently. Valine betaine was the highest among all detected betaines followed by GABA betaine, and both were rare in plants. The existence of tyrosine betaine in cow dung (CD) and vermicompost (CDV) was found, which was previously shown to be in fungi. Most importantly, we found larvae bioconversion could increase betaines by 5.56-99.75%, while vermicomposting decreased them. Bioconversion of larvae can effectively increase betaines in compost and can be used to produce potential novel functional organic fertilizers.

A triphenylamine-based polymer poly[N-(anthraquinone-2-yl)-N,N-diphenylamine] (PDPA-AQ) with anthraquinone side chain was synthesized by a simple chemical oxidative polymerization. Due to the introduction of anthraquinone units with a high specific capacity in the side chain, the polymer PDPA-AQ has a high theoretical specific capacity, about twice of polytriphenylamine (PTPA). The lithium ion batteries based on PDPA-AQ as cathode active material and lithium foil as anode were assembled and their electrochemical properties were investigated. For a comparison, the electrochemical performance of the monomer DPA-AQ was also studied. Both monomer DPA-AQ and polymer PDPA-AQ have high initial discharge specific capacity, about 129 mAh g−1 and 159 mAh g−1 respectively, which are higher than the theoretical specific capacity of PTPA-based cells. The polymer PDPA-AQ has better discharge specific capacity, cycle performance and rate performance than monomer DPA-AQ, which shows that the design idea of introducing an electrochemically active carbonyl compound into the polytriphenylamine side chain can improve the specific capacity of the PTPA.

Biochar has been suggested to increase the soil nutrient retention capacity. The interaction of biochar addition and soil initial fertility through modifying soil aggregates on soil bacterial community and nitrogen transformation is still unclear. A 60-day incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the influences of biochar addition on soil nitrification and associated nitrifying microbial community in three size aggregates of different derived soils. The results indicated that potential nitrification rates (PNRs) in three size soil aggregates of biochar addition treatment were significantly (P

A 3-anthraquinone substituted polythiophene (poly[3–(2-anthraquinone)-2,5-thiophene], P3-AQT)) was synthesized by chemical oxidation polymerization using FeCl3 as oxidant. The structure and thermal stability of P3-AQT were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Due to its electrochemical activity in the range of 0–3.0 V, P3-AQT can be used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The P3-AQT/Li batteries were assembled and their electrochemical properties were studied. P3-AQT electrodes can deliver an initial charge capacity of 791 mAh g−1 at a current density of 50 mA g−1 and show good cycle stability at high current density. When the current density is 1000 mA g−1, the initial charge specific capacity is 710 mAh g−1, and the specific capacity remains at 505 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. The results indicate that the introduction of anthraquinone at the 3-position of polythiophene can increase the reversible capacity of polythiophene and P3-AQT is a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Two poly(arylamine-imide)s, poly(N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenyl-1,4-benzenediamine naphthalenediimide) (PDDP-NI) and poly(N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenyl-1,4-benzenediamine perylenediimide) (PDDP-PI), were successfully prepared by condensation polymerization of an amine monomer N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenyl-1,4-benzenediamine (DDP) with dianhydride monomer 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) or 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). The DDP units in the polymer can reversibly dope/dedope the PF6 − anion, while the naphthalenediimide (NI) unit or perylene diimide (PI) unit can reversibly insert/extract the lithium cation. The lithium ion half-cells based on the polymer cathode and the lithium anode are assembled and the electrochemical properties are tested. Due to the high voltage of the DDP unit in the polymer backbone, lithium-ion half-cells based on PDDP-NI and PDDP-PI cathodes provide a high average discharge voltage of about 3.2 V. Moreover, the as-prepared polymer materials exhibit long-cycle performance, PDDP-NI remains 89% capacity after 500 cycles at 10 C and PDDP-PI maintains 98% capacity after 1000 cycles at 10 C, furthermore, their coulombic efficiency close to 100% at all current rates tested, which shows that these organic cathode materials have potential applications in long-cycle lithium-ion batteries.

A large flat-conjugated copolymer poly[ethylene-N,N'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide] (PENDI), was synthesized through a simple synthetic method, which is preparation via 2,6-dibromo-N,N'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide, and (E)-1,2-bis(tributylstannyl) ethene via Stille coupling reaction for use as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries. The PENDI copolymer was characterized by IR, UV-vis spectra, 1H NMR, and TGA. The electrochemical performance results demonstrated that the reversible capacity of PENDI can be retained at 85% of its initial theoretical capacity with a steady discharge voltage plateau of 2.0–2.5 V after 100 cycles at 0.1 C, and the coulomb efficiency remained above 98%. This can be attributed to the low solubility of the copolymer PENDI in electrolyte and the excellent structural stability of the copolymer PENDI during the charge–discharge tests. The synthesis of polymers with high conjugated systems and more stable structures will become a major breakthrough for the exploitation and optimization of cathode materials.

Two novel conjugated copolymers (P1 and P2) with donor–acceptor architecture, based on triphenylamine, benzodithiophene and thiazolothiazole (TTz), have been prepared by the Stille coupling reaction. Compared with alternative copolymer P1 with the single electron-withdrawing unit TTz, random copolymer P2 introduced another stronger electron-withdrawing unit benzothiadiazole intramolecularly. Incorporation of two different electron-withdrawing units on the backbone was proved to have a significant influence on the optical and electrical properties. Compared with P1, copolymer P2 has the wider absorption spectrum, lower bandgap, and therefore the better device performances.

The synthesis of Co 3 O 4 nanostructures with controllable morphology through hydrothermal reaction was investigated. Through adjusting the reaction temperature, mesoporous nanowires (Co 3 O 4 -NWs) and mesoporous nanoflakes (Co 3 O 4 -NFs) can be directly grown on nickel foam at a reaction of temperature of 90 °C and 120 °C, respectively. Compared with Co 3 O 4 -NWs, Co 3 O 4 -NFs displays greatly improved performance of cyclic stability and rate capability. After 100 cycles, an outstanding reversible capacity of 1300 mAh g ⿿1 with negligible capacity fading is achieved at current density of 100 mA g ⿿1 for Co 3 O 4 -NFs. Furthermore, Co 3 O 4 -NFs exhibit excellent rate capability, with a reversible capacity up to ⿼450 mAh g ⿿1 even at a current density as high as 8 A g ⿿1 . Due to the directly growing aligned Co 3 O 4 nanoflakes on conductive 3D nickel foam, the Co 3 O 4 -NFs electrode shows superior electrochemical performance, with potential as a promising anode candidate for lithium ion batteries.

A series of hyperbranched π -conjugated light-emitting polymers containing an iridium complex as the branched core unit and polyfluorene or poly(fluorene- alt -carbazole) as the branched segments were synthesized via a palladium catalyzed Suzuki polymerization. Apparent Forster energy transfer in the photoluminescent spectra as thin films was observed, while no discernible characteristic absorbance and photoluminescence of the iridium complex can be realized in dilute solutions. Copolymers based on poly(fluorene- alt -carbazole) as the branched segments demonstrated enhanced highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels relative to those based on polyfluorene. The electroluminescent spectra of these copolymers exclusively showed the characteristic emission of the iridium complex, with corresponding CIE coordinates of (0.67±0.01, 0.31). All devices exhibited relatively slow roll-off of efficiency, and the best device performance with the maximum luminous efficiency of 5.33 cd A −1 was attained by using PFCzTiqIr3 as the emissive layer. These results indicated that the hyperbranched conjugated architectures can be a promising molecular design strategy for efficient electrophosphorescent light-emitting polymers.

A novel four-armed triphenylamine (TPA)-based molecule named (TPATh)4TPA2B with 4,7-bis(4-diphenylaminophenyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole unit as the central building block and triphenylamine-3-dodecylthiophene unit as the arms and a bi-armed TPA-based molecule named (TPATh)2(MTPA)2B with the same central building block and arms as those of (TPATh)4TPA2B were designed and synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Stille reaction. The thermal stability, photophysical and electrochemical properties of these small molecules are studied. Moreover, they are evaluated in solution processed bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs). The device performances of the OSCs based on these small molecule donors and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) were studied. With the same core, the four-armed molecule has the higher absorption and better miscibility with PC71BM than that of bi-armed molecule, while the bi-armed molecule (TPATh)2(MTPA)2B has the higher hole mobility. The power conversion efficiency of the OSCs based on (TPATh)4TPA2B as donor and PC71BM as acceptor is 1.3% with open-circuit voltage 0.71 V.

Two wide band gap four-armed triphenylamine (TPA)-based molecules (SM1 and SM2) with a donor–acceptor–donor structural core and a thiophene (Th) or TPA-Th segment as the arm have been designed and synthesized by use of Stille coupling reaction to further study the relationship between the structure and properties of four-armed triphenylamine-based molecules. The thermal, photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of the molecules are studied. To further study the electronic structure of these molecules, time-dependent density functional theory calculations for the resulting small molecules were performed by using the Gaussian 09 program suite. SM2 with the extended arm structures has stronger absorption intensity and better miscibility with commercial PCBM compared with the SM1 molecule. The organic solar cells employing SM2/[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as the active layer showed better device performances than that of SM1.

Four triphenylamine (TPA)-based molecules SM1 with no cyan terminal, SM2, SM3 and SM4 with cyan terminal were prepared via Knoevenagel and Stille-coupling reaction to study their optical, electronic and photovoltaic properties. The cyan terminal has a significant influence on the optical and electronic properties of the resulting molecules. The solution processed organic solar cells (OSCs) based on the obtained molecule donors were also fabricated to study their photovoltaic performances. The most efficient OSCs based on SM2 exhibited the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.51% with open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) of 0.89 V, short current density ( J sc ) of 5.80 mA cm −2 and fill factor (FF) of 0.29.

During the evolution from primates to humans, the size of cerebral cortex is increased by forming more gyri and sulci, which is believed to be highly associated with cognitive abilities and the basis of higher brain functions in humans. Accumulating lines of evidence have shown that the cortical size is regulated both by protein-coding genes and non-coding RNAs. In particular, the recently identified outer radial glial cells (oRGs) distributed in the outer subventricular zone (oSVZ) of gyrencephalic brains, have been considered to be important for cortical expansion and folding. This review summarizes recent progresses in the understanding of cortex expansion and discusses the potential molecular and cellular mechanisms of cortical folding.

TNF inhibitors have been used in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The efficacy of TNF inhibitors was already evaluated by meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, the safety of TNF inhibitors is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate and update the safety data from RCTs of TNF inhibitors in patients treated for AS. A systematic literature search was conducted from 1990 through May 31, 2016. All studies included were randomized, double-blind, controlled trials of patients with ankylosing spondylitis that evaluated adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, etanercept, golimumab, or infliximab treatment. The overall serious adverse events, the risk of serious infection events, and the risk of malignancy and discontinuation rates were abstracted, and risk estimates were calculated by Peto odds ratios (ORs). Fourteen randomized controlled trials involving 2032 subjects receiving TNF inhibitors and 1030 subjects receiving placebo and/or traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were included. The overall serious adverse events (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.87-2.05), the risk of serious infection events (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.63-4.01), the risk of malignancy (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.25-3.85), and discontinuation due to adverse events (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 0.95-2.54) in patients treated with TNF inhibitors as a group were not significantly different from those treated with placebo in the control group. TNF inhibitors were generally safe for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. These data may help guide clinical comparative decision making in the management of AS.

Two new star-shaped triphenylamine (TPA) molecules [Th3(TPABT) and TPA3(TPABT)] with TPA (donor)-benzothiadiazole (acceptor)-4-hexylthiophene unit as core, TPA or 4-hexylthiophene as arms were synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Stille coupling reaction. These TPA molecules have good solubility and film-forming ability in common organic solvents such as chloroform, tetrahydrofuran and toluene and have strong absorption in 300–600 nm. The blends of Th3(TPABT):PC71BM (1:3) comprising solution-processed organic solar cells give a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.22 % with a high open circuit voltage (V oc) of 1.0 V. For TPA3(TPABT): PC71BM (1:3) device, a PCE of 1.24 % with a V oc of 0.82 V and a fill factor of 0.51 is achieved.

Two novel benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b′]thiophene-based copolymers (namely, PBDT-TPABTBn and PBDT-BTCz) with a pendent acceptor were synthesized through Pd-catalyzed Stille coupling reactions for use in organic photovoltaic devices. To study the photovoltaic properties of the resulting copolymers, polymer solar cells were fabricated with the copolymers as electron donors and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester as an electron acceptor. The obtained devices based on PBDT-TPABTBn and PBDT-BTCz exhibited power conversion efficiencies of 1.62 % (V oc = 0.94 V, J sc = 4.74 mA cm−2, FF = 0.39) and 0.95 % (V oc = 0.64 V, J sc = 4.16 mA cm−2, FF = 0.36), respectively. Results indicated that the two copolymers were the promising donor candidates for polymer solar cell applications.

The Solid Waste Import & Export Management System between China and Japan is introduced in this paper, including the laws and regulations, management requirements or system, competent departments and their responsibilities. The major risk points that existed in import & export of waste raw materials between China and Japan are also analyzed, and countermeasures and suggestions to prevent and fight against illegal waste import and export activities are put forward.

Contamination ions from bipolar plates and elastomeric gaskets for degradation play an important role on the long-term stability and durability of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. In this paper, the effects of Mg2+ contamination on PEM fuel cell performance were investigated experimentally. Five levels of Mg2+ concentrations were used in this work. Electrochemical performance tests were performed by adding the various Mg2+ concentration solutions into the anode H2 fuel stream of the PEM fuel cell. And then scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to study degradation mechanism of the PEM fuel cell performance for Mg2+ contamination. The test results show that both Mg2+ concentration and contamination time had significant effects on PEM fuel cell performance. The voltage and maximum power density of the PEM fuel cell decreased with the increase of Mg2+ concentration and contamination time. EDS and EPMA results indicate that the Magnesium mainly appeared in the PEM for the Mg2+ contaminating of the PEM fuel cell, and the Magnesium increased with the increasing Mg2+ concentration over time. The degradation mechanism of the PEM fuel cell performance for the Mg2+ contamination could be due to ion exchange reaction between Mg2+ and the proton of sulfonic acid groups in the PEM to form the new sulfonate structure.

Two fluorene-based copolymers comprising identical pendent triphenylamine (donor)–benzothiadiazole (acceptor) unit on the C9 site of fluorene but different conjugated main chain structures were synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Stille reaction. The thermal, photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties are studied. The polymers have strong absorption in 300–650 nm. The bulk heterojunction solar cells were fabricated with the copolymers as the donors and PC71BM as the acceptor in a 1:3 weight ratio in the device configuration ITO/PEODT/copolymer:PC71BM (1:3)/LiF/Al. The power conversion efficiency of the device based on copolymer PF-BTh-DTS is 1.1 % with open-circuit voltage (V oc) 0.84 V under simulated AM 1.5 G solar irradiation (100 mW/cm2).

Two narrow band gap fluorene-based copolymers with donor–acceptor (D–A) structure on the polymer side chain and/or main chain are synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Stille coupling reactions. The two copolymers have excellent thermal stability. The effects of D–A structure on the main and side chains on the absorption and electrochemical properties are studied. The copolymer PF-BTh-DBT with D–A structure both on the main and side chains has broader and stronger absorption and narrower band gap than the copolymer PF-BTh with only a pendent D–A structure. The power conversion efficiency of the assembled solar cell using PF-BTh-DBT as donor and PC71BM as acceptor is 1.6% with open-circuit voltage (Voc) 0.84 V under simulated AM 1.5 G solar irradiation (100 mW/cm2). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3276–3281, 2013

Delayed coking is an important process in refinery to convert heavy residue oils from crude distillation units (CDUs) and fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCUs) into dry gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, diesel, gas oils and cokes. The main fractionator, separating superheating reaction vapors from the coke drums into lighter oil products, involves a de-superheating section and a rectifying section, and couldn't be simulated as a whole column directly because of non-equilibrium in the de-superheating section. It is very important to correctly simulate the main fractionator for operational parameter and energy-use optimization of delayed cokers. This paper discusses the principle of de-superheating processes, and then proposes a new simulation strategy. Some key issues such as composition prediction of the reaction vapors, selection of thermodynamic methods, estimation of tray efficiency, etc . are discussed. The proposed simulation approach is applied to two industrial delayed cokers with typical technological processes in a Chinese refinery by using PRO/II. The simulation results obtained are well consistent with the actual operation data, which indicates that the presented approach is suitable to simulate the main fractionators of delayed cokers or other distillation columns consisting of de-superheating sections and rectifying sections.

Fluorescent nanoparticles have enabled many discoveries regarding how molecular machines function. Quantum dots have been the dominant class of fluorescent nanoparticles but suffer from blinking and from a substantial dark fraction--particles where the fluorescence is never seen--complicating any analysis of biological function. Nanoparticles composed of conjugated fluorescent polymers (Pdots) have recently been shown to have high brightness and no blinking. Here we develop a robust and efficient means to measure the dark fraction of Pdots, conjugating Atto dyes to the nanoparticles and testing fluorescence colocalization of dye and Pdot puncta. This established that the Pdots we generated had minimal dark fraction: ∼3%. The application of nanoparticles in biological environments is highly sensitive to surface functionalization. For Pdots we found that passivation with uncharged hydroxy-terminated polyethylene glycol caused a dramatic reduction in nonspecific cell binding and aggregation compared to a charged coating. Using carbonyl di-imidazole the hydroxy-Pdots were functionalized efficiently with streptavidin for high stability targeting, allowing specific labeling of mammalian cells. Type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) regulates cell survival and development, with roles in aging, heart disease, and cancer. We used hydroxy-Pdots to track the dynamics of IGF1R on a breast cancer cell-line, determining the diffusion characteristics and showing cholesterol-containing membrane nanodomains were important for receptor mobility at the plasma membrane. The near-unity bright fraction and low nonspecific binding of hydroxy-Pdots, combined with Pdot photostability and lack of blinking, provides many advantages for investigations at the single molecule level.