Study on diffraction characteristics of a planar diamond waveguide

A numerical simulation is performed to study the far-field diffraction properties of planar diamond waveguides.The far-field intensity distributions of a planar air waveguide and a diamond waveguide with different distances are given by numerical calculations.In the experiment,the diffraction patterns on the screen with different distances are recorded using a He-Ne laser as the light source,wherein the laser beam is coupled with and propagates in the diamond waveguide.The simulation results are found to be consistent with the experimental ones.     

An experimental investigation of tribological performance of triangular textures in water lubrication regime

Surface texturing has been considered as an effective approach to improve the tribological performances.Based on the consideration of enhancing the tribological performance,the experiments are carried out to investigate tribological performance of triangular textures in water lubrication.The textures are generated by the Nd:YAG laser marking system,with an area density of 20%and a depth of 7 m and are distributed uniformly on the surface of the SiC rings.Compared with the circular textures,the triangular textures have obvious tribological anisotropy.The triangular textures in clockwise direction show the best friction reduction effect among the three textures.The friction reduction mechanisms of the triangular textures in clockwise direction are also analyzed and discussed.     

Non-Gaussian water diffusion kurtosis imaging of prostate cancer

Purpose

To evaluate the non-Gaussian water diffusion properties of prostate cancer (PCa) and determine the diagnostic performance of diffusion kurtosis (DK) imaging for distinguishing PCa from benign tissues within the peripheral zone (PZ), and assessing tumor lesions with different Gleason scores.

Materials and Methods

Nineteen patients who underwent diffusion weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging using multiple b-values and were pathologically confirmed with PCa were enrolled in this study. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was derived using a monoexponential model, while diffusion coefficient (D) and kurtosis (K) were determined using a DK model. Differences between the ADC, D and K values of benign PZ and PCa, as well as those of tumor lesions with Gleason scores of 6, 7 and ≥ 8 were assessed. Correlations between parameters D and K in PCa were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. ADC, D and K values were correlated with Gleason scores of 6, 7 and ≥ 8, respectively.

Results

ADC and D values were significantly (p < 0.001) lower in PCa (0.79 ± 0.14 μm²/ms and 1.56 ± 0.23 μm²/ms, respectively) compared to benign PZ (1.23 ± 0.19 μm²/ms and 2.54 ± 0.24 μm²/ms, respectively). K values were significantly (p < 0.001) greater in PCa (0.96 ± 0.20) compared to benign PZ (0.59 ± 0.08). D and K showed fewer overlapping values between benign PZ and PCa compared to ADC. There was a strong negative correlation between D and K values in PCa (Pearson correlation coefficient r = − 0.729; p < 0.001). ADC and K values differed significantly in tumor lesions with Gleason scores of 6, 7 and ≥ 8 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively), although no significant difference was detected for D values (p = 0.325). Significant correlations were found between the ADC value and Gleason score (r = − 0.828; p < 0.001), as well as the K value and Gleason score (r = 0.729; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

DK model may add value in PCa detection and diagnosis. K potentially offers a new metric for assessment of PCa.     

Synthesis of a hierarchical three-component nanocomposite structure system with enhanced electrocatalytic and photoelectrical properties

Effective control over the morphology and size of Pd/Pt nanoparticles is currently of immense interest because their electronic, optical, and catalytic properties are superior to pure platinum nanoparticles. However, control over the nanoparticle shape is still challenging. Therefore, a novel design and synthetic route needs to be developed to obtain a high-performance catalyst. Herein, a hierarchical three-component nanocomposite structure system (HTNSS) composed of graphene, TiO(2), and Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles was designed and synthesized by a sequential strategy that focuses on constructing the monolithic structure rather than limited single-component counterparts. The resulting composites were characterized by various techniques, which showed that the Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles were preferentially deposited on the peripheral interface of the graphene and TiO(2) nanoparticles. The photoelectrical and catalytic performances were obviously improved relative to the commercially available E-TEK Pt/C owing to their synergistic effect.     

Effects of carbon sources and carbon contents on the electrochemical properties of LiFePO4/C cathode material

LiFePO₄/C composites are prepared by using two types of carbon source: one using polymer (PAALi) and the other using sucrose. The physical characteristics of LiFePO₄/C composites are investigated by X-ray diffraction), scanning electron microscopy, BET, laser particle analyzer, and Raman spectroscopy. Their electrochemical properties are characterized by cyclic voltammograms, constant current charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectra. These analyses indicate that the carbon source and carbon content have a great effect on the physical and electrochemical performances of LiFePO₄/C composites. An ideal carbon source and appropriate carbon content can effectively increase the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient and exchange current density, decrease the charge transfer resistance (R _ct), and enhance the electrochemical performances of LiFePO₄/C composite. The results show that PAALi is a better carbon source for the synthesis of LiFePO₄/C composites. When the carbon content is 4.11 wt.% (the molar ratio of PAALi/Li₂C₂O₄ was 2:1), as-prepared LiFePO₄/C composite shows the best combination between electrochemical performances and tap density.     

Non-monotone projection gradient method for non-negative matrix factorization

Since Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) was first proposed over a decade ago, it has attracted much attention, particularly when applied to numerous data analysis problems. Most of the existing algorithms for NMF are based on multiplicative iterative and alternating least squares algorithms. However, algorithms based on the optimization method are few, especially in the case where two variables are derived at the same time. In this paper, we propose a non-monotone projection gradient method for NMF and establish the convergence results of our algorithm. Experimental results show that our algorithm converges to better solutions than popular multiplicative update-based algorithms.     

Capture efficiency of Escherichia coli in fimbriae-mediated immunoimmobilization

Capturing pathogens on a sensor surface is one of the most important steps in the design of a biosensor. The efficiency of a biosensor at capturing pathogens has direct bearing on its sensitivity. In this work we investigated the capturing of Escherichia coli on substrates modified with antibodies targeting different types of fimbriae: K88ab (F4), K88ac (F4), K99 (F5), 987P (F6), F41, and CFA/I. The results suggest that all these fimbriae can be used for the efficient immobilization of living E. coli cells. The immobilization efficiency was affected by the purity and clone type of the antibody and the fimbriae expression level of the bacteria. For a specific fimbriae type, a higher immobilization efficiency was often observed with the monoclonal antibodies. Immunoimmobilization was utilized in an antibody microarray immersed in a mixed culture of pathogens to demonstrate the rapid and simultaneous label-free detection of multiple pathogens within less than 1 h using a single test. The capture rate of living pathogens exceeds a single bacterium per 100 × 100 μm(2) area per 0.5 h of incubation for a bulk concentration of 10(5) cfu/mL.     

Tetravalent half‐edge‐transitive graphs and non‐normal Cayley graphs

Let X be a vertex‐transitive graph, that is, the automorphism group Aut(X) of X is transitive on the vertex set of X. The graph X is said to be symmetric if Aut(X) is transitive on the arc set of X. suppose that Aut(X) has two orbits of the same length on the arc set of X. Then X is said to be half‐arc‐transitive or half‐edge‐transitive if Aut(X) has one or two orbits on the edge set of X, respectively. Stabilizers of symmetric and half‐arc‐transitive graphs have been investigated by many authors. For example, see Tutte [Canad J Math 11 (1959), 621–624] and Conder and Maru?i? [J Combin Theory Ser B 88 (2003), 67–76]. It is trivial to construct connected tetravalent symmetric graphs with arbitrarily large stabilizers, and by Maru?i? [Discrete Math 299 (2005), 180–193], connected tetravalent half‐arc‐transitive graphs can have arbitrarily large stabilizers. In this article, we show that connected tetravalent half‐edge‐transitive graphs can also have arbitrarily large stabilizers. A Cayley graph Cay(G, S) on a group G is said to be normal if the right regular representation R(G) of G is normal in Aut(Cay(G, S)). There are only a few known examples of connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs on non‐abelian simple groups. In this article, we give a sufficient condition for non‐normal Cayley graphs and by using the condition, infinitely many connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs are constructed. As an application, all connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs on the alternating group A₆ are determined. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Mechanical behavior of a pH-sensitive hydrogel ring used in a micro-optical device

A hydrogel is a polymer network that can absorb a large quantity of solvent and swell due to a physical or chemical stimulus. Hydrogels are more and more used as smart materials in recent micro-applications. This fact requires the development of adequate models and simulation tools for their large deformation behavior. These models must also predict the onset of instabilities, such as folding or creasing. In this work, we study an interesting application of adaptive optical microsystem using a previously developed theory of inhomogeneous large deformation of a pH-sensitive hydrogel. The devices function is based on the swelling of a ring made of a pH-sensitive hydrogel. The latter controls the focal length of the liquid microlens. Our aim is to analyze major design parameters that affect the hydrogel ring behavior and the function of the micro-optical device. The problem is solved numerically with the finite element commercial software ABAQUS. Various modes of large deformation and the influence of the rings aspect ratio on the behavior of the micro-device are investigated. Results show that, for relatively short rings, a stable swelling takes place. Rings with a relatively big aspect ratio can have an unstable swelling with the propagation of a creasing instability. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Resonant behavior of a membrane of a dielectric elastomer

This paper analyzes a membrane of a dielectric elastomer, prestretched and mounted on a rigid circular ring, and then inflated by a combination of pressure and voltage. Equations of motion are derived from a nonlinear field theory, and used to analyze several experimental conditions. When the pressure and voltage are static, the membrane may attain a state of equilibrium, around which the membrane can oscillate. The natural frequencies can be tuned by varying the prestretch, pressure, or voltage. A sinusoidal pressure or voltage may excite superharmonic, harmonic, and subharmonic resonance. Several modes of oscillation predicted by the model have not been reported experimentally, possibly because these modes have small deflections, despite large stretches.