Principal direction-based Hough transform for line detection

A robust and fast line detection method based on Hough transform (HT) is proposed in this paper. Edge pixels are extracted based on the summation and ratio of principal curvatures. Probabilistic sampling on the edge pixels is applied to reduce the count of voting. Then a one-to-one voting strategy is applied by taking advantages of the information of principal direction. The principal direction is also conducive for the successive accurate line segment extraction. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed method shows better locating accuracy and computation efficiency compared with several significant variations of HT.     

Simple Nd:YAG laser generates vector and vortex beam

We report a simple Nd:YAG laser that emits radially polarized beam with helical wavefront. The laser cavity consists of a piece of laser crystal and a plane output coupler, and there is no additional polarization component inside it. The pump light is converted into annular profile through de-focal coupling into a multi-mode fiber. For the continuous-wave(CW) operation, the laser emits radially polarized vortex beam, and it is observed that the helical wavefront of the laser beam is switched from right handedness to left handedness when the output coupler is tilted slightly. For the Q-switched operation under the insertion of a Cr4t:YAG saturable absorber inside the cavity, we obtain radially polarized outputs with left-handedness helical wavefront. By tilting the laser crystal slightly, the laser output switches to azimuthal polarization at pump power larger than 4.5 W and left-handedness helical wavefront of laser beam is preserved.     

520nm泵浦780nm+1560nm双共振光学参量振荡器

我们在实验中演示了520nm单频绿光泵浦的基于周期极化磷酸钛氧钾(PPKTP)晶体的780nm+1560nm双共振光参量振荡器,高效制备780nm+1 560nm连续可调谐双色下转换光场。该参量振荡器可输出93.3 mW的1 560nm单频激光和44.6mW的780nm单频激光。通过改变PPKTP晶体的温度所得到的波长粗调范围为:信号光1 529.81nm~1 573.83nm(~44nm),闲置光788.26nm~777.20nm(~11nm);通过连续调谐520nm泵浦激光频率初步得到的闲置光在780.24nm(铷原子D2线)处频率连续调谐范围约1.6GHz。     

A Novel L‐Cysteine Electrochemical Sensor Using Sulfonated Graphene‐poly(3,4‐Ethylenedioxythiophene) Composite Film Decorated with Gold Nanoparticles

By exploiting the electrostatic interaction between positively charged 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene cation radicals and negatively charged sulfonated graphene (SG) sheets, we prepared a poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐sulfonated graphene (SG‐PEDOT) composite film by a one‐step electrochemical process. The composite was further decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and employed as an electrode material for the detection of L ‐cysteine (Cys). The SG‐PEDOT composite film is shown to provide a rough surface for the electrodeposition of AuNPs and to improve substrate accessibility and interaction with Cys. Moreover, the AuNPs‐decorated composite exhibits better electrocatalytic performance than that of a SG‐PEDOT composite only. Under optimum experimental conditions, the amperometric current of the sensor is linearly related to the concentration of Cys in the 0.1 to 382 µM range, and the detection limit is 0.02 µM (at S/N=3). The modified electrode displays favorable selectivity, good stability and high reproducibility. The method was successfully applied to the detection of Cys in spiked human urine.     

Effect of TiMn1.5 alloying on the structure,hydrogen storage properties and electrochemical properties of LaNi3.8Co1.1Mn0.1 hydrogen storage alloys

A series of experiments were performed to investigate the effect of TiMn_1.5 alloying on the structure, hydrogen storage properties and electrochemical properties of LaNi_3.8Co_1.1Mn_0.1 hydrogen storage alloys at 303 K. For simple, A, B, and C are used to represent alloys (x = 0 wt %, x = 4 wt % and x = 8 wt %) respectively. The results of XRD and SEM show that LaNi_3.8Co_1.1Mn_0.1?xTiMn_1.5 hydrogen storage alloys have LaNi₅ phase and (NiCo)₃Ti phase. Based on the results of PCT curves, the hydrogen storage capacities of LaNi_3.8Co_1.1Mn_0.1?xTiMn_1.5 hydrogen storage alloys are about 1.28 wt % (A), 1.16 wt % (B) and 1.01 wt % (C) at 303 K. And the released pressure platform and the pressure hysteresis decrease with the increase of TiMn_1.5 content. Meanwhile the activation curves show that LaNi_3.8Co_1.1Mn_0.1?xTiMn_1.5 hydrogen storage alloy electrodes can be activated in three times and the maximum discharge capacity is 343.74 mA h/g at 303 K. In addition, with the increase of TiMn_1.5 content, the cyclic stability of the hydrogen storage alloy electrodes decreases obviously and the capacity retention decreases from 76.70% to 70.00% when TiMn_1.5 content increases from A to C. It also can be seen that LaNi_3.8Co_1.1Mn_0.1?xTiMn_1.5 hydrogen storage alloy electrode C and B have the best self-discharge ability and the best high-rate discharge ability from self-discharge curves and high-rate discharge curves.     

Aluminum hypophosphite in combination with expandable graphite as a novel flame retardant system for rigid polyurethane foams

The main aim of this work was to investigate the synergistic effect of expandable graphite (EG) and aluminum hypophosphite (AHP) on the flame retardancy of rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs). A series of flame retardant RPUF containing EG and AHP were prepared by one‐shot and free‐rise method. The flame retardant, thermal degradation, and combustion properties of RPUF hybrids were characterized through limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, vertical burning (UL‐94) test, thermogravimetric analysis and microscale combustion calorimeter. The LOI and UL‐94 results showed that the RPUF sample with 10 wt% EG and 5 wt% AHP passed UL‐94 V‐0 rating and reached a relatively high LOI value of 28.5%, which is superior over other EG/AHP ratios in RPUF at the equivalent filler loading. Microscale combustion calorimeter results revealed that the incorporation of EG and AHP into RPUF reduced the peak heat release rate and total heat release, thus decrease the fire risk of RPUF significantly. Incorporation of EG and AHP improved the thermal stability of RPUF as observed from the thermogravimetric analysis results and also enhanced the thermal resistance of char layer at high temperature from scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, it could be seen from thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry spectra that the addition of EG and AHP significantly decreased the combustible gaseous products such as hydrocarbons and ethers. Finally, the synergistic mechanism in flame retardancy was discussed and speculated. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Peptide Dimethylation: Fragmentation Control via Distancing the Dimethylamino Group

Direct reductive methylation of peptides is a common method for quantitative proteomics. It is an active derivatization technique; with participation of the dimethylamino group, the derivatized peptides preferentially release intense a₁ ions. The advantageous generation of a₁ ions for quantitative proteomic profiling, however, is not desirable for targeted proteomic quantitation using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry; this mass spectrometric method prefers the derivatizing group to stay with the intact peptide ions and multiple fragments as passive mass tags. This work investigated collisional fragmentation of peptides whose amine groups were derivatized with five linear ω-dimethylamino acids, from 2-(dimethylamino)-acetic acid to 6-(dimethylamino)-hexanoic acid. Tandem mass spectra of the derivatized tryptic peptides revealed different preferential breakdown pathways. Together with energy resolved mass spectrometry, it was found that shutting down the active participation of the terminal dimethylamino group in fragmentation of derivatized peptides is possible. However, it took a separation of five methylene groups between the terminal dimethylamino group and the amide formed upon peptide derivatization. For the first time, the gas-phase fragmentation of peptides derivatized with linear ω-dimethylamino acids of systematically increasing alkyl chain lengths is reported. Figure

?     

Nonisothermal kinetics study with advanced isoconversional procedure and DAEM

The precursor of LiNiPO₄ was synthesized by solid-state reaction at low-heating temperature using LiOH·H₂O and NH₄NiPO₄·H₂O as raw materials. LiNiPO₄ was obtained by calcining the precursor. Based on the advanced isoconversional procedure and the distributed activation energy model (DAEM), the activation energies calculated indicated that the thermal process involved two stages which stage II was a kinetically complex process, but stage I was single-step process. The most probable mechanism for the stage I is random nucleation and subsequent growth. DAEM and nonlinear model-fitting method were applied to study the stage II of decomposition process of the precursor. The distributions of activation energy, f(E _a) and values of preexponential factor A of the stage II of the thermal decomposition of precursor were obtained on the basis of DAEM. The results of nonlinear model-fitting method showed the most probable mechanisms of the parallel reactions for stage II are chemical reaction and nucleation.     

Estimation of the critical rate of temperature rise for thermal explosion of nitrocellulose using non-isothermal DSC

The expressions to calculate the critical rate of temperature rise of thermal explosion $ ({\text{d}}T / {\text{d}}t)_{{\text{T}_{\text{b}} }} $ for energetic materials (EMs) were derived from the Semenov’s thermal explosion theory and autocatalytic reaction rate equation of nth order, C_nB, B_na, first-order, apparent empiric-order, simple first-order, A_u, apparent empiric-order of m = 0, n = 0, p = 1 and m = 0, n = 1, p = 1, using reasonable hypotheses. A method to determine the kinetic parameters in the autocatalytic-decomposing reaction rate equations and the $ ({\text{d}}T / {\text{d}}t)_{{\text{T}_{\text{b}} }} $ in EMs when autocatalytic decomposition converts into thermal explosion from data of DSC curves at different heating rate was presented. Results show that (1) under non-isothermal DSC conditions, the autocatalytic-decomposing reaction of NC (12.97 % N) can be described by the first-order autocatalytic reaction rate equation dα/dt = 10^16.00exp(?174520/RT)(1 ? α) + 10^16.00exp(?163510/RT)α(1 ? α); (2) the value of $ ({\text{d}}T / {\text{d}}t)_{{\text{T}_{\text{b}} }} $ for NC (12.97 % N) when autocatalytic decomposition converts into thermal explosion is 0.354 K s^?1.