High efficiency of Brillouin scattering behavior in single-mode Ge–As–Se–Te fibers at 2μm

The Brillouin characteristics of step-index Ge–As–Se–Te(GAST)fibers at 2μm are designed and simulated on the basis of optical and acoustic properties.The refractive indexes of Ge_(20)As_(20)Se_(45)Te_(15)glass and Ge_(20)As_(20)Se_(43)Te_(17)glass serving as fiber core and cladding are 3.20 and 3.18 at 2μm,and their acoustic velocities are 2200 m/s and 2300 m/s,respectively.Numerical results indicate that the stimulated Brillouin scattering(SBS)efficiency is 248 m^(-1)·W^(-1),and the Brillouin threshold power is 66 m W when the core diameter of the 2-m-long GAST fiber is 4μm at 2-μm wavelength.The optic–acoustic coupling factor,the Brillouin frequency shift,and the Brillouin gain coefficient are 0.98,7.02 GHz,and 3.81×10^(-9)m/W,respectively.The SBS effect of GAST fibers simulated for the first time provides a new promising approach to selecting gain medium based on 2-μm-wavelength fiber laser.

Prediction of Potential Distribution of the Genus Cricotopus(Diptera:Chironomidae)Based on MaxEnt Model

The prediction of suitable area is a method for predicting the potential distribution by using the maximum entropy model.This study predicted the potential suitable habitats for the genus Cricotopus of Chironomidae in China.The latitude and longitude information of 98 distribution sites of Cricotopus in China and the biological environmental factors and altitude distribution in China were collected,and suitable habitats for Cricotopus were predicted,obtaining the suitable ranges and areas of Cricotopus in China,which is consistent with the known living conditions of Cricotopus.The study on the diversity of Cricotopus and the prediction of its suitable habitats provide a theoretical basis for Cricotopus in water monitoring and paddy fields,as well as basic data for the study on the genus Cricotopus.

Vitreous substitutes: challenges and directions

The natural vitreous body has a fine structure and complex functions. The imitation of the natural vitreous body by vitreous substitutes is a challenging work for both researchers and ophthalmologists. Gases, silicone oil, heavy silicone oil and hydrogels, particularly the former two vitreous substitutes are clinically widely used with certain complications. Those, however, are not real artificial vitreous due to lack of structure and function like the natural vitreous body. This article reviews the situations, challenges, and future directions in the development of vitreous substitutes, particularly the experimental and clinical use of a new artificial foldable capsular vitreous body.

Study of retinal vessel oxygen saturation in ischemic and non-ischemic branch retinal vein occlusion

AIM：To explore how oxygen saturation in retinal blood vessels is altered in ischemic and non-ischemic branch retinal vein occlusion（BRVO）.·METHODS：Fifty BRVO eyes were divided into ischemic（=26）and non-ischemic（=24）groups,based on fundus fluorescein angiography.Healthy individuals（=52 and=48,respectively）were also recruited as controls for the two groups.The mean oxygen saturations of the occluded vessels and central vessels were measured by oximetry in the BRVO and control groups.·R ESULTS：In the ischemic BRVO group,the occluded arterioles oxygen saturation（Sa O2-A,106.0%±14.3%）,instead of the occluded venule oxygen saturation（Sa O2-V,60.8%±9.4%）,showed increases when compared with those in the same quadrant vessels（Sa O2-A,86.1%±16.5%）in the contralateral eyes（〈0.05）.The oxygen saturations of the central vessels showed similar trends with those of the occluded vessels.In the non-ischemic BRVO group,the occluded and central Sa O2-V and Sa O2-A showed no significant changes.In both the ischemic and non-ischemic BRVOs,the central Sa O2-A was significantly increased when compared to healthy individuals.·CONCLUSION：Obvious changes in the occluded and central Sa O2-A were found in the ischemic BRVO group,indicating that disorders of oxygen metabolism in the arterioles may participate in the pathogenesis of ischemic BRVO.

Magnetic resonance imaging tracing of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a rat model of cardiac arrest-induced global brain ischemia

BACKGROUND： Numerous studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） can detect survival and migration of super paramagnetic iron oxide-labeled stem cells in models of focal cerebral infarction. OBJECTIVE： To observe distribution of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs） in a rat model of global brain ischemia following cardiac arrest and resuscitation, and to investigate the feasibility of tracing iron oxide-labeled BMSCs using non-invasive MRI. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The randomized, controlled, molecular imaging study was performed at the Linbaixin Medical Research Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, and the Institute of Cardiopulmonary Cerebral Resuscitation, Sun Yat-sen University, China from October 2006 to February 2009. MATERIALS： A total of 40 clean, Sprague Dawley rats, aged 6 weeks and of either gender, were supplied by the Experimental Animal Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China, for isolation of BMSCs. Feridex （iron oxide）, Gyroscan Inetra 1.5T MRI system, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation device were used in this study. METHODS： A total of 30 healthy, male Sprague Dawiey rats, aged 6 months, were used to induce ventricular fibrillation using alternating current. After 8 minutes, the rats underwent 6-minute chest compression and mechanical ventilation, followed by electric defibrillation, to establish rat models of global brain ischemia due to cardiac arrest and resuscitation. A total of 24 successful models were randomly assigned to Feridex-labeled and non-labeled groups （n = 12 for each group）. At 2 hours after resuscitation, 5 ×10^8 Feridex-labeled BMSCs, with protamine sulfate as a carrier, and 5 ×10^6 non-labeled BMSCs were respectively transplanted into both groups of rats through the right carotid artery （cells were harvested in 1 mL phosphate buffered saline）. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Feridex-labeled BMSCs were observed by Prussian blue staining and electron microscopy. Signal intensity, celluar viability, and proliferative capacity of BMSCs were measured using MRI, Trypan blue test, and M-IT assay, respectively. Distribution of transplanted cells was observed in rats utilizing MRI and Prussian blue staining prior to and 1, 3, 7, and 14 days after transplantation. RESULTS： Prussian blue staining displayed many blue granules in the Feridex-labeled BMSCs. High density of iron granules was observed in the cytoplasm under electron microscopy. According to MRI results, and compared with the non-labeled group, the signal intensity was decreased in the Feridex-labeled group （P 〈 0.05）. The decrease was most significant in the 50 pg/mL Feridex-labeled group （P 〈 0.01）. There were no significant differences in celluar viability and proliferation of BMSCs between the Feridex-labeled and non-labeled groups after 1 week （P 〉 0.05）. Low-signal lesions were detected in the rat hippocampus and temporal cortex at 3 days after transplantation. The low-signal lesions were still detectable at 14 days, and positively stained cells were observed in the hippocampus and temporal cortex using Prussian blue staining. There were no significant differences in signal intensity in the non-labeled group. CONCLUSION： BMSC transplantation traversed the blood-brain barrier and distributed into vulnerable zones in a rat model of cardiac arrest-induced global brain ischemia. MRI provided a non-invasive method to in vivo dynamically and spatially trace Feridex-labeled BMSCs after transplantation.

Optimal Decoupling Control Method and Its Application to a Ball Mill Coal-pulverizing System

Abstract-The conventional optimal tracking control method cannot realize decoupling control of linear systems with a strong coupling property. To solve this problem, in this paper, an optimal decoupling control method is proposed, which can simultaneousiy provide optimal performance. The optimal decoupling controller is composed of an inner-loop decoupling controller and an outer-loop optimal tracking controller. First, by introducing one virtual control variable, the original differential equation on state is converted to a generalized system on output. Then, by introducing the other virtual control variable, and viewing the coupling terms as the measurable disturbances, the generalized system is open-loop decoupled. Finally, for the decoupled system, the optimal tracking control method is used. It is proved that the decoupling control is optimal for a certain performance index. Simulations on a ball mill coal-pulverizing system are conducted. The results show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method as compared with the conventional optimal quadratic tracking （LQT） control method.

Changes of end-tidal carbon dioxide during cardiopulmonary resuscitation from ventricular f ibrillation versus asphyxial cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND: Partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide(PETCO2) has been used to monitor the effectiveness of precordial compression(PC) and regarded as a prognostic value of outcomes in cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR). This study was to investigate changes of PETCO2 during CPR in rats with ventricular fi brillation(VF) versus asphyxial cardiac arrest.METHODS: Sixty-two male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into an asphyxial group(n=32) and a VF group(n=30). PETCO2 was measured during CPR from a 6-minute period of VF or asphyxial cardiac arrest.RESULTS: The initial values of PETCO2 immediately after PC in the VF group were signifi cantly lower than those in the asphyxial group(12.8±4.87 mmHg vs. 49.2±8.13 mmHg, P=0.000). In the VF group, the values of PETCO2 after 6 minutes of PC were significantly higher in rats with return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC), compared with those in rats without ROSC(16.5±3.07 mmHg vs. 13.2±2.62 mmHg, P=0.004). In the asphyxial group, the values of PETCO2 after 2 minutes of PC in rats with ROSC were signifi cantly higher than those in rats without ROSC(20.8±3.24 mmHg vs. 13.9±1.50 mmHg, P=0.000). Receiver operator characteristic(ROC) curves of PETCO2 showed signifi cant sensitivity and specifi city for predicting ROSC in VF versus asphyxial cardiac arrest.CONCLUSIONS: The initial values of PETCO2 immediately after CPR may be helpful in differentiating the causes of cardiac arrest. Changes of PETCO2 during CPR can predict outcomes of CPR.

Experimental Protection of the Spin Coherence of a Molecular Qubit Exceeding a Millisecond

Molecular qubits are promising as they can benefit from tailoring and versatile design of chemistry.It is essential to reduce the decoherence of molecular qubits caused by their interactions with the environment.Herein the dynamical decoupling(DD)technique is utilized to combat such decoherence.The coherence time for a transitionmetal complex(PPh_(4))_(2)[Cu(mnt)_(2)]is prolonged from 6.8μs to 1.4 ms.The ratio of the coherence time and the length ofπ/2 pulse,defined as the single qubit figure of merit(QM),reaches 1.4×10^(5),which is 40 times greater than what previously reported for this molecule.Our results show that molecular qubits,with milliseconds coherence time,are promising candidates for quantum information processing.

Multiple-model-and-neural-network-based nonlinear multivariable adaptive control

A multivariable adaptive controller feasible for implementation on distributed computer systems （DCS） is presented for a class of uncertain nonlinear multivariable discrete time systems. The adaptive controller is composed of a linear adaptive controller, a neural network nonlinear adaptive controller and a switching mechanism. The linear controller can provide boundedness of the input and output signals, and the nonlinear controller can improve the performance of the system. The purpose of using the switching mechanism is to obtain the improved system performance and stability simultaneously. Theory analysis and simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Real-time monitoring of internal temperature of a lithium-ion battery using embedded fiber Bragg gratings

This study proposes a method for real-time monitoring of lithium-ion battery(LiB)internal temperatures through the temperature response of an embedded fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensor.This approach overcomes the limitations of most methods that can only detect the external temperature at limited places by providing the advantages of sensing both the internal temperature and external temperature at multiple points simultaneously for precise condition monitoring.In addition,a numerical LiB cell model was developed to investigate the heat generation and temperature gradient using the finite element analysis method.The outcomes show that this model can be used to predict the temperature with less than 5%discrepancy(1.5°C)compared with experimental results.Thereby,this proposed method can be effectively used to monitor the safety and state of health of LiBs and other types of rechargeable batteries in real-time.

共价有机框架材料在碘捕捉方面的研究进展

随着核工业的发展,放射性碘被确定为最危险的核废料之一。放射性碘捕获对于降低核废水污染也有着重要意义。共价有机框架材料(COFs)是一种通过共价键连接形成的晶态多孔有机材料,因其具有大的比表面积、规则的孔道结构和高化学稳定性等特点,因其本身的结构特征和COFs吸附位点易被碘分子占据,COFs被认为是理想的碘捕捉材料。本文主要综述了具有周期性多孔结构的COFs材料在碘捕捉领域的研究进展。首先,简要论述近年来各课题组对于亚胺键连接的COFs在碘捕获方面的进展。其次,探讨复合型COFs和离子型COFs的碘捕获能力。最后,探讨高效碘捕获COFs材料拓展至规模化应用的潜力并展望该领域未来的发展形势。

Dialect Diversity and Foreign Direct Investment in China

This paper examines the relationship between dialect diversity and foreign direct investment(FDI)using a dataset of 230 Chinese cities for the period 2000-2014.We find that dialect diversity and FDI absorption are negatively correlated.However,this negative relationship disappears gradually over time.Several underlying mechanisms are identified.In particular,it is found that dialect diversity impedes human capital development and hence obstructs FDI absorption.Our results also show that there are threshold and spatial spillover effects.This research increases knowledge of FDI location choice and has implications for foreign investment policymaking.

Optimization of cold-end system of thermal power plants based on entropy generation minimization

Cold-end systems are heat sinks of thermal power cycles,which have an essential effect on the overall performance of thermal power plants.To enhance the efficiency of thermal power plants,multi-pressure condensers have been applied in some large-capacity thermal power plants.However,little attention has been paid to the optimization of the cold-end system with multi-pressure condensers which have multiple parameters to be identified.Therefore,the design optimization methods of coldend systems with single-and multi-pressure condensers are developed based on the entropy generation rate,and the genetic algorithm(GA)is used to optimize multiple parameters.Multiple parameters,including heat transfer area of multi-pressure condensers,steam distribution in condensers,and cooling water mass flow rate,are optimized while considering detailed entropy generation rate of the cold-end systems.The results show that the entropy generation rate of the multi-pressure cold-end system is less than that of the single-pressure cold-end system when the total condenser area is constant.Moreover,the economic performance can be improved with the adoption of the multi-pressure cold-end system.When compared with the single-pressure cold-end system,the excess revenues gained by using dual-and quadruplepressure cold-end systems are 575 and 580 k$/a,respectively.

Total Synthesis of C-α-Mannosyl Tryptophan via Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Glycosylation

The C2-α-mannosyl-tryptophan amino acid is produced by a unique posttranslational modification(PTM)of proteins and poses a significant synthetic challenge.A new strategy based on Pd-catalyzed auxiliary-directed remote C-H glycosylation of tryptophan was developed,which generates the C2-α-mannopyranose(Man)-Trp unit in a highly efficient and stereoselective fashion.Density functional theory(DFT)computational studies support a concerted oxidative addition mechanism for the stereospecific functionalization of a Pd(II)palladacycle intermediate with anα-mannosyl chloride donor.The utility of this method was demonstrated in the first total synthesis of insect C-glycopeptide hormone Cam-HrTH-I.