Surface reconstruction,modification and functionalization of natural diatomites for miniaturization of shaped heterogeneous catalysts

Since the discovery of mesoporous silica in 1990s,there have been numerous mesoporous silica-based nanomaterials developed for catalytic applications,aiming at enhanced catalytic activity and stability.Recently,there have also been considerable interests in endowing them with hierarchical porosities to overcome the diffusional limitation for those with long unimodal channels.Present processes of making mesoporous silica largely rely on chemical sources which are relatively expensive and impose environmental concerns on their processes.In this regard,it is desirable to develop hierarchical silica supports from natural minerals.Herein,we present a series of work on surface reconstruction,modification,and functionalization to produce diatomite-based catalysts with original morphology and macro-meso-micro porosities and to test their suitability as catalyst supports for both liquid-and gas-phase reactions.Two wet-chemical routes were developed to introduce mesoporosity to both amorphous and crystalline diatomites.Importantly,we have used computational modeling to affirm that the diatomite morphology can improve catalytic performance based on fluid dynamics simulations.Thus,one could obtain this type of catalysts from numerous natural diatoms that have inherently intricate morphologies and shapes in micrometer scale.In principle,such catalytic nanocomposites acting as miniaturized industrial catalysts could be employed in microfluidic reactors for process intensification.

Monolithic macroporous catalysts—a new route for miniaturization of water-gas shift reactor

Monolithic macroporous Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using concentrated emulsions synthesis route, and the obtained samples were characterized with SEM, TG, TEM, XRD and TPR techniques. These monolithic catalysts were applied to water gas shift （WGS） reaction in reformed gases. The SEM and TEM results indicated that the monoliths possessed macroporosity, and that the platinum particles homogeneously dispersed on the supports with the particle size in the range of 1-2 nm. The reducibility of the catalysts was characterized by TPR method, and it was shown that the monolithic PtOx/CeO2/Al2O3 exhibited the similar reducibility property to that of the particle PtOx/CeO2 reported in literatures. The CO conversion over the monolithic catalysts is higher than that over micro-reactor catalysts for WGS reaction in the reformed gases conditions, indicating that the monolithic macroporous catalysts is a potential new route for miniaturization of WGS reactor.

A Novel Frequency Selective Surface with Improved Miniaturization Performance

Based on previous work, a novel Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) consisting of two metallic layers is proposed. The first layer is inductive-designed to generate the band-pass performance, while the second layer is capacitive-designed so that the miniaturization characteristic can be further improved. As a result, compared with the traditional single-layer structure, the profile of the FSS proposed is relatively small with the cell’s dimension only 0.0814λ × 0.0814λ. Moreover, the structure’s stability corresponding to waves of different polarizations and incident angles are also testified, which ensures the practicability of the proposed structure.

Novel Fractal DGS Based on MEMS and Its Application in Miniaturization of Microstrip Antenna Array

An uncommon fractal construction method is applied in the microwave element design. A novel fractal defected ground structure （DGS） based on micro electro-mechanical system （MEMS） is proposed. The size of this novel fractal DGS can achieve 86% size reduction compared with the conventional dumbbell type DGS. This novel fractal DGS is used in the miniaturization design of L-band microstrip antenna array. The simulation result shows that this novel fractal DGS can effectively reduce the mutual coupling between the antenna elements, so it is helpful to the miniaturization of microstrip array, namely the approximately same gain value can be achieved with the shorter distance between elements.

Miniaturization Planar Monopole Antenna for UWB Applications

Miniaturization and compact printed planar monopole antenna coplanar Waveguide CPW/microstrip feed line three half semi-circular （3HSC） with similar ground plane is presented, design, simulation, fabrication and tested experimentally for Ultra-Wideband （UWB） eommnnication application especially for WLAN and HIPERLAN/2 WLAN. The antenna design has a far from the traditional antennas such as a rectangular, circular, elliptical etc. Generating original planar antenna has been investigated to be an effect the combine geometry shapes of the radiation element part with the same geometry shapes of the slots in the ground plane. The simulation and measuring results have a good agreement, large bandwidth and radiation pattern behavior an omni-directional with stable gain has been obtained.

An Overview of the Miniaturization and Endurance for Wearable Devices

The miniaturization and endurance of wearable devices have been the research direction for a long time.With the development of nanotechnology and the emergence of microelectronics products,people have explored many new strategies that may be applied to wearable devices.In this overview,we will summarize the recent research of wearable devices in these two directions,and summarize some available related technologies.

Outstanding electromechanical performance in piezoelectric ceramics via synergistic effects of defect engineering and domain miniaturization

Piezoelectric ceramics with high mechanical quality factor Q_(m) and large piezoelectric coefficient d_(33) are urgently required for advanced piezoelectric applications.However,obtaining both of these prop-erties simultaneously remains a difficult challenge due to their mutually restrictive relationship.Here 0.5Pb(Ni_(1/3)Nb_(2/3))O_(3)-0.5Pb(Zr_(0.3)Ti_(0.7))O_(3) piezoceramic with tetragonal(T)-rich MPB is designed as a matrix to construct the defect engineering by doping low-valent Mn ions.The strong coupling of defect dipole and T-rich phase can effectively hinder the rotation of P_(s),restrict domain wall motion and improve Q_(m).At the same time,the substituted Mn ions will introduce local random field,destroying the long-range or-dering of ferroelectric domain and reducing domain size.The miniaturized domain structure can increase poling efficiency and inhibit the reduction of d_(33).Guided by this strategy,Q_(m) has increased by more than 10 times and d_(33) has only decreased by about 25%.The optimized electromechanical performance with Q_(m)=822,d_(33)=502 pC/N,k_(p)=0.55 and tanδ=0.0069 can be obtained in the present study.

Miniaturized power detection module operating in millimeter wave band

The miniaturized broadband detection module can be embedded into the microwave application system such as the front end of the transmitter to detect the power or other parameters in real time.It is highly prospective in military and scientific research.In this paper,a broadband power detection module operating at 26.5 GHz-40.0 GHz is designed by using low-barrier Schottky diode as the detector and a comparator for threshold output.This module can dynamically detect the power range between-10 dBm and 10 dBm with the detection accuracy of 0.1 dB.Further,the temperature compensation circuit is also applied to improve the measurement error.As a result,the resulted error low to±1 dB in the temperature range of -55℃ to +85℃ is achieved.The designed module is encapsulated by a Kovar alloy with a small volume of 9 mm×6 mm×3 mm.This endows the designed module the advantages of small size,easy integration,and low cost,and even it is applicable to high-reliability environments such as satellites.

Miniature tunable Airy beam optical meta-device

Tunable Airy beams with controllable propagation trajectories have sparked interest in various fields,such as optical manipulation and laser fabrication.Existing research approaches encounter challenges related to insufficient compactness and integration feasibility,or they require enhanced tunability to enable real-time dynamic manipulation of the propagation trajectory.In this work,we present a novel method that utilizes a dual metasurface system to surpass these limitations,significantly enhancing the practical potential of the Airy beam.Our approach involves encoding a cubic phase profile and two off-axis Fresnel lens phase profiles across the two metasurfaces.The validity of the proposed strategy has been confirmed through simulation and experimental results.The proposed meta-device addresses the existing limitations and lays the foundation for broadening the applicability of Airy beams across diverse domains,encompassing light-sheet microscopy,laser fabrication,optical tweezers,etc.

Forebrain excitatory neuron-specific loss of Brpf1 attenuates excitatory synaptic transmission and impairs spatial and fear memory

Bromodomain and plant homeodomain(PHD)finger containing protein 1(Brpf1)is an activator and scaffold protein of a multiunit complex that includes other components involving lysine acetyltransferase(KAT)6A/6B/7.Brpf1,KAT6A,and KAT6B mutations were identified as the causal genes of neurodevelopmental disorders leading to intellectual disability.Our previous work revealed strong and specific expression of Brpf1 in both the postnatal and adult forebrain,especially the hippocampus,which has essential roles in learning and memory.Here,we hypothesized that Brpf1 plays critical roles in the function of forebrain excitatory neurons,and that its deficiency leads to learning and memory deficits.To test this,we knocked out Brpf1 in forebrain excitatory neurons using CaMKIIa-Cre.We found that Brpf1 deficiency reduced the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents and downregulated the expression of genes Pcdhgb1,Slc16a7,Robo3,and Rho,which are related to neural development,synapse function,and memory,thereby damaging spatial and fear memory in mice.These findings help explain the mechanisms of intellectual impairment in patients with BRPF1 mutation.

Light-based 3D printing of stimulus-responsive hydrogels forminiature devices:recent progress and perspective

Miniature devices comprising stimulus-responsive hydrogels with high environmental adaptability are now considered competitive candidates in the fields of biomedicine,precise sensors,and tunable optics.Reliable and advanced fabricationmethods are critical formaximizing the application capabilities ofminiature devices.Light-based three-dimensional(3D)printing technology offers the advantages of a wide range of applicable materials,high processing accuracy,and strong 3D fabrication capability,which is suitable for the development of miniature devices with various functions.This paper summarizes and highlights the recent advances in light-based 3D-printed miniaturized devices,with a focus on the latest breakthroughs in lightbased fabrication technologies,smart stimulus-responsive hydrogels,and tunable miniature devices for the fields of miniature cargo manipulation,targeted drug and cell delivery,active scaffolds,environmental sensing,and optical imaging.Finally,the challenges in the transition of tunable miniaturized devices from the laboratory to practical engineering applications are presented.Future opportunities that will promote the development of tunable microdevices are elaborated,contributing to their improved understanding of these miniature devices and further realizing their practical applications in various fields.

Identifying the enhancement mechanism of Al/MoO_(3) reactive multilayered films on the ignition ability of semiconductor bridge using a one-dimensional gas-solid two-phase flow model

Energetic Semiconductor bridge(ESCB)based on reactive multilayered films(RMFs)has a promising application in the miniature and intelligence of initiator and pyrotechnics device.Understanding the ignition enhancement mechanism of RMFs on semiconductor bridge(SCB)during the ignition process is crucial for the engineering and practical application of advanced initiator and pyrotechnics devices.In this study,a one-dimensional(1D)gas-solid two-phase flow ignition model was established to study the ignition process of ESCB to charge particles based on the reactivity of Al/MoO_(3) RMFs.In order to fully consider the coupled exothermic between the RMFs and the SCB plasma during the ignition process,the heat release of chemical reaction in RMFs was used as an internal heat source in this model.It is found that the exothermal reaction in RMFs improved the ignition performance of SCB.In the process of plasma rapid condensation with heat release,the product of RMFs enhanced the heat transfer process between the gas phase and the solid charge particle,which accelerated the expansion of hot plasma,and heated the solid charge particle as well as gas phase region with low temperature.In addition,it made up for pressure loss in the gas phase.During the plasma dissipation process,the exothermal chemical reaction in RMFs acted as the main heating source to heat the charge particle,making the surface temperature of the charge particle,gas pressure,and gas temperature rise continuously.This result may yield significant advantages in providing a universal ignition model for miniaturized ignition devices.

Current Situation and Progress of Pig Model in Otology Research

Pig models are widely used in otological research. The establishment of common pig and miniature pig animal models has opened up new fields in otological research and is also an ideal large otological animal model. This article introduces the applications, current status, progress, advantages, and issues of using pigs as otologic animal models. It summarizes current research on pigs in the fields of hearing disorders, otitis, vertigo, cochlea, gene editing, and tissue engineering, among other otologic and audiological areas. These models are valuable for translating basic medical science into clinical applications. Based on this, platforms have been established for studying deafness and vertigo, cochlear implantation experiments, stem cell and gene therapy, and tissue engineering. These serve as ideal experimental models for the prevention and treatment of ear diseases, pointing toward new directions. This will bolster the promotion and application of pig models in the fields of tissue engineering and gene editing in the future.

Optimization of Ni_(0.95-x)Zn_(x)Co_(0.05)Fe_(1.90)Mn_(0.02)O_(4) ceramics with promising magneto-dielectric properties for VHF antenna miniaturization

Magnetic,dielectric and DC conductive properties of Ni_(0.95-x)Zn_(x)Co_(0.05)Fe_(1.90)Mn_(0.02)O_(4)(with x=0-0.20 at an interval of 0.05)ferrite ceramics were studied,in order to develop magneto-dielectric materials with almost equal values of relative permeability and permittivity,for the miniaturization of HF(3-30 MHz)and VHF(30-90MHz and 100-300 MHz)antennas.The ferrite ceramics were prepared by using the conventional two-step sintering process.The real part of relative permeability is increased almost linearly with increasing concentration of Zn,while that of relative permittivity keeps nearly unchanged.It is found that promising magneto-dielectric materials,with close values of real permeability and permittivity over 30-90 MHz(VHF),can be obtained for the samples at Zn concentrations between x=0.05 and x=0.10.

A compact and closed-loop spin-exchange relaxation-free atomic magnetometer for wearable magnetoencephalography

Atomic magnetometers operated in the spin-exchange relaxation-free(SERF)regime are the promising sensor to replace superconducting quantum interference devices(SQUIDs)in the biomagnetism field.The SERF magnetometer with compact size and good performance is crucial to the new generation of wearable magnetoencephalography(MEG)system.In this paper,we developed a compact and closed-loop SERF magnetometer with the dimensions of 15.0×22.0×30.0 mm^(3)based on a single-beam configuration.The bandwidth of the magnetometer was extended to 675 Hz while the sensitivity was maintained at 22 f T/Hz^(1/2).A nearly 3-fold enhancement of the bandwidth was obtained in comparison with the open-loop control.The implementation of the closed-loop control also greatly improved the dynamic range,enabling the magnetometer to be robust against the disturbance of the ambient field.Moreover,the magnetometer was successfully applied for the detection of humanα-rhythm and auditory evoked fields(AEFs),which demonstrated the potential to be extended to multi-channel MEG measurements for future neuroscience studies.

An AuNPs/Mesoporous NiO/Nickel Foam Nanocomposite as a Miniaturized Electrode for Heavy Metal Detection in Groundwater

Heavy metals,notably Pb2+and Cu^(2+),are some of the most persistent contaminants found in groundwater.Frequent monitoring of these metals,which relies on efficient,sensitive,cost-effective,and reliable methods,is a necessity.We present a nanocomposite-based miniaturized electrode for the concurrent measurement of Pb2+and Cu^(2+)by exploiting the electroanalytical technique of square wave voltammetry.We also propose a facile in situ hydrothermal calcination method to directly grow binder-free mesoporous Ni O on a three-dimensional nickel foam,which is then electrochemically seeded with gold nanoparticles(Au NPs).The meticulous design of a low-barrier Ohmic contact between mesoporous Ni O and Au NPs facilitates target-mediated nanochannel-confined electron transfer within mesoporous Ni O.As a result,the heavy metals Pb2+(0.020 mg.L^(-1)detection limit;2.0–16.0 mg.L^(-1)detection range)and Cu^(2+)(0.013 mg.L^(-1)detection limit;0.4–12.8 mg.L^(-1)detection range)can be detected simultaneously with high precision.Furthermore,other heavy metal ions and common interfering ions found in groundwater showed negligible impacts on the electrode’s performance,and the recovery rate of groundwater samples varied between 96.3%±2.1%and 109.4%±0.6%.The compactness,flexible shape,low power consumption,and ability to remotely operate our electrode pave the way for onsite detection of heavy metals in groundwater,thereby demonstrating the potential to revolutionize the field of environmental monitoring.

Online pharmaceutical process analysis of Chinese medicine using a miniature mass spectrometer: Extraction of active ingredients as an example

The automation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)pharmaceuticals has driven the development of process analysis from offline to online.Most of common online process analytical technologies are based on spectroscopy,making the identification and quantification of specific ingredients still a challenge.Herein,we developed a quality control(QC)system for monitoring TCM pharmaceuticals based on paper spray ionization miniature mass spectrometry(mini-MS).It enabled real-time online qualitative and quantitative detection of target ingredients in herbal extracts using mini-MS without chromatographic separation for the first time.Dynamic changes of alkaloids in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata(Fuzi)during decoction were used as examples,and the scientific principle of Fuzi compatibility was also investigated.Finally,the system was verified to work stably at the hourly level for pilot-scale extraction.This mini-MS based online analytical system is expected to be further developed for QC applications in a wider range of pharmaceutical processes.

Smart palm-size optofluidic hematology analyzer for automated imaging-based leukocyte concentration detection

A critical function of flow cytometry is to count the concentration of blood cells,which helps in the diagnosis of certain diseases.However,the bulky nature of commercial flow cytometers makes such tests only available in hospitals or laboratories,hindering the spread of point-of-care testing(POCT),especially in underdeveloped areas.Here,we propose a smart Palm-size Optofluidic Hematology Analyzer based on a miniature fluorescence microscope and a microfluidic platform to lighten the device to improve its portability.This gadget has a dimension of 35×30×80 mm and a mass of 39 g,less than 5%of the weight of commercially available flow cytometers.Additionally,automatic leukocyte concentration detection has been realized through the integration of image processing and leukocyte counting algorithms.We compared the leukocyte concentration measurement between our approach and a hemocytometer using the Passing-Bablok analysis and achieved a correlation coefficient of 0.979.Through Bland-Altman analysis,we obtained the relationship between their differences and mean measurement values and established 95%limits of agreement,ranging from−0.93×10^(3)to 0.94×10^(3)cells/μL.We anticipate that this device can be used widely for monitoring and treating diseases such as HIV and tumors beyond hospitals.

Transcriptomic and proteomic studies of condylar ossification of the temporomandibular joint in porcine embryos

Background:The ossification mechanism of the temporomandibular joint(TMJ)condyle remains unclear in human embryo.The size and structure of TMJ,shape of articular disc and the characteristics of omnivorous chewing in the pig are similar to those of humans.The pig is an ideal animal for studying the mechanism of ossification of the TMJ condyle during the embryonic period.Method:In a previous study by our group,it was found that there was no condylar ossification on embryonic day(E)45,but the ossification of condyle occurred between E75 and E90.In this study,a total of 12 miniature pig embryos on E45 and E85 were used.Six embryos were used for tissue sections(3 in each group).The remaining six embryos were used for transcriptomic and proteomic studies to find differential genes and proteins.The differentially expressed genes in transcriptome and proteomic analysis were verified by QPCR.Results:In total,1592 differential genes comprising 1086 up-regulated genes and 506 down-regulated genes were screened for fold changes of≥2 to≤0.5 between E45 and E85.In the total of 4613 proteins detected by proteomic analysis,there were 419 differential proteins including 313 up-regulated proteins and 106 down-regulated proteins screened for fold changes of≥2 to≤0.5 between E45 and E85.A total of 36 differential genes differing in both transcriptome and proteome analysis were found.QPCR analysis showed that 14 of 15 selected genes were consistent with transcriptome analysis.Conclusion:Condylar transcriptome and proteomic analysis during the development of TMJ in miniature pigs revealed the regulatory genes/proteins of condylar ossification.

Whole-genome sequencing study to identify candidate markers indicating susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in Bama miniature pigs

Background:Hundreds of single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)sites have been found to be potential genetic markers of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).However,SNPs related to T2DM in minipigs have been less reported.This study aimed to screen the T2DM-susceptible candidate SNP loci in Bama minipigs so as to improve the success rate of the minipig T2DM model.Methods:The genomic DNAs of three Bama minipigs with T2DM,six sibling lowsusceptibility minipigs with T2DM,and three normal control minipigs were compared by whole-genome sequencing.The T2DM Bama minipig-specific loci were obtained,and their functions were annotated.Meanwhile,the Biomart software was used to perform homology alignment with T2DM-related loci obtained from the human genome-wide association study to screen candidate SNP markers for T2DM in Bama miniature pigs.Results:Whole-genome resequencing detected 6960 specific loci in the minipigs with T2DM,and 13 loci corresponding to 9 diabetes-related genes were selected.Further,a set of 122 specific loci in 69 orthologous genes of human T2DM candidate genes were obtained in the pigs.Collectively,a batch of T2DM-susceptible candidate SNP markers in Bama minipigs,covering 16 genes and 135 loci,was established.Conclusions:Whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomics analysis of the orthologous genes in pigs that corresponded to the human T2DM-related variant loci successfully screened out T2DM-susceptible candidate markers in Bama miniature pigs.Using these loci to predict the susceptibility of the pigs before constructing an animal model of T2DM may help to establish an ideal animal model.