Visible light communication (VLC) reuses illumination devices, particularly light-emitting diodes (LEDs), for communication purposes. It has great potential to alleviate the strain on radio-frequency ...spectrum in indoor environments. VLC-enabled LED luminaries form VLC attocells that carry downlink data traffic to indoor mobile or stationary terminals. While one of the advantages of indoor VLC is low interference due to natural cell boundaries such as walls, multiple VLC attocells within a room would interfere. This is because illumination requirements often mandate a rich overlap of emissions of luminaries in a room. In this paper, we suggest the coordination of multiple VLC attocells (i.e., VLC-enabled LED luminaries) to turn the problem of overlap and thus interference into an advantage. We stipulate that this coordination can be accomplished through power line communication, which has been considered before as a means to transport data to VLC transmitters. Borrowing from concepts developed for radio-frequency wireless communications, we develop several precoding schemes for the new coordinated VLC broadcasting architecture. These include designs for the case of imperfect channel knowledge at the VLC transmitter, since channel information is usually provided through a low-rate feedback channel. The performance advantages for VLC transmission due to the proposed coordination and precoding designs are demonstrated based on a set of numerical results.
Development of new strategies with high antimicrobial capability against complex bacterial infections is still challenging. Herein, a three‐in‐one synergistic antimicrobial platform is presented ...based on gallium–carbenicillin framework coated defect‐rich hollow TiO2 nanoshells (H‐TiO2−x@MOF), for simultaneous eradicating methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) in complex infections, which are the two most common bacteria in wounds. The metal gallium can disrupt bacterial antioxidation system using a “Trojan horse” strategy by substituting iron in the antioxidant enzymes, and finally increase bacterial susceptibility to oxidants. Meanwhile, oxygen‐deficient hollow TiO2−x nanoshells (H‐TiO2−x NSs) can efficiently bind to the bacteria and promote local generation of abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) under visible‐light irradiation. Thus, the combination of gallium (antioxidant enzyme inhibitor) and black H‐TiO2−x NSs (ROS generator) constitutes a photocatalyzed oxidative stress amplifier that can boost ROS accumulation to destroy pathogens thoroughly. In addition, carbenicillin (Car), as the organic ligand coordinated to gallium ion, also acts as a broad‐spectrum antibacterial agent against PA and shares the responsibility for combating complex infections simultaneously. In view of the superior antibacterial ability, accelerated healing of infected wounds, and good biosafety, the H‐TiO2−x@MOF potentially provides an alternative antibacterial agent to combat complex bacterial infections.
H‐TiO2−x@MOF nanohybrids that combine traditional antibiotics and a photocatalyzed oxidative stress amplifier can be readily used in the defense against complex infections. H‐TiO2−x@MOF is degraded in the wound site. Then, the photocatalyzed oxidative stress amplifier, consisting of H‐TiO2−x and gallium, together with carbenicillin exhibits a synergistic effect on the eradication of complex infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Warehousing space layout is crucial for e-commerce logistics. A refined and scientific approach to warehouse design enhances space utilization and operational efficiency. This minimizes unused space ...and idle time, lowers inventory costs, and strengthens the competitive edge of e-commerce logistics. In this study, we conceptualize the logistics space layout issue as a crate problem, harnessing the rapid optimization capabilities of genetic algorithms (GA) and simulated annealing (SA). We propose a hybrid algorithm where SA forms the core, using GA to generate initial solutions and new iterations. Design parameters for the combined operation process are systematically developed. This algorithm is evaluated using both datasets and real arithmetic cases, demonstrating superior performance in large-scale combinatorial optimization problems. It achieves a search accuracy of 0.5% to 3% higher than GA alone, converging more reliably to the global optimum, thus reducing search time and operational scope. This research offers vital theoretical insights for optimizing space layouts in e-commerce logistics management.
In this work, we prepared quaternized carbon dots (CDs) with simultaneous antibacterial and bacterial differentiation capabilities using a simple carboxyl–amine reaction between lauryl betaine and ...amine-functionalized CDs. The obtained quaternized CDs have several fascinating properties/abilities: (1) A long fluorescence emission wavelength ensures the exceptional bacterial imaging capability, including the super-resolution imaging ability; (2) the polarity-sensitive fluorescence emission property leads to significantly enhanced fluorescence when the quaternized CDs interact with bacteria; (3) the presence of both hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains and positively charged quaternary ammonium groups makes the CDs selectively attach to Gram-positive bacteria, realizing the bacterial differentiation; (4) excellent antimicrobial activity is seen against Gram-positive bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 8 μg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus. Besides, the quaternized CDs are highly stable in various aqueous solutions and exhibit negligible cytotoxicity, suggesting that they hold great promise for clinical applications. Compared to the traditional Gram staining method, the selective Gram-positive bacterial imaging achieved by the quaternized CDs provides a much simpler and faster method for bacterial differentiation. In summary, by combining selective Gram-positive bacterial recognition, super-resolution imaging, and exceptional antibacterial activity into a single system, the quaternized CDs represent a novel kind of metal-free nanoparticle-based antibiotics for antibacterial application and a new type of reagent for efficient bacterial differentiation.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are posing great threats to global health within this century. Studies have suggested that estrogen and estrogen receptors (ERs) play ...important roles in many physiological processes in the kidney. For instance, they are crucial in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and modulating endothelin-1 (ET-1) system in the kidney. Estrogen takes part in the kidney repair and regeneration via its receptors. Estrogen also participates in the regulation of phosphorus homeostasis via its receptors in the proximal tubule. The ERα polymorphisms have been associated with the susceptibilities and outcomes of several renal diseases. As a consequence, the altered or dysregulated estrogen/ERs signaling pathways may contribute to a variety of kidney diseases, including various causes-induced AKI, diabetic kidney disease (DKD), lupus nephritis (LN), IgA nephropathy (IgAN), CKD complications, etc. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that targeting estrogen/ERs signaling pathways might have protective effects against certain renal disorders. However, many unsolved problems still exist in knowledge regarding the roles of estrogen and ERs in distinct kidney diseases. Further research is needed to shed light on this area and to enable the discovery of pathway-specific therapies for kidney diseases.
3D interconnected graphene nanocapsules (GNCs) were prepared from diverse aromatic hydrocarbons by a nano-ZnO-template strategy coupled with in-situ KOH activation technique. The as-made graphene ...networks feature thin carbonaceous shells with well-balanced micropores and mesopores. Such 3D porous networks provide freeways for good electron conduction, short pores for ion fast transport, and abundant micropores for ion adsorption. As the electrodes in supercapacitors, the unique 3D GNCs show a high capacitance of 277 F g−1 at 0.05 A g−1, a good rate performance of 194 F g−1 at 20 A g−1, and an excellent cycle stability with over 97.4% capacitance retention after 15000 cycles in 6 M KOH electrolyte. This synthesis strategy paves a universal way for mass production of 3D graphene materials from diverse aromatic hydrocarbon sources including coal tar pitch and petroleum pitch for high performance supercapacitors as well as support and sorbent.
Display omitted
•Graphene nanocapsules (GNCs) are made by ZnO template via forming oxygen bridges.•GNCs feature 3D interconnected networks and abundant hierarchical short pores.•The GNC electrodes show high capacitance, good rate performance and cycle stability.•This approach provides a novel pathway for mass production of 3D graphene materials.
Tapered bottlebrush polymers have novel nanoscale polymer architecture. Using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we showed that these polymers have the unique ability to generate thermal ...rectification in a single polymer molecule and offer an exceptional platform for unveiling different heat conduction regimes. In sharp contrast to all other reported asymmetric nanostructures, we observed that the heat current from the wide end to the narrow end (the forward direction) in tapered bottlebrush polymers is smaller than that in the opposite direction (the backward direction). We found that a more disordered to less disordered structural transition within tapered bottlebrush polymers is essential for generating nonlinearity in heat conduction for thermal rectification. Moreover, the thermal rectification ratio increased with device length, reaching as high as ∼70% with a device length of 28.5 nm. This large thermal rectification with strong length dependence uncovered an unprecedented phenomenon–diffusive thermal transport in the forward direction and ballistic thermal transport in the backward direction. This is the first observation of radically different transport mechanisms when heat flow direction changes in the same system. The fundamentally new knowledge gained from this study can guide exciting research into nanoscale organic thermal diodes.
This paper presents an inverter parallel system with a corresponding networked control strategy for parallel operations. In this system, all the modules have the same circuit configuration and two ...control loops: the inner control loop is used for output voltage regulation, and the outer loop is used for accurate power-sharing regulation formulated by a weighted power function with networked data. The method with low-bandwidth communication is employed to achieve the superior load-sharing accuracy compared to droop-only scheme. In addition, good robustness can be obtained in the case of communication failure. A state-space model has been developed to describe the dynamics of the active and reactive power of the networked parallel-connected inverter system. We also present the methodologies of predicting stability for system with time delay and data drop-out due to the use of network-in-the-loop of this networked parallel inverter system. Experimental results are also shown to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed networked parallel inverter system.
Compared with single-module applications, unbalanced stray parameters come about frequently in the process of installing paralleled IGBT modules, which could result in some distinctions of current ...sharing and temperature distributions. To focusing on depicting this practical issue, a novel dynamic electrothermal model extended to paralleled systems is proposed in this paper to establish a comprehensive transient model to characterize the relations of power losses, junction temperature, and unbalanced parasitic elements. The model can describe the interactions of current distributions and thermal dissipations between paralleled modules. In addition, the variation of unbalanced temperature during transient process can be obtained with the proposed electrothermal model. First, the stray inductance parameters in the paralleled branches are analyzed in detail by finite-element-method simulation tool. And based on impedance analysis, an improved power loss model is built up, considering the interaction of paralleled devices. Moreover, by the method of resistor-capacitor networks extracted from numerical simulations of 3-D structural model, the transient thermal impedance of devices and cooling system is obtained for fast and accurate electrothermal cosimulation of the paralleled system. Experimental results are carried out to verify the proposed model and coincide with the theoretical analysis.
Spintronics has captured a lot of attention since it was proposed. It has been triggering numerous research groups to make their efforts on pursuing spin-related electronic devices. Recently, ...flexible and wearable devices are in a high demand due to their outstanding potential in practical applications. In order to introduce spintronics into the realm of flexible devices, we demonstrate that it is feasible to grow epitaxial Fe3O4 film, a promising candidate for realizing spintronic devices based on tunneling magnetoresistance, on flexible muscovite. In this study, the heteroepitaxy of Fe3O4/muscovite is characterized by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The chemical composition and magnetic feature are investigated by a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The electrical and magnetic properties are examined to show the preservation of the primitive properties of Fe3O4. Furthermore, various bending tests are performed to show the tunability of functionalities and to confirm that the heterostructures retain the physical properties under repeated cycles. These results illustrate that the Fe3O4/muscovite heterostructure can be a potential candidate for the applications in flexible spintronics.