Low modulus, compliant systems of sensors, circuits and radios designed to intimately interface with the soft tissues of the human body are of growing interest, due to their emerging applications in ...continuous, clinical-quality health monitors and advanced, bioelectronic therapeutics. Although recent research establishes various materials and mechanics concepts for such technologies, all existing approaches involve simple, two-dimensional (2D) layouts in the constituent micro-components and interconnects. Here we introduce concepts in three-dimensional (3D) architectures that bypass important engineering constraints and performance limitations set by traditional, 2D designs. Specifically, open-mesh, 3D interconnect networks of helical microcoils formed by deterministic compressive buckling establish the basis for systems that can offer exceptional low modulus, elastic mechanics, in compact geometries, with active components and sophisticated levels of functionality. Coupled mechanical and electrical design approaches enable layout optimization, assembly processes and encapsulation schemes to yield 3D configurations that satisfy requirements in demanding, complex systems, such as wireless, skin-compatible electronic sensors.
Three-dimensional (3D) functional systems are of rapidly growing interest over the past decade, from the perspective of both the fundamental and applied research. In particular, tremendous efforts ...have been devoted to the developments of 3D flexible, physical sensors, partly because of their substantial advantages over planar counterparts in many specific performances. In this review, we summarize recent advances in diverse categories of 3D flexible physical sensors, covering the photoelectric, mechanical, temperature, magnetic, and other physical sensors. This review mainly focuses on their design strategies, working principles and applications. Finally, we offer an outlook on the future developments, and provide perspectives on the remaining challenges and opportunities in this area.
Abstract
A method for photovoltaic (PV) power interval prediction based on double sample entropy framework and integrated bidomain decomposition deep learning is proposed to address the volatility, ...randomness, intermittency and timeliness of PV power prediction. By using the integrated bidomain decomposition method under the framework of double sample entropy, the PV power time series is decomposed into several components with similar complexity and the deep learning network is used to learn and predict the results of each component reconstruction to obtain point predictions. The quantile regression method is then used based on the point prediction to obtain interval predictions. The actual calculation examples show that the RMSE and CPRS of the proposed method are reduced by an average of 45.56% and 31.42%, respectively, compared with other integrated bidomain decomposition deep learning methods that are not in the double sample entropy framework and single decomposition deep learning methods.
•Prestimulus heartbeat-evoked responses can affect perception of subject's own name.•Subject's own name can affect heartbeat-evoked responses.•Dual interactions between heartbeat-evoked responses and ...subject's own name are associated with two distinct neural pathways.
Heartbeat-evoked responses (HERs) can interact with external stimuli and play a crucial role in shaping perception, self-related processes, and emotional processes. On the one hand, the external stimulus could modulate HERs. On the other hand, the HERs could affect cognitive processing of the external stimulus. Whether the same neural mechanism underlies these two processes, however, remains unclear. Here, we investigated this interactive mechanism by measuring HERs using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and two name perception tasks. Specifically, we tested (1) how hearing a subject's own name (SON) modulates HERs and (2) how the judgment of an SON is biased by prestimulus HERs. The results showed a dual interaction between HERs and SON. In particular, SON can modulate HERs for heartbeats occurring from 200 to 1200 ms after SON presentation. In addition, prestimulus HERs can bias the SON judgment when a stimulus is presented. Importantly, MEG activities from these two types of interactions differed in spatial and temporal patterns, suggesting that they may be associated with distinct neural pathways. These findings extend our understanding of brain-heart interactions.
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•Wave disturbance is the main factor leading to the low transparency in shallow lakes.•Artificial shoals can greatly alter hydrodynamic characteristics of shallow lakes.•Suitable ...terrain reshaping is a key basis for grass-type lake formation.
This paper focuses on a typical shallow lake, Lake Changdanghu, which is subject to frequent hydrodynamic disturbances and suspended sediment deposition, resulting in reduced water clarity and the degradation of the grass-type ecosystem. Using a combination of long-term systematic observations and numerical simulations, the impact of terrain modification on the hydrodynamic characteristics of Lake Changdanghu and its resulting environmental improvements are systematically analyzed. The results indicate that there is a significant correlation between the wind wave intensity, suspended solids concentration of the water, and water clarity. The artificial shoal project effectively reduces the local wind wave intensity, increases the water area of the weak waves, and alters the flow structure and transport path of the lake. The wave reduction effect of the artificial shoal significantly improves the transparency of the local water, especially under high wind wave conditions, with a 60% increase in the sheltered area, significantly improving the physical habitat environment. Additionally, the flow resistance and guidance roles of the artificial shoal concentrate the impact of the poor water quality of the inflow in a local area, reducing its adverse effects on the main body of the lake. Our research demonstrates that for shallow lakes, the water transparency can be improved, the physical habitat conditions for aquatic vegetation can be enhanced, and grass-type ecosystems can be gradually restored through artificial intervention and vegetation recovery projects by reducing the wave energy, flow resistance, and guidance through the construction of artificial shoals. This approach achieves long-term maintenance of eutrophication control and water quality improvement in shallow lakes.
Growth regulating factors (GRFs) have been shown to play important roles in plant growth and development. GRF genes represent a large multigene family in plants. Recently, genome-wide structural and ...evolutionary analyses of the GRF gene families in Arabidopsis, rice, and maize have been reported. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is one of the most important vegetables for agricultural production, and a full genome assembly for this plant has recently been released. However, to our knowledge, the GRF gene family from Chinese cabbage has not been characterized in detail.
In this study, genome-wide analysis was carried out to identify all the GRF genes in Chinese cabbage. Based on the complete Chinese cabbage genome sequence, 17 nonredundant GRF genes, named BrGRFs, were identified and classified into six groups. Phylogenetic analysis of the translated GRF protein sequences from Chinese cabbage, Arabidopsis, and rice indicated that the Chinese cabbage GRF proteins were more closely related to the GRF proteins of Arabidopsis than to those of rice. Expression profile analysis showed that the BrGRF genes had uneven transcript levels in different organs or tissues, and the transcription of most BrGRF genes was induced by gibberellic acid (GA3) treatment. Additionally, over-expression of BrGRF8 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants increased the sizes of the leaves and other organs by regulation of cell proliferation.
The data obtained from this investigation will contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics of the GRF gene family in Chinese cabbage, and provide a basis for further studies to investigate GRF protein function during development as well as for Chinese cabbage-breeding programs to improve yield and/or head size.
Many species are expanding their distributions to higher latitudes due to global warming. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these distribution shifts is critical for better understanding the ...impacts of climate changes. The climate envelope approach is widely used to model and predict species distribution shifts with changing climates. Biotic interactions between species, however, may also influence species distributions, and a better understanding of biotic interactions could improve predictions based solely on climate envelope models. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, USA, subtropical black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) at the northern limit of its distribution grows sympatrically with temperate salt marsh plants in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. In recent decades, freeze‐free winters have led to an expansion of black mangrove into salt marshes. We examined how biotic interactions between black mangrove and salt marsh vegetation along the Texas coast varied across (i) a latitudinal gradient (associated with a winter‐temperature gradient); (ii) the elevational gradient within each marsh (which creates different marsh habitats); and (iii) different life history stages of black mangroves (seedlings vs. juvenile trees). Each of these variables affected the strength or nature of biotic interactions between black mangrove and salt marsh vegetation: (i) Salt marsh vegetation facilitated black mangrove seedlings at their high‐latitude distribution limit, but inhibited black mangrove seedlings at lower latitudes; (ii) mangroves performed well at intermediate elevations, but grew and survived poorly in high‐ and low‐marsh habitats; and (iii) the effect of salt marsh vegetation on black mangroves switched from negative to neutral as black mangroves grew from seedlings into juvenile trees. These results indicate that the expansion of black mangroves is mediated by complex biotic interactions. A better understanding of the impacts of climate change on ecological communities requires incorporating context‐dependent biotic interactions into species range models.
Techniques for forming sophisticated, 3D mesostructures in advanced, functional materials are of rapidly growing interest, owing to their potential uses across a broad range of fundamental and ...applied areas of application. Recently developed approaches to 3D assembly that rely on controlled buckling mechanics serve as versatile routes to 3D mesostructures in a diverse range of high-quality materials and length scales of relevance for 3D microsystems with unusual function and/or enhanced performance. Nonlinear buckling and delamination behaviors inmaterials that combine both weak and strong interfaces are foundational to the assembly process, but they can be difficult to control, especially for complex geometries. This paper presents theoretical and experimental studies of the fundamental aspects of adhesion and delamination in this context. By quantifying the effects of various essential parameters on these processes, we establish general design diagrams for different material systems, taking into account 4 dominant delamination states (wrinkling, partial delamination of the weak interface, full delamination of the weak interface, and partial delamination of the strong interface). These diagrams provide guidelines for the selection of engineering parameters that avoid interface-related failure, as demonstrated by a series of examples in 3D helical mesostructures and mesostructures that are reconfigurable based on the control of loading-path trajectories. Three-dimensional micromechanical resonators with frequencies that can be selected between 2 distinct values serve as demonstrative examples.
•Analytic solution of vibration modes and linear natural frequency of a buckled ribbon.•Mode change as the static deflection amplitude of buckled ribbon increases.•Scaling law of linear natural ...frequency for general, complex 3D structures.•Reduced vibration nonlinearity as deflection amplitudes of 3D structures increase.
Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) that rely on structural vibrations have many important applications, ranging from oscillators and actuators, to energy harvesters and vehicles for measurement of mechanical properties. Conventional MEMS, however, mostly utilize two-dimensional (2D) vibrational modes, thereby imposing certain limitations that are not present in 3D designs (e.g., multi-directional energy harvesting). 3D vibrational micro-platforms assembled through the techniques of controlled compressive buckling are promising because of their complex 3D architectures and the ability to tune their vibrational behavior (e.g., natural frequencies and modes) by reversibly changing their dimensions by deforming their soft, elastomeric substrates. A clear understanding of such strain-dependent vibration behavior is essential for their practical applications. Here, we present a study on the linear and nonlinear vibration of such 3D mesostructures through analytical modeling, finite element analysis (FEA) and experiment. An analytical solution is obtained for the vibration mode and linear natural frequency of a buckled ribbon, indicating a mode change as the static deflection amplitude increases. The model also yields a scaling law for linear natural frequency that can be extended to general, complex 3D geometries, as validated by FEA and experiment. In the regime of nonlinear vibration, FEA suggests that an increase of amplitude of external loading represents an effective means to enhance the bandwidth. The results also uncover a reduced nonlinearity of vibration as the static deflection amplitude of the 3D structures increases. The developed analytical model can be used in the development of new 3D vibrational micro-platforms, for example, to enable simultaneous measurement of diverse mechanical properties (density, modulus, viscosity etc.) of thin films and biomaterials.
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Concepts that draw inspiration from soft biological tissues have enabled significant advances in creating artificial materials for a range of applications, such as dry adhesives, tissue engineering, ...biointegrated electronics, artificial muscles, and soft robots. Many biological tissues, represented by muscles, exhibit directionally dependent mechanical and electrical properties. However, equipping synthetic materials with tissue-like mechanical and electrical anisotropies remains challenging. Here, we present the bioinspired concepts, design principles, numerical modeling, and experimental demonstrations of soft elastomer composites with programmed mechanical and electrical anisotropies, as well as their integrations with active functionalities. Mechanically assembled, 3D structures of polyimide serve as skeletons to offer anisotropic, nonlinear mechanical properties, and crumpled conductive surfaces provide anisotropic electrical properties, which can be used to construct bioelectronic devices. Finite element analyses quantitatively capture the key aspects that govern mechanical anisotropies of elastomer composites, providing a powerful design tool. Incorporation of 3D skeletons of thermally responsive polycaprolactone into elastomer composites allows development of an active artificial material that can mimic adaptive mechanical behaviors of skeleton muscles at relaxation and contraction states. Furthermore, the fabrication process of anisotropic elastomer composites is compatible with dielectric elastomer actuators, indicating potential applications in humanoid artificial muscles and soft robots.
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