Supramolecular Glyco‐nanoparticles Toward Immunological Applications

Glyco‐mimicking nanoparticles (glyco‐NPs) with Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) donor and acceptor groups formed via dynamic covalent bond of benzoboroxole and sugar from two complementary polymers are prepared. The glyco‐NPs are proved to be quite stable under physiological conditions but sensitive to pH. So the glyco‐NPs can be internalized by dendritic cells with integrity and nontoxicity and then dissociate within the acidic organelles. This particle dissociation is directly observed and visualized in vitro, for the first time via the FRET measurements and fluorescent microscopy. This feature makes controlled release of drug or protein by glyco‐NPs possible, i.e., when model antigen Ovalbumin is loaded in the glyco‐NPs, the released Ovalbumin in dendritic cells stimulates T cells more efficiently than the free Ovalbumin itself as a result of the enhanced antigen processing and presentation. Thus, the results enlighten a bright future of the glyco‐NPs in immunotherapy.     

Intelligent Information‐Centric Networking routing scheme under imprecise information

Information‐Centric Networking (ICN) has been accepted to overcome some weaknesses of the current Internet architecture, showing that “what is being exchanged” is more important than “who are exchanging information.” Given the inadequate considerations on Quality of Service (QoS) and energy saving in ICN routing, we propose in this paper a routing algorithm to enhance the two aspects. At first, on one hand, Cauchy distribution is used as a fuzzy model to evaluate users' QoS requirements, such as bandwidth, delay, and error rate; on the other hand, we formulate energy saving problem to evaluate the green quality of routing algorithm. Then, we design a link selection approach by considering QoS and energy saving, which belongs to a multi‐objective decision problem resolved by intelligent drops algorithm. Finally, we implement the proposed algorithm and compare it with the famous adaptive forwarding mechanism in terms of some significant metrics, and the experimental results reveal that the proposed algorithm is more efficient.     

Chitosan Microspheres as Carriers for pH‐Indicating Species in Corrosion Sensing

Chitosan microspheres containing bromocresol green, cresol red, and phenolphthalein for corrosion detection, through pH change, are synthesized in order to be used in protective coatings for aluminium alloys. Microspheres containing corrosion detection species are characterized morphologically (SEM) and physico‐chemically (FTIR, TGA). Release studies (UV–vis) are performed in corrosion‐promoting conditions (pH, NaCl), and detection studies by immersion in media associated with corrosion activity while microspheres' sensing activity is evaluated visually. Electrochemical characterization of AA2024 substrates in the presence of chitosan spheres is performed to understand material performance, and a color change is observed as a result of local pH increase in cathodic areas when corrosion takes place. These findings can be correlated with the results from release studies and seem a promising approach for corrosion sensing purposes, not only because pH increase is possible to detect due to corrosion, but also because chitosan is considered an environmentally friendly material.     

Perception‐aware autonomous mast motion planning for planetary exploration rovers

Highly accurate real‐time localization is of fundamental importance for the safety and efficiency of planetary rovers exploring the surface of Mars. Mars rover operations rely on vision‐based systems to avoid hazards as well as plan safe routes. However, vision‐based systems operate on the assumption that sufficient visual texture is visible in the scene. This poses a challenge for vision‐based navigation on Mars where regions lacking visual texture are prevalent. To overcome this, we make use of the ability of the rover to actively steer the visual sensor to improve fault tolerance and maximize the perception performance. This paper answers the question of where and when to look by presenting a method for predicting the sensor trajectory that maximizes the localization performance of the rover. This is accomplished by an online assessment of possible trajectories using synthetic, future camera views created from previous observations of the scene. The proposed trajectories are quantified and chosen based on the expected localization performance. In this study, we validate the proposed method in field experiments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Yard. Furthermore, multiple performance metrics are identified and evaluated for reducing the overall runtime of the algorithm. We show how actively steering the perception system increases the localization accuracy compared with traditional fixed‐sensor configurations.     

Three‐dimensional color prediction modeling of single‐ and double‐layered woven fabrics

In this research, the three‐dimensional structural and colorimetric modeling of three‐dimensional woven fabrics was conducted for accurate color predictions. One‐hundred forty single‐ and double‐layered woven samples in a wide range of colors were produced. With the consideration of their three‐dimensional structural parameters, three‐dimensional color prediction models, K/S‐, R‐, and L*a*b*‐based models, were developed through the optimization of previous two‐dimensional models which have been reported to be the three most accurate models for single‐layered woven structures. The accuracy of the new three‐dimensional models was evaluated by calculating the color differences ΔL*, ΔC*, Δh°, and ΔE_CMC(2:1) between the measured and the predicted colors of the samples, and then the error values were compared to those of the two‐dimensional models. As a result, there has been an overall improvement in color predictions of all models with a decrease in ΔE_CMC(2:1) from 10.30 to 5.25 units on average after the three‐dimensional modeling.     

樟芝多糖通过降低NLRP3 Caspase1炎性小体表达改善帕金森小鼠神经行为学的机制研究

目的:研究樟芝多糖通过降低NLRP3-Caspase1炎性小体表达改善6-OHDA构建的帕金森小鼠模型的行为学机制。方法:利用6-OHDA脑内注射构建帕金森小鼠模型，通过酪氨酸羟化酶（TH）免疫组化染色和行为学判定小鼠模型的构建成功。利用樟芝多糖进行干预，分别在干预前、干预后的第1、3、7天4个时间点进行神经行为学实验，分别采用转棒实验、爬杆实验检测小鼠自主行为能力以及协调能力，4个时间点取小鼠尾静脉外周血采用ELISA法检测外周血中Caspase1和IL-1β的表达，樟芝多糖干预第7天时待进行完行为学实验后小鼠断颈处死，取小鼠脑组织-纹状体，Western blot法检测纹状体中Caspase1、proCaspase1、NLRP3的表达，高效液相色谱检测纹状体中单胺类神经递质的表达，RT-QPCR检测Caspase1、NLRP3、IL-1β、IL-4、IL-6的mRNA表达。NISSl染色检测小鼠脑组织神经细胞凋亡情况。 结果:6-OHDA脑内注射可以造成小鼠帕金森样病变，且TH蛋白表达显著下调，樟芝多糖干预后小鼠的行为学得到显著改善（P<0.05），纹状体中Caspase1、proCaspase1、NLRP3的表达显著下调，与模型小鼠相比具有统计学差异（P<0.05），且相关炎症因子Caspase1、NLRP3、IL-1β、IL-4、IL-6的mRNA表达下调（P<0.05），纹状体中单胺类神经递质表达上升（P<0.05）。结论:樟芝多糖可以通过下调NLRP3-Caspase1炎性小体表达来改善6-OHDA构建的帕金森小鼠模型行为改善，这可能是樟芝多糖治疗帕金森的机制之一。     

A novel bio‐based phthalonitrile resin derived from catechin: synthesis and comparison of curing behavior with petroleum‐based counterpart

The development of bio‐based thermosetting resins with good thermal stability can potentially afford sustainable polymers as replacements for petroleum‐based polymers. We report a practical route to a novel catechin‐based phthalonitrile resin precursor (CA‐Ph), which contains free phenolic hydroxyl groups that result in ‘self‐curing’ at elevated temperatures to afford a thermostable polymer. Comparison of the performance of this CA‐Ph resin with that of a conventional petroleum‐based bisphenol A phthalonitrile resin (BPA‐Ph; containing 5 wt% of the curing agent 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone) revealed that CA‐Ph exhibits a lower melting point and curing temperature. Cured CA‐Ph resin retains 95% of its weight at 520 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere, which compares favorably with results obtained for BPA‐Ph resin that retains 95% of its weight at a lower temperature of 484 °C. Kinetic results indicated that the curing reactions of both CA‐Ph and BPA‐Ph systems follow an autocatalytic mechanism. These results suggest that catechin is a useful bio‐based feedstock for the preparation of self‐curing and thermally stable phthalonitrile resins for advanced technological applications. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Regulation of sensory nerve conduction velocity of human bodies responding to annual temperature variations in natural environments

The extensive research interests in environmental temperature can be linked to human productivity / performance as well as comfort and health; while the mechanisms of physiological indices responding to temperature variations remain incompletely understood. This study adopted a physiological sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) as a temperature‐sensitive biomarker to explore the thermoregulatory mechanisms of human responding to annual temperatures. The measurements of subjects’ SCV (over 600 samples) were conducted in a naturally ventilated environment over all four seasons. The results showed a positive correlation between SCV and annual temperatures and a Boltzmann model was adopted to depict the S‐shaped trend of SCV with operative temperatures from 5°C to 40°C. The SCV increased linearly with operative temperatures from 14.28°C to 20.5°C and responded sensitively for 10.19°C‐24.59°C, while tended to be stable beyond that. The subjects’ thermal sensations were linearly related to SCV, elaborating the relation between human physiological regulations and subjective thermal perception variations. The findings reveal the body SCV regulatory characteristics in different operative temperature intervals, thereby giving a deeper insight into human autonomic thermoregulation and benefiting for built environment designs, meantime minimizing the temperature‐invoked risks to human health and well‐being.