Compilation of Modern Technologies To Map Genome-Wide Cytosine Modifications in DNA

Over the past few decades, various DNA modification detection methods have been developed; many of the high-resolution methods are based on bisulfite treatment, which leads to DNA degradation, to a degree. Thus, novel bisulfite-free approaches have been developed in recent years and shown to be useful for epigenome analysis in otherwise difficult-to-handle, but important, DNA samples, such as hmC-seal and hmC-CATCH. Herein, an overview of advances in the development of epigenome sequencing methods for these important DNA modifications is provided.     

Investigation on low-temperature sintered AlN nanoceramics with high thermal conductivity

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of sintering additive and relatively low-sintering temperature on the thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride nanoceramic. While using nanosized AlN powder and liquid-phase sintering additives, the various sintering processes were performed at temperatures 1400 and 1500°C for several hours. In the analysis methods, thermal conductivity (K) and thermal diffusivity (α) were measured using thermal conductivity analyzer (Hot Disk), scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology of the microstructure, x-ray diffraction analyzer (XRD) to analyze the grain size and crystal structure, Raman spectroscopy (Raman) emission spectrum was analyzed to identify the material microstructure and the densities of AlN specimens were measured by Archimedes method. It was found that the thermal conductivity is related to the densification of nanosize low-temperature sintered material, which can be controlled by additives and sintering temperature. With Y₂O₃ sintering add, the densification of AlN for low-temperature sintering increased by the factor of ～5% to ～12%, and the thermal conductivity was enhanced by 25%. The relative density observed in this research is about 78%-84%, and the thermal conductivity measured is in the range of 9-14 W/mK.     

Dual pH‐ and thermal‐responsive nanocomposite hydrogels for controllable delivery of hydrophobic drug baicalein

Hydrogels have been widely used as mild biomaterials due to their bio‐affinity, high drug loading capability and controllable release profiles. However, hydrogel‐based carriers are greatly limited for the delivery of hydrophobic payloads due to the lack of hydrophobic binding sites. Herein, nano‐liposome micelles were embedded in semi‐interpenetrating poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐chitosan] (PNIPAAm‐co‐CS) and poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(sodium alginate)] (PNIPAAm‐co‐SA) hydrogels which were responsive to both temperature and pH, thereby establishing tunable nanocomposite hydrogel delivery systems. Nano‐micelles formed via the self‐assembly of phospholipid could serve as the link between hydrophobic drug and hydrophilic hydrogel due to their special amphiphilic structure. The results of transmission and scanning electron microscopies and infrared spectroscopy showed that the porous hydrogels were successfully fabricated and the liposomes encapsulated with baicalein could be well contained in the network. In addition, the experimental results of response release in vitro revealed that the smart hydrogels showed different degree of sensitiveness under different pH and temperature stimuli. The results of the study demonstrate that combining PNIPAAm‐co‐SA and PNIPAAm‐co‐CS hydrogels with liposomes encapsulated with hydrophobic drugs is a feasible method for hydrophobic drug delivery and have potential application prospects in the medical field. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

R-DRA: a replication-based distributed randomized algorithm for data dissemination in connected vehicular networks

Wireless Networks - As data dissemination is of great importance for applications in connected vehicular networks (VANETs), we aim to facilitate the performance of data dissemination in this study....     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg–RE–TM Cast Alloys Containing Long Period Stacking Ordered Phases: A Review

Casting magnesium alloys hold the greatest share of magnesium application products due to their short processing period, low cost and near net shape forming. Compared with conventional commercial magnesium alloys or other Mg–RE-based alloys, the novel Mg–RE–TM cast alloys with long period stacking ordered(LPSO) phases usually possess a higher strength and are promising candidates for aluminum alloy applications. Up to now, two ways: alloying design and casting process control(including subsequent heat treatments), have been predominantly employed to further improve the mechanical properties of these alloys. Alloying with other elements or ceramic particles could alter the solidifi cation pattern of alloys, change the morphology of LPSO phases and refi ne the microstructures. Diff erent casting techniques(conventional casting, rapidly solidifi cation, directional solidifi cation, etc.) introduce various microstructure characteristics, such as dendritic structure, nanocrystalline, metastable phase, anisotropy. Further heat treatments could activate the transformation of various LPSO structures and precipitation of diverse precipitates. All these evolutions exert great impacts on the mechanical properties of the LPSO-containing alloys. However, the underlying mechanisms still remain a subject of debate. Therefore, this review mainly provides the state of the art of the casting magnesium alloys research and the accompanying challenges and summarizes some topics that merit future investigation for developing high-performance Mg–RE–TM cast alloys.     

面向多源数据融合的稀疏表示目标跟踪

传统的基于稀疏表示的目标跟踪方法主要利用目标的灰度特征构建稀疏表示模型。由于灰度特征对光照变化敏感，这会影响目标跟踪在复杂场景下的鲁棒性。基于多源数据融合的目标跟踪可以明显提升目标跟踪鲁棒性，但如何有效融合不同维度，不同类型的多源目标特征成为基于多源数据融合的目标跟踪所要解决的关键问题。提出了一个基于目标状态以及灰度特征的稀疏表示目标跟踪方法。所提出的方法可通过基于核函数表示的稀疏表示模型，在探究目标状态以及灰度特征相关性的基础上，将两种不同维度的特征进行有效融合，提升目标跟踪在复杂场景下的鲁棒性。     

Adaptive finite‐time formation tracking control for multiple nonholonomic UAV system with uncertainties and quantized input

An adaptive finite‐time formation tracking control approach is proposed for multiple unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system with quantized input signals in this paper. The UAVs are described by nonholonomic kinematic model and autopilot model with uncertainties. An enhanced hysteretic quantizer is introduced to avoid chattering, and some restrictions are released by using a new quantization decomposition method. Based on backstepping technique and finite‐time Lyapunov stability theory, the adaptive finite‐time controller is designed for the trajectory tracking of the multi‐UAV formation. The nonholonomic constraints are solved by a transverse function. A transformation is introduced to the control input signals to eliminate the quantization effect. Stability analysis proves that the tracking errors can converge to a small neighborhood of the origin within finite time and all the closed‐loop signals are semiglobally finite‐time bounded. The effectiveness of the proposed control approach is validated by simulation and experiment.     

Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity in AgI/BiOCOOH composite

AgI/BiOCOOH composite photocatalysts have been synthesized via a simple deposition-precipitation method. The crystal structure, microstructure, element valance, light and electrical properties of as prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV–Vis DRS, PL, EIS and photocurrent response. The loading of AgI nanoparticles endowed BiOCOOH with good visible light absorption and photocatalytic activity for degrading rhodamine B. The composition with Ag:Bi?=?1:1 exhibited the best photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be mainly attributed to the effective separation of the photogenerated carriers at the heterojunction. O^2? and h⁺ were suggested as the main reactive species in the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, the photocatalysts showed excellent stability over multiple reaction cycles.     

15CrMoG钢棒材表面缺陷机理分析和工艺改进

分析得出,棒材表面细小纵裂纹和表面裂口缺陷产生于铸坯加热之前,且与结晶器弯月面保护渣有关。利用Thermo-Calc热力学软件计算15CrMoG钢凝固相变过程,结合亚包晶钢连铸凝固特点综合分析15CrMoG钢棒材表面缺陷的产生原因和产生机理。结果表明:15CrMoG钢在固相线温度附近发生包晶反应L+δ→γ和包晶转变δ→γ,不仅导致初生坯壳生长不均匀,而且加剧P、S元素在凝固前沿的偏析。而初生坯壳不均匀是导致棒材表面缺陷根本原因。棒材表面细小纵裂纹产生于结晶器内坯壳薄弱处,经过二冷和轧制工序在夹杂物和硫偏聚处扩展长大。棒材表面裂口缺陷是初生坯壳不均匀导致结晶器内液面波动大,造成铸坯夹渣所致。通过控制[C]0.16%～0.17%、[S]≤0.005%、保护渣碱度1.2、熔点≥1200℃、粘度≥1.0Pa·s,260 mm×30mm铸坯水量150 m³/h,拉速0.5 m/min等措施,裂纹合格探伤合格率由原45%提高至98%。     

Sub‐5 nm Dendrimer Directed Self‐Assembly with Large‐Area Uniform Alignment by Graphoepitaxy

Directed self‐assembly (DSA) using soft materials is an important method for producing periodic nanostructures because it is a simple, cost‐effective process for fabricating high‐resolution patterns. Most of the previously reported DSA methods exploit the self‐assembly of block copolymers, which generates a wide range of nanostructures. In this study, cylinders obtained from supramolecular dendrimer films with a high resolution (<5 nm) exhibit planar ordering over a macroscopic area via guiding topographical templates with a high aspect ratio (>10) and high spatial resolution (≈20 nm) of guiding line patterns. Theoretical and experimental studies reveal that this property is related to geometrical anchoring on the meniscus region and physical surface anchoring on the sidewall. Furthermore, this DSA of dendrimer cylinders is demonstrated by the non‐regular geometry of the patterned template. The macroscopic planar alignment of the dendrimer nanostructure reveals an extremely small feature size (≈4.7 nm) on the wafer scale (>16 cm²). This study is expected to open avenues for the production of a large family of supramolecular dendrimers with different phases and feature dimensions oriented by the DSA approach.