Highly Transparent and Integrable Surface Texture Change Device for Localized Tactile Feedback

Human–machine haptic interaction is typically detected by variations in friction, roughness, hardness, and temperature, which combines to create sensation of surface texture change. Most of the current technologies work to simulate changes in tactile perception (via electrostatic, lateral force fields, vibration motors, etc.) without creating actual topographical transformations. This makes it challenging to provide localized feedback. Here, a new concept for on‐demand surface texture augmentation that is capable of physically forming local topographic features in any predesigned pattern is demonstrated. The transparent, flexible, integrable device comprises of a hybrid electrode system with conductive hydrogel, silver nanowires, and conductive polymers with acrylic elastomer as the dielectric layer. Desired surface textures can be controlled by a predesigned pattern of electrodes, which operates as independent or interconnected actuators. Surface features with up to a height of 0.155 mm can be achieved with a transformation time of less than a second for a device area of 18 cm². High transparency levels of 76% are achieved due to the judicious choice of the electrode and the active elastomer layer. The capability of localized and controlled deformations makes this system highly useful for applications such as display touchscreens, touchpads, braille displays, on‐demand buttons, and microfluidic devices.     

Precipitation Study in Inconel 625 Alloy by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy

Precipitation in Inconel 625 alloy has been studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The observed dependence of annihilation characteristics on aging time is attributed to the change of the positron state due to the increase and decrease of the density and size of the γ″ precipitates. Hardness measurements and lifetime measurements are in good agreement.     

Icariin Alleviates Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated Endometritis in Mice by Inhibiting Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Icariin (ICA) is a naturally occurring phytochemical agent primarily extracted from Epimedium Brevicornum Maxim (Family Berberidaceae) with a broad spectrum of bioactivities. Endometritis is a uterine disease that causes enormous losses in the dairy industry worldwide. In this study, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of ICA were investigated against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endometritis in mice to investigate possible underlying molecular mechanisms. Sixty heathy female Kunming mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 15), namely control, LPS, LPS + ICA, and ICA groups. The endometritis was induced by intrauterine infusion of 50 µL of LPS (1 mg/mL). After 24 h of onset of LPS-induced endometritis, ICA groups were injected thrice by ICA intraperitoneally six hours apart. Histopathological examination, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used in this study. Histological alterations revealed that ICA markedly mitigated uterine tissue injury caused by LPS. The results showed that the ICA inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α) and boosted the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10). Additionally, ICA modulated the expression of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) induced by LPS. The administration of ICA significantly (p < 0.05) improved the mRNA and protein expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4. The western blotting and ELISA finding revealed that the ICA repressed LPS-triggered NF-κB pathway activation. Moreover, ICA improved the antioxidant defense system via activation of the Nrf2 pathway. The results revealed that ICA up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of Nuclear erythroid-2-related factor (Nrf2), NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) under LPS exposure. Conclusively, our findings strongly suggested that ICA protects endometritis caused by LPS by suppressing TLR4-associated NF-κB and Nrf2 pathways. Altogether, these innovative findings may pave the way for future studies into the therapeutic application of ICA to protect humans and animals against endometritis.     

Multi-Response Optimization of ECDM Parameters for Silica (Quartz) Using Grey Relational Analysis

Silicon - Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) has successfully demonstrated the micro-machining of pioneering engineering materials, regardless of their properties such as glass, quartz,...     

A robust facial image super-resolution model via mirror-patch based neighbor representation

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Many patch-based facial image super-resolution (or hallucination) techniques have been proposed in literature but all of them fail in the presence of...     

Transport of two metal oxide nanoparticles in saturated granular porous media: role of water chemistry and particle coating

The growing use of nanosized titanium dioxide (nTiO₂) and zinc oxide (nZnO) in a large number of commercial products raises concerns regarding their release and subsequent mobility in natural aquatic environments. Laboratory-scale sand-packed column experiments were conducted with bare and polymer-coated nTiO₂ and nZnO to improve our understanding of the mobility of these nanoparticles in natural or engineered water saturated granular systems. The nanoparticles are characterized over a range of environmentally relevant water chemistries using multiple complimentary techniques: dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Overall, bare (uncoated) nanoparticles exhibit high retention within the water saturated granular matrix at solution ionic strengths (IS) as low as 0.1 mM NaNO₃ for bare nTiO₂ and 0.01 mM NaNO₃ for bare nZnO. Bare nTiO₂ and nZnO also display dynamic (time-dependent) deposition behaviors under selected conditions. In contrast, the polymer-coated nanoparticles are much less likely to aggregate and exhibit significant transport potential at IS as high as 100 mM NaNO₃ or 3 mM CaCl₂. These findings illustrate the importance of considering the extent and type of surface modification when evaluating metal oxide contamination potential in granular aquatic environments.     

Nigral glutathione deficiency is not specific for idiopathic Parkinson's disease

The consistent findings of decreased levels of the major antioxidant glutathione in substantia nigra of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) has provided most of the basis for the oxidative stress hypothesis of the etiology of PD. To establish whether a nigral glutathione deficiency is unique to PD, as is generally assumed, or is present in other Parkinsonian conditions associated with nigral damage, we compared levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) in postmortem brain of patients with PD to those with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). As compared with the controls, nigral GSH levels were decreased in the PD and PSP patient groups (P < 0.05 for PD [-30%], PSP [-21%]), whereas a similar decrease in the MSA patient group did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.078, MSA [-20%]). GSH levels were normal in all examined normal and degenerating extra-nigral brain areas in PSP and MSA. A trend for decreased levels of uric acid (antioxidant and product of purine catabolism) also was observed in nigra of all patient groups (-19 to -30%). These data suggest that glutathione depletion, possibly consequent to overutilisation in oxidative stress reactions, could play a causal role in nigral degeneration in all nigrostriatal dopamine deficiency disorders, and that antioxidant therapeutic approaches should not be restricted to PD.     

Synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and study of their antibacterial and antifungal properties

In this paper, ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized with and without the use of surfactants under different reaction conditions. The size of the ZnO nanoparticles varied in diameter (2 nm-28 nm) according to the reaction conditions employed. Promising particle size dependent antibacterial and antifungal activities of the ZnO nanoparticles have been observed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were used to characterize the particle size and morphology.