双重JPEG压缩图像篡改区域检测与定位

对JPEG(joint photographic experts group)图像实施篡改往往会产生双重JPEG(double JPEG,DJPE) 压缩痕迹,分析该痕迹有助于揭示图像压缩历史并实现篡改区域定位。现有算法在图像尺寸较小和质量因子(quality factor,QF) 较低的时候性能不佳,对两个QF的组合情况存在限制。本文提出了一种端到端的混合QF双重JPEG压缩图像取证网络,命名为DJPEGNet。首先,使用预处理层从图像头文件中提取表征压缩历史信息的量化表 (quantization table,Qtable) 特征,将图像从空域转换至DCT(discrete cosine transform)域构造统计直方图特征。然后,将两个特征输入到由深度可分离卷积和残差结构堆叠而成的主体结构,输出二分类结果。最后,使用滑动窗口算法自动定位篡改区域并绘制概率分布图。实验结果表明,在使用不同Qtable集生成的小尺寸数据集上,DJPEGNet所有指标均优于现有最先进的算法,其中ACC提高了1.78%,TPR提升了2.00%,TNR提升了1.60%。     

Latch Applicator for Efficient Delivery of Dissolving Microneedles Based on Rapid Release of Elastic Strain Energy by Thumb Force (Adv. Funct. Mater. 11/2023)

Dissolving microneedle (DMN) is an attractive alternative to parenteral and enteral drug administration owing to its painless self-administration and safety due to non-generation of medical waste. For reproducible and efficient DMN administration, various DMN application methods, such as weights, springs, and electromagnetic devices, have been studied. However, these applicators have complex structures that are complicated to use and high production costs. In this study, a latch applicator that consists of only simple plastic parts and operates via thumb force without any external complex device is developed. Protrusion-shaped latches and impact distances are designed to accumulate thumb force energy through elastic deformation and to control impact velocity. The optimized latch applicator with a pressing force of 25 N and an impact velocity of 5.9 m s⁻¹ fully inserts the drug-loaded tip of the two-layered DMN into the skin. In an ovalbumin immunization test, DMN with the latch applicator shows a significantly higher IgG antibody production rate than that of intramuscular injection. The latch applicator, which provides effective DMN insertion and a competitive price compared with conventional syringes, has great potential to improve delivery of drugs, including vaccines.     

Metal Ions versus Protons: Tracking of Charge-Carrier Insertion into a Cathode Oxide in Aqueous Rechargeable Batteries

Protons in aqueous electrolytes can perform as an additional type of charge carrier for insertion/extraction in addition to the primary carrier cations in aqueous rechargeable batteries. Despite many diverse claims regarding the effect of protons, mutually conflicting experimental results and their interpretations without direct evidence have been reported over the last decade. Systematic examinations and analyses are thus imperative to clarify the conditions of proton insertion in aqueous rechargeable batteries. Utilizing V₂O₅ as a model cathode and beaker-type cells with a sufficient amount of ZnSO₄ aqueous electrolytes in this work, it is demonstrated that protons are inserted into the cathode prior to Zn-ions in low-pH conditions (pH ≤ 3.0). In stark contrast, the influence of protons on the discharge voltage and capacity is insignificant, when either the pH becomes higher (pH ≥ 4.0) or the electrolyte volume is considerably low in coin-type cells. Similar behavior of pH-dependent proton insertion is also verified in Na–, Mg–, and Al-ion electrolytes. Providing a resolution to the controversy regarding proton insertion, the present study emphasizes that the influence of protons substantially varies depending on the pH and relative volume of electrolytes in aqueous batteries.     

CBOE Volatility Index Forecasting under COVID-19: An Integrated BiLSTM-ARIMA-GARCH Model

After the outbreak of COVID-19, the global economy entered a deep freeze. This observation is supported by the Volatility Index (VIX), which reflects the market risk expected by investors. In the current study, we predicted the VIX using variables obtained from the sentiment analysis of data on Twitter posts related to the keyword “COVID-19,” using a model integrating the bidirectional long-term memory (BiLSTM), autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) algorithm, and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model. The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program and Valence Aware Dictionary for Sentiment Reasoning (VADER) model were utilized as sentiment analysis methods. The results revealed that during COVID-19, the proposed integrated model, which trained both the Twitter sentiment values and historical VIX values, presented better results in forecasting the VIX in time-series regression and direction prediction than those of the other existing models.     

Study on reaction time depending on display parameters of gaming displays

Display technology plays a significant role in gaming and, thus, display parameters are an important consideration when choosing a gaming display. In general, interest in display parameters such as contrast ratio, response time, refresh rate, and input lag in gaming displays is very high. In this article, we studied the reaction time of gaming displays, as a measure of game performance, with respect to different contrast ratios, response times, and refresh rates. Contrast ratio and response time turned out to be the key factors influencing reaction time. The higher the contrast ratio is, the shorter the reaction time tends to be. In addition, the faster the response time is, the shorter the reaction time is. Displays with high contrast ratio and fast response time are advantageous in terms of reaction time, which is also expected to be more advantageous in a fast-paced real gaming environment.     

基于IGA-BP神经网络的锂电池健康状态估算

针对锂离子电池健康状态(SOH)估算精度低、传统遗传算法(GA)易陷入局部最优、收敛速度慢的问题,为提高锂电池健康状态的估算精度,提出了交叉概率和变异概率自适应的调整策略对传统GA进行改进,在改进遗传算法(IGA)的作用下,使优良个体仍保持较好的进化能力,算法初期搜索范围、后期局部搜索能力以及收敛速度也得到加强。提取间接健康因子,再用改进的遗传算法对BP神经网络的初始参数寻优得到IGA-BP神经网络模型,基于NASA锂电池数据集分别用GA-BP与IGA-BP神经网络算法对SOH进行估算。结果表明:IGA-BP神经网络算法估算精度更高,且具备快速收敛的优势,平均绝对百分比误差和均方根误差分别下降了0.422%和0.412,拟合程度提高了8.1%。     

三模混合集成小型化滤波器设计

提出了一种基于LC串联单元的三模混合集成小型化滤波器电路拓扑。该电路拓扑具有对称性,主体由4个LC串联单元所构成的“星型”结构组成,能够通过对其并联于地的LC串联单元中元件参数的调节实现对滤波器双零点的自由调节。基于奇偶模分析方法,给出了所提出滤波器拓扑的综合设计方法,并采用基于商业化硅基表贴电容的低成本混合集成技术研制一款具有明显小型化特性的三模多零点带通滤波器。所研制的滤波器仿真与测试结果吻合良好,其中心频率为2.6 GHz,3 dB带宽为1.34 GHz,插入损耗典型值为1.6 dB,能够在4～12 GHz的频带范围内实现30 dB的抑制能力,其面积尺寸为3.2 mm×1.9 mm(0.03λ0×0.02λ0)。     

Inkjet‐Printed Lithium–Sulfur Microcathodes for All‐Printed,Integrated Nanomanufacturing

Improved thin‐film microbatteries are needed to provide appropriate energy‐storage options to power the multitude of devices that will bring the proposed “Internet of Things” network to fruition (e.g., active radio‐frequency identification tags and microcontrollers for wearable and implantable devices). Although impressive efforts have been made to improve the energy density of 3D microbatteries, they have all used low energy‐density lithium‐ion chemistries, which present a fundamental barrier to miniaturization. In addition, they require complicated microfabrication processes that hinder cost‐competitiveness. Here, inkjet‐printed lithium–sulfur (Li–S) cathodes for integrated nanomanufacturing are reported. Single‐wall carbon nanotubes infused with electronically conductive straight‐chain sulfur (S@SWNT) are adopted as an integrated current‐collector/active‐material composite, and inkjet printing as a top‐down approach to achieve thin‐film shape control over printed electrode dimensions is used. The novel Li–S cathodes may be directly printed on traditional microelectronic semicoductor substrates (e.g., SiO₂) or on flexible aluminum foil. Profilometry indicates that these microelectrodes are less than 10 µm thick, while cyclic voltammetry analyses show that the S@SWNT possesses pseudocapacitive characteristics and corroborates a previous study suggesting the S@SWNT discharge via a purely solid‐state mechanism. The printed electrodes produce ≈800 mAh g^?1 S initially and ≈700 mAh g^?1 after 100 charge/discharge cycles at C/2 rate.     

Dominance of Plasmonic Resonant Energy Transfer over Direct Electron Transfer in Substantially Enhanced Water Oxidation Activity of BiVO4 by Shape‐Controlled Au Nanoparticles

The performance of plasmonic Au nanostructure/metal oxide heterointerface shows great promise in enhancing photoactivity, due to its ability to confine light to the small volume inside the semiconductor and modify the interfacial electronic band structure. While the shape control of Au nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial for moderate bandgap semiconductors, because plasmonic resonance by interband excitations overlaps above the absorption edge of semiconductors, its critical role in water splitting is still not fully understood. Here, first, the plasmonic effects of shape‐controlled Au NPs on bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) are studied, and a largely enhanced photoactivity of BiVO₄ is reported by introducing the octahedral Au NPs. The octahedral Au NP/BiVO₄ achieves 2.4 mA cm^?2 at the 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, which is the threefold enhancement compared to BiVO₄. It is the highest value among the previously reported plasmonic Au NPs/BiVO₄. Improved photoactivity is attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance; direct electron transfer (DET), plasmonic resonant energy transfer (PRET). The PRET can be stressed over DET when considering the moderate bandgap semiconductor. Enhanced water oxidation induced by the shape‐controlled Au NPs is applicable to moderate semiconductors, and shows a systematic study to explore new efficient plasmonic solar water splitting cells.     

Two faces of competition: target‐mediated reverse signalling in microRNA and mitogen‐activated protein kinase regulatory networks

Biomolecular regulatory networks are organised around hubs, which can interact with a large number of targets. These targets compete with each other for access to their common hubs, but whether the effect of this competition would be significant in magnitude and in function is not clear. In this review, the authors discuss recent in vivo studies that analysed the system level retroactive effects induced by target competition in microRNA and mitogen‐activated protein kinase regulatory networks. The results of these studies suggest that downstream targets can regulate the overall state of their upstream regulators, and thus cannot be ignored in analysing biomolecular networks.Inspec keywords: reviews, RNA, molecular biophysics, enzymesOther keywords: target‐mediated reverse signalling, mitogen‐activated protein kinase regulatory networks, biomolecular regulatory networks, microRNA regulatory networks, review, in vivo study