On-field test campaign performance of VDE-SAT Link ID 20 over Norsat-2 LEO satellite

The latest technical recommendation by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for a data exchange system in the VHF maritime mobile band defines a random access channel (RAC) for communications on the uplink channel between vessels and satellites. The physical layer frame for random uplink channel is designed to allow for a more efficient use of the power amplifiers and includes features to assist the satellite receivers to resolve overlapping reception of multiple messages. This paper presents the performance results of an over-the-air test campaign carried out exploiting the NorSat-2 Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite. After a review of the VDE-SAT RAC and Link ID 20 burst, a possible demodulator implementation is shown. Then, the VDE-SAT transmitter platform, located in Pisa, Italy, emulating a population of vessels transmitting to the NorSat-2 LEO satellite is introduced, and the test cases are described. Afterward, the analysis of the recorded signals is provided. The post-analysis first focuses on the demodulation performance in terms of probability of successful demodulation of the interfering bursts. Further investigation has also been carried out to better understand the interference environment in this frequency band for satellite signal reception. Tests indicate promising results of successfully detecting and demodulating up to 22 overlapping RAC messages, confirming the robustness of the protocol. Finally, capitalizing on the above analysis, conclusions suggest possible improvements.     

Robotic date fruit harvesting using machine vision and a 5-DOF manipulator

Date fruits can be found at the highest point of the palm tree, so harvesting can be a dangerous task for humans. In this study, a robotic arm is presented to harvest date fruits. A manipulator, traveling on a U-shaped rail with four prismatic joints and one revolute joint, was designed and constructed to approach the fruits efficiently. The end-effector of the manipulator was an electric chainsaw capable of cutting the date bunch. Two cameras were located on the manipulator in perpendicular directions to capture images, which were then transmitted to a decision-making unit to control the speed of the manipulator links. The decision-making unit included three fuzzy inference systems that used the location data of the fruit bunch stems and the area of tree leaves in the images to determine the speed of electromotors of the trolley, horizontal link, and vertical link. An artificial palm tree with dimensions similar to a real palm tree was constructed to evaluate the performance of the robot. The performance of the robot was evaluated in various lighting conditions. The results showed that the introduced image processing algorithm could adequately detect the stems of the date bunches with accuracy, precision, and recall of 0.88, 0.92, and 0.96, respectively, in suitable lighting, that is, when there was sufficient natural lighting. Moreover, the experimental results revealed that the accuracy of the control system in cutting the stems was 87%, with a production loss of 5%. The proposed robot makes it possible to improve the capacity of using mechanized harvesting in date palm fields.     

A Hybrid Magneto-Optic Capacitive Memory with Picosecond Writing Time

The long-term future of information storage requires the use of sustainable nanomaterials in architectures operating at high frequencies. Interfaces can play a key role in this pursuit via emergent functionalities that break out from conventional operation methods. Here, spin-filtering effects and photocurrents are combined at metal-molecular-oxide junctions in a hybrid magneto-capacitive memory. Light exposure of metal-fullerene-metal oxide devices results in spin-polarized charge trapping and the formation of a magnetic interface. Because the magnetism is generated by a photocurrent, the writing time is determined by exciton formation and splitting, electron hopping, and spin-dependent trapping. Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements show changes in the electronic states as a function of the magnetic history of the device within picoseconds of the optical pumping. The stored information is read using time-resolved scanning magneto optic Kerr effect measurements during microwave irradiation. The emergence of a magnetic interface in the picosecond timescale opens new paths of research to design hybrid magneto-optic structures operating at high frequencies for sensing, computing, and information storage.     

Guest Entrapment in Metal-Organic Nanosheets for Quantifiably Tuneable Luminescence

Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs) are promising materials for nanophotonic applications due to their tuneable structure and programmability. Yet, the 3D nature of LMOFs creates challenges for stability, optical transparency, and device integration. Metal-organic nanosheets (MONs) potentially overcome these limitations by combining the benefits of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with an atomically thin morphology of large planar dimensions. Herein, the bottom-up synthesis of few-layer thin ZIF-7-III MONs via facile low-energy salt-templating is reported. Employing guest@MOF design, the fluorophores Rhodamine B and Fluorescein are intercalated into ZIF-7 nanosheets (Z7-NS) to form light emissive systems exhibiting intense and highly photostable fluorescence. Aggregation and Förster resonance energy transfer, enabled by the MON framework, are revealed as the mechanisms behind fluorescence. By varying guest concentration, these mechanisms provide predictable quantified control over emission chromaticity of a dual-guest Z7-NS material and the definition of an “emission chromaticity fingerprint” – a unique subset of the visible spectrum that a material can emit by fluorescence.     

Aggregation-Induced Emission in a Flexible Phosphine Oxide and its Zn(II) Complexes—A Simple Approach to Blue Luminescent Materials

Easily accessible blue-emitting materials are in the focus of ongoing research, as they still lack the efficiency and lifetime of their red and green counterparts. The new multidentate phosphine oxide ligands and two respective ZnCl₂ complexes presented here combine a straightforward synthesis with high yields and show interesting luminescent properties. The free ligand exhibits blue luminescence in the crystalline state, but not in amorphous films or diluted solution. In contrast, the Zn(II) complexes shows intense blue luminescence in the crystalline state as well as in amorphous thin films and in solution. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy measurements show luminescence lifetimes of 3–6 ns indicative of fluorescence. By combining the experimental data with quantum chemical calculations, we propose a model where the conformation of the molecule is restricted, either via the crystal environment, aggregation, or the steric fixation by the coordinating central atom, blocking the nonradiative relaxation from the excited into the ground electronic state. However, this nonradiative relaxation is still possible in the gas phase via elongation of a P C bond. These results may provide a general mechanism to explain the luminescence properties in a whole class of organic phosphine oxides.     

Photothermal Responsive Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction Resolving Exosomal microRNAs Expression in Liver Cancer

Exosomal microRNAs have been studied as a good source of noninvasive biomarkers due to their functions in genetic exchange between cells and have been already well documented in many biological activities; however, inaccuracy remains a key challenge for liver cancer surveillance. Herein, a versatile duplex photothermal digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) strategy combined with a lipid nanoparticle-based exosome capture approach is proposed to profile microRNAs expression through a 3-h easy-to-operate process. The microfluidically-generated molybdenum disulfide-nanocomposite-doped gelatin microcarriers display attractive properties as a 2–4 °C s⁻¹ ramping-up rate triggered by near-infrared and reversible sol–gel transforming in step with PCR activation. To achieve PCR thermocycling, the corresponding irradiation coordinating with fan cooling are automatically performed via a homemade control module with programs. Thus, taking the multiplexing capability of dual-color labeling, 19–31 folds higher in exosomal microRNA-200b-3p and microRNA-21-5p, and tenfold lower in microRNA-22-3p expressions relative to the control microRNA-26a-5p are quantified in two liver cancer cells (Huh7 and HepG2) than in those from the healthy cells. It is believed that this exosomal microRNA genotyping method would be highly applicable for liver cancer diagnostics.     

A review on catalyst development for conventional thermal dry reforming of methane at low temperature

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) utilization and conversion, as one of the main parts of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), is not only considered an important way to mitigate global warming but also an attractive industrial route to produce valuable fuels and chemical feedstocks. Catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a promising technology for carbon dioxide utilization and conversion as it can produce syngas, carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen (H₂) for widespread industrial production processes. In most studies of the DRM reaction, a relatively high operational temperature (i.e., >700°C) has been applied since the reactivity limitation of widely used Ni-based catalysts at low temperatures and the extremely endothermic property of the DRM reaction. However, high cost and high requirement of thermal stability for catalysts have become a severe problem impeding the further commercialization of DRM technology. Decreasing the operational temperature (i.e., <700°C) is considered a promising way for further application of the DRM route to convert CO₂ and produce syngas. However, traditional Ni-based catalysts suffered from unsatisfied reactivity and severe coke formation, leading to quick deactivation at low temperatures. Developing a catalyst with excellent catalytic activity, coke resistance, and improved thermal stability is necessary for low-temperature DRM reactions. In recent years, with significant development in materials, catalyst design, and computational simulation, some synthesized catalysts have achieved considerable improvement in catalytic performance in low-temperature DRM. Hence, a review of recent development on low-temperature DRM catalysts is provided here to further guide and profoundly understand catalyst design for low-temperature DRM.