Compact see‐through near‐eye display with depth adaption

Based on the recent development of Pancharatnam–Berry deflectors and lenses, we propose a compact and lightweight near‐eye display system with depth adaption. The compact design results from the polarization selectivity of Pancharatnam–Berry deflector waveguide coupler, and the fast‐switching Pancharatnam–Berry lenses can be exploited for generating correct light fields.     

Active fault‐tolerant control for near space vehicles based on reference model adaptive sliding mode scheme

In this paper, an adaptive sliding mode (ASM) scheme is proposed for fault identification and fault‐tolerant control of near space vehicles (NSVs). First, the attitude dynamic model is introduced, and a baseline controller based on reference sliding mode scheme is designed in the case of no faults. Then fault parameterizations with actuator dynamics is presented for several classes of faults: lock‐in‐place, float, hard‐over, and loss of effectiveness. On the basis of adaptive observer design, fault parameters can be accurately estimated on‐line. Furthermore, an ASM fault‐tolerant controller is designed for both cases of actuator dynamic faults and control effector damage. Finally, simulation experiments show that the proposed ASM scheme is able to quickly and accurately identify faults and reconfigure the controller, resulting in excellent overall system performance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateral Magnetic Near‐Field Imaging of Plasmonic Nanoantennas With Increasing Complexity

The design of many promising, newly emerging classes of photonic metamaterials and subwavelength confinement structures requires detailed knowledge and understanding of the electromagnetic near‐field interactions between their building blocks. While the electric field distributions and, respectively, the electric interactions of different nanostructures can be routinely measured, for example, by scattering near‐field microscopy, only recently experimental methods for imaging the magnetic field distributions became available. In this paper, we provide direct experimental maps of the lateral magnetic near‐field distributions of variously shaped plasmonic nanoantennas by using hollow‐pyramid aperture scanning near‐field optical microscopy (SNOM). We study both simple plasmonic nanoresonators, such as bars, disks, rings and more complex antennas. For the studied structures, the magnetic near‐field distributions of the complex resonators have been found to be a superposition of the magnetic near‐fields of the individual constituting elements. These experimental results, explained and validated by numerical simulations, open new possibilities for engineering and characterization of complex plasmonic antennas with increased functionality.     

Critical Analysis of Fibre‐Reinforced Polymer Near‐Surface Mounted Double‐shear Pull‐out Tests

The study of the bond behaviour between fibre‐reinforced polymer (FRP) systems and concrete is an issue that nowadays attracts many researchers. The scientific community dedicated to the research of FRP reinforcement has been conducting numerous experimental programmes aiming to assess the local bond–slip law of the FRP–adhesive–concrete connection. This paper reports the relevant results obtained by the Structural Composite Research Group of Minho University in the scope of an international Round Robin Test. The suitability of the recommended test setup to derive a local bond constitutive law for modelling the bond behaviour of near‐surface mounted reinforcement systems is discussed based on a deep interpretation of the results.     

Growth mechanism and gas-sensing characteristics of organic-additive-free zinc oxide of various shapes

Zinc oxide is widely used in gas sensors, solar cells, and photocatalysts because of its wide bandgap and exciton binding energy of 60 meV in various metal oxides. To use ZnO as a gas sensor, it is necessary to synthesize it with surface defects and a large specific surface area. In this study, hydrothermal synthesis without surfactants was employed to obtain organic-additive-free ZnO. For morphology control, we varied the ratio of the hydroxide ion concentration to the zinc ion concentration. To confirm the growth mechanism of ZnO, we performed X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses. Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements were performed to analyze the surface properties. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method and probe stations were used to measure the specific surface area and sensitivity of the gas sensor, respectively. The results confirmed that flower-shaped ZnO is the most suitable gas-sensing material.     

The effects of handedness and reachability on perceived distance.

Previous research has suggested that perceived distances are scaled by the action capabilities of the body. The present studies showed that when “reachability” is constrained due to a difficult grasp required to pick up an object, perceived distance to the object increases. Participants estimated the distances to tools with handle orientations that made them either easy or difficult to grasp with their dominant and nondominant hands. Right-handed participants perceived tools that were more difficult to grasp to be farther away than tools that were easier to grasp. However, perceived distance did not differ in left-handed participants. These studies suggest that, when reaching toward a target, the distance to that target is scaled in terms of how far one can effectively reach, given the type of reaching posture that is executed. Furthermore, this effect is modulated by handedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

紫外-真空紫外光谱反射率测试系统

为获取紫外 真空紫外光学元件的光谱反射率,构建了一套反射率测试系统。该反射率测试系统主要由Seya Namioka紫外 真空紫外单色仪、样品精密转台为主体的光机结构和电子学系统组成。首先,介绍了系统测量原理,采用双光路补偿法消除了光源随时间的飘移,通过改变系统光路进行两次测量来获取反射光与入射光数据,进而得到光谱反射率。接着对电子学硬件系统进行描述,给出了驱动控制单元与信号处理采集单元的硬件设计与组成。因紫外 真空紫外光谱信号微弱,采用了锁相放大的方法提高了测量精度。该反射率测试系统测试结果表明波长重复性0.05 nm,反射率测量重复精度为1.8%,系统功能完备稳定性好,能够实现对光学元件的高精度测量。     

Lactoperoxidase-mediated degradation of single-walled carbon nanotubes in the presence of pulmonary surfactant

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may elicit inflammatory responses following pulmonary exposure. Conversely, enzymatic biodegradation of CNTs by inflammatory cells has also been reported. The aim of this study was to study the degradation of oxidized single-walled CNTs (ox-SWCNTs) by lactoperoxidase (LPO), a secreted peroxidase present in the airways, and whether pulmonary surfactant affects this biodegradation. To this end, ox-SWCNTs were incubated in vitro with recombinant bovine LPO + H₂O₂ + NaSCN in the presence and absence of porcine lung surfactant (Curosurf®) and biodegradation was monitored using UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The interaction of recombinant LPO with bundles of ox-SWCNTs was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Cell-free biodegradation of ox-SWCNTs was also observed ex vivo in murine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the presence of H₂O₂ + NaSCN. Our study provides evidence for biodegradation of ox-SWCNTs with a lung surfactant ‘bio-corona’ and expands the repertoire of mammalian peroxidases capable of biodegradation of ox-SWCNTs. These findings are relevant to inhalation exposure to these materials, as LPO serves as an important component of the airway defense system.