Wearable and wireless performance evaluation system for sports science with an example in badminton.

Two capacitive sensing units were designed, fabricated, and embedded into two corresponding fingerstalls through microelectronic and additive manufacturing with flexible materials and ergonomic considerations in this study. The sensing units were routed to an adaptor, which in turn was routed to a transmission port (comprising a signal converter and a Bluetooth module), realizing a wearable and wireless force sensing system for sports science applications as the objective. The collected capacitive signals were converted through a preliminarily established database, indicating local force distributions on finger segments. Practical examinations with badminton actions (forehand cross-net shots) were conducted by players to show the effectiveness of the proposed system as an application example. Statistical and quantified results reflected the visual observations on valid shots (67% and 39% for the professional and amateur players, respectively) and well-controlled racket-holding attitude (19.69% and 35.31% force application difference between the first two segments of the index finger of the professional and amateur player, respectively). These proved that the proposed system outperforms existing similar systems in the market and is able to not only classify players with different skill levels but also distinguish attitude stability and controllability, showing scientific evidence in sports science for the first time.

Photoredox/copper cocatalyzed domino cyclization of oxime esters with TMSCN: access to antifungal active tetrasubstituted pyrazines.

A photoredox/copper cocatalyzed domino cyclization of oxime esters with TMSCN has been developed. A range of structurally novel tetrasubstituted pyrazines have been obtained. This method features high bond-forming efficiency, high step economy, broad substrate scope, and gram-scale synthesis. Moreover, preliminary bioactivity evaluation of pyrazine products shows their promising antifungal activities.

Geometric Effect on the Nonlinear Force-Displacement Relationship of Awl-Shaped Serpentine Microsprings for In-Plane Deformation.

Even when made by brittle materials, awl-shaped serpentine microsprings (ASSMs) were found to have a nonlinear displacement-force relationship similar to springs made by ductile material. It is found that the nonlinear displacement-force relationship is due to the geometry and dimensions of the ASSMs. The geometric effect of the nonlinear force-displacement relationship of ASSMs for in-plane motion was investigated. A theoretical solution was derived to analyze this nonlinearity. By successfully fabricating and measuring an ASSM, the theoretical results agreed well with the experimental results. The results indicated that ASSMs have a nonlinear force-displacement relationship, which is similar to that of hardening springs. The taper angle has a significant effect on the nonlinear displacement of ASSMs. When the taper angle was small, no obvious effect appeared on the nonlinearity of the microsprings with different numbers of turns. When the beam length increased, the critical force for nonlinear deflection decreased.

Catalytic asymmetric (4 + 1) annulation of nitroalkenes with allylic acetates: stereoselective synthesis of isoxazoline N-oxides.

An asymmetric (4 + 1) annulation of α-nitro cinnamates with Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) acetates catalyzed by α-isocupreine is reported. It provides chiral isoxazoline N-oxides in moderate to good yields with 88-99% ee, and represents the first catalytic asymmetric (4 + 1) annulation of activated nitroalkenes with in situ generated ammonium ylides. It also affords a practical and efficient access to chiral isoxazoline N-oxides.

Convergent Synthesis of Polysubstituted Furans via Catalytic Phosphine Mediated Multicomponent Reactions.

Tri- or tetrasubstituted furans have been prepared from terminal activated olefins and acyl chlorides or anhydrides by a multicomponental convergent synthesis mode. Instead of stoichiometric nBu3P, only catalytic nBu3P or nBu3P=O is needed to furnish the furans in modest to excellent yields with a good functional group tolerance under the aid of reducing agent silane. This synthetic method features a silane-driven catalytic intramolecular Wittig reaction as a key annulation step and represents the first successful application of catalytic Wittig reaction in multicomponent cascade reaction.

Tea Polysaccharides as Potential Therapeutic Options for Metabolic Diseases.

Tea polysaccharides (TPS) are regarded as some of the main bioactive constituents of tea made from the leaves and buds of the tea plant ( Camellia sinensis L.). An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that TPS can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic diseases. However, the potential mechanisms responsible for antidiabetic and antiobesogenic activities of TPS remain unclear. Therefore, the cellular and physiological mechanisms that underlie the antidiabetic and antiobesogenic effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammation effects, inhibition of digestive enzymes, prevention of macronutrient absorption, and expression of gene and protein, were summarized in this review. Furthermore, the gastrointestinal functions of TPS and the role of gut microbiota in the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases were discussed. It is expected that the present review will be helpful for enhancing our knowledge about the health-promoting effects of TPS on metabolic diseases and stimulating further works on TPS.

Optimal Self-Tuning PID Controller Based on Low Power Consumption for a Server Fan Cooling System.

Recently, saving the cooling power in servers by controlling the fan speed has attracted considerable attention because of the increasing demand for high-density servers. This paper presents an optimal self-tuning proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, combining a PID neural network (PIDNN) with fan-power-based optimization in the transient-state temperature response in the time domain, for a server fan cooling system. Because the thermal model of the cooling system is nonlinear and complex, a server mockup system simulating a 1U rack server was constructed and a fan power model was created using a third-order nonlinear curve fit to determine the cooling power consumption by the fan speed control. PIDNN with a time domain criterion is used to tune all online and optimized PID gains. The proposed controller was validated through experiments of step response when the server operated from the low to high power state. The results show that up to 14% of a server's fan cooling power can be saved if the fan control permits a slight temperature response overshoot in the electronic components, which may provide a time-saving strategy for tuning the PID controller to control the server fan speed during low fan power consumption.

Construction of dispirocyclohexanes via amine-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] annulations of Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates with exocyclic alkenes.

Amine-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] annulations of one molecule of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) acetates 1 with two molecules of 2-(arylmethylidene)indane-1,3-diones 2 or methyleneindolinones 4 have been developed under very mild conditions, which produce multistereogenic dispirocyclohexanes 3 and 5, respectively, in moderate to excellent yields and good diastereoselectivity. This amine-catalyzed annulation constitutes a novel and efficient method for the construction of dispirocyclohexane motifs, and also showcases the divergent catalysis between amines and phosphines with regard to the corresponding phosphine-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulations.

Distinct reactivity of Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates as a novel C(2) component in amine-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] and [2 + 4] annulations.

Amine-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] and [2 + 4] annulations of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) acetates with cyano activated alkenes and 1,3-azadienes have been developed to provide cyclohexanes and tetrahydropyridines. In the annulations, MBH acetates serve as a novel C(2) component with an inactive homoallylic methyl involved in the bond formation.

Stress analysis of glenoid component in design of reverse shoulder prosthesis using finite element method.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to clarify the effect of various designs of reverse shoulder prosthesis (RSP) on stress variation of its glenoid component using 2-dimensional (2D) finite element analysis (FEA). This FEA study provides future reference for the optimal design of glenoid component of RSP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a 2D finite element (FE) model of human shoulder with implementation of RSP was developed by commercial FE software. The proper material properties were adopted in our model. Various design factors were simulated and all the mechanical profile data were investigated by FEA. RESULTS: Both distal placement and increased lateral offset of glenosphere induce higher stress over glenoid-baseplate junction. Increased thickness of graft, inferiorly tilting of the baseplate, and adoption of BIO-RSA (bony increased-offset reverse shoulder arthroplasty) incur higher stresses over glenoid screws. The inferior screw attains more stress than superior screw. Maximum stress occurs at the base of inferior screw. CONCLUSION: Increased eccentric offset and lateral offset of glenosphere, although being able to reduce notching, may pay the penalty of significant stress concentration over glenoid and its subsequent loosening. Maximum stress occurs at the base of inferior screw elucidate the direct contact failure mode at the middle of inferior screw. This study provides an alternative tool for the optimal design of glenoid component of RSP in the future.

A comb-drive actuator driven by capacitively-coupled-power.

This paper presents a new actuation mechanism to drive comb-drive actuators. An asymmetric configuration of the finger overlap was used to generate capacitive coupling for the actuation mechanism. When the driving voltages were applied on the stators, a voltage would be induced at the rotor due to the capacitive coupling. Then, an electrostatic force would be exerted onto the rotor due to the voltage differences between the stators and the rotor. The actuator's static displacement and resonant frequency were theoretically analyzed. To verify the design, a comb-drive actuator with different initial finger overlaps, i.e., 159.3 µm and 48.9 µm on each side, was fabricated and tested. The results show that the actuator worked well using the proposed actuation mechanism. A static displacement of 41.7 µm and a resonant frequency of 577 Hz were achieved. Using the actuation mechanism, no electrical connection is required between the rotor and the outside power supply. This makes some comb-drive actuators containing heterogeneous structures easy to design and actuate.

Divergent amine-catalyzed [4 + 2] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman allylic acetates with electron-deficient alkenes.

An amine-catalyzed [4 + 2] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman allylic acetates 2 with electron-deficient alkenes or diazenes has been developed for efficient syntheses of highly functionalized cyclohexenes, tetrahydropyridazines, and important spirocycles. This reaction unveils a new reactivity pattern of the intensely studied allylic compounds 2 acting as a C(4) synthon in Lewis base catalyzed annulation reactions and also showcases divergent catalysis between tertiary amines and phosphines.

Real-time fault classification for plasma processes.

Plasma process tools, which usually cost several millions of US dollars, are often used in the semiconductor fabrication etching process. If the plasma process is halted due to some process fault, the productivity will be reduced and the cost will increase. In order to maximize the product/wafer yield and tool productivity, a timely and effective fault process detection is required in a plasma reactor. The classification of fault events can help the users to quickly identify fault processes, and thus can save downtime of the plasma tool. In this work, optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is employed as the metrology sensor for in-situ process monitoring. Splitting into twelve different match rates by spectrum bands, the matching rate indicator in our previous work (Yang, R.; Chen, R.S. Sensors 2010, 10, 5703-5723) is used to detect the fault process. Based on the match data, a real-time classification of plasma faults is achieved by a novel method, developed in this study. Experiments were conducted to validate the novel fault classification. From the experimental results, we may conclude that the proposed method is feasible inasmuch that the overall accuracy rate of the classification for fault event shifts is 27 out of 28 or about 96.4% in success.

PBu3-mediated vinylogous Wittig reaction of α-methyl allenoates with aldehydes and mechanistic investigations.

A highly stereoselective PBu(3)-mediated vinylogous Wittig olefination between α-methyl allenoates and a variety of aldehydes is presented as the first example of a practical and synthetically useful vinylogous Wittig reaction. Mechanistic experiments including deuterium-labeling, intermediate entrapment, and NMR monitoring have been deliberately conducted. On the basis of mechanistic investigations, a reliable mechanism for the vinylogous Wittig reaction is proposed, which features a water/phosphine-coassisted allylic phosphorus ylide 1,3-rearrangement pathway, rather than previous retro-Diels-Alder ones. It is noteworthy that mechanistic findings in this work also provide supportive evidence for typical mechanisms of important phosphine-mediated reactions of allenoates.

An integrated optical pickup with roll-to-roll fabricated diffractive components.

This work designed and fabricated an optical pickup system based on optical films using the roll-to-roll process. The design combined the advantages of the stacked and planar optical pickup system. Two blazed gratings were used as beam splitters for bending the optical path, while a cylindrical lens was used for astigmatic focus-error detection. The proposed design effectively reduces overall system configuration, component cost, and fabrication complexity.

Real-time plasma process condition sensing and abnormal process detection.

The plasma process is often used in the fabrication of semiconductor wafers. However, due to the lack of real-time etching control, this may result in some unacceptable process performances and thus leads to significant waste and lower wafer yield. In order to maximize the product wafer yield, a timely and accurately process fault or abnormal detection in a plasma reactor is needed. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is one of the most frequently used metrologies in in-situ process monitoring. Even though OES has the advantage of non-invasiveness, it is required to provide a huge amount of information. As a result, the data analysis of OES becomes a big challenge. To accomplish real-time detection, this work employed the sigma matching method technique, which is the time series of OES full spectrum intensity. First, the response model of a healthy plasma spectrum was developed. Then, we defined a matching rate as an indictor for comparing the difference between the tested wafers response and the health sigma model. The experimental results showed that this proposal method can detect process faults in real-time, even in plasma etching tools.