Enhancing the signal contrast ratio and stability of liquid crystal-based sensors by using fine grids made by photolithography of photoresists.

We prepared fine grid patterns on a glass substrate through photolithography of photoresists; we filled photoresist grids with liquid crystals (LCs) to construct LC-based sensors. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the photoresist grids were flat, smooth, and 3.0-8.0 µm thick. In contrast to conventional LC-based sensors, in which LCs are filled in metal grids placed on glass substrates, our results proved that LC-based sensors constructed using photoresist grids exhibited a larger signal contrast ratio, better signal stability in aqueous solutions and lower limit of detection for mercuric ions. All these characteristics enhanced the performance of the LC-based sensors.

Railway Tunnel Clearance Inspection Method Based on 3D Point Cloud from Mobile Laser Scanning.

Railway tunnel clearance is directly related to the safe operation of trains and upgrading of freight capacity. As more and more railway are put into operation and the operation is continuously becoming faster, the railway tunnel clearance inspection should be more precise and efficient. In view of the problems existing in traditional tunnel clearance inspection methods, such as low density, slow speed and a lot of manual operations, this paper proposes a tunnel clearance inspection approach based on 3D point clouds obtained by a mobile laser scanning system (MLS). First, a dynamic coordinate system for railway tunnel clearance inspection has been proposed. A rail line extraction algorithm based on 3D linear fitting is implemented from the segmented point cloud to establish a dynamic clearance coordinate system. Second, a method to seamlessly connect all rail segments based on the railway clearance restrictions, and a seamless rail alignment is formed sequentially from the middle tunnel section to both ends. Finally, based on the rail alignment and the track clearance coordinate system, different types of clearance frames are introduced for intrusion operation with the tunnel section to realize the tunnel clearance inspection. By taking the Shuanghekou Tunnel of the Chengdu-Kunming Railway as an example, when the clearance inspection is carried out by the method mentioned herein, its precision can reach 0.03 m, and difference types of clearances can be effectively calculated. This method has a wide application prospects.

Pien-Tze-Huang alleviates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis through the inhibition of HSC autophagy and the TGF-ß1/Smad2 pathway.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pien-Tze-Huang (PZH)-a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound-has been employed to treat various liver inflammation and tumors for over 10 decades. Interestingly, most of the pharmacological effects had been validated and explored toward liver ailment along with pro-inflammatory conditions and cancer at the cellular and molecular level to date. Aim of the study: The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of PZH on autophagy and TGF-ß1 signaling pathways in rats with liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell line (HSC). Materials and methods: Male SD rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis were used as the animal model. Next, PZH treatment was given for 8 weeks. Afterward, the therapeutic effects of PZH were analyzed through a hepatic tissue structure by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), Van Gieson (VG) staining, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), activity of ALT and AST by enzyme-associated immunosorbent assay as well. Subsequently, mRNA and protein expression were examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Then, the cell vitality of PZH-treated HSC and the expression of key molecules prevailing to autophagy were studied in vitro. Meanwhile, SM16 (a novel small molecular inhibitor which inhibits TGFß-induced Smad2 phosphorylation) was employed to confirm PZH's effects on the proliferation and autophagy of HSC. Results: PZH pharmacologically exerted anti-hepatic fibrosis effects as demonstrated by protecting hepatocytes and improving hepatic function. The results revealed the reduced production of extracellular collagen by adjusting the balance of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, MMP9, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1) in PZH-treated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. Interestingly, PZH inhibited the activation of HSC by down-regulating TGF-ß1 and phosphorylating Smad2. Furthermore, PZH down-regulated yeast Atg6 (Beclin-1) and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) toward suppressing HSC autophagy, and PZH exhibited similar effects to that of SM16. Conclusion: To conclude, PZH alleviated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis to reduce the production of extracellular collagen and inhibiting the activation of HSC. In addition, their pharmacological mechanisms related to autophagy and TGF-ß1/Smad2 signaling pathways were revealed for the first time.

Transparent organic upconversion devices for near-infrared sensing.

Transparent organic upconversion devices are shown in a night-vision demonstration of a real object under near-infrared (NIR) illumination in the dark. An extraordinarily high current gain - reflecting the on-off switching effect - greater than 15 000 at a driving voltage of 3 V is demonstrated, indicating the high sensitivity to NIR light and potential of using the proposed upconverter in practical applications. A maximum luminance exceeding 1500 cd m(-2) at 7 V is achieved. Unlike previous studies, where 2D aperture projection is reported, the current study shows 3D images of real objects under NIR illumination in the dark.

Downscaling the Sample Thickness to Sub-Micrometers by Employing Organic Photovoltaic Materials as a Charge-Generation Layer in the Time-of-Flight Measurement.

Time-of-flight (TOF) measurements typically require a sample thickness of several micrometers for determining the carrier mobility, thus rendering the applicability inefficient and unreliable because the sample thicknesses are orders of magnitude higher than those in real optoelectronic devices. Here, we use subphthalocyanine (SubPc):C70 as a charge-generation layer (CGL) in the TOF measurement and a commonly hole-transporting layer, N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(1,1'-biphenyl)-4,4'-diamine (NPB), as a standard material under test. When the NPB thickness is reduced from 2 to 0.3 µm and with a thin 10-nm CGL, the hole transient signal still shows non-dispersive properties under various applied fields, and thus the hole mobility is determined accordingly. Only 1-µm NPB is required for determining the electron mobility by using the proposed CGL. Both the thicknesses are the thinnest value reported to data. In addition, the flexibility of fabrication process of small molecules can deposit the proposed CGL underneath and atop the material under test. Therefore, this technique is applicable to small-molecule and polymeric materials. We also propose a new approach to design the TOF sample using an optical simulation. These results strongly demonstrate that the proposed technique is valuable tool in determining the carrier mobility and may spur additional research in this field.