Electrochemical detection of mercuric(ii) ions in aqueous media using glassy carbon electrode modified with synthesized tribenzamides and silver nanoparticles

This study reports the synthesis, characterization, and mercuric ion detection ability of novel tribenzamides having flexible and rigid moieties.

Remote Subthreshold Stimulation Enhances Skin Sensitivity in the Lower Extremity

Foot sole skin interfaces with the ground and contributes to successful balance. In situations with reduced sensitivity in the glabrous foot skin, stochastic resonance (SR) improves skin sensitivity by adding tactile noise. Some situations, however, involve an interface comprised of hairy skin, which has higher thresholds for sensitivity. For example, in lower extremity amputation the residual limb is comprised of hairy leg skin. The main objective of this study was to determine if SR improves skin sensitivity in hairy skin, and whether a specific intensity of noise is most effective. Secondary objectives were to compare the effect between locations, ages and modalities. In 60 healthy participants a vibrotactile (test) input was delivered at the lower extremity concurrently with a second, noisy stimulus applied more proximally. The presence of a remote SR effect was tested in 15 young participants using electrotactile noise at the calf. Secondary objectives were tested in separate groups of 15 subjects and differed by substituting for one of the three variables: vibrotactile noise, heel site, and with older participants. A forced-choice protocol was used to determine detection ability of the subthreshold vibration test input with varying noise levels applied simultaneously (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% of perceptual threshold). An SR effect was identified when increased detection of the input was obtained at any level of noise versus no noise. It was found that all four test groups demonstrated evidence of SR: 33–47% of individuals showed better detection of the input with added noise. The SR effect did not appear consistently at any specific noise level for any of the groups, and none of the variables showed a superior ability to evoke SR. Interestingly, in approximately 33% of cases, threshold values fluctuated throughout testing. While this work has provided evidence that SR can enhance the perception of a vibrotactile input in hairy skin, these data suggest that the ability to repeatably show an SR effect relies on maintaining a consistent threshold.

Perceptual Image Hashing Based on Multitask Neural Network

With the advent of the era of multimedia and in-depth development, the whole human society has been produced and spread a huge amount of image data, but at the same time, in view of the digital image and tamper with the attack of piracy phenomenon also more and more serious, malicious attacks will produce serious social, military, and political influence, therefore, to protect the authenticity of the original image content, which is also more and more important. In order to further improve the performance of image hashing and enhance the protection of image data, we proposed an end-to-end dual-branch multitask neural network based on VGG-19 to produce a perceptual hash sequence and used prepart of network of pretrained VGG-19 model to extract image features, and then, the image features are transformed into a hash sequence through a convolutional and fully connected network. At the same time, in order to enhance the function of the network and improve the adaptability of the proposed network to using scenarios, the rest part of the network layer of the VGG-19 model was used as another branch for image classification, so as to realize the multitask characteristics of the network. Through the experiment of the testing set, the network can not only resist many kinds of attack operations (content retention operations), but also realize accurate classification about the image, and has a satisfactory tampering detection ability.

Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Pyridine in Water Using Zinc Porphyrin Incorporated in a Transparent Hydrophobic Film

In this study, we investigated the axial coordination reaction between pyridine and zinc meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (ZnTPPS) incorporated in a transparent layered double hydroxide (LDH) film modified with 1-decanesulfonate (C10S) in an aqueous solution. The equilibrium constant (\({K}_{11}\)) of the axial coordination reaction between pyridine and ZnTPPS incorporated in the transparent ZnTPPS/C10S/LDH film was approximately 260 times that of the corresponding reaction in an aqueous solution. The hydrophobisation of the LDH interlayer space by C10S, which led to the elimination of water molecules surrounding ZnTPPS and enabled the accumulation of pyridine molecules, was responsible for such a significant increase in the \({K}_{11}\) value. The developed film can detect pyridine in aqueous solutions with ultra-high sensitivity in the order of 10−5 mol/L through changes in the colour tone, which is comparable to the molecular detection ability of insect antennae. The sensing response was also observed at pyridine concentrations as low as 10−9 mol/L.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) IMERG Precipitation Products over Mainland China

Due to the difficulty involved in obtaining and processing a large amount of data, the spatial distribution of the quality and error structure of satellite precipitation products and the climatic dependence of the error sources have not been studied sufficiently. Eight statistical and detection indicators were used to compare and evaluate the accuracy of the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM IMERG) precipitation products in China, including IMERG Early, Late, and Final Run. (1) Based on the correlation coefficient between GPM IMERG precipitation products and measured precipitation, the precipitation detection ability is good in eastern China, whereas the root-mean-square error increases from northwest to southeast. (2) Compared with the Early and Late Run, the accuracy of the detection of a light rain of the IMERG Final Run is higher, but the precipitation is overestimated. With the increase in the precipitation intensity, the detection ability weakens, and the precipitation is underestimated. (3) The Final Run has a higher estimation accuracy regarding light rain in western high-altitude areas, whereas the accuracy of the detection of moderate rain, heavy rain, and rainstorms is higher in eastern coastal low-altitude areas. This phenomenon is related to the performance and detection principles of satellites. The altitude and magnitude of the precipitation affect the detection accuracy of the satellite. This study provides guidance for the application of GPM IMERG precipitation products in hydrological research and water resource management in China.

A review paper on memory fault models and test algorithms

Testing embedded memories in a chip can be very challenging due to their high-density nature and manufactured using very deep submicron (VDSM) technologies. In this review paper, functional fault models which may exist in the memory are described, in terms of their definition and detection requirement. Several memory testing algorithms that are used in memory built-in self-test (BIST) are discussed, in terms of test operation sequences, fault detection ability, and also test complexity. From the studies, it shows that tests with 22 N of complexity such as March SS and March AB are needed to detect all static unlinked or simple faults within the memory cells. The N in the algorithm complexity refers to Nx*Ny*Nz whereby Nx represents the number of rows, Ny represents the number of columns and Nz represents the number of banks. This paper also looks into optimization and further improvement that can be achieved on existing March test algorithms to increase the fault coverage or to reduce the test complexity.

A Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Photodetector With Graphene/MgZnO/GaN Vertical Structure

Graphene (Gr) has high transmittance to ultraviolet (UV) light and high mobility, which can effectively collect and transfer carriers. In this work, MgZnO (MZO) films were grown on the surface of the p-GaN by magnetron sputtering. A heterojunction solar-blind UV detector with Gr/MZO/GaN structure was constructed by introducing Gr as the window layer film. The test results show that the device has excellent detection ability for solar-blind UV light. The light response cut-off edge of the device is 263 nm, under the illumination of 255 nm and the bias voltage of −5 V, the responsivity is 14.6 mA/W, the rise time is 0.79 s, the decay time is 0.2 s, and the external quantum efficiency is 71.1%. The importance of this work lies in providing a reference for the application of Gr-based photodetectors.

Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Pyridine in Water Using Zinc Porphyrin Incorporated in a Transparent Hydrophobic Film

In this study, we investigated the axial coordination reaction between pyridine and zinc meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (ZnTPPS) incorporated in a transparent layered double hydroxide (LDH) film modified with 1-decanesulfonate (C10S) in an aqueous solution. The equilibrium constant (K11) of the axial coordination reaction between pyridine and ZnTPPS incorporated in the transparent ZnTPPS/C10S/LDH film was approximately 260 times that of the corresponding reaction in an aqueous solution. The hydrophobisation of the LDH interlayer space by C10S, which led to the elimination of water molecules surrounding ZnTPPS and enabled the accumulation of pyridine molecules, was responsible for such a significant increase in the K11 value. The developed film can detect pyridine in aqueous solutions with ultra-high sensitivity in the order of 10−5 mol/L through changes in the colour tone, which is comparable to the molecular detection ability of insect antennae. The sensing response was also observed at pyridine concentrations as low as 10−9 mol/L.

Utility of Three-Protein Panels in the Separation of Aggressive Prostate Cancer from Non-Aggressive Tumors

Background Prostate cancer (PCa) is a heterogeneous group of tumors, including non-aggressive (NAG) and aggressive (AG) subtypes, with variable clinical outcomes. We assessed the diagnostic utility of selected protein markers to identify AG tumors. Methods The TMA was constructed, including NAG and AG. 12 protein markers were evaluated using the TMA by IHC stains. The makers were also evaluated for their potential utility as single or panels for distinguishing AG from NAG tumors. Results The higher expressions of four protein markers, including prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), phospho-EGFR, androgen receptor (AR), and P16, were identified in AG tumors of Gleason score 4 and 5. In contrast, Galectin-3, DPP4 and MAN1B1 revealed stronger staining patterns in NAG tumors. Sensitivity and specificity of individual marker varied widely. In tow-marker panels, especially in the panel of DPP4 and PSMA, the specificity was 38.46% at 95% sensitivity. To further improve the detection ability, we combined DPP4 and PSMA with either Galectin-3 or phospho-EGFR into three-marker panels. The specificity achieved >46% at 95% sensitivity and AUC was >0.85. Conclusions Our panels can be used to improve the separation of AG from NAG tumor and to add in the optimization of the treatment strategy for patients.

ASSESSMENT OF TARGET DETECTION ABILITY FOR LASER FUZES IN FOG CONDITIONS

The article presents a method to evaluate the target detection efficiency of laser fuzes operating in foggy conditions. The evaluation model is built from: the distance equation of the laser system, the attenuation of the beam in two-way propagation, the disturbances affecting the system; the signal to noise ratio SRN has determined the detection probability of the receiver. The model was used to evaluate with wavelengths: 850 nm, 1000 nm and 1550 nm, when propagating in three different bad weather conditions. The results show that the most effective detection of the target when using a wavelength of 1550 nm in visibility in haze and mist conditions (visibility V > 500 m). In fog conditions (visibility V < 500 m), the above three wavelengths provide the same detection efficiency. The article provides the method and instructions for choosing the wavelength of the laser fuze.