Search Results (611)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental contaminants associated with neurotoxicity and increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases. PCB 153, a highly abundant non-coplanar congener, bioaccumulates in human tissues and impairs homeostasis. This study investigated the transcriptomic effects of PCB 153 (2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-Hexachlorobiphenyl) in retinoic acid (RA)-differentiated SH-SY5Y neuronal cells to identify early, sub-cytotoxic molecular alterations. Cell viability was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay after 24 h exposure to increasing PCB 153 concentrations. RNA-Seq was performed on cells treated with 5 μM PCB 153, the highest non-cytotoxic dose. Sequencing reads were quality-filtered, aligned to the human genome, and analyzed with DESeq2. Functional enrichment was conducted using Gene Ontologies and KEGG pathways. Western blot analyses were performed to assess protein level changes in selected targets. RNA-Seq identified 1882 significantly altered genes (q-value < 0.05). Gene Ontology analysis revealed strong enrichment of proteasome-related terms, with most proteasomal subunits displaying coordinated upregulation. KEGG analysis further showed significant enrichment of Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other neurodegenerative disease pathways. These findings indicate that PCB 153 triggers a pronounced proteostatic response in neuron-like cells, suggesting early disruption of protein homeostasis that may contribute to mechanisms associated with neurodegeneration. Full article

In recent years, electrochemical pressure (ECP) sensors with self-powered and both dynamic and static pressure detection capabilities have received widespread attention. To improve pressure sensing performances while reducing the thickness of conventional sandwich structure ECP sensors, we propose an ECP sensor with a simple electrode coplanar structure. Specifically, it consists of Cu/Zn foil electrodes and LiCl/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) modified filter paper. Among them, the Cu/Zn coplanar electrodes are used for redox reactions, the LiCl provides conductive ions, and the PVA is used to provide a humid environment to promote the ionization and conduction of LiCl. The rough surface microstructure of the filter paper is used to enhance the pressure sensing performances of the sensor. The results show that the ECP sensor with an electrode coplanar structure can spontaneously output current in the pressure range of 0.4–100 kPa, with sensitivities of 0.273 kPa⁻¹ (0.6–20 kPa) and 0.036 kPa⁻¹ (20–100 kPa). Specifically, compared to ECP sensors with a sandwich structure, it has a wider response range and higher sensitivity. Through the current response, morphological characterizations, and redox reactions, the pressure sensing mechanism is elucidated. Furthermore, the proposed ECP sensor can be used for respiratory state recognition combined with machine learning. This research provides a new approach for developing a high-performance ECP sensor with a simple electrode coplanar structure. Full article

The Linked Autonomous Interplanetary Satellite Orbit Navigation (LiAISON) technique enables cislunar spacecraft to obtain accurate position and velocity information, allowing full state estimation of two vehicles using only inter-satellite range (ISR) measurements when both their dynamical states are unknown. However, its stand-alone use leads to significantly increased orbit determination errors when the orbital planes of the two spacecraft are nearly coplanar, and is characterized by long initial convergence times and slow recovery following dynamical disturbances. To mitigate these issues, this study introduces an integrated navigation method that augments inter-satellite range measurements with line-of-sight vector angles relative to background stars. Additionally, an enhanced Adaptive Robust Cubature Kalman Filter (ARCKF) incorporating a chi-square test-based adaptive forgetting factor (AFF-ARCKF) is developed. This algorithm performs adaptive estimation of both process and measurement noise covariance matrices, improving convergence speed and accuracy while effectively suppressing the influence of measurement outliers. Numerical simulations involving spacecraft in Earth–Moon L4 planar orbits and distant retrograde orbits (DRO) confirm that the proposed method significantly enhances system observability under near-coplanar conditions. Comparative evaluations demonstrate that AFF-ARCKF achieves faster convergence compared to the standard ARCKF. Further analysis examining the effects of initial state errors and varying initial forgetting factors clarifies the operational boundaries and practical applicability of the proposed algorithm. Full article

Within natural rock masses, discontinuous joints are more prevalent than continuous joints. Discontinuous joints refer to non-persistent structural planes separated by intact rock bridges and can be quantified by the continuity coefficient K_A. They significantly affect the macroscopic mechanical properties of rock masses. Therefore, investigating discontinuous jointed rock masses with diverse morphologies carries considerable theoretical and engineering significance. Using 3D printing technology, resin-based specimens with discontinuous joints were subjected to laboratory mechanical tests to explore the evolution of failure mechanisms and mechanical properties of discontinuous jointed rock masses with different inclinations, undulation amplitudes, and structural plane continuity. Results show that under compression, discontinuous jointed rock masses consistently undergo combined tensile and shear stresses, with joint undulation amplitude and continuity governing coplanar crack initiation. As the joint inclination angle ranges from 0° to 90°, the peak compressive strength first decreases and then increases: specimens with continuous joints or discontinuous joints (continuity coefficient K_A < 0.25) follow a “V”-shaped trend, while those with K_A > 0.25 exhibit a “U”-shaped trend. Joint continuity is a key factor governing rock mass strength: at the same rock column radius, higher continuity results in lower strength, and vice versa. Joint morphology also influences strength, with specimens with regular zigzag joints and rectangular corrugated joints exhibiting 6.7% and 11.2% higher strength than smooth-jointed specimens, respectively. These results clarify the effects of joint continuity and undulation on rock mass strength, providing a theoretical foundation for the rapid determination of K_A via borehole imaging and laser scanning in engineering practice, and enabling direct prediction of rock mass strength trends. Full article

A magnetic vortex, characterized by curling in-plane magnetization, is generally unstable in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic thin films. Here, we demonstrated that this vortex could be stable in three-dimensional (3D) pyramid-shaped Fe thin films and elucidated mechanistic origin of the stable vortex. Magnetization measurements reveal characteristic $M-H$ hysteresis loops with a pronounced bending and a gradual slope near zero magnetization, contrasting strongly with the abrupt switching seen in 2D films. By decomposing the magnetization processes on each facet in pyramid, we identify the sequence of vortex formation, stabilization, and annihilation. The key factor is the 3D geometry: non-coplanar facet junctions at the ridge lines act as structural singularities that naturally pin domain walls (DWs). These ridge lines restrict DW motion, confine local magnetic structures, and mediate inter-facet interactions, creating geometrical constraints enhancing vortex stability. Vortex formation is driven by magnetostatic energy minimization, as in 2D films. However, ridge-induced weakening of inter-facet exchange becomes the dominant factor in the 3D pyramidal structure. Overall, the interplay of shape anisotropy, magnetostatic, exchange, and Zeeman energies under 3D constraints provides a clear framework for vortex stability, offering the first mechanistic insight into stable vortices in 3D ferromagnetic films and supporting future 3D magnetic devices. Full article

The moiré effect has been considered in various objects, such as coplanar layers, hollow shells, and volumetric three-dimensional objects (e.g., parallelepipeds, prisms, cylinders, and LED cubes). However, the moiré effect in refracting objects filled with a transparent substance (such as liquid or glass) has not yet been investigated. We performed a theoretical and experimental study of the moiré effect in rectangular and cylindrical containers with a refractive substance. The formulas for the magnification coefficient and the moiré period in rectangular and cylindrical refracting objects were obtained. The experiments confirm the theory. This study is essential for understanding the physical properties of the moiré effect with refraction. The results can be used to measure the level and refractive index. Full article

Most visual localization (VL) methods typically assume that keypoints in the query image are detected with the same algorithm as those stored in the reference map. This poses a serious limitation, as new and better detectors may progressively appear, and we would like to ensure the interoperability and coexistence of cameras with heterogeneous detectors in a single map representation. While rebuilding the map with new detectors might seem a solution, it is often impractical, as original images may be unavailable or restricted due to data privacy constraints. In this paper, we address this challenge with two main contributions. First, we introduce and formalize the problem of cross-detector VL, in which the inherent spatial discrepancies between keypoints from different detectors hinder the process of establishing correct correspondences when relying strictly on the similarity of descriptors for matching. Second, we propose CoplaMatch, the first approach to solve this problem by relaxing strict descriptor similarity and imposing geometric coplanarity constraints. The latter is achieved by leveraging 2D homographies between groups of query and map keypoints. This process involves segmenting planar patches, which is performed offline once for the map, and also in the query image, which adds an extra computational overhead to the VL process, although we demonstrated in our experiments that this does not hinder the online applicability. We extensively validate our proposal through experiments in indoor environments using real-world datasets, demonstrating its effectiveness against two state-of-the-art methods by enabling accurate localization in cross-detector scenarios. Additionally, our work validates the feasibility of cross-detector VL and opens a new direction for the long-term usability of feature-based maps. Full article

The design of the chemical structure of ion-conductive membranes is critical to enhance proton/vanadium ion selectivity and the performance of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Herein, camphorsulfonic acid is proposed as a novel proton-conductive group and grafted on polybenzimidazole (PBICa). The pendant sulfonic acid group on the end of the grafted side chains is flexible to promote the aggregation of ionic clusters at even a relatively low ion-exchange capacity (IEC) of 2.14 mmol g⁻¹. The formation of these high-quality clusters underscores the remarkable efficacy of this structural strategy in driving nanoscale phase separation, which is a prerequisite for creating efficient proton-conducting pathways. The bulky and non-coplanar architecture of the camphorsulfonic acid group helps to increase the proportion of free volume compared with the conventional sulfonated polybenzimidazole, which not only promotes water uptake to facilitate proton transport but also exerts a sieving effect to effectively block vanadium ion permeation. The well-formed ionic clusters, together with the expanded free volume architecture, endow the membrane with both high proton conductivity (30.5 mS cm⁻¹) and low vanadium ion permeability (0.15 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹), achieving excellent proton/vanadium ion selectivity of 9.85 × 10⁹ mS s cm⁻³, which is about 5.6-fold that of a Nafion 212 membrane. Operating at 200 mA cm⁻², the PBICa-based VRFB achieves an energy efficiency of 78.4% and a discharge capacity decay rate of 0.32% per cycle, outperforming the Nafion 212-based battery (EE of 76.9%, capacity decay of 0.79% per cycle). Full article

We theoretically investigate topological transitions between coplanar and noncoplanar magnetic states in centrosymmetric itinerant magnets on a square lattice. A canonical effective spin model incorporating bilinear and biquadratic exchange interactions at finite wave vectors is analyzed to elucidate the emergence of multiple-Q magnetic orders. By taking into account high-harmonic wave-vector interactions, we demonstrate that a coplanar double-Q spin texture continuously evolves into a noncoplanar triple-Q state carrying a finite scalar spin chirality. The stability of these multiple-Q states is examined using simulated annealing as a function of the relative strengths of the high-harmonic coupling, the biquadratic interaction, and the external magnetic field. The resulting phase diagrams reveal a competition between double-Q and triple-Q states, where the noncoplanar triple-Q phase is stabilized through the cooperative effect of the high-harmonic and biquadratic interactions. Real-space spin textures, spin structure factors, and scalar spin chirality distributions are analyzed to characterize the distinct magnetic phases and the topological transitions connecting them. These findings provide a microscopic framework for understanding the emergence of noncoplanar magnetic textures driven by the interplay between two- and four-spin interactions in centrosymmetric itinerant magnets. Full article

Background: Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is a promising treatment option for patients with multiple brain metastases (BMs). Using one isocenter instead of a separate isocenter for each BM can reduce the treatment time. This work compares the calculated dose in the treatment planning system with the measured dose using film dosimetry of single-isocenter multi-target (SIMT) SRT for multiple BM. Methods: Fifty patients with 4 to 18 BMs (median = 6, in total 356 BMs) were treated with a single-isocenter non-coplanar LINAC-based treatment with six VMAT arcs. Treatment was performed using RayStation and Elekta Versa HD with Agility multileaf collimator, including a 6D robotic couch. Patient-specific QA measurements were performed with an in-house developed phantom using three layers of GafChromic EBT3 film. Film measurements were analyzed in DoseLab using global gamma with 3% and 1 mm distance-to-agreement criteria. Additionally, secondary dose calculations in Mobius3D were performed with similar gamma criteria. Results: The mean total Paddick conformity index and gradient index were 0.7 ± 0.10 and 5.2 ± 1.9, respectively. Monitor units used were 6321 ± 2510, and mean irradiation time was 600 ± 90 s. The mean global gamma passing rate for all measured films was 94.5 ± 4.6% with 3% and 1 mm criteria, while that of the dose calculations in Mobius3D was 98.2 ± 1.2% with the same criteria. A dependence of gamma passing rates of film measurements on the total PTV volume was observed, whereas such dependence was minimal for Mobius3D. Conclusions: The results demonstrate good agreement between the TPS, film measurements, and independent dose calculations, supporting the dosimetric accuracy of single-isocenter multi-target SRT for treating multiple BMs. Full article

A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Long Range (LoRa) technology play a crucial role in connected vehicles. The demand for antennas that cover both LoRa and GNSS bands is increasing. This work has developed a novel dual-band coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed interleaved meander line antenna, incorporating a radiating element, ground plane, and feed. The antenna dimension is 90 × 90 × 1.635 mm³. The design employs a planar meander line configuration to effectively cover the 868 MHz LoRa and 1248 MHz GNSS bands. The antenna was integrated with a Frequency Selective Structure (FSS) to improve the parameters. The designed antenna provides sufficient bandwidth of 40 and 110 MHz for the LoRa and GNSS frequency bands, respectively. The CPW-interleaved meander line antenna attains a gain of −0.12 dBi at LoRa and 3.5 dBi at GNSS frequency. It achieves a voltage standing wave ratio of <2 and impedance of 50 Ω. The novelty of the proposed work is integrating FSS with a CPW-interleaved meander line antenna, which achieves dual-band operation. This dual-band low-profile configuration is suitable for connected vehicle communication. Full article

Microfluidic impedance cytometry enables label-free and real-time single-cell analysis by detecting changes in electrical impedance as cells traverse microchannels. Electrode configuration plays a critical role in determining detection sensitivity, signal quality, and spatial resolution. In this study, finite element simulations were conducted to model the impedance response of mammalian red blood cells under various electrode designs, including coplanar, parallel, tilted, and parabolic configurations, as well as electrode layouts coupled with flow velocity. A multiphysics simulation model was established to analyze the effects of geometric parameters on electric field distribution and impedance response. The results demonstrate that optimized electrode arrangements significantly enhance detection performance and enable multi-parameter analysis. Furthermore, the influence of flow dynamics and dielectric properties on impedance signals is explored. These findings provide both theoretical and experimental guidance for the development of high-efficiency, integrated impedance cytometry platforms, contributing to the advancement of microfluidic systems in biomedical diagnostics and single-cell characterization. Full article

The growing demand for wideband electronically scanned arrays (ESAs) in next-generation radar, satellite, and 5G/6G systems has renewed interest in true time delay units (TDUs) to overcome the limitations of phase-based beamforming. In parallel, recent advances in the commercial availability and reliability of packaged RF MEMS switches have enabled practical hardware implementations once considered infeasible. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of a broadband, 4-bit switched-line TDU using only off-the-shelf components and standard PCB processes. The unit operates from 0.4 to 6 GHz, with a total delay range of 0–413 ps, achieving an average insertion loss of 1.5 dB and delay error below 18.4 ps, resulting in a figure of merit (FOM) of 152.8 ps/dB. Measured results are reported alongside a refined switch/termination model that aligns simulations with measurements. This is among the first reported demonstrations of a complete RF MEMS-based TDU implemented entirely with commercially available components in a standard PCB-integrated implementation. These results demonstrate a practical pathway toward scalable MEMS-based TDUs for deployment in advanced beamforming systems. Full article

This paper describes the status of developing Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer (JAWS) chips at NIM (National Institute of Metrology, China). To obtain high junction integration density and fewer data input channels, the chip employs an on-chip Wilkinson power divider and inside/outside dc blocks, enabling both arrays to be driven by a single pulse-generator channel. In addition, the tapered coplanar waveguide structure is used to ensure the microwave uniformity of the long-junction array. Each array consisted of 4000 double-stack Nb/Nb_xSi_1−x/Nb junctions, and 16,000 junctions are integrated in the chip in total. The JAWS chip demonstrates good performance, capable of synthesizing a 300 mV root mean square (rms) voltage with exceptionally low harmonic distortion. Dc and ac voltage-current characteristics measurements indicate that the junctions are with a critical current of 2.5 mA, and a normal-state resistance of 4.5 mΩ per junction. Contact aligners are manually operated to fabricate the chips, and process errors in the fabrication are estimated in this paper. Full article

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used pharmaceutical increasingly detected as a contaminant in aquatic environments due to its persistent nature and incomplete removal by conventional wastewater treatment. This study investigates the adsorption performance and mechanisms of commercial activated carbon (M) and its hydrothermally modified form (MH) for APAP removal. Characterization via elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N₂ adsorption isotherms revealed that hydrothermal treatment reduced oxygen content and enhanced micro- and mesopore volumes, resulting in a more homogeneous and carbon-rich surface. Batch adsorption experiments conducted under varying pH (5–7) and temperature (30–40 °C) conditions showed that MH achieved up to 94.3% APAP removal, outperforming the untreated carbon by more than 15%. Kinetic modeling indicated that adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order mechanism (R² > 0.99), and isotherm data fitted best to the Langmuir model for MH and the Freundlich model for M, reflecting their differing surface properties. Adsorption was enhanced at lower pH and higher temperatures, consistent with an endothermic and pH-dependent mechanism. Complementary density functional theory (DFT) simulations confirmed that π–π stacking is the dominant interaction between APAP and the carbon surface. The most favorable configuration involved coplanar stacking with non-oxidized graphene (ΔG = −33 kJ/mol), while oxidized graphene models exhibited weaker interactions. Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis further supported the prevalence of π–π interactions over dipole interactions. These findings suggest that surface deoxygenation and improved pore architecture achieved via hydrothermal treatment significantly enhance APAP adsorption, offering a scalable strategy for pharmaceutical pollutant removal in water treatment applications. Full article