Strong f-f excitation in titanium silicate: Near-UV LED pumped red phosphors with outstanding temperature sensitivity

Optical thermometry and white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are the research hotspots for Eu³⁺ doped phosphors. In this study, a series of Sr₂TiSi₂O₈: Eu³⁺ red phosphors were developed in a solid-state reaction method. The luminescent properties of the Sr₂TiSi₂O₈: Eu³⁺ phosphor illustrate that Sr₂TiSi₂O₈: Eu³⁺ is effectively excited by the NUV LED chip and emit an intense red light with a peak of 618 nm due to the noninversion symmetry coordination of Eu³⁺ in Sr₂TiSi₂O₈. The local coordination environment of Eu³⁺ was investigated in detail using crystallographic data, spectroscopic data and Judd–Ofelt parameters. In addition, the emission intensity of Sr₂TiSi₂O₈:Eu³⁺ is extremely sensitive to temperature. The relative sensitivity of Sr₂TiSi₂O₈:Eu³⁺ is 1.1% k^-1@300 k, which is comparable to other Eu³⁺-activated temperature sensing materials. The possible mechanism of the temperature sensitive quenching characteristics was proposed. The results indicate that Sr₂TiSi₂O₈:Eu³⁺ is a potential temperature sensing material.     

On the application of remote sensing towards the estimation of cultivated land lost to urbanization

In this research work, a 40-km² SPOT-5 High-Resolution Imagery (HRI) of the Warsak locality in district Peshawar, Pakistan, was utilized to approximate the quantity of cultivated land lost to urbanization, due to the construction of new homes and buildings. The imagery from a period of 2005 to 2015 for wheat crop was taken, specifically during the months of March and June when the crop is rich green and golden ripe respectively. eCognition ® program’s Object-Oriented Classification Method (OOCM) was employed for recognition of land versus buildings. Nearest Neighbour (NN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Trees (DT) and Random Forests (RF) were utilized for the classification process. The results demonstrated that the urbanized area had increased by approximately 28 per cent in the area considered. Moreover, the efficacy of the proposed method is depicted by an accuracy of 97.9 per cent and a Kappa Statistics of 0.975 for the SVM classifier.     

基于同轴图像传感的激光焊接过程质量监测技术

针对激光焊接过程中由于参数不匹配、装配误差等原因造成的焊接过程不稳定等焊接缺陷，基于同轴图像传感技术，建立起一套激光焊接过程中的质量在线监测系统，对焊接过程中的熔池图像进行了采集分析及其熔池特征信息的提取. 结果表明，在激光功率为1 500 W的不等厚不锈钢薄板激光焊接试验条件下，焊接过程中的不稳定、下塌缺陷以及焊偏现象与熔池形状各特征信息变化具有一定的相关性. 结合BP神经网络算法对所提特征信息进行分类、识别，基于LabVIEW软件平台，可实现相应缺陷的自动化识别及报警功能.     

Enhanced Sensitivity in Nanopore Sensing of Cancer Biomarkers in Human Blood via Click Chemistry

Cancer biomarkers are expected to be indicative of the occurrence of certain cancer diseases before the tumors form and metastasize. However, many biomarkers can only be acquired in extremely low concentrations, which are often beyond the limit of detection (LOD) of current instruments and technologies. A practical strategy for nanopore sensing of cancer biomarkers in raw human blood down to the femtomolar level is developed here. This strategy first converts the detection of cancer biomarkers to the quantification of copper ions by conducting a sandwich assay involving copper oxide nanoparticles. The released Cu²⁺ is then taken to catalyze the “click” reaction which ligates a host–guest modified DNA probe. Finally, this DNA probe is subjected to single‐channel recordings to afford the translocation events that can be used to derive the concentrations of the original biomarkers. Due to the amplification effects of nanoparticle loadings and the “click” reaction, the LOD of this strategy can be as low as the subfemtomolar level. Further, the acid treatment step could effectively eliminate the interferences from plasma proteins in raw human blood and make the strategy highly suitable for the detection of cancer biomarkers in clinical samples.     

Chitosan Microspheres as Carriers for pH‐Indicating Species in Corrosion Sensing

Chitosan microspheres containing bromocresol green, cresol red, and phenolphthalein for corrosion detection, through pH change, are synthesized in order to be used in protective coatings for aluminium alloys. Microspheres containing corrosion detection species are characterized morphologically (SEM) and physico‐chemically (FTIR, TGA). Release studies (UV–vis) are performed in corrosion‐promoting conditions (pH, NaCl), and detection studies by immersion in media associated with corrosion activity while microspheres' sensing activity is evaluated visually. Electrochemical characterization of AA2024 substrates in the presence of chitosan spheres is performed to understand material performance, and a color change is observed as a result of local pH increase in cathodic areas when corrosion takes place. These findings can be correlated with the results from release studies and seem a promising approach for corrosion sensing purposes, not only because pH increase is possible to detect due to corrosion, but also because chitosan is considered an environmentally friendly material.     

Durable,Sensitive, and Wide‐Range Wearable Pressure Sensors Based on Wavy‐Structured Flexible Conductive Composite Film

Flexible pressure sensors have potential applications in human motion monitoring and electronic skins. To satisfy the practical applications, pressure sensors with a high sensitivity, a low detection limit, a broad response range, and an excellent stability are highly needed. Here, a piezoresistive pressure sensor based on wavy‐structured single‐walled carbon nanotube/graphite flake/thermoplastic polyurethane (SWCNT/GF/TPU) composite film is fabricated by a prestretching process. Due to the random wavy structure, high conductivity, and good flexibility, the prepared sensor displays a low detection limit of 2 Pa, a wide sensing range of 0–60 kPa, and a high sensitivity of 5.49 kPa^?1 for 0–50 Pa. Furthermore, the sensor shows a remarkable repeatability of over 1.1 × 10⁴, 9.0 × 10³, and 2.0 × 10³ pressure loading/unloading cycles at 50 Pa, 500 Pa, and 30 kPa, respectively, and a fast responsibility of 100–150 ms of loading response time and 400–600 ms of relaxation time. Therefore, the pressure sensor is successfully adopted to monitor both the large‐scale human activities (e.g., walk and jump) and the small‐scale signals (e.g., wrist pulse). Furthermore, a sensor array is assembled to map the weight and shape of an object, indicating its various potential applications including human–machine interactions, human health monitoring, and other wearable electronics.     

Metallic Nanoparticle-Enabled Sensing of a Drug-of-Abuse: An Attempt at Forensic Application

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) functions as a depressant on the central nerve system and serves as a pharmaceutical agent in the treatment of narcolepsy and alcohol withdraw. In recent years, GHB has been misused as a recreational drug due to its ability to induce euphoric feelings. Moreover, it has gained increasing attention as a popular drug of abuse that is frequently related to drug-facilitated sexual assaults. At the moment, detection methods based on chromatography exhibit extraordinary sensitivity for GHB sensing. However, such techniques require complicated sample treatment prior to analysis. Optical sensors provide an alternative approach for rapid and simple analysis of GHB samples. Unfortunately, currently reported probes are mostly based on hydrogen bonding to recognize GHB, and this raises concerns about, for example, the lack of specificity. In this work, we report a bioinspired strategy for selective sensing of GHB. The method is based on specific enzyme recognition to allow highly selective detection of GHB with minimum interference, even in a complex sample matrix (e. g., simulated urine). In addition, the result can be obtained by either quantitative spectroscopy analysis or colorimetric change observed by the naked-eye, thus demonstrating its potential application in drug screening and forensic analysis.     

提高关联成像重构质量的研究

比较基于压缩感知关联成像(CGI)与伪逆关联成像(PGI)两者之间的成像效果差异,探讨形态学权重自适应对关联成像去除噪声的效果。选择不同的图像,通过MATLAB软件开展仿真实验,对目标图像分别采样64、256、512、1 024、2 048、3 000次,首先通过关联成像、基于压缩感知关联成像与伪逆关联成像三种方法重构图像,再对比压缩感知与伪逆两种方法重构图像的效果,以峰值信噪比(PSNR)、相关系数(CC)为量化指标,将基于压缩感知关联成像与伪逆关联成像在不同采样次数下进行对比分析。同时,通过实验分析形态学权重自适应去除关联成像中噪声的效果。伪逆关联成像在低次数采样的情况下比基于压缩感知关联成像的成像效果更好,在高采样次数下,基于压缩感知关联成像的成像效果更好。在实际重构中压缩感知关联成像重构的图像仍有噪声,形态学权重自适应可以有效去除关联成像实验中产生的噪声。