Future Development Research Articles

UAV Remote Sensing Technology: A Review of Chinese Agricultural Patents

Background: With the progress of science and technology and the advent of the new era, UAV remote sensing technology has developed rapidly in recent years and the application fields have been increasing. UAV remote sensing technology is widely used in the field of agriculture, crop growth monitoring, crop yield prediction, crop information monitoring, pest and disease detection and other aspects are more prominent. Objective: By analyzing and discussing the existing Chinese patents on UAV remote sensing technology, we summarize the current applications and future development prospects of UAV remote sensing technology in China's agricultural field. Methods: An overview of current Chinese patents on different directions of UAV remote sensing technology in the agricultural field, and an analysis of the methods used to achieve different application implementation effects. Results: By analyzing the existing Chinese patents on UAV remote sensing technology, we conclude that the functions they can achieve for different crops can be applied to the data collection of all crops, and analyze their characteristics to summarize future development trends. Conclusion: Through an in-depth study of Chinese UAV remote sensing patents in agriculture, it can be concluded that UAV remote sensing technology can achieve higher applicability and lower cost in agriculture, and for its information collection for one crop, it can be extended to apply to all crops. In the future, UAV remote sensing technology can be more easily and quickly applied to crop information acquisition in the agricultural field.

Review of Patents Analysis on Floor Robot Vacuum

Background: As the pace of life gets faster, and with the development and progress of society and the continuous improvement of people's pursuit of a convenient and comfortable life, it has become a growing desire for people to get rid of tedious housework. Hygienic automatic cleaning has also become the main demand of people. Objective: Through review, analysis, and discussion of the patents on existing floor robot vacuums, it is expected to find out the development process and main outcomes, along with the main technologies involved, and provide a valuable prediction basis for future research and development directions. Methods: This study aimed to summarize a number of representative patents related to floor robot vacuums and their main components and analyze them in depth to study their technical points and development laws. Results: By summarizing a large number of patents on floor robot vacuums and further analyzing and comparing the characteristics of the patents, the future development trend of floor robot vacuums was further discussed. Conclusion: Through a detailed analysis of the mechanical structure, intelligent control technology, and sensor technology of the existing floor robot vacuums as a whole and the main work unit, this study discussed the ideas and methods of improving the new floor robot vacuum, which is of great significance to its operation and more convenient and intelligent.

Umami taste components in chicken-spices blends and potential effect of aroma on umami taste intensity

In this study, umami taste intensity (UTI) and umami taste components in chicken breast (CB) and chicken-spices blends were characterized using sensory and instrumental analysis. Our main objective was to assess the aroma-umami taste interactions in different food matrices and reconcile the aroma-taste perception to assist future product development. The impact of key aroma, including vegetable-note “2-pentylfuran”, meaty “methional”, green “hexanal”, and spicy-note “estragole and caryophyllene” on UTI was evaluated in monosodium glutamate and chicken extract. We found that spices significantly decreased UTI and umami taste components in CB. Interestingly, the perceptually similar odorants and tastants exhibited the potential to enhance UTI in food matrices. Methional was able to increase the UTI, whereas spicy and green-note components could reduce the UTI significantly. This information would be valuable to food engineers and formulators in aroma selection to control the UTI perceived by consumers, thus, improving the quality and acceptability of the chicken products.

Patent Technology of Shipborne Stabilized Platform

Background: When a ship is sailing or operating at sea, it is unavoidable to produce sixdegrees- of-freedom movements of rolling, pitching, and yawing under the action of sea wind and waves, which seriously impacts the operation of precision equipment on the ship and the safety of personnel. The ship-borne stabilized platform can isolate the ship's motion and eliminate the impact of sea waves on the personnel and equipment on it to a large extent. With the increasing demand for ship surfaces in marine fields, such as navigation equipment, military facilities, and sea condition simulation, there is an urgent need to study ship-borne platforms with high stability and efficiency to isolate swaying and ensure ship performance. Objective: This study aims to analyse the patents and summarize the characteristics and existing problems of the shipborne platform to provide a reference for the future development of the shipborne stabilized platform. Methods: Various representative patents related to shipborne stabilized platforms and multi-DOF platforms were researched in this study. Results: Through the analysis and comparison of patent technology, the main problems existing in the structure and design principle of the existing shipborne stabilized platform are summarized, and the development trend and direction of the shipborne stabilized platform are discussed. Conclusion: Shipborne stabilization is highly significant in isolating the ship's motion. At present, the ship-borne stabilized platform has produced six degrees of freedom of movement, but due to the improvement of control response requirements, the structure of the platform needs to be further improved. With the development of test technology toward intelligent and big data-driven technology, the shipborne stabilized platform is moving toward cloud computing and large-scale testing.

Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles: Biogenic Synthesis and their Medical Applications; Existing Challenges and Future Prospects.

In the last decade, nanobiotechnology is emerging as a keen prudence area owing to its widespread applications in the medical field. In this context, zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) have garnered tremendous attention attributed to their cheap, non-toxic, excellent paramagnetic nature, extremely reactive surface, and dual oxidation state that makes them excellent antioxidants and free-radical scavengers. Facile biogenic synthesis, in which a biological source is used as a template for the synthesis of NPs, is presumably dominant among other physical and chemical synthetic procedures. The purpose of this review is to elucidate plant-mediated synthesis of nZVI, although they have been successfully fabricated by microbes and other biological entities (such as starch, chitosan, alginate, cashew nut shell, etc.) as well. The methodology of the study involved keyword searches of electronic databases, including ScienceDirect, NCBI, and Google Scholar (2008-2023). Search terms of the review included 'biogenic synthesis of nZVI', 'plant-mediated synthesis of nZVI', 'medical applications of nZVI', and 'Recent advancements and future prospects of nZVI'. Various articles were identified and reviewed for biogenic fabrication of stable nZVI with the vast majority of studies reporting positive findings. The resultant nanomaterial found great interest for biomedical purposes such as their use as biocompatible anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and albumin binding agents that have not been adequately accessed in previous studies. This review shows that there are potential cost savings applications to be made when using biogenic nZVI for medical purposes. However, the encountering challenges concluded later, along with the prospects for sustainable future development.

Research Progress in the Detection of Aflatoxin B1 Based on Aptamers

Abstract: Aflatoxin B1 is highly toxic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic and is a class I carcinogen. Peanuts, cotton, and corn may be affected by AFB1 during cultivation, which can seriously jeopardize human health. Developing a simple, sensitive, and selective method for detecting AFB1 is imminent. Aptamers are obtained through in vitro screening of ligands by single-stranded oligonucleotides (DNA or RNA) through exponential enrichment (SELEX) technology. As emerging highly selective recognition molecules, they have the advantages of strong affinity, good stability, and strong specificity. Because it does not have the function of signal conversion, it cannot produce physicochemical signals that can be detected in the process of specific binding with target molecules, so it is necessary to convert the process of specific binding of aptamers to target molecules into a process of easily detectable physicochemical signal changes. According to different conversion methods, aptamer biosensors are divided into electrochemical aptamer sensors, fluorescent aptamer sensors, colorimetric aptamer sensors, surface Raman-enhanced aptamer sensors, and so on. Herein, the recent progress and application of aflatoxin B1 detection by nucleic acid aptamer biosensors based on the above signals are reviewed, and the future development prospects and challenges of this kind of biosensor are summarized.

Review of Recent Patents on Smart Bearing

Background: Smart bearing is based on the traditional bearing, which is integrated by sensing devices and control devices, formating a unique bearing structure unit. It uses information processing, automatic control, and other technologies to achieve real-time online monitoring of bearing operating conditions, fault detection, and state control. Compared with ordinary bearings, smart bearings have the characteristics of self-awareness, self-decision, and self-regulation. By analyzing the composition of various types of smart bearings and their working principles, it is beneficial to prospect the future development direction of bearings. Objective: We analyze and organize the patents on smart bearings in recent years, summarize the problems encountered in the development of smart bearings, and propose the development direction of smart bearings in the future to provide a reference for future scientific research. Methods: This paper reviews the patents related to smart bearings and analyzes the composition and structure of smart bearings. The main smart bearings include rolling bearing, sliding bearing, magnetic bearing, and rubber bearing. The principle and structure of these bearings are analyzed. Their advantages and shortcomings are discussed. Results: Through the analysis of relevant patents and papers on smart bearings, the current development status and problems of smart bearings are summarized, the future design of smart bearings is proposed, and the research ideas and directions are proposed. Conclusion: The development of smart bearings is conducive to the timely detection of bearing conditions in the operation process. Except for detection, smart bearings have the functions of judgment, feedback, processing, etc. There are many factors that interfere with the accuracy of the smart bearing judgment and information transfer, so it is necessary to improve the structure and working principle of smart bearings through a variety of measures. In the future, more smart bearings will be invented.

Recent Patents on Rolling Bearing Lubrication Device

Background: Rolling bearings are the core components of mechanical equipment. Lubrication plays an important role in the operating performance of rolling bearings. The research on rolling bearing lubrication devices is beneficial to making the bearings obtain the characteristics which is suitable for the working conditions and improving the bearing's service life. Compared with the traditional lubrication devices, the new ones provide assistance to various bearings, solving many problems. Objective: To review the latest research on rolling bearing lubrication devices, analyze their solutions to rolling bearing lubrication problems, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages for the reference of scholars and engineers. Methods: The representative patents related to rolling bearing lubrication devices are reviewed according to the lubrication method of bearings, including oil lubrication, grease lubrication and solid lubrication. Oil lubrication includes oil mist lubrication, oil-air lubrication, jet lubrication, under ring lubrication and immersion oil lubrication, etc. Grease lubrication includes external and internal lubrication methods. The working principle and characteristics are explained by analyzing the structure of bearing lubrication devices. Results: By comparing different types of rolling bearing lubrication devices, the main problems of the current lubrication devices are summarized and analyzed. The future development of rolling bearing lubrication devices are prospected. Conclusion: The improvement of rolling bearing lubrication devices is conducive to developing bearing lubrication technology. Advanced mechanical equipments require the rolling bearing lubrication devices to have a simple structure, intelligence, and are easy to be installed.

A Review on Soft Exoskeletons for Hand Rehabilitation

Background: How to enhance the quality of life for the elderly has emerged as a key issue in many nations due to the ageing population. Stroke is the most prevalent disease among the elderly; specifically, the hand dysfunction caused by stroke is also a powerful obstacle to the daily life of the elderly. Soft Exoskeletons for Hand Rehabilitation (SEHRs) have become a major trend for the future due to the increasing demand for hand rehabilitation. Objective: To provide a reference for readers in this field by introducing the most recent research developments in the field of SEHR, including their classification and properties. Methods: By reviewing different types of hand rehabilitation exoskeleton research papers and patents, the advantages and disadvantages, differences, and applications of various SEHRs were summarized. Results: According to the driving mode and realizing the function of SEHRs, the structure characteristics of SEHRs are analyzed and compared. The key problems and future development trends of SEHRs were expounded. Conclusion: According to the driving method, the research shows that SEHRs can be divided into Air-Driven Soft Exoskeletons for Hand Rehabilitation (ADSEHRs), Motor-Driven Soft Exoskeletons for Hand Rehabilitation (MDSEHRs), and Hybrid-Driven Soft Exoskeletons for Hand Rehabilitation (HDSEHRs). Future research is required to further optimize the flexibility and adaptability of soft exoskeletons, improve their accuracy and sensitivity, and enhance human-machine interaction with the human hand.

Natural products and synthetic analogs as selective orphan nuclear receptor 4A (NR4A) modulators.

Although endogenous ligands for the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1, Nur77), NR4A2 (Nurr1), and NR4A3 (Nor-1) have not been identified, several natural products and synthetic analogs bind NR4A members. These studies are becoming increasingly important since members of the NR4A subfamily of 3 receptors are potential drug targets for treating cancer and non-cancer endpoints and particularly those conditions associated with inflammatory diseases. Ligands that bind NR4A1, NR4A2, and NR4A3 including Cytosporone B, celastrol, bis-indole derived (CDIM) compounds, tryptophan/indolic, metabolites, prostaglandins, resveratrol, piperlongumine, fatty acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, peptides, and drug families including statins and antimalarial drugs. The structural diversity of NR4A ligands and their overlapping and unique effects on NR4A1, NR4A2, and NR4A3 suggest that NR4A ligands are selective NR4A modulators (SNR4AMs) that exhibit tissue-, structure-, and response-specific activities. The SNR4AM activities of NR4A ligands are exemplified among the Cytosporone B analogs where n-pentyl-2-[3,5-dihydroxy-2-(nonanoyl)]phenyl acetate (PDNPA) binds NR4A1, NR4A2 and NR4A3 but activates only NR4A1 and exhibits significant functional differences with other Cytosporone B analogs. The number of potential clinical applications of agents targeting NR4A is increasing and this should spur future development of SNR4AMs as therapeutics that act through NR4A1, NR4A2 and NR4A3.

Insights Into the Role of Copper in Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Therapeutic Potential of Natural Compounds.

Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a collection of neurological disorders originating from the progressive degeneration of neurons, resulting in the dysfunction of neurons. Unfortunately, effective therapeutic interventions for these diseases are presently lacking. Copper (Cu), a crucial trace element within the human body, assumes a pivotal role in various biological metabolic processes, including energy metabolism, antioxidant defense, and neurotransmission. These processes are vital for the sustenance, growth, and development of organisms. Mounting evidence suggests that disrupted copper homeostasis contributes to numerous age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Wilson's disease (WD), Menkes disease (MD), prion diseases, and multiple sclerosis (MS). This comprehensive review investigates the connection between the imbalance of copper homeostasis and neurodegenerative diseases, summarizing pertinent drugs and therapies that ameliorate neuropathological changes, motor deficits, and cognitive impairments in these conditions through the modulation of copper metabolism. These interventions include Metal-Protein Attenuating Compounds (MPACs), copper chelators, copper supplements, and zinc salts. Moreover, this review highlights the potential of active compounds derived from natural plant medicines to enhance neurodegenerative disease outcomes by regulating copper homeostasis. Among these compounds, polyphenols are particularly abundant. Consequently, this review holds significant implications for the future development of innovative drugs targeting the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Strain Engineering for Electrocatalytic Overall Water Splitting.

Strain engineering is a novel method that can achieve superior performance for different applications. The lattice strain can affect the performance of electrochemical catalysts by changing the binding energy between the surface-active sites and intermediates and can be affected by the thickness, surface defects and composition of the materials. In this review, we summarized the basic principle, characterization method, introduction strategy and application direction of lattice strain. The reactions on hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are focused. Finally, the present challenges are summarized, and suggestions for the future development of lattice strain in electrocatalytic overall water splitting are put forward.

The Utilization of Metal-Organic Frameworks and Their Derivatives Composite in Supercapacitor Electrodes.

Up to now, the mainstream adoption of renewable energy has brought about substantial transformations in the electricity and energy sector. This shift has garnered considerable attention within the scientific community. Supercapacitors, known for their exceptional performance metrics like good charge/discharge capability, strong power density, as well as extended cycle longevity, have gained widespread traction across various sectors, including transportation and aviation. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with unique traits including adaptable structure, highly customizable synthetic methods, and high specific surface area, have emerged as strong candidates for electrode materials. For enhancing the performance, MOFs are commonly compounded with other conducting materials to increase capacitance. This paper provides a detailed analysis of various common preparation strategies and characteristics of MOFs. It summarizes the recent application of MOFs and their derivatives as supercapacitor electrodes alongside other carbon materials, metal compounds, and conductive polymers. Additionally, the challenges encountered by MOFs in the realm of supercapacitor applications are thoroughly discussed. Compared to previous reviews, the content of this paper is more comprehensive, offering readers a deeper understanding of the diverse applications of MOFs. Furthermore, it provides valuable suggestions and guidance for future progress and development in the field of MOFs.

Optimized Incorporation of Furan into Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Conjugated Polymers for Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

Flexible electronics have received considerable attention in the past decades due to their promising application in rollable display screens, wearable devices, implantable devices, and other electronic applications. In particular, conjugated polymers are favored for flexible electronics due to their mechanical flexibility and potential for solution-processed fabrication techniques, such as blade-coating, roll-to-roll printing, and high-throughput printing allowing for high-performance transistor devices. Thiophene is the prevailing conjugated unit to construct these conjugated polymers due to its favorable electronic properties. On the other hand, furans are among the few conjugated moieties that are easily derived from bio renewable resources. To promote sustainability, we selectively introduced furan into the conjugated backbone of a high-mobility polymer scaffold and systematically studied the effect on the microstructure and charge transport. We show that partially and selectively replacing thiophene units with furan can yield nearly comparable performance compared to the all-thiophene polymer. This strategy offers an improvement in the sustainability of the polymer by incorporating bio-sourced furan without sacrificing the high-performance characteristics. Meanwhile, polymers with incorrect or complete furan incorporation show reduced mobilities. This work serves to develop coherent structure-morphology-performance relationships; such knowledge will establish guidelines for the future development of sustainable, furan-based conjugated materials.

Harnessing the Potential of Zn Powder Anodes: Innovations and Future Directions in Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries

AbstractThe pursuit of alternative anode materials featuring inexpensive, efficient, and adaptable is shaping the future of rechargeable zinc‐ion batteries. The Zn powder anodes stand out among contenders due to their cost‐effectiveness, exceptional processability, and adjustability. However, their widespread use is hampered by significant challenges, including volume expansion and dendrite growth. To counter these issues, a gamut of optimization strategies for Zn powder anodes has been explored and developed. This review systematically encapsulates these research findings, offering a comprehensive understanding of various enhancement methods, such as three‐dimensional printing, in‐situ surface engineering, scalable electrostatic self‐assembly, and epoxy oligomer binding. These methodologies are discussed in detail in the context of their unique synthesis methods and underlying mechanisms. The paper concludes by outlining prospective research trajectories aimed at further optimizing the use of Zn powder anodes in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries, thereby illuminating potential avenues for future exploration and development.

Latex allergy - from discovery to component-resolved diagnosis.

Latex allergy is a hypersensitivity response to natural rubber latex (NRL) proteins or rubber chemicals used in the manufacture of latex products. An accurate diagnosis is the first step in the effective management of individuals with latex allergy, especially in high-risk groups, such as healthcare workers and those affected by spina bifida. Diagnosis is based on the clinical history and an accurate allergological evaluation. In the case of type I IgE-mediated hypersensitivity re-actions, which can manifest urticaria, angioedema, rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma and anaphylaxis after latex exposure, skin prick tests or latex-specific IgE (sIgE) antibody detection using sero-logical assays can be performed to confirm sensitization. Instead, in the case of contact dermati-tis, a patch test can be applied to confirm the presence of a type IV T cell-mediated hypersensi-tivity reaction to rubber accelerators or additives. Basophils activation tests or challenge tests may be performed if there's an incongruity between the clinical history and the results of in vivo and in vitro tests. The aim of this review is to analyze the current state of the art of diagnostic techniques for latex allergy and algorithms employed in clinical practice and possible future de-velopments in this field.

A Comprehensive Review on Potential Molecular Drug Targets for the Management of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an onset and incurable neurodegenerative disorder that has been linked to various genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Recent research has revealed several potential targets for drug development, such as the prevention of Aβ production and removal, prevention of tau hyperphosphorylation, and keeping neurons alive. Drugs that target numerous ADrelated variables have been developed, and early results are encouraging. This review provides a concise map of the different receptor signaling pathways associated with Alzheimer's Disease, as well as insight into drug design based on these pathways. It discusses the molecular mechanisms of AD pathogenesis, such as oxidative stress, aging, Aβ turnover, thiol groups, and mitochondrial activities, and their role in the disease. It also reviews the potential drug targets, in vivo active agents, and docking studies done in AD and provides prospects for future drug development. This review intends to provide more clarity on the molecular processes that occur in Alzheimer's patient's brains, which can be of use in diagnosing and preventing the condition.

A State-of-the-Art Review on Direct Welding of Polymer to Metal for Structural Applications: Part 1 — Promising Processes

Structural lightweighting through the effective use of multiple materials has received increasing attention for fulfilling today’s demands for environmental sustainability in transportation systems. Direct dissimilar material joining methods (versus, e.g., traditional adhesive bonding or mechanical fastening) have become increasingly desirable since they offer process simplicity, production efficiency, and hermetic sealing, among others. In this two-part article, we provide a critical assessment of the state-of-the-art research and promising direct dissimilar material joining techniques reported over the last decades, with a particular emphasis on their potential for structural applications in Part I. As such, recent advances in advanced joint design and modeling methods for enabling optimum joint design for jointability and joint performance are presented along with some detailed examples for demonstrating their potential impacts on industrial applications in Part II. Finally, recommendations on future research and development directions are outlined for supporting the industry’s drive towards multi-material lightweighting.

A Review of Recent Patents on LoRaWAN

Background: LoRaWAN technology enables IoT devices with ubiquitous connectivity, which further empowers a broad spectrum of applications, including civil engineering, agriculture, and smart home. Although LoRaWAN has low-power energy consumption and long-range communication capability, it has many features that should be carefully managed to improve its performance. Objective: This paper aimed to review recent patents on improving the performance of LoRaWAN. Methods: The most related patents on improving the performance of LoRaWAN were discussed and analyzed. Results: A total of 71 patents were reviewed. This paper proposed a 2D taxonomy to categorize the existing patents. These patents aimed at focusing on the main components of LoRaWAN, i.e., end node, gateway, and server, and improving the performance of LoRaWAN from six aspects, i.e., energy efficiency, communication range, transmission efficiency, collision management, network security, and interoperability. The methodologies used in the current patent development were also discussed. Conclusion: Tremendous efforts have been devoted to improving the performance of LoRaWAN in recent years. To continue the growth of LoRaWAN technology, future patent development may focus on scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of implementation.

Application development on Brassica species in aquaculture – a review

Abstract Brassicaceae family are traditional, medicinal and nutritional value plants. Brassicaceae family produces valuable components to provide different types of beneficial effects for humans and animals such as anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-scurvy, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-tumor, anti-diabetes, anti-stomach diseases, and anti-cardiac. This review mainly focuses to observe Brassicaceae family response in aquatic animals and provides some information collected from literature analysis regarding the development of aquaculture applications like Brassicaceae family plants used as a supplement to enhance nutritional value, replacement of fish meal, antimicrobial activity against pathogens, immunomodulatory effects, antioxidant, and growth activity of aquatic animals. This literature review analysis is helpful to enlighten for future research and development on the application in the aquaculture sector.