Hybrid Mechanism Research Articles

LPLL-LEACH: A study of a low-power and low-delay routing protocol based on LEACH

For a series of problems, such as uneven energy consumption and long packet forwarding time of a low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), an efficient routing protocol with low power and low latency based on LEACH (LPLL-LEACH) is proposed in this paper. In terms of energy, first, the optimal number of cluster heads (CHs) is calculated by quantitative analysis. Second, multiple factors are considered to redefine the threshold for electing CHs. In addition, ordinary nodes decide which cluster to join according to the cost function. Moreover, a forwarding function is utilized to determine the optimal next hop CH to forward the data. Last, the ordinary nodes are allowed to directly communicate with the base station (BS). In regard to latency, a hybrid mechanism of carrier sense multiple access and time division multiple access (CSMA_TDMA) is applied to minimize the time delay of data transmission. MATLAB is used to analyze the latency and energy of LPLL-LEACH and to compare it with LEACH, LEACH-C, ECH and EE-LEACH. The experimental results show that the time of all node deaths extended by 107%, 45%, 31.8%, and 8.8%. Similarly, the latency is greatly reduced, which improves the efficiency of data transmission.

Manipulating K-Storage Mechanism of Soft Carbon via Molecular Design-Driven Structure Transformation.

The emerging potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have been placing stratospheric expectations for realizing grid-scale electrochemical storage of renewable energy. However, the unsatisfactory K-storage of PIB anode materials, especially promising carbonaceous materials, significantly limited the development of PIBs. Here, a molecular design strategy was proposed to realize controllable structure transformation of soft carbon (SC) materials for enhanced K-storage performance. The optimized SC-PCN material delivered a high reversible K-storage capacity of 838 mAh/g at 50 mA/g, outstanding rate capability (213 mAh/g at 1000 mA/g), and excellent long-term cycling performance (301 mAh/g maintained after 300 cycles at 500 mA/g), superior to most previously reported carbon-based PIB anodes materials. Reaction kinetic analysis revealed that the proposed molecular design strategy can achieve the transformation from a surface capacitive-dominated mechanism to a capacitive-diffusion hybrid mechanism for SC-PCN, benefiting from its unique microstructures with highly defective surface generated via the synergistic effect from template removal, N doping, and surface reconstruction. The optimal hybrid K-storage mechanism should be responsible for the excellent K-storage properties of the prepared SC-PCN.

8A hybrid mechanism for local failure of tunnel face collapse in $$c - \varphi$$ soils

8A hybrid mechanism for local failure of tunnel face collapse in $$c - \varphi$$ soils

Biocultural Transformations: Fermentation as Artistic Medium

Abstract In art, fermentation can be understood metaphorically as a representation of transformation. However, as a biocultural phenomenon within a posthuman framework, it manifests a complex lattice of multispecies relationships, microbiopolitics, and metaphorical figurations that are adopted in works of art and biology as medium and content. In this article, the authors analyze artworks and projects that utilize fermentation by artists such as WhiteFeather Hunter, Amor Muñoz, Anna Dumitriu, and others. These works explore fermentation in the creation of biomaterials, its role in foods like cheese, and its status as a metaphorical figuration in hybrid mechanisms that give center stage to fermentation as a biocultural artifact embodying a nature-culture continuum in a microbial postanthropocentric framework.

Species delineation and genetic structure of two Chaerephon species (C. pusillus and C. leucogaster) on Madagascar and the Comoro archipelago.

Cryptic species diversity is known to be common in bats but remains challenging to study in these mammals, whose natural history traits render their sampling and monitoring challenging. For these animals, indirect genetic approaches provide a powerful tool to gain insight into the evolutionary history and ecology of cryptic bat species. The speciation history of the polyphyletic Chaerephon pumilus species group (Molossidae) is poorly understood, including those found on western Indian Ocean islands. Two species in this complex have been identified in the Comoros: C. pusillus and C. leucogaster. Here, we aim to genetically characterize these two species and investigate their spatial population genetic structure. Analyzing five nuclear microsatellite markers from 200 individuals and one mitochondrial DNA gene (Cyt-b) from 161 (out of the 200) individuals sampled on Madagascar and the Comoros, our findings indicated that these species are genetically differentiated. We observed mitonuclear discordance in numerous individuals (33% of the 161 mtDNA-sequenced individuals). Based on ABC analyses, we found that this pattern could potentially be the result of asymmetric introgressive hybridization from C. leucogaster to C. pusillus and calls for further studies on the demographic history of these species. Moreover, at the intra-specific level, analyses of the microsatellite loci suggested the evidence of a more pronounced, although weak, geographically based genetic structure in C. pusillus than in C. leucogaster. Altogether, our findings provide preliminary insights into the eco-evolutionary aspects of this species complex and warrant further research to understand hybridization dynamics and mechanisms responsible for mitonuclear discordance.

Configuration perceptual learning and its relationship with element perceptual learning.

Visual perceptual learning has been studied extensively and reported to enhance the perception of almost all types of training stimuli, from low- to high-level visual stimuli. Notably, high-level stimuli are often composed of multiple low-level features. Therefore, it is natural to ask whether training of high-level stimuli affects the perception of low-level stimuli and vice versa. In the present study, we trained subjects with either a high-level configuration stimulus or a low-level element stimulus. The high-level configuration stimulus consisted of two Gabors in the left and right visual fields, respectively, and the low-level element stimulus was the Gabor in the right visual field of the configuration stimulus. We measured the perceptual learning effects using the configuration stimulus and the element stimuli in both left and right visual fields. We found that the configuration perceptual learning equally improved the perception of the configuration stimulus and both element stimuli. In contrast, the element perceptual learning was confined to the trained element stimulus. These findings demonstrate an asymmetric relationship between perceptual learning of the configuration and the element stimuli and suggest a hybrid mechanism of the configuration perceptual learning. Our findings also offer a promising paradigm to promote the efficiency of perceptual learning-that is, gaining more learning effect with less training time.

High specific energy and power sodium-based dual-ion supercabatteries by pseudocapacitive Ni-Zn-Mn ternary perovskite fluorides@reduced graphene oxides anodes with conversion-alloying-intercalation triple mechanisms

• A new concept of sodium-based dual-ion supercabattery (S-DICB) was firstly proposed. • The superior pseudocapacitance-dominated kinetics was verified. • The charge storage mechanism of KNZMF@rGO anode was deeply deciphered. • Utilizing different presodiated methods to explore the impact on S-DICB. Sodium (Na)-based electrochemical energy storage devices have drawn particular attention in the renewable and rechargeable energy storage system primarily because of their remarkable energy density and cost-competitive advantages. Herein, we have reported a novel ternary perovskite fluoride K 0.97 Ni 0.31 Zn 0.28 Mn 0.41 F 2.84 with a well-distributed reduced graphene oxide substrate (denoted as KNZMF@rGO) as anode for Na-ion storage that possesses the fast kinetics validated via electrochemical and density functional theory (DFT) methods as well as superior lifespan, which delivers fascinating performances owing to the unexceptionable synergistic effect of Ni, Zn and Mn redox-active species with variable valence. Meanwhile, the surface conversion, alloying and intercalation triple hybridization mechanisms of KNZMF@rGO anode have been explored by the electrochemical analysis and the diverse ex situ physicochemical characterizations. What is more, this work also offers new insights into the device design and proposes the previously unreported “sodium-based dual-ion supercabatteries” (S-DICBs) systems for establishing advanced electrochemical energy storage devices, which exhibit the more intriguing properties than traditional sodium ion capacitors (SICs) and sodium-based dual ion batteries (S-DIBs). In parallel, utilizing different presodiated current densities of anode to explore their impact on the various electrochemical properties of S-DICBs opens up a way for the research of presodiation techniques in the future. A new concept of sodium-based dual-ion supercabattery (S-DICB) was constructed via the pseudocapacitive Ni-Zn-Mn ternary perovskite fluoride (ABF 3 )@reduced graphene oxide (KNZMF@rGO) anode material, which shows the surface conversion/alloying/intercalation triple mechanisms for charge storage. The lower presodiated current density of anode leads to the higher electrochemical properties of S-DICB because of the superior solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film, charge balance and utilization rate of active substance.

Transcriptomic insight into the hybridization mechanism of the Tambacu, a hybrid from Colossoma macropomum (Tambaqui) and Piaractus mesopotamicus (Pacu)

Interspecific hybrids are highly complex organisms, especially considering aspects related to the organization of genetic material. The diversity of possibilities created by the genetic combination between different species makes it difficult to establish a large-scale analysis methodology. An example of this complexity is Tambacu, an interspecific hybrid of Colossoma macropomum (Tambaqui) and Piaractus mesopotamicus (Pacu). Either genotype represents an essential role in South American aquaculture. However, despite this importance, the genetic information for these genotypes is still highly scarce in specialized databases. Using RNA-Seq analysis, we characterized the transcriptome of white muscle from Pacu, Tambaqui, and their interspecific hybrid (Tambacu). The sequencing process allowed us to obtain a significant number of reads (approximately 53 billion short reads). A total of annotated contigs were 37,285, 96,738, and 158,709 for Pacu, Tambaqui, and Tambacu. After that, we performed a comparative analysis of the transcriptome of the three genotypes, where we evaluated the differential expression (Tambacu vs Pacu = 11,156, and Tambacu vs Tambaqui = 876) profile of the transcript and the degree of similarity between the nucleotide sequences between the genotypes. We assessed the intensity and pattern of expression across genotypes using differential expression information. Clusterization analysis showed a closer relationship between Tambaqui and Tambacu. Furthermore, digital differential expression analysis selected some target genes related to essential cellular processes to evaluate and validate the expression through the RT-qPCR. The RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) elevated expression of the mafbx, foxo1a, and rgcc genes in the hybrid compared to the parents. Likewise, we can observe genes significantly more expressed in Pacu (mtco1 and mylpfa) and mtco2 in Tambaqui. Our results showed that the phenotype presented by Tambacu might be associated with changes in the gene expression profile and not necessarily with an increase in gene variability. Thus, the molecular mechanisms underlying these “hybrid effects” may be related to additive and, in some cases, dominant regulatory interactions between parental alleles that act directly on gene regulation in the hybrid transcripts.

Electronic modulation and structural engineering of tetracyanoquinodimethane with enhanced reaction kinetics for aqueous NH4+ storage

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have received much attention because of their environmental, financial, and safety concerns. The advantages of aqueous electrochemical energy storage include environmental friendliness and safety, and the development of prepared electrode materials is predicted to alleviate these issues. A redox-active organic compound, 7,7,8,8‑tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), is a suitable electrode for aqueous batteries. In this work, the porous and electronic interconnected structure of TCNQ is designed by electronic modulation and structure engineering. With the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in situ homogeneous loading TCNQ by a one-step facile approach, the exquisite architecture has enhanced conductivity and connected conductive networks, favoring the storage and transportation of NH4+ or electrons in aqueous electrolytes. As a cathode, the obtained TCNQ-rGO exhibits superior performance for NH4+ batteries with an improved reversible capacity of 92.7 mAh/g at 1 A/g of quadruple capacity boosting to pure TCNQ and stable cycle life (5000 cycles at 10 A/g). The adjustment of the loading ratio of TCNQ and rGO for the cycling performance has been studied in detail. Furthermore, the superior ammonium storage mechanism of the TCNQ-rGO hybrid is thoroughly discussed by in situ Raman or ex situ measurements, which also determine the redox activity center groups of the TCNQ-rGO hybrid. Energy level calculations are conducted to help illustrate its potential as an electrode material. Our work demonstrates that electronic modulation and structural engineering of TCNQ can improve the electrochemical performance of molecular organic compound-based electrodes for aqueous rechargeable batteries in a simple and effective way.

Converting Hybrid Mechanisms to Electron Transfer Mechanism by Increasing Biochar Pyrolysis Temperature for the Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole in a Sludge Biochar/Periodate System

In this study, sludge biochar was prepared under four pyrolysis temperatures (SBC300, SBC500, SBC700, and SBC900) and then was employed to activate periodate (PI) for the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Various characterization methods were employed to investigate the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the physicochemical properties of sludge biochar and the activation capacity of periodate. The SMX adsorption capacity of SBCs and the ability of activating PI to degrade SMX increased with the increasing pyrolysis temperature. The degradation of SMX by the SBCs/PI systems was highly dependent on the initial pH of the solution and the dosage of SBCs. Mechanistic studies indicated that the degradation of SMX by the SBCs/PI system was mainly based on an electron-mediated transfer mechanism. Additionally, the electron transfer capacity of the SBCs affected the defects and the degree of graphitization. The contribution of free radicals to SMX degradation decreases with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Toxicity experiments demonstrated that the toxic elimination of SMX by the SBCs/PI system was enhanced with increasing pyrolysis temperature.

Variation of fundamental features of cobalt surface-layered Bi-2212 superconductor materials with diffusion annealing temperature

The present study appears extensively on the role of diffusion annealing temperature intervals 650–850 °C on electrical conductivity, flux pinning ability, superconducting and crystallinity quality of Cobalt (Co) surface-layered Bi-2212 compounds with experimental tests including dc resistivity, bulk density, X-ray diffraction, critical current density measurements, and theoretical calculations. Experimental findings display that the Co ions may be replaced mostly by bismuth sites in the crystal lattice as a consequence of appropriate cation-vacancy, electron configurations of the outer shell, chemical valence states, and electronegativity of chemical contents in the main composition. The fundamental characteristic features refine considerably with 650 °C annealing temperature due to enhancement of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the clusters of microdomains, re-ordering of Cu–O bonds, stabilization of system, pairing mechanism, modulation of insulating Bi–O double layers, and orbital hybridization mechanisms. Accordingly, bulk Bi-2212 ceramic obtained at optimum annealing temperature exhibits the best conductivity because of a decrease in systematic crystallinity problems and potential grain boundary interaction problems expected in the system. Likewise, the optimum annealing temperature triggers the artificial nucleation regions for 2D discrete pancakelike Abrikosov vortices to decelerate thermal fluxon movements. Moreover, the X-ray diffraction results indicate that optimum Co ions in crystal lattice significantly improve crystal structure quality, grain alignment distributions in c-axis orientation, the extension of high-Tc Bi-2223 superconducting phase, and average crystallite size parameters. Additionally, the nucleation activation energy is noticed to reduce with optimum Co ions due to enhancement in the nucleation stability and crystallization temperature values to higher temperature zones. Namely, optimum Co ions easily diffusing into the lattice points support the formation of surface nucleation. In contrast, after a critical value of 650 °C, the characteristic properties mentioned suppress remarkably. In conclusion, the main characteristic features are extensively improved by the optimum diffusion annealing temperature for usage in novel and feasible market areas.

Lepidocrocite Titanate–Graphene Composites for Sodium-Ion Batteries

To overcome electronic transport issues of layered titanates in sodium-ion batteries, we have designed and synthesized composites of lepidocrocite titanates with reduced graphene oxide through a solution-based self-assembly approach. The parent lepidocrocite titanate (K0.8[Ti1.73Li0.27]O4) was exfoliated by a soft-chemical approach and mechanical shaking. Exfoliated layered titania sheets (LTO) were then combined with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layers to assemble into composites through flocculation. Countercations (i.e., Mg2+) were used for the self-assembly of negatively charged titania and rGO nanosheets via flocculation. The carbon content in the composites was tuned from 1 to 17% by changing the ratio of titania and rGO sheets in the mixed colloidal suspensions. Electrodes were processed with as-prepared LTO–rGO composites without any carbon additives and tested in sodium half-cell configurations. Mg+-coagulated LTO–rGO composite electrodes deliver higher capacities than electrodes prepared with coagulated titania sheets and 10% acetylene black in sodium half-cells and display good capacity retention after 50 cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results indicate lower charge transfer resistance for LTO–14.5%rGO composites than that of coagulated titania sheets with 10% acetylene black. A power law analysis of cells containing the composites indicate a hybrid mechanism consisting of both surface and diffusional processes. A comparison with a similar system, that of dopamine-derived LTO-C heterostructures, reveal significant differences. While capacities showed a strong dependence on carbon content for the dopamine-derived materials, this was not true for the LTO–rGO composites. Instead, the highest capacity was obtained for the 14.5% rGO sample, with a lower value obtained for the 17% rGO sample. A greater proportion of the redox processes were surface rather than diffusional in nature for the LTO–rGO composites as well.

Hybrid post-processing effects of magnetic abrasive finishing and heat treatment on surface integrity and mechanical properties of additively manufactured Inconel 718 superalloys

• The magnetic abrasive finishing and post heat treatment are hybrid to apply for the additively manufactured In718. • The hybrid effects on the surface integrity and mechanical properties are studied comparatively. • Excellent mechanical properties of the additively manufactured In718 are obtained by the proper post-processing sequence. • The influencing mechanism of the hybrid post-processes provides a promising pathway to improve the mechanical properties. Desired microstructure and surface integrity are critical to achieving the high performance of additively manufactured components. In the present work, the hybrid post-processes of magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) and post-heat treatment (HT) were applied to the additively manufactured Inconel 718 superalloys. Their hybrid effects and influencing mechanism on the surface quality and mechanical properties of the additively manufactured samples have been studied comparatively. The results show that the MAF process effectively reduces the surface roughness by more than an order of magnitude due to the flexibility and geometric consistency of the magnetic particles and abrasives with the finished surfaces. The proper sequence of MAF and HT obtains enhanced mechanical properties for the homogenized-MAF-aged sample with the yield strength of 1147 MPa, the ultimate tensile strength of 1334 MPa, and the elongation of 22.9%, which exceeds the standard wrought material. The surface integrity, compressive residual stress field, and grain refinement induced by the MAF and subsequent aging heat treatment increase the cracking resistance and delay the fracture failure, which significantly benefits the mechanical properties. The MAF process combined with proper post-heat treatment provides an effective pathway to improve the mechanical properties of additively manufactured materials.

The Effect of Temperature on Dealloying Mechanisms in Molten Salt Corrosion

The mechanism of molten salt corrosion of Ni− and Fe-based model alloys is studied at different homologous temperatures relevant to molten salt nuclear reactor application. Dealloying of Fe and Cr occurs in molten chloride salts in the range of 350 °C–700 °C and the dealloying parting limit depends on temperature. At 350 °C, molten salt dealloying is similar to aqueous systems; surface diffusion of elemental Ni at the solid/electrolyte interface is the governing transport mechanism, and the microporous ligaments have an isotropic morphology. The high surface mobility of Ni blurs the ordinary parting limit concept, but such a limit is still present. Above 500 °C, grain boundary dealloying is prevalent; the governing mechanism is interface-controlled, but a transitional morphology evolves, signaling a role of lattice diffusion. When the temperature exceeds 600 °C, the crystal orientation of dealloyed substrates is no longer that of their parent grain, and the fairly isotropic nature of dealloying shifts to a more one-dimensional corrosion ahead of the dealloying front that indicates some kind of hybrid mechanism. At 700 °C, the dealloying threshold approaches below 22 at%, accompanied by rapid coarsening and densification of the dealloyed material due to strong influence of lattice diffusion of alloying elements.

Visibility graph for time series prediction and image classification: a review.

The analysis of time series and images is significant across different fields due to their widespread applications. In the past few decades, many approaches have been developed, including data-driven artificial intelligence methods, mechanism-driven physical methods, and hybrid mechanism and data-driven models. Complex networks have been used to model numerous complex systems due to its characteristics, including time series prediction and image classification. In order to map time series and images into complex networks, many visibility graph algorithms have been developed, such as horizontal visibility graph, limited penetrable visibility graph, multiplex visibility graph, and image visibility graph. The family of visibility graph algorithms will construct different types of complex networks, including (un-) weighted, (un-) directed, and (single-) multi-layered networks, thereby focusing on different kinds of properties. Different types of visibility graph algorithms will be reviewed in this paper. Through exploring the topological structure and information in the network based on statistical physics, the property of time series and images can be discovered. In order to forecast (multivariate) time series, several variations of local random walk algorithms and different information fusion approaches are applied to measure the similarity between nodes in the network. Different forecasting frameworks are also proposed to consider the information in the time series based on the similarity. In order to classify the image, several machine learning models (such as support vector machine and linear discriminant) are used to classify images based on global features, local features, and multiplex features. Through various simulations on a variety of datasets, researchers have found that the visibility graph algorithm outperformed existing algorithms, both in time series prediction and image classification. Clearly, complex networks are closely connected with time series and images by visibility graph algorithms, rendering complex networks to be an important tool for understanding the characteristics of time series and images. Finally, we conclude in the last section with future outlooks for the visibility graph.

Kinematic Comparisons of Hybrid Mechanisms for Bone Surgery: 3-PRP-3-RPS and 3-RPS-3-PRP

This paper proposes an approach to derive the Jacobian matrix of a hybrid mechanism by applying a velocity operator to the transformation matrix. This Jacobian matrix is capable of deducing hybrid singularities, which cannot be identified by using the screw-based Jacobian or velocity-based Jacobian. The transformation matrix was obtained based on the algebraic geometry approach, and it becomes the key point since it was used to not only formulate the Jacobian matrix, but also to define the motion type of hybrid mechanisms. In this paper, two hybrid mechanisms were investigated, which were composed of two distinct parallel mechanisms mounted in series. Hybrid Mechanisms 1 and 2 were composed of 3-PRP-3-RPS and 3-RPS-3-PRP (the underlined P is an actuated joint), respectively. The motion types of Hybrid Mechanisms 1 and 2 were determined from the product of the transformation matrices of the 3-PRP and 3-RPS parallel mechanisms, and vice versa. The developed method was employed to establish the Jacobian matrix to which the conditioning index was applied. Therefore, the kinematic performances of the two hybrid mechanisms can be compared for a given bone surgery trajectory within the workspace. It turns out that Hybrid Mechanism 1 has superior performance than that of Mechanism 2, which indicates that Mechanism 1 is better at transmitting power to the moving platform.

Generalised NURBS interpolator with nonlinear feedrate scheduling and interpolation error compensation

Current nonuniform rational B-spline interpolating methods encounter problems pertaining to the interpolating error, feedrate profile, and machining efficiency; the optimal feedrate profile may not be obtained owing to the complex kinematics of multi-axis machine tools with hybrid structures. To address these problems and obtain an optimal feedrate profile with minimum machining time, this paper establishes a generalised representation for the nonlinear feedrate scheduling model, with static and dynamic feedrate constraints, through a numerical convex transformation. Based on the generalised model representation, a time-optimal feedrate profile can then be solved globally for both series- and parallel-structured mechanisms without problems caused by profile linear simplification or imprecise feedrate evolution. Considering the feedrate fluctuation problem caused by the difference between the theoretical arc length of the curve interpolation and the actual tool path, this paper proposes a novel co-lateral triangle deviation (CTD)-based parameter compensation interpolation algorithm. With the CTD calculation, which is related to the actual feed motion in real time, the proposed interpolation algorithm can determine the interpolating compensation distance for each interpolating segment and obtain the interpolation points using a second-order Taylor series expansion with a minimal interpolating error. Carried on a hybrid mechanism with complex kinematic constraints, the experimental and comparison results validated the effectiveness of the proposed method in feedrate scheduling and feedrate fluctuation reduction.

Synthesis, crystallographic, DNA binding, and molecular docking/dynamic studies of a privileged chalcone-sulfonamide hybrid scaffold as a promising anticancer agent

In the present study, a drug-like molecular hybrid structure between chalcone and sulfonamide moieties was synthesized and characterized. The structural peculiarities of the synthesized hybrid were further verified by means of single crystal X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, its biological activity as an anticancer agent was evaluated. The synthesized model of chalcone-sulfonamide hybrid 3 was found to have potent anticancer properties against the studied cancer cell lines. Hence, the in vitro binding interaction of hybrid 3 with Calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was studied at a simulated physiological pH to confirm its anticancer activity for the first time. This was investigated by applying different spectroscopic techniques, ionic strength measurements, viscosity measurements, thermodynamics, molecular dynamic simulation and molecular docking studies. The obtained results showed a clear binding interaction between hybrid 3 and CT-DNA with a moderate affinity via a minor groove binding mechanism. The binding constant (Kb ) at 298 K calculated from the Benesi-Hildebrand equation was found to be 3.49 × 104 M−1. The entropy and enthalpy changes (ΔS 0 and ΔH 0) were 204.65 J mol−1 K−1 and 35.08 KJ mol−1, respectively, indicating that hydrophobic interactions constituted the major binding forces. The results obtained from molecular docking and dynamic simulation studies confirmed the minor groove binding interaction and the stability of the formed complex. This study can contribute to further understanding of the molecular mechanism of hybrid 3 as a potential antitumor agent and can also guide future clinical and pharmacological studies for rational drug design with enhanced or more selective activity and greater efficacy. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Development of a Novel Low-profile Robotic Exoskeleton Glove for Patients with Brachial Plexus Injuries.

This paper presents the design and development of a novel, low-profile, exoskeleton robotic glove aimed for people who suffer from brachial plexus injuries to restore their lost grasping functionality. The key idea of this new glove lies in its new finger mechanism that takes advantage of the rigid coupling hybrid mechanism (RCHM) concept. This mechanism concept couples the motions of the adjacent human finger links using rigid coupling mechanisms so that the overall mechanism motion (e.g., bending, extension, etc.) could be achieved using fewer actuators. The finger mechanism utilizes the single degree of freedom case of the RCHM that uses a rack-and-pinion mechanism as the rigid coupling mechanism. This special arrangement enables to design each finger mechanism of the glove as thin as possible while maintaining mechanical robustness simultaneously. Based on this novel finger mechanism, a two-finger low-profile robotic glove was developed. Remote center of motion mechanisms were used for the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints. Kinematic analysis and optimization-based kinematic synthesis were conducted to determine the design parameters of the new glove. Passive abduction/adduction joints were considered to improve the grasping flexibility. A proof-of-concept prototype was built and pinch grasping experiments of various objects were conducted. The results validated the mechanism and the mechanical design of the new robotic glove and demonstrated its functionalities and capabilities in grasping objects with various shapes and weights that are used in activities of daily living (ADLs).

Ultrafast Laser-Induced Formation of Hollow Gold Nanorods and Their Optical Properties.

Laser irradiation has been shown to be an efficient means to modify structures and shapes of plasmonic nanoparticles for tuning their properties. Thermomechanical deformations of single-crystal and penta-twinned gold nanorods by femtosecond laser irradiations have been studied by classical molecular dynamics simulations. It is demonstrated that hollow gold nanorods could be formed by femtosecond laser irradiations under certain conditions of maximum temperatures in nanorods by laser heating and cooling rates due to the extrinsic solvent. For a given maximum temperature and cooling rate, a larger cavity is induced in the irradiated single-crystal nanorod. The results also indicate that at the same cooling rate a higher threshold of maximum temperature can be required for producing the cavity in the twinned nanorod. The optical spectra of the laser-irradiated gold nanorods are calculated, and the shifts in the surface plasmon resonance peak of the nanorods are illustrated due to the thermal reshaping and the plasmon hybridization mechanism. Moreover, we show the formation of the hollow gold nanorod possessing the surface plasmon resonance peak in the second near-infrared window and a relatively small aspect ratio (∼2.8), which is highly desirable and suitable for serving as agents in biomedical imaging and photothermal therapy applications.