Comparison of the Parameters of UWB Signals for Comparing the Characteristics of the Human Visual System and Matrix Receivers

Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics - A quantitative comparison of the spectral characteristics of the human visual system and matrix photodetectors is carried out. Criteria for a...     

Polysorbate identity and quantity dictate the extensional flow properties of protein-excipient solutions

While protein medications are promising for treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, challenges persist in terms of development and injection stability of high-concentration formulations. Here, the extensional flow properties of protein-excipient solutions are examined via dripping-onto-substrate extensional rheology, using a model ovalbumin (OVA) protein and biocompatible excipients polysorbate 20 (PS20) and 80 (PS80). Despite similar PS structures, differences in extensional flow are observed based on PS identity in two regimes: at moderate total concentrations where surface tension differences drive changes in extensional flow behavior, and at small PS:OVA ratios, which impact the onset of weakly elastic flow behavior. Undesirable elasticity is observed in ultra-concentrated formulations, independent of PS identity; higher PS contents are required to observe these effects than in analogous polymeric excipient solutions. These studies reveal novel extensional flow behaviors in protein-excipient solutions, and provide a straightforward methodology for assessing the extensional flow stability of new protein-excipient formulations.     

Noncentrosymmetric Tetrel Pnictides RuSi4P4 and IrSi3P3: Nonlinear Optical Materials with Outstanding Laser Damage Threshold

Noncentrosymmetric (NCS) tetrel pnictides have recently generated interest as nonlinear optical (NLO) materials due to their second harmonic generation (SHG) activity and large laser damage threshold (LDT). Herein nonmetal-rich silicon phosphides RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ are synthesized and characterized. Their crystal structures are reinvestigated using single crystal X-ray diffraction and ²⁹Si and ³¹P magic angle spinning NMR. In agreement with previous report RuSi₄P₄ crystallizes in NCS space group P1, while IrSi₃P₃ is found to crystallize in NCS space group Cm, in contrast with the previously reported space group C2. A combination of DFT calculations and diffuse reflectance measurements reveals RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ to be wide bandgap (E_g) semiconductors, E_g = 1.9 and 1.8 eV, respectively. RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ outperform the current state-of-the-art infrared SHG material, AgGaS₂, both in SHG activity and laser inducer damage threshold. Due to the combination of high thermal stabilities (up to 1373 K), wide bandgaps (≈2 eV), NCS crystal structures, strong SHG responses, and large LDT values, RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ are promising candidates for longer wavelength NLO materials.     

On the Growth of Thin-Film AlGaN/GaN Epitaxial Heterostructures on Hybrid Substrates Containing Layers of Silicon Carbide and Porous Silicon

Semiconductors - Abstract—In our work, we carry out a structural-spectroscopic study of AlGaN/GaN epitaxial layers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy with nitrogen-plasma activation on a hybrid...     

Superradiant Emission from Coherent Excitons in van Der Waals Heterostructures

Recent advancements in isolation and stacking of layered van der Waals materials have created an unprecedented paradigm for demonstrating varieties of 2D quantum materials. Rationally designed van der Waals heterostructures composed of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and few-layer hBN show several unique optoelectronic features driven by correlations. However, entangled superradiant excitonic species in such systems have not been observed before. In this report, it is demonstrated that strong suppression of phonon population at low temperature results in a formation of a coherent excitonic-dipoles ensemble in the heterostructure, and the collective oscillation of those dipoles stimulates a robust phase synchronized ultra-narrow band superradiant emission even at extremely low pumping intensity. Such emitters are in high demand for a multitude of applications, including fundamental research on many-body correlations and other state-of-the-art technologies. This timely demonstration paves the way for further exploration of ultralow-threshold quantum-emitting devices with unmatched design freedom and spectral tunability.     

Feature selection methods for root-cause analysis among top-level product attributes

Manufacturing companies not only strive to deliver flawless products but also monitor product failures in the field to identify potential quality issues. When product failures occur, quality engineers must identify the root cause to improve any affected product and process. This root-cause analysis can be supported by feature selection methods that identify relevant product attributes, such as manufacturing dates with an increased number of product failures. In this paper, we present different methods for feature selection and evaluate their ability to identify relevant product attributes in a root-cause analysis. First, we compile a list of feature selection methods. Then, we summarize the properties of product attributes in warranty case data and discuss these properties regarding the challenges they pose for machine learning algorithms. Next, we simulate datasets of warranty cases, which emulate these product properties. Finally, we compare the feature selection methods based on these simulated datasets. In the end, the univariate filter information gain is determined to be a suitable method for a wide range of applications. The comparison based on simulated data provides a more general result than other publications, which only focus on a single use case. Due to the generic nature of the simulated datasets, the results can be applied to various root-cause analysis processes in different quality management applications and provide a guideline for readers who wish to explore machine learning methods for their analysis of quality data.     

Nanotechnology‐based wastewater treatment

Water contamination is a global challenge impacting both the environment and human health with significant economic and social costs. The growing scarcity of usable water resources requires effective treatment of wastewater. In this context, developing cheaper, safer and more efficient wastewater treatment technologies are the need of the hour. One promising approach that several studies have reported success has been the usage of nanomaterials in water and waste water management. The rapid progress of research in nanomaterial sciences has shown their growing potential; however, there has not been a great amount of information available on their implementation. This review focuses on developments in nanotechnology that hold strong potential for wastewater treatment. The review covers key techniques in nanomaterial‐based water treatments including adsorption, filtration and photocatalysis with recent examples showing how to improve their properties and efficiencies according to the need.     

Using Amplitude Analysis of Acoustic Emission Signals under Cyclic and Static Loading of Steel Samples

Russian Journal of Nondestructive Testing - The results of amplitude analysis of discrete acoustic emission signals from developing sources such as fatigue cracks are presented. The studies were...     

A review of phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors for fingerprint detection

Currently, the efficient detection of fingerprints is essential for the crime investigations. Revealing fingerprints is commonly achieved with fluorescent organic compounds but they are not efficient for fingerprint detection on porous or reflective surfaces. In order to solve the problem of collecting fingerprints on porous/reflective surfaces, inorganic phosphors have been employed, since they have characteristics of variable color emission, afterglow, high chemical stability and nano-size, which allow the fingerprint detection on any porous or non-porous surfaces. Due to these last properties, this review presents a summary about the use of phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors for the detection of latent fingerprints. First, we discussed the main physical and chemical characteristics of the fingerprints which permit their detection and collection from any surface. After this, we presented the main morphological, structural and luminescent properties of the phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors that allow their use for fingerprint detection. Later, we demonstrated with pictures of fingerprints (with and without light emission from the phosphors deposited on them) that both, phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors can be used to visualize fingerprints with high resolution and high contrast without interference of the background surface, which is ideal for its collection and registration in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). We believe that this review could be useful to understand how to select an appropriate phosphorescent or fluorescent material for fingerprint detection depending on the type of surface (porous or non-porous, reflective or not reflective) where the fingerprint is deposited.     

Discovery of GPR183 Agonists Based on an Antagonist Scaffold

The G protein-coupled receptor GPR183/EBI2, which is activated by oxysterols, is a therapeutic target for inflammatory and metabolic diseases where both antagonists and agonists are of potential interest. Using the piperazine diamide core of the known GPR183 antagonist (E)-3-(4-bromophenyl)-1-(4-(4-methoxybenzoyl)piperazin-1-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (NIBR189) as starting point, we identified and sourced 79 structurally related compounds that were commercially available. In vitro screening of this compound collection using a Ca²⁺ mobilization assay resulted in the identification of 10 compounds with agonist properties. To enable establishment of initial structure-activity relationship trends, these were supplemented with five in-house compounds, two of which were also shown to be GPR183 agonists. Taken together, our findings suggest that the agonist activity of this compound series is dictated by the substitution pattern of one of the two distal phenyl rings, which functions as a molecular efficacy-switch.