New single-stage low dc bus voltage stress converter for universal line applications

A new single-stage power factor corrected ac–dc converter for universal line applications is proposed in this paper. This converter has a buck topology as a power factor corrector. The dc bus voltage of the proposed converter is always lower than the peak input voltage at any load condition. Therefore, the problem of high dc bus voltage under the light load condition for the single-stage converter is solved, especially in the case of universal line applications. The design equations are presented for the proposed converter and a design example for a 5V 12A application is presented. The theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the dc bus voltage can be limited within 260V and the line input current harmonics can meet IEC 61000-3-2 Class D requirements at any load conditions for the line input voltages from 90 to 260V_ac.     

Potential interference and rain attenuation at 21.4–22 GHz downlink broadcasting satellite signals

World Radio Conference WRC-1992 has allocated the frequency band 21.4–22.0?GHz to regions 1 and 3 to be utilised to carry direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) services. This high-frequency band is more susceptible to rain attenuation, leading to degradation of the signal quality. Moreover, this frequency band is assigned to two different services, i.e. satellite broadcasting and fixed mobile services at the same regions; hence, the impact of intersystem interference in a depredated signal is a critical issue in the DBS receiver. In this study, the effects of rain attenuation on the DBS downlink signals as well as the impact of the potential interference on the reception quality will be estimated. An interference scenario will be introduced to investigate the system performance in both propagation mechanisms of clear-sky and rain conditions.     

Advanced Functional Structure‐Based Sensing and Imaging Strategies for Cancer Detection: Possibilities,Opportunities, Challenges,and Prospects

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the world. The principal limitations thus far encountered in the clinical practice of probing cancer are diverse and include low sensitivity, time consumption, bulkiness, and cost. In this respect, nanomaterial (NM)‐based sensing techniques are recognized as a superior alternative to efficiently resolve such limitations. A better understanding of NM‐based sensing platforms is thus important so that these novel avenues can easily be explored for clinical applications. These platforms have the merits of high sensitivity, high specificity, rapid response, and easy‐to‐read signals. This review offers a comprehensive survey of NM‐based advanced cancer‐sensing techniques and will help the scientific community establish optimum sensing strategies based on an accurate assessment of the interactions between cancer biomarkers and NM‐based platforms.     

UV‐Curable Silver Electrode for Screen‐Printed Thermoelectric Generator

Fabricating thermoelectric generators (TEGs) using the screen‐printing process has advantages, including mass production, device scalability, and system applicability. However, the thick film formed through the process typically has low film density, and reduced performance, because of the presence of pores in the film created by the vaporization of the resin during high‐temperature annealing. During the soldering process used for thermoelectric module fabrication, the printed solder infiltrates into the screen‐printed electrodes through the micropores in the electrodes, causing cracks of the electrode film and an increase in resistivity. In this paper, an ultraviolet radiation (UV)‐curable process for screen‐printed electrodes is reported. The paste for the electrodes is synthesized by mixing Ag flakes that can be cured at low temperature with a UV resin. Scanning electron microscope images show that the UV‐curing process significantly reduces pores and thereby results in a smooth‐surfaced electrode layer. The film density after crystallization is also enhanced. TEGs composed of 72 couples with UV‐curable Ag electrodes generate a high power density of ≈6.69 mW cm^?2 at a temperature difference of 25 °C; the device resistance is ≈0.75 Ω, and the figure of merit of the device is recorded to be 0.57, which is the highest among the printed TEGs.     

Determinants of the intention to use Buy-Online,Pickup In-Store (BOPS): The moderating effects of situational factors and product type

Despite the wider introduction of the buy online and pick up in-store (BOPS) service by retailers, research on BOPS is still sparse, especially those from the consumer perspective. This paper employs the scenario-based factorial survey method to investigate how the perceived characteristics of innovation and the perceived risk of online shopping influence the consumers’ intention to use BOPS while also considering the moderating effects of situational factors (location convenience) and product type (involvement). Our findings indicated that the consumer perceptions of relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and risks involved in online shopping are important antecedents to intention to use BOPS, and that these relationships were significantly moderated by locational convenience and product involvement. The implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed in detail.     

Virus‐Templated Self‐Mineralization of Ligand‐Free Colloidal Palladium Nanostructures for High Surface Activity and Stability

In solution‐based synthesis of colloidal nanostructures, additions of ligands, stabilizers, and redox reagents are generally required to obtain desirable structures, though ligands and stabilizers on the surface of nanostructures can substantially affect the surface‐related activity. Accordingly, an extensive rinsing process is usually required to remove residual reagents and stabilizers. This study reports a spontaneous self‐biomineralization of palladium (Pd) ions on a filamentous virus to form ligand‐free Pd nanowires under ambient conditions. No reducing reagents or additional surface stabilizers are used; the genetically modified virus alone supports the polycrystalline Pd nanowires within the nanostructure, maintaining the clean surface even without a rinsing process. The advantage of the ligand‐free Pd nanowires is found in the Suzuki‐coupling reaction, in which the nanowire catalytic activity is maintained after repeated reactions, while conventional Pd colloids undergo surface contamination by the stabilizer and lose their catalytic activity during repeated uses. The ligand‐free surface, high electronic connectivity, and structural stability of the Pd nanowires also allow high sensitivity and selectivity in hydrogen gas sensing analysis. This work emphasizes the importance of the ligand‐free surface of biotemplated nanostructures in maintaining functionalities without surface contamination.     

MIMO-HFM: A MIMO System with Hyperbolic Frequency Modulation for Underwater Acoustic Communication

Reliable transmission and high data rate over underwater acoustic channels are considerably challenging. In this paper, we propose Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) scheme using a Hyperbolic Frequency Modulation (HFM) waveform. Our proposed system combines the advantages of both systems-special multiplexing of MIMO and immunity against Doppler shift of HFM. To increase the spectral efficiency, we employ M-ray HFM and overlapped sub-channels by leveraging the high temporal resolution characteristic. To verify effectiveness of our system, we have designed a theoretically enhanced acoustic simulator, which especially focuses on the reflection phenomenon by utilizing approved reflection loss models. Based on our acoustic simulator, we could verify that our system is robust against for multipath fading and Doppler shifting while keeping the multiplexing benefit of MIMO, while maintaining a very low complexity and system overhead. In addition, the results provide a useful insight for physical layer design in acoustic communication systems.     

Two-dimensional air-stable CrSe2 nanosheets with thickness-tunable magnetism

Since Geim et al.firstly separated graphene from graph-ite by mechanical exfoliation method in 2004,the research of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials has begun[1].Compared with three-dimensional materials,2D vdW layered materials exposing the most atoms to exterior are more sensitive to external control and have the great po-tential applications in electronic,optoelectronic and electro-chemical area[2].     

Digital Laser Micropainting for Reprogrammable Optoelectronic Applications

Structural coloration is closely related to the progress of innovative optoelectronic applications, but the absence of direct, on-demand, and rewritable coloration schemes has impeded advances in the relevant area, particularly including the development of customized, reprogrammable optoelectronic devices. To overcome these limitations, a digital laser micropainting technique, based on controlled thin-film interference, is proposed through direct growth of the absorbing metal oxide layer on a metallic reflector in the solution environment via a laser. A continuous-wave laser simultaneously performs two functions—a photothermal reaction for site-selective metal oxide layer growth and in situ real-time monitoring of its thickness—while the reflection spectrum is tuned in a broad visible spectrum according to the laser fluence. The scalability and controllability of the proposed scheme is verified by laser-printed painting, while altering the thickness via supplementary irradiation of the identical laser in the homogeneous and heterogeneous solutions facilitates the modification of the original coloration. Finally, the proof-of-concept bolometer device verifies that specific wavelength-dependent photoresponsivity can be assigned, erased, and reassigned by the successive application of the proposed digital laser micropainting technique, which substantiates its potential to offer a new route for reprogrammable optoelectronic applications.     

A Liquid Metal Based Multimodal Sensor and Haptic Feedback Device for Thermal and Tactile Sensation Generation in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used for training, gaming, and entertainment, and the value of VR is continually increasing as a contact-free technology. For an immersive VR experience, measuring finger movements and providing appropriate feedback to the hand are as important as visual information, given the necessity of the hands for activities in daily life. Thus, a hand-worn VR device with motion sensors and haptic feedback is desirable. In this paper, a multimodal sensing and feedback glove is developed with soft, stretchable, lightweight, and compact sensor and heater sheets manufactured by direct ink writing (DIW) of liquid metal, eutectic gallium-indium (eGaIn). In the sensor sheet, ten sensors and three vibrators are embedded to measure finger movements and provide vibro-haptic feedback. The other heater sheet provides thermo-haptic sensation in accurate and rapid manner via model-based feedback control even under stretched conditions. The multimodal sensing and feedback glove allows users to feel the contact status and discriminate materials with different temperature. Performance of the proposed multimodal glove is verified under VR environments including touching and pushing two blocks of different materials and grabbing a heated metal ball submerged in hot water.