Origin, control, and application of supramolecular chirogenesis in bisporphyrin-based systems

The rationalization of various aspects of the mechanism of chirality induction in supramolecular assemblies based upon the complexes formed between an ethane-linked bisoctaethylporphyrin and chiral ligands is described. The influence of various controlling factors such as bonding strength, host-guest steric interactions, equilibria and thermodynamic parameters, temperature and solvent effects, role of the center metal ion, stoichiometry, and phase transition on the chirality induction processes have been investigated, and the results and implications are discussed. As a result of such detailed understanding, it is possible to employ this bisporphyrin system as an effective chirality sensor for the determination of absolute configuration.     

Neural network surface acoustic wave RF signal processor for digital modulation recognition

An architecture of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) processor based on an artificial neural network is proposed for an automatic recognition of different types of digital passband modulation. Three feed-forward networks are trained to recognize filtered and unfiltered binary phase shift keying (BPSK) and quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) signals, as well as unfiltered BPSK, QPSK, and 16 quadrature amplitude (16QAM) signals. Performance of the processor in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is simulated. The influence of second-order effects in SAW devices, phase, and amplitude errors on the performance of the processor also is studied.     

Passband-shifting filters through postgrowth modification of filter optical thickness

We describe a postgrowth method to produce passband filters with different center wavelengths from a single growth run by irreversibly changing the refractive index of a layer or a series of layers within the filter. This leads to a new type of filter, the passband-shifting filter, whose center wavelength can be irreversibly shifted from lambda0 to lambda0 - deltalambda after the filter has been grown. The passband shift can be controlled exactly by proper design of the multilayer. We present the theory behind passband-shifting-filter design along with transfer-matrix simulations and preliminary experimental results for a two-cavity filter, using lateral oxidation of AlxGa1-x As-based materials to effect the passband shift.     

Stability and Heat Resistance of Silicide Coatings on Refractory Metals. Part 1. Effect of Subsurface Layer on Process of Phase Redistribution in System WSi2 ― W

The effect of a subsurface layer of metal silicide on the phase composition stability of high-temperature MeSi₂-type coatings on refractory metals was investigated. Using the system WSi₂ W as a prototype it was experimentally determined that a subsurface layer of the tungsten disilicide, and the distribution profile of silicon in the diffusion zone upon high-temperature heating have a substantial effect on the formation of a barrier layer of lower silicide which determines the stability of the system as a whole. It is proposed that the search for more stable silicide coatings on refractory metals should be directed toward the creation of diffusion barriers on not only the inner interface MeSi₂ Me, but also the external surface of the coating. The process of coating formation must be accompanied by the formation of a metal silicide on the external surface with the highest possible concentration of silicon.     

DNA Nanotechnology as an Emerging Tool to Study Mechanotransduction in Living Systems

The ease of tailoring DNA nanostructures with sub‐nanometer precision has enabled new and exciting in vivo applications in the areas of chemical sensing, imaging, and gene regulation. A new emerging paradigm in the field is that DNA nanostructures can be engineered to study molecular mechanics. This new development has transformed the repertoire of capabilities enabled by DNA to include detection of molecular forces in living cells and elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of mechanotransduction. This Review first describes fundamental aspects of force‐induced melting of DNA hairpins and duplexes. This is then followed by a survey of the currently available force sensing DNA probes and different fluorescence‐based force readout modes. Throughout the Review, applications of these probes in studying immune receptor signaling, including the T cell receptor and B cell receptor, as well as Notch and integrin signaling, are discussed.     

Dynamic DNA Structures

Dynamic DNA structures, a type of DNA construct built using programmable DNA self‐assembly, have the capability to reconfigure their conformations in response to environmental stimulation. A general strategy to design dynamic DNA structures is to integrate reconfigurable elements into conventional static DNA structures that may be assembled from a variety of methods including DNA origami and DNA tiles. Commonly used reconfigurable elements range from strand displacement reactions, special structural motifs, target‐binding DNA aptamers, and base stacking components, to DNA conformational change domains, etc. Morphological changes of dynamic DNA structures may be visualized by imaging techniques or may be translated to other detectable readout signals (e.g., fluorescence). Owing to their programmable capability of recognizing environmental cues with high specificity, dynamic DNA structures embody the epitome of robust and versatile systems that hold great promise in sensing and imaging biological analytes, in delivering molecular cargos, and in building programmable systems that are able to conduct sophisticated tasks.     

Probing a Device's Active Atoms

Materials science and device studies have, when implemented jointly as “operando” studies, better revealed the causal link between the properties of the device's materials and its operation, with applications ranging from gas sensing to information and energy technologies. Here, as a further step that maximizes this causal link, the paper focuses on the electronic properties of those atoms that drive a device's operation by using it to read out the materials property. It is demonstrated how this method can reveal insight into the operation of a macroscale, industrial‐grade microelectronic device on the atomic level. A magnetic tunnel junction's (MTJ's) current, which involves charge transport across different atomic species and interfaces, is measured while these atoms absorb soft X‐rays with synchrotron‐grade brilliance. X‐ray absorption is found to affect magnetotransport when the photon energy and linear polarization are tuned to excite Fe? O bonds parallel to the MTJ's interfaces. This explicit link between the device's spintronic performance and these Fe? O bonds, although predicted, challenges conventional wisdom on their detrimental spintronic impact. The technique opens interdisciplinary possibilities to directly probe the role of different atomic species on device operation, and shall considerably simplify the materials science iterations within device research.     

Dissimilar metal joining and structural repair of ZE41A-T5 cast magnesium by the cold spray (CS) process

The ability to join aluminum to magnesium is important for many industries but is a challenge due to the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs). This article presents a practical method to join and provide structural repair of cast ZE41A-T5 cast magnesium (Mg) by the cold spray (CS) process using 6061 Aluminum (Al). In this study, the CS process was used to deposit 6061 Al onto ZE41A-T5 Mg substrates, which were subjected to materials testing and characterization. Shear, hardness, and tensile testing were conducted to determine bond integrity at the dissimilar metal joint. Electron and optical microscopy were performed to analyze the interface and microstructure. A review of dissimilar metal joining techniques is provided for comparative purposes, and the unique bonding mechanisms of cold spray are discussed because of its relevance to the results obtained. Results showed that the cold spray process limited the formation of Mg₂Al₃ and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallic compounds and the bond strength of the dissimilar metal joints created by the cold spray process, had an ultimate tensile strength, hardness, and shear strength comparable to the weakest material being joined (Mg). This study serves to demonstrate the potential of the cold spray process to create high strength dissimilar joints and provide structural repair between Mg and Al.     

Renormalization Group-Based Transport Modeling of Premixed Turbulent Combustion. II. Finite Density Gradient and Direct Heat Release

A new method for numerical simulation of flame propagation in turbulent premixed combustible gaseous mixtures is proposed and tested. The method combines (I) a modified eikonal equation, employed to model the flame front dynamics; (2) a method of front tracking using a strip of computational cells containing the flame; and (3) a formula for turbulent flame propagation speed. The method includes two separate models. The first one obviates the necessity to solve equations for heat release, temperature and enthalpy, and utilizes a model equation of state to accurately render the volumetric effect and related instabilities. The second one provides a model for direct heal release and temperature calculation in the presence of heat-conducting boundaries (walls), in the multi-component combustible mixtures with variable composition and temperature-dependent heat capacities of all species. This model can be used when the heat transport on the walls is of interest, effects of flame quenching are essential and for the especially important case of combustion in a closed volume, e.g., in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine or chemical reactor. This modification is also effective for simulation of ramjet engines. The new method proves to be self-consistent, robust and highly effective.     

PWM Control Techniques for Rectifier Filter Minimization

Minimization of input/output filters is an essential step towards manufacturing compact low-cost static power supplies. Three PWM control techniques that yield substantial filter size reduction for three-phase (self-commutated) rectifiers are presented and analyzed. Filters required by typical line-commutated rectifiers are used as the basis for comparison. Moreover, it is shown that in addition to filter minimization two of the proposed three control techniques improve substantially the rectifier total input power factor.