First principle study of the self‐switching characteristics of the guanine based single optical molecular switch using carbon nanotube electrodes

The switching property of an optical single molecular switch based on a single DNA molecule guanine with a single walled carbon nanotube electrode has been investigated using density functional theory along with non‐equilibrium Green''s function based first principle approach. The semi‐empirical model of this single bio‐molecular switch has been operated at an ultra‐high 25 THz frequency in mid‐UV range. This single bio‐molecule comprises switching activity upon UV photo‐excitation. The influence of the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap and the quantum ballistic transmission into the switching activity are discussed in detail in this study. It has been observed that the maximum ON–OFF ratio, i.e. 327 is obtained at +0.8 V bias voltage. Theoretical results show that current through the twisted form is sufficiently larger than the straightened form, which recommends that this structure has smart prospective application in the future generation switching nanotechnology.Inspec keywords: molecular electronic states, density functional theory, ab initio calculations, DNA, organic compounds, molecular electronics, Green''s function methods, molecular biophysics, single‐wall carbon nanotubes, optical switches, orbital calculationsOther keywords: nonequilibrium Green''s function, semiempirical model, single bio‐molecular switch, UV photo‐excitation, lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap, first principle study, single optical molecular switch, switching property, optical single molecular switch, single DNA molecule guanine, single walled carbon nanotube electrode, density functional theory, highest occupied molecular orbital gap, switching nanotechnology     

Non-uniform cellular automata based associative memory: Evolutionary design and basins of attraction

This paper presents the synthesis and analysis of a special class of non-uniform cellular automata (CAs) based associative memory, termed as generalized multiple attractor CAs (GMACAs). A reverse engineering technique is presented for synthesis of the GMACAs. The desired CAs are evolved through an efficient formulation of genetic algorithm coupled with the reverse engineering technique. This has resulted in significant reduction of the search space of the desired GMACAs. Characterization of the basins of attraction of the proposed model establishes the sparse network of GMACAs as a powerful pattern recognizer for memorizing unbiased patterns. Theoretical analysis also provides an estimate of the noise accommodating capability of the proposed GMACA based associative memory. An in-depth analysis of the GMACA rule space establishes the fact that more heterogeneous CA rules are capable of executing complex computation like pattern recognition.     

Improved mathematical representation of arc static characteristic

In this letter, the importance of a satisfactory voltage/current relationship in the analytical studies of the electric arc is stressed, and an improved empirical relation for static characteristic of an arc is proposed.     

Enantioselective hydrogenation of pyruvate esters in the mesoporous environment of Pt-MCM-41

Pt-MCM-41 catalysts having loadings of up to 2% Pt have been synthesised using three strategies: (i) direct synthesis from a Pt²⁺-containing gel, (ii) exchange of Na⁺ in Al-MCM-41 (containing 8% aluminium) for Pt²⁺, (iii) exchange of H⁺ in H-MCM-41 (containing 1% aluminium) for Pt²⁺. HRTEM confirmed the retention of the mesoporous structure in the active catalysts and gave information on Pt particle size and location. ²⁷Al NMR provided information on the movement of aluminium within the structure during catalyst preparation. Enantioselective hydrogenation of methyl and ethyl pyruvate was catalysed by cinchonidine-modified Pt-MCM-41 at 293 K and elevated hydrogen pressures; performance was compared to that provided by the standard reference catalyst EUROPT-1. Catalysts prepared by strategies (i) and (ii) performed best, giving values of the enantiomeric excess comparable to those afforded by EUROPT-1 at rates moderated by an order of magnitude by mass transfer effects. Performance was impaired when Pt particle size in the mesopores was so small that conditions favoured racemic reaction. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Torque and efficiency maximization for a wave energy harvesting turbine: an approach to modify multiple design variables

Multiple design variables modifications are carried out for a bidirectional flow turbine used in an oscillating water column wave energy converter to enhance its performance by maximizing the peak torque‐coefficient (TC) and the corresponding efficiency (EFF), which are the objective functions of this problem. The Latin hypercube sampling technique selects samples from a designed space created by the design parameters defined for the blade sweep and aerofoil profile thickness modifications. The objective function values are obtained by solving Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes equations and are approximated by surrogate models. The models help in generating populations of the genetic algorithm, which finally produces a set of optimal designs in a Pareto optimal front. Only two extreme designs among the five clustered points are further evaluated by solving Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes equations to cross‐check the validity of the optimization steps. It is found that the TC is increased by 33% and the EFF is decreased by 5% at one extreme cluster point, while the other extreme point gives that both the TC and the EFF are higher by 1.8% and 2.9%, respectively, as compared with the reference geometry. The optimal geometry has a wider operating range, which is an important parameter to get continuous power from a wave energy converter. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of Candidate Genes for Root Traits Using Genotype–Phenotype Association Analysis of Near-Isogenic Lines in Hexaploid Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Global wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is constrained by different biotic and abiotic stresses, which are increasing with climate change. An improved root system is essential for adaptability and sustainable wheat production. In this study, 10 pairs of near-isogenic lines (NILs)—targeting four genomic regions (GRs) on chromosome arms 4BS, 4BL, 4AS, and 7AL of hexaploid wheat—were used to phenotype root traits in a semi-hydroponic system. Seven of the 10 NIL pairs significantly differed between their isolines for 11 root traits. The NIL pairs targeting qDSI.4B.1 GR varied the most, followed by the NIL pair targeting qDT.4A.1 and QHtscc.ksu-7A GRs. For pairs 5–7 targeting qDT.4A.1 GR, pair 6 significantly differed in the most root traits. Of the 4 NIL pairs targeting qDSI.4B.1 GR, pairs 2 and 4 significantly differed in 3 and 4 root traits, respectively. Pairs 9 and 10 targeting QHtscc.ksu-7A GR significantly differed in 1 and 4 root traits, respectively. Using the wheat 90K Illumina iSelect array, we identified 15 putative candidate genes associated with different root traits in the contrasting isolines, in which two UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT)-encoding genes, TraesCS4A02G185300 and TraesCS4A02G442700, and a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinase (LRR-RLK)-encoding gene, TraesCS4A02G330900, also showed important functions for root trait control in other crops. This study characterized, for the first time, that these GRs control root traits in wheat, and identified candidate genes, although the candidate genes will need further confirmation and validation for marker-assisted wheat breeding.     

Temperature dependent photoluminescence investigation of the effect of growth pause induced ripening in InAs/GaAs quantum dot heterostructures

Self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) heterostructures grown by solid state molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) were subjected to growth ripening pause of comparatively shorter durations (0–50 s) at the growth temperature (520 °C). The islands are found to increase in size with the growth pause and correspondingly their density decreases. Though the photoluminescence spectra of the islands subjected to growth pause is found to follow conventional QD systems, a contradiction is noticed in the calculated values of the activation energy of the dots. We ascribed this contradiction due to the poor crystalline quality of the ripened QDs as a result of desorption and sublimation of indium during the pause at high growth temperature.     

Battery-aware rate adaptation for extending video streaming playback time

Multimedia streaming applications are computation and network intensive that put a high demand on battery usage of mobile devices. Battery usage forms an important metric in user satisfaction, as increased battery consumption results in faster battery depletion and eventually leads to battery outage. In this paper, we propose an adaptation technique, referred as Battery-Aware Rate Adaptation (BARA) scheme, which adapts to the appropriate bit rate to prolong the battery lifetime. BARA considers both the wireless channel conditions, as well as the device’s battery level, to determine the best transmission rate for optimizing the mobile battery consumption. Actual experiment and simulation results corroborate that compared to the conventional techniques, BARA can save more than 40% of battery power, while extending the video playback time by 20%.