Role of caustics in the formation of networks of amplitude zeros for partially developed speckle fields

The topology of a partially developed speckle field was studied by use of interference techniques through computer simulation. Amplitude and phase structures in the vicinity of caustics for a coherent radiation field scattered at a surface with large inhomogeneities were investigated. It was confirmed that the caustics are indispensible components of the procedure for the formation of networks of amplitude zeros for a coherent field scattered by a rough surface with large inhomogeneities. It is shown that the formation of interference forklets in the field gives evidence of changes in the field's topology, as these forklets are a diagnostic sign of transition from a caustic to a three-dimensional pattern of a diffraction catastrophe.     

Acoustic Echo Cancellation Using Frequency-Domain Spline Identification

Low-complexity delayless acoustic echo cancellation techniques based on frequency-domain spline-identification are proposed and investigated. Two methods of approximation of the acoustic frequency response, both using B-splines, are considered: the optimal-spline method and the local-spline method. The optimal-spline method seeks the solution of a least squares problem. The most computationally demanding part of the method, solution of the normal equations, is implemented by using the low-complexity dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm. The local-spline method avoids solving the normal equations, enabling further simplification; this is at the expense of a slight degradation in the cancellation performance. A novel efficient double-talk detector is also proposed, being an inherent feature of the frequency-domain identification. Open-loop and closed-loop identification schemes with cubic splines are studied by simulation and compared with the fast affine projection (FAP) algorithm. The proposed techniques provide cancellation performance better than that of the FAP algorithm, especially in double-talk and noisy environments, with a lower complexity     

Current transfer processes in a hydrated layer localized in a two-layer porous structure of nanosized ZrO2

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The current transfer through a two-layer structure saturated with absorbed water, each layer of which consists of pressed ZrO2 nanoparticles...     

Analytical light-scattering solution for Chebyshev particles

We develop a modification of the T-matrix method that allows for fast calculations of scattering properties of particles with irregular shapes. This modification uses the so-called Sh matrices, the elements of which depend on the shape of particles and do not depend on the particle size or optical constants; i.e., the introduction of Sh matrices makes possible the separation of these parameters within the T-matrix algorithm. For a given shape of a scattering object we calculate the Sh matrices only once and then can quickly calculate the T-matrix elements for a number of sizes and refractive indices. This, in particular, can provide rapid particle-size and refractive index averaging in a particle ensemble. This separation is useful for the derivation of an analytical light-scattering solution for Chebyshev particles.     

Electromagnetic phase differences in the coherent backscattering enhancement mechanism for random media consisting of large nontransparent spheres

Phase curves of intensity are calculated for light scattering in media randomly packed with large nontransparent spheres (x=125), the surfaces of which reflect according to the Fresnel equations. We consider three values of refractive index: m = 0.73 + i5.93 (metal Al), 1.6 + i1.72 (metal Fe), and 1.5 + i0.1 (black glass). We use a Monte Carlo ray-tracing approach. Different kinds of electromagnetic phase differences of reciprocal trajectories are investigated for the second and third orders of scattering; the highest orders give comparatively small contributions due to the backward-scattering indicatrix of large nontransparent spheres. We find that the main electromagnetic phase difference between the direct and time-reversal (reciprocal) trajectories is the outer phase difference that depends only on the relative positions of the first and last points of the ray reflections and the phase angle. The inner phase difference is connected with the changing path length of the ray inside the medium. This depends on the particle size and the phase angle that is the angle between the source and receiver from the scatterer, i.e., 180 degrees minus the scattering angle. The inner phase difference can give oscillations in the phase curve consisting of second-order components if the medium consists of strictly monodisperse spheres. Usually the coherent backscattering enhancement is calculated ignoring the shadow-hiding effect. We show that accounting for the shadowing of the reciprocal trajectory is important for the formation of the backscattering effect. The third-order scattering surge is a superposition of wide and narrow opposition spikes that correspond to two different types of scattering trajectories, closed and opened ones. The first type is due to scattering by two particles; the second one corresponds to scattering by three particles.     

Vertical concentration gradients in bulk heterojunction solar cells induced by differential material solubility

Highly soluble fullerene derivatives (HSFD) and a low soluble polymer (LSP) were investigated as modifiers of the active layer morphology in conventional P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cells. The observed changes in photovoltaic and electrical characteristics of the devices after addition of one or two modifiers suggest that they induced favourable vertical phase separation in the blends simply due to different solubilities of the components. In particular, HSFD is supposed to accumulate at the top of the film serving as a hole-blocking interlayer at the cathode/active layer interface. On the contrary, LSP seems to form electron-blocking buffer layer at the bottom of the device at the active layer/anode interface. Thus, the differential material solubility was suggested as a tool for adjustment of vertical morphology of organic bulk heterojunction solar cells.     

Direct integration of three-dimensional thermoelasticity equations for a transversely isotropic layer

Abstract

An application of the direct integration method is presented for analytical solution of a three-dimensional thermoelasticity problem for a transversely isotropic layer subjected to general thermal loadings on the limiting planes and internal heat sources. By making use of relations between the stress-tensor components, derived from the equilibrium equations, the original thermoelasticity problem was reduced to a set of governing equations for individual stresses with corresponding boundary conditions. In the mapping domain of the Fourier double-integral transform, the explicit analytical solutions for the stresses and temperature are obtained and then reproduced in physical domain.     

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Targeted DNA Integration: Rearrangements at the Junction of Plant and Plasmid DNA

Targeted DNA integration into known locations in the genome has potential advantages over the random insertional events typically achieved using conventional means of genetic modification. We studied the presence and extent of DNA rearrangements at the junction of plant and transgenic DNA in five lines of Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells carrying a site-specific integration of target genes. Two types of templates were used to obtain knock-ins, differing in the presence or absence of flanking DNA homologous to the target site in the genome. For the targeted insertion, we selected the region of the histone H3.3 gene with a very high constitutive level of expression. Our studies showed that all five obtained knock-in cell lines have rearrangements at the borders of the integrated sequence. Significant rearrangements, about 100 or more bp from the side of the right flank, were found in all five plant lines. Reorganizations from the left flank at more than 17 bp were found in three out of five lines. The fact that rearrangements were detected for both variants of the knock-in template (with and without flanks) indicates that the presence of flanks does not affect the occurrence of mutations.     

Engineering of a Plant Isoprenyl Diphosphate Synthase for Development of Irregular Coupling Activity

We performed mutagenesis on a regular isoprenyl diphosphate synthase (IDS), neryl diphosphate synthase from Solanum lycopersicum (SlNPPS), that has a structurally related analogue performing non-head-to-tail coupling of two dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) units, lavandulyl diphosphate synthase from Lavandula x intermedia (LiLPPS). Wild-type SlNPPS catalyses regular coupling of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and DMAPP in cis-orientation resulting in the formation of neryl diphosphate. However, if the enzyme is fed with DMAPP only, it is able to catalyse the coupling of two DMAPP units and synthesizes two irregular monoterpene diphosphates; their structures were elucidated by the NMR analysis of their dephosphorylation products. One of the alcohols is lavandulol. The second compound is the trans-isomer of planococcol, the first example of an irregular cyclobutane monoterpene with this stereochemical configuration. The irregular activity of SlNPPS constitutes 0.4 % of its regular activity and is revealed only if the enzyme is supplied with DMAPP in the absence of IPP. The exchange of asparagine 88 for histidine considerably enhanced the non-head-to-tail coupling. While still only observed in the absence of IPP, irregular activity of the mutant reaches 13.1 % of its regular activity. The obtained results prove that regular IDS are promising starting points for protein engineering aiming at the development of irregular activities and leading to novel monoterpene structures.