4D Biofabrication: 3D Cell Patterning Using Shape‐Changing Films

A novel approach for fabrication of 3D cellular structures using new thermosensitive shape‐changing polymer films with photolithographically patterned surface—4D biofabrication is reported. The surface of shape‐changing polymer films is patterned to selectively adsorb cells in specific regions. The 2D cell pattern is converted to the 3D cell structure after temperature‐induced folding of the polymer films. This approach has a great potential in the field of tissue engineering and bioscaffolds fabrication.     

Simulations and experiments on a 12 kW direct driven PM synchronous generator for wind power

A direct driven permanent magnet (PM) synchronous generator has been designed and constructed and results from the first experimental tests are presented. The generator has been designed using the finite element method (FEM) and dynamic simulations have been performed to study the generator. The simulations are performed by using an electromagnetic model, which is described by a combined field and circuit equation model and is solved in a finite element environment. The stator winding of the generator consists of circular cables and the rotor has surface mounted, arched PMs. A complete experimental setup has been constructed consisting of a motor, a frequency converter, a gearbox and electrical loads. Oscilloscopes are used to measure the voltage and the current for each phase. Measurements have been performed for both full load and no load at rated speed. The harmonic content of the voltage is analyzed and compared to results from simulations. Furthermore, the generated electric power has been calculated from knowing the voltage and current and is compared to the simulated power. The agreement between experimental results and results from simulations based on finite element calculations is very high, especially considering harmonics. Several sources of error are suggested that could cause the small differences between the simulated results and the measured data for the constructed generator.     

Clustering‐based scheduling: A new class of scheduling algorithms for single‐hop lightwave networks

In wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) star networks, the construction of the transmission schedule is a key issue, which essentially affects the network performance. Up to now, classic scheduling techniques consider the nodes' requests in a sequential service order. However, these approaches are static and do not take into account the individual traffic pattern of each node. Owing to this major drawback, they suffer from low performance, especially when operating under asymmetric traffic. In this paper, a new class of scheduling algorithms for WDM star networks, which is based on the use of clustering techniques, is introduced. According to the proposed Clustering‐Based Scheduling Algorithm (CBSA), the network's nodes are organized into clusters, based on the number of their requests per channel. Then, their transmission priority is defined beginning from the nodes belonging to clusters with higher demands and ending to the nodes of clusters with fewer requests. The main objective of the proposed scheme is to minimize the length of the schedule by rearranging the nodes' service order. Furthermore, the proposed CBSA scheme adopts a prediction mechanism to minimize the computational complexity of the scheduling algorithm. Extensive simulation results are presented, which clearly indicate that the proposed approach leads to a significantly higher throughput‐delay performance when compared with conventional scheduling algorithms. We believe that the proposed clustering‐based approach can be the base of a new generation of high‐performance scheduling algorithms for WDM star networks. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effects of Embedded Dipoles in Aromatic Self‐Assembled Monolayers

Using a representative model system, here electronic and structural properties of aromatic self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) are described that contain an embedded, dipolar group. As polar unit, pyrimidine is used, with its orientation in the molecular backbone and, consequently, the direction of the embedded dipole moment being varied. The electronic and structural properties of these embedded‐dipole SAMs are thoroughly analyzed using a number of complementary characterization techniques combined with quantum‐mechanical modeling. It is shown that such mid‐chain‐substituted monolayers are highly interesting from both fundamental and application viewpoints, as the dipolar groups are found to induce a potential discontinuity inside the monolayer, electrostatically shifting the core‐level energies in the regions above and below the dipoles relative to one another. These SAMs also allow for tuning the substrate work function in a controlled manner independent of the docking chemistry and, most importantly, without modifying the SAM‐ambient interface.     

Nanoimprint Lithography Facilitated Plasmonic-Photonic Coupling for Enhanced Photoconductivity and Photocatalysis

Imprint lithography has emerged as a reliable, reproducible, and rapid method for patterning colloidal nanostructures. As a promising alternative to top-down lithographic approaches, the fabrication of nanodevices has thus become effective and straightforward. In this study, a fusion of interference lithography (IL) and nanosphere imprint lithography on various target substrates ranging from carbon film on transmission electron microscope grid to inorganic and dopable polymer semiconductor is reported. 1D plasmonic photonic crystals are printed with 75% yield on the centimeter scale using colloidal ink and an IL-produced polydimethylsiloxane stamp. Atomically smooth facet, single-crystalline, and monodisperse colloidal building blocks of gold (Au) nanoparticles are used to print 1D plasmonic grating on top of a titanium dioxide (TiO₂) slab waveguide, producing waveguide-plasmon polariton modes with superior 10 nm spectral line-width. Plasmon-induced hot electrons are confirmed via two-terminal current measurements with increased photoresponsivity under guiding conditions. The fabricated hybrid structure with Au/TiO₂ heterojunction enhances photocatalytic processes like degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye molecules using the generated hot electrons. This simple colloidal printing technique demonstrated on silicon, glass, Au film, and naphthalenediimide polymer thus marks an important milestone for large-scale implementation in optoelectronic devices.     

A visible-light and infrared video database for performance evaluation of video/image fusion methods

Multidimensional Systems and Signal Processing - In general, the fusion of visible-light and infrared images produces a composite representation where both data are pictured in a single image. The...     

SIVA: A System for Coverage-Directed State Space Search

We introduce SImulation Verification with Augmentation (SIVA), a tool for coverage-directed state space search on digital hardware designs. SIVA tightly integrates simulation with symbolic techniques for efficient state space search. Specifically, the core algorithm uses a combination of ATPG and BDDs to generate directed input vectors, i.e., inputs which cover behavior not excited by simulation. We also present approaches to automatically generate lighthouses that guide the search towards hard-to-reach coverage goals. Experiments demonstrate that our approach is capable of achieving significantly greater coverage than either simulation or symbolic techniques in isolation.