Compact System Research Articles

Effect of aging on temperature dependence of FeCuSiNbB nanocrystalline materials

Nowadays, increasing energy efficiency in the automotive industry is promoted by employing compact electrical systems. This reduction in the mass and volume of electrical systems exposes magnetic components to high temperatures for extended periods. The present paper investigates the magnetic behavior of FeCuSiNbB nanocrystalline materials across various temperature ranges. Subsequently, the temperature dependency is reevaluated after exposing the magnetic cores to aging at 200 °C. The entire study is founded on monitoring the evolution of macroscopic magnetic properties and analyzing anisotropic energies.

Robust Adaptive Control of the Offshore Produced Water Treatment Process: An Improved Multivariable MRAC-Based Approach

The application of deoiling hydrocyclone systems as the downstream of three-phase gravity separator (TPGS) systems is one of the most commonly deployed produced water treatment processes in offshore oil and gas production. Due to the compact system’s complexity and tailor-made features, it is always challenging to develop some optimally coordinated control solution for the coupled hydrocyclone and TPGS systems. It is obvious that coordinated control can better fulfill legislative discharge regulation by robustly maintaining high separation efficiencies. This paper presents a new control solution for a set of integrated hydrocyclone and TPGS systems by applying an improved multi-variable model reference adaptive control (MV-MRAC) approach with the aim of achieving both asymptotic output tracking and unknown disturbance rejection. A robust MV-MRAC controller design is proposed based on a control parameterization derived from a factorization of a high-frequency gain matrix Kp=LDS as a product of three matrices, where L represents unity lower triangular, D=sign(D) represents diagonal, and S represents positive definite, and a teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm for optimizing the adaption rates. The developed solution is analyzed and compared with a commonly deployed PI control solution on a model that is derived from a lab-scale produced water treatment process. This simulation study demonstrates the promising potential of the proposed control solution compared with the currently deployed PI control solution.

Antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of cinnamic acid against Multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from Ramadi Teaching hospitals, Iraq

Various bacterial pathotypes remain a significant public health concern due to their pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, the ability of bacteria to form biofilms can hinder host defense and antimicrobial eradication, leading to additional resistance. This study aimed to estimate the cinnamic acid's anti-biofilm activity against biofilms-producing bacteria. From October to November 2023, various clinical isolates were obtained from the Bacteriology Unit, Ramadi Teaching Hospital, Iraq. All isolates were identified using a conventional and automated VITEK-2 compact system. Based on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines and the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST), the Kirby- Bauer disk diffusion and AST were performed for antimicrobial susceptibility. Biofilm formation was estimated using a 96-well Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader. Based on the antimicrobial susceptibility test, all bacterial isolates showed antibiotic resistance, including Kleibsella pneumonieae, Psuedomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The data showed that MICs of cinnamic acid against bacteria were 125 μg /ml.The biofilms formed by all isolates exhibited strong strength (OD570 : 0.078-0.099). Cinnamic acid demonstrated significant inhibition of biofilm production in Multidrug resistance (MDR) bacteria (P-value = 0.0236). The results indicated that Cinnamic acid could be a promising anti-infective agent based on its ability to inhibit MDR-bacterial infections through biofilm formation.

Real‐Time Jones Matrix Synthesis by Compact Polarization Inline Holographic Microscopy

AbstractThe Jones matrix is a powerful quantitative tool for polarimetric imaging and characterization, where the matrix elements represent the intrinsic optical properties of the anisotropic objects on interaction with the polarized light. Most of the state‐of‐the‐art single‐shot Jones‐matrix imaging techniques rely on interferometric methods, which makes the design complex with the use of large number of polarization optics and produces space‐bandwidth limitations. The simultaneous extraction of Jones matrix elements with a compact system design is still a technical challenge in view of its potential applications in biomedical and real‐time characterization scenarios. In this paper, the imaging features of the in‐line holography are exploited to develop a compact polarization in‐line holography (PIH) system capable of single‐shot extraction of Jones‐matrix elements. The technique achieves simultaneous orthogonal polarization state generation and corresponding polarization multiplexed in‐line hologram detection by utilizing a compact polarization geometry. The imaging compatibility and measurement accuracy of the method is experimentally validated by the real‐time synthesis of Jones‐matrix elements corresponding to custom designed polarization sensitive samples and standard birefringent resolution target. Furthermore, to demonstrate the application of the system in dynamic imaging, the transient polarization changes of a custom‐designed parallel nematic liquid crystal display (LCD) are investigated.

Biomimetic nanocluster photoreceptors for adaptative circular polarization vision

Nanoclusters with atomically precise structures and discrete energy levels are considered as nanoscale semiconductors for artificial intelligence. However, nanocluster electronic engineering and optoelectronic behavior have remained obscure and unexplored. Hence, we create nanocluster photoreceptors inspired by mantis shrimp visual systems to satisfy the needs of compact but multi-task vision hardware and explore the photo-induced electronic transport. Wafer-scale arrayed photoreceptors are constructed by a nanocluster-conjugated molecule heterostructure. Nanoclusters perform as an in-sensor charge reservoir to tune the conductance levels of artificial photoreceptors by a light valve mechanism. A ligand-assisted charge transfer process takes place at nanocluster interface and it features an integration of spectral-dependent visual adaptation and circular polarization recognition. This approach is further employed for developing concisely structured, multi-task, and compact artificial visual systems and provides valuable guidelines for nanocluster neuromorphic devices.

Single-mode squeezed-light generation and tomography with an integrated optical parametric oscillator.

Quantum optical technologies promise advances in sensing, computing, and communication. A key resource is squeezed light, where quantum noise is redistributed between optical quadratures. We introduce a monolithic, chip-scale platform that exploits the χ(2) nonlinearity of a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) resonator device to efficiently generate squeezed states of light. Our system integrates all essential components-except for the laser and two detectors-on a single chip with an area of one square centimeter, reducing the size, operational complexity, and power consumption associated with conventional setups. Using the balanced homodyne measurement subsystem that we implemented on the same chip, we measure a squeezing of 0.55 decibels and an anti-squeezing of 1.55 decibels. We use 20 milliwatts of input power to generate the parametric oscillator pump field by using second harmonic generation on the same chip. Our work represents a step toward compact and efficient quantum optical systems posed to leverage the rapid advances in integrated nonlinear and quantum photonics.

Significance of Fabry-Perot Cavities for Space Gravitational Wave Antenna DECIGO

DECIGO is a future Japanese project for the detection of gravitational waves in space. To conduct various scientific missions, including the verification of cosmic inflation through the detection of primordial gravitational waves as the main objective, DECIGO is designed to have high sensitivity in the frequency band from 0.1 to 10 Hz, with arms of length 1000 km. Furthermore, the use of the Fabry-Perotcavity in these arms has been established for the DECIGO project. In this paper, we scrutinize the significance of the Fabry-Perot cavity for promoting this project, with a focus on the possibility of observing gravitational waves from cosmic inflation and binary compact star systems as indicators. The results show that using the Fabry-Perot cavity is extremely beneficial for detecting them, and it is anticipated to enable the opening of a new window in gravitational wave astronomy.

Rapid Measurement of Magnetic Particle Concentrations in Wildland–Urban Interface Fire Ashes and Runoff Using Compact NMR

Wildfires are increasing in size, frequency, and intensity, releasing increased amounts of contaminants, including magnetic particles, into the surrounding environment. The aim of this paper is to develop a sensing method for the detection and quantification of magnetic particles (MPs) in fire ash and fire runoff using a compact Time-Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR) system. The system is made up of custom NMR electronics with a compact and rugged permanent magnet array designed to enable future deployment as an in situ sensor. A signal-to-noise ratio of 25 dB was measured for a single scan, and sufficient data can be acquired in one minute. A linear relationship with an R <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> value of 0.9699 was established between transverse relaxation rates and MP concentrations in ash samples. This was validated by testing known dilutions of pure magnetite particles and showing that they fit within the same linear curve. The developed approach was then applied to detect MPs in surface water, where changes in the relaxation rates as high as 400% were observed before and after a wildfire event. MPs were removed from the surface water using a magnetic particle separator to confirm that observed changes were solely due to the presence of MPs. The compact NMR system can be used as a simple and rapid approach to track and quantify the concentrations of magnetic particles released from fire ashes and also from other sources such as discharges from coal ash and other combustion ashes.

Detection of bla-AIM Metallo Beta Lactamase Gene among Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia and Carbapenem Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolated from Various Infections in AL- Najaf Province

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a "rapidly evolving pathogen of concern" that is increasingly being identified. The World Health Organization also recognizes it as one of the hospitals' most significant multi-drugresistant pathogens. Also, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes most healthcare-associated infections, and it is considered a paradigm of antibiotic resistance development. In many hospitals across the globe, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as a significant source of infection. The present study aimed to study the isolation and diagnosis of S. maltophilia and P. aeruginosa from different clinical samples, Evaluate the occurrence of carbapenem resistance of P. aeruginosa isolated from clinical samples and investigate the dissemination of the bla-AIM genes between these isolates. A total of 850 specimens were collected from various clinical samples between 2022 and 2023. The specimens included 220 swabs (burn), 200 (urine), 140 (stool), and 130(wound). 90 (ear),50 (throat), 10 (Cerebrospinal fluid), and 10 (blood). Represented by 680 specimens contained bacterial growth, and 170 specimens had no bacterial growth. Out of the 680 bacterial growth isolates, 410 revealed growths of Gram-negative bacteria, and 270 were Gram-positive bacteria. On MacConkey ag, ar 180/410 bacteria were lactose ferment; other isolates, es 230/410 of the isolates were lactose non-fermented bacteria. In a cross-sectional manner, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates during this period were isolated and identified depending on the primary methods of diagnosis, then the use of the VITEK-2 compact system. The results showed 42 isolates of S. maltophilia and 80 isolates of P. aeruginosa from total Gram-negative bacteria. The results show that only five isolates contained the AIM gene, with a percentage of (10.4 %) of the 48 Carbapenem Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates, five isolates from 42 S. maltophilia contain the AIM gene with a percentage (11.9%), based on the Polymerase chain reactions assay. Keywords: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Carbapenem Resistance, Pseudomonas aerginosa.

A compact wideband self-isolated uniplanar quad MIMO antenna for C-band applications

The paper presents the development of a compact uniplanar MIMO antenna system for C-band applications. A quad-element MIMO system with uniplanar design arrangements for a compact 40 mm × 40 mm mainframe is analyzed. Four similar P-shaped radiators with a common ground form a self-isolating MIMO arrangement. After conducting a thorough parametric analysis, slots are added to the antennas to reduce their size and area. The overall area of the miniaturized radiator element is 16 mm2. The orthogonal mode MIMO covers an operating bandwidth of 5 GHz frequency range from 4 GHz to 9 GHz with the isolation of less than 15.5 dB and an overall gain of 4.6 dBi so it is fabricated and tested. The suggested antenna can cover the entire C-band frequencies (4 GHz-8 GHz) and a partial X-band frequency. The antenna provides a good radiation efficiency of 96%. The suggested antenna’s diversity characteristics, such as ECC (<0.13), TARC (< −10 dB), MEG, and CCL ensure good diversity performances. The SAR value of the MIMO is assessed, and the results are within bounds. The suggested MIMO system exhibits good efficiency, adequate isolation between individual antennas without the need for any decoupling mechanisms, increased antenna gain, and improved ECC while keeping a lower antenna size. The suggested compact quad MIMO system is appropriate for C-band applications.

Thermal runaway and induced electrical failure of epoxy resin in high‐frequency transformers: Insulation design reference

AbstractSolid‐state transformers (SSTs) have applications in medium‐voltage (MV) DC grids and compact power systems. High‐frequency transformer (HFT) is the core component of SSTs. High levels of high frequency high dv/dt voltage stresses challenged the integrity of the galvanic insulation of HFTs. However, dielectric thermal runaway and resultant electrical failure mechanisms in epoxy resin (EP) cast insulation remain unclear. Dielectric heating of EP across varying voltages, frequencies, rising edges, duty cycles and DC biases were measured and corroborated by simulation. The thermal runaway threshold mainly depends on the tangency point of the loss generation and heat dissipation curves below the glass transition temperature. Observations reveal that thermal runaway does not directly cause breakdown; instead, thermal decomposition above 200°C triggers discharge and eventual failure. Simulations demonstrate that temperature rise mainly depends on the average field within the electrode region and inter‐segment and inter‐layer distances within the HFT winding definitively impact insulation thermal runaway. By applying different criteria for MV and high‐voltage (HV) transformers, the reference electric fields for insulation design with unfilled and filled EP were obtained. For instance, limiting dielectric heating below 5 K at 50 kHz necessitates an RMS average field less than 0.44 V/mm, which is much lower than dry‐type transformer conventions. The authors prove the necessity of re‐evaluating the permissible field strength in HFT insulation design.

Combining 77–81 GHz MIMO FMCW radar with frequency-steered antennas: a case study for 3D target localization

Abstract In this paper, we introduce a compact 6 × 8 channel multiple-input multiple-output frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar system capable of determining the three-dimensional positions of targets despite utilizing a linear virtual array. The compact system, containing two cascaded radar transceiver ICs, has 48 virtual channels. We conduct a direction of arrival estimation with these virtual channels to determine the azimuth angle. To overcome the spatial limitation of the linear array, we use frequency-steered transmit antennas, which vary their main lobe direction during the frequency chirp, allowing the elevation angle to be determined by using a sliding window fast Fourier transform algorithm. In this study, we present the system’s concept along with the associated signal processing. By taking measurements in different scenarios, each with differently placed corner reflectors, we investigate the capability of the system to separate adjacent targets concerning range, azimuth, and elevation. These measurements are additionally employed to point out the design trade-offs inherent to the system.

Facial Emotional Recognition using Raspberry Pi

This facial emotion recognition project utilizes a Raspberry Pi for real-time analysis of facial expressions. Using a camera module, the system captures facial images, and a pre-trained deep learning model processes the data to classify emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, etc. The Raspberry Pi's GPIO pins are employed to trigger specific actions or display emotion labels. This compact and efficient system demonstrates the integration of edge computing and machine learning for emotion analysis in a portable setup. Keywords- : Face, Expression, Raspberry Pi, Recognition, Feature Extraction.

Compact quartz tuning fork-atomic force microscope with a low thermal drift at room temperature

A quartz tuning fork-atomic force microscope (QTF-AFM) is one of the useful research instruments for studying atomic or molecular-level dynamics in an ultra-high vacuum and low-temperature environment. In such conditions, movement of atoms or molecules is minimized, eliminating concerns about thermal drift. However, if it is possible to accurately measure atomic or molecular-level dynamics at room temperature, valuable information about atomic or molecular motion in real-life scenarios can be obtained. Nonetheless, the biggest obstacle in observing molecular-level motion at room temperature is the difficulty in precisely determining the position due to thermal drift. In this study, to address this issue, glass material was used instead of conventional metal materials as a system body, and the size was significantly reduced to create a compact QTF-AFM system. The aim was to minimize the system's thermal drift (∼2 p.m./s), thereby compensating for the challenge of accurately confirming positions affected by thermal drift.

Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of lattice-apron compact spinning with an air guide

The four-roller compact spinning system is widely used today and is considered an improvement over traditional ring spinning because of its excellent yarn properties. Reducing energy consumption in compact spinning has always been a key issue for the textile industry. This paper proposed a method for installing an air guide on compact spinning to reduce energy consumption. Four types of air guides were designed with different side shapes (Type-N, Type-L, Type-R, and Type-LR), and the airflow characteristics in the converging zone were analyzed using numerical simulation. In addition, high-speed photography technology and image-processing technology were used to study the dynamic state of the fiber bundle in the flow field of the converging zone. The effectiveness of the preferred solution of the air guide was also verified by spinning experiments. The results revealed that the best air guide was Type-LR, achieving a 3.7% reduction in yarn hairiness even after a decrease in negative pressure by 800 Pa and a 58.4% reduction in power of the fan motor, surpassing the yarn quality observed without any air guide.

Innovative Early Detection of High-Temperature Abuse of Prismatic Cells and Post-Abuse Degradation Analysis Using Pressure and External Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Innovative Early Detection of High-Temperature Abuse of Prismatic Cells and Post-Abuse Degradation Analysis Using Pressure and External Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Proof of Concept of an Affordable, Compact and Transcranial Submillimeter Accurate Ultrasound-Based Tracking System.

In neurosurgery, a current challenge is to provide localized therapy in deep and difficult-to-access brain areas with millimeter accuracy. In this prospect, new surgical devices such as microrobots are being developed, which require controlled inbrain navigation to ensure the safety and efficiency of the intervention. In this context, the device tracking technology has to answer a three-sided challenge: invasiveness, performance, and facility of use. Although ultrasound seems appropriate for transcranial tracking, the skull remains an obstacle because of its significant acoustic perturbations. A compact and affordable ultrasound-based tracking system that minimizes skull-related disturbances is proposed here. This system consists of three emitters fixed on the patient's head and a one-millimeter receiver embedded in the surgical device. The 3D position of the receiver is obtained by trilateration based on time of flight measurements. The system demonstrates a submillimeter tracking accuracy through an 8.9 mm thick skull plate phantom. This result opens multiple perspectives in terms of millimeter accurate navigation for a large number of neurobiomedical devices.

Modified switching control of SRM drives for electric vehicles application with torque ripple reduction

The switched reluctance motor (SRM) offers extensive prospects, particularly within the realm of electric vehicles (EVs). Its robust construction, wide speed range, high torque density, and efficiency provide significant advantages that surpass other motors. Nonetheless, controlling these motors is more intricate when compared to conventional DC brushed or AC motors. This complexity arises due to the non-linear inductance characteristics of SRMs, resulting in undesirable effects like torque ripple, vibrations, and noise. Using the conventional full-bridge inverter, three switching approaches are highlighted for various operating modes of an EV. This aims to reduce costs and the number of switching pulses, leading to a more compact system, elimination of dead time, and switching losses. The MATLAB/Simulink platform was utilized to examine the operational effectiveness of a three-phase 6/4 poles SRM drive. Additionally, this paper focuses on mitigating torque ripple concerns by employing an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) controller that has better efficiency and superior responses compared to conventional controllers such as fuzzy logic control (FLC) and proportional integral (PI) control. The results of the simulation encourage the practical implementation of the system, which is the next step in the author’s research.

High energy electron diffraction instrument with tunable camera length.

Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) stands as a powerful technique for real-time observation of structural dynamics at the atomic level. In recent years, the use of MeV electrons from radio frequency guns has been widely adopted to take advantage of the relativistic suppression of the space charge effects that otherwise limit the temporal resolution of the technique. Nevertheless, there is not a clear choice for the optimal energy for a UED instrument. Scaling to beam energies higher than a few MeV does pose significant technical challenges, mainly related to the inherent increase in diffraction camera length associated with the smaller Bragg angles. In this study, we report a solution by using a compact post-sample magnetic optical system to magnify the diffraction pattern from a crystal Au sample illuminated by an 8.2 MeV electron beam. Our method employs, as one of the lenses of the optical system, a triplet of compact, high field gradients (>500 T/m), small-gap (3.5 mm) Halbach permanent magnet quadrupoles. Shifting the relative position of the quadrupoles, we demonstrate tuning the magnification by more than a factor of two, a 6× improvement in camera length, and reciprocal space resolution better than 0.1 Å-1 in agreement with beam transport simulations.

Compact MIMO UWB antenna integration with Ku band for advanced wireless communication applications

This paper introduces a compact Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Ultrawideband (UWB) antenna seamlessly integrated with the Ku band, tailored for wireless communication applications. The MIMO antenna employs octagonal radiators, crafted from a tapered microstrip line-fed rectangular patch, etched on an economically efficient FR4 substrate measuring 40 × 23 mm2. The octagonal configuration is achieved by introducing a rectangular patch to the central radiator, while parasitic stubs are strategically employed to mitigate coupling among MIMO elements. The antenna demonstrates an extensive operational bandwidth spanning 3.28–17.8 GHz, covering UWB, extended UWB, and Ku-band spectrums globally allocated for heterogeneous applications. With a peak gain of 4.93 dBi and an efficiency of 95.34%, the proposed MIMO antenna showcases superior performance. Key performance parameters, including a low envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) of 0.003 and a substantial diversity gain (DG) of 9.997 dB, are thoroughly analyzed. Comparative assessments against recent works validate the novelty and potential of the proposed antenna for integration into compact wireless systems. This study underscores the success of the antenna design in achieving a harmonious balance of compactness, wide operational bandwidth, and high performance, positioning it as a promising candidate for diverse wireless communication applications.