Edge Of Domain Research Articles

Driving Performance After Self-Regulated Control Transitions in Highly Automated Vehicles.

This study aims to explore whether driver-paced, noncritical transitions of control may counteract some of the aftereffects observed in the contemporary literature, resulting in higher levels of vehicle control. Research into control transitions in highly automated driving has focused on urgent scenarios where drivers are given a relatively short time span to respond to a request to resume manual control, resulting in seemingly scrambled control when manual control is resumed. Twenty-six drivers drove two scenarios with an automated driving feature activated. Drivers were asked to read a newspaper or monitor the system and relinquish or resume control from the automation when prompted by vehicle systems. Driving performance in terms of lane positioning and steering behavior was assessed for 20 seconds post resuming control to capture the resulting level of control. It was found that lane positioning was virtually unaffected for the duration of the 20-second time span in both automated conditions compared to the manual baseline when drivers resumed manual control; however, significant increases in the standard deviation of steering input were found for both automated conditions compared to baseline. No significant differences were found between the two automated conditions. The results indicate that when drivers self-paced the transfer back to manual control they exhibit less of the detrimental effects observed in system-paced conditions. It was shown that self-paced transitions could reduce the risk of accidents near the edge of the operational design domain. Vehicle manufacturers must consider these benefits when designing contemporary systems.

Correlated electronic states at domain walls of a Mott-charge-density-wave insulator 1T-TaS2

Domain walls in interacting electronic systems can have distinct localized states, which often govern physical properties and may lead to unprecedented functionalities and novel devices. However, electronic states within domain walls themselves have not been clearly identified and understood for strongly correlated electron systems. Here, we resolve the electronic states localized on domain walls in a Mott-charge-density-wave insulator 1T-TaS2 using scanning tunneling spectroscopy. We establish that the domain wall state decomposes into two nonconducting states located at the center of domain walls and edges of domains. Theoretical calculations reveal their atomistic origin as the local reconstruction of domain walls under the strong influence of electron correlation. Our results introduce a concept for the domain wall electronic property, the walls own internal degrees of freedom, which is potentially related to the controllability of domain wall electronic properties.

Inertial gravity currents produced by fluid drainage from an edge

We present theoretical, numerical and experimental studies of the release of a finite volume of fluid instantaneously from an edge of a rectangular domain for high Reynolds number flows. For the cases we considered, the results indicate that approximately half of the initial volume exits during an early adjustment period. Then, the inertial gravity current reaches a self-similar phase during which approximately 40 % of its volume drains and its height decreases as $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}^{-2}$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}$ is a dimensionless time that is derived with the typical gravity wave speed and the horizontal length of the domain. Based on scaling arguments, we reduce the shallow-water partial differential equations into two nonlinear ordinary differential equations (representing the continuity and momentum equations), which are solved analytically by imposing a zero velocity boundary condition at the closed end wall and a critical Froude number condition at the open edge. The solutions are in good agreement with the performed experiments and direct numerical simulations for various geometries, densities and viscosities. This study provides new insights into the dynamical behaviour of a fluid draining from an edge in the inertial regime. The solutions may be useful for environmental, geophysical and engineering applications such as open channel flows, ventilations and dam-break problems.

Hermite parametric surface interpolation based on Argyris element

In this paper, Hermite interpolation by parametric spline surfaces on triangulations is considered. The splines interpolate points, the corresponding tangent planes and normal curvature forms at domain vertices and approximate tangent planes at midpoints of domain edges. Two variations of the scheme are studied: C1 quintic and G1 octic. The latter is of higher polynomial degree but can approximate surfaces of arbitrary topology. The construction of the approximant is local and fast. Some numerical examples of surface approximation are presented.

HIS-TORIC: extending core ICRF wave simulation to include realistic SOL plasmas

This paper presents a novel approach to incorporating an arbitrarily shaped edge scrape-off-layer (SOL) plasma and an ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) antenna structure into existing core ICRF wave simulation models. We partition the entire computation domain into two sub-domains: a core and an edge region. Simulations in each domain are performed separately with appropriate numerical solvers. For the core, the TORIC ICRF solver (Brambilla 1999 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 41 1) was modified to impose an essential (Dirichlet) boundary condition at its interface with the edge domain. In the edge, a finite element method is used to solve a cold collisional plasma model. The domains are then joined together using the continuity boundary condition for the tangential electric and magnetic fields at their interfaces (Hybrid Integration of SOL to TORIC: HIS-TORIC). The model developed here was tested using an ICRH H minority heating scenario on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak (Hutchinson et al 1994 Phys. Plasmas 1 1511). The simulated pattern of core wave propagation agrees well with a standard TORIC simulation. This approach opens the possibility of using a realistic diverted SOL plasma and a complicated 3D RF antenna together with a rigorous hot core plasma model, while requiring only minimal modification to existing RF codes.

Abstract 4471: Novel SF3B1 deletion mutations result in aberrant RNA splicing in CLL patients

Abstract Recurrent heterozygous mutations in SF3B1, a component of the U2snRNP complex involved in branchsite recognition during the first step of splicing catalysis, are found in various solid tumors and hematologic cancers including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). To provide broader insight into the effects of SF3B1 mutations on RNA splicing in CLL, RNAseq was performed on 215 CLL patient samples with unknown SF3B1 mutation status. 37 patients (17%) demonstrated cryptic 3’ splice site usage we and others have previously reported in patients with known SF3B1 hotspot mutations. Interestingly, 3 patient samples harbored previously unreported in-frame deletions in SF3B1 around K700, the most common amino acid mutated in hematologic cancers with SF3B1 mutations. In particular, 2 patient sequences contained 6 nucleotide (nt) deletions (c.2186 to c.2191) resulting in replacement of Q698, Q699 and K700 with Q (p.Q698_K700delinsQ: “p.Q698del”) and 1 patient sequence had a 3 nt deletion (c.2192 to c.2194) resulting in replacement of K700 and V701 with N (p.K700_V701delinsN: “p.K700del”) in SF3B1. The variant allele fraction (VAF) of these deletions was 20-40%. Targeted resequencing of DNA confirmed presence of these mutations at similar VAFs. Differential splicing analysis across patients with wild-type SF3B1, mutant SF3B1 and our novel deletions revealed similar alternative 3’ splice site patterns. To study the mechanism of alternative 3’ splice site selection induced by these novel p.Q698del and p.K700del in-frame deletions we used our ZDHHC16 minigene system with modifications in the canonical and cryptic 3’ splice sites and respective branchsites. After confirming expression of these deletion mutants and their incorporation in the SF3b complex by qPCR and co-immunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that recognition of both canonical 3’ splice site and alternate branchsite are important for aberrant splicing. This observation is identical to the intronic features required for aberrant splicing that we previously reported for the p.K700E SF3B1 hotspot mutation in CLL and MDS. By comparing the recent cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystal structures of SF3b complexes (PDB: 5GM6 and 5IFE, respectively), it is evident that the K700 present at the edge of heat repeat domain 6 is important for pre-mRNA interactions. Both the in-frame deletions and substitution mutations at K700 perturb SF3B1 charge, likely affecting a side-chain interaction with pre-mRNA, thus altering splice-site recognition through a mechanism that is still not well understood. Together, these data indicate that small in-frame deletions in SF3B1 around K700 offer a novel mechanism to induce aberrant splicing in patients with CLL. The common mechanism of action of these mutations and deletions suggest that they should also be sensitive to splicing modulators. Citation Format: Anant A. Agrawal, Michael Seiler, Lindsey Brinton, Rose Mantel, Rosa Lapalombella, Jennifer A. Woyach, Amy J. Johnson, Lihua Yu, John C. Byrd, Peter G. Smith, James S. Blachly*, Silvia Buonamici*. Novel SF3B1 deletion mutations result in aberrant RNA splicing in CLL patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4471. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4471

Controllable syntheses and energy related applications of MX<sub>2</sub> heterostructures

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have been a central focus of materials research since the discovery of graphene. Each layer in 2D layered materials consists of a covalently bonded and is weakly bound to neighboring layers by van der Waals interactions. This makes it feasible to mix and match highly disparate atomic layers to create a wide range of vertical heterostructures without the constraints of lattice matching and processing compatibility. In these heteros- tructures, different physical and chemical properties accompany with the stacked materials are combined, furthermore, many applications in electronic/optoelectronic devices and renewable energy storage/conversions are demonstrated. Notably, the controllable syntheses of large area, large domain size and intrinsic vertical heterostructures are the first step. In this review, recent research achievements towards the controllable syntheses and novel physical properties of MX2/ graphene and MX2/MX2 vertical heterostructures, as well as their applications in electrocatalytic/photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction are highlighted. Firstly, by using a facile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach, high quality and coverage-tunable monolayer MoS2/graphene vertical heterostructures on conventional Au foil substrates are demonstrated. The unique system is selected in view of the tunability of the coverage of MoS2, or the densities of active sites in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), as well as its compatibility with scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) observations. Spectroscopic characterizations reveal a quasi-freestanding monolayer MoS2 feature, which is evidenced by a very weak n-doping effect and an intrinsic bandgap of MoS2 in the MoS2/graphene/Au sandwich, as obtained from STM/STS characterizations. Moreover, the exciton binding energy is also deduced by combining photoluminescence measurements. For monolayer MoS2 synthesized on graphene/Au foils, a dramatic decrease of the bandgap from 2.20 to 0.30 eV occurs at the domain edge within a lateral distance of 6 nm, as evidenced by STM/STS observations. The edges of monolayer MoS2 triangles on graphene/Au foils can thus be regarded as narrow-gap quantum wires considering of their reduced bandgaps. More intriguingly, the bandgap decrease at the domain edge is closely related to the rather high HER performance for MoS2/graphene/Au foils comparing with that of MoS2/Au foils. Secondly, a growth-temperature-mediated two-step CVD strategy is designed to synthesize either MoS2/WS2 or WS2/MoS2 vertical heterostructures on Au foils in a controllable manner. The Au foil substrate is selected in view of its concurrently compatible with the growth of MoS2 and WS2 domains and even complete layers at considerably different temperatures. This unique growth system is also suitable for on-site STM/STS observations and direct photocatalysis applications. A dominant A-A stacked MoS2/WS2 and A-B stacked WS2/MoS2 heterostructures are selectively achieved and convinced by spherical-aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) characterizations. The quasiparticle bandgap of MoS2/WS2/Au foils is unambiguously determined as 1.60±0.08 eV by STM/STS. More intriguingly, the as-grown MoS2/WS2 stacks is found to possess higher photocatalytic activity in HER than that of MoS2, WS2, and WS2/MoS2, due to the effective electron-hole separation and the fast electron transfer kinetics. Motivated by those observations, we believe that significant research interests would be sparked about the oriented syntheses and the versatile applications of MX2-based heterostructures. Finally, remaining challenges for the controllable syntheses and the large-scale applications of MX2/graphene and MX2/MX2 vertical heterostructures are discussed, and the future research directions in the related fields are also proposed.

Piptocarpha longipedunculata (Asteraceae, Vernonieae) a new species of Serra do Mar, São Paulo, Brazil

Piptocarpha longipedunculata is a new species that is endemic to the São Paulo state in Brazil and occurs in the northern region of Serra do Mar. It is classified as endangered (EN) due to its limited geographic distribution. The species grows in areas of Ombrophilous Dense Forest, riparian forests and forest edges of Atlantic Forest Domain. It resembles Piptocarpha axillaris and Piptocarpha macropoda in its overall appearance, but differs mainly by its long pedunculated capitula with few flowers. Its characteristics and relationships within the genus are discussed here. Illustrations and a distribution map are also provided.

The basement revealed: Tectonic insight from a digital elevation model of the Great Unconformity, USA cratonic platform

Across much of North America, the contact between Precambrian basement and Paleozoic strata is the Great Unconformity, a surface that represents a >0.4 b.y.-long hiatus. A digital elevation model (DEM) of this surface visually highlights regional-scale variability in the character of basement topography across the United States cratonic platform. Specifically, it delineates Phanerozoic tectonic domains, each characterized by a distinct structural wavelength (horizontal distance between adjacent highs) and/or structural amplitude (vertical distance between adjacent lows and highs). The largest domain, the Midcontinent domain, includes long-wavelength epeirogenic basins and domes, as well as fault-controlled steps. The pronounced change in land-surface elevation at the Rocky Mountain Front coincides with the western edge of the Midcontinent domain on the basement DEM. In the Rocky Mountain and Colorado Plateau domains, west of the Rocky Mountain Front, structural wavelength is significantly shorter and structural amplitude significantly higher than in the Midcontinent domain. The Bordering Basins domain outlines the southern and eastern edges of the Midcontinent domain. As emphasized by the basement DEM, several kilometers of structural relief occur across the boundary between these two domains, even though this boundary does not stand out on ground-surface topography. A plot of epicenters on the basement DEM supports models associating intraplate seismicity with the Midcontinent domain edge. Notably, certain changes in crustal thickness also coincide with distinct changes in basement depth.

Planar discrete birth-growth Poisson–Voronoi tessellations with the von Neumann neighbourhood

Poisson–Voronoi tessellations are widely used as the generic model for studying various birth-growth processes and resulting morphologies in physics, chemistry, materials science, and related fields. This paper studies planar discrete Poisson–Voronoi tessellations constructed directly by the growth to impingement of random square germs. They materially differ from similar tessellations constructed of the nearest tile loci according to the basic definition. The boundary structure is described in detail. Its peculiarities are used to extend the concept of Gabriel edges to the considered discrete case and also to quantify this concept. The averaged percentage of Gabriel edges appears to be practically independent of the germs density, = 70%. The studied densities range from 0.01 to 0.000 01. Statistical results are presented for the whole tessellation and also for subsets of random domains with the given number of edges ν. Two sets of results are compared: for edges of each random domain arranged from the longest to the shortest and for edges arranged from the nearest to the most distant. Averaged distances to neighbours in the metric determined by the growth mode of islands are compared with that in the Euclidean metric. Also, the cyclic sequences of edge lengths of random domains are examined. The linearity with respect to ν is revealed for four scaling-related characteristics: the area of random domains, the perimeter length of random domains, the area of complete concentric belts, and the coordinates of maxima of kinetic curves.

Nearly perfectly matched layer boundary conditions for operator upscaling of the acoustic wave equation

Acoustic imaging and sensor modeling are processes that require repeated solution of the acoustic wave equation. Solution of the wave equation can be computationally expensive and memory intensive for large simulation domains. One scheme for speeding up solution of the wave equation is the operator-based upscaling method. The algorithm proceeds in two steps. First, the wave equation is solved for fine grid unknowns internal to coarse blocks assuming the coarse blocks do not need to communicate with neighboring blocks in parallel. Second, these fine grid solutions are used to form a new problem which is solved on the coarse grid. Accurate and efficient wave propagation schemes also must avoid artificial reflections off of the computational domain edges. One popular method for preventing artificial reflections is the nearly perfectly matched layer (NPML) method. In this paper, we discuss applying NPML to operator upscaling for the wave equation. We show that although we only apply NPML to the first step of this two step algorithm (directly affecting the fine grid unknowns only), we still see a significant reduction of reflections back into the domain. We describe three numerical experiments (one homogeneous medium experiment and two heterogeneous media examples) in which we validate that the solution of the wave equation exponentially decays in the NPML regions. Numerical experiments of acoustic wave propagation in two dimensions with a reasonable absorbing layer thickness resulted in a maximum pressure reflection of 3–8%. While the coarse grid acceleration is not explicitly damped in our algorithm, the tight coupling between the two steps of the algorithm results in only 0.1–1% of acceleration reflecting back into the computational domain.

Strong Adlayer–Substrate Interactions “Break” the Patching Growth of h-BN onto Graphene on Re(0001)

Hetero-epitaxial growth of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) from the edges of graphene domains or vice versa has been widely observed during synthesis of in-plane heterostructures of h-BN-G on Rh(111), Ir(111), and even Cu foil. We report that on a strongly coupled Re(0001) substrate via a similar two-step sequential growth strategy, h-BN preferably nucleated on the edges of Re(0001) steps rather than on the edges of existing graphene domains. Statistically, one-third of the domain boundaries of graphene and h-BN were patched seamlessly, and the others were characterized by obvious "defect lines" when the total coverage approached a full monolayer. This imperfect merging behavior can be explained by translational misalignment and lattice mismatch of the resulting separated component domains. According to density functional theory calculations, this coexisting patching and non-patching growth behavior was radically mediated by the strong adlayer-substrate (A-S) interactions, as well as the disparate formation energies of the attachment of B-N pairs or B-N lines along the edges of the Re(0001) steps versus the graphene domains. This work will be of fundamental significance for the controllable synthesis of in-plane heterostructures constructed from two-dimensional layered materials with consideration of A-S interactions.

A Hybrid Dynamic Mesh Generation Method for Multi-Block Structured Grid

AbstractIn this paper, a hybrid dynamic mesh generation method for multi-block structured grid is presented based on inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation and transfinite interpolation (TFI). The major advantage of the algorithm is that it maintains the effectiveness of TFI, while possessing the ability to deal with multi-block structured grid from the IDW method. In this approach, dynamic mesh generation is made in two steps. At first, all domain vertexes with known deformation are selected as sample points and IDW interpolation is applied to get the grid deformation on domain edges. Then, an arc-length-based TFI is employed to efficiently calculate the grid deformation on block faces and inside each block. The present approach can be well applied to both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) problems. The proposed method has been well-validated by several test cases. Numerical results show that dynamic meshes with high quality can be generated in an accurate and efficient manner.

Computational fluid dynamics analysis of the effect of topographic obstacles on extractable power by horizontal axis wind turbines

Wind velocity profile varies in the boundary layer according to a complex pattern that depends hugely on the surface roughness and local Reynolds number. The presence of a macroscopic obstacle on the ground surface modifies considerably the flow characteristics of wind speed profile. In this study, the effect on wind speed resulting from local circulatory motion induced by the existence of an obstacle is analyzed in stationary conditions under the assumption of two-dimensional approximation of the problem. Computational fluid dynamics is used to solve the turbulent air flow equations that consist of Navier–Stokes equations coupled to a K-ε turbulence model. A bounded domain having a rectangular form was introduced in order to schematize the atmospheric region containing the obstacle and wind turbine. The boundary conditions at ground surface were fixed by applying a modified wall law. The other boundary conditions included a logarithmic velocity profile at the input, a uniform speed applied on the upper edge of the rectangular domain and a uniform pressure in the outlet area. To solve the obtained equations, Comsol Multiphysics software package was used. The obtained results have shown that the presence of an obstacle has a huge effect on the wind profile pattern and affects largely the extractable power from wind by the wind turbine system.

Nanoscale Direct Mapping of Noise Source Activities on Graphene Domains.

An electrical noise is one of the key parameters determining the performance of modern electronic devices. However, it has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to image localized noise sources or their activities in such devices. We report a "noise spectral imaging" strategy to map the activities of localized noise sources in graphene domains. Using this method, we could quantitatively estimate sheet resistances and noise source densities inside graphene domains, on domain boundaries and on the edge of graphene. The results show high activities of noise sources and large sheet resistance values at the domain boundary and edge of graphene. Additionally, we showed that the top layer in double-layer graphene had lower noises than single-layer graphene. This work provides valuable insights about the electrical noises of graphene. Furthermore, the capability to directly map noise sources in electronic channels can be a major breakthrough in electrical noise research in general.

In Situ Graphene Growth Dynamics on Polycrystalline Catalyst Foils.

The dynamics of graphene growth on polycrystalline Pt foils during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are investigated using in situ scanning electron microscopy and complementary structural characterization of the catalyst with electron backscatter diffraction. A general growth model is outlined that considers precursor dissociation, mass transport, and attachment to the edge of a growing domain. We thereby analyze graphene growth dynamics at different length scales and reveal that the rate-limiting step varies throughout the process and across different regions of the catalyst surface, including different facets of an individual graphene domain. The facets that define the domain shapes lie normal to slow growth directions, which are determined by the interfacial mobility when attachment to domain edges is rate-limiting, as well as anisotropy in surface diffusion as diffusion becomes rate-limiting. Our observations and analysis thus reveal that the structure of CVD graphene films is intimately linked to that of the underlying polycrystalline catalyst, with both interfacial mobility and diffusional anisotropy depending on the presence of step edges and grain boundaries. The growth model developed serves as a general framework for understanding and optimizing the growth of 2D materials on polycrystalline catalysts.

2D spectral element modeling of GPR wave propagation in inhomogeneous media

We present a spectral element method, for simulation of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in two dimensions. The technique is based upon a weak formulation of the equations of Maxwell and combines the flexibility of the elemental-based methods with the accuracy of the spectral based methods. The wave field on the elements is discretized using high-degree Lagrange interpolation and integration over an element is accomplished based upon the Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre integration rule. As a result, the mass matrix and the damping matrix are always diagonal, which drastically reduces the computational cost. We first develop the formulation of 2D spectral element method (SEM) in the time-domain based on Maxwell's equations. The presented formulation is with matrix notation that simplifies the implementation of the relations in computer programs, especially in MATLAB application. We discuss the differences between spectral element method and finite-element method in the time-domain. Also, we show that the SEM numerical dispersion is much lower than FEM. To absorb waves at the edges of the modeling domain, we implement first order Clayton and Engquist absorbing boundary conditions (CE-ABC) introduced in numerical finite-difference modeling of seismic wave propagation. We used the SEM to simulate a complex model to show its abilities and limitations. As well as, one distinct advantage of SEM is that we can easily define our model features in nodal points, because the integration points and the interpolation points are similar that makes it very flexible in simulation of complex models.

Narrow‐Gap Quantum Wires Arising from the Edges of Monolayer MoS2Synthesized on Graphene

MoS2/graphene (MoS2/Gr) vertical heterostructures have exhibited great application potentials in high speed electronic and optoelectronic devices, as well as efficient electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electronic property at the edge of monolayer MoS2is an essential parameter for addressing such applications. Herein, it is reported that, for monolayer MoS2synthesized on Gr/Au foils by chemical vapor deposition, a dramatic decrease of the bandgap from ≈2.20 to ≈0.30 eV occurs at the domain edge within a lateral distance of ≈6 nm, as evidenced by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy observations. The edges of monolayer MoS2on Gr/Au foils can thus be regarded as narrow‐gap quantum wires considering of their reduced bandgaps. More intriguingly, it is found that this bandgap decrease at the domain edge is closely related to the rather high HER performance for MoS2/Gr/Au foils comparing with that of MoS2/Au foils. Briefly, this work should propel the band structure investigations for MoS2/Gr stacks and their applications in energy related fields.

G 207-9 and LP 133-144: light-curve analysis and asteroseismology of two ZZ Ceti stars

G 207-9 and LP 133-144 are two rarely observed ZZ Ceti stars located in the middle and close to the blue edge of the ZZ Ceti instability domain, respectively. We aimed to observe them at least during one observing season at Konkoly Observatory with the purpose of extending the list of known pulsation modes for asteroseismic investigations and detect any significant changes in their pulsational behaviour. We determined five and three new normal modes of G 207-9 and LP 133-144, respectively. In LP 133-144, our frequency analysis also revealed that at least at three modes there are actually triplets with frequency separations of ~4 microHz. The rotational period of LP 133-144 based on the triplets is ~42 h. The preliminary asteroseismic fits of G 207-9 predict Teff=12 000 or 12 400 K and M*=0.855-0.870 MSun values for the effective temperature and mass of the star, depending on the assumptions on the spherical degree (l) values of the modes. These results are in agreement with the spectroscopic determinations. In the case of LP 133-144, the best-fitting models prefer Teff=11 800 K in effective temperature and M*>=0.71 MSun stellar masses, which are more than 0.1 MSun larger than the spectroscopic value.

Influenza M2 Transmembrane Domain Senses Membrane Heterogeneity and Enhances Membrane Curvature

Targeting host cell membranes by M2 of influenza A virus is important for virus invasion and replication. We study the transmembrane domain of M2 (M2TM) interacting with mica-supported planar bilayers and free-standing giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Using solution atomic force microscopy (AFM), we show that the size of M2TM oligomers is dependent on lipid composition. The addition of M2TM to lipid bilayers containing liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) phases reveals that M2TM preferentially partitions into the Ld phase; phase-dependent partitioning results in a larger rigidity of the Ld phase. We next use fluorescence microscopy to study the effects of M2TM on phase-coexisting GUVs. In particular, M2TM is found to increase GUVs' miscibility transition temperature Tmix. The augmented thermodynamic stability can be accounted for by considering an enhanced energy barrier of lipid mixing between coexisting phases. Our GUV study also shows that M2TM can elicit an array of vesicle shapes mimicking virus budding. M2TM enhanced membrane curvature is consistent with our AFM data, which show altered membrane rigidity and consequently line tension at domain edges. Together, our results highlight that in addition to conducting protons, M2TM can actively regulate membrane heterogeneity and augment membrane curvature.