Electron Devices Research Articles

On the acceptance, commissioning, and quality assurance of electron FLASH units.

FLASH or ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy (RT) has gained attention in recent years for its ability to spare normal tissues relative to conventional dose rate (CDR) RT in various preclinical trials. However, clinical implementation of this promising treatment option has been limited because of the lack of availability of accelerators capable of delivering UHDR RT. Commercial options are finally reaching the market that produce electron beams with average dose rates of up to 1000Gy/s. We established a framework for the acceptance, commissioning, and periodic quality assurance (QA) of electron FLASH units and present an example of commissioning. A protocol for acceptance, commissioning, and QA of UHDR linear accelerators was established by combining and adapting standards and professional recommendations for standard linear accelerators based on the experience with UHDR at four clinical centers that use different UHDR devices. Non-standard dosimetric beam parameters considered included pulse width, pulse repetition frequency, dose per pulse, and instantaneous dose rate, together with recommendations on how to acquire these measurements. The 6- and 9-MeV beams of an UHDR electron device were commissioned by using this developed protocol. Measurements were acquired with a combination of ion chambers, beam current transformers (BCTs), and dose-rate-independent passive dosimeters. The unit was calibrated according to the concept of redundant dosimetry using a reference setup. This study provides detailed recommendations for the acceptance testing, commissioning, and routine QA of low-energy electron UHDR linear accelerators. The proposed framework is not limited to any specific unit, making it applicable to all existing eFLASH units in the market. Through practical insights and theoretical discourse, this document establishes a benchmark for the commissioning of UHDR devices for clinical use.

SuFEx‐based Transparent Polysulfates and their Applications in Tunable Resistant Electrical Memory Materials

AbstractVisibly transparent electron devices are current research highlights, which are found at the “neotype” stage of technical development for the usage in the next generation “see‐through” electronic devices. However, less attention is paid to transparent semiconductor memory devices, and hence, achieving such “see‐through” electronic devices are still partially limited by lacking the easily achievable and cost‐effective transparent memory materials. Herein, three visible light transparent polysulfate‐based memory devices are reported, e.g. ITO/P‐BPS/Al, ITO/P‐TPA/Al, and ITO/P‐TPABPS/Al, that displayed DRAM, WORM, and FLASH effects, respectively. The mechanisms of the observed memory behavior of each memory material are proposed on the basis of computational simulation. Remarkably, these polysulfates‐based memory materials are obtained by simply using different main‐chain repeating units, suggesting a wide application potential of polysulfate as functionalized materials.

A novel perspective of addressing the hydraulic dynamic imbalance in district heating network: The application of nonlinear programming

Hydraulic balance within the heating system's pipeline network is essential for efficient operation. Hydraulic imbalances can result in increased energy consumption and heat loss. Accordingly, a new dynamic hydraulic model has been developed, leveraging the topological structure of the network. This model incorporates the nonlinear constraints associated with flow coupling between electric valves and variable frequency pumps, with the objective of minimizing energy used in pump operation. It determines the optimal pump frequency and valve settings for operational adjustments. The model's predictive accuracy was validated using real operational data from a campus heating system. Additionally, it calculates the campus's ideal load and evaluates the potential for energy savings. Three adjustment strategies were established based on different temporal scales: hourly, day-and-night, and daily. Findings indicate that the optimized system offers substantial energy savings, particularly the hourly adjustment, which reduces pump energy consumption by 38.2 % and total system flow by 9.0 %. The day-and-night variable frequency was the next most effective, reducing pump energy consumption by 32.8 %, and total system flow by 7.6 %. The daily variable frequency strategy showed the least energy savings, with pump energy consumption by 25.0 %, and total system flow by 5.5 %. This dynamic hydraulic regulation optimization model serves as a valuable tool for developing intelligent heating systems.

Increasing the Efficiency of Thermoelectric Conversion of Solar Energy

The article considers the latest achievements in the field of thermionic conversion of solar energy. The key aspects of thermionic emission, the problems of reducing the electrode work function and increasing the efficiency of devices are analyzed. It is shown that diamonds doped with phosphorus can be an attractive material for the purposes of thermionic emission. In this case, the presence of donor states can significantly narrow the space charge region, and at the same time reduce the potential barrier in the work function. The studies also found that the most successful and widely used method for overcoming the space charge effect is filling the interelectrode gap with cesium. The efficiency of thermionic conversion devices for solar energy increases by 1.6 times. Particular attention is paid to the use of new materials, such as nanostructures and carbon nanotubes, as well as promising technologies, such as photonic enhancement of thermionic processes. The analysis of the results showed that the photonic enhancement of the electron yield due to illumination is greater in p-type silicon, as predicted by theoretical models. The thermionic current increases by 1.7 times compared to silicon. The distance between the quasi-Fermi level and the Fermi level in n-type silicon is less than this distance in p-type silicon. As a consequence, the number of electrons in the conduction band is smaller. Methods for combating the space charge effect and optimizing the configuration of energy conversion systems are discussed.

The effect of solar thermal energy storage on natural gas heating systems: An experimental and techno-economic investigation

This study investigates the storage of solar thermal energy using thermal oils in Kilis, Türkiye, a region characterized by high solar potential. Both experimental and modeling studies were conducted. Mobiltherm 605 and PO Heat Transfer Oil 32 were tested as alternatives to commonly used oils. PO Heat Transfer Oil 32 was introduced to the literature for the first time. The impact of operating temperature, water flow rate, and outdoor temperature on the efficiency of stored thermal energy in the water heating system was examined. The findings revealed that system efficiency averaged 42 % at a nighttime outdoor temperature of 9 °C but decreased to 36 % at 13.5 °C. Efficiency was also 36 % at a flow rate of 0.7 m/s, decreasing to 24 % at 0.24 m/s. Mobiltherm 605 cooled down later than PO 32 in the thermal tank, indicating a higher heat transfer coefficient for PO 32. Based on experimental data, a model of the thermal storage system was developed, and its techno-economic feasibility was assessed. Using this model, a techno-economic analysis was performed and the potential for this clean energy to reduce reliance on natural gas combi boilers for heating was discussed. For a building with a maximum indoor-outdoor temperature difference of 20 °C and a heating requirement of 467 kWh over 14 h, the thermal energy cost was estimated to be $0.029/kWh. This implementation reduced carbon emissions by 130 kg/day. The total equipment cost for the thermal storage system, with a U-type Vacuum Tube Collector (U-VTC) area of approximately 380 m2, was $295,697. In conclusion, both Mobiltherm 605 and PO Heat Transfer Oil 32 demonstrated comparable price/performance ratios relative to common oils.

Reduced ultimate-bound of tracking error convergence for ETV system with unknown upper-bound mismatched perturbation

The electronic throttle valve (ETV) is widely used in automobile engines to obtain efficient fuel combustion, improved fuel economy, and reduced emissions. The control of the ETV system is a challenging problem due to the unmatched structure of perturbation and its unknown upper bound. As such, deep control concerns are required. For such a system, recent control approaches could partially solve the ultimate boundedness of convergence error, but they have failed to find a solution in the presence of unknown upper-bound perturbation. The contribution of this study is to develop a novel backstepping-based barrier function integral sliding mode controller (BS-BFISMC) to find a solution for the ETV system without the pre-knowledge of the upper bound of perturbation. The proposed control scheme gets the benefits of the backstepping algorithm (BS) and barrier function integral sliding mode control (BFISMC), and the combined scheme could lead to reduced ultimate-bound convergence of tracking error and result in chattering-free control action. A rigorous stability analysis has been conducted to prove the finding reached by the proposed control approach. The efficacy and effectiveness of the proposed controller have been shown by conducting a comparison study with other existing control methods; namely, conventional backstepping controller, robust continuous backstepping (CRBS), and backstepping-based quasi-integral sliding mode controller (BS-QISMC). The numerical results showed that the proposed BS-BFISMC yields the lowest level of ultimate bound of tracking errors and the least control efforts as compared to other controllers. Also, it has been shown that the proposed controller does not require the upper bound of perturbation, which is a pre-requisition of all compared controllers.

Solar Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Systems: A Review of Technologies, Parameters, and Applications

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a widely utilized technology for generating electricity from various sources, including geothermal energy, waste heat, biomass, and solar energy. Harnessing solar radiation to drive ORC is a promising renewable energy technology due to the high compatibility of solar collector operating temperatures with the thermal requirements of the cycle. The aim of this review article is to present and discuss the principles of solar-ORC technology and the broad range of solar-ORC systems that have been explored in the literature. Various solar energy technologies capable of powering ORC are investigated, including flat plate collectors, vacuum tube collectors, compound parabolic collectors, and parabolic trough collectors. The review places significant emphasis on the operating parameters of technology.

Half-metallic behavior and anisotropy of two-dimensional MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunction

Heterojunctions formed by stacking different two-dimensional monolayer materials typically have tunable electronic properties, which will greatly broaden the application prospects of 2D materials in electron devices. In this paper, the structures, electron properties, and anisotropy of MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunctions formed by stacking MoSi2N4 monolayer with semiconductor properties and ScSi2N4 monolayer with half-metallic properties have been systematically studied. The results show that Type-Ⅰ configuration has the most stable structure in terms of total energy, binding energy, phonon spectrum and molecular dynamics among the three configurations formed by MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunctions. The MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunction has robust half-metallic behavior and tensile anisotropy at equilibrium. At the same time, MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunction can still maintain stable ferromagnetic and half-metallic properties under large interlayer distance changes. Studies of magnetic anisotropy show that the direction of hard axis for MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunction is perpendicular to the 2D layer plane. The tunable properties of MoSi2N4/ScSi2N4 heterojunction provides promising exploration for novel 2D materials.

Blood trauma in veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: low pump pressures and low circuit resistance matter

BackgroundVeno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) has become standard of care in patients with the most severe forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, hemolysis and bleeding are one of the most frequent side effects, affecting mortality. Despite the widespread use of VV ECMO, current protocols lack detailed, in-vivo data-based recommendations for safe ECMO pump operating conditions. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the impact of VV ECMO pump operating conditions on hemolysis by combining in-silico modeling and clinical data analysis.MethodsWe combined data from 580 patients treated with VV ECMO in conjunction with numerical predictions of hemolysis using computational fluid dynamics and reduced order modeling of the Rotaflow (Getinge) and DP3 (Xenios) pumps. Blood trauma parameters across 94,779 pump operating points were associated with numerical predictions of shear induced hemolysis.ResultsMinimal hemolysis was observed at low pump pressures and low circuit resistance across all flow rates, whereas high pump pressures and circuit resistance consistently precipitated substantial hemolysis, irrespective of flow rate. However, the lower the flow rate, the more pronounced the influence of circuit resistance on hemolysis became. Numerical models validated against clinical data demonstrated a strong association (Spearman’s r = 0.8) between simulated and observed hemolysis, irrespective of the pump type.ConclusionsIntegrating in-silico predictions with clinical data provided a novel approach in understanding and potentially reducing blood trauma in VV ECMO. This study further demonstrated that a key factor in lowering side effects of ECMO support is the maintenance of low circuit resistance, including oxygenators with the lowest possible resistance, the shortest feasible circuit tubing, and cannulae with an optimal diameter.

Phylogenetic tree and Molecular detection of Theileria velifera in sheep southern Iraq

Background: The purpose of this research was to ascertain T. velifera's evolutionary state in the Iraqi province of Al-Diwaniyah. In this investigation, the clinical assessment of fifty infected Blood samples (2.5 ml per animal) were collected from sheep, and a PCR technique was used to target the samples. Aim: This suggests that there may be intimate ties between certain global strains and our local ones. The vacuum tubes were coated with EDTA. Materials And Methods: The PCR and partial gene sequencing were conducted with the 18S rRNA gene serving as the molecular target. All of the examined samples had the targeted segments amplified at 400 bp according to the PCR, which used the 18S rRNA gene as genetic targets. Local T. velifera isolates' 18S rRNA gene sequences were compared to global reference strains of the species that were listed in the GenBank. Results: The local strains matched Chinese isolates 100% of the time and Chinese isolates Theileria luwenshuni 99% of the time. High fever (40.3–41.5°C), decreased appetite or appetence, asymmetrical enlargement of superficial lymph nodes, especially the pre-scapular ones, diarrhea in some cases, pale or icteric eye mucus membrane, lacrimation, sclera bleeding, abnormal movement, depression, dullness, and salivation were among the clinical signs displayed by diseased sheep. Conclusion: The information gathered from the current inspection effort may show how the local strains differ genetically from other strains listed in the GeneBank.

Влияние малых доз ионизирующего излучения при облучении in vitro на показатели крови

Abstract. The purpose is the determination of the degree of influence of small absorbed doses of ionizing radiation on biochemical and hematological parameters during irradiation of peripheral blood samples of cattle in vitro. For the work, blood samples were taken from lactating cows kept under the influence of the background absorbed dose in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, followed by in vitro irradiation at doses of 5, 50, 500 mGy. Methods. Peripheral blood was taken from blood vessels from the tail vein into vacuum tubes with a coagulation activator, in vitro irradiation of samples was carried out on an installation equipped with a Cs-137 source, biochemical studies of blood serum were carried out using a PE-5400UF spectrophotometer. Hematological blood parameters were determined according to generally accepted methods. Results. Ionizing radiation in vitro in doses of 5 mGy, 50 mGy and 500 mGy of peripheral blood samples of cattle affects hematological parameters in different directions, which is characterized by wave-like fluctuations in hemoglobin values, a decrease in the content of erythrocytes and a decrease in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. It was found that a single irradiation of peripheral blood samples of cows at a dose of 5 mGy reduced the concentration of beta-globulins and creatinine and did not affect the content of total protein and protein fractions. When exposed to ionizing radiation at a dose of 50 mGy, the content of total protein, the level of beta-globulins, creatinine decreased in blood samples, and the content of albumins and alpha-, gamma-globulins did not change. When irradiated at a dose of 500 mGy, the relative content of alpha-globulins, the concentration of ALT and AST decreased, the content of creatinine, total protein, albumins and beta-, gamma-globulins did not change. The stability of alkaline phosphatase, albumins and gamma globulins to ionizing effects at doses of 5 mGy, 50 mGy and 500 mGy has been established. Scientific novelty. The linear dependence of the concentration of alpha-globulins, AST and ALT on the absorbed dose was revealed, the numerical values of the approximation coefficients describing the decrease in concentration and biochemical parameters were determined. The inverse direct linear relationship between creatinine stability and absorbed dose has been established. Practical significance is the established digital values of the approximation coefficients of alpha globulins, AST and ALT can be used in the reconstruction of radiation dose values in the range of 5–50 mGy.

A-060 Assessing Glucose Stability: A Comparison of Citrate/NaF, NaF, and Gel Separator Vacuum Tubes in Routine Medical Laboratory Practice

Abstract Background In cases where a glycolysis inhibitor is not utilized, blood cells in vitro can consume glucose. Although current guidelines suggest using citrate-buffered inhibitors or ice-water slurry to mitigate this, practical and financial constraints often hinder adherence to these recommendations. Our objective was to evaluate the difference in glucose concentration in our routine sample management by employing Citrate buffered/NaF, NaF, and Gel Barrier tubes. Methods In this study, we utilized Greiner FCmix citrate-buffered NaF and EDTA tubes (3 mL), Becton Dickinson NaF and EDTA tubes (4 mL), and Becton Dickinson SSTII Gel Barrier tubes (5 mL). Following venipuncture, the tubes were transferred to the laboratory and centrifuged within 30 minutes. Glucose levels of 46 patients' samples were measured using a Cobas 6000 system (c501) employing the Glucose Hexokinase method, which exhibits an intermediate coefficient of variation (CV) of approximately 1.5% and no significant bias, as confirmed by monitoring with Biorad EQAS. Results The mean plasma glucose difference between Citrate-buffered tubes and NaF tube samples was 2.8 mg/dL with a 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 2.2 to 3.4 mg/dL (Mean: 0.16 mmol/L; CI: 0.12 - 0.19 mmol/L). The difference in paired samples of NaF plasma and Gel Barrier tubes serum glucose was 3.2 mg/dL with a CI of 2.5 - 3.9 mg/dL (Mean: 0.18 mmol/L; CI: 0.14 - 0.22 mmol/L). Lastly, the mean difference in Citrate-buffered plasma and serum Gel barrier tubes for 46 paired samples was 6.0 mg/dL with a CI of 5.2 - 6.7 mg/dL (Mean: 0.33 mmol/L; CI: 0.29 - 0.37 mmol/L). Conclusions Following guidelines, Citrate-buffered/NaF tubes demonstrate efficacy as glucose stabilizers. When compared to NaF tubes alone within a 30-minute timeframe, the mean difference between the two types of tubes was 2.8 mg/dL. Although NaF tubes are no longer recommended for glucose testing in plasma, they still outperform gel barrier serum tubes by 3.2 mg/dL. Furthermore, compared to citrate/NaF Plasma, serum glucose levels were on average 6.0 mg/dL lower. The preanalytical sample stage poses a significant obstacle to its reliable use for diagnostic or monitoring purposes. Laboratories should consider transitioning to Citrate/NaF tubes, or employ mathematical corrections if utilizing gel separator tubes for glucose testing in their established preanalytical process.

B-184 Purifying High-Quality Genomic DNA From Frozen Blood Samples Stored up to 1.5 Years at -20°C

Abstract Background Maintaining DNA integrity in blood samples, from transport to storage to processing, is crucial to the success of downstream applications, especially regarding diagnostic applications. Additionally, due to the invasive nature of collecting blood samples, minimizing resampling to avoid excess patient pain and cost of collection and transportation are important to consider. Having the option to store and maintain portions of blood samples in the freezer enables future retesting without recollection. Since -20°C freezers generally are more affordable, require less energy, and have smaller footprints than -80°C freezers, demonstrating frozen blood stability at -20°C temperatures could decrease sampling burdens for labs with facility constraints. Methods Whole blood was collected into 9mL vacuum tubes (HemaSure-OMXP) from healthy donors. Aliquots of whole blood and buffy coat samples were stored at -20°C and thawed for genomic DNA extractions (QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit, Qiagen) at a range of different timepoints; frozen whole blood samples were processed at 0, 49, 141, and 148 days and frozen buffy coat samples were processed at 7, 27, 36, 185, 246, 373, 394, 584, and 604 days. Purified gDNA was quantified with Qubit (Broad Range dsDNA Assay, ThermoFisher) and qualified with Nanodrop One Microvolume UV-Vis Spectrophotometer (ThermoFisher) and TapeStation (Genomic DNA ScreenTape, Agilent Technologies). Results No significant decrease was observed for DNA yield and quality between fresh and frozen whole blood samples. Average DNA yields from 200 μL whole blood were 4.5 ± 2.2 μg and 5.3 ± 1.2 μg for fresh and frozen blood respectively. Average DNA integrity (DIN) was 6.9 ± 0.4 and 7.1 ± 0.3 for fresh and frozen blood respectively. Donor differences in blood samples can help explain the variance in DNA yields reported. No significant decrease was observed for DNA yield and quality in buffy coat samples frozen for longer at -20°C. In total, 84 whole blood and 25 buffy coat samples were processed in this study. Conclusions Although buffy coat samples tended to have higher yields than whole blood, due to the higher amount of white blood cells present, both sample types provided sufficient amounts of gDNA for downstream applications. Freezing blood samples for future testing can be effective at reducing the need for resampling without sacrificing the nucleic acid yield or quality of fresh samples. Additionally, as technological advancements are made for equipment and assays, frozen blood samples can be retested and compared to previous results for improved diagnostic decisions, done without requiring recollection from labs and patients.

B-148 Bacer: decentralized isotope dilution method with lab blinding for blood alcohol content

Abstract Background In legal medicine, the determination Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) usually faced the problems of insufficient sample size, ethanol degradation and impossible double check. In addition, the integrity of laboratory may also be questioned. To this end, we developed a decentralized solution based on isotope dilution method. Methods Patented deuterated ethanol vacuum tube was used in field as regular type, weight of blood was record to BACer terminal. Arbitrary amount of sample(ca.0.1-1.0g) was pipetted to GC sample vial and sealed tightly, then heated more than 2min at 70°C, 10µL headspace sample was injected into GC-MS. Blinded lab uploaded peak area ratio of ethanol/deuterated ethanol(mz31/33) to BACer to calculate the final BAC. Results Regression between peak area ratios of ethanol/deuterated ethanol showed good linearity in the range of 0.10-5.0 (R2>0.999). Regression equation of different instruments were proved good consistency with slopes ranged from 1.03 to 1.07, and the LOD and LOQ were around 0.01mg/g and 0.05mg/g, 3-level recoveries between 97%-101% with RSD less than 1%. During the 6-month stability test at 4°C and normal temperature, the blood sample test results maintained good stability. The proposed method was applied to 2021 CNAS proficiency testing (2021SF-CNAS002) organized by China Academy of Forensic Sciences with satisfactory results. The comparison with Chinese standard method SF/Z JD0107001-2010 yielded good agreement with Passing&Bablok test (P>0.10). The expanded uncertainty estimated by Monte-carlo method was less than 3%. Conclusions This proposed method showed the possibility of decentralized determination of BAC with lab blinding, the separation of on-site sampling data and laboratory testing also provided the possibility of integrity of results. It also provided a possible solution for the scenarios where the storage condition of blood collection is poor, or the cross check is required. But good chromatographic separation and operation are compulsive due to the possibility of interference in IDMS.

Investigation and Batch Fabrication of G-Band Broad Band and Low Loss Monocrystalline Diamond Window for Vacuum Electron Devices

Investigation and Batch Fabrication of G-Band Broad Band and Low Loss Monocrystalline Diamond Window for Vacuum Electron Devices

Special Issue on Intelligent Sensor Systems for the IEEE Journal of Electron Devices

Special Issue on Intelligent Sensor Systems for the IEEE Journal of Electron Devices

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices Table of Contents

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices Table of Contents

Special Issue on Intelligent Sensor Systems for the IEEE Journal of Electron Devices

Special Issue on Intelligent Sensor Systems for the IEEE Journal of Electron Devices

Painting Rocks with Polarized Light

Abstract Exploring the intersection between science and art — Sciart — inevitably involves microscopy because of its intrinsic ability to reveal microscopic hidden worlds not normally accessible to the public. Aesthetic microscopy, mainly performed in the biosciences using optical and electron devices, has more recently included the world of rocks and minerals as viewed with polarized light microscopy. In this contribution, all images are only from quartz to demonstrate the project micROCKScopica, where thin slices of rocks are “painted” with polarized light. The results resemble abstract or impressionist works of art. Who would have imagined?

Two highly accurate and efficient numerical methods for solving the fractional Liénard’s equation arising in oscillating circuits

In this paper, we investigate the fractional model of the Liénard and Duffing equations with the Liouville-Caputo fractional derivative. These equations grow with the evolution of radio and vacuum tube technology, which describe oscillating circuits and generalize the spring–mass device equation. We compare two numerical approaches, namely Jacobi and Haar wavelet collocation methods. The given approaches are used to discretize and transform the equation into a system of algebraic equations, and the Broyden-Quasi Newton algorithm is applied to solve the resulting nonlinear system of equations. A complete error analysis and convergence rates for different grid sizes are derived for both methods, which are used to compare the accuracy and efficiency of the two approaches. While both approaches produce correct solutions, according to the numerical findings, the Jacobi collocation method is more efficient and accurate than the Haar wavelet collocation method.