Array Elements Research Articles

An array of paired folded-end dipoles for whole-brain imaging at 9.4 T

PurposeTo improve transmit B1+ field homogeneity and longitudinal coverage of a human head RF array coil, we developed a novel eight-element transceiver (TxRx) array using composite elements based on paired folded-end dipoles. MethodsThe developed array consisted of eight pairs of coupled folded-end dipoles. Only one dipole in each pair was driven during transmission, while the other was passively coupled with the active one. The distribution of the transmit B1+ field was numerically optimized by changing the overlap between the dipoles and the value of the reactive lumped element placed in the middle of the passive dipole. ResultsThe proposed array of paired folded-end dipoles substantially improved the B1+ homogeneity and longitudinal coverage over the entire brain including the brain stem compared to a single-row folded-end dipole array. The improved whole brain coverage was demonstrated both numerically and experimentally. ConclusionAs a proof of concept, we developed and characterized both numerically and experimentally a prototype of a single-row eight-element 9.4 T array for human brain imaging consisting of composite array elements based on paired passively-coupled folded-end dipoles. The array improved the transmit magnetic field distribution due to the laterally elongated field pattern created by one active and one passive dipole per channel. As a result, the provided coverage was substantially better than that of an 8-element dipole array consisting of long folded-end dipoles. For the first time, an image of the entire human brain at 9.4 T, covering the brain stem up to the fourth vertebra, was obtained using a simple single row eight-element array.

Mode Measurement of Vortex Electromagnetic Wave With Random Receiving Array Element Defects via Low Rank Matrix Completion

Mode Measurement of Vortex Electromagnetic Wave With Random Receiving Array Element Defects via Low Rank Matrix Completion

Gain Improvement of Millimetre-Wave Two Element Array Antenna for 5G Networks by Using Frequency-Selective Surface-based Reflector

Gain Improvement of Millimetre-Wave Two Element Array Antenna for 5G Networks by Using Frequency-Selective Surface-based Reflector

Parametric Analysis of a Novel Array-Type Hydrogen Storage Reactor with External Water-Cooled Jacket Heat Exchange

Hydrogen energy is a green and environmentally friendly energy source, as well as an excellent energy carrier. Hydrogen storage technology is a key factor in its commercial development. Solid hydrogen storage methods represented by using metal hydride (MH) materials have good application prospects, but there are still problems of higher heat transfer resistance and slower hydrogen absorption and release rate as the material is applied to reactors. This study innovatively proposed an array-type MH hydrogen storage reactor based on external water-cooled jacket heat exchange, aiming to improve the heat transfer efficiency and absorption reaction performance, and optimize the absorption kinetics encountered in practical applications of LaNi5 hydrogen storage material in reactors. A mathematical model was built to compare the hydrogen absorption processes of the novel array-type and traditional reactors. The results showed that, with the same water-cooled jacket, the hydrogen absorption rate of the array-type reactor can be accelerated by 2.78 times compared to the traditional reactor. Because of the existence of heat transfer enhancement limits, the increase in the number of array elements and the flow rate of heat transfer fluid (HTF) has a limited impact on the absorption rate improvement of the array-type reactor. To break the limits, the hydrogen absorption pressure, as a direct driving force, can be increased. In addition, the increased pressure also increases the heat transfer temperature difference, thereby further improving heat transfer and absorption rate. For instance, at 3 MPa, the hydrogen absorption time can be shortened to 147 s.

Optimal Design of Smart Antenna Arrays for Beamforming, Direction Finding, and Null Placement Using the Soft Computing Method

ABSTRACTThe urge of modern communication system is to design and development of the smart antennas with adaptive radiation characteristics. The multifold capabilities of fourth‐dimensional antenna arrays can cater that much needed adaptiveness if properly designed. Compared to the conventional arrays, the fourth‐dimensional arrays have one added advantage as the ‘Time’ of all the switched‐on antenna elements can be managed to generate the required amplitude and phase tapering without even using attenuators and phase shifters. However, one inherent limitation of fourth‐dimensional control parameter is the generation of harmonics or sidebands. This article proposes various means of radiation pattern synthesis in fourth‐dimensional linear antenna arrays with pulse shifting, pulse splitting, and a combination of both. First of all, the pulse splitting and shifting techniques are combinedly proposed by reducing the sidelobe levels and sideband levels of the beamforming antenna arrays to enhance directivities and efficiencies. Then, this mathematical proposition of the direction finding fourth‐dimensional arrays is developed. Finally, broad nulls over a specific angle of arrival region are created for jamming and interference mitigation. For all these cases, the sidelobe level and the unwanted higher‐order sideband levels are suppressed to reduce the unwanted interferences and power losses. The optimal time schemes for all the synthesized patterns are generated by proposing a chaos‐based soft computing algorithm. The radiofrequency signals at each radiating array element are processed by the optimal time schemes proposed for specific applications. The outcomes are validated and compared with other state‐of‐the‐art works of this domain to prove the competency of the proposed work. The qualitative and quantitative comparisons presented for beamforming array is aimed for a good improvement over other reported works by targeting ultralow (less than −40 dB) sidelobe and sideband levels. For direction‐finding array, the proposed idea has also targeted ultralow sidelobes for the main as well as steered beam patterns. Furthermore, the null placement over a region has been aimed to cover more area for jamming and sidelobe reduction for interference mitigation. Overall, the optimal designs proposed for these advanced applications are beneficial for cutting‐edge communication systems.

A deep brain stimulation-conditioned RF coil for 3T MRI.

To develop and test an MRI coil assembly for imaging deep brain stimulation (DBS) at 3 T with a reduced level of local specific absorption rate of RF fields near the implant. A mechanical rotatable linearly polarized birdcage transmitter outfitted with a 32-channel receive array was constructed. The coil performance and image quality were systematically evaluated using bench-level measurements and imaging performance tests, including SNR maps, array element noise correlation, and acceleration capabilities. Electromagnetic simulations and phantom experiments were performed with clinically relevant DBS device configurations to evaluate the reduction of specific absorption rate and temperature near the implant compared with a circular polarized body coil setup. The linearly polarized birdcage coil features a block-shaped low electric field region to be co-aligned with the implanted DBS lead trajectory, while the close-fit receive array enables imaging with high SNR and enhanced encoding capabilities. The 3T coil assembly, consisting of a rotating linear birdcage and a 32-channel close-fit receive array, showed DBS-conditioned imaging technology with substantially reduced heat generation at the DBS implants.

Non-uniformly Spaced Antenna Arrays with Overlapped Elements Constraint

In the literature, inter-element spacing antenna design methods have been widely discussed and presented as an alternative approach to element excitation amplitude and/or phase control methods that may be relied upon to achieve the required array pattern shapes. However, methods associated with non-uniformly distributed elements suffer from the element overlap problem, where some of the optimized element locations may overlap each other and cause changes in the overall array aperture length. Practically, these element overlaps cannot be implemented, due to the physical antenna element size, without omitting some of them. Consequently, the overall performance of the antenna array is degraded. Further, degradation may occur when considering phased arrays with scanned main beams. In this paper, we first illustrate the effect of the problem of overlapped element locations and then we propose two approaches based on the genetic algorithm to optimize non-uniformly spaced arrays with overlapped element locations, while simultaneously preserving the array's directivity. To solve the problem of overlapping and to determine the physical array element size, the minimum element-spacing constraints are incorporated in a simple way in the proposed approaches. Thus, the time required to perform optimization-related computations is greatly reduced. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the two proposed solutions, where the probability of the elements overlapping has been reduced to zero under specific conditions related to the locations of the some of the elements, while the peak sidelobe levels were always kept below -15 dB and directivity was maintained, to the extent possible, at the level of that of standard uniformly spaced arrays.

Diatoms in Focus: Chemically Doped Biosilica for Customized Nanomaterials.

Diatoms are photosynthetic microalgae widely diffused around the globe and well adapted to thrive in diverse environments. Their success is closely related to the nanostructured biosilica shell (frustule) that serves as exoskeleton. Said structures have attracted great attention, thanks to their hierarchically ordered network of micro- and nanopores. Frustules display high specific surface, mechanical resistance and photonic properties, useful for the design of functional and complex materials, with applications including sensing, biomedicine, optoelectronics and energy storage and conversion. Current technology allows to alter the chemical composition of extracted frustules with a diverse array of elements, via chemical and biochemical strategies, without compromising their valuable morphology. We started our research on diatoms from the viewpoint of material scientists, envisaging the possibilities of these nanostructured silica shells as a general platform to obtain functional materials for several applications via chemical functionalization. Our first paper in the field was published in ChemPlusChem ten years ago. Ten years later, in this Perspective, we gather the most recent and relevant functional materials derived from diatom biosilica to show the growth and diversification that this field is currently experiencing, and the key role it will play in the near future.

Marine predator’s algorithm-based linear and elliptical antenna array design for 5G communication

The highly efficient linear and elliptical antenna array design presented in this article is intended to synthesize far-field radiation patterns for 5G communication. The objective is to achieve the best possible radiation pattern, which includes a lower side lobe level (SLL) and a narrower half-power beam width (HPBW). A low SLL is crucial to minimize intervention in the entire side lobe region, whereas long-distance communication requires a low HPBW. The marine predator’s algorithm (MPA) is used here to determine the optimal feeding currents to each array element to reduce the SLL and HPBW values. Two linear antenna array (LAA) design examples and the three elliptical antenna array (EAA) design examples are discussed in this article which are achieved using the optimal current excitations to each array element. Two well-established evolutionary optimization techniques, namely the genetic algorithm (GA) and the differential evolution (DE) technique, are also employed for comparison to demonstrate the superiority of the MPA optimization-based technique. The results achieved utilizing the MPA show the improvement of SLL contraction compared to the uniform antenna array and the methods affirmed in the recently published article.

Range-Domain Subspace Detector in the Presence of Direct Blast for Forward Scattering Detection in Shallow-Water Environments

This paper aims to detect a target that crosses the baseline connecting the source and the receiver in shallow-water environments, which is a special scenario for a bistatic sonar system. In such a detection scenario, an intense sound wave, known as the direct blast, propagates directly from the source to the receiver without target scattering. This direct blast usually arrives at the receiver simultaneously with the forward scattering signal and exhibits a larger intensity than the signal, posing a significant challenge for target detection. In this paper, a range-domain subspace is constructed by the horizontal distance between the source/target and each element of a horizontal linear array (HLA) when the ranges of environmental parameters are known a priori. Meanwhile, a range-domain subspace detector based on direct blast suppression (RSD-DS) is proposed for forward scattering detection. The source and the target are located at different positions, so the direct blast and the scattered signal are in different range-domain subspaces. By projecting the received data onto the orthogonal complement subspace of the direct blast subspace, the direct blast can be suppressed and the signal that lies outside the direct blast subspace is used for target detection. The simulation results indicate that the proposed RSD-DS exhibits a performance close to the generalized likelihood ratio detector (GLRD) while requiring less prior knowledge of environments (only known are the ranges of the sediment sound speed and the bottom sound speed), and its robustness to environmental uncertainties is better than that of the latter. Moreover, the proposed RSD-DS exhibits better immunity against the direct blast than the GLRD, since it can still work effectively at a signal-to-direct blast ratio (SDR) of −30 dB, while the GLRD stops working in this case.

Electromagnetic fields transformation in UWB infinite antenna arrays in the cluster excitation mode

Infinite ultra-wideband (UWB) arrays of TEM horns and Vivaldi antennas were considered. At the first stage we used an array model in the quasi-periodic excitation mode in the form of a Floquet channel. It was implemented in the HFSS electromagnetic modeling system. At the second stage the array parameters in the cluster excitation mode were determined using the calculated scattering matrix of the Floquet channel. Two clusters of TEM horns and Vivaldi antennas were analyzed. They were finite along one coordinate and infinite along the other. It was investigated how the cluster size, frequency, amplitude distribution of exciting waves, scanning in the sector of angles affect the shape of the amplitude-phase distribution of the field in the array aperture. It was shown that the field distribution in the emitting aperture may differ significantly from the distribution of exciting waves at the inputs of the array elements. An explanation of this effect based on the representation of the field in the array in the form of a superposition of its eigen waves was proposed.

Reconfigurable dielectric resonator antenna and array with frequency and polarization flexibility

To implement frequency and polarization hybrid reconfiguration, a 4 × 4 array has been investigated. The radiation elements of the antenna array consist of cylindrical dielectric resonators, Wilkinson power divider, PIN diode, and dielectric substrate. The PIN diode controls the states of each branch in the Wilkinson power divider to achieve frequency and polarization reconfigurability. To verify the feasibility of the design, a fabricated sample of the proposed antenna array has been measured. The results demonstrate that the antenna array can be switched freely between its operating frequencies and polarizations. It operates within a bandwidth of 1.93 to 4.6 GHz for frequency reconfiguration, and three common polarization states—linear polarization, left-handed circular polarization, and right-handed circular polarization—can be continuously tuned from 2.96 to 3.39 GHz.

8519 Investigating the Role of Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT1 (Pias1) in Growth Plate Chondrocyte Maturation

Abstract Disclosure: J. Baronas: None. U. Ahmed: None. J.N. Hirschhorn: None. N.E. Renthal: None. Development of growth plate chondrocytes is a complex process that involves a wide array of regulatory elements. Recently our laboratory conducted a genome wide CRISPR knockout (KO) screen of growth plate chondrocyte maturation to discover novel genes and gene networks in the proliferation and maturation of chondrocytes. Among targets uncovered is Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT 1 (Pias1), an E3 SUMO ligase that plays a multi-faceted role in genetic regulation, driving post-translational modifications, directly binding to transcription factors, and functioning as a DNA-binding protein. While Pias1 has been shown to be involved in the regulation of many cellular processes across multiple tissues, its function in growth plate development and chondrocyte maturation has been previously unstudied. In our genome-wide screen, our laboratory identified that loss of Pias1 led to early maturation of chondrocytes. This project seeks to investigate the role of Pias1 in chondrocyte maturation and differentiation. We first developed a Pias1-KO chondrocyte cell line, observing upregulation of hypertrophic markers Cd200 and Col10a1 in KOs relative to control via qPCR, in addition to proliferative regulators IHH and Pth1R. Through Bulk-RNAseq of the same cell line, we identified additional chondrocyte markers as upregulated in KO, as well as osteoblast marker Sp7. Members of the HoxD family, regulators of limb development, were downregulated. Cell culture data suggests that loss of Pias1 leads to increased cell proliferation and increased matrix production, indicating dysregulation of multiple chondrocyte processes. Immunohistochemistry of micromass culture sections also suggests morphological differences between KO and control, with KO cells significantly larger in diameter. Early SUMO-1 profiling yields limited evidence of decreased global SUMOylation in KO cells, one possible mechanistic explanation for the observed dysregulation. Ongoing studies are focused on identifying specific SUMOylation targets of Pias1 in chondrocytes, analyzing proteomic differences in KO and control, seeking putative DNA-binding sites of Pias1, and observing in vivo murine Pias1-KO growth plates. Our findings suggest that PIAS1 plays a crucial role in the growth plate by prolonging growth and delaying terminal hypertrophy. Our study aims to provide a better understanding of the regulatory pathways involved in growth plate development and related phenotypes such as height, and contribute to the development of novel therapies for growth-related disorders, such as achondroplasia and hypochondroplasia. Presentation: 6/1/2024

Design and analysis of single-electrode integrated lithium niobate optical phased array for two-dimensional beam steering

The realization of high-speed, low-power optical phased array (OPA) on thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) is considered an ideal solution for the next generation of solid-state beam steering. Most reported on-chip two-dimensional optical phased arrays suffer from issues such as large antenna spacing, high power consumption and complex wiring due to independent control of array elements. To address these challenges while fully utilizing the benefits of the LNOI platform, we propose a two-dimensional beam-scanning OPA based on lithium niobate (LN) waveguides. We design a multi-layer cascaded domain engineering structure inside the LN waveguide, combined with wavelength tuning, to enable two-dimensional beam scanning with single electrode controlling the OPA. Through simulation, we achieve a 42°×9.2° two-dimensional beam steering. Compared to existing on-chip integrated OPAs, this work offers significant advantages in increasing integration, simplifying control units and reducing power consumption.

Study of Residual Stress Using Phased Array Ultrasonics in Ti-6AL-4V Wire-Arc Additively Manufactured Components

This paper presents a study on residual stress measurement in wire-arc additively manufactured (WAAM) titanium samples using the non-destructive method of phased array ultrasonics. The contour method (CM) was used for the verification of the phased array ultrasonic results. This allowed for a comparison of measurement methods to understand the effects on the distribution of residual stress (RS) within Ti-6Al-4V samples and the effectiveness of measurement of residual stress using phased array ultrasonics. From the results of the experiments, the phased array ultrasonic data were found to be in good agreement with the CM results and displayed similar residual stress distributions in the samples. The results of the individual elements of the phased array were also compared and an improvement in accuracy was found. From per-element results, anomalies were found and could be mitigated with the ability to average the results by using phased array ultrasonics. Therefore, based on these results, there is a strong case for the benefits of using phased array ultrasonics as a method of residual stress measurement for WAAM Ti-6Al-4V components over other existing residual stress measurement techniques.

Direction of Arrival Estimation Based on DNN and CNN

The accuracy of Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation primarily depends on the precision of the data. When the receiver uses a low-precision analog-to-digital converter (ADC), traditional DOA estimation algorithms exhibit poor accuracy. To face the challenge of multi-target DOA estimation in scenarios with low-precision ADC quantized sampling, this paper proposes a novel DOA estimation algorithm for quantized signals based on classification problems. A deep learning network was constructed using Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), divided into the quantized signal recovery framework and the DOA estimation framework. The DNN network is utilized to recover signals that have undergone low-precision quantization, while the CNN network addresses the classification problem to estimate the DOA from received data with an unknown number of signal sources. A comprehensive analysis of the impact of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the number of array elements, and the number of quantization bits on the proposed algorithm was conducted. Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm exhibits superior DOA estimation performance in low-precision scenarios, characterized by reduced computational complexity, thereby facilitating real-time DOA estimation.

Digital Beamforming Demonstration of a Microstrip Antenna Phased Array Feeds (PAF) at 1.25 GHz

We introduce the structure of a radio astronomy phased array feeds (PAF) beamforming demonstrator. In a laboratory environment, we have demonstrated beamforming on a received 1.25 GHz sinusoidal signal and used digital weighting techniques to plot the 2D pattern of the PAF. The radio frequency part of the demonstrator includes a 4 × 4 linearly polarized microstrip antenna array, all of which is connected in series with a low-noise amplifier. The signals from the central 4 × 2 array elements are injected into a radio frequency system-on-chip digital board, which can receive eight inputs with a bandwidth of 512 MHz. Combining the principle of undersampling, the beamforming is completed at a frequency of 1.25 GHz for the offline data, and a 2D image of the beam is plotted using beam scanning technology.

A Decoupled Feedback and Fast Norm Optimal Control approach for Normal and Superconducting RF Cavity disturbances compensation

Iterative learning controller (ILC)s of different types have been used in various engineering applications for system control in presence of repetitive disturbance, often encountered in batch control systems. A particle accelerator usually comprising of Radiofrequnecy (RF) cavities, when operated in pulsed mode processes particle beam similar to that in batch systems. However, an injected particle beam disturbs electric field inside RF cavity. In additions to beam loading disturbance encountered in all types of RF cavities, a superconducting cavity also encounters disturbance due to Lorentz force detuning. Under presence of such persisting disturbance/s, a Fast Norm Optimal ILC (FNOILC), helps achieve specified amplitude and phase stability of electric field, which results in beam of specified quality. A sophisticated control system helps achieve this objective. In this paper, FNOILC technique is explored for this purpose. Though, it has been reported for few accelerator facilities, in this work, a decoupling strategy is used in a feedback control loop, resulting into overall enhancement of control performance. Behavioral model of RF cavity is represented as dual input dual output system exhibiting two loops, found interacting due to nonzero cavity detuning. A decoupler is designed based on well known technique/s used in process control applications. Relative gain array element values are used to quantify interaction. In presence of beam loading disturbance, a FNOILC demonstrates an excellent control performance. A standard performance index has been used to assess control performance. It is found that use of decoupler in main feedback loop of RF cavity, enhances the resulting performance index. Besides, an ILC performance needs assessment with practical issues like model uncertainty, sensing delays, high detuning and observation noise. In this paper, most of conclusions are drawn based on large number of modeling and simulation studies carried out for lab prototype 650MHz cavity. Interesting studies like effects of low controller sampling frequency, feedback controller gain tuning, severe detuning, etc. are presented using a novel state plane representation. A zero phase filtering is simulated and proposed as an effective strategy when measurements have noise. This paper forms a case study which can be applied to any general system encountering repetitive disturbance. Additionally, paper also elaborates on FNOILC algorithm application for Lorentz force detuning compensation often encountered in superconducting cavity during pulse mode of operation.

Synthesis of maximally sparse conformal circular arc array with a required beam pattern by unitary matrix pencil method

This paper extends the unitary matrix pencil (UMP) method to synthesize maximally sparse conformal circular-arc array with a required beam pattern. Due to the nonlinearity between the circular-arc array pattern and its element pattern, Fourier transform preprocessing for the required beam pattern is introduced to achieve a mathematical expression, i.e., sum of a series of undamped complex exponentials, which is related to array element positions and their excitations. Then, the UMP method is used to determine the reduced number of elements and their position distributions. Moreover, the complex excitations of array elements are reconstructed by obtaining the least-square solution of an over-determined equation. A set of examples for synthesizing sparse conformal circular-arc arrays with different desired patterns and E-type patch element including the mutual coupling are conducted. Results show that the proposed UMP method can achieve a considerably lower pattern reconstruction error with a reduced number of elements than results in the literature, which demonstrates its effectiveness and robustness.

Coupled terahertz quantum cascade wire lasers

We present mutual optical coupling in terahertz (THz) quantum cascade wire laser arrays that are flip-chip bonded to a dielectric substrate. The mounting substrate is patterned for individual electrical contacting of each wire laser of the array. The resulting sandwich-like structure supports wire laser modes with a significant part propagating outside the cavity and mediates the long range coupling. The evanescent field part of the modes couples to the adjoining ridge, which, in turn, leads to mutual optical injection-locking between them. We demonstrate this effect for both geometrically similar and dissimilar wire lasers when biased in pulsed operation with temporally overlapping bias pulses. Finite element simulations confirm our measurement results. By applying time-shifted bias pulses to individual array elements, a controllable optical injection seeding of the wire cavity is achieved. We observe intensity modification of the laser modes with changing bias pulse overlap as a result of the injection locking. By choosing both the physical spacing of the laser ridges and the intensity of the seeding laser correctly, the relative intensities of the favored lasing modes are enhanced up to 95 percent. Understanding the coupling in THz wire laser arrays is important for future device improvements in terms of higher continuous-wave operating temperatures through better thermal dissipation, and higher output power and an improved far field due to controlled coupling of their modes.