Simple Transfer Research Articles

Quantum Dot Luminescence Microspheres Enable Ultra-Efficient and Bright Micro-LEDs.

Quantum dot (QD)-converted micrometer-scale light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) are regarded as an effective solution for achieving high-performance full-color micro-LED displays because of their narrow-band emission, simplified mass transfer, facile drive circuits, and low cost. However, these micro-LEDs suffer from significant blue light leakage and unsatisfactory electroluminescence properties due to the poor light conversion efficiency and stability of the QDs. Herein, the construction of green and red QD luminescence microspheres with the simultaneously high conversion efficiency of blue light and strong photoluminescence stability are proposed. These luminescence microspheres exhibit high external photoluminescence quantum yields exceeding 46% under 450nm excitation, along with excellent reliability against blue light, heat, and water-oxygen degradation, owing to the waveguide and spatial confinement effects of the microspheres. The microsphere-based green and red micro-LEDs achieve world-record external quantum efficiencies of 40.8% and 22.1%, respectively, and high brightness values of 1.7×108 and 7.6×107cdm-2, respectively. Finally, 0.6inch red, green, and blue monochrome micro-LED displays are demonstrated by integrating microsphere-converted micro-LED arrays with thin-film transistor backplanes, which show a pixel resolution as high as 1700 PPI and brightness exceeding 10000cdm-2.

Simplified Heat Transfer Model for Spiral‐Coil Energy Pile Groups and the Pile–Pile Thermal Interference

Simplified Heat Transfer Model for Spiral‐Coil Energy Pile Groups and the Pile–Pile Thermal Interference

Subscale modeling of material flow in orthogonal metal cutting

Enhanced simulation capability for the cutting process is crucial to making quick evaluations of cutting forces and temperatures, which are significant for assessing the machinability of the workpiece material and predicting tool wear. In this paper, the material flow in orthogonal cutting, including primary and secondary shear zones, is represented by a viscous/viscoplastic model that includes the temperature-sensitive Johnson-Cook flow stress model. A stabilized staggered finite element procedure is developed to handle incompressible Navier-Stokes material flow in combination with convection-dominated hardening and thermomechanical interaction. To handle material flow at tool-workpiece contact, a mixed method is used to reduce spurious oscillations in contact stresses along with simplified heat transfer in the tool-workpiece interface. A novel feature is that the velocity field is resolved as a subscale field to the velocity field of the distributed primary zone deformation model. It appears that the finite element solution to the subscale material flow model is significantly more cost-effective in contrast to directly addressing the velocity field and compared to the chip-forming simulations (DEFORM 2D). The cutting forces, temperature, and stress-strain state of the material in the critical deformation regions can be accurately estimated using the subscale model. The results obtained show that the trend of the estimated forces and temperatures is consistent with our experimental measurements, the DEFORM 2D simulations, and the experimental data from the literature.

Cervical Defect Reconstruction Using Preexpanded Neck Flaps Transferred in a Scarf-wrapping Manner.

Cervical burn scar contractures can be repaired using many modalities, including skin grafts, pedicled and free flaps. Although preexpanded cervical flaps can provide a like-with-like reconstruction, a simple advancement transfer of the flaps often fails to achieve ideal outcomes. The authors aimed to introduce a method using the preexpanded cervical flaps transferred in a scarf-wrapping manner to repair neck defects. The surgery was divided into 2 stages. In the first stage of the surgery, an expander was implanted above the platysma muscle on each side of the neck. After adequate inflation of the expanders, second-stage operations commenced. Following the expander removal, one flap was rotated upward to repair the neck defect, whereas the other flap was rotated downward to repair the neck defect and close the donor site of the first flap. Data on patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes were also collected. Between July 2004 and May 2024, 24 patients underwent neck reconstructions using this method. Four patients had grade I cervical contractures, and 20 had grade II. The mean size of the defects was 15.62×5.75cm (range: 6×6-18×10cm). The average dimension of the neck flap was 15.02×7.65cm (range: 9×6-20×10cm). All the flaps survived with no perfusion-related complications. The average improvement in the cervico-mental angle was 29.25 degrees (range: 10-45 degrees). Postsurgery follow-up ranged from 4 to 155 months (mean: 22mo). All patients and their families were satisfied with the outcomes. Preexpanded cervical flaps transferred in a scarf-wrapping manner can be used to reconstruct grade I and II cervical scar contractures and provide a like-with-like reconstruction of the neck.

Basics of utilizing NH ions for accurate phthalate ester quantification via selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry in food.

Phthalate esters, frequently used as plasticizers in consumer products, raise concerns because of potential health effects. Using density functional theory (DFT) with B3LYP and 6-311++G(d, p) basis sets, their properties, such as dipole moment, polarizability, proton affinity and ionization energy of phthalate esters are obtained. Reaction kinetics and thermodynamics of popular reagent ions like H3O, NH, NO and O are computed to know the feasibility of the reactions with such ions. Proton affinity and ionization energy indicate high susceptibility to proton and charge transfer reactions. High dipole moments contribute to elevated rate coefficients in proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). PTR-MS rates are influenced by drift tube conditions, supported by high center-of-mass collisional energy of E = 0.28 eV. SIFT-MS rates diminish with rising temperature. The high kinetic energy data of H3O, NO and O suggests that simple proton transfer and charge transfer reactions are overruled due to very high internal energy which could lead to extensive fragmentation of phthalate esters. The energetic profile of NH ions indicates their suitability for quantifying phthalate esters using NH-CI-MS techniques.

Study of the Optimal Control of the Central Air Conditioning Cooling Water System for a Deep Subway Station in Chongqing

Cooling water, a crucial component of the central air conditioning setup, exerts a relatively minor direct impact on the thermal comfort of building indoor environments while it has a great effect on the system’s energy efficiency. Numerous studies exist on the cooling water system, particularly focusing on the process by which the cooling tower system operates, but the linkage between the chiller and the cooling tower is typically overlooked. When the connection is long and the passage environment for the pipeline is not conventional, it cannot be neglected for the optimal control for system efficiency improvement and energy consumption reductions. Throughout this research, a control strategy of the cooling water system for deep subway stations with long pipelines is presented. This cooling system was connected with outdoor cooling towers through a corridor about one hundred meters long. In this process, the cooling water temperature is influenced by the corridor’s thermal environment. For this study, an online control strategy optimizes the cooling water temperature, and a simulation platform of the air conditioning cooling water system of the deep subway station was also developed to evaluate the energy-saving potential of the control strategy of this cooling water system. Atop this platform, a simplified heat transfer model of the pipe corridor was created to determine the cooling capacity provided by the cooling water pipe in the corridor. The outcomes suggest that, as opposed to the conventional control mode, the energy-saving ratio of the optimal control strategy during a typical day may reach 4.1%, and the cooling source system’s Coefficient of Performance (COP) might see an increase of about 4.2%. The energy consumption of the water system throughout the whole cooling season may decrease by 9778 kWh, and the energy-saving rate is 4.1%. The results also demonstrate that the cooling water pipes release heat to the air in the corridor most of the time, and the released heat is larger than the absorbed heat. The maximum heat dissipation to the air in the corridor from the cooling water supply and return pipe can be up to 24.3 kW. The cooling effect of the corridor of subway stations with large depths below the ground surface cannot be ignored when optimal control is considered for the cooling water system.

Evaluation of Post-Transfer Clinical Status of Cystic Fibrosis Patients Transferred to Adult Chest Diseases Clinic.

Proper transfer of patients from pediatric to adult chest clinic has critical importance. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the follow-up data of the patients in the first 12 months after transfer. Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients previously transferred to adult chest clinics were included. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively reviewed. The baseline visit was defined as the first visit at the adult center. One-year follow-up data were compared with the baseline data. A total of 118 patients were included in the study (men/women: 70/48). The mean ages at the time of transfer and inclusion in the study inclusion were 26.5 (23-29) and 27.6 ( ± 6.4) years, respectively. There was a significant reduction in FEV1 (%) and FEV1/FVC ratio between baseline and 1-year follow-up visits (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Compared to the year before the transfer, total number of exacerbations (p = 0.001), outpatient clinic visits (p < 0.001), total antibiotic days (p < 0.001), and intravenous antibiotic days (p = 0.001) significantly increased. The findings of this study show that the pulmonary functions of CF patients decline and clinical conditions deteriorated after the transfer to the adult clinic. Simple transfer, rather than transition, may be one of the reasons for adverse outcomes in this patient population.

Values in the Valence Election: Fragmentation and the 2024 General Election

AbstractThe 2024 general election delivered a verdict on an unpopular Conservative government, a valence election where the key motivation was to remove a government seen as failing. But this is not a full account of the voting choices of the British public. The rise of ‘second dimension’ politics and the associated value positions within the public have driven a fragmentation of the electorate. This, combined with multiparty competition, leads to complex patterns of party support across the electorate. This fragmentation explains the volatility in recent elections and the relative success of ‘third’ parties and independent candidates. It explains why, in a valence election, there was not a simple transfer of votes between alternative governing parties. This fragmentation poses electoral and policy challenges for all political parties and will have important implications for British politics over the next parliamentary cycle and beyond.

Cylindrical model of heat transfer in honeycomb structures with microencapsulated phase change material

Abstract The efficiency of a photovoltaic cell decreases with increased temperature. Excessive overheating caused by the absorption of incident solar radiation reduces the production of electricity. One of the ways to keep the panel cooler is to dissipate the heat from its backside. An aluminium honeycomb structure filled with microencapsulated phase change material (PCM) can dissipate enough heat to reduce overheating and improve the efficiency of the solar cell. Designing of Building’s Integrated Photovoltaic systems with PCM requires complex calculations considering wide variety of conditions. Finite element method (FEM) provides a robust tool, but this approach requires a very complex mesh domain due to the thin aluminium wall of the honeycomb structure, as well as iterative calculation process of boundary conditions accounting for complex convective and radiative heat transfer. Both require extensive computation time and FEM are not effective. The paper presents simplified cylindrical heat transfer model, which allows for faster computing with similar results. Comparison of compliance and computation times are included.

Modeling Acoustic Attenuation, Sound Velocity and Wave Propagation in Lithium‐Ion Batteries via a Transfer Matrix

AbstractA simple 1D transfer matrix model of a battery is introduced and parametrized using harvested individual cell components at 0 % and 100 % SoC. This model allows for the calculation of group velocity and attenuation. The results of the model show good agreement with measured values, highlighting increased attenuation and group velocity at the resonances. This emphasizes the importance of selecting a suitable interrogation frequency for ultrasound investigations in lithium‐ion batteries. The model accurately replicates the observed weakening of resonances with increasing SoC. Additionally, it provides the basis to fit US spectroscopy data in the future, enabling immediate determination of component thickness and the Young's modulus of individual components, along with aiding in the identification aging effects of the anode and cathode materials. The model can visualize wave propagation within the battery. At certain frequencies, standing waves form which could be used in high‐intensity ultrasound applications targeted at individual cell components.

Femtosecond laser-induced plasma-assisted backward deposition of robustly adherent porous carbon films on glass substrates

The simple and rapid production and transfer of high-quality carbon materials are crucial for the flexible and efficient fabrication of carbon-based electronic devices. Recently, a laser-assisted transfer method combining laser-induced carbonization and transfer printing was demonstrated for the one-step preparation and transfer of patterned laser-induced carbon films to transparent substrates. However, this method is limited by insufficient robustness and weak adhesion of the carbon film post-transfer. Herein, we developed a non-contact laser-induced plasma-assisted deposition method to deposit robustly adherent porous carbon films on glass substrates. By well-adjusting the laser parameters and inserting spacers with adjustable thickness, laser-induced plasma ablation replaced direct laser ablation during femtosecond laser scanning of the substrate-polyimide-carrier sandwich structure, resulting in micro-channels with a carbon-glass recast layer instead of easily peelable flakes on the glass substrate. This hierarchical structure significantly enhances the adhesion between the laser-induced carbon film and the glass substrate, ensuring outstanding stability of the deposited carbon film under various adhesion tests. Furthermore, compared to carbon films prepared by the laser-assisted transfer method, the obtained carbon films are hydrophilic, low-resistance, and porous, facilitating the fabrication of energy storage devices. To demonstrate its practical application, a planar carbon-based micro-supercapacitor was fabricated on glass, exhibiting excellent electrochemical and cycling performance.

Plasmid-free production of the plant lignan pinoresinol in growing Escherichia coli cells

BackgroundThe high-value aryl tetralin lignan (+)-pinoresinol is the main precursor of many plant lignans including (-)-podophyllotoxin, which is used for the synthesis of chemotherapeutics. As (-)-podophyllotoxin is traditionally isolated from endangered and therefore limited natural sources, there is a particular need for biotechnological production. Recently, we developed a reconstituted biosynthetic pathway from (+)-pinoresinol to (-)-deoxypodophyllotoxin, the direct precursor of (-)-podophyllotoxin, in the recombinant host Escherichia coli. However, the use of the expensive substrate (+)-pinoresinol limits its application from the economic viewpoint. In addition, the simultaneous expression of multiple heterologous genes from different plasmids for a multi-enzyme cascade can be challenging and limits large-scale use.ResultsIn this study, recombinant plasmid-free E. coli strains for the multi-step synthesis of pinoresinol from ferulic acid were constructed. To this end, a simple and versatile plasmid toolbox for CRISPR/Cas9-assisted chromosomal integration has been developed, which allows the easy transfer of genes from the pET vector series into the E. coli chromosome. Two versions of the developed toolbox enable the efficient integration of either one or two genes into intergenic high expression loci in both E. coli K-12 and B strains. After evaluation of this toolbox using the fluorescent reporter mCherry, genes from Petroselinum crispum and Zea mays for the synthesis of the monolignol coniferyl alcohol were integrated into different E. coli strains. The product titers achieved with plasmid-free E. coli W3110(T7) were comparable to those of the plasmid-based expression system. For the subsequent oxidative coupling of coniferyl alcohol to pinoresinol, a laccase from Corynebacterium glutamicum was selected. Testing of different culture media as well as optimization of gene copy number and copper availability for laccase activity resulted in the synthesis of 100 mg/L pinoresinol using growing E. coli cells.ConclusionsFor efficient and simple transfer of genes from pET vectors into the E. coli chromosome, an easy-to-handle molecular toolbox was developed and successfully tested on several E. coli strains. By combining heterologous and endogenous enzymes of the host, a plasmid-free recombinant E. coli growing cell system has been established that enables the synthesis of the key lignan pinoresinol.

Flexural behaviour and shear capacity of RC flat plate sections during fire exposure

PurposeFire safety is a pivotal requirement in building codes. Prescribed design criteria have been the norm to achieve it, which imposes limitations on engineers, including the inability to accommodate new solutions/materials. The shift towards performance-based design offers the potential to address shortcomings of the prescribed design. However, this shift also significantly increases the workload on structural engineers without a corresponding increase in their engineering fees. Simplified design tools are needed to assist engineers in this transition.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is divided into sections investigating equivalent standard fire duration, thermal deformations, flexural behaviour and shear capacity of flat slabs when exposed to fire. The first section conducts a parametric study correlating equivalent and realistic fire durations using the average internal temperature profile (AITP) method, resulting in statistical equations estimating equivalent fire duration. The second section evaluates thermal deformations and flexural behaviour through a parametric study considering various parameters. This section results in statistical equations estimating thermal deformations and flexural behaviour of flat slab sections during fire exposure. The final section focuses on shear capacity, developing simplified heat transfer formulas and statistical equations predicting compression zone depth reduction. The section presents methodologies predicting flat slab sections' one-way and two-way shear capacities during fire exposure.FindingsStructural engineers can use the proposed methods for daily design work without applying complex heat transfer calculations. When the equivalent standard fire duration is utilized, a flat slab’s thermal deformations, flexural behaviour and shear capacity under an actual fire condition can be calculated. As such, the methods would be highly beneficial in assessing the structural integrity of a building during an active fire incident.Originality/valueThe paper provides engineers with the tools required to evaluate the safety of flat slab sections during fire exposure. The methodologies presented in the paper enable engineers to use performance-based design for slab sections by (1) converting any real fire scenario to a standard fire with an equivalent duration, (2) assessing their thermal behaviour, (3) evaluating their flexural behaviour and (4) evaluating their flexural and shear capacities. The paper concludes with a case study example demonstrating the detailed application of the developed methods.

Analysis of fatigue damage of hot rolling work rolls coupled with wear effect

During the hot rolling process, the work roll experiences cyclic contact stress due to the deformation of the strip steel, as well as thermal stress from periodic heating and cooling. The surface failure of the work roll results from the combined effects of wear and fatigue damage. This study proposes a comprehensive approach to analyzing coupled wear and fatigue damage using a method based on the Manson-Coffin equation, modified slope formula, and the Miner criterion. Finite element models were developed to simulate simplified heat transfer and thermal coupling, taking into account the actual rolling parameters and high-temperature material properties of the work roll. The evolution of the physical field of the work roll during the rolling process was analyzed. The analysis of these models revealed that the maximum strain on the work roll occurred at the rolling exit and was predominantly influenced by temperature. The effects of rolling speed and temperature on work roll strain varied, with fatigue damage being significantly reduced when wear was considered compared to scenarios where wear was not accounted for, under the same number of cycles.

Implementation of Skogestad’s Internal Model Control Rule in Tuning Proportional-Integral Controllers for Two-Input and Two-Output Systems Considering Individual Controller Performance Trade-off

Abstract In industrial plants, tuning of decentralized Proportional-Integral-Derivative feedback (PID) controllers in Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems is a complex problem, due to input and output interactions, that must be done to ensure individual control objectives are met, while system being sufficiently robust. In this study, a two-input and two-output (TITO) PI controller tuning algorithm was developed considering controller performance prioritization given performance trade-offs, expressed as the novel Individual Controller Performance Trade-off Coefficient (ICPTC), and system robustness, expressed as sensitivity peaks from the generalized Nyquist stability plot. Simplified effective open-loop transfer functions (EOTFs) of the two input-output channels were derived and used along with Skogestad’s Internal Model Control (SIMC) to calculate PI controller gains. Extensive simulations using Wood-Berry (WB) and Vinante-Luyben (VL) distillation column models were made to observe how the sensitivity peaks behave across the simulations, which was then used as the basis of the developed tuning algorithm. A simplified tuning algorithm, which requires less information compared to the main algorithm, was also derived. A mapping algorithm was also created, allowing specific controller gains from other studies to be mapped to an equivalent set of controller gains in the algorithm’s search field. The effectiveness of the three algorithms were tested using Wardle-Wood distillation column (WW) and Xiong and Cai (XC) process models. It was demonstrated using the main algorithm that there is a trade-off between controller performances when ICPTC is varied, at different values of design sensitivity peaks between 1.96 to 4. The usefulness of the simplified tuning and mapping algorithms were also illustrated in the study. This study is potentially useful in tuning TITO PI controllers in industrial plants, where meeting individual control objectives while maintaining robustness is more important than optimizing overall control performance.

Diagnostic performance of an automated robot for MALDI target preparation in microbial identification.

The MBT Pathfinder is an automated colony-picking robot designed for efficient sample preparation in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. This article presents results from three key experiments evaluating the instrument's performance in conjunction with MALDI Biotyper instrument. The method comparison experiment assessed its clinical performance, demonstrating comparable results with gram-positive, gram-negative, and anaerobic bacteria (scores larger than 2.00) and superior performance over simple direct yeast transfer (score: 1.80) when compared to samples prepared manually. The repeatability experiment confirmed consistent performance over multiple days and labs (average log score: 2.12, std. deviation: 0.59). The challenge panel experiment showcased its consistent and accurate performance across various samples and settings, yielding average scores between 1.76 and 2.19. These findings underline the MBT Pathfinder as a reliable and efficient tool for MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry sample preparation in clinical and research applications.

Understanding the Significance of Censored Data

Abstract The regulatory world seeks to ascertain if the levels of chemicals in the environment are at a “safe” level. Such an objective leads to dismissing results that are reported as below the detection level (BDL) as being satisfactory. Although this meets the regulatory objective, when attempting to understand the mechanisms that lead to low concentration, such data can be very important. As such, it must be treated in a statistically appropriate manner. The BDL or censored data need to be incorporated into evaluations. Moreover, there is a need to understand the data’s limits of precision. Right censored data are routinely handled for toxicological and reliability studies. BDL values produce left censored values that with a simple transfer can be flipped to right censored values by subtracting all values from a number larger than the data. Then the data can be processed using the statistical tests familiar to toxicologists. Examples of low-level stack emission data and ambient air data are examined in this article. The examples indicate that data should be clearly qualified to ensure that the reader understands the limitations. Using censored data to evaluate factors contributing to measured levels can lead to erroneous conclusions, raise concerns in the public, and lead to potentially unnecessary remedial efforts.

Tetra Butyl Ammonium Bromide Catalyzed Synthesis of Thiols and Thioethers

A simple and commercially feasible route of synthesis of thiols and thioethers was developed using a simple phase transfer catalyst, i.e., Tetra Butyl Ammonium Bromide (TBAB). Sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaSH) is used as a sulfurization agent which is easily available and cost-effective. Thiols are obtained by treating alkyl or benzyl halides with sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaSH) in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (TBAB) at 10 to 15℃. Thioethers are obtained by benzyl thiols treated with corresponding benzyl halides in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (TBAB) at 10 to 15℃. Synthesis of thiols and thioethers is achieved by substitution reaction of benzyl or alkyl halides with sulfide in the presence of phase transfer catalyst (TBAB) and monochlorobenzene as a solvent at 10 to 15℃. Milder reaction conditions, excellent yield, shorter reaction time and operational simplicity are the key features of this procedure.

New Sustainable Fintech Business Models Created by Open Application Programming Interface Technology: A Case Study of Korea’s Open Banking Application Programming Interface Platform

Fintech facilitates financial inclusion by introducing new sustainable and accessible business models in developing countries. Open banking API technology is used by various fintech businesses in both developing and developed countries, with varying effects on financial markets. It changes the financial market distribution structure by separating financial product manufacturing and distribution and intensifying competition between traditional financial institutions and fintech companies. Fintech companies innovate by using this tool to create new business models. In December 2019, Korea established a standardized “open banking API platform”, sharing an interbank payment network with fintech companies. It has since shown explosive growth, surpassing the trading volume of the UK, the country that introduced open banking APIs for the first time. This study analyzes new business models fintech companies created using this API technology. Based on existing literature, statistics from the platform operator (the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute), and investigations of 30 Korean fintech mobile applications, this study analyzes new fintech business models that provide financial services using this platform. These companies create sustainable business models by combining multiple APIs. Four representative business models (simple funds transfer, simple payment, cross-border remittance, and asset management) are analyzed to reveal how fintech companies create business models with open APIs.

A Design of an SMTP Email Server

This study developed a mail server program using Socket API and Python. The program uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to receive emails from browser clients and forward them to actual email service providers via the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). As a web server, it handles Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection requests from browsers, receives HTTP commands and email data, and temporarily stores the emails in a file. Simultaneously, as an SMTP client, the program establishes a TCP connection with the actual mail server, sends SMTP commands, and transmits the previously saved emails. In addition, we also analyzed security issues and the efficiency and availability of this server, providing insights into the design of SMTP mail servers.