Single Medium Research Articles

Simulation study of R1234ze and its mixed working medium in TEG‐ORC combined cycle

AbstractThermoelectric generation (TEG) and organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technologies both have their respective limitations in recovering waste heat from ships. However, the combination of TEG and ORC is an effective approach to achieve cascaded waste heat recovery and improve heat utilization efficiency. There has been some progress in research on waste heat recovery in maritime applications based on TEG‐ORC combined cycles. The selection of a working medium is a crucial element that directly influences the design and performance of the entire system, but there is limited research on the impact of different working fluids on combined cycle systems. In this study, a simulation model of a TEG‐ORC combined cycle system was established to examine its output potential using two different working fluids R1234ze and a mixture of R245fa/R1234ze. The results demonstrate that compared to employing the R1234ze working medium, the combined cycle system with the mixed working medium achieved a 13% increase in maximum output power, a 102% improvement in optimum thermal efficiency, and a 53% reduction in optimum power production cost. Additionally, the power output distribution in the system utilizing the mixed working fluid was more uniform compared to the system employing a single working medium. This confirms the great potential of using a mixed working fluid in a combined cycle system.

Antibiotic resistance at environmental multi-media interfaces through integrated genotype and phenotype analysis

Antibiotic resistance is currently an unfolding global crisis threatening human health worldwide. While antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are known to be pervasive in environmental media, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance at interfaces between two or more adjacent media is largely unknown. Here, we designed a microcosm study to simulate plastic pollution in paddy soil and used a novel method, stimulated Raman scattering coupled with deuterium oxide (D2O) labelling, to compare the antibiotic resistance in a single medium with that at the interface of multiple environmental media (plastic, soil, water). Results revealed that the involvement of more types of environmental media at interfaces led to a higher proportion of active resistant bacteria. Genotypic analysis showed that ARGs (especially high-risk ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were all highly enriched at the interfaces. This enrichment was further enhanced by the co-stress of heavy metal (arsenic) and antibiotic (ciprofloxacin). Our study is the first to apply stimulated Raman scattering to elucidate antibiotic resistance at environmental interfaces and reveals novel pathway of antibiotic resistance dissemination in the environment and overlooked risks to human health.

A convenient and versatile culturomics platform to expand the human gut culturome of Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae.

The human gut microbiota is increasingly being recognised to play an important role in maintaining health. The families Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae in particular, are often reduced in disease states but are relatively poorly represented in culture collections. Cultured representatives are required to investigate the physiology and host interactions of gut microbes. Establishing cultured isolate collections can be laborious and expensive owing to the fastidious growth requirements of these organisms and the costs associated with taxonomic classification. This study proposes a culturomics platform combining a single basal culture medium with matrix-assisted laser adsorption/ionisation coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for fast and reliable isolation and identification of hundreds of novel isolates. In this study, basal YCFA medium supplemented with either glucose, apple pectin, or porcine mucin was used to cultivate a total of 724 different isolates derived from only 11 different faecal samples from healthy volunteers, of which 389 isolates belonged to the Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae families. Moreover, 27 isolates could not be assigned to known species based on their 16S rRNA gene, 17 of which may even represent novel genera. To aid MALDI-TOF MS identification of gut bacteria, the commercial database was complemented with the MaldiGut database presented here, containing a collection of 132 different Main Spectrum Profiles, including the profiles of 125 Firmicutes species, 3 Bacteroidetes species, 3 Actinobacteria species, and one Verrucomicrobia species. The culturomics platform and MaldiGut database presented here will enable further expansion of the gut culturome, especially within the understudied Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae families.

High-power and ultra-wide-tunable fiber-type external-cavity diode lasers

High-power and wide-tunable fiber-type external-cavity diode lasers (FTECDLs) are of pivotal importance across various scientific and practical applications, such as polarization lidar, communication, sensing, and spectroscopy. As the output power and tuning characteristics are currently much lower than the saturation power and bandwidth of semiconductor gain media, further improvements conventionally require additional gain media in parallel and external amplifiers, resulting in lower energy efficiency and complex configurations. This study implemented energy manipulation in FTECDLs with a single gain medium, overcoming the mutual restriction between low damage threshold and laser output power. This approach makes it possible to completely exploit the intrinsic performance of the semiconductor gain medium. We demonstrated various FTECDL designs, achieving a maximum tuning range of 226.8 nm, maximum output power of 160 mW, and maximum optical signal-to-noise ratio of 86.3 dB with different configurations. These results are the highest levels ever achieved for E, S, C, L, and U bands. Additionally, the achieved polarization extinction ratio of nearly 38 dB has not been previously reported. Our work provides significant guidance for the design of traveling wave ring cavity (TWRC) lasers, including free-space light semiconductor and solid-state lasers with a TWRC.

Quantifying the uniqueness and divisiveness of presidential discourse

Abstract Do American presidents speak discernibly different from each other? If so, in what ways? And are these differences confined to any single medium of communication? To investigate these questions, this paper introduces a novel metric of uniqueness based on large language models, develops a new lexicon for divisive speech, and presents a framework for assessing the distinctive ways in which presidents speak about their political opponents. Applying these tools to a variety of corpora of presidential speeches, we find considerable evidence that Donald Trump’s speech patterns diverge from those of all major party nominees for the presidency in recent history. Trump is significantly more distinctive than his fellow Republicans, whose uniqueness values appear closer to those of the Democrats. Contributing to these differences is Trump’s employment of divisive and antagonistic language, particularly when targeting his political opponents. These differences hold across a variety of measurement strategies, arise on both the campaign trail and in official presidential addresses, and do not appear to be an artifact of secular changes in presidential communications.

News repertoires‎ in destabilised everyday lives

Traditional media consumption in the form of reading, watching or listening is being replaced ‎by ephemeral practices such as clicking, searching and scanning, where the ‘checking circle’ has become ‎a daily routine of constant browsing, checking and posting. In particular, these interrelated practices ‎are constantly present among adolescents, who skilfully switch between multiple media, contexts and ‎situations. The interdependence of such cross-media uses suggests that empirical research should focus ‎beyond a single medium. The aim of this research was to examine news repertoires from the perspective of ‎adolescents and highlight how biographical disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic had affected news ‎consumption among young audiences. This article presents the results of a research project, within which ‎focus groups on a sample of 67 adolescents aged 12–19 years were conducted. It also provides an analysis ‎of a slightly smaller sample of 59 media sketches. The aim of the latter analysis was to identify the media ‎preferences and potential interactions of young people. Six distinct news repertoires have been identified, ‎which confirms the ambivalence of teenagers in terms of their media preferences. At the same time, ‎teenagers generate their own personal ‘news media assemblies’ within their disrupted everyday lives.‎

Update on methods used for mycological testing: wide diversity and opportunities for improvement persist

Past analysis of laboratory methods used for mycology specimens revealed significant variation in practices, many of which fell short of recommended procedures. In 2016 these findings led to a set of recommendations for laboratories to consider modification of their methods where appropriate, to analyse current laboratory methods used by participants in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP) Mycology module, and to compare these to the 2016 recommendations. Seven test items, with 105-107 participants each, were analysed. Several laboratories (7-12%) did not handle specimens as recommended in an appropriate biological safety cabinet. Direct microscopy was not performed on tissue specimens 23-25% of the time. The most used staining method was potassium hydroxide with an optical brightener for fluorescent microscopy (49%) followed by Gram stain (33%). While 17-25% of laboratories used three or more media, use of four or more was uncommon (<3%). Between 9-13% of participants used only a single non-inhibitory medium for cultures. Urine specimens were incubated longer than recommended with 57% of laboratories incubating for >7days and 24% >21 days. Duration of incubation was shorter than recommended for several specimen types with 36% of skin specimens and 37-48% of tissue specimens being kept ≤21 days. For cultures kept >7 days, 13% were inspected daily but for those incubating >14 days only 3%. The methods of several laboratories remain outside recommended practice. An updated set of recommendations are made.

An Alternative Medium to Support Sterility Testing using the Growth Direct® Rapid Sterility System

Recently, it has been shown that there are other media that perform equivalently or better than the compendial sterility test media, TSB and FTM1. The results presented here demonstrate that a new single medium, Rapid Sterility Medium (RSM) Broth, performs as well as or better for the growth promotion of test organisms compared to compendial sterility test media. In side-by-side tests of aerobic bacteria, yeast and molds and anaerobic organisms, RSM broth supported growth promotion comparable to TSB or FTM for a panel of microorganisms relevant to the pharmaceutical market. These results demonstrate that RSM broth can serve as a valid alternative for both TSB and FTM for sterility testing being performed by the Growth Direct® Rapid Sterility System. Keywords: Sterility test, Alternative media, Rapid Microbial Method, Growth Direct System®

Experimental study on the hydrodynamic of foldable-wing unmanned aerial-underwater vehicles during water-exit process

The Foldable-Wing Unmanned Aerial-Underwater Vehicle (F-UAUV) demands swift movement over water surfaces at significant pitch angles during the water-exit procedure, a phase highly influenced by strong, non-linear, time-varying hydrodynamic effects. To tackle these complexities, we devised a model experiment scheme mirroring the actual water-exit process. Crafted through structural drainage comparisons, high-fidelity models were developed, complemented by a test platform featuring a double track for accurate evaluations. Subsequent water-exit tests, conducted at various speeds and angles, unveiled a consistent increase in water-exit resistance with speed, peaking at the moment of exit. Concurrently, resultant torque escalated inversely with both speed and angle. Notably, the heightened resistance due to structural drainage exhibited a tendency to stabilize during the latter half of the water-exit process. Utilizing the foundational formula for resistance in a single medium, we proposed an enhanced formula for predicting maximum water-exit resistance, a tool instrumental in facilitating F-UAUV design and powertrain selection. This paper offers an exhaustive analysis of hydrodynamic influences during the water-exit process, serving as a pivotal reference for Unmanned Aerial-Underwater Vehicles development.

Zinc Extraction from Primary Lead Smelting Slags by Oxidant Alkaline Leaching

The purpose of this work is to obtain the optimum conditions for leaching the zinc contained in an industrial lead smelting slag. In this type of slag, zinc oxide, sulfide, and ferrite are contained. Zinc extraction from these compounds consists of using a single aqueous medium, where oxidant alkaline leaching with NaOH and NaClO was used. The parameters evaluated during the experiment were as follows: percentage of solids, NaOH/NaClO ratio, and temperature. The maximum amount of recovered Zn obtained during the leaching was 58%. This percentage was achieved by using the following optimal conditions: temperature of 60 °C, 0.22 of NaOH/NaClO ratio, 10% of solids, and a reaction time of 40 min. The calculated values of activation energy confirmed that the rate-limiting step of the reaction using the decreasing particle model is diffusion. The maximum percentage of zinc obtained could only have been achieved if the zinc oxide and part of the zinc sulfide (both present in almost equal proportions in the sample) were leached into the alkaline aqueous medium in the presence of NaClO.

P-234 The internal temperature of the catheter during the transfer: potential effects on the embryonic microenvironment

Abstract Study question Do the external environment and the different loading procedures affect temperature in the transfer catheter and embryo development during embryo transfer? Summary answer The inner temperature of transfer catheter dropped during the embryo transfer. Mouse 2-cell-embryos exposed to the transfer showed lower blastocyst and hatching rates. What is known already Embryo transfer is a crucial process composed of complex phases, which start from embryo loading into the catheter, and culminate in the transfer room in an open environment at room temperature. Although the transfer technique has been refined over time and several adjustments have been proposed towards its standardization (ASRM, 2017, D’Angelo et al., 2022), there is still great variability (Cirillo et al 2020). Few literature data are available regarding possible influences of the external environment on inner catheter conditions. Only recently, temperature drop during transfer has been described (Macklon et al 2021). Study design, size, duration We addressed possible temperature variations to which the embryo is exposed during transfer, by using a thin temperature probe placed inside a catheter. We simulated a total of 120 transfers (60 transfers with “fluid only” methodology and 60 with “air-fluid”). Additionally, we performed Mouse Embryo Assay (MEA) during transfer simulations and then cultured up to blastocyst to assess any impact of temperature drop exposure during transfer Participants/materials, setting, methods 120 mock transfers were performed, recording the temperature in the inner catheter were the embryos are loaded. In our setting, the procedure lasts 60-100 seconds. The internal temperature of the catheter was recorded after 15 min of preheating, at the loading and in the following 60 seconds. Environmental temperature and humidity values were recorded. A total of 73 mouse embryo were used for MEA (39 exposed to catheter, 34 controls) and cultured in time-lapse Main results and the role of chance The 120 simulations took place at an average environmental temperature of 22.43 °C± 0.85, and a relative humidity of 57.4%± 5.1. After 15 min of preheating the empty catheter reached an average temperature of 33.04 °C ±2.08. Upon loading, the average temperature inside the catheter was 31.22 °C± 1.67 and after 60 seconds, it dropped to 29.15 °C ±1.88. The comparison between the “fluid only” and “air-fluid” shows the following results: internal temperature at “fluid only” loading 31.97 °C ± 1.87, “air-fluid” 30.11 °C ± 1.48 (p &amp;lt; 0.001); Average temperature after 60 seconds “fluid only” 29.98 °C ± 1.71, “air-fluid” 27.91 °C ± 1.38 (p &amp;lt; 0.001). Seventy-three 2-cells mouse embryos were thawed and used to perform MEA tests. 39 of them were exposed to 5 transfer simulations of 200 seconds, and then put in culture in time-lapse incubator (single step medium, 6% CO2, 5%O2). The blastocyst rate was 82% in the control group and 74% in the exposed group (X2 (1, N = 73) = 0.6783, p &amp;gt;0.05). Hatching rate significantly differed (61% in controls vs. 34% in the exposed (X2 (1, N = 57) = 3.9, p = 0.04). Morphokinetics were not different among groups Limitations, reasons for caution The monocentric nature of this pilot study can represent the limitation of the single environmental conditions at which the catheters are exposed during the embryo transfer Wider implications of the findings The transfer procedure exposes embryos to a drastic decrease in temperature, directly proportional to the execution time. Mouse embryos showed an impaired development after being exposed to transfer simulations. Novel strategies to stabilize temperature during embryo transfer are needed. Trial registration number non-clinical trial

P-267 The morula stage. Is it time to repair?

Abstract Study question Are there statistically significant differences in embryo’s fate when exclusion or extrusion of blastomeres is detected along development? Summary answer According to our results, exclusion or extrusion of blastomeres affects the embryo’s subsequent viability, suggesting that different biological processes are involved in its appearance. What is known already The morula stage is a clear example of embryo plasticity, being a critical step towards blastocyst development. One morphokinetic parameter observed at this stage is the exclusion (before compaction) and extrusion (during or after compaction) of blastomeres. Exclusion and extrusion seem to be related to embryo self-correction phenomena and they are considered negative criteria due to potential associations with tight junction failures, gene expression, aneuploidies, or a high degree of mosaicism. However, the moment in which those phenomena are detected, can have different origins and though different consequences in embryo development. Study design, size, duration A total of 668 fertilized embryos and cultured to the blastocyst stage were included in the study. Embryo cohorts correspond to 158 consecutive patients that underwent an IVF treatment with fresh single blastocyst transfer and all their cohorts, between June 2017 and September 2022. Data recovered during culture in time-lapse incubator regarding the extrusion or exclusion of cells and the final fate of the transferred and the cohort embryos were retrospectively analysed. Participants/materials, setting, methods Embryos were cultured in single culture medium (CSCC®, Irvine Scientific) in a time-lapse incubator (MIRI-TL®, ESCO Medical). Embryos were evaluated for the time of exclusion/extrusion, number and volume of excluded/extruded cells and their final fate (transferred and the result, vitrified, discarded). For those transferred, Beta-hCG was performed 14 days after transfer and if positive clinical pregnancies were confirmed 3 weeks later. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics v25.0, with p &amp;lt; 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Main results and the role of chance Of the 668 analysed embryos, 340 were deemed “useful”: 225 were transferred (158 fresh, 67 cryotransferred after fresh negative pregnancy test), and 115 remain still vitrified. The rest, 328, were considered “non-useful”: 84 discarded and 244 blocked. 37% of the embryos presented total compaction and 63% partial, being 70.1% exclusion, 9.7% extrusion and 20.2% both phenomena. Exclusion/extrusion was significantly higher (p &amp;lt; 0.05) in non-useful embryos compared to the useful ones. In the distribution with regards to the final fate, significant differences were found (p &amp;lt; 0.05) being 78% exclusion, 8.8% extrusion and 13.3% both for useful, and 53.8% exclusion, 5.8% extrusion and 40.4% both for non-useful. There were statistically significant differences (p &amp;lt; 0.05) in the volume and number of cells excluded/extruded and the fate, being higher in those that resulted non-useful. ROC analysis showed that the volume occupied by excluded cells influences the embryo’s fate (AUC=0.738). Regarding transferred embryos, those that presented the phenomenon and resulted in a positive beta-hCGs, 95.8% was exclusion, none of them extruded cells and 4.2% both. For the negatives, 71% of exclusion, 11.4% of extrusion and 17.1% both, resulting in non-significant differences (p = 0.055). No significative differences were found either for the ones that resulted in a clinical pregnancy. Limitations, reasons for caution Although no statistical differences were found according to the moment of exclusion of blastomeres, before or after compaction, and the pregnancies, there is a clear trend in the sooner it happens the more embryo viability. And increase in the sample size might be helpful to confirm it. Wider implications of the findings The establishment of new parameters can improve embryo selection to help embryologists discriminating between embryos that appear to be of similar quality. Trial registration number not applicable

P-136 Non-invasive PGT (niPGT) using spent culture medium: Relationship between time lapse embryo dynamics and accuracy of niPGT analysis

Abstract Study question Do differences in the morphological characteristics of embryos or the dynamics of the developmental process affect the results of niPGT analysis? Summary answer Embryos with blastomeres that were excluded at compaction showed reduced accuracy of niPGT analysis, but other measured morphological characteristics had no impact. What is known already The PGT-A test, is invasive and requires training to be competent at the technique, aswell as the need for specialized equipment and consumables. In recent years, non-invasive PGT-A (niPGT-A), which analyzes Cell-Free DNA released from cultured embryos, has been attracting attention. Regarding the analysis accuracy of niPGT-A, there are reports that it is equivalent to or even superior to conventional PGT-A. However, at present, it is not clear how methodological differences or embryo dynamics impact results. Study design, size, duration From August 2021 to February 2022, 284 pronuclear-stage frozen embryos (with consent for research use), were thawed and cultured. They were individually cultured for at least 40 hours after Day 4. For the 150 embryos that reached the blastocyst stage, culture medium and the blastocysts were collected and subjected to chromosome aneuploidy analysis by NGS. For the 138 blastocyst with a result, the concordance rate was calculated with that obtained from the culture medium samples. Participants/materials, setting, methods The embryos were individually cultured in a single step medium using a 10 μl droplet from Day 4. The entire culture period was recorded in a time-lapse incubator. The concordance rate for all chromosomes between culture medium sample and the blastocyst was compared to recorded embryo dynamics, e.g. presence or absence of cumulus cell attachment, sperm attachment, fragmentation, blastomeres that excluded at compaction, shrinkage, and hatching. Chi-square test was used to compare the concordance rates. Main results and the role of chance The overall concordance rate for all chromosomes between the culture medium and the blastocysts samples was 46.4%(64/138). In the blastocysts where there were cumulus cells attached or not it was 43.6% (17/39) vs 47.5% (47/99) respectively, cases where there was still a sperm attached or not it was 53.1% (17/32) vs 44.3% (47/106) resepctively and in blastocysts where there had been fragmentation or no fragmenattion it was 46.9%(38/81) vs 45.6％(26/57) respectively. In cases where shrinkage of the blastocyst had been observed vs no shrinkage the respective concordance rates were 44.9% (48/107) vs 51.6% (16/31), whilst in cases where the blastocyst had hatched or not it was 40.6% (13/32) vs 48.1% (51/106) respectively.For the blastocysts where the blastomeres had been excluded at compaction or not it was 35.6％(31/87) vs 64.7% (33/51) respectively.Significant differences were only identified in cases with blastomere exclusion or no exclusion at compaction (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Limitations, reasons for caution In this study, the culture was continued to day 6 regardless of morphology of the embryo on day 5, which differs from the usual clinical culture process. Wider implications of the findings These results are useful in that they may aid in recognising which morphological features of embryos may impact the results obtained from niPGT and hence its reliability for clinical application. The blastomeres that excluded at compaction are clearly important for improving the accuracy of the niPGT analysis in the future. Trial registration number None

Evaluation of Simultaneous Growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes in Ground Beef Samples in Different Growth Media.

Several multiplex approaches for the simultaneous detection of pathogens in food have been developed in recent years, but the use of a single enrichment medium remains a problem. In this study, six enrichment broths (five non-selective media, tryptic soy broth (TSB), brain heart infusion broth (BHI), buffered peptone water (BPW), universal pre-enrichment broth (UPB), no. 17 broth, and a selective, Salmonella Escherichia Listeria broth (SEL)), were studied for the simultaneous detection of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes, to validate the suitable enrichment broth to be used for the detection methods. Different ratios of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes were used. Almost all non-selective broths evaluated in this study showed similar growth parameters and profiles among each other. The only selective enrichment broth under analysis (SEL) showed distinct growth features compared to the non-selective media, allowing for a slower but balanced growth of the three pathogens, which could be beneficial in preventing the overgrowth of fast-growing bacteria. In addition, when tested in ground beef samples, SEL broth seems to be the most distinctive medium with a balanced growth pattern observed for the three pathogens. Overall, this study is intended to provide the basis for the selection of suitable enrichment broths according to the technology detection to be used, the desired time of enrichment, and the expected balanced concentration of pathogens.

Design and Simulation of Bi-Layer Optimized High K- Dielectric Medium for N-Mosfet with Wild Horse Optimization to Improve Electrical Characteristics

Electronic devices for advanced modern semiconductor based technology, mainly focus on the design regarding lighter, faster and more affordable solutions to meet the specifications of modern digital electronics. Some of the drawbacks for minimizing device size in MOSFET include gate insulator scaling, Short-Channel Effects (SCEs), shallow junction technology and off-state leakage current in MOSFET devices. In addition, the traditional SiO2 as a dielectric material contains restricted maximum capacitance as well as increased tunnel current leakage due to the thickness. Hence, a High-k dielectric is required to replace SiO2 to overcome the mentioned issues. In this model, the N-type MOSFET is designed based on the bi-layer high K-dielectric medium with optimized thickness according to the maximum capacitance and minimum threshold voltage, which are implemented on VLSI based applications such as 6 T SRAM for evaluating the performance. The drain current of HfO2, Al2O3 and HfO2+Si3N4 for 2.5 v drain voltage are 1.87 mA, 1.51 mA and 3.54 mA. Then, the read and write delay of the single and bi-layer MOSFET are 70.84 ps, 82.64 ps, 95.21 ps and 10.24 ps, 15.47 ps, 21.74 ps. Thus, the designed and simulated bi-layer optimized high k- dielectric medium for N-MOSFET with wild horse optimization performs better electrical characteristics than the single layer dielectric medium MOSFET.

Monolithically Structured van der Waals Materials for Volume-Polariton Refraction and Focusing.

Polaritons, hybrid light and matter waves, offer a platform for subwavelength on-chip light manipulation. Recent works on planar refraction and focusing of polaritons all rely on heterogeneous components with different refractive indices. A fundamental question, thus, arises whether it is possible to configure two-dimensional monolithic polariton lenses based on a single medium. Here, we design and fabricate a type of monolithic polariton lens by directly sculpting an individual hyperbolic van der Waals crystal. The in-plane polariton focusing through sculptured step-terraces is triggered by geometry-induced symmetry breaking of momentum matching in polariton refractions. We show that the monolithic polariton lenses can be robustly tuned by the rise of van der Waals terraces and their curvatures, achieving a subwavelength focusing resolution down to 10% of the free-space light wavelength. Fusing with transformation optics, monolithic polariton lenses with gradient effective refractive indices, such as Luneburg lenses and Maxwell's fisheye lenses, are expected by sculpting polaritonic structures with gradually varied depths. Our results bear potential in planar subwavelength lenses, integrated optical circuits, and photonic chips.

Pathway Selection in Temporal Evolution of Supramolecular Polymers of Ionic π-Systems: Amphiphilic Organic Solvent Dictates the Fate of Water.

Understanding solvent-solute interactions is essential to designing and synthesising soft materials with tailor-made functions. Although the interaction of the solute with the solvent mixture is more complex than the single solvent medium, solvent mixtures are exciting to unfold several unforeseen phenomena in supramolecular chemistry. Here, we report two unforeseen pathways observed during the hierarchical assembly of cationic perylene diimides (cPDIs) in water and amphiphilic organic solvent (AOS) mixtures. When the aqueous supramolecular polymers (SPs) of cPDIs are injected into AOS, initially kinetically trapped short SPs are formed, which gradually transform into thermodynamically stable high aspect ratio SP networks. Using various experimental and theoretical investigations, we found that this temporal evolution follows two distinct pathways depending on the nature of the water-AOS interactions. If the AOS is isopropanol (IPA), water is released from cPDIs into bulk IPA due to strong hydrogen bonding interactions, which further decreases the monomer concentration of cPDIs (Pathway-1). In the case of dioxane AOS, cPDI monomer concentration further increases as water is retained among cPDIs (Pathway-2) due to relatively weak interactions between dioxane and water. Interestingly, these two pathways are accelerated by external stimuli such as heat and mechanical agitation.

Impedance characterization of dinaphtho[2,3-b:2’,3’-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene diodes: Addressing dielectric properties and trap effects

Dinaphtho[2,3-b:2’,3’-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) is a widely used small-molecular p-type organic semiconductor. Despite the broad availability of high-performance DNTT transistors, there is a lack of investigation into other devices based on this semiconductor. In this study, rectifying diodes with DNTT as a single transport medium are fabricated and characterized. Realizing unipolar current rectification from asymmetric metal contacts, a number of physical and electrical properties of DNTT are made accessible. Current–voltage measurement, broad-band impedance spectroscopy, drift-diffusion simulation, and equivalent-circuit modeling are combined to quantify important parameters such as dielectric constant, trap energy, and lifetime. These results provide a practical reference for the design and optimization of diverse electronic devices incorporating DNTT.

Precise underwater fish measurement: A geometric approach leveraging medium regression

Accurate estimation of fish length is crucial aquaculture processes. Precise and real-time estimation of fish length aids fish farmers in formulating effective farming strategies. Existing methods for estimating the length of underwater fish have made significant advancements in overcoming the interferences present in complex underwater environments. Nevertheless, the measurement results of some methods continue to be limited by variations in the refractive index of multiple media and deviations in imaging angles, resulting in measurement errors and diminished practicality. Consequently, we propose a measurement method that aims to address the aforementioned challenges in fisheries aquaculture by providing more accurate and cost-effective solutions. This method initially introduces the concept of regressing multiple media into a single medium to correct underwater depth estimation and enhance underwater imaging quality. Subsequently, an accurate plane fitting algorithm is applied to precisely fit the fish body plane and extract its corresponding normal vector information. Finally, taking into account the light propagation path and accounting for the limitations of precise values, we utilize the geometric relationship between the length of the bounding box and the actual length of the fish to calculate a more accurate estimation of fish body length. Experimental validation showcases the applicability of our measurement method to diverse fish species and substantiates its exceptional performance in both experimental and real-world scenarios. The maximum average relative errors for each group are within 8%, and the average relative error is 3.28% under the exact value constraints presented in the experiments. This method makes a significant contribution to fish length estimation and offers valuable insights for applications in fisheries and aquaculture.

Microstrip antenna with reflector and air gap for short range communication in 900 MHz band

This paper proposes a microstrip antenna that was made of a microstrip fed slot with a complimentary stub on a single dielectric medium. This antenna was integrated with a reflector and air gap for the application of short range communication (SRC) in a 900 MHz band. Analyses were made on the dimension of the reflector and the height of the air gap towards the antenna performance. Besides, an antenna field test was done for the propagation distance of the proposed antenna. As a result, with the antenna size of 13,770 mm2 , the measured return loss was -10.79 dB and the directivity gain was 7.44 dBi. Besides, with the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 7.44 dBm, it was predicted that at 100 m, the received signal would be around 60 to 70 dBm. Therefore, a high gain was produced by using a reflector with air gap and a compact size was achieved if compared to conventional high gain antenna designs such as Yagi Uda. Thus, it is suitable for a communication device such as the SRC application.