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Memristors possess non-volatile memory, adjusting their electrical resistance to the current that flows through them and allowing switching between high and low conducting states. This technology could find applications in fields such as IT, consumer electronics, computing, sensors, and medicine. In this paper, we report successful electrodeposition of thin-film materials consisting of copper tungstate and copper molybdate (CuWO4 and Cu3Mo2O9), which showed notable memristive properties. Material characterisation was performed with techniques such as XRD, XPS, and SEM. The electrodeposited materials exhibited the ability to switch between low and high resistive states during varied cyclic scans and short-term impulses. The retention time of these switched states was also explored. Using these materials, the effects seen in biological systems, specifically spike timing-dependent plasticity, were simulated, being based on analogue operation of the memristors to achieve multiple conductivity states. Bio-inspired simulations performed directly on the material could possibly offer energy and time savings for classical computations. Memristors could be crucial for the advancement of high-efficiency, low-energy neuromorphic electronic devices and technologies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, analysis of the curved profile measurement accuracy is described. Since there was no CAD model or other reference profile for the measured detail, the first step was to generate the reference contour of the cam using the technical drawing and tolerance requirements. The test campaign consisted of three experiments aimed at determining the effect of scanning velocity on the results of form deviation δ measurement, evaluation of deviation δ measurement uncertainty and the measurement repeatability. The scanning time was checked, too. The obtained results demonstrated feasibility of the chosen CMM and measurement strategy. It was found also that the measurement uncertainty did not depend on the scanning sampling step from 0.05 to 0.2 mm, and the true measurement time was for 30-40% longer than that expected from the nominal scanning velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-layered active films based on furcellaran (1st layer—FUR), chitosan, and gelatin hydrolysates (2nd layer—CHIT+HGEL) were successfully prepared. Bioactive ingredients were added to the 1st film layer: AgNPs, which were synthesized in situ with yerba mate extract; montmorillonite clay (MMT); and different loads of ethanolic curcumin (CUR) extract enriched with rosemary essential oil (REO). SEM images confirmed the presence of AgNPs with a size distribution of 94.96 ± 3.33 nm throughout the films, and AFM and SEM photos indicated that the higher substance concentrations had rougher and more porous film microstructures. However, the water vapor transmission rate was reduced only at the lowest load of this ingredient. Despite the tensile strength of the films having decreased, the incorporation of the compounds showed a tendency towards reducing the modulus of elasticity, resulting in a lower stiffness of the composites. The addition of CUR and AgNPs improved the UV light barrier properties of the materials. The presented films showed quick reactions to changes in the pH value (from orange to red along with an increase in pH from 2 to 10), which indicates their potential use as indicators for monitoring the freshness of food products. Composite No. 2 showed the highest antimicrobial potential, while none of the presented films showed an antifungal effect. Finally, the antioxidant activities of the films increased dramatically at higher AgNP and CUR loads, suggesting an outstanding potential for active food packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the investigations on the direction-dependent accuracy of the point identification during contact probe measurements with a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Considering the contact point identified by an orthogonal to the surface probe movement, the transformation of coordinates was made in order to calculate the displacement of the measured point. As a result, the positioning accuracy was estimated in three axes. The experiments demonstrated a strong dependence of the displacement on the declination angle. Moreover, it was found that the directional surface texture which provided different roughness in perpendicular directions, had an impact on the positioning accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the sintering process of Al2O3–SiO2–ZrO2 ceramics. The studied method was electroconsolidation with directly applied electric current. This method provides substantial improvements to the mechanical properties of the sintered samples compared to the traditional sintering in the air. The research covered elemental and phase analysis of the samples, which revealed phase transition of high-alumina solid solutions into mullite and corundum. Zirconia was represented mainly by tetragonal phase, but monoclinic phase was present, too. Electroconsolidation enabled samples to reach a density of 3.0 g/cm3 at 1300 °C, while the sample prepared by traditional sintering method obtained it only at 1700 °C. For the composite Al2O3—20 wt.% SiO2—10 wt.% ZrO2 fabricated by electroconsolidation, it was demonstrated that fracture toughness was higher by 20–30%, and hardness was higher by 15–20% compared to that of samples sintered traditionally. Similarly, the samples fabricated by electroconsolidation exhibited elastic modulus E higher by 15–20%. The hypothesis was proposed that the difference in mechanical and physical properties could be attributed to the peculiarities of phase formation processes during electroconsolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic‐inorganic perovskites despite being known for their extraordinary performance in solar cell research areas are also a workhorse in the field of unconventional information processing. Here, a neuromimetic behaviour is presented in a perovskite device with the potential to act as an artificial synapse. In addition, perovskite layer is combined with one of the non‐stoichiometric polymeric forms of carbon nitride (C3N4). Such a device can operate not only according to the principles of non‐von Neumann architecture but also utilizes two different stimuli as information carriers–electric current and/or light. This in turn can lead towards the development of next‐generation information processing/storage units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, an issue of CMM measurement strategy of the sleeves and pins designed for wear tests in the cycloidal drive. The measurement strategy was proposed, based on initial out-of-roundness measurement in scanning mode. Proposed approach ensured that the pin was measured along its entire 40 mm length with only small area of fixation ca. 5 mm left out, and all probing points for cylindricity deviation assessment were collected in one fixation. It was demonstrated that the cylindricity and roundness measurement results based on 8, 16 and 48 probing points provided sufficient data for further wear analysis. In some cases, the circles calculated from 4 points gave additional insights allowing to accept the part that otherwise might be possibly rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Parameterised Model Checking Problem asks whether an implementation satisfies a specification for all instantiations of parameter . In general, can determine numerous entities: the number of processes used in a network, the type of data, the capacities of buffers, etc. The main theme of this paper is automation of uniform verification of a subclass of PMCP with the parameter of the first kind, i.e. where it determines the number of processes used in a network. We use CSP as our formalism. Counter abstraction is a technique that replaces a concrete state space by an abstract one, where each abstract state is a tuple of integer counters such that for each , counts how many node processes are currently in the -th state. Each counter is given a finite threshold and we interpret as there being or more processes in the -th state. Standard counter abstraction techniques require all processes to be identical, which means that nodes cannot use node identifiers. In this paper we present how counter abstraction techniques can be extended to processes that make use of node identifiers in a symmetrical way. Our method creates a process that is independent of and is refined by for all sufficiently large , where maps all (sufficiently large) instantiations of the parameter to some fixed type. By transitivity of refinement, testing if refines implies that is refined by . Then, using the type reduction theory from Mazur and Lowe (2012) [29], we can deduce that is refined by for all sufficiently large , thus obtaining a positive answer to the original verification problem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cold plasma is a new technology of promising potential to use as a part of technological extraction lines constructed to implement green chemistry solutions or simply to reduce resources in solvent-based extraction lines. The present study was undertaken to verify the effect of nitrogen cold plasma pre-treatment conducted for 8 min (20 kHz) on the content of antioxidants, antioxidant activity, the profile of volatile compounds, microbial count, pH and color measured in herb extracts (12 herbs: Echinacea purpurea; Salvia officinalis; Urtica dioica; Polygonum aviculare; Vaccinium myrtillus; Taraxacum officinale; Hypericum perforatum; Achillea millefolium; Sanguisorba officinalis; Leonurus cardiaca; Ballota nigra; Andrographis paniculata) obtained with its usage. The surface morphology of extracted herbs was examined as well. Herbs used for extraction were ground and suspended in water before cold plasma treatment, which is a novel approach not studied before. Most plasma-treated extracts were characterized by a higher content of polyphenols (11 out of 12). Content of flavonoids and anthocyanins increased in four extracts and in the case of anthocyanins was significantly higher in comparison to control (up to 77%). The antioxidant activity measured at least by one method (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP) was also higher in nine plasma-treated solutions. Moreover, plasma decreased total aerobic bacteria, affected the color and increased pH of the extracts. The surface structure of the plant material after the extraction process was significantly damaged, which probably led to a higher extraction yield of bioactive compounds and in consequence to the higher antioxidant activity of extracts obtained with the cold plasma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of alumina–tungsten carbide nanocomposite was investigated. Characteristics of the densification and sintering were analyzed considering both the nano-size particle starting powders and the processing stages. Different heating rates were generated during densification and consolidation with a maximal load was applied only after a temperature of 1000 °C was reached. Due to the varying dominance of different physical processes affecting the grains, appropriate heating rates and pressure at different stages ensured that a structure with submicron grains was obtained. With directly applied alternating current, it was found that the proportion Al2O3 (50 wt.%)–WC provided the highest fracture toughness, and a sintering temperature above 1600 °C was found to be disadvantageous. High heating rates and a short sintering time enabled the process to be completed in 12 min, saving energy and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behavior of two silicon steels with the same chemical composition but different grains sizes (i.e., average grain area of 115.6 and 4265.9 µm2) was investigated by metallographic microscope, gravimetric, electrochemical and surface analysis techniques. The gravimetric and electrochemical results showed that the corrosion rate increased with decreasing the grain size. The scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopyanalyses revealed formation of a more homogeneous and compact corrosion product layer on the coarse-grained steel compared to fine-grained material. The Volta potential analysis, carried out on both steels, revealed formation of micro-galvanic sites at the grain boundaries and triple junctions. The results indicated that the decrease in corrosion resistance in the fine-grained steel could be attributed to the higher density of grain boundaries (e.g., a higher number of active sites and defects) brought by the refinement. The higher density of active sites at grain boundaries promote the metal dissolution of the and decreased the stability of the corrosion product layerformed on the metal surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have experimentally studied the influence of pulsed laser deposition parameters on the morphological and electrophysical parameters of vanadium oxide films. It is shown that an increase in the number of laser pulses from 10,000 to 60,000 and an oxygen pressure from 3 × 10−4 Torr to 3 × 10−2 Torr makes it possible to form vanadium oxide films with a thickness from 22.3 ± 4.4 nm to 131.7 ± 14.4 nm, a surface roughness from 7.8 ± 1.1 nm to 37.1 ± 11.2 nm, electron concentration from (0.32 ± 0.07) × 1017 cm−3 to (42.64 ± 4.46) × 1017 cm−3, electron mobility from 0.25 ± 0.03 cm2/(V·s) to 7.12 ± 1.32 cm2/(V·s), and resistivity from 6.32 ± 2.21 Ω·cm to 723.74 ± 89.21 Ω·cm. The regimes at which vanadium oxide films with a thickness of 22.3 ± 4.4 nm, a roughness of 7.8 ± 1.1 nm, and a resistivity of 6.32 ± 2.21 Ω·cm are obtained for their potential use in the fabrication of ReRAM neuromorphic systems. It is shown that a 22.3 ± 4.4 nm thick vanadium oxide film has the bipolar effect of resistive switching. The resistance in the high state was (89.42 ± 32.37) × 106 Ω, the resistance in the low state was equal to (6.34 ± 2.34) × 103 Ω, and the ratio RHRS/RLRS was about 14,104. The results can be used in the manufacture of a new generation of micro- and nanoelectronics elements to create ReRAM of neuromorphic systems based on vanadium oxide thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of the addition of silicon carbide to alumina ceramics commonly used in cutting tool applications is addressed. Performance of Al2O3–SiC composite cutting inserts during the machining of hardened steels and ductile iron was compared to the results obtained for a cutting tool made out of 99 wt.% Al2O3, Al2O3–TiC, Al2O3–TiC–ZrO2, and Al2O3–TiN. In almost all tests, the composite with silicon carbide demonstrated better wear resistance, longer tool lifetime, and the ability to cut at higher speeds. The enhanced properties of cutting tools with SiC can be attributed to the morphology and dimensions of the inclusions in the matrix as well as to the strength of the interphase boundaries, small porosity, and lack of high inner stresses in the volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Functional gastrointestinal disorders are prevalent worldwide and alterations of gutbrain axis and intestinal barrier integrity may play a pivotal role in both the pathophysiology and clinical course of these bowel malfunctions. We aimed to assess the prevalence of abdominal pain in a selected adult population of Poland to determine potential environmental factors associated with gastrointestinal complaints. Methods: There were 1479 individuals - 657 women (44.42%) and 822 men (55.58%), aged 24.20±6.08 years. The responders fulfilled an authors' questionnaire based on Rome II and III criteria focused on the abdominal pain prevalence and environmental factors involved in its occurrence. Results: The frequency of abdominal pain was found to be as high as 19.2%. Male gender (n=822) and basic education level (n=151) lowered the risk of abdominal pain occurrence (OR=0.7, p<0.012 and OR=0.5, p<0.021, respectively). Psychological distress, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and antibiotics usage were found as risk factors of abdominal pain (OR=2.503, p<0.01; OR=3.308, p<0.01; OR=3.105, p<0.01, respectively). Conclusions: Abdominal pain is prevalent in young adult inhabitants of Poland, especially in women. Intense psychological stress, as well as PPIs and antibiotics usage elevate the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]