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Abstract Coating building envelopes with a passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) material has attracted enormous attention as an alternative cooling technique with minimal energy consumption and carbon footprint. Despite the exceptional performance and scalability of porous polymer coating (PPC), achieving consistent performance over a wide range of drying environments remains a major challenge for its commercialization as a radiative cooling paint. Herein, we demonstrate the humidity vulnerability of PPC during the drying process and propose a simple strategy to greatly mitigate the issue. Specifically, we find that the solar reflectance of the PPC rapidly decreases with increasing humidity from 30% RH, and the PPC completely losses its PDRC ability at 45% RH and even become a solar-heating material at higher humidity. However, by adding a small amount of polymer reinforcement to the PPC, it maintains its PDRC performance up to 60% RH, resulting in a 950% increase in estimated areal coverage compared to PPC in the United States. This study sheds light on a crucial consistency issue that has thus far been rarely addressed, and offers engineering guidance to handle this fundamental threat to the development of dependable PDRC paint for industrial applications.

Abstract In the present study, we produced SiOx/C from rice husk by the NaCl sub‐micron crystal‐assisted synthesis method which can mitigate environmental degradation and hazards, simplify preparation, and improve electrochemical performance. During synthesis, NaCl induces catalytic graphitization, carbon activation, and amorphous silica formation. Moreover, it is only partially consumed and can be recrystallized and reused indefinitely. Our NaCl sub‐micron crystal powder‐assisted method created lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) with rice husk‐derived SiOx/C anodes that exhibited a high initial charge/discharge capacity of 422.05/915.93 mAh∙g−1 at 0.05 A∙g−1 current density and stable cycling performance. In addition, the SiOx/C electrode produced by the NaCl micro‐crystal method had 333.96 mAh∙g−1 capacity at 0.05 A∙g−1 current density. By contrast, bare rice husk electrode exhibited a lower capacity of 333.96 mAh∙g−1at the same condition.

The cell-type continuous electromagnetic radiation system is a demonstration device capable of generating high-power millimeter electromagnetic waves of a specific wavelength and observing their effects on living organisms. It irradiates a biological sample placed in a 30 × 30 × 50 cm3 cell with electromagnetic waves in the 3.15-mm-wavelength region (with an output of ≥1 W) and analyzes the temperature change of the sample. A vacuum electronic device-based coupled-cavity backward-wave oscillator converts the electron energy of the electron beam into radiofrequency (RF) energy and radiates it to the target through an antenna, increasing the temperature through the absorption of RF energy in the skin. The system causes pain and ultimately reduces combat power. A cell-type continuous electromagnetic radiation system consisting of four parts—an electromagnetic-wave generator, a high-voltage power supply, a test cell, and a system controller—generates an RF signal of ≥1 W in a continuous waveform at a 95-GHz center frequency, as well as a chemical solution with a dielectric constant similar to that of the skin of a living organism. An increase of 5 °C lasting approximately 10 s was confirmed through an experiment.

High-power microwave sources applied to a directed-energy weapon can lead to permanent damage by radiating concentrated energy in a specific direction to disturb or overload electronic equipment. The effect analysis on the target, such as electronics exposed to electromagnetic pulse, should be considered as an important factor in determining the performance of high-power microwave sources and conducting experimental evaluations. In this study, a magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator, one of the representative high-power microwave sources based on vacuum electronics device, was constructed and experimental analysis with respect to electromagnetic pulse effects was performed. The specification of the magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator used in this study corresponded to 3 GW of high-power electromagnetic wave pulses operating at L-band. The power efficiency was approximately 10 – 15%. For effective targeting, a Vlasov antenna that converts TM01 mode to TE11 mode was designed and fabricated. The radiation pattern was confirmed via fluorescent lamps, and to confirm the effect of the directed-energy weapon on the target, an effect analysis was performed using a portable electronic device as a sample. Furthermore, the electric field was measured with a D-dot probe and quantified and compared. This study presents a future blueprint of the value of the directed-energy weapon by predicting the radiant output power of the weapon in the far-field region after it is mounted on a movable ground vehicle or unmanned aerial vehicle.

Characteristic x rays generated by a collision between a tungsten target and relativistic electron beams generated from a compact electrostatic accelerator based on a Marx generator and a Blumlein pulse-forming line can induce transient ionizing radiation in electronics. While the decelerated electron beam is close to a collector out of range of an external magnetic field, Bremsstrahlung x rays occur at the same time. Compton scattering also occurs through secondary reaction interactions with quasi-stationary particles such as ejected inner shell electrons or photons. During a simulation, a semiconductor process is used to analyze the effects and processes of photocurrents derived from the flow of the drain current when transient pulses generated from the compact electrostatic accelerator are incident in the pMOSFET-AD420-based detector. The photocurrent induced from the detector is also measured by experimental results in comparison with a computer simulation, and a photocurrent detection experiment was then conducted with a high-pulse-current compact electrostatic accelerator. In addition, data pertaining to the irradiation dose rate and photon emission rate were obtained. In order to confirm the radiation pattern in the situation of Compton scattering, the ionizing radiation effect in the photosensitive phosphor was identified using a fluorescent lamp. During the experiment, a relativistic electron beam operating at high energy and current levels at a maximum of 1MeV-10 kA was utilized.

A klystron is an important vacuum device which is useful in medical linear accelerators because it amplifies the radio-frequency (RF) signals required to produce high-energy particle beams. The properties of the nonlinear input and output dynamics in the klystron circuit arouse distortion in various types of parameters pertaining to the beam voltage, beam current, RF power, and operating frequency from unpredictable external factors. Therefore, low-level RF (LLRF) control systems can facilitate the regulation of the output of the klystron to a desired level. Low-level RF control system of the klystron is designed to stabilize the applied voltage and control the resonance frequency of the cavity of the klystron. In this work, an infallible low-level RF control system, the most suitable for a klystron, is designed to use a beam monitoring and an interlock system with components that include an isolator and a phase shifter. Moreover, with regard to pulse distortion at the flap top at the RF output power, the stability of the RF power pulse at the flap top part was improved somewhat by a variable inductor which controlled the inside of the pulse modulator. In this LLRF control experiment, the pulse modulator generated 140kV-95A and succeeded in generating RF output power of 2.856GHz-6MW level of an S-band klystron. During this process, the efficiency of the RF power was approximately 42∼45% and the pulse repetition rate was 10 Hz. The flattop pulse width was measured and found to be 1 µs.

When a semiconductor element is irradiated with radiation in the form of a transient pulse emitted from a nuclear explosion, a large amount of charge is generated in a short time in the device. A photocurrent amplified in a certain direction by these types of charges cause the device to break down and malfunction or in extreme cases causes them to burn out. In this study, a pulse-type γ-ray generator based on a relativistic electron beam accelerator (γ=2.2, β=0.89) which functions by means of tungsten impingement was constructed and tested in an effort to investigate the process and effects of the photocurrent formed by electron hole pairs (EHP) generated in a pMOSFET device when a transient radiation pulse is incident in the device. The pulse-type γ-ray irradiating device used here to generate the electron beam current in a short time was devised to allow an increase in the irradiation dose. A precise signal processing circuit was constructed to measure the photocurrent of the small signal generated by the pMOSFET due to the electron beam accelerator pulse signal from the large noise stemming from the electromagnetic field around the relativistic electron beam accelerator. The pulse-type γ-ray generator was installed to meet the requirements of relativistic electron beam accelerators, and beam irradiation was conducted after a beam commissioning step.

Fingerprints are unique to primates and koalas but what advantages do these features of our hands and feet provide us compared with the smooth pads of carnivorans, e.g., feline or ursine species? It has been argued that the epidermal ridges on finger pads decrease friction when in contact with smooth surfaces, promote interlocking with rough surfaces, channel excess water, prevent blistering, and enhance tactile sensitivity. Here, we found that they were at the origin of a moisture-regulating mechanism, which ensures an optimal hydration of the keratin layer of the skin for maximizing the friction and reducing the probability of catastrophic slip due to the hydrodynamic formation of a fluid layer. When in contact with impermeable surfaces, the occlusion of the sweat from the pores in the ridges promotes plasticization of the skin, dramatically increasing friction. Occlusion and external moisture could cause an excess of water that would defeat the natural hydration balance. However, we have demonstrated using femtosecond laser-based polarization-tunable terahertz wave spectroscopic imaging and infrared optical coherence tomography that the moisture regulation may be explained by a combination of a microfluidic capillary evaporation mechanism and a sweat pore blocking mechanism. This results in maintaining an optimal amount of moisture in the furrows that maximizes the friction irrespective of whether a finger pad is initially wet or dry. Thus, abundant low-flow sweat glands and epidermal furrows have provided primates with the evolutionary advantage in dry and wet conditions of manipulative and locomotive abilities not available to other animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Versatile high-power pulsed electron-beam accelerators that meet the requirements of pulsed high-power specifications are needed for appropriate applications in medical industry, defense, and other industries. The pulsed electron beam accelerator comprising a Marx generator and Blumlein pulse forming line (PFL) is designed to accelerate the electron beams at the level of 1 MeV when electrostatically discharging. The performance specifications of Marx generators consisting of a 100 kV DC power supply, R-L-C circuit, and high voltage switch are at a maximum 800 kV. At this time, by using the capacitance mismatching principle between the Marx generator and the Blumlein PFL under the law of preserving the amount of charge, it is possible to generate a high voltage in the form of a square pulse up to about 1.1 MV, as much as 1.37 times the charged voltage of the Marx generator. As a result, energy transmission from the Marx generator with a high efficiency of about 85% to the Blumlein PFL is possible. The aim of this study is that the pulsed high-power electron-beam accelerator can be used to change the diode impedance, and the energy of the accelerated electron beam reaches a level of 1 MeV with the square pulse width of about 100 ns at the flat-top in the range of relativistic electron beam generation. Performance tests were securely carried out by installing a dummy load based on CuSO4 solution varying the diode impedance to deter damage to the circuit by preventing reflected waves from being generated in the load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal irreversible electroporation (NTIRE) to avoid thermal damage to cells during intense DC ns pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) is a recent modality for medical applications. This mechanism, related to bioelectrical dynamics of the cell, is linked to the effect of a DC electric field and a threshold effect with an electrically stimulated membrane for the charge distribution in the cell. To create the NTIRE condition, the pulse width of the nsPEF should be shorter than the charging time constant of the membrane related to the cell radius, membrane capacitance, cytoplasm resistivity, and medium resistivity. It is necessary to design and fabricate a very intense nanosecond DC electric field pulser that is capable of producing voltages up to the level of 100 kV/cm with an artificial pulse width (~ns) with controllable repetition rates. Many devices to generate intense DC nsPEF using various pulse-forming line technologies have been introduced thus far. However, the previous Blumlein pulse-generating devices are clearly inefficient due to the energy loss between the input voltage and the output voltage. An improved two-stage stacked Blumlein pulse-forming line can overcome this limitation and decrease the energy loss from a DC power supply. A metal oxide silicon field-effect transistor switch with a fast rise and fall time would enable a high repetition rate (max. 100 kHz) and good endurance against very high voltages (DC ~ 30 kV). The load is designed to match the sample for exposure to cell suspensions consisting of a 200 Ω resistor matched with a Blumlein circuit and two electrodes without the characteristic RC time effect of the circuit (capacitance = 0.174 pF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The faithful determination of the concentration and viability of yeast cells is important for biological research as well as industry. To this end, it is important to develop an automated cell counting algorithm that can provide not only fast but also accurate and precise measurement of yeast cells. Results With the proposed method, we measured the precision of yeast cell measurements by using 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 % viability samples. As a result, the actual viability measured with the proposed yeast cell counting algorithm is significantly correlated to the theoretical viability (R2 = 0.9991). Furthermore, we evaluated the performance of our algorithm in various computing platforms. The results showed that the proposed algorithm could be feasible to use with low-end computing platforms without loss of its performance. Conclusions Our yeast cell counting algorithm can rapidly provide the total number and the viability of yeast cells with exceptional accuracy and precision. Therefore, we believe that our method can become beneficial for a wide variety of academic field and industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceutical and alcohol production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a 3-dimensional (3D) vision-based ambient user interface as an interaction metaphor that exploits a user's personal space and its dynamic gestures. In human-computer interaction, to provide natural interactions with a system, a user interface should not be a bulky or complicated device. In this regard, the proposed ambient user interface utilizes an invisible personal space to remove cumbersome devices where the invisible personal space is virtually augmented through exploiting 3D vision techniques. For natural interactions with the user's dynamic gestures, the user of interest is extracted from the image sequences by the proposed user segmentation method. This method can retrieve 3D information from the segmented user image through 3D vision techniques and a multiview camera. With the retrieved 3D information of the user, a set of 3D boxes (SpaceSensor) can be constructed and augmented around the user; then the user can interact with the system by touching the augmented SpaceSensor. In the user's dynamic gesture tracking, the computational complexity of SpaceSensor is relatively lower than that of conventional 2-dimensional vision-based gesture tracking techniques, because the touched positions of SpaceSensor are tracked. According to the experimental results, the proposed ambient user interface can be applied to various systems that require real-time user's dynamic gestures for their interactions both in real and virtual environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin has a largely a-helical structure and exists as a mixture of hexameric, dimeric, and monomeric states in solution, depending on the conditions: the protein is monomeric in 20% acetic acid. Insulin forms amyloid-like fibrils under a variety of conditions, especially at low pH. In this study we investigated the fibrillation of monomeric human insulin by monitoring changes in CD, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 8-anilinonaphthalenesulfonic acid fluorescence, thioflavin T fluorescence, dynamic light scattering, and H/D exchange during the initial stages of the fibrillation process to provide insight into early events involving the monomer. The results demonstrate the existence of structural changes occurring before the onset of fibril formation, which are detectable by multiple probes. The data indicate at least two major populations of oligomeric intermediates between the native monomer and fibrils. Both have significantly non-native conformations, and indicate that fibrillation occurs from a beta-rich structure significantly distinct from the native fold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]