Search

In addressing the challenge of the multiplicative fading introduced by passive reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in high-speed railway scenarios, an effective solution is the deployment of an active RIS. However, the conventional fully-connected architecture of active RIS, characterized by a multitude of active elements, results in excessive hardware costs and power consumption. Consequently, a sub-connected architecture of active RIS was proposed, with the aim of simultaneously considering the system's energy efficiency and the transmission rate in train-ground communication. Initially, a system model for active RIS-assisted multi-user scenarios was established, taking into account the distinctive features of the high-speed railway environment. Subsequently, the problem of maximizing system energy efficiency was formulated by considering constraints on the maximum transmission power of the base station, the transmission power of the active RIS, and the phase-shift matrix of the active RIS. Through the utilization of Lagrange dual transformation and quadratic transformation from fractional programming theory, the non-convex problem was transformed into a convex optimization problem. Finally, an alternating optimization algorithm was proposed for the joint optimization of beamforming and the phase-shift matrix of the active RIS. Simulation results indicate that, compared to traditional passive RIS and fully-connected of active RIS architectures, the proposed solution effectively addresses the multiplicative fading issue. Additionally, the proposed solution achieves higher energy efficiency while meeting user transmission rate requirements.

The mechanisms of deposition and solidification processes of molten droplets after collision with the substrate during arc spraying were investigated by Fluent simulation. Subsequently, the Al, ZnAl alloys and Zn–Al pseudo-alloy coatings were prepared by arc spraying through parameter optimization. Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of arc-sprayed Al, ZnAl alloys and Zn–Al pseudo-alloy coatings corroded in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for different days were studied. The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) investigation indicated that the pitting corrosion occurred on the surface of Al coating, and even the substrate material also appeared to be corroded. In comparison, the Zn–Al pseudo-alloy coating has both pure Zn and Al coatings in a corrosive environment with the cathodic effect of sacrificial anode protection and the shielding effect of a passivated protective film. As a result, it has an excellent corrosion resistance. Meanwhile, the corrosion mechanism of arc-sprayed Al, ZnAl alloys and Zn–Al pseudo-alloy coatings was further characterized by the combination of SEM surface morphology and XRD pattern after the corrosion. Furthermore, the wear resistance of the above-mentioned coatings was examined, and the investigations showed that the arc-sprayed Zn–Al pseudo-alloy coatings also have an excellent wear resistance.

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a well-known process for machining of particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs). However, ECDM process suffers several drawbacks such as the lower material removal rate (MRR), high risks of tool wear rate (TWR) and relatively poor surface quality, etc. This study proposes a kind of electrochemical discharge grinding machining (ECDGM) method which employs a special shaped tool electrode. During the process, not only the can the hybrid action of electrochemical dissolution, spark erosion, and abrasive grinding improve the performance of machining MMCs, but also the special shaped of the tool electrode can be used to discharge the machined debris. And thus a higher machining efficiency and lower TWR can be obtained. The performance of developed process was conducted on machining of SiC particulate reinforced aluminum workpiece. The role of peak curre+nt, pulse duration, duty cycle, rotary speed and abrasive grit size has been investigated on MMR and TWR using the nonabrasive round electrode, abrasive round electrode, and abrasive shaped electrode respectively. The experimental results showed that using the shaped abrasive electrode for machining MMCs can achieve a higher MRR and lower TWR, as compared to the non-abrasive round electrode, abrasive round electrode. Besides, the orthogonal method was employed to analyze the relative importance of the machining parameters on MRR and TWR, it has been observed that MRR is affected by the processing parameters following the order of rotary speed > peak current > duty cycle > pulse duration, and TWR is following the order of peak current > duty cycle > pulse duration > rotary speed.

High mobility of thin film transistor (TFT) is critical to liquid crystal display (LCD) for high performance. We have developed an ultra‐high mobility (> 50 cm2 /V•s) Top Gate Self‐alignment (TGSA) bilayer oxide TFT technology, achieving on‐state current over 60μA and excellent electrical stress stability, which makes it possible to achieve high resolution, high refresh and narrow‐bezel simultaneously. Dual gate driving TGSA TFT exhibits even higher mobility to support a source line DEMUX 1:2 circuit design. A 12.7 inch 3K*2K TDDI TPC LCD with 120Hz refresh rate, DEMUX design and 1.5mm narrow‐bezel was fabricated. This first ultra‐high resolution TDDI TPC LCD product indicates the superiority of our high ultra‐mobility TGSA bilayer oxide TFT technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work introduces a laser-induced cavitation bubble technique for forming an axisymmetric structure (i.e., microgroove) and the dynamics of a cavitation bubble from initial expansion to the collapse stages that were also simulated. Furthermore, the shock wave signals and dynamic properties of the cavitation bubble were recorded using a hydrophone and a high-speed camera. The experiments on microgrooves formed by laser-induced cavitation bubble stamping were carried out, and the effects of laser energy, the initial position of the bubble, and the number of impacts on the microformability of aluminum sheets are discussed. The depth of the microgroove was investigated using experiments, and it was found that the process can serve as a rapid technique for impressing microfeatures on thin-sheet metals. The experimental results showed that as the initial position of the bubble increased, the deformation depth decreased. As the laser energy and number of impacts increased, the deformation depth increased. The results of the response surface experiments showed that a laser energy of 27 mJ, 3 impacts, and a bubble position of 3 mm were optimal for the process. By using the optimal parameters, flat and smooth microgrooves with a forming depth of 102.54 µm were successfully fabricated. Furthermore, the maximum thickness thinning of the microgroove section occurred at the entrance areas, and this area had the greatest hardness. This also indicated that the greatest amount of plastic deformation of the material and grain refinement occurred in this area. On the other hand, the aluminum foil did not undergo oxidation during the plastic deformation process. These results demonstrated that laser-induced bubble stamping is an advanced micromachining method with promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, LCD end‐users are putting forward higher and higher requirements for dynamic picture display realism. With the increase of display panel refresh rate, dynamic picture fidelity has a significant improvement. The extremely high refresh rate has become one of the most important indicators of high‐end display panels, especially for video game usage scenarios. However, the increase in refresh rate is a challenge to the drive capability of LCD semiconductor TFTs (Thin Film Transistor), the response time of liquid crystal, and the transmission of high‐frequency signals, resulting in the maximum refresh rate of high‐refresh‐rate displays currently on the market still at 240 ~ 300 Hz. In this paper, we solve the display distortion due to low charging ratio at ultra‐high refresh rate by improving GOA（Gate Driver on Array） driver circuit and applying high stability and high mobility bilayer oxide semiconductor technology. At the same time, the 1ms GTG (Gray to Gray) response time is achieved by testing and optimizing the pixel slit angle and cell gap of ADS (Advanced Super Dimension Switch) LCD, ensuring no image trailing at refresh rates up to 600 Hz. Then the anti‐electromagnetic interference ability of high‐speed signal is improved by high‐speed signal transmission quality enhancement technology. Through the application of the above technologies, we have developed the ultra‐high refresh rate IT display panel products such as 600Hz frame rate FHD NB LCD and 500 Hz FHD MNT LCD. And the 16.0" WUXGA 600Hz ADS LCD achieves the highest CMR 9000 rating in VESA latest dynamic picture CMR certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a voltage-fed isolated matrix-type ac/dc converter (VF-MC) is proposed for wind energy conversion system (WECS). Instead of the line-frequency transformer, the high-frequency transformer (HFT) is used for isolation between the generator and the grid. The direct matrix converter (MC) is employed to connect the wind power generator and the HFT, and the intermediate dc capacitors are saved in the ac/ac conversion. Moreover, the proposed VF-MC can work without use of filter capacitors on generator side, and enable more compact size. The dedicated space-vector-modulation scheme and commutation method are proposed for safe operation of the MC. The voltage spikes due to the leakage inductance of HFT are thus reduced and the additional snubber circuit is avoided in the proposed system. A 1-kW laboratory prototype of the proposed VF-MC-based WECS is built to verify the effectiveness of the system experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dc distribution power system has drawn widespread attention and rapidly developed in recent years; however, its stability issue is one of the urgent challenges, requiring much attention. In previous stability studies, the line impedance network is often overlooked, which is convenient for the geographically centralized systems, but inaccurate for the distributed systems. In this article, the modeling and stability criteria of these two systems are simultaneously studied. For the distributed systems, first, the transfer functions from each input voltage or current disturbance to the bus voltage are derived. On this basis, the sufficient and necessary condition for the system stability is discussed. Subsequently, a bus node impedance criterion (BNIC) is proposed to assess the small-signal stability of the dc distribution power system. For the centralized systems, by ignoring the line impedance network, its small-signal model can be deduced by the distributed system, and the proposed BNIC is proved to be still valid. In addition, some existing impedance-based stability criteria are analyzed and compared with the proposed BNIC. Finally, the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed BNIC are verified by the cases study and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grid inverters play an important role in renewable energy systems, transferring the dc power to the ac grid. Galvanic isolation is usually needed between the dc source and the grid due to safety reasons and grounding leakage current mitigation. In this article, a soft-switching isolated grid inverter is proposed based on the current-fed matrix-type configuration. The topology of this converter is composed of a current-fed H-bridge on the side of dc source and a direct matrix converter on the grid side, which are linked by a high-frequency transformer. The current-fed H-bridge on the primary-side can smooth the dc-source current and control the dc-source current directly. The avoidance of dc-link energy-storage element in the single-stage matrix converter can prolong the system's life. A space-vector-modulation-based soft-switching scheme is proposed for the matrix converter on the grid side and a model-based commutation method is adopted in the current-fed H-bridge on the dc side. With the proposed modulation methods, the soft switching can be realized for all devices in the converter. Finally, a laboratory prototype of the proposed converter has been built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Part I, a method for the Harmonic Power-Flow (HPF) study of three-phase power grids with Converter-Interfaced Distributed Energy Resources (CIDERs) is proposed. The method is based on generic and modular representations of the grid and the CIDERs, and explicitly accounts for coupling between harmonics. In Part II, the HPF method is validated. First, the applicability of the modeling framework is demonstrated on typical grid-forming and grid-following CIDERs. Then, the HPF method is implemented in MATLAB and compared against time-domain simulations with Simulink. The accuracy of the models and the performance of the solution algorithm are assessed for individual resources and a modified version of the CIGRÉ low-voltage benchmark microgrid (i.e., with additional unbalanced components). The observed maximum errors are 6.3E-5 p.u. w.r.t. voltage magnitude, 1.3E-3 p.u. w.r.t. current magnitude, and 0.9 deg w.r.t. phase. Moreover, the scalability of the method is assessed w.r.t. the number of CIDERs and the maximum harmonic order (≤25). For the maximum problem size, the execution time of the HPF method is 6.52 sec, which is 5 times faster than the time-domain simulation. The convergence of the method is robust w.r.t. the choice of the initial point, and multiplicity of solutions has not been observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power distribution systems are experiencing a large-scale integration of Converter-Interfaced Distributed Energy Resources (CIDERs). This complicates the analysis and mitigation of harmonics, whose creation and propagation are facilitated by the interactions of converters and their controllers through the grid. In this paper, a method for the calculation of the so-called Harmonic Power-Flow (HPF) in three-phase grids with CIDERs is proposed. The distinguishing feature of this HPF method is the generic and modular representation of the system components. Notably, as opposed to most of the existing approaches, the coupling between harmonics is explicitly considered. The HPF problem is formulated by combining the hybrid nodal equations of the grid with the closed-loop transfer functions of the CIDERs, and solved using the Newton-Raphson method. The grid components are characterized by compound electrical parameters, which allow to represent both transposed or non-transposed lines. The CIDERs are represented by modular linear time-periodic systems, which allows to treat both grid-forming and grid-following control laws. The method’s accuracy and computational efficiency are confirmed via time-domain simulations of the CIGRÉ low-voltage benchmark microgrid. This paper is divided in two parts, which focus on the development (Part I) and the validation (Part II) of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the wide application of distributed generations (DGs) and microgrids (MGs), the inverter control becomes a hot research topic. For the inverter control in MG applications, first, a complex variable state-feedback-based switch control frame is proposed. In the proposed control frame, the state feedback leads to a generalized control objective (GCO), and then the instantaneous voltage and current controls are designed based on the GCO. Finally, a complex variable frequency-locked loop (FLL) is adopted to realize the voltage and current reference computation. The control system is integrated by complex variables to alleviate the seamless switch. The effectiveness of the proposed control method is validated by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) current-source converters (CSCs) have the features of simple configuration, reliable short-circuit protection, and sinusoidal ac output voltages. The conventional space-vector modulation (SVM) scheme usually generates high-magnitude low-order harmonics in CSCs with low switching frequency. In this article, two modified SVM schemes, namely MSVM1 and MSVM2, are proposed to improve the harmonic performance for PWM CSCs in the high-power applications with low switching frequencies. The MSVM1 scheme focuses on eliminating the average dwell-time error of current vectors within each sampling period, while the MSVM2 scheme is targeted to achieve the accurate dwell time of current vectors as that of the natural sampling-based SVM scheme. The theoretical analysis and the calculation equations of dwell time are derived for both MSVM1 and MSVM2. The experiments are given to verify the effectiveness of the two modified SVM schemes in improving the harmonic performance of high-power CSCs with low switching frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotor flux linkage of permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is of great importance for monitoring and high-performance control. However, most of the existing online estimation methods need prior knowledge of other PMSM parameters such as stator resistance and dq axis inductance, which are difficult to realize in the rank-deficient models of electrical machines. This article proposes a simple online estimation method of rotor flux linkage for the dual three-phase surface-mounted PMSM (SPMSM) drives with the assistance of injected position offset. The independent estimation model has been developed for the rotor flux linkage by appropriate setting of positon offset between two sets of three-phase windings of dual three-phase SPMSM drives. The proposed method not only has little influence on the output torque and high signal-to-noise ratio for observation, but also offers the superior performance in estimation accuracy irrespective of the influence of VSI nonlinearity. In addition, the proposed position-offset-based method is suitable for the full-speed region including the field-weakening operation. Finally, comprehensive experimental results are presented to verify validity of the proposed method under different working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability analysis methods of single-bus dc distribution power systems (DPSs) have been widely studied; however, the multivoltage-level dc DPSs, which have been used in data center, all-electric ship, and so on, its stability analysis methods are rarely reported. The main focus of this article is to study the stability analysis methods, especially the impedance ratio of multivoltage-level dc DPSs. From the point of view of whole system, the two-port small-signal models of multivoltage-level dc DPSs are established and the equivalent loop gains are obtained and used to judge the system stability. On the other hand, the multivoltage-level dc DPSs can be regarded as conventional single-bus dc DPSs at different interfacing locations, and the impedance-ratio type stability criteria are obtained. And it is proved that the two stability analysis methods, namely the system equivalent loop gain and impedance-ratio type stability criterion at different interfacing locations, have the same stability results, which clarifies the stability status by considering different interfacing locations. Finally, the analysis is verified with simulations and hardware-based experiments of a three-converter three-stage dc DPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid converters synchronized by phase-locked loops (PLLs) could suffer from stability problems, especially being connected to a weak grid or high penetration of converters. The existing literature assesses the stability of the paralleled PLL-synchronized converters at the same point of common coupling (PCC) using identical control and system parameters. However, in an actual grid, the parameters of grid converters are normally different due to different manufacturers. In this regard, this article aims to study the stability indices and margins of two PLL-synchronized converters with different parameters, particularly with different PLL bandwidths and power injections. The main purpose of this article is to provide a general design guidelines of PLL bandwidths of two converters (can be extended to two wind/solar farms) for stable operation in practical grids. The state-space model of the PLL-synchronized converter based on the component connection method is developed and eigenvalue-based analysis is used to investigate the interactions between the two converters. Moreover, the stability borders of two PLL-synchronized converters using different PLL bandwidths and power setpoints are studies. Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the developed model and theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a deadbeat predictive current control based fault-tolerant control scheme is proposed for common electrical faults in T-type three-level inverter-fed dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drives, which aims at providing a solution for the application of high power rating, low switching frequency, low complexity, and high reliability. First, deadbeat control is combined with current prediction to obtain precise voltage reference for the current control. Each three-phase three-level inverter generates a single optimal inverter voltage vector based on a new division method of space vector diagram. In this way, both low switch frequency and high control precision can be guaranteed in a high-power motor system. Second, fault-tolerant control schemes are designed for five types of common electric faults in a T-type three-level inverter-fed dual three-phase PMSM without changing the mathematical model and control framework. Thus, the complexity of the proposed fault-tolerant control schemes can be avoided and smooth transition can be guaranteed. The validity of the proposed schemes is verified by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we apply a self-consistent field theory of polymers to study the structures of a symmetric diblock copolymer in parallel substrates filled with square-pillar arrays in which the substrates and pillars exhibit a weak preference for one block of the copolymer. Three classes of structures, i.e., lamellae, perpendicular cylinders, and bicontinuous structures, are achieved by varying the polymer film thickness, the pillar pitch (the distance between two centers of the nearest neighboring pillars), the gap and rotation of the pillars. Because of the confinement along horizontal directions imposed by the pillar array, eight novel types of perpendicular lamellar structures and eight novel types of cylindrical structures with various shapes and distributions occur. In the hybridization states of the parallel and perpendicular lamellar structures, several novel bicontinuous structures such as the double-cylinder network, pseudo-lamellae, and perforated lamellar structure are also found. By comparing the free energies of the various possible structures, the antisymmetric parallel lamellae are observed to be stable with the larger pillar gap at a certain film thickness. The structural transformations between the alternating cylindrical structures (alternating cross-shaped, square-shaped, and octagonal perpendicular cylinders) and parallel lamellae with increasing film thickness or pillar gap are well explained by the modified strong separation theory. Our results indicate that array confinement can be an effective method to prepare novel polymeric nanopattern structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive integration of distributed generation in the grid poses new challenges to the system operators, like the reverse power flow from the low voltage (LV) to medium voltage (MV) grid. In the case of high DG power production and low load absorption, the voltage rises in the line reaching the upper voltage limit. At this regard the smart transformer (ST) offers a new possibility to limit the reverse power flow in the MV grids. The ST can adapt the voltage waveform modifying the frequency in order to interact with the local distributed generation, that are normally equipped with droop characteristic. However, when a fast change in the frequency is applied to avoid reverse power flow to MV grid, stability problems, so far not investigated, arise. In this paper, the stability analysis has been performed analytically and validated by means of control-hardware-in-loop in a real time digital simulator and with experimental results in laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy penetration in the low‐voltage grid faces several limitations due to the current grid topology. Master/slave micro‐grids could help solving these issues, by offering additional services to the grid such as the power management of the distributed power energy sources. In some cases, the power produced by the distributed energy sources exceeds the local consumption of the low‐voltage grid. The consequent reverse power flow can be either dangerous (for the medium voltage) or impossible (for a micro‐grid with limited storage). The droop characteristic of commercial inverter can be exploited to avoid this behaviour. However, stability problems can arise due to a low phase‐locked‐loop (PLL) bandwidth. This study investigates the stability of this solution depending on the bandwidth of the PLL of the distributed power generation sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pushed by the booming installations of single-phase photovoltaic (PV) systems, the grid demands regarding the integration of PV systems are expected to be modified. Hence, the future PV systems should become more active with functionalities of low-voltage ride through and grid support capability. The control methods, together with grid synchronization techniques, are responsible for the generation of appropriate reference signals in order to handle ride-through grid faults. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the behaviors of grid synchronization methods and control possibilities in single-phase systems under grid faults. The intent of this paper is to present a benchmarking of grid fault modes that might come in future single-phase PV systems. In order to map future challenges, the relevant synchronization and control strategies are discussed. Some faulty modes are studied experimentally and provided at the end of this paper. It is concluded that there are extensive control possibilities in single-phase PV systems under grid faults. The second-order-general-integral-based phase-locked-loop technique might be the most promising candidate for future single-phase PV systems because of its fast adaptive-filtering characteristics and it is able to fulfill future standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes the design of a sensorless control for driving a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). The drive is fed by a current source inverter (CSI) which adopts the paralleled configuration to increase the power level. The key is to design the interleaved operation and active damping to suppress the LC resonance and reduce the low order harmonics for motor voltages and currents. Thus, the better voltage and current waveforms could provide good performance for the extended Kalman filter (EKF) to estimate the PMSM rotor position. The proposed control scheme is designed, analyzed and compared with other methods available. It has been verified that the proposed drive system can offer good operating performance by computer simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is a good candidate for processing micro-hole arrays, which are critical features of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), diesel injector nozzles, inkjet printheads and turbine blades, etc. In this study, the wire vibration of the wire electro-discharge grinding (WEDG) system has been analyzed theoretically, and, accordingly, an improved WEDG method was developed to fabricate micron-scale diameter and high-aspect-ratio microelectrodes for the in-process micro-EDM of hole array with hole diameter smaller than 20 μm. The improved method has a new feature of a positioning device to address the wire vibration problem, and thus to enhance microelectrodes fabrication precision. Using this method, 14 μm diameter microelectrodes with less than 0.4 μm deviation and an aspect ratio of 142, which is the largest aspect ratio ever reported in the literature, were successfully fabricated. These microelectrodes were then used to in-process micro-EDM of hole array in stainless steel. The effects of applied voltage, current and pulse frequency on hole dimensional accuracy and microelectrode wear were investigated. The optimal processing parameters were selected using response–surface experiments. To improve machining accuracy, an in-process touch-measurement compensation strategy was applied to reduce the cumulative compensation error of the micro-EDM process. Using such a system, micro-hole array (2 × 80) with average entrance diameter 18.91 μm and average exit diameter 17.65 μm were produced in 50 μm thickness stainless steel sheets, and standard deviations of hole entrance and exit sides of 0.44 and 0.38 μm, respectively, were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the main cause of female malignant tumor death in China. Numerous cellular molecules are associated with the onset and progression of breast cancer. However, these molecules have proven ineffective for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, indicating a need for the identification of new biomarkers. LAT1 (SLC7A5) plays a crucial role in mediating the uptake of amino acids into breast cancer cells, influencing proliferation, invasion, migration, drug resistance, and prognosis through the mTOR signaling pathway. Notably, LAT1 exhibits differential expression across various types of breast cancer, positioning it as a promising candidate for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Recent advancements in LAT1-targeting strategies for breast cancer have been made, particularly with the rapid developments in small molecular inhibitors and nanotechnology. In this article, we review the structure and function of LAT1, its relationship with breast cancer, and LAT1-mediated diagnostic and treatment strategies. This article specifically focuses on the LAT1-targeting strategy in breast tumors, aiming to evaluate its potential role as a novel biomarker for diagnosis and treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

A laser-induced cavitation bubble shock forming technology is proposed for microgroove formation in thin copper. It is stamped by using the impact pressure generated by the laser breakdown of liquid. The impact-induced micro-formation of thin copper is studied by numerical simulation and experimentation. A finite-element model is developed, and the impact pressure created by laser-induced cavitation is measured to study the spatial distribution of impact pressure. The laser-induced cavitation process of the high-speed impact on thin copper is numerically simulated. The results of simulations are consistent with those of experiments, confirming the model's accuracy. The simulation is then used to study the dynamic formation and deformation behavior of the laser-induced cavitation impact of thin copper. The stress and thickness distributions during the formation of microgrooves in thin copper are also investigated. Furthermore, the influence of laser fluence and copper thickness on formation is studied. The results reveal that the high-speed impact forming of thin copper by laser-induced cavitation is due to three impact forces: a plasma shock wave, a cavitation shock wave, and a microjet, and this technology can be used to form thin metal walls.

Micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is a good candidate for processing micro-hole arrays, which are critical features of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), diesel injector nozzles, inkjet printheads and turbine blades, etc. In this study, the wire vibration of the wire electro-discharge grinding (WEDG) system has been analyzed theoretically, and, accordingly, an improved WEDG method was developed to fabricate micron-scale diameter and high-aspect-ratio microelectrodes for the in-process micro-EDM of hole array with hole diameter smaller than 20 μm. The improved method has a new feature of a positioning device to address the wire vibration problem, and thus to enhance microelectrodes fabrication precision. Using this method, 14 μm diameter microelectrodes with less than 0.4 μm deviation and an aspect ratio of 142, which is the largest aspect ratio ever reported in the literature, were successfully fabricated. These microelectrodes were then used to in-process micro-EDM of hole array in stainless steel. The effects of applied voltage, current and pulse frequency on hole dimensional accuracy and microelectrode wear were investigated. The optimal processing parameters were selected using response-surface experiments. To improve machining accuracy, an in-process touch-measurement compensation strategy was applied to reduce the cumulative compensation error of the micro-EDM process. Using such a system, micro-hole array (2 × 80) with average entrance diameter 18.91 μm and average exit diameter 17.65 μm were produced in 50 μm thickness stainless steel sheets, and standard deviations of hole entrance and exit sides of 0.44 and 0.38 μm, respectively, were achieved.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 22-nucleotide single-stranded RNAs which regulate gene expression by targeting 3' untranslated regions. Previous studies have suggested that miRNAs may be used as markers for investigating the molecular regulation of gene expression. In the present study, miRNA and mRNA expression profiles were investigated using a massively parallel next generation sequencing technique to compare herpes simplex virus (HSV)2-infected (n=3) and healthy (n=3) epithelial tissues from guinea pigs. Total RNA was isolated and RNA sequencing was performed using a HiSeq 2000 sequencing system. Differential expression of miRNA and mRNA was analyzed using two-tailed t-tests. A negative correlation was detected between the miRNAs and their predicted target genes. Following infection with HSV2, 205 and 159 miRNAs were demonstrated to be upregulated and downregulated, respectively. These differentially expressed miRNAs were associated with cellular and metabolic processes, biological regulation, response to stimuli and cellular components of the immune system, as determined by functional gene ontology analysis. Following HSV2 infection, 6 upregulated miRNAs including miR-592, miR-1245b-5p, miR-150, miR-342-5p, miR-1245b-3p and miR-124 were demonstrated to participate in the toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway by targeting related genes. These results suggested that the downregulated genes were associated with the TLR pathway after infection with HSV2. The results of reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis were consistent with RNA sequencing, indicating that the increased expression of these miRNAs downregulated the TLR pathway-associated genes, which may mediate the progression of HSV2-induced genital herpes.

The combination of top-down and bottom-up technologies is an effective method to create the novel nanostructures with long range order in the field of advanced materials manufacture. In this work, we employed a polymeric self-consistent field theory to investigate the pattern formation of diblock copolymer in a 2D confinement system designed by filling pillar arrays with various 2D shapes such as squares, rectangles, and triangles. Our simulation shows that in such confinement system, the microphase structure of diblock copolymer strongly depends on the pitch, shape, size, and rotation of the pillar as well as the surface field of confinement. The array structures can not only induce the formation of new phase patterns but also control the location and orientation of pattern structures. Finally, several methods to tune the commensuration and frustration of array-structure confinement are proposed and examined.