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To date, most of electrocaloric devices reported can be simplified as a multilayer structure in which thermal source and sink are different materials at two ends. The thermal conduction in the multilayer structure is the key for the performance of the devices. In this paper, the analytical solutions for the thermal conduction in a multilayer structure with four layers are introduced. The middle two layers are electrocaloric materials. The analytical solutions are also simplified for a hot/cold plate with two sides being different media—a typical case for thermal treatment of materials. The analytical solutions include series with infinite terms. It is proved that these series are convergent so the sum of a series can be calculated using the first N terms. The equation for calculating the N is introduced. Based on the case study, it is found that the N is usually a small number, mostly less than 40 and rarely more than 100. The issues related to the application of the analytical solutions for the simulation of real electrocaloric devices are discussed, which includes the usage of multilayer ceramic capacitor, influence of electrodes, and characterization of thin film.

This study investigated whether vanillic acid (VA) mitigated dehydration stress responses in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), and analyzed potential mechanisms mediating this activity. We pretreated 2‑year-old blueberry plants with 40 μM VA for two days, and then induced dehydration stress by irrigating with nutrient solution containing 10% (w/v) polyethylene glycol 6000 for two days. VA pretreatment increased the transcript levels of genes encoding eight antioxidant enzymes in leaves, including iron superoxide dismutase, chloroplast copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, cytoplasmic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and dehydroascorbate reductase. These increased transcript levels were consistent with enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and elevated contents of reduced glutathione and ascorbate. Subjecting the V--A‑treated blueberry to dehydration stress further enhanced expression levels of these genes, compared with the control plants subjected only to dehydration stress, increased the contents of endogenous VA, proline, and soluble sugars, enhanced the relative water content and osmotic potential, and reduced the levels of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde. So pretreatment of blueberry with VA reduces lipid peroxidation and mitigates dehydration stress by enhancing the endogenous VA content, activating the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes, and increasing the levels of proline and soluble sugars.

The use of bender elements to measure small-strain soil properties in the laboratory has become increasingly accessible in recent years. Coupled with the fact that bender elements can be incorporated into conventional test apparatuses such as the triaxial test brings about great savings in time and resources as the bender element tests can be conducted concurrently with conventional geotechnical test for the same soil specimen. While primary (P) and shear (S) waves in bender element tests can provide soil stiffnesses reliably, damping ratio of the soil was seldom determined. This paper attempts to show numerically and experimentally that it is possible to determine the damping ratio of soils by applying the Hilbert transform method (HTM) to the bender element test results. Accepted version

Sensor and actuator applications have exploded in the last several decades and, along with their associated electronics and information processing systems, they are becoming ubiquitous in modern engineering devices and systems. The marketplace demand is huge and growing rapidly, with the global demand for all sensors predicted to exceed $280 billion by 2023 (BCC Research) and the overall actuator market projected to reach $75 billion by 2024 (MarketsandMarkets). Although the bulk of these revenue forecasts will be driven by existing/mature sensing and actuator products, there is ever increasing demand for new and novel sensing and actuation technologies. Key to the success in many emerging sensor and actuator application are state of the art energy creation, delivery and management systems (energy systems).

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most frequent malignancy worldwide. Hsa_circ_0008039 exerts the carcinogenic factors in BC. However, the pathogenesis of hsa_circ_0008039 involved in BC is still unclear.The expression levels of hsa_circ_0008039, microRNA-515-5p (miR-515-5p) and chromobox homolog 4 (CBX4) in BC tissues and cells were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were assessed by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and transwell assays, severally. The binding relationship among hsa_circ_0008039, miR-515-5p and CBX4 was predicted by starBase, then verified by the dual-luciferase reporter assay and immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. The interaction between hsa_circ_0008039 and miR-515-5p was confirmed by RNA pull-down assay. The protein level of CBX4 was detected by Western blot assay. The biological role of hsa_circ_0008039 was detected by xenograft tumor model in vivo.Hsa_circ_0008039 was upregulated in BC tissues and cells, and expedited proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells. MiR-515-5p was downregulated in BC tissues and cells and worked as a target of hsa_circ_0008039. CBX4 was highly expressed in BC tissues and cells, and contributed to proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells. Hsa_circ_0008039 enhanced CBX4 expression by competitively binding to miR-515-5p, thereby promoting BC development. Hsa_circ_0008039 knockdown repressed BC tumor growth in vivo.These findings implicated that hsa_circ_0008039 contributed to proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and promoted tumor growth in vivo by miR-515-5p/CBX4 axis in BC, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for BC treatment.

The demand of measuring the internal topography of holes with submillimeter diameter and high aspect ratio is increasing. However, moving a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) probe tip into a submillimeter hole manually is extremely difficult because the diameters of the probe tip and the hole are extremely small to be seen clearly with human eyes. An automatic measuring method and system is presented in this study to simplify the operation and improve the measuring efficiency. A micro CMM system was built. Two cameras were used to image the probe tip and the holes to be measured. The obtained images were magnified, and the edges of the probe tip and the holes were extracted. The image coordinates of the center points of the probe tip and the hole were obtained. The center coordinate values of the probe tip and the hole in the world coordinate system were achieved using the principle of binocular stereo vision. The probe tip was moved into the holes by the differences in the obtained coordinate values. Experiments were conducted. The effectiveness of the proposed method and system was verified by moving the probe tip into a hole with 1 mm diameter. This method can be used to assist in the measurement of deep submillimeter holes, especially in nonbatch measurement situations.

Wave propagation in soil is dependent on both the stiffness and the material damping of the soil. While some researchers have performed finite element modelling of resonant column tests and wave propagation in soil, most do not describe the methodology in detail and there is little or no verification of the correctness of the model. Viscoelastic model has been used to model wave propagation in soil. However, the determination of the parameters in the viscoelastic model is complicated and the parameters may not be related to the soil properties. This paper presents a simplified viscoelastic model with soil parameters obtainable from advanced geotechnical testing to simulate wave propagation in soil medium taking into account of material damping. The viscoelastic material model was first calibrated by replicating torsional, longitudinal and flexural modes resonant column tests. The relationships between the parameters of the simplified viscoelastic model and their corresponding stiffness and damping properties were investigated. An equation was proposed to correlate the decay constant used in the simplified viscoelastic model and the material damping ratio obtained through the application of the logarithmic decrement method on the modelled resonant column test results. The simplified viscoelastic model was then evaluated by modelling wave propagation in a semi-infinite medium. Results indicated that the viscoelastic model with parameters as proposed in this paper is able to model wave propagation in soils.

In this study, we report the detection and characterization of the organic minerals weddellite (CaC2O4 · 2H2O) and whewellite (CaC2O4 · H2O) in the hyperarid, Mars-like conditions of the Salar Grande, Atacama desert, Chile. Weddellite and whewellite are commonly of biological origin on Earth and have great potential for preserving records of carbon geochemistry and possible biological activity on Mars if they are present there. Weddellite and whewellite have been found as secondary minerals occurring inside the lower detrital unit that fills the Salar Grande basin. The extremely low solubility of most oxalate minerals inhibits detection of oxalate by ion chromatography (IC). Crystalline oxalates, including weddellite and whewellite, were detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The association of weddellite with surface biota and its presence among subsurface detrital materials suggest the potential of a biological origin for Salar Grande weddellite and whewellite. In this regard, biological activity is uniquely capable of concentrating oxalates at levels detectable by XRD. The complementary detection of oxalate-bearing phases through IC in the upper halite-rich unit suggests the presence of a soluble oxalate phase in the basin that is not detected by XRD. The formation, transport, and concentration of oxalate in the Salar Grande may provide a geochemical analogue for oxalate-bearing minerals recently suggested to exist on Mars.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression profile of C2H2 zinc finger (ZNF) 860 (ZNF860) in gastric cancer (GC), its prognostic significance and its potential regulatory network in GC.The level-3 data in the Cancer Genome Atlas-Stomach Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-STAD) was acquired for a secondary analysis, in which clinicopathological, genetic and survival data from 415 GC patients were collected.The gastric cancerous tissues had significantly upregulated ZNF860 expression. In univariate analysis, male patients, no responses to primary therapy, with male patients and high ZNF860 RNA expression were associated with unfavorable RFS in early GC (stage I/II). Multivariate analysis showed that high ZNF860 RNA expression was independently associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with early GC (HR: 5.289, 95%CI: 1.839-15.214, p=0.002). Among 413 cases of GC tumors with copy number alteration (CNA) data available, 35 cases (8.5%) had DNA amplification (+1/+2), while 121 cases (29.3%) had DNA copy loss. ZNF860 amplification was associated with significantly elevated ZNF860 expression. In comparison, DNA copy loss did not necessarily result in ZNF860 downregulation. The methylation of 5 CpG sites in ZNF860 gene (cg24264962, cg24391989, cg10702818, cg15840985, and cg25692785) was negatively correlated with ZNF860 expression. Six genes (OSBPL10, FAM208A, TOPBP1, SPTY2D1, NAB1, and CMTM6) were positively co-expressed with ZNF860, suggesting that ZNF860 probably acts as a transcription enhancer in GC.ZNF860 RNA upregulation was an independent prognostic indicator in terms of RFS in stage I/II GC. DNA CNAs and methylation alterations might collaboratively regulate ZNF860 expression.

The aim of the study was to explore the pharmacological role of ulinastatin in rats with myocardium infarction (MI) and its underlying mechanism.Rats were randomly assigned into sham group, MI group, and ulinastatin group, with 8 rats in each group. MI model in rats was constructed and specific drug administrations were performed in each group. Electrocardiogram and hemodynamics were detected before and after animal procedures. Myocardium function in rats was accessed by determining serum levels of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed to detect the infarct area in rat myocardium. Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase dUTP Nick-end Labeling (TUNEL) assay was conducted to calculate the ratio of apoptotic cells in rat myocardium. Subsequently, relative oxidative stress indicators in rats were accessed, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Western blot was conducted to detect protein levels of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Nuclear Factor κB (NF-Κb), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) in rat myocardium.No significant differences in heart rate, the voltage of the QRS wave and Q-T interval were observed among rats in sham group, MI group, and ulinastatin group prior to the animal procedures. However, at the end of the animal procedures, rats in ulinastatin group showed higher heart rate and voltage of QRS wave, as well as shorter Q-T interval than those in MI group. Rats in ulinastatin group presented lower serum levels of CK-MB and LDH compared with those in MI group, whereas they did not return to baseline. Rats in ulinastatin group showed higher levels of LVSP, dP/dtmax, LVEDP, and -dP/dtmax than those in MI group. Larger infarct area was observed in MI group compared with that of sham group, whereas ulinastatin treatment remarkably reduced the infarct area. HE staining showed remarkable pathological lesions in MI rats, whereas ulinastatin group showed milder lesions in rat myocardium. TUNEL assay showed fewer TUNEL-positive cells in ulinastatin group than those of MI group. Levels of T-AOC, CAT, GSH, and SOD were remarkably higher in myocardium homogenate of MI group than sham group, whereas ulinastatin treatment significantly decreased these levels. Ulinastatin group showed less ROS accumulation and decreased MDA level in rats than those of MI group. Ulinastatin treatment upregulated Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1, whereas downregulated NF-κB expression.Ulinastatin protects MI rats by inhibiting inflammatory response through activating Nrf2/NOS pathway.

Current methods for deriving Young's modulus (E) from flexural resonant column tests do not account for the Timoshenko beam effect. Hence, the extent of the Timoshenko beam effect is investigated in this study using a series of numerical experiments performed by finite element program LS-DYNA. Prior to conducting the numerical experiments, LS-DYNA is verified for a cantilever beam to ensure that it is capable of accounting for the Timoshenko beam effect. The Young's modulus determined with the existing interpretation method for flexural resonant column tests, which does not consider the Timoshenko beam effect, is underestimated on average by about 11% for a typical resonant column specimen. A correction factor is proposed here to account for the Timoshenko beam effect using the existing interpretation method for flexural resonant column tests. Published version

In this paper, a series of BaTiO 3 -SiO 2 composites were fabricated by using a combined process of SiO 2 wet chemical coating and conventional ceramic process, and the effects of SiO 2 coating on microstructures, dielectric and ferroelectric properties were investigated. XRD diffraction patterns illustrated a typical perovskite structure of the SiO 2 coated BaTiO 3 particles, which confirmed an amorphous phase of the coated SiO 2 shell. A secondary phase, BaTiSiO 5 , was obvious in the sintered composites, which was caused by the interface reaction of BaTiO 3 cores and SiO 2 shells and has great effects on the properties. It was found that dielectric constant decreased with increasing content of SiO 2 in composites and the dielectric constant peak associated with dielectric temperature dependence curve was suppressed accordingly. The P-E loop of composites got slimmer and polarization decreased with increasing content of SiO 2 , while the breakdown strength could be remarkable enhanced.

This study aims to investigate the role and mechanism of miR-365 in the coronary atherosclerosis (AS).Blood were collected from AS patients and healthy people, coronary plaque and adjacent arterial tissue were collected from AS patients. QRT-PCR method was used to detect expressions of miR-365 and IL-6 in coronary plaque, blood monocytes, and serum. Western blot was applied to detect IL-6 protein expression in coronary plaque and blood monocytes, and ELISA was used to detect IL-6 protein expression in serum.Compared with the normal group, IL-6 expression was significantly increased in coronary plaque, blood monocytes, and serum both in mRNA level and in protein level, while miR-365 expression was significantly decreased (p0.05).IL-6 expression was significantly up-regulated in coronary plaque, blood monocytes, and serum, whereas miR-365 expression was down-regulated. MiR-365 may regulate the pathogenesis and immune response in AS through targeting IL-6.

Measuring wave velocities of soils is a common methodology of determining the small-strain stiffness of soils. Both confining pressure and degree of saturation affect the magnitude of the wave velocities and hence the stiffness of the soil. However, confining pressure and degree of saturation affect P- and S-wave velocities of the soil differently. At full saturation, increases in effective confining pressure (σ′3) increase S-wave velocity, but P-wave velocity remains fairly constant. As the soil desaturates, the effects of net confining pressure (σ3 – ua) and matric suction (ua – uw) were observed to be different from the effect of effective confining pressure. This difference in response was investigated, and the results are reported here. Degree of saturation has been commonly associated with the Skempton’s pore-water pressure parameter B under an isotropic state of stress. However, some soils have a B-value less than 0.9 even at full saturation. In such cases, the P-wave velocity may be a bett...

To evaluate the feasibility of retrograde transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects (VSD) under trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE).Twelve patients with VSD, with 4 residual shunt, treated by transcatheter VSD closure under solely guidance of TEE were summarized. Mean age, body weight and average diameter of VSD in 12 cases were (11.58±6.57) years, (31.85±13.28) kg, (5.50±2.20) mm, respectively. All patients were treated by retrograde transcatheter closure under solely guidance of TEE. The post-operative efficiency was estimated by TEE immediately. Patients were followed up by echocardiography, X-ray examination and electrocardiogram at 24 hours, 1, 3 and 6 months after the procedures.All 12 patients were treated successfully under solely guidance of TEE. The diameter of devices were 5-14 mm. There were 1 case with trivial residual shunt after the procedures immediately. No patients suffered from residual shunt, occluder malposition, peripheral vascular injury and pericardial effusion during the follow-up.Percutaneous transcatheter closure of VSD completely guided by TEE is safe and effective. This method could avoid the radiation and contrast media reaction, and also could simplify the procedure.

The present study aims to investigate the correlation between serum level of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and the severity of coronary arterial lesion in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).Between August 2010 and January 2015, 126 CHD patients and 70 patients with coronary arterial stenosis50% (controls) were included in the present study. Serum PCSK9 level was determined using ELISA. Demographic characteristics, relevant clinical data and biochemical data were collected from all patients, and their relationship with PCSK9 was analyzed to evaluate the correlation of PCSK9 expression with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).Concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were significantly higher in CHD patients than in controls (p0.05). No significant differences were observed in gender, age, body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), family history, smoking history and history of hypertension between groups (p0.05). Serum PCSK9 levels in the CHD group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(96.4 ± 33.2) ng/mL vs. (81.8 ± 27.6) ng/mL, p0.05]. Compared with those of patients with single-vessel or double-vessel disease, PCSK9 levels were significantly elevated in patients with multi-vessel disease (p0.05). The Gensini score of the CHD group was significantly lower than that of the control group (11.4 ± 10.5 vs. 37.3 ± 10.3, p0.05). The Gensini score of patients with multi-vessel disease was significantly higher compared with patients of single-vessel or double-vessel disease (p0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that PCSK9 was positively correlated with many clinical parameters, including age, BMI, TC, TG, systolic blood pressure, FBS, Gensini score and LDL-C (p0.05). However, PCSK9 was not correlated with either gender ratio or diastolic blood pressure (p0.05).Serum PCSK9 level is significantly elevated in CHD patients and its variation is correlated with the severity of CAD.

We report calculations of spectroscopic accuracy for 513 states in the B-like ions with Z = 24-30. The energy levels and transition rates are calculated using the second-order many-body perturbatio ...

This article presents the results of an investigation into the development and characterization of polyclonal antibody immobilized magnetoelastic biosensors. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer technique was employed for antibody (specific to Salmonella. sp) immobilization on rectangular shaped strip magnetoelastic sensors. Biosensor performance was investigated by exposing to graded concentrations (5×101 through 5×108 cfu/ml) of Salmonella typhimurium solutions in a flow through mode. Bacterial binding to the antibody on the sensor surfaces changed the resonance parameters, and these changes were quantified by the sensor’s resonance frequency shift. Biosensor response towards S. typhimurium was measured in different liquid samples (water, fat free milk and apple juice) and as well as in the presence of extraneous microorganisms (Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes). Biosensor performance was characterized by evaluating mechanical merit factor (Q-value) in different liquids, specificity towards various bacterial species and also the thermal stability of biosensor was investigated at different temperatures 25, 45 and 65 °C.

The micromachining of complex three-dimen- sional microstructures (bulk micromachining) on metals can be applied to fabricate many novel devices for micro electromechanical system (MEMS), which will greatly benefit the development of MEMS. In this paper, a new electrochemical micromachining method named the con- fined etchant layer technique (CELT) was explored on the micromachining of the titanium alloy. Micro-scale trape- zoidal slots were replicated on titanium alloy by using a mold with the corresponding negative microstructures (trapezoidal teeth). The machining resolution reached 0.503 lm. The electrochemical mechanisms involved in the process are analyzed and the parameters that influenced the machining resolution are discussed.

In this study, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced Epon 862 epoxy have been evaluated. Firstly, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 wt% CNT were infused into epoxy through a high inten- sity ultrasonic liquid processor and then mixed with EpiCure curing agent W using a high speed mechanical agitator. Elec- tric conductivity, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), three point bending tests and fracture tests were then performed on unfilled, CNT-filled epoxy to identify the loading effect on the properties of materials. Experimental results show signifi- cant improvement in electric conductivity. The resistivity of epoxy decreased from 1014 Ω·m of neat epoxy to 10 Ω·m with 0.4% CNT. The experimental results also indicate that the frequency dependent behavior of CNT/epoxy nanocomposite can be modeled by R-C circuit, permittivity of material increase with increasing of CNT content. DMA studies revealed that filling the carbon nanotube into epoxy can produce a 90% enhancement in storage modulus and a 17°C increase in Tg. Mechanical test results showed that modulus increased with higher CNT loading percentages, but the 0.3 wt% CNT-infu- sion system showed the maximum strength and fracture toughness enhancement. The decrease in strength and fracture toughness in 0.4% CNT/epoxy was attributed to poor dispersions of nanotubes in the composite.

SiGe-free strained Si on insulator (SSOI) is a new material system that combines the carrier transport advantages of strained Si with the reduced capacitance and improved scalability of thin film silicon on insulator (SOI). We demonstrate fabrication of 20% Ge equivalent strain level SSOI substrates with Si thicknesses of 100 and 400 A by hydrogen-induced layer transfer of strained Si layers from high quality graded SiGe virtual substrates. The substrate properties are excellent: wafer scale strained Si film thickness uniformities are better than 8%, strained Si surface roughnesses are better than 0.5 nm RMS, and robust tensile strain levels are maintained during anneals as long as 80 min at 1100 °C. Fully depleted n-MOSFET electrical results show that biaxial tensile strain, and hence enhanced mobility, is fully maintained in the 400 A 20% SSOI films through the substrate and device fabrication processes, even after a generous FET fabrication thermal budget. Long channel devices exhibit nearly ideal subthreshold slopes of 66 mV/decade and exhibit 112% electron mobility enhancements at Ninv=1×1013 cm−2, identical to devices on bulk strained Si substrates. Furthermore, a photoemission microscopy study was used to confirm that the useable SSOI layer thickness significantly exceeds the critical thickness for fabrication of bulk strained Si FETs without deleterious leakage current effects. The fabrication of epitaxially defined, thin strained Si layers directly on a buried insulator is an ideal platform for future generations of Si-based microelectronics.

Strained Si-based metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are promising candidates for next-generation complementary MOS (CMOS) technology. While electron mobility enhancements in these heterostructures have been thoroughly investigated, hole mobility enhancements have not been explored in as much detail. In this study, we investigate the dependence of hole mobility in strained Si MOSFETs on substrate Ge content, strained layer thickness, and channel composition. We show that hole mobility enhancements saturate at virtual substrate compositions of 40% Ge and above, with peak mobility enhancements over twice that of coprocessed bulk Si devices. These results represent peak hole mobilities above 200cm2/V-S. Furthermore, we demonstrate that hole mobility in strained Si/relaxed Si0.7Ge0.3 heterostructures displays no strong dependence on strained layer thickness, indicating that strain is the primary variable controlling channel mobility in strained Si p-type MOSFETs (p-MOSFETs). We then ...

Working optical links epitaxially grown by atmospheric MOCVD and fabricated on Si via SiGe virtual substrates are demonstrated for the first time. The SiGe virtual substrates are graded from Si substrates to 100% Ge. Because of the 0.07% lattice mismatch between GaAs and Ge, high-quality GaAs-based thin films with threading dislocation densities

Acoustic wave devices have been used as sensor platforms for the development of biological sensors, in which the surface of the acoustic wave device is coated with a layer of biomolecular recognition unit such as phage and antibody. The sensitivity and many other characteristics of the acoustic wave device based sensors are dependent on the size of the device. The smaller the size of the acoustic wave device is, the higher the sensitivity of the sensor is. Therefore, it is highly interested to fabricate the acoustic wave devices with a smaller size, such as micro/nano-sized devices. It has been experimentally demonstrated that the acoustic wave devices based on the magnetostrictive effect have many advantages over the acoustic wave devices base on effect. For example, the acoustic wave devices based on magnetostrictive effect can be operated wirelessly/remotely, which is very critical, especially for micro/nano-sized acoustic wave devices. Electrochemical deposition is used to fabricate the magnetostrictive Co-Fe-B alloy in different shapes and sizes. In this presentation, the process to fabricate the nano-sized magnetostrictive Co-Fe-B tubes and bars is reported. The properties of the nano-tubes/bars are characterized and discussed in this presentation. Based on the experimental results, the fabrication process (i.e. the solution concentration, solution temperature, deposition current, and deposition time) is optimized to achieve a high magnetostriction and a quality merit factor.

The compositional fluctuation and correlation between the ordered domain and the polar cluster in lead magnesium niobate Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 have been studied by analytical electron microscopy and the image processing technique. It indicates that there is a strong compositional fluctuation of Mg/Nb ratio in both the ordered and the disordered regions, and that the degree of fluctuation of the Mg/Nb ratio is stronger in the boundary area than in either the ordered or disordered regions. Antiphase domain boundaries and dislocations were found, with the boundary facets of ordered domains being primarily {111} with a lesser {001} orientation. The fringe image of Nb and (Nb+Mg) is distorted randomly, which is thought to be caused by compositional fluctuation of the Mg/Nb ratio and local layer displacement. The boundary and dislocation area were found to be a region of severe distortion. The random interdomain-boundary area, with strong compositional fluctuation and lattice strain, may play an important role in fo...