Kamal M. Hammad, Alexey I. Salimon, Eugene S. Statnik
et al.
Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are multi-scale and heterogeneous, therefore, the reliable prediction of their failure modes and strength is not a simple task. This review hinges on answering the need for improved methods of strength evaluation via judicious combination of experimental testing and computational modeling. The present report focuses on how experimental approaches and advanced multiscale simulations should range simultaneously from micro-scale elementary specimen testing through coupon and component scale tests until the full assembly level based on the modified Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) pyramid of testing and design for more reliable aircraft structures. This illustrates the progressive refinement of the approach known as the Rational Experimental-Computational Correlation (RECC). RECC is used to correlate finite element (FE) modeling of the failure mechanisms including matrix cracking, fiber pull-out, delamination, and interface debonding, on the one hand, with the experimental results obtained from quasi-static mechanical testing equipped with Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for displacement mapping and strain visualization. The current review also highlights the importance of multi-scale characterization and modeling of hierarchically structured materials where micro-macro interaction contributes strongly to the observed and predicted deformation response. The paper recommends a comprehensive approach consisting of full field mapping and maintaining systematic connection between coupon-level and structural scale consideration, with further upscaling to higher dimensional studies of ready articles such as key aircraft structures (stringers, ribs and complete wings). Being able to link micro-macro properties through multiscale simulations holds the key to improving the reliability of strength prediction in aerospace applications.
Abstract Modulating hot carrier dynamics is crucial in tin halide perovskite photovoltaics, particularly under indoor illumination with limited photon flux. Herein, a fullerene derivative bearing four piperazine groups (denoted as TPPC) is synthesized to engineer the perovskite/C60 interface. The TPPC molecule exhibits a dipole moment of 1.97 Debye, leading to enhanced adsorption energy on perovskite surface and robust interfacial interaction. The newly formed surface dipole optimizes the interfacial energy level alignment via a cascade gradient, enabling modulation of interfacial hot carrier dynamics. Consequently, TPPC-treated photovoltaic devices achieve a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.49% and a maximum output power density (P out) of 64.1 μW cm-2 under white light-emitting diode illumination (3000 K, 1000 lux, 285 μW cm-2). Large-area (1.21 cm2) devices attain a PCE of 17.94% (certified: 15.93%) and a maximum P out of 51.2 μW cm-2 under the same illumination conditions.
With the development of aesthetic standards in dentistry, various approaches and numerous techniques have been developed to improve the cosmetic quality of dental composite resins. One of these techniques is the application of a heating process to composites before they are applied into the mouth. Preheating composite resins is a practical and effective way to improve the physical and mechanical properties of these materials. In addition, the preheating process contributes significantly to the improvement of aesthetic and physical properties. The aim of this chapter is to evaluate the effect of preheating on the physical, chemical and aesthetic properties of composite resin materials commonly used in the dental industry with the support of the literature.
Fares Alawwa, Rashid K. Abu Al-Rub, Bashar El-Khasawneh
et al.
Interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) are composite materials characterized by co-continuous and interlocked matrix and reinforcing phases. This distinctive combination often leads to superior performance compared to conventional composite assemblies. The present work investigates nitinol-aluminum metal-metal (MM) IPCs fabricated for the first time using a combination of additive manufacturing and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques. Using this approach, aluminum lattice constructs are first obtained by means of laser powder bed fusion. The constructs are then filled with pre-alloyed nitinol powder, which is subsequently sintered using SPS. Our investigation considers five different combinations of sintering temperatures and pressure. The samples are examined at both proximal and distal positions relative to the aluminum phase in order to evaluate the influence of temperature, stress, and possible alloying on the microstructure of the IPC and the phase transformation behavior of the nitinol phase. The interface between the nitinol and aluminum phases, as well as the elemental distribution within the IPCs, are characterized using scanning electron microscopy that reveal clear penetration and alloying of nickel and titanium within the aluminum phase. Differential scanning calorimetry further reveals variations in phase transformation temperatures within each sample. The nitinol phase in the IPC samples is shown to retain its shape memory properties. This study opens a new pathway for designing nitinol composites combining low melting point additively manufactured aluminum preforms with a high melting point nitinol matrix. This approach deviates from conventional metal-metal IPC fabrication methods, while still preserving the functional response of the nitinol phase.
Md Azizul Hasan, Matthew Alessi, Dolar Khachariya
et al.
Drive-in diffusion of Mg implanted into GaN during ultra-high pressure annealing leads to low surface acceptor concentrations. This favors p-type Schottky contact formation, which severely increases the on-state resistance of Mg-implanted GaN pn diodes (PNDs). This work aims to reduce the resistance of contacts to Mg-implanted p-GaN by incorporating Mg deposition and annealing into the contact stack, achieving a rectification ratio (RR) over 10 ^12 , a current density above 1 kA cm ^−2 and a record-low differential specific on-resistance ( R _ON ) of 0.65 mΩ.cm ^2 in Mg-implanted PNDs, offering a potential solution for improving the performance and manufacturability of vertical GaN devices that require contacts to Mg-implanted p-GaN.
Background:
Digital health can flatten traditional medical knowledge into reductionist codes. Ayurveda locates valid knowledge (Pramāṇa) at the intersection of experience, environment, and awareness – dimensions not exhausted by quantitative computation.
Aim and Objective:
The aim of the study was to present Structured Distributed Introspection (SDI) as an epistemic framework that operationalizes a perception–reflection–reintegration loop for semantic coherence and to embed it within Collaborative Medicine and Science (CoMS), a translational methodology (Reformulation → Modeling → Localization) that preserves Ayurvedic meaning while enabling computation.
Materials and Methods:
Conceptual synthesis integrating classical Ayurvedic epistemology with embodied/active-inference theories, anchored to current Ayush/World Health Organization (WHO) standards (ICD-11 TM2, NAMASTE, Ayush Grid). An SDI validation summary is provided from dual-protocol studies across 10 Large Language Models (LLMs; n = 400 responses), quantifying cross-frame consistency.
Results:
SDI formalizes introspection as structural feedback; within CoMS, it supports (a) semantically faithful, computable Prakṛti/Vikṛti assessment; (b) prodrome-aware saṃprāpti modeling; (c) adaptive learning mirroring introspective practice; and (d) methodical guardrails for Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in Ayurveda.
Limitations:
SDI’s engineering/architectural phase is a prospective research program; empirical validation beyond LLM self-description requires multicenter studies and clinician-rated endpoints.
Conclusion:
SDI (epistemic core) within CoMS (translational core) provides a rigorous, concept-first pathway for digitizing Ayurveda that enables interoperability without erasing identity, aligning practice with WHO principles for responsible, culturally grounded AI.
Abstract Development of coating technologies for electrochemical sensors that consistently exhibit antifouling activities in diverse and complex biological environments over extended time is vital for effective medical devices and diagnostics. Here, we describe a micrometer-thick, porous nanocomposite coating with both antifouling and electroconducting properties that enhances the sensitivity of electrochemical sensors. Nozzle printing of oil-in-water emulsion is used to create a 1 micrometer thick coating composed of cross-linked albumin with interconnected pores and gold nanowires. The layer resists biofouling and maintains rapid electron transfer kinetics for over one month when exposed directly to complex biological fluids, including serum and nasopharyngeal secretions. Compared to a thinner (nanometer thick) antifouling coating made with drop casting or a spin coating of the same thickness, the thick porous nanocomposite sensor exhibits sensitivities that are enhanced by 3.75- to 17-fold when three different target biomolecules are tested. As a result, emulsion-coated, multiplexed electrochemical sensors can carry out simultaneous detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid, antigen, and host antibody in clinical specimens with high sensitivity and specificity. This thick porous emulsion coating technology holds promise in addressing hurdles currently restricting the application of electrochemical sensors for point-of-care diagnostics, implantable devices, and other healthcare monitoring systems.
Abstract Integrated circuit anti-counterfeiting based on optical physical unclonable functions (PUFs) plays a crucial role in guaranteeing secure identification and authentication for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. While considerable efforts have been devoted to exploring optical PUFs, two critical challenges remain: incompatibility with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and limited information entropy. Here, we demonstrate all-silicon multidimensionally-encoded optical PUFs fabricated by integrating silicon (Si) metasurface and erbium-doped Si quantum dots (Er-Si QDs) with a CMOS-compatible procedure. Five in-situ optical responses have been manifested within a single pixel, rendering an ultrahigh information entropy of 2.32 bits/pixel. The position-dependent optical responses originate from the position-dependent radiation field and Purcell effect. Our evaluation highlights their potential in IoT security through advanced metrics like bit uniformity, similarity, intra- and inter-Hamming distance, false-acceptance and rejection rates, and encoding capacity. We finally demonstrate the implementation of efficient lightweight mutual authentication protocols for IoT applications by using the all-Si multidimensionally-encoded optical PUFs.
The traditional von Neumann architecture is gradually failing to meet the urgent need for highly parallel computing, high-efficiency, and ultra-low power consumption for the current explosion of data. Brain-inspired neuromorphic computing can break the inherent limitations of traditional computers. Neuromorphic devices are the key hardware units of neuromorphic chips to implement the intelligent computing. In recent years, the development of optogenetics and photosensitive materials has provided new avenues for the research of neuromorphic devices. The emerging optoelectronic neuromorphic devices have received a lot of attentions because they have shown great potential in the field of visual bionics. In this paper, we summarize the latest visual bionic applications of optoelectronic synaptic memristors and transistors based on different photosensitive materials. The basic principle of bio-vision formation is first introduced. Then the device structures and operating mechanisms of optoelectronic memristors and transistors are discussed. Most importantly, the recent progresses of optoelectronic synaptic devices based on various photosensitive materials in the fields of visual perception are described. Finally, the problems and challenges of optoelectronic neuromorphic devices are summarized, and the future development of visual bionics is also proposed.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Biotechnology
To prevent liquid leakage during the phase transition of a phase change material (PCM), a novel form-stable PCM (FSPCM) based on LA/CIT/CNT was fabricated using a simple and facile direct impregnation method. The iron tailings (ITs) was calcinated at first. And then lauric acid (LA) was impregnated into the calcinated iron tailings (CITs) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a thermal conductivity additive. Subsequently, the leakage tests and the properties of the prepared samples were investigated by diffusion-oozing testing (DOT), SEM, XRD, FTIR, DSC, TGA, and intelligent paperless recorder (IPR). DOT results showed that the impregnation ratio of LA into the CIT and CNT was up to 27.5% without leakage. SEM indicated that LA can be adsorbed into microscale pores and covered the surface of CITs and CNTs. FTIR spectra indicated that there was no chemical reaction during the preparation process. The melting and freezing temperatures of the prepared LA/CIT/CNT FSPCMs were measured as 45.24 °C and 39.61 °C, respectively. Correspondingly, the latent heat values were determined as 39.95 J/g and 35.63 J/g, respectively. The LA/CIT/CNT FSPCMs exhibited good thermal stability in the working temperature range, and its heat transfer efficiency was improved significantly by 69.23% for LA and 84.62% for LA/CIT FSPCM. In short, LA/CIT/CNT FSPCMs are a very promising material for thermal energy storage in practical low-temperature applications.
Malathi Veeramani, Anand C Damodaran, Sundaram Arunachalam
et al.
Introduction: Genomic alterations in key genes such as tumour suppressor genes have been reported to contribute to human cancers like breast cancer. Loss of E-cadherin (CDH1) mediated adhesion characterises the transition from benign lesions to invasive, metastatic cancer. Genetic changes occurring in the CDH1 gene has not yet been completely studied despite the remarkable biological function of the signal peptide of CDH1. Many of these genomic alterations have altered messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) and protein expression that play a role in the pathophysiology of cancers and warrant further studies.
Aim: To identify mutations in CDH1 gene (Exon 1) in invasive breast carcinoma and evaluate CDH1 expression by real time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
Materials and Methods: The present study was a retrospective cross-sectional study in which tissue samples were collected from Madras Medical College and VS Hospitals, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India between March 2010 to August 2011 and molecular biology work and analysis was carried out at Sri Ramasamy Memorial Institute of Science and Technology-Department of Biotechnology (SRM-DBT) Platform for Advanced Life technologies, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) between June 2017 to September 2017. The Exon 1 region of the human E-cadherin gene of normal and breast cancer (Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma) patients were sequenced by Sanger method. The sequences were compared using the National Centre for Biotechnology Information-Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (NCBI-BLAST) utility. The change in the sequence was identified between the normal and tumour samples. The fold change of E-cadherin gene expression in tumour was calculated by comparing with control non neoplastic breast tissue. The fold change in the relative expression level between tumour and normal sample was determined using real time RT-PCR.
Results: In the present study upon comparing the Exon 1 sequences of normal gene with that of tumour, two deletion mutation and one CT transition was observed. In present investigation also 0.08-fold down regulation of CDH1 mRNA was observed in the tumour tissue when compared with the normal tissue.
Conclusion: The present study has attempted to study the alterations at genome level (CDH1 gene, Exon 1, encoding for the biologically active signal peptide region), transcriptional and translational level with respect to CDH1. The effect of the mutations detected including two loci with deletion mutations and one single nucleotide change could affect the structural conformation of the protein and functional impact including aberrant expression. Molecular docking studies and in-vitro studies with cell lines and animal studies could be done to confirm these findings.
Effects of silica and hydroxyl silicone oil on the friction properties of silicone rubber composites were investigated, and the influencing factors and friction mechanism of silicone rubber composites on dry and wet smooth glass surfaces were studied. The results showed that the dry friction coefficient (fD) of silicone rubber composites on smooth glass surfaces was linearly positive with loss factor (tan δ)/Shore A hardness (H), tan δ/shear storage modulus (G′), fD decreased with increasing silica amount. When the amount of plasticizer was less than 7.5 phr and H was no less than 34, fD of the silicone rubber composite had a linear positive correlation with tan δ/H and tan δ/G′. When the amount of plasticizer was no less than 7.5 phr and H was less than 34, the tan δ at a maximum strain of 42% had a linear positive correlation with fD. On a water-lubricated smooth glass surface, the wet friction coefficient of silicone rubber composites was positively correlated with tan δ.
The hybrid structure composed of aluminum alloy and carbon fiber reinforced plastics could combine their advantages. In order to investigate the weldability of these two lightweight materials, the hybrid joints of 5052 aluminum alloy (AA5052) and carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone composites (CF-PEEK) were fabricated by friction stir spot welding. The variance analysis revealed that the dwell time and plunge speed were the most significant factors. By optimizing the welding parameters, the ultimate tensile shear load reached 2690±64 N (the dwell time: 8 s, the plunge speed: 10 mm/min). The interface could be divided into pin-affected zone, shoulder-affected zone, resin adhesive zone and resin concentrated zone. Since resin concentrated zone could not provide interfacial bonding due to delamination, the shoulder-affected zone and pin-affected zone were decisive regions for mechanical properties. The bonding mechanism included three parts: adhesive bonding provided by re-solidified resin, macro-mechanical interlocking of aluminum alloy that entered CF-PEEK, and micro-mechanical interlocking of resin that was tightly trapped at surface slits as well as the carbon fibers beset into AA5052. This work clarifies the interfacial characteristics of AA5052/CF-PEEK hybrid joints and provides an approach to improve the mechanical properties.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
The dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior of as-extruded AM50 magnesium alloy was modelled and simulated by a cellular automaton (CA) method. Isothermal compression experiments were conducted, and the characteristic parameters in the CA model were obtained by the testing stress–strain flow curves in a wide temperature range of 250–450 °C and strain rate range of 0.001–10 s<sup>−1</sup>. The flow stress, DRX volume fraction and DRX grain size of the as-extruded AM50 magnesium alloy were predicted by CA simulation. The results showed that the DRX behavior of the studied magnesium alloy was susceptive with the temperature and strain rate; meanwhile, the prediction results were approximate to the experimental values, indicating that the developed CA model can make a confident estimation on the DRX behavior of the as-extruded AM50 magnesium alloy in high temperature conditions.