Explore the vast range of titles available.

Epoxyaclay nanocomposites were prepared using two types of surface-treated montmorillonite (Closite 30B and Nanomer I28E). Wide angle X-ray scattering showed that all the nanocomposites had an intercalated structure. Improvements in tensile and fracture properties were found. The pure epoxy polymer was very brittle with a fracture energy, G c, of 131 J ma2. The addition of the nanoclays significantly increased the value of G c, up to 240 J ma2 for 5 wt% C30B. The toughening mechanisms acting in the nanocomposites were identified using scanning electron microscopy as crack deflection and plastic deformation of the epoxy matrix around the clay platelets following debonding. From electrical testing, the permittivity and loss angle of the nanocomposites decreased, and their breakdown strength increased as desired for insulation applications. The breakdown strength of the pure epoxy was found to be 11.7 kV mma1, while for a 2 wt% C30B nanocomposite, it increased to 14.7 kV mma1. It was concluded that the restriction of chain mobility inhibited electrical polarisation and thus decreased the permittivity and loss angle. The electrical damage zone was analysed using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the higher resistance-to-surface degradation by partial discharges and the creation of a tortuous electrical path, which delayed the propagation of the electrical tree, were the main factors which improved the breakdown strengths of the nanocomposites.

This article proposed a new extended gate towards a source in AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor-high-electron-mobility transistors in order to increase breakdown voltage and reduce on-resistance. The TaN gate was isolated from the source by a 15 nm-thick RF-sputtered HfO sub( 2) gate insulator. A high breakdown voltage of 1410 V was measured as a result of the successfully blocked gate leakage current and surface passivation by the HfO sub( 2) gate insulator. The extended gate towards the source was an effective method to improve the on-resistance and drain current density by eliminating the gate-source space. The proposed device with the extended gate exhibited low specific on-resistance of 2.28 m Omega ...cm super( 2) while that of the MOS-HEMT with the conventional structure was 2.91 m Omega ...cm super( 2). Also, maximum drain current density at the V sub( GS) of 2 V was increased from 332 to 420 mA/mm by the proposed extended TaN gate.(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)

A series of strontium barium niobate-based borate system glass-ceramics with Gd sub(2)O sub(3) addition have been prepared by controlled crystallization method. The effect of Gd sub(2)O sub(3) addition on the microstructure, phase evolution and dielectric properties has been investigated. The results show that the addition of Gd sub(2)O sub(3) to the glass-ceramics changes the dielectric property and energy-storage density. Typically, the glass-ceramics with 0.5 mol% Gd sub(2)O sub(3) heat treated at 630 degree C/2 h + 800 degree C/3 h possesses a dielectric constant of 136, a breakdown strength of 1,075 kV/mm and energy-storage density of 6.94 J/cm super(3), which is suitable for the application in high energy-storage capacitors.

Triacylglycerol (TAG) is the most important caloric source with respect to energy homeostasis in animals. In addition to its evolutionarily conserved importance as an energy source, TAG turnover is crucial to the metabolism of structural and signaling lipids. These neutral lipids are also key players in development and disease. Here, we review the metabolism of TAG in the Drosophila model system. Recently, the fruit fly has attracted renewed attention in research due to the unique experimental approaches it affords in studying the tissue-autonomous and interorgan regulation of lipid metabolism in vivo. Following an overview of the systemic control of fly body fat stores, we will cover lipid anabolic, enzymatic, and regulatory processes, which begin with the dietary lipid breakdown and de novo lipogenesis that results in lipid droplet storage. Next, we focus on lipolytic processes, which mobilize storage TAG to make it metabolically accessible as either an energy source or as a building block for biosynthesis of other lipid classes. Since the buildup and breakdown of fat involves various organs, we highlight avenues of lipid transport, which are at the heart of functional integration of organismic lipid metabolism. Finally, we draw attention to some “missing links” in basic neutral lipid metabolism and conclude with a perspective on how fly research can be exploited to study functional metabolic roles of diverse lipids.

To begin, focus on a single line’s performance over a typical production day to clarify current state versus potential. [...]compare this with actual output to identify the gap between design capability and current performance. [...]understanding these metrics and effectively communicating the insights will help guide your team toward meaningful change and operational excellence.

[Display omitted] •Explorations of LIBS and FTIR-ATR techniques in soil forensic identification.•Optimizations of LIBS and FTIR-ATR in soil forensic identification.•Fusions of the LIBS and FTIR-ATR spectra data in soil forensic analysis.•Applications of LIBS and FTIR-ATR in real cases of soil forensics analysis. Soils are crucial trace evidence that can establish or exclude the relationship between a suspect, victim, or an object at a particular scene, which could contribute to building a case. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy have been demonstrated to be effective techniques for soil characterization owing to its being rapid, non-destructive, and convenient analysis with little sample preparation requirements. Therefore, the principles of LIBS and FTIR-ATR techniques for soil forensic analysis in typical soil samples were investigated and their practical feasibility was tested by applying the techniques to forensic soil samples in two criminal cases. Principal component analysis (PCA) of a typical soil sample indicated that five typical soil types were clearly distinguished by LIBS and FTIR-ATR spectra. Variations in the soil elements (i.e., Si, Mg, Al, Ca, K, O, and N) and functional groups (i.e., OH/NH, CC/CO, SiO, CO32−, AlOH, and NH2) are crucial indicators for soil identification. The casework results demonstrated that both LIBS and FTIR-ATR show great potential for forensic soil analysis in future cases.

Liquid–liquid phase separation has been shown to underlie the formation and disassembly of membraneless organelles in cells, but the cellular mechanisms that control this phenomenon are poorly understood. A prominent example of regulated and reversible segregation of liquid phases may occur during mitosis, when membraneless organelles disappear upon nuclear-envelope breakdown and reappear as mitosis is completed. Here we show that the dual-specificity kinase DYRK3 acts as a central dissolvase of several types of membraneless organelle during mitosis. DYRK3 kinase activity is essential to prevent the unmixing of the mitotic cytoplasm into aberrant liquid-like hybrid organelles and the over-nucleation of spindle bodies. Our work supports a mechanism in which the dilution of phase-separating proteins during nuclear-envelope breakdown and the DYRK3-dependent degree of their solubility combine to allow cells to dissolve and condense several membraneless organelles during mitosis. The dual-specificity kinase DYRK3 acts as a central ‘dissolvase’, mediating the phase transitions of several types of membraneless organelles during mitosis.

Aiming at the transient process generated by the operation of the disconnector, the fast transient overvoltage (VFTO) transmitted to the casing from the GIS system causes the induced casing voltage between the casing and the ground, posing safety hazards to the secondary equipment and operation personnel of the GIS system. This paper combines the internal VFTO and external TEV transient circuits of GIS, considers the mutual coupling of the three-phase GIS enclosures, establishes a 252 kV GIS system transient model, and studies the characteristics of the three-phase GIS enclosure TEV under multiple breakdown discharge conditions of the disconnector, providing a theoretical basis for the external measurement of the transient induced casing voltage. In the process of multiple breakdown conditions, the maximum TEV value of the operating phase is the highest, with the maximum TEV amplitude reaching 0.03 p.u. in Phase A. TEV amplitude of the operating phase is significantly higher than that of the other two phases.

In the real-world situations, uncertain events commonly occur and cause disruption of normal scheduled activities. Consideration of uncertain events during the scheduling process helps the organizations to make strategies for handling the uncertainties in an effective manner. Therefore, in the present paper, unexpected machine breakdowns have been considered during scheduling of jobs in a flexible job-shop environment. The objective is to obtain lowest possible makespan such that robust and stable schedules are produced even if an unexpected machine breakdown occurs. The robust and stable schedules may help to decrease the costs associated with unexpected machine failures. The present work uses a two-stage teaching-learning-based optimization (2S-TLBO) method to solve flexible job-shop scheduling problem (FJSP) under machine breakdown. In the first stage, the primary objective of makespan is optimized without considering any machine breakdown. In the second stage, a bi-objective function considering robustness and stability of the schedule is optimized under uncertainty of machine breakdowns. In order to incorporate the machine breakdown data to basic FJSP, a non-idle time insertion technique is used. In order to generate effective robust and stable predictive FJSP schedules, a rescheduling technique called modified affected operations rescheduling (mAOR) is used. The Kacem’s and Brandimarte’s benchmark problems have been solved and compared with other algorithms available in the literature. Results indicate that TLBO outperforms other algorithms by generating superior robust and stable predictive schedules. Statistical analysis is carried out to test the significance difference of the results obtained by TLBO with other algorithms.

Nanofabrication techniques for achieving dimensional control at the nanometer scale are generally equipment-intensive and time-consuming. The use of energetic beams of electrons or ions has placed the fabrication of nanopores in thin solid-state membranes within reach of some academic laboratories, yet these tools are not accessible to many researchers and are poorly suited for mass-production. Here we describe a fast and simple approach for fabricating a single nanopore down to 2-nm in size with sub-nm precision, directly in solution, by controlling dielectric breakdown at the nanoscale. The method relies on applying a voltage across an insulating membrane to generate a high electric field, while monitoring the induced leakage current. We show that nanopores fabricated by this method produce clear electrical signals from translocating DNA molecules. Considering the tremendous reduction in complexity and cost, we envision this fabrication strategy would not only benefit researchers from the physical and life sciences interested in gaining reliable access to solid-state nanopores, but may provide a path towards manufacturing of nanopore-based biotechnologies.