Simplified Model and Numerical Analysis of Multi-layered Piezoelectric Diaphragm

The validity of the dynamic analysis based on simplified plate model was investigated using of FE-codes ANSYS in the present paper. The simplified clamped multi-layered plate model was first verified by comparison with the exact model. The simply supported plate model was confirmed to be not a suitable model due to its large error as comparing with exact model. Influence of dimensions of laminar diaphragm on nature frequencies was studied. Deflection and voltage response driven by mechanical and electric loads were described. The optimized thickness ratio of PZT layer to SiO₂ and Si layers was given in the paper to obtain the best deflection export of actuator in design.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Solid-shell element model of assumed through-thickness electric distribution for laminate composite piezoelectric structures

The eight-node solid-shell finite element models have been developed for the analysis of laminated composite pate/shell structures with piezoelectric actuators and sensors. To resolve the locking problems of the solid-shell elements in laminated materials and improve accuracy, the assumed natural strain method and hybrid stress method are employed. The nonlinear electric potential distribution in piezoelectric layer is described by introducing internal electric potential. The developed finite element models, especially, electric potential node model, have the advantages of simpler modeling and can obtain same effect that exact solution described.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Targeting nuclear transporters in cancer: Diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic potential

The Karyopherin superfamily is a major class of soluble transport receptors consisting of both import and export proteins. The trafficking of proteins involved in transcription, cell signalling and cell cycle regulation among other functions across the nuclear membrane is essential for normal cellular functioning. However, in cancer cells, the altered expression or localization of nuclear transporters as well as the disruption of endogenous nuclear transport inhibitors are some ways in which the Karyopherin proteins are dysregulated. The value of nuclear transporters in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancer is currently being elucidated with recent studies highlighting their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Method to improve the performance of network time delay of EPA system

In order to improve the performance of network-induced time delay of EPA (Ethernet for plant automation) networked control systems, the interacting mechanism between the control and the communication in EPA system was studied and EPA-CS (EPA cooperative scheduling) method was presented. Through setting their mutually cooperative time slices for function blocks that executed the control tasks and data transmission that executed the communication tasks, and through determining the executing time and frequencies of control tasks in their time slices, the method could accomplish the cooperation between control tasks and communication tasks in EPA system. When the round scanning cy-cles of devices are very little or there are many function blocks that need network communication in system, the method can effectively reduce the network load to improve the performance of network-induced time delay of EPA system

Confocal structured illumination microscopy

Confocal microscopy, a critical advancement in optical imaging, is widely applied because of its excellent anti-noise ability. However, it has low imaging efficiency and can cause phototoxicity. Optical-sectioning structured illumination microscopy (OS-SIM) can overcome the limitations of confocal microscopy but still face challenges in imaging depth and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We introduce the concept of confocal imaging into OS-SIM and propose confocal structured illumination microscopy (CSIM) to enhance the imaging performance of OS-SIM. CSIM exploits the principle of dual photography to reconstruct a dual image from each pixel of the camera. The reconstructed dual image is equivalent to the image obtained by using the spatial light modulator (SLM) as a virtual camera, enabling the separation of the conjugate and non-conjugate signals recorded by the camera pixel. We can reject the non-conjugate signals by extracting the conjugate signal from each dual image to reconstruct a confocal image when establishing the conjugate relationship between the camera and the SLM. We have constructed the theoretical framework of CSIM. Optical-sectioning experimental results demonstrate that CSIM can reconstruct images with superior SNR and greater imaging depth compared with existing OS-SIM. CSIM is expected to expand the application scope of OS-SIM

Chalcogenide Glass-on-Graphene Photonics

Two-dimensional (2-D) materials are of tremendous interest to integrated photonics given their singular optical characteristics spanning light emission, modulation, saturable absorption, and nonlinear optics. To harness their optical properties, these atomically thin materials are usually attached onto prefabricated devices via a transfer process. In this paper, we present a new route for 2-D material integration with planar photonics. Central to this approach is the use of chalcogenide glass, a multifunctional material which can be directly deposited and patterned on a wide variety of 2-D materials and can simultaneously function as the light guiding medium, a gate dielectric, and a passivation layer for 2-D materials. Besides claiming improved fabrication yield and throughput compared to the traditional transfer process, our technique also enables unconventional multilayer device geometries optimally designed for enhancing light-matter interactions in the 2-D layers. Capitalizing on this facile integration method, we demonstrate a series of high-performance glass-on-graphene devices including ultra-broadband on-chip polarizers, energy-efficient thermo-optic switches, as well as graphene-based mid-infrared (mid-IR) waveguide-integrated photodetectors and modulators

The LAMOST Survey of Background Quasars in the Vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum Galaxies -- II. Results from the Commissioning Observations and the Pilot Surveys

We present new quasars discovered in the vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies with the LAMOST during the 2010 and 2011 observational seasons. Quasar candidates are selected based on the available SDSS, KPNO 4 m telescope, XSTPS optical, and WISE near infrared photometric data. We present 509 new quasars discovered in a stripe of ~135 sq. deg from M31 to M33 along the Giant Stellar Stream in the 2011 pilot survey datasets, and also 17 new quasars discovered in an area of ~100 sq. deg that covers the central region and the southeastern halo of M31 in the 2010 commissioning datasets. These 526 new quasars have i magnitudes ranging from 15.5 to 20.0, redshifts from 0.1 to 3.2. They represent a significant increase of the number of identified quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33. There are now 26, 62 and 139 known quasars in this region of the sky with i magnitudes brighter than 17.0, 17.5 and 18.0 respectively, of which 5, 20 and 75 are newly-discovered. These bright quasars provide an invaluable collection with which to probe the kinematics and chemistry of the ISM/IGM in the Local Group of galaxies. A total of 93 quasars are now known with locations within 2.5 deg of M31, of which 73 are newly discovered. Tens of quasars are now known to be located behind the Giant Stellar Stream, and hundreds behind the extended halo and its associated substructures of M31. The much enlarged sample of known quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33 can potentially be utilized to construct a perfect astrometric reference frame to measure the minute PMs of M31 and M33, along with the PMs of substructures associated with the Local Group of galaxies. Those PMs are some of the most fundamental properties of the Local Group.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, AJ accepte

A Modification of the Moving Least-Squares Approximation in the Element-Free Galerkin Method

The element-free Galerkin (EFG) method is one of the widely used meshfree methods for solving partial differential equations. In the EFG method, shape functions are derived from a moving least-squares (MLS) approximation, which involves the inversion of a small matrix for every point of interest. To avoid the calculation of matrix inversion in the formulation of the shape functions, an improved MLS approximation is presented, where an orthogonal function system with a weight function is used. However, it can also lead to ill-conditioned or even singular system of equations. In this paper, aspects of the IMLS approximation are analyzed in detail. The reason why singularity problem occurs is studied. A novel technique based on matrix triangular process is proposed to solve this problem. It is shown that the EFG method with present technique is very effective in constructing shape functions. Numerical examples are illustrated to show the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. Although our study relies on monomial basis functions, it is more general than existing methods and can be extended to any basis functions