Portable through-metal ultrasonic power transfer using a dry-coupled detachable transmitter.

Ultrasonic waves can be used to transfer power and data efficiently through metallic enclosures when feedthroughs are not practical due to structural or electromagnetic shielding considerations. Previous implementations of ultrasonic power transfer (UPT) used a piezoelectric transducer permanently bonded to the metal for efficient ultrasonic coupling. For portable operation, it is essential to have a detachable transmitter (charger) that is only attached to the enclosure while transferring power.

Thermal transport in phononic crystals and the observation of coherent phonon scattering at room temperature.

Large reductions in the thermal conductivity of thin silicon membranes have been demonstrated in various porous structures. However, the role of coherent boundary scattering in such structures has become a matter of some debate. Here we report on the first experimental observation of coherent phonon boundary scattering at room temperature in 2D phononic crystals formed by the introduction of air holes in a silicon matrix with minimum feature sizes >100 nm.

Thymoquinone Inhibits Escherichia coli ATP Synthase and Cell Growth.

We examined the thymoquinone induced inhibition of purified F1 or membrane bound F1FO E. coli ATP synthase. Both purified F1 and membrane bound F1FO were completely inhibited by thymoquinone with no residual ATPase activity.

Kojic Acid production from agro-industrial by-products using fungi.

A total of 278 different isolates of filamentous fungi were screened using synthetic medium for respective ability to produce kojic acid. Nineteen, six, and five isolates proved to be low, moderate, and high kojic acid producers, respectively. Levels of kojic acid produced were generally increased when shaking cultivation was used rather than those obtained using static cultivation.

Microfabricated suspended island platform for the measurement of in-plane thermal conductivity of thin films and nanostructured materials with consideration of contact resistance.

A technique based on suspended islands is described to measure the in-plane thermal conductivity of thin films and nano-structured materials, and is also employed for measurements of several samples with a single measurement platform. Using systematic steps for measurements, the characterization of the thermal resistances of a sample and its contacts are studied. The calibration of the contacts in this method is independent of the geometry, size, materials, and uniformity of contacts.