Model-Predictive Control for the Three-Tank System Utilizing an Industrial Automation System.

A three-tank process has difficulty in controller design because of nonlinear flow and interactions between tanks. This paper addresses the design methodology of the model-predictive controller (MPC) for the three-tank system. The control performance of the proposed MPC controller is compared with the proportional plus integral (PI) controller by both simulations and experiments on the real three-tank pilot with the industrial ABB 800xA automation system.

From Precision Colloidal Hybrid Materials to Advanced Functional Assemblies.

The concept of colloids encompasses a wide range of isotropic and anisotropic particles with diverse sizes, shapes, and functions from synthetic nanoparticles, nanorods, and nanosheets to functional biological units. They are addressed in materials science for various functions, while they are ubiquitous in the biological world for multiple functions. A large variety of synthetic colloids have been researched due to their scientific and technological importance; still they characteristically suffer from finite size distributions, imperfect shapes and interactions, and not fully engineered functions.

Integrating CRISPR/Cas systems with programmable DNA nanostructures for delivery and beyond.

Precise genome editing with CRISPR/Cas paves the way for many biochemical, biotechnological, and medical applications, and consequently, it may enable treatment of already known and still-to-be-found genetic diseases. Meanwhile, another rapidly emerging field-structural DNA nanotechnology-provides a customizable and modular platform for accurate positioning of nanoscopic materials, for e.g.

Dispersing swimming microalgae in self-assembled nanocellulose suspension: Unveiling living colloid dynamics in cholesteric liquid crystals.

Active matter comprises individual energy-consuming components that convert locally stored energy into mechanical motion. Among these, liquid crystal dispersed self-propelled colloids have displayed fascinating dynamic effects and nonequilibrium behaviors. In this work, we introduce a new type of active soft matter based on swimming microalgae and lyotropic nanocellulose liquid crystal.

High-resolution crystal structure of a 20 kDa superfluorinated gold nanocluster.

Crystallization of atomically precise nanoclusters is gaining increasing attention, due to the opportunity of elucidating both intracluster and intercluster packing modes, and exploiting the functionality of the resulting highly pure crystallized materials. Herein, we report the design and single-crystal X-ray structure of a superfluorinated 20 kDa gold nanocluster, with an Au core coated by a shell of multi-branched highly fluorinated thiols (SF) resulting in almost 500 fluorine atoms, i.e.

Multifunctional Elastic Nanocomposites with Extremely Low Concentrations of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.

Stretchable and flexible electronics has attracted broad attention over the last years. Nanocomposites based on elastomers and carbon nanotubes are a promising material for soft electronic applications. Despite the fact that single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) based nanocomposites often demonstrate superior properties, the vast majority of the studies were devoted to those based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mainly because of their higher availability and easier processing procedures.

Microstructure and Properties of Additively Manufactured AlCoCrCuFeNi Multicomponent Alloy: Controlling Magnetic Properties by Laser Powder Bed Fusion via Spinodal Decomposition.

A non-equiatomic AlCoCrCuFeNi alloy has been identified as a potential high strength alloy, whose microstructure and consequently properties can be widely varied. In this research, the phase structure, hardness, and magnetic properties of AlCoCrCuFeNi alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) are investigated. The results demonstrate that laser power, scanning speed, and volumetric energy density (VED) contribute to different aspects in the formation of microstructure thus introducing alterations in the properties.

Compressive stress-mediated p38 activation required for ERα + phenotype in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is now globally the most frequent cancer and leading cause of women's death. Two thirds of breast cancers express the luminal estrogen receptor-positive (ERα + ) phenotype that is initially responsive to antihormonal therapies, but drug resistance emerges. A major barrier to the understanding of the ERα-pathway biology and therapeutic discoveries is the restricted repertoire of luminal ERα + breast cancer models.

3D Printing of Superhydrophobic Objects with Bulk Nanostructure.

The rapid development of 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) technologies demands new materials with novel properties and functionalities. Superhydrophobic materials, owing to their ultralow water adhesion, self-cleaning, anti-biofouling, or superoleophilic properties are useful for myriad applications involving liquids. However, the majority of the methods for making superhydrophobic surfaces have been based on surface functionalization and coatings, which are challenging to apply to 3D objects.

Force-Based Wetting Characterization of Stochastic Superhydrophobic Coatings at Nanonewton Sensitivity.

Superhydrophobic coatings have extraordinary properties like self-cleaning and staying dry, and have recently appeared on industrial and consumer markets. The stochastic nature of the coating components and coating processes (e.g.

Impact of Ions on Film Conformality and Crystallinity during Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition of TiO.

This work demonstrates that ions have a strong impact on the growth per cycle (GPC) and material properties during plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO (titanium dioxide), even under mild plasma conditions with low-energy (<20 eV) ions. Using vertical trench nanostructures and microscopic cavity structures that locally block the flux of ions, it is observed that the impact of (low-energy) ions is an important factor for the TiO film conformality. Specifically, it is demonstrated that the GPC in terms of film thickness can increase by 20 to >200% under the influence of ions, which is correlated with an increase in film crystallinity and an associated strong reduction in the wet etch rate (in 30:1 buffered HF).

Oxygen Recombination Probability Data for Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition of SiO and TiO.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) can provide nanometer-thin films with excellent conformality on demanding three-dimensional (3D) substrates. This also holds for plasma-assisted ALD, provided that the loss of reactive radicals through surface recombination is sufficiently low. In this work, we determine the surface recombination probability of oxygen radicals during plasma ALD of SiO and TiO for substrate temperatures from 100 to ∼240 °C and plasma pressures from 12 to 130 mTorr (for SiO).

Multiscale Hierarchical Surface Patterns by Coupling Optical Patterning and Thermal Shrinkage.

Herein, a simple hierarchical surface patterning method is presented by effectively combining buckling instability and azopolymer-based surface relief grating inscription. In this technique, submicron patterns are achieved using azopolymers, whereas the microscale patterns are fabricated by subsequent thermal shrinkage. The wetting characterization of various topographically patterned surfaces confirms that the method permits tuning of contact angles and choosing between isotropic and anisotropic wetting.

Editorial to the Special Issue "Total Synthesis of Natural Products: A Themed Issue Dedicated to Professor Dr. Dieter Schinzer for His 65th Birthday".

Natural products have intrigued humans throughout history [...

Extractive concentrations and cellular-level distributions change radially from outer to inner heartwood in Scots pine.

The heartwood of many wood species is rich in extractives, which improve the wood material's resistance to biological attack. Their concentration is generally higher in outer than inner heartwood, but the exact radial changes in aging heartwood remain poorly characterized. This investigation studied these radial changes in detail in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.

Microplotter-Printed On-Chip Combinatorial Library of Ink-Derived Multiple Metal Oxides as an "Electronic Olfaction" Unit.

Information about the surrounding atmosphere at a real timescale significantly relies on available gas sensors to be efficiently combined into multisensor arrays as electronic olfaction units. However, the array's performance is challenged by the ability to provide orthogonal responses from the employed sensors at a reasonable cost. This issue becomes more demanded when the arrays are designed under an on-chip paradigm to meet a number of emerging calls either in the internet-of-things industry or in situ noninvasive diagnostics of human breath, to name a few, for small-sized low-powered detectors.

Strain Stiffening and Negative Normal Force of Agarose Hydrogels.

Inspired by the specific strain stiffening and negative normal force phenomena in several biological networks, herein, we show strain stiffening and negative normal force in agarose hydrogels. We use both pre-strain and strain amplitude sweep protocols in dynamic rheological measurements where the gel slip was suppressed by the gelation in the cross-hatched parallel plate rheometer geometry. Within the stiffening region, we show the scaling relation for the differential modulus ∝ σ, where σ is stress.

Hierarchical Microstructure of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Produced Face-Centered-Cubic-Structured Equiatomic CrFeNiMn Multicomponent Alloy.

A cobalt-free equiatomic CrFeNiMn multicomponent alloy was fabricated from gas-atomized powder using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), also known as selective laser melting (SLM). The as-built specimens had a single face-centered cubic (FCC) structure, relative density of 98%, and hardness up to 248 HV for both the scanning speeds applied. In this work, we report the hierarchical microstructural features observed in the as-built specimens.

Saturation profile based conformality analysis for atomic layer deposition: aluminum oxide in lateral high-aspect-ratio channels.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) raises global interest through its unparalleled conformality. This work describes new microscopic lateral high-aspect-ratio (LHAR) test structures for conformality analysis of ALD. The LHAR structures are made of silicon and consist of rectangular channels supported by pillars.

Ferrofluid Microdroplet Splitting for Population-Based Microfluidics and Interfacial Tensiometry.

Ferrofluids exhibit a unique combination of liquid properties and strong magnetic response, which leads to a rich variety of interesting functional properties. Here, the magnetic-field-induced splitting of ferrofluid droplets immersed in an immiscible liquid is presented, and related fascinating dynamics and applications are discussed. A magnetic field created by a permanent magnet induces instability on a mother droplet, which divides into two daughter droplets in less than 0.

Effect of cell imprinting on viability and drug susceptibility of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin.

This study demonstrates the effect of substrate's geometrical cues on viability and the efficacy of an anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), on breast cancer cells. It is hypothesized that the surface topographical properties can mediate the cellular drug intake. Pseudo-three dimensional (3D) platforms were fabricated using imprinting technique from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel to recapitulate topography of cells' membranes.

Design of robust superhydrophobic surfaces.

The ability of superhydrophobic surfaces to stay dry, self-clean and avoid biofouling is attractive for applications in biotechnology, medicine and heat transfer. Water droplets that contact these surfaces must have large apparent contact angles (greater than 150 degrees) and small roll-off angles (less than 10 degrees). This can be realized for surfaces that have low-surface-energy chemistry and micro- or nanoscale surface roughness, minimizing contact between the liquid and the solid surface.

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications.

Luminescent nanomaterials have emerged as attractive candidates for sensing, catalysis and bioimaging applications in recent years. For practical use in bioimaging, nanomaterials with high photoluminescence, quantum yield, photostability and large Stokes shifts are needed. While offering high photoluminescence and quantum yield, semiconductor quantum dots suffer from toxicity and are susceptible to oxidation.

Production and characterization of Aspergillus niger GH29 family α-fucosidase and production of a novel non-reducing 1-fucosyllactose.

Fucosylated oligosaccharides are interesting molecules due to their bioactive properties. In particular, their application as active ingredient in milk powders is attractive for dairy industries. The objective of this study was to characterize the glycosyl hydrolase family 29 α-fucosidase produced by Aspergillus niger and test its ability to transfucosylate lactose with a view towards potential industrial applications such as the valorization of the lactose side stream produced by dairy industry.

Open coating with natural wax particles enables scalable, non-toxic hydrophobation of cellulose-based textiles.

Environmental benign cellulosic textiles are hampered by their tendency to absorb water, which restricts their use in functional clothing. Herein we describe a method to functionalize textile surfaces using thin, open coatings based on natural wax particles and natural polymers rendering cellulosic fabrics water-repellent while retaining their feel and breathability. The impact of curing temperature, cationic polymer and fabric properties on wetting and long-term water-repellency were studied using contact angle measurements and scanning electron microscopy.