Search Results (23)

This study presents the successful fabrication of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films on silicon (Si) substrates using a hybrid deposition method combining spin-coating and RF sputtering techniques. Initially, a PZT layer was deposited through four successive spin-coating cycles, followed by an additional layer formed via RF sputtering. The resulting multilayer structure was annealed at ${700 }^{°}$C for 2 h to improve crystallinity. Comprehensive material characterization was conducted using XRD, SEM, cross-sectional SEM, EDX, and UV–VIS absorbance spectroscopy. The analyses confirmed the formation of a well-crystallized perovskite phase, a uniform surface morphology, and an optical band gap of approximately 3.55 eV, supporting its suitability for sensing applications. Building upon these findings, a multilayer PZT-based touch sensor was fabricated and electrically characterized. Low-frequency I–V measurements demonstrated consistent and repeatable polarization behavior under cyclic loading conditions. In addition, $\left|Z\right|$–f measurements were performed to assess the sensor’s dynamic electrical behavior. Although expected dielectric responses were observed, the absence of distinct anti-resonance peaks suggested non-idealities linked to ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{+}$ ion diffusion from the electrode layers. To account for these effects, the classical Butterworth–Van Dyke (BVD) equivalent circuit model was extended with additional inductive and resistive components representing parasitic pathways. This modified model provided excellent agreement with the measured impedance and phase data, offering deeper insight into the interplay between material degradation and electrical performance. Overall, the developed sensor structure exhibits strong potential for use in piezoelectric sensing applications, particularly for tactile and pressure-based interfaces. Full article

Acoustic energy penetrates into the Si substrate at cavity boundaries. Due to this, the air cavity-based bulk acoustic resonators experience higher harmonic mode, parasitic resonance, and spurious mode. To overcome these effects and enhance the performance parameters, a backside air cavity is fabricated using the deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) method. The DRIE method helps to achieve the optimized active area of the resonator. SiO₂ film on a silicon substrate as the support layer and ZnO as the piezoelectric (PZE) film are used for the resonator. The crystal growth and surface morphology of ZnO film were investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. FBAR is modeled in a 1-D modified Butterworth–Van Dyke (mBVD) equivalent circuit. As RF measurement results, we successfully demonstrated a FBAR with optimized active area of 320 × 320 μm², center frequency of 1.261 GHz, having a quality factor of 583.8. Overall, this suppression of higher harmonic mode shows the great potential for improving the selectivity of the sensor and also in RF filter design applications. This integration of DRIE-based cavity formation with ZnO-based FBAR architecture not only enables compact design but also effectively suppresses spurious and higher-order modes, which demonstrates a performance-enhancing fabrication strategy not fully explored in the current literature. Full article

Ultrasonic Power Transfer (UPT) offers several advantages over electromagnetic-based wireless power transfer (WPT), but its implementation in the air still faces significant challenges. The low transmission efficiency caused by substantial acoustic energy scattering and absorption and limited output power restricts its use in high-power scenarios. Electrical compensation has proven effective in improving circuit-level performance among various optimization methods, yet its application in air UPT remains underexplored due to the lack of an accurate mathematical model. Traditional modeling approaches, such as the Butterworth–Van Dyke (BVD) model, are unsuitable for air-based UPT systems due to weak coupling and high energy loss. To address these limitations, this paper presents a novel hybrid S-parameter model approach by integrating S-parameter theory with two-port network analysis to improve accuracy and reduce complexity. Based on this model, a novel double-side CL compensation scheme was designed, significantly enhancing the UPT system’s performance while simplifying the compensation circuit design using the Smith chart. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme enhances efficiency to 2.14% and increases output power to 13.5 mW, significantly improving the transmission performance of the UPT system in the air and offering an effective and practical solution. Full article

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is the causative agent of bovine viral diarrhoea/mucocutaneous disease (BVD-MD). Its associated co-infections pose a threat to the cattle industry, which is becoming a key breakthrough in the global system of prevention in the cattle industry. In recent years, cases of co-infection have occurred and been reported from time to time, and this situation not only poses certain difficulties in controlling the outbreak and in treatment in the farming industry, but also poses considerable challenges in detection and diagnosis. In this review, by systematically integrating studies on BVDV co-infection, we firstly compared and analysed the characteristics of BVDV co-infection with viruses, bacteria and other pathogens in in vivo/in vitro models in terms of synergism, host immune response and epidemiological transmission. Then we systematically constructed a BVDV Co-infection Impact Map, which demonstrates a paradigm of pathogen–host–immune interactions in the transmission of BVDV and provides a theoretical framework for breaking through the current precision diagnostic strategies and showcasing the effectiveness of integrated prevention and control. Full article

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is caused by the BVD virus (BVDV) and has been reported worldwide in cattle. To estimate BVDV circulation among cattle where few BVD cases were reported in southern Japan, 1910 serum samples collected from 35 cattle farms without a BVD outbreak were investigated to detect antibodies against BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 using an indicator virus with a cytopathogenic effect and the luciferase gene, respectively. Neutralizing antibodies against BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 were detected more frequently in 18 vaccinated farms than in 17 nonvaccinated farms. In the nonvaccinated farms, 9.6%, 1.8%, and 13.8% of the cattle were estimated to have a history of infection with BVDV-1, BVDV-2, and both, respectively. The median rate of within-herd anti-BVDV-1 seropositivity among cattle in the nonvaccinated farms was 22.0%; however, a high within-herd seropositivity (>50%) was confirmed in the two farms. The force of infection, basic reproduction number, and annual probability of BVDV-1 infection were estimated as 0.072 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.062–0.084), 0.36 (95% CI: 0.31–0.42), and 0.73% (95% CI: 0.61–0.87%), respectively, using the age-specific positive rate of anti-BVDV-1 antibodies. These parameters should be further applicable for developing epidemiological models which illustrate the BVDV dynamics in the field. Full article

This study proposes a single-stage lattice-type acoustic filter using an analytical solution method for either a narrow passband filter or a wider passband filter using two kinds of parameter assignments in the Butterworth–Van Dyke (BVD) model. To achieve the goal of a large bandwidth or high return loss, two first-order all-pass conditions are used. For multi-stage lattice-type filters, the cost function is defined and design parameters are extracted by using pattern search, while the initial values are provided through single-stage design to shorten optimization time and allow convergence to a better solution. This method provides the S-parameter frequency response for the filter on the YX 42° cut angle of lithium tantalate (electromechanical coupling coefficient of about 6%) that can meet the system specifications as much as possible. Finally, the three-stage lattice-type was applied to various 5G bands with a fractional bandwidth of 2–5%, resulting in a passband return loss of 10 dB and an out-of-band rejection of 40 dB or more. Full article

Bilateral vestibular deficiency (BVD) results in chronic dizziness, blurry vision when moving the head, and postural instability. Vestibular prostheses (VPs) show promise as a treatment, but the VP-restored vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain in human trials falls short of expectations. We hypothesize that the slope of the rising ramp in stimulation pulses plays an important role in the recruitment of vestibular afferent units. To test this hypothesis, we utilized customized programming to generate ramped pulses with different slopes, testing their efficacy in inducing electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs) and current spread via bench tests and simulations in a virtual inner model created in this study. The results confirmed that the slope of the ramping pulses influenced the recruitment of vestibular afferent units. Subsequently, an optimized stimulation pulse train was identified using model simulations, exhibiting improved modulation of vestibular afferent activity. This optimized slope not only reduced the excitation spread within the semicircular canals (SCCs) but also expanded the neural dynamic range. While the model simulations exhibited promising results, in vitro and in vivo experiments are warranted to validate the findings of this study in future investigations. Full article

To accurately model the effect of the load caused by a liquid medium as a function of its viscosity, the fractional order Butterworth–Van Dyke (BVD) model of the QCM sensor is proposed in this study. A comprehensive understanding of the fractional order BVD model followed by a simulation of situations commonly encountered in experimental investigations underpins the new QCM sensor approach. The Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm is used in two fitting steps to extract all parameters of the fractional order BVD model. The integer-order electrical parameters were determined in the first step and the fractional order parameters were extracted in the second step. A parametric investigation was performed in air, water, and glycerol–water solutions in ten-percent steps for the fractional order BVD model. This indicated a change in the behavior of the QCM sensor when it swapped from air to water, modeled by the fractional order BVD model, followed by a specific dependence with increasing viscosity of the glycerol–water solution. The effect of the liquid medium on the reactive motional circuit elements of the BVD model in terms of fractional order calculus (FOC) was experimentally demonstrated. The experimental results demonstrated the value of the fractional order BVD model for a better understanding of the interactions occurring at the QCM sensor surface. Full article

Improving the operational efficiency and optimizing the design of sound navigation and ranging (sonar) systems require accurate electrical equivalent models within the operating frequency range. The power conversion system within the sonar system increases power efficiency through impedance-matching circuits. Impedance matching is used to enhance the power transmission efficiency of the sonar system. Therefore, to increase the efficiency of the sonar system, an electrical-matching circuit is employed, and this necessitates an accurate equivalent circuit for the sonar transducer within the operating frequency range. In conventional equivalent circuit derivation methods, errors occur because they utilize the same number of RLC branches as the resonant frequency of the sonar transducer, based on its physical properties. Hence, this paper proposes an algorithm for deriving an equivalent circuit independent of resonance by employing multiple electrical components and particle swarm optimization (PSO). A comparative verification was also performed between the proposed and existing approaches using the Butterworth–van Dyke (BVD) model, which is a method for deriving electrical equivalent circuits. Full article

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a positive-strand RNA virus of the genus Pestivirus in the Flaviviridae family, is the causative agent of bovine viral diarrhea–mucosal disease (BVD-MD). BVDV’s unique virion structure, genome, and replication mechanism in the Flaviviridae family render it a useful alternative model for evaluating the effectiveness of antiviral drugs used against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). As one of the most abundant and typical heat shock proteins, HSP70 plays an important role in viral infection caused by the family Flaviviridae and is considered a logical target of viral regulation in the context of immune escape. However, the mechanism of HSP70 in BVDV infection and the latest insights have not been reported in sufficient detail. In this review, we focus on the role and mechanisms of HSP70 in BVDV-infected animals/cells to further explore the possibility of targeting this protein for antiviral therapy during viral infection. Full article

A research topic of equal importance to technological and application fields related to quartz crystal is the presence of unwanted responses known as spurious resonances. Spurious resonances are influenced by the surface finish of the quartz crystal, its diameter and thickness, and the mounting technique. In this paper, spurious resonances associated with fundamental resonance are studied by impedance spectroscopy to determine their evolution under load conditions. Investigation of the response of these spurious resonances provides new insights into the dissipation process at the QCM sensor surface. The significant increase of the motional resistance for spurious resonances at the transition from air to pure water is a specific situation revealed experimentally in this study. It has been shown experimentally that in the range between the air and water media, spurious resonances are much more attenuated than the fundamental resonance, thus providing support for investigating the dissipation process in detail. In this range, there are many applications in the field of chemical sensors or biosensors, such as VOC sensors, humidity sensors, or dew point sensors. The evolution of D factor with increasing medium viscosity is significantly different for spurious resonances compared to fundamental resonance, suggesting the usefulness of monitoring them in liquid media. Full article

The paper presents the theoretical, simulation, and experimental results on the QCM sensor based on the Butterworth van Dyke (BVD) model with lumped reactive motional circuit elements of fractional order. The equation of the fractional order BVD model of the QCM sensor has been derived based on Caputo definitions and its behavior around the resonant frequencies has been simulated. The simulations confirm the ability of fractional order calculus to cover a wide range of behaviors beyond those found in experimental practice. The fractional order BVD model of the QCM sensor is considered from the perspective of impedance spectroscopy to give an idea of the advantages that fractional order calculus brings to its modeling. For the true values of the electrical parameters of the QCM sensor based on the standard BVD model, the experimental investigations confirm the equivalence of the measurements after the standard compensation of the virtual impedance analyzer (VIA) and the measurements without compensation by fitting with the fractional order BVD model. From an experimental point of view, using fractional order calculus brings a new dimension to impedance analyzer compensation procedures, as well as a new method for validating the compensation. Full article

Phenomics technologies have advanced rapidly in the recent past for precision phenotyping of diverse crop plants. High-throughput phenotyping using imaging sensors has been proven to fetch more informative data from a large population of genotypes than the traditional destructive phenotyping methodologies. It provides accurate, high-dimensional phenome-wide big data at an ultra-super spatial and temporal resolution. Biomass is an important plant phenotypic trait that can reflect the agronomic performance of crop plants in terms of growth and yield. Several image-derived features such as area, projected shoot area, projected shoot area with height constant, estimated bio-volume, etc., and machine learning models (single or multivariate analysis) are reported in the literature for use in the non-invasive prediction of biomass in diverse crop plants. However, no studies have reported the best suitable image-derived features for accurate biomass prediction, particularly for fully grown rice plants (70DAS). In this present study, we analyzed a subset of rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs) which were developed from a cross between rice varieties BVD109 × IR20 and grown in sufficient (control) and deficient soil nitrogen (N stress) conditions. Images of plants were acquired using three different sensors (RGB, IR, and NIR) just before destructive plant sampling for the quantitative estimation of fresh (FW) and dry weight (DW). A total of 67 image-derived traits were extracted and classified into four groups, viz., geometric-, color-, IR- and NIR-related traits. We identified a multimodal trait feature, the ratio of PSA and NIR grey intensity as estimated from RGB and NIR sensors, as a novel trait for predicting biomass in rice. Among the 16 machine learning models tested for predicting biomass, the Bayesian regularized neural network (BRNN) model showed the maximum predictive power (R² = 0.96 and 0.95 for FW and DW of biomass, respectively) with the lowest prediction error (RMSE and bias value) in both control and N stress environments. Thus, biomass can be accurately predicted by measuring novel image-based parameters and neural network-based machine learning models in rice. Full article

Nacre is a biomaterial that has shown osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties in vitro and in vivo. These properties make nacre a material of interest for inducing bone regeneration. However, information is very limited regarding the introduction of nacre to dental implant surgery for promoting osteogenesis. This study investigated the potential of nacre powder for peri-implant bone regeneration in a porcine model. Ninety-six dental implants were placed into the tibia of twelve male domestic pigs. The dental implants were coated with nacre powder from the giant oyster before implantation. Implantations without nacre powder were used as control groups. Euthanization took place at 2, 4 and 6 weeks after implantation, after which we measured bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone volume density (BVD) of the implanted bone samples using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and examined the histology of the surrounding bone using histological sections stained with Stevenel’s blue and Alizarin red S. The micro-CT analyses showed that the BIC of dental implantations with nacre powder were significantly higher than those without nacre powder, by 7.60%. BVD of implantations with nacre powder were significantly higher than those without nacre powder, by 12.48% to 13.66% in cortical bone, and by 3.37% to 6.11% in spongy bone. Histological study revealed more peri-implant bone regeneration toward the surface of the dental implants after implantation with nacre powder. This was consistent with the micro-CT results. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using nacre to promote peri-implant bone regeneration in dental implantation. Full article

Technological evolution has allowed impedance analysis to become a versatile and efficient method for the precise measurement of the equivalent electrical parameters of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). By measuring the dissipation factor, or another equivalent electrical parameter, the QCM sensor provides access to the sample mass per unit area and its physical parameters, thus ensuring a detailed analysis. This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of advanced impedance spectroscopy concerning the Butterworth–van Dyke (BVD) model for QCM sensors immersed with an electrode in a liquid medium. The support instrument in this study is a fast and accurate software-defined virtual impedance analyzer (VIA) with real-time computing capabilities of the QCM sensor’s electric model. Advanced software methods of self-calibration, real-time compensation, innovative post-compensation, and simultaneous calculation by several methods are the experimental resources of the results presented in this paper. The experimental results validate the theoretical concepts and demonstrate both the capabilities of VIA as an instrument and the significant improvements brought by the advanced software methods of impedance spectroscopy analysis related to the BVD model. Full article