BINA

Hydrogen production via water electrolysis defines the novel energy vector for achieving a sustainable society. However, the true progress of the given technology is hindered by the sluggish and complex hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) occurring at the cathodic side of the system where overpriced and scarce Pt-based electrocatalysts are usually employed. Therefore, efficient platinum group metals (PGMs)-free electrocatalysts to carry out HER with accelerated kinetics are urgently demanded. In this scenario, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) owing to efficacious structural attributes and optimum hydrogen-binding free energy (ΔGH*) is emerging as a reliable alternative to PGMs. However, the performance of MoS2-based electrocatalysts is still far away from the benchmark performance. The HER activity of MoS2 can be improved by engineering the structural parameters i.e., doping, defects inducement, modulating …

SignificanceDiabetes is a prevalent disease worldwide that can cause severe health problems. Accurate blood glucose detection is crucial for diabetes management, and noninvasive methods can be more convenient and less painful than traditional finger-prick methods.AimWe aim to report a noncontact speckle-based blood glucose measurement system that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) data processing to improve glucose detection accuracy. The study also explores the influence of an alternating current (AC) induced magnetic field on the sensitivity and selectivity of blood glucose detection.ApproachThe proposed blood glucose sensor consists of a digital camera, an AC-generated magnetic field source, a laser illuminating the subject’s finger, and a computer. A magnetic field is applied to the finger, and a camera records the speckle patterns generated by the laser light reflected from the finger. The acquired …

Theoretical and applied studies of quantum walks are abundant in quantum science and technology thanks to their relative simplicity and versatility. Here we derive closed-form expressions for the probability distribution of quantum walks on a line. The most general two-state coin operator and the most general (pure) initial state are considered in the derivation. The general coin operator includes the common choices of Hadamard, Grover, and Fourier coins. The method of Fibonacci-Horner basis for the power decomposition of a matrix is employed in the analysis. Moreover, we also consider mixed initial states and derive closed-form expression for the probability distribution of the Quantum walk on a line. To prove the accuracy of our derivations, we retrieve the simulated probability distribution of Hadamard walk on a line using our closed-form expressions. With a broader perspective in mind, we argue that our approach has the potential to serve as a helpful mathematical tool in obtaining precise analytical expressions for the time evolution of qubit-based systems in a general context.

In this work, we demonstrate the focusing of a Gaussian laser beam, in silicon, by a vortex-shaped beam where both beams are at a wavelength of 775nm, which can sharpen the beam's PSF to improve the resolution in laser scanning microscopy.

We demonstrate temperature-controlled spectral tunability of a partially-pumped single-wavelength random laser in a solid-state random laser based on DCM (4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran) doped PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) dye. By carefully shaping the spatial profile of the pump, we first achieve low-threshold, single-mode random lasing with excellent side lobes rejection. Notably, we show how temperature-induced changes in the refractive index of the PMMA-DCM layer result in a blue-shift of this single lasing mode. Continuous tunability of the lasing wavelength is demonstrated over a 8nm-wide bandwidth.

In this paper, we present a remote optical method for sound detection using rolling shutter (RS) and speckle analysis. Findings show the ability to remotely monitor the high frequency using low framerate camera.

Thermal effects are well known to influence the electronic and optical properties of materials through several physical mechanisms and are the basis for various optoelectronic devices. The thermo-optic (TO) effect, the refractive index variation with temperature (dn/dT), is one of the most common mechanisms used for tunable optical devices, including integrated optical components, metasurfaces, and nano-antennas. However, when a static and fixed operation is required, i.e., temperature invariant performance – this effect becomes a drawback and may lead to undesirable behavior through drifting of the resonance frequency, amplitude, or phase, as the operating temperature varies over time. In this work, we present a systematic approach to mitigate thermally induced optical fluctuations in nanophotonic devices. By using hybrid subwavelength resonators composed from two materials with opposite TO dispersions …

I will present a photonic sensor that can be used for remote sensing of many biomedical parameters simultaneously and continuously. The technology is based upon illuminating a surface with a laser and then using an imaging camera to perform temporal and spatial tracking of secondary speckle patterns in order to have nano metric accurate estimation of the movement of the back reflecting surface. The capability of sensing those movements in nano-metric precision allows connecting the movement with remote bio-sensing and with medical diagnosis capabilities. The proposed technology was already applied for remote and continuous estimation of vital bio-signs (such as heart beats, respiration, blood pulse pressure and intra ocular pressure), for molecular sensing of chemicals in the blood stream (such as for estimation of alcohol, glucose and lactate concentrations in blood stream, blood coagulation and …

In this work, we demonstrate the focusing of a Gaussian laser beam, in silicon, by a vortex-shaped beam where both beams are at a wavelength of 775nm, which can sharpen the beam's PSF to improve the resolution in laser scanning microscopy.

Chemical pollutants in drinking water can have many sources, such as pharmaceutical waste, agricultural runoff, and industrial discharges1, 2, 3. The development of a reliable, sensitive, and handheld sensor for the detection of a mixture of contaminants is important, both for human health and the environment. Herein, we show the development of a plasmonic sensor for Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and colorimetry measurements. Two types of plasmonic surfaces which enhance the electromagnetic field are presented here;(i) Well-defined cavities milled in silver substrates which are covered with 5 nm of SiO2 for stability.(ii) A scalable metallic-like aerogel network with large surface area, for increasing the sensitivity of our measurements. Three different families of analytes were studied, which can be found in drinking water: Piperidine and its derivatives (Pharmaceutical waste), Dioxins & Polychlorinated biphenyls, Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, each of which is toxic, both to the environment and humans health, even at a low concentration of 30 mg/Kg (3* 10-4M). Those

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is characterized by damage to the brain resulting from a sudden traumatic event, is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. It has short- and long-term effects, including neuroinflammation, cognitive deficits, and depression. TBI consists of multiple steps that may sometimes have opposing effects or mechanisms, making it challenging to investigate and translate new knowledge into effective therapies. In order to better understand and address the underlying mechanisms of TBI, we have developed an in vitro platform that allows dynamic simulation of TBI conditions by applying external magnetic forces to induce acceleration and deceleration injury, which is often observed in human TBI. Endothelial and neuron-like cells were successfully grown on magnetic gels and applied to the platform. Both cell types showed an instant response to the TBI model, but the endothelial cells …

Contamination in water can occur through natural processes, such as leaching of minerals from soil, or through industrial waste. It is needless to mention that it has serious impacts of human health, as well as on the environment. Hence, the development of analytical sensors to detect those contaminations is highly important. We developed a facile method for fabrication of aerogel-like metallic networks. Our method is based on physical vapor deposition (PVD) onto a charged substrate. The resulting aerogel-like metallic network contains a 3D carpet of ‘hot-spots’ at a broad range of optical regime, and, thus, leads to enhancement of the electro-magnetic (EM) field and optical processes. As a result of the strong, broadband, and deep sub-wavelength confinement of the EM field, inherently weak nonlinear optical processes, such as Raman scattering, can be boosted by orders of magnitude by this metallic network interface. Herein, we present aerogel-like metallic networks for optical sensing of contaminates in water. In addition, we show its application as a photocatalytic 3D structure.

Contamination in water can occur through natural processes, such as leaching of minerals from soil, or through industrial waste. It is needless to mention that it has serious impacts of human health, as well as on the environment. Hence, the development of analytical sensors to detect those contaminations is highly important.We developed a facile method for fabrication of aerogel-like metallic networks. Our method is based on physical vapor deposition (PVD) onto a charged substrate. The resulting aerogel-like metallic network contains a 3D carpet of ‘hot-spots’ at a broad range of optical regime, and, thus, leads to enhancement of the electro-magnetic (EM) field and optical processes. As a result of the strong, broadband, and deep sub-wavelength confinement of the EM field, inherently weak nonlinear optical processes, such as Raman scattering, can be boosted by orders of magnitude by this metallic network interface. Herein, we present aerogel-like metallic networks for optical sensing of contaminates in water. In addition, we show its application as a photocatalytic 3D structure.

An experimental platform comprising two disordered superconductors separated by a thermally conducting electrical insulator represents a controllable physical system of interdependent networks. This system is modelled by thermally coupled networks of Josephson junctions. This platform could provide insights into theoretical multiscale phenomena, such as cascading tipping points or self-organized branching processes.

The allocation of CPU time and memory resources, are well known problems in organizations with a large number of users, and a single mainframe. Usually, the amount of resources given to a single user is based on its own statistics, not on the entire statistics of the organization therefore patterns are not well identified and the allocation system is prodigal. In this work the authors suggest a fuzzy logic-based algorithm to optimize the CPU and memory distribution between the users based on the history of the users. The algorithm works separately on heavy users and light users since they have different patterns to be observed. The result is a set of rules, generated by the fuzzy logic inference engine that will allow the system to use its computing ability in an optimized manner. Test results on data taken from the Faculty of Engineering in Tel Aviv University, demonstrate the abilities of the new algorithm. This paper also …

We present an experimental study on a terahertz quantum cascade laser (THz QCL) design that combines both two-well injector and directphonon scattering schemes, ie, a so-called two-well injector direct-phonon design. As a result of the two-well injector direct-phonon scheme presented here, the lasers benefit from both a direct phonon scattering scheme for the lower laser level depopulation and a setback for the doping profile that reduces the overlap of the doped region with active laser states. Additionally, our design also has efficient isolation of the active laser levels from excited and continuum states as indicated by negative differential resistance behavior all the way up to room temperature. This scheme serves as a good platform for improving the temperature performance of THz QCLs as indicated by the encouraging temperature performance results of the device with a relatively high doping level of 7.56 Â …

We present an experimental study on a terahertz quantum cascade laser (THz QCL) design that combines both two-well injector and directphonon scattering schemes, ie, a so-called two-well injector direct-phonon design. As a result of the two-well injector direct-phonon scheme presented here, the lasers benefit from both a direct phonon scattering scheme for the lower laser level depopulation and a setback for the doping profile that reduces the overlap of the doped region with active laser states. Additionally, our design also has efficient isolation of the active laser levels from excited and continuum states as indicated by negative differential resistance behavior all the way up to room temperature. This scheme serves as a good platform for improving the temperature performance of THz QCLs as indicated by the encouraging temperature performance results of the device with a relatively high doping level of 7.56 Â …

Neuroblastoma is a lethal childhood solid tumor of developing peripheral nerves. Two percent of children with neuroblastoma develop opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome (OMAS), a paraneoplastic disease characterized by cerebellar and brainstem-directed autoimmunity but typically with outstanding cancer-related outcomes. We compared tumor transcriptomes and tumor-infiltrating T and B cell repertoires from 38 OMAS subjects with neuroblastoma to 26 non-OMAS-associated neuroblastomas. We found greater B and T cell infiltration in OMAS-associated tumors compared to controls and showed that both were polyclonal expansions. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) were enriched in OMAS-associated tumors. We identified significant enrichment of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II allele HLA-DOB∗01:01 in OMAS patients. OMAS severity scores were associated with the expression of …

Chemical pollutants in drinking water can have many sources, such as pharmaceutical waste, agricultural runoff, and industrial discharges1, 2, 3. The development of a reliable, sensitive, and handheld sensor for the detection of a mixture of contaminants is important, both for human health and the environment. Herein, we show the development of a plasmonic sensor for Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and colorimetry measurements. Two types of plasmonic surfaces which enhance the electromagnetic field are presented here;(i) Well-defined cavities milled in silver substrates which are covered with 5 nm of SiO2 for stability.(ii) A scalable metallic-like aerogel network with large surface area, for increasing the sensitivity of our measurements. Three different families of analytes were studied, which can be found in drinking water: Piperidine and its derivatives (Pharmaceutical waste), Dioxins & Polychlorinated biphenyls, Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, each of which is toxic, both to the environment and humans health, even at a low concentration of 30 mg/Kg (3* 10-4M). Those

Broad area laser diodes are attractive for the high optical power they can produce. Unfortunately, this high power normally comes at the cost of severely reduced spatial coherence since the wide area of the diode wave-guide is inherently spatially multi-mode along the slow axis. We demonstrate a method to significantly improve the spatial coherence of a high-power broad-area diode by placing it in an external cavity that is mode selective. We design the cavity, such that the diode aperture acts as its own spatial filter, obviating the need for an intra-cavity slit-filter, and optimally utilizing the entire gain medium. We demonstrate this soft filtering method using wide diodes of and widths and compare its power-efficiency to the standard approach of hard-filtering with a slit. We obtain high-gain operation in a pure single-mode, demonstrating up to 1.5 W CW power at 1064 nm with excellent beam quality …

Na‐ion batteries have recently emerged as a promising alternative to Li‐based batteries, driven by an ever‐growing demand for electricity storage systems. In the present work, we propose a cobalt‐free high‐capacity cathode for Na‐ion batteries, synthesized using a high‐entropy approach. The high‐entropy approach entails mixing more than five elements in a single phase; hence, obtaining the desired properties is a challenge since this involves the interplay between different elements. Here, instead of oxide, oxyfluoride is chosen to suppress oxygen loss during long‐term cycling. Supplement to this, Li was introduced in the composition to obtain high configurational entropy and Na vacant sites, thus stabilizing the crystal structure, accelerating the kinetics of intercalation/deintercalation, and improving the air stability of the material. With the optimization of the cathode composition, a reversible capacity of 109 …