This study investigates the impact of water suppression on conditions conducive to backdraft phenomena. Using a reduced-scale enclosure, a 25.0 kW methane or propane fire was isolated, and internal conditions were monitored at different locations within the enclosure using thermocouples, phi meters, and gas analyzers. Velocity profiles at the compartment opening were examined for each experiment using S-probes positioned at different heights. For each compartment configuration, different volumes of water were introduced via a ceiling-mounted misting nozzle. Results indicate that while water suppression cools the enclosures’ environment, thereby decreasing the incoming gravity current velocity, it fails to significantly displace fuel, thereby preventing backdraft. The lack of a statistically significant correlation between the incoming velocity and fuel mass loss suggests that the cooling effect from suppression does not evacuate fuel from the given enclosure. These findings suggest that suppression alone may not eliminate the risk of backdraft and may require a parallel tactic of venting unburned fuel.
To address growing computational demands, energy-efficient hardware technologies such as spintronics and neuromorphic computing have attracted significant interest. In particular, magneto-ionics offers a low-power, non-volatile approach to control magnetic properties, making it particularly suitable for manipulating antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials. In this work, we report magneto-ionic control of exchange bias (EB) in Mn1-xCoxN/Co with a compositionally tunable N & eacute;el temperature, T-N. The high T-N in MnN (> 650 K) typically necessitates high-temperature annealing, which triggers uncontrolled thermally induced ion-motion effects. Addition of Co to MnN reduces T-N, enabling robust EB to be established after field cooling from 400 K, while preserving structural integrity. Importantly, EB can be subsequently tuned by voltage, up to a 30% enhancement observed at 100 K alongside an increase in saturation magnetization (up to approximate to 250 emu cm(-3)). Unlike previous works on similar single-layer nitrides, incorporating an additional ferromagnetic Co layer to form an AFM/ferromagnetic bilayer amplifies the voltage-induced effects. This work highlights the dual role of Co addition to MnN: (i) reducing the thermal requirements for setting EB by lowering T-N, and (ii) enhancing electrical control of EB. These results represent a step forward towards the development of low-power voltage-controlled spintronic devices. (c) 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Membrane-active peptides (MAPs) have garnered significant attention as potential alternatives to conventional cancer therapies, which are frequently limited by severe side effects. Among them, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that leverage differences between the plasma membranes of cancer cells and healthy cells are particularly attractive. While several AMPs have demonstrated anticancer potency, structure-function relationship studies are lacking to explain the molecular basis of their selectivity and to help design improved analogs. Here, we contribute to filling this gap by investigating Nile tilapia piscidin 4 (TP4), an AMP with demonstrated activity against several solid organ cancers. First, we discover through biological assays that the anticancer activity of the peptide, which underscores a promising therapeutic window, is associated with increased plasma membrane permeability in cancer cells compared to normal cells and positively (negatively) correlated with enzymes that enrich (deplete) anionic PS in the outer leaflet. Next, we utilize a suite of complementary techniques on model membranes to investigate the interactions of TP4 with membranes, uncovering behaviors not previously observed in related AMPs. Circular dichroism experiments reveal that TP4 preferentially binds to zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) membranes enriched in anionic PS, while cholesterol markedly impairs binding. X-ray diffraction demonstrates that TP4 disrupts PC-PS membranes by inducing lipid segregation. Covering a range of biologically relevant peptide concentrations with neutron diffraction and reflectometry measurements in fluid bilayers and MD simulations, we unveil how TP4 and associated water gradually insert into the hydrocarbon region and cause convoluted membrane deformations to breach the membrane barriers. These studies highlight the pivotal role of the TP4 polyarginine tail in driving selective membrane binding and disruption on membranes enriched with the anionic lipid PS. Together, our results elucidate the molecular determinants underpinning the selective anticancer effects of TP4, providing a strategic framework for the rational design of advanced membrane-active therapeutics.
The report specifies the various categories, subcategories, and requirements for a successful submission, including security characterization, technical description, open-source implementation, and performance evaluation. The process intends to help the NIST cryptographic technology group collect reference material to promote a public analysis of the viability of threshold schemes and related primitives. This will support the NIST multi-party threshold cryptography and privacy-enhancing cryptography projects in developing future recommendations.
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are polymers with nematic ordering that exhibit unique mechanical behaviors attributed to the interplay of network stretching and mesogen reorientation under loading. These competing viscoelastic mechanisms can lead to complex and heterogeneous local deformation response when exposed to an external stimulus such as light, thermal gradients, or applied stress. This study developed stereo digital image correlation (stereo-DIC) measurements and analyses of strain fields in polydomain LCE specimens undergoing the polydomain-monodomain (P-M) transition to reveal deformation mechanisms. Two macro-scale deformation modes probed the material response: quasi-static uniaxial extension and stepped stress-relaxation. Stereo-DIC tracked the full-field surface strain. A bespoke technique was developed consisting of a clustering algorithm to identify coherent strain clusters in the strain field at the maximum stress of the step loading and a stretched exponential model fit to the time-evolving strain response of the clusters and fitting to the stress relaxation response. This technique quantified differences in the viscoelasticity of the domains involved in the P-M transition. Strain maps during the hold period showed that strain heterogeneity increased with time. Strain in the majority of clusters either increased asymptotically or decreased asymptotically with time, leading to increasing strain heterogeneity. The characteristic relaxation times varied between the clusters and were different from that of the macroscopic stress response. A new technique for quantifying surface strain clustering is available. Initial findings on LCEs suggest that the kinematics of viscous mesogen rotation depends on the local strain state.
