Solution-based memristors are emergent devices, due to their potential in electrical performance for neuromorphic computing combined with simple and cheap fabrication processes. However, to achieve practical application in crossbar design tens to hundreds of uniform memristors are required. Regarding this, the production step optimization should be considered as the main objective to achieve high performance devices. In this work, solution-based indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) memristor devices are produced using a combustion synthesis process. The performance of the device is optimized by using different annealing temperatures and active layer thicknesses to reach a higher reproducibility and stability. All IGZO memristors show a low operating voltage, good endurance, and retention up to 105 s under air conditions. The optimized devices can be programmed in a multi-level cell operation mode, with 8 different resistive states. Also, preliminary results reveal synaptic behavior by replicating the plasticity of a synaptic junction through potentiation and depression; this is a significant step towards low-cost processes and large-scale compatibility of neuromorphic computing systems. This journal is

Recently, the study of the bond behaviour of hybrid joints has increased due to their application in different industries. Their main purpose is to obtain lightweight but strong, durable structures. In addition, in some industries such as the automotive industry, those requirements may facilitate the construction of vehicles that have lower carbon dioxide emissions. Although the knowledge on the bond behaviour of hybrid bonded joints under monotonic loading is sufficient, the knowledge on the cyclic bond behaviour needs to be improved. The present work aims to mitigate that gap by proposing a numerical model in which the cyclic bond performance between a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) bonded to a steel substrate can be analysed. The results provided by the Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR) are used as reference data. These other simulated bonding techniques cover cases where the CFRP is anchored to the substrate in different ways, which are becoming more popular, namely by: (i) linearly increasing the width of the CFRP; (ii) using the mixed adhesive concept (two solutions were considered); (iii) using a steel plate on top of the CFRP strip; and (iv) assuming no interfacial slips at the CFRP unpulled end, which is intended to simulate a perfect anchorage. Compared to the simulations carried out under monotonic loading, the simulations with the adopted cyclic loading history (loading/unloading cycles), allowed us to observe a degradation of the bond strength of the joints with the number of cycles. However, if the overlapped bonded joint is long enough, the strength of the CFRP-to-steel joints is not affected. Excluding the numerical specimens with the perfectly anchored CFRP, i.e. with an “ideal” anchorage, the length of the other adopted anchorages affected either the strength or the ductility of the joint, whether subjected to a monotonic or to the adopted cyclic loading protocol. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Memristor crossbar arrays can compose the efficient hardware for artificial intelligent applications. However, the requirements for a linear and symmetric synaptic weight update and low cycle-to-cycle (C2C) and device-to-device variability as well as the sneak-path current issue have been delaying its further development. This study reports on a thin-film amorphous oxide-based 4×4 1-transistor 1-memristor (1T1M) crossbar. The a-IGZO crossbar is built on a flexible polyimide substrate, enabling IoT and wearable applications. In the novel framework, the thin-film transistor and memristor are fabricated at the same level, with the same processing steps and sharing the same materials for all layers. The 1T1M cells show linear and symmetrical plasticity characteristic with low C2C variability. The memristor performs like an analog dot product engine and vector–matrix multiplications in the 4×4 crossbars is demonstrated experimentally, in which the sneak-path current issue is successfully suppressed, resulting in a proof-of-concept for a cost-effective, flexible artificial neural networks hardware.

In different industries, the bonding technique has gained several advances in recent years. However, due to the specificity of each industry, the bonded joints may present different configurations. For instance, in the case of metallic truss bridges, the use of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) bonded on the steel surface members may require circular or even tubular transitions between these materials. Although the bonded transitions between a metal and a composite material have been deeply studied with flat surfaces the information on circular or tubular hybrid bonded joints is still scarce. Therefore, the present study aims to mitigate some of this lack of knowledge by proposing an analytical solution able to describe the interfacial debonding process between a circular or tubular bonded transition between two materials. The proposed model also aims to simulate the interfacial debonding of double butt (or stepped) lap joints. Under these circumstances, a bilinear local adhesive model is adopted which required the quantification of the elastic and the softened stiffnesses as well as the pure Mode II fracture energy. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is used for the validation of the proposed model. The behaviour of the adhesive joint between materials is numerically modelled through the Cohesive Zone Modelling (CZM) in which the same bilinear shape used in the analytical solutions is adopted. Different situations were analyzed thoroughly and the numerical simulations tracked very closely the analytical results obtained from the proposed closed-form solutions. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Vaccination strategies to control COVID-19 have been ongoing worldwide since the end of 2020. Understanding their possible effect is key to prevent future disease spread. Using a modelling approach, this study intends to measure the impact of the COVID-19 Portuguese vaccination strategy on the effective reproduction number and explore three scenarios for vaccine effectiveness waning. Namely, the no-immunity-loss, 1-year and 3-years of immunity duration scenarios. We adapted an age-structured SEIR deterministic model and used Portuguese hospitalisation data for the model calibration. Results show that, although the Portuguese vaccination plan had a substantial impact in reducing overall transmission, it might not be sufficient to control disease spread. A significant vaccination coverage of those above 5 years old, a vaccine effectiveness against disease of at least 80% and softer non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as mask usage and social distancing, would be necessary to control disease spread in the worst scenario considered. The immunity duration scenario of 1-year displays a resurgence of COVID-19 hospitalisations by the end of 2021, the same is observed in 3-year scenario although with a lower magnitude. The no-immunity-loss scenario presents a low increase in hospitalisations. In both the 1-year and 3-year scenarios, a vaccination boost of those above 65 years old would result in a 53% and 38% peak reduction of non-ICU hospitalisations, respectively. These results suggest that NPIs should not be fully phased-out but instead be combined with a fast booster vaccination strategy to reduce healthcare burden.

This study aims to mitigate the gap of knowledge on the cyclic bond behaviour of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) bonded onto a steel substrate. The Distinct Element Method was used to model different bonding techniques such asExternally Bonded Reinforcement (for reference purposes); the linear increase of the width of the CFRP composite; theassumption of a mixed adhesive; and using an additional steel plate bonded on the top of the CFRP. Compared with themonotonic loading simulations, the load capacity and ductility of the joints with the lowest overlapped bonded lengths decreasedwith the number of cycles. However, the strength of the CFRP-to-steel joints was not affected if the overlapping bonded joint hada long length © 2022. Published by Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

Silk fibroin is a biobased material with excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties, but its use in bioelectronics is hampered by the difficult dissolution and low intrinsic conductivity. Some ionic liquids are known to dissolve fibroin but removed after fibroin processing. However, ionic liquids and fibroin can cooperatively give rise to functional materials, and there are untapped opportunities in this combination. The dissolution of fibroin, followed by gelation, in designer ionic liquids from the imidazolium chloride family with varied alkyl chain lengths (2–10 carbons) is shown here. The alkyl chain length of the anion has a large impact on fibroin secondary structure which adopts unconventional arrangements, yielding robust gels with distinct hierarchical organization. Furthermore, and due to their remarkable air-stability and ionic conductivity, fibroin ionogels are exploited as active electrical gas sensors in an electronic nose revealing the unravelled possibilities of fibroin in soft and flexible electronics.