Pseudospins and topological edge states for fundamental antisymmetric Lamb modes in snowflakelike phononic crystal slabs.

The topological transport of Lamb wave in phononic crystal slabs provides a great potential in reinforcing nondestructive testing, high sensitivity sensing, and information processing. In this paper, the authors investigate the pseudospins edge states of fundamental antisymmetric Lamb waves in a snowflakelike phononic slab. Significantly, the fourfold Dirac degeneracy for antisymmetric Lamb mode is accidentally formed at the Γ point with the critical angle of the snowflakelike holes, which does not require the folding of the lattices. Meanwhile, based on the rotating-scatterer mechanism, the mirror symmetry is broken and the topological multipole phase transitions are well induced during the gradual change of the scattering strength among the scatterers with the rotation angle. The topologically protected edge states and its unidirectional robust propagation are further demonstrated. The proposed topological phononic slabs will be a more hopeful option to apply in engineering practices.

Thermally tunable topological edge states for in-plane bulk waves in solid phononic crystals.

The remarkable properties of topological insulators have inspired numerous studies on topological transport for bulk waves, but the demonstrations of topological edge states with tunable frequency are few attempts. Here, we report on the active frequency tunability of topologically protected edge states for in-plane bulk waves by applying a thermal field. We find that the center frequency of topological band gap is shifted down and the band width is enlarged as the temperature increases. Meanwhile, the frequency range of topologically protected edge states is also shifted to low frequency region with the higher temperature. Furthermore, the robust propagation of in-plane bulk waves along a desired path is demonstrated within different frequency bands. The tunable frequency for both topological band gaps and topologically protected edge states achieves the active control of the transport for in-plane bulk waves, which may dramatically facilitate practical applications of novel phononic devices.

Topologically protected edge states for out-of-plane and in-plane bulk elastic waves.

Topological phononic insulators (TPnIs) show promise for application in the manipulation of acoustic waves for the design of low-loss transmission and perfectly integrated communication devices. Since solid phononic crystals exist as a transverse polarization mode and a mixed longitudinal-transverse polarization mode, the realization of topological edge states for both out-of-plane and in-plane bulk elastic waves is desirable to enhance the controllability of the edge waves in solid systems. In this paper, a two-dimensional (2D) solid/solid hexagonal-latticed phononic system that simultaneously supports the topologically protected edge states for out-of-plane and in-plane bulk elastic waves is investigated. Firstly, two pairs of two-fold Dirac cones, respectively corresponding to the out-of-plane and in-plane waves, are obtained at the same frequency by tuning the crystal parameters. Then, a strategy of zone folding is invoked to form double Dirac cones. By shrinking and expanding the steel scatterer, the lattice symmetry is broken, and band inversions induced, giving rise to an intriguing topological phase transition. Finally, the topologically protected edge states for both out-of-plane and in-plane bulk elastic waves, which can be simultaneously located at the frequency range from 1.223 to 1.251 MHz, are numerically observed. Robust pseudospin-dependent elastic edge wave propagation along arbitrary paths is further demonstrated. Our results will significantly broaden its practical application in the engineering field.

Multi-objective optimization of asymmetric acoustic transmission with periodical structure.

Asymmetric acoustic wave propagation is important for control and manipulation of the acoustic wave signals in various devices. However, previous approach to find optimal asymmetric acoustic transmission (AAT) is through repeatedly adjusting the geometrical parameters, thus causing time-consuming. Here we propose a study on the multi-objective optimization of the AAT, aiming to achieve the widest working frequency range (fr) and the highest transmittance peak (η) with regard to the design variables. For this purpose, the Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural work and finite element (FE) method are applied to obtain the valuable data in the procedure. Furthermore, local sensitivity analysis of design parameters on the fr and η are analyzed. Ultimately, the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is adapted for getting the Pareto-optimal solutions. The optimization results show great improvement for the overall performance of the AAT, which could be potentially significant in designing various sound devices.

Simultaneous multi-band valley-protected topological edge states of shear vertical wave in two-dimensional phononic crystals with veins.

The introduction of the concept of valley pseudospin to phononic crystals has made a remarkable topologically protected interface transport of sound, which opens a novel research area referred to as valley Hall topological insulators. Here, we demonstrate the simultaneous multi-band edge states of shear vertical waves in two-dimensional phononic crystals with veins. The multi-band edge states are topologically valley-protected and are obtained by simultaneously gapping multiple Dirac points at K (or K') under the inversion symmetry breaking. As the relative radius of the two adjacent steel columns varies, the band diagram undergoes a topological transition which can be characterized by topological charge distributions and opposite valley Chern numbers. Subsequently, the vortex chirality of the bulk valley modes is unveiled. With numerical simulations, simultaneous multi-band valley dependent edge states and the associated valley-protected backscattering suppression around the curved waveguide are further demonstrated. Our work could become a promising platform for applications of multi-functional topological acoustic devices.

Cloning, expression, and characterization of an alkaline thermostable GH11 xylanase from Thermobifida halotolerans YIM 90462T.

A xylanase gene (thxyn11A) from the Thermobifida halotolerans strain YIM 90462(T) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The open reading frame (ORF) of thxyn11A has 1,008 bp encoding a mature xylanase with a high degree of similarity (80 %) to the xylanase from Nocardiopsis dassonvillei subsp. dassonvillei DSM 43111. This enzyme (Thxyn11A) also possesses a glycosyl hydrolases family 11 (GH11) domain and a high isoelectric point (pI = 9.1). However, Thxyn11A varies from most GH11 xylanases, due to its large molecular mass (34 kDa). Recombinant Thxyn11A demonstrated a strong pH and temperature tolerance with a maximum activity at pH 9.0 and 70 °C. Xylotriose, the end-product of xylan hydrolysis by Thxyn11A, serves as a catalyst for hemicellulose pretreatment in industrial applications and can also function as a food source or supplement for enterobacteria. Due to its attractive biochemical properties, Thxyn11A may have potential value in many commercial applications.

Laceyella sediminis sp. nov., a thermophilic bacterium isolated from a hot spring.

A thermophilic bacterium, designated strain RHA1(T), was isolated from a sediment sample collected from a hot spring in Tengchong county, Yunnan province, south-west China, and was characterized by using a polyphasic approach. Based on its phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain RHA1(T) was affiliated to the genus Laceyella. The strain formed white aerial and yellow-white substrate mycelia, bearing single endospores on short sporophores. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. Whole-cell hydrolysates contained ribose and glucose. The major fatty acids were iso-C(15:0) (62.39%) and anteiso-C(15:0) (17.55%)(.) The predominant menaquinone was MK-9. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain RHA1(T) was 47.9 mol%. Based on DNA-DNA hybridization data, chemotaxonomic characteristics and differential physiological properties, strain RHA1(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Laceyella, for which the name Laceyella sediminis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is RHA1(T) (=DSM 45263(T)=CCTCC AA 208058(T)).

Cloning, expression and characterization of an alkaline thermostable GH9 endoglucanase from Thermobifida halotolerans YIM 90462 T.

The endoglucanase gene, thcel9A, from Thermobifida halotolerans YIM 90462(T) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL 21(DE). The 2895-bp full-length gene encodes a 964-residue polypeptide (Thcel9A) containing a catalytic domain belonging to glycosyl hydrolases (GH) family 9. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Thcel9A is closely related to Cel9A of Thermobifidafusca YX. Thcel9A was purified from the culture supernatant by Ni(2+)-affinity chromatography and the purified enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 55°C and pH 8.0. Substrate specificity assays showed that it not only had CMCase activity, but also hydrolase activity on microcrystalline cellulose and filter paper. These properties suggested that Thcel9A is a classical GH9 group A endoglucanase.

Plate-mode waves in phononic crystal thin slabs: mode conversion.

We have computed the dispersion curves of plate-mode waves propagating in periodic composite structures composed of isotropic aluminum cylinders embedded in an isotropic nickel background. The phononic crystal has a square symmetry and the calculation is based on the plane-wave expansion method. Along GammaX or GammaM directions, shear-horizontal modes do not couple to the Lamb wave modes which are polarized in the sagittal plane. Whatever the direction of propagation in between GammaX and GammaM, shear-horizontal modes convert to Lamb waves and couple with the flexural and dilatational modes. This phenomenon is demonstrated both through the mode splitting in the lower-order symmetric band structure and through the calculation of all three components of the particle displacements. The phononic case is different from the pure isotropic plate case where shear-horizontal waves decouple from Lamb waves whatever the direction of propagation.