Diode laser pumped solid state laser is compact, and can generate high peak power laser with good output mode. It has been applied extensively in electronics, communication, and medical treatment in recent years. The purpose of this study is to develop a compact and practical ring laser system. The multi-reentrant ring laser system developed in this work composes of two spherical mirrors and a gain medium where the conventional ring laser systems have at least three mirrors to construct the laser cavity. The laser system is more compact and simple than conventional ring laser systems. It can be used for producing single frequency green and blue lasers. The laser system can also be applied in aviation, trace detection as well as compact picosecond mode-locked laser. We not only prove that the multi-reentrant laser system is feasible theoretically and experimentally, but also use the fundamental laser theory to find the relation among cavity length, number of points, number of circulation, and the distance between center of gain medium and optical axis. The exact solution we obtained is experimentally verified with good agreement. A comparison between exact solution and paraxial approximation is also performed. The beam paths observing from the top, side, and end view are analyzed for various multi-reentrant laser cavities. The stability of the cavity is numerically analyzed and experimentally verified with good agreement, too. Finally, the differences in cavity configuration between TEM01 mode and the figure-8 mode are compared in this thesis.

In the past thirty years, high power laser technology has been dominated by Nd:YAG as the gain medium. The pump wavelength of Nd:YAG is 808nm, and the lasing wavelength is 1064nm. It is categorized as four-level laser. The pump wavelength of Yb:YAG is 940nm, and the lasing wavelength is 1030nm. It falls into quasi-three-level laser category. Because Yb:YAG have higher quantum efficiency and less surplus heat, it have the potential to replace Nd:YAG. The purpose of this study is to develop a multi-reentrant two-mirror Yb:YAG ring laser. In this thesis, we will introduce multi-reentrant two-mirror ring laser. The thermal problem of quasi-three-level laser was overcome by multi-wavelength coating on gain medium and input/output couplers, numerical simulation for mode match, and efficient TE-cooling for laser crystal. This symmetrical two-mirror figure ¡§8¡¨ ring cavity has the merit of compact, few optical elements, and easy design. The 1030nm output laser of our ring cavity promises to make the design widely applicable to solid-state lasers, such as single longitudinal lasers and mode-locked lasers.

Ventricular fibrillation is one of the leading causes for Sudden Cardiac Death and is characterized by multiple activation wavefronts. Multiple activation wavefronts originate from a reentrant circuit which requires the presence of a unidirectional block in the path of a propagating excitation wave. It has been proposed that at the cellular level beat to beat alternation in the action potential duration at rapid pacing rates can result in a conduction block. Various mechanisms have been postulated to show the mechanisms of alternans. We use simulated activation in a one dimensional tissue fiber to show the existence of a new mechanism via which alternans can result. We used a new pacing protocol to eliminate alternans at the pacing site, and thus eliminating restitution of action potential duration at this site to reveal existence of alternans down the fiber. Effects on alternans of manipulations of specific ionic currents such as the sodium current (INa), calcium current (ICaL), potassium current (Ikr) and of the diffusion co-efficient (Dx) which simulates reduced expression of connexin 43 were determined. Decrease in sodium conductance, i.e. in excitability by half caused the alternans to occur at the pacing site itself even though APD restitution was eliminated. An increase or decrease in calcium current (ICaL) eliminated alternans throughout the fiber. The use of a novel pacing approach in investigation of alternans, as in this study, furthers our understanding of the mechanism of alternans and may prove helpful in the development of better anti-arrhythmic drugs in the future.

In the past three decades, Nd:YAG has been the dominating high power solid-state laser gain medium. Compared with Nd:YAG, Yb:YAG has lower quantum defects which produces less heat so that it can reduce thermo-optical deformation. In addition, the achieved doping concentration can be 100%, and the absorption FWHM at 941 nm is 18 nm. Based on above listed advantages, Yb:YAG has the potential to replace Nd:YAG. Using Yb:YAG as the laser gain medium in reentrant two-mirror laser cavity, we have succeeded in Yb:YAG ring laser and all the intracavity elements are coated by our electron gun deposition system. The main purpose of my research is to continue the previous result (slope efficiency: 20.1%), and further increasing the slope efficiency of our ring cavity with different round-trip transmittance of couplers. Besides, we measured and analyzed the polarization of the planar and non-planar ring cavities. At present, the highest slope efficiency we achieved is 38.9% with a round-trip transmittance of 16.4%.

La familia de transportadores heteroméricos de aminoácidos posee la característica única de estar compuestos por dos subunidades: una subunidad pesada y una subunidad ligera unidas por un puente disulfuro. Mutaciones en alguno de sus miembros son responsables de aminoacidurias hereditarias, como la lisinuria con intolerancia a proteínas (LPI) o la cistinuria. Al inicio de esta tesis, nos propusimos identificar alguna nueva subunidad ligera humana de esta familia. Mediante búsqueda por homología de secuencia se clonó el cDNA correspondiente a una nueva proteína altamente homóloga a una proteína de ratón asociada al sistema de transporte xc-. La caracterización funcional confirmó que xCT humano, en combinación con 4F2hc, induce una actividad de transporte de cistina y glutamato, con sodio-independencia (sistema xc-). Los perfiles de captación de los sustratos en función del pH del medio de transporte indican que tanto el L-glutamato como la L-cistina son transportados de forma aniónica, cada uno con una carga negativa neta. Por experimentos de salida de sustrato se determinó el carácter intercambiador de este transportador, con una estequiometría de 1:1.El patrón de expresión de xCT humano por Northern blot muestra una ligera banda presente únicamente en cerebro. Experimentos de RT-PCR también resultaron positivos para los islotes pancreáticos y líneas celulares correspondientes a líneas epiteliales y tumorales, mientras riñón e hígado no mostraron ninguna señal. El papel fisiológico de xCT parece estar implicado en la captación de cistina para la síntesis de glutatión y su mantenimiento, dándole un papel relevante en situaciones de estrés oxidativo. A continuación se abordó la determinación de la topología de xCT como modelo de subunidad ligera. Experimentos de inmunodetección evidencian la localización intracelular de los dos extremos de la proteína. Utilizando la estrategia de introducir cisteínas individuales en los distintos loops y testar su accesibilidad a reactivos tiol-específicos, la topología de xCT es compatible con un modelo de 12 dominios transmembrana. Los resultados obtenidos en la zona IL2-3, con dos residuos de accesibilidad exterior (el 110 y 112) flanqueados por residuos de accesibilidad interior (el 102, 109 y 116) en un rango de 15 aminoácidos nos hacen pensar en una estructura de reentrant loop, con el residuo H110 como ápice. El hecho que estas estructuras suelen ser zonas asociadas a la ruta de paso del sustrato del transportador, nos llevó a estudiar la implicación del residuo H110. En resumen, los resultados muestran que i) la biotinilación del residuo H110C se bloquea por los sustratos y el inhibidor no transportable 4SCPG; ii) la inactivación provocada por MTSES en el transporte de h110c también es protegida por los sustratos con una IC50 similar a la Km para cada sustrato; iii) esta protección es independiente de temperatura, y por tanto no implica grandes cambios conformacionales; y iv) aunque los mutantes H110C y H110D no alteraron la Km del transportador ni su especificidad de sustrato, la sustitución por una lisina inactiva totalmente la función de xCT. Por tanto, tenemos evidencias de que H110 se encuentra cercano al lugar de unión al sustrato o ruta de paso del mismo. Estos resultados pueden encontrarse en las publicaciones siguientes: J Biol Chem (2004) vol. 279, 31228-36, J Biol Chem (2004) vol. 279, 11214-21, y Pflugers Arch. (2001) vol. 442 (2) 286-296. ENGLISH / The family of heteromeric amino acid transporters has the particular characteristic of being composed of two proteins: a light subunit (LSHAT) and a heavy subunit (HSHAT) linked by a disulfide bridge. Some of its members are associated with hereditary aminoacidurias. Characterisation of a new human LSHAT, responsible for transport system xc-, is reported here. Human xCT associates with 4F2 heavy chain and induces cystine/glutamate exchange with sodium independence and 1:1 molar ratio. Topology studies using immunodetection and substituted cysteine accessibility method reveal a model compatible with 12 transmembrane domains and intracellular N and C-terminus. The results obtained in the intracellular loop between 2 and 3 transmembrane domain (IL2-3), with two residues of extracellular accessibility (110 and 112) flanked by residues of intracellular accessibility (the 102, 109 and 116) in a rank of 15 amino acids, resembles the structure of a reentrant loop with apex in position H110. The fact that these structures are usually associated with the substrate pathway through the transporter, lead us to further studies with residue H110.In summary, the results on that position show that: i) biotinylation of H110C is blocked by its substrate and the non-transportable inhibitor 4-S-carboxiphenyl-glycine (4-S-CPG); (ii) the inactivation caused by MTSES in the transport of mutant H110C is also protected by each substrate with a IC50 similar to the Km; (iii) this protection is independent of temperature, and therefore it does not imply great conformational changes; and (iv) although mutants H110C and H110D did not alter the Km of the transporter nor their specificity of substrate, the substitution by a lysine inactivates the function of xCT totally. Therefore, we conclude that residue H110 resides near the binding site/translocation pathway of the substrates in the transporter xCT. These results can be found in the following publications: J Biol Chem (2004) vol. 279, 31228-36, J Biol Chem (2004) vol. 279, 11214-21, y Pflugers Arch. (2001) vol. 442 (2) 286-296.

The classic flow shop problem assumes that jobs make only single passes through the processing machines and that the processing times are not affected by the length of the delay before jobs are processed. These assumptions are being relaxed in recent papers that consider reentrance problems and those with schedule deterioration. In this study, these two assumptions are both relaxed, and a model of a reentrant flowshop with a deteriorating schedule is considered. A linear programming formulation of the problem is first presented. Three solution heuristics are considered under different deterioration scenarios. It was observed that both Nawaz Enscor and Ham (NEH) algorithm and Genetic Algorithm (GA) performed much better than the Campbell Dudek and Smith (CDS) algorithm. Overall, when considering both the quality of solution and computational time together, the NEH algorithm seems to have performed much better than the others as the size of problems increases. This model would find useful applications in some metallurgical and manufacturing processes where such problems are usually encountered. / Dissertation (MEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Industrial and Systems Engineering / MEng (Industrial Engineering) / Unrestricted

Moderne Herzschrittmacher sind mit zahlreichen Algorithmen ausgestattet, die sie zu bemerkenswerten therapeutischen und diagnostischen Werkzeugen machen. Die zunehmende Komplexität bringt jedoch unbeabsichtigt neue Herausforderungen mit sich. In dieser Arbeit beschreiben wir eine neue Herzschrittmacher-Induzierte Arrhythmie die oft zum Vorhofflimmern führt.:1. Introduction................................................................................................ 3 1.1. A flashback to the beginning of cardiac pacemakers ............................. 3 1.2. Early pacemakers and significant advances .......................................... 5 1.3. Fast-forward to modern pacemakers ...................................................... 6 1.4. Current challenges .................................................................................. 8 1.5. Identification of a new pacemaker induced arrhythmia .......................... 10 1.6. Methods and results ............................................................................... 11 1.7. Patient characteristics ............................................................................ 13

This work is motivated by the pressing need for operational control in the fabrication of Microelectromechanical systems or MEMS. MEMS are miniature three-dimensional integrated electromechanical systems with the ability to absorb information from the environment, process this information and suitably react to it. These devices offer tremendous advantages owing to their small size, low power consumption, low mass and high functionality, which makes them very attractive in applications with stringent demands on weight, functionality and cost. While the system''s "brain" (device electronics) is fabricated using traditional IC technology, the micromechanical components necessitate very intricate and sophisticated processing of silicon or other suitable substrates. A dearth of fabrication facilities with micromachining capabilities and a lengthy gestation period from design to mass fabrication and commercial acceptance of the product in the market are factors most often implicated in hampering the growth of MEMS. These devices are highly application specific with low production volumes and the few fabs that do possess micromachining capabilities are unable to offer a complete array of fabrication processes in order to be able to cater to the needs of the MEMS R&D community. A distributed fabrication network has, therefore, emerged to serve the evolving needs of this high investment, low volume MEMS industry. Under this environment, a central facility coordinates between a network of fabrication centers (Network of MEMS job shops -- NMJS) containing micromachining capabilities. These fabrication centers include commercial, academic and government fabs, which make their services available to the ordinary customer. Wafers are shipped from one facility to another until all processing requirements are met. The lengthy and intricate process sequences that need to be performed over a network of capital intensive facilities are complicated by dynamic job arrivals, stochastic processing times, sequence-dependent set ups and travel between fabs. Unless the production of these novel devices is carefully optimized, the benefits of distributed fabrication could be completely overshadowed by lengthy lead times, chaotic routings and costly processing. Our goal, therefore, is to develop and validate an approach for optimal routing (assignment) and sequencing of MEMS devices in a network of stochastic job shops with the objective of minimizing the sum of completion times and the cost incurred, given a set of fabs, machines and an expected product mix. In view of our goal, we begin by modeling the stochastic NMJS problem as a two-stage stochastic program with recourse where the first-stage variables are binary and the second-stage variables are continuous. The key decision variables are binary and pertain to the assignment of jobs to machines and their sequencing for processing on the machines. The assignment variables essentially fix the route of a job as it travels through the network because these variables specify the machine on which each job-operation must be performed out of several candidate machines. Once the assignment is decided upon, sequencing of job-operations on each machine follows. The assignment and sequencing must be such that they offer the best solution (in terms of the objective) possible in light of all the processing time scenarios that can be realized. We present two approaches for solving the stochastic NMJS problem. The first approach is based on the L-shaped method (credited to van Slyke and Wets, 1969). Since the NMJS problem lacks relatively complete recourse, the first-stage solution can be infeasible to the second-stage problem in that the first stage solution may either violate the reentrant flow conditions or it may create a deadlock. In order to alleviate these infeasibilities, we develop feasibility cuts which when appended to the master problem eliminate the infeasible solution. Alternatively, we also develop constraints to explicitly address these infeasibilities directly within the master problem. We show how a deadlock involving 2 or 3 machines arises if and only if a certain relationship between operations and a certain sequence amongst them exists. We generalize this argument to the case of m machines, which forms the basis for our deadlock prevention constraints. Computational results at the end of Chapter 3 compare the relative merits of a model which relies solely on feasibility cuts with models that incorporate reentrant flow and deadlock prevention constraints within the master problem. Experimental evidence reveals that the latter offers appreciable time savings over the former. Moreover, in a majority of instances we see that models that carry deadlock prevention constraints in addition to the reentrant flow constraints provide at par or better performance than those that solely carry reentrant flow constraints. We, next, develop an optimality cut which when appended to the master problem helps in eliminating the suboptimal master solution. We also present alternative optimality and feasibility cuts obtained by modifying the disjunctive constraints in the subproblem so as to eliminate the big H terms in it. Although any large positive number can be used as the value of H, a conservative estimate may improve computational performance. In light of this, we develop a conservative upper bound for operation completion times and use it as the value of H. Test instances have been generated using a problem generator written in JAVA. We present computational results to evaluate the impact of a conservative estimate for big H on run time, analyze the effect of the different optimality cuts and demonstrate the performance of the multicut method (Wets, 1981) which differs from the L-shaped method in that the number of optimality cuts it appends is equal to the number of scenarios in each iteration. Experimentation indicates that Model 2, which uses the standard optimality cut in conjunction with the conservative estimate for big H, almost always outperforms Model 1, which also uses the standard optimality cut but uses a fixed value of 1000 for big H. Model 3, which employs the alternative optimality cut with the conservative estimate for big H, requires the fewest number of iterations to converge to the optimum but it also incurs the maximum premium in terms of computational time. This is because the alternative optimality cut adds to the complexity of the problem in that it appends additional variables and constraints to the master as well as the subproblems. In the case of Model 4 (multicut method), the segregated optimality cuts accurately reflect the shape of the recourse function resulting in fewer overall iterations but the large number of these cuts accumulate over the iterations making the master problem sluggish and so this model exhibits a variable performance for the various datasets. These experiments reveal that a compact master problem and a conservative estimate for big H positively impact the run time performance of a model. Finally, we develop a framework for a branch-and-bound scheme within which the L-shaped method, as applied to the NMJS problem, can be incorporated so as to further enhance its performance. Our second approach for solving the stochastic NMJS problem relies on the tight LP relaxation observed for the deterministic equivalent of the model. We, first, solve the LP relaxation of the deterministic equivalent problem, and then, fix certain binary assignment variables that take on a value of either a 0 or a 1 in the relaxation. Based on this fixing of certain assignment variables, additional logical constraints have been developed that lead to the fixing of some of the sequencing variables too. Experimental results, comparing the performance of the above LP heuristic procedure with CPLEX over the generated test instances, illustrate the effectiveness of the heuristic procedure. For the largest problems (5 jobs, 10 operations/job, 12 machines, 7 workcenters, 7 scenarios) solved in this experiment, an average savings of as much as 4154 seconds and 1188 seconds was recorded in a comparison with Models 1 and 2, respectively. Both of these models solve the deterministic equivalent of the stochastic NMJS problem but differ in that Model 1 uses a big H value of 1000 whereas Model 2 uses the conservative upper bound for big H developed in this work. The maximum optimality gap observed for the LP heuristic over all the data instances solved was 1.35%. The LP heuristic, therefore, offers a powerful alternative to solving these problems to near-optimality with a very low computational burden. We also present results pertaining to the value of the stochastic solution for various data instances. The observed savings of up to 8.8% over the mean value approach underscores the importance of using a solution that is robust over all scenarios versus a solution that approximates the randomness through expected values. We, next, present a dynamic stochastic scheduling approach (DSSP) for the NMJS problem. The premise behind this undertaking is that in a real-life implementation that is faithful to the two-stage procedure, assignment (routing) and sequencing decisions will be made for all the operations of all the jobs at the outset and these will be followed through regardless of the actual processing times realized for individual operations. However, it may be possible to refine this procedure if information on actual processing time realizations for completed operations could be utilized so that assignment and sequencing decisions for impending operations are adjusted based on the evolving scenario (which may be very different from the scenarios modeled) while still hedging against future uncertainty. In the DSSP approach, the stochastic programming model for the NMJS problem is solved at each decision point using the LP heuristic in a rolling horizon fashion while incorporating constraints that model existing conditions in the shop floor and the actual processing times realized for the operations that have been completed. The implementation of the DSSP algorithm is illustrated through an example problem. The results of the DSSP approach as applied to two large problem instances are presented. The performance of the DSSP approach is evaluated on three fronts; first, by using the LP heuristic at each decision point, second, by using an optimal algorithm at each decision point, and third, against the two-stage stochastic programming approach. Results from the experimentation indicate that the DSSP approach using the LP heuristic at each decision point generates superior assignment and sequencing decisions than the two-stage stochastic programming approach and provides solutions that are near-optimal with a very low computational burden. For the first instance involving 40 operations, 12 machines and 3 processing time scenarios, the DSSP approach using the LP heuristic yields the same solution as the optimal algorithm with a total time savings of 71.4% and also improves upon the two-stage stochastic programming solution by 1.7%. In the second instance, the DSSP approach using the LP heuristic yields a solution with an optimality gap of 1.77% and a total time savings of 98% over the optimal algorithm. In this case, the DSSP approach with the LP heuristic improves upon the two-stage stochastic programming solution by 6.38%. We conclude by presenting a framework for the DSSP approach that extends the basic DSSP algorithm to accommodate jobs whose arrival times may not be known in advance. / Ph. D.

Orientador: Iakov Veniaminovitch Kopelevitch / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T01:33:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Baring_LuisAugustoGomes_D.pdf: 21081310 bytes, checksum: 275f0ba5ff80d6f9f19f53cf8316e1a6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: No presente trabalho estudamos os semimetais bismuto Bi, antimônio Sb e Bi1-xSbx, materiais com propriedades topologicamente não triviais. Observamos a ocorrência de supercondutividade intrínseca em bismuto com TC »= 8:5K. Construímos, a partir dos dados de magnetização e resistência, o diagrama de fase do campo crítico H versus a temperatura T. Esse diagrama de fase, pode ser ajustado segundo modelos da literatura válidos para supercondutividade granular. Detectamos, no bismuto, o aumento da corrente Josephson e acoplamento intergranular no limite quântico devidos à quantização de Landau. Isso se manifesta como uma supercondutividade reentrante. Foi também encontrada transição tipo metal-isolante induzida por campo magnético em todos os materiais estudados. O diagrama de fase H versus T mostra uma extraordinária semelhança entre os três materiais. A amostra Bi1-xSbx, com x = 0:052, revelou a ocorrência de transição semimetal-isolante topológico já em campo magnético zero. Fizemos uma comparação com resultados anteriores da literatura, analisando a dependência da temperatura em que ocorre essa transição em relação à concentração de antimônio x e ao campo magnético B e demonstramos a similaridade entre eles. Observamos, também, supercondutividade nos semimetais bismuto, antimônio e no Bi1-xSbx, induzida por dopagem com os metais ouro e índio, e mostramos que a supercondutividade está associada à interface entre os metais e os semimetais. Finalmente, encontramos a indução de supercondutividade mediante a aplicação de campo magnético em bismuto, consistente com a ocorrência de férmions de Majorana na interface entre esse material e a tinta prata usada para os contatos. Tal observação pode ser devida, também, à ocorrência de um estado supercondutor fora do equilíbrio. / Abstract: In this work we studied the semimetals bismuth Bi, antimony Sb and Bi1-xSbx, all of them with non-trivial topologic properties. We observed an intrinsic superconductivity in bismuth, with TC »= 8:5 K. The phasediagram of the critical field H versus the temperature T, based upon the magnetization and resistance data, may be well fitted according to theoretical models valid for granular superconductivity. We also detected, in bismuth, the increase of the Josephson current and interganular coupling in the quantum limit due to Landau quantization. This manifests itself as a reentrant superconducting state. Our results revealed a metal-insulator transition triggered by magnetic field, for all the studied materials. The phase diagram H ¡T shows a striking similarity between them. The sample Bi1-xSbx with x = 0:052 demonstrated a semimetal-insulator transition even at zero field. We compared our results with previous results of other groups and analyzed the temperature dependence of the transition as a function of the antimony amount x and the magnetic field B and demonstrated their similarity. We also observed supeerconductivity in the semimetals bismuth, antimony and Bi1-xSbx, triggered by doping with the metals gold and indium, and showed that the superconductivity is associated to the interface between the metals and the semimetals. Finally, we found the superconductivity induced by the aplication of magnetic field in bismuth, consistent with the Majorana fermions present in the interface between this material and the silver paste contacts. This may also be related to a non-equilibrium superconduting state. / Doutorado / Física / Doutor em Ciências

Omniphobic surfaces, which repel polar and non-polar liquids alike, have proven of value in a myriad of applications ranging from piping networks, textiles, food and electronics packaging, and underwater drag reduction. A limitation of currently employed omniphobic surfaces is their reliance on perfluorinated coatings/chemicals, increasing cost and environmental impact and preventing applications in harsh environments. Thus, there is a keen interest in rendering conventional materials, such as hydrocarbon-based plastics, omniphobic by micro/ nanotexturing rather than via chemical makeup, with notable success having been achieved for silica surfaces with doubly reentrant pillars (DRPs). We discovered a critical limitation of DRPs – they catastrophically lose superomniphobicity in the presence of localized physical damages/defects or on immersion in wetting liquids. In response, we pioneered bio-inspired gas-entrapping microtextured surfaces (GEMS) architecture composed of doubly reentrant cavities (DRCs). DRCs are capable of robustly entrapping air when brought into contact with liquid droplets or on immersion, which prevents catastrophic wetting transitions even in the presence of localized structural damage/defects. This dissertation presents our multifaceted research on DRCs via custom-built pressure cells, confocal laser scanning microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, contact angle goniometry, high-speed imaging, and upright optical microscopy. Specific accomplishments detailed in this thesis include: (i) the microfabrication protocols for silica GEMS developed at KAUST; (ii) the characterization of GEMS’ omniphobicity via apparent contact angles and immersion; (iii) the demonstration of ~ 1000,000,000% delays in wetting transitions in DRCs compared to those in simple cavities (SCs) under hexadecane; (iv) a proposal for immersion of surfaces as a criterion for assessing their omniphobicity in addition to apparent contact angles; (v) effects of surface chemistry, hydrostatic pressure, and cavity dimensions on Cassie-to-Wenzel transitions in DRCs and SCs; (vi) the demonstration of “breathing” (liquid-vapor) interfaces in GEMS under fluctuating hydrostatic pressures; and (vii) the demonstration of directional wetting transitions in DRCs (or cavities in general) arranged in one- and two-dimensional lattices. The last chapter in the thesis presents future research directions such as breathing surfaces capable of preempting vapor condensation and gas replenishment.