bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hermitian-Einstein metrics from noncommutative U(1) instantons
Authors: Hara Kentaro , Sako Akifumi , Yang Hyun Seok
Published: September 2019

We show that Hermitian-Einstein metrics can be locally constructed by a map from (anti-)self-dual two-forms on Euclidean R4 to symmetric two-tensors introduced in Yang and Salizzoni [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 201602 (2006); e-print arXiv:hep-th/0512215]. This correspondence is valid not only for a commutative space but also for a noncommutative space. We choose U(1) instantons on a noncommutative C2 as the self-dual two-form, from which we derive a family of Hermitian-Einstein metrics. We also discuss the condition when the metric becomes Kähler.
Interaction between coaxial dielectric disks enhances the Q factor
Authors: Pichugin K. N. , Sadreev A. F.
Published: September 2019

We study the behavior of resonant modes under variation of the distance between two coaxial dielectric disks and show an avoided crossing of resonances because of the interaction between the disks. Owing to coaxial arrangement of disks, the resonant modes are specified by the azimuthal index m=0,1,2,…. In the present paper, we consider the case m=0. At a long enough distance, the modes are symmetric and antisymmetric hybridizations of the resonant modes of the isolated disk. With decreasing the distance, the interaction becomes stronger, giving rise to avoided crossings of different resonances of the isolated disk. This in turn enhances the Q factor of the two disks by one order in magnitude compared to the Q factor of the isolated disk.
Towards controllable inner chirality in double-walled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Chimborazo Johnny , Saito Takeshi , Pichler Thomas , Shi Lei , Ayala Paola
Published: September 2019

Double-walled carbon nanotubes have many advantages over their singled-walled counterparts such as higher mechanical strength and thermal stability. They can be synthesized by well-established methods like arc-discharge, chemical vapor deposition, and the annealing of molecules and nanocompounds encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes. However, the material grown with these methods does not necessarily have a homogeneous morphology across an entire sample. Aiming at a controllable structure, we have decomposed molecules encapsulated in the hollow core of known diameter nanotubes via in situ laser annealing while simultaneously monitoring the Raman spectral response of the material. Our results show that thin inner tubes can be synthesized inside their single-walled hosts. We have also observed that monitoring the laser wavelength and power and choosing the host's diameter, the chirality of the inner tubes can be tailored in a controlled manner. Interestingly, linear carbon chains, as a one-dimensional allotrope of carbon, were formed as well. The dynamic of the chains annealed at higher power indicates the decomposition of the longer into shorter ones.
Temperature dependent magnetoelectric (ME) response in press-fit FeNi/PZT/Ni self-biased ring composite
Authors: Kumar Amritesh , Arockiarajan A.
Published: September 2019

Magnetoelectric (ME) composites exhibit the magnetoelectric effect, which is a coupling phenomenon resulting from the interaction between the magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases. This makes ME composites useful as multifunctional devices in a variety of applications. In this work, a press-fit epoxy-free nested ring structured ME composite has been fabricated, in which nickel and FeNi form the magnetostrictive phase and PZT-5A constitutes the piezoelectric phase. To conduct a comparative study, epoxy bonded conventional bilayered and trilayered ME composites of the same material constituents and similar volume fractions have also been made. Magnetostriction measurements are done on individual magnetostrictive materials at varying temperatures in longitudinal and transverse directions. Measurement of the ME coefficient is done on all the prepared composites and their relative response at elevated temperatures is presented. Self-biased behavior of the ME composites resulting out of the applied prestress is also captured. A 2D hysteretic model including the temperature and prestress effects that can capture the behavior of epoxy-free ring composites has also been formulated. The results from the model are in agreement with the experimental results at all the temperatures. The obtained experimental results highlight the suitability of epoxy-free ring composites to be used in high temperature microdevices.
Carbon multicharged ion generation from laser-spark ion source
Authors: Rahman Md. Mahmudur , Balki Oguzhan , Elsayed-Ali Hani E.
Published: September 2019

Multicharged carbon ions are generated by using a laser-assisted spark-discharge ion source. A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser pulse (1064 nm, 7 ns, ≤ 4.5 × 109 W/cm2) focused onto the surface of a glassy carbon target results in its ablation. The spark-discharge (∼1.2 J energy, ∼1 µs duration) is initiated along the direction of the plume propagation between the target surface and a grounded mesh that is parallel to the target surface. Ions emitted from the laser-spark plasma are detected by their time-of-flight using a Faraday cup. The ion energy-to-charge ratio is analyzed by a three-mesh retarding field analyzer. In one set of experiments, the laser plasma is generated by target ablation using a 50 mJ laser pulse. In another set of experiments, ∼1.2 J spark-discharge energy is coupled to the expanding plasma to increase the plasma density and temperature that results in the generation of carbon multicharged ions up to C6+. A delay-generator is used to control the time delay between the laser pulse and the thyratron trigger. Ion generation from a laser pulse when a high DC voltage is applied to the target is compared to that when a spark-discharge with an equivalent pulsed voltage is applied to the target. The laser-coupled spark-discharge (7 kV peak voltage, 810 A peak current) increases the maximum detected ion charge state from C4+ to C6+, accompanied by an increase in the ion yield by a factor of ∼6 compared to applying 7.0 kV DC voltage to the target.
Controlling skyrmion bubble confinement by dipolar interactions
Authors: Ummelen Fanny C. , Lichtenberg Tom , Swagten Henk J. M. , Koopmans Bert
Published: September 2019

Large skyrmion bubbles in confined geometries of various sizes and shapes are investigated, typically in the range of several micrometers. Two fundamentally different cases are studied to address the role of dipole-dipole interactions: (I) when there is no magnetic material present outside the small geometries and (II) when the geometries are embedded in films with a uniform magnetization. It is found that the preferential position of the skyrmion bubbles can be controlled by the geometrical shape, which turns out to be a stronger influence than local variations in material parameters. In addition, independent switching of the direction of the magnetization outside the small geometries can be used to further manipulate these preferential positions, in particular with respect to the edges. We show by numerical calculations that the observed interactions between the skyrmion bubbles and structure edge, including the overall positioning of the bubbles, can be explained by considering only dipole-dipole interactions.
Interface engineering to enhance the oxygen evolution reaction under light irradiation
Authors: Han Shaobo , Cai Chao , Caiyang Weinan , Xiang Xia , Deng Hongxiang , Zu Xiaotao , Lawrence Matthew J. , Sun Kai , Gu Meng
Published: September 2019

Using a combination of plasmonic metal cores (Ag, Au, and Cu) and catalytic metal/semiconductor shells is a viable approach to enhance photocatalytic chemical reactions such as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the energy transfer mechanism between the plasmonic core and the catalytic shell as well as the functional mechanism of plasmon in the OER reactions is still unclear. Here, we designed core-shell Au@Ni3S2 and yolk-shell Au-Ni3S2 with well-controlled morphology. We directly mapped the distribution of plasmon using monochromatic low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy. The structural pore in the yolk-shell Au-Ni3S2 greatly changes the dielectric environment and significantly enhances absorption of incoming light. The incoming photoenergy was dominantly dissipated on the shell by forming electron-hole pairs, leading to a higher energy flow rate for OER reactions. The catalytic activity of yolk-shell Au-Ni3S2 achieved nearly sixfold of core-shell Au@Ni3S2 and over 80-fold of pure Ni3S2 under illumination. Our results suggest that delicate microstructural control of catalysts can be used as an effective approach to design more efficient catalysts.
Frequency-dependent ferro-antiferro phase transition and internal bias field influenced piezoelectric response of donor and acceptor doped bismuth sodium titanate ceramics
Authors: Verma Rolly , Rout S. K.
Published: September 2019

The influence of donor (La3+) and acceptor (Sc3+) dopant on structural and electrical properties of lead-free Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) ceramics system was investigated. Both donor and acceptor substitutions induced a structural transformation of pure BNT ceramics from a rhombohedral to a pseudocubic structure. Splitting of the (111)pc peak in pure BNT was considered symmetry identification for a rhombohedral structure. A micrometer level grain size (1.70 μm–2.81 μm), dense microstructure with good ferroelectric and piezoelectric performance (d33=56−45pC/N) was obtained. The 3% La content BNT ceramic shows an improved dielectric property. The Curie temperature increases from 355 °C for pure BNT to 365 °C for donor-doped and 370 °C for acceptor-doped BNT. The donor doping created cationic vacancies; acceptor doping induces oxygen vacancies that stabilized the polarization level. Maximum remnant polarization (Pr) value has been obtained for 3% La-doped (Pr=27μC/cm2) and 5% Sc-doped (Pr=20μC/cm2) BNT system. Bipolar strain increased with the increase in donor dopant concentration resulting in a large electrostrictive coefficient (Q11 ∼ 0.0122%–0.045%) has been obtained. Electric field-induced unipolar strain value was enhanced to its maximum value (Smax = 0.14%) for 3% La content with normalized strain d33∗=209pm/V and Smax = 0.13% for 5% Sc with normalized strain d33∗=155pm/V at an applied electric field of 70 kV/cm and 50 kV/cm, respectively. The enhanced strain was considered to be associated with low internal bias field and maximum polarization level. In terms of capacitive response, 5% Sc holds a maximum current (∼0.017 mA) during polarization switching.
An empirical approach for parameters estimation of underwater electrical wire explosion
Authors: Yao Weibo , Zhou Haibin , Han Ruoyu , Zhang Yongmin , Zhao Zhan , Xu Qifu , Qiu Aici
Published: September 2019

An electrical wire explosion is a complicated process consisting of several physical phenomena such as acoustic, optical, mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal phenomena. The shock wave from such an explosion not only has a wide range of practical applications but it also plays an important role in analyzing the process of the explosion itself. In this paper, we propose an empirical approach to estimate the pressure and energy of the shock wave in an underwater electrical wire explosion. First, the discharge process is divided into several typical phases, and the deposited electrical energy, power, and time interval between adjacent phases are calculated. Then, the shock wave peak pressure is measured and the total mechanical energy is calculated, respectively. Finally, a multiparameter fitting method is adopted to deduce an empirical formula for peak pressure and shock wave energy, and the formula was the exponential function of the deposited electrical energy, power, and the discharge time interval. In this way, the shock wave pressure and energy are quickly and reliably estimated for given discharge parameters. As for 155 shots of the discharge experiment, the average relative error and the standard deviation of peak pressure are 8.45% and 5.47%, respectively, and those of the shock wave energy of are 12.2% and 11%, respectively. This empirical approach would be very useful in pulsed power device design and in the parameters involved in electrical wire matching.
Quantum anomalous Hall effect driven by magnetic proximity coupling in all-telluride based heterostructure
Authors: Watanabe R. , Yoshimi R. , Kawamura M. , Mogi M. , Tsukazaki A. , Yu X. Z. , Nakajima K. , Takahashi K. S. , Kawasaki M. , Tokura Y.
Published: September 2019

The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) is an exotic quantum phenomenon originating from dissipationless chiral channels at the sample edge. While the QAHE has been observed in magnetically doped topological insulators (TIs), exploiting the magnetic proximity effect on the TI surface from adjacent ferromagnetic layers may provide an alternative approach to the QAHE by opening an exchange gap with less disorder than that in the doped system. Nevertheless, the engineering of a favorable heterointerface that realizes the QAHE based on the magnetic proximity effect remains to be achieved. Here, we report on the observation of the QAHE in a proximity coupled system of a nonmagnetic TI and a ferromagnetic insulator (FMI). We have designed sandwich heterostructures of (Zn,Cr)Te/(Bi,Sb)2Te3/(Zn,Cr)Te that fulfills two prerequisites for the emergence of the QAHE: the formation of a sizable exchange gap at the TI surface state and the tuning of the Fermi energy into the exchange gap. The efficient proximity coupling in the all-telluride based heterostructure as demonstrated here will enable a realistic design of versatile tailor-made topological materials coupled with ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, superconductivity, and so on.
ReaxFF reactive force field for molecular dynamics simulations of liquid Cu and Zr metals
Authors: Huang H. S. , Ai L. Q. , van Duin A. C. T. , Chen M. , Lü Y. J.
Published: September 2019

We develop a ReaxFF reactive force field used for the molecular dynamics simulations of thermophysical properties of liquid Cu and Zr metals. The ReaxFF parameters are optimized by fitting to the first-principles density-functional calculations on the equations of state for bulk crystal structures and surface energies. To validate the force field, we compare the ReaxFF results with those from experiments and embedded-atom-method (EAM) potentials. We demonstrate that the present ReaxFF force field well represents structural characteristics and diffusion behaviors of elemental Cu and Zr up to high-temperature liquid regions. It reasonably reproduces the thermodynamic processes associated with crystal-liquid interface. In particular, the equilibrium melting temperatures show better agreement with experimental measurements than the results from EAM potentials. The ReaxFF reactive force field method exhibits a good transferability to the nonreactive processes of liquid systems.
Analysis of the detection response of waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors at high count rate
Authors: Ferrari Simone , Kovalyuk Vadim , Vetter Andreas , Lee Changhyoup , Rockstuhl Carsten , Semenov Alexander , Gol'tsman Gregory , Pernice Wolfram
Published: September 2019

Nanophotonic circuitry and superconducting nanowires have been successfully combined for detecting single photons, propagating in an integrated photonic circuit, with high efficiency and low noise and timing uncertainty. Waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) can nowadays be engineered to achieve subnanosecond recovery times and can potentially be adopted for applications requiring Gcps count rates. However, particular attention shall be paid to such an extreme count rate regime since artifacts in the detector functionality emerge. In particular, a count-rate dependent detection efficiency has been encountered that can compromise the accuracy of quantum detector tomography experiments. Here, we investigate the response of waveguide-integrated SNSPDs at high photon flux and identify the presence of parasitic currents due to the accumulation of charge in the readout electronics to cause the above-mentioned artifact in the detection efficiency. Our approach allows us to determine the maximum photon count rate at which the detector can be operated without adverse effects. Our findings are particularly important to avoid artifacts when applying SNSPDs for quantum tomography.
Pushing the limits of the reaction-coordinate mapping
Authors: Correa Luis A. , Xu Buqing , Morris Benjamin , Adesso Gerardo
Published: September 2019

The reaction-coordinate mapping is a useful technique to study complex quantum dissipative dynamics into structured environments. In essence, it aims to mimic the original problem by means of an “augmented system,” which includes a suitably chosen collective environmental coordinate—the “reaction coordinate.” This composite then couples to a simpler “residual reservoir” with short-lived correlations. If, in addition, the residual coupling is weak, a simple quantum master equation can be rigorously applied to the augmented system, and the solution of the original problem just follows from tracing out the reaction coordinate. But, what if the residual dissipation is strong? Here, we consider an exactly solvable model for heat transport—a two-node linear “quantum wire” connecting two baths at different temperatures. We allow for a structured spectral density at the interface with one of the reservoirs and perform the reaction-coordinate mapping, writing a perturbative master equation for the augmented system. We find that (a) strikingly, the stationary state of the original problem can be reproduced accurately by a weak-coupling treatment even when the residual dissipation on the augmented system is very strong, (b) the agreement holds throughout the entire dynamics under large residual dissipation in the overdamped regime; and (c) such a master equation can grossly overestimate the stationary heat current across the wire, even when its nonequilibrium steady state is captured faithfully. These observations can be crucial when using the reaction-coordinate mapping to study the largely unexplored strong-coupling regime in quantum thermodynamics.
Nonselective Paul ion trap loading with a light-emitting diode
Authors: Zalivako I. , Borisenko A. , Semerikov I. , Sidorov P. , Vishnyakov P. , Khabarova K. , Kolachevsky N.
Published: September 2019

We demonstrate a simple nonisotope-selective method for ion trap loading, which is based on the irradiation of trap electrodes precoated with materials with a low work function by a light-emitting diode (LED). Photoelectrons emitted from the electrode surface and accelerated in the trap electric field ionize the atomic beam inside the trap, which results in the trap loading. We studied Y2O3 and Mg coatings for the trap electrodes and experimentally demonstrated trapping of single 24Mg+ ions as well as large ion crystals composed of up to 103 particles using a 400 nm LED. This method can be readily implemented in a variety of applications where simplicity, compactness, and robustness are critical, such as in portable ion frequency standards and commercial ion-based devices, for example. Possible modifications of this technique aimed for selective loading, reduction of induced electric stray fields, and getting rid of atomic oven are also discussed.
Fault-tolerant output-feedback stabilization for complex-valued neural networks with time delay and actuator failures
Authors: Zhou Cancan , Fang Muyun , Xia Jianwei , Zhou Jianping , Wang Zhen
Published: September 2019

The paper considers the issue of fault-tolerant output-feedback stabilization for complex-valued neural networks with both time delay and actuator failures. The aim is to design a fault-tolerant output-feedback controller to ensure the network to be asymptotically stable. By using the discretized Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method as well as the free-weighting matrix approach, a delay-dependent stability criterion is proposed. Then, with the aid of some decoupling techniques, a method for the design of desired output-feedback fault-tolerant controller is developed. Finally, a numerical example is given to verify the effectiveness of the present stabilizing method.
Interfacial engineering to improve Cu2ZnSnX4 (X = S, Se) solar cell efficiency
Authors: Gu H. J. , Yang J.-H. , Chen S. Y. , Xiang H. J. , Gong X. G.
Published: September 2019

Interfacial properties between metal back contacts and solar cell absorbers play important roles in determining efficiencies, but studies of such properties in CZTS and CZTSe based solar cells are quite lacking from theoretical aspects. To fill such a blank and explore insights for improving energy conversion efficiencies, we have studied interfacial properties in CZTS and CZTSe solar cells. The natural band offsets between CZTX and the spontaneously formed MoX2 layer (X = S, Se) are obtained using our recently developed intermediate-phase method. We find that the band alignment between CZTS and MoS2 is actually harmful while the band alignment between CZTSe and MoSe2 is beneficial for carrier extractions. We further propose to engineer the back contact interface to improve CZTS solar cell efficiency by depositing a thin layer of Se on the Mo back contact prior to the CZTS deposition, thus avoiding the formation of the undesirable MoS2 layer.
A force consistent method for electrostatic energy calculation in fluctuating charge model
Authors: Duan Guanfu , Ji Changge , Zhang John Z. H.
Published: September 2019

A practical approach to include the polarization effect in a molecular force field is the fluctuating charge method in which atomic charges vary as the configuration of the molecular system changes. However, the use of the Coulomb formula to evaluate energy in a fluctuating charge method is theoretically inconsistent with the forces given by the fluctuating method. In this work, we propose a force-consistent method to correctly calculate electrostatic energies of molecular systems using a fluctuating charge model (Effective Polarizable Bond or EPB). In this protocol, the electrostatic energy is obtained by numerical interaction of the atomic forces along the MD trajectory, rather than using the default Coulomb formula in the EPB model. Test study on the benchmark Barnase-Barstar protein-protein interaction system demonstrates that although the total electrostatic energy of the system shows little deviation due to the averaging effect, specific residue-residue electrostatic interaction energy is affected and the level of the effect depends on the charges of the interacting residues with charged residues showing pronounced differences in calculated energies between using the current protocol and the standard Coulomb formula. It is recommended that the proposed numerical interaction method should be preferred in the calculation of electrostatic energy in fluctuating charge models used in molecular dynamics simulations.
Poloidally localized edge density fluctuation with applied and spontaneous 3-D fields in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST)
Authors: Zhang T. , Liu H. Q. , Xiang H. M. , Wang Y. M. , Sun Y. , Geng K. N. , Wen F. , Li G. S. , Ye K. X. , Wu M. F. , Zhong F. B. , Huang J. , Zhang S. B. , Gao X. ,   EAST Team
Published: September 2019

Poloidally localized density fluctuation with applied and spontaneous 3-D fields in high-confinement mode (H-mode) plasma is observed by using poloidally distributed multichannel interferometer diagnostics in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. With the application of an n = 1 rotating nonaxisymmetric magnetic perturbation (NAMP) field, a density fluctuation appears on different interferometer channels sequentially. Evidence shows that this fluctuation is located at the plasma edge. When an n = 1 static NAMP field is applied, the density fluctuation amplitude increases in parts of channels but decreases in other channels, implying a poloidal localization. This localization is enhanced with the increase in the NAMP field. In addition, when a spontaneous n = 1 external kink mode with a frequency of ∼3.5 kHz appears in the plasma edge, the amplitude of density fluctuation is modulated by the n = 1 kink. This modulation could be attributed to the localization effect on fluctuation by the 3-D fields of the spontaneous kink mode.
Attosecond pulse generation by relativistic flying mirrors in laser-plasma interaction: Effect of plasma density and driver amplitude on the generated pulse
Authors: Moghadasin Hoda , Niknam Ali Reza , Komaizi Davood , Banjafar Mohammadreza
Published: September 2019

The generation of high-intensity attosecond pulses by the interaction of two counterpropagating short laser pulses with underdense plasma is investigated. By using parallel fully kinetic particles in cell simulation, which shows the formation of relativistic flying mirrors in the wake wave of the intense driver laser pulse and the focusing reflection of the weak source pulse, it is demonstrated that intense attosecond pulses can be produced under the optimized conditions of plasma density and driver laser amplitude according to the relativistic similarity theory. In addition, it is shown that the frequency of the source pulse is upshifted by a factor from 10 to 80 corresponding to a reflected radiation wavelength from 20 to 164 nm which lies in the extreme ultraviolet region, while most of the energy lies around a frequency upshift of 20, in agreement with the measured Lorentz factor. The intensity of the main attosecond pulse is two orders higher than the source pulse intensity.
Drop-hammer impact sensitivity and damage effect of two PTFE-matrix reactive materials
Authors: Zhang Jun , Liu Qiang , Wang Huaixi , Li Yuchun , Huang Junyi , Gao Zhenru , Wu Shuangzhang , Yu Zhongshen , Yang Xin , Zhu Wannian
Published: September 2019

To study the impact sensitivity and damage effect of PTFE-matrix energetic materials, PTFE-matrix specimens and liners were prepared by molding-vacuum sintering to carry out drop-hammer and impact experiments. The results show that the two metal additives contributed to reducing the impact sensitivity of Al/PTFE. The energy release level of Al/Ni/PTFE and Al/W/PTFE with the same metal content was different at different drop heights. In addition, the collision process, black burning marks and carbon indicate that the energetic liner reacted during the impact process. All perforations were petal-shaped holes because of better radial expansion effect of products. The seven groups of energetic liners can penetrate 3 mm steel plate. The Al/W/PTFE liner with volume fraction of 5% W had the strongest reaming capacity due to its higher strength and density than Al/PTFE liner. The 3 mm steel plate with low strength failed prematurely and the impact energy did not initiate the Ni-Al intermetallic reaction because of low sensitivity of Al/Ni/PTFE. Therefore, the energy release of Al/Ni/PTFE was lower than that of Al/W/PTFE. Only Al/Ni/PTFE liner with volume fraction of 15% Ni can penetrate 10 mm steel plate due to its higher strength and density compared with Al/PTFE and other Al/Ni/PTFE liners. But different with Al/W/PTFE liners, the energy released by the reaction of Al/PTFE initiated the Ni-Al combination, which greatly increased the energy release of the Al/Ni/PTFE and provided better damage effect. The damage effect of reactive materials on target is affected by its strength, density and energy release.
Improving the performance of TEM embedded with paraffin-based phase change materials with different thermal conductivity
Authors: Liu Anbang , Wu Zihua , Xie Huaqing , Li Yihuai , Wang Yuanyuan , Yu Enhao , Cai Xiaodie
Published: September 2019

In this work, the effect of thermal conductivity of phase change materials (PCMs) on the performance of thermoelectric module (TEM) was studied. Paraffin wax composites with different mass fractions (0%, 0.5%, and 1.5%) of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used for heat storage in the experiments. The experimental results show that PCM with high thermal conductivity have remarkable effects on improving the power generation of the TEM. Compared to the TEM without PCM, through increasing the thermal conductivity of PCM, the maximum electrical energy generated by TEM increased by 34.9%. Besides, through increasing the height and diameter of the embedded PCM, the effective length of the TEM was optimized and the heat storage of the PCM was increased. As a result, the output voltages of the TEM with PCM were increased 0.3–0.5 mV compared to those of the TEM without PCM. Specifically, the TEM (marked as “1.5%CNT-d30h8”) embedded with PCM with the highest thermal conductivity and the largest geometric dimension can generate a maximum of electrical energy and reach 372.1 mJ.
Food source as a factor determining birds' exposure to hazardous organic pollutants and egg contamination
Authors: Reindl Andrzej R. , Falkowska Lucyna
Published: September 2019

Alimentary exposure is the main factor determining halogenated organic compound pollution of wildlife, with birds’ eggs recognised as bioindicators of these contaminants and often used as a non-invasive monitoring tool. Comparisons of bird species from two aquatic environments, namely a marine coastal area (Gdansk Bay) and an inland reservoir (Włocławek Dam on the Vistula River), indicated significant differences in egg contamination. Herring gull eggs from Włocławek Dam had high concentrations of highly chlorinated dioxin (i.e. octachlorodibenzodioxin, which accounted for 37% of all polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo furans, PCDD/Fs). In contrast, eggs from terns feeding along the coastal area of the Southern Baltic contained high concentrations of lowly chlorinated furans (i.e. pentachlorodibezofuran, which accounted for 46 and 45% of all PCDD/Fs in eggs from the sandwich tern and common tern respectively). The congener patterns in terns’ eggs were similar to those reported previously for Baltic fish. Polychlorinated biphenyl congener 180 had the highest concentrations among the mono-ortho chlorinated biphenyls, whereas concentrations of non-dioxin-like chlorinated biphenyls were 10-fold higher than those of the other congeners analysed, but the congener pattern in eggs from both species (sandwich and common tern) was similar to that reported in other studies. Among the hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) isomers, α-HBCD dominated in all eggs analysed (accounting for >97% of all HBCDs). The total HBCD concentration in gulls’ eggs from the inland reservoir was approximately half that in eggs from the common and sandwich terns (mean±s.d. 47.33±33.22v. 97.98±59.69 and 104.00±63.66ngg–1 lipid weight respectively).
The negotiation of meaning in dialogue interpreting
Authors: Delizée Anne , Michaux Christine
Published: September 2019

The objective of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the negotiation of meaning between the participants of a bilingual interpreter-mediated interaction by analysing the effects of the verbalization of the inferences by the interpreter. The conceptual tools of Relevance Theory were applied to three interpreted excerpts of Russian-French psychotherapeutic interactions. The results suggest that, by verbalizing inferences, the interpreter co-creates a shared cognitive environment, reinforces intra- and inter-discursive coherence, diminishes the cognitive efforts of the recipient, and encourages primary parties to cooperate. The analysis of the cognitive processes at work in the excerpts tends to show that what has so far been treated as the interpreter’s “additions” or “expanded renditions” enables the latter to exercise cooperative coordination of interaction, and could therefore be more precisely calledcollaborative renditions.
“A lot to think about”
Authors: Herring Rachel E.
Published: September 2019

This paper takes a process-focused approach to investigating the dialogue interpreting task from the perspective of the task performer. It reports on a portion of a research study aimed at better understanding the cognitive and interactional processes involved in dialogue interpreting. Eight interpreters interpreted a simulated interaction and subsequently completed a retrospective process-tracing session. The results shed light on the complexities of dialogue interpreting performance as experienced by the task performer, specifically with regard to interpreters’ online monitoring of affect, behavior, cognition, and context.
Response of deficit drip irrigation on production and growth parameters of capsicum (capsicum annuum) inside naturally ventilated polyhouse
Authors: Dimple  , Bhakar S R , Lakhawat S S , Rajput Jitendra , Mittal H K , Kothari Mahesh
Published: September 2019

A field experiment was conducted during March-August 2017 at Plasticulture farm College of Technology & Engineering, Udaipur. Randomized block design (RBD) was adopted for conducting field trial with six levels of irrigation viz., 100, 90, 80, 70, 60 and 100% (control without mulch) of crop evapotranspiration and 4 replication. Capsicum (shimla mirch locally known in Udaipur) cv Indra was irrigated with drip irrigation (also known as trickle irrigation) technique. Measurements of crop biometric parameters namely plant height, number of leaves and individual fruit weight was done at pre scheduled time throughout the crop season. Results revealed that biometric parameters found maximum in case of 80% irrigation level whiles minimum in 60% irrigation level treatment. The highest yields (42.64 t/ha) was also recorded in the same treatment. Therefore, it can conclude that by scheduling irrigation to meet 80% of crop ET will result in optimum crop yields and enhances crop water use efficiency of capsicum grown inside naturally ventilation polyhouse (NVPH).
Effect of ground heat exchanger for root-zone cooling on the growth and yield of aeroponically-grown strawberry plant under tropical greenhouse condition
Authors: Pascual C S , Agulto I C , Espino A N , Malamug V U
Published: September 2019

With the increasing cost of fossil fuel to generate power for cooling purposes, there is a need for alternative methods of cooling system that is sustainable and economically viable in producing high quality crops under tropical condition. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ground heat exchanger (GHE) for root-zone cooling on the growth, yield, and economic returns of aeroponically-grown strawberry plants under tropical greenhouse condition. The experiment had two treatments; the root-zone cooling methods (GHE, Air-conditioning Unit (ACU), and Control – no root-zone cooling) and photoperiods (8-hours, 16-hours, and 12-hours). We observed that the root-zone mean temperature under GHE was maintained at 26.75 °C, which was 2.61°C higher than ACU and 2.17°C lower than the control. The GHE and ACU did not significantly differ in terms of plant’s growth with larger and number of leaves, and longer petioles than the control. We found no significant interaction of the treatments on the yield nor difference between GHE and ACU with 181-186 g/plant. Projected benefit cost ratio using GHE is 4.24 and annual return of investment is at 32%. This study underscores the feasibility of GHE application for root-zone cooling under tropical greenhouse condition.
Country-appropriate operating cost estimation scheme based on curve fitting for rice combine harvester
Authors: Numsong A , Doungpueng K , Chuan-Udom S
Published: September 2019

This research explores two operating cost estimation models as a function of repair and maintenance (R&M) outlay for domestically-made rice combine harvesters: ASAE-based and power function-fitted estimation models. The goal is to establish a guideline for operating cost estimation suited to the agricultural context of Thailand. In the study, variable cost data belonged to the country’s northeastern region. Simulations were carried out using MATLAB/Simulink and results compared. The ASAE-based operating cost estimations were consistently larger than those of power function-fitted model, and the divergence became more pronounced with increase in harvest area. The finding could be attributed to country-specificity in which R&M practices varied from country to country. Essentially, the power function-fitted estimation model is more suited to the agricultural context of Thailand, in comparison with the ASAE-based model which tends to overestimate the cost figure.
Factors Affecting Shelling Efficiency and Grain Breakage of a Small Maize Shelling Unit
Authors: Tunhaw M , Chuan-Udom S , Chansrakoo W , Doungpueng K
Published: September 2019

Development of a small maize shelling unit necessitates a study of factors affecting its shelling performance. In this study, the threshing type used is a rasp-bar type. On drum four rows with a diameter of 0.3 m, the design parameters of which include concave clearance. The peripheral speed of the drum, and grain moisture content; which affect the shelling efficiency and the amount of grain breakage. The maize used to be the CP 201 variety. The feed rate was controlled at 960 kg.hr−1. It was found that concave clearance and grain moisture content significantly affects the shelling efficiency and grain breakage at P<0.01. The peripheral speed of drum also affects the shelling efficiency but does not affect grain breakage. For good performance, we recommend concave clearance of 10.0 mm, peripheral speed of drum of 12 m.s-1 and grain moisture content not exceeding 14%.
Quantification of the introducing potential on local biomass resources as fertilizer based on the chemical properties of soil and water in Wa Municipality, Ghana
Authors: Zackariah G S K , Tanaka M
Published: September 2019

Continuous cereal-based systems require fertility preservation with continuous and sufficient nutrient inputs to agricultural land. Biomass resource have the potential to be self-supplied fertilizer; therefore, this study examined to quantify required fertility by measuring chemical properties of water and soil for main agricultural land (paddy fields, cereal fields and Tuber fields) and estimated the potential of local biomass resources in Wa Municipality, Ghana, for methane fermentation that can produce biogas and digest liquid as fertilizer. Average measured results of water quality indicated pH 6.2, EC 168.7 µs/cm, TDS 168.3 µs/cm, NH4
+ 0.3 ppm, NO3 4.5 ppm, Me (Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, and Cd) 0.1 ppm, PO4
3- 0.4 ppm, and COD 6.3 mg/l. Similarly, soil results indicated pH 6.2, EC 65.9 µs/cm, TDS 67.1 µs/cm, NH4
+ 2.3ppm, NO3
− 10.8ppm, Me (Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, and Cd)1.9 ppm, PO4
3- 1.1 ppm and COD 152.0 mg/l. Estimated biomass resources in the municipality was 12, 925.6t/year combined with livestock waste, human excreta, sawdust, and agricultural crop processing waste. Potential of Nitrogen fertilizer was 34, 589.84kgN/year which can be spread about 400ha of wet paddy field and has the potential to replace chemical nitrogen fertilizer.
The performance of size grading machine of robusta green coffee bean using oscillating sieve with swing along width direction
Authors: Srisang N , Chanpaka W , Chungcharoen T
Published: September 2019

Size grading is one of important processes for producing the Robusta green coffee bean because it can increase the value of green coffee bean and decrease the problem in the manufacturing process, especially roasting process. Therefore, the objective of this work was to investigate the effects of inclined angle and oscillating revolution speed on the performance of size grading machine of Robusta green coffee bean using oscillating sieve with swing along width direction. When increasing the inclined angle from 4 to 6 degree, the weight purity index and the clogging sieve percentage were decreased. For the size grading efficiency, it found that the size grading efficiency was increased when the inclined angle increased from 4 to 5 degree. However, the size grading efficiency was decreased when increasing the inclined angle from 5 to 6 degree. When considering in term of oscillating revolution speed, the increase of oscillating revolution speed provided the decrease of weight purity index, size grading efficiency and clogging sieve percentage. The appropriate condition for using the size grading machine of Robusta green coffee bean using oscillating sieve with swing along width direction is the inclined angle of 5 degree and the oscillating revolution speed of 185 rpm.
The development of lemongrass slicing machine
Authors: Thangdee D , Thangdee S
Published: September 2019

This research was aimed to design, fabricate, and evaluate the lemongrass slicing machine which can slice on both perpendicular and inclination to lemongrass stem, within less than 4.0 mm of thickness. The machine was fabricated by stainless steel of 740 x 740 x 830 mm sized, and consisted of 3 main parts of feeding slots, slicing knives, and a releasing slot. The machine functions by manual feeding a bunch lemongrass into the feeding slot one by one. The testing result revealed that perpendicular slicing condition was 48.9 kg/h and 98.6 % of working capacity, and working efficiency. Inclination slicing condition was 35.0 kg/h and 98.8 % of working capacity, and working efficiency respectively.
Evaluation of pH of curry soup containing coconut milk by near infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Thitibunjan N , Sirisomboon P
Published: September 2019

The pH is the important parameters to characterize the food deterioration and an indicative of food spoilage. The aim of this research was to apply the near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to evaluate pH of curry soup containing coconut milk. The soup samples from mixing tank, water content adjusted tank, UHT pipe and laminated containers in the production line were collected. There were also the pH adjusted samples where the curry was made from the same recipe but increasing placed time for 2, 4 and 6 hr after 0 hr. There are 73 samples in total. The sample was scanned with FT-NIR spectrometer. A prediction model for pH was established using NIR spectral data in conjunction with partial least squares regression, which was validated using leave one out cross validation and test set validation. After validated by unknown samples, the leave one out cross validation model showed better prediction performance. The best model developed using first derivative spectra in 9403.8-7498.3, 6102-5446.3 and 4605.4-4242.9 cm−1 provided an coefficient of determination (r2), root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV), bias and ratio of performance to interquartile (RPIQ) of 0.73, 0.28, 0.01 and 1.89. The model was usable for screening and some other “approximate” calibrations. The model could be improved for further development of robust model using more natural samples in evaluation of pH in the curry soup
Evaluation of near infrared hyperspectral imaging for detection of tuna powder contaminated with shrimp powder
Authors: Nonthawong K , Phiriyangkul P , Terdwongworakul A , Phuangsombut K
Published: September 2019

Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) was investigated to detect the contamination of shrimp powder (SP) in tuna powder (TP) with partial least squares regression (PLSR) model. The principal component analysis was performed with NIR-HSI data for classification of tuna and shrimp powder. Samples for NIR-HSI data analysis were prepared using tuna powder contaminated with shrimp powder in concentration of 0%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (w/w). The NIR-HIS in a wavelength range 864.5 to 1695.1 nm of the samples were used to create a prediction model using a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model. The result showed that the best model was based on spectra pretreated wit second derivative combined with standard normal variate pretreatments, The performance of the prediction was expressed with the following values; factor = 3, Rc2 = 0.989, RMSEC = 3.48%, Rcv2 = 0.984, RMSECV = 4.218%, Rp2 = 0.991, RMSEP = 3.110%. The regression coefficients of the PLSR model from 2D+SNV spectral pre-treatments were used to identify functional groups from the chemical composition of each sample. The study demonstrated that the NIR-HSI can be used for quantitative analysis of TP contaminated with SP which rapid nondestruction technique.
Discrimination of vegetable oil types using Fourier transforms near infrared spectroscopy coupled with pattern recognition techniques
Authors: Lapcharoensuk R , Malithong A , Thappho D , Phonpho P
Published: September 2019

The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRs) coupled with pattern recognition techniques for discriminating of vegetable oil types (i.e. coconut oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, sesame oil, soybean oil and sun flower oil). Principle component analysis (PCA) was performed for clustering vegetable oil types. Five of supervised pattern recognition techniques such as soft independent modelling of class analogies (SIMCA), Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were used to identify vegetable oil types. The PCA model could separate coconut oil from other vegetable oils. Two PLS-DA and SVM models showed 100% of precision, recall F-measure and accuracy for all vegetable oil whilst remainder techniques achieved a satisfactory classified performance. All supervised models could discriminate coconut oil from other oils with precision, recall F-Measure and accuracy of 100%. It seems that NIRs technique coupled with pattern recognition techniques is possible for discriminating vegetable oil types.
Development of the near infrared spectroscopy model for detecting herbicide concentrations contaminated in water
Authors: Lapcharoensuk Ravipat , Wongpromrat Patthranit
Published: September 2019

This research aims to develop the near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) models for detecting herbicide concentrations contaminated in water. Atrazine, the organochlorine herbicide, solution in the concentration range of 0-15 ppm were prepared in distilled water. Near infrared spectra were scanned by using Fourier transform spectrometer at wavenumbers of 12,500-4,000 cm−1 (800-2, 500 nm). Partial least square regression technique was used to establish the NIR models for detecting herbicide concentrations. The developed models showed high prediction potential of herbicide concentrations contaminated in water with the R2 of 0.97, RMSEE of 0.899 ppm, bias of -0.0003 ppm and RPD of 5.43. This indicated that these models can apply to analyse contamination of atrazine in the natural water sources.
Stakeholder related fields of action for process optimization of nearly zero energy and plus energy buildings
Authors: Höfler R
Published: September 2019

In order to be able to guarantee a regulated process in the design of nearly zero and plus energy buildings, it is important that all relevant stakeholders are involved from the beginning of the project. This is particularly important because disagreements and lack of communication between the stakeholders often lead to problems, which delay planning and implementation and lead to additional costs. In order to prevent the resulting barriers, it is essential that the previous processes for such an implementation are analysed and the individual steps are optimized to such an extent that a goal-oriented and cost-efficient cooperation is possible. This is focused in the thesis “Stakeholder related fields of action for process optimization of nearly zero energy and plus energy buildings”. In this way, an attempt is made to achieve process optimization with the aid of various methods from management consultancy. In order to achieve this, the focus of every construction project, especially nearly zero energy and plus energy buildings, must be on integral planning. The individual action steps must therefore be optimized in such a way that it is clearly defined for all stakeholders when and with which partner to interact.