Ambipolar organic field-effect transistors with air stability, high mobility, and balanced transport

Ambipolar organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on the organic heterojunction of copper-hexadecafluoro-phthalocyanine (F16CuPc) and 2,5-bis(4-biphenylyl) bithiophene (BP2T) were fabricated. The ambipolar OFETs eliminated the injection barrier for the electrons and holes though symmetrical Au source and drain electrodes were used, and exhibited air stability and balanced ambipolar transport behavior. High field-effect mobilities of 0.04 cm(2)/V s for the holes and 0.036 cm(2)/V s for the electrons were obtained. The capacitance-voltage characteristic of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) diode confirmed that electrons and holes are transported at F16CuPc and BP2T layers, respectively. On this ground, complementary MOS-like inverters comprising two identical ambipolar OFETs were constructed.

Effects of different light sources and illumination methods on growth and body color of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Shrimps Litopenaeus vannamei with initial body weight of 2.108 +/- 0.036 g were sampled for specific growth rates (SGR) and body color measurements for 50 days under different light sources (incandescent lamp, IL; cool-white fluorescent lamp, FL; metal halide lamp, MHL; and control without lamp) and different illumination methods (illumination only in day, IOD, and illumination day and night, IDN). Body color of L. vannamei was measured according to the free astaxanthin concentration (FAC) of shrimp. The SGR, food intake (FI), feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and FAC of shrimps showed significant differences among the experimental treatment groups (P < 0.05). Maximum and minimum SGR occurred under IOD by MHL and IDN by FL, respectively (difference 56.34%). The FI of shrimp for the control group did not rank lowest among treatments, confirming that shrimp primarily use scent, not vision, to search for food. FI and FCE of shrimps were both the lowest among treatment groups under IDN by FL and growth was slow, thus FL is not a preferred light source for shrimp culture. Under IOD by MHL, shrimps had the highest FCE and the third highest FI among treatment groups ensuring rapid growth. FAC of shrimp were about 3.31 +/- 0.20 mg/kg. When under IOD by MHL and IDN by FL, FAC was significantly higher than the other treatments (P < 0.05). To summarize, when illuminated by MHL, L. vannamei had not only vivid body color due to high astaxanthin concentration but also rapid growth. Therefore, MHL is an appropriate indoor light source for shrimp super-intensive culture. SGR of shrimp was in significantly negative correlation to FAC of shrimp (P < 0.05). Thus, when FAC increased, SGR did not always follow, suggesting that the purpose of astaxanthin accumulation was not for growth promotion but for protection against intense light. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

汞矿化带土壤/大气界面汞交换通量研究

大气在汞的全球生物地球化学循环演化中占有重要的地位，而正确认识大气中汞的来源是准确理解和建立汞的生物地球化学循环模型的关键。大气汞的来源分为人为源和自然源。汞矿化带内土壤汞含量高于背景区几个数量级，是大气汞的重要自然释放源。 论文选取贵州省红枫湖地区作为对照区，滥木厂汞矿区，万山汞矿区和务川汞矿区为研究区，采用目前国际上广泛应用的大气自动测汞仪与动力学通量箱联用技术，对土壤/大气界面汞交换通量特征及机理进行了详细的研究。主要得到以下结论： (1)高汞区大气汞含量与土壤释汞通量高于对照区1 ~ 3个数量级，汞矿化带土壤是区域上重要的大气汞源； (2)土壤与大气界面间的汞交换是双向的，既有土壤汞向大气的释放，也有大气汞向土壤表面的干沉降； (3)在对照区和受人为因素影响较小的地区，土壤释汞通量具有显著的日变化和季节性变化规律，主要表现为白天高于夜间，暖季高于冷季；在人为污染较严重的地区或采样点，土壤与大气界面汞交换无明显变化规律，且表现出强烈的大气汞沉降； (4)影响土壤/大气界面汞交换的因素有土壤总汞含量、光照强度、降雨、土壤湿度、大气汞含量和植被覆盖情况等； (5)利用土壤释汞通量与光照强度之间的线性相关关系，建立了土壤释汞通量和光照强度的比值与土壤汞含量之间的对数相关关系，见下式： Ln (F/S) = (-1.155 ± 0.191) + (0.508 ± 0.036) LnC, r = 0.95, p < 0.0001 其中F为日平均土壤释汞通量，单位为ng m-2 h-1；S为日平均光照强度，单位为W m-2；C为各对应采样点土壤总汞含量，单位为mg kg-1。 滥木厂汞矿区土壤年平均释汞通量约为476 ng m-2 h-1 (326 ~ 694 ng m-2 h-1)；贵阳市土壤年平均释汞通量为15 ng m-2 h-1 (13 ~ 17 ng m-2 h-1)，高于模型预测值(1.1 ng m-2 h-1)1 ~ 2个数量级，这表明前期研究可能低估了汞矿化带土壤向大气的排汞通量。

滇黔相邻地区峨眉山玄武岩地球化学特征及其成自然铜矿作用

峨眉山玄武岩分布于云、贵、川三省。在滇黔交界处，二叠世玄武岩因为广泛发育自然铜矿化而具有重要的研究意义。本研究通过地质、地层和地球化学的方法探讨本区出露的峨眉山玄武岩的起源、成因和喷发时代，同时用同位素方法探讨玄武岩铜矿成矿。通过本次研究获得以下成果： 1 探讨了威宁二叠纪玄武岩的成因。通过主量和微量元素地球化学特征研究表明：玄武岩起源于微混染的EMⅡ型富集地幔，岩浆端元矿物为石榴子石二辉橄榄岩。岩浆在上升过程中发生了辉石和橄榄石的分离结晶。微量元素Rb的强烈负异常，表明玄武岩形成后遭到了强烈的热液蚀变。 2 用恢复Rb-Sr古混合线定年方法确定了本区宣威组底部硅质页岩的成岩年龄为255±12 Ma，首次确定了峨眉山玄武岩的喷发上限年龄。 3 玄武岩铜矿石铅同位素组成206Pb/204Pb=18.078~18.923；207Pb/204Pb= 15.463~15.690； 208Pb/204Pb=38.301~39.036。通过Pb同位素比较研究，矿石铅同位素组成与玄武岩岩石铅同位素组成相似，成铜物质可能来源于玄武岩的淋滤。 4 与玄武岩铜矿伴生的沥青和碳质δ13CPDB值变化在－32.3‰ ~－21‰之间，与自然界δC13储库生物成因的碳同位素组成相符，表明其为有机成因。铜矿石中方解石的碳氧同位素表现出明显的特殊性，以富δ18OSMOW和贫δ13CPDB 为特征，δ18OSMOW和δ13CPDB值分别为13.1‰~22.9‰ 和-32.3 ‰ ~ -13．5‰。不同矿床碳同位素组成一致，暗示碳为同一来源，均为有机碳。 5 矿石中石英和方解石中流体包裹体的H-O同位素组成为：δ18O矿物-SMOW，14.3‰ ~18.9‰；δ18O水－SMOW，2.8‰ ~ 7.2‰； δ18D水－SMOW，-63.6‰ ~ -80.6‰。其中流体包裹体均一温度为151 ~ 201℃。研究表明，成矿流体来源于建造水与玄武岩发生强烈的水-岩反应所形成的成矿流体。成矿流体通过对流循环方式从玄武岩中萃取成矿物质,有机质对成矿流体的还原和对成矿物质的吸附作用可能是成矿的重要机制。

Preparation and characterization of Pd-Ag alloy composite membrane with magnetron sputtering

A Pd-Ag (24 wt%) alloy composite membrane was prepared by the magnetron sputtering. A gamma-Al2O3 membrane was synthesized by the sol-gel method and used as substrate of the Pd-Ag alloy film. The process parameters of the magnetron sputtering were optimized as a function of the compactness of the Pd-Ag alloy film. The best membrane with a thickness of 1 mu m was produced with a sputtering pressure of 2.7 Pa and a substrate temperature of 400 degrees C. The membrane had an H-2/N-2 permselectivity of 51.5-1000 and an H-2 permeation rate of 0.036-1.17 x 10(-5)cm(3)/cm(2).s. Pa, depending on operating conditions.

Desempenho de genótipos de girassol no cerrado do leste Maranhense, ano agrícola 2013/2014.

RESUMO: No ano agrícola 2013/2014, foram conduzidos três ensaios de avaliação de genótipos de girassol, sendo dois no município de Mata Roma e um em Magalhães de Almeida, com o objetivo de identificar materiais promissores para produção de grãos e óleo. O espaçamento utilizado foi de 0,70 m entre linhas com plantas distanciadas de 0,30 m. A adubação de fundação constou de 200 kg ha-1 da fórmula 05-30-15 + micronutrientes e cobertura aos 30 dias após semeadura, usando-se 30 kg ha-1 de N e 30 kg ha-1 de K2O. Em Mata Roma, a produtividade de grãos no ensaio final 01 variou de 1.866 kg ha-1 a 2.567 kg ha-1, obtida nos genótipos Embrapa 122 e BRS G34, respectivamente, ficando a média geral do ensaio em 2.095 kg ha-1. No ensaio final 02 a produtividade de grãos variou de 1.705 kg ha-1 a 2.036 kg ha -1 para os genótipos Helio 250 e MG 360, REspectivamente, com média geral de 1.834 kg ha-1. Em Magalhães de Almeida a produtividade de grãos obtida no ensaio final constou de 1.600 kg ha-1 no genótipo Helio 251, 2.110 kg ha-1 no CF 101 e média Geral do ensaio de 1.908 kg ha -1. Os maiores teores de óleo obtidos nos três ensaios foram 40,1%, 40,6%, 40,9% e 41,4%, respectivamente, nos genótipos CF 101, Paraíso 20, BRS G41 e MG 360. ABSTRACT: In the agricultural year 2013/2014, three sunflowers genotypes tests were conducted in the state of Maranhão: two in the county of Mata Roma and one in Magalhães de Almeida, in order to identify promising materials for the production of grain and oil. The spacing used was 0.70 m between rows with plants spaced of 0.30 m. The foundation of fertilization consisted of 200 kg ha-1 formula 05-30-15 + micro-nutrient and coverage on 30 days after sowing, using 30 kg ha-1 of N and 30 kg ha-1 of K2O. In Mata Roma, grain yield in the final test 01 ranged from 1,866 kg ha-1 to 2,567 kg ha-1, obtained at Embrapa 122 and BRS G34 genotypes, respectively, getting the overall average of the test in 2,095 kg ha-1. In the final test 02, the grain yield ranged from 1,705 kg ha-1 to 2,036 kg ha-1 for Helio 250 and MG 360 genotypes, respectively, with overall average of 1,834 kg ha-1. In Magalhães de Almeida the grain yield obtained in the final test consisted of 1,600 kg ha-1 in the genotype Helio 251, 2,110 kg ha-1 in the CF 101 and overall average test of 1,908 kg ha-1. The highest oil content obtained in the three tests were 40.1%, 40.6%, 40.9% and 41.4%, respectively, in the 101 CF genotypes, Heaven 20, BRS G41 and MG 360.

Valve surgery in active infective endocarditis: a simple score to predict in-hospital prognosis

Aims Surgery for infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with high mortality. Our objectives were to describe the experience with surgical treatment for IE in Spain, and to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Methods Prospective cohort of 1000 consecutive patients with IE. Data were collected in 26 Spanish hospitals. Results Surgery was performed in 437 patients (43.7%). Patients treated with surgery were younger and predominantly male. They presented fewer comorbid conditions and more often had negative blood cultures and heart failure. In-hospital mortality after surgery was lower than in the medical therapy group (24.3 vs 30.7%, p = 0.02). In patients treated with surgery, endocarditis involved a native valve in 267 patients (61.1%), a prosthetic valve in 122 (27.9%), and a pacemaker lead with no clear further valve involvement in 48 (11.0%). The most common aetiologies were Staphylococcus (186, 42.6%), Streptococcus (97, 22.2%), and Enterococcus (49, 11.2%). The main indications for surgery were heart failure and severe valve regurgitation. A risk score for in-hospital mortality was developed using 7 prognostic variables with a similar predictive value (OR between 1.7 and 2.3): PALSUSE: prosthetic valve, age ≥ 70, large intracardiac destruction, Staphylococcus spp, urgent surgery, sex [female], EuroSCORE ≥ 10. In-hospital mortality ranged from 0% in patients with a PALSUSE score of 0 to 45.4% in patients with PALSUSE score > 3. Conclusions The prognosis of IE surgery is highly variable. The PALSUSE score could help to identify patients with higher in-hospital mortality.

Muscle signaling in exercise intolerance: Insights from the McArdle mouse model

We recently generated a knock-in mouse model (PYGM p.R50X/p.R50X) of McArdle disease (myophosphorylase deficiency). One mechanistic approach to unveil the molecular alterations caused by myophosphorylase deficiency, which is arguably the paradigm of 'exercise intolerance', is to compare the skeletal-muscle tissue of McArdle, heterozygous, and healthy (wild type (wt)) mice. We analyzed in quadriceps muscle of p.R50X/p.R50X (n=4), p.R50X/wt (n=6) and wt/wt mice (n=5) (all male, 8 wk-old) molecular markers of energy-sensing pathways, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and autophagy/proteasome systems, oxidative damage and sarcoplamic reticulum (SR) Ca handling. We found a significant group effect for total AMPK (tAMPK) and ratio of phosphorylated (pAMPK)/tAMPK (P=0.012 and 0.033), with higher mean values in p.R50X/p.R50X mice vs. the other two groups. The absence of massive accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, autophagosomes or lysosomes in p.R50X/p.R50X mice suggested no major alterations in autophagy/proteasome systems. Citrate synthase activity was lower in p.R50X/p.R50X mice vs. the other two groups (P=0.036) but no statistical effect existed for respiratory chain complexes. We found higher levels of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified proteins in p.R50X/p.R50X and p.R50X/wt mice compared with the wt/wt group (P=0.011). Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum ATPase 1 (SERCA1) levels detected at 110kDa tended to be higher in p.R50X/p.R50X and p.R50X/wt mice compared with wt/wt animals (P=0.076), but their enzyme activity was normal. We also found an accumulation of phosphorylated SERCA1 in p.R50X/p.R50X animals. Myophosphorylase deficiency causes alterations in sensory energetic pathways together with some evidence of oxidative damage and alterations in Ca handling but with no major alterations in OXPHOS capacity or autophagy/ubiquitination pathways, which suggests that the muscle tissue of patients is likely to adapt overall favorably to exercise training interventions.

Fortalecimiento de la actividad artesanal mediante el desarrollo de productos para el sector madera mueble y la optimización de los procesos productivos en el Municipio de El Retiro Antioquia.

112 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías.

Handsignals Recognition From Video Using 3D Motion Capture Data

Hand signals are commonly used in applications such as giving instructions to a pilot for airplane take off or direction of a crane operator by a foreman on the ground. A new algorithm for recognizing hand signals from a single camera is proposed. Typically, tracked 2D feature positions of hand signals are matched to 2D training images. In contrast, our approach matches the 2D feature positions to an archive of 3D motion capture sequences. The method avoids explicit reconstruction of the 3D articulated motion from 2D image features. Instead, the matching between the 2D and 3D sequence is done by backprojecting the 3D motion capture data onto 2D. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in an example application: recognizing six classes of basketball referee hand signals in video.

Modeling the Java Bytecode Verifier

The Java programming language has been widely described as secure by design. Nevertheless, a number of serious security vulnerabilities have been discovered in Java, particularly in the Bytecode Verifier, a critical component used to verify class semantics before loading is complete. This paper describes a method for representing Java security constraints using the Alloy modeling language. It further describes a system for performing a security analysis on any block of Java bytecodes by converting the bytes into relation initializers in Alloy. Any counterexamples found by the Alloy analyzer correspond directly to insecure code. Analysis of the approach in the context of known security exploits is provided. This type of analysis represents a significant departure from standard malware analysis methods based on signatures or anomaly detection.

A Distributed Outstar Network for Spatial Pattern Learning

The distributed outstar, a generalization of the outstar neural network for spatial pattern learning, is introduced. In the outstar, signals from a source node cause weights to learn and recall arbitrary patterns across a target field of nodes. The distributed outstar replaces the outstar source node with a source field of arbitrarily many nodes, whose activity pattern may be arbitrarily distributed or compressed. Learning proceeds according to a principle of atrophy due to disuse, whereby a path weight decreases in joint proportion to the transmitted path signal and the degree of disuse of the target node. During learning, the total signal to a target node converges toward that node's activity level. Weight changes at a node are apportioned according to the distributed pattern of converging signals. Three synaptic transmission functions, by a product rule, a capacity rule, and a threshold rule, are examined for this system. The three rules are computationally equivalent when source field activity is maximally compressed, or winner-take-all. When source field activity is distributed, catastrophic forgetting may occur. Only the threshold rule solves this problem. Analysis of spatial pattern learning by distributed codes thereby leads to the conjecture that the unit of long-term memory in such a system is an adaptive threshold, rather than the multiplicative path weight widely used in neural models.

Tropospheric aerosol detection over Southern Ireland using a backscatter Raman lidar

Lidar is an optical remote sensing instrument that can measure atmospheric parameters. A Raman lidar instrument (UCLID) was established at University College Cork to contribute to the European lidar network, EARLINET. System performance tests were carried out to ensure strict data quality assurance for submission to the EARLINET database. Procedures include: overlap correction, telecover test, Rayleigh test and zero bin test. Raman backscatter coefficients, extinction coefficients and lidar ratio were measured from April 2010 to May 2011 and February 2012 to June 2012. Statistical analysis of the profiles over these periods provided new information about the typical atmospheric scenarios over Southern Ireland in terms of aerosol load in the lower troposphere, the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height, aerosol optical density (AOD) at 532 nm and lidar ratio values. The arithmetic average of the PBL height was found to be 608 ± 138 m with a median of 615 m, while average AOD at 532 nm for clean marine air masses was 0.119 ± 0.023 and for polluted air masses was 0.170 ± 0.036. The lidar ratio showed a seasonal dependence with lower values found in winter and autumn (20 ± 5 sr) and higher during spring and winter (30 ± 12 sr). Detection of volcanic particles from the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland was measured between 21 April and 7 May 2010. The backscatter coefficient of the ash layer varied between 2.5 Mm-1sr-1 and 3.5 Mm-1sr-1, and estimation of the AOD at 532 nm was found to be between 0.090 and 0.215. Several aerosol loads due to Saharan dust particles were detected in Spring 2011 and 2012. Lidar ratio of the dust layers were determine to be between 45 and 77 sr and AOD at 532 nm during the dust events range between 0.84 to 0.494.

Coffee Filters and Creativity: The Value of Multiple Filters in the Creative Process

Creativity is often defined as developing something novel or new, that fits its context, and has value. To achieve this, the creative process itself has gained increasing attention as organizational leaders seek competitive advantages through developing new products, services, process, or business models. In this paper, we explore the notion of the creative process as including a series of “filters” or ways to process information as being a critical component of the creative process. We use the metaphor of coffee making and filters because many of our examples come from Vietnam, which is one of the world’s top coffee exporters and which has created a coffee culture rivaling many other countries. We begin with a brief review of the creative process its connection to information processing, propose a tentative framework for integrating the two ideas, and provide examples of how it might work. We close with implications for further practical and theoretical directions for this idea.

Hodgkin lymphoma treatment with ABVD in the US and the EU: neutropenia occurrence and impaired chemotherapy delivery.

BACKGROUND: In newly diagnosed patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) the effect of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD)-related neutropenia on chemotherapy delivery is poorly documented. The aim of this analysis was to assess the impact of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) on ABVD chemotherapy delivery in HL patients. STUDY DESIGN: Data from two similarly designed, prospective, observational studies conducted in the US and the EU were analysed. One hundred and fifteen HL patients who started a new course of ABVD during 2002-2005 were included. The primary objective was to document the effect of neutropenic complications on delivery of ABVD chemotherapy in HL patients. Secondary objectives were to investigate the incidence of CIN and febrile neutropenia (FN) and to compare US and EU practice with ABVD therapy in HL. Pooled data were analysed to explore univariate associations with neutropenic events. RESULTS: Chemotherapy delivery was suboptimal (with a relative dose intensity < or = 85%) in 18-22% of patients. The incidence of grade 4 CIN in cycles 1-4 was lower in US patients (US 24% vs. EU 32%). Patients in both the US and the EU experienced similar rates of FN across cycles 1-4 (US 12% vs. EU 11%). Use of primary colony-stimulating factor (CSF) prophylaxis and of any CSF was more common in the US than the EU (37% vs. 4% and 78% vs. 38%, respectively). The relative risk (RR) of dose delays was 1.54 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-2.23, p = 0.036) for patients with vs. without grade 4 CIN and the RR of grade 4 CIN was 0.35 (95% CI 0.12-1.06, p = 0.046) for patients with vs. without primary CSF prophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: In this population of HL patients, CIN was frequent and FN occurrence clinically relevant. Chemotherapy delivery was suboptimal. CSF prophylaxis appeared to reduce CIN rates.