ZnO/ITO core/shell nanostructure electrodes for future prototype solar cell devices

The impact of indium tin oxide (ITO) layers over vertically aligned zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) has been investigated to consider ITO nanolayers as transparent conducting oxide electrodes (TCOE) for hierarchical heteronanostructure solar cell devices that have ZnO nanostructures as branches. ZnO/ITO core/shell nanostructures were prepared in two- steps using vapor-liquid-solid and evaporation processes, and further the structures were annealed at various temperatures. Transmission electron microscopic studies show that the as-grown ZnO/ITO structures consist of an amorphous ITO shell on single crystalline ZnO cores, whereas the structures annealed above 300 degrees C consist of a single crystalline ITO shell. ITO layer deposited ZnO NRs exhibit a small red-shift in ZnO near-band-edge emission as well as optical band gap. The electrical measurements carried out on single ZnO/ITO core/shell NR under dark and UV light showed excellent thermionic transport properties. From these investigations it is emphasized that ITO nanolayers could be used as TCO electrodes for prototype ZnO based hierarchical solar cell devices.

Field induced domain switching as the origin of anomalous lattice strain along non-polar direction in rhombohedral BiScO3-PbTiO3 close to the morphotropic phase boundary

The lattice strain and domain switching behavior of xBiScO(3)-(1-x) PbTiO3 (x = 0.40) was investigated as a function of cyclic field and grain orientation by in situ X-ray diffraction during application of electric fields. The electric field induced 200 lattice strain was measured to be five times larger than the 111 lattice strain in pseudorhombohedral xBiScO(3)-(1-x) PbTiO3 (x = 0.40). It is shown that the anomalous 200 lattice strain is not an intrinsic phenomenon, but arises primarily due to stress associated with the reorientation of the 111 domains in dense polycrystalline ceramic. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

DTM AT 25: ESSAYS ON THEMES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

This paper describes the development and evolution of research themes in the Design Theory and Methodology (DTM) conference. Essays containing reflections on the history of DTM, supported by an analysis of session titles and papers winning the ``best paper award'', describe the development of the research themes. A second set of essays describes the evolution of several key research themes. Two broad trends in research themes are evident, with a third one emerging. The topics of the papers in the first decade or so reflect an underlying aim to apply artificial intelligence toward developing systems that could `design'. To do so required understanding how human designers behave, formalizing design processes so that they could be computed, and formalizing representations of design knowledge. The themes in the first DTM conference and the recollections of the DTM founders reflect this underlying aim. The second decade of DTM saw the emergence of product development as an underlying concern and included a growth in a systems view of design. More recently, there appears to be a trend toward design-led innovation, which entails both executing the design process more efficiently and understanding the characteristics of market-leading designs so as to produce engineered products and systems of exceptional levels of quality and customer satisfaction.

Seismic intensity map of South India for estimated future earthquakes

In this study, an attempt has been made to prepare the seismic intensity map for south India considering the probable earthquakes in the region. Anbazhagan et al. (Nat Hazards 60:1325-1345, 2012) have identified eight probable future earthquake zones in south India based on rupture-based seismic hazard analysis. Anbazhagan et al. (Eng Geol 171:81-95, 2014) has estimated the maximum future earthquake magnitude at these eight zones using regional rupture character. In this study, the whole south India is divided into several grids of size 1(o) x 1(o) and the intensity at each grid point is calculated using the regional intensity model for the maximum earthquake magnitude at each of the eight zones. The intensity due to earthquakes at these zones is mapped and thus eight seismic intensity maps are prepared. The final seismic intensity map of south India is obtained by considering the maximum intensity at each grid point due to the estimated earthquakes. By looking at the seismic intensity map, one can expect slight to heavy damage due to the probable earthquake magnitudes. Heavy damage may happen close to the probable earthquake zones.

Phytomedicinal importance of Saraca asoca (Ashoka): an exciting past, an emerging present and a promising future

Since the dawn of civilization, natural resources have remained the mainstay of various remedial approaches of humans vis-a-vis a large number of illnesses. Saraca asoca (Roxb.) de Wilde (Saraca indica L.) belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae has been regarded as a universal panacea in old Indian Ayurvedic texts and has especially been used to manage gynaecological complications and infections besides treating haemmorhagic dysentery, uterine pain, bacterial infections, skin problems, tumours, worm infestations, cardiac and circulatory problems. Almost all parts of the plant are considered pharmacologically valuable. Extensive folkloric practices and ethnobotanical applications of this plant have even lead to the availability of several commercial S. asoca formulations recommended for different indications though adulteration of these remains a pressing concern. Though a wealth of knowledge on this plant is available in both the classical and modern literature, extensive research on its phytomedicinal worth using state-of-the-art tools and methodologies is lacking. Recent reports on bioprospecting of S. asoca endophytic fungi for industrial bioproducts and useful pharmacologically relevant metabolites provide a silver lining to uncover single molecular bio-effectors from its endophytes. Here, we describe socio-ethnobotanical usage, present the current pharmacological status and discuss potential bottlenecks in harnessing the proclaimed phytomedicinal worth of this prescribed Ayurvedic medicinal plant. Finally, we also look into the possible future of the drug discovery and pharmaceutical R&D efforts directed at exploring its pharma legacy.

Status of the MSSM Higgs sector using global analysis and direct search bounds, and future prospects at the High Luminosity LHC

In this paper, we search for the regions of the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model (pMSSM) parameter space where one can expect to have moderate Higgs mixing angle (alpha) with relatively light (up to 600 GeV) additional Higgses after satisfying the current LHC data. We perform a global fit analysis using most updated data (till December 2014) from the LHC and Tevatron experiments. The constraints coming from the precision measurements of the rare b-decays B-s -> mu(+)mu(-) and b -> s gamma are also considered. We find that low M-A(less than or similar to 350) and high tan beta(greater than or similar to 25) regions are disfavored by the combined effect of the global analysis and flavor data. However, regions with Higgs mixing angle alpha similar to 0.1-0.8 are still allowed by the current data. We then study the existing direct search bounds on the heavy scalar/pseudoscalar (H/A) and charged Higgs boson (H-+/-) masses and branchings at the LHC. It has been found that regions with low to moderate values of tan beta with light additional Higgses (mass <= 600 GeV) are unconstrained by the data, while the regions with tan beta > 20 are excluded considering the direct search bounds by the LHC-8 data. The possibility to probe the region with tan beta <= 20 at the high luminosity run of LHC are also discussed, giving special attention to the H -> hh, H/A -> t (t) over bar and H/A -> tau(+)tau(-) decay modes.

Future collider signatures of the possible 750 GeV state

If the recent indications of a possible state I broken vertical bar with mass similar to 750 GeV decaying into two photons reported by ATLAS and CMS in LHC collisions at 13 TeV were to become confirmed, the prospects for future collider physics at the LHC and beyond would be affected radically, as we explore in this paper. Even minimal scenarios for the I broken vertical bar resonance and its gamma gamma decays require additional particles with masses . We consider here two benchmark scenarios that exemplify the range of possibilities: one in which I broken vertical bar is a singlet scalar or pseudoscalar boson whose production and gamma gamma decays are due to loops of coloured and charged fermions, and another benchmark scenario in which I broken vertical bar is a superposition of (nearly) degenerate CP-even and CP-odd Higgs bosons in a (possibly supersymmetric) two-Higgs doublet model also with additional fermions to account for the gamma gamma decay rate. We explore the implications of these benchmark scenarios for the production of I broken vertical bar and its new partners at colliders in future runs of the LHC and beyond, at higher-energy pp colliders and at e (+) e (-) and gamma gamma colliders, with emphasis on the bosonic partners expected in the doublet scenario and the fermionic partners expected in both scenarios.

Research on Dynamic Micro-Deformation under Laser Point Source

The dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source is measured using a laser beam reflex amplifier system and numerically simulated by Msc.Marc software. Compared with experimental result and calculated result, the final deformation direction of the specimen depends on the result of the thermal strain and the phase transformation strain cooperation, away from the laser beam or towards the laser beam, the final deformation angle depends on temperature gradient in the thickness direction and the geometry constraint of the specimen. The conclusion lays the foundation for further research on the mechanism of laser bending. At the same time, it is proposed that the model of calculation based on classical Fourier heat transfer theory cannot be enough to simulate the dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source, the model of calculation should be modified in the future.

General Solution to Two-Dimensional Nonslipping JKR Model with a Pulling Force in an Arbitrary Direction

In this paper, a generalized JKR model is investigated, in which an elastic cylinder adhesively contacts with an elastic half space and the contact region is assumed to be perfect bonding. An external pulling force is acted on the cylinder in an arbitrary direction. The contact area changes during the pull-off process, which can be predicted using the dynamic Griffith energy balance criterion as the contact edge shifts. Full coupled solution with an oscillatory singularity is obtained and analyzed by numerical calculations. The effect of Dundurs' parameter on the pull-off process is analyzed, which shows that a nonoscillatory solution can approximate the general one under some conditions, i.e., larger pulling angle (pi/2 is the maximum value), smaller a/R or larger nondimensional parameter value of Delta gamma/E*R. Relations among the contact half width, the external pulling force and the pulling angle are used to determine the pull-off force and pull-off contact half width explicitly. All the results in the present paper as basic solutions are helpful and applicable for experimenters and engineers.

Fast Hands-free Writing by Gaze Direction

We describe a method for text entry based on inverse arithmetic coding that relies on gaze direction and which is faster and more accurate than using an on-screen keyboard. These benefits are derived from two innovations: the writing task is matched to the capabilities of the eye, and a language model is used to make predictable words and phrases easier to write.

The statistics of the second order response of an FPSO in spreading seas

An expression for the probability density function of the second order response of a general FPSO in spreading seas is derived by using the Kac-Siegert approach. Various approximations of the second order force transfer functions are investigated for a ship-shaped FPSO. It is found that, when expressed in non-dimensional form, the probability density function of the response is not particularly sensitive to wave spreading, although the mean squared response and the resulting dimensional extreme values can be sensitive. The analysis is then applied to a Sevan FPSO, which is a large cylindrical buoy-like structure. The second order force transfer functions are derived by using an efficient semi-analytical hydrodynamic approach, and these are then employed to yield the extreme response. However, a significant effect of wave spreading on the statistics for a Sevan FPSO is found even in non-dimensional form. It implies that the exact statistics of a general ship-shaped FPSO may be sensitive to the wave direction, which needs to be verified in future work. It is also pointed out that the Newman's approximation regarding the frequency dependency of force transfer function is acceptable even for the spreading seas. An improvement on the results may be attained when considering the angular dependency exactly. Copyright © 2009 by ASME.