Environmental materials and interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-11-01

A workshop that explored materials and interfaces research needs relevant to national environmental concerns was conducted at Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The purposes of the workshop were to refine the scientific research directions being planned for the Materials and Interface Program in the Molecular Science Research Center (MSRC) and further define the research and user equipment to the included as part of the proposed Environmental and Molecular Science Laboratory (EMSL). Three plenary information sessions served to outline the background, objectives, and status of the MSRC and EMSL initiatives; selected specific areas with environmentally related materials; and the status of capabilities and facilities planned for the EMSL. Attention was directed to four areas where materials and interface science can have a significant impact on prevention and remediation of environmental problems: in situ detection and characterization of hazardous wastes (sensors), minimization of hazardous waste (separation membranes, ion exchange materials, catalysts), waste containment (encapsulation and barrier materials), and fundamental understanding of contaminant transport mechanisms. During all other sessions, the participants were divided into three working groups for detailed discussion and the preparation of a written report. The working groups focused on the areas of interface structure and chemistry, materials and interface stability, and materials synthesis. These recommendations and suggestions for needed research will be useful for other researchers in proposing projects and for suggesting collaborative work with MSRC researchers. 1 fig

An Overview of Recent Patents on Musculoskeletal Interface Tissue Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Rohit T.; Browe, Daniel P.; Lowe, Christopher J.; Freeman, Joseph W.

2018-01-01

Interface tissue engineering involves the development of engineered grafts that promote integration between multiple tissue types. Musculoskeletal tissue interfaces are critical to the safe and efficient transmission of mechanical forces between multiple musculoskeletal tissues e.g. between ligament and bone tissue. However, these interfaces often do not physiologically regenerate upon injury, resulting in impaired tissue function. Therefore, interface tissue engineering approaches are considered to be particularly relevant for the structural restoration of musculoskeletal tissues interfaces. In this article we provide an overview of the various strategies used for engineering musculoskeletal tissue interfaces with a specific focus on the recent important patents that have been issued for inventions that were specifically designed for engineering musculoskeletal interfaces as well as those that show promise to be adapted for this purpose. PMID:26577344

Programming Graphical User Interfaces in R

CERN Document Server

Verzani, John

2012-01-01

Programming Graphical User Interfaces with R introduces each of the major R packages for GUI programming: RGtk2, qtbase, Tcl/Tk, and gWidgets. With examples woven through the text as well as stand-alone demonstrations of simple yet reasonably complete applications, the book features topics especially relevant to statisticians who aim to provide a practical interface to functionality implemented in R. The book offers: A how-to guide for developing GUIs within R The fundamentals for users with limited knowledge of programming within R and other languages GUI design for specific functions or as l

Ionic conductivity in oxide heterostructures: the role of interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emiliana Fabbri, Daniele Pergolesi and Enrico Traversa

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Rapidly growing attention is being directed to the investigation of ionic conductivity in oxide film heterostructures. The main reason for this interest arises from interfacial phenomena in these heterostructures and their applications. Recent results revealed that heterophase interfaces have faster ionic conduction pathways than the bulk or homophase interfaces. This finding can open attractive opportunities in the field of micro-ionic devices. The influence of the interfaces on the conduction properties of heterostructures is becoming increasingly important with the miniaturization of solid-state devices, which leads to an enhanced interface density at the expense of the bulk. This review aims to describe the main evidence of interfacial phenomena in ion-conducting film heterostructures, highlighting the fundamental and technological relevance and offering guidelines to understanding the interface conduction mechanisms in these structures.

Quantum noise for Faraday light–matter interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vasliyev, D.V.; Hammerer, K.; Korolev, N.

2012-01-01

In light–matter interfaces based on the Faraday effect, quite a number of quantum information protocols have been successfully demonstrated. In order to further increase the performance and fidelities achieved in these protocols, a deeper understanding of the relevant noise and decoherence...

Adsorption of atmospherically relevant gases at the air/water interface: Free energy profiles of aqueous solvation of N2, O2, O3, OH, H2O, HO2 and H2O2

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vácha, Robert; Slavíček, Petr; Mucha, Martin; Finlayson-Pitts, B. J.; Jungwirth, Pavel

2004-01-01

Roč. 108, - (2004), s. 11573-11579 ISSN 1089-5639 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME 644 Grant - others:US-NSF(US) 0209719; US-NSF(US) 0431512 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z4055905 Keywords : atmospherically relevant gases * air /water interface * free energy profiles Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 2.639, year: 2004

Electronic and magnetic properties of the Co{sub 2}MnAl/Au interface: Relevance of the Heusler alloy termination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Makinistian, L., E-mail: lmakinistian@santafe-conicet.gov.ar [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina); Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, 3101 Oro Verde (Argentina); Albanesi, E.A. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina); Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, 3101 Oro Verde (Argentina)

2015-07-01

We present ab initio calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic metal/normal metal (F/N) interface of the Heusler alloy Co{sub 2}MnAl and gold. Two structural models are implemented: one with the ferromagnet slab terminated in a pure cobalt plane (“Co{sub 2}-t”), and the other with it terminated with a plane of MnAl (“MnAl-t”). The relaxed optimum distance between the slabs is determined for the two models before densities of states, magnetic moments, and the electric potential are resolved and analyzed layer by layer through the interface. Complementary, calculations for the free surfaces of gold and the Heusler alloy (for both models, Co{sub 2}-t and MnAl-t) are performed for a better interpretation of the physics of the interface. We predict important differences between the two models, suggesting that both terminations are to be expected to display sensibly different spin injection performances. - Highlights: • Ab initio electronic and magnetic properties of the interface Co{sub 2}MnAl/Au. • Two terminations were studied: Co{sub 2} and MnAl terminated. • The termination of the Heusler alloy sensibly determines the interface properties. • The Co{sub 2} terminated interface displays a higher spin polarization.

Effect of Trimethylamine N-Oxide on Interfacial Electrostatics at Phospholipid Monolayer-Water Interfaces and Its Relevance to Cardiovascular Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Jahur A

2016-05-05

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite of choline containing dietary nutrients which are abundant in red meat, egg, and other animal foods, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (e.g., atherosclerosis) by boosted accumulation of fatty deposits on artery wall. Hence, for the molecular level elucidation of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, it is important to understand the effect of TMAO at the endothelial cell membrane-blood interface (artery wall). Heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (HD-VSFG) study of a zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipid monolayer-water interface (mimic of endothelial membrane-blood interface) shows that the interfacial water becomes increasingly H-up oriented in the presence of TMAO in the aqueous phase, revealing a dramatic change in the interfacial electrostatics. Examinations of charged lipid interfaces show that TMAO screens anionic phosphate less effectively than cationic choline, which confirms that TMAO increases the relative influence of the anionic phosphate by preferential screening of the cationic choline at the zwitterionic PC lipid interface where the phosphate and choline groups are simultaneously present. Together, it is conceivable that at an elevated TMAO level in serum would modify the electrostatics at the endothelial cell membrane-blood interface (artery wall), which may affect the influx/efflux of fatty deposits on artery wall, setting the stage for atherosclerosis.

Experimental determination of the electronic properties of application-relevant interfaces of organic semiconductors by means of photoelectron spectroscopy; Experimentelle Bestimmung der elektronischen Eigenschaften anwendungsrelevanter Grenzflaechen organischer Halbleiter mittels Photoelektronenspektroskopie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grobosch, Mandy

2009-07-01

This thesis under the titel Experimental Determination of the Electronic Properties of Application-relevant Interfaces of Organic Semiconductors by means of Photoelectron Spectroscopy was drawn up at the Leibniz Institute for Solid-State and Materials Research (IFW) Dresden at the Institute for Solid-State Research (IFF) under the maintenance of Prof. Dr. B. Buechner. To the scientific study hereby came two types of application-relevant interfaces. On the one hand the influence of the electrode preparation under normal conditions by means of ex-situ purification procedures in comparison to in-situ prepared contacts on the electronic behaviour of the organic semiconductor sexithiophene on interfaces to metallic substrates was studied. As substrate materials hereby the metals silver, palladium, gold, and platinum came to application. In a second study the interfaces of the organic semiconductors sexithiophene and copper(II)-phthalocyanine in contact to thin films of the transition-metal oxide La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} were studied. Also here a comparing study for ex-situ and in-situ purificated La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} contacts was performed. The films applied for this were fabricated in the IWF Dresden at the Institute for Metallic Materials (IMW). Also in the framework of these studies the influence of oxygen on the electronic and chemical behaviour on the interfaces held the spotlight. [German] Diese Dissertation unter dem Titel Experimentelle Bestimmung der elektronischen Eigenschaften anwendungsrelevanter Grenzflaechen organischer Halbleiter mittels Photoelektronenspektroskopie wurde am Leibniz Institut fuer Festkoerper- und Werkstoffforschung (IFW) Dresden am Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung (IFF) unter der Betreuung von Prof. Dr. B. Buechner angefertigt. Zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung kamen hierbei zwei Typen anwendungsrelevanter Grenzflaechen. Zum einem wurde der Einfluss einer Elektrodenpraeparation unter Normalbedingungen mittels ex

Comprehensive inventory of protein complexes in the Protein Data Bank from consistent classification of interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorin Andrey A

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein-protein interactions are ubiquitous and essential for all cellular processes. High-resolution X-ray crystallographic structures of protein complexes can reveal the details of their function and provide a basis for many computational and experimental approaches. Differentiation between biological and non-biological contacts and reconstruction of the intact complex is a challenging computational problem. A successful solution can provide additional insights into the fundamental principles of biological recognition and reduce errors in many algorithms and databases utilizing interaction information extracted from the Protein Data Bank (PDB. Results We have developed a method for identifying protein complexes in the PDB X-ray structures by a four step procedure: (1 comprehensively collecting all protein-protein interfaces; (2 clustering similar protein-protein interfaces together; (3 estimating the probability that each cluster is relevant based on a diverse set of properties; and (4 combining these scores for each PDB entry in order to predict the complex structure. The resulting clusters of biologically relevant interfaces provide a reliable catalog of evolutionary conserved protein-protein interactions. These interfaces, as well as the predicted protein complexes, are available from the Protein Interface Server (PInS website (see Availability and requirements section. Conclusion Our method demonstrates an almost two-fold reduction of the annotation error rate as evaluated on a large benchmark set of complexes validated from the literature. We also estimate relative contributions of each interface property to the accurate discrimination of biologically relevant interfaces and discuss possible directions for further improving the prediction method.

Alignment of non-covalent interactions at protein-protein interfaces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongbo Zhu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The study and comparison of protein-protein interfaces is essential for the understanding of the mechanisms of interaction between proteins. While there are many methods for comparing protein structures and protein binding sites, so far no methods have been reported for comparing the geometry of non-covalent interactions occurring at protein-protein interfaces. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we present a method for aligning non-covalent interactions between different protein-protein interfaces. The method aligns the vector representations of van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonds based on their geometry. The method has been applied to a dataset which comprises a variety of protein-protein interfaces. The alignments are consistent to a large extent with the results obtained using two other complementary approaches. In addition, we apply the method to three examples of protein mimicry. The method successfully aligns respective interfaces and allows for recognizing conserved interface regions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The Galinter method has been validated in the comparison of interfaces in which homologous subunits are involved, including cases of mimicry. The method is also applicable to comparing interfaces involving non-peptidic compounds. Galinter assists users in identifying local interface regions with similar patterns of non-covalent interactions. This is particularly relevant to the investigation of the molecular basis of interaction mimicry.

Una aventura il·lusionant: del treball cooperatiu al treball en grups interactius

OpenAIRE

Aracil, Lurdes; Boix, Assumpció; Coves, Esperança

2013-01-01

Aquest és un treball realitzat per l'IES La Terreta d'Elx des del curs 2007-2008 i que s'ha portat en els nivells de 1r i 4t d'ESO i PQPI. Amb aquest treball pretenem difondre el que hem estat fent els últims tres o quatre cursos en el camp del treball cooperatiu, posant de manifest que aqueses metodologies milloren el rendiment acadèmic i la convivència. D'aquesta manera, volem facilitar unes eines a qui tinga interès en la millora del clima de l'aula, de la inclusióde tot l'alumant i des...

The Syntax-Semantics Interface in Distributed Morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Justin Robert

2013-01-01

Distributed Morphology (DM; Halle & Marantz 1993; Marantz 1997) is founded on the premise that the syntax is the only computational component of the grammar. Much research focuses on how this premise is relevant to the syntax-morphology interface in DM. In this dissertation, I examine theory-internal issues related to the syntax-semantics…

Portable haptic interface with omni-directional movement and force capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Avizzano, Carlo Alberto; Satler, Massimo; Ruffaldi, Emanuele

2014-01-01

We describe the design of a new mobile haptic interface that employs wheels for force rendering. The interface, consisting of an omni-directional Killough type platform, provides 2DOF force feedback with different control modalities. The system autonomously performs sensor fusion for localization and force rendering. This paper explains the relevant choices concerning the functional aspects, the control design, the mechanical and electronic solution. Experimental results for force feedback characterization are reported.

Novel Measurements of Aerosol Particle Interfaces Using Biphasic Microfluidics

Science.gov (United States)

Metcalf, A. R.; Dutcher, C. S.

2014-12-01

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are nearly ubiquitous in the atmosphere and yet there remains large uncertainties in their formation processes and ambient properties. These particles are complex microenvironments, which can contain multiple interfaces due to internal aqueous-organic phase partitioning and to the external liquid-vapor surface. These aerosol interfaces can profoundly affect the fate of condensable organic compounds emitted into the atmosphere by altering the way in which organic vapors interact with the ambient aerosol. Aerosol interfaces affect particle internal structure, species uptake, equilibrium partitioning, activation to cloud condensation or ice nuclei, and optical properties. For example, organic thin films can shield the core of the aerosol from the ambient environment, which may disrupt equilibrium partitioning and mass transfer. To improve our ability to accurately predict the fate of SOA in the atmosphere, we must improve our knowledge of aerosol interfaces and their interactions with the ambient environment. Few technologies exist to accurately probe aerosol interfaces at atmospherically-relevant conditions. In this talk, a novel method using biphasic microscale flows will be introduced for generating, trapping, and perturbing complex interfaces at atmospherically relevant conditions. These microfluidic experiments utilize high-speed imaging to monitor interfacial phenomena at the microscale and are performed with phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy on a temperature-controlled inverted microscope stage. From these experiments, interfacial thermodynamic properties such as surface tension, rheological properties such as interfacial moduli, and kinetic properties such as mass transfer coefficients can be measured or inferred. Chemical compositions of the liquid phases studied here span a range of viscosities and include electrolyte and water soluble organic acid species often observed in the atmosphere, such as mixtures

Ecological user interface for emergency management decision support systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, V.

2003-01-01

The user interface for decision support systems is normally structured for presenting relevant data for the skilled user in order to allow fast assessment and action of the hazardous situation, or for more complex situations to present the relevant rules and procedures to be followed in order to ...... of this paper is to discuss the possibility of using the same principles for emergency management with the aim of improved performance in complex and unanticipated situations....

An adaptive interface (KNOWBOT) for nuclear power industry data bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heger, A.S.

1989-01-01

An adaptive interface, KNOWBOT, has been designed to solve some of the problems that face the users of large centralized databases. The interface applies the neural network approach to information retrieval from a database. The database is a subset of the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS). KNOWBOT preempts an existing database interface and works in conjunction with it. By design, KNOWBOT starts as a tabula rasa but acquires knowledge through its interactions with the user and the database. The interface uses its gained knowledge to personalize the database retrieval process and to induce new queries. In addition, the interface forgets the information that is no longer needed by the user. These self-organizing features of the interface reduce the scope of the database to the subsets that are highly relevant to the user needs. A proof-of-principle version of this interface has been implemented in Common LISP on a Texas Instruments Explorer I workstation. Experiments with KNOWBOT have successfully demonstrated the robustness of the model especially with induction and self-organization

Emulsion droplet spreading at air/water interfaces: mechanisms and relevance to the whipping of cream

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hotrum, N.E.

2004-01-01

Keywords:emulsion, spreading coefficient, surface tension, emulsifier, whipped cream, dairy foam, partial coalescence In this thesis, the interaction between emulsion droplets and expanding air/water interfaces was investigated. The

Silk-polypyrrole biocompatible actuator performance under biologically relevant conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Hagler, Jo'elen; Peterson, Ben; Murphy, Amanda; Leger, Janelle

Biocompatible actuators that are capable of controlled movement and can function under biologically relevant conditions are of significant interest in biomedical fields. Previously, we have demonstrated that a composite material of silk biopolymer and the conducting polymer polypyrrole (PPy) can be formed into a bilayer device that can bend under applied voltage. Further, these silk-PPy composites can generate forces comparable to human muscle (>0.1 MPa) making them ideal candidates for interfacing with biological tissues. Here silk-PPy composite films are tested for performance under biologically relevant conditions including exposure to a complex protein serum and biologically relevant temperatures. Free-end bending actuation performance, current response, force generation and, mass degradation were investigated . Preliminary results show that when exposed to proteins and biologically relevant temperatures, these silk-PPy composites show minimal degradation and are able to generate forces and conduct currents comparable to devices tested under standard conditions. NSF.

Novel routes to metal nanoparticles : electrodeposition and reactions at liquid-liquid interfaces

OpenAIRE

Johans, Christoffer

2003-01-01

This thesis considers the nucleation and growth, synthesis, and catalytic application of metallic nanoparticles at liquid|liquid interfaces. It comprises five publications, a previously unpublished synthesis of polymer coated palladium nanoparticles, and an introduction to the relevant literature. Three publications are concerned with electrodeposition of metal nanoparticles at liquid|liquid interfaces. One publication and the results presented here consider the synthesis of silver and pallad...

Touch-based Brain Computer Interfaces: State of the art

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erp, J.B.F. van; Brouwer, A.M.

2014-01-01

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) rely on the user's brain activity to control equipment or computer devices. Many BCIs are based on imagined movement (called active BCIs) or the fact that brain patterns differ in reaction to relevant or attended stimuli in comparison to irrelevant or unattended

Computational analysis of acoustic transmission through periodically perforated interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohan E.

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to demonstrate the homogenization approach applied to modelling the acoustic transmission on perforated interfaces embedded in the acoustic fluid. We assume a layer, with periodically perforated obstacles, separating two half-spaces filled with the fluid. The homogenization method provides limit transmission conditions which can be prescribed at the homogenized surface representing the "limit" interface. The conditions describe relationship between jump of the acoustic pressures and the transversal acoustic velocity, on introducing the "in-layer pressure" which describes wave propagation in the tangent directions with respect to the interface.This approach may serve as a relevant tool for optimal design of devices aimed at attenuation of the acoustic waves, such as the engine exhaust mufflers or other structures fitted with sieves and grillages. We present numerical examples of wave propagation in a muffler-like structure illustrating viability of the approach when complex 3D geometries of the interface perforation are considered.

Discrimination between biological interfaces and crystal-packing contacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuko Tsuchiya

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Yuko Tsuchiya1, Haruki Nakamura2, Kengo Kinoshita1,31Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minatoku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan; 2Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; 3Bioinformatics Research and Development, JST, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, JapanAbstract: A discrimination method between biologically relevant interfaces and artificial crystal-packing contacts in crystal structures was constructed. The method evaluates protein-protein interfaces in terms of complementarities for hydrophobicity, electrostatic potential and shape on the protein surfaces, and chooses the most probable biological interfaces among all possible contacts in the crystal. The method uses a discriminator named as “COMP”, which is a linear combination of the complementarities for the above three surface features and does not correlate with the contact area. The discrimination of homo-dimer interfaces from symmetry-related crystal-packing contacts based on the COMP value achieved the modest success rate. Subsequent detailed review of the discrimination results raised the success rate to about 88.8%. In addition, our discrimination method yielded some clues for understanding the interaction patterns in several examples in the PDB. Thus, the COMP discriminator can also be used as an indicator of the “biological-ness” of protein-protein interfaces.Keywords: protein-protein interaction, complementarity analysis, homo-dimer interface, crystal-packing contact, biological interfaces

Understanding biomaterial-tissue interface quality: combined in vitro evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Gasik, Michael

2017-12-01

One of the greatest challenges in the development of new medical products and devices remains in providing maximal patient safety, efficacy and suitability for the purpose. A 'good quality' of the tissue-implant interface is one of the most critical factors for the success of the implant integration. In this paper this challenge is being discussed from the point of view of basic stimuli combination to experimental testing. The focus is in particular on bacterial effects on tissue-implant interaction (for different materials). The demonstration of the experimental evaluation of the tissue-implant interface is for dental abutment with mucosal contact. This shows that testing of the interface quality could be the most relevant in controlled conditions, which mimic as possible the clinical applications, but consider variables being under the control of the evaluator.

Liquid crystal interfaces: Experiments, simulations and biosensors

Science.gov (United States)

Popov, Piotr

Interfacial phenomena are ubiquitous and extremely important in various aspects of biological and industrial processes. For example, many liquid crystal applications start by alignment with a surface. The underlying mechanisms of the molecular organization of liquid crystals at an interface are still under intensive study and continue to be important to the display industry in order to develop better and/or new display technology. My dissertation research has been devoted to studying how complex liquid crystals can be guided to organize at an interface, and to using my findings to develop practical applications. Specifically, I have been working on developing biosensors using liquid-crystal/surfactant/lipid/protein interactions as well as the alignment of low-symmetry liquid crystals for potential new display and optomechanical applications. The biotechnology industry needs better ways of sensing biomaterials and identifying various nanoscale events at biological interfaces and in aqueous solutions. Sensors in which the recognition material is a liquid crystal naturally connects the existing knowledge and experience of the display and biotechnology industries together with surface and soft matter sciences. This dissertation thus mainly focuses on the delicate phenomena that happen at liquid interfaces. In the introduction, I start by defining the interface and discuss its structure and the relevant interfacial forces. I then introduce the general characteristics of biosensors and, in particular, describe the design of biosensors that employ liquid crystal/aqueous solution interfaces. I further describe the basic properties of liquid crystal materials that are relevant for liquid crystal-based biosensing applications. In CHAPTER 2, I describe the simulation methods and experimental techniques used in this dissertation. In CHAPTER 3 and CHAPTER 4, I present my computer simulation work. CHAPTER 3 presents insight of how liquid crystal molecules are aligned by

Ledge-flow-controlled catalyst interface dynamics during Si nanowire growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hofmann, S; Sharma, R; Wirth, CT

2008-01-01

understanding of the role of commonly used catalysts and specifically of their interface dynamics1, 2. Although catalytic chemical vapour deposition of nanowires below the eutectic temperature has been demonstrated in many semiconductor–catalyst systems3, 4, 5, 6, growth from solid catalysts is still disputed...... as a comparative benchmark. The dominant coherent Pd silicide/Si growth interface subsequently advances by lateral propagation of ledges, driven by catalytic dissociation of disilane and coupled Pd and Si diffusion. Our results establish an atomistic framework for nanowire assembly from solid catalysts, relevant...

BELIEF dashboard - a web-based curation interface to support generation of BEL networks

OpenAIRE

Madan, Sumit; Hodapp, Sven; Fluck, Juliane

2015-01-01

The relevance of network-based approaches in systems biology to achieve a better understanding of biological mechanisms has increased enormously. The Biological Expression Language (BEL) is well designed to collate findings from scientific literature into biological network models. To facilitate encoding and biocuration of such findings in BEL, a free and user-friendly web-based curation interface called BELIEF Dashboard has been developed. The interface incorporates an information extraction...

Experiments on the Richtmyer--Meshkov instability: Small-scale perturbations on a plane interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brouillette, M.; Sturtevant, B.

1993-01-01

This paper reports the results of measurements of the ''visual thickness,'' obtained from flow visualization experiments by the schlieren method, of initially plane interfaces between two gases under impulsive accelerations. It is found that when such interfaces are processed by just one incident shock wave of strength of order M s =1.5, their thickness increases slowly and they require observation over extended times; their growth rates are found to slow down with time, in agreement with simple theoretical arguments. The observed growth rates of thin interfaces formed by plastic membranes have been found to be substantially smaller than that reported by previous investigators. Also, thick, diffusively smoothed interfaces initially grow much more slowly than the discontinuous ones do. In these experiments, it is found that wall vortices formed by shock wave/boundary-layer interaction at the interface grow much more rapidly than the shock-processed interfaces in the bulk of the fluid. These wall structures can reduce the apparent growth of interfaces by vorticity-induced strain and impair the observation of the relevant interface phenomena

Interface for safety and security of radioactive sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seggane, Richard

2016-04-01

In facilities and activities involving use of radiation sources, safety and security measures have in common the aim of protecting human life and health and the environment. In addition, safety and security measures must be designed and implemented in an integrated manner, so that security measures do not compromise safety and safety measures do not compromise security measures. This work reviewed issues related to establishing a clear interface between safety and security of radiation sources. The Government, the Regulatory Authority and licensee/registrants and other relevant stakeholders should work together and contribute to ensure that safety and security of sources is ensured and well interfaced. A Radiotherapy facility has been used as a case study. (au)

Percolation Model of Adhesion at Polymer Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Wool, Richard P.

1998-03-01

Adhesion at polymer interfaces is treated as a percolation problem, where an areal density of chains Σ, of length L, contribute a number of entanglements to the interface of thickness X. The fracture energy G, is determined by the fraction of entanglements P, fractured or disentangled in the deformation zone preceding the crack tip, via G ~ P-P_c, where Pc is the percolation threshold, given by Pc = 1- M_e/Mc . For incompatible A/B interfaces reinforced with Σ diblocks or random A-B copolymers of effective length L'(L' ~ 0 for brushes and strongly adsorbed chains), we obtain P ~ ΣL/X, Pc ~ Σ _cL/X, such that G = K(Σ - Σ _c)+ G_o, where K and Go ~ 1 J/m^2 are constants. Note that Log G vs Log Σ will have an apparent slope of about 2, incorrectly suggesting that G ~ Σ ^2. For cohesive fracture, disentanglement dominates at M M*, G = G*[1-M_c/M]. For fatigue crack propagation da/dN, at welding interfaces, we obtain da/dN ~ M-5/2(t/Tr)-5/4, where t is the welding time and Tr is the reptation time. For polymer-solid interfaces, G ~ (X/R)^2. where X is the conformational width of the first layer of chains of random coil size R. The fractal nature of the percolation process is relevant to the fracture mechanism and fractography.

The LAILAPS Search Engine: Relevance Ranking in Life Science Databases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lange Matthias

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Search engines and retrieval systems are popular tools at a life science desktop. The manual inspection of hundreds of database entries, that reflect a life science concept or fact, is a time intensive daily work. Hereby, not the number of query results matters, but the relevance does. In this paper, we present the LAILAPS search engine for life science databases. The concept is to combine a novel feature model for relevance ranking, a machine learning approach to model user relevance profiles, ranking improvement by user feedback tracking and an intuitive and slim web user interface, that estimates relevance rank by tracking user interactions. Queries are formulated as simple keyword lists and will be expanded by synonyms. Supporting a flexible text index and a simple data import format, LAILAPS can easily be used both as search engine for comprehensive integrated life science databases and for small in-house project databases.

A Framework for Effective User Interface Design for Web-Based Electronic Commerce Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justyna Burns

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Efficient delivery of relevant product information is increasingly becoming the central basis of competition between firms. The interface design represents the central component for successful information delivery to consumers. However, interface design for web-based information systems is probably more an art than a science at this point in time. Much research is needed to understand properties of an effective interface for electronic commerce. This paper develops a framework identifying the relationship between user factors, the role of the user interface and overall system success for web-based electronic commerce. The paper argues that web-based systems for electronic commerce have some similar properties to decision support systems (DSS and adapts an established DSS framework to the electronic commerce domain. Based on a limited amount of research studying web browser interface design, the framework identifies areas of research needed and outlines possible relationships between consumer characteristics, interface design attributes and measures of overall system success.

Raindrop Kinetic Energy Piezoelectric Harvesters and Relevant Interface Circuits: Review, Issues and Outlooks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kok Gnee CHUA

2016-05-01

Full Text Available As an ecological source of renewable energy, the available kinetic energy of rainfall is not trifling, especially in tropical countries at the equators. The research on the use of piezoelectric transducer to harvest raindrop kinetic energy is gaining more and more attention recently. This article reviews the state-of-the-art energy harvesting technology from the conversion of raindrop kinetic energy using piezoelectric transducers as well as its interface circuits for vibration-based energy harvesters. Performance of different types of piezoelectric harvesters in terms of power output, area power density and energy conversion efficiency are compared. Summaries of key problems and suggestions on the optimization of the performance of the piezoelectric harvesters are also provided for future works.

An Evaluation of the Interactive Query Expansion in an Online Library Catalogue with a Graphical User Interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Hancock-Beaulieu, Micheline; And Others

1995-01-01

An online library catalog was used to evaluate an interactive query expansion facility based on relevance feedback for the Okapi, probabilistic, term weighting, retrieval system. A graphical user interface allowed searchers to select candidate terms extracted from relevant retrieved items to reformulate queries. Results suggested that the…

Kinetic Interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2009-01-01

A kinetic interface for orientation detection in a video training system is disclosed. The interface includes a balance platform instrumented with inertial motion sensors. The interface engages a participant's sense of balance in training exercises.......A kinetic interface for orientation detection in a video training system is disclosed. The interface includes a balance platform instrumented with inertial motion sensors. The interface engages a participant's sense of balance in training exercises....

Turbulent heat/mass transfer at oceanic interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enstad, Lars Inge

2005-07-01

solver. We find that the mixed layer of the active scalar is growing in the start, but then levels out because of large density gradient at the boundary of the turbulent layer. At distinct times the turbulent intensity is suddenly increased for a short time. This is due to a build up of velocity gradients which increases the turbulent intensity when it overcomes the damping effect of the buoyancy forces. This thesis tries to gain insight in turbulence near a gas liquid interface or a density interface by using small scale modeling. Stratification is imposed (both stable and unstable), and we have also used different forcing (i.e. pressure gradient and shear stress). It is found that stratification can significantly alter the scalar transfer through the gas-liquid interface. The heat flux through the gas liquid interface in an unstable stratified channel flow do no longer obey the correlation of Komori et al. (1989) and Rashidi et al. (1991). For a shear driven flow with inward heat flux it is found that the stable stratification weakens and distorts the streamwise vorticity thought to be an important agent in the scalar transfer through the interface. We have also tried to obtain results for turbulence more in general. It is confirmed that eddy viscosity can become negative in a region near the interface in the presence of unstable stratification in a channel flow. This leaves gradient diffusion models less reliable in such flow configurations. We have also found some interesting aspects of the Reynolds stress in a shear driven flow with stable stratification. In this flow configuration the Reynolds stress is decreased by damping of the ejection events from the interface. The last article which deals with an idealized brine pool at the sea bottom, could have relevance for CO2 disposal in CO2 lakes in the deep ocean. It is very important to know how such disposal of CO2 would affect the environment near the sea bottom. This thesis deals with idealized types of flows. It

Information visualization to user-friendly interface construction for information retrieval systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Monique de Lira Vieira

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The information presented through visualization help the Information Retrieval System (IRS to reach its main goal: to retrieve relevant information that meets the informational needs of its users. The objective of this article is to describe and analyze techniques proposed by the Information Visualization area and interface models discussed in Information Science Literature, which applied to graphical interface construction would facilitate the appropriation of information by the users of IRS and would help them to search, browse and retrieve information. The methodology consists of a literature review focusing on the potential contribution of the visual representation of information in the development of user-friendly interfaces to IRS, as well as identification and analyses of visualizations used as interfaces by IRS. The use of visualizations is of great importance in the communication between SRI and users, because the information presented through visual representation are better understood by user and allow the discovery of new knowledge.

Modelling biological invasions: Individual to population scales at interfaces

KAUST Repository

Belmonte-Beitia, J.

2013-10-01

Extracting the population level behaviour of biological systems from that of the individual is critical in understanding dynamics across multiple scales and thus has been the subject of numerous investigations. Here, the influence of spatial heterogeneity in such contexts is explored for interfaces with a separation of the length scales characterising the individual and the interface, a situation that can arise in applications involving cellular modelling. As an illustrative example, we consider cell movement between white and grey matter in the brain which may be relevant in considering the invasive dynamics of glioma. We show that while one can safely neglect intrinsic noise, at least when considering glioma cell invasion, profound differences in population behaviours emerge in the presence of interfaces with only subtle alterations in the dynamics at the individual level. Transport driven by local cell sensing generates predictions of cell accumulations along interfaces where cell motility changes. This behaviour is not predicted with the commonly used Fickian diffusion transport model, but can be extracted from preliminary observations of specific cell lines in recent, novel, cryo-imaging. Consequently, these findings suggest a need to consider the impact of individual behaviour, spatial heterogeneity and especially interfaces in experimental and modelling frameworks of cellular dynamics, for instance in the characterisation of glioma cell motility. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Modelling biological invasions: Individual to population scales at interfaces

KAUST Repository

Belmonte-Beitia, J.; Woolley, T.E.; Scott, J.G.; Maini, P.K.; Gaffney, E.A.

2013-01-01

Extracting the population level behaviour of biological systems from that of the individual is critical in understanding dynamics across multiple scales and thus has been the subject of numerous investigations. Here, the influence of spatial heterogeneity in such contexts is explored for interfaces with a separation of the length scales characterising the individual and the interface, a situation that can arise in applications involving cellular modelling. As an illustrative example, we consider cell movement between white and grey matter in the brain which may be relevant in considering the invasive dynamics of glioma. We show that while one can safely neglect intrinsic noise, at least when considering glioma cell invasion, profound differences in population behaviours emerge in the presence of interfaces with only subtle alterations in the dynamics at the individual level. Transport driven by local cell sensing generates predictions of cell accumulations along interfaces where cell motility changes. This behaviour is not predicted with the commonly used Fickian diffusion transport model, but can be extracted from preliminary observations of specific cell lines in recent, novel, cryo-imaging. Consequently, these findings suggest a need to consider the impact of individual behaviour, spatial heterogeneity and especially interfaces in experimental and modelling frameworks of cellular dynamics, for instance in the characterisation of glioma cell motility. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Interfaces at equilibrium: A guide to fundamentals.

Science.gov (United States)

Marmur, Abraham

2017-06-01

The fundamentals of the thermodynamics of interfaces are reviewed and concisely presented. The discussion starts with a short review of the elements of bulk thermodynamics that are also relevant to interfaces. It continues with the interfacial thermodynamics of two-phase systems, including the definition of interfacial tension and adsorption. Finally, the interfacial thermodynamics of three-phase (wetting) systems is discussed, including the topic of non-wettable surfaces. A clear distinction is made between equilibrium conditions, in terms of minimizing energies (internal, Gibbs or Helmholtz), and equilibrium indicators, in terms of measurable, intrinsic properties (temperature, chemical potential, pressure). It is emphasized that the equilibrium indicators are the same whatever energy is minimized, if the boundary conditions are properly chosen. Also, to avoid a common confusion, a distinction is made between systems of constant volume and systems with drops of constant volume. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Considerations and Optimization of Time-Resolved PIV Measurements near Complex Wind-Generated Air-Water Wave Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Stegmeir, Matthew; Markfort, Corey

2017-11-01

Time Resolved PIV measurements are applied on both sides of air-water interface in order to study the coupling between air and fluid motion. The multi-scale and 3-dimensional nature of the wave structure poses several unique considerations to generate optimal-quality data very near the fluid interface. High resolution and dynamic range in space and time are required to resolve relevant flow scales along a complex and ever-changing interface. Characterizing the two-way coupling across the air-water interface provide unique challenges for optical measurement techniques. Approaches to obtain near-boundary measurement on both sides of interface are discussed, including optimal flow seeding procedures, illumination, data analysis, and interface tracking. Techniques are applied to the IIHR Boundary-Layer Wind-Wave Tunnel and example results presented for both sides of the interface. The facility combines a 30m long recirculating water channel with an open-return boundary layer wind tunnel, allowing for the study of boundary layer turbulence interacting with a wind-driven wave field.

Survey of the problems posed by the man-machine interface, as seen from the angle of facility operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinbuch, R.

1995-01-01

The man-machine interface in nuclear power plants is an area very much influenced by the vigorous progress in computer technology. The paper describes the causes underlying the innovative power in this field and its impacts on the man-machine interface in nuclear power plants. The benefits brought by the advanced computer systems in the design of the man-machine interface as well as the problems posed through application in practice to safety-relevant plant systems are discussed, and examples are given showing the experience accumulated so far, and the significant changes effected in the man-machine interface. (orig.) [de

Statistics of zero crossings in rough interfaces with fractional elasticity

Science.gov (United States)

Zamorategui, Arturo L.; Lecomte, Vivien; Kolton, Alejandro B.

2018-04-01

We study numerically the distribution of zero crossings in one-dimensional elastic interfaces described by an overdamped Langevin dynamics with periodic boundary conditions. We model the elastic forces with a Riesz-Feller fractional Laplacian of order z =1 +2 ζ , such that the interfaces spontaneously relax, with a dynamical exponent z , to a self-affine geometry with roughness exponent ζ . By continuously increasing from ζ =-1 /2 (macroscopically flat interface described by independent Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes [Phys. Rev. 36, 823 (1930), 10.1103/PhysRev.36.823]) to ζ =3 /2 (super-rough Mullins-Herring interface), three different regimes are identified: (I) -1 /2 value in the system size, or decays as a power-law towards (II) a subextensive or (III) an intensive value. In the steady state, the distribution of intervals between zeros changes from an exponential decay in (I) to a power-law decay P (ℓ ) ˜ℓ-γ in (II) and (III). While in (II) γ =1 -θ with θ =1 -ζ the steady-state persistence exponent, in (III) we obtain γ =3 -2 ζ , different from the exponent γ =1 expected from the prediction θ =0 for infinite super-rough interfaces with ζ >1 . The effect on P (ℓ ) of short-scale smoothening is also analyzed numerically and analytically. A tight relation between the mean interval, the mean width of the interface, and the density of zeros is also reported. The results drawn from our analysis of rough interfaces subject to particular boundary conditions or constraints, along with discretization effects, are relevant for the practical analysis of zeros in interface imaging experiments or in numerical analysis.

Interface Schottky barrier engineering via strain in metal-semiconductor composites

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiangchao; Dai, Ying; Yu, Lin; Huang, Baibiao

2016-01-01

The interfacial carrier transfer property, which is dominated by the interface Schottky barrier height (SBH), plays a crucial role in determining the performance of metal-semiconductor heterostructures in a variety of applications. Therefore, artificially controlling the interface SBH is of great importance for their industrial applications. As a model system, the Au/TiO2 (001) heterostructure is studied using first-principles calculations and the tight-binding method in the present study. Our investigation demonstrates that strain can be an effective way to decrease the interface SBH and that the n-type SBH can be more effectively decreased than the p-type SBH. Astonishingly, strain affects the interface SBH mainly by changing the intrinsic properties of Au and TiO2, whereas the interfacial potential alignment is almost independent of strain due to two opposite effects, which are induced by strain at the interfacial region. These observed trends can be understood on the basis of the general free-electron gas model of typical metals, the tight-binding theory and the crystal-field theory, which suggest that similar trends may be generalized for many other metal-semiconductor heterostructures. Given the commonness and tunability of strain in typical heterostructures, we anticipate that the tunability of the interface SBH with strain described here can provide an alternative effective way for realizing more efficient applications of relevant heterostructures.The interfacial carrier transfer property, which is dominated by the interface Schottky barrier height (SBH), plays a crucial role in determining the performance of metal-semiconductor heterostructures in a variety of applications. Therefore, artificially controlling the interface SBH is of great importance for their industrial applications. As a model system, the Au/TiO2 (001) heterostructure is studied using first-principles calculations and the tight-binding method in the present study. Our investigation

Sources of EEG activity most relevant to performance of brain-computer interface based on motor imagery

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Frolov, A.; Húsek, Dušan; Bobrov, P.; Korshakov, A.V.; Chernikova, L.; Konovalov, R.; Mokienko, O.

2012-01-01

Roč. 22, č. 1 (2012), s. 21-37 ISSN 1210-0552 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP202/10/0262 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0070 Program:ED Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : brain-computer interface * independent component analysis * pattern classification * motor imagery * inverse problem * fMRI * EEG Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 0.362, year: 2012

Spatial issues in user interface design from a graphic design perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus, Aaron

1989-01-01

The user interface of a computer system is a visual display that provides information about the status of operations on data within the computer and control options to the user that enable adjustments to these operations. From the very beginning of computer technology the user interface was a spatial display, although its spatial features were not necessarily complex or explicitly recognized by the users. All text and nonverbal signs appeared in a virtual space generally thought of as a single flat plane of symbols. Current technology of high performance workstations permits any element of the display to appear as dynamic, multicolor, 3-D signs in a virtual 3-D space. The complexity of appearance and the user's interaction with the display provide significant challenges to the graphic designer of current and future user interfaces. In particular, spatial depiction provides many opportunities for effective communication of objects, structures, processes, navigation, selection, and manipulation. Issues are presented that are relevant to the graphic designer seeking to optimize the user interface's spatial attributes for effective visual communication.

Incorporating contact angles in the surface tension force with the ACES interface curvature scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Owkes, Mark

2017-11-01

In simulations of gas-liquid flows interacting with solid boundaries, the contact line dynamics effect the interface motion and flow field through the surface tension force. The surface tension force is directly proportional to the interface curvature and the problem of accurately imposing a contact angle must be incorporated into the interface curvature calculation. Many commonly used algorithms to compute interface curvatures (e.g., height function method) require extrapolating the interface, with defined contact angle, into the solid to allow for the calculation of a curvature near a wall. Extrapolating can be an ill-posed problem, especially in three-dimensions or when multiple contact lines are near each other. We have developed an accurate methodology to compute interface curvatures that allows for contact angles to be easily incorporated while avoiding extrapolation and the associated challenges. The method, known as Adjustable Curvature Evaluation Scale (ACES), leverages a least squares fit of a polynomial to points computed on the volume-of-fluid (VOF) representation of the gas-liquid interface. The method is tested by simulating canonical test cases and then applied to simulate the injection and motion of water droplets in a channel (relevant to PEM fuel cells).

Organizational demands on the man-organization interface in nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandholz, D.

1994-01-01

The partial project SR 2039/4 investigates organizational demands and factors of the man-organization interface. Thee study is divided into the sections inventory of rules and guidelines; evaluation of organizational structures and modes of operation, and working out of demand characteristics and evaluation criteria. The objective consists in representing, analyzing and evaluating the efficiency structure of sequence organization, and deriving practice-relevant concept proposals in order to optimize the man-organization interface. In this regard, the working out of control mechanisms for the evaluation of organizational sequences is of considerable importance as a kind of working aid. (orig./DG) [de

Interface Simulation Distances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavol Černý

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The classical (boolean notion of refinement for behavioral interfaces of system components is the alternating refinement preorder. In this paper, we define a distance for interfaces, called interface simulation distance. It makes the alternating refinement preorder quantitative by, intuitively, tolerating errors (while counting them in the alternating simulation game. We show that the interface simulation distance satisfies the triangle inequality, that the distance between two interfaces does not increase under parallel composition with a third interface, and that the distance between two interfaces can be bounded from above and below by distances between abstractions of the two interfaces. We illustrate the framework, and the properties of the distances under composition of interfaces, with two case studies.

Real-time inference of word relevance from electroencephalogram and eye gaze

Science.gov (United States)

Wenzel, M. A.; Bogojeski, M.; Blankertz, B.

2017-10-01

Objective. Brain-computer interfaces can potentially map the subjective relevance of the visual surroundings, based on neural activity and eye movements, in order to infer the interest of a person in real-time. Approach. Readers looked for words belonging to one out of five semantic categories, while a stream of words passed at different locations on the screen. It was estimated in real-time which words and thus which semantic category interested each reader based on the electroencephalogram (EEG) and the eye gaze. Main results. Words that were subjectively relevant could be decoded online from the signals. The estimation resulted in an average rank of 1.62 for the category of interest among the five categories after a hundred words had been read. Significance. It was demonstrated that the interest of a reader can be inferred online from EEG and eye tracking signals, which can potentially be used in novel types of adaptive software, which enrich the interaction by adding implicit information about the interest of the user to the explicit interaction. The study is characterised by the following novelties. Interpretation with respect to the word meaning was necessary in contrast to the usual practice in brain-computer interfacing where stimulus recognition is sufficient. The typical counting task was avoided because it would not be sensible for implicit relevance detection. Several words were displayed at the same time, in contrast to the typical sequences of single stimuli. Neural activity was related with eye tracking to the words, which were scanned without restrictions on the eye movements.

Interface areas complexity characterization of echographic images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Capri, Arnaud [LVR, Orleans University, IUT de Bourges, 63 avenue de Lattre de Tassigny, 18020 Bourges (France); SINTERS GROUP SAS, 5 rue Paul Mesple, BP 1311, 31106 ToulouseCedex 01 (France)]. E-mail: Arnaud.Capri@bourges.univ-orleans.fr; Vincent, Nicole [CRIP5-SIP, Rene Descartes University-Paris 5, 45 rue des Saints-Peres, 75270 Paris Cedex 06 (France); Vieyres, Pierre [LVR, Orleans University, IUT de Bourges, 63 avenue de Lattre de Tassigny, 18020 Bourges (France); Poisson, Gerard [LVR, Orleans University, IUT de Bourges, 63 avenue de Lattre de Tassigny, 18020 Bourges (France); Makris, Pascal [LI, University Francois Rabelais of Tours, 64 avenue Jean Portalis, 37200 Tours (France)

2006-12-20

The telemedicine concept integrates images, video acquisition and video transfer which are usually managed by using a standard videoconference system. Very often, the initial blur of echography pictures makes it difficult to use standard segmentation techniques such as snakes or Sobel filters which aid the doctor in making his decision. In medical echography practice, contour properties of an organ are often more relevant to decipher the presence of pathologies than the exact lineout of the contour itself. The processing, via the fuzzy approach, enables us to subdivide an image in different classes: one gathering the homogeneous zones (pixels belonging to a medium) and the other gathering more heterogeneous zones (e.g. transition between two media). Complexity measurement of each region can be approximated by the calculation of a fractal dimension. Thus, we can obtain interface complexity without having to extract the interfaces themselves. Finally, the link between fractal dimension and fuzzy rate is carried out.

Interface areas complexity characterization of echographic images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capri, Arnaud; Vincent, Nicole; Vieyres, Pierre; Poisson, Gerard; Makris, Pascal

2006-01-01

The telemedicine concept integrates images, video acquisition and video transfer which are usually managed by using a standard videoconference system. Very often, the initial blur of echography pictures makes it difficult to use standard segmentation techniques such as snakes or Sobel filters which aid the doctor in making his decision. In medical echography practice, contour properties of an organ are often more relevant to decipher the presence of pathologies than the exact lineout of the contour itself. The processing, via the fuzzy approach, enables us to subdivide an image in different classes: one gathering the homogeneous zones (pixels belonging to a medium) and the other gathering more heterogeneous zones (e.g. transition between two media). Complexity measurement of each region can be approximated by the calculation of a fractal dimension. Thus, we can obtain interface complexity without having to extract the interfaces themselves. Finally, the link between fractal dimension and fuzzy rate is carried out

Homochiral oligopeptides by chiral amplification within two-dimensional crystalline self-assemblies at the air-water interface; Relevance to biomolecular handedness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weissbuch, I.; Zepik, H.; Bolbach, G.

2003-01-01

-assembled into two-dimensional (2D) ordered crystallites at the air-aqueous solution interface. As model systems we studied NE-stearoyl-lysine thioethyl ester (C-18-TE-Lys), gamma-stearyl-glutamic thioethyl ester (C-18-TE-Glu), N-alpha-carboxyanhydride of gamma-stearyl-glutamic acid (C-18-Glu NCA) and gamma......-aqueous solution interface after injection of appropriate catalysts into the water subphase. The experimental relative abundance of oligopeptides with homochiral sequence generated from (R,S)-C-18-TE-Lys and (R,S)-C-18-TE-Glu, as determined by mass spectrometry on enantioselectively deuterium-labeled samples...

Discovery of multiple interacting partners of gankyrin, a proteasomal chaperone and an oncoprotein--evidence for a common hot spot site at the interface and its functional relevance.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanaware, Padma P; Ramteke, Manoj P; Somavarapu, Arun K; Venkatraman, Prasanna

2014-07-01

Gankyrin, a non-ATPase component of the proteasome and a chaperone of proteasome assembly, is also an oncoprotein. Gankyrin regulates a variety of oncogenic signaling pathways in cancer cells and accelerates degradation of tumor suppressor proteins p53 and Rb. Therefore gankyrin may be a unique hub integrating signaling networks with the degradation pathway. To identify new interactions that may be crucial in consolidating its role as an oncogenic hub, crystal structure of gankyrin-proteasome ATPase complex was used to predict novel interacting partners. EEVD, a four amino acid linear sequence seems a hot spot site at this interface. By searching for EEVD in exposed regions of human proteins in PDB database, we predicted 34 novel interactions. Eight proteins were tested and seven of them were found to interact with gankyrin. Affinity of four interactions is high enough for endogenous detection. Others require gankyrin overexpression in HEK 293 cells or occur endogenously in breast cancer cell line- MDA-MB-435, reflecting lower affinity or presence of a deregulated network. Mutagenesis and peptide inhibition confirm that EEVD is the common hot spot site at these interfaces and therefore a potential polypharmacological drug target. In MDA-MB-231 cells in which the endogenous CLIC1 is silenced, trans-expression of Wt protein (CLIC1_EEVD) and not the hot spot site mutant (CLIC1_AAVA) resulted in significant rescue of the migratory potential. Our approach can be extended to identify novel functionally relevant protein-protein interactions, in expansion of oncogenic networks and in identifying potential therapeutic targets. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Battery electric vehicles - implications for the driver interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Isabel; Krems, Josef F

2016-03-01

The current study examines the human-machine interface of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) from a user-perspective, focussing on the evaluation of BEV-specific displays, the relevance of provided information and challenges for drivers due to the concept of electricity in a road vehicle. A sample of 40 users drove a BEV for 6 months. Data were gathered at three points of data collection. Participants perceived the BEV-specific displays as only moderately reliable and helpful for estimating the displayed parameters. This was even less the case after driving the BEV for 3 months. A taxonomy of user requirements was compiled revealing the need for improved and additional information, especially regarding energy consumption and efficiency. Drivers had difficulty understanding electrical units and the energy consumption of the BEV. On the background of general principles for display design, results provide implications how to display relevant information and how to facilitate drivers' understanding of energy consumption in BEVs. Practitioner Summary: Battery electric vehicle (BEV) displays need to incorporate new information. A taxonomy of user requirements was compiled revealing the need for improved and additional information in the BEV interface. Furthermore, drivers had trouble understanding electrical units and energy consumption; therefore, appropriate assistance is required. Design principles which are specifically important in the BEV context are discussed.

Understanding the breakdown of classic two-phase theory and spray atomization at engine-relevant conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Dahms, Rainer N.

2016-04-01

A generalized framework for multi-component liquid injections is presented to understand and predict the breakdown of classic two-phase theory and spray atomization at engine-relevant conditions. The analysis focuses on the thermodynamic structure and the immiscibility state of representative gas-liquid interfaces. The most modern form of Helmholtz energy mixture state equation is utilized which exhibits a unique and physically consistent behavior over the entire two-phase regime of fluid densities. It is combined with generalized models for non-linear gradient theory and for liquid injections to quantify multi-component two-phase interface structures in global thermal equilibrium. Then, the Helmholtz free energy is minimized which determines the interfacial species distribution as a consequence. This minimal free energy state is demonstrated to validate the underlying assumptions of classic two-phase theory and spray atomization. However, under certain engine-relevant conditions for which corroborating experimental data are presented, this requirement for interfacial thermal equilibrium becomes unsustainable. A rigorously derived probability density function quantifies the ability of the interface to develop internal spatial temperature gradients in the presence of significant temperature differences between injected liquid and ambient gas. Then, the interface can no longer be viewed as an isolated system at minimal free energy. Instead, the interfacial dynamics become intimately connected to those of the separated homogeneous phases. Hence, the interface transitions toward a state in local equilibrium whereupon it becomes a dense-fluid mixing layer. A new conceptual view of a transitional liquid injection process emerges from a transition time scale analysis. Close to the nozzle exit, the two-phase interface still remains largely intact and more classic two-phase processes prevail as a consequence. Further downstream, however, the transition to dense-fluid mixing

Understanding the breakdown of classic two-phase theory and spray atomization at engine-relevant conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahms, Rainer N., E-mail: Rndahms@sandia.gov [Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94551 (United States)

2016-04-15

A generalized framework for multi-component liquid injections is presented to understand and predict the breakdown of classic two-phase theory and spray atomization at engine-relevant conditions. The analysis focuses on the thermodynamic structure and the immiscibility state of representative gas-liquid interfaces. The most modern form of Helmholtz energy mixture state equation is utilized which exhibits a unique and physically consistent behavior over the entire two-phase regime of fluid densities. It is combined with generalized models for non-linear gradient theory and for liquid injections to quantify multi-component two-phase interface structures in global thermal equilibrium. Then, the Helmholtz free energy is minimized which determines the interfacial species distribution as a consequence. This minimal free energy state is demonstrated to validate the underlying assumptions of classic two-phase theory and spray atomization. However, under certain engine-relevant conditions for which corroborating experimental data are presented, this requirement for interfacial thermal equilibrium becomes unsustainable. A rigorously derived probability density function quantifies the ability of the interface to develop internal spatial temperature gradients in the presence of significant temperature differences between injected liquid and ambient gas. Then, the interface can no longer be viewed as an isolated system at minimal free energy. Instead, the interfacial dynamics become intimately connected to those of the separated homogeneous phases. Hence, the interface transitions toward a state in local equilibrium whereupon it becomes a dense-fluid mixing layer. A new conceptual view of a transitional liquid injection process emerges from a transition time scale analysis. Close to the nozzle exit, the two-phase interface still remains largely intact and more classic two-phase processes prevail as a consequence. Further downstream, however, the transition to dense-fluid mixing

Boundary and interface CFTs from the conformal bootstrap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gliozzi, Ferdinando [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Torino,Via P. Giuria 1 I-10125 Torino (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - sezione di Torino,Via P. Giuria 1 I-10125 Torino (Italy); Liendo, Pedro [IMIP, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, IRIS Adelershof,Zum Großen Windkanal 6, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Meineri, Marco [Scuola Normale Superiore,Piazza dei Cavalieri 7 I-56126 Pisa (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - sezione di Pisa,Largo B. Pontecorvo, 3, 56127 Pisa (Italy); Rago, Antonio [Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Plymouth University,Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2015-05-07

We explore some consequences of the crossing symmetry for defect conformal field theories, focusing on codimension one defects like flat boundaries or interfaces. We study surface transitions of the 3d Ising and other O(N) models through numerical solutions to the crossing equations with the method of determinants. In the extraordinary transition, where the low-lying spectrum of the surface operators is known, we use the bootstrap equations to obtain information on the bulk spectrum of the theory. In the ordinary transition the knowledge of the low-lying bulk spectrum allows to calculate the scale dimension of the relevant surface operator, which compares well with known results of two-loop calculations in 3d. Estimates of various OPE coefficients are also obtained. We also analyze in 4-ϵ dimensions the renormalization group interface between the O(N) model and the free theory and check numerically the results in 3d.

Natural Language Search Interfaces: Health Data Needs Single-Field Variable Search.

Science.gov (United States)

Jay, Caroline; Harper, Simon; Dunlop, Ian; Smith, Sam; Sufi, Shoaib; Goble, Carole; Buchan, Iain

2016-01-14

Data discovery, particularly the discovery of key variables and their inter-relationships, is key to secondary data analysis, and in-turn, the evolving field of data science. Interface designers have presumed that their users are domain experts, and so they have provided complex interfaces to support these "experts." Such interfaces hark back to a time when searches needed to be accurate first time as there was a high computational cost associated with each search. Our work is part of a governmental research initiative between the medical and social research funding bodies to improve the use of social data in medical research. The cross-disciplinary nature of data science can make no assumptions regarding the domain expertise of a particular scientist, whose interests may intersect multiple domains. Here we consider the common requirement for scientists to seek archived data for secondary analysis. This has more in common with search needs of the "Google generation" than with their single-domain, single-tool forebears. Our study compares a Google-like interface with traditional ways of searching for noncomplex health data in a data archive. Two user interfaces are evaluated for the same set of tasks in extracting data from surveys stored in the UK Data Archive (UKDA). One interface, Web search, is "Google-like," enabling users to browse, search for, and view metadata about study variables, whereas the other, traditional search, has standard multioption user interface. Using a comprehensive set of tasks with 20 volunteers, we found that the Web search interface met data discovery needs and expectations better than the traditional search. A task × interface repeated measures analysis showed a main effect indicating that answers found through the Web search interface were more likely to be correct (F1,19=37.3, Pnatural language search interfaces for variable search supporting in particular: query reformulation; data browsing; faceted search; surrogates; relevance

Interface Consistency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Staunstrup, Jørgen

1998-01-01

This paper proposes that Interface Consistency is an important issue for the development of modular designs. Byproviding a precise specification of component interfaces it becomes possible to check that separately developedcomponents use a common interface in a coherent matter thus avoiding a very...... significant source of design errors. Awide range of interface specifications are possible, the simplest form is a syntactical check of parameter types.However, today it is possible to do more sophisticated forms involving semantic checks....

From coherent to incoherent mismatched interfaces: A generalized continuum formulation of surface stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Dingreville, Rémi; Hallil, Abdelmalek; Berbenni, Stéphane

2014-12-01

The equilibrium of coherent and incoherent mismatched interfaces is reformulated in the context of continuum mechanics based on the Gibbs dividing surface concept. Two surface stresses are introduced: a coherent surface stress and an incoherent surface stress, as well as a transverse excess strain. The coherent surface stress and the transverse excess strain represent the thermodynamic driving forces of stretching the interface while the incoherent surface stress represents the driving force of stretching one crystal while holding the other fixed and thereby altering the structure of the interface. These three quantities fully characterize the elastic behavior of coherent and incoherent interfaces as a function of the in-plane strain, the transverse stress and the mismatch strain. The isotropic case is developed in detail and particular attention is paid to the case of interfacial thermo-elasticity. This exercise provides an insight on the physical significance of the interfacial elastic constants introduced in the formulation and illustrates the obvious coupling between the interface structure and its associated thermodynamics quantities. Finally, an example based on atomistic simulations of Cu/Cu2O interfaces is given to demonstrate the relevance of the generalized interfacial formulation and to emphasize the dependence of the interfacial thermodynamic quantities on the incoherency strain with an actual material system.

Latent Factors Limiting the Performance of sEMG-Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey Lobov

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in recording and real-time analysis of surface electromyographic signals (sEMG have fostered the use of sEMG human–machine interfaces for controlling personal computers, prostheses of upper limbs, and exoskeletons among others. Despite a relatively high mean performance, sEMG-interfaces still exhibit strong variance in the fidelity of gesture recognition among different users. Here, we systematically study the latent factors determining the performance of sEMG-interfaces in synthetic tests and in an arcade game. We show that the degree of muscle cooperation and the amount of the body fatty tissue are the decisive factors in synthetic tests. Our data suggest that these factors can only be adjusted by long-term training, which promotes fine-tuning of low-level neural circuits driving the muscles. Short-term training has no effect on synthetic tests, but significantly increases the game scoring. This implies that it works at a higher decision-making level, not relevant for synthetic gestures. We propose a procedure that enables quantification of the gestures’ fidelity in a dynamic gaming environment. For each individual subject, the approach allows identifying “problematic” gestures that decrease gaming performance. This information can be used for optimizing the training strategy and for adapting the signal processing algorithms to individual users, which could be a way for a qualitative leap in the development of future sEMG-interfaces.

Social Interface Model: Theorizing Ecological Post-Delivery Processes for Intervention Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettigrew, Jonathan; Segrott, Jeremy; Ray, Colter D; Littlecott, Hannah

2018-01-03

Successful prevention programs depend on a complex interplay among aspects of the intervention, the participant, the specific intervention setting, and the broader set of contexts with which a participant interacts. There is a need to theorize what happens as participants bring intervention ideas and behaviors into other life-contexts, and theory has not yet specified how social interactions about interventions may influence outcomes. To address this gap, we use an ecological perspective to develop the social interface model. This paper presents the key components of the model and its potential to aid the design and implementation of prevention interventions. The model is predicated on the idea that intervention message effectiveness depends not only on message aspects but also on the participants' adoption and adaptation of the message vis-à-vis their social ecology. The model depicts processes by which intervention messages are received and enacted by participants through social processes occurring within and between relevant microsystems. Mesosystem interfaces (negligible interface, transference, co-dependence, and interdependence) can facilitate or detract from intervention effects. The social interface model advances prevention science by theorizing that practitioners can create better quality interventions by planning for what occurs after interventions are delivered.

Brain-muscle-computer interface: mobile-phone prototype development and testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Vernon, Scott; Joshi, Sanjay S

2011-07-01

We report prototype development and testing of a new mobile-phone-based brain-muscle-computer interface for severely paralyzed persons, based on previous results from our group showing that humans may actively create specified power levels in two separate frequency bands of a single surface electromyography (sEMG) signal. EMG activity on the surface of a single face muscle site (auricularis superior) is recorded with a standard electrode. This analog electrical signal is imported into an Android-based mobile phone and digitized via an internal A/D converter. The digital signal is split, and then simultaneously filtered with two band-pass filters to extract total power within two separate frequency bands. The user-modulated power in each frequency band serves as two separate control channels for machine control. After signal processing, the Android phone sends commands to external devices via a Bluetooth interface. Users are trained to use the device via visually based operant conditioning, with simple cursor-to-target activities on the phone screen. The mobile-phone prototype interface is formally evaluated on a single advanced Spinal Muscle Atrophy subject, who has successfully used the interface in his home in evaluation trials and for remote control of a television. Development of this new device will not only guide future interface design for community use, but will also serve as an information technology bridge for in situ data collection to quantify human sEMG manipulation abilities for a relevant population.

A sharp interface method for compressible liquid–vapor flow with phase transition and surface tension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fechter, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.fechter@iag.uni-stuttgart.de [Institut für Aerodynamik und Gasdynamik, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 21, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Munz, Claus-Dieter, E-mail: munz@iag.uni-stuttgart.de [Institut für Aerodynamik und Gasdynamik, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 21, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Rohde, Christian, E-mail: Christian.Rohde@mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de [Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Numerische Simulation, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Zeiler, Christoph, E-mail: Christoph.Zeiler@mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de [Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Numerische Simulation, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)

2017-05-01

The numerical approximation of non-isothermal liquid–vapor flow within the compressible regime is a difficult task because complex physical effects at the phase interfaces can govern the global flow behavior. We present a sharp interface approach which treats the interface as a shock-wave like discontinuity. Any mixing of fluid phases is avoided by using the flow solver in the bulk regions only, and a ghost-fluid approach close to the interface. The coupling states for the numerical solution in the bulk regions are determined by the solution of local two-phase Riemann problems across the interface. The Riemann solution accounts for the relevant physics by enforcing appropriate jump conditions at the phase boundary. A wide variety of interface effects can be handled in a thermodynamically consistent way. This includes surface tension or mass/energy transfer by phase transition. Moreover, the local normal speed of the interface, which is needed to calculate the time evolution of the interface, is given by the Riemann solution. The interface tracking itself is based on a level-set method. The focus in this paper is the description of the two-phase Riemann solver and its usage within the sharp interface approach. One-dimensional problems are selected to validate the approach. Finally, the three-dimensional simulation of a wobbling droplet and a shock droplet interaction in two dimensions are shown. In both problems phase transition and surface tension determine the global bulk behavior.

Design and usability study of an iconic user interface to ease information retrieval of medical guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffon, Nicolas; Kerdelhué, Gaétan; Hamek, Saliha; Hassler, Sylvain; Boog, César; Lamy, Jean-Baptiste; Duclos, Catherine; Venot, Alain; Darmoni, Stéfan J

2014-10-01

Doc'CISMeF (DC) is a semantic search engine used to find resources in CISMeF-BP, a quality controlled health gateway, which gathers guidelines available on the internet in French. Visualization of Concepts in Medicine (VCM) is an iconic language that may ease information retrieval tasks. This study aimed to describe the creation and evaluation of an interface integrating VCM in DC in order to make this search engine much easier to use. Focus groups were organized to suggest ways to enhance information retrieval tasks using VCM in DC. A VCM interface was created and improved using the ergonomic evaluation approach. 20 physicians were recruited to compare the VCM interface with the non-VCM one. Each evaluator answered two different clinical scenarios in each interface. The ability and time taken to select a relevant resource were recorded and compared. A usability analysis was performed using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The VCM interface contains a filter based on icons, and icons describing each resource according to focus group recommendations. Some ergonomic issues were resolved before evaluation. Use of VCM significantly increased the success of information retrieval tasks (OR=11; 95% CI 1.4 to 507). Nonetheless, it took significantly more time to find a relevant resource with VCM interface (101 vs 65 s; p=0.02). SUS revealed 'good' usability with an average score of 74/100. VCM was successfully implemented in DC as an option. It increased the success rate of information retrieval tasks, despite requiring slightly more time, and was well accepted by end-users. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Why relevance theory is relevant for lexicography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bothma, Theo; Tarp, Sven

2014-01-01

This article starts by providing a brief summary of relevance theory in information science in relation to the function theory of lexicography, explaining the different types of relevance, viz. objective system relevance and the subjective types of relevance, i.e. topical, cognitive, situational...... that is very important for lexicography as well as for information science, viz. functional relevance. Since all lexicographic work is ultimately aimed at satisfying users’ information needs, the article then discusses why the lexicographer should take note of all these types of relevance when planning a new...... dictionary project, identifying new tasks and responsibilities of the modern lexicographer. The article furthermore discusses how relevance theory impacts on teaching dictionary culture and reference skills. By integrating insights from lexicography and information science, the article contributes to new...

Interfaces between particle physics and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riazuddin

1984-01-01

Among the physicists' attempts to understand the fundamental structure of matter have been the attempts to: (i) find the ultimate constituents of matter; and (ii) to attain a unification of the forces responsible for the interactions among them. Recent progress in these attempts has led to energy scales which can not conceivably be attained in laboratory experiments, but which would not only be present, but would play an important role in the earliest stages of the big bang model of the Universe. We are talking here of an energy scale E about 10 15 GeV, the corresponding temperature, T, being about 10 28 K relevant to times t about 10 -35 sec. after the big bang. Also, many of the ideas of contemporary particle physics lead to dramatic consequences when applied to the very early universe. It is such interfaces between particle physics and cosmology which are reviewed in this lecture. I shall discuss three such interfaces: (i) the generation of the baryon number of the Universe; (ii) a limit on the number of kinds of neutrinos and therefore on the number of quarklepton generations (if we believe in quark-lepton symmetry); and (iii) the neutrino mass

Interface models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Anders P.; Staunstrup, Jørgen

1994-01-01

This paper proposes a model for specifying interfaces between concurrently executing modules of a computing system. The model does not prescribe a particular type of communication protocol and is aimed at describing interfaces between both software and hardware modules or a combination of the two....... The model describes both functional and timing properties of an interface...

Protein adsorption at the electrified air-water interface: implications on foam stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Engelhardt, Kathrin; Rumpel, Armin; Walter, Johannes; Dombrowski, Jannika; Kulozik, Ulrich; Braunschweig, Björn; Peukert, Wolfgang

2012-05-22

The surface chemistry of ions, water molecules, and proteins as well as their ability to form stable networks in foams can influence and control macroscopic properties such as taste and texture of dairy products considerably. Despite the significant relevance of protein adsorption at liquid interfaces, a molecular level understanding on the arrangement of proteins at interfaces and their interactions has been elusive. Therefore, we have addressed the adsorption of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the air-water interface with vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) and ellipsometry. SFG provides specific information on the composition and average orientation of molecules at interfaces, while complementary information on the thickness of the adsorbed layer can be obtained with ellipsometry. Adsorption of charged BSA proteins at the water surface leads to an electrified interface, pH dependent charging, and electric field-induced polar ordering of interfacial H(2)O and BSA. Varying the bulk pH of protein solutions changes the intensities of the protein related vibrational bands substantially, while dramatic changes in vibrational bands of interfacial H(2)O are simultaneously observed. These observations have allowed us to determine the isoelectric point of BSA directly at the electrolyte-air interface for the first time. BSA covered air-water interfaces with a pH near the isoelectric point form an amorphous network of possibly agglomerated BSA proteins. Finally, we provide a direct correlation of the molecular structure of BSA interfaces with foam stability and new information on the link between microscopic properties of BSA at water surfaces and macroscopic properties such as the stability of protein foams.

Shape-changing interfaces:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Majken Kirkegård; Pedersen, Esben Warming; Petersen, Marianne Graves

2015-01-01

Shape change is increasingly used in physical user interfaces, both as input and output. Yet, the progress made and the key research questions for shape-changing interfaces are rarely analyzed systematically. We review a sample of existing work on shape-changing interfaces to address these shortc......Shape change is increasingly used in physical user interfaces, both as input and output. Yet, the progress made and the key research questions for shape-changing interfaces are rarely analyzed systematically. We review a sample of existing work on shape-changing interfaces to address...... these shortcomings. We identify eight types of shape that are transformed in various ways to serve both functional and hedonic design purposes. Interaction with shape-changing interfaces is simple and rarely merges input and output. Three questions are discussed based on the review: (a) which design purposes may...

ImageGrouper: a group-oriented user interface for content-based image retrieval and digital image arrangement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nakazato, Munehiro; Manola, L.; Huang, Thomas S.

In content-based image retrieval (CBIR), experimental (trial-and-error) query with relevance feedback is essential for successful retrieval. Unfortunately, the traditional user interfaces are not suitable for trying different combinations of query examples. This is because first, these systems

Natural Language Search Interfaces: Health Data Needs Single-Field Variable Search

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Sam; Sufi, Shoaib; Goble, Carole; Buchan, Iain

2016-01-01

-Geisser correction applied). Overall, participants were asked to rate learnability, ease of use, and satisfaction. Paired mean comparisons showed that the Web search interface received significantly higher ratings than the traditional search interface for learnability (P=.002, 95% CI [0.6-2.4]), ease of use (Pnatural language search interfaces for variable search supporting in particular: query reformulation; data browsing; faceted search; surrogates; relevance feedback; summarization, analytics, and visual presentation. PMID:26769334

Recommending personally interested contents by text mining, filtering, and interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Songhua

2015-10-27

A personalized content recommendation system includes a client interface device configured to monitor a user's information data stream. A collaborative filter remote from the client interface device generates automated predictions about the interests of the user. A database server stores personal behavioral profiles and user's preferences based on a plurality of monitored past behaviors and an output of the collaborative user personal interest inference engine. A programmed personal content recommendation server filters items in an incoming information stream with the personal behavioral profile and identifies only those items of the incoming information stream that substantially matches the personal behavioral profile. The identified personally relevant content is then recommended to the user following some priority that may consider the similarity between the personal interest matches, the context of the user information consumption behaviors that may be shown by the user's content consumption mode.

Water at Interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Björneholm, Olle; Hansen, Martin H; Hodgson, Andrew; Liu, Li-Min; Limmer, David T; Michaelides, Angelos; Pedevilla, Philipp; Rossmeisl, Jan; Shen, Huaze; Tocci, Gabriele; Tyrode, Eric; Walz, Marie-Madeleine; Werner, Josephina; Bluhm, Hendrik

2016-07-13

The interfaces of neat water and aqueous solutions play a prominent role in many technological processes and in the environment. Examples of aqueous interfaces are ultrathin water films that cover most hydrophilic surfaces under ambient relative humidities, the liquid/solid interface which drives many electrochemical reactions, and the liquid/vapor interface, which governs the uptake and release of trace gases by the oceans and cloud droplets. In this article we review some of the recent experimental and theoretical advances in our knowledge of the properties of aqueous interfaces and discuss open questions and gaps in our understanding.

User interface support

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Clayton; Wilde, Nick

1989-01-01

Space construction will require heavy investment in the development of a wide variety of user interfaces for the computer-based tools that will be involved at every stage of construction operations. Using today's technology, user interface development is very expensive for two reasons: (1) specialized and scarce programming skills are required to implement the necessary graphical representations and complex control regimes for high-quality interfaces; (2) iteration on prototypes is required to meet user and task requirements, since these are difficult to anticipate with current (and foreseeable) design knowledge. We are attacking this problem by building a user interface development tool based on extensions to the spreadsheet model of computation. The tool provides high-level support for graphical user interfaces and permits dynamic modification of interfaces, without requiring conventional programming concepts and skills.

Robotic devices and brain-machine interfaces for hand rehabilitation post-stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

McConnell, Alistair C; Moioli, Renan C; Brasil, Fabricio L; Vallejo, Marta; Corne, David W; Vargas, Patricia A; Stokes, Adam A

2017-06-28

To review the state of the art of robotic-aided hand physiotherapy for post-stroke rehabilitation, including the use of brain-machine interfaces. Each patient has a unique clinical history and, in response to personalized treatment needs, research into individualized and at-home treatment options has expanded rapidly in recent years. This has resulted in the development of many devices and design strategies for use in stroke rehabilitation. The development progression of robotic-aided hand physiotherapy devices and brain-machine interface systems is outlined, focussing on those with mechanisms and control strategies designed to improve recovery outcomes of the hand post-stroke. A total of 110 commercial and non-commercial hand and wrist devices, spanning the 2 major core designs: end-effector and exoskeleton are reviewed. The growing body of evidence on the efficacy and relevance of incorporating brain-machine interfaces in stroke rehabilitation is summarized. The challenges involved in integrating robotic rehabilitation into the healthcare system are discussed. This review provides novel insights into the use of robotics in physiotherapy practice, and may help system designers to develop new devices.

Continuous Microfluidics (Ecology-on-a-Chip) Experiments for Long Term Observation of Bacteria at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Michael; White, Andrew; Jalali, Maryam; Sheng, Jian

2017-11-01

A microfluidic bioassay incorporating a peristaltic pump and chemostat capable of continuously culturing a bacterial suspension through a microchannel for an extended period of time relevant to ecological processes is presented. A single crude oil droplet is dispensed on-chip and subsequently pinned to the top and bottom surfaces of the microchannel to establish a vertical curved oil-water interface to observe bacteria without boundary interference. The accumulation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), microbial film formation, and aggregation is provided by DIC microscopy with an EMCCD camera at an interval of 30 sec. Cell-interface interactions such as cell translational and angular motilities as well as encountering, attachment, detachment to the interface are obtained by a high speed camera at 1000 fps with a sampling interval of 10 min. Experiments on Pseudomonas sp. (P62) and isolated EPS suspensions from Sagitulla Stelleta and Roseobacter show rapid formation of bacterial aggregates including EPS streamers stretching tens of drop diameters long. These results provide crucial insights into environmentally relevant processes such as the initiation of marine oil snow, an alternative mode of biodegradation to conventional bioconsumption. Funded by GoMRI, NSF, ARO.

Garbage collector interface

OpenAIRE

Ive, Anders; Blomdell, Anders; Ekman, Torbjörn; Henriksson, Roger; Nilsson, Anders; Nilsson, Klas; Robertz, Sven

2002-01-01

The purpose of the presented garbage collector interface is to provide a universal interface for many different implementations of garbage collectors. This is to simplify the integration and exchange of garbage collectors, but also to support incremental, non-conservative, and thread safe implementations. Due to the complexity of the interface, it is aimed at code generators and preprocessors. Experiences from ongoing implementations indicate that the garbage collector interface successfully ...

Man machine interface based on speech recognition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorge, Carlos A.F.; Aghina, Mauricio A.C.; Mol, Antonio C.A.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.

2007-01-01

This work reports the development of a Man Machine Interface based on speech recognition. The system must recognize spoken commands, and execute the desired tasks, without manual interventions of operators. The range of applications goes from the execution of commands in an industrial plant's control room, to navigation and interaction in virtual environments. Results are reported for isolated word recognition, the isolated words corresponding to the spoken commands. For the pre-processing stage, relevant parameters are extracted from the speech signals, using the cepstral analysis technique, that are used for isolated word recognition, and corresponds to the inputs of an artificial neural network, that performs recognition tasks. (author)

General atomistic approach for modeling metal-semiconductor interfaces using density functional theory and nonequilibrium Green's function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stradi, Daniele; Martinez, Umberto; Blom, Anders

2016-01-01

Metal-semiconductor contacts are a pillar of modern semiconductor technology. Historically, their microscopic understanding has been hampered by the inability of traditional analytical and numerical methods to fully capture the complex physics governing their operating principles. Here we introduce...... an atomistic approach based on density functional theory and nonequilibrium Green's function, which includes all the relevant ingredients required to model realistic metal-semiconductor interfaces and allows for a direct comparison between theory and experiments via I-Vbias curve simulations. We apply...... interfaces as it neglects electron tunneling, and that finite-size atomistic models have problems in describing these interfaces in the presence of doping due to a poor representation of space-charge effects. Conversely, the present method deals effectively with both issues, thus representing a valid...

An interface energy density-based theory considering the coherent interface effect in nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Yin; Chen, Shaohua; Fang, Daining

2017-02-01

To characterize the coherent interface effect conveniently and feasibly in nanomaterials, a continuum theory is proposed that is based on the concept of the interface free energy density, which is a dominant factor affecting the mechanical properties of the coherent interface in materials of all scales. The effect of the residual strain caused by self-relaxation and the lattice misfit of nanomaterials, as well as that due to the interface deformation induced by an external load on the interface free energy density is considered. In contrast to the existing theories, the stress discontinuity at the interface is characterized by the interface free energy density through an interface-induced traction. As a result, the interface elastic constant introduced in previous theories, which is not easy to determine precisely, is avoided in the present theory. Only the surface energy density of the bulk materials forming the interface, the relaxation parameter induced by surface relaxation, and the mismatch parameter for forming a coherent interface between the two surfaces are involved. All the related parameters are far easier to determine than the interface elastic constants. The effective bulk and shear moduli of a nanoparticle-reinforced nanocomposite are predicted using the proposed theory. Closed-form solutions are achieved, demonstrating the feasibility and convenience of the proposed model for predicting the interface effect in nanomaterials.

High-bandwidth memory interface

CERN Document Server

Kim, Chulwoo; Song, Junyoung

2014-01-01

This book provides an overview of recent advances in memory interface design at both the architecture and circuit levels. Coverage includes signal integrity and testing, TSV interface, high-speed serial interface including equalization, ODT, pre-emphasis, wide I/O interface including crosstalk, skew cancellation, and clock generation and distribution. Trends for further bandwidth enhancement are also covered.   • Enables readers with minimal background in memory design to understand the basics of high-bandwidth memory interface design; • Presents state-of-the-art techniques for memory interface design; • Covers memory interface design at both the circuit level and system architecture level.

Controlled manipulation of the Co-Alq3 interface by rational design of Alq3 derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Großmann, Nicolas; Magri, Andrea; Laux, Martin; Stadtmüller, Benjamin; Thielen, Philip; Schäfer, Bernhard; Fuhr, Olaf; Ruben, Mario; Cinchetti, Mirko; Aeschlimann, Martin

2016-11-15

Recently, research has revealed that molecules can be used to steer the local spin properties of ferromagnetic surfaces. One possibility to manipulate ferromagnetic-metal-molecule interfaces in a controlled way is to synthesize specific, non-magnetic molecules to obtain a desired interaction with the ferromagnetic substrate. Here, we have synthesized derivatives of the well-known semiconductor Alq 3 (with q = 8-hydroxyquinolinate), in which the 8-hydroxyquinolinate ligands are partially or completely replaced by similar ligands bearing O- or N-donor sets. The goal of this study was to investigate how the presence of (i) different donor atom sets and (ii) aromaticity in different conjugated π-systems influences the spin properties of the metal-molecule interface formed with a Co(100) surface. The spin-dependent metal-molecule-interface properties have been measured by spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, backed up by DFT calculations. Overall, our results show that, in the case of the Co-molecule interface, chemical synthesis of organic ligands leads to specific electronic properties of the interface, such as exciton formation or highly spin-polarized interface states. We find that these properties are even additive, i.e. they can be engineered into one single molecular system that incorporates all the relevant ligands.

Water at Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Björneholm, Olle; Hansen, Martin Hangaard; Hodgson, Andrew

2016-01-01

The interfaces of neat water and aqueous solutions play a prominent role in many technological processes and in the environment. Examples of aqueous interfaces are ultrathin water films that cover most hydrophilic surfaces under ambient relative humidities, the liquid/solid interface which drives...

The impact of interface design during an initial high-technology AAC experience: a collective case study of people with aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Dietz, Aimee; Weissling, Kristy; Griffith, Julie; McKelvey, Miechelle; Macke, Devan

2014-12-01

The purpose of this collective case study was to describe the communication behaviors of five people with chronic aphasia when they retold personal narratives to an unfamiliar communication partner using four variants of a visual scene display (VSD) interface. The results revealed that spoken language comprised roughly 70% of expressive modality units; variable patterns of use for other modalities emerged. Although inconsistent across participants, several people with aphasia experienced no trouble sources during the retells using VSDs with personally relevant photographs and text boxes. Overall, participants perceived the personally relevant photographs and the text as helpful during the retells. These patterns may serve as a springboard for future experimental investigations regarding how interface design influences the communicative and linguistic performance of people with aphasia.

Electronic structure of hybrid interfaces for polymer-based electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fahlman, M; Crispin, A; Crispin, X; Henze, S K M; Jong, M P de; Osikowicz, W; Tengstedt, C; Salaneck, W R

2007-01-01

The fundamentals of the energy level alignment at anode and cathode electrodes in organic electronics are described. We focus on two different models that treat weakly interacting organic/metal (and organic/organic) interfaces: the induced density of interfacial states model and the so-called integer charge transfer model. The two models are compared and evaluated, mainly using photoelectron spectroscopy data of the energy level alignment of conjugated polymers and molecules at various organic/metal and organic/organic interfaces. We show that two different alignment regimes are generally observed: (i) vacuum level alignment, which corresponds to the lack of vacuum level offsets (Schottky-Mott limit) and hence the lack of charge transfer across the interface, and (ii) Fermi level pinning where the resulting work function of an organic/metal and organic/organic bilayer is independent of the substrate work function and an interface dipole is formed due to charge transfer across the interface. We argue that the experimental results are best described by the integer charge transfer model which predicts the vacuum level alignment when the substrate work function is above the positive charge transfer level and below the negative charge transfer level of the conjugated material. The model further predicts Fermi level pinning to the positive (negative) charge transfer level when the substrate work function is below (above) the positive (negative) charge transfer level. The nature of the integer charge transfer levels depend on the materials system: for conjugated large molecules and polymers, the integer charge transfer states are polarons or bipolarons; for small molecules' highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals and for crystalline systems, the relevant levels are the valence and conduction band edges. Finally, limits and further improvements to the integer charge transfer model are discussed as well as the impact on device design. (topical review)

HCIDL: Human-computer interface description language for multi-target, multimodal, plastic user interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lamia Gaouar

2018-06-01

Full Text Available From the human-computer interface perspectives, the challenges to be faced are related to the consideration of new, multiple interactions, and the diversity of devices. The large panel of interactions (touching, shaking, voice dictation, positioning … and the diversification of interaction devices can be seen as a factor of flexibility albeit introducing incidental complexity. Our work is part of the field of user interface description languages. After an analysis of the scientific context of our work, this paper introduces HCIDL, a modelling language staged in a model-driven engineering approach. Among the properties related to human-computer interface, our proposition is intended for modelling multi-target, multimodal, plastic interaction interfaces using user interface description languages. By combining plasticity and multimodality, HCIDL improves usability of user interfaces through adaptive behaviour by providing end-users with an interaction-set adapted to input/output of terminals and, an optimum layout. Keywords: Model driven engineering, Human-computer interface, User interface description languages, Multimodal applications, Plastic user interfaces

LabVIEW Interface for PCI-SpaceWire Interface Card

Science.gov (United States)

Lux, James; Loya, Frank; Bachmann, Alex

2005-01-01

This software provides a LabView interface to the NT drivers for the PCISpaceWire card, which is a peripheral component interface (PCI) bus interface that conforms to the IEEE-1355/ SpaceWire standard. As SpaceWire grows in popularity, the ability to use SpaceWire links within LabVIEW will be important to electronic ground support equipment vendors. In addition, there is a need for a high-level LabVIEW interface to the low-level device- driver software supplied with the card. The LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI) provides graphical interfaces to support all (1) SpaceWire link functions, including message handling and routing; (2) monitoring as a passive tap using specialized hardware; and (3) low-level access to satellite mission-control subsystem functions. The software is supplied in a zip file that contains LabVIEW VI files, which provide various functions of the PCI-SpaceWire card, as well as higher-link-level functions. The VIs are suitably named according to the matching function names in the driver manual. A number of test programs also are provided to exercise various functions.

User Interface History

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Anker Helms; Myers, Brad A

2008-01-01

User Interfaces have been around as long as computers have existed, even well before the field of Human-Computer Interaction was established. Over the years, some papers on the history of Human-Computer Interaction and User Interfaces have appeared, primarily focusing on the graphical interface e...

Evolution in the design of a low sheath-flow interface for CE-MS and application to biological samples.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Ruiz, Víctor; Codesido, Santiago; Rudaz, Serge; Schappler, Julie

2018-03-01

Although several interfaces for CE-MS hyphenation are commercially available, the development of new versatile, simple and yet efficient and sensitive alternatives remains an important field of research. In a previous work, a simple low sheath-flow interface was developed from inexpensive parts. This interface features a design easy to build, maintain, and adapt to particular needs. The present work introduces an improved design of the previous interface. By reducing the diameter of the separation capillary and the emitter, a smaller Taylor cone is spontaneously formed, minimizing the zone dispersion while the analytes go through the interface and leading to less peak broadening associated to the ESI process. Numerical modeling allowed studying the mixing and diffusion processes taking place in the Taylor cone. The analytical performance of this new interface was tested with pharmaceutically relevant molecules and endogenous metabolites. The interface was eventually applied to the analysis of neural cell culture samples, allowing the identification of a panel of neurotransmission-related molecules. An excellent migration time repeatability was obtained (intra-day RSD 10 with an injected volume of 6.7 nL of biological extract. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Interface e as suas dimensões na perceção de credibilidade e confiança na e-Health. Proposta de uma estrutura para análise da Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreia Pinto de Sousa

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A Interface é incontornável quando se estudam os sistemas de informação. Com este artigo, pretendemos contribuir para o aumento do conhecimento sobre os processos de apresentação de informação de saúde online e, sobre as relações do utilizador com a Interface. A proposta aqui apresentada consiste na divisão da interface em cinco dimensões (visual, arquitetura da informação, interação, presença social e experiência de utilização para um maior conhecimento da relevância de cada uma das dimensões e dos seus elementos no estudo da credibilidade e confiança online. Apresenta-se também um modelo de análise que serve como base de construção dos instrumentos de análise para a recolha de dados que caraterizam os utilizadores, e os seus comportamentos relativamente ao acesso e participação e avaliam a sua perceção de credibilidade e de confiança em websites partindo da análise de cada uma das dimensões da Interface.

Multilevel interfaces for power plant control rooms I: An integrative review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vicente, K.J.

1992-01-01

Events that are unfamiliar to operators and that have not been anticipated by designers pose the greatest threat to system safety in nuclear power plants. The abstraction hierarchy has been proposed as a representation framework that can be adopted to design interfaces that support operators in dealing with these unanticipated events. This multilevel representation format represents a plant in terms of both physical and functional constraints. This article reviews, for the first time, the work that has been done in academia, industry, and research laboratories on multilevel interfaces based on the abstraction hierarchy. The review indicates that there are many degrees of freedom in designing an interface based on the abstraction hierarchy but that very little systematic work has been done in evaluating how best to deal with those degrees of freedom. As a result, there is very little defensible guidance to provide designers. As a first step in overcoming this barrier, a companion paper uses the results of the review presented here to develop a preliminary design space for multilevel interfaces based on the abstraction hierarchy. This space serves several worthwhile purposes relevant not only to research but also to design and regulation as well. Consequently this complementary set of papers should be of interest to researchers, designers, and regulators concerned with nuclear power-plant control rooms. 53 refs., 8 figs

Microprocessor interfacing

CERN Document Server

Vears, R E

2014-01-01

Microprocessor Interfacing provides the coverage of the Business and Technician Education Council level NIII unit in Microprocessor Interfacing (syllabus U86/335). Composed of seven chapters, the book explains the foundation in microprocessor interfacing techniques in hardware and software that can be used for problem identification and solving. The book focuses on the 6502, Z80, and 6800/02 microprocessor families. The technique starts with signal conditioning, filtering, and cleaning before the signal can be processed. The signal conversion, from analog to digital or vice versa, is expl

Interface Realisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pold, Søren

2005-01-01

This article argues for seeing the interface as an important representational and aesthetic form with implications for postmodern culture and digital aesthetics. The interface emphasizes realism due in part to the desire for transparency in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and partly...

Easy-to-use interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blattner, D O; Blattner, M M; Tong, Y.

1999-01-01

Easy-to-use interfaces are a class of interfaces that fall between public access interfaces and graphical user interfaces in usability and cognitive difficulty. We describe characteristics of easy-to-use interfaces by the properties of four dimensions: selection, navigation, direct manipulation, and contextual metaphors. Another constraint we introduced was to include as little text as possible, and what text we have will be in at least four languages. Formative evaluations were conducted to identify and isolate these characteristics. Our application is a visual interface for a home automation system intended for a diverse set of users. The design will be expanded to accommodate the visually disabled in the near future

Multi-Robot Interfaces and Operator Situational Awareness: Study of the Impact of Immersion and Prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Roldán, Juan Jesús; Peña-Tapia, Elena; Martín-Barrio, Andrés; Olivares-Méndez, Miguel A; Del Cerro, Jaime; Barrientos, Antonio

2017-07-27

Multi-robot missions are a challenge for operators in terms of workload and situational awareness. These operators have to receive data from the robots, extract information, understand the situation properly, make decisions, generate the adequate commands, and send them to the robots. The consequences of excessive workload and lack of awareness can vary from inefficiencies to accidents. This work focuses on the study of future operator interfaces of multi-robot systems, taking into account relevant issues such as multimodal interactions, immersive devices, predictive capabilities and adaptive displays. Specifically, four interfaces have been designed and developed: a conventional, a predictive conventional, a virtual reality and a predictive virtual reality interface. The four interfaces have been validated by the performance of twenty-four operators that supervised eight multi-robot missions of fire surveillance and extinguishing. The results of the workload and situational awareness tests show that virtual reality improves the situational awareness without increasing the workload of operators, whereas the effects of predictive components are not significant and depend on their implementation.

Multi-Robot Interfaces and Operator Situational Awareness: Study of the Impact of Immersion and Prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Peña-Tapia, Elena; Martín-Barrio, Andrés; Olivares-Méndez, Miguel A.

2017-01-01

Multi-robot missions are a challenge for operators in terms of workload and situational awareness. These operators have to receive data from the robots, extract information, understand the situation properly, make decisions, generate the adequate commands, and send them to the robots. The consequences of excessive workload and lack of awareness can vary from inefficiencies to accidents. This work focuses on the study of future operator interfaces of multi-robot systems, taking into account relevant issues such as multimodal interactions, immersive devices, predictive capabilities and adaptive displays. Specifically, four interfaces have been designed and developed: a conventional, a predictive conventional, a virtual reality and a predictive virtual reality interface. The four interfaces have been validated by the performance of twenty-four operators that supervised eight multi-robot missions of fire surveillance and extinguishing. The results of the workload and situational awareness tests show that virtual reality improves the situational awareness without increasing the workload of operators, whereas the effects of predictive components are not significant and depend on their implementation. PMID:28749407

Multi-Robot Interfaces and Operator Situational Awareness: Study of the Impact of Immersion and Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Jesús Roldán

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Multi-robot missions are a challenge for operators in terms of workload and situational awareness. These operators have to receive data from the robots, extract information, understand the situation properly, make decisions, generate the adequate commands, and send them to the robots. The consequences of excessive workload and lack of awareness can vary from inefficiencies to accidents. This work focuses on the study of future operator interfaces of multi-robot systems, taking into account relevant issues such as multimodal interactions, immersive devices, predictive capabilities and adaptive displays. Specifically, four interfaces have been designed and developed: a conventional, a predictive conventional, a virtual reality and a predictive virtual reality interface. The four interfaces have been validated by the performance of twenty-four operators that supervised eight multi-robot missions of fire surveillance and extinguishing. The results of the workload and situational awareness tests show that virtual reality improves the situational awareness without increasing the workload of operators, whereas the effects of predictive components are not significant and depend on their implementation.

Lab-on-a-brane: nanofibrous polymer membranes to recreate organ-capillary interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Budhwani, Karim I.; Thomas, Vinoy; Sethu, Palaniappan

2016-03-01

Drug discovery is a complex and time consuming process involving significant basic research and preclinical evaluation prior to testing in patients. Preclinical studies rely extensively on animal models which often fail in human trials. Biomimetic microphysiological systems (MPS) using human cells can be a promising alternative to animal models; where critical interactions between different organ systems are recreated to provide physiologically relevant in vitro human models. Central here are blood-vessel networks, the interface controlling transport of cellular and biomolecular components between the circulating fluid and underlying tissue. Here we present a novel lab-on-a-brane (or lab-on-a-membrane) nanofluidics MPS that combines the elegance of lab-on-a-chip with the more realistic morphology of 3D fibrous tissue-engineering constructs. Our blood-vessel lab-on-a-brane effectively simulates in vivo vessel-tissue interface for evaluating transendothelial transport in various pharmacokinetic and nanomedicine applications. Attributes of our platform include (a) nanoporous barrier interface enabling transmembrane molecular transport, (b) transformation of substrate into nanofibrous 3D tissue matrix, (c) invertible-sandwich architecture, and (d) simple co-culture mechanism for endothelial and smooth muscle layers to accurately mimic arterial anatomy. Structural, mechanical, and transport characterization using scanning electron microscopy, stress/strain analysis, infrared spectroscopy, immunofluorescence, and FITC-Dextran hydraulic permeability confirm viability of this in vitro system. Thus, our lab-on-a-brane provides an effective and efficient, yet considerably inexpensive, physiologically relevant alternative for pharmacokinetic evaluation; possibly reducing animals used in preclinical testing, costs from false starts, and time-to-market. Furthermore, it can be configured in multiple simultaneous arrays for personalized and precision medicine applications and for

Organic interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poelman, W.A.; Tempelman, E.

2014-01-01

This paper deals with the consequences for product designers resulting from the replacement of traditional interfaces by responsive materials. Part 1 presents a theoretical framework regarding a new paradigm for man-machine interfacing. Part 2 provides an analysis of the opportunities offered by new

Scaffolding scientific discussion using socially relevant representations in networked multimedia

Science.gov (United States)

Hoadley, Christopher M.

1999-11-01

How do students make use of social cues when learning on the computer? This work examines how students in a middle-school science course learned through on-line peer discussion. Cognitive accounts of collaboration stress interacting with ideas, while socially situated accounts stress the interpersonal context. The design of electronic environments allows investigation into the interrelation of cognitive and social dimensions. I use on-line peer discussion to investigate how socially relevant representations in interfaces can aid learning. First, I identify some of the variables that affect individual participation in on-line discussion, including interface features. Individual participation is predicted by student attitudes towards learning from peers. Second, I describe the range of group outcomes for these on-line discussions. There is a large effect of discussion group on learning outcomes which is not reducible to group composition or gross measures of group process. Third, I characterize how students (individually) construct understanding from these group discussions. Learning in the on-line discussions is shown to be a result of sustained interaction over time, not merely encountering or expressing ideas. Experimental manipulations in the types of social cues available to students suggest that many students do use socially relevant representations to support their understanding of multiple viewpoints and science reasoning. Personalizing scientific disputes can afford reflection on the nature of scientific discovery and advance. While there are many individual differences in how social representations are used by students in learning, overall learning benefits for certain social representations can be shown. This work has profound implications for design of collaborative instructional methods, equitable access to science learning, design of instructional technology, and understanding of learning and cognition in social settings.

Complex Interfaces Under Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosbjerg, Dan

The hydrosphere is dynamic across the major compartments of the Earth system: the atmosphere, the oceans and seas, the land surface water, and the groundwater within the strata below the two last compartments. The global geography of the hydrosphere essentially depends on thermodynamic and mechan...... these interfaces and interfaced compartments and processes. Climate, sea-level, oceanographic currents and hydrological processes are all affected, while anthropogenic changes are often intense in the geographic settings corresponding to such interfaces....... and mechanical processes that develop within this structure. Water-related processes at the interfaces between the compartments are complex, depending both on the interface itself, and on the characteristics of the interfaced compartments. Various aspects of global change directly or indirectly impact...

Quantization of interface currents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotani, Motoko [AIMR, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Schulz-Baldes, Hermann [Department Mathematik, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen (Germany); Villegas-Blas, Carlos [Instituto de Matematicas, Cuernavaca, UNAM, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

2014-12-15

At the interface of two two-dimensional quantum systems, there may exist interface currents similar to edge currents in quantum Hall systems. It is proved that these interface currents are macroscopically quantized by an integer that is given by the difference of the Chern numbers of the two systems. It is also argued that at the interface between two time-reversal invariant systems with half-integer spin, one of which is trivial and the other non-trivial, there are dissipationless spin-polarized interface currents.

Interfaces and interactions in the Swiss waste disposal programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCombie, C.

1994-01-01

Switzerland is a small country (41,293 km 2 ) with a small population (∼7 million) and a small nuclear power park (∼3000 MWe) which gives rise to correspondingly limited volumes of radioactive wastes. The following sections present a summary of the technical and organizational structures involved in the procedures for implementing a back-end strategy in Switzerland and the rationale for their choice. The hierarchical organizational units involved in repository projects, their responsibilities and their interactions are described. This linked chain of responsibilities must be thought through as a whole if interface and communication problems in the line structure are to be minimized -- this we call vertical integration. The programme implementers do not work, however, in a technical or social vacuum. Interfaces to other bodies (regulators, politicians, public) are equally vital to programme success. These communications and exchanges must all be coordinated with one another and with the line organization -- this we call horizontal interaction. The multidimensional organizational system to be considered is described in Sections 2 and 3, in which the roles of each of the entities involved and the relevant interfaces are described. Beforehand, however, we present a short overview of the Swiss waste management strategy and the current programme status in order that individual points made in the following discussion can be related to concrete projects, plans, locations and waste management facilities

Configurations of NPD : production interfaces and interface integration mechanisms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smulders, F.E.H.M.; Boer, H.; Hansen, P.H.K.; Gubi, E.; Dorst, C.H.

2002-01-01

This paper describes and illustrates different configurations of the interface between new product development and production processes, including both intra–firm and inter–firm interfaces. These configurations are partly based on a process view of product innovation and partly on a structural view

An Approach to Interface Synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Jan; Hald, Bjarne

1995-01-01

Presents a novel interface synthesis approach based on a one-sided interface description. Whereas most other approaches consider interface synthesis as optimizing a channel to existing client/server modules, we consider the interface synthesis as part of the client/server module synthesis (which...... may contain the re-use of existing modules). The interface synthesis approach describes the basic transformations needed to transform the server interface description into an interface description on the client side of the communication medium. The synthesis approach is illustrated through a point...

Touchfree medical interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossol, Nathaniel; Cheng, Irene; Rui Shen; Basu, Anup

2014-01-01

Real-time control of visual display systems via mid-air hand gestures offers many advantages over traditional interaction modalities. In medicine, for example, it allows a practitioner to adjust display values, e.g. contrast or zoom, on a medical visualization interface without the need to re-sterilize the interface. However, when users are holding a small tool (such as a pen, surgical needle, or computer stylus) the need to constantly put the tool down in order to make hand gesture interactions is not ideal. This work presents a novel interface that automatically adjusts for gesturing with hands and hand-held tools to precisely control medical displays. The novelty of our interface is that it uses a single set of gestures designed to be equally effective for fingers and hand-held tools without using markers. This type of interface was previously not feasible with low-resolution depth sensors such as Kinect, but is now achieved by using the recently released Leap Motion controller. Our interface is validated through a user study on a group of people given the task of adjusting parameters on a medical image.

Diffusion between evolving interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juntunen, Janne; Merikoski, Juha

2010-01-01

Diffusion in an evolving environment is studied by continuous-time Monte Carlo simulations. Diffusion is modeled by continuous-time random walkers on a lattice, in a dynamic environment provided by bubbles between two one-dimensional interfaces driven symmetrically towards each other. For one-dimensional random walkers constrained by the interfaces, the bubble size distribution dominates diffusion. For two-dimensional random walkers, it is also controlled by the topography and dynamics of the interfaces. The results of the one-dimensional case are recovered in the limit where the interfaces are strongly driven. Even with simple hard-core repulsion between the interfaces and the particles, diffusion is found to depend strongly on the details of the dynamical rules of particles close to the interfaces.

Combinatorial Nano-Bio Interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Pingqiang; Zhang, Xiaoqian; Wang, Ming; Wu, Yun-Long; Chen, Xiaodong

2018-06-08

Nano-bio interfaces are emerging from the convergence of engineered nanomaterials and biological entities. Despite rapid growth, clinical translation of biomedical nanomaterials is heavily compromised by the lack of comprehensive understanding of biophysicochemical interactions at nano-bio interfaces. In the past decade, a few investigations have adopted a combinatorial approach toward decoding nano-bio interfaces. Combinatorial nano-bio interfaces comprise the design of nanocombinatorial libraries and high-throughput bioevaluation. In this Perspective, we address challenges in combinatorial nano-bio interfaces and call for multiparametric nanocombinatorics (composition, morphology, mechanics, surface chemistry), multiscale bioevaluation (biomolecules, organelles, cells, tissues/organs), and the recruitment of computational modeling and artificial intelligence. Leveraging combinatorial nano-bio interfaces will shed light on precision nanomedicine and its potential applications.

Catastrophic degradation of the interface of epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon at high temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradeepkumar, Aiswarya; Mishra, Neeraj; Kermany, Atieh Ranjbar; Iacopi, Francesca [Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre and Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111 (Australia); Boeckl, John J. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433 (United States); Hellerstedt, Jack; Fuhrer, Michael S. [Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800 (Australia)

2016-07-04

Epitaxial cubic silicon carbide on silicon is of high potential technological relevance for the integration of a wide range of applications and materials with silicon technologies, such as micro electro mechanical systems, wide-bandgap electronics, and graphene. The hetero-epitaxial system engenders mechanical stresses at least up to a GPa, pressures making it extremely challenging to maintain the integrity of the silicon carbide/silicon interface. In this work, we investigate the stability of said interface and we find that high temperature annealing leads to a loss of integrity. High–resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis shows a morphologically degraded SiC/Si interface, while mechanical stress measurements indicate considerable relaxation of the interfacial stress. From an electrical point of view, the diode behaviour of the initial p-Si/n-SiC junction is catastrophically lost due to considerable inter-diffusion of atoms and charges across the interface upon annealing. Temperature dependent transport measurements confirm a severe electrical shorting of the epitaxial silicon carbide to the underlying substrate, indicating vast predominance of the silicon carriers in lateral transport above 25 K. This finding has crucial consequences on the integration of epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon and its potential applications.

Enabling multi-level relevance feedback on PubMed by integrating rank learning into DBMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hwanjo; Kim, Taehoon; Oh, Jinoh; Ko, Ilhwan; Kim, Sungchul; Han, Wook-Shin

2010-04-16

Finding relevant articles from PubMed is challenging because it is hard to express the user's specific intention in the given query interface, and a keyword query typically retrieves a large number of results. Researchers have applied machine learning techniques to find relevant articles by ranking the articles according to the learned relevance function. However, the process of learning and ranking is usually done offline without integrated with the keyword queries, and the users have to provide a large amount of training documents to get a reasonable learning accuracy. This paper proposes a novel multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, called RefMed, which supports both ad-hoc keyword queries and a multi-level relevance feedback in real time on PubMed. RefMed supports a multi-level relevance feedback by using the RankSVM as the learning method, and thus it achieves higher accuracy with less feedback. RefMed "tightly" integrates the RankSVM into RDBMS to support both keyword queries and the multi-level relevance feedback in real time; the tight coupling of the RankSVM and DBMS substantially improves the processing time. An efficient parameter selection method for the RankSVM is also proposed, which tunes the RankSVM parameter without performing validation. Thereby, RefMed achieves a high learning accuracy in real time without performing a validation process. RefMed is accessible at http://dm.postech.ac.kr/refmed. RefMed is the first multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, which achieves a high accuracy with less feedback. It effectively learns an accurate relevance function from the user's feedback and efficiently processes the function to return relevant articles in real time.

Engineering Musculoskeletal Tissue Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ece Bayrak

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Tissue engineering aims to bring together biomaterials, cells, and signaling molecules within properly designed microenvironments in order to create viable treatment options for the lost or malfunctioning tissues. Design and production of scaffolds and cell-laden grafts that mimic the complex structural and functional features of tissues are among the most important elements of tissue engineering strategy. Although all tissues have their own complex structure, an even more complex case in terms of engineering a proper carrier material is encountered at the tissue interfaces, where two distinct tissues come together. The interfaces in the body can be examined in four categories; cartilage-bone and ligament-bone interfaces at the knee and the spine, tendon-bone interfaces at the shoulder and the feet, and muscle-tendon interface at the skeletal system. These interfaces are seen mainly at the soft-to-hard tissue transitions and they are especially susceptible to injury and tear due to the biomechanical inconsistency between these tissues where high strain fields are present. Therefore, engineering the musculoskeletal tissue interfaces remain a challenge. This review focuses on recent advancements in strategies for musculoskeletal interface engineering using different biomaterial-based platforms and surface modification techniques.

An analytic interface dynamo over a shear layer of finite depth

OpenAIRE

Petrovay, K.; Kerekes, A.; Erdélyi, R.

2010-01-01

Parker's analytic Cartesian interface dynamo is generalized to the case of a shear layer of finite thickness and low resistivity ("tachocline"), bounded by a perfect conductor ("radiative zone") on the one side, and by a highly diffusive medium ("convective zone") supporting an $\\alpha$-effect on the other side. In the limit of high diffusivity contrast between the shear layer and the diffusive medium, thought to be relevant for the Sun, a pair of exact dispersion relations for the growth rat...

Brain-computer interfaces for EEG neurofeedback: peculiarities and solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huster, René J; Mokom, Zacharais N; Enriquez-Geppert, Stefanie; Herrmann, Christoph S

2014-01-01

Neurofeedback training procedures designed to alter a person's brain activity have been in use for nearly four decades now and represent one of the earliest applications of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). The majority of studies using neurofeedback technology relies on recordings of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and applies neurofeedback in clinical contexts, exploring its potential as treatment for psychopathological syndromes. This clinical focus significantly affects the technology behind neurofeedback BCIs. For example, in contrast to other BCI applications, neurofeedback BCIs usually rely on EEG-derived features with only a minimum of additional processing steps being employed. Here, we highlight the peculiarities of EEG-based neurofeedback BCIs and consider their relevance for software implementations. Having reviewed already existing packages for the implementation of BCIs, we introduce our own solution which specifically considers the relevance of multi-subject handling for experimental and clinical trials, for example by implementing ready-to-use solutions for pseudo-/sham-neurofeedback. © 2013.

The social-sensory interface: category interactions in person perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Jonathan B; Johnson, Kerri L; Adams, Reginald B; Ambady, Nalini

2012-01-01

Research is increasingly challenging the claim that distinct sources of social information-such as sex, race, and emotion-are processed in discrete fashion. Instead, there appear to be functionally relevant interactions that occur. In the present article, we describe research examining how cues conveyed by the human face, voice, and body interact to form the unified representations that guide our perceptions of and responses to other people. We explain how these information sources are often thrown into interaction through bottom-up forces (e.g., phenotypic cues) as well as top-down forces (e.g., stereotypes and prior knowledge). Such interactions point to a person perception process that is driven by an intimate interface between bottom-up perceptual and top-down social processes. Incorporating data from neuroimaging, event-related potentials (ERP), computational modeling, computer mouse-tracking, and other behavioral measures, we discuss the structure of this interface, and we consider its implications and adaptive purposes. We argue that an increased understanding of person perception will likely require a synthesis of insights and techniques, from social psychology to the cognitive, neural, and vision sciences.

Universal computer interfaces

CERN Document Server

Dheere, RFBM

1988-01-01

Presents a survey of the latest developments in the field of the universal computer interface, resulting from a study of the world patent literature. Illustrating the state of the art today, the book ranges from basic interface structure, through parameters and common characteristics, to the most important industrial bus realizations. Recent technical enhancements are also included, with special emphasis devoted to the universal interface adapter circuit. Comprehensively indexed.

Interface Input/Output Automata

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Nyman, Ulrik; Wasowski, Andrzej

2006-01-01

Building on the theory of interface automata by de Alfaro and Henzinger we design an interface language for Lynch’s I/O, a popular formalism used in the development of distributed asynchronous systems, not addressed by previous interface research. We introduce an explicit separation of assumptions...... a method for solving systems of relativized behavioral inequalities as used in our setup and draw a formal correspondence between our work and interface automata....

Universal quantum interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, Seth; Landahl, Andrew J.; Slotine, Jean-Jacques E.

2004-01-01

To observe or control a quantum system, one must interact with it via an interface. This article exhibits simple universal quantum interfaces--quantum input/output ports consisting of a single two-state system or quantum bit that interacts with the system to be observed or controlled. It is shown that under very general conditions the ability to observe and control the quantum bit on its own implies the ability to observe and control the system itself. The interface can also be used as a quantum communication channel, and multiple quantum systems can be connected by interfaces to become an efficient universal quantum computer. Experimental realizations are proposed, and implications for controllability, observability, and quantum information processing are explored

Improving UGV teleoperation performance using novel visualization techniques and manual interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Vozar, Steven; Tilbury, Dawn M.

2012-06-01

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are well-suited to a variety of tasks that are dangerous or repetitive for humans to perform. Despite recent advances, UGVs still suffer from reliability issues, and human operation failures have been identified as one root cause of UGV system failure. However, most literature relevant to UGV reliability does not address the effects of human errors or the user interface. Our previous work investigated the issue of user situational awareness and sense of presence in the robot workspace by implementing a Mixed Reality interface featuring a first-person video feed with an Augmented Reality overlay and a third-person Virtual Reality display. The interface was evaluated in a series of user tests in which users manually controlled a UGV with a manipulator arm using traditional input modalities including a computer mouse, keyboard and gamepad. In this study, we learned that users found it challenging to mentally map commands from the manual inputs to the robot arm behavior. Also, switching between control modalities seemed to add to the cognitive load during teleoperation tasks. A master-slave style manual controller can provide an intuitive one-to-one mapping from user input to robot pose, and has the potential to improve both operator situational awareness for teleoperation tasks and decrease mission completion time. This paper describes the design and implementation of a teleoperated UGV with a Mixed Reality visualization interface and a master-slave controller that is suitable for teleoperated mobile manipulation tasks.

The relationship between perceived usability of a beautiful interface and of an ugly interface

OpenAIRE

Mohammed, Naitullah; Syed.Mohammed, Mahamood Ur Rahman

2012-01-01

The relationship between the perceived usability of a beautiful interface and of an ugly interface is analyzed in this study. This study correlates the visual aesthetics of the website with perceived usability. This research is performed to know the significance of visual aesthetics on perceived usability. A website is designed with two interfaces. One interface is designed by following design guidelines with respect to usability and the other interface is designed without following guideline...

Failure Propagation Modeling and Analysis via System Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Zhao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Safety-critical systems must be shown to be acceptably safe to deploy and use in their operational environment. One of the key concerns of developing safety-critical systems is to understand how the system behaves in the presence of failures, regardless of whether that failure is triggered by the external environment or caused by internal errors. Safety assessment at the early stages of system development involves analysis of potential failures and their consequences. Increasingly, for complex systems, model-based safety assessment is becoming more widely used. In this paper we propose an approach for safety analysis based on system interface models. By extending interaction models on the system interface level with failure modes as well as relevant portions of the physical system to be controlled, automated support could be provided for much of the failure analysis. We focus on fault modeling and on how to compute minimal cut sets. Particularly, we explore state space reconstruction strategy and bounded searching technique to reduce the number of states that need to be analyzed, which remarkably improves the efficiency of cut sets searching algorithm.

MER SPICE Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Sayfi, Elias

2004-01-01

MER SPICE Interface is a software module for use in conjunction with the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission and the SPICE software system of the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (SPICE is used to acquire, record, and disseminate engineering, navigational, and other ancillary data describing circumstances under which data were acquired by spaceborne scientific instruments.) Given a Spacecraft Clock value, MER SPICE Interface extracts MER-specific data from SPICE kernels (essentially, raw data files) and calculates values for Planet Day Number, Local Solar Longitude, Local Solar Elevation, Local Solar Azimuth, and Local Solar Time (UTC). MER SPICE Interface was adapted from a subroutine, denoted m98SpiceIF written by Payam Zamani, that was intended to calculate SPICE values for the Mars Polar Lander. The main difference between MER SPICE Interface and m98SpiceIf is that MER SPICE Interface does not explicitly call CHRONOS, a time-conversion program that is part of a library of utility subprograms within SPICE. Instead, MER SPICE Interface mimics some portions of the CHRONOS code, the advantage being that it executes much faster and can efficiently be called from a pipeline of events in a parallel processing environment.

Evaluation of the user interface simplicity in the modern generation of mechanical ventilators.

Science.gov (United States)

Uzawa, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Yoshitsugu; Suzukawa, Masayuki

2008-03-01

We designed this study to evaluate the simplicity of the user interface in modern-generation mechanical ventilators. We hypothesized that different designs in the user interface could result in different rates of operational failures. A laboratory in a tertiary teaching hospital. Crossover design. Twenty-one medical resident physicians who did not possess operating experience with any of the selected ventilators. Four modern mechanical ventilators were selected: Dräger Evita XL, Maquet Servo-i, Newport e500, and Puritan Bennett 840. Each subject was requested to perform 8 tasks on each ventilator. Two objective variables (the number of successfully completed tasks without operational failures and the operational time) and the overall subjective rating of the ease of use, measured with a 100-mm visual analog scale were recorded. The total percentage of operational failures made for all subjects, for all tasks, was 23%. There were significant differences in the rates of operational failures and operational time among the 4 ventilators. Subjects made more operational failures in setting up the ventilators and in making ventilator-setting changes than in reacting to alarms. The subjective feeling of the ease of use was also significantly different among the ventilators. The design of the user interface is relevant to the occurrence of operational failures. Our data indicate that ventilator designers could optimize the user-interface design to reduce the operational failures; therefore, basic user interface should be standardized among the clinically used mechanical ventilators.

Human-machine interface upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kropik, M.; Matejka, K.; Sklenka, L.; Chab, V.

2002-01-01

The article describes a new human-machine interface that was installed at the VR-1 training reactor. The human-machine interface upgrade was completed in the summer 2001. The interface was designed with respect to functional, ergonomic and aesthetic requirements. The interface is based on a personal computer equipped with two displays. One display enables alphanumeric communication between the reactor operator and the nuclear reactor I and C. The second display is a graphical one. It presents the status of the reactor, principal parameters (as power, period), control rods positions, course of the reactor power. Furthermore, it is possible to set parameters, to show the active core configuration, to perform reactivity calculations, etc. The software for the new human-machine interface was produced with the InTouch developing tool of the Wonder-Ware Company. It is possible to switch the language of the interface between Czech and English because of many foreign students and visitors to the reactor. Microcomputer based communication units with proper software were developed to connect the new human-machine interface with the present reactor I and C. The new human-machine interface at the VR-1 training reactor improves the comfort and safety of the reactor utilisation, facilitates experiments and training, and provides better support for foreign visitors. (orig.)

Methods for studying medical device technology and practitioner cognition : The case of user-interface issues with infusion pumps

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schraagen, J.M.C.; Verhoeven, F.

2013-01-01

Purpose : The aims of this study were to investigate how a variety of research methods is commonly employed to study technology and practitioner cognition. User-interface issues with infusion pumps were selected as a case because of its relevance to patient safety. Methods : Starting from a

Capillary-wave dynamics and interface structure modulation in binary Bose-Einstein condensate mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Indekeu, Joseph O.; Van Thu, Nguyen; Lin, Chang-You; Phat, Tran Huu

2018-04-01

The localized low-energy interfacial excitations, or interfacial Nambu-Goldstone modes, of phase-segregated binary mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates are investigated analytically. To this end a double-parabola approximation (DPA) is performed on the Lagrangian density in Gross-Pitaevskii theory for a system in a uniform potential. This DPA entails a model in which analytic expressions are obtained for the excitations underlying capillary waves or ripplons for arbitrary strength K (>1 ) of the phase segregation. The dispersion relation ω (k ) ∝k3 /2 is derived directly from the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations in the limit that the wavelength 2 π /k is much larger than the interface width. The proportionality constant in the dispersion relation provides the static interfacial tension. A correction term in ω (k ) of order k5 /2 is calculated analytically within the DPA model. The combined result is tested against numerical diagonalization of the exact Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. Satisfactory agreement is obtained in the range of physically relevant wavelengths. The ripplon dispersion relation is relevant to state-of-the-art experiments using (quasi)uniform optical-box traps. Furthermore, within the DPA model explicit expressions are obtained for the structural deformation of the interface due to the passing of the capillary wave. It is found that the amplitude of the wave is enhanced by an amount that is quadratic in the ratio of the phase velocity ω /k to the sound velocity c . For generic mixtures consisting of condensates with unequal healing lengths, an additional modulation is predicted of the common value of the condensate densities at the interface.

Solar wind stream interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosling, J.T.; Asbridge, J.R.; Bame, S.J.; Feldman, W.C.

1978-01-01

Measurements aboard Imp 6, 7, and 8 reveal that approximately one third of all high-speed solar wind streams observed at 1 AU contain a sharp boundary (of thickness less than approx.4 x 10 4 km) near their leading edge, called a stream interface, which separates plasma of distinctly different properties and origins. Identified as discontinuities across which the density drops abruptly, the proton temperature increases abruptly, and the speed rises, stream interfaces are remarkably similar in character from one stream to the next. A superposed epoch analysis of plasma data has been performed for 23 discontinuous stream interfaces observed during the interval March 1971 through August 1974. Among the results of this analysis are the following: (1) a stream interface separates what was originally thick (i.e., dense) slow gas from what was originally thin (i.e., rare) fast gas; (2) the interface is the site of a discontinuous shear in the solar wind flow in a frame of reference corotating with the sun; (3) stream interfaces occur at speeds less than 450 km s - 1 and close to or at the maximum of the pressure ridge at the leading edges of high-speed streams; (4) a discontinuous rise by approx.40% in electron temperature occurs at the interface; and (5) discontinuous changes (usually rises) in alpha particle abundance and flow speed relative to the protons occur at the interface. Stream interfaces do not generally recur on successive solar rotations, even though the streams in which they are embedded often do. At distances beyond several astronomical units, stream interfaces should be bounded by forward-reverse shock pairs; three of four reverse shocks observed at 1 AU during 1971--1974 were preceded within approx.1 day by stream interfaces. Our observations suggest that many streams close to the sun are bounded on all sides by large radial velocity shears separating rapidly expanding plasma from more slowly expanding plasma

Microcomputer interfacing and applications

CERN Document Server

Mustafa, M A

1990-01-01

This is the applications guide to interfacing microcomputers. It offers practical non-mathematical solutions to interfacing problems in many applications including data acquisition and control. Emphasis is given to the definition of the objectives of the interface, then comparing possible solutions and producing the best interface for every situation. Dr Mustafa A Mustafa is a senior designer of control equipment and has written many technical articles and papers on the subject of computers and their application to control engineering.

Reactivity of the calcite–water-interface, from molecular scale processes to geochemical engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heberling, Frank; Bosbach, Dirk; Eckhardt, Jörg-Detlef; Fischer, Uwe; Glowacky, Jens; Haist, Michael; Kramar, Utz; Loos, Steffen; Müller, Harald S.; Neumann, Thomas; Pust, Christopher; Schäfer, Thorsten; Stelling, Jan

2014-01-01

coprecipitation is observed experimentally. The relevance of nano-scale surface features is addressed in an investigation of calcite growth and precipitation in the presence of phosphonates, demonstrating the influence of phosphonates on the morphology of growth spirals and macroscopic growth rates. It is investigated how physical properties of limestone containing cement suspensions may influence the workability of the cement suspensions and thus the efficacy of limestone in industrial applications. The largest scale is reached in iron filtration experiments in a water-purification-pilot-plant using limestone as filter material, which appeared to be highly effective for removing iron from drinking water. Investigations presented cover a whole series of methods to study the calcite–water-interface. Many calcite related topics are addressed, demonstrating how broad the field of calcite–water-interface research is and how manifold the applications are, for which calcite–water-interface phenomena are of major relevance

Molecular-structure control of ultrafast electron injection at cationic porphyrin-CdTe quantum dot interfaces

KAUST Repository

Aly, Shawkat Mohammede

2015-03-05

Charge transfer (CT) at donor (D)/acceptor (A) interfaces is central to the functioning of photovoltaic and light-emitting devices. Understanding and controlling this process on the molecular level has been proven to be crucial for optimizing the performance of many energy-challenge relevant devices. Here, we report the experimental observations of controlled on/off ultrafast electron transfer (ET) at cationic porphyrin-CdTe quantum dot (QD) interfaces using femto- and nanosecond broad-band transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. The time-resolved data demonstrate how one can turn on/off the electron injection from porphyrin to the CdTe QDs. With careful control of the molecular structure, we are able to tune the electron injection at the porphyrin-CdTe QD interface from zero to very efficient and ultrafast. In addition, our data demonstrate that the ET process occurs within our temporal resolution of 120 fs, which is one of the fastest times recorded for organic photovoltaics. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Biopolymers form a gelatinous microlayer at the air-sea interface when Arctic sea ice melts.

Science.gov (United States)

Galgani, Luisa; Piontek, Judith; Engel, Anja

2016-07-20

The interface layer between ocean and atmosphere is only a couple of micrometers thick but plays a critical role in climate relevant processes, including the air-sea exchange of gas and heat and the emission of primary organic aerosols (POA). Recent findings suggest that low-level cloud formation above the Arctic Ocean may be linked to organic polymers produced by marine microorganisms. Sea ice harbors high amounts of polymeric substances that are produced by cells growing within the sea-ice brine. Here, we report from a research cruise to the central Arctic Ocean in 2012. Our study shows that microbial polymers accumulate at the air-sea interface when the sea ice melts. Proteinaceous compounds represented the major fraction of polymers supporting the formation of a gelatinous interface microlayer and providing a hitherto unrecognized potential source of marine POA. Our study indicates a novel link between sea ice-ocean and atmosphere that may be sensitive to climate change.

Brain–muscle interface

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2011-05-16

May 16, 2011 ... Clipboard: Brain–muscle interface: The next-generation BMI. Radhika Rajan Neeraj Jain ... Keywords. Assistive devices; brain–machine interface; motor cortex; paralysis; spinal cord injury ... Journal of Biosciences | News ...

Playful user interfaces interfaces that invite social and physical interaction

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

The book is about user interfaces to applications that have been designed for social and physical interaction. The interfaces are ‘playful’, that is, users feel challenged to engage in social and physical interaction because that will be fun. The topics that will be present in this book are interactive playgrounds, urban games using mobiles, sensor-equipped environments for playing, child-computer interaction, tangible game interfaces, interactive tabletop technology and applications, full-body interaction, exertion games, persuasion, engagement, evaluation, and user experience. Readers of the book will not only get a survey of state-of-the-art research in these areas, but the chapters in this book will also provide a vision of the future where playful interfaces will be ubiquitous, that is, present and integrated in home, office, recreational, sports and urban environments, emphasizing that in the future in these environments game elements will be integrated and welcomed.

Lectures on random interfaces

CERN Document Server

Funaki, Tadahisa

2016-01-01

Interfaces are created to separate two distinct phases in a situation in which phase coexistence occurs. This book discusses randomly fluctuating interfaces in several different settings and from several points of view: discrete/continuum, microscopic/macroscopic, and static/dynamic theories. The following four topics in particular are dealt with in the book. Assuming that the interface is represented as a height function measured from a fixed-reference discretized hyperplane, the system is governed by the Hamiltonian of gradient of the height functions. This is a kind of effective interface model called ∇φ-interface model. The scaling limits are studied for Gaussian (or non-Gaussian) random fields with a pinning effect under a situation in which the rate functional of the corresponding large deviation principle has non-unique minimizers. Young diagrams determine decreasing interfaces, and their dynamics are introduced. The large-scale behavior of such dynamics is studied from the points of view of the hyd...

Activities of IAEA related to human interface in man-machine system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishiwaki, Yasushi

1988-01-01

The present paper outlines some activities of IAEA related to human interface in man-machine systems. It has been recognized for quite some time that in large and complex man-machine interactive systems human errors can contribute substantially to failures of these systems, and that the improvement in the human interface in man-machine systems is essential for the safety of the plant. Many important surveys have been made in some member countries. These studies and operational experience have shown that it is possible to substantially reduce this adverse impact of human errors in nuclear power plant operations by the application of human factors technology. This technology. This technology includes: (1) selection of people with the requisite skills and knowledge and providing them with job-relevant training, (2) maintenance of the necessary job qualifications for each person in the plant, (3) design of man-machine interfaces which are fully compatible with the capabilities and limitations of the people in the system, and (4) design of job operations, including written materials, to facilitate required quality of human performance. A review is made of education/training, operator support systems, human error data collection, analysis of safety significant events and future activities. (Nogami, K.)

Sharp Interface Tracking in Rotating Microflows of Solvent Extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glimm, James; Almeida, Valmor de; Jiao, Xiangmin; Sims, Brett

2013-01-01

The objective of this project is to develop a specialized sharp interface tracking simulation capability for predicting interaction of micron-sized drops and bubbles in rotating flows relevant to optimized design of contactor devices used in solvent extraction processes of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The primary outcomes of this project include the capability to resolve drops and bubbles micro-hydrodynamics in solvent extraction contactors, determining from first principles continuum fluid mechanics how micro-drops and bubbles interact with each other and the surrounding shearing fluid for realistic flows. In the near term, this effort will play a central role in providing parameters and insight into the flow dynamics of models that average over coarser scales, say at the millimeter unit length. In the longer term, it will prove to be the platform to conduct full-device, detailed simulations as parallel computing power reaches the exaflop level. The team will develop an accurate simulation tool for flows containing interacting droplets and bubbles with sharp interfaces under conditions that mimic those found in realistic contactor operations. The main objective is to create an off-line simulation capability to model drop and bubble interactions in a domain representative of the averaged length scale. The technical approach is to combine robust interface tracking software, subgrid modeling, validation quality experiments, powerful computational hardware, and a team with simulation modeling, physical modeling and technology integration experience. Simulations will then fully resolve the microflow of drops and bubbles at the microsecond time scale. This approach is computationally intensive but very accurate in treating important coupled physical phenomena in the vicinity of interfaces. The method makes it possible to resolve spatial scales smaller than the typical distance between bubbles and to model some non-equilibrium thermodynamic features such as finite

Sharp Interface Tracking in Rotating Microflows of Solvent Extraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glimm, James [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Almeida, Valmor de [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Jiao, Xiangmin [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Sims, Brett [City Univ. (CUNY), NY (United States). Borough of Manhattan Community College; Li, Xaiolin [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)

2013-01-08

The objective of this project is to develop a specialized sharp interface tracking simulation capability for predicting interaction of micron-sized drops and bubbles in rotating flows relevant to optimized design of contactor devices used in solvent extraction processes of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The primary outcomes of this project include the capability to resolve drops and bubbles micro-hydrodynamics in solvent extraction contactors, determining from first principles continuum fluid mechanics how micro-drops and bubbles interact with each other and the surrounding shearing fluid for realistic flows. In the near term, this effort will play a central role in providing parameters and insight into the flow dynamics of models that average over coarser scales, say at the millimeter unit length. In the longer term, it will prove to be the platform to conduct full-device, detailed simulations as parallel computing power reaches the exaflop level. The team will develop an accurate simulation tool for flows containing interacting droplets and bubbles with sharp interfaces under conditions that mimic those found in realistic contactor operations. The main objective is to create an off-line simulation capability to model drop and bubble interactions in a domain representative of the averaged length scale. The technical approach is to combine robust interface tracking software, subgrid modeling, validation quality experiments, powerful computational hardware, and a team with simulation modeling, physical modeling and technology integration experience. Simulations will then fully resolve the microflow of drops and bubbles at the microsecond time scale. This approach is computationally intensive but very accurate in treating important coupled physical phenomena in the vicinity of interfaces. The method makes it possible to resolve spatial scales smaller than the typical distance between bubbles and to model some non-equilibrium thermodynamic features such as finite

Interface superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gariglio, S., E-mail: stefano.gariglio@unige.ch [DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève (Switzerland); Gabay, M. [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Bat 510, Université Paris-Sud 11, Centre d’Orsay, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Mannhart, J. [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Triscone, J.-M. [DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève (Switzerland)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • We discuss interfacial superconductivity, a field boosted by the discovery of the superconducting interface between LaAlO. • This system allows the electric field control and the on/off switching of the superconducting state. • We compare superconductivity at the interface and in bulk doped SrTiO. • We discuss the role of the interfacially induced Rashba type spin–orbit. • We briefly discuss superconductivity in cuprates, in electrical double layer transistor field effect experiments. • Recent observations of a high T{sub c} in a monolayer of FeSe deposited on SrTiO{sub 3} are presented. - Abstract: Low dimensional superconducting systems have been the subject of numerous studies for many years. In this article, we focus our attention on interfacial superconductivity, a field that has been boosted by the discovery of superconductivity at the interface between the two band insulators LaAlO{sub 3} and SrTiO{sub 3}. We explore the properties of this amazing system that allows the electric field control and on/off switching of superconductivity. We discuss the similarities and differences between bulk doped SrTiO{sub 3} and the interface system and the possible role of the interfacially induced Rashba type spin–orbit. We also, more briefly, discuss interface superconductivity in cuprates, in electrical double layer transistor field effect experiments, and the recent observation of a high T{sub c} in a monolayer of FeSe deposited on SrTiO{sub 3}.

The Silica-Water Interface from the Analysis of Molecular Dynamic Simulations

KAUST Repository

Lardhi, Sheikha F.

2013-05-01

Surface chemistry is an emerging field that can give detailed insight about the elec- tronic properties and the interaction of complex material surfaces with their neigh- bors. This is for both solid-solid and solid-liquid interfaces. Among the latter class, the silica-water interface plays a major role in nature. Silica is among the most abundant materials on earth, as well in advanced technological applications such as catalysis and nanotechnology. This immediately indicates the relevance of a detailed understanding of the silica-water interface. In this study, we investigate the details of this interaction at microscopic level by analyzing trajectories obtained with ab initio molecular dynamic simulations. The system we consider consists of bulk liquid water confined between two β-cristobalite silica surfaces. The molecular dynamics were generated with the CP2K, an ab initio molecular dynamic simulation tool. The simulations are 25 picoseconds long, and the CP2K program was run on 64 cores on a supercomputer cluster. During the simulations the program integrates Newton’s equations of motion for the system and generates the trajectory for analysis. For analysis, we focused on the following properties that characterize the silica water interface. We calculated the density profile of the water layers from the silica surface, and we also calculated the radial distribution function (RDF) of the hydrogen bond at the silanols on the silica surface. The main focus of this thesis is to write the programs for calculating the atom density profile and the RDF from the generated MD trajectories. The atomic probability density profile shows that water is strongly adsorbed on the (001) cristobalite surface, while the RDF indicates differently ad- sorbed water molecules in the first adsorption layer. As final remark, the protocol and the tools developed in this thesis can be applied to the study of basically any crystal-water interface.

Deep learning relevance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lioma, Christina; Larsen, Birger; Petersen, Casper

2016-01-01

train a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) on existing relevant information to that query. We then use the RNN to "deep learn" a single, synthetic, and we assume, relevant document for that query. We design a crowdsourcing experiment to assess how relevant the "deep learned" document is, compared...... to existing relevant documents. Users are shown a query and four wordclouds (of three existing relevant documents and our deep learned synthetic document). The synthetic document is ranked on average most relevant of all....

Magnons and interface magnetic substructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djafari-Rouhani, B.; Dobrzynski, L.

1975-01-01

The localized magnons at an interface between two Heisenberg ferromagnets and the ferromagnetic stability at the interface are studied. The authors consider simple cubic crystals having the same lattice parameter and the same spin value in the fundamental state on each site, but different exchange integrals between first and second nearest neighbours. An interface by coupling two semi-infinite crystals having the same crystallographic surface is defined. The conditions for the existence of localized magnons at (001) interfaces as well as the dispersion curves of localized and resonant magnons in the high symmetry directions of the Brillouin zone are studied. The effect of the interface interactions on these modes is determined. It is shown that magnetic superstructures may exist at (110) interfaces. Such an instability is given by the existence of a soft localized mode at the interface [fr

The interface effect

CERN Document Server

Galloway, Alexander R

2013-01-01

Interfaces are back, or perhaps they never left. The familiar Socratic conceit from the Phaedrus, of communication as the process of writing directly on the soul of the other, has returned to center stage in today's discussions of culture and media. Indeed Western thought has long construed media as a grand choice between two kinds of interfaces. Following the optimistic path, media seamlessly interface self and other in a transparent and immediate connection. But, following the pessimistic path, media are the obstacles to direct communion, disintegrating self and other into misunderstanding

Graphical Interfaces for Simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollan, J. D.; And Others

This document presents a discussion of the development of a set of software tools to assist in the construction of interfaces to simulations and real-time systems. Presuppositions to the approach to interface design that was used are surveyed, the tools are described, and the conclusions drawn from these experiences in graphical interface design…

Hierarchy and Interactions in Environmental Interfaces Regarded as Biophysical Complex Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailovic, Dragutin T.; Balaz, Igor

the exchange of biological, chemical and other physical quantities between interacting environmental interfaces can be represented by coupled maps. In this chapter we will address only two illustrative issues important for the modelling of interacting environmental interfaces regarded as complex systems. These are (i) use of algebra for modelling the autonomous establishment of local hierarchies in biophysical systems and (ii) numerical investigation of coupled maps representing exchange of energy, chemical and other relevant biophysical quantities between biophysical entities in their surrounding environment.

Playful User Interfaces. Interfaces that Invite Social and Physical Interaction.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Antinus; Unknown, [Unknown

2014-01-01

This book is about user interfaces to applications that can be considered as ‘playful’. The interfaces to such applications should be ‘playful’ as well. The application should be fun, and interacting with such an application should, of course, be fun as well. Maybe more. Why not expect that the

Interfacing Sensors To Micro Controllers

KAUST Repository

Norain, Mohamed

2018-01-01

This lecture will cover the most common interface and interface techniques between sensors and microcontrollers. The presentation will introduce the pros and cons of each interface type including analogue, digital and serial output sensors. It will also cover the basic required electronics knowledge to help you in selecting and designing your next sensor to microcontroller interface.

Interfacing Sensors To Micro Controllers

KAUST Repository

Norain, Mohamed

2018-01-15

This lecture will cover the most common interface and interface techniques between sensors and microcontrollers. The presentation will introduce the pros and cons of each interface type including analogue, digital and serial output sensors. It will also cover the basic required electronics knowledge to help you in selecting and designing your next sensor to microcontroller interface.

Development of a user-friendly interface for the searching of a data base in natural language while using concepts and means of artificial intelligence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pujo, Pascal

1989-01-01

This research thesis aimed at the development of a natural-language-based user-friendly interface for the searching of relational data bases. The author first addresses how to store data which will be accessible through an interface in natural language: this organisation must result in as few constraints as possible in query formulation. He briefly presents techniques related to the automatic processing of natural language, and highlights the need for a more user-friendly interface. Then, he presents the developed interface and outlines the user-friendliness and ergonomics of implemented procedures. He shows how the interface has been designed to deliver information and explanations on its processing. This allows the user to control the relevance of the answer. He also indicates the classification of mistakes and errors which may be present in queries in natural language. He finally gives an overview of possible evolutions of the interface, briefly presents deductive functionalities which could expand data management. The handling of complex objects is also addressed [fr

Verden som interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2007-01-01

Oversættelse af Peter Weibels tekst "The World as Interface" i Passepartout # 27. Interfacekulturens æstetik. Udgivelsesdato: 28.04.07......Oversættelse af Peter Weibels tekst "The World as Interface" i Passepartout # 27. Interfacekulturens æstetik. Udgivelsesdato: 28.04.07...

Ecological Interface Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vicente, Kim J.; Rasmussen, Jens

1992-01-01

A theoretical framework for designing interfaces for complex human-machine systems is proposed. The framework, called ecological interface design (EID), is based on the skills, rules, knowledge taxonomy of cognitive control. The basic goal of EID is twofold: first, not to force processing...

Toward FRP-Based Brain-Machine Interfaces-Single-Trial Classification of Fixation-Related Potentials.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Finke

Full Text Available The co-registration of eye tracking and electroencephalography provides a holistic measure of ongoing cognitive processes. Recently, fixation-related potentials have been introduced to quantify the neural activity in such bi-modal recordings. Fixation-related potentials are time-locked to fixation onsets, just like event-related potentials are locked to stimulus onsets. Compared to existing electroencephalography-based brain-machine interfaces that depend on visual stimuli, fixation-related potentials have the advantages that they can be used in free, unconstrained viewing conditions and can also be classified on a single-trial level. Thus, fixation-related potentials have the potential to allow for conceptually different brain-machine interfaces that directly interpret cortical activity related to the visual processing of specific objects. However, existing research has investigated fixation-related potentials only with very restricted and highly unnatural stimuli in simple search tasks while participant's body movements were restricted. We present a study where we relieved many of these restrictions while retaining some control by using a gaze-contingent visual search task. In our study, participants had to find a target object out of 12 complex and everyday objects presented on a screen while the electrical activity of the brain and eye movements were recorded simultaneously. Our results show that our proposed method for the classification of fixation-related potentials can clearly discriminate between fixations on relevant, non-relevant and background areas. Furthermore, we show that our classification approach generalizes not only to different test sets from the same participant, but also across participants. These results promise to open novel avenues for exploiting fixation-related potentials in electroencephalography-based brain-machine interfaces and thus providing a novel means for intuitive human-machine interaction.

Interface magnons. Magnetic superstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djafari-Rouhani, B.; Dobrzynski, L.

1975-01-01

The localized magnons at an interface between two Heisenberg ferromagnets are studied with a simple model. The effect of the coupling at the interface on the existence condition for the localized modes, the dispersion laws and the possible occurrence of magnetic superstructures due to soft modes are investigated. Finally a comparison is made with the similar results obtained for interface phonons [fr

Adaptive user interfaces

CERN Document Server

1990-01-01

This book describes techniques for designing and building adaptive user interfaces developed in the large AID project undertaken by the contributors.Key Features* Describes one of the few large-scale adaptive interface projects in the world* Outlines the principles of adaptivity in human-computer interaction

Myokit: A simple interface to cardiac cellular electrophysiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Clerx, Michael; Collins, Pieter; de Lange, Enno; Volders, Paul G A

2016-01-01

Myokit is a new powerful and versatile software tool for modeling and simulation of cardiac cellular electrophysiology. Myokit consists of an easy-to-read modeling language, a graphical user interface, single and multi-cell simulation engines and a library of advanced analysis tools accessible through a Python interface. Models can be loaded from Myokit's native file format or imported from CellML. Model export is provided to C, MATLAB, CellML, CUDA and OpenCL. Patch-clamp data can be imported and used to estimate model parameters. In this paper, we review existing tools to simulate the cardiac cellular action potential to find that current tools do not cater specifically to model development and that there is a gap between easy-to-use but limited software and powerful tools that require strong programming skills from their users. We then describe Myokit's capabilities, focusing on its model description language, simulation engines and import/export facilities in detail. Using three examples, we show how Myokit can be used for clinically relevant investigations, multi-model testing and parameter estimation in Markov models, all with minimal programming effort from the user. This way, Myokit bridges a gap between performance, versatility and user-friendliness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transport processes at fluidic interfaces

CERN Document Server

Reusken, Arnold

2017-01-01

There are several physico-chemical processes that determine the behavior of multiphase fluid systems – e.g., the fluid dynamics in the different phases and the dynamics of the interface(s), mass transport between the fluids, adsorption effects at the interface, and transport of surfactants on the interface – and result in heterogeneous interface properties. In general, these processes are strongly coupled and local properties of the interface play a crucial role. A thorough understanding of the behavior of such complex flow problems must be based on physically sound mathematical models, which especially account for the local processes at the interface. This book presents recent findings on the rigorous derivation and mathematical analysis of such models and on the development of numerical methods for direct numerical simulations. Validation results are based on specifically designed experiments using high-resolution experimental techniques. A special feature of this book is its focus on an interdisciplina...

Nanoparticle Assemblies at Fluid Interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russell, Thomas P. [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States). Dept. of Polymer Science and Engineering

2015-03-10

A systematic study of the structure and dynamics of nanoparticles (NP) and NP-surfactants was performed. The ligands attached to both the NPs and NP-surfactants dictate the manner in which the nanoscopic materials assemble at fluid interfaces. Studies have shown that a single layer of the nanoscpic materials form at the interface to reduce the interactions between the two immiscible fluids. The shape of the NP is, also, important, where for spherical particles, a disordered, liquid-like monolayer forms, and, for nanorods, ordered domains at the interface is found and, if the monolayers are compressed, the orientation of the nanorods with respect to the interface can change. By associating end-functionalized polymers to the NPs assembled at the interface, NP-surfactants are formed that increase the energetic gain in segregating each NP at the interface which allows the NP-surfactants to jam at the interface when compressed. This has opened the possibility of structuring the two liquids by freezing in shape changes of the liquids.

ACPYPE - AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE.

Science.gov (United States)

Sousa da Silva, Alan W; Vranken, Wim F

2012-07-23

ACPYPE (or AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE) is a wrapper script around the ANTECHAMBER software that simplifies the generation of small molecule topologies and parameters for a variety of molecular dynamics programmes like GROMACS, CHARMM and CNS. It is written in the Python programming language and was developed as a tool for interfacing with other Python based applications such as the CCPN software suite (for NMR data analysis) and ARIA (for structure calculations from NMR data). ACPYPE is open source code, under GNU GPL v3, and is available as a stand-alone application at http://www.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype and as a web portal application at http://webapps.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype. We verified the topologies generated by ACPYPE in three ways: by comparing with default AMBER topologies for standard amino acids; by generating and verifying topologies for a large set of ligands from the PDB; and by recalculating the structures for 5 protein-ligand complexes from the PDB. ACPYPE is a tool that simplifies the automatic generation of topology and parameters in different formats for different molecular mechanics programmes, including calculation of partial charges, while being object oriented for integration with other applications.

High temperature interface superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gozar, A.; Bozovic, I.

2016-01-01

Highlight: • This review article covers the topic of high temperature interface superconductivity. • New materials and techniques used for achieving interface superconductivity are discussed. • We emphasize the role played by the differences in structure and electronic properties at the interface with respect to the bulk of the constituents. - Abstract: High-T_c superconductivity at interfaces has a history of more than a couple of decades. In this review we focus our attention on copper-oxide based heterostructures and multi-layers. We first discuss the technique, atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) engineering, that enabled High-T_c Interface Superconductivity (HT-IS), and the challenges associated with the realization of high quality interfaces. Then we turn our attention to the experiments which shed light on the structure and properties of interfacial layers, allowing comparison to those of single-phase films and bulk crystals. Both ‘passive’ hetero-structures as well as surface-induced effects by external gating are discussed. We conclude by comparing HT-IS in cuprates and in other classes of materials, especially Fe-based superconductors, and by examining the grand challenges currently laying ahead for the field.

Scalable coherent interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alnaes, K.; Kristiansen, E.H.; Gustavson, D.B.; James, D.V.

1990-01-01

The Scalable Coherent Interface (IEEE P1596) is establishing an interface standard for very high performance multiprocessors, supporting a cache-coherent-memory model scalable to systems with up to 64K nodes. This Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI) will supply a peak bandwidth per node of 1 GigaByte/second. The SCI standard should facilitate assembly of processor, memory, I/O and bus bridge cards from multiple vendors into massively parallel systems with throughput far above what is possible today. The SCI standard encompasses two levels of interface, a physical level and a logical level. The physical level specifies electrical, mechanical and thermal characteristics of connectors and cards that meet the standard. The logical level describes the address space, data transfer protocols, cache coherence mechanisms, synchronization primitives and error recovery. In this paper we address logical level issues such as packet formats, packet transmission, transaction handshake, flow control, and cache coherence. 11 refs., 10 figs

Surface and interface sciences of Li-ion batteries. -Research progress in electrode-electrolyte interface-

Science.gov (United States)

Minato, Taketoshi; Abe, Takeshi

2017-12-01

The application potential of Li-ion batteries is growing as demand increases in different fields at various stages in energy systems, in addition to their conventional role as power sources for portable devices. In particular, applications in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage are increasing for Li-ion batteries. For these applications, improvements in battery performance are necessary. The Li-ion battery produces and stores electric power from the electrochemical redox reactions between the electrode materials. The interface between the electrodes and electrolyte strongly affects the battery performance because the charge transfer causing the electrode redox reaction begins at this interface. Understanding of the surface structure, electronic structure, and chemical reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface is necessary to improve battery performance. However, the interface is located between the electrode and electrolyte materials, hindering the experimental analysis of the interface; thus, the physical properties and chemical processes have remained poorly understood until recently. Investigations of the physical properties and chemical processes at the interface have been performed using advanced surface science techniques. In this review, current knowledge and future research prospects regarding the electrode-electrolyte interface are described for the further development of Li-ion batteries.

More playful user interfaces: interfaces that invite social and physical interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Antinus; Unknown, [Unknown

2015-01-01

This book covers the latest advances in playful user interfaces – interfaces that invite social and physical interaction. These new developments include the use of audio, visual, tactile and physiological sensors to monitor, provide feedback and anticipate the behavior of human users. The decreasing

Refinement by interface instantiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hallerstede, Stefan; Hoang, Thai Son

2012-01-01

be easily refined. Our first contribution hence is a proposal for a new construct called interface that encapsulates the external variables, along with a mechanism for interface instantiation. Using the new construct and mechanism, external variables can be refined consistently. Our second contribution...... is an approach for verifying the correctness of Event-B extensions using the supporting Rodin tool. We illustrate our approach by proving the correctness of interface instantiation....

UNIVERSAL INTERFACE TO MULTIPLE OPERATIONS SYSTEMS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonnenwald, Diane H.

1986-01-01

Alternative ways to provide access to operations systems that maintain, test, and configure complex telephone networks are being explored. It is suggested that a universal interface that provides simultaneous access to multiple operations systems that execute in different hardware and software...... environments, can be provided by an architecture that is based on the separation of presentation issues from application issues and on a modular interface management system that consists of a virtual user interface, physical user interface, and interface agent. The interface functionality that is needed...

Atmospheric photochemistry at a fatty acid coated air/water interface

Science.gov (United States)

George, Christian; Rossignol, Stéphanie; Passananti, Monica; Tinel, Liselotte; Perrier, Sebastien; Kong, Lingdong; Brigante, Marcello; Bianco, Angelica; Chen, Jianmin; Donaldson, James

2017-04-01

Over the past 20 years, interfacial processes have become increasingly of interest in the field of atmospheric chemistry, with many studies showing that environmental surfaces display specific chemistry and photochemistry, enhancing certain reactions and acting as reactive sinks or sources for various atmospherically relevant species. Many molecules display a free energy minimum at the air-water interface, making it a favored venue for compound accumulation and reaction. Indeed, surface active molecules have been shown to undergo specific photochemistry at the air-water interface. This presentation will address some recent surprises. Indeed, while fatty acids are believed to be photochemically inert in the actinic region, complex volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced during illumination of an air-water interface coated solely with a monolayer of carboxylic acid. When aqueous solutions containing nonanoic acid (NA) at bulk concentrations that give rise to just over monolayer NA coverage are illuminated with actinic radiation, saturated and unsaturated aldehydes are seen in the gas phase and more highly oxygenated products appear in the aqueous phase. This chemistry is probably initiated by triplet state NA molecules excited by direct absorption of actinic light at the water surface. As fatty acids covered interfaces are ubiquitous in the environment, such photochemical processing will have a significant impact on local ozone and particle formation. In addition, it was shown recently that a heterogeneous reaction between SO2 and oleic acid (OA; an unsaturated fatty acid) takes place and leads efficiently to the formation of organosulfur products. Here, we demonstrate that this reaction proceeds photochemically on various unsaturated fatty acids compounds, and may therefore have a general environmental impact. This is probably due to the chromophoric nature of the SO2 adduct with C=C bonds, and means that the contribution of this direct addition of SO2 could

Simple Ion Transfer at Liquid|Liquid Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. J. Sanchez Vallejo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The main aspects related to the charge transfer reactions occurring at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES are described. The particular topics to be discussed involve simple ion transfer. Focus is given on theoretical approaches, numerical simulations, and experimental methodologies. Concerning the theoretical procedures, different computational simulations related to simple ion transfer are reviewed. The main conclusions drawn from the most accepted models are described and analyzed in regard to their relevance for explaining different aspects of ion transfer. We describe numerical simulations implementing different approaches for solving the differential equations associated with the mass transport and charge transfer. These numerical simulations are correlated with selected experimental results; their usefulness in designing new experiments is summarized. Finally, many practical applications can be envisaged regarding the determination of physicochemical properties, electroanalysis, drug lipophilicity, and phase-transfer catalysis.

ACPYPE - AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sousa da Silva Alan W

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background ACPYPE (or AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE is a wrapper script around the ANTECHAMBER software that simplifies the generation of small molecule topologies and parameters for a variety of molecular dynamics programmes like GROMACS, CHARMM and CNS. It is written in the Python programming language and was developed as a tool for interfacing with other Python based applications such as the CCPN software suite (for NMR data analysis and ARIA (for structure calculations from NMR data. ACPYPE is open source code, under GNU GPL v3, and is available as a stand-alone application at http://www.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype and as a web portal application at http://webapps.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype. Findings We verified the topologies generated by ACPYPE in three ways: by comparing with default AMBER topologies for standard amino acids; by generating and verifying topologies for a large set of ligands from the PDB; and by recalculating the structures for 5 protein–ligand complexes from the PDB. Conclusions ACPYPE is a tool that simplifies the automatic generation of topology and parameters in different formats for different molecular mechanics programmes, including calculation of partial charges, while being object oriented for integration with other applications.

Interfacing robotics with plutonium fuel fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowen, W.W.; Moore, F.W.

1986-01-01

Interfacing robotic systems with nuclear fuel fabrication processes resulted in a number of interfacing challenges. The system not only interfaces with the fuel process, but must also interface with nuclear containment, radiation control boundaries, criticality control restrictions, and numerous other safety systems required in a fuel fabrication plant. The robotic system must be designed to allow operator interface during maintenance and recovery from an upset as well as normal operations

PREFACE: Functionalized Liquid Liquid Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Girault, Hubert; Kornyshev, Alexei A.; Monroe, Charles W.; Urbakh, Michael

2007-09-01

Most natural processes take place at interfaces. For this reason, surface science has been a focal point of modern research. At solid-liquid interfaces one can induce various species to adsorb or react, and thus may study interactions between the substrate and adsorbates, kinetic processes, optical properties, etc. Liquid-liquid interfaces, formed by immiscible liquids such as water and oil, have a number of distinctive features. Both sides of the interface are amenable to detailed physical and chemical analysis. By chemical or electrochemical means, metal or semiconductor nanoparticles can be formed or localised at the interface. Surfactants can be used to tailor surface properties, and also to place organic molecular or supermolecular constructions at the boundary between the liquids. Electric fields can be used to drive ions from one fluid to another, or even change the shape of the interface itself. In many cases, both liquids are optically transparent, making functionalized liquid-liquid interfaces promising for various optical applications based on the transmission or reflection of light. An advantage common to most of these systems is self-assembly; because a liquid-liquid interface is not mechanically constrained like a solid-liquid interface, it can easily access its most stable state, even after it has been driven far from equilibrium. This special issue focuses on four modes of liquid-liquid interfacial functionalization: the controlled adsorption of molecules or nanoparticles, the formation of adlayers or films, electrowetting, and ion transfer or interface-localized reactions. Interfacial adsorption can be driven electrically, chemically, or mechanically. The liquid-liquid interface can be used to study how anisotropic particles orient at a surface under the influence of a field, how surfactants interact with other adsorbates, and how nanoparticles aggregate; the transparency of the interface also makes the chirality of organic adsorbates amenable to

Hierarchy of on-orbit servicing interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Moe, Rud V.

1989-01-01

A series of equipment interfaces is involved in on-orbit servicing operations. The end-to-end hierarchy of servicing interfaces is presented. The interface concepts presented include structure and handling, and formats for transfer of resources (power, data, fluids, etc.). Consequences on cost, performance, and service ability of the use of standard designs or unique designs with interface adapters are discussed. Implications of the interface designs compatibility with remote servicing using telerobotic servicers are discussed.

SWMM5 Application Programming Interface and PySWMM: A Python Interfacing Wrapper

Science.gov (United States)

In support of the OpenWaterAnalytics open source initiative, the PySWMM project encompasses the development of a Python interfacing wrapper to SWMM5 with parallel ongoing development of the USEPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM5) application programming interface (API). ...

Training to use a commercial brain-computer interface as access technology: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Taherian, Sarvnaz; Selitskiy, Dmitry; Pau, James; Davies, T Claire; Owens, R Glynn

2016-01-01

This case study describes how an individual with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy was trained over a period of four weeks to use a commercial electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain-computer interface (BCI). The participant spent three sessions exploring the system, and seven sessions playing a game focused on EEG feedback training of left and right arm motor imagery and a customised, training game paradigm was employed. The participant showed improvement in the production of two distinct EEG patterns. The participant's performance was influenced by motivation, fatigue and concentration. Six weeks post-training the participant could still control the BCI and used this to type a sentence using an augmentative and alternative communication application on a wirelessly linked device. The results from this case study highlight the importance of creating a dynamic, relevant and engaging training environment for BCIs. Implications for Rehabilitation Customising a training paradigm to suit the users' interests can influence adherence to assistive technology training. Mood, fatigue, physical illness and motivation influence the usability of a brain-computer interface. Commercial brain-computer interfaces, which require little set up time, may be used as access technology for individuals with severe disabilities.

An evaluation of interface capturing methods in a VOF based model for multiphase flow of a non-Newtonian ceramic in tape casting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jabbari, Masoud; Bulatova, Regina; Hattel, Jesper Henri

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the different interface capturing methods as well as to find the best approach for flow modeling of the ceramic slurry in the tape casting process. The conventional volume of fluid (VOF) method with three different interpolation methods for interface...... method for the free surface capturing during the flow of a ceramic slurry described by a constitutive power law equation in the tape casting process. First the developed model is tested against well-documented and relevant solutions from literature involving free surface tracking and subsequently...

Wearable ear EEG for brain interfacing

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Eric D.; Walker, Nicholas; Danko, Amanda S.

2017-02-01

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) measuring electrical activity via electroencephalogram (EEG) have evolved beyond clinical applications to become wireless consumer products. Typically marketed for meditation and neu- rotherapy, these devices are limited in scope and currently too obtrusive to be a ubiquitous wearable. Stemming from recent advancements made in hearing aid technology, wearables have been shrinking to the point that the necessary sensors, circuitry, and batteries can be fit into a small in-ear wearable device. In this work, an ear-EEG device is created with a novel system for artifact removal and signal interpretation. The small, compact, cost-effective, and discreet device is demonstrated against existing consumer electronics in this space for its signal quality, comfort, and usability. A custom mobile application is developed to process raw EEG from each device and display interpreted data to the user. Artifact removal and signal classification is accomplished via a combination of support matrix machines (SMMs) and soft thresholding of relevant statistical properties.

Designation and Implementation of Microcomputer Principle and Interface Technology Virtual Experimental Platform Website

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, JinYue; Tang, Yin

This paper explicitly discusses the designation and implementation thought and method of Microcomputer Principle and Interface Technology virtual experimental platform website construction. The instructional design of this platform mainly follows with the students-oriented constructivism learning theory, and the overall structure is subject to the features of teaching aims, teaching contents and interactive methods. Virtual experiment platform production and development should fully take the characteristics of network operation into consideration and adopt relevant technologies to improve the effect and speed of network software application in internet.

A database for TMT interface control documents

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Kim; Roberts, Scott; Brighton, Allan; Rogers, John

2016-08-01

The TMT Software System consists of software components that interact with one another through a software infrastructure called TMT Common Software (CSW). CSW consists of software services and library code that is used by developers to create the subsystems and components that participate in the software system. CSW also defines the types of components that can be constructed and their roles. The use of common component types and shared middleware services allows standardized software interfaces for the components. A software system called the TMT Interface Database System was constructed to support the documentation of the interfaces for components based on CSW. The programmer describes a subsystem and each of its components using JSON-style text files. A command interface file describes each command a component can receive and any commands a component sends. The event interface files describe status, alarms, and events a component publishes and status and events subscribed to by a component. A web application was created to provide a user interface for the required features. Files are ingested into the software system's database. The user interface allows browsing subsystem interfaces, publishing versions of subsystem interfaces, and constructing and publishing interface control documents that consist of the intersection of two subsystem interfaces. All published subsystem interfaces and interface control documents are versioned for configuration control and follow the standard TMT change control processes. Subsystem interfaces and interface control documents can be visualized in the browser or exported as PDF files.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for quantitative interface state characterization of planar and nanostructured semiconductor-dielectric interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Andrew C.; Tang, Kechao; Braun, Michael R.; Zhang, Liangliang; McIntyre, Paul C.

2017-10-01

The performance of nanostructured semiconductors is frequently limited by interface defects that trap electronic carriers. In particular, high aspect ratio geometries dramatically increase the difficulty of using typical solid-state electrical measurements (multifrequency capacitance- and conductance-voltage testing) to quantify interface trap densities (D it). We report on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to characterize the energy distribution of interface traps at metal oxide/semiconductor interfaces. This method takes advantage of liquid electrolytes, which provide conformal electrical contacts. Planar Al2O3/p-Si and Al2O3/p-Si0.55Ge0.45 interfaces are used to benchmark the EIS data against results obtained from standard electrical testing methods. We find that the solid state and EIS data agree very well, leading to the extraction of consistent D it energy distributions. Measurements carried out on pyramid-nanostructured p-Si obtained by KOH etching followed by deposition of a 10 nm ALD-Al2O3 demonstrate the application of EIS to trap characterization of a nanostructured dielectric/semiconductor interface. These results show the promise of this methodology to measure interface state densities for a broad range of semiconductor nanostructures such as nanowires, nanofins, and porous structures.

Designing Interfaces

CERN Document Server

Tidwell, Jenifer

2010-01-01

Despite all of the UI toolkits available today, it's still not easy to design good application interfaces. This bestselling book is one of the few reliable sources to help you navigate through the maze of design options. By capturing UI best practices and reusable ideas as design patterns, Designing Interfaces provides solutions to common design problems that you can tailor to the situation at hand. This updated edition includes patterns for mobile apps and social media, as well as web applications and desktop software. Each pattern contains full-color examples and practical design advice th

The molecule-metal interface

CERN Document Server

Koch, Norbert; Wee, Andrew Thye Shen

2013-01-01

Reviewing recent progress in the fundamental understanding of the molecule-metal interface, this useful addition to the literature focuses on experimental studies and introduces the latest analytical techniques as applied to this interface.The first part covers basic theory and initial principle studies, while the second part introduces readers to photoemission, STM, and synchrotron techniques to examine the atomic structure of the interfaces. The third part presents photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution UV photoelectron spectroscopy and electron spin resonance to study the electroni

Fluctuation in Interface and Electronic Structure of Single-Molecule Junctions Investigated by Current versus Bias Voltage Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Isshiki, Yuji; Fujii, Shintaro; Nishino, Tomoaki; Kiguchi, Manabu

2018-03-14

Structural and electronic detail at the metal-molecule interface has a significant impact on the charge transport across the molecular junctions, but its precise understanding and control still remain elusive. On the single-molecule scale, the metal-molecule interface structures and relevant charge transport properties are subject to fluctuation, which contain the fundamental science of single-molecule transport and implication for manipulability of the transport properties in electronic devices. Here, we present a comprehensive approach to investigate the fluctuation in the metal-molecule interface in single-molecule junctions, based on current-voltage ( I- V) measurements in combination with first-principles simulation. Contrary to conventional molecular conductance studies, this I- V approach provides a correlated statistical description of both the degree of electronic coupling across the metal-molecule interface and the molecular orbital energy level. This statistical approach was employed to study fluctuation in single-molecule junctions of 1,4-butanediamine (DAB), pyrazine (PY), 4,4'-bipyridine (BPY), and fullerene (C 60 ). We demonstrate that molecular-dependent fluctuation of σ-, π-, and π-plane-type interfaces can be captured by analyzing the molecular orbital (MO) energy level under mechanical perturbation. While the MO level of DAB with the σ-type interface shows weak distance dependence and fluctuation, the MO level of PY, BPY, and C 60 features unique distance dependence and molecular-dependent fluctuation against the mechanical perturbation. The MO level of PY and BPY with the σ+π-type interface increases with the increase in the stretch distance. In contrast, the MO level of C 60 with the π-plane-type interface decreases with the increase in the stretching perturbation. This study provides an approach to resolve the structural and electronic fluctuation in the single-molecule junctions and insight into the molecular-dependent fluctuation in

Command Interface ASIC - Analog Interface ASIC Chip Set

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Baldes; Jaffe, Burton; Burke, Gary; Lung, Gerald; Pixler, Gregory; Plummer, Joe; Katanyoutanant,, Sunant; Whitaker, William

2003-01-01

A command interface application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and an analog interface ASIC have been developed as a chip set for remote actuation and monitoring of a collection of switches, which can be used to control generic loads, pyrotechnic devices, and valves in a high-radiation environment. The command interface ASIC (CIA) can be used alone or in combination with the analog interface ASIC (AIA). Designed primarily for incorporation into spacecraft control systems, they are also suitable for use in high-radiation terrestrial environments (e.g., in nuclear power plants and facilities that process radioactive materials). The primary role of the CIA within a spacecraft or other power system is to provide a reconfigurable means of regulating the power bus, actuating all valves, firing all pyrotechnic devices, and controlling the switching of power to all switchable loads. The CIA is a mixed-signal (analog and digital) ASIC that includes an embedded microcontroller with supporting fault-tolerant switch control and monitoring circuitry that is capable of connecting to a redundant set of interintegrated circuit (I(sup 2)C) buses. Commands and telemetry requests are communicated to the CIA. Adherence to the I(sup 2)C bus standard helps to reduce development costs by facilitating the use of previously developed, commercially available components. The AIA is a mixed-signal ASIC that includes the analog circuitry needed to connect the CIA to a custom higher powered version of the I(sup 2)C bus. The higher-powered version is designed to enable operation with bus cables longer than those contemplated in the I(sup 2)C standard. If there are multiple higher-power I(sup 2)C-like buses, then there must an AIA between the CIA and each such bus. The AIA includes two identical interface blocks: one for the side-A I(sup 2)C clock and data buses and the other for the side B buses. All the AIAs on each side are powered from a common power converter module (PCM). Sides A and B

Human-system interface evaluation system for advanced control room based on SQL database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yan; Zhou Zhiwei; Bian Zhiqiang; Xu Li

2005-01-01

User Interface (UI) plays an important role in the advanced control room (ACR) of a nuclear power plant (NPP). In this paper, we present a rule-based ACR Human-system Interface Evaluation System (AHSIES) using expert system technology, which can evaluate UI design shortcomings, propose modification suggestions, and help designer improve the ACR interface design. AHSIES consists of four programs: the UI Editor, the Operation Procedure Manager, the Operation Simulator and the UI Design Evaluator. These four parts respectively function for: editing a set of UI icons employed as the operation screens of an advanced control room; for editing operation procedures aiming at any specified operation with simple language; for simulate the operation sequences dynamically and recording the relevant information for design performance of the UIs; and for evaluating both static and dynamic performance of the ACR UI design according to well established design guidelines and criteria with the information gained from the first three programs. Microsoft SQL Server 2000 DBMS is adopted to manage the voluminous data and its complex relationships. The preliminary test application of AHSIES for a simplified ACR UI design of a PWR NPP has shown that the expert evaluation system is capable of achieving satisfactory evaluation results. (authors)

Kinetics of protein unfolding at interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yano, Yohko F

2012-01-01

The conformation of protein molecules is determined by a balance of various forces, including van der Waals attraction, electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and conformational entropy. When protein molecules encounter an interface, they are often adsorbed on the interface. The conformation of an adsorbed protein molecule strongly depends on the interaction between the protein and the interface. Recent time-resolved investigations have revealed that protein conformation changes during the adsorption process due to the protein-protein interaction increasing with increasing interface coverage. External conditions also affect the protein conformation. This review considers recent dynamic observations of protein adsorption at various interfaces and their implications for the kinetics of protein unfolding at interfaces. (topical review)

EFFECTS OF INTERFACES ON GAMMA SHIELDING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clifford, C. E.

1963-06-15

A survey is presented of studies of interface effects in gamma shielding problems. These studies are grouped into three types of approaches, viz.: sources at the interface; radiation backscattered from the interface; and radiation transmitted through the interface. A bibliography of 54 references is included. Limitations on the applicability of the results are discussed. (T.F.H.)

Properties and determination of the interface stiffness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Danxu; Zhang Hao; Srolovitz, David J.

2007-01-01

The chemical potential of a curved interface contains a term that is proportional to the product of the interface curvature and the interface stiffness. In crystalline materials, the interface stiffness is a tensor. This paper examines several basic issues related to the properties of the interface stiffness, especially the determination of the interface stiffness in particular directions (i.e. the commonly used scalar form of the interface stiffness). Of the five parameters that describe an arbitrary grain boundary, only those describing the inclination are crucial for the scalar stiffness. We also examine the influence of crystal symmetry on the stiffness tensor for both free surfaces and grain boundaries. This results in substantial simplifications for cases in which interfaces possess mirror or rotational symmetries. An efficient method for determining the interface stiffness tensor using atomistic simulations is proposed

Surface and interface effects in VLSI

CERN Document Server

Einspruch, Norman G

1985-01-01

VLSI Electronics Microstructure Science, Volume 10: Surface and Interface Effects in VLSI provides the advances made in the science of semiconductor surface and interface as they relate to electronics. This volume aims to provide a better understanding and control of surface and interface related properties. The book begins with an introductory chapter on the intimate link between interfaces and devices. The book is then divided into two parts. The first part covers the chemical and geometric structures of prototypical VLSI interfaces. Subjects detailed include, the technologically most import

The Java Legacy Interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsholm, Stephan

2007-01-01

The Java Legacy Interface is designed to use Java for encapsulating native legacy code on small embedded platforms. We discuss why existing technologies for encapsulating legacy code (JNI) is not sufficient for an important range of small embedded platforms, and we show how the Java Legacy...... Interface offers this previously missing functionality. We describe an implementation of the Java Legacy Interface for a particular virtual machine, and how we have used this virtual machine to integrate Java with an existing, commercial, soft real-time, C/C++ legacy platform....

Search-User Interface Design

CERN Document Server

Wilson, Max

2011-01-01

Search User Interfaces (SUIs) represent the gateway between people who have a task to complete, and the repositories of information and data stored around the world. Not surprisingly, therefore, there are many communities who have a vested interest in the way SUIs are designed. There are people who study how humans search for information, and people who study how humans use computers. There are people who study good user interface design, and people who design aesthetically pleasing user interfaces. There are also people who curate and manage valuable information resources, and people who desi

The computer graphics interface

CERN Document Server

Steinbrugge Chauveau, Karla; Niles Reed, Theodore; Shepherd, B

2014-01-01

The Computer Graphics Interface provides a concise discussion of computer graphics interface (CGI) standards. The title is comprised of seven chapters that cover the concepts of the CGI standard. Figures and examples are also included. The first chapter provides a general overview of CGI; this chapter covers graphics standards, functional specifications, and syntactic interfaces. Next, the book discusses the basic concepts of CGI, such as inquiry, profiles, and registration. The third chapter covers the CGI concepts and functions, while the fourth chapter deals with the concept of graphic obje

GLIMPSE: Google Glass interface for sensory feedback in myoelectric hand prostheses

Science.gov (United States)

Markovic, Marko; Karnal, Hemanth; Graimann, Bernhard; Farina, Dario; Dosen, Strahinja

2017-06-01

Objective. Providing sensory feedback to the user of the prosthesis is an important challenge. The common approach is to use tactile stimulation, which is easy to implement but requires training and has limited information bandwidth. In this study, we propose an alternative approach based on augmented reality. Approach. We have developed the GLIMPSE, a Google Glass application which connects to the prosthesis via a Bluetooth interface and renders the prosthesis states (EMG signals, aperture, force and contact) using augmented reality (see-through display) and sound (bone conduction transducer). The interface was tested in healthy subjects that used the prosthesis with (FB group) and without (NFB group) feedback during a modified clothespins test that allowed us to vary the difficulty of the task. The outcome measures were the number of unsuccessful trials, the time to accomplish the task, and the subjective ratings of the relevance of the feedback. Main results. There was no difference in performance between FB and NFB groups in the case of a simple task (basic, same-color clothespins test), but the feedback significantly improved the performance in a more complex task (pins of different resistances). Importantly, the GLIMPSE feedback did not increase the time to accomplish the task. Therefore, the supplemental feedback might be useful in the tasks which are more demanding, and thereby less likely to benefit from learning and feedforward control. The subjects integrated the supplemental feedback with the intrinsic sources (vision and muscle proprioception), developing their own idiosyncratic strategies to accomplish the task. Significance. The present study demonstrates a novel self-contained, ready-to-deploy, wearable feedback interface. The interface was successfully tested and was proven to be feasible and functionally beneficial. The GLIMPSE can be used as a practical solution but also as a general and flexible instrument to investigate closed-loop prosthesis

Control by personal computer and Interface 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eung Mug; Park, Sun Ho

1989-03-01

This book consists of three chapters. The first chapter deals with basic knowledge of micro computer control which are computer system, micro computer system, control of the micro computer and control system for calculator. The second chapter describes Interface about basic knowledge such as 8255 parallel interface, 6821 parallel interface, parallel interface of personal computer, reading BCD code in parallel interface, IEEE-488 interface, RS-232C interface and transmit data in personal computer and a measuring instrument. The third chapter includes control experiment by micro computer, experiment by eight bit computer and control experiment by machine code and BASIC.

Modeling reliability measurement of interface on information system: Towards the forensic of rules

Science.gov (United States)

Nasution, M. K. M.; Sitompul, Darwin; Harahap, Marwan

2018-02-01

Today almost all machines depend on the software. As a software and hardware system depends also on the rules that are the procedures for its use. If the procedure or program can be reliably characterized by involving the concept of graph, logic, and probability, then regulatory strength can also be measured accordingly. Therefore, this paper initiates an enumeration model to measure the reliability of interfaces based on the case of information systems supported by the rules of use by the relevant agencies. An enumeration model is obtained based on software reliability calculation.

Multiple network interface core apparatus and method

Science.gov (United States)

Underwood, Keith D [Albuquerque, NM; Hemmert, Karl Scott [Albuquerque, NM

2011-04-26

A network interface controller and network interface control method comprising providing a single integrated circuit as a network interface controller and employing a plurality of network interface cores on the single integrated circuit.

—Research Perspectives at the Interface of Marketing and Operations: Applications to the Motion Picture Industry

OpenAIRE

Sanjeev Swami

2006-01-01

In this comment, I discuss some research issues at the interface of marketing and operations particularly relevant to the motion picture industry. The major focus of my comments will be on the exhibition component of the motion picture value chain. Based on research findings and available data, I discuss the following issues: dynamic and interesting characteristics of the motion picture industry, the applicability of management science tools to artistic products, the practitioners' viewpoint,...

Evaluation of a novel Conjunctive Exploratory Navigation Interface for consumer health information: a crowdsourced comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Licong; Carter, Rebecca; Zhang, Guo-Qiang

2014-02-10

Numerous consumer health information websites have been developed to provide consumers access to health information. However, lookup search is insufficient for consumers to take full advantage of these rich public information resources. Exploratory search is considered a promising complementary mechanism, but its efficacy has never before been rigorously evaluated for consumer health information retrieval interfaces. This study aims to (1) introduce a novel Conjunctive Exploratory Navigation Interface (CENI) for supporting effective consumer health information retrieval and navigation, and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of CENI through a search-interface comparative evaluation using crowdsourcing with Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). We collected over 60,000 consumer health questions from NetWellness, one of the first consumer health websites to provide high-quality health information. We designed and developed a novel conjunctive exploratory navigation interface to explore NetWellness health questions with health topics as dynamic and searchable menus. To investigate the effectiveness of CENI, we developed a second interface with keyword-based search only. A crowdsourcing comparative study was carefully designed to compare three search modes of interest: (A) the topic-navigation-based CENI, (B) the keyword-based lookup interface, and (C) either the most commonly available lookup search interface with Google, or the resident advanced search offered by NetWellness. To compare the effectiveness of the three search modes, 9 search tasks were designed with relevant health questions from NetWellness. Each task included a rating of difficulty level and questions for validating the quality of answers. Ninety anonymous and unique AMT workers were recruited as participants. Repeated-measures ANOVA analysis of the data showed the search modes A, B, and C had statistically significant differences among their levels of difficulty (Pconsumer health information retrieval and

Charge interaction between particle-laden fluid interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hui; Kirkwood, John; Lask, Mauricio; Fuller, Gerald

2010-03-02

Experiments are described where two oil/water interfaces laden with charged particles move at close proximity relative to one another. The particles on one of the interfaces were observed to be attracted toward the point of closest approach, forming a denser particle monolayer, while the particles on the opposite interface were repelled away from this point, forming a particle depletion zone. Such particle attraction/repulsion was observed even if one of the interfaces was free of particles. This phenomenon can be explained by the electrostatic interaction between the two interfaces, which causes surface charges (charged particles and ions) to redistribute in order to satisfy surface electric equipotential at each interface. In a forced particle oscillation experiment, we demonstrated the control of charged particle positions on the interface by manipulating charge interaction between interfaces.

Modeling Europa's Ice-Ocean Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Elsenousy, A.; Vance, S.; Bills, B. G.

2014-12-01

This work focuses on modeling the ice-ocean interface on Jupiter's Moon (Europa); mainly from the standpoint of heat and salt transfer relationship with emphasis on the basal ice growth rate and its implications to Europa's tidal response. Modeling the heat and salt flux at Europa's ice/ocean interface is necessary to understand the dynamics of Europa's ocean and its interaction with the upper ice shell as well as the history of active turbulence at this area. To achieve this goal, we used McPhee et al., 2008 parameterizations on Earth's ice/ocean interface that was developed to meet Europa's ocean dynamics. We varied one parameter at a time to test its influence on both; "h" the basal ice growth rate and on "R" the double diffusion tendency strength. The double diffusion tendency "R" was calculated as the ratio between the interface heat exchange coefficient αh to the interface salt exchange coefficient αs. Our preliminary results showed a strong double diffusion tendency R ~200 at Europa's ice-ocean interface for plausible changes in the heat flux due to onset or elimination of a hydrothermal activity, suggesting supercooling and a strong tendency for forming frazil ice.

Electronic structure of semiconductor interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herman, F

1983-02-01

The study of semiconductor interfaces is one of the most active and exciting areas of current semiconductor research. Because interfaces play a vital role in modern semiconductor technology (integrated circuits, heterojunction lasers, solar cells, infrared detectors, etc.), there is a strong incentive to understand interface properties at a fundamental level and advance existing technology thereby. At the same time, technological advances such as molecular beam epitaxy have paved the way for the fabrication of semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices of novel design which exhibit unusual electronic, optical, and magnetic properties and offer unique opportunities for fundamental scientific research. A general perspective on this subject is offered treating such topics as the atomic and electronic structure of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces; oxidation and oxide layers; semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices; rectifying metal-semiconductor contacts; and interface reactions. Recent progress is emphasized and some future directions are indicated. In addition, the role that large-scale scientific computation has played in furthering our theoretical understanding of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces is discussed. Finally, the nature of theoretical models, and the role they play in describing the physical world is considered.

Electronic structure of semiconductor interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herman, F.

1983-01-01

The study of semiconductor interfaces is one of the most active and exciting areas of current semiconductor research. Because interfaces play a vital role in modern semiconductor technology (integrated circuits, heterojunction lasers, solar cells, infrared detectors, etc.), there is a strong incentive to understand interface properties at a fundamental level and advance existing technology thereby. At the same time, technological advances such as molecular beam epitaxy have paved the way for the fabrication of semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices of novel design which exhibit unusual electronic, optical, and magnetic properties and offer unique opportunities for fundamental scientific research. A general perspective on this subject is offered treating such topics as the atomic and electronic structure of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces; oxidation and oxide layers; semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices; rectifying metal-semiconductor contacts; and interface reactions. Recent progress is emphasized and some future directions are indicated. In addition, the role that large-scale scientific computation has played in furthering our theoretical understanding of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces is discussed. Finally, the nature of theoretical models, and the role they play in describing the physical world is considered. (Author) [pt

Efficient simulations of the aqueous bio-interface of graphitic nanostructures with a polarisable model

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Zak E.; Tomásio, Susana M.; Walsh, Tiffany R.

2014-04-01

To fully harness the enormous potential offered by interfaces between graphitic nanostructures and biomolecules, detailed connections between adsorbed conformations and adsorption behaviour are needed. To elucidate these links, a key approach, in partnership with experimental techniques, is molecular simulation. For this, a force-field (FF) that can appropriately capture the relevant physics and chemistry of these complex bio-interfaces, while allowing extensive conformational sampling, and also supporting inter-operability with known biological FFs, is a pivotal requirement. Here, we present and apply such a force-field, GRAPPA, designed to work with the CHARMM FF. GRAPPA is an efficiently implemented polarisable force-field, informed by extensive plane-wave DFT calculations using the revPBE-vdW-DF functional. GRAPPA adequately recovers the spatial and orientational structuring of the aqueous interface of graphene and carbon nanotubes, compared with more sophisticated approaches. We apply GRAPPA to determine the free energy of adsorption for a range of amino acids, identifying Trp, Tyr and Arg to have the strongest binding affinity and Asp to be a weak binder. The GRAPPA FF can be readily incorporated into mainstream simulation packages, and will enable large-scale polarisable biointerfacial simulations at graphitic interfaces, that will aid the development of biomolecule-mediated, solution-based graphene processing and self-assembly strategies.To fully harness the enormous potential offered by interfaces between graphitic nanostructures and biomolecules, detailed connections between adsorbed conformations and adsorption behaviour are needed. To elucidate these links, a key approach, in partnership with experimental techniques, is molecular simulation. For this, a force-field (FF) that can appropriately capture the relevant physics and chemistry of these complex bio-interfaces, while allowing extensive conformational sampling, and also supporting inter

Designing end-user interfaces

CERN Document Server

Heaton, N

1988-01-01

Designing End-User Interfaces: State of the Art Report focuses on the field of human/computer interaction (HCI) that reviews the design of end-user interfaces.This compilation is divided into two parts. Part I examines specific aspects of the problem in HCI that range from basic definitions of the problem, evaluation of how to look at the problem domain, and fundamental work aimed at introducing human factors into all aspects of the design cycle. Part II consists of six main topics-definition of the problem, psychological and social factors, principles of interface design, computer intelligenc

Operator interface for vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Bissontz, Jay E

2015-03-10

A control interface for drivetrain braking provided by a regenerative brake and a non-regenerative brake is implemented using a combination of switches and graphic interface elements. The control interface comprises a control system for allocating drivetrain braking effort between the regenerative brake and the non-regenerative brake, a first operator actuated control for enabling operation of the drivetrain braking, and a second operator actuated control for selecting a target braking effort for drivetrain braking. A graphic display displays to an operator the selected target braking effort and can be used to further display actual braking effort achieved by drivetrain braking.

The Interface Between Safety and Security at Nuclear Power Plants. INSAG-24. A report by the International Nuclear Safety Group (Russian Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

This publication seeks to provide a better understanding of the interface between safety and security at nuclear power plants and to discuss the means to achieve both objectives in an optimal fashion. It provides information in a background chapter on the existing relevant documentation, discusses the expectations for administrative arrangements at different levels, surveys certain common principles, and suggests general solutions that can help ensure an integrated approach. Conclusions are drawn and high level recommendations are proposed with the goal of maximizing the protection of the public, property, society and the environment through an improved and strengthened interface between safety and security

A model for the linear stability of the interface between aqueous humor and vitreous substitutes after vitreoretinal surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Isakova, Krystyna; Pralits, Jan O.; Repetto, Rodolfo; Romano, Mario R.

2014-12-01

We consider the motion of two immiscible viscous fluids induced by periodic oscillations of a flat solid surface along its plane. The interface between the two fluids is parallel to the solid wall; one fluid occupies the region between the wall and the interface and the other extends from the interface to infinity. We study numerically the linear stability of the interface with respect to two-dimensional perturbations using the normal mode analysis and assuming quasi-steady flow conditions. The analysis is motivated by the need of understanding the behavior of vitreous substitutes inserted in the vitreous chamber of the eye after vitrectomy. This is a common surgical procedure adopted to treat retinal detachments, whereby the vitreous humor is removed from the eye and replaced by fluids immiscible with water. Owing to their hydrophobic nature, vitreous substitutes coexist in the vitreous chamber with a certain amount of aqueous humor (the fluid produced in the anterior part of the eye) and, typically, a thin layer of aqueous separates the tamponade fluid from the retina. A common problem with this treatment is that, in some cases, the interface between the two fluids breaks down and this might eventually lead to the generation of an emulsion. It is believed that mechanics plays an important role in this process but the problem remains very poorly understood. We find that instability of the interface is possible in a range of parameters that is relevant for the problem that motivated the present analysis. This suggests that shear instability is likely a possible mechanism triggering the onset of vitreous substitutes-aqueous interface instability.

Interface, a dispersed architecture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vissers, C.A.

1976-01-01

Past and current specification techniques use timing diagrams and written text to describe the phenomenology of an interface. This paper treats an interface as the architecture of a number of processes, which are dispersed over the related system parts and the message path. This approach yields a

Attachment of composite porous supra-particles to air-water and oil-water interfaces: theory and experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Paunov, Vesselin N; Al-Shehri, Hamza; Horozov, Tommy S

2016-09-29

experimental data for the attachment of porous supra particles to the air-water interface from both air and water also agree with the theoretical model. This study gives important insights about how porous particles and particle aggregates attach to the oil-water interface in Pickering emulsions and the air-water surface in particle-stabilised aqueous foams relevant in ore flotation and a range of cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food, home and personal care formulations.

Interface recombination influence on carrier transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konin, A

2013-01-01

A theory of interface recombination in the semiconductor–semiconductor junction is developed. The interface recombination rate dependence on the nonequilibrium carrier densities is derived on the basis of a model in which the interface recombination occurs through the mechanism of trapping. The general relation between the interface recombination parameters at small carrier density deviation from the equilibrium ones is obtained. The validity of this relation is proved considering the generation of the Hall electric field in the extrinsic semiconductor sample. The anomalous Hall electromotive force in a weak magnetic field was investigated and interpreted by means of a new interface recombination model. The experimental data corroborate the developed theory. (paper)

Analysis of the interface tracking errors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerne, G.; Tiselj, I.; Petelin, S.

2001-01-01

An important limitation of the interface-tracking algorithm is the grid density, which determines the space scale of the surface tracking. In this paper the analysis of the interface tracking errors, which occur in a dispersed flow, is performed for the VOF interface tracking method. A few simple two-fluid tests are proposed for the investigation of the interface tracking errors and their grid dependence. When the grid density becomes too coarse to follow the interface changes, the errors can be reduced either by using denser nodalization or by switching to the two-fluid model during the simulation. Both solutions are analyzed and compared on a simple vortex-flow test.(author)

Usability evaluation of an experimental text summarization system and three search engines: implications for the reengineering of health care interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Kushniruk, Andre W; Kan, Min-Yem; McKeown, Kathleen; Klavans, Judith; Jordan, Desmond; LaFlamme, Mark; Patel, Vimia L

2002-01-01

This paper describes the comparative evaluation of an experimental automated text summarization system, Centrifuser and three conventional search engines - Google, Yahoo and About.com. Centrifuser provides information to patients and families relevant to their questions about specific health conditions. It then produces a multidocument summary of articles retrieved by a standard search engine, tailored to the user's question. Subjects, consisting of friends or family of hospitalized patients, were asked to "think aloud" as they interacted with the four systems. The evaluation involved audio- and video recording of subject interactions with the interfaces in situ at a hospital. Results of the evaluation show that subjects found Centrifuser's summarization capability useful and easy to understand. In comparing Centrifuser to the three search engines, subjects' ratings varied; however, specific interface features were deemed useful across interfaces. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for engineering Web-based retrieval systems.

Natural user interfaces for multitouch devices

OpenAIRE

Bukovinski, Matej

2010-01-01

This thesis presents a new class of user interfaces, which a commonly referred to as natural user interfaces. It discusses their main characteristics, evolution and advantages over currently dominant graphical user interfaces. Special attention is devoted to the subgroup of natural user interfaces for multitouch devices. Multitouch technology is firstly presented from a technical point of view and afterwards also in practice in form of a comparative study of six popular multitouch platfo...

Workflow User Interfaces Patterns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean Vanderdonckt

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Este trabajo presenta una colección de patrones de diseño de interfaces de usuario para sistemas de información para el flujo de trabajo; la colección incluye cuarenta y tres patrones clasificados en siete categorías identificados a partir de la lógica del ciclo de vida de la tarea sobre la base de la oferta y la asignación de tareas a los responsables de realizarlas (i. e. recursos humanos durante el flujo de trabajo. Cada patrón de la interfaz de usuario de flujo de trabajo (WUIP, por sus siglas en inglés se caracteriza por las propiedades expresadas en el lenguaje PLML para expresar patrones y complementado por otros atributos y modelos que se adjuntan a dicho modelo: la interfaz de usuario abstracta y el modelo de tareas correspondiente. Estos modelos se especifican en un lenguaje de descripción de interfaces de usuario. Todos los WUIPs se almacenan en una biblioteca y se pueden recuperar a través de un editor de flujo de trabajo que vincula a cada patrón de asignación de trabajo a su WUIP correspondiente.A collection of user interface design patterns for workflow information systems is presented that contains forty three resource patterns classified in seven categories. These categories and their corresponding patterns have been logically identified from the task life cycle based on offering and allocation operations. Each Workflow User Interface Pattern (WUIP is characterized by properties expressed in the PLML markup language for expressing patterns and augmented by additional attributes and models attached to the pattern: the abstract user interface and the corresponding task model. These models are specified in a User Interface Description Language. All WUIPs are stored in a library and can be retrieved within a workflow editor that links each workflow pattern to its corresponding WUIP, thus giving rise to a user interface for each workflow pattern.

Human-machine interface in mobile teleoperators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Draper, J.V.

1985-01-01

In this document the following point has been made: human-machine interface is not ideal, and may be improved upon: telepresence is ideal but not required; current interfaces degrade normal human inputs/outputs; available and developing technology can improve interfaces

Biopolymers form a gelatinous microlayer at the air-sea interface when Arctic sea ice melts

OpenAIRE

Galgani, Luisa; Piontek, Judith; Engel, Anja

2016-01-01

The interface layer between ocean and atmosphere is only a couple of micrometers thick but plays a critical role in climate relevant processes, including the air-sea exchange of gas and heat and the emission of primary organic aerosols (POA). Recent findings suggest that low-level cloud formation above the Arctic Ocean may be linked to organic polymers produced by marine microorganisms. Sea ice harbors high amounts of polymeric substances that are produced by cells growing within the sea-ice ...

The Mo/Ta (100) interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quintanar, C.; Velasco, V.R.; Garcia-Moliner, F.

1990-12-01

We have calculated the interface local density of states (ILDOS) formed by the transition metals Mo/Ta using a tight-binding Slater-Koster description and the Green Function matching method together with quickly converging algorithms to compute the transfer matrices. We obtain the surface LDOS as a byproduct. Our result is a useful tool to analyze experimental results and to check models as a function of the value of the tight-binding parameters either of the bulk or at the interface itself. We consider the (100) direction. We compare the interface to the bulk and to the surface and comment on some recently found experimental results for this interface. (author). 17 refs, 2 figs

An Automation Interface for Kappa PC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartvig, Susanne C

1999-01-01

The reports documents an automation interface for Kappa PC. The automation interface can be used to embed Kappa applications in 32-bit Windowsapplications.The interface includes functions for initialising Kappa, for loading an application, for settingvalues, for getting values, and for stopping...

Evolution of the nickel/zirconia interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinde, S.L.; Olson, D.A.; De Jonghe, L.C.; Miller, R.A.

1986-01-01

The changes taking place at the nickel zirconia interface during oxidation in air at 900 0 C were studied using analytical electron microscopy (AEM). The nickel oxide layer growing at the interface and the stabilizers used in zirconia interact, giving different interface morphologies

Light Duty Utility Arm interface control document plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Engstrom, J.W.

1994-12-27

This document describes the interface control documents that will be used to identify and control interface features throughout all phases of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) development and design. After the system is built, delivered and installed in the Cold Test Facility and later at the tank farm, the Interface Control Documents can be used in maintaining the configuration control process. The Interface Control Document will consist of Interface Control Drawings and a data base directly tied to the Interface Control Drawings. The data base can be used as an index to conveniently find interface information. Design drawings and other text documents that contain interface information will appear in the database. The Interface Control Drawings will be used to document and control the data and information that define the interface boundaries between systems, subsystems and equipment. Also, the interface boundaries will define the areas of responsibility for systems and subsystems. The drawing will delineate and identify all the physical and functional interfaces that required coordination to establish and maintain compatibility between the co-functioning equipment, computer software, and the tank farm facilities. An appendix contains the Engineering interface control database system riser manual.

Light Duty Utility Arm interface control document plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engstrom, J.W.

1994-01-01

This document describes the interface control documents that will be used to identify and control interface features throughout all phases of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) development and design. After the system is built, delivered and installed in the Cold Test Facility and later at the tank farm, the Interface Control Documents can be used in maintaining the configuration control process. The Interface Control Document will consist of Interface Control Drawings and a data base directly tied to the Interface Control Drawings. The data base can be used as an index to conveniently find interface information. Design drawings and other text documents that contain interface information will appear in the database. The Interface Control Drawings will be used to document and control the data and information that define the interface boundaries between systems, subsystems and equipment. Also, the interface boundaries will define the areas of responsibility for systems and subsystems. The drawing will delineate and identify all the physical and functional interfaces that required coordination to establish and maintain compatibility between the co-functioning equipment, computer software, and the tank farm facilities. An appendix contains the Engineering interface control database system riser manual

Loop-R : Real-Time Video Interface

OpenAIRE

Pereira, Rui

2007-01-01

Loop-R is a real-time video performance tool, based in the exploration of low-tech, used technology and human engineering research. With this tool its , , author is giving a shout to industry, using existing and mistreated technology in innovative ways, combining concepts and interfaces: blending segregated interfaces (GUI and Physical) into one. After graspable interfaces and the "end" of WIMP interfaces, hardware and software blend themselves in a new genre providing free control of video-l...

FCJ-169 Mapping Moving-Image Culture: Topographical Interface and YouTube

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen Monteiro

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This article considers cartographic and topographical aesthetics of digital interface and network navigation through the example of YouTube’s post-Cosmic Panda redesign, which visualizes the vastness of the site’s stored content while conveying contiguity and accessibility. Focussing on YouTube’s visual rhetoric of the screen-frame and thumbnails, this article explores affinities with the mosaic and grid, two visual forms historically significant to cartographic production and organization. By contrasting YouTube’s interface to the strategies of other image-sharing platforms, it demonstrates the website’s emphasis on exploration through visual cues that eschew the linearity of film and video for a longitudinal-latitudinal structure. In so doing, it relates YouTube’s strategy to the branding of its parent company, Google, the idea of regenerative mash-ups, and relevant theories of the mosaic and grid drawn from geography, media studies, visual culture, and art history. It ends with a consideration of alternative means of display that engage the culture and content of on-line video sharing, embodied in artworks by Christopher Baker and Wreck and Salvage.

Structural and functional analysis of multi-interface domains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Zhao

Full Text Available A multi-interface domain is a domain that can shape multiple and distinctive binding sites to contact with many other domains, forming a hub in domain-domain interaction networks. The functions played by the multiple interfaces are usually different, but there is no strict bijection between the functions and interfaces as some subsets of the interfaces play the same function. This work applies graph theory and algorithms to discover fingerprints for the multiple interfaces of a domain and to establish associations between the interfaces and functions, based on a huge set of multi-interface proteins from PDB. We found that about 40% of proteins have the multi-interface property, however the involved multi-interface domains account for only a tiny fraction (1.8% of the total number of domains. The interfaces of these domains are distinguishable in terms of their fingerprints, indicating the functional specificity of the multiple interfaces in a domain. Furthermore, we observed that both cooperative and distinctive structural patterns, which will be useful for protein engineering, exist in the multiple interfaces of a domain.

Rapid Prototyping Human Interfaces Using Stretchable Strain Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tokiya Yamaji

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the modern society with a variety of information electronic devices, human interfaces increase their importance in a boundary of a human and a device. In general, the human is required to get used to the device. Even if the device is designed as a universal device or a high-usability device, the device is not suitable for all users. The usability of the device depends on the individual user. Therefore, personalized and customized human interfaces are effective for the user. To create customized interfaces, we propose rapid prototyping human interfaces using stretchable strain sensors. The human interfaces comprise parts formed by a three-dimensional printer and the four strain sensors. The three-dimensional printer easily makes customized human interfaces. The outputs of the interface are calculated based on the sensor’s lengths. Experiments evaluate three human interfaces: a sheet-shaped interface, a sliding lever interface, and a tilting lever interface. We confirm that the three human interfaces obtain input operations with a high accuracy.

Generating User Interfaces with the FUSE-System

OpenAIRE

Frank Lonczewski; Siegfried Schreiber

2017-01-01

With the FUSE(Formal User interface Specification Environment)-System we present a methodology and a set of integrated tools for the automatic generation of graphical user interfaces. FUSE provides tool-based support for all phases (task-, user-, problem domain analysis, design of the logical user interface, design of user interface in a particular layout style) of the user interface development process. Based on a formal specification of dialogue- and layout guidelines, FUSE allows the autom...

Application of the MCNPX-McStas interface for shielding calculations and guide design at ESS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinkby, Esben Bryndt; Bergbäck Knudsen, Erik; Willendrup, Peter Kjær

2013-01-01

. The generation and moderation of neutrons is simulated using a full scale MCNPX model of the ESS target monolith. Upon entering the beam extraction region, the individual neutron states are handed to McStas via the MCNPX-McStas interface. McStas transports the neutrons through the beam guide and by using newly......Recently, an interface between the Monte Carlo code MCNPX and the neutron ray-tracing code MCNPX was developed[1]. Based on the expected neutronic performance and guide geometries relevant for the ESS, the combined MCNPX-McStas code is used to calculate dose rates along neutron beam guides...... developed event logging capability, the neutron state parameters corresponding to un-reflected neutrons are recorded at each scattering. This information is handed back to MCNPX where it serves as neutron source input for a second MCNPX simulation. This simulation enables calculation of dose rates...

Development of Efficient and Stable Inverted Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ) Solar Cells Using Different Metal Oxide Interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Litzov, Ivan; Brabec, Christoph J

2013-12-10

Solution-processed inverted bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells have gained much more attention during the last decade, because of their significantly better environmental stability compared to the normal architecture BHJ solar cells. Transparent metal oxides (MeO x ) play an important role as the dominant class for solution-processed interface materials in this development, due to their excellent optical transparency, their relatively high electrical conductivity and their tunable work function. This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the most common synthesis methods used for the wet chemical preparation of the most relevant n -type- and p -type-like MeO x interface materials consisting of binary compounds A x B y . Their performance for applications as electron transport/extraction layers (ETL/EEL) and as hole transport/extraction layers (HTL/HEL) in inverted BHJ solar cells will be reviewed and discussed.

Development of Efficient and Stable Inverted Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ Solar Cells Using Different Metal Oxide Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Litzov

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Solution-processed inverted bulk heterojunction (BHJ solar cells have gained much more attention during the last decade, because of their significantly better environmental stability compared to the normal architecture BHJ solar cells. Transparent metal oxides (MeOx play an important role as the dominant class for solution-processed interface materials in this development, due to their excellent optical transparency, their relatively high electrical conductivity and their tunable work function. This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the most common synthesis methods used for the wet chemical preparation of the most relevant n-type- and p-type-like MeOx interface materials consisting of binary compounds AxBy. Their performance for applications as electron transport/extraction layers (ETL/EEL and as hole transport/extraction layers (HTL/HEL in inverted BHJ solar cells will be reviewed and discussed.

Development of Efficient and Stable Inverted Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ) Solar Cells Using Different Metal Oxide Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Litzov, Ivan; Brabec, Christoph J.

2013-01-01

Solution-processed inverted bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells have gained much more attention during the last decade, because of their significantly better environmental stability compared to the normal architecture BHJ solar cells. Transparent metal oxides (MeOx) play an important role as the dominant class for solution-processed interface materials in this development, due to their excellent optical transparency, their relatively high electrical conductivity and their tunable work function. This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the most common synthesis methods used for the wet chemical preparation of the most relevant n-type- and p-type-like MeOx interface materials consisting of binary compounds AxBy. Their performance for applications as electron transport/extraction layers (ETL/EEL) and as hole transport/extraction layers (HTL/HEL) in inverted BHJ solar cells will be reviewed and discussed. PMID:28788423

The chemistry of cyborgs--interfacing technical devices with organisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Giselbrecht, Stefan; Rapp, Bastian E; Niemeyer, Christof M

2013-12-23

The term "cyborg" refers to a cybernetic organism, which characterizes the chimera of a living organism and a machine. Owing to the widespread application of intracorporeal medical devices, cyborgs are no longer exclusively a subject of science fiction novels, but technically they already exist in our society. In this review, we briefly summarize the development of modern prosthetics and the evolution of brain-machine interfaces, and discuss the latest technical developments of implantable devices, in particular, biocompatible integrated electronics and microfluidics used for communication and control of living organisms. Recent examples of animal cyborgs and their relevance to fundamental and applied biomedical research and bioethics in this novel and exciting field at the crossroads of chemistry, biomedicine, and the engineering sciences are presented. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tissue-electronics interfaces: from implantable devices to engineered tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Feiner, Ron; Dvir, Tal

2018-01-01

Biomedical electronic devices are interfaced with the human body to extract precise medical data and to interfere with tissue function by providing electrical stimuli. In this Review, we outline physiologically and pathologically relevant tissue properties and processes that are important for designing implantable electronic devices. We summarize design principles for flexible and stretchable electronics that adapt to the mechanics of soft tissues, such as those including conducting polymers, liquid metal alloys, metallic buckling and meandering architectures. We further discuss technologies for inserting devices into the body in a minimally invasive manner and for eliminating them without further intervention. Finally, we introduce the concept of integrating electronic devices with biomaterials and cells, and we envision how such technologies may lead to the development of bionic organs for regenerative medicine.

Theory of near-critical-angle scattering from a curved interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiedler-Ferrari, N.; Nussenzveig, H.M.; Wiscombe, W.J.

1990-01-01

A new type of diffraction effect, different from the standard semiclassical ones (rainbow, glory, forward peak, orbiting), takes place near the critical angle for total reflection at a curved interface between two homogeneous media. A theoretical treatment of this new effects is given for Mie scattering, e.g., light scattering by an air bubble in water; it can readily be extended to more general curved interface problems in a variety of different fields (quantum mechanics, acoustics, seismic waves). The relatively slowly-varying Mie diffraction pattern associated with near-critical scattering is obscured by rapid fine-structure oscillations due to interference with unrelated farside contributions. These contributions are evaluated and subtracted from the Mie amplitudes to yield the relevant nearside effects. A zero-order transitional CAM (complex angular momentum) approximation to the nearside amplitude is developed. The most important contributions arise from partial and total reflection, represented by two new diffraction integrals, designated Fresnel-Fock and Pearcey-Fock respectively. Also discussed are the WKB approximation, a known physical optics approximation and a new modified version of this approximation: they are compared with the exact nearside Mie amplitude obtained by numerical partial-wave summation, at scatterer size parameters (circumference/wavelength) ranging from 1,000 to 10,000. (author)

Planning and User Interface Affordances

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

St. Amant, Robert

1999-01-01

.... We identify a number of similarities between executing plans and interacting with a graphical user interface, and argue that affordances for planning environments apply equally well to user interface environments...

Interactive displays natural human-interface technologies

CERN Document Server

Bhowmik, Achintya K

2014-01-01

One of the first books to provide an in-depth discussion of the technologies, applications and trends in the rapidly emerging field of interactive displays (touch, gesture & voice) The book will cover the technologies, applications and trends in the field of interactive displays, namely interfaces based on touch, gesture and voice and those using a combination of these technologies. The book will be split into 4 main parts with each being dedicated to a specific user interface. Part 1 ''Touch Interfaces'' will provide a review of the currently deployed touch-screen technologies and applications. It will also cover the recent developments towards achieving thinner, lightweight and cost-reduced touch screen panels in the future via integration of touch functionalities. Part 2 ''Gesture Interfaces'' will examine techniques and applications in stereoscopic 3D computer vision, structured-light 3D computer vision and time-of-flight 3D computer vision in gesture interfaces. Part 3 ''Voice Interfaces'' will revie...

Network device interface for digitally interfacing data channels to a controller via a network

Science.gov (United States)

Ellerbrock, Philip J. (Inventor); Grant, Robert L. (Inventor); Konz, Daniel W. (Inventor); Winkelmann, Joseph P. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A communications system and method are provided for digitally connecting a plurality of data channels, such as sensors, actuators, and subsystems, to a controller using a network bus. The network device interface interprets commands and data received from the controller and polls the data channels in accordance with these commands. Specifically, the network device interface receives digital commands and data from the controller, and based on these commands and data, communicates with the data channels to either retrieve data in the case of a sensor or send data to activate an actuator. Data retrieved from the sensor is converted into digital signals and transmitted to the controller. Network device interfaces associated with different data channels can coordinate communications with the other interfaces based on either a transition in a command message sent by the bus controller or a synchronous clock signal.

Natural User Interfaces

OpenAIRE

Câmara , António

2011-01-01

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra This project’s main subject are Natural User Interfaces. These interfaces’ main purpose is to allow the user to interact with computer systems in a more direct and natural way. The popularization of touch and gesture devices in the last few years has allowed for them to become increasingly common and today we are experiencing a transition of interface p...

Acid chat: gestural interface design

OpenAIRE

Gökhan, Ali Oytun; Gokhan, Ali Oytun

2005-01-01

AcidChat is an experimental design project that aims to create an innovative computer software interface for Internet chat software using today's well known technologies; Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Freehand and digital photography. The aim of the project is to create new understandings of interface and it's usage, by adding new conceptions to chat based interfaces which creates a totally new look at the computer software and application. One of the key features is to add a gestural approach ...

VCFtoTree: a user-friendly tool to construct locus-specific alignments and phylogenies from thousands of anthropologically relevant genome sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Duo; Jaber, Yousef; Pavlidis, Pavlos; Gokcumen, Omer

2017-09-26

Constructing alignments and phylogenies for a given locus from large genome sequencing studies with relevant outgroups allow novel evolutionary and anthropological insights. However, no user-friendly tool has been developed to integrate thousands of recently available and anthropologically relevant genome sequences to construct complete sequence alignments and phylogenies. Here, we provide VCFtoTree, a user friendly tool with a graphical user interface that directly accesses online databases to download, parse and analyze genome variation data for regions of interest. Our pipeline combines popular sequence datasets and tree building algorithms with custom data parsing to generate accurate alignments and phylogenies using all the individuals from the 1000 Genomes Project, Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes, as well as reference genomes of Chimpanzee and Rhesus Macaque. It can also be applied to other phased human genomes, as well as genomes from other species. The output of our pipeline includes an alignment in FASTA format and a tree file in newick format. VCFtoTree fulfills the increasing demand for constructing alignments and phylogenies for a given loci from thousands of available genomes. Our software provides a user friendly interface for a wider audience without prerequisite knowledge in programming. VCFtoTree can be accessed from https://github.com/duoduoo/VCFtoTree_3.0.0 .

XML Translator for Interface Descriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Boroson, Elizabeth R.

2009-01-01

A computer program defines an XML schema for specifying the interface to a generic FPGA from the perspective of software that will interact with the device. This XML interface description is then translated into header files for C, Verilog, and VHDL. User interface definition input is checked via both the provided XML schema and the translator module to ensure consistency and accuracy. Currently, programming used on both sides of an interface is inconsistent. This makes it hard to find and fix errors. By using a common schema, both sides are forced to use the same structure by using the same framework and toolset. This makes for easy identification of problems, which leads to the ability to formulate a solution. The toolset contains constants that allow a programmer to use each register, and to access each field in the register. Once programming is complete, the translator is run as part of the make process, which ensures that whenever an interface is changed, all of the code that uses the header files describing it is recompiled.

Interface-Induced Phenomena in Magnetism.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellman, Frances; Hoffmann, Axel; Tserkovnyak, Yaroslav; Beach, Geoffrey S D; Fullerton, Eric E; Leighton, Chris; MacDonald, Allan H; Ralph, Daniel C; Arena, Dario A; Dürr, Hermann A; Fischer, Peter; Grollier, Julie; Heremans, Joseph P; Jungwirth, Tomas; Kimel, Alexey V; Koopmans, Bert; Krivorotov, Ilya N; May, Steven J; Petford-Long, Amanda K; Rondinelli, James M; Samarth, Nitin; Schuller, Ivan K; Slavin, Andrei N; Stiles, Mark D; Tchernyshyov, Oleg; Thiaville, André; Zink, Barry L

2017-01-01

This article reviews static and dynamic interfacial effects in magnetism, focusing on interfacially-driven magnetic effects and phenomena associated with spin-orbit coupling and intrinsic symmetry breaking at interfaces. It provides a historical background and literature survey, but focuses on recent progress, identifying the most exciting new scientific results and pointing to promising future research directions. It starts with an introduction and overview of how basic magnetic properties are affected by interfaces, then turns to a discussion of charge and spin transport through and near interfaces and how these can be used to control the properties of the magnetic layer. Important concepts include spin accumulation, spin currents, spin transfer torque, and spin pumping. An overview is provided to the current state of knowledge and existing review literature on interfacial effects such as exchange bias, exchange spring magnets, spin Hall effect, oxide heterostructures, and topological insulators. The article highlights recent discoveries of interface-induced magnetism and non-collinear spin textures, non-linear dynamics including spin torque transfer and magnetization reversal induced by interfaces, and interfacial effects in ultrafast magnetization processes.

Multi-robot control interface

Science.gov (United States)

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Walton, Miles C [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-12-06

Methods and systems for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface include at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of a respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes a multi-robot common window comprised of information received from each of the plurality of robots.

Efficient neuroplasticity induction in chronic stroke patients by an associative brain-computer interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mrachacz-Kersting, Natalie; Jiang, Ning; Stevenson, Andrew James Thomas

2016-01-01

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to improve functionality in chronic stoke patients when applied over a large number of sessions. Here, we evaluate the effect and the underlying mechanisms of three BCI training sessions in a double-blind-sham-controlled design. The applied BCI......-associative group. Fugl-Meyer motor scores (0.8±0.46 point difference p=0.01), foot (but not finger) tapping frequency, and 10-m walking speed improved significantly for the BCIassociative group, indicating clinically relevant improvements. For the BCI as applied here, the precise coupling between the brain command...

Graphical user interface concepts for tactical augmented reality

Science.gov (United States)

Argenta, Chris; Murphy, Anne; Hinton, Jeremy; Cook, James; Sherrill, Todd; Snarski, Steve

2010-04-01

Applied Research Associates and BAE Systems are working together to develop a wearable augmented reality system under the DARPA ULTRA-Vis program†. Our approach to achieve the objectives of ULTRAVis, called iLeader, incorporates a full color 40° field of view (FOV) see-thru holographic waveguide integrated with sensors for full position and head tracking to provide an unobtrusive information system for operational maneuvers. iLeader will enable warfighters to mark-up the 3D battle-space with symbologic identification of graphical control measures, friendly force positions and enemy/target locations. Our augmented reality display provides dynamic real-time painting of symbols on real objects, a pose-sensitive 360° representation of relevant object positions, and visual feedback for a variety of system activities. The iLeader user interface and situational awareness graphical representations are highly intuitive, nondisruptive, and always tactically relevant. We used best human-factors practices, system engineering expertise, and cognitive task analysis to design effective strategies for presenting real-time situational awareness to the military user without distorting their natural senses and perception. We present requirements identified for presenting information within a see-through display in combat environments, challenges in designing suitable visualization capabilities, and solutions that enable us to bring real-time iconic command and control to the tactical user community.

Exploring the Client–AEC Interface in Building Lifecycle Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M. Kamara

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The creation and management of buildings over their lifecycle involves the cooperation of many organizations, which broadly fall into a client domain and AEC (architecture, engineering, construction domain. While this mix of expertise is essential, the ineffective management of the boundaries between these organizations can undermine building lifecycle performance. This paper explores client–AEC interactions at the project development and handover stages, with a view to discovering insights into client–AEC interface management for effective building lifecycle integration (BLI. The concept of boundary objects provided the theoretical framework to discuss findings from two case studies on the project development phase of a private finance initiative project, and the asset development process in a repeat client organization. The findings suggest that there are different emphases in boundary crossing activities at different stages, with boundary roles that relate to decision-making and authority to commit resources being more relevant at the project development stage, whereas the need to explain meanings appear to be more relevant at the handover stage. AEC professionals in client organizations play a crucial role in bridging knowledge boundaries about buildings, but this professional/functional strand to BLI needs to be effectively managed alongside the organizational boundaries, since the authority to resource BLI efforts resides within organizations.

Interface colloidal robotic manipulator

Science.gov (United States)

Aronson, Igor; Snezhko, Oleksiy

2015-08-04

A magnetic colloidal system confined at the interface between two immiscible liquids and energized by an alternating magnetic field dynamically self-assembles into localized asters and arrays of asters. The colloidal system exhibits locomotion and shape change. By controlling a small external magnetic field applied parallel to the interface, structures can capture, transport, and position target particles.

User perspectives on relevance criteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maglaughlin, Kelly L.; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

2002-01-01

, partially relevant, or not relevant to their information need; and explained their decisions in an interview. Analysis revealed 29 criteria, discussed positively and negatively, that were used by the participants when selecting passages that contributed or detracted from a document's relevance......This study investigates the use of criteria to assess relevant, partially relevant, and not-relevant documents. Study participants identified passages within 20 document representations that they used to make relevance judgments; judged each document representation as a whole to be relevant...... matter, thought catalyst), full text (e.g., audience, novelty, type, possible content, utility), journal/publisher (e.g., novelty, main focus, perceived quality), and personal (e.g., competition, time requirements). Results further indicate that multiple criteria are used when making relevant, partially...

VMEbus interface for spectroscopy ADCs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeaeskelaeinen, M.

1987-01-01

A high performance VMEbus interface for spectroscopy ADCs and other similar devices used in nuclear spectroscopy coincidence experiments has been developed. This new module can be used to interface existing spectroscopy ADCs with fast parallel data transfer into the industry standard multiprocessor VMEbus. The unit provides a fast direct readout of the ADC data into the VMEbus memory. The interface also has built-in capabilities that enable it to be used in coincidence experiments for slow data timing and ADC pattern recognition. (orig.)

Repartition of ultrasonic energies at the interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deleuze, M.; Bourdarios, M.; Lepoutre, M.

1983-06-01

Energy repartition of ultrasonic waves at the interfaces is studied as a function of incidence angle of the acoustic beam in immersion testing. For each interface type mathematical relations give the ratio of incident energy and energy of the wave reemitted by the interface. As an example curves for the interfaces water-uranium are given [fr

Interface or Interlace?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lone Koefoed; Wamberg, Jacob

2005-01-01

Departing from an analysis of the computer's indeterminate location between medium and machine, this paper problematises the idea of a clear-cut interface in complex computing, especially Augmented Reality. The idea and pratice of the interface is derived from the medium as a representational...... surface and thus demands the overview of an autonomous consciouness. Instead we introduce the term interlace, a mingling of representational and physical levels, thus describing the computer's ambiguous blending of imaginary and real. The proposition is demonstrated through analysis of different recent...

FGB: A Graphical and Haptic User Interface for Creating Graphical, Haptic User Interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ANDERSON, THOMAS G.; BRECKENRIDGE, ARTHURINE; DAVIDSON, GEORGE S.

1999-01-01

The emerging field of haptics represents a fundamental change in human-computer interaction (HCI), and presents solutions to problems that are difficult or impossible to solve with a two-dimensional, mouse-based interface. To take advantage of the potential of haptics, however, innovative interaction techniques and programming environments are needed. This paper describes FGB (FLIGHT GHUI Builder), a programming tool that can be used to create an application specific graphical and haptic user interface (GHUI). FGB is itself a graphical and haptic user interface with which a programmer can intuitively create and manipulate components of a GHUI in real time in a graphical environment through the use of a haptic device. The programmer can create a GHUI without writing any programming code. After a user interface is created, FGB writes the appropriate programming code to a file, using the FLIGHT API, to recreate what the programmer created in the FGB interface. FGB saves programming time and increases productivity, because a programmer can see the end result as it is created, and FGB does much of the programming itself. Interestingly, as FGB was created, it was used to help build itself. The further FGB was in its development, the more easily and quickly it could be used to create additional functionality and improve its own design. As a finished product, FGB can be used to recreate itself in much less time than it originally required, and with much less programming. This paper describes FGB's GHUI components, the techniques used in the interface, how the output code is created, where programming additions and modifications should be placed, and how it can be compared to and integrated with existing API's such as MFC and Visual C++, OpenGL, and GHOST

The conversational interface talking to smart devices

CERN Document Server

McTear, Michael; Griol, David

2016-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the conversational interface, which is becoming the main mode of interaction with virtual personal assistants, smart devices, various types of wearables, and social robots. The book consists of four parts: Part I presents the background to conversational interfaces, examining past and present work on spoken language interaction with computers; Part II covers the various technologies that are required to build a conversational interface along with practical chapters and exercises using open source tools; Part III looks at interactions with smart devices, wearables, and robots, and then goes on to discusses the role of emotion and personality in the conversational interface; Part IV examines methods for evaluating conversational interfaces and discusses future directions. · Presents a comprehensive overview of the various technologies that underlie conversational user interfaces; · Combines descriptions of conversational user interface technologies with a gui...

Buried interfaces - A systematic study to characterize an adhesive interface at multiple scales

Science.gov (United States)

Haubrich, Jan; Löbbecke, Miriam; Watermeyer, Philipp; Wilde, Fabian; Requena, Guillermo; da Silva, Julio

2018-03-01

A comparative study of a model adhesive interface formed between laser-pretreated Ti15-3-3-3 and the thermoplastic polymer PEEK has been carried out in order to characterize the interfaces' structural details and the infiltration of the surface nano-oxide by the polymer at multiple scales. Destructive approaches such as scanning and transmission electron microscopy of microsections prepared by focused ion beam, and non-destructive imaging approaches including laser scanning and scanning electron microscopy of pretreated surfaces as well as synchrotron computed tomography techniques (micro- and ptychographic tomographies) were employed for resolving the large, μm-sized melt-structures and the fine nano-oxide substructure within the buried interface. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the fine, open-porous nano-oxide homogeneously covers the larger macrostructure features which in turn cover the joint surface. The open-porous nano-oxide forming the interface itself appears to be fully infiltrated and wetted by the polymer. No voids or even channels were detected down to the respective resolution limits of scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

Project Interface Requirements Process Including Shuttle Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Bauch, Garland T.

2010-01-01

Most failures occur at interfaces between organizations and hardware. Processing interface requirements at the start of a project life cycle will reduce the likelihood of costly interface changes/failures later. This can be done by adding Interface Control Documents (ICDs) to the Project top level drawing tree, providing technical direction to the Projects for interface requirements, and by funding the interface requirements function directly from the Project Manager's office. The interface requirements function within the Project Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Office would work in-line with the project element design engineers early in the life cycle to enhance communications and negotiate technical issues between the elements. This function would work as the technical arm of the Project Manager to help ensure that the Project cost, schedule, and risk objectives can be met during the Life Cycle. Some ICD Lessons Learned during the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Life Cycle will include the use of hardware interface photos in the ICD, progressive life cycle design certification by analysis, test, & operations experience, assigning interface design engineers to Element Interface (EI) and Project technical panels, and linking interface design drawings with project build drawings

Welborix, a Novel Approach Towards User-Interface Technology in Well-Performance Simulation WELBORIX, une approche originale de l'interface utilisateur en simulation de tests de puits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Overboom G. R.

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Shell Research has developed an integrated well-performance simulation tool that is widely used throughout the Shell Group. However, users do not fully appreciate its advanced functionality because of the cumbersome way in which relevant input data have to be composed. To alleviate this hindrance, the WELBORIX project was initiated, the aim of which was to build an adaptive human-computer interface for an existing wellbore simulator. The main aim of the research demonstrator WELBORIX, however, was to identify general requirements for a system designed to simplify a complex interaction between human and computer. When an experienced user of the simulator models a problem, he or she draws on an extensive body of knowledge. Applying knowledge-engineering techniques, the WELBORIX interface helps a less experienced user to work with the simulator by dealing with the complexity of the input. The compositon of a valid set of input parameters is described in a knowledge base, and the process of the human-computer interaction is controlled by an inference engine that is based on backward chaining. Moreover, facts derived during the computer's reasoning process determine the composition of the output and the sequence in which it is presented to the user. A special mechanism has been designed to obtain any needed factual information that cannot be derived from rules; it consists of a transparent layer connecting the missing facts with user-interface components. The adaptative human-computer interface of WELBORIX enables occasional users to interact with the wellbore simulator in a natural way, calling objects by their common name. The experienced user, on the other hand, does not have to sacrifice any of the system's flexibility; he or she is free to take short cuts. The user controls a session through a direct-manipulation, graphic user interface, which offers combined text and graphics, context-dependent help and multiple representations of data. Object

Practical speech user interface design

CERN Document Server

Lewis, James R

2010-01-01

Although speech is the most natural form of communication between humans, most people find using speech to communicate with machines anything but natural. Drawing from psychology, human-computer interaction, linguistics, and communication theory, Practical Speech User Interface Design provides a comprehensive yet concise survey of practical speech user interface (SUI) design. It offers practice-based and research-based guidance on how to design effective, efficient, and pleasant speech applications that people can really use. Focusing on the design of speech user interfaces for IVR application

A protein domain interaction interface database: InterPare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Jungsul

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most proteins function by interacting with other molecules. Their interaction interfaces are highly conserved throughout evolution to avoid undesirable interactions that lead to fatal disorders in cells. Rational drug discovery includes computational methods to identify the interaction sites of lead compounds to the target molecules. Identifying and classifying protein interaction interfaces on a large scale can help researchers discover drug targets more efficiently. Description We introduce a large-scale protein domain interaction interface database called InterPare http://interpare.net. It contains both inter-chain (between chains interfaces and intra-chain (within chain interfaces. InterPare uses three methods to detect interfaces: 1 the geometric distance method for checking the distance between atoms that belong to different domains, 2 Accessible Surface Area (ASA, a method for detecting the buried region of a protein that is detached from a solvent when forming multimers or complexes, and 3 the Voronoi diagram, a computational geometry method that uses a mathematical definition of interface regions. InterPare includes visualization tools to display protein interior, surface, and interaction interfaces. It also provides statistics such as the amino acid propensities of queried protein according to its interior, surface, and interface region. The atom coordinates that belong to interface, surface, and interior regions can be downloaded from the website. Conclusion InterPare is an open and public database server for protein interaction interface information. It contains the large-scale interface data for proteins whose 3D-structures are known. As of November 2004, there were 10,583 (Geometric distance, 10,431 (ASA, and 11,010 (Voronoi diagram entries in the Protein Data Bank (PDB containing interfaces, according to the above three methods. In the case of the geometric distance method, there are 31,620 inter-chain domain

Adhesion at Al-hydroxide-polymer interfaces: Influence of chemistry and evidence for microscopic self-pinning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vellinga, W.P.; Eising, G.; Wit, F.M. de; Mol, J.M.C; Terryn, H.; Wit, J.H.W. de; De Hosson, J.Th.M.

2010-01-01

We present a combined chemical (auger electron spectroscopy) and microscopic (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and scanning probe microscopy) study of the work of adhesion and delamination mechanisms at interfaces between a glassy polymer (glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate) and Al covered with different types of surface hydroxides. A clear correlation between the measured work of adhesion and the chemical nature of the Al surface, specifically the hydroxyl coverage and the iso-electric point is found. The magnitude of the work of adhesion points to important contributions from plastic deformation in the glassy polymer for some cases. Delamination is shown to be accompanied by the formation of microscopic shear bands at such interfaces. The non-monotonous stress-strain behaviour of the glassy polymer that gives rise to the shear bands is also shown to lead to peculiar pinning events at the crack front. Evidence indicates that the occurrence of protrusions in the crack front deriving for example from the presence of stress concentrators and crack initiation sites ahead of the front, combined with mode and rate dependence of the local energy release rate along the front may pin the front at positions adjacent to a protrusion. It is believed such microscopic mode-dependent pinning phenomena may be relevant for the adhesion on patterned interfaces.

Icinga Monitoring System Interface

CERN Document Server

Neculae, Alina Georgiana

2014-01-01

The aim of this project is to develop a web interface that would be used by the Icinga monitoring system to manage the CMS online cluster, in the experimental site. The interface would allow users to visualize the information in a compressed and intuitive way, as well as modify the information of each individual object and edit the relationships between classes.

Ionic Structure at Dielectric Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Jing, Yufei

The behavior of ions in liquids confined between macromolecules determines the outcome of many nanoscale assembly processes in synthetic and biological materials such as colloidal dispersions, emulsions, hydrogels, DNA, cell membranes, and proteins. Theoretically, the macromolecule-liquid boundary is often modeled as a dielectric interface and an important quantity of interest is the ionic structure in a liquid confined between two such interfaces. The knowledge gleaned from the study of ionic structure in such models can be useful in several industrial applications, such as biosensors, lithium-ion batteries double-layer supercapacitors for energy storage and seawater desalination. Electrostatics plays a critical role in the development of such functional materials. Many of the functions of these materials, result from charge and composition heterogeneities. There are great challenges in solving electrostatics problems in heterogeneous media with arbitrary shapes because electrostatic interactions remains unknown but depend on the particular density of charge distributions. Charged molecules in heterogeneous media affect the media's dielectric response and hence the interaction between the charges is unknown since it depends on the media and on the geometrical properties of the interfaces. To determine the properties of heterogeneous systems including crucial effects neglected in classical mean field models such as the hard core of the ions, the dielectric mismatch and interfaces with arbitrary shapes. The effect of hard core interactions accounts properly for short range interactions and the effect of local dielectric heterogeneities in the presence of ions and/or charged molecules for long-range interactions are both analyzed via an energy variational principle that enables to update charges and the medium's response in the same simulation time step. In particular, we compute the ionic structure in a model system of electrolyte confined by two planar dielectric

Photoemission study of the Poly(3-hexylthiophene)/TiO2 interface and the role of 4-Mercaptopyridine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calloni, A., E-mail: alberto1.calloni@mail.polimi.it [CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy); Berti, G.; Ferrari, A.; Brambilla, A.; Bussetti, G. [CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy); Canesi, E.V.; Petrozza, A. [Center for Nano Science and Technology @ Polimi, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Pascoli 70/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Duò, L. [CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

2014-06-02

We report on a combined X-ray and UV photoemission spectroscopy study (XPS, UPS) of the interface between Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}), a key element in the development of hybrid solar cells. We employed the elemental specificity of XPS to directly probe, on the complete P3HT/TiO{sub 2} heterostructure, the changes in the electronic levels alignment at the interface upon the addition of 4-Mercaptopyridine (4-MPy) molecules. We estimate an upper limit of 50 meV to the contribution of 4-MPy to the P3HT/TiO{sub 2} interfacial dipole. In addition, UPS was used to provide a quantitative estimate of the relevant parameters controlling the transfer of charge through the hybrid interface, such as the binding energy of the TiO{sub 2} valence and conduction bands and of the P3HT highest occupied/lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals. In both cases, we confirm that the alignment of P3HT energy levels to those of the substrate is not influenced by the position of the Fermi level inside the TiO{sub 2} band gap. - Highlights: • We studied the electronic structure of the Poly(3-hexylthiophene)/TiO{sub 2} interface. • 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MPy) molecules were used as interface modifiers. • The contribution of 4-MPy to the interfacial dipole is limited to 50 meV. • No pinning of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) energy levels to the Fermi level is observed.

After Rigid Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Troiano, Giovanni Maria

(1) a user study with a prototype of an elastic, deformable display, and (2) a user study of deformable interfaces for performing music. The first study reports a guessability study with an elastic, deformable display where 17 participants suggested fitting gestures for 29 tasks, including navigation......, Transformation, Adaptation and Physicalization. In synthesis, the work presented in this thesis shows (1) implications of usefulness for deformable interfaces and how their new input modalities can redefine the way users interact with computers, and (2) how a systematic understanding of conventional design...

Gas transport in the bentonite barrier of AGP and their interfaces; Transporte de gas en la barrera de bentonita de un AGP y sus interfases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutierrez Rodrigo, V.; Villar Gelicia, M. V.; Martin Martin, P. L.; Romero Alvarez, F. J.

2014-07-01

The research of gas transport processes through the barriers is of great relevance in the assessment of the behaviour of the repository. The main objective of this study is to determine the properties of gas transport in saturated bentonite samples and the interfaces between them. (Author)

Structure and properties of interfaces in ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnell, D.; Ruehle, M.; Chowdhry, U.

1995-01-01

The motivation for the symposium was the observation that interfaces in crystallographically and compositionally complex systems often dictate the performance and reliability of devices that utilize functional ceramics. The current level of understanding of interface-property relations in silicon-based devices required over 30 years of intensive research. Similar issues influence the relationship between atomic bonding at interfaces and properties in functional ceramic systems. The current understanding of these complex interfaces does not allow correlation between atomic structure and interface properties, in spite of their importance to a number of emerging technologies (wireless communications, radar-based positioning systems, sensors, etc.). The objective of this symposium was to focus attention on these fundamental issues by featuring recent theoretical and experimental work from various disciplines that impact the understanding of interface chemistry, structure, and properties. The emphasis was on relating properties of surfaces and interfaces to structure through an understanding of atomic level phenomena. Interfaces of interest include metal/ceramic, ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/vapor, etc., in electronic, magnetic, optical, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric applications. Sixty one papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base

Interface stability during rapid directional solidification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoglund, D.E.; Aziz, M.J.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that at the solidification velocities observed during pulsed laser annealing, the planar interface between solid and liquid is stabilized by capillarity and nonequilibrium effects such as solute trapping. The authors used Rutherford backscattering and electron microscopy to determine the nonequilibrium partition coefficient and critical concentration for breakdown of the planar interface as a function of interface velocity for Sn-implanted silicon. This allows the authors to test the applicability of the Mulliins-Sekerka stability theory to interfaces not in local equilibrium and to test the Coriell-Sekerka and other theories for oscillatory instabilities

The HEASARC graphical user interface

Science.gov (United States)

White, N.; Barrett, P.; Jacobs, P.; Oneel, B.

1992-01-01

An OSF/Motif-based graphical user interface has been developed to facilitate the use of the database and data analysis software packages available from the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). It can also be used as an interface to other, similar, routines. A small number of tables are constructed to specify the possible commands and command parameters for a given set of analysis routines. These tables can be modified by a designer to affect the appearance of the interface screens. They can also be dynamically changed in response to parameter adjustments made while the underlying program is running. Additionally, a communication protocol has been designed so that the interface can operate locally or across a network. It is intended that this software be able to run on a variety of workstations and X terminals.

Strength of interface in stainless clad steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohji, Kiyotsugu; Nakai, Yoshikazu; Hashimoto, Shinji

1990-01-01

Mechanical tests were conducted on four kinds of stainless clad steels to establish test methods for determining crack growth resistance of bimaterial interface. In tension tests, smooth specimens and shallow notched specimens were employed. In these tests, all of the smooth specimens were broken in carbon steel, not along the bimaterial interface. On the other hand, most of the shallow notched specimens were broken along the interface, when the notch root was located at the interface. Therefore, the shallow notched specimens were suitable for estimating the strength of the interface in tension tests. For fracture toughness tests, chevron notched specimens are recommended, since pre-fatigue cracks were susceptible to initiate and grow in carbon steel for conventional straight notched specimens. In fatigue crack growth tests, side-grooved and non-side-grooved specimens were employed. Although the side-grooves were machined so that the minimum cross-sectional plane of the specimens coincided with the plane of the bimaterial interface, cracks did not always propagate along the interface. Therefore, the side-grooves were judged not to be effective for cracks to propagate along the bimaterial interface. Both in fracture toughness tests and fatigue tests, the crack growth resistance along bimaterial interface was much lower than the resistance of matrix steels. In all of the mechanical tests conducted, the crack growth resistance along the interface was higher for the normalized material than that for the as-rolled material. The nickel foil inserted between carbon steel and stainless steel improved the growth resistance of interfacial cracks. (author)

Interface Anywhere

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Current paradigms for crew interfaces to the systems that require control are constrained by decades old technologies which require the crew to be physically near an...

ooi: OpenStack OCCI interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro López García

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this document we present an implementation of the Open Grid Forum’s Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI for OpenStack, namely ooi (Openstack occi interface, 2015  [1]. OCCI is an open standard for management tasks over cloud resources, focused on interoperability, portability and integration. ooi aims to implement this open interface for the OpenStack cloud middleware, promoting interoperability with other OCCI-enabled cloud management frameworks and infrastructures. ooi focuses on being non-invasive with a vanilla OpenStack installation, not tied to a particular OpenStack release version.

ooi: OpenStack OCCI interface

Science.gov (United States)

López García, Álvaro; Fernández del Castillo, Enol; Orviz Fernández, Pablo

In this document we present an implementation of the Open Grid Forum's Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) for OpenStack, namely ooi (Openstack occi interface, 2015) [1]. OCCI is an open standard for management tasks over cloud resources, focused on interoperability, portability and integration. ooi aims to implement this open interface for the OpenStack cloud middleware, promoting interoperability with other OCCI-enabled cloud management frameworks and infrastructures. ooi focuses on being non-invasive with a vanilla OpenStack installation, not tied to a particular OpenStack release version.

Microfluidic PMMA interfaces for rectangular glass capillaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evander, Mikael; Tenje, Maria

2014-01-01

We present the design and fabrication of a polymeric capillary fluidic interface fabricated by micro-milling. The design enables the use of glass capillaries with any kind of cross-section in complex microfluidic setups. We demonstrate two different designs of the interface; a double-inlet interface for hydrodynamic focusing and a capillary interface with integrated pneumatic valves. Both capillary interfaces are presented together with examples of practical applications. This communication shows the design optimization and presents details of the fabrication process. The capillary interface opens up for the use of complex microfluidic systems in single-use glass capillaries. They also enable simple fabrication of glass/polymer hybrid devices that can be beneficial in many research fields where a pure polymer chip negatively affects the device's performance, e.g. acoustofluidics. (technical note)

Rational construction of multiple interfaces in ternary heterostructure for efficient spatial separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers in the application of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jian-Wen; Ma, Dandan; Zou, Yajun; Fan, Zhaoyang; Shi, Jinwen; Cheng, Linhao; Ji, Xin; Niu, Chunming

2018-03-01

The design of efficient and stable photocatalyst plays a critical role in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting. Herein, we develop a novel ZnS/CdS/ZnO ternary heterostructure by the in-situ sulfuration of CdS/ZnO, which includes four contact interfaces: CdS-ZnS interface, ZnS-ZnO interface, CdS-ZnO interface and ZnS-CdS-ZnO ternary interface, forming three charge carrier-transfer modes (type-I, type-II and direct Z-scheme) through five carrier-transfer pathways. As a result, the separation and transfer of photoexcited electron-hole pairs are promoted significantly, resulting in a high hydrogen evolution rate of 44.70 mmol h-1 g-1, which is 2, 3.7 and 8 times higher than those of binary heterostructures, CdS/ZnO, CdS/ZnS and ZnS/ZnO, respectively, and 26.5, 280 and 298 times higher than those of single CdS, ZnO and ZnS, respectively. As a counterpart ternary heterostructure, CdS/ZnS/ZnO contains only two interfaces: CdS-ZnS interface and ZnS-ZnO interface, which form two charge carrier-transfer modes (type-I and type-II) through two carrier-transfer pathways, leading to its much lower hydrogen evolution rate (27.25 mmol h-1 g-1) than ZnS/CdS/ZnO ternary heterostructure. This work is relevant for understanding the charge-transfer pathways between multi-interfaces in multicomponent heterojunctions.

Overview of Graphical User Interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Hulser, Richard P.

1993-01-01

Discussion of graphical user interfaces for online public access catalogs (OPACs) covers the history of OPACs; OPAC front-end design, including examples from Indiana University and the University of Illinois; and planning and implementation of a user interface. (10 references) (EA)

Nano- and microparticles at fluid and biological interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, S.; Auth, T.; Gompper, G.

2017-09-01

Systems with interfaces are abundant in both technological applications and biology. While a fluid interface separates two fluids, membranes separate the inside of vesicles from the outside, the interior of biological cells from the environment, and compartmentalize cells into organelles. The physical properties of interfaces are characterized by interface tension, those of membranes are characterized by bending and stretching elasticity. Amphiphilic molecules like surfactants that are added to a system with two immiscible fluids decrease the interface tension and induce a bending rigidity. Lipid bilayer membranes of vesicles can be stretched or compressed by osmotic pressure; in biological cells, also the presence of a cytoskeleton can induce membrane tension. If the thickness of the interface or the membrane is small compared with its lateral extension, both can be described using two-dimensional mathematical surfaces embedded in three-dimensional space. We review recent work on the interaction of particles with interfaces and membranes. This can be micrometer-sized particles at interfaces that stabilise emulsions or form colloidosomes, as well as typically nanometer-sized particles at membranes, such as viruses, parasites, and engineered drug delivery systems. In both cases, we first discuss the interaction of single particles with interfaces and membranes, e.g. particles in external fields, non-spherical particles, and particles at curved interfaces, followed by interface-mediated interaction between two particles, many-particle interactions, interface and membrane curvature-induced phenomena, and applications.

Spatial Planning Experiences for Vulnerability Reduction in the Wildland-Urban Interface in Mediterranean European Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galiana-Martín Luis

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Expansion of the wildland-urban interface in countries in the European Mediterranean basin is increasing vulnerability to forest fires. Despite more effective extinction systems, this is still a growing problem. This article defends the importance of spatial planning (land-use and urban planning and the need for systematic intervention to mitigate this wildfire risk. A critical review of the current situation, noting intervention focused on buildings and plots and insufficient action on intermediate spatial scales, is followed by the presentation of significant and relevant experiences in the European context.

ESTUDO DA USABILIDADE NAS INTERFACES HOMEM-MÁQUINA

OpenAIRE

Oliveira, Felipe Francisco Ramos de; Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte - UniBH; Ferreira, Marlon Marques; Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte - UniBH; Furst, Alexandre

2013-01-01

Este artigo documenta e analisa o processo de evolução das principais interfaces homem-máquina, com enfoque na usabilidade, e as diferenças tecnológicas entre elas. A pesquisa desempenhada para elaboração deste documento procura, também, experimentar o desempenho das interfaces CLI (Command Line Interface), GUI (Graphical User Interface) e NUI (Natural User Interface) por meio de um experimento de usabilidade que aborde as três interfaces em um único objetivo e permita o recolhimento de dados...

Low cycle fatigue behavior of ITER-like divertor target under DEMO-relevant operation conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Muyuan; Werner, Ewald [Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffkunde und Werkstoffmechanik, Technische Universität München, Boltzmannstr. 15, 85748 Garching (Germany); You, Jeong-Ha, E-mail: you@ipp.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2015-01-15

Highlights: • LCF behavior of the cooling tube and the interlayer of an ITER-like divertor target is studied. • For the cooling tube, LCF failure will not be an issue under an HHF load of up to 18 MW/m{sup 2}. • Plastic strain in the interlayer is concentrated at the free surface edge of the bond interface. • The predicted LCF lifetime of the interlayer may not meet the design requirement. - Abstract: In this work the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of the copper alloy cooling tube and the copper interlayer of an ITER-like divertor target is reported for nine different combinations of loading and cooling conditions relevant to DEMO divertor operation. The LCF lifetime is presented as a function of loading and cooling conditions considered here by means of cyclic plasticity simulation and using LCF data of materials relevant for ITER. The numerical predictions indicate, that fatigue failure will not be an issue for the copper alloy tube under a high heat flux (HHF) load of up to 18 MW/m{sup 2} as long as it preserves its initial strength. In contrast, the copper interlayer exhibits significant plastic dissipation at the free surface edge of the bond interface adjacent to the cooling tube, where the LCF lifetime is predicted to be below 3000 load cycles for HHF loads higher than 15 MW/m{sup 2}. Most of the bulk region of the copper interlayer away from the free surface edge does not experience severe plastic fatigue and hence does not pose any critical concern as the LCF lifetime is predicted to be at least 7000 load cycles. LCF lifetime decreases as HHF load is increased or coolant temperature is decreased.

Principle and modelling of Transient Current Technique for interface traps characterization in monolithic pixel detectors obtained by CMOS-compatible wafer bonding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bronuzzi, J.; Mapelli, A.; Moll, M.; Sallese, J.M.

2016-01-01

In the framework of monolithic silicon radiation detectors, a fabrication process based on a recently developed silicon wafer bonding technique at low temperature was proposed. Ideally, this new process would enable direct bonding of a read-out electronic chip wafer on a highly resistive silicon substrate wafer, which is expected to present many advantages since it would combine high performance IC's with high sensitive ultra-low doped bulk silicon detectors. But electrical properties of the bonded interface are critical for this kind of application since the mobile charges generated by radiation inside the bonded bulk are expected to transit through the interface in order to be collected by the read-out electronics. In this work, we propose to explore and develop a model for the so-called Transient Current Technique (TCT) to identify the presence of deep traps at the bonded interface. For this purpose, we consider a simple PIN diode reversely biased where the ultra-low doped active region of interest is set in full depletion. In a first step, Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD is used to evaluate the soundness of this technique for interface traps characterization such as it may happen in bonded interfaces. Next, an analytical model is developed in details to give a better insight into the physics behind the TCT for interface layers. Further, this can be used as a simple tool to evidence what are the relevant parameters influencing the TCT signal and to set the basis for preliminary characterizations.

GRAPHIC INTERFACES FOR ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion PANA,

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Using effective the method of calculating Fitness for Service requires the achievement of graphical interfaces. This paper presents an example of such interfaces, made with Visual Basic program and used in the evaluation of pipelines in a research contract [4

Inkjet color-printer control interface

Science.gov (United States)

Kistler, R.; Kriegler, F. J.; Marshall, R. E.

1977-01-01

Special purpose interface permits computer-driven control of inkjet printers. Inkjet printers are answer to problem of high-speed peripheral output devices for computer systems. Control interface was developed to provide high-resolution color-classification maps quickly and economically from multispectral data.

Interface learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorhauge, Sally

2014-01-01

"Interface learning - New goals for museum and upper secondary school collaboration" investigates and analyzes the learning that takes place when museums and upper secondary schools in Denmark work together in local partnerships to develop and carry out school-related, museum-based coursework...... for students. The research focuses on the learning that the students experience in the interface of the two learning environments: The formal learning environment of the upper secondary school and the informal learning environment of the museum. Focus is also on the learning that the teachers and museum...... professionals experience as a result of their collaboration. The dissertation demonstrates how a given partnership’s collaboration affects the students’ learning experiences when they are doing the coursework. The dissertation presents findings that museum-school partnerships can use in order to develop...

Polymer surfaces, interfaces and thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stamm, M [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Polymerforschung, Mainz (Germany)

1996-11-01

Neutron reflectometry can be used in various ways to investigate surfaces, interfaces and thin films of polymers. Its potential comes mostly from the possibilities offered by selective deuteration, where a particular component can be made visible with respect to its activity at the interface. In addition the depth resolution is much better than with most other direct techniques, and details of the profiles may be resolved. Several examples will be discussed including the segment diffusion at the interface between two polymer films, the determination of the narrow interfaces between incompatible polymer blends and the development of order in thin diblock copolymer films. (author) 10 figs., 2 tabs., 38 refs.

Polymer surfaces, interfaces and thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamm, M.

1996-01-01

Neutron reflectometry can be used in various ways to investigate surfaces, interfaces and thin films of polymers. Its potential comes mostly from the possibilities offered by selective deuteration, where a particular component can be made visible with respect to its activity at the interface. In addition the depth resolution is much better than with most other direct techniques, and details of the profiles may be resolved. Several examples will be discussed including the segment diffusion at the interface between two polymer films, the determination of the narrow interfaces between incompatible polymer blends and the development of order in thin diblock copolymer films. (author) 10 figs., 2 tabs., 38 refs

Flexible feature interface for multimedia sources

Science.gov (United States)

Coffland, Douglas R [Livermore, CA

2009-06-09

A flexible feature interface for multimedia sources system that includes a single interface for the addition of features and functions to multimedia sources and for accessing those features and functions from remote hosts. The interface utilizes the export statement: export "C" D11Export void FunctionName(int argc, char ** argv,char * result, SecureSession *ctrl) or the binary equivalent of the export statement.

Intelligent Multi-Media Integrated Interface Project

Science.gov (United States)

1990-06-01

been devoted to the application of aritificial intelligence technology to the development of human -computer interface technology that integrates speech...RADC-TR-90-128 Final Technical Report June 1090 AD-A225 973 INTELLIGENT MULTI-MEDIA INTEGRATED INTERFACE PROJECT Calspan-University of Buffalo...contractual obligations or notices on a specific document require that it be returned. INTELLIGENT MULTI-MEDIA INTEGRATED INTERFACE PROJECT J. G. Neal J. M

Reflection and Transmission of a Focused Finite Amplitude Sound Beam Incident on a Curved Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Makin, Inder Raj Singh

Reflection and transmission of a finite amplitude focused sound beam at a weakly curved interface separating two fluid-like media are investigated. The KZK parabolic wave equation, which accounts for thermoviscous absorption, diffraction, and nonlinearity, is used to describe the high intensity focused beam. The first part of the work deals with the quasilinear analysis of a weakly nonlinear beam after its reflection and transmission from a curved interface. A Green's function approach is used to define the field integrals describing the primary and the nonlinearly generated second harmonic beam. Closed-form solutions are obtained for the primary and second harmonic beams when a Gaussian amplitude distribution at the source is assumed. The second part of the research uses a numerical frequency domain solution of the KZK equation for a fully nonlinear analysis of the reflected and transmitted fields. Both piston and Gaussian sources are considered. Harmonic components generated in the medium due to propagation of the focused beam are evaluated, and formation of shocks in the reflected and transmitted beams is investigated. A finite amplitude focused beam is observed to be modified due to reflection and transmission from a curved interface in a manner distinct from that in the case of a small signal beam. Propagation curves, beam patterns, phase plots and time waveforms for various parameters defining the source and media pairs are presented, highlighting the effect of the interface curvature on the reflected and transmitted beams. Relevance of the current work to biomedical applications of ultrasound is discussed.

Parsimonious relevance models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meij, E.; Weerkamp, W.; Balog, K.; de Rijke, M.; Myang, S.-H.; Oard, D.W.; Sebastiani, F.; Chua, T.-S.; Leong, M.-K.

2008-01-01

We describe a method for applying parsimonious language models to re-estimate the term probabilities assigned by relevance models. We apply our method to six topic sets from test collections in five different genres. Our parsimonious relevance models (i) improve retrieval effectiveness in terms of

Characterization of interfaces in semimagnetic quantum wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitt, G.; Kuhn-Heinrich, B.; Zehnder, U.; Ossau, W.; Litz, T.; Waag, A.; Landwehr, G.

1995-01-01

The interfaces between nonmagnetic CdTe quantum wells and semimagnetic barriers of Cd 1-x Mn x Te were investigated for several well widths by low temperature photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy. Specially designed Cd 1-x Mn x /CdTe/Cd 1-y Mg y Te structures enable us to distinguish the quality of semimagnetic normal and inverted interfaces. The normal interface shows to better structural quality than the inverted interface. (author)

The Pervasive Interface; Tracing the Magic Circle

OpenAIRE

Nieuwdorp, Eva

2005-01-01

Walking the Line: The Interface in Limbo Investigating the Interface in Pervasive Games Eva Nieuwdorp, graduate student Utrecht University ** Changing Views: Worlds in Play ** June 16-20, 2005 Vancouver BC, Canada Paper proposal Categories Theoretical Perspectives: Redefining the concept of the interface in formal digital game theory; by researching the existing discourse surrounding interface theory, the applicability of this term to the area of digital games will be tested by looking at the...

Magnetic exchange at realistic CoO/Ni interfaces

KAUST Repository

Grytsiuk, Sergii

2012-07-30

We study the CoO/Ni interface by first principles calculations. Because the lattice mismatch is large, a realistic description requires a huge supercell. We investigate two interface configurations: in interface 1 the coupling between the Ni and Co atoms is mediated by O, whereas in interface 2 the Ni and Co atoms are in direct contact. We find that the magnetization (including the orbital moment) in interface 1 has a similar value as in bulk Ni but opposite sign, while in interface 2 it grows by 164%. The obtained magnetic moments can be explained by the local atomic environments. In addition, we find effects of charge transfer between the interface atoms. The Co 3d local density of states of interface 2 exhibits surprisingly small deviations from the corresponding bulk result, although the first coordination sphere is no longer octahedral. © Springer-Verlag 2012.

Magnetic exchange at realistic CoO/Ni interfaces

KAUST Repository

Grytsyuk, Sergiy; Cossu, Fabrizio; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2012-01-01

We study the CoO/Ni interface by first principles calculations. Because the lattice mismatch is large, a realistic description requires a huge supercell. We investigate two interface configurations: in interface 1 the coupling between the Ni and Co atoms is mediated by O, whereas in interface 2 the Ni and Co atoms are in direct contact. We find that the magnetization (including the orbital moment) in interface 1 has a similar value as in bulk Ni but opposite sign, while in interface 2 it grows by 164%. The obtained magnetic moments can be explained by the local atomic environments. In addition, we find effects of charge transfer between the interface atoms. The Co 3d local density of states of interface 2 exhibits surprisingly small deviations from the corresponding bulk result, although the first coordination sphere is no longer octahedral. © Springer-Verlag 2012.

Hydrogen release at metal-oxide interfaces: A first principle study of hydrogenated Al/SiO{sub 2} interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Jianqiu, E-mail: jianqiu@vt.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road - MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Tea, Eric; Li, Guanchen [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road - MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Hin, Celine [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road - MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Department of Material Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road-MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • Hydrogen release process at the Al/SiO{sub 2} metal-oxide interface has been investigated. • A mathematical model that estimates the hydrogen release potential has been proposed. • Al atoms, Al−O bonds, and Si−Al bonds are the major hydrogen traps at the Al/SiO{sub 2} interface. • Hydrogen atoms are primarily release from Al−H and O−H bonds at the Al/SiO{sub 2} metal-oxide interface. - Abstract: The Anode Hydrogen Release (AHR) mechanism at interfaces is responsible for the generation of defects, that traps charge carriers and can induce dielectric breakdown in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors. The AHR has been extensively studied at Si/SiO{sub 2} interfaces but its characteristics at metal-silica interfaces remain unclear. In this study, we performed Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to study the hydrogen release mechanism at the typical Al/SiO{sub 2} metal-oxide interface. We found that interstitial hydrogen atoms can break interfacial Al−Si bonds, passivating a Si sp{sup 3} orbital. Interstitial hydrogen atoms can also break interfacial Al−O bonds, or be adsorbed at the interface on aluminum, forming stable Al−H−Al bridges. We showed that hydrogenated O−H, Si−H and Al−H bonds at the Al/SiO{sub 2} interfaces are polarized. The resulting bond dipole weakens the O−H and Si−H bonds, but strengthens the Al−H bond under the application of a positive bias at the metal gate. Our calculations indicate that Al−H bonds and O−H bonds are more important than Si−H bonds for the hydrogen release process.

Playful Interfaces : Introduction and History

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Anton; Nijholt, A.

2014-01-01

In this short survey we have some historical notes about human-computer interface development with an emphasis on interface technology that has allowed us to design playful interactions with applications. The applications do not necessarily have to be entertainment applications. We can have playful

On the physics of both surface overcharging and charge reversal at heterophase interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhi-Yong; Zhang, Pengli; Ma, Zengwei

2018-02-07

The conventional paradigm for characterizing surface overcharging and charge reversal is based on the so-called Stern layer, in which surface dissociation reaction and specific chemical adsorption are assumed to take place. In this article, a series of Monte Carlo simulations have been applied to obtain useful insights into the underlying physics responsible for these two kinds of anomalous phenomena at the interface of two dielectrics, with special emphasis on the case of divalent counterions that are more relevant in natural and biological environments. At a weakly charged surface, it is found that independent of the type of surface charge distribution and the dielectric response of the solution, the overcharging event is universally driven by the ion size-asymmetric effect. Exceptionally, the overcharging still persists when the surface is highly charged but is only restricted to the case of discrete surface charge in a relatively low dielectric medium. As compared to the adsorption onto the homogeneously smeared charge surface that has the same average affinity for counterions, on the other hand, charge reversal under the action of a dielectric response can be substantially enhanced in the discrete surface charge representation due to strong association of counterions with interfacial groups, and the degree of enhancement depends in a nontrivial way on the reduction of the medium dielectric constant and the steric effects of finite ion size. Rather interestingly, the charge reversal is of high relevance to the overcharging of interfaces because the overwhelming interfacial association forces the coions closer to the surface due to their smaller size than the counterions. Upon the addition of a monovalent salt to the solution, the interfacial association with divalent counterions makes surface overcharging and charge reversal widely unaffected, in contrast to the prevailing notion that screening of surface charge of a homogeneous nature is determined by the

Proceedings of the fifth Asian conference on colloid and interface science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Colloid and Interfacial (Surface) phenomena constitute a field of science which today embodies concepts that are fundamental to the understanding of both microscopic and macroscopic behaviors, and hence the design of a wide range of system of great potential interest. Now a days, this branch of science has entered a new era where modern development and knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology, material science, pharmacy, engineering, etc., have been extensively exploited and adopted. As a result, both fundamental and applied aspects of colloid and surface science have advanced over the years, for example, starting from tertiary oil recovery to nanotechnology to environmental science. These multifaceted fields also find applications in everyday life, and helps in understanding the intricacies of the life process. All these developments have enriched the field, which is considered to be the front-line/emerging area of research in the national and international scenario. Recent growth of modern colloid and interface science in Asian countries has encouraged the scientists to share in-depth discussions within the regional scientific community in Asia. Scientific topics covered by the conference were: Adsorption, Molecular Assemblies, Colloids and Dispersions, Gels, Surfaces and Interfaces, Thin Films, Membranes, Nanomaterials, Biomaterials, Devices and Applications etc. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

Interfaces and thin films physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Equer, B.

1988-01-01

The 1988 progress report of the Interfaces and Thin Film Physics laboratory (Polytechnic School France) is presented. The research program is focused on the thin films and on the interfaces of the amorphous semiconductor materials: silicon and silicon germanium, silicon-carbon and silicon-nitrogen alloys. In particular, the following topics are discussed: the basic processes and the kinetics of the reactive gas deposition, the amorphous materials manufacturing, the physico-chemical characterization of thin films and interfaces and the electron transport in amorphous semiconductors. The construction and optimization of experimental devices, as well as the activities concerning instrumentation, are also described [fr

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

CERN Document Server

Banga, Cameron

2011-01-01

Written in a cookbook style, this book offers solutions using a recipe based approach. Each recipe contains step-by-step instructions followed by an analysis of what was done in each task and other useful information. The cookbook approach means you can dive into whatever recipes you want in no particular order. The iPhone Interface Cookbook is written from the ground up for people who are new to iOS or application interface design in general. Each chapter discusses the reasoning and design strategy behind critical interface components, as well as how to best integrate each into any iPhone or

Simulation of Magnetic Phenomena at Realistic Interfaces

KAUST Repository

Grytsyuk, Sergiy

2016-02-04

In modern technology exciting developments are related to the ability to understand and control interfaces. Particularly, magnetic interfaces revealing spindependent electron transport are of great interest for modern spintronic devices, such as random access memories and logic devices. From the technological point of view, spintronic devices based on magnetic interfaces enable manipulation of the magnetism via an electric field. Such ability is a result of the different quantum effects arising from the magnetic interfaces (for example, spin transfer torque or spin-orbit torque) and it can reduce the energy consumption as compared to the traditional semiconductor electronic devices. Despite many appealing characteristics of these materials, fundamental understanding of their microscopic properties and related phenomena needs to be established by thorough investigation. In this work we implement first principles calculations in order to study the structural, electric, and magnetic properties as well as related phenomena of two types of interfaces with large potential in spintronic applications: 1) interfaces between antiferromagnetic 3d-metal-oxides and ferromagnetic 3d-metals and 2) interfaces between non-magnetic 5d(4d)- and ferromagnetic 3d-metals. A major difficulty in studying such interfaces theoretically is the typically large lattice mismatch. By employing supercells with Moir e patterns, we eliminate the artificial strain that leads to doubtful results and are able to describe the dependence of the atomic density at the interfaces on the component materials and their thicknesses. After establishing understanding about the interface structures, we investigate the electronic and magnetic properties. A Moir e supercell with transition layer is found to reproduce the main experimental findings and thus turns out to be the appropriate model for simulating magnetic misfit interfaces. In addition, we systematically study the magnetic anisotropy and Rashba band

User interface prototype for geospatial early warning systems - a tsunami showcase

Science.gov (United States)

Hammitzsch, M.; Lendholt, M.; Esbrí, M. Á.

2012-03-01

The command and control unit's graphical user interface (GUI) is a central part of early warning systems (EWS) for man-made and natural hazards. The GUI combines and concentrates the relevant information of the system and offers it to human operators. It has to support operators successfully performing their tasks in complex workflows. Most notably in critical situations when operators make important decisions in a limited amount of time, the command and control unit's GUI has to work reliably and stably, providing the relevant information and functionality with the required quality and in time. The design of the GUI application is essential in the development of any EWS to manage hazards effectively. The design and development of such GUI is performed repeatedly for each EWS by various software architects and developers. Implementations differ based on their application in different domains. But similarities designing and equal approaches implementing GUIs of EWS are not quite harmonized enough with related activities and do not exploit possible synergy effects. Thus, the GUI's implementation of an EWS for tsunamis is successively introduced, providing a generic approach to be applied in each EWS for man-made and natural hazards.

BioCMOS Interfaces and Co-Design

CERN Document Server

Carrara, Sandro

2013-01-01

The application of CMOS circuits and ASIC VLSI systems to problems in medicine and system biology has led to the emergence of Bio/CMOS Interfaces and Co-Design as an exciting and rapidly growing area of research. The mutual inter-relationships between VLSI-CMOS design and the biophysics of molecules interfacing with silicon and/or onto metals has led to the emergence of the interdisciplinary engineering approach to Bio/CMOS interfaces. This new approach, facilitated by 3D circuit design and nanotechnology, has resulted in new concepts and applications for VLSI systems in the bio-world. This book offers an invaluable reference to the state-of-the-art in Bio/CMOS interfaces. It describes leading-edge research in the field of CMOS design and VLSI development for applications requiring integration of biological molecules onto the chip. It provides multidisciplinary content ranging from biochemistry to CMOS design in order to address Bio/CMOS interface co-design in bio-sensing applications.

Gestures in an Intelligent User Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Fikkert, Wim; van der Vet, Paul; Nijholt, Anton

In this chapter we investigated which hand gestures are intuitive to control a large display multimedia interface from a user's perspective. Over the course of two sequential user evaluations, we defined a simple gesture set that allows users to fully control a large display multimedia interface, intuitively. First, we evaluated numerous gesture possibilities for a set of commands that can be issued to the interface. These gestures were selected from literature, science fiction movies, and a previous exploratory study. Second, we implemented a working prototype with which the users could interact with both hands and the preferred hand gestures with 2D and 3D visualizations of biochemical structures. We found that the gestures are influenced to significant extent by the fast paced developments in multimedia interfaces such as the Apple iPhone and the Nintendo Wii and to no lesser degree by decades of experience with the more traditional WIMP-based interfaces.

Towards an environment interface standard for agent platforms

OpenAIRE

Behrens, T.M.; Hindriks, K.V.; Dix, J.

2010-01-01

We introduce an interface for connecting agent platforms to environments. This interface provides generic functionality for executing actions and for perceiving changes in an agent’s environment. It also provides support for managing an environment, e.g., for starting, pausing and terminating it. Among the benefits of such an interface are (1) standard functionality is provided by the interface implementation itself, and (2) agent platforms that support the interface can connect to any enviro...

NSS design and plant construction interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, J.J.; Cobb, W.A.

1976-01-01

Interface management between NSS design, balance-of-plant design, and plant construction may have a significant effect on schedule stretchout and total plant costs. The paper discusses the importance of the NSS supplier's interface management role, the favorable and unfavorable influencing factors, and examples of interface areas in which experience has demonstrated that problems may arise. Where appropriate, actions are defined to avoid the problems or mitigate the consequences

Interfaces for a simple local network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nekhanevich, Eh.L.; Yasenev, M.V.

1988-01-01

A system of communication and interfaces for a simple local network of computers is described. The data on technical parameters, fields of application and operation features of the interfaces developed are presented. The data indispensable for the development of software are given. The experience in operation of the subsystem of software for remote terminal computers which makes use of the above interfaces is briefly presented. 7 refs.; 3 figs

An Interface Theory for Input/Output Automata

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Nyman, Ulrik; Wasowski, Andrzej

Building on the theory of interface automata by de~Alfaro and Henzinger we design an interface language for Lynch's Input/Output Automata, a popular formalism used in the development of distributed asynchronous systems, not addressed by previous interface research. We introduce an explicit....... We also present a method for solving systems of relativized behavioral inequalities as used in our setup and draw a formal correspondence between our work and interface automata. Proofs are provided in an appendix....

Furthering interface design in services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Secomandi, F.; Snelders, Dirk

2010-01-01

This paper critically discusses ideas from the book Interface: An Approach to Design (Bonsiepe 1999) as a springboard for thinking through the design and use of services. We introduce Bonsiepe’s take on phenomenological philosophy of technology in his conception of the user interface. Next to that,

Interface management for the Yucca Mountain Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-12-01

The subject of this report is selection of that portion of physical and informational interfaces that need to be controlled on the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP). Physical interfaces are interactions between physical elements of the mined geologic disposal system; for example, the repository shafts will interface with the shafts in the Exploratory Shaft Facility (ESF), because the ESF shafts will eventually be absorbed into the repository as additional repository shafts. Informational interfaces are interactions involving an exchange of information between organizations working on the mined geologic disposal system; for example, the in situ testing contractor will interact with the site performance assessment contractor and will supply information regarding host rock behavior. This report describes the physical system interfaces that can be identified from analysis of a physical system structure. A discussion of informational interfaces can be found elsewhere. 30 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs

Modeling of interface roughness in thermoelectric composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gather, F; Heiliger, C; Klar, P J

2011-01-01

We use a network model to calculate the influence of the mesoscopic interface structure on the thermoelectric properties of superlattice structures consisting of alternating layers of materials A and B. The thermoelectric figure of merit of such a composite material depends on the layer thickness, if interface resistances are accounted for, and can be increased by proper interface design. In general, interface roughness reduces the figure of merit, again compared to the case of ideal interfaces. However, the strength of this reduction depends strongly on the type of interface roughness. Smooth atomic surface diffusion leading to alloying of materials A and B causes the largest reduction of the figure of merit. Consequently, in real structures, it is important not only to minimize interface roughness, but also to control the type of roughness. Although the microscopic effects of interfaces are only empirically accounted for, using a network model can yield useful information about the dependence of the macroscopic transport coefficients on the mesoscopic disorder in structured thermoelectric materials.

Reward-based hypertension control by a synthetic brain-dopamine interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Rössger, Katrin; Charpin-El Hamri, Ghislaine; Fussenegger, Martin

2013-11-05

Synthetic biology has significantly advanced the design of synthetic trigger-controlled devices that can reprogram mammalian cells to interface with complex metabolic activities. In the brain, the neurotransmitter dopamine coordinates communication with target neurons via a set of dopamine receptors that control behavior associated with reward-driven learning. This dopamine transmission has recently been suggested to increase central sympathetic outflow, resulting in plasma dopamine levels that correlate with corresponding brain activities. By functionally rewiring the human dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) via the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) to synthetic promoters containing cAMP response element-binding protein 1(CREB1)-specific cAMP-responsive operator modules, we have designed a synthetic dopamine-sensitive transcription controller that reversibly fine-tunes specific target gene expression at physiologically relevant brain-derived plasma dopamine levels. Following implantation of circuit-transgenic human cell lines insulated by semipermeable immunoprotective microcontainers into mice, the designer device interfaced with dopamine-specific brain activities and produced a systemic expression response when the animal's reward system was stimulated by food, sexual arousal, or addictive drugs. Reward-triggered brain activities were able to remotely program peripheral therapeutic implants to produce sufficient amounts of the atrial natriuretic peptide, which reduced the blood pressure of hypertensive mice to the normal physiologic range. Seamless control of therapeutic transgenes by subconscious behavior may provide opportunities for treatment strategies of the future.

LAV@HAZARD: a web-GIS interface for volcanic hazard assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Gallo

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Satellite data, radiative power of hot spots as measured with remote sensing, historical records, on site geological surveys, digital elevation model data, and simulation results together provide a massive data source to investigate the behavior of active volcanoes like Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy over recent times. The integration of these heterogeneous data into a coherent visualization framework is important for their practical exploitation. It is crucial to fill in the gap between experimental and numerical data, and the direct human perception of their meaning. Indeed, the people in charge of safety planning of an area need to be able to quickly assess hazards and other relevant issues even during critical situations. With this in mind, we developed LAV@HAZARD, a web-based geographic information system that provides an interface for the collection of all of the products coming from the LAVA project research activities. LAV@HAZARD is based on Google Maps application programming interface, a choice motivated by its ease of use and the user-friendly interactive environment it provides. In particular, the web structure consists of four modules for satellite applications (time-space evolution of hot spots, radiant flux and effusion rate, hazard map visualization, a database of ca. 30,000 lava-flow simulations, and real-time scenario forecasting by MAGFLOW on Compute Unified Device Architecture.

Neuroimaging of person perception: A social-visual interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Jeffrey A; Freeman, Jonathan B

2017-12-21

The visual system is able to extract an enormous amount of socially relevant information from the face, including social categories, personality traits, and emotion. While facial features may be directly tied to certain perceptions, emerging research suggests that top-down social cognitive factors (e.g., stereotypes, social-conceptual knowledge, prejudice) considerably influence and shape the perceptual process. The rapid integration of higher-order social cognitive processes into visual perception can give rise to systematic biases in face perception and may potentially act as a mediating factor for intergroup behavioral and evaluative biases. Drawing on neuroimaging evidence, we review the ways that top-down social cognitive factors shape visual perception of facial features. This emerging work in social and affective neuroscience builds upon work on predictive coding and perceptual priors in cognitive neuroscience and visual cognition, suggesting domain-general mechanisms that underlie a social-visual interface through which social cognition affects visual perception. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Superconductivity observed in platinum-silicon interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuo, Pai-Chia, E-mail: paichia@phys.sinica.edu.tw [Research Program on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan (China); Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan (China); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Chen, Chun-Wei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Lee, Ku-Pin; Shiue, Jessie, E-mail: yshiue@phys.sinica.edu.tw [Research Program on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan (China); Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan (China)

2014-05-26

We report the discovery of superconductivity with an onset temperature of ∼0.6 K in a platinum-silicon interface. The interface was formed by using a unique focused ion beam sputtering micro-deposition method in which the energies of most sputtered Pt atoms are ∼2.5 eV. Structural and elemental analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveal a ∼ 7 nm interface layer with abundant Pt, which is the layer likely responsible for the superconducting transport behavior. Similar transport behavior was also observed in a gold-silicon interface prepared by the same technique, indicating the possible generality of this phenomenon.

Design and Realization of Universal Data Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jong-Woo Kim

2005-03-01

Full Text Available KARI studied data interface of Space Applications for developing Space Experimental Instrument in International Space Station, designed, and manufactured the UDIS (International Sapce Station Universal Data Interface simulator according to requirements of the data interface. This paper explains the design and implementation of UDIS for space application. UDIS is the instrument which simulate to interface the data from ISS to experiment module, payload and habitation module and use the development of a experiment system in the space. This simulator will be used to the GSE (Ground Support Equipment for test of experiment system. By realization of the simulator, we ensure data interface skills for a manned-space data communication system.

The Ni-YSZ interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Karin Vels

The anode/electrolyte interface in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is known to cause electrical losses. Geometrically simple Ni/yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) interfaces were examined to gain information on the structural and chemical changes occurring during experiments at 1000°C in an atmosphere...... of 97% H2/3% H2O. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at open circuit voltage (OCV) and at anodic and cathodic polarisations (100 mV) was performed. A correlation of the electrical data with the structure development and the chemical composition was attempted. Nickel wires with different impurity...... between polarised and non-polarised samples. With pure nickel wires, however, the microstructures depended on the polarisation/non-polarisation conditions. At non-polarised conditions a hill and valley type structure was found. Anodic polarisation produced an up to 1 μm thick interface layer consisting...

Local Electronic And Dielectric Properties at Nanosized Interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonnell, Dawn A. [Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2015-02-23

Final Report to the Department of Energy for period 6/1/2000 to 11/30/2014 for Grant # DE-FG02-00ER45813-A000 to the University of Pennsylvania Local Electronic And Dielectric Properties at Nanosized Interfaces PI: Dawn Bonnell The behavior of grain boundaries and interfaces has been a focus of fundamental research for decades because variations of structure and composition at interfaces dictate mechanical, electrical, optical and dielectric properties in solids. Similarly, the consequence of atomic and electronic structures of surfaces to chemical and physical interactions are critical due to their implications to catalysis and device fabrication. Increasing fundamental understanding of surfaces and interfaces has materially advanced technologies that directly bear on energy considerations. Currently, exciting developments in materials processing are enabling creative new electrical, optical and chemical device configurations. Controlled synthesis of nanoparticles, semiconducting nanowires and nanorods, optical quantum dots, etc. along with a range of strategies for assembling and patterning nanostructures portend the viability of new devices that have the potential to significantly impact the energy landscape. As devices become smaller the impact of interfaces and surfaces grows geometrically. As with other nanoscale phenomena, small interfaces do not exhibit the same properties as do large interfaces. The size dependence of interface properties had not been explored and understanding at the most fundamental level is necessary to the advancement of nanostructured devices. An equally important factor in the behavior of interfaces in devices is the ability to examine the interfaces under realistic conditions. For example, interfaces and boundaries dictate the behavior of oxide fuel cells which operate at extremely high temperatures in dynamic high pressure chemical environments. These conditions preclude the characterization of local properties during fuel cell

An external interface for processing 3-D holographic and X-ray images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jueptner, W.; Kreis, T.

1989-01-01

The aim of the ESPRIT project 898 is the development of an external interface system, that links physically generated 3-D images to inspection and analysis procedures. While this has to be a general and flexible system, it is used in this project for holographic interferograms and X-ray radiographs for applications in areas such as real time testing and inspection and 3-D measurment. For this task, optical and electronic methods have to be combined in order to extract the relevant information from multiple 3-D images. A further aim of the project is the automation of the holographic interferometry and the X-ray radioscopy for on-line testing in the manufacturing process. (orig./HP)

The Mineral–Collagen Interface in Bone

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

The interface between collagen and the mineral reinforcement phase, carbonated hydroxyapatite (cAp), is essential for bone’s remarkable functionality as a biological composite material. The very small dimensions of the cAp phase and the disparate natures of the reinforcement and matrix are essential to the material’s performance but also complicate study of this interface. This article summarizes what is known about the cAp-collagen interface in bone and begins with descriptions of the matrix and reinforcement roles in composites, of the phases bounding the interface, of growth of cAp growing within the collagen matrix, and of the effect of intra- and extrafibrilar mineral on determinations of interfacial properties. Different observed interfacial interactions with cAp (collagen, water, non-collagenous proteins) are reviewed; experimental results on interface interactions during loading are reported as are their influence on macroscopic mechanical properties; conclusions of numerical modeling of interfacial interactions are also presented. The data suggest interfacial interlocking (bending of collagen molecules around cAp nanoplatelets) and water-mediated bonding between collagen and cAp are essential to load transfer. The review concludes with descriptions of areas where new research is needed to improve understanding of how the interface functions. PMID:25824581

RoboCon: Operator interface for robotic applications. Final report: RoboCon electrical interfacing -- system architecture, and Interfacing NDDS and LabView

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schempf, H.

1998-04-30

The first appendix contains detailed specifications of the electrical interfacing employed in Robocon. This includes all electrical signals and power requirement descriptions up to and including the interface entry points for external robots and systems. The reader is first presented with an overview of the overall Robocon electrical system, followed by sub-sections describing each module in detail. The appendices contain listings of power requirements and the electrical connectors and cables used, followed by an overall electrical system diagram. Custom electronics employed are also described. The Network Data Delivery Service (NDDS) is a real-time dissemination communications architecture which allows nodes on a network to publish data and subscribe to data published by other nodes while remaining anonymous. The second appendix explains how to facilitate a seamless interface between NDDS and LabView and provides sample source code used to implement an NDDS consumer which writes a string to a socket.

Modeling soft interface dominated systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lamorgese, A.; Mauri, R.; Sagis, L.M.C.

2017-01-01

The two main continuum frameworks used for modeling the dynamics of soft multiphase systems are the Gibbs dividing surface model, and the diffuse interface model. In the former the interface is modeled as a two dimensional surface, and excess properties such as a surface density, or surface energy

Surfaces and interfaces of electronic materials

CERN Document Server

Brillson, Leonard J

2012-01-01

An advanced level textbook covering geometric, chemical, and electronic structure of electronic materials, and their applications to devices based on semiconductor surfaces, metal-semiconductor interfaces, and semiconductor heterojunctions. Starting with the fundamentals of electrical measurements on semiconductor interfaces, it then describes the importance of controlling macroscopic electrical properties by atomic-scale techniques. Subsequent chapters present the wide range of surface and interface techniques available to characterize electronic, optical, chemical, and structural propertie

FASTBUS interface for the 3081/E

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, L.; Kunz, P.F.; Lankford, A.J.; Oxoby, G.; Paffrath, L.; Rankin, P.; Trang, Q.

1985-09-01

The design of a FASTBUS interface to the 3081/E is presented. The interface consists of two boards, one specific to FASTBUS, the other usable by other interfaces to the 3081/E. The FASTBUS board is a dual-ported slave, permitting access from either of two cable segments. The general purpose board supports transfers to and from 3081/E memory and provides control of program execution. It also has several features which facilitate software debugging

Standard interfaces for program-modular multiprocessor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernykh, E.V.

1982-01-01

The peculiarities of the structures of existing and developed standard interfaces used in automation systems for nuclear physical experiments are considered. general structural characteristics of multiprocessor system interfaces are revealed. The comparison of the existing system CAMAC crate and designed standards of COMPEX, E3S and FASTBUS interfaces by capacity and relative cost is carried out. The analysis of the given data shows that operation of any interface is more advantageous at the rates close to capacity values, the relative cost being minimum. In this case the advantage is on the side of interfaces with greater capacity values for which at a moderated decrease of the exchange or requests processing rate the relative costs grow slower. A higher capacity of one-cycle exchange is provided with functional data way specialization in the interface. The conclusion is drawn that most perspective trend in the development of automation systems for high energy physics experiments is using FASTBUS standard

Molecular characterization of composite interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishida, H.

1982-01-01

The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was applied to elucidate the molecular structures of the glass/matrix interface. The various interfaces and interphases were studied. It is found that the structure of the silane in a treating solution is important in determining the structure of the silane on glass fibers, influences the macroscopic properties of composites. The amount of silane on glass fibers, the state of hydrogen bonding, orientation, copolymerization of the organicfunctionality with the matrix, curing of the silane, and effect of water on the interface were investigated. It is shown that the molecular approach is useful to interpret and predict physicomechanical properties of composites

Training Manual for Elements of Interface Definition and Control

Science.gov (United States)

Lalli, Vincent R. (Editor); Kastner, Robert E. (Editor); Hartt, Henry N. (Editor)

1997-01-01

The primary thrust of this manual is to ensure that the format and information needed to control interfaces between equipment are clear and understandable. The emphasis is on controlling the engineering design of the interface and not on the functional performance requirements of the system or the internal workings of the interfacing equipment. Interface control should take place, with rare exception, at the interfacing elements and no further. There are two essential sections of the manual. Chapter 2, Principles of Interface Control, discusses how interfaces are defined. It describes different types of interfaces to be considered and recommends a format for the documentation necessary for adequate interface control. Chapter 3, The Process: Through the Design Phases, provides tailored guidance for interface definition and control. This manual can be used to improve planned or existing interface control processes during system design and development. It can also be used to refresh and update the corporate knowledge base. The information presented herein will reduce the amount of paper and data required in interface definition and control processes by as much as 50 percent and will shorten the time required to prepare an interface control document. It also highlights the essential technical parameters that ensure that flight subsystems will indeed fit together and function as intended after assembly and checkout.

Relevant Features of a Triethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether-Based Electrolyte for Application in Lithium Battery.

Science.gov (United States)

Carbone, Lorenzo; Di Lecce, Daniele; Gobet, Mallory; Munoz, Stephen; Devany, Matthew; Greenbaum, Steve; Hassoun, Jusef

2017-05-24

Triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TREGDME) dissolving lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF 3 SO 3 ) is studied as a suitable electrolyte medium for lithium battery. Thermal and rheological characteristics, transport properties of the dissolved species, and the electrochemical behavior in lithium cell represent the most relevant investigated properties of the new electrolyte. The self-diffusion coefficients, the lithium transference numbers, the ionic conductivity, and the ion association degree of the solution are determined by pulse field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The study sheds light on the determinant role of the lithium nitrate (LiNO 3 ) addition for allowing cell operation by improving the electrode/electrolyte interfaces and widening the voltage stability window. Accordingly, an electrochemical activation procedure of the Li/LiFePO 4 cell using the upgraded electrolyte leads to the formation of stable interfaces at the electrodes surface as clearly evidenced by cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, and ex situ scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, the lithium battery employing the TREGDME-LiCF 3 SO 3 -LiNO 3 solution shows a stable galvanostatic cycling, a high efficiency, and a notable rate capability upon the electrochemical conditions adopted herein.

Preface (to Playful User Interfaces)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Unknown, [Unknown; Nijholt, A.; Nijholt, Antinus

2014-01-01

This book is about user interfaces to applications that can be considered as ‘playful’. The interfaces to such applications should be ‘playful’ as well. The application should be fun, and interacting with such an application should, of course, be fun as well. Maybe more. Why not expect that the

Thermal transport across solid-solid interfaces enhanced by pre-interface isotope-phonon scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Eungkyu; Luo, Tengfei

2018-01-01

Thermal transport across solid interfaces can play critical roles in the thermal management of electronics. In this letter, we use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the isotope effect on the thermal transport across SiC/GaN interfaces. It is found that engineered isotopes (e.g., 10% 15N or 71Ga) in the GaN layer can increase the interfacial thermal conductance compared to the isotopically pure case by as much as 23%. Different isotope doping features, such as the isotope concentration, skin depth of the isotope region, and its distance from the interface, are investigated, and all of them lead to increases in thermal conductance. Studies of spectral temperatures of phonon modes indicate that interfacial thermal transport due to low-frequency phonons (transport. This work may provide insights into interfacial thermal transport and useful guidance to practical material design.

Characterization of interfaces in semimagnetic quantum wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmitt, G.; Kuhn-Heinrich, B.; Zehnder, U.; Ossau, W.; Litz, T.; Waag, A.; Landwehr, G. [Physikalishes Institut der Universitaet Wuerzburg am Hubland, Wuerzburg (Germany)

1995-12-31

The interfaces between nonmagnetic CdTe quantum wells and semimagnetic barriers of Cd{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}Te were investigated for several well widths by low temperature photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy. Specially designed Cd{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}/CdTe/Cd{sub 1-y} Mg{sub y}Te structures enable us to distinguish the quality of semimagnetic normal and inverted interfaces. The normal interface shows to better structural quality than the inverted interface. (author). 5 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab.

The Properties of Intelligent Human-Machine Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Alfimtsev

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Intelligent human-machine interfaces based on multimodal interaction are developed separately in different application areas. No unified opinion exists about the issue of what properties should these interfaces have to provide an intuitive and natural interaction. Having carried out an analytical survey of the papers that deal with intelligent interfaces a set of properties are presented, which are necessary for intelligent interface between an information system and a human: absolute response, justification, training, personification, adaptiveness, collectivity, security, hidden persistence, portability, filtering.

DIRAC: Secure web user interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casajus Ramo, A; Sapunov, M

2010-01-01

Traditionally the interaction between users and the Grid is done with command line tools. However, these tools are difficult to use by non-expert users providing minimal help and generating outputs not always easy to understand especially in case of errors. Graphical User Interfaces are typically limited to providing access to the monitoring or accounting information and concentrate on some particular aspects failing to cover the full spectrum of grid control tasks. To make the Grid more user friendly more complete graphical interfaces are needed. Within the DIRAC project we have attempted to construct a Web based User Interface that provides means not only for monitoring the system behavior but also allows to steer the main user activities on the grid. Using DIRAC's web interface a user can easily track jobs and data. It provides access to job information and allows performing actions on jobs such as killing or deleting. Data managers can define and monitor file transfer activity as well as check requests set by jobs. Production managers can define and follow large data productions and react if necessary by stopping or starting them. The Web Portal is build following all the grid security standards and using modern Web 2.0 technologies which allow to achieve the user experience similar to the desktop applications. Details of the DIRAC Web Portal architecture and User Interface will be presented and discussed.

Architectures and Functional Coverage of Protein-Protein Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Tuncbag, Nurcan; Gursoy, Attila; Guney, Emre; Nussinov, Ruth; Keskin, Ozlem

2008-01-01

The diverse range of cellular functions is performed by a limited number of protein folds existing in nature. One may similarly expect that cellular functional diversity would be covered by a limited number of protein-protein interface architectures. Here, we present 8205 interface clusters, each representing unique interface architecture. This dataset of protein-protein interfaces is analyzed and compared with older datasets. We observe that the number of both biological and crystal interfaces increase significantly compared to the number of PDB entries. Further, we find that the number of distinct interface architectures grows at a much faster rate than the number of folds and is yet to level off. We further analyze the growth trend of the functional coverage by constructing functional interaction networks from interfaces. The functional coverage is also found to steadily increase. Interestingly, we also observe that despite the diversity of interface architectures, some are more favorable and frequently used, and of particular interest, those are the ones which are also preferred in single chains. PMID:18620705

Introduction to interfaces 3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Lars Boje; Høgel, Christian; Borsa, Paolo

2017-01-01

The Editors introduce Issue No. 3 of Interfaces: A Journal of Medieval European Literatures, dedicated to "Rediscovery and Canonization: The Roman Classics in the Middle Ages," and offer a general overview of the matter and contents of the contributions.......The Editors introduce Issue No. 3 of Interfaces: A Journal of Medieval European Literatures, dedicated to "Rediscovery and Canonization: The Roman Classics in the Middle Ages," and offer a general overview of the matter and contents of the contributions....

User interface design considerations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Simon Engedal; Jakobsen, Arne; Rasmussen, Bjarne D.

1999-01-01

and output variables. This feature requires special attention when designing the user interface and a special approach for controlling the user selection of input and output variables are developed. To obtain a consistent system description the different input variables are grouped corresponding......When designing a user interface for a simulation model there are several important issues to consider: Who is the target user group, and which a priori information can be expected. What questions do the users want answers to and what questions are answered using a specific model?When developing...... the user interface of EESCoolTools these issues led to a series of simulation tools each with a specific purpose and a carefully selected set of input and output variables. To allow a more wide range of questions to be answered by the same model, the user can change between different sets of input...

JAIL: a structure-based interface library for macromolecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Günther, Stefan; von Eichborn, Joachim; May, Patrick; Preissner, Robert

2009-01-01

The increasing number of solved macromolecules provides a solid number of 3D interfaces, if all types of molecular contacts are being considered. JAIL annotates three different kinds of macromolecular interfaces, those between interacting protein domains, interfaces of different protein chains and interfaces between proteins and nucleic acids. This results in a total number of about 184,000 database entries. All the interfaces can easily be identified by a detailed search form or by a hierarchical tree that describes the protein domain architectures classified by the SCOP database. Visual inspection of the interfaces is possible via an interactive protein viewer. Furthermore, large scale analyses are supported by an implemented sequential and by a structural clustering. Similar interfaces as well as non-redundant interfaces can be easily picked out. Additionally, the sequential conservation of binding sites was also included in the database and is retrievable via Jmol. A comprehensive download section allows the composition of representative data sets with user defined parameters. The huge data set in combination with various search options allow a comprehensive view on all interfaces between macromolecules included in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The download of the data sets supports numerous further investigations in macromolecular recognition. JAIL is publicly available at http://bioinformatics.charite.de/jail.

Workshop on surface and interface science at the ESRF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Norris, C.; Stierle, A.; Kasper, N.; Dosch, H.; Schmidt, S.; Hufner, S.; Moritz, W.; Fedley, Ch.S.; Rossi, G.; Durr Hermann, A.; Rohlsberger, R.; Dalmas, J.; Oughaddou, H.; Leandri, Ch.; Gay, J.M.; Treglia, G.; Le Lay, G.; Aufray, B.; Bunk, O.; Johnson, R.L.; Frenken, J.W.M.; Lucas, C.A.; Bauer, G.; Zhong, Z.; Springholz, G.; Lechner, R.; Stang, J.; Schulli, T.; Metzger, T.H.; Holy, V.; Woodruff, D.P.; Dellera, C.; Zegenhagen, J.; Robinson, I.; Malachias, A.; Schulli, T.U.; Magalhaes-Paniago, R.; Stoffel, M.; Schmidt, O.G.; Boragno, C.; Buatier de Mongeot, F.; Valbusa, U.; Felici, R.; Yacoby, Y.; Bedzyk, M.J.; Van der Veen, J.F

2004-07-01

The main aim of the workshop is to reflect the future of surface and interface research at the high brilliance synchrotron radiation source ESRF taking into account experimental facilities which are becoming available at new synchrotron radiation facilities in Europe. 6 sessions have been organized: 1) surface and interface research and synchrotron radiation - today and tomorrow -, 2) aspects of surface and interface research, 3) real surfaces and interfaces, 4) synchrotron techniques in surface and interface research, 5) new directions in surface and interface research, and 6) surface and interface science at ESRF. This document gathers the abstracts of the presentations.

Workshop on surface and interface science at the ESRF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norris, C.; Stierle, A.; Kasper, N.; Dosch, H.; Schmidt, S.; Hufner, S.; Moritz, W.; Fedley, Ch.S.; Rossi, G.; Durr Hermann, A.; Rohlsberger, R.; Dalmas, J.; Oughaddou, H.; Leandri, Ch.; Gay, J.M.; Treglia, G.; Le Lay, G.; Aufray, B.; Bunk, O.; Johnson, R.L.; Frenken, J.W.M.; Lucas, C.A.; Bauer, G.; Zhong, Z.; Springholz, G.; Lechner, R.; Stang, J.; Schulli, T.; Metzger, T.H.; Holy, V.; Woodruff, D.P.; Dellera, C.; Zegenhagen, J.; Robinson, I.; Malachias, A.; Schulli, T.U.; Magalhaes-Paniago, R.; Stoffel, M.; Schmidt, O.G.; Boragno, C.; Buatier de Mongeot, F.; Valbusa, U.; Felici, R.; Yacoby, Y.; Bedzyk, M.J.; Van der Veen, J.F.

2004-01-01

The main aim of the workshop is to reflect the future of surface and interface research at the high brilliance synchrotron radiation source ESRF taking into account experimental facilities which are becoming available at new synchrotron radiation facilities in Europe. 6 sessions have been organized: 1) surface and interface research and synchrotron radiation - today and tomorrow -, 2) aspects of surface and interface research, 3) real surfaces and interfaces, 4) synchrotron techniques in surface and interface research, 5) new directions in surface and interface research, and 6) surface and interface science at ESRF. This document gathers the abstracts of the presentations

Chemistry of the copper silicon interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, M.J.; Sashin, V.A.; Nixon, K.

2002-01-01

Full text: Copper and silicon readily interdiffuse, even at room temperature, to form an interface which can be several nanometers thick. Over the years considerable effort has gone into investigating the diffusion process and chemical nature of the interface formed. Photoemission measurements give evidence for the formation of a stable suicide with a definite stoichiometry, Cu 3 Si. This is evidenced by splitting of the Si LVV Auger line and slight shifts and change in shape of the copper valence band density of states as measured by ultra-violet photoemission. In this paper we present calculations of the electronic structure of copper suicide, bulk copper and silicon, and preliminary measurements of the interface by electron momentum spectroscopy. Densities of states for copper and copper suicide are dominated by the copper 3d bands, and difference between the two compounds are relatively small. By contrast, the full band structures are quite distinct. Hence, experimental measurements of the full band structure of the copper on silicon interface, for example by EMS, have the potential to reveal the chemistry of the interface in a detailed way

Interface state generation after hole injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, C. Z.; Zhang, J. F.; Groeseneken, G.; Degraeve, R.; Ellis, J. N.; Beech, C. D.

2001-01-01

After terminating electrical stresses, the generation of interface states can continue. Our previous work in this area indicates that the interface state generation following hole injection originates from a defect. These defects are inactive in a fresh device, but can be excited by hole injection and then converted into interface states under a positive gate bias after hole injection. There is little information available on these defects. This article investigates how they are formed and attempts to explain why they are sensitive to processing conditions. Roles played by hydrogen and trapped holes will be clarified. A detailed comparison between the interface state generation after hole injection in air and that in forming gas is carried out. Our results show that there are two independent processes for the generation: one is caused by H 2 cracking and the other is not. The rate limiting process for the interface state generation after hole injection is discussed and the relation between the defects responsible for this generation and hole traps is explored. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

Biomimetic approaches with smart interfaces for bone regeneration.

Science.gov (United States)

Sailaja, G S; Ramesh, P; Vellappally, Sajith; Anil, Sukumaran; Varma, H K

2016-11-05

A 'smart tissue interface' is a host tissue-biomaterial interface capable of triggering favourable biochemical events inspired by stimuli responsive mechanisms. In other words, biomaterial surface is instrumental in dictating the interface functionality. This review aims to investigate the fundamental and favourable requirements of a 'smart tissue interface' that can positively influence the degree of healing and promote bone tissue regeneration. A biomaterial surface when interacts synergistically with the dynamic extracellular matrix, the healing process become accelerated through development of a smart interface. The interface functionality relies equally on bound functional groups and conjugated molecules belonging to the biomaterial and the biological milieu it interacts with. The essential conditions for such a special biomimetic environment are discussed. We highlight the impending prospects of smart interfaces and trying to relate the design approaches as well as critical factors that determine species-specific functionality with special reference to bone tissue regeneration.

User Interface Cultures of Mobile Knowledge Workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petri Mannonen

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Information and communication tools (ICTs have become a major influencer of how modern work is carried out. Methods of user-centered design do not however take into account the full complexity of technology and the user interface context the users live in. User interface culture analysis aims providing to designers new ways and strategies to better take into account the current user interface environment when designing new products. This paper describes the reasons behind user interface culture analysis and shows examples of its usage when studying mobile and distributed knowledge workers.

A Theoretical Framework for Ecological Interface Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vicente, Kim J.; Rasmussen, Jens

1988-01-01

A theoretical framework for designing interfaces for complex systems is de-scribed. The framework, called ecological interface design (EID), suggests a set of principles for designing interfaces in a way that supports the funda-mental properties of human cognition. The basis of EID is the skills...... of the task require. The EID approach extends the concept of direct manipulation inter-faces by taking into account the added complications introduced by complex systems. In this paper, we describe the development of the framework, its theoretical foundations, and examples of its application to various work...

Computational design of patterned interfaces using reduced order models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vattre, A.J.; Abdolrahim, N.; Kolluri, K.; Demkowicz, M.J.

2014-01-01

Patterning is a familiar approach for imparting novel functionalities to free surfaces. We extend the patterning paradigm to interfaces between crystalline solids. Many interfaces have non-uniform internal structures comprised of misfit dislocations, which in turn govern interface properties. We develop and validate a computational strategy for designing interfaces with controlled misfit dislocation patterns by tailoring interface crystallography and composition. Our approach relies on a novel method for predicting the internal structure of interfaces: rather than obtaining it from resource-intensive atomistic simulations, we compute it using an efficient reduced order model based on anisotropic elasticity theory. Moreover, our strategy incorporates interface synthesis as a constraint on the design process. As an illustration, we apply our approach to the design of interfaces with rapid, 1-D point defect diffusion. Patterned interfaces may be integrated into the microstructure of composite materials, markedly improving performance. (authors)

The utility perspective on the transportation interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishop, R.W.

1986-01-01

Describing interface between the transportation system and the operating plants, the author thinks there are really three, interrelated dimensions to the interface; the technical; physical interface; the business (i.e. economic) interface; and the institutional interface. A principal mission of the Nuclear Transportation Group is to help assure that these interfaces are smoothly bridged and that the resources of the utility industry are brought to bear to achieve this result. The physical interface is the most readily understood. The analysis must also consider the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) radiation exposure evaluation of the waste system design and operation. ALARA evaluations of the waste system design and operation. ALARA evaluations must be done on a systems basis to ensure that the effects of particular designs that may be beneficial in some aspects of the system do not adversely impact nuclear power plant workers or operations. Regardless of one's political persuasion or technical training, the author doesn't think there is any question that spent fuel must be moved, sooner or later, somewhere. It's in the best interests of all that those shipments be made safely, and economically, with the proper attention to doing it right and not needlessly wasting resources, including money

MememxGATE: Unearthing Latent Content Features for Improved Search and Relevancy Ranking Across Scientific Literature

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, B. D.; McGibbney, L. J.; Mattmann, C. A.; Ramirez, P.; Joyce, M.; Whitehall, K. D.

2015-12-01

Quantifying scientific relevancy is of increasing importance to NASA and the research community. Scientific relevancy may be defined by mapping the impacts of a particular NASA mission, instrument, and/or retrieved variables to disciplines such as climate predictions, natural hazards detection and mitigation processes, education, and scientific discoveries. Related to relevancy, is the ability to expose data with similar attributes. This in turn depends upon the ability for us to extract latent, implicit document features from scientific data and resources and make them explicit, accessible and useable for search activities amongst others. This paper presents MemexGATE; a server side application, command line interface and computing environment for running large scale metadata extraction, general architecture text engineering, document classification and indexing tasks over document resources such as social media streams, scientific literature archives, legal documentation, etc. This work builds on existing experiences using MemexGATE (funded, developed and validated through the DARPA Memex Progrjam PI Mattmann) for extracting and leveraging latent content features from document resources within the Materials Research domain. We extend the software functionality capability to the domain of scientific literature with emphasis on the expansion of gazetteer lists, named entity rules, natural language construct labeling (e.g. synonym, antonym, hyponym, etc.) efforts to enable extraction of latent content features from data hosted by wide variety of scientific literature vendors (AGU Meeting Abstract Database, Springer, Wiley Online, Elsevier, etc.) hosting earth science literature. Such literature makes both implicit and explicit references to NASA datasets and relationships between such concepts stored across EOSDIS DAAC's hence we envisage that a significant part of this effort will also include development and understanding of relevancy signals which can ultimately

Engineering plant membranes using droplet interface bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, N E; Smpokou, E; Friddin, M S; Macey, R; Gould, I R; Turnbull, C; Flemming, A J; Brooks, N J; Ces, O; Barter, L M C

2017-03-01

Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) have become widely recognised as a robust platform for constructing model membranes and are emerging as a key technology for the bottom-up assembly of synthetic cell-like and tissue-like structures. DIBs are formed when lipid-monolayer coated water droplets are brought together inside a well of oil, which is excluded from the interface as the DIB forms. The unique features of the system, compared to traditional approaches (e.g., supported lipid bilayers, black lipid membranes, and liposomes), is the ability to engineer multi-layered bilayer networks by connecting multiple droplets together in 3D, and the capability to impart bilayer asymmetry freely within these droplet architectures by supplying droplets with different lipids. Yet despite these achievements, one potential limitation of the technology is that DIBs formed from biologically relevant components have not been well studied. This could limit the reach of the platform to biological systems where bilayer composition and asymmetry are understood to play a key role. Herein, we address this issue by reporting the assembly of asymmetric DIBs designed to replicate the plasma membrane compositions of three different plant species; Arabidopsis thaliana , tobacco, and oats, by engineering vesicles with different amounts of plant phospholipids, sterols and cerebrosides for the first time. We show that vesicles made from our plant lipid formulations are stable and can be used to assemble asymmetric plant DIBs. We verify this using a bilayer permeation assay, from which we extract values for absolute effective bilayer permeation and bilayer stability. Our results confirm that stable DIBs can be assembled from our plant membrane mimics and could lead to new approaches for assembling model systems to study membrane translocation and to screen new agrochemicals in plants.

High speed UNIBUS-VME interface; Interface de alta velocidad VME-UNIBUS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olmos, P

1987-07-01

An interface between VME an the UNIBUS of PDP or VAX computer is presented. The system supports high speed parallel communication (up to 1MB/S) and is composed of two modules. One of these is a commercial DR11M board which performs DMA transfers between UNIBUS and the external word. The other is a VME module specifically developed for this application. The interface has been tested under VMS operating system in VAX and VALET-PLUS system for the VME Bus. We describe in detail the VME module and its connection with the DR11M. Software, both in WMS and VALET, is also described. (Author) 7 refs.

Another work-family interface: Work characteristics and family intentions in Japan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-hsin Yu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Previous research highlights the importance of job and workplace characteristics in the work‒family interface. Nevertheless, we know little about how the specific context of work is related to singles' marriage and parenthood intentions. Objective: In this study we examine the links between work conditions and family intentions using a representative sample of never-married, childless adults in Japan, a country that is well known for rapid declines in marriage and fertility rates. Results: We find that, surprisingly, work characteristics conducive to less work‒family conflict are rarely associated with stronger desires to marry and have children. For never-married men in Japan, the job qualities most relevant to family intentions are those that imply a bright economic future. Job conditions with the potential for work‒family conflict can be positively related to the desire to marry and have children if they also indicate promising career prospects. Conversely, workplace sociability is highly relevant to women's marriage and fertility intentions. Never-married women working in more collaborative and interactive environments seek potential marriage partners more actively, want to marry and become parents more, and have higher preferred numbers of children. We suggest that in more sociable workplaces, childless singles tend to be more exposed to earlier cohorts' family experiences and beliefs and so become more interested in marriage and parenthood. Contribution: This study demonstrates that, in Japan, the work characteristics relevant to single men's family intentions differ from those that are relevant to the equivalent intentions of single women. In particular, the finding that women working in more sociable environments desire marriage and children more adds to the literature emphasizing the influence of social relations on family decisions in advanced economies, as well as suggesting a new channel through which social

Young-Laplace equation for liquid crystal interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Rey, Alejandro D.

2000-12-01

This letter uses the classical theories of liquid crystal physics to derive the Young-Laplace equation of capillary hydrostatics for interfaces between viscous isotropic (I) fluids and nematic liquid crystals (NLC's), and establishes the existence of four energy contributions to pressure jumps across these unusual anisotropic interfaces. It is shown that in addition to the usual curvature contribution, bulk and surface gradient elasticity, elastic stress, and anchoring energy contribute to pressure differentials across the interface. The magnitude of the effect is proportional to the elastic moduli of the NLC, and to the bulk and surface orientation gradients that may be present in the nematic phase. In contrast to the planar interface between isotropic fluids, flat liquid crystal interfaces support pressure jumps if elastic stresses, bulk and surface gradient energy, and/or anchoring energies are finite.

Diffuse-Interface Methods in Fluid Mechanics

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, D. M.; McFadden, G. B.; Wheeler, A. A.

1997-01-01

The authors review the development of diffuse-interface models of hydrodynamics and their application to a wide variety of interfacial phenomena. The authors discuss the issues involved in formulating diffuse-interface models for single-component and binary fluids. Recent applications and computations using these models are discussed in each case. Further, the authors address issues including sharp-interface analyses that relate these models to the classical free-boundary problem, related computational approaches to describe interfacial phenomena, and related approaches describing fully-miscible fluids.

Morphology of the asymmetric iron–silicon interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badía-Romano, L.; Rubín, J.; Bartolomé, F.; Magén, C.; Bartolomé, J.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Exhaustive study of the Fe silicide formation at interfaces of (Fe/Si) multilayers. • Thickness = 1.4 nm and roughness = 0.6 nm are found for the Si-on-Fe interface. • First time that the Fe 1s HAXPES spectra of a multilayered system is recorded. • The c-Fe 1−x Si sublayer is identical in both Si-on-Fe and Fe-on-Si interfaces. • The asymmetry is caused only by the ferromagnetic silicide Fe 1−x Si x sublayer. - Abstract: A systematic study of the iron–silicon interfaces formed upon preparation of (Fe/Si) multilayers has been performed by combination of modern and powerful techniques. Samples were prepared by thermal evaporation under ultrahigh vacuum onto a Si(1 0 0) substrate. The morphology of these films and their interfaces was studied by a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray reflectivity, angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Si-on-Fe interface thickness and roughness were determined to be 1.4(1) nm and 0.6(1) nm, respectively. Moreover, determination of the stable phases formed at both Fe-on-Si and Si-on-Fe interfaces was performed using conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy on multilayers with well separated Si-on-Fe and Fe-on-Si interfaces. It is shown that while a fraction of Fe remains as α-Fe, the rest has reacted with Si, forming the paramagnetic c-Fe 1−x Si phase and a ferromagnetic Fe rich silicide (DO 3 type phase). We conclude that the paramagnetic c-Fe 1−x Si silicide sublayer is identical in both Si-on-Fe and Fe-on-Si interfaces, whereas an asymmetry is revealed in the composition of the ferromagnetic silicide sublayer

Gas-liquid interface of room-temperature ionic liquids.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Cherry S; Baldelli, Steven

2010-06-01

The organization of ions at the interface of ionic liquids and the vacuum is an ideal system to test new ideas and concepts on the interfacial chemistry of electrolyte systems in the limit of no solvent medium. Whilst electrolyte systems have numerous theoretical and experimental methods used to investigate their properties, the ionic liquids are relatively new and our understanding of the interfacial properties is just beginning to be explored. In this critical review, the gas-liquid interface is reviewed, as this interface does not depend on the preparation of another medium and thus produces a natural interface. The interface has been investigated by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy and ultra-high vacuum techniques. The results provide a detailed molecular-level view of the surface composition and structure. These have been complemented by theoretical studies. The combinations of treatments on this interface are starting to provide a somewhat convergent description of how the ions are organized at this neat interface (108 references).

Workshops of the Sixth International Brain–Computer Interface Meeting : brain–computer interfaces past, present, and future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huggins, Jane E.; Guger, Christoph; Ziat, Mounia; Zander, Thorsten O.; Taylor, Denise; Tangermann, Michael; Soria-Frisch, Aureli; Simeral, John; Scherer, Reinhold; Rupp, Rüdiger; Ruffini, Giulio; Robinson, Douglas K.R.; Ramsey, Nick F.; Nijholt, Anton; Müller-Putz, Gernot R.; McFarland, Dennis J.; Mattia, Donatella; Lance, Brent J.; Kindermans, Pieter-Jan; Iturrate, Iñaki; Herff, Christian; Gupta, Disha; Do, An H.; Collinger, Jennifer L.; Chavarriaga, Ricardo; Chasey, Steven M.; Bleichner, Martin G.; Batista, Aaron; Anderson, Charles W.; Aarnoutse, Erik J.

2017-01-01

The Sixth International Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) Meeting was held 30 May–3 June 2016 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California, USA. The conference included 28 workshops covering topics in BCI and brain–machine interface research. Topics included BCI for specific

Application of the MCNPX-McStas interface for shielding calculations and guide design at ESS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinkby, Esben Bryndt; Bergbäck Knudsen, Erik; Willendrup, Peter Kjær

2014-01-01

Recently, an interface between the Monte Carlo code MCNPX and the neutron ray-tracing code MCNPX was developed [1, 2]. Based on the expected neutronic performance and guide geometries relevant for the ESS, the combined MCNPX-McStas code is used to calculate dose rates along neutron beam guides......, and by using newly developed event logging capability, the neutron state parameters corresponding to un-reflected neutrons are recorded at each scattering. This information is handed back to MCNPX where it serves as neutron source input for a second MCNPX simulation. This simulation enables calculation of dose...

Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene (PEDOT as a micro-neural interface material for electrostimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seth J Wilks

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Chronic microstimulation-based devices are being investigated to treat conditions such as blindness, deafness, pain, paralysis and epilepsy. Small area electrodes are desired to achieve high selectivity. However, a major trade-off with electrode miniaturization is an increase in impedance and charge density requirements. Thus, the development of novel materials with lower interfacial impedance and enhanced charge storage capacity is essential for the development of micro-neural interface-based neuroprostheses. In this report, we study the use of conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene (PEDOT as a neural interface material for microstimulation of small area iridium electrodes on silicon-substrate arrays. Characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrodeposition of PEDOT results in lower interfacial impedance at physiologically-relevant frequencies, with the 1kHz impedance magnitude being 23.3 ± 0.7 kΩ compared to 113.6 ± 3.5 kΩ for iridium oxide (IrOx on 177μm2 sites. Further, PEDOT exhibits enhanced charge storage capacity at 75.6 ± 5.4 mC/cm2 compared to 28.8 ± 0.3 mC/cm2 for IrOx, characterized by cyclic voltammetry (50 mV/s. These improvements at the electrode interface were corroborated by observation of the voltage excursions that result from constant current pulsing. The PEDOT coatings provide both a lower amplitude voltage and a more ohmic representation of the applied current compared to IrOx. During repetitive pulsing, PEDOT-coated electrodes show stable performance and little change in electrical properties, even at relatively high current densities which cause IrOx instability. These findings support the potential of PEDOT coatings as a micro-neural interface material for electrostimulation.

Workshop on Interface Phenomena

CERN Document Server

Kreuzer, Hans

1987-01-01

This book contains the proceedings of the first Workshop on Interface Phenomena, organized jointly by the surface science groups at Dalhousie University and the University of Maine. It was our intention to concentrate on just three topics related to the kinetics of interface reactions which, in our opinion, were frequently obscured unnecessarily in the literature and whose fundamental nature warranted an extensive discussion to help clarify the issues, very much in the spirit of the Discussions of the Faraday Society. Each session (day) saw two principal speakers expounding the different views; the session chairmen were asked to summarize the ensuing discussions. To understand the complexity of interface reactions, paradigms must be formulated to provide a framework for the interpretation of experimen­ tal data and for the construction of theoretical models. Phenomenological approaches have been based on a small number of rate equations for the concentrations or mole numbers of the various species involved i...

Earthdata User Interface Patterns: Building Usable Web Interfaces Through a Shared UI Pattern Library

Science.gov (United States)

Siarto, J.

2014-12-01

As more Earth science software tools and services move to the web--the design and usability of those tools become ever more important. A good user interface is becoming expected and users are becoming increasingly intolerant of websites and web applications that work against them. The Earthdata UI Pattern Library attempts to give these scientists and developers the design tools they need to make usable, compelling user interfaces without the associated overhead of using a full design team. Patterns are tested and functional user interface elements targeted specifically at the Earth science community and will include web layouts, buttons, tables, typography, iconography, mapping and visualization/graphing widgets. These UI elements have emerged as the result of extensive user testing, research and software development within the NASA Earthdata team over the past year.

XPS quantification of the hetero-junction interface energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Z.S.; Wang Yan; Huang, Y.L.; Zhou, Z.F.; Zhou, Y.C.; Zheng Weitao; Sun, Chang Q.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Quantum entrapment or polarization dictates the performance of dopant, impurity, interface, alloy and compounds. ► Interface bond energy, energy density, and atomic cohesive energy can be determined using XPS and our BOLS theory. ► Presents a new and reliable method for catalyst design and identification. ► Entrapment makes CuPd to be a p-type catalyst and polarization derives AgPd as an n-type catalyst. - Abstract: We present an approach for quantifying the heterogeneous interface bond energy using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Firstly, from analyzing the XPS core-level shift of the elemental surfaces we obtained the energy levels of an isolated atom and their bulk shifts of the constituent elements for reference; then we measured the energy shifts of the specific energy levels upon interface alloy formation. Subtracting the referential spectrum from that collected from the alloy, we can distil the interface effect on the binding energy. Calibrated based on the energy levels and their bulk shifts derived from elemental surfaces, we can derive the bond energy, energy density, atomic cohesive energy, and free energy at the interface region. This approach has enabled us to clarify the dominance of quantum entrapment at CuPd interface and the dominance of polarization at AgPd and BeW interfaces, as the origin of interface energy change. Developed approach not only enhances the power of XPS but also enables the quantification of the interface energy at the atomic scale that has been an issue of long challenge.

Poled-glass devices: Influence of surfaces and interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fage-Pedersen, Jacob; Jacobsen, Rune Shim; Kristensen, Martin

2007-01-01

Devices in periodically poled glass must have a large periodic variation of the built-in field. We show that the periodic variation can be severely degraded by charge dynamics taking place at the external (glass–air) interface or at internal (glass–glass) interfaces if the interfaces have...... the device, one can reveal the existence of imperfect interfaces by use of electric field induced second-harmonic generation....

200 Area TEDF interface control document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, M.J.; Hildebrand, R.A.

1994-11-15

Because the TEDF does not have any treatment or retention capacity, strict control at the generator interface is essential to operate the TEDF in compliance with good engineering practices, Hanford site requirements, and the 216 Discharge Permit. The information in the Interface Control Document (ICD) forms the basis of understanding between all parties involved in the TEDF; DOE, WHC, and the generating facilities. The ICD defines the controlling document hierarchy; LEF, and generator responsibilities; monitoring and sampling requirements; and specifies the TEDF/Generator Interface points.

200 Area TEDF interface control document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, M.J.; Hildebrand, R.A.

1994-01-01

Because the TEDF does not have any treatment or retention capacity, strict control at the generator interface is essential to operate the TEDF in compliance with good engineering practices, Hanford site requirements, and the 216 Discharge Permit. The information in the Interface Control Document (ICD) forms the basis of understanding between all parties involved in the TEDF; DOE, WHC, and the generating facilities. The ICD defines the controlling document hierarchy; LEF, and generator responsibilities; monitoring and sampling requirements; and specifies the TEDF/Generator Interface points

Macromolecular sensing at the liquid-liquid interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herzog, Gregoire; Flynn, Shane [Tyndall National Institute, Lee Maltings, University College, Cork (Ireland); Arrigan, Damien W M, E-mail: gregoire.herzog@tyndall.ie [Nanochemistry Research Institute, Department of Chemistry, Curtin University, Perth (Australia)

2011-08-17

We report here the electrochemical sensing of macromolecules, such as polyLysine dendrimers, at the polarised liquid | liquid interface. Electrochemistry at the liquid | liquid interface is a powerful analytical technique which allows the detection of non-redox active molecules via ion transfer reactions at a polarised water - oil interface. We demonstrate here that different parameters of the polyLysine dendrimers (charge number, molecular weight) have a strong influence on the sensitivity and limit of detection of these macromolecules. This work will help to the development of sensors based on charge transfer at the liquid | liquid interface.

Macromolecular sensing at the liquid-liquid interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herzog, Gregoire; Flynn, Shane; Arrigan, Damien W M

2011-01-01

We report here the electrochemical sensing of macromolecules, such as polyLysine dendrimers, at the polarised liquid | liquid interface. Electrochemistry at the liquid | liquid interface is a powerful analytical technique which allows the detection of non-redox active molecules via ion transfer reactions at a polarised water - oil interface. We demonstrate here that different parameters of the polyLysine dendrimers (charge number, molecular weight) have a strong influence on the sensitivity and limit of detection of these macromolecules. This work will help to the development of sensors based on charge transfer at the liquid | liquid interface.

First-principles modeling of interfaces between solids with large lattice mismatch: The prototypical CoO(111)/Ni(111) interface

KAUST Repository

Grytsiuk, Sergii

2012-11-28

In this work we investigate the CoO(111)/Ni(111) interface by first-principles calculations, focusing on its structure and stability. To satisfy the approximate 5:6 ratio of the CoO and Ni lattice constants, we construct a supercell with 5×5 Co (O) and 6×6 Ni atoms per layer in the bulk regions. For the interface Ni layer and the adjacent Ni layer we consider different configurations and study the binding energy. We show for an ideal CoO interface terminated by 5×5 O atoms that the structure is more stable if there are 5×5 Ni atoms next to it instead of 6×6 as in the bulk. In addition, we observe that a transition layer with 31 or 33 Ni atoms located between the interface 5×5 Ni and bulk 6×6 Ni layers (which partially reflects the structures of both these layers) enhances the stability of the CoO/Ni interface. The electronic and magnetic modifications induced by the interface formation are discussed.

First-principles modeling of interfaces between solids with large lattice mismatch: The prototypical CoO(111)/Ni(111) interface

KAUST Repository

Grytsyuk, Sergiy; Peskov, Maxim; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2012-01-01

In this work we investigate the CoO(111)/Ni(111) interface by first-principles calculations, focusing on its structure and stability. To satisfy the approximate 5:6 ratio of the CoO and Ni lattice constants, we construct a supercell with 5×5 Co (O) and 6×6 Ni atoms per layer in the bulk regions. For the interface Ni layer and the adjacent Ni layer we consider different configurations and study the binding energy. We show for an ideal CoO interface terminated by 5×5 O atoms that the structure is more stable if there are 5×5 Ni atoms next to it instead of 6×6 as in the bulk. In addition, we observe that a transition layer with 31 or 33 Ni atoms located between the interface 5×5 Ni and bulk 6×6 Ni layers (which partially reflects the structures of both these layers) enhances the stability of the CoO/Ni interface. The electronic and magnetic modifications induced by the interface formation are discussed.

Toward High-Performance Communications Interfaces for Science Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Oviatt, Sharon L.; Cohen, Adrienne O.

2010-12-01

From a theoretical viewpoint, educational interfaces that facilitate communicative actions involving representations central to a domain can maximize students' effort associated with constructing new schemas. In addition, interfaces that minimize working memory demands due to the interface per se, for example by mimicking existing non-digital work practice, can preserve students' attentional focus on their learning task. In this research, we asked the question: What type of interface input capabilities provide best support for science problem solving in both low- and high- performing students? High school students' ability to solve a diverse range of biology problems was compared over longitudinal sessions while they used: (1) hardcopy paper and pencil (2) a digital paper and pen interface (3) pen tablet interface, and (4) graphical tablet interface. Post-test evaluations revealed that time to solve problems, meta-cognitive control, solution correctness, and memory all were significantly enhanced when using the digital pen and paper interface, compared with tablet interfaces. The tangible pen and paper interface also was the only alternative that significantly facilitated skill acquisition in low-performing students. Paradoxically, all students nonetheless believed that the tablet interfaces provided best support for their performance, revealing a lack of self-awareness about how to use computational tools to best advantage. Implications are discussed for how pen interfaces can be optimized for future educational purposes, and for establishing technology fluency curricula to improve students' awareness of the impact of digital tools on their performance.

User Interface Developed for Controls/CFD Interdisciplinary Research

Science.gov (United States)

1996-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center, in conjunction with the University of Akron, is developing analytical methods and software tools to create a cross-discipline "bridge" between controls and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technologies. Traditionally, the controls analyst has used simulations based on large lumping techniques to generate low-order linear models convenient for designing propulsion system controls. For complex, high-speed vehicles such as the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT), simulations based on CFD methods are required to capture the relevant flow physics. The use of CFD should also help reduce the development time and costs associated with experimentally tuning the control system. The initial application for this research is the High Speed Civil Transport inlet control problem. A major aspect of this research is the development of a controls/CFD interface for non-CFD experts, to facilitate the interactive operation of CFD simulations and the extraction of reduced-order, time-accurate models from CFD results. A distributed computing approach for implementing the interface is being explored. Software being developed as part of the Integrated CFD and Experiments (ICE) project provides the basis for the operating environment, including run-time displays and information (data base) management. Message-passing software is used to communicate between the ICE system and the CFD simulation, which can reside on distributed, parallel computing systems. Initially, the one-dimensional Large-Perturbation Inlet (LAPIN) code is being used to simulate a High Speed Civil Transport type inlet. LAPIN can model real supersonic inlet features, including bleeds, bypasses, and variable geometry, such as translating or variable-ramp-angle centerbodies. Work is in progress to use parallel versions of the multidimensional NPARC code.

Interfacing to accelerator instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shea, T.J.

1995-01-01

As the sensory system for an accelerator, the beam instrumentation provides a tremendous amount of diagnostic information. Access to this information can vary from periodic spot checks by operators to high bandwidth data acquisition during studies. In this paper, example applications will illustrate the requirements on interfaces between the control system and the instrumentation hardware. A survey of the major accelerator facilities will identify the most popular interface standards. The impact of developments such as isochronous protocols and embedded digital signal processing will also be discussed

Spectrometer user interface to computer systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salmon, L.; Davies, M.; Fry, F.A.; Venn, J.B.

1979-01-01

A computer system for use in radiation spectrometry should be designed around the needs and comprehension of the user and his operating environment. To this end, the functions of the system should be built in a modular and independent fashion such that they can be joined to the back end of an appropriate user interface. The point that this interface should be designed rather than just allowed to evolve is illustrated by reference to four related computer systems of differing complexity and function. The physical user interfaces in all cases are keyboard terminals, and the virtues and otherwise of these devices are discussed and compared with others. The language interface needs to satisfy a number of requirements, often conflicting. Among these, simplicity and speed of operation compete with flexibility and scope. Both experienced and novice users need to be considered, and any individual's needs may vary from naive to complex. To be efficient and resilient, the implementation must use an operating system, but the user needs to be protected from its complex and unfamiliar syntax. At the same time the interface must allow the user access to all services appropriate to his needs. The user must also receive an image of privacy in a multi-user system. The interface itself must be stable and exhibit continuity between implementations. Some of these conflicting needs have been overcome by the SABRE interface with languages operating at several levels. The foundation is a simple semimnemonic command language that activates indididual and independent functions. The commands can be used with positional parameters or in an interactive dialogue the precise nature of which depends upon the operating environment and the user's experience. A command procedure or macrolanguage allows combinations of commands with conditional branching and arithmetic features. Thus complex but repetitive operations are easily performed

User interface prototype for geospatial early warning systems – a tsunami showcase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Hammitzsch

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The command and control unit's graphical user interface (GUI is a central part of early warning systems (EWS for man-made and natural hazards. The GUI combines and concentrates the relevant information of the system and offers it to human operators. It has to support operators successfully performing their tasks in complex workflows. Most notably in critical situations when operators make important decisions in a limited amount of time, the command and control unit's GUI has to work reliably and stably, providing the relevant information and functionality with the required quality and in time.

The design of the GUI application is essential in the development of any EWS to manage hazards effectively. The design and development of such GUI is performed repeatedly for each EWS by various software architects and developers. Implementations differ based on their application in different domains. But similarities designing and equal approaches implementing GUIs of EWS are not quite harmonized enough with related activities and do not exploit possible synergy effects. Thus, the GUI's implementation of an EWS for tsunamis is successively introduced, providing a generic approach to be applied in each EWS for man-made and natural hazards.

Polarization Energies at Organic–Organic Interfaces: Impact on the Charge Separation Barrier at Donor–Acceptor Interfaces in Organic Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Ryno, Sean

2016-05-31

We probe the energetic landscape at a model pentacene/fullerene-C60 interface to investigate the interactions between positive and negative charges, which are critical to the processes of charge separation and recombination in organic solar cells. Using a polarizable force field, we find that polarization energy, i.e. the stabilization a charge feels due to its environment, is larger at the interface than in the bulk for both a positive and a negative charge. The combination of the charge being more stabilized at the interface and the Coulomb attraction between the charges, results in a barrier to charge separation at the pentacene-C60 interface that can be in excess of 0.7 eV for static configurations of the donor and acceptor locations. However, the impact of molecular motions, i.e., the dynamics, at the interface at room temperature results in a distribution of polarization energies and in charge separation barriers that can be significantly reduced. The dynamic nature of the interface is thus critical, with the polarization energy distributions indicating that sites along the interface shift in time between favorable and unfavorable configurations for charge separation.

Implantable Neural Interfaces for Sharks

Science.gov (United States)

2007-05-01

technology for recording and stimulating from the auditory and olfactory sensory nervous systems of the awake, swimming nurse shark , G. cirratum (Figures...overlay of the central nervous system of the nurse shark on a horizontal MR image. Implantable Neural Interfaces for Sharks ...Neural Interfaces for Characterizing Population Responses to Odorants and Electrical Stimuli in the Nurse Shark , Ginglymostoma cirratum.” AChemS Abs

Optoelectronics Interfaces for Power Converters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ovidiu Neamtu

2009-05-01

Full Text Available The most important issue interface is galvanicseparation between the signal part and the power board.Standards in the field have increased continuouslyelectro-security requirements on the rigidity of thedielectric and insulation resistance. Recommendations forclassical solutions require the use of galvanic separationoptoelectronics devices. Interfacing with a PC or DSP -controller is a target of interposition optical signals viathe power hardware commands.

Exploring Dynamic User–Interface in Achieving Software Application ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF. O. E. OSUAGWU

2013-09-01

Sep 1, 2013 ... rudiments of user interface in application development may be a diffults task and time consuming, but there ... screen. Such interface is described as menu- driven. (3) Graphical user interface (GUI): user .... using green colour.

Hydro-mechanical and gas transport properties of bentonite blocks - role of interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popp, Till; Roehlke, Christopher; Salzer, Klaus; Gruner, Matthias

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. The long-term safety of the disposal of nuclear waste is an important issue in all countries with a significant nuclear programme. Repositories for the disposal of high-level and long-lived radioactive waste generally rely on a multi-barrier system to isolate the waste from the biosphere. The multi-barrier system typically comprises the natural geological barrier provided by the repository host rock and its surroundings and an engineered barrier system (EBS), i.e. the backfilling and sealing of shafts and galleries to block any preferential path for radioactive contaminants. Because gas will be created in a radioactive waste repository performance assessment requires quantification of the relevancy of various potential pathways. Referring to the sealing plugs it is expected that in addition to the matrix properties of the sealing material conductive discrete interfaces inside the sealing elements itself and to the host rock may act not only as mechanical weakness planes but also as preferential gas pathways (Popp, 2009). For instance despite the assumed self sealing capacity of bentonite inherent existing interfaces may be reopened during gas injection. Our lab investigations are aiming on a comprehensive hydro-mechanical characterization of interfaces in bentonite buffers, i.e. (1) between prefabricated bentonite blocks itself and (2) on mechanical contacts of bentonite blocks and concrete to various host rocks, i.e. granite. We used as reference material pre-compacted bentonite blocks consisting of a sand clay-bentonite mixture but the variety of bentonite-based buffer materials has to be taken in mind. The blocks were manufactured in the frame work of the so-called dam - project 'Sondershausen', i.e. a German research project performed between 1997 and 2002. The blocks have a standard size of (250 x 125 x 62.5) mm. Approximately 500 t of such bentonite blocks have been produced and assembled in underground drift

The Work-Family Interface as a Mediator between Job Demands and Employee Behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Jade S; Heneghan, Camille J; Bailey, Sarah F; Barber, Larissa K

2016-04-01

In this investigation, we draw from the job demands-resource model and conservation of resources theory to examine the relationship between job demands, the work-family interface and worker behaviours. Data collected from an online survey of workers revealed that hindrance demands indirectly increase interpersonal and organizational deviance through work interference with family and family interference with work. Challenge demands indirectly predict interpersonal and organizational deviance through work interference with family. Finally, hindrance demands indirectly decreased individual-directed organizational citizenship behaviours through work-to-family enrichment. Taken together, these results stress the relevance of job demand management and resource drain/acquisition to counterproductive and extra-role behaviours. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PREFACE: Water at interfaces Water at interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Gallo, P.; Rovere, M.

2010-07-01

This special issue is devoted to illustrating important aspects and significant results in the field of modeling and simulation of water at interfaces with solutes or with confining substrates, focusing on a range of temperatures from ambient to supercooled. Understanding the behavior of water, in contact with different substrates and/or in solutions, is of pivotal importance for a wide range of applications in physics, chemistry and biochemistry. Simulations of confined and/or interfacial water are also relevant for testing how different its behavior is with respect to bulk water. Simulations and modeling in this field are of particular importance when studying supercooled regions where water shows anomalous properties. These considerations motivated the organization of a workshop at CECAM in the summer of 2009 which aimed to bring together scientists working with computer simulations on the properties of water in various environments with different methodologies. In this special issue, we collected a variety of interesting contributions from some of the speakers of the workshop. We have roughly classified the contributions into four groups. The papers of the first group address the properties of interfacial and confined water upon supercooling in an effort to understand the relation with anomalous behavior of supercooled bulk water. The second group deals with the specific problem of solvation. The next group deals with water in different environments by considering problems of great importance in technological and biological applications. Finally, the last group deals with quantum mechanical calculations related to the role of water in chemical processes. The first group of papers is introduced by the general paper of Stanley et al. The authors discuss recent progress in understanding the anomalies of water in bulk, nanoconfined, and biological environments. They present evidence that liquid water may display 'polymorphism', a property that can be present in

Fracture toughness of dentin/resin-composite adhesive interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, L E; Pilliar, R M

1993-05-01

The reliability and validity of tensile and shear bond strength determinations of dentin-bonded interfaces have been questioned. The fracture toughness value (KIC) reflects the ability of a material to resist crack initiation and unstable propagation. When applied to an adhesive interface, it should account for both interfacial bond strength and inherent defects at or near the interface, and should therefore be more appropriate for characterization of interface fracture resistance. This study introduced a fracture toughness test for the assessment of dentin/resin-composite bonded interfaces. The miniature short-rod specimen geometry was used for fracture toughness testing. Each specimen contained a tooth slice, sectioned from a bovine incisor, to form the bonded interface. The fracture toughness of an enamel-bonded interface was assessed in addition to the dentin-bonded interfaces. Tensile bond strength specimens were also prepared from the dentin surfaces of the cut bovine incisors. A minimum of ten specimens was fabricated for each group of materials tested. After the specimens were aged for 24 h in distilled water at 37 degrees C, the specimens were loaded to failure in an Instron universal testing machine. There were significant differences (p adhesives tested. Generally, both the fracture toughness and tensile bond strength measurements were highest for AllBond 2, intermediate for 3M MultiPurpose, and lowest for Scotchbond 2. Scanning electron microscopy of the fractured specimen halves confirmed that crack propagation occurred along the bond interface during the fracture toughness test. It was therefore concluded that the mini-short-rod fracture toughness test provided a valid method for characterization of the fracture resistance of the dentin-resin composite interface.

Stability of SiC-matrix microencapsulated fuel constituents at relevant LWR conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Snead, L. L.; Terrani, K. A.; Katoh, Y.; Silva, C.; Leonard, K. J.; Perez-Bergquist, A. G.

2014-05-01

This paper addresses certain key feasibility issues facing the application of SiC-matrix microencapsulated fuels for light water reactor application. Issues addressed are the irradiation stability of the SiC-based nano-powder ceramic matrix under LWR-relevant irradiation conditions, the presence or extent of reaction of the SiC matrix with zirconium-based cladding, the stability of the inner and outer pyrolytic graphite layers of the TRISO coating system at this uncharacteristically low irradiation temperature, and the state of the particle-matrix interface following irradiation which could possibly affect thermal transport. In the process of determining these feasibility issues microstructural evolution and change in dimension and thermal conductivity was studied. As a general finding the SiC matrix was found to be quite stable with behavior similar to that of CVD SiC. In magnitude the irradiation-induced swelling of the matrix material was slightly higher and irradiation-degraded thermal conductivity was slightly lower as compared to CVD SiC. No significant reaction of this SiC-based nano-powder ceramic matrix material with Zircaloy was observed. Irradiation of the sample in the 320-360 °C range to a maximum dose of 7.7 × 1025 n/m2 (E > 0.1 MeV) did not have significant negative impact on the constituent layers of the TRISO coating system. At the highest dose studied, layer structure and interface integrity remained essentially unchanged with good apparent thermal transport through the microsphere to the surrounding matrix.

Effects of Sediment Chemical Properties on Phosphorus Release Rates in the Sediment-Water Interface of the Steppe Wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jing; Su, Derong; Lv, Shihai; Diao, Zhaoyan; Xie, Jingjie; Luo, Yan

2017-11-22

Rising temperature causes a process of phosphorus release, which can be characterized well using phosphorus release rates (V P ). The objective of the present study was to investigate the major factors affecting sediment phosphorus release rates through a wetland habitat simulation experiment. The results showed that the V P of different wetland sediments were different and changed with the order of W-R (river wetland) > W-L (lake wetland) > W-M (grassy marsh wetland) > W-A (reservoir wetland). The main driving factors which influenced sediment phosphorus flux velocity in the sediment-water interface were sediment B-SO₄ 2- , B-MBN and A-MBP content. Path analysis and determination coefficient analysis indicated the standard multiple regression equation for sediment phosphorus release rates in the sediment-water interface, and each main factor was Y = -0.105 + 0.096X₁ + 0.275X₂ - 0.010X₃ ( r = 0.416, p phosphorus release rates; X₁ is sediment B-SO₄ 2- content; X₂ is sediment B-MBN; and X₃ is sediment A-MBP content. Sediment B-SO₄ 2- , B-MBN and A-MBP content and the interaction between them were the main factors affecting sediment phosphorus release rates in the sediment-water interface. Therefore, these results suggest that soil chemical properties and microbial activities likely play an important role in phosphorus release rates in the sediment-water interface. We hope to provide effective scientific management and control methods for relevant environmental protection departments.

Distributed user interfaces for clinical ubiquitous computing applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Bång, Magnus; Larsson, Anders; Berglund, Erik; Eriksson, Henrik

2005-08-01

Ubiquitous computing with multiple interaction devices requires new interface models that support user-specific modifications to applications and facilitate the fast development of active workspaces. We have developed NOSTOS, a computer-augmented work environment for clinical personnel to explore new user interface paradigms for ubiquitous computing. NOSTOS uses several devices such as digital pens, an active desk, and walk-up displays that allow the system to track documents and activities in the workplace. We present the distributed user interface (DUI) model that allows standalone applications to distribute their user interface components to several devices dynamically at run-time. This mechanism permit clinicians to develop their own user interfaces and forms to clinical information systems to match their specific needs. We discuss the underlying technical concepts of DUIs and show how service discovery, component distribution, events and layout management are dealt with in the NOSTOS system. Our results suggest that DUIs--and similar network-based user interfaces--will be a prerequisite of future mobile user interfaces and essential to develop clinical multi-device environments.

Two-dimensional assemblies of soft repulsive colloids confined at fluid interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Isa, L.; Buttinoni, I.; Fernandez-Rodriguez, M. A.; Vasudevan, S. A.

2017-07-01

Colloidal systems are an excellent example of a materials class for which interrogating fundamental questions leads to answers of direct applied relevance. In our group, we in particular focus on two-dimensional assemblies of micro- and nano-particles confined at the interface between two fluids, e.g., oil-water. Here, we review our work on systems interacting through soft repulsive forces of different origin, i.e., electrostatic and steric. By starting from the paradigmatic case of charged colloids at an interface, we show how they are both offering great opportunities as model systems to investigate the structural and mechanical response of materials and as versatile patterning tools for surface nanostructuring. We then move to the case of deformable particles interacting via steric contacts. We first examine microgel particles, which we also demonstrate as very promising models for structural investigations and robust elements for tunable nanolithography. We conclude by briefly discussing the case of particles comprising a hard inorganic core and a deformable polymer shell, which maintain some of the advantageous features of microgel particles, but also enable the realization of two-dimensional functional materials. This article offers our perspective on a very active field of research, where many interesting developments are expected in the near future. Contribution to the Focus Issue Self-assemblies of Inorganic and Organic Nanomaterials edited by Marie-Paule Pileni.

Adhesion at WC/diamond interfaces - A theoretical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padmanabhan, Haricharan; Rao, M. S. Ramachandra; Nanda, B. R. K.

2015-01-01

We investigate the adhesion at the interface of face-centered tungsten-carbide (001) and diamond (001) from density-functional calculations. Four high-symmetry model interfaces, representing different lattice orientations for either side of the interface, are constructed to incorporate different degrees of strain arising due to lattice mismatch. The adhesion, estimated from the ideal work of separation, is found to be in the range of 4 - 7 J m −2 and is comparable to that of metal-carbide interfaces. Maximum adhesion occurs when WC and diamond slabs have the same orientation, even though such a growth induces large epitaxial strain at the interface. From electronic structure calculations, we attribute the adhesion to covalent interaction between carbon p-orbitals as well as partial ionic interaction between the tungsten d- and carbon p-orbitals across the interface

Adhesion at WC/diamond interfaces - A theoretical study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Padmanabhan, Haricharan [Department of Engineering Design, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai – 600036 (India); Rao, M. S. Ramachandra [Department of Physics and Nano-Functional Materials Technology Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai – 600036 (India); Nanda, B. R. K., E-mail: nandab@iitm.ac.in [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai – 600036 (India)

2015-06-24

We investigate the adhesion at the interface of face-centered tungsten-carbide (001) and diamond (001) from density-functional calculations. Four high-symmetry model interfaces, representing different lattice orientations for either side of the interface, are constructed to incorporate different degrees of strain arising due to lattice mismatch. The adhesion, estimated from the ideal work of separation, is found to be in the range of 4 - 7 J m{sup −2} and is comparable to that of metal-carbide interfaces. Maximum adhesion occurs when WC and diamond slabs have the same orientation, even though such a growth induces large epitaxial strain at the interface. From electronic structure calculations, we attribute the adhesion to covalent interaction between carbon p-orbitals as well as partial ionic interaction between the tungsten d- and carbon p-orbitals across the interface.

Interface waves propagating along tensile fractures in dolomite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, S.; Pyrak-Nolte, L.J.

1995-01-01

Elastic interface waves have been observed in induced tensile fractures in dolomite rock cores. Multiscaling wavelet analysis distinguishes the interface wave from bulk shear waves, quantifies the interface wave spectral content, and determines the arrival time of peak energy. The dominant seismic energy is concentrated in the slow interface wave, with little or no detectable energy in the fast wave. As stress across the fracture increases, the slow interface wave velocity increases, and the frequency of the spectral peak shifts to higher frequencies. The shear dynamic specific stiffness of the fracture was calculated from the peak energy arrival time as a function of stress. 13 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

The R Commander: A Basic-Statistics Graphical User Interface to R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Fox

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Unlike S-PLUS, R does not incorporate a statistical graphical user interface (GUI, but it does include tools for building GUIs. Based on the tcltk package (which furnishes an interface to the Tcl/Tk GUI toolkit, the Rcmdr package provides a basic-statistics graphical user interface to R called the "R Commander." The design objectives of the R Commander were as follows: to support, through an easy-to-use, extensible, cross-platform GUI, the statistical functionality required for a basic-statistics course (though its current functionality has grown to include support for linear and generalized-linear models, and other more advanced features; to make it relatively difficult to do unreasonable things; and to render visible the relationship between choices made in the GUI and the R commands that they generate. The R Commander uses a simple and familiar menu/dialog-box interface. Top-level menus include File, Edit, Data, Statistics, Graphs, Models, Distributions, Tools, and Help, with the complete menu tree given in the paper. Each dialog box includes a Help button, which leads to a relevant help page. Menu and dialog-box selections generate R commands, which are recorded in a script window and are echoed, along with output, to an output window. The script window also provides the ability to edit, enter, and re-execute commands. Error messages, warnings, and some other information appear in a separate messages window. Data sets in the R Commander are simply R data frames, and can be read from attached packages or imported from files. Although several data frames may reside in memory, only one is "active" at any given time. There may also be an active statistical model (e.g., an R lm or glm ob ject. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and describe the use of the R Commander GUI; to describe the design and development of the R Commander; and to explain how the R Commander GUI can be extended. The second part of the paper (following a brief

Ion-plated metal/ceramic interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rigsbee, J.M.; Scott, P.A.; Knipe, R.K.; Ju, C.P.; Hock, V.F.

1986-01-01

Elemental Cu and Ti films have been deposited onto magnesia-alumina-silica ceramic substrates with a plasma-aided physical vapour deposition (ion-plating) process. Modifications in the structure and chemistry of the film, interface and substrate regions were investigated as a function of deposition process parameters (eg applied bias, voltage and current). The strength of the Cu/ceramic interface was found to be strongly influenced by both applied substrate bias voltage and substrate roughness. Films deposited with an applied substrate bias showed increasing adhesive strength with increasing bias. Microchemical analysis indicated that this enhanced adhesion is directly correlated with the development of a chemically graded interface region. The adhesive strength of the ion plated Cu films was also found to be improved with increasing substrate smoothness. The behaviour of Ti was found to be quite different from that of Cu. Ti generally has superior adhesion. This adhesion decreased for films deposited with a high bias voltage/current. From interfacial TEM it is shown that this is due to the formation of a compound at the Ti/ceramic interface. The thickness of this compound is important in adhesion. (UK)

Accurate gradient approximation for complex interface problems in 3D by an improved coupling interface method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, Yu-Chen, E-mail: ycshu@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Mathematics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Mathematics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences (South), Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Chern, I-Liang, E-mail: chern@math.ntu.edu.tw [Department of Applied Mathematics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin Chu 300, Taiwan (China); Department of Mathematics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Mathematics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences (Taipei Office), Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Chang, Chien C., E-mail: mechang@iam.ntu.edu.tw [Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Department of Mathematics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China)

2014-10-15

Most elliptic interface solvers become complicated for complex interface problems at those “exceptional points” where there are not enough neighboring interior points for high order interpolation. Such complication increases especially in three dimensions. Usually, the solvers are thus reduced to low order accuracy. In this paper, we classify these exceptional points and propose two recipes to maintain order of accuracy there, aiming at improving the previous coupling interface method [26]. Yet the idea is also applicable to other interface solvers. The main idea is to have at least first order approximations for second order derivatives at those exceptional points. Recipe 1 is to use the finite difference approximation for the second order derivatives at a nearby interior grid point, whenever this is possible. Recipe 2 is to flip domain signatures and introduce a ghost state so that a second-order method can be applied. This ghost state is a smooth extension of the solution at the exceptional point from the other side of the interface. The original state is recovered by a post-processing using nearby states and jump conditions. The choice of recipes is determined by a classification scheme of the exceptional points. The method renders the solution and its gradient uniformly second-order accurate in the entire computed domain. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the second order accuracy of the presently proposed method in approximating the gradients of the original states for some complex interfaces which we had tested previous in two and three dimensions, and a real molecule ( (1D63)) which is double-helix shape and composed of hundreds of atoms.

Virtual interface environment workstations

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, S. S.; Wenzel, E. M.; Coler, C.; Mcgreevy, M. W.

1988-01-01

A head-mounted, wide-angle, stereoscopic display system controlled by operator position, voice and gesture has been developed at NASA's Ames Research Center for use as a multipurpose interface environment. This Virtual Interface Environment Workstation (VIEW) system provides a multisensory, interactive display environment in which a user can virtually explore a 360-degree synthesized or remotely sensed environment and can viscerally interact with its components. Primary applications of the system are in telerobotics, management of large-scale integrated information systems, and human factors research. System configuration, research scenarios, and research directions are described.

Interface control scheme for computer high-speed interface unit

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, B. K.

1975-01-01

Control scheme is general and performs for multiplexed and dedicated channels as well as for data-bus interfaces. Control comprises two 64-pin, dual in-line packages, each of which holds custom large-scale integrated array built with silicon-on-sapphire complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology.

Brain-Computer Interfaces in Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Jerry J.; Krusienski, Dean J.; Wolpaw, Jonathan R.

2012-01-01

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) acquire brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are relayed to output devices that carry out desired actions. BCIs do not use normal neuromuscular output pathways. The main goal of BCI is to replace or restore useful function to people disabled by neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, or spinal cord injury. From initial demonstrations of electroencephalography-based spelling and single-neuron-based device control, researchers have gone on to use electroencephalographic, intracortical, electrocorticographic, and other brain signals for increasingly complex control of cursors, robotic arms, prostheses, wheelchairs, and other devices. Brain-computer interfaces may also prove useful for rehabilitation after stroke and for other disorders. In the future, they might augment the performance of surgeons or other medical professionals. Brain-computer interface technology is the focus of a rapidly growing research and development enterprise that is greatly exciting scientists, engineers, clinicians, and the public in general. Its future achievements will depend on advances in 3 crucial areas. Brain-computer interfaces need signal-acquisition hardware that is convenient, portable, safe, and able to function in all environments. Brain-computer interface systems need to be validated in long-term studies of real-world use by people with severe disabilities, and effective and viable models for their widespread dissemination must be implemented. Finally, the day-to-day and moment-to-moment reliability of BCI performance must be improved so that it approaches the reliability of natural muscle-based function. PMID:22325364

Emitter/absorber interface of CdTe solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Tao, E-mail: tsong241@gmail.com; Sites, James R. [Physics Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 (United States); Kanevce, Ana [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States)

2016-06-21

The performance of CdTe solar cells can be very sensitive to the emitter/absorber interface, especially for high-efficiency cells with high bulk lifetime. Performance losses from acceptor-type interface defects can be significant when interface defect states are located near mid-gap energies. Numerical simulations show that the emitter/absorber band alignment, the emitter doping and thickness, and the defect properties of the interface (i.e., defect density, defect type, and defect energy) can all play significant roles in the interface recombination. In particular, a type I heterojunction with small conduction-band offset (0.1 eV ≤ ΔE{sub C} ≤ 0.3 eV) can help maintain good cell efficiency in spite of high interface defect density, much like with Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} (CIGS) cells. The basic principle is that positive ΔE{sub C}, often referred to as a “spike,” creates an absorber inversion and hence a large hole barrier adjacent to the interface. As a result, the electron-hole recombination is suppressed due to an insufficient hole supply at the interface. A large spike (ΔE{sub C} ≥ 0.4 eV), however, can impede electron transport and lead to a reduction of photocurrent and fill-factor. In contrast to the spike, a “cliff” (ΔE{sub C} < 0 eV) allows high hole concentration in the vicinity of the interface, which will assist interface recombination and result in a reduced open-circuit voltage. Another way to mitigate performance losses due to interface defects is to use a thin and highly doped emitter, which can invert the absorber and form a large hole barrier at the interface. CdS is the most common emitter material used in CdTe solar cells, but the CdS/CdTe interface is in the cliff category and is not favorable from the band-offset perspective. The ΔE{sub C} of other n-type emitter choices, such as (Mg,Zn)O, Cd(S,O), or (Cd,Mg)Te, can be tuned by varying the elemental ratio for an optimal positive value of ΔE{sub C}. These

Colloid and interface chemistry for nanotechnology

CERN Document Server

Kralchevsky, Peter; Ravera, Francesca

2016-01-01

Colloid and interface science dealt with nanoscale objects for nearly a century before the term nanotechnology was coined. An interdisciplinary field, it bridges the macroscopic world and the small world of atoms and molecules. Colloid and Interface Chemistry for Nanotechnology is a collection of manuscripts reflecting the activities of research teams that have been involved in the networking project Colloid and Interface Chemistry for Nanotechnology (2006-2011), Action D43, the European Science Foundation. The project was a part of the intergovernmental framework for Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), allowing the coordination of nationally funded research across Europe. With contributions by leading experts, this book covers a wide range of topics. Chapters are grouped into three sections: "Nanoparticle Synthesis and Characterization," "New Experimental Tools and Interpretation," and "Nanocolloidal Dispersions and Interfaces." The topics covered belong to six basic research areas: (1) The synthes...

Interface stress in Au/Ni multilayers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schweitz, K.O.; Böttiger, J.; Chevallier, J.

2000-01-01

The effect of intermixing on the apparent interface stress is studied in -textured dc-magnetron sputtered Au/Ni multilayers by use of two methods commonly used for determining interface stress. The method using profilometry and in-plane x-ray diffraction does not take intermixing...... into account and yields an apparent interface stress of -8.46 +/- 0.99 J m(-2). However, observed discrepancies between model calculations and measured high-angle x-ray diffractograms indicate intermixing, and by use of the profilometry and sin(2) psi method the real interface stress value of -2.69 +/- 0.43 J...... m(-2) is found. This method also reveals a significant and systematic change of the stress-free lattice parameter of both constituents as a function of modulation period which is shown to account for the difference between the two findings. The method using in-plane diffraction is thus shown...

Applying Cognitive Psychology to User Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Durrani, Sabeen; Durrani, Qaiser S.

This paper explores some key aspects of cognitive psychology that may be mapped onto user interfaces. Major focus in existing user interface guidelines is on consistency, simplicity, feedback, system messages, display issues, navigation, colors, graphics, visibility and error prevention [8-10]. These guidelines are effective indesigning user interfaces. However, these guidelines do not handle the issues that may arise due to the innate structure of human brain and human limitations. For example, where to place graphics on the screen so that user can easily process them and what kind of background should be given on the screen according to the limitation of human motor system. In this paper we have collected some available guidelines from the area of cognitive psychology [1, 5, 7]. In addition, we have extracted few guidelines from theories and studies of cognitive psychology [3, 11] which may be mapped to user interfaces.

Solid Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Films

CERN Document Server

Lüth, Hans

2010-01-01

This book emphasises both experimental and theoretical aspects of surface, interface and thin film physics. As in previous editions the preparation of surfaces and thin films, their atomic and morphological, their vibronic and electronic properties as well as fundamentals of adsorption are treated. Because of their importance in modern information technology and nanostructure physics particular emphasis is paid to electronic surface and interface states, semiconductor space charge layers and heterostructures as well as to superconductor/semiconductor interfaces and magnetic thin films. The latter topic was significantly extended in this new edition by more details about the giant magnetoresistance and a section about the spin-transfer torque mechanism including one new problem as exercise. Two new panels about Kerr-effect and spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy were added, too. Furthermore, the meanwhile important group III-nitride surfaces and high-k oxide/semiconductor interfaces are shortly discu...

Knowledge-based control of an adaptive interface

Science.gov (United States)

Lachman, Roy

1989-01-01

The analysis, development strategy, and preliminary design for an intelligent, adaptive interface is reported. The design philosophy couples knowledge-based system technology with standard human factors approaches to interface development for computer workstations. An expert system has been designed to drive the interface for application software. The intelligent interface will be linked to application packages, one at a time, that are planned for multiple-application workstations aboard Space Station Freedom. Current requirements call for most Space Station activities to be conducted at the workstation consoles. One set of activities will consist of standard data management services (DMS). DMS software includes text processing, spreadsheets, data base management, etc. Text processing was selected for the first intelligent interface prototype because text-processing software can be developed initially as fully functional but limited with a small set of commands. The program's complexity then can be increased incrementally. The intelligent interface includes the operator's behavior and three types of instructions to the underlying application software are included in the rule base. A conventional expert-system inference engine searches the data base for antecedents to rules and sends the consequents of fired rules as commands to the underlying software. Plans for putting the expert system on top of a second application, a database management system, will be carried out following behavioral research on the first application. The intelligent interface design is suitable for use with ground-based workstations now common in government, industrial, and educational organizations.

Invasive Intraneural Interfaces: Foreign Body Reaction Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Lotti, Fiorenza; Ranieri, Federico; Vadalà, Gianluca; Zollo, Loredana; Di Pino, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Intraneural interfaces are stimulation/registration devices designed to couple the peripheral nervous system (PNS) with the environment. Over the last years, their use has increased in a wide range of applications, such as the control of a new generation of neural-interfaced prostheses. At present, the success of this technology is limited by an electrical impedance increase, due to an inflammatory response called foreign body reaction (FBR), which leads to the formation of a fibrotic tissue around the interface, eventually causing an inefficient transduction of the electrical signal. Based on recent developments in biomaterials and inflammatory/fibrotic pathologies, we explore and select the biological solutions that might be adopted in the neural interfaces FBR context: modifications of the interface surface, such as organic and synthetic coatings; the use of specific drugs or molecular biology tools to target the microenvironment around the interface; the development of bio-engineered-scaffold to reduce immune response and promote interface-tissue integration. By linking what we believe are the major crucial steps of the FBR process with related solutions, we point out the main issues that future research has to focus on: biocompatibility without losing signal conduction properties, good reproducible in vitro/in vivo models, drugs exhaustion and undesired side effects. The underlined pros and cons of proposed solutions show clearly the importance of a better understanding of all the molecular and cellular pathways involved and the need of a multi-target action based on a bio-engineered combination approach. PMID:28932181

Binary non-additive hard sphere mixtures: fluid demixing, asymptotic decay of correlations and free fluid interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, Paul; Schmidt, Matthias

2010-01-01

Using a fundamental measure density functional theory we investigate both bulk and inhomogeneous systems of the binary non-additive hard sphere model. For sufficiently large (positive) non-additivity the mixture phase separates into two fluid phases with different compositions. We calculate bulk fluid-fluid coexistence curves for a range of size ratios and non-additivity parameters and find that they compare well to simulation results from the literature. Using the Ornstein-Zernike equation, we investigate the asymptotic, r→∞, decay of the partial pair correlation functions, g ij (r). At low densities a structural crossover occurs in the asymptotic decay between two different damped oscillatory modes with different wavelengths corresponding to the two intra-species hard-core diameters. On approaching the fluid-fluid critical point there is a Fisher-Widom crossover from exponentially damped oscillatory to monotonic asymptotic decay. Using the density functional we calculate the density profiles for the planar free fluid-fluid interface between coexisting fluid phases. We show that the type of asymptotic decay of g ij (r) not only determines the asymptotic decay of the interface profiles, but is also relevant for intermediate and even short-ranged behaviour. We also determine the surface tension of the free fluid interface, finding that it increases with non-additivity, and that on approaching the critical point mean-field scaling holds.

First Principle simulations of electrochemical interfaces - a DFT study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmed, Rizwan

for the whole system to qualify as a proper electrochemical interface. I have also contributed to the model, which accounts for pH in the first principle electrode-electrolyte interface simulations. This is an important step forward, since electrochemical reaction rate and barrier for charge transfer can......In this thesis, I have looked beyond the computational hydrogen electrode (CHE) model, and focused on the first principle simulations which treats the electrode-electrolyte interfaces explicitly. Since obtaining a realistic electrode-electrolyte interface was difficult, I aimed to address various...... challenges regarding first principle electrochemical interface modeling in order to bridge the gap between the model interface used in simulations and real catalyst at operating conditions. Atomic scale insight for the processes and reactions that occur at the electrochemical interface presents a challenge...

Ecohydrological Interfaces as Dynamic Hotspots of Biogeochemical Cycling

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Stefan; Lewandowski, Joerg; Hannah, David; McDonald, Karlie; Folegot, Silvia; Baranov, Victor

2016-04-01

Ecohydrological interfaces, represent the boundaries between water-dependent ecosystems that can alter substantially the fluxes of energy and matter. There is still a critical gap of understanding the organisational principles of the drivers and controls of spatially and temporally variable ecohydrological interface functions. This knowledge gap limits our capacity to efficiently quantify, predict and manage the services provided by complex ecosystems. Many ecohydrological interfaces are characterized by step changes in microbial metabolic activity, steep redox gradients and often even thermodynamic phase shifts, for instance at the interfaces between atmosphere and water or soil matrix and macro-pores interfaces. This paper integrates investigations from point scale laboratory microcosm experiments with reach and subcatchment scale tracer experiments and numerical modeling studies to elaborate similarities in the drivers and controls that constitute the enhanced biogeochemical activity of different types of ecohydrologica interfaces across a range of spatial and temporal scales. We therefore combine smart metabolic activity tracers to quantify the impact of bioturbating benthic fauna onto ecosystem respiration and oxygen consumption and investigate at larger scale, how microbial metabolic activity and carbon turnover at the water-sediment interface are controlled by sediment physical and chemical properties as well as water temperatures. Numerical modeling confirmed that experimentally identified hotspots of streambed biogeochemical cycling were controlled by patterns of physical properties such as hydraulic conductivities or bioavailability of organic matter, impacting on residence time distributions and hence reaction times. In contrast to previous research, our investigations thus confirmed that small-scale variability of physical and chemical interface properties had a major impact on biogeochemical processing at the investigated ecohydrological interfaces

Structural Insights into the Quadruplex-Duplex 3' Interface Formed from a Telomeric Repeat: A Potential Molecular Target.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo Krauss, Irene; Ramaswamy, Sneha; Neidle, Stephen; Haider, Shozeb; Parkinson, Gary N

2016-02-03

We report here on an X-ray crystallographic and molecular modeling investigation into the complex 3' interface formed between putative parallel stranded G-quadruplexes and a duplex DNA sequence constructed from the human telomeric repeat sequence TTAGGG. Our crystallographic approach provides a detailed snapshot of a telomeric 3' quadruplex-duplex junction: a junction that appears to have the potential to form a unique molecular target for small molecule binding and interference with telomere-related functions. This unique target is particularly relevant as current high-affinity compounds that bind putative G-quadruplex forming sequences only rarely have a high degree of selectivity for a particular quadruplex. Here DNA junctions were assembled using different putative quadruplex-forming scaffolds linked at the 3' end to a telomeric duplex sequence and annealed to a complementary strand. We successfully generated a series of G-quadruplex-duplex containing crystals, both alone and in the presence of ligands. The structures demonstrate the formation of a parallel folded G-quadruplex and a B-form duplex DNA stacked coaxially. Most strikingly, structural data reveals the consistent formation of a TAT triad platform between the two motifs. This triad allows for a continuous stack of bases to link the quadruplex motif with the duplex region. For these crystal structures formed in the absence of ligands, the TAT triad interface occludes ligand binding at the 3' quadruplex-duplex interface, in agreement with in silico docking predictions. However, with the rearrangement of a single nucleotide, a stable pocket can be produced, thus providing an opportunity for the binding of selective molecules at the interface.

Building intuitive 3D interfaces for virtual reality systems

Science.gov (United States)

Vaidya, Vivek; Suryanarayanan, Srikanth; Seitel, Mathias; Mullick, Rakesh

2007-03-01

An exploration of techniques for developing intuitive, and efficient user interfaces for virtual reality systems. Work seeks to understand which paradigms from the better-understood world of 2D user interfaces remain viable within 3D environments. In order to establish this a new user interface was created that applied various understood principles of interface design. A user study was then performed where it was compared with an earlier interface for a series of medical visualization tasks.

Potential Interface Issues in Spent Fuel Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-10-01

This publication is an output of a series of meetings to identify and evaluate issues and opportunities associated with interfaces in the back end of the fuel cycle (BEFC) and to describe effective management approaches based on the experience of Member States. During the meetings, participants from Member States and other international organizations shared and evaluated the main interfaces and potential interface issues among the spent fuel storage, transport, reprocessing and disposal of the BEFC, and also reviewed the national approaches to addressing these issues. The aim of this publication is to provide an approach to identify the interfaces in the BEFC as well as the potential issues that should be addressed. It also aims at responding to the solutions Member States most often find to be effective and, in some cases, were adjusted or revisited to reach the fixed target. Most of the interfaces and issues are country specific, as evidenced by the variety and diversity of examples provided in this publication

Non-equilibrium phenomena near vapor-liquid interfaces

CERN Document Server

Kryukov, Alexei; Puzina, Yulia

2013-01-01

This book presents information on the development of a non-equilibrium approach to the study of heat and mass transfer problems using vapor-liquid interfaces, and demonstrates its application to a broad range of problems. In the process, the following peculiarities become apparent: 1. At vapor condensation on the interface from gas-vapor mixture, non-condensable components can lock up the interface surface and condensation stops completely. 2. At the evolution of vapor film on the heater in superfluid helium (He-II), the boiling mass flux density from the vapor-liquid interface is effectively zero at the macroscopic scale. 3. In problems concerning the motion of He-II bridges inside capillaries filled by vapor, in the presence of axial heat flux the He-II bridge cannot move from the heater as would a traditional liquid, but in the opposite direction instead. Thus the heater attracts the superfluid helium bridge. 4. The shape of liquid-vapor interface at film boiling on the axis-symmetric heaters immersed in l...

Integrating interface slicing into software engineering processes

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Jon

1993-01-01

Interface slicing is a tool which was developed to facilitate software engineering. As previously presented, it was described in terms of its techniques and mechanisms. The integration of interface slicing into specific software engineering activities is considered by discussing a number of potential applications of interface slicing. The applications discussed specifically address the problems, issues, or concerns raised in a previous project. Because a complete interface slicer is still under development, these applications must be phrased in future tenses. Nonetheless, the interface slicing techniques which were presented can be implemented using current compiler and static analysis technology. Whether implemented as a standalone tool or as a module in an integrated development or reverse engineering environment, they require analysis no more complex than that required for current system development environments. By contrast, conventional slicing is a methodology which, while showing much promise and intuitive appeal, has yet to be fully implemented in a production language environment despite 12 years of development.

Core-shell particles at fluid interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buchcic, C.

2016-01-01

There is a growing interest in the use of particles as stabilizers for foams and emulsions. Applying hard particles for stabilization of fluid interface is referred to as Pickering stabilization. By using hard particles instead of surfactants and polymers, fluid interfaces can be effectively

Carbon nanotube thermal interfaces and related applications

OpenAIRE

Hodson, Stephen L

2016-01-01

The development of thermal interface materials (TIMs) is necessitated by the temperature drop across interfacing materials arising from macro and microscopic irregularities of their surfaces that constricts heat through small contact regions as well as mismatches in their thermal properties. Similar to other types of TIMs, CNT TIMs alleviate the thermal resistance across the interface by thermally bridging two materials together with cylindrical, high-aspect ratio, and nominally vertical cond...

Development of INFRA graphic user interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Y. S.; Lee, C. B.; Kim, Y. M.; Kim, D. H.; Kim, S. K.

2004-01-01

GUI(Graphic User Interface) has been developed for high burnup fuel performance code INFRA. Based upon FORTRAN program language, INFRA was developed by COMPAQ Visual FORTRAN 6.5. Graphic user input and output interface have been developed by using Visual Basic and MDB which are the most widely used program language and database for windows application development. Various input parameters, which are required for INFRA calculation, can be input more conveniently by newly developed input interface. Without any additional data handling, INFRA calculation results can be investigated intuitively by 2D or 3D graphs on screen and animation function

Interface tracking for 2D hydrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezard, Fabienne

1997-01-01

The aim of this work is to explore new methods to numerically simulate the evolution of interfaces between immiscible fluids in the context of the dynamics of compressible and non-viscous fluids. The methods currently available, to our knowledge, to deal with this type of problem are based on the Lagrange coordinates (that is to say, that follow the material in its displacements) or on the Euler coordinates (fixed during the time). In the case of Eulerian coordinates, the simplest methods involve so-called 'mixing' meshes (that is, containing several fluids). The study that is presented is based on an Eulerian method with Lagrangian interface tracking. This avoids the introduction of any model of mesh of mixture. This method combines some advantages of the previously mentioned methods, notably the precision of the Lagrangian follow-up and the robustness of the Eulerian schemes. This report describes only the algorithms of displacement and regularization of the interface, by clearly presenting the geometry around the interface. These algorithms will then be coupled with the resolution of two-dimensional hydrodynamic equations to solve multi-fluid problems. Some numerical results are proposed to illustrate the good behavior of the interface tracking algorithm [fr

Interface Everywhere: Further Development of a Gesture and Voice Commanding Interface

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — To capitalize on developments in voice and gesture control, we must identify a framework by which reliable control interfaces can be developed before these...

Vision-Based Interfaces Applied to Assistive Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisa Perez

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents two vision-based interfaces for disabled people to command a mobile robot for personal assistance. The developed interfaces can be subdivided according to the algorithm of image processing implemented for the detection and tracking of two different body regions. The first interface detects and tracks movements of the user's head, and these movements are transformed into linear and angular velocities in order to command a mobile robot. The second interface detects and tracks movements of the user's hand, and these movements are similarly transformed. In addition, this paper also presents the control laws for the robot. The experimental results demonstrate good performance and balance between complexity and feasibility for real-time applications.

Graphic Interface for LCP2 Optimization Program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nicolae, Taropa Laurentiu; Gaunholt, Hans

1998-01-01

This report provides information about the software interface that is programmed for the Optimization Program LCP2. The first part is about the general description of the program followed by a guide for using the interface. The last chapters contain a discussion about problems or futute extension...... of the project. The program is written in Visual C++5.0 on a Windows NT4.0 operating system.......This report provides information about the software interface that is programmed for the Optimization Program LCP2. The first part is about the general description of the program followed by a guide for using the interface. The last chapters contain a discussion about problems or futute extensions...

WRAP module 1 DMS/PCS interface definition document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weidert, J.R.

1994-01-01

This document has been developed to define the computer software interfaces between Waste Receiving ampersand Processing Module 1 (WRAP 1) computer systems. The interfaces include those data interfaces which exist between the Plant Control System (PCS) and Data Management System (DMS), between the DMS and Non-Destructive Assay (NDA) equipment, and between the DMS and Boxed Waste Assay System (BWAS) equipment. In addition to the data interfaces between the various WRAP computer systems; there are also a number of control functions between WRAP 1 equipment. These control function interfaces have been specified in WRAP Construction specification 13462 and the associated equipment specifications. The PCS vendor has been listed in the equipment specifications as the responsible party for establishing the final control system interface between the PCS and Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) Equipment, the PCS and Non-Destructive Assay (NDA) Equipment, and the PCS and BWAS equipment. The primary interface requirements between these systems are addressed in Specification Sections 13462, 13532, 13533, 13026, 13537, and 13538. Additional requirements may be found in other specification sections such as the Automatic Stacker Retriever System (AS/RS) Technical Specification 14520 and the WRAP 1 Data Management System Software Requirements Specification

In Situ Adsorption Studies at the Solid/Liquid Interface: Characterization of Biological Surfaces and Interfaces Using Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Quartz Crystal Microbalance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, D.C.

2006-01-01

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) have been used to study the molecular surface structure, surface topography and mechanical properties, and quantitative adsorbed amount of biological molecules at the solid-liquid interface. The molecular-level behavior of designed peptides adsorbed on hydrophobic polystyrene and hydrophilic silica substrates has been examined as a model of protein adsorption on polymeric biomaterial surfaces. Proteins are such large and complex molecules that it is difficult to identify the features in their structure that lead to adsorption and interaction with solid surfaces. Designed peptides which possess secondary structure provide simple model systems for understanding protein adsorption. Depending on the amino acid sequence of a peptide, different secondary structures (α-helix and β-sheet) can be induced at apolar (air/liquid or air/solid) interfaces. Having a well-defined secondary structure allows experiments to be carried out under controlled conditions, where it is possible to investigate the affects of peptide amino acid sequence and chain length, concentration, buffering effects, etc. on adsorbed peptide structure. The experiments presented in this dissertation demonstrate that SFG vibrational spectroscopy can be used to directly probe the interaction of adsorbing biomolecules with a surface or interface. The use of well designed model systems aided in isolation of the SFG signal of the adsorbing species, and showed that surface functional groups of the substrate are sensitive to surface adsorbates. The complementary techniques of AFM and QCM allowed for deconvolution of the effects of surface topography and coverage from the observed SFG spectra. Initial studies of biologically relevant surfaces are also presented: SFG spectroscopy was used to study the surface composition of common soil bacteria for use in bioremediation of nuclear waste

In Situ Adsorption Studies at the Solid/Liquid Interface:Characterization of Biological Surfaces and Interfaces Using SumFrequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy,and Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, Diana Christine [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2006-01-01

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) have been used to study the molecular surface structure, surface topography and mechanical properties, and quantitative adsorbed amount of biological molecules at the solid-liquid interface. The molecular-level behavior of designed peptides adsorbed on hydrophobic polystyrene and hydrophilic silica substrates has been examined as a model of protein adsorption on polymeric biomaterial surfaces. Proteins are such large and complex molecules that it is difficult to identify the features in their structure that lead to adsorption and interaction with solid surfaces. Designed peptides which possess secondary structure provide simple model systems for understanding protein adsorption. Depending on the amino acid sequence of a peptide, different secondary structures (α-helix and β-sheet) can be induced at apolar (air/liquid or air/solid) interfaces. Having a well-defined secondary structure allows experiments to be carried out under controlled conditions, where it is possible to investigate the affects of peptide amino acid sequence and chain length, concentration, buffering effects, etc. on adsorbed peptide structure. The experiments presented in this dissertation demonstrate that SFG vibrational spectroscopy can be used to directly probe the interaction of adsorbing biomolecules with a surface or interface. The use of well designed model systems aided in isolation of the SFG signal of the adsorbing species, and showed that surface functional groups of the substrate are sensitive to surface adsorbates. The complementary techniques of AFM and QCM allowed for deconvolution of the effects of surface topography and coverage from the observed SFG spectra. Initial studies of biologically relevant surfaces are also presented: SFG spectroscopy was used to study the surface composition of common soil bacteria for use in bioremediation of nuclear waste.

Interface unit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keyson, D.V.; Freudenthal, A.; De Hoogh, M.P.A.; Dekoven, E.A.M.

2001-01-01

The invention relates to an interface unit comprising at least a display unit for communication with a user, which is designed for being coupled with a control unit for at least one or more parameters in a living or working environment, such as the temperature setting in a house, which control unit

Development of an Application Programming Interface for Depletion Analysis (APIDA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lago, Daniel; Rahnema, Farzad

2017-01-01

Highlights: • APIDA an Application Programming Interface tool for Depletion Analysis. • APIDA employs a matrix exponential method and a linear chain method. • A burnup solver to couple to neutron transport solvers in lattice depletion or reactor core analysis codes. - Abstract: A new utility has been developed with extensive capabilities in identifying nuclide decay and transmutation characteristics, allowing for accurate and efficient tracking of the change in isotopic concentrations in nuclear reactor fuel over time when coupled with a transport solution method. This tool, named the Application Programming Interface for Depletion Analysis (APIDA), employs both a matrix exponential method and a linear chain method to solve for the end-of-time-step nuclide concentrations for all isotopes relevant to nuclear reactors. The Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method (CRAM) was utilized to deal with the ill-conditioned matrices generated during lattice depletion calculations, and a complex linear chain solver was developed to handle isotopes reduced from the burnup matrix due to either radioactive stability or a sufficiently low neutron-induced reaction cross section. The entire tool is housed in a robust but simple application programming interface (API). The development of this API allows other codes, particularly numerical neutron transport solvers, to incorporate APIDA as the burnup solver in a lattice depletion code or reactor core analysis code in memory, without the need to write or read from the hard disk. The APIDA code was benchmarked using several decay and transmutation chains. Burnup solutions produced by APIDA were shown to provide material concentrations comparable to the analytically solved Bateman equations – well below 0.01% relative error for even the most extreme cases using isotopes with vastly different decay constants. As a first order demonstration of the API, APIDA was coupled with the transport solver in the SERPENT code for a fuel pin

A VR-User Interface for Design by Features

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coomans, M.K.D.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

1998-01-01

We present the design of a Virtual Reality based user interface (VR-UI). It is the interface for the VR-DIS system, a design application for the Building and Construction industry (VRDIS stands for Virtual Reality - Design Information System). The interface is characterised by a mixed representation

User interface development

Science.gov (United States)

Aggrawal, Bharat

1994-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes the development of user interfaces for OS/2 versions of computer codes for the analysis of seals. Current status, new features, work in progress, and future plans are discussed.

Coded Schemes for Asymmetric Wireless Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moreira, André; Roetter, Daniel Enrique Lucani

2015-01-01

system with full duplex interfaces. Our second goal is to understand the practical implications of these results by designing a protocol for file transmissions, implement it in Android smart phones, and measure its performance when combining various interfaces, including, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3G cellular...

A Smart Material Interfaces Learning Experience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Minuto, A.; Pittarello, Fabio; Nijholt, Antinus

2015-01-01

This paper describes a learning experience held with a class of primary school children who were introduced to a novel class of resources, named smart materials, and the interfaces built with them (Smart Material Interfaces). The pupils were guided along a multidisciplinary educational path in which

Synchronization Interfaces for Improving Moodle Utilization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GM Arya Sasmita

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Many universities have applied e-learning on more than one LMS (Learning Management System platforms such as Wordpress and Moodle. In addition, difficulties implementations in developing countries have occurred. Those are mainly caused by limitations and expensive of Internet infrastructure. Therefore to increase Moodle application as an e-learning system, the paper proposed two synchronization interfaces. The first interface is for Moodle and Wordpress. This assists teachers to migrate their learning material in their blog in Wordpress into Moodle. Second interface is for Moodle portable performing offline LMS and Moodle performing online LMS. Moodle portable was installed in teachers and students notebooks. Moodle itself was installed and run in e-learning server. The aim is to improve Moodle utilization in the class. The results showed satisfied outcomes. Students and teachers could employ the interfaces easily and secure as they have to login using student/teacher ID, course ID, username and password.

Soft particles at a fluid interface

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrabian, Hadi; Harting, Jens; Snoeijer, Jacco H.

2015-11-01

Particles added to a fluid interface can be used as a surface stabilizer in the food, oil and cosmetic industries. As an alternative to rigid particles, it is promising to consider highly deformable particles that can adapt their conformation at the interface. In this study, we compute the shapes of soft elastic particles using molecular dynamics simulations of a cross-linked polymer gel, complemented by continuum calculations based on the linear elasticity. It is shown that the particle shape is not only affected by the Young's modulus of the particle, but also strongly depends on whether the gel is partially or completely wetting the fluid interface. We find that the molecular simulations for the partially wetting case are very accurately described by the continuum theory. By contrast, when the gel is completely wetting the fluid interface the linear theory breaks down and we reveal that molecular details have a strong influence on the equilibrium shape.

Through the Interface - a human activity approach to user interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Susanne

In providing a theoretical framework for understanding human- computer interaction as well as design of user interfaces, this book combines elements of anthropology, psychology, cognitive science, software engineering, and computer science. The framework examines the everyday work practices of us...

Making Deferred Taxes Relevant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwer, Arjan; Naarding, Ewout

2018-01-01

We analyse the conceptual problems in current accounting for deferred taxes and provide solutions derived from the literature in order to make International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) deferred tax numbers value-relevant. In our view, the empirical results concerning the value relevance of

High thermal stability of abrupt SiO2/GaN interface with low interface state density

Science.gov (United States)

Truyen, Nguyen Xuan; Taoka, Noriyuki; Ohta, Akio; Makihara, Katsunori; Yamada, Hisashi; Takahashi, Tokio; Ikeda, Mitsuhisa; Shimizu, Mitsuaki; Miyazaki, Seiichi

2018-04-01

The effects of postdeposition annealing (PDA) on the interface properties of a SiO2/GaN structure formed by remote oxygen plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RP-CVD) were systematically investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy clarified that PDA in the temperature range from 600 to 800 °C has almost no effects on the chemical bonding features at the SiO2/GaN interface, and that positive charges exist at the interface, the density of which can be reduced by PDA at 800 °C. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current density-SiO2 electric field characteristics of the GaN MOS capacitors also confirmed the reduction in interface state density (D it) and the improvement in the breakdown property of the SiO2 film after PDA at 800 °C. Consequently, a high thermal stability of the SiO2/GaN structure with a low fixed charge density and a low D it formed by RP-CVD was demonstrated. This is quite informative for realizing highly robust GaN power devices.

Dynamic analysis on magnetic fluid interface validated by physical laws

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizuta, Yo, E-mail: yomizuta@eng.hokudai.ac.jp

2017-06-01

Numerical analyses of magnetic fluid especially for fast phenomena such as the transition among interface profiles require rigorous as well as efficient method under arbitrary interface profiles and applied magnetic field distributions. Preceded by the magnetic analysis for this purpose, the present research has attempted to investigate interface dynamic phenomena. As an example of these phenomena, this paper shows the wavenumber spectrum of the interface profile and the sum of interface stresses changing in time, since the change of the balance among the interface stresses causing the transition can be observed conveniently. As time advances, wavenumber components increase due to the nonlinear interaction of waves. It is further argued that such analyses should be validated by the law of conservation of energy, the relation between the interface energy density and the interface stress, and the magnetic laws. - Highlights: • Numerical analysis for dynamic interface phenomena of magnetic fluid is attempted. • This analysis intends fast processes during transition of interface profile. • Wavenumber spectra of interface elevation and sum of stresses are shown. • Under magnetic field close to transition, components increase drastically in time. • Validation rules by physical laws of energy and magnetic field are shown.

Detection of chemical interfaces in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy: Dk-CARS. I. Axial interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Gachet, David; Rigneault, Hervé

2011-12-01

We develop a full vectorial theoretical investigation of the chemical interface detection in conventional coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy. In Part I, we focus on the detection of axial interfaces (i.e., parallel to the optical axis) following a recent experimental demonstration of the concept [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 213905 (2010)]. By revisiting the Young's double slit experiment, we show that background-free microscopy and spectroscopy is achievable through the angular analysis of the CARS far-field radiation pattern. This differential CARS in k space (Dk-CARS) technique is interesting for fast detection of interfaces between molecularly different media. It may be adapted to other coherent and resonant scattering processes.

Language workbench user interfaces for data analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria M. Benson

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Biological data analysis is frequently performed with command line software. While this practice provides considerable flexibility for computationally savy individuals, such as investigators trained in bioinformatics, this also creates a barrier to the widespread use of data analysis software by investigators trained as biologists and/or clinicians. Workflow systems such as Galaxy and Taverna have been developed to try and provide generic user interfaces that can wrap command line analysis software. These solutions are useful for problems that can be solved with workflows, and that do not require specialized user interfaces. However, some types of analyses can benefit from custom user interfaces. For instance, developing biomarker models from high-throughput data is a type of analysis that can be expressed more succinctly with specialized user interfaces. Here, we show how Language Workbench (LW technology can be used to model the biomarker development and validation process. We developed a language that models the concepts of Dataset, Endpoint, Feature Selection Method and Classifier. These high-level language concepts map directly to abstractions that analysts who develop biomarker models are familiar with. We found that user interfaces developed in the Meta-Programming System (MPS LW provide convenient means to configure a biomarker development project, to train models and view the validation statistics. We discuss several advantages of developing user interfaces for data analysis with a LW, including increased interface consistency, portability and extension by language composition. The language developed during this experiment is distributed as an MPS plugin (available at http://campagnelab.org/software/bdval-for-mps/.

User Interface Technology for Formal Specification Development

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, Michael; Philpot, Andrew; Pressburger, Thomas; Underwood, Ian; Lum, Henry, Jr. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Formal specification development and modification are an essential component of the knowledge-based software life cycle. User interface technology is needed to empower end-users to create their own formal specifications. This paper describes the advanced user interface for AMPHION1 a knowledge-based software engineering system that targets scientific subroutine libraries. AMPHION is a generic, domain-independent architecture that is specialized to an application domain through a declarative domain theory. Formal specification development and reuse is made accessible to end-users through an intuitive graphical interface that provides semantic guidance in creating diagrams denoting formal specifications in an application domain. The diagrams also serve to document the specifications. Automatic deductive program synthesis ensures that end-user specifications are correctly implemented. The tables that drive AMPHION's user interface are automatically compiled from a domain theory; portions of the interface can be customized by the end-user. The user interface facilitates formal specification development by hiding syntactic details, such as logical notation. It also turns some of the barriers for end-user specification development associated with strongly typed formal languages into active sources of guidance, without restricting advanced users. The interface is especially suited for specification modification. AMPHION has been applied to the domain of solar system kinematics through the development of a declarative domain theory. Testing over six months with planetary scientists indicates that AMPHION's interactive specification acquisition paradigm enables users to develop, modify, and reuse specifications at least an order of magnitude more rapidly than manual program development.

Language workbench user interfaces for data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, Victoria M.

2015-01-01

Biological data analysis is frequently performed with command line software. While this practice provides considerable flexibility for computationally savy individuals, such as investigators trained in bioinformatics, this also creates a barrier to the widespread use of data analysis software by investigators trained as biologists and/or clinicians. Workflow systems such as Galaxy and Taverna have been developed to try and provide generic user interfaces that can wrap command line analysis software. These solutions are useful for problems that can be solved with workflows, and that do not require specialized user interfaces. However, some types of analyses can benefit from custom user interfaces. For instance, developing biomarker models from high-throughput data is a type of analysis that can be expressed more succinctly with specialized user interfaces. Here, we show how Language Workbench (LW) technology can be used to model the biomarker development and validation process. We developed a language that models the concepts of Dataset, Endpoint, Feature Selection Method and Classifier. These high-level language concepts map directly to abstractions that analysts who develop biomarker models are familiar with. We found that user interfaces developed in the Meta-Programming System (MPS) LW provide convenient means to configure a biomarker development project, to train models and view the validation statistics. We discuss several advantages of developing user interfaces for data analysis with a LW, including increased interface consistency, portability and extension by language composition. The language developed during this experiment is distributed as an MPS plugin (available at http://campagnelab.org/software/bdval-for-mps/). PMID:25755929

Classification Order of Surface-Confined Intermixing at Epitaxial Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Michailov, M.

The self-organization phenomena at epitaxial interface hold special attention in contemporary material science. Being relevant to the fundamental physical problem of competing, long-range and short-range atomic interactions in systems with reduced dimensionality, these phenomena have found exacting academic interest. They are also of great technological importance for their ability to bring spontaneous formation of regular nanoscale surface patterns and superlattices with exotic properties. The basic phenomenon involved in this process is surface diffusion. That is the motivation behind the present study which deals with important details of diffusion scenarios that control the fine atomic structure of epitaxial interface. Consisting surface imperfections (terraces, steps, kinks, and vacancies), the interface offers variety of barriers for surface diffusion. Therefore, the adatoms and clusters need a certain critical energy to overcome the corresponding diffusion barriers. In the most general case the critical energies can be attained by variation of the system temperature. Hence, their values define temperature limits of system energy gaps associated with different diffusion scenarios. This systematization imply classification order of surface alloying: blocked, incomplete, and complete. On that background, two diffusion problems, related to the atomic-scale surface morphology, will be discussed. The first problem deals with diffusion of atomic clusters on atomically smooth interface. On flat domains, far from terraces and steps, we analyzed the impact of size, shape, and cluster/substrate lattice misfit on the diffusion behavior of atomic clusters (islands). We found that the lattice constant of small clusters depends on the number N of building atoms at 1 < N ≤ 10. In heteroepitaxy, this effect of variable lattice constant originates from the enhanced charge transfer and the strong influence of the surface potential on cluster atomic arrangement. At constant

Graphical User Interface Programming in Introductory Computer Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Skolnick, Michael M.; Spooner, David L.

Modern computing systems exploit graphical user interfaces for interaction with users; as a result, introductory computer science courses must begin to teach the principles underlying such interfaces. This paper presents an approach to graphical user interface (GUI) implementation that is simple enough for beginning students to understand, yet…

Genesis and Evolution of Interfaces in Product Architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Donmez, Mehmet; Hsuan, Juliana

Interfaces are elements of the product architecture that facilitates innovation and enables an organization to leverage the trade-off between cost and performance of its products. Despite the importance of interfaces for organizations, little is known about their genesis and evolution. In this st......Interfaces are elements of the product architecture that facilitates innovation and enables an organization to leverage the trade-off between cost and performance of its products. Despite the importance of interfaces for organizations, little is known about their genesis and evolution...

CAMAC to GPIB interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naivar, F.J.

1978-01-01

A CAMAC module developed at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory allows any device conforming to the GPIB standard to be connected to a CAMAC system. This module incorporates a microprocessor to control up to 14 GPIB-compatible instruments using a restricted set of CAMAC F-N-A commands. The marriage of a device-independent bus (IEEE Standard 488-1975) to a computer-independent bus (IEEE Standard 583-1975) provides a general method for interfacing a system of programmable instruments to any computer. This module is being used to interface a variety of interactive devices on a control console to a control computer

Dynamics of solid nanoparticles near a liquid-liquid interface

Science.gov (United States)

Daher, Ali; Ammar, Amine; Hijazi, Abbas

2018-05-01

The liquid - liquid interface can be used as a suitable medium for generating some nanostructured films of metals, or inorganic materials such as semi conducting metals. This process can be controlled well if we study the dynamics of nanoparticles (NPs) at the liquid-liquid interface which is a new field of study, and is not understood well yet. The dynamics of NPs at liquid-liquid interfaces is investigated by solving the fluid-particle and particle-particle interactions. Our work is based on the Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation in addition to Phase Field (PF) method. We modeled the liquid-liquid interface using the diffuse interface model, where the interface is considered to have a characteristic thickness. We have shown that the concentration gradient of one fluid in the other gives rise to a hydrodynamic force that drives the NPs to agglomerate at the interface. These obtained results may introduce new applications where certain interfaces can be considered to be suitable mediums for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. In addition, some liquid interfaces can play the role of effective filters for different species of biological NPs and solid state waste NPs, which will be very important in many industrial and biomedical domains.

Shock Interaction with a Finite Thickness Two-Gas Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Labenski, John; Kim, Yong

2006-03-01

A dual-driver shock tube was used to investigate the growth rate of a finite thickness two-gas interface after shock forcing. One driver was used to create an argon-refrigerant interface as the contact surface behind a weak shock wave. The other driver, at the opposite end of the driven section, generates a stronger shock of Mach 1.1 to 1.3 to force the interface back in front of the detector station. Two schlieren systems record the density fluctuations while light scattering detectors record the density of the refrigerant as a function of position over the interface during both it's initial passage and return. A pair of digital cameras take stereo images of the interface, as mapped out by the tracer particles under illumination by a Q-switched ruby laser. The amount of time that the interface is allowed to travel up the driven section determines the interaction time as a control. Comparisons made between the schlieren signals, light scattering detector outputs, and the images quantify the fingered characteristics of the interface and its growth due to shock forcing. The results show that the interface has a distribution of thicknesses and that the interaction with a shock further broadens the interface.

Two-wire Interface for Digital Microphones

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groothedde, Wouter; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram; Eschauzier, Rudolphe Gustave Hubertus; van Rijn, Nico

2003-01-01

A two-wire interface for a digital microphone circuit includes a power line and a ground line. The interface utilizes the ground line as a "voltage active line" to transmit both clock and data signals between the digital microphone circuit and a receiving circuit. The digital microphone circuit

Two-Wire interface for digital microphones

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groothedde, Wouter; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram; Eschauzier, Rudolphe Gustave Hubertus; van Rijn, Nico

2005-01-01

A two-wire interface for a digital microphone circuit includes a power line and a ground line. The interface utilizes the ground line as a "voltage active line" to transmit both clock and data signals between the digital microphone circuit and a receiving circuit. The digital microphone circuit

Soft Interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strzalkowski, Ireneusz

1997-01-01

This book presents an extended form of the 1994 Dirac Memorial Lecture delivered by Pierre Gilles de Gennes at Cambridge University. The main task of the presentation is to show the beauty and richness of structural forms and phenomena which are observed at soft interfaces between two media. They are much more complex than forms and phenomena existing in each phase separately. Problems are discussed including both traditional, classical techniques, such as the contact angle in static and dynamic partial wetting, as well as the latest research methodology, like 'environmental' scanning electron microscopes. The book is not a systematic lecture on phenomena but it can be considered as a compact set of essays on topics which particularly fascinate the author. The continuum theory widely used in the book is based on a deep molecular approach. The author is particularly interested in a broad-minded rheology of liquid systems at interfaces with specific emphasis on polymer melts. To study this, the author has developed a special methodology called anemometry near walls. The second main topic presented in the book is the problem of adhesion. Molecular processes, energy transformations and electrostatic interaction are included in an interesting discussion of the many aspects of the principles of adhesion. The third topic concerns welding between two polymer surfaces, such as A/A and A/B interfaces. Of great worth is the presentation of various unsolved, open problems. The kind of topics and brevity of description indicate that this book is intended for a well prepared reader. However, for any reader it will present an interesting picture of how many mysterious processes are acting in the surrounding world and how these phenomena are perceived by a Nobel Laureate, who won that prize mainly for his investigations in this field. (book review)

Critical interfaces in geosynthetic multilayer liner system of a landfill

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qian Xuede

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This study is to identify the critical interface in a geosynthetic multilayer liner system by examining the effects of the interface shear strength of liner components, leachate level, leachate buildup cases, and peak and residual interface strengths. According to current landfill design procedures, conducting stability analysis along the same interface at both the back slope and base may result in a non-conservative result. The critical interfaces with the minimum factor of safety are generally found at different locations along the back slope and base. The critical interface for a multilayer liner system cannot simply be assumed during stability analysis. It can shift from one interface to another with changes in the leachate level and with different leachate buildup cases. The factor of safety for an interface with a high friction angle and low apparent cohesion generally drops much more quickly than it does under inverse conditions when the leachate level increases. The failure interface in a liner system under residual conditions is usually different from the failure interface under peak conditions.

Federating resources of information systems: browsing interface (FRISBI)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Malchanau, A.V.; van der Vet, P.E.; Roosendaal, Hans E.; de Bra, P.M.E.

2003-01-01

Designing the user interface of a federated system (what we call a browsing interface) must consider the knowledge gap that exists between desires of the users and the needs the systems are built to support. The concept of Habitable Interfaces aims to bridge the knowledge gap by providing kinds of

A high-speed interface for multi-channel analyzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Ji; Zheng Zhong; Qiao Chong; Chen Ziyu; Ye Yunxiu; Ye Zhenyu

2003-01-01

This paper presents a high-speed computer interface for multi-channel analyzer based on DMA technique. Its essential principle and operating procedure are introduced. By the detecting of γ spectrum of 137 Cs with the interface, it's proved that the interface can meet the requirements of high-speed data acquisition

Interface structure between tetraglyme and graphite

Science.gov (United States)

Minato, Taketoshi; Araki, Yuki; Umeda, Kenichi; Yamanaka, Toshiro; Okazaki, Ken-ichi; Onishi, Hiroshi; Abe, Takeshi; Ogumi, Zempachi

2017-09-01

Clarification of the details of the interface structure between liquids and solids is crucial for understanding the fundamental processes of physical functions. Herein, we investigate the structure of the interface between tetraglyme and graphite and propose a model for the interface structure based on the observation of frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy in liquids. The ordering and distorted adsorption of tetraglyme on graphite were observed. It is found that tetraglyme stably adsorbs on graphite. Density functional theory calculations supported the adsorption structure. In the liquid phase, there is a layered structure of the molecular distribution with an average distance of 0.60 nm between layers.

Interface of Chemistry and Biology

OpenAIRE

I. Kira Astakhova

2013-01-01

Many exciting research studies in Science today lie at the interface between various disciplines. The interface between Chemistry and Biology is particularly rich, since it closely reflects Nature and the origins of Life. Multiple research groups in the Chemistry Departments around the world have made substantial efforts to interweave ideas from Chemistry and Biology to solve important questions related to material science and healthcare, just to name a few. International Journal of Bioorgani...

WImpiBLAST: web interface for mpiBLAST to help biologists perform large-scale annotation using high performance computing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parichit Sharma

Full Text Available The function of a newly sequenced gene can be discovered by determining its sequence homology with known proteins. BLAST is the most extensively used sequence analysis program for sequence similarity search in large databases of sequences. With the advent of next generation sequencing technologies it has now become possible to study genes and their expression at a genome-wide scale through RNA-seq and metagenome sequencing experiments. Functional annotation of all the genes is done by sequence similarity search against multiple protein databases. This annotation task is computationally very intensive and can take days to obtain complete results. The program mpiBLAST, an open-source parallelization of BLAST that achieves superlinear speedup, can be used to accelerate large-scale annotation by using supercomputers and high performance computing (HPC clusters. Although many parallel bioinformatics applications using the Message Passing Interface (MPI are available in the public domain, researchers are reluctant to use them due to lack of expertise in the Linux command line and relevant programming experience. With these limitations, it becomes difficult for biologists to use mpiBLAST for accelerating annotation. No web interface is available in the open-source domain for mpiBLAST. We have developed WImpiBLAST, a user-friendly open-source web interface for parallel BLAST searches. It is implemented in Struts 1.3 using a Java backbone and runs atop the open-source Apache Tomcat Server. WImpiBLAST supports script creation and job submission features and also provides a robust job management interface for system administrators. It combines script creation and modification features with job monitoring and management through the Torque resource manager on a Linux-based HPC cluster. Use case information highlights the acceleration of annotation analysis achieved by using WImpiBLAST. Here, we describe the WImpiBLAST web interface features and architecture

WImpiBLAST: web interface for mpiBLAST to help biologists perform large-scale annotation using high performance computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Parichit; Mantri, Shrikant S

2014-01-01

The function of a newly sequenced gene can be discovered by determining its sequence homology with known proteins. BLAST is the most extensively used sequence analysis program for sequence similarity search in large databases of sequences. With the advent of next generation sequencing technologies it has now become possible to study genes and their expression at a genome-wide scale through RNA-seq and metagenome sequencing experiments. Functional annotation of all the genes is done by sequence similarity search against multiple protein databases. This annotation task is computationally very intensive and can take days to obtain complete results. The program mpiBLAST, an open-source parallelization of BLAST that achieves superlinear speedup, can be used to accelerate large-scale annotation by using supercomputers and high performance computing (HPC) clusters. Although many parallel bioinformatics applications using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) are available in the public domain, researchers are reluctant to use them due to lack of expertise in the Linux command line and relevant programming experience. With these limitations, it becomes difficult for biologists to use mpiBLAST for accelerating annotation. No web interface is available in the open-source domain for mpiBLAST. We have developed WImpiBLAST, a user-friendly open-source web interface for parallel BLAST searches. It is implemented in Struts 1.3 using a Java backbone and runs atop the open-source Apache Tomcat Server. WImpiBLAST supports script creation and job submission features and also provides a robust job management interface for system administrators. It combines script creation and modification features with job monitoring and management through the Torque resource manager on a Linux-based HPC cluster. Use case information highlights the acceleration of annotation analysis achieved by using WImpiBLAST. Here, we describe the WImpiBLAST web interface features and architecture, explain design

Determination of mode-I cohesive strength for interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, J. B.; Thouless, M. D.; Sørensen, Bent F.

2016-01-01

The cohesive strength is one of the governing parameters controlling crack deflection at interfaces, but measuring its magnitude is challenging. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel approach to determine the mode-I cohesive strength of an interface by using a 4-point single-edge-notch beam...... in response to this stress, before the main crack starts to grow. Observations using 2D digital-image correlation showed that an ''apparent" strain across the interface initially increases linearly with the applied load, but becomes nonlinear upon the initiation of the interface crack. The cohesive strength...

An Architectural Experience for Interface Design

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Susan P.

2016-01-01

The problem of human-computer interface design was brought to the foreground with the emergence of the personal computer, the increasing complexity of electronic systems, and the need to accommodate the human operator in these systems. With each new technological generation discovering the interface design problems of its own technologies, initial…

Proposal of adaptive human interface and study of interface evaluation method for plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ujita, Hiroshi; Kubota, Ryuji.

1994-01-01

In this report, a new concept of human interface adaptive to plant operators' mental model, cognitive process and psychological state which change with time is proposed. It is composed of a function to determine information which should be indicated to operators based on the plant situation, a function to estimate operators' internal conditions, and a function to arrange the information amount, position, timing, form etc. based on their conditions. The method to evaluate the fitness of the interface by using the analysis results based on cognitive science, ergonomics, psychology and physiology is developed to achieve such an interface. Fundamental physiological experiments have been performed. Stress and workload can be identified by the ratio of the power average of the α wave fraction of a brain wave and be distinguished by the ratio of the standard deviation of the R-R interval in test and at rest, in the case of low stress such as mouse operation, calculation and walking. (author)

Proposal of adaptive human interface and study of interface evaluation method for plant operators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ujita, Hiroshi [Hitachi Ltd., Ibaraki (Japan). Energy Research Lab.; Kubota, Ryuji

1994-07-01

In this report, a new concept of human interface adaptive to plant operators' mental model, cognitive process and psychological state which change with time is proposed. It is composed of a function to determine information which should be indicated to operators based on the plant situation, a function to estimate operators' internal conditions, and a function to arrange the information amount, position, timing, form etc. based on their conditions. The method to evaluate the fitness of the interface by using the analysis results based on cognitive science, ergonomics, psychology and physiology is developed to achieve such an interface. Fundamental physiological experiments have been performed. Stress and workload can be identified by the ratio of the power average of the [alpha] wave fraction of a brain wave and be distinguished by the ratio of the standard deviation of the R-R interval in test and at rest, in the case of low stress such as mouse operation, calculation and walking. (author).

Operator/regulator interface: Organizational structure and responsibilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiebe, J S [American Electric Power Service Corp. (United States)

1997-09-01

In the context of promotion of safety culture for the nuclear power plants the following aspects are briefly described: operator/regulator interface regulatory organization; policy making body; operating organization; regulatory interface.

First-Principles Study of the Polar TiC/Ti Interface

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Limin LIU; Shaoqing WANG; Hengqiang YE

2003-01-01

The interface structure, work of adhesion, and bonding character of the polar TiC/Ti interface have been examined by the first-principles density functional plane-wave pseudopotential calculations. Both Ti- and C-terminated interfaces including six different interface structures were calculated, which present quite different features. For the Ti-terminated interface, the interfacial Ti-Ti bond has a strong metallic and weak covalent character; while for the C-terminated interface, the interfacial bond is a strong polar covalent interaction between the Ti-3d and C-2p orbital.The work of adhesion of C-terminated interface is nearly 9 J/m2 stronger than that of the Ti-terminated. It is found that each termination has relatively large work of adhesion, which is consistent with other polar interfaces.

Fracture toughness versus micro-tensile bond strength testing of adhesive-dentin interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

De Munck, Jan; Luehrs, Anne-Katrin; Poitevin, André; Van Ende, Annelies; Van Meerbeek, Bart

2013-06-01

To assess interfacial fracture toughness of different adhesive approaches and compare to a standard micro-tensile bond-strength (μTBS) test. Chevron-notched beam fracture toughness (CNB) was measured following a modified ISO 24370 standard. Composite bars with dimensions of 3.0×4.0×25 mm were prepared, with the adhesive-dentin interface in the middle. At the adhesive-dentin interface, a chevron notch was prepared using a 0.15 mm thin diamond blade mounted in a water-cooled diamond saw. Each specimen was loaded until failure in a 4-point bend test setup and the fracture toughness was calculated according to the ISO specifications. Similarly, adhesive-dentin micro-specimens (1.0×1.0×8-10 mm) were stressed in tensile until failure to determine the μTBS. A positive correlation (r(2)=0.64) was observed between CNB and μTBS, which however was only nearly statistically significant, mainly due to the dissimilar outcome of Scotchbond Universal (3M ESPE). While few μTBS specimens failed at the adhesive-dentin interface, almost all CNB specimens failed interfacially at the notch tip. Weibull moduli for interfacial fracture toughness were much higher than for μTBS (3.8-11.5 versus 2.7-4.8, respectively), especially relevant with regard to early failures. Although the ranking of the adhesives on their bonding effectiveness tested using CNB and μTBS corresponded well, the outcome of CNB appeared more reliable and less variable. Fracture toughness measurement is however more laborious and requires specific equipment. The μTBS nevertheless appeared to remain a valid method to assess bonding effectiveness in a versatile way. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bio-inspired Edible Superhydrophobic Interface for Reducing Residual Liquid Food.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yao; Bi, Jingran; Wang, Siqi; Zhang, Tan; Xu, Xiaomeng; Wang, Haitao; Cheng, Shasha; Zhu, Bei-Wei; Tan, Mingqian

2018-03-07

Significant wastage of residual liquid food, such as milk, yogurt, and honey, in food containers has attracted great attention. In this work, a bio-inspired edible superhydrophobic interface was fabricated using U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved and edible honeycomb wax, arabic gum, and gelatin by a simple and low-cost method. The bio-inspired edible superhydrophobic interface showed multiscale structures, which were similar to that of a lotus leaf surface. This bio-inspired edible superhydrophobic interface displayed high contact angles for a variety of liquid foods, and the residue of liquid foods could be effectively reduced using the bio-inspired interface. To improve the adhesive force of the superhydrophobic interface, a flexible edible elastic film was fabricated between the interface and substrate material. After repeated folding and flushing for a long time, the interface still maintained excellent superhydrophobic property. The bio-inspired edible superhydrophobic interface showed good biocompatibility, which may have potential applications as a functional packaging interface material.

Strain analysis of nanowire interfaces in multiscale composites

Science.gov (United States)

Malakooti, Mohammad H.; Zhou, Zhi; Spears, John H.; Shankwitz, Timothy J.; Sodano, Henry A.

2016-04-01

Recently, the reinforcement-matrix interface of fiber reinforced polymers has been modified through grafting nanostructures - particularly carbon nanotubes and ZnO nanowires - on to the fiber surface. This type of interface engineering has made a great impact on the development of multiscale composites that have high stiffness, interfacial strength, toughness, and vibrational damping - qualities that are mutually exclusive to a degree in most raw materials. Although the efficacy of such nanostructured interfaces has been established, the reinforcement mechanisms of these multiscale composites have not been explored. Here, strain transfer across a nanowire interphase is studied in order to gain a heightened understanding of the working principles of physical interface modification and the formation of a functional gradient. This problem is studied using a functionally graded piezoelectric interface composed of vertically aligned lead zirconate titanate nanowires, as their piezoelectric properties can be utilized to precisely control the strain on one side of the interface. The displacement and strain across the nanowire interface is captured using digital image correlation. It is demonstrated that the material gradient created through nanowires cause a smooth strain transfer from reinforcement phase into matrix phase that eliminates the stress concentration between these phases, which have highly mismatched elasticity.

Mechanism of magnetization enhancement at CoO/permalloy interfaces

KAUST Repository

Grytsiuk, Sergii

2013-08-12

We investigate the magnetic properties of CoO(111)/permalloy(111) interfaces by ab-initio calculations. We employ a (5 × 5)CoO/(6 × 6)permalloy supercell, to satisfy the ∼5:6 ratio of the lattice constants, and optimize the atomic density near the interface. While experimentally the interface magnetization is 14% higher than in the bulk, we find for the purely O/Co-terminated interface a decrease/increase by 140%/40%, which enables insight into the real interface with partial O deficiency and atomic intermixing. Intermixing between Fe and Ni significantly lowers the total energy, which promotes Fe accumulation at the interface. Since Co-O bonds are energetically favorable, O diffusion into the permalloy is suppressed.

Mechanism of magnetization enhancement at CoO/permalloy interfaces

KAUST Repository

Grytsyuk, Sergiy; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2013-01-01

We investigate the magnetic properties of CoO(111)/permalloy(111) interfaces by ab-initio calculations. We employ a (5 × 5)CoO/(6 × 6)permalloy supercell, to satisfy the ∼5:6 ratio of the lattice constants, and optimize the atomic density near the interface. While experimentally the interface magnetization is 14% higher than in the bulk, we find for the purely O/Co-terminated interface a decrease/increase by 140%/40%, which enables insight into the real interface with partial O deficiency and atomic intermixing. Intermixing between Fe and Ni significantly lowers the total energy, which promotes Fe accumulation at the interface. Since Co-O bonds are energetically favorable, O diffusion into the permalloy is suppressed.

AXAF user interfaces for heterogeneous analysis environments

Science.gov (United States)

Mandel, Eric; Roll, John; Ackerman, Mark S.

1992-01-01

The AXAF Science Center (ASC) will develop software to support all facets of data center activities and user research for the AXAF X-ray Observatory, scheduled for launch in 1999. The goal is to provide astronomers with the ability to utilize heterogeneous data analysis packages, that is, to allow astronomers to pick the best packages for doing their scientific analysis. For example, ASC software will be based on IRAF, but non-IRAF programs will be incorporated into the data system where appropriate. Additionally, it is desired to allow AXAF users to mix ASC software with their own local software. The need to support heterogeneous analysis environments is not special to the AXAF project, and therefore finding mechanisms for coordinating heterogeneous programs is an important problem for astronomical software today. The approach to solving this problem has been to develop two interfaces that allow the scientific user to run heterogeneous programs together. The first is an IRAF-compatible parameter interface that provides non-IRAF programs with IRAF's parameter handling capabilities. Included in the interface is an application programming interface to manipulate parameters from within programs, and also a set of host programs to manipulate parameters at the command line or from within scripts. The parameter interface has been implemented to support parameter storage formats other than IRAF parameter files, allowing one, for example, to access parameters that are stored in data bases. An X Windows graphical user interface called 'agcl' has been developed, layered on top of the IRAF-compatible parameter interface, that provides a standard graphical mechanism for interacting with IRAF and non-IRAF programs. Users can edit parameters and run programs for both non-IRAF programs and IRAF tasks. The agcl interface allows one to communicate with any command line environment in a transparent manner and without any changes to the original environment. For example, the authors