A web-based 3D ontology navigation system for spinal disease diagnosis

The Journal of Supercomputing - This paper presents a web-based three-dimensional (3D) navigation system for a spinal disease ontology using a 3D virtual human spine. The 3D navigation system...     

Frequent Interaction and Fast Feedback Predict Perceived Social Support: Using Crawled and Self‐Reported Data of Facebook Users

The present study examines if Facebooking can contribute to psychological well‐being and if so, which aspects of Facebook use could play a significant role. Matching crawled data with self‐reported data from mobile Facebook users, we found that more social interactions with Facebook friends and faster friends' reactions to a user's post contributed toFacebook user's perceived social support and ultimately alleviated loneliness. We also found that the association between frequency as well as speed of Facebook social interactions and psychological well‐being were more significant among those who were sensitive to other's behaviors and feelings than those who were not. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings, particularly regarding mobile communication context, are also discussed.     

Fully aromatic polyimide gate insulators with low temperature processability for pentacene organic thin-film transistors

This paper demonstrates the effects of the imidization ratio of polyimide gate insulators on the performance of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). We report the synthetic results of polyimide films imidized at a temperature of 200 °C along with an easily removed organic base catalyst (1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene, DBU), and their application in gate insulators of organic thin-film transistors. The degree of imidization increased to almost 100% after a thermal treatment at 200 °C for 40 min in the presence of DBU. The performance of the pentacene OTFT dramatically improved by using low temperature cured polyimide film as the gate insulator.     

Control of oxygen concentration in water using a hollow fiber membrane contactor

A novel theoretical analysis was performed to regulate the oxygen concentration in water using a membrane contactor composed of nonporous hollow fibers. The governing ordinary differential equations were derived for the countercurrent flow of the feed water and the feed gas in a membrane contactor. The governing equations were regarded as a two point boundary value problem. The nonlinear ordinary differential equations were simultaneously solved using a finite difference method. The computer program was coded in Fortran language using the Compaq Visual Fortran Software. It was found that the concentration of oxygen dissolved in water increases from 28.9 to 64.3 ppm as the area of the membrane increases from 1.24 to 3.73 m² at the given typical operating condition: the flow rate of the feed gas is kept to be 1.0 L/min; its pressure is maintained to be 4 atm; the flow rate of the water is 15 L/min. It is observed that the concentration of oxygen increases from 48.2 to 56.2 ppm as the concentration of the feed gas increases from 0.75 to 0.95 mole fraction. As the flow rate of the water increases from 15 to 25 L/min, the concentration of oxygen decreases from 56.2 to 38.6 ppm with a constant membrane area of 3.11 m².     

Cook’s Distance Measures for Varying Coefficient Models With Functional Responses

The aim of this article is to develop Cook’s distance measures for assessing the influence of both atypical curves and observations under varying coefficient model with functional responses. Our Cook’s distance measures include Cook’s distances for deleting multiple curves and for deleting multiple grid points, and their scaled Cook’s distances. We systematically investigate some theoretical properties of these diagnostic measures. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample properties of these Cook’s distances under different scenarios. A real diffusion tensor tract dataset is analyzed to illustrate the use of our diagnostic measures.     

Always Connected or Always Distracted? ADHD Symptoms and Social Assurance Explain Problematic Use of Mobile Phone and Multicommunicating

Multicommunicating via mobile phone during face‐to‐face encounters with family and friends was examined with data from an online survey of 432 adults in the US. Multicommunicating was positively associated with problematic mobile phone use and explained by attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and a social need to belong. Those with ADHD symptoms were more likely to engage in problematic mobile phone use and frequent multicommunicating. Strong need for social assurance, which involves an “always‐on‐and‐connected” lifestyle through mobile devices, explained problematic mobile phone use and multicommunicating. Need for social assurance also was related to multicommunicating via social connectedness, and this effect was significant among females, but not males. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.     

Effects of facile amine‐functionalization on the physical properties of epoxy/graphene nanoplatelets nanocomposites

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) have excellent thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties. The incorporation of GNPs into a polymer can remarkably enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer especially when GNPs are well dispersed in the polymer matrix with strong interfacial bonding. Therefore, in this study, GNPs were amine‐functionalized by covalently bonding 4,4′‐methylene dianiline onto their surfaces via a facile synthetic route. The amine‐functionalization was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and TGA. Epoxy/GNPs nanocomposites were prepared and their curing behavior, thermomechanical properties and impact strength were investigated. The amine‐functionalization increased curing rate, storage modulus, thermal dimensional stability, and impact strength of the nanocomposites. The SEM images for the fracture surface of the nanocomposite with amine‐functionalized GNPs showed a smooth and ductile failure‐like surface, resulted from the improved interfacial bonding between GNPs and the epoxy matrix. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42269.     

Photoalignment of nematic liquid crystal on polyamic‐acid‐based soluble polyimide with no side fragments

Abstract— The photoalignment of nematic LC on a layer of newly synthesized UV‐sensitive polyimide without side fragments is reported. The photoaligning polymer advantageously differs from other photoaligning materials because of its extremely low sticking effect and residual DC voltage. These parameters, as well as the UV and thermal stability of the alignment, are not worse than those of rubbed polyimides. At the same time, the new material possesses all the advantages of photoaligning polymers.