Substrate Templating upon Self‐Assembly of Hydrogen‐Bonded Molecular Networks on an Insulating Surface

Molecular self‐assembly on insulating surfaces, despite being highly relvant to many applications, generally suffers from the weak molecule–surface interactions present on dielectric surfaces, especially when benchmarked against metallic substrates. Therefore, to fully exploit the potential of molecular self‐assembly, increasing the influence of the substrate constitutes an essential prerequisite. Upon deposition of terephthalic acid and trimesic acid onto the natural cleavage plane of calcite, extended hydrogen‐bonded networks are formed, which wet the substrate. The observed structural complexity matches the variety realized on metal surfaces. A detailed analysis of the molecular structures observed on calcite reveals a significant influence of the underlying substrate, clearly indicating a substantial templating effect of the surface on the resulting molecular networks. This work demonstrates that choosing suitable molecule/substrate systems allows for tuning the balance between intermolecular and molecule–surface interactions even in the case of typically weakly interacting insulating surfaces. This study, thus, provides a strategy for deliberately exploiting substrate templating to increase the structural variety in molecular self‐assembly on a bulk insulator at room temperature.     

Dynamic saturation curve measurement for resin flow in glass fibre reinforcement

A methodology is presented to determine the saturation curve of a resin/glass fabric system, during infiltration in a transparent mould under constant flow rate. Video acquisitions are transformed by image analysis into saturation level versus position and time, and coupled to inlet pressure measurements. A numerical multiphase flow model is then used to simulate the infiltration for various combinations of drainage curve parameters. The numerical parameters to describe the saturation and relative permeability are determined by response surface optimization. The drainage curve and relative permeability equations determined at one time are shown to adequately describe the entire injection process, and to be flow-rate dependent.     

CrasyDSE: A framework for solving Dyson–Schwinger equations

Dyson–Schwinger equations are important tools for non-perturbative analyses of quantum field theories. For example, they are very useful for investigations in quantum chromodynamics and related theories. However, sometimes progress is impeded by the complexity of the equations. Thus automating parts of the calculations will certainly be helpful in future investigations. In this article we present a framework for such an automation based on a C++ code that can deal with a large number of Green functions. Since also the creation of the expressions for the integrals of the Dyson–Schwinger equations needs to be automated, we defer this task to a Mathematica notebook. We illustrate the complete workflow with an example from Yang–Mills theory coupled to a fundamental scalar field that has been investigated recently. As a second example we calculate the propagators of pure Yang–Mills theory. Our code can serve as a basis for many further investigations where the equations are too complicated to tackle by hand. It also can easily be combined with DoFun, a program for the derivation of Dyson–Schwinger equations.¹Program summaryProgram title: CrasyDSECatalogue identifier: AEMY _v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEMY_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.htmlNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 49030No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 303958Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: Mathematica 8 and higher, C++.Computer: All on which Mathematica and C++ are available.Operating system: All on which Mathematica and C++ are available (Windows, Unix, Mac OS).Classification: 11.1, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6.Nature of problem: Solve (large) systems of Dyson–Schwinger equations numerically.Solution method: Create C++ functions in Mathematica to be used for the numeric code in C++. This code uses structures to handle large numbers of Green functions.Unusual features: Provides a tool to convert Mathematica expressions into C++ expressions including conversion of function names.Running time: Depending on the complexity of the investigated system solving the equations numerically can take seconds on a desktop PC to hours on a cluster.     

PowerPedia: changing energy usage with the help of a community-based smartphone application

When it comes to conserving electricity, it is crucial for users to know how much energy is consumed by individual appliances. However, the technical feedback provided by existing energy consumption feedback systems in the form of dry numbers and intangible units is not appropriate for most users. To address this shortcoming, we developed PowerPedia, a system that provides behavior-influencing feedback over and above pure consumption values. By integrating a community platform—a Wikipedia for electrical appliances—PowerPedia enables users to identify and compare the consumption of their domestic appliances with that of others. It thus helps users to better understand their electricity consumption and take effective action to save electricity.     

Plasma modification and deposition on inner tube faces by pulsed DC discharges

The modification of inner surfaces of tubes becomes increasingly important in many fluid transport applications. However, long tubes require special plasma techniques for a surface functionalization on the nanometer scale without damaging the bulk. This work focuses on pulsed DC glow discharges in inert argon, reactive oxygen, nitrogen and air plasma as well as polymerizing acetylene plasma revealing strong influences to the wetting behavior by the total duration of the plasma discharge time (plasma on-time). While the investigated polymers polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephtalate, and thermoplastic polyurethane react very differently on the inert and reactive etching (activation) plasma, the deposition of plasma polymer films (polymer-like carbon with decreasing cross-linking at lower plasma intensity and >50% hydrogen content) suppresses all substrate influences.     

Characteristics of the first child predict the parents' probability of having another child.

In a sample of 7,695 families in the prospective, nationally representative British Millennium Cohort Study, this study examined whether characteristics of the 1st-born child predicted parents' timing and probability of having another child within 5 years after the 1st child's birth. Infant temperament was assessed with the Carey Infant Temperament Scale (Carey, 1972; Carey & McDevitt, 1978) at age 9 months, childhood socioemotional and behavioral characteristics with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 2001), and childhood cognitive ability with the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (Bracken, 2002) test at age 3 years. Survival analysis modeling indicated that the 1st child's low reactivity to novelty in infancy, high prosociality, low conduct problems, and high cognitive ability in childhood were associated with increased probability of parents having another child. Except for reactivity to novelty, these associations became stronger with time. High emotional symptoms were also positively associated with childbearing, but this was likely to reflect reverse causality—that is, the effect of sibling birth on the 1st child's adjustment. The results suggest that child effects, particularly those related to the child's cognitive ability, adaptability to novelty, and prosocial behavior, may be relevant to parents' future childbearing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implicit and explicit components of prejudice.

Research on implicit and explicit prejudice has treated implicit prejudices as a unitary construct characterized by automatic access to negative concepts. The present article makes the case that tasks purported to measure implicit prejudice actually assess 2 different processes. Some assess the extent to which prejudice is activated automatically on the perception of a member of the target group. Other implicit tasks assess the extent to which prejudice is automatically applied in judgment. In the reported study, participants completed 4 implicit and 2 explicit measures of prejudice against women. Factor analysis yielded a 3-factor solution. The solution provides support for the distinction between explicit prejudice and 2 types of implicit prejudice corresponding to automatic activation and automatic application of prejudice. Prejudice appears to be a multifaceted construct, different aspects of which are measured by different tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Deviance or uniqueness, harmony or conformity? A cultural analysis.

Uniqueness has positive connotations of freedom and independence in American culture, whereas conformity has positive connotations of connectedness and harmony in East Asian culture. The present research examined how these cultural values and individual preferences for uniqueness and conformity influence each other. In Studies 1 and 2, East Asian and European American preferences for uniqueness were measured using abstract figures. In Study 3, the choice of pens by East Asians and European Americans was examined as a function of whether the pen appeared unique. In Study 4, Korean and American magazine ads were analyzed with a focus on themes of conformity and uniqueness. In all studies, East Asians preferred targets that represented conformity, whereas European Americans preferred targets that represented uniqueness. The results highlight the relationship between individual preference and the adoption and perpetuation of cultural values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)