Microstructure Development of Oxycarbide Composites during Active-Filler-Controlled Polymer Pyrolysis

The microstructure development of a ceramic composite material fabricated by active-filler-controlled polymer pyrolysis (AFCOP) was investigated. During heating of a polysiloxane precursor mixed with titanium powder in argon atmosphere up to 1400°C, thermally induced decomposition of the polymer phase is combined with simultaneous carburization of the transition metal filler. Precipitation of nanocrystalline titanium carbide at the filler particle surface starts above 400°C, and larger, faceted carbide particles have growth above 800°C. A skeleton of turbostratic carbon is formed above 800°C in the polymer-derived silicon oxycarbide matrix from which b-silicon carbide and cristobalite crystallize above 1000°C. A pronounced reduction in linear shrinkage involved in polymer–ceramic conversion is observed. The shrinkage reduction ranges from more than 25% for the filler-free precursor to less than 10% in the presence of 30 vol% of the titanium filler. Thus, active-filler-controlled pyrolysis offers the possibility of controlling shrinkage and porosity formation during polymer–ceramic conversion in order to fabricate bulk components from organometallic polymer precursor systems.     

Spherical sample holders to improve the susceptibility measurement of superparamagnetic materials

The design of two custom sample holders with a spherical cavity for commercial vibrating sample magnetometer systems is described. For such cavities, the magnetization M[over ->] and the internal magnetic field H(i)[over ->] of a sample are both homogeneous. Consequently, the material parameter M(H(i)) of a sample can be determined even for liquids and powders with a high magnetic susceptibility.     

Pre‐convolved Radiance Caching

The incident indirect light over a range of image pixels is often coherent. Two common approaches to exploit this inter‐pixel coherence to improve rendering performance are Irradiance Caching and Radiance Caching. Both compute incident indirect light only for a small subset of pixels (the cache), and later interpolate between pixels. Irradiance Caching uses scalar values that can be interpolated efficiently, but cannot account for shading variations caused by normal and reflectance variation between cache items. Radiance Caching maintains directional information, e.g., to allow highlights between cache items, but at the cost of storing and evaluating a Spherical Harmonics (SH) function per pixel. The arithmetic and bandwidth cost for this evaluation is linear in the number of coefficients and can be substantial. In this paper, we propose a method to replace it by an efficient per‐cache item pre‐filtering based on MIP maps — such as previously done for environment maps — leading to a single constant‐time lookup per pixel. Additionally, per‐cache item geometry statistics stored in distance‐MIP maps are used to improve the quality of each pixel's lookup. Our approximate interactive global illumination approach is an order of magnitude faster than Radiance Caching with Phong BRDFs and can be combined with Monte Carlo‐raytracing, Point‐based Global Illumination or Instant Radiosity.     

Verifying compiled file system code

This article presents a case study on retrospective verification of the Linux Virtual File System (VFS), which is aimed at checking violations of API usage rules and memory properties. Since VFS maintains dynamic data structures and is written in a mixture of C and inlined assembly, modern software model checkers cannot be applied. Our case study centres around our novel automated software verification tool, the SOCA Verifier, which symbolically executes and analyses compiled code. We describe how this verifier deals with complex features such as memory access, pointer aliasing and computed jumps in the VFS implementation, while reducing manual modelling to a minimum. Our results show that the SOCA Verifier is capable of analysing the complex Linux VFS implementation reliably and efficiently, thereby going beyond traditional testing tools and into niches that current software model checkers do not reach. This testifies to the SOCA Verifier’s suitability as an effective and efficient bug-finding tool during the development of operating system components.     

User-centred process for the definition of free-hand gestures applied to controlling music playback

Music is a fundamental part of most cultures. Controlling music playback has commonly been used to demonstrate new interaction techniques and algorithms. In particular, controlling music playback has been used to demonstrate and evaluate gesture recognition algorithms. Previous work, however, used gestures that have been defined based on intuition, the developers’ preferences, and the respective algorithm’s capabilities. In this paper we propose a refined process for deriving gestures from constant user feedback. Using this process every result and design decision is validated in the subsequent step of the process. Therefore, comprehensive feedback can be collected from each of the conducted user studies. Along the process we develop a set of free-hand gestures for controlling music playback. The situational context is analysed to shape the usage scenario and derive an initial set of necessary functions. In a successive user study the set of functions is validated and proposals for gestures are collected from participants for each function. Two gesture sets containing static and dynamic gestures are derived and analysed in a comparative evaluation. The comparative evaluation shows the suitability of the identified gestures and allows further refinement. Our results indicate that the proposed process, that includes validation of each design decision, improves the final results. By using the process to identify gestures for controlling music playback we not only show that the refined process can successfully be applied, but we also provide a consistent gesture set that can serve as a realistic benchmark for gesture recognition algorithms.     

Strongdeco: Expansion of analytical,strongly correlated quantum states into a many-body basis

We provide a Mathematica code for decomposing strongly correlated quantum states described by a first-quantized, analytical wave function into many-body Fock states. Within them, the single-particle occupations refer to the subset of Fock–Darwin functions with no nodes. Such states, commonly appearing in two-dimensional systems subjected to gauge fields, were first discussed in the context of quantum Hall physics and are nowadays very relevant in the field of ultracold quantum gases. As important examples, we explicitly apply our decomposition scheme to the prominent Laughlin and Pfaffian states. This allows for easily calculating the overlap between arbitrary states with these highly correlated test states, and thus provides a useful tool to classify correlated quantum systems. Furthermore, we can directly read off the angular momentum distribution of a state from its decomposition. Finally we make use of our code to calculate the normalization factors for Laughlin?s famous quasi-particle/quasi-hole excitations, from which we gain insight into the intriguing fractional behavior of these excitations.Program summaryProgram title: StrongdecoCatalogue identifier: AELA_v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AELA_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.: 5475No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 31 071Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: MathematicaComputer: Any computer on which Mathematica can be installedOperating system: Linux, Windows, MacClassification: 2.9Nature of problem: Analysis of strongly correlated quantum states.Solution method: The program makes use of the tools developed in Mathematica to deal with multivariate polynomials to decompose analytical strongly correlated states of bosons and fermions into a standard many-body basis. Operations with polynomials, determinants and permanents are the basic tools.Running time: The distributed notebook takes a couple of minutes to run.     

Implementation of physical coordination training and cognitive behavioural training interventions at cleaning workplaces--secondary analyses of a randomised controlled trial

This study evaluates the implementation of physical coordination training (PCT) and cognitive behavioural training (CBTr) interventions in a randomised controlled trial at nine cleaners' workplaces. Female cleaners (n = 294) were randomised into a PCT, a CBTr or a reference (REF) group. Both 12-week interventions were performed in groups guided by an instructor. Records were kept on intervention dose (adherence) unanticipated events at the work place (context) and quality of intervention delivery (fidelity). Participant adherence was 37% in the PCT and 49% in the CBTr interventions. Optimal implementation was reached by only 6% in PCT and 42% in the CBTr. Analysis of the barriers to successful implementation indicated that the intervention process is sensitive to unanticipated events. In order to succeed in improving the health of high-risk populations such as cleaners and to correctly interpret intervention effects, more research on implementation is needed. Trial registration: ISRCTN96241850. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Both physical coordination training and cognitive behavioural training are potential effective workplace interventions among low educated job groups with high physical work demands. However, thorough consideration should be given to feasibility in the design of interventions. The optimal intervention should be tailored to closely match the implementation context and be robust and flexible to minimise susceptibility to changes in work organisation.     

The Effects of Hippocampal Lesions on Response, Direction, and Place Learning in Rats.

Rats with hippocampal or sham lesions were trained to find food on a T maze located at 2 positions. Response rats were required to make a right or left turn. Direction rats were required to go in a consistent direction (east or west). Place rats were required to go to a consistent location, relative to room cues. One place group had distinguishable start points at the 2 maze positions, whereas another place group had start points facing the same side of the room. Controls took longer to solve a place problem than the response and direction problems when the start points were not distinguishable. Rats with hippocampal lesions were not different than controls on the response problem but were impaired on the direction and place problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)