The Ferroelectric Field Effect within an Integrated Core/Shell Nanowire

The synthesis of cylindrical silicon‐core and ferroelectric oxide perovskite‐shell nanowires and their response characteristics as individual three‐terminal nanoscale electronic devices is reported. The co‐axial nanowire geometry facilitates large ferroelectric field‐effect modulation (>10⁴) of nanowire conductivity following sequential application and removal of an applied dc field. Source‐drain current–voltage traces collected during sweeps of ferroelectric gate potential and switching of the component of shell outward and inward polarization provide direct evidence of ferroelectric coupling on nanowire channel conductance. Despite a very small (1:20) ferroelectric‐to‐semiconductor channel thickness ratio, an unexpectedly strong electrostatic coupling of ferroelectric polarization to channel conductance is observed because of the co‐axial gate geometry and curvature‐induced strain enhancement of ferroelectric polarization.     

Polymer-graphene nanocomposites as ultrafast-charge and -discharge cathodes for rechargeable lithium batteries

Electroactive polymers are a new generation of "green" cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries. We have developed nanocomposites combining graphene with two promising polymer cathode materials, poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide) and polyimide, to improve their high-rate performance. The polymer-graphene nanocomposites were synthesized through a simple in situ polymerization in the presence of graphene sheets. The highly dispersed graphene sheets in the nanocomposite drastically enhanced the electronic conductivity and allowed the electrochemical activity of the polymer cathode to be efficiently utilized. This allows for ultrafast charging and discharging; the composite can deliver more than 100 mAh/g within just a few seconds.     

Labor‐Management Cooperation: Operation MOST

Unionized contractors and construction unions are in difficulty today because of their apparent increasing lack of competitiveness with the non‐union sector of the industry. Probiems contributing to this are examined, as are efforts by labor, management, and others to remedy the problems. In Columbus, Ohio, labor and management established Operation MOST as a cooperative program to regain the share of the construction market lost to non‐union firms. This program encompasses a variety of activities and has been very successful. It is now being copied in various locations throughout the country. Several recommendations are made as to activities that should be undertaken by the parties to continue their cooperative spirit and to allow the unionized contractors to improve their cost competitiveness.     

Oxidation of sulfur components in diesel fuel using Fe-TAML catalysts and hydrogen peroxide

Dibenzothiophene-derivatives are catalytically oxidized to their corresponding sulfone product in homogeneous and two-liquid phase systems by H₂O₂ with an iron containing tetraamidomacrocyclic ligand (TAML) catalyst, Fe-TAML^®. The reaction medium is slightly caustic, pH 8, and uses t-BuOH as a co-solvent for solubilizing the dibenzothiophene starting compounds and their oxidation products. Fe-TAML^® catalyst concentrations are in the low micromolar range. H₂O₂ consumption is nearly stoichiometric (two-equivalents) in homogeneous conditions and only slightly less efficient under two-liquid phase conditions. The catalytic process when applied to a sample of commercial diesel fuel occurs under mild conditions with respect to temperature (50 °C), pressure (1 atm), and time (3 h), to remove greater than 75% of the total sulfur content of the fuel after secondary treatment with silica. Both alkyl-benzothiophenes and alkyl-dibenzothiophenes compounds in the diesel fuel were oxidized by the Fe-TAML^®/H₂O₂ system which facilitated their adsorption onto the silica. The mild reaction conditions result in no detectable over-oxidation of alkyl-dibenzothiophenes.     

Bi‐Layered Tubular Microfiber Scaffolds as Functional Templates for Engineering Human Intestinal Smooth Muscle Tissue

Designing biomimetic scaffolds with in vivo–like microenvironments using biomaterials is an essential component of successful tissue engineering approaches. The intestinal smooth muscle layers exhibit a complex tubular structure consisting of two concentric muscle layers in which the inner circular layer is orthogonally oriented to the outer longitudinal layer. Here, a 3D bi‐layered tubular scaffold is presented based on flexible, mechanically robust, and well aligned silk protein microfibers to mimic the native human intestinal smooth muscle structure. The scaffolds are seeded with primary human intestinal smooth muscle cells to replicate intestinal muscle tissues in vitro. Characterization of the tissue constructs reveals good biocompatibility and support for cell alignment and elongation in the different scaffold layers to enhance cell differentiation and functions. Furthermore, the engineered smooth muscle constructs support oriented neurite outgrowth, a requisite step to achieve functional innervation. These results suggest these microfiber scaffolds as functional templates for in vitro regeneration of human intestinal smooth muscle systems. The scaffolding provides a crucial step toward engineering functional human intestinal tissue in vitro, as well as engineering other types of smooth muscles in terms of their similar phenotypes. Such utility may lead to a better understanding of smooth muscle associated diseases and treatments.     

Three-dimensional modeled environments versus 360 degree panoramas for mobile virtual reality training

Virtual Reality - Virtual field trip is a way of providing users with some knowledge and exposure of a facility without requiring them to physically visit the location. Due to the high...     

Automatic boosted flood mapping from satellite data

Numerous algorithms have been proposed to map floods from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery. However, most require human input to succeed, either to specify a threshold value or to manually annotate training data. We introduce a new algorithm based on Adaboost which effectively maps floods without any human input, allowing for a truly rapid and automatic response. The Adaboost algorithm combines multiple thresholds to achieve results comparable to state-of-the-art algorithms which do require human input. We evaluate Adaboost, as well as numerous previously proposed flood mapping algorithms, on multiple MODIS flood images, as well as on hundreds of non-flood MODIS lake images, demonstrating its effectiveness across a wide variety of conditions.