The sex and ethnicity or national origins of researchers in astronomy and oncology in four countries, 2006–2007 and 2011–2012

This paper uses two large databases, one of given names and one of family names, to categorise the names of researchers from Italy, Sweden, the UK and the USA whose papers in astronomy and oncology were published in 2006–2007 and in 2011–2012 by sex (gender) and ethnicity or national origin. For all the countries, there were relatively many more females publishing papers in oncology than in astronomy, but their share of contributions was lower than the percentage of researchers. Sweden and the UK had much higher percentages of both other European and Rest of the World researchers than Italy did. US researchers with non-European names were categorised in six main country groups. The ones with the greatest presence were Chinese (mainly Mandarin) and South Asians (mainly Indians). The method could be adapted to investigate the progress of women in research in many other countries, and the role played by non-national researchers in their scientific output.     

Liquid marbles,formation and locomotion using external fields and forces

Liquid marbles may be traditionally formed by rolling a droplet on a bed of non-wetting particles resulting in encapsulation and stabilisation. Particles used in this process may range from nanometre to millimetre if handled with sufficient care. This method, however, runs the risk of droplet coalescence and is limited to non-wetting particles. Currently there exist some alternative methods of formulation including using electrostatics to either deliver a particle bed to the droplet or pull the droplet to the particles. The former has shown some promise in potential batch processes but is hindered by interparticle forces. Additional production methods include a form of blender, but this has shown to be unable to produce marbles of a narrow size distribution. Once formed, liquid marbles have demonstrated value as potential blood typing devices, as micro-reaction vessels due to the inherent barrier between the internal phase and the substrate whilst maintaining gas permeability, and as contaminant sensors. Liquid marbles also demonstrate a remarkable level of elasticity under compressive force and reduced evaporation rates when compared to bare water droplets, a function of the size and composition of the stabilising particles. In addition to this, liquid marbles have been proposed as actuators. Locomotion may easily be induced in these structures, using electrostatics, sound, magnetism or light depending on the particle/liquid combinations used in formation, and the environment of deployment. This review seeks to present and summarise recent advances in the field of liquid marble manufacture and methods for actuation. We also aim to highlight potential future avenues of further study within this arena.     

Temperature Stability of Lead‐Free Niobate Piezoceramics with Engineered Morphotropic Phase Boundary

The temperature dependence of piezoelectric properties (direct piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃, converse piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃(E = 0), strain S and electromechanical coupling coefficient k_p) for two niobate‐based lead‐free piezoceramics have been contrasted. 0.92(Na_0.5K_0.5)NbO₃–0.02(Bi_1/2Li_1/2)TiO₃–0.06BaZrO₃ (6BZ/2BLT/92NKN) has a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between rhombohedral and tetragonal at room temperature and 0.92(Na_0.5K_0.5)NbO₃–0.03(Bi_1/2Li_1/2)TiO₃–0.05BaZrO₃ (5BZ/3BLT/92NKN) features an MPB engineered to be located below room temperature. At 30°C, d₃₃, d₃₃(E = 0), S (at 2 kV/mm), and k_p are 252 pC/N, 230 pm/V, 0.069%, 0.51 for 5BZ/3BLT/92NKN; and 348 pC/N, 380 pm/V, 0.106%, 0.57 for 6BZ/2BLT/92NKN, respectively. With increasing temperature, the piezoelectric properties decrease. At 200°C, d₃₃, d₃₃(E = 0), S (at 2 kV/mm), and k_p are 170 pC/N, 160 pm/V, 0.059%, 0.36 for 5BZ/3BLT/92NKN; and 181 pC/N, 190 pm/V, 0.061%, 0.39 for 6BZ/2BLT/92NKN. It is found that the electromechanical coupling coefficient has a better temperature stability than the piezoelectric coefficient in the studied system due to a large temperature‐dependent compliance change. The results demonstrate that engineering an MPB is highly effective in tailoring temperature stability of piezoceramics.     

Determination of the True Operational Range of a Piezoelectric Actuator

Piezoelectric multilayer actuators are technologically important devices used in numerous positioning and force generation applications. During operation, the actuator displacement and force are nonlinearly coupled to the applied electric field, which is often ignored during material characterization. In this study, a novel experimental arrangement is presented that acts like a virtual linear spring, allowing for characterization of the full operational range as a function of applied electric field as well as the true blocking force and impedance matching system stiffness. The macroscopic measurements are contrasted to previous experimental techniques, providing insight into the effect of path dependence on the blocking force.     

Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts Prepared from Fermented Heat‐Stabilized Defatted Rice Bran

Heat‐stabilized, defatted rice bran (HDRB) serves as a potential source of phenolic compounds which have numerous purported health benefits. An estimated 70% of phenolics present in rice bran are esterified to the arabinoxylan residues of the cell walls. Release of such compounds could provide a value‐added application for HDRB. The objective of this study was to extract and quantify phenolics from HDRB using fermentation technology. Out of 8 organisms selected for rice bran fermentation, Bacillus subtilis subspecies subtilis had the maximum phenolic release of 26.8 mg ferulic acid equivalents (FAE) per gram HDRB. Response surface methodology was used to further optimize the release of rice bran phenolics. An optimum of 28.6 mg FAE/g rice bran was predicted at 168 h, 0.01% inoculation level, and 100 mg HDRB/mL. Fermentation of HDRB for 96 h with B. subtilis subspecies subtilis resulted in a significant increase in phenolic yield, phenolic concentration, and radical scavenging capacity. Fermented rice bran had 4.86 mg gentistic acid, 1.38 mg caffeic acid, 6.03 mg syringic acid, 19.02 mg (‐)‐epicatechin, 4.08 mg p‐courmaric acid, 4.64 mg ferulic acid, 10.04 mg sinapic acid, and 17.59 mg benzoic acid per 100 g fermented extract compared to 0.65 mg p‐courmaric acid and 0.36 mg ferulic acid per 100 g nonfermented extract. The high phenolic content and antioxidant activity of fermented HDRB extract indicates that rice bran fermentation under optimized condition is a potential means of meeting the demand for an effective and affordable antioxidant.     

Simultaneous Enhancement of Fracture Toughness and Unipolar Strain in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3‐ZrO2 Composites Through Composition Adjustment

The influence of second phase zirconia particles on the electrical properties and fracture behavior of various polycrystalline soft Pb(Zr_1?xTi_x)O₃ (PZT) compositions was investigated. PZT composites with yttria‐stabilized tetragonal zirconia particles exhibited enhanced crack resistance in comparison to monolithic compositions, regardless of the PZT composition. The addition of zirconia, however, was found to change the PZT composition through the diffusion of zirconium, resulting in variations in the observed piezoelectric and ferroelectric responses. Through the tailoring of the PZT matrix composition, the large electromechanical response and enhanced fracture toughness could be retained. The variation in both small and large signal properties is contrasted to fracture results and crystal structure changes, as determined by X‐ray diffraction.