Multidimensional IIR filters and robust rational interpolation

It is well-known that IIR filters can have a much lower order than FIR filters with the same performance. On the downside is that the implementation of an IIR filter is an iterative procedure while that of an FIR filter is a one-shot computation. But in higher dimensions IIR filters are definitely more attractive. We offer a technique where the filter’s performance specifications, stability constraints, its convergence speed and a protection against possible adverse effects of perturbations are all included in the design from the start. The technique only needs an off-the-shelf LP solver because the filter is obtained as a Chebyshev center of a convex polytope. The method deals with general non-causal non-separable filters.     

Emergence of News Waves: A Social Simulation Approach

The study investigates fundamental mechanisms generating issue‐attention cycles in news coverage with a social simulation approach. An agent‐based computer model is developed, which integrates the main drivers of news waves as identified by empirical research. By simulating the model many times under varying conditions, the interaction of the factors to generate the typical issue‐attention cycle can be observed. Results suggest that the momentum of news waves is mainly driven by the adaptive reporting behavior of journalists. Sponsors actively supporting issues by initiating events are not necessary to generate issue‐attention cycles, but change their typical dynamics. Comparing simulated time series to two empirical cases yields that the model produces more realistic patterns of media attention when issue sponsors are introduced.     

The phenolic acid and polysaccharide composition of cell walls of bran layers of mature wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Avalon) grains

The purpose of this study was to examine the carbohydrate and phenolic‐ester composition of cell walls in wheat bran layers. Four defined layers of wheat bran were separated manually from mature grains of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Avalon) to give samples of beeswing bran (outer pericarp), cross cells, testa + nucellar epidermis and aleurone cells. The cell‐wall material from each layer, and from a sample of intact bran, was analysed for carbohydrates and wall‐bound esterified phenolic acids. The cell‐wall material of intact bran was rich in arabinose and xylose with significant quantities of glucose and uronic acid and a relatively small amount of galactose and mannose. The varying ratios of arabinose:xylose in cell walls of isolated bran layers indicated that the heteroxylans had tissue‐specific substitution patterns. HPLC analysis of phenolic acids identified significant amounts of esterified ferulic acid and 8‐8′‐ (aryltetralin form), 5‐8′‐, 5‐5′‐, 8‐0‐4′‐ and 5‐8′‐(benzofuran form)‐dehydrodiferulic acids in the isolated cell walls. Ferulic acid was highly concentrated in the aleurone layer, whereas dehydrodiferulates were concentrated in the beeswing bran and cross cells. The role of phenolic cross‐linking is discussed in relation to the architecture of the cell walls of wheat bran and to processing implications. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Bilateral simultaneous infective keratitis

Aim

To analyze the demographics, risk factors, clinical and microbiological characteristics of cases of bilateral simultaneous infective keratitis.

Nonlinear viscoelastic analysis of orthotropic beams using a general third-order theory

The displacement based finite element model of a general third-order beam theory is developed to study the quasi-static behavior of viscoelastic rectangular orthotropic beams. The mechanical properties are considered to be linear viscoelastic in nature with a scope to undergo von Kármán nonlinear geometric deformations. A differential constitutive law is developed for an orthotropic linear viscoelastic beam under the assumptions of plane-stress. The fully discretized finite element equations are obtained by approximating the convolution integrals using a trapezoidal rule. A two-point recurrence scheme is developed that necessitates storage of data from the previous time step only, and not from the entire deformation history. Full integration is used to evaluate all the stiffness terms using spectral/hp lagrange polynomials. The Newton iterative scheme is employed to enhance the rate of convergence of the nonlinear finite element equations. Numerical examples are presented to study the viscoelastic phenomena like creep, cyclic creep and recovery for thick and thin beams using classical mechanical analogues like generalized n-parameter Kelvin-Voigt solids and Maxwell solids.     

High Dielectric Breakdown Strength Nanoplatelet-Based Multilayer Thin Films

Dielectric materials that can withstand high voltages are of great interest due to the growing need for high-performance insulation systems in electronics. Polymer nanocomposites have gained popularity as electrical insulators due to their processability, high operating voltage, and tortuous paths for current flow created by the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. The dielectric breakdown strength of a relatively thick multilayer thin film containing polyethylenimine (PEI) and vermiculite clay (VMT), thickened with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (tris), is evaluated as a function of bilayers (BL) deposited. The resulting nanobrick wall structure of this clay-based assembly is ideal for protective insulation. An 8 BL PEI+tris/VMT film achieves a dielectric breakdown strength of 245 kV mm⁻¹, with a thickness of 5 µm. With increasing bilayers, the breakdown strength gradually decreases, but 20 BL of PEI+tris/VMT achieves a breakdown voltage of 2.36 kV. This nanoplatelet-based system is the first “thick growing” layer-by-layer deposited film to be used as an insulating layer. Its unusually high breakdown strength can be useful for the protection of various high voltage electronics.     

Highly Tunable Syngas Product Ratios Enabled by Novel Nanoscale Hybrid Electrolytes Designed for Combined CO2 Capture and Electrochemical Conversion

Coupling renewable energy with the electrochemical conversion of CO₂ to chemicals and fuels has been proposed as a strategy to achieve a new circular carbon economy and help mitigate the effects of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Liquid-like Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) are composed of polymers tethered to nanoparticles and are previously explored as CO₂ capture materials and electrolyte additives. In this study, two types of aqueous NOHM-based electrolytes are prepared to explore the effect of CO₂ binding energy (i.e., chemisorption versus physisorption) on CO₂ electroreduction over a silver nanoparticle catalyst for syngas production. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and Jeffamine M2070 (HPE) are ionically tethered to SiO₂ nanoparticles to form the amine-containing NOHM-I-PEI and ether-containing NOHM-I-HPE, respectively. At less negative cathode potentials, PEI and NOHM-I-PEI-based electrolytes produce CO at higher rates than 0.1 molal. KHCO₃ due to favorable catalyst-electrolyte interactions. Whereas at more negative potentials, H₂ production is favored because of the carbamate electrochemical inactivity. Conversely, HPE and NOHM-I-HPE-based electrolytes display poor CO₂ reduction performance at less negative potentials. At more negative potentials, their performance approached that of 0.1 molal. KHCO₃, highlighting how the polymer functional groups of NOHMs can be strategically selected to produce value-added products from CO₂ with highly tunable compositions.     

Structural characterization,energy transfer,and Judd–Ofelt analysis of pure and the Eu3+-doped Ca2LiMg2V3O12 phosphors

A novel vanadate host Ca₂LiMg₂V₃O₁₂ (CLMV) and the Eu³⁺-doped samples were synthesized via a solid-state reaction method. The phase formation and the morphological analysis were studied in detail. The Rietveld refinement result shows that the host belongs to cubic space group Ia-3d (230) with lattice parameter, a = 12.3948 Å, V = 1904.23 Å³, and Z = 8. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurement estimated the bandgap of the host and the CLMV:0.05Eu³⁺ phosphors. The host exhibits a broad absorption band (peak at 345 nm) ranging from 240 to 380 nm, which is attributed to the charge transfer in the O²⁻–V⁵⁺ complex. Under near UV excitation (λ_exc = 345 nm), the host gives a broad emission band covering the visible region from 400 to 730 nm and the emission is in the bluish–green region of the CIE diagram. When the host is doped with the Eu³⁺ ions and excited at 345 nm, the emission spectrum depicts the superimposition of the characteristic emission bands (red emission) of the Eu³⁺ ions corresponding to the f–f transitions over the broad emission band of the host. The calculated color coordinates (9600 to 2280 K) demonstrated the color tuning ability of the phosphor as the dopant concentration is increased in the host. This is because the VO₄³⁻ group plays the sensitiser role and partially transfers energy with the Eu³⁺ ions. When the same set of phosphors were excited at the dominant characteristic excitation band (λ_exc = 394 nm) of the Eu³⁺, the characteristic emission bands of the Eu³⁺ in the orange–red region were observed. As the electric dipole transition of the Eu³⁺ was found to be dominant, the prepared phosphors possessed high color purity (CP). The energy transfer mechanism and the lifetime values were also presented. The temperature-dependent PL studies showed good thermal stability of the optimum sample. Various radiative transition properties were analyzed by the Judd–Ofelt theory. The photometric results reveal the color tuning ability and CP of the CLMV:xEu³⁺ phosphors.     

Development of al-doped MgMn2O4-based cathode materials for magnesium ion cells

Magnesium ion battery is an alternative for secondary battery instead of lithium ion battery due to its advantages of low cost, safety and environment friendly. Magnesium (Mg) is safer compared to lithium (Li) where it has high stability in contact of air and prevent the formation of dendrites during electrochemical cycling. The cathode materials of un-doped MgMn₂O₄ and Al-doped MgMn_2-xAl_xO₄, x = .01, .02, .03 were prepared using self-propagating combustion method with triethanolamine fuel as a reducing agent. All samples (powder form) were annealed at 700˚C in 6 h based on the thermogravimetric analysis results. The samples were been characterized using X ray diffraction, field emission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy to study structural and morphological properties of the samples. Electrochemical properties of linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and charge-discharge capacity were performed in 1 M Magnesium Trifluoromethanesulfonate (MgTf₂) with ratio 1:1 of ethylene carbonate: dimethyl ether electrolyte. The discharge capacity of magnesium ion cells using Al-doped cathode material showed the improvement of 68% compared to the un-doped sample.