A Dual-Mode Terahertz Filter Based on a Metallic Resonator Design

We present a metallic resonator fabricated on silicon capable of dual-mode operation at terahertz frequencies. The resonator exhibits a notch plus stop band filter response or a notch filter response depending on the orientation of the incident electric field with respect to the structure. The former results in two resonance features: one at 0.69 THz with a Q-factor of 3.7 and the other at 0.91 THz. The latter results in a resonance feature at 0.63 THz with a Q-factor of 5.7. Using 3D finite-difference time-domain simulations, the resonator is designed to operate between 0.1 and 1.4 THz. Experimental verification is performed using a free space terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system, and agreement with our simulations is realized.     

The Relationship Between R&D Investment and Firm Profitability Under a Three-Stage Sigmoid Curve Model: Evidence From an Emerging Economy

The relationship between investment in research and development (R&D) and firm performance has been the subject of numerous academic investigations, but the findings of these investigations have varied greatly, with research revealing a number of different patterns in the R&D–performance relationship. This inconsistency may be partly attributable to the failure of the commonly used linear modeling method to capture the full dynamics of the R&D–performance relationship. Based on the sigmoid (S) curve paradigm, as well as on other economic foundations, this study proposes the use of a three-stage S-curve model to help reconcile the disparities in the literature. This S-curve model shows that the relationship between R&D intensity and firm profitability is nonlinear, with the slope negative at low levels (stage 1), positive at medium levels (stage 2), and negative again at high levels of R&D investment (stage 3). Empirical evidence from a sample of 377 publicly listed Taiwanese high-tech manufacturing firms and 179 nonhigh-tech firms, examined during the period between 2000 and 2007, confirmed our proposed model. This study not only establishes a relationship pattern that differs from that shown in past studies, but also has important managerial implications for R&D managers and important policy implications for governments.      

Theoretical high-efficiency extraction study of a short-pulseelectron-beam-pumped ArF laser amplifier with atmospheric pressureAr-rich mixtures

The single-pass (50 cm) amplifier performance of an atmospheric-pressure ArF laser pumped by a 65-ns full-width-at-half-maximum short-pulse electron beam was investigated theoretically for a wide range of excitation rates (0.1-2.0 MW/cm³ ). Atmospheric mixtures of Ne, Ar, and F₂ (three mixtures of Ar=40%, 70%, and Ne-free) were studied. A kinetic numerical model of the ArF amplifier with a Ne buffer system was constructed. A one-dimensional propagation treatment considered the gain depletion and saturation absorption spatially and temporally along the optical axis. In this model the rate constants for electron quenching of ArF* of 1.6×10^-7, 1.9×10^-7, and 2.4×10 ^-7 cm³/s were used for Ar concentration of 40, 70 percent, and Ar/F₂ mixture, respectively     

Fibrillar Starch in Ultrathin Sections of Potato

Ultrathin sections of raw potato embedded in Spurr's “low viscosity” resin show radial splitting of the starch grains into long bands, presumably evoked when the resin is expanded by hydrocarbon vapor after sectioning. There are no concentric lamellae of starch in these sections, and no evidence of tangentially extended layers of refolded molecules was found. Thus, the principal units of organization in the starch grain are radially extended starch molecules and/or radial fibrillar clusters of these molecules.     

Direct modulation of InGaAsP/InP double heterostructure lasers

Direct modulation of an InGaAsP/InP double heterostructure laser was investigated experimentally. Sinusoidal modulation up to 2.5 GHz was achieved with almost constant modulation efficiency. Pulse responses showed that the damped relaxation oscillation in light output was well suppressed.     

Gelatination Temperatures of Starch,as Influenced by Polyhydric and Monohydric Alcohols,Phenols, Carboxylic Acids and some other Additives

The effect of polyhydric and monohydric alcohols, of phenols, of carboxylic acids and their anions, of halide anions, of alkalimetalions and of some other compounds on the gelatination temperature of potato starch granules in aqueous solutions were studied. Polyhydric alcohols and methanol raise the gelatination temperature, whereas ethanol, propanol, butanol, p-dioxane, carboxylic acids, phenols, urea and hydrogen peroxide cause a decrease in the gelatination temperature. The effect of polyhydric alcohols may be attributed to the lessened tendency of the medium to rupture hydrogen bonds. Carboxylic acids, phenols, urea and hydrogen peroxide may act in a opposite way. The lowering effect of the monohydric alcohols, dioxane, and other non-polar substances may be due to structural and kinetic alterations of the aqueous medium, induced by the non-polar groups. At higher concentrations of ethanol, propanol, p-dioxane, acetic, propionic and butyric acid the gelatination temperature tends to increase. This is to be attributed to the association of solute molecules.     

Manual Therapy Facilitates Homeostatic Adaptation to Bone Microstructural Declines Induced by a Rat Model of Repetitive Forceful Task

The effectiveness of manual therapy in reducing the catabolic effects of performing repetitive intensive force tasks on bones has not been reported. We examined if manual therapy could reduce radial bone microstructural declines in adult female Sprague–Dawley rats performing a 12-week high-repetition and high-force task, with or without simultaneous manual therapy to forelimbs. Additional rats were provided 6 weeks of rest after task cessation, with or without manual therapy. The control rats were untreated or received manual therapy for 12 weeks. The untreated TASK rats showed increased catabolic indices in the radius (decreased trabecular bone volume and numbers, increased osteoclasts in these trabeculae, and mid-diaphyseal cortical bone thinning) and increased serum CTX-1, TNF-α, and muscle macrophages. In contrast, the TASK rats receiving manual therapy showed increased radial bone anabolism (increased trabecular bone volume and osteoblast numbers, decreased osteoclast numbers, and increased mid-diaphyseal total area and periosteal perimeter) and increased serum TNF-α and muscle macrophages. Rest, with or without manual therapy, improved the trabecular thickness and mid-diaphyseal cortical bone attributes but not the mineral density. Thus, preventive manual therapy reduced the net radial bone catabolism by increasing osteogenesis, while rest, with or without manual therapy, was less effective.     

High Temperature Oxidation of FGH96 P/M Superalloy

High temperature oxidation behaviors of FGH96 P/M superalloy have been studied in air at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1000℃. By means of isothermal oxidation testing,X-ray diffraction,SEM(scanning electron microscopy),and EDS(energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses,the oxidation kinetics as well as the composition and morphology of scales were investigated. Thermodynamic calculations were used to explain the oxidation mechanism. The results showed that as the oxidation temperature increased,the oxidation rate,the scale thickness,and scale spallation increased. FGH96 P/M superalloy exhibits good oxidation resistance at temperature below 800℃. The oxidation kinetics follows an approximately parabolic rate law,and the oxide layer was mainly composed of Cr2O3,TiO2,and a little amount of NiCr2O4. The oxidation is controlled by the transmission of chromium,titanium,and oxygen through the oxide scale.