Exploratory analysis of brain connectivity with ICA.

Covariance-based methods of exploration of functional connectivity of the brain from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and structural equation modeling (SEM), require a priori knowledge such as an anatomical model to infer functional connectivity. In this research, a hybrid method, combining independent component analysis (ICA) and SEM, which is capable of deriving functional connectivity in an exploratory manner without the need of a prior model is introduced. The spatial ICA (SICA) derives independent neural systems or sources involved in task-related brain activation, while an automated method based on the SEM finds the structure of the connectivity among the elements in independent neural systems. Unlike second-order approaches used in earlier studies, the task-related neural systems derived from the ICA provide brain connectivity in the complete statistical sense. The use and efficacy of this approach is illustrated on two fMRI datasets obtained from a visual task and a language reading task.     

Photocurrent enhancement of d.c. sputtered copper oxide thin films

Copper oxide (CuO) thin films with photocurrent as high as 25 μA/cm² were deposited on conductive glass substrates using d.c. reactive sputtering. This was the highest reported photocurrent for sputteredp- type copper oxide measured in the electrolyte KI. The photocurrent drastically increased up to 25 (μA/cm² as the sputtering pressure and the substrate temperature were increased up to 8.5 mbar and 192°C, respectively. All the synthesized films contained single phase of CuO in this range of pressure and substrate temperature. Variation of the photocurrent, photovoltage, structure and absorbance with deposition conditions were studied in detail.     

Cylindrical interface cracks in 1-3 piezocomposites

1-3 Piezocomposites are made by embedding piezoelectric fibers/rods in polymer matrix materials. Fiber–matrix interface fracture can affect the performance of piezocomposites. In this paper, axisymmetric interfacial cracks in piezocomposites are studied by considering an idealized model of a single piezoelectric fiber in a matrix material. The displacement discontinuity method is used to formulate the Mode I and II crack problems. The fundamental solutions required for DDM are derived explicitly by using the electroelastic field equations and Fourier integral transforms. The dependence of Mode I and II stress intensity factors of single and multiple interface cracks on fiber and matrix material properties, crack length and distance between cracks are investigated.     

Montmorillonite polyaniline nanocomposites: Preparation,characterization and investigation of mechanical properties

The interest in clay polymer nanocomposites (CPN) materials, initially developed by researchers at Toyota, has grown dramatically over the last decade. They have attracted great interest, both in industry and in academia, because they often exhibit remarkable improvement in materials’ properties when compared with virgin polymer or conventional micro- and macro-composites. These improvements can include high moduli, increased strength and heat resistance, decreased gas permeability and flammability, optical transparency and increased biodegradability of biodegradable polymers. Such enhancement in the properties of nanocomposites occurs mostly due to their unique phase morphology and improved interfacial properties. Because of these enhanced properties they find applications in the fields of electronics, automobile industry, packaging, and construction. This study aims at investigating the mechanical property enhancement of polyaniline (PANI) intercalated with montmorillonite (MMT) clay. The MMT–PANI nanocomposites displayed improved mechanical properties compared to the neat polymer or clay. The enhancement was achieved at low clay content probably due to its exfoliated structure. The increased interfacial areas and improved bond characteristics may attribute to the mechanical property enhancement.     

Segmentation of Clustered Nuclei With Shape Markers and Marking Function

We present a method to separate clustered nuclei from fluorescence microscopy cellular images, using shape markers and marking function in a watershed-like algorithm. Shape markers are extracted using an adaptive H-minima transform. A marking function based on the outer distance transform is introduced to accurately separate clustered nuclei. With synthetic images, we quantitatively demonstrate the performance of our method and provide comparisons with existing approaches. On mouse neuronal and Drosophila cellular images, we achieved 6%-7% improvement of segmentation accuracies over earlier methods.     

Analysis and Design of a Micromachined Electric-Field Sensor

In this paper, the design and experimental results for a novel micromachined electric-field sensor are presented. The operation of the sensor is based on chopping an incident field with a shutter and measuring the induced charge on two sets of electrodes situated below the shutter. Employing of thermal actuators to move the shutter allows for substantial reduction in drive-signal amplitude as compared to electrostatic actuators which has consequently resulted in less interference from the drive signal. Moreover, the drive and sense signals are separated in the frequency domain owing to the inherent nonlinearity of thermal actuators, further improving the accuracy and resolution of the measurements. The relatively small displacements produced by thermal actuators are mechanically amplified using a novel lever mechanism. The sensor is capable of measuring fields as small as 42 V/m using actuation signals on the order of 60 mV.     

Electro-mechanical load transfer from a fiber in a 1–3 piezocomposite with an imperfect interface

This paper considers the electro-mechanical interaction between a fiber and a matrix material in a 1–3 piezocomposite due to an axial load and electric charge applied to the fiber. The fiber–matrix interface is assumed to be mechanically imperfect and is represented by a spring-factor model. The interface is either electrically open- or short-circuited. The analytical general solutions corresponding to an infinite piezoelectric fiber with a vertical body force and an electric body charge are derived by using Fourier integral transforms. These solutions together with the analytical general solutions for a transversely isotropic elastic medium are used to formulate the fiber–matrix interaction problem. Selected numerical results for the fiber axial force and vertical electric field, and interfacial stresses are presented for representative 1–3 piezocomposites. The influence of the interface stiffness on the electro-mechanical load diffusion is also examined.     

Electrically conducting polypyrrole-fuller's earth nanocomposites: Their preparation and characterisation

Cu(II)-exchanged fuller's earth was prepared by ion-exchanging Ca²⁺ ions which are present within the interlayer of fuller's earth with Cu(II)ions by the solution-phase ion-exchange process. Pyrrole was introduced into Cu(II)-exchanged fuller's earth to spontaneously polymerize to within the interlayer to result in a nanocomposite of Cu(I)-polypyrrole-fuller's earth where both Cu(I) and polypyrrole occupy within the interlayer spaces of fuller's earth. The nanomaterial [Cu(I)-PPY-FE] has been fully characterized with X-ray diffraction studies, FTIR spectroscopy, DC polarisation test with both blocking stainless steel and non-blocking copper electrodes. The material is found to be a mixed conductor whose ionic mobility is 1.5 times faster than electronic mobility. DC polarisation studies also clearly revealed that the mobile ionic species in this material to be cuprous ions. AC impedance studies have been carried out with blocking stainless steel electrodes at different applied potentials. The necessary theoretical background to explain AC impedance results is also provided and the results obtained agree very well with the corresponding data obtained by other mutually independent methods. The electronic conductivities are around 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and the ionic conductivities are around 9.0 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹. The material may find applications in semi-fuel cells such as air-metal batteries.     

The interconnected CaCO3 coated SnO2 nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cell with superior performance

Design, Development, fabrication and investigation of the I–V characteristics of the DSSC based on interconnected 15 nm SnO₂ nanoparticles covered with a nano-scale thin layer of CaCO₃ are described. The presence of CaCO₃ has been confirmed by its characteristic XRD pattern and EDX plots. The thickness of the protective layer can be conveniently controlled by the molar ratio of SnO₂:CaCO₃ used in the preparation of the thin film and the optimum conditions for best performance of the DSSC are presented together with possible explanations for the variations observed when the molar ratio is changed. An optimum light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.4% in the presence of a layer of CaCO₃ has been obtained which is 3.2 times enhancement over the cell prepared without CaCO₃. The characterization of the surface using different techniques is explained.