Mixed traffic flow model considering illegal lane-changing behavior: Simulations in the framework of Kerner’s three-phase theory

This paper studies the mixed motorized vehicle (m$m$-vehicle) and non-motorized vehicle (nm$nm$-vehicle) traffic flow in the m$m$-vehicle lane. We study the formation mechanism of the nm$nm$-vehicle illegal lane-changing behavior (NILB) by considering the overtaking motivation and the traffic safety awareness. In the framework of Kerner’s three-phase theory, we propose a model for the mixed traffic flow by introducing a new set of rules. A series of simulations are carried out in order to reveal the formation, travel process and influence of the mixed traffic flow. The simulation results show that the proposed model can be used to study not only the travel characteristic of the mixed traffic flow, but also some complex traffic problems such as traffic breakdown, moving synchronized flow pattern (MSP) and moving jam. Moreover, the results illustrate that the proposed model reflects the phenomenon of the mixed flow and the influence of the MSP caused by the NILB, which is consistent with the actual traffic system, and thus this work is helpful for the management of the mixed traffic flow.     

A two-component geodesic equation on a space of constant positive curvature

We propose a new two-component geodesic equation with the unusual property that the underlying space has constant positive curvature. In the special case of one space dimension, the equation reduces to the two-component Hunter–Saxton equation.     

High-performance ZnO nanoflake moisture sensor

Humidity control is an important issue across variety of industries. In this study, a novel zinc oxide (ZnO) flake-based humidity sensor was fabricated and characterized. It was found that fast response sensor can be achieved by substituting conventional sputter ZnO thin films with nano-flakes. It is proposed that the enhancement in dynamic performance originate from the high surface area offered by the nanoflakes.     

Blue–green and red luminescence from ZnO/porous silicon and ZnO:Cu/porous silicon nanocomposite films

Both ZnO and Cu doped ZnO films with strong c-axis preferred orientation have been successfully prepared on porous silicon substrate, formed by electrochemical anodization, using radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering method. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the intensity of (0 0 2) diffraction peak first decreased and then increased with the Cu doping content increasing. Meanwhile new weak (1 0 0), (1 0 1), (1 0 2) and (1 1 0) diffraction peaks appeared after doping. The optical band edge of ZnO:Cu films, deduced from the optical absorption spectra, shifted to a longer wavelength comparing with the undoped sample and we attributed this red shift phenomenon to the decreasing of carrier concentration. The broad light emission from 350 to 800 nm was obtained by combining the blue–green emission from ZnO with red–orange emission from porous silicon. This could be used as a source of white light emitting diode chips underlying the importance of our work. The variation and origin of the emission peaks were discussed through the Gaussian deconvolution, and the Raman scattering spectral revealed the characteristics of porous silicon and multiphonon processes.     

Pressure‐induced incompressibility and point singularity of mechanical properties of TaC in NiAs‐type structure

The structural and elastic properties of TaC in NiAs‐type structure under high pressure have been investigated using first principles calculations based on density functional theory. Results indicate that the incompressibility along the c‐axis of TaC exceeds that of diamond under higher pressure. Particularly, an interesting point singularity exists in its mechanical properties as the pressure increases from 20 GPa to 40 GPa. The minimal shear modulus, Young's modulus, Debye temperature, and maximum Poisson ratio of TaC are simultaneously obtained at 28 GPa. The calculations of hardness indicate that the NiAs‐type TaC crystal possesses excellent mechanical properties. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Controlled synthesis of luminescent CuInS2 nanocrystals and their optical properties

Luminescent CuInS₂ nanocrystals have been synthesized in dodecanethiol using air-stable precursors. The nanocrystals were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The optical properties of the CuInS₂ nanocrystals can be controlled by changing the reaction conditions, such as reaction time, temperature, and addition of ligands. It was found that the steady-state photoluminescence spectrum of the close-packed CuInS₂ nanocrystals on glass substrate peaked at longer wavelength than that of the colloidal ones and the close-packed nanocrystals possessed a shorter luminescence decay time. This behavior was explained on the basis of Förster resonant energy transfer due to the shorter distance between nanocrystals on substrate.     

Investigation of luminescence properties in SiO2: Tb,Yb upconversion inverse opal

The SiO₂: Tb, Yb inverse opals with photonic band gap at 465 or 543 nm were prepared, and an effect of photonic band gap on upconversion spontaneous emission from Tb³⁺ was investigated. The results show that the photonic band gap has a significant influence on the upconversion emission of the SiO₂: Tb, Yb inverse opals. The upconversion luminescence of the Tb³⁺ ions is suppressed in the inverse opal compared with the luminescence of that of the reference sample.     

Crystal structure and photoluminescence of (Ba1−x−ySryEux)9Sc2Si6O24

Divalent europium-doped alkaline earth metal silicate phosphors, (Ba_1?x?ySr_yEu_x)₉Sc₂Si₆O₂₄ (x=0.005–0.1, y=0–0.95), have been successfully prepared by solid-state reaction at 1350 °C. The analysis of X-ray diffraction shows that the compounds are in a single phase at the proper concentration of Sr²⁺. At room temperature, the Eu²⁺-activated Ba₉Sc₂Si₆O₂₄ phosphor exhibits a single emission band peaking at about 506 nm. With the increasing content of Sr²⁺, the luminescent intensity of (Ba_1?x?ySr_yEu_x)₉Sc₂Si₆O₂₄ weakens, and the emission peak shifts towards red. Luminescence concentration quenching occurs when Eu²⁺ content x is more than 1 mol% in (Ba_1?x?ySr_yEu_x)₉Sc₂Si₆O₂₄ (y=0/0.2). At low temperatures (Ba_0.9?ySr_yEu_0.1)₉Sc₂Si₆O₂₄ (y=0/0.2) phosphors have two emission bands corresponding to different Eu²⁺ crystallographic sites. The high energy peak (P₁) is quenched at room temperature, while the low energy peak (P₂) weakens much more slowly owing to the energy transfer from P₁ to P₂.     

Robust synchronization and anti-synchronization of identical Φ6 oscillators via adaptive sliding mode control

The main goal of this paper is to propose the single input robust adaptive sliding mode controllers to accomplish synchronization and anti-synchronization between two identical Φ⁶ Duffing or Van der Pol oscillators with unmodel dynamics and external disturbances. Unlike directly eliminating the nonlinear dynamics by active control and sliding mode control in the literature, the proposed sliding mode controllers include the equivalent control part, which is only proportional to the synchronized error states, and the switching control part, where the discontinuous control functions have adaptive feedback gains. Sufficient conditions are provided based on the Lyapunov stability theorem and numerical simulations are performed to verify the effectiveness of presented schemes.     

Non-specular reflection of self-collimated beams in photonic-crystal-made prism and waveguide system

We demonstrate a dual-beam-reflection phenomenon for a Gaussian beam illuminating at a Kretschmann configuration composed of a photonic-crystal-made prism and a dielectric waveguide. One reflection beam has a positive shift and the other has a negative shift. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) shows that the specific phenomenon takes place only when the corresponding quasi-guided mode supported in the Kretschmann configuration is excited. Field profile of the quasi-guided mode demonstrates a strong localized stationary field in the dielectric waveguide. We found that the maximum positive lateral shift (LS) is 14.27a (where a is the lattice constant), corresponding to 3.07 times of the incident wavelength, which is 0.7135 times of the beam waist and much larger than that in some previous reports.