Thermodynamics of Crystal Nucleation in an External Electric Field

The influence of electric field on crystal nucleation in a saturated solution has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. The classical equations for nucleation have been used to determine the free energy of formation, critical radius of the cluster and the concentration of the critical nuclei. The theory shows that an externally applied electric field can modify the free energy of formation of a crystalline cluster in its aqueous solution. The impact of the field will be stronger on large molecules. Two experimental set ups have been designed to study the nucleation of crystals in saturated aqueous solutions, in the presence of electric fields. Experiments conducted using a metal coordination compound bis‐ thiourea zinc chloride show that electric fields of strength around 10⁵ V/m would increase its nucleation.     

Experimental and Theoretical Vibrational Spectra of Sideridiol Isolated from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sideritis</Emphasis> Species

Sideridiol (ent-7α,18β-dihydroxykaur-15-ene) one of the ent-kaurene diterpenoid, is isolated from the genus Sideritis L. belongs to the family of Lamiaceae. The vibrational frequencies of sideridiol in the ground state have been calculated using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method with the 6-31G(d) and 6 31+G(d,p) basis sets. The calculated vibrational frequencies have been compared with that of obtained experimental IR spectrum.     

Salicylic acid derivatives form stable complexes with scandium(III) ion in aqueous solution

The stability constants of 5-nitrosalicylic acid (5-NSA) and 5-sulfosalicylic acid (5-SSA) complexes of Sc(III) were determined by potentiomeric pH titration. ML and ML2 type first and second complexes were observed in the solutions of 5-NSA and 5-SSA with Sc(III) at 25 degrees C in I=0.1 M ionic medium. The stability constants of Sc(III)-5NSA and Sc(III)-5SSA systems were also investigated by spectrophotometry to determine the stoichiometries of the complexes formed in the reactions. Our results showed that Sc(III)-5SSA complexes are more stable than the Sc(III)-5NSA complexes in aqueous solutions.     

Improving the accuracy of expert predictions of the future success of new internet services

One of the challenging issues in new product development is the evaluation of the future success of new product initiatives and the elimination of those with unpromising futures. The difficulty of assessing the future success of a new offering is more highlighted for new services than is for new products because of the unique characteristics of services. Earlier studies suggested that a number of factors can affect the quality of evaluating the future success of new products or services. Building on previous studies, this paper offers the first empirical tests of the roles of two important factors (task structuring and expertise sharing) in improving the quality of expert predictions of the future success of new Internet services. It presents an empirical study based on a longitudinal survey that involves both the initial predictions and the actual results for two Internet services to test related hypotheses. The results showed that these factors can significantly improve the predictive accuracy of experts in evaluating new Internet services. More importantly, the results also indicated a significant substitution effect between the factors, suggesting that either of these factors is sufficient to make major improvements in the accuracy of the evaluations. Because the factors can largely substitute for each other; however, using both can lead to only minor improvements over and above using just one.     

Stochastic resonance on Newman-Watts networks of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons with local periodic driving

We study the phenomenon of stochastic resonance on Newman-Watts small-world networks consisting of biophysically realistic Hodgkin-Huxley neurons with a tunable intensity of intrinsic noise via voltage-gated ion channels embedded in neuronal membranes. Importantly thereby, the subthreshold periodic driving is introduced to a single neuron of the network, thus acting as a pacemaker trying to impose its rhythm on the whole ensemble. We show that there exists an optimal intensity of intrinsic ion channel noise by which the outreach of the pacemaker extends optimally across the whole network. This stochastic resonance phenomenon can be further amplified via fine-tuning of the small-world network structure, and depends significantly also on the coupling strength among neurons and the driving frequency of the pacemaker. In particular, we demonstrate that the noise-induced transmission of weak localized rhythmic activity peaks when the pacemaker frequency matches the intrinsic frequency of subthreshold oscillations. The implications of our findings for weak signal detection and information propagation across neural networks are discussed.     

Volume Contents

Volume Contents

Volume Contents     

Synthesis, characterization, and electrical and electrochemical properties of sandwich dilutetium tetraphthalocyanine

Lu2Pc2 and lithium hexylthio-phthalocyanine have been used to synthesize [Lu2(Pc)4] which exhibits variable range hopping conductivity as inorganic semiconductors and also observed electrochromic effect from cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurement.     

A new semiactive nonlinear adaptive controller for structures using MR damper: Design and experimental validation

In this study, we consider the vibration mitigation problem for a structural system using a magneto-rheological (MR) damper. For this purpose, through the use of Lyapunov-based design techniques, a nonlinear adaptive controller which can compensate the parametric uncertainties related to both the structural system and the MR damper has been constructed. To overcome effects of the unmeasurable internal dynamics of the MR damper on the controller, a filter-based design has been utilized. Experimental results performed on a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) structure installed on a shaking table, illustrating the viability and the performance of the proposed method are also included.