More Than Stories With Buttons: Narrative,Mechanics, and Context as Determinants of Player Experience in Digital Games

Recent research has attempted to describe meaningful experiences with entertainment media that go beyond hedonic enjoyment. Most of this research focuses on noninteractive media, such as film and television. When applied to digital games, however, such research needs to account for not only the content of the medium, but also the unique dimensions of digital games that distinguish them from noninteractive media. Experiences with digital games are shaped by the game mechanics that define the users' interaction with game content, as well as by the opportunities for social interaction that many games offer. We argue that the complex interplay of these dimensions (narrative, mechanics, and context) facilitates or inhibits meaningful user experiences in ways that are unique to digital games.     

Nanotubular boron-carbon heterojunctions

Linear nanotubular boron-carbon heterojunctions are systematically constructed and studied with the help of ab initio total energy calculations. The structural compatibility of the two classes of materials is shown, and a simple recipe that determines all types of stable linear junctions is illustrated in some detail. Our results also suggest the compatibility of various technologically interesting types of nanotubular materials, leading to different types of nanotubular compound materials, and pointing out the possibility of wiring nanotubular devices within heterogeneous nanotubular networks.     

Multireference configuration interaction study of bromocarbenes

Multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations of the lowest singlet X(1A') and triplet ?((3)A') states as well as the first excited singlet ?((1)A') state have been performed for a series of bromocarbenes: CHBr, CFBr, CClBr, CBr(2), and CIBr. The MRCI calculations were performed with correlation consistent basis sets of valence triple-ζ plus polarization quality, employing a full-valence active space of 18 electrons in 12 orbitals (12 and 9, respectively, for CHBr). Results obtained include equilibrium geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies for each of the electronic states, along with ?((3)A') ← X((1)A') singlet-triplet gaps and ?((1)A') ← X((1)A') transition energies. Comparisons have been made with previous computational and experimental results where available. The MRCI calculations presented in this work provide a comprehensive series of results at a consistent high level of theory for all of the bromocarbenes.     

Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of the elastocaloric cooling effect in sputter-deposited TiNiCuCo thin films

The exploitation of the elastocaloric effect in superelastic shape memory alloys (SMA) for cooling applications shows a promising energy efficiency potential but requires a better understanding of the non-homogeneous martensitic phase transformation. Temperature profiles on sputter-deposited superelastic \({\mathrm {Ti_{55.2}Ni_{29.3}Cu_{12.7}Co_{2.8}}}\) shape memory alloy thin films show localized release and absorption of heat during phase transformation induced by tensile deformation with a strong rate dependence. In this paper, a model for the simulation of the thermo-mechanically coupled transformation behavior of superelastic SMA is proposed and its capability to reproduce the mechanical and thermal responses observed during experiments is shown. The procedure for experiment and simulation is designed such that a significant temperature change from the initial temperature is obtained to allow potential cooling applications. The simulation of non-local effects is enabled by the use of a model based on the one-dimensional Müller–Achenbach–Seelecke model, extended by 3D mechanisms such as lateral contraction and by non-local interaction, leading to localization effects. It is implemented into the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics, and comparisons of numerical and experimental results show that the model is capable of reproducing the localized transformation behavior with the same strain rate dependency. Additionally to the thermal and the mechanical behavior, the quantitative prediction of cooling performance with the presented model is shown.     

On structural stability for semiflows

Some results on structural stability which are known to hold for flows of a compact manifold are extended to semiflows of a Banach space.     

Extended range of second harmonic generation in β-BaB2O4

Cooling a β-barium metaborate crystal to 89 K extends second harmonic generation to 203.1 nm and greatly increases it efficiency     

Boron nanotubes.

A survey of novel classes of nanotubular materials based on boron is presented. Pure boron nanotubes are a consequence of a general Aufbau principle for boron clusters and solid boron phases, which postulates various novel boron materials besides the well-known bulk phases of boron based on boron icosahedra. Furthermore, several numerical studies suggest the existence of a large family of compound nanotubular materials derived from crystalline AlB2. We compare these novel boron-based nanotubular materials to standard nanotubular systems built from carbon, and point out a number of remarkable structural and electronic properties that make boron-based nanotubular materials an ideal component for composite nanodevices and extended nanotubular networks.     

M(H) shape reconstruction using magnetic spectroscopy

Knowledge about the magnetization behavior M(H) is crucial for the use of magnetic materials in engineering applications. To date many systems exist that are able to measure the magnetization behavior, e.g. VSM, VCM, MOKE. In addition to their huge costs, complex and space-consuming measurement setup, large amount of preparatory work and restricted surface measurements are handicaps which restrict their field of application. Furthermore, the influence of additional physical quantities such as temperature, strain or pressure can only be investigated with great efforts. These influences are, however, of major importance in the development of magnetic sensor systems that are based on the change in magnetic properties.In this paper, a new measurement principle based on a frequency mixing technique is introduced for investigation of the shape of the magnetization curve of soft non-hysteretic magnetic materials. Based on the Taylor expansion of the magnetization curve and the spectral investigation of the inductively detected signal, a mathematical model for the reconstruction of M(H) is proposed. The model is both numerically and experimentally verified. It is shown that the magnetization curve of a nanocrystalline soft magnetic material used in this study can be reconstructed very accurately and the influence of an additional parameter, i.e. strain, can be investigated in detail as well.