Charge Transfer Induced Polarity Switching in Carbon Nanotube Transistors

We probed the charge transfer interaction between the amine-containing molecules: hydrazine, polyaniline and aminobutyl phosphonic acid, and carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs). We successfully converted p-type CNTFETs to n-type and drastically improved the device performance in both the ON- and OFF- transistor states utilizing hydrazine as dopant. We effectively switched the transistor polarity between p- and n- type by accessing different oxidation states of polyaniline. We also demonstrated the flexibility of modulating the threshold voltage (Vth) of a CNTFET by engineering various charge-accepting and -donating groups in the same molecule.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

The Effect of Using of TBLT on Vocabulary Learning by Deaf or Hard of Hearing Learners

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on the learning of new lexical items by Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) learners. For this purpose, 30 beginner learners, studying English in the first grade of high school in two exceptional learners’ education centers in Yazd, Iran were selected. They were divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. The experimental group received Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) treatment within which new lexical items were taught through different techniques based on form-focused task design. In the control group, the learners were learning the vocabulary items through the traditional method of Grammar Translation Method (GTM). Firstly a pre-test based on pictures was given to DHH learners. After 9 sessions of treatment, each lasted 30 minutes, a post-test was given to learners. T-test was used to analyze the data collected. The results showed that there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups. From different perspectives, the implication of this study can be discussed. This study can open an opportunity for teachers of DHH learners to experience some teaching methods not usually used in exceptional educational curriculum. Furthermore, these methods may be of high potentials for exceptional learners

Improvement of Seismic Performance of Beam-column Connection With Replaceable Drilled Attachment Parts

Since beam-column connection plays a prominent role in steel structures, by designing and constructing it properly, the structure will behave better and safer. Numerous researches are carried out on steel connections, like Reduced Beam Section (RBS) and Drilled Flange Connection (DFC). Each connection has advantages and disadvantages. This study evaluates the effect of different connections on behavior of steel moment frames. The connections evaluated in this study are as follows: Connection with drilled attachment part, drilled connection with identical and variable diameter, beam connection with reduced flange. This connection contains one or two replaceable drilled parts that are mounted in connection place. The connection is modeled using the ABAQUS software. Finally, Finite Elements Modeling (FEM) is utilized to calculate the stiffness of each connection. According to the results of the newly introduced connection in terms of energy absorption and ductility is the best example and among the drilled models investigated in this study, drilled connection with variable diameter (proportional to diamond shape) which performed better in terms of behavior and performance than the other perforated models. Also, reduced flange connection ranks third in performance. In proposed connection the plastic hinge is formed at the attachment part of the connection that is replaceable, also there is little damage to the beams and columns, which is one of the main benefits of this connection

Seismic Performance of High-Rise RC Shear Wall Buildings Subjected to Ground Motions with Various Frequency Contents

Construction of tall buildings in societies is rising up for the increased population and limitation in horizontal expansion of cities. Therefore, behavior of these structures against earthquake essentially requires investigation. Recent research has shown that frequency content parameter of an earthquake has remarkable impacts on seismic response of buildings. This study aimed to investigate direct effects of frequency content on high – rise buildings. Thus, six Reinforced Concrete (RC) central core 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35- story buildings were built in open source software OpenSees, and their seismic behavior under seismic records with various frequency contents were investigated. In this research,  non – linear dynamic Time – History was carried out and also behavior of buildings was compared in drift, shear force of stories, and maximum displacement of stories. Results of Time – History analysis showed that low – frequency content records have the highest effects on buildings. Most of the responses of drift and displacement of stories pertained to low – frequency contents in low – rise 10 and 15-story buildings. Although the most shear force of stories was related to low – frequency contents, with increasing height of buildings, shear force of stories increased, too. So that under Kobe Japan record which has the lowest frequency content among all records in this paper. Maximum shear force of stories was 6840 ton in 10-story building, whereas it was 12332 ton in 35- story building

Governments need better guidance to maximise value for money: the case of Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee

Published online: 27 January 2016In Australia, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) makes recommendations to the Minister for Health on which pharmaceuticals should be subsidised. Given the implications of PBAC recommendations for government finances and population health, PBAC is required to provide advice primarily on the basis of value for money. The aim of this article is twofold: to describe some major limitations of the current PBAC decision-making process in relation to its implicit aim of maximising value for money; and to suggest what might be done toward overcoming these limitations. This should also offer lessons for the many decision-making bodies around the world which are similar to PBAC. The current PBAC decision-making process is limited in two important respects. First, it features the use of an implicit incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold that may not reflect the opportunity cost of funding a new technology, with unknown and possibly negative consequences for population health. Second, the process does not feature a means of systematically assessing how a technology may be of greater or lesser value in light of factors that are not captured by standard measures of cost effectiveness, but which are nonetheless important, particularly to the Australian community. Overcoming these limitations would mean that PBAC could be more confident of maximising value for money when making funding decisions.Drew Carter, Arlene Vogan, Hossein Haji Ali Afzal

ReMeCo:Reliable Memristor-Based in-Memory Neuromorphic Computation

Memristor-based in-memory neuromorphic computing systems promise a highly efficient implementation of vector-matrix multiplications, commonly used in artificial neural networks (ANNs). However, the immature fabrication process of memristors and circuit level limitations, i.e., stuck-at-fault (SAF), IR-drop, and device-to-device (D2D) variation, degrade the reliability of these platforms and thus impede their wide deployment. In this paper, we present ReMeCo, a redundancy-based reliability improvement framework. It addresses the non-idealities while constraining the induced overhead. It achieves this by performing a sensitivity analysis on ANN. With the acquired insight, ReMeCo avoids the redundant calculation of least sensitive neurons and layers. ReMeCo uses a heuristic approach to find the balance between recovered accuracy and imposed overhead. ReMeCo further decreases hardware redundancy by exploiting the bit-slicing technique. In addition, the framework employs the ensemble averaging method at the output of every ANN layer to incorporate the redundant neurons. The efficacy of the ReMeCo is assessed using two well-known ANN models, i.e., LeNet, and AlexNet, running the MNIST and CIFAR10 datasets. Our results show 98.5% accuracy recovery with roughly 4% redundancy which is more than 20× lower than the state-of-the-art.</p

Pathology of the Process of Selecting Military Ranks in Arabic Dictionaries

One of the problems for translators is the adaptation to military ranks. The difficulty of a translator is doubled when the number of military ranks in the source and target languages is not the same; as a result, these terms remain unequal in one of the two languages, because there are differences in the military structure of the armed forces of countries that ignoring them can create problems for translators. After describing Iran's military ranks and comparing it with Arab countries, the present study examines general and specialized dictionaries and investigates how to find their equivalence, using a descriptive-analytical and comparative method. The results indicate that most of the general dictionaries did not have sufficient knowledge of specialized fields and did not study the terms of this field carefully and specialized dictionaries could not be equivalent due to the fact that they were written by military people and had no information about the structure of Arab countries. The best way to choose an equivalent for the terms of military ranks is "equivalent selection after recognizing the pattern of military ranks of Iran and Arab countries

The effectiveness of assertiveness training on the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression of high school students

Background: Adolescence is a transition period from childhood to early adulthood. Because of the immense pressure imposed on adolescents due to the complications and ambiguities of this transition, their level of excitement increases and sometimes it appears in the form of sensitivity and intense excitement. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the effectiveness of assertiveness training on the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression of high school students. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on high school students of Isfahan in academic year 2012 -13. A total of 126 second grade high school students were collected according to simple random sampling method and divided into two groups: experimental with 63 participants and control with the same number. Data gathering instruments included a demographic questionnaire, Gambill-Richey assertiveness scale, and depression anxiety stress scales (DASS-21). Assertiveness training was carried out on the experimental group in 8 sessions; after 8 weeks, posttest was carried out on both groups. Statistical tests such as independent t test, repeated measures ANOVA, Chi-square test, and the Mann-Whitney test were used to interpret and analyze the data. Results: The Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests did not show significant statistical differences between the two groups in terms of demographic variables (P = 0.05). Repeated measures ANOVA showed no significant difference between the mean scores for assertiveness before (100.23 ± 7.37), immediately after (101.57 ± 16.06), and 2 months after (100.77 ± 12.50) the intervention in the control group. However, the same test found a significant difference between the mean score for assertiveness in the experimental group before (101.6 ± 9.1), immediately after (96.47 ± 10.84), and 2 months after (95.41 ± 8.37) implementing the training program (P = 0.002). The independent t test showed no significant difference in the mean score for anxiety and stress between two groups before the assertiveness training program; however, 2 months after the intervention, the mean score for anxiety in the experimental group was found significantly lower than the control group. As for the mean score for depression, the independent t test showed no significant difference between two groups before training; however, despite the decrease in the mean scores for depression in the experimental group following the intervention, the difference was not significant (P = 0.09). Conclusions: The results of the current study show that conducting assertive training in high school students decreases their anxiety, stress, and depression. Given that high school years are among the most sensitive stages of one’s life plus the fact that conducting such training programs besides their safe and low cost nature are effective and practical, it is highly recommended that such programs be carried out among high school adolescents. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal