The application of Artificial Neural Network for the assessment of thermal properties of multi-layer semiconductor structure

In this paper, the solution of the problem of identification of thermal properties of investigated multi-layer structure is presented. In order of that, artificial neural network was used to find the set of thermal properties for which the complex contrast characteric derived fits the best to the one evaluated basing upon experimenatal data.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions (http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions

Neural Correlates of Social Behavior in Mushroom Body Extrinsic Neurons of the Honeybee Apis mellifera

The social behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera) has been extensively investigated, but little is known about its neuronal correlates. We developed a method that allowed us to record extracellularly from mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MB ENs) in a freely moving bee within a small but functioning mini colony of approximately 1,000 bees. This study aimed to correlate the neuronal activity of multimodal high-order MB ENs with social behavior in a close to natural setting. The behavior of all bees in the colony was video recorded. The behavior of the recorded animal was compared with other hive mates and no significant differences were found. Changes in the spike rate appeared before, during or after social interactions. The time window of the strongest effect on spike rate changes ranged from 1 s to 2 s before and after the interaction, depending on the individual animal and recorded neuron. The highest spike rates occurred when the experimental animal was situated close to a hive mate. The variance of the spike rates was analyzed as a proxy for high order multi-unit processing. Comparing randomly selected time windows with those in which the recorded animal performed social interactions showed a significantly increased spike rate variance during social interactions. The experimental set-up employed for this study offers a powerful opportunity to correlate neuronal activity with intrinsically motivated behavior of socially interacting animals. We conclude that the recorded MB ENs are potentially involved in initiating and controlling social interactions in honeybees

Solid state NMR of salivary calculi: Proline-rich salivary proteins, citrate, polysaccharides, lipids, and organic–mineral interactions

Solid state NMR (ssNMR) can characterize mineral (31P) and organic (13C) components of human salivary stones (n = 8). All show apatitic 31P spectra. 13C ssNMR indicates more protein, of more consistent composition, than apatitic uroliths, with signals from Tyr, Phe and His prominent. Citrate and lipid, identified by dipolar dephasing (DD), and polysaccharides are also observable in varying amounts. 13C{31P} rotational echo double resonance (13C{31P} REDOR) identifies carbon atoms in close (< ca. 0.5 nm) proximity to phosphorus and therefore probably binding with mineral. Citrate, sugar and carboxylate signals undergo strong 13C{31P} REDOR, also seen to signals between 50 and 60 ppm, from protein α- carbons and, possibly, phosphoserines and phospholipids, and sometimes to a 35 – 40 ppm envelope containing Asp-Cβ and Glu-Cγ signals. Amino acid analysis indicates high proline and aromatic content. 13C ssNMR and amino acid composition is consistent with preponderance of proline-rich salivary proteins such as statherin.The U.K. EPSRC (Y. L.) and MRC (D. G. R.) for fundingThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.crci.2015.07.00

Observation of a correlated free four-neutron system

A long-standing question in nuclear physics is whether chargeless nuclear systems can exist. To our knowledge, only neutron stars represent near-pure neutron systems, where neutrons are squeezed together by the gravitational force to very high densities. The experimental search for isolated multi-neutron systems has been an ongoing quest for several decades1, with a particular focus on the four-neutron system called the tetraneutron, resulting in only a few indications of its existence so far2–4, leaving the tetraneutron an elusive nuclear system for six decades. Here we report on the observation of a resonance-like structure near threshold in the four-neutron system that is consistent with a quasi-bound tetraneutron state existing for a very short time. The measured energy and width of this state provide a key benchmark for our understanding of the nuclear force. The use of an experimental approach based on a knockout reaction at large momentum transfer with a radioactive high-energy 8 He beam was key.S

The method of non-linear distortions elimination in photoacoustic investigation of layered semiconductor structure

This paper presents the consideration of the presence and the influence of non-linear distortion of photo-acoustic measurement set-up on the results of thermal properties analysis for the multi-layer semiconductor structure. The authors propose a method which will eliminate such an influence

Solid state NMR of isotope labelled murine fur: a powerful tool to study atomic level keratin structure and treatment effects

We have prepared mouse fur extensively $^{13}$C,$^{15}$N-labelled in all amino acid types enabling application of 2D solid state NMR techniques which establish covalent and spatial proximities within, and in favorable cases between, residues. $^{13}$C double quantum-single quantum correlation and proton driven spin diffusion techniques are particularly useful for resolving certain amino acid types. Unlike 1D experiments on isotopically normal material, the 2D methods allow the chemical shifts of entire spin systems of numerous residue types to be determined, particularly those with one or more distinctively shifted atoms such as Gly, Ser, Thr, Tyr, Phe, Val, Leu, Ile and Pro. Also the partial resolution of the amide signals into two signal envelopes comprising of $\alpha$-helical, and $\beta$-sheet/random coil components, enables resolution of otherwise overlapped $\alpha$-carbon signals into two distinct cross peak families corresponding to these respective secondary structural regions. The increase in resolution conferred by extensive labelling offers new opportunities to study the chemical fate and structural environments of specific atom and amino acid types under the influence of commercial processes, and therapeutic or cosmetic treatments.Medical Research Council (Grant ID: RG75828), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Ph.D. studentships), National Institute of Health Researc

Revealing Our Melting Past: Rescuing Historical Snow and Ice Data

Analog archival data can supplement modern digital research, but only if those data are preserved, described, and migrated to appropriate formats. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) is responsible for managing, archiving, and disseminating cryospheric and polar data. The clear majority of these data are digital, but the NSIDC also houses a collection of historical archival materials that include measurements related to the earth\u27s glaciated regions prior to the development of modern instrumentation. Their formats, however, are not conducive to contemporary analysis, rendering them ostensibly “lost” to research. This paper describes a series of efforts to provide access to these collections that date back to their original acquisition, as long ago as the mid-nineteenth century, with focus primarily on activities over the last 15 years. The most recent effort was funded by the Council on Library & Information Resources and won the 2016 International Data Rescue Award. The intent is to highlight key challenges, and our proposed own solutions to those challenges, in designing a digitization project centered on providing online access to analog data in glaciological, geomorphological, and related research

Modified Structure of Protons and Neutrons in Correlated Pairs

The atomic nucleus is made of protons and neutrons (nucleons), that arethemselves composed of quarks and gluons. Understanding how the quark-gluonstructure of a nucleon bound in an atomic nucleus is modified by thesurrounding nucleons is an outstanding challenge. Although evidence for suchmodification, known as the EMC effect, was first observed over 35 years ago,there is still no generally accepted explanation of its cause. Recentobservations suggest that the EMC effect is related to close-proximity ShortRange Correlated (SRC) nucleon pairs in nuclei. Here we report the firstsimultaneous, high-precision, measurements of the EMC effect and SRCabundances. We show that the EMC data can be explained by a universalmodification of the structure of nucleons in neutron-proton (np) SRC pairs andpresent the first data-driven extraction of this universal modificationfunction. This implies that, in heavier nuclei with many more neutrons thanprotons, each proton is more likely than each neutron to belong to an SRC pairand hence to have its quark structure distorted