Fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures with electron beam induced deposition

The work described in this thesis was shaped by the goal---coming up new approaches to fabricate plasmonic materials with electron beam induced deposition (EBID). One-step, bottom-up and direct-write are typical adjectives that are used to indicate the advantageous properties of this technique. These properties enable us to produce complex, three-dimensional materials even on non-flat substrates in a rapid fashion. However, to fabricate plasmonic materials with EBID one needs to overcome some difficulties and limitations. The major challenge to solve is the impurity issue of the deposited metallic structures. We circumvent the impurity problem by deposition of silica instead of a metal. Metallic nanostructures are obtained by subsequent conformal thin gold film coating. At the end of the coating process we obtain a core-shell type plasmonic structures.\ud \ud Additionally with the local deposition feature of EBID we load the gap of plasmonic split-wire gold nanoantennas. The loading is established with silica deposition. The gap field of the nanoantennas are loaded with various amount of silica. The optical properties of the loaded antennas are investigated with CL spectroscopy. The results reveal that the gap loading shifts the antenna resonance towards longer wavelengths as a function of the amount of deposited silica.\ud \ud Light-matter interaction related studies beyond the classical limits of the optics (nanophotonics) is a broad field. Both fundamental and applied nanophotonics investigations require state-of-the-art nanostructures with various geometries and material properties to push the boundaries. The work in this thesis demonstrates that EBID is an attractive nanofabrication technique to produce nanostructures that are three-dimensional, tunable (active or passive), with different materials, on different types of surface

SVD-based on-line exercise ECG signal orthogonalization

Cataloged from PDF version of article.An orthogonalization method to eliminate unwanted signal components in standard 12-lead exercise electrocardiograms (ECG’s) is presented in this work. A singular-valuedecomposition-based algorithm is proposed to decompose the signal into two time-orthogonal subspaces; one containing the ECG and the other containing artifacts like baseline wander and electromyogram. The method makes use of redundancy in 12- lead ECG. The same method is also tested for reconstruction of a completely lost channel. The online implementation of the method is given. It is observed that the first two decomposed channels with highest energy are sufficient to reconstruct the STsegment and J-point. The dimension of the signal space, on the other hand, does not exceed three. Data from 23 patients, with duration ranging from 9 to 21 min, are used

B-> X_d \ell^+\ell^- in a CP softly broken two Higgs doublet model

We study the differential branching ratio, forward-backward asymmetry, CP-violating asymmetry, CP-violating asymmetry in the forward-backward asymmetry and polarization asymmetries of the final lepton in the B-> X_d \ell^+\ell^- decays in the context of a CP softly broken two Higgs doublet model. We analyze the dependencies of these observables on the model parameters by paying a special attention to the effects of neutral Higgs boson (NHB) exchanges and possible CP violating effects. We find that NHB effects are quite significant for the \tau mode. The above-mentioned observables seems to be promising as a testing ground for new physics beyond the SM, especially for the existence of the CP-violating phase in the theory.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure

The Correlates of Turkish Preschool Preservice Teachers’ Social Competence, Empathy and Communication Skills

The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between Turkish preschool pre-service teacher’s personal and educational characteristics, and their social competence, empathy, and communication skills. A total of 385 state university Turkish pre-service teachers (age range 18 to 32 years) from the early childhood education field completed a Demographic Information Form on personal and educational characteristics, the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) Scale measuring their social competence, The Scales of Empathic Tendency for measuring empathy skills, and a Communication Skills Evaluation Scale measuring communication skills. Bivariate Pearson-correlations, independent t tests, and one-way ANOVAs were used to test study hypotheses. Results indicated that women scored higher on empathy and communication skills, and having more friends was related to higher social competence and empathy. Pre-service teachers who were members of a social club scored higher on communication skills than their peers. Additional associations among variables, limitations, and future directions are discussed

Dimethyl (1-hydr­oxy-1,2-diphenyl­ethyl)phospho­nate

In the mol­ecule of the title compound, C16H19O4P, the coordination around the P atom is distorted tetra­hedral. The aromatic rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 72.28 (11)°. Intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonding result in the formation of five- and six-membered rings. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules. There is also a weak C—H⋯π inter­action

Scaffolding as a Tool for Environmental Education in Early Childhood

This paper describes the process of “scaffolding” as a teaching strategy in early childhood education, and demonstrates how scaffolding can promote children’s learning about the natural environment. Examples of scaffolding are provided from seventy-four running record observations made over a two-year period in a nature-based preschool program. Qualitative analysis examined the extent to which scaffolding was used to support children’s learning about nature; the types of scaffolding strategies used by teachers; whether high- and low-support strategies were used in specific types of situations; the effectiveness of scaffolding; and what children learned when teachers engaged them in scaffolding. Examples illustrate specific pedagogical strategies used in scaffolding. Scaffolding was used relatively frequently within the program (21% of events analyzed), and inferential questioning was the most frequently used strategy. Analysis did not reveal a pattern of high- or low-support strategies used in specific types of situations, but teachers flexibly used a variety of scaffolding strategies to support children’s learning about the natural environment. Preparation of physical and social environments for effective scaffolding is discussed, as well as the role of scaffolding in socializing children to engage in a culture of inquiry

EM BUSCA DOS PRINCÍPIOS DA GESTÃO DA QUALIDADE TOTAL EM SERVIÇOS DE PROJETO DE ARQUITETURA: DESTAQUES DA TURQUIA

Proposal: Architectural design companies increasingly recognize that time spent on management is not at the expense of their production and there are always better ways to organize business. Although architects have long placed a traditional emphasis on quality, quality management is still a new concept for the majority of architectural design companies, which have to organize relatively more complicated operations nowadays to meet their clients’ expectations. This study aims to understand how architectural design companies define quality and explores the extent to which Total Quality Management (TQM) principles like continual improvement, employee involvement, customer satisfaction and others can be pertinent in these companies. Adopting a qualitative research strategy, the authors interviewed with the owner-managers of 10 widely-recognized architectural design companies of different size in Istanbul. The results from the content analysis of semi-structured interview data suggest that i) TQM principles cannot be directly applied in architectural design companies without an appropriate translation; ii) special characteristics of design services are important to explain quality-related perceptions of owner-managers; iii) the owner-managers feel the pressure from the changing internal and external environmental conditions, however few of them adopt a systematic and documented approach to quality management. Architectural design offices which aim to establish a quality management system can benefit from this study to understand potential problem areas on their road.As empresas de projeto de arquitetura cada vez mais reconhecem que o tempo dedicado à gestão não onera a sua produção e que há sempre maneiras de organizar melhor as atividades empresariais. Embora arquitetos tenham colocado durante muito tempo uma ênfase tradicional na qualidade, a gestão da qualidade ainda é um conceito novo para a maioria das empresas de projeto de arquitetura, que, hoje em dia, têm de organizar operações relativamente mais complicadas para atender às expectativas de seus clientes. Este estudo visa compreender de que modo as empresas de projeto de arquitetura definem qualidade e exploram os limites nos quais os princípios da gestão da qualidade total (TQM), como melhoria contínua, envolvimento dos funcionários, satisfação do cliente e outros, podem ser pertinentes para essas empresas. Adotando uma estratégia de pesquisa qualitativa, os autores entrevistaram os proprietários-gerentes de 10 empresas de projeto de arquitetura amplamente reconhecidas, de diferentes tamanhos, em Istambul. Os resultados da análise de conteúdo dos dados de entrevistas semi-estruturadas sugerem que: i) os princípios do TQM não podem ser aplicados diretamente em empresas de projeto de arquitetura, sem uma tradução adequada; ii) as características especiais dos serviços de projeto são importantes para explicar as percepções de proprietários-gerentes relacionadas à qualidade; iii) os proprietários-gerentes sentem a pressão da mudança interna e externa das condições ambientais, porém poucos deles adotam uma abordagem sistemática e documentada para a gestão da qualidade. Empresas de projeto de arquitetura que têm como objetivo estabelecer um sistema de gestão da qualidade podem se beneficiar deste estudo para conhecer as áreas potencialmente problemáticas que encontrarão

Korištenje GIS tehnika za modeliranje širenja antropogene buke koju stvara motorna pila prilikom sječe šuma

Noise is an environmental pollution that negatively affects human health and reduces the performance of employees. Forest harvesting activities are one of the working environments where noise effect is intense. The most common equipment used in forest operations is chainsaw whose noise affects not only the operator but also the wildlife in the territory. The noise maps showing noise propagation can be effectively used in evaluating and controlling the noise effects. In this study, it was aimed to measure the anthropogenic noise levels ​​resulting from the chainsaw used in tree felling and to map its noise propagation with SPreAD-GIS (System for Prediction of Acoustic Detectability) which is a GIS (Geographical Information Systems) based noise prediction software. The study was conducted in Karacabey Flooded Forest within the city of Bursa in Türkiye. The results indicated that the average noise level from the chainsaw was above the danger limit (90 dBA) that causes increased physiological reactions and headache on the workers. According to the noise propagation map, the noise exposure of the employees exceeded the warning limit (85 dBA) and the maximum noise level was 95.96 dBA during the harvesting activity. In some parts of the study area, the noise level was 45 dBA or above, causing negative effects on bird species. It can be concluded that the noise maps can be effectively used to determine noise propagation generated by a chainsaw and evaluate the noise effects on the operators and as well as on the bird species in the perimeter.Buka je onečišćenje okoliša koje negativno utječe na zdravlje ljudi i smanjuje učinak zaposlenika. Aktivnosti sječe šuma jedno su od radnih okruženja u kojima je buka intenzivna. Najčešća oprema koja se koristi u šumarstvu je motorna pila, čija buka utječe ne samo na operatera, već i na divlje životinje na teritoriju. Karte buke koje prikazuju širenje buke mogu se učinkovito koristiti za procjenu i kontrolu učinaka buke. U ovome radu cilj je bio izmjeriti razine antropogene buke nastale radom motorne pile koja se koristi pri sječi stabala i mapirati širenje buke pomoću SPreAD-GIS programa (Sustav za predviđanje akustične detektabilnosti) čija se procjena širenja buke temelji na GIS-u (Geografski informacijski sustav). Istraživanje je provedeno u poplavnoj šumi Karacabey na području grada Bursa u Turskoj. Rezultati su pokazali da je prosječna razina buke motorne pile iznad granice opasnosti (90 dBA), što uzrokuje pojačane fiziološke reakcije i glavobolju radnika. Prema karti širenja buke, izloženost zaposlenika buci prešla je granicu upozorenja (85 dBA), a maksimalna razina buke tijekom rada iznosila je 95,96 dBA. U nekim dijelovima istraživanog područja razina buke iznosila je 45 dBA ili više, što je uzrokovalo negativan utjecaj na vrste ptica. Može se zaključiti da se karte buke mogu učinkovito koristiti za određivanje širenja buke koju stvara motorna pila i procjenu učinaka buke na operatere, kao i na vrste ptica u okruženju

Examining the Role of Teacher Presence and Scaffolding in Preschoolers’ Peer Interactions

The current study aimed to examine the associations between teacher presence and social scaffolding and preschool children’s peer interactions. Using a time sampling method, peer interactions of 22 four- and five-year-old preschoolers (12 girls; Mage = 52.95 months) and teacher behavior were observed on two different days during various classroom activities in seven public preschool classrooms. Eco-behavioral analyses revealed that (a) teacher presence was negatively associated with positive peer interactions; (b) teacher absence was positively associated with negative peer interactions; (c) positive change of peer interactions was more likely to occur when the teacher was present; (d) children showed more positive peer interactions during child-directed activities than during adult-directed activities or daily routines and transitions; and (e) teacher’s social scaffolding was positively associated with children’s positive peer interactions although it occurred only for 3.61% of the intervals during which the teacher was in close proximity to children. In addition, although the likelihood for children’s positive interaction was over 2 times higher in child-directed activities in comparison to adult-directed activities, teacher presence still seems very important for inhibiting negative peer interactions