Economic Impacts of Planned Transportation Investments in New Jersey

This report demonstrates that New Jersey's plans to invest in transportation infrastructure over the next decade will result in nearly 27,000 full-time jobs per year. It also shows that the state's transportation investments will generate economic impacts in the form of employment, income, gross domestic product, and state and local tax revenues. The report is the result of a joint study conducted by the Heldrich Center and the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy

Cross-correlation imaging of ambient noise sources

We develop and apply a novel technique to image ambient seismic noise sources. It is based on measurements of cross-correlation asymmetry defined as the logarithmic energy ratio of the causal and anticausal branches of the cross-correlation function. A possible application of this technique is to account for the distribution of noise sources, a problem which currently poses obstacles to noise-based surface wave dispersion analysis and waveform inversion. The particular asymmetry measurement used is independent of absolute noise correlation amplitudes. It is shown how it can be forward-modelled and related to the noise source power-spectral density using adjoint methods. Simplified sensitivity kernels allow us to rapidly image variations in the power-spectral density of noise sources. This imaging method correctly accounts for viscoelastic attenuation and is to first order insensitive to unmodelled Earth structure. Furthermore, it operates directly on noise correlation data sets. No additional processing is required, which makes the method fast and computationally inexpensive.We apply the method to three vertical-component cross-correlation data sets of different spatial and temporal scales. Processing is deliberately minimal so as to keep observations consistent with the imaging concept. In accord with previous studies, we image seasonally changing sources of the Earth's hum in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Southern Ocean. The sources of noise in the microseismic band recorded at stations in Switzerland are predominantly located in the Atlantic and show a clear dependence on both season and frequency. Our developments are intended as a step towards full 3-D inversions for the sources of ambient noise in various frequency bands, which may ultimately lead to improvements of noise-based structural imaging.This research was supported by the Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS) in the form of the GeoScale and CH1 projects, by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) under grant 200021 149143 and by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (VIDI grant 864.11.008). Iber-Array data are a contribution of the Team Consolider-Ingenio 2010 TOPO-IBERIA (CSD2006-00041).Peer reviewe

Role of dipolar interactions in a system of Ni nanoparticles studied by magnetic susceptibility measurements

The role of dipolar interactions among Ni nanoparticles (NP) embedded in an amorphous SiO2/C matrix with different concentrations has been studied performing ac magnetic susceptibility Chi_ac measurements. For very diluted samples, with Ni concentrations < 4 wt % Ni or very weak dipolar interactions, the data are well described by the Neel-Arrhenius law. Increasing Ni concentration to values up to 12.8 wt % Ni results in changes in the Neel-Arrhenius behavior, the dipolar interactions become important, and need to be considered to describe the magnetic response of the NPs system. We have found no evidence of a spin-glasslike behavior in our Ni NP systems even when dipolar interactions are clearly present.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 3 table

An axisymmetric time-domain spectral-element method for full-wave simulations: Application to ocean acoustics

The numerical simulation of acoustic waves in complex 3D media is a key topic in many branches of science, from exploration geophysics to non-destructive testing and medical imaging. With the drastic increase in computing capabilities this field has dramatically grown in the last twenty years. However many 3D computations, especially at high frequency and/or long range, are still far beyond current reach and force researchers to resort to approximations, for example by working in 2D (plane strain) or by using a paraxial approximation. This article presents and validates a numerical technique based on an axisymmetric formulation of a spectral finite-element method in the time domain for heterogeneous fluid-solid media. Taking advantage of axisymmetry enables the study of relevant 3D configurations at a very moderate computational cost. The axisymmetric spectral-element formulation is first introduced, and validation tests are then performed. A typical application of interest in ocean acoustics showing upslope propagation above a dipping viscoelastic ocean bottom is then presented. The method correctly models backscattered waves and explains the transmission losses discrepancies pointed out in Jensen et al. (2007). Finally, a realistic application to a double seamount problem is considered.Comment: Added a reference, and fixed a typo (cylindrical versus spherical

Autoimmune Pathology in Myasthenia Gravis Disease Subtypes Is Governed by Divergent Mechanisms of Immunopathology.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a prototypical autoantibody mediated disease. The autoantibodies in MG target structures within the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), thus affecting neuromuscular transmission. The major disease subtypes of autoimmune MG are defined by their antigenic target. The most common target of pathogenic autoantibodies in MG is the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), followed by muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) and lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4). MG patients present with similar symptoms independent of the underlying subtype of disease, while the immunopathology is remarkably distinct. Here we highlight these distinct immune mechanisms that describe both the B cell- and autoantibody-mediated pathogenesis by comparing AChR and MuSK MG subtypes. In our discussion of the AChR subtype, we focus on the role of long-lived plasma cells in the production of pathogenic autoantibodies, the IgG1 subclass mediated pathology, and contributions of complement. The similarities underlying the immunopathology of AChR MG and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are highlighted. In contrast, MuSK MG is caused by autoantibody production by short-lived plasmablasts. MuSK MG autoantibodies are mainly of the IgG4 subclass which can undergo Fab-arm exchange (FAE), a process unique to this subclass. In FAE IgG4, molecules can dissociate into two halves and recombine with other half IgG4 molecules resulting in bispecific antibodies. Similarities between MuSK MG and other IgG4-mediated autoimmune diseases, including pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), are highlighted. Finally, the immunological distinctions are emphasized through presentation of biological therapeutics that provide clinical benefit depending on the MG disease subtype

A stable TiO2_{2}–graphene nanocomposite anode with high rate capability for lithium-ion batteries

A rapid microwave hydrothermal process is adopted for the synthesis of titanium dioxide and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites as high-performance anode materials for Li-ion batteries. With the assistance of hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent, graphene oxide was reduced while TiO$_{2}$ nanoparticles were grown in situ on the nanosheets to obtain the nanocomposite material. The morphology of the nanocomposite obtained consisted of TiO$_{2}$ particles with a size of ∼100 nm, uniformly distributed on the reduced graphene oxide nanosheets. The as-prepared TiO$_{2}$–graphene nanocomposite was able to deliver a capacity of 250 mA h g−1 ± 5% at 0.2C for more than 200 cycles with remarkably stable cycle life during the Li+ insertion/extraction process. In terms of high rate capability performance, the nanocomposite delivered discharge capacity of ca. 100 mA h g−1 with >99% coulombic efficiency at C-rates of up to 20C. The enhanced electrochemical performance of the material in terms of high rate capability and cycling stability indicates that the as-developed TiO$_{2}$–rGO nanocomposites are promising electrode materials for future Li-ion batteries

From Fully Strained to Relaxed: Epitaxial Ferroelectric Al_1-xSc_xN for III-N Technology

The recent emergence of wurtzite-type nitride ferroelectrics such as Al1-xScxN has paved the way for the introduction of all-epitaxial, all-wurtzite-type ferroelectric III-N semiconductor heterostructures. This paper presents the first in-depth structural and electrical characterization of such an epitaxial heterostructure by investigating sputter deposited Al1-xScxN solid solutions with x between 0.19 and 0.28 grown over doped n-GaN. The results of detailed structural investigations on the strain state and the initial unit-cell polarity with the peculiarities observed in the ferroelectric response are correlated. Among these, a Sc-content dependent splitting of the ferroelectric displacement current into separate peaks, which can be correlated with the presence of multiple strain states in the Al1-xScxN films is discussed. Unlike in previously reported studies on ferroelectric Al1-xScxN, all films thicker than 30 nm grown on the metal (M)-polar GaN template feature an initial multidomain state. The results support that regions with opposed polarities in as-grown films do not result as a direct consequence of the in-plane strain distribution, but are rather mediated by the competition between M-polar epitaxial growth on an M-polar template and a deposition process that favors nitrogen (N)-polar growth

VOCl as a Cathode for Rechargeable Chloride Ion Batteries

A novel room temperature rechargeable battery with VOCl cathode, lithium anode, and chloride ion transporting liquid electrolyte is described. The cell is based on the reversible transfer of chloride ions between the two electrodes. The VOCl cathode delivered an initial discharge capacity of 189 mAh g−1. A reversible capacity of 113 mAh g−1 was retained even after 100 cycles when cycled at a high current density of 522 mA g−1. Such high cycling stability was achieved in chloride ion batteries for the first time, demonstrating the practicality of the system beyond a proof of concept model. The electrochemical reaction mechanism of the VOCl electrode in the chloride ion cell was investigated in detail by ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results confirm reversible deintercalation–intercalation of chloride ions in the VOCl electrode