Softness dependence of the Anomalies for the Continuous Shouldered Well potential

By molecular dynamic simulations we study a system of particles interacting through a continuous isotropic pairwise core-softened potential consisting of a repulsive shoulder and an attractive well. The model displays a phase diagram with three fluid phases, a gas-liquid critical point, a liquid-liquid critical point, and anomalies in density, diffusion and structure. The hierarchy of the anomalies is the same as for water. We study the effect on the anomalies of varying the softness of the potential. We find that, making the soft-core steeper, the regions of density and diffusion anomalies contract in the T - {\rho} plane, while the region of structural anomaly is weakly affected. Therefore, a liquid can have anomalous structural behavior without density or diffusion anomalies. We show that, by considering as effective distances those corresponding to the maxima of the first two peaks of the radial distribution function g(r) in the high-density liquid, we can generalize to continuous two-scales potentials a criterion for the occurrence of the anomalies of density and diffusion, originally proposed for discontinuous potentials. We observe that the knowledge of the structural behavior within the first two coordination shells of the liquid is not enough to establish the occurrence of the anomalies. By introducing the density derivative of the the cumulative order integral of the excess entropy we show that the anomalous behavior is regulated by the structural order at distances as large as the fourth coordination shell. By comparing the results for different softness of the potential, we conclude that the disappearing of the density and diffusion anomalies for the steeper potentials is due to a more structured short-range order. All these results increase our understanding on how, knowing the interaction potential, we can evaluate the possible presence of anomalies for a liquid

The importance of early parenting for later child outcomes: A study with Spanish families with children with disabilities

Children with different disability conditions have varied developmental trajectories, which perhaps influences parent-child interaction. For these and all infants, an optimal home environment that includes good parenting and positive parent-child interactions predicts better developmental outcomes (Spiker et al., 2005). Interventions using a family-centered, parenting-focused approach result in better parenting behavior that contributes to improved early child development (Avellar & Suplee, 2013; Roggman & Cardia, 2016). Information on parent-child interaction patterns is needed to guide intervention in natural contexts of families (Fuligni & Brooks-Gunn, 2013). Parent-child interaction data were collected from 44 mothers and 35 fathers interacting with their children (23 to 47 months) who had a disability and were in one of eight Spanish Early Interventions Centers. Mothers and fathers, separately, auto-recorded 10-minute play sessions at home. Parental interactions were assessed using PICCOLO (Roggman et al., 2013), a standardized measure of parenting. Two independent observers coded the interactions; strong intra-class correlation coefficients were found (.82 to .97 for mothers, .77 to .89 for fathers). The BSID-III scales (Bayley, 2015) assessed children’s development. Mothers scored slightly higher than did fathers. Scores varied by PICCOLO domains but were consistent with other PICCOLO studies of typical developing children (Roggman et al., 2013). Mother and father’s scores correlated indicating that the higher the scores of mothers in any dimension correlated with those of the parents combined. Positive significant Pearson correlations were found between parenting and child’s development with different patterns of father and mother domains predicting better language and cognitive outcomes. Although barriers to optimal parenting need further investigation, PICCOLO can be a useful tool to support optimal parenting.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Comparison of different wastewater treatments for colour removal of reactive dye baths

The generation of high-coloured wastewater is one of the main environmental problems of the textile industry. Reactive dyes are widely used in the dyeing of cellulosic fibres. However, they have low exhaustion degree (70–90%). The degradation of residual dyes by aerobic biological treatment is very poor, being necessary the application of specific treatments. In this work, three different methods for the removal of reactive dyes were compared: electrochemical treatment, coagulation with Moringa oleifera waste and enzymatic treatment with laccase. Two azo bifunctional dyes with different reactive groups were selected: C.I. Reactive Black 5 (vinyl sulphone) and C.I. Reactive Red 231 (chlorotriazine). The influence of pH (5 and 9) and dye hydrolysis on the decolourisation yield was studied. The electrochemical treatment was the most efficient, with 95–100% colour removal yield. The coagulation with M. oleifera waste also achieved high colour removal efficiency (91–94%). Both methods showed an independent behaviour with respect to pH or dye hydrolysis. The enzymatic treatment should be performed at pH 5. This method was suitable to remove the chlorotriazine dye (92–93% efficiency), whereas the vinyl sulphone one showed a marked dependence on dye hydrolysis: moderately efficient for the hydrolysed dye and highly efficient without hydrolysis. The activity of laccase was not modified by the usual salinity of the reactive dyeing effluent (20 g/L NaCl). Nevertheless, the effluent salinity enhanced the electrochemical and M. oleifera treatment yield.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Field Localization and Enhancement of Phase Locked Second and Third Harmonic Generation in Absorbing Semiconductor Cavities

We predict and experimentally observe the enhancement by three orders of magnitude of phase mismatched second and third harmonic generation in a GaAs cavity at 650nm and 433nm, respectively, well above the absorption edge. Phase locking between the pump and the harmonics changes the effective dispersion of the medium and inhibits absorption. Despite hostile conditions the harmonics become localized inside the cavity leading to relatively large conversion efficiencies. Field localization plays a pivotal role and ushers in a new class of semiconductor-based devices in the visible and UV ranges

Optics of Astigmatism and Retinal Image Quality

In the first part of this chapter, the optical condition of astigmatism is defined. The main causes and available classifications of ocular astigmatism are briefly described. The most relevant optical properties of image formation in an astigmatic eye are analysed and compared to that of an emmetropic eye and an eye with spherical ametropia. The spectacle prescription and axis notation for astigmatism are introduced, and the correction of astigmatism by means of lenses is briefly described. The formation of the retinal image for extended objects and the related blurring are also analysed, and the real limits of tolerance of uncorrected astigmatism are provided. Simulations of retinal images in astigmatic eyes, obtained by means of commercial optical design software, are also presented. Finally, the clinical assessment of retinal image quality by means of wavefront aberrometry and double-pass systems in eyes with astigmatism is presented, and current trends in research related to this topic are highlighted.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version