The effect of applied magnetic field on photocurrent generation in poly-3-hexylthiophene:[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester photovoltaic devices

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/20/45/45220

The effect of dewatering on the combustion behaviour of Loy Yang coal in a drop tube furnace

The Mechanical Thermal Expression (MTE) process is an efficient means of removing water from low-rank coal, however the effect of dewatering on the combustion properties of lignite is largely unknown. This work examines the burnout performance of both dewatered lignite and untreated lignite in a drop tube furnace. The results show that combustion of the MTE-processed lignite is approximately 20% slower under conditions relevant to pulverised-fuel flames. This is apparently due to the reduction in pore volume which occurs during coal dewatering by the MTE process.T. R. Ballantyne, P. J. Ashman and P. J. Mullinge

The I in Autism:severity and social functioning in Autism is related to self-processing

It is well established that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impaired understanding of others and deficits within social functioning. However, it is still unknown whether self-processing is related to these impairments and to what extent self impacts social functioning and communication. Using an ownership paradigm, we show that children with ASD and chronological- and verbal-age-matched typically developing (TD) children do show the self-referential effect in memory. In addition, the self-bias was dependent on symptom severity and socio-communicative ability. Children with milder ASD symptoms were more likely to have a high self-bias, consistent with a low attention to others relative to self. In contrast, severe ASD symptoms were associated with reduced self-bias, consistent with an ‘absent-self’ hypothesis. These findings indicate that deficits in self-processing may be related to impairments in social cognition for those on the lower end of the autism spectrum

Ecological processes dominate the 13C land disequilibrium in a Rocky Mountain subalpine forest

pre-printFossil fuel combustion has increased atmospheric CO2 by ≈ 115 μmol mol1 since 1750 and decreased its carbon isotope composition (δ13C) by 1.7-2‰(the 13C Suess effect). Because carbon is stored in the terrestrial biosphere for decades and longer, the δ13C of CO2 released by terrestrial ecosystems is expected to differ from the δ13C of CO2 assimilated by land plants during photosynthesis. This isotopic difference between land-atmosphere respiration (δR) and photosynthetic assimilation (δA) fluxes gives rise to the 13C land disequilibrium (D). Contemporary understanding suggests that over annual and longer time scales, D is determined primarily by the Suess effect, and thus, D is generally positive (δR>δA). A 7 year record of biosphere-atmosphere carbon exchange was used to evaluate the seasonality of δA and δR, and the 13C land disequilibrium, in a subalpine conifer forest. A novel isotopic mixing model was employed to determine the δ13C of net land-atmosphere exchange during day and night and combined with tower-based flux observations to assess δA and δR. The disequilibrium varied seasonally and when flux-weighted was opposite in sign than expected from the Suess effect (D =0.75 ± 0.21‰or 0.88 ± 0.10‰depending on method). Seasonality in D appeared to be driven by photosynthetic discrimination (Δcanopy) responding to environmental factors. Possible explanations for negative D include (1) changes in Δcanopy over decades as CO2 and temperature have risen, and/or (2) post-photosynthetic fractionation processes leading to sequestration of isotopically enriched carbon in long-lived pools like wood and soil