Testing of a novel web browser interface for the Chinese market

This paper compares the perspicacity, appropriateness and preference of web browser icons from leading software providers with those of a culture-specific design. This online study was conducted in Taiwan and involved 103 participants, who were given three sets of web browser icons to review, namely Microsoft Internet Explorer, Macintosh Safari, and culturally specific icons created using the Culture-Centred Design methodology. The findings of the study show that all three sets have generally high recognition rates, but that some icon functions (e.g. Go/Visit and Favourite) in all three sets have poor recognition rates and are considered inappropriate

Anemia Prevalence among Pregnant Women and Birth Weight in Five Areas in China

Objectives: To investigate the current prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in different areas of China and the association with birth weight and educational level. Methods: A total of 6,413 women aged 24-37 in the third trimester of pregnancy from five areas were randomly selected from all gravidas who gave birth in the hospitals from 1999 to 2003. Blood hemoglobin concentration (Hb) was measured by the cyanomethemoglobin method; Hb <110 g/l was considered as anemia. Results: The overall prevalence of anemia was 58.6%, ranging from 48.1 to 70.5% in the five areas. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of anemia between women who have mental jobs and those who have physical jobs (52.3 vs. 61.1%, p <0.01). The prevalence of anemia depended on the level of education: with 52.9, 62.4 and 66.5%, for college, secondary school and primary education, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.005). Results showed that higher birth weight was associated with Hb concentrations ranging from 90 to 140 g/l, whereas lower birth weight occurred below 80 g/l and above 140 g/l Hb. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia in Chinese pregnant women was high both in rural areas and towns. Area of residence, education level and type of job influenced the prevalence of anemia. Low maternal Hb concentrations influenced birth weight

Magnetic Phase Diagrams of Multiferroic Hexagonal RMnO3 (R=Er, Yb, Tm, and Ho)

The magnetic phase diagrams of RMnO3 (R = Er, Yb, Tm, Ho) are investigated up to 14 Tesla via magnetic and dielectric measurements. The stability range of the AFM order below the Neel temperature of the studied RMnO3 extends to far higher magnetic fields than previously assumed. Magnetic irreversibility indicating the presence of a spontaneous magnetic moment is found near 50 K for R=Er, Yb, and Tm. At very low temperatures and low magnetic fields the phase boundary defined by the ordering of the rare earth moments is resolved. The sizable dielectric anomalies observed along all phase boundaries are evidence for strong spin-lattice coupling in the hexagonal RMnO3. In HoMnO3 the strong magnetoelastic distortions are investigated in more detail via magnetostriction experiments up to 14 Tesla. The results are discussed based on existing data on magnetic symmetries and the interactions between the Mn-spins, the rare earth moments, and the lattice.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figures, to be published in JMR's Aug. focus issue on multiferroic

Magnetic phase diagrams of the Kagome staircase compound Co3V2O8

At zero magnetic field, a series of five phase transitions occur in Co3V2O8. The Neel temperature, TN=11.4 K, is followed by four additional phase changes at T1=8.9 K, T2=7.0 K, T3=6.9 K, and T4=6.2 K. The different phases are distinguished by the commensurability of the b-component of its spin density wave vector. We investigate the stability of these various phases under magnetic fields through dielectric constant and magnetic susceptibility anomalies. The field-temperature phase diagram of Co3V2O8 is completely resolved. The complexity of the phase diagram results from the competition of different magnetic states with almost equal ground state energies due to competing exchange interactions and frustration.Comment: Proceedings of the 2007 Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, 2 pages, 2 figure

Transport across nanogaps using semiclassically consistent boundary conditions

Charge particle transport across nanogaps is studied theoretically within the Schrodinger-Poisson mean field framework and the existence of limiting current investigated. It is shown that the choice of a first order WKB wavefunction as the transmitted wave leads to self consistent boundary conditions and gives results that are significantly different in the non-classical regime from those obtained using a plane transmitted wave. At zero injection energies, the quantum limiting current density, J_c, is found to obey the local scaling law J_c ~ (V_g)^alpha/(D)^{5-2alpha} with the gap separation D and voltage V_g. The exponent alpha > 1.1 with alpha --> 3/2 in the classical regime of small de Broglie wavelengths. These results are consistent with recent experiments using nanogaps most of which are found to be in a parameter regime where classical space charge limited scaling holds away from the emission dominated regime.Comment: 4 pages, 4 ps figure

Thermal expansion and pressure effect in MnWO4

MnWO4 has attracted attention because of its ferroelectric property induced by frustrated helical spin order. Strong spin-lattice interaction is necessary to explain ferroelectricity associated with this type of magnetic order.We have conducted thermal expansion measurements along the a, b, c axes revealing the existence of strong anisotropic lattice anomalies at T1=7.8 K, the temperature of the magnetic lock-in transition into a commensurate low-temperature (reentrant paraelectric) phase. The effect of hydrostatic pressure up to 1.8 GPa on the FE phase is investigated by measuring the dielectric constant and the FE polarization. The low- temperature commensurate and paraelectric phase is stabilized and the stability range of the ferroelectric phase is diminished under pressure.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures. SCES conference proceedings, houston, TX, 2007. to be published in Physica

Propiedades fisicoquímicas de snacks extrusionados de patatas y batatas con aceite de palma roja

Extruded potato (P) and sweet potato (SP) products with red palm oil (RPO) were prepared under different conditions. Superior product characteristics such as sensory score, expansion ratio, and water solubility index, among others, were obtained at high extrusion temperature (150-155 °C) and low water feed rate to the extruder (50.4-50.8 mL/min). The optimal products, P1 and SP1, had high micronutrients as their total contents of β-carotene, squalene, tocopherols, and tocotrienols were 883.2, 304.4, 262.4, and 397.0 mg/kg of oil, respectively. The average peroxide value was 4.3 meq O2/kg oil, p-anisidine value 3.3, and induction period (100 °C) 11.4 h. Moreover, RPO extruded with P showed a better extrusion behavior but lower micronutrient retention and oxidative stability than that extruded with SP. Thus, the finding herein is important for investigating extrusion conditions, increasing variety, improving nutritional quality, assessing applicability and predicting the shelf-life of RPO-P/SP-extruded food.Se prepararon snacks extrusionados de patatas (P) y batatas (B) con aceite de palma roja (APR) en diferentes condiciones. Se obtuvieron unas características superiores de los productos, como puntuación sensorial, relación de expansión, índice soluble en agua, entre otros, a alta temperatura de extrusión (150-155 °C) y baja velocidad de alimentación de agua al extrusionador (50,4-50,8 mL/min). Los productos óptimos, P1 y SP1, contenían altos micronutrientes ya que su contenido total de β-caroteno, escualeno, tocoferoles y tocotrienoles fue de 883,2; 304,4; 262,4 y 397,0 mg/kg de aceite, respectivamente. El índice de peróxido promedio fue de 4,3 meq O2/kg de aceite, el valor de p-anisidina de 3,3 y el período de inducción a 100 °C de 11,4 h. Además, el APR utilizado para la extrusión de P mostró un mejor comportamiento de extrusión, pero menor retención de micronutrientes y estabilidad oxidativa que el extrusionado con SP. Por lo tanto, los datos aquí obtenidos son importantes para profundizar en las condiciones de extrusión, aumentar la variedad, mejorar la calidad nutricional, evaluar la aplicabilidad y predecir la vida útil de los alimentos extrusionados con APR-P / B

Petrogenesis of the early Cretaceous intra-plate basalts from the western North China Craton: Implications for the origin of the metasomatized cratonic lithospheric mantle

We present new bulk-rock 40Ar/39Ar age, major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data on the early Cretaceous intra-plate alkali basalts from the Western North China Craton (WNCC) to study the origin of the metasomatized cratonic lithosphere mantle. The age of these basalts is ~116 Ma. These basalts have elevated incompatible element abundance with high [La/Sm]N (2.80–4.56) and enriched Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7062–0.7075, εNd(t) = −6.0 to −13.0 and εHf(t) = −8.3 to −17.4), being similar to the contemporary analogues from the Western North China Craton and Paleozoic kimberlites and mantle xenoliths. The WNCC basalts also show good correlations between ɛNd(t) and ɛHf(t), and high [La/Sm]N. All these geochemical observations are consistent with the interpretation that these basalts originated from partial melting of the lithospheric mantle that experienced melt metasomatism. Two types metasomatism melts are required to explain the geochemical characteristics of these rocks. The obvious negative Nbsingle bondTa (compared with K)-Ti and positive Basingle bondPb anomalies observed in these basalts further constrain that one of the metasomatic melts was derived from the subducted terrigenous sediment. Furthermore, the overall higher P/Nd, Nb/La and Nb/Th and lower Lu/Hf of basalts in the WNCC suggest that there is also contribution of low-F melts from asthenosphere mantle. Collectively, we suggest that the formation of the metasomatized lithosphere mantle beneath the WNCC is the process of metasomatic reaction between mantle peridotite and the melts of different origin to generate metasomatic veins containing amphibole/phlogopite. Partial melting of the metasomatic lithospheric mantle at 106–120 Ma in the WNCC was considered to be induced by thermal perturbation that was ultimately related to the breakoff of the subducted oceanic slab following the closure of the Mongolia-Okhotsk ocean

Superconductivity in the C32 Intermetallic Compounds AAl(2-x)Si(x), with A=Ca and Sr, and 0.6<x<1.2

The intermetallic compounds AAl2-xSix, where A = Ca, Sr or Ba, crystallize in the C32 structure, same as the recently discovered MgB2 with a high superconducting transition temperature of 39 K. For x = 1, superconductivity has been observed in AAlSi with A = Ca and Sr, but not with A = Ba. The transition temperatures are 7.8 and 5.1 K, respectively for CaAlSi and SrAlSi. The CaAl2-xSix compound system display a Tc-peak at x = 1, a possible x-induced electronic transition at x ~ 0.75 and a possible miscibility gap near x ~ 1.1 which results in a very broad superconducting transition. The Seebeck coefficients of AAlSi indicate that their carriers are predominantly electrons in nature, in contrast to the holes in MgB2.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure