Analysis of the C2_2 (d3Πg^3\Pi_g-a3Πu^3\Pi_u) Swan bands as a thermometric probe in CO2_2 microwave plasmas

The optical emission spectra of high pressure CO$_2$ microwave plasmas are usually dominated by the C$_2$ Swan bands. In this paper, the use of the C$_2$ Swan bands for estimating the gas temperature in CO$_2$ microwave plasmas is assessed. State by state fitting is employed to check the correctness of assuming a Boltzmann distribution for the rotational and vibrational distribution functions and, within statistical and systematic uncertainties, the C$_2$ Swan band can be fitted accurately with a single temperature for rotational and vibrational levels. The processes leading to the production of the C$_2$ molecule and particularly its d$^3\Pi_g$ state are briefly reviewed as well as collisional relaxation times of the latter. It is concluded that its rotational temperature can be associated to the gas temperature of the CO$_2$ microwave plasma and the results are moreover cross-checked by adding a small amount of N$_2$ in the discharge and measuring the CN violet band system. The 2.45~GHz plasma source is analyzed in the pressure range 180-925~mbar, for input microwave powers ranging from 0.9 - 3 kW and with gas flow rates of 5-100~L/min. An intense C$_2$ Swan bands emission spectrum can be measured only when the plasma is operated in contracted regime. A unique temperature of about 6000 $\pm$ 500 K is obtained for all investigated conditions. A spectroscopic database is constructed using the recent compilation and calculations by Brooke et al. \cite{BROOKE201311} of the line strengths and molecular constants for the C$_2$ (d$^3\Pi_g$-a$^3\Pi_u$) Swan bands system and made available as Supplementary Material in a format compatible with the open source MassiveOES software

Relationships between sex role, empathy and anxiety

Recently Sandra Bem, a psychologist at Stanford University has written about the importance of developing a conception of mental health which is free from culturally imposed definitions of masculinity and femininity. She believes that defining certain behaviors as appropriate only for women and other behaviors as only appropriate for men is restricting and debilitating for both sexes. This sex-typing of behaviors has led to masculinity being associated with assertiveness and dominance, pragmatism, problem solving and task orientation, and a concern for one\u27s individuality, whereas femininity is associated with emotional sensitivity and concern for the welfare of others, the seeking of harmony between oneself and others, and passivity. This study looks at the relationships between masculinity, femininity, anxiety and empathy. Specifically of concern is whether “Androgyny”, a new sex role, seems to be less debilitating and restricting than the traditional “Masculine” and “Feminine” roles as measured by anxiety and empathy scores. The sex role categories of Bem which are used in this study are derived from the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The categories are: 1) “Masculine referring to someone scoring high in masculinity and low in femininity, 2) “Feminine” referring to someone scoring high in femininity and low in masculinity, 3) “Androgynous” referring to someone scoring high in both masculinity and femininity, and 4) “Undifferentiated” referring to someone scoring low in both masculinity and femininity. All the masculine-feminine (M-F) scales referred to in the following studies give measures corresponding to Bem\u27s categories of “Feminine” and “Masculine”. In traditional M-F scales scoring high in femininity is equivalent to a “Feminine” sex role and scoring high in masculinity is equivalent to a Masculine sex role. The reason for this is that traditional M-F scales are structured so that masculinity and femininity are opposite poles on the same dimension and therefore as one moves toward greater femininity one also moves away from masculinity and vice versa. Bem’s inventory, however, is constructed so that masculinity and femininity are orthogonal dimensions. This allows for the development of two other possible sex roles: “Androgynous” and “Undifferentiated”. No predictions will be made about the latter category

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to Improve Lower Limb Motor Recovery Following Stroke: A Review and Study Proposal

Strokes are the result of restricted blood flow to particular areas of the brain classified by their cause. The neural damage they cause are of growing concern as the number of young adults experiencing strokes has increased by 11% in the last decade. Following stroke, there is an imbalance of inhibitory and excitatory neuronal activity, and disruption of neural networks. These changes lead to neuronal death and loss of synaptic connections that, depending on which part of the brain is affected, result in behavioral deficits such as weakness, limb hemiparesis, and loss of coordination, as well as speech and cognitive impairments. However, this loss of function can be partly recovered due to neuroplastic processes. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is an approach that involves implanting electrodes into targeted areas of the brain which are connected to an implantable pulse generator on the skin that delivers chronic electric pulse. There are different forms of stimulation, but one with some established success in improving upper and lower limb mobility, as well as some cognitive symptoms, is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). For the treatment of stroke, tDCS aims to increase excitability of the lesioned areas to improve contralesional mobility. While past research has focused on stimulating well established motor regions, such as the cerebellum, motor cortex, and basal ganglia, sensory systems also play a key role in sending information through the ascending dorsal column medial lemniscal pathway, posterior and anterior spinocerebellar tracts, and spinoreticular tracts. Here is a review of the current research on the integration of sensory and motor information in order to carry out desired movement, a discussion about how these networks are being targeted by tDCS after stroke to help patients regain lower limb movement, and finally, a proposed study in which improvements in balance, gait, and postural stability after anodal tDCS continue up to a year post-treatment in chronic ischemic stroke patients

A revised comprehensive approach for determining the H2 and D2 rovibrational population from the Fulcher-α emission in low temperature plasmas

AbstractThe emission of the Fulcher-αd3Πu→a3Σg+ transition is well-known for providing access to the rovibrational population of the hydrogen molecule in low temperature plasmas by means of optical emission spectroscopy. A revised comprehensive approach is developed for the evaluation that omits several simplifying assumptions, which are often made. The rovibrational distribution is directly calculated in the X1Σg+ state considering the typically observed hockey-stick population. The projection into the d3Πu state is performed via vibrationally resolved electron impact excitation cross sections and radiative decay into the a3Σg+ is considered via vibrationally resolved transition probabilities. The obtained steady-state population is fitted to the experimentally measured one via varying the population parameters in the electronic ground state. The impact of this evaluation routine compared to the simplified ones is demonstrated both for H2 and D2 at two experiments: a standard CW low-power laboratory ICP and the pulsed high-power negative ion source plasma of the Linac4 accelerator at CERN. This assessment demonstrates that especially the simplification of measuring only the first five rotational emission lines (i.e. neglecting the rotational hockey-stick distribution) can affect the evaluation results significantly. In the application example, this leads to an overestimation of the gas temperature up to a factor of nine and to an underestimation of the determined intensity of the full Fulcher-α transition (required for applying collisional radiative models) up to a factor of three