Low Temperature Phase Transitions of Gadolinium and Ytterbium Using Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy

Low temperature phase transitions in the lanthanides gadolinium (Gd) and ytterbium (Yb) were studied using the nondestructive technique of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) coupled with a cryogenic system. Previous studies of these materials utilized a pulse-echo method that is not as robust as RUS. The advantagesof RUS include the ability to study very small samples and the ability to obtain all elastic properties of the sample from a single frequency spectrum. A laboratory system was developed combining RUS with a cryogenic cooling system capable of exploring the temperature range 13 K 340 K. The complex 4-f electronic structure of elemental Gd and Yb leads to continuous magnetic and first-order structural phase transitions within this temperature range. The results of measurements on Gd are consistent with those previously reported in literature, supporting the validity of RUS measurements on small lanthanide samples at low temperature. Three new phenomena are observed in the Yb measurements: a positive slope in resonance frequency versus temperature, hysteresis around a previously reported transition temperature of 315 K that decreases with temperature cycling, and hysteresis at low temperatures with discrete memory characteristics

Simulating Retrieval from a Highly Clustered Network: Implications for Spoken Word Recognition

Network science describes how entities in complex systems interact, and argues that the structure of the network influences processing. Clustering coefficient, C – one measure of network structure – refers to the extent to which neighbors of a node are also neighbors of each other. Previous simulations suggest that networks with low C dissipate information (or disease) to a large portion of the network, whereas in networks with high C information (or disease) tends to be constrained to a smaller portion of the network (Newman, 2003). In the present simulation we examined how C influenced the spread of activation to a specific node, simulating retrieval of a specific lexical item in a phonological network. The results of the network simulation showed that words with lower C had higher activation values (indicating faster or more accurate retrieval from the lexicon) than words with higher C. These results suggest that a simple mechanism for lexical retrieval can account for the observations made in Chan and Vitevitch (2009), and have implications for diffusion dynamics in other fields

A stochastic resonator to detect BPAM signals ; analysis, PSR designs, and sine-induced SR

A Stochastic Resonator has been considered as an alternative signal processing tool because of its noise-induced performance enhancement ability. Here, the resonator parameters, steady states and transition time of the system are redefined for BPAM signals such that the region in which the resonator benefits from noise can be identified. Simple parameter-induced stochastic resonance (PSR) designs are then built, based on this analysis in order to configure the resonator in the optimum region. Furthermore, Sine-induced SR based on using a periodic signal instead of noise is introduced to enhance the system performance and compared with noise-enhanced SR (NSR). It is shown that Sine-induced SR provides a performance enhancement as it needs less power and does not require an adjustment relevant to the background noise. The results indicate that a resonator improves the receiver performance by eliminating noise if its parameters and BPAM characteristics are set accurately as given in the PSR designs, otherwise the resonator can benefit from either a noise as in NSR, or a sine wave as proposed

The Relationship between Eating Behaviors of Children and Mothers, and Nutritional Status of Children

Introduction: Parents have a significant impact on child nutrition and the child's eating habits in long-term behavior. This study aims to examine the effects of mothers' attitudes on the eating behaviors of children and the determination of their nutritional status.Method: Children's eating habits and mothers' eating attitudes were examined in 417 children with face-to-face interviews using the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ). The participants' anthropometric characteristics were determined, and body mass indexes (kg/m2) were calculated. AnthroPlus software was used to determine the children's BMI-for-age Z-scores. BeBiS nutrition information system was used to assess children's food intake.Results: The mothers' median BMI was above the overweight threshold. The lowest CFQ score was for perceived child weight, and the maximum score was for food restriction. Significant differences were found in mothers ages, mothers' BMIs, children's WAZ and BAZ scores, and BMIs, weight (p<0.001), perceived parent weight scores (p=0.04), and pressure to eat (p=0.04). Families should be conscious about nutrition for the protection and promotion of children's health

The Highly Miniaturised Radiation Monitor

We present the design and preliminary calibration results of a novel highly miniaturised particle radiation monitor (HMRM) for spacecraft use. The HMRM device comprises a telescopic configuration of active pixel sensors enclosed in a titanium shield, with an estimated total mass of 52 g and volume of 15 cm$^3$. The monitor is intended to provide real-time dosimetry and identification of energetic charged particles in fluxes of up to 10$^8$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (omnidirectional). Achieving this capability with such a small instrument could open new prospects for radiation detection in space.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figure

Promoter methylation analysis of CDH1 and p14ARF genes in patients with urothelial bladder cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM: Urothelial bladder cancer arises from the accumulation of multiple epigenetic and genetic changes. We aimed to investigate the specificity and sensitivity of gene-specific promoter methylation of CDH1 and p14ARF genes in the early diagnosis of bladder cancer and compare those with other diagnostic tests in our population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the current study, 65 patients with urothelial bladder cancer and 35 controls without any history of cancer were recruited. Methylation profiles of CDH1 and p14ARF genes from tumor and urine samples were determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: Methylation of CDH1 and p14ARF genes in tumor samples was 95.4% and 78.5%, respectively. The methylation frequencies were found to be 68.8% for CDH1 gene and 72.9% for p14ARF gene in urine samples. Sensitivities of CDH1, p14ARF and urine cytology were found to be 67.4%, 72.1% and 34.9%, respectively, while their specificities were 93.9%, 63.6% and 93.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Aberrant promoter methylation of CDH1 and p14ARF genes can be used to detect urothelial bladder cancer. In low-grade tumors, when compared with urine cytology, combined methylation analysis of CDH1 and p14ARF genes may not increase the sensitivity to identify malignant cells in urine samples

Genotypic variation in phosphorus efficiency between wheat cultivars grown under greenhouse and field conditions

Phosphorus (P) efficiency (relative growth), which is described as the ratio of shoot dry matter or grain yield at deficient P supply to that obtained under adequate P supply, was compared in 25 winter wheat cultivars grown under greenhouse and field conditions with low and adequate P levels in a P-deficient calcareous soil. Adequate P supply resulted in significant increases in shoot dry weight and grain yield under both experimental conditions. In the greenhouse experiment, the increases in shoot dry weight under adequate P supply (80 mg kg(-1)) were from 0% (cv: C-1252) to 34% (cv: Dagdas). Under field conditions, the cultivars showed much greater variation in their response to adequate P supply (60 kg ha(-1)): the increases in shoot dry weight and grain yield with adequate P supply were between -2% (cv: Sivas-111/33) and 25% (cv: Kirac-66) for shoot dry matter production at the heading stage and between 0% (cv: Kirkpinar-79) and 76% (cv: Kate A-1) for grain yield at maturity. Almost all cultivars behaved totally different in their response to P deficiency under greenhouse and field conditions. Phosphorus efficiency ratios (relative growth) under greenhouse conditions did not correlate with the P efficiency ratios under field conditions. In general, durum wheat cultivars were found to be more P efficient compared with bread wheat cultivars. The results of this study indicated that there is wide variation in tolerance to P deficiency among wheat cultivars that can be exploited in breeding new wheat cultivars for high P deficiency tolerance. The results also demonstrated that P efficiency was expressed differently among the wheat cultivars when grown under greenhouse and field conditions and, therefore, special attention should be paid to growth conditions in screening wheat for P efficiency

Investigation of Adhesion and Tribological Behavior of Borided AISI 310 Stainless Steel

In the present study, the effects of the boriding process on adhesion and tribological properties of AISI 310 steel were investigated. Boriding was performed in a solid medium consisting of Ekabor-II powders at 1123 and 1323K for 2 and 6 h. The boride layer was characterized by optical microscopy, the X-ray diffraction technique and the micro-Vickers hardness tester. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the boride layers on the surface of the steels revealed the existence of FexBy, CrxBy and NixBy compounds. Depending on the chemical composition of substrates, the boride layer thickness on the surface of the AISI 310 steel was found to be 56.74 μm. The hardness of the boride compounds formed on the surface of the AISI 310 steel ranged from 1658 to 2284 HV0,1, whereas the Vickers hardness value of the untreated steel AISI 310 was 276 HV0,1. The wear tests were carried out in a ball-disc arrangement under a dry friction condition at room temperature with an applied load of 10N and with a sliding speed of 0.3 m/s, at a sliding distance of 1000m. The wear surfaces of the steel were analyzed using an SEM microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy EDS. It was observed that the wear rate of unborided and borided AISI 310 steel ranged from 4.57 to 71.42 mm3/Nm