Unexpected Intensity Research Articles

Anisotropic electronic structure study of MgB2C2 using soft X-ray emission 0spectroscopy microscopes.

The anisotropic electronic structure of MgB2C2 was studied using soft X-ray emission spectroscopy electron microscopes. MgB2C2 fragments were selected by examining C K-emission profiles. C and B K-emission and Mg L-emission spectra were obtained, revealing common and distinct structures that reflect the mixing of valence orbitals. Since the material is reported to have two-dimensional B-C honeycomb layers, the orientational dependence of these emission spectra was also examined. Experimental data were compared with theoretically calculated partial density of states of the valence bands of the material. The C K-emission profile showed an apparent orientational dependence, while the B K-emission exhibited minimal dependence. This difference originated from the different energy distributions of C-2pz and B-2pz components in the valence bands. The Mg L-emission intensity was very small, likely due to charge transfer from Mg atoms to B-N layers. The Mg L-emission profile showed a peak related to structures in C-K and B-K. An unexpected intensity was observed just above the valence bands, which also showed orientational dependence, possibly due to a small deviation from the ideal composition of Mg:B:C = 1:2:2.

NMDA Receptors in the Basolateral Amygdala Complex Are Engaged for Pavlovian Fear Conditioning When an Animal's Predictions about Danger Are in Error.

It is widely accepted that Pavlovian fear conditioning requires activation of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLA). However, it was recently shown that activation of NMDAR in the BLA is only required for fear conditioning when danger occurs unexpectedly; it is not required for fear conditioning when danger occurs as expected. This study tested the hypothesis that NMDARs in the BLA are engaged for Pavlovian fear conditioning when an animal's predictions regarding danger are in error. In each experiment, rats (females in Experiment 1 and males in Experiments 2-5) were conditioned to fear one stimulus, S1, when it was paired with foot-shock (S1→shock), and 48 h later, a second stimulus, S2, when it was presented in sequence with the already-conditioned S1 and foot-shock (S2→S1→shock). Conditioning to S2 occurred under a BLA infusion of the NMDAR antagonist, D-AP5 or vehicle. The subsequent tests of freezing to S2 alone and S1 alone revealed that the antagonist had no effect on conditioning to S2 when the shock occurred exactly as predicted by the S1, but disrupted this conditioning when the shock occurred earlier/later than predicted by S1, or at a stronger/weaker intensity. These results imply that errors in the timing or intensity of a predicted foot-shock engage NMDARs in the BLA for Pavlovian fear conditioning. They are discussed in relation to theories which propose a role for prediction error in determining how experiences are organized in memory and how activation of NMDAR in the BLA might contribute to this organization.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study is significant in showing that prediction error determines how a new experience is encoded with respect to a past experience and, thereby, whether NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) encode the new experience. When prediction error is small (e.g., danger occurs as and when expected), the new experience is encoded together with a past experience as part of the same "mental model," and NMDAR activation in the BLA is not needed for this encoding. By contrast, when prediction error is large (e.g., danger occurs at an unexpected intensity or time), the new experience is encoded separately from the past experience as part of a new mental model, and NMDAR activation in the BLA is needed for this encoding.

Images That Sweat

This article revisits the cinema of the late Filipino filmmaker Lino Brocka in order to erode the distinction between realism and spectacle at play, still today, in many discussions about the political capacities of the moving image. The work of Brocka is understood here as both realist and escapist, in agreement with the work of other key non-Western filmmakers that work with anti-colonial and Hollywoodian codes. The author focuses the analysis on the expressive amalgamation employed by Brocka in Macho Dancer (1988) and argues that this film develops a poetics of sweat and liquidity opening up the spectatorial experience to unexpected intensities; intensities that invite us to think and feel more and to think and feel differently.

Irregular Respiratory Motion Compensation for Liver Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound via Transport-Based Motion Estimation.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging has been widely applied for the detection and characterization of focal liver lesions (FLLs), for its ability to visualize the blood flow in real time. However, cyclic liver motion poses a great challenge to the recovery of perfusion curves as well as quantitative kinetic parameters estimation. Recently, a few gating methods have been proposed to eliminate unexpected intensity fluctuations by the breathing phase estimation, with the assumption that each breathing phase corresponds to a specific lesion position strictly. While practical liver motion tends to be irregular due to changes in the patient's underlying physiologic status, that is, the same phase might not correspond to the same position. To tackle the challenge of motion irregularity, we present a novel motion estimation-based respiratory compensation method, named RCME, which first estimates salient motion information through the framework of optimal transport (OT) by jointly modeling pixel intensity as well as their locations and then employs sparse subspace clustering (SSC) to identify the subset of frames acquired at the same position. Our proposed method is evaluated on 15 clinical CEUS sequences in both qualitative and quantitative manners. Experimental results demonstrate good performance on irregular liver motion compensation.

Through a lens of affect: multiliteracies, English learners, and resistance

ABSTRACT This autoethnographic study explores disruptive moments in a multiliteracies English-as-an-Additional Language (EAL) classroom with young adult students. Using a lens of affect theory, the study presents three strategic sketches (vignettes) to shine a light on unexpected intensities in the learning assemblage, initially assumed to be learner ambivalence, uneven investment and resistance, to multiliteracies pedagogy. Through autoethnographic inquiry, a writing of the self, this paper argues that affectively charged moments in literacy and language setting should be recognized as Deleuzian sense-events that are resistant to interpretation. The possibilities created by learning and teaching through sense-events and sensational pedagogies offer alternatives for doing multiliteracies and challenge the foundations of English language teaching, by proposing other ways of articulating meanings and experiences outside of language.

Spectroscopy of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) dissolved in three hexane structural isomers, and its consequences on the photophysical model of polyenes.

Spectroscopic evidence of the DPH molecules presented in this work allows us to show that the excitation spectrum in n-hexane, obtained by direct immersion in liquid nitrogen, exhibits a peak of origin at 395 nm, with an unexpected intensity, that together with the corresponding peak of origin at 398 nm because of its emission eliminate the abnormal Stokes displacement shown by this compound at room temperature. To the above mentioned explanation we add that the corresponding spectra of DPH dissolved in two structural isomers of n-hexane, 2-methylpentane and 3-methylpentane, do not present these 0-0 transitions (at 395 nm) of DPH. A structural explanation for the peak of origin detected at 395 nm in n-hexane is clear-cut, that is, the experimental evidence totally discards the need to explain the photophysics of the DPH molecules based on the existence of an underlying phantom state (1Ag) as proposed by Hudson and Kohler. This conclusion is strongly supported by monitoring the behavior shown by the DPH spectra obtained by slowly lowering down the temperature of the corresponding solution from 293 to 77 K.

Ordinary and supernumerary resonant scattering of low energy electrons from the BiCu2(111) surface alloy

Electron intensity versus energy curves from the ordered substitutional BiCu2(111)-surface alloy, obtained with low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), show distinct unexpected intensity dips under normal incidence conditions. The dips above 10 eV are found to be characteristic of ordinary resonant scattering of electrons. Their positions represent resonant scattering into image potential states, involving scattering along G10 and G11 reciprocal lattice vectors. A detailed analysis of additional specular intensity dips at energies below 10 eV demonstrates that these originate from supernumerary resonant scattering, now also along lower symmetry directions, that should be forbidden in this energy range for the perfect crystal. LEEM is highly sensitive to detect these often neglected features which, if not properly disentangled or discarded, hamper its potential to extract the rich information about atomic positions and unoccupied electronic states encoded in very low energy electron scattering.

Unexpected spatial intensity distributions and onset timing of solar electron events observed by closely spaced STEREO spacecraft

We present multi-spacecraft observations of four solar electron events using measurements from the Solar Electron Proton Telescope (SEPT) and the Electron Proton Helium INstrument (EPHIN) on board the STEREO and SOHO spacecraft, respectively, occurring between 11 October 2013 and 1 August 2014, during the approaching superior conjunction period of the two STEREO spacecraft. At this time the longitudinal separation angle between STEREO-A (STA) and STEREO-B (STB) was less than 72°. The parent particle sources (flares) of the four investigated events were situated close to, in between, or to the west of the STEREO’s magnetic footpoints. The STEREO measurements revealed a strong difference in electron peak intensities (factor ≤12) showing unexpected intensity distributions at 1 AU, although the two spacecraft had nominally nearly the same angular magnetic footpoint separation from the flaring active region (AR) or their magnetic footpoints were both situated eastwards from the parent particle source. Furthermore, the events detected by the two STEREO imply a strongly unexpected onset timing with respect to each other: the spacecraft magnetically best connected to the flare detected a later arrival of electrons than the other one. This leads us to suggest the concept of a rippled peak intensity distribution at 1 AU formed by narrow peaks (fingers) superposed on a quasi-uniform Gaussian distribution. Additionally, two of the four investigated solar energetic particle (SEP) events show a so-called circumsolar distribution and their characteristics make it plausible to suggest a two-component particle injection scenario forming an unusual, non-uniform intensity distribution at 1 AU.

Disentangling beat perception from sequential learning and examining the influence of attention and musical abilities on ERP responses to rhythm

Beat perception is the ability to perceive temporal regularity in musical rhythm. When a beat is perceived, predictions about upcoming events can be generated. These predictions can influence processing of subsequent rhythmic events. However, statistical learning of the order of sounds in a sequence can also affect processing of rhythmic events and must be differentiated from beat perception. In the current study, using EEG, we examined the effects of attention and musical abilities on beat perception. To ensure we measured beat perception and not absolute perception of temporal intervals, we used alternating loud and soft tones to create a rhythm with two hierarchical metrical levels. To control for sequential learning of the order of the different sounds, we used temporally regular (isochronous) and jittered rhythmic sequences. The order of sounds was identical in both conditions, but only the regular condition allowed for the perception of a beat. Unexpected intensity decrements were introduced on the beat and offbeat. In the regular condition, both beat perception and sequential learning were expected to enhance detection of these deviants on the beat. In the jittered condition, only sequential learning was expected to affect processing of the deviants. ERP responses to deviants were larger on the beat than offbeat in both conditions. Importantly, this difference was larger in the regular condition than in the jittered condition, suggesting that beat perception influenced responses to rhythmic events in addition to sequential learning. The influence of beat perception was present both with and without attention directed at the rhythm. Moreover, beat perception as measured with ERPs correlated with musical abilities, but only when attention was directed at the stimuli. Our study shows that beat perception is possible when attention is not directed at a rhythm. In addition, our results suggest that attention may mediate the influence of musical abilities on beat perception.

Nonlinear plasma-assisted collapse of ring-Airy wave packets

We numerically demonstrate that femtosecond ring-Airy wave packets are able to overcome the reference intensity clamping of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{13}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ for filaments generated with Gaussian beams at low numerical apertures and form an intense sharp intensity peak on axis. Numerical simulations, with unidirectional propagation models for the pulse envelope and the carrier resolved electric field, reveal that the driving mechanism for this unexpected intensity increase is due to the self-generated plasma. The plasma formation, in conjunction with the circular geometry of the beam, force the wave packet into a multistage collapse process which takes place faster than the saturating mechanisms can compensate. We report here a nonstandard mechanism that increases the intensity of a collapsing wave packet, due to the joint contributions of the cubic phase of the Airy beam and the formation of a partially reflecting plasma.

Structural and optical properties of the lead based glasses containing iron (III) oxide

Iron (III) oxide was used as a doping material of lead based glasses in order to improve their optical and conductive properties. The vitreous system with the following composition xFe2O3∙(100−x) [4PbO2·Pb], where x=0–40mol% Fe2O3 was prepared by melt quenching method and were characterized by investigations of X-ray diffraction, FTIR, EPR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, gap energy and refractive index calculations.FTIR spectra analysis suggests that the excess of oxygen ions coming from the introduction of Fe2O3 up to 40mol% is possible due to the formation of [PbO6] and [FeO4] structural units. At high Fe2O3 concentration, the unexpected intensity decrease of resonance line situated at g~2, corresponding to clustering iron ions, could be the result of partial transformation of the Fe+3 to Fe+2 ions (Fe+2 ions do not give EPR signal). The widening of UV–Vis bands situated in the region between 450 and 550nm towards higher wavelengths when the Fe2O3 concentration increases in network matrix can be attributed to the Fe+2 ions presence, confirming the EPR results.The increase of the iron (III) oxide content in the host matrix implies a shift of the fundamental absorption edge towards higher wavelengths, the decrease of the band gap energy values and the increase of refractive index values lead the improvement of optical properties in the visible range as well as of conductive properties of studied materials. It is interesting to observe that the optical band gap energies for these glasses slightly decrease with the addition of Fe2O3 concentration; it is due to the creation of non-bridging oxygens and the increase of disorder degree of the host matrix.

Unexpected intensity changes in the ear canal during a F-shifted feedback experiment

Effects of frequency-shifted feedback are typically examined using Eventide Harmonizer Series processors to shift the fundamental frequency (F0) of auditory feedback during vocalizations, eliciting compensatory shifts in speaker F0. Recently, unexpected intensity changes were observed in speakers' ear canals, corresponding with F0 shifts. An investigation revealed that feedback time delays introduced by the processor resulted in phase shifts between feedback and unprocessed voice signals radiating into the ear canal via bone conduction, producing combination waves with gains as high as 6 dB. Shifts of this magnitude potentially alter the interpretation of previously published results and should be controlled in future studies.

No plan B: reflection on field observations on ‘Skid Row’

A nurse’s personal reflection on a day in ‘Skid Row’ and Midtown Los Angeles (LA) highlighted issues related to homelessness and both public and not-for-profit sector solutions used in the United States (US). The experience not only raised awareness of the magnitude of the problem in that country, but also inspired consideration of the common issues and the potential for translating US strategies to reduce homelessness to the Australian context. A reflective cycle was used as the framework for this paper to highlight the component parts of the process for the author and the reader. The unexpected intensity of the experience highlighted the need to prepare the health workforce for practice in unpredictable environments and to deliver flexible service beyond simply providing food and shelter. It also served to more deeply personalise the relationship with the PhD research undertaken by the lead author (KR), exploring palliative care for homeless persons.

Application of electron crystallography to structure characterization of ZnS nanocrystals

We chracterized the structure properties of two types of ZnS nanocrystals by electron crystallography. X-ray diffraction analysis for these ZnS nanocrystals was performed to determine their initial structures. Their crystallite sizes were about 5.9 nm and 8.1 nm and their crystal systems were hexagonal and cubic, respectively. Their atomic structures, however, could not be determined because of the weak diffraction intensities as well as the unexpected intensities from impurty. To overcome these problems, the structures of ZnS nanocrystals were resolved by electron crystallography using EF-EPD (energy-filtered electron powder diffraction) and HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscopy) methods. The structrues determined by Rietveld analysis are P63mc (a = 3.8452 A, c = 18.5453 A) and F-43m (a = 5.4356 A), respectively. Their crystallite shapes were nanorods and quasinanoparticles and the nanorod crystal were grown along the [001] direction. It was revealed that the phase transformation between the cubic sphalerite to the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnS nanocrytals was related to their shapes and growth mechanism. Electron cryststallogrpahy, employing EF-EPD and HRTEM methods together, has advantages for structure analysis and property chracterization of nano-sized materials.

Military command in the last decade

On 11 September 2010, the United States commemorated the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In those nine years, British forces have been engaged in military operations of unexpected location, intensity, scale and duration. While the performance of British troops has been repeatedly praised on these operations, there has been growing disquiet among commentators and, indeed, among the military establishment itself about the conduct of these campaigns. Specifically, the issue of British military command has come under increasing scrutiny. This article examines command frictions at the strategic and operational levels and seeks to provide a sociological explanation of these difficulties. It claims that British commanders have failed to identify a coherent strategy over the past decade while in-theatre operational command has often been characterized by an ad hoc-ery, incoherence and inconsistency. The article suggests that a ‘laissez faire’ command culture has been evident at strategic and operational levels. While individual mistakes may not be irrelevant, the article explores the way in which this command culture may be a product of institutional pressures within defence and, above all, a product of inter-service rivalry. However, the laissez faire system of command in the armed forces may also be a reflection of much deeper cultural presumptions and preferences within British professional society itself which has always had a strong tendency towards pragmatism, decentralization and shorttermism. The article concludes by offering some suggestions as to how military command might be reformed in light of its potentially profound cultural origins.

Phonon dispersion and low-energy anomaly inCaC6from inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering experiments

We report measurements of phonon dispersion in ${\text{CaC}}_{6}$ using inelastic x-ray and neutron scattering. We find good overall agreement, particularly in the 50 meV energy region, between experimental data and first-principles density-functional-theory calculations. However, on the longitudinal dispersion along the (111) axis of the rhombohedral representation, we find an unexpected anticrossing with an additional longitudinal mode, at about 11 meV. At a comparable energy, we observe also unexpected intensity on the in-plane direction. These results resolve the previous incorrect assignment of a longitudinal phonon mode to a transverse mode in the same energy range. By calculating the electron susceptibility from first principles we show that this longitudinal excitation is unlikely to be due to a plasmon and consequently can probably be due to defects or vacancies present in the sample.

Investigation of amplification process on the third Stokes line of H_2 under ultraviolet laser irradiation

An amplification process was investigated in the third stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) line of H2 excited with a 266 nm laser beam generated from the fourth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. The unexpected intensity enhancement observed at the third Stokes SRS line around 397.8 nm is attributed to the seeding of the self-generated H-epsilon Balmer line at 397 nm of atomic hydrogen by pumping the H2 molecule with a high-energy laser pulse at 266 nm. It is worth mentioning that in our case the SRS spectrum of H2 showed a quite different intensity pattern from the usual SRS spectra of hydrogen. The pulse energy and pressure dependence of all the SRS lines in general and the third Stokes SRS line in particular were investigated, and in all respects the amplified SRS line at 397.8 nm manifested completely different characteristics that have not been reported in previous publications. The conversion efficiency (CE) of all the SRS lines in the hydrogen 266 nm SRS spectrum was also estimated, and 36% CE was achieved at the 397.78 nm line. To support our claim for amplification at the third Stokes line by seeding of the H-epsilon Balmer line of atomic hydrogen, a comparative study was also carried out by pumping hydrogen gas with 355 nm (less energy per photon) and 266 nm laser beams. It is worth noting that amplification of the third Stokes SRS line was observed only with the 266 nm pump laser, where dissociation of H2 and excitation of atomic hydrogen take place, and not with the 355 nm pump laser.

Robust MRI brain tissue parameter estimation by multistage outlier rejection

This article addresses the problem of the tissue type parameter estimation in brain MRI in the presence of partial volume effects. Automatic MRI brain tissue classification is hampered by partial volume effects that are caused by the finite resolution of the acquisition process. Due to this effect intensity distributions in brain MRI cannot be well modeled by a simple mixture of Gaussians and therefore more complex models have been developed. Unfortunately, these models do not seem to be robust enough for clinical conditions, as the quality of the tissue classification decreases rapidly with the image quality. Also, the application of these methods for pathological images with unmodeled intensities (e.g. MS plaques, tumors, etc.) remains uncertain. In the present work a new robust method for brain tissue characterization is presented, treating the partial volume affected voxels as outliers of the pure tissue distributions. The proposed method estimates the tissue characteristics from a reduced set of intensities belonging to a particular pure tissue class. This reduced set is selected by using a trimming procedure based on local gradient information and distributional data. This feature makes the method highly tolerant of a large amount of unexpected intensities without degrading its performance. The proposed method has been evaluated using both synthetic and real MR data and compared with state-of-the-art methods showing the best results in the comparative.

Holy Weddings, Unholy Marriages: Christian Spouses and Domestic Discords in Early Colonial Lesotho, 1870–1900

In the Lesotho Archives in the capital Maseru, lies unreferenced, scattered files containing testimonies of Christianised BaSotho couples embroiled in marital litigations in the last third of the nineteenth century. Reading these testimonies in relation to one another, and engaging in an in‐depth qualitative examinations of the narratives embedded in the texts offers a rare opportunity to explore the texture of conjugal relationships among Christianised spouses in this period. The compelling picture that emerges is one of extreme instability of Christian marriages. We behold here conjugal lives teeming with conflicts and intrigue. Adultery accusations and spousal violence punctuated the conjugal lives of these spouses in unexpected intensity. This study concludes that after over half a century of missionising the BaSotho, evangelical missionaries seemingly had had little impact on the texture of BaSotho conjugal relations. The rampant “adultery” and spousal abuse that seemingly plagued these Christian spouses were expressions of pre‐Christian patterns that were manifestations of gendered conflicts.

Pricing Corporate Defaultable Bond with Fixed Discrete Declaration Time of Firm Value

We study the pricing problem for corporate defaultable bond from the viewpoint of the investors outside the firm that could not exactly know about the information of firm. We consider the pricing of corporate defaultable bond in the case that the firm value and default barrier just can be observed in some fixed discrete time and unexpected default intensity is determined by the declared firm value. Here we provide a PDE model for such a defaultable bond and give some pricing formula of the defaultable bond. Our pricing model is derived to a solving problem of PDE with random constant default intensity and binary terminal value. Our main method is to use the solving method of PDE for bond pricing with constant default intensity in every subinterval and to take expectation to remove some random constants. Our PDE model has no any affine structural solution and we find its solution using Fourier transformation method.