Rs Value Research Articles

A low-impedance cation exchange membrane for extending the voltage window of a BiFeO3-based hybrid supercapacitor through the pH-decoupling strategy

Aqueous hybrid supercapacitors usually suffer from narrow voltage window and poor energy density limited by the thermodynamic decomposition of water. Based on necessary ion exchange membranes, the pH-decoupling strategy can be employed to extend the voltage windows of hybrid supercapacitors. We propose a novel low-impedance cation exchange membrane (CEM) with the interpenetrating network structure for the pH-decoupling strategy, which can be served as the separator for a AC//BiFeO3 supercapacitor to enhance its electrochemical performances. Two CEMs (CEM-1 and CEM-2) with different contents of the sulfonic acid (-SO3H) groups, are fabricated through the copolymerization of various monomers according to the predetermined stoichiometric ratios. FTIR, Raman and XPS spectra reflect that the CEM-2 has the higher content of the -SO3H groups than the CEM-1. The membrane parameter measurements confirm that the CEM-2 has the higher water content, lower membrane resistance and smaller membrane thickness than the CEM-1. The AC//BiFeO3 supercapacitor with the CEM-2 separator provides the higher gravimetric specific capacitance of 61 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, better coulombic efficiencies (97 % ∼ 103 %) and lower Rs value (39.74 Ω) than the AC//BiFeO3 supercapacitors with the CEM-1 separator. Moreover, the AC//BiFeO3 supercapacitor with the CEM-2 separator delivers the maximum energy density of 41.0 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 1.1 kW kg−1. The pH-decoupling strategy with this low-impedance CEM, opens up a new avenue for developing high-performance aqueous electrochemical energy storage devices.

Machine learning-based model for CD4+ conventional T cell genes to predict survival and immune responses in colorectal cancer

Globally, CRC ranks as a principal cause of mortality, with projections indicating a substantial rise in both incidence and mortality by the year 2040. The immunological responses to cancer heavily rely on the function of CD4Tconv. Despite this critical role, prognostic studies on CRC-related CD4Tconv remain insufficient. In this investigation, transcriptomic and clinical data were sourced from TCGA and GEO. Initially, we pinpointed CD4TGs using single-cell datasets. Prognostic genes were then isolated through univariate Cox regression analysis. Building upon this, 101 machine learning algorithms were employed to devise a novel risk assessment framework, which underwent rigorous validation using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, time-dependent ROC curves, nomograms, and calibration plots. Furthermore, GSEA facilitated the examination of these genes’ potential roles. The RS derived from this model was also analyzed for its implications in the TME, and its potential utility in immunotherapy and chemotherapy contexts. A novel prognostic model was developed, utilizing eight CD4TGs that are significantly linked to the outcomes of patients with CRC. This model’s RS showcased remarkable predictive reliability for the overall survival rates of CRC patients and strongly correlated with malignancy levels. RS serves as an autonomous prognostic indicator, capable of accurately forecasting patient prognoses. Based on the median value of RS, patients were categorized into subgroups of high and low risk. The subgroup with higher risk demonstrated increased immune infiltration and heightened activity of genes associated with immunity. This investigation’s establishment of a CD4TGs risk model introduces novel biomarkers for the clinical evaluation of CRC risks. These biomarkers may enhance therapeutic approaches and, in turn, elevate the clinical outcomes for patients with CRC by facilitating an integrated treatment strategy.

Synthesis, characterization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy performance and photodegradation of methylene blue: Mesoporous PEG/TiO2 by sol-gel electrospinning

Sol-gel and electrospinning methods successfully prepared porous TiO2 fibers. The samples were calcined at temperatures of 450 °C and 550 °C and characterized using different techniques. XRD analysis also revealed crystalline anatase and rutile phases of mp-TiO2 observed at calcining temperatures of 450 °C and 550 °C, whereas as-prepared showed an amorphous-like structure. Relatively higher surface area and photocatalytic efficiency were increased with a decrease in crystallite size. All samples absorb UV region. The Rs value of TiO2 calcined at 550 °C was 16.6 Ω, which is much lower than those of the 450 °C calcined TiO2 powder electrode (52.7 Ω) and as-prepared TiO2 electrode (95.3 Ω). In addition, the Rp resistance of TiO2 calcined at 550 °C electrode (5.85 kΩ) was also lower than those of 450 °C calcined TiO2 powder (39.0 kΩ) and as-prepared TiO2 electrode (68.9 kΩ), revealing better electronic and ionic conduction of TiO2 calcined at 550 °C electrode.

ANFIS‐based controlled spherical rotator with quadrant photodiode to improve position detection accuracy

AbstractThe authors aim to build a theoretical system for calibrating the position detection of a single quadrant photodiode (QPD) attached to 2D rotators and to suppress noise using a Sugeno‐type fuzzy inference system. According to the results, if the original ANFIS network (NWo) is trained under the conditions of resolution (rso), traing samples (No), and the possibility of random noise (po) and presented as {original, rso, No, po}, with the #X testing case presented as {case #X, rsx, Nx, px}, case #X is expected to be the all‐pass case of the two root‐mean‐squared error criteria under the conditions of rsx ≥ rso and px ≤ po. Thus, the measurement accuracy is improved without tracking historical data. Furthermore, the two conditions indicate the limitations of the proposed ANFIS‐based method. These conditions can be employed to save time and money. If a company produces many types of QPD rotators with different values of rs, the engineers can optimise the design to train the ANFIS network with only one case with the smallest rs and a larger p for all types of QPD rotators with any value of rs and p. This demonstrates the potential industrial application of the proposed method.

Synthesis and Characterization of Carbon Nano Sphere-doped Gd: Alpha Sb2O4 Nanostructure for High-Performance Energy Storage Applications

Background: To enhance the super capacitive properties of nanocomposites, the effective method is to combine carbon nanospheres with mesoporous structures with Gd3+:α-Sb2O4 inorganic nanocomposites (NC) to form hybrid electrodes. An as-prepared hybrid electrode material possesses increased energy density, high rate of reversibility and cyclic stability when incorporated in electrochemical cyclic voltammetric studies. Methods: In the present investigation, various wt % of C-nanospheres (Cx) (5 %, 10% and 20%) were decorated over Gd3+: α-Sb2O4 nanocomposites and were synthesized by coprecipitation method. XRD, SEM, EDX, UV-visible, and XPS are only a few of the analytical techniques used to describe the as-prepared hybrid nanocomposites. Electrochemical cyclic voltammetry was carried out in a 6 M KOH solution, three-electrode system. Results: The crystal structure and morphology of Cx: Gd3+@ α-Sb2O4 NC showed a mixed hexagonal phase and agglomerated tiny irregularly shaped morphology that appeared as the Cx concentration increased. Redshift in optical absorption peak appeared (near UV-edge), and the optical band gap (Eg) value increased from 3.53 eV to 3.65 eV. The electrochemical supercapacitor showed the highest specific capacitance of 989 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g for C20%:Gd3+@α-Sb2O4 NC compared with Cx:Gd3+@α-Sb2O4 (x = 5% and 10%) and undoped Gd3+:α-Sb2O4 NC. The change in phase angle and Rs value of 1.98 was attributed to the ideal supercapacitor properties. The cyclic stability after 5000 cycles with 79.71% capacitive retention was exhibited by C20%:Gd3+@α-Sb2O4 NC. Conclusion: The present research introduces ease of synthesis of hybrid electrode materials possessing high active surface area, increased energy density, high cyclic stability, and reversibility in an aqueous solution.

Efficient adsorption and rapid electrochemical degradation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by three-dimensional nanostructured carbon anode

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a widely used oxygen-containing volatile organic compound, functioning as both an organic solvent and additive. Therefore, the advancement of effective methods for MMA removal is of great significance. In this study, three-dimensional nanostructured carbon (CNTs/CC) anode materials were prepared through the in-situ growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on carbon cloth (CC) using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The prepared material showed outstanding adsorption-electrocatalytic degradation performance towards MMA, with a saturated adsorption capacity of 2033 mg·g−1 and complete degradation achieved after 90 min of electrification at a 100 mg·L−1 MMA concentration. The electrochemically active surface area increased to 29.8 cm2 with an Rs value of 2.35 Ω for the CNTs/CC-2 anode material, leading to enhanced ·OH generation capability and faster degradation rates. The material also exhibited excellent reusability over thirteen cycles of adsorption-electrochemical degradation of MMA, with a degradation efficiency consistently above 92 %. This research provides valuable insights for developing new materials and technologies for MMA degradation.

High performance Al/WSe2/CuO/ITO structure based broadband photodetector

This letter reports a Al/WSe2/CuO/ITO structure based broadband photodetector. The low cost spin coating technique is utilized to deposit, p-type WSe2 film and n-type CuO film. The Al contacts were deposited over WSe2 film using thermal evaporation unit. The suggested photodetector gives the broad photo response with maximum Responsivity RS (A/W) and External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) value of 3099 A/W, 3680 A/W, and 493 A/W; 1.20 × 106%, 1.52× 106% and 2.04 × 105% at 350 nm (UV), 500 nm (visible) and 950 nm (IR) under application of −2 V bias. The EQE value beyond 100% are attributed to trap assisted photomultiplication mechanism.

Validation of the physical activity neighborhood environment scale using geographic information systems among urban men and women in regional China

AimsTo examine the concurrent validity of the Chinese version of Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale (PANES-CHN) among urban adults in regional China. MethodsWith multistage sampling approaches, 801 eligible urban adults aged 35–74 years were recruited from Nanjing municipality of China between July and September of 2019. The neighbourhood built environment features were measured subjectively with PANES-CHN and objectively with geographic information system. The concurrent validity of PANES was assessed using Spearman’s correlations (rs). ResultsAmong the total 801 participants, the mean age was 54.4 (standard deviation = 11.5), while 48.7 % were men. Overall, of all the five objectively-measurable built environment characteristics, the Spearman correlations were examined significant between subjective and objective measurements for commercial facilities (item 2) (rs = 0.19, 95CI%=0.12, 0.25), recreational facilities (item 6) (rs = 0.10, 95CI%=0.02, 0.16), traffic junctions (item 12) (rs = 0.15, 95CI%=0.07, 0.22), medical/education facilities (item 17) (rs = 0.22, 95CI%=0.15, 0.29), but not for public transport stops. Similar scenarios were observed for participants aged 35–60 years, with sufficient physical activity, men or women. The rs value for medical/education facilities (item 17) was significantly higher in participants aged 35–59 years (0.28 vs. 0.13; p = 0.04) than those aged 60 + years. ConclusionsPANES-CHN generally has an acceptable validity for assessing built environment characteristics among urban adults in China, which implies that PANES-CHN can be used to measure built environment attributes in health-related population studies.

A deep learning model for translating CT to ventilation imaging: analysis of accuracy and impact on functional avoidance radiotherapy planning.

Radiotherapy planning incorporating functional lung images has the potential to reduce pulmonary toxicity. Free-breathing 4DCT-derived ventilation image (CTVI) may help quantify lung function. This study introduces a novel deep-learning model directly translating planning CT images into CTVI. We investigated the accuracy of generated images and the impact on functional avoidance planning. Paired planning CT and 4DCT scans from 48 patients with NSCLC were randomized to training (n = 41) and testing (n = 7) data sets. The ventilation maps were generated from 4DCT using a Jacobian-based algorithm to provide ground truth labels (CTVI4DCT). A 3D U-Net-based model was trained to map CT to synthetic CTVI (CTVISyn) and validated using fivefold cross-validation. The highest-performing model was applied to the testing set. Spearman's correlation (rs) and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) determined voxel-wise and functional-wise concordance between CTVI4DCT and CTVISyn. Three plans were designed per patient in the testing set: one clinical plan without CTVI and two functional avoidance plans combined with CTVI4DCT or CTVISyn, aimed at sparing high-functional lungs defined as the top 50% of the percentile ventilation ranges. Dose-volume (DVH) parameters regarding the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) were recorded. Radiation pneumonitis (RP) risk was estimated using a dose-function (DFH)-based normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) model. CTVISyn showed a mean rs value of 0.65 ± 0.04 compared to CTVI4DCT. Mean DSC values over the top 50% and 60% of ventilation ranges were 0.41 ± 0.07 and 0.52 ± 0.10, respectively. In the test set (n = 7), all patients' RP-risk benefited from CTVI4DCT-guided plans (Riskmean_4DCT_vs_Clinical: 29.24% vs. 49.12%, P = 0.016), and six patients benefited from CTVISyn-guided plans (Riskmean_Syn_vs_Clinical: 31.13% vs. 49.12%, P = 0.022). There were no significant differences in DVH and DFH metrics between CTVISyn and CTVI4DCT-guided plan (P > 0.05). Using deep-learning techniques, CTVISyn generated from planning CT exhibited a moderate-to-high correlation with CTVI4DCT. The CTVISyn-guided plans were comparable to the CTVI4DCT-guided plans, effectively reducing pulmonary toxicity in patients while maintaining acceptable plan quality. Further prospective trials are needed to validate these findings.

Determination of the Risk Factors of Slaughterhouses and Butcher shops in Public Health

The current study was designed to understand the present status of beef markets as well as the quality of beef in selected five upazilas (Dinajpur Sadar, Parbotipur, Nawabgonj, Fulbari, and Birampur) of Dinajpur district, Bangladesh. These included cleaning hands completely before handling beef (100%), cleaning the butchery on a daily and weekly basis (12%), cleaning meat-cutting knives before use (100%), wearing hand gloves (8%), wearing a protective coat (12%), wearing a head cover (2%) while handling and selling meat, and growing long fingernails (55%). Muslims make up the majority of the population in the chosen areas, and 100% of the animals are slaughtered according to the halal method. The rs, specific slaughter house, washing of animals before slaughter, ante-mortem inspection by the government authority, regular post-mortem inspection, and preservation of unsold beef were positively correlated with the biosecurity maintenance of meat practiced and had a significant (p<0.01) positive relationship with biosecurity practice. The rs value of preservation of unsold beef had a positive correlation but was weakly (rs<0.3) correlated. Butchers addressed the following issues: middlemen (23%), disorganized markets (21%), capital (17%), extraction (15%), importation of animals from foreign nations (14%), irregular investigations (8%), and other issues (2%). Various customer perspectives were used to gather some problem findings for the beef market survey, including excessive cost (37%), inadequate market oversight (28%), unclean surroundings (14%), adulteration (11%), and others (10%). The relevant authorities in the livestock business and the government could step in to address the existing problems.

Hepatic steatosis using ultrasound-derived fat fraction: First technical and clinical evaluation.

To explore the technical and clinical evaluation of ultrasound-derived fat fraction (UDFF) measurement in adult patients in whom fatty liver was suspected. In this prospective study, 41 participants were initially enrolled in our hospital between October 2022 and December 2022 and received UDFF assessment using Siemens ACUSON Sequoia system equipped with DAX transducer. UDFF measurement was performed three times to obtain UDFF values from each imaging location (V hepatic segment and VIII hepatic segment) per participant, and the depth (skin-to-capsule distance) was automatically measured. The echogenicity of liver tissue in B mode ultrasound (BMUS) was compared to the normal kidney tissue, and fatty liver was graded as mild (Grade 1), moderate (Grade 2), and severe (Grade 3). The median of the acquired overall median UDFF values was used for statistical analysis. All ultrasound examinations were performed by one of two radiologists (with 20 and 10 years of liver ultrasound imaging experience). Finally, UDFF measurement was successfully performed on 38 participants to obtain valid values, including 21 men with a median age of 40.0 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 23.0 - 58.5) and 17 women with a median age of 60.0 years (IQR: 29.5 - 67.0). Fatty liver was diagnosed by BMUS features in 47.4% (18/38) participants. Among all participants, the median UDFF value was 7.0% (IQR: 4.0 - 15.6). A significant difference in UDFF values was found between participants with fatty liver and without fatty liver (U = 7.0, P < 0.001), and UDFF values elevated as the grade of the fatty liver increased (P < 0.001). The median UDFF values from the three UDFF measurements obtained during each ultrasound examination showed excellent agreement (ICC = 0.882 [95% confidence interval: 0.833 - 0.919]). The Spearman correlation of UDFF values in different depths was moderate, with a rs value of 0.546 (P < 0.001). No significant differences in UDFF values were found between V hepatic segment and VIII hepatic segment (U = 684.5, P = 0.697). UDFF provides a novel non-invasive imaging tool for hepatic steatosis assessment with excellent feasibility.

The relationship between husband’s emotional support and anxiety of third trimester pregnant women at Lulu’s independent midwifery practice Surabaya

Anxiety during pregnancy arises due to physical and psychological changes in the mother. Anxiety makes emotional conditions unstable. If anxiety persists until the third trimester, it will cause prolonged labor, low birth weight, and premature birth and cause hypertension which leads to preeclampsia. Anxiety in pregnant women can be overcome with husband support. A husband plays a role in providing support to pregnant women. Husband support is one of the important factors obtained by pregnant women, because husbands are the closest people to pregnant women. During pregnancy, the mother has an unstable emotional condition so there is a need for emotional support from her husband. This emotional support includes expressions of empathy, care, and attention. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between husband's emotional support and anxiety of third trimester pregnant women. This study is an observational analytic study using a cross sectional design. Data analysis using Spearman's Rho correlation test. The number of samples that met the inclusion criteria was 52 third trimester pregnant women at Lulu’s Independent Midwifery Practice, Surabaya. Mothers with good husband's emotional support 86,4% were not anxious, while 53,3% of mothers with poor husband's emotional support experienced mild-moderate anxiety. The results of the Spearman's rho correlation test obtained an rs value: 0.468 (p &lt;0.001) which means that there is a significant correlation between husband's emotional support and anxiety of third trimester pregnant women, with moderate correlation strength. Husband's emotional support has a moderate relationship with anxiety of third trimester pregnant women.

Characteristics of Electrical Resistance Alteration during In Situ Leaching of Ion-Adsorption-Type Rare Earth Ore

The chemical reaction of ion-adsorption-type rare earth ore during the in situ leaching process is accompanied by ion migration and charge movement, making the leaching process electrochemical in nature. The chemical reaction rate plays an important role in the leaching rate of rare earth elements. In this work, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to reveal the characteristics of electrical resistance alterations and leaching rate of rare earth elements during in situ leaching. The equivalent circuit model of the leaching process was established, and two critical parameters of solution resistance Rs and charge transfer resistance Rt were analyzed to reflect the electrochemical characteristics. According to the characteristics of electrical resistance alteration, the leaching process was divided into four stages: wetting, reaction, equilibrium, and top water stage. The resistance parameters Rs and Rt decreased first and then increased during the leaching process. The maximum value of Rs was 1330 Ω∙cm2 at the end of the top water stage, and the minimum value was 125 Ω∙cm2 at the beginning of the equilibrium stage. The maximum value of Rt was 8310 Ω∙cm2 at the beginning of the leaching stage, and the minimum value was 21 Ω∙cm2 at the end of the reaction stage. Rs and Rt were negatively correlated with the pore size and chemical reaction rate during leaching. With an increasing pore size and reaction rate, the resistance parameters decrease. This study provides a new idea for the intelligent monitoring of rare earth ore.

Voltage and frequency reliant interface traps and their lifetimes of the MPS structures interlayered with CdTe:PVA via the admittance method

In this work, to gain detailed information about the electrical characteristics, interface traps (Dit), and their lifetimes (τ) of the metal-polymer-semiconductor (MPS) type structures, admittance measurements performed in wide frequency and voltage ranges have been utilized. At the outset, the intercept, and slope of the 1/C2 vs V curve were used to unveil the density of acceptor-atoms (NA), depletion-layer width (WD), and barrier-height (ΦB). All these parameters show strong frequency dependence with the effect of the Dit, interlayer, interface, and dipole polarization, especially at low and moderate frequencies. Therefore, Dit and τ were determined from the admittance method. The measured C -G/ω vs V curves were adjusted for higher frequencies taking into account the series-resistance effect. Experimental results indicate the strong effect of the Rs value on the capacitance and conductance values only at the accumulation-regime for higher-frequencies whereas the Dit effect in both inversion and depletion regimes for lower-frequencies.

EVALUATION OF MEAT PROCESSING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE WITH SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITION OF BUTCHERS

The present research set out to assess Bangladesh’s socioeconomic situation, meat processing knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP), and the state of the nation’s butcher shops. The investigation of 200 butcher shops was carried out between June 2022 and July 2023 using an organized questionnaire. The interview schedule addressed the butchers’ socioeconomic situation, the meat market’s infrastructure, their educational attainment and other characteristics. Seventy two percent of butchers chose agriculture as their secondary career, 98% were men, and 16% were illiterate. Each week the percentage of slaughter animals with the highest ratio (1-2) was 49%, and the percentage of animals with the lowest ratio (&gt;5) was 23%. The butchers incomes per month ranged between 30000 and 40000 (BDT), 34% had the highest proportion, and for those &gt;40000 (BDT), 16% had the lowest. The roofs of the butcher shops were tin sheds (90%). The drainage system is an important issue for butcher shops, which were subdivided into no sewerage (45%), soil made (26%), cannel (15%), and concrete (14%). It was concerning to learn that 27% of butchers were aware of an antibiotic withdrawal period. The meat shop’s biosecurity is currently appropriately managed to a 43% extent. 31% of butchers were knowledgeable about animal welfare and animal enjoyment. The negative effects of steroid use were known to 38% of butchers. Only 23 % of butchers knew about antibiotic resistance. In terms of meat handling and hygiene procedures, only 34% have training. The rs value of knowledge of quality meat, known as diseased animals, known as life-threatening zoonotic diseases, parasitic infestation knowledge, environmental pollution concern, knowledge of the antibiotic withdrawal period, knowledge of animal welfare, knowledge of the harmful effects of steroid use, knowledge of microbial resistance, and training on meat handling negatively correlated with the educational level and had a significant (p&lt;0.01) negative strongly (rs &gt; 0.3) relationship with the educational level. It indicates that the educational level increased with the improved awareness of knowledge about the health hazards of meat, which was significant (p&lt;0.01). To solve current challenges, the government and the appropriate authority in the livestock industry should take necessary action.

Relationship of Body Composition with Height and Weight in Attendants of Cancer Patients

Objective: To discern the relationship of height and weight with body composition in healthy attendants of cancer patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Oct to Dec 2022. Methodology: A total of 226 healthy adults aged 19-47 years having similar daily physical activity levels were included. The body composition of study participants was evaluated using a bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) machine. The weight of all participants was recorded with the help of a weighing machine. The participants' height was measured using a Harpenden Stadiometer and recorded. Results: Our study showed that weight had a significant positive correlation with body fat mass (rs value=0.83), skeletal muscle mass (rs value=0.763), total body water (rs value=0.704), fat-free mass (rs value=0.75) and per cent body fat (rs value 0.716). On the other hand, height had a negative but non-significant association with fat mass (rs value= 0.025) and a negative significant association with per cent body fat (rs value=-0.16). Height had a positive and significant association with fat-free mass (rs value=0.553), total body water (rs value=0.501) and skeletal muscle mass (rs value=0.505). Conclusion: Weight, if used alone, is not a good indicator of obesity or emaciation, and height has a negative association with fat mass.

Highly stretchable polymer semiconductor thin films with multi-modal energy dissipation and high relative stretchability

Stretchable polymer semiconductors (PSCs) have seen great advancements alongside the development of soft electronics. But it remains a challenge to simultaneously achieve high charge carrier mobility and stretchability. Herein, we report the finding that stretchable PSC thin films (<100-nm-thick) with high stretchability tend to exhibit multi-modal energy dissipation mechanisms and have a large relative stretchability (rS) defined by the ratio of the entropic energy dissipation to the enthalpic energy dissipation under strain. They effectively recovered the original molecular ordering, as well as electrical performance, after strain was released. The highest rS value with a model polymer (P4) exhibited an average charge carrier mobility of 0.2 cm2V−1s−1 under 100% biaxial strain, while PSCs with low rS values showed irreversible morphology changes and rapid degradation of electrical performance under strain. These results suggest rS can be used as a parameter to compare the reliability and reversibility of stretchable PSC thin films.

About the de Almeida–Thouless line in neural networks

In this work we present a rigorous and straightforward method to detect the onset of the instability of replica-symmetric theories in information processing systems, which does not require a full replica analysis as in the method originally proposed by de Almeida and Thouless for spin glasses. The method is based on an expansion of the free-energy obtained within one-step of replica symmetry breaking (RSB) around the RS value. As such, it requires solely continuity and differentiability of the free-energy and it is robust to be applied broadly to systems with quenched disorder. We apply the method to the Hopfield model and to neural networks with multi-node Hebbian interactions, as case studies. In the appendices we test the method on the Sherrington–Kirkpatrick and the Ising P-spin models, recovering the AT lines known in the literature for these models, as a special limit, which corresponds to assuming that the transition from the RS to the RSB phase can be obtained by varying continuously the order parameters. Our method provides a generalization of the AT approach, which does not rely on this limit and can be applied to systems with discontinuous phase transitions, as we show explicitly for the spherical P-spin model, recovering the known RS instability line.

Electrical characterization of Al/SnO2/PbO/Si double layer MOS under the moderate radiation effect

The metal-oxide semiconductor-based structures are among the most prominent optoelectronic devices that can be used in several application fields. The performance of these structures is strongly dependent on the local radiation dose. In this study, we examined the sample structures with and without radiation. The electrical parameters of the studied samples such as ideality factor, series resistance, saturation current, barrier height, and zero-bias barrier height were obtained by performing the forward bias I–V data analyses. The values of n indicate that the irradiation emission mechanism is dominated. Also, this value depends on the evaluation method of the device. According to the Cheung method, while the ideality factor was found to be 5.72 before irradiation, it was found to be 7.04 after irradiation with 30 kGy. According to the TE method, on the other hand, the value of the ideality factor was found to be 6.337 before irradiation while it was found to be 5.016 after irradiation. The high figures of n were considered to be the result of the interface states of the metal/oxide/semiconductor, i.e. the device, and the barrier height's image force lowering. The obtained dielectric parameters do not have to be absolutely correct, especially when there is radiation on the device. It was found that the value of Rs extremely depended on the particular current transport mechanism's contributions to the total current. The non-ideality factor n increases with the 30 kGy irradiation according to the Cheung method while it does not according to the TE theory. At the same time, the forward bias I–V characteristics and their logarithmic plots reveal two distinct linear sections in the entire linearly increasing voltage.

Epoxy group and conductive network incorporation effectively enhanced electrochemical performance of MWCNTs/Ca3Co4O9 nanocomposites

Ca3Co4O9 anodes have been intensively investigated due to its high safety and excellent cycling stability. In comparison to the pure Ca3Co4O9, the 9 wt% MWCNTs/Ca3Co4O9 nanocomposite anode exhibited a favorable reversible capacity of 526.6 mAh/g and the excellent charge/discharge capacities of 524.7/507.5 mAh/g after 100th cycles were obtained due to epoxy groups anchoring and the construction of conductive network. The Coulombic efficiencies of all samples were maintained as high as 90 %. More importantly, a continuous three-dimensional (3D) long-range conductive network shortened transport channels for ions/electrons and enhanced the ionic/electronic conductivity. The interfacial resistance (Rs) value of 2.8 Ω was obtained for the 9 wt% MWCNTs/Ca3Co4O9. The improved electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites were attributed to the incorporation of epoxy groups anchoring and much Li+ active sites offering. This novelty route is attractive alternative method for preparing oxides anode materials, which is beneficial to the large capacity and outstanding cycling stability for the applications of high-power Li-ion batteries.