Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Developing Professional Skills In Stem Students: Data Information Literacy, Lisa Zilinski, Megan R. Sapp Nelson, Amy S. Van Epps

Lisa Zilinski

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need …

Free-Standing Inflatable Solar Chimney: Experiment And Theory, Peter Vorobieff, Andrea Mammoli, Nima Fathi, Vakhtang Putkaradze

Nima Fathi

Estimating Effective Connectivity From Fmri Data Using Factor-Based Subspace Autoregressive Models, Chee-Ming Ting Phd, Abd-Krim Seghouane Phd, Sh-Hussain Salleh Phd, Alias M. Noor Phd

Chee-Ming Ting

Magnetic And Transport Properties Of Nimnal Thin Films, Andriy Vovk, Minghui Yu, Leszek Malkinski, Charles O'Connor, Zhenjun Wang, Eden Durant, Jinke Tang, Vladimir Golub

Jinke Tang

The magnetic and transport properties of Ni₂MnAl thin films prepared using pulse laser deposition were investigated. It was shown that the films are granular and multiphase. Contrary to the data reported earlier we observe nonmonotonic temperature dependence of resistance with minimum in the vicinity of 100 K for the films deposited on substrates held at 773 K and negative magnetoresistance (MR) values of about 2.5% at 5 K and 1.6% at RT in magnetic field of 50 kOe. These values of MR are the highest reported up to date for Ni₂MnAl films. Large negative MR in …

Ultrafine Nife2o4 Powder Fabricated From Reverse Microemulsion Process, Jiye Fang, Narayan Shama, Le Duc Tung, Eun Young Shin, Charles J. O'Connor, Kevin L. Stokes, Gabriel Caruntu, John B. Wiley, Leonard Spinu, Jinke Tang

Jinke Tang

NiFe2O4 ultrafine powder with high crystallinity has been prepared through a reverse microemulsion route. The composition in starting solution was optimized, and the resulting NiFe2O4 was formed at temperature of around 550–600 °C, which is much lower than that observed from the solid-state reaction. Magnetic investigation indicates that samples are soft-magnetic materials with low coercivity and with the saturation magnetization close to the bulk value of Ni ferrite.

Room Temperature Giant And Linear Magnetoresistance In Topological Insulator Bi2te3 Nanosheets, Xiaolin Wang, Yi Du, S X. Dou, Chao Zang

Shi Xue Dou

"Topological insulators, a new class of condensed matter having bulk insulating states and gapless metallic surface states, have demonstrated fascinating quantum effects. However, the potential practical applications of the topological insulators are still under exploration worldwide. We demonstrate that nanosheets of a Bi2Te3 topological insulator several quintuple layers thick display giant and linear magnetoresistance. The giant and linear magnetoresistance achieved is as high as over 600% at room temperature, with a trend towards further increase at higher temperatures, as well as being weakly temperature-dependent and linear with the field, without any sign of saturation at measured fields up to 13 …

High Performance Pure Sulfur Honeycomb-Like Architectures Synthesized By A Cooperative Self-Assembly Strategy For Lithium Sulfur Batteries, Xin Liang, Mohammad Kaiser, Konstantin Konstantinov, Richard Tandiono, Zhaoxiang Prof Zhaoxiang Wang, Hua-Kun Liu, S X. Dou, Jiazhao Wang

Shi Xue Dou

Honeycomb-like pure sulfur architectures were synthesized by a cooperative self-assembly strategy, in which a soft template is used to form the porous structure. Their electrochemical performance is significantly improved comparing with the commercial sulfur powder and the as-prepared sulfur without honeycomb morphology. There has been no report on using a soft template to prepare honeycomb-like sulfur particles.

Enhancement Of Transition Temperature In Fexse0.5te0.5 Film Via Iron Vacancies, J C. Zhuang, Wai K. Yeoh, Xiangyuan Cui, Jung Ho Kim, Dongqi Shi, Z X. Shi, S P. Ringer, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

The effects of iron deficiency in Fe x Se0.5Te0.5 thin films (0.8 ≤ x ≤ 1) on superconductivity and electronic properties have been studied. A significant enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature (TC ) up to 21 K was observed in the most Fe deficient film (x = 0.8). Based on the observed and simulated structural variation results, there is a high possibility that Fe vacancies can be formed in the Fe x Se0.5Te0.5 films. The enhancement of TC shows a strong relationship with the lattice strain effect induced by Fe vacancies. Importantly, the presence of Fe vacancies alters the …

Power-Law Relationship Between Critical Current Density, Microstructure, And The N-Value In Mgb2 Superconductor Wires, Ashkan Motaman, Shaon Barua, Dipak Patel, Minoru Maeda, Kookchae Cheong, Jung Ho Kim, S X. Dou, Md Shahriar Al Hossain

Shi Xue Dou

Dissipation-free MgB2 superconducting wires are valuable in terms of practical applications. Herein, we have found a strong correlation between critical current density (J c ) and the n-value extracted from the electric field versus current density characteristic. The power-law relationship (m) between the J c and the n-value, n∝Jmc , represents a critical index which is strongly dependent on operating temperatures.

Pressure Induced Magneto-Structural Phase Transitions In Layered Rmn2x2 Compounds (Invited), Shane Kennedy, Jianli Wang, Stewart Campbell, Michael Hofmann, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

We have studied a range of pseudo-ternaries derived from the parent compound PrMn2 Ge 2, substituting for each constituent element with a smaller one to contract the lattice. This enables us to observe the magneto-elastic transitions that occur as the Mn-Mn nearest neighbour distance is reduced and to assess the role of Pr on the magnetism. Here, we report on the PrMn2 Ge 2−xSix, Pr1−xYxMn2 Ge 2, and PrMn2−xFex Ge 2 systems. The pressure produced by chemical substitution in these pseudo-ternaries is inherently non-uniform, with local pressure variations dependent on the local atomic distribution. We find that concentrated chemical substitution …

Ultra-Small Fluorescent Inorganic Nanoparticles For Bioimaging, Zhen Li, Qiao Sun, Yian Zhu, Bien Tan, Zhi Ping Xu, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

The novel optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of ultra-small inorganic nanoparticles make them very attractive in diverse applications in the fields of health, clean and renewable energy, and environmental sustainability. This article comprehensively summarizes state-of-the-art fluorescence imaging using ultra-small nanoparticles as probes, including quantum dots, metal nanoclusters, carbon nanomaterials, up-conversion, and silicon nanomaterials.

Thermoelectric Performance Of N-Type (Pbte)0.75(Pbs)0.15(Pbse)0.1 Composites, Sima Aminorroaya Yamini, Heng Wang, Dianta Ginting, David R. G Mitchell, S X. Dou, G. Jeffrey Snyder

Shi Xue Dou

Lead chalcogenides (PbQ, Q = Te, Se, S) have proved to possess high thermoelectric efficiency for both n-type and p-type compounds. Recent success in tuning of electronic band structure, including manipulating the band gap, multiple bands, or introducing resonant states, has led to a significant improvement in the thermoelectric performance of p-type lead chalcogenides compared to the n-type ones. Here, the n-type quaternary composites of (PbTe)0.75(PbS)0.15(PbSe)0.1 are studied to evaluate the effects of nanostructuring on lattice thermal conductivity, carrier mobility, and effective mass variation. The results are compared with the similar ternary systems of (PbTe)1-x(PbSe)x, (PbSe) 1-x(PbS)x, and (PbS)1-x(PbTe)x. The …

Magnetic Transitions In Lafe13-X-Ycoysix Compounds, Jianli Wang, S J. Campbell, S J. Kennedy, P Shamba, R Zeng, S X. Dou, G H. Wu

Shi Xue Dou

The magnetic properties of a set of LaFe13−x−yCoySix compounds (x = 1.6 − 2.6; y = 0, y = 1.0) have been investigated using magnetic measurements, thermal expansion, 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and high resolution neutron powder diffraction methods over the temperature range 10–300 K. The natures of the magnetic transitions in these LaFe13−x−yCoySix compounds have been determined. The Curie temperatures of LaFe13−xSix were found to increase with Si content from TC = 219(5) K for Si content x = 1.6 to TC = 250(5) K for x = 2.6. Substitution of Co for Fe in LaFe10.4Si2.6 resulted in a further …

Thermoelectric Performance Of Tellurium-Reduced Quaternary P-Type Lead-Chalcogenide Composites, Sima Aminorroaya Yamini, Heng Wang, Zachary M. Gibbs, Yanzhong Pei, David R. G Mitchell, S X. Dou, G. Jeffrey Snyder

Shi Xue Dou

A long-standing technological challenge to the widespread application of thermoelectric generators is obtaining high-performance thermoelectric materials from abundant elements. Intensive study on PbTe alloys has resulted in a high figure of merit for the single-phase ternary PbTe-PbSe system through band structure engineering, and the low thermal conductivity achieved due to nanostructuring leads to high thermoelectric performance for ternary PbTe-PbS compounds. Recently, the single-phase p-type quaternary PbTe-PbSe-PbS alloys have been shown to provide thermoelectric performance superior to the binary and ternary lead chalcogenides. This occurs via tuning of the band structure and from an extraordinary low thermal conductivity resulting from high-contrast …

Platinum Dendritic Nanoparticles With Magnetic Behavior, Wenxian Li, Ziqi Sun, Dongliang Tian, Ivan P. Nevirkovets, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Magnetic nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention for biomedical applications in magnetic resonance imaging, high frequency magnetic field hyperthermia therapies, and magnetic-field-gradient-targeted drug delivery. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) platinum nanostructures with large surface area that features magnetic behavior have been demonstrated. The well-developed 3D nanodendrites consist of plentiful interconnected nano-arms ∼4 nm in size. The magnetic behavior of the 3D dendritic Pt nanoparticles is contributed by the localization of surface electrons due to strongly bonded oxygen/Pluronic F127 and the local magnetic moment induced by oxygen vacancies on the neighboring Pt and O atoms. The magnetization of the nanoparticles exhibits a …

Recent Progress In Thermoelectric Materials, Chao Han, Zhen Li, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Direct conversion of heat into electricity through advanced thermoelectric (TE) materials has been one of the most attractive solutions to the severe environmental and energy issues facing humanity. In recent years, great progress has been made in improving their dimensionless figure of merit (ZT), which determines the conversion efficiency of TE devices. ZT is related to three “interlocked” factors—the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. These three factors are interdependent in bulk TE materials, and altering one changes the other two. The difficulty in simultaneously optimizing them caused TE research to stagnate, until great reductions in thermal conductivity were …

Large Magnetoelectric Coupling In Magnetically Short-Range Ordered Bi5ti3feo15 Film, Hongyang Zhao, Hideo Kimura, Zhenxiang Cheng, Minoru Osada, Jianli Wang, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou, Yan Liu, Jianding Yu, Takao Matsumoto, Tetsuya Tohei, Naoya Shibata, Yuichi Ikuhara

Shi Xue Dou

Multiferroic materials, which offer the possibility of manipulating the magnetic state by an electric field or vice versa, are of great current interest. However, single-phase materials with such cross-coupling properties at room temperature exist rarely in nature; new design of nano-engineered thin films with a strong magneto-electric coupling is a fundamental challenge. Here we demonstrate a robust room-temperature magneto-electric coupling in a bismuth-layer-structured ferroelectric Bi5Ti3FeO15 with high ferroelectric Curie temperature of ~1000 K. Bi5Ti3FeO15 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition are single-phase layered perovskit with nearly (00l)-orientation. Room-temperature multiferroic behavior is demonstrated by a large modulation in magneto-polarization and …

High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries And Sodium-Ion Pseudocapacitors Based On Mos2/Graphene Composites, Yunxiao Wang, Shulei Chou, David Wexler, Hua-Kun Liu, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Sodium-ion energy storage, including sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) and electrochemical capacitive storage (NICs), is considered as a promising alternative to lithium-ion energy storage. It is an intriguing prospect, especially for large-scale applications, owing to its low cost and abundance. MoS2 sodiation/desodiation with Na ions is based on the conversion reaction, which is not only able to deliver higher capacity than the intercalation reaction, but can also be applied in capacitive storage owing to its typically sloping charge/discharge curves. Here, NIBs and NICs based on a graphene composite (MoS2/G) were constructed. The enlarged d-spacing, a contribution of the graphene matrix, and the …

Magnetic Properties And Magnetocaloric Effect Of Ndmn2-Xcuxsi2 Compounds, M F. Md Din, Jianli Wang, M Avdeev, Q F. Gu, R Zeng, S J. Campbell, S J. Kennedy, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Structural and magnetic properties of NdMn2−x Cu xSi2 compounds (x = 0-1.0) have been investigated by high intensity x-ray and resolution neutron diffraction (3-450 K), specific heat, dc magnetization, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Substitution of Cu for Mn leads to an increase in the lattice parameter a but a decrease in c at room temperature. Two magnetic phase transitions have been found for NdMn2−x Cu xSi2 compounds with TN for the antiferromagnetic ordering of Mn-sublatttice and TC for the Nd-sublattice ferromagnetic ordering, respectively. TC increases significantly with increasing Cu content from 36 K at x = 0 to 100 …

Exchange Interaction Mediated Ferroelectricity In Multiferroic Mntio3 With Anisotropic Orbital Hybridization And Hole Delocalization, Shiwei Chen, Paoan Lin, Horngtay Jeng, S W. Fu, Jennmin Lee, Jyhfu Lee, Chihwen Pao, Hirofumi Ishii, Kuding Tsuei, Nozomu Hiraoka, Dapeng Chen, S X. Dou, Xiaolin Wang, Kueihtzu Lu, Jinming Chen

Shi Xue Dou

We present the orbital structure of MnTiO3 with polarization dependent x-ray absorption and resonant x-ray emission spectra accompanied with electronic structure calculations. The results clearly indicate a strongly anisotropic O 2p-Mn 3d orbital hybridization whereas the Mn 3d hole state shows a highly delocalized characteristic ascribed to the 3d-4p mixing. The extended Mn 4p orbital could enhance the exchange interaction between Mn (3d)-O (2p)-Mn (3d) leading to an asymmetric charge distribution in Mn-O bonds. The delocalized characteristic of Mn 3d holes is indispensable to the mechanism of spin-dependent-metal-ligand hybridization to explain magnetically induced ferroelectricity.

Ultra-High Performance, High-Temperature Superconducting Wires Via Cost-Effective, Scalable, Co-Evaporation Process, Ho-Sup Kim, Sang-Soo Oh, Hong-Soo Ha, Dojun Youm, Seung-Hyun Moon, Jung Ho Kim, S X. Dou, Yoon-Uk Heo, Sung-Hun Wee, Amit Goyal

Shi Xue Dou

Long-length, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires capable of carrying high critical current, Ic, are required for a wide range of applications. Here, we report extremely high performance HTS wires based on 5 μm thick SmBa2Cu3O7 − δ (SmBCO) single layer films on textured metallic templates. SmBCO layer wires over 20 meters long were deposited by a cost-effective, scalable co-evaporation process using a batch-type drum in a dual chamber. All deposition parameters influencing the composition, phase, and texture of the films were optimized via a unique combinatorial method that is broadly applicable for co-evaporation of other promising complex materials containing several cations. …

Interface Strain-Induced Multiferroicity In A Smfeo3 Film, Zhenxiang Cheng, Fang Hong, Yuanxu Wang, Kiyoshi Ozawa, Hiroki Fujii, Hideo Kimura, Yi Du, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

An epitaxial pseudocubic SmFeO3 thin film on (100) Nb-SrTiO 3 was studied based on ferroelectric (FE) characterization and magnetic measurements. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images clarify the nature of the epitaxial growth, the stress-induced structural distortion at the film/substrate interface, and the existence of two different orientation lattices. Clear grain boundaries can be seen, which could introduce an extra local distortion. Rectangular FE loops can be observed at room temperature, even by just applying a small voltage ranging from -1 to +1 V, indicative of the presence of FE polarization. Piezoelectric force microscopy images confirm the existence of FE domains …

A Comparative Study Of Magnetic Behaviors In Tbni2, Tbmn2 And Tbni2mn, Jianli Wang, M F. Md Din, Shane Kennedy, F Hong, Stewart J. Campbell, A J. Studer, G H. Wu, Zhenxiang Cheng, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

All TbNi2, TbMn2, and TbNi2Mn compounds exhibit the cubic Laves phase with AB2-type structure in spite of the fact that the ratio of the Tb to transition-metal components in TbNi2Mn is 1:3. Rietveld refinement indicates that in TbNi2Mn the Mn atoms are distributed on both the A (8a) and B (16d) sites. The values of the lattice constants were measured to be a = 14.348 Å (space group F-43 m), 7.618 Å, and 7.158 Å (space group Fd-3 m) for TbNi2, TbMn2, and TbNi2Mn, respectively. The magnetic transition temperatures TC were found to be TC = 38 K and TC …

One-Pot Aqueous Synthesis Of Cysteine-Capped Cdte/Cds Core-Shell Nanowires, Yukai Shan, Zhen Xiao, Yongming Chuan, Hongli Li, Minglong Yuan, Zhen Li, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Highly fluorescent cysteine-capped CdTe/CdS core-shell nanowires were successfully synthesized by reacting CdCl2 with NaHTe in aqueous solution under refluxing at 100 °C for 140 min. On increasing the reaction time from 10 to 140 min, CdTe/CdS nanocrystals gradually grew into nanorods and eventually completely evolved into nanowires. The nanowires have amino and carboxyl functional groups on their surfaces and can be well dispersed in aqueous solution. The as-prepared CdTe/CdS nanowires show a fluorescence quantum yield (QY) of 7.25 % due to the unique nature of cysteine and the formation of a CdS shell on the surface of the CdTe core, …

Electrochemically Active Biofilm Assisted Synthesis Of Ag@Ceo2 Nanocomposites For Antimicrobial Activity, Photocatalysis And Photoelectrodes, Mohammad Mansoob Khan Dr, S. A. Ansari, J. H. Lee, M. O. Ansari, J Lee, M. H. Cho

Dr. Mohammad Mansoob Khan

Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by a biogenic and green approach using electrochemically active biofilms (EABs) as a reducing tool. The as-synthesized Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites were characterized and used in antimicrobial, visible light photocatalytic and photoelectrode studies. The Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites showed effective and efficient bactericidal activities and survival test against Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The as-synthesized Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites also exhibited enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol and methylene blue than pure CeO2. A photocatalytic investigation showed that the Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites possessed excellent visible light photocatalytic activities compared to pure CeO2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and photocurrent measurements showed that the …

Sound And The Moving Image:Critical Characteristics For Spectator Response, Kara Rader, Rafeeq I. Roberts, Matt Egizii, Jeffery Allen

Rafeeq I Roberts

The prevailing wisdom in the film and video production industries is that audio information outweighs visual information when it comes to spectator responses, but there are few empirical studies to support this claim. In previous research, four critical characteristics of sound have been identified: (1) Music, (2) visual/sound contradictions (defined as sound that is inconsistent with audience expectations based on visual information), (3) multi-channel sound, and (4) sound quality. Building on our previous research into music and film, we have found that many researchers have looked into the question of how music affects emotions (Eschrich et al., 2008; Have, 2008; …

Inferring The Global Cosmic Dust Influx To The Earth’S Atmosphere From Lidar Observations Of The Vertical Flux Of Mesospheric Na, Chester S. Gardner, Alan Z. Liu, Dan Marsh, Wuhu Feng, John Plane

Alan Z Liu

Au@Tio2 Nanocomposites For The Catalytic Degradation Of Methyl Orange And Methylene Blue: An Electron Relay Effect, Mohammad Mansoob Khan Dr, J. Lee, M. H. Cho

Dr. Mohammad Mansoob Khan

Au@TiO2 nanocomposites were used for the catalytic degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue by NaBH4. A detail pathway for step by step reduction, oxidation and complete mineralization of intermediates into the respective end-products was established by UV-vis spectroscopy, chemical oxygen demand, ion chromatography and cyclic voltammetry (CV). CV studies confirmed that the dyes were reduced and oxidized to the end-products by NaBH4 in the presence of Au@TiO2 nanocomposites and O2•, •OH and HO2• radicals generated in-situ. Results suggest that Au@TiO2 nanocomposites not only assist in the decolorization of dyes, but also promote their complete mineralization into harmless end-products.

Water Quality Effects Of Cellulosic Biofuel Crops Grown On Marginal Land, Ruoyu Wang

Ruoyu Wang

Feedback Control For Multi-Modal Optimization Using Genetic Algorithms, Jun Shi, Ole J. Mengshoel, Dipan K. Pal

Ole J Mengshoel