The complex arrangements of atoms near grain boundaries are difficult to understand theoretically. We propose a phenomenological (Ginzburg-Landau-like) description of crystalline phases based on symmetries and fairly general stability arguments. This method allows a very detailed description of defects at the lattice scale with virtually no tunning parameters, unlike usual phase-field methods. ...

This paper deals with active tracking of 3D moving targets. Tracking is based on different visual behaviors, namely smooth pursuit and vergence control. The performance and robustness in visual control of motion depends both on the vision algorithms and the control structure. In this work we evaluate these two aspects, characterize the delays, and discuss ways to cope with latency while improvi...

We describe the kinetic rates for dye regeneration in dye-sensitized solar cells with organic solid hole conductors, taking as a reference the experimental results of Haque et al. (ChemPhysChem 2003, 4, 89). Our model is based on Marcus rates for electron and hole transfer, emphasizing the Gaussian spread of energy levels in the molecular materials involved. We show that the energy disorder imp...

The design of tunable operational transconductance amplifier with wide linear range has become increasingly challenging with the scaling in the power supply voltage. Use of control voltage for the purpose of tunning often results in narrow linear range. In recent years the use of voltage as a control parameter has even become more difficult with the reduced supply voltage environment. In this p...

We discuss the representations of the electronic data, especially content of the web pages, into the audio space. We define two metrics usable for comparing two distinct audio representations. First metric is connected with data changes perception by reading users. Changes in the web page that are not important for the reader comparing to the previous version are called small changes on the web...

This works proposes IGMN (standing for Incremental Gaussian Mixture Network), a new connectionist approach for incremental concept formation and robotic tasks. It is inspired on recent theories about the brain, specially the Memory-Prediction Framework and the Constructivist Artificial Intelligence, which endows it with some unique features that are not present in most ANN models such as MLP an...

We demonstrated embossed and intaglio nanopatterning using Nanopipette based on the QTF-AFM (Quartz Tunning Fork-Atomic Force Microscopy) system. Used materials in the patterning system were nanoparticles solution and acetone for delivery solution mica and flat plastic for substrate mica. By realizing the nano-scaled liquid ejection technique with the pulled nanopipette conbined QTF-AFM, variou...

The use of micro- and nanodevices as multifunctional systems for biomedical applications has experienced an exponential growth during the past decades. Although a large number of studies have focused on the design and fabrication of new micro- and nanosystems capable of developing multiple functions, a deeper understanding of their interaction with cells is required. In the present study, we ev...