Theoretical prediction on the hydrolysis rate of the new types of nerve agents: A density functional study.

Although the hydrolysis mechanism of the nerve agents, which is the main decontamination pathway, has been studied experimentally and theoretically, the reliable theoretical prediction method for the hydrolysis rate is not studied yet. Furthermore, after the CWC (Chemical Warfare Agent) list is updated, Novichok candidate structures can be more than 10,000 structures, for which it is not possible to perform the experiment for all of them for synthesizing and getting the hydrolysis rate. Therefore, developing a reliable theoretical method for hydrolysis rate prediction is crucial to prepare for the forthcoming usage of new types of nerve agents.

Multi-Angular Colorimetric Responses of Uni- and Omni-Directional Femtosecond Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures on Metals.

We investigated the colorimetric behaviors of metal surfaces with unidirectional low-spatial-frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures (UD-LSFLs) and omnidirectional LSFLs (OD-LSFLs) fabricated using femtosecond laser pulse irradiation. With the CIE standard illuminant D65, incident at -45°, we show that UD-LSFLs on metals transform polished metals to gonio-apparent materials with a unique behavior of colorimetric responses, depending on both the detection and rotation angles, whereas OD-LSFLs have nearly uniform gonio-apparent colors at each detection angle, regardless of their rotation. These colorimetric behaviors can be observed not only at the angles of diffraction but also near the angle of reflection, and we find that the power redistribution due to Rayleigh anomalies also plays an important role in the colorimetric responses of UD- and OD-LSFLs, in addition to diffraction.

The role of death anxiety on marksmanship performance: a virtual reality simulator study.

Despite the well-established relationship between state anxiety and marksmanship performance, few efforts have examined the individual differences that affect the extent to which individuals experience state anxiety in combat situations. Thus, further studies are needed to increase the probability of mission accomplishment, which could ultimately serve to safely bring soldiers home. The present study examined how death anxiety, a trait-based difference affects state anxiety, which in turn affects shooting performance on a battlefield.

Rotationally symmetric colorization of metal surfaces through omnidirectional femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures.

Following femtosecond (fs) laser pulse irradiation, the formation of a new type of low-spatial-frequency laser-induced periodic surface structure (LSFL) patterns, namely, omnidirectional LSFLs (OD-LSFLs) with the periodic ordering of their orientations, are investigated on Ni in this Letter. Using a liquid crystal polymer patterned depolarizer, we periodically rotate the polarization of fs laser pulses across the laser spot and create OD-LSFLs by raster scanning fs laser pulses. We also show that the period of the OD-LSFL orientation rotation can be controlled with the defocused distance, and OD-LSFLs can significantly expand the viewing angle of the structural colors in the azimuthal direction without noticeable color degradations.

Terahertz-Triggered Phase Transition and Hysteresis Narrowing in a Nanoantenna Patterned Vanadium Dioxide Film.

We demonstrate that high-field terahertz (THz) pulses trigger transient insulator-to-metal transition in a nanoantenna patterned vanadium dioxide thin film. THz transmission of vanadium dioxide instantaneously decreases in the presence of strong THz fields. The transient THz absorption indicates that strong THz fields induce electronic insulator-to-metal transition without causing a structural transformation.