Assessment of Integrated Pedestrian Protection Systems with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Passive Safety Components.

Objective: Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems fitted to cars for pedestrians have been predicted to offer substantial benefit. On this basis, consumer rating programs-for example, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP)-are developing rating schemes to encourage fitment of these systems. One of the questions that needs to be answered to do this fully is how the assessment of the speed reduction offered by the AEB is integrated with the current assessment of the passive safety for mitigation of pedestrian injury.

Real-time observation of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cell absorber layer formation from nanoparticle precursors.

The selenization of Cu-Zn-Sn-S nanocrystals is a promising route for the fabrication of low-cost thin film solar cells. However, the reaction pathway of this process is not completely understood. Here, the evolution of phase formation, grain size, and elemental distributions is investigated during the selenization of Cu-Zn-Sn-S nanoparticle precursor thin films by synchrotron-based in situ energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction and fluorescence analysis as well as by ex situ electron microscopy.

Size-selected epitaxial nanoislands underneath graphene moiré on Rh(111).

We use in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to investigate intercalation of the ferromagnetic 3d metals Ni and Fe underneath a graphene monolayer on Rh(111). Upon thermal annealing of graphene/Rh(111) with the deposited metal on top, we observe the formation of epitaxial monatomic nanoislands grown pseudomorphically on Rh(111) and covered by graphene. The size and shape of intercalated nanoislands is strongly influenced by the local spatial variation of the graphene-Rh bonding strength.

Interpreting palmar sweat prints.

The plastic impression method to assess the number of active palmar sweat glands (PSI) was used to study changes of sweat gland activity during several phases of dental treatment. Subjects were 64 female and 38 male patients at a dental surgery. At the beginning they scaled five typical dental situations in terms of perceived threat: waiting-room before treatment: sitting down in the dental chair; dentist enters and starts treatment; after treatment in the dental chair; and back in waiting-room after treatment.

[The number of active sweat glands (PSI, palmar sweat index) in stress caused by blood donation].

The number of active sweat glands (PSI), heart rate, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were assessed every 2 minutes in 109 male blood donors. Three measurements were taken at the beginning (adaptation phase), three later but before blood donation (baseline), one during the venous puncture (phase 3), three thereafter but still during donation (phase 4), and four after removal of the cannula (phase 5). Analysis of variance yielded significant differences between phases; PSI and SBP behaved similarly, decreasing from adaptation to baseline, rising during puncture, and decreasing again thereafter.