Fixation classification: how to merge and select fixation candidates

Eye trackers are applied in many research fields (e.g., cognitive science, medicine, marketing research). To give meaning to the eye-tracking data, researchers have a broad choice of classification methods to extract various behaviors (e.g., saccade, blink, fixation) from the gaze signal. There is extensive literature about the different classification algorithms. Surprisingly, not much is known about the effect of fixation and saccade selection rules that are usually (implicitly) applied. We want to answer the following question: What is the impact of the selection-rule parameters (minimal saccade amplitude and minimal fixation duration) on the distribution of fixation durations? To answer this question, we used eye-tracking data with high and low quality and seven different classification algorithms. We conclude that selection rules play an important role in merging and selecting fixation candidates. For eye-tracking data with good-to-moderate precision (RMSD < 0.5∘), the classification algorithm of choice does not matter too much as long as it is sensitive enough and is followed by a rule that selects saccades with amplitudes larger than 1.0∘ and a rule that selects fixations with duration longer than 60 ms. Because of the importance of selection, researchers should always report whether they performed selection and the values of their parameters.

Quantitative Surface-Enhanced Spectroscopy

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a powerful technique for trace molecular detection, depends on chemical and electromagnetic enhancements. While recent advances in instrumentation and substrate design have expanded the utility, reproducibility, and quantitative capabilities of SERS, some challenges persist. In this review, advances in quantitative SERS detection are discussed as they relate to intermolecular interactions, surface selection rules, and target molecule solubility and accessibility. After a brief introduction to Raman scattering and SERS, impacts of surface selection rules and enhancement mechanisms are discussed as they relate to the observation of activation and deactivation of normal Raman modes in SERS. Next, experimental conditions that can be used to tune molecular affinity to and density near SERS substrates are summarized and considered while tuning these parameters are conveyed. Finally, successful examples of quantitative SERS detection are discussed, and future opportunities are outlined. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, Volume 73 is April 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

A Simple Model of Ballistic Conduction in Multi-Lead Molecular Devices

A fully analytical model is presented for ballistic conduction in a multi-lead device that is based on a π-conjugated carbon framework attached to a single source lead and several sink leads. This source-and-multiple-sink potential (SMSP) model is rooted in the Ernzerhof source-and-sink potential (SSP) approach and specifies transmission in terms of combinations of structural polynomials based on the molecular graph. The simplicity of the model allows insight into many-lead devices in terms of constituent two-lead devices, description of conduction in the multi-lead device in terms of structural polynomials, molecular orbital channels, and selection rules for active and inert leads and orbitals. In the wide-band limit, transmission can be expressed entirely in terms of characteristic polynomials of vertex-deleted graphs. As limiting cases of maximum connection, complete symmetric devices (CSD) and complete bipartite symmetric devices (CBSD) are defined and solved analytically. These devices have vanishing lead-lead interference effects. Illustrative calculations of transmission curves for model small-molecule systems are presented and selection rules are identified.

Polarized spectroscopy of electric and magnetic dipole transitions of Europium (III) ions in C2 sites

Polarization anisotropy of luminescent properties of europium (III) ions in low-symmetry C2 sites is studied using monoclinic (sp. gr. C2/c) tungstate crystal KY(WO4)2. The 5D0 → 7FJ (where J = 0…6) transitions are characterized for the principal light polarizations. Polarization selection rules for the magnetic dipole 5D0 → 7F1 transition are presented. The stimulated-emission cross-sections for Eu3+ ions relevant for laser operation are determined.

Maximum Drawdown, Recovery, and Momentum

We empirically test predictability on asset price using stock selection rules based on maximum drawdown and its consecutive recovery. In various equity markets, monthly momentum- and weekly contrarian-style portfolios constructed from these alternative selection criteria are superior not only in forecasting directions of asset prices but also in capturing cross-sectional return differentials. In monthly periods, the alternative portfolios ranked by maximum drawdown measures exhibit outperformance over other alternative momentum portfolios including traditional cumulative return-based momentum portfolios. In weekly time scales, recovery-related stock selection rules are the best ranking criteria for detecting mean-reversion. For the alternative portfolios and their ranking baskets, improved risk profiles in various reward-risk measures also imply more consistent prediction on the direction of assets in future. Moreover, turnover rates of these momentum/contrarian portfolios are also reduced with respect to the benchmark portfolios. In the Carhart four-factor analysis, higher factor-neutral intercepts for the alternative strategies are another evidence for the robust prediction by the alternative stock selection rules.

Shear-strain-mediated photoluminescence manipulation in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides

In two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, normal strain can modulate electronic band structures, yet leaving the optical selection rules intact. In contrast, a shear strain can perturb the spin-valley locked band structures and possibly induce mixing of the spin subbands which in turn can transfer oscillator strength between spin-allowed bright and spin-forbidden dark excitons. Here, we report a novel scheme to manipulate photoluminescence in a monolayer WSe2-MoSe2 lateral heterostructures, controlled by an external bending method in which strong out-of plane shear strain (OSS) of up to 5.6% accompanies weak in-plane normal strain up to 0.72%. The spectra revealed a striking dependence on the bending direction that is stagnant in the negative (compressive) strain region and then rapidly changes with increasing positive (tensile) strain. The dependency of the photoluminescence signal under tensile bending was represented not only by the large energy shift (>40 meV) of the lowest excited states of both the WSe2 and MoSe2 monolayers, but also by the tendency to violate the optical selection rules that brightens (darkens) the excitons of the WSe2 (MoSe2) side. The analyses on the observed energy shifts and PL intensity changes confirm the different origins in compressive bending compared with tensile bending. The well-established band-anticrossing is identified to be affecting only the compressive deformation region. The spectral changes in the tensile region, on the other hand, originates mainly from the generation of an off-diagonal perturbation to a spin-specific Hamiltonian induced by OSS. The degree of spin-state mixing, which correlates precisely with the spin-flip coefficient of the theoretical model, is further represented by the OSS matrix elements, the spin splitting energy, and the shear deformation potential.