bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Production of Hydrogen by Steam Methane Reformation Process
Authors: Younus T , Anwer A , Asim Z , Surahio M S
Published: August 2018

Upcoming hydrogen economy is on rise on political agenda due to growing need of hydrogen. Natural occurrence of hydrogen cannot satisfy the present need of hydrogen. It produces a wide gap between current hydrogen requirement and amount of hydrogen present in earth. To counter this problem, hydrogen is produced commercially in industries through various methods. Among all these methods, SMR (Steam Methane Reforming) process is considered most feasible for being economically cheap as compared to other methods. Being economical does not necessarily mean being eco-friendly. Industrialist does not switch on alternative methods and continue using SMR process which is producing a devastating impact on atmosphere by increasing the amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide). Greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide makes it one of the primary sources of increasing global warming in earth's atmosphere. Apart of other uses, Hydrogen can also be used as eco-friendly energy source as compared to fossil fuel used as energy source. In this paper, the procedure of production of hydrogen through SMR process is reviewed in detail and its pros and cons are discussed.
Polyaniline Modified with Cobalt-Hexacyanoferrate (PmCH) as an Adsorbent for Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Moazezi Nima , Moosavian Mohammad Ali
Published: August 2018

In this study, polyaniline modified with cobalt-hexacyanoferrate (PmCH) composite was synthesized and characterized for removal of Rb+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, and Ni2+ by FTIR and XRD. The effect of pH, adsorbent dosage, ionic strength, contact time, initial ion concentration, and temperature were studied. The competition adsorption experiments between metal ions were investigated. Batch desorption was also conducted to evaluate the reusability of PmCH. The maximum adsorption capacities were 96.15, 27.17, 17.85, 19.15, and 4.76 mg g-1 of Rb+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, and Ni2+, respectively. The optimum pH was determined at natural pH of each solution.
Evaluation of the shoreline effect of the marine energy farms in different coastal environments
Authors: Rusu Eugen , Onea Florin
Published: August 2018

The objective of the proposed work is to assess the possible effects on the shoreline dynamics of the marine energy farms. Three different coastal environments have been considered as case studies. The first area is located in the Portuguese continental nearshore at the European western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The second in the Mediterranean Sea in the coastal environment of Sardinia Island and the third on the western side of the Black Sea in the Romanian nearshore. Besides the fact that, from a geographical point of view, the three areas targeted are located in very different zones, they represent also coastal environments with very different characteristics. A computational framework joining a spectral phase averaged wave model with a 1D parametric circulation model has been used. The numerical models are SWAN (acronym from Simulating Waves Nearshore) for the waves and NSSM (the Navy Standard Surf Model) for estimating the longshore currents. For each case study, the main characteristics of the environmental matrix have been analyzed first. Then, various transmission scenarios have been, designed considering also in each case different distances from the marine energy farm to the shoreline. A general conclusion of the proposed work is that the longshore currents are very sensitive to the presence of the marine energy farms and that is why such farms can also play an active role in coastal protection. Moreover, since it presents in parallel similar analyses for three coastal environments that have very different features, the present study provides a more comprehensive picture concerning the medium to long term impact on the shoreline dynamics of the future marine energy farms operating in the nearshore.
Conceptual design decision support of a mechatronic system using analytical approach with Modelica
Authors: Hamza Ghazoi , Hammadi Moncef , Barkallah Maher , Choley Jean-Yves , Riviere Alain , Louati Jamel , Haddar Mohamed
Published: August 2018

During conceptual design phase, system architects pre-validate architectures following different constrains. This paper proposes a new pre-designing method applied to a flexible multibody system to characterize its vibrational behavior analytically with Dymola/Modelica language. We study the vibration interaction between perturbations sources (motors) and receivers (electronic cards) through a flexible beam with arbitrary boundary conditions. In fact, a lot of mechatronic systems may have their natural frequencies and mode shapes dependent on their spatial configuration, which affect the dynamic response of the system. This methodology shows that using Modelica, we can implement different boundary conditions, making the element suitable for any multibody simulation. This model can help system architects to study the influence of the boundary conditions on the system response. Two types of boundary conditions are considered in this study, simply supported–simply supported (S-S) and clamped–clamped (C-C). The solution for this issue would be a pre-positioning procedure which targets to provide a support for decision-making on the feasibility of a given system architecture at an early design stage, before proceeding to the detailed design. The simulation results have been validated with respect to the literature and by a comparison with those obtained by the model based on the Beam component which belongs to the Modelica flexible Bodies Library.
Diabetes und Herzinsuffizienz
Authors: Schütt Katharina , Müller-Wieland Dirk , Marx Nikolaus
Published: August 2018

Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus haben ein deutlich erhöhtes Risiko für die Entwicklung einer Herzinsuffizienz, und das gemeinsame Vorliegen von Diabetes und Herzinsuffizienz geht mit einer sehr schlechten Prognose einher. Therapeutische Strategien zur Reduktion der kardiovaskulären Morbidität und Letalität bei Diabetes fokussierten bislang vor allem auf die Verhinderung koronarer Ereignisse, doch die Daten neuerer Studien legen nahe, dass eine frühe Diagnose und spezifische Therapie einer Herzinsuffizienz für die Prognose von entscheidender Bedeutung sein könnten. Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über die Epidemiologie und Prognose von Diabetes und Herzinsuffizienz und beleuchtet aktuelle Aspekte bei der Diagnostik und Therapie der Herzinsuffizienz bei Patienten mit Typ-2-Diabetes.
Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit von Safinamid als Zusatztherapie zu Levodopa bei Parkinson-Patienten: eine nicht-interventionelle Beobachtungsstudie
Authors: Jost Wolfgang H. , Kupsch Andreas , Mengs Jörg , Delf Martin , Bosse Dietrich
Published: August 2018

Ziel Safinamid (Xadago®) ist ein neu zugelassener selektiver MAO-B-Hemmer zur Behandlung der Parkinson-Erkrankung. Die X-TRA Studie untersuchte die Wirksamkeit und Verträglichkeit der Substanz unter Praxisbedingungen.

Methoden Prospektive Beobachtungsstudie bei unselektierten Patienten unter Beachtung der Produktspezifikationen mit deskriptiver Auswertung.

Ergebnisse Von den eingeschlossenen 299 Patienten (65,9 % Männer, Alter 72,7 ± 9,0 Jahre, Krankheitsdauer 7,8 ± 5,9 Jahre) erhielten zu Dokumentationsbeginn 229 Patienten L-Dopa, 108 ein L-Dopa enthaltendes Kombinationsmedikament, 172 einen Dopaminagonisten und 23 einen COMT-Hemmer. 203 Patienten wurden über 6 Monate nachbeobachtet. Der MDS-UPDRS Part III Score für motorische Symptome verringerte sich von einem Ausgangswert von 48,2 ± 22,1 Punkten zum Studienende um 6,8 ± 14,5 Punkte, der Non-Motor Symptoms Scale Score für das Vorhandensein bzw. die Schwere von nicht-motorischen Symptomen von 57,6 ± 42,1 Punkten um 9,3 ± 2,1 Punkte, und der Abnormal Involuntary Movement Score von 4,6 ± 5,8 Punkten um 0,9 ± 2,7 Punkte. Der Parkinson’s Disease Score (PDQ-8) zur Beurteilung der Lebensqualität nahm als Ausdruck einer Verbesserung von 39,4 ± 18,2 Punkten bei Beobachtungsbeginn um 4,3 ± 13,7 Punkte ab. Insgesamt wurden 300 unerwünschte Ereignisse (UAW) bei 132 Patienten, davon 53 SAEs bei 15 Patienten, als mit Safinamid in Zusammenhang stehend klassifiziert. Wegen UAW beendeten 74 Patienten die Safinamid-Therapie vorzeitig.

Schlussfolgerungen Unter Safinamid-Therapie verbesserten sich die motorischen und nicht-motorischen Symptome sowie die Lebensqualität. Die meisten Patienten vertrugen die Therapie gut; es traten nur Nebenwirkungen auf, die bereits in der Patienteninformation gelistet waren.
An Update on the Histology of Pheochromocytomas: How Does it Relate to Genetics?
Authors: Oudijk Lindsey , Gaal José , Koopman Karen , de Krijger Ronald R.
Published: August 2018

Pheochromocytomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the adrenal gland, whereas any extra-adrenal tumor with similar histology is designated as paraganglioma. These tumors have a very high rate of germline mutations in a large number of genes, up to 35% to 40%, frequently predisposing for other tumors as well. Therefore, they represent a phenomenal challenge for treating physicians. This review focuses on pheochromocytomas only, with special attention to gross and microscopic clues to the diagnosis of genetic syndromes, including the role of succinate dehydrogenase subunit A and subunit B immunohistochemistry as surrogate markers for genetic analysis in the field of succinate dehydrogenase subunit gene mutations.
Inhibitory Effect of New Semisynthetic Usnic Acid Derivatives on Human Tyrosyl-DNA Phosphodiesterase 1
Authors: Dyrkheeva Nadezhda , Luzina Olga , Filimonov Aleksandr , Zakharova Olga , Ilina Ekaterina , Zakharenko Alexandra , Kuprushkin Maxim , Nilov Dmitry , Gushchina Irina , Švedas Vytas , Salakhutdinov Nariman , Lavrik Olga
Published: August 2018

Usnic acid, a lichen secondary metabolite produced by a whole number of lichens, has attracted the interest of researchers owing to its broad range of biological activity, including antiviral, antibiotic, anticancer properties, and it possessing a certain toxicity. The synthesis of new usnic acid derivatives and the investigation of their biological activity may lead to the discovery of compounds with better pharmacological and toxicity profiles. In this context, a series of new usnic acid derivatives comprising a terpenoid moiety were synthesized, and their ability to inhibit the catalytic activity of the human DNA repair enzyme tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 was investigated. The most potent compounds (15a, 15b, 15g, and 16a, 16b, 16g) had IC50 values in the range of 0.33 – 2.7 µM. The inhibitory properties were mainly dependent on the flexibility and length of the terpenoid moiety, but not strongly dependent on the configuration of the asymmetric centers. The synthesized derivatives showed low cytotoxicity against human cell lines in an MTT assay. They could be used as a basis for the development of more effective anticancer therapies when combined with topoisomerase 1 inhibitors.
Assessing Bilingual Children: Are Their Disfluencies Indicative of Stuttering or the By-product of Navigating Two Languages?
Authors: Byrd Courtney
Published: August 2018

Clinicians commonly report difficulty determining whether the disfluencies produced by their clients are indicative of stuttering or suggestive of something else, such as cluttering, autism, language impairment, or second language learning. In our clinical decision-making process, we identify features unique to specific speech and/or language disorders. This identification enables differential diagnosis in most cases. But what happens when features appear to overlap and, as a result, compromise our clinical decision making? This article provides information to assist in the differential diagnosis of stuttering, particularly as it pertains to the assessment of children who speak more than one language. It explores similarities in the speech behaviors produced by these speakers, contrasting them with stuttering behaviors in monolingual English speakers.
How Speech–Language Pathologists Can Minimize Bullying of Children Who Stutter
Authors: Reeves Nina , Herring Caryn , Yaruss J.
Published: August 2018

Stuttering can be a significant problem for children who stutter, but there is much that speech–language pathologists can do to help. This article summarizes six key steps, based on the work of Murphy and colleagues, that clinicians can take to minimize the occurrence and impact of bullying for children who stutter: (1) educating children about stuttering; (2) educating children about bullying; (3) helping children change the way they think and feel about their stuttering through desensitization, cognitive restructuring, and acceptance activities; (4) helping children learn to use appropriately assertive responses that decrease the likelihood of bullying; (5) educating peers and bystanders about stuttering and bullying so that they are more likely to respond in helpful ways; and (6) educating parents, teachers, and administrators about how they can create an environment where it is not okay to bully, but it is okay to stutter.
Asymptomatic Massive Cerebral Abscess Following Malignant Cerebral Infarct—Aggressive Surgery—Ray of Hope
Authors: Pachiyappan Jeyaselvasenthilkumar , Kunjithapatham Deiveegan , Chinnamuthu Sekar , Yellapragada Premchand
Published: August 2018

The aim of this article was to present a rare and potentially life-threatening complication of malignant cerebral infarct turning into a massive cerebral abscess. Cerebral abscess complicating cerebral infarction is rare. Only 13 cases have been reported. Unexplained fever is the presenting symptom. The case presented here is unique, as the patient was totally asymptomatic and the abscess was detected incidentally during surgery. A 42-year-old man with malignant left anterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery territory infarct underwent decompressive craniotomy 5 weeks before presenting to the authors’ institution. The patient had features of sunken skin flap syndrome. Therefore, cranioplasty was planned. During surgery, false dura was inadvertently opened due to adherence with pia and pus started coming out. On exploration, approximately 150 mL of pus was evacuated. The whole infarcted brain was seen to be converted into a cavity full of pus. Adequate drainage and debridement were done. Cranioplasty was deferred. The patient was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics postoperatively, and he recovered well. Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is one among the common causes for mortality and morbidity worldwide. The infarcted or ischemic brain acts like a fertile ground for the pathogens to grow. Disruption of blood–brain barrier and lack of normal blood flow by the vascular event facilitate microbial seeding and formation of cerebral abscess. Abscess formation following stroke is rare. It could prove to be fatal if misdiagnosed or not properly treated. Uncontrolled fever in a stroke patient should raise the suspicion of this rare complication. A routine contrast computed tomography of the brain prior to cranioplasty may pick up this complication in asymptomatic patients. Conservative treatment alone proves fatal in almost all cases.
Establishing Sustainable Cardiothoracic Surgery Programs in Underserved Countries
Authors: Cardarelli Marcelo , Molloy Frank , Novick William , Fenton Kathleen
Published: August 2018

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect worldwide, and accounts for a high proportion of the world's infant mortality. About 9 of every 10 babies born each year are born in areas without adequate access to heart surgery; overcoming this problem will necessitate addressing the worldwide shortage of an estimated 3,700 pediatric cardiac surgeons. Establishing sustainable heart surgery programs requires more than an investment of money: political, social, and cultural issues unique to each environment need to be addressed. Organizations desiring to help develop cardiac surgical centers need to focus on communication and bidirectional education, and to make a long-term commitment to each site. By identifying and addressing obstacles, success rates are high.
Optimizing the detection of nonstationary signals by using recurrence analysis
Authors: Prado Thiago de Lima , dos Santos Lima Gustavo Zampier , Lobão-Soares Bruno , do Nascimento George C. , Corso Gilberto , Fontenele-Araujo John , Kurths Jürgen , Lopes Sergio Roberto
Published: August 2018

Recurrence analysis and its quantifiers are strongly dependent on the evaluation of the vicinity threshold parameter, i.e., the threshold to regard two points close enough in phase space to be considered as just one. We develop a new way to optimize the evaluation of the vicinity threshold in order to assure a higher level of sensitivity to recurrence quantifiers to allow the detection of even small changes in the dynamics. It is used to promote recurrence analysis as a tool to detect nonstationary behavior of time signals or space profiles. We show that the ability to detect small changes provides information about the present status of the physical process responsible to generate the signal and offers mechanisms to predict future states. Here, a higher sensitive recurrence analysis is proposed as a precursor, a tool to predict near future states of a particular system, based on just (experimentally) obtained signals of some available variables of the system. Comparisons with traditional methods of recurrence analysis show that the optimization method developed here is more sensitive to small variations occurring in a signal. The method is applied to numerically generated time series as well as experimental data from physiology.
Characterization of human persistent atrial fibrillation electrograms using recurrence quantification analysis
Authors: Almeida Tiago P. , Schlindwein Fernando S. , Salinet João , Li Xin , Chu Gavin S. , Tuan Jiun H. , Stafford Peter J. , Ng G. André , Soriano Diogo C.
Published: August 2018

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is regarded as a complex arrhythmia, with one or more co-existing mechanisms, resulting in an intricate structure of atrial activations. Fractionated atrial electrograms (AEGs) were thought to represent arrhythmogenic tissue and hence have been suggested as targets for radiofrequency ablation. However, current methods for ablation target identification have resulted in suboptimal outcomes for persistent AF (persAF) treatment, possibly due to the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of these mechanisms. In the present work, we sought to characterize the dynamics of atrial tissue activations from AEGs collected during persAF using recurrence plots (RPs) and recurrence quantification analysis (RQA). 797 bipolar AEGs were collected from 18 persAF patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Automated AEG classification (normal vs. fractionated) was performed using the CARTO criteria (Biosense Webster). For each AEG, RPs were evaluated in a phase space estimated following Takens' theorem. Seven RQA variables were obtained from the RPs: recurrence rate; determinism; average diagonal line length; Shannon entropy of diagonal length distribution; laminarity; trapping time; and Shannon entropy of vertical length distribution. The results show that the RQA variables were significantly affected by PVI, and that the variables were effective in discriminating normal vs. fractionated AEGs. Additionally, diagonal structures associated with deterministic behavior were still present in the RPs from fractionated AEGs, leading to a high residual determinism, which could be related to unstable periodic orbits and suggesting a possible chaotic behavior. Therefore, these results contribute to a nonlinear perspective of the spatiotemporal dynamics of persAF.
Linear rheology of reversibly cross-linked biopolymer networks
Authors: Amuasi Henry E. , Fischer Andreas , Zippelius Annette , Heussinger Claus
Published: August 2018

We suggest a simple model for reversible cross-links, binding, and unbinding to/from a network of semiflexible polymers. The resulting frequency dependent response of the network to an applied shear is calculated via Brownian dynamics simulations. It is shown to be rather complex with the time scale of the linkers competing with the excitations of the network. If the lifetime of the linkers is the longest time scale, as is indeed the case in most biological networks, then a distinct low frequency peak of the loss modulus develops. The storage modulus shows a corresponding decay from its plateau value, which for irreversible cross-linkers extends all the way to the static limit. This additional relaxation mechanism can be controlled by the relative weight of reversible and irreversible linkers.
Calibration methods of X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer on KSTAR
Authors: Lee S. G. , Yoo J. W. , Kim Y. S.
Published: August 2018

The detailed calibration methods and procedure for the X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer (XICS) in the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research device are investigated. A cross comparison from two different diagnostics including the XICS and charge exchange spectrometer is the best option, in particular, when both systems can be operated simultaneously.
Quantification of charge carriers participating antiferromagnetic to weak ferromagnetic phase transition in Na doped LaFeO3 nano multiferroics
Authors: Devi E. , Kalaiselvi B. J. , Madhan K. , Vanidha D. , Meena S. S. , Kannan R.
Published: August 2018

Multiferroic La1-xNaxFeO3 (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) nanoparticles have been synthesized by the citrate sol-gel auto-combustion method. It is uniquely known for the homogeneous distribution of particle size due to the low temperature synthesis condition. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction pattern has exhibited the single phase orthorhombic perovskite structure. It is confirmed from micro-Raman analysis that hole doping (Na) produces a structural crossover from the Pnma to Pbnm space group. The red shift observed in UV-visible spectroscopy indicates the shrinkage of bandgap. Photoluminescence analysis supports independently the bandgap shrinkage by the existence of violet-blue emission due to charge disproportion by oxygen related defects. A changeover from semiconductor to metallic nature accompanied by the hopping of charge carriers from Fe3+ to Fe2+/Fe4+ exchange interaction has revealed a considerable increase in conductivity and dielectric constant. Finally, the doping helps to induce transition from an antiferromagnetic to a weak ferromagnetic state due to free carrier concentration. It is found that the hole driven Fe3+ to Fe2+/Fe4+ exchange interactions with change in the Bohr magneton values from 5.9 μB to 4.9/4 μB are responsible for variation in the magnetization values.
Note: An isobaric sample transfer apparatus for deep-sea pressurized fluid sample
Authors: Wu Shijun , Wang Shuo , Yang Canjun
Published: August 2018

This paper presents a novel isobaric sample transfer apparatus developed to facilitate the continuous culture of microorganisms while also providing the capacity for maintaining the sample at in situ pressure during the whole transfer and culture process. This apparatus is fitted to the isobaric fluid sampler which is used for collecting the isobaric fluid sample. This apparatus can not only avoid decompression in traditional sample transfer but also realize the integrated function of sample transfer and culture under isobaric conditions. The subsampling cylinder can automatically work as a flow culture reactor after completing the subsampling of the pressurized sample. Several transfer experiments were carried out to demonstrate this design which can make the period of transfer automatically.
Non-equilibrium solvation dynamics in water-DMSO binary mixture: Composition dependence of non-linear relaxation
Authors: Hazra Milan K. , Bagchi Biman
Published: August 2018

Because of a larger number of intermolecular interactions and configurations available to them, aqueous binary mixtures exhibit a variety of dynamics that are not seen in pure liquids, often hard to understand or predict, and have attracted considerable interest recently. Among all such solutions, mixtures of water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) stand out for their unique role in chemistry and biology. The low DMSO concentration regime of the water-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mixture is relevant in wide ranging chemical and biological processes. Interestingly, this low concentration regime is known to display a string of yet unexplained anomalies. We probe these anomalies in atomistic simulations by studying (i) equilibrium solvation dynamics both in the ground and the excited states of the probe separately and (ii) the non-equilibrium solvation dynamics subsequent to excitation at time t = 0 and then following the solvation process. The latter needed a large number of simulations to obtain a reliable average. We carried out such studies across a large number of compositions of the water-DMSO mixture. We find that the usually employed linear response approximation breaks down at those concentrations where binary mixtures display other anomalies. The non-linearity is reflected in substantially different solvent responses in the ground and in the excited states of the solute probe indole and also in non-equilibrium solvation. The difference is maximum near 20%-35% of the DMSO concentration regime.
The influence of titanium substitution on the magnetic, magnetocaloric, and magnetoelastic properties of Gd5Si2Ge2
Authors: Nikitin S. A. , Smirnov A. V. , Ovchenkova I. A. , Ovchenkov Y. A.
Published: August 2018

The magnetic, magnetocaloric, thermal expansion, magnetostriction, and heat capacity measurements of Gd5−xTixSi2Ge2 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1) compounds have been carried out in a wide range of fields and temperatures. The Ti addition was found to increase the temperature of magnetic ordering and change the order of phase transition with preservation of high magnetocaloric effect values. At the same time, the large temperature and field hysteresis, observed for ΔT-effect in Gd5Si2Ge2, significantly decrease when Ti is added. The obtained results can be explained by the decoupling of magnetic and structural phase transition with Ti substitution. It is also shown that the magnetoelastic energy has a the strong influence on the type of phase transition for investigated compounds.
Modulating charge patterning and ionic strength as a strategy to induce conformational changes in intrinsically disordered proteins
Authors: Huihui Jonathan , Firman Taylor , Ghosh Kingshuk
Published: August 2018

We present an analytical theory to describe conformational changes as a function of salt for polymers with a given sequence of charges. We apply this model to describe Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) by explicitly accounting for charged residues and their exact placement in the primary sequence while approximating the effect of non-electrostatic interactions at a mean-field level by effective short-range (two body and three-body) interaction parameters. The effect of ions is introduced by treating electrostatic interactions within Debye-Huckle approximation. Using typical values of the short-range mean-field parameters derived from all-atom Monte Carlo simulations (at zero salt), we predict the conformational changes as a function of salt concentration. We notice that conformational transitions in response to changes in ionic strength strongly depend on sequence specific charge patterning. For example, globule to coil transition can be observed upon increasing salt concentration, in stark contrast to uniformly charged polyelectrolyte theories based on net charge only. In addition, it is possible to observe non-monotonic behavior with salt as well. Drastic differences in salt-induced conformational transitions is also evident between two doubly phosphorylated sequences—derived from the same wild type sequence—that only differ in the site of phosphorylation. Similar effects are also predicted between two sequences derived from the same parent sequence differing by a single site mutation where a negative charge is replaced by a positive charge. These effects are purely a result of charge decoration and can only be understood in terms of metrics based on specific placement of charges, and cannot be explained by models based on charge composition alone. Identifying sequences and hot spots within sequences—for post translational modification or charge mutation—using our high-throughput theory will yield fundamental insights into design and biological regulation mediated by phosphorylation and/or local changes in salt concentration.
A unifying identity for the work of cluster formation in heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation theory
Authors: McGraw Robert L. , Winkler Paul M. , Wagner Paul E.
Published: August 2018

A unifying identity is derived relating the reversible work of cluster formation (W) and its molecular number content (n) and surface work (Φ) components, each ratioed to the corresponding values for a spherical capillary drop of critical size in classical nucleation theory. The result is a relationship that connects these ratios: fW = −2fN + 3fS, where fW = W/W*CNT, fN = n/n*CNT, and fS = Φ/Φ*CNT. Shown to generalize two early thermodynamic relationships of Gibbs, the new result is demonstrated here for Fletcher’s model of heterogeneous nucleation, resulting in a unified treatment of condensation on flat and curved substrates and smooth passage to the homogeneous limit. Additional applications are made to clusters of non-critical as well as critical size and to a molecular-based extension of classical nucleation theory based on the Kelvin relation. The new identity serves as a consistency check on complicated theoretical expressions and numerical calculations and can be used to guide the construction of theory and interpretation of measurements.
Comparison of dielectric breakdown properties for different carbon-fluoride insulating gases as SF6 alternatives
Authors: Zhong Linlin , Wang Jiayu , Wang Xiaohua , Rong Mingzhe
Published: August 2018

As a widely used insulating medium, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a greenhouse gas with very high global warming potential (GWP). Some carbon-fluoride gases have potential to replace SF6 in insulating applications. In order to reveal their different dielectric performance, this paper is devoted to a comparative study of dielectric breakdown properties for SF6 and four carbon-fluoride insulating gases i.e. CF3I, C2F6, C3F8, and c-C4F8 mixed with CO2, N2, and CF4 based on the numerical solution of Boltzmann equation. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF), reduced ionization coefficients α/N, reduced electron attachment coefficients η/N, and reduced critical electric field strength (E/N)cr are compared for various gas mixtures. Generally c-C4F8 presents the largest dielectric strength among the four carbon-fluoride insulating gases whichever buffer gas is mixed, while C2F6 presents the lowest dielectric strength. In terms of (E/N)cr and GWP, CF3I is a good eco-friendly insulating medium. However, with the addition of buffer gases, the (E/N)cr of CF3I mixtures declines more quickly than other mixtures. It is also found that the mixing of CF4 makes insulating mixtures depend more linearly on the proportions of buffer gas than CO2 and N2.
Swelling-induced bending and pumping in homogeneous thin sheets
Authors: Curatolo Michele , Nardinocchi Paola
Published: August 2018

We realize steady curved shapes from homogeneous hydrogel flat structures which are in contact with two environments at different chemical conditions. We numerically investigate the behaviour of beam-like and plate-like structures during the transient state, which realize osmotic pumps. Through numerical experiments, we determine the relationship between the difference in the chemical potentials at the top and bottom of a beam and the curvature of the bent beam as well as the Gaussian curvature of a spherical cap morphed from a flat plate. We also propose an approximate modeling of both the beam and the plate, to evaluate explicitly that relationship and show the good agreement between those formulas and the outcomes of the numerical simulations.
Highly intensive emission of the NV− centers in synthetic HPHT microdiamonds at low nitrogen doping
Authors: Bogdanov K. V. , Zhukovskaya M. V. , Osipov V. Yu. , Ushakova E. V. , Baranov M. A. , Takai K. , Rampersaud A. , Baranov A. V.
Published: August 2018

Synthetic high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) microdiamonds demonstrate strong resonant-like enhancement of the NV− photoluminescence (PL) at unexpectedly low concentration of the substitutional nitrogen atoms (NS) of 90 ppm, which is significantly smaller than the ∼250 ppm characteristic for conventional HPHT synthesis. The EPR, Raman, and luminescent spectroscopies, including time-resolved PL, provide evidence that this is due to competition between the increase in PL with increasing concentration of the NV− centers and nonradiative deactivation of these centers by defects induced by the NS in the diamond crystal lattice. It is suggested that the intensity of the NV− center emission can be optimized by the appropriate choice of nitrogen doping concentration which does not substantially disrupt the diamond crystal lattice.
DKP algebra, DKP equation, and differential forms
Authors: Vaz Jayme , Mann Stephen
Published: August 2018

It is well known that the Clifford algebras and the Dirac equation have a representation in terms of differential forms known as the Kähler-Atiyah algebra and the Dirac-Kähler equation, respectively. In this paper, we have introduced a new product of differential p-forms and obtained a representation in terms of differential forms for the DKP algebra and for the DKP equation. We have studied the properties of this new product in some detail and obtained, among other results, the action of the rotation group in this formalism. We have also obtained a conversed current and a Lagrangian for our differential forms version of the DKP equation.
Spin wave dispersion and intensity correlation in width-modulated nanowire arrays: A Brillouin light scattering study
Authors: Gubbiotti G. , Xiong L. L. , Montoncello F. , Giovannini L. , Adeyeye A. O.
Published: August 2018

Using Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy and dynamical matrix method calculations, we study collective spin waves in dense arrays of periodically double-side width-modulated Permalloy nanowires. Width modulation is achieved by creating a sequence of triangular notches on the two parallel nanowire sides, with a periodicity of p = 1000 nm and a tunable relative displacement (Δ) of the notch sequence on the two lateral sides. Both symmetric (Δ = 0) and asymmetric (Δ = 250 and 500 nm) width-modulated nanowires were investigated. We have found that the detected modes have Bloch-type character and belong to a doublet derived from the splitting of the mode characteristics of the nanowire with the homogeneous width. Interestingly, the amplitude of the magnonic band, the frequency difference of the doublet, and their relative scattering intensity can be efficiently controlled by increasing Δ rather than having single- or symmetric (Δ = 0) double-side width-modulation.
Vacuum chamber considerations for improved organic light-emitting diode lifetime
Authors: Fujimoto Hiroshi , Kobayashi Shin-ichiro , Mo Hin Wai , Yukiwaki Satoshi , Nagayoshi Kaori , Yasumatsu Mao , Harada Kentaro , Adachi Chihaya
Published: August 2018

We investigated the influence of vacuum chamber impurities on the lifetime of highly efficient TADF-based OLEDs. Batch-to-batch lifetime variations are clearly correlated with the results of contact angle measurements, which reflect the amount of impurities present in the chamber. Introduction of ozone gas can clean the impurities out of the vacuum chamber, reducing the contact angle to less than 10°. In the vacuum chamber of a new deposition system designed using resin-free vacuum components, various plasticizers and additive agents were initially detected by WTD-GC-MS analysis, but these impurities vanished after ozone gas cleaning. Devices fabricated in the new chamber exhibited lifetimes that are approximately twice those of OLEDs fabricated in a pre-existing chamber. These results suggest that impurities, particularly from plasticizers, in the vacuum chamber greatly influence the OLED lifetime.
Estimating post-fire debris-flow hazards prior to wildfire using a statistical analysis of historical distributions of fire severity from remote sensing data
Authors: Staley Dennis M. , Tillery Anne C. , Kean Jason W. , McGuire Luke A. , Pauling Hannah E. , Rengers Francis K. , Smith Joel B.
Published: August 2018

Following wildfire, mountainous areas of the western United States are susceptible to debris flow during intense rainfall. Convective storms that can generate debris flows in recently burned areas may occur during or immediately after the wildfire, leaving insufficient time for development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. We present a method for estimating post-fire debris-flow hazards before wildfire using historical data to define the range of potential fire severities for a given location based on the statistical distribution of severity metrics obtained from remote sensing. Estimates of debris-flow likelihood, magnitude and triggering rainfall threshold based on the statistically simulated fire severity data provide hazard predictions consistent with those calculated from fire severity data collected after wildfire. Simulated fire severity data also produce hazard estimates that replicate observed debris-flow occurrence, rainfall conditions and magnitude at a monitored site in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California. Future applications of this method should rely on a range of potential fire severity scenarios for improved pre-fire estimates of debris-flow hazard. The method presented here is also applicable to modelling other post-fire hazards, such as flooding and erosion risk, and for quantifying trends in observed fire severity in a changing climate.
Ligand “noninnocence” in coordination complexes vs. kinetic, mechanistic, and selectivity issues in electrochemical catalysis
Authors: Costentin Cyrille , Savéant Jean-Michel , Tard Cédric
Published: August 2018

Significance

Coordination complexes are constantly sought as catalysts in the transformation of small molecules involved in contemporary energy and environmental challenges. Insistent emphasis on the well-established notion of ligand “noninnocence” may blur the essential role of the metal center when kinetic, mechanistic, and selectivity issues are targeted rather than the detailed electronic structure of the starting catalyst molecule. With the help of modern concepts and techniques of molecular electrochemistry, several examples are described in which extremely efficient catalysis takes place at the metal center despite an a priori discouraging large delocalization of charge and electron density on the noninnocent ligand.
Locating variation in the dative alternation
Authors: Biggs Alison
Published: August 2018

This paper investigates the structure of the dative alternation in dialects of Northwest British English. This includes theme passivization of apparent Double Object Constructions (It was given her). Detailed investigation shows that different dialects use distinct licensing strategies to derive the Theme passive structure. The main variety discussed is Liverpool English, where Theme passivisation is shown to derive from a prepositional dative with a null preposition. In contrast, Manchester English, a neighbouring variety, derives Theme passives of the Double Object Construction, via an Applicative configuration (Haddican 2010, Haddican and Holmberg 2012). The study shows that a range of syntactic properties and restrictions on a structure can be traced back to variation in the functional lexicon.
Variant-centered variation and the like conspiracy
Authors: Dinkin Aaron J.
Published: August 2018

The conventional methodology of variationist linguistics foregrounds the variable as the object of study: each variant is situated in the envelope of variation against the other variants it competes with. This paper argues that it is necessary to look beyond the context of the alternations a variant participates in in order to get a full picture of the factors affecting variation. The multi-functional variant like is used as a case study to illustrate the value of a variant-centered analysis: the fact that several distinct variables are all simultaneously changing toward the variant like suggests that a variant can be targeted for change across multiple variables, parallelling Campbell-Kibler (2011)’s model of the variant as the carrier of sociolinguistic meaning. It is conjectured that the set of changes toward like can be explained as a top-down discursive change targeting like as an indicator of vague literality, a function it retains in multiple distinct variable contexts.
Embodiment of activity progress
Authors: Oshima Sae
Published: August 2018

This paper examines participants’ negotiation of temporality in the service-assessment activity in haircutting sessions. The customer performs an adequate inspection to validate their assessment, and the stylist secures enough time for the customer’s self-inspection to ensure their satisfaction. Yet, an efficient progress of this activity is crucial, as there are often subsequent customers waiting. My analysis shows that this dilemma of taking enough time without taking too much time is managed by the participants’ embodiment of valid activity progress, which is realized through their (sometimes asynchronous) mobilization of multimodal resources. Such activity organization helps participants not only to embody the meaningful (versus wasted) consumption of time, but also to secure the customer’s enhanced appreciation of the service outcome.
Sociolinguistics vs pragmatics
Authors: Holmes Janet
Published: August 2018

Sociolinguists describe the linguistic resources available in speech communities, and provide a systematic account of how social variables influence linguistic choices from among those resources. Pragmatics explains how individuals use linguistic resources to produce and interpret meaning in interaction, and sometimes to change relationships. Certain aspects of each discipline are generally recognized as distinct, but there are also areas of overlap. Using workplace discourse to explore the constraints of egalitarianism and gender in New Zealand society, I illustrate the advantage of drawing on both disciplines, and demonstrate how macro-level (societal) and meso-level (eg. workplace teams, communities of practice) sociolinguistic norms may act as sociopragmatic constraints or as a focus for contestation in interaction at the micro-level in face-to-face workplace interaction.
Discourse pragmatics
Authors: Fetzer Anita
Published: August 2018

The multifaceted and multi-layered phenomenon of discourse has been examined in diverse research paradigms, concentrating on text as the object of investigation, on the connectedness between text and society, and on the representation of discourse. All approaches share the premise that discourse is a parts-whole configuration.

This chapter argues that interlocutors perform communicative action with discourse and in discourse, delimiting discourse from context on the one hand, and from arbitrarily concatenated discursive parts on the other. Their patterned linearisation is constrained by (1) the semantics and pragmatics of the constitutive discourse units, (2) the semantics and pragmatics of the joints, metaphorically speaking, and (3) the semantics and pragmatics of discourse-as-a-whole, demonstrating that the whole is always more than the sum of its constitutive parts. The argumentation is supported by discourse-analytic and pragmatic analyses of British political discourse, demonstrating where the two paradigms meet and where they depart.
The interface between pragmatics and conversation analysis
Authors: Drew Paul
Published: August 2018

In his authoritative account of Pragmatics, Levinson (1983) included conversation analysis (CA) as firmly part of pragmatics. Others have perhaps been more cautious about whether CA is really relevant to the pragmatics programme. Despite the differences and divergences between CA and pragmatics, they share a number of key interests, especially in three of the foundational areas of pragmatics – namely implicature (e.g., from Grice 1975), speech acts (social action) (e.g., from Austin 1962 and Searle 1969) and presupposition and well-formedness (e.g., from Lakoff 1971). I will show examples that demonstrate the distinctiveness of CA’s approach to these core pragmatic aspects of language use – in the spirit of demonstrating how CA’s approach complements and does not detract from approaches in pragmatics.
Narrative studies versus pragmatics (of narrative)
Authors: Norrick Neal R.
Published: August 2018

This chapter considers the interface between pragmatics and narrative studies, initially with reference to Labovian, conversation analytic (CA) and psycholinguistic approaches to narrative, where common ground is found between these and more properly pragmatic approaches in such topics as tellability and telling rights, along with a shared interest in micro-analytic matters of how tense shifts signal perspective, how discourse markers and repetition mark narrative boundaries and the like. Then it introduces a specifically pragmatic perspective on narrative, considering recurrent functions of stories roughly at the illocutionary level, including both direct and indirect speech acts. This constitutes a top-down, macro-pragmatic perspective on narrative, significantly distinct from CA considerations of epistemic justification for telling or psycholinguistic matters of identity construction.
The interface between pragmatics and gesture studies
Authors: Pereira Gerardine M.
Published: August 2018

This chapter considers the interface between pragmatics and gesture studies, focusing on the dynamics of communication and interaction as people engage in language use. It presents a systematic linguistic study of the relationship of speech, gesture, and eye gaze. Based on face-to-face interactions, pragmatic topics, such as cohesion and repetition, will be revisited to investigate speech, gesture, and gaze in context. It will be demonstrated how interactants create and maintain joint action, how they engage in F-formations to negotiate steps within an interaction space and to contribute to activities. The chapter aims at establishing a pragmatic perspective on gesture and gaze in context to supplement and extend previous gesture-based research and to derive new implications for the study of human communication.
Uncle Leo’s adventures in East Asia
Authors: Daliot-Bul Michal
Published: August 2018

The best-selling children’s book seriesUncle Leo’s Adventuresby Yannets Levi became a sensation in Israel when it was translated into several Asian languages including Korean, Chinese, English for the Indian sub-continent, and Japanese. More than just a simple story of cross-cultural exchange, the globalization of the series allows for a look into the ways editors and translators in different cultures handle translation as a cultural and economic opportunity. This article focuses on the Gordian knot that links translation to culturally specific preferences. Combining interviews with a comparative study of the different solutions to the translation of literary and visual elements used inUncle Leo, it explores the relations between entrepreneurship and culture, the politics of culture, and the universality/cultural specificity of imagination and of being a child.
History, uses and production.
Authors: Creasy G. L. , Creasy L. L.
Published: August 2018

The grapevine (Vitis spp.) is cultivated all over the world and the grape itself is used for a myriad of products. Most grapes are grown for the production of wine but, when first discovered, its appeal as fresh eating fruit was probably what attracted the first hunter-gatherers. Today, the fruit is used in a wide variety of products, ranging through fresh fruit, preserves, juice, wine and raisins. This chapter describes the geographical origins, natural growth conditions, historical cultivation and uses of grapevine. The grape-producing countries are also mentioned.