bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Eye Injuries and Illnesses in the Wilderness: 2014 Update
Authors: Paterson Ryan , Drake Brandy , Tabin Geoffrey , Butler Frank K. , Cushing Tracy
Published: December 2014

A panel convened to develop an evidence-based set of guidelines for the recognition and treatment of eye injuries and illnesses that may occur in the wilderness. These guidelines are meant to serve as a tool to help wilderness providers accurately identify and subsequently treat or evacuate for a variety of ophthalmologic complaints. Recommendations are graded on the basis of the quality of their supporting evidence and the balance between risks and benefits according to criteria developed by the American College of Chest Physicians. This is an updated version of the original guidelines published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2012;23(4):325–336.
A VERSION OF ROUCHÉ’S THEOREM FOR CONTINUOUS FUNCTIONS
Authors: GRIGORYAN ARMEN
Published: December 2014

In this paper we give a stronger form of Rouché’s theorem for continuous functions.
Identification of the Franklin expedition wreck
Authors: Barr William
Published: December 2014

The wreck discovered by the Victoria Strait expedition in early September (Barr 2014) has now been positively identified as that of HMS Erebus. This identification was based on a thorough analysis of the acoustic imagery (side-scan and multi-beam sonar),comparison with the plans for both Erebus and Terror from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, visual measurements made during inspection dives by Parks Canada personnel on the site (particularly with regard to the 1845 modifications to the stern), as well as certain telling details which were captured with photo and video. The fact that Erebus was a longer and beamier vessel than Terror is readily discernible from the acoustic data. The locations of various deck fixtures such as the fore and main hatchways, forward suction pumps, bowsprit partners, deck illuminators, and ringbolts, as compared to the same fixtures shown on the plans, all offer very strong correlation with Erebus (and not Terror) (Ryan Harris, Parks Canada, personal communication, 3 November 2014).
The moral implications of Kierkegaard's analysis of despair
Authors: KRISHEK SHARON
Published: December 2014

Kierkegaard's The Sickness unto Death famously characterizes despair as the sickness of any human being who does not live a life of faith. Kierkegaard supports this claim by providing a detailed analysis of despair in the first part of this essay. This analysis, I claim, presents the thesis that to be healed of despair is not only to maintain a correct relation to God but also to the world and, moreover, that the two relations are interdependent. Thus, in contrast to prominent readings of this essay, I claim that Kierkegaard's analysis of despair bears the important moral implication that a believer's relationship with other humans is indispensable to a life of faith.
The Tongue and the Reed: Organs and Instruments in the Philosophical Part of Hippocratic Regimen
Authors: Demont Paul
Published: December 2014

In the first book of Hippocratic Regimen, an unclear excursus explains how the technai imitate, and thus allow us to understand, human nature. It is argued here that the new polysemy of the word organon at the beginning of the fourth century is utilized by the author in his comparison, that this observation allows new understandings of some difficult passages and that such polysemy applies to a specific organon, the glotta (‘tongue’ and ‘reed’).
Lycophron's Alexandra, The Romans and Antiochus III
Authors: Jones Kenneth R.
Published: December 2014

Much of the debate over the authorship and composition date of the Alexandra has focused on the so-called ‘Roman Passages’ (lines 1226–82 and 1446–50). Though attributed to Lycophron, a scholar-poet in the court of Ptolemy II, many scholars, ancient and modern, have questioned whether the extravagant terms used to describe Roman power are appropriate for the early third century BC. Scholars have mostly either settled for the traditional date and assign the ‘Roman Passages’ to the aftermath of the Pyrrhic War or they have dated the passages to the time of the Second Macedonian War. This article offers a new context for the material on Rome, namely the Antiochene War. The new dating is based on the appearance of similar themes in the Alexandra and accounts, both historical and propagandistic, of the Antiochene War. These themes, which include Rome's Trojan origins, the conflict of Europe and Asia, and Rome's conquest of the world, are absent from accounts of the Pyrrhic and Second Macedonian Wars. After establishing a date in the aftermath of the Antiochene War, this article identifies the shadowy figures mentioned in the second ‘Roman Passage’.
The Antiochus Cylinder, Babylonian Scholarship and Seleucid Imperial Ideology
Authors: Stevens Kathryn
Published: December 2014

With few surviving Greek sources from Hellenistic Babylonia, we are often ill-informed about the details of Seleucid imperialism ‘on the ground’ — in particular, about the Seleucids' relationship with the Babylonian priestly elites and Babylonian cult and culture. This makes the cuneiform sources all the more important. One of the most intriguing is the Antiochus (or Borsippa) Cylinder, a clay cylinder in the form of a traditional Mesopotamian royal inscription recording Antiochus I's restoration of a Babylonian temple. Although the Cylinder was previously seen as evidence for the adoption of Babylonian cultural forms by the Seleucids, recent readings have analysed it as a product of interaction between Babylonian tradition and Seleucid imperial ideology. Yet the accuracy of such readings crucially depends on situating the Cylinder correctly within its cultural context. Here the inscription is reassessed with close reference to earlier and contemporary Mesopotamian sources. While evidence for ‘copy-and-paste’ redaction imposes significant methodological constraints on textual analysis, certain elements of the Cylinder which are non-traditional from a Babylonian perspective can persuasively be interpreted in terms of Seleucid royal ideology. Ultimately, however, we must question the extent to which the inscription's ideological maneouvres are broadly ‘Babylonian’ or ‘imperial’, rather than shaped by and targeted at a specific local context.
Phemius Suite
Authors: Thomas Oliver
Published: December 2014

This article examines four connected aspects of Phemius' performance in Odyssey 1. The first section examines the poet's unusual technique in relating Phemius' music to other, simultaneous sounds in the ‘soundscape’ of Odysseus' hall. The second argues that the suitors' initial dancing develops into a theme of appropriate and inappropriate nimbleness which, in particular, creates significant connections between books 1 and 22. The third section shows that the poet is suggestive but studiedly vague on the politics of Phemius' first song which, in the final section, I interpret as a self-reflexive and open-ended ‘lesson’ in how to read epic.
Penelope's ‘Stout Hand’ and Odyssean Humour
Authors: Turkeltaub Daniel
Published: December 2014

Penelope's ‘stout hand’ (χειρί παχείηι) in Odyssey 21.6 has troubled readers with its implication that the 20 years Penelope has spent waiting, worrying and weaving have sapped her beauty. Attempts to redeem the verse have only been partially successful at best. By applying semiolinguistic models for jokes to both Odyssey 21.6 and Penelope's increase in stoutness at Odyssey 18.195, this paper pursues the possibility that both passages are humorous. Rather than deride Penelope, the humour celebrates her quintessentially human susceptibility to age and suffering, as well as the virtues she develops in parallel with her husband therefrom. The Odyssey regularly uses humour to similar effect by applying traditional epic formulaic structures to a broader range of subjects than they normally accommodate and thus redefining the heroic virtues that those structures encode so that they exalt mundane human experience.
Timaeus' Explanation of Sense-Perceptual Pleasure
Authors: Wolfsdorf David
Published: December 2014

Much has been written about Plato's accounts of pleasure in Republic 9 and Philebus, almost nothing about his account in Timaeus. But with respect to sense-perceptual pleasure specifically, the account in Timaeus is unique and extremely informative. This paper examines, in turn, the physiology and the psychology of sense-perceptual pleasure, focusing on the text at 64a2–65b3, but drawing on a wide range of passages from elsewhere in the dialogue. The paper concludes with a further suggestion: that Timaeus is implicitly committed to a distinction between two kinds of perceptual pleasure, sense-perceptual pleasure and ‘brute’ pleasure.
Optimal periodic gain scheduling for bipedal walking with hybrid dynamics
Authors: Harel M. , Agranovich G. , Brand M.
Published: December 2014

We present an optimal gain scheduling control design for bipedal walking with minimum tracking error. We obtained a linear approximation by linearizing the nonlinear hybrid dynamic model about a nominal periodic trajectory. This linearization allows us to identify the linear model as a linear periodic system. An optimal feedback was designed using Bellman's dynamic programming. The linear periodic system allows us to determine a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) for a single period and to set the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) function in a linear quadratic form. In this way, the dynamic programming yielded an admissible continuous gain scheduling that was designed with regard to the hybrid dynamics of the system. We tuned the optimization parameters such that the tracking error and the average energy consumption are minimized. Due to linearization, we were able to examine the stability of the approximated periodic system achieved by the periodic gain according to Floquet's theory, by calculating the monodromy matrix of the closed-loop hybrid system. In addition to determining stability, the eigenvalues of this approximated monodromy matrix allowed us to evaluate the settling time of the system. This approach presents a direct method for optimal solution of locomotion control according to a given reference trajectory.
Singularity robust balancing of parallel manipulators following inconsistent trajectories
Authors: Özdemir Mustafa
Published: December 2014

When compared to serial manipulators, parallel manipulators have small workspaces mainly due to their closed-loop structure. As opposed to type I singularities (or inverse kinematic singularities) that are generally encountered at the workspace boundaries, type II singularities characteristically arise within the workspace, and around them, the inverse dynamic solution becomes unbounded. Hence, a desired trajectory passing through a type II singular position cannot be achieved by the manipulator, and its useful workspace becomes further and substantially reduced. It has been previously shown in the literature that if the trajectory is replanned in such a way that the dynamic equations of motion of the manipulator are consistent at a type II singularity, i.e. if the trajectory is consistent, then the manipulator passes through this singular configuration in a controllable manner, while the inverse dynamic solution remains finite. An inconsistent trajectory, on the other hand, is stated in the literature to be unrealizable. However, although seems a promising technique, trajectory replanning itself is also a deviation from the originally desired trajectory, and there might be cases in applications where, due to some task-specific reasons, the desired trajectory, although inconsistent, is not allowed to be replanned to satisfy the consistency conditions. In this paper, a method of singularity robust balancing is proposed for parallel manipulators passing through type II singular configurations while following inconsistent trajectories. By this means, an originally unrealizable inconsistent trajectory passing through a type II singularity can be followed without any deviation, while the required actuator forces remain bounded after the manipulator is balanced according to the design methodology presented in this study. The effectiveness of the introduced method is shown through numerical simulations considering a planar 3-DOF 2-PRR parallel manipulator under different balancing scenarios.
POLITICAL OBLIGATIONS IN A SEA OF TYRANNY AND CRUSHING POVERTY
Authors: Maltais Aaron
Published: December 2014

Christopher Wellman is the strongest proponent of the natural-duty theory of political obligations and argues that his version of the theory can satisfy the key requirement of “particularity”; namely, justifying to members of a state the system of political obligationstheyshare in. Critics argue that natural-duty theories like Wellman's actually require well-ordered states and/or their members to dedicate resources to providing the goods associated with political order to needy outsiders. The implication is that natural-duty approaches weaken the particularity requirement and cannot justify to citizens the systems of political obligation they share in. I argue that the critics’ diagnosis of natural-duty approaches is correct, whereas the proposed implication is false. I maintain that 1) only natural-duty approaches can justify political obligations, and that 2) weakening the particularity requirementcontributesto the theory's ability to justify a range-limited system of political obligationsamongcompatriots.
Neuropsychological Performance of Youth with Secondary Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 6- and 12-Months after Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Ornstein Tisha J. , Sagar Sanya , Schachar Russell J. , Ewing-Cobbs Linda , Chapman Sandra B. , Dennis Maureen , Saunders Ann E. , Yang Tony T. , Levin Harvey S. , Max Jeffrey E.
Published: December 2014

The present study compared executive dysfunction among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after traumatic brain injury (TBI), also called secondary ADHD (S-ADHD), pre-injury ADHD and children with TBI only (i.e., no ADHD). Youth aged 6–16 years admitted for TBI to five trauma centers were enrolled (n=177) and evaluated with a semi-structured psychiatric interview scheduled on three occasions (within 2 weeks of TBI, i.e., baseline assessment for pre-injury status; 6-months and 12-months post-TBI). This permitted the determination of 6- and 12-month post-injury classifications of membership in three mutually exclusive groups (S-ADHD; pre-injury ADHD; TBI-only). Several executive control measures were administered. Unremitted S-ADHD was present in 17/141 (12%) children at the 6-month assessment, and in 14/125 (11%) children at 12-months post-injury. The study found that children with S-ADHD exhibited deficient working memory, attention, and psychomotor speed as compared to children with pre-injury ADHD. Furthermore, the children with S-ADHD and the children with TBI-only were impaired compared to the children with pre-injury ADHD with regard to planning. No group differences related to response inhibition emerged. Age, but not injury severity, gender, or adaptive functioning was related to executive function outcome. Neuropsychological sequelae distinguish among children who develop S-ADHD following TBI and those with TBI only. Moreover, there appears to be a different pattern of executive control performance in those who develop S-ADHD than in children with pre-injury ADHD suggesting that differences exist in the underlying neural mechanisms that define each disorder, underscoring the need to identify targeted treatment interventions. (JINS, 2014,20, 971–981)
GEOPOLITICS AND EMPIRE: VISIONS OF REGIONAL WORLD ORDER IN THE 1940S
Authors: ROSENBOIM OR
Published: December 2014

This essay examines the influence of geopolitical and imperial thought on theories of international relations in the United States. The paper assesses the thought of Owen Lattimore, a leading American sinologist and political adviser to F. D. Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek, and Nicholas John Spykman, an influential international-relations scholar at Yale. In the framework of the Second World War and the “air age”, they envisaged a tripolar world order that entailed a new conception of political space and international relations. Lattimore's global geopolitical order sought to replace imperialism with democracy, while Spykman employed geopolitical concepts to envisage a tripolar order of “balanced powers” which built upon—rather than rejected—existing imperial structures. This paper examines their international theories and the policy implications of their thought to claim that 1940s theoretical interdisciplinarity made an important contribution to the development of the discipline of international relations in the United States.
Women as a Sign of the New? Appointments to South Africa's Constitutional Court since 1994
Authors: Johnson Rachel E.
Published: December 2014

The aim of the article is to develop our understanding of the role bodies play in processes of institutional change. It does so through developing an approach to the politics of institutional newness that highlights the way in which raced and gendered bodies can become entangled with claims to, or judgements of, “being new.” These questions are explored through South Africa's Constitutional Court, newly established as part of South Africa's transition to democracy in the 1990s and at the center of the broader claims being made about the creation of a new democratic, nonracial, and non-sexist South Africa. Focusing on judicial appointments to the Constitutional Court since 1994, the article draws attention to the ways in which historically excluded bodies, women and black men, have been included into this new space within the judiciary. It is argued that exploring the ways in which institutions lay claim to “being new” through the bodies of historically excluded groups is important for our understanding of the dynamics of institutional change being constituted.
Professionalism and organizational performance in the wake of new managerialism
Authors: Ahlbäck Öberg Shirin , Bringselius Louise
Published: December 2014

With New Public Management came the idea that public organizations should be led by professional managers, rather than by professionals. This has been referred to as new managerialism. This article explores how new managerialism may affect professional autonomy in a public organization that enjoys a high – and constitutionally protected – degree of organizational autonomy. A framework distinguishing between organizational and occupational professionalism is adopted, in a 10-year case study of the Swedish National Audit Office (SNAO). The study shows how the autonomy of professionals at the SNAO was highly restricted, while management control systems were continuously expanded. At the same time, SNAO performance has been reduced. For example, the SNAO has been criticized for its high overhead costs. The study presented in this article, shows the complex interplay between professionalism, new managerialism, and organizational performance. Based on the findings from this study, the article maintains that it is equally important to consider how autonomy is distributedwithinagencies, as it is to consider how autonomy is distributed between the political sphere and the administration, when trying to explain organizational performance.
Differences in the use of involuntary admission across the Veneto Region: which role for individual and contextual variables?
Authors: Donisi V. , Tedeschi F. , Salazzari D. , Amaddeo F.
Published: December 2014

Aims.

The first aim of this study is to compare involuntary admissions across the Veneto Region in Italy. The second aim is to explore the relation between mental health services provision, characteristics of population, individual factors and involuntary admissions.

Methods.

For 21 Mental Health Departments (MHDs) in the Veneto Region (Italy), the average population prevalence rate of involuntary admissions between 2000 and 2007 and the percentage of involuntary admissions were calculated. Chi-square tests for equality of proportions were used to test hypotheses. Variables at the individual, contextual and organisational levels were used in multiple regressions, with the involuntary admission data as dependent variables.

Results.

The average prevalence rate of involuntary commitment was 12.75 ranging from 1.96 to 27.59 across MHDs . About 75% of the involuntary admissions referred to psychotic patients, and almost half of patients were aged 25–44. Significant differences among MHDs emerged; higher percentages of involuntary admissions were generally found in densely populated areas. Higher ageing indices and rates of social workers were found as predictors of the prevalence rate. In the multilevel regression, being males and psychotic significantly increased involuntary admissions, while the percentage of singles in population decreased it.

Conclusions.

This study contributes to define the specific contribution of each factor predicting the use of involuntary admission, even within areas under the same legislation. It shows how the inclusion of both individual and contextual factors may lead to better predictions and provides precious data for the services improvement.
Critical role of lysine 134 methylation on histone H2AX for γ-H2AX production and DNA repair
Authors: Sone Kenbun , Piao Lianhua , Nakakido Makoto , Ueda Koji , Jenuwein Thomas , Nakamura Yusuke , Hamamoto Ryuji
Published: December 2014

The presence of phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) is associated with the local activation of DNA-damage repair pathways. Although γ-H2AX deregulation in cancer has previously been reported, the molecular mechanism involved and its relationship with other histone modifications remain largely unknown. Here we find that the histone methyltransferase SUV39H2 methylates histone H2AX on lysine 134. When H2AX was mutated to abolish K134 methylation, the level of γ-H2AX became significantly reduced. We also found lower γ-H2AX activity following the introduction of double-strand breaks in Suv39h2 knockout cells or on SUV39H2 knockdown. Tissue microarray analyses of clinical lung and bladder tissues also revealed a positive correlation between H2AX K134 methylation and γ-H2AX levels. Furthermore, introduction of K134-substituted histone H2AX enhanced radio- and chemosensitivity of cancer cells. Overall, our results suggest that H2AX methylation plays a role in the regulation of γ-H2AX abundance in cancer.
Fitting magnetic field gradient with Heisenberg-scaling accuracy
Authors: Zhang Yong-Liang , Wang Huan , Jing Li , Mu Liang-Zhu , Fan Heng
Published: December 2014

The linear function is possibly the simplest and the most used relation appearing in various areas of our world. A linear relation can be generally determined by the least square linear fitting (LSLF) method using several measured quantities depending on variables. This happens for such as detecting the gradient of a magnetic field. Here, we propose a quantum fitting scheme to estimate the magnetic field gradient with N-atom spins preparing in W state. Our scheme combines the quantum multi-parameter estimation and the least square linear fitting method to achieve the quantum Cramér-Rao bound (QCRB). We show that the estimated quantity achieves the Heisenberg-scaling accuracy. Our scheme of quantum metrology combined with data fitting provides a new method in fast high precision measurements.
Imaging and spectroscopic comparison of multi-step methods to form DNA arrays based on the biotin–streptavidin system
Authors: Gajos Katarzyna , Petrou Panagiota , Budkowski Andrzej , Awsiuk Kamil , Bernasik Andrzej , Misiakos Konstantinos , Rysz Jakub , Raptis Ioannis , Kakabakos Sotirios
Published: December 2014

The nanostructure, chemistry and coverage of surfaces, obtained step-by-step within three multi-molecular methods to form DNA arrays, are analyzed along with the spot morphology of molecular distributions.
Raman spectroscopic studies of vitamin A content in the liver: a biomarker of healthy liver
Authors: Kochan K. , Marzec K. M. , Maslak E. , Chlopicki S. , Baranska M.
Published: December 2014

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy was used in this study to identify hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) from healthy mice and mice with untreated and treated liver steatosis.
Analytical characterization of a method for mercury determination in food using cold vapour capacitively coupled plasma microtorch optical emission spectrometry – compliance with European legislation requirements
Authors: Frentiu Tiberiu , Butaciu Sinziana , Darvasi Eugen , Ponta Michaela , Senila Marin , Petreus Dorin , Frentiu Maria
Published: December 2014

This paper presents the analytical characterization of a highly sensitive and inexpensive method for Hg determination.
A polyoxometalate–organic supramolecular nanotube with high chemical stability and proton-conducting properties
Authors: Cao Gao-Juan , Liu Jing-Dong , Zhuang Ting-Ting , Cai Xiu-Hong , Zheng Shou-Tian
Published: December 2014

A novel polyoxometalate–organic supramolecular nanotube has been created, which has exceptional stability and proton-conducting properties.
Laser-activated gold catalysts for liquid-phase growth of cadmium selenide nanowires
Authors: Huang C. , Mao J. , Chen X. M. , Yang J. , Du X. W.
Published: December 2014

A laser-activated-catalyst (LAC) technique was developed to grow CdSe nanowires in liquid medium at room temperature. The LAC technique can achieve accurate positioning of nanowires, which is beneficial for device fabrication.
One-step template-free synthesis of hollow core–shell α-Fe2O3 microspheres with improved lithium storage and gas-sensing properties
Authors: Song Haojie , Chen Tao , Zhang Xueqiang , Jia Xiaohua
Published: December 2014

The hollow core–shell α-Fe2O3 microspheres with improved lithium storage and gas-sensing properties have been fabricated by the template-free hydrothermal route.
Alternative alcohol-soluble conjugated small molecule electrolytes for high-efficiency inverted polymer solar cells
Authors: Shi Yueqin , Tan Licheng , Chen Lie , Chen Yiwang
Published: December 2014

Alcohol-soluble small molecule conjugated electrolytes are utilized as both hole and electron transport interlayers simultaneously in inverted polymer solar cells.
Laser-induced fast fusion of gold nanoparticle-modified polyelectrolyte microcapsules
Authors: Wu Yingjie , Frueh Johannes , Si Tieyan , Möhwald Helmuth , He Qiang
Published: December 2014

Laser-induced membrane fusion of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules bearing surface-attached gold nanoparticles in aqueous media has been investigated.
Few-layered graphene-like boron nitride induced a remarkable adsorption capacity for dibenzothiophene in fuels
Authors: Xiong Jun , Zhu Wenshuai , Li Hongping , Ding Wenjing , Chao Yanhong , Wu Peiwen , Xun Suhang , Zhang Ming , Li Huaming
Published: December 2014

Metal-free graphene-like boron nitride (BN) samples were prepared and applied as adsorbents for removing dibenzothiophene (DBT) in model oil.
New benzoxazines containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane from eugenol, guaiacol and vanillin
Authors: Periyasamy Thirukumaran , Asrafali Shakila Parveen , Muthusamy Sarojadevi
Published: December 2014

In this article we have selected renewable raw materials such as eugenol, guaiacol and vanillin as bio-phenols, which react with octaamine functionalized POSS and paraformaldehyde to synthesize fully renewable POSS–polybenzoxazine nanocomposites for use in microelectronic packaging applications.
Tunable wettability of hierarchical structured coatings derived from one-step synthesized raspberry-like poly(styrene-acrylic acid) particles
Authors: Fan Xinlong , Jia Xiangkun , Liu Yin , Zhang Baoliang , Li Chunmei , Liu Yali , Zhang Hepeng , Zhang Qiuyu
Published: December 2014

Hierarchical structured coatings were fabricated by the assembly of raspberry-like P(S-AA) particles and their wettability could be tuned from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic.
Facile synthesis and characterization of bio-organometallic compounds and their biological activity contour against human pathogens
Authors: Divakar Mathiyazhagan Arun , Sudhamani Velnathan , Shanmugam Sivakumar , Muneeswaran Thillaichidambaram , Tamilzhalagan Sembulingam , Ramakritinan Muthiah , Ganesan Kumaresan
Published: December 2014

We have reported the synthesis of novel di & trisubstituted pyrroles and their biological activity.
Size-tunable and scalable synthesis of uniform copper nanocrystals
Authors: Sim Hwansu , Lee Jihwan , Yu Taekyung , Kim Kyungpil , Lee Seong Jun , Lee Jung Heon , Cho Jeong Ho , Lim Byungkwon
Published: December 2014

A facile and scalable synthetic route to uniform Cu nanocrystals with tunable sizes in the range of 20–100 nm based on an ethylene glycol-assisted synthetic method was developed.
Enhanced visible light responsive photocatalytic activity of TiO2-based nanocrystallites: impact of doping sequence
Authors: Li Minghui , Zhang Shujuan , Peng Yan , Lv Lu , Pan Bingcai
Published: December 2014

The doping sequence in the sol–gel process plays an important role in determining the visible light photocatalytic activity of nonmetal-doped TiO2.
DFT and TD-DFT studies on the electronic and optical properties of explosive molecules adsorbed on boron nitride and graphene nano flakes
Authors: Vovusha Hakkim , Sanyal Biplab
Published: December 2014

The binding affinity of explosive molecules with 2D BN flakes is higher than G flakes due to more charge transfer in the BN-explosive complexes.
A novel hybrid anion exchange membrane for high performance microbial fuel cells
Authors: Tao Hu-Chun , Sun Xiao-Nan , Xiong Ying
Published: December 2014

A novel titanium dioxide (TiO2)–quaternized poly(vinyl alcohol) (QAPVA) hybrid anion exchange membrane (T membrane) is prepared, and its feasibility for use in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is investigated in this study.
A facile microwave-hydrothermal approach towards highly photoluminescent carbon dots from goose feathers
Authors: Liu Ruili , Zhang Jing , Gao Mengping , Li Zhilian , Chen Jinyang , Wu Dongqing , Liu Ping
Published: December 2014

Two-dimensional carbon dots with a high photoluminescence efficiency of ∼17.1% are obtained by the facile microwave-hydrothermal treatment of goose feathers.
In situ growth of NiO nanoparticles on graphene as a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion battery anodes with enhanced strain accommodation
Authors: Qiu Danfeng , Bu Gang , Zhao Bin , Lin Zixia
Published: December 2014

NiO/graphene composite was prepared via an in situ thermal decomposition method. And the composite exhibited high performance as anode material for lithium-ion battery.
A study on the effects of K2ZrF6 as an additive on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of MgH2
Authors: Halim Yap F. A. , Mustafa N. S. , Ismail M.
Published: December 2014

It was found that the MgH2 + 10 wt% K2ZrF6 sample started to decompose at around 250 °C, which was 100 °C and lower than in as-milled MgH2. The re/dehydrogenation kinetics had also improved significantly compared to the undoped MgH2.
Cobalt sulfide nanoparticles impregnated nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene as bifunctional catalyst for rechargeable Zn–air batteries
Authors: Geng Dongsheng , Ding Ni-Ni , Hor T. S. Andy , Chien Sheau Wei , Liu Zhaolin , Zong Yun
Published: December 2014

Cobalt sulfide nanoparticle impregnated nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene nanosheets synthesized in water-based media equip Zn–air batteries with good cycling stability.
Quantifying the distribution of ceria nanoparticles in cucumber roots: the influence of labeling
Authors: Gui Xin , He Xiao , Ma Yuhui , Zhang Peng , Li Yuanyuan , Ding Yayun , Yang Ke , Li Huafen , Rui Yukui , Chai Zhifang , Zhao Yuliang , Zhang Zhiyong
Published: December 2014

Study on the fluorescent-labeling-caused changes in the distribution and bio-effects of ceria nanoparticles.
Solvothermal synthesis of MIL–53(Fe) hybrid magnetic composites for photoelectrochemical water oxidation and organic pollutant photodegradation under visible light
Authors: Zhang Caihong , Ai Lunhong , Jiang Jing
Published: December 2014

The novel MIL–53(Fe) hybrid magnetic composites (MHMCs) exhibited efficient visible light photoelectrochemical performance toward water oxidation and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for organic pollutant degradation.
The combination of a new organic D–π–A dye with different organic hole-transport materials for efficient solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Liu Peng , Xu Bo , Karlsson Karl Martin , Zhang Jinbao , Vlachopoulos Nick , Boschloo Gerrit , Sun Licheng , Kloo Lars
Published: December 2014

A new organic donor–π–acceptor sensitizer MKA253 has been applied for highly efficient solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSSCs).
In situ assembly of monodispersed Ag nanoparticles in the channels of ordered mesopolymers as a highly active and reusable hydrogenation catalyst
Authors: Liu Xianchun , Jin Renxi , Chen Dashu , Chen Lin , Xing Shuangxi , Xing Hongzhu , Xing Yan , Su Zhongmin
Published: December 2014

Monodispersed Ag nanoparticles were assembled in the channels of FDU-15 ordered mesopolymers by a simple in situ auto-reduction method and exhibited high catalytic performance in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.
Fluorination as an effective tool to increase the open-circuit voltage and charge carrier mobility of organic solar cells based on poly(cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene-alt-quinoxaline) copolymers
Authors: Verstappen Pieter , Kesters Jurgen , Vanormelingen Wouter , Heintges Gaël H. L. , Drijkoningen Jeroen , Vangerven Tim , Marin Lidia , Koudjina Simplice , Champagne Benoît , Manca Jean , Lutsen Laurence , Vanderzande Dirk , Maes Wouter
Published: December 2014

Quinoxaline fluorination leads to enhanced properties and efficiencies in PCPDTQx-based polymer solar cells.
Controllable synthesis of cube-like ZnSnO3@TiO2 nanostructures as lithium ion battery anodes
Authors: Qin Yu-ling , Zhang Fei-fei , Du Xin-chuan , Huang Gang , Liu Ya-cheng , Wang Li-min
Published: December 2014

Cube-like porous ZnSnO3@TiO2 has been prepared. Furthermore, it exhibits excellent cycle stability and rate capability for LIBs.
Anti-biofouling surface with sub-20 nm heterogeneous nanopatterns
Authors: Shen Lei , Xie Jun , Tao Juan , Zhu Jintao
Published: December 2014

We have developed a nanometer-sized heterogeneous pattern with an excellent anti-biofouling property to control protein–surface/cell–surface interactions at the molecular level.
Mixed modified weighted bit‐flipping decoding of low‐density parity‐check codes
Authors: Huang Haiyi , Wang Yige , Wei Gang
Published: December 2014

In this study, a new weighted bit‐flipping (WBF) algorithm called mixed modified WBF (MM‐WBF) decoding is proposed for low‐density parity‐check codes. The new algorithm is built by mixing two WBF algorithms, one acting as the main decoding algorithm and the other acting as the auxiliary. Simulation results show that the new algorithm achieves a notable performance gain over reliability ratio‐based WBF, improved M‐WBF and low‐complexity WBF algorithms with almost the same computational complexity. Compared with some belief‐propagation‐based algorithms, MM‐WBF also provides an appealing performance against complexity trade‐off.
Adaptive compensation for actuator failure in a class of non‐linear time‐delay systems
Authors: Hashemi Mahnaz , Askari Javad , Ghaisari Jafar , Kamali Marzieh
Published: December 2014

This study presents a state feedback adaptive controller for a class of parametric‐strict‐feedback non‐linear systems with multiple bounded time‐varying state delays and in the presence of time‐varying actuator failures. The type of the considered actuator failure is that some unknown inputs may be stuck at some unknown time‐varying values where the parameters, times and patterns of the failures are also unknown. The considered actuator failure can cover most failures that may occur in actuators of the systems. The adaptive state feedback control scheme is constructed based on a backstepping design method. The boundedness of all the closed‐loop signals is guaranteed and the tracking error is proved to converge to a small neighbourhood of the origin. The proposed approach is employed for a second‐order time delay plant as well as a two‐stage chemical reactor with delayed recycle streams. The simulation results show the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed adaptive compensation in the case of actuator failures.
Resource management in cooperative multi‐agent networks through self‐triggering
Authors: Tolić Domagoj , Jeličić Vana , Bilas Vedran
Published: December 2014

In this study, the author's interest is to reduce requirements posed on communication, sensing, processing and energy resources in multi‐agent networks (MANs) without compromising MAN objectives. Consequently, the hardware expenses and energy consumption are driven down while MAN multitasking, such as inter‐network collaboration, is facilitated. Scenarios, in which agents of one network need to achieve a common goal, call for the study of decentralised cooperative control schemes. To accomplish this goal in an uncertain and noisy setting and to detect changes in the communication topology, agents have to exchange information. Since each transmission and reception of information necessitates energy, communication should be induced only when the goal completion can no longer be guaranteed in order to prolong the MAN mission. Thus, the authors devise an information exchange mechanism which draws upon the ideas of self‐triggered communication. The proposed mechanism is inspected both theoretically and experimentally (employing off‐the‐shelf wireless sensor platforms) for performance against lifetime trade‐offs using a single‐integrator consensus case study. Their mechanism is applicable to heterogeneous agents with exogenous disturbances, to directed switching communication topologies and to both initial‐condition‐dependent and initial‐condition‐independent long‐term cooperative behaviours. The investigated stability notions include ℒp ‐ and input‐to‐state stability (with respect to a set).
Comparison between balanced truncation and modal truncation techniques for linear state‐space symmetric systems
Authors: Ha Minh Binh , Chu Minh Binh , Sreeram Victor
Published: December 2014

In this study, two well‐known model reduction techniques: balanced truncation and modal truncation are compared. The comparison is based on their error bound formulas for a special class of systems derived in this study. The comparison is illustrated by a numerical example.
Nondestructive synchronous beam current monitor
Authors: Covo Michel Kireeff
Published: December 2014

A fast current transformer is mounted after the deflectors of the Berkeley 88-Inch Cyclotron. The measured signal is amplified and connected to the input of a lock-in amplifier. The lock-in amplifier performs a synchronous detection of the signal at the cyclotron second harmonic frequency. The magnitude of the signal detected is calibrated against a Faraday cup and corresponds to the beam intensity. It has exceptional resolution, long term stability, and can measure the beam current leaving the cyclotron as low as 1 nA.
Positivity, discontinuity, finite resources, and nonzero error for arbitrarily varying quantum channels
Authors: Boche H. , Nötzel J.
Published: December 2014

This work is motivated by a quite general question: Under which circumstances are the capacities of information transmission systems continuous? The research is explicitly carried out on finite arbitrarily varying quantum channels (AVQCs). We give an explicit example that answers the recent question whether the transmission of messages over AVQCs can benefit from assistance by distribution of randomness between the legitimate sender and receiver in the affirmative. The specific class of channels introduced in that example is then extended to show that the unassisted capacity does have discontinuity points, while it is known that the randomness-assisted capacity is always continuous in the channel. We characterize the discontinuity points and prove that the unassisted capacity is always continuous around its positivity points. After having established shared randomness as an important resource, we quantify the interplay between the distribution of finite amounts of randomness between the legitimate sender and receiver, the (nonzero) probability of a decoding error with respect to the average error criterion and the number of messages that can be sent over a finite number of channel uses. We relate our results to the entanglement transmission capacities of finite AVQCs, where the role of shared randomness is not yet well understood, and give a new sufficient criterion for the entanglement transmission capacity with randomness assistance to vanish.
A versatile LabVIEW and field-programmable gate array-based scanning probe microscope for in operando electronic device characterization
Authors: Berger Andrew J. , Page Michael R. , Jacob Jan , Young Justin R. , Lewis Jim , Wenzel Lothar , Bhallamudi Vidya P. , Johnston-Halperin Ezekiel , Pelekhov Denis V. , Hammel P. Chris
Published: December 2014

Understanding the complex properties of electronic and spintronic devices at the micro- and nano-scale is a topic of intense current interest as it becomes increasingly important for scientific progress and technological applications. In operando characterization of such devices by scanning probe techniques is particularly well-suited for the microscopic study of these properties. We have developed a scanning probe microscope (SPM) which is capable of both standard force imaging (atomic, magnetic, electrostatic) and simultaneous electrical transport measurements. We utilize flexible and inexpensive FPGA (field-programmable gate array) hardware and a custom software framework developed in National Instrument's LabVIEW environment to perform the various aspects of microscope operation and device measurement. The FPGA-based approach enables sensitive, real-time cantilever frequency-shift detection. Using this system, we demonstrate electrostatic force microscopy of an electrically biased graphene field-effect transistor device. The combination of SPM and electrical transport also enables imaging of the transport response to a localized perturbation provided by the scanned cantilever tip. Facilitated by the broad presence of LabVIEW in the experimental sciences and the openness of our software solution, our system permits a wide variety of combined scanning and transport measurements by providing standardized interfaces and flexible access to all aspects of a measurement (input and output signals, and processed data). Our system also enables precise control of timing (synchronization of scanning and transport operations) and implementation of sophisticated feedback protocols, and thus should be broadly interesting and useful to practitioners in the field.
The adsorption behavior of octafluoropropane at the water/gas interface
Authors: Giebel Friederike , Paulus Michael , Nase Julia , Bieder Steffen , Kiesel Irena , Tolan Metin
Published: December 2014

We studied the adsorption behavior of the gas octafluoropropane at the water/gas interface as a function of different pressures. In a custom-made measurement cell, the gas pressure was varied in a range between 1 bar and close to the condensation pressure of octafluoropropane. The electron density profiles of the adsorption layers show that the layer thickness increases with pressure. The evolution of the layer electron density indicates that the bulk electron density is reached if a layer consisting of more than one monolayer of octafluoropropane is adsorbed on the water surface.
Correlation between iron self-diffusion and thermal stability in doped iron nitride thin films
Authors: Tayal Akhil , Gupta Mukul , Kumar D. , Reddy V. R. , Gupta Ajay , Amir S. M. , Korelis Panagiotis , Stahn Jochen
Published: December 2014

Nanocrystalline Fe-X-N thin films (with doping X = 0, 3.1 at. % Al, 1.6 at. % Zr), were deposited using reactive ion beam sputtering. Magnetization study reveals that the deposited films exhibit a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Thermal stability of the films was investigated systematically and it was observed that the structural and the magnetic stability gets significantly enhanced with Al doping, whereas Zr doping has only a marginal effect. Fe self-diffusion, obtained using polarized neutron reflectivity, shows a suppression with both additives. A correlation between the thermal stability and the diffusion process gives a direct evidence that the enhancement in the thermal stability is primarily diffusion controlled. A combined picture of diffusion, structural, and magnetic stability has been drawn to understand the obtained results.
Effect of atomic layer deposition growth temperature on the interfacial characteristics of HfO2/p-GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors
Authors: Liu C. , Zhang Y. M. , Zhang Y. M. , Lv H. L.
Published: December 2014

The effect of atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth temperature on the interfacial characteristics of p-GaAs MOS capacitors with ALD HfO2 high-k dielectric using tetrakis(ethylmethyl)amino halfnium precursor is investigated in this study. Using the combination of capacitance-voltage (C-V) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, ALD growth temperature is found to play a large role in controlling the reaction between interfacial oxides and precursor and ultimately determining the interface properties. The reduction of surface oxides is observed to be insignificant for ALD at 200 °C, while markedly pronounced for growth at 300 °C. The corresponding C-V characteristics are also shown to be ALD temperature dependent and match well with the XPS results. Thus, proper ALD process is crucial in optimizing the interface quality.
Effect of streaming current on helical flows of power law fluids
Authors: Bandopadhyay Aditya , Goswami Prakash , Chakraborty Suman
Published: December 2014

We highlight the implications of electrokinetic effects on the axially pressure driven flow of a shear-thinning fluid in the gap between two concentric cylinders rotating with a relative angular velocity. Such helical flows are important from a practical perspective, as these may lead to a non-trivial alteration in the axial volume flow rate, owing to a combined interplay of the kinematics, electro-hydrodynamics, and the flow rheology. In particular, our results demonstrate the consequences of the establishment of an induced electrical potential, also known as streaming potential, on the volumetric transport, for shear thinning fluids. Our results demonstrate that an increment in the relative rotational speed induces more electrokinetic resistance into the flow. The flow rate initially decreases with increment in the relative angular speed till it reaches a minima for a given power law index, beyond which it again increases. The analytical and numerical results presented in this work bear significant consequences in the design of novel microfluidic systems governed by electrokinetic effects.