bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Residual strain in free-standing CdTe nanowires overgrown with HgTe
Authors: Kessel Maximilian , Lunczer Lukas , Tarakina Nadezda V. , Brüne Christoph , Buhmann Hartmut , Molenkamp Laurens W.
Published: April 2019

We investigate the crystal properties of CdTe nanowires overgrown with HgTe. Scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy confirm that the growth results in a high ensemble uniformity and that the individual heterostructures are single-crystalline, respectively. We use high-resolution X-ray diffraction to investigate strain, caused by the small lattice mismatch between the two materials. We find that both CdTe and HgTe show changes in the lattice constant compared to the respective bulk lattice constants. The measurements reveal a complex strain pattern with signatures of both uniaxial and shear strains present in the overgrown nanowires.
Raman compression of laser pulses in wedge-shaped jet plasma
Authors: Balakin A. A. , Skobelev S. A. , Fraiman G. M.
Published: April 2019

The features of Raman backscattering of laser pulses in a wedge-shaped jet plasma with a significant density gradient are analyzed. The possibility of compensating for an excessively large pumping chirp due to the use of density inhomogeneity along the gas jet is shown. In this case, Raman compression occurs without a significant loss of energy efficiency. The possibility of obtaining a high-energy output signal using wide-aperture laser pulses in a wedge-shaped plasma is demonstrated. The optimal parameters of the gas jet and laser pulses are determined to ensure high efficiency and focusability, which is close to the ideal case.
First principle study of magnetism and vacancy energetics in a near equimolar NiFeMnCr high entropy alloy
Authors: Li Congyi , Yin Junqi , Odbadrakh Khorgolkhuu , Sales Brian C. , Zinkle Steven J. , Stocks G. Malcolm , Wirth Brian D.
Published: April 2019

We report the results of ab initio calculations of a novel NiFeMnCr high entropy alloy (HEA) with potential applications as a high performance structural material. The bulk and defect property variations due to chemical disordering and magnetic frustration have been studied using both supercell and coherent potential approximation-based techniques. While magnetic frustration due to the presence of multiple 3d transition metals can severely affect the accuracy of vacancy formation energy in first-principles calculations, this effect should be suppressed at intermediate and high temperatures. An efficient approach to evaluate the chemical potential in HEA is constructed and implemented. Vacancy formation energies are computed based on the chemical potential. The statistical distribution of formation energies is weakly dependent upon the chemical identity of the vacancy. On the other hand, the calculated vacancy migration energies show that Fe is more likely to have a large migration barrier than Cr, Mn, or Ni. Finally, atomic-level stresses are computed. A qualitative model to explain the elemental segregation trend in HEA is built upon the atomic-level stress calculation results and provides a reasonable qualitative agreement with ion irradiation experimental data of a NiFeMnCr HEA.
Van der Waals density functional study of formic acid adsorption and decomposition on Cu(111)
Authors: Putra Septia Eka Marsha , Muttaqien Fahdzi , Hamamoto Yuji , Inagaki Kouji , Hamada Ikutaro , Morikawa Yoshitada
Published: April 2019

We present a density functional theory study on the adsorption and decomposition mechanisms of monomeric formic acid (HCOOH) on a Cu(111) surface. We used Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional, PBE with dispersion correction (PBE-D2), and van der Waals density functionals (vdW-DFs). We found that the adsorption energy of HCOOH by using the PBE functional is smaller than the experimental value, while the PBE-D2 and vdW-DFs give better agreement with experimental results. The activation energies of decomposition calculated by using PBE-D2 and vdW-DFs are lower compared with desorption energies, seemingly in contradiction with experimental findings at room temperature, in which no decomposition of HCOOH on Cu(111) is observed when the surface is exposed to the gas phase HCOOH. We performed the reaction rate analysis based on the first-principles calculations for desorption and decomposition processes to clarify this contradiction. We found that the desorption of monomeric HCOOH is faster than that of its decomposition rate at room temperature because of a much larger pre-exponential factor. Thus, no decomposition of monomeric HCOOH should take place at room temperature. Our analysis revealed the competition between desorption and decomposition processes of HCOOH.
AC electrophoretic mobility of individual microscale colloidal particles measured using holographic video microscopy
Authors: Ikeda Toyokazu , Eitoku Haruka , Kimura Yasuyuki
Published: April 2019

Electrophoretic mobility has been widely used to evaluate the zeta potential of individual colloidal particles, which governs the stability of colloidal dispersions. We demonstrated two experimental methods to measure the AC electrophoretic mobility μ of micron-sized single particles using holographic video microscopy. The three-dimensional position of the particle was estimated by reconstructing the light field from its two-dimensional holographic image, using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld back-propagation method. In a planar electric field setup, the height dependence of the measured value of μ in the cell enables us to evaluate the actual value of μ, without interference from electroosmotic flow. In a vertical setup, the true value of μ can be directly evaluated by minimizing the influence of the electrode polarization, using a thick cell and a high-frequency electric field. The estimated values of μ obtained using both methods agree with that from conventional electrophoretic light scattering. We also evaluated the distribution of μ values within a colloidal dispersion.
Revisiting the replica theory of the liquid to ideal glass transition
Authors: Bomont Jean-Marc , Hansen Jean-Pierre , Pastore Giorgio
Published: April 2019

The replica theory of the “Random First Order Transition” (RFOT) from a supercooled liquid to an “ideal” glass of a system of “soft spheres” is revisited. Following the seminal work of Mézard and Parisi [J. Chem. Phys. 111, 1076 (1999)], the number m of weakly interacting replicas of the system is varied continuously from m = 2 to m < 1. Relevant order parameters and the free energy of the liquid and glass phases are calculated using the hypernetted chain (HNC) approximation for the pair correlation functions. The scenario observed for all m confirms the existence of two glass branches G1 and G2. The latter has the lowest free energy for all m > 1, while the former has a lower free energy for m < 1 but is shown to be unstable against spinodal decomposition for any nonzero value of the attractive inter-replica coupling. The critical temperature Tcr of the RFOT turns out to depend on m, which may be a by-product of the approximation inherent in the HNC closure. The RFOT is predicted to be weakly first order, characterized by a small jump in density between the coexisting liquid and G2 phases for all m > 1. Estimating Tcr in the limit m → 1 requires a proper extrapolation of high resolution HNC calculations. The present protocol explores the behavior of the free energy of the ideal glass phase below Tcr as a function of m.
Local screened Coulomb correction approach to strongly correlated d-electron systems
Authors: Wang Yue-Chao , Jiang Hong
Published: April 2019

Materials with open-shell d or f-electrons are of great importance for their intriguing electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. Often termed as strongly correlated systems, they pose great challenges for first-principles studies based on density-functional theory (DFT) in the local density approximation or generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The DFT plus the Hubbard U correction (DFT + U) approach, which is widely used in first-principles studies of strongly correlated systems, depends on the local Coulomb interaction parameters (the Hubbard U and the Hund exchange J) that are often chosen empirically, which significantly limits its predictive capability. In this work, we propose a local screened Coulomb correction (LSCC) approach in which the on-site Coulomb interaction parameters are determined by the local electron density based on the Thomas-Fermi screening model in a system-dependent and self-consistent way. The LSCC approach is applied to several typical strongly correlated systems (MnO, FeO, CoO, NiO, β-MnO2, K2CuF4, KCuF3, KNiF3, La2CuO4, NiF2, MnF2, KMnF3, K2NiF4, La2NiO4, and Sr2CuO2Cl2), and the results are compared to those obtained from the hybrid functional and GGA methods. We found that the LSCC method can provide an accurate description of electronic and magnetic properties of considered strongly correlated systems and its performance is less sensitive to the effective range of the local projection than the closely related DFT + U approach. Therefore, the LSCC approach provides a parameter-free first-principles approach to strongly correlated systems.
In situ observations for growth kinetics of water droplets on Bambusa multiplex leaves
Authors: Zhang Zhouyang , Fei Linfeng , Liu Dingjun , Rao Zhenggang , Tian Tingfang , Hu Yongming , Wang Yu
Published: April 2019

The wetting of material surfaces is an important topic and is now being intensively investigated toward various practical applications, yet most previous studies have adopted postmortem methods. Fortunately, the recent development of environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) means that hydrated samples can be observed in their native state, as well as dynamic surface reactions. Here, we use in situ ESEM observation to explore the microscopic growth dynamics of water droplets on adaxial and abaxial surfaces of Bambusa multiplex leaf (BML) during wetting. Our results show that, due to the dramatic structural differences between adaxial and abaxial surfaces, the growth of water droplets on the two sides is quite different. Furthermore, the growth kinetics of water droplets on different BML surfaces are quantitatively discussed. This conceptual study demonstrates a straightforward pathway to understanding the wetting behavior, and the results may pave the way for further research on bio-inspired materials.
On the numerical solution of the exact factorization equations
Authors: Gossel Graeme H. , Lacombe Lionel , Maitra Neepa T.
Published: April 2019

The exact factorization (EF) approach to coupled electron-ion dynamics recasts the time-dependent molecular Schrödinger equation as two coupled equations, one for the nuclear wavefunction and one for the conditional electronic wavefunction. The potentials appearing in these equations have provided insight into non-adiabatic processes, and new practical non-adiabatic dynamics methods have been formulated starting from these equations. Here, we provide a first demonstration of a self-consistent solution of the exact equations, with a preliminary analysis of their stability and convergence properties. The equations have an unprecedented mathematical form, involving a Hamiltonian outside the class of Hermitian Hamiltonians usually encountered in time-propagation, and so the usual numerical methods for time-dependent Schrödinger fail when applied in a straightforward way to the EF equations. We find an approach that enables stable propagation long enough to witness non-adiabatic behavior in a model system before non-trivial instabilities take over. Implications for the development and analysis of EF-based methods are discussed.
Depression, suicide risk, and workplace bullying: a comparative study of fly-in, fly-out and residential resource workers in Australia
Authors: Miller Peta , Brook Libby , Stomski Norman J. , Ditchburn Graeme , Morrison Paul
Published: April 2019

Objectives
The primary objective of this study was to establish whether clinical depression and increased suicide risk differed between Australian fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers and their residential counterparts in the resources sector. We also sought to identify whether bullying and social support were associated with depression and suicide risk in this cohort.

Methods
A cross-sectional survey design was used. Completed questionnaires were received from 751 respondents who were employed in the Australian resources sector. Primary outcomes were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale and Negative Acts Questionnaire – Revised. A general linear model was used to examine the association between depression, hopelessness and predictive factors.

Results
The results of a general linear model analysis demonstrated that depression (partial η2 = 0.02; P = 0.01) and hopelessness (partial η2 = 0.02; P = 0.02) were significantly higher in residential than FIFO workers. In addition, bullying was significantly associated with higher levels of depression (partial η2 = 0.11; P = 0.001) and hopelessness (partial η2 = 0.04; P = 0.001). Finally, increased social support was significantly associated with lower depression rates (partial η2 = 0.13; P = 0.001) and hopelessness (partial η2 = 0.14; P = 0.001).

Conclusions
Interventions should be delivered to reduce depression and hopelessness in Australian resource workers, particularly through addressing workplace bullying and enhancing social support.

What is known about the topic?
One-third of Australian resource workers experience psychosocial distress. Research examining factors that influence such distress is lacking.

What does this paper add?
The results of this study demonstrate that clinical depression and suicide risk were significantly higher in residential resource workers than in FIFO workers. Depression and suicide risk were directly associated with workplace bullying. In addition, social support was an important protective factor against depression and bullying in Australian FIFO and residential resource workers.

What are the implications for practitioners?
There is an urgent need to introduce interventions that reduce psychosocial distress in the resource sector, particularly through the mitigation of bullying
Concentrations and distribution of transparent exopolymer particles in a eutrophic coastal sea: a case study of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary
Authors: Guo Shujin , Sun Xiaoxia
Published: April 2019

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) contribute to carbon export and can represent a significant part of the carbon pool, most notably in eutrophic systems. This study represents the first investigation of the concentrations and distribution of TEPs in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary, one of the most eutrophic coastal seas in the world. The concentration of TEPs was determined on a seasonal basis (spring, summer and autumn), and the distribution patterns of TEPs were studied with respect to physical, chemical and biological conditions. Spatially, TEP concentrations exhibited a significant positive correlation with chlorophyll-a concentrations in spring and summer, which implies a consistent production of TEPs by phytoplankton cells. Vertically, TEP concentrations decreased gradually from the surface layer to the bottom layer in spring and summer, but were distributed homogenously in the water column in autumn. Values of nitrogen:phosphorus ratio (N:P) were found to have a significant positive correlation with TEP concentrations in summer, indicating that a P limitation would probably accelerate production and formation of TEPs. TEP-carbon (TEP-C) concentration was found to be similar to phytoplankton-C in the study area, highlighting the fact that TEP-C could represent a significant fraction of the particulate organic carbon pool in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary.
Effects of drought on wildfires in forest landscapes of the Western Ghats, India
Authors: Kodandapani Narendran , Parks Sean A.
Published: April 2019

Wildland fire is an understudied yet highly important disturbance agent on the Indian subcontinent. In particular, there is uncertainty regarding the degree to which annual climate variation influences inter-annual variability in fire activity. In this study, we evaluate wildland fire at two complementary spatial scales in the southern portion of the Western Ghats mountain range (hereafter ‘Western Ghats’) in India. At the larger regional scale, we evaluate temporal and spatial variability in fire activity from 2001 to 2015. At the smaller scale, we evaluate the relationship between annual area burned and climate variation within two landscapes nested within the Western Ghats (from c. 1996 to 2015). At the regional scale, we found that most fire activity was restricted to January–March, although substantial inter-annual variation was evident. For example, in 2004, 2009 and 2012, fire activity was approximately five times greater compared with the 3 years with the lowest fire activity. The landscape-scale analysis also revealed weak to strong correlations between annual area burned and climate variation in both landscapes. Although not the only factor influencing area burned, episodes of drought could be exerting an increasingly significant effect on wildfire activity in the Western Ghats.
Topological descriptions of protein folding
Authors: Flapan Erica , He Adam , Wong Helen
Published: April 2019

Significance

Knotting in proteins was once considered exceedingly rare. However, systematic analyses of solved protein structures over the last two decades have demonstrated the existence of many deeply knotted proteins. Conservation of knotting across some protein families strongly suggests that knotting can be important for protein structure and function, and hence, significant interest has arisen around how protein knots form. We build on results of previous computer simulations and prior theories of protein knot formation to obtain theoretical pathways for protein knotting that could apply to any knotted protein. By comparing our theoretical pathways with structural data on solved proteins, we determine which of our pathways may be feasible for each of the known protein knot types.
Anthropogenic strath terrace formation caused by reduced sediment retention
Authors: Schanz Sarah A. , Montgomery David R. , Collins Brian D.
Published: April 2019

Significance

The degree to which bedrock-floored rivers are shaped by human action is poorly understood in comparison with gravel- and sand-bedded rivers. Yet, bedrock river erosion is thought to set the pace of landscape-scale evolution, and thus any human-induced bedrock erosion has the potential to have a cascading effect and alter both river networks and hillslopes. We show here that artificial dam-burst floods and wood removal in the early 20th century associated with forestry practices caused significant river incision and led to the abandonment of the predisturbance floodplain as a terrace. Although the floods ceased 100 y ago, incision continues in response to decreased wood supply. Short-lived episodes of human action, even in remote mountainous locations, can create long-lasting landscape response.
RNAi expression tuning, microfluidic screening, and genome recombineering for improved protein production in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Wang Guokun , Björk Sara M. , Huang Mingtao , Liu Quanli , Campbell Kate , Nielsen Jens , Joensson Haakan N. , Petranovic Dina
Published: April 2019

The cellular machinery that supports protein synthesis and secretion lies at the foundation of cell factory-centered protein production. Due to the complexity of such cellular machinery, the challenge in generating a superior cell factory is to fully exploit the production potential by finding beneficial targets for optimized strains, which ideally could be used for improved secretion of other proteins. We focused on an approach in the yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
that allows for attenuation of gene expression, using RNAi combined with high-throughput microfluidic single-cell screening for cells with improved protein secretion. Using direct experimental validation or enrichment analysis-assisted characterization of systematically introduced RNAi perturbations, we could identify targets that improve protein secretion. We found that genes with functions in cellular metabolism (
YDC1
,
AAD4
,
ADE8
, and
SDH1
), protein modification and degradation (
VPS73
,
KTR2
,
CNL1
, and
SSA1
), and cell cycle (
CDC39
), can all impact recombinant protein production when expressed at differentially down-regulated levels. By establishing a workflow that incorporates Cas9-mediated recombineering, we demonstrated how we could tune the expression of the identified gene targets for further improved protein production for specific proteins. Our findings offer a high throughput and semirational platform design, which will improve not only the production of a desired protein but even more importantly, shed additional light on connections between protein production and other cellular processes.
Hippo signaling is intrinsically regulated during cell cycle progression by APC/C
Cdh1
Authors: Kim Wantae , Cho Yong Suk , Wang Xiaohui , Park Ogyi , Ma Xueyan , Kim Hanjun , Gan Wenjian , Jho Eek-hoon , Cha Boksik , Jeung Yun-ji , Zhang Lei , Gao Bin , Wei Wenyi , Jiang Jin , Chung Kyung-Sook , Yang Yingzi
Published: April 2019

The Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in growth control during development and regeneration and its dysregulation is widely implicated in various cancers. To further understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Hippo signaling regulation, we have found that activities of core Hippo signaling components, large tumor suppressor (LATS) kinases and YAP/TAZ transcription factors, oscillate during mitotic cell cycle. We further identified that the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)
Cdh1
E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which plays a key role governing eukaryotic cell cycle progression, intrinsically regulates Hippo signaling activities. CDH1 recognizes LATS kinases to promote their degradation and, hence, YAP/TAZ regulation by LATS phosphorylation is under cell cycle control. As a result, YAP/TAZ activities peak in G1 phase. Furthermore, we show in
Drosophila
eye and wing development that Cdh1 is required in vivo to regulate the LATS homolog Warts with a conserved mechanism. Cdh1 reduction increased Warts levels, which resulted in reduction of the eye and wing sizes in a Yorkie dependent manner. Therefore, LATS degradation by APC/C
Cdh1
represents a previously unappreciated and evolutionarily conserved layer of Hippo signaling regulation.
Severe haze in northern China: A synergy of anthropogenic emissions and atmospheric processes
Authors: An Zhisheng , Huang Ru-Jin , Zhang Renyi , Tie Xuexi , Li Guohui , Cao Junji , Zhou Weijian , Shi Zhengguo , Han Yongming , Gu Zhaolin , Ji Yuemeng
Published: April 2019

Significance

Severe haze events with large temporal/spatial coverages have occurred frequently in wintertime northern China. These extremes result from a complex interplay between emissions and atmospheric processes and provide a unique scientific platform to gain insights into many aspects of the relevant atmospheric chemistry and physics. Here we synthesize recent progress in understanding severe haze formation in northern China. In particular, we highlight that improved understanding of the emission sources, physical/chemical processes during haze evolution, and interactions with meteorological/climatic changes are necessary to unravel the causes, mechanisms, and trends for haze pollution. This viewpoint established on the basis of sound science is critical for improving haze prediction/forecast, formulating effective regulatory policies by decision makers, and raising public awareness of environmental protection.
Forging tools for refining predicted protein structures
Authors: Lin Xingcheng , Schafer Nicholas P. , Lu Wei , Jin Shikai , Chen Xun , Chen Mingchen , Onuchic José N. , Wolynes Peter G.
Published: April 2019

Refining predicted protein structures with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations is one route to producing, entirely by computational means, structural models of proteins that rival in quality those that are determined by X-ray diffraction experiments. Slow rearrangements within the compact folded state, however, make routine refinement of predicted structures by unrestrained simulations infeasible. In this work, we draw inspiration from the fields of metallurgy and blacksmithing, where practitioners have worked out practical means of controlling equilibration by mechanically deforming their samples. We describe a two-step refinement procedure that involves identifying collective variables for mechanical deformations using a coarse-grained model and then sampling along these deformation modes in all-atom simulations. Identifying those low-frequency collective modes that change the contact map the most proves to be an effective strategy for choosing which deformations to use for sampling. The method is tested on 20 refinement targets from the CASP12 competition and is found to induce large structural rearrangements that drive the structures closer to the experimentally determined structures during relatively short all-atom simulations of 50 ns. By examining the accuracy of side-chain rotamer states in subensembles of structures that have varying degrees of similarity to the experimental structure, we identified the reorientation of aromatic side chains as a step that remains slow even when encouraging global mechanical deformations in the all-atom simulations. Reducing the side-chain rotamer isomerization barriers in the all-atom force field is found to further speed up refinement.
Tiling and somatotopic alignment of mammalian low-threshold mechanoreceptors
Authors: Kuehn Emily D. , Meltzer Shan , Abraira Victoria E. , Ho Cheng-Ying , Ginty David D.
Published: April 2019

Significance

The sense of touch is essential for perceiving the physical world, sensory-motor control, and social exchange. The first step of touch perception is activation of low-threshold mechanoreceptor (LTMR) neurons that innervate the skin. LTMRs extend one axonal branch to the skin and another to the spinal cord dorsal horn. There exist at least five LTMR subtypes that innervate mouse hairy skin, each with distinct morphologies, response properties, and presumably functions. We used genetic labeling and whole-mount visualization strategies to reveal spatial relationships between axons of individual LTMRs across 2D areas of skin and the extent to which these relationships are topographically arranged within the 3D space of the spinal cord, uncovering organizational principles of the mammalian tactile sensory system.
Oncogenic kinase inhibition limits Batf3-dependent dendritic cell development and antitumor immunity
Authors: Medina Benjamin D. , Liu Mengyuan , Vitiello Gerardo A. , Seifert Adrian M. , Zeng Shan , Bowler Timothy , Zhang Jennifer Q. , Cavnar Michael J. , Loo Jennifer K. , Param Nesteene J. , Maltbaek Joanna H. , Rossi Ferdinand , Balachandran Vinod , DeMatteo Ronald P.
Published: April 2019

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is driven by an activating mutation in the KIT proto-oncogene. Using a mouse model of GIST and human specimens, we show that intratumoral murine CD103+CD11b− dendritic cells (DCs) and human CD141+ DCs are associated with CD8+ T cell infiltration and differentiation. In mice, the antitumor effect of the Kit inhibitor imatinib is partially mediated by CD103+CD11b− DCs, and effector CD8+ T cells initially proliferate. However, in both mice and humans, chronic imatinib therapy decreases intratumoral DCs and effector CD8+ T cells. The mechanism in our mouse model depends on Kit inhibition, which reduces intratumoral GM-CSF, leading to the accumulation of Batf3-lineage DC progenitors. GM-CSF is produced by γδ T cells via macrophage IL-1β. Stimulants that expand and mature DCs during imatinib treatment improve antitumor immunity. Our findings identify the importance of tumor cell oncogene activity in modulating the Batf3-dependent DC lineage and reveal therapeutic limitations for combined checkpoint blockade and tyrosine kinase inhibition.
Gender disparity in HCC: Is it the fat and not the sex?
Authors: Greten Tim F.
Published: April 2019

Men are more likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than women, but it is not clear why. In this issue of JEM, Manieri et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20181288) identify reduced adiponectin levels as responsible for the increased incidence of HCC in males.
Modeling and vibration control of a smart vibration isolation system based on magneto-sensitive rubber
Authors: Wang Bochao , Kari L
Published: April 2019

Magneto-sensitive (MS) rubber is a kind of smart material, the shear modulus of it can be changed rapidly and reversibly by a magnetic field applied. A smart MS rubber-based isolation system and a nonlinear model based on this MS rubber-based vibration isolation system are developed in this paper. The influence of the amplitude, frequency and magnetic dependency for MS rubber, the mechanical inertance of infinite extended foundation, the mass of solid block and the dimension of MS rubber isolators are all considered in this model. The feasibility of two control strategies aimed at reducing the energy transmitted to the foundation and protecting machine against foundation motion, respectively, is investigated based on this smart vibration isolation system. It is found that compared to the traditional passive rubber isolators, an enhanced vibration isolation effect can be achieved by using MS rubber isolators after control strategies applied. Furthermore, the influence of the amplitude dependency and the response time of MS rubber to the isolation effect is studied. The nonlinear model established for MS rubber isolation system, the control strategies developed and the investigation for the amplitude dependency and the response time of MS rubber to the isolation effect in this paper provide fundamentals for the application of MS rubber in the field of vibration reduction.
Robust and scalable three-dimensional spacer textile pressure sensor for human motion detection
Authors: Kim Kyungkwan , Jung Minhyun , Jeon Sanghun , Bae Jihyun
Published: April 2019

There is a growing demand for wearable sensing devices to perceive and respond to vital biological signals or human activities. In this work, a carbon nanotube ink drop-coated textile resistive pressure sensor on a typical three-dimensional (3D) spacer textile was developed to detect human health and motion through scalable, cost-effective, and simple processing. A 3D spacer textile comprises two outer layers interconnected with a monofilament spacer with robust compression resistance and high air circulation with open-hole structures, which demonstrates the potential for use in a wearable pressure sensing device. The textile pressure sensor unit shows a wide range of sensing performance of 200 Pa–50 kPa, which facilitates the detection of physiological signal acoustic vibrations and hand motion, and it exhibits stable cycling performances up to 10 000 cycles, along with a fast response time of 20 ms. Furthermore, large-area sensor arrays are successfully demonstrated for the spatial distribution of pressure mapping, suggesting significant potential in smart textiles or wearable electronics.
Synchronization clusters emerge as the result of a global coupling among classical phase oscillators
Authors: Li Xue , Qiu Tian , Boccaletti Stefano , Sendiña-Nadal Irene , Liu Zonghua , Guan Shuguang
Published: April 2019

When large ensembles of phase oscillators interact globally, and when bimodal frequency distributions are chosen for the natural frequencies of the oscillators themselves, Bellerophon states are generically observed at intermediate values of the coupling strength. These are multi-clustered states emerging in symmetric pairs. Oscillators belonging to a given cluster are not locked in their instantaneous phases or frequencies, rather they display the same long-time average frequency (a sort of effective global frequency). Moreover, Bellerophon states feature quantized traits, in that such average frequencies are all odd multiples (±(2n − 1), n = 1, 2...) of a fundamental frequency Ω1. We identify and investigate (analytically and numerically) several typical bifurcation paths to synchronization, including first-order and second-order-like. Linear stability analysis allows to successfully solve the critical transition point for synchronization. Our results highlight that the spontaneous setting of higher order forms of coherence could be achieved in classical Kuramoto model.
Even for the environment, context matters! States, households, and residential energy consumption
Authors: Adua Lazarus , Clark Brett
Published: April 2019

This study adopts a multi-level approach to examine the extent to which state- and household-level factors shape residential energy consumption in the United States, focusing on efficiency improvement and affluence. Analyzing the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, state-level energy efficiency data from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and other sources, we find that state context significantly influences energy consumption at the household level. Households in states scoring high on energy efficiency consume significantly less residential energy than those in states scoring low on the measure. At the household level, the analysis reveals mixed relationships between investment in energy efficiency technologies and residential energy consumption, as some measures of efficiency technology are negatively related to residential energy consumption, others are positively related to it. In regard to affluence, state-level measures do not emerge as significant predictors of residential energy consumption. At the household level, however, affluence drives residential energy consumption, which, in turn, is a significant driver of carbon dioxide emissions. Our study makes an important contribution to the social scientific literature on energy consumption, illuminating distinct relationships at different levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that simultaneously examines the impacts of factors measured at both the household (micro) and state (meso) levels.
Climate drivers of the terrestrial carbon cycle variability in Europe
Authors: Messori G , Ruiz-Pérez G , Manzoni S , Vico G
Published: April 2019

The terrestrial biosphere is a key component of the global carbon cycle and is heavily influenced by climate. Climate variability can be diagnosed through metrics ranging from individual environmental variables, to collections of variables, to the so-called climate modes of variability. Similarly, the impact of a given climate variation on the terrestrial carbon cycle can be described using several metrics, including vegetation indices, measures of ecosystem respiration and productivity and net biosphere-atmosphere fluxes. The wide range of temporal (from sub-daily to paleoclimatic) and spatial (from local to continental and global) scales involved requires a scale-dependent investigation of the interactions between the carbon cycle and climate. However, a comprehensive picture of the physical links and correlations between climate drivers and carbon cycle metrics at different scales remains elusive, framing the scope of this contribution. Here, we specifically explore how climate variability metrics (from single variables to complex indices) relate to the variability of the carbon cycle at sub-daily to interannual scales (i.e. excluding long-term trends). The focus is on the interactions most relevant to the European terrestrial carbon cycle. We underline the broad areas of agreement and disagreement in the literature, and conclude by outlining some existing knowledge gaps and by proposing avenues for improving our holistic understanding of the role of climate drivers in modulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.
Anderson localization and Brewster anomaly of electromagnetic waves in randomly-stratified anisotropic media
Authors: Kim Kihong , Kim Seulong
Published: April 2019

Anderson localization of p-polarized waves and the Brewster anomaly phenomenon, which is the delocalization of p-polarized waves at a special incident angle, in randomly-stratified anisotropic media are studied theoretically for two different random models. In the first model, the random parts of the transverse and longitudinal components of the dielectric tensor, between which the longitudinal component is the one in the stratification direction, are assumed to be uncorrelated, while, in the second model, they are proportional to each other. We calculate the localization length in a precise way using the invariant imbedding method. From analytical considerations, we provide an interpretation of the Brewster anomaly as a phenomenon arising when the wave impedance is effectively uniform. Similarly, the ordinary Brewster effect is interpreted as an impedance matching phenomenon. We derive the existence condition for the Brewster anomaly and concise analytical expressions for the localization length, which are accurate in the weak disorder regime. We find that the Brewster anomaly can arise only when disorder is sufficiently weak and only in the second model with a positive ratio of the random parts. The incident angle at which the anomaly occurs depends sensitively on the ratio of the random parts and the average values of the tensor components. In the cases where the critical angle of total reflection exists, the angle at which the anomaly occurs can be either bigger or smaller than the critical angle. When the transverse and longitudinal components are uncorrelated, localization is dominated by the the transverse component at small incident angles. When only the longitudinal component is random, the localization length diverges as θ
−4 as the incident angle θ goes to zero and is also argued to diverge for all θ in the strong disorder limit.
Spatial distribution of thermoelectric voltages in a Hall-bar shaped two-dimensional electron system under a magnetic field
Authors: Endo Akira , Fujita Kazuhiro , Katsumoto Shingo , Iye Yasuhiro
Published: April 2019

We have investigated the spatial distribution of the electron temperature generated in a two-dimensional electron system (2DES) subjected to a perpendicular magnetic field. We measure thermoelectric voltages between Ohmic contacts located at the end of the voltage-probe arms of a Hall bar fabricated from a GaAs/AlGaAs 2DES wafer, immersed in the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator held at 20 mK. Magneto-oscillations due to the Landau quantization are examined for the thermoelectric voltages between the contact pairs straddling the main bar (arrangement to measure the transverse component V

yx
), and between the pairs located along the same side of the main bar (arrangement for the longitudinal component V

xx
). For the former arrangement, the oscillation amplitude diminishes with the distance from the heater. For the latter arrangement, the pair on one side exhibits much larger amplitude than the pair on the opposite side, and the relation becomes reversed by inverting the magnetic field. The behaviours of the oscillation amplitude are qualitatively explained by the spatial distribution of the electron temperature numerically calculated taking into consideration the thermal diffusion into the voltage contacts and the electron-phonon interaction. For both arrangements, the oscillations are shown to derive predominantly from the transverse (Nernst) component, S

yx
, of the thermopower tensor. The calculation also reveals that the voltage probes, introducing only minor disturbance at zero magnetic field, substantially reduce the temperature once a magnetic field is applied, and the thermoelectric voltages generated at the voltage arms account for a significant part of the measured voltages.
Bio-responsive smart polymers and biomedical applications
Authors: Zhang Jieyu , Jiang Xian , Wen Xiang , Xu Qian , Zeng Hao , Zhao Yuxing , Liu Min , Wang Zuyong , Hu Xuefeng , Wang Yunbing
Published: April 2019

Bio-responsive polymers are the foundation for the construction of the smart systems that exhibit designed biomedical functions after receiving specific stimuli such as biological signals and pathological abnormalities. These stimulus-responsive systems have shown great promise of developing novel products in precision medicine, and relevant research has grown intensively in recent years. This review aims to outline the basic knowledge and recent progress in the advanced bio-responsive systems as well as the major challenges. The current bio-responsive systems mainly rely on physical, chemical and biological cues, and this review focuses on the strategies of molecular design for the incorporation of appropriate responsive building blocks. The potential applications, including controlled drug delivery, diagnostics and tissue regeneration, are introduced and promising research directions that benefit the medical translation and commercialization are also discussed.
GAGA theorems in derived complex geometry
Authors: Porta Mauro
Published: April 2019

In this paper, we expand the foundations of derived complex analytic geometry introduced by Jacob Lurie in 2011. We start by studying the analytification functor and its properties. In particular, we prove that for a derived complex scheme locally almost of finite presentation

X
X

, the canonical map

X

a
n

→
X

X^{\mathrm {an}} \to X

is flat in the derived sense. Next, we provide a comparison result relating derived complex analytic spaces to geometric stacks. Using these results and building on the previous work of the author and Tony Yue Yu, we prove a derived version of the GAGA theorems. As an application, we prove that the infinitesimal deformation theory of a derived complex analytic moduli problem is governed by a differential graded Lie algebra.
Extreme points in limit sets
Authors: Calegari Danny , Walker Alden
Published: April 2019

Given an iterated function system of affine dilations with fixed points the vertices of a regular polygon, we characterize which points in the limit set lie on the boundary of its convex hull.
On spatial-temporal dynamics of a Fisher-KPP equation with a shifting environment
Authors: Hu Haijun , Yi Taishan , Zou Xingfu
Published: April 2019

We consider a generalized Fisher-KPP equation with the growth function being time and space dependent in the form of “shifting with constant speed”. The main concerns are extinction and persistence, as well as spatial-temporal dynamics. By employing a new method relating to semigroup and some subtle estimates, we not only extend the main results in Li et al. [SIAM J. Appl. Math. 74 (2014), pp. 1397-1417] to a scenario when the growth function may have no sign change, but also improve the main results there by dropping some restrictions on the initial functions.
ProSampler: an ultrafast and accurate motif finder in large ChIP-seq datasets for combinatory motif discovery
Authors: Li Yang , Ni Pengyu , Zhang Shaoqiang , Li Guojun , Su Zhengchang
Published: April 2019

Motivation

The availability of numerous ChIP-seq datasets for transcription factors (TF) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to identify all TF binding sites in genomes. However, the progress has been hindered by the lack of a highly efficient and accurate tool to find not only the target motifs, but also cooperative motifs in very big datasets.

Results

We herein present an ultrafast and accurate motif-finding algorithm, ProSampler, based on a novel numeration method and Gibbs sampler. ProSampler runs orders of magnitude faster than the fastest existing tools while often more accurately identifying motifs of both the target TFs and cooperators. Thus, ProSampler can greatly facilitate the efforts to identify the entire cis-regulatory code in genomes.

Availability and implementation

Source code and binaries are freely available for download at https://github.com/zhengchangsulab/prosampler. It was implemented in C++ and supported on Linux, macOS and MS Windows platforms.

Supplementary information

Supplementary materials are available at Bioinformatics online.
Adaptive boosting-based computational model for predicting potential miRNA-disease associations
Authors: Zhao Yan , Chen Xing , Yin Jun
Published: April 2019

Motivation

Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical part in several biological processes and dysregulation of miRNAs is related with numerous complex human diseases. Thus, in-depth research of miRNAs and their association with human diseases can help us to solve many problems.

Results

Due to the high cost of traditional experimental methods, revealing disease-related miRNAs through computational models is a more economical and efficient way. Considering the disadvantages of previous models, in this paper, we developed adaptive boosting for miRNA-disease association prediction (ABMDA) to predict potential associations between diseases and miRNAs. We balanced the positive and negative samples by performing random sampling based on k-means clustering on negative samples, whose process was quick and easy, and our model had higher efficiency and scalability for large datasets than previous methods. As a boosting technology, ABMDA was able to improve the accuracy of given learning algorithm by integrating weak classifiers that could score samples to form a strong classifier based on corresponding weights. Here, we used decision tree as our weak classifier. As a result, the area under the curve (AUC) of global and local leave-one-out cross validation reached 0.9170 and 0.8220, respectively. What is more, the mean and the standard deviation of AUCs achieved 0.9023 and 0.0016, respectively in 5-fold cross validation. Besides, in the case studies of three important human cancers, 49, 50 and 50 out of the top 50 predicted miRNAs for colon neoplasms, hepatocellular carcinoma and breast neoplasms were confirmed by the databases and experimental literatures.

Availability and implementation

The code and dataset of ABMDA are freely available at https://github.com/githubcode007/ABMDA.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Challenges of Writing Opinion Pieces in Social Work: A National Online Survey of Swedish Social Workers’ Experiences of Influencing Public Opinion
Authors: Lundälv Jörgen
Published: April 2019

Social workers have an important role to play and a voice to make heard in the public debate. They can make a difference both by working in preventive social work and by taking part in the shaping of public opinion. Being visible and active in the public debate about social work and social policy is a matter of democracy and participation, and provides many opportunities for social workers to explain different welfare terms, forms of support and new treatment methods. This article investigates the extent to which Swedish social workers make themselves visible in the public debate by writing opinion pieces in newspapers and social work journals. Publishing opinion pieces is only one alternative social workers have for contributing to public debate in society. A total of 1,583 social workers responded to an electronic online survey covering their experiences of active participation in the public opinion. The results show that only a limited proportion of these social workers participated in the public debate. Amongst those who had written opinion pieces, the emphasis was above all on the social workers’ own work environment and working conditions. Some of the survey participants had experienced disapproval, disparagement and threats directed at them.