bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A divalent rare earth oxide semiconductor: Yttrium monoxide
Authors: Kaminaga Kenichi , Sei Ryosuke , Hayashi Kouichi , Happo Naohisa , Tajiri Hiroo , Oka Daichi , Fukumura Tomoteru , Hasegawa Tetsuya
Published: March 2016

Rare earth oxides are usually widegap insulators like Y2O3 with closed shell trivalent rare earth ions. In this study, solid phase rock salt structure yttrium monoxide, YO, with unusual valence of Y2+ (4d1) was synthesized in a form of epitaxial thin film by pulsed laser deposition method. YO has been recognized as gaseous phase in previous studies. In contrast with Y2O3, YO was dark-brown colored and narrow gap semiconductor. The tunable electrical conductivity ranging from 10−1 to 103 Ω−1 cm−1 was attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies serving as electron donor. Weak antilocalization behavior observed in magnetoresistance indicated significant role of spin-orbit coupling as a manifestation of 4d electron carrier.
Femtosecond X-ray magnetic circular dichroism absorption spectroscopy at an X-ray free electron laser
Authors: Higley Daniel J. , Hirsch Konstantin , Dakovski Georgi L. , Jal Emmanuelle , Yuan Edwin , Liu Tianmin , Lutman Alberto A. , MacArthur James P. , Arenholz Elke , Chen Zhao , Coslovich Giacomo , Denes Peter , Granitzka Patrick W. , Hart Philip , Hoffmann Matthias C. , Joseph John , Le Guyader Loïc , Mitra Ankush , Moeller Stefan , Ohldag Hendrik , Seaberg Matthew , Shafer Padraic , Stöhr Joachim , Tsukamoto Arata , Nuhn Heinz-Dieter , Reid Alex H. , Dürr Hermann A. , Schlotter William F.
Published: March 2016

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy using an X-ray free electron laser is demonstrated with spectra over the Fe L3,2-edges. The high brightness of the X-ray free electron laser combined with high accuracy detection of incident and transmitted X-rays enables ultrafast X-ray magnetic circular dichroism studies of unprecedented sensitivity. This new capability is applied to a study of all-optical magnetic switching dynamics of Fe and Gd magnetic sublattices in a GdFeCo thin film above its magnetization compensation temperature.
Enhanced modulation rates via field modulation in spin torque nano-oscillators
Authors: Purbawati A. , Garcia-Sanchez F. , Buda-Prejbeanu L. D. , Ebels U.
Published: March 2016

Spin Transfer Nano-Oscillators (STNOs) are promising candidates for telecommunications applications due to their frequency tuning capabilities via either a dc current or an applied field. This frequency tuning is of interest for Frequency Shift Keying concepts to be used in wireless communication schemes or in read head applications. For these technological applications, one important parameter is the characterization of the maximum achievable rate at which an STNO can respond to a modulating signal, such as current or field. Previous studies of in-plane magnetized STNOs on frequency modulation via an rf current revealed that the maximum achievable rate is limited by the amplitude relaxation rate Γp, which gives the time scale over which amplitude fluctuations are damped out. This might be a limitation for applications. Here, we demonstrate via numerical simulation that application of an additional rf field is an alternative way for modulation of the in-plane magnetized STNO configuration, which has the advantage that frequency modulation is not limited by the amplitude relaxation rate, so that higher modulation rates above GHz are achievable. This occurs when the modulating rf field is oriented along the easy axis (longitudinal rf field). Tilting the direction of the modulating rf field in-plane and perpendicularly with respect to the easy axis (transverse rf field), the modulation is again limited by the amplitude relaxation rate similar to the response observed in current modulation.
Indirect measurement of molten steel level in tundish based on laser triangulation
Authors: Su Zhiqi , He Qing , Xie Zhi
Published: March 2016

For real-time and precise measurement of molten steel level in tundish during continuous casting, slag level and slag thickness are needed. Among which, the problem of slag thickness measurement has been solved in our previous work. In this paper, a systematic solution for slag level measurement based on laser triangulation is proposed. Being different from traditional laser triangulation, several aspects for measuring precision and robustness have been done. First, laser line is adopted for multi-position measurement to overcome the deficiency of single point laser range finder caused by the uneven surface of the slag. Second, the key parameters, such as installing angle and minimum requirement of the laser power, are analyzed and determined based on the gray-body radiation theory to fulfill the rigorous requirement of measurement accuracy. Third, two kinds of severe noises in the acquired images, which are, respectively, caused by heat radiation and Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI), are cleaned via morphological characteristic of the liquid slag and color difference between EMI and the laser signals, respectively. Fourth, as false target created by stationary slag usually disorders the measurement, valid signals of the slag are distinguished from the false ones to calculate the slag level. Then, molten steel level is obtained by the slag level minus the slag thickness. The measuring error of this solution is verified by the applications in steel plants, which is ±2.5 mm during steady casting and ±3.2 mm at the end of casting.
Photoelectron velocity-map imaging and theoretical studies of heteronuclear metal carbonyls MNi(CO)3− (M = Mg, Ca, Al)
Authors: Xie Hua , Zou Jinghan , Yuan Qinqin , Fan Hongjun , Tang Zichao , Jiang Ling
Published: March 2016

The heteronuclear metal carbonyl anions MNi(CO)3− (M = Mg, Ca, Al) have been investigated using photoelectron velocity-map imaging spectroscopy. Electron affinities of neutral MNi(CO)3 (M = Mg, Ca, Al) are measured from the photoelectron spectra to be 1.064 ± 0.063, 1.050 ± 0.064, and 1.541 ± 0.040 eV, respectively. The C–O stretching mode in these three clusters is observed and the vibrational frequency is determined to be 2049, 2000, and 2041 cm−1 for MgNi(CO)3, CaNi(CO)3, and AlNi(CO)3, respectively. Density functional theory calculations are carried out to elucidate the geometric and electronic structures and to aid the experimental assignments. It has been found that three terminal carbonyls are preferentially bonded to the nickel atom in these heterobinuclear nickel carbonyls MNi(CO)3−1/0, resulting in the formation of the Ni(CO)3 motif. Ni remains the 18-electron configuration for MgNi(CO)3 and CaNi(CO)3 neutrals, but not for AlNi(CO)3. This is different from the homobinuclear nickel carbonyl Ni–Ni(CO)3 with the involvement of three bridging ligands. Present findings would be helpful for understanding CO adsorption on alloy surfaces.
Friction coefficient of diamond under conditions compatible with microelectromechanical systems applications
Authors: Gobet J. , Volpe P.-N. , Dubois M.-A.
Published: March 2016

Because of its good tribological properties, diamond has been suggested to solve the known reliability issues in silicon MEMS components submitted to frictional contacts. An evaluation of self-mating diamond friction under a low load, representative of a number of MEMS applications, was undertaken. Results have shown that initial friction coefficients of 0.02–0.05 can be achieved, as reported in the literature. However, continuation of the test for an extended period of time invariably led to a strong increase of the friction coefficient. This phenomenon has been observed with different types of diamonds (mono-, micro-, or nano-crystalline), suggesting that it is a general behavior for diamond under our experimental conditions. A micro structuration of the surface prevented this phenomenon by limiting the increase of the contact area resulting from wear.
The investigation of giant magnetic moment in ultrathin Fe3O4 films
Authors: Guan Xiaofen , Zhou Guowei , Xue Wuhong , Quan Zhiyong , Xu Xiaohong
Published: March 2016

The magnetic and transport properties of Fe3O4 films with a series of thicknesses are investigated. For the films with thickness below 15 nm, the saturation magnetization (Ms) increases and the coercivity decreases with the decrease in films’ thickness. The Ms of 3 nm Fe3O4 film is dramatically increased to 1017 emu/cm3. As for films’ thickness more than 15 nm, Ms is tending to be close to the Fe3O4 bulk value. Furthermore, the Verwey transition temperature (Tv) is visible for all the films, but suppressed for 3 nm film. We also find that the ρ of 3 nm film is the highest of all the films. The suppressed Tv and high ρ may be related to the islands morphology in 3 nm film. To study the structure, magnetic, and transport properties of the Fe3O4 films, we propose that the giant magnetic moment most likely comes from the spin of Fe ions in the tetrahedron site switching parallel to the Fe ions in the octahedron site at the surface, interface, and grain boundaries. The above results are of great significance and also provide a promising future for either device applications or fundamental research.
Heterostructures of phosphorene and transition metal dichalcogenides for excitonic solar cells: A first-principles study
Authors: Ganesan Vellayappan Dheivanayagam S/O , Linghu Jiajun , Zhang Chun , Feng Yuan Ping , Shen Lei
Published: March 2016

Using the many-body perturbation GW theory, we study the quasiparticle conduction-band offsets of phosphorene, a two-dimensional atomic layer of black phosphorus, and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The calculated large exciton binding energies of phosphorene and TMDs indicate that their type-II heterostructures are suitable for excitonic thin-film solar cell applications. Our results show that these heterojunctions have a potential maximum power conversion efficiency of up to 12%, which can be further enhanced up to 20% by strain engineering.
Phonon wave propagation in ballistic-diffusive regime
Authors: Tang Dao-Sheng , Hua Yu-Chao , Nie Ben-Dian , Cao Bing-Yang
Published: March 2016

Wide applications of ultra-short pulse laser technique in micromachining and thermophysical properties' measurements make the study on ultrafast transient thermal transport necessarily essential. When the characteristic time is comparable to the phonon relaxation time, phonons propagate in ballistic-diffusive regime and thermal wave occurs. Here, ultrafast transient phonon transport is systematically investigated based on the Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, the Cattaneo-Vernotte (C-V) model, and the phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). It is found that remarkable differences exist between the C-V model and the MC simulations when describing the evolution of the thermal wave excited by the ultra-short heat pulse. The C-V model predicts a non-dispersive dissipative thermal wave, while the MC simulation with Lambert emission predicts a dispersive dissipative thermal wave. Besides, different phonon emissions can significantly influence the evolution of the thermal wave in the MC simulations. A modified C-V model with a time- and position-dependent effective thermal conductivity is derived based on the phonon BTE to characterize the evolution of the transport regime from ballistic to diffusive. The integrations on moments of the distribution function cause the loss of the information of the phonon distribution in wave vector space, making the macroscopic quantities incomplete when describing the ballistic transport processes and corresponding boundary conditions. Possible boundary conditions for the phonon BTE in practice are also discussed on different heating methods.
Multi-physical model of cation and water transport in ionic polymer-metal composite sensors
Authors: Zhu Zicai , Chang Longfei , Horiuchi Tetsuya , Takagi Kentaro , Aabloo Alvo , Asaka Kinji
Published: March 2016

Ion-migration based electrical potential widely exists not only in natural systems but also in ionic polymer materials. We presented a multi-physical model and investigated the transport process of cation and water of ionic polymer-metal composites based on our thorough understanding on the ionic sensing mechanisms in this paper. The whole transport process was depicted by transport equations concerning convection flux under the total pressure gradient, electrical migration by the built-in electrical field, and the inter-coupling effect between cation and water. With numerical analysis, the influence of critical material parameters, the elastic modulus Ewet, the hydraulic permeability coefficient K, the diffusion coefficient of cation dII and water dWW, and the drag coefficient of water ndW, on the distribution of cation and water was investigated. It was obtained how these parameters correlate to the voltage characteristics (both magnitude and response speed) under a step bending. Additionally, it was found that the effective relative dielectric constant εr has little influence on the voltage but is positively correlated to the current. With a series of optimized parameters, the predicted voltage agreed with the experimental results well, which validated our model. Based on our physical model, it was suggested that an ionic polymer sensor can benefit from a higher modulus Ewet, a higher coefficient K and a lower coefficient dII, and a higher constant εr.
Switching between purification and contamination regimes governed by the ionic purity of nanoparticles dispersed in liquid crystals
Authors: Garbovskiy Yuriy
Published: March 2016

This paper reports non-trivial effects of the ionic purity of nanoparticles on the concentration of ions in liquid crystals. Nanoparticles dispersed in liquid crystals can affect the concentration of mobile ions in different ways. 100% pure nanoparticles can only decrease the concentration of ions by means of adsorption/desorption processes. Liquid crystals doped with contaminated nanoparticles exhibit three regimes, namely, the purification, contamination, and no change in the concentration of ions. Switching between these regimes is governed by three dominant factors: the purity of liquid crystals, the purity of nanoparticles, and the ratio of the adsorption rate to the desorption rate.
Self-diffusion and microscopic dynamics in a gold-silicon liquid investigated with quasielastic neutron scattering
Authors: Evenson Zach , Yang Fan , Simeoni Giovanna G. , Meyer Andreas
Published: March 2016

We use incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering to study the atomic dynamics of gold in a eutectic Au81Si19 melt. Despite the glass-forming nature of this system, the gold self-diffusivity displays an Arrhenius behavior with a low activation energy characteristic of simple liquids. At high temperatures, long-range transport of gold atoms is well described by hydrodynamic theory with a simple exponential decay of the self-correlation function. On cooling towards the melting temperature, structural relaxation crosses over to a highly stretched exponential behavior. This suggests the onset of a heterogeneous dynamics, even in the equilibrium melt, and is indicative of a very fragile liquid.
The influence of calcium on phytase efficacy in non-ruminant animals
Authors: Walk C. L.
Published: March 2016

High dietary calcium (Ca) can negatively influence growth performance and reduce phosphorus, protein and amino acid digestibility in broilers and pigs. In addition, high dietary Ca will precipitate with phytate at pH conditions within the small intestine. Previous research reported that high dietary Ca significantly reduced phytase efficacy through precipitation with or competition for binding sites on the phytate molecule. However, microbial phytases are active at pH ranges where phytate is soluble and hydrolyse phytate rapidly to reduce the likelihood of phytate precipitating with Ca, suggesting the effect of dietary Ca on the efficacy of these phytases may be reduced. Even with such phytases there may still be problems observed due to particularly high concentrations of dietary Ca, which can occur as a result of a reduction in Ca not being applied in the presence of a phytase and/or if Ca concentrations in the diet exceed expectations. For example, when total Ca was analysed in 795 broiler and pig diets, on average, there was 0.22% more Ca present than expected. This means that if a diet was formulated to contain 0.80% total Ca, the analysed value could be as high as 1.02%, almost 25% above the expected dietary Ca concentration. The discrepancy between the expected and analysed total Ca may have implications on chemical and physical properties within the gastrointestinal tract, dietary phytate solubility, nutrient digestibility and phytase efficacy. The present paper aims to highlight factors influencing the effect of Ca on phytase efficacy, encompassing the differences among published book values for total Ca content of ingredients, the difference between Ca sources and their affinity for phytate, and finally how these factors influence the Ca to P ratio and thus phytase efficacy.
Population genetic structure and milk production traits in Girgentana goat breed
Authors: Mastrangelo Salvatore , Tolone Marco , Montalbano Maria , Tortorici Lina , Di Gerlando Rosalia , Sardina Maria Teresa , Portolano Baldassare
Published: March 2016

The aim of this work was to evaluate the genetic status of the Girgentana goat, an endangered breed from Sicily (Italy), using microsatellite markers. Furthermore, as the main purpose of the Girgentana breed is milk production, quantitative milk traits were investigated, including fatty acid profile. Molecular data from CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2, and CSN3 casein genes were also used to infer haplotypes. A total of 264 individuals were collected. Samples of Maltese (n = 41) and Derivata di Siria (n = 33) goat breeds were also used to understand the genetic relationship among breeds. Test-day records for milk production were collected to determine daily milk yield, fat, protein, casein, lactose, and somatic cell count. Individual milk samples were also collected for fatty acid extraction. Wright’s statistics, gene flow, Nei genetic distance, factorial correspondence analysis, and Bayesian assignment test showed the existence of genetic variability and differentiation among breeds. The AMOVA results indicated that 89.96% of the total variance was partitioned within populations. The Girgentana breed appears to have a subdivided population, and has not experienced a recent bottleneck. A high variability in milk yield was observed. Mean morning milk yield was 1448 ± 404 g, with 4.30 ± 0.87% and 3.72 ± 0.44% of fat and protein percentages, respectively. The average somatic cell count found in Girgentana goat milk was higher than the threshold of 1 500 000 cells/mL advised in Europe for fresh milk. Gross milk and fatty acid composition were similar to that reported in the literature for other local goat breeds.
Humus, nitrogen and energy balances, and greenhouse gas emissions in a long-term field experiment with compost compared with mineral fertilisation
Authors: Erhart Eva , Schmid Harald , Hartl Wilfried , Hülsbergen Kurt-Jürgen
Published: March 2016

Compost fertilisation is one way to close material cycles for organic matter and plant nutrients and to increase soil organic matter content. In this study, humus, nitrogen (N) and energy balances, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were calculated for a 14-year field experiment using the model software REPRO. Humus balances showed that compost fertilisation at a rate of 8 t/ha.year resulted in a positive balance of 115 kg carbon (C)/ha.year. With 14 and 20 t/ha.year of compost, respectively, humus accumulated at rates of 558 and 1021 kg C/ha.year. With mineral fertilisation at rates of 29–62 kg N/ha.year, balances were moderately negative (–169 to –227 kg C/ha.year), and a clear humus deficit of –457 kg C/ha.year showed in the unfertilised control. Compared with measured soil organic C (SOC) data, REPRO predicted SOC contents fairly well with the exception of the treatments with high compost rates, where SOC contents were overestimated by REPRO. GHG balances calculated with soil C sequestration on the basis of humus balances, and on the basis of soil analyses, indicated negative GHG emissions with medium and high compost rates. Mineral fertilisation yielded net GHG emissions of ~2000 kg CO2-eq/ha.year. The findings underline that compost fertilisation holds potential for C sequestration and for the reduction of GHG emissions, even though this potential is bound to level off with increasing soil C saturation.
Structural analysis of the dodecameric proteasome activator PafE in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Bai Lin , Hu Kuan , Wang Tong , Jastrab Jordan B. , Darwin K. Heran , Li Huilin
Published: March 2016

Significance

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(
Mtb
) has evolved a sophisticated toolkit to cope with the harsh environment inside its natural host, the human macrophage. Macrophages are immune cells that normally kill invading microbes; however,
Mtb
has a proteasome system that allows it to persist and cause lethal infections in animals. Although the
Mtb
proteasome core particle is evolutionally related to its eukaryotic counterpart, factors involved in targeting doomed proteins to the mycobacterial proteasome appear to be distinct. A prime example is the bacterial pupylation pathway, which is biochemically unrelated to the eukaryotic ubiquitylation system. Here, we describe a second example: a bacterial proteasome activator called PafE (Rv3780), which is structurally unlike any previously characterized proteasome activator in biology.
Virological factors that increase the transmissibility of emerging human viruses
Authors: Geoghegan Jemma L. , Senior Alistair M. , Di Giallonardo Francesca , Holmes Edward C.
Published: March 2016

Significance

With changes in land use and increased urbanization, the frequency with which pathogens jump species barriers to emerge in new hosts is expected to rise. Knowing which viruses may be more likely to become transmissible among humans, as opposed to only generating dead-end spillover infections, would be of considerable benefit to pandemic planning. Using multivariate modeling and multimodel inference, we sought to both identify and quantify those biological features of viruses that best determine interhuman transmissibility. This analysis revealed that chronic, nonsegmented, non–vector-borne, nonenveloped viruses with low host mortality had the highest likelihood of being transmissible among humans whereas genomic features had little predictive power. Our analysis therefore reveals that multiple virological features determine the likelihood of successful emergence.
Club cells surviving influenza A virus infection induce temporary nonspecific antiviral immunity
Authors: Hamilton Jennifer R. , Sachs David , Lim Jean K. , Langlois Ryan A. , Palese Peter , Heaton Nicholas S.
Published: March 2016

Significance

After influenza A virus infection, the host is protected from subsequent unrelated respiratory virus infections for a temporary period. Although this phenomenon has been reported both in animal models and human clinical data, the mechanism for this antiviral immunity is incompletely understood. In this article, we demonstrate that club cells surviving direct infection by influenza A virus are reprogramed to promote an antiviral lung environment, and the depletion of “survivor cells” eliminates the postinfluenza window of nonspecific immunity. These findings demonstrate a type of immunity that does not fit into the classical innate or adaptive models and may inform the future designs of vaccines, where eliciting nonspecific immunity would be beneficial.
Ancient lipids document continuity in the use of early hunter–gatherer pottery through 9,000 years of Japanese prehistory
Authors: Lucquin Alexandre , Gibbs Kevin , Uchiyama Junzo , Saul Hayley , Ajimoto Mayumi , Eley Yvette , Radini Anita , Heron Carl P. , Shoda Shinya , Nishida Yastami , Lundy Jasmine , Jordan Peter , Isaksson Sven , Craig Oliver E.
Published: March 2016

Significance

Pottery has had a central role in human society for many millennia, but the reasons for the emergence and spread of this technology are poorly understood. First invented by groups of hunter–gatherers living in East Asia during the last glacial period, production only began to flourish with rising global temperatures in the Holocene, but the reasons for its uptake and spread are unknown. Through chemical analysis of their contents, we herein provide, to our knowledge, the first direct evidence of pottery use across this climatic transition. Contrary to expectations, ceramic vessels had a remarkably consistent use, predominantly for processing aquatic resources, indicating that cultural rather than environmental factors were most important for their widespread uptake.
Hypoxia induces the breast cancer stem cell phenotype by HIF-dependent and ALKBH5-mediated m
6
A-demethylation of NANOG mRNA
Authors: Zhang Chuanzhao , Samanta Debangshu , Lu Haiquan , Bullen John W. , Zhang Huimin , Chen Ivan , He Xiaoshun , Semenza Gregg L.
Published: March 2016

Significance

Pluripotency factors, such as NANOG, play a critical role in the maintenance and specification of cancer stem cells, which are required for primary tumor formation and metastasis. In this study, we report that exposure of breast cancer cells to hypoxia (i.e., reduced O
2
availability), which is a critical feature of the tumor microenvironment, induces
N
6
-methyladenosine (m
6
A) demethylation and stabilization of NANOG mRNA, thereby promoting the breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) phenotype. We show that inhibiting the expression of AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), which demethylates m
6
A, or the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) HIF-1α and HIF-2α, which activate
ALKBH5
gene transcription in hypoxic breast cancer cells, is an effective strategy to decrease NANOG expression and target BCSCs in vivo.
The Life and Times of the House: Multi-Scalar Perspectives on Settlement from the Neolithic of the Northern Alpine Foreland
Authors: Hofmann Daniela , Ebersbach Renate , Doppler Thomas , Whittle Alasdair
Published: March 2016

The settlement record of the Neolithic of the northern Alpine foreland is used to address the question of what difference having high-resolution chronology — in this case principally provided by dendrochronology — makes to the kinds of narrative we seek to write about the Neolithic. In a search for detailed histories, three kinds of scale are examined. The longer-term development of cultural patterns and boundaries is found to correlate very imprecisely with the character and architecture of settlements. Individual houses and settlements were generally short-lived, suggesting considerable fluidity in social relations at the local level. Greater continuity can be found in the landscape, perhaps involving more than individual communities. We argue that the particular history of the northern Alpine foreland is best understood by interweaving multiple temporal scales, an approach that will need to be extended to other case studies.
Mark Retention of Calcein in Cisco and Bloater
Authors: Chalupnicki M A , Mackey G E , Nash K , Chiavelli R , Johnson J H , Kehler T , Ringler N
Published: March 2016

Since 2012, a multi-agency initiative to restore these native forage species has been under way. Evaluating the restoration success of Cisco Coregonus artedi and Bloater C. hoyi in Lake Ontario waters requires methods to identify stocked fish. However, juvenile Cisco and Bloater are fragile; thus, mass marking techniques that reduce the handling of individual fish are required and have not previously been evaluated. In 2014–2015 we evaluated the usefulness of calcein (SE-MARK) as a marker on bony structures, including the otolith. Juvenile Bloater and Cisco (14, 100, 128 d old) were immersed in a calcein bath at 5,000 mg/L of water for 4 min to apply the chemical marker. Observations of the marking retention were evaluated 8 d following the treatment. All fish immersed in calcein had strong brilliant marks (rating scale 3) on all bony structures including scales, fin rays, jaw bones, and vertebrate. The otolith was the only hard structure that did not show a brilliant marking due to the opaque nature of the structure. Our results suggest that calcein produces a strong discernable mark on hard bony structures of Cisco and Bloater; however, long-term retention needs further study.
Shock and awe: Distinct effects of taboo words on lexical decision and free recall
Authors: Madan Christopher R. , Shafer Andrea T. , Chan Michelle , Singhal Anthony
Published: March 2016

Taboo stimuli are highly arousing, but it has been suggested that they also have inherent taboo-specific properties such as tabooness, offensiveness, or shock value. Prior studies have shown that taboo words have slower response times in lexical decision and higher recall probabilities in free recall; however, taboo words often differ from other words on more than just arousal and taboo properties. Here, we replicated both of these findings and conducted detailed item analyses to determine which word properties drive these behavioural effects. We found that lexical-decision performance was best explained by measures of lexical accessibility (e.g., word frequency) and tabooness, rather than arousal, valence, or offensiveness. However, free-recall performance was primarily driven by emotional word properties, and tabooness was the most important emotional word property for model fit. Our results suggest that the processing of taboo words is influenced by distinct sets of factors and by an intrinsic taboo-specific property.
Interannual variations in distribution and abundance of Japanese jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus larvae in the East China Sea
Authors: Sassa Chiyuki , Takahashi Motomitsu , Konishi Yoshinobu , Tsukamoto Youichi
Published: March 2016

We examined the interannual variations in distribution and abundance of Japanese jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus larvae <5 mm standard length (SL), based on sampling surveys over a broad area of the shelf break region of the East China Sea (ECS) during late winter and spring for 12 years from 2001 to 2012. Larval abundances in late winter were higher than those in spring. In late winter, ratios (expressed as %) of larval abundance in the southern ECS south of 28°N to the whole study area were highest during the study period, with values ranging from 80.0 to 95.8%. In spring, the ratios in the southern ECS were still high (34.3–88.8%), although the values increased slightly in the northern and central ECS. There was no significant interannual variation in the centre of distribution of the larvae, suggesting that the formation of spawning grounds would be related to topographic rather than hydrographic conditions. Habitat temperature of larvae in the central and southern ECS was ∼3–5°C higher than that in the northern ECS throughout the study period, indicating that larval growth and survival processes may differ between the two areas. In the southern ECS, larval abundances fluctuated largely from year-to-year, and the interannual variations were closely correlated with water temperature and chlorophyll a concentration. However, larval abundance did not correlate with an index of recruited juveniles (∼50–75 mm SL) in the ECS, suggesting that mortality during the late larval and early juvenile stages is responsible for recruitment success or failure.
Assessing fishery and ecological consequences of alternate management options for multispecies fisheries
Authors: Thorpe Robert Brian , Dolder Paul James , Reeves Stuart , Robinson Peter , Jennings Simon
Published: March 2016

Demands for management advice on mixed and multispecies fisheries pose many challenges, further complicated by corresponding requests for advice on the environmental impacts of alternate management options. Here, we develop, and apply to North Sea fisheries, a method for collectively assessing the effects of, and interplay between, technical interactions, multispecies interactions, and the environmental effects of fishing. Ecological interactions involving 21 species are characterized with an ensemble of 188 plausible parameterizations of size-based multispecies models, and four fleets (beam trawl, otter trawl, industrial, and pelagic) characterized with catch composition data. We use the method to evaluate biomass and economic yields, alongside the risk of stock depletion and changes in the value of community indicators, for 10 000 alternate fishing scenarios (combinations of rates of fishing mortality F and fleet configuration) and present the risk vs. reward trade-offs. Technical and multispecies interactions linked to the beam and otter trawl fleets were predicted to have the strongest effects on fisheries yield and value, risk of stock collapse and fish community indicators. Increasing beam trawl effort led to greater increases in beam trawl yield when otter trawl effort was low. If otter trawl effort was high, increases in beam trawl effort led to reduced overall yield. Given the high value of demersal species, permutations of fleet effort leading to high total yield (generated primarily by pelagic species) were not the same as permutations leading to high catch values. A transition from F for 1990 to 2010 to FMSY, but without changes in fleet configuration, reduced risk of stock collapse without affecting long-term weight or value of yield. Our approach directly addresses the need for assessment methods that treat mixed and multispecies issues collectively, address uncertainty, and take account of trade-offs between weight and value of yield, state of stocks and state of the environment.
Discovery of periodic and alternating flares of the methanol and water masers in G107.298+5.639
Authors: Szymczak M. , Olech M. , Wolak P. , Bartkiewicz A. , Gawroński M.
Published: March 2016

Methanol and water vapour masers are signposts of early stages of high-mass star formation but it is generally thought that due to different excitation processes they probe distinct parts of stellar environments. Here we present observations of the intermediate-mass young stellar object G107.298+5.639, revealing for the first time that 34.4 d flares of the 6.7 GHz methanol maser emission alternate with flares of individual features of the 22 GHz water maser. High angular resolution data reveal that a few components of both maser species showing periodic behaviour coincide in position and velocity and all the periodic water maser components appear in the methanol maser region of size of 360 au. The maser flares could be caused by variations in the infrared radiation field induced by cyclic accretion instabilities in a circumstellar or protobinary disc. The observations do not support either the stellar pulsations or the seed photon flux variations as the underlying mechanisms of the periodicity in the source.
Optimization and Application of a Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay to Detect Diaporthe Species in Soybean Plant Tissue
Authors: Kontz Brian , Adhikari Sajag , Subramanian Senthil , Mathew Febina M.
Published: March 2016

Diaporthe caulivora and D. longicolla are the causal agents of stem canker of soybean (Glycine max L.). Accurate identification of stem canker pathogens upon isolation from infected soybean plants is difficult and unreliable based on morphology. In this study, two TaqMan probe-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays were optimized for detection of D. caulivora and D. longicolla in soybean plants. The assays used previously reported D. caulivora-specific (DPC-3) and D. longicolla-specific (PL-3) probe/primer sets. The sensitivity limit of the two assays was determined to be over a range of 100 pg to 10 fg of pure D. caulivora and D. longicolla genomic DNA. The qPCR assays were validated with plant samples collected from commercial soybean fields. The PL-3 set detected D. longicolla in soybean plants collected from the fields (quantification cycle value <35), which was confirmed by isolation on potato dextrose agar (PDA). D. caulivora was detected only in low levels (quantification cycle value <40) by DPC-3 set in a few of the symptomatic field samples, although the pathogen was not isolated on PDA. The qPCR assays were also useful in quantitatively phenotyping soybean plants for resistance to D. caulivora and D. longicolla under greenhouse conditions.
Trends in long-term opioid prescribing in primary care patients with musculoskeletal conditions: an observational database study
Authors: Bedson John , Chen Ying , Hayward Richard A. , Ashworth Julie , Walters Kate , Dunn Kate M. , Jordan Kelvin P.
Published: March 2016

Long-term opioids may benefit patients with chronic pain but have also been linked to harmful outcomes. In the United Kingdom, the predominant source of opioids is primary care prescription. The objective was to examine changes in the incidence, length, and opioid potency of long-term prescribing episodes for musculoskeletal conditions in UK primary care (2002-2013). This was an observational database study (Clinical Practice Research Datalink, 190 practices). Participants (≥18 years) were prescribed an opioid for a musculoskeletal condition (no opioid prescribed in previous 6 months), and issued ≥2 opioid prescriptions within 90 days (long-term episode). Opioids were divided into short- and long-acting noncontrolled and controlled drugs. Annual incidence of long-term opioid episodes was determined, and for those still in a long-term episode, the percentage of patients prescribed each type 1 to 2 years, and >2 years after initiation. Annual denominator population varied from 1.25 to 1.38 m. A total of 76,416 patients started 1 long-term episode. Annual long-term episode incidence increased (2002-2009) by 38% (42.4-58.3 per 10,000 person-years), remaining stable to 2011, then decreasing slightly to 55.8/10,000 (2013). Patients prescribed long-acting controlled opioids within the first 90 days of long-term use increased from 2002 to 2013 (2.3%-9.9%). In those still in a long-term opioid episode (>2 years), long-acting controlled opioid prescribing increased from 3.5% to 22.6%. This study has uniquely shown an increase in prescribing long-term opioids to 2009, gradually decreasing from 2011 in the United Kingdom. The trend was towards increased prescribing of controlled long-acting opioids and earlier use. Further research into the risks and benefits of opioids is required.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and dental erosions in adults: influence of acidified food intake and impact on quality of life
Authors: Milani Daiane C. , Venturini Ana Paula C. , Callegari-Jacques Sidia M. , Fornari Fernando
Published: March 2016

Background and aim

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and dental erosions (DE) have an established association. We assessed whether GORD is associated with DE controlling for acidified food intake and their relationships with quality of life (QOL).

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 419 adult patients who sought dentistry consultation were considered eligible. Patients responded to questionnaires for GORD symptoms, acidified food ingestion and World Health Organization quality of life (WHOQOL Bref), followed by an oral examination, in which DE were characterized according to the Smith & Knight criteria.

Results

A total of 417 patients were included (43.8±13.7 years; 68.8% women). There were 143 patients with GORD (34.3%) and 274 controls without GORD. The prevalence of DE was higher in GORD patients compared with the controls (25.9 vs. 17.2%; P=0.041). GORD was associated with DE after adjusting for acidified food intake (P=0.035), with a prevalence ratio of 1.52 (0.95 confidence interval 1.03–2.22). The WHOQOL Bref score was significantly lower in the presence of GORD [median 17.2 (GORD−DE−) vs. 15.4 (GORD+DE+); P<0.01], irrespective of DE.

Conclusion

In adults examined in a referential dentistry centre in South America, DE were prevalent and significantly associated with GORD. This association was independent of the intake of acidified food in our study. Impairment in QOL was observed in GORD patients irrespective of the presence of DE.
Characteristics and outcome of patients presenting to the emergency department after autologous/allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Spoerl Silvia , Hendlmeier Claudia , Hapfelmeier Alexander , Wildgruber Moritz , Schmid Roland M. , Peschel Christian , Saugel Bernd
Published: March 2016

Introduction

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantations are still associated with a high risk of complications. Here, we characterize patients after autologous or allogeneic transplantation presenting to the emergency department and investigate factors associated with patients’ outcome after hospitalization.

Methods

Patients who had previously undergone autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation were included in this study and data were collected retrospectively. We analyzed patients’ characteristics and outcome, and identified factors associated with outcome.

Results

A total of 35% of presenting autologous and 52% of allogeneic patients were hospitalized for more than 7 days. In-hospital mortality was 4% (autologous) and 11% (allogeneic patients). In patients with a history of autologous transplantation, multivariate analysis indicated radiologic signs of pneumonia as an independent factor associated with the endpoint ‘hospitalization of more than 7 days’ (P<0.001). Furthermore, in multivariate analysis, C-reactive protein levels greater than 5 mg/l (P=0.006), low hemoglobin (P=0.002), and radiologic signs of pneumonia (P=0.004) were associated independently with an increase in the endpoint ‘total duration of hospitalization’. In patients with a history of allogeneic transplantation, multivariate analysis indicated radiologic signs of pneumonia (P<0.001) and graft-versus-host-disease (P=0.006) to be associated independently with the endpoint ‘hospitalization of more than 7 days’. Furthermore, radiologic signs of pneumonia were associated independently with the endpoints ‘ICU treatment’ (P<0.001), the ‘total duration of hospitalization’ (P<0.001), and ‘in-hospital mortality’ (P=0.002). A low platelet count was associated independently with an increase in the endpoint ‘duration of hospitalization’ (P=0.001).

Conclusion

Radiologic signs of pneumonia were associated independently with worse clinical outcomes including hospitalization, the need for ICU treatment, and death.
The Abbreviated Mental Test 4 for cognitive screening of older adults presenting to the Emergency Department
Authors: Dyer Adam H. , Briggs Robert , Nabeel Shamis , O’Neill Desmond , Kennelly Sean P.
Published: March 2016

Objectives

A commonly cited reason for the infrequent detection of cognitive impairment in the Emergency Department (ED) is the lack of an appropriate screening tool. The Abbreviated Mental Test 4 (AMT4) is a brief instrument recommended for cognitive screening of older adults in the ED. However, its exact utility in the detection of altered mental status in the ED is yet to be fully determined.

Methods

The present study evaluated the ability of the AMT4 to identify impaired mental status in the ED, defined as positive scores on either the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU for delirium, the standardized Mini Mental State Examination as a general cognitive screener or the Eight-item Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia for dementia.

Results

Of 196 adults at least 70 years of age (mean: 78.5±5.9), the AMT4 had a sensitivity of 0.53 (0.42–0.63) and a specificity of 0.96 (0.89–0.99) for impaired mental status in the ED. The AMT4 was positive in almost all patients (92%; 24/26) screening positive for delirium, but less than half (47.8%; 22/46) of those screening positive for probable dementia, and less than a quarter (22.2%; 6/27) of those screening positive for probable cognitive impairment.

Conclusion

The present study found that the limited sensitivity of the AMT4 in identifying the majority of cognitively impaired persons restricts its use in isolation as a general cognitive screener in the ED.
Length scales and pinning of interfaces
Authors: Tan Likun , Bhattacharya Kaushik
Published: March 2016

The pinning of interfaces and free discontinuities by defects and heterogeneities plays an important role in a variety of phenomena, including grain growth, martensitic phase transitions, ferroelectricity, dislocations and fracture. We explore the role of length scale on the pinning of interfaces and show that the width of the interface relative to the length scale of the heterogeneity can have a profound effect on the pinning behaviour, and ultimately on hysteresis. When the heterogeneity is large, the pinning is strong and can lead to stick–slip behaviour as predicted by various models in the literature. However, when the heterogeneity is small, we find that the interface may not be pinned in a significant manner. This shows that a potential route to making materials with low hysteresis is to introduce heterogeneities at a length scale that is small compared with the width of the phase boundary. Finally, the intermediate setting where the length scale of the heterogeneity is comparable to that of the interface width is characterized by complex interactions, thereby giving rise to a non-monotone relationship between the relative heterogeneity size and the critical depinning stress.
Capillary-induced deformations of a thin elastic sheet
Authors: Brubaker N. D. , Lega J.
Published: March 2016

We develop a three-dimensional model for capillary origami systems in which a rectangular plate has finite thickness, is allowed to stretch and undergoes small deflections. This latter constraint limits our description of the encapsulation process to its initial folding phase. We first simplify the resulting system of equations to two dimensions by assuming that the plate has infinite aspect ratio, which allows us to compare our approach to known two-dimensional capillary origami models for inextensible plates. Moreover, as this two-dimensional model is exactly solvable, we give an expression for its solution in terms of its parameters. We then turn to the full three-dimensional model in the limit of small drop volume and provide numerical simulations showing how the plate and the drop deform due to the effect of capillary forces.
Phase-field modelling of ductile fracture: a variational gradient-extended plasticity-damage theory and its micromorphic regularization
Authors: Miehe C. , Teichtmeister S. , Aldakheel F.
Published: March 2016

This work outlines a novel variational-based theory for the phase-field modelling of ductile fracture in elastic–plastic solids undergoing large strains. The phase-field approach regularizes sharp crack surfaces within a pure continuum setting by a specific gradient damage modelling. It is linked to a formulation of gradient plasticity at finite strains. The framework includes two independent length scales which regularize both the plastic response as well as the crack discontinuities. This ensures that the damage zones of ductile fracture are inside of plastic zones, and guarantees on the computational side a mesh objectivity in post-critical ranges.
Existence, numerical convergence and evolutionary relaxation for a rate-independent phase-transformation model
Authors: Heinz Sebastian , Mielke Alexander
Published: March 2016

We revisit the model for a two-well phase transformation in a linearly elastic body that was introduced and studied in Mielkeet al.(2002Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal.162, 137–177). This energetic rate-independent system is posed in terms of the elastic displacement and an internal variable that gives the phase portion of the second phase. We use a new approach based onmutual recovery sequences, which are adjusted to a suitable energy increment plus the associated dissipated energy and, thus, enable us to pass to the limit in the construction of energetic solutions. We give three distinct constructions of mutual recovery sequences which allow us (i) to generalize the existence result in Mielkeet al.(2002), (ii) to establish the convergence of suitable numerical approximations via space–time discretization and (iii) to perform the evolutionary relaxation from the pure-state model to the relaxed-mixture model. All these results rely on weak converge and involve the H-measure as an essential tool.