bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantum memory based on SiV-centers in nanodiamonds
Authors: Berezhnoi A D , Zakirov A I , Kalachev A A
Published: November 2022

Recently, the possibility of implementing a cavity-enhanced off-resonant Raman quantum memory in an ensemble of silicon-vacancy centers in diamond has been studied (Kalachev et al 2019 Laser Phys.
29 104001). It was shown that the signal-to-noise ratio can significantly exceed unity for short single-photon input pulses if the orbital level splitting in the ground state of the color centers is significantly enhanced by strain. The latter results in decreasing the coherence time between the two available orbital branches of the ground state, though. In the present work, we consider the possibility of increasing the storage time due to the use of nanodiamonds. It is shown that suppression of direct electron-phonon transitions in the diamond nanocrystals makes it possible to increase the coherence time of both orbital and spin qubits by orders of magnitude.
Measurement of X-ray production cross sections for lower-energy (0.7-3 MeV) proton induced Cu_K, Ag_L and Au_M X-rays from thick samples
Authors: Hussain J , Ahmad I , Bhatti S H , Awais A , Shoaib M , Yu L D , Tippawan U
Published: November 2022

We conducted a series of fundamental research-based experimentations to measure the X-ray production cross sections of K-, L-, and M-shells from thick samples of Cu, Ag and Au, respectively, for proton beam in a lower energy range of 0.7 - 3.5 MeV utilizing particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis. The measurement theories based on the Merzbacher-Lewis (ML) relationship and procedure for thick samples are described. The detector efficiency and system calibration were first measured from Fe-55 and Am-241 X-ray sources and the standard sample, respectively. The X-ray yields as a function of the proton energy were measured and fitted for finding the derivatives which were used for the cross section measurement. The obtained results were compared with published data and predictions from the theoretical models of Plane Wave Born Approximation (PWBA) and the advanced ECPSSR. The measured results from Cu were in good agreement with the theoretical predictions, especially in the lower energy regime, and most of the reported data, while for the higher energy regime deviated by a few times but still in the same order of magnitude with the theoretical data. The Ag and Au results were in excellent agreement with published and theoretical values.
An expert-assisted system for improving the quality of IBA simulations by SIMNRA
Authors: Mayer M
Published: November 2022

SIMNRA is a popular software suite for the simulation of ion beam analysis (IBA) spectra. SIMNRA 7.04 implements a new expert system supporting users in selecting the most accurate simulation settings for a given ion/target combination at a given energy and geometry. The expert system is a piece of artificial intelligence emulating the ability and knowledge of a human IBA expert. It points out potential problems with the current simulation parameters and recommends model settings with enhanced accuracy.
Ion beam induced luminescence (IBIL) analysis of europium-activated phosphate glass micro-beads scintillators at clinical carbon beam therapy field
Authors: Akiyama Shun , Nakajima Runa , Sasaki Aika , Kimura Shigeki , Iiduka Kazuya , Akagami Yuki , Sakai Makoto , Hanaizumi Osamu , Kada Wataru
Published: November 2022

The possibility of real-time monitoring of clinical carbon beams was investigated by analyzing ion beam induced luminescence (IBIL) using phosphate glass (PG) with a dopant of europium (Eu). Phosphate glass with a silver activator (PG: Ag) is known as a substrate for personal dosimeters. Several trials are being made by utilizing PG: Ag as an in-situ diagnostic tool for the clinical radiation therapy field. However, silvers are not actively responding to the radiation during the irradiation because of their build-up effect. In this study, we introduced a co-activator of europium, which is expected to coexist with silvers and have a scintillator property for real-time response. IBIL was successfully visualized with each bunch of 290 MeV/n from synchrotron under different beam intensity from 6.0×106 to 3.0×109 (clinical beam condition) counts/spill. IBIL measurement at each position of Bragg peak suggested that developed PG:Ag-beads with Eu co-activators have successfully demonstrated real-time radiation monitoring of clinical carbon beams.
Particle orbit optimization in the beam extraction region of a cold cathode PIG negative ion source for electrostatic tandem accelerators
Authors: Liu Hong-Fu , Hagura Naoto , Kawarabayashi Jun , Oguri Yoshiyuki
Published: November 2022

When using a PIG (Penning Ion Gauge) type ion source for production of negative ions, these ions must be extracted from a hole on the side of the anode cylinder, perpendicularly to the magnetic field for plasma confinement. As a result, unnecessary deflection force works on the extracted beam. This study aims to improve the ion extraction efficiency of a cold-cathode PIG negative-ion source. The idea is to reduce the beam loss by cancelling the stray magnetic field from the source by placing small dipole magnets in the extraction electrode. Through the measurement of the magnetic field distribution and beam trajectory calculation, it was numerically confirmed that the beam trajectory can be corrected by this small dipole magnet with a peak magnetic field of about 50 mT under the present experimental condition.
Investigating the Langevin behaviour of Faraday rotation in soft ferrimagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles dispersed in PVA-water medium
Authors: Lakshmi B , Gopinath Pramod
Published: November 2022

Soft ferrimagnetic (FM) cobalt ferrite, CoFe2O4 (CoF) nanoparticles (NP) were synthesized using chemical co-precipitation technique. The constraint related to forming stable dispersion of the synthesized NP was successfully overcome by using an efficient dispersing medium namely, a 2 Wt% Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) - water solution, the PVA molecules of which played an important role in offering excellent stability by preventing the agglomeration of the NP considerably. Magneto-optic Faraday Rotation (MOFR) studies performed on the prepared stable dispersions at 532 nm laser wavelength for applied magnetic fields upto 2400 Oe indicated a Langevin behaviour consistent with the chain/cluster formation in them. The studies were carried out at two different concentrations, where the saturated value of MOFR, Bs
, was higher for the more concentrated sample, while the saturation magnetic field, HS
, followed the reverse trend. It was interesting to see that HS
, was as large as 1800 Oe for the concentrated sample, and still higher for the less concentrated one, which may be due to an obstruction effect due to PVA molecules, which delay the formation and saturation of NP chains. The MOFR studies in soft FM NP dispersions open up an interesting domain, both for fundamental understanding of physical phenomena as well as for applications.
A D-shaped elliptical hollow core fiber SPR sensor
Authors: Khanikar Tulika , Singh Vinod Kumar
Published: November 2022

A D-shaped elliptical hollow core fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor is proposed and analyzed here using gold and titanium oxide (TiO2) layer. The fiber geometry consists of a doped elliptical core with a concentric central elliptical air hole. A finite element method-based simulation software COMSOL Multiphysics is used for numerical analysis. Both gold and TiO2 layers are optimized. The sensor responds over a wide range of refractive index (RI) from 1.33 to 1.40. The average sensitivity obtained for the designed sensor is 4142.85nm/RIU (RI Unit) whereas that for a single mode fiber (SMF) is only 897.55nm/RIU. So, our designed sensor gives more than 4 times enhanced sensitivity and proves to be a potential alternative of SMF based low cost, compatible SPR sensors by covering the low sensitivity issue suffered by SMF sensors.
Semiconductor Core Optical Fibers for the Purpose of Nonlinear pulse Reshaping
Authors: Singh Sujeet , Ghosh Binoy Krishna , Basu Mousumi
Published: November 2022

In this work, we design semiconductor core normal dispersion optical fibers in the single-mode regime to observe the phenomena of nonlinear pulse reshaping through them. Initially, a Ge-core fiber is proposed, considering pure silica material as the cladding of the fiber. It is observed that the designed fiber is capable of generating a semi-parabolic pulse (SPP) (misfit value ≤ 4%) within a much shorter fiber length (~ 5 cm) while a Sech pulse of very low peak power (~100 mW) is taken as input at the operating wavelength of 2.8 μm. Various fiber parameters and pulse parameters are optimized next for the betterment of the generated pulse. Finally, a comparative study between the Ge-core and Si-core fibers is accomplished to identify the best possible fiber for the generation of efficient SPP at a sufficiently small fiber length.
Transmission properties of one-dimensional symmetric ternary structures of metamaterials and dielectric materials with two different configurations
Authors: Pandey Girijesh Narayan , Kumar Narendra , Singh Pawan , Thapa Khem B. , Pandey J. P.
Published: November 2022

In this work, we have investigated the tunable transmission properties of a one-dimensional ternary periodic structure designed with meta- and dielectric-materials in two different configurations. To the study the optical properties of considered periodic structure, we have used the transfer matrix method. The two configurations of considered periodic structure show tunable transmission properties with change in the type of configuration, number of layers, and incident angle of the electromagnetic wave. It is noted that the broadband width and the number of peaks and transmittance increase with an increase in the incident angle, where the peaks becomes more confined in a narrow region. An increase in number of unit cells reduces the transmission in the peaks. Comparing the order of the symmetry, we find that the transmissions in the peaks are more in the second sequence as compared to the first one, and hence the second one is more suitable for multichannel filters. On the basis of the results, the proposed structures can be used in the large variety of opto-electronic and photonic applications, including multichannel filter, broadband reflectors, and switches.
Generation of Parabolic pulse by nonlinear pulse reshaping inside a Silicon on Insulator (SOI) Waveguide
Authors: Hemant  , Adhikary Somen , Basu Mousumi
Published: November 2022

In recent times, silicon photonics attracts a lot of attraction of researchers. It is the technology that converts many functions of the circuit on the thumb-size chip. Nowadays, various types of technology platforms are being used to design photonic integrated circuits using various materials such as high index glass, semiconductors, polymers, and silicon. In our work, we have used silicon to design rectangular silicon on Insulator (SOI) buried waveguide. This type of waveguide has shown great potential in the field of pulse reshaping. We have used the effective index method for the calculation of group velocity dispersion and nonlinearity. Though the two-photon absorption and free-carrier generation contribute significantly to loss parameters, the highly nonlinear buried waveguide is found to be capable of reshaping super-Gaussian pulse input into a parabolic shape. Moreover, the values of input chirp, pulse width, and peak power are further optimized for the generation of a high-quality parabolic pulse at shorter lengths. The length required for pulse reshaping is much less when compared to optical fibers. Thus, our design waveguide has potential in the domain of pulse generation, signal processing, and many more.
Enhanced Temperature Sensing Based on the Randomness in the Multilayered 1D Photonic Crystals
Authors: Thara R Lakshmi , Priya P. Aruna , Nayak Chittaranjan
Published: November 2022

A high sensitive temperature sensor is proposed based on the random properties of the one dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC). The structure is designed with two layers consisting of silicon (Si) and silica (SiO2) materials. The transmission spectra of the photonic crystals are studied at different temperatures from 25°C to 100°C. Thermal characteristics of the proposed random structures are examined with the effect of thermal expansion and thermo-optic effect. As the temperature increases the transmission peak shifts towards the longer wavelength due to the thermal parameters of the dielectrics used. It is found that the temperature-sensitive transmission peak shift is significantly improved due to the insertion of the third material that constitutes the ternary photonic structure (Si/SiO2/TiO2)N. For the above multilayer structures, based on the dependence of the layer thickness and the number of materials used, the numerical results show a sensitivity of 0.052nm/°C. When the third dielectric material (TiO2) is replaced by the polymer material (PS), the wavelength of the transmittance peak shift can be enhanced to 0.087nm/°C. These properties are useful for the fabrication of handy temperature sensors.
Statistical analysis of curing phenomenon of an epoxy adhesive
Authors: Keerthana S H , Mujeeb A , Radhakrishnan P
Published: November 2022

Dynamic speckle imaging is one of the powerful optical techniques used for investigating the dynamical processes of biological as well as industrial materials. It is a cost effective technique and also non-invasive in nature. It possesses high temporal and spatial resolution. This paper reports the application of certain numerical algorithms for extracting the information regarding the curing process of an epoxy adhesive. Time evolution of speckle images were analyzed using statistical methods such as Normalized 2 dimensional Cross-correlation and Inertia moment. The Inertia moment was found to decrease and correlation coefficient was found to increase due to the fall in activity that resulted by the curing phenomenon. The curing time of epoxy is obtained as five minutes which is in accordance with the company literature.
Quality evaluation of Spacecraft control system under the implementation of product assurance elements
Authors: Jingyu Xu , Songbai Yu , Hong Wang
Published: November 2022

For the satellite Control system, the product assurance work is evaluated from design process, production development process, product testing and validation process, subsystem acceptance process, subsystem test and validation process, test and validation process of the subsystem under the spacecraft. This paper mainly describes the product assurance quality control model of the satellite control system development process, quantifying the results of product assurance quality management, obtaining the accurate quality assessment data of the satellite control system, and obtaining the final quality reliability results of the satellite control system.
Development of high precision digital magnetometer
Authors: Hao Dan , Hou Qiong , Xiao Peng
Published: November 2022

Aiming at the low measurement accuracy of magnetometer, a high stability constant current source circuit is developed to drive indium arsenide Hall sensor, designs a self stabilizing zero preamplifier to pick up the magnetic field signal, and uses a low-noise circuit structure to adaptively adjust the signal amplification to make the magnetic field signal reach the highest signal-to-noise ratio. After analog-to-digital conversion with high-linearity ADC, the least square method is used to correct the nonlinearity caused by the hall sensor, so as to improve the accuracy of the magnetometer in the whole range. Through verification and test, the accuracy of the magnetometer is better than 0.5% within the measuring range of 3T, which meets the requirements of high-precision magnetic field measurement in industrial production.
Multi-spectral Characteristics of Arc Discharge in Switch Cabinet
Authors: Miao Jin , Chen Ping , Wu Junfeng , Fei Bin , Wu Xu , Liu Wei , Wan Jiefeng , Wang Yue
Published: November 2022

The partial discharge (PD) in high voltage switch cabinet might develop into non-penetrating or penetrating arc under extreme conditions, which can lead to insulation failure in severe case. From the optical radiation characteristics of discharge, an optical detection method for abnormal arc was proposed. Multi-spectral characteristics of arc discharge were obtained by the synchronous monitoring of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared optical signals, and the average intensity of light pulse, average light intensity ratio and the light intensity ratio of three bands were analyzed. The results show that the average light pulse intensity of arc discharge and the proportion of three-band light intensity have obvious characteristics and there is a good corresponding relation between the amplitude of discharge light signal and the applied voltage.
Advanced Diode Laser with Specialized Beam-delivery Instrument in Combined Mini Invasive Laser Hemorrhoid Treatment
Authors: Kuznetsov Evgenii , Golyaev Yury , Zhizhin Nikita , Kolbas Yury , Soloveva Tatiana
Published: November 2022

As the wavelength range of diode lasers expands, they become increasingly attractive for laser medicine because they are compact, allow the use of convenient fiber delivery systems, and are relatively inexpensive and long-lived. Russian diode lasers are based on world-level achievements in nanotechnologies used in their production. The paper presents the results of clinical application of an improved diode laser apparatus “ACT” model of a domestic company “Uricon Group” equipped with unique multifunctional instruments which enable to minimize mucous lesion in treating vascular pathology of the anorectal zone. A dual-frequency apparatus generating at wavelengths of 980 and 1470 nm permitted the development of a combined technique, which was verified by practical clinical application. The study was aimed at improving the mini-invasive method of surgical treatment of vascular anorectal pathology to ensure maximum efficiency of surgery at any stage of the disease, reducing the duration of surgery, minimizing pain during and after surgery. The technique of laser mini-invasive transdermal and subdermal-submucosal destruction, applied in treatment of 362 patients using the diode laser of “ACT” model and the developed specialized instrument, has shown its effectiveness. All patients returned to daily activities 2-3 days after surgery. Economic effect of the developed treatment technology is provided by low price of the equipment and absence of necessity of the patient’s stay in the clinic in the postoperative period.
Bragg Resonance-based Wave Elimination Device for Offshore Floating Wind Platforms
Authors: Lan Tianru , Lei Ziyu , Hao Zekun
Published: November 2022

This project provides an efficient and effective wave dissipation solution for the real needs of various large oceanic floating platforms, and achieves the power generation gain of the wave energy utilization equipment with the help of the local point of aggregation wave sub-effect. The device uses special shaped plates laid in an array to adjust the unit plate spacing and shaped plate attitude in the form of Bragg resonance with the surface wave wavelength fitting, which makes the surface waves reflect strongly in the peripheral area of the floating platform, while weakening the wave energy intensity of the surface waves in the central area of the beacon. In order to change the form of wave energy distribution in the local sea area, and at the same time play the effect of wave elimination in the core area of the platform and wave energy focusing in the outer power generation point.
Evaluation of the technical status of ship equipment based on the improved TOPSIS method
Authors: Xu Sunqing , Cong Lin
Published: November 2022

The reliability of ship equipment is the basis for the safe navigation of ships and the completion of various tasks, and mastering the reliability level of ship equipment and assessing its technical status is the decision-making basis for ship maintenance and support; most of the current related research is based on combing statistics, and the accuracy is affected by the size of the sample data, and there are inevitable errors; in order to obtain more accurate assessment results, THIS paper introduces TOPSIS The method also improves the determination method of index weight and ideal solution, quantifies the assessment results, and achieves objective and accurate effects; through case verification, the model built in this paper has high accuracy, and on the basis of fully mining the potential information of the data, the accuracy and accuracy of the assessment are effectively improved, and can be applied to the technical status assessment of ship indicators.
Lattice design for an improved angular dispersion-induced microbunching scheme
Authors: Li C. , Jiang B. , Feng C. , Wang K. , Zhang Q. , Huang D.
Published: November 2022

In this paper, an improved angular dispersion-induced microbunching (ADM) scheme [1] is studied to generate fully coherent soft x-ray radiation pulses in an electron storage ring light source with a limited energy modulation amplitude. This scheme releases the coupling between the dispersion function and the momentum compaction in the original ADM scheme. The lattice structure of the improved ADM is simple, which only adds a chicane following the dogleg compared to the original one. With the chicane, even higher harmonic radiation can be generated. Numerical simulation results show that soft x-ray radiation with photon energy covering the water window range can be produced.
The perceived effects of augmented trail sensing and mood recognition abilities in a human–fish biohybrid system
Authors: Hu Xin , Yang Jinxin , Song Zhihua , Wang Qian , Chu Ziyue , Zhang Lei , Lin Daoyuan , Xu Yangyang , Liang Longfei , Yang Wen-Chi
Published: November 2022

The use of technologies to enhance human and animal perception has been explored in pioneering research about artificial life and biohybrid systems. These attempts have revealed that augmented sensing abilities can emerge from new interactions between individuals within or across species. Nevertheless, the diverse effects of different augmented capabilities have been less examined and compared. In this work, we built a human–fish biohybrid system that enhanced the vision of the ornamental fish by projecting human participants onto the arena background. In contrast, human participants were equipped with a mixed-reality device, which visualized individual fish trails (representing situation-oriented perceptions) and emotions (representing communication-oriented perceptions). We investigated the impacts of the two enhanced perceptions on the human side and documented the perceived effects from three aspects. First, both augmented perceptions considerably increase participants’ attention toward ornamental fish, and the impact of emotion recognition is more potent than trail sense. Secondly, the frequency of human–fish interactions increases with the equipped perceptions. The mood recognition ability on the human side can indirectly promote the recorded positive mood of fish. Thirdly, most participants mentioned that they felt closer to those fish which had mood recognition ability, even if we added some mistakes in the accuracy of mood recognition. In contrast, the addition of trail sensing ability does not lead to a similar effect on the mental bond. These findings reveal several aspects of different perceived effects between the enhancements of communication-oriented and situation-oriented perceptions.
Model consistency for the underlying mechanisms for the Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation-tropical Atlantic connection
Authors: Yao Shuai-Lei , Chu Pao-Shin , Wu Renguang , Zheng Fei
Published: November 2022

Modeling evidence suggests that the Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) can remotely affect the tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) variability. However, the root causes of the IPO-tropical Atlantic inter-basin teleconnections are not fully understood. Using idealized pacemaker experiments wherein the observed IPO-SST anomalies are specified, we show that a warm-phase IPO-SST anomaly drives a basin-wide SST warming over the tropical Atlantic. The trans-basin IPO-tropical Atlantic connection is established via the tropical tropospheric temperature mechanism and the atmospheric bridge teleconnections. An IPO positive-phase SST initiates the warming tropospheric temperature anomalies, leading to a more humid atmosphere and increasing longwave radiation downward into the tropical Atlantic. By comparison, the reduced Pacific Walker circulation and mid-latitude Rossby wave responses cause the trade winds to strengthen, acting to suppress the tropical Atlantic warming through the Bjerknes positive feedback mechanism. Thus, similar to previous studies, the tropical Atlantic widespread warming is ultimately traced back to the warming effects generated by the water vapor-longwave radiation-SST positive feedback, which, contrary to previous studies, overwhelms the cooling effects associated with the intensified trade winds. Our results highlight the model dependence on the details of mechanisms that connect the tropical Pacific and tropical Atlantic on the decadal timescales.
Fabrication and characterization of HA-oyster shell based on biopolymer - propolis as an agent of dental enamel remineralization material
Authors: Nisa Aminatun , Sari Mona , Yusuf Yusril
Published: November 2022

This study aims to make gel composites by synthesizing and characterizing hydroxyapatite (HA) from oyster shell (Crassostrea gigas) as an essential ingredient for remineralization gel in teeth. The method used to synthesize HA is the precipitation method. HA is synthesized with a variation of calcination for 8 h at 1000 °C and aging time for 24 h to get the best result. The size of the HA crystal obtained is 14 ± 4 nm, with a degree of crystallinity of 91.54%. The result of the HA-oyster shell is used to synthesize gel composites. The gels used as parameters are composition variations: basis gel (basis gel as a negative control), HA gel, propolis gel, and HA-propolis gel. The essential ingredients of oyster shell, HA, and composite gels are treated by physicochemical tests in SEM, XRD, and FTIR characterization. The gel composites are treated using antibacterial tests with Streptococcus mutants, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The antibacterial test aims to determine the inhibition of bacteria that cause caries in teeth. The best antibacterial test results are found in HA-propolis gel with the inhibition zone diameter of S.Mutants 22 ± 0.2 mm, S. Sanguinis 22 ± 0.3 mm, and L.Acidophilus 21 ± 0.2 mm. In addition to the antibacterial test, the gel was treated with a feasibility test to determine the viability of viable cells (MC3T3-E1) when incubated for 48 h. The MTT test shows that the results of the HA gel sample gave significant cell growth, which was 92.80% at the low concentration. The physicochemical, antibacterial, and MTT (Viability) test results confirm that the HA-propolis gel composite could potentially improve dental enamel caries with the remineralization process.
Design optimization of lightweight structures inspired by the rostrum in Cyrtotrachelus buqueti Guer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Li Longhai , Guo Ce , Liu Lili , Liu Lei , Hu Zixian , Guo Huafeng , He Shaohua
Published: November 2022

The rostrum of Cyrtotrachelus buqueti Guer has excellent mechanical properties, such as high-specific strength and high-specific stiffness, and it is an example of successful evolution in nature. In this paper, based on the biological structural characteristics of the rostrum, bionic variable-density lightweight structures of varying layer number are designed, and their mechanical properties are analyzed under different helix angles. The results show that when the helix angle is greater than or equal to 40°, the maximum compressive load borne by the three-layer tube is 30.75 N, which is 1.89 times that of the single-layer tube. Through calculation, at a helix angle of 15°, the torsion lightweight coefficient of the single-layer, double-layer, and three-layer structures is 0.99 ± 0.03 N·M g−1, 1.75 ± 0.05 N·M g−1, and 2.32 ± 0.06 N·M g−1, respectively, where that of the three-layer structure was approximately 2.34 times that of the single-layer structure. Further calculations show that the bending lightweight factor of the single-layer, double-layer, and three-layer tubes is 17.89 ± 0.20 N g−1, 33.16 ± 0.45 N g−1, 41.33 ± 0.55 N g−1, respectively, where that of the three-layer tube is 2.31 times that of the single-layer tube. In addition, this paper also investigates the cushioning energy absorption characteristics of the bionic lightweight tubes by using an impact testing machine. The results show that under the same conditions, as the number of layers of the lightweight tube increases, the buffering energy absorption also increases. The total energy absorption and specific energy absorption of the three-layer lightweight tube are approximately 10 times those of the single-layer tube. Finally, a response surface-based optimization method is proposed to optimize the bionic structures under a combined compression-torsion load. The results lay the foundation for the lightweight design of thin-walled tube structures.
Overcoming the impact of post-annealing on uniformity of diamond (100) Schottky barrier diodes through corrosion-resistant nanocarbon ohmic contacts
Authors: Mylo Valappil Sreenath , Zkria Abdelrahman , Ohmagari Shinya , Yoshitake Tsuyoshi
Published: November 2022

Diamond-based Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) are involved in many technological applications. In a conventional SBD fabrication process that involves interface carbide forming ohmic contacts, a post-annealing step is necessary for ohmic contacts to achieve their operational efficiency. However, this step deteriorates the essential oxygen coverage at the diamond surface which in turn affects SBDs uniformity. So, an additional oxygen termination step is necessary prior to Schottky metal deposition. In this study, a non-conventional fabrication method is introduced using corrosion-resistant nanocarbon ohmic contacts fabricated by coaxial arc plasma deposition. As a result, The SBD parameters including ideality factors and barrier heights exhibited high uniformity with a very small standard deviation for the proposed fabrication process flow when compared with process flow including a post-annealing step. Furthermore, the contact behavior of nanocarbon ohmic electrodes is investigated on a heavily boron-doped diamond film using circular transmission line model theory and a specific contact resistance of ∼10−5 Ωcm2 is obtained, suggesting the practical application of nanocarbon ohmic contacts for diamond-based electronic devices.
Variational Monte Carlo approach to partial differential equations with neural networks
Authors: Reh Moritz , Gärttner Martin
Published: November 2022

The accurate numerical solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) is a central task in numerical analysis allowing to model a wide range of natural phenomena by employing specialized solvers depending on the scenario of application. Here, we develop a variational approach for solving PDEs governing the evolution of high dimensional probability distributions. Our approach naturally works on the unbounded continuous domain and encodes the full probability density function through its variational parameters, which are adapted dynamically during the evolution to optimally reflect the dynamics of the density. In contrast to previous works, this dynamical adaptation of the parameters is carried out using an explicit prescription avoiding iterative gradient descent. For the considered benchmark cases we observe excellent agreement with numerical solutions as well as analytical solutions for tasks that are challenging for traditional computational approaches.
Increasing sensitivity of terrestrial nitrous oxide emissions to precipitation variations
Authors: Huang Yuanyuan , Ciais Philippe , Boucher Olivier , Wang Ying-Ping , Tian Hanqin , Zhou Feng , Chang Jinfeng , Li Zhaolei , Goll Daniel S , Langenfelds Ray , Shi Hao , Pan Naiqing , Hu Hang-Wei , Lam Shu Kee , Dong Ning
Published: November 2022

Nitrous oxide (N2O), a major greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting agent, is generated over land mostly from two key biochemical processes—nitrification and denitrification. Nitrifying and denitrifying N2O production occurs preferably under alternative oxic and anoxic conditions, which are closely linked with variations in water filled soil pores, and thus indirectly with precipitation. We show here that the interannual anomalies in the annual growth rate of the global land N2O emissions are significantly (P < 0.001) correlated with precipitation anomalies, with an overall sensitivity (

α

PRE

, changes of land N2O emission variations per precipitation anomalies) of 2.50 ± 0.98 Tg N2O–N per 100 mm of precipitation across the global land (1998–2016). The sensitivity (

α

PRE

) and precipitation-driven N2O anomalies increased during 1998–2016, partly due to increased nitrogen inputs to agricultural lands and enhanced precipitation anomalies. Spatially, we find that the

α

PRE

increases with aridity. We predict a larger

α

PRE

under future climate conditions (with radiative forcing levels of 4.5, 7.0 and 8.5 Wm−2) by the year 2100 if nitrogen fertilization follows the present practice.
Evaluation of isoprene light response curves for bryophyte-dominated ecosystems and implications for atmospheric composition
Authors: Langford Ben , Cash James M , Vieno Massimo , Heal Mathew R , Drewer Julia , Jones Matthew R , Leeson Sarah R , Simmons Ivan , Braban Christine F , Nemitz Eiko
Published: November 2022

Isoprene is emitted from numerous plant species in response to light and temperature and parameterisations of these relationships, based on observations from a few vascular plant species, have been shown to be broadly applicable to many different vegetation types. Here, we investigate their performance when applied to an ecosystem dominated by bryophytes. Over a six-week period, emissions of isoprene were measured above a Scottish peat bog. The light response derived on the basis of both canopy-scale flux and whole-plant enclosure measurements, deviated from the classical response, showing no sign of saturation within the observed range. We attribute this response to the canopy architecture of moss hummocks, which may attenuate light differently compared to a grass canopy. Both existing big-leaf and canopy-level emission algorithms, developed for vascular plants but commonly used for moorland vegetation, failed to replicate the observed fluxes, overestimating at low light intensities (<1000 μmol m−2 s−1 photosynthetically active radiation) and underestimating during daytime clear sky conditions. The light response was optimised for bryophyte-dominated ecosystems using measured fluxes and incorporated into the EMEP4UK chemical transport model and applied exclusively to moorland. The revised parameterisation resulted in a small reduction in the average annual isoprene emissions in the northern latitudes (5%), but peak isoprene emissions and concentrations increased by up to a factor of two. Yet, no significant change in average or maximum surface ozone concentrations was observed, reflecting that the northern latitudes are in a chemical regime that is strongly NOx limited, in part due to the spatial segregation with the urban sources of NO
x
. We conclude that, the anticipated increase in isoprene emissions from the northern latitudes in response to climate change is unlikely to contribute towards ozone-related air quality issues, as long as NO
x
pollution does not increase. However, the non-saturating light response may be equally applicable to non-vascular plants elsewhere, including in the tropics.
vsRNAfinder: a novel method for identifying high-confidence viral small RNAs from small RNA-Seq data
Authors: Cai Zena , Fu Ping , Qiu Ye , Wu Aiping , Zhang Gaihua , Wang Yirong , Jiang Taijiao , Ge Xing-Yi , Zhu Haizhen , Peng Yousong
Published: November 2022

Virus-encoded small RNAs (vsRNA) have been reported to play an important role in viral infection. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of an effective method for vsRNA identification. Herein, we presented vsRNAfinder, a de novo method for identifying high-confidence vsRNAs from small RNA-Seq (sRNA-Seq) data based on peak calling and Poisson distribution and is publicly available at https://github.com/ZenaCai/vsRNAfinder. vsRNAfinder outperformed two widely used methods namely miRDeep2 and ShortStack in identifying viral miRNAs with a significantly improved sensitivity. It can also be used to identify sRNAs in animals and plants with similar performance to miRDeep2 and ShortStack. vsRNAfinder would greatly facilitate effective identification of vsRNAs from sRNA-Seq data.
Updated site concordance factors minimize effects of homoplasy and taxon sampling
Authors: Mo Yu K , Lanfear Robert , Hahn Matthew W , Minh Bui Quang
Published: November 2022

Motivation

Site concordance factors (sCFs) have become a widely used way to summarize discordance in phylogenomic datasets. However, the original version of sCFs was calculated by sampling a quartet of tip taxa and then applying parsimony-based criteria for discordance. This approach has the potential to be strongly affected by multiple hits at a site (homoplasy), especially when substitution rates are high or taxa are not closely related.

Results

Here, we introduce a new method for calculating sCFs. The updated version uses likelihood to generate probability distributions of ancestral states at internal nodes of the phylogeny. By sampling from the states at internal nodes adjacent to a given branch, this approach substantially reduces—but does not abolish—the effects of homoplasy and taxon sampling.

Availability and implementation

Updated sCFs are implemented in IQ-TREE 2.2.2. The software is freely available at https://github.com/iqtree/iqtree2/releases.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information is available at Bioinformatics online.
Rapid Assessment and Treatment In Decompensated Aortic Stenosis (ASTRID-AS study)- A pilot study
Authors: Patel Kush P , Mukhopadhyay Sumanto , Bedford Kerry , Richards Rhian , Queenan Helen , Jerrum Melanie , Banton Judy , Ozkor Mick , Mathur Anthony , Kennon Simon , Baumbach Andreas , Mullen Michael J
Published: November 2022

Background

Acute decompensated aortic stenosis (ADAS) is common and associated with higher mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI) and longer hospital length of stay (LoS) compared with electively treated stable AS. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a dedicated pathway that reduces time to transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in ADAS, hypothesizing that LoS can be reduced without compromising patient safety.

Methods and results

Using a prospective, open label, cluster design, patients from 5 referring centres were allocated to the ASessment and TReatment In Decompensated Aortic Stenosis (ASTRID-AS) pathway where the diagnosis, referral, investigations and treatment of ADAS were prioritised and expedited. 15 hospitals remained on the conventional pathway that followed the same process, albeit according to a waiting list. The primary efficacy endpoint was hospital LoS and the secondary safety endpoint, a composite of death or AKI at 30 days post-TAVI. 58 conventional patients and 25 ASTRID-AS patients were included in this study. Time to TAVI in the conventional vs. ASTRID-AS cohort was 22 (15–30) vs. 10 (6–12) days; P < 0.001, respectively. Length of hospital stay was 24 (18–33) vs. 13 (8–18) days; P < 0.001, respectively. 13.4 bed days were saved per patient using the ASTRID-AS pathway. Secondary safety endpoint occurred in 12 (20.7%) vs. 1 (4.0%) patients; P = 0.093, respectively. Procedural complications were similar between the two cohorts.

Conclusion

A dedicated pathway for ADAS that shortens time to TAVI demonstrated reduced hospital LoS without compromising patient safety and a trend towards improving clinical outcomes.
Mental health by native–immigrant intermarriage in Sweden: a register-based retrospective cohort study
Authors: Honkaniemi Helena , Juárez Sol Pía , Rostila Mikael
Published: November 2022

Background

Native–immigrant intermarriage is often regarded as a proxy for integration, given that intermarried immigrants are more socioeconomically and culturally similar to natives than intramarried immigrants. This study aimed to assess whether integration affects mental health and care-seeking behaviours, examining prescription hazards for psychotropic medications by native–immigrant marital composition in Sweden.

Methods

Total population register data were used to identify first-time married couples residing in Sweden between 31 December 2005 and 31 December 2016. Index persons were distinguished by gender and partners’ origin (native vs. immigrant), as well as by immigrants’ regions of origin, with intramarried natives as references. Using Cox regression, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for antidepressant and anxiolytic prescriptions and adjusted for socioeconomic factors, presence of children and length and quality of marriage.

Results

Intramarried immigrant women had higher psychotropic prescription hazards than intramarried native references (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.10–1.12), whereas intermarried immigrant women had equal hazards. Immigrant women’s hazards were lower than native references after adjustment. Intramarried immigrant men had the greatest prescription hazards (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.32–1.34), and intermarried immigrant men slightly higher hazards (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.10–1.13), than intramarried natives. All were partly attenuated after adjustment. Intermarriage hazards increased by similarities in regions of origin, especially among men.

Conclusions

Integration indicated by intermarriage appears to be protective for the mental health of immigrants, especially for immigrant men. Future research should empirically disentangle the social, cultural and socioeconomic mechanisms underlying these health differences.
Estimating the worldwide burden of health loss due to hearing loss
Authors: Nocini Riccardo , Henry Brandon M , Lippi Giuseppe , Mattiuzzi Camilla
Published: November 2022

We planned this study to define the worldwide burden of health loss attributed to hearing impairment occurred during the past 10 years according to the 2019 Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx) database. The current worldwide burden of health loss due to all forms of hearing impairment is estimated at 43.4 million Years Lived with Disability (YLDs), representing 28% of cumulative YLDs due to all physical impairments in GHDx. The hearing loss-attributable YLDs have linearly increased (r = 0.997; P < 0.01) by 18.7% during the past 10 years. Reinforced policies are hence needed for preventing development of mild hearing impairment and/or progression toward more severe deficiencies.
Influence of stir-frying on the lipid stability and flavor substances in oat flour during storage using HS-SPME-GC-MS and electronic nose
Authors: Zhang Yuanyuan , Zhang Meili , Bai Xue , Zhang Yakun , Zhang Jing , Huo Rui
Published: November 2022

Objectives

We used stir-fried oat flour as experimental material and raw oat flour as a control to explore the influence of stir-frying on the storage quality of oat flour.

Materials and Methods

The HS-SPME-GC-MS method combined with electronic nose technology was used to understand the lipid stability and analyze the changes in the flavor of the substances during the entire storage period.

Results

It was observed that during the storage period, stir-fried oat flour contained less water than raw oat flavor. The former was characterized by a lower fatty acid value, lower acid value, and lower linoleic acid content, but higher oleic acid content and palmitic acid content compared to the latter. With the passage of storage time, the palmitic acid content significantly increased, and the linoleic acid content significantly decreased in raw and stir-fried oats flour (P<0.05). The sulfur and methyl contents in the stir-fried oat flour were higher than those in the raw flour, while nitrogen oxide content in the former was lower than that in the latter. Stir-fried oat flour possessed a total of 78 identified flavor substances. The process of stir-frying boosts the oxidation decomposition of unsaturated fatty acids aldehydes and heterocyclic compounds produced by the Maillard reaction, so the flavor substances of stir-fried oat flour are richer.

Conclusions

Stir-fried oat flour, containing diverse types of flavor substances, experienced more obvious flavor changes throughout the storage period than raw oat flour.
Exploring physical activity trends and lesson context of incarcerated youth in a sport-leadership program
Authors: Wahl-Alexander Zachary , Anderson Jared , Jacobs Jennifer
Published: November 2022

Incarcerated youth are one subset of the population in dire need of physical activity interventions. As inactivity within incarcerated populations has become a mounting public health concern, several sport-based physical activity and fitness programs within prisons have emerged. The purpose of this study is to explore physical activity levels and lesson context of a sport-leadership program in one juvenile detention center. Participants in this study were 27 incarcerated males (Mage = 19.3), imprisoned in one juvenile detention center. Participants participated in 20, 40-min sport-leadership lessons over the course of 3 months. Each lesson was live coded using the System for Observing Instructional Time (SOFIT) to examine physical activity levels and lesson context. Over the course of 20 lessons, participants engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 61% of lesson time (24.5 min). Further, over 23% of lesson time was spent vigorously (9.5 min). Specific to lesson context, 18% of total lesson time (7.5 min) was spent in management whereas 7.96% (3.1 min) was consumed by knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, a vast majority of each session (70%) was spent in gameplay (28.04 min). This study is the first to adopt the SOFIT systematic observation instrument to evaluate and quantify MVPA and lesson context during a sport-leadership program within a juvenile detention center. Results from this study indicate incarcerated youth who participated in this program engaged in MVPA for more than 60% of lesson time. It was reported that overall MVPA of participants within programming slightly decreased across the 20 total lessons.