bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NIR transmittance tuneability under a magnetic field of colloidal suspensions of goethite (α-FeOOH) nanorods
Authors: Agresti F. , Zin V. , Barison S. , Sani E. , Meucci M. , Mercatelli L. , Nodari L. , Rossi S. , Bobbo S. , Fabrizio M.
Published: February 2017

Goethite (α-FeOOH) nanorods were synthesized and their size and shape were controlled by synthesis parameters. Stable colloidal suspensions were prepared and their transmittance in NIR range was tuned by modifying magnetic field direction and strength.
Effect of calcination temperature on the structure and catalytic performance of copper–ceria mixed oxide catalysts in phenol hydroxylation
Authors: Amadine Othmane , Essamlali Younes , Fihri Aziz , Larzek Mohamed , Zahouily Mohamed
Published: February 2017

We report on highly active CuO@CeO2 catalysts prepared by the surfactant-template method and calcined at different temperatures.
Chemoenzymatic epoxidation of alkenes with Candida antarctica lipase B and hydrogen peroxide in deep eutectic solvents
Authors: Zhou Pengfei , Wang Xuping , Yang Bo , Hollmann Frank , Wang Yonghua
Published: February 2017

Epoxides are important synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of a broad range of industrial products.
Ab initio conical intersections for the Si(1D) + H2 reaction system: a lowest five singlet states study
Authors: Wu Yanan , Zhang Chunfang , Ma Haitao
Published: February 2017

Conical intersections and geometric phase effects of the Si(1D) + H2 system were clarified intuitively, and important features of them are revealed.
Tailored performance of layered transition metal dichalcogenides via integration with low dimensional nanostructures
Authors: Liu De-Sheng , Wu Jiang , Wang Yanan , Ji Haining , Gao Lei , Tong Xin , Usman Muhammad , Yu Peng , Wang Zhiming
Published: February 2017

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a unique sandwich structure have attracted tremendous attention in recent years due to their distinctive electrical and optical properties.
Integration of functionalized two-dimensional TaS2 nanosheets and an electron mediator for more efficient biocatalyzed artificial photosynthesis
Authors: Ji Xiaoyuan , Liu Cuicui , Wang Jie , Su Zhiguo , Ma Guanghui , Zhang Songping
Published: February 2017

Functionalized 2-D TaS2 nanosheets with an integrated electron mediator for efficient solar energy driven conversion of CO2 to formic acid.
High efficiency ternary organic solar cell with morphology-compatible polymers
Authors: Mai Jiangquan , Lu Haipeng , Lau Tsz-Ki , Peng Shih-Hao , Hsu Chain-Shu , Hua Wenqiang , Zhao Ni , Xiao Xudong , Lu Xinhui
Published: February 2017

The short circuit current density and fill factor are improved in ternary organic solar cell due to the high morphology compatibility.
Recent advances in perovskite solar cells: efficiency, stability and lead-free perovskite
Authors: Yang Shida , Fu Weifei , Zhang Zhongqiang , Chen Hongzheng , Li Chang-Zhi
Published: February 2017

In this review, we first highlighted recent progress in high-performance perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) with a discussion of the fabrication methods and PVSCs-based tandem solar cells. Furthermore, the stability issue of PVSCs and strategies to improve material and device stability have been discussed, and finally, a summary of the recent progress in lead-free perovskites has been presented.
Enhancing field-effect mobility and maintaining solid-state emission by incorporating 2,6-diphenyl substitution to 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene
Authors: Liu Jie , Liu Jinyu , Zhang Zichao , Xu Chunhui , Li Qingyuan , Zhou Ke , Dong Huanli , Zhang Xiaotao , Hu Wenping
Published: February 2017

2,6-Diphenyl-9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene demonstrates improved mobility and comparable solid-state emission compared with 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene, suggesting it could be a new and better integrated optoelectronic organic semiconductor.
Effective software‐defined networking controller scheduling method to mitigate DDoS attacks
Authors: Yan Q. , Gong Q. , Yu F.R.
Published: February 2017

To improve the availability of the software‐defined networking (SDN) under distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, a multi‐queue SDN controller scheduling algorithm based on time slice allocation strategy is proposed. The proposed algorithm can take different time slice allocation strategies according to the intensity of DDoS attacks and use SDN controller to schedule processing flow request from different switches (including the switches suffering from different degrees of attacks and normal switches) to ensure better protection to the normal switch in the network under DDoS attacks. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Compact lowpass filter with flat group delay using lattice‐shaped resonator
Authors: Hayati M. , Ekhteraei M. , Shama F.
Published: February 2017

A compact lowpass filter (LPF) using a lattice‐shaped resonator is presented with a wide rejection band and sharp roll‐off. The designed LPF has −3 dB cut‐off frequency at 4.34 GHz. The fabricated LPF is simulated and tested; there is a good agreement between the simulation and experimental results. Experimental results show that the maximum variation of flat group delay is only 0.3 ns in the passband. Also, the measured return‐loss and insertion loss are more than 19 dB and <0.1 dB in 88% of the passband region, respectively. The size of the designed filter is only 22.5 × 8.65 mm2.
User‐driven treadmill using walking speed estimated from plantar pressure sensor
Authors: Cha M. , Han S. , Kim H. , Mun D.
Published: February 2017

A user‐driven treadmill is a walking platform that is put into motion by the action of a user. The estimation of walking speed plays an important role in controlling the treadmill, especially the ones with a small walking area. Plantar pressure potentially has a significant relationship with walking speed. A new walking speed estimation and treadmill control algorithm using plantar data, which is measured using wearable insole pressure sensors is proposed. After capturing the best pressure parameters and developing an appropriate feedforward control scheme, the user experiment and analysis results are analysed to verify the performance and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Design of a variation‐resilient single‐ended non‐volatile six‐input lookup table circuit with a redundant‐magnetic tunnel junction‐based active load for smart Internet‐of‐things applications
Authors: Suzuki D. , Natsui M. , Ikeda S. , Endoh T. , Ohno H. , Hanyu T.
Published: February 2017

A variation‐resilient single‐ended six‐input lookup table circuit, which makes it possible to implement any arbitrary six‐input logic gates, is proposed. Since operating point is optimally tuned by the redundant magnetic tunnel junction devices after chip fabrication, adequate p‐channel metal‐oxide semiconductor (PMOS) feedback can be performed, which results in variation‐resilient, energy‐efficient operation. In fact, the energy consumption of the proposed circuit is 66% smaller than that of the conventional single‐ended circuit.
Quad‐band BPF based on SLRs with inductive source and load coupling
Authors: Liu Bing , Guo Zijun , Wei Xiangyun , Ma Yu , Zhao Renrong , Xing Ke , Wu Lei
Published: February 2017

A quad‐band microstrip bandpass filter (BPF) based on stub‐loaded resonators (SLRs) with improved skirt selectivity is presented. A single metallic via hole in microstrip is utilised to introduce a compact inductive source–load coupling, with which two pairs of SLRs generate eight controllable transmission zeros at each side of all the quadruple passbands. As an example, a quad‐band BPF with measured centre frequencies of 1.88, 2.55, 3.55 and 5.15 GHz as well as insertion losses of 1.53, 1.64, 1.79 and 2.55 dB, and respective fractional bandwidths of 4.38, 3.84, 3.44 and 2.9% is designed and fabricated. The measured response shows a good concordance with the simulated one.
Experimental demonstration of 4 × 80‐Gbit/s PAM‐4 transmission over 8‐km SSMF using Wiener filter
Authors: Liang Chenyu , Zhang Wenjia , Sun Lin , You Yue , Yang Fan , Du Jiangbing , He Zuyuan
Published: February 2017

A 100‐Gbit/s PAM‐4 (pulse amplitude modulation) transmission over 4‐km standard single‐mode fibre (SSMF) and a C‐band 4 × 80‐Gbit/s PAM‐4 transmission over 8‐km standard SSMF experimentally demonstrated. A digital Wiener filter (WF) at the receiver side is utilised to compensate the impairments introduced by the transmission link. Bit error rate below 7% forward error correction threshold (3.8 × 10−3) is achieved with received optical power of 0 dBm for the single lane 100‐Gbit/s transmission and around −4 dBm for the four channels after 8‐km transmission with WF, which is over one order of magnitude better than that without equalisation. The results indicate that WF is a good enough option for practical application in short reach optical interconnect.
Reconfigurable mismatch‐free time‐interleaved bandpass sigma–delta modulator for wireless communications
Authors: Jiang Dongyang , Sin Sai‐Weng , U Seng‐Pan , Martins Rui Paulo , Maloberti Franco
Published: February 2017

A reconfigurable bandpass time‐interleaved sigma–delta modulator to achieve a wide tuning range is presented. With the calculated control parameters, the interleaving mismatch tones can always be shifted out of the interesting band during the whole tuning range, allowing always a mismatch‐free implementation. The proposed method adopts a look‐up table to obtain the various parameters including path numbers, path sampling frequencies, and tuning coefficients. With higher levels of reconfigurability the design meets the requirements of a multiband receiver for software defined radio systems, and the technique verified by behavioural simulations that also confirm the performance.
Distributed observer‐based cooperative control for output regulation in multi‐agent linear parameter‐varying systems
Authors: Mesbahi Afshin , Mohammadpour Velni Javad
Published: February 2017

In this paper, output regulation problem is examined for a class of heterogeneous multi‐agent systems, whose dynamics are governed by affine linear parameter‐varying (LPV) models, with a known communication topology. In the proposed solution method, the agents are divided into two groups depending on whether or not their output is directly affected by external (such as reference or disturbance) inputs. Conditions for cooperative LPV control synthesis are first constructed through the design of distributed observers. To establish these conditions, the solution to a time‐varying Sylvester equation is required. An offline solution to this equation will be proposed to calculate and update the controller state‐space matrices. The proposed design methodologies of this study are finally validated using a numerical example.
Finite element method‐based modelling of flow rate and temperature distribution in an oil‐filled disc‐type winding transformer using COMSOL multiphysics
Authors: Das Anu Kumar , Chatterjee Saibal
Published: February 2017

Thermal design of oil filled distribution and power transformers is essential for obtaining the location of ‘hot‐spot’ of the transformers. This study presents the analysis of 2D and 3D model for the simplified section of an oil‐filled disc‐type winding power transformer. Both models developed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1 were validated with the experimental and numerical results available in literatures. The analysis of the flow rate and the temperature distribution accurately reveals the location and the temperature of the ‘hot‐spot’. Further, the parametric study using the 3D model shows that the combined effect of variation in the vertical cooling duct width and the local cross‐section area in the horizontal cooling duct has a significant influence on the location of the ‘hot‐spot’ and a minor influence on its temperature (i.e. ±3%). The analysis results in this study shall be beneficial from the point of view of design development in transformers.
Influence of mechanical faults on the position error of an axial flux brushless resolver without rotor windings
Authors: Nasiri‐Gheidari Zahra , Tootoonchian Farid
Published: February 2017

The axial flux brushless resolver without rotor windings is newly proposed resolver that has the advantages of variable reluctance (VR) resolvers for having no winding on rotor and also, its manufacturing process is much simpler than that of VR resolvers. The influence of different mechanical faults on the position error of the studied resolver is discussed. Different types of eccentricities, inclined rotor and run out error independently and simultaneously are studied using 3D time stepping finite‐element method. The results show the maximum position error is related to the resolver under static eccentricity (SE), so an optimised rotor is proposed for the studied resolver to overcome this challenge. Finally, the optimised resolver is built and the experimental tests are done to validate the simulation results.
Simple and efficient model for slotless eccentric surface‐mounted PM machines
Authors: Jalali Pezhman , Taghipour Boroujeni Samad , Bianchi Nicola
Published: February 2017

In this study, the equivalent boundary method is applied for modelling of the air gap flux density in the eccentric surface‐mounted permanent magnet (PM) machines. In the presented model, neither conformal transformations nor perturbation analysis methods are applied. In this approach, a two‐dimensional Poisson solution for the eccentric PM machines is developed. Therefore, the proposed model is simple, precise and efficient. To make the solution of the Poisson equation in the eccentric air gap easy, the concept of the equivalent boundary method is exploited to find an equivalent concentric geometry for the eccentric problem. All the claimed theorems are mathematically approved. The model is valid for static and dynamic eccentricities at no‐load and on‐load conditions. Using the analytically predicted air gap flux density, electromagnetic torque, back‐EMF and the resulted radial force are computed. The correctness of the predicted results is validated by means of finite‐element analysis.
Probabilistic load flow analysis of active distribution network adopting improved sequence operation methodology
Authors: Liu Hong , Tang Chong , Han Jun , Li Teng , Li Jifeng , Zhang Kun
Published: February 2017

In allusion to the uncertainty and correlation of distributed generation (DG) output in the active distribution network, a new method of probabilistic load flow (PLF) analysis was proposed based on improved sequence operation method. This method utilised the non‐parametric kernel density estimation method and established a probabilistic model of DG daily output considering the timing characteristics. Then this method proposed the multivariate joint distribution probabilistic sequence based on the present sequence operation theory to describe the sequence transformation of the probabilistic model. Finally, an improved dependent probabilistic sequence method was proposed and combined with the traditional linear power flow calculation to achieve the probability distribution information of system power flow. Simulation tests were carried out on the modified 33‐bus distribution system. Test results indicated that the proposed method can achieve more accurate results of PLF calculation and has higher computational efficiency.
Design considerations of superconducting fault current limiters for power system stability enhancement
Authors: Alaraifi Surour , El Moursi Mohamed Shawky
Published: February 2017

This study identifies the type and size of the optimal shunt limiting impedance for superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL). Since the shunt impedance has been widely categorised to be either inductive or resistive element depending on the type of limiting impedance, the proposed design considerations will significantly affect the transient response and system stability. Therefore, the presented problem formulation optimises the design of SFCL by allowing the limiting shunt impedance to combine both resistive and inductive elements with an optimal ratio to tackle the security and stability challenges while functioning the SFCL. The optimisation framework is developed based on time‐domain simulation and takes into account the transient stability indices to size the limiting components of SFCLs given that the main operational requirements such as fault current level and voltage limits are met. Non‐dominated sorting genetic algorithm II is used to find the Pareto fronts for different types of SFCLs. The optimisation and time‐domain simulation results demonstrate great enhancement in the performance of both SFCLs when the optimal ratio between the resistive and inductive elements is chosen for the shunt limiting impedance resulted in improving the transient response and system stability.
High power factor high power density high voltage converter based on AC link
Authors: Li Wei , Liu Qingxiang , Zhang Zhengquan , Wang Qingfeng
Published: February 2017

To meet the demand of high efficiency, high power density and good input and output performance for high power high voltage converter, the high frequency AC‐link scheme, below resonance mode of LCC resonant circuit and soft‐switched control method are combined in the proposed converter. The AC‐link scheme can bring good performance at input port with small size, the continuous mode can reduce the peak current value in switches and the conduction loss, soft‐switching character can reduce the switching loss. To make the combination applicable in high voltage application, this study introduces a control method including switch commutation, control algorithm and control block diagram. To verify accuracy of control parameters and feasibility of the proposed converter, the simulation and experiment are conducted on a 50 kV, 80 kW prototype. It turns out that the experiment results are in agreement with simulation and theoretically expected results. The experimental results also show that the output voltage ripple is less than 1% at 50 kV, the input power factor is 0.99, the total harmonic distortion of input current is less than 7.5%, the total efficiency is 94.5% and power density is 0.93 W/cm3.
Differential current‐based fault protection with adaptive threshold for multiple PV‐based DC microgrid
Authors: Dhar Snehamoy , Dash Pradipta Kishore
Published: February 2017

A new differential current‐based fast fault detection and accurate fault distance calculation is proposed for photovoltaic (PV)‐based DC microgrid. A multiterminal direct current (MTDC) distribution network is studied as an adequate solution for present low‐voltage utility grid scenario, where local distributed generators (DGs) are incorporated primarily by power electronics based DC–DC converters, DC–AC voltage‐source converters (VSCs). PV and diesel generator (as auxiliary source) are considered for cascaded common DC bus, and AC utility bus integration is achieved by VSC unit for the proposed MTDC network. DC microgrid protection is quite significant research focus due to the absence of well‐defined standards. Pole‐to‐pole, pole‐to‐ground, PV‐side DC series and ground arc faults are basically considered as DC distribution network hazards. A discrete model differential current solution is considered to detect, classify and locate the faults by modified cumulative sum average approach. A comprehensive case study is presented with different DC loadings, to deliberate effectiveness of the proposed protection scheme in terms of percentage error and trip time (Ts). The result verification is conducted in MATLAB environment as well as TMS320C6713 digital signal processor‐based test bench with the proposed multiple DGs based DC microgrid.
Distributed real‐time monitoring system for atmospheric particles
Authors: Bao Liqun , Wang Haibin
Published: February 2017

Haze occurs frequently in many cities, and becomes the authors' great common concern. A distributed real‐time monitoring system for atmospheric particles has been designed, implemented and tested. The proposed system consists of a front‐end data wireless acquisition network, an embedded web server system, a central server and remote monitoring terminals. The front‐end data‐acquisition network is made up of mobile data‐acquisition nodes distributed in atmospheric particle monitoring areas which collect atmospheric particle data periodically. The data is transmitted by Jennet wireless network and sent to the Internet through the embedded web servers attached to the coordinator nodes via the serial ports. Only a common Internet browser is required for a remote user to check the atmospheric particle data. The central server is responsible for storing the pollution data for further usage of pollution analysis, evaluation and early warning. In this study, the PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10 particle data were successfully collected, transmitted and checked by the monitoring system in Lanzhou, China. The results show that the designed system can meet the needs of functional requirements of atmospheric particle monitoring.
Relay‐assisted nanoscale communication in the THz band
Authors: Rong Zhichao , Leeson Mark Stephen , Higgins Matthew David
Published: February 2017

The bit error rate (BER) performance of a cooperative relaying transmission scheme for wireless nanosensor networks in the terahertz (THz) band is investigated. Nanosensor networks comprising several graphene‐based devices deployed at the nanoscale are considered. Both amplify‐and‐forward (AF) and decode‐and‐forward (DF) relaying modes are studied. A line‐of‐sight (LOS) channel model in the THz band is considered which takes into account both spreading loss and molecular absorption loss. Given the high path loss and level of noise from significant random fluctuations through the THz channel, relay‐assisted schemes offer advantages in terms of significant performance improvements. To quantify the likely benefits, the predicted BER of the proposed scheme is derived. A simulation of the proposed relay schemes based on the THz LOS channel model utilising a Monte Carlo method is conducted. The results obtained show that a performance improvement of 2.2 dB for AF and of 5 dB for DF is achievable at a target BER of 10−5.
Dynamic programming principle and associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation for stochastic recursive control problem with non-Lipschitz aggregator
Authors: Pu Jiangyan , Zhang Qi
Published: February 2017

In this work we study the stochastic recursive control problem, in which the aggregator (or generator) of the backward stochastic differential equation describing the running cost is continuous but not necessarily Lipschitz with respect to the first unknown variable and the control, and monotonic with respect to the first unknown variable. The dynamic programming principle and the connection between the value function and the viscosity solution of the associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation are established in this setting by the generalized comparison theorem for backward stochastic differential equations and the stability of viscosity solutions. Finally we take the control problem of continuous-time Epstein−Zin utility with non-Lipschitz aggregator as an example to demonstrate the application of our study.
Design and Synthesis of New 1,3,4-Oxadiazole – Benzothiazole and Hydrazone Derivatives as Promising Chemotherapeutic Agents
Authors: Kaya Betül , Hussin Weiam , Yurttaş Leyla , Turan-Zitouni Gülhan , Gençer Hülya , Baysal Merve , Karaduman Abdullah , Kaplancıklı Zafer
Published: February 2017

Looking for new cytotoxic and antimicrobial agents with improved antitumor activity, a series of hydrazide and oxadiazole derivatives were designed and synthesized using 3-methoxyphenol as starting substance. Novel N’-(arylidene)-2-(3-methoxyphenoxy)acetohydrazide derivatives (4a–f)/1-(4-substitutedphenyl)-2-[(5-[(3-methoxyphenoxy)methyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)thio]ethan-1-one derivatives (6a–f)/N-(6-substitutedbenzothiazol-2-yl)-2-[(5-[(3-methoxyphenoxy)methyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)thio]acetamide derivatives (7a–e) were obtained and evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against various gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The antimicrobial activity potential of the compounds against gram-negative bacteria was found to have higher compared to the potential against gram-positive bacteria. Also, compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activity against 2 selected human tumor cell lines, A549 lung, MCF7 breast cancer cell line and mouse embryo fibroblast cell line, NIH/3T3 as healthy cell line. Among the compounds evaluated, compound 7c bearing 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring and 6-methoxy benzothiazole moiety exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against A549 and MCF-7 tumor cell lines in contrary to NIH/3T3 cell line, as desired.
Kaempferol Attenuates Cardiac Hypertrophy via Regulation of ASK1/MAPK Signaling Pathway and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Feng Hong , Cao Jianlei , Zhang Guangyu , Wang Yanggan
Published: February 2017

Kaempferol has been demonstrated to provide benefits for the treatment of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its role in cardiac hypertrophy remains to be elucidated. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of kaempferol on cardiac hypertrophy and the underlying mechanism. Mice subjected to aorta banding were treated with or without kaempferol (100 mg/kg/d, p. o.) for 6 weeks. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate cardiac function. Mice hearts were collected for pathological observation and molecular mechanism investigation. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were stimulated with or without phenylephrine for in vitro study. Kaempferol significantly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy induced by aorta banding as evidenced by decreased cardiomyocyte areas and interstitial fibrosis, accompanied with improved cardiac functions and decreased apoptosis. The ASK1/MAPK signaling pathways (JNK1/2 and p38) were markedly activated in the aorta banding mouse heart but inhibited by kaempferol treatment. In in vitro experiments, kaempferol also inhibited the activity of ASK1/JNK1/2/p38 signaling pathway and the enlargement of H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, our study revealed that kaempferol could protect the mouse heart and H9c2 cells from pathological oxidative stress. Our investigation indicated that treatment with kaempferol protects against cardiac hypertrophy, and its cardioprotection may be partially explained by the inhibition of the ASK1/MAPK signaling pathway and the regulation of oxidative stress.
Reflexivity in the transdisciplinary field of critical discourse studies
Authors: Zienkowski Jan
Published: February 2017

This article outlines an agenda for critical discourse studies that reserves a place of honour for the notion of reflexivity. It draws on four concepts of reflexivity developed in the social sciences: reflexivity as a general feature of interaction and subjectivity; as a methodological praxis; as a property of discursive and non-discursive systems; and as a key feature of late modernity. Reflexivity is considered in terms of acts of interpretive movement. Social actors, organizations and systems throw reflexive loops around themselves, around others, as well as around spatial, temporal, linguistic, cognitive, social and historical dimensions of contextual reality. All social entities engage in the Sisyphean task of fixing social reality, trying to grasp it with a porous and amorphous semiotic net, shaping interpretive reality in the process. Reflexive loops can leave ripples on the surface of language and communication for others to pick up and engage with. Through metadiscursive acts, interlocutors can then engage with the meanings that fix who and what they are in an unequal and power-infused world whose boundaries can only be imagined through interpretive and critical praxis. Reflexivity is a precondition for the articulation of critique and should be considered as a key concept in the field of discourse studies. This paper is published as part of a collection on discourse studies.
On the wetting behavior of ceria thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Fu Sin-Pui , Rossero Jorge , Chen Chen , Li Daniel , Takoudis Christos G. , Abiade Jeremiah T.
Published: February 2017

Polymers are most widely used in the production of water-repellant coatings. However, their use in applications requiring wear resistance or high-temperature stability is extremely limited. A recent report suggests that wear resistant, thermally stable rare earth oxide materials like cerium dioxide (ceria) are intrinsically water repellant. We have studied this intriguing finding for ceria thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at different oxygen pressures and different substrate temperatures. We used a custom apparatus for measuring water contact angles on ceria films deposited by PLD. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the relationship between the ceria wetting behavior and ceria surface chemistry. Our results show that ceria thin films are intrinsically hydrophilic and that hydrophobicity arises due to adsorption of hydrocarbon species after ∼24 h.
Plasmon-driven acceleration in a photo-excited nanotube
Authors: Shin Young-Min
Published: February 2017

A plasmon-assisted channeling acceleration can be realized with a large channel, possibly at the nanometer scale. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the most typical example of nano-channels that can confine a large number of channeled particles in a photon-plasmon coupling condition. This paper presents a theoretical and numerical study on the concept of high-field charge acceleration driven by photo-excited Luttinger-liquid plasmons in a nanotube [Z. Shi et al., Nat. Photonics 9, 515 (2015)]. An analytic description of the plasmon-assisted laser acceleration is detailed with practical acceleration parameters, in particular, with the specifications of a typical tabletop femtosecond laser system. The maximally achievable acceleration gradients and energy gains within dephasing lengths and CNT lengths are discussed with respect to laser-incident angles and CNT-filling ratios.
Realization of a high voltage generator by series connection of floating modules
Authors: Antonini P. , Benato A. , Borsato E. , Carugno G. , Gobbo R. , Montecassiano F. , Pegoraro M. , Pesavento G. , Zago M. , Zotto P.
Published: February 2017

A high voltage generator built by a series connection of 100 kV modules was produced. The series connection feasibility is ensured by the inherent floating character of each module which is wireless powered by high efficiency photovoltaic cells illuminated by a laser system. Each module is equipped with a control and monitoring board allowing excellent stabilization of the high voltage output. The performance of the system in terms of reliability, stability, and efficiency was evaluated. In particular using a three module setup, we achieved a maximum voltage of 234 kV with stability better than 0.1%.
Etching of Cr tips for scanning tunneling microscopy of cleavable oxides
Authors: Huang Dennis , Liu Stephen , Zeljkovic Ilija , Mitchell J. F. , Hoffman Jennifer E.
Published: February 2017

We report a detailed three-step roadmap for the fabrication and characterization of bulk Cr tips for spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy. Our strategy uniquely circumvents the need for ultra-high vacuum preparation of clean surfaces or films. First, we demonstrate the role of ex situ electrochemical etch parameters on Cr tip apex geometry, using scanning electron micrographs of over 70 etched tips. Second, we describe the suitability of the in situ cleaved surface of the layered antiferromagnet La1.4Sr1.6Mn2O7 to evaluate the spin characteristics of the Cr tip, replacing the ultra-high vacuum-prepared test samples that have been used in prior studies. Third, we outline a statistical algorithm that can effectively delineate closely spaced or irregular cleaved step edges, to maximize the accuracy of step height and spin-polarization measurements.
Tailoring the nonlinear response of MEMS resonators using shape optimization
Authors: Li Lily L. , Polunin Pavel M. , Dou Suguang , Shoshani Oriel , Scott Strachan B. , Jensen Jakob S. , Shaw Steven W. , Turner Kimberly L.
Published: February 2017

We demonstrate systematic control of mechanical nonlinearities in micro-electromechanical (MEMS) resonators using shape optimization methods. This approach generates beams with non-uniform profiles, which have nonlinearities and frequencies that differ from uniform beams. A set of bridge-type microbeams with selected variable profiles that directly affect the nonlinear characteristics of in-plane vibrations was designed and characterized. Experimental results have demonstrated that these shape changes result in more than a three-fold increase and a two-fold reduction in the Duffing nonlinearity due to resonator mid-line stretching. The manipulation of this nonlinearity has significant interest in many applications, including precise mass sensing, accurate measurement of angular rates, and timekeeping.
Electronic structure and optical properties of Ta-doped and (Ta, N)-codoped SrTiO3 from hybrid functional calculations
Authors: Liu Yanyu , Zhou Wei , Wu Ping
Published: February 2017

A systematic study has been carried out to research the effect of Ta monodoping and (Ta, N)-codoping on the electronic structure and optical properties of SrTiO3. The results indicate that the incorporation of N into the SrTiO3 lattice is in favor of the substitution of Ta at a Ti site, which is the most favorable structure with respect to both the energetic stability and high photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the carrier recombination centers induced by Ta monodoping are passivated in the (Ta, N)-codoped SrTiO3 system with Ta at a Ti site. Simultaneous incorporation of N and Ta results in a band gap decreasing about 0.7 eV due to the appearance of the new states hybridized by N-p states with the O-p states above the valence band. The band alignment verifies that the (Ta, N)-codoped SrTiO3 simultaneously meets the criteria of band-edge energetic positions and band gap for the overall water splitting under visible light.
Temperature-dependent charge carrier dynamics investigation of heterostructured Cu2S-In2S3 nanocrystals films using injected charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage
Authors: Bi Ke , Sui Ning , Wang Yinghui , Zhang Liquan , Liu Qinghui , Tan Mingrui , Zhang Hanzhuang
Published: February 2017

The temperature-dependence of charge carrier dynamics in the films based on novel heterostructured Cu2S-In2S3 nanocrystals (NCs) is investigated using charge carrier extraction by a linearly increasing voltage technique; meanwhile, the CuInS2 nanorod (NR) film is used as a reference. The carriers in the Cu2S-In2S3 NC film follow the monomolecular recombination mechanism, which is similar to that in the CuInS2 NR film. The corresponding diffusion rate would accelerate with the applied voltage, indicating that the Cu2S-In2S3 NCs could potentially promote the movement of the carrier and simultaneously affect the monomolecular recombination in comparison with that in the CuInS2 NR film. This study would be beneficial in the development of nano-devices with NR films and high performance Cu2S-In2S3 NCs solar cells.
One-dimensional leaky-wave antenna producing multiple beams
Authors: Wan Xiang , Chen Tian Yi , Cui Tie Jun
Published: February 2017

In this paper, far-field pattern of one-dimensional leaky-wave antenna (LWA) is directly synthesized by sinusoidally modulating surface currents of the antenna. Due to the characteristic of light cone in distinguishing surface waves and radiation waves, the numbers of the beams are selectable depending on the modulations. A one-dimensional substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) antenna producing two beams are designed and fabricated. Measurements agree very well with the simulations, indicating the validity of the presented synthesizing method as well as the practicalities of the presented SIW antenna.
Characteristics of carcasses and meat from feedlot-finished buffalo and Bos indicus (Nellore) bulls
Authors: Mello J. L. M. , Rodrigues A. B. B. , Giampietro-Ganeco A. , Ferrari F. B. , Souza R. A. , Souza P. A. , Borba H.
Published: February 2017

The trade of buffalo meat is very limited in Brazil, where it is still considered exotic, and ~90% of it is marketed as cattle meat. The present study compared qualitative characteristics of the longissimus muscle from buffalo and cattle. Eighty uncastrated male bovids (40 Mediterranean × Murrah crossbred buffaloes and 40 Nellore cattle) with an average age of 21 months and initial average bodyweight of 350 kg and 305 kg respectively, were confined for 102 days. Buffalo carcass had lower dressing-out percentage (P < 0.0001; 52.1% vs 57.2%) than did cattle carcass; buffalo meat had greater fat cover (P < 0.0001; 13.8 vs 8.1 mm) and, consequently, lower cooling loss (P < 0.0001; 1.3% vs 1.8%) than did cattle meat; also had lower cooking loss (P = 0.0120; 29.42% vs 31.31%), lower collagen content (P < 0.0001; 4.81% vs 5.73%), higher moisture (P = 0.0027; 75.13% vs 74.55%), and lower atherogenicity index (P = 0.0008; 0.61 vs 0.70) than did cattle meat. There was no difference (P = 0.13) between buffalo and cattle regarding cold carcass weight (251 kg and 244.8 kg respectively). Tenderness, fat, and omega-6 : omega-3 fatty acid ratio were also similar in both meats. The buffalo carcass provides higher yield of cuts of high commercial value than does the cattle carcass; it has similar or better physical and chemical properties than beef and a lower percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids, making it less susceptible to rancidity. Cattle meat has higher concentrations of C12:0 and C14:0 fatty acids, which are related to increased serum low-density lipoprotein and cholesterol concentrations, while buffalo meat is a rich source of C18:0 and C18:1n9c fatty acids, which help in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Election-related talk and agenda-setting effects on Twitter
Authors: McGregor Shannon C. , Vargo Chris J.
Published: February 2017

This study explores frequency of election-related chatter as an antecedent to agenda setting. In this study, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of 38 million tweets from the 2012 election. Users who participate more in election talk align more with partisan media than less active users. Users who participate less align less with partisan media and more with mainstream media. Overall, agenda-setting relationships differ by participation in election-related talk, with more active users exhibiting a greater agenda-setting effect across all media types. This study provides evidence that as Twitter users talk more about the election, they appear to do so in more homophilous information environments. These environments can alter their perceived importance of issues to match more partisan media. This study echoes previous research that has shown large conversations on Twitter to be more akin to partisan information.
Population Characteristics of Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Captured by the Commercial Fishery in the Saint John River Estuary, New Brunswick
Authors: Dadswell Michael J. , Ceapa Cornel , Spares Aaron D. , Stewart Nathan D. , Curry R. Allen , Bradford Rodney G. , Stokesbury Michael J. W.
Published: February 2017

The commercial fishery for Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus in the Saint John River, New Brunswick, began in 1880. The early fishery was unregulated, and the adult stock was depleted by 1886 after landings of 712 metric tons. After a 10‐year closure the fishery was reopened in 1897 with management regulations, and landings varied from 6 to 20 metric tons/year until 2010. In 2011 an annual quota of 350 adults was established and landings are now stable at 11.3 ± 1.7 (mean ± SD) metric tons/year. Since 2009, fishers have collected biological statistics from adults taken in the fishery and 14–60% of captured individuals have been marked and released each year. During 2009–2015, annual mean values of total length and dressed weight of landed adults were stable, the male : female sex ratio was 1.2:1.0, and mean age of males and females was 27.2 and 34.0 years, respectively. Estimates of instantaneous total mortality ranged from 0.08 to 0.11, and mean annual survival was 90.9%. Of 1,396 marked adults released, 147 were recaptured in the estuary in subsequent years. Tag returns indicated that the modal spawning periodicity of males was 2 years and that of females was 4 years. Valid, modified Schnabel and Jolly–Seber mean annual population estimates for 2013–2015 were 18,179 and 20,798 adults, respectively. The quota in relation to these estimated adult populations represented annual exploitation rates of 1.9% and 1.7%, which are below F50 and would maintain present stock size. The virgin adult population was determined using 1880–1886 total landings and a mean weight range for adults of 50–30 kg. Estimated range of the 1880 virgin population size was 14,240–23,733 adults. These data suggest that the fishery is sustainable at its current annual yield and that the population is near the carrying capacity of the Saint John River.

Received July 12, 2016; accepted November 17, 2016 Published online February 21, 2017
Effects of alginate oligomer on the expression of cell cycle- and stress-related genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Ueno Mikinori , Nishiguchi Tomoki , Takeshita Satoshi , Yamaguchi Kenichi , Oda Tatsuya
Published: February 2017

Enzymatically prepared alginate oligomer (AO) promoted the growth of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in a concentration-dependent manner. AO at 2.5 mg/mL induced increase in expression levels of cyclin A, cyclin B, and cyclin D in C. reinhardtii. CuSO4 at 100 μM suppressed the growth of C. reinhardtiin, and AO at 2.5 mg/mL significantly alleviated the toxicity of CuSO4. Increased intracellular reactive oxygen species level in C. reinhardtii induced by CuSO4 was reduced by AO. After cultivation with CuSO4 at 100 μM, expression levels of ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in C. reinhardtii were increased, and AO reduced the increased levels of these enzymes. These results suggest that AO exhibits beneficial effects on C. reinhardtii through influencing the expression of various genes not only at normal growth condition but also under CuSO4 stress.
Salinity Has Limited Influence on Sedation of Sunshine Bass with AQUI-S 20E (10% Eugenol)
Authors: Barry Kelli J , Trushenski Jesse T , Bowker James D
Published: February 2017

We evaluated sedation and recovery of juvenile sunshine bass (male Striped Bass Morone saxatilis × female White Bass M. chrysops) exposed to AQUI-S 20E (10% eugenol; 60 mg/L) in freshwater or increasingly brackish salinities (nominal salinities of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 g/L). Induction and recovery times were significantly affected by salinity, but the magnitude of the effects was relatively small. Induction was fastest (0.90 min) among fish tested at 25 g/L salinity and slowest (1.07 min) among those tested at 0 g/L salinity, but this was the only significant difference observed in induction times between treatments. Recovery was also faster among fish that were tested at higher salinities and slower among fish that were tested at lower salinities (range = 2.63–3.91 min), but significant differences were not noted for each pairwise comparison. Most fish (65%) exhibited slight agitation and gasping or piping at the surface during sedation, but these behaviors were less common among fish held at the highest salinities. Almost all fish (93%) behaved normally during recovery. Minor differences in timing aside, our results demonstrate that salinities ranging from 0 to 25 g/L have little practical influence on the effectiveness of AQUI-S 20E as a sedative for sunshine bass.
Bounded 𝐻^{∞}-calculus for the hydrostatic Stokes operator on 𝐿^{𝑝}-spaces and applications
Authors: Giga Yoshikazu , Gries Mathis , Hieber Matthias , Hussein Amru , Kashiwabara Takahito
Published: February 2017

It is shown that the hydrostatic Stokes operator on

L

σ
¯

p

(
Ω
)

L^p_{\overline {\sigma }}(\Omega )

, where

Ω
⊂

R

3

\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^3

is a cylindrical domain subject to mixed periodic, Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions, admits a bounded

H
∞

H^\infty

-calculus on

L

σ
¯

p

(
Ω
)

L^p_{\overline {\sigma }}(\Omega )

for

p
∈
(
1
,
∞
)

p\in (1,\infty )

of

H
∞

H^\infty

-angle

0
0

. In particular, maximal

L
q

−

L
p

L^q-L^p

-regularity estimates for the linearized primitive equations are obtained.
Risk Factors for Ineffectiveness of Posterior Decompression and Dekyphotic Corrective Fusion with Instrumentation for Beak-Type Thoracic Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: A Single Institute Study
Authors: Imagama Shiro , Ando Kei , Ito Zenya , Kobayashi Kazuyoshi , Hida Tetsuro , Ito Kenyu , Tsushima Mikito , Ishikawa Yoshimoto , Matsumoto Akiyuki , Morozumi Masayoshi , Tanaka Satoshi , Machino Masaaki , Ota Kyotaro , Nakashima Hiroaki , Wakao Norimitsu , Nishida Yoshihiro , Matsuyama Yukihiro , Ishiguro Naoki
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: Thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL) is treated surgically with instrumented posterior decompression and fusion. However, the factors determining the outcome of this approach and the efficacy of additional resection of T-OPLL are unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To identify these factors in a prospective study at a single institution.

METHODS: The subjects were 70 consecutive patients with beak-type T-OPLL who underwent posterior decompression and dekyphotic fusion and had an average of 4.8 years of follow-up (minimum of 2 years). Of these patients, 4 (6%; group R) had no improvement or aggravation, were not ambulatory for 3 weeks postoperatively, and required additional T-OPLL resection; while 66 (group N) required no further T-OPLL resection. Clinical records, gait status, intraoperative ultrasonography, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM), plain radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score were compared between the groups.

RESULTS: Preoperatively, patients in group R had significantly higher rates of severe motor paralysis, nonambulatory status, positive prone and supine position test, no spinal cord floating in intraoperative ultrasonography, and deterioration of IONM at the end of surgery (P < .05). In preoperative radiography, the OPLL spinal cord kyphotic angle difference in fused area, OPLL length, and OPLL canal stenosis were significantly higher in group R (P < .05). At final follow-up, JOA scores improved similarly in both groups.

CONCLUSION: Preoperative severe motor paralysis, nonambulatory status, positive prone and supine position test, radiographic spinal cord compression due to beak-type T-OPLL, and intraoperative residual spinal cord compression and deterioration of IONM were associated with ineffectiveness of posterior decompression and fusion with instrumentation. Our 2-stage strategy may be appropriate for beak-type T-OPLL surgery.
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Flaviviridae
Authors: Simmonds Peter , Becher Paul , Bukh Jens , Gould Ernest A. , Meyers Gregor , Monath Tom , Muerhoff Scott , Pletnev Alexander , Rico-Hesse Rebecca , Smith Donald B. , Stapleton Jack T. ,   ICTV Report Consortium
Published: February 2017

The Flaviviridae is a family of small enveloped viruses with RNA genomes of 9000–13 000 bases. Most infect mammals and birds. Many flaviviruses are host-specific and pathogenic, such as hepatitis C virus in the genus Hepacivirus. The majority of known members in the genus Flavivirus are arthropod borne, and many are important human and veterinary pathogens (e.g. yellow fever virus, dengue virus). This is a summary of the current International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) report on the taxonomy of the Flaviviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/flaviviridae.