bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Osteoprotective effect of combination therapy of low-dose oestradiol with G15, a specific antagonist of GPR30/GPER in ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic rats
Authors: Kang Wen-Bo , Cong Yu , Ru Jiang-Ying , Ying Si-Qi , Zhu Ting , Wang Dong-Sheng , Liu Xiao-Wei , Liu Gang , Zhao Jian-Ning
Published: July 2015

Identified and cloned in 1996 for the first time, G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor (ER) 30 (GPR30/GPER) has been a hot spot in the field of sex hormone research till now. In the present study, we examined the effects of low-dose oestradiol (E2) combined with G15, a specific antagonist of GPR30 on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in rats. Female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats undergoing OVX were used to evaluate the osteoprotective effect of the drugs. Administration of E2 [35 μg/kg, intraperitoneally (ip), three times/week) combining G15 (160 μg/kg, ip, three times/week) for 6 weeks was found to have prevented OVX-induced effects, including increase in bone turnover rate, decrease in bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), damage of bone structure and the aggravation in biomechanical properties of bone. The therapeutic effect of these two drugs in combination was better than that of E2 alone. Meanwhile, the administration of G15 prevented body weight increase or endometrium proliferation in the rats. In conclusion, administration of low-dose E2 combining G15 had a satisfactory bone protective effect for OVX rats, without significant influence on body weight or the uterus. This combination therapy may be an effective supplement of drugs in prevention and treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Unbalanced input pair zero current detector for DC–DC buck converter
Authors: Kok C.L. , Siek L.
Published: July 2015

A hybrid control system is introduced which can simultaneously optimise dead time and reverse inductor current with both the proposed switched capacitor delay dead time controller and the unbalanced input pair zero current detector (UIP‐ZCD). Furthermore, the total silicon chip area of the hybrid control system occupies an area of 1.44 mm2. The estimated power efficiency is 95.8%, taking into account the losses due to wire bonding, package leads and PCB traces. The VIN_BUCK is 2.8–3.3 V, being regulated to a VOUT value of 1.8 V while driving 5–30 mA of load current. The proposed UIP‐ZCD is implemented in the buck converter which minimises the duration of reverse inductor current to be <1 ns.
Exploring consumer attitudes and public opinions on battery electric vehicles
Authors: Cheng Yao-Wen , Chen John , Lin Kevin
Published: July 2015

This paper presents the results of a survey conducted at the end of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) promotional project in Taipei. Consumer attitudes toward BEVs were evaluated and analyzed. Most people are positive about BEV application, indicating that the pilot project served its promotional and educational purposes. The respondents' purchase motivations and major expectations regarding the EVs were cross-examined with their level of satisfaction. Demographic characteristics, including gender, age, education, type of job, income, residential area, and car ownership status, were selected as influential factors. No significant difference was observed for the factors applied in this study, except that residential area may have influenced the degree of satisfaction. Younger consumers generally expressed less satisfaction; however, their willingness to purchase an EV was similar to that of consumers in general. Environmental and functional values were, respectively, ranked first and second for purchase motivation. Battery charging time and maintenance cost reduction were the first two major expectations in the decision to purchase an EV. Generally, consumers tended to accept a purchasing cost increase of 25%–50% higher than that of internal combustion vehicles. Central government, the industry, and consumers were considered to have the most critical roles in promoting the EV market, whereas economic conditions, technological advancements, and policy and regulations were the most needed breakthroughs. These results reveal that crucial technological breakthroughs and effective economic and political stimulations are required to initiate a successful social transition towards using BEVs.
Extension of the BMCSL equation of state for hard spheres to the metastable disordered region: Application to the SAFT approach
Authors: Paricaud P.
Published: July 2015

A simple modification of the Boublík-Mansoori-Carnahan-Starling-Leland equation of state is proposed for an application to the metastable disordered region. The new model has a positive pole at the jamming limit and can accurately describe the molecular simulation data of pure hard in the stable fluid region and along the metastable branch. The new model has also been applied to binary mixtures hard spheres, and an excellent description of the fluid and metastable branches can be obtained by adjusting the jamming packing fraction. The new model for hard sphere mixtures can be used as the repulsive term of equations of state for real fluids. In this case, the modified equations of state give very similar predictions of thermodynamic properties as the original models, and one can remove the multiple liquid density roots observed for some versions of the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT) at low temperature without any modification of the dispersion term.
High-lying electronic states of the rubidium dimer—Ab initio predictions and experimental observation of the 51Σu+ and 51Πu states of Rb2 by polarization labelling spectroscopy
Authors: Jastrzebski Wlodzimierz , Kowalczyk Pawel , Szczepkowski Jacek , Allouche Abdul-Rahman , Crozet Patrick , Ross Amanda J.
Published: July 2015

Two-colour polarization labelling experiments have been used to explore the excitation spectrum of the rubidium dimer in the region 25 500–27 000 cm−1, probing two mutually interacting states, identified from ab initio calculations as the 51Σu+ and 51Πu states whose atomic dissociation products are Rb(5s) + Rb(5d). Treating the rather irregular progressions observed in the excitation spectra as transitions to single states with (numerous) local perturbations, we propose spectroscopic parameters and potential energy curves to describe the investigated levels. Observations cover more than 20 vibrational levels in the inner minima of both the 51Πu and 51Σu+ states. Analysis was guided by ab initio calculations performed to describe the 1,3Λg,u electronic states of Rb2 up to the Rb(5s) + Rb(5f) atomic asymptote. The theoretical potential energy curves are given in ASCII format in an electronic supplement to this paper.
Neumann domination for the Yang-Mills heat equation
Authors: Charalambous Nelia , Gross Leonard
Published: July 2015

Long time existence and uniqueness of solutions to the Yang-Mills heat equation have been proven over a compact 3-manifold with boundary for initial data of finite energy. In the present paper, we improve on previous estimates by using a Neumann domination technique that allows us to get much better pointwise bounds on the magnetic field. As in the earlier work, we focus on Dirichlet, Neumann, and Marini boundary conditions. In addition, we show that the Wilson Loop functions, gauge invariantly regularized, converge as the parabolic time goes to infinity.
High Ion/Ioff and low subthreshold slope planar-type InGaAs tunnel field effect transistors with Zn-diffused source junctions
Authors: Noguchi Munetaka , Kim SangHyeon , Yokoyama Masafumi , Ichikawa Osamu , Osada Takenori , Hata Masahiko , Takenaka Mitsuru , Takagi Shinichi
Published: July 2015

We have demonstrated the operation of high on-off current ratio (Ion/Ioff) and low subthreshold slope planar-type InGaAs tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs) with Zn-diffused source junctions. The solid-phase Zn diffusion process has been shown to form defect-less p+/n source junctions with steep profiles because of the inherent nature of Zn diffusion into InGaAs, which has significantly improved the TFET performance. The devices presented in this paper have exhibited a record low subthreshold slope of 64 mV/dec for planar-type III-V TFETs and a large Ion/Ioff ratio of more than 106 at the same time.
Orthogonal polynomials, Laguerre Fock space, and quasi-classical asymptotics
Authors: Engliš Miroslav , Ali S. Twareque
Published: July 2015

Continuing our earlier investigation of the Hermite case [S. T. Ali and M. Engliš, J. Math. Phys. 55, 042102 (2014)], we study an unorthodox variant of the Berezin-Toeplitz quantization scheme associated with Laguerre polynomials. In particular, we describe a “Laguerre analogue” of the classical Fock (Segal-Bargmann) space and the relevant semi-classical asymptotics of its Toeplitz operators; the former actually turns out to coincide with the Hilbert space appearing in the construction of the well-known Barut-Girardello coherent states. Further extension to the case of Legendre polynomials is likewise discussed.
Transparency of graphene for low-energy electrons measured in a vacuum-triode setup
Authors: Hassink G. , Wanke R. , Rastegar I. , Braun W. , Stephanos C. , Herlinger P. , Smet J. H. , Mannhart J.
Published: July 2015

Graphene, being an atomically thin conducting sheet, is a candidate material for gate electrodes in vacuum electronic devices, as it may be traversed by low-energy electrons. The transparency of graphene to electrons with energies between 2 and 40 eV has been measured by using an optimized vacuum-triode setup. The measured graphene transparency equals ∼60% in most of this energy range. Based on these results, nano-patterned sheets of graphene or of related two-dimensional materials are proposed as gate electrodes for ambipolar vacuum devices.
Magnetization-free measurements of spin orientations in orthoferrites using terahertz time domain spectroscopy
Authors: Suemoto Tohru , Nakamura Keita , Kurihara Takayuki , Watanabe Hiroshi
Published: July 2015

The spin orientation during spin reorientation phase transition in a weak ferromagnetic orthoferrite DyxEr1−xFeO3 (x = 0.7) has been studied by using terahertz time domain spectroscopy under zero and weak external magnetic fields. The spin orientation angle was deduced from the ratio of the absorption intensity of quasi-ferromagnetic and quasi-antiferromagnetic modes, which appear around 0.25 and 0.4 THz, respectively. Between 11.4 and 17.9 K, this material showed a rotation-type reorientation transition rather than Morin-type transition. The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the orientation angle of the magnetic moment was found to follow a simple model assuming a linear temperature dependence of the anisotropy parameter. It has been also shown that this method is insensitive to the domain structure with opposite polarity and that it allows measurement without macroscopic magnetization.
Effects of strong electrostatic interaction on multi-dimensional instability of dust-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized strongly coupled dusty plasma
Authors: Shahmansouri M. , Mamun A. A.
Published: July 2015

The effects of strong electrostatic interaction among highly charged dust on multi-dimensional instability of dust-acoustic (DA) solitary waves in a magnetized strongly coupled dusty plasma by small-k perturbation expansion method have been investigated. We found that a Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation governs the evolution of obliquely propagating small amplitude DA solitary waves in such a strongly coupled dusty plasma. The parametric regimes for which the obliquely propagating DA solitary waves become unstable are identified. The basic properties, viz., amplitude, width, instability criterion, and growth rate, of these obliquely propagating DA solitary structures are found to be significantly modified by the effects of different physical strongly coupled dusty plasma parameters. The implications of our results in some space/astrophysical plasmas and some future laboratory experiments are briefly discussed.
Controlling the magnetic anisotropy of Ni cluster supported on graphene flakes with topological defects
Authors: Sahoo Sanjubala , Khanna Shiv N. , Entel Peter
Published: July 2015

Enhancing the magnetic anisotropy of transition metal (TM) clusters remains one of the primary objectives for applications of cluster assembled materials in high-density magnetic data storage devices. In this regard, graphene supports with topological disorder are considered as promising substrate materials for the TM clusters as defects can act as anchoring centers. Based on density functional theory for Ni clusters deposited on graphene nanoflakes, we show that magnetic anisotropy of Ni clusters can be tuned by specific topological defects in the graphene substrate. Systematic studies performed on pentagonal and heptagonal defects in graphene flakes show that Ni13 deposited on heptagonal defected graphene flake is a promising candidate with a large magnetic anisotropy energy of about ∼16 meV.
Evolutionary game dynamics of controlled and automatic decision-making
Authors: Toupo Danielle F. P. , Strogatz Steven H. , Cohen Jonathan D. , Rand David G.
Published: July 2015

We integrate dual-process theories of human cognition with evolutionary game theory to study the evolution of automatic and controlled decision-making processes. We introduce a model in which agents who make decisions using either automatic or controlled processing compete with each other for survival. Agents using automatic processing act quickly and so are more likely to acquire resources, but agents using controlled processing are better planners and so make more effective use of the resources they have. Using the replicator equation, we characterize the conditions under which automatic or controlled agents dominate, when coexistence is possible and when bistability occurs. We then extend the replicator equation to consider feedback between the state of the population and the environment. Under conditions in which having a greater proportion of controlled agents either enriches the environment or enhances the competitive advantage of automatic agents, we find that limit cycles can occur, leading to persistent oscillations in the population dynamics. Critically, however, these limit cycles only emerge when feedback occurs on a sufficiently long time scale. Our results shed light on the connection between evolution and human cognition and suggest necessary conditions for the rise and fall of rationality.
Boron doped Si rich oxide/SiO2 and silicon rich nitride/SiNx bilayers on molybdenum-fused silica substrates for vertically structured Si quantum dot solar cells
Authors: Lin Ziyun , Wu Lingfeng , Jia Xuguang , Zhang Tian , Puthen-Veettil Binesh , Yang Terry Chien-Jen , Conibeer Gavin , Perez-Wurfl Ivan
Published: July 2015

Vertically structured Si quantum dots (QDs) solar cells with molybdenum (Mo) interlayer on quartz substrates would overcome current crowding effects found in mesa-structured cells. This study investigates the compatibility between boron (B) doped Si QDs bilayers and Mo-fused silica substrate. Both Si/SiO2 and Si/SiNx based QDs bilayers were studied. The material compatibility under high temperature treatment was assessed by examining Si crystallinity, microstress, thin film adhesion, and Mo oxidation. It was observed that the presence of Mo interlayer enhanced the Si QDs size confinement, crystalline fraction, and QDs size uniformity. The use of B doping was preferred compared to phosphine (PH3) doping studied previously in terms of better surface and interface properties by reducing oxidized spots on the film. Though crack formation due to thermal mismatch after annealing remained, methods to overcome this problem were proposed in this paper. Schematic diagram to fabricate full vertical structured Si QDs solar cells was also suggested.
Band alignment at AlN/Si (111) and (001) interfaces
Authors: King Sean W. , Nemanich Robert J. , Davis Robert F.
Published: July 2015

To advance the development of III-V nitride on silicon heterostructure semiconductor devices, we have utilized in-situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the chemistry and valence band offset (VBO) at interfaces formed by gas source molecular beam epitaxy of AlN on Si (001) and (111) substrates. For the range of growth temperatures (600–1050 °C) and Al pre-exposures (1–15 min) explored, XPS showed the formation of Si-N bonding at the AlN/Si interface in all cases. The AlN/Si VBO was determined to be −3.5 ± 0.3 eV and independent of the Si orientation and degree of interfacial Si-N bond formation. The corresponding AlN/Si conduction band offset (CBO) was calculated to be 1.6 ± 0.3 eV based on the measured VBO and band gap for wurtzite AlN. Utilizing these results, prior reports for the GaN/AlN band alignment, and transitive and commutative rules for VBOs, the VBO and CBO at the GaN/Si interface were determined to be −2.7 ± 0.3 and −0.4 ± 0.3 eV, respectively.
Preferential orientation relationships in Ca2MnO4 Ruddlesden-Popper thin films
Authors: Lacotte M. , David A. , Rohrer G. S. , Salvador P. A. , Prellier W.
Published: July 2015

A high-throughput investigation of local epitaxy (called combinatorial substrate epitaxy) was carried out on Ca2MnO4 Ruddlesden-Popper thin films of six thicknesses (from 20 to 400 nm), all deposited on isostructural polycrystalline Sr2TiO4 substrates. Electron backscatter diffraction revealed grain-over-grain local epitaxial growth for all films, resulting in a single orientation relationship (OR) for each substrate-film grain pair. Two preferred epitaxial ORs accounted for more than 90% of all ORs on 300 different microcrystals, based on analyzing 50 grain pairs for each thickness. The unit cell over unit cell OR ([100][001]film ∥ [100][001]substrate, or OR1) accounted for approximately 30% of each film. The OR that accounted for 60% of each film ([100][001]film ∥ [100][010]substrate, or OR2) corresponds to a rotation from OR1 by 90° about the a-axis. OR2 is strongly favored for substrate orientations in the center of the stereographic triangle, and OR1 is observed for orientations very close to (001) or to those near the edge connecting (100) and (110). While OR1 should be lower in energy, the majority observation of OR2 implies kinetic hindrances decrease the frequency of OR1. Persistent grain over grain growth and the absence of variations of the OR frequencies with thickness implies that the growth competition is finished within the first few nm, and local epitaxy persists thereafter during growth.
Effect of frequency on microplasmas driven by microwave excitation
Authors: Levko Dmitry , Raja Laxminarayan L.
Published: July 2015

The effect of excitation frequency on the breakdown voltage of a microwave (mw) microdischarge and its steady-state plasma parameters is studied by the self-consistent one-dimensional Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo collisions model. It is found that for microdischarges in which the electron wall losses are significant, an increase in the mw frequency results in a decrease in the breakdown voltage. For conditions in which the electron wall losses become negligible, an increase in the frequency does not influence significantly the breakdown voltage. At the same time, for both regimes, the increase in the frequency results in an increase in the steady-state plasma density. The analysis of the steady-state plasma parameters have shown that the dominant electron heating mechanism is the Joule heating while the stochastic heating is negligible. Also, it is found that the electron energy distribution function consists of two electron groups, namely, slow and fast electrons. The presence of fast electrons in the plasma bulk indicates the non-local nature of microwave excited microdischarges.
Oxygen deficiency induced deterioration in microstructure and magnetic properties at Y3Fe5O12/Pt interface
Authors: Song Dongsheng , Ma Li , Zhou Shiming , Zhu Jing
Published: July 2015

Transport efficiency of pure spin current across the ferromagnetic films adjacent with a nonmagnetic metal is strongly dependent on the spin mixing conductance, which is very sensitive to atomic-level interface conditions. Here, by the means of advanced electron microscopy techniques, atomic structure, electronic structure, and magnetic properties at Y3Fe5O12 (YIG)/Pt interface are detailed characterized to correlate the microstructure and magnetic properties with interfacial transport properties. It is found that the order-disorder structure transformation at the interface is accompanied with oxygen deficiency, thus the reduced iron valence and the break of magnetic atom-O-magnetic atom bridges, which is responsible for superexchange interaction and magnetic order. It is also found that the magnetic moment of interfacial iron ions is decreased. The disorder interfacial layer with suppressed magnetism finally contributes to the declined spin transport efficiency. Our results provide the knowledge to control and manipulate the interfacial structure and properties in order to obtain higher spin transport efficiency.
An electrically injected AlGaN nanowire laser operating in the ultraviolet-C band
Authors: Zhao S. , Liu X. , Woo S. Y. , Kang J. , Botton G. A. , Mi Z.
Published: July 2015

We have investigated the molecular beam epitaxial growth and characterization of nearly defect-free AlGaN nanowire heterostructures grown directly on Si substrate. By exploiting the Anderson localization of light, we have demonstrated electrically injected AlGaN nanowire lasers that can operate at 262.1 nm. The threshold current density is 200 A/cm2 at 77 K. The relatively low threshold current is attributed to the high Q-factor of the random cavity and the three-dimensional quantum confinement offered by the atomic-scale composition modulation in self-organized AlGaN nanowires.
Correlation of electrical conductivity, dielectric properties, microwave absorption, and matrix properties of composites filled with graphene nanoplatelets and carbon nanotubes
Authors: Khurram A. A. , Rakha Sobia A. , Zhou Peiheng , Shafi M. , Munir Arshad
Published: July 2015

The DC electrical conductivity, percolation threshold, and dielectric properties of Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) filled epoxy composites are studied and correlated with microwave absorption. The properties of GNPs filled composites are also compared with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites, and GNPs are observed to have superior conductivity than MWCNTs. In all batches, the nanofillers have 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 wt. %. All composites irrespective of the type of nanofiller and viscosity of the matrix have shown electrical percolation threshold at 3.0 wt. %. The dielectric properties, i.e., complex permittivity, tan loss, and AC conductivity, are studied in 100 Hz–5.5 MHz. The DC and AC electrical conductivities (at and below the percolation) measured in 100 Hz–5.5 MHz are correlated to the GNPs and MWCNTs epoxy composites in the microwave frequency range (11–17 GHz). The maximum return loss of −12 dB and −6 dB was determined for MWCNTs and GNPs, respectively. The effects of nanofiller shape and the viscosity of the matrix on the dispersion and interparticle spacing of the conductive fillers within the polymer matrix have been discussed based on the results of conductivity, dielectric, and absorption properties.
Core structures of <001> {110} edge dislocations in BaTiO3
Authors: Li Yueliang , Xie Lin , Yu Rong , Zhou Huihua , Cheng Zhiying , Wang Xiaohui , Li Longtu , Zhu Jing
Published: July 2015

The core structures of two types of <001> {110} edge dislocations in BaTiO3 have been observed and investigated at the atomic scale by using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (AC-TEM). The edge dislocations are both dissociated into two collinear partial edge dislocations bounding a complex stacking fault (SF). While the partial dislocations have the same Burgers vector, 12[001], the dissociation planes are different for the two types of edge dislocations, with one at the BaO plane and the other at the TiO2 plane. The SF energy has been estimated by measuring the SF width.
Co2FeAl based magnetic tunnel junctions with BaO and MgO/BaO barriers
Authors: Rogge J. , Hetaba W. , Schmalhorst J. , Bouchikhaoui H. , Stender P. , Baither D. , Schmitz G. , Hütten A.
Published: July 2015

We succeed to integrate BaO as a tunneling barrier into Co2FeAl based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). By means of Auger electron spectroscopy it could be proven that the applied annealing temperatures during BaO deposition and afterwards do not cause any diffusion of Ba neither into the lower Heusler compound lead nor into the upper Fe counter electrode. Nevertheless, a negative tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio of -10% is found for Co2FeAl (24 nm) / BaO (5 nm) / Fe (7 nm) MTJs, which can be attributed to the preparation procedure and can be explained by the formation of Co- and Fe-oxides at the interfaces between the Heusler and the crystalline BaO barrier by comparing with theory. Although an amorphous structure of the BaO barrier seems to be confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it cannot entirely be ruled out that this is an artifact of TEM sample preparation due to the sensitivity of BaO to moisture. By replacing the BaO tunneling barrier with an MgO/BaO double layer barrier, the electric stability could effectively be increased by a factor of five. The resulting TMR effect is found to be about +20% at room temperature, although a fully antiparallel state has not been realized.
The circular polarization inversion in δ⟨Mn⟩/InGaAs/GaAs light-emitting diodes
Authors: Dorokhin M. V. , Danilov Yu. A. , Zvonkov B. N. , Gonzalez Balanta M. A. , Brasil M. J. S. P. , Iikawa F. , Mendes U. C. , Brum J. A. , Demina P. B. , Malysheva E. I. , Zdoroveyshchev A. V. , Kudrin A. V.
Published: July 2015

We investigated light-emitting diodes consisting of an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well adjacent to a ferromagnetic δ⟨Mn⟩-layer. The magnetic field-dependent circular polarization obtained from both photo- and electroluminescence shows an unusual sign inversion depending on the growth parameters that can be explained by an interplay of the Zeeman splitting and Mn-hole interaction effects. Our results can help to understand the origin and control of the spin polarization on Mn doped GaAs structures, a fundamental step for the development of Mn-based spintronic devices.
High performance organic ultraviolet photodetector with efficient electroluminescence realized by a thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter
Authors: Wang Xu , Zhou Dianli , Huang Jiang , Yu Junsheng
Published: July 2015

A high performance organic ultraviolet (UV) photodetector with efficient electroluminescence (EL) was obtained by using a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter of (4s,6s)-2,4,5,6-tetra(9H-carbazol-9-yl)isophthalonitrile (4CzIPN). An exciton adjusting layer (EAL) was delicately designed to construct an energy-level-aligned heterojunction with 4CzIPN. As a result, the bi-functional device exhibited a high detectivity of 1.4 × 1012 Jones under 350 nm UV light. Moreover, our device exhibited efficient EL emission utilizing the merit of reverse intersystem crossing process from triplet to singlet excitons of 4CzIPN, showing a maximum luminance, current efficiency, and power efficiency of 26370 cd/m2, 8.2 cd/A, and 4.9 lm/W, respectively. This work arouses widespread interest in constructing efficient bi-functional device based on TADF emitter and EAL structure.
Time-resolved detection of structural change in polyethylene films using mid-infrared laser pulses
Authors: Ageev Eduard , Mizobata Keisuke , Nakajima Takashi , Zen Heishun , Kii Toshiteru , Ohgaki Hideaki
Published: July 2015

Some of the vibrational modes of crystalline organic polymers are known to be sensitive to the structural change from the crystalline phase to the amorphous phase, and vice versa. Using a mid-infrared (mid-IR) pulse from a free-electron laser as a probe, we demonstrate the time-resolved detection of structural change in crystalline polymer (polyethylene) films upon laser heating by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Transmittance of the resonant mid-IR pulse almost instantaneously changes before and after the Nd:YAG laser pulse if its fluence is sufficient to induce the structural change in the film. The developed technique would be useful to study the time-dependent dynamics of the structural change in various materials.
Polarization sensitive anisotropic structuring of silicon by ultrashort light pulses
Authors: Zhang Jingyu , Drevinskas Rokas , Beresna Martynas , Kazansky Peter G.
Published: July 2015

Imprinting of anisotropic structures on the silicon surface by double pulse femtosecond laser irradiation is demonstrated. The origin of the polarization-induced anisotropy is explained in terms of interaction of linearly polarized second pulse with the wavelength-sized symmetric crater-shaped structure generated by the linearly polarized first pulse. A wavefront sensor is fabricated by imprinting an array of micro-craters. Polarization controlled anisotropy of the structures can be also explored for data storage applications.
Photocatalysis with TiO2 Applied to Organic Synthesis
Authors: Hoffmann Norbert
Published: July 2015

Titanium dioxide is a versatile heterogeneous catalyst. Absorption of light by a TiO2 particle leads to the formation of an electron–hole pair. Electron transfer from or to the particle induces redox reactions. Although mainly applied in the context of environmental chemistry, these processes are also used to selectively transform organic compounds. Oxidations and reductions have been carried out. Applications to the synthesis of heterocycles have been reported. Many C–C bond formation reactions have been performed. Owing to adsorption of the substrates or by different surface modifications, visible light can be used to excite the catalytic system, which generates mild reaction conditions.
Corrigendum to: All good things come in threes – species delimitation through shape analysis of saccular, lagenar and utricular otoliths
Authors: Schulz-Mirbach Tanja , Plath Martin
Published: July 2015

Otoliths are calcium carbonate biomineralisates in the inner ear of teleost fishes. Otoliths of the saccule (sagittae) are known to show species-specific (or even population-specific) contour differences and, thus, are regularly used in fisheries management for stock identification. However, the other two otolith types from the utricle (lapilli) and lagena (asterisci) are typically neglected in studies of this kind, such that little information is available regarding potential species-specific contour differences. Using four species of livebearing fishes of the genus Poecilia (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae), we compared contour outlines of all three otolith types by applying Fourier shape analysis and tested for species delimitation success of the different otolith types alone, and all three otoliths combined. Our results indicated that also lapilli and especially asterisci convey species-specific information, and the classification success of discriminant function analyses was highest when combining shape information from all three otolith types. We propose that future studies on species delimitation or stock identification may benefit from considering all three otolith types together.
Measurements relating fire radiative energy density and surface fuel consumption – RxCADRE 2011 and 2012
Authors: Hudak Andrew T. , Dickinson Matthew B. , Bright Benjamin C. , Kremens Robert L. , Loudermilk E. Louise , O'Brien Joseph J. , Hornsby Benjamin S. , Ottmar Roger D.
Published: July 2015

Small-scale experiments have demonstrated that fire radiative energy is linearly related to fuel combusted but such a relationship has not been shown at the landscape level of prescribed fires. This paper presents field and remotely sensed measures of pre-fire fuel loads, consumption, fire radiative energy density (FRED) and fire radiative power flux density (FRFD), from which FRED is integrated, across forested and non-forested RxCADRE 2011 and 2012 burn blocks. Airborne longwave infrared (LWIR) image time series were calibrated to FRFD and integrated to provide FRED. Surface fuel loads measured in clip sample plots were predicted across burn blocks from airborne lidar-derived metrics. Maps of surface fuels and FRED were corrected for occlusion of the radiometric signal by the overstorey canopy in the forested blocks, and FRED maps were further corrected for temporal and spatial undersampling of FRFD. Fuel consumption predicted from FRED derived from both airborne LWIR imagery and various ground validation sensors approached a linear relationship with observed fuel consumption, which matched our expectation. These field, airborne lidar and LWIR image datasets, both before and after calibrations and corrections have been applied, will be made publicly available from a permanent archive for further analysis and to facilitate fire modelling.
Wiring cost and topological participation of the mouse brain connectome
Authors: Rubinov Mikail , Ypma Rolf J. F. , Watson Charles , Bullmore Edward T.
Published: July 2015

Significance

We analyzed a large dataset of tract tracing experiments to investigate the topological and spatial properties of the mouse brain connectome. We found expensive, topologically integrative hub nodes, which could not be explained by global minimization of wiring cost alone. These “high-participation” hubs mediated communication between functionally specialized and anatomically localized network modules and were associated with high expression of genes involved in cognitive and behavioral processes. We propose that the mouse brain network is selected by simultaneous competitive pressures for wiring-cost minimization and hub-mediated information exchange between network modules. High-participation hubs are expensive but central to global integration of information and, thus, essential for adaptive “higher order” brain functions.
Rational design of antibodies targeting specific epitopes within intrinsically disordered proteins
Authors: Sormanni Pietro , Aprile Francesco A. , Vendruscolo Michele
Published: July 2015

Significance

Although antibodies can normally be obtained against a wide variety of antigens, there are still hard targets, including weakly immunogenic epitopes, which are not readily amenable to existing production techniques. In addition, such techniques can be relatively time-consuming and costly, especially if the screening for a specific epitope is required. In this work we describe a rational design method that enables one to obtain antibodies targeting any specific epitope within a disordered protein or disordered region. We show that this method can be used to target three disordered proteins and peptides associated with neurodegenerative and systemic misfolding diseases.
Mechanics of torque generation in the bacterial flagellar motor
Authors: Mandadapu Kranthi K. , Nirody Jasmine A. , Berry Richard M. , Oster George
Published: July 2015

Significance

Locomotion in many bacterial species is driven by the rotation of one or more long flagellar filaments, each powered by a bacterial flagellar motor (BFM) at its base. The BFM, then, plays a central role in processes such as chemotaxis, bacterial pathogenicity, and biofilm formation. Using information from structural and biophysical experiments on the BFM, we construct a testable model for the mechanism of torque generation. Our model is, to our knowledge, the first to propose and test a specific physical mechanism for this process, and it provides a mechanical explanation for several fundamental properties of the BFM. In addition to fitting current experimental results, model predictions suggest further experiments to shed light on various aspects of motor function.
Microbiota regulates type 1 diabetes through Toll-like receptors
Authors: Burrows Michael P. , Volchkov Pavel , Kobayashi Koichi S. , Chervonsky Alexander V.
Published: July 2015

Significance

Commensal microbes affect autoimmunity, but it is not clear how. Type 1 diabetes is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder, and it too can be influenced by commensal microbiota. However, the complexity of the microbiota makes it difficult to connect specific microbes with disease progression or prevention. Studies of signaling pathways that microbes stimulate may shed light on disease pathogenesis and provide tools to interfere with it. We found that different Toll-like receptors can induce both pro- and antidiabetogenic signals. Both signals are triggered by commensal microbes, but the former signals control the microbiota, whereas the latter induce tolerance to self-antigens. Identification of signaling pathways that link commensal microbes with autoimmunity shortens the path to intervention with autoimmunity.
GRIP1 is required for homeostatic regulation of AMPAR trafficking
Authors: Tan Han L. , Queenan Bridget N. , Huganir Richard L.
Published: July 2015

Significance

Homeostatic plasticity constrains neuronal networks, allowing the brain to maintain a dynamic equilibrium. Loss of homeostatic plasticity disrupts normal brain function and has been implicated in autism spectrum disorder. Much of homeostatic regulation centers on synapses. In particular, excitatory AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) are moved in and out of synapses to recalibrate neuronal activity. AMPARs can be inserted at the surface to compensate for inactivity or removed to compensate for hyperactivity. We found that GRIP1, an AMPAR-binding protein implicated in autism, regulates the homeostatic shuttling of AMPARs between cytoplasmic and synaptic pools. Restoring GRIP1 regulation may therefore prove therapeutically useful in autism.
Skin-resident memory CD4+ T cells enhance protection against Leishmania major infection
Authors: Glennie Nelson D. , Yeramilli Venkata A. , Beiting Daniel P. , Volk Susan W. , Weaver Casey T. , Scott Phillip
Published: July 2015

Leishmaniasis causes a significant disease burden worldwide. Although Leishmania-infected patients become refractory to reinfection after disease resolution, effective immune protection has not yet been achieved by human vaccines. Although circulating Leishmania-specific T cells are known to play a critical role in immunity, the role of memory T cells present in peripheral tissues has not been explored. Here, we identify a population of skin-resident Leishmania-specific memory CD4+ T cells. These cells produce IFN-γ and remain resident in the skin when transplanted by skin graft onto naive mice. They function to recruit circulating T cells to the skin in a CXCR3-dependent manner, resulting in better control of the parasites. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that CD4+ TRM cells form in response to a parasitic infection, and indicate that optimal protective immunity to Leishmania, and thus the success of a vaccine, may depend on generating both circulating and skin-resident memory T cells.
Effective divisors on the Hilbert scheme of points in the plane and interpolation for stable bundles
Authors: Huizenga Jack
Published: July 2015

We compute the cone of effective divisors on the Hilbert scheme of

n
n

points in the projective plane. We show that the sections of many stable vector bundles satisfy a natural interpolation condition and that these bundles always give rise to the edge of the effective cone of the Hilbert scheme. To do this, we give a generalization of Gaeta’s theorem on the resolution of the ideal sheaf of a general collection of

n
n

points in the plane. This resolution has a natural interpretation in terms of Bridgeland stability, and we observe that ideal sheaves of collections of points are destabilized by exceptional bundles. By studying the Bridgeland stability of exceptional bundles, we also show that our computation of the effective cone of the Hilbert scheme is consistent with a conjecture in a 2013 work by Arcara, Bertram, Coskun and the author which predicts a correspondence between Mori and Bridgeland walls for the Hilbert scheme.
Novel 10-kHz High-frequency Therapy (HF10 Therapy) Is Superior to Traditional Low-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Back and Leg Pain
Authors: Kapural Leonardo , Yu Cong , Doust Matthew W. , Gliner Bradford E. , Vallejo Ricardo , Sitzman B. Todd , Amirdelfan Kasra , Morgan Donna M. , Brown Lora L. , Yearwood Thomas L. , Bundschu Richard , Burton Allen W. , Yang Thomas , Benyamin Ramsin , Burgher Abram H.
Published: July 2015

AbstractAbstract

This randomized trial involving 198 participants demonstrated that high-frequency spinal cord stimulation was superior to conventional spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of back pain and leg pain. The effects of high-frequency stimulation relative to conventional stimulation persisted for 12 months.

Background:

Current treatments for chronic pain have limited effectiveness and commonly known side effects. Given the prevalence and burden of intractable pain, additional therapeutic approaches are desired. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) delivered at 10 kHz (as in HF10 therapy) may provide pain relief without the paresthesias typical of traditional low-frequency SCS. The objective of this randomized, parallel-arm, noninferiority study was to compare long-term safety and efficacy of SCS therapies in patients with back and leg pain.

Methods:

A total of 198 subjects with both back and leg pain were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a treatment group across 10 comprehensive pain treatment centers. Of these, 171 passed a temporary trial and were implanted with an SCS system. Responders (the primary outcome) were defined as having 50% or greater back pain reduction with no stimulation-related neurological deficit.

Results:

At 3 months, 84.5% of implanted HF10 therapy subjects were responders for back pain and 83.1% for leg pain, and 43.8% of traditional SCS subjects were responders for back pain and 55.5% for leg pain (P < 0.001 for both back and leg pain comparisons). The relative ratio for responders was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.4 to 2.5) for back pain and 1.5 (95% CI, 1.2 to 1.9) for leg pain. The superiority of HF10 therapy over traditional SCS for leg and back pain was sustained through 12 months (P < 0.001). HF10 therapy subjects did not experience paresthesias.

Conclusion:

HF10 therapy promises to substantially impact the management of back and leg pain with broad applicability to patients, physicians, and payers.
Epidemiology and Outcomes of Kocuria Keratitis
Authors: Pedro-Aguilar Lucero , Ramirez-Miranda Arturo , Bautista-de Lucio Victor M. , Navas Alejandro , Ortiz-Casas Mariana , Graue-Hernandez Enrique O.
Published: July 2015

Objective:

To determine the characteristics of infectious keratitis caused by Kocuria spp.

Methods:

Retrospective case series. Information included demographic data, medical history, risk factors associated with infectious keratitis, clinical characteristics, microbiological results and drug sensitivity, clinical course, management, and visual outcomes.

Results:

Eight patients were included (7 females and 1 male; mean age, 66.2 years; age range, 42–84 years). All patients presented risk factors for infectious complications, such as filamentous keratitis, dry eye, blepharitis, and persistent corneal edema. In all cases, ulcers were classified as severe. The infection resolved with medical treatment in one eye only. One case was treated with amniotic membrane graft. Two patients required keratoplasty (lamellar and penetrating), and one case needed sclerokeratoplasty. In three cases, the keratitis was severe enough to require evisceration. The final visual acuity ranged from 20/25 to no light perception.

Conclusions:

Bacterial keratitis by Kocuria spp. is a rare infection that may have an unexpected clinical course and possible serious outcomes. This pathogen should be considered in patients with unusual clinical course. Local or systemic immune compromise in the genesis of the disease must also be taken into account, and ophthalmologists should be more suspicious in this vulnerable group of patients.
The effects of precipitation, river discharge, land use and coastal circulation on water quality in coastal Maine
Authors: Tilburg Charles E. , Jordan Linda M. , Carlson Amy E. , Zeeman Stephan I. , Yund Philip O.
Published: July 2015

Faecal pollution in stormwater, wastewater and direct run-off can carry zoonotic pathogens to streams, rivers and the ocean, reduce water quality, and affect both recreational and commercial fishing areas of the coastal ocean. Typically, the closure of beaches and commercial fishing areas is governed by the testing for the presence of faecal bacteria, which requires an 18–24 h period for sample incubation. As water quality can change during this testing period, the need for accurate and timely predictions of coastal water quality has become acute. In this study, we: (i) examine the relationship between water quality, precipitation and river discharge at several locations within the Gulf of Maine, and (ii) use multiple linear regression models based on readily obtainable hydrometeorological measurements to predict water quality events at five coastal locations. Analysis of a 12 year dataset revealed that high river discharge and/or precipitation events can lead to reduced water quality; however, the use of only these two parameters to predict water quality can result in a number of errors. Analysis of a higher frequency, 2 year study using multiple linear regression models revealed that precipitation, salinity, river discharge, winds, seasonality and coastal circulation correlate with variations in water quality. Although there has been extensive development of regression models for freshwater, this is one of the first attempts to create a mechanistic model to predict water quality in coastal marine waters. Model performance is similar to that of efforts in other regions, which have incorporated models into water resource managers' decisions, indicating that the use of a mechanistic model in coastal Maine is feasible.
Vector Riemann–Hilbert problem with almost periodic and meromorphic coefficients and applications
Authors: Antipov Y. A.
Published: July 2015

The vector Riemann–Hilbert problem is analysed when the entries of its matrix coefficient are meromorphic and almost periodic functions. Three cases for the meromorphic functions, when they have (i) a finite number of poles and zeros (rational functions), (ii) periodic poles and zeros, and (iii) an infinite number of non-periodic zeros and poles, are considered. The first case is illustrated by the heat equation for a composite rod with a finite number of discontinuities and a system of convolution equations; both problems are solved explicitly. In the second case, a Wiener–Hopf factorization is found in terms of the hypergeometric functions, and the exact solution of a mixed boundary value problem for the Laplace equation in a wedge is derived. In the last case, the Riemann–Hilbert problem reduces to an infinite system of linear algebraic equations with the exponential rate of convergence. As an example, the Neumann boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation in a strip with a slit is analysed.