bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Administration of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) and Chronic Otitis Media Outcome Test-15 (COMOT-15) in Kannada
Authors: Prabhu Prashanth , Chandrashekar Anusha , Jose Anita , Ganeshan Aishwarya , Kiruthika Lavanya
Published: June 2017

Introduction It is essential to determine the quality of life among individuals with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). However, there is limited literature on health-related quality of life measurements in Kannada-speaking individuals with CSOM.

Objectives The present study attempted to translate and validate Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) and Chronic Otitis Media Outcome Test-15 (COMOT-15) in Kannada.

Method The English questionnaires were translated and back-translated, and they were later verified for content validity. The developed questionnaires were then administered to 100 individuals with CSOM for further validation.

Results The results of the study showed that the translated questionnaires have good internal consistency for measuring quality of life among individuals with CSOM. The study also showed that Kannada-speaking individuals with CSOM show significant impairment in their health-related quality of life measures.

Conclusions The impairments were more related to ear symptoms and psychological issues. However, test-retest reliability of the developed questionnaire and its further validation are essential. Thus, these questionnaires attempt to understand the problems of the individuals with CSOM from the patients' perspective and help clinicians provide the appropriate management.
Ultrasonographic Change in Uterocervical Angle is not a Risk Factor for Preterm Birth in Women with a Short Cervix
Authors: Szlachetka Kam , Seligman Neil , Lynch Tara
Published: June 2017

Objective To determine if change in uterocervical angle (UCA) is associated with an increased rate of preterm birth (less than 37 weeks) for women with a short cervix.

Study Design A retrospective study was performed from January 2013 to March 2016 of singleton pregnancies undergoing universal cervical length screening. The difference between the UCA for the first cervical length ≤ 2.5 cm and last recorded cervical length < 25 weeks was defined as the change in UCA. The primary outcome was the rate of preterm birth at < 37 weeks of gestation.

Results A total of 176 women met the inclusion criteria. There was no difference in the rate of preterm birth at < 34 weeks (23.3 vs. 16.7%, p = 0.27) or at < 37 weeks (34.9 vs. 37.8%, p = 0.69) based on a change in UCA (i.e., decreased/no change or increased UCA). However, women with a final UCA ≥105 degrees had an increased risk of preterm birth at less than 34 weeks (24.2 vs. 6.8%, p = 0.01).

Conclusion A change in UCA was not associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Instead, a final absolute UCA ≥ 105 degrees measured < 25 weeks was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth at < 34 weeks of gestation for women with a short cervix ≤ 2.5 cm.
Contribution of Simultaneous Breast Reconstruction by Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator Flap to the Efficacy of Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer in Patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema
Authors: Tokumoto Hideki , Yamaji Yoshihisa , Sasahara Yoshitaro , Kubota Yoshitaka , Kubo Maiko , Kuriyama Motone , Mitsukawa Nobuyuki , Akita Shinsuke
Published: June 2017

Background The contribution of simultaneous breast reconstruction by deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap to the efficacy of vascularized groin lymph node transfer (LNT) for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) was investigated.

Methods Patients were divided into two groups: the first group underwent groin LNT + DIEP flap surgery for simultaneous breast reconstruction (groin LNT + DIEP flap group) and the second group underwent groin LNT only (groin flap alone group). Patients with BCRL were evaluated based on indocyanine green lymphography findings. LNT was indicated only in advanced-stage BCRL cases, and groin nodes nourished by superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) were used as donors. The side for the vascular pedicle(s) was decided based on our algorithm. In patients with pendulous breast, the flap was vertically transferred on the chest. Lymphatic function was assessed after LNT using imaging tests, and transferred lymph nodes were evaluated using ultrasonography.

Results In this study, 27 patients with advanced-stage BCRL underwent LNT. Of them, 13 belonged to the groin LNT + DIEP flap group and 14 belonged to the groin flap alone group. Although reduction volume was not significantly different between the groups, the number of patients in whom lymphatic function was improved and the need for compression therapy could be reduced was significantly higher in the groin LNT + DIEP flap group than in the groin flap alone group.

Conclusion When a patient with advanced-stage BCRL undergoes LNT based on SCIA, simultaneous breast reconstruction using DIEP flap may reduce the need for compression therapy.
Epidemiology and Estimated Cost of Surgery for Chronic Subdural Hematoma Conducted by the Unified Health System in Brazil (2008–2016)
Authors: Magalhães Marcelo José da Silva de , Araújo Jéssica Pimenta , Paulino Ana Luísa Aguiar Simões Alves , Batista Bárbara Helen Mendes , Freitas Danielle Gonçalves de , Santos Jéssica Daiane da Cruz , Andrade Natália Lopes de Paula
Published: June 2017

Introduction Chronic subdural hematoma (CSH) is one of the most frequent forms of intracranial hemorrhage. It is a collection of encapsulated, well-delimited fluid and/or coagulated blood in several clotting stages located between the dura mater and the arachnoid mater.

Objective To describe the epidemiological aspects of CSH described in the database of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, in the Portuguese acronym) regarding admission numbers, hospitalization expenses, health care professional expenses, mortality rate, and death numbers by region from 2008 to the first half of 2016.

Methods The present work was performed between August and September 2016 with a review about the epidemiological aspects of CSH in Brazil according to the Informatics Department of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) database, encompassing the period from January 2008 to June 2016, and to scientific papers from the past 10 years which were electronically published at the PubMed, Scielo, and LILACS databases.

Results From 2008 to the first half of 2016, the total values were the following: hospital admission authorizations (HAAs). 33,878; hospital expenses, BRL 65,909,429.22; health care professional expenses, BRL 25,158,683.21; deaths, 2,758; and mortality rates ranging from 6.47 to 12.63%.

Conclusion In spite of the high clinical relevance of CSH, epidemiological studies about this condition are limited. As such, the present paper is an updated approach on CSH, focusing on its epidemiological aspects according to the DATASUS database.
Closed Reduction Conversion of a Dual Mobility Dislocation to an Intraprosthetic Dislocation
Authors: Higuera Carlos , Bloomfield Michael , Mesko Daniel
Published: June 2017

Building on a paucity of prior reported cases, we report on a patient with an off-label dual mobility liner, who sustained a dislocation. Following closed reduction in the emergency room, catching/grinding was felt, and imaging confirmed an intraprosthetic dislocation (IPD). This required revision hip arthroplasty. Dual mobility dislocations have the unique risk of conversion to IPDs during closed reduction attempts. There should be a low threshold to perform closed reductions in the operating room (OR) setting by an orthopaedic surgeon under full relaxation/sedation to optimize success and reduce the risk of creating an IPD.
Thermophysical properties of krypton-helium gas mixtures from ab initio pair potentials
Authors: Jäger Benjamin , Bich Eckard
Published: June 2017

A new potential energy curve for the krypton-helium atom pair was developed using supermolecular ab initio computations for 34 interatomic distances. Values for the interaction energies at the complete basis set limit were obtained from calculations with the coupled-cluster method with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations and correlation consistent basis sets up to sextuple-zeta quality augmented with mid-bond functions. Higher-order coupled-cluster excitations up to the full quadruple level were accounted for in a scheme of successive correction terms. Core-core and core-valence correlation effects were included. Relativistic corrections were considered not only at the scalar relativistic level but also using full four-component Dirac–Coulomb and Dirac–Coulomb–Gaunt calculations. The fitted analytical pair potential function is characterized by a well depth of 31.42 K with an estimated standard uncertainty of 0.08 K. Statistical thermodynamics was applied to compute the krypton-helium cross second virial coefficients. The results show a very good agreement with the best experimental data. Kinetic theory calculations based on classical and quantum-mechanical approaches for the underlying collision dynamics were utilized to compute the transport properties of krypton-helium mixtures in the dilute-gas limit for a large temperature range. The results were analyzed with respect to the orders of approximation of kinetic theory and compared with experimental data. Especially the data for the binary diffusion coefficient confirm the predictive quality of the new potential. Furthermore, inconsistencies between two empirical pair potential functions for the krypton-helium system from the literature could be resolved.
Self-consistent field theory of polyelectrolyte brushes with finite chain extensibility
Authors: Lebedeva Inna O. , Zhulina Ekaterina B. , Borisov Oleg V.
Published: June 2017

Polyelectrolyte brushes are formed by charged macromolecules tethered by the end segment to a solid-liquid interface. At low ionic strength of the solution, the intermolecular electrostatic interactions lead to strong stretching of the macromolecules that may, as a result, approach the limit of their extensibility (the contour length). Here, we present an analytical theory of polyelectrolyte brushes developed within the Poisson-Boltzmann approximation which explicitly accounts for finite extensibility of the brush-forming chains. In contrast to earlier theories based on the approximation of Gaussian elasticity of the brush-forming chains, the current approach enables avoiding artificial result of stretching of the chains beyond the contour length at high degrees of ionization or/and large grafting densities.
A computational study of vertical tunneling transistors based on graphene-WS2 heterostructure
Authors: Horri A. , Faez R. , Pourfath M. , Darvish G.
Published: June 2017

In this paper, for the first time, we present a computational study on electrical characteristics of field effect tunneling transistors based on a vertical graphene-WS2 heterostructure and vertical graphene nanoribbon (GNR)-WS2 heterostructure (VTGNRFET). Our model uses the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism along with an atomistic tight binding (TB) method. The TB parameters are extracted by fitting the bandstructure to first principles results. We show that, due to the advantage of switching between tunneling and thermionic transport regimes, an improvement can be achieved in the electrical characteristics of the device. We find that the increase of the number of WS2 layers enhances the on/off conductance ratio but degrades the intrinsic gate-delay time. The results indicate that the on/off conductance ratio of VTGNRFET increases with decreasing the GNR width.
Wetting and electrowetting on corrugated substrates
Authors: Wang Zhanlong , Zhao Ya-Pu
Published: June 2017

Wetting and electrowetting (EW) on corrugated substrates are studied experimentally and theoretically in this paper. On corrugated substrates, because of the anisotropy of surface morphology, the droplet shows an elliptical shape and the spreading velocities in different directions are different. Spreading of a droplet is usually controlled not only by the surface tensions but also by hemi-wicking. Our experimental results indicated that liquids along the grooves propagate much faster than those in the direction vertical to the grooves. However, spreading in both directions obeys the same scaling law of l∼t4∕5. EW on corrugated substrates reveals some differences with that on smooth surfaces. The change of contact angles with an applied voltage follows a linear relationship in two stages instead of the smooth curve on flat surfaces. There exists a critical voltage which divides the two stages. The transition of a droplet from the Cassie state to the Wenzel state on corrugated substrates was also discussed. The extended EW equation was derived with the free energy minimization approach, and the anisotropic factor was introduced. From the extended equation, it is found that EW is affected by the anisotropic factor significantly. For the smooth surfaces, the extended EW equation will degenerate to the classical Lippmann-Young equation. Our research may help us to understand the wetting and EW of droplets on corrugated substrates and assist in their design for practical applications.
A-VCI: A flexible method to efficiently compute vibrational spectra
Authors: Odunlami Marc , Le Bris Vincent , Bégué Didier , Baraille Isabelle , Coulaud Olivier
Published: June 2017

The adaptive vibrational configuration interaction algorithm has been introduced as a new method to efficiently reduce the dimension of the set of basis functions used in a vibrational configuration interaction process. It is based on the construction of nested bases for the discretization of the Hamiltonian operator according to a theoretical criterion that ensures the convergence of the method. In the present work, the Hamiltonian is written as a sum of products of operators. The purpose of this paper is to study the properties and outline the performance details of the main steps of the algorithm. New parameters have been incorporated to increase flexibility, and their influence has been thoroughly investigated. The robustness and reliability of the method are demonstrated for the computation of the vibrational spectrum up to 3000 cm−1 of a widely studied 6-atom molecule (acetonitrile). Our results are compared to the most accurate up to date computation; we also give a new reference calculation for future work on this system. The algorithm has also been applied to a more challenging 7-atom molecule (ethylene oxide). The computed spectrum up to 3200 cm−1 is the most accurate computation that exists today on such systems.
Origin of switching current transients in TIPS-pentacene based organic thin-film transistor with polymer dielectric
Authors: Singh Subhash , Mohapatra Y. N.
Published: June 2017

We have investigated switch-on drain-source current transients in fully solution-processed thin film transistors based on 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) using cross-linked poly-4-vinylphenol as a dielectric. We show that the nature of the transient (increasing or decreasing) depends on both the temperature and the amplitude of the switching pulse at the gate. The isothermal transients are analyzed spectroscopically in a time domain to extract the degree of non-exponentiality and its possible origin in trap kinetics. We propose a phenomenological model in which the exchange of electrons between interfacial ions and traps controls the nature of the drain current transients dictated by the Fermi level position. The origin of interfacial ions is attributed to the essential fabrication step of UV-ozone treatment of the dielectric prior to semiconductor deposition.
Generalized Lie symmetry approach for fractional order systems of differential equations. III
Authors: Singla Komal , Gupta R. K.
Published: June 2017

The generalized Lie symmetry technique is proposed for the derivation of point symmetries for systems of fractional differential equations with an arbitrary number of independent as well as dependent variables. The efficiency of the method is illustrated by its application to three higher dimensional nonlinear systems of fractional order partial differential equations consisting of the (2 + 1)-dimensional asymmetric Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov system, (3 + 1)-dimensional Burgers system, and (3 + 1)-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. With the help of derived Lie point symmetries, the corresponding invariant solutions transform each of the considered systems into a system of lower-dimensional fractional partial differential equations.
Lifespan of smooth solutions for timelike extremal surface equation in de Sitter spacetime
Authors: Kong De-Xing , Wei Chang-Hua
Published: June 2017

In this paper, we study the generalized timelike extremal surface equation in the de Sitter spacetime, which plays an important role in both mathematics and physics. Under the assumption of small initial data with compact support, we investigate the lower bound of lifespan of smooth solutions by weighted energy estimates.
Generalized Laguerre polynomials with position-dependent effective mass visualized via Wigner’s distribution functions
Authors: Cherroud Othmane , Yahiaoui Sid-Ahmed , Bentaiba Mustapha
Published: June 2017

We construct, analytically and numerically, the Wigner distribution functions for the exact solutions of the position-dependent effective mass Schrödinger equation for two cases belonging to the generalized Laguerre polynomials. Using a suitable quantum canonical transformation, expectation values of position and momentum operators are obtained analytically in order to verify the universality of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.
Growth, structural, and magnetic properties of single-crystal full-Heusler Co2TiGe thin films
Authors: Logan J. A. , Brown-Heft T. L. , Harrington S. D. , Wilson N. S. , McFadden A. P. , Rice A. D. , Pendharkar M. , Palmstrøm C. J.
Published: June 2017

This work presents the growth, structural characterization, and measurement of magnetic properties of Co2TiGe thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on insulating MgO (001) substrates and conductive lattice matched InAlAs/InGaAs/InAlAs epitaxial layers grown on n-InP (001) substrates. A GdAs diffusion barrier was used to minimize interfacial reactions during Co2TiGe growth on InAlAs. The surface morphology, structural quality, and magnetic behavior were examined by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. The results reveal high quality Co2TiGe thin films with a saturation magnetization of ∼1.8 μB/formula unit and a Curie temperature of ∼375 K. The magnetic easy axis was found to lie in the [110] direction but magnetometry also reveals that there is only a small difference in energy between the [110] and [010] magnetization directions.
Dirac oscillator and minimal length
Authors: Valtancoli P.
Published: June 2017

We show how to solve the Dirac oscillator with a minimal length by using previous results on the harmonic oscillator in the Snyder algebra.
Band offsets of Ag2ZnSnSe4/CdS heterojunction: An experimental and first-principles study
Authors: Jia Jinhuan , Li Yongfeng , Yao Bin , Ding Zhanhui , Deng Rui , Jiang Yuhong , Sui Yingrui
Published: June 2017

Band offsets at the interface of the Ag2ZnSnSe4 (AZTSe)/CdS heterojunction were systematically investigated by combining experiments and first-principles calculations. For the AZTSe/CdS interface, a higher conduction-band minimum (CBM) of the CdS than that of the AZTSe was found and the conduction-band offset of 0.31 eV was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Theoretically, we constructed the AZTSe/CdS interface and calculated the band alignments. Two different configurations were adopted in the calculations: the AZTSe/CdS superlattice and the AZTSe/CdS heterojunction with a vacuum layer. The calculated results indicate that CdS has a higher CBM than AZTSe at the AZTSe/CdS interface, well supporting the experimental results. Our results suggest that the AZTSe/CdS heterojunction has an ideal band structure for photovoltaic applications.
Group V adsorbate structures on vicinal Ge(001) surfaces determined from the optical spectrum
Authors: Banerjee S. , Patterson C. H. , McGilp J. F.
Published: June 2017

Vicinal Ge(001) is the standard substrate for the fabrication of high-performance solar cells by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy, where growth of the III-V material on single domain Ge surfaces, with a single dimer orientation, minimizes the formation of anti-phase domain defects. Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy has proved to be a powerful and sensitive optical probe of such anisotropic surface structures, but moving beyond fingerprinting to atomic structure determination from the optical spectra has been held back by the high computational cost. It is shown that an empirical, local-orbital-based hybrid density functional theory approach produces very good agreement between the theory and the experiment for (2 × 1)-As and (2 × 1)-Sb structures grown on vicinal Ge(001). These results, when taken together with previous work on Si interfaces, show that this computationally efficient approach is likely to prove to be an important general technique for determining the structure of anisotropic semiconductor surfaces and interfaces by comparing the experimental and calculated optical spectrum.
Quantum dynamics in phase space: Moyal trajectories 3
Authors: Braunss G.
Published: June 2017

We present in this paper a new approach to the calculation of Moyal trajectories, which delivers straightforwardly the dynamical equations that determine these trajectories. We demonstrate this with three examples: the anharmonic oscillator with a Hamiltonian h(p, q) = p2/2 + q4/4, the physical pendulum with a Hamiltonian h(p,q)=p2/2+cos(q), and the Hènon-Heiles system with a Hamiltonian h(p1,p2,q1,q2)=(p12 + p22)/2 + (q12 + q22)/2 + q2(q12 − q22/3).
A linear triple quantum dot system in isolated configuration
Authors: Flentje Hanno , Bertrand Benoit , Mortemousque Pierre-André , Thiney Vivien , Ludwig Arne , Wieck Andreas D. , Bäuerle Christopher , Meunier Tristan
Published: June 2017

The scaling up of electron spin qubit based nanocircuits has remained challenging up till date and involves the development of efficient charge control strategies. Here, we report on the experimental realization of a linear triple quantum dot in a regime isolated from the reservoir. We show how this regime can be reached with a fixed number of electrons. Charge stability diagrams of the one, two, and three electron configurations where only electron exchange between the dots is allowed are observed. They are modeled with the established theory based on a capacitive model of the dot systems. The advantages of the isolated regime with respect to experimental realizations of quantum simulators and qubits are discussed. We envision that the results presented here will make more manipulation schemes for existing qubit implementations possible and will ultimately allow to increase the number of tunnel coupled quantum dots which can be simultaneously controlled.
A model of energetic ion effects on pressure driven tearing modes in tokamaks
Authors: Halfmoon M. R. , Brennan D. P.
Published: June 2017

The effects that energetic trapped ions have on linear resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities are studied in a reduced model that captures the essential physics driving or damping the modes through variations in the magnetic shear. The drift-kinetic orbital interaction of a slowing down distribution of trapped energetic ions with a resistive MHD instability is integrated to a scalar contribution to the perturbed pressure, and entered into an asymptotic matching formalism for the resistive MHD dispersion relation. Toroidal magnetic field line curvature is included to model trapping in the particle distribution, in an otherwise cylindrical model. The focus is on a configuration that is driven unstable to the m/n = 2/1 mode by increasing pressure, where m is the poloidal mode number and n is the toroidal. The particles and pressure can affect the mode both in the core region where there can be low and reversed shear and outside the resonant surface in significant positive shear. The results show that the energetic ions damp and stabilize the mode when orbiting in significant positive shear, increasing the marginal stability boundary. However, the inner core region contribution with low and reversed shear can drive the mode unstable. This effect of shear on the energetic ion pressure contribution is found to be consistent with the literature. These results explain the observation that the 2/1 mode was found to be damped and stabilized by energetic ions in δf-MHD simulations of tokamak experiments with positive shear throughout, while the 2/1 mode was found to be driven unstable in simulations of experiments with weakly reversed shear in the core. This is also found to be consistent with related experimental observations of the stability of the 2/1 mode changing significantly with core shear.
Effects of a monoenergetic electron beam on the sheath formation in a plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution
Authors: Arghand-Hesar A. , Esfandyari-Kalejahi A. , Akbari-Moghanjoughi M.
Published: June 2017

The characteristics of a plasma sheath consisting of nonextensive electrons and thermal ions in the presence of a monoenergetic electron beam is studied in the framework of a one dimensional hydrodynamic model. Because of the electron beam, bulk electron distribution of plasma is assumed to be non-Maxwellian in general. Using the Sagdeev pseudopotential method, a modified Bohm criterion is obtained. It is shown that the criterion is significantly affected by the nonextensivity degree (q) and the beam parameters. The criterion is reduced to the standard form of the Bohm criterion when (i) the electrons have Maxwellian distribution (q→1), and (ii) the beam density is taken to be zero. A small amplitude analytical solution is also given for the potential in the sheath region. Moreover, assuming the total current on the electrode surface to be negligible, the floating potential is derived. The set of nonlinear hydrodynamic equations is solved numerically and the effects of many parameters such as nonextensivity, beam density, and velocity on the electric potential of the sheath region, ion density, and sheath thickness are studied. It is shown that the electron beam can control the potential and ion density of the sheath region.
Size-induced changes of structural and ferromagnetic properties in La1-xSrxMnO3 nanoparticles
Authors: Hintze Cornelia E. , Fuchs Dirk , Merz Michael , Amari Houari , Kübel Christian , Huang Meng-Jie , Powell Annie , v. Löhneysen Hilbert
Published: June 2017

La1-xSrxMnO3 nanocrystals were grown using a microemulsion approach with different water-to-surfactant ratios Rw resulting in diameters between 20 and 40 nm. The variation of Rw entails a variation in the Sr concentrations between x = 0.35 and 0.50. This technique allows the controlled growth of structurally well-defined nanoparticles using the same calcination conditions. With decreasing particle size, the unit-cell volume increases together with the Mn–O bond length, while the Mn–O–Mn bond angle was found to decrease. The size-dependent change of structural properties is possibly related to surface effects or disorder. With the decrease in particle size, the ferromagnetic ordering temperature TC decreases significantly by up to 20%. The reduction of TC can be well understood with respect to the structural changes: the increase of Mn–O bond length and the decrease of Mn–O–Mn bond angle weaken the double-exchange coupling and hence reduce TC. In addition the intrinsic finite-size effect reduces TC. The observed size-induced change of magnetic properties may allow for a controlled manipulation of magnetism in La1-xSrxMnO3 nanoparticles by varying the particle size.
Direct measurements of conventional and anisotropic magnetocaloric effect in binary RAl2 single crystals
Authors: Monteiro J. C. B. , Gandra F. G.
Published: June 2017

We report on specific heat and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) measurements in single crystals of HoAl2, DyAl2, and TbAl2 measured by a heat flux technique using Peltier devices. Those compounds order ferromagnetically at 31 K, 61 K, and 106 K respectively, and present a spin reorientation transition (SRT) below TC. We study the dependence of the SRT with magnetic field and temperature by means of specific heat measurements performed in single crystals oriented at the 100, 110, and 111 directions with the aid of calculations using a simple model. We obtained the conventional MCE for HoAl2 and TbAl2 and also the anisotropic version of the effect obtained indirectly from the specific heat for TbAl2 and DyAl2. We also present the results for a direct determination of the anisotropic MCE for DyAl2 by measuring the heat flux generated by a rotation of the single crystal under constant field.
Combined economic-emission dispatch problem: Dynamic neural networks solution approach
Authors: Boudab Smail , Goléa Noureddine
Published: June 2017

This paper explores the performance of dynamic neural networks (DNNs) in solving the combined economic-emission dispatch (CEED) problem. The idea behind the CEED formulation is to estimate the optimal generating unit schedule in such a manner that both the fuel cost and the pollutant emission levels are minimized for a given load demand. DNNs present an elegant approach to transform the CEED optimization problem into dynamical systems whose states converge to the desired optimal generated power configuration. As compared to other neural network approaches, e.g., multilayer perceptron or radial basis function networks, complicated problem mapping or training is not necessary in DNN. Further, the convergence characteristics of DNNs are theoretically well established. Three DNN structures, namely, gradient based primal DNN, Lagrangian based primal-dual DNN, and dual DNN, are investigated in optimizing the CEED of 6 and 11 u test power systems. Compared to other optimization techniques, the investigated DNNs feature a transparent design procedure, lower model complexity, and faster convergence.
Magnetic properties of silicene nanoribbons: A DFT study
Authors: Liu Wenhao , Zheng Jiming , Zhao Puju , Cheng Shuguang , Guo Chongfeng
Published: June 2017

Magnetism of two-dimensional (2D) materials with bipartite lattice attracts increasingly attention, but the fundamental Lieb’s theory for predicting the magnetism of bipartite lattices is lack of clear physical picture. Here, an alternative approach to understand the magnetism of 2D materials is presented, in which bipartite lattice is proposed to preserve a potential magnetic order (each sublattice keeps the same spin). The electronic system with sp2 hybridization achieves this order by covalent sp2-σ or pz-π bonds concurrently, and proper edge morphology manifests this order. According to our approach, even silicene nanoribbon with armchair edges can show ferromagnetic ground states by proper design. This work would be helpful for designing spintronic devices.
Local strain-induced band gap fluctuations and exciton localization in aged WS2 monolayers
Authors: Krustok J. , Kaupmees R. , Jaaniso R. , Kiisk V. , Sildos I. , Li B. , Gong Y.
Published: June 2017

Optical properties of aged WS2 monolayers grown by CVD method on Si/SiO2 substrates are studied using temperature dependent photoluminescence and reflectance contrast spectroscopy. Aged WS2 monolayers have a typical surface roughness about 0.5 nm and, in addition, a high density of nanoparticles (nanocaps) with the base diameter about 30 nm and average height of 7 nm. The A-exciton of aged monolayer has a peak position at 1.951 eV while in as-grown monolayer the peak is at about 24 meV higher energy at room temperature. This red-shift is explained using local tensile strain concept, where strain value of 2.1% was calculated for these nanocap regions. Strained nanocaps have lower band gap energy and excitons will funnel into these regions. At T=10K a double exciton and trion peaks were revealed. The separation between double peaks is about 20 meV and the origin of higher energy peaks is related to the optical band gap energy fluctuations caused by random distribution of local tensile strain due to increased surface roughness. In addition, a wide defect related exciton band XD was found at about 1.93 eV in all aged monolayers. It is shown that the theory of localized excitons describes well the temperature dependence of peak position and halfwidth of the A-exciton band. The possible origin of nanocaps is also discussed.
Reliability enhancement due to in-situ post-oxidation of sputtered MgO barrier in double MgO barrier magnetic tunnel junction
Authors: Yoshida Chikako , Noshiro Hideyuki , Yamazaki Yuichi , Sugii Toshihiro
Published: June 2017

We have investigated the effects of in-situ post-oxidation (PO) of a sputtered MgO barrier in a double-MgO-barrier magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and found that the short error rate was significantly reduced, the magnetoresistance (MR) ratio was increased approximately 18%, and the endurance lifetime was extend. In addition, we found that the distribution of breakdown number (a measure of endurance) exhibits trimodal characteristics, which indicates competition between extrinsic and intrinsic failures. This improvement in reliability might be related to the suppression of Fe and Co diffusion to the MgO barrier, as revealed by electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis.
Decision-making under pressure: medical errors in uncertain and dynamic environments
Authors: Zavala Alicia M. , Day Gary E. , Plummer David , Bamford-Wade Anita
Published: June 2017

Objective This paper provides a narrative overview of the literature concerning clinical decision-making processes when staff come under pressure, particularly in uncertain, dynamic and emergency situations. Methods Studies between 1980 and 2015 were analysed using a six-phase thematic analysis framework to achieve an in-depth understanding of the complex origins of medical errors that occur when people and systems are under pressure and how work pressure affects clinical performance and patient outcomes. Literature searches were conducted using a Summons Search Service platform; search criteria included a variety of methodologies, resulting in the identification of 95 papers relevant to the present review. Results Six themes emerged in the present narrative review using thematic analysis: organisational systems, workload, time pressure, teamwork, individual human factors and case complexity. This analysis highlights that clinical outcomes in emergency situations are the result of a variety of interconnecting factors. These factors may affect the ability of clinical staff in emergency situations to provide quality, safe care in a timely manner. Conclusions The challenge for researchers is to build the body of knowledge concerning the safe management of patients, particularly where clinicians are working under pressure. This understanding is important for developing pathways that optimise clinical decision making in uncertain and dynamic environments. What is known about the topic? Emergency departments (EDs) are characterised by high complexity, high throughput and greater uncertainty compared with routine hospital wards or out-patient situations, and the ED is therefore prone to unpredictable workflows and non-replicable conditions when presented with unique and complex cases. What does this paper add? Clinical decision making can be affected by pressures with complex origins, including organisational systems, workload, time constraints, teamwork, human factors and case complexity. Interactions between these factors at different levels of the decision-making process can increase the complexity of problems and the resulting decisions to be made. What are the implications for practitioners? The findings of the present study provide further evidence that consideration of medical errors should be seen primarily from a ‘whole-of-system’ perspective rather than as being primarily the responsibility of individuals. Although there are strategies in place in healthcare organisations to eliminate errors, they still occur. In order to achieve a better understanding of medical errors in clinical practice in times of uncertainty, it is necessary to identify how diverse pressures can affect clinical decisions, and how these interact to influence clinical outcomes.
South West Hub Project, Western Australia: appraising ‘migration-assisted' containment for carbon storage in sandstone strata
Authors: Van Gent Dominique , Burke Martin , Sharma Sandeep
Published: June 2017

The South West Hub project (SW Hub) managed by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) Carbon Strategy Branch, is continuing to build confidence in storage associated with migration assisted trapping (MAT) in unconfined saline aquifers. The area of interest is in the Harvey and Waroona Shires near large CO2 emission sources in the industrial centres of Kwinana and Collie.
The injection target is the Lower Lesueur sandstone, a 1500 m thick reservoir with varying permeability layers that should support residual and solubility trapping. The storage complex has no regional shale layer and depends on MAT for primary containment, with the 600 m thick Upper Lesueur with its numerous paleosol baffles as the lower confining layer and the basal shale part of the Eneabba Formation as the upper confining layer.
Detailed models have been built based on new 2D/3D seismic surveys and core/log data from the drilling of four wells over a five year period. The results, which include extensive sensitivity analysis, indicate that commercial quantities of CO2 may be injected safely with the plume remaining within the injection reservoir.
Uncertainties do remain and the next stage of the program is aimed at reducing these. Significant technical work has also been done through research projects executed by the National Geosequestration Laboratory (NGL) and funded by the Australian National Low Emissions Coal research and development program (ANLEC R&D).
This paper will summarise the geological setting, the technical workflow/activities and assurance processes together with the significant community and stakeholder management efforts undertaken.
Geology and hydrocarbon prospectivity of the northern Houtman Sub-basin
Authors: Borissova Irina , Southby Chris , Hall Lisa , Grosjean Emma , Bernardel George , Owens Ryan , Mitchell Cameron
Published: June 2017

New 2D seismic data acquired by Geoscience Australia in the northern Houtman Sub-basin of the Perth Basin provides important information on the prospectivity of this frontier area. To date, lack of quality seismic data and limited geological understanding have led to the perception that the hydrocarbon potential of the area is very low. However, interpretation of newly collected data suggests that the northern Houtman depocentre contains up to 15 km of pre-breakup sediments comprised of Permian, Triassic and Jurassic successions, which potentially contain multiple source rock, reservoir and seal intervals. The Permian syn-rift succession is confined to a series of large half-graben that are controlled by basement-involved faults separating the Houtman depocentre from the Bernier Platform. This succession is up to 10 km thick and is mapped throughout the inboard part of the new seismic grid. A prominent unconformity at the top of the Permian syn-rift sequence is overlain by a thick (up to 1800 m) and regionally extensive seismic sequence interpreted as the Lower Triassic Kockatea Shale. The thickness of the overlying Triassic succession ranges from approximately 1 km in the inboard part of the basin to up to 5 km further outboard. The Jurassic succession is thickest (up to 4 km) in the outboard part of the basin and is interpreted to contain sequences corresponding to the Cattamarra, Cadda and Yarragadee formations. Our study integrates new results from regional mapping, geophysical modelling and petroleum systems analysis, which enables a more accurate prospectivity assessment of this frontier basin.
The 2017 offshore acreage release areas: petroleum geological overview
Authors: Bernecker Thomas , Abbott Steve , Bernardel George , Lech Megan , Owens Ryan , Smith Tegan , Totterdell Jennifer
Published: June 2017

In 2017, 21 new offshore petroleum exploration areas have been released. The majority of the areas are located along the North West Shelf spanning the Westralian Superbasin from the Bonaparte Basin in the north-east to the Northern Carnarvon Basin in the south-west. New areas have been released in offshore south-eastern Australia with new opportunities provided in the Otway, Bass and Gippsland basins. Two large areas in the northern Perth Basin, an offshore frontier, complete the 2017 Acreage Release. All Release Areas are supported by industry nominations and one new cash bid area has been offered in the Dampier Sub-basin. Geoscience Australia continues to support industry activities by acquiring, interpreting and integrating pre-competitive datasets that are made freely available as part of the agency’s regional petroleum geological studies. A new regional 2D seismic survey was acquired in the Houtman Sub-basin of the Perth Basin, forming the basis of the latest prospectivity study carried out by Geoscience Australia. The results of the study are presented in the technical program of the 2017 APPEA conference. A wealth of seismic and well data, submitted under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGSSA) are made available through the National Offshore Petroleum Information Management System (NOPIMS). Additional datasets are accessible through Geoscience Australia’s data repository.
Casino pipeline: novel pipeline integrity inspection
Authors: Henzell Steve , Read Fiona
Published: June 2017

The Casino offshore pipeline required inspection to demonstrate the integrity of the pipeline and allow the operating life of the pipeline to be extended. There were numerous challenges in performing a conventional internal pipeline inspection which would have required diver operations to install and operate subsea pig launchers. Two alternative inspection methods were used to inspect the high priority sections of the pipeline, at the pipeline tees and in the horizontal directionally drilled (HDD) section of pipeline at the coastline crossing.The pipeline tees and well flowlines were inspected using an external magnetic flux inspection tool deployed by remotely operated vehicle (ROV), to test for top-of-line corrosion. Bi-directional pigging from the onshore valve station, offshore for 30 km using gas from the host gas plant and then return to the shore using gas from the offshore wells allowed for inspection of the HDD pipeline with a total of 10 bi-direction pig runs completed. The pig position was accurately predicted by monitoring the operating conditions of the pipeline and confirmed by displacement past the subsea well closest to shore (Casino 5). The novel pigging methods brought significant benefits for cost, schedule and reduced EHS exposure by avoiding diver operations. The cost of the overall inspection program was less than 25% of the conventional inspection methods and was achieved a year earlier than if a dive support vessel (DSV) had been mobilised. The bi-directional pigging campaign proved to be highly successful.
A community's guide to best practice local content solutions
Authors: Charles Shane
Published: June 2017

One single coal seam gas (CSG) project can have a big effect on a region. When multiple projects are developed simultaneously, the hurdles for regional businesses to jump are many and varied, and each proponent of a CSG project has their own safety standards, pre-qualification requirements, unique systems and timeframes. This paper will look at the Surat Basin as a target area and provide a synopsis of how CSG projects in the region affected local communities. It will explore how a region with an in-depth knowledge of its own business community can work with proponents and contractors to deliver a better product, at a lower cost, with an arguably better safety record and less community interruption. Collected examples will show how a coordinated approach to local content can provide win–win outcomes for communities and industry.
Using precise CA-TIMS ages of volcanic air-fall tuff beds in correlating the Walloon Coal Measures of the Surat Basin, Australia
Authors: Wainman Carmine , McCabe Peter
Published: June 2017

The Upper Jurassic Walloon Coal Measures of the Surat Basin is one of Australia’s largest and most productive gas provinces. Despite the drilling of over 8500 wells and numerous publications, the stratigraphic framework is poorly defined. The laterally discontinuous nature of the sedimentary facies, including coals and fluvial channel sandstones, makes correlation difficult. The abundance of volcanic air-fall tuff beds within strata across the basin provides a unique opportunity to independently verify existing stratigraphic frameworks. Using the high-precision chemical abrasion thermal ionisation mass spectrometry technique, zircon grains from 28 tuff beds have been successfully dated within an error margin of less than 100 kyr. These dates substantially revise biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic frameworks. Lithostratigraphic units are diachronous across the basin. In addition, the sparsity of key spore–pollen taxa limits the application of biostratigraphy. The complex interplay of climate and subsidence on facies distributions can now be documented over a time frame of ~4 Ma. Syntectonism played an important role in variable palaeodrainage patterns across the basin, the frequency of fluvial avulsions and preferential sites of peat accumulation through time. The new stratigraphic framework should aid in future exploration for coal seam gas in the area. Dating tuff beds using high-precision dating techniques should also assist in correlation of non-marine strata elsewhere in the world.
Imaging below seafloor canyons and other rugose features
Authors: Fell Dominic , Dyal Kiran , Hallam Tony , Nixon Sebastian
Published: June 2017

Rugose seabed and near seafloor features in marine seismic datasets such as canyons, mass transport deposits and paleo-channels, present a major imaging challenge that can be overcome by a rigorous and careful approach in the earth model building process. To obtain an accurate image of the deeper target levels, a modelling and data driven update of the distinctive velocity characteristics of the overburden features are necessary. Without adequately addressing the complexity of the shallow velocity field, the final depth image of the target intervals can be poorly focussed and contaminated with non-geologic structural distortions. Inadequate corrections ultimately have an adverse impact upon the interpretation of the dataset.
This paper presents a successful earth modelling approach used to obtain an accurate depth image for a marine dataset located on the shelf break in the Otway Basin. The case study area includes extensive seafloor canyons and associated paleo-channels, requiring the strategic use of several geologically constrained model updating technologies in order to obtain a final imaged section free of velocity related structural distortions.
2017 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release
Authors: Wilson Bruce
Published: June 2017

The Australian Government’s 2017 Offshore Petroleum Acreage Release consist of 21 areas located across eight basins. The areas vary in water depth and maturity and offer exploration opportunities for companies of all sizes. All areas have been nominated by industry, publicly consulted on, and assessed by government before release.