bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Italian Site for KM3NeT ARCA
Authors: Riccobene Giorgio
Published: May 2019

The Italian site for KM3NeT, located in the Ionian Sea about 100 km offshore Capo Passero, South East of Sicily, is dedicated to host (at least) two building blocks of the ARCA (Astronomy Research with Cosmics in the Abysses), comprising 230 Detection Units aiming at measurement of high-energy neutrino fluxes and discovery of their sources. The existing infrastructure is under upgrade within the framework of the IDMAR project jointly funded by Regione Siciliana and INFN. IDMAR at Capo Passero will be run in connection with the other abyssal infrastructure built by INFN 25 km offshore the town of Catania at 2100 m depth, hosting the Western Ionian Sea node of EMSO-ERIC.
Concluding remarks – A personal view –
Authors: Katz Uli
Published: May 2019

The eighth edition of the VLVnT conference series has been organised in October 2018 in Dubna, Russia. We witnessed a very well organised workshop, with a multitude of presentations, sparkling with new results and ideas. This short document is meant to summarise a few observations and considerations relating to neutrino telescopes, rather than to highlight individual results or presentations.
Summary of the main results of the KASCADE and KASCADE-Grande experiments
Authors: Chiavassa A. , Apel W.D. , Arteaga-Velázquez J.C. , Bekk K. , Bertaina M. , Blümer J. , Bozdog H. , Brancus I.M. , Cantoni E. , Cossavella F. , Daumiller K. , de Souza V. , Di Pierro F. , Doll P. , Engel R. , Fuhrmann D. , Gherghel-Lascu A. , Gils H.J. , Glasstetter R. , Grupen C. , Haungs A. , Heck D. , Hörandel J.R. , Huber D. , Huege T. , Kampert K.-H. , Kang D. , Klages H.O. , Link K. , Łuczak P. , Mathes H.J. , Mayer H.J. , Milke J. , Mitrica B. , Morello C. , Oehlschläger J. , Ostapchenko S. , Palmieri N. , Pierog T. , Rebel H. , Roth M. , Schieler H. , Schoo S. , Schröder F.G. , Sima O. , Toma G. , Trinchero G.C. , Ulrich H. , Weindl A. , Wochele J. , Zabierowski J.
Published: May 2019

The KASCADE and KASCADE-Grande experiments operated in KIT-Campus North, Karlsruhe (Germany) from 1993 to 2012. The two experiments studied primary cosmic rays in the energy range from 1014 eV to 1018 eV, investigating the change of slope of the spectrum detected at 2 - 4 × 1015 eV, the so called knee. We briefly review the performance of the experiments and then the main results obtained in the operation of both experiments: the test of hadronic interaction models, the all particle primary spectrum, the elemental composition of primary cosmic rays (with the first claim of a knee-like feature of the heavy primaries spectrum) and the search for large scale anisotropies.
Information Technologies on High-Energy Astrophysics: Cosmic Ray Anisotropy using HAWC Observatory
Authors: de la Fuente Eduardo , Díaz–Vélez Juan Carlos , Desiati Paolo , García–Luna Jose Luis , Torrealba Janet , Gúzman–Alcála Ricardo
Published: May 2019

The detection of astroparticles, specially at high energies (>100 GeV), requires special techniques and instruments (telescopes or observatories), for example, those that use the Water Cherenkov radiation technique. In this paper we show an example of how Information Technologies can be used to perform maps and produce high impact results. The latter case is illustrated in the summary of the generation of a high statistics map of cosmic rays at 10 TeV in the northern sky with data collected by the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory.
Astrophysical neutrino production and impact of associated uncertainties in photo-hadronic interactions of UHECRs
Authors: Biehl Daniel , Boncioli Denise , Fedynitch Anatoli , Morejon Leonel , Winter Walter
Published: May 2019

High energy neutrinos can be produced by interactions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) in the dense radiation fields of their sources as well as off the cosmic backgrounds when they propagate through the universe. Multi-messenger interpretations of current measurements deeply rely on the understanding of these interactions. In order to efficiently produce neutrinos in the sources of UHECRs, at least a moderate level of interactions is needed, which means that a nuclear cascade develops if nuclei are involved. On the other hand, the available cross-section data and interaction models turn out to make poor predictions for most nuclei heavier than protons. We show the impact of these uncertainties in state-of-the-art photo-disintegration models and motivate nuclear cross-section measurements. Further, we discuss extensions for photo-meson models currently used in astrophysics and demonstrate the importance of understanding the details of UHECR interaction with the Glashow resonance.
Recent results from the LHCf and RHICf experiments
Authors: Itow Y. , Masuda K. , Menjo H. , Muraki Y. , Ohashi K. , Sato K. , Ueno M. , Zhou Q.D. , Sako T. , Kasahara K. , Suzuki T. , Torii S. , Tamura T. , Sakurai N. , Haguenauer M. , Turner W.C. , Adriani O. , Berti E. , Bonechi L. , Bongi M. , D'Alessandro R. , Papini P. , Ricciarini S. , Tiberio A. , Tricomi A. , Goto Y. , Nakagawa I. , Seidl R. , Park J.S. , Kim M.H. , Tanida K. , Hong B.
Published: May 2019

The Large Hadron Collider forward and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider forward experiments measured forward particles produced in high-energy hadron collisions at the LHC and RHIC. Using compact calorimeters neutral particles produced in pseudorapidities η >8.4 and η >6.0 are observed by the respective experiments. Because the collision energies ranging from 0.51 TeV to 13 TeV correspond to the cosmic-ray equivalent energies of 1014 to 1017 eV, the measurements are important to understand the hadronic interaction relevant to extensive air shower measurements. This paper reviews recent results of LHCf and initial performance of RHICf that took data in the 2017 RHIC operation.
Recent results from the cosmic ray program of the NA61/SHINE experiment
Authors: Prado Raul R.
Published: May 2019

NA61/SHINE is a fixed target experiment designed to study hadron-proton, hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions at the CERN Super-Proton-Synchrotron. In this paper we summarize the results from pion-carbon collisions recorded at beam momenta of 158 and 350 GeV=c. Hadron production measurements in these types of interactions is of fundamental importance for the understanding of the muon production in extensive air showers. In particular, production of (anti)baryons and ρ0 are mechanisms responsible for increasing the number of muons which reach the ground. The underestimation of the (anti)baryons or ρ0 production rates in current hadronic interaction models could be one of the sources of the excess of muons observed by cosmic ray experiments. The results on the production spectra of π±, K±, p, ¯p, Λ , ¯Λ, K0S, ρ0, ω and K*0 are presented, as well as their comparison to predictions of hadronic interaction models currently used in air shower simulations.
Investigation of abnormal absorption of cosmic-ray hadrons in lead calorimeters
Authors: Borisov A.S. , Denisova V.G. , Galkin V.I. , Guseva Z.M. , Kanevskaya E.A. , Kogan M.G. , Mukhamedshin R.A. , Nazarov S.I. , Puchkov V.S. , Sadykov T.Kh.
Published: May 2019

A phenomenon of abnormally weak absorption of very high energy cosmic ray hadrons in thick lead blocks is discussed. This phenomenon was first observed in a Tien Shan high altitude experiment to study hadronic cores of extensive air showers (EAS) with a deep ionization calorimeter and encouraged researchers to introduce the hypothesis of the so-called long-flying or penetrating cosmic ray component. A similar effect was detected later with deep uniform lead X-ray emulsion chambers (XREC) at the Pamirs, which we discuss in detail. To establish the nature of the phenomenon we are have carried out dedicated experiments at the Tien Shan and at the Pamirs by exposing two-storey XRECs with large air gaps. According to detailed simulation of the chamber response, these experiments are very sensitive to the production of charmed hadrons in the forward kinematic region and can prove a hypothesis that the phenomenon under study can be explained on the assumption of very high values of charm particle production cross section at 〈ELab〉 ~ 75 TeV in the forward kinematic region at xLab≳ 0.1 which are near the upper limit of recent results of collider experiments, i.e., σpp→c¯c~ 8 mb. The same factor makes it possible to fit all the features of the experimental hadron absorption curve observed by means of deep uniform lead XRECs, including its bending at a depth of ~ 70 c.u.
Telescope Array Experiment
Authors: Ogio Shoichi
Published: May 2019

The Telescope Array is the largest hybrid cosmic ray detector in the Northern hemisphere designed to measure primary particles in 4 PeV to 100 EeV range. The main TA detector consists of an air shower array of 507 plastic scintillation counters on a 1.2 km square grid and fluorescence detectors at three stations overlooking the sky above the air shower array. The experiment and its recent measurements - spectrum, composition, and anisotropy - is reviewed. Recently the construction of the TA Low energy Extension (TALE) detector, which consists of an additional fluorescence detector and an infill array, was finished. TALE lowers the energy threshold of TA down to 4 PeV. We are also constructing the TAx4 detector to increase statistics in particular at the highest energies. The current status and the future prospects of these new TAx4 experiments is reported.
Energy loss measurements of inclined muon bundles in the Cherenkov water detector
Authors: Kokoulin R.P. , Barbashina N.S. , Bogdanov A.G. , Khokhlov S.S. , Khomyakov V.A. , Kindin V.V. , Kompaniets K.G. , Mannocchi G. , Petrukhin A.A. , Saavedra O. , Trinchero G. , Shutenko V.V. , Yashin I.I. , Yurina E.A.
Published: May 2019

An experiment on the measurements of the energy deposit of inclined cosmic ray muon bundles is being conducted at the experimental complex NEVOD (MEPhI). The complex includes the Cherenkov water calorimeter with a volume of 2000 m3 and the coordinate-tracking detector DECOR with a total area of 70 m2. The DECOR data are used to determine the local muon densities in the bundle events and their arrival directions, while the energy deposits (and hence the average muon energy loss) are evaluated from the Cherenkov calorimeter response. Average energy loss carries information about the mean muon energy in the bundles. The detection of the bundles in a wide range of muon multiplicities and zenith angles gives the opportunity to explore the energy range of primary cosmic ray particles from about 10 to 1000 PeV in the frame of a single experiment with a relatively small compact setup. Experimental results on the dependence of the muon bundle energy deposit on the zenith angle and the local muon density are presented and compared with expectations based on simulations of the EAS muon component with the CORSIKA code.
On the Solar Cycle Variation of the Solar Diurnal Anisotropy of Multi-TeV Cosmic-ray Intensity Observed with the Tibet Air Shower Array
Authors: Amenomori M. , Bi X. J. , Chen D. , Chen T. L. , Chen W. Y. , Cui S. W. , Danzengluobu  , Ding L. K. , Feng C. F. , Feng Zhaoyang , Feng Z. Y. , Gou Q. B. , Guo Y. Q. , He H. H. , He Z. T. , Hibino K. , Hotta N. , Hu Haibing , Hu H. B. , Huang J. , Jia H. Y. , Jiang L. , Kajino F. , Kasahara K. , Katayose Y. , Kato C. , Kawata K. , Kozai M. , Labaciren  , Le G. M. , Li A. F. , Li H. J. , Li W. J. , Lin Y. H. , Liu C. , Liu J. S. , Liu M. Y. , Lu H. , Meng X. R. , Miyazaki T. , Munakata K. , Nakajima T. , Nakamura Y. , Nanjo H. , Nishizawa M. , Niwa T. , Ohnishi M. , Ohta I. , Ozawa S. , Qian X. L. , Qu X. B. , Saito T. , Saito T. Y. , Sakata M. , Sako T. K. , Shao J. , Shibata M. , Shiomi A. , Shirai T. , Sugimoto H. , Takita M. , Tan Y. H. , Tateyama N. , Torii S. , Tsuchiya H. , Udo S. , Wang H. , Wu H. R. , Xue L. , Yamamoto Y. , Yamauchi K. , Yang Z. , Yuan A. F. , Zhai L. M. , Zhang H. M. , Zhang J. L. , Zhang X. Y. , Zhang Y. , Zhang Yi , Zhang Ying , Zhaxisangzhu  , Zhou X. X.
Published: May 2019

We analyze the temporal variation of the solar diurnal anisotropy of the multi-TeV cosmic-ray intensity observed with the Tibet air shower array from 2000 to 2009, covering the maximum and minimum of the 23rd solar cycle. We comfirm that a remarkable additional anisotropy component is superposed on the Compton-Getting anisotropy at 4.0 TeV, while its amplitude decreases at higher energy regions. In constrast to the additional anisotropy reported by the Matsushiro experiment at 0.6 TeV, we find the residual component measured by Tibet at multi-TeV energies is consistent with being stable, with a fairly constant amplitude of 0.041% ± 0.003% and a phase at around 07.17 ± 00.16 local solar time at 4.0 TeV. This suggests the additional anisotropy observed by the Tibet experiment could result from mechanisms unrelated to solar activities.
High energy cosmic rays and thunderstorm connected radiations at the Tien Shan complex installation
Authors: Ryabov V. A. , Shepetov A. L. , Almenova A. M. , Antonova V. P. , Chubenko A. P. , Dalkarov O. D. , Gurevich A. V. , Karashtin A. N. , Kryakynova O. N. , Mamina S. P. , Mitko G. G. , Mukhashev K. M. , Nam R. A. , Nikolaevsky N. F. , Pavlyuchenko V. P. , Piscal V. V. , Ptitsyn M. O. , Saduev N. O. , Sadykov T. Kh. , Salikhov N. M. , Shaulov S. B. , Shlyugaev Yu. V. , Stepanov A. V. , Vildanova L. I. , Vildanova M. I. , Zastrozhnova N. N. , Zhantayev Zh. Sh. , Zhukov V. V. , Zybin K. P
Published: May 2019

We present a general description as well as a sample of illustrative experimental results of the Tien Shan high altitude detector complex which is aimed for fundamental and applied investigations in different fields of astroparticle, atmospheric, and environmental physics. The unique natural conditions of the Tien Shan Mountain Scientific Station where this complex resides, the presence of a modern equipment, and the use of multi-messenger integrated approach by detection of various radiation types open a new stage of research in cosmic ray physics and high-energy atmospheric phenomena.
EAS detection by wide-angle cherenkov telescopes at the Yakutsk array
Authors: Timofeev Lev , Ivanov Anatoly
Published: May 2019

A proposed new method for measuring the Cherenkov light from extensive air showers (EAS) of cosmic rays (CR), which allows to determine not only the primary particle energy and angle of arrival, but also the parameters of the shower in the atmosphere - the maximum depth and “age”. For measurements, it is proposed to use Cherenkov light produced by EAS in a ground network of wide-angle telescopes, which are separated from each other by a distance 100-300 m depending on the total number of telescopes operating in coincidence, acting autonomously, or includes a detector of the charged components, radio waves, etc. as part of the EAS. The energy measurement and CR angle of arrival, data on the depth of the maximum and the associated mass of the primary particle generating the EAS is particularly important in the study of galactic cosmic rays for E> 1014 eV, where currently there are no direct measurements of the maximum depth of the EAS.
HOMAGE TO PROFESSOR OSCAR SAAVEDRA SAN MARTIN
Authors: SHIBUYA E.H.
Published: May 2019

Professor Oscar Saavedra San Martin passed away on 8 April 2018 at Bonvicino-Italy. The Organizing Committee of the 20th International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Rays-ISVHECRI-2018, held in Nagoya, Japan decided to pay a tribute to Oscar, born on 29 June, 1940 at LaPaz, Bolivia. During the banquet, a small presentation in honour to Oscar was scheduled in a special section of Wednesday 23 May 2018. His last participation was at the 19th ISVHECRI held in Moscow, Russian Federation, during the period 22-27 August 2016. Oscar joined the BASJE-Bolivian Air Shower Joint Experiment in 1966, a collaboration between Bolivia and Japan. The aim of BASJE was to search for high energy γ's coming mainly from the center of Galaxy, due to the Chacaltaya location. From 1967 to 1968 he served as Director of the Cosmic Ray Laboratory at Chacaltaya following the BASJE experiments. Due to his huge contribution to Bolivian Science, Oscar received in 2009 the Doctor Honoris Causa title and was nominated Scientific Ambassador of his motherland. He gained his Doctorate from Milan University in 1964 and after immigration to Italy was a staff member of Torino University. On his retirement Torino University awarded him the title of Emeritus Professor.
EPOS
Authors: Werner K. , Guiot B. , Karpenko Iu. , Pierog T. , Sophys G. , Stefaniak M.
Published: May 2019

We summarize the main features of the hadronic interaction model EPOS, which is used for cosmic ray air shower simulations but also for p-p, p-A, and A-A collisions to be compared with experimental data from LHC and RHIC.
Constraining QCD transport coefficients in hadron colliders
Authors: Monnai Akihiko
Published: May 2019

We review the phenomenology of relativistic nuclear collisions in the light of ultra-high energy cosmic ray physics. A novel phase of quantum chromodynamics called quark-gluon plasma is expected to appear in nuclear collisions at high energies. The produced hot matter is found to be well-described as a relativistic fluid with small viscosity. We show that the transport coefficient can be quantitatively extracted by comparing theoretical estimations of viscous hydrodynamic models to experimental data.
Collective flow of identified hadrons at the LHC
Authors: Okamoto Kazuhisa , Omura Yoshifumi , Nonaka Chiho
Published: May 2019

Using our developed new relativistic viscous hydrodynamics code, we investigate the QGP bulk property from comparison with the ALICE data of Pb+Pb √sNN = 2.76 TeV collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.
On the origin of the TeV gamma-ray emission from Cygnus X-3
Authors: Sinitsyna V.G. , Sinitsyna V.Y.
Published: May 2019

Cygnus X-3 binary system is a famous object studied over the wide range of electromagnetic spectrum. Early detections of ultra-high energy gamma-rays from Cygnus X-3 by Kiel, Havera Park and then by Akeno triggered the construction of several large air shower detectors. Also, Cygnus X-3 has been proposed to be one of the most powerful sources of charged cosmic ray particles in the Galaxy. The results of twenty-year observations of the Cyg X-3 binary at energies 800 GeV - 85 TeV are presented with images, spectra during periods of flaring activity and at low flux periods. The correlation of TeV flux increases with flaring activity at the lower energy range of X-ray and radio emission from the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-3 is found as well as 4.8-hour orbital modulation of TeV γ-ray intensity. Detected modulation of TeV γ-ray emission with orbit and important characteristics of Cyg X-3 such as the high luminosity of the companion star and the close orbit leads to an efficient generation of γ-ray emission through inverse Compton scattering in this object. The different type variability of very high-energy γ-emission and correlation of radiation activity in the wide energy range can provide essential information on the mechanism of particle production up to very high energies.
Pilot Placement Schemes for Channel Estimation of Proposed 5G-GFDM System
Authors: Tahir Suleman , Sheikh Shahzad Amin , Bin Saeed Omer
Published: May 2019

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a highly regarded technique used in the 4G mobile communication systems to provide reliable communication and high data rates due to the orthogonality between its sub carriers. However, it cannot be used in the next generation cellular system i.e. 5G. Thus, a new technique Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM) has been proposed to meet the demands of the next generation systems, which are higher data rates than 4G, minimum response time, lower power consumption etc. GFDM is a non-orthogonal, multicarrier scheme, which seems to fulfil the requirements of the new wireless communication system. The aim of this paper is to use the pilot symbols and their optimum placements within the data for the channel estimation of the GFDM system. It is shown that the optimum arrangement of the pilot symbols is to place them uniformly on equal intervals within the data and to cluster them in the middle of the data.
Performance Comparison of Digitized Quaternion Modulation with other Modulation Schemes
Authors: Zahra Anam , Khan Qasim Umar
Published: May 2019

In wireless networks signal’s security from noise has been a very challenging issue, primarily because of the broadcast nature of communication. This paper focuses on digitized Quaternion Modulation (QM) which gives better performance as compared to QPSK, QAM and QFSK. We compare the performance of quaternion modulation with other modulation schemes in terms of BER using idealistic Additive White Gaussian Noise AWGN channel. This scheme can be used in applications such as Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite and space communication system to reduce errors. The simulation results show superior performance of the proposed digitized Quaternion Modulation over its counterparts. Thus one may trade off bandwidth for BER.
Developing a novel haptic device for non-rigid computer graphic objects utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles
Authors: Alzin Mohamad Ghaith , Imamura Hiroki
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we propose a novel haptic device consisting of a Parrot quadcopter AR Drone 2.0 that delivers force-feedback to users when they press on the surface of the drone in the vertical direction. This drone haptic device will free users from any cumbersome devices which were utilized in previous haptics systems and allow them to sense kinesthetic feedback coming from the drone which in turn renders computer graphic objects, for example, a virtual box. Specifically, this system performs damped harmonic oscillation force motion on users’ hands and fingers. The oscillation function is implemented on the drone whenever users nudge the drone down. Overall, we evaluated the system with ten subjects, and results show the effectiveness of using damping oscillation motion to provide force-feedback delivered from the drone.
Design of facial recognition system implemented in an unmanned aerial vehicle for citizen security in Latin America
Authors: Herrera Diego , Imamura Hiroki
Published: May 2019

In the new technological era, facial recognition has become a central issue for a great number of engineers. Currently, there are a great number of techniques for facial recognition, but in this research, we focus on the use of deep learning. The problems with current facial recognition convection systems are that they are developed in non-mobile devices. This research intends to develop a Facial Recognition System implemented in an unmanned aerial vehicle of the quadcopter type. While it is true, there are quadcopters capable of detecting faces and/or shapes and following them, but most are for fun and entertainment. This research focuses on the facial recognition of people with criminal records, for which a neural network is trained. The Caffe framework is used for the training of a convolutional neural network. The system is developed on the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 motherboard. The design and construction of the quadcopter are done from scratch because we need the UAV for adapt to our requirements. This research aims to reduce violence and crime in Latin America.
Performance measures for small-bowel endoscopy: a European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Quality Improvement Initiative
Authors: Spada Cristiano , McNamara Deirdre , Despott Edward J. , Adler Samuel , Cash Brooks D. , Fernández-Urién Ignacio , Ivekovic Hrvoje , Keuchel Martin , McAlindon Mark , Saurin Jean-Christophe , Panter Simon , Bellisario Cristina , Minozzi Silvia , Senore Carlo , Bennett Cathy , Bretthauer Michael , Dinis-Ribeiro Mario , Domagk Dirk , Hassan Cesare , Kaminski Michal F. , Rees Colin J. , Valori Roland , Bisschops Raf , Rutter Matthew D.
Published: May 2019

The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) together with the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) recently developed a short list of performance measures for small-bowel endoscopy (i. e. small-bowel capsule endoscopy and device-assisted enteroscopy) with the final goal of providing endoscopy services across Europe with a tool for quality improvement. Six key performance measures for both small-bowel capsule endoscopy and for device-assisted enteroscopy were selected for inclusion, with the intention being that practice at both a service and endoscopist level should be evaluated against them. Other performance measures were considered to be less relevant, based on an assessment of their overall importance, scientific acceptability, and feasibility. Unlike lower and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, where performance measures had already been identified, this is the first time that small-bowel endoscopy quality measures have been proposed.
Interobserver Agreement of Planar and SPECT Tc99m-MIBI Scintigraphy for the Assessment of Hypofunctioning Thyroid Nodules
Authors: Schenke Simone , Klett Rigobert , Acker Peter , Rink Thomas , Kreissl Michael C , Zimny Michael
Published: May 2019

Introduction Thyroid scintigraphy with 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) is a helpful tool for the risk stratification of thyroid nodules (TN). Whereas a nodule with low or hypointense MIBI uptake has a low risk for malignancy, a hyperintense uptake may indicate a malignant nodule, which requires surgical resection. The appropriate diagnostic or therapeutic regimen of an isointense nodule with an uptake similar to the paranodular tissue is discussed controversially. Aim of this study was to assess the interobserver agreement (IA) for the assignment of TN to the three categories: hypo-, iso-or hyperintense.

Methods Retrospective analysis of planar and SPECT images of MIBI scintigraphy was performed in 36 randomly selected patients with hypofunctioning TN and histological diagnosis. Four observers with different levels of experience in MIBI-scintigraphy analyzed MIBI uptake and assigned the nodules to the appropriate category. To assess the IA, Fleiss‘ Kappa was calculated.

Results The study cohort included 11 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (diameter 20.3 mm) and 25 patients with benign nodules (diameter 24.8 mm). The IA for all nodules using planar images was 0.76 compared to 0.80 for SPECT images. The IA was better in the subgroup of malignant nodules for planar images as well as SPECT images (Kappa 0.91 and 0.90, respectively) compared to benign nodules (0.65 and 0.76, respectively). Using SPECT images, only one thyroid carcinoma presented with hypointense uptake, the remainder with hyper- or isointense uptake. In contrast, benign nodules were found in all categories.

Conclusion MIBI scintigraphy shows a good IA for the interpretation of thyroid carcinoma. The IA is further improved if MIBI scintigraphy is performed in SPECT technique.
Prevalence of Dyslipidaemia and Pre-Diabetes Among Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Do We Overestimate Cardiovascular Risk?
Authors: Lewandowski Krzysztof C. , Płusajska Justyna , Horzelski Wojciech , Lewiński Andrzej
Published: May 2019

PCOS is widely accepted as associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, however, without convincing evidence of an increased cardiovascular mortality. We assessed prevalence of obesity, glucose intolerance, and dyslipidaemia in 490 women with PCOS, aged 24.75±8.05 years, diagnosed according to the Rotterdam consensus criteria. Fifty-two percent of women had BMI<26 kg/m2, 81.8% had total cholesterol<200 mg/dl, 82.8% had LDL cholesterol<130 mg/dl (48.3%<100 mg/dl), 81.4% had triglycerides<150 mg/dl, 96.08% had fasting glucose<100 mg/dl, 90.3% had glucose<140 mg/dl at 120′ of OGTT. The most frequent abnormality was low HDL cholesterol, as only 33.9% had LDL>60 mg/dl. Combination of several risk factors related to dyslipidaemia was, however, relatively rare, for example, a combination of raised total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol was present only in 2.9% of subjects. An increase in BMI, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and glucose concentrations at 120′ of OGTT was more pronounced in women, who had raised concentrations of at least two androgens (n=172, 35.1%), yet there was no increase in insulin resistance parameters, that is, HOMA-IR, QUICKI, McAuley, or Belfiore index. Contrary to common belief, over 50% of women with PCOS have normal body weight, and with exception of lower HDL cholesterol, most have no significant dyslipidaemia or glucose intolerance. Women with normal or borderline abnormal androgens, who form the majority of PCOS subjects, seem to have more healthy metabolic profile. This might be one of the reasons for the absence of evidence of an increased CV mortality in women with PCOS.
Massive Brain Swelling after Cranioplasty: A Case Report
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyang , Pan Baogen , Ye Zhanying , Li Zheng , Mo Feng , Wang Xiaoyan
Published: May 2019

Background Cranioplasty is a common procedure in neurosurgery. It is usually performed following decompressive craniectomy (DC). However, complications may occur after the operation, such as massive brain swelling. Up to now, far too little attention has been given to this severe complication. We report one case of fatal cerebral swelling after cranioplasty and analyze the possible mechanism of this complication.

Case Description The patient was a 40-year-old man who had a severe right basal ganglia cerebral hemorrhage and underwent DC ∼ 2 months before. One day before scheduled cranioplasty, a lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage was placed. The cranioplasty itself was uneventful. However, he gradually fell into a coma, and his right pupil was moderately dilated 20 hours after the surgery. A brain computed tomography (CT) scan indicated massive right cerebral edema with compressed right midbrain. The patient did not regain consciousness, and he remained quadriplegic.

Conclusion It is necessary to increase awareness of complications of cranioplasty in high-risk patients. The lessons learned from this case include avoiding excessive drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. Patients with low-density lesions in the brain need to be treated with caution. Once the CT scan shows massive cerebral swelling, the patient has a poor prognosis.
A simple atomic beam oven with a metal thermal break
Authors: Vishwakarma Chetan , Mangaonkar Jay , Patel Kushal , Verma Gunjan , Sarkar Sumit , Rapol Umakant D.
Published: May 2019

We report the design and construction of a simple, easy to machine high temperature oven for generating an atomic beam in laser cooling experiments. This design eliminates the problem of thermal isolation of the oven region from the rest of the vacuum system without using a glass or ceramic thermal break. This design simplifies the construction and operation of high temperature ovens for elements having low vapor pressure. We demonstrate the functionality of such a source for strontium (Sr) atoms. We generate a high flux of Sr atoms for use in laser cooling and trapping experiments. The optimization of the design of the metal thermal break is done using a finite element analysis.
Ultrafast imaging of surface-exclusive carrier dynamics in silicon
Authors: Najafi Ebrahim , Jafari Amir
Published: May 2019

Understanding the dynamics of charge carriers at the semiconductor surfaces and interfaces is fundamental to the further development of photocatalytic, photovoltaic, and optoelectronic devices. Here, we study the surface photovoltage (SPV) dynamics in intrinsic and doped silicon using scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (SUEM). SUEM is a surface sensitive technique that allows the direct imaging of carriers at ultrafast time scales, thereby elucidating their spatiotemporal response to optical excitation. We first discuss the mechanism of image formation in SUEM. We then use these images to show that carrier dynamics on the silicon surface depends strongly on the doping type and concentration, though not always dictated by SPV. The numerical simulation of the drift-diffusion model suggests that this is due to the formation of complex transport processes, driven by intrinsic and photoinduced fields in the excited volume. This work refines our current understanding of the surface-exclusive dynamics in semiconductors by introducing a means to study their evolution in space and time and providing a model to explain the underlying mechanism.
Spin properties of single-molecule magnet of double-decker Tb(III)-phthalocyanine (TbPc2) on ferromagnetic Co film characterized by spin polarized STM (SP-STM)
Authors: Ara Ferdous , Oka Hirofumi , Sainoo Yasuyuki , Katoh Keiichi , Yamashita Masahiro , Komeda Tadahiro
Published: May 2019

We demonstrate a direct visualization of the magnetic hysteresis of a single-molecule magnet bis(phthalocyaninato)terbium(III) (TbPc2) adsorbed on the Co islands, which covers a submonolayer region of an Au(111) surface by utilizing the spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope (SP-STM) and monitoring the magnetotunneling resistance. We found that the TbPc2 molecule is spin polarized and attached to the ferromagnetic Co islands. The result of the SP-STM measurements showed that the spin of TbPc2 is antiferromagnetically coupled to the magnetization of the Co island. In addition, we found an opening in the hysteresis curve even with the frozen magnetization of the Co island, unlike that with near-zero remanence typically reported for the bulk crystal and the nonmagnetic substrate.
Thickness dependence of the physical properties of atomic-layer deposited Al2O3
Authors: Etinger-Geller Yael , Zoubenko Ekaterina , Baskin Maria , Kornblum Lior , Pokroy Boaz
Published: May 2019

Inspired by nature, we investigate the short-range order effect on the physical properties of amorphous materials. Amorphous Al2O3 thin films exhibit a higher proportion of their 4-coordinated Al sites close to the surface, causing variations in the average short-range order of the film. Below some thickness, the density of these films changes with size. In this work, we address the short-range order effect, through the thickness, on the electronic and optical properties of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 thin films. Both the refractive index and the permittivity were found to vary with size. The refractive index increased with thickness, and for thick films (∼50 nm), it was comparable to that of bulk amorphous Al2O3. The permittivity values increased with thickness as well, but did not reach those of the bulk material. Our experimental design circumvents the unpredictable Al2O3–Si interface, allowing new insights into the permittivity–thickness relations. By combining this design with accurate thickness and density measurements, we systematically correlate the refractive index and permittivity with the density and short-range order. These results shed light on the size effects in thin amorphous oxides and may guide the design of electronic and optical components and devices.
Permeability of the bonding interface between strain-hardening cementitious composite and normal concrete
Authors: Ding Zude , Wen Jincheng , Li Xiaoqin , Yang Xiao
Published: May 2019

Strain-hardening cementitious composite (SHCC) is ideal materials exhibiting ultra-high toughness, low permeability, and superior durability properties. SHCC is widely used for strengthening and repairing concrete structures. However, the permeability of the bonding interface between SHCC and normal concrete (NC) remains unclear due to the lack of experimental data. This study aims to investigate the impermeability of the SHCC-NC interface. The influences of interfacial roughness, interface agent, curing time, and substrate material on the permeability and splitting tensile strength are investigated. Results show that the impermeability of the bonding interface increases with the interfacial roughness and that the permeability coefficient of the SHCC-NC bonding interface can reach 1.40 × 10-11-1.08 × 10-12 m/s when the average height of sand filling reached 2-3 mm. The interface agent can improve the impermeability of the bonding interface. The impermeability of the bonding interface of the S-P composite specimen increased by 75% as the curing time is prolonged. The impermeability of the bonding interface between the new SHCC and existing NC is 5.7 times that of the interface between the new NC and existing SHCC. These differences are related to the maximum roughness of the substrate material’s surface. Finally, experimental results indicate that a linear expression is established between the impermeability and post-penetration splitting tensile strength of bonding interface.
The Dynamic Compression Sector laser: A 100-J UV laser for dynamic compression research
Authors: Broege D. , Fochs S. , Brent G. , Bromage J. , Dorrer C. , Earley R. F. , Guardalben M. J. , Marozas J. A. , Roides R. G. , Sethian J. , Wang X. , Weiner D. , Zweiback J. , Zuegel J. D.
Published: May 2019

The Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS) laser is a 100-J ultraviolet Nd:glass system designed and built by the Laboratory for Laser Energetics for experimental research at the DCS located at the Advanced Photon Source (Argonne National Laboratory). Its purpose is to serve as a shock driver to study materials under extreme dynamic pressures. It was designed to deposit energy within a uniformly illuminated 500-μm spot on target, with additional optics provided to implement spot sizes of 250 and 1000 μm. Designed after larger-scale glass lasers such as OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility, the laser consists of a fiber front end with interferometer-based pulse shaping, a Nd:glass regenerative amplifier, a four-pass rod amplifier, and a 15-cm glass disk amplifier, through which six passes are made in a bowtie geometry. The output is frequency tripled from 1053 to 351 nm by using a pair of type-II phase-matched KDP crystals, with a third to increase conversion bandwidth. The super-Gaussian spot in the far field is achieved with a distributed phase plate and a 1-m aspherical focusing lens. Beam smoothing is achieved by smoothing by spectral dispersion and polarization smoothing, resulting in a root-mean-square variation in intensity on target of ±8.7%.
A respiratory transducer array to exploit the ultra-sensitive temperature dependence of an acrylate-based composite for real-time respiration rate monitoring
Authors: Yeh Chao-Chi , Xu Ming-Xin , Yang Yao-Joe Joseph
Published: May 2019

This work proposes a miniaturized respiratory transducer array that utilizes the sharp temperature dependence of the resistivity characteristic of acrylate-based composites with a positive temperature coefficient. The proposed device employs an array configuration consisting of three sensing elements with the composites of different glass transition temperatures to achieve a wide operational temperature range. The temperature transient responses caused by different breathing conditions were clearly resolved by the device, and the corresponding respiration rates were easily extracted. The transducer array was characterized in a room temperature range from 23 °C to 29 °C. In addition, the device effectively detected the respiration rate up to a distance of 30 cm. It was also demonstrated that the device is capable of quantifying the breathing rate over a practical range of frequencies (from 0.1 Hz to 2 Hz). The respiration rates measured by the proposed device were also in good agreement with the results measured simultaneously by using a commercially available nasal pressure transducer. Comparison of the results demonstrated an excellent linear correlation (r=0.953 and P < 0.001). The measured results suggest the feasibility of using this miniaturized device to monitor patients' respiration rates in clinical institutes and in other point-of-care applications.
Atomic flux distribution from a low-divergent dark wall oven
Authors: Sharma Lakhi , Roy A. , Panja S. , De S.
Published: May 2019

Nearly collimated atomic beam is of interest for a variety of experiments. This article reports a simple way of modifying the atomic beam distribution using a dark wall oven and describes detailed study of outcoming atoms’ spatial distribution. A simple design is obtained by employing the fact that inhomogeneous thermal distribution along a capillary results due to its partial resistive heating. Based on this phenomenon, we have designed a dark wall oven consisting of a reservoir, collimator, and cold absorber at the exit end of atoms, where all three are fabricated out of a single stainless steel capillary. The nearly collimated spatial distribution of the atoms resulting due to the absorber eliminating the atoms diverging above a certain angle is modeled and experimentally verified. A divergence as minimum as 1.2(1)° corresponding to a half angle θ1/2 = 0.9(1)° is measured at an oven temperature of 250 °C that produces an atomic flux of about 8 × 109 atoms s−1. Total flux as estimated using our measured spatial distribution of atoms matches well with the numerically simulated values of it for the dark wall oven.
High-performance asymmetric supercapacitor based on vanadium dioxide and carbonized iron-polyaniline electrodes
Authors: Ndiaye N. M. , Madito M. J. , Ngom B. D. , Masikhwa T. M. , Mirghni A. A. , Manyala N.
Published: May 2019

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) monoclinic nanosheets were synthesized by a solvothermal method and carbonized iron-polyaniline (C-FP) nanograins were prepared by pyrolysis of iron-polyaniline (PANI) mixture under nitrogen ambient. An asymmetric device (VO2//C-FP) was evaluated with VO2 and C-FP as positive and negative material electrodes in aqueous 6 M KOH electrolyte respectively. The asymmetric supercapacitor (VO2//C-FP) exhibited a 47 mA h g-1 specific capacity and a specific energy of 30 W h kg−1 with an associated specific power of 713 W kg−1 at a gravimetric current of 1 A g−1 in a potential window of 1.6 V. It also displayed an 89% energy efficiency after 10000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles with a large improvement after ageing test at a gravimetric current of 10 A g-1.
Machining of optical micro-mold by laser-induced chemical etching
Authors: Gan Zihao , Peng Xiaoqiang , Guan Chaoliang
Published: May 2019

Triangular grating has an important application in modern optical field. The large-scale production of such components can be realized by injection molding process, among which the fabrication of optical molds is the most important technology. This paper proposed to adopt femtosecond laser-induced chemical etching to make a micro-mold based on triangular diffraction gratings. Based on theoretical analysis and processing experiments, we studied the feasibility applied to manufacture the microstructure of optical mold.
Analytic equilibrium of “straight tokamak” plasma bounded by a magnetic separatrix
Authors: Porcelli Franco , Yolbarsop Adil
Published: May 2019

Theoretical and experimental considerations suggest that axisymmetric perturbations that are resonant at the X-point(s) of a magnetic divertor separatrix may play a role in the understanding of Edge Localized Modes in tokamak experiments and their active control via so-called vertical kicks. With this motivation in mind, the first step in the development of an analytical model for resistive axisymmetric X-point modes is presented, i.e., finding an adequate, but at the same time relatively simple analytical magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium for a plasma column with a noncircular cross section bound by a magnetic separatrix. An early example is Gajewski's equilibrium solution [R. Gajewski, Phys. Fluids 15, 70 (1972)], which, however, has the shortcoming that infinite external currents placed at an infinite distance from the X-points produce the elliptical elongation of the plasma column. In this article, Gajewski's solution is extended to the case where external currents are located at a finite distance from the boundary of the plasma current density and the latter is distributed uniformly over a domain bound by a nearly elliptical magnetic flux surface.
First-principles study of ultrathin molybdenum sulfides nanowires: Electronic and catalytic hydrogen evolution properties
Authors: Li Xiao-ting , Wan Yang-yang , Wu Xiao-jun
Published: May 2019

Molybdenum sulfides nanomaterials, such as one-dimensional (1D) nanotubes, nanoribbons, and two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets, have attracted intensive research interests for their novel electronic, optical, and catalytic properties. On the basis of first-principles calculation, here, we report a new series of 1D ultrathin molybdenum sulfides nanowires, including Mo2S6, Mo3S6 and Mo6S10 nanowires. Our results demonstrate that these ultrathin nanowires are both thermal and lattices dynamically stable, confirmed with the calculated phonon spectrum and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamic simulation at the temperature up to 600 K. The calculated elastic constant is 21.33, 103.22, and 163.00 eV/Å for Mo2S6, Mo3S6, and Mo6S10 nanowires, respectively. Mo2S6 and Mo3S6 nanowires are semiconductors with band gap of 1.55 and 0.46 eV, while Mo6S10 nanowires is metal, implying their potential applications in electronics and optoelectronics. In particular, ultrathin molybdenum sulfides nanowires can be used as catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction. The calculated Gibbs free energy change for hydrogen evolution is about −0.05 eV for Mo2S6 nanowire, comparable with those of Pt and H-MoS2. The prediction of these 1D molybdenum sulfides nanowires may enrich the 1D family molybdenum sulfides and make a supplement to understand the high performance of hydrogen evolution reaction in transition-metal dichalcogenides.
Investigation of intrachain exciton diffusion of MEH-PPV in solution with different polarity
Authors: Li Xue-cong , Yuan Qi-lin , Zhang Fang , Zhang Han-zhuang
Published: May 2019

Femtosecond time-resolved transient grating technique was adopted to insight into the intrachain exciton diffusion of MEH-PPV in solution with different polarity. Broadband whitelight continuum was introduced as the probe to observe the transient absorption and the femtosecond time-resolved transient grating information simultaneously. The vibrational dephasing behaviors, single exciton relaxation, and population relaxation dynamics of MEH-PPV were systematically investigated. The result shows that the relaxation processes of the sample solution will be accelerated in the solvent with larger polarity.
Measurement of electron affinity of atomic lutetium via the cryo-SEVI Method
Authors: Fu Xiao-xi , Tang Ru-lin , Lu Yu-zhu , Ning Chuan-gang
Published: May 2019

Electron affinities (EAs) of most lanthanide elements still remain unknown due to their relatively low EA values. In the present work, the cryogenically controlled ion trap is used for accumulating atomic lutetium anion Lu−, which makes the measurement of electron affinity of lutetium become practicable. The high-resolution photoelectron spectra of Lu− are obtained via the slow-electron velocity-map imaging method. The electron affinity of Lu is determined to be 1926.2(50) cm−1 or 0.23882(62) eV. In addition, two excited states of Lu− are observed.
Response characteristics of strain sensors based on closely spaced nanocluster films with controlled coverage
Authors: Liu Fei , Shao Wei , Xu Gan , Yuan Ling
Published: May 2019

Flexible strain sensor devices were fabricated by depositing Pd nanoclusters on PET membranes patterned with interdigital electrodes. The sensors responded to the deformation of the PET membranes with the conductance changes of the nanocluster films and were characterized by both high gauge factor and wide detection range. The response characteristics of the strain sensors were found to depend strongly on the nanocluster coverage, which was attributed to the percolative nature of the electron transport in the closely spaced nanocluster arrays. By controlling the nanocluster deposition process, a strain sensor composed of nanocluster arrays with a coverage close to the effective percolation threshold was fabricated. The sensor device showed a linear response with a stable gauge factor of 55 for the applied strains from the lower detection limit up to 0.3%. At higher applied strains, a gauge factor as high as 200 was shown. The nanocluster films also demonstrated the ability to response to large deformations up to 8% applied strain, with an extremely high gauge factor of 3500.