bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is the school food environment conducive to healthy eating in poorly resourced South African schools?
Authors: Faber Mieke , Laurie Sunette , Maduna Mamokhele , Magudulela Thokozile , Muehlhoff Ellen
Published: September 2013

Objective

To assess the school food environment in terms of breakfast consumption, school meals, learners’ lunch box, school vending and classroom activities related to nutrition.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Ninety purposively selected poorly resourced schools in South Africa.

Subjects

Questionnaires were completed by school principals (n 85), school feeding coordinators (n 77), food handlers (n 84), educators (n 687), randomly selected grade 5 to 7 learners (n 2547) and a convenience sample of parents (n 731). The school menu (n 75), meal served on the survey day, and foods at tuck shops and food vendors (n 74) were recorded.

Results

Twenty-two per cent of learners had not eaten breakfast; 24 % brought a lunch box, mostly with bread. Vegetables (61 %) were more often on the school menu than fruit (28 %) and were served in 41 % of schools on the survey day compared with 4 % serving fruit. Fifty-seven per cent of learners brought money to school. Parents advised learners to buy fruit (37 %) and healthy foods (23 %). Tuck shops and vendors sold mostly unhealthy foods. Lack of money/poverty (74 %) and high food prices (68 %) were major challenges for healthy eating. Most (83 %) educators showed interest in nutrition, but only 15 % had received training in nutrition. Eighty-one per cent of educators taught nutrition as part of school subjects.

Conclusions

The school food environment has large scope for improvement towards promoting healthy eating. This includes increasing access to vegetables and fruit, encouraging learners to carry a healthy lunch box, and regulating foods sold through tuck shops and food vendors.
Mother's education is the most important factor in socio-economic inequality of child stunting in Iran
Authors: Emamian Mohammad Hassan , Fateh Mansooreh , Gorgani Neman , Fotouhi Akbar
Published: September 2013

Objective

Malnutrition is one of the most important health problems, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to describe the socio-economic inequality in stunting and its determinants in Iran for the first time.

Design

Cross-sectional, population-based survey, carried out in 2009. Using randomized cluster sampling, weight and height of children were measured and anthropometric indices were calculated based on child growth standards given by the WHO. Socio-economic status of families was determined using principal component analysis on household assets and social specifications of families. The concentration index was used to calculate socio-economic inequality in stunting and its determinants were measured by decomposition of this index. Factors affecting the gap between socio-economic groups were recognized by using the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition method.

Setting

Shahroud District in north-eastern Iran.

Subjects

Children (n 1395) aged <6 years.

Results

The concentration index for socio-economic inequality in stunting was −0·1913. Mother's education contributed 70 % in decomposition of this index. Mean height-for-age Z-score was −0·544 and −0·335 for low and high socio-economic groups, respectively. Mother's education was the factor contributing most to the gap between these two groups.

Conclusions

There was a significant socio-economic inequality in the studied children. If mother's education is distributed equally in all the different groups of Iranian society, one can expect to eliminate 70 % of the socio-economic inequalities. Even in high socio-economic groups, the mean height-for-age Z-score was lower than the international standards. These issues emphasize the necessity of applying new interventions especially for the improvement of maternal education.
Fourteen-year trends in sodium content of menu offerings at eight leading fast-food restaurants in the USA
Authors: Rudelt Amanda , French Simone , Harnack Lisa
Published: September 2013

Objective

To examine changes in the Na content of lunch/dinner menu offerings at eight of the leading fast-food restaurants in the USA between 1997/1998 and 2009/2010.

Design

Menu offerings and nutrient composition information for the menu items were obtained from archival versions of the University of Minnesota Nutrition Coordinating Center (NCC) Food and Nutrient Database. Nutrient composition information for lunch/dinner menu items sold by the fast-food restaurants included in the present study was updated in the database biannually. Menus were analysed for changes in mean Na content of all menu offerings (except beverages) and specific categories of menu items among all restaurants and for each individual restaurant.

Setting

USA.

Subjects

Lunch/dinner food menu of eight leading US fast-food restaurants.

Results

Between 1997/1998 and 2009/2010 the mean Na content of menu offerings across the eight restaurants increased by 23·4 %. Examining specific food categories, mean Na content of entrées by increased 17·2 % and that of condiments increased by 26·1 %. Only side dishes showed a decrease of 6·6 %. None of the restaurants examined had a decrease in Na across the lunch/dinner menu offerings over the 14 years examined.

Conclusions

Results suggest that over the time period studied there has been no meaningful reduction in the Na content of lunch/dinner menu offerings at the leading fast-food restaurants examined in the present study.
The Baltic Sea Diet Score: a tool for assessing healthy eating in Nordic countries
Authors: Kanerva Noora , Kaartinen Niina E , Schwab Ursula , Lahti-Koski Marjaana , Männistö Satu
Published: September 2013

Objective

The health-related effects of the Nordic diet remain mostly unidentified. We created a Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS) for epidemiological research to indicate adherence to a healthy Nordic diet. We examined associations between the score and nutrient intakes that are considered important in promoting public health. We also examined the performance of the BSDS under two different cut-off strategies.

Design

The cross-sectional study included two phases of the National FINRISK 2007 Study. Diet was assessed using a validated FFQ. Food and nutrient intakes were calculated using in-house software. Nine components were selected for the score. Each component was scored according to both sex-specific consumption quartiles (BSDS-Q) and medians (BSDS-M), and summed to give the final score values.

Setting

A large representative sample of the Finnish population.

Subjects

Men (n 2217) and women (n 2493) aged 25 to 74 years.

Results

In the age- and energy-adjusted model, adherence to the diet was associated with a higher intake of carbohydrates (E%), and lower intakes of SFA (E%) and alcohol (E%, where E% is percentage of total energy intake; P < 0·01). Furthermore, the intakes of fibre, Fe, vitamins A, C and D, and folate were higher among participants who adhered to the diet (P < 0·05). After further adjustments, the results remained significant (P < 0·05) and did not differ remarkably between BSDS-Q and BSDS-M.

Conclusions

The BSDS can be used as a measure of a healthy Nordic diet to assess diet–health relationships in public health surveys in Nordic countries.
Is Sternberg’s Memory Scanning Task Really a Short-Term Memory Task?
Authors: Corbin Lucie , Marquer Josette
Published: September 2013

Sternberg’s paradigm is currently viewed as a typical short-term memory task and is widely used to tap mnemonic capacities in neuroscience studies. However, Sternberg’s original procedure includes an experimental constraint – recalling the sequence of digits in order – which was not reused in the following studies. In previous research ( Corbin & Marquer, 2008 , 2009 ), we showed that the recall constraint has an impact on the quantitative results as well as on the strategies implemented. These findings led us to wonder whether the presence or absence of this simple experimental constraint could also affect the processes implemented in Sternberg’s task. In order to answer this question, we analyzed the relationships between the performance levels of 50 participants on Sternberg’s task on various well-known span tasks and on a classical visual search task. The results showed that, in the recall condition, Sternberg’s paradigm appears to be a verbal working memory task, whereas in the no-recall condition, the task appears to be a recognition task that involves visuospatial memory capacities. In this latter condition, the processes implemented may be more similar to those implemented in visual search tasks.
Busy at Work and Absent-Minded at Home
Authors: Elfering Achim , Grebner Simone , Boillat Coralie
Published: September 2013

This study investigates whether cognitive failures mediate the potential influence of work demands and conscientiousness on body balance problems and domestic near-falls at home after work. The participants were 109 employees (55% female). We used the Workplace Cognitive Failure Scale (WCFS) to measure the frequency of failure in memory function, failure in attention regulation, and failure in action execution. Performance constraints, time pressure, and concentration demands were assessed by the Instrument for Stress-Oriented Task Analysis (ISTA). In a structural equation model, work-related cognitive failure significantly mediated the influence of work demands on after-work domestic body balance problems encountered in the previous 4 weeks. Work-related cognitive failure did not mediate the directional link between conscientiousness and body balance problems. Mental work demands have aftereffects after work is finished. The risk of domestic fall is due in part to cognitive failure that reflects cognitive strain from mental workload. Work redesign is likely to reduce the risk of falling not only at work, but also after work at home.
Uncoupling PSD-95 Interactions Leads to Rapid Recovery of Cortical Function after Focal Stroke
Authors: Srejic Luka R , Hutchison William D , Aarts Michelle M
Published: September 2013

Since the most significant ischemic sequelae occur within hours of stroke, it is necessary to understand how neuronal function changes during this time. While histologic and behavioral models show the extent of stroke-related damage, only in vivo recordings can illustrate changes in brain activity during stroke and validate effectiveness of neuroprotective compounds. Spontaneous and evoked field potentials (fEPs) were recorded in the deep layers of the cortex with a linear microelectrode array for 3 hours after focal stroke in anesthetized rats. Tat-NR2B9c peptide, which confers neuroprotection by uncoupling the PSD-95 protein from N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), was administered 5 minutes before ischemia. Evoked field potentials were completely suppressed within 3 minutes of infarct in all ischemic groups. Evoked field potential recovery after stroke in rats treated with Tat-NR2B9c (83% of baseline) was greater compared with stroke-only (61% of baseline) or control peptide (Tat-NR2B-AA; 67% of baseline) groups ( P<0.001). Electroencephalography (EEG) power was higher in Tat-NR2B9c-treated animals at both 20 minutes and 1 hour (50% and 73% of baseline, respectively) compared with stroke-only and Tat-NR2B-AA-treated rats ( P<0.05). Tat-NR2B9c significantly reduces stroke-related cortical dysfunction as evidenced by greater recovery of fEPs and EEG power; illustrating the immediate effects of the compound on poststroke brain function.
IL-10 Deficiency Exacerbates the Brain Inflammatory Response to Permanent Ischemia without Preventing Resolution of the Lesion
Authors: Pérez-de Puig Isabel , Miró Francesc , Salas-Perdomo Angélica , Bonfill-Teixidor Ester , Ferrer-Ferrer Maura , Márquez-Kisinousky Leonardo , Planas Anna M
Published: September 2013

Stroke induces inflammation that can aggravate brain damage. This work examines whether interleukin-10 (IL-10) deficiency exacerbates inflammation and worsens the outcome of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Expression of IL-10 and IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) increased after ischemia. From day 4, reactive astrocytes showed strong IL-10R immunoreactivity. Interleukin-10 knockout (IL-10 KO) mice kept in conventional housing showed more mortality after pMCAO than the wild type (WT). This effect was associated with the presence of signs of colitis in the IL-10 KO mice, suggesting that ongoing systemic inflammation was a confounding factor. In a pathogen-free environment, IL-10 deficiency slightly increased infarct volume and neurologic deficits. Induction of proinflammatory molecules in the IL-10 KO brain was similar to that in the WT 6 hours after ischemia, but was higher at day 4, while differences decreased at day 7. Deficiency of IL-10 promoted the presence of more mature phagocytic cells in the ischemic tissue, and enhanced the expression of M2 markers and the T-cell inhibitory molecule CTLA-4. These findings agree with a role of IL-10 in attenuating local inflammatory reactions, but do not support an essential function of IL-10 in lesion resolution. Upregulation of alternative immunosuppressive molecules after brain ischemia can compensate, at least in part, the absence of IL-10.
Solar-Blind Photodetectors for Harsh Electronics
Authors: Tsai Dung-Sheng , Lien Wei-Cheng , Lien Der-Hsien , Chen Kuan-Ming , Tsai Meng-Lin , Senesky Debbie G. , Yu Yueh-Chung , Pisano Albert P. , He Jr-Hau
Published: September 2013

We demonstrate solar-blind photodetectors (PDs) by employing AlN thin films on Si(100) substrates with excellent temperature tolerance and radiation hardness. Even at a bias higher than 200 V the AlN PDs on Si show a dark current as low as ~ 1 nA. The working temperature is up to 300°C and the radiation tolerance is up to 1013 cm−2 of 2-MeV proton fluences for AlN metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) PDs. Moreover, the AlN PDs show a photoresponse time as fast as ~ 110 ms (the rise time) and ~ 80 ms (the fall time) at 5 V bias. The results demonstrate that AlN MSM PDs hold high potential in next-generation deep ultraviolet PDs for use in harsh environments.
Fragment-based design for the development of N-domain-selective angiotensin-1-converting enzyme inhibitors
Authors: Douglas Ross G. , Sharma Rajni K. , Masuyer Geoffrey , Lubbe Lizelle , Zamora Ismael , Acharya K. Ravi , Chibale Kelly , Sturrock Edward D.
Published: September 2013

ACE (angiotensin-1-converting enzyme) is a zinc metallopeptidase that plays a prominent role in blood pressure regulation and electrolyte homeostasis. ACE consists of two homologous domains that despite similarities of sequence and topology display differences in substrate processing and inhibitor binding. The design of inhibitors that selectively inhibit the N-domain (N-selective) could be useful in treating conditions of tissue injury and fibrosis due to build-up of N-domain-specific substrate Ac-SDKP (N-acetyl-Ser–Asp–Lys–Pro). Using a receptor-based SHOP (scaffold hopping) approach with N-selective inhibitor RXP407, a shortlist of scaffolds that consisted of modified RXP407 backbones with novel chemotypes was generated. These scaffolds were selected on the basis of enhanced predicted interaction energies with N-domain residues that differed from their C-domain counterparts. One scaffold was synthesized and inhibitory binding tested using a fluorogenic ACE assay. A molecule incorporating a tetrazole moiety in the P2 position (compound 33RE) displayed potent inhibition (Ki=11.21±0.74 nM) and was 927-fold more selective for the N-domain than the C-domain. A crystal structure of compound 33RE in complex with the N-domain revealed its mode of binding through aromatic stacking with His388 and a direct hydrogen bond with the hydroxy group of the N-domain specific Tyr369. This work further elucidates the molecular basis for N-domainselective inhibition and assists in the design of novel N-selective ACE inhibitors that could be employed in treatment of fibrosis disorders.
Quantitative Assessment of Interutterance Stability: Application to Dysarthria
Authors: Cummins Fred , Lowit Anja , van Brenk Frits
Published: September 2013

Purpose

Following recent attempts to quantify articulatory impairment in speech, the present study evaluates the usefulness of a novel measure of motor stability to characterize dysarthria.

Method

The study included 8 speakers with ataxic dysarthria (AD), 16 speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria (HD) as a result of Parkinson's disease, and 24 unimpaired control participants. Each participant performed a series of sentence repetitions under habitual, fast, and slow speaking rate conditions. An algorithm to measure utterance-to-utterance spectro-temporal variation (UUV; Cummins, 2009) was used. Speech rate and intelligibility were also measured.

Results

UUV scores were significantly correlated with perceptually based intelligibility scores. There were significant differences in UUV between control speakers and the AD but not the HD groups, presumably because of differences in intelligibility in the samples used and not because of differences in pathology. Habitual speaking rate did not correlate with UUV scores. All speaker groups had greater UUV levels in the slow conditions compared with habitual and fast speaking rates.

Conclusions

UUV results were consistent with those of other variability indices and thus appear to capture motor control issues in a similar way. The results suggest that the UUV could be developed into an easy-to-use clinical tool that could function as a valid and reliable assessment and outcome measure.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6170402
Tongue Motion Patterns in Post-Glossectomy and Typical Speakers: A Principal Components Analysis
Authors: Stone Maureen , Langguth Julie M. , Woo Jonghye , Chen Hegang , Prince Jerry L.
Published: September 2013

Purpose

In this study, the authors examined changes in tongue motion caused by glossectomy surgery. A speech task that involved subtle changes in tongue-tip positioning (the motion from /i/ to /s/) was measured. The hypothesis was that patients would have limited motion on the tumor (resected) side and would compensate with greater motion on the nontumor side in order to elevate the tongue tip and blade for /s/.

Method

Velocity fields were extracted from tagged magnetic resonance images in the left, middle, and right tongue of 3 patients and 10 controls. Principal components (PCs) analysis quantified motion differences and distinguished between the subject groups.

Results

PCs 1 and 2 represented variance in (a) size and independence of the tongue tip, and (b) direction of motion of the tip, body, or both. Patients and controls were correctly separated by a small number of PCs.

Conclusions

Motion of the tumor slice was different between patients and controls, but the nontumor side of the patients' tongues did not show excessive or adaptive motion. Both groups contained apical and laminal /s/ users, and 1 patient created apical /s/ in a highly unusual manner.
Influence of optical amplifier on inter‐satellite microwave photonics links employing a low‐biased Mach‐Zehnder modulator
Authors: Zhu Zihang , Zhao Shanghong , Yao Zhoushi , Li Yongjun , Jiang Wei , Wang Xiang , Zhao Guhao
Published: September 2013

An exact analytical expression of signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) for inter‐satellite microwave photonics links using a low‐biased Mach‐Zehnder modulator, and with both an optical booster amplifier and a preamplifier, is derived with the method of Bessel expansion and Graf's addition theorem. It is observed that the most limitative noise is changed from the thermal noise to the signal‐amplifier spontaneous emission beating noise that arises from the optical preamplifier, and the signal power is seen to increase more compared with the power of noise because of optical preamplifier. Thus, the SNR of system configurations with both an optical booster amplifier and an optical preamplifier can be improved compared with the SNR of system configurations with only an optical booster amplifier. For the preamplifier gain of 20 dB and noise figure of 3 dB, an increase of about 19.7 dB in optimum SNR is accessible. In addition, the effect of optical booster amplifier and preamplifier parameters on the optimum DC bias phase shift and SNR is also investigated.
Atomistic simulations, mesoscopic modeling, and theoretical analysis of thermal conductivity of bundles composed of carbon nanotubes
Authors: Volkov Alexey N. , Salaway Richard N. , Zhigilei Leonid V.
Published: September 2013

The propensity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to self-organize into continuous networks of bundles has direct implications for thermal transport properties of CNT network materials and defines the importance of clear understanding of the mechanisms and scaling laws governing the heat transfer within the primary building blocks of the network structures—close-packed bundles of CNTs. A comprehensive study of the thermal conductivity of CNT bundles is performed with a combination of non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of heat transfer between adjacent CNTs and the intrinsic conductivity of CNTs in a bundle with a theoretical analysis that reveals the connections between the structure and thermal transport properties of CNT bundles. The results of MD simulations of heat transfer in CNT bundles consisting of up to 7 CNTs suggest that, contrary to the widespread notion of strongly reduced conductivity of CNTs in bundles, van der Waals interactions between defect-free well-aligned CNTs in a bundle have negligible effect on the intrinsic conductivity of the CNTs. The simulations of inter-tube heat conduction performed for partially overlapping parallel CNTs indicate that the conductance through the overlap region is proportional to the length of the overlap for CNTs and CNT-CNT overlaps longer than several tens of nm. Based on the predictions of the MD simulations, a mesoscopic-level model is developed and applied for theoretical analysis and numerical modeling of heat transfer in bundles consisting of CNTs with infinitely large and finite intrinsic thermal conductivities. The general scaling laws predicting the quadratic dependence of the bundle conductivity on the length of individual CNTs in the case when the thermal transport is controlled by the inter-tube conductance and the independence of the CNT length in another limiting case when the intrinsic conductivity of CNTs plays the dominant role are derived. An application of the scaling laws to bundles of single-walled (10,10) CNTs reveals that the transition from inter-tube-conductance-dominated to intrinsic-conductivity-dominated thermal transport in CNT bundles occurs in a practically important range of CNT length from ∼20 nm to ∼4 μm.
Atomistic linear response voltage drop calculations for quantum transport in materials: The high conductance regime
Authors: Bevan Kirk H.
Published: September 2013

A linear response method for computing the voltage drop in the high conductance regime is presented. It is applied to the study of both coherent and incoherent transport in model 1D, 2D, and 3D materials, within the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The method is shown to accurately reproduce self-consistent voltage drop results computed from first-principles, including the transition from low dimensional screening oscillations to higher dimensional near classical screening. Overall, the method provides an additional analysis technique in the “quantum transport toolbox” that is complementary to self-consistent methods (in the high conductance regime).
Hamiltonian vector fields on almost symplectic manifolds
Authors: Vaisman Izu
Published: September 2013

Let (M, ω) be an almost symplectic manifold (ω is a nondegenerate, not closed, 2-form). We say that a vector field X of M is locally Hamiltonian if LXω = 0, d(i(X)ω) = 0, and it is Hamiltonian if, furthermore, the 1-form i(X)ω is exact. Such vector fields were considered in Fassò and Sansonetto [“Integrable almost-symplectic Hamiltonian systems,” J. Math. Phys. 48, 092902 (2007)]10.1063/1.2783937, under the name of strongly Hamiltonian, and a corresponding action-angle theorem was proven. Almost symplectic manifolds may have few, nonzero, Hamiltonian vector fields, or even none. Therefore, it is important to have examples and it is our aim to provide such examples here. We also obtain some new general results. In particular, we show that the locally Hamiltonian vector fields generate a Dirac structure on M and we state a reduction theorem of the Marsden-Weinstein type. A final section is dedicated to almost symplectic structures on tangent bundles.
Bounds of cavitation inception in a creeping flow between eccentric cylinders rotating with a small minimum gap
Authors: Monakhov A. A. , Chernyavski V. M. , Shtemler Yu.
Published: September 2013

Bounds of cavitation inception are experimentally determined in a creeping flow between eccentric cylinders, the inner one being static and the outer rotating at a constant angular velocity, Ω. The geometric configuration is additionally specified by a small minimum gap between cylinders, H, as compared with the radii of the inner and outer cylinders. For some values H and Ω, cavitation bubbles are observed, which are collected on the surface of the inner cylinder and equally distributed over the line parallel to its axis near the downstream minimum gap position. Cavitation occurs for the parameters {H,Ω} within a region bounded on the right by the cavitation inception curve that passes through the plane origin and cannot exceed the asymptotic threshold value of the minimum gap, Ha, in whose vicinity cavitation may occur at H < Ha only for high angular rotation velocities.
Solvatochromic shifts from coupled-cluster theory embedded in density functional theory
Authors: Höfener Sebastian , Gomes André Severo Pereira , Visscher Lucas
Published: September 2013

Building on the framework recently reported for determining general response properties for frozen-density embedding [S. Höfener, A. S. P. Gomes, and L. Visscher, J. Chem. Phys. 136, 044104 (2012)]10.1063/1.3675845, in this work we report a first implementation of an embedded coupled-cluster in density-functional theory (CC-in-DFT) scheme for electronic excitations, where only the response of the active subsystem is taken into account. The formalism is applied to the calculation of coupled-cluster excitation energies of water and uracil in aqueous solution. We find that the CC-in-DFT results are in good agreement with reference calculations and experimental results. The accuracy of calculations is mainly sensitive to factors influencing the correlation treatment (basis set quality, truncation of the cluster operator) and to the embedding treatment of the ground-state (choice of density functionals). This allows for efficient approximations at the excited state calculation step without compromising the accuracy. This approximate scheme makes it possible to use a first principles approach to investigate environment effects with specific interactions at coupled-cluster level of theory at a cost comparable to that of calculations of the individual subsystems in vacuum.
The circuit of polychromator for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak edge Thomson scattering diagnostic
Authors: Zang Qing , Hsieh C. L. , Zhao Junyu , Chen Hui , Li Fengjuan
Published: September 2013

The detector circuit is the core component of filter polychromator which is used for scattering light analysis in Thomson scattering diagnostic, and is responsible for the precision and stability of a system. High signal-to-noise and stability are primary requirements for the diagnostic. Recently, an upgraded detector circuit for weak light detecting in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) edge Thomson scattering system has been designed, which can be used for the measurement of large electron temperature (Te) gradient and low electron density (ne). In this new circuit, a thermoelectric-cooled avalanche photodiode with the aid circuit is involved for increasing stability and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), especially the circuit will never be influenced by ambient temperature. These features are expected to improve the accuracy of EAST Thomson diagnostic dramatically. Related mechanical construction of the circuit is redesigned as well for heat-sinking and installation. All parameters are optimized, and SNR is dramatically improved. The number of minimum detectable photons is only 10.
Theoretical investigation of nonlinear resonances in a carbon nanotube cantilever with a tip-mass under electrostatic excitation
Authors: Kim I. K. , Lee S. I.
Published: September 2013

The nonlinear dynamics of a resonating carbon nanotube (CNT) cantilever having an attached mass at the tip (“tip mass”) were investigated by incorporating electrostatic forces and intermolecular interactions between the CNT and a conducting plane surface. This work enables applications of CNT resonating sensors for tiny mass detection and provides a better understanding of the dynamics of CNT cantilevers. The effect of tip mass on a resonating CNT cantilever is normally characterized by the fundamental frequency shift in the linear resonance regime. However, there are more complex dynamics in the nonlinear resonance regime, such as secondary resonances with parametric excitation. The latter have been limited to nano-cantilevers without tip mass or to axially excited micro-beams. To analyze the nonlinear dynamics, we developed a differential equation model that includes both geometric and inertial nonlinear terms for the large vibration amplitudes at increasing drive forces. In our approach, we used Galerkin discretization techniques and numerical integration methods. The CNT cantilever exhibited complex nonlinear responses due to the applied AC and DC voltages and various tip masses. The nonlinear model had a softer response for increasing tip mass than those of the linear model with the same driving conditions. At low applied voltages, the cantilever had linear amplitude and phase responses at primary and secondary superharmonic resonance frequencies. The response branches were softened at the primary resonance through saddle-node (SN) bifurcation from harmonic electrostatic excitation at higher applied voltages. After SN bifurcation, the lower branch of the solution near resonance became unstable. In addition, theoretical analyses were performed on more complex nonlinear responses and stability changes with tip mass variations, such as period-doubling (PD) bifurcation at subharmonic resonance frequencies.
Blow-up phenomena for the weakly dissipative Dullin–Gottwald–Holm equation
Authors: Novruzov Emil
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we study the Cauchy problem for the weakly dissipative Dullin–Gottwald–Holm equation. We establish certain conditions on the initial datum to guarantee that the corresponding positive strong solutions blow up in finite time.
Minimum Fisher regularization of image reconstruction for infrared imaging bolometer on HL-2A
Authors: Gao J. M. , Liu Y. , Li W. , Lu J. , Dong Y. B. , Xia Z. W. , Yi P. , Yang Q. W.
Published: September 2013

An infrared imaging bolometer diagnostic has been developed recently for the HL-2A tokamak to measure the temporal and spatial distribution of plasma radiation. The three-dimensional tomography, reduced to a two-dimensional problem by the assumption of plasma radiation toroidal symmetry, has been performed. A three-dimensional geometry matrix is calculated with the one-dimensional pencil beam approximation. The solid angles viewed by the detector elements are taken into account in defining the chord brightness. And the local plasma emission is obtained by inverting the measured brightness with the minimum Fisher regularization method. A typical HL-2A plasma radiation model was chosen to optimize a regularization parameter on the criterion of generalized cross validation. Finally, this method was applied to HL-2A experiments, demonstrating the plasma radiated power density distribution in limiter and divertor discharges.
Local resonances in phononic crystals and in random arrangements of pillars on a surface
Authors: Achaoui Younes , Laude Vincent , Benchabane Sarah , Khelif Abdelkrim
Published: September 2013

The propagation of surface acoustic waves in two-dimensional phononic crystals of pillars on a surface is investigated experimentally for hexagonal and honeycomb lattice symmetries. A random array of pillars is also compared to the periodic phononic crystals. Taking into account that the geometrical and physical characteristics of the pillars are the same in all cases, it is shown that the locally resonant band gap in the low frequency range is almost independent of periodicity and resilient to randomness. In contrast, the Bragg band gap disappears with the random array.
Thickness dependent structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of the epitaxial films of transparent conducting oxide NiCo2O4
Authors: Silwal Punam , Miao Ludi , Hu Jin , Spinu Leonard , Ho Kim Dae , Talbayev Diyar
Published: September 2013

We present the thickness dependent structural, magnetic, and transport properties of transparent conducting spinel NiCo2O4 thin films on MgAl2O4 (001) substrates. The structural examination of the films reveals that the epitaxial stain is independent of the films' thickness. Electric and magnetic measurements show that the films are metallic with p-type conduction and ferrimagnetic down to 2 unit cells with an enhanced coercive field in the films thinner than 30 unit cells. The low-temperature resistivity data indicate that the observed resistivity minimum results from the disorder-induced quantum interference effects. Our results demonstrate that NiCo2O4 may provide an alternative magnetic conducting medium for spintronics devices.
Spectral evolution of two-dimensional kinetic plasma turbulence in the wavenumber-frequency domain
Authors: Comişel H. , Verscharen D. , Narita Y. , Motschmann U.
Published: September 2013

We present a method for studying the evolution of plasma turbulence by tracking dispersion relations in the energy spectrum in the wavenumber-frequency domain. We apply hybrid plasma simulations in a simplified two-dimensional geometry to demonstrate our method and its applicability to plasma turbulence in the ion kinetic regime. We identify four dispersion relations: ion-Bernstein waves, oblique whistler waves, oblique Alfvén/ion-cyclotron waves, and a zero-frequency mode. The energy partition and frequency broadening are evaluated for these modes. The method allows us to determine the evolution of decaying plasma turbulence in our restricted geometry and shows that it cascades along the dispersion relations during the early phase with an increasing broadening around the dispersion relations.
Progress toward fully noninductive discharge operation in DIII-D using off-axis neutral beam injection
Authors: Ferron J. R. , Holcomb C. T. , Luce T. C. , Park J. M. , Politzer P. A. , Turco F. , Heidbrink W. W. , Doyle E. J. , Hanson J. M. , Hyatt A. W. , In Y. , La Haye R. J. , Lanctot M. J. , Okabayashi M. , Petrie T. W. , Petty C. C. , Zeng L.
Published: September 2013

The initial experiments on off-axis neutral beam injection into high noninductive current fraction (fNI), high normalized pressure (βN) discharges in DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, Fusion Sci. Technol. 48, 828 (2005)] have demonstrated changes in the plasma profiles that increase the limits to plasma pressure from ideal low-n instabilities. The current profile is broadened and the minimum value of the safety factor (qmin) can be maintained above 2 where the profile of the thermal component of the plasma pressure is found to be broader. The off-axis neutral beam injection results in a broadening of the fast-ion pressure profile. Confinement of the thermal component of the plasma is consistent with the IPB98(y,2) scaling, but global confinement with qmin>2 is below the ITER-89P scaling, apparently as a result of enhanced transport of fast ions. A 0-D model is used to examine the parameter space for fNI=1 operation and project the requirements for high performance steady-state discharges. Fully noninductive solutions are found with 4<βN<5 and bootstrap current fraction near 0.5 for a weak shear safety factor profile. A 1-D model is used to show that a fNI=1 discharge at the top of this range of βN that is predicted stable to n=1, 2, and 3 ideal MHD instabilities is accessible through further broadening of the current and pressure profiles with off-axis neutral beam injection and electron cyclotron current drive.
Low-field large magnetostriction in DyCo2 due to field-induced rearrangement of tetragonal variants
Authors: Nie Zhihua , Yang Sen , Wang Yandong , Wang Zilong , Liu Dongmei , Ren Yang
Published: September 2013

The synchrotron high-energy x-ray diffraction was used to trace directly the structural evolution of polycrystalline DyCo2, one of RT2 (R = rare earth, T = Co, Fe) compounds with Laves phase, as a function of temperature and magnetic field. When the DyCo2 compound was zero-field cooled down below TC, the high temperature cubic lattice was distorted into tetragonal structure, associated with an expansion of unit cell volume. It was further found that the large magnetostriction at low magnetic field was due to the preferential rearrangement of tetragonal variants in the low-temperature ferrimagnetic phase. Our finding of the field-driven preferential selection of tetragonal variants in the polycrystalline materials provides important clues for exploring the advanced ferromagnetic alloys with a large magnetostriction at low field.
Highly c-axis oriented growth of GaN film on sapphire (0001) by laser molecular beam epitaxy using HVPE grown GaN bulk target
Authors: Kushvaha S. S. , Kumar M. Senthil , Maurya K. K. , Dalai M. K. , Sharma Nita D.
Published: September 2013

Growth temperature dependant surface morphology and crystalline properties of the epitaxial GaN layers grown on pre-nitridated sapphire (0001) substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) were investigated in the range of 500–750 °C. The grown GaN films were characterized using high resolution x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The x-ray rocking curve full width at a half maximum (FWHM) value for (0002) reflection dramatically decreased from 1582 arc sec to 153 arc sec when the growth temperature was increased from 500 °C to 600 °C and the value further decreased with increase of growth temperature up to 720 °C. A highly c-axis oriented GaN epitaxial film was obtained at 720 °C with a (0002) plane rocking curve FWHM value as low as 102 arc sec. From AFM studies, it is observed that the GaN grain size also increased with increasing growth temperature and flat, large lateral grains of size 200-300 nm was obtained for the film grown at 720 °C. The micro-Raman spectroscopy studies also exhibited the high-quality wurtzite nature of GaN film grown on sapphire at 720 °C. The SIMS measurements revealed a non-traceable amount of background oxygen impurity in the grown GaN films. The results show that the growth temperature strongly influences the surface morphology and crystalline quality of the epitaxial GaN films on sapphire grown by LMBE.
Openness in developing inter-organizational innovation
Authors: Paasi Jaakko , Valkokari Katri , Rantala Tuija
Published: September 2013

The paper describes empirical findings on how openness is realized in practical innovation projects involving different organizations. The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of how openness should be managed in the various forms of inter-organizational innovation development. The main research interest is in how openness is manifested in developing innovations with different organizations involved in inter-organizational innovation projects. Subsidiary research questions are: ‘What is open?’, ‘To whom is it open?’ and ‘How open is it?’. The study applied qualitative case study methodology, and empirical data were collected by semi-structured interviews with management personnel in 40 organizations in Finland and the Netherlands. The findings reveal that openness in innovation is a multifaceted issue that can have very different meanings in different contexts. In the context of the study, the answer to the first sub-question (‘What is open?’) is obvious. It is the innovation project; its input, process and outcome. As for ‘To whom is it open?’, interviewees made a clear distinction between projects with known actors and projects that may include unknown actors. Answering ‘How open is the project?’, one can distinguish between different projects according to which attribute best describes the openness of the project – readable, usable, or modifiable. Answers to the three sub-questions conceptualize the issue of openness in inter-organizational innovation development and can be considered theoretical conclusions of the study. By combining the answers, five characteristic levels of openness in inter-organizational innovation were derived as practical implications of the study for R&D and innovation management.
A simulator for spatially extended kappa models
Authors: Sorokina Oksana , Sorokin Anatoly , Douglas Armstrong J. , Danos Vincent
Published: September 2013

Summary: Spatial Kappa is a simulator of models written in a variant of the rule-based stochastic modelling language Kappa, with spatial extensions.

Availability: The spatial kappa simulator is an open-source project licensed under the LGPLv3, with Java source, binaries and manual available at http://github.com/lptolik/SpatialKappa.

Contact:  oksana.sorokina@ed.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
CT and PET/CT-Guided Interventional Radiology Procedures
Authors: Souza Daniel A.T. , Flusberg Milana , Shyn Paul B. , Tatli Servet , Silverman Stuart G.
Published: September 2013

Over the last several decades, computed tomography (CT) has become a critical imaging modality for the diagnosis of a wide range of diseases. CT has also become a valuable guidance modality for a large number of percutaneous interventions that are generally divided into diagnostic and therapeutic categories. This chapter discusses common diagnostic CT-guided interventions include biopsies, aspirations, and drainages, and other PET/CT-guided interventional radiology procedures.
Interventional Neuroradiology
Authors: Thiex Ruth , Frerichs Kai U.
Published: September 2013

Chapter 11 discusses interventional neuroradiology — also known as endovascular neurosurgery — which evolved as a new medical subspecialty in the 1980s and focuses on the treatment of cerebrovascular, head and neck, and spinal diseases by using endovascular or other percutaneous routes to reach the target. Rapid technical improvements in each successive generation of medical devices and materials (catheter technology, coils, and stents) brought interventional neuroradiology to the fore front in the management of aneurysms and various vascular malformations.
Anesthesia for Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures
Authors: Wainscott Justin K. , Fragneto Regina Y.
Published: September 2013

The administration of anesthesia or sedation for endoscopy is associated with unique challenges that often differ from those encountered when providing anesthesia care in the operating room (OR). This chapter discusses the location where procedures are performed, inconsistencies in preoperative preparation, postanesthesia recovery issues, and the management of complications, which are all areas requiring distinctive management strategies in the OOOR environment.
Anesthesia for Interventional Pulmonology
Authors: Abdelmalak Basem
Published: September 2013

The majority of patients presenting for interventional pulmonology procedures are high-risk patients. This represents a challenge for the anesthesiologist, who must simultaneously consider the severity of their lung pathology and their other comorbidities. Other complicating factors may stem from the nature of the procedure when anesthesiologists share the airway with pulmonologists, the dynamic nature of the procedure given the continuously changing airway, fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) and finally, the ventilation mode to accommodate the procedure being performed. In addition, sometimes more than one procedure may be performed in the same setting on the same patient. As a result, the anesthesiologist needs to be familiar with all of the planned procedures, and needs to develop an anesthetic and airway management plan for these high-risk patients.
Anesthetic Implications of Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) and Single-Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS)
Authors: Matthes Kai
Published: September 2013

Chapter 18 discusses natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), which is currently investigated as an experimental alternative to diagnose and treat abdominal pathology combining endoscopic and laparoscopic techniques. Using a translumenal approach, the abdominal cavity is accessed with flexible endoscopes through an incision in the stomach, colon, or vagina. By obviating abdominal incisions, this approach may be less invasive than standard surgical techniques. This novel technique is currently performed at a few academic research institutions, but these less invasive operations potentially can be performed in an office-based setting in the future.
Pediatric Anesthesia Outside of the Operating Room
Authors: Mason Keira P.
Published: September 2013

The anesthesiologist is increasingly being called on to provide pediatric anesthesia care for children in settings outside the operating room (OR). Providing anesthesia in these off-site venues challenges us to gain a familiarity with the procedures, tailor an anesthesia plan to the procedure and location, as well as to plan for the management of life-threatening situations. This chapter will review the different off-site locations and discuss the unique aspects of patient management associated with each area. Typical locations are outlined in Table 24.3.
Anesthesia for Procedures in the Intensive Care Unit and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Stene John K. , Barbieri Carolyn A.
Published: September 2013

Anesthesiologists who are assigned to provide anesthesia for operations in the intensive care unit (ICU) must adapt principles of safe and effective anesthesia practice to this novel outside-of-the-operating-room environment. Among the reasons to perform surgical procedures at the bedside in the ICU is the avoidance of transporting an unstable, critically ill patient from the ICU to the operating room. Therefore, patients who need anesthesia care to undergo surgical procedures in the ICU can present a major challenge, The types of procedures performed in the ICU include those under local anesthesia (chest tubes, thoracentesis, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, diagnostic ultrasound; pericardiocentesis), and common procedures under general anesthesia (percutaneous tracheostomy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)), as well as uncommon procedures under general anesthesia (thoracotomy, laparotomy, and amputation).