bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mucins: the frontline defence of the lung
Authors: Ridley Caroline , Thornton David J.
Published: August 2018

Mucus plays a vital role in protecting the lungs from environmental factors, but conversely, in muco-obstructive airway disease, mucus becomes pathologic. In its protective role, mucus entraps microbes and particles removing them from the lungs via the co-ordinated beating of motile cilia. This mechanism of lung defence is reliant upon a flowing mucus gel, and the major macromolecular components that determine the rheological properties of mucus are the polymeric mucins, MUC5AC and MUC5B. These large O-linked glycoproteins have direct roles in maintaining lung homeostasis. MUC5B is essential for interaction with the ciliary clearance system and MUC5AC is up-regulated in response to allergic inflammatory challenge. Mucus with abnormal biophysical properties is a feature of muco-obstructive respiratory disease and can result from many different mechanisms including alterations in mucin polymer assembly, mucin concentration and the macromolecular form in mucus, as well as changes in airway surface hydration, pH and ion composition. The abnormal mucus results in defective lung protection via compromised ciliary clearance, leading to infection and inflammation.
CRIB effector disorder: exquisite function from chaos
Authors: Owen Darerca , Mott Helen R.
Published: August 2018

The CRIB (Cdc42/Rac interactive binding) family of small G-protein effectors contain significant regions with intrinsic disorder. The G-protein-binding regions are contained within these intrinsically disordered regions. Most CRIB proteins also contain stretches of basic residues associated with their G-protein-binding regions. The basic region (BR) and G-protein-binding region together allow the CRIB effectors to bind to their cognate G-protein via a dock- and coalesce-binding mechanism. The BRs of these proteins take on multiple roles: steering G-protein binding, interacting with elements of the membrane and regulating intramolecular regulatory interactions. The ability of these regions of the CRIBs to undergo multivalent interactions and mediate charge neutralizations equips them with all the properties required to drive liquid–liquid phase separation and therefore to initiate and drive signalosome formation. It is only recently that the structural plasticity in these proteins is being appreciated as the driving force for these vital cellular processes.
One cycle start‐up time, high linearity relaxation oscillator with capacitor pre‐charge technique
Authors: Lu Yangyang , Zhu Jing , Hu Kongsheng , Yu Siyuan , Sun Weifeng , Zhang Yunwu , Zhang Long
Published: August 2018

A capacitor pre‐charge technique based CMOS relaxation oscillator is proposed to improve its linearity adaptively. The effect of comparator offset and delay variation across PVT will be counteracted by the pre‐charge process because it is included both in the effective charge process and the pre‐charge process. Then, the non‐linearity of the oscillator caused by the delay of the control circuit and the offset voltage of the comparator can be eliminated. The proposed relaxation oscillator with a typical frequency of 100 kHz is implemented in 0.5 μm Bipolar‐CMOS‐DMOS process. Measured results show that <0.54% non‐linearity in the current–frequency transfer function from 0 to 5 MHz without trimming.
A novel random access scheme for stationary machine‐type communication devices
Authors: Zhang Mingyu , Li Ying , Guo Xudong
Published: August 2018

The long term evolution (LTE) cellular network, primitively designed for human‐to‐human communications, is attracting more and more attention in machine‐to‐machine communication scenarios. However, when a massive number of machine‐type communication (MTC) devices require access to the network simultaneously, the existing random access mechanism in LTE networks will inevitably suffer from severe congestion. In order to address this problem for stationary MTC devices, the authors propose a novel random access scheme. In the proposed scheme, an alleviating‐collision based timing‐advance selection (ACTS) algorithm is designed where, aided by a special preamble placement method, the eNodeB (eNB) can estimate the number of contenders with different timing advance (T) indices. According to the estimated results, the eNB can choose the T index to be contained in the random access response information. In addition, they further analyse the number of MTC devices which could successfully access the network in each random access slot. The simulation results prove the accuracy of the throughput analysis as well as the remarkable performance of the proposed random access scheme in terms of the number of required slots to serve all the devices.
Improved stability analysis and control design of reset systems
Authors: Mahmoud Magdi S. , Karaki Bilal J.
Published: August 2018

A reset methodology in controller design can affect the performance and stability of control systems. Stability of reset time delay systems can be addressed based on a similar theorem of Lyapunov–Krasoviskii theory. In this study, a robust delay‐dependent stability analysis of reset control systems is proposed for linear time invariant case. The conditions of stability are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities. In addition, extension of results is given to investigate stability of non‐linear reset systems. Numerical examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
Two‐Stage optimization based finite state predictive torque control for 3L‐NPC inverter Fed IM drives
Authors: Osman Ilham , Xiao Dan , Rahman Muhammed Fazlur
Published: August 2018

The computational burden in Finite State Predictive torque control (FS‐PTC) increases with the number of voltage vectors and number of variables in the cost function. The conventional FS‐PTC for three level neutral‐point clamped voltage source inverter (3L‐NPC VSI) fed motor drive has a disadvantage of long execution time since all available vectors are evaluated in the prediction stage. This paper proposes a new method for reducing the number of voltage vectors from 27 to 17 in the prediction stage, which reduces the computational burden of conventional FS‐PTC. The performance of the proposed voltage selection method is investigated for an induction motor drive in terms of electromagnetic torque and stator flux responses (transient and ripple), total harmonic distortion of stator currents, neutral point voltage variations, average switching frequency reduction and robustness of the drive. Experimental results confirm that the execution time is reduced by 30% compared to conventional FS‐PTC while similar dynamic and steady‐state performances are preserved.
Analysis of coupling between two sub‐machines in co‐axis dual‐mechanical‐port flux‐switching PM machine for fuel‐based extended range electric vehicles
Authors: Zhou Lingkang , Hua Wei , Wu Zhongze , Zhu Xiaofeng , Yin Fangbo
Published: August 2018

The permanent magnet (PM) field coupling between inner and outer machines of co‐axis dual‐mechanical‐port flux‐switching PM (CADMP‐FSPM) machines is investigated. Firstly, the relationships between the inner and outer stator teeth are analytically evaluated, with three key stator teeth types defined, i.e. series, parallel, and independent teeth. Secondly, the negative effects of PM field coupling, including high even‐order electromotive force (EMF) harmonics, three‐phase EMFs asymmetry and DC bias component in flux‐linkages, are investigated and verified by two CADMP‐FSPM machines, namely, 5/6–12/22, and 5/6–18/42 structures. It is found that for avoiding the negative effects of PM field coupling, all inner and outer stator teeth types should be the same, thus, a 10/12–12/22 structure CADMP‐FSPM machine is introduced for analysis. Thirdly, the performance of the 10/12–12/22, 5/6–12/22, and 5/6–18/42 structures, featured by PM field distributions, d‐axis flux‐linkage ripples, cogging torques, electromagnetic torques, losses and efficiencies, are comparatively analysed by finite element (FE) analysis. The results indicate that the 10/12–12/22 structure exhibits the lowest PM field coupling level and the best performance. Moreover, the 10/12–12/22 structure can avoid all the negative effects of PM field couplings. A prototyped 10/12–12/22 CADMP‐FSPM machine is built and tested to verify the FE predicted results.
Optimal coordination of dual‐setting directional over‐current relays in multi‐source meshed active distribution networks considering transient stability
Authors: Yazdaninejadi Amin , Nazarpour Daryoush , Talavat Vahid
Published: August 2018

Sustainable electrification calls the need for more efficient protection schemes. Synchronous‐based distributed generations (SBDGs) are more susceptible to power grid faults owing to their low inertia time constants. Accordingly, fault elimination faster than the associated critical clearing time (CCT) is required to prevent unintentional disconnection of SBDGs, which inevitably makes the coordination of directional over‐current relays (DOCRs) complicated than before, especially in meshed structure distribution networks (DNs). This study proposes communication assisted dual‐setting DOCRs as effective solutions for providing fast‐response protection in order to meet transient stability constraints of SBDGs in meshed active DNs. Dual‐setting DOCRs are capable of operating in both forward and reverse directions with individual settings for each direction and thus providing flexibility in the coordination process. In this regard, time domain simulation as a reliable method is conducted to calculate CCTs. Afterwards, coupled with selectivity constraints associated with dual‐setting DOCRs, transient stability constraints are all together accommodated in the optimisation process. Moreover, dual‐setting DOCRs are allowed to follow user‐defined time‐inverse characteristics which help to alleviate clearing time of faults. The approach reveals a non‐linear programming model which is tackled by seeker algorithm. Detailed numerical studies are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed approach.
Fossil group origins
Authors: Corsini E. M. , Morelli L. , Zarattini S. , Aguerri J. A. L. , Costantin L. , D’Onghia E. , Girardi M. , Kundert A. , Méndez-Abreu J. , Thomas J.
Published: August 2018

Context.Fossil groups (FGs) are galaxy aggregates with an extended and luminous X-ray halo, which are dominated by a very massive early-type galaxy and lack ofL∗objects. FGs are indeed characterized by a large magnitude gap between their central and surrounding galaxies. This is explained by either speculating that FGs are failed groups that formed without bright satellite galaxies and did not suffer any major merger, or by suggesting that FGs are very old systems that had enough time to exhaust their bright satellite galaxies through multiple major mergers.

Aims.Since major mergers leave signatures in the stellar populations of the resulting galaxy, we study the stellar population parameters of the brightest central galaxies (BCGs) of FGs as a benchmark against which the formation and evolution scenarios of FGs can be compared.

Methods.We present long-slit spectroscopic observations along the major, minor, and diagonal axes of NGC 6482 and NGC 7556, which are the BCGs of two nearby FGs. The measurements include spatially resolved stellar kinematics and radial profiles of line-strength indices, which we converted into stellar population parameters using single stellar-population models.

Results.NGC 6482 and NGC 7556 are very massive (M∗≃ 1011.5M⊙) and large (D25≃ 50 kpc) galaxies. They host a centrally concentrated stellar population, which is significantly younger and more metal rich than the rest of the galaxy. The age gradients of both galaxies are somewhat larger than those of the other FG BCGs studied so far, whereas their metallicity gradients are similarly negative and shallow. Moreover, they have negligible gradients ofα-element abundance ratio.

Conclusions.The measured metallicity gradients are less steep than those predicted for massive galaxies that formed monolithically and evolved without experiencing any major merger. We conclude that the observed FGs formed through major mergers rather than being failed groups that lacked bright satellite galaxies from the beginning.
When nature tries to trick us
Authors: Boffin Henri M. J. , Jones David , Wesson Roger , Beletsky Yuri , Miszalski Brent , Saviane Ivo , Monaco Lorenzo , Corradi Romano , Santander García Miguel , Rodríguez-Gil Pablo
Published: August 2018

Bipolar planetary nebulae (PNe) are thought to result from binary star interactions and, indeed, tens of binary central stars of PNe have been found, in particular using photometric time-series that allow for the detection of post-common envelope systems. Using photometry at the NTT in La Silla we have studied the bright object close to the centre of PN M 3-2 and found it to be an eclipsing binary with an orbital period of 1.88 days. However, the components of the binary appear to be two A or F stars, of almost equal mass, and are therefore too cold to be the source of ionisation of the nebula. Using deep images of the central star obtained in good seeing conditions, we confirm a previous result that the central star is more likely much fainter, located 2″ away from the bright star. The eclipsing binary is thus a chance alignment on top of the planetary nebula. We also studied the nebular abundance and confirm it to be a Type I PN.
The Acceleration of the Rearrangement of α-Hydroxy Aldimines by Lewis or Brønsted Acids
Authors: Wulff William , Zhang Xin , Dai Yijing
Published: August 2018

An efficient method was developed for the synthesis of α-amino ketones from α-hydroxy imines. The reaction occurs through an α-iminol rearrangement involving the migration of a substituent of the carbinol carbon to the imine carbon. The optimal catalysts were found to be silica gel or montmorillonite K 10, which effected migration of a variety of aryl and alkyl substituents in high yields. The rearrangement can also be carried out on imines generated in situ from aldehydes and amines in essentially the same yields as those from the preformed imines.
Some Properties of the Anticoagulant Factor of Aged Pooled Plasma
Authors: Honig G. R , Abildgaard Ch. F , Forman E. N , Gotoff S. P , Lindley Annabelle , Schulman I
Published: August 2018

Hematologic studies of an infant who was admitted for shock and was treated with a large volume of pooled aged plasma disclosed striking prolongation of a variety of coagulation tests, including the prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and thrombin time. The aged plasma produced a marked anticoagulant effect on normal plasma in vitro with the results suggesting inhibition of the thrombin-fibrinogen reaction. Similar results were obtained with 24 different lots of aged plasma from 5 different sources. The inhibitory factor of aged plasma behaved as a competitive inhibitor of the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, as compared with heparin which is a noncompetitive inhibitor. Infusion of aged plasma into rabbits produced a defect similar to that found in the patient. Biochemical and immunologic studies revealed that the plasma was devoid of fibrinogen but contained large amounts of a fibrinogen degradation product. Treatment of the plasmas with protamine or with rabbit IgG anti-human fibrinogen removed the anticoagulant activity. Development of anticoagulant activity during plasma aging did not appear to be related to fibrinolysis, as it was unaffected by addition of a fibrinolytic inhibitor. Because of the anticoagulant activity of aged plasma, it must be used with caution in patients having underlying hemostatic disorders. Coagulation screening tests in patients who have received recent infusions of aged plasma may lead to misinterpretation unless specific coagulation factor assays are performed.
Anticoagulant Circulant Ressemblant à l’Antithrombine VI au cours d’un Lupus Érythémateux Disséminé
Authors: Zywicka H , Kopeć M , Latallo Z , Kowalski E
Published: August 2018

Nous avons décrit le cas d’une malade atteinte de diathèse hémorragique au cours d’un lupus érythémateux.

L’étude de la coagulation sanguine dans ce cas a indiqué aucune anomalie, mis a part une thrombocytopénie modérée, une augmentation de l’activité fibrinolytique et un allongement du temps de thrombine.

Nous avons demontré la présence d’un inhibiteur de la thrombine ressemblant à l’antithrombine VI, antithrombine produite au cours de la dégradation protéolytique du fibrinogène.

Nous avons comparé cette antithrombine avec les autres inhibiteurs de la coagulation apparissants au cours de LE et décrits dans la littérature. L’influence du traitement par les hormones surrénales sur la fibrinolyse et sur disparition de l’antithrombine VI est discutée.
Microelectrophoresis of Washed and Unwashed Human Blood Platelets, with Additional Studies of Platelets from Patients with von Willebrand’s Disease and Thrombasthenia
Authors: Zucker Marjorie B , Levine Richard U
Published: August 2018

Microelectrophoretic mobility of washed platelets suspended in isotonic saline or citrated plasma was — 0.75 and — 1.03 (µ/sec.)/(volt/cm) respectively. Erythrocytes traveled about one-third faster. There was no difference between the mobility of unwashed and washed platelets. Mobility of platelets was normal in von Willebrand5s disease. Both mobility and isoelectric point were normal in thrombasthenia.
The Value of Capillary Thrombotest Method for the Control of Long Term Anticoagulant Therapy
Authors: Poller L , Woolliff J. S
Published: August 2018

The capillary form of the Thrombotest gives results similar to the venous Thrombotest technique in patients on long term phenindione and nicoumalone, and can be recommended as a reliable laboratory investigation.

The Thrombotest range of 10—30% is a much less marked reduction of coagulability than the similar range with the Quick test. The difference in the results does not appear to be due to the sensitivity of Thrombotest to other additional coagulation factors, but simply because saline dilution curves are usually employed in the Quick test.

The upper limit of the Thrombotest therapeutic range on the basis of our studies appears to be about 15%. The lower limit of safety assessed from comparison with the Quick test and by clinical experience in the control of long term treatment appears to be in the region of 5%.
Anticoagulant Effect of Sulphated Poly/Vinyl Alcohol-Acrylic Acid/Copolymers
Authors: Machovich Raymund , Nagy Miklós , Györgyi-Edelényi Judit , Csomor Katalin , Horváth István
Published: August 2018

Copolymers of poly/vinyl alcohol-acrylic acid/ with various content of sulphate and carboxyl groups have been synthetized and tested for their in vitro effect on blood coagulation. The results indicate that the sulphated copolymers display an inhibitory effect but there is a requirement in the charged groups of about 20% in the molecqle to possess effective anticoagulation. The biochemical mechanism of their actions is complex, i.e. the inhibition of blood clotting is a consequence of both (i) the accelerated inactivation rate of thrombin by antithrombin-III and (ii) a direct inhibitory effect on the thrombin-fibrinogen reaction. Moreover, additional effects may occur on other blood coagulation enzymes than thrombin, depending on the chemical composition of the copolymers.
Nanoparticle Characterisation of Traditional Homeopathically Manufactured Cuprum metallicum and Gelsemium sempervirens Medicines and Controls
Authors: Goyens Martine , Capieaux Etienne , Devos Philippe , Dorfman Pierre , Van Wassenhoven Michel
Published: August 2018

Background Homeopathy is controversial due to its use of very highly diluted medicines (high potencies/dynamisations).

Methods We used a multi-technology approach to examine dilutions of two commonly used homeopathic medicines: an insoluble metal, Cuprum metallicum, and a soluble plant tincture, Gelsemium sempervirens, for the presence of nanoparticles (NPs) of original substance. The homeopathic medicines tested were specially prepared, according to the European pharmacopoeia standards. We compared the homeopathic dilutions/dynamisations with simple dilutions and controls.

Results Using Mass Spectrometry (Single Particle-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) we could not find the expected copper in the 4cH potentisation and could not confirm the results previously obtained by Chikramane et al (2010). For Gelsemium medicines, using sensitive chromatography (HPLC-UV) up to a dilution level of 6 dH (3cH = dilution 10e-6), there was no significant difference in alkaloid content between a simple dilution and a homeopathic potency.

For higher potentisations, however, NP tracking analysis findings revealed the presence of particles in all samples (except for pure water). The measurements showed large differences in particle quantities, mean particle sizes and standard deviations of the mean sizes between manufacturing lines of different starting material.

There was always more material in potentised medicines than in potentised pure water. Gelsemium yielded the largest quantity of material (36 times more than that from copper at the same potentisation, 30 cH). The shapes and the chemical composition of the material are differentiable between different medicines and controls.

Conclusion Potentisation influences specifically the nature of NPs detected. This material demonstrates that the step-by-step process (dynamised or not) does not match with the theoretical expectations in a dilution process. The Avogadro/Loschmidt limit is not relevant at all. It was not possible to reproduce the findings of Chikramane et al (2010) using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry with copper. Copper NPs could not be detected at 4cH and above.
Unclassifiable Infectious Complications after Lobectomy for Cancer: Etiology, Risks, and Outcomes
Authors: Ueda Kazuhiro , Murakami Junichi , Tanaka Toshiki , Hamano Kimikazu
Published: August 2018

Background Although infectious complications occur occasionally after lung lobectomy, some of them are overlooked if the pathogen or origin is unidentifiable.

Methods We retrospectively reviewed 425 patients who underwent lobectomy for lung cancer. Infectious complications developed in 61 patients who consequently underwent empiric therapy: 44 had an identifiable focus and 17 did not irrespective of systemic surveillance.

Results The 17 patients without an identifiable focus were predominantly patients with squamous cell carcinoma, a smoking history, large tumor size, and undergoing lower lobectomy. These 17 patients were able to be distinguished from those without infectious complications with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 98% based on the patient's body temperature, C-reactive protein, and white blood cell count. The median onset of the 17 patients was 8 days (5–30 days) after operation. None of these 17 patients had air leak for more than 3 days, major cardiopulmonary complications, superficial surgical site infection, organ-specific symptoms (e.g., cough and diarrhea), or increased dead space size. Inflammatory markers were normalized by antibiotics alone in 14 of the 17 patients, while the condition of the remaining 3 worsened to empyema that required some intervention. One patient eventually died after thoracoscopic debridement.

Conclusion Postoperative acute onset of infectious complication without any specific symptoms or any identifiable focus should be included in a separate category of complications. We must clarify the pathology of this complication (e.g., occult bronchopleural fistula), but for now, careful management is mandatory, as therapeutic failure can lead to a fatal outcome.
Fast-Track Management in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Dexmedetomidine Provides Rapid Extubation and Effective Pain Modulation
Authors: Zientara Alicja , Mariotti Sergio , Matter-Ensner Sonja , Seifert Burkhardt , Graves Kirk , Dzemali Omer , Genoni Michele
Published: August 2018

Background Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a highly selective α-2 agonist with many desirable effects including analgesia, improvement of hemodynamic stability, and potential myocardial and renal protection. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of DEX on patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting with regard to less pain medication, earlier extubation, faster transfer to normal ward, and cardiac protection.

Patients and Methods From January 2012 to March 2015, 464 patients receiving OPCAB were included for retrospective analysis. After propensity matching (1:1), two groups (DEX vs. propofol, n = 129) could be compared. Continuous and categorical variables were reported as mean ± standard deviation or percentages, and compared with the chi-square test and the Mann–Whitney's test, respectively.

Results In the DEX group, less use of pain medication in the initial phase at intensive care unit was observed. During the first 2 hours, DEX patients received more nicomorphine (DEX 8 ± 3.2 mg vs. propofol 6 ± 4 mg, p < 0.001), while in the following 2 hours, the pain medication was significantly reduced (DEX 3.2 ± 2.8 mg vs. propofol 4.7 ± 3.3 mg, p < 0.001). Remifentanil was stopped considerably earlier (DEX 238 ± 209 minutes vs. propofol 353 ± 266 minutes, p < 0.001). DEX led to earlier extubation (DEX 208 ± 106 minutes vs. propofol 307 ± 230 minutes, p < 0.001) and less postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) (p = 0.01).

Conclusion Early postoperative DEX application supports the fast-track strategy in patients after OPCAB through enabling rapid extubation, effective pain control, and reduced occurrence of new-onset AF. We are confident to give precedence to DEX over propofol as the new routine medication during postoperative patient transfer.
Microsurgical Management of Trigeminal Schwannoma: Cohort Analysis and Systematic Review
Authors: Neves Maick Willen Fernandes , de Aguiar Paulo Henrique Pires , Belsuzarri Telmo Augusto Barba , de Araujo André Monteiro Soares , Paganelli Samantha Lorena , Maldaun Marcos Vinicius Calfat
Published: August 2018

Background Trigeminal schwannomas are benign tumors with a predilection for women between 40 and 60 years of age and account for less than 0.5% of all intracranial tumors. Clinical presentation depends on size and location, and typical symptoms are ipsilateral hypesthesia, headache, and facial pain. Clinical features and imaging usually make the Diagnosis.

Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of 14 patients treated at our institution between January 1999 and October 2016 was performed, with a critical and systematic review of data from the literature, focusing on articles published over the same period.

Results Fourteen patients were included in our series comprised of mostly women with a mean age of 40 years. Lesion size ranged from 3 to 6.5 cm (mean 4.6 cm). Clinical status of patients was evaluated and also rated based on the Karnofsky Perfomance Scale with values greater than 90% found in all patients pre and postoperatively. Surgery was our treatment of choice, and gross total resection was achieved in 71% of patients. Associated morbidity was high at 57%, predominantly from cranial nerve palsy, and no deaths were encountered.

Conclusions Microsurgery is a suitable treatment for large symptomatic trigeminal schwannomas, achieving good local control rates over the observation period at acceptable morbidity. Therefore, microsurgery appears to a suitable option. During the study period, a significant evolution in the availability of treatment methods occurred. Radiosurgery emerged as an alternative treatment for unresectable lesions. A comprehensive review of the available literature was performed, and results were compared according to treatment modality.
Young and unafraid: queer criminology’s unbounded potential
Authors: Panfil Vanessa R.
Published: August 2018

Queer criminology, a fairly young subfield, deals with matters of import for sexual and gender minorities, particularly LGBTQ+ populations. Areas of interest include reducing invisibility and inequity, though these pursuits can sometimes be accompanied with potential pitfalls or unintended consequences. This article provides an overview of the goals and considerations of queer criminology, while focusing on how to cultivate queer criminology’s unbounded potential to help address pressing social problems. Several global issues of immediate concern for LGBTQ+ people are identified, such as criminalization and devaluation of their lives, which has resulted in their detainment and torture, persecution when they organize for their rights, overrepresentation in criminal justice settings, and even fatal violence. Included alongside these issues are strategies to produce meaningful work during what seems to be a time of imminent crisis. The author provides strong encouragement to fiercely pursue projects that can improve our understanding, and, ultimately, the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
Nonlinear continuous fluctuation intensity financial dynamics and complexity behavior
Authors: Wang Hanqing , Wang Jun , Wang Guochao
Published: August 2018

The exploration of return volatility dynamics is of great significance to evaluate investment risk, avoid stock market crisis, and purchase stock portfolio. In this paper, we propose a novel concept to characterize the fluctuation duration of stock markets, which is continuous fluctuation intensity (CFI). The CFI represents the duration for continuous increasing or decreasing return volatilities (or normalized absolute returns) above or below a previous day’s value. Distinguished from previous studies, the CFI does not need to set a threshold in advance but to select the sequence of return volatilities that are continuously growing or falling in the series. So, the research on continuous fluctuation intensity is a new approach in return volatility study. For investigating the nonlinear properties of CFI, probability distribution, autocorrelation analysis, and scatterplot analysis are utilized for the empirical data from China and USA stock markets. Besides, fractional sample entropy and fuzzy entropy are employed to explore the complexity of CFI series. Then, some meaningful results of CFI series are acquired, which manifest that the study of the proposed concept is feasible and valuable. Moreover, we do the same investigations for return volatility series to explore the similarities and differences between CFI series and volatility series.
Fabry-Perot type microwave transmission resonance in a system of three dielectrics with one metalized inner surface
Authors: Kancleris Ž. , Bilotas E. , Ragulis P. , Simniškis R.
Published: August 2018

A system comprised of three dielectrics with one metalized inner surface is considered. The general conditions for the transmission maximum and minimum of microwaves through the system were found. A resonance has been confirmed by experimental investigations. The dependence of the transmitted power through the system on the surface conductivity of the metallization was investigated. The ratio of transmission maximum to minimum was found to be up to 24 dB. These findings can be used for obtaining the maximum or minimum of shielding effectiveness for modern low-E (low-emissivity) double glazed windows.
Numerical studies on the performance of a drag-type vertical axis water turbine for water pipeline
Authors: Chen Jian , Lu Wei , Hu Zhuohuan , Lei Yuan , Yang Mo
Published: August 2018

Pico-hydropower attracts much attention as a clean, reliable, and cost-efficient technology to generate electricity. Pico-hydropower systems are widely used in small rivers, aquacultures, irrigation systems, water supplies, and sewage systems. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate how to harness the excess energy in water supply systems (WSSs) in cities and towns. Previously, our research group developed several inline pico-hydropower systems for WSS which can supply power for monitoring sensor networks of water pipelines and maintenance services. In this paper, we have focused on the water turbine with a vertical 50% block water baffle for further analysis and optimization. We have carried out a combination of numerical and experimental investigations with the objective of improving the performance of this turbine at a velocity of 1.5 m/s–3.5 m/s and a rotational speed of 100 RPM–1000 RPM. The numerical results have been validated by the test results. A further optimization has been conducted through the numerical methods for the angle of water baffle and blade diameter. Also, we have presented the flow field in and around the water turbine to understand the power generation mechanism.
A multiple timescales approach to bridging spiking- and population-level dynamics
Authors: Park Youngmin , Ermentrout G. Bard
Published: August 2018

A rigorous bridge between spiking-level and macroscopic quantities is an on-going and well-developed story for asynchronously firing neurons, but focus has shifted to include neural populations exhibiting varying synchronous dynamics. Recent literature has used the Ott–Antonsen ansatz (2008) to great effect, allowing a rigorous derivation of an order parameter for large oscillator populations. The ansatz has been successfully applied using several models including networks of Kuramoto oscillators, theta models, and integrate-and-fire neurons, along with many types of network topologies. In the present study, we take a converse approach: given the mean field dynamics of slow synapses, we predict the synchronization properties of finite neural populations. The slow synapse assumption is amenable to averaging theory and the method of multiple timescales. Our proposed theory applies to two heterogeneous populations of N excitatory n-dimensional and N inhibitory m-dimensional oscillators with homogeneous synaptic weights. We then demonstrate our theory using two examples. In the first example, we take a network of excitatory and inhibitory theta neurons and consider the case with and without heterogeneous inputs. In the second example, we use Traub models with calcium for the excitatory neurons and Wang-Buzsáki models for the inhibitory neurons. We accurately predict phase drift and phase locking in each example even when the slow synapses exhibit non-trivial mean-field dynamics.
Quantifying the exergetic performance of bio-fuel production process including fast pyrolysis and bio-oil hydrodeoxygenation
Authors: Lv Qizheng , Yue Hui , Xu Qixiang , Zhang Changsen , Zhang Ruiqin
Published: August 2018

Fast pyrolysis of biomass in a dual fluidized bed and bio-oil hydrodeoxygenation are simulated by Aspen plus. The process includes the following unit operations: drying, pyrolysis, char combustion, bio-oil vapor condensation, mild hydrodeoxygenation, and depth hydrodeoxygenation. Based on the simulative results, exergetic analysis of the whole process is performed to optimize the overall exergetic efficiency. The overall exergetic efficiency of the process is 57%. The exergetic efficiencies of the fast pyrolysis process and the bio-oil hydrodeoxygenation process are 68% and 78%, respectively. The results indicate that the exergetic efficiency is improved slightly with a decrement in the system pressure drop. Moreover, the exergetic efficiency of pyrolysis is improved from 69% to 76% when the percentage of the pyrolysis char combusted is reduced from 100% to 65%. Compared to other conversion technologies, biomass to liquid fuel conversion via fast pyrolysis and subsequent hydrodeoxygenation has higher exergetic efficiency.
Extended X-ray absorption fine structure study of the Er bonding in AlNO:Erx films with x ≤ 3.6%
Authors: Katsikini M. , Kachkanov V. , Boulet P. , Edwards P. R. , O'Donnell K. P. , Brien V.
Published: August 2018

The structural properties of Er-doped AlNO epilayers grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering were studied by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectra recorded at the Er L3 edge. The analysis revealed that Er substitutes for Al in all the studied samples, and the increase in the Er concentration from 0.5 to 3.6 at. % is not accompanied by the formation of ErN, Er2O3, or Er clusters. Simultaneously recorded X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure spectra verify that the bonding configuration of Er is similar in all studied samples. The Er-N distance is constant at 2.18–2.19 Å, i.e., approximately 15% larger than the Al-N bond length, revealing that the introduction of Er in the cation sublattice causes a considerable local distortion. The Debye-Waller factor, which measures the static disorder of the second nearest shell of Al neighbors, has a local minimum for the sample containing 1% Er that coincides with the highest photoluminescence efficiency of the sample set.
A physical SBT-memristor-based Chua’s circuit and its complex dynamics
Authors: Zhang Yuman , Guo Mei , Dou Gang , Li Yuxia , Chen Guanrong
Published: August 2018

SBT memristor is a physical memristor built on Sr0.95Ba0.05TiO3 nanometer film, described by a deterministic flux-controlled mathematical model. A new physical SBT-memristor-based Chua’s circuit is presented in this paper, using the memristor to replace the Chua diode to connect with a negative conductance in parallel. The circuit can be well modeled by a fourth-order nonlinear system in the voltage-current domain and a third-order nonlinear system in the flux-charge domain, respectively. The dependences of the circuit stability on both the initial state value of the SBT memristor and the linear resistance in the circuit are analyzed theoretically, verified by numerical simulations, which shows that the circuit system has complex dynamics with multiple behaviors, including sink, periodic cycle, limit cycle, chaos, and some complicated transient dynamical behaviors. The new findings shed light on future research on the physical realization of the SBT-memristor-based Chua’s circuit and other similar devices.
Instrumentation for the upgrade to the JET core charge-exchange spectrometers
Authors: Hawkes N. C. , Delabie E. , Menmuir S. , Giroud C. , Meigs A. G. , Conway N. J. , Biewer T. M. , Hillis D. L. ,   JET Contributors
Published: August 2018

Charge-exchange spectroscopy on JET has become particularly challenging with the introduction of the ITER-like wall. The line intensities are weaker and contaminated by many nuisance lines. We have therefore upgraded the instrumentation to improve throughput and allow the simultaneous measurement of impurity and fuel-ion charge exchange by splitting the light between two pairs of imaging spectrometers using dichroic beam splitters. Imaging instruments allow us to stack 11 × 1 mm diameter fibres on the entrance slits without cross talk. CCD cameras were chosen to have 512 × 512 pixels to allow frame transfer times <0.2 ms which with minimum exposure times of 5 ms give tolerable smearing even without a chopper. The image plane is optically demagnified 2:1 to match the sensor size of these cameras. Because the image plane of the spectrometer is tilted, the CCD must also be tilted to maintain focus over the spectrum (Scheimpflug condition). To avoid transverse keystoning (causing the vertical height of the spectra to change across the sensor), the configuration is furthermore designed to be telecentric by a suitable choice of the lens separation. The lens configuration is built almost entirely from commercial off-the-shelf components, which allowed it to be assembled and aligned relatively rapidly to meet the deadline for in-vessel calibration in the JET shutdown.
Magnetization curves and low-temperature thermodynamics of two spin-1/2 Heisenberg edge-shared tetrahedra
Authors: Strečka Jozef , Karľová Katarína
Published: August 2018

A full energy spectrum, magnetization and susceptibility of a spin-1/2 Heisenberg model on two edge-shared tetrahedra are exactly calculated by assuming two different coupling constants. It is shown that a ground state in zero field is either a singlet or a triplet state depending on a relative strength of both coupling constants. Low-temperature magnetization curves may exhibit three different sequences of intermediate plateaux at the following fractional values of the saturation magnetization: 1/3-2/3-1, 0-1/3-2/3-1 or 0-2/3-1. The inverse susceptibility displays a marked temperature dependence significantly influenced by a character of the zero-field ground state. The obtained theoretical results are confronted with recent high-field magnetization data of the mineral crystal fedotovite K2Cu3(SO4)3.
Magnetic and transport properties of single crystalline RCoxSn2 (R = Ce and La)
Authors: Kimura Minami , Wakiya Kazuhei , Tomaki Takeru , Gouchi Jun , Uwatoko Yoshiya , Uehara Masatomo , Umehara Izuru
Published: August 2018

In this study, single crystals of CeCo0.39Sn2 and LaCo0.43Sn2 were grown by the Czochralski pulling method for the first time. These compounds crystallize to the orthorhombic CeNiSi2 type structure with the space group Cmcm. The inverse magnetic susceptibility χ−1 of CeCo0.39Sn2 obeys a Curie-Weiss law above 100 K. The effective magnetic moment is close to the value expected for the Ce3+ ion, indicating that the Ce 4f electrons in CeCo0.39Sn2 are well localized. No magnetic transition is observed down to 2 K. However, the specific heat exhibits an upturn upon cooling below 8 K, suggesting that a magnetic order would occur below 2 K.
The effect of hydrostatic pressure on magnetostructural transition in ferromagnetic cobaltite: Pr0.6Sr0.4CoO3
Authors: Chanda Amit , Kumari Mukesh , Mahendiran R.
Published: August 2018

The ambient pressure temperature dependence of the magnetization (M) in P1-xSrxCoO3 series (x = 0.4, 0.5, 0.55 and 0.6) indicates the onset of ferromagnetic ordering at high temperatures (TC = 214-226K) and a step-like anomaly at lower temperatures (TS = 69-120 K). In this report we present the pressure dependence of magnetization and zero-field thermal expansion studies for a representative sample x = 0.4. The step-like anomaly in M(T) around TS = 69 K is accompanied by a pronounced peak in thermal expansion coefficient. The application of hydrostatic pressure of P = 1.16 GPa increases TS by 15 K, which is much larger than the increase of the ferromagnetic Curie temperature (ΔTC = 4 K) under the same pressure. The anomalous increase of TS under pressure is attributed to the occurrence of magnetization rotation at a temperature higher than TS = 69 K triggered by the stabilization of low temperature tetragonal phase at the expense of high temperature orthorhombic phase.
Generation of turbulence through frontogenesis in sheared stratified flows
Authors: Sujovolsky N. E. , Mininni P. D. , Pouquet A.
Published: August 2018

The large-scale structures in the ocean and the atmosphere are in geostrophic balance, and a conduit must be found to channel the energy to the small scales where it can be dissipated. In turbulence, this takes the form of an energy cascade, whereas a possible mechanism in a balanced flow is through the formation of fronts, a common occurrence in geophysics. We show that an iconic configuration in laboratory and numerical experiments for the study of turbulence, the so-called Taylor-Green or von Kármán swirling flow, can be suitably adapted to domains with large aspect ratios, leading to the creation of an imposed large-scale vertical shear. To this effect, we use direct numerical simulations of the Boussinesq equations without net rotation and with no small-scale modeling. Various grid spacings are used, up to 20482 × 256 spatial points. The grids are always isotropic, with box aspect ratios of either 1:4 or 1:8. We find that when shear and stratification are comparable, the imposed shear layer resulting from the forcing leads to the formation of fronts and filaments which destabilize and evolve into a turbulent flow in the bulk, with a sizable amount of dissipation and mixing, following a cycle of front creation, instability, and development of turbulence. The results depend on the vertical length scales of shear and stratification.
Influence of gas conditions on parameters of plasma jets generated in the PF-1000U plasma-focus facility
Authors: Skladnik-Sadowska E. , Dan'ko S. A. , Kharrasov A. M. , Krauz V. I. , Kwiatkowski R. , Paduch M. , Sadowski M. J. , Zaloga D. R. , Zielinska E.
Published: August 2018

Several series of high-current discharges were carried out within the PF-1000U facility at various gas conditions. The initial filling pressures were p0 = 1.2 hPa D2, 1.06 hPa D2 + 10% He, or 0.53 hPa D2 + 25% Ne. The discharges were performed with or without an additional gas puffing. In shots with the puffing, 1 cm3 of gas (or mixture), compressed to the pressure of (0.13–0.20) MPa, was injected 1.5 ms before the discharge initiation. Pure D2, He, Ne, or a mixture of 50% He + 50% Ne was used for puffing. The optical spectroscopic measurements were performed at a distance of 16 or 27 cm from the electrode outlets. Almost all discharges produced a dense plasma-focus (of about 10 cm in length) and a long plasma jet, which was observed for several μs. The ambient plasma density at the investigated gas-conditions was about 1016 cm−3, but an admixture of 10% He or 25% Ne (added to the D2-filling) induced an increase in this density by factor 1.8–2.5. In all the cases, the plasma jet density was above 10-times higher than that of ambient plasma. At the He- or Ne-puffing, this density reached (3.5–6) × 1017 cm−3. Electron temperatures in the plasma jet changed from about 5.0 to about 3 eV in 5–7 μs.
Frequency-dependent transmission-type digital coding metasurface controlled by light intensity
Authors: Zhang Xin Ge , Jiang Wei Xiang , Cui Tie Jun
Published: August 2018

A great challenge with metasurfaces is tunability for tailoring electromagnetic waves dynamically. Metasurfaces designed digitally, also known as digital coding metasurfaces, provide a low-overhead strategy for constructing controllable or even programmable metasurfaces. However, most reported digital metasurfaces have been single-band ones of the reflection type that have been realized by controlling the phase response of the digital elements. This study reports on a light-controllable and frequency-dependent digital coding metasurface that allows wave transmission to be manipulated more freely and flexibly. By remotely tuning the illumination intensity or shifting the frequency of the incident waves, the transmission response of the designed digital elements can be tuned dynamically. The proposed device is assessed experimentally at microwave frequencies. The presented transmissive digital metasurface offers unprecedented opportunities to produce reconfigurable devices that are controlled in multiple ways with a single design.
Dual-resonator Lamb wave strain sensor with temperature compensation and enhanced sensitivity
Authors: Dou Shaoxu , Cao Jian , Zhou Hong , Chen Cong , Wang Yong , Yang Jing , Wang Dengpan , Shang Zhengguo , Mu Xiaojing
Published: August 2018

In this letter, we demonstrate a high-temperature dual-resonator Lamb wave tensile strain sensor which can achieve temperature compensation in a wide temperature range and has high strain sensitivities. This sensor consists of two identical AlN-on-SOI Lamb wave resonators (LWRs) adhered on a uniaxial tensile plate, with the wave propagating directions in the two LWRs parallel and perpendicular to the tensile axis, respectively. The most obvious higher-order Lamb wave modes, i.e., the A4, S4, and S5 modes, in the “parallel” LWR present high strain sensitivities of 0.229 ppm/με (196 Hz/με), 0.480 ppm/με (431 Hz/με), and 0.222 ppm/με (205 Hz/με) all with minus signs, whereas in the “perpendicular” LWR, they demonstrate smaller strain sensitivities all with plus signs. The S4 modes in the two LWRs have almost the same temperature coefficients. Based on the experimental results, a generally applicable beat frequency method with these two LWRs is proposed to realize temperature compensation as well as the high-sensitivity strain measurement.
Chaotic recurrence enables a simpler method for calculating phase boundaries
Authors: Cesare Chris
Published: August 2018

Considering recurrence properties of a chaotic map can yield more efficient predictions for phase space barrier breakup.