bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distortion correction for high‐resolution single‐shot EPI DTI using a modified field‐mapping method
Authors: Xiong Yuhui , Li Guangqi , Dai Erpeng , Wang Yishi , Zhang Zhe , Guo Hua
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The widely used single‐shot EPI (SS‐EPI) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) suffers from strong image distortion due to B0 inhomogeneity, especially for high‐resolution imaging. Traditional methods such as the field‐mapping method and the top‐up method have various deficiencies in high‐resolution SS‐EPI DTI distortion correction. This study aims to propose a robust distortion correction approach, which combines the advantages of traditional methods and overcomes their deficiencies, for high‐resolution SS‐EPI DTI.

Methods

The proposed correction method is based on the echo planar spectroscopic imaging field‐mapping followed by an intensity correction procedure. To evaluate the efficacy of distortion correction, the proposed method was compared with the conventional field‐mapping method and the top‐up method, using a newly developed quantitative evaluation framework. The correction results were also compared with multi‐shot EPI DTI to investigate whether the proposed method can provide high‐resolution SS‐EPI DTI with high geometric fidelity and high time efficiency.

Results

The results show that accurate field‐mapping and intensity correction are critical to distortion correction in high‐resolution SS‐EPI DTI. The proposed method can provide more precise field maps and better correction results than the other two methods (p < 0.0001), and the corrected images show higher geometric fidelity than those from MS‐EPI DTI.

Conclusion

An effective method is proposed to reduce image distortion in high‐resolution SS‐EPI DTI. It is practical to achieve high‐resolution DTI with high time efficiency and high structure accuracy using this method.
New Oleic Acid‐Capped Mesoporous Silica Particles as Surfactant‐Responsive Delivery Systems
Authors: Poyatos‐Racionero Elisa , Pérez‐Esteve Édgar , Dolores Marcos M. , Barat José M. , Martínez‐Máñez Ramón , Aznar Elena , Bernardos Andrea
Published: July 2019

A new delivery microdevice, based on hydrophobic oleic acid‐capped mesoporous silica particles and able to payload release in the presence of surfactants, has been developed. The oleic acid functionalization confers to the system a high hydrophobic character, which avoids cargo release unless surfactant molecules are present. The performance of this oleic‐acid capped microdevice in the presence of different surfactants is presented and its zero‐release operation in the absence of surfactants is demonstrated.
Creation of Conductive Graphene Materials by Bacterial Reduction Using Shewanella Oneidensis
Authors: Lehner Benjamin A. E. , Janssen Vera A. E. C. , Spiesz Ewa M. , Benz Dominik , Brouns Stan J. J. , Meyer Anne S. , van der Zant Herre S. J.
Published: July 2019

Graphene's maximized surface‐to‐volume ratio, high conductance, mechanical strength, and flexibility make it a promising nanomaterial. However, large‐scale graphene production is typically cost‐intensive. This manuscript describes a microbial reduction approach for producing graphene that utilizes the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis in combination with modern nanotechnology to enable a low‐cost, large‐scale production method. The bacterial reduction approach presented in this paper increases the conductance of single graphene oxide flakes as well as bulk graphene oxide sheets by 2.1 to 2.7 orders of magnitude respectively while simultaneously retaining a high surface‐area‐to‐thickness ratio. Shewanella‐mediated reduction was employed in conjunction with electron‐beam lithography to reduce one surface of individual graphene oxide flakes. This methodology yielded conducting flakes with differing functionalization on the top and bottom faces. Therefore, microbial reduction of graphene oxide enables the development and up‐scaling of new types of graphene‐based materials and devices with a variety of applications including nano‐composites, conductive inks, and biosensors, while avoiding usage of hazardous, environmentally‐unfriendly chemicals.
Solar radiation, air pollution, and bronchiolitis hospitalizations in Chile: An ecological study
Authors: Terrazas Claudia , Castro‐Rodriguez Jose A. , Camargo  Carlos A. , Borzutzky Arturo
Published: July 2019

Objective

To evaluate trends and geographic distribution of infant bronchiolitis hospitalizations in Chile, a country with large variation in solar radiation (SR) and high rates of urban air pollution.

Methods

We performed a nationwide ecological study of bronchiolitis hospitalizations from 2001 to 2014. We investigated the associations of regional SR (a proxy of vitamin D status) and regional fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution with bronchiolitis hospitalizations. We also evaluated the role of sociodemographic factors, including regional poverty, education, indigenous population, and rurality rates.

Results

During the study period, 119 479 infants were hospitalized for bronchiolitis in Chile; 59% were boys. The mean bronchiolitis hospitalization rate increased from 29 to 41 per 1000 infants per year (P = .02). There was an inverse correlation between regional SR and incidence of hospital admissions for bronchiolitis (r = −0.52, P = .049), accounting for 27% of these hospitalizations. There was also a significant direct correlation between regional ambient PM2.5 and bronchiolitis hospitalizations (R = 0.68, P = .006), accounting for 42% of the variation in admission rate. High firewood and/or coal residential use for heating, high regional poverty, lower years of education, and high rurality rates were also significantly correlated with bronchiolitis hospitalization rates. None of the environmental or sociodemographic factors evaluated were correlated with regional case fatality rates or length of stay at the hospital.

Conclusions

This ecological study revealed significant associations between regional SR, air pollution, and sociodemographic factors with infant bronchiolitis hospitalizations in Chile, suggesting that these factors play a major role in the incidence and severity of respiratory infections in early childhood.
Harnessing the power of next‐generation sequencing technologies to the purpose of high‐throughput pesticide resistance diagnosis
Authors: Délye Christophe , Michel Séverine , Pernin Fanny , Gautier Véronique , Gislard Marie , Poncet Charles , Le Corre Valérie
Published: July 2019

BACKGROUND

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies offer tremendous possibilities for high‐throughput pesticide resistance diagnosis via massive genotyping‐by‐sequencing. Herein, we used Illumina sequencing combined with a simple, non‐commercial bioinformatics pipe‐line to seek mutations involved in herbicide resistance in two weeds.

RESULTS

DNA was extracted from 96 pools of 50 plants for each species. Three amplicons encompassing 15 ALS (acetolactate‐synthase) codons crucial for herbicide resistance were amplified from each DNA extract. Above 18 and 20 million quality 250‐nucleotide sequence reads were obtained for groundsel (Senecio vulgaris, tetraploid) and ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia, diploid), respectively. Herbicide resistance‐endowing mutations were identified in 45 groundsel and in eight ragweed field populations. The mutations detected and their frequencies assessed by NGS were checked by individual plant genotyping or Sanger sequencing. NGS results were fully confirmed, except in three instances out of 12 where mutations present at a frequency of 1% were detected below the threshold set for reliable mutation detection.

CONCLUSION

Analyzing 9600 plants requested 192 DNA extractions followed by 1728 PCRs and two Illumina runs. Equivalent results obtained by individual analysis would have necessitated 9600 individual DNA extractions followed by 216 000 genotyping PCRs, or by 121 500 PCRs and 40 500 Sanger sequence runs. This clearly demonstrates the interest and power of NGS‐based detection of pesticide resistance from pools of individuals for diagnosing resistance in massive numbers of individuals. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Molten Salt Pyrolysis of Melamine‐Modified Denim Fabric Waste into Nitrogen‐Doped Activated Carbon for Supercapacitor Applications
Authors: Zeng Dong , Wang Shuai , Peng Junjun , Gui Yunyun , Liu Huihong , Yang Feng , Li Ming
Published: July 2019

Conversion of biomass waste into nitrogen‐doped porous carbon has been considered as a promising approach to achieve energy storage materials. Nitrogen‐doped activated carbon materials have been successfully prepared by molten salt pyrolysis (MSP) using melamine modified‐denim fabric waste as precursor. The molten salt medium provides liquid condition to carbonize and activate the denim fabric waste. Melamine produces a large amount of nitrogen element for doping the carbon materials. The obtained nitrogen‐doped denim fabric‐based carbon materials (NDFC‐MSP) are composed of small fibrous fragment and thin sheet, and exhibit a high specific surface area (1975.2 m2⋅g−1) and high pore volume (1.087 cm3⋅g−1). Moreover, NDFC‐MSP sample with a high nitrogen content of 6.93 wt.% possesses a maximum specific capacitance of 345.8 F⋅g−1 at 0.25 A⋅g−1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte. It also displays a high specific capacitance of 230 F⋅g−1 at 10 A⋅g−1. The cycle stability shows 95.5% retention after 5000 charge‐discharge cycles at 1 A⋅g−1. In addition, the fabricated symmetric NDFC‐MSP supercapacitor with a wide voltage range of 1.8 V generates a maximum energy density of 17.0 Wh⋅kg−1 at power density of 225 W kg−1 in 1 M Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte.
Electrochemical Sensor Based on Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with ZnFe2O4 Nanoparticles Incorporated Carbon Paste Electrode for Determination of Metoclopramide and Indomethacin
Authors: Hassannezhad Morassa , Hosseini Morteza , Ganjali Mohammad Reza , Arvand Majid
Published: July 2019

It was intended to design a simple, inexpensive, yet stable and selective electrochemical sensor for the analysis of metoclopramide (MCP) and Indomethacin (IND) in individual and binary mixtures there of using a carbon paste of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with spinel zinc ferrite nanoparticle (ZnFe2O4) electrode i. e. ZnFe2O4/MWCNTs‐CPE. The composite material and the modified carbon paste were characterized by analytical methods including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX). The peak currents obtained through the differential pulse voltammetry of MCP and IND revealed a linear increasing trend from 0.6 to 90.0 μM for MCP; and from 5.0 to 200.0 μM for IND and respective detection limits of 0.13 μM and 0.5 μM, were obtained for the target species. The resulting modified CPE was successfully used for the determination of MCP in real samples.
SeO2 Mediated Synthesis of Selected Heterocycles by Oxidative C−C Bond Cleavage of AcetophenoneDerivatives
Authors: Khan Danish , Ahmed Naseem , Alsharif Meshari A. , Alahmdi Mohammed Issa , Mukhtar Sayeed
Published: July 2019

An interestingcyclization reactions of aryl ketones with 2‐amino aniline derivatives under SeO2 (oxidant) are described for the synthesis of benzoxazole, benzothiazole, benzimidazole and quinazolinone through the C−C cleavage of acetophenone. The reaction likely involves sequential C−N, C−O and C−S bond formation followed by C(CO)−C(alkyl) bond cleavage. Various substituted fused heterocycles are obtained in good to excellent (gram scale) yields in a single step from readily available acetophenones.
Evolution of Hydrocarbon Pool over SAPO‐34 Catalyst during Methanol to Light Olefins
Authors: Jing Buqin , Li Junfen
Published: July 2019

The coke deposition behaviors and the evolution of hydrocarbon pool species of SAPO‐34 during the methanol to olefins (MTO) process were investigated. Retained hydrocarbon analysis was employed to explore the amount and the category of coke in the cages of thermally quenched SAPO‐34 samples which had been used as the catalyst in the MTO reaction. The coke lead to the distinct microstrain of unit cell. The UV‐vis spectra and GC‐MS studies showed the evolution of hydrocarbon pool species from monocyclic to polyaromatic. Furthermore, the linearly increasing of coke content and linearly reducing of surface area of SAPO‐34 indicated that the deactivation of catalyst was mainly caused by the blockage of SAPO‐34 pore.
A study on the Concentration‐dependent Relaxometric Transition in Manganese Oxide Nanocolloid as MRI Contrast Agent
Authors: Khodaei Azin , Malek Mahrooz , Hosseini Hamid Reza Madaah , Delavari H Hamid , Vahdatkhah Parisa
Published: July 2019

A green precipitation method has been used for the synthesis of ultra‐small APTMS‐mPEG conjugated Mn3O4nanoparticles. Spherical cores in the uniform size of 4±1 nm were characterized by HRTEM. Zeta potential of −45 mV and the invariant turbidimetry results during the time, confirmed super‐stability of the colloids. MRI relaxometry by 1.5 T scanner represented two values of r1= 8.23 s−1mM−1and r1=7.3 s−1mM−1for diluted and concentrated samples. The r2/r1ratio was also decreased from 11.86 to 6.9 by dilution of colloids. Particle aggregation and motional narrowing phenomena led to a dual T1/T2contrast agent in the Mn ion concentrations of more than 0.2 mM. The optimum concentration of Mn ion for maximum dual signal intensity was estimated about 0.4 mM which is two times less than commercial Gd–DTPA. Cytotoxicity was examined through MTT assay and respectively, showed high cell viability at 48 h incubation. Overall, a potential dual T1/T2contrast agent was developed for early‐stage detection.
Synthesis of Diesters through Carbonylation of Diazo Compounds Followed by Alcohol Addition
Authors: Madarasi Packirisamy Kuzhalmozhi , Vinod Kavya , Sankar Anjaly , Sivasankar Chinnappan
Published: July 2019

Diesters are important synthetic tools for many biologically active compounds. There are only few methods known for the synthesis of diesters, however the known methods have their own limitations such as substrate scope and drastic reactions conditions. Carbonylation of diazo compounds using Co2(CO)8 as a carbonyl source and generating ketene finds many useful applications in synthetic chemistry. In this regard, we have utilized the methodology to synthesize diesters via nucleophilic addition of alcohol to the ketene generated from diazo compounds using Co2(CO)8 as a carbonyl source and catalyst, under mild reaction conditions. Both aliphatic and aromatic alcohols with electron withdrawing and donating substituents are well tolerated giving rise to a large number of biologically active diesters in good yield, which is further characterized by standard analytical and spectroscopic techniques.
Water‐Assisted Synthesis of Blue Chip Excitable 2D Halide Perovskite with Green‐Red Dual Emissions for White LEDs
Authors: Cao Fei , Yu Dejian , Xu Xiaobao , Cai Bo , Gu Yu , Dong Yuhang , Shen Yalong , Zeng Haibo
Published: July 2019

White light‐emitting diodes have attracted much attention as indoor solid‐state light‐emitting devices and full‐color displays. The high cost of epitaxial semiconductors for three‐primary‐color multichips compels commercial universality. For traditional yellow downconverters, like YAG and silicates, rare earth element (Ce3+ or Eu2+) incorporation and high‐temperature manufacture processes impede further development in cost saving. In this work, by an innovative water‐assisted synthesis approach, a series of manganese (Mn)‐doped 2D halide perovskites (HPs) with dual emissions are developed. Systematic experiments elucidate that water in the synthesis process can assist the formation of an intermediate state of HPbI3, which further reacts with the alkylamine for HPs. Significantly, HPs with green‐red dual emissions are achieved for the first time, in which the green emission comes from the 2D HP matrix, and the red emission is owing to exciton transfer from the matrix to Mn (II) centers. By controlling the Mn doping level, the exciton transferring efficiency can be tailored to modulate the overall chromaticity of the emitter. As a result, perfect yellow emission is developed for white light with (0.33, 0.33) color coordinate. It is believed that this work paves the way for the real use of HPs in lighting and display technology.
Initial Stages of Photodegradation of MAPbI3 Perovskite: Accelerated Aging with Concentrated Sunlight
Authors: Guo Renjun , Khenkin Mark V. , Arnaoutakis Georgios E. , Samoylova Nataliya A. , Barbé Jérémy , Lee Harrison Ka Hin , Tsoi Wing Chung , Katz Eugene A.
Published: July 2019

The initial stages of photo‐degradation of CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) thin films prior to any significant change in light absorption are studied in experiments with independent control of sample temperature and intensity of concentrated sunlight from 50 to 500 suns. Photo‐stability of the MAPbI3 film is revealed to be extremely sensitive to the sample temperature. Under the combined action of light and heat (either by concentrated sunlight or by external heating), a strong reduction of the film photoluminescence (PL) without changes in the perovskite light absorption can be observed during the initial stages of degradation. In contrast, illumination of perovskite films (with intensity up to 500 suns) without heating (using chopped concentrated sunlight) induces considerable PL enhancement while the optical absorption spectrum remains unchanged. With accurate temperature control, aging under concentrated sunlight results in similar instability trends as that under 1 sun.
Castability and Inclusions in a Low Sulfur Ca‐Treated Peritectic Steel for Two Deoxidation Techniques
Authors: Leão Pablo B. P. , Klug Jeferson L. , Carneiro Carlos A. R. , Caldas Hilder , Bielefeldt Wagner V.
Published: July 2019

Liquid inclusions are important to avoid nozzle clogging during continuous casting of steel. To minimize clogging tendency at a Brazilian steelworks for a low‐sulphur Ca‐treated peritectic steel, deoxidation technique is changed from only Al addition as deoxidant to Fe–Si ferroalloy followed by Al addition, reducing the amount of Al by 20 wt%. Calcium treatment procedure is not changed. According to steelworks data, clogging occurrences are drastically reduced with this process change. In this context, quenched steel samples are collected from the tundish before and after the aforementioned process change. Nonmetallic inclusions characterization is manually performed using scanning electron microscope. For both conditions—before and after the industrial process changes—the inclusions are typically globular ones. However, before the changes, the inclusion modification is not complete because the core of the inclusions is composed by polygonal spinel. After the changes, the inclusions become homogeneous. Computational thermodynamics is applied to calculate the castability windows; they show that the amount of calcium dissolved in liquid steel is too low before the process changes, and this fact explains the blockage of the tundish nozzles, which is observed at steelworks, due to the deposition of high melting point spinel inclusions.
What is a significant defect of the anal sphincter on translabial ultrasound?
Authors: Subramaniam N. , Dietz H. P.
Published: July 2019

Objective

The anal sphincter is commonly evaluated with endoanal ultrasound. Recently, translabial ultrasound imaging has been proposed for sphincter imaging, with moderate to good correlation between the methods. An endosonographic defect is defined as one with a radial extension of > 30° in at least two‐thirds of the length of the anal sphincter. This is equivalent to defining significant anal sphincter trauma on translabial tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) as a defect in at least four of six slices, a definition which has been validated. This study was designed to validate a residual defect angle of > 30° for the definition of significant anal sphincter trauma on translabial ultrasound.

Methods

This was a retrospective study involving 399 women attending a tertiary urogynecology unit in 2014. All underwent a standardized interview, including determination of St Mark's fecal incontinence score (SMIS), clinical examination and 3D/4D translabial ultrasound examination with the woman at rest and on pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC). External (EAS) and internal (IAS) anal sphincter defect angles were measured in individual TUI slices and associations with anal incontinence symptoms, bother score and SMIS were analyzed.

Results

There were weak but significant correlations of anal incontinence symptoms, bother score and SMIS with EAS and IAS defect angle, measured on images acquired with the woman at rest and on PFMC. The predictive value of single‐slice defect angle on TUI was low, and areas under the receiver‐operating‐characteristics curves were too low to determine a distinct cut‐off value for defect angle.

Conclusions

Anal sphincter residual defects on single translabial TUI slices are weakly associated with measures of anal incontinence. Single‐slice defect angle is too poor a predictor to allow validation of the 30° defect angle cut‐off used in endoanal ultrasound. Larger studies in populations with a higher prevalence of anal incontinence are needed before we can disregard anal sphincter defects smaller than 30° on translabial ultrasound. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Toolbox for optimizing anti‐erosion protective coatings of wind turbine blades: Overview of mechanisms and technical solutions
Authors: Mishnaevsky Leon
Published: July 2019

Factors and structural parameters of coatings influencing the efficiency of protective coating systems against rain erosion of wind turbine blades are reviewed. The possibilities to enhance the attenuation of wave energy from droplet impact, increase damping and varying stiffness, creating interfaces for wave reflection, adding reinforcement for wave scattering, and creating additional layers or skeleton‐like reinforcing or wave absorbing structures, are discussed in the paper. Formulas for quantitative estimation of these effects as well as qualitative relationships between the structural parameters of coatings and their performance are presented. Recommendations and promising directions for the improvement of the protective coating systems for rain erosion protection of wind turbine blades are presented.
Climate-Smart Bread
Authors: Reay Dave
Published: July 2019

Globally we produce 700 million tonnes of wheat each year, providing one-fifth of all the calories and proteins we consume. An average loaf of bread has a carbon footprint of 1 kilogram, mainly as a result of emission on the farm. We also waste a huge amount: over 700,000 tonnes is thrown away each year in the UK—the equivalent of more than two million loaves a day and about one-third of all the bread we buy. Alongside reducing household waste, improved efficiency of nitrogen fertiliser use is a key way to cut emissions. Wheat is already facing impacts on yields from climate change, with heat waves, drought and disease being major risks in many areas in the coming decades. Access to disease-resistant varieties and use of improved soil management can both boost resilience and reduce emissions.
Impact of a XENONnT signal on LHC dijet searches
Authors: Baum Sebastian , Catena Riccardo , Krauss Martin B.
Published: July 2019

Abstract

It is well-known that dark matter (DM) direct detection experiments and the LHC are complementary, since they probe physical processes occurring at different energy scales. And yet, there are aspects of this complementarity which are still not fully understood, or exploited. For example, what is the impact that the discovery of DM at XENONnT would have on present and future searches for DM in LHC final states involving a pair of hadronic jets? In this work we investigate the impact of a XENONnT signal on the interpretation of current dijet searches at the LHC, and on the prospects for dijet signal discovery at the High-Luminosity (HL) LHC in the framework of simplified models. Specifically, we focus on a general class of simplified models where DM can have spin 0, 1/2 or 1, and interacts with quarks through the exchange of a scalar, pseudo-scalar, vector, or pseudo-vector mediator. We find that exclusion limits on the mediator’s mass and its coupling to quarks from dijet searches at the LHC are significantly affected by a signal at XENONnT, and that

$$ \mathcal{O} $$

O

(100) signal events at XENONnT would drastically narrow the region in the parameter space of simplified models where a dijet signal can be discovered at 5σ C.L. at the HL-LHC.
Higgs Parity, strong CP and dark matter
Authors: Dunsky David , Hall Lawrence J. , Harigaya Keisuke
Published: July 2019

Abstract

An exact spacetime parity replicates the SU(2) × U(1) electroweak interaction, the Higgs boson H, and the matter of the Standard Model. This “Higgs Parity” and the mirror electroweak symmetry are spontaneously broken at scale v ′ = 〈H ′ 〉 ≫ 〈H〉, yielding the Standard Model below v′ with a quartic coupling that essentially vanishes at v′: λ
SM(v′) ∼ 10−3. The strong CP problem is solved as Higgs parity forces the masses of mirror quarks and ordinary quarks to have opposite phases. Dark matter is composed of mirror electrons, e′, stabilized by unbroken mirror electromagnetism. These interact with Standard Model particles via kinetic mixing between the photon and the mirror photon, which arises at four-loop level and is a firm prediction of the theory. Physics below v′, including the mass and interaction of e′ dark matter, is described by one fewer parameter than in the Standard Model. The allowed range of

$$ {m}_{e^{\prime }} $$

m

e
′

is determined by uncertainties in (α

s

, m

t

, m

h
), so that future precision measurements of these will be correlated with the direct detection rate of e′ dark matter, which, together with the neutron electric dipole moment, will probe the entire parameter space.
Self-Destructing Dark Matter
Authors: Grossman Yuval , Harnik Roni , Telem Ofri , Zhang Yue
Published: July 2019

Abstract

We present Self-Destructing Dark Matter (SDDM), a new class of dark matter models which are detectable in large neutrino detectors. In this class of models, a component of dark matter can transition from a long-lived state to a short-lived one by scattering off of a nucleus or an electron in the Earth. The short-lived state then decays to Standard Model particles, generating a dark matter signal with a visible energy of order the dark matter mass rather than just its recoil. This leads to striking signals in large detectors with high energy thresholds. We present a few examples of models which exhibit self destruction, all inspired by bound state dynamics in the Standard Model. The models under consideration exhibit a rich phenomenology, possibly featuring events with one, two, or even three lepton pairs, each with a fixed invariant mass and a fixed energy, as well as non-trivial directional distributions. This motivates dedicated searches for dark matter in large underground detectors such as Super-K, Borexino, SNO+, and DUNE.
Fractional θ angle, ’t Hooft anomaly, and quantum instantons in charge-q multi-flavor Schwinger model
Authors: Misumi Tatsuhiro , Tanizaki Yuya , Ünsal Mithat
Published: July 2019

Abstract

This work examines non-perturbative dynamics of a 2-dimensional QFT by using discrete ’t Hooft anomaly, semi-classics with circle compactification and bosonization. We focus on charge-q N-flavor Schwinger model, and also Wess-Zumino-Witten model. We first apply the recent developments of discrete ’t Hooft anomaly matching to theories on ℝ2 and its compactification to ℝ× S

L

1
. We then compare the ’t Hooft anomaly with dynamics of the models by explicitly constructing eigenstates and calculating physical quantities on the cylinder spacetime with periodic and flavor-twisted boundary conditions. We find different boundary conditions realize different anomalies. Especially under the twisted boundary conditions, there are Nq vacua associated with discrete chiral symmetry breaking. Chiral condensates for this case have fractional θ dependence eiθ/Nq
, which provides the Nq-branch structure with soft fermion mass. We show that these behaviors at a small circumference cannot be explained by usual instantons but should be understood by “quantum” instantons, which saturate the BPS bound between classical action and quantum-induced effective potential. The effects of the quantum-instantons match the exact results obtained via bosonization within the region of applicability of semi-classics. We also argue that large-N limit of the Schwinger model with twisted boundary conditions satisfy volume independence.
On tensionless string field theory in AdS3
Authors: Raeymaekers Joris
Published: July 2019

Abstract

We report on progress in formulating a field theory of tensionless strings in AdS3, starting from the dual large-N symmetric orbifold CFT. We propose a set of field equations which are gauge invariant under the higher spin algebra of the theory, the ‘Higher Spin Square’. The massless higher spin sector is captured by a Chern-Simons gauge field, while the matter sector is described by unfolded equations similar to those appearing in Vasiliev theory. Our equations incorporate the full perturbative spectrum of the theory, including states coming from the twisted sectors, and capture some of the interactions fixed by gauge invariance. We also discuss the spectrum of the bulk theory and explain how linearization around AdS3 gives rise to the expected set of decoupled wave equations. Our results can be generalized to describe bulk duals of other large-N symmetric orbifolds.
Monster anatomy
Authors: Bae Jin-Beom , Lee Kimyeong , Lee Sungjay
Published: July 2019

Abstract

We investigate the two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) of

$$ c=\frac{47}{2} $$

c
=

47
2

,

$$ c=\frac{116}{5} $$

c
=

116
5

and c = 23 ‘dual’ to the critical Ising model, the three state Potts model and the tensor product of two Ising models, respectively. We argue that these CFTs exhibit moonshines for the double covering of the baby Monster group,

$$ 2\;\cdotp\;\mathbb{B} $$

2

·

B

, the triple covering of the largest Fischer group, 3 · Fi
24
′
and multiple-covering of the second largest Conway group, 2 · 21+22 · Co2. Various twined characters are shown to satisfy generalized bilinear relations involving Mckay-Thompson series. We also rediscover that the ‘self-dual’ two-dimensional bosonic conformal field theory of c = 12 has the Conway group Co0 ≃ 2 · Co1 as an automorphism group.
Promoting microbial utilization of phenolic substrates from bio-oil
Authors: Davis Kirsten , Rover Marjorie R , Salvachúa Davinia , Smith Ryan G , Beckham Gregg T , Wen Zhiyou , Brown Robert C , Jarboe Laura R
Published: July 2019

The economic viability of the biorefinery concept is limited by the valorization of lignin. One possible method of lignin valorization is biological upgrading with aromatic-catabolic microbes. In conjunction, lignin monomers can be produced by fast pyrolysis and fractionation. However, biological upgrading of these lignin monomers is limited by low water solubility. Here, we address the problem of low water solubility with an emulsifier blend containing approximately 70 wt% Tween® 20 and 30 wt% Span® 80. Pseudomonas putida KT2440 grew to an optical density (OD600) of 1.0 ± 0.2 when supplied with 1.6 wt% emulsified phenolic monomer-rich product produced by fast pyrolysis of red oak using an emulsifier dose of 0.076 ± 0.002 g emulsifier blend per g of phenolic monomer-rich product. This approach partially mitigated the toxicity of the model phenolic monomer p-coumarate to the microbe, but not benzoate or vanillin. This study provides a proof of concept that processing of biomass-derived phenolics to increase aqueous availability can enhance microbial utilization.
Betting against the Zen Monk: on preferences and partial belief
Authors: Elliott Edward
Published: July 2019

According to the preference-centric approach to understanding partial belief, the connection between partial beliefs and preferences is key to understanding what partial beliefs are and how they’re measured. As Ramsey put it, the ‘degree of a belief is a causal property of it, which we can express vaguely as the extent to which we are prepared to act on it’ (in: Braithwaite (ed) The Foundations of Mathematics and Other Logical Essays, Routledge, Oxon, pp 156–198, 1931). But this idea is not as popular as it once was. Nowadays, the preference-centric approach is frequently dismissed out-of-hand as behaviouristic, unpalatably anti-realist, and/or prone to devastating counterexamples. Cases like Eriksson and Hájek’s (Stud Log 86(2):183–213, 2007) preferencelessZen monkand Christensen’s (Philos Sci 68(3):356–376, 2001)other rolesargument have suggested to many that any account of partial belief that ties them too closely to preferences is irretrievably flawed. In this paper I provide a defence of preference-centric accounts of partial belief.
A FILTRATION ON EQUIVARIANT BOREL–MOORE HOMOLOGY
Authors: BINGHAM ARAM , CAN MAHIR BILEN , OZAN YILDIRAY
Published: July 2019

Let
$G/H$
be a homogeneous variety and let
$X$
be a
$G$
-equivariant embedding of
$G/H$
such that the number of
$G$
-orbits in
$X$
is finite. We show that the equivariant Borel–Moore homology of
$X$
has a filtration with associated graded module the direct sum of the equivariant Borel–Moore homologies of the
$G$
-orbits. If
$T$
is a maximal torus of
$G$
such that each
$G$
-orbit has a
$T$
-fixed point, then the equivariant filtration descends to give a filtration on the ordinary Borel–Moore homology of
$X$
. We apply our findings to certain wonderful compactifications as well as to double flag varieties.
A Bird’s Eye View on EU Anti-Discrimination Law: The Impact of the 2000 Equality Directives
Authors: Belavusau Uladzislau , Henrard Kristin
Published: July 2019

The year 2000 marked the birth of EU anti-discrimination law as a field in its own right, with the adoption of two major Equality Directives. They extended the prohibition of discrimination with five additional grounds and expanded the material scope of equality regulation. Having reached its eighteenth birthday in the year 2018, EU anti-discrimination law can now celebrate its adulthood and deserves a bird’s eye exploration of its achievements, failures, and prospects. The present Article provides this exploration by zooming in on these twin Directives, as well as on the “new” grounds of discrimination planted therein, namely race and ethnicity—the grounds introduced by the Race Equality Directive—religion, sexual orientation, age, and disability—the grounds introduced by Framework Equality Directive—and the related jurisprudence of European courts. It first outlines the genesis and main stages in the development of EU anti-discrimination law, followed by a discussion of major normative and practical themes emerging in EU anti-discrimination law after 2000, such as the personal and material scope of the Directives, new forms of discrimination, mechanisms to counteract discrimination, and the proceduralization of EU anti-discrimination law.
Rules Over Rights? Legal Aspects of the European Commission Recommendation for Resumption of Dublin Transfers of Asylum Seekers to Greece
Authors: Gotsova Boryana
Published: July 2019

Five years after the Dublin transfers of asylum seekers to Greece were halted—due to recurrent failings in the detention conditions, living conditions, and asylum procedure—the European Commission recommended a resumption of the practice. This Article analyzes the Recommendation in light of the human rights reports preceding and following it. The examination reveals that the renewal of systematic transfers would be premature, posing serious risks to the rights of asylum seekers under European and EU law. The restoration of a flawed system for distribution of asylum claims among the Member States—without fundamental reforms towards greater solidarity—may lead to a repetition of past mistakes. Despite the paramount importance of the Dublin system for the functioning of the Schengen Area, rule enforcement should not supersede human rights protection.
A Democratic Dilemma of European Power to Tax: Reconstructing the Symbiosis Between Taxation and Democracy Beyond the State?
Authors: Jaakkola Jussi
Published: July 2019

In Western capitalist societies, the three postwar decades witnessed a strong interconnection between income taxation and democracy. On the one hand, the democratically representative political process constituted a precondition for the legitimacy of taxation. On the other hand, redistributive income taxation enhanced conditions for equal democratic participation by allocating resources and equalizing political power among citizens. The asymmetric European integration that has advanced transnationalization of cross-border market order but preserved income taxation under national political authority has established fiscal interdependence between Member States of the EU and exposed them to transnational regulatory effects. As a result, Member States’ performance to uphold the symbiosis between democracy and taxation has eroded. While this has led some to call for further integration of taxes beyond the nation state, others have remained skeptical about the democratic legitimacy of Europeanized taxation. This Article argues that the Europeanization of income taxation would help to reconstruct the conditions under which the symbiosis between income taxation and democracy is restored, although this requires the notion of democratic community to be reinterpreted according to the standards that cannot be equated with nation-based boundaries of a political community.
The Right to Privacy—A Fundamental Right in Search of Its Identity: Uncovering the CJEU’s Flawed Concept of the Right to Privacy
Authors: Pfisterer Valentin M.
Published: July 2019

In recent years, the CJEU has impressively brought to bear the protection of the fundamental rights to privacy and protection of personal data as contained in the CFREU. The Court’s decisions in the Digital Rights, Schrems, Tele2, and PNR cases have reshaped the political and legal landscape in Europe and beyond. By restricting the powers of the governments of EU Member States and annulling legislative acts enacted by the EU legislator, the decisions had, and continue to have, effects well beyond the respective individual cases. Despite their strong impact on privacy and data protection across Europe, however, these landmark decisions reveal a number of flaws and inconsistencies in the conceptualization of the rights to privacy and protection of personal data as endorsed and interpreted by the CJEU. This Article identifies and discusses some of the shortcomings revealed in the recent CJEU privacy and data protection landmark decisions and proposes to the CJEU a strategy aimed at resolving these shortcomings going forward.
Similarity solutions and viscous gravity current adjustment times
Authors: Ball Thomasina V. , Huppert Herbert E.
Published: July 2019

A wide range of initial-value problems in fluid mechanics in particular, and in the physical sciences in general, are described by nonlinear partial differential equations. Recourse must often be made to numerical solutions, but a powerful, well-established technique is to solve the problem in terms of similarity variables. A disadvantage of the similarity solution is that it is almost always independent of any specific initial conditions, with the solution to the full differential equation approaching the similarity solution for times $t\gg t_{\ast }$, for some $t_{\ast }$. But what is $t_{\ast }$? In this paper we consider the situation of viscous gravity currents and obtain useful formulae for the time of approach, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}(p)$, for a number of different initial shapes, where $p$ is the percentage disagreement between the radius of the current as determined by the full numerical solution of the governing partial differential equation and the similarity solution normalised by the similarity solution. We show that for any initial shape of volume $V,\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}\propto 1/(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}V^{1/3}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}_{0}^{8/3}p)$ (as $p\downarrow 0$), where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=g\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}/(3\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})$, with $g$ representing the acceleration due to gravity, $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}$ the density difference between the gravity current and the ambient, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$ the dynamic viscosity of the fluid that makes up the gravity current and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}_{0}$ the initial aspect ratio. This framework can used in many other situations, including where it is not an initial condition (in time) that is studied but one valid for specified values at a special spatial coordinate.
Cornelis Matelief, Hugo Grotius, and the King of Siam (1605–1616): Agency, initiative, and diplomacy
Authors: BORSCHBERG PETER
Published: July 2019

This article addresses the proactive agency of the Siamese kings in cementing commercial and diplomatic ties with the Dutch in the first two decades of the seventeenth century. The focus will be on two interrelated developments: one, the first diplomatic mission to the Dutch Republic in 1608–1610 and, two, a scheme hatched by Siamese officials to assist the Dutch in obtaining access to the Chinese market. This was deemed necessary after the Dutch, supported by some overseas Chinese businessmen from Southeast Asia, failed to gain trading access in 1604. On the Dutch side, two men stand in the limelight: Admiral Cornelis Matelief de Jonge, a director of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and supreme commander of its second fleet to Asia, and Hugo Grotius, who at the time was a rising star in the Dutch government and would later be celebrated as one of the pathfinders of modern international law. Both their published and unpublished manuscripts will be examined to ascertain how Matelief and the VOC directors reacted to these Siamese initiatives and how, in turn, the admiral sought to mobilize and co-opt the Siamese into his own commercial and military agenda, with the help of Grotius.
Money, Value, and Indigenous Citizenship: Notes from the Indian development state
Authors: HOTA PINKY
Published: July 2019

Based on fieldwork conducted in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2007–08, this article demonstrates how scripts about money, value, and indigeneity are used as exclusionary discourses by development state officials and caste Hindus to portray Indian tribals as failed citizens of the Indian development state. These discourses are used not only as a means of disciplining tribals as indigenous citizens, but also to elide other contradictions within the development state such as corruption, thereby sustaining ‘modern development’ as a project of perpetual deferral. However, this article also shows how Kandha tribals, in turn, appropriate these scripts to display their understanding of the shifting contours of indigenous citizenship and its mandates for entitlements from the development state and indigenous political agency. In so doing, this article demonstrates how historical discourses of money and indigeneity inform contemporary indigenous claims to citizenship. By attending to these discourses, it argues for indigeneity as a site to observe the folding-back of state power onto itself, as indigenous citizenship reanimates historical constructions of theadivasias indigene but subverts these constructions by using a language of indigenous entitlement.
GLASS MUSIC OF THE TWENTIETH AND TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES
Authors: Coblentz Hunter
Published: July 2019

This article serves as an introduction to the twentieth- and twenty-first-century musical practices that have made use of glass instruments and objects. Emphasis is placed on those practices that use glass in a raw, acoustic manner, and those that take advantage of the precision with which glass can be tuned. First, a general history of glass music is presented, followed by an overview of the physical and acoustic aspects pertaining to the material that are relevant to those composers wishing to integrate glass into their works. Finally, the composers, performers and instrument builders who have made significant use of glass in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries are surveyed.
THE NEW MUSICAL IMAGINARY: DESCRIPTION AS DISTRACTION IN NEW MUSIC
Authors: Power Ian
Published: July 2019

In her bookThe Philosophical Imaginary, Michèle Le Doeuff claims philosophers use imagery precisely where their argument is at its weakest in order to provide an indistinct rhetorical space which cannot be clearly judged or criticised. Using Le Doeuff's framework, I examine programme notes: descriptive writing from programmes and grant applications that often tie the music to an extra-musical source of meaning. I point out instances where what is at stake in the work shifts from place to place, performing a determined meaning for the genre's outsiders, but indicating semantic superfluity to insiders who will tangibly judge the music on search committees and grant panels. After discussing genre theory and the history of new music, I argue that this imagery has a deeper social function: to gain social capital by performing diversity while maintaining the cultural power afforded by the genre's roots in hegemonic formalism.
London Contemporary Music Festival 2019
Authors: Jones Stephanie
Published: July 2019

In parallel to London's overflowing cityscape, saturated on this occasion by both a bitterly cold torrential downpour and the annual frenzied crowding of materialistic festivity, the penultimate event to the city's Contemporary Music Festival was underway just after 7pm on Saturday 15 December 2018 in the cavernous Ambika P3 venue, a 14,000 square foot performing and exhibition space located on basement level to the University of Westminster's Marylebone Campus.
A MIDDLE HELLADIC TOMB IN THE ATHENIAN KERAMEIKOS AND SOME THOUGHTS ON THE EARLY CONNECTIONS OF ATTICA
Authors: Balitsari Anthi , Papadopoulos John K.
Published: July 2019

This paper focuses on a presentation and discussion of the solitary Middle Helladic tomb found in the Athenian Kerameikos. Our purpose is twofold: first of all, to present in detail the tomb offerings that we were able to relocate, and to suggest a MH I date for the burial. Secondly, given the significant presence of ceramic imports from various Aegean islands, we outline the connectedness that Attica enjoyed at the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age. This is a story that involves not just Athens, but Aigina, the Argolid, and Minoan Crete, as well as the much sought-after metal ores of Laurion.
From the Augustan Principate to the Invention of the Age of Augustus
Authors: Cooley Alison E.
Published: July 2019

This paper explores alternatives to analysing the political impact of Augustus in terms of the establishment of a new constitutional structure, the Augustan Principate. It starts by showing how the wordprincipatuschanged over time and explores the significance of the termstatio. It considers how contemporaries viewed the political changes that occurred during Augustus’ lifetime, analysing the ways in which power at Rome became increasingly embodied in the person of Augustus himself. It suggests that there was an increasing recognition that Augustus was an exceptional individual, whose position in the state was supported by powers granted formally by senatorial decree and popular vote as well as informally by acclamation, but whose authority was ultimately a personal quality, supported by the gods, and predestined by birth. It traces the ways in which Augustus’ rule became increasingly personalised, with the result that one of the main challenges faced by Tiberius ina.d. 14 was how to take over Augustus’ personal role asprinceps.