bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Working for the State in the Urban Economies of Ankara, Bursa, and Salonica: From Empire to Nation State, 1840s–1940s
Authors: Kabadayi M. Erdem
Published: December 2016

In most cases, and particularly in the cases of Greece and Turkey, political transformation from multinational empire to nation state has been experienced to a great extent in urban centres. In Ankara, Bursa, and Salonica, the cities selected for this article, the consequences of state-making were drastic for all their inhabitants; Ankara and Bursa had strong Greek communities, while in the 1840s Salonica was the Jewish metropolis of the eastern Mediterranean, with a lively Muslim community. However, by the 1940s, Ankara and Bursa had lost almost all their non-Muslim inhabitants and Salonica had lost almost all its Muslims. This article analyses the occupational structures of those three cities in the mid-nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, tracing the role of the state as an employer and the effects of radical political change on the city-level historical dynamics of labour relations.
IMPLICIT LEARNING OF LATIN STRESS REGULARITIES
Authors: Graham Calbert R. , Williams John N.
Published: December 2016

This study examines whether Japanese native (L1) listeners can implicitly learn stress pattern regularities, not present in their L1, after a brief auditory exposure. In the exposure phase, the participants listened to and repeated words bearing stress patterned after Latin, but with a highly restricted consonant inventory. They performed a judgment task designed to test whether they had learned the relevant stress pattern regularities from the brief listening experience. We assessed participants’ awareness of the inherent stress regularities by analyzing confidence in making decisions and by verbal report. Results suggest that although participants remained unaware of the underlying stress regularities they performed significantly above chance in endorsing correctly stressed novel items even when they claimed to be guessing. In addition, there was no difference in confidence between correct and incorrect judgments. These results suggest that brief exposure resulted in implicit knowledge of abstract stress assignment rules. However, participants rejected correctly stressed words that contained consonants that were not present in the test phase. On the basis of this finding, we speculate that in the acquisition of second language phonology, a violation at the segmental level may be deemed more costly than a violation in the prosodic domain.
Learning to predict characteristics for engineering service projects
Authors: Shi Lei , Newnes Linda , Culley Steve , Allen Bruce
Published: December 2016

An engineering service project can be highly interactive, collaborative, and distributed. The implementation of such projects needs to generate, utilize, and share large amounts of data and heterogeneous digital objects. The information overload prevents the effective reuse of project data and knowledge, and makes the understanding of project characteristics difficult. Toward solving these issues, this paper emphasized the using of data mining and machine learning techniques to improve the project characteristic understanding process. The work presented in this paper proposed an automatic model and some analytical approaches for learning and predicting the characteristics of engineering service projects. To evaluate the model and demonstrate its functionalities, an industrial data set from the aerospace sector is considered as a the case study. This work shows that the proposed model could enable the project members to gain comprehensive understanding of project characteristics from a multidimensional perspective, and it has the potential to support them in implementing evidence-based design and decision making.
Skin in the game: comparing the private and public regulation of isotretinoin
Authors: MARCH RAYMOND J.
Published: December 2016

This paper engages in a comparative-institutional analysis of the private and public risk-management programs of the drug isotretinoin, which are designed to prevent the undesired effects isotretinoin has on fetal development. This case study sheds light on the comparative effectiveness of private and public regulation in the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets. A range of evidence indicates that the private risk management program successful in reducing pregnancies and educating patients about the harmful effects isotretinoin can have on a fetus. These findings challenge a consensus found in the medical literature that the private program needed to be supplanted and contain implications for future risk-management policy in healthcare.
Systemic application of 3-methyladenine markedly inhibited atherosclerotic lesion in ApoE−/− mice by modulating autophagy, foam cell formation and immune-negative molecules
Authors: Dai Shen , Wang Bo , Li Wen , Wang Liyang , Song Xingguo , Guo Chun , Li Yulan , Liu Fengming , Zhu Faliang , Wang Qun , Wang Xiaoyan , Shi Yongyu , Wang Jianing , Zhao Wei , Zhang Lining
Published: December 2016

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved intracellular degradation process, is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and has become a potential therapeutic target. Here we tested the effect of two inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-chromone (LY294002), commonly used as inhibitors of autophagy, in atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E−/− mice. Systemic application of 3-MA but not LY294002 markedly reduced the size of atherosclerotic plaque and increased the stability of lesions in high-fat diet-fed mice as compared with controls. Furthermore, 3-MA had multiple atheroprotective effects, including modulating macrophage autophagy and foam cell formation and altering the immune microenvironment. Long-term treatment with 3-MA promoted oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced macrophage autophagy and suppressed foam cell formation and cell viability in vitro. Furthermore, systemic application of 3-MA promoted lipid droplet breakdown and decreased apoptosis, most likely associated with autophagy. 3-MA treatment strikingly enhanced the expression of immune-negative molecules such as interleukin 10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor β and IL-35, as well as forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), the specific transcriptional factor for regulatory T cells, but did not affect the level of proinflammatory cytokines in the arterial wall. We provide strong evidence for the potential therapeutic benefit of 3-MA in inhibiting atherosclerosis development and improving plaque stability.
Increased plasma VEGF levels following ischemic preconditioning are associated with downregulation of miRNA-762 and miR-3072-5p
Authors: Ueno Koji , Samura Makoto , Nakamura Tamami , Tanaka Yuya , Takeuchi Yuriko , Kawamura Daichi , Takahashi Masaya , Hosoyama Tohru , Morikage Noriyasu , Hamano Kimikazu
Published: December 2016

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has protective effects against ischemia-perfusion injury of organs. In the present study, we investigated the associated mechanisms after performing remote IPC (rIPC) of lower limbs by clamping abdominal aorta in mice. Subsequent experiments showed decreased damage and paralysis of lower limbs following spinal cord injury (SCI). Concomitantly, plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were increased 24 h after rIPC compared with those in sham-operated animals. In subsequent microRNA analyses, thirteen microRNAs were downregulated in exosomes 24 h after rIPC. Further studies of femoral CD34-positive bone marrow (BM) cells confirmed downregulation of these seven microRNAs 24 h after rIPC compared with those in sham-operated controls. Subsequent algorithm-based database searches suggested that two of the seven microRNAs bind to the 3′ UTR of VEGF mRNA, and following transfection into CD34-positive BM cells, anti-miR-762, and anti-miR-3072-5p inhibitors led to increased VEGF concentrations. The present data suggest that rIPC transiently increases plasma VEGF levels by downregulating miR-762 and miR-3072-5p in CD34-positive BM cells, leading to protection against organ ischemia.
Protonation enhancement by dichloromethane doping in low-pressure photoionization
Authors: Shu Jinian , Zou Yao , Xu Ce , Li Zhen , Sun Wanqi , Yang Bo , Zhang Haixu , Zhang Peng , Ma Pengkun
Published: December 2016

Doping has been used to enhance the ionization efficiency of analytes in atmospheric pressure photoionization, which is based on charge exchange. Compounds with excellent ionization efficiencies are usually chosen as dopants. In this paper, we report a new phenomenon observed in low-pressure photoionization: Protonation enhancement by dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) doping. CH2Cl2 is not a common dopant due to its high ionization energy (11.33 eV). The low-pressure photoionization source was built using a krypton VUV lamp that emits photons with energies of 10.0 and 10.6 eV and was operated at ~500–1000 Pa. Protonation of water, methanol, ethanol, and acetaldehyde was respectively enhanced by 481.7 ± 122.4, 197.8 ± 18.8, 87.3 ± 7.8, and 93.5 ± 35.5 times after doping 291 ppmv CH2Cl2, meanwhile CH2Cl2 almost does not generate noticeable ions itself. This phenomenon has not been documented in the literature. A new protonation process involving in ion-pair and H-bond formations was proposed to expound the phenomenon. The observed phenomenon opens a new prospect for the improvement of the detection efficiency of VUV photoionization.
Endothelin-3 stimulates cell adhesion and cooperates with β1-integrins during enteric nervous system ontogenesis
Authors: Gazquez Elodie , Watanabe Yuli , Broders-Bondon Florence , Paul-Gilloteaux Perrine , Heysch Julie , Baral Viviane , Bondurand Nadège , Dufour Sylvie
Published: December 2016

Endothelin-3 (EDN3) and β1-integrins are required for the colonization of the embryonic gut by enteric neural crest cells (ENCCs) to form the enteric nervous system (ENS). β1-integrin-null ENCCs exhibit migratory defects in a region of the gut enriched in EDN3 and in specific extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. We investigated the putative role of EDN3 on ENCC adhesion properties and its functional interaction with β1-integrins during ENS development. We show that EDN3 stimulates ENCC adhesion to various ECM components in vitro. It induces rapid changes in ENCC shape and protrusion dynamics favouring sustained growth and stabilization of lamellipodia, a process coincident with the increase in the number of focal adhesions and activated β1-integrins. In vivo studies and ex-vivo live imaging revealed that double mutants for Itgb1 and Edn3 displayed a more severe enteric phenotype than either of the single mutants demonstrated by alteration of the ENS network due to severe migratory defects of mutant ENCCs taking place early during the ENS development. Altogether, our results highlight the interplay between the EDN3 and β1-integrin signalling pathways during ENS ontogenesis and the role of EDN3 in ENCC adhesion.
B- and T-lymphocyte number and function in HIV+/HIV− lymphoma patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Bertoli Diego , Re Alessandro , Chiarini Marco , Sottini Alessandra , Serana Federico , Giustini Viviana , Roccaro Aldo M. , Cattaneo Chiara , Caimi Luigi , Rossi Giuseppe , Imberti Luisa
Published: December 2016

Combination of anti-retroviral therapy, high-dose chemotherapy (HCT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has led to an improved survival of HIV+ non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients. We compared T- and B-cell subset recovery and related capability to respond to in-vitro stimulation, as well as T-cell repertoire modifications of HIV+ and HIV− NHL patients undergoing HCT and ASCT as first-line consolidation or salvage treatment, using sequential blood samples obtained before and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after ASCT. B lymphocyte recovery occurred earlier, reaching higher levels in HIV+ patients as compared to HIV− patients and healthy controls; in particular, immature and naïve B cells were significantly higher in HIV+ patients who had received rituximab in the pre-ASCT period. These lymphocytes equally responded to in-vitro stimulation. Newly produced T cells similarly increased in HIV+ and HIV− NHL patients, but their levels remained constantly lower than in healthy controls. T lymphocytes showed a reduced proliferative capacity, but their repertoire was reassorted by the treatment. The functional and numeric B-cell recovery and the qualitative modifications of T-cell receptor repertoire may explain, at least in part, the success of this aggressive therapeutic approach in HIV+ patients.
Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) seedlings in a high-CO2 world: from physiology to herbivory
Authors: Hernán Gema , Ramajo Laura , Basso Lorena , Delgado Antonio , Terrados Jorge , Duarte Carlos M. , Tomas Fiona
Published: December 2016

Under future increased CO2concentrations, seagrasses are predicted to perform better as a result of increased photosynthesis, but the effects in carbon balance and growth are unclear and remain unexplored for early life stages such as seedlings, which allow plant dispersal and provide the potential for adaptation under changing environmental conditions. Furthermore, the outcome of the concomitant biochemical changes in plant-herbivore interactions has been poorly studied, yet may have important implications in plant communities. In this study we determined the effects of experimental exposure to current and future predicted CO2concentrations on the physiology, size and defense strategies against herbivory in the earliest life stage of the Mediterranean seagrassPosidonia oceanica. The photosynthetic performance of seedlings, assessed by fluorescence, improved under increasedpCO2conditions after 60 days, although these differences disappeared after 90 days. Furthermore, these plants exhibited bigger seeds and higher carbon storage in belowground tissues, having thus more resources to tolerate and recover from stressors. Of the several herbivory resistance traits measured, plants under highpCO2conditions had a lower leaf N content but higher sucrose. These seedlings were preferred by herbivorous sea urchins in feeding trials, which could potentially counteract some of the positive effects observed.
Advancing ovarian folliculometry with selective plane illumination microscopy
Authors: Lin Hsiao-Chun Amy , Dutta Rahul , Mandal Subhamoy , Kind Alexander , Schnieke Angelika , Razansky Daniel
Published: December 2016

Determination of ovarian status and follicle monitoring are common methods of diagnosing female infertility. We evaluated the suitability of selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) for the study of ovarian follicles. The large field of view and fast acquisition speed of our SPIM system enables rendering of volumetric image stacks from intact whole porcine ovarian follicles, clearly visualizing follicular features including follicle volume and average diameter (70 μm–2.5 mm), their spherical asymmetry parameters, size of developing cumulus oophorus complexes (40 μm–110 μm), and follicular wall thickness (90 μm–120 μm). Follicles at all developmental stages were identified. A distribution of the theca thickness was measured for each follicle, and a relationship between these distributions and the stages of follicular development was discerned. The ability of the system to non-destructively generate sub-cellular resolution 3D images of developing follicles, with excellent image contrast and high throughput capacity compared to conventional histology, suggests that it can be used to monitor follicular development and identify structural abnormalities indicative of ovarian ailments. Accurate folliculometric measurements provided by SPIM images can immensely help the understanding of ovarian physiology and provide important information for the proper management of ovarian diseases.
Pesticide toxicogenomics across scales: in vitro transcriptome predicts mechanisms and outcomes of exposure in vivo
Authors: Porreca Immacolata , D’Angelo Fulvio , De Franceschi Lucia , Mattè Alessandro , Ceccarelli Michele , Iolascon Achille , Zamò Alberto , Russo Filomena , Ravo Maria , Tarallo Roberta , Scarfò Marzia , Weisz Alessandro , De Felice Mario , Mallardo Massimo , Ambrosino Concetta
Published: December 2016

In vitro Omics analysis (i.e. transcriptome) is suggested to predict in vivo toxicity and adverse effects in humans, although the causal link between high-throughput data and effects in vivo is not easily established. Indeed, the chemical-organism interaction can involve processes, such as adaptation, not established in cell cultures. Starting from this consideration we investigate the transcriptomic response of immortalized thyrocytes to ethylenthiourea and chlorpyrifos. In vitro data revealed specific and common genes/mechanisms of toxicity, controlling the proliferation/survival of the thyrocytes and unrelated hematopoietic cell lineages. These results were phenotypically confirmed in vivo by the reduction of circulating T4 hormone and the development of pancytopenia after long exposure. Our data imply that in vitro toxicogenomics is a powerful tool in predicting adverse effects in vivo, experimentally confirming the vision described as Tox21c (Toxicity Testing in the 21st century) although not fully recapitulating the biocomplexity of a living animal.
The impact of DNA damage response gene polymorphisms on therapeutic outcomes in late stage ovarian cancer
Authors: Guffanti F. , Fruscio R. , Rulli E. , Damia G.
Published: December 2016

Late stage epithelial ovarian cancer has a dismal prognosis. Identification of pharmacogenomic markers (i.e. polymorphisms) to stratify patients to optimize individual therapy is of paramount importance. We here report the retrospective analysis of polymorphisms in 5 genes (ATM, ATR, Chk1, Chk2 and CDK12) involved in the cellular response to platinum in a cohort of 240 cancer patients with late stage ovarian cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate associations between the above mentioned SNPs and patients’ clinical outcomes: overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). None of the ATM, ATR, Chk1 and Chk2 polymorphisms was found to significantly affect OS nor PFS in this cohort of patients. Genotype G/G of CDK12 polymorphism (rs1054488) predicted worse OS and PFS than the genotype A/A-A/G in univariate analysis. The predictive value was lost in the multivariate analysis. The positive correlation observed between this polymorphism and age, grade and residual tumor may explain why the CDK12 variant was not confirmed as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis.The importance of CDK12 polymorphism as possible prognostic biomarker need to be confirmed in larger ovarian cancer cohorts, and possibly in other cancer population responsive to platinum agents.
Evaluation of a Silicon 90Sr Betavoltaic Power Source
Authors: Dixon Jefferson , Rajan Aravindh , Bohlemann Steven , Coso Dusan , Upadhyaya Ajay D. , Rohatgi Ajeet , Chu Steven , Majumdar Arun , Yee Shannon
Published: December 2016

Betavoltaic energy converters (i.e., β-batteries) are attractive power sources because of their potential for high energy densities (>200 MWh/kg) and long duration continuous discharge (>1 year). However, conversion efficiencies have been historically low (<3%). High efficiency devices can be achieved by matching β-radiation transport length scales with the device physics length scales. In this work, the efficiency of c-Si devices using high-energy (>1 MeV) electrons emitted from 90Sr as a power source is investigated. We propose a design for a >10% efficient betavoltaic device, which generates 1 W of power. A Varian Clinac iX is used to simulate the high-energy electrons emitted from 90Sr, and a high efficiency c-Si photovoltaic cell is used as the converter. The measured conversion efficiency is 16%. This relatively high value is attributed to proper length scale matching and the generation of secondary electrons in c-Si by the primary β-particles.
The effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in an animal model of tinnitus
Authors: Mulders Wilhelmina H. A. M. , Vooys Vanessa , Makowiecki Kalina , Tang Alex D. , Rodger Jennifer
Published: December 2016

Tinnitus (phantom auditory perception associated with hearing loss) can seriously affect wellbeing. Its neural substrate is unknown however it has been linked with abnormal activity in auditory pathways. Though no cure currently exists, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to reduce tinnitus in some patients, possibly via induction of cortical plasticity involving brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We examined whether low intensity rTMS (LI-rTMS) alleviates signs of tinnitus in a guinea pig model and whether this involves changes in BDNF expression and hyperactivity in inferior colliculus. Acoustic trauma was used to evoke hearing loss, central hyperactivity and tinnitus. When animals developed tinnitus, treatment commenced (10 sessions of 10 minutes 1 Hz LI-rTMS or sham over auditory cortex over 14 days). After treatment ceased animals were tested for tinnitus, underwent single-neuron recordings in inferior colliculus to assess hyperactivity and samples from cortex and inferior colliculus were taken for BDNF ELISA. Analysis revealed a significant reduction of tinnitus after LI-rTMS compared to sham, without a statistical significant effect on BDNF levels or hyperactivity. This suggests that LI-rTMS alleviates behavioural signs of tinnitus by a mechanism independent of inferior colliculus hyperactivity and BDNF levels and opens novel therapeutic avenues for tinnitus treatment.
High Critical Current Density of YBa2Cu3O7−x Superconducting Films Prepared through a DUV-assisted Solution Deposition Process
Authors: Chen Yuanqing , Bian Weibai , Huang Wenhuan , Tang Xinni , Zhao Gaoyang , Li Lingwei , Li Na , Huo Wen , Jia Jiqiang , You Caiyin
Published: December 2016

Although the solution deposition of YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) superconducting films is cost effective and capable of large-scale production, further improvements in their superconductivity are necessary. In this study, a deep UV (DUV) irradiation technique combined with a low-fluorine solution process was developed to prepare YBCO films. An acrylic acidic group as the chelating agent was used in the precursor solution. The acrylic acidic group was highly sensitive to DUV light at 254 nm and significantly absorbed UV light. The coated gel films exposed to DUV light decomposed at 150 °C and copper aggregation was prevented. The UV irradiation promoted the removal of the carbon residue and other by-products in the films, increased the density and enhanced the crystallinity and superconductivity of the YBCO films. Using a solution with F/Ba = 2, YBCO films with thicknesses of 260 nm and enhanced critical current densities of nearly 8 MA/cm2 were produced on the LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates.
Assay for Listeria monocytogenes cells in whole blood using isotachophoresis and recombinase polymerase amplification
Authors: Eid Charbel , Santiago Juan G.
Published: December 2016

We present a new approach which enables lysis, extraction, and detection of inactivatedListeria monocytogenescells from blood using isotachophoresis and recombinase polymerase amplification.
A peptide-based synthetic transcription factor selectively down-regulates the proto-oncogene CFOS in tumour cells and inhibits proliferation
Authors: Chakraborty Madhumita , Roy Siddhartha
Published: December 2016

A synthetic transcription factor targeted against Elk-1 inhibits expression of CFOS and other genes selectively in Ras-mutated tumour cells.
Synthesis of NH-sulfoximines from sulfides by chemoselective one-pot N- and O-transfers
Authors: Tota Arianna , Zenzola Marina , Chawner Stephen J. , John-Campbell Sahra St , Carlucci Claudia , Romanazzi Giuseppe , Degennaro Leonardo , Bull James A. , Luisi Renzo
Published: December 2016

Direct synthesis of NH-sulfoximines from sulfides has been achieved through O and NH transfer in the same reaction, occurring with complete selectivity.
Dehydro-oxazole, thiazole and imidazole radicals: insights into the electronic structure, stability and reactivity aspects
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Anamika , Jacob Lilit , Venkataramani Sugumar
Published: December 2016

Computations on the effect of heteroatoms in the structural, stability and reactivity aspects of the oxazole, thiazole and imidazole radicals.
Synthesis and characterisation of a carbazole-based bipolar exciplex-forming compound for efficient and color-tunable OLEDs
Authors: Deksnys Titas , Simokaitiene Jurate , Keruckas Jonas , Volyniuk Dmytro , Bezvikonnyi Oleksandr , Cherpak Vladyslav , Stakhira Pavlo , Ivaniuk Khrystyna , Helzhynskyy Igor , Baryshnikov Gleb , Minaev Boris , Grazulevicius Juozas Vidas
Published: December 2016

The single-layer and bilayer devices showed blue monomer, electromer or interface exciplex emission.
C
1 and Cs 2-pyridylethylanilido zirconium(iv), yttrium(iii) and lutetium(iii) complexes: synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity in the isoprene polymerization
Authors: Luconi Lapo , Kissel Alexander A. , Rossin Andrea , Khamaletdinova Nadiya M. , Cherkasov Anton V. , Tuci Giulia , Fukin Georgy K. , Trifonov Alexander A. , Giambastiani Giuliano
Published: December 2016

Organolanthanide containing Cs and C1-symmetric 2-pyridylethylanilido ligands have been scrutinized as catalyst precursors for the isoprene polymerization.
Synthesis, structures, and DNA and protein binding of ruthenium(ii)-p-cymene complexes of substituted pyridylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridine: enhanced cytotoxicity of complexes of ligands appended with a carbazole moiety
Authors: Khamrang Themmila , Kartikeyan Radhakrishnan , Velusamy Marappan , Rajendiran Venugopal , Dhivya Rajakumar , Perumalsamy Balaji , Akbarsha Mohammad Abdulkadher , Palaniandavar Mallayan
Published: December 2016

The cytotoxicity of ruthenium-arene complexes appended with carbazole moiety correlates with their DNA binding ability.
Comment on “A ‘one pot’ gel combustion strategy towards Ti3+ self-doped ‘black’ anatase TiO2−x solar photocatalyst,” by S. G. Ullattil and P. Periyat, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 5854
Authors: Atuchin V. V.
Published: December 2016

It is shown that the high concentration of Ti3+ in “black” anatase TiO2−x, as claimed by Sanjay Gopal Ullattil et al. [Sanjay Gopal Ullattil et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 5854–5858], is inappropriate. The Ti4+ state is dominant in the considered compound.
New promising lithium malonatoborate salts for high voltage lithium ion batteries
Authors: Sun Xiao-Guang , Wan Shun , Guang Hong Yu , Fang Youxing , Reeves Kimberly Shawn , Chi Miaofang , Dai Sheng
Published: December 2016

Three new lithium salts, lithium difluoro-2-methyl-2-fluoromalonaoborate, lithium difluoro-2-ethyl-2-fluoromalonaoborate, and lithium difluoro-2-propyl-2-fluoro malonaoborate exhibit good cycling stability with high coulombic efficiencies in LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 and graphite based half-cells and full cells.
Deployment method of VM cluster based on graph theory for cloud resource management
Authors: Xu Bo , Peng Zhiping , Ke Wende , Zhong Ming , Marcel Gates Antonio
Published: December 2016

Cloud computing is the next generation of computation and is regarded as the fifth utility service. A core issue of cloud computing is the deployment of virtual machine (VM). A new method had been constructed for VM cluster based on graph theory in this study. The authors first described VM cluster by energy minimisation. Then, they changed deployment of VM cluster into maximum flow minimum cut problem, added sink and source point, and found activity node. Finally, activity tail‐nodes were connected and cut formed for VM cluster. Experimental results show that the segmentation method can effectively realise the VM deployment clusters, can reduce the overall bandwidth requirements after deployment.
Specified‐time containment control of multi‐agent systems over directed topologies
Authors: Liu Yongfang , Zhao Yu , Shi Zhongke , Wei Dongmei
Published: December 2016

This study addresses the specified‐time containment control problem of multi‐agent systems over directed topologies. By using motion‐planning approaches, a new framework is constructed to solve the containment control problem of multi‐agent systems. In this framework, a class of sampled‐data‐based protocols are proposed to solve the specified‐time containment control problem for single‐integrator multi‐agent systems. These protocols only require relative information measurements at the sampling instants, without requiring information exchange over the sampling interval. Furthermore, the containment protocols are also developed for the multi‐agent system with double‐integrator dynamics, such that their states converge to the convex hulls formed by those of the target points in a specified settling time over directed topologies. Compared with the existing results, the proposed sampled‐data‐based protocols have a couple of advantages: first the settling time can be pre‐specified, which is very meaningful and consistent with practical needs. Second, the sampling periods, communication topologies and control gains are all decoupled and can be separately designed. This relaxes many restrictions in controllers design. Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols.
DM using FDA antenna for secure transmission
Authors: Wang Wen‐Qin
Published: December 2016

This study proposes a range‐ and angle‐dependent directional modulation (DM) scheme using frequency diverse array (FDA) for secure wireless communications. It uses uniform element spacing and symmetrically and non‐linearly increasing frequency increments to decouple range‐ and angle‐dependent transmit beampattern for the uniform FDA and DM techniques for secure signal transmission. The transmitted signal symbols are purposely distorted to be unrecoverable at unintended positions, but they could be recovered successfully at the intended position. The proposed method is evaluated by examining the signal‐to‐noise ratio, detection probability, and bit error rate. Numerical results show that the symmetrical FDA‐based method outperforms both the phased‐array‐based method and the standard FDA‐based method in security performance for wireless communications.
Single‐stage AC module with series power decoupling capability for connecting PV to a single‐phase power grid
Authors: Zare Mohammad Hadi , Mohamadian Mustafa , Beiranvand Reza
Published: December 2016

In single‐phase grid‐connected photovoltaic inverters, the input power is constant during the grid period, whereas the output power oscillates at double‐line frequency. Therefore, electrolytic capacitors are widely used to handle the input and output power differences. However, these capacitors have short lifetime which degrade the inverter reliability. This paper proposes a control strategy to turn a conventional four‐switch flyback‐based inverter to an inverter equipped with a series power decoupling circuit. Therefore, a long lifetime film capacitor can be used as the main energy storage. The modified inverter has an inherent snubber circuit, which can restore energy of the transformer leakage inductance and improves its overall efficiency. The control strategy can realise maximum power point tracking and inject a sinusoidal low total harmonic distortion current to the grid. A 100 W prototype inverter has been built to verify operation and feasibility of the proposed control strategy.
Continuum mechanics at the atomic scale: Insights into non-adhesive contacts using molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Solhjoo Soheil , Vakis Antonis I.
Published: December 2016

Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to study non-adhesive contact at the atomic scale. Starting from the case of Hertzian contact, it was found that the reduced Young's modulus E* for shallow indentations scales as a function of, both, the indentation depth and the contact radius. Furthermore, the contact of two representative rough surfaces was investigated: one multi-asperity, Greenwood-Williamson-type (GW-type) rough surface — where asperities were approximated as spherical caps — and a comparable randomly rough one. The results of the MD simulations were in agreement for both representations and showed that the relative projected contact areas Arpc were linear functions of nominal applied pressures, even after the initiation of plastic deformation. When comparing the MD simulation results with the corresponding continuum GW and Persson models, both continuum models were found to overestimate the values of Arpc relative to the MD simulation results.
Combined 4-component and relativistic pseudopotential study of ThO for the electron electric dipole moment search
Authors: Skripnikov L. V.
Published: December 2016

A precise theoretical study of the electronic structure of heavy atom diatomic molecules is of key importance to interpret the experiments in the search for violation of time-reversal (T) and spatial-parity (P) symmetries of fundamental interactions in terms of the electron electric dipole moment, eEDM, and dimensionless constant, kT,P, characterizing the strength of the T,P-odd pseudoscalar−scalar electron−nucleus neutral current interaction. The ACME collaboration has recently improved limits on these quantities using a beam of ThO molecules in the electronic H3Δ1 state [J. Baron et al., Science 343, 269 (2014)]. We apply the combined direct relativistic 4-component and two-step relativistic pseudopotential/restoration approaches to a benchmark calculation of the effective electric field, Eeff, parameter of the T,P-odd pseudoscalar−scalar interaction, WT,P, and hyperfine structure constant in Δ13 state of the ThO molecule. The first two parameters are required to interpret the experimental data in terms of the eEDM and kT,P constant. We have investigated the electron correlation for all of the 98 electrons of ThO simultaneously up to the level of the coupled cluster with single, double, and noniterative triple amplitudes, CCSD(T), theory. Contributions from iterative triple and noniterative quadruple cluster amplitudes for the valence electrons have been also treated. The obtained values are Eeff = 79.9 GV/cm, WT,P = 113.1 kHz. The theoretical uncertainty of these values is estimated to be about two times smaller than that of our previous study [L. V. Skripnikov and A. V. Titov, J. Chem. Phys., 142, 024301 (2015)]. It was found that the correlation of the inner- and outer-core electrons contributes 9% to the effective electric field. The values of the molecule frame dipole moment of the Δ13 state and the H3Δ1→X1Σ+ transition energy of ThO calculated within the same methods are in a very good agreement with the experiment.
Experimental and theoretical investigation of Cr1-xScxN solid solutions for thermoelectrics
Authors: Kerdsongpanya Sit , Sun Bo , Eriksson Fredrik , Jensen Jens , Lu Jun , Koh Yee Kan , Nong Ngo Van , Balke Benjamin , Alling Björn , Eklund Per
Published: December 2016

The ScN- and CrN-based transition-metal nitrides have recently emerged as a novel and unexpected class of materials for thermoelectrics. These materials constitute well-defined model systems for investigating mixing thermodynamics, phase stability, and band structure aiming for property tailoring. Here, we demonstrate an approach to tailor their thermoelectric properties by solid solutions. The trends in mixing thermodynamics and densities-of-states (DOS) of rocksalt-Cr1-xScxN solid solutions (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) are investigated by first-principles calculations, and Cr1-xScxN thin films are synthesized by magnetron sputtering. Pure CrN exhibits a high power factor, 1.7 × 10−3 W m−1 K−2 at 720 K, enabled by a high electron concentration thermally activated from N vacancies. Disordered rocksalt-Cr1-xScxN solid solutions are thermodynamically stable, and calculated DOS suggest the possibility for power-factor improvement by Sc3d orbital delocalization on Cr3d electrons giving decreasing electrical resistivity, while localized Cr3d orbitals with a large DOS slope may yield an improved Seebeck coefficient. Sc-rich solid solutions show a large improvement in power factor compared to pure ScN, and all films have power factors above that expected from the rule-of-mixture. These results corroborate the theoretical predictions and enable tailoring and understanding of structure-transport-property correlations of Cr1-xScxN.
Deflection of high-intensity pulsed ion beam in focusing magnetically insulated ion diode with a passive anode
Authors: Zhu X. P. , Zhang Q. , Ding L. , Zhang Z. C. , Yu N. , Pushkarev A. , Lei M. K.
Published: December 2016

The focused high-intensity pulsed ion beam (HIPIB) of 100 ns order pulse is generated with respect to its spatial stability in two types of magnetically insulated ion diodes (MIDs) with geometrical focusing configuration using the passive anode, i.e., insulation of electrons with an external magnetic-field and a self-magnetic field, respectively. Anode plasma formation for the ion beam generation is based on different processes in the two types of MIDs, as the surface breakdown on the polymer-coated anode operated in the unipolar pulse mode for the external-magnetic field MID and the explosive electron emission on the graphite anode in the bipolar-pulse mode for the self-magnetic field MID. Typical energy density per pulse is in the range of 3–6 J/cm2, at an accelerating voltage of 200–300 kV with a pulse duration of 120–150 ns. The spatial deviations of the HIPIB is evaluated by measuring the energy density distribution by using an infrared diagnostic method considering neutralizing during the ion beam propagation to the focal plane with a spatial resolution of 1 mm. The ion beam deviation is about ±1.5 mm for the external-magnetic field MID and ±2.5 mm for the self-magnetic field MID, leading to a fluctuation in the energy density of 1%–12%, and 9%–27% within a 10 mm range at the focal point, respectively. It is revealed that the displacement of different parts of a beam spot occurs nonsynchronously, mainly attributable to the intrinsic diode processes of plasma generation and expansion, and ion beam extraction from the anode–cathode gap, while the influence of magnetic field in the transportation region is negligible. The ion beam spatial deviation has a major influence on the shot-to-shot stability of ion beam, and it is suggested that the stability can be enhanced via diode process improvement.
Experimental study of propagation characteristics of a pulse-modulated surface-wave argon plasma at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Chen Chuan-Jie , Li Shou-Zhe , Wu Yue , Li Zhen-Ye , Zhang Jialiang , Wang Yong-Xing
Published: December 2016

An atmospheric-pressure, pulse-modulated surface wave argon plasma is investigated with respect to its propagation of the ionization front. The time-resolved photographs about the advance of the ionization front are taken using a high speed camera. The ionization front velocity and its rise time when propagating along the discharge tube are measured with respect to a series of values of input power, duty ratio, and the pulse repetition frequency. The interpretations are given on the basis of the ionization and diffusion processes. And it is also found that the reduced electric field and memory effect from previous discharge impose the influence on both the ionization front velocity and its rise time strongly.
Ponderomotive processes as proxies for breaking of ion acoustic solitary waves
Authors: Kakad Amar , Kakad Bharati
Published: December 2016

Wave breaking is a ubiquitous nonlinear phenomenon in plasma that is followed by sudden drop of wave amplitude after a wave steepening. We perform fluid simulation of the ion acoustic solitary waves (IASWs) to investigate the start time of the wave steepening and breaking process. This simulation demonstrates that a long wavelength perturbation in the electron and ion equilibrium densities evolves into two long wavelength IASWs. These IASWs steepens and breaks into short wavelength solitary structures, which become stable ion acoustic solitons at later time. From the detailed analysis of simulation output, we accomplish the criteria for steepening and breaking of the IASWs based on the (a) acceleration of IASWs (b) balance between maximum potential energy and the maximum electron kinetic energy. Furthermore, we examined the ponderomotive potential and the ponderomotive frequency of the electrons and ions during the process of the generation, steepening and breaking of these IASWs. It is observed that the maximum ponderomotive potential of both electrons and ions enhances during the steepening and attains the maximum close to the breaking of the IASWs. The simulation shows that the electron (ion) average ponderomotive frequency is considerably higher than the electron plasma frequency in the initial phase of generation of IASWs, which rapidly oscillates and approaches to frequencies much smaller than electron (ion) plasma frequency. These ponderomotive frequencies remain unchanged until the start of steepening of the IASWs; however, both frequencies are found to increase during the steepening and breaking of these IASWs. Based on this information, we propose that the ponderomotive potential and ponderomotive frequencies of electrons and ions can be used as proxies to determine the steepening and breaking time of the IASWs. We find that the onset time of the wave breaking varies inversely with the thermal velocity of the electrons and the amplitude of the initial density perturbation (IDP), while it is directly proportional to the width of the IDP. It is also noted that the number of solitons formed in the system and their characteristics depends on the electron temperature, width, and amplitude of the IDP.
Analysis on the mechanism of pulse-shortening in an X-band triaxial klystron amplifier due to the asymmetric mode competition
Authors: Qi Zumin , Zhang Jun , Xie Yongjie , Zhang Yi , Wang Zehua , Zhou Xiaofeng , Zhu Jianhui , Zi Yanyong , Zhong Huihuang
Published: December 2016

Asymmetric mode competitions are observed in the design of an X-band triaxial klystron amplifier with an asymmetric input cavity, and the generation mechanism of the asymmetric mode competition is analyzed in the paper. The results indicate that the asymmetric modes are excited in the buncher cavity. The asymmetric mode (coaxial TM612 mode) in the buncher cavity with the highest shunt impedance can start up first among the asymmetric modes with negative beam loading conductance. The coupling of the corresponding coaxial TE mode between the buncher and input cavity exacerbates the start oscillation of the asymmetric mode competition. The rationality of the analysis is demonstrated by cutting off the propagation of the corresponding coaxial TE modes between the buncher cavity and the input cavity, and the asymmetric mode competitions are thoroughly suppressed by specially designed reflectors and lossy material. In simulation, a microwave with a power of 1.28 GW and a frequency of 9.375 GHz is generated, and the extraction efficiency and the gain are 34.5% and 41.5 dB, respectively.
Parameters influencing plasma column potential in a reflex discharge
Authors: Liziakin G. D. , Gavrikov A. V. , Murzaev Y. A. , Usmanov R. A. , Smirnov V. P.
Published: December 2016

Distribution of electrostatic potential in direct current reflex discharge plasma has been studied experimentally. Measurements have been conducted by the single floating probe method. The influence of 0–0.2 T magnetic field, 1–200 mTorr pressure, 0–2 kV discharge voltage, and electrodes geometry on plasma column electrostatic potential was investigated. The possibility for the formation of a preset potential profile required for the realization of plasma separation of spent nuclear fuel was demonstrated.
Local noise sensitivity: Insight into the noise effect on chaotic dynamics
Authors: Sviridova Nina , Nakamura Kazuyuki
Published: December 2016

Noise contamination in experimental data with underlying chaotic dynamics is one of the significant problems limiting the application of many nonlinear time series analysis methods. Although numerous studies have been devoted to the investigation of different aspects of noise—nonlinear dynamics interactions, the effects produced by noise on chaotic dynamics are not fully understood. This study sought to analyze the local effects produced by noise on chaotic dynamics with a smooth attractor. Local Wayland test translation errors were calculated for noise-induced Lorenz and Rössler chaotic models, and for experimental green light photoplethysmogram data. Results demonstrated that under noise induction, local regions on the chaotic attractor with high values of local translation error can be observed. This phenomenon was defined as the local noise sensitivity. It was found that for both models, local noise-sensitive regions were located close to the system's equilibrium points. Additionally, it was found that the reconstructed dynamics represent well the local noise sensitivity of the original dynamics. The concept of local noise sensitivity is expected to contribute to various applied studies, as it reveals regions of chaotic attractors that are sensitive to the presence of noise.
Analysis of the PEDOT:PSS/Si nanowire hybrid solar cell with a tail state model
Authors: Ho Kuan-Ying , Li Chi-Kang , Syu Hong-Jhang , Lai Yi , Lin Ching-Fuh , Wu Yuh-Renn
Published: December 2016

In this paper, the electrical properties of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/silicon nanowire hybrid solar cell have been analyzed and an optimized structure is proposed. In addition, the planar PEDOT:PSS/c-Si hybrid solar cell is also modeled for comparison. We first developed a simulation software which is capable of modeling organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells by including Gaussian shape density of states into Poisson and drift-diffusion solver to present the tail states and trap states in the organic material. Therefore, the model can handle carrier transport, generation, and recombination in both organic and inorganic materials. Our results show that at the applied voltage near open-circuit voltage (Voc), the recombination rate becomes much higher at the PEDOT:PSS/Si interface region, which limits the fill factor and Voc. Hence, a modified structure with a p-type amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer attached on the interface of Si layer and an n+-type Si layer inserted near the bottom contact are proposed. The highest conversion efficiency of 16.10% can be achieved if both structures are applied.
Charged vacancy diffusion in chromium oxide crystal: DFT and DFT+U predictions
Authors: Gray Corinne , Lei Yinkai , Wang Guofeng
Published: December 2016

In this work, we computationally studied the lattice diffusion through the ion-vacancy exchange mechanism in α-Cr2O3 crystal using the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and DFT+U calculation methods. For both O and Cr vacancies, we have identified four elementary diffusion paths in α-Cr2O3 crystal. Our DFT+U calculations predict that the O vacancy with charge +2 (VO2+) is stable when Fermi energy is near to valence band maximum, whereas the Cr vacancy with charge −3 (VCr3−) is stable when Fermi energy is close to conduction band minimum. Moreover, the DFT+U calculations predict that the migration energy for VO2+  diffusion varies from 1.18 to 2.98 eV, whereas that for VCr3− diffusion varies from 2.02 to 2.59 eV, close to experimental data. Both DFT and DFT+U results indicate that the migration energy of neutral vacancies (VO0 and VCr0) is higher than that of the charged vacancies (VO2+ and VCr3−) along any diffusive path. Importantly, it is found that the DFT+U method describes α-Cr2O3 crystal better in terms of the magnetism, band gap, charge state of vacancies, and migration energies for charged vacancy diffusion as compared to the DFT method.