bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Resilient Dynamic Dictionaries
Authors: Brodal Gerth Stølting , Fagerberg Rolf , Jørgensen Allan Grønlund , Moruz Gabriel , Mølhave Thomas
Published: February 2016

We investigate the problem of computing in the presence of faults that may arbitrarily (i.e., adversarily) corrupt memory locations. In the faulty memory model, any memory cell can get corrupted at any time, and corrupted cells cannot be distinguished from uncorrupted ones. An upper bound delta on the number of corruptions and O(1) reliable memory cells are provided. In this model, we focus on the design of resilient dictionaries, i.e., dictionaries which are able to operate correctly (at least) on the set of uncorrupted keys. We first present a simple resilient dynamic search tree, based on random sampling, with O(log n + delta) expected amortized cost per operation, and O(n) space complexity. We then propose an optimal deterministic static dictionary supporting searches in Theta(log n + delta) time in the worst case, and we show how to use it in a dynamic setting in order to support updates in O(log n + delta) amortized time. Our dynamic dictionary also supports range queries in O(log n + delta + t) worst case time, where t is the size of the output. Finally, we show that every resilient search tree (with some reasonable properties) must take  Omega(log n + delta) worst-case time per search.

 

Full text: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75520-3_32
Regular Languages Definable by Lindström Quantifiers (Preliminary Version)
Authors: Ésik Zoltán , Larsen Kim G.
Published: February 2016

In our main result, we establish a formal connection between Lindström quantifiers with respect to regular languages and the double semidirect product of finite monoid-generator pairs. We use this correspondence to characterize the expressive power of Lindström quantifiers associated with a class of regular languages.

Superseded by BRICS-RS-03-28.
Compact Representations of BL-Algebras
Authors: Di Nola Antonio , Leustean Laurentiu
Published: February 2016

In this paper we define sheaf spaces of BL-algebras (or BL-sheaf spaces), we study completely regular and compact BL-sheaf spaces and compact representations of BL-algebras and, finally, we prove that the category of non-trivial BL-algebras is equivalent with the category of compact local BL-sheaf spaces.
Static Analysis for Dynamic XML
Authors: Christensen Aske Simon , Møller Anders , Schwartzbach Michael I.
Published: February 2016

We describe the summary graph lattice for dataflow analysis of programs that dynamically construct XML documents. Summary graphs have successfully been used to provide static guarantees in the JWIG language for programming interactive Web services. In particular, the JWIG compiler is able to check validity of dynamically generated XHTML documents and to type check dynamic form data. In this paper we present summary graphs and indicate their applicability for various scenarios. We also show that summary graphs have exactly the same expressive power as the regular expression types from XDuce, but that the extra structure in summary graphs makes them more suitable for certain program analyses.
Fixed Points on Abstract Structures without the Equality Test
Authors: Korovina Margarita
Published: February 2016

In this paper we present a study of definability properties of fixed points of effective operators on abstract structures without the equality test. In particular we prove that Gandy theorem holds for abstract structures. This provides a useful tool for dealing with recursive definitions using Sigma-formulas.

One of the applications of Gandy theorem in the case of the reals without the equality test is that it allows us to define universal Sigma-predicates. It leads to a topological characterisation of Sigma-relations on |R.
On One-Pass CPS Transformations
Authors: Danvy Olivier , Nielsen Lasse R.
Published: February 2016

We bridge two distinct approaches to one-pass CPS transformations, i.e., CPS transformations that reduce administrative redexes at transformation time instead of in a post-processing phase. One approach is compositional and higher-order, and is due to Appel, Danvy and Filinski, and Wand, building on Plotkin's seminal work. The other is non-compositional and based on a syntactic theory of the lambda-calculus, and is due to Sabry and Felleisen. To relate the two approaches, we use Church encoding, Reynolds's defunctionalization, and an implementation technique for syntactic theories, refocusing, developed in the second author's PhD thesis.
Proof Mining: A Systematic Way of Analysing Proofs in Mathematics
Authors: Kohlenbach Ulrich , Oliva Paulo B.
Published: February 2016

We call proof mining the process of logically analyzing proofs in mathematics with the aim of obtaining new information. In this survey paper we discuss, by means of examples from mathematics, some of the main techniques used in proof mining. We show that those techniques not only apply to proofs based on classical logic, but also to proofs which involve non-effective principles such as the attainment of the infimum of f in C[0,1] and the convergence for bounded monotone sequences of reals. We also report on recent case studies in approximation theory and fixed point theory where new results were obtained.
On Obtaining Knuth, Morris, and Pratt's String Matcher by Partial Evaluation
Authors: Ager Mads Sig , Danvy Olivier , Rohde Henning Korsholm
Published: February 2016

We present the first formal proof that partial evaluation of a quadratic string matcher can yield the precise behaviour of Knuth, Morris, and Pratt's linear string matcher.

Obtaining a KMP-like string matcher is a canonical example of partial evaluation: starting from the naive, quadratic program checking whether a pattern occurs in a text, one ensures that backtracking can be performed at partial-evaluation time (a binding-time shift that yields a staged string matcher); specializing the resulting staged program yields residual programs that do not back up on the text, a la KMP. We are not aware, however, of any formal proof that partial evaluation of a staged string matcher precisely yields the KMP string matcher, or in fact any other specific string matcher.

In this article, we present a staged string matcher and we formally prove that it performs the same sequence of comparisons between pattern and text as the KMP string matcher. To this end, we operationally specify each of the programming languages in which the matchers are written, and we formalize each sequence of comparisons with a trace semantics. We also state the (mild) conditions under which specializing the staged string matcher with respect to a pattern string provably yields a specialized string matcher whose size is proportional to the length of this pattern string and whose time complexity is proportional to the length of the text string. Finally, we show how tabulating one of the functions in this staged string matcher gives rise to the `next' table of the original KMP algorithm.

The method scales for obtaining other linear string matchers, be they known or new.
CPS Transformation of Flow Information, Part II: Administrative Reductions
Authors: Damian Daniel , Danvy Olivier
Published: February 2016

We characterize the impact of a linear beta-reduction on the result of a control-flow analysis. (By "a linear beta-reduction'' we mean the beta-reduction of a linear lambda-abstraction, i.e., of a lambda-abstraction whose parameter occurs exactly once in its body.)

As a corollary, we consider the administrative reductions of a Plotkin-style transformation into continuation-passing style (CPS), and how they affect the result of a constraint-based control-flow analysis and, in particular, the least element in the space of solutions. We show that administrative reductions preserve the least solution. Preservation of least solutions solves a problem that was left open in Palsberg and Wand's article "CPS Transformation of Flow Information.''

Together, Palsberg and Wand's article and the present article show how to map in linear time the least solution of the flow constraints of a program into the least solution of the flow constraints of the CPS counterpart of this program, after administrative reductions. Furthermore, we show how to CPS transform control-flow information in one pass.

Supersedes BRICS-RS-01-40.
The Powerdomain of Indexed Valuations
Authors: Varacca Daniele
Published: February 2016

This paper is about combining nondeterminism and probabilities. We study this phenomenon from a domain theoretic point of view. In domain theory, nondeterminism is modeled using the notion of powerdomain, while probability is modeled using the powerdomain of valuations. Those two functors do not combine well, as they are. We define the notion of powerdomain of indexed valuations, which can be combined nicely with the usual nondeterministic powerdomain. We show an equational characterization of our construction. Finally we discuss the computational meaning of indexed valuations, and we show how they can be used, by giving a denotational semantics of a simple imperative language.
Using IDDs for Packet Filtering
Authors: Christiansen Mikkel , Fleury Emmanuel
Published: February 2016

Firewalls are one of the key technologies used to control the traffic going in and out of a network. A central feature of the firewall is the packet filter. In this paper, we propose a complete framework for packet classification. Through two applications we demonstrate that both performance and security can be improved.

We show that a traditional ordered rule set can always be expressed as a first-order logic formula on integer variables. Moreover, we emphasize that, with such specification, the packet filtering problem is known to be constant time. We propose to represent the first-order logic formula as  Interval Decision Diagrams. This structure has several advantages. First, the algorithm for removing redundancy and unnecessary tests is very simple. Secondly, it allows us to handle integer variables which makes it efficient on a generic CPUs. And, finally, we introduce an extension of IDDs called Multi-Terminal Interval Decision Diagrams in order to deal with any number of policies.

In matter of efficiency, we evaluate the performance our framework through a prototype toolkit composed by a  compiler and a packet filter. The results of the experiments shows that this method is efficient in terms of CPU usage and has a low storage requirements.

Finally, we outline a tool, called Network Access Verifier. This tool demonstrates how the IDD representation can be used for verifying access properties of a network. In total, potentially improving the security of a network.
Equational Axioms for Probabilistic Bisimilarity (Preliminary Report)
Authors: Aceto Luca , Ésik Zoltán , Ingólfsdóttir Anna
Published: February 2016

This paper gives an equational axiomatization of probabilistic bisimulation equivalence for a class of finite-state agents previously studied by Stark and Smolka ((2000) Proof, Language, and Interaction: Essays in Honour of Robin Milner, pp. 571-595). The axiomatization is obtained by extending the general axioms of iteration theories (or iteration algebras), which characterize the equational properties of the fixed point operator on (omega-)continuous or monotonic functions, with three axiom schemas that express laws that are specific to probabilistic bisimilarity. Hence probabilistic bisimilarity (over finite-state agents) has an equational axiomatization relative to iteration algebras.
gbeta - a Language with Virtual Attributes, Block Structure, and Propagating, Dynamic Inheritance
Authors: Ernst Erik
Published: February 2016

A language design development process is presented which leads to a language, gbeta, with a tight integration of virtual classes, general block structure, and a multiple inheritance mechanism based on coarse-grained structural type equivalence. From this emerges the concept of propagating specialization. The power lies in the fact that a simple expression can have far-reaching but well-organized consequences, e.g., in one step causing the combination of families of classes, then by propagation the members of those families, and finally by propagation the methods of the members. Moreover, classes are first class values which can be constructed at run-time, and it is possible to inherit from classes whether or not they are compile-time constants, and whether or not they were created dynamically. It is also possible to change the class and structure of an existing object at run-time, preserving object identity. Even though such dynamism is normally not seen in statically type-checked languages, these constructs have been integrated without compromising the static type safety of the language.
Programming with Hierarchical Maps
Authors: Ørbæk Peter
Published: February 2016

This report describes the hierarchical maps used as a central data structure in the Corundum

framework. We describe its most prominent features, argue for its usefulness and briefly

describe some of the software prototypes implemented using the technology.
ECSCW 2013 Adjunct Proceedings The 13th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work 21 - 25. September 2013, Paphos, Cyprus
Authors: Korn Matthias , Colombino Tommaso , Lewkowicz Myriam
Published: February 2016

This volume presents the adjunct proceedings of ECSCW 2013.

While the proceedings published by Springer Verlag contains the core of the technical program, namely the full papers, the adjunct proceedings includes contributions on work in progress, workshops and master classes, demos and videos, the doctoral colloquium, and keynotes, thus indicating what our field may become in the future.
Skønlitteraturen som opposition. Den historievidenskabelige udgrænsning af Troels-Lund i 1870’erne.
Authors: Larsen Pelle Oliver
Published: February 2016

Troels Troels-Lund er kendt som foregangsmanden i den første kulturhistoriske bølge i Danmark fra omkring 1880. Hans form for kulturhistorie vandt imidlertid aldrig for alvor faghistorikernes anerkendelse, og Troels-Lund blev udgrænset. Denne artikel går tilbage til 1870’erne og indeholder en analyse af Troels-Lunds position i det historievidenskabelige samfund – fra kampen for at blive accepteret til den efterfølgende udgrænsning.
The Reconfigured Body. Human-animal relations in xenotransplantation
Authors: Hansson Kristofer
Published: February 2016

The article explores issues concerning the reconfiguration of human and animal bodies in modern biotechnology. The examples are based on xenotransplantation: Transplantation of cells, tissue and organs from animals to humans. Three thematic issues that emerged from xenotransplantation research in Sweden in the 1990s and early 2000s are examined in the article. The first issue concerns how the pig was introduced as a donor animal in xenotransplantation and, at the same time, dehumanized in relation to what is human. Baboons and chimpanzees that had previously been used in xenotransplantation now became an ethically problematic choice, and were in stead humanized. The second issue concerns the introduction of transgenic and cloned pigs as commoditized objects. The biotechnological development reconfigured the pig’s cells, tissue and organs to become more human-like. The third issue concerns the risk that pigs contain retrovirus that could infect the transplanted patients. The human body became part of a network of both animal and retrovirus. Boundlessness between human and animal bodies appears in these three thematic phases and is analysed from a cultural perspective.
”Tusinder af vingeskudte Trækfugle”. Soldatergrave og dansk-franske erindringssteder 1915-1925 ca.
Authors: De Coninck-Smith Ning
Published: February 2016

Thousands of Wing-Shot Migratory Birds. Soldier Graves and Danish-French Places of Remembrance Approx. 1915-1925

During the months following the end of the First World War in November 1918, some 100,000 prisoners of war passed through Denmark on their way home from the camps on the Eastern Front. Some did not make it all the way, but died from exhaustion and the Spanish flu during their stay in Denmark. The present article deals with the part that these dead soldiers came to play in the formation of a remembrance culture in a country which had not itself taken part in the war. More specifically, it deals with the monuments which a small group of nationally-conservative men and women with ties to the armed forces and the social elite erected between 1919 and 1925 in remembrance of the dead French soldiers. To their minds, France had been the sole serious ally in the struggle for the return of North Schleswig to Denmark. For that reason, they were also behind two monuments in France to commemorate the fallen Danish-minded Schleswigers and the fallen Danes of the French Foreign Legion. Their national-conservative engagement
and criticism of the policy of neutrality pursued during the war by the Danish government largely determined the creation and the form of the cemeteries.
Musik som identitet
Authors: Bonde Lars Ole , Koudal Jens Henrik
Published: February 2016

Fordord til temanummeret Musik som identitet.
Klassisk musik som identitet. En præsentation af temaer i publicerede selvbiografier
Authors: Koudal Jens Henrik
Published: February 2016

 

Empirisk baserede studier af musik og identitet udføres ofte på basis af inter- views, spørgeskemaer, kliniske musikterapi-sessioner, deltagerobservation eller musikterapi-studenters korte, utrykte beretninger om musikken i deres eget liv. I denne artikel bygger forfatteren derimod på publicerede selvbiografier. Artiklen beskriver og diskuterer, hvordan trykte selvbiografier fra tre dirigenter kan forstås som udtryk for disse musikeres identitet. Hvilke temaer fra erindringen vælger de at fremdrage i selvbiografierne? Hvordan giver de deres liv mening ved at fortælle om det i en selvbiografi? Ved at kombinere en musikpsykologisk og en hermeneu- tisk-litterær tilgang når artiklen frem til, at det på basis af de tre selvbiografier er muligt at skitsere disse tre individuelle musiker-identiteter. Selvbiografiens styr- ke er i denne sammenhæng, at den er en fortælling om hele livet, der giver livet mening, formuleret af hovedpersonen. Som hovedpersonens selvrepræsentation fortjener den opmærksomhed.
Resolving rates of mutation in the brain using single-neuron genomics
Authors: Evrony Gilad D , Lee Eunjung , Park Peter J , Walsh Christopher A
Published: February 2016

Whether somatic mutations contribute functional diversity to brain cells is a long-standing question. Single-neuron genomics enables direct measurement of somatic mutation rates in human brain and promises to answer this question. A recent study (Upton et al., 2015) reported high rates of somatic LINE-1 element (L1) retrotransposition in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex that would have major implications for normal brain function, and suggested that these events preferentially impact genes important for neuronal function. We identify aspects of the single-cell sequencing approach, bioinformatic analysis, and validation methods that led to thousands of artifacts being interpreted as somatic mutation events. Our reanalysis supports a mutation frequency of approximately 0.2 events per cell, which is about fifty-fold lower than reported, confirming that L1 elements mobilize in some human neurons but indicating that L1 mosaicism is not ubiquitous. Through consideration of the challenges identified, we provide a foundation and framework for designing single-cell genomics studies.
Growth and characterization of indium doped silicon single crystals at industrial scale
Authors: Haringer Stephan , Giannattasio Armando , Alt Hans Christian , Scala Roberto
Published: February 2016

Indium is becoming one of the most important dopant species for silicon crystals used in photovoltaics. In this work we have investigated the behavior of indium in silicon crystals grown by the Czochralski pulling process. The experiments were performed by growing 200 mm crystals, which is a standard diameter for large volume production, thus the data reported here are of technological interest for the large scale production of indium doped p-type silicon. The indium segregation coefficient and the evaporation rate from the silicon melt have been calculated to be 5 × 10−4 ± 3% and 1.6 × 10−4 cm·s−1, respectively. In contrast to previous works the indium was introduced in liquid phase and the efficiency was compared with that deduced by other authors, using different methods. In addition, the percentage of electrically active indium at different dopant concentrations is calculated and compared with the carrier concentration at room temperature, measured by four-point bulk method.
Effect of passivation layer grown by atomic layer deposition and sputtering processes on Si quantum dot superlattice to generate high photocurrent for high-efficiency solar cells
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Maksudur , Higo Akio , Sekhar Halubai , Syazwan Mohd Erman , Hoshi Yusuke , Usami Noritaka , Samukawa Seiji
Published: February 2016

The effect of passivation films on a Si quantum dot superlattice (QDSL) was investigated to generate high photocurrent in solar-cell applications. Three types of passivation films, sputter-grown amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC), hydrogenated a-SiC (a-SiC:H), and atomic-layer-deposited aluminum oxide (ALD-Al2O3), were used to passivate the Si QDSLs containing a stack of four 4 nm Si nanodisks (NDs) and 2 nm silicon carbide (SiC) films fabricated by neutral beam etching (NBE). Because of the high surface-to-volume ratio typically present in quantum Si-NDs formed in the top-down NBE process, there is a tendency to form larger surface dangling bonds on untreated Si-ND surfaces as well as to have short distance (<10 nm) between high-aspect-ratio nanopillars of stacked 4 nm Si-NDs/2 nm SiC films, which conventionally sputter SiC films cannot uniformly cover. Therefore, we optimized the passivation techniques with an ALD-Al2O3 film. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis helped to explain the surface morphology before and after the passivation of the QDSLs. After the completion of the passivation process, the quality of the top surface films of the QDSLs was analyzed from the surface roughness by atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis, which revealed that ALD-Al2O3 passivated films had the smallest roughness (RMS) of 1.09 nm with respect to sputter-grown a-SiC (RMS: 1.75 nm) and a-SiC:H (RMS: 1.54 nm) films. Conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) revealed that ALD-Al2O3 passivation decreased the surface-leakage current as a result of proper passivation of side-wall surface defects in the QDSLs. The carrier transport characteristics were extracted from the QDSLs using the photovoltaic (PV) properties of p++/i/n+ solar cells, where the QDSLs consisted of different passivation layers acting as intermediate layers (i-layers) between the high-doping-density p++ Si (1 × 1020 cm−3) and n+ Si (1 × 1019 cm−3) substrates. High-doping-density p++ Si acted as a hole conductor instead of a photocarrier generator, hence, we could observe the PV properties of the i-layers. The highest short-circuit current density of 4.75 mA cm−2 was generated from the QDSL with the ALD-Al2O3-passivated surface, which is suitable for high-efficiency QD solar cells compared with a-SiC-passivated (0.04 mA cm−2) and a-SiC:H-passivated (0.37 mA cm−2) QDSL surfaces.
Effect of carbon situating at end-of-range defects on silicon self-diffusion investigated using pre-amorphized isotope multilayers
Authors: Isoda Taiga , Uematsu Masashi , Itoh Kohei M.
Published: February 2016

The effect of implanted carbon (C) on silicon (Si) self-diffusion has been investigated using pre-amorphized 28Si/natSi multilayers. The isotope multilayers were pre-amorphized by Ge implantation followed by C implantation, and annealed at 950 °C. Because of the presence of C, the Si self-diffusion was slower in 30 min annealing than the self-diffusion without C. This was attributed to the trapping of Si self-interstitials by C. On the other hand, the Si self-diffusion with C was faster in 2 h annealing than the self-diffusion without C, except in the end-of-range (EOR) defect region. The cause of this enhanced diffusion was understood as the retardation of Ostwald ripening of EOR defects by C trapped at the defects. In the EOR defect region, however, Si self-diffusion was slower than the self-diffusion without C in both 30 min and 2 h annealing owing to the presence of C. Relaxation of the tensile strain associated with the EOR defects by the trapped C was proposed to be the main cause of the retarded diffusion in the EOR region.
Display innovations through glass
Authors: Hamilton Lori L.
Published: February 2016

Prevailing trends in thin, lightweight, high-resolution, and added functionality, such as touch sensing, continue to drive innovation in the display market. While display volumes grow, so do consumers’ need for portability, enhanced optical performance, and mechanical reliability. Technical advancements in glass design and process have enabled display innovations in these areas while supporting industry growth. Opportunities for further innovation remain open for glass manufacturers to drive new applications, enhanced functionality, and increased demand.
Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(N-dodecylacrylamide) Langmuir–Blodgett nanofilms
Authors: Zhu Huie , Gao Yu , Yamamoto Shunsuke , Miyashita Tokuji , Mitsuishi Masaya
Published: February 2016

Our earlier research prepared ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) homopolymer monolayers at the air–water interface using amphiphilic poly(N-dodecylacrylamide) (pDDA) nanosheets with Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique. However, the miscibility of solvent for PVDF with the water sub-phase in the Langmuir trough makes the film composition unclear in spite of the feeding ratio of

(

). In this study, angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) was used to investigate the surface chemical composition and the depth profile of the PVDF/pDDA LB nanofilms. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra confirmed by the detection of fluorine atoms that PVDF molecules were deposited successfully onto the substrate. The constant chemical composition with increasing takeoff angle from 15 to 75° reflects a well-regular layer structure of the PVDF LB nanofilm. The mixing ratio of

is

, which contributes 89.8 wt % PVDF and 10.2 wt % in the PVDF/pDDA LB nanofilms.
High hole mobility of benzo-2,1,3-thiadiazole polycrystals formed by utilizing self-assembly property of liquid crystalline mesophase
Authors: Era Masanao , Zhang Xuelong , Ishi-I Tsutomu , Thiemann Thies , Kubo Kanji , Mori Akira , Mataka Shuntaro
Published: February 2016

4,7-Di(p-alkoxyphenyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazoles having linear alkyl chains were prepared by the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole with the corresponding p-alkoxyphenylboronic acids. All compounds exhibited stable crystalline phase 1 (Cr1), quasi-stable polycrystalline phase 2 (Cr2), smectic liquid crystalline phase (A and C), and isotropic liquid. By conventional time-of-flight measurement using N2 laser, the hole mobility of benzothiadiazole derivatives was evaluated to be about 1 × 10−1 cm2 V−1 s−1 in the Cr1 phase, while the hole mobility of these in the smectic phases was on the order of 10−4–10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1. From a powder X-ray diffraction analysis, it was demonstrated that the interlayer spacing in the Cr1 phase was smaller than those in the smectic A and C phases. Microscopy observation of the polycrystalline films showed that the films in the Cr1 phase had less grain boundary structure. The high hole mobility of the benzothiadiazole derivatives in the Cr1 phase may be due to their small interlayer spacing and less grain boundary structure.
Cardiovascular manifestations of renovascular hypertension in diabetic mice
Authors: Kashyap Sonu , Engel Sean , Osman Mazen , Al-Saiegh Yousif , Wongjarupong Asarn , Grande Joseph P.
Published: February 2016

Purpose.Type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of end stage renal disease in the United States. Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is commonly observed in diabetic patients and impacts the rate of renal and cardiovascular disease progression. We sought to test the hypothesis that renovascular hypertension, induced by unilateral renal artery stenosis, exacerbates cardiac remodeling in leptin-deficient (db/db) mice, which serves as a model of human type II diabetes.

Methods.We employed a murine model of renovascular hypertension through placement of a polytetrafluoroethylene cuff on the right renal artery in db/db mice. We studied 109 wild-type (non-diabetic, WT) and 95 db/db mice subjected to renal artery stenosis (RAS) or sham surgery studied at 1, 2, 4, and 6+ weeks following surgery. Cardiac remodeling was assessed by quantitative analysis of the percent of myocardial surface area occupied by interstitial fibrosis tissue, as delineated by trichrome stained slides. Aortic pathology was assessed by histologic sampling of grossly apparent structural abnormalities or by section of ascending aorta of vessels without apparent abnormalities.

Results.We noted an increased mortality in db/db mice subjected to RAS. The mortality rate of db/db RAS mice was about 23.5%, whereas the mortality rate of WT RAS mice was only 1.5%. Over 60% of mortality in the db/db mice occurred in the first two weeks following RAS surgery. Necropsy showed massive intrathoracic hemorrhage associated with aortic dissection, predominantly in the ascending aorta and proximal descending aorta. Aortas from db/db RAS mice showed more smooth muscle dropout, loss of alpha smooth muscle actin expression, medial disruption, and hemorrhage than aortas from WT mice with RAS. Cardiac tissue from db/db RAS mice had more fibrosis than did cardiac tissue from WT RAS mice.

Conclusions.db/db mice subjected to RAS are prone to develop fatal aortic dissection, which is not observed in WT mice with RAS. The db/db RAS model provides the basis for future studies directed towards defining basic mechanisms underlying the interaction of hypertension and diabetes on the development of aortic lesions.
Arabidopsis thaliana NIP7;1 is involved in tissue arsenic distribution and tolerance in response to arsenate
Authors: Lindsay Emma R. , Maathuis Frans J. M.
Published: February 2016

The Arabidopsis aquaglyceroporin NIP7;1 is involved in uptake and tolerance to the trivalent arsenic species arsenite. Here, we show that NIP7;1 is also involved in the response to pentavalent arsenate. Loss of function of NIP7;1 improved tolerance to arsenate and reduced arsenic levels in both the phloem and xylem, resulting in altered arsenic distribution between tissues. There was no clear correlation between growth and shoot arsenic concentration. This is the first report detailing the involvement of a NIP transporter in response to arsenate. The data suggest that these proteins are relevant targets for breeding and engineering arsenic tolerance in crops.
Potential near‐future carbon uptake overcomes losses from a large insect outbreak in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Arora Vivek K. , Peng Yiran , Kurz Werner A. , Fyfe John C. , Hawkins Barbara , Werner Arelia T.
Published: February 2016

The current capacity of northern high‐latitude forests to sequester carbon has been suggested to be undermined by the potential increase in fire and insect outbreaks. Here we investigate the response of the terrestrial ecosystems in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, to the recent large mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak that started in 1999 as well as changing climate and continually increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration up to 2050, in a combined framework, using a process‐based model. Model simulations suggest that the recent MPB outbreak results in BC's forests accumulating 328 Tg less carbon over the 1999–2020 period. Over this same period changing climate and increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration, however, yield enhanced carbon uptake equal to a cumulative sink of around 900–1060 Tg C, depending on the future climate change scenario, indicating that the reduced carbon uptake by land due to the MPB disturbance may already be surpassed by 2020.
Asynchronous changes of CO2, H2, and He concentrations in soil gases: A theoretical model and experimental results
Authors: Di Martino Roberto M. R. , Camarda Marco , Gurrieri Sergio , Valenza Mariano
Published: February 2016

This paper focuses on the chemical composition changes in soil gases through both a theoretical model and laboratory experiments. The model describes the one‐dimensional mass transfer process, which is triggered by changes in the flux parameters of the system, and the time‐dependent evolution of the composition of the soil gases as a function of (i) the pristine gas mixture, (ii) the diffusivity of the chemicals, and (iii) the thickness of the transited medium. Carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), and helium (He) were used in a laboratory‐scale flux simulator to investigate the evolution of the gas composition profile in an artificial soil of constant thickness. The agreement between the theoretical calculations and the experimental results supports the validity of the model. Our results indicate a good reproducibility of the transient changes in the concentrations of CO2, He, and H2 in CO2‐rich gas mixtures that contain He and H2 as trace gases. Finally, the theoretical results were used to analyze the H2 and CO2 continuous monitoring data collected at Etna volcano in 2010.
A systematic review on the association between the Helicobacter pylori vacA i genotype and gastric disease
Authors: Liu Xian , He Bangshun , Cho William C. , Pan Yuqin , Chen Jie , Ying Houqun , Wang Feng , Lin Kang , Peng Hongxin , Wang Shukui
Published: February 2016

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been recognized as a cause of gastrointestinal diseases and progress of the pathology of gastrointestinal diseases is related to the genotype of H. pylori. Published studies have indicated that the H. pylori vacuolating cytotoxin gene A (vacA) i1/i2 genotype is associated with peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastric cancer (GC), but their conclusions are inconsistent. This study aimed to further assess the risk of vacA i gene for PUD and/or GC. A systematic search was conducted across three main electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI). A meta‐analysis was then performed on the pooled data of the published articles to estimate the overall influence of vacA i polymorphisms on PUD and/or GC by crude odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The reliability of the results were confirmed by publication bias and sensitivity analysis of included studies. A total of 14 studies were selected according to the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled results revealed that patients with GC were more vulnerable to infection by H. pylori i1 genotype (OR = 5.12; 95% CI: 2.66–9.85; P < 0.001) than those with chronic gastritis or nonulcer disease. Moreover, the results of subgroup analysis indicated that the i1 genotype of H. pylori was associated with an increased GC risk (OR = 10.89; 95% CI: 4.11–20.88; P < 0.001) in the Middle Asian population. The H. pylori vacA i1 genotype is associated with an increased GC risk, especially in the Middle Asian population.
Atomically Thin MoS2: A Versatile Nongraphene 2D Material
Authors: Venkata Subbaiah Y. P. , Saji K. J. , Tiwari A.
Published: February 2016

Two‐dimensional inorganic materials are emerging as a premiere class of materials for fabricating modern electronic devices. The interest in 2D layered transition metal dichalcogenides is especially high. Particularly, 2D MoS2 is being heavily researched due to its novel functionalities and its suitability for a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic applications. In this article, the progress in mono/few layer(s) MoS2 research is reviewed by focusing primarily on the layer dependent evolution of crystal, phonon, and electronic structure. The review includes extensive detail into the methodologies adapted for single or few layer(s) MoS2 growth. Further, the review covers the versatility of 2D MoS2 for a broad range of device applications. Recent advancements in the field of van der Waals heterostructures are also highlighted at the end of the review.
Recent Progress in Materials and Devices toward Printable and Flexible Sensors
Authors: Rim You Seung , Bae Sang‐Hoon , Chen Huajun , De Marco Nicholas , Yang Yang
Published: February 2016

Printable electronics present a new era of wearable electronic technologies. Detailed technologies consisting of novel ink semiconductor materials, flexible substrates, and unique processing methods can be integrated to create flexible sensors. To detect various stimuli of the human body, as well as specific environments, unique electronic devices formed by “ink‐based semiconductors” onto flexible and/or stretchable substrates have become a major research trend in recent years. Materials such as inorganic, organic, and hybrid semiconductors with various structures (i.e., 1D, 2D and 3D) with printing capabilities have been considered for bio and medical applications. In this review, we report recent progress in materials and devices for future wearable sensor technologies.
Mesoporous Carbon Nanocapsules Based Coatings with Multifunctionalities
Authors: Mittal Nitesh , Kumar Rudra , Mishra Gargi , Deva Dinesh , Sharma Ashutosh
Published: February 2016

Multifunctional superhydrophobic coatings are fabricated based on mesoporous carbon nanocapsules (MCC) with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a binder through a facile brush‐on process. The hierarchical micro/nano structures for the coatings are optimized by the relative amount of MCC and hydrophobic PVDF polymer binder. Integration of low surface energy of polymer with micro/nano structure of the coatings is responsible for the superhydrophobicity of the surfaces. At the same time the coatings are conductive due to the MCC being a carbon‐based nanoparticle. The coatings deposited on a stainless steel substrate demonstrate good abrasion resistance tested by pin‐on‐disk method. The hierarchically structured superhydrophobic coatings are also anti bio‐fouling, showing significantly reduced bacterial adhesion (up to a 91% decrease). In addition, the superhydrophobic coatings can be applied conformally over a wide range of substrates including metal, paper, and polyester fabrics. Further, the multifunctionality for the prepared MCC‐based coatings can be enhanced with the possibility to encapsulate nanoparticles inside the core of thin porous carbon shells. Surfaces coated with MCC are also found amenable to the wetting transition between superhydrophobicity to superhydrophilicity studied by the cyclic alteration of oxygen plasma treatment and thermal annealing.
Lamellar Diblock Copolymer Films with Embedded Maghemite Nanoparticles
Authors: Yao Yuan , Metwalli Ezzeldin , Opel Matthias , Haese Martin , Moulin Jean‐François , Rodewald Katia , Rieger Bernhard , Müller‐Buschbaum Peter
Published: February 2016

Hybrid films composed of lamella forming polystyrene‐d8‐block‐poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) (PSd‐b‐PBMA) diblock copolymer (DBC) and PS‐coated maghemite (γ‐Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) are investigated. The structure of the hybrid films is systematically probed from the air‐polymer interface to the substrate‐polymer interface using time‐of‐flight grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering (TOF‐GISANS). The affinity of the PS‐coated NPs to the PSd nanodomains results in a well‐controlled arrangement of the NPs within the parallel lamella DBC morphology, with a characteristic periodic distance expanding from 45 to 51 nm with progressive increase of NPs upload. In particular, the highly ordered parallel lamella morphology of the hybrid films is maintained at low NP concentrations. At high NP concentrations, the characteristic long‐range ordered morphology is lost due to the strong affinity of neighboring NPs to aggregates, forming unguided large sized particle aggregates. The complementary results of real‐space characterizations including profilometry, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy are consistent with the observation obtained from TOF‐GISANS. The potential applications in relation to medical instrumentation and magnetic sensors are highly feasible based on the superparamagnetic behaviors of the fabricated hybrid films, proven with a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer.
Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoribbons with High Optical Anisotropy
Authors: Wu Jiang‐Bin , Zhao Huan , Li Yuanrui , Ohlberg Douglas , Shi Wei , Wu Wei , Wang Han , Tan Ping‐Heng
Published: February 2016

2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has shown promising prospects for the next generation electronics and optoelectronics devices. The monolayer MoS2 can be patterned into quasi‐1D anisotropic MoS2 nanoribbons (MNRs), in which theoretical calculations have predicted novel properties. However, little work has been carried out in the experimental exploration of MNRs with a width of less than 20 nm where the geometrical confinement can lead to interesting phenomenons. Here, MNRs are prepared with width between 5 and 15 nm by direct helium ion beam milling. High optical anisotropy of these MNRs is revealed by the systematic study of optical contrast and Raman spectroscopy. The Raman modes in MNRs show strong polarization dependence. Besides that the E′ and A′1 peaks are broadened by the phonon‐confinement effect, the modes corresponding to singularities of vibrational density of states are activated by edges. The peculiar polarization behavior of Raman modes can be explained by the anisotropy of light absorption in MNRs, which is evidenced by the polarized optical contrast. The study opens the possibility to explore quasi‐1D materials with high optical anisotropy from isotropic 2D family of transition metal dichalcogenides.
Ligand Effects in the Gold Catalyzed Hydration of Alkynes
Authors: Ebule Rene E. , Malhotra Deepika , Hammond Gerald B. , Xu Bo
Published: February 2016

In the gold(I) (e. g. L‐Au‐OTf) catalyzed hydration of alkynes, the steric hindrance of ligands has a significant influence on the kinetics of the reaction, whereas their electronic effects are less influential. Very low loadings (ppm levels) of a gold catalyst containing a highly sterically hindered phosphine ligand (e. g. L4‐Au‐OTf) (L4=Me3(OMe)tBuXPhos) is able to catalyze the hydration of a wide range of alkyne substrates in good yields, at relatively low temperature.

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The Gas Separation Performance of Polyurethane–Zeolite Mixed Matrix Membranes
Authors: Afarani Hajar Taheri , Sadeghi Morteza , Moheb Ahmad
Published: February 2016

The effect of zeolite 3A, 4A, and ZSM‐5 on the gas separation performance of polyurethane (PU)–zeolite mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) has been investigated in this study. Permeation of pure CO2, CH4, N2, and O2 gases through PU–zeolite MMMs with zeolite content of 6, 12, 18, and 24 wt% was studied. The prepared hybrid membranes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. Membrane characterization confirmed the homogeneous distribution of zeolite particles at low zeolite loadings in the prepared membranes. The obtained results confirmed a significant enhancement in the permeability of all gases and the CO2/N2, CO2/CH4, and O2/N2 selectivities by increasing the content of zeolite particles in PU–zeolite MMMs. The PU–zeolite 4A with 12 wt% zeolite loading showed the best performance in terms of gas permeability and selectivity for CO2/N2, CO2/CH4 and O2/N2 gas pairs.
Recurrent giant cell fibroblastoma: Malignancy predisposition in Kabuki syndrome revisited
Authors: Karagianni Paraskevi , Lambropoulos Vassilios , Stergidou Dorothea , Fryssira Helena , Chatziioannidis Ilias , Spyridakis Ioannis
Published: February 2016

Kabuki syndrome is a genetic condition characterized by distinctive facial phenotype, mental retardation, and internal organ malformations. Mutations of the epigenetic genes KMT2D and KDM6A cause dysregulation of certain developmental genes and account for the multiple congenital anomalies of the syndrome. Eight cases of malignancies have been reported in young patients with Kabuki syndrome although a causative association to the syndrome has not been established. We report a case of a 12‐year‐old girl with Kabuki syndrome who developed a tumor on the right side of her neck. A relapsing tumor 19 months after initial excision, proved to be giant cell fibroblastoma. Τhis is the first report of giant cell fibroblastoma ‐a rare tumor of childhood‐ in a patient with Kabuki syndrome. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of epoxy and tetramethyl thiuram disulfide on melt‐grafting of maleic anhydride onto polypropylene by reactive extrusion
Authors: Lou Jinfen , Luo Zhu , Li Yang
Published: February 2016

In this report, melt grafting of maleic anhydride (MAH) and epoxy resin onto polypropylene (PP) by peroxide‐initiated reactive extrusion has been investigated. As evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, both MAH and epoxy resin were successfully grafted onto PP through the reactions of MAH with PP and epoxy resin with MAH. It was found that tetramethyl thiuram disulfide could promote the grafting of MAH and inhibit the degradation of PP, as revealed by chemical titration and melt flow experiments, through prolonging the lifetime of the macroradical; meanwhile, epoxy resin could reduce the sublimation of MAH and the maximum grafting degree of MAH. Furthermore, the introduction of grafted products was found to enhance the mechanical properties of PP/glass fiber composites, and this influence was very significant at high grafting degrees with a high content of epoxy resin, which could be interpreted in terms of improved compatibility and adhesion at the interface. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43422.
Study on adhesion strength, thermal creep resistance, and light transmittance of ethylene‐polypropylene copolymer grafted with silane for photovoltaic application
Authors: Kim Joonho , Lee Hwi Yong , Park Ju Young , Kim Youn Cheol , Son Younggon
Published: February 2016

We investigated the possibility of using PP as an encapsulant in a photovoltaic module. PP is inexpensive but shows low adhesion strength to glass (and silicon wafer) due to its nonpolar nature as well as opacity due to its crystalline nature. We resolved these problems by employing metallocene catalyzed ethylene‐propylene copolymer (EPR) and a nucleating agent to increase the transparency. Five EPRs having various propylene/ethylene ratios were investigated. EPRs having higher propylene content showed higher adhesion strength to the glass substrate. However, it is not appropriate to use EPRs with higher propylene content because they show low processability in calendaring processing. We therefore used a blend of two EPRs. The blend of the two EPRs showed somewhat low transparency. When the nucleating agent was incorporated in the blend, the transparency was remarkably increased. The adhesion strength to the glass plate was enhanced by a silane coupling agent. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43464.