bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biological and environmental interactions of emerging two-dimensional nanomaterials
Authors: Wang Zhongying , Zhu Wenpeng , Qiu Yang , Yi Xin , von dem Bussche Annette , Kane Agnes , Gao Huajian , Koski Kristie , Hurt Robert
Published: February 2016

Two-dimensional materials interact with biological systems and the natural environment in unique ways determined by their atomically thin geometry and enormous chemical diversity. This review focused on the basic interaction mechanisms and their implications for technology development and safe material design.
MsAcT in siliceous monolithic microreactors enables quantitative ester synthesis in water
Authors: Szymańska Katarzyna , Odrozek Klaudia , Zniszczoł Aurelia , Torrelo Guzman , Resch Verena , Hanefeld Ulf , Jarzębski Andrzej B.
Published: February 2016

Acyltransferase fromMycobacterium smegmatis(MsAcT) immobilised in continuous-flow microchannel reactors with hierarchical pore structure enabled quantitative, full and rapid transesterification of neopentylglycol (NPG) with ethyl acetate in less than one minute.
Modeling nanomaterial fate and uptake in the environment: current knowledge and future trends
Authors: Baalousha M. , Cornelis G. , Kuhlbusch T. A. J. , Lynch I. , Nickel C. , Peijnenburg W. , van den Brink N. W.
Published: February 2016

A schematic summary of the most important transformation processes a NM may undergo during environmental transport, and the parameters of highest importance for inclusion in models of NM environmental fate and uptake.
Causation or only correlation? Application of causal inference graphs for evaluating causality in nano-QSAR models
Authors: Sizochenko Natalia , Gajewicz Agnieszka , Leszczynski Jerzy , Puzyn Tomasz
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we suggest that causal inference methods could be efficiently used in Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationships (QSAR) modeling as additional validation criteria within quality evaluation of the model.
Photoelectrochemical properties of nanocrystalline ZnS discrete versus continuous coating of ZnO nanorods prepared by electrodeposition
Authors: Brayek A. , Chaguetmi S. , Ghoul M. , Ben Assaker I. , Souissi A. , Mouton L. , Beaunier P. , Nowak S. , Mammeri F. , Chtourou R. , Ammar S.
Published: February 2016

The photoelectrochemical properties of nanocrystalline ZnS discrete versus continuous coating of ZnO nanorods prepared by electrodeposition were investigated.
Raman scattering quantitative assessment of the anion composition ratio in Zn(O,S) layers for Cd-free chalcogenide-based solar cells
Authors: Guc M. , Neuschitzer M. , Hariskos D. , Bauer A. , Witte W. , Hempel W. , Calvo-Barrio L. , Pistor P. , Perez-Rodriguez A. , Izquierdo-Roca V.
Published: February 2016

This work reports the use of Raman scattering for the chemical characterization of Zn(O,S) layers that are being developed as a Cd-free alternative for the buffer layer in advanced chalcogenide solar cells.
Hydrogenation of the liquid organic hydrogen carrier compound dibenzyltoluene – reaction pathway determination by 1H NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Do G. , Preuster P. , Aslam R. , Bösmann A. , Müller K. , Arlt W. , Wasserscheid P.
Published: February 2016

The catalytic hydrogenation of the LOHC compound dibenzyltoluene (H0-DBT) was investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy in order to elucidate the reaction pathway of its charging process with hydrogen in the context of future hydrogen storage applications.
Hydrocarbon constrained peptides – understanding preorganisation and binding affinity
Authors: Miles Jennifer A. , Yeo David J. , Rowell Philip , Rodriguez-Marin Silvia , Pask Christopher M. , Warriner Stuart L. , Edwards Thomas A. , Wilson Andrew J.
Published: February 2016

Biophysical studies on hydrocarbon constrained peptides reveal induced fit binding and enthalpy–entropy compensation on target protein recognition.
Albumin–polymer conjugate nanoparticles and their interactions with prostate cancer cells in 2D and 3D culture: comparison between PMMA and PCL
Authors: Jiang Yanyan , Lu Hongxu , Dag Aydan , Hart-Smith Gene , Stenzel Martina H.
Published: February 2016

Using proteins as the hydrophilic moiety can dramatically improve the biodegradability and biocompatibility of self-assembled amphiphilic nanoparticles in the field of nanomedicine.
The preparation and phase diagrams of (7Li1−xFexOD)FeSe and (Li1−xFexOH)FeSe superconductors
Authors: Zhou Xiuquan , Borg Christopher K. H. , Lynn Jeffrey W. , Saha Shanta R. , Paglione Johnpierre , Rodriguez Efrain E.
Published: February 2016

We report the phase diagram for the superconducting system (7Li1−xFexOD)FeSe and contrast it with that of (Li1−xFexOH)FeSe both in single crystal and powder forms.
Polymorphism as an emerging design strategy for high performance organic electronics
Authors: Chung Hyunjoong , Diao Ying
Published: February 2016

In this review, we present a unique perspective of polymorphism as a design tool to enhance electronic performance and fundamental understanding of the relationship between charge transport and molecular packing in organic electronics.
Decorated self-assembling β3-tripeptide foldamers form cell adhesive scaffolds
Authors: Luder Kerstin , Kulkarni Ketav , Lee Huey Wen , Widdop Robert E. , Del Borgo Mark P. , Aguilar Marie-Isabel
Published: February 2016

β-Peptide foldamers were functionalised with the cell recognition motifs RGD or IKVAV, self-assembled into fibres, and co-assembled with non-functionalised β-peptides to yield tunable bioscaffolds with cell adhering properties.
Stabilization of the bicontinuous cubic phase in siloxane-terminated mesogens, 1,2-bis[4′-(n-(oligodimethylsiloxyl)alkoxy)benzoyl]hydrazine
Authors: Kutsumizu Shoichi , Tokiwa Issei , Kawafuchi Akane , Miwa Yohei , Yamamura Yasuhisa , Saito Kazuya
Published: February 2016

The introduction of oligodimethyl siloxane segments at the termini of the alkyl tails in a chain-core-chain type molecule effectively stabilizes the bicontinuous cubic phase to widen the temperature range and/or to shift it to lower temperatures.
Coordination polymers of Fe(iii) and Al(iii) ions with TCA ligand: distinctive fluorescence, CO2uptake, redox-activity and oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Dhara Barun , Sappati Subrahmanyam , Singh Santosh K. , Kurungot Sreekumar , Ghosh Prasenjit , Ballav Nirmalya
Published: February 2016

Remarkable differences in the physicochemical properties of metal–organic gels of Fe(iii) and Al(iii) ions with the TCA ligand is reported.
Rhodol-based fluorescent probe for Au3+ detection and its application in bioimaging
Authors: Wechakorn Kanokorn , Prabpai Samran , Suksen Kanoknetr , Piyachaturawat Pawinee , Kongsaeree Palangpon
Published: February 2016

A propargyl–rhodol conjugate is a highly selective reaction-based fluorescent chemosensor for Au3+.
Insight into composition evolution in the synthesis of high-performance Cu/SiO2 catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation
Authors: Wang Zhi-Qiao , Xu Zhong-Ning , Zhang Ming-Jian , Chen Qing-Song , Chen Yumin , Guo Guo-Cong
Published: February 2016

The Cu+ species derived from copper phyllosilicate are the crucial role to achieve high-performance Cu/SiO2 catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation.
Low residual donor concentration and enhanced charge transport in low-cost electrodeposited ZnO
Authors: Benlamri Mourad , Farsinezhad Samira , Barlage Douglas W. , Shankar Karthik
Published: February 2016

High unintentional n-type doping and poor charge transport are key limitations in solution processed ZnO thin films.
Back-contacted hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells
Authors: Jumabekov A. N. , Della Gaspera E. , Xu Z.-Q. , Chesman A. S. R. , van Embden J. , Bonke S. A. , Bao Q. , Vak D. , Bach U.
Published: February 2016

A novel architecture for quasi-interdigitated electrodes (QIDEs) allows for the fabrication of back-contacted perovskite solar cells.
High‐speed visual tracking with mixed rotation invariant description
Authors: Yang Yongxing , Yang Jie , Zhang Zhongxing , Liu Liyuan , Wu Nanjian
Published: February 2016

A mixed rotation invariant description (MRID)‐based tracking algorithm and a novel high‐speed visual tracking system that implements the algorithm are proposed. MRID is a novel rotation invariant description of texture and edge information by annular histograms and dominant direction. It overcomes rotation variant and large computation issues in conventional local binary pattern histograms of oriented gradient (LBP‐HOG) feature description. The proposed tracking system contains an image sensor, a hierarchical vision processor and a two dimension of freedom actuator. The vision processor integrates processors with pixel and row‐level parallelism to speed up the tracking algorithm. Experiment results show that the proposed system can achieve over 1000 fps processing speed of the tracking algorithm.
Algebraic decoding of the (71, 36, 11) quadratic residue code
Authors: Lin Tsung‐Ching , Chang Hsin‐Chiu , Li Yong , Chang Jack , Truong Trieu‐Kien
Published: February 2016

In this study, a new approach is developed to facilitate faster decoding of a binary systematic (71, 36, 11) quadratic residue (QR) code. In this decoder, it simplifies the step of calculating the condition and avoids calculating the unknown syndrome, thereby yielding a fast algebraic decoder for correcting four possible errors. Moreover, while using the proposed algorithm, if uses the channel measurement information proposed by Chase to sequentially invert the bits of the received word until one of the errors is cancelled for the five‐error case and apply the new algebraic decoding algorithm mentioned above to correct the remaining four errors, the algorithm has been verified through a software simulation in C‐language. The simulation shows that the decoding scheme developed here is more efficient than the previous decoding algorithm developed for the (71, 36, 11) QR code and it is naturally suitable for software implementation.
Efficient coding schemes for low‐rate wireless personal area networks
Authors: Qian Hua , Dai Shengchen , Kang Kai , Wang Xudong
Published: February 2016

The emerging market of Internet of things has created great demand for low‐cost, low‐power wireless technologies. Existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard is designed for low‐rate wireless personal area networks (LR‐WPANs). However, current standard does not fully utilise the benefit of the code redundancy. In this study, the authors propose new coding schemes for LR‐WPANs with improved coding gain. They first propose a block code based on extended Bose–Chaudhuri–Hocquenghem (BCH) code that increases the minimum Hamming distance compared with the existing code used in LR‐WPANs. The computational complexity of the encoder and decoder remains about the same. In addition, by applying the extended BCH code directly to LR‐WPANs, the data rate of the system can be increased without sacrificing coding performance. They further propose a tail‐biting convolutional (TBC) code with optimum generator polynomials for LR‐WPANs. The proposed TBC code enjoys significant performance improvement while preserving the effective code rate as well as a low decoding complexity. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed coding schemes.
Max–min fair wireless energy transfer for multiple‐input multiple‐output wiretap channels
Authors: Wu Wei , Zhang Xueqi , Wang Shaohang , Wang Baoyun
Published: February 2016

In this study, the authors study the max–min fairness for wireless energy transfer in a multiuser multiple‐input multiple‐output communication system with simultaneous wireless information and power transfer. In particular, they aim to maximise the minimum harvested energy among the multiple multi‐antenna energy receivers while guaranteeing secure communication for multi‐antenna information receiver. The dual use of artificial noise to facilitate both wireless energy transfer and secure communication is exploited in the authors’ proposed problem. Both scenarios of perfect and imperfect channel state information (CSI) known at the transmitter are considered. For the perfect CSI case, the formulated max–min energy harvesting (MM‐EH) problem is non‐convex and intractable. To circumvent it, an iterative optimisation algorithm based on Taylor series expansion is proposed. Then, they turn their attention to the imperfect CSI case, where a max–min robust energy harvesting (MMR‐EH) problem is considered. Though the MMR‐EH problem is more complicated than the MM‐EH problem, they reveal that the iterative optimisation method can be extended to the solution of the former, wherein the S‐procedure is introduced. Simulation results show the efficiency of their proposed solutions in terms of energy harvesting.
Miniaturised master‐oscillator power‐amplifier emitting a single longitudinal mode with more than 300 mW at 647 nm
Authors: Blume Gunnar , Pohl Johannes , Feise David , Wiedmann Jörg , Matalla Matthias , John Wilfred , Ressel Peter , Kreuzmann Sabrina , Ginolas Arnim , Sahm Alexander , Johne Pia , Jendrzejewski Maik , Kürbis Christian , Hofmann Julian , Eppich Bernd , Erbert Götz , Paschke Katrin
Published: February 2016

A miniaturised red‐emitting master‐oscillator power‐amplifier (MOPA) was developed. The MOPA emits a single longitudinal mode with a linewidth below 10 MHz and an optical output power of more than 300 mW at a wavelength of about 647 nm. The master‐oscillator is a distributed‐Bragg‐reflector ridge‐waveguide laser which provides the single mode with an output power of about 40 mW. The light is shaped by micro‐lenses and guided through a miniaturised CdMnTe‐Faraday isolator as well as a truncated tapered power amplifier; it is reshaped again afterwards to produce an almost circular, nearly diffraction‐limited beam. The total length of the MOPA is below 50 mm, which fitted into a sealed butterfly package with a footprint of about 20 cm2.
Intelligent robust PI adaptive control strategy for speed control of EV(s)
Authors: Khooban Mohammad Hassan , Naghash‐Almasi Omid , Niknam Taher , Sha‐Sadeghi Mokhtar
Published: February 2016

The intensive non‐linear system and plants of modern industry highly motivating researcher to extend and evolve non‐linear control systems. In this study, in order to control a class of non‐linear uncertain power systems in the presence of large and fast disturbances, a new simple indirect adaptive proportional‐integral is proposed. For handling dynamic uncertainties, the proposed controller utilises the advantages of least squares support vectors regression (LS‐SVR) to approximate unknown non‐linear actions and noisy data. The LS‐SVR is used to approximate the non‐linear uncertainties which must be bounded, whereas no requirement needs for bounds to be known. The globally asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system is mathematically proved by using Lyapunov synthesis. To show the merits of the proposed approach, a non‐linear electric vehicle (EV) system is considered as a case study. The goal is to force the speed of EV to track a desired reference in the present of structured and unstructured uncertainties. The experimental data, new European driving cycle, is used in order to examine the performance of proposed controller. The simulation studies on a second‐order EV with the presence of fast against slow and large against small disturbances demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Lattice Boltzmann simulation of asymmetric flow in nematic liquid crystals with finite anchoring
Authors: Zhang Rui , Roberts Tyler , Aranson Igor S. , de Pablo Juan J.
Published: February 2016

Liquid crystals (LCs) display many of the flow characteristics of liquids but exhibit long range orientational order. In the nematic phase, the coupling of structure and flow leads to complex hydrodynamic effects that remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we consider the hydrodynamics of a nematic LC in a hybrid cell, where opposite walls have conflicting anchoring boundary conditions, and we employ a 3D lattice Boltzmann method to simulate the time-dependent flow patterns that can arise. Due to the symmetry breaking of the director field within the hybrid cell, we observe that at low to moderate shear rates, the volumetric flow rate under Couette and Poiseuille flows is different for opposite flow directions. At high shear rates, the director field may undergo a topological transition which leads to symmetric flows. By applying an oscillatory pressure gradient to the channel, a net volumetric flow rate is found to depend on the magnitude and frequency of the oscillation, as well as the anchoring strength. Taken together, our findings suggest several intriguing new applications for LCs in microfluidic devices.
Experimental evidence for both progressive and simultaneous shear during quasistatic compression of a bulk metallic glass
Authors: Wright Wendelin J. , Liu Yun , Gu Xiaojun , Van Ness Katherine D. , Robare Steven L. , Liu Xin , Antonaglia James , LeBlanc Michael , Uhl Jonathan T. , Hufnagel Todd C. , Dahmen Karin A.
Published: February 2016

Two distinct types of slip events occur during serrated plastic flow of bulk metallic glasses. These events are distinguished not only by their size but also by distinct stress drop rate profiles. Small stress drop serrations have fluctuating stress drop rates (with maximum stress drop rates ranging from 0.3–1 GPa/s), indicating progressive or intermittent propagation of a shear band. The large stress drop serrations are characterized by sharply peaked stress drop rate profiles (with maximum stress drop rates of 1–100 GPa/s). The propagation of a large slip is preceded by a slowly rising stress drop rate that is presumably due to the percolation of slipping weak spots prior to the initiation of shear over the entire shear plane. The onset of the rapid shear event is accompanied by a burst of acoustic emission. These large slips correspond to simultaneous shear with uniform sliding as confirmed by direct high-speed imaging and image correlation. Both small and large slip events occur throughout plastic deformation. The significant differences between these two types require that they be carefully distinguished in both modeling and experimental efforts.
Design and development of a prototype 25 kV, 10 A long pulse Marx modulator for high power klystron
Authors: Acharya Mahesh , Shrivastava Purushottam
Published: February 2016

Research, design, and development of high average power modulators for the proposed Indian Spallation Neutron Source are in progress at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology. With this objective, a prototype of 25 kV, 10 A, 1 ms Marx modulator at repetition rate of 1 Hz has been designed and developed which serves as a proof of principle and technology assessment stage for further development of high repetition rate high voltage high average power modulators. Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) based modules of 2.8 kV switching capability have been used as main modules. The modulator had 8.2% droop in output voltage pulse without any droop compensation circuit. A droop compensation involving 15 corrector modules has been used to reduce the droop up to 1%. We have used IGBT based 250 V switches to realize the corrector module. A microcontroller based control unit was designed and developed for triggering the main and corrector modules. With this control unit, programmable output pulse has been achieved. Electrical isolation between high voltage circuits and control circuit has been achieved by the use of fiber optic based control signal transmission. Output pulses of 1 ms pulse width, 800 ns rise time, and 5 μs fall time have been achieved. The modulator has advantages of modular design, adjustable pulse width, adjustable rise time, and fall time.
Electronic excitations in solution-processed oligothiophene small-molecules for organic solar cells
Authors: Gala F. , Mattiello L. , Brunetti F. , Zollo G.
Published: February 2016

First principles calculations based on density functional theory and many body perturbation theory have been employed to study the optical absorption properties of a newly synthesized oligo-thiophene molecule, with a quaterthiophene central unit, that has been designed for solution-processed bulk-heterojunction solar cells. To this aim we have employed the GW approach to obtain quasiparticle energies as a pre-requisite to solve the Bethe-Salpeter equation for the excitonic Hamiltonian. We show that the experimental absorption spectrum can be explained only by taking into account the inter-molecular transitions among the π-stacked poly-conjugated molecules that are typically obtained in solid-state organic samples.
Impact of the intermixed phase and the channel network on the carrier mobility of nanostructured solar cells
Authors: Woellner Cristiano F. , Freire José A.
Published: February 2016

We analyzed the impact of the complex channel network of donor and acceptor domains in nanostructured solar cells on the mobility of the charge carriers moving by thermally activated hopping. Particular attention was given to the so called intermixed phase, or interface roughness, that has recently been shown to promote an increase in the cell efficiency. The domains were obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation of a two-species lattice gas. We generated domain morphologies with controllable channel size and interface roughness. The field and density dependence of the carrier hopping mobility in different morphologies was obtained by solving a master equation. Our results show that the mobility decreases with roughness and increases with typical channel sizes. The deleterious effect of the roughness on the mobility is quite dramatic at low carrier densities and high fields. The complex channel network is shown to be directly responsible for two potentially harmful effects to the cell performance: a remarkable decrease of the mobility with increasing field and the accumulation of charge at the domains interface, which leads to recombination losses.
Multiple and broadband near-perfect absorption in heterostructures containing transparent conducting oxides
Authors: Liu Fen , Cui Li-yong , Lu Guang , Li Yan-hui , Yang Tian-lin , Xue Chun-hua , Xu Jing-ping , Du Gui-qiang
Published: February 2016

We demonstrate theoretically that the multiple and wideband near-perfect absorption can be realized in heterostructures that are composed of two different truncated photonic crystals (PCs), where one contains conducting-indium tin oxide (ITO) films. Furthermore, near-complete absorption can be achieved over a wide angle of incidence for both TE and TM polarizations. The width of the absorption band is determined by the overlapped range between the pass band of the PC containing ITO films and the forbidden band of the other PC. Moreover, the absorption band can be broadened by increasing the incident angle for the TE polarization. These absorption properties are important for designing multiple or broadband near-perfect absorbers in the visible and near infrared regions.
Structure and role of metal clusters in a metal-organic coordination network determined by density functional theory
Authors: Svane K. L. , Linderoth T. R. , Hammer B.
Published: February 2016

We present a comprehensive theoretical investigation of the structures formed by self-assembly of tetrahydroxybenzene (THB)-derivatives on Cu(111). The THB molecule is known to dehydrogenate completely during annealing, forming a reactive radical which assembles into a close-packed structure or a porous metal-coordinated network depending on the coverage of the system. Here, we present details on how the structures are determined by density functional theory calculations, using scanning tunneling microscopy-derived information on the periodicity. The porous network is based on adatom trimers. By analysing the charge distribution of the structure, it is found that this unusual coordination motif is preferred because it simultaneously provides a good coordination of all oxygen atoms and allows for the formation of a two-dimensional network on the surface.
Optical modeling of media for heat assisted magnetic recording
Authors: Ghoreyshi Ali , Victora R. H.
Published: February 2016

The validity of effective medium theory for modeling nanocomposite thin films interacting with a plasmonic nanoantenna has been investigated using an optical circuit model and finite-difference time-domain simulations. We show that in the regime where the size of the optical beam generated by the nanoantenna is comparable to the feature size inside the thin film, the effective medium theory is not valid anymore. We demonstrate that using effective medium theory can cause a dramatic error in the performance analysis of applications such as heat assisted magnetic recording that work at this regime. Therefore, we develop a theoretical framework based on circuit theory at optical frequencies to study and design nanocomposite thin films for these applications.
Interaction of shear-coupled grain boundary motion with crack: Crack healing, grain boundary decohesion, and sub-grain formation
Authors: Aramfard Mohammad , Deng Chuang
Published: February 2016

Stress-driven grain boundary motion is one of the main mechanisms responsible for microstructural evolution in polycrystalline metals during deformation. In this research, the interaction of shear-coupled grain boundary motion (SCGBM) in face-centered cubic metals with crack, which is a common type of structural defects in engineering materials, has been studied by using molecular dynamics simulations in simple bicrystal models. The influences of different parameters such as metal type, temperature, grain boundary structure, and crack geometry have been examined systematically. Three types of microstructural evolution have been identified under different circumstances, namely, crack healing, grain boundary decohesion, and sub-grain formation. The underlying atomistic mechanisms for each type of SCGBM-crack interaction, particularly grain boundary decohesion and crack healing, have also been examined. It is found that crack healing is generally favoured during the SCGBM-crack interaction at relatively high temperature in metals with relatively low stacking fault energy and grain boundary structure with relatively low misorientation angles. The results of this work may open up new opportunities for healing severely damaged materials.
Negative free carrier absorption in terahertz quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Ndebeka-Bandou C. , Rösch M. , Ohtani K. , Beck M. , Faist J.
Published: February 2016

We analyze the peculiar case where the free carrier absorption arising from LO phonon absorption-assisted transitions becomes negative and therefore turns into a gain source for quantum cascade lasers. Such an additional source of gain exists when the ratio between the electronic and the lattice temperatures is larger than one, a condition that is usually fulfilled in quantum cascade lasers. We find a gain of few cm−1's at 200 K. We report the development of a terahertz quantum cascade laser operating in the negative free carrier absorption regime.
The electron and spin polarized transport in wide-voltage-ranges through colbaltporphyrin-based molecular junctions
Authors: Cheng Jue-Fei , Yan Qiang , Zhou Liping , Han Qin , Gao Lei
Published: February 2016

The electron and spin polarized transport properties of Co benzene-porphyrin-benzene (BPB) molecule coupled to gold (Au) nanowires in a wide voltage range (0–3.0 V) are investigated. By successively removing the front-end Au atoms, we construct Au nanowires with different molecule-electrode contact symmetries. Multiple negative differential resistance (NDR) peaks emerge at different bias voltage regions. It is found that the low-voltage NDR effect at 0.4 V can only be found in the junctions with S–Au top bindings. High-bias NDR effects intrinsic to central molecule at 2.8 V are observed in all the six structures. In particular, both the electron and spin polarized current-voltage (I–V) curves depend strongly on the contact configurations between Co-BPB molecule and the Au electrodes. And the top-binding may result in spin dependent transport properties and will be the priority selection in the design of molecular devices.
d
ferromagnetism in black phosphorous oxide caused by surface P-O bonds
Authors: Gui Q. F. , Sun L. L. , Liu L. Z. , Wu X. L. , Chu Paul K.
Published: February 2016

The room-temperature d0 ferromagnetism in black phosphorous (BP) oxide is investigated experimentally and theoretically. Electrochemical oxidation does not alter the single-crystal structure of BP and the degree of oxidation depends on the oxidation time, thereby resulting in changeable d0 ferromagnetism caused by surface P-O bonds. First-principles calculation reveals that different surface P-O bonds have different binding energies and contributions to the ferromagnetism and the bridge and dangling oxygen atoms are responsible for the observed ferromagnetism which stems from p orbital spin polarization of the oxygen and phosphorus atoms.
Temperature dependent carrier mobility in graphene: Effect of Pd nanoparticle functionalization and hydrogenation
Authors: Zhong Bochen , Uddin Md Ahsan , Singh Amol , Webb Richard , Koley Goutam
Published: February 2016

The two dimensional nature of graphene, with charge carriers confined within one atomic layer thickness, causes its electrical, optical, and sensing properties to be strongly influenced by the surrounding media and functionalization layers. In this study, the effect of catalytically active Pd nanoparticle (NP) functionalization and subsequent hydrogenation on the hall mobility and carrier density of chemical vapor deposition synthesized graphene has been investigated as a function of temperature. Prior to functionalization, the mobility decreased monotonically as the temperature was reduced from 298 to 10 K, indicating coulomb scattering as the dominant scattering mechanism as expected for bilayer graphene. Similar decreasing trend with temperature was also observed after 2 nm Pd deposition, however, hydrogenation of the Pd NP led to significant enhancement in mobility from ∼2250 to 3840 cm2/V s at room temperature, which further monotonically increased to 5280 cm2/V s at 10 K. We attribute this contrasting trend in temperature dependent mobility to a switch in the dominant scattering mechanism from coulomb to surface optical (SO) phonon scattering due to higher dielectric constant and polar nature of PdHx formed upon hydrogenation of the Pd NPs.
Experimental studies on power frequency breakdown voltage of CF3I/N2 mixed gas under different electric fields
Authors: Zhang Xiaoxing , Xiao Song , Han Yefei , Cressault Yann
Published: February 2016

To verify the feasibility of replacing SF6 by CF3I/N2, we compared their power frequency breakdown performance with the influence of gas pressure, mixing ratio, and electric field utilization coefficient. Under different electric fields and mixing ratios, the power frequency breakdown voltage of CF3I/N2 increases linearly along with gas pressure. Besides, with the rise of the electric field utilization coefficient, the linear growth rate of breakdown voltage along with gas pressure gradually rises. The sensitivity of pure CF3I to electric field is particularly high and can be improved by the addition of N2. The mixture 30% CF3I/70% N2 at 0.3 MPa could replace pure SF6 in equipment requiring a low insulation, but the gas pressure or the content of CF3I need to be increased for higher insulation requirements.
Shear-induced dry transfer of reduced graphene oxide thin film via roll-to-roll printing
Authors: Jang Hyun-woo , Kim Woo Soo
Published: February 2016

Here, we report a printing mechanism that utilizes mechanical stress for dry transfer of chemically reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) thin film. We discover that shear stress induced on the elastomeric stamp surface facilitates delamination of the deposited r-GO thin film from the stamp. Shear stress is introduced in a roll-to-roll printing system by rotating the stamp roller faster than the substrate roller. Energy-balance theory for thin film transfer is suggested to analyze the film delamination behavior with induced shear stress. Facile dry transfer of r-GO thin film onto flexible substrates is demonstrated in a roll-to-roll printing system at a printing rate of 5 mm/min with calculated shear stress of 325.43 kPa.
Haloform formation in coastal wetlands along a salinity gradient at South Carolina, United States
Authors: Wang Jun-Jian , Jiao Yi , Rhew Robert C. , Chow Alex T.
Published: February 2016

Environmental contextNatural haloform emissions contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion but there are major unknown or underestimated sources of these gases. This study demonstrates that soil and water at tidal wetlands are important haloform sources, and emissions peak at the forest–marsh transition zone. The low-lying forested wetlands of the south-eastern United States that are facing sea-level rise and seawater intrusion may become hotspots for haloform emission.
AbstractSoil haloform emissions are sources of reactive halogens that catalytically deplete ozone in the stratosphere but there are still unknown or underestimated haloform sources. The >200000ha of low-lying tidal freshwater swamps (forests and marshes) in the south-eastern United States could be haloform (CHX3, X=Cl or Br) sources because sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion bring halides inland where they mix with terrestrial humic substances. To evaluate the spatial variation along the common forest–marsh salinity gradient (freshwater wetland, oligohaline wetland and mesohaline saltmarsh), we measured chloroform emissions from in situ chambers and from laboratory incubations of soil and water samples collected from Winyah Bay, South Carolina. The in situ and soil-core haloform emissions were both highest in the oligohaline wetland, whereas the aqueous production was highest in mesohaline saltmarsh. The predominant source shifted from sediment emission to water emission from freshwater wetland to mesohaline saltmarsh. Spreading out soil samples increased soil haloform emission, suggesting that soil pores can trap high amounts of CHCl3. Soil sterilisation did not suppress CHCl3 emission, indicating the important contribution of abiotic soil CHCl3 formation. Surface wetland water samples from eight locations along a salinity gradient with different management practices (natural v. managed) were subjected to radical-based halogenation by Fenton-like reagents. Halide availability, organic matter source, temperature and light irradiation were all found to affect the radical-based abiotic haloform formation from surface water. This study clearly indicates that soil and water from the studied coastal wetlands are both haloform sources, which however appear to have different formation mechanisms.
Promoting physical activity among children and youth in disadvantaged South Australian CALD communities through alternative community sport opportunities
Authors: Rosso Edoardo , McGrath Richard
Published: February 2016

Issue addressed

Recently arrived migrants and refugees from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (CALD) may be particularly vulnerable to social exclusion. Participation in sport is endorsed as a vehicle to ease the resettlement process; however, in Australia, this is often thought as a simple matter of integration into existing sport structures (e.g. clubs). This approach fails to place actual community needs at the centre of sport engagement efforts.

Methods

A consultation framework was established with South Australian CALD community leaders and organisations to scope needs for community‐based alternatives to participation in traditional sport (e.g. clubs), co‐design a suitable community sport program and pilot it in five communities. Interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted with participants, community representatives, stakeholders and volunteers.

Results

Regular, free soccer activities engaged 263 young people from a great variety of nationalities, including over 50% refugees, in secondary state school and community‐based sites.

Conclusion

Alternative community sport programs can provide a basic but valuable forum to promote physical activity and associated well being in CALD and refugee communities.

So what?

Alternative approaches can extend the health benefits of sport participation to disadvantaged children and youth who are excluded from traditional sport participation opportunities.
Sperm freeze-drying and micro-insemination for biobanking and maintenance of genetic diversity in mammals
Authors: Kaneko Takehito
Published: February 2016

Breeding by natural mating is ideal for maintaining animal populations. However, the lack of breeding space resulting from an increased number of strains and the decline in fertility caused by inbreeding inhibits the reproduction of subsequent generations. Reproductive technologies, such as gamete preservation and artificial fertilisation, have been developed to overcome these problems. These approaches efficiently produce offspring of laboratory, domestic and wild animals, and can also be used to treat human infertility. Gamete preservation using sperm contributes to improvements in reproductive systems and enables the use of smaller breeding spaces. Although cryopreservation with liquid nitrogen has been used to preserve spermatozoa, freeze-drying without liquid nitrogen, a novel method, facilitates long-term storage of spermatozoa. This method has recently been applied to maintain animal strains. Micro-insemination techniques, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), are exceptional for improving assisted reproduction. ICSI can be used to fertilise oocytes, even with immotile and immature spermatozoa that are unsuitable for AI and IVF. Reproductive technologies provide a substantial advantage for biobanking and maintaining the genetic diversity of laboratory, domestic and wild animals. This review covers the latest method of sperm freeze-drying and micro-insemination, and future possibilities for maintaining animal strains and populations.
Greater sperm complexity in the Australasian old endemic rodents (Tribe: Hydromyini) is associated with increased levels of inter-male sperm competition
Authors: McLennan Hanna J. , Lüpold Stefan , Smissen Pete , Rowe Kevin C. , Breed William G.
Published: February 2016

Spermatozoa exhibit considerable interspecies morphological variation across mammals, especially among murid rodents. In Australasia, most murids in the tribe Hydromyini have a spermatozoon with a highly complex head exhibiting an apical hook, characteristic of most murids, and two projections that extend from its upper concave surface, the ventral processes. In the present study we performed a phylogenetically controlled comparison of sperm morphology across 45 species of hydromyine rodents to test the hypothesis that the length and angle of both the apical hook and ventral processes, as well as the length of the sperm tail, increase with relative testes mass as a proxy for differences in levels of inter-male sperm competition. Although both sperm head protrusions exhibited considerable variation in their length and angle across species, only the angles increased significantly in relation to relative testes mass. Further, the length of the sperm flagellum was positively associated with relative testes mass. These results suggest that, in hydromyine rodents, the angle of the apical hook and ventral processes of the sperm head, as well as the sperm tail length, are likely to be sexually selected traits. The possible functional significance of these findings is briefly discussed.
“To be Irish, gay, and on the outside”
Authors: Bartley Leanne , Hidalgo-Tenorio Encarnación
Published: February 2016

The last two decades have witnessed very important economic and legislative changes in the Republic of Ireland, which have contributed to both the reinforcement of national beliefs, and the restructuring of traditional values as well as social practices. In this context, the tendency for some extremist groups to attack minorities such as Asians or Eastern Europeans, along with the allegedly institutionalised exclusion of Travellers, contrasts very much with a slowly but increasingly overall positive perception of an already marginalised group such as the LGBT community. Bearing the latter in mind, in this paper we aim to reveal how otherness is represented in the Irish print media, and the extent to which more or less discriminatory viewpoints are reinforced in the public domain. In particular, we concentrate on the discursive construction of gayness, and the potential homophobic imagery veiled and revealed in a corpus of newspaper articles from the last years of, and after, the so-called Celtic Tiger era. To do this, the detection of topoi will be combined with metaphor analysis.
Challenging heteronormativity
Authors: Heisterkamp Brian L.
Published: February 2016

Because gay male and lesbian couples have broken from the heteronormative binary of cross-sex relationships, it is necessary to examine the conversational practices used by gay men and lesbians to refer to members of same-sex couples. While gay and lesbian couples use typical reference terms for romantic partners, I contend that this use challenges heteronormative language assumptions because these conversationalists apply the termslover,partner, andboyfriend/girlfriendto reference co-couple members of same-sex couples, not cross-sex couples. They recontextualize terms normatively associated with reference to cross-sex romantic partners. I used conversation analysis to examine the data, which includes transcriptions of video and audio recordings of gay male and lesbian couples interacting in home environments. The findings suggest that reference terms are recontextualized beyond their heteronormative boundaries.
Homophobic grammar
Authors: Peterson David
Published: February 2016

This study analyzes a historical example of how participants in military policy formation within the US Senate harnessed lexicogrammatical resources to legitimate queer exclusion from military service. Intended as a conceptual rather than definitive study, I analyze text taken from a US Senate hearing related to the implementation of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (repealed in 2011). The investigation focuses on how transitivity and phoricity are drawn on to produce homophobic formations. My findings indicate that the text exhibits a process of lexicogrammatical selection that enables homophobic formation to unfold at the discourse-semantic level. I then explore how lexicogrammatical and discourse-semantic choice-making flows from the social practice of which the text is part, which in turn reflects the ideological structures that configure the practice. I conclude the paper with a brief discussion of my preliminary findings’ implications in terms of analyzing homophobic formation.
Farid’s impossible “je”
Authors: Provencher Denis M.
Published: February 2016

In this essay, I analyze the speech acts of Farid, a thirty-six year old self-identified same-sex desiring man from my fieldwork, who recounts his trajectory from growing up in Algiers and his eventual migration as an adult to Angers and then Paris. I illustrate how his queer Maghrebi French story in the diaspora does not resonate significantly with the “coming out” (Provencher 2007) or “arrival” narratives (Schehr 2009) of other queer French speakers in the city. Moreover, his speech acts do not heavily echo the “flexible language” (Leap 2003) or the language of queer diasporic speakers analyzed in other contexts (Decena 2011, Manalansan 2003). Furthermore, unlike other queer Maghrebi French interlocutors — who exploit their artistic crafts such as photography, filmmaking, and creative writing to pioneer new scripts or “performative encounters” (Rosello 2005) between France and the Maghreb — Farid struggles to tell a coherent story as he remains caught between the teleologies of the Maghrebi family in Algiers on the one hand and neoliberalism and its concomitant homonormativity in “gay” Paris on the other. The linguistic dimensions of Farid’s impossible “je” [I] are evident in his use of statements that highlight the collective with the subject pronouns “we” and “they” as well as topic sentences that underscore subjects like “my family,” “the country,” and “my religion.” At the same time, he draws on fragmented and unstable identities in a series of disconnected “je” statements, often with conditional clauses and modality shifts that highlight flux instead of the ego-centered, liberated, and individual subject who must learn to say “je” assuredly in the indicative tense in the late modern era. At times, he remains an “impossible subject” in an “impossible location” (Raissiguier 2010) unable to find financial and emotional stability almost three years after leaving Algiers and arriving in France where he fails to imagine a “queer future” for himself. Hence, this study illustrates how the celebration of chaos and subversion (for example, Halberstam’s (2011) “queer art of failure”) is not always readily available to subjects like Farid, who have not (yet) acquired the “flexible language” or the economic and cultural capital in an urban setting.
Hobbes on the function of evaluative speech
Authors: Holden Thomas
Published: February 2016

Hobbes’s interpreters have struggled to find a plausible semantics for evaluative language in his writings. I argue that this search is misguided. Hobbes offers neither an account of the reference of evaluative terms nor a theory of the truth-conditions for evaluative statements. Rather, he sees evaluative language simply as having the non-representational function of prescribing actions and practical attitudes, its superficially representational appearance notwithstanding. I marshal the evidence for this prescriptivist reading of Hobbes on evaluative language and show how it sidesteps various textual and philosophical problems that bedevil the traditional interpretations.
Microstructure model for the heat-affected zone of X80 linepipe steel
Authors: Garcin T. , Militzer M. , Poole W. J. , Collins L.
Published: February 2016

An important aspect of the integrity of oil and gas pipelines is the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of girth welds where the microstructure of the as-hot rolled steel is altered with potentially adverse effects on the HAZ properties. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate the HAZ microstructure for different welding scenarios. Here, an integrated microstructure evolution model is proposed and applied to the HAZ of an X80 linepipe steel. The model considers dissolution of Nb-rich precipitates, austenite grain growth and austenite decomposition into ferrite and bainite. Microstructure maps showing the fraction of transformation products as a function of distance from the fusion line are obtained and used to compare the effect of different welding procedures on the HAZ microstructure.
Coptis japonicaMakino extract suppresses angiogenesis through regulation of cell cycle-related proteins
Authors: Kim Seo Ho , Kim Eok-Cheon , Kim Wan-Joong , Lee Myung-Hun , Kim Sun-Young , Kim Tack-Joong
Published: February 2016

Angiogenesis, neovascularization from pre-existing vessels, is a key step in tumor growth and metastasis, and anti-angiogenic agents that can interfere with these essential steps of cancer development are a promising strategy for human cancer treatment. In this study, we characterized the anti-angiogenic effects of Coptis japonica Makino extract (CJME) and its mechanism of action. CJME significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated HUVECs. Furthermore, CJME suppressed VEGF-induced tube formation in vitro and VEGF-induced microvessel sprouting ex vivo. According to our study, CJME blocked VEGF-induced cell cycle transition in G1. CJME decreased expression of cell cycle-regulated proteins, including Cyclin D, Cyclin E, Cdk2, and Cdk4 in response to VEGF. Taken together, the results of our study indicate that CJME suppresses VEGF-induced angiogenic events such as proliferation, migration, and tube formation via cell cycle arrest in G1.