bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Markov game approach for multi‐agent competitive bidding strategies in electricity market
Authors: Rashedi Navid , Tajeddini Mohammad Amin , Kebriaei Hamed
Published: July 2016

In a competitive electricity market, suppliers seek the optimal bidding strategy, maximising their individual profit. Due to the uncertainties, unknown parameters and dynamics of electricity market, the optimal bidding strategies cannot be attained through straightforward optimisation methods. In this study, the supply function equilibrium model is considered together with uniform price market clearing mechanism. The interaction among suppliers is modelled as an incomplete information game problem and multi‐agent reinforcement learning (MARL) is utilised to find the optimal bidding strategy of the suppliers in a non‐cooperative game. The proposed framework is an extension, from single agent Markov decision process to Markov game process, which is suitable for studying multi‐agent decision making problems in stochastic environments. In this study, a Markov game model of the electricity market is proposed and a new state‐action and Markov model of electricity market is proposed to built up the MARL environment. In addition, a learning‐based non‐cooperative MARL method is utilised for learning the optimal bidding strategies of the suppliers in a day‐ahead electricity market. The proposed method is successfully applied to IEEE‐30‐bus power system. To examine the statistical significance of the results, the T‐test method is applied to compare the competitive behaviour of the players in both multi‐ and single‐agent frameworks.
Research Update: Relativistic origin of slow electron-hole recombination in hybrid halide perovskite solar cells
Authors: Azarhoosh Pooya , McKechnie Scott , Frost Jarvist M. , Walsh Aron , van Schilfgaarde Mark
Published: July 2016

The hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) exhibits long minority-carrier lifetimes and diffusion lengths. We show that slow recombination originates from a spin-split indirect-gap. Large internal electric fields act on spin-orbit-coupled band extrema, shifting band-edges to inequivalent wavevectors, making the fundamental gap indirect. From a description of photoluminescence within the quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation for MAPI, CdTe, and GaAs, we predict carrier lifetime as a function of light intensity and temperature. At operating conditions we find radiative recombination in MAPI is reduced by a factor of more than 350 compared to direct gap behavior. The indirect gap is retained with dynamic disorder.
Origin of particle accumulation structures in liquid bridges: Particle–boundary-interactions versus inertia
Authors: Muldoon Frank H. , Kuhlmann Hendrik C.
Published: July 2016

The formation of particle-accumulation structures in the flow in a cylindrical liquid bridge driven by the thermocapillary effect is studied with the aim of determining the physical mechanism which forms the structures. The flow is modeled using the incompressible Navier–Stokes and energy equations with the assumption of constant fluid properties except for surface tension, which is assumed to depend linearly on temperature. Different models for the motion of small non-interacting spherical particles at low concentration are employed, taking into account particle inertia due to density differences between fluid and particles and the restricted particle motion near the boundaries of the flow domain. Attention is focused on differences in formation time between particle-accumulation structures arising as a result of inertial effects only, particle–boundary-interaction effects only, and a combination of the two.
Diffraction efficiency of plasmonic gratings fabricated by electron beam lithography using a silver halide film
Authors: Sudheer  , Porwal S. , Bhartiya S. , Rao B. T. , Tiwari P. , Srivastava Himanshu , Sharma T. K. , Rai V. N. , Srivastava A. K. , Naik P. A.
Published: July 2016

The silver nanoparticle surface relief gratings of ∼10 μm period are fabricated using electron beam lithography on the silver halide film substrate. Morphological characterization of the gratings shows that the period, the shape, and the relief depth in the gratings are mainly dependent on the number of lines per frame, the spot size, and the accelerating voltage of electron beam raster in the SEM. Optical absorption of the silver nanoparticle gratings provides a broad localized surface plasmon resonance peak in the visible region, whereas the intensity of the peaks depends on the number density of silver nanoparticles in the gratings. The maximum efficiency of ∼7.2% for first order diffraction is observed for the grating fabricated at 15 keV. The efficiency is peaking at 560 nm with ∼380 nm bandwidth. The measured profiles of the diffraction efficiency for the gratings are found in close agreement with the Raman-Nath diffraction theory. This technique provides a simple and efficient method for the fabrication of plasmonic nanoparticle grating structures with high diffraction efficiency having broad wavelength tuning.
Response to “Comment on ‘Surface electromagnetic wave equations in a warm magnetized quantum plasma’” [Phys. Plasmas 23, 074701 (2016)]
Authors: Li Chunhua , Wu Zhengwei , Yang Weihong , Chu Paul K.
Published: July 2016

By reviewing the previous work [C. Li et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 072114 (2014)] and the Comment of Moradi, some errors are found. Also, an erratum is given in this Response.
Silicon clathrates for lithium ion batteries: A perspective
Authors: Warrier Pramod , Koh Carolyn A.
Published: July 2016

Development of novel energy storage techniques is essential for the development of sustainable energy resources. Li-ion batteries have the highest rated energy density among rechargeable batteries and have attracted a lot of attention for energy storage in the last 15–20 years. However, significant advancements are required in anode materials before Li-ion batteries become viable for a wide variety of applications, including in renewable energy storage, grid storage, and electric vehicles. While graphite is the current standard anode material in commercial Li-ion batteries, it is Si that exhibits the highest specific energy density among all materials considered for this purpose. Si, however, suffers from significant volume expansion/contraction and the formation of a thick solid-electrolyte interface layer. To resolve these issues, Si clathrates are being considered for anode materials. Clathrates are inclusion compounds and contain cages in which Li could be captured. While Si clathrates offer promising advantages due to their caged structure which enables negligible volume change upon Li insertion, there remains scientific challenges and knowledge gaps to be overcome before these materials can be utilized for Li-ion battery applications, i.e., understanding lithiation/de-lithiation mechanisms, optimizing guest concentrations, as well as safe and economic synthesis routes.
Mitigating the impact of hohlraum asymmetries in National Ignition Facility implosions using capsule shims
Authors: Clark D. S. , Weber C. R. , Smalyuk V. A. , Robey H. F. , Kritcher A. L. , Milovich J. L. , Salmonson J. D.
Published: July 2016

Current indirect drive implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [Moses et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)] are believed to be strongly impacted by long wavelength perturbations driven by asymmetries in the hohlraum x-ray flux. To address this perturbation source, active efforts are underway to develop modified hohlraum designs with reduced asymmetry imprint. An alternative strategy, however, is to modify the capsule design to be more resilient to a given amount of hohlraum asymmetry. In particular, the capsule may be deliberately misshaped, or “shimmed,” so as to counteract the expected asymmetries from the hohlraum. Here, the efficacy of capsule shimming to correct the asymmetries in two recent NIF implosion experiments is assessed using two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations. Despite the highly time-dependent character of the asymmetries and the high convergence ratios of these implosions, simulations suggest that shims could be highly effective at counteracting current asymmetries and result in factors of a few enhancements in neutron yields. For higher compression designs, the yield improvement could be even greater.
Chaos in generically coupled phase oscillator networks with nonpairwise interactions
Authors: Bick Christian , Ashwin Peter , Rodrigues Ana
Published: July 2016

The Kuramoto–Sakaguchi system of coupled phase oscillators, where interaction between oscillators is determined by a single harmonic of phase differences of pairs of oscillators, has very simple emergent dynamics in the case of identical oscillators that are globally coupled: there is a variational structure that means the only attractors are full synchrony (in-phase) or splay phase (rotating wave/full asynchrony) oscillations and the bifurcation between these states is highly degenerate. Here we show that nonpairwise coupling—including three and four-way interactions of the oscillator phases—that appears generically at the next order in normal-form based calculations can give rise to complex emergent dynamics in symmetric phase oscillator networks. In particular, we show that chaos can appear in the smallest possible dimension of four coupled phase oscillators for a range of parameter values.
Optoelectronic response and excitonic properties of monolayer MoS2
Authors: Ben Amara Imen , Ben Salem Emna , Jaziri Sihem
Published: July 2016

Ab initio, electronic energy bands of MoS2 single layer are reported within the local density functional approximation. The inclusion of spin orbit coupling reveals the presence of two excitons A and B. We also discuss the change of physical properties of MoS2 from multilayer and bulk counterparts. The nature of the band gap changes from indirect to direct when the thickness is reduced to a single monolayer. The imaginary and real dielectric functions are investigated. Refractive index and birefringence are also reported. The results suggest that MoS2 is suitable for potential applications in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. The ab initio study is essential to propose the crucial parameters for the analytical model used for A-B exciton properties of the monolayer MoS2. From a theoretical point of view, we consider how the exciton behavior evolves under environmental dielectrics.
Reducing spurious flow in simulations of electrokinetic phenomena
Authors: Rempfer Georg , Davies Gary B. , Holm Christian , de Graaf Joost
Published: July 2016

Electrokinetic transport phenomena can strongly influence the behaviour of macromolecules and colloidal particles in solution, with applications in, e.g., DNA translocation through nanopores, electro-osmotic flow in nanocapillaries, and electrophoresis of charged macromolecules. Numerical simulations are an important tool to investigate these electrokinetic phenomena, but are often plagued by spurious fluxes and spurious flows that can easily exceed physical fluxes and flows. Here, we present a method that reduces one of these spurious currents, spurious flow, by several orders of magnitude. We demonstrate the effectiveness and generality of our method for both the electrokinetic lattice-Boltzmann and finite-element-method based algorithms by simulating a charged sphere in an electrolyte solution and flow through a nanopore. We also show that previous attempts to suppress these spurious currents introduce other sources of error.
The effect of non-Newtonian viscosity on the stability of the Blasius boundary layer
Authors: Griffiths P. T. , Gallagher M. T. , Stephen S. O.
Published: July 2016

We consider, for the first time, the stability of the non-Newtonian boundary layer flow over a flat plate. Shear-thinning and shear-thickening flows are modelled using a Carreau constitutive viscosity relationship. The boundary layer equations are solved in a self-similar fashion. A linear asymptotic stability analysis, that concerns the lower-branch structure of the neutral curve, is presented in the limit of large Reynolds number. It is shown that the lower-branch mode is destabilised and stabilised for shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids, respectively. Favourable agreement is obtained between these asymptotic predictions and numerical results obtained from an equivalent Orr-Sommerfeld type analysis. Our results indicate that an increase in shear-thinning has the effect of significantly reducing the value of the critical Reynolds number, this suggests that the onset of instability will be significantly advanced in this case. This postulation, that shear-thinning destabilises the boundary layer flow, is further supported by our calculations regarding the development of the streamwise eigenfunctions and the relative magnitude of the temporal growth rates.
Theoretical and experimental investigations of nano-Schottky contacts
Authors: Rezeq Moh'd , Eledlebi Khouloud , Ismail Mohammed , Dey Ripon Kumar , Cui Bo
Published: July 2016

Formation of metal-semiconductor (M-S) contacts at sub-20 nanometer range is a key requirement for down-scaling of semiconductor devices. However, electrical measurements of M-S contacts at this scale have exhibited dramatic change in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics compared to that of conventional (or planar) Schottky contacts. This change is actually attributed to the limited metal contact region where the transferred charge from the semiconductor into the metal is confined to a small surface area, which in turn results in an enhanced electric field at the nano-M-S interface. We here present detailed theoretical models to analyze the nano-M-S junctions at 10 nm contact range and then implement this analysis on the experimental data we conducted under these conditions. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate a significant effect of the contact size on the electronic structure of the M-S junctions and thus on the I-V characteristics. This effect is rather prominent when the size of the metal contact is substantially smaller than the width of conventional depletion region of the relevant planar M-S contacts.
Characterization of laser-produced carbon plasmas relevant to laboratory astrophysics
Authors: Schaeffer D. B. , Bondarenko A. S. , Everson E. T. , Clark S. E. , Constantin C. G. , Niemann C.
Published: July 2016

Experiments, analytic modeling, and numerical simulations are presented to characterize carbon plasmas produced by high-intensity (109−1013 W cm−2) lasers relevant to experimental laboratory astrophysics. In the large-scale limit, the results agree well with a self-similar isentropic, adiabatic fluid model. Laser-target simulations, however, show small-scale structure in the velocity distribution of different ion species, which is also seen in experiments. These distributions indicate that most of the plasma energy resides in moderate charge states (C+3–C+4), most of the mass resides in the lowest charge states, and the highest charge states move fastest.
An AlN/Al0.85Ga0.15N high electron mobility transistor
Authors: Baca Albert G. , Armstrong Andrew M. , Allerman Andrew A. , Douglas Erica A. , Sanchez Carlos A. , King Michael P. , Coltrin Michael E. , Fortune Torben R. , Kaplar Robert J.
Published: July 2016

An AlN barrier high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) based on the AlN/Al0.85Ga0.15N heterostructure was grown, fabricated, and electrically characterized, thereby extending the range of Al composition and bandgap for AlGaN channel HEMTs. An etch and regrowth procedure was implemented for source and drain contact formation. A breakdown voltage of 810 V was achieved without a gate insulator or field plate. Excellent gate leakage characteristics enabled a high Ion/Ioff current ratio greater than 107 and an excellent subthreshold slope of 75 mV/decade. A large Schottky barrier height of 1.74 eV contributed to these results. The room temperature voltage-dependent 3-terminal off-state drain current was adequately modeled with Frenkel-Poole emission.
Tracking of buried layers during plasma-assisted femtosecond laser drilling of compound targets
Authors: Zhvaniya I. A. , Garmatina A. A. , Makarov I. A. , Gordienko V. M.
Published: July 2016

It was shown that drilling of multi-layered target placed in the air by tightly focused femtosecond laser radiation with high fluence (up to 1000 J/cm2) can be monitored online using plasma-induced X-ray emission and second harmonic of incident laser radiation. The technique based on X-rays registration is appeared to be more flexible than the method based on detection of second harmonic since its accuracy depends crucially on the target type. We demonstrated that the X-ray signal clearly indicates the transition from one layer to another during the microdrilling of targets consisting of 2–4 layers of titanium foil when a laser beam is focused beneath the target surface at a depth comparable to the layer thickness. The diagnostics of microchannel production in the chicken eggshell was performed for the first time. It was found that the presence of albumen beneath the shell accounts for longtime generation of X-ray pulses.
Excited and enhanced twinborn acoustic-induced mutual forces in oblique grating structures
Authors: Lu Shuifang , Zhang Xin , Wu Fugen , Yao Yuanwei , Chen Zongwang
Published: July 2016

We propose a water-immersed geometrically oblique grating structure patterned with a 1D periodic array of oblique rhombuses. Twin acoustic-induced mutual forces (both repulsive and attractive) between coupled steel plates were realized in this system when the external plane wave normally impacted the plates. Calculations showed that the emerging forces are more than an order of magnitude larger than the corresponding induced force of a conventional grating structure. We also found that the strong acoustic-induced mutual forces stem from the resonant excitation of nonleaky flexural Lamb modes in the coupled plates, and that these forces couple more strongly with the external incident acoustic waves. Furthermore, the amplitudes and resonant wavelengths of these forces can be coarsely controlled by changing the symmetry of the system and finely adjusted by varying the slant angle and the edge-length of the oblique rhombus. The proposed acoustic system could potentially be applied in sensors and in the ultrasonic detection of weak signals in water.
Characterization of compact-toroid injection during formation, translation, and field penetration
Authors: Matsumoto T. , Roche T. , Allfrey I. , Sekiguchi J. , Asai T. , Gota H. , Cordero M. , Garate E. , Kinley J. , Valentine T. , Waggoner W. , Binderbauer M. , Tajima T.
Published: July 2016

We have developed a compact toroid (CT) injector system for particle refueling of the advanced beam-driven C-2U field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasma. The CT injector is a magnetized coaxial plasma gun (MCPG), and the produced CT must cross the perpendicular magnetic field surrounding the FRC for the refueling of C-2U. To simulate this environment, an experimental test stand has been constructed. A transverse magnetic field of ∼1 kG is established, which is comparable to the C-2U axial magnetic field in the confinement section, and CTs are fired across it. On the test stand we have been characterizing and studying CT formation, ejection/translation from the MCPG, and penetration into transverse magnetic fields.
Intrinsic radiation tolerance of ultra-thin GaAs solar cells
Authors: Hirst L. C. , Yakes M. K. , Warner J. H. , Bennett M. F. , Schmieder K. J. , Walters R. J. , Jenkins P. P.
Published: July 2016

Radiation tolerance is a critical performance criterion of photovoltaic devices for space power applications. In this paper we demonstrate the intrinsic radiation tolerance of an ultra-thin solar cell geometry. Device characteristics of GaAs solar cells with absorber layer thicknesses 80 nm and 800 nm were compared before and after 3 MeV proton irradiation. Both cells showed a similar degradation in Voc with increasing fluence; however, the 80 nm cell showed no degradation in Isc for fluences up to 1014 p+ cm−2. For the same exposure, the Isc of the 800 nm cell had severely degraded leaving a remaining factor of 0.26.
GaAsP solar cells on GaP/Si with low threading dislocation density
Authors: Yaung Kevin Nay , Vaisman Michelle , Lang Jordan , Lee Minjoo Larry
Published: July 2016

GaAsP on Si tandem cells represent a promising path towards achieving high efficiency while leveraging the Si solar knowledge base and low-cost infrastructure. However, dislocation densities exceeding 108 cm−2 in GaAsP cells on Si have historically hampered the efficiency of such approaches. Here, we report the achievement of low threading dislocation density values of 4.0–4.6 × 106 cm−2 in GaAsP solar cells on GaP/Si, comparable with more established metamorphic solar cells on GaAs. Our GaAsP solar cells on GaP/Si exhibit high open-circuit voltage and quantum efficiency, allowing them to significantly surpass the power conversion efficiency of previous devices. The results in this work show a realistic path towards dual-junction GaAsP on Si cells with efficiencies exceeding 30%.
Characteristics of InGaAsBi with various lattice mismatches on InP substrate
Authors: Chen X. Y. , Gu Y. , Zhang Y. G. , Xi S. P. , Du B. , Ma Y. J. , Ji W. Y. , Shi Y. H.
Published: July 2016

To develop bismuth-containing infrared optoelectronic devices, InGaAsBi/InP films with different lattice mismatches have been investigated. The lattice mismatch was tailored by changing the Bi content in conjunction with the In content simultaneously. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that alloy lattice constants have been extended positively by incorporation of Bi into the crystal lattice. Electrical and optical characteristics were investigated by Hall-effect, optical absorption and photoluminescence measurements. A bandgap shrinking of about 56.4 meV/Bi% was deduced by X-ray diffraction and optical absorption measurements. From the excitation dependent photoluminescence measurement at 10 K, the donor-acceptor pair emissions were inferred for samples containing moderate and high levels of Bi. The temperature dependence of the PL peak energy is as small as 0.06 meV/K in In0.5Ga0.5As0.987Bi0.013, which is fairly low compared with that of In0.5Ga0.5As.
Potassium doping: Tuning the optical properties of graphene quantum dots
Authors: Qian Fuli , Li Xueming , Tang Libin , Lai Sin Ki , Lu Chaoyu , Lau Shu Ping
Published: July 2016

Doping with hetero-atoms is an effective way to tune the properties of graphene quantum dots (GQDs). Here, potassium-doped GQDs (K-GQDs) are synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal treatment of sucrose and potassium hydroxide solution. Optical properties of the GQDs are altered as a result of K-doping. The absorption peaks exhibit a blue shift. Multiple photoluminescence (PL) peaks are observed as the excitation wavelength is varied from 380 nm to 620 nm. New energy levels are introduced into the K-GQDs and provide alternative electron transition pathways. The maximum PL intensity of the K-GQDs is obtained at an excitation wavelength of 480 nm which is distinct from the undoped GQDs (375 nm). The strong PL of the K-GQDs at the longer emission wavelengths is expected to make K-GQDs more suitable for bioimaging and optoelectronic applications.
Costs associated with hereditary haemochromatosis in Australia: a cost-of-illness study
Authors: de Graaff Barbara , Neil Amanda , Sanderson Kristy , Yee Kwang Chien , Palmer Andrew J.
Published: July 2016

Objective The aim of the present study was to assess health sector, other sector and time-related (productivity) costs associated with hereditary haemochromatosis from societal, government and patient perspectives for the Australian setting. Methods A national web-based survey of people with haemochromatosis was conducted between November 2013 and February 2015. Participants completed a health survey and resource use diaries. Costs were calculated using a bottom-up approach and calculated in 2015 Australian dollars. Results Cost data were available for 157 participants. From a societal perspective, the estimated annual cost of haemochromatosis was A$274 million. The mean (95% confidence interval) cost for symptomatic patients was almost threefold greater than that of asymptomatic patients (A$10030 (7705–12670) vs A$3701 (2423–5296) respectively). Health sector and productivity-related time loss were the main cost drivers. When extrapolating costs to the Australian population level, asymptomatic haemochromatosis accounted for higher costs than symptomatic haemochromatosis (A$183 million vs A$91 million), reflecting the low clinical penetrance estimate used. Total costs increased when higher clinical penetrance estimates were used. Conclusion The present cost-of-illness study, the first to be published for haemochromatosis, found that although costs were substantial, they could be decreased by reducing clinical penetrance. Development of cost-effective strategies to increase early diagnosis is likely to result in better health outcomes for patients and lower total costs. What is known about the topic? To date, no cost-of-illness study has been conducted for haemochromatosis. Previous economic work in this area has relied on cost estimates based on expert opinion. What does the paper add? This paper provides the first cost estimates for haemochromatosis for the Australian population. These estimates, calculated using a bottom-up approach, were extrapolated to the population level based on the most robust epidemiological estimates available for the Australian population. What are the implications for practitioners? Population screening programs have been widely suggested as an approach to reduce clinical penetrance; however, the lack of high-quality economic analyses has been cited as a barrier to implementation. The present study provides the most robust cost estimates to date, which may be used to populate economic models. In addition, the present study illustrates that reducing clinical penetrance of haemochromatosis is likely to result in substantial reductions in cost.
Growth of linked hospital data use in Australia: a systematic review
Authors: Tew Michelle , Dalziel Kim M. , Petrie Dennis J. , Clarke Philip M.
Published: July 2016

Objective The aim of the present study was to quantify and understand the utilisation of linked hospital data for research purposes across Australia over the past two decades. Methods A systematic review was undertaken guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 checklist. Medline OVID, PsycINFO, Embase, EconLit and Scopus were searched to identify articles published from 1946 to December 2014. Information on publication year, state(s) involved, type of data linkage, disease area and purpose was extracted. Results The search identified 3314 articles, of which 606 were included; these generated 629 records of hospital data linkage use across all Australian states and territories. The major contributions were from Western Australia (WA; 51%) and New South Wales (NSW; 32%) with the remaining states and territories having significantly fewer publications (total contribution only 17%). WA’s contribution resulted from a steady increase from the late 1990s, whereas NSW’s contribution is mostly from a rapid increase from 2010. Current data linkage is primarily used in epidemiological research (73%). Conclusion More than 80% of publications were from WA and NSW, whereas other states significantly lag behind. The observable growth in these two states clearly demonstrates the underutilised opportunities for data linkage to add value in health services research in the other states. What is known about the topic? Linking administrative hospital data to other data has the potential to be a cost-effective method to significantly improve health policy. Over the past two decades, Australia has made significant investments in improving its data linkage capabilities. However, several articles have highlighted the many barriers involved in using linked hospital data. What does this paper add? This paper quantitatively evaluates the performance across all Australian states in terms of the use of their administrative hospital data for research purposes. The performance of states varies considerably, with WA and NSW the clear stand-out performers and limited outputs currently seen for the other Australian states and territories. What are the implications for practitioners? Given the significant investments made into data linkage, it is important to continue to evaluate and monitor the performance of the states in terms of translating this investment into outputs. Where the outputs do not match the investment, it is important to identify and overcome those barriers limiting the gains from this investment. More generally, there is a need to think about how we improve the effective and efficient use of data linkage investments in Australia.
Uncovering edge states and electrical inhomogeneity in MoS
2
field-effect transistors
Authors: Wu Di , Li Xiao , Luan Lan , Wu Xiaoyu , Li Wei , Yogeesh Maruthi N. , Ghosh Rudresh , Chu Zhaodong , Akinwande Deji , Niu Qian , Lai Keji
Published: July 2016

Significance

The performances of devices based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are far from their intrinsic limits, presumably due to various disorders in these 2D crystals. To date, little is known about the magnitude and characteristic length scale of electrical inhomogeneity induced by the disorders in TMDs. In this paper, strong mesoscopic (submicrometer) electrical inhomogeneity in MoS
2
flakes, which reveals the potential fluctuations, was observed by a unique technique termed microwave impedance microscopy. The local conductance of edge states and its contribution to the transport were also resolved and analyzed experimentally for the first time, to our knowledge. The results provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential landscape in TMDs, which is very important for the improvement of device performance.
From the meaning of the concrete noun to its grammatical property and back
Authors: Drożdż Grzegorz
Published: July 2016

The property of countability and uncountability is one of important characteristics of English nouns. At the same time, it is an issue of considerable controversy. On the one hand, Huddleston and Pullum (2002: 334) maintain that many nouns can be used with count and mass interpretations. On the other hand, Langacker (2008: 142) claims that probably all nouns can be used as countable and uncountable.
The chapter explores this issue. Its aim is to suggest a methodology that checks Langacker’s claim. In order to do so, we take the CG stance and trace sense extensions of five concrete nouns classified by dictionaries as solely countable. The chapter indicates also certain regularities in this kind of sense extensions.
The binding hierarchy and infinitival complementation in English and in Polish
Authors: Kaleta Agnieszka
Published: July 2016

The present chapter investigates different types of English infinitive taking predicates and their Polish-language equivalents with a view to accounting for the semantic mechanisms motivating the distribution of the infinitival complement in these two languages. The study takes as its point of reference Talmy Givon’s theory of ‘binding hierarchy’; according to which, there is a systematic correlation between the semantic properties of complement-taking verbs and the syntactic structure of their complements. The chapter takes a detailed look at how the binding hierarchy is exploited by both the English infinitive taking predicates and their Polish equivalents, and goes on to show that the latter are more sensitive to the nature of the relationship between the subject and the object referent of the infinitive taking predicates.
The interplay of metaphor and metonymy in English noun+noun compounds
Authors: Kuczok Marcin
Published: July 2016

The present chapter aims at comparing two different methodologies that can be used to explain the intricacies of the interplay between metaphor and metonymy in noun+noun compounds in English. The meaning of such compounds may be motivated by the mechanisms of conceptual metaphor or metonymy, and sometimes by both of them in a process called metaphtonymy. First, the chapter presents Benczes’s analysis (2006) of the metaphorical and metonymical semantics of noun+noun compounds, which is based on the Langackerian distinction between the profile determinant and the modifier, and on Fauconnier and Turner’s (2002) theory of conceptual blending. Second, the chapter offers an analysis of the interaction between metaphor and metonymy in selected English noun+noun compounds, based on the typology of metaphtonymical patterns suggested by Ruiz de Mendoza and Diez (2002).
‘The Great Mother’
Authors: Lu Yanying
Published: July 2016

This paper examines the metaphorical conceptualization of the core philosophical terms inDàoDéJīng, namely, 道dào, “the way,” and 德dé, “efficacy.” Based on the notion of conceptual metaphor, it can be argued that these two philosophical terms have gained meaning through conceptual metaphors that have motherhood and infancy as the source domain concepts. An analysis of the conceptual mappings of these metaphors finds that human body-related terms serve as the cognitive basis for the understanding ofDàoDéJīng’s arguments on cosmology, morality and spirituality. Based on the findings of this study, I demonstrate that the meanings of some key philosophical terms in the text, such asdàoanddé, can be explored by examining metaphorical structures at a conceptual level. This supports the view that conceptualization arises from the embodied experience of human beings and, furthermore, highlights the role of culture when examining the conceptualization of philosophical terms that emerge from a given cultural context.
Gender, shape, and sociality
Authors: Aikhenvald Alexandra Y.
Published: July 2016

Many languages of the world have genders, that is, grammatical agreement classes, based on such core semantic properties as animacy, sex and humanness, and also shape. In Manambu, a language of New Guinea, nouns are assigned genders according to the sex of a human referent, and to shape and size of any other referent. Men are assigned to the masculine, and women to the feminine gender. A long tube and a large house are masculine, and a round plate and a small house are feminine. Switching gender for humans has pejorative overtones: an unusually boisterous or bossy woman can be treated as masculine, and a squat fattish man who does not display fully masculine behaviour as feminine. Classifying humans by their shape and size implies downgrading them to the level of inanimates. Gender switch also reflects social stereotypes. Feminine gender is functionally unmarked for non-humans, but not for humans. The noundu, “man” can be used as a generic term for “human being.” Linguistic Gender of humans in Manambu unequivocally reflects Social Gender relations.
The scientific study of literary experience
Authors: Jacobs Arthur M.
Published: July 2016

In this state-of-the-art review, I start with an illustrative example of behavioral data collected during the reading of a love poem reflecting one of many aspects that form the object of the Scientific Study of Literature, i.e., literary experience. A further section discusses key ingredients of literary experience, i.e., immersive and aesthetic processes. The paper’s core part analyses four recent representative empirical studies covering perspectives ranging from phenomenology to cognitive neuroscience. In the final sections, a number of critical theoretical and methodological issues are considered. Systematic research on the ontogeny of literary experiences is identified as a main desideratum of the field and further recommendations for the future scientific study of literature are proposed.
Beauty judgements of non-professional poetry
Authors: Hanauer David I.
Published: July 2016

The process of reading and writing poetry is increasingly conducted by non-professionals. The current study utilized a series of regression models to explore the mechanism through which beauty judgements of non-professional poetry are made. The analysis addressed the relationships among the decision that a poem was written by a published poet (authorial attribution), a perception of the quality of the writing, the emotional response to the poem and a beauty judgement of the poem. 54 participants from two graduate applied linguistics programs rated 5 non-professional poems for their beauty, emotive response, quality of writing and semi-professional status of the writer. Analyses were conducted on averaged ratings across all five poems. The results indicate the beauty judgements, emotive response and quality of writing judgements were closely related. The decision that a poem is written by a published poet predicted the quality of writing and emotional response to the poem. An inconsistent mediation model was determined, in which increases in the semi-professional status of the writer increased the self-reported emotive response and quality of writing which in turn increased the beauty judgement of the poem. The results suggest a mechanism by which convergence of aesthetic judgement with novice reviewers is directed by the social sanctioning of the authority and quality of the writer.
Beyond non-translation and “self-translation”
Authors: Chan Leo Tak-hung
Published: July 2016

For non-Anglophone scholars, there are essentially three language options, leading to: (1) untranslated publications in languages other than English; (2) research written in English, although some kind of “internal translation” has occurred to the author concerned; and (3) research translated into English by someone who serves as a mediator between the original text and the readers of the translation. The present paper analyzes the three choice made by Chinese scholars in the past two decades. The first category of these writings is produced by those who are unable to use English, or those who strive to resist Englishization. The second involves bilingual authors who are also “self-translators.” The third is by nature collaborative, with a monolingual author being helped, in most cases, by a professional translator. Specific reference will be made in this article to the shifting importance the third category has assumed in Chinese scholarship in the last decade but the main focus will be on the challenges faced by all non-Anglophone humanities scholars in attempting to publish in English.
The effect of informational load on disfluencies in interpreting
Authors: Plevoets Koen , Defrancq Bart
Published: July 2016

This article attempts to measure the cognitive or informational load in interpreting by modelling the occurrence rate of the speech disfluency uh(m). In a corpus of 107 interpreted and 240 non-interpreted texts, informational load is operationalized in terms of four measures: delivery rate, lexical density, percentage of numerals, and average sentence length. The occurrence rate of the indicated speech disfluency was modelled using a rate model. Interpreted texts are analyzed based on the interpreter’s output and compared with the input of non-interpreted texts, and measure the effect of source text features. The results demonstrate that interpreters produce significantly more uh(m)s than non-interpreters and that this difference is mainly due to the effect of lexical density on the output side. The main source predictor of uh(m)s in the target text was shown to be the delivery rate of the source text. On a more general level of significance, the second analysis also revealed an increasing effect of the numerals in the source texts and a decreasing effect of the numerals in the target texts.
Translation ideologies of American literature in China
Authors: Lockard Joe , Dan Qin
Published: July 2016

Chinese translations of U.S. literature manifest a shift from the third-world internationalism and anti-Western and anti-capitalist politics of the 1950s toward a diminished rhetorical antagonism in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Because translation introductions are instrumental in introducing Chinese readers to the social context of U.S. literature, we surveyed a broad sample of prefaces. Based on this survey, we theorize China-U.S. translation relations within a world system; examine the ideological character of post-Revolution translation introductions to American literature; and identify shifting ideological tides following the Cultural Revolution.
The translation of Arabic lexical collocations
Authors: Izwaini Sattar
Published: July 2016

Collocation is the tendency of lexical items to habitually co-occur in their immediate environment and is a result of arbitrary attraction between words which tend to associate with each other. Lexical collocation is the association of content words. This article investigates the translation of Arabic lexical collocations into English and discusses the methods and challenges of dealing with Arabic collocations cross-linguistically. First, collocation types, patterns, structures and restrictions are outlined. Other issues such as semantic and syntactic features as well as register are touched upon. Arabic Corpora were used to detect and verify occurrences of collocations. The article then discusses strategies of translating Arabic lexical collocations into English.
Preparation of transparent hydrophobic polymeric films spray-deposited on substrates
Authors: Viechineski F. N. , Kubaski E. T. , Schmidt S. , Sequinel T. , Varela J. A. , Tebcherani S. M.
Published: July 2016

This paper describes the production of transparent hydrophobic polymeric films made of poly(vinyl chloride) and paraffin wax. A liquid polymeric solution was prepared and spray-deposited on silica glass and nonwoven fabric surfaces. The contact angle between water droplets and glass substrate was 102° while that between droplets and nonwoven fabric was 120°. The films exhibited hydrophobic behaviour regardless of the droplet size. Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy revealed complete adhesion of the film on the substrate and a film thickness of 0.16 µm. The atomic force microscopy micrographs showed a nanoscale rough film surface, which was responsible for air entrapment, preventing water from penetrating the film. This fact explains the high contact angle obtained. The raw materials also contributed to the film's hydrophobicity because of their non-polarity, which prevents miscibility between water droplets and film.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Substrate pre-treatment by dry-ice blasting and cold spraying of titanium
Authors: Dong S. , Liao H.
Published: July 2016

With the aim of avoiding the composition modification of titanium particles and substrate degradation during conventional thermal spray process, a combination process of cold spraying and dry-ice blasting was used in the present study to deposit titanium coatings on different metallic substrates. Moreover, a tentative study on cold spraying of titanium coatings on non-metallic surfaces such as polymers was carried out by profiting the texturing potential of dry-ice blasting. The deposition characteristics of titanium particles were examined in terms of deposition efficiency, coating microstructure, microhardness and bonding strength. Only several titanium particles were embedded into polymer with no build-up of a layer or coating in spite of dry-ice blasting application. Titanium coatings coated on metallic substrates exhibited a porous structure and no obvious difference in outer and inner microstructure was distinguished. In addition, dry-ice blasting has a positive improvement in bonding strength between titanium coatings and relatively soft metallic substrate.
Widespread Rift Valley Fever Emergence in Senegal in 2013–2014
Authors: Sow Abdourahmane , Faye Ousmane , Ba Yamar , Diallo Diawo , Fall Gamou , Faye Oumar , Bob Ndeye Sakha , Loucoubar Cheikh , Richard Vincent , Dia Anta Tal , Diallo Mawlouth , Malvy Denis , Sall Amadou Alpha
Published: July 2016

Rift Valley fever (RVF), which caused epizootics and epidemics among human and livestock populations, occurred in Senegal in 2013–2014. A multidisciplinary field investigation was carried out in 3 regions of Senegal. We found 11 confirmed human cases of Rift Valley fever, including severe cases with encephalitis and retinitis, 1 pool of mosquito (Aedes ochraceus), and 52 animals tested positive for the disease. Symptoms such as encephalitis and macular retinitis were the most severe cases reported so far in Senegal. The outbreak was widespread due to animals' movements, leading to the largest RVF outbreak in Senegal in terms of geographic spreading and reaching areas that never reported RVF activity previously.
Euphorbia milii-Endophytic Bacteria Interactions Affect Hormonal Levels of the Native Host Differently Under Various Airborne Pollutants
Authors: Khaksar Gholamreza , Siswanto Dian , Treesubsuntorn Chairat , Thiravetyan Paitip
Published: July 2016

This study was conducted to assess the effect of plant–native endophytic bacteria interactions on indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ethylene levels, and hormonal balance of Euphorbia milii under different airborne pollutants. IAA levels and airborne formaldehyde removal by E. milii enhanced when inoculated with endophytic isolates. However, one isolate, designated as root endophyte 4, with the highest levels of IAA production individually, declined gaseous formaldehyde removal of plant, since it disturbed hormonal balance of E. milii, leading to IAA levels higher than physiological concentrations, which stimulated ethylene biosynthesis and stomatal closure under light conditions. However, plant–root endophyte 4 interactions favored airborne benzene removal, since benzene was more phytotoxic and the plant needed more IAA to protect against benzene phytotoxicity. As trimethylamine (TMA) was not toxic, it did not affect plant-endophyte interactions. Therefore, IAA levels of root endophyte 4–inoculated E. milii was not significantly different from a noninoculated one. Under mixed-pollutant stress (formaldehyde, benzene, TMA), root endophyte 4–inoculated E. milii removed benzene at the lowest rate, since benzene was the most phytotoxic pollutant with the greatest molecular mass. However, TMA (with greater molecular mass) was removed faster than formaldehyde due to higher phytotoxicity of formaldehyde. Plant-endophyte interactions were affected differently under various airborne pollutants.
Diversity and Distribution of Rice Blast (Pyricularia oryzae Cavara) Races in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan M. A. I. , Ali M. A. , Monsur M. A. , Kawasaki-Tanaka A. , Hayashi N. , Yanagihara S. , Obara M. , Mia M. A. T. , Latif M. A. , Fukuta Y.
Published: July 2016

The pathogenicity of 331 blast isolates (Pyricularia oryzae Cavara) collected from different regions and ecosystems for rice cultivation in Bangladesh was evaluated by compatibility on 23 differential varieties (DV), each harboring a single blast resistance gene, and susceptible ‘Lijiangxintuanheigu’ (LTH). A wide variation in virulence was found among the isolates, and 267 races were classified using a new designation system. Virulence of blast isolates against DV carrying the resistance genes Pia, Pib, Pit, Pik-s, Piz-t, Pi12(t), Pi19(t), and Pi20(t), as well as avirulence against those carrying Pish, Pi9, Pita-2, and Pita, was distributed widely in Bangladesh. Cluster analysis of the compatibility data on the DV initially classified the isolates into groups I and II. The virulence spectra of the two groups differed mainly according to the reactions of the DV to Pii, Pi3, Pi5(t), Pik-m, Pi1, Pik-h, Pik, Pik-p, and Pi7(t). Group I isolates were distributed mainly in rainfed lowlands, whereas group II isolates were found mainly in irrigated lowlands; however, there were no critical differences in geographic distribution of the blast isolates. In total, 26 isolates, which could be used to identify the 23 resistance genes of the DV on the basis of their reaction patterns, were selected as a set of standard differential blast isolates. To our knowledge, this is the first clear demonstration of the diversity and differentiation of blast races in Bangladesh. This information will be used to develop a durable blast protection system in that country.