bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fix-and-optimize metaheuristics for minmax regret binary integer programming problems under interval uncertainty
Authors: Carvalho Iago A. , Noronha Thiago F. , Duhamel Christophe
Published: November 2022

The Binary Integer Programming problem (BIP) is a mathematical optimization problem, with linear objective function and constraints, on which the domain of all variables is {0, 1}. In BIP, every variable is associated with a determined cost coefficient. The Minmax regret Binary Integer Programming problem under interval uncertainty (M-BIP) is a generalization of BIP in which the cost coefficient associated to the variables is not known in advance, but are assumed to be bounded by an interval. The objective of M-BIP is to find a solution that possesses the minimum maximum regret among all possible solutions for the problem. In this paper, we show that the decision version of M-BIP is Σp2-complete. Furthermore, we tackle M-BIP by both exact and heuristic algorithms. We extend three exact algorithms from the literature to M-BIP and propose two fix-and-optimize heuristic algorithms. Computational experiments, performed on the Minmax regret Weighted Set Covering problem under Interval Uncertainties (M-WSCP) as a test case, indicates that one of the exact algorithms outperforms the others. Furthermore, it shows that the proposed fix-and-optimize heuristics, that can be easily employed to solve any minmax regret optimization problem under interval uncertainty, are competitive with ad-hoc algorithms for the M-WSCP.
Digitale Transformation: 2022 – Horrorjahr für die IT-Abteilung
Authors: Lang Michael
Published: November 2022

Alle IT-Abteilungen in den deutschen Krankenhäusern müssen ihre KHZG-Förderprojekte mehr oder weniger zeitgleich umsetzen, zusätzlich zu den laufenden Projekten wie etwa der Telematikinfrastruktur. Wie die Kliniken mit dieser Situation umgehen und dennoch versuchen, die gesetzten Fristen einzuhalten.
Universitätsklinikum Bonn: Erstes mobiles MRT für die Kleinsten
Authors: Röser Viola
Published: November 2022

Die Hirnblutung eines Neugeborenen diagnostizieren und engmaschig beobachten? Gar nicht so einfach, denn der Transport hochsensibler Patientinnen und Patienten zum Magnetresonanztomographen (MRT) birgt viele Risiken. Mit dem mobilen MRT am Universitätsklinikum Bonn (UKB) gehört diese Problematik der Vergangenheit an.
Elektronische Schließ- und Zutrittslösungen: Zutritt sicher verwaltet im komplexen Klinikalltag
Authors: Radojevic Dusan
Published: November 2022

Größere Gebäudekomplexe im Health-Care-Bereich haben besondere Anforderungen an die Sicherheit und das Zugangsberechtigungs-Management für die zahlreichen Mitarbeiter. Ein elektronisches Schließsystem und eine Zutrittskontrolllösung sorgen für Sicherheit im Klinikalltag.
Improving the simulation of flow around wind plants
Authors: Lim Alane
Published: November 2022

Simulations distinguish contributions from wind plant blockages and topography heterogeneities.
Cell pairing for biological analysis in microfluidic devices
Authors: Tang Xiaoqing , Huang Qiang , Arai Tatsuo , Liu Xiaoming
Published: November 2022

Cell pairing at the single-cell level usually allows a few cells to contact or seal in a single chamber and provides high-resolution imaging. It is pivotal for biological research, including understanding basic cell functions, creating cancer treatment technologies, developing drugs, and more. Laboratory chips based on microfluidics have been widely used to trap, immobilize, and analyze cells due to their high efficiency, high throughput, and good biocompatibility properties. Cell pairing technology in microfluidic devices provides spatiotemporal research on cellular interactions and a highly controlled approach for cell heterogeneity studies. In the last few decades, many researchers have emphasized cell pairing research based on microfluidics. They designed various microfluidic device structures for different biological applications. Herein, we describe the current physical methods of microfluidic devices to trap cell pairs. We emphatically summarize the practical applications of cell pairing in microfluidic devices, including cell fusion, cell immunity, gap junction intercellular communication, cell co-culture, and other applications. Finally, we review the advances and existing challenges of the presented devices and then discuss the possible development directions to promote medical and biological research.
Multi-resonance flextensional hydrophone for open-circuit scuba diver detection
Authors: Sun Yuchen , Chen Weiyi , Li Zongji , Chen Huadong , Dong Li , Zhu Yongyong , Wang Shizhe
Published: November 2022

A multi-resonance Cymbal hydrophone for detection of the open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) diver was designed and fabricated in this work, which has the advantages of multi-resonant frequency, high sensitivity, and narrow bandwidth. By using standard hydrophones, the underwater acoustic signal of the open-circuit scuba diver in the pool was collected and the characteristics of the signal were analyzed: the signal was mainly distributed in high frequency and low frequency. According to this characteristic, a Cymbal hydrophone with multi-resonance frequencies was designed in the finite element method, and the resonant frequency, receiving sensitivity, and bandwidth of the hydrophone were calculated. The accuracy of the calculation was verified with the performance test of the prototypes fabricated in this work. Finally, the underwater acoustic signal of an open-circuit scuba diver in the pool was tested by the prototype to demonstrate that the multi-resonance Cymbal hydrophone developed in this paper can be used for open-circuit scuba diver detection.
Gyrokinetic analysis of inter-edge localized mode transport mechanisms in a DIII-D pedestal
Authors: Halfmoon M. R. , Hatch D. R. , Kotschenreuther M. T. , Mahajan S. M. , Nelson A. O. , Kolemen E. , Curie M. , Diallo A. , Groebner R. J. , Hassan E. , Belli E. A. , Candy J.
Published: November 2022

In this study, gyrokinetic simulations are used to study pedestal fluctuations for DIII-D discharge 174082 using the GENE code. Nonlinear local simulations indicate that electron heat flux has contributions from electron temperature gradient-driven transport but at levels insufficient to satisfy power balance. We show that microtearing modes (MTM) and neoclassical transport are likely to account for the remaining observed energy losses in the electron and ion channels, respectively. The MTM instabilities found in the simulations are consistent with the high-frequency fluctuations identified in the magnetic fluctuation data from Mirnov coils. The fluctuation data in this discharge also exhibit a low-frequency band of fluctuations. By modifying the equilibrium profiles and plasma β, simulations produce MHD modes, which may be responsible for these observed low-frequency fluctuations. We compare several metrics involving ratios of fluctuation amplitudes and transport quantities for both MTMs and MHD modes. This analysis suggests that the available data are consistent with the simultaneous activity of both MHD modes and MTMs provided that the former is limited largely to the particle transport channel.
Exact finite-dimensional reduction for a population of noisy oscillators and its link to Ott–Antonsen and Watanabe–Strogatz theories
Authors: Cestnik Rok , Pikovsky Arkady
Published: November 2022

Populations of globally coupled phase oscillators are described in the thermodynamic limit by kinetic equations for the distribution densities or, equivalently, by infinite hierarchies of equations for the order parameters. Ott and Antonsen [Chaos 18, 037113 (2008)] have found an invariant finite-dimensional subspace on which the dynamics is described by one complex variable per population. For oscillators with Cauchy distributed frequencies or for those driven by Cauchy white noise, this subspace is weakly stable and, thus, describes the asymptotic dynamics. Here, we report on an exact finite-dimensional reduction of the dynamics outside of the Ott–Antonsen subspace. We show that the evolution from generic initial states can be reduced to that of three complex variables, plus a constant function. For identical noise-free oscillators, this reduction corresponds to the Watanabe–Strogatz system of equations [Watanabe and Strogatz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2391 (1993)]. We discuss how the reduced system can be used to explore the transient dynamics of perturbed ensembles.
Liver-on-a-chip: Considerations, advances, and beyond
Authors: Yang Zhenxu , Liu Xiaochen , Cribbin Elise M. , Kim Alice M. , Li Jiao Jiao , Yong Ken-Tye
Published: November 2022

The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body with largest mass of glandular tissue. Modeling the liver has been challenging due to its variety of major functions, including processing nutrients and vitamins, detoxification, and regulating body metabolism. The intrinsic shortfalls of conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture methods for studying pharmacokinetics in parenchymal cells (hepatocytes) have contributed to suboptimal outcomes in clinical trials and drug development. This prompts the development of highly automated, biomimetic liver-on-a-chip (LOC) devices to simulate native liver structure and function, with the aid of recent progress in microfluidics. LOC offers a cost-effective and accurate model for pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity studies. This review provides a critical update on recent developments in designing LOCs and fabrication strategies. We highlight biomimetic design approaches for LOCs, including mimicking liver structure and function, and their diverse applications in areas such as drug screening, toxicity assessment, and real-time biosensing. We capture the newest ideas in the field to advance the field of LOCs and address current challenges.
Spin Hall angle in single-layer graphene
Authors: da Silva Juliana M. , Santana Fernando A. F. , Ramos Jorge G. G. S. , Barbosa Anderson L. R.
Published: November 2022

We investigate the spin Hall effect in a single-layer graphene device with disorder and interface-induced spin–orbit coupling. Our graphene device is connected to four semi-infinite leads that are embedded in a Landauer–Büttiker setup for quantum transport. We show that the spin Hall angle of graphene devices exhibits mesoscopic fluctuations that are similar to metal devices. Furthermore, the product between the maximum spin Hall angle deviation and dimensionless longitudinal conductivity follows a universal relationship ΘsH×σ=0.18. Finally, we compare the universal relation with recent experimental data and numerically exact real-space simulations from the tight-binding model.
Phase stability and half-metallic character of off-stoichiometric Co2FeGa0.5Ge0.5 Heusler alloys
Authors: Chen Zixi , Sakuraba Yuya , Miura Yoshio , Li Zehao , Sasaki Taisuke , Suto Hirofumi , Kushwaha Varun K. , Nakatani Tomoya , Mitani Seiji , Hono Kazuhiro
Published: November 2022

We investigate the effects of off-stoichiometric compositional variations from the Co2Fe(Ga0.5Ge0.5) (CFGG) full-Heusler alloy on its half-metallic electronic structure. First-principles calculations predict that the Co antisite defects that occupy Fe-sites (CoFe) lead to a finite DOS in the half-metallic gap of CFGG. Fe antisites defects in Co-sites (FeCo) introduced by excessing Fe composition, which could suppress the formation of CoFe, preserves the half-metallic gap but reduces spin polarization because the Fermi level shifts to the lower energy. We found that, in Fe-excess CFGG, Ge-excess has an important role to enhance the spin polarization by lifting up the Fermi level position and suppressing the formation of CoFe. To confirm the effect of the Fe and Ge-excess off-stoichiometric composition on spin polarization and phase-purity experimentally, we fabricated CFGG epitaxial thin films with various composition ratios (Co2−αFe1+α) (Ga1−βGeβ)1+γ with small positive γ (=0.09–0.29). It turns out that Co1.75Ge or Fe1.7Ge secondary phase often forms in the films for β≥0.69 in Fe-deficient (α≤0.21) and excess (α≥0.49) compositions. This secondary phase can be suppressed by tuning the Ge and Fe compositions, and the L21-phase pure film was found in Co39.4Fe29.3Ga13.4Ge17.9 (α=0.28,β=0.57,γ=0.25). The measurements of conventional magnetoresistance effects qualitatively indicate higher spin polarization in the Co39.4Fe29.3Ga13.4Ge17.9 film compared to other Co-excess and Ge-deficient films, which evidences the benefit to make Fe- and Ge-excess off-stoichiometric CFGG for obtaining the half-metallic nature of CFGG.
X-ray diffraction from shock driven Sn microjets
Authors: Bober David B. , Lind Jonathan , Saunders Alison M. , Akin Minta C.
Published: November 2022

In situ x-ray diffraction was performed on shock-generated microjets composed of Sn and Sn–4Ag. Under low pressure drives (∼21 GPa), a significant fraction of the jet volume was found to be in the β-Sn phase, and these crystallites were much smaller than the initial grain size of the material. Significant quantities of amorphous (molten) material were observed for higher drive pressures (∼25–35 GPa). The extent of melting at these pressures was greater than would be predicted for uniaxial shock loading. Diffraction patterns from the Sn–4Ag alloy showed a peak that is consistent with the expected Ag3Sn intermetallic phase. This peak remained evident under drive conditions where the sample was otherwise fully amorphous. This indicates a slushy or a mixed phase of liquid Sn and solid Ag3Sn. Given the eutectic character of this alloy, this observation is attributed to a kinetic limitation on the dissolution of Ag3Sn. This implies that a much broader range of drive conditions will lead to mixed phase jets and ejecta than would be predicted from the equilibrium melt boundary of such alloys.
Breakdown strength of glycerin in helical transmission line under hundred-nanosecond pulse
Authors: Chen Chaoran , Yang Jianhua , Cheng Xinbing , Chen Rong , Geng Jiuyuan , Yue Yunrui
Published: November 2022

In this paper, a transmission line with five spiral-wires in parallel was designed. The transit time and the characteristic impedance of the transmission line are 200 ns and 14 Ω, respectively. Its slow wave coefficient is close to 13. The insulating medium of the transmission line is glycerin. In order to investigate the breakdown strength of glycerin under a hundred-nanosecond pulse, simulations and experiments are conducted. The results indicate that the breakdown strength of glycerin under hundred nanoseconds reached 653 kV/cm, which is a 400 kV/cm increase compared with that under a microsecond pulse. However, under hundred nanoseconds, the breakdown strength of glycerin in transmission is unaffected by pressure within 1 MPa, and pressure is conducive to the insulation recovery of glycerin.
Morphological, optical, and electrical properties of RF-sputtered zinc telluride thin films for electronic and optoelectronic applications
Authors: Panaitescu Ana-Maria , Antohe Iulia , Răduță Ana-Maria , Iftimie Sorina , Antohe Ștefan , Mihăilescu Cristian Nicolae , Antohe Vlad-Andrei
Published: November 2022

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RF-MS) onto optical glass coated by a silver–copper (Ag:Cu) thin film representing the back-electrode, and they were subsequently electrically contacted with an aluminum (Al) layer acting as the top-electrode. The RF-MS procedure was carried out at 50 W in argon (Ar) gas atmosphere kept at 2.5 × 10−3 mbar working pressure for 75 min at a substrate temperature of 220 °C kept constant during deposition. Morphological investigations by scanning electron microscopy allowed a first evaluation of the ZnTe film’s thickness. Optical characterization was then performed via absorption and transmission measurements in the spectral range between 300 and 1500 nm at room temperature. Subsequently, the thickness and bandgap energy of the ZnTe thin film were evaluated to be ∼508 nm and ∼2.13 eV, respectively. Moreover, they revealed high transmittance in infrared and near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Then, the electrical measurements of Ag:Cu/ZnTe/Al “sandwich” structure (current–voltage characteristics) at six temperatures ranging from 303 to 354 K were performed, allowing the identification of the charge transport mechanisms through the structure along with their corresponding parameters. Based on the excellent optical and electrical properties, these ZnTe thin films show great potential as candidates for performant small-wavelength photodetectors.
Low voltage AC electroluminescence in silicon MOS capacitors
Authors: Rahman I. K. M. Reaz , Uddin Shiekh Zia , Kim Hyungjin , Higashitarumizu Naoki , Javey Ali
Published: November 2022

Low power silicon based light source and detector are attractive for on-chip photonic circuits given their ease of process integration. However, conventional silicon light emitting diodes emit photons with energies near the band edge where the corresponding silicon photodetectors lack responsivity. On the other hand, previously reported hot carrier electroluminescent silicon devices utilizing a reverse biased diode require high operating voltages. Here, we investigate hot carrier electroluminescence in silicon metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors operating under transient voltage conditions. During each voltage transient, large energy band bending is created at the edge of the source contact, much larger than what is achievable at a steady state. As a result, electrons and holes are injected efficiently from a single source contact into the silicon channel at the corresponding voltage transient, where they subsequently undergo impact ionization and phonon-assisted interband recombination. Notably, we show low voltage operation down to 2.8 V by using a 20 nm thick high-κ gate dielectric. We show further voltage scaling is possible by reducing the gate dielectric thickness, thus presenting a low voltage platform for silicon optoelectronic integrated circuits.
The effects of methanol clustering on methanol–water nucleation
Authors: Sun Tong , Wilemski Gerald , Hale Barbara N. , Wyslouzil Barbara E.
Published: November 2022

The formation of subcritical methanol clusters in the vapor phase is known to complicate the analysis of nucleation measurements. Here, we investigate how this process affects the onset of binary nucleation as dilute water–methanol mixtures in nitrogen carrier gas expand in a supersonic nozzle. These are the first reported data for water–methanol nucleation in an expansion device. We start by extending an older monomer–dimer–tetramer equilibrium model to include larger clusters, relying on Helmholtz free energy differences derived from Monte Carlo simulations. The model is validated against the pressure/temperature measurements of Laksmono et al. [Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 13, 5855 (2011)] for dilute methanol–nitrogen mixtures expanding in a supersonic flow prior to the appearance of liquid droplets. These data are well fit when the maximum cluster size imax is 6–12. The extended equilibrium model is then used to analyze the current data. On the addition of small amounts of water, heat release prior to particle formation is essentially unchanged from that for pure methanol, but liquid formation proceeds at much higher temperatures. Once water comprises more than ∼24 mol % of the condensable vapor, droplet formation begins at temperatures too high for heat release from subcritical cluster formation to perturb the flow. Comparing the experimental results to binary nucleation theory is challenged by the need to extrapolate data to the subcooled region and by the inapplicability of explicit cluster models that require a minimum of 12 molecules in the critical cluster.
Core spectroscopy of oxazole
Authors: Schnack-Petersen Anna Kristina , Tenorio Bruno Nunes Cabral , Coriani Sonia , Decleva Piero , Troß Jan , Ramasesha Krupa , Coreno Marcello , Totani Roberta , Röder Anja
Published: November 2022

We have measured, analyzed, and simulated the ground state valence photoelectron spectrum, x-ray absorption (XA) spectrum, x-ray photoelectron (XP) spectrum as well as normal and resonant Auger–Meitner electron (AE) spectrum of oxazole at the carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen K-edge in order to understand its electronic structure. Experimental data are compared to theoretical calculations performed at the coupled cluster, restricted active space perturbation theory to second-order and time-dependent density functional levels of theory. We demonstrate (1) that both N and O K-edge XA spectra are sensitive to the amount of dynamical electron correlation included in the theoretical description and (2) that for a complete description of XP spectra, additional orbital correlation and orbital relaxation effects need to be considered. The normal AE spectra are dominated by a singlet excitation channel and well described by theory. The resonant AE spectra, however, are more complicated. While the participator decay channels, dominating at higher kinetic energies, are well described by coupled cluster theory, spectator channels can only be described satisfactorily using a method that combines restricted active space perturbation theory to second order for the bound part and a one-center approximation for the continuum.
Universal translation operator for Laguerre–Gaussian mode sorting
Authors: Jia Qi , Feng Rui , Shi Bojian , Zhang Yanxia , Li Hang , Li Xiaoxin , Sun Fangkui , Cao Yongyin , Shi Hongyan , Wang Jian , Ding Weiqiang
Published: November 2022

Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) mode is widely adopted in various applications due to carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM). In practice, it is challenging to sort Laguerre–Gaussian mode according to various features. Traditional fork grating and optical geometric transformations are regarded as convenient methods for sorting LG mode. However, these methods have to destroy the OAM carried by the beam during the sorting process. Here, we demonstrate a nondestructive beam sorting mechanism for LG mode carrying orbital angular momentums based on a translation operator. The numerically solved operator can sort the input beams to pre-defined positions with faithful preservation of all the beam features, which shows good agreement with the experimental results. We believe the proposed translation operator will benefit potential applications in information processing, quantum optics, and optical communications.
Conversion of the non-luminous lead-free inorganic halide perovskite variant CsNiCl3 nanocrystals into photoluminescent materials by Cu+ and In3+ doping
Authors: Yu Yang , Li Chengyu , Li Cheng , Zhou Wei , Han Peigeng , Zhao Kun , Li Hui , Lu Ruifeng
Published: November 2022

All-inorganic CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) as promising optoelectronic materials have attracted tremendous research interest because of their intense photoluminescence, broad absorption, and tunable bandgap. Even with these fascinating characteristics, their practical applications are still suffering from the presence of toxic lead and inadequate stability. Herein, we successfully synthesize CsNiCl3 NCs in a comparatively low-temperature route for the first time. By Cu+ and In3+ doping, CsNiCl3 NCs can be converted from non-luminous into photoluminescent materials. The broad green fluorescence emission at 530 nm of CsNiCl3 NCs with high luminescence intensity and quantum yield (42.2%) is achieved. Broad band emission with a large Stokes shift can be attributed to the recombination process of self-trapped excitons (STEs). The transient fluorescence spectra of the doped CsNiCl3 NCs show two ultra-long lifetimes of about 50 and 120 µs, which are assigned to the STE recombination, indicating that the nonradiative recombination process is suppressed after doping. Our research provides an innovative method for developing environmentally friendly lead-free metal halide NCs.
Carrier lifetimes in gold–hyperdoped silicon—Influence of dopant incorporation methods and concentration profiles
Authors: Dissanayake Sashini Senali , Pallat Nicole O. , Chow Philippe K. , Lim Shao Qi , Liu Yining , Yue Qianao , Fiutak Rhoen , Mathews Jay , Williams Jim S. , Warrender Jeffrey M. , Sher Meng-Ju
Published: November 2022

Incorporating ultrahigh concentrations of deep-level dopants in silicon drastically alters silicon’s optoelectronic properties. Photodiodes built from silicon hyperdoped with gold extend light sensitivity into the shortwave infrared region, far beyond the absorption edge of a pristine silicon sample. Deep-level dopants, however, also enhance carrier recombination; even though hyperdoped silicon has great light absorption properties, short charge carrier lifetime limits its applications. In this work, using terahertz spectroscopy, we investigate the charge carrier lifetime of gold–hyperdoped silicon, where the gold dopants are introduced by either film deposition or ion implantation, followed by pulsed laser melting. Using reactive ion etching, we measure how carrier lifetime changes when dopant concentration profiles are altered. Furthermore, using a 1D diffusion and recombination model, we simulate carrier dynamics when electrons are excited by sub-bandgap light. Our results show that the dopant distribution profile heavily influences excited carrier dynamics. We found that etching improves the half-life by a factor of two. In the short-wave-infrared range, the gold dopants are both light absorption centers and recombination centers. Focusing on optoelectronic properties in the short-wave-infrared region, our results suggest that these samples are over doped—etching much of the gold dopants away has little impact on the number of excited electrons at a later time. Our results suggest that dopant profile engineering is important for building efficient optoelectronic devices using hyperdoped semiconductors.
Degenerate line modes in the surface and bulk phonon spectra of orthorhombic NaMgF3 perovskite
Authors: Wang Jianhua , Yuan Hongkuan , Liu Ying , Zhang Gang , Wang Xiaotian
Published: November 2022

Degenerate bulk-line phonon modes have been widely reported in various crystal system types; however, degenerate surface-line phonon modes have only been reported in monoclinic crystal systems, such as SnIP with space group P2/c (No. 13). Herein, we propose that degenerate surface-line phonon modes can also emerge in solids with orthorhombic structures. Based on first-principle calculations and symmetry analysis, we propose that orthorhombic NaMgF3 fluoroperovskite with space group Pnma (No. 62) is a material candidate with degenerate line states in both the bulk phonon mode and the (010) surface phonon mode. We discovered four closed nodal loops (two type-I and two hybrid-type) on the ky = 0 plane in the bulk phonon mode, all of which coexisted with Dirac points on the Z–U and X–U paths. Moreover, we discovered symmetry-projected doubly degenerate nodal lines along the X¯–U¯ surface path in the (010) surface phonon mode. The proposed degenerate surface-line phonons in NaMgF3 is quite clean and protected by symmetries, which will aid future experimental detection.
Topological Hall effect in Pd/CoZr/MgO multilayer films
Authors: Ma L. , Li Y. , Fu H. R. , Tian N. , You C. Y.
Published: November 2022

The topological Hall effect (THE) in annealed Pd/CoZr/MgO multilayers was investigated and disentangled in the temperature range of 50–300 K. The anomalous Hall curves change polarity with decreasing temperature. Moreover, crests and troughs develop in the curves. The topological Hall resistivity is obtained by subtracting the anomalous Hall and ordinary Hall resistivities from the temperature dependence of the total transverse resistivity. The interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) strength is affected by the ambient temperature, annealing temperature, and thickness of the CoZr layer, resulting in the manipulation of the topological Hall effect. The room temperature THE was obtained in this multilayer system, and the maximum THE resistivity reached 0.52 μΩ cm when the thickness of the CoZr layer was 3.25 nm at 100 K. Our study indicates the potential application of CoZr alloys in magnetic multilayers for the performance of spin textures and THE.
Experimental study of the spray characteristics of twin-fluid atomization: Focusing on the annular flow regime
Authors: Liu Chang , Wu Kun , Zhang Zhenyu , Yuan Yueming , Fan Xuejun
Published: November 2022

The characteristics of twin-fluid atomization operating in the annular flow regime were studied experimentally under various gas-to-liquid ratios (GLRs) and injection pressures. The macroscopic morphology of the spray was obtained by shadowgraph, while the droplet size and velocity were measured using a phase-Doppler particle analyzer technique. It was found that the spray cone angle increases almost linearly with the GLR, and the axial distance required for droplet coalescence to outweigh the breakup decreases with increasing GLR. The Sauter mean diameter (SMD) first decreases and then increases along the axial direction due to the competition between turbulent breakup and droplet coalescence. The droplet size follows a lognormal distribution; the droplet velocity distribution is closer to a lognormal distribution under large GLRs, while it follows normal distribution with GLR = 3%. Regarding the radial distribution, low GLRs (3% and 5%) lead to a bimodal spatial velocity distribution, while for large GLRs, the droplet velocity decreases monotonically toward the far field. The spray tends to become more stable with increasing GLR and injection pressure Pinj, whereas the SMD increases with increasing Pinj. The underlying atomization mechanism in a twin-fluid injector in the annular flow state can be regarded as the disintegration of the initial liquid sheet by longitudinal Kelvin–Helmholtz instability followed by transverse Rayleigh–Taylor instability, which yields a direct proportionality of the droplet size to the initial liquid sheet thickness ΔL. Subsequently, for high Pinj, the gas core shrinks and ΔL increases, which results in an increased SMD but enhanced atomization efficiency ΔL/SMD.
A statistical investigation of the rate constants for the H+ + HD reaction at temperatures of astrophysical interest
Authors: González-Lezana Tomás , Hily-Blant Pierre , Faure Alexandre
Published: November 2022

The H+ + HD(v, j) reaction has been investigated in detail by means of a statistical quantum method. State-to-state cross sections and rate constants for transitions between reactants and rovibrational states HD(v′, j′) of the product arrangement with energies below 0.9 eV collision energy [that is, HD(v = 0, j = 0–11) and HD(v = 1, j = 0–6)] have been calculated. For the other product channel, D+ + H2(v′, j′), rovibrational states up to (v′ = 0, j′ = 9) have been considered for the calculation of the corresponding thermal rate. Present predictions are compared with previously reported theoretical and experimental rates. Finally, cooling functions for HD due to proton and atomic hydrogen collisions are computed in the low-density regime. We find that the much larger HD–H+ cooling function, as compared with that of HD–H, does not compensate for the low H+/H abundance ratio in astrophysical media so that HD cooling is dominated by HD–H (or HD–H2) collisions.
Recent advances in catalysts for the Henry reaction
Authors: Bao Xuefei , Li Xu , Jiang Chunfeng , Xiao Wei , Chen Guoliang
Published: November 2022

The Henry reaction, the coupling of a nitro alkane and a carbonyl group, is an important C–C bond-forming reaction giving nitro alkanols, which are useful, versatile intermediates in synthetic organic chemistry and for the pharmaceutical industry. Among the catalysts employed in the Henry reaction, transition metal complex catalysts play an important role. Transition metal complexes, including small molecules and nanoparticles, catalyze the asymmetric Henry reaction efficiently and in most of the cases give chiral nitro alkanol products in good yield and enantiomeric excess. This review summarizes transition metal complex catalysts, metal-free organic catalysts and nanoparticle catalysts for the Henry reaction.
Effect of drought stress on wheat (Triticum durum) growth and metabolism: insight from GABA shunt, reactive oxygen species and dehydrin genes expression
Authors: AL-Quraan Nisreen A. , Samarah Nezar H. , Tanash Ayah A.
Published: November 2022

Activation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt pathway and upregulation of dehydrins are involved in metabolic homeostasis and protective mechanisms against drought stress. Seed germination percentage, seedling growth, levels of GABA, alanine, glutamate, malondialdehyde (MDA), and the expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and dehydrin (dhn and wcor) genes were examined in post-germination and seedlings of four durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) cultivars in response to water holding capacity levels (80%, 50%, and 20%). Data showed a significant decrease in seed germination percentage, seedling length, fresh and dry weight, and water content as water holding capacity level was decreased. Levels of GABA, alanine, glutamate, and MDA were significantly increased with a negative correlation in post-germination and seedling stages as water holding capacity level was decreased. Prolonged exposure to drought stress increased the GAD expression that activated GABA shunt pathway especially at seedlings growth stage to maintain carbon/nitrogen balance, amino acids and carbohydrates metabolism, and plant growth regulation under drought stress. The mRNA transcripts of dhn and wcor significantly increased as water availability decreased in all wheat cultivars during the post-germination stage presumably to enhance plant tolerance to drought stress by cell membrane protection, cryoprotection of enzymes, and prevention of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. This study showed that the four durum wheat cultivars responded differently to drought stress especially during the seedling growth stage which might be connected with ROS scavenging systems and the activation of antioxidant enzymes that were associated with activation of GABA shunt pathway and the production of GABA in durum seedlings.
Abundance, demography, and harvesting of water snakes from agricultural landscapes in West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Kusrini Mirza D. , Manurung Ramdani , Habiburrahman Faz Fata , Dwiputro Aristyo , Tajalli Arief , Prasetyo Huda Nur , Bayu Saputra Pramitama , Kennedi Umar F. , Wibisono Parikesit Ditro , Shine Richard , Natusch Daniel
Published: November 2022

Context Across much of its geographic range, the masked water snake, Homalopsis buccata, is harvested each year in large numbers, questioning the sustainability of that offtake. Aims To quantify abundance and demography of water snakes in anthropogenically disturbed habitats in an area of West Java, where these snakes are subject to intensive harvest. Methods We accompanied professional snake-collectors, and conducted our own surveys of ponds and irrigation canals, to record the numbers and attributes (species, sex, size, etc.) of snakes that were captured using a variety of methods. Key results Snakes of several species were abundant, with mean capture rates of 32 666 snakes km−1 of irrigation canals, and 57 501 snakes km−2 of fishponds (9500 and 43 788 for H. buccata alone). Sex ratios of H. buccata were female-biased in ponds but not irrigation channels. Ponds underlain by deeper mud contained more snakes. Collecting methods varied among habitat types, in a way that reduced collateral risk to commercially farmed fish in ponds. Conclusions These water snakes are extremely abundant in Java, despite high levels of historical and continuing harvest. The inference of low population sizes for H. buccata in Indonesia, as presented in the IUCN Red List, is erroneous. Implications An ability to utilise anthropogenic resource subsidies (in this case, fish farmed in village ponds) allows some native predator species to attain remarkably high abundances, and to withstand intense efforts at harvesting.
Porphyrin nanoemulsion for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: effective delivery to inactivate biofilm-related infections
Authors: Buzzá Hilde Harb , Alves Fernanda , Tomé Ana Julia Barbosa , Chen Juan , Kassab Giulia , Bu Jiachuan , Bagnato Vanderlei Salvador , Zheng Gang , Kurachi Cristina
Published: November 2022

The management of biofilm-related infections is a challenge in healthcare, and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a powerful tool that has demonstrated a broad-spectrum activity. Nanotechnology has been used to increase the aPDT effectiveness by improving the photosensitizer’s delivery properties. NewPS is a simple, versatile, and safe surfactant-free nanoemulsion with a porphyrin salt shell encapsulating a food-grade oil core with promising photodynamic action. This study evaluated the use of NewPS for aPDT against microorganisms in planktonic, biofilm, and in vivo models of infected wounds. First, the potential of NewPS-mediated aPDT to inactivate
Streptococcus pneumoniae
and
Staphylococcus aureus
suspensions was evaluated. Then, a series of protocols were assessed against
S. aureus
biofilms by means of cell viability and confocal microscopy. Finally, the best biofilm protocol was used for the treatment of
S. aureus
in a murine-infected wound model. A high NewPS-bacteria cell interaction was achieved since 0.5 nM and 30 J/cm
2
was able to kill
S. pneumoniae
suspension. In the
S. aureus
biofilm, enhanced efficacy of NewPS-aPDT was achieved when 100 µM of NewPS was applied with longer periods of incubation at the light dose of 60 J/cm
2
. The best single and double-session protocol reduced 5.56 logs and 6.03 logs, respectively, homogeneous NewPS distribution, resulting in a high number of dead cells after aPDT. The in vivo model showed that one aPDT session enabled a reduction of 6 logs and faster tissue healing than the other groups. In conclusion, NewPS-aPDT may be considered a safe and effective anti-biofilm antimicrobial photosensitizer.
On the origins of multiple exponence in Crow
Authors: Ko Edwin
Published: November 2022

Multiple exponence is a phenomenon in which morphemes that encode a given piece of information are realized
multiple times within a single word. Unlike other members of the Siouan language family spoken across North America, Crow
possesses a set of modal auxiliaries that display multiple exponence of subject person agreement. I show that one source of
multiple exponence in Crow is the grammaticalization of the inflectional future from the motion verb arrive there, which
brings with it its own agreement prefixes. Multiple exponence then extended to compound modals containing the inflectional future
and finally to a morphologically unrelated modal – a distinct case of multiple exponence begetting additional multiple exponence.
Thus, this study contributes to the broader understanding of the diachronic pathways to multiple exponence.
Serbian Progressive Party’s shameless normalization of expressing sycophancy toward the leader
Authors: Jeftić Ljerka
Published: November 2022

The notion of shameless normalization is applied in the paper to argue that the Serbian ruling
party’s press releases introduce shameless normalization of expressing sycophancy toward the leader. Within the
framework of critical (political) discourse analysis postulating that social actors’ use of language is vested with interests that
need to be linguistically managed, the paper focuses on how the proposed strategies in political discourse – coercion,
legitimisation and (mis)representation – manage the interest of the authors of press releases in realization of sycophancy. The
analysis shows that the shameless normalization of sycophancy is realized by coercing the recipients to accept the exclusive right
of the leader to represent the homogenized people of Serbia (the ingroup). This exclusive right is legitimized through positive
representation of the leader as the self of the ingroup. Such legitimisation is enabled by misrepresentation both in terms of
quality and quantity of the information conveyed.
Turn design in talk-in-interaction in a foreign language – Collaborative turn constructions and ellipses in casual
conversations among German high-school learners of English
Authors: Haselow Alexander
Published: November 2022

This study explores the ability of advanced adolescent German learners of English to optimize turn design for
talk-in-interaction, focusing on collaborative turn constructions and ellipses. Data deriving from recorded conversations
conducted in the foreign language among German learners of English are compared to conversations between native speakers of
British English and integrated into a diagnostic approach that helps identify deficits in the field of interactional skills. The
results show that the two syntactic formats occur less frequently in learner conversations, which indicates that learners are less
likely to use syntactic resources to bind their contribution immediately to prior talk or to the situational context. It is argued
that this has a negative effect upon the sequential fit of turns and that conversational practice targeted toward a syntax for
conversation would help learners achieving a more fluid interplay of conversational moves.
Investigation of correlation between dichotic listening performance and speech in noise perception with hearing aid outcomes in the elderly
Authors: Sameti Amirhossein , Fatahi Farzaneh , Tavanai Elham , Rouhbakhsh Nematollah , Jalaie Shohreh
Published: November 2022

Background and purpose: Presbycusis, which occurs both in peripheral and central forms, is one of the most common disorders in the elderly. Presbycusis is generally characterized by decreased auditory sensitivity, poor speech comprehension and decreased speech recognition in noisy environments. This disease is also associated with a decrease of more than 20% of a person’s maximum speech perception in the presence of a competitive signal compared to silence. The inability of the central auditory systems of elderly hearing aid users to decode sounds, especially in the presence of peripheral hearing loss, can affect hearing aid outcomes. This study investigates the correlation between assessments related to auditory processing and hearing aid outcomes. Method: This cross-sectional study was performed on 39 elderly hearing aid users in two groups: behind-the-ear (BTE; n = 23) and in-the-ear (n = 16) hearing aid users. After pure tone audiometry, patients who met the inclusion criteria underwent assessments related to the central auditory system, including double dichotic digit (DDT) and quick noise speech (Q-SIN) tests. Then, the correlation between the tests and hearing aid outcomes was evaluated based on the international outcome inventory (IOI-HA), a comprehensive assessment of the outcomes in different aspects. Results: In the BTE and in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid users, there was a significant correlation between DDT scores in the right ear (r = 0.60, 0.52) left ear (r = 0.43, 0.54), speech-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss (r = −0.50, −0.58) and IOI-HA questionnaire scores respectively. The stepwise regression analysis results indicated that unlike other variables such as age or peripheral hearing loss, the Q-SIN was the only variable that significantly (p < 0.001) participated in IOI-HA prediction with a correlation coefficient of 0.504, which simulates the conditions most closely related to hearing aid inefficiency and patient dissatisfaction. Conclusions: The Q-SIN test could be used partially to predict the outcomes of hearing aid use.
The effect of quaternary ammonium salts with different chain lengths on copper filling behavior in blind holes of printed circuit board
Authors: Zhang Yu , Shen Xixun , Zhou Miaomiao , Huang Wei , Xu Qunjie
Published: November 2022

The rapid and defect free blind hole copper super filling is the key technology to ensure the quality and development of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The linear quaternary ammonium compounds with a low molecular weight are expected to act as a potential suppressor for blind hole copper filling. Here, three quaternary ammonium salts with different molecular chain lengths (the dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, the cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and the stearyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) were selected to study the effects of the molecular chain length of quaternary ammonium salt on the copper filling behavior of the PCB blind holes. The electrochemical results show that the three quaternary ammonium salts show greater inhibition ability on copper deposition compared with the traditional additives (polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Cl−) and furthermore, the suppressor effect becomes stronger with the increase of molecular weight. The blind hole copper filling experiment of PCB is also carried out to study the copper filling capacity of three quaternary ammonium salts. The filling experiment reveals that compared with the traditional suppressors (PEG and Cl−), the filling quality of blind hole copper is significantly improved when the three quaternary ammonium salts are used as suppressors. Moreover, under the coordination of accelerator (bis (3-sulfopropyl) disulfide (SPS)), the three quaternary ammonium salts can realize more rapid copper super filling without chloride ion in the electrolyte. Cross-section and surface morphological analysis further illuminates that the quaternary ammonium salt as an suppressor can also more effectively inhibit the deposition of copper on the PCB surface and reduce the roughness of the copper layer. The present results imply that quaternary ammonium salts have greater advantages for copper filling and are expected to replace traditional suppressors as new suppressors.
Influence of sputtered AlN buffer on GaN epilayer grown by MOCVD
Authors: Liang Zhiwen , Yuan Ye , Wang Pengwei , Kang JunJie , Wang Qi , Zhang Guoyi
Published: November 2022

The ex situ sputtered AlN buffer and GaN epilayer grown on top of it by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition were studied comprehensively by a variety of techniques including atomic force microscope, high resolution x-ray diffraction, Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations. It exhibited that the AlN buffer deposited by using sputtering technique could be oxidized with exposure in atmosphere. Such oxidation phenomenon significantly influences the characteristics of GaN epilayer, for example leading to poor surface morphology, high dislocation density, and large compressive stress. This study demonstrated the effect of oxygen impurities on GaN growth and has an important guiding significance for the growth of high-quality III-nitride related materials.