bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gel electrolytes based on an ether-abundant polymeric framework for high-rate and long-cycle-life lithium ion batteries
Authors: Huang Li-Yu , Shih You-Chao , Wang Shih-Hong , Kuo Ping-Lin , Teng Hsisheng
Published: April 2014

P(EO-co-PO) with high solvent-entrapping ability represents a promising matrix for GPEs used in high-rate and long-cycle-life lithium ion batteries.
Limiting factors for photochemical charge separation in BiVO4/Co3O4, a highly active photocatalyst for water oxidation in sunlight
Authors: Wang Jiarui , Osterloh Frank E.
Published: April 2014

The high activity of BiVO4/Co3O4 was attributed to the electrocatalytic properties of the Co3O4 cocatalyst and to the formation of a heterojunction at the BiVO4–Co3O4 interface.
Controlled mechanical cleavage of bulk niobium diselenide to nanoscaled sheet, rod, and particle structures for Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Ibrahem Mohammed Aziz , Huang Wei-Chih , Lan Tian-wey , Boopathi Karunakara Moorthy , Hsiao Yu-Chen , Chen Chih-Han , Budiawan Widhya , Chen Yang-Yuan , Chang Chia-Seng , Li Lain-Jong , Tsai Chih-Hung , Chu Chih Wei
Published: April 2014

A one-step process for the preparation of NbSe2nanostructures under the effects of mechanical forces to be used as Pt replacement CEs in DSSCs is reported.
Identifying effects of TiO2 nanowires inside bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics on charge diffusion and recombination
Authors: Yang P. , Zeigler D. F. , Bryant K. C. , Martin T. R. , Gamelin D. R. , Luscombe C. K.
Published: April 2014

The effect of incorporating TiO2 nanowires into organic photovoltaics has been studied using impedance spectroscopy. Electron diffusion coefficient and effective lifetime in different devices were simulated and compared.
Improving Clinical Practice: A School-Age and School-Based Perspective
Authors: Wallach Geraldine P.
Published: April 2014

Purpose

In this article, the author presents a conceptual framework for intervention at school-age levels reflecting upon a number of aspects raised by Kamhi (2014) in the lead article of this forum. The focus is on the persistence of traditional practices, components of language intervention, and prioritizing goals for students with language learning difficulties. Weaving together learning and generalization challenges, the author considers advanced levels of language that move beyond preschool and early elementary grade goals and objectives with a focus on comprehension and meta-abilities.

Method

Using a 3-tiered macrostructure, the author demonstrates how integrating students' background knowledge into intervention, helping them develop an awareness of structure and content interactions, and addressing the increasing demands of the curriculum provide a roadmap for improving clinical practices at school-age levels.

Conclusion

Reiterating some of Kamhi's notions, the author addresses gaps that exist between available and, often, exciting research in language, literacy, and current practices in schools. Professionals are challenged by the persistence of approaches and techniques that defy what they know about children and adolescents with language learning disabilities. Nonetheless, there are reasons to remain optimistic about the future.
Language Intervention at the Middle School: Complex Talk Reflects Complex Thought
Authors: Nippold Marilyn A.
Published: April 2014

Purpose

In this article, the author discusses 2 points raised by Kamhi (2014) in his lead article to this clinical forum: (a) the need for speech-language pathologists to consider typical language development as they plan intervention and (b) the importance of addressing complex syntax.

Method

A hypothetical scenario of a 7th grade English class assignment is presented, and aspects of the assignment that would be quite challenging to middle school adolescents with language impairments are highlighted. The author then describes strategies that a speech-language pathologist could use to enhance students' success with the assignment. This approach emphasizes the importance of collaborating with the classroom teacher and reading specialist, having knowledge of the Common Core State Standards and the language demands of the classroom, and understanding later language development and the reasons why speakers and writers use complex syntax.

Conclusion

When language intervention incorporates these points, adolescents with language impairments can acquire skills that will help them make meaningful progress in the classroom.
E‐servant: an intelligent, programmable system to support and integrate assisted living technologies
Authors: Picking Richard , Grout Vic , Casas Roberto , Blasco Ruben
Published: April 2014

The ‘E‐servant’, a programmable system to control and manage assistive technologies, telehealth and telecare devices in a home environment is presented. The E‐servant is programmed using a simple graphical interface that allows the user to build a dialogue in the form of a production rule system, which is triggered by a patient‐ or technology‐initiated event. The patient interacts with the system through a personalised user interface to reach their goal of completing a task. These tasks, which the authors call ‘scenarios’, can be designed for users of different abilities (cognitive and/or physical). They can also be given priority levels, for example if a potential emergency situation arises in the patient's home, a scenario associated with the sensing of this event takes highest priority. The research presented in this Letter outlines the E‐servant, its programming tool and reports its evaluation in living laboratory settings. The results suggest that it can be used as a central management system for supporting an integrated support environment for facilitating healthcare and activities of daily living, especially for older patients.
Multiview face recognition based on multilinear decomposition and pose manifold
Authors: Takallou Hadis Mohseni , Kasaei Shohreh
Published: April 2014

One major challenge encountered in face recognition is how to handle the wide pose variation and in‐depth rotations of head. A multiview face recognition method is proposed in this study that addresses this challenge based on multilinear decomposition approach and pose subspace. In order to preserve the pose manifold geometry among different individuals in pose subspace, a pose‐biased distance measure is proposed. In addition, as one of the impediments in manifold‐based methods is the lack of sufficient data, a new half‐ellipsoid‐based pose generation method is presented. For performance evaluation of the proposed multiview face recognition method, three different experiments are run on three famous face datasets. The obtained recognition accuracy and the cumulative match characteristic curves confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method in wide pose variation, even with limited number of training poses.
Two simple overmodulation algorithms for space vector modulated three‐phase to three‐phase matrix converter
Authors: Bozorgi Amir Masoud , Monfared Mohammad , Rajabi Mashhadi Habib
Published: April 2014

In this study, the potential of the space vector modulation (SVM) to control the matrix converter beyond its intrinsic voltage transfer ratio (VTR) limitation (0.866) is investigated. Afterwards, a simple space vector overmodulation method to increase the VTR of matrix converter is proposed. Depending on the desired VTR, the method is divided into two modes. In the first mode, besides improving the VTR, the quality of the reference quantities is of main concern. In the second mode, the main goal is to reach the maximum achievable VTR at the expense of increased harmonic ripples in the converter waveforms. It is demonstrated that the maximum achievable VTR in both modes depends on the ratio of the desired output frequency to the input frequency. Experimental results confirm the feasibility and appropriate performance of the proposed method.
Voltage and frequency controllers for standalone wind energy conversion systems
Authors: Singh Bhim , Sharma Shailendra
Published: April 2014

This study presents the design, development and comprehensive analysis of voltage and frequency controllers (VFCs) for standalone wind energy conversion systems (SWECSs). An isolated asynchronous generator, a synchronous generator (SG) and a permanent magnet SG are used with these SWECSs. These VFCs are developed with three‐phase generators driven through a wind turbine to feed three‐phase and single‐phase loads. A battery energy storage system is used invariably with each system configuration to facilitate load leveling under change in wind speeds and consumer loads. The performance of VFCs are demonstrated to validate its operation as a load leveler, load balancer, phase balancer, neutral current compensator and an active filter along with a VFC.
Analysis of Infants Based on Data from the German Perinatal Survey of the Years 1994–2011 in Mecklenburg-Pomerania, Germany
Authors: Schneider D. , Radloff S. , Bolz M. , Briese V.
Published: April 2014

This communication presents precise percentile values for birth weight, birth length and cranial circumference of infants in Mecklenburg-Pomerania, Germany.

Based on data from the German Perinatal Survey of the years 1994–2011 in Mecklenburg-Pomerania, the 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th percentile values for birth weight, birth length and head circumference are specified. The measurements of a total of 174 084 infants from non-multiple births are shown.

The statistically calculated percentile values are presented in tabular and graph forms. The mean birth weight of the infants was 3 437.8 g. The average age of the mothers was 27.9 years. The average duration of pregnancy was 39.4 complete weeks.

The insights gained from many years of data collection are presented as standardised, regional percentile values and curves for Mecklenburg-Pomerania for the first time. The differentiated presentation for the federal state opens the possibility for individually tailored consultations in clinical practice and may provide support for recognised national curves for these values.
Beurteilung der fetalen kardialen Funktion – etablierte und neue Methoden
Authors: Enzensberger C. , Tenzer A. , Degenhardt J. , Kawecki A. , Axt-Fliedner R.
Published: April 2014

Zahlreiche maternale (Diabetes, Präeklampsie) und fetale Auffälligkeiten (uteroplazentare Dysfunktion, Hydrops, Infektionen, Vitien) können beim Feten zu einer Beeinträchtigung der Herzfunktion führen. Hierzu zählen eine Erhöhung der Vor- oder Nachlast, Herzkompression, Myokardschaden, Hypoxie und Hyperglykämie. Neben bereits etablierten Methoden wie M-Mode, Farb- und konventionellem Spektraldoppler sind u. a. auch neuere Techniken wie Gewebedoppler und Speckle Tracking zur Überwachung der kardialen Funktion verfügbar. Einige dieser Messtechniken haben bis dato allerdings noch keinen Einzug gehalten in die klinischen Routineuntersuchungen, da entweder eine Validierung noch aussteht und/oder die Methode noch zu zeitaufwändig ist. Andere Techniken befinden sich aktuell erst in der Erprobungsphase und sind daher zunächst Gegenstand rein wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen. Neuheiten wie das Speckle Tracking, die ihren Ursprung in der Erwachsenenkardiologie haben, sind derzeit aufgrund der geringeren Herzgröße, der höheren Herzfrequenz, den fetalen und maternalen Bewegungsartefakten sowie zuletzt auch bedingt durch eine fehlende fetale EKG-Ableitung nur eingeschränkt aussagekräftig und sollten daher kritisch eingesetzt werden.
Graphene thickness dependent adhesion force and its correlation to surface roughness
Authors: Pourzand Hoorad , Tabib-Azar Massood
Published: April 2014

In this paper, adhesion force of graphene layers on 300 nm silicon oxide is studied. A simple model for measuring adhesion force for a flat surface with sub-nanometer roughness was developed and is shown that small surface roughness decreases adhesion force while large roughness results in an effectively larger adhesion forces. We also show that surface roughness over scales comparable to the tip radius increase by nearly a factor of two, the effective adhesion force measured by the atomic force microscopy. Thus, we demonstrate that surface roughness is an important parameter that should be taken into account in analyzing the adhesion force measurement results.
Fundamental gaps with approximate density functionals: The derivative discontinuity revealed from ensemble considerations
Authors: Kraisler Eli , Kronik Leeor
Published: April 2014

The fundamental gap is a central quantity in the electronic structure of matter. Unfortunately, the fundamental gap is not generally equal to the Kohn-Sham gap of density functional theory (DFT), even in principle. The two gaps differ precisely by the derivative discontinuity, namely, an abrupt change in slope of the exchange-correlation energy as a function of electron number, expected across an integer-electron point. Popular approximate functionals are thought to be devoid of a derivative discontinuity, strongly compromising their performance for prediction of spectroscopic properties. Here we show that, in fact, all exchange-correlation functionals possess a derivative discontinuity, which arises naturally from the application of ensemble considerations within DFT, without any empiricism. This derivative discontinuity can be expressed in closed form using only quantities obtained in the course of a standard DFT calculation of the neutral system. For small, finite systems, addition of this derivative discontinuity indeed results in a greatly improved prediction for the fundamental gap, even when based on the most simple approximate exchange-correlation density functional – the local density approximation (LDA). For solids, the same scheme is exact in principle, but when applied to LDA it results in a vanishing derivative discontinuity correction. This failure is shown to be directly related to the failure of LDA in predicting fundamental gaps from total energy differences in extended systems.
Isothermal method for hydrate studies using a transparent variable volume cell
Authors: Ngema P. T. , Nelson W. M. , Naidoo P. , Ramjugernath D. , Richon D.
Published: April 2014

The measurements of hydrate dissociation points are generally achieved using the well-established isochoric method. This method implies determination of the total pressure of the system under study, as a function of temperature. It is quite time consuming, especially at higher pressures. Working at higher pressures requires equilibrium cells with thicker walls, which compromises on fast heat exchange. The use of a variable volume cell is therefore quite attractive as it allows for the measurements of hydrate dissociation pressure under isothermal conditions. This paper describes a transparent variable volume cell used for efficient and rapid measurements via the isothermal procedure.
Ab initio calculation of the electronic absorption spectrum of liquid water
Authors: Martiniano Hugo F. M. C. , Galamba Nuno , Cabral Benedito J. Costa
Published: April 2014

The electronic absorption spectrum of liquid water was investigated by coupling a one-body energy decomposition scheme to configurations generated by classical and Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics (BOMD). A Frenkel exciton Hamiltonian formalism was adopted and the excitation energies in the liquid phase were calculated with the equation of motion coupled cluster with single and double excitations method. Molecular dynamics configurations were generated by different approaches. Classical MD were carried out with the TIP4P-Ew and AMOEBA force fields. The BLYP and BLYP-D3 exchange-correlation functionals were used in BOMD. Theoretical and experimental results for the electronic absorption spectrum of liquid water are in good agreement. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the structure of liquid water predicted by the different models and the electronic absorption spectrum. The theoretical gas to liquid phase blue-shift of the peak positions of the electronic absorption spectrum is in good agreement with experiment. The overall shift is determined by a competition between the O–H stretching of the water monomer in liquid water that leads to a red-shift and polarization effects that induce a blue-shift. The results illustrate the importance of coupling many-body energy decomposition schemes to molecular dynamics configurations to carry out ab initio calculations of the electronic properties in liquid phase.
Thermal conductivity of layered borides: The effect of building defects on the thermal conductivity of TmAlB4 and the anisotropic thermal conductivity of AlB2
Authors: Wang X. J. , Mori T. , Kuzmych-Ianchuk I. , Michiue Y. , Yubuta K. , Shishido T. , Grin Y. , Okada S. , Cahill D. G.
Published: April 2014

Rare earth metal borides have attracted great interest due to their unusual properties, such as superconductivity and f-electron magnetism. A recent discovery attributes the tunability of magnetism in rare earth aluminoborides to the effect of so-called “building defects.” In this paper, we report data for the effect of building defects on the thermal conductivities of α-TmAlB4 single crystals. Building defects reduce the thermal conductivity of α-TmAlB4 by ≈30%. At room temperature, the thermal conductivity of AlB2 is nearly a factor of 5 higher than that of α-TmAlB4. AlB2 single crystals are thermally anisotropic with the c-axis thermal conductivity nearly twice the thermal conductivity of the a-b plane. Temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity near and above room temperature reveals that both electrons and phonons contribute substantially to thermal transport in AlB2 with electrons being the dominant heat carriers.
A microstructural approach toward the effect of thickness on semiconductor-to-metal transition characteristics of VO2 epilayers
Authors: Molaei R. , Bayati R. , Wu F. , Narayan J.
Published: April 2014

We report the control of semiconductor to metal transition in VO2(010) epilayers integrated with Si{100} substrates buffered with an NiO[111]/YSZ[100] intermediate layer. VO2 epitaxial thin films were grown at different thicknesses varying from 10 to 200 nm using pulsed laser deposition technique. An epitaxial relationship of VO2(010)‖NiO(111)‖ YSZ(001)‖Si(001) and VO2[100]‖NiO[110]‖ YSZ[100]‖Si[100] was established at room temperature. The crystallographic alignment across the VO2/NiO interface changes to VO2(100)‖NiO(111) and VO2[001]‖NiO[110] at the temperature of growth giving rise to a misfit strain of about 33.5% and 3.0% along two orthogonal in-plane orientations. The transition temperature was observed to vary from about 353 to 341 K, the transition amplitude increased by about five orders of magnitude, and the hysteresis decreased to about 3 K, as the thickness of VO2 layers increased from about 10 to 200 nm. These observations were explained based on strain characteristics, overall defect content and grain boundaries, and phenomenological thermodynamic models.
Probing the interplay between electrostatic and dispersion interactions in the solvation of nonpolar nonaromatic solute molecules in ionic liquids: An OKE spectroscopic study of CS2/[CnC1im][NTf2] mixtures (n = 1–4)
Authors: Xue Lianjie , Tamas George , Gurung Eshan , Quitevis Edward L.
Published: April 2014

The intermolecular dynamics of dilute solutions of CS2 in 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl]amide ([CnC1im][NTf2] for n = 1–4) were studied at 295 K using femtosecond optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectroscopy. The OKE spectra of the CS2/ionic liquid (IL) mixtures were analyzed using an additivity model to obtain the CS2 contribution to the OKE spectrum from which information about the intermolecular modes of CS2 in these mixtures was gleaned. The intermolecular spectrum of CS2 in these mixtures is lower in frequency and narrower than that of neat CS2, as found previously for CS2 in [C5C1im][NTf2]. Moreover, a dependence of the spectra on alkyl chain length is observed that is attributed to the interplay between electrostatic and dispersion interactions. The surprising result in this study is the solubility of CS2 in [C1C1im][NTf2], which involves the interaction of a nonpolar nonaromatic molecular solute and only the charged groups of the IL. We propose that the solubility of CS2 in [C1C1im][NTf2] is determined by three favorable factors – (1) large polarizability of the solute molecule; (2) small size of the solute molecule; and (3) low cohesive energy in the high-charge density regions of the IL.
Blow-up behavior of positive solutions for a chemical fuel ignition device model
Authors: Jia Yunfeng , Wu Jianhua , Xu Hong-Kun
Published: April 2014

Blow-up behavior of positive solutions of a semi-linear parabolic system arising from thermal explosion, which subject to the homogenous Dirichlet boundary conditions, is investigated. In particular, sufficient conditions for the solutions to blow up are obtained.
Development of an electrochemical micromachining instrument for the confined etching techniques
Authors: Zhou Hang , Lai Lei-Jie , Zhao Xiang-Hui , Zhu Li-Min
Published: April 2014

This study proposes an electrochemical micromachining instrument for two confined etching techniques, namely, confined etchant layer technique (CELT) and electrochemical wet stamping (E-WETS). The proposed instrument consists of a granite bridge base, a Z-axis coarse/fine dual stage, and a force sensor. The Z-axis coarse/fine dual stage controls the vertical movement of the substrate with nanometer accuracy. The force sensor measures the contact force between the mold and the substrate. A contact detection method based on a digital lock-in amplifier is developed to make the mold-substrate contact within a five-nanometer range in CELT, and a force feedback controller is implemented to keep the contact force in E-WETS at a constant value with a noise of less than 0.2 mN. With the use of the confined etching techniques, a microlens array and a curvilinear ridge microstructure are successfully fabricated with high accuracy, thus demonstrating the promising performance of the proposed micromachining instrument.
Photosensitive Schottky-type heterojunctions prepared by the drawing of graphite films
Authors: Brus V. V. , Maryanchuk P. D.
Published: April 2014

Graphite/n-CdTe Schottky-type heterojunctions were prepared by means of a very simple and low-cost method: the drawing of graphite films on the rough surface of mechanically polished n-CdTe single crystal substrates. The unoptimized heterojunctions showed promising, rectifying, and photoelectrical parameters. The obtained results represent a good starting point for the further development of the simple and low-cost heterojunction photodiodes and gas sensors.
Explicit solution for the electrostatic potential of the conducting double sphere
Authors: Liemert André
Published: April 2014

In this article, we report about explicit analytical solutions for the electrostatic potential of two conducting overlapping spheres which do not require a numerical evaluation of the computationally expensive conical functions. The obtained expressions are therefore suited for direct applications and useable for the verification of numerical solutions which are dependent on the numerical inversion of the Mehler-Fock transform.
The different roles of Pu-oxide overlayers in the hydrogenation of Pu-metal: An ab initio molecular dynamics study based on van der Waals density functional (vdW-DF)+U
Authors: Sun Bo , Liu Haifeng , Song Haifeng , Zhang Guangcai , Zheng Hui , Zhao Xian-Geng , Zhang Ping
Published: April 2014

Based on the non-local van der Waals density functional (vdW-DF)+U scheme, we carry out the ab initiomolecular dynamics (AIMD) study of the interaction dynamics for H2 impingement against the stoichiometric PuO2(111), the reduced PuO2(111), and the stoichiometric α-Pu2O3(111) surfaces. The hydrogen molecular physisorption states, which cannot be captured by pure DFT+U method, are obtained by employing the vdW-DF+U scheme. We show that except for the weak physisorption, PuO 2(111) surfaces are so difficult of access that almost all of the H2 molecules will bounce back to the vacuum when their initial kinetic energies are not sufficient. Although the dissociative adsorption of H2 on PuO2(111) surfaces is found to be very exothermic, the collision-induced dissociation barriers of H2 are calculated to be as high as 3.2 eV and 2.0 eV for stoichiometric and reduced PuO2 surfaces, respectively. Unlike PuO2, our AIMD study directly reveals that the hydrogen molecules can penetrate into α-Pu2O3(111) surface and diffuse easily due to the 25% native O vacancies located along the ⟨111⟩ diagonals of α-Pu2O3 matrix. By examining the temperature effect and the internal vibrational excitations of H2, we provide a detailed insight into the interaction dynamics of H2 in α-Pu2O3. The optimum pathways for hydrogen penetration and diffusion, the corresponding energy barriers (1.0 eV and 0.53 eV, respectively) and rate constants are systematically calculated. Overall, our study fairly reveals the different interaction mechanisms between H2 and Pu-oxide surfaces, which have strong implications to the interpretation of experimental observations.
Robustness of cluster synchronous patterns in small-world networks with inter-cluster co-competition balance
Authors: Zhang Jianbao , Ma Zhongjun , Chen Guanrong
Published: April 2014

All edges in the classical Watts and Strogatz's small-world network model are unweighted and cooperative (positive). By introducing competitive (negative) inter-cluster edges and assigning edge weights to mimic more realistic networks, this paper develops a modified model which possesses co-competitive weighted couplings and cluster structures while maintaining the common small-world network properties of small average shortest path lengths and large clustering coefficients. Based on theoretical analysis, it is proved that the new model with inter-cluster co-competition balance has an important dynamical property of robust cluster synchronous pattern formation. More precisely, clusters will neither merge nor split regardless of adding or deleting nodes and edges, under the condition of inter-cluster co-competition balance. Numerical simulations demonstrate the robustness of the model against the increase of the coupling strength and several topological variations.
Thermal engineering of non-local resistance in lateral spin valves
Authors: Kasai S. , Hirayama S. , Takahashi Y. K. , Mitani S. , Hono K. , Adachi H. , Ieda J. , Maekawa S.
Published: April 2014

We study the non-local spin transport in Permalloy/Cu lateral spin valves (LSVs) fabricated on thermally oxidized Si and MgO substrates. While these LSVs show the same magnitude of spin signals, significant substrate dependence of the baseline resistance was observed. The baseline resistance shows much weaker dependence on the inter-electrode distance than that of the spin transport observed in the Cu wires. A simple analysis of voltage-current characteristics in the baseline resistance indicates the observed result can be explained by a combination of the Peltier and Seebeck effects at the injector and detector junctions, suggesting the usage of high thermal conductivity substrate (or under-layer) is effective to reduce the baseline resistance.
Dynamics of plasma expansion and shockwave formation in femtosecond laser-ablated aluminum plumes in argon gas at atmospheric pressures
Authors: Miloshevsky Alexander , Harilal Sivanandan S. , Miloshevsky Gennady , Hassanein Ahmed
Published: April 2014

Plasma expansion with shockwave formation during laser ablation of materials in a background gasses is a complex process. The spatial and temporal evolution of pressure, temperature, density, and velocity fields is needed for its complete understanding. We have studied the expansion of femtosecond (fs) laser-ablated aluminum (Al) plumes in Argon (Ar) gas at 0.5 and 1 atmosphere (atm). The expansion of the plume is investigated experimentally using shadowgraphy and fast-gated imaging. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is also carried out. The position of the shock front measured by shadowgraphy and fast-gated imaging is then compared to that obtained from the CFD modeling. The results from the three methods are found to be in good agreement, especially during the initial stage of plasma expansion. The computed time- and space-resolved fields of gas-dynamic parameters have provided valuable insights into the dynamics of plasma expansion and shockwave formation in fs-pulse ablated Al plumes in Ar gas at 0.5 and 1 atm. These results are compared to our previous data on nanosecond (ns) laser ablation of Al [S. S. Harilal et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 083504 (2012)]. It is observed that both fs and ns plumes acquire a nearly spherical shape at the end of expansion in Ar gas at 1 atm. However, due to significantly lower pulse energy of the fs laser (5 mJ) compared to pulse energy of the ns laser (100 mJ) used in our studies, the values of pressure, temperature, mass density, and velocity are found to be smaller in the fs laser plume, and their time evolution occurs much faster on the same time scale. The oscillatory shock waves clearly visible in the ns plume are not observed in the internal region of the fs plume. These experimental and computational results provide a quantitative understanding of plasma expansion and shockwave formation in fs-pulse and ns-pulse laser ablated Al plumes in an ambient gas at atmospheric pressures.
Stark broadening for diagnostics of the electron density in non-equilibrium plasma utilizing isotope hydrogen alpha lines
Authors: Yang Lin , Tan Xiaohua , Wan Xiang , Chen Lei , Jin Dazhi , Qian Muyang , Li Gongping
Published: April 2014

Two Stark broadening parameters including FWHM (full width at half maximum) and FWHA (full width at half area) of isotope hydrogen alpha lines are simultaneously introduced to determine the electron density of a pulsed vacuum arc jet. To estimate the gas temperature, the rotational temperature of the C2 Swan system is fit to 2500 ± 100 K. A modified Boltzmann-plot method with bi-factor is introduced to determine the modified electron temperature. The comparison between results of atomic and ionic lines indicates the jet is in partial local thermodynamic equilibrium and the electron temperature is close to 13 000 ± 400 K. Based on the computational results of Gig-Card calculation, a simple and precise interpolation algorithm for the discrete-points tables can be constructed to obtain the traditional ne-Te diagnostic maps of two Stark broadening parameters. The results from FWHA formula by the direct use of FWHM = FWHA and these from the diagnostic map are different. It can be attributed to the imprecise FWHA formula form and the deviation between FWHM and FWHA. The variation of the reduced mass pair due to the non-equilibrium effect contributes to the difference of the results derived from two hydrogen isotope alpha lines. Based on the Stark broadening analysis in this work, a corrected method is set up to determine ne of (1.10 ± 0.08) × 1021 m−3, the reference reduced mass μ0 pair of (3.30 ± 0.82 and 1.65 ± 0.41), and the ion kinetic temperature of 7900 ± 1800 K.
Study on the nitrogen-doped W-Sb-Te material for phase change memory application
Authors: Ren Kun , Xia Mengjiao , Rao Feng , Song Zhitang , Ding Keyuan , Ji Xinglong , Wu Liangcai , Liu Bo , Feng Songlin
Published: April 2014

N doping is proposed to enlarge sensing margin of W0.08(Sb2Te)0.92 based high-temperature phase-change memories (PCMs). The sensing margin is increased from 30 to 5 × 103, with an increase from 145 °C to 158 °C in data retention. The grain size is reduced to 10 nm. The PCM based on N-W0.08(Sb2Te)0.92 shows the fast operation speed of 30 ns and good cycling ability of >103. By X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculation, the W atoms are suggested to locate in the Sb positions and interstices of the lattice. The W atoms in interstice will bond to N atoms during N doping.
Time-resolved energy transfer from single chloride-terminated nanocrystals to graphene
Authors: Ajayi O. A. , Anderson N. C. , Cotlet M. , Petrone N. , Gu T. , Wolcott A. , Gesuele F. , Hone J. , Owen J. S. , Wong C. W.
Published: April 2014

We examine the time-resolved resonance energy transfer of excitons from single n-butyl amine-bound, chloride-terminated nanocrystals to two-dimensional graphene through time-correlated single photon counting. The radiative biexponential lifetime kinetics and blinking statistics of the individual surface-modified nanocrystal elucidate the non-radiative decay channels. Blinking modification as well as a 4× reduction in spontaneous emission were observed with the short chloride and n-butylamine ligands, probing the energy transfer pathways for the development of graphene-nanocrystal nanophotonic devices.
Nonlinear optical response of semiconductor-nanocrystals-embedded photonic band gap structure
Authors: Liao Chen , Zhang Huichao , Tang Luping , Zhou Zhiqiang , Lv Changgui , Cui Yiping , Zhang Jiayu
Published: April 2014

Colloidal CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals (NCs), which were dispersed in SiO2 sol, were utilized to fabricate a SiO2:NCs/TiO2 all-dielectric photonic band gap (PBG) structure. The third-order nonlinear refractive index (n2) of the PBG structure was nearly triple of that of the SiO2:NCs film due to the local field enhancement in the PBG structure. The photoinduced change in refractive index (Δn) could shift the PBG band edge, so the PBG structure would show significant transmission modification, whose transmission change was ∼17 folds of that of the SiO2:NCs film. Under excitation of a 30 GW/cm2 femtosecond laser beam, a transmission decrease of 80% was realized.
Spatial Proximity Rather Than Temporal Frequency Determines the Wagon Wheel Illusion
Authors: Levichkina Ekaterina , Fedorov Georgy , van Leeuwen Cees
Published: April 2014

A rotating disk composed of alternating light and dark segments may give rise to the wagon wheel illusion: a perceptual reversal in rotation direction. Continuously illuminated (eg in daylight) as well as discretely presented (eg stroboscopic or computer-animated) versions of the illusion exist; here, we investigated the discrete version. Prominence of the illusion is commonly believed to depend on temporal frequency of rotation, but frequency effects have been unsystematic across previous experiments. Here, illusion strength is shown instead to lawfully depend on an attraction function of angular displacement between successive frames (experiments 1 and 2). We studied the illusion across a wider range of this factor than previously and as a result obtained unusually strong effects (up to 100% reversal). In two further experiments we showed that this is because the effect of the attraction function on the wagon wheel illusion strength is modulated by a perceived increase in the number of spokes of the wheel, a phenomenon generally known as the frequency doubling illusion. These factors combine to offer a unifying explanation of the wagon wheel illusion, at least under discrete presentation and possibly under continuous presentation conditions as well.
Stereo and Shading Contribute Independently to Shape Convexity-Concavity Discrimination
Authors: Aubin Mercédès , Arguin Martin
Published: April 2014

The present study examined the joint contribution of shading and stereopsis to the perception of shape convexity–concavity. The stimuli were the images of a synthetic convex 3-D shape seen from viewpoints leading to ambiguity as to its convexity. Illumination came from either above or below, and from either the right or the left, and stimuli were presented dichoptically with normal binocular disparity, reversed disparity, or no disparity. Participants responded “convex” more often when the lighting came from above than from below. Also, participants responded that the shape was convex more often with normal than with zero disparity, and more often with zero disparity than with reversed stereopsis. The effects of lighting direction and display mode were additive—that is, they did not interact. This indicates that shading and stereopsis contribute independently to shape perception.
Infants Recognize the Subtle Happiness Expression
Authors: Ichikawa Hiroko , Kanazawa So , Yamaguchi Masami K
Published: April 2014

Facial movement facilitates the recognition of facial expressions. While an intense expression is expressive enough to be recognized in a still image, a subtle expression can be recognized only in motion (Ambadar, Schooler, & Cohn, 2005, Psychological Science, 16, 403–410). The present study investigated whether infants recognize a subtle expression, and whether facial movement facilitates infants' recognition of a subtle expression. In experiment 1 4- to 7-month-old infants were tested for their spontaneous preference for a happy subtle expression rather than a neutral face, but they did not show a spontaneous preference. To confirm that infants did not recognize the static subtle expression, we conducted experiment 2 using the familiarization-novelty procedure. Infants were first familiarized with a static subtle happy expression. Following familiarization, they were presented with a pair of peak expressions of happiness and anger, but showed no significant novelty preference. In experiment 3 we presented the subtle expression dynamically. Infants were familiarized with a dynamic subtle expression and were tested for their novelty preference. The 6- to 7-month-olds showed a significant novelty preference, while 4- to 5-month-olds did not. These results suggest that infants can recognize the subtle expression only in dynamic presentation and that facial movement facilitates infants' recognition of facial expression.
The Eye-Size Illusion: Psychophysical Characteristics, Generality, and Relation to Holistic Face Processing
Authors: Xiao Wen S , Fu Genyue , Quinn Paul C , Sun Yu-Hao , Xiao Naiqi G , Wang Qiandong , Chen Guowei , Pascalis Olivier , Damon Fabrice , Lee Kang
Published: April 2014

Rakover [(2011). In Y. H. Zhang (Ed.), Advances in face image analysis: Techniques and technologies (pp. 316–333). Hershey, PA: IGI Global] observed a novel eye-size illusion: When increasing the size of a face but keeping the size of its eyes unchanged, the eyes are perceived to be smaller than in the original face. Here, we systematically manipulated the face size and found that the magnitude of this illusion linearly changed as a function of the face frame size (experiment 1). Additionally, the same magnitude of an illusion was observed for the perception of the size of the mouth when we changed the face frame but kept the mouth size constant (experiment 2). Further, when the faces and eyes were presented upside down, the magnitude of the illusion was significantly reduced in both Chinese participants (experiment 3) and Caucasian participants (experiment 4). The results suggest that the perception of eye or mouth size occurs in the relational context of the whole face; and when the face is inverted, thereby disrupting holistic processing, the magnitude of the illusion is reduced. We therefore suggest that holistic processing is involved in producing the illusion.
GAL
3
receptor

KO mice exhibit an anxiety-like phenotype
Authors: Brunner Susanne M. , Farzi Aitak , Locker Felix , Holub Barbara S. , Drexel Meinrad , Reichmann Florian , Lang Andreas A. , Mayr Johannes A. , Vilches Jorge J. , Navarro Xavier , Lang Roland , Sperk Günther , Holzer Peter , Kofler Barbara
Published: April 2014

Significance

In the modern world, stress-related diseases, including depression and anxiety disorders, are rapidly increasing. Neuropeptides are important modulators of these diseases. The neuropeptide galanin (GAL) has already been implicated in anxiety- and depression-related behaviors, but the relevant receptor subtypes remain to be elucidated. In the present work, we are the first, to our knowledge, to examine the role of the GAL
3
receptor in anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in

GAL
3
receptor

-deficient mice. We provide evidence that this receptor subtype is involved in stress-related diseases, and we propose this receptor as a target for alternative treatment strategies for mood disorders.
Steam explosion treatment for ethanol production from branches pruned from pear trees by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation
Authors: Sasaki Chizuru , Okumura Ryosuke , Asada Chikako , Nakamura Yoshitoshi
Published: April 2014

This study investigated the production of ethanol from unutilized branches pruned from pear trees by steam explosion pretreatment. Steam pressures of 25, 35, and 45 atm were applied for 5 min, followed by enzymatic saccharification of the extracted residues with cellulase (Cellic CTec2). High glucose recoveries, of 93.3, 99.7, and 87.1%, of the total sugar derived from the cellulose were obtained from water- and methanol-extracted residues after steam explosion at 25, 35, and 45 atm, respectively. These values corresponded to 34.9, 34.3, and 27.1 g of glucose per 100 g of dry steam-exploded branches. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation experiments were done on water-extracted residues and water- and methanol-extracted residues by Kluyveromyces marxianus NBRC 1777. An overall highest theoretical ethanol yield of 76% of the total sugar derived from cellulose was achieved when 100 g/L of water- and methanol-washed residues from 35 atm-exploded pear branches was used as substrate.
Targeted metabolomics for Aspergillus oryzae-mediated biotransformation of soybean isoflavones, showing variations in primary metabolites
Authors: Lee Sunmin , Seo Min-Ho , Oh Deok-Kun , Lee Choong Hwan
Published: April 2014

This study aimed to investigate the biotransformation of soybean isoflavones to hydroxyisoflavones, and the primary and secondary metabolite change during Aspergillus oryzae KACC40247-mediated fermentation by gas chromatography–time of flight-mass spectrometry and LC-MS with multivariate analysis. The mass spectrometric analysis revealed that acetylglycosides and glycosides decreased during the first 12 h of fermentation, while the aglycones increased up to that time point. This was followed by a decrease in aglycone levels due to the formation of hydroxyisoflavones. The hydroxyflavones, 8-hydroxydaidzein, hydroxygenistein, and hydroxyglycitein, resulting from the biotransformation of the corresponding aglycones, increased up to 24 h, and then subsequently decreased. During fermentation, the levels of monosaccharides, aspartic acid, pyroglutamic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and organic acids gradually decreased, whereas the levels of threonine, serine, and glycine increased. Hydroxyisoflavone was more strongly correlated with antioxidant activity than the other metabolites. Our results suggest that biotransformation has the potential to improve the nutritional properties of soy-based food.
Morse theory and geodesics in the space of Kähler metrics
Authors: Darvas Tamás
Published: April 2014

Given a compact Kähler manifold

(
X
,

ω
0

)

(X,\omega _0)

let

H

0

\mathcal H_{0}

be the set of Kähler forms cohomologous to

ω
0

\omega _0

. As observed by Mabuchi, this space has the structure of an infinite dimensional Riemannian manifold if one identifies it with a totally geodesic subspace of

H

\mathcal H

, the set of Kähler potentials of

ω
0

\omega _0

. Following Donaldson’s research program, existence and regularity of geodesics in this space is of fundamental interest. In this paper, supposing enough regularity of a geodesic

u
:
[
0
,
1
]
→

H

u:[0,1]\to \mathcal H

, connecting

u
0

∈

H

u_0 \in \mathcal H

with

u
1

∈

H

u_1 \in \mathcal H

, we establish a Morse theoretic result relating the critical points of

u
1

−

u
0

u_1-u_0

to the critical points of

u
˙

0

=
d
u

/

d
t

|

t
=
0

\dot u_0 = du/dt|_{t=0}

. As an application of this result, we prove that on all Kähler manifolds, connecting Kähler potentials with smooth geodesics is not possible in general. In particular, in the case

X
≠

C

P
1

X \neq \mathbb {C} P^1

, we will also prove that the set of pairs of potentials that cannot be connected with smooth geodesics has nonempty interior. This is an improvement upon the findings of Lempert and Vivas and of the author and Lempert.
Oxford Handbook of General Practice
Authors: Simon Chantal , Everitt Hazel , van Dorp Francoise , Burkes Matt
Published: April 2014

Fully revised to reflect the new changes to the GP contract and the GP curriculum, this fourth edition of the best-selling Oxford Handbook of General Practice is a practical guide to all aspects of general practice, including everything from vital clinical information to valuable practical guidance from experienced GPs. Comprehensively covering everything a doctor needs to work in, or manage a GP practice, this resource ensures readers are always up-to-date with the latest guidelines, the most recent protocols, and cutting-edge clinical information. It is fully illustrated, features many useful figures, diagrams, management boxes, and tables, and new full colour photographs have been added to the dermatology and ophthalmology chapters.
Deep Needle Procedures: Improving Safety With Ultrasound Visualization
Authors: Peabody Christopher R. , Mandavia Diku
Published: April 2014

Promoting patient safety and increasing health care quality have dominated the health care landscape during the last 15 years. Health care regulators and payers are now tying patient safety outcomes and best practices to hospital reimbursement. Many health care leaders are searching for new technologies that not only make health care for patients safer but also reduce overall health care costs. New advances in ultrasonography have made this technology available to health care providers at the patient’s bedside. Point-of-care ultrasound assistance now aids providers with real-time diagnosis and with visualization for procedural guidance. This is especially true for common deep needle procedures such as central venous catheter insertion, thoracentesis, and paracentesis.

There is now mounting evidence that clinician-performed point-of-care ultrasound improves patient safety, enhances health care quality, and reduces health care cost for deep needle procedures. Furthermore, the miniaturization, ease of use, and the evolving affordability of ultrasound have now made this technology widely available. The adoption of point-of-care ultrasonography has reached a tipping point and should be seriously considered the safety standard for all hospital-based deep needle procedures.
Fenestration: a window of opportunity for carnivorous plants
Authors: Schaefer H. Martin , Ruxton Graeme D.
Published: April 2014

A long-standing but controversial hypothesis assumes that carnivorous plants employ aggressive mimicry to increase their prey capture success. A possible mechanism is that pitcher plants use aggressive mimicry to deceive prey about the location of the pitcher's exit. Specifically, species from unrelated families sport fenestration, i.e. transparent windows on the upper surfaces of pitchers which might function to mimic the exit of the pitcher. This hypothesis has not been evaluated against alternative hypotheses predicting that fenestration functions to attract insects from afar. By manipulating fenestration, we show that it does not increase the number of
Drosophila
flies or of two ant species entering pitchers in
Sarracenia minor
nor their retention time or a pitcher's capture success. However, fenestration increased the number of
Drosophila
flies alighting on the pitcher compared with pitchers of the same plant without fenestration. We thus suggest that fenestration in
S. minor
is not an example of aggressive mimicry but rather functions in long-range attraction of prey. We highlight the need to evaluate aggressive mimicry relative to alternative concepts of plant–animal communication.