bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Imbalance of Th22/Treg cells causes microinflammation in uremic patients undergoing hemodialysis
Authors: Ren Tingting , Xiong Jingyuan , Liu Guangliang , Wang Shaoyong , Tan Zhongqi , Fu Bin , Zhang Ruilin , Liao Xuesong , Wang Qirong , Guo Zonglin
Published: August 2019

Background: Regulatory T (Treg) cells are of critical functionality in immune activation and inflammation in uremic patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). A disruption in balance of Treg cells has potency to elicit infectious disease progression. Here, we examined possible association between ratio imbalance of Th22/Treg cells and microinflammation in uremic patients undergoing HD.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated to allow measurement of the percentage of Th22 cells and Treg cells using flow cytometry. Subsequently, serum levels of related cytokines, interleukin (IL) 22 (IL-22) and IL-10 and inflammatory factors, C-reactive protein (CRP), (TNF-α), IL-6 were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Then relationships among dialysis time, microinflammation status (CRP) and dialysis adequacy (immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH), urea clearance index (Kt/V), β2-MG, serum calcium, and serum phosphorus) were evaluated. Finally, correlation between microinflammation status and dialysis adequacy was analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

Results: An increased percentage of Th22 and a decreased percentage of Treg cells were evident in uremic patients undergoing HD. Serum levels of IL-22, CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 were increased, while IL-10 serum level was reduced. An imbalance of Th22/Treg cells was associated with microinflammation status in uremic patients undergoing HD. Furthermore, prolongation of the dialysis time, the microinflammation status and dialysis adequacy were changed. Increased dialysis adequacy was observed to correlate with alleviated microinflammation of uremic patients undergoing HD.

Conclusions: Conjointly, an imbalance of Th22/Treg cells may be a potential cause responsible for uremia occurrence, which in turn indicates that uremia could be effectively alleviated by altering the ratio of Th22/Treg cells.
Structured External Memory Aid Treatment for Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Lanzi Alyssa , Bourgeois Michelle S.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The aims of this study were (a) to examine the effects of a structured external memory aid (EMA) treatment for individuals with possible mild neurocognitive disorder on their use of EMAs to compensate for memory impairments, (b) to examine the extent that improved functional EMA use maintains following intervention, and (c) to measure the effects of treatment on participants' self-reported memory skills.

Method

The researchers employed a multiple-baseline design across subjects within dyads. Data were collected using the Roleplay Assessment. The graphed data were analyzed visually at baseline, treatment, and maintenance sessions. In addition, the researchers examined the participants' self-report of memory skills through an experimental pre–post design.

Results

Following intervention, a functional strategy use treatment effect was observed. All 6 participants' graphs revealed a large positive change in level, with no overlapping data. Statistical analyses also supported the positive effects of treatment. The participants maintained the use of strategies for 1–3 months. The participants self-reported a statistically significant increase in strategy use following intervention.

Conclusions

With treatment, individuals with mild memory impairments can learn to use EMAs to facilitate enhanced performance on functional activities. This study provides evidence for the importance of documenting individual treatment effects and using a functional measure to examine compensatory strategy use in everyday tasks.
Cluster Preface: Organosulfur and Organoselenium Compounds in Catalysis
Authors: Yeung Ying-Yeung
Published: August 2019

Ying-Yeung Yeung received his B.Sc. (2001) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He continued his graduate research at the same university under the supervision of Prof. Tony K. M. Shing. After four years (2001–2005) of research dedicated toward natural product synthesis, he moved to the USA to conduct postdoctoral research with Prof. E. J. Corey at Harvard University (2005–2008). In 2008, he joined the National University of Singapore, Department of Chemistry. In 2015, he moved to The Chinese University of Hong Kong as an associate professor. He has been the department chairman (since 2016) and a full professor (since 2019). His research interests include asymmetric catalysis, green oxidation, and methodology development.
Cyclization of Activated Methylene Isocyanides with Methyl N(N),N′-Di(tri)substituted Carbamimidothioate: A Novel Entry for the Synthesis of N,1-Aryl-4-tosyl/ethoxycarbonyl-1H-imidazol-5-amines
Authors: Dukanya Dukanya , Swaroop Toreshettahally R. , Rangappa Shobith , Rangappa Kanchugarakoppal S. , Basappa Basappa
Published: August 2019

Base-induced cyclization of active methylene isocyanides with carbamimidothioates for the synthesis of N,1-aryl-4-tosyl/ethylcarboxy-1H-imidazol-5-amines is reported. The diversity of the reactions is exemplified by using various carbamimidothioates obtained from symmetrical N,N-disubstituted, unsymmetrical N,N,N-trisubstituted, and unsymmetrical N,N-disubstituted thioureas. This diversity is further enriched by different isocyanides. A mechanism for the formation of the title compounds is proposed.
Embolization of Chest Neoplasms: The Next Frontier in Interventional Oncology?
Authors: Lorenz Jonathan M. , Navuluri Rakesh
Published: August 2019

The management of chest tumors and their sequelae has been an uncommon indication for transarterial embolization (TAE). More recently, vascular embolization has been increasingly performed for this indication. The most common reported indication for embolization of neoplastic disease in the chest is the control of bleeding resulting either from iatrogenic causes or from tumor invasion into a bronchus or vessel.

A natural extension of the application of TAE to neoplasm-related hemoptysis is its burgeoning indication as a possible primary treatment for benign chest tumors, primary lung neoplasms, and metastatic disease in patients that are refractory to systemic therapies and have limited or no surgical options. The goals for this indication are tumor regression and management of bulk-related symptoms. In addition to bland TAE for this indication, authors have reported very initial results applying transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) to chest neoplasms with promising results that support feasibility and safety. This article is an up-to-date review of the management of chest tumors with embolization and its variants.
Esophageal Atresia: State of the Art in Translating Experimental Research to the Bedside
Authors: Bruns Nicholas E. , Glenn Ian C. , Ponsky Todd A.
Published: August 2019

Long-gap esophageal atresia is one of the most challenging diseases in the field of pediatric surgery. There is no optimal therapy, and thus many potential therapies and techniques are being actively explored, both in animal models and in neonates. This article will review the available experimental treatment options with a focus on novel techniques.
A time-to-frequency converter for measuring the shape of short optical pulses
Authors: Plansinis Brent W. , Donaldson William R. , Agrawal Govind P.
Published: August 2019

A time-to-frequency converter was constructed using an electro-optic phase modulator as a time lens, allowing the pulse shape in time to be transferred to the frequency domain. We used such a device to record the temporal shape of infrared pulses at a wavelength of 1053 nm (width about 7 ps) and compared these measurements to those made by using both a streak camera and an autocorrelator. This side-by-side comparison illustrates the benefits and limitations of each of the measurement methods. Numerical simulations were used to establish that our time-lens-based system can accurately measure the shape of infrared pulses between 3 ps and 12 ps. We also use our numerical model to determine how such a system can be modified to measure pulses whose width lies in the range of 1–30 ps, a range of interest for the OMEGA-EP laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
Dynamics of mean field spin glasses on short and long timescales
Authors: Jagannath Aukosh
Published: August 2019

We survey some recent rigorous results regarding the dynamics of spin glasses. We first survey recent results with Gheissari and Ben Arous regarding spectral gaps for these models. In particular, we briefly present the extension of the large deviations based approach of Ben Arous and Jagannath [Commun. Math. Phys. 361, 1–52 (2018)] to the setting of spherical spin glasses, unifying the treatment of the Ising and spherical models. We then turn to the new bounding flows method introduced by Ben Arous et al. [“Bounding flows for spherical spin glass dynamics,” e-print arXiv:1808.00929] regarding the nonactivated dynamics. We end with a report on progress on activated dynamics.
Interaction of carbon with microstructural defects in a W-Re matrix: An ab initio assessment
Authors: Bakaev A. , Zinovev A. , Terentyev D. , Bonny G. , Yin C. , Castin N. , Mastrikov Yu. A. , Zhurkin E. E.
Published: August 2019

The interaction of carbon atoms with point defects and the core of edge and screw dislocations with Burgers vector a0/2⟨111⟩ in W and a W-Re matrix is studied by means of ab initio calculations. The structure and energetics of the ground-state atomic configurations are presented and rationalized. It is found that di-vacancies, which are thermally unstable in pure W according to the state-of-the-art ab initio calculations, can nucleate at C and Re-C complexes, which fill the gap in the explanation of the emergence of nanovoids observed experimentally under irradiation. Also, on the basis of the recent experimental evidence and our calculations, the temperature ranges for the manifestation of the yield drop phenomenon, which is related to the obstruction of dislocation motion due to their decoration by impurities such as carbon, are revealed.
Relaxation volumes of microscopic and mesoscopic irradiation-induced defects in tungsten
Authors: Mason Daniel R. , Nguyen-Manh Duc , Marinica Mihai-Cosmin , Alexander Rebecca , Sand Andrea E. , Dudarev Sergei L.
Published: August 2019

The low-energy structures of irradiation-induced defects in materials have been studied extensively over several decades, as these determine the available modes by which a defect can diffuse or relax, and how the microstructure of an irradiated material evolves as a function of temperature and time. Consequently, many studies concern the relative energies of possible defect structures, and empirical potentials are commonly fitted to or evaluated with respect to these. But recently [S. L. Dudarev et al., Nucl. Fusion 58, 126002 (2018)], we have shown that other parameters of defects not directly related to defect energies, namely, their elastic dipole tensors and relaxation volumes, determine the stresses, strains, and swelling of reactor components under irradiation. These elastic properties of defects have received comparatively little attention. In this study, we compute relaxation volumes of irradiation-induced defects in tungsten using empirical potentials and compare to density functional theory results. Different empirical potentials give different results, but some clear potential-independent trends can be identified. We show that the relaxation volume of a small defect cluster can be predicted to within 10% from its point-defect count. For larger defect clusters, we provide empirical fits as a function of defect cluster size. We demonstrate that the relaxation volume associated with a single primary-damage cascade can be estimated from the primary knock-on atom energy. We conclude that while annihilation of defects invariably reduces the total relaxation volume of the cascade debris, there is still no conclusive verdict about whether coalescence of defects reduces or increases the total relaxation volume.
Spatio-temporal distribution of absolute densities of argon metastable 1s5 state in the diffuse area of an atmospheric pressure nanosecond pulsed argon microplasma jet propagating into ambient air
Authors: Es-sebbar Et. , Bauville G. , Fleury M. , Pasquiers S. , Santos Sousa J.
Published: August 2019

Atmospheric microplasma jets (MPJs) sustained in rare gases have gained increased attention due to their potential to generate highly reactive species. In this paper, we present space- and time-resolved argon metastable densities, Ar(1s5), measured in an atmospheric pressure MPJ operated in Ar and propagating into ambient air using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (1s5 → 2p9 optical transition). The MPJ was produced using a dielectric barrier discharge energized by short duration (230 ns) high-voltage positive pulses (4.2–6.2 kV) at a repetition frequency of 20 kHz. The spectral absorption line profile was recorded and allowed measurements of the absolute metastable Ar(1s5) density integrated in the line-of-sight of the laser beam under various operating conditions of the MPJ. The results reveal a sensitive dependence of the Ar(1s5) density on spatial coordinates, i.e., distance from the exit of the capillary tube of the discharge and from the axis of the argon jet. The highest Ar(1s5) densities of about 3 × 1013 cm−3 were measured at the axis of the argon jet at longitudinal distances between 4 and 5.5 mm downstream from the nozzle of the tube. The temporal distribution of the Ar(1s5) density, which presents three maxima, is thoroughly discussed in this paper. The spatial distribution of the effective Ar(1s5) lifetime (<250 ns) is also reported, giving some insight into the surrounding environment of the argon metastable atoms. The determined spatiotemporal distributions of the Ar(1s5) density can be useful for the optimization of argon MPJs for different applications like surface or biomedical processes.
Cesium desorption mechanism in Cs0.33WO3 by first-principles molecular dynamics calculations
Authors: Yoshio Satoshi , Adachi Kenji , Kubo Momoji
Published: August 2019

Cesium-doped tungsten bronze, CsxWO3 (CWO), has the property of absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light and transmitting visible light and is used as an NIR shielding material for window glasses. However, the NIR shielding ability of CWO deteriorates with color bleaching in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, thus limiting its applications. Decolorization is induced by the desorption of Cs in the presence of H2O. This reaction was investigated based on first-principles molecular dynamics calculations and the potential–pH diagram. The results clarified the mechanism of the Cs desorption reaction from a microscopic viewpoint. Furthermore, a countermeasure to suppress the Cs desorption, which employs the steric hindrance effect of cation substitutions with large ions on the surface, was proposed.
Constructing a partially transparent computational boundary for UPPE using leaky modes
Authors: Juhasz David , Jakobsen Per Kristen
Published: August 2019

In this paper, we introduce a method for creating a transparent computational boundary for the simulation of unidirectional propagation of optical beams and pulses using leaky modes. The key element of the method is the introduction of an artificial-index material outside a chosen computational domain and utilization of the quasi-normal modes associated with such artificial structure. The method is tested on the free space propagation of TE electromagnetic waves. By choosing the material to have appropriate optical properties, one can greatly reduce the reflection at the computational boundary. In contrast to the well-known approach based on a perfectly matched layer, our method is especially well suited for spectral propagators.
Non-touching confinement of ternary particle systems by electrostatic surface forces
Authors: Mitra N. , Kemp B. A. , Sarkar T. , Sheppard C. J.
Published: August 2019

We apply an exact analytical model to demonstrate that multiple particle systems can bind in nontouching, minimum energy equilibrium configurations. It is predicted that such systems may self-assemble due entirely to electrostatic interactions without the aid of external forces. We demonstrate the potential energy equilibria for ternary systems where the effective dipoles cancel and the anomalous electrostatic forces are described by interactions between higher order multipoles.
Singlet fission of amorphous rubrene modulated by polariton formation
Authors: Takahashi Shota , Watanabe Kazuya , Matsumoto Yoshiyasu
Published: August 2019

The excited-state dynamics of molecular aggregates are governed by their potential energy landscape that can hardly be controlled artificially. However, it is possible to alter the excited state dynamics by a strong coupling between light and molecules (polariton formation) because it can decouple the electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom. Here, we demonstrate this polaron decoupling effect on the photochemical dynamics in singlet fission (SF) of amorphous rubrene thin films embedded in optical microcavities. The vibronic feature of polariton states in this system is characterized through the analysis of steady state absorption spectra by using the Holstein-Tavis-Cummings model. On the basis of this analysis, we show with time-resolved spectroscopy that the SF rate following a resonant excitation of the lowest energy polariton state is indeed modulated when the cavity photon energy is changed. A numerical simulation by using Fermi’s golden rule formula with the vibronic polariton feature successfully accounts for the observed modulation of the SF rate, indicating that the polaron decoupling plays a decisive role in the nonadiabatic dynamics.
The digital mirror Langmuir probe: Field programmable gate array implementation of real-time Langmuir probe biasing
Authors: Vincent C. , McCarthy W. , Golfinopoulos T. , LaBombard B. , Sharples R. , Lovell J. , Naylor G. , Hall S. , Harrison J. , Kuang A. Q.
Published: August 2019

High bandwidth, high spatial resolution measurements of electron temperature, density, and plasma potential are valuable for resolving turbulence in the boundary plasma of tokamaks. While conventional Langmuir probes can provide such measurements, either their temporal or spatial resolution is limited: the former by the sweep rate necessary for obtaining I-V characteristics and the latter by the need to use multiple electrodes, as is the case in triple and double probe configurations. The Mirror Langmuir Probe (MLP) bias technique overcomes these limitations by rapidly switching the voltage on a single electrode cycling between three bias states, each dynamically optimized for the local plasma conditions. The MLP system on Alcator C-Mod used analog circuitry to perform this function, measuring Te, VF, and Isat at 1.1 MSPS. Recently, a new prototype digital MLP controller has been implemented on a Red Pitaya Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board which reproduces the functionality of the original controller and performs all data acquisition. There is also the potential to provide the plasma parameters externally for use with feedback control systems. The use of FPGA technology means the system is readily customizable at a fraction of the development time and implementation cost. A second Red Pitaya was used to test the MLP by simulating the current response of a physical probe using C-Mod experimental measurements. This project is available as a git repository to facilitate extensibility (e.g., real-time control outputs and more voltage states) and scalability through collaboration.
Intra-dimer row and inter-dimer row coupling of the vibrational modes of chemisorbed CO on Si(001)-c(4×2) observed by angle-dependent transmission infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Ohno Shinya , Shimizu Shotaro , Tanaka Kazuma , Yoshimoto Shinya , Yoshinobu Jun
Published: August 2019

The vibrational modes of chemisorbed CO on a Si(001) surface are investigated by means of transmission Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. We observed the three components corresponding to the stretching vibration of the terminal-site CO adsorbed on the down-dimer sites of a Si(001) surface. The symmetric stretching vibration and asymmetric stretching vibration are observed separately. This assignment is consistent with the polarization dependence of the incident light and with the vibrational modes obtained by performing theoretical calculations. We found that both the intradimer row and interdimer row coupling should be considered to explain the appearance of the three components.
Predicting day-ahead solar irradiance through gated recurrent unit using weather forecasting data
Authors: Gao Bixuan , Huang Xiaoqiao , Shi Junsheng , Tai Yonghang , Xiao Rui
Published: August 2019

In the solar power industry, irradiance forecasts are needed for planning, scheduling, and managing of photovoltaic power plants and grid-combined generating systems. A widely used method is artificial intelligence (AI), in particular, artificial neural networks, which can be trained over both historical values of irradiance and meteorological variables such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, pressure, and precipitation. In this paper, a novel version of the gated recurrent unit (GRU) method is combined with weather forecasts in order to predict solar irradiance. This method is used to forecast irradiance over a horizon of 24 h. Experiments show that the proposed method is able to outperform other AI methods. In particular, GRU using weather forecast data reduces the root mean squared error by 23.3% relative to a backpropagation neural network and 11.9% relative to a recurrent neural network. Compared to long short-term memory, the training time is reduced by 36.6%. Compared to persistence, the improvement in the forecast skill of the GRU is 42.0%. In summary, GRU is a promising technology which can be used effectively in irradiance forecasting.
Effects of non-uniform permeability on vortex shedding and noise control of blunt trailing edge
Authors: Liu Hanru , Chen Nanshu , Hu Zhijie
Published: August 2019

In this paper, the characteristics of the vortex shedding and noise of the blunt trailing edge with different porous permeable segment are studied by numerical simulation. The permeability distribution is adjusted through continuously changing the viscous drag of porous region to achieve uniformity and non-uniformity. The simulation results firstly show that the porous trailing edge can stabilize the free shear layer in a certain range of viscous drag coefficient to suppress the vortex shedding and reduce the overall noise level significantly. The optimized non-uniform permeability can further reduce the noise by 3dB than that of uniform permeability for porous blunt trailing edge. The discrete strip-shaped porous blunt trailing edge is proposed for more practical engineering application. It is found that the noise level is increased by 2 dB rather than optimal function distribution. However, the discrete strip porous trailing edge still has significant noise reduction capacity with respect to solid blunt trailing edge. The three-dimensional simulation demonstrates further that the non-uniform permeable trailing edge behaves more potential than uniform permeable trailing edge and reveals the crucial spanwise synergy effects by porous treatment.
On stretching of plasma parameters and related open issues for the study of dust-ion-acoustic and dust-acoustic shock waves in dusty plasmas
Authors: Mamun A. A.
Published: August 2019

To study the properties of the shock structures associated with dust-ion-acoustic (DIA) and dust-acoustic (DA) waves, the stretching of the plasma parameters [viz., kinematic or longitudinal viscosity coefficient ηi (ηd) for DIA (DA) waves and the plasma parameter δi (δd) associated with the dust charge fluctuation for DIA (DA) waves] has been used by many authors. It is argued that the stretching of such plasma parameters is not usually valid. The valid stretching coordinates for deriving the Burgers equation, which leads to the formation of DIA and DA shock waves, are provided. A few open issues related to the sources of dissipation [viz., different viscous forces giving rise to ηi and ηd and dust charge fluctuation giving rise to δi and δd] are also pinpointed. To remove the stretching of plasma parameters, which is not usually valid, from our future research work, and to address some related open issues will be able not only to enhance the quality of our future research work but also to help us in working on some challenging research problems in dusty plasma physics.
Monte Carlo modeling of thin GaAs photocathodes
Authors: Liu Wei , Wang Erdong
Published: August 2019

A Monte Carlo model was developed to simulate electron transport and emission from thin GaAs photocathodes with different active layer thicknesses and dopant concentrations. The simulation accurately predicts expected behavior, namely, quantum efficiency (QE) is enhanced for thicker GaAs photocathodes and for higher dopant concentrations. More significantly, the simulation predicts that electrons excited to the conduction band of the GaAs can be reflected by the band bending regions of the AlGaAs barrier layer, which contributes to enhance QE. The simulation also predicts that electrons in the conduction band suffer more scattering for thicker GaAs photocathodes and for higher dopant concentration, leading to longer emission response time. This Monte Carlo model will improve our understanding and predicting of the performance of more complicated GaAs-based heterojunction structures composed of multiple thin layers.
Practical theoretical expressions for ions embedded in Debye and quantum plasmas
Authors: Chen Zhan-Bin , Ma Kun
Published: August 2019

An accurate theoretical expression is proposed for the atomic structure under external confinement. The analysis is based on the tensor expression for the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian in which the Racah wave functions are expanded in terms of the linear combinations of the multi-Slater wave functions. The variables are separated into radial and angular parts, where the variational parameters in the trial wave functions are obtained by solving the radial Schrödinger equation and the expressions of the angular part are worked out using an irreducible theory of complex system. Relativistic corrections are derived directly, which are treated as a sum of five terms: mass correction, one-body Darwin correction, two-body Darwin correction, spin-spin contact interaction correction, and orbit-orbit interaction correction. Energies and radiative decay rates of Be-like Fe22+ and Kr32+ ions in the presence of two kinds of plasma environments are presented for demonstration purposes, one is the Debye plasma which is described by a standard Debye-Hückel potential and the other is the quantum plasma which is treated under an exponential cosine screened Coulomb potential. Independent self-consistent calculations within the fully relativistic frame by incorporating the above two potentials are also performed using the Flexible Atomic Code to verify the validity of the proposed expressions. Results are given over a wide range of screening lengths. Relativistic effects in energy spectra are studied for the first time and are found to be rather important, especially in the high-Z system. Comparisons between our two sets of results and other theoretical predictions when available are made. Some behavior of the respective properties with respect to the plasma shielding strength is discussed. The present study should be beneficial for the analysis of spectra in astrophysical and fusion plasmas.
Quantum dynamics and geometric phase in E ⊗ e Jahn-Teller systems with general Cnv symmetry
Authors: Weike Thomas , Williams David M. G. , Viel Alexandra , Eisfeld Wolfgang
Published: August 2019

E ⊗ e Jahn-Teller (JT) systems are considered the prototype of symmetry-induced conical intersections and of the corresponding geometric phase effect (GPE). For decades, this has been analyzed for the most common case originating from C3v symmetry and these results usually were generalized. In the present work, a thorough analysis of the JT effect, vibronic coupling Hamiltonians, GPE, and the effect on spectroscopic properties is carried out for general Cnv symmetric systems (and explicitly for n = 3–8). It turns out that the C3v case is much less general than often assumed. The GPE due to the vibronic Hamiltonian depends on the leading coupling term of a diabatic representation of the problem, which is a result of the explicit n, α, and β values of a Cnv Eα ⊗ eβ system. Furthermore, the general existence of n/m (m∈N depending on n, α, and β) equivalent minima on the lower adiabatic sheet of the potential energy surface (PES) leads to tunneling multiplets of n/m states (state components). These sets can be understood as local vibrations of the atoms around their equilibrium positions within each of the local PES wells symmetrized over all equivalent wells. The local vibrations can be classified as tangential or radial vibrations, and the quanta in the tangential mode together with the GPE determine the level ordering within each of the vibronic multiplets. Our theoretical predictions derived analytically are tested and supported by numerical model simulations for all possible Eα ⊗ eβ cases for Cnv symmetric systems with n = 3–8. The present interpretation allows for a full understanding of the complex JT spectra of real systems, at least for low excitation energies. This also opens a spectroscopic way to show the existence or absence of GPEs.
Performance optimization of magnetostrictive guided wave sensor based on waveguide wire
Authors: Liu Kangchi , Yang Lu , Wang Mingquan , Yang Shunmin
Published: August 2019

In this paper, an open magnetic circuit magnetostrictive guided wave sensor that allows free regulation of the static working point is proposed for ferromagnetic material waveguide wires applied to non-destructive testing of wire bars, guided wave mechanics study, magnetostrictive linear displacement sensors and other fields. The sensor was made up of an iron-gallium alloy wire, a ring-shaped permanent magnet and a concentric coil, which was used to excited a longitudinal mode guided wave on the iron-gallium alloy wire. The structural parameters of the permanent magnet were optimized, the axial relative distance between the permanent magnet and the coil was studied and the superposition of and matching between the dynamic magnetic field and the static bias magnetic field were adjusted, allowing identifying the optimal magnetization point, so that the magnetic acoustic transduction efficiency was optimized. The sensor was analyzed, by means of finite element simulation, to produce the best system combination, which improved the sensitivity of the measurement. The improvement has been experimentally verified.
Photoacid generators. Application and current state of development
Authors: Kuznetsova Nina A. , Malkov Georgy V. , Gribov Boris G.
Published: August 2019

Photoacid generators are used as components of photocurable polymer formulations and chemically amplified photoresists in microelectronics industry. In recent years, these compounds gained importance as components of various engineering materials. The review presents the classification of photoacid generators and summarizes data on photochemical processes giving photoacids. A special section is devoted to practical applications of photoacid generators and the current state of their development.

The bibliography includes 118 references.
Combinatorial analysis of the period mapping: the topology of 2D fibres
Authors: Bogatyrev A. B.
Published: August 2019

We study the period mapping from the moduli space of real hyperelliptic curves to a Euclidean space. The mapping arises in the analysis of Chebyshev’s construction used in the constrained optimization of the uniform norm of polynomials and rational functions. The decomposition of the moduli space into polyhedra labelled by planar graphs allows us to investigate the global topology of low-dimensional fibres of the period mapping.

Bibliography: 23 titles.
Discarding social investment and redistribution in the name of austerity? The case of Finnish family policy reforms 2007—2015
Authors: Nygård Mikael , Nyby Josefine , Kuisma Mikko
Published: August 2019

Since the 1970s, Finland has conducted family policies that could be labelled social investments, for example, investments in work–family balance or public childcare, while at the same time it has protected the economic standard of families with children through various income transfers. However, after the 2008–2009 financial crisis these policies including those with socially investing objectives have been increasingly subjected to cuts in benefit levels and entitlements in order to lower public expenditure, which raises the question if there has been a shift away from social investments and redistribution towards austerity policies. By analysing government programs from the period 2007–2015, this article discusses if, and to what extent, such a change can be traced in the Finnish government discourse. More specifically the article studies the narrative stories used to legitimise changes (reforms) in existing family policy and to what extent these changes were informed by a social investment perspective focusing on ‘new’ social risks, a traditional redistribution perspective emphasising ‘old’ social risks, or a neoliberal austerity perspective advocating fiscal austerity and welfare cuts. We argue that the first two perspectives were dominant prior to and during the first phase of the international financial crisis, whereas the third perspective became dominant after the crisis. Moreover, the results show that the main storyline in the legitimisation of the reforms was stories of ‘progress’ in combination with stories of ‘control’ and helplessness’.
Phase Diagram of the Spin-1/2 Heisenberg Alternating Chain in a Magnetic Field*
Authors: Chen Wei-Xia , Ren Jie , You Wen-Long , Hao Xiang , Wu Yin-Zhong
Published: August 2019

By using the infinite time-evolving block decimation, we study quantum fidelity and entanglement entropy in the spin-1/2 Heisenberg alternating chain under an external magnetic field. The effects of the magnetic field on the fidelity are investigated, and its relation with the quantum phase transition (QPT) is analyzed. The phase diagram of the model is given accordingly, which supports the Haldane phase, the singlet-dimer phase, the Luttinger liquid phase and the paramagnetic phase. The scaling of entanglement entropy in the gapless Luttinger liquid phase is studied, and the central charge c = 1 is obtained. We also study the relationship between the quantum coherence, string order parameter and QPTs. Results obtained from these quantum information observations are consistent with the previous reports.
Advanced automatic detection of fetal body movements from multichannel magnetocardiographic signals
Authors: Schmidt A , Witte R , Swiderski L , Zöllkau J , Schneider U , Hoyer D
Published: August 2019

Objective: Both heart rate (HR) monitoring and detection and description of fetal movements provide essential information of the integrity of in utero development and fetal wellbeing. Our previously described method to identify movements from multichannel magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings lacks of reliability in some cases. This work is aimed at the improvement of fetal movement detection by means of an advanced signal processing and validation strategy. Approach: The previously proposed methodology of fetal body movement detection from MCG recordings using single space angle (SSA), min–max amplitude (MMA) and a measure of the overall signal strength across (RSS) was extended by moving correlation coefficient (MCC). The methodology was developed with respect to the discrimination between active and quiet sleep, validated by testing its coupling with HR accelerations in a total of 137 recordings lasting 30 min from 98 fetuses aged 34–38 weeks of gestation (WGA) of normal pregnancy. Main results: The developed algorithm improves the reliable automatic detection of fetal body movements independent of the fetal sleep states and their changes in the individual MCG recordings. In the fetuses aged 34–38 WGA 94% of 15  ×  15 HR accelerations were coupled with detected movements. The visual inspection of the movement graphs of 30 fetuses aged 20–32 WGA supports the transferability of the movement detector to this age. In four subjects MCG-based movement detection and maternal report on percepted fetal movements were consistent. Significance: The presented methodology allows the parallel automatic acquisition of precise fetal heart rate variability (HRV) indices based on subsequent beat intervals and of fetal body movements from MCG recordings during late 2nd and 3rd trimester. Potential advantages of parallel monitoring of fetal HRV and movements using MCG compared to established ultrasound technology should be investigated in subsequent studies with respect to the identification of fetuses at risk.
The particle tracking code BBCNI for large negative ion beams and their diagnostics
Authors: Hurlbatt A , den Harder N , Wünderlich D , Fantz U
Published: August 2019

Heating and current drive in the next generation tokamak ITER requires the use of large and powerful neutral beams, generated by a precursor ion beam from an ion source around 1 m × 2 m in cross-section. To avoid energy losses and component damage, strict requirements are placed on the divergence and uniformity of this ion beam, which is comprised of many individual beamlets. Understanding, controlling, and predicting the behaviour of these large ion beams requires knowledge of these individual beamlets and their interactions with one another. This is hindered by available experimental diagnostics on these large beams typically only having access to volume averaged information. A forward simulation of beam diagnostics would allow the connection of experimental results with otherwise unobtainable individual beamlet properties. The particle tracking and ray tracing code Bavarian Beam Code for Negative Ions was developed for this reason, and takes into account the interaction of individual component beamlets with whole-beam diagnostics to produce synthetic data that can be compared with experimental results. In this work a significantly reworked and upgraded version of the code is presented and example results are given and analysed for the ITER relevant test facility BATMAN Upgrade. It is shown how the simulation can recreate experimental results, and that one must consider the whole beam in order to do so. The impact of beamlet mixing on beam emission spectroscopy results is shown, as is the importance of long range magnetic fields on the beam transport. The capabilities and limitations of the code are discussed with a view toward application to ITER size ion sources.
Current–voltage characteristics of double disordered REBCO coated conductors exposed to magnetic fields with edge gradients
Authors: Gnilsen Johannes , Usoskin Alexander , Eisterer Michael , Betz Ulrich , Schlenga Klaus
Published: August 2019

A study of HTS-coated tapes which are exposed to a low and medium field with a gradient in the flux density is performed in order to enable relevant and accurate tape characterization as well as to determine the relevant information for applications, where a magnetic field gradient occurs. In particular, the study is focused on ultra-high-magnet-field YBCO-coated tapes. Such tapes based on double disordered YBCO layer with intrinsic and extrinsic precipitations exhibit a ‘champion’ performance in ultra-high (31 T) magnetic fields. Alternative measurement techniques, based on miniature permanent magnets or a pulsed electro-magnet was developed to characterize the critical current, I

c
, in 0.5 and 3 T fields at 77 K, B//c, respectively. For the field dependence of the critical current, an ‘extended alpha approximation’ is suggested, which enables a sufficiently accurate description of the tape behavior in the low and medium field range, i.e. from 0 to 6 T. Local and integral voltage response in the tapes are analyzed and compared with experimental results. Observations of the effect that gains the influence of local I

c
-inhomogeneities exposed to a spatially confined magnetic field are described and discussed. The effects of local heating and cooling are shown to be limited via lowering the transport currents and finally a reduced power dissipation in the tape exposed to a localized magnetic field with two gradient zones was demonstrated. Correction factors needed to determine the critical current from the field dependence of the integral voltage response are derived and discussed.
First-principles calculation of optical responses based on nonorthogonal localized orbitals
Authors: Wang Chong , Zhao Sibo , Guo Xiaomi , Ren Xinguo , Gu Bing-Lin , Xu Yong , Duan Wenhui
Published: August 2019

Based on ab initio software packages using nonorthogonal localized orbitals, we develop a general scheme of calculating response functions. We test the performance of this method by calculating nonlinear optical responses of materials, like the shift current conductivity of monolayer WS2, and achieve good agreement with previous calculations. This method bears many similarities to Wannier interpolation, which requires a challenging optimization of Wannier functions due to the conflicting requirements of orthogonality and localization. Although computationally heavier compared to Wannier interpolation, our procedure avoids the construction of Wannier functions and thus enables automated high throughput calculations of linear and nonlinear responses related to electrical, magnetic and optical material properties.
Galaxy formation and dark matter: small scale problems and quantum effects on astrophysical scales
Authors: El-Zant Amr A.
Published: August 2019

Although non-baryonic dark matter seems essential in the context of the currently favoured cosmological model, the standard dark matter scenario is facing problems: experimental searches have failed to find the relevant particles, closing the mass-corssection window of the ‘WIMP miracle’, and the model suffers from problems on (sub) galactic scales. The cold dark matter (CDM) invoked may turn out to be too cold and needs to be heated; so that its solution to the dearth of visible matter in the outer parts of galaxies is not accompanied by the problem of an excess of matter in their centres (along with other possibly related problems, such as the numerical excess of predicted satellites). After a heuristic introduction to some aspects of the rationales that lead to the CDM paradigm, I discuss the properties of self gravitating CDM structures (haloes) and the proposed reasons for their apparently ‘universal profiles’ (including new simulations attempting to explain aspects of their advent), the galactic-scale problems associated with them, and proposed solutions, focussing on baryonic solutions and the recently topical ultra-light axion particles as replacement for the standard weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). It is hoped that at least parts of this review would be helpful to a general physics audience interested in the problem of dark matter in an astrophysical context.
Ergodicity variation in a long range interacting one-dimensional Ising spin system subject to a time-varying magnetic field
Authors: Sadiek Gehad , Al-mutairi Habeba
Published: August 2019

We consider one dimensional Ising spin system in a transverse uniform time-dependent magnetic field. The asymptotic behavior of the bipartite entanglements between the terminal spin and each one of the other spins along the chain is investigated and compared at different spin-spin interaction ranges, from nearest neighbor to infinite long range, under the separate action of two different magnetic fields, constant and time-varying. We find that each of the nearest neighbor and next to nearest neighbor bipartite entanglements reach an asymptotic final state that is independent of the initial condition or the variation in the interaction range showing perfect ergodic behavior at quite short interaction ranges. However, the nearest neighbor entanglement maintains this behavior at a slightly longer ranges. The other bipartite entanglements assume a zero value within these interaction ranges. At intermediate short and long interaction ranges, the asymptotic states of all entanglements become strongly dependent on the initial state and the interaction range, deviating from the ergodic behavior observed before. The maximum asymptotic entanglement attainable between a pair of spins takes place at a long interaction range value that increases with the distance between the spins. At the infinite long range interaction, the dynamics of all bipartite entanglements coincide. great care should be taken in constructing both.
Plasma boundary of nonlinear sheath dynamics for arbitrary waveforms in capacitive discharge
Authors: Elgendy Abdelfattah T
Published: August 2019

Capacitively coupled RF discharges (RF-CCPs) can offer a higher quality of semiconductor fabricating and processing thin film by applied full y arbitrary waveforms. Using different applied arbitrary voltage waveform, one can design varies distributions with specific tailoring features. Analyzing RF -CCPs dynamics using non-harmonically modulated sheath is more complicated. In this theoretical study of fluid model, various types of excitation waveforms, such as square, sawtooth, dual frequency, and pulse-like excitation were applied. Furthermore, different important semi-analytical descriptions, such as the particle density, instantaneous electric field distributions, the voltage and the effective charge-voltage of time characteristics of arbitrary waveforms are obtained. By applying the collision and collisionless self-consistent numerical solutions of the fluid model all complex dynamics are accomplished. In addition, by using the model of an ensemble in space-time (EST) it is found that arbitrary waveforms can offer more possibilities for tailoring IEDs for a purpose in collisionless regimes more than collisional regimes. Moreover, mo re control of RF-CCPs will be achieved for the different purpose of materials processing.
Enhanced Photovoltaic Parameters of Titania/Graphene Nanocomposites Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Khedr G E , Abdallah T , Morsi R E , Talaat H
Published: August 2019

The efficiency of carbon-based dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is improved by mixing titania with graphene (GR) sheets. The composite films of GR sheets and TiO2were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The grinding of GR with TiO2leads to smaller size TiO2nanoparticles which increases their surface area. The photovoltaic efficiency varied with the mixing ratio giving the highest efficiency at a ratio of 1 wt. % of GR to TiO2. The increase in the photovoltaic efficiency is more than doubled the one without GR under the same conditions. Mesoporous carbon from candle flame and N3 dye were used instead of Pt and N719 dye to reduce the cost.