bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simple‐structure and cost‐effective FMCW radar test system using a PLL‐Gunn oscillator and fundamental mixer in the E‐band
Authors: Fujiwara Kohei , Yamaoka Hidehiko , Onzuka Tatsunori , Ozaki Shingo , Akita Yoneo , Fujinaka Yoshikazu
Published: June 2019

The authors explain the development of a cost‐effective frequency‐modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar test system in the E‐band with a simple‐structure, and demonstrate it for an automotive application using an FMCW radar chipset evaluation board and an FMCW radar. The system consists of a down‐converter, based on a fundamental mixer with a phase‐locked loop‐Gunn oscillator, and a mixed domain oscilloscope or a conventional digital oscilloscope. It is able to evaluate an FMCW signal in the time domain, such as the chirp rate, chirp length, chirp width, linearity, and the relative power level.
Sliding mode controller–observer pair for p53 pathway
Authors: Rizwan Azam Muhammad , Utkin Vadim I. , Arshad Uppal Ali , Bhatti Aamer Iqbal
Published: June 2019

A significant loss of p53 protein, an anti‐tumour agent, is observed in early cancerous cells. Induction of small molecules based drug is by far the most prominent technique to revive and maintain wild‐type p53 to the desired level. In this study, a sliding mode control (SMC) based robust non‐linear technique is presented for the drug design of a control‐oriented p53 model. The control input generated by conventional SMC is discontinuous; however, depending on the physical nature of the system, drug infusion needs to be continuous. Therefore, to obtain a smooth control signal, a dynamic SMC (DSMC) is designed. Moreover, the boundedness of the zero‐dynamics is also proved. To make the model‐based control design possible, the unknown states of the system are estimated using an equivalent control based, reduced‐order sliding mode observer. The robustness of the proposed technique is assessed by introducing input disturbance and parametric uncertainty in the system. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is witnessed by performing in‐silico trials, revealing that the sustained level of p53 can be achieved by controlled drug administration. Moreover, a comparative quantitative analysis shows that both controllers yield similar performance. However, DSMC consumes less control energy.
Disjoint motif discovery in biological network using pattern join method
Authors: Patra Sabyasachi , Mohapatra Anjali
Published: June 2019

The biological network plays a key role in protein function annotation, protein superfamily classification, disease diagnosis, etc. These networks exhibit global properties like small‐world property, power‐law degree distribution, hierarchical modularity, robustness, etc. Along with these, the biological network also possesses some local properties like clustering and network motif. Network motifs are recurrent and statistically over‐represented subgraphs in a target network. Operation of a biological network is controlled by these motifs, and they are responsible for many biological applications. Discovery of network motifs is a computationally hard problem and involves a subgraph isomorphism check which is NP‐complete. In recent years, researchers have developed various tools and algorithms to detect network motifs efficiently. However, it is still a challenging task to discover the network motif within a practical time bound for the large motif. In this study, an efficient pattern‐join based algorithm is proposed to discover network motif in biological networks. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on the transcription regulatory network of Escherichia coli and the protein interaction network of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The running time of the proposed algorithm outperforms most of the existing algorithms to discover large motifs.
Novel maximum power point tracking strategies for electronically tuned linear alternators
Authors: Zhang Min , Iacchetti Matteo F. , Shuttleworth Roger
Published: June 2019

Linear alternators (LAs) are widely applied in many energy conversion systems based on pressure waves, to avoid linear to rotary conversion mechanisms. The control of the LA is the key element to maximise the system's electric power and efficiency. However, the LA resonant frequency cannot be accurately controlled by mechanical design due to parameter tolerance. Furthermore, the operating frequency is generally not strictly constant in real‐time, making maximum power point tracking (MPPT) hard to achieve. Two MPPT strategies are proposed here to adjust the electronic stiffness amount in real time. They are hereafter referred to as symmetrical signal injection method and electronic stiffness perturbation method. The latter one is selected and validated via simulation studies.
Coordinated control and power management of diesel‐PV‐battery in hybrid stand‐alone microgrid system
Authors: Ji Xiao‐Peng , Liu Qian‐Jie , Liu Zhao , Xie Yun‐Yun , Zhai Jiang‐Tao
Published: June 2019

Coordinated control and power management of distributed energy resources, such as diesel generators (DGs), photovoltaics (PVs) and battery energy storage systems (BESSs), is vital for secure, reliable and economical operation of a stand‐alone microgrid system. This paper proposes a coordinated control and power management approach for a hybrid stand‐alone microgrid system containing DGs and PVs and also BESSs, which commonly servers as a power supply solution for remote areas such as islands. The proposed approach takes into account the maximum utilisation of PV power, economical operation condition of diesel generators, status of battery energy storage system and their operation constraints to share the load among them. Efficacy of the proposed approach is validated through a RTDS‐based simulation test and an actual project practice.
Primary frequency regulation of the hybrid power system by deloaded PMSG‐based offshore wind farm using centralised droop controller
Authors: Jahan Effat , Hazari Md. Rifat , Muyeen S. M. , Umemura Atsushi , Takahashi Rion , Tamura Junji
Published: June 2019

This paper proposes a coordinated frequency control method for variable speed wind turbines with permanent magnet synchronous generators (VSWT‐PMSGs) based offshore wind farm (OWF), which is connected to the main onshore grid through voltage source converter (VSC) based high voltage DC (HVDC) transmission system. The purpose of the proposed system is to damp the frequency oscillations of the onshore grid due to the installation of large‐scale fixed speed wind turbines with squirrel cage induction generators (FSWT‐SCIGs) based wind farm (WF) and photovoltaic (PV) power station. A novel centralised droop controller with the dead band is designed for VSWT‐PMSGs to decrease the frequency fluctuations of the onshore main power system. In the proposed system, primary frequency reserve is implemented by deloading operation of VSWT‐PMSGs in the OWF. The effectiveness of the proposed centralised frequency controller is verified through simulation analysis on a modified IEEE nine‐bus model system in PSCAD/EMTDC software.
Novel distributed state estimation method for the AC‐DC hybrid microgrid based on the Lagrangian relaxation method
Authors: Ping Ling , Xiangrui Kong , Chen Fang , Zheng Yan
Published: June 2019

The AC‐DC hybrid microgrid is a credible evolution path for the microgrid. State estimation in complex distribution network is a significant foundation for the safe operation. In AC‐DC hybrid microgrid, centralised state estimation algorithms have quite a few deficiencies such as large communication capacity and privacy protection. In response to these obstacles, this paper proposed a novel distributed state estimation algorithm. First, a three‐stage state estimation model was established for AC‐DC hybrid microgrid, in which the second stage is a nonlinear transform for the linearisation of the nonlinear state estimation progress so that the first and third stage can solve the linear state estimation problem. Furthermore, the Lagrangian relaxation method was ultilised for the distributed problem solution. In the proposed algorithm, AC subsystems and DC subsystems respectively execute state estimation through local information, and the overall consistency of the system state estimation can be eventually achieved according to the transfer iteration of the boundary information. The computational efficiency and convergence of the proposed method was ensured owing to the combination of bilinear theory and Lagrangian relaxation. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method can achieve its goal and be superior to existing method in efficiency.
Comprehensive study on fault‐ride through and voltage support by wind power generation in AC and DC transmission systems
Authors: Attya Attya Bakry , Comech Mari Paz , Omar Islam
Published: June 2019

This study exploits the impact of different low voltage ride‐through (LVRT) methods and equipment on both the wind energy elements and the grid including wind turbine/farm ability to provide reactive compensation and maintain controllability during faults. The potential of using SFCL as an alternative LVRT equipment is preliminary studied. The study also exploits some severe scenarios that could face a multi‐terminal high‐voltage DC (HVDC) network. The influences of AC faults and control errors are examined. Results show limited deviations between the adopted LVRT methods. The wind turbine has to contribute to the stability of the AC collection grid of the wind farm, but it does not influence the grid, as both are decoupled through the multi‐terminal HVDC grid. The implemented test systems and the examined events are developed in Matlab/Simulink and DIgSILENT.
Novel method for component separation of extended sources in X-ray astronomy
Authors: Picquenot A. , Acero F. , Bobin J. , Maggi P. , Ballet J. , Pratt G. W.
Published: June 2019

In high-energy astronomy, spectro-imaging instruments such as X-ray detectors allow investigation of the spatial and spectral properties of extended sources including galaxy clusters, galaxies, diffuse interstellar medium, supernova remnants, and pulsar wind nebulae. In these sources, each physical component possesses a different spatial and spectral signature, but the components are entangled. Extracting the intrinsic spatial and spectral information of the individual components from this data is a challenging task. Current analysis methods do not fully exploit the 2D-1D (x, y, E) nature of the data, as spatial information is considered separately from spectral information. Here we investigate the application of a blind source separation (BSS) algorithm that jointly exploits the spectral and spatial signatures of each component in order to disentangle them. We explore the capabilities of a new BSS method (the general morphological component analysis; GMCA), initially developed to extract an image of the cosmic microwave background from Planck data, in an X-ray context. The performance of the GMCA on X-ray data is tested using Monte-Carlo simulations of supernova remnant toy models designed to represent typical science cases. We find that the GMCA is able to separate highly entangled components in X-ray data even in high-contrast scenarios, and can extract the spectrum and map of each physical component with high accuracy. A modification of the algorithm is proposed in order to improve the spectral fidelity in the case of strongly overlapping spatial components, and we investigate a resampling method to derive realistic uncertainties associated to the results of the algorithm. Applying the modified algorithm to the deep Chandra observations of Cassiopeia A, we are able to produce detailed maps of the synchrotron emission at low energies (0.6–2.2 keV), and of the red- and blueshifted distributions of a number of elements including Si and Fe K.
Effect of the non-uniform solar chromospheric Lyα radiation on determining the coronal H I outflow velocity
Authors: Dolei S. , Spadaro D. , Ventura R. , Bemporad A. , Andretta V. , Sasso C. , Susino R. , Antonucci E. , Da Deppo V. , Fineschi S. , Frassetto F. , Landini F. , Naletto G. , Nicolini G. , Pancrazzi M. , Romoli M.
Published: June 2019

We derived maps of the solar wind outflow velocity of coronal neutral hydrogen atoms at solar minimum in the altitude range 1.5–4.0 R⊙. We applied the Doppler dimming technique to coronagraphic observations in the UV H I Lyα line at 121.6 nm. The technique exploits the intensity reduction in the coronal line with increasing velocities of the outflowing plasma to determine the solar wind velocity by iterative modelling. The Lyα line intensity is sensitive to the wind outflow velocity and also depends on the physical properties of coronal particles and underlying chromospheric emission. Measurements of irradiance by the chromospheric Lyα radiation in the corona are required for a rigorous application of the Doppler dimming technique, but they are not provided by past and current instrumentations. A correlation function between the H I 121.6 nm and He II 30.4 nm line intensities was used to construct Carrington rotation maps of the non-uniform solar chromospheric Lyα radiation and thus to compute the Lyα line irradiance throughout the outer corona. Approximations concerning the temperature of the scattering H I atoms and exciting solar disc radiation were also adopted to significantly reduce the computational time and obtain a faster procedure for a quick-look data analysis of future coronagraphic observations. The effect of the chromospheric Lyα brightness distribution on the resulting H I outflow velocities was quantified. In particular, we found that the usual uniform-disc approximation systematically leads to an overestimated velocity in the polar and mid-latitude coronal regions up to a maximum of about 50−60 km s−1 closer to the Sun. This difference decreases at higher altitudes, where an increasingly larger chromospheric portion, including both brighter and darker disc features, contributes to illuminate the solar corona, and the non-uniform radiation condition progressively approaches the uniform-disc approximation.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Medical and Dental Applications: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Zia Komal , Siddiqui Talal , Ali Saqib , Farooq Imran , Zafar Muhammad Sohail , Khurshid Zohaib
Published: June 2019

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most significant analytical techniques that has been developed in the past few decades. A broad range of biological and nonbiological applications ranging from an individual cell to organs and tissues has been investigated through NMR. Various aspects of this technique are still under research, and many functions of the NMR are still pending a better understanding and acknowledgment. Therefore, this review is aimed at providing a general overview of the main principles, types of this technique, and the advantages and disadvantages of NMR spectroscopy. In addition, an insight into the current uses of NMR in the field of medicine and dentistry and ongoing developments of NMR spectroscopy for future applications has been discussed.
The Effect of Digital Noise Reduction on Annoyance and Speech Perception in Low and High Acceptable Noise Level Groups
Authors: Shetty Hemanth Narayan , Nanjundaswamy Navya Bilijagalemole
Published: June 2019

Introduction Studies have reported that although speech perception in noise was unaltered with and without digital noise reduction (DNR), the annoyance toward noise measured by acceptable noise level (ANL) was significantly improved by DNR with the range between 2.5 and 4.5 dB. It is unclear whether a similar improvement would be observed in those individuals who have an ANL ≥ 14 dB (predictive of poor hearing aid user) often rejects their aid because of annoyance toward noise.

Objectives (a) To determine the effect of activation of DNR on the improvement in the aided ANL from low- and high-ANL groups; and (b) to predict the change in ANL when DNR was activated.

Method Ten bilateral mild to severe sloping sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) participants in each of the low- and high-ANL groups were involved. These participants were bilaterally fitted with receiver in canal (RIC) hearing aids (Oticon, Smorum, Egedal, Denmark) with a DNR processor. Both SNR-50% (Signal to noise ratio (in dB) required to achieve 50 % speech recognition) and ANL were assessed in DNR-on and DNR-off listening conditions.

Results Digital noise reduction has no effect on SNR-50 in each group. The annoyance level was significantly reduced in the DNR-on than DNR-off condition in the low-ANL group. In the high-ANL group, a strong negative correlation was observed between the ANL in DNR off and a change in ANL after DNR was employed in the hearing aid (benefit). The benefit of DNR on annoyance can be effectively predicted by baseline-aided ANL by linear regression.

Conclusion Digital noise reduction reduced the annoyance level in the high-ANL group, and the amount of improvement was related to the baseline-aided ANL value.
Professor Fernando Costa— A Man Ahead of His Time
Authors: Isolan Gustavo Rassier
Published: June 2019

This article describes the milestones in the life Brazil’s greatest neurosurgeons, Professor Fernando Costa. Born and raised in the city of Pelotas, RS, Professor Fernando was an exemplary doctor. As former director and professor at the Catholic University of Pelotas, School of Medicine, his courage as well as his ethical attitude and transparency were the central traits of this masterful teacher. He will be eternally remembered as a great physician, teacher, father, husband, grandfather and friend.
The Patient-Centered Approach: A Review of the Literature and Its Application for Acoustic Neuromas
Authors: Hong Christopher S. , Moliterno Jennifer
Published: June 2019

Patient-centered care is defined as “care that is consistent with and respects the values, needs, and wishes of patients” and is best achieved when clinicians involve patients and their support system in health care discussions and decisions. While this approach has been well established and supported in more general medical specialties, such as primary care, that may encompass a more holistic approach, it has rarely been described in surgical disciplines. Acoustic neuromas (ANs) can be unique among other skull base and intracranial pathologies, in that the management of these tumors can vary from patient to patient depending on various factors. Moreover, typical options, including observation, radiation, and surgery, may often have equipoise for some patients and their tumors. Therefore, a patient-centered approach, strongly guided by the expertise of experienced skull base surgeons, may likely be the most appropriate type of care for patients with ANs. Herein, we review the documented use of patient-centered care in other aspects of medicine, propose the benefits of this approach for patients with ANs, and provide ways this can be better implemented in practice.
Temperature-dependent instabilities in weakly ionized dusty plasmas
Authors: Fahimi P. , Hatami M. M.
Published: June 2019

Considering the effect of self-gravity and gravitational field of dust particles on electrons and ions, instabilities of a weakly ionized dusty plasma in the presence of an external constant electric field are investigated. It is assumed that ionization and electron-neutral collision frequencies and recombination coefficient depend on electron temperature. Taking into account these assumptions, it is shown that most of the instabilities investigated are stipulated by the sign change of derivative of kinetic coefficients with respect to electron temperature. Comparing the obtained results with the results of previous works, it is found that the presence of the dust particles causes the appearance of new instabilities or modifies the growth rate of the plasma instabilities under different conditions.
Temperature dependent current transport mechanism in osmium-doped perovskite yttrium manganite-based heterojunctions
Authors: Coșkun F. M. , Polat O. , Coșkun M. , Turut A. , Caglar M. , Durmus Z. , Efeoğlu H.
Published: June 2019

Among the multiferroics, yttrium manganite YMnO3 (YMO) is one of the most frequently studied magnetic ferroelectric oxides and has attracted a great deal of concern, thanks to its potential magnetoelectric features. Furthermore, it has been reported in the literature that yttrium manganite is a useful interface material in thin film devices. It has been documented that the dopant into Y and/or Mn site(s) plays significant roles on the electrical and magnetic properties of YMO. The YMn0.95Os0.05O3 (YMOO) oxide powders were prepared by the well-known solid-state reaction technique. The YMOO thin films were deposited on the p-Si (100) substrate via a radio frequency sputtering method with a thickness of approximately 62 nm. The oxidation states of the constituted elements have been investigated by using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy method. Furthermore, the surface features of the obtained thin film have been investigated using a scanning electron microscope measurement. The I–V measurements were performed in the 50–310 K range, and consequently, the Schottky diodelike reverse and forward bias I–V characteristics were observed in the Al/YMOO/p-Si heterojunction. Moreover, the ideality factor and the barrier height values were calculated as 0.77 and 2.23 at room temperature, respectively.
Macroscopic relations for microscopic properties at the interface between solid substrates and dense fluids
Authors: Russo Antonio , Durán-Olivencia Miguel A. , Kalliadasis Serafim , Hartkamp Remco
Published: June 2019

Strongly confined fluids exhibit inhomogeneous properties due to atomistic structuring in close proximity to a solid surface. State variables and transport coefficients at a solid-fluid interface vary locally and become dependent on the properties of the confining walls. However, the precise mechanisms for these effects are not known as of yet. Here, we make use of nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to scrutinize the local fluid properties at the solid-fluid interface for a range of surface conditions and temperatures. We also derive microscopic relations connecting fluid viscosity and density profiles for dense fluids. Moreover, we propose empirical ready-to-use relations to express the average density and viscosity in the channel as a function of temperature, wall interaction strength, and bulk density or viscosity. Such relations are key to technological applications such as micro-/nanofluidics and tribology but also natural phenomena.
Large eddy simulation of hydrodynamic turbulence using renormalized viscosity
Authors: Vashishtha Sumit , Samuel Roshan , Chatterjee Anando Gopal , Samtaney Ravi , Verma Mahendra K.
Published: June 2019

We employ renormalized viscosity to perform large eddy simulations (LESs) of decaying homogeneous and isotropic turbulence in a cubical domain. We perform a direct numerical simulation (DNS) on 5123 and 2563 grids and LES on 323, 643, and 1283 grids with the same initial conditions in the resolved scales for a flow with Taylor Reynolds number Reλ = 210. We observe good agreement between LES and DNS results for the temporal evolution of turbulence kinetic energy Eu(t), kinetic energy spectrum Eu(k), and kinetic energy flux Πu(k). Also, the large-scale structures of the flow in LES are similar to those in DNS. These results establish the suitability of our renormalized viscosity scheme for LES.
A quantum open system model of molecular battery charged by excitons
Authors: Alicki Robert
Published: June 2019

The analytically tractable model employing quantum Markovian master equations, derived by a weak coupling procedure and generating completely positive dynamics is proposed to describe a model of a molecular battery charged by a nonequilibrium excitonic reservoir. Excitons are produced by nonequilibrium processes involving, e.g., light absorption and chemical reactions. Various relations concerning the efficiency of the involved processes of energy transfer and the stability of the battery are discussed. The model can be treated as an initial step in applications of a mathematically sound version of quantum theory of open systems to complex processes of energy transfer in biological systems and man-made devices based on organic materials.
Laminar dispersion at low and high Peclet numbers in a sinusoidal microtube: Point-size versus finite-size particles
Authors: Adrover Alessandra , Venditti Claudia , Giona Massimiliano
Published: June 2019

This paper adopts Brenner’s homogenization theory to investigate dispersion properties, over a wide range of Peclet values, of point-size and finite-size particles in sinusoidal cylindrical microchannels in the presence of a pressure-driven Stokes flow field. The periodic alternation of entropic barriers/traps can unexpectedly increase the effective finite-size particle velocity as well as decrease the effective dispersion coefficient for both point-size and finite-size particles, for large values of the radial Peclet number. While this phenomenon has a simple explanation for tracer particles, its understanding for finite-size particles is not trivial and goes through the analysis of the localization feature of the equilibrium unit-cell particle density w0(x) and how this spatial nonuniformity impacts upon the effective particle velocity and on the solution of the so-called b field, controlling the large scale axial dispersion coefficient. Unfortunately, dispersion reduction cannot be exploited for the sake of the separation of particles having different radii because the separation performance of a hydrodynamic sinusoidal column turns out to be worse than that of a standard straight column for experimentally feasible Peclet values. Interesting analytical results for long-wavelength sinusoidal channels are obtained by a long-wave asymptotic expansion. Both zero-order and first-order terms for the asymptotic expansion of the w0(x) measure and of the b field are obtained, thus exploring a wide range of Peclet values and deriving an analytical expression for the Taylor dispersion coefficient.
Iontronic control of GaInAsP photonic crystal nanolaser
Authors: Saijo Yoshito , Watanabe Keisuke , Watanabe Takumi , Terada Yu , Nishijima Yoshiaki , Baba Toshihiko
Published: June 2019

In this study, we fabricated a photoelectrochemical circuit using GaInAsP photonic crystal nanolasers as a working electrode. Then, we controlled the emission intensity and lasing wavelength of these nanolasers by applying a bias voltage in an ionic solution. The electrochemical working points for the emission intensity and wavelength were observed for the backward and forward biases, respectively. We confirmed that the emission intensity is primarily changed by the surface recombination, which is enhanced by the Schottky barrier near the solid–liquid interface. The wavelength shift is also assumed to be caused by the Pockels effect in the electric double layer of the solution. This control method can maximize and stabilize the performance of photonic biochemical sensors and also become an option in controlling the laser diode characteristics.
Hot-spot generation and growth in shocked plastic-bonded explosives studied by optical pyrometry
Authors: Bassett Will P. , Johnson Belinda P. , Salvati Lawrence , Dlott Dana D.
Published: June 2019

The aggregate behavior of hot spots in shocked plastic-bonded explosives (PBX) was studied by nanosecond optical pyrometry. The averaged thermal emission spectra from at least 25 tiny (50 μg) explosive charges of a pentaerythritol tetranitrate PBX, at several impact velocities from 1.5 to 4.5 km/s, was used to determine average temperatures and emissivities. Individual spectra were analyzed to determine the distribution of hot spot temperatures in individual charges with unique microstructures. Understanding shocks in tiny charges with different microstructures is needed to understand shocks in large PBX charges which sample many microstructures as they propagate. The initial hot spot density was several percent, and the average initial hot spot temperature of 4000 K was, surprisingly, independent of impact velocity. With underdriven shocks, the initial hot spot temperatures clustered around 4000 K, but with overdriven shocks, there were both hotter and colder hot spots. The initial hot spot density increased quadratically with impact velocity. The generation of hot spots was described by a model with a threshold energy to trigger hot spot formation and a distribution of energetic barriers to hot spot formation.
Void collapse and subsequent spallation in Cu50Zr50 metallic glass under shock loading by molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Wen Peng , Demaske Brian , Phillpot Simon R. , Spearot Douglas E. , Tao Gang , Yuan Shuqiang
Published: June 2019

Void evolution at the microscopic scale is an important part of the shock response of porous metallic glasses (MGs). Here, large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the shock loading of Cu50Zr50 MG, including thermodynamic quantities, shock-induced void collapse, and spall behavior. The results show that the shear transformation zone nucleation and growth around the void is the main plastic deformation mechanism for the shock-induced void collapse in MGs. The stress around the void is analyzed to reveal the evolution of the void shape and the relationship between the critical stress for the void collapse and the Hugoniot elastic limit stress. A model is proposed to predict the void collapse time in MGs. Softening occurs at around the location of the void after the void collapse due to a local temperature increase. Consequently, spallation is colocated with the high temperature region, rather than at the position associated with maximum tensile stress. Void growth and nucleation of tension transformation zones compete with each other as the shock intensity increases. At a high strain rate, the Cu50Zr50 MG shows more brittle fracture behavior with a larger number of voids and smaller average void size.
Corrigendum to: Size, depth and position affect the diversity and structure of rock pool communities in an urban estuary
Authors: Schaefer Nina , Dafforn Katherine A. , Johnston Emma L. , Mayer-Pinto Mariana
Published: June 2019

Rock pools provide a range of ecological niches that can support diverse assemblages on rocky shores. As intertidal shores are increasingly lost to developments, understanding the drivers of diversity in rock pools is important for the conservation and construction of these key habitats. In this study we investigated relationships between physical characteristics of rock pools and their biota in an urban estuary. We sampled the biota every 6 weeks for 1 year at sites in the inner and outer zones of Sydney Harbour. In the well-flushed and exposed outer zone, sessile and mobile taxa richness was positively related to rock pool width, whereas only mobile taxa richness was related to depth and volume. In the more urbanised and less exposed inner zone, mobile taxa richness was positively related to rock pool width and volume. In both zones, sessile taxa richness decreased with increasing height on shore. Our results suggest that the biodiversity of intertidal rock pools varies depending on their position in Sydney Harbour and the available species pool. Therefore, restoration efforts should consider rock pool size parameters and local environmental conditions, including location, so designs can be optimised to maximise species diversity in these pools.
Long-term fertiliser (organic and inorganic) input effects on soil microbiological characteristics in hydromorphic paddy soils in China
Authors: Liu Yiren , Hou Hongqian , Ji Jianhua , Lv Zhenzhen , Liu Xiumei , Liu Guangrong , Li Zuzhang
Published: June 2019

This study investigated long-term fertilisation effects on soil microbiological characteristics of hydromorphic paddy soils. The study was conducted in 30-year-old experimental plots with various treatments involving chemical fertiliser (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) alone or in combination with manure in relation to a control in a rice–rice–fallow system at the farm at Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Science. The soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and nitrogen (SMBN), microbial enzyme activity, and microbial community structure were analysed. Changes in levels of SMBC and SMBN in response to combinations of organic–inorganic fertilisers were significantly higher than for inorganic fertiliser treatment. Furthermore, activities of microbial enzymes (sucrase, urease, proteinase, acid phosphatase, and catalase) were significantly higher in combined than in inorganic fertiliser and control treatments. Additionally, the richness and evenness of soil bacteria were decreased by long-term fertilisation, especially inorganic, whereas the Shannon–Weiner and richness indexes of soil fungi were higher. Long-term fertilisation with high doses of combined organic–inorganic input significantly increased microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and fungal community diversity. However, the same input decreased bacterial community diversity. This study will be useful for improving fertilisation management in hydromorphic paddy soils.
bHLH-PAS protein RITMO1 regulates diel biological rhythms in the marine diatom
Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Annunziata Rossella , Ritter Andrés , Fortunato Antonio Emidio , Manzotti Alessandro , Cheminant-Navarro Soizic , Agier Nicolas , Huysman Marie J. J. , Winge Per , Bones Atle M. , Bouget François-Yves , Cosentino Lagomarsino Marco , Bouly Jean-Pierre , Falciatore Angela
Published: June 2019

Periodic light–dark cycles govern the timing of basic biological processes in organisms inhabiting land as well as the sea, where life evolved. Although prominent marine phytoplanktonic organisms such as diatoms show robust diel rhythms, the mechanisms regulating these processes are still obscure. By characterizing a
Phaeodactylum tricornutum
bHLH-PAS nuclear protein, hereby named RITMO1, we shed light on the regulation of the daily life of diatoms. Alteration of RITMO1 expression levels and timing by ectopic overexpression results in lines with deregulated diurnal gene expression profiles compared with the wild-type cells. Reduced gene expression oscillations are also observed in these lines in continuous darkness, showing that the regulation of rhythmicity by RITMO1 is not directly dependent on light inputs. We also describe strong diurnal rhythms of cellular fluorescence in wild-type cells, which persist in continuous light conditions, indicating the existence of an endogenous circadian clock in diatoms. The altered rhythmicity observed in RITMO1 overexpression lines in continuous light supports the involvement of this protein in circadian rhythm regulation. Phylogenetic analysis reveals a wide distribution of RITMO1-like proteins in the genomes of diatoms as well as in other marine algae, which may indicate a common function in these phototrophs. This study adds elements to our understanding of diatom biology and offers perspectives to elucidate timekeeping mechanisms in marine organisms belonging to a major, but under-investigated, branch of the tree of life.
Microsyntactic annotation
Authors: Kahane Sylvain , Gerdes Kim , Bawden Rachel
Published: June 2019

This chapter describes the microsyntactic analysis of the Rhapsodie corpus in terms of dependency syntax. Microsyntax studies the relations between words that are characterized by a strong syntactic cohesion, traditionally called “government”. The different steps in the annotation are presented: segmentation into words and labeling in parts of speech, dependency structure, and basic syntactic functions. We justify our decision to use a small set of tags without redundancies, but to introduce a predicative relation for elements that form a complex predicate including copula, auxiliaries, and some modal verbs. Complex cases of annotations such as extraction (relative and interrogative clauses, cleft sentences) and negation are also presented. In addition, we show how a constituent structure can be computed from the dependency structure.
The annotation of list structures
Authors: Kahane Sylvain , Pietrandrea Paola , Gerdes Kim
Published: June 2019

This chapter presents phenomena we call “piles” or “lists”, which are characterized by the fact that a list of elements piles up in the same syntactic position. We therefore group the analysis of coordination together with the analysis of other phenomena such as reformulation, disfluency, partial answer, or negotiation. The elements of a pile are linked to one another by a relation that is both syntagmatic (they follow one another) and paradigmatic (they fill the same syntactic slot with respect to their common governor). The syntactic analysis of the other elements – junctors, paradigmatic adverbs, and list completers – is discussed. We also propose a typology of the different cases of pile structure and introduce the seven subcases of paradigmatic links taken into account in the annotation.
The benefits of a challenge approach on match day: Investigating cardiovascular reactivity in professional academy soccer players
Authors: Dixon J. G. , Jones M. V. , Turner M. J.
Published: June 2019

This study assessed physiological (cardiovascular) and psychological (confidence, control, and approach focus) data in professional academy soccer players prior to performance in competitive matches. A challenge state is characterised by an increase in cardiac output (CO), and a decrease in total peripheral vascular resistance (TPR). Data were collected from 37 participants, with 19 of these providing data on two separate occasions. Performance was measured using coach and player self‐ratings. Challenge reactivity was positively, and significantly, associated with performance. Participants who demonstrated blunted cardiovascular (CV) responses performed significantly worse than participants who displayed either challenge or threat reactivity. There was mixed consistency in CV reactivity for those participants whose data were collected on more than one occasion, suggesting that some participants responded differently across the competitive matches. The association between self‐report data and CV responses was weak. This study supports previous research demonstrating that challenge reactivity is associated with superior performance.
Modern unexplored martial arts – what can mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu‐Jitsu do for youth development?
Authors: Blomqvist Mickelsson Tony
Published: June 2019

Contemporarily, two martial arts have emerged as highly popular among youth; Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Brazilian Jiu‐Jitsu (BJJ). Despite their popularity, we know little of how they affect individuals sociopsychologically. The current study sought to explore how the currently underexplored martial art disciplines may contribute to sociopsychological development among young people. In addition, it was investigated whether individuals who are predisposed to different traits may favour one sport over the other. This study was conducted with a longitudinal design; over the course of 5 months, 113 participants completed training in either condition. The results show that both groups displayed increased self‐control and pro‐social behaviour; however, MMA practitioners also reported increased aggressiveness, whereas BJJ practitioners experienced a decline in aggression. Accordingly, individuals who trained in MMA displayed substantially higher pre‐existing aggression levels than the BJJ practitioners. The current results further corroborate research suggesting that modern martial arts and MMA may not be suitable for at‐risk youth to practice, whereas traditional martial arts and sports with a healthy philosophical foundation may be effective in reducing antisocial behaviour while enhancing socially desirable behaviour among young people.
ISM1 regulates NODAL signaling and asymmetric organ morphogenesis during development
Authors: Osório Liliana , Wu Xuewei , Wang Linsheng , Jiang Zhixin , Neideck Carlos , Sheng Guojun , Zhou Zhongjun
Published: June 2019

Isthmin1 (ISM1) was originally identified as a fibroblast group factor expressed in Xenopus laevis embryonic brain, but its biological functions remain unclear. The spatiotemporal distribution of ISM1, with high expression in the anterior primitive streak of the chick embryo and the anterior mesendoderm of the mouse embryo, suggested that ISM1 may regulate signaling by the NODAL subfamily of TGB-β cytokines that control embryo patterning. We report that ISM1 is an inhibitor of NODAL signaling. ISM1 has little effect on TGF-β1, ACTIVIN-A, or BMP4 signaling but specifically inhibits NODAL-induced phosphorylation of SMAD2. In line with this observation, ectopic ISM1 causes defective left-right asymmetry and abnormal heart positioning in chick embryos. Mechanistically, ISM1 interacts with NODAL ligand and type I receptor ACVR1B through its AMOP domain, which compromises the NODAL–ACVR1B interaction and down-regulates phosphorylation of SMAD2. Therefore, we identify ISM1 as an extracellular antagonist of NODAL and reveal a negative regulatory mechanism that provides greater plasticity for the fine-tuning of NODAL signaling.
Tailored interior and boundary parameter transformations for iterative inversion in electrical impedance tomography
Authors: Winkler Robert
Published: June 2019

Electrical impedance tomography is a non-invasive method for imaging the electrical conductivity of an object from electrode measurements on its surface. The underlying mathematical problem is highly nonlinear, severely ill-posed, and several model parameters are usually not known accurately. Despite the strong nonlinearity, iterative Newton-type methods are widely used to tackle the problem numerically.

This work presents and analyzes tailored transformations for the conductivity and for electrode parameters which are favourable in two regards: they remove the constrainedness of the unknown parameters and simultaneously decrease the nonlinearity of the underlying problem. We study the impact of various transformations on the nonlinearity of the problem and demonstrate improved speed of convergence for Newton-type methods while avoiding local minima in the solution space. The presented transformations can conveniently be incorporated into existing iterative solvers as they improve stability and do not require hand-tuned regularization parameters or line-search strategies, thereby bridging a gap between a variety of established conductivity estimation methods and practical applications.
Identification of activation products and radiation dose estimates in Havar® foils for a GE PETtrace800 medical cyclotron via high resolution gamma ray spectroscopy and MCNPX simulation
Authors: Inamarga J , de Vera N , Dungao J
Published: June 2019

During production of F-18 in a medical cyclotron, high energy protons and secondary neutrons hit the highly reactive components of the target assembly resulting to activation products. In determining the presence of activation products and quantifying their respective activities, high resolution gamma spectroscopy using high purity germanium (HPGe) was used. From the results of the spectroscopy analysis, the doses were estimated using two methods: calculation method and MCNPX simulations. For the gamma spectroscopy analysis, the sample was prepared using aqua regia and was sent to PNRI. The analysis was done using GEM Series HPGe Coaxial Detector System. The results of the gamma spectroscopy showed the presence of 56Co, 57Co, 58Co, and 54Mn after a cooling period of eighty (80) days. For the MCNP simulations, the Havar® window foil was simulated as an isotropic disc source and a soft - tissue mimicking box detector was used and positioned at 100 cm from the center of the simulated window foil. *F8 tally was used to estimate the effective dose arising from a single activation product homogeneously distributed in the window foil and was done under the assumption that no other radiation sources were present in the simulation. Using calculation method, the effective dose estimates of 56Co, 57Co, 58Co, and 54Mn were found to be of minimal values during replacement of 18O vial at one meter. Moreover, it was found out that the highest contributors of dose during replacement of an 18O vial and maintenance of cyclotron are 56Co and 58Co. After a period of one year, the guiding activation products become 57Co and 54Mn due to their long half - lives. Furthermore, the annual dose estimates of these activation products were found to not exceed the annual dose limits for the whole body and for the extremities. As for disposal and storage, a period of four years will allow the Havar® window foil to reach the exemption levels set by PNRI.
Estimation of effective dose for whole body18F-FDG PET/CT examination
Authors: Sabri A S A , Wong J H D
Published: June 2019

Whole body flourine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is part of the standard management of oncologic diagnosis and staging. However, there is a growing concern over the radiation exposure of patient undergoing PET/CT due to higher radiation dose compared to other imaging modalities. The aim of this study is to estimate the effective dose received by 104 patients that undergone a whole body18F-FDG PET/CT at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). The effective dose from CT were calculated using two methods, namely, dose length product (DLP) method as recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 102 and size specific dose estimates (SSDE) method as recommended by American Association of Physicist in Medicine, AAPM Report No. 204. Meanwhile, for PET dosimetry, the effective dose resulting from the radiopharmaceutical injection was estimated by means of the model proposed by ICRP Publication 106. The average effective dose for a whole body18FFDG PET/CT examination was found to be 14.82 ± 3.2 mSv for DLP method and 9.47 ± 1.5 mSv for SSDE method. DLP method shows over estimated effective dose because average malaysian population is smaller than reference Perspex phantom which is 32 cm diameter. From this study, estimates lifetime attribute risk (LAR) based on BEIR VII report is only 0.09% for SSDE method compare to DLP method which is 0.14%.
CT contrast agent of Platinum nanodendrites: Preliminary study
Authors: Khairil Anuar MA , Harun AZ , Abdul Razak K , Rahman WN
Published: June 2019

Platinum nanodendrites (PtNDs) are high-Z nanomaterials (Z=78) that possess a promising potential to be introduced as a novel contrast agent in diagnostic radiology. The objective of this study is to investigate the performance of PtNDs as contrast agent in computed tomography in term of CT number and CNR. PtNDs of different sizes (29, 36, 42, 52 nm) were prepared into final concentration of 1.0 mM in 3 mL syringes. CT scans were performed on PtND samples, distilled water and iodinated contrast agent arranged in phantom. The scans of each samples were conducted at 0.6 mm slice thickness and 80 kVp setting. CT number and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were measured and calculated. The attenuation property of PtNDs shows size dependent characteristics, as the smallest PtNDs tested (29 nm) shows the lowest CT number (3.73 ± 0.37), followed by 36 nm PtNDs (21.23 ± 0.77), 42 nm (62.77 ± 2.08) and 52 nm (89.33 ± 4.60). CNR quantification reveals that there are no significant different of CNR values for PtNDs of size 29 nm, 36 nm, and 42 nm (around 24.67 ± 0.25), while 52 nm PtNDs sees drop of CNR (20.14 ± 0.57). Compared to iodinated contrast agent, 42 and 52 nm PtNDs show higher CT number, with slightly reduced CNR. This preliminary study suggests that PtNDs have the potential to be applied as contrast agents for CT imaging. The study also demonstrates that the performance of nanomaterial based contrast agent and x-ray attenuation properties are dependent on nanoparticles size and further study is required to elucidate multiparameter involved.