bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A rare missense variant in NR1H4 associates with lower cholesterol levels
Authors: Deaton Aimee M. , Sulem Patrick , Nioi Paul , Benonisdottir Stefania , Ward Lucas D. , Davidsson Olafur B. , Lao Socheata , Helgadottir Anna , Fan Fan , Jensson Brynjar O. , Norddahl Gudmundur L. , Jonasdottir Aslaug , Jonasdottir Adalbjorg , Sigurdsson Asgeir , Kristjansson Ragnar P. , Oddsson Asmundur , Arnadottir Gudny A. , Jonsson Hakon , Olafsson Isleifur , Eyjolfsson Gudmundur I. , Sigurdardottir Olof , Bjornsson Einar S. , Olafsson Sigurdur , Steingrimsdottir Thora , Rafnar Thorunn , Thorgeirsson Gudmundur , Masson Gisli , Thorleifsson Gudmar , Gudbjartsson Daniel F. , Holm Hilma , Thorsteinsdottir Unnur , Stefansson Kari
Published: February 2018

Searching for novel sequence variants associated with cholesterol levels is of particular interest due to the causative role of non-HDL cholesterol levels in cardiovascular disease. Through whole-genome sequencing of 15,220 Icelanders and imputation of the variants identified, we discovered a rare missense variant in NR1H4 (R436H) associating with lower levels of total cholesterol (effect = −0.47 standard deviations or −0.55 mmol L−1, p = 4.21 × 10−10, N = 150,211). Importantly, NR1H4 R436H also associates with lower levels of non-HDL cholesterol and, consistent with this, protects against coronary artery disease. NR1H4 encodes FXR that regulates bile acid homeostasis, however, we do not detect a significant association between R436H and biological markers of liver function. Transcriptional profiling of hepatocytes carrying R436H shows that it is not a loss-of-function variant. Rather, we observe changes in gene expression compatible with effects on lipids. These findings highlight the role of FXR in regulation of cholesterol levels in humans.
The study of bismuth ions in drinking water at ultratrace levels by a microwave plasma torch coupled with linear ion trap mass spectrometry
Authors: Xiong Xiaohong , Chen Gangsheng , Zhu Meiling , Li Yu , Yang Chushan , Xie Kechao , Zhu Zhiqiang
Published: February 2018

A microwave plasma torch (MPT) can be used as a simple and low power-consumption ambient ion source for the metal ions detection.
Positive effect of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) on homogeneous photocatalytic reduction of CO2
Authors: Pschenitza Markus , Meister Simon , Rieger Bernhard
Published: February 2018

Addition of DBU enables reducing the amount of sacrificial electron donor and increases catalytic performance in photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
Magnetically textured powders—an alternative to single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction methods
Authors: Kimura Fumiko , Kimura Tsunehisa
Published: February 2018

Structure determination of materials in their crystalline phase aids in the understanding and design of their functions.
Retardation behavior of hydration of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (bassanite) induced by sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP)
Authors: Chen Wei , Wu Yi-nan , Zhang Bingru , Wang Ying , Li Fengting , Qi Zeming
Published: February 2018

Direct confirmation of the bassanite nanorod intermediate during the hydration of bulk bassanite in the presence of STMP.
A computational study of the catalytic aerobic epoxidation of propylene over the coordinatively unsaturated metal–organic framework Fe3(btc)2: formation of propylene oxide and competing reactions
Authors: Maihom Thana , Sawangphruk Montree , Probst Michael , Limtrakul Jumras
Published: February 2018

The aerobic epoxidation of propylene over the metal–organic framework Fe3(btc)2(btc = 1,3,5-benzentricarboxylate) as catalyst has been investigated by means of density functional calculations.
Systematic exploitation of thermotropic bicontinuous cubic phase families from 1,2-bis(aryloyl)hydrazine-based molecules
Authors: Kutsumizu Shoichi , Yamada Yutaro , Sugimoto Tadashi , Yamada Nina , Udagawa Taro , Miwa Yohei
Published: February 2018

Eight new series of thermotropic cubic phase molecules with symmetric and unsymmetric molecular cores have been systematically developed from a useful molecular motif selected.
Iron nanostructured catalysts: design and applications
Authors: Lopez-Tejedor David , Benavente Rocio , Palomo Jose M.
Published: February 2018

This review is focused on the recent advances in the design of iron nanostructures and their catalytic applications.
Recent trends in organocatalyzed asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones
Authors: Shende Vaishali S. , Singh Priya , Bhanage Bhalchandra M.
Published: February 2018

This review depicts the recent practices followed in organocatalyzed asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones, highlighting the main organocatalysts used for the past seven years.
Remarkable structural effects on the complexation of actinides with H-phosphonates: a combined experimental and quantum chemical study
Authors: Chandrasekar Aditi , C.V.S. Brahmmananda Rao , Sundararajan Mahesh , Ghanty Tapan K. , Sivaraman N.
Published: February 2018

Strikingly novel effects on pH-modulated actinide extraction by branched H-phosphonates are investigated by solvent extraction combined with DFT.
Calcium cobaltate: a phase-change catalyst for stable hydrogen production from bio-glycerol
Authors: Dang Chengxiong , Li Yuhang , Yusuf Seif M. , Cao Yonghai , Wang Hongjuan , Yu Hao , Peng Feng , Li Fanxing
Published: February 2018

Layered calcium cobaltates exhibit a very stable performance in SESR of glycerol producing hydrogen because of a reversible phase change.
New biobased non-ionic hyperbranched polymers as environmentally friendly antibacterial additives for biopolymers
Authors: Arza Carlos R. , İlk Sedef , Demircan Deniz , Zhang Baozhong
Published: February 2018

Bio-based non-ionic hyperbranched polymers were synthesized as non-leachable antibacterial additives for other biopolymers.
Pd-doped Ni nanoparticle-modified N-doped carbon nanocatalyst with high Pd atom utilization for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes
Authors: Cui Xueliang , Long Yu , Zhou Xia , Yu Guiqin , Yang Jin , Yuan Man , Ma Jiantai , Dong Zhengping
Published: February 2018

Highly dispersed PdNi NP modified N-doped mesoporous carbon nanocatalyst was facilely prepared for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes.
Multielement trace analysis of pure graphite powders using optical emission spectrometry coupled to a magnetically stabilized DC arc supplied with halogenating gases as chemical modifiers – a rapid and robust methodology
Authors: Matschat Ralf , Hassler Jürgen , Richter Silke , Klewe Margitta , Dette Angelika
Published: February 2018

A magnetically DC arc device, combined with OES spectrometers, was used to determine 25 elements at trace levels down to some μg kg−1 in pure graphite powders.
Versatile functionalization of trifluoromethyl based deep blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials for organic light emitting diodes
Authors: Liang Xiao , Han Hua-Bo , Yan Zhi-Ping , Liu Liang , Zheng You-Xuan , Meng Hong , Huang Wei
Published: February 2018

Four deep blue TADF compounds with trifluoromethyl-substituted phenyl/N-heterocyclic rings were investigated both as hosts and guests in OLEDs with excellent performance.
Cardanol based benzoxazine blends and bio-silica reinforced composites: thermal and dielectric properties
Authors: Arumugam H. , Krishnan S. , Chavali M. , Muthukaruppan A.
Published: February 2018

In the present work, a novel cardanol based benzoxazine was synthesised by reacting three different amines (aniline (CrAb),N,N-dimethylaminopropylamine (CrDb) and caprolactam modifiedN,N-dimethylaminopropylamine (CrCb)) with cardanol in the presence of formaldehyde under appropriate experimental conditions.
Folic acid-functionalized graphene quantum dots with tunable fluorescence emission for cancer cell imaging and optical detection of Hg2+
Authors: Li Ruiyi , Wang Xuan , Li Zaijun , Zhu Haiyan , Liu Junkang
Published: February 2018

Functional groups may alter the optical and electrical characteristics of graphene quantum dots and lead to unusual properties and related applications.
An efficient microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of high-quality CuInZnS/ZnS quantum dots
Authors: Liu Yang , Chen Xueqian , Ma Qiang
Published: February 2018

In this study, we proposed a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to synthesize novel CuInZnS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs).
Highly durable and biocompatible periodical Si/DLC nanocomposite coatings
Authors: Penkov Oleksiy V. , Khadem Mahdi , Lee Jung-Seung , Kheradmandfard Mehdi , Kim Chang-Lae , Cho Seung-Woo , Kim Dae-Eun
Published: February 2018

The incorporation of amorphous silicon in DLC in the form of a periodical nanolayered structure significantly improved the wear resistance and biocompatibility.
Phase equilibria and crystal structure relationships in the ternary Li–B–C system
Authors: Milashius V. , Pavlyuk V. , Dmytriv G. , Ehrenberg H.
Published: February 2018

Phase equilibria in the Li–B–C ternary system have been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and differential scanning calorimetry.
Multiwall-carbon-nanotube/cellulose composite fibers with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties by cellulose grafting
Authors: Zhang Shaobo , Zhang Feiran , Pan Yanfei , Jin Liping , Liu Bo , Mao Yi , Huang Jintian
Published: February 2018

MWCNT-cellulose/cellulose composite fibers with enhanced mechanical and conducting properties were preparedviafacilitating the dispersion of MWCNTs in fibers.
Conjugated polymers containing tetraphenylethylene in the backbones and side-chains for highly sensitive TNT detection
Authors: Dong Wenyue , Fei Teng , Scherf Ullrich
Published: February 2018

Polytriphenylamines with tetraphenylethylene (TPE) side groups and bis(tert-butyl)-TPE in the backbones exhibit the AIE effect and high sensitivity in PL-based TNT detection.
Wet-chemistry topotactic synthesis of bimetallic iron–nickel sulfide nanoarrays: an advanced and versatile catalyst for energy efficient overall water and urea electrolysis
Authors: Zhu Wenxin , Yue Zhihao , Zhang Wentao , Hu Na , Luo Zhengtao , Ren Meirong , Xu Zhijie , Wei Ziyi , Suo Yourui , Wang Jianlong
Published: February 2018

Bimetallic iron–nickel sulfide nanowall arrays supported on nickel foam (Fe11.1%–Ni3S2/Ni foam) could efficiently drive both the overall water and urea electrolysis.
Control of oxygen vacancies in ZnO nanorods by annealing and their influence on ZnO/PEDOT:PSS diode behaviour
Authors: Tu Ying , Chen Shuqun , Li Xuan , Gorbaciova Jelena , Gillin William P. , Krause Steffi , Briscoe Joe
Published: February 2018

ZnO/PEDOT:PSS diodes were produced using high aspect-ratio ZnO nanorods with diode behaviour dependent on annealing conditions.
Design rules for carbazole derivatized n-alkyl methacrylate polymeric memristors
Authors: McFarlane Tucker M. , Zdyrko Bogdan , Bandera Yuriy , Worley Deanna , Klep Oleksandr , Jurča Marek , Tonkin Chip , Foulger Stephen H. , Vilčáková Jarmila , Sáha Petr , Pfleger Jiří
Published: February 2018

The alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electrical response of a number of n-alkyl methacrylate polymers with a charge transporting pendant carbazole ring were studied.
Laser-driven propulsion of multilayer graphene oxide flakes
Authors: Qin Chengbing , Qiao Zhixing , He Wenjun , Gong Yani , Zhang Guofeng , Chen Ruiyun , Gao Yan , Xiao Liantuan , Jia Suotang
Published: February 2018

The laser-driven propulsion of multilayer graphene oxide flakes has been achieved by femtosecond laser irradiation.
Catalyst surfaces with tunable hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity: metal–organic frameworks toward controllable catalytic selectivity
Authors: Chen Xinyi , Qian Panpan , Zhang Tao , Xu Zhiling , Fang Chuanzhen , Xu Xiujie , Chen Wanzheng , Wu Peng , Shen Yu , Li Sheng , Wu Jiansheng , Zheng Bing , Zhang Weina , Huo Fengwei
Published: February 2018

MOFs with controllable wettability are obtained by tuning the reduction degree of graphene oxide which display additional catalytic selectivity.
The emergence of aqueous chemiluminescence: new promising class of phenoxy 1,2-dioxetane luminophores
Authors: Gnaim Samer , Green Ori , Shabat Doron
Published: February 2018

For the first time, science now have a single-entity chemiluminescent luminophore that can serve to prepare effective diagnostic probes to evaluate biological processesin vitroandin vivo.
Coordination numbers for unraveling intrinsic size effects in gold-catalyzed CO oxidation
Authors: Wang Siwen , Omidvar Noushin , Marx Emily , Xin Hongliang
Published: February 2018

Geometry-based reactivity descriptors, e.g., regular, generalized, and orbitalwise coordination numbers, were used for unraveling intrinsic size effects of Au nanocatalysts towards CO oxidation.
Diastereoselective synthesis, structure and reactivity studies of ferrocenyloxazoline gold(i) and gold(ii) complexes
Authors: Holz Julia , Ayerbe García Marta , Frey Wolfgang , Krupp Felix , Peters René
Published: February 2018

The first asymmetric synthesis of planar chiral ferrocenyl Au(i) and Au(ii) complexes, their molecular/supramolecular structures, and their reactivity are reported.
A general and efficient Mn-catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with hydroxides into carboxylates
Authors: Shao Zhihui , Wang Yujie , Liu Yaqian , Wang Qian , Fu Xiaoling , Liu Qiang
Published: February 2018

A general and efficient Mn-catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with hydroxides into carboxylates has been developed.
Increasing the minimum Euclidean distance of the complex quadrature spatial modulation
Authors: Mohaisen Manar
Published: February 2018

Complex quadrature spatial modulation transmits two signal symbols at each channel use, each is drawn from a different constellation set. The indices of the antennas from which the symbols are transmitted carry information to the receiver. When both symbols are transmitted from the same antenna, the symbols resulting from the addition of the two signal symbols belong to the Minkowski sum of the original two constellation sets. Therefore, the size of the modulation set at the transmitter increases and the minimum distance between transmitted symbols is reduced, leading to degradation in the error performance. In this study, the authors propose to equip the transmitter with an additional antenna which is used to transmit the second signal symbol only when the information bits representing the antenna indices are identical. The design of the optimum modulation sets that maximise the Euclidean distance is also addressed. Furthermore, based on the probability of antenna use, they advise an antenna ranking algorithm that improves the performance. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves a signal‐to‐noise ratio gain of 6.4 and 9.5 dB using 16 quadrature amplitude modulation and 16 phase‐shift keying, respectively.
Human motion segmentation using collaborative representations of 3D skeletal sequences
Authors: Li Rui , Liu Zhenyu , Tan Jianrong
Published: February 2018

Currently, human motion analysis using three‐dimensional (3D) data creates closer awareness in computer vision with the introduction of cost‐effective Kinect or other depth cameras. This study attempts to segment a continuous 3D skeletal sequence into several disjointed sub‐sequences, each of which is corresponding to a complete action. To address this issue, the authors propose a supervised time‐series segmentation algorithm. A bidirectional propagation search scheme is employed to reach a solution. Specifically, a human skeleton is formulated as a point in multidimensional space, and a motion trajectory is further represented as a sequence. Each training action sequence serves as an atom in a dictionary, which is adopted by an l2‐regularised collaborative representation classifier. Based on the fact that the reconstruction error of the collaborative representation measures the similarity between a test sub‐sequence and training sequences, they utilise its variation over time to capture action transition. Cut point detection and sub‐sequence recognition are simultaneously achieved. Experiments on the authors’ recorded 3D skeletal sequences demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms existing human motion segmentation techniques. Their algorithm is capable of extending to segment various dimensional sequences. This extensibility is validated by synthetic signal segmentation experiments.
Instantaneous harmonic decomposition technique for three‐phase current based on multiple reference coordinates
Authors: Yi Peng , Wang Xinjian , Sun Zechang
Published: February 2018

Current harmonic decomposition is important to power systems. Current signal is classified into stationary and non‐stationary signal according to whether the parameters change with time. This study focuses on the instantaneous harmonic decomposition of three‐phase permanent magnet synchronous motor currents in non‐stationary process. First, based on the definition of the instantaneous frequency in non‐stationary process, the concept of the spatial frequency based on the electrical angle is proposed. Under this definition, the spatial frequency no longer varies with the rotational speed. A new instantaneous harmonic decomposition method based on multiple reference coordinates is then proposed. To verify the effectiveness of the new method, it is used to analyse constructed currents and experimental currents. Finally, the new method is compared with other analysis methods and proved to be the most accurate and effective.
Longitudinal speed control of autonomous vehicle based on a self‐adaptive PID of radial basis function neural network
Authors: Nie Linzhen , Guan Jiayi , Lu Chihua , Zheng Hao , Yin Zhishuai
Published: February 2018

The tracking accuracy of speed plays a significant role in the autonomous vehicle's control and safety management. In this study, we presented a novel method called self‐adaptive proportional integral derivative (PID) of radial basis function neural network (RBFNN‐PID) which is shown with improved longitudinal speed tracking accuracy for autonomous vehicles. A forward simulation model of longitudinal speed control for autonomous vehicles is established based on the driver model of self‐adaptive RBFNN‐PID and the vehicle dynamics model. Based on that, we used the traditional PID and fuzzy control methods as benchmarks to demonstrate the edge of the self‐adaptive RBFNN‐PID control under the new European driving cycle. Simulation results show the RBFNN‐PID method is significantly more precise than the comparing groups, with a reduced error in the range of [−0.369, 0.203] m/s. The vehicle performance gives better ride comfort as well. In all, self‐adaptive RBFNN‐PID is proven to be effective in longitudinal speed control of autonomous vehicles and significantly outperforms the other two methods.
RDClass: on using relative distance of keywords for accurate network traffic classification
Authors: Swarnkar Mayank , Hubballi Neminath
Published: February 2018

Network traffic classification has many applications including network management and security monitoring. Deep‐packet‐inspection is a commonly used method for identifying applications. However, the methods found in the literature only use these keywords or bytes in payload disregarding their position. The authors propose RDClass a content‐based traffic classifier for accurately classifying network flows. RDClass uses a set of keywords extracted from the payload and the relative distance between keywords to identify applications. The idea of using the relative distance between keywords is motivated by the fact that for many applications the set of keywords appear within specific portions of payload. These sets of keywords and their relative distances are encoded in the form of a state transition machine. The authors design a new state transition machine called relative distance constrained counting automata (RDCCA) which can check both ordering of keywords and their relative distance within the payload to classify flows. RDClass can automatically generate a set of keywords and find their relative ordering to generate RDCCA when presented with unknown application payloads. The authors experiment with a range of applications and show that RDClass has better classification performance than previous methods which use only ordering of keywords.
Secured cloud computing for medical data based on watermarking and encryption
Authors: Boussif Mohamed , Aloui Noureddine , Cherif Adnene
Published: February 2018

In this study, the authors propose a hardware implementation of a local cloud for storing, sharing and archiving patient's folders (health report and medical imaging) based on raspberry Pi card and a local cloud (hard disc) while exchanging with other distant public cloud (google drive, azure cloud, …). Securing the medical data is ensured by a proposed encrypting method for the watermarked digital imaging and communications in medicine imaging which contains the patient information (the watermark) and the advanced encryption standard is used to crypt the text files (health reports). The imaging encryption method is based on the exoring of the i th block to be encrypted and the i th block key. The watermarking method is based on the insertion of the watermark in the least significant bit. Finally, encryption and watermarking keys are encrypted and stored in the database. A real‐time implementation on raspberry Pi and android smartphone is proposed for the whole system using, respectively, PHP and android studio. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed security method is robust against different types of attacks and can achieve high security with a good performance.
Adaptive timing model for improving routing and data aggregation in Internet of things networks using RPL
Authors: Bahramlou Ainaz , Javidan Reza
Published: February 2018

In dynamic network conditions, most routing protocols periodically send additional control messages, which allow the network to quickly adjust itself to topological changes and keep the routing table up to date. In resource‐constrained devices, these communication overheads should be controlled in order to conserve battery. In this study, the authors focused mainly on routing protocol for low power and lossy network (RPL), IPv6 RPL networks, which is fully compatible with limited resources and Internet of things expectations. They proposed a dynamic method in order to extract the most suitable value for the frequency of executing the objective function which are rules governing how to construct a network graph. In this method, first nodal data is collected and aggregated along the path to the sink, and then a novel metric is used to determine the degree of the environmental changes and control the signalling overhead in RPL routing protocol. They evaluated their scheme with the Contiki operating system and Cooja simulator. They aimed to decrease the packet loss ratio, routing overhead and energy consumption. The simulation results showed the effectiveness of the proposed method.
DOA estimation for monostatic MIMO radar using enhanced sparse Bayesian learning
Authors: Wen Fangqing , Huang Dongmei , Wang Ke , Zhang Lei
Published: February 2018

This study discusses the problem of direction‐of‐arrival estimation (DOA) estimation for a monostatic multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) radar system, and a novel sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) framework is presented. To lower the computational load, the matched array data is firstly compressed via reduced‐dimension transformation. Then the problem of DOA estimation is linked to a sparse inverse problem. Finally, a forgotten factor‐based root SBL algorithm is derived from hyperparameters learning, which can solve the off‐grid problem by finding the roots of a polynomial. The proposed algorithm does not require the prior of the source number, and it can apply to the scenario with a small snapshot as well as coarse grid, thus it has a blind and robust characteristic. Numerical simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
MASCARA-2 b
Authors: Talens G. J. J. , Justesen A. B. , Albrecht S. , McCormac J. , Van Eylen V. , Otten G. P. P. L. , Murgas F. , Palle E. , Pollacco D. , Stuik R. , Spronck J. F. P. , Lesage A.-L. , Grundahl F. , Fredslund Andersen M. , Antoci V. , Snellen I. A. G.
Published: February 2018

In this paper we present MASCARA-2 b, a hot Jupiter transiting the mV = 7.6 A2 star HD 185603. Since early 2015, MASCARA has taken more than 1.6 million flux measurements of the star, corresponding to a total of almost 3000 h of observations, revealing a periodic dimming in the flux with a depth of 1.3%. Photometric follow-up observations were performed with the NITES and IAC80 telescopes and spectroscopic measurements were obtained with the Hertzsprung SONG telescope. We find MASCARA-2 b orbits HD 185603 with a period of 3.4741119-0.000006+0.000005 days at a distance of 0.057 ± 0.006 au, has a radius of 1.83 ± 0.07 RJ and place a 99% upper limit on the mass of <17 MJ. HD 185603 is a rapidly rotating early-type star with an effective temperature of 8980-130+90 K and a mass and radius of 1.89-0.05+0.06 M⊙, 1.60 ± 0.06 R⊙, respectively. Contrary to most other hot Jupiters transiting early-type stars, the projected planet orbital axis and stellar spin axis are found to be aligned with λ = 0.6 ± 4°. The brightness of the host star and the high equilibrium temperature, 2260 ± 50 K, of MASCARA-2 b make it a suitable target for atmospheric studies from the ground and space. Of particular interest is the detection of TiO, which has recently been detected in the similarly hot planets WASP-33 b and WASP-19 b.
Accreting, highly magnetized neutron stars at the Eddington limit: a study of the 2016 outburst of SMC X-3
Authors: Koliopanos Filippos , Vasilopoulos Georgios
Published: February 2018

Aims.We study the temporal and spectral characteristics of SMC X-3 during its recent (2016) outburst to probe accretion onto highly magnetized neutron stars (NSs) at the Eddington limit.

Methods.We obtainedXMM-Newtonobservations of SMC X-3 and combined them with long-term observations bySwift. We performed a detailed analysis of the temporal and spectral behavior of the source, as well as its short- and long-term evolution. We have also constructed a simple toy-model (based on robust theoretical predictions) in order to gain insight into the complex emission pattern of SMC X-3.

Results.We confirm the pulse period of the system that has been derived by previous works and note that the pulse has a complex three-peak shape. We find that the pulsed emission is dominated by hard photons, while at energies below ~1 keV, the emission does not pulsate. We furthermore find that the shape of the pulse profile and the short- and long-term evolution of the source light-curve can be explained by invoking a combination of a “fan” and a “polar” beam. The results of our temporal study are supported by our spectroscopic analysis, which reveals a two-component emission, comprised of a hard power law and a soft thermal component. We find that the latter produces the bulk of the non-pulsating emission and is most likely the result of reprocessing the primary hard emission by optically thick material that partly obscures the central source. We also detect strong emission lines from highly ionized metals. The strength of the emission lines strongly depends on the phase.

Conclusions.Our findings are in agreement with previous works. The energy and temporal evolution as well as the shape of the pulse profile and the long-term spectra evolution of the source are consistent with the expected emission pattern of the accretion column in the super-critical regime, while the large reprocessing region is consistent with the analysis of previously studied X-ray pulsars observed at high accretion rates. This reprocessing region is consistent with recently proposed theoretical and observational works that suggested that highly magnetized NSs occupy a considerable fraction of ultraluminous X-ray sources.
The origin of two X-class flares in active region NOAA 12673
Authors: Verma Meetu
Published: February 2018

Flare-prolific active region NOAA 12673 produced consecutive X2.2 and X9.3 flares on the 6 September 2017. To scrutinize the morphological, magnetic, and horizontal flow properties associated with these flares, a seven-hour time series was used consisting of continuum images, line-of-sight and vector magnetograms, and 1600 Å UV images. These data were acquired with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). The white-light flare emission differed for both flares, while the X2.2 flare displayed localized, confined flare kernels, the X9.3 flare exhibited a two-ribbon structure. In contrast, the excess UV emission exhibited a similar structure for both flares, but with larger areal extent for the X9.3 flare. These two flares represented a scenario in which the first confined flare acted as precursor, setting up the stage for the more extended flare. Difference maps for continuum and magnetograms revealed locations of significant changes, that is, penumbral decay and umbral strengthening. The curved magnetic polarity inversion line in the δ-spot was the fulcrum of most changes. Horizontal proper motions were computed using the differential affine velocity estimator for vector magnetograms (DAVE4VM). Persistent flow features included (1) strong shear flows along the polarity inversion line, where the negative, parasitic polarity tried to bypass the majority, positive-polarity part of the δ-spot in the north, (2) a group of positive-polarity spots, which moved around the δ-spot in the south, moving away from the δ-spot with significant horizontal flow speeds, and (3) intense moat flows partially surrounding the penumbra of several sunspots, which became weaker in regions with penumbral decay. The enhanced flare activity has its origin in the head-on collision of newly emerging flux with an already existing regular, α-spot. Umbral cores of emerging bipoles were incorporated in its penumbra, creating a δ-configuration with an extended polarity inversion line, as the parasitic umbral cores were stretched while circumventing the majority polarity.
Long-term millimeter VLBI monitoring of M 87 with KVN at milliarcsecond resolution: nuclear spectrum
Authors: Kim Jae-Young , Lee Sang-Sung , Hodgson Jeffrey A. , Algaba Juan-Carlos , Zhao Guang-Yao , Kino Motoki , Byun Do-Young , Kang Sincheol
Published: February 2018

We study the centimeter- to millimeter-wavelength synchrotron spectrum of the core of the radio galaxy M 87 at ≲0.8 mas ~ 110Rs spatial scales using four years of fully simultaneous, multi-frequency VLBI data obtained by the Korean VLBI Network (KVN). We find a core spectral index α of ≳−0.37 (S ∝ ν+α) between 22 and 129 GHz. By combining resolution-matched flux measurements from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 15 GHz and taking the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) 230 GHz core flux measurements in epochs 2009 and 2012 as lower limits, we find evidence of a nearly flat core spectrum across 15 and 129 GHz, which could naturally connect the 230 GHz VLBI core flux. The extremely flat spectrum is a strong indication that the jet base does not consist of a simple homogeneous plasma, but of inhomogeneous multi-energy components, with at least one component with the turn-over frequency ≳ 100 GHz. The spectral shape can be qualitatively explained if both the strongly (compact, optically thick at >100 GHz) and the relatively weakly magnetized (more extended, optically thin at <100 GHz) plasma components are colocated in the footprint of the relativistic jet.
Highlights from PHENIX at RHIC
Authors: Nouicer Rachid
Published: February 2018

Hadrons conveying strange quarks or heavy quarks are essential probes of the hot and dense medium created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. With hidden strangeness, ϕ meson production and its transport in the nuclear medium have attracted high interest since its discovery. Heavy quark-antiquark pairs, like charmonium and bottomonium mesons, are mainly produced in initial hard scattering processes of partons. While some of the produced pairs form bound quarkonia, the vast majority hadronize into particles carrying open heavy flavor. In this context, the PHENIX collaboration carries out a comprehensive physics program which studies the ϕ meson production, and heavy flavor production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. In recent years, the PHENIX experiment upgraded the detector in installing silicon vertex tracker (VTX) at mid-rapidity region and forward silicon vertex tracker (FVTX) at the forward rapidity region. With these new upgrades, the experiment has collected large data samples, and enhanced the capability of heavy flavor measurements via precision tracking. This paper summarizes the latest PHENIX results concerning ϕ meson, open and closed charm and beauty heavy quark production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. These results are presented as a function of rapidity, energy and system size, and their interpretation with respect to the current theoretical understanding.
Recent highlights from STAR
Authors: Zha Wangmei
Published: February 2018

The Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) experiment takes advantage of its excellent tracking and particle identification capabilities at mid-rapidity to explore the properties of strongly interacting QCD matter created in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. The STAR collaboration presented 7 parallel and 2 plenary talks at Strangeness in Quark Matter 2017 and covered various topics including heavy flavor measurements, bulk observables, electro-magnetic probes and the upgrade program. This paper highlights some of the selected results.
Energy dependence of strangeness production and event-byevent fluctuations
Authors: Rustamov Anar
Published: February 2018

We review the energy dependence of strangeness production in nucleus-nucleus collisions and contrast it with the experimental observations in pp and p-A collisions at LHC energies as a function of the charged particle multiplicities. For the high multiplicity final states the results from pp and p-Pb reactions systematically approach the values obtained from Pb-Pb collisions. In statistical models this implies an approach to the thermodynamic limit, where differences of mean multiplicities between various formalisms, such as Canonical and Grand Canonical Ensembles, vanish. Furthermore, we report on event-by-event net-proton fluctuations as measured by STAR at RHIC/BNL and by ALICE at LHC/CERN and discuss various non-dynamical contributions to these measurements, which should be properly subtracted before comparison to theoretical calculations on dynamical net-baryon fluctuations.
Open Questions in the Understanding of Strangeness Production in HIC – Experiment Perspective
Authors: Blume Christoph
Published: February 2018

Open questions concerning strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions are discussed with a focus on the experimental aspects. The open points are presented in the context of recent measurements.
Update on Heavy Flavor Production in Cold Matter
Authors: Vogt R.
Published: February 2018

I will discuss areas of heavy flavor theory where new progress has been made.
Lattice QCD results on chemical freeze-out
Authors: Ratti Claudia
Published: February 2018

The latest lattice QCD results on fluctuations of conserved charges at finite temperature and density are reviewed, and connected to the experimental moments of their net-multiplicity distributions, in order to describe the chemical freeze-out from first principles.
Final state hadronic rescattering with UrQMD
Authors: Steinheimer J. , Vovchenko V. , Aichelin J. , Bleicher M. , Stöcker H.
Published: February 2018

In this talk we discuss the effects of the hadronic rescattering on final state observables in high energy nuclear collisions. We do so by employing the UrQMD transport model for a realistic description of the hadronic decoupling process. The rescattering of hadrons modifies every hadronic bulk observable. For example apparent multiplicity of resonances is suppressed as compared to a chemical equilibrium freeze-out model. Stable and unstable particles change their momentum distribution by more than 30% through rescattering. The hadronic rescattering also leads to a substantial decorrelation of the conserved charge distributions. These findings show that it is all but trivial to conclude from the final state observables on the properties of the system at an earlier time where it may have been in or close to local equilibrium.
A warm and friendly memorial session for Helmut Oeschler
Authors: Cleymans Jean , Hippolyte Boris , Kalweit Alexander , Müntz Christian , Stroth Joachim
Published: February 2018

A full session was organized in memory of Helmut Oeschler during the 2017 edition of the Strangeness in Quark Matter Conference. It was heart-warming to discuss with the audience his main achievements and share anecdotes about this exceptionally praised and appreciated colleague, who was also a great friend for many at the conference. A brief summary of the session is provided with these proceedings.
Polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions: a theoretical perspective
Authors: Becattini Francesco
Published: February 2018

We review the theoretical framework for the calculation of particle polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions within the hydrodynamical model. The covariant decomposition of the mean spin vector is presented and open theoretical issues addressed.
The sPHENIX Experiment
Authors: Pérez Lara Carlos E.
Published: February 2018

Our understanding of QCD under extreme conditions has advanced tremendously in the last 20 years with the discovery of the Quark Gluon Plasma and its characterisation in heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC. The sPHENIX detector planned at RHIC is designed to further study the microscopic nature of the QGP through precision measurements of jet, upsilon and open heavy flavor probes over a broad pT range. The multi-year sPHENIX physics program will commence in early 2023, using state-of-the art detector technologies to fully exploit the highest RHIC luminosities.

The experiment incorporates the 1.4 T former BaBar solenoid magnet, and will feature high precision tracking and vertexing capabilities, provided by a compact TPC, Si-strip intermediate tracker and MAPS vertex detector. This is complemented by highly granular electromagnetic and hadronic calorimetry with full azimuthal coverage.

In this document I describe the sPHENIX detector design and physics program, with particular emphasis on the comprehensive open heavy flavour program enabled by the experiment’s large coverage, high rate capability and precision vertexing.
The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR
Authors: Höhne Claudia
Published: February 2018

The CBM experiment will investigate highly compressed baryonic matter created in A+A collisions at the new FAIR research center. With a beam energy range up to 11 AGeV for the heaviest nuclei at the SIS 100 accelerator, CBM will investigate the QCD phase diagram in the intermediate range, i.e. at moderate temperatures but high net-baryon densities. This intermediate range of the QCD phase diagram is of particular interest, because a first order phase transition ending in a critical point and possibly new highdensity phases of strongly interacting matter are expected. In this range of the QCD phase diagram only exploratory measurements have been performed so far. CBM, as a next generation, high-luminosity experiment, will substantially improve our knowledge of matter created in this region of the QCD phase diagram and characterize its properties by measuring rare probes such as multi-strange hyperons, dileptons or charm, but also with event-by-event fluctuations of conserved quantities, and collective flow of identified particles. The experimental preparations with special focus on hadronic observables and strangeness is presented in terms of detector development, feasibility studies and fast track reconstruction. Preparations are progressing well such that CBM will be ready with FAIR start. As quite some detectors are ready before, they will be used as upgrades or extensions of already running experiments allowing for a rich physics program prior to FAIR start.
Kaon and Phi Production in Pion-Nucleus Reactions at 1.7 GeV/c
Authors: Wirth Joana
Published: February 2018

The production and properties of K+, K− and ϕ in nuclear reactions π− + A (A = C,W) at a beam momentum of 1:7 GeV/c has been studied with the HADES setup at SIS18/GSI. Of particular interest is the K− absorption in nuclear matter which should be driven by strangeness exchange processes on one (K−N → Yπ) or more nucleons (K−NN → YNπ). In this context, also the ϕ has to be taken into account, since ϕ decays into K+K− pairs may substantially affect the measured K− abundance. A solid reference is needed to evaluate the K− absorption with in the nucleus and in this work we discuss the determination of this reference. A double ratio of K−=K+(W)=K−=K+(C) is measured within the acceptance and compared to the reference.
Strange hadron production in pp, pPb, and PbPb collisions at LHC energies
Authors: Ni Hong
Published: February 2018

Identified particle spectra provide an important tool for understanding the particle production mechanism and the dynamical evolution of the medium created in relativistic heavy ion collisions. Studies involving strange and multi-strange hadrons, such as K0S, Λ, and Ξ−, carry additional information since there is no net strangeness content in the initial colliding system. Strangeness enhancement in AA collisions with respect to pp and pA collisions has long been considered as one of the signatures for quark-gluon plasma (QGP) formation. Recent observations of collective effects in high-multiplicity pp and pA collisions raise the question of whether QGP can also be formed in the smaller systems. Systematic studies of strange particle abundance, particle ratios, and nuclear modification factors can shed light on this issue. The CMS experiment has excellent strange-particle reconstruction capabilities over a broad kinematic range, and dedicated high-multiplicity triggers in pp and pPb collisions. The spectra of K0S, Λ, and Ξ− hadrons have been measured in various multiplicity and rapidity regions as a function of pT in pp, pPb, and PbPb collisions for several collision energies. The spectral shapes and particle ratios are compared in the different collision systems for events that have the same multiplicity and interpreted in the context of hydrodynamics models.
Strangeness freeze-out: role of system size and missing resonances
Authors: Chatterjee Sandeep , Das Sabita , Dash Ajay Kumar , Mishra Debadeepti , Mohanty Bedangadas , Samanta Subhasis
Published: February 2018

The conventional approach to treat strangeness freezeout has been to consider a unified freezeout scheme where strangeness freezes out along with the nonstrange hadrons (1CFO), with or without an additional parameter accounting for out-of-equilibrium strangeness production (γS). Several alternate scenarios have been formulated lately. Here, we will focus on flavor dependent freezeout with early freezeout of strangeness (2CFO) in comparison to 1CFO and its variants with respect to the roles played by the system size and missing resonances predicted by different theoretical approaches but yet to be seen in experiments. In contrast to the performance of 1CFO with/without γS that is insensitive to system size, 2CFO exhibits a clear system size dependence-while for Pb+Pb the χ2/NDF is around 0-2, for smaller system size in p+Pb and p+p, the χ2/NDF> 5 and larger than 1CFO+γS. This clearly shows a system size dependence of the preference for the freezeout scheme, while 2CFO is preferred in Pb+Pb, 1CFO+γS is preferred in p+Pb and p+p. We have further investigated the role of the missing resonances on strangeness freezeout across SPS to LHC beam energies.
van der Waals Interactions and Hadron Resonance Gas: Role of resonance widths modeling on conserved charges fluctuations
Authors: Vovchenko Volodymyr , Alba Paolo , Gorenstein Mark I. , Stoecker Horst
Published: February 2018

The quantum van der Waals (QvdW) extension of the ideal hadron resonance gas (HRG) model which includes the attractive and repulsive interactions between baryons – the QvdW-HRG model – is applied to study the behavior of the baryon number related susceptibilities in the crossover temperature region. Inclusion of the QvdW interactions leads to a qualitatively different behavior of susceptibilities, in many cases resembling lattice QCD simulations. It is shown that for some observables, in particular for χBQ11/χB2, effects of the QvdW interactions essentially cancel out. It is found that the inclusion of the finite resonance widths leads to an improved description of χB2, but it also leads to a worse description of χBQ11/χB2, as compared to the lattice data. On the other hand, inclusion of the extra, unconfirmed baryons into the hadron list leads to a simultaneous improvement in the description of both observables.
Enhancements of high order cumulants across the 1st order phase transition boundary
Authors: Jiang Lijia , Wu Shanjin , Song Huichao
Published: February 2018

In this proceeding, we investigate the dynamical evolution of the σ field with a trajectory across the 1st order phase transition boundary, using the Langevin equation from the linear sigma model. We find the high order cumulants of the σ field are largely enhanced during the dynamical evolution, compared with the equilibrium values, due to the supercooling effect of the first order phase transition.
News on mean pion multiplicity from NA61/SHINE
Authors: Naskręt Michał
Published: February 2018

NA61/SHINE is a large acceptance fixed target experiment at the CERN SPS which studies final hadronic states in interactions between various particles and nuclei [1]. The main topic of this contribution are preliminary results for mean negatively charged pion multiplicities 〈π−〉 from central Ar+Sc and Be+Be collisions. The data were taken recently by the NA61/SHINE collaboration for a wide range of beam momenta. Measured rapidity distributions [see formula in PDF] were extrapolated to unmeasured regions to obtain total multiplicities 〈π−〉 A new scheme to calculate the mean number of wounded nucleons 〈W〉 utilizing the EPOS MC model is described. Using data from other experiments, a comparison of [see formula in PDF]for different collisions and beam momenta is discussed.
ϕ Meson Spin Alignment and the Azimuthal Angle Dependence of Λ (Λ) Polarization in Au+Au collisions at RHIC
Authors: Tu Biao
Published: February 2018

Initial large global angular momentum in non-central relativistic heavy-ion collisions can produce strong vorticity, and through the spin-orbit coupling, causes the spin of particles to align with the system’s global angular momentum. We present the azimuthal angle dependent (relative to the reaction plane) polarization for Λ and Λ in mid-central Au+Au collisions at [see formula in PDF] = 200 GeV. We also present the ϕ meson spin alignment parameter, ρ00 in Au+Au collisions at [see formula in PDF] = 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4 and 200 GeV. The implications of the results are discussed.
Measurements of charm hadron production and anisotropic flow in Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV with the STAR experiment at RHIC
Authors: Radhakrishnan Sooraj
Published: February 2018

Heavy flavor quarks, owing to their large masses, are predominantly produced through initial hard parton scatterings in heavy-ion collisions, and thus are excellent probes to study properties of the strongly coupled Quark Gluon Plasma (sQGP) medium produced in these collisions. Measurements of anisotropic flow harmonics of heavy flavor hadrons can provide information on the properties of the medium, including the heavy flavor transport coefficient. Charm quark hadronization mechanism in the sQGP medium can be studied through measurements of yields of different charm hadrons. In these proceedings we report on the measurements of elliptic and triangular flow harmonics of D0 mesons as well as the yield ratios of D±s/D0 and Λ±c/D0 in Au+Au collisions at [see formula in PDF] = 200 GeV at RHIC with the STAR detector. These measurements use the STAR Heavy Flavor Tracker (HFT) to reconstruct charm hadrons via their hadronic decay channels. Results are compared to model calculations and the implications on the understanding of charm quark dynamics in the medium are discussed.