bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reshaping critical geopolitics? The materialist challenge
Authors: SQUIRE VICKI
Published: May 2014

How can the ‘materialist turn’ contribute to the reshaping of critical geopolitics? This article draws attention to the limits of an approach that emphasises the representational, cultural, and interpretive dimensions of geopolitics, while acknowledging the difficulties of an ontological shift to materiality for many scholars of critical geopolitics. It draws on the work of Karen Barad and Annemarie Mol in order to advance three arguments for the reshaping of critical geopolitics as a field of research. First, it argues for an approach to the analysis of power that examinesmaterialdiscursive intra-actionsand that cuts across various ontological, analytical, and disciplinary divides. Second, it argues for an analysis of boundary-production that focuses on the mutualenactmentor co-constitution of subjects, objects, and environments rather than on performance. Third, it argues for an analytical approach that engages the terrain of geopolitics in terms of amultiplicity of ‘cuts’that trouble simplifying geopolitical imaginations along with the clear-cut boundaries that these often imply. In so doing, the article makes the case for a more-than-human approach that does not overstate the efficacy of matter, but rather that engages processes of materialisation and dematerialisation without assuming materiality to be a determinant force.
The effects of swing-leg retraction on running performance: analysis, simulation, and experiment
Authors: Karssen J. G. Daniël , Haberland Matt , Wisse Martijn , Kim Sangbae
Published: May 2014

Using simple running models, researchers have argued that swing-leg retraction can improve running robot performance. In this paper, we investigate whether this holds for a more realistic simulation model validated against a physical running robot. We find that swing-leg retraction can improve stability and disturbance rejection. Alternatively, swing-leg retraction can simultaneously reduce touchdown forces, slipping likelihood, and impact energy losses. Surprisingly, swing-leg retraction barely affected net energetic efficiency. The retraction rates at which these effects are the greatest are strongly model-dependent, suggesting that robot designers cannot always rely on simplified models to accurately predict such complex behaviors.
Bounded-Size Rules: The Barely Subcritical Regime
Authors: BHAMIDI SHANKAR , BUDHIRAJA AMARJIT , WANG XUAN
Published: May 2014

Bounded-size rules (BSRs) are dynamic random graph processes which incorporate limited choice along with randomness in the evolution of the system. Typically one starts with the empty graph and at each stage two edges are chosen uniformly at random. One of the two edges is then placed into the system according to a decision rule based on the sizes of the components containing the four vertices. For bounded-size rules, all components of size greater than some fixed K ≥ 1 are accorded the same treatment. Writing BSR(t) for the state of the system with ⌊nt/2⌋ edges, Spencer and Wormald [26] proved that for such rules, there exists a (rule-dependent) critical time tc such that when t < tc the size of the largest component is of order log n, while for t > tc, the size of the largest component is of order n. In this work we obtain upper bounds (that hold with high probability) of order n2γ log4n, on the size of the largest component, at time instants tn = tc−n−γ, where γ ∈ (0,1/4). This result for the barely subcritical regime forms a key ingredient in the study undertaken in [4], of the asymptotic dynamic behaviour of the process describing the vector of component sizes and associated complexity of the components for such random graph models in the critical scaling window. The proof uses a coupling of BSR processes with a certain family of inhomogeneous random graphs with vertices in the type space $\mathbb{R}_+\times \mathcal{D}([0,\infty):\mathbb{N}_0)$, where $\mathcal{D}([0,\infty):\mathbb{N}_0)$ is the Skorokhod D-space of functions that are right continuous and have left limits, with values in the space of non-negative integers $\mathbb{N}_0$, equipped with the usual Skorokhod topology. The coupling construction also gives an alternative characterization (from the usual explosion time of the susceptibility function) of the critical time tc for the emergence of the giant component in terms of the operator norm of integral operators on certain L2 spaces.
The decoupling of affluence and waste discharge under spatial correlation: Do richer communities discharge more waste?
Authors: Ichinose Daisuke , Yamamoto Masashi , Yoshida Yuichiro
Published: May 2014

A number of developing countries have come to face the growing problems of municipal solid waste management caused by rapid economic growth. Although there are many studies on the environmental Kuznets curve, very few address the issue of municipal solid waste, and there is still controversy concerning the validity of the waste version of the Kuznets curve hypothesis. It is demonstrated that the turning point for household municipal solid waste is approximately 3.7 million yen per person, which is far less than the maximum income in the sample and valid evidence for absolute decoupling. The success of our study partially stems from our highly disaggregated data and use of spatial econometrics. The former aspect indicates that distinguishing between household and business waste reveals the waste–income relationship, whereas the latter indicates the importance of peer effects when municipal governments formulate waste-reduction policies.
Scanning Electron Microscopy of Scales and its Taxonomic Application in the Fish Genus Channa
Authors: Dey Sudip , Biswas Shyama P. , Dey Samujjwal , Bhattacharyya Shankar P.
Published: May 2014

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of scales in six species of the fish genus Channa revealed certain features relevant to taxonomic significance. The location of focus, inter-radial distance and width of circuli, inter-circular space, width of radii, shape and size of lepidonts, etc. were found to be different in different species. The importance of SEM of scales in poorly understood taxonomy and phylogeny of the fish genus Channa is discussed with the help of relevant literature. Further, the role of SEM of fish scales for taxonomic applications is discussed in detail.
Gute Verordnungspraxis
Authors: Seidling Hanna M. , Haefeli Walter E.
Published: May 2014

Die Arzneimittelverordnung steht am Anfang eines jeden Medikationsprozesses und kann somit gleich zu Beginn über Erfolg oder Misserfolg einer therapeutischen Intervention entscheiden. Eine „gute Verordnung“ zeichnet sich durch die Berücksichtigung von (1) relevanten pharmakokinetischen und pharmakodynamischen Besonderheiten und Komorbiditäten des Patienten sowie (2) evidenzbasierten Leitlinien und (3) dem spezifischen Setting, in dem eine Verordnung ausgestellt wird, aus. Das Setting wird darüber entscheiden, welche weiteren Partner mit welchen Kompetenzen, Bedürfnissen und Anforderungen im nachfolgenden Medikationsprozess beteiligt sein werden. Dazu zählen sowohl Apotheker, die das Arzneimittel abgeben oder den Patienten schulen oder auch Gesundheitspersonal, das das Arzneimittel verabreicht. Letztlich ist aber der Patient selbst oder seine Angehörigen der häufigste Partner in der Arzneimitteltherapie, da er, insbesondere im ambulanten Setting, die Mehrzahl der Arzneimittelanwendungen selbst durchführen wird und dabei durch seine Fertigkeiten und seine Überzeugung ein bestimmtes Arzneimittel (nicht) anzuwenden, den Verlauf der Therapie entscheidend beeinflussen kann. Zum Zeitpunkt der Verordnung ist der Arzt angehalten, all diese in der Zukunft ablaufenden Prozesse zu antizipieren und in seinem Entscheidungsprozess zu berücksichtigen. Er sollte darüber hinaus sicherstellen, dass die Verordnung mit allen relevanten Teilinformationen zur Verabreichung in einer expliziten, unmissverständlichen (leserlichen!) Art und Weise weitergegeben werden. Neben diesen inhaltlichen und formal-inhaltlichen Kriterien treffen insbesondere im ambulanten Versorgungssektor häufig noch formal-gesetzliche Anforderungen zu, die vorgeben, in welcher Art und Weise eine Therapie verordnet werden darf. Eine gute Verordnung ist folglich eine Kunst, die Fallstricke sind häufig – ihre Erkenntnis aber ein erster Schritt zur effektiven Fehlervermeidung in der Praxis.
Wie schreibe ich ein perfektes Rezept in der Schweiz?
Authors: Arnet Isabelle , Hersberger Kurt E.
Published: May 2014

Ärztliches Rezeptieren ist ein wichtiger erster Schritt im Medikationsprozess. Je perfekter dies ausgeführt wird, umso erfolgreicher kann die Therapie ausgeführt werden. Ungenauigkeiten und fehlende Angaben führen zu unnötigen Rückfragen oder können Anlass für Fehler sein, welche oft erst zufällig bei Folgekonsultationen aufgedeckt werden. Ein „perfektes Rezept“ dient allen Beteiligten im Medikationsprozess und ist als Dokument die Anweisung für Patienten, Apotheker, Pflegefachleute und andere in der Therapie eingebundene Fachpersonen. Der Verordnungsprozess wird durch vielfältige Gesetze und Verordnungen geregelt, welche allesamt im Hinblick auf größtmögliche Arzneimittelsicherheit erlassen werden. Im Einzelfall können Abweichungen von den Normen nötig werden, welche eine umso sorgfältigere Verordnung und explizite Kennzeichnung erfordern.
Gute Verordnungspraxis bei älteren Patienten
Authors: Wickop Beate , Langebrake Claudia
Published: May 2014

Patienten ab einem Alter von 65 Jahren sind die bedeutendste Zielgruppe der Pharmakotherapie. Die im Alter häufig auftretende Multimorbidität bedingt oft eine Polymedikation. Eine leitliniengerechte Therapie aller Erkrankungen ist problematisch und selten in Studien an älteren Patienten geprüft. Zudem sind im Alter auftretende pharmakokinetische und pharmakodynamische Veränderungen zu beachten. Diese bedingen, dass bestimmte Medikamente für ältere Patienten potentiell inadäquat sind, weil sie ein hohes Risiko für unerwünschte Arzneimittelwirkungen bergen. Zur Identifikation von potentiell inadäquater Medikation wurden mehrere Negativlisten und Screening-Tools entwickelt. Im Artikel werden die START/STOPP-Kriterien, die PRISCUS-Liste, die Österreichische PIM-Liste sowie die FORTA-Einteilung näher erläutert. Der Einsatz dieser Tools kann die Qualität der medikamentösen Therapie im Alter verbessern. Zudem empfiehlt sich ein regelmäßiger Medikationsreview. Die Bestimmung der im Alter meist eingeschränkten Nierenfunktion und eine entsprechende Dosisanpassung der Medikation sowie die Wahl einer niedrigen Einstiegsdosis beim Ansetzen eines neuen Medikamentes bei älteren Patienten können ebenfalls einen Beitrag zur Arzneimitteltherapiesicherheit leisten.
The full-length cell–cell fusogen EFF-1 is monomeric and upright on the membrane
Authors: Zeev-Ben-Mordehai Tzviya , Vasishtan Daven , Siebert C. Alistair , Grünewald Kay
Published: May 2014

Fusogens are membrane proteins that remodel lipid bilayers to facilitate membrane merging. Although several fusogen ectodomain structures have been solved, structural information on full-length, natively membrane-anchored fusogens is scarce. Here we present the electron cryo microscopy three-dimensional reconstruction of the Caenorhabditis elegans epithelial fusion failure 1 (EFF-1) protein natively anchored in cell-derived membrane vesicles. This reveals a membrane protruding, asymmetric, elongated monomer. Flexible fitting of a protomer of the EFF-1 crystal structure, which is homologous to viral class-II fusion proteins, shows that EFF-1 has a hairpin monomeric conformation before fusion. These structural insights, when combined with our observations of membrane-merging intermediates between vesicles, enable us to propose a model for EFF-1 mediated fusion. This process, involving identical proteins on both membranes to be fused, follows a mechanism that shares features of SNARE-mediated fusion while using the structural building blocks of the unilaterally acting class-II viral fusion proteins.
Visualization and Communication of Pharmacometric Models With Berkeley Madonna
Authors: Krause A , Lowe PJ
Published: May 2014

Population or other pharmacometric models are a useful means to describe, succinctly, the relationships between drug administration, exposure (concentration), and downstream changes in pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarkers and clinical endpoints, including the mixed effects of patient factors and random interpatient variation (fixed and random effects). However, showing a set of covariate equations to a drug development team is perhaps not the best way to get a message across.

Visualization of the consequences of the knowledge encapsulated within the model is the key component. Yet in many instances, it can take hours, perhaps days, to collect ideas from teams, write scripts, and run simulations before presenting the results—by which time they have moved on. How much better, then, to seize the moment and work interactively to decide on a course of action, guided by the model.We exemplify here the visualization of pharmacometric models using the Berkeley Madonna software with a particular focus on interactive sessions. The examples are provided as Supplementary Material.

CPT Pharmacometrics Syst. Pharmacol. (2014) 3, e116; doi:10.1038/psp.2014.13; published online 28 May 2014
Hyperthyroidism is a Risk Factor for Developing Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder: A Nationwide Longitudinal Population-Based Study
Authors: Huang Shih-Wei , Lin Jia-Wei , Wang Wei-Te , Wu Chin-Wen , Liou Tsan-Hon , Lin Hui-Wen
Published: May 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk of adhesive capsulitis among hyperthyroidism patients. The data were obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID 2005) in Taiwan, using 1 million participants and a prospective population-based 7-year cohort study of survival analysis. The ambulatory-care claim records of patients diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes relating to hyperthyroidism between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, were obtained. The prevalence and the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of adhesive capsulitis among hyperthyroid patients and the control group were estimated. Of 4472 hyperthyroid patients, 162 (671/100 000 person-years) experienced adhesive capsulitis during the 24 122 person-year follow-up period. The crude HR of stroke was 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.49), which was larger than that of the control group. The adjusted HR of developing adhesive capsulitis was 1.22 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.45) for hyperthyroid patients during the 7-year follow-up period, which achieved statistical significance. The results of our large-scale longitudinal population-based study indicated that hyperthyroidism is an independent risk factor of developing adhesive capsulitis.
Free and copolymerized γ-cyclodextrins regulate the performance of dexamethasone-loaded dextran microspheres for bone regeneration
Authors: Lima A. C. , Puga A. M. , Mano J. F. , Concheiro A. , Alvarez-Lorenzo C.
Published: May 2014

Incorporation of γ-cyclodextrins (γ-CD), as free entities or structural monomers (acrylamidomethyl-γ-cyclodextrin, γ-CD–NMA), into dextran-methacrylate (dextran-MA) photopolymerized spheres modifies the loading and release of an osteogenic agent.
Durable defense: robust and varied attachment of non-leaching poly“-onium” bactericidal coatings to reactive and inert surfaces
Authors: Yatvin Jeremy , Gao Jing , Locklin Jason
Published: May 2014

An overview of the attachment of bactericidal poly“-onium” salts to a variety of reactive and inert surfaces.
Neutral CH and cationic CH donor groups as anion receptors
Authors: Cai Jiajia , Sessler Jonathan L.
Published: May 2014

Neutral and cationic CH hydrogen bond donors have been actively used in various shape persistent macrocycles, foldamers and “molecular machines”.
Catalytic conversion of glycerol to allyl alcohol; effect of a sacrificial reductant on the product yield
Authors: Sánchez Gizelle , Friggieri Jarrod , Adesina Adesoji A. , Dlugogorski Bogdan Z. , Kennedy Eric M. , Stockenhuber Michael
Published: May 2014

Significant enhancement on the yield of the allyl alcohol is obtained where a reductant is added to the glycerol feed.
The effect of dietary α-lipoic acid, betaine,l-carnitine, and swimming on the obesity of mice induced by a high-fat diet
Authors: Jang Aera , Kim Dongwook , Sung Ki-Seung , Jung Samooel , Kim Hyun Joo , Jo Cheorun
Published: May 2014

We evaluate the effect of supplementation, at 300 mg kg−1body weight (BW), with the antioxidants α-lipoic acid (AL), betaine (BT),l-carnitine (LC), and the combination of these and exercise on obesity induced by a 9 week high-fat diet (HFD) in mice.
Robust coordination of cardiac functions from gene co-expression reveals a versatile combinatorial transcriptional control
Authors: Cerutti Catherine , Bricca Giampiero , Rome Sophie , Paultre Christian Z. , Gustin Marie-Paule
Published: May 2014

The cardiac functional coupling of energy production and cardiac contraction is driven by common transcriptional regulators positively or inversely coordinated with both functions.
Inferring cellular regulatory networks with Bayesian model averaging for linear regression (BMALR)
Authors: Huang Xun , Zi Zhike
Published: May 2014

A new method that uses Bayesian model averaging for linear regression to infer molecular interactions in biological systems with high prediction accuracy and high computational efficiency.
Synthesis, chiral resolution, absolute configuration assignment and pharmacological evaluation of a series of melatoninergic ligands
Authors: Ettaoussi Mohamed , Pérès Basile , Jarry Christian , Nosjean Olivier , Boutin Jean A. , Gohier Arnaud , Mannoury la Cour Clotilde , Caignard Daniel-Henri , Delagrange Philippe , Berthelot Pascal , Yous Saïd
Published: May 2014

(−)-R-Enantiomers of agomelatine analogues were more potent at serotonin 5-HT2C receptors than (+)-S-enantiomers, and showed antidepressant-like properties in a tail suspension test.
Palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation of [60]fullerene with N-(2-arylethyl) sulfonamides via C–H bond activation
Authors: Su Yi-Tan , Wang You-Liang , Wang Guan-Wu
Published: May 2014

The palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation of [60]fullerene withN-(2-arylethyl) sulfonamidesviaC–H activation affords [60]fullerene-fused tetrahydrobenzazepines, which can be further functionalized.
Enhanced microwave absorption of flower-like FeNi@C nanocomposites by dual dielectric relaxation and multiple magnetic resonance
Authors: Feng Chao , Liu Xianguo , Sun YuPing , Jin Chuangui , Lv Yaohui
Published: May 2014

Flower-like FeNi@C nanocomposites can be a potential material for fabricating microwave devices.
Paper microfluidics for red wine tasting
Authors: San Park Tu , Baynes Cayla , Cho Seong-In , Yoon Jeong-Yeol
Published: May 2014

A smartphone takes a digital image of the paper microfluidic chip, after a red wine sample filled the entire 8 channels (each pre-loaded with a different chemical dye). The PCA score plot shows good statistical difference among the 6 red wine samples, where PC1 corresponded to the sweetness and PC2 to the bodyness of a red wine. The PCA model was validated with an additional 4 red wine samples from a different manufacturer.
Biodegradable multiblock polyurethane micelles with tunable reduction-sensitivity for on-demand intracellular drug delivery
Authors: He Xueling , Ding Mingming , Li Jiehua , Tan Hong , Fu Qiang , Li Liang
Published: May 2014

Biodegradable polyurethanes bearing varied amounts of disulfide linkages in the backbone can rapidly enter tumor cells and efficiently transport the encapsulated payloads into cytosol, resulting in controlled inhibition effects against cancer cells. The nanocarriers are promising candidates for on-demand intracellular drug delivery applications.
Synthesis of novel ferrocenyl N/O-heterocycles, chiral P,N-ligand and α-dehydro-β-amino acid derived short peptides from Morita–Baylis–Hillman adducts of ferrocenealdehyde
Authors: Madhavan Suchithra , Shanmugam Ponnusamy , Varma Ramavarma Luxmi
Published: May 2014

The golden triangle of Fc, OH/NH, COO moieties created by classical/aza-MBH reaction of ferrocenealdehyde has been exploited for the first time for the synthesis of the title compounds.
A new 3D framework based on reduced Wells-Dawson arsenotungstates as eight-connected linkages
Authors: Sun Wenlong , Li Shaobin , Ma Huiyuan , Pang Haijun , Zhang Li , Zhang Zhuanfang
Published: May 2014

A compound representing the first example of high dimensional and high connected hybrid based on reduced Wells-Dawson arsenotungstates has been synthesized, and its electrocatalytic and photocatalytic properties have been investigated.
Bilayer interaction and protein kinase C-C1 domain binding studies of kojic acid esters
Authors: Borah Rituparna , Talukdar Dipjyoti , Gorai Sukhamoy , Bain Dipankar , Manna Debasis
Published: May 2014

Synthesis of kojic acid ester analogues and their lipid bilayer interaction and PKC-C1 domain binding properties have been demonstrated in this present work.
Patterned one-dimensional photonic crystals with acidic/alkali vapor responsivity
Authors: Liu Cihui , Yao Chong , Zhu Yanxi , Ren Jiaoyu , Lan Kang , Peng Hao , Ge Liqin
Published: May 2014

This communication demonstrates a simple method to detect acidic/alkali vapor by the naked eye through color changes based on patterned responsive one-dimensional photonic crystals.
Donor atom selective coordination of Fe3+and Cr3+trigger fluorophore specific emission in a rhodamine–naphthalimide dyad
Authors: Chereddy Narendra Reddy , Saranraj Krishnan , Barui Ayan Kumar , Patra Chitta Ranjan , Rao Vaidya Jayathirtha , Thennarasu Sathiah
Published: May 2014

A rhodamine–naphthalimde dyad capable of discerning Fe3+and Cr3+ions in aqueous samples is synthesized and its application in live cell imaging is demonstrated.
Template-free solvothermal preparation of ZnO hollow microspheres covered with c planes
Authors: Ihara Taiki , Wagata Hajime , Kogure Toshihiro , Katsumata Ken-ichi , Okada Kiyoshi , Matsushita Nobuhiro
Published: May 2014

ZnO hollow microspheres exhibiting only c planes on the surface were successfully synthesized by a solvothermal method even without using a template. The ZnO hollow microspheres are formed by preferential dissolution of centers of ZnO solid microspheres which have low crystallinity.
Surfactant-free hydrothermal synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals with photocatalytic properties
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhang Peng , Song Xuefeng , Gao Lian
Published: May 2014

CZTS nanocrystals possessing an average size of 12 nm have been prepared using a surfactant-free hydrothermal method and their photocatalytic properties tested both in thin films and in slurry systems.
The nature of [N–Cl–N]+and [N–F–N]+halogen bonds in solution
Authors: Karim Alavi , Reitti Marcus , Carlsson Anna-Carin C. , Gräfenstein Jürgen , Erdélyi Máté
Published: May 2014

The solution symmetry of [N–Cl–N]+and [N–F–N]+halogen bonds is discussed, in comparison to the iodine and bromine-centered bonds as well as to the corresponding three-center [N–H–N]+hydrogen bond.
Fabrication of temperature- and pH-sensitive liquid-crystal droplets with PNIPAM-b-LCP and SDS coatings by microfluidics
Authors: Jung Yong-Dae , Khan Mashooq , Park Soo-Young
Published: May 2014

Dual responsive (temperature and pH) 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) droplets were fabricated that were found to be effective for the detection of proteins.
Synthesis of SBA-15 rods with small sizes for enhanced cellular uptake
Authors: Yang Yannan , Karmakar Surajit , Zhang Jun , Yu Meihua , Mitter Neena , Yu Chengzhong
Published: May 2014

SBA-15 rods with 80–200 nm in length and 18 ± 8 nm in width have been prepared, showing enhanced cellular uptake efficiency.
Domain evolution of tetragonal Pb(ZrxTi1−x) O3 piezoelectric thin films on SrTiO3 (100) surfaces: combined effects of misfit strain and Zr/Ti ratio
Authors: Yu Qi , Li Jing-Feng , Zhu Fang-Yuan , Li Jiangyu
Published: May 2014

The ferroelectric domains of tetragonal Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 epitaxial thin films have been studied comprehensively to reveal their piezoelectric responses under substrate constraint.
Air-stable photoconductive films formed from perylene bisimide gelators
Authors: Draper Emily R. , Walsh James J. , McDonald Tom O. , Zwijnenburg Martijn A. , Cameron Petra J. , Cowan Alexander J. , Adams Dave J.
Published: May 2014

The photoconductivity of perylene-bisimide gelators correlates with the perylene radical anion, which is unusually highly stable in air for many hours.
Maneuvering the growth of silver nanoplates: use of halide ions to promote vertical growth
Authors: Kim Mun Ho , Kwak Su Kyoung , Im Sang Hyuk , Lee Jong-Bae , Choi Kil-Yeong , Byun Doo-Jin
Published: May 2014

The addition of iodide ions promoted the vertical growth of nanoplate structures in a well-defined kinetically controlled synthetic route, resulting in small thick nanoplates.
Zero bit error rate ID generation circuit using via formation probability in 0.18 μm CMOS process
Authors: Kim T.W. , Choi B.D. , Kim D.K.
Published: May 2014

An integrated circuit for a physical unclonable function (PUF) to generate an identifier for each device is proposed based on the via formation probability. The via hole size is determined to be smaller than that specified by the design rule which guarantees successful via formation. As a result, a via is formed with a certain probability. A proper via hole size and a post‐processing method are found to obtain very high randomness in the bit sequences, and it is confirmed that the bit error rate is zero through repeated measurements over one year under the supply voltage variations with noises and in a wide range of temperature. This time invariance of bits can be attributed to the fact that the via formation does not change over time, once they are formed.
Ultra‐wideband planar LPDA antenna with mode converter balun
Authors: Mirzapour M.I. , Razavi S.M.J. , Mohseni Armaki S.H.
Published: May 2014

A new balun used for feeding a planar log‐periodic dipole array antenna (PLPDA) is proposed. This balun, which is based on mode conversion, converts gradually the transmission mode from quasi‐TEM (coaxial cable) to full TEM (balanced line), with an accessible excitation current property (ECP), which is not achievable in classical feeding techniques (infinite or self balun). To validate this approach, an ultra‐wideband (UWB) PLPDA antenna was designed with these balun structures for operating in the L and S bands (1–4 GHz) and the results were compared in terms of reflection coefficient and radiation pattern. A PLPDA antenna with a mode converter balun was fabricated. Results show that the proposed balun is a low length (10 mm) frequency‐independent (4.5 GHz based on |S11| ≤ −10 dB) device useful for feeding the UWB PLPDA antenna. Moreover, antenna's ECP can be modified, which is necessary for phase centre variation compensation.
Augmented radial basis function neural network predistorter for linearisation of wideband power amplifiers
Authors: Hui Ming , Liu Taijun , Zhang Meng , Ye Yan , Shen Dongya , Ying Xiangyue
Published: May 2014

An augmented radial basis function neural network (ARBFNN) is proposed for modelling and linearising a wideband Doherty power amplifier (DPA) with strong memory effects and static nonlinearity. To evaluate the performance of the ARBFNN, a 51 dBm DPA and a 25 MHz mixed test signal were used in modelling and linearisation measurement. Compared with the memory polynomial (MP) model and the real‐valued time‐delay neural network (RVTDNN), the ARBFNN is highly effective, leading to 3 and 5 dB improvements in the normalised mean square error. More importantly, the ARBFNN predistorter represents a significant improvement over the RVTDNN and MP in the suppression of the out‐of‐band spectral regrowth. In addition, the ARBFNN has a similar linearisation capability as the generalised MP model, but has much better numerical stability.
Cooperative communication‐aided multi‐carrier code division multiple access downlink transmission with transmitter preprocessing: performance results
Authors: Nagaradjane Prabagarane , Ravichandran Sriram , Srinivasan Nithin , Ravichandran Shruthi , Damodaran Selvam Paranche
Published: May 2014

In this correspondence, the authors study the performance of multi‐user transmitter preprocessing (MUTP)‐assisted cooperative downlink (DL) transmission for multi‐carrier code division multiple access (MC‐CDMA) system, where multi‐user interference (MUI) and inter‐relay interference (IRI) are the principal channel impairments. Relaying is facilitated with the aid of fixed infrastructure‐based relays that perform additional signal processing like formulating the preprocessing matrix for mitigating MUI in addition to forwarding the information they receive from the base station (BS). Specifically, in this study, the authors analyse the performance of cooperative communication‐aided DL MC‐CDMA system by employing three cooperation strategies: (i) all users supported by a single relay with dominant MUI at the relay and mobile stations (MSs); (ii) each user supported by a single relay where, MUI and IRI are dominant at the relays and MSs, respectively, as well as weak IRI at the MSs; and (iii) all users supported by L relays where MUI is dominant at the relays, and MUI and IRI are dominant at the MSs. Our simulation study shows that MUTP‐aided cooperative DL transmission results in better achievable bit error rate than the multi‐user detection‐aided system as the MUI at the relays and MUI and IRI at the MSs are perfectly eliminated.
Cooperative resource allocation algorithms in cellular orthogonal frequency‐division multiple access systems for target signal‐to‐interference plus noise ratio provision
Authors: Hosseini Andargoli Seyed Mehdi , Mohamed‐pour Kamal
Published: May 2014

This study addresses subcarrier allocation and power distribution in a sectorised two‐cell downlink orthogonal frequency‐division multiple access system impaired by multicell interference. The objective is to maximise the sum spectral efficiency in a way that the signal‐to‐interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of the transmitted data substream on each subcarrier meets a target SINR. In cellular systems because of intercell interference, it may not be possible to guarantee the target SINR in all cells simultaneously; therefore the authors have suggested a cooperative resource allocation algorithm which tries to provide the target SINR per subcarrier in all cells through cooperation in the interference control. For a considered subcarrier, if achieving the target SINR is impossible by the interference reduction, one base station avoids transmission on the considered subcarrier so that another base station can meet the target SINR. For complexity reduction, a simplified resource allocation algorithm is then provided based on the separation of subcarrier allocation and power control. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms not only guarantee the target SINR but achieve more sum spectral efficiency than benchmark algorithms in many practical situations.
Goodput improvement for multipath transport control protocol in cooperative relay‐based wireless networks
Authors: Zhou Dizhi , Song Wei , Ju Peijian
Published: May 2014

Multipath transport control protocol (MPTCP) standardised by Internet Engineering Task Force offers a promising solution to support simultaneous delivery of transport control protocol packets over multiple interfaces of multi‐radio mobile devices. Even when there is no multiple access coverage, it is still possible to enable multipath transmission by involving mobile devices in vicinity as cooperative relays. However, the available bandwidth provided by relays can be highly varying because of wireless channel fading or dynamic local traffic load. Although MPTCP can pool the available bandwidths of multiple paths, it is challenging to address the dynamics of the cooperative wireless network and ensure a stable performance. In this study, the authors extend MPTCP for the long‐term evolution network with cooperative relays by an integrated solution in three aspects, namely, subset ‘sum‐based relay selection’, ‘adaptive congestion control’ and ‘differentiated packet forwarding’. Extensive simulations in NS‐3 show that the proposed modules can achieve a stable aggregate throughput by engaging a small number of relays and significantly improve the goodput in various scenarios.
Best binary equivocation code construction for syndrome coding
Authors: Zhang Ke , Tomlinson Martin , Ahmed Mohammed Zaki , Ambroze Marcel , Rodrigues Miguel R.D.
Published: May 2014

Traditionally, codes are designed for an error correcting system to combat noisy transmission channels and achieve reliable communication. These codes can be used in syndrome coding, but it is shown in this study that the best performance is achieved with codes specifically designed for syndrome coding. In the view of the security of the communication, the best codes are the codes, which have the highest value of an information secrecy metric, the equivocation rate, for a given code length and code rate and are well packed codes. A code design technique is described, which produces the best binary linear codes for the syndrome coding scheme. An efficient recursive method to determine the equivocation rate for the binary symmetric channel and any linear binary code is also presented. A large online database of best equivocation codes for the syndrome coding scheme has been produced using the code design technique with some examples presented in the study. The presented results show that the best equivocation codes produce a higher level of secrecy for the syndrome coding scheme than almost all best known error correcting codes. Interestingly, it is unveiled that some outstanding best known error correcting codes are also best equivocation codes.
Systems analysis utilising pathway interactions identifies sonic hedgehog pathway as a primary biomarker and oncogenic target in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Efroni Sol , Meerzaman Daoud , Schaefer Carl F. , Greenblum Sharon , Soo‐Lyu Myung , Hu Ying , Cultraro Constance , Meshorer Eran , Buetow Kenneth H.
Published: May 2014

The development and progression of cancer is associated with disruption of biological networks. Historically studies have identified sets of signature genes involved in events ultimately leading to the development of cancer. Identification of such sets does not indicate which biologic processes are oncogenic drivers and makes it difficult to identify key networks to target for interventions. Using a comprehensive, integrated computational approach, the authors identify the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway as the gene network that most significantly distinguishes tumour and tumour‐adjacent samples in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The analysis reveals that the SHH pathway is commonly activated in the tumour samples and its activity most significantly differentiates tumour from the non‐tumour samples. The authors experimentally validate these in silico findings in the same biologic material using Western blot analysis. This analysis reveals that the expression levels of SHH, phosphorylated cyclin B1, and CDK7 levels are much higher in most tumour tissues as compared to normal tissue. It is also shown that siRNA‐mediated silencing of SHH gene expression resulted in a significant reduction of cell proliferation in a liver cancer cell line, SNU449 indicating that SHH plays a major role in promoting cell proliferation in liver cancer. The SHH pathway is a key network underpinning HCC aetiology which may guide the development of interventions for this most common form of human liver cancer.
Enhanced broadband ultrafast detection of ultraviolet emission using optical Kerr gating
Authors: Appavoo Kannatassen , Sfeir Matthew Y.
Published: May 2014

We demonstrate a high-sensitivity ultrafast emission spectrometer based on the optical Kerr effect that time resolves emission simultaneously in the ultraviolet and visible ranges. We show that using benzene as the Kerr medium leads to the optimal balance between time-resolution and sensitivity of the optical shutter with low losses due to ultraviolet absorption. Using this medium together with high contrast broadband polarizers and charge-coupled device detection, we achieve efficient detection of emission transients (bandwidth >1.5 eV) in a time bin of ∼500 fs. To highlight the distinctive insights that can be gained by resolving complex subpicosecond dynamics in a single experiment, we present UV-visible transient emission spectra of technologically relevant wide bandgap zinc oxide. With an enhanced broadband detection, subpicosecond effects such as thermalization, bandgap renormalization, and carrier trapping can be easily assessed, with ramifications for optoelectronics and energy-related technologies.
Theory of hydro-equivalent ignition for inertial fusion and its applications to OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility
Authors: Nora R. , Betti R. , Anderson K. S. , Shvydky A. , Bose A. , Woo K. M. , Christopherson A. R. , Marozas J. A. , Collins T. J. B. , Radha P. B. , Hu S. X. , Epstein R. , Marshall F. J. , McCrory R. L. , Sangster T. C. , Meyerhofer D. D.
Published: May 2014

The theory of ignition for inertial confinement fusion capsules [R. Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 058102 (2010)] is used to assess the performance requirements for cryogenic implosion experiments on the Omega Laser Facility. The theory of hydrodynamic similarity is developed in both one and two dimensions and tested using multimode hydrodynamic simulations with the hydrocode DRACO [P. B. Radha et al., Phys. Plasmas 12, 032702 (2005)] of hydro-equivalent implosions (implosions with the same implosion velocity, adiabat, and laser intensity). The theory is used to scale the performance of direct-drive OMEGA implosions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) energy scales and determine the requirements for demonstrating hydro-equivalent ignition on OMEGA. Hydro-equivalent ignition on OMEGA is represented by a cryogenic implosion that would scale to ignition on the NIF at 1.8 MJ of laser energy symmetrically illuminating the target. It is found that a reasonable combination of neutron yield and areal density for OMEGA hydro-equivalent ignition is 3 to 6 × 1013 and ∼0.3 g/cm2, respectively, depending on the level of laser imprinting. This performance has not yet been achieved on OMEGA.
Mechanisms of mean flow formation and suppression in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection
Authors: Fitzgerald Joseph G. , Farrell Brian F.
Published: May 2014

Two-dimensional laminar roll convection is capable of generating energetic horizontal mean flows via a well-understood process known as the tilting instability. Less well-understood is the physical mechanism behind the strong dependence of this effect on the horizontal lengthscale of the convection pattern. Mean flows of this type have been found to form for sufficiently large Rayleigh number in periodic domains with a small aspect ratio of horizontal length to vertical height, but not in large aspect ratio domains. We demonstrate that the elimination of the tilting instability for large aspect ratio is due to a systematic eddy-eddy advection mechanism intervening at linear order in the tilting instability, and that this effect can be captured in a model retaining two nonlinearly interacting horizontal wavenumber components of the convection field. Several commonly used low-order models of convection also exhibit a shutdown of the tilting instability for large aspect ratio, even though these models do not contain the eddy-eddy advection mechanism. Instability suppression in such models is due to a different mechanism involving vertical advection. We show that this vertical advection mechanism is excessively strong in the low-order models due to their low resolution, and that the instability shutdown in such models vanishes when they are appropriately extended.
Magnetic field uniformity of the practical tri-axial Helmholtz coils systems
Authors: Beiranvand R.
Published: May 2014

In this paper, effects of the assembly misalignments and the manufacturing mismatches on the magnetic field uniformity of a practical tri-axial Helmholtz coils system have been modeled mathematically. These undesired effects regularly occur in any practical tri-axial Helmholtz coils system. To confirm the mathematical calculations, a tri-axial Helmholtz coils system has been constructed and the uniformity of its magnetic field has been measured under different conditions. The experimental results are in good agreement with the mathematical analyses.
Parallel velocity diffusion and slowing-down rate from long-range collisions in a magnetized plasma
Authors: Dubin Daniel H. E.
Published: May 2014

This paper derives an expression for the rate of collisional slowing of charges in a magnetized plasma for which rc < λD, where rc is the mean thermal cyclotron radius and λD is the Debye length. The rate depends on a new fundamental length scale d that separates collisions into two impact parameter ranges that yield different slowing rates: a Boltzmann rate due to isolated binary collisions for impact parameters ρ < d and a Fokker-Planck rate due to multiple small scatterings for ρ > d. Slowing due to Boltzmann collisions is also shown to depend on the sign of the Coulomb interaction: for repulsive interactions, the slowing is enhanced by “collisional caging,” while for attractive interactions the Boltzmann slowing rate is zero.
In situ study on the effect of thermomigration on intermetallic compounds growth in liquid-solid interfacial reaction
Authors: Qu Lin , Zhao Ning , Ma Haitao , Zhao Huijing , Huang Mingliang
Published: May 2014

Synchrotron radiation real-time imaging technology was carried out in situ to observe and characterize the effect of thermomigration on the growth behavior of interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Cu/Sn/Cu solder joint during soldering. The thermomigration resulted in asymmetrical formation and growth of the interfacial IMCs. Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn IMCs formed at the cold end and grew rapidly during the whole soldering process. However, only Cu6Sn5 IMC formed at the hot end and remained relatively thin until solidification. The IMCs at the cold end were nearly seven times thicker than that at the hot end after solidification. The Cu dissolution at the cold end was significantly restrained, while that at the hot end was promoted, which supplied Cu atoms to diffuse toward the cold end under thermomigration to feed the rapid IMC growth. Moreover, the thermomigration also caused asymmetrical morphology of the interfacial IMCs at the cooling stage, i.e., the Cu6Sn5 IMC at the cold end transformed into facet structure, while that at the hot end remained scallop-type. The asymmetrical growth behavior of the interfacial IMCs was analyzed from the view point of kinetics.
Flow rate through microfilters: Influence of the pore size distribution, hydrodynamic interactions, wall slip, and inertia
Authors: Jensen Kaare H. , Valente André X. C. N. , Stone Howard A.
Published: May 2014

We examine the fluid mechanics of viscous flow through filters consisting of perforated thin plates. We classify the effects that contribute to the hydraulic resistance of the filter. Classical analyses assume a single pore size and account only for filter thickness. We extend these results to obtain an analytical formula for the pressure drop across the microfilter versus the flow rate that accounts for the non-uniform distribution of pore sizes, the hydrodynamic interactions between the pores given their layout pattern, and wall slip. Further, we discuss inertial effects and their order of scaling.
Resonant activation in a colored multiplicative thermal noise driven closed system
Authors: Ray Somrita , Mondal Debasish , Bag Bidhan Chandra
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we have demonstrated that resonant activation (RA) is possible even in a thermodynamically closed system where the particle experiences a random force and a spatio-temporal frictional coefficient from the thermal bath. For this stochastic process, we have observed a hallmark of RA phenomena in terms of a turnover behavior of the barrier-crossing rate as a function of noise correlation time at a fixed noise variance. Variance can be fixed either by changing temperature or damping strength as a function of noise correlation time. Our another observation is that the barrier crossing rate passes through a maximum with increase in coupling strength of the multiplicative noise. If the damping strength is appreciably large, then the maximum may disappear. Finally, we compare simulation results with the analytical calculation. It shows that there is a good agreement between analytical and numerical results.
Crosstalk elimination in the detection of dual-beam optical tweezers by spatial filtering
Authors: Ott Dino , Reihani S. Nader S. , Oddershede Lene B.
Published: May 2014

In dual-beam optical tweezers, the accuracy of position and force measurements is often compromised by crosstalk between the two detected signals, this crosstalk leading to systematic and significant errors on the measured forces and distances. This is true both for dual-beam optical traps where the splitting of the two traps is done by polarization optics and for dual optical traps constructed by other methods, e.g., holographic tweezers. If the two traps are orthogonally polarized, most often crosstalk is minimized by inserting polarization optics in front of the detector; however, this method is not perfect because of the de-polarization of the trapping beam introduced by the required high numerical aperture optics. Here we present a simple and easy-to-implement method to efficiently eliminate crosstalk. The method is based on spatial filtering by simply inserting a pinhole at the correct position and is highly compatible with standard back focal plane photodiode based detection of position and force. Our spatial filtering method reduces crosstalk up to five times better than polarization filtering alone. The effectiveness is dependent on pinhole size and distance between the traps and is here quantified experimentally and reproduced by theoretical modeling. The method here proposed will improve the accuracy of force-distance measurements, e.g., of single molecules, performed by dual-beam optical traps and hence give much more scientific value for the experimental efforts.
Pair and multi-particle dispersion in numerical simulations of convective boundary layer turbulence
Authors: Mazzitelli I. M. , Fornarelli F. , Lanotte A. S. , Oresta P.
Published: May 2014

Tracer dispersion within a highly convective planetary boundary layer is studied by means of a large-eddy simulation (LES) model for the continuous phases describing the temperature and velocity fields, and with the Lagrangian tracking of particle trajectories. Particle velocities are decomposed into their resolved and unresolved (or sub-grid) components. The former are evaluated by interpolation from the LES velocity field, the latter are given by a Lagrangian kinematic model that correctly describes the turbulent dispersion of clouds of particles. It is shown that, thanks to the Lagrangian sub-grid model, a clear inertial range is detectable in the time domain. In this range, particle separation grows according to Richardson's law, and nicely compares with previous experimental and numerical measurements. The collective motion of four particles, initially located at the vertices of regular tetrahedra, is also studied. The evolution of tetrad shape and orientation is contrasted with those obtained in homogeneous and isotropic flows. Results show that an agreement is achieved at small time lags. At larger times, the boundary layer reveals its anisotropic structure and the tetrad shape statistics deviate from results obtained in ideal flows.