bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
REINTERPRETING THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA
Authors: MUNGELLO D. E.
Published: May 2012

In the last thirty-five years there has been a fundamental reinterpretation of the history of Christianity in China. This reinterpretation has resulted from a changing atmosphere in China that has greatly reduced anti-Christian feelings and allowed for more extensive study of Chinese historical documents. In addition, there has been a remarkable growth among Chinese Christian churches. These changes have led to a reconceptualization of the role Christianity played in China's long-term history. As a result, there has been a transformation from viewing Christianity as a failed foreign graft to a creative indigenous force. This historiographical review surveys the evolution of this reinterpretation as well as the most significant recent publications on the topic.
GOVERNING ENGLAND THROUGH THE MANOR COURTS, 1550–1850
Authors: WADDELL BRODIE
Published: May 2012

Using records from 113 manors in Yorkshire and elsewhere, this article surveys the changing role of manor courts in English local government over three centuries. These institutions allowed juries of established tenants to deal cheaply and easily with a variety of chronic concerns, including crime, migration, retailing, common lands, and infrastructure. Their focus varied significantly according to region, topography, settlement size, and time period, but active courts existed in most parts of the country throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ultimately, they had many valuable functions which historians have barely begun to explore. This article thus offers the most systematic analysis to date of the role of these institutions in making and enforcing by-laws in this period, showing that many of the courts evolved to suit the changing priorities of local tenants rather than falling rapidly into ruin as has sometimes been assumed.
REFORMATION AND THE DISTRUST OF THE PROJECTOR IN THE HARTLIB CIRCLE
Authors: YAMAMOTO KOJI
Published: May 2012

Case-studies of the circle of Samuel Hartlib, one of the most prolific groups of reformers in post-Reformation Europe, are flourishing. The uncovering of rich details has, however, made it difficult to draw a meaningful generalization about the circle's bewilderingly wide range of activities. Focusing on the circle's promotion of ‘useful knowledge’, this article offers an analytical framework for building a new synthesis. The eclectic and seemingly chaotic pursuit of useful knowledge emerged, it will be shown, as differing responses to, and interpretations of, pervasive distrust and the pursuit of reformation. The article thus explores how loosely-shared experience shaped the circle's ambivalent practices of collaboration and exclusion. The study thereby contributes not only to studies of the Hartlib circle, but also to the historiography of post-Reformation culture and burgeoning studies of trust and credibility in the history of science and technology.
THE DECLINE OF MAGIC: CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE IN EARLY ENLIGHTENMENT ENGLAND
Authors: HUNTER MICHAEL
Published: May 2012

This article argues that, in order properly to understand the process by which the attitude of the educated towards magical beliefs became prevalently sceptical between the mid- seventeenth and the mid-eighteenth centuries, we need to re-examine the affiliations of ‘sadducism’ and its role in relation to orthodox thought. In late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England, articulate scepticism about witchcraft and related phenomena seems to have become widespread in free-thinking circles, especially in London and predominantly in oral form. Because of the taint of irreligion with which such attitudes were associated, orthodox thinkers were inhibited from adopting them for a generation, while a vociferous minority mounted a counter-attack. In the early decades of the eighteenth century, however, it gradually became apparent that scepticism about such phenomena was less dangerous than it had initially appeared, and the orthodox began more cautiously to advocate such views themselves.
NEO-LIBERALISM AND MORALITY IN THE MAKING OF THATCHERITE SOCIAL POLICY
Authors: SUTCLIFFE-BRAITHWAITE FLORENCE
Published: May 2012

After 1945, neo-liberal thinkers and think-tanks in the US and UK outlined different state welfare systems for the poor, such as Milton Friedman's negative income tax. These were underpinned by a rational, economistic conception of human nature. Between 1975 and 1979, Thatcher's Conservative party abandoned attempts to develop comprehensive, state-led, paternalistic schemes to tackle poverty. Thatcherites focused instead on creating what they saw as a rational tax/benefit system which would provide a safety-net for the poor, but encourage effort and thrift. They attempted to marginalize the importance of state welfare for the middle classes, to re-invigorate the ‘bourgeois virtues’ which had flourished in Victorian Britain. A family-centred, moralistic individualism underpinned Thatcherite policies; this individualism was not precisely congruent with that of neo-liberal theorists. Its roots lay in personal sources (particularly Methodism), as well as home-grown discourses on poverty and a Hayekian fear of the state. Though Thatcherites took ideas from diverse sources, their political project had a single guiding purpose: the moral (and, secondarily, economic) rejuvenation of Britain. Thatcherism was, thus, an ‘ideology’ in the sense used by Michael Freeden.
KALEIDOSCOPES AND A LABYRINTH – THE MUSICAL VISION OF JUSTIN CONNOLLY
Authors: Gilbert Anthony
Published: May 2012

This essay traces the development of Justin Connolly's music from the orchestral Antiphonies of 1966 through to the Piano Concerto of 2001–3, showing how within a remarkably consistent idiom there has been a slow process of focal change from a predominantly vertical structuring to a graciously complex, vertically rich, energetic linearity, embracing a wide variety of works on its unhurried journey, and by no means excluding drama and expressivity from its uncompromising idiom. Most of the analytical writing is on the Piano Concerto, which in its way summarizes all that precedes it, showing how a metaphorical labyrinth can be interestingly kaleidoscopic in its richness. The essay also demonstrates how, like several other British composers of his generation, Connolly has found his own individual, structurally significant way of bringing together techniques from the early Renaissance and the 20th century.
THE EVOLUTION OF FORM IN THE MUSIC OF ROGER REYNOLDS (II)
Authors: Boyd Michael
Published: May 2012

This essay analyses the temporal structure of Roger Reynolds's The Palace (Voicespace IV) for baritone and four-channel computer generated sound (1978). Since 1970, Roger Reynolds has used logarithmically expanding and contracting proportions to define sectional durations in his music to the near-exclusion of other designs. Though this general practice is common to many of the composer‘s works, these proportions are employed in this one's formal structure in an idiosyncratic way that is truly unique to the piece. Using sketches from the composer's Library of Congress archive, the analysis demonstrates that the composer's selection of numerical data used to determine sectional boundaries in The Palace is intimately tied the work's conceptual impetus, Jorge Luis Borges's poem of the same title. Reynolds's formal design also reflects larger trends in Borges's writings, notably his short stories.
Perceptual quality of neighbourhood design and feelings of unsafety
Authors: DE DONDER LIESBETH , BUFFEL TINE , DURY SARAH , DE WITTE NICO , VERTÉ DOMINIQUE
Published: May 2012

This paper takes the quality of life in the neighbourhood as a starting point and appeals to the framework of Age-friendly Cities to gain insights in how ‘the neighbourhood as a physical surrounding’ can either promote or hinder feelings of unsafety in later life. It examines the impact of the perceived design of the neighbourhood on feelings of unsafety in later life. Literature on the relationship between feelings of unsafety and the neighbourhood mainly concentrates on incivilities and disorder. Other physical-spatial features of the neighbourhood are rarely taken into consideration. Using data generated from the Belgian Ageing Studies (N=25,980) multivariate analyses indicate that a neighbourhood which is perceived to be physically adapted to the needs of older people (in terms of accessibility and distance to services) heightens feelings of safety. The findings demonstrate the need to reduce behaviour constraints by redesigning fear-related physical features. This conclusion raises practical implications and formulates a number of policy recommendations to tackle feelings of unsafety in an ageing society.
What counts as effective input for word learning?
Authors: SHNEIDMAN LAURA A. , ARROYO MICHELLE E. , LEVINE SUSAN C. , GOLDIN-MEADOW SUSAN
Published: May 2012

The talk children hear from their primary caregivers predicts the size of their vocabularies. But children who spend time with multiple individuals also hear talk that others direct to them, as well as talk not directed to them at all. We investigated the effect of linguistic input on vocabulary acquisition in children who routinely spent time with one vs. multiple individuals. For all children, the number of words primary caregivers directed to them at age 2 ; 6 predicted vocabulary size at age 3 ; 6. For children who spent time with multiple individuals, child-directed words fromallhousehold members also predicted later vocabulary and accounted for more variance in vocabulary than words from primary caregivers alone. Interestingly, overheard words added no predictive value to the model. These findings suggest that speech directed to children is important for early word learning, even in households where a sizable proportion of input comes from overheard speech.
Acute Lung Injury Induced by Staphylococcal enterotoxin B: Disruption of Terminal Vessels as a Mechanism of Induction of Vascular Leak
Authors: Saeed Ali Imran , Rieder Sadiye Amcaoglu , Price Robert L. , Barker James , Nagarkatti Prakash , Nagarkatti Mitzi
Published: May 2012

The current hypothesis of alveolar capillary membrane dysfunction fails to completely explain the severe and persistent leak of protein-rich fluid into the pulmonary interstitium, seen in the exudative phase of acute lung injury (ALI). The presence of intact red blood cells in the pulmonary interstitium may suggest mechanical failure of pulmonary arterioles and venules. These studies involved the pathological and ultrastructural evaluation of the pulmonary vasculature in Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB)-induced ALI. Administration of SEB resulted in a significant increase in the protein concentration of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and vascular leak in SEB-exposed mice compared to vehicle-treated mice.In vivoimaging of mice demonstrated the pulmonary edema and leakage in the lungs of SEB-administered mice. The histopathological studies showed intense clustering of inflammatory cells around the alveolar capillaries with subtle changes in architecture. Electron microscopy studies further confirmed the diffuse damage and disruption in the muscularis layer of the terminal vessels. Cell death in the endothelial cells of the terminal vessels was confirmed with TUNEL staining. In this study, we demonstrated that in addition to failure of the alveolar capillary membrane, disruption of the pulmonary arterioles and venules may explain the persistent and severe interstitial and alveolar edema.
Sensitivity of hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors to mild stress in BDNF-deficient mice
Authors: Burke Teresa F. , Advani Tushar , Adachi Megumi , Monteggia Lisa M. , Hensler Julie G.
Published: May 2012

Serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptors in brain play an important role in cognitive and integrative functions, as well as emotional states. Decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and/or function, particularly in hippocampus, are implicated in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders such as major depression. BDNF+/− mice are more vulnerable to stress than wild-type mice, exhibiting behavioural despair after mild handling stress. We examined the effect of mild handling stress on 5-HT1A receptor function, as measured by 8-OH-DPAT stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding, in BDNF+/− mice and mice with a forebrain-specific reduction in BDNF (embryonic BDNF inducible knockout mice). Our data show a remarkable sensitivity of hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors to mild stress and a deficiency in BDNF. Other 5-HT1A receptor populations, specifically in frontal cortex and dorsal raphe, were resistant to the combined detrimental effects of mild stress and reductions in BDNF expression. Decreases in hippocampal 5-HT1A receptor function induced by mild stress in BDNF-deficient mice were prevented by administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, which increased activation of TrkB, the high affinity receptor for BDNF, in wild-type and BDNF+/− mice. In hippocampal cultures, BDNF increased the capacity of 5-HT1A receptors to activate G proteins, an effect eliminated by the knockout of TrkB, confirming TrkB activation increases 5-HT1A receptor function. The mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors to mild stress and decreased BDNF expression remain to be elucidated and may have important implications for the emotional and cognitive impairments associated with stress-related mental illness.
A systematic review on the role of anticonvulsants in the treatment of acute bipolar depression
Authors: Reinares María , Rosa Adriane R. , Franco Carolina , Goikolea José Manuel , Fountoulakis Kostas , Siamouli Melina , Gonda Xenia , Frangou Sophia , Vieta Eduard
Published: May 2012

Despite the high morbidity and mortality associated with bipolar depression, the optimal treatment for this phase is still a matter of debate. The aim of the current review was to provide updated evidence about the efficacy and tolerability of anticonvulsants in the treatment of acute bipolar depression. A comprehensive review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the use of anticonvulsants for the treatment of acute bipolar depression up to June 2011 was conducted by means of the PubMed-Medline database. Eligibility criteria included active comparator-controlled or placebo-controlled randomized studies involving monotherapy or combination therapy. A total of 18 RCTs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Studies supported the efficacy of divalproex as monotherapy in acute bipolar depression but small sample size was a common methodological limitation. Findings were inconclusive for lamotrigine and carbamazepine although overall lamotrigine may have a beneficial but modest effect. Negative results were found for levetiracetam and gabapentin but the evidence base on these agents is scant. All anticonvulsants were generally well tolerated. No double-blind RCTs were found for the use of other anticonvulsants such as oxcarbazepine, licarbazepine, zonisamide, retigabine, pregabalin, tiagabine, felbamate and vigabatrine in the acute treatment of bipolar depression. To sum up, taking into consideration the efficacy and tolerability profiles of anticonvulsants, current evidence supports the use of divalproex and lamotrigine in the treatment of acute bipolar depression. However, available data for most other anticonvulsants are inconclusive and further RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed before drawing firm conclusions.
A new strategy for estimating geophysical parameters from InSAR data: Application to the Krafla central volcano in Iceland
Authors: Ali S. T. , Feigl K. L.
Published: May 2012

We develop, validate, and apply a new strategy for estimating parameters in a geophysical model from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) measurements. The observable quantity is a particular component of the deformation gradient tensor, defined as the derivative of the change in range with respect to the easting coordinate. This range change gradient is derived from wrapped phase data by a quadtree resampling procedure. Since the range change gradient is a continuous function of position, the strategy avoids the pitfalls associated with phase unwrapping techniques. To quantify the misfit between the observed and modeled values of the range gradient, the objective function calculates the cost as the absolute value of their difference, averaged over all samples. To minimize the objective function, we use a simulated annealing algorithm. This algorithm requires several thousand evaluations of the fitting function to find the optimum solution: the estimate of the model parameters that produces the lowest value of cost. For computational efficiency, we approximate the fitting function using a Taylor series. The simulated annealing algorithm then evaluates the approximate and fast version of the fitting function. After performing these two steps several times, the scheme converges, typically in a few iterations. We apply the strategy to Krafla central volcano in Iceland. Using a data set composed of eight interferometric pairs acquired by the ERS‐1 and ERS‐2 satellites over a 6‐year interval between 1993 and 1999, we estimate the four parameters in a Mogi model. Results suggest a source at 4.98 ± 0.21 km depth and a deflation rate that decays exponentially over the interval, in agreement with previous studies.
High‐resolution body wave tomography models of the upper mantle beneath eastern China and the adjacent areas
Authors: Zhao Liang , Allen Richard M. , Zheng Tianyu , Zhu Rixiang
Published: May 2012

We present new 3‐D tomographic models of VP, VS and VP/VSratio anomalies in the upper mantle beneath EC and adjacent areas. This data was collected and interpreted with the goal of clarifying geodynamic processes that caused spatially variable event histories throughout Eastern China (EC) during Mesozoic to Cenozoic time. The tomographic images were constructed by inverting body wave travel‐times recorded at ∼1300 stations within the upgraded China National Seismic Network, and 9 temporary arrays. Resolution tests for different depths and the featured velocity anomalies verify that the tomographic images capture the velocity heterogeneities in the upper mantle to depths of 700 km. The salient features of VP, VS and VP/VSratio anomalies can be clearly identified. These include strong multiscale heterogeneities occupying the upper mantle beneath EC and differences in the spatial scale of anomalies found beneath northern and southern areas of EC. These features demonstrate a degree of spatial variability in the geodynamic evolution of EC. We propose two mechanisms to explain these patterns. First, the western front of the subducted slab may have imparted greater horizontal compressional stress in areas where it impinged further eastward into EC. These areas would experience stronger convection and an altered stress regime in the upper mantle, creating significant thermal anomalies beneath the South China Block (SCB) relative to the eastern North China Craton (NCC). Second, differing thermal states and viscosities for the eastern NCC and the Cathaysia Block (CaB) resulted in differing responses to regional deformation. The Archean hinterland of the eastern NCC specifically has a colder thermal state and higher viscosity, and therefore exhibits only small‐scale heterogeneities due to the effect of shear localization. The Neoproterozoic CaB has a relatively warm thermal state with lower viscosity, and thus deformed more continuously.
Effects of smectite to illite transformation on the frictional strength and sliding stability of intact marine mudstones
Authors: Saffer Demian M. , Lockner David A. , McKiernan Alex
Published: May 2012

At subduction zones, earthquake nucleation and coseismic slip occur only within a limited depth range, known as the “seismogenic zone”. One leading hypothesis for the upper aseismic‐seismic transition is that transformation of smectite to illite at ∼100–150°C triggers a change from rate‐strengthening frictional behavior that allows only stable sliding, to rate weakening behavior considered a prerequisite for unstable slip. Previous studies on powdered gouges have shown that changes in clay mineralogy alone are unlikely to control this transition, but associated fabric and cementation developed during diagenesis remain possible candidates. We conducted shearing experiments designed specifically to evaluate this hypothesis, by using intact wafers of mudstone from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1174, offshore SW Japan, which have undergone progressive smectite transformation in situ. We sheared specimens along a sawcut in a triaxial configuration, oriented parallel to bedding, at normal stresses of ∼20–150 MPa and a pore pressure of 1 MPa. During shearing, we conducted velocity‐stepping tests to measure the friction rate parameter (a‐b). Friction coefficient ranges from 0.28–0.40 and values of (a‐b) are uniformly positive; both are independent of clay transformation progress. Our work represents the most direct and comprehensive test of the clay transformation hypothesis to date, and suggests that neither illitization, nor accompanying fabric development and cementation, trigger a transition to unstable frictional behavior. We suggest that strain localization, in combination with precipitation of calcite and quartz, is a viable alternative that is consistent with both field observations and recent conceptual models of a heterogeneous seismogenic zone.
Contrasting ocean changes between the subpolar and polar North Atlantic during the past 135 ka
Authors: Bauch Henning A. , Kandiano Evguenia S. , Helmke Jan P.
Published: May 2012

Variations in the poleward‐directed Atlantic heat transfer was investigated over the past 135 ka with special emphasis on the last and present interglacial climate development (Eemian and Holocene). Both interglacials exhibited very similar climatic oscillations during each preceding glacial terminations (deglacial TI and TII). Like TI, also TII has pronounced cold–warm–cold changes akin to events such as H1, Bølling/Allerød, and the Younger Dryas. But unlike TI, the cold events in TII were associated with intermittent southerly invasions of an Atlantic faunal component which underscores quite a different water mass evolution in the Nordic Seas. Within the Eemian interglaciation proper, peak warming intervals were antiphased between the Nordic Seas and North Atlantic. Moreover, inferred temperatures for the Nordic Seas were generally colder in the Eemian than in the Holocene, and vice versa for the North Atlantic. A reduced intensity of Atlantic Ocean heat transfer to the Arctic therefore characterized the Eemian, requiring a reassessment of the actual role of the ocean–atmosphere system behind interglacial, but also, glacial climate changes.
Subduction Factory 5: Unusually low Poisson's ratios in subduction zones from elastic anisotropy of peridotite
Authors: Hacker Bradley R. , Abers Geoffrey A.
Published: May 2012

The growing capability to measure seismic velocities in subduction zones has led to an unusual observation: VP/VS ratios as low as 1.65 with VS ∼ 4.7 km/s in the mantle wedge of some subduction zones. This is difficult to explain because most minerals have VP/VS ratios >1.75, and some of the likely alteration phases in mantle rocks, like antigorite, phlogopite, clinohumite and chlorite have isotropic high VP/VS ratios. It is possible that these measurements are biased by anisotropy in rock fabric or by the raypaths through these regions, leading to relatively high VS estimates and/or relatively low VP estimates compared with isotropic averages. Strong anisotropy has been documented in several mantle wedges, but its effect on velocity estimates are typically ignored. Anisotropic peridotites may produce the observed VP/VS ratios if olivine [100] axes are perpendicular rather than parallel to raypaths, consistent with typical seismic sampling geometries and with fabric predictions for wedge corner flow. Hence, low VP/VS ratios may be an indicator of strong anisotropy, rather than unusual composition, and may provide a useful additional constraint on orientation and strength of the rock fabric.
Origins of features in wave number‐frequency spectra of space‐time images of the ocean
Authors: Plant William J. , Farquharson Gordon
Published: May 2012

Wave number‐frequency spectra measured with remote sensing systems consist of energy along the ocean wave dispersion relation and additional features that lie above and below this relation. At low frequencies a feature passing through the origin as a straight line is observed while one or more high‐frequency features exhibit substantial curvature. Here we utilize images obtained on the open ocean from microwave Doppler shifts, which are directly related to scatterer velocity and allow us to calculate expected wave‐wave interaction effects. We show that the strongest features lying off the first‐order dispersion relation are not primarily due to second‐order interactions, breaking caused by wind turbulence, advection by turbulence, or shadowing. The low‐frequency feature can be seen traveling in the opposite direction to swell when looking nearly crosswind. We show that the most probable cause of these features is the interference of long ocean waves, which causes breaking near local maxima of surface slope. Doppler spectra observed by the radars indicate that the maximum speed reached by water particles on the open ocean is less than 6 m/s and usually close to the speed of the low‐frequency feature in the wave number‐frequency spectrum. Since this is much less than the phase speeds of dominant wind waves and swell, neither of these waves can be the breaking wave. Rather, we hypothesize that the superposition of these waves steepens short gravity waves on the surface, which then break to produce water parcels traveling near their phase speed, the speed observed by the radar.
In‐phase transition from the winter monsoon to the summer monsoon over East Asia: Role of the Indian Ocean
Authors: Wang Lin , Wu Renguang
Published: May 2012

Analysis of observations shows that the weak East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) to weak East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) transitions mainly occur in El Niño decaying years whereas strong EAWM (denoting stronger northerly winds along East Asian coast) to strong EASM (denoting less precipitation along the Meiyu‐Baiu rainband) transitions all occur in non‐El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years during the period 1979–2009. This new finding implies that ENSO is not indispensable to the in‐phase EAWM to the EASM transitions. The present study reveals an important role of the Indian Ocean in the strong EAWM to strong EASM transitions and proposes a possible mechanism for these transitions. A strong EAWM induces more precipitation over the Maritime Continent, and the associated anomalous heating excites a Gill‐Matsuno type pattern in the tropics. The resultant wind and cloud changes enhance latent heat flux and reduce downward shortwave radiation over the northwestern Indian Ocean in winter, which leads to SST cooling. The cold SST anomalies persist to summer and excite an anomalous cyclone over the subtropical western North Pacific, leading to a strong EASM. The above processes also operate in the weak EAWM to weak EASM transitions during which El Niño impacts dominate but with additional contributions from the EAWM. The results of observational analysis are confirmed by numerical experiments with a coupled model.
Three manganese oxide-rich marine sediments harbor similar communities of acetate-oxidizing manganese-reducing bacteria
Authors: Vandieken Verona , Pester Michael , Finke Niko , Hyun Jung-Ho , Friedrich Michael W , Loy Alexander , Thamdrup Bo
Published: May 2012

Dissimilatory manganese reduction dominates anaerobic carbon oxidation in marine sediments with high manganese oxide concentrations, but the microorganisms responsible for this process are largely unknown. In this study, the acetate-utilizing manganese-reducing microbiota in geographically well-separated, manganese oxide-rich sediments from Gullmar Fjord (Sweden), Skagerrak (Norway) and Ulleung Basin (Korea) were analyzed by 16S rRNA-stable isotope probing (SIP). Manganese reduction was the prevailing terminal electron-accepting process in anoxic incubations of surface sediments, and even the addition of acetate stimulated neither iron nor sulfate reduction. The three geographically distinct sediments harbored surprisingly similar communities of acetate-utilizing manganese-reducing bacteria: 16S rRNA of members of the genera Colwellia and Arcobacter and of novel genera within the Oceanospirillaceae and Alteromonadales were detected in heavy RNA-SIP fractions from these three sediments. Most probable number (MPN) analysis yielded up to 106 acetate-utilizing manganese-reducing cells cm−3 in Gullmar Fjord sediment. A 16S rRNA gene clone library that was established from the highest MPN dilutions was dominated by sequences of Colwellia and Arcobacter species and members of the Oceanospirillaceae, supporting the obtained RNA-SIP results. In conclusion, these findings strongly suggest that (i) acetate-dependent manganese reduction in manganese oxide-rich sediments is catalyzed by members of taxa (Arcobacter, Colwellia and Oceanospirillaceae) previously not known to possess this physiological function, (ii) similar acetate-utilizing manganese reducers thrive in geographically distinct regions and (iii) the identified manganese reducers differ greatly from the extensively explored iron reducers in marine sediments.
Convergent development of anodic bacterial communities in microbial fuel cells
Authors: Yates Matthew D , Kiely Patrick D , Call Douglas F , Rismani-Yazdi Hamid , Bibby Kyle , Peccia Jordan , Regan John M , Logan Bruce E
Published: May 2012

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are often inoculated from a single wastewater source. The extent that the inoculum affects community development or power production is unknown. The stable anodic microbial communities in MFCs were examined using three inocula: a wastewater treatment plant sample known to produce consistent power densities, a second wastewater treatment plant sample, and an anaerobic bog sediment. The bog-inoculated MFCs initially produced higher power densities than the wastewater-inoculated MFCs, but after 20 cycles all MFCs on average converged to similar voltages (470±20 mV) and maximum power densities (590±170 mW m−2). The power output from replicate bog-inoculated MFCs was not significantly different, but one wastewater-inoculated MFC (UAJA3 (UAJA, University Area Joint Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant)) produced substantially less power. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiling showed a stable exoelectrogenic biofilm community in all samples after 11 cycles. After 16 cycles the predominance of Geobacter spp. in anode communities was identified using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries (58±10%), fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) (63±6%) and pyrosequencing (81±4%). While the clone library analysis for the underperforming UAJA3 had a significantly lower percentage of Geobacter spp. sequences (36%), suggesting that a predominance of this microbe was needed for convergent power densities, the lower percentage of this species was not verified by FISH or pyrosequencing analyses. These results show that the predominance of Geobacter spp. in acetate-fed systems was consistent with good MFC performance and independent of the inoculum source.
The quantum equations of state of plasma under the influence of a weak magnetic field
Authors: Hussein N. A. , Eisa D. A. , Eldin M. G.
Published: May 2012

The aim of this paper is to calculate the magnetic quantum equations of state of plasma, the calculation is based on the magnetic binary Slater sum in the case of low density. We consider only the thermal equilibrium plasma in the case of nλab3≪1, where λab2=ℏ2mabKT is the thermal De Broglie wave length between two particles. The formulas contain the contributions of the magnetic field effects. Using these results we compute the magnetization and the magnetic susceptibility. Our equation of state is compared with others.
Quantum and classical approaches for rotational relaxation and nonresonant laser alignment of linear molecules: A comparison for CO2 gas in the nonadiabatic regime
Authors: Hartmann J.-M. , Boulet C.
Published: May 2012

A quantum approach and classical molecular dynamics simulations (CMDS) are proposed for the modeling of rotational relaxation and of the nonadiabatic alignment of gaseous linear molecules by a nonresonant laser field under dissipative conditions. They are applied to pure CO2 and compared by looking at state-to-state collisional rates and at the value of ⟨cos2[θz(t)]⟩ induced by a 100 fs laser pulse linearly polarized along $\vec z$z⃗. The main results are: (i) When properly requantized, the classical model leads to very satisfactory predictions of the permanent and transient alignments under non-dissipative conditions. (ii) The CMDS calculations of collisional-broadening coefficients and rotational state-to-state rates are in very good agreement with those of a quantum model based on the energy corrected sudden (ECS) approximation. (iii) Both approaches show a strong propensity of collisions, while they change the rotational energy (i.e., J), to conserve the angular momentum orientation (i.e., M/J). (iv) Under dissipative conditions, CMDS and quantum-ECS calculations lead to very consistent decays with time of the “permanent” and transient components of the laser-induced alignment. This result, expected from (i) and (ii), is obtained only if a properly J- and M-dependent ECS model is used. Indeed, rotational state-to-state rates and the decay of the “permanent” alignment demonstrate, for pure CO2, the limits of a M-independent collisional model proposed previously. Furthermore, computations show that collisions induce a decay of the “permanent” alignment about twice slower than that of the transient revivals amplitudes, a direct consequence of (iii). (v) The analysis of the effects of reorienting and dephasing elastic collisions shows that the latter have a very small influence but that the former play a non-negligible role in the alignment dynamics. (vi) Rotation-translation collisionally induced transfers have also been studied, demonstrating that they only slightly change the alignment dissipation for the considered laser energy conditions.
Evolution of self-assembled type-II ZnTe/ZnSe nanostructures: Structural and electronic properties
Authors: Kim S. J. , Juang B.-C. , Wang W. , Jokisaari J. R. , Chen C.-Y. , Phillips J. D. , Pan X. Q.
Published: May 2012

The strain-mediated evolution of epitaxial ZnTe/ZnSe quantum structures is studied at the atomic scale using spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, coupled with electronic properties characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The growth development of these buried quantum dots clearly demonstrates a homogeneous profile with similar pyramidal geometry rather than bi-modal distribution; contradicting prior reports on ZnTe/ZnSe quantum dots. The result is consistent with atomistic theoretical calculations on strain distribution and electronic structure of a modeled quantum dot of similar geometry using a valence force field model. It is also found that the transition from 2-D islands to 3-D quantum dots involves thermally activated carrier transfer process and follows up with formation of extended defects at the quantum dot surface, acting as an effective source for remnant misfit strain relaxation. The new physical understanding concerning the growth of self-assembled ZnTe/ZnSe quantum dots embedded in the active regions provides important information for the measures to control the properties of buried ZnTe quantum dots, setting up a key footstep in developing novel materials of energy conversion.
Charge localization in multiply charged clusters and their electrical properties: Some insights into electrospray droplets
Authors: Bonhommeau David A. , Spezia Riccardo , Gaigeot Marie-Pierre
Published: May 2012

The surface composition of charged Lennard-Jones clusters ${\rm A}_N^{n+}$ANn+, composed of N particles (55 ≤ N ≤ 1169) among which n are positively charged with charge q, thus having a net total charge Q = nq, is investigated by Monte Carlo with Parallel Tempering simulations. At finite temperature, the surface sites of these charged clusters are found to be preferentially occupied by charged particles carrying large charges, due to Coulombic repulsions, but the full occupancy of surface sites is rarely achieved for clusters below the stability limit defined in this work. Large clusters (N = 1169) follow the same trends, with a smaller propensity for positive particles to occupy the cluster surface at non-zero temperature. We show that these charged clusters rather behave as electrical spherical conductors for the smaller sizes (N ≤ 147) but as spheres uniformly charged in their volume for the larger sizes (N = 1169).
Enhanced THz emission from c-plane InxGa1−xN due to piezoelectric field-induced electron transport
Authors: Woodward Nathaniel , Gallinat C. , Rodak L. E. , Metcalfe G. D. , Shen H. , Wraback M.
Published: May 2012

Enhanced terahertz emission from coherently strained InxGa1−xN epilayers on GaN is observed, which exceeds or is comparable to bulk InAs emission at pump wavelengths of 400 nm or 800 nm, respectively. The inverted terahertz waveform from the InxGa1−xN/GaN heterostructure indicates that the dominant terahertz generation mechanism is electron acceleration toward the InxGa1−xN surface in an internal electric field primarily associated with piezoelectric polarization charge at the heterointerface, rather than diffusive transport away from the surface typically observed in bulk semiconductors. The persistence of the inverted waveform for 266 nm excitation provides evidence of ultrafast electron relaxation via LO phonon emission.
High power pulse compression using magnetic flux compression
Authors: Xu Fu-Kai , Ding Wu
Published: May 2012

A design of high power pulse compression by (axial) magnetic flux compression is presented. Optimal model parameters are presented for liner plasma using the thin-shell model code and finite element analyses for stator coils design. Typical model simulation results indicated that a 1.5 μs rise-time pulse with 7.5 MA peak value could be compressed to 20 MA peak value fast rise pulse (∼40 ns rise-time) in the secondary circuit with a 0.5 Ω external load. The limitations resulting from Joule heating and extra high magnetic field diffusion on stator coils are discussed.
Low temperature studies of surface plasmon polaritons in silver films
Authors: Mayy M. , Zhu G. , Mayy E. , Webb A. , Noginov M. A.
Published: May 2012

We have studied propagation of surface plasmon polaritons at cryogenic temperatures and found the temperature-dependent optical loss reduction to be modest. Large temperature-independent components of the dc resistivity and the imaginary part of the dielectric constant at optical frequency are due to scattering on bulk and surface defects rather than on phonons. This suggests that the quality of metal should be improved first, after which a further improvement can be sought through the reduction of temperature.
Spatial control of magnetic anisotropy for current induced domain wall injection in perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB|MgO nanostructures
Authors: Hayashi Masamitsu , Yamanouchi Michihiko , Fukami Shunsuke , Sinha Jaivardhan , Mitani Seiji , Ohno Hideo
Published: May 2012

Magnetic anisotropy of perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB|MgO films is spatially tailored using depth controlled Ar ion etching with patterned etching masks. Nanowires with patterned etching have significantly reduced coercivity compared to those without the etching. We show that the sign of the anisotropy can be locally changed by partially etching the MgO layer, and as a consequence, 90° domain walls can be created at the boundary of etched/non-etched region. Direct current application to the nanowire can result in moving such 90° domain walls, which can prove as an efficient mean to inject domain walls into perpendicularly magnetized nanowires.
Thermoelectric properties of epitaxial TbAs:InGaAs nanocomposites
Authors: Clinger Laura E. , Pernot Gilles , Buehl Trevor E. , Burke Peter G. , Gossard Arthur C. , Palmstrøm Christopher J. , Shakouri Ali , Zide Joshua M. O.
Published: May 2012

InGaAs lattice-matched to InP was grown by molecular beam epitaxy with randomly distributed TbAs nanoparticles for thermoelectric power generation applications. TbAs:InGaAs is expected to have a large thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, particularly at high temperatures, owing to energy band alignment between the nanoparticles and their surrounding matrix. Here, the room temperature thermoelectric properties were measured as a function of TbAs concentration, revealing a maximum thermoelectric power factor of 2.38 W/mK2 and ZT of 0.19 with 0.2% TbAs. Trends in the thermoelectric properties closely resemble those found in comparable ErAs:InGaAs nanocomposite materials. However, nanoparticles were not observed by scanning transmission electron microscopy in the highest ZT TbAs:InGaAs sample, unlike the highest ZT ErAs:InGaAs sample (0.2% ErAs) and two higher concentration TbAs:InGaAs samples examined. Consistent with expectations concerning the positioning of the Fermi level in these materials, ZT was enhanced by TbAs incorporation largely due to a high Seebeck coefficient, whereas ErAs provided InGaAs with higher conductivity but a lower Seebeck coefficient than that of TbAs:InGaAs. Thermal conductivity was reduced significantly from that of intrinsic thin-film InGaAs only with TbAs concentrations greater than ∼1.7%.
Mechanisms of fragmentation of aluminum-tungsten granular composites under dynamic loading
Authors: Olney K. L. , Nesterenko V. F. , Benson D. J.
Published: May 2012

Numerical simulations of aluminum (Al) and tungsten (W) granular composite rings under various dynamic loading conditions due to explosive loading were performed. Three competing mechanisms of fragmentation were observed: a continuum level mechanism generating macrocracks with a size scale comparable to the case width, a mesoscale mechanism generating voids and microcracks at the unbonded Al/W interfaces due to tensile strains, and mesoscale jetting due to the development of large velocity gradients between the W particles and surrounding Al. These mesoscale mechanisms can be used to tailor the size of the fragments (macro to mesoscale) by selecting an appropriate initial mesostructure for a given loading condition.
Empirical modeling of the cross section of damage formation in ion implanted III-V semiconductors
Authors: Wendler E. , Wendler L.
Published: May 2012

In this letter, the cross section of damage formation per individual ion is measured for III-V compound semiconductors ion implanted at 15 K, applying Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. An empirical model is proposed that explains the measured cross sections in terms of quantities representing the primary energies deposited in the displacement of lattice atoms and in electronic interactions. The resulting formula allows the prediction of damage formation for low temperatures and low ion fluences in these materials and can be taken as a starting point for further quantitative modeling of damage formation including secondary effects such as temperature and ion flux.
Nuclear spin optical rotation and Faraday effect in gaseous and liquid water
Authors: Pennanen Teemu S. , Ikäläinen Suvi , Lantto Perttu , Vaara Juha
Published: May 2012

Nuclear spin optical rotation (NSOR) of linearly polarized light, due to the nuclear spins through the Faraday effect, provides a novel probe of molecular structure and could pave the way to optical detection of nuclear magnetization. We determine computationally the effects of the liquid medium on NSOR and the Verdet constant of Faraday rotation (arising from an external magnetic field) in water, using the recently developed theory applied on a first-principles molecular dynamics trajectory. The gas-to-liquid shifts of the relevant antisymmetric polarizability and, hence, NSOR magnitude are found to be −14% and −29% for 1H and 17O nuclei, respectively. On the other hand, medium effects both enhance the local electric field in water and, via bulk magnetization, the local magnetic field. Together these two effects partially cancel the solvation influence on the single-molecular property. We find a good agreement for the hydrogen NSOR with a recent pioneering experiment on H2O(l).
Thickness dependence of the amplified spontaneous emission threshold and operational stability in poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) active waveguides
Authors: Anni M. , Perulli A. , Monti G.
Published: May 2012

We investigate the thickness dependence of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) threshold and operational lifetime in air-poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene)(PF8)-glass asymmetric active waveguides. We show that the ASE threshold decreases with the film thickness up to about 200 nm, and increases for higher thicknesses. The ASE operational lifetime increases with the thickness up to about 300 nm, and it is almost thickness independent for higher thickness. We show that the observed results are related to the guided mode confinement in the waveguide and to the spatial overlap between the guided modes and the excited region in the film.
Hyper-generalized-gradient functionals constructed from the Lieb-Oxford bound: Implementation via local hybrids and thermochemical assessment
Authors: Haunschild Robin , Odashima Mariana M. , Scuseria Gustavo E. , Perdew John P. , Capelle K.
Published: May 2012

In 2009 Odashima and Capelle (OC) showed a way to design a correlation-only density functional that satisfies a Lieb-Oxford bound on the correlation energy, without empirical parameters and even without additional theoretical parameters. However, they were only able to test a size-inconsistent version of it that employs total energies. Here, we show that their alternative size-consistent form that employs energy densities, when combined with exact or semilocal exchange, is a local hybrid (lh) functional. We test several variants of this nonempirical OC-lh functional on standard molecular test sets. Although no variant yields enthalpies of formation with the accuracy of the semilocal Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria (TPSS) exchange-correlation, OC-lh correlation with exact exchange yields rather accurate energy barriers for chemical reactions. Our purpose here is not to advocate for a new density functional, but to explore a previously published idea. We also discuss the importance of near-self-consistency for fully nonlocal functionals.
Study of electromagnetic enhancement for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of SiC graphene
Authors: Niu Jing , Truong Viet Giang , Huang Han , Tripathy Sudhiranjan , Qiu Caiyu , Wee Andrew T. S. , Yu Ting , Yang Hyunsoo
Published: May 2012

The electromagnetic enhancement for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of graphene is studied by inserting a layer of Al2O3 between epitaxial graphene and Au nanoparticles. Different excitation lasers are utilized to study the relationship between laser wavelength and SERS. The theoretical calculation shows that the extinction spectrum of Au nanoparticles is modulated by the presence of graphene. The experimental results of the relationship between the excitation laser wavelength and the enhancement factor fit well with the calculated results. An exponential relationship is observed between the enhancement factor and the thickness of the spacer layer.