bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome-wide Mapping Reveals Conservation of Promoter DNA Methylation Following Chicken Domestication
Authors: Li Qinghe , Wang Yuanyuan , Hu Xiaoxiang , Zhao Yaofeng , Li Ning
Published: March 2015

It is well-known that environment influences DNA methylation, however, the extent of heritable DNA methylation variation following animal domestication remains largely unknown. Using meDIP-chip we mapped the promoter methylomes for 23,316 genes in muscle tissues of ancestral and domestic chickens. We systematically examined the variation of promoter DNA methylation in terms of different breeds, differentially expressed genes, SNPs and genes undergo genetic selection sweeps. While considerable changes in DNA sequence and gene expression programs were prevalent, we found that the inter-strain DNA methylation patterns were highly conserved in promoter region between the wild and domestic chicken breeds. Our data suggests a global preservation of DNA methylation between the wild and domestic chicken breeds in either a genome-wide or locus-specific scale in chick muscle tissues.
Do Arctic breeding geese track or overtake a green wave during spring migration?
Authors: Si Yali , Xin Qinchuan , de Boer Willem F. , Gong Peng , Ydenberg Ronald C. , Prins Herbert H. T.
Published: March 2015

Geese breeding in the Arctic have to do so in a short time-window while having sufficient body reserves. Hence, arrival time and body condition upon arrival largely influence breeding success. The green wave hypothesis posits that geese track a successively delayed spring flush of plant development on the way to their breeding sites. The green wave has been interpreted as representing either the onset of spring or the peak in nutrient biomass. However, geese tend to adopt a partial capital breeding strategy and might overtake the green wave to accomplish a timely arrival on the breeding site. To test the green wave hypothesis, we link the satellite-derived onset of spring and peak in nutrient biomass with the stopover schedule of individual Barnacle Geese. We find that geese track neither the onset of spring nor the peak in nutrient biomass. Rather, they arrive at the southernmost stopover site around the peak in nutrient biomass and gradually overtake the green wave to match their arrival at the breeding site with the local onset of spring, thereby ensuring gosling benefit from the peak in nutrient biomass. Our approach for estimating plant development stages is critical in testing the migration strategies of migratory herbivores.
Competition between cap and basal actin fiber orientation in cells subjected to contact guidance and cyclic strain
Authors: Tamiello Chiara , Bouten Carlijn V. C. , Baaijens Frank P. T.
Published: March 2015

In vivo, adhesive cells continuously respond to a complex range of physical cues coming from the surrounding microenvironment by remodeling their cytoskeleton. Topographical and mechanical cues applied separately have been shown to affect the orientation of the actin stress fibers. Here we investigated the combined effects of contact guidance by topographical cues and uniaxial cyclic strain on actin cytoskeleton orientation of vascular derived cells. We devised a modular setup of stretchable circular and elliptic elastomeric microposts, capable to expose the cells to both contact guidance and uniaxial cyclic strain. A competition occurs between these cues when both contact guidance and strain are oriented along the same direction. For the first time we show that this competition originates from the distinct response of perinuclear basal and actin cap fibers: While basal fibers follow the contact guidance cue, actin cap fibers respond to the cyclic strain by strain avoidance. We also show that nuclear orientation follows actin cap fiber orientation, suggesting that actin cap fibers are responsible for cellular reorientation. Taken together, these findings may have broad implications in understanding the response of cells to combined topographical and mechanical cues.
High hydrostatic pressure processing reduces the glycemic index of fresh mango puree in healthy subjects
Authors: Elizondo-Montemayor Leticia , Hernández-Brenes Carmen , Ramos-Parra Perla A. , Moreno-Sánchez Diana , Nieblas Bianca , Rosas-Pérez Aratza M. , Lamadrid-Zertuche Ana C.
Published: March 2015

HHP-MP showed a significantly lower GI than the unprocessed-MP. HHP changes in viscosity and solubility could induce lower AUC values and greater glucose retardation indexes.
Carbon supported Fe–Co nanoparticles with enhanced activity and BH4− tolerance used as a cathode in a passive air breathing anion exchange membrane direct borohydride fuel cell
Authors: Zhiani M. , Mohammadi I. , Salehi N.
Published: March 2015

A highly active nanocatalyst, Fe50–Co50/C, for the ORR was introduced, which exhibits excellent tolerance toward NaBH4 electrooxidation in DBFC.
Rational design of a peptide capture agent for CXCL8 based on a model of the CXCL8:CXCR1 complex
Authors: Helmer Dorothea , Rink Ina , Dalton James A. R. , Brahm Kevin , Jöst Marina , Nargang Tobias M. , Blum Witali , Wadhwani Parvesh , Brenner-Weiss Gerald , Rapp Bastian E. , Giraldo Jesús , Schmitz Katja
Published: March 2015

A CXCL8-binding peptide designed from the interaction sites of CXCR1 with CXCL8 serves as a capture agent and inhibits neutrophil migration.
A series of temperature-dependent CdII-complexes containing an important family of N-rich heterocycles from in situ conversion of pyridine-type Schiff base
Authors: Ou Yan-Jun , Ding Yu-Jia , Wei Qin , Hong Xu-Jia , Zheng Zhi-Peng , Long Yu-Hua , Cai Yue-Peng , Yao Xiang-Dong
Published: March 2015

An efficient method for the synthesis of N-rich heterocycles has been systematically explored through solvothermal in situ generation from ligand (L) mediated by Cd2+. Their in situ formation mechanisms and coordination chemistry are investigated.
Removal of heavy metals from water through armchair carbon and boron nitride nanotubes: a computer simulation study
Authors: Azamat Jafar , Khataee Alireza , Joo Sang Woo
Published: March 2015

Number of heavy metals permeation from the (7,7) CNT and the (7,7) BNNT in the applied voltages.
Bioinspired total synthesis and structural revision of yuremamine, an alkaloid from the entheogenic plant Mimosa tenuiflora
Authors: Calvert Matthew B. , Sperry Jonathan
Published: March 2015

A bioinspired synthetic approach to nominal yuremamine has uncovered the true structure of the natural product to be a flavonoidal indole.
Stereoselective assembly of amino acid-based metal–biomolecule nanofibers
Authors: Wu Hong , Tian Chunyong , Zhang Yufei , Yang Chen , Zhang Songping , Jiang Zhongyi
Published: March 2015

Different kinds of amino acid-based metal–biomolecule nanofibers were fabricated through a coordination-directed stereoselective assembly process.
Fabrication of a high-performance dye-sensitized solar cell with 12.8% conversion efficiency using organic silyl-anchor dyes
Authors: Kakiage Kenji , Aoyama Yohei , Yano Toru , Oya Keiji , Kyomen Toru , Hanaya Minoru
Published: March 2015

A dye-sensitized solar cell co-photosensitized with metal-free organic silyl-anchor dyes exhibited a high light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 12.8% under one sun conditions.
Salting-in effect in organic dispersions of poly(3-hexyl thiophene)-carbon-nanotubes
Authors: Bounioux C. , Bar-Hen A. , Yerushalmi-Rozen R.
Published: March 2015

Addition of small concentrations of different inorganic salts to THF solutions of poly(3-hexyl thiophene), which contain non-dispersed powder of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs), was found to “salt-in” the precipitated tubes leading to the formation of a stable dispersion of the MWNTs.
Controlled cutting and hydroxyl functionalization of carbon nanotubes through autoclaving and sonication in hydrogen peroxide
Authors: Weydemeyer Ethan J. , Sawdon Alicia J. , Peng Ching-An
Published: March 2015

An alternative, eco-friendly process utilizing autoclaving and sonication of CNTs in H2O2 was developed, accomplishing hydroxyl functionalization and size reduction.
Photoluminescence of oxygen vacancies and hydroxyl group surface functionalized SnO2 nanoparticles
Authors: Bonu Venkataramana , Das Arindam , Amirthapandian S. , Dhara Sandip , Tyagi Ashok Kumar
Published: March 2015

Photoluminescence of SnO2 nanoparticles.
Correction: Control of selectivity in allylic alcohol oxidation on gold surfaces: the role of oxygen adatoms and hydroxyl species
Authors: Mullen Gregory M. , Zhang Liang , Evans Edward J. , Yan Ting , Henkelman Graeme , Mullins C. Buddie
Published: March 2015

Correction for ‘Control of selectivity in allylic alcohol oxidation on gold surfaces: the role of oxygen adatoms and hydroxyl species’ by Gregory M. Mullen et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 4730–4738.
Relationship between crystal structure and thermo-mechanical properties of kaolinite clay: beyond standard density functional theory
Authors: Weck Philippe F. , Kim Eunja , Jové-Colón Carlos F.
Published: March 2015

The structural, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of 1 : 1 layered dioctahedral kaolinite clay, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, were investigated using density functional theory corrected for dispersion interactions. Good agreement is obtained with the recent experimental values reported for well-crystallized samples.
(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits matrix metalloproteinases in oral ulcers
Authors: Huang Bin , Chen Huangqin
Published: March 2015

The overexpression of MMPs results in excessive extracellular matrix degradation and oral ulcer healing delay.
Synthesis, glycosylation and NMR characterization of linear peracetylated d-galactose glycopolymers
Authors: Pocci Marco , Alfei Silvana , Lucchesini Francesco , Castellaro Sara , Bertini Vincenzo
Published: March 2015

Linear styrene glycopolymers containing peracetylated d-galactose units were prepared. Their glycosylation to introduce residues mimicking a substrate for copper amine oxidases was studied with the help of model molecules and NMR investigation.
Microorganism-based monodisperse microcapsules: encapsulation of the fungicide tebuconazole and its controlled release properties
Authors: Zhang Bo , Zhang Teng , Wang Quanxi , Ren Tianrui
Published: March 2015

A controlled release system was prepared, it based on UF modified PCC cells in which TEB are loaded into cells. It can control the drug release rate, depress the initial “burst effect”, and was efficacious in controlling wheat powdery mildew.
Preparation of diverse flower-like ZnO nanoaggregates for dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Lin Liping , Peng Xiao , Chen Si , Zhang Bao , Feng Yaqing
Published: March 2015

Three-dimensional (3D) ZnO materials with different morphologies were fabricated and the mechanism for the formation of these ZnO nanoaggregates is proposed.
Manganese oxide nanostructures: low-temperature selective synthesis and thermal conversion
Authors: Lan Leilei , Gu Guangrui , Li Quanjun , Zhang Huafang , Xu Ke , Liu Bo , Liu Bingbing
Published: March 2015

γ-MnOOH nanorods, δ-MnO2 nanosheets, α-Mn2O3 nanocubes, and Mn3O4 nanoparticles were selectively prepared via a facile, high-yield and low-temperature reduction route.
Halogen-free ionic liquids: effect of chelated orthoborate anion structure on their lubrication properties
Authors: Gusain Rashi , Khatri Om P.
Published: March 2015

The chelated orthoborate anions based ammonium ionic liquids are developed for non-corrosive, friction-reducing and antiwear properties.
Diastase assisted green synthesis of size-controllable gold nanoparticles
Authors: Maddinedi Sireesh babu , Mandal Badal Kumar , Ranjan Shivendu , Dasgupta Nandita
Published: March 2015

The availability of S− groups with varying volume and pH of diastase tunes the size of AuNPs.
Fabrication of molds for PDMS microfluidic devices by laser swelling of PMMA
Authors: Joanni Ednan , Peressinotto Jonnas , Domingues Patricia Silva , Setti Grazielle de Oliveira , Jesus Dosil Pereira de
Published: March 2015

Swelling of polymers upon the action of a laser allows “direct drawing” of molds for PDMS microfluidic devices having very smooth surfaces and variable channel depths.
Enhanced power factor within graphene hybridized carbon aerogels
Authors: Lei Zhouyue , Yan Yugang , Feng Jing , Wu Jinrong , Huang Guangsu , Li Xiaodong , Xing Wang , Zhao Lijuan
Published: March 2015

The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient can be simultaneously enhanced in graphene hybridized carbon aerogels, which allows an improvement of two orders of magnitude in power factor.
A polymeric ionic liquid functionalized temperature-responsive composite membrane with tunable responsive behavior
Authors: Tang Ying , Tang Beibei , Wu Peiyi
Published: March 2015

A temperature-responsive composite membrane with tunable responsive behavior was obtained by chemically grafting a PIL functionalized temperature-responsive copolymer onto the BPPO supporting membrane.
A high-performance metal-free hydrogen-evolution reaction electrocatalyst from bacterium derived carbon
Authors: Wei Li , Karahan Huseyin Enis , Goh Kunli , Jiang Wenchao , Yu Dingshan , Birer Özgür , Jiang Rongrong , Chen Yuan
Published: March 2015

Nitrogen and phosphorus dual-doped mesoporous carbon derived from bacteria as a high performance electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.
Reflection phase of electromagnetic bandgap structure measurement based on parallel‐plate waveguide system
Authors: Su Zi‐Jian , Dang Xiao‐Jie , Li Long , Liang Chang‐Hong
Published: March 2015

A carefully designed parallel‐plate waveguide measurement system is constructed to measure the reflection phase of a compact electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure. A quasi‐plane wave is created in the parallel‐plate waveguide chamber, which is the basic condition of phase measurement. Two EBG samples with different parameters are measured in this system. The data of the two samples agree well with those of infinite array EBG mode simulations, which proves that this measurement method has good accuracy and reliability. This system reduces the cost of EBG reflection phase measurement and the samples used in the experiment have a much smaller size.
Multisensor information fusion scheme for particle filter
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zuo Junyi , Guo Qing , Ling Zhigang
Published: March 2015

A two‐stage information fusion scheme is proposed for particle filter. Its main characteristic is that the multisensor data is fused not only in the likelihood model but also in the stage of importance sampling. By incorporating the multisensor data in sequence, the proposal density can be refined step by step; thus high‐quality particles and, consequently, a more accurate estimate can be obtained.
Performance analysis of a k‐round contention resolution scheme for WLANs
Authors: Chang Xiaoying , Liu Kai , Liu Feng
Published: March 2015

To achieve high efficiency and robustness during the node contention process in medium access control (MAC) protocols, a k‐round contention resolution (k‐CR) scheme is devised. Theoretical analysis of its success probability of selecting only one node ps and throughput is also presented. Numerical results show that the k‐CR scheme can achieve higher ps than the k‐round elimination contention (k‐EC) scheme, and higher throughput than the k‐EC and IEEE 802.11 DCF schemes in a wireless local area network environment.
Automatic resonant frequency matching of power amplifier by transformer loop sampling
Authors: Lee Han Lim , Jang Hyeong‐Seok , Park Dong‐Hoon , Lee Moon‐Que , Yu Jong Won
Published: March 2015

A new automatic resonant frequency matching technique based on voltage detection by sampling the output transformer loop of the radio‐frequency power amplifier (PA) in ultrasonic medical applications is proposed. The proposed automatic resonant frequency matching circuitry is composed of a single‐loop coil added to a PA output transformer, voltage divider, diode detector and micro‐controller unit for frequency adjustment. Using the proposed circuitry, the resonant frequency shift due to output load variations can be effectively tracked and compensated to provide optimised power transfer to a nonlinear load. For verification, a prototype ultrasonic medical application using a piezoelectric transducer is implemented and examined with silicone oil to check the resonance.
Slot‐coupled broadband patch antenna
Authors: Jia Yongtao , Liu Ying , Gong Shuxi
Published: March 2015

A wideband aperture‐coupled patch antenna is presented. The proposed antenna consists of patches in different sizes and a ground plane, which is fed by a microstrip line through a slot cut on the plane ground. Owing to the patches of different size and the slot on the ground, three resonance modes are excited simultaneously for the radiation at the boresight. The proposed antenna yields a wide bandwidth of about 31% with a low profile of 0.07λ0 (λ0 is the free space wavelength at the centre operating frequency). The results are validated by both numerical simulation and experimental measurements.
Baseline wander removal of ECG signals using Hilbert vibration decomposition
Authors: Sharma H. , Sharma K.K.
Published: March 2015

A technique to remove baseline wander (BW) from electrocardiogram (ECG) signals based on the Hilbert vibration decomposition (HVD) technique is presented. It is proposed that the first component (highest energy component) obtained using the HVD of the ECG signal corresponds to the BW signal in it. The proposed technique is compared with the baseline removal method based on the empirical mode decomposition technique and mathematical morphology in terms of the correlation criterion and signal‐to‐noise ratio. The simulations were performed using artificial BWs of different amplitudes added in the ECG recordings and it is seen that the proposed technique for BW removal performs better in most of the cases of severe baseline wander distortions.
X‐band low‐phase noise oscillator employing substrate integrated waveguide dual‐mode filter
Authors: Yang Ziqiang , Luo Bangyu , Dong Jun , Yang Tao
Published: March 2015

A novel low‐phase noise oscillator employing a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) dual‐mode bandpass filter as a frequency stabilisation element within its feedback loop is proposed. The SIW dual‐mode filter is implemented based on the use of the two degenerate modes (TE102 and TE201) and has a larger group delay peak than the conventional SIW cavity resonator. By taking advantage of the large group delay peak, the phase noise of the oscillator has significant improvement. An X‐band oscillator with a GaAs HEMT packaged transistor has been designed and measured. At an oscillation frequency of 9.04 GHz, the measured phase noise is −111.9 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset. The output power is 6.1 dBm and the figure of merit is −198 dBc/Hz.
Memory improved proportionate M‐estimate affine projection algorithm
Authors: Zheng Zongsheng , Zhao Haiquan
Published: March 2015

For echo cancellation, a memory improved proportionate M‐estimate affine projection algorithm (MIP‐MAPA) is proposed in which the M‐estimator‐based cost function containing the weighting matrix is minimised as the cost function and an efficient recursive implementation is applied according to the memory of the previous step‐size control matrices. A test on echo cancellations under an impulsive noise environment showed that the proposed MIP‐MAPA achieves improvement in steady‐state misalignment compared with existing algorithms.
One‐step extraction of optimal normalisation gain for digital predistortion linearisation
Authors: Wang Haoyu , Liu Falin , Tao Wei , Li Gang
Published: March 2015

It has been proved that the choice of normalisation gain, which is used to synthesise the predistortion function, has significant influence on the linearity performance of linearised power amplifiers. A one‐step method is proposed to extract the optimal normalisation gain. The proposed method is directly derived from physical logics to keep the gain of predistortion function unity. Thus, it has much lower complexity compared to the scanning strategy in the conventional method and has easy implementation. A experimental test shows that the linearity performance of the proposed method is comparable to the optimal normalisation gain and also outperforms other published ones.
Efficient nonlinear geometric distortion correction for scanned laser pico projectors
Authors: Yun Joo Dong , Park Jong Hyuk , Yang Seungjoon
Published: March 2015

Scanned laser pico projectors utilising laser light sources and microelectromechanical systems mirror devices introduce geometric distortion to the displayed images because of nonlinear mirror driving methods. A pre‐processing algorithm is proposed that corrects the nonlinear geometric distortion of scanned laser pico projectors. The distortion is modelled as blockwise homography transforms. The geometry of the images being displayed is pre‐distorted using the pixel indices obtained by the backward blockwise homography transforms. The pre‐distorted images are displayed by the pico projector whose geometrical distortion undoes the pre‐distortion such that distortion‐free images can be displayed. The proposed algorithm requires a small amount of information stored in the memory and three bilinear interpolations per pixel, thus providing an efficient way to correct nonlinear distortion without additional optical components, such as aspherical lenses.
Reconfigurable square ring antenna for switchable circular polarisation
Authors: Seo Dongcheol , Sung Youngje
Published: March 2015

A reconfigurable ring antenna for switchable circular polarisation (CP) is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a square ring resonator with two gaps, two pin diodes and a square ring slot with a link on the ground plane. Depending on the location of the gap (link), the square ring (slot) resonator exhibits different directions of linear polarisation. By selecting a suitable gap/link position, two orthogonal resonant modes are excited, and good CP is achieved. The pin diodes are positioned in the middle of the gap. The state of the gaps can be adjusted by pin diodes' state. As a result, the proposed antenna can radiate with either right‐hand CP or left‐hand CP.
Energy‐efficient capacitor‐splitting DAC scheme with high accuracy for SAR ADCs
Authors: Xie Liangbo , Su Jian , Liu Jiaxin , Wen Guangjun
Published: March 2015

An energy‐efficient capacitor‐splitting digital‐to‐analogue converter (DAC) scheme with high‐accuracy for successive approximation register (SAR) analogue‐to‐digital converters (ADCs) is presented. The proposed method uses a split‐capacitive‐array DAC structure and optimises the switching energy during conversion using energy‐efficient ‘up’ transition. The proposed switching scheme achieves a 96.91% switching energy reduction and a 75% area reduction compared with the conventional method. In addition, the third reference voltage (Vcm) has no effect on the accuracy of the SAR ADC except the least significant bit, resulting in a good trade‐off between the energy‐efficiency and accuracy of the ADC.
Fractal dimension based on Minkowski‐Bouligand method using exponential dilations
Authors: Luppe M.
Published: March 2015

The fractal dimension (FD) is an important feature used for classification and shape recognition. The best method to obtain the FD is the Bouligand‐Minkowski method. However, this method is computationally exhaustive because of the use of the distance transform. Presented is a modification in the method and a proposed architecture, suitable for field programmable gate array implementation that enables calculating the FD in a simple and efficient way.
Fast functional modelling of diode‐bridge rectifier using dynamic phasors
Authors: Yang Tao , Bozhko Serhiy , Asher Greg
Published: March 2015

In this study, a functional model for diode‐bridge (DB) rectifiers is developed based on the dynamic phasor concept. The developed model is suitable for accelerated simulation studies of the electric power systems under normal, unbalanced and line faulty conditions. The high accuracy and efficiency of the developed model have been demonstrated by comparison against three‐phase time‐domain model and against the model employing synchronous space‐vector representations. The experimental verification of the developed model is also reported. In addition, an error analysis shows that the error of the developed model is <10% at the most severe unbalanced conditions. The prime purpose of the model is for the simulation studies of more‐electric aircraft power architectures at a system level; however, it can be directly applied for simulation study of any other electrical power system interfacing with uncontrolled DB rectifiers.
Copper(I) Iodide Supported Synthesis of Coumarin- and Quinolone-Annulated 2-Aminothiazoles
Authors: Choudhury Sudip , Paul Satya , Majumdar K. , Anwar Siddique
Published: March 2015

An efficient and convenient method for the synthesis of coumarin- and quinolone-annulated 2-aminothiazoles is reported. The fused ring 2-aminothiazoles were synthesized from substituted coumarin/quinoline and phenylisothiocyanates in the presence of CuI, DABCO, and 1,10-phenanthroline. Both the rings in coumarin moiety supported the annulation by this method.
Tautomerization of 5-Alkylidene-2-Oxazolidinone to 2-Oxazolone by Use of an N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyst
Authors: Fujita Ken-ichi , Sato Junichi , Yasuda Hiroyuki
Published: March 2015

By employing an N-heterocyclic carbene as a catalyst, the tautomerization of 5-alkylidene-2-oxazolidinone proceeded to afford the corresponding 2-oxazolone. Among N-heterocyclic carbenes, 1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene was the most effective catalyst for the tautomerization of 5-alkylidene-2-oxazolidinone.
Relativistic configuration interaction calculation on the ground and excited states of iridium monoxide
Authors: Suo Bingbing , Yu Yan-Mei , Han Huixian
Published: March 2015

We present the fully relativistic multi-reference configuration interaction calculations of the ground and low-lying excited electronic states of IrO for individual spin-orbit component. The lowest-lying state is calculated for Ω = 1/2, 3/2, 5/2, and 7/2 in order to clarify the ground state of IrO. Our calculation suggests that the ground state is of Ω = 1/2, which is highly mixed with 4Σ− and 2Π states in Λ − S notation. The two low-lying states 5/2 and 7/2 are nearly degenerate with the ground state and locate only 234 and 260 cm−1 above, respectively. The equilibrium bond length 1.712 Å and the harmonic vibrational frequency 903 cm−1 of the 5/2 state are close to the experimental measurement of 1.724 Å and 909 cm−1, which suggests that the 5/2 state should be the low-lying state that contributes to the experimental spectra. Moreover, the electronic states that give rise to the observed transition bands are assigned for Ω = 5/2 and 7/2 in terms of the obtained excited energies and oscillator strengths.
Bifurcation behaviors of synchronized regions in logistic map networks with coupling delay
Authors: Tang Longkun , Wu Xiaoqun , Lü Jinhu , Lu Jun-an
Published: March 2015

Network synchronized regions play an extremely important role in network synchronization according to the master stability function framework. This paper focuses on network synchronous state stability via studying the effects of nodal dynamics, coupling delay, and coupling way on synchronized regions in Logistic map networks. Theoretical and numerical investigations show that (1) network synchronization is closely associated with its nodal dynamics. Particularly, the synchronized region bifurcation points through which the synchronized region switches from one type to another are in good agreement with those of the uncoupled node system, and chaotic nodal dynamics can greatly impede network synchronization. (2) The coupling delay generally impairs the synchronizability of Logistic map networks, which is also dominated by the parity of delay for some nodal parameters. (3) A simple nonlinear coupling facilitates network synchronization more than the linear one does. The results found in this paper will help to intensify our understanding for the synchronous state stability in discrete-time networks with coupling delay.
A two-dimensional coding design for staggered islands bit-patterned media recording
Authors: Arrayangkool A. , Warisarn C.
Published: March 2015

This paper proposes a two dimensional (2D) staggered recorded-bit patterning (SRBP) coding scheme for staggered array bit-patterned media recording channel to alleviate the severe 2D interference, which requires no redundant bits at the expense of increased an additional memories. Specifically, a data sequence is first split into three tracks. Then, each data track is circularly shifted to find the best data pattern based on a look-up table before recording such that the shifted data tracks cause the lowest 2D interference in the readback signal. Simulation results indicate that the system with our proposed SRBP scheme outperforms that without any 2D coding, especially when an areal density (AD) is high and/or the position jitter is large. Specifically, for the system without position jitter at bit-error rate of 10−4, the proposed scheme can provide about 1.8 and 2.3 dB gains at the AD of 2.5 and 3.0 Tb/in.2, respectively.
Element specificity of ortho-positronium annihilation for alkali-metal loaded SiO2 glasses
Authors: Sato K. , Hatta T.
Published: March 2015

Momentum distributions associated with ortho-positronium (o-Ps) pick-off annihilation photon are often influenced by light elements, as, e.g., carbon, oxygen, and fluorine. This phenomenon, so-called element specificity of o-Ps pick-off annihilation, has been utilized for studying the elemental environment around the open spaces. To gain an insight into the element specificity of o-Ps pick-off annihilation, the chemical shift of oxygen 1s binding energy and the momentum distributions associated with o-Ps pick-off annihilation were systematically investigated for alkali-metal loaded SiO2 glasses by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and positron-age-momentum correlation spectroscopy, respectively. Alkali metals introduced into the open spaces surrounded by oxygen atoms cause charge transfer from alkali metals to oxygen atoms, leading to the lower chemical shift for the oxygen 1s binding energy. The momentum distribution of o-Ps localized into the open spaces is found to be closely correlated with the oxygen 1s chemical shift. This correlation with the deepest 1s energy level evidences that the element specificity of o-Ps originates from pick-off annihilation with orbital electrons, i.e., dominantly with oxygen 2p valence electrons and s electrons with lower probability.
Enhancing aspect profile of half-pitch 32 nm and 22 nm lithography with plasmonic cavity lens
Authors: Gao Ping , Yao Na , Wang Changtao , Zhao Zeyu , Luo Yunfei , Wang Yanqin , Gao Guohan , Liu Kaipeng , Zhao Chengwei , Luo Xiangang
Published: March 2015

Poor aspect profiles of plasmonic lithography patterns are suffering from evanescent waves' scattering loss in metal films and decaying exposure in photoresist. To address this issue, we experimentally report plasmonic cavity lens to enhance aspect profile and resolution of plasmonic lithography. The profile depth of half-pitch (hp) 32 nm resist patterns is experimentally improved up to 23 nm, exceeding in the reported sub-10 nm photoresist depth. The resist patterns are then transferred to bottom resist patterns with 80 nm depth using hard-mask technology and etching steps. The resolution of plasmonic cavity lens up to hp 22 nm is experimentally demonstrated. The enhancement of the aspect profile and resolution is mainly attributed to evanescent waves amplifying from the bottom silver layer and scattering loss reduction with smooth silver films in plasmonic cavity lens. Further, theoretical near-field exposure model is utilized to evaluate aspect profile with plasmonic cavity lens and well illustrates the experimental results.
Comparative study of life cycle environmental and economic impact of corn- and corn stalk-based-ethanol production
Authors: Hong Jingmin , Zhou Jing , Hong Jinglan
Published: March 2015

A cost-coupled life cycle environmental assessment was implemented to estimate the economic and environmental impact of corn stalk-based ethanol production. Corn-based ethanol production is used as a control group in this study. For both scenarios, the effects of respiratory inorganics, global warming, and non-renewable energy categories have important contributions to the overall environmental impact related to chemical production, coal-based energy generation, or diesel consumption for road transport stages. Corn stalk-based ethanol production is environmentally friendlier than corn-based ethanol production in the dominant categories of respiratory inorganics, global warming, non-renewable energy, carcinogens, land occupation, and terrestrial acidification/nutrification. However, producing corn stalk-based ethanol production is uneconomical because of the relatively high cost of enzymes. In addition, increasing corn stalk consumption efficiencies, decreasing stalk transport distances, and electing natural gas-fired energy-generation (e.g., electricity, steam) technologies are highly recommended for reducing adverse environment or economic effects.
Semiclassical states on Lie algebras
Authors: Tsobanjan Artur
Published: March 2015

The effective technique for analyzing representation-independent features of quantum systems based on the semiclassical approximation (developed elsewhere) has been successfully used in the context of the canonical (Weyl) algebra of the basic quantum observables. Here, we perform the important step of extending this effective technique to the quantization of a more general class of finite-dimensional Lie algebras. The case of a Lie algebra with a single central element (the Casimir element) is treated in detail by considering semiclassical states on the corresponding universal enveloping algebra. Restriction to an irreducible representation is performed by “effectively” fixing the Casimir condition, following the methods previously used for constrained quantum systems. We explicitly determine the conditions under which this restriction can be consistently performed alongside the semiclassical truncation.
Ultraviolet-visible electroluminescence from metal-oxide-semiconductor devices with CeO2 films on silicon
Authors: Lv Chunyan , Zhu Chen , Wang Canxing , Li Dongsheng , Ma Xiangyang , Yang Deren
Published: March 2015

We report on ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) electroluminescence (EL) from metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices with the CeO2 films annealed at low temperatures. At the same injection current, the UV-Vis EL from the MOS device with the 550 °C-annealed CeO2 film is much stronger than that from the counterpart with the 450 °C-annealed CeO2 film. This is due to that the 550 °C-annealed CeO2 film contains more Ce3+ ions and oxygen vacancies. It is tentatively proposed that the recombination of the electrons in multiple oxygen-vacancy–related energy levels with the holes in Ce 4f1 energy band pertaining to Ce3+ ions leads to the UV-Vis EL.
A recovering flagship: giant otters, communities and tourism in northern Peru
Authors: Recharte Maribel , Bride Ian G. , Bowler Mark
Published: March 2015

Context
Ecotourism, driven by viewing large charismatic fauna, is often assumed to contribute to the conservation of animals and their habitats. Giant otter populations continue to increase and repopulate areas near communities, leading to problems with fishermen because of perceived competition and damage to nets.

Aims
We investigate attitudes towards giant otters in rural northern Peru, to see whether negative perceptions towards the species are mitigated by involvement in tourism.

Methods
We interviewed 103 people from communities on the following three Amazonian rivers where giant otter populations have recovered: one where logging and hunting are main activities, and where there is no tourism and only a low level of fishing; one with a medium level of tourism and a high level of fishing; and, one with a higher level of both tourism and fishing. We asked interviewees about their main commercial activities and experiences and opinions of giant otters.

Key results
Whereas two-thirds of interviewees declared predominantly positive opinions about giant otters, just under half mentioned competition with giant otters for fish, and a fifth reported giant otters damaging fishing equipment. However, there was no difference between opinions about otters of people who identified fishing as their main source of income and those who did not. Although people working directly for tourism companies were no more likely to say that they received benefits from giant otters than were other people, and there was no significant difference in their opinions about otters when people receiving indirect benefits from tourism were also included in the sample, this group was significantly more likely to have positive opinions about otters.

Conclusions
Both positive and negative opinions occurred in our study areas, and we detected only limited changes in the perceptions of people living with giant otters with respect to their involvement with tourism.

Implications
To mitigate negative perceptions of giant otters and the threat of persecution, benefits from tourism must reach those who are likely to perceive or experience costs from coexistence. We highlight the need for research into the value of otters to tourism, and to disseminate the results in rural areas where otter tourism may benefit local people.
Influence of the yellow-throated miner (Manorina flavigula) on bird communities and tree health in a fragmented landscape
Authors: O'Loughlin Thea , O'Loughlin Luke S. , Clarke Michael F.
Published: March 2015

Context
Competition for space and resources within a fragmented landscape may change interspecific interactions within the remaining available habitat. These changes may inhibit the persistence of one species but facilitate the success of another. The yellow-throated miner (Manorina flavigula) is an example of a successful species, reportedly more common in the landscape as a result of fragmentation yet the consequences of its success are still relatively unknown.

Aims
To investigate whether the yellow-throated miner had negative impacts on bird community assemblages, particularly small insectivorous species, and whether its presence resulted in higher psyllid abundances and lower tree health, similar to impacts noted for other miner species.

Methods
We undertook this study near Walpeup in Victoria’s Mallee region, a highly fragmented, agriculture-dominated, semiarid landscape. Yellow-throated miner colonies and control sites free of miners were identified and surveyed for bird species present, psyllid abundance and measures of tree health.

Conclusions
The presence of the yellow-throated miner was associated with a significant reduction in bird species richness, lower abundance of small birds and a dissimilar community composition. Psyllid abundance was higher in miner colonies and tree health was significantly lower. Small insectivorous birds compete directly with miners for resources and, as such, are likely targeted by interspecific aggressive behaviour. The absence of small species from miner colonies most likely caused a trend in increased psyllid abundance and subsequently reduced tree health.

Implications
Our findings suggest that management of these miners is likely required to prevent further loss of biodiversity in this fragmented landscape. The loss of bird species and reduced tree health due to the influence of the yellow-throated miner presents one of the greatest threats to these communities nationally and a challenging conservation problem.
Cation-induced kinetic heterogeneity of the intron–exon recognition in single group II introns
Authors: Kowerko Danny , König Sebastian L. B. , Skilandat Miriam , Kruschel Daniela , Hadzic Mélodie C. A. S. , Cardo Lucia , Sigel Roland K. O.
Published: March 2015

Significance

RNAs are involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism, and correct folding is crucial for their functionality. Folding of single RNA molecules can be followed by single-molecule spectroscopy. Surprisingly, it has been found that chemically identical RNA molecules do often not behave identically. The molecular origin of this heterogeneity is difficult to rationalize and the subject of ongoing debate. By combining single-molecule spectroscopy with NMR, we show that heterogeneity is likely to stem from a subset of microscopically different RNA structures that differ with regard to the occupation of divalent metal ion binding sites.
Polytypism, polymorphism, and superconductivity in TaSe
2
−x
Te
x
Authors: Luo Huixia , Xie Weiwei , Tao Jing , Inoue Hiroyuki , Gyenis András , Krizan Jason W. , Yazdani Ali , Zhu Yimei , Cava Robert Joseph
Published: March 2015

Significance

Although polymorphs of a substance can often have dramatically different physical properties, polytypes, which occur when the geometry of a structural layer is maintained but the number of layers in the layer-stacking sequence is changed, rarely do. Here we find, using random substitution of Te for some of the Se to induce structural changes in TaSe
2
, a classic layered dichalcogenide, so that the transition temperature to superconductivity (
T
c
) is significantly different for different polytypes and polymorphs and especially differs when going from one polytype to another. This observation implies either a surprising sensitivity of
T
c
to the layer-stacking sequence or a similarly surprising sensitivity of
T
c
to the small changes in layer geometry that accompany the change in polytype.
Effects of Suspended Sediment on Early‐Life Stage Survivalof Yaqui Chub, an Endangered USA–Mexico Borderlands Cyprinid
Authors: Clark Barkalow Stephani L. , Bonar Scott A.
Published: March 2015

High levels of total suspended sediment (TSS) can have negative consequences on fishes, such as altering food supply, lowering food acquisition, clogging gills, and disrupting reproduction. While effects of TSS on salmonids and estuarine fish are well studied, less is known about possible negative impacts of suspended sediment on desert fishes. Several imperiled desert fishes inhabit streams and springs near the U.S.–Mexico border and are potentially threatened by increased sediment loads from borderlands activity such as livestock grazing, road building, illegal traffic, and law enforcement patrols. One such species is the Yaqui Chub Gila purpurea, a federally listed endangered cyprinid. We exposed Yaqui Chub embryos and fry (mean TL = 12.6 mm; SE = 0.42) to a range of TSS levels commonly found in one of the only streams they inhabit, Black Draw, which crosses the Arizona–Mexico border. We tested effects of 0; 300; 500; 1,000; 5,000; and 10,000 mg/L TSS loads on fry and embryos over a 5‐d period in three replicate containers for each treatment. Fifty percent hatch rate (i.e., median lethal concentration, LC50) was 3,977 mg/L for embryos. The LC50 for fry (concentration at which half died) was 8,372 mg/L after 12 h of exposure; however, after 5‐d exposure, LC50 leveled at 1,197 mg/L. The TL of fry did not change significantly in any treatment over the 5‐d period. Suspended sediment in Black Draw reached concentrations lethal to Yaqui Chub embryo and fry during four floods in 2012. Although some desert fishes have evolved in rivers and streams subject to elevated TSS and are tolerant to high TSS concentrations, other fish species are less tolerant and may be impacted by land practices which increase erosion into stream systems. Management of critically endangered desert fishes should include considerations of the effects of increased suspended sediment.

Received September 5, 2014; accepted November 10, 2014
Feasibility of Implementing Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) for Office-Based Opioid Treatment with Buprenorphine: A Pilot Study
Authors: Suzuki Joji , Zinser Jennifer , Klaiber Brenda , Hannon Melanie , Grassi Hope , Spinosa Madeline , Ramirez Altagracia , Issa Mohammed , Chin Feman Siu Ping
Published: March 2015

Background

Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are designed to improve patient satisfaction and increase access to treatment. In a typical SMA, 6–12 patients with similar diagnoses attend a group appointment with their health care providers, often lasting 60–120 minutes. All components of an individual visit are completed, and additional time is spent providing education and facilitating peer support. The aim of this study was to report on patient and program outcomes after implementation of SMA-based office-based opioid treatment with buprenorphine.

Methods

The study was conducted at a hospital-based outpatient psychiatric clinic that previously did not offer any office-based opioid treatment with buprenorphine. Demographic and clinical data (treatment retention, depression, anxiety, craving scores, and urine toxicology results) were extracted from the medical records. Patients were recruited to complete a survey assessing their experience.

Results

Ninety-three patients enrolled in the program, and 52.7% remained in treatment at 6 months. The proportion of aberrant opioid urine results, depression, anxiety, and craving decreased significantly from baseline to 6 months. Twenty-two patients completed the survey, who generally agreed that the SMA format allowed for more time with physicians, more support from peers, better coordination of care, and more predictable times for visits.

Conclusions

Implementation of an SMA-based buprenorphine program was feasible, with treatment outcomes comparable to traditional models of care. More research is needed to explore the impact of SMA on buprenorphine treatment.
Analysis of a free boundary at contact points with Lipschitz data
Authors: Karakhanyan A. , Shahgholian H.
Published: March 2015

In this paper we consider a minimization problem for the functional
\[
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper J left-parenthesis u right-parenthesis equals integral Underscript upper B 1 Superscript plus Baseline Endscripts StartAbsoluteValue nabla u EndAbsoluteValue squared plus lamda Subscript plus Superscript 2 Baseline chi Subscript left-brace u greater-than 0 right-brace Baseline plus lamda Subscript minus Superscript 2 Baseline chi Subscript left-brace u less-than-or-equal-to 0 right-brace Baseline">

J
(
u
)
=

∫

B
1
+

|

∇
u

|

2

+

λ

+

2

χ

{
u
>
0
}

+

λ

−

2

χ

{
u
≤
0
}

J(u)=\int _{B_1^+}|\nabla u|^ 2+\lambda _{+}^2\chi _{\{u>0\}}+\lambda _{-}^2\chi _{\{u\leq 0\}}

\]
in the upper half ball

B
1
+

⊂

R

n

,
n
≥
2

B_1^+\subset \mathbb {R}^n, n\geq 2

, subject to a Lipschitz continuous Dirichlet data on

∂

B
1
+

\partial B_1^+

. More precisely we assume that

0
∈
∂
{
u
>
0
}

0\in \partial \{u>0\}

and the derivative of the boundary data has a jump discontinuity. If

0
∈

∂
(
{
u
>
0
}
∩

B
1
+

)

¯

0\in \overline {\partial ( \{u>0\} \cap B_1^+)}

, then (for

n
=
2

n=2

or

n
≥
3

n\geq 3

and the one-phase case) we prove, among other things, that the free boundary

∂
{
u
>
0
}

\partial \{u>0\}

approaches the origin along one of the two possible planes given by
\[

γ

x
1

=
±

x
2

,

\gamma x_1 = \pm x_2,

\]
where

γ
\gamma

is an explicit constant given by the boundary data and

λ
±

\lambda _\pm

the constants seen in the definition of

J
(
u
)

J(u)

. Moreover the speed of the approach to

γ

x
1

=

x
2

\gamma x_1=x_2

is uniform.