bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cycloparaphenylenes and related nanohoops
Authors: Lewis Simon E.
Published: March 2015

Cyclic oligo-para-phenylenes (“CPPs”) possessing radial π systems have markedly different properties to the analogous linear oligo-para-phenylenes. Their synthesis is challenging due to the strain inherent in their structures, but several distinct strategies to access them have now been described. This review describes the synthesis, properties and applications of CPPs and related variants.
In situ synthesis and high adsorption performance of MoO2/Mo4O11 and MoO2/MoS2 composite nanorods by reduction of MoO3
Authors: Xu Bingyu , Li Ying , Wang Guofeng , Zhao Dongdong , Pan Kai , Jiang Baojiang , Zhou Wei , Fu Honggang
Published: March 2015

MoO2/Mo4O11 and MoO2/MoS2 composite nanorods with high adsorption performance were successfully synthesized by reducing MoO3 nanorods.
Solvent effect and fluorescence response of the 7-tert-butylpyrene-dipicolylamine linkage for the selective and sensitive response toward Zn(ii) and Cd(ii) ions
Authors: Kowser Zannatul , Tomiyasu Hirotsugu , Jiang Xuekai , Rayhan Ummey , Redshaw Carl , Yamato Takehiko
Published: March 2015

The complexation behaviour of new fluorescent sensors based on 7-tert-butylpyrene towards Zn2+and Cd2+in different solvent systems has been investigated.
An Ag-grid/graphene hybrid structure for large-scale, transparent, flexible heaters
Authors: Kang Junmo , Jang Yonghee , Kim Youngsoo , Cho Seung-Hyun , Suhr Jonghwan , Hong Byung Hee , Choi Jae-Boong , Byun Doyoung
Published: March 2015

We introduce highly transparent and flexible conductive films based on a hybrid structure of graphene and an Ag-grid.
Novel phosphorus–nitrogen–silicon flame retardants and their application in cycloaliphatic epoxy systems
Authors: Chao Pengjie , Li Yongjie , Gu Xiaoyu , Han Dandan , Jia Xiaoqin , Wang Mengqiang , Zhou Tengfei , Wang Tao
Published: March 2015

In this work, we prepared two novel reactive-type halogen-free and UV-curable phosphorus–nitrogen–silicon synergistic flame retardants.
Graphene and graphene oxide: advanced membranes for gas separation and water purification
Authors: Xu Quan , Xu Hong , Chen Jiarui , Lv Yunzu , Dong Chenbo , Sreeprasad Theruvakkattil Sreenivasan
Published: March 2015

Advanced membrane systems with excellent permeance are important for controllable separation processes, such as gas separation and water purification.
Preparation and characterization of a dialdehyde starch crosslinked feather keratin film for food packaging application
Authors: Dou Yao , Huang Xue , Zhang Buning , He Ming , Yin Guoqiang , Cui Yingde
Published: March 2015

Crosslink effects of dialdehyde starch on the mechanical properties, water-resistance, compatability, micromorphology, and water vapor barrier property of feather keratin films.
Nano zirconia catalysed one-pot synthesis of some novel substituted imidazoles under solvent-free conditions
Authors: Bajpai Shivam , Singh Sundaram , Srivastava Vandana
Published: March 2015

A highly efficient method for the synthesis of substituted imidazoles from a multicomponent reaction of isatin derivatives with ammonium acetate and aromatic aldehydes under solvent-free conditions has been established.
PCL/PVA nanoencapsulated reinforcing fillers of steam exploded/autoclaved cellulose nanofibrils for tissue engineering applications
Authors: Manhas Navdeep , Balasubramanian K. , Prajith P. , Rule Prashant , Nimje Sunil
Published: March 2015

The process of extraction of cellulose nanofibrils by steam explosion followed by electrospinning with biodegradable polymers to yield PCL/PVA nanoencapsulated cellulosic reinforcing fillers for tissue engineering applications.
Microscopic origin of MXenes derived from layered MAX phases
Authors: Guo Zhonglu , Zhu Linggang , Zhou Jian , Sun Zhimei
Published: March 2015

Two-dimensional transition metal carbides/nitrides Mn+1Xns labeled as MXenes derived from MAX phases attract increasing interest due to their promising applications as Li-ion battery anodes, hybrid electro-chemical capacitors and electronic devices.
Effect of the Li+ ion on the multimodal emission of a lanthanide doped phosphor
Authors: Yadav R. V. , Singh S. K. , Rai S. B.
Published: March 2015

The present study probes the multimodal emission: upconversion, photoluminescence and quantum cutting processes in a Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped Y2O3 phosphor and further examines the impact of the Li+ ion on the multi-modal emission, for the first time.
Design of two-photon molecular tandem architectures for solar cells by ab initio theory
Authors: Ørnsø Kristian B. , Garcia-Lastra Juan M. , De La Torre Gema , Himpsel F. J. , Rubio Angel , Thygesen Kristian S.
Published: March 2015

We present new two-photon molecular architectures for photovoltaics where atomic precision can be obtained by synthetic chemistry.
Anodized nanoporous WO3Schottky contact structures for hydrogen and ethanol sensing
Authors: Ab Kadir Rosmalini , Zhang Wei , Wang Yichao , Ou Jian Zhen , Wlodarski Wojtek , O'Mullane Anthony P. , Bryant Gary , Taylor Matthew , Kalantar-zadeh Kourosh
Published: March 2015

Reversibility of the gas sensor made of a 500 nm thick WO3nanoporous film upon exposure to hydrogen gas at 200 °C.
Engineering novel polyelectrolyte complex membranes with improved mechanical properties and separation performance
Authors: Wang Xue-San , Ji Yan-Li , Zheng Pei-Yao , An Quan-Fu , Zhao Qiang , Lee Kueir-Rarn , Qian Jin-Wen , Gao Cong-Jie
Published: March 2015

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) commonly suffer from poor processability owing to their ionic crosslinking nature, a problem which spurs increasing interest in processable PECs.
Controllable synthesis of activated graphene and its application in supercapacitors
Authors: Zheng C. , Zhou X. F. , Cao H. L. , Wang G. H. , Liu Z. P.
Published: March 2015

Porous activated graphene with a specific surface area of as high as 2406 m2 g−1 and high pore volume for supercapacitor applications has been controllably synthesized by adjusting the structure (crystallinity and oxygen-functional groups) of reduced graphene oxide precursors.
The design and synthesis of a soluble composite silica xerogel and the short-time release of proteins
Authors: Chen Rong , Qu Haibo , Guo Shaoyun , Ducheyne Paul
Published: March 2015

The controlled release of large molecules (such as proteins) in a very short time (several days) was achieved through the co-hydrolysis and co-condensation of different precursors.
Structural and spectroscopic characterizations of new Cd1−3xNd2x□xMoO4scheelite-type molybdates with vacancies as potential optical materials
Authors: Guzik M. , Tomaszewicz E. , Guyot Y. , Legendziewicz J. , Boulon G.
Published: March 2015

Spectroscopic analysis of Nd3+in Cd1−3xNd2x□xMoO4points out two non-equivalent symmetry sites depending on the location of the □ vacancies. Both short lifetimes and high emission intensities suggest that the compounds could be especially promising for an ultra-short pulse laser generation.
Synthesis of an artificial antigen and preparation of a polyclonal antibody for the sensitive determination of phthalate esters by enzyme-linked immunoassay
Authors: Tang Min , Wei Jianyong , Du Huihui , Zhang Jinzhong , Yang Dacheng , Peng Yuanyi
Published: March 2015

Two novel generic haptens for PAEs were successfully synthesized, and the prepared polyclonal antibody displayed broad cross-reactivity for multiple PAEs.
Regioselective access to CF3S-substituted dihydrofurans from homopropargylic alcohols with trifluoromethanesulfenamide
Authors: Chen Dao-Qian , Gao Pin , Zhou Ping-Xin , Song Xian-Rong , Qiu Yi-Feng , Liu Xue-Yuan , Liang Yong-Min
Published: March 2015

A facile access to 4-((trifluoromethyl)thio)-2,3-dihydrofurans from unprotected homopropargylic alcohols in high regioselectivity is reported.
Preparation of catalytic films of the Au nanoparticle–carbon composite tubular arrays
Authors: Gong Wei , Su Lei , Zhang Xueji
Published: March 2015

Catalytic films of the AuNP–carbon composite tubular arrays prepared via a template-directed carbonization route offer the ease of recyclability.
Mo2Ga2C: a new ternary nanolaminated carbide
Authors: Hu C. , Lai C.-C. , Tao Q. , Lu J. , Halim J. , Sun L. , Zhang J. , Yang J. , Anasori B. , Wang J. , Sakka Y. , Hultman L. , Eklund P. , Rosen J. , Barsoum M. W.
Published: March 2015

We report the discovery of a new hexagonal Mo2Ga2C phase, wherein two Ga layers – instead of one – are stacked in a simple hexagonal arrangement in between Mo2C layers.
Nickel phosphine catalysts with pendant amines for electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohols
Authors: Weiss Charles J. , Wiedner Eric S. , Roberts John A. S. , Appel Aaron M.
Published: March 2015

Nickel phosphine complexes with pendant amines are reported as the first nonprecious metal molecular electrocatalysts for the oxidation of alcohols.
A mesoporous metal–organic framework based on a shape-persistent macrocycle
Authors: Chen Teng-Hao , Popov Ilya , Chuang Yu-Chun , Chen Yu-Sheng , Miljanić Ognjen Š.
Published: March 2015

A mesoporous metal–organic framework (Zn-MCMOF) with 86% void volume was synthesized from Zn atoms and a shape-persistent macrocyclic ligand based on a phenylene ethynylene scaffold. Upon activation, pores of theZn-MCMOFcollapse, but are then regenerated through resolvation of crystals.
Modular construction of size-selected multiple-core Pt–TiO2 nanoclusters for electro-catalysis
Authors: Blackmore Caroline E. , Rees Neil V. , Palmer Richard E.
Published: March 2015

Modular construction of platinum–titanium dioxide clusters, which exhibit multiple Pt cores with a preferred size of 30 ± 6 atoms.
Synthesis, structures and magnetic properties in 3d-electron-rich isostructural complexes based on chains with sole syn–anti carboxylate bridges
Authors: Su Feng , Lu Liping , Feng Sisi , Zhu Miaoli , Gao Zengqiang , Dong Yuhui
Published: March 2015

A series of isostructures based on 2,2′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid have been synthesized via solvothermal reaction, whereas magnetic studies reveal the polymers with sole syn–anti carboxylate bridges show different magnetic behaviors of uniform chains.
Photoluminescent calcium azolium carboxylates with diversified calcium coordination geometry and thermal stability
Authors: Suresh Paladugu , Naga Babu Chatla , Sampath Natarajan , Prabusankar Ganesan
Published: March 2015

Six new luminescent calcium coordination assemblies were successfully synthesized and characterized using bis- and tris-azolium carboxylic acid ligands.
Outstanding blue delayed fluorescence and significant processing stability of cuprous complexes with functional pyridine–pyrazolate diimine ligands
Authors: Zhang Qing , Chen Jun , Wu Xiao-Yuan , Chen Xu-Lin , Yu Rongmin , Lu Can-Zhong
Published: March 2015

Five cuprous complexes display outstanding blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) with quantum yields near 1 and significant processing stability from the solid to the solvent states.
Facile synthesis of (E)-β-nitroolefinic alkoxyamines via silver-catalyzed decarboxylative nitroaminoxylation of phenylpropiolic acids
Authors: Yan Hong , Mao Jincheng , Rong Guangwei , Liu Defu , Zheng Yang , He Yue
Published: March 2015

A novel silver-catalyzed decarboxylative nitroaminoxylation reaction of phenylpropiolic acids is described, leading to (E)-β-nitroolefinic alkoxyamines.
Recyclable hydrotalcite catalysts for alcohol imination via acceptorless dehydrogenation
Authors: Bain John , Cho Philip , Voutchkova-Kostal Adelina
Published: March 2015

Intrinsic catalytic activity of a series of hydrotalcite-like materials towards acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenation and one-pot imination.
High sensitivity flexible Lamb-wave humidity sensors with a graphene oxide sensing layer
Authors: Xuan Weipeng , He Xingli , Chen Jinkai , Wang Wenbo , Wang Xiaozhi , Xu Yang , Xu Zhen , Fu Y. Q. , Luo J. K.
Published: March 2015

This paper reports high performance flexible Lamb wave sensors with a graphene oxide sensing layer.
Interactions of PLGA nanoparticles with blood components: protein adsorption, coagulation, activation of the complement system and hemolysis studies
Authors: Fornaguera Cristina , Calderó Gabriela , Mitjans Montserrat , Vinardell Maria Pilar , Solans Conxita , Vauthier Christine
Published: March 2015

Schematic representation of PLGA nanoparticle interactions with blood components when they enter the bloodstream.
Synthesis of novel tryptamine-based macrocycles using an Ugi 4-CR/microwave assisted click-cycloaddition reaction protocol
Authors: Chavez-Acevedo Lizbeth , Miranda Luis D.
Published: March 2015

A practical synthesis of novel tryptamine-based macrocycles using an Ugi 4-CR/click-cycloaddition sequential reaction protocol is described.
Palladium-catalyzed oxidative C–H/C–H cross-coupling of 1-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles with furans and thiophenes
Authors: Yu Xin , Huang ZhenDong , Liu Wei , Shi SuPing , Kuang ChunXiang
Published: March 2015

Palladium-catalyzed heteroarylation of 1-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles with furans and thiophenes has been developed in the presence of pyridine and Ag2CO3.
Synthesis of chitin and chitosan stereoisomers by thermostable α-glucan phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization of α-d-glucosamine 1-phosphate
Authors: Kadokawa Jun-ichi , Shimohigoshi Riko , Yamashita Kento , Yamamoto Kazuya
Published: March 2015

Chitosan and chitin stereoisomers were successfully synthesized by thermostable α-glucan phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization of α-d-glucosamine 1-phosphate and subsequent N-acetylation.
Organocatalytic asymmetric Michael addition of 3-substituted oxindoles to α,β-unsaturated acyl phosphonates for the synthesis of 3,3′-disubstituted oxindoles with chiral squaramides
Authors: Chen Lin , You Yong , Zhang Ming-Liang , Zhao Jian-qiang , Zuo Jian , Zhang Xiao-Mei , Yuan Wei-Cheng , Xu Xiao-Ying
Published: March 2015

The first Michael addition of 3-monosubstituted oxindoles to α,β-unsaturated acyl phosphonates is investigated to give 3,3′-disubstituted oxindoles with excellent results.
Industrially-relevant polymerization-induced self-assembly formulations in non-polar solvents: RAFT dispersion polymerization of benzyl methacrylate
Authors: Derry Matthew J. , Fielding Lee A. , Armes Steven P.
Published: March 2015

Diblock copolymer spheres, worms and vesicles are preparedviaRAFT dispersion polymerization of benzyl methacrylate in either mineral oil or a poly(α-olefin) using polymerization-induced self-assembly; an efficient ‘one-pot’ protocol is reported for spheres at 30% solids in mineral oil.
Phosphonated furan-functionalized poly(ethylene oxide)s using orthogonal click chemistries: synthesis and Diels–Alder reactivity
Authors: N'Guyen Thi Thanh Thuy , Contrel Guillaume , Montembault Véronique , Dujardin Gilles , Fontaine Laurent
Published: March 2015

The synthesis and the reactivity in Diels–Alder and retro Diels–Alder thermoreversible reactions of new phosphonate- and phosphonic acid-terminated furan-functionalized PEO are reported.
Synthesis and characterization of a phytic acid/mesoporous 45S5 bioglass composite coating on a magnesium alloy and degradation behavior
Authors: Li Yan , Cai Shu , Xu Guohua , Shen Sibo , Zhang Min , Zhang Tong , Sun Xiaohong
Published: March 2015

The composite coating consists of an interior layer of mesoporous 45S5 bioglass and an outer layer of phytic acid/magnesium phytic acid compounds.
Esterification of carboxylic acids with alkyl halides using imidazolium based dicationic ionic liquids containing bis-trifluoromethane sulfonimide anions at room temperature
Authors: Jadhav Arvind H. , Lee Kyuyoung , Koo Sangho , Seo Jeong Gil
Published: March 2015

Task-specific RTILs of symmetrical N-methylimidazolium rings linked to an oligo (ethylene glycol) chain (cationic part) and bis-trifluoromethane sulfonimide (anionic part) were synthesized, and the physicochemical properties with catalytic activity were determined.
Ni–P synergetic deposition: electrochemically deposited highly active Ni as a catalyst for chemical deposition
Authors: Yu Quanyao , Zeng Zhixiang , Liang Yu , Zhao Wenjie , Peng Shusen , Han Zhiyue , Wang Gang , Wu Xuedong , Xue Qunji
Published: March 2015

Electrochemically deposited Ni nanoparticles act as a catalyst for chemical deposition, producing a ball-like particle morphology.
Structural investigations by in silico modeling for designing NR2B subunit selective NMDA receptor antagonists
Authors: Zambre Vishal P. , Hambarde Varsha A. , Petkar Nilesh N. , Patel Chinmay N. , Sawant Sanjay D.
Published: March 2015

In this paper, structural requirements for optimization of NR2B subunit selective NMDA receptor antagonists are discussed.
Fabrication and physical properties of self-assembled ultralong polymer/small molecule hybrid microstructures
Authors: Zhang Jing , Wang Chengyuan , Chen Wangqiao , Wu Jiansheng , Zhang Qichun
Published: March 2015

The present work showed a novel approach to fabricate polymer/small molecule hybrid microstructures, and the transport characteristics and morphologies of the as-fabricated wires with different ratios of the two different components.
Transparent nanophosphor films with high quantum efficiency through cold compaction
Authors: Kubrin R. , do Rosário J. J. , Schneider G. A.
Published: March 2015

Compaction of nanophosphor coatings by means of cold isostatic pressing is shown to dramatically improve their optical and mechanical properties.
1,3-Disulfonic acid imidazolium hydrogen sulfate: a reusable and efficient ionic liquid for the one-pot multi-component synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-b]quinoline derivatives
Authors: Mohammadi Kamal , Shirini Farhad , Yahyazadeh Asieh
Published: March 2015

1,3-Disulfonic acid imidazolium hydrogen sulfate (DSIMHS) has been used for the simple and efficient synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-b]quinoline derivatives. The procedure gave the products in excellent yields in very short reaction times.
Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1-methyl-3-oxo-2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydroisoquinolins as potential EZH2 inhibitors
Authors: Zhang Lidan , Song Xuejiao , Wang Ningyu , Zhao Lifeng , Feng Qiang , You Xinyu , Peng Cuiting , Gao Tiantao , Xiong Menghua , He Bing , Gao Chao , Luo Yong , Xu Ying , Zhang Qiyi , Yu Luoting
Published: March 2015

This study led to the discovery of several potent compounds with low nanomolar to sub-nanomolar potency for EZH2.
Ultrasound-assisted regio- and stereoselective synthesis of bis-[1′,4′-diaryl-1-oxo-spiro-benzosuberane-2,5′-pyrazoline] derivatives via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition
Authors: Behbehani Haider , Ibrahim Hamada Mohamed , Dawood Kamal M.
Published: March 2015

A novel bis-[spiro-benzosuberane-2,5′-pyrazoline] derivatives were synthesized via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition under ultrasonic irradiation.
Ni/Mn ratio and morphology-dependent crystallographic facet structure and electrochemical properties of the high-voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material
Authors: Wan Lina , Deng Yuanfu , Yang Chunxiang , Xu Hui , Qin Xusong , Chen Guohua
Published: March 2015

The electrochemical properties of high-voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode materials were controlled successfully by their Ni/Mn ratio and morphologies.
I2-mediated sulfonylation and Na2SO3-mediated deacylation: a general protocol for the synthesis of β-keto sulfones and β-dicarbonyl sulfones
Authors: Gao Wen-Chao , Zhao Jin-Jin , Hu Fei , Chang Hong-Hong , Li Xing , Wei Wen-Long
Published: March 2015

A general method for constructing both β-keto sulfones and β-dicarbonyl sulfones has been developed.
Graphene quantum dots enhanced photocatalytic activity of zinc porphyrin toward the degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation
Authors: Lu Qian , Zhang Yuanjian , Liu Songqin
Published: March 2015

Microstructures of GQDs–ZnPor displayed excellent photocatalytic activity toward degradation of MB in a visible-light system.
Rapid processing of perovskite solar cells in under 2.5 seconds
Authors: Troughton Joel , Charbonneau Cécile , Carnie Matthew J. , Davies Matthew L. , Worsley David A. , Watson Trystan M.
Published: March 2015

A rapid annealing technique for CH3NH3PbI3perovskite solar cells is presented.
Realization of InP/ZnS quantum dots for green, amber and red down-converted LEDs and their color-tunable, four-package white LEDs
Authors: Yang Su Ji , Oh Ji Hye , Kim Sohee , Yang Heesun , Do Young Rag
Published: March 2015

Eco-friendly InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized by using a non-toxic and economic P(N(CH3)2)3 for the realization of monochromatic and white down-converted light-emitting diodes.
Monitoring in vitro neural stem cell differentiation based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using a gold nanostar array
Authors: El-Said Waleed Ahmed , Kim Seung U. , Choi Jeong-Woo
Published: March 2015

Neuro-cell chip was developed for non-invasive monitoring of neural stem cell stimulation using SERS technique that enabled the real-time monitoring, which is important for tissue development protocols.
Microwave energy transduction using planar technology
Authors: G. S. Javier , de los Reyes R. , Jara A. , de los Reyes E.
Published: March 2015

Efficient methods for transducing electromagnetic energy into heat are explained. These methods make use of planar technologies such as microstrip and stripline, along with special ceramic materials developed by Microbiotech S.L. The electromagnetic fundamentals of the presented methods are stated, and the simulated and measured results are presented for each model. The efficiency of the transducers is analysed and compared with the state‐of‐the‐art, and finally the possibility of an array scheme for uniform heating purposes is pointed out.
Wavelength beam combining of VECSELs using multiplexed volume Bragg gratings in a compound cavity
Authors: Lu C.A. , Newell T.C. , Glebov L. , Balakrishnan G.
Published: March 2015

A method of wavelength beam combining to enhance the total output brightness of vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELs) using multiplexed volume Bragg gratings (MVBGs) is presented. The MVBGs are designed to introduce wavelength‐specific feedback for the 1020 nm near‐infrared wavelength VECSELs to achieve both spectral stabilisation and beam combining effects. In conjunction with the compound cavity arrangement, a combined output of >6 W is achieved with >98% combining efficiency using two VECSELs. The beam combining scheme produces near‐diffraction limited output with enhanced spectral density and wavelength‐stabilised characteristics.
Generalised dynamic decimation method using polyphase MACs for ultrasound imaging
Authors: Kang Hyungil , Kang Jeeun , Song Tai‐Kyong
Published: March 2015

In medical ultrasound imaging, the focused echo signal is decimated with a finite impulse response filter by a rational factor M/L, the frequency response of which dynamically changes over time. Presented is, an efficient structure for dynamic decimation by a programmable rational factor that use a fixed number of polyphase multiplier‐accumulators (MACs) regardless of the values of M and L. The proposed structure uses the minimum number of MAC units operating at the input data rate to minimise both power consumption and hardware complexity.
Instantaneous model adaptation method for reverberant speech recognition
Authors: Ban Sung Min , Kim Hyung Soon
Published: March 2015

An acoustic model adaptation algorithm is proposed for reverberant speech recognition. Inspired by the eigenvoice adaptation framework, multiple acoustic models reflecting various reverberant environments are combined for instantaneous adaptation. Using artificially generated reverberant speech, multiple acoustic models are trained according to multiple reverberation times. The mean vectors of the optimal acoustic model are obtained as a weighted sum of those of multiple acoustic models by using a maximum‐likelihood criterion. For effective model combination, reverberant speech is preprocessed. Experiments on English continuous speech recognition tasks in a simulated reverberant environment show that the proposed method performs better than the conventional adaptation techniques.
Binary mask estimation for noise reduction based on instantaneous SNR estimation using Bayes risk minimisation
Authors: Kim Gibak
Published: March 2015

The binary mask approach has been researched to suppress noise and improve speech intelligibility in noisy environments. An algorithm that estimates the binary mask for noise‐corrupted speech based on the instantaneous signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) estimation is proposed. The instantaneous SNR estimation is performed by minimising the Bayes risk with a weighted cost function. In the experiments, white noise was used for the training of the SNR estimator and the binary mask estimation was performed for babble, factory, speech‐shaped noise. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields substantial improvements in terms of classification accuracy for the binary mask estimation.
PDM flyback PV microinverter with HFAC‐link and active decoupling circuit
Authors: Korosec L. , Konjedic T. , Truntic M. , Rodic M. , Milanovic M.
Published: March 2015

A pulse‐density‐modulated (PDM) flyback‐based microinverter with a high‐frequency AC (HFAC) link and an active decoupling circuit is proposed. The converter's structure and basic operating principle are analysed. The advantages of utilising an active decoupling circuit and the demand for using pulse‐density modulation are explained. The operation of the proposed microinverter has been verified by experiment.
Fluid swarm formation control for hand gesture imitation by ellipse fitting
Authors: Tilki U. , Erkmen A.M.
Published: March 2015

The main focus of this reported work is to imitate human hand gestures in the presence of the organ matching problem. Towards this aim, a case where the imitator is a fluidic system is adopted, whose dynamics are totally different from the imitatee; that is, a human performing different hand gestures. Proposed is a fluidics formation control of fluid particles where the formations result from the imitation of observed human hand gestures. Fluid body motion is modelled in a particle‐based approach by using smoothed particle hydrodynamics, which is the Lagrangian method for the simulation of fluid flows. A shape‐based controller for human hand gestures imitation by using the ellipse fitting technique is introduced. With the help of this technique, a novel mapping method between the fluid and ellipse parameters is found. The fluid formation control layer is responsible for assigning the appropriate fluid parameters to the swarm in order to generate observed human hand gestures. Finally, the fluid particle formations are generated and these formations are demonstrated in a simulation environment.
Closer look at mosaic reflectarray antennas
Authors: Ethier J.L.T. , McNamara D.A. , Chaharmir M.R. , Shaker J.
Published: March 2015

Justification for the use of fragmented elements in the design of mosaic reflectarrays is provided whereby the far‐field pattern performance is shown to be good in spite of the optical mosaic image, and this fact is confirmed for an additional test case of a synthesised image. Additionally, the use of sub‐wavelength spaced elements, as opposed to the traditional half‐wavelength spaced elements, is strongly motivated by sampling density advantages for image reproduction.
Embedded high‐precision capacitor measurement system based on ring‐oscillator
Authors: Welter L. , Dreux P. , Aziza H. , Portal J.‐M.
Published: March 2015

A direct way to measure the electrical value of capacitors embedded in a circuit using a ring‐oscillator is presented. A calibration system ensures the robustness of the measurement process against temperature, power supply and process variations. Silicon results show the ability of the system to measure robustly a large range of small capacitors. The system also provides a noise immunity as the system provides a digital signature of the capacitor value.
Bulk‐driven adaptively biased OTA in 0.18 μm CMOS
Authors: Kulej T. , Khateb F.
Published: March 2015

A new solution for a bulk‐driven ultra‐low‐voltage operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) is described. While implemented in a standard 0.18 μm CMOS process, the circuit provides linear operation (total harmonic distortion <1%) for rail‐to‐rail input swing and supply voltages ranging from 0.25 to 0.5 V. The good linearity performance is Maintained over a large range of transconductances and biasing currents.
Eight‐wavelength hybrid Si/AlGaInAs/InP microring laser array
Authors: Sui Shao‐Shuai , Tang Ming‐Ying , Huang Yong‐Zhen , Yang Yue‐De , Xiao Jin‐Long , Du Yun
Published: March 2015

An eight‐wavelength hybrid Si/AlGaInAs/InP microring laser array coupled with an underlying silicon waveguide has been fabricated based on the bonding technique, with the radii varying from 15 to 15.14 μm at a step of 20 nm and with a microring width of 2 μm. Continuous‐wave (CW) electrically injected operation is obtained at 280 K, with threshold currents of about 6 mA, channel spacing of about 2 nm and sidemode‐suppression ratios above 20 dB.
Effective electrode sampling strategies for 3D electrical impedance mammography
Authors: Zhang X. , Chatwin C.R. , Barber D.C.
Published: March 2015

A novel three‐dimensional (3D) electrical impedance mammography (EIM) system, named the combined EIM (CEIM) system, is introduced. It combines a ring electrode array with a planar electrode array that can operate independently or together. Three operational modes of the CEIM system are presented. Using a close‐to‐realistic digital breast phantom, the CEIM system is shown to provide enhanced detectability of a tumour deep within the tissue, as required for a large‐volume breast. An implicit comparison with the authors' former MK4 system demonstrates the benefits of this integrated multimode mammography system.
Optimising energy efficiency of LDPC coded chase combining HARQ system
Authors: Wu Yue , Yang Hongwen
Published: March 2015

The energy efficiency of the low‐density parity check (LDPC) coded chase combining hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) system over the additive white Gaussian noise channel is analysed. The energy efficiency can be improved by increasing the maximum transmission number (K) and reducing the transmit power. The asymptotic energy efficiency corresponding to K = ∞ equals the reciprocal of the threshold signal‐to‐noise ratio of the forward error correction code, which does not depend on the falling speed of the word error ratio. When the retransmission number is relatively small, optimising equal transmit power and variable transmit power can improve the energy efficiency by up to 10 and 18% respectively, compared with minimum equal power transmission.
Sliding‐mode speed controller for tracking of underactuated surface vessels with extended Kalman filter
Authors: Temel T. , Ashrafiuon H.
Published: March 2015

A sliding‐mode speed controller for output tracking of underactuated surface vessels is presented based on a new manifold definition. The new sliding‐mode control algorithm relies on a conventional sliding manifold and its time derivative. The states/outputs are estimated with the extended Kalman filter as an observer. The new controller is compared with its integral‐type sliding‐mode counterpart in terms of performance in tracking the outputs where the estimator is driven by respective control inputs and observed states involved with arbitrarily correlated process and measurement errors.
Robust adaptive beamforming using low‐complexity correlation coefficient calculation algorithms
Authors: Chen Fengfeng , Shen Feng , Song Jinyang
Published: March 2015

A robust adaptive beamforming technique based on a reconstructed covariance matrix and array steering vector (ASV) estimation using low‐complexity algorithms is proposed. The spatial spectrum estimator is used to reconstruct the interference‐plus‐noise covariance matrix and the ASV estimation process is used to calculate the correlation coefficients of the assumed ASV and the eigenvectors. Contrary to other robust adaptive beamforming methods, this approach has better performance yet does not involve any specific optimisation programme even if arbitrary ASV imperfections are considered. Simple implementation and significant signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio enhancement support the practicability of the proposed method.
Automatic method for white matter lesion segmentation based on T1‐fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery images
Authors: Zhan Tianming , Zhan Yongzhao , Liu Zhe , Xiao Liang , Wei Zhihui
Published: March 2015

The authors propose a fast and effective solution for automatic segmentation of white matter lesions by using T1 and fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) image modalities with no need for manual segmentation and atlas registration. Initially, a brain tissue segmentation method is used to segment the T1 image into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), grey matter and white matter. Based on the obtained tissue segmentation results, the region of interest (ROI) of the FLAIR image is created by subtracting the CSF from the FLAIR image. Subsequently, the authors calculate the z‐score of the intensities in the ROI and define a threshold to perform a preliminary identification of abnormalities from normal tissues. The abnormalities obtained at this stage are used as the prior knowledge for the modified level‐set technique. The proposed level set method here is applied based on local Gaussian distribution to precisely detect the boundaries of the white matter lesions in the ROI. The level set method based on local Gaussian distribution fitting energy is robust to the intensity inhomogeneity of MR data and therefore capable of precisely extracting the boundaries of white matter lesions. Experimental analysis and quantitative comparisons with the peak‐seeking and state‐of‐the‐art white matter lesion segmentation (WMLS) techniques demonstrate that the algorithm is a stable and effective approach which significantly outperforms other trusted solutions for white matter lesion segmentation.
Statistical analysis on the additional torque ripple caused by magnet tolerances in surface‐mounted permanent magnet synchronous motors
Authors: Guo Hong , Wu Zhiyong , Qian Hao , Yu Kaiping , Xu Jinquan
Published: March 2015

In surface‐mounted permanent magnet synchronous motors, two types of magnet tolerances: magnet misplacements and magnetisation errors, cause additional torque ripple harmonic components and lead to the dispersion of torque ripple in mass production of motors. This paper analyses the effects of the magnet tolerances on torque ripple and estimates the statistical values of the magnitudes in each harmonic of additional torque ripple resulting from Gaussian distributed magnet tolerances. By using synthesis method, the analytical expressions are derived which reveal the relationship between the magnet tolerances and the magnitudes of the additional torque ripple harmonics. Based on the analytical expressions, the statistical values of each harmonic's magnitude are predicted. The expected values and standard deviations of the harmonics' magnitudes are calculated and verified by both the simulations and experiments.
Reactive current injection protocol for low‐power rating distributed generation sources under voltage sags
Authors: Miret Jaume , Camacho Antonio , Castilla Miguel , García de Vicuña José Luís , de la Hoz Jordi
Published: March 2015

Voltage sags are one of the main problems in transmission and distribution networks. This study proposes a voltage support control scheme for grid‐connected low‐power rating inverters under voltage sags. Voltage support capability is provided thanks to reactive current injection. The main objective is to inject the maximum rated reactive current during the voltage sag. Second, to raise the higher phase voltage to a predefined maximum boundary, thus preventing over‐voltage. Moreover, with this strategy the phase voltages can be equalised. The first objective can be always accomplished during voltage sags. Achieving the second objective depends on the grid characteristics, the sag profile and the power rating of the inverter. Selected experimental results are reported to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control.
The Impact of Obesity on Perioperative Resource Utilization after Elective Spine Surgery for Degenerative Disease
Authors: Planchard Ryan F. , Higgins Dominique M. , Mallory Grant W. , Puffer Ross C. , Jacob Jeffrey T. , Curry Timothy B. , Kor Daryl J. , Clarke Michelle J.
Published: March 2015

Study Design

Retrospective case series.

Objective

To determine the effect of obesity on the resource utilization and cost in 3270 consecutive patients undergoing elective noninstrumented decompressive surgeries for degenerative spine disease at Mayo Clinic Rochester between 2005 and 2012.

Methods

Groups were assessed for baseline differences (age, gender, and American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] classification, procedure type, and number of operative levels). Outcome variables included the transfusion requirements during surgery, the total anesthesia and surgical times, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, standardized costs, as well as the ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS). Regression analysis was used to evaluate for strength of association between obesity and outcome variables.

Results

Baseline differences between the groups (nonobese: n = 1,853; obese: n = 1,417) were found with respect to age, ASA class, gender, procedure type, and number of operative levels. After correcting for differences, we found significant associations between obesity and surgical ( p < 0.0001) and anesthesia times ( p < 0.0001) and hospital LOS ( p < 0.0001). Additionally, ICU admission rates ( p = 0.02) and requirement for postoperative ventilation ( p = 0.048) were significantly higher in obese patients. Finally, mean difference in total cost ($1,632, p < 0.0001) was significantly higher for the obese cohort.

Conclusion

Obesity is associated with increased resource utilization and cost in patients undergoing a noninstrumented decompressive surgery for degenerative spine disease.
Förster resonance energy transfer, absorption and emission spectra in multichromophoric systems. I. Full cumulant expansions and system-bath entanglement
Authors: Ma Jian , Cao Jianshu
Published: March 2015

We study the Förster resonant energy transfer rate, absorption and emission spectra in multichromophoric systems. The multichromophoric Förster theory (MCFT) is determined from an overlap integral of generalized matrices related to the donor’s emission and acceptor’s absorption spectra, which are obtained via a full 2nd-order cumulant expansion technique developed in this work. We calculate the spectra and MCFT rate for both localized and delocalized systems, and calibrate the analytical 2nd-order cumulant expansion with the exact stochastic path integral method. We present three essential findings: (i) The role of the initial entanglement between the donor and its bath is found to be crucial in both the emission spectrum and the MCFT rate. (ii) The absorption spectra obtained by the cumulant expansion method are nearly identical to the exact spectra for both localized and delocalized systems, even when the system-bath coupling is far from the perturbative regime. (iii) For the emission spectra, the cumulant expansion can give reliable results for localized systems, but fail to provide reliable spectra of the high-lying excited states of a delocalized system, when the system-bath coupling is large and the thermal energy is small. This paper also provides a simple golden-rule derivation of the MCFT, reviews existing methods, and motivates further developments in the subsequent papers.
Partially deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate optimized for ultra-broadband optical parametric amplification
Authors: Fujioka K. , Fujimoto Y. , Tsubakimoto K. , Kawanaka J. , Shoji I. , Miyanaga N.
Published: March 2015

The refractive index of a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal strongly depends on the deuteration fraction of the crystal. The wavelength dependence of the phase-matching angle in the near-infrared optical parametric process shows convex and concave characteristics for pure KDP and pure deuterated KDP (DKDP), respectively, when pumped by the second harmonic of Nd- or Yb-doped solid state lasers. Using these characteristics, ultra-broadband phase matching can be realized by optimization of the deuteration fraction. The refractive index of DKDP that was grown with a different deuteration fraction (known as partially deuterated KDP or pDKDP) was measured over a wide wavelength range of 0.4–1.5 μm by the minimum deviation method. The wavelength dispersions of the measured refractive indices were fitted using a modified Sellmeier equation, and the deuteration fraction dependence was analyzed using the Lorentz–Lorenz equation. The wavelength-dependent phase-matching angle for an arbitrary deuteration fraction was then calculated for optical parametric amplification with pumping at a wavelength of 526.5 nm. The results revealed that a refractive index database with precision of more than 2 × 10−5 was necessary for exact evaluation of the phase-matching condition. An ultra-broad gain bandwidth of up to 490 nm will be feasible when using the 68% pDKDP crystal.
Nucleation and interfacial adsorption in ternary systems
Authors: Philippe T.
Published: March 2015

Nucleation is studied in incompressible ternary fluids by examining the topology of the overall landscape of the energy surface. Minimum free energy paths for nucleation (MFEPs) of a single nucleus in an infinite matrix are computed with the string method in the framework of the continuum theory of nucleation for the regular solution. Properties of the critical nucleus are compared with the predictions of the classical nucleation theory. MFEPs are found to exhibit complex nucleation pathways with non-monotonic variations of compositions in the interfacial region, specifically adsorption of a component. In the symmetric regular solution, the minority component is found to segregate at the interface during nucleation with a concomitant depletion of the nucleus core, resulting in unpredicted partition of the non-selective component. Despite increasing the gradient energy, such inhomogeneity in composition is shown to lower the nucleation barrier.
Nonlinear dynamics of the ion Weibel-filamentation instability: An analytical model for the evolution of the plasma and spectral properties
Authors: Ruyer C. , Gremillet L. , Debayle A. , Bonnaud G.
Published: March 2015

We present a predictive model of the nonlinear phase of the Weibel instability induced by two symmetric, counter-streaming ion beams in the non-relativistic regime. This self-consistent model combines the quasilinear kinetic theory of Davidson et al. [Phys. Fluids 15, 317 (1972)] with a simple description of current filament coalescence. It allows us to follow the evolution of the ion parameters up to a stage close to complete isotropization, and is thus of prime interest to understand the dynamics of collisionless shock formation. Its predictions are supported by 2-D and 3-D particle-in-cell simulations of the ion Weibel instability. The derived approximate analytical solutions reveal the various dependencies of the ion relaxation to isotropy. In particular, it is found that the influence of the electron screening can affect the results of simulations using an unphysical electron mass.
Time-of-flight Extreme Environment Diffractometer at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
Authors: Prokhnenko Oleksandr , Stein Wolf-Dieter , Bleif Hans-Jürgen , Fromme Michael , Bartkowiak Maciej , Wilpert Thomas
Published: March 2015

The Extreme Environment Diffractometer (EXED) is a new neutron time-of-flight instrument at the BER II research reactor at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany. Although EXED is a special-purpose instrument, its early construction made it available for users as a general-purpose diffractometer. In this respect, EXED became one of the rare examples, where the performance of a time-of-flight diffractometer at a continuous source can be characterized. In this paper, we report on the design and performance of EXED with an emphasis on the unique instrument capabilities. The latter comprise variable wavelength resolution and wavelength band, control of the incoming beam divergence, the possibility to change the angular positions of detectors and their distance to the sample, and use of event recording and offline histogramming. These features combined make EXED easily tunable to the requirements of a particular problem, from conventional diffraction to small angle neutron scattering. The instrument performance is demonstrated by several reference measurements and user experiments.
Comments on the optical lineshape function: Application to transient hole-burned spectra of bacterial reaction centers
Authors: Reppert Mike , Kell Adam , Pruitt Thomas , Jankowiak Ryszard
Published: March 2015

The vibrational spectral density is an important physical parameter needed to describe both linear and non-linear spectra of multi-chromophore systems such as photosynthetic complexes. Low-temperature techniques such as hole burning (HB) and fluorescence line narrowing are commonly used to extract the spectral density for a given electronic transition from experimental data. We report here that the lineshape function formula reported by Hayes et al. [J. Phys. Chem. 98, 7337 (1994)] in the mean-phonon approximation and frequently applied to analyzing HB data contains inconsistencies in notation, leading to essentially incorrect expressions in cases of moderate and strong electron-phonon (el-ph) coupling strengths. A corrected lineshape function L(ω) is given that retains the computational and intuitive advantages of the expression of Hayes et al. [J. Phys. Chem. 98, 7337 (1994)]. Although the corrected lineshape function could be used in modeling studies of various optical spectra, we suggest that it is better to calculate the lineshape function numerically, without introducing the mean-phonon approximation. New theoretical fits of the P870 and P960 absorption bands and frequency-dependent resonant HB spectra of Rb. sphaeroides and Rps. viridis reaction centers are provided as examples to demonstrate the importance of correct lineshape expressions. Comparison with the previously determined el-ph coupling parameters [Johnson et al., J. Phys. Chem. 94, 5849 (1990); Lyle et al., ibid. 97, 6924 (1993); Reddy et al., ibid. 97, 6934 (1993)] is also provided. The new fits lead to modified el-ph coupling strengths and different frequencies of the special pair marker mode, ωsp, for Rb. sphaeroides that could be used in the future for more advanced calculations of absorption and HB spectra obtained for various bacterial reaction centers.