bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isolation, synthesis, and biological activity of tomentosenol A from the leaves of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa
Authors: Liu Hong-Xin , Zhang Wei-Min , Xu Zhi-Fang , Chen Yu-Chan , Tan Hai-Bo , Qiu Sheng-Xiang
Published: March 2016

Tomentosenol A (1), along with a pair of epimers, 4S-focifolidione (2) and 4R-focifolidione (3), were isolated from the leaves of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa.
High-field emission performance of a NiFe2O4/rGO/CNT tertiary nanocomposite
Authors: Hareesh K. , Suryawanshi Sachin R. , Shateesh B. , Phase Deodatta M. , Dahiwale Shailendra S. , Bhoraskar Vasanth N. , Haram Santhosh K. , More Mahendra A. , Dhole Sanjay D.
Published: March 2016

Herein, we report the field emission properties of NiFe2O4/reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotubes (NGC) and compared them with the field emission properties of NiFe2O4/carbon nanotubes (NC) and NiFe2O4/reduced graphene oxide (NG).
Nano-demixing as a novel strategy for magnetic field responsive systems: the case of dibutyl phosphate/bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine systems
Authors: Pochylski Mikolaj , Rossi Cesare Oliviero , Nicotera Isabella , Liveri Vincenzo Turco , Calandra Pietro
Published: March 2016

Pure surfactant liquids and their binary mixtures, owing to the amphiphilic nature of the molecules involved, can exhibit nano-segregation and peculiar transport properties with the formation of magnetic field-responsive supramolecular structures.
Rapid preparation of highly reliable PDMS double emulsion microfluidic devices
Authors: Li Shunbo , Gong Xiuqing , Mc Nally Ciara S. , Zeng Muling , Gaule Thembaninkosi , Anduix-Canto Clara , Kulak Alexander N. , Bawazer Lukmaan A. , McPherson Michael J. , Meldrum Fiona C.
Published: March 2016

This article presents a simple and highly reliable method for preparing PDMS microfluidic double emulsion devices that employs a single-step oxidative plasma treatment to both pattern the wettability of the microchannels and to bond the chips.
Improving the thermal stability, electroactive β phase crystallization and dielectric constant of NiO nanoparticle/C–NiO nanocomposite embedded flexible poly(vinylidene fluoride) thin films
Authors: Thakur Pradip , Kool Arpan , Hoque Nur Amin , Bagchi Biswajoy , Roy Swagata , Sepay Nayim , Das Sukhen , Nandy Papiya
Published: March 2016

Increasing β phase nucleation and formation of microcapacitors in flexible high dielectric NiO NPs/C–NiO NCs modified PVDF films.
A novel red to transmissive electrochromic polymer based on phenanthrocarbazole
Authors: Atakan G. , Gunbas G.
Published: March 2016

This work describes the synthesis of a novel red to transmissive electrochromic polymer with high optical contrast and fast switching times.
A drug release switch based on protein-inhibitor supramolecular interaction
Authors: Wang Xiaoliang , Liu Pengchang , Chen Zhijun , Shen Jiacong
Published: March 2016

The cargo release can be triggered by the specific interaction between the protein and its inhibitor.
Synthesis and self-assembly behaviour of poly(Nα-Boc-l-tryptophan)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(Nα-Boc-l-tryptophan)
Authors: Voda Andreea S. , Magniez Kevin , Salim Nisa V. , Wong Cynthia , Guo Qipeng
Published: March 2016

We report for the first time the use of Nα-Boc-l-tryptophan for the synthesis of amphiphilic BAB triblock copolymers for potential drug delivery applications.
Highly selective ratiometric fluorescent recognition of histidine by tetraphenylethene–terpyridine–Zn(ii) complexes
Authors: Du Jiao , Yu Shanshan , Huang Zeng , Chen Liming , Xu Yimang , Zhang Guanyu , Chen Qi , Yu Xiaoqi , Pu Lin
Published: March 2016

Fluorescent detection of histidine is achieved with distinctive color change from yellow to blue by using the Zn(ii) complexes of the terpyridine–tetraphenylethene conjugates.
The stimulation of osteogenic differentiation of embryoid bodies from human induced pluripotent stem cells by akermanite bioceramics
Authors: Dong Xixi , Li Haiyan , Zhou Yanling , Ou Long , Cao Junkai , Chang Jiang
Published: March 2016

We report the stimulation of osteogenic differentiation of embryoid body (EB) cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by akermanite bioceramics.
Improving organic memory performance through mounting conjugated branches on a triphenylamine core
Authors: Shi Erbo , He Jinghui , Zhuang Hao , Liu Hongzhang , Zheng Yuanfang , Li Hua , Xu Qingfeng , Zheng Junwei , Lu Jianmei
Published: March 2016

The devices based on TPA-nBBT all exhibited binary SRAM characteristics while their stability and reproducibility can be improved and the operation voltages can be lowered sequentially with increase of branch numbers.
Validation of the Chinese Translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire and Its Short Form
Authors: Ou Hua , Wen Bei , Perreau Ann , Kim Elaine , Tyler Richard
Published: March 2016

Purpose

Few questionnaires address how to measure spatial hearing ability in complex listening situations. The purpose of the study was (a) to validate the Chinese translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire (C-SHQ) among Chinese participants and (b) to provide a shortened version for the purpose of clinical screening.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study. The C-SHQ was developed from the process of translation and back-translation of the original 24-item, English version (Tyler, Perreau, & Ji, 2009). The C-SHQ was administered to 146 patients at the Department of Otolaryngology Clinic of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital between October 2013 and May 2014 at Sichuan, China. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability tests were performed for the full version, and confirmatory factor analysis was applied for the shortened version of the C-SHQ.

Results

The exploratory factor analysis revealed scores loaded on 3 similar factors compared with the original SHQ. The internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's α = 0.99). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a shortened version of 12 items is sufficient to measure spatial hearing abilities.

Conclusions

The C-SHQ and its short form are both reliable and valid questionnaires, which are suitable for both research and clinical settings to measure spatial hearing ability in the Chinese population.
Blind estimation of pseudo‐random codes in periodic long code direct sequence spread spectrum signals
Authors: Gu Xiaowei , Zhao Zhijin , Shen Lei
Published: March 2016

An estimation method of pseudo‐random (PN) codes in the periodic long code direct sequence spread spectrum signals using a pair of spreading code and scrambling code [i.e. long scrambling code direct sequence spread spectrum (LSC‐DSSS)] is investigated in this study. Via the investigation of properties of triple correlation function (TCF) of m‐sequences, the existence of common peaks in the TCFs of different m‐sequences is proved, and the corresponding relationship between common peaks and primitive polynomials is further investigated. Four theorems are proposed as supplements of triple correlation theory and a novel estimation algorithm of the PN codes in LSC‐DSSS signals is put forward on the basis of the theorems. With certain carrier frequency and chip rate of spreading code, this algorithm first eliminates the influence of information codes through delay‐and‐multiply operation. Then the TCF of signal is calculated, and the two PN codes in signal are successfully estimated finally by searching and using the common peak coordinates in the TCF. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits excellent performance in estimating PN codes in LSC‐DSSS signals.
Performance analysis of massive multiuser multiple‐input multiple‐output systems with block diagonalisation
Authors: Tran Tuong Xuan , Teh Kah Chan
Published: March 2016

In this study, the authors present asymptotic capacity analysis of block diagonalisation (BD)‐precoding and BD with space‐time block code schemes for future wireless communication systems. Assuming that the number of base station antennas N and the number of antennas per user M are large while their ratio remains bounded, the capacity expressions for these two schemes are derived in both cases of perfect channel state information (CSI) and imperfect CSI, respectively. Based on this, the authors obtain the optimal number of user terminals K to be served by the system. Closed‐form expressions of the optimum training length based on the basic system parameters are derived for practical implementation. The accuracy of the analysis is validated by numerical results with different parameter settings. It has been shown that the capacity expressions are accurate even for small M.
Optimal error analysis of receive diversity schemes on arbitrarily correlated Rayleigh fading channels
Authors: Akuon Peter O. , Xu Hongjun
Published: March 2016

A simple optimal error analysis of multiple‐branch equal gain combining (EGC) and selection combining (SC) in the presence of arbitrarily correlated Rayleigh fading channels is presented. It is shown that the error rates over correlated branches for diversity combining schemes can be analysed at the output of an eigenfilter splitter, which is placed at the output of the diversity combiner. Since the outputs of the splitter are uncorrelated, the error analysis of maximal ratio combining (MRC) technique is applied to EGC and SC. This analysis is possible since error performance of MRC with correlated branches is optimal and invariant to eigenfilter or eigenvector decorrelation and the decorrelated outputs can simply be analysed similar to independent branches. The authors exploit extensive simulations for average bit error probability, which show tight bounds with the proposed analytical approach. Channel correlations for different practical antenna spacing of 0.15, 0.2 and 0.5 of the signal carrier wavelength, λ are analysed.
Joint optimal power allocation and relay selection to establish secure transmission in uplink transmission of untrusted relays network
Authors: Kuhestani Ali , Mohammadi Abbas , Masoudi Meysam
Published: March 2016

In this paper, the authors deal with secure transmission in two‐hop amplify‐and‐forward network with untrusted relays. To prevent the untrusted relays from intercepting the source message and to achieve positive secrecy rate, the destination‐based cooperative jamming technique is used. The authors propose joint secure best relay selection (BRS) and optimal power allocation (OPA) for uplink transmission of a cellular network when the base station is equipped with very large‐scale antenna arrays. Then, the common performance metrics such as ergodic secrecy rate (ESR) and secrecy outage probability are evaluated for the optimised network. Moreover, the diversity order and diversity‐multiplexing tradeoff of the system are examined. The authors obtain that the diversity order of joint BRS and OPA scenario is equal to number of relays. Finally, some numerical and simulation results are presented to validate the theoretical analysis and to show the advantages offered by the presented systems. They reveal interesting results that, by increasing number of untrusted relay nodes, the system performance improves. For example, for target ESR 2 bits/s/Hz and ten untrusted relay nodes, the optimised network saves about 5 dB for uplink transmission, in comparison with the system applying the BRS and equal power allocation.
Respiratory tract toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes on mice after intranasal exposure
Authors: Sukwong Patinya , Somkid Koravit , Kongseng Supunsa , Pissuwan Dakrong , Yoovathaworn Krongtong
Published: March 2016

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2‐NPs) and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been used in various industrial and household products. Due to their small size they may be able to penetrate into the body and interfere with cell function and biological structure, which raises serious concerns regarding the possible adverse health effects on human beings from inhalation exposure to TiO2‐NPs and MWCNTs. To evaluate the toxicological effects of TiO2‐NPs and MWCNTs on the respiratory system, intranasal exposure of TiO2‐NPs and MWCNTs in mice was performed. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein content, and pro‐inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor‐alpha and interleukin‐6) into the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice was measured at 24 h post‐intranasal instillation. The ICR (Institute for Cancer Research) mouse strain was used as a model. A significant induction of LDH was found in ICR mice treated with TiO2‐NPs and MWCNTs at a concentration of 500 µg (kg bw)−1. However, a higher degree of induction was detected in mice treated with TiO2‐NPs than the ones that were treated with MWCNTs. In contrast, MWCNTs at the same concentration had more effect on the release of protein content and pro‐inflammatory cytokines. The results in this work also suggest that the toxic effects of both TiO2‐NPs and MWCNTs on the respiratory tract depend on their concentration. A higher concentration of both particles mostly induced the production of inflammatory signals.
Active cancellation of residual amplitude modulation in a frequency-modulation based Fabry-Perot interferometer
Authors: Yu Yinan , Wang Yicheng , Pratt Jon R.
Published: March 2016

Residual amplitude modulation (RAM) is one of the most common noise sources known to degrade the sensitivity of frequency modulation spectroscopy. RAM can arise as a result of the temperature dependent birefringence of the modulator crystal, which causes the orientation of the crystal’s optical axis to shift with respect to the polarization of the incident light with temperature. In the fiber-based optical interferometer used on the National Institute of Standards and Technology calculable capacitor, RAM degrades the measured laser frequency stability and correlates with the environmental temperature fluctuations. We have demonstrated a simple approach that cancels out excessive RAM due to polarization mismatch between the light and the optical axis of the crystal. The approach allows us to measure the frequency noise of a heterodyne beat between two lasers individually locked to different resonant modes of a cavity with an accuracy better than 0.5 ppm, which meets the requirement to further determine the longitudinal mode number of the cavity length. Also, this approach has substantially mitigated the temperature dependency of the measurements of the cavity length and consequently the capacitance.
A practical biogas based energy neutral home system for rural communities of Bangladesh
Authors: Das C. K. , Ehsan M. A. , Kader M. A. , Alam M. J. , Shafiullah GM
Published: March 2016

Growing demand of energy consumption, subsequent increase in energy generation costs, and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as global warming from the conventional energy sources, encourages interest worldwide to bring a higher percentage of renewable energy sources such as biogas into the energy mix to build a climate friendly environment for the future. Moreover, due to high investment and maintenance costs, governments are not providing enough support for grid extension and delivering electricity to remote locations or rural areas, in particular, in under-developing countries like Bangladesh. Therefore, this paper presents an Energy Neutral Home System (ENHS) that can meet all its energy requirements from low-cost, locally available, nonpolluting biogas generated from animal waste, in particular, chicken and cow manure. The proposed ENHS has been developed for rural community, typically an area of 200 families, and will not only provide cooking gas and sustainable and affordable power supply to the community with low emissions, but will also facilitate high quality fertilizer for agricultural purposes. In-depth analysis clearly demonstrates that the proposed ENHS not only offers electricity and cooking gas to the community with the lowest costs, but also reduces the energy crisis and GHG emissions and can play an active role in developing socio-economic infrastructure of rural communities in Bangladesh in many ways.
Electrically tunable optical bistability based on one-dimensional photonic crystals with nonlinear nanocomposite materials
Authors: Moslemi F. , Jamshidi-Ghaleh K.
Published: March 2016

A one-dimensional photonic crystal structure with a nonlinear metal-dielectric nanocomposite defect layer is proposed to control the optical bistability (OB) of the transmitted wave by tuning the externally applied dc electric field. Using the transfer matrix method for dielectric layers and solving the Helmholtz nonlinear equation in the nonlinear composite layer, the linear transmittance spectrum and the nonlinear transmission curve are illustrated graphically for different applied fields. A field-dependent defect mode is observed in the linear transmittance spectrum. Consequently, the OB switch-up and -down thresholds can be manipulated via the applied field intensity. Due to the field dependence of composite layer refractive index, the physical response of the observation is the dynamical shifting of the defect mode. Moreover, it is shown that the volume fraction, shape, and type of the embedded nanoparticles as well as the kind of the dielectric host have large influences on the OB threshold. The proposed structure has significant potential applications in optical integrated devices.
A numerical thermal growth model for prediction of microalgae production in photobioreactors
Authors: Yuan Shuo , Zhou Xinping , Ochieng Reccab M. , Zhou Xiangdong
Published: March 2016

A thermal growth model for microalgae that are not heavier than water with the consideration of heat transfer and growth-temperature dependence in photobioreactor (PBR) is developed. The microalgae growth performance is studied, and influences of various parameters on the performance are examined. Improved methods are proposed to increase the biomass concentration in the PBR. Results show large increase in biomass productivity due to the addition of a mixer in the PBR, and slightly larger increase in productivity when cultivating microalgae at several middle layers with a mixer and filter membranes. Some layers in the PBR may effectively act as insulation layers in this case. This work lays a solid foundation for further study on the effect of the mixing on the growth and productivity of microalgae in the PBR.
Degradation of organometallic perovskite solar cells induced by trap states
Authors: Song Dandan , Ji Jun , Li Yaoyao , Li Guanying , Li Meicheng , Wang Tianyue , Wei Dong , Cui Peng , He Yue , Mbengue Joseph Michel
Published: March 2016

The degradation of organometallic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is the key bottleneck hampering their development, which is typically ascribed to the decomposition of perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3). In this work, the degradation of PSCs is observed to be significant, with the decrease in efficiency from 18.2% to 11.5% in ambient air for 7 days. However, no obvious decomposition or structural evolution of the perovskite was observed, except the notable degradation phenomenon of the device. The degradation of PSCs derives from deteriorated photocurrent and fill factor, which are proven to be induced by increased trap states for enlarged carrier recombination in degraded PSCs. The increased trap states in PSCs over storage time are probably induced by the increased defects at the surface of perovskite. The trap states induced degradation provides a physical insight into the degradation mechanisms of PSCs. Moreover, as the investigations were performed on real PSCs instead of individual perovskite films, the findings here present one of their actual degradation mechanisms.
Measurement and analysis of internal loss and injection efficiency for continuous-wave blue semipolar (202¯1¯) III-nitride laser diodes with chemically assisted ion beam etched facets
Authors: Becerra Daniel L. , Kuritzky Leah Y. , Nedy Joseph , Saud Abbas Arwa , Pourhashemi Arash , Farrell Robert M. , Cohen Daniel A. , DenBaars Steven P. , Speck James S. , Nakamura Shuji
Published: March 2016

Continuous-wave blue semipolar (202¯1¯) III-nitride laser diodes were fabricated with highly vertical, smooth, and uniform mirror facets produced by chemically assisted ion beam etching. Uniform mirror facets are a requirement for accurate experimental determination of internal laser parameters, including internal loss and injection efficiency, which were determined to be 9 cm−1 and 73%, respectively, using the cavity length dependent method. The cavity length of the uncoated devices was varied from 900 μm to 1800 μm, with threshold current densities ranging from 3 kA/cm2 to 9 kA/cm2 and threshold voltages ranging from 5.5 V to 7 V. The experimentally determined internal loss was found to be in good agreement with a calculated value of 9.5 cm−1 using a 1D mode solver. The loss in each layer was calculated and in light of the analysis several modifications to the laser design are proposed.
Faceting diagram for sticky steps
Authors: Akutsu Noriko
Published: March 2016

Faceting diagrams for the step-faceting zone, the step droplet zone, and the Gruber-Mullins-Pokrovsky-Talapov (GMPT) zone for a crystal surface are obtained by using the density matrix renormalization group method to calculate the surface tension. The model based on these calculations is the restricted solid-on-solid (RSOS) model with a point-contact-type step-step attraction (p-RSOS model) on a square lattice. The point-contact-type step-step attraction represents the energy gain obtained by forming a bonding state with orbital overlap at the meeting point of the neighboring steps. In the step-faceting zone, disconnectedness in the surface tension leads to the formation of a faceted macrostep on a vicinal surface at equilibrium. The disconnectedness in the surface tension also causes the first-order shape transition for the equilibrium shape of a crystal droplet. The lower zone boundary line (ZBL), which separates the step-faceting zone and the step droplet zone, is obtained by the condition γ1=limn→∞γn/n, where γn is the step tension of the n-th merged step. The upper ZBL, which separates the GMPT zone and the step droplet zone, is obtained by the condition Aq,eff = 0 and Bq,eff = 0, where Aq,eff and Bq,eff represent the coefficients for the |q→|2 term and the |q→|3 term, respectively, in the |q→|-expanded form of the surface free energy feff(q→). Here, q→ is the surface gradient relative to the (111) surface. The reason why the vicinal surface inclined in the 〈101〉 direction does not exhibit step-faceting is explained in terms of the one-dimensional spinless quasi-impenetrable attractive bosons at absolute zero.
Exchange-coupling behavior in nanostructured FePt/Fe bilayer films
Authors: Liu Y. , Sellmyer D. J.
Published: March 2016

Different thicknesses of FePt/Fe bilayer films are deposited on (001) MgO substrates by sputtering Fe and Pt targets with in-situ heating at 830OC. X-ray diffraction indicates a complete alignment of the FePt [001] axis with MgO [001] axis. The nucleation field Hn is estimated from hysteresis loops measured using a SQUID magnetometer. A FePt/Fe bilayer model is proposed to calculate the nucleation field Hn and compared with the experimental data. The model can explain experimental trends and gives useful predictions for nanostructure synthesis and further experiment.
Nickel-zinc ferrite/permalloy (Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/Ni-Fe) soft magnetic nanocomposites fabricated by electro-infiltration
Authors: Wen Xiao , Kelly Stefan J. , Andrew Jennifer S. , Arnold David P.
Published: March 2016

Magnetically soft NiZn ferrite (Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) nanoparticles are embedded within a permalloy (Ni-Fe) matrix via an electro-infiltration process as thin films intended for use as on-chip inductor cores in the MHz frequency regime. A layer of NiZn ferrite nanoparticles is first deposited, and then permalloy is electroplated through the voids to encapsulate the particles and form three-dimensional ferrite/alloy nanocomposites. The composites are estimated to contain 37% ferrite by volume and exhibit a relative permeability of ∼320, a saturation of ∼1.15 T, and an operational bandwidth of 93 MHz. Compared to a permalloy thin film of similar thickness, the nanocomposite exhibits 39% higher electrical resistivity and 50% higher bandwidth.
When are metal complexes bioavailable?
Authors: Zhao Chun-Mei , Campbell Peter G.C. , Wilkinson Kevin J.
Published: March 2016

Environmental contextThe concentration of a free metal cation has proved to be a useful predictor of metal bioaccumulation and toxicity, as represented by the free ion activity and biotic ligand models. However, under certain circumstances, metal complexes have been shown to contribute to metal bioavailability. In the current mini-review, we summarise the studies where the classic models fail and organise them into categories based on the different uptake pathways and kinetic processes. Our goal is to define the limits within which currently used models such as the biotic ligand model (BLM) can be applied with confidence, and to identify how these models might be expanded.
AbstractNumerous data from studies over the past 30 years have shown that metal uptake and toxicity are often best predicted by the concentrations of free metal cations, which has led to the development of the largely successful free-ion activity model (FIAM) and biotic ligand model (BLM). Nonetheless, some exceptions to these classical models, showing enhanced metal bioavailability in the presence of metal complexes, have also been documented, although it is not yet fully understood to what extent these exceptions can or should be generalised. Only a few studies have specifically measured the bioaccumulation or toxicity of metal complexes while carefully measuring or controlling metal speciation. Fewer still have verified the fundamental assumptions of the classical models, especially when dealing with metal complexes. In the current paper, we have summarised the exceptions to classical models and categorised them into five groups based on the fundamental uptake pathways and kinetic processes. Our aim is to summarise the mechanisms involved in the interaction of metal complexes with organisms and to improve the predictive capability of the classic models when dealing with complexes.
Judicial Review of Executive Power in the Singaporean Context, 1965–2012
Authors: Chua Lynette J. , Haynie Stacia L.
Published: March 2016

This article provides the first empirical analysis of court decisions that review the exercise of executive power, or judicial review, in Singapore, a single-party-dominated state known for its use of law to achieve economic progress and curtail civil-political liberties. Our findings suggest that judicial review could have the effect of buttressing the ruling party’s legitimacy while deferring to the executive’s curtailment of dissent and civil-political liberties, thus reinforcing the political status quo. We also find judicial review to be a scarcely utilized recourse. The article contributes to the study of law and courts, particularly administrative law in nonliberal regimes.
Final report on bilateral supplementary comparison APMP.M.P-S5 in hydraulic gauge pressure from 1 MPa to 10 MPa
Authors: Yue J , Yang Y , Sabuga W
Published: March 2016

This report summarizes the results of the Asia-Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) supplementary comparison APMP.M.P-S5 for hydraulic gauge pressure in the range of 1 MPa to 10 MPa, which is a bilateral comparison carried out at the National Institute of Metrology, China (NIM) and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany (PTB) during the period June 2014 to June 2015. NIM piloted the comparison and provided the transfer standard, which was a piston-cylinder assembly (PCA) of 1 cm2 nominal effective area built in a hydraulic pressure balance manufactured by Fluke Corporation. The laboratory standards of NIM and PTB are both hydraulic pressure balances equipped with PCAs, of which the nominal effective area is 1 cm2 for NIM and 5 cm2 for PTB. The results of the comparison successfully demonstrated that the hydraulic gauge pressure standards of NIM and PTB in the range of 1 MPa to 10 MPa are equivalent within their claimed uncertainties.

Main text

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Maximization of ICRF power by SOL density tailoring with local gas injection
Authors: Jacquet P. , Goniche M. , Bobkov V. , Lerche E. , Pinsker R.I. , Pitts R.A. , Zhang W. , Colas L. , Hosea J. , Moriyama S. , Wang S.-J. , Wukitch S. , Zhang X. , Bilato R. , Bufferand H. , Guimarais L. , Faugel H. , Hanson G.R. , Kocan M. , Monakhov I. , Noterdaeme J.-M. , Petrzilka V. , Shaw A. , Stepanov I. , Sips A.C.C. , Van Eester D. , Wauters T.
Published: March 2016

Experiments have been performed under the coordination of the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) on several tokamaks, including ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), JET and DIII-D, to characterize the increased Ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) antenna loading achieved by optimizing the position of gas injection relative to the RF antennas. On DIII-D, AUG and JET (with the ITER-Like Wall) a 50% increase in the antenna loading was observed when injecting deuterium in ELMy H-mode plasmas using mid-plane inlets close to the powered antennas instead of divertor injection and, with smaller improvement when using gas inlets located at the top of the machine. The gas injection rate required for such improvements (~0.7  ×  1022 el s−1 in AUG, ~1.0  ×  1022 el s−1 in JET) is compatible with the use of this technique to optimize ICRF heating during the development of plasma scenarios and no degradation of confinement was observed when using the mid-plane or top inlets compared with divertor valves. An increase in the scrape-off layer (SOL) density was measured when switching gas injection from divertor to outer mid-plane or top. On JET and DIII-D, the measured SOL density increase when using main chamber puffing is consistent with the antenna coupling resistance increase provided that the distance between the measurement lines of sight and the injection location is taken into account. Optimized gas injection was also found to be beneficial for reducing tungsten (W) sputtering at the AUG antenna limiters, and also to reduce slightly the W and nickel (Ni) content in JET plasmas. Modeling the specific effects of divertor/top/mid-plane injection on the outer mid-plane density was carried out using both the EDGE2D-EIRENE and EMC3-EIRENE plasma boundary code packages; simulations indeed indicate that outer mid-plane gas injection maximizes the density in the mid-plane close to the injection point with qualitative agreement with the AUG SOL density measurements for EMC3-EIRENE. Field line tracing for ITER in the 15 MA Q
DT  =  10 reference scenario indicates that the planned gas injection system could be used to tailor the density in front the antennas. Benchmarking of EMC3-EIRENE against AUG and JET data is planned as a first step towards the ITER SOL modelling required to quantify the effect of gas injection on the SOL density in front of the antennas.
Investigations of turbulent transport and intrinsic torque of toroidal momentum at the edge of J-TEXT tokamak with electrode biasing
Authors: Sun Yue , Chen Z.P. , Zhuang G. , Wang L. , Liu H. , Wang Z.J.
Published: March 2016

The influences of electrode biasing (EB) on toroidal rotation and turbulent (toroidal) momentum transport at the plasma edge have been experimentally studied in the J-TEXT tokamak. In the absence of bias (i.e. the bias current I
b  =  0 A), plasma toroidal rotation at the edge of the confined region is intrinsically towards the co-I
p direction (parallel to plasma current); in the presence of bias, edge rotation can be greatly modified, and shows positive correlation with the bias current. As the dominant term in the turbulent momentum flux, the toroidal-radial Reynolds stress term is found to give rise to an intrinsic torque in the experiments. The local momentum balance is provided by a viscous damping-like term on the velocity. Moreover, the existence of intrinsic torque at the edge is directly verified by cancelling out the local rotation under negative bias (I
b  ≈  −60 A). The corresponding intrinsic torque density at the plasma edge is about 0.65 N m−2, in the co-I
p direction. Further comparison shows that this intrinsic torque can be reasonably explained by the measured residual stress, providing direct evidence for the hypothesis that the residual stress is the origin of the intrinsic rotation.
Rectifiability and elliptic measures on 1-sided NTA domains with Ahlfors-David regular boundaries
Authors: Akman Murat , Badger Matthew , Hofmann Steve , Martell José María
Published: March 2016

Let

Ω
⊂

R

n
+
1

\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^{n+1}

,

n
≥
2

n\geq 2

, be a 1-sided NTA domain (also known as a uniform domain), i.e., a domain which satisfies interior corkscrew and Harnack chain conditions, and assume that

∂
Ω

\partial \Omega

is

n
n

-dimensional Ahlfors-David regular. We characterize the rectifiability of

∂
Ω

\partial \Omega

in terms of the absolute continuity of surface measure with respect to harmonic measure. We also show that these are equivalent to the fact that

∂
Ω

\partial \Omega

can be covered

H

n

\mathcal {H}^n

-a.e. by a countable union of portions of boundaries of bounded chord-arc subdomains of

Ω
\Omega

and to the fact that

∂
Ω

\partial \Omega

possesses exterior corkscrew points in a qualitative way

H

n

\mathcal {H}^n

-a.e. Our methods apply to harmonic measure and also to elliptic measures associated with real symmetric second order divergence form elliptic operators with locally Lipschitz coefficients whose derivatives satisfy a natural qualitative Carleson condition.
The influence of normal stress and sliding velocity on the frictional behaviour of calcite at room temperature: insights from laboratory experiments and microstructural observations
Authors: Carpenter B.M. , Collettini C. , Viti C. , Cavallo A.
Published: March 2016

The presence of calcite in and near faults, as the dominant material, cement, or vein fill, indicates that the mechanical behaviour of carbonate-dominated material likely plays an important role in shallow- and mid-crustal faulting. To better understand the behaviour of calcite, under loading conditions relevant to earthquake nucleation, we sheared powdered gouge of Carrara Marble, >98 per cent CaCO3, at constant normal stresses between 1 and 100 MPa under water-saturated conditions at room temperature. We performed slide-hold-slide tests, 1–3000 s, to measure the amount of static frictional strengthening and creep relaxation, and velocity-stepping tests, 0.1–1000 μm s–1, to evaluate frictional stability. We observe that the rates of frictional strengthening and creep relaxation decrease with increasing normal stress and diverge as shear velocity is increased from 1 to 3000 μm s–1 during slide-hold-slide experiments. We also observe complex frictional stability behaviour that depends on both normal stress and shearing velocity. At normal stresses less than 20 MPa, we observe predominantly velocity-neutral friction behaviour. Above 20 MPa, we observe strong velocity-strengthening frictional behaviour at low velocities, which then evolves towards velocity-weakening friction behaviour at high velocities. Microstructural analyses of recovered samples highlight a variety of deformation mechanisms including grain size reduction and localization, folding of calcite grains and fluid-assisted diffusion mass transfer processes promoting the development of calcite nanograins in the highly deformed portions of the experimental fault. Our combined analyses indicate that calcite fault gouge transitions from brittle to semi-brittle behaviour at high normal stress and slow sliding velocities. This transition has important implications for earthquake nucleation and propagation on faults in carbonate-dominated lithologies.
A Model for Integrating Ambulatory Surgery Centers Into an Academic Health System Using a Novel Ambulatory Surgery Coordinating Council
Authors: Ishii Lisa , Pronovost Peter J. , Demski Renee , Wylie Gill , Zenilman Michael
Published: March 2016

Problem

An increasing volume of ambulatory surgeries has led to an increase in the number of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Some academic health systems have aligned with ASCs to create a more integrated care delivery system. Yet, these centers are diverse in many areas, including specialty types, ownership models, management, physician employment, and regulatory oversight. Academic health systems then face challenges in integrating these ASCs into their organizations.

Approach

Johns Hopkins Medicine created the Ambulatory Surgery Coordinating Council in 2014 to manage, standardize, and promote peer learning among its eight ASCs. The Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality provided support and a model for this organization through its quality management infrastructure. The physician-led council defined a mission and created goals to identify best practices, uniformly provide the highest-quality patient-centered care, and continuously improve patient outcomes and experience across ASCs.

Outcomes

Council members built trust and agreed on a standardized patient safety and quality dashboard to report measures that include regulatory, care process, patient experience, and outcomes data. The council addressed unintentional outcomes and process variation across the system and agreed to standard approaches to optimize quality. Council members also developed a process for identifying future goals, standardizing care practices and electronic medical record documentation, and creating quality and safety policies.

Next Steps

The early success of the council supports the continuation of the Armstrong Institute model for physician-led quality management. Other academic health systems can learn from this model as they integrate ASCs into their complex organizations.
SPECTRAL DOMAIN-OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FINDINGS OF COMMOTIO RETINAE WITH ASSOCIATED SEROUS RETINAL DETACHMENT
Authors: Fein Jordana G. , Liang Michelle C.
Published: March 2016

Purpose:

To describe the appearance of a serous retinal detachment associated with commotio retinae on spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Methods:

Case report.

Results:

This case demonstrates the rare presentation of subretinal fluid in commotio retinae. Characteristic outer retinal changes associated with commotio retinae were also seen. Treatment was deferred and the subretinal fluid resolved within 1 week.

Conclusion:

Commotio retinae is rarely associated with a serous retinal detachment. This presentation is important to identify as it can avoid unnecessary workup and treatment.
Bartonella Endocarditis and Pauci-Immune Glomerulonephritis
Authors: Raybould Jillian E. , Raybould Alison L. , Morales Megan K. , Zaheer Misbah , Lipkowitz Michael S. , Timpone Joseph G. , Kumar Princy N.
Published: March 2016

Among culture-negative endocarditis in the United States, Bartonella species are the most common cause, with Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana comprising the majority of cases. Kidney manifestations, particularly glomerulonephritis, are common sequelae of infectious endocarditis, with nearly half of all Bartonella patients demonstrating renal involvement. Although a pauci-immune pattern is a frequent finding in infectious endocarditis–associated glomerulonephritis, it is rarely reported in Bartonella endocarditis. Anti–neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positivity can be seen with many pathogens causing endocarditis and has been previously reported with Bartonella species. In addition, ANCA-associated vasculitis can also present with renal and cardiac involvement, including noninfectious valvular vegetations and pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. Given the overlap in their clinical presentation, it is difficult to differentiate between Bartonella endocarditis and ANCA-associated vasculitis but imperative to do so to guide management decisions. We present a case of ANCA-positive Bartonella endocarditis with associated pauci-immune glomerulonephritis that was successfully treated with medical management alone.
Dispensing Practices in Health Care Facilities of Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Anteneh Zelalem Alamrew , Demilew Wubante , Gebeyehu Endalew
Published: March 2016

Background

Dispensing refers to the process of preparing medicines and distributing to users with provision of adequate information and counseling, in a safe and hygienic manner.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 406 clients with respective dispensing encounters from July 20 to August 20, 2013, among health care facilities. Multistage sampling technique was used. Data were collected by interview and observation using a structured questionnaire and a checklist. Logistic regression model was used.

Results

The average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was 1.79; percentage of drugs actually dispensed was 89.1%. The percentage of drugs adequately labeled was 32.2%, percentage of patients who had adequate knowledge on their drugs was 40.5%. The mean consultation and dispensing times were 50 seconds and 6.4 minutes, respectively. The percentage availability of key essential drugs was found to be 73.05%. Regarding the analytic part of the study, client counseling (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–4.56), premises (AOR, 8.41; 95% CI, 5.48–9.79), average consultation time (AOR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.44–4.77), and type of health care facilities (AOR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.63–5.73) were the statistically significant predictors of dispensing practice.

Conclusion

According to this study, drug dispensing practice based on World Health Organization indicators was not satisfactory. Differences in dispensary premises, counseling, average consultation time, and type of health care facilities were the main predictors of good dispensing practices. There is a strong need to improve dispensary premises, adequacy of labeling on dispensed medicine package, and client counseling on correct dosage schedule to promote good dispensing practices.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the Immunocompromised Host
Authors: Yacoub Abraham Tareq , Khwaja Sarah I. , Taiwo Talabi , Kim Ju Hee , Nanjappa Sowmya , Greene John N.
Published: March 2016

Pneumonia due to bacteria that do not grow well on routine culture media have been difficult to diagnose. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an infrequent cause of pneumonia in the adult population. As a cause of atypical pneumonia, along with Chlamydia pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila, it still makes up about a third of the cases of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Mycoplasma pneumoniae can cause mild atypical respiratory illness to severe disease requiring hospitalization. It has largely been seen as a disease of children and young adults younger than 30 years. With improved detection systems, more cases in older age groups are expected. This is especially true for immunosuppressed cancer patients who undergo polymerase chain reaction testing of the nasopharynx for respiratory infections. Although detection of Mycoplasma by polymerase chain reaction does not always indicate active infection, immunosuppressed patients who are at higher risk for severe disease and coinfection are more likely to require prompt therapy.
Loss of inhibitory tone on spinal cord dorsal horn spontaneously and nonspontaneously active neurons in a mouse model of neuropathic pain
Authors: Medrano Maria Carmen , Dhanasobhon Dhanasak , Yalcin Ipek , Schlichter Rémy , Cordero-Erausquin Matilde
Published: March 2016

Plasticity of inhibitory transmission in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) is believed to be a key mechanism responsible for pain hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain syndromes. We evaluated this plasticity by recording responses to mechanical stimuli in silent neurons (nonspontaneously active [NSA]) and neurons showing ongoing activity (spontaneously active [SA]) in the SDH of control and nerve-injured mice (cuff model). The SA and NSA neurons represented 59% and 41% of recorded neurons, respectively, and were predominantly wide dynamic range (WDR) in naive mice. Nerve-injured mice displayed a marked decrease in the mechanical threshold of the injured paw. After nerve injury, the proportion of SA neurons was increased to 78%, which suggests that some NSA neurons became SA. In addition, the response to touch (but not pinch) was dramatically increased in SA neurons, and high-threshold (nociceptive specific) neurons were no longer observed. Pharmacological blockade of spinal inhibition with a mixture of GABAA and glycine receptor antagonists significantly increased responses to innocuous mechanical stimuli in SA and NSA neurons from sham animals, but had no effect in sciatic nerve-injured animals, revealing a dramatic loss of spinal inhibitory tone in this situation. Moreover, in nerve-injured mice, local spinal administration of acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, restored responses to touch similar to those observed in naive or sham mice. These results suggest that a shift in the reversal potential for anions is an important component of the abnormal mechanical responses and of the loss of inhibitory tone recorded in a model of nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain.
Needs Assessment Survey for Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Colonoscopists for a Gastroenterology Community of Practice
Authors: Hopchik Jordan
Published: March 2016

Demand for colonoscopy exceeds capacity in the Veterans Health Administration and the private sector. A small number of innovative Veterans Affairs and private sector facilities have created colonoscopy-training fellowships for nurse practitioners and physician assistants (nonphysicians). Additionally, a gastroenterology community of practice might provide knowledge sharing and professional networking opportunities for nonphysician colonoscopists based on assessment of their need for professional activities. A critical appraisal of related literature pointed out key motivational and structural elements of communities of practice. The survey draft was reviewed by content experts and piloted by four nurse practitioner colonoscopists. Using snowball sampling, the survey was sent to nonphysician endoscopists to capture training experiences, interest in membership, and identified preferences for the structure and delivery of a community of practice. Although the sample size was small (N = 7), results validated similar training experiences and confirmed strong interest in launching a gastroenterology community of practice.