bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rice PCR1 influences grain weight and Zn accumulation in grains
Authors: Song Won‐Yong , Lee Hyun‐Sook , Jin Sang‐Rak , Ko Donghwi , Martinoia Enrico , Lee Youngsook , An Gynheung , Ahn Sang‐Nag
Published: April 2015

Proteins containing a placenta‐specific 8 domain (PLAC8) function as major organ size regulators in Solanum lycopersicum and Zea may, and putative metal ion transporters in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa and Brassica juncea. However, it is unknown how PLAC8 domain‐containing proteins fulfill such diverse roles. Here, we found that plant cadmium resistance 1 (PCR1) influences both zinc (Zn) accumulation and grain weight in rice. OsPCR1 knockout and knockdown lines produced lighter grains than the wild type, while OsPCR1 overexpression lines produced heavier grains. Furthermore, the grains of OsPCR1 knockdown lines exhibited substantially higher Zn and lower cadmium (Cd) concentrations than the control, as did yeast heterologously expressing OsPCR1. Through sequence analysis, we showed that the amino acid sequence of japonica‐type PCR1 was distinct from that of indica‐type and wild rice accessions. This difference was correlated with distinct Zn‐related phenotypes. Japonica‐type PCR1 had a shorter N‐terminus than did PCR1 in the other rice types, and yeast heterologously expressing japonica‐type PCR1 was more sensitive to Zn than was yeast expressing indica‐type PCR1. Furthermore, japonica‐type grains accumulated less Zn than did indica‐type grains. Our study suggests that rice PCR1 maintains metal ion homeostasis and grain weight and might have been selected for during domestication.
Are Workplace Friendships a Mixed Blessing? Exploring Tradeoffs of Multiplex Relationships and their Associations with Job Performance
Authors: Methot Jessica R. , Lepine Jeffery A. , Podsakoff Nathan P. , Christian Jessica Siegel
Published: April 2015

Theory and research note the ubiquity of multiplex workplace friendships—multifaceted relationships that superimpose friendship with work‐focused interactions—but it is unclear how they compel or hinder job performance. In a study of insurance company employees (n = 168), we found that the number of multiplex workplace friendships in one's social network is positively associated with supervisor ratings of job performance. However, we also found that there is a negative indirect effect on job performance through emotional exhaustion, which is offset, in part, through enhanced positive affect. Results of a second study of restaurant and retail sales employees (n = 182) provide greater insight into the positive and negative effects of multiplex workplace friendships. Specifically, these relationships enhanced job performance through trust but detracted from job performance through maintenance difficulty. Collectively, our results illustrate that having a large number of multiplex friendships at work is a mixed blessing. Although the provision and restoration of resources fostered by multiplex relationships benefits employee job performance, these benefits are muted somewhat by the personal resources they deplete.
One Shield, Two Responses: Anti‐U.S. Missile Defense Shield Protests in the Czech Republic and Poland
Authors: Biberman Yelena , Ocakli Feryaz
Published: April 2015

What is the role of civil society in geopolitical conflict? The crisis in Ukraine has, once again, raised questions over security in the post‐communist world. This article examines the puzzling variation in the antimissile defense shield protests in the Czech Republic and Poland (2007‐09) to elucidate the conditions under which civil society emerges as a significant actor in international politics. Activists in the Czech Republic staged seven times as many antishield protests as their Polish counterparts despite the two countries' similar levels of popular opposition to the project. The variation in the responses of the Polish and Czech activists resulted from the different material and legacy‐driven ideological constraints faced by the civil society organizations. The findings suggest that the scholarship on contentious civic activism should take organization‐level opportunities and constraints seriously when analyzing the impact of civil society on political processes.

Related Articles

Stegmaier, Mary, and
Klara Vlachova. 2009. “.” Politics & Policy 37 (): 799–820. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00199.x/abstract

Smyth, Regina. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 567–592. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12080/abstract

Ishiyama, John. 2006. “.” Politics & Policy 34 (): 3–29. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2006.00002.x/abstract

Related Media

. 2013. “.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LPdmxnBkIU

. 2008. “.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCGYT6fGesM

Biberman, Yelena. 2009. “.” http://russiaprofile.org/international/a1248803550/print_edition
Evaluation of the Food and Agriculture Sector Criticality Assessment Tool (FASCAT) and the Collected Data
Authors: Huff Andrew G. , Hodges James S. , Kennedy Shaun P. , Kircher Amy
Published: April 2015

To protect and secure food resources for the United States, it is crucial to have a method to compare food systems’ criticality. In 2007, the U.S. government funded development of the Food and Agriculture Sector Criticality Assessment Tool (FASCAT) to determine which food and agriculture systems were most critical to the nation. FASCAT was developed in a collaborative process involving government officials and food industry subject matter experts (SMEs). After development, data were collected using FASCAT to quantify threats, vulnerabilities, consequences, and the impacts on the United States from failure of evaluated food and agriculture systems. To examine FASCAT's utility, linear regression models were used to determine: (1) which groups of questions posed in FASCAT were better predictors of cumulative criticality scores; (2) whether the items included in FASCAT's criticality method or the smaller subset of FASCAT items included in DHS's risk analysis method predicted similar criticality scores. Akaike's information criterion was used to determine which regression models best described criticality, and a mixed linear model was used to shrink estimates of criticality for individual food and agriculture systems. The results indicated that: (1) some of the questions used in FASCAT strongly predicted food or agriculture system criticality; (2) the FASCAT criticality formula was a stronger predictor of criticality compared to the DHS risk formula; (3) the cumulative criticality formula predicted criticality more strongly than weighted criticality formula; and (4) the mixed linear regression model did not change the rank‐order of food and agriculture system criticality to a large degree.
Elliptic Springer theory
Authors: Ben-Zvi David , Nadler David
Published: April 2015

We introduce an elliptic version of the Grothendieck–Springer sheaf and establish elliptic analogues of the basic results of Springer theory. From a geometric perspective, our constructions specialize geometric Eisenstein series to the resolution of degree-zero, semistable $G$-bundles by degree-zero $B$-bundles over an elliptic curve $E$. From a representation theory perspective, they produce a full embedding of representations of the elliptic or double affine Weyl group into perverse sheaves with nilpotent characteristic variety on the moduli of $G$-bundles over $E$. The resulting objects are principal series examples of elliptic character sheaves, objects expected to play the role of character sheaves for loop groups.
Magnetic Bearing Using Rotation Magnetized Direction Configuration
Authors: Lijesh K. P. , Hirani Harish
Published: April 2015

Passive magnetic bearing (PMB), made of high remanence rare earth permanent magnets, is brittle in nature; therefore, precautions must be taken to reduce the chances of vibration transmitting to the permanent magnets. In the present work, a rotation magnetized direction (RMD) structure made of aluminum ring and square shaped magnetic pieces has been proposed. A comparative study of load carrying capacities of sector magnets and square magnets has been presented. Three-dimensional (3D) Coulombian model was solved to estimate the load carrying capacity. Theoretical and experimental studies on the load carrying capacities of full ring magnet (more prone to cracking) and the proposed structure have been presented to prove the superiority of the proposed structure. In addition to load capacity, comparison between amplitudes of vibration at different frequencies, orbit plots, and time taken for breakage of the magnets at the resonance frequency has been presented.
Enhanced Rotating Machine Fault Diagnosis Based on Time-Delayed Feedback Stochastic Resonance
Authors: Lu Siliang , He Qingbo , Zhang Haibin , Kong Fanrang
Published: April 2015

The fault-induced impulses with uneven amplitudes and durations are always accompanied with amplitude modulation and (or) frequency modulation, which leads to that the acquired vibration/acoustic signals for rotating machine fault diagnosis always present nonlinear and nonstationary properties. Such an effect affects precise fault detection, especially when the impulses are submerged in heavy background noise. To address this issue, a nonstationary weak signal detection strategy is proposed based on a time-delayed feedback stochastic resonance (TFSR) model. The TFSR is a long-memory system that can utilize historical information to enhance the signal periodicity in the feedback process, and such an effect is beneficial to periodic signal detection. By selecting the proper parameters including time delay, feedback intensity, and calculation step in the regime of TFSR, the weak signal, the noise, and the potential can be matched with each other to an extreme, and consequently a regular output waveform with low-noise interference can be obtained with the assistant of the distinct band-pass filtering effect. Simulation study and experimental verification are performed to evaluate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed TFSR method in comparison with a traditional stochastic resonance (SR) method. The proposed method is suitable for detecting signals with strong nonlinear and nonstationary properties and (or) being subjected to heavy multiscale noise interference.
Effects of Forward/Backward Whirl Mechanism on Nonlinear Normal Modes of a Rotor/Stator Rubbing System
Authors: Chen Yanhua , Jiang Jun
Published: April 2015

In this paper, the effects of forward and backward whirl mechanism on the existence and the stability of multiple nonlinear normal modes (NNMs) in a four degree-of-freedom (DOF) rotor/stator rubbing system with cross-coupling stiffness and dry friction are investigated analytically. The NNMs may possess either positive or negative modal frequencies, corresponding, respectively, to the inherent motions of forward or backward whirl, and can be either stable or unstable. The relationship between the NNMs, regarding to their stability, and the forced system responses of the system is of great interest. It is found that a stable NNM corresponds to a forced harmonic response with the same whirl direction and frequency as the NNM, and an unstable NNM may still influence some forced system responses by contributing a frequency component equal to the modal frequency to the response spectrum.
Optimization on microlattice materials for sound absorption by an integrated transfer matrix method
Authors: Cai Xiaobing , Yang Jun , Hu Gengkai
Published: April 2015

Materials with well-defined microlattice structures are superlight, stable, and thus bear great potential in sound absorption. An integrated transfer matrix method (TMM) is proposed to evaluate the sound absorbing efficiency of these lattice materials, in which a massive number of micropores are densely placed. A comparison between integrated TMM and conventional TMM reveals that the proposed approach offers better predictions on sound absorption of microlattice. This approach is then employed to optimize the microlattice material to determine the best pore and porosity that lead to maximum absorbing efficiency capability and minimum required thickness to attain a target sound absorption.
USA300 and USA500 Clonal Lineages of Staphylococcus aureus Do Not Produce a Capsular Polysaccharide Due to Conserved Mutations in the
cap5
Locus
Authors: Boyle-Vavra Susan , Li Xue , Alam Md Tauqeer , Read Timothy D. , Sieth Julia , Cywes-Bentley Colette , Dobbins Ginette , David Michael Z. , Kumar Neha , Eells Samantha J. , Miller Loren G. , Boxrud David J. , Chambers Henry F. , Lynfield Ruth , Lee Jean C. , Daum Robert S.
Published: April 2015

The surface capsular polysaccharide (CP) is a virulence factor that has been used as an antigen in several successful vaccines against bacterial pathogens. A vaccine has not yet been licensed against
Staphylococcus aureus
, although two multicomponent vaccines that contain CP antigens are in clinical trials. In this study, we evaluated CP production in USA300 methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
(MRSA) isolates that have become the predominant community-associated MRSA clones in the United States. We found that all 167 USA300 MRSA and 50 USA300 methicillin-susceptible
S. aureus
(MSSA) isolates were CP negative (CP
−
). Moreover, all 16 USA500 isolates, which have been postulated to be the progenitor lineage of USA300, were also CP
−
. Whole-genome sequence analysis of 146 CP
−
USA300 MRSA isolates revealed they all carry a
cap5
locus with 4 conserved mutations compared with strain Newman. Genetic complementation experiments revealed that three of these mutations (in the
cap5
promoter,
cap5D
nucleotide 994, and
cap5E
nucleotide 223) ablated CP production in USA300 and that Cap5E75 Asp, located in the coenzyme-binding domain, is essential for capsule production. All but three USA300 MSSA isolates had the same four
cap5
mutations found in USA300 MRSA isolates. Most isolates with a USA500 pulsotype carried three of these four USA300-specific mutations, suggesting the fourth mutation occurred in the USA300 lineage. Phylogenetic analysis of the
cap
loci of our USA300 isolates as well as publicly available genomes from 41 other sequence types revealed that the USA300-specific
cap5
mutations arose sequentially in
S. aureus
in a common ancestor of USA300 and USA500 isolates.

IMPORTANCE
The USA300 MRSA clone emerged as a community-associated pathogen in the United States nearly 20 years ago. Since then, it has rapidly disseminated and now causes health care-associated infections. This study shows that the CP-negative (CP
−
) phenotype has persisted among USA300 isolates and is a universal and characteristic trait of this highly successful MRSA lineage. It is important to note that a vaccine consisting solely of CP antigens would not likely demonstrate high efficacy in the U.S. population, where about half of MRSA isolates comprise USA300. Moreover, conversion of a USA300 strain to a CP-positive (CP
+
) phenotype is unlikely
in vivo
or
in vitro
since it would require the reversion of 3 mutations. We have also established that USA300 MSSA isolates and USA500 isolates are CP
−
and provide new insight into the evolution of the USA300 and USA500 lineages.
Quality improvement project using a care bundle approach on the management of the immediate discharge document (IDD) within a single general practice
Authors: Anderson Caroline , McNab Duncan
Published: April 2015

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme in Primary Care (SPSP-PC) aims to improve the medicines reconciliation process in primary care to help reduce the number of adverse events causing avoidable harm. [1] The aim of this project is to improve the process for handling Immediate Discharge Documents (IDDs) in a single practice and develop a protocol using the care bundle approach. The care bundle consisted of:

1. Medicines reconciled and repeat prescription updated

2. Follow up documented

3. Diagnosis coded

4. Were all actions completed?

A baseline audit was performed followed by three PDSA cycles. Interventions included: education at each cycle, decision that all Doctors would use the Medicines Reconciliation Polypharmacy LES template and constructing an electronic checklist for the care bundle. Compliance with the care bundle rose from 20% in the baseline measurement to 100% in PDSA cycles two and three.

In conclusion, a protocol was developed for the processing of IDDs utilizing the care bundle approach with an electronic checklist, resulting in an improvement in the practice management of IDDs.
Psychological Medicine in Bart’s: improving access and awareness
Authors: Pavlidou Areti
Published: April 2015

Providing good quality psychiatric services to patients who attend general hospital has been an area that has attracted a lot of interest.(1)(2) We know that more than one quarter of general hospital patients have a mental disorder, mental ill health impedes recovery from physical illness, and mental disorders are often unrecognised in patients with physical illness. By improving the quality of our service we hope that we can achieve better integration with the medical teams and thus tackle the aforementioned problems.(3)(4) In our trust, relevant work has been completed by the clinical health psychology team in Cardiac Rehabilitation wards.

Our liaison team provides psychiatric assessment and treatment to inpatients at St Bartholomew's hospital that have been referred to us by our medical colleagues. We first observed that not all the medical teams are fully aware of the referral process and that they were keen on having training sessions and further education on the area of psychological medicine. Another area that we focused on during this process was making sure that we maintained quality of service provision while our service was in transition due to relocation.

Ward based information sessions and meetings were held. An introductory session to psychiatry was also provided on medical induction. Information leaflets with referral process and contact numbers were produced for staff at ward level and for administrative support . A liaison psychiatry pathway was created to incorporate the changes that occurred after the relocation of our service. Following these interventions there was significant improvement among the staff in recognising and referring patients with psychiatric issues through the use of liaison psychiatry pathway. There was also increase in satisfaction amongst staff.

Education improves understanding and awareness of mental illness and a care pathway focuses attention on this area, improving patient safety and quality of care.(5)(6)
Crustal magnetic anomaly and Curie surface beneath Tarim Basin, China, and its adjacent area
Authors: Gao Guoming , Kang Guofa , Li Guangquan , Bai Chunhua
Published: April 2015

Based on the geomagnetic field model NGDC-720-V3 (National Geophysical Data Center), the distribution of crustal magnetic anomalies and the Curie surface beneath Tarim Basin, China, and its adjacent area were investigated. The results show that the spatial distribution of the magnetic anomalies in Tarim Basin coincides with the regional tectonic structure, i.e., a basin sandwiched between mountain ranges. Shallow parts of the Curie surface are located in uplifted zones of the basin and correspond well to high values of heat flow. In contrast, deep parts of the Curie surface, having low values of heat flow, are distributed along the depression zones of the basin. The Curie point depth is consistent with the measured heat flow value, with a correlation coefficient of 0.65.
Implications ofmiR166andmiR159induction to the basal response mechanisms of an andigena potato (Solanum tuberosumsubsp.andigena) to salinity stress, predicted from network models in Arabidopsis
Authors: Kitazumi Ai , Kawahara Yoshihiro , Onda Ty S. , De Koeyer David , de los Reyes Benildo G.
Published: April 2015

MicroRNA (miRNA) mediated changes in gene expression by post-transcriptional modulation of major regulatory transcription factors is a potent mechanism for integrating growth and stress-related responses. Exotic plants including many traditional varieties of Andean potatoes (Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigena) are known for better adaptation to marginal environments. Stress physiological studies confirmed earlier reports on the salinity tolerance potentials of certain andigena cultivars. Guided by the hypothesis that certain miRNAs play important roles in growth modulation under suboptimal conditions, we identified and characterized salinity stress-responsive miRNA-target gene pairs in the andigena cultivar Sullu by parallel analysis of noncoding and coding RNA transcriptomes. Inverse relationships were established by the reverse co-expression between two salinity stress-regulated miRNAs (miR166, miR159) and their target transcriptional regulators HD-ZIP-Phabulosa/Phavulota and Myb101, respectively. Based on heterologous models in Arabidopsis, the miR166–HD-ZIP-Phabulosa/Phavulota network appears to be involved in modulating growth perhaps by mediating vegetative dormancy, with linkages to defense-related pathways. The miR159–Myb101 network may be important for the modulation of vegetative growth while also controlling stress-induced premature transition to reproductive phase. We postulate that the induction of miR166 and miR159 under salinity stress represents important network hubs for balancing gene expression required for basal growth adjustments.
Multifractal Analysis and Relevance Vector Machine-Based Automatic Seizure Detection in Intracranial EEG
Authors: Zhang Yanli , Zhou Weidong , Yuan Shasha
Published: April 2015

Automatic seizure detection technology is of great significance for long-term electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring of epilepsy patients. The aim of this work is to develop a seizure detection system with high accuracy. The proposed system was mainly based on multifractal analysis, which describes the local singular behavior of fractal objects and characterizes the multifractal structure using a continuous spectrum. Compared with computing the single fractal dimension, multifractal analysis can provide a better description on the transient behavior of EEG fractal time series during the evolvement from interictal stage to seizures. Thus both interictal EEG and ictal EEG were analyzed by multifractal formalism and their differences in the multifractal features were used to distinguish the two class of EEG and detect seizures. In the proposed detection system, eight features (α0, αmin, αmax, Δα, f(α min ), f(α max ), Δf and R) were extracted from the multifractal spectrums of the preprocessed EEG to construct feature vectors. Subsequently, relevance vector machine (RVM) was applied for EEG patterns classification, and a series of post-processing operations were used to increase the accuracy and reduce false detections. Both epoch-based and event-based evaluation methods were performed to appraise the system's performance on the EEG recordings of 21 patients in the Freiburg database. The epoch-based sensitivity of 92.94% and specificity of 97.47% were achieved, and the proposed system obtained a sensitivity of 92.06% with a false detection rate of 0.34/h in event-based performance assessment.
When is the set of embeddings finite up to isotopy?
Authors: Skopenkov Mikhail
Published: April 2015

Given a manifold N and a number m, we study the following question: is the set of isotopy classes of embeddingsN → Smfinite? In case when the manifold N is a sphere the answer was given by A. Haefliger in 1966. In case when the manifold N is a disjoint union of spheres the answer was given by D. Crowley, S. Ferry and the author in 2011. We consider the next natural case when N is a product of two spheres. In the following theorem, FCS (i, j) ⊂ ℤ2 is a specific set depending only on the parity of i and j which is defined in the paper.

Theorem.Assume thatm > 2p + q + 2andm < p + 3q/2 + 2. Then the set of isotopy classes ofC1-smooth embeddingsSp × Sq → Smis infinite if and only if eitherq + 1orp + q + 1is divisible by 4, or there exists a point(x, y)in the set FCS (m - p - q, m - q)such that(m - p - q - 2)x + (m - q - 2)y = m - 3.

Our approach is based on a group structure on the set of embeddings and a new exact sequence, which in some sense reduces the classification of embeddings Sp × Sq → Sm to the classification of embeddings Sp+q ⊔ Sq → Sm and Dp × Sq → Sm. The latter classification problems are reduced to homotopy ones, which are solved rationally.
Area spectrum from quasinormal modes of a Lifshitz black hole in 2+1 dimensions
Authors: Fernando Sharmanthie
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we have studied the area and mass spectrum of a Lifshitz black hole in 2+1 dimensions. This black hole is obtained for conformal gravity in 2+1 dimensions and is asymptotic to z = 0 Lifshitz spacetime. Quasinormal modes (QNM) frequencies of the conformally coupled scalar field perturbations are employed for the purpose of analyzing the area spectrum of the black hole. We have used two methods: modified Hod's conjecture and Kunsttater's method. In both methods, the area and the mass spectrum is shown to be equally spaced. We compared our results with the area spectrum of the BTZ black hole and the z = 3 black hole and made suggestions to extend this work in the future.
A matrix model for QCD
Authors: Balachandran A. P. , Vaidya Sachindeo , de Queiroz Amilcar R.
Published: April 2015

Gribov's observation that global gauge fixing is impossible has led to suggestions that there may be a deep connection between gauge fixing and confinement. We find an unexpected relation between the topological nontriviality of the gauge bundle and colored states in SU (N) Yang–Mills theory, and show that such states are necessarily impure. We approximate QCD by a rectangular matrix model that captures the essential topological features of the gauge bundle, and demonstrate the impure nature of colored states explicitly. Our matrix model also allows the inclusion of the QCD θ-term, as well as to perform explicit computations of low-lying glueball masses. This mass spectrum is gapped.

Since an impure state cannot evolve to a pure one by a unitary transformation, our result shows that the solution to the confinement problem in pure QCD is fundamentally quantum information-theoretic.
A Power Efficient Test Data Compression Method on Count Compatible PRL Coding
Authors: Yuan Haiying , Mei Jiaping , Sun Xun , Cheng K. T. , Guo Kun
Published: April 2015

A realistic test sets compression method is proposed to effectively reduce test data volume and test application time during system-on-chip (SoC) scan testing, count compatible pattern run-length (CCPRL) coding method counts the consecutive number of the equal to or contrary to the retained patterns, it modifies the compatible code of variable-length pattern run-length (VPRL) coding rules and adds a count code block to replace original rules for increasing compression ratio. Next, the decoder architecture and the state diagram of finite state machine (FSM) are designed. In addition, the power model of test vectors is analyzed, and the power consumption of scanned-in vectors is roughly evaluated. The six largest ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits verify the proposed coding method has a shorter codeword. Experiment results shows that all compression ratios have been increased as much as possible, test data decompression is lossless, less test application time is consumed, yet the peak power and average power consumption of scanned-in test vector needs to be further improved for modern circuit scan testing.
Sound Radiation Inside an Acoustic Canyon with a Surface Sound Source Located at the Bottom
Authors: Szemela Krzysztof
Published: April 2015

The sound radiation inside an acoustic canyon has been analyzed for a surface sound source located at the bottom. Based on rigorous mathematical manipulations, the formulas of a high computational efficiency describing the sound pressure and sound power have been obtained. They can be easily adapted to describe the sound radiation of an arbitrary system of sound sources. As an example of their application, the sound radiation of a piston has been investigated. The asymptotic formulas of the sound power modal coefficients have been obtained. They can be used to significantly improve the numerical calculation of the sound power.
PEOPLE WATCH
Authors: Lim Rachel
Published: April 2015

Looking at Diagnostics Differently.
REVIEW
Authors: Sim Jia-Zhi , Nguyen Phi-Vu , Lim Jeremy Poon-Heng , Su Chinh Tran-To , Gan Samuel Ken-En
Published: April 2015

The Rise of the Mobile Lab: the Use of Smartphone Apps for Biomedical Research.
Sliding Perturbation Observer Based Reaction Force Estimation Method of Surgical Robot Instrument for Haptic Realization
Authors: Yoon Sung Min , Lee Min Cheol , Kim Chi Yen
Published: April 2015

Previous research applied sliding mode control with a sliding perturbation observer (SMCSPO) algorithm as a robust controller to control a surgical robotic instrument and reported that reaction force loaded on the tip can be estimated similarly by the sliding perturbation observer (SPO). However, some factors, such as friction, in which it is difficult to find the model parameters beforehand, can have an effect on the reaction force estimation because the factors are included in the estimated perturbation. This paper addresses the SPO based reaction force estimation method to extract a pure reaction force on a surgical robot instrument in the case of including Coulomb friction due to the operation of cable-pulley structure. Coulomb friction can be estimated experimentally and compensated for from the estimated perturbation. An experimental evaluation was performed to prove the suggested estimation method. The results show that SPO can be substituted for sensors to measure the reaction force. This estimated reaction force will be used to realize the haptic function by sending the reaction force to a master device for a surgeon. The results will help to create surgical benefit such as shortening the practice time of a surgeon and providing haptic information to the surgeon by using it as haptic signal to protect an organ by forming a force boundary.
Parabolic Partial Differential Equations with Nonlocal Initial and Boundary Values
Authors: Turkyilmazoglu M.
Published: April 2015

Parabolic partial differential equations possessing nonlocal initial and boundary specifications are used to model some real-life applications. This paper focuses on constructing fast and accurate analytic approximations via an easy, elegant and powerful algorithm based on a double power series representation of the solution via ordinary polynomials. Consequently, a parabolic partial differential equation is reduced to a system involving algebraic equations. Exact solutions are obtained when the solutions are themselves polynomials. Some parabolic partial differential equations are treated by the technique to judge its validity and also to measure its accuracy as compared to the existing methods.
Photophysical properties of Sn(IV)tetraphenylporphyrin-pyrene dyad with a β-vinyl linker
Authors: Reeta P. Silviya , Khetubol Adis , Jella Tejaswi , Chukharev Vladimir , Abou-Chahine Fawzi , Tkachenko Nikolai V. , Giribabu L. , Lemmetyinen Helge
Published: April 2015

A Sn (IV)tetraphenylporphyrin (T) has been functionalized with a β-vinyl pyrene (P) and the photophysical properties of the formed dyad (T-P) with its corresponding precursors were studied in three solvents with different polarities using steady-state and time-resolved measurements in ps and fs timescales. When the pyrene moiety is excited at λex = 340 nm, the fluorescence spectroscopy experiments indicate in all the studied solvents, an efficient quenching of the pyrene emission. When excited at either λex = 340 nm or λex = 405 nm, where porphyrin absorbs, a new emissive excited state complex (T-P)* is observed at wavelenghts close to the parent porphyrin emission. The emission is more pronounced in nonpolar hexane showing a mono-exponential decay, but bi-exponential decays are observed in more polar dicloromethane and acetonitrile. When the porphyrin moiety is excited at λex = 425 nm, the fs transient absorption analysis shows two different intermediate species (~ 7–11 ps and 80–100 ps) with broad absorption in the near-IR region. This implies either the existence of two different excited conformers (T-P)*, which decay to the ground state via a charge separated state (CSS), or the formation of the (T-P)* state via the second excited state of the porphyrin moiety, yielding first an excited emissive v(T-P)* state, with a lifetime of 80–100 ps.
Corrole–imide dyads — Synthesis and optical properties
Authors: Voloshchuk Roman , Tasior Mariusz , Ciuciu Adina I. , Flamigni Lucia , Gryko Daniel T.
Published: April 2015

Two rarely seen building blocks have been incorporated into light absorbing arrays: corroles and 2,3-naphthalimides. General synthetic strategy consisting in direct condensation of formyl substituted aromatic imides with dipyrranes led to diverse range of trans-A2B-corroles in acceptable yields. Spectroscopic properties of all five dyads studied suggest that regardless the imide's structure, components are weakly electronically coupled. Positioning 2,3-naphthalimide unit partially above the corrole core leads to slight alteration of their optical properties. Dyads bearing blue-absorbing imide components display different behavior depending on their structure. In corrole linked with naphthalenyl-naphthalene-1,8-carboximide a 100% effective energy transfer reaction from the imide component to the corrole component occurred. On the contrary, in small, strongly polarized amino-cyano-phthalimide neither efficient energy-nor electron-transfer could be detected and excitation leads to fluorescence from both components.
Formate dehydrogenase catalyzedCO2reduction in a chlorin-e6sensitized photochemical biofuel cell
Authors: Amao Yutaka , Shuto Naho
Published: April 2015

The new visible-light operated CO2-glucose biofuel cell consisting of chlorin-e6immobilized on TiO2thin layer film onto optical transparent conductive glass electrode (OTE) as an anode, formate dehydrogenase (FDH) and viologen with long alkyl chain co-immobilized OTE as a cathode, and the solution containing glucose, glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) and NAD+as a fuel was developed. The short-circuit photocurrent and the open-circuit photovoltage of this cell are 37 μA.cm-2and 390 mV, respectively. The maximum power is estimated to be 57 μW.cm-2. The overall photoenergy conversion efficiency is estimated to be 0.057%. After 2 h irradiation to this cell, 0.65 μmol of formic acid was produced. During irradiation, the photocurrent was constant value of 32 ± 10 μA.cm-2in the cell. Thus, CO2reduces and formic acid produces while generating electricity with visible light irradiation to this biofuel cell.
China's Political Outlook: Xi Jinping as a Game Changer
Authors: ZHENG Yongnian , CHEN Gang
Published: April 2015

President Xi Jinping gave the directives to investigate Zhou Yongkang and Xu Caihou, breaking the immunity of Politburo Standing Committee members and Central Military Commission leaders from anti-graft probes. Xi has consolidated the once-fragmented power to himself by heading several newly established leading small groups. He has also rolled out many socioeconomic and political reform tasks long obstructed by vested interests. Xi's full power consolidation heavily relies on his control of the People's Liberation Army.
Revamping the Chinese Communist Party
Authors: L P GORE Lance
Published: April 2015

The 2014 Party reform aimed to modernise the CCP. The Politburo passed the “Action Plan for Deepening Party-building Institutional Reforms”, outlining 26 concrete reforms in four key areas to be completed by 2017. Notable departures include the re-emphasis on ideological unity, the rollback on intra-party democracy, the renewed emphasis on intra-party legislation and the control on the growth of the Party's size. However there are inherent dilemmas in building a Leninist party in a globalised market economy.
Social Instability and State Responses in China
Authors: SHAN Wei
Published: April 2015

The year of 2014 in China saw rising terrorist attacks by Uighur minority in Xinjiang, as well as a number of massive protests caused by environmentally risky projects. Hardline policy on public opinion and liberal intellectuals had been continued. The year also witnessed a series of reforms in the party-state's security and legal apparatus, including the creation of the National Security Commission, judicial reform, and redefining the power of the Politics and Law Commission.
Generational Conflicts Plaguing Taiwan's Politics
Authors: TSENG Katherine Hui-Yi
Published: April 2015

Taiwan's politics in 2014 had been plagued by generational conflicts in various aspects. Younger electorates and civil forces had stood in line with the opposition force, the Democratic Progressive Party, in social movements and the local election at end-2014. A poor performing domestic government, along with a tepid economy, has attenuated the ruling government's credential in delivering policy outcomes. Cross-strait rapprochement initiated under the Ma administration since 2010 is also under serious challenges.
Taiwan's Economy: On an Expansionary Path?
Authors: CHEN Chien-Hsun
Published: April 2015

As the growth momentum had continued to remain strong, the 2014 gross domestic product growth reached 3.74%. Since the global economy is likely to grow at a slow and unbalanced pace in 2015, the Taiwan economy is correspondingly expected to grow at a moderate pace of 3.78% in 2015. China's economic slowdown is likely to impose a substantial impact on the Taiwan economy.
North Korea's Search for a Breakthrough, 2014–2015
Authors: KIM Sung Chull
Published: April 2015

In 2014, North Korea under Kim Jong-un sought a breakthrough in ensuring economic vitality and diplomatic improvement. However, the emerging thorny human rights issue and the continued political logic of economic development have made it impossible for North Korea to make any significant progress in finding the breakthrough. In this gloomy atmosphere, the North's relations with Russia seem the most promising in 2015.
SNC–Coumarin is a Biocompatible Imaging Agent for In Vivo Labeling of Cells and Fluids
Authors: Ren Changliang , Ng Grace Hwee Boon , Li Xu , Teh Cathleen
Published: April 2015

Optical imaging uses nonionizing radiation to obtain images of tissues and cells inside the body. The approach reduces exposure to harmful radiation and is suitable for lengthy and repetitive imaging procedures. Development of strongly fluorescent imaging agents will help in the detection of signal through thick tissues. Presence of such biocompatible imaging agent has potential clinical applications as it gives real-time information on disease progression and therapeutic response. We report here a nanoformulation-based strategy to synthesize a strongly fluorescent imaging agent. The fabrication procedure uses silica nanocapsules (SNC) to trap and concentrate highly fluorescent Coumarin 545T fluorophore. Biocompatibility of synthesized SNC–Coumarin was tested in cell lines and zebrafish. In vivo detection of fluorescent signal was validated in optically translucent zebrafish larvae and adult casper mutant. Nonbiased labeling of all cell types was detected in both young and adult zebrafish. The ability to differentiate fluid filled cavities from cells was also highlighted during in vivo imaging. Concomitant assessment of internalized SNC–Coumarin through acquired fluorescent intensity and associated biocompatibility in zebrafish supports its use as an in vivo imaging agent.
Financial Constraints, R&D Investment, and the Value of Cash Holdings
Authors: Booth Laurence , Ntantamis Christos , Zhou Jun
Published: April 2015

Existing studies document that cash holdings are more valuable for financially constrained firms than for financially unconstrained firms. We investigate whether the relation between financial constraints and the value of corporate cash holdings varies across firms with different engagement in research and development activity. Among firms with R&D investment, the marginal value of cash is significantly higher for financially constrained firms than unconstrained ones, whereas this difference is weak among firms without R&D investment. Our findings are robust to alternative measures of financial constraints and alternative methods to define R&D intensity. Our study extends the cash literature by showing that the value of cash holdings is affected by the status of financial constraints and the nature of investment jointly.
Overcoming the Trilemma Issues of Ultrahigh Density Perpendicular Magnetic Recording Media by L10-Fe(Co)Pt Materials
Authors: Wang Fang , Xing Hui , Xu Xiaohong
Published: April 2015

L10-ordered FePt and CoPt (collectively called L10- Fe ( Co ) Pt in this review) have become potential materials for future ultrahigh density perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) media due to their high magnetocrystalline anisotropy, rendering small grains with high thermal stability. However, PMR media using such high anisotropy faces the well-known trilemma issues among thermal stability, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and writability. This paper will provide an overview of the impact of L10- Fe ( Co ) Pt on overcoming the superparamagnetic limit and balancing the trilemma issues for ultrahigh density PMR media. Here the research and development of L10- Fe ( Co ) Pt materials will be presented, from the perspectives of enhancing thermal stability, SNR and writability. Furthermore, we will provide some combined approaches to tackle the challenges in balancing the trilemma issues, focusing on materials engineering.
A unifying principle underlying the extracellular field potential spectral responses in the human cortex
Authors: Podvalny Ella , Noy Niv , Harel Michal , Bickel Stephan , Chechik Gal , Schroeder Charles E. , Mehta Ashesh D. , Tsodyks Misha , Malach Rafael
Published: April 2015

Electrophysiological mass potentials show complex spectral changes upon neuronal activation. However, it is unknown to what extent these complex band-limited changes are interrelated or, alternatively, reflect separate neuronal processes. To address this question, intracranial electrocorticograms (ECoG) responses were recorded in patients engaged in visuomotor tasks. We found that in the 10- to 100-Hz frequency range there was a significant reduction in the exponent χ of the 1/ fχ component of the spectrum associated with neuronal activation. In a minority of electrodes showing particularly high activations the exponent reduction was associated with specific band-limited power modulations: emergence of a high gamma (80–100 Hz) and a decrease in the alpha (9–12 Hz) peaks. Importantly, the peaks' height was correlated with the 1/ fχ exponent on activation. Control simulation ruled out the possibility that the change in 1/ fχ exponent was a consequence of the analysis procedure. These results reveal a new global, cross-frequency (10–100 Hz) neuronal process reflected in a significant reduction of the power spectrum slope of the ECoG signal.
The Global Symmetry Group of Quantum Spectral Beams and Geometric Phase Factors
Authors: Zafiris Elias
Published: April 2015

We propose a cohomological modelling schema of quantum state spaces and their connectivity structures in relation to the formulation of global geometric phase phenomena. In the course of this schema, we introduce the notion of Hermitian differential line sheaves or unitary rays and classify their gauge equivalence classes in terms of a global differential invariant given by the de Rham cohomology class of the curvature. Furthermore, we formulate and interpret physically the curvature recognition integrality theorem for unitary rays. Using this recognition theorem, we define the notion of a quantum spectral beam and show that it has an affine space structure with structure group given by the characters of the fundamental group.
An Alumina Toughened Zirconia Composite for Dental Implant Application:In VivoAnimal Results
Authors: Schierano Gianmario , Mussano Federico , Faga Maria Giulia , Menicucci Giulio , Manzella Carlo , Sabione Cristian , Genova Tullio , Degerfeld Mitzy Mauthe von , Peirone Bruno , Cassenti Adele , Cassoni Paola , Carossa Stefano
Published: April 2015

Ceramic materials are widely used for biomedical applications because of their remarkable biological and mechanical properties. Composites made of alumina and zirconia are particularly interesting owing to their higher toughness with respect to the monolithic materials. On this basis, the present study is focused on thein vivobehavior of alumina toughened zirconia (ATZ) dental implants treated with a hydrothermal process. A minipig model was implemented to assess the bone healing through histology and mRNA expression at different time points (8, 14, 28, and 56 days). The novel ATZ implant was compared to a titanium clinical standard. The implants were analyzed in terms of microstructure and surface roughness beforein vivotests. The most interesting result deals with a statistically significant higher digital histology index for ATZ implants with respect to titanium standard at 56 days, which is an unprecedented finding, to the authors’ knowledge. Even if further investigations are needed before proposing the clinical use in humans, the tested material proved to be a promising candidate among the possible ceramic dental implants.
Scan Performance and Reconfigurability of Agile Radiating Matrix Antenna Prototype
Authors: Abou Taam H. , Zakka El Nashef G. , Salah Toubet M. , Arnaud E. , Jecko B. , Monediere T. , Rammal M.
Published: April 2015

This paper is dedicated to different experimental validations concerning a novel concept of beam forming and beam steering antenna. The working principle of the antenna is based on the equivalent radiating surface approach and inspired from an electromagnetic band gap antenna. The theoretical aspect and some numerical validations have been already published in the work of Abou Taam et al. (2014). Different electromagnetic behaviors have been demonstrated, such as low mutual coupling, and high gain preservation for high scanning angles values. In this paper, some of these electromagnetic behaviors will be proven experimentally by the means of two different feeding configurations.
CYP7A1Gene Polymorphism Located in the 5′ Upstream Region Modifies the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Iwanicki Tomasz , Balcerzyk Anna , Niemiec Pawel , Nowak Tomasz , Ochalska-Tyka Anna , Krauze Jolanta , Kosiorz-Gorczynska Sylwia , Grzeszczak Wladyslaw , Zak Iwona
Published: April 2015

Background. 7-Alpha cholesterol hydroxylase (CYP7A1), the first enzyme of classic conversion pathway leading from cholesterol to bile acids synthesis, is encoded byCYP7A1gene. Its single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence serum lipid levels and may be related to impaired lipid profile leading to coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of the present study was to analyze the possible association between the rs7833904CYP7A1polymorphism and premature CAD.Material and Methods. Serum lipid levels and rs7833904 SNP were determined in 419 subjects: 200 patients with premature CAD and 219 age and sex matched controls.Results. The A allele carrier state was associated with CAD (OR = 1.76, 95% CI; 1.14–2.71,P=0.014). The effect was even stronger in the male subgroups (OR = 2.16, 95% CI; 1.28–3.65,P=0.003). There was no effect in the females. Risk factors of CAD and clinical phenotype of atherosclerosis were not associated with genotype variants of the rs7833904 SNP. Lipid profiles also did not differ significantly between individual genotypes.Conclusion. TheCYP7A1rs7833904 polymorphism may modify the risk of CAD. This effect is especially strong in male subjects. The studied polymorphism does not significantly influence serum lipid levels, in the present study.