bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tubby-like protein superfamily member PLSCR3 functions as a negative regulator of adipogenesis in mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by suppressing induction of late differentiation stage transcription factors
Authors: Inokawa Akira , Inuzuka Tatsutoshi , Takahara Terunao , Shibata Hideki , Maki Masatoshi
Published: December 2015

PLSCR3 (phospholipid scramblase 3, Scr3) belongs to the superfamily of membrane-associated transcription regulators named Tubby-like proteins (TULPs). Physiological phospholipid scrambling activities of PLSCRs in vivo have been skeptically argued, and knowledge of the biological functions of Scr3 is limited. We investigated the expression of Scr3 during differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by Western blotting (WB) and by reverse-transcription and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The Scr3 protein decreased during 3T3-L1 differentiation accompanied by a reduction in the mRNA level, and there was a significant increase in the amount of Scr3 protein secreted into the culture medium in the form of extracellular microvesicles (exosomes). On the other hand, Scr3 expression did not significantly decrease, and the secretion of Scr3 in 3T3 Swiss-albino fibroblasts (a parental cell-line of 3T3-L1) was not increased by differentiation treatment. Overexpression of human Scr3 during 3T3-L1 differentiation suppressed triacylglycerol accumulation and inhibited induction of the mRNAs of late stage pro-adipogenic transcription factors [CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)] and X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1). Expression of early stage pro-adipogenic transcription factors (C/EBPβ and C/EBPδ) was not significantly affected. These results suggest that Scr3 functions as a negative regulator of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells at a specific differentiation stage and that decrease in the intracellular amount of Scr3 protein caused by reduction in Scr3 mRNA expression and enhanced secretion of Scr3 protein appears to be important for appropriate adipocyte differentiation.
Robust tracking performance of linear induction motor‐based automatic picking system using a high‐gain disturbance observer
Authors: Choi Jung‐Hyun , Kim Jung‐Su , Kim Kyeong‐Hwa
Published: December 2015

To operate the movable ejectors of an automatic picking system (APS) with high dynamics and high precision, a robust speed tracking controller design for a single‐sided linear induction motor (LIM) is presented using a high‐gain disturbance observer method. The thrust disturbance as well as the mechanical parameter variation due to the mass change influences directly the tracking control performance of APS. To guarantee robustness in the presence of such uncertainty, a high‐gain disturbance observer‐based linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is designed from the mechanical dynamics. Since the estimated disturbance effectively cancels out real uncertainties in the system, the resulting system behaves like the closed‐loop system consisting of the disturbance‐free nominal model and the LQR. Since MATLAB–Simulink does not support a library for a LIM, a Simulink library model has been developed using the LIM dynamics. To verify that the proposed scheme has a robust control nature, the comparative simulations are carried out based on the library. The whole control system is implemented using DSP TMS320F28335 for a LIM driven by a three‐phase voltage‐fed pulse‐width modulation inverter. Through comparative experimental results in the presence of disturbances, the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed scheme are verified.
Dilemma of Approaches to Thoracic and Lumbar Spine: Our 10 Years' Review
Authors: Barman Debajit Roy , Varshney Rahul , Mukherjee Shuvankar , Sen Sarmila , Sen Nani , Ghosh Santanu , Mohanty B. C. , Deb Pulak , Datta Parthasarathi
Published: December 2015

Background Lesions of the thoracic and lumbar spine are numerous. These lesions affect one or more columns (anterior, middle, and posterior) of the spine and compress the spinal cord either from anterior or posterior, giving rise to the features of radiculomyelopathy. These lesions can be approached either from the anterior or posterior aspect of the spine. We present our past 10 years' experience regarding the comparison between the two approaches.

Methods Retrospective analysis of records of all patients with thoracic and lumbar lesion treated in our hospital between January 2005 and June 2014 was performed. Over the past 10 years, we came across 186 patients of thoracic and lumbar lesion who were operated either by anterior or posterior approach and were the focus of this study. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 7 years.

Results All the patients presented with neurological deficits. They were evaluated with investigation protocol of our hospital. Anterior approach was done in 38 cases (n = 38), and posterior approach was done in 148 cases (n = 148). We compared between the two groups in terms of perioperative complications, recovery, persisting symptoms, and mortality.

Conclusion Complete recovery is better in the posterior approach (74.3 vs. 52.6%) and morality is more in the anterior approach (7.9 vs. 1.3%).
New phase of ammonium nitrate: A monoclinic distortion of AN-IV
Authors: Steele Brad A. , Oleynik Ivan I.
Published: December 2015

A new phase of ammonium nitrate (AN) is found using first principles evolutionary crystal structure search. It is this polymorph that is associated with the phase transition to previously unidentified phase, which was detected in experiment at 17 GPa upon appearance of the two extra peaks in Raman spectrum. The new phase has a monoclinic unit cell in the P21/m space group symmetry (AN-P21/m) and is similar to the known phase IV of AN (AN-IV) except the ammonium molecules are oriented differently relative to the nitrate molecules. The calculated free energy of AN-P21/m is found to be lower than AN-IV at pressures above 10.83 GPa. The equation of state of both AN-P21/m and AN-IV phases (volume vs hydrostatic pressure at room temperature) has been obtained within the quasi-harmonic approximation. The calculated Raman spectrum of both AN-P21/m and AN-IV as a function of pressure is in a good agreement with experiment. The energetic competitiveness of AN-IV and AN-P21/m at ambient conditions suggests a possibility of the phase transition in a small pressure-temperature range near ambient pressure and temperature.
Curved noncommutative tori as Leibniz quantum compact metric spaces
Authors: Latrémolière Frédéric
Published: December 2015

We prove that curved noncommutative tori are Leibniz quantum compact metric spaces and that they form a continuous family over the group of invertible matrices with entries in the image of the quantum tori for the conjugation by modular conjugation operator in the regular representation, when this group is endowed with a natural length function.
All-fiber nonlinearity- and dispersion-managed dissipative soliton nanotube mode-locked laser
Authors: Zhang Z. , Popa D. , Wittwer V. J. , Milana S. , Hasan T. , Jiang Z. , Ferrari A. C. , Ilday F. Ö.
Published: December 2015

We report dissipative soliton generation from an Yb-doped all-fiber nonlinearity- and dispersion-managed nanotube mode-locked laser. A simple all-fiber ring cavity exploits a photonic crystal fiber for both nonlinearity enhancement and dispersion compensation. The laser generates stable dissipative solitons with large linear chirp in the net normal dispersion regime. Pulses that are 8.7 ps long are externally compressed to 118 fs, outperforming current nanotube-based Yb-doped fiber laser designs.
Ab initio molecular dynamics with enhanced sampling for surface reaction kinetics at finite temperatures: CH2⇌ CH + H on Ni(111) as a case study
Authors: Sun Geng , Jiang Hong
Published: December 2015

A comprehensive understanding of surface thermodynamics and kinetics based on first-principles approaches is crucial for rational design of novel heterogeneous catalysts, and requires combining accurate electronic structure theory and statistical mechanics modeling. In this work, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) combined with the integrated tempering sampling (ITS) method has been explored to study thermodynamic and kinetic properties of elementary processes on surfaces, using a simple reaction CH2⇌CH+H on the Ni(111) surface as an example. By a careful comparison between the results from ITS-AIMD simulation and those evaluated in terms of the harmonic oscillator (HO) approximation, it is found that the reaction free energy and entropy from the HO approximation are qualitatively consistent with the results from ITS-AIMD simulation, but there are also quantitatively significant discrepancies. In particular, the HO model misses the entropy effects related to the existence of multiple adsorption configurations arising from the frustrated translation and rotation motion of adsorbed species, which are different in the reactant and product states. The rate constants are evaluated from two ITS-enhanced approaches, one using the transition state theory (TST) formulated in terms of the potential of mean force (PMF) and the other one combining ITS with the transition path sampling (TPS) technique, and are further compared to those based on harmonic TST. It is found that the rate constants from the PMF-based TST are significantly smaller than those from the harmonic TST, and that the results from PMF-TST and ITS-TPS are in a surprisingly good agreement. These findings indicate that the basic assumptions of transition state theory are valid in such elementary surface reactions, but the consideration of statistical averaging of all important adsorption configurations and reaction pathways, which are missing in the harmonic TST, are critical for accurate description of thermodynamic and kinetic properties of surface processes. This work clearly demonstrates the importance of considering temperature effects beyond the HO model, for which the AIMD simulation in combination with enhanced sampling techniques like ITS provides a feasible and general approach.
Flexible sample environment for high resolution neutron imaging at high temperatures in controlled atmosphere
Authors: Makowska Małgorzata G. , Theil Kuhn Luise , Cleemann Lars N. , Lauridsen Erik M. , Bilheux Hassina Z. , Molaison Jamie J. , Santodonato Louis J. , Tremsin Anton S. , Grosse Mirco , Morgano Manuel , Kabra Saurabh , Strobl Markus
Published: December 2015

High material penetration by neutrons allows for experiments using sophisticated sample environments providing complex conditions. Thus, neutron imaging holds potential for performing in situ nondestructive measurements on large samples or even full technological systems, which are not possible with any other technique. This paper presents a new sample environment for in situ high resolution neutron imaging experiments at temperatures from room temperature up to 1100 °C and/or using controllable flow of reactive atmospheres. The design also offers the possibility to directly combine imaging with diffraction measurements. Design, special features, and specification of the furnace are described. In addition, examples of experiments successfully performed at various neutron facilities with the furnace, as well as examples of possible applications are presented. This covers a broad field of research from fundamental to technological investigations of various types of materials and components.
Effect of pore occupancy on the acoustic properties of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8: A Brillouin spectroscopic study at ambient and low temperatures
Authors: Radhakrishnan Dhanya , Narayana Chandrabhas
Published: December 2015

Brillouin spectroscopy is used to study the effect of pore occupancy on the elastic constants by incorporating various guest molecules into zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8. A systematic study on the effect of mass and polarizability of the guest has been carried out by incorporating alcohols of varying chain lengths at room temperature. The interaction between the guest and host affects the elastic properties, lifetimes and guest dynamics inside the pores. The elastic anisotropy was seen to reduce upon incorporation of the guests. We have also studied the temperature dependence of the acoustic modes on gas adsorption to understand the framework flexibility. The Brillouin shift of the acoustic modes increases upon temperature dependent gas adsorption with transverse acoustic modes exhibiting a larger shift. This suggests a hardening of otherwise low shear modulus of ZIF-8. Our findings give insight into the role of guest molecules and temperature in tuning the elastic properties of ZIF-8 which is important for practical applications.
Fragment-based treatment of delocalization and static correlation errors in density-functional theory
Authors: Nafziger Jonathan , Wasserman Adam
Published: December 2015

One of the most important open challenges in modern Kohn-Sham (KS) density-functional theory (DFT) is the correct treatment of systems involving fractional electron charges and spins. Approximate exchange-correlation functionals struggle with such systems, leading to pervasive delocalization and static correlation errors. We demonstrate how these errors, which plague density-functional calculations of bond-stretching processes, can be avoided by employing the alternative framework of partition density-functional theory (PDFT) even using the local density approximation for the fragments. Our method is illustrated with explicit calculations on simple systems exhibiting delocalization and static-correlation errors, stretched H2+, H2, He2+, Li2+, and Li2. In all these cases, our method leads to greatly improved dissociation-energy curves. The effective KS potential corresponding to our self-consistent solutions displays key features around the bond midpoint; these are known to be present in the exact KS potential, but are absent from most approximate KS potentials and are essential for the correct description of electron dynamics.
High temperature thermoelectric properties of Zr and Hf based transition metal dichalcogenides: A first principles study
Authors: Yumnam George , Pandey Tribhuwan , Singh Abhishek K.
Published: December 2015

We investigate the electronic and thermal transport properties of bulk MX2 compounds (M = Zr, Hf and X = S, Se) by first-principles calculations and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. The band structure shows the confinement of heavy and light bands along the out of plane and in-plane directions, respectively. This results in high electrical conductivity (σ) and large thermopower leading to a high power factor (S2σ) for moderate n-type doping. The phonon dispersion demonstrates low frequency flat acoustical modes, which results in low group velocities (vg). Consequently, lowering the lattice thermal conductivity (κlatt) below 2 W/m K. Low κlatt combined with high power factor results in ZT > 0.8 for all the bulk MX2 compounds at high temperature of 1200 K. In particular, the ZTmax of HfSe2 exceeds 1 at 1400 K. Our results show that Hf/Zr based dichalcogenides are very promising for high temperature thermoelectric application.
From repulsive to attractive glass: A rheological investigation
Authors: Zhou Zhi , Jia Di , Hollingsworth Javoris V. , Cheng He , Han Charles C.
Published: December 2015

Linear rheological properties and yielding behavior of polystyrene core and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) shell microgels were investigated to understand the transition from repulsive glass (RG) to attractive glass (AG) and the A3 singularity. Due to the volume phase transition of PNIPAM in aqueous solution, the microgel-microgel interaction potential gradually changes from repulsive to attractive. In temperature and frequency sweep experiments, the storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) increased discontinuously when crossing the RG-to-AG transition line, while G′ at low frequency exhibited a different volume fraction (Φ) dependence. By fitting the data of RG and AG, and then extrapolating to high volume fraction, the difference between RG and AG decreased and the existence of A3 singularity was verified. Dynamic strain sweep experiments were conducted to confirm these findings. RG at 25 °C exhibited one-step yielding, whereas AG at 40 °C showed a typical two-step yielding behavior; the first yielding strain remained constant and the second one gradually decreased as the volume fraction increased. By extrapolating the second yield strain to that of the first one, the predicted A3 singularity was at 0.61 ± 0.02. At 37 °C, when Φeff = 0.59, AG showed one step yielding as the length of the attractive bond increased. The consistency and agreement of the experimental results reaffirmed the existence of A3 singularity, where the yielding behavior of RG and AG became identical.
High tunneling magnetoresistance ratio in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions using Fe-based Heusler alloys
Authors: Wang Yu-Pu , Lim Sze-Ter , Han Gu-Chang , Teo Kie-Leong
Published: December 2015

Heulser alloys Fe2Cr1−xCoxSi (FCCS) with different Co compositions x have been predicted to have high spin polarization. High perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) has been observed in ultra-thin FCCS films with magnetic anisotropy energy density up to 2.3 × 106 erg/cm3. The perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) using FCCS films with different Co compositions x as the bottom electrode have been fabricated and the post-annealing effects have been investigated in details. An attractive tunneling magnetoresistance ratio as high as 51.3% is achieved for p-MTJs using Fe2CrSi (FCS) as the bottom electrode. The thermal stability Δ can be as high as 70 for 40 nm dimension devices using FCS, which is high enough to endure a retention time of over 10 years. Therefore, Heusler alloy FCS is a promising PMA candidate for p-MTJ application.
Strain-induced giant second-harmonic generation in monolayered 2H-MoX2 (X = S, Se, Te)
Authors: Rhim S. H. , Kim Yong Soo , Freeman A. J.
Published: December 2015

Dynamic second-order nonlinear susceptibilities, χ(2)(2ω,ω,ω)≡χ(2)(ω), are calculated here within a fully first-principles scheme for monolayered molybdenum dichalcogenides, 2H-MoX2 (X = S, Se, and Te). The absolute values of χ(2)(ω) across the three chalcogens critically depend on the band gap energies upon uniform strain, yielding the highest χ(2)(0)∼140 pm/V for MoTe2 in the static limit. Under this uniform in-plane stress, 2H-MoX2 can undergo direct-to-indirect transition of band gaps, which in turn substantially affects χ(2)(ω). The tunability of χ(2)(ω) by either compressive or tensile strain is demonstrated especially for two important experimental wavelengths, 1064 nm and 800 nm, where resonantly enhanced non-linear effects can be exploited: χ(2) of MoSe2 and MoTe2 approach ∼800 pm/V with −2% strain at 1064 nm.
The impact of Cu on recombination in high voltage CdTe solar cells
Authors: Kuciauskas Darius , Dippo Pat , Kanevce Ana , Zhao Zhibo , Cheng Long , Los Andrei , Gloeckler Markus , Metzger Wyatt K.
Published: December 2015

Using photoluminescence spectroscopy, we construct a recombination model for state-of-the-art CdTe solar cells doped with Cu. We observe that Cu on Cd sites form a dominant acceptor state about 150 meV from the valence band. Although it is intuitive that this state can increase hole density, we also find that this relatively shallow dopant can also limit lifetime. Consequently, CdTe solar cells doped with Cu could have a lifetime limitation inversely proportional to the hole concentration.
Electronic and magnetic phenomena at the interface of LaAlO3 and Ru doped SrTiO3
Authors: Gray M. T. , Sanders T. D. , Jenkins C. A. , Shafer P. , Arenholz E. , Suzuki Y.
Published: December 2015

We have investigated the effect of Ru doping the SrTiO3 (STO) side of the LaAlO3/STO (LAO/STO) interface. The metallic behavior at the interface is remarkably robust to defects and disorder. Despite spin moment contribution from Ru ions, we see no evidence of magnetic ordering at the Ti L3,2 edge in either doped or undoped interfaces using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Magnetotransport measurements also do not show any evidence of magnetic scattering beyond that observed in undoped LAO/STO interfaces. Insertion of more than 7 unit cells of Ru doped STO at the interface suppresses metallic conductivity with a surprisingly sharp metal insulator transition. A similar metal-insulator transition is observed when a homoepitaxial STO film is grown on the single crystal substrate before LAO deposition. Together, our results indicate that ferromagnetism is not intrinsic to the interface, magnetic Ru dopants are not significant sources of scattering, and that cation vacancy formation alone cannot explain the insulating behavior observed in thick homoepitaxial LAO/STO/STO bilayers.
The understanding on the evolution of stress-induced gate leakage in high-k dielectric metal-oxide-field-effect transistor by random-telegraph-noise measurement
Authors: Hsieh E. R. , Chung Steve S.
Published: December 2015

The evolution of gate-current leakage path has been observed and depicted by RTN signals on metal-oxide-silicon field effect transistor with high-k gate dielectric. An experimental method based on gate-current random telegraph noise (Ig-RTN) technique was developed to observe the formation of gate-leakage path for the device under certain electrical stress, such as Bias Temperature Instability. The results show that the evolution of gate-current path consists of three stages. In the beginning, only direct-tunnelling gate current and discrete traps inducing Ig-RTN are observed; in the middle stage, interaction between traps and the percolation paths presents a multi-level gate-current variation, and finally two different patterns of the hard or soft breakdown path can be identified. These observations provide us a better understanding of the gate-leakage and its impact on the device reliability.
Age, growth and maturation of Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean by statolith analysis
Authors: Liu Bi Lin , Chen Xin Jun , Li Jian Hua , Chen Yong
Published: December 2015

The age, growth and maturation of the purpleback flying squid, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, were determined by statolith analysis using data from April–June 2013 surveys in the equatorial eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETPO). Three distinct growth zones with different width increments (postnuclear, dark and peripheral zones), checks and aberrant microstructures were found in the statoliths. The longevity of the species was a maximum of 0.5 years. Hatching dates were from November to March, with a peak between January and February. The high percentage of mature females (69.5%) suggested that there was at least another peak after April–June, and the study area might be a potential spawning ground for the species. Size and age at first maturity were 192-mm mantle length (ML) and 114 days for females, whereas males began to mature at 137mm ML and 87 days.
Elimination of methylation marks at lysines 4 and 9 of histone 3 (H3K4 and H3K9) of spermatozoa alters offspring phenotype
Authors: Pérez-Cerezales Serafín , Ramos-Ibeas Priscila , Lopez-Cardona Angela , Pericuesta Eva , Fernandez-Gonzalez Raúl , Pintado Belen , Gutiérrez-Adán Alfonso
Published: December 2015

The contribution of the contents of spermatozoa to the development of the embryo is currently being considered wider than was previously thought. Recent findings point to the participation of epigenetic marks present in the retained histones of mature spermatozoa on embryo and fetal development. Here we created a novel conditional transgenic mouse that expresses lysine (K) demethylase 1a (Kdm1a) during spermatogenesis when the testicles are subjected to heat stress. Using these animals under these conditions we were able to reduce the methylation level of histone 3 at lysines 4 and 9 (H3K4 and H3K9, respectively) in mature spermatozoa. The offspring of these transgenic mice were followed for correct development and growth after birth. We found that the offspring of males expressing Kdm1a suffered 20% of reabsorptions at Day 15 after implantation (vs 0.3% in the control). In addition, 35% of the offspring sired by these males showed some kind of abnormality (suckling defects, lack of movement coordination, dropping forelimbs, abnormal body curvature, absence of eyes, gigantisms and neuromuscular defects) and 25% died before postnatal Day 21. Some abnormalities were maintained to adulthood. These results show that alteration of epigenetic marks present in the retained histones of mature spermatozoa affect fetal development and have phenotypic consequences in the newborn.
Body mass index and human sperm quality: neither one extreme nor the other
Authors: Luque E. M. , Tissera A. , Gaggino M. P. , Molina R. I. , Mangeaud A. , Vincenti L. M. , Beltramone F. , Larcher J. Sad , Estofán D. , Fiol de Cuneo M. , Martini A. C.
Published: December 2015

The aim of the present study was to investigate the still contentious association between body mass index (BMI) and seminal quality. To this end, 4860 male patients (aged 18–65 years; non-smokers and non-drinkers), were classified according to BMI as either underweight (UW; BMI <20 kg m–2; n = 45), normal weight (NW; BMI 20–24.9 kg m–2; n = 1330), overweight (OW; BMI 25–29.9 kg m–2; n = 2493), obese (OB; BMI 30–39.9 kg m–2; n = 926) or morbidly obese (MOB; BMI ≥40 kg m–2; n = 57). Conventional semen parameters and seminal concentrations of fructose, citric acid and neutral α-glucosidase (NAG) were evaluated. The four parameters that reflect epididymal maturation were significantly lower in the UW and MOB groups compared with NW, OW and OB groups: sperm concentration, total sperm count (103.3 ± 11.4 and 121.5 ± 20.6 and vs 157.9 ± 3.6, 152.4 ± 2.7 or 142.1 ± 4.3 spermatozoa ejaculate–1 respectively, P < 0.05), motility (41.8 ± 2.5 and 42.6 ± 2.6 vs 47.8 ± 0.5, 48.0 ± 0.4 or 46.3 ± 0.6 % of motile spermatozoa respectively, P < 0.05) and NAG (45.2 ± 6.6 and 60.1 ± 7.9 vs 71.5 ± 1.9, 64.7 ± 1.3 or 63.1 ± 2.1 mU ejaculate-1 respectively, P < 0.05). Moreover, the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa was decreased in the MOB group compared with the UW, NW, OW and OB groups (4.8 ± 0.6% vs 6.0 ± 0.8%, 6.9 ± 0.1%, 6.8 ± 0.1 and 6.4 ± 0.2%, respectively; P < 0.05). In addition, men in the MOB group had an increased risk (2.3- to 4.9-fold greater) of suffering oligospermia and teratospermia (P < 0.05). Both morbid obesity and being underweight have a negative effect on sperm quality, particularly epididymal maturation. These results show the importance of an adequate or normal bodyweight as the natural best option for fertility, with both extremes of the BMI scale as negative prognostic factors.
Identity as a resource to shape mediation in dialogic interaction
Authors: Vasilyeva Alena L.
Published: December 2015

This article examines how mediators contribute to formulating a particular type of interactivity by bringing to the forefront institutionally appropriate identities of participants. An existing collection of 18 transcripts from audio recordings of mediation sessions at a mediation center in the western United States serves as a source of interactional data. The study shows that mediators act as designers to construct mediation as a collaborative activity. They invoke identities as an exercise in articulating what is possible in this interaction and exerting control over interactants. Mediators are not just doing what is appropriate for this institutional context; their actions are an act of constructing identities out of what is available there. Participants can act in different ways (e.g., as an ex-husband and an ex-wife). However, relative to the institutional agenda of the meeting, they are encouraged to perform in the capacity of parents and to be collaborators.
Humour at work
Authors: Chefneux Gabriela
Published: December 2015

The paper starts from the assumption that organisational culture, a type of behaviour considered acceptable by employees (Hofstede and Hofstede 2004), is not pre-extant but is jointly created during the interactions of the people working together. This paper is part of a longer study that has analysed institutional talk in a multinational company based in Romania by looking at different aspects of interaction such as types of questions, modality, mitigation, politeness and frames. The paper tries to identify the uses and functions of humour in the exchanges between the team leader and the team members in this multinational company.
Early Feeding by Lake Trout Fry
Authors: Ladago Bret J. , Marsden J. Ellen , Evans Allison N.
Published: December 2015

The restoration of Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain has been challenging due to the bottlenecks in recruitment that occur mostly during early life stages. Among possible sources of fry mortality (e.g., predation, starvation, and disease), the least is known about the diet and starvation risk of pre‐emergent fry. The first feedings by fry are generally assumed to be delayed until close to the absorption of the yolk sac and the emergence of the fry. The stomach contents of 374 wild‐caught Lake Trout fry from Lake Champlain were examined from hatching to the exogenous feeding stage to identify the earliest occurrence of feeding relative to yolk sac absorption and to describe the diet. Within 2 weeks of hatching, 19% of fry had food in their stomachs. At 4–6 weeks and after yolk sac absorption, 98% of fry began feeding. Diet was primarily comprised of Bosmina as well as calanoid and cyclopoid copepods, and fry contained up to 215 items per stomach. Our finding that fry began feeding within 2 weeks of hatching (prior to yolk sac absorption) is relevant to current concerns that Lake Trout fry mortality in the Great Lakes is caused by thiamine deficiency syndrome: wild Lake Trout fry may be able to mitigate thiamine deficiency with early feeding on thiamine‐rich zooplankton.
Environmental Drivers of Occupancy and Detection of Olympic Mudminnow
Authors: Kuehne Lauren M. , Olden Julian D.
Published: December 2015

The Olympic MudminnowNovumbra hubbsiis a highly endemic freshwater fish found only in Washington State, where their distribution is limited to low‐elevation wetland habitats. The distributional extent of the Olympic Mudminnow is well established, but local and watershed environmental features associated with their presence or absence within the range are poorly understood, making it difficult to determine habitat needs versus availability. We surveyed 22 sites in 2 years along the Chehalis River with the objective of modeling environmental characteristics associated with occupancy by Olympic Mudminnows, while also accounting for incomplete detection. Occupancy and detection probabilities were highly similar between years, and occupancy that incorporated detection probabilities was 47% higher than naive estimates in a given year. Modeling with environmental covariates supported the importance of low temperatures for predicting the occurrence of Olympic Mudminnows at sites, and detection within sites was associated most strongly with shallow depths and low dissolved oxygen. These results are consistent with prior research indicating the preferential use of groundwater springs by Olympic Mudminnows, particularly in warmer summer months. Our research expands the existing knowledge of Olympic Mudminnow distributions by documenting main‐stem‐oriented populations at varying levels of abundance and suggesting habitat features that may increase occupancy and detection probabilities. The sampling and modeling approach we describe also informs development of standardized survey protocols for Olympic Mudminnows, helping to optimize resources for monitoring occupancy and abundance across their limited range.
Detailed design optimization of the MITICA negative ion accelerator in view of the ITER NBI
Authors: Agostinetti P. , Aprile D. , Antoni V. , Cavenago M. , Chitarin G. , de Esch H.P.L. , De Lorenzi A. , Fonnesu N. , Gambetta G. , Hemsworth R.S. , Kashiwagi M. , Marconato N. , Marcuzzi D. , Pilan N. , Sartori E. , Serianni G. , Singh M. , Sonato P. , Spada E. , Toigo V. , Veltri P. , Zaccaria P.
Published: December 2015

The ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility (PRIMA) is presently under construction at Consorzio RFX (Padova, Italy). PRIMA includes two experimental devices: an ITER-size ion source with low voltage extraction, called SPIDER, and the full prototype of the whole ITER Heating Neutral Beams (HNBs), called MITICA.

The purpose of MITICA is to demonstrate that all operational parameters of the ITER HNB accelerator can be experimentally achieved, thus establishing a large step forward in the performances of neutral beam injectors in comparison with the present experimental devices.

The design of the MITICA extractor and accelerator grids, here described in detail, was developed using an integrated approach, taking into consideration at the same time all the relevant physics and engineering aspects. Particular care was taken also to support and validate the design on the basis of the expertise and experimental data made available by the collaborating neutral beam laboratories of CEA, IPP, CCFE, NIFS and JAEA. Considering the operational requirements and the other physics constraints of the ITER HNBs, the whole design has been thoroughly optimized and improved. Furthermore, specific innovative concepts have been introduced.
Rock-salt structure lithium deuteride formation in liquid lithium with high-concentrations of deuterium: a first-principles molecular dynamics study
Authors: Chen Mohan , Abrams T. , Jaworski M.A. , Carter Emily A.
Published: December 2015

Because of lithium’s possible use as a first wall material in a fusion reactor, a fundamental understanding of the interactions between liquid lithium (Li) and deuterium (D) is important. We predict structural and dynamical properties of liquid Li samples with high concentrations of D, as derived from first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. Liquid Li samples with four concentrations of inserted D atoms (LiD

,

, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00) are studied at temperatures ranging from 470 to 1143 K. Densities, diffusivities, pair distribution functions, bond angle distribution functions, geometries, and charge transfer between Li and D atoms are calculated and analyzed. The analysis suggests liquid–solid phase transitions can occur at some concentrations and temperatures, forming rock-salt LiD within liquid Li. We also observe formation of some D2 molecules at high D concentrations.
Regular functions of symplectic spherical nilpotent orbits and their quantizations
Authors: Wong Kayue Daniel
Published: December 2015

We study the ring of regular functions of classical spherical orbits

R
(

O

)

R(\mathcal {O})

for

G
=
S
p
(
2
n
,

C

)

G = Sp(2n,\mathbb {C})

. In particular, treating

G
G

as a real Lie group with maximal compact subgroup

K
K

, we focus on a quantization model of

O

\mathcal {O}

when

O

\mathcal {O}

is the nilpotent orbit

(

2

2
p

1

2
q

)

(2^{2p}1^{2q})

. With this model, we verify a conjecture by McGovern and another conjecture by Achar and Sommers related to the character formula of such orbits. Assuming the results in a preprint of Barbasch, we will also verify the Achar-Sommers conjecture for a larger class of nilpotent orbits.
Crisis management
Authors: Winser Shane , Johnson Chris , Birch Kristina , Drew Rose , Harvey Peter , Jones Stephen , Morgan Clare , Shaw Marc
Published: December 2015

Medical crisis management - Emergency response plan - Missing persons - Scene management - Evacuation - Moving an injured person - Repatriation - Telemedicine and communications - Sexual assault - Death on an expedition
Emergencies: collapse and serious illness
Authors: Dallimore Jon , Johnson Chris , Albert Edi , Briggs Spike , Dallimore Jon , Warrell David A. , Dhillon Sundeep , Grocott Mike , Hearns Stephen , Montgomery Hugh , Thompson Julian
Published: December 2015

The collapsed patient - Medical emergencies - Resuscitation in the wilderness - Basic life support (CPR) - Choking - Recovery position - Shock - Management of the shocked patient - Types of shock - Chest pain - Shortness of breath (dyspnoea) - Coma - Headache - Delirium/confusion - Convulsions - Diabetic emergencies - Gastrointestinal bleeding - Fever
Treatment: dental
Authors: Johnson Chris , Cobb Alistair R. M. , Granger Penelope B. , Langdana Burjor K. , Geddes David , Drew Rose
Published: December 2015

Dental terminology - Pre-departure preparations - Dental work in the field - Toothache and dental swellings - Fillings - Dislodged crowns and bridges - Dental injuries - Dental local anaesthesia - Extractions - Medevac for dental problems
Treatment: chest
Authors: Nickol Annabel H. , Ferguson Jonathan , Leach Jonathan , Thompson Julian , Thurgood Andrew , Warrell David A.
Published: December 2015

Introduction - Chest pain - Myocardial infarction - Rib fractures - Spontaneous pneumothorax - Acute chest infections - Asthma
Treatment: infectious diseases
Authors: Warrell David A. , Dryden Matthew , Miller Alastair , Morgan Clare , Warrell David A.
Published: December 2015

Introduction: infectious diseases - Viral infections - Bacterial infections - Malaria - Other protozoal infections - Filarial worms - Worm infections - Flukes - Emerging infections - Sexually transmitted infections
Psychological and psychiatric problems
Authors: Moore James , Davies Claire , Forbes Karen , Hawker Debbie , Moore James , Shaw Marc , Dallimore Jon , Jones Michael E. , Palmer Ian
Published: December 2015

Introduction: psychological and psychiatric problems - Stressors in the wilderness - Considerations before departure - Psychiatric conditions - Psychological reactions to traumatic events - Post-traumatic stress disorder - Serious psychological threats - Recreational drugs and alcohol - After the expedition - P—assess perception - I—obtain the person’s invitation - K—give knowledge and information - E—address emotions with empathic responses - S—strategy and summary
Underwater
Authors: Johnson Chris , Conway Robert , Thomson Lesley F. , Pitkin Andy , Drew Rose
Published: December 2015

The underwater environment - Preparations before travel - Diving medicine - Effects of high-pressure gases - Decompression sickness - Barotrauma - Other problems
Within-field Pathogenic Diversity of Phytophthora sojae in Commercial Soybean Fields in Iowa
Authors: Robertson Alison E. , Cianzio Silvia R. , Cerra Sarah M. , Pope Richard O.
Published: December 2015

Phytophthora root and stem rot (PRR), caused by the oomycete Phytophthora sojae, is an economically important soybean disease in the north central region of the United States, including Iowa. Previous surveys of the pathogenic diversity of P. sojae in Iowa did not investigate whether multiple pathotypes of the pathogen existed in individual fields. Considering the many pathotypes of P. sojae that have been reported in Iowa, we hypothesized multiple pathotypes could exist within single fields. In the research reported herein, several soil samples were collected systematically from each of two commercial fields with a history of PRR in Iowa, and each soil sample was baited separately for isolates of P. sojae. Numerous pathotypes of P. sojae were detected from both fields. As many as four pathotypes were detected in some soil samples (each consisting of six to eight soil cores), which suggests that a single soybean plant could be subjected to infection by more than one pathotype. This possibility presents important implications in breeding resistant cultivars and in the management of PRR.

Accepted for publication 14 July 2009. Published 8 September 2009.
Small lakes in big landscape: External drivers of littoral ecosystem in high elevation lakes
Authors: Zaharescu Dragos G , Burghelea Carmen I , Hooda Peter S , Lester Richard N , Palanca-Soler Antonio
Published: December 2015

In low nutrient alpine lakes, the littoral zone is the most productive part of the ecosystem, and it is a biodiversity hotspot. It is not entirely clear how the scale and physical heterogeneity of surrounding catchment, its ecological composition, and larger landscape gradients work together to sustain littoral communities. A total of 114 alpine lakes in the central Pyrenees were surveyed to evaluate the functional connectivity between catchment physical and ecological elements and littoral zoobenthos, and ascertain their effect on community formation. At each lake, the zoobenthic composition was assessed together with geolocation (altitude, latitude and longitude), catchment hydrodynamics, geomorphology, topography, riparian vegetation composition, the presence of trout and frogs, water pH and conductivity. Uni- and multidimensional fuzzy set ordination models integrating benthic biota and environmental variables revealed that at geographical scale longitude surpassed altitude in its effect on the littoral ecosystem, reflecting a sharp transition between Atlantic and Mediterranean bioregions. Topography (through its control of catchment type, summer snow coverage, and connectivity with other lakes) was the largest catchment-scale driver, followed by hydrodynamics (waterbody size, type and inflow/outflow volumes). Locally, riparian plant composition significantly related to littoral community structure, richness and morphotype diversity. These variables, directly and indirectly, create habitats for aquatic and terrestrial stages of invertebrates, and control nutrient and water cycles. Three ecologically diverse associations characterised distinct lake sets. Vertebrate predation, water conductivity and pH (broad measures of total dissolved ions/nutrients and their bioavailability) had no major influence on littoral taxa. The work provides exhaustive information from relatively pristine sites, which unveil a strong connection between littoral ecosystem and catchment heterogeneity at scales beyond the local environment. This underpins their role as sensors of local and large-scale environmental changes, and can be used to evaluate further impacts.
Automatic genome segmentation with HMM-ANN hybrid models
Authors: Shen Li
Published: December 2015

We consider the problem of automatic genome segmentation (AGS) that aims to assign discrete labels to all genomic regions based on multiple ChIP-seq samples. We propose to use a hybrid model that combines a hidden Markov model (HMM) with an artificial neural network (ANN) to overcome the weaknesses of a standard HMM. Our contributions are threefold: first, we benchmark two approaches to generate targets for ANN training on an example dataset; second, we investigate many different ANN models to identify the ones with best predictions on chromatin states; third, we test different hyper-parameters and discuss how they affect the machine learning algorithms’ performance. We find our best performing models to beat two pervious state-of-the-art methods for AGS by large margins.
Short X-ray pulses from third-generation light sources
Authors: Stepanov A. G. , Hauri C. P.
Published: December 2015

High-brightness X-ray radiation produced by third-generation synchrotron light sources (TGLS) has been used for numerous time-resolved investigations in many different scientific fields. The typical time duration of X-ray pulses delivered by these large-scale machines is about 50–100 ps. A growing number of time-resolved studies would benefit from X-ray pulses with two or three orders of magnitude shorter duration. Here, techniques explored in the past for shorter X-ray pulse emission at TGLS are reviewed and the perspective towards the realisation of picosecond and sub-picosecond X-ray pulses are discussed.
A novel structure of dithered nested digital delta sigma modulator with low-complexity low-spur for fractional frequency synthesizers
Authors: Sadat Noori Seyed Ali , Farshidi Ebrahim , Sadoughi Sirus
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– Digital Delta Sigma Modulator (DDSM) is used widely in electronic circuits including Radars, class-D power amplifiers and fractional frequency synthesizers. The purpose of this paper is to propose an implementation for MASH DDSMs named as Multi Modulus Reduced Complexity (MMRC) architecture.

Design/methodology/approach

– This architecture will use a very simple pseudorandom Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) dither signal with period N_d to randomize the digital MMRC modulator used for fractional frequency synthesizers. Using error masking methodology, the MMRC modulator can decrease the hardware consumption and increase accuracy of the fractional frequency synthesizer. Rules for selecting the appropriate word lengths of the constituent MMRC modulator are derived.

Findings

– This paper contains three modulators. The first stage modulator is a variable modulus First Order Error Feedback Modulator and has a programmable modulus M1 that is not a power of two. The second and third stage modulators are the first order pseudorandom LFSR dithered MASH 1-1 and modified MASH 1-1-1, which have conventional modulo M2, M3, respectively. With optimum selection modulus M1, the new structure can synthesize the desired frequency exactly. Simulation results confirm the theoretical predictions. Also the results of circuit implementation proposed method reports 13 per cent reduction in hardware.

Originality/value

– This paper for the first time proposes a nested sigma delta modulator with a pseudorandom shaped dither signal which reduced hardware complexity and increased the period of output signal. This modulator is exploited in the fractional frequency synthesizer to the output frequency can be set more accurately.
Extraction of microwave FET noise wave temperatures by using a novel neural approach
Authors: Ðorđević Vladica , Marinković Zlatica , Marković Vera , Pronić-Rančić Olivera
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is the development of an efficient approach for extraction of the microwave FET noise wave temperatures.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed approach is based on an artificial neural network (ANN) trained to determine the noise wave temperatures from the given measured transistor noise parameters.

Findings

– The presented approach enables not only efficient, but also an accurate direct extraction of the noise wave temperatures. This is confirmed by the validation of the proposed approach that is done by comparison of the transistor noise parameters obtained using the extracted noise wave temperatures with the measured noise parameters.

Originality/value

– Application of ANN is a novel approach to extract the noise wave temperatures, which provides more efficient microwave FET noise wave modeling.