bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Governing the Nexus for Sustainability
Authors: Marx Sina
Published: January 2016

This report summarizes the challenges of and requirements for effective governance of the water, energy and food nexus. With global dynamics such as climate change, urbanization and changing consumption patterns, governing resources in a coherent manner becomes both more complex and more relevant for sustainable development. Governance challenges include nexus economics (costs and benefits of different approaches to resource management), institutional design (like questions of how decision-making should be best distributed) and good governance (how to make sure that nexus governance adheres to certain agreed upon principles and values). In terms of economics, a balance between sector specific actions and nexus governance is required. For effective decision-making it is important that power among different institutions is both distributed and coordinated. Good nexus governance requires targets that can be monitored to make sure that basic principles are followed and to examine whether progress toward sustainable development is being made.
The Need for Policy Coordination in Governing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Authors: Halbe Johannes , Knüppe Kathrin
Published: January 2016

Coordination of policies in different sectors and at multiple levels is a major task for governing the water-energy-food nexus. Nexus governance has to deal with plurality of policies that are in place (e.g., interaction of policies across levels). Based on an overview of governance challenges, this report provides insights into policy instruments and experiences in their application at the global, national, regional and local levels. Institutional innovation is needed to develop democratic and participatory approaches that address the water-energy-food nexus. Another requirement is the development and implementation of binding environmental targets (e.g. water quality standards, land use distribution) which should be set at national or supranational levels. However, context-specific pathways should be established for different regions to achieve those targets. Various examples are provided to illustrate challenges and solutions to the implementation of a nexus governance approach.
Implementing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus at Various Scales: Trans-Boundary Challenges and Solutions
Authors: Scott McLachlan Nikolaus
Published: January 2016

Watersheds, climate regimes and nature in general do not abide to boundaries created by human institutions, increasing the difficulty for these institutions to manage them. Human activity is, on the other hand, capable of linking geographically separate regions through trade and supply chains. Implementing the water-energyfood nexus therefore often requires science and policy to work on a trans-boundary level. This article looks at two examples of quantitative trans-boundary approaches in science. Johansson explored the effects of foreign land acquisition on regional water scarcity through virtual water flows. The virtual water flows were based on the water used to produce the exported food and energy crops. The flows were aggregated on a national basis to compare countries. Van der Krogt presented a water simulation model for the Eastern Nile Basin, developed through joint cooperation between the four Eastern Nile countries. The model incorporates information on all current, planned and potential water infrastructure and irrigation projects into different scenarios. These are compared with a long term hydrological baseline to assess the impact development has on downstream water supply. This new tool allows Eastern Nile countries to better understand how their actions can affect downstream neighbours.
Implementing the nexus at various scales: Local and regional perspectives
Authors: Aarnoudse Eefje , Leentvaar Jan
Published: January 2016

Many issues in the water, energy and agricultural sector are in fact crosscutting issues, which can only be solved by a nexus approach. A nexus approach means that management solutions account for synergies and tradeoffs between the sectors. Critical issues emerging across the three sectors ask for different policies at different governance levels. However, at each level of policy making the impact at local level should be an important point of reference. In line with this, the case of the Aral Sea Basin in Central Asia exemplifies how international energy politics affect local farmers’ access to irrigation water. Moreover, a comparative study of three states in India shows that local differences in the implementation of the nexus approach can lead to different outcomes in terms of groundwater and electricity use for agriculture. These two examples underline that to implement a nexus approach; the local perspective should not be overlooked, even when policies are designed at higher governance levels.
Ecosystem Services in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Authors: Bekchanov Maksud , Ringler Claudia , Mueller Marc
Published: January 2016

Given their substantial societal benefits, such as supporting economic activities and providing better livelihoods in rural areas, ecosystem services should gain higher importance in water-food-energy nexus debates. Yet, not all values from ecosystems are quantifiable, data is often not adequate and methods of measuring these values are not sound. This situation challenges researchers and water managers to improve research tools and give adequate attention to ecosystem services by implementing interdisciplinary approaches and integrated management of ecosystems and their services.
Connecting cities and their environments: Harnessing the water-energy-food nexus for sustainable urban development
Authors: Chan Arthur
Published: January 2016

Thousands of years of development have made the production and consumption of water, energy, and food for urban environments more complex. While the rise of cities has fostered social and economic progress, the accompanying environmental pressures threaten to undermine these benefits. The compounding effects of climate change, habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation (in addition to financial constraints) make the individual management of these three vital resources incompatible with rapidly growing populations and resource-intensive lifestyles. Nexus thinking is a critical tool to capture opportunities for urban sustainability in both industrialised and developing cities. A nexus approach to water, energy, and food security recognises that conventional decisionmaking, strictly confined within distinct sectors, limits the sustainability of urban development. Important nexus considerations include the need to collaborate with a wide spectrum of stakeholders, and to “re-integrate” urban systems. This means recognising the opportunities coming from the interconnected nature of cities and metropolitan regions, including links with rural environments and wider biophysical dynamics.
Earth Observations and Education for the Sustainable Implementation of the Nexus Approach
Authors: Voigt Holm
Published: January 2016

Water, energy and food are closely connected sectors which interact in a complex manner. Complex problems which need to be addressed in these sectors require informed decisions. The key to this information are data which need to be easily available to the decision maker. In the context of the Sustainability in the W-E-F Nexus conference May 19-20, 2014, the session on ‘Earth Observations, Monitoring and Modelling for the Sustainable Implementation of the Nexus Approach’ revealed institutional shortcomings and general problems in data provisioning for the water-energy- food (WEF) nexus. Key Findings of the session were that (1) integrative thinking of collaborating institutions is required to address problems in the water-energy-food nexus, (2) comprehensive and coherent data need to be made readily available, potentially through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and (3) that nexus education needs to be promoted in basic and higher education in order to ensure efficient use of coherent and comprehensive datasets.
The Water – Energy – Food Nexus and Climate Change Adaptation
Authors: Holtermann Talin , Nandalal K.D.W.
Published: January 2016

This report explores the exposure and vulnerability of Korea and the Southern African region to climate-driven impacts in the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. It presents the building of ecological networks as a mean to address climate change - induced alterations of ecosystems and the consequences for humans and nature. Reducing the asymmetry between price and value of water resources is identified as an essential aspect to enable sound resource management use decisions. The report highlights the need for comprehensive tools which assist decision makers in dealing with the complexity of WEF nexus interrelations and facilitate sustainable resource management.
The Roles of Customary Institutions in Adaptation and Coping to Climate Change and Variability among the Issa, Ittu and Afar Pastoralists of eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Tadesse Bamlaku , Beyene Fekadu , Kassa Workneh , Wentzell Richard
Published: January 2016

(Agro) pastoral communities who reside in the arid and semi-arid environments of Ethiopia are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and variability specifically to the recurrent drought, floods and conflicts. From their long years of rich experiences of how to survive on such environmental pressures, (agro) pastoralists have also developed various forms of adaptation as well as coping strategies to the impacts of climate change and variability. Such strategies are closely guided and supervised by their customary institutions which have rich experiences in addressing the socio-economic/ cultural, political and environmental/ecological aspects. To mention some of the adaptation mechanisms in the study area are pastoral mobility; relying on traditional early warning mechanisms; area enclosures and preparing of hays/forage; diversifying livestock and selection of their species; the shift from pure form of pastoral to agropastoral production systems; and among others. Some of the coping strategies employed by the (agro) pastoralists are also their engagement in charcoal production and fire wood collections; the sell of their livestock, government support in the form of safety net and MERET project and their indigenous social support mechanisms; petty trading especially by women; brokering on livestock trade; engagement in contraband trade; searching for daily labor, and among others. The paper also tried to assess the roles of customary institutions in social support mechanisms to the problems posed by the impacts of climate change and variability to their age old traditional ways of livelihood mechanisms.
Approximation forte en famille
Authors: Colliot-Thélène Jean-Louis , Harari David
Published: January 2016

Soient k un corps de nombres et X une k-variété affine lisse intègre
fibrée au-dessus de la droite affine

𝔸
k
1

$\mathbb {A}^1_{k}$

. Supposons que toutes les fibres sont géométriquement intègres, et que la fibre générique est un espace homogène sous un
groupe semisimple simplement connexe presque simple

G
/
k
(
t
)

$G/k(t)$

, les stabilisateurs géométriques étant réductifs connexes.
Soit v une place de k telle que la fibration

X
→

𝔸
k
1

$X \rightarrow \mathbb {A}^1_{k}$

admette une section rationnelle sur le complété
kv
. Supposons en outre que pour presque tout point

x
∈

𝔸
1

(

k
v

)

$x \in \mathbb {A}^1(k_{v})$

le kv
-groupe Gx
est isotrope. Supposons enfin le groupe de Brauer de X réduit à celui de k. Alors l'approximation forte vaut pour X
en dehors de la place v.
Let k be a number field and X a smooth integral affine variety equipped with a surjective morphism

f
:
X
→

𝔸
k
1

$f: X \rightarrow \mathbb {A}^1_{k}$

to the affine line. Assume that all fibres of f are split, for instance that they are geometrically integral. Assume that the generic fibre of f is a homogeneous space of a simply connected, almost simple, semisimple group

G
/
k
(
t
)

$G/k(t)$

, and that the geometric stabilizers are connected reductive groups. Let v be a place of k such that the fibration f acquires a rational section over the completion kv
at v. Assume moreover that at almost all points in

x
∈

𝔸
1

(

k
v

)

$x \in \mathbb {A}^1(k_{v})$

the specialized group Gx
is isotropic over kv
. If the Brauer group of X is reduced to the Brauer group of k, then strong approximation holds for X away from the place v.
Directions in hyperbolic lattices
Authors: Marklof Jens , Vinogradov Ilya
Published: January 2016

It is well known that the orbit of a lattice in hyperbolic n-space is uniformly distributed when projected radially onto the unit sphere. In the present work, we consider the fine-scale statistics of the projected lattice points, and express the limit distributions in terms of random hyperbolic lattices. This provides in particular a new perspective on recent results by Boca, Popa, and Zaharescu on 2-point correlations for the modular group, and by Kelmer and Kontorovich for general lattices in dimension n = 2.
Non-minimal modularity lifting in weight one
Authors: Calegari Frank
Published: January 2016

We prove an integral

R
=
𝐓

{R=\mathbf{T}}

theorem for odd two-dimensional p-adic representations of

G
𝐐

{G_{\mathbf{Q}}}

which are unramified at p,
extending results of [5]
to the non-minimal case. We prove, for any p, the existence
of Katz modular forms modulo p of weight one which do not lift to
characteristic zero.
Cuspidality and the growth of Fourier coefficients of modular forms
Authors: Böcherer Siegfried , Das Soumya
Published: January 2016

We characterize Siegel cusp forms in the space of Siegel modular forms of large weight

k
>

2
⁢
n

{k>2n}

on any Siegel congruence subgroup Γ of any degree n and any level N, by a suitable growth of their Fourier coefficients (e.g., by the well-known Hecke bound) at any one of the cusps. For this, we use a ‘local’ approach as compared to our previous results on this topic. We also touch upon the question in the context of vector-valued modular forms.
Are Biopharmaceutical Budget Caps Good Public Policy?
Authors: Goldman Dana P. , Lakdawalla Darius N. , Baumgardner James R. , Linthicum Mark T.
Published: January 2016

Medical innovation has generated significant gains in health over the past decades, but these advances have been accompanied by rapid growth in healthcare spending. Faced with a growing number of high-cost but high-impact innovations, some have argued to constrain prices for new therapies – especially through global caps on pharmaceutical spending and limits on prices for individual drugs. We show that applying this threshold to past innovations would have limited access to many highly valuable drugs such as statins and anti-retrovirals. We also argue that budget caps violate several important principles of health policy. First, budget caps treat healthcare spending as a consumption good, like going to a movie or buying a meal. However, healthcare spending should be viewed as an investment, whose benefits accrue over many years – much like spending on education. Second, budgetary cost is a poor indicator of value, thereby distorting coverage decisions. Third, affordability arguments often use a short-term horizon, thereby missing that long-term health is society’s ultimate goal. Fourth, assessments of benefit should incorporate not just the immediate clinical benefit to patients, but also long-term health improvements, cost savings, and increased productivity. Fifth, global budget caps arbitrarily anchor spending on the status quo, thereby setting too stringent a threshold for socially-desirable innovation. In sum, a solitary focus on short-term costs can be detrimental to population health in the long-run. When medical treatment decisions are properly viewed as investments, budget caps are not the answer; rather, we need to find mechanisms to encourage spending decisions based on long-term value. Only then can we generate health returns to societal investments, while also encouraging the new research and development necessary to extend the gains of recent decades.
An efficient, one-pot three-component synthesis of 4H-thiazolo[3,2-a][1,3,5]triazin-6-one derivatives
Authors: Ubeid Mustafa T. , Thabet Hamdy K. , El-Feky Said A.
Published: January 2016

A simple and efficient protocol was established to synthesize thiazolo[3,2-a][1,3,5]triazin-6-ones via three-component one-pot condensation reaction of readily available thioglycolic acid or ethyl thioglycolate, aldehydes or ketones and dicyandiamide in the presence of ammonium acetate. All of the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic analyses.
Activation of corticotropin releasing factor receptors up regulates collagen production by hepatic stellate cells via promoting p300 expression
Authors: Wang Changzhen , Yang Shan , Huang Jingjing , Chen Songlin , Li Yuan , Li Quanqiang
Published: January 2016

Liver fibrosis is characterized with the over expression and excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagens. The causative factors in the over production of collagens are not fully understood. This study aims to test a hypothesis that activation of corticotropin releasing factor receptors up regulates the expression of collagen in hepatic stellate cells. In this study, human hepatic stellate cell line, LX-2 cells were cultured. Expression of collagens by LX-2 cells was assessed by real time RT-PCR, Western blotting. The results showed that, upon exposure to urocortin in the culture, LX-2 cells (a human hepatic stellate cell line) increased the expression of collagen IV (Col4) markedly. The exposure to urocortin also enhanced the levels of pTip60, H3K9, RNA polymerase II and forkhead box protein 3 at the collagen promoter locus as well as increase in the expression of Col4 mRNA and protein in the cells. Blocking p300 efficiently suppressed the urocortin-induced Col4 expression in LX-2 cells and unveiled an apoptosis-inducing effect of urocortin. In conclusion, activation of CRF receptors is capable of enforcing the production of Col4 by LX-2 cells via up regulating the p300 pathway, which may contribute to the development of liver fibrosis.
Heart-Like Micro-Flow Mixer
Authors: Wang Chin-Tsan , Chen Yan-Ming , Chen Shih-Syun
Published: January 2016

Micromixers are the microfluidic devices able to rapidly mix more than two liquids, with low pressure drop and high mixing efficiency (εmixing). In this study, the effect of Reynolds number ratio (Rer) and aspect ratio (AR) of heart-like biometric micromixer applied would be investigated by a numerical simulation and experimental confirmation. Results show that the heart-like biometric micromixer resulting from the coupling effect of the split and recombination (SAR) and biometric design can produce a high mixing efficiency, low pressure drop and short mixing path under a case of low Reynolds number. Two dimensional results also find that a flow mixing efficiency of εmixing=0.89 and an optimal mixing index of Midx=115 could be achieved at a flow condition of Rer=0.75 and Re2=0.1 of the middle-inlet channel I2. In additional, the three dimensional results indicate that a high flow mixing efficiency of εmixing=0.84 and the lowest pressure drop of 164.2 Pa was obtained at the flow conditions of Rer=0.9 and AR=10 when the middle-inlet channel I2was Re2=0.1. These findings will be useful to improvement the efficiency for micromixcers of biometric design in the future.
Effect of Biomass Compositions on Combustion Kinetic Parameters using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Thanatawee Phattharanid , Rukthong Wanwisa , Sunphorka Sasithorn , Piumsomboon Pornpote , Chalermsinsuwan Benjapon
Published: January 2016

The aim of this research is to find the correlation between chemical compositions of biomass, including cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, and kinetic rates of biomass combustion. The combustion behavior of biomass constituent was studied by thermogravimetric analyzer. The correlations were generated by means of using Response Surface Methodology based on Simplex-Lattice experimental design. The results obtained from statistical analysis can be used to generate mathematical models and also contour plots which exhibited the relationship between biomass composition and its combustion kinetic. From the observation, the models and contour plots indicated the complexity of combustion mechanism. The correlations proposed by this research were expected to be potentially used to predict combustion behavior in case of real biomass.
Debt and Macroeconomic Behavior: Austerity and Restructuring in an Age of Uncertainty
Authors: Haley James A.
Published: January 2016

This article reviews the panel discussion of “Debt and Macroeconomic Behavior” at the Initiative for Policy Dialogue-Centre for International Governance Innovation conference on sovereign debt restructuring held at Columbia University, New York, September 22, 2015. The session featured three presentations covering the welfare costs of high debt loads, the potential for fiscal austerity to be expansionary and the nexus between expectations, debt and crises. Jonathan Ostry focused on the conditions under which a government should actively pursue debt reduction as opposed to “living with the debt” in his presentation, When Should Public Debt be Reduced? Where debt burdens do not pose a default risk, governments should be content to allow the debt-to-GDP ratio to decline as a result of economic growth. This result is juxtaposed against the contention that debt reduction can be expansionary, which gained influence in policy circles in the wake of the global financial crisis. As Michael Konczal explained in his presentation Searching for Expansionary Austerity, the basis for this claim rests on a few special cases; the empirical evidence does not support the view that debt reduction is always and everywhere good policy. The third presentation, Crises: Principles and Policies by Joseph Stiglitz, reviewed the critical role of expectations in determining long-run steady states and creating the potential for multiple equilibria. Crises can reflect the sudden revision of expectations and the switching of equilibrium. While such a phenomenon sits uneasily with the modeling paradigm of much of recent economic theory, it is difficult to understand events in the Eurozone over the past half-decade in terms of a unique rational expectations equilibrium in which unstable paths are precluded a priori.
Design and Performance Analysis of 2D OCDMA System with Polarization States
Authors: Bharti Manisha , Sharma Ajay K. , Kumar Manoj
Published: January 2016

This paper focuses on increasing the number of subscribers in optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA) system by using one of the features of light signal that it can be propagated in two polarization states. The performance of two-dimensional (2D) OCDMA system based on wavelength-time coding scheme by adding polarization state is investigated at varying data rates from 1 GHz to 6 GHz and for various modulation formats. It is reported that with increase in data rate of system, the performance of the system deteriorates due to polarization mode dispersion. Non-return to-zero (RZ), return to-zero (RZ), carrier suppressed return-to-zero (CSRZ) and differential phase shift keying (DPSK) modulation formats are simulated for a single user system with polarization. Investigations reveal that differential phase shift keying (DPSK) modulation format suits best to the proposed system and exhibit the potential to improve the flexibility of system for more number of users. The investigations are reported in terms of Q-factor, BER, received optical power (ROP) and eye diagrams.
Fetal cerebro-placental ratio and adverse perinatal outcome: systematic review and meta-analysis of the association and diagnostic performance
Authors: Nassr Ahmed Abobakr , Abdelmagied Ahmed M. , Shazly Sherif A.M.
Published: January 2016

The objective of this meta-analysis is to assess the value of fetal cerebro-placental Doppler ratio (CPR) in predicting adverse perinatal outcome in pregnancies with fetal growth restriction (FGR).

Three databases were used: MEDLINE, EMBASE (with online Ovid interface) and SCOPUS and studies from inception to April 2015 were included. Studies that reported perinatal outcomes of fetuses at risk of FGR or sonographically diagnosed FGR that were evaluated with CPR were considered eligible. Perinatal outcomes include cesarean section (CS) for fetal distress, APGAR scores at 5 min, neonatal complications and admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Pooled data were expressed as odds ratio (OR) and confidence intervals (CI), and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was used to illustrate the diagnostic accuracy of CPR.

Seven studies were eligible (1428 fetuses). Fetuses with abnormal CPR were at higher risk of CS for fetal distress (OR=4.49, 95% CI [1.63, 12.42]), lower APGAR scores (OR=4.01, 95% CI [2.65, 6.08]), admission to NICU (OR=9.65, 95% CI [3.02, 30.85]), and neonatal complications (OR=11.00, 95% [3.64, 15.37]) than fetuses who had normal CPR. These risks were higher among studies that included fetuses diagnosed with FGR than fetuses at risk of FGR. Abnormal CPR had higher diagnostic accuracy for adverse perinatal outcomes among “sonographically diagnosed FGR” studies than “at risk of FGR” studies.

Abnormal CPR is associated with substantial risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. The test seems to be particularly useful for follow up of fetuses with sonographically diagnosed FGR.
Zinc Oxide Nanophotonics
Authors: Choi Sumin , Aharonovich Igor
Published: January 2016

The emerging field of nanophotonics initiated a dedicated study of single photon
sources and optical resonators in new class of materials. One such material is
zinc oxide (ZnO) that has been long considered only for classical light-emitting
applications. However, it recently showed promise for quantum photonics
technologies. In this review, we highlight the recent advances in studying
single emitters in ZnO, engineering of optical cavities and practical
nanophotonics devices including nanolasers and electrically triggered devices.
We finalize with an outlook at this promising area, as well as provide
perspectives and open questions in solid state nanophotonics employing ZnO.
Nanowire Optoelectronics
Authors: Wang Zhihuan , Nabet Bahram
Published: January 2016

Semiconductor nanowires have been used in a variety of passive and active
optoelectronic devices including waveguides, photodetectors, solar cells,
light-emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers, sensors, and optical antennas. We review
the optical properties of these nanowires in terms of absorption, guiding, and
radiation of light, which may be termed light management. Analysis of the
interaction of light with long cylindrical/hexagonal structures with
subwavelength diameters identifies radial resonant modes, such as Leaky Mode
Resonances, or Whispering Gallery modes. The two-dimensional treatment should
incorporate axial variations in “volumetric modes,”which have so far been
presented in terms of Fabry–Perot (FP), and helical resonance modes. We report
on finite-difference timedomain (FDTD) simulations with the aim of identifying
the dependence of these modes on geometry (length, width), tapering, shape
(cylindrical, hexagonal), core–shell versus core-only, and dielectric cores with
semiconductor shells. This demonstrates how nanowires (NWs) form excellent
optical cavities without the need for top and bottommirrors. However, optically
equivalent structures such as hexagonal and cylindrical wires can have very
different optoelectronic properties meaning that light management alone does not
sufficiently describe the observed enhancement in upward (absorption) and
downward transitions (emission) of light inNWs; rather, the electronic
transition rates should be considered. We discuss this “rate management” scheme
showing its strong dimensional dependence, making a case for photonic integrated
circuits (PICs) that can take advantage of the confluence of the desirable
optical and electronic properties of these nanostructures.
Recent Progress on Plasmon-Enhanced Fluorescence
Authors: Dong Jun , Zhang Zhenglong , Zheng Hairong , Sun Mentao
Published: January 2016

The optically generated collective electron density waves on metal–dielectric
boundaries known as surface plasmons have been of great scientific interest
since their discovery. Being electromagnetic waves on gold or silver
nanoparticle’s surface, localised surface plasmons (LSP) can strongly enhance
the electromagnetic field. These strong electromagnetic fields near the metal
surfaces have been used in various applications like surface enhanced
spectroscopy (SES), plasmonic lithography, plasmonic trapping of particles, and
plasmonic catalysis. Resonant coupling of LSPs to fluorophore can strongly
enhance the emission intensity, the angular distribution, and the polarisation
of the emitted radiation and even the speed of radiative decay, which is
so-called plasmon enhanced fluorescence (PEF). As a result, more and more
reports on surface-enhanced fluorescence have appeared, such as SPASER-s,
plasmon assisted lasing, single molecule fluorescence measurements, surface
plasmoncoupled emission (SPCE) in biological sensing, optical orbit designs etc.
In this review, we focus on recent advanced reports on plasmon-enhanced
fluorescence (PEF). First, the mechanism of PEF and early results of enhanced
fluorescence observed by metal nanostructure will be introduced. Then, the
enhanced substrates, including periodical and nonperiodical nanostructure, will
be discussed and the most important factor of the spacer between molecule and
surface and wavelength dependence on PEF is demonstrated. Finally, the recent
progress of tipenhanced fluorescence and PEF from the rare-earth doped
up-conversion (UC) and down-conversion (DC) nanoparticles (NPs) are also
commented upon. This review provides an introduction to fundamentals of PEF,
illustrates the current progress in the design of metallic nanostructures for
efficient fluorescence signal amplification that utilises propagating and
localised surface plasmons.
Luminescent tracks of high-energy photoemitted electrons accelerated by plasmonic fields
Authors: Di Vece Marcel , Giannakoudakis Giorgos , Bjørkøy Astrid , Tang Wingjohn
Published: January 2016

The emission of an electron from a metal nanostructure under illumination and its
subsequent acceleration in a plasmonic field forms a platform to extend these
phenomena to deposited nanoparticles, which can be studied by state-of-the-art
confocal microscopy combined with femtosecond optical excitation. The emitted
and accelerated electrons leave defect tracks in the immersion oil, which can be
revealed by thermoluminescence. These photographic tracks are read out with the
confocal microscope and have a maximum length of about 80 μm, which corresponds
to a kinetic energy of about 100 keV. This energy is consistent with the energy
provided by the intense laser pulse combined with plasmonic local field
enhancement. The results are discussed within the context of the rescattering
model by which electrons acquire more energy. The visualization of electron
tracks originating from plasmonic field enhancement around a gold nanoparticle
opens a new way to study with confocal microscopy both the plasmonic properties
of metal nano objects as well as high energy electron interaction with
matter.
Crystal structure of 5-methyl-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxane-5-carboxylic acid, C12H14O4
Authors: Yuan Xian-You , Jia Guo-Kai , Zhang Min , Yuan Lin
Published: January 2016

C12H14O4, monoclinic, C2/c, a = 32.6674(8) Å, b = 6.0061(2) Å, c = 23.2786(6) Å, α = 90°, β = 103.368(2)°, γ = 90°, V = 4443.6(2) Å3, Z = 16, R
gt
(F) = 0.0459, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.1412, T = 298(2) K.
Crystal structure of 5-(4-carboxyphenoxy)-nicotinic acid, C13H9NO5
Authors: Du Xi-Gang , Wang Chun-Wei
Published: January 2016

C13H9NO5, triclinic, P1̅, a = 7.6228(12) Å, b = 10.5401(16) Å, c = 14.669(2) Å, α = 94.801(2)°, β = 91.188(2)°, γ = 105.664(2)°, Z = 4, Dc = 1.524 g/cm3, Formula weight = 259.21, F(000) = 536, V = 1129.7(3) Å3, R
gt
(F) = 0.038, wR
ref
(F
2
) =0.107, T = 296 K.
Crystal structure of hexaaquamanganese(II) bis(3-carboxythiophene-2-carboxylate) C12H18MnO14S2
Authors: Zhao Yan , Li Shi-Hui , Zhang Li
Published: January 2016

C12H18O14S2Mn, Triclinic, P1̅, a = 6.5076(10) Å, b = 8.4923(13) Å, c = 9.8092(15) Å, α = 66.6180(10)°, β = 86.903(2)°, γ = 82.235(2)°, V = 493.02(13) Å3, Z = 1, R
gt
(F) = 0.0569, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.1756, T = 296(2) K.
Crystal structure of catena-poly[tetraaqua-(μ
2-4,4′-bipyridine-k2
N:N′)-zinc(II)] fumarate tetrahydrate, C14H26N2O12Zn
Authors: Yang Zhi-Jun , Ni Tian-Jun , He Guang-Jie
Published: January 2016

C14H26N2O12Zn, triclinic, P1̅, a = 7.051(9) Å, b = 7.807(10) Å, c = 9.752(12) Å, α = 79.374(13)°, β = 86.453(14)°, γ = 72.699(14)°, V = 503.7(11) Å3, Z = 1, R
gt
(F) = 0.0296 wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.0783, T = 296(2) K.
Crystal structure of photochromic 1-(2-methyl-5-phenyl-3-thienyl-2-[2-methyl-5-(4-ethoxylphenyl)-3-thienyl] 3,3,4,4,5,5-hexafluoro-cyclopent-1-ene, C29H22F6OS2
Authors: Fan Congbin , Fu Yinglong , Pu Shouzhi
Published: January 2016

C29H22F6OS2, monoclinic, P21/c, a = 6.4504(2) Å, b = 16.9752(4) Å, c = 22.8762(6) Å, β = 91.7790(10)°, V = 2503.66(12) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt
(F) = 0.0377, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.1156, T = 100(2) K.
Crystal structure of 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-tolylthio)pyrene, C44H34S4
Authors: Li-Hua Xu , Zhong-Hai Ni
Published: January 2016

C44H34S2, triclinic, P1̅ (no.2), a = 9.638(5) Å, b = 9.851(5) Å, c = 11.615(6) Å, α = 69.149(7)°, β = 67.313(6)°, γ = 61.805(6)°, V = 876.0(8) Å3, Z = 1, R
gt
(F) = 0.0529, wR
ref
(F
2
) = 0.1467, T = 296(2) K.
Reading with Borders: Text, Context, and Comparative Literature from Korea
Authors: Walsh Kelly
Published: January 2016

As an international faculty member at a liberal arts college in Seoul, teaching and “doing” comparative literature continues to unfold as a series of open-ended learning experiences. The most fundamental lesson, which seems both epistemological and ethical in nature, has been a pragmatic one: the importance of engaging the many institutional, pedagogic, and scholarly tensions arising in this emergent educational context. In the literature classroom, more specifically, this has taken the form of being attentive to the borders of text and context. Because most Korean students have been trained to read literature contextually, often in terms of preexisting national narratives, learning close literary reading can be a considerable challenge for them. Reading with borders enables students to register the epistemological frames that, heretofore, have limited, defined, and facilitated their knowledge. In crossing borders, we should strive to be as reflective and explicit as possible about what knowledge and relations these borders both preclude and enable. Such an awareness, gleaned in no small part from pedagogic practice, also informs my ongoing scholarly engagement with Korean modernism and the disciplinary tensions between area studies and comparative or world literature.
Shifting Proximities: A Case for Global Reading in US Higher Education
Authors: Hartwiger Alexander
Published: January 2016

This article argues that US higher education knowledge production remains localized but gets disguised as global. Consequently, local ways of knowing get projected as universal and students’ worldviews are never complicated or expanded. It offers a pedagogical corrective to this trend and situates the world literature classroom as one of the primary locations that is capable of reimagining global knowledge production in U.S. universities. More specifically, the article explores the fluid movement between close and distant reading as well as the potential of Globally Networked Learning Environments (GLNE) as concrete ways of ensuring that global knowledge production is truly global in scope. Utilizing GNLEs in the world literature class provides a pedagogical model that enables critical engagement with the complexity of global issues through the study and discussion of global texts all while in a global environment. While US institutions seek to expand their global footprints, the educational experiences of students too often remain local. Ultimately, through theoretical and practical examples, the article argues that if students in the US academy are to have a truly global education, teachers and administrators must first start by reforming and transforming local sites of learning.
Transposing Pedagogic Boundaries: Global America in an Australian Context
Authors: Giles Paul
Published: January 2016

This article reflects on an interdisciplinary first-year course titled “Global America,” which I have co-taught at the University of Sydney. “Global America” examines how the forces of globalization have shaped the United States, but also how the U.S. projects itself within a global sphere. The article outlines the particular challenges and opportunities involved in teaching such a course within an Australian context, before suggesting new scholarly directions in the field of American studies. One key aim of the course was to reformulate the central issues of globalization as experiential rather than abstract phenomena. In this way, the course used the experience of teaching American texts from an external vantage point to challenge institutional as well as the geographical boundaries. In its traditional interdisciplinary framework, American studies invariably attempts to either export U.S. culture to the world or else to represent American liberalism as a universal value. The paper argues for a more materialist, transnational approach, which attempts to bring local narrative and global compass into a mutually enlightening dialogue. Ultimately, the article reveals how a transnational pedagogy of American studies can help creatively to transpose the boundaries of “Global America” and thus foster a productive state of intellectual defamiliarization.
Effect of nonthermal plasma treatment on the surface of dental resins immersed in artificial saliva
Authors: dos Santos Daniela Micheline , Vechiato-Filho Aljomar Jose , Pesqueira Aldieris Alves , Guiotti Aimee Maria , Rangel Elidiane Cipriano , da Cruz Nilson Cristino , Goiato Marcelo Coelho
Published: January 2016

This study aimed (1) to use scanning electron microscopy associated with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to characterize the surface of dental resins after nonthermal plasma (NTP) treatment and (2) to use surface energy analysis to evaluate whether NTP treatment protects the microhardness of the resins against the degradative effects of saliva. Twenty-eight acrylic and composite resin discs were fabricated and divided into four groups. Two groups received no surface treatment [control acrylic resin (Co/AR) and control composite resin (Co/CR] and two groups [NTP-treated acrylic resin (NTP/AR) and NTP-treated composite resin (NTP/CR)] were treated with NTP. One disc from each group was analyzed using SEM-EDS. Ten discs were subjected to surface energy analysis (before and after NTP) and microhardness assessments (at various time points). p<0.05 was used to determine statistical significance. Surface energy decreased after NTP treatment. Microhardness was reduced after 30 days in the Co/AR group and between 15 and 30 days in the NTP/AR group. Microhardness decreased in the Co/CR group after 15 and 30 days, whereas there was no difference after 30 days in the NTP/CR group. SEM images showed the presence of cracks and holes after 30 days in both Co/AR and NTP/AR groups. Cracks and silicon particles were observed after 30 days in the Co/CR group. Both the acrylic and composite resins exhibited hydrophobic properties after NTP treatment. The reduction in microhardness of the acrylic resin after NTP treatment was lower than that of the composite resin.
Cognitive function in schizophrenia: conflicting findings and future directions
Authors: Moustafa Ahmed A. , Garami Julia K. , Mahlberg Justin , Golembieski Jan , Keri Szabolcs , Misiak BlaŻej , Frydecka Dorota
Published: January 2016

Introduction:Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder with multiple psychopathological domains being affected. Several lines of evidence indicate that cognitive impairment serves as the key component of schizophrenia psychopathology. Although there have been a multitude of cognitive studies in schizophrenia, there are many conflicting results. We reasoned that this could be due to individual differences among the patients (i.e. variation in the severity of positive vs. negative symptoms), different task designs, and/or the administration of different antipsychotics.

Methods:We thus review existing data concentrating on these dimensions, specifically in relation to dopamine function. We focus on most commonly used cognitive domains: learning, working memory, and attention.

Results:We found that the type of cognitive domain under investigation, medication state and type, and severity of positive and negative symptoms can explain the conflicting results in the literature.

Conclusions:This review points to future studies investigating individual differences among schizophrenia patients in order to reveal the exact relationship between cognitive function, clinical features, and antipsychotic treatment.
Identification of consistent functional genetic modules
Authors: Miecznikowski Jeffrey C. , Gaile Daniel P. , Chen Xiwei , Tritchler David L.
Published: January 2016

It is often of scientific interest to find a set of genes that may represent an independent functional module or network, such as a functional gene expression module causing a biological response, a transcription regulatory network, or a constellation of mutations jointly causing a disease. In this paper we are specifically interested in identifying modules that control a particular outcome variable such as a disease biomarker. We discuss the statistical properties that functional networks should possess and introduce the concept of network consistency which should be satisfied by real functional networks of cooperating genes, and directly use the concept in the pathway discovery method we present. Our method gives superior performance for all but the simplest functional networks.
Testing constancy of unconditional variance in volatility models by misspecification and specification tests
Authors: Silvennoinen Annastiina , Teräsvirta Timo
Published: January 2016

The topic of this paper is testing the hypothesis of constant unconditional variance in GARCH models against the alternative that the unconditional variance changes deterministically over time. Tests of this hypothesis have previously been performed as misspecification tests after fitting a GARCH model to the original series. It is found by simulation that the positive size distortion present in these tests is a function of the kurtosis of the GARCH process. Adjusting the size by numerical methods is considered. The possibility of testing the constancy of the unconditional variance before fitting a GARCH model to the data is discussed. The power of the ensuing test is vastly superior to that of the misspecification test and the size distortion minimal. The test has reasonable power already in very short time series. It would thus serve as a test of constant variance in conditional mean models. An application to exchange rate returns is included.
Pentadiagonal Companion Matrices
Authors: Eastman Brydon , Vander Meulen Kevin N.
Published: January 2016

The class of sparse companion matrices was recently characterized in terms of unit Hessenberg matrices. We determine which sparse companion matrices have the lowest bandwidth, that is, we characterize which sparse companion matrices are permutationally similar to a pentadiagonal matrix and describe how to find the permutation involved. In the process, we determine which of the Fiedler companion matrices are permutationally similar to a pentadiagonal matrix. We also describe how to find a Fiedler factorization, up to transpose, given only its corner entries.
Matrix and discrepancy view of generalized random and quasirandom graphs
Authors: Bolla Marianna , Elbanna Ahmed
Published: January 2016

We will discuss how graph based matrices are capable to find classification of the graph vertices with small within- and between-cluster discrepancies. The structural eigenvalues together with the corresponding spectral subspaces of the normalized modularity matrix are used to find a block-structure in the graph. The notions are extended to rectangular arrays of nonnegative entries and to directed graphs. We also investigate relations between spectral properties, multiway discrepancies, and degree distribution of generalized random graphs. These properties are regarded as generalized quasirandom properties, and we conjecture and partly prove that they are also equivalent for certain deterministic graph sequences, irrespective of stochastic models.
On the range of nth order derivations acting on commutative Banach positive squares ℓ-algebras
Authors: Kouki Naoual , Toumi Mohamed Ali
Published: January 2016

In this paper we prove that the image of a nth order derivation on real commutative Banach ℓ-algebras with positive squares is contained in the set of nilpotent elements.
Thrust Performance Evaluation of a Turbofan Engine Based on Exergetic Approach and Thrust Management in Aircraft
Authors: Yalcin Enver
Published: January 2016

The environmental parameters such as temperature and air pressure which are changing depending on altitudes are effective on thrust and fuel consumption of aircraft engines. In flights with long routes, thrust management function in airplane information system has a structure that ensures altitude and performance management. This study focused on thrust changes throughout all flight were examined by taking into consideration their energy and exergy performances for fuel consumption of an aircraft engine used in flight with long route were taken as reference. The energetic and exergetic performance evaluations were made under the various altitude conditions. The thrust changes for different altitude conditions were obtained to be at 86.53 % in descending direction and at 142.58 % in ascending direction while the energy and exergy efficiency changes for the referenced engine were found to be at 80.77 % and 84.45 %, respectively. The results revealed here can be helpful to manage thrust and reduce fuel consumption, but engine performance will be in accordance with operation requirements.
Unsteady Mixed Bioconvection Flow of a Nanofluid Between Two Contracting or Expanding Rotating Discs
Authors: Li Jiao Jiao , Xu Hang , Raees Ammarah , Zhao Qing Kai
Published: January 2016

An investigation is made for a three-dimensional unsteady mixed nano-bioconvection flow between two contracting or expanding rotating discs. The passively controlled nanofluid model in which Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis are considered as the two dominant factors for nanoparticle/base-fluid slip mechanisms is introduced for description of this flow problem. A novel similarity transformation is introduced so that the governing equations embodying the conservation of total mass, momentum, thermal energy, nanoparticle volume fraction, and microorganisms are reduced to a set of five fully coupled ordinary differential equations. Exact solutions are then obtained analytically for this complex nonlinear system. Besides, the influences of various physical parameters on distributions of velocity, temperature, nanoparticle volume fraction, and the density of motile microorganisms, along with the local Nusselt number and the local wall motile microorganisms flux, are presented and discussed. It is expected that this study can provide a theoretical base for understanding the transport mechanisms of unsteady bioconvection in nanofluids.