bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of a swimming pool-associated cryptosporidiosis outbreak in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Authors: NG-HUBLIN J. S. Y. , HARGRAVE D. , COMBS B. , RYAN U.
Published: June 2014

Cryptosporidiosis is a gastroenteric disease caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium, which manifests primarily as watery diarrhoea. Transmitted via the faecal–oral route, infection with the parasite can occur through ingestion of water, food or other fomites contaminated with its infective oocyst stage. In the months of November and December 2012, there were 18 notified cases of cryptosporidiosis from Broome, Western Australia. The 5-year average for the Kimberley region for this period is <1 case. Interviews conducted by Broome local government staff on the notified cases revealed that 11/18 cases had been swimming at the Broome public swimming pool. Molecular analyses of extracted DNA performed on 8/18 microscopy-positive faecal samples from interviewed cases and three water samples from different locations at the hypervariable glycoprotein 60 (gp60) gene, identified the C. hominis IbA10G2 subtype in all human samples and one water sample.
Foreword: special issue on structure transformation
Authors: MONTANARI UGO
Published: June 2014

This special issue of Mathematical Structures in Computer Science is dedicated to structure transformation and contains contributions to two main research areas: extending the constructions that have been developed over nearly forty years for graph transformations to more general structures; and employing these transformations to model the operational and abstract semantics of distributed and mobile systems.
Combining termination proofs in model transformation systems
Authors: BISZTRAY DÉNES , HECKEL REIKO
Published: June 2014

In model transformations, where source models are automatically translated into target models or code, termination is necessary for the transformation to be well defined. There are a number of specific termination criteria that can be used when specifying model transformations by graph transformation, though termination is undecidable in general. Unfortunately, and particularly for large and heterogeneous specifications, it is often not possible to use a single termination criterion. In this paper, we propose an approach that applies different criteria to suitable subsets of rules so that termination can be shown locally using the most suitable technique for each subset. Global termination then follows if certain causal dependencies between rules in different subsets are acyclic. The theory is developed at the level of typed attributed graphs, and is motivated and illustrated by a case study translating UML activity diagrams to CSP.
What Happens When Digital Information Systems Are Brought Into Health and Social Care? Comparing Approaches to Social Policy in England and Australia
Authors: Baines Susan , Hill Penelope , Garrety Karin
Published: June 2014

This review article offers a brief comparative overview of approaches to the application of public sector information systems in England and Australia, with particular reference to health and social care. Since the 1990s, reforms to the public sector in both countries have looked to information and communication technologies (ICTs) from the private sector as the key to modern, citizen-centred services. These efforts have been conducted in the wider context of New Public Management, with the emphasis on the marketisation of government services, reducing the size of the state, and improvements in efficiency. Both countries are typically seen as being at, or near, the forefront of the digital transformation of public services (United Nations, 2012; McLoughlin and Wilson, 2013). Moreover, there is a shared history of experimentation, most recently in the shaping of the information agendas around records and personalisation.
Nurses' perceptions of depression in patients with cancer
Authors: Rhondali Wadih , Leprince Tanguy , Chirac Anne , Terra Jean-Louis , Filbet Marilène
Published: June 2014

Objective:

Our study aimed at examining nurses' perceptions of depression in cancer patients and their role in its management.

Method:

We employed questionnaire-based semi-directed interviews. Participants were asked to classify 22 symptoms (related and specific to depression in cancer patients, related but not specific, and unrelated) as “very important,” “important,” “less important,” or “not important” for the diagnosis of depression in cancer patients at two different timepoints (baseline and after a video education program). They were also asked to complete a questionnaire exploring their perceptions about depression and of their role in its systematic screening. We recruited nurses caring for cancer patients from four different departments (palliative care unit, hematology, medical oncology, and thoracic oncology) at an academic medical center.

Results:

We interviewed 18 nurses and found that they had a good general knowledge of depression in cancer patients, with the majority of them being able to distinguish specific and important symptoms from nonspecific symptoms. Some nurses considered depression as a second-line symptom, and most did not employ a screening tool in their daily practice. All considered that they had a role to play in the management of depression, even as they acknowledged lacking specific training for that task.

Significance of results:

Our results suggest that limited resources—especially lack of training—affects nurses' ability to correctly manage depression in their cancer patients.
Chemotherapeutic drugs that penetrate the blood–brain barrier affect the development of hyperactive delirium in cancer patients
Authors: Matsuoka Hiromichi , Yoshiuchi Kazuhiro , Koyama Atsuko , Otsuka Masatomo , Nakagawa Kazuhiko
Published: June 2014

Objective:

Delirium is a frequently encountered psychiatric disease in terminal cancer patients. However, the mechanism of delirium is unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between administration of chemotherapy drugs that penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the development of delirium in cancer patients.

Method:

We retrospectively analyzed 166 cancer patients (97 males, 69 females) continuously who died between September of 2007 and January of 2010 using a review of medical charts. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the effects of antineoplastic drugs penetrating the BBB on development of delirium in cancer patients with control for other risk factors.

Results:

In multivariate analysis, antineoplastic drugs that penetrated the BBB were significantly associated with development of delirium (OR = 18.92, CI95 = 1.08–333.04, p < 0.001).

Significance of results:

The use of chemotherapy drugs that penetrate the BBB may be a risk factor for delirium. This information may allow palliative care doctors and medical oncologists to predict which patients are at increased risk for delirium.
RECONCILIATION AND VIOLENCE: HANNAH ARENDT ON HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
Authors: YAQOOB WASEEM
Published: June 2014

This essay reconstructs Hannah Arendt's reading of Marx and Hegel in order to elucidate her critique of comprehensive philosophies of history. During the early 1950s Arendt endeavoured to develop a historical epistemology suitable to her then embryonic understanding of political action. Interpretations of her political thought either treat historical narrative as orthogonal to her central theoretical concerns, or focus on the role of “storytelling” in her writing. Both approaches underplay her serious consideration of the problem of historical understanding in the course of an engagement with European Marxism, French existentialism and French interpretations of Hegel. This essay begins with her writings on totalitarianism and her ambiguous relation with Marxism during the 1940s, and then examines her critique of French existentialism before finally turning to her “Totalitarian Elements of Marxism” project in the early 1950s. Reconstructing Arendt's treatment of philosophies of history helps elucidate the themes of violence and the relationship between means and ends in her political thought, and places a concept of history at the centre of her thought.
MYSTICISM AND MOURNING IN RECENT FRENCH THOUGHT
Authors: DEAN CAROLYN J.
Published: June 2014

There has been a lot of ink spilled lately regarding the various symptoms generated in French intellectual, cultural, and political life by a malady diagnosed as the triumph of neoliberalism and American consumerism at the end of the Cold War. In recent years, some French scholars afflicted with the disease have revisited and revised well-worn political models, and others returned defensively to the tradition of French secular republicanism as an antidote to “multiculturalism” and “communitarianism” (what Americans would call identity politics), which French authors often envision as American imports. This defensiveness on both the French left and right responds to the apparent exhaustion of nationalism, of revolutionary ideals, and of French identity. Joan Scott's recent book onThe Fantasy of Feminist Historydoes a particularly incisive job of revealing the various investments in secular republicanism as themselves forms of sexism and racism or nostalgia, especially on the right. She cites a discussion in which Mona Ozouf, Phillipe Raynaud, and others argue that the particularly “French” form of “seduction” and heterosexual coupling encourages men to exercise dominance through gallantry if they want to win over women. Gallantry civilizes society by using sexual difference as armor against an imagined leveling and sameness represented by those who cannot understand seduction as a means metaphorically of reconciling the differences that inevitably arise in democracies—feminists, “militant homosexuals,” and Muslims who refuse to play by French rules. Here the play of difference relies on a rigid gender difference—and the subordination of women—that sells itself as natural and quintessentially French.
Genetic variation in lowland sorghum (Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench) landraces assessed by simple sequence repeats
Authors: Amelework Beyene , Shimelis Hussien , Tongoona Pangirayi , Laing Mark , Mengistu Fentahun
Published: June 2014

The regions of north-eastern Ethiopia are known for their high levels of sorghum genetic diversity, and for being drought prone. For centuries, sorghum has been developed and maintained by farmers for its adaptation to the marginal and heterogeneous environment of these regions. The objective of this study was to examine the genetic diversity and population structure of 200 sorghum landraces collected from seven lowland districts, using 30 microsatellite markers sampled from all linkage groups of the sorghum genome. Both distance-based and model-based analytical approaches were used to analyse the data. The data analysis revealed that there was a large variation among all the markers under study. The values of polymorphic information content ranged from 0.26 to 0.88, with a mean value of 0.61, reflecting the high discriminating ability of the markers studied. The mean value of total gene diversity was 0.69, which partitioned 86% among the landraces and 14% within the landraces. Gene diversity among the landraces was largely due to the variation among the genotypes within the geographic origins. Landraces sampled from different collection sites appeared to cluster together, indicating the existence of a high level of gene flow among the sites of collection. This indicates that a relatively small, random collection of landraces would capture the bulk of genetic diversity in the target area. A moderately high level of genetic differentiation and a relatively low level of gene flow were observed between sorghum races and maturity groups. Given that the target area is marginal, drought prone and heterogeneous, the study of genetic diversity among sorghum landraces could serve as an important indicator of valuable alleles for drought tolerance in future sorghum improvement programmes.
Quantitative and qualitative genomic characterization of cultivated Ilex L. species
Authors: Gottlieb Alexandra Marina , Poggio Lidia
Published: June 2014

The development of modern approaches to the genetic improvement of the tree crops Ilex paraguariensis (‘yerba mate’) and Ilex dumosa (‘yerba señorita’) is halted by the scarcity of basic genetic information. In this study, we characterized the implementation of low-cost methodologies such as representational difference analysis (RDA), single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP), and reverse and direct dot-blot filter hybridization assays coupled with thorough bioinformatic characterization of sequence data for both species. Also, we estimated the genome size of each species using flow cytometry. This study contributes to the better understanding of the genetic differences between two cultivated species, by generating new quantitative and qualitative genome-level data. Using the RDA technique, we isolated a group of non-coding repetitive sequences, tentatively considered as Ilex-specific, which were 1.21- to 39.62-fold more abundant in the genome of I. paraguariensis. Another group of repetitive DNA sequences involved retrotransposons, which appeared 1.41- to 35.77-fold more abundantly in the genome of I. dumosa. The genomic DNA of each species showed different performances in filter hybridizations: while I. paraguariensis showed a high intraspecific affinity, I. dumosa exhibited a higher affinity for the genome of the former species (i.e. interspecific). These differences could be attributed to the occurrence of homologous but slightly divergent repetitive DNA sequences, highly amplified in the genome of I. paraguariensis but not in the genome of I. dumosa. Additionally, our hybridization outcomes suggest that the genomes of both species have less than 80% similarity. Moreover, for the first time, we report herein a genome size estimate of 1670 Mbp for I. paraguariensis and that of 1848 Mbp for I. dumosa.
Beyond a ‘Two-Level’ Game: Local Livelihood Issues and International Development Institutions in the Mekong River Basin
Authors: Myint Tun
Published: June 2014

This article investigates whether and how local livelihood issues are linked to international development policy and practices in the Mekong River Basin under a two-level game approach. Based on field research and interviews with villagers, and national and international policy makers associated with two hydroelectric dam projects, four key livelihood issues that are central to local communities, but are not currently considered important in international development policy and practices, are described. Fundamental to these issues is the problem that existing frameworks of international institutions do not consider local communities and citizens as legitimate participants at the international level. It is argued that the linkages between local- and international-layer institutions are not established by considering only policy issues and interests of nation-states; the focus of existing frameworks of international institutions. A major challenge for international development planning in the Mekong River Basin is establishing direct linkages between local livelihood issues and international development institutions.
Baby Ghosts: Child Spirits and Contemporary Conceptions of Childhood in Thailand
Authors: Sinnott Megan
Published: June 2014

The currently popular practice of propitiating, or ‘adopting’, child spirits in Thailand reveals an ambivalent attitude towards childhood. According to Buddhist scholars on childhood, Buddhist conceptions of children do not differentiate children in significant ways from adults in terms of their relative purity or innocence, as both children and adults possess countless lifetimes of karma; children are thus agentive beings, although not yet fully realised as adults. The child ghosts reflect the complex, competing conceptions of childhood, where they are both valuable resources to be deployed in the assistance of their families, and vulnerable beings in need of adult caretaking. Child ghosts are markers of both material and sentimental resources for their adoptive parents, or ‘guardians’. This article explores representations of child ghosts in popular media, and investigates child ghost propitiation practices through interviews with child ghost guardians. In addition, an overview is provided of the various categories of child ghosts, including kumanthong, kuman-thep, kuman-phrai, luk-krok, and rak-yom.
Treatment of asthma exacerbations with the human-powered nebuliser: a randomised parallel-group clinical trial
Authors: Hallberg Christopher J , Lysaught M Therese , Najarro René Antonio , Cea Gil Fausto , Villatoro Clara , Diaz de Uriarte Ana Celia , Olson Lars E
Published: June 2014

Background:

Nebulisers aid the treatment of respiratory diseases, including asthma, but they require electricity and are often cost-prohibitive for low- and middle-income countries.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to compare a low-cost, human-powered nebuliser compressor with an electric nebuliser compressor for the treatment of mild to moderate asthma exacerbations in adults and children.

Methods:

This was a non-blinded, parallel-group, equivalence study, with 110 subjects between 6 and 65 years of age, conducted in the emergency department of a district hospital in Ilopango, El Salvador. Participants were assigned by random allocation to receive a 2.5-mg dose of salbutamol from the experimental human-powered nebuliser or the electric nebuliser control. All assigned participants completed treatment and were included in analysis. The study was not blinded as this was clinically unfeasible; however, data analysis was blinded.

Results:

The mean improvement in peak flow of the experimental and control groups was 37.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 26.7–48.2) l/min and 38.7 (95% CI, 26.1–51.3) l/min, respectively, with a mean difference of 1.3 (95% CI, −15.1 to 17.7) l/min. The mean improvement in percent-expected peak flow for the experimental and control groups was 12.3% (95% CI, 9.1–15.5%) and 13.8% (95% CI, 9.8–17.9%), respectively, with a mean difference of 1.5% (95% CI, −3.6 to 6.6%).

Conclusions:

The human-powered nebuliser compressor is equivalent to a standard nebuliser compressor for the treatment of mild-to-moderate asthma. (Funded by the Opus Dean’s Fund, Marquette University College of Engineering; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01795742.)
Vibrational spectroscopic methods for cytology and cellular research
Authors: Clemens Graeme , Hands James R. , Dorling Konrad M. , Baker Matthew J.
Published: June 2014

The use of vibrational spectroscopy, FTIR and Raman, for cytology and cellular research has the potential to revolutionise the approach to cellular analysis.
Toxicity analysis of doxorubicin using plasma metabolomics technology based on rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple-time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Li Yubo , Zhang Xiuxiu , Zhou Huifang , Fan Simiao , Wang Yuming , Wang Lei , Zhang Zhenzhu , Deng Haoyue , Zhang Yanjun
Published: June 2014

LC-MS-based metabolomics study on the change of plasma metabolite and metabolic pathway induced by doxorubicin toxicity.
Redox behavior and adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of nanomolar levels of palladium using a novel Schiff base reagent containing a squaric acid moiety
Authors: Ba-Shami R. M. , Gazzaz H. , Bashammakh A. S. , Al-Sibaai A. A. , El-Shahawi M. S.
Published: June 2014

Trace concentrations of Pd in various materials are determined via cathodic measurements arising from electrochemical adsorption of a novel Pd(II) Schiff base.
Allylic sp3 C–H borylation of alkenes via allyl-Pd intermediates: an efficient route to allylboronates
Authors: Deng Hong-Ping , Eriksson Lars , Szabó Kálmán J.
Published: June 2014

Palladium catalyzed allylic C–H functionalization was performed, which proceeds via an allyl-Pd intermediate to give an allylboronate product.
High performance n-type and ambipolar small organic semiconductors for organic thin film transistors
Authors: Zhou Ke , Dong Huanli , Zhang Hao-li , Hu Wenping
Published: June 2014

In this review, we highlight the representative development of high performance n-type and ambipolar organic semiconductors (OSCs) in recent years.
A study into the extracted ion number for NASICON structured Na3V2(PO4)3 in sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Song Weixin , Cao Xiaoyu , Wu Zhengping , Chen Jun , Huangfu Kaili , Wang Xiaowen , Huang Yaliang , Ji Xiaobo
Published: June 2014

Excellent C-rate and cycling performance with a high specific capacity of 117.6 mA h g−1 have been achieved on NASICON-structure Na3V2(PO4)3 sodium-ion batteries.
Small things make a big difference: binder effects on the performance of Li and Na batteries
Authors: Chou Shu-Lei , Pan Yuede , Wang Jia-Zhao , Liu Hua-Kun , Dou Shi-Xue
Published: June 2014

Binder effects on the cycling stability and rate capability for Li and Na-ion batteries were reviewed here.
Ruthenium(ii) complexes containing functionalised β-diketonate ligands: developing a ferrocene mimic for biosensing applications
Authors: Lee Yeng Ying , Walker D. Barney , Gooding J. Justin , Messerle Barbara A.
Published: June 2014

A novel ruthenium(ii) complex with electrochemical behaviour very similar to that of ferrocene was identified by variation of both the number and electronic demand of the substituted β-diketonato ligands bound to the metal centre.
The structure and energetics of arsenic(iii) oxide intercalated by ionic azides
Authors: Guńka Piotr A. , Kraszewski Karol , Chen Yu-Sheng , Zachara Janusz
Published: June 2014

Two novel arsenic(iii) oxide intercalates with potassium and ammonium azides have been synthesized and their crystal structures have been determined.
Novel 4′-functionalized 4,4′′-dicarboxyterpyridine ligands for ruthenium complexes: near-IR sensitization in dye sensitized solar cells
Authors: Koyyada Ganesh , Botla Vinayak , Thogiti Suresh , Wu Guohua , Li Jingzhe , Fang Xiaqin , Kong Fantai , Dai Songyuan , Surukonti Niveditha , Kotamarthi Bhanuprakash , Malapaka Chandrasekharam
Published: June 2014

Five novel ruthenium sensitizers, MC113–MC117 were synthesized and applied for dye sensitized solar cells.
Optimizing GC-ICP-MS for ultra-trace quantification of PBDEs in natural water samples using species-specific isotope dilution
Authors: González-Gago Adriana , Pröfrock Daniel , Prange Andreas
Published: June 2014

A new approach based on the use of GC-ICP-MS and 81Br-labelled PBDEs for species-specific isotope dilution has been developed for the reliable quantification of PBDEs according to the EU WFD.
Acoustic radiation forces at liquid interfaces impact the performance of acoustophoresis
Authors: Deshmukh Sameer , Brzozka Zbigniew , Laurell Thomas , Augustsson Per
Published: June 2014

Flow laminated liquids can relocate in a resonant acoustic field due to differences in density and speed of sound.
Augmented cellular uptake of nanoparticles using tea catechins: effect of surface modification on nanoparticle–cell interaction
Authors: Lu Yi-Ching , Luo Pei-Chun , Huang Chun-Wan , Leu Yann-Lii , Wang Tzu-Hao , Wei Kuo-Chen , Wang Hsin-Ell , Ma Yunn-Hwa
Published: June 2014

This study revealed a novel interaction of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a tea catechin, and a nanocarrier system, for which there is a synergetic effect of EGCG and magnetic force on cellular uptake of magnetic nanoparticles by glioma cells.
[Pd(μ-Cl)Cl(IPr*)]2: a highly hindered pre-catalyst for the synthesis of tetra-ortho-substituted biaryls via Grignard reagent cross-coupling
Authors: Lesieur Mathieu , Slawin Alexandra M. Z. , Cazin Catherine S. J.
Published: June 2014

The new well-defined catalyst [Pd(μ-Cl)Cl(IPr*)]2 enables the efficient Grignard reagent cross-coupling for the synthesis of tetra-ortho-substituted biaryls.
Microscopic and thermodynamic analysis of PEG–β-lactoglobulin interaction
Authors: Bekale L. , Chanphai P. , Sanyakamdhorn S. , Agudelo D. , Tajmir-Riahi H. A.
Published: June 2014

We report the binding of milk β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) with PEG-3000, PEG-6000 and methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) anthracene (mPEG-anthracene) in aqueous solution at pH 7.4, using multiple spectroscopic methods, thermodynamic analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular modeling.
Silver-coordination polymer network combining antibacterial action and shape memory capabilities
Authors: Wang Lin , Wang Wenxi , Di Shubin , Yang Xifeng , Chen Hongmei , Gong Tao , Zhou Shaobing
Published: June 2014

An Ag-coordination polymer network displays a shape memory function and simultaneously allows Ag ions to be released to exert an antibacterial activity.
Capillary bridge rupture in dip-pen nanolithography
Authors: Eichelsdoerfer Daniel J. , Brown Keith A. , Mirkin Chad A.
Published: June 2014

When fluid is transferred onto a surface from a nanoscale tip, the contact angle determines the character and dynamics of the fluid flow.
A novel carbon nanotube modified scaffold as an efficient biocathode material for improved microbial electrosynthesis
Authors: Jourdin Ludovic , Freguia Stefano , Donose Bogdan C. , Chen Jun , Wallace Gordon G. , Keller Jurg , Flexer Victoria
Published: June 2014

Enhanced performance for the bioelectrosynthesis of acetate from carbon dioxide is achieved with a new three-dimensional CNT-modified scaffold electrode.
Interacting networks of purely organic spin–1/2 dimers
Authors: Borozdina Yulia B. , Mostovich Evgeny , Enkelmann Volker , Wolf Bernd , Cong Pham T. , Tutsch Ulrich , Lang Michael , Baumgarten Martin
Published: June 2014

The fine-tuning of the intra-molecular exchange interactions in π-conjugated nitronyl nitroxide biradicals and their crystalline network formation is described.
Drosophila neuroblasts as a new model for the study of stem cell self-renewal and tumour formation
Authors: Li Song , Wang Hongyan , Groth Casper
Published: June 2014

Drosophila larval brain stem cells (neuroblasts) have emerged as an important model for the study of stem cell asymmetric division and the mechanisms underlying the transformation of neural stem cells into tumour-forming cancer stem cells. Each Drosophila neuroblast divides asymmetrically to produce a larger daughter cell that retains neuroblast identity, and a smaller daughter cell that is committed to undergo differentiation. Neuroblast self-renewal and differentiation are tightly controlled by a set of intrinsic factors that regulate ACD (asymmetric cell division). Any disruption of these two processes may deleteriously affect the delicate balance between neuroblast self-renewal and progenitor cell fate specification and differentiation, causing neuroblast overgrowth and ultimately lead to tumour formation in the fly. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms underlying Drosophila neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Furthermore, we highlight emerging evidence in support of the notion that defects in ACD in mammalian systems, which may play significant roles in the series of pathogenic events leading to the development of brain cancers.
Person re‐identification by modelling principal component analysis coefficients of image dissimilarities
Authors: Martinel N. , Micheloni C.
Published: June 2014

Signature‐based matching has been the dominant choice for state‐of‐the‐art person re‐identification across multiple disjoint cameras. An approach that exploits image dissimilarities is proposed, treating re‐identification as a binary classification problem. To achieve the objective, the person re‐identification problem is addressed as follows: (i) first, compute the image dissimilarity between a pair of images acquired from two disjoint cameras; (ii) then learn the linear subspace where the image dissimilarities lie in an unsupervised fashion and (iii) lastly train a binary classifier in the linear subspace to discriminate between image dissimilarities computed for a positive pair (images are for the same person) and a negative pair (images are for different persons). An approach on two publicly available benchmark datasets is evaluated and compared with state‐of‐the‐art methods for person re‐identification.
Latched microswitches in laminates for high power 0–6.5 GHz applications
Authors: Kim Sung Jun , Zhang Yang , Wang Minfang , Bachman M. , Li Guann‐Pyng
Published: June 2014

A microswitch designed for high power radio‐frequency (RF) applications is presented. A unique 3D transmission line is combined with a robust latched direct contact switch in this RF switch design. Each unit is fabricated in laminate panels before being singulated into pre‐packaged micro‐RF switches. High power RF tests reached 15 W at 1.9 GHz for this device. The switch has a good RF performance with −0.296 dB insertion loss and −22.03 dB isolation at 6.56 GHz.
Active contours driven by regularised gradient flux flows for image segmentation
Authors: Song Huihui
Published: June 2014

A novel active contour model driven by regularised gradient flux flows is presented for image segmentation, which achieves an accurate result because the zero crossings of the image Laplacian are reached at the object boundary when minimising the gradient flux flows. Furthermore, the Laplacian of the image is regularised with an anisotropic diffusion term, which can not only reduce noise but also preserve edge information. Experiments on several synthetic and real images validate the proposed method with promising results.
CB‐REFIM: a practical coordinated beamforming in multicell networks
Authors: Akbari Mohammad Hossein , Vakili Vahid Tabataba
Published: June 2014

Performance of multicell systems is inevitably limited by interference and available resources. Although intercell interference can be mitigated by base station (BS) coordination, the demand on inter‐BS information exchange and computational complexity grows rapidly with the number of cells, subcarriers and users. On the other hand, some of the existing coordination beamforming methods need computation of pseudo‐inverse or generalised eigenvector of a matrix, which are practically difficult to implement in a real system. To handle these issues, the authors propose a novel linear beamforming across a set of coordinated cells only with limiting backhaul signalling. Resource allocation (i.e. precoding and power control) is formulated as an optimisation problem with objective function of signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratios in order to maximise the instantaneous weighted sum‐rate subject to power constraints. Although the primal problem is non‐convex and difficult to be optimally solved, an iterative algorithm is presented based on the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker condition. To have a practical solution with low computational complexity and signalling overhead, they present CB‐REFIM (coordination beamforming‐reference based interference management) and show the recently proposed reference based interference management algorithm (REFIM) can be interpreted as a special case of CB‐REFIM. They evaluate CB‐REFIM through extensive simulation and observe that the proposed strategies achieve close‐to‐optimal performance.
Robust precoding for joint transmission in multicell multiuser downlink systems
Authors: He Shiwen , Huang Yongming , Jin Shi , Yang Luxi , Jiang Lei , Lei Ming
Published: June 2014

This study considers the joint transmission precoding design for downlink multicell multiuser multiple‐input single‐output systems where imperfect channel variances are available at the base stations. The authors aim to tackle the robust signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR) balancing problem to maximise the minimum worst‐case user rate. To solve the non‐convex problem, a duality relationship between the downlink max–min worst‐case SINR optimisation problem and the virtual uplink min–max worst‐case SINR optimisation problem is first revealed. Based on this, a new algorithm is developed to solve the virtual problem by using jointly the sub‐gradient method and the geometric programming methods, whose achieved solution is finally converted to the downlink. Their analysis shows that the proposed algorithm is guaranteed to converge and has lower computational complexity than conventional approaches. Moreover, computer simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed method and show that the proposed algorithm has fast convergence and achieves a performance close to that of the brute search method.
Quantum diffusion with drift and the Einstein relation. I
Authors: De Roeck Wojciech , Fröhlich Jürg , Schnelli Kevin
Published: June 2014

We study the dynamics of a quantum particle hopping on a simple cubic lattice and driven by a constant external force. It is coupled to an array of identical, independent thermal reservoirs consisting of free, massless Bose fields, one at each site of the lattice. When the particle visits a site x of the lattice it can emit or absorb field quanta of the reservoir at x. Under the assumption that the coupling between the particle and the reservoirs and the driving force are sufficiently small, we establish the following results: The ergodic average over time of the state of the particle approaches a non-equilibrium steady state describing a non-zero mean drift of the particle. Its motion around the mean drift is diffusive, and the diffusion constant and the drift velocity are related to one another by the Einstein relation.
Laboratory study of nitrate photolysis in Antarctic snow. II. Isotopic effects and wavelength dependence
Authors: Berhanu Tesfaye A. , Meusinger Carl , Erbland Joseph , Jost Rémy , Bhattacharya S. K. , Johnson Matthew S. , Savarino Joël
Published: June 2014

Atmospheric nitrate is preserved in Antarctic snow firn and ice. However, at low snow accumulation sites, post-depositional processes induced by sunlight obscure its interpretation. The goal of these studies (see also Paper I by Meusinger et al. [“Laboratory study of nitrate photolysis in Antarctic snow. I. Observed quantum yield, domain of photolysis, and secondary chemistry,” J. Chem. Phys. 140, 244305 (2014)]) is to characterize nitrate photochemistry and improve the interpretation of the nitrate ice core record. Naturally occurring stable isotopes in nitrate (15N, 17O, and 18O) provide additional information concerning post-depositional processes. Here, we present results from studies of the wavelength-dependent isotope effects from photolysis of nitrate in a matrix of natural snow. Snow from Dome C, Antarctica was irradiated in selected wavelength regions using a Xe UV lamp and filters. The irradiated snow was sampled and analyzed for nitrate concentration and isotopic composition (δ15N, δ18O, and Δ17O). From these measurements an average photolytic isotopic fractionation of 15ɛ = (−15 ± 1.2)‰ was found for broadband Xe lamp photolysis. These results are due in part to excitation of the intense absorption band of nitrate around 200 nm in addition to the weaker band centered at 305 nm followed by photodissociation. An experiment with a filter blocking wavelengths shorter than 320 nm, approximating the actinic flux spectrum at Dome C, yielded a photolytic isotopic fractionation of 15ɛ = (−47.9 ± 6.8)‰, in good agreement with fractionations determined by previous studies for the East Antarctic Plateau which range from −40 to −74.3‰. We describe a new semi-empirical zero point energy shift model used to derive the absorption cross sections of 14NO3− and 15NO3− in snow at a chosen temperature. The nitrogen isotopic fractionations obtained by applying this model under the experimental temperature as well as considering the shift in width and center well reproduced the values obtained in the laboratory study. These cross sections can be used in isotopic models to reproduce the stable isotopic composition of nitrate found in Antarctic snow profiles.
Coverage effect on reactivity can be more complicated than what you believe: H2 dissociation on H-precovered Pd(111)
Authors: Sun Y. M. , Dong W. , Yan X. H.
Published: June 2014

A systematic investigation based on density-functional-theory calculations is presented for elucidating the effect of adatoms on the energetics of H2 dissociation on H-precovered Pd(111) surfaces. Surprisingly, we found that the H-adatoms do not only have a poisoning effect but can also promote H2 dissociation when they are adsorbed on sites which are sufficiently far from the dissociating H2 molecule. The presence of these antagonistic effects produces many crossovers of the minimum energy profiles for H2 dissociation when coverage is varied and thus leads to a quite perplexing picture for the adatom effects. We devised a sorting procedure which allows for rationalizing nicely the influence of H-adatoms on the energetics of H2 dissociation on H-precovered Pd(111) surfaces.
Dynamics of gas phase Ne* + NH3 and Ne* + ND3 Penning ionisation at low temperatures
Authors: Jankunas Justin , Bertsche Benjamin , Jachymski Krzysztof , Hapka Michał , Osterwalder Andreas
Published: June 2014

Two isotopic chemical reactions, Ne* + NH3, and Ne* + ND3, have been studied at low collision energies by means of a merged beams technique. Partial cross sections have been recorded for the two reactive channels, namely, Ne* + NH3 → Ne + \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}${\rm NH}_3^+$\end{document} NH 3+ + e−, and Ne* + NH3 → Ne + \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}${\rm NH}_2^+$\end{document} NH 2++ H + e−, by detecting the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}${\rm NH}_3^+$\end{document} NH 3+ and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}${\rm NH}_2^+$\end{document} NH 2+ product ions, respectively. The cross sections for both reactions were found to increase with decreasing collision energy, Ecoll, in the range 8 μeV < Ecoll < 20 meV. The measured rate constant exhibits a curvature in a log(k)-log(Ecoll) plot from which it is concluded that the Langevin capture model does not properly describe the Ne* + NH3 reaction in the entire range of collision energies covered here. Calculations based on multichannel quantum defect theory were performed to reproduce and interpret the experimental results. Good agreement was obtained by including long range van der Waals interactions combined with a 6-12 Lennard-Jones potential. The branching ratio between the two reactive channels, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\Gamma = \frac{[NH_2^+]}{[NH_2^+]+[NH_3^+]}$\end{document}Γ=[NH2+][NH2+]+[NH3+], is relatively constant, Γ ≈ 0.3, in the entire collision energy range studied here. Possible reasons for this observation are discussed and rationalized in terms of relative time scales of the reactant approach and the molecular rotation. Isotopic differences between the Ne* + NH3 and Ne* + ND3 reactions are small, as suggested by nearly equal branching ratios and cross sections for the two reactions.
Bimolecular reaction of CH3 + CO in solid p-H2: Infrared absorption of acetyl radical (CH3CO) and CH3-CO complex
Authors: Das Prasanta , Lee Yuan-Pern
Published: June 2014

We have recorded infrared spectra of acetyl radical (CH3CO) and CH3-CO complex in solid para-hydrogen (p-H2). Upon irradiation at 248 nm of CH3C(O)Cl/p-H2 matrices, CH3CO was identified as the major product; characteristic intense IR absorption features at 2990.3 (ν9), 2989.1 (ν1), 2915.6 (ν2), 1880.5 (ν3), 1419.9 (ν10), 1323.2 (ν5), 836.6 (ν7), and 468.1 (ν8) cm−1 were observed. When CD3C(O)Cl was used, lines of CD3CO at 2246.2 (ν9), 2244.0 (ν1), 1866.1 (ν3), 1046.7 (ν5), 1029.7 (ν4), 1027.5 (ν10), 889.1 (ν6), and 723.8 (ν7) cm−1 appeared. Previous studies characterized only three vibrational modes of CH3CO and one mode of CD3CO in solid Ar. In contrast, upon photolysis of a CH3I/CO/p-H2 matrix with light at 248 nm and subsequent annealing at 5.1 K before re-cooling to 3.2 K, the CH3-CO complex was observed with characteristic IR features at 3165.7, 3164.5, 2150.1, 1397.6, 1396.4, and 613.0 cm−1. The assignments are based on photolytic behavior, observed deuterium isotopic shifts, and a comparison of observed vibrational wavenumbers and relative IR intensities with those predicted with quantum-chemical calculations. This work clearly indicates that CH3CO can be readily produced from photolysis of CH3C(O)Cl because of the diminished cage effect in solid p-H2 but not from the reaction of CH3 + CO because of the reaction barrier. Even though CH3 has nascent kinetic energy greater than 87 kJ mol−1 and internal energy ∼42 kJ mol−1 upon photodissociation of CH3I at 248 nm, its energy was rapidly quenched so that it was unable to overcome the barrier height of ∼27 kJ mol−1 for the formation of CH3CO from the CH3 + CO reaction; a barrierless channel for formation of a CH3-CO complex was observed instead. This rapid quenching poses a limitation in production of free radicals via bimolecular reactions in p-H2.
Metal-phthalocyanine ordered layers on Au(110): Metal-dependent adsorption energy
Authors: Massimi Lorenzo , Angelucci Marco , Gargiani Pierluigi , Betti Maria Grazia , Montoro Silvia , Mariani Carlo
Published: June 2014

Iron-phthalocyanine and cobalt-phthalocyanine chains, assembled along the Au(110)-(1×2) reconstructed channels, present a strong interaction with the Au metallic states, via the central metal ion. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy from the metal-2p core-levels and valence band high-resolution ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy bring to light signatures of the interaction of the metal-phthalocyanine single-layer with gold. The charge transfer from Au to the molecule causes the emerging of a metal-2p core level component at lower binding energy with respect to that measured in the molecular thin films, while the core-levels associated to the organic macrocycle (C and N 1s) are less influenced by the adsorption, and the macrocycles stabilize the interaction, inducing a strong interface dipole. Temperature Programmed Desorption experiments and photoemission as a function of temperature allow to estimate the adsorption energy for the thin-films, mainly due to the molecule-molecule van der Waals interaction, while the FePc and CoPc single-layers remain adsorbed on the Au surface up to at least 820 K.
Geometry and topology of CC and CQ states
Authors: Oszmaniec Michał , Suwara Piotr , Sawicki Adam
Published: June 2014

We show that mixed bipartite CC and CQ states are geometrically and topologically distinguished in the space of states. They are characterized by non-vanishing Euler-Poincaré characteristics on the topological side and by the existence of symplectic structures on the geometric side.
A method of orbital analysis for large-scale first-principles simulations
Authors: Ohwaki Tsukuru , Otani Minoru , Ozaki Taisuke
Published: June 2014

An efficient method of calculating the natural bond orbitals (NBOs) based on a truncation of the entire density matrix of a whole system is presented for large-scale density functional theory calculations. The method recovers an orbital picture for O(N) electronic structure methods which directly evaluate the density matrix without using Kohn-Sham orbitals, thus enabling quantitative analysis of chemical reactions in large-scale systems in the language of localized Lewis-type chemical bonds. With the density matrix calculated by either an exact diagonalization or O(N) method, the computational cost is O(1) for the calculation of NBOs associated with a local region where a chemical reaction takes place. As an illustration of the method, we demonstrate how an electronic structure in a local region of interest can be analyzed by NBOs in a large-scale first-principles molecular dynamics simulation for a liquid electrolyte bulk model (propylene carbonate + LiBF4).
Two glass transitions in miscible polymer blends?
Authors: Dudowicz Jacek , Douglas Jack F. , Freed Karl F.
Published: June 2014

In contrast to mixtures of two small molecule fluids, miscible binary polymer blends often exhibit two structural relaxation times and two glass transition temperatures. Qualitative explanations postulate phenomenological models of local concentration enhancements due to chain connectivity in ideal, fully miscible systems. We develop a quantitative theory that explains qualitative trends in the dynamics of real miscible polymer blends which are never ideal mixtures. The theory is a synthesis of the lattice cluster theory of blend thermodynamics, the generalized entropy theory for glass-formation in polymer materials, and the Kirkwood-Buff theory for concentration fluctuations in binary mixtures.
Spatial correlation between chemical and topological defects in vitreous silica: UV-resonance Raman study
Authors: Saito M. , D’Amico F. , Bencivenga F. , Cucini R. , Gessini A. , Principi E. , Masciovecchio C.
Published: June 2014

A spatial correlation between chemical and topological defects in the tetrahedron network in vitreous silica produced by a fusion process of natural quartz crystals was found by synchrotron-based UV resonance Raman experiments. Furthermore, a quantitative correlation between these defects was obtained by comparing visible Raman and UV absorption spectra. These results indicate that in vitreous silica produced by the fusion process the topological defects disturb the surrounding tetrahedral silica network and induce further disorder regions with sub nanometric sizes.
Dynamics of exciton-polaron transition in molecular assemblies: The variational approach
Authors: Chorošajev Vladimir , Gelzinis Andrius , Valkunas Leonas , Abramavicius Darius
Published: June 2014

Dynamics of excitonic polaron formation in molecular systems coupled to an overdamped bath are investigated using the Dirac-Frenkel variational principle and Davydov D1 Ansatz. Using a two-site model system we show that a few qualitatively distinct relaxation regimes of an optically created exciton are possible, depending on the timescale of bath fluctuations. A slow bath always leads to adiabatic polaron formation. Non-adiabatic exciton self-trapping occurs when the system is strongly coupled to a fast bath. Weak coupling to such bath does not perturb the excitonic picture. The complex system-bath dynamics can then be mapped to an effective model where the resonant coupling between sites is quenched during relaxation. The timescale of the polaron formation can be defined by the timescale of resonant coupling quenching, and is found to directly correlate with the bath relaxation time.
A compact micro-wave synthesizer for transportable cold-atom interferometers
Authors: Lautier J. , Lours M. , Landragin A.
Published: June 2014

We present the realization of a compact micro-wave frequency synthesizer for an atom interferometer based on stimulated Raman transitions, applied to transportable inertial sensing. Our set-up is intended to address the hyperfine transitions of 87Rb at 6.8 GHz. The prototype is evaluated both in the time and the frequency domain by comparison with state-of-the-art frequency references developed at Laboratoire national de métrologie et d'essais−Systémes de référence temps espace (LNE-SYRTE). In free-running mode, it features a residual phase noise level of −65 dB rad2 Hz−1 at 10 Hz offset frequency and a white phase noise level in the order of −120 dB rad2 Hz−1 for Fourier frequencies above 10 kHz. The phase noise effect on the sensitivity of the atomic interferometer is evaluated for diverse values of cycling time, interrogation time, and Raman pulse duration. To our knowledge, the resulting contribution is well below the sensitivity of any demonstrated cold atom inertial sensors based on stimulated Raman transitions. The drastic improvement in terms of size, simplicity, and power consumption paves the way towards field and mobile operations.