bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Humanitarian Culture as Specific Method of World Cognition
Authors: Shuleva Elizaveta I. , Pavlova Lyubov V.
Published: October 2018

The article focuses on the phenomenon of humanitarian culture and its place and role in the general cultural context. On the basis of the analysis of the leading researchers’ works, the authors single out social and personal types of culture. In accordance with this classification, it is possible to distinguish socio-humanitarian and individual humanitarian subtypes within each type. The analysis of A. Mole’s theory enables one to single out three main consistently following cultural paradigms: humanitarian (culture of the past), mosaic (contemporary culture), personalized and creative (culture of the future). Humanitarian culture has cognitive, axiological and operational components. The main functions of humanitarian culture are the following: educational, informative, axiological and democratic. Hence, humanitarian culture is a derivative from a man’s humanitarian activity in its vast context. It is a sphere of spiritual culture and has an anthropocentric focus. Humanitarian culture is now recognized as a specific, distinct type of culture. This type of culture was formed as an opposition to technical-rational culture. Therefore, it is viewed upon as a specific method of world cognition and a basis for the development of culture of the future.
Psycho-Semantic Analysis of Individual Structure of Adolescent’s World Image
Authors: Shuleva Elizaveta I.
Published: October 2018

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the structure of the image of the older adolescent’s world. When analyzing the data, the computer program of statistical analysis of texts “ADVEGO”, content analysis, morphological and semantic analysis was used. Morphological analysis of empirical data has shown that the most used words belong to the category of nouns. Content analysis made it possible to identify eight semantic categories of word groups that characterize the levels of the image of the teenager’s world: nature, social, subject, friendship, school, hobbies and leisure, family, mental (needs, cognitive processes, emotions, feelings, personal qualities). The most significant level in terms of the volume of semantic units and the nature of ongoing processes is the mental level. The results of the conducted research allowed drawing the following conclusions. The individual structure of an older adolescent’s world image is a complex mental phenomenon that has universal, age and individual characteristics. Its universal characteristics are multi-levelness and hierarchy; age-related – dynamics, polarity, existentialism, and accentuation on the present time. The individual characteristics of an older adolescent’s world image are due to individual personal characteristics of the flow of his or her mental activity.
Peculiarities of Interlocutors’ Verbal Communicative Behavior in Apology Situation
Authors: Tufanova Yuliya
Published: October 2018

The article discusses the situation of apology, which plays an important role in maintaining the communicative balance in daily social interaction. The research aims at analyzing the peculiarities of interlocutors’ verbal behavior in the situation in the context of the communicative-pragmatic approach. The structural parameters of the situation and the mutual influence of its components are described. The study investigates the functional features of linguistic politeness in the communicative situation. As indicated by the data, collected cooperative communicative behavior in apology situation is associated with the use of etiquette fixed formulas and free statements, acting as an apology in typical situations, which promotes effective interaction. Based on the analysis carried out, the traditional (etiquette) view of the situation is specified. In particular, the findings show that interlocutors’ verbal communicative behavior in apology situation, reflecting their psycho-emotional state, the level of culture, personal characteristics, may be not only cooperative but also conflict-oriented. In cases when the intentions of interlocutors collide the situation reorganizes and acquires a conflict nature.
Let Them Talk as “Encyclopedia of Russian Life”: Latent «Accursed Questions» on Russian Television (2017)
Authors: Volkova Irina , Algavi Leila , Kadyrova Shuanat , Rastorgueva Natalya
Published: October 2018

International Research Group KVAR performs the first of studies about media influence on the transformation of sociocultural matrix, within which a deep society regulation takes place. For citizens of the Russian Federation, TV is a main source of information about events. Whereas for sociologists and philologists federal channels are unique basic institutions that provide: reproduction of socially significant patterns of citizen’s thoughts and behavior; integration of society on the basis of common values. TV Shows on central channels are constantly reaching the top of media credibility rating: 3/4 of Russians (75%) trust them. They help to create circulation of meanings TV proposes the values, audience reproduces and modifies them. Thus, we have chosen a Russian TV show “Pust’ Govoryat”(Let Them Talk) that presents all the things “that interest everyone” by» exploring intimate issues of a particular person, a family”. Authors of this work seek to find out what “interests everyone” in the Russian society. This article includes first results of the research. Latent Theme Identification analysis of transcripts from every episode of the show for 2017 has led to a conclusion that the Russians see a family as a system-forming value concept, words like “child”, “children” were used mostly in “Let Them Talk” in 2017. Furthermore, our analysis has established a value paradox: “child”, while being an important part of narrative, plays out the role of “McGuffin” (A. Hitchcock)
Learning for Competence through Distance Education
Authors: Yelashkina Natalya , Kaverina Oksana
Published: October 2018

The article focuses on the content components necessary for the formation of a special learning competence for distance-learning students. The authors propose their own interpretation of the constituents of the learning competence with due regard for the specificity of studying foreign languages by means of telecommunication technologies. Such components are to be considered in the context of the learner-centered paradigm. The content of the technology created includes knowledge of the essence and specificity of learning activities in foreign language acquisition. The article demonstrates a big variety of terms in the methodical literature. The authors describe learning skills and say that they are such ways of learning activities that do not directly constitute a mechanism for the formation of a communication competence, but rationalize this process. The article helps to understand that studying foreign languages with the help of telecommunications presents a number of difficulties and it is proved that learning competence remove the difficulties of distance learning. The article gives the important methodological provisions defining a role and the place of learning competence of a context of distance language learning.
Scientific Olympiad as Means of Students’ Youth Development
Authors: Grevtseva Gulsina Ya. , Litvak Rimma A. , Tsiulina Marina V. , Balikaeva Marina B. , Pavlichenko Anatoliy A.
Published: October 2018

The article reveals the problem’s urgency of the students’ youth development in the conditions of the Olympiad movement. It analyzes the scientific views on the essence and significance of Olympiads on subjects. It defines the research key concepts and presents the scientists’ positions on the concept essence of “Olympiad”. The article specifies the objective and tasks of the Olympiads. It stresses the importance of Olympiads in improving the training quality of qualified specialists. It suggests the author’s understanding of the Olympiad educational potential on pedagogy and psychology. It points out the need of interactive technologies for the development of communicative, research, design and other competences. The article gives a brief description of individual practice-oriented competitions providing development of creative initiative activities, students’ mobility and their intellectual abilities.
Conceptualisations of Children’s Life Skills Development within Holistic Approach in Southern Russia
Authors: Shults Olga , Bessarabova Inna
Published: October 2018

A large study within the educational project «Children`s University» and Partners` educational projects in southern Russia was aimed at investigating understandings of life skills of juniors. The analysis of the notion under research is based on the major issues of the holistic approach which is actively developed by researchers nowadays. Outcomes in the article indicate that the holistic theory becomes essential in understanding life skills and provides the basis for making conceptualisations related to the effective and positive childish development in contemporary educational settings. A new conceptual approach of children’s upbringing in the framework of extra-curricular educational projects like “Children`s University” is designed and implemented in our research. The obtained results prove the idea of possible integration of holistic theories with modern educational practices, oriented to life skills development. The children involved in the project acquired new physical, mental, emotional and social life skills appreciated and used throughout their lives.
English Economic Discourse in Translation Studies
Authors: Zaykova Irina
Published: October 2018

The article aims to study English economic discourse from the theory of translation. Theoretical analysis shows that it is a process of communication between participants in various fields of professional activity. It is also characterized by the presence of certain extralinguistic features (source / author and recipient / addressee, etc.), as well as the features of its result - economic text. This kind of text is diverse in style and genre, and contains professionally relevant and terminologically expressed branch information. To expand the interpretation, English economic discourse is studied as an object of translation activity. It is a special kind of discursive practices that can be possible between an agent and a client, professional journalists and ordinary listeners / readers or non-specialist journalists (Discourse of Differences, Discourse of Concord), between professional journalists, scientists, lecturers, researchers (Discourse of Expert Community). The study reveals frequent genres of economic texts in translation activity. The survey carried out in different organizations shows that the translation activity deals with commercial documents and correspondence, scientific articles and reports.
Realization of Pragmatic Function of Informing of Reporting Category (as Exemplified in English and Russian)
Authors: Lutfullina Gulnara , Sabitova Veronika
Published: October 2018

This article considers the pragmatic potential of the reporting category as a core component of the indirect evidentiality field. The purpose of the article is to determine methods of realization of the pragmatic function of reporting category informing. The article analyses examples taken from mass-media programs about information technologies news and determines 2 analysing strategies for pragmatic potential. The example analysis demonstrated that common pragmatic function of informing is a priori specific for mass-media news programs; in this case, examples of informing about latest news and updates in science and technology. The essence of informing process suggests retelling of another’s information or the realization of the reporting category. In English, anonymous sources are represented less within the informing process and the category of inference is used. In the Russian language, information is often given as the fruits of labour, the achievement, the activity result of particular subjects who are suggested to be sources of information.
Regional and ethnocultural specifics for developing intercultural and lingua-cultural competences: the pedagogical strategy
Authors: Vasilyeva Elmira R. , Sinagatullin Ilgiz M.
Published: October 2018

The strategic task of the modern education system is the integration of traditional (folk, national, ethnic) cultures within the modern educational systems, ideas, technologies that create the educational environment, as well as taking into account the linguistic and psychological characteristics. Intercultural competence is the necessary ability that allows students to go beyond their own culture, without losing their own cultural identity. Therefore, understanding language values help to improve the effectiveness of the pedagogical process. The linguistic and pedagogical study of cultural concepts should be supplemented by data from other disciplines-cultural studies, history, psychology, ethnography. The article is devoted to the following issues – the realization of the ethnocultural component in the educational process of educational organizations in the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Anti-extremism and Anti-terrorism in Legislation of Tajikistan: Problems of Application
Authors: Abdukhamitov Valijon , Abdullayeva Rano
Published: October 2018

The paper considers the issues of implementing the standards of the international legislation on religious and extremist crimes in the national legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan. With regard to its ideology the category of extremism is reflected in the criminal law through the concept of extremist crime: crime for political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or hostility reasons or crimes resulting from hatred or hostility towards any social group. According to the understanding of hatred and hostility, which is deeply rooted within the criminal law, the latter one represents external practical (conflict, destructive) actions whereas the first one illustrates hostility without specific actions. The criminal law warrants five kinds of hatred or hostility motives: political, ideological, racial, national, religious hatred or hostility, as well as hatred or hostility towards any social group. These kinds partially overlap in their content, which requires their correct definition. In order to improve the criminal legislation the authors analyzed the disadvantages of the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan and made certain suggestions.
Globalization of Migration Processes: on the Threshold of the New Migration Reality
Authors: Ulmasov Rakhmon , Kurbanov Nurali
Published: October 2018

In this paper, the authors address the global issues of migration on the threshold of a new migration reality. Migration is considered to be one of the most actively developing global issues at present as more and more people are crossing the border of their state for one reason or another. The authors determine a comprehensive analysis of issues, in particular, the accelerating processes of global warming, expanding social and political conflicts, economic crises, and migration collapse. All of these issues together indicate a very important idea: in all of its processes related to life, particularly in the area of migration, the world has reached the threshold of a New Reality. The authors have indicated with absolute accuracy those issues that need a most focused attention from national governments and international institutions. This way, there is an obvious fact that is paradoxical for many countries, especially the European ones: despite the complex socioeconomic situation, limited natural resources, rising unemployment, declining income, and increasing impelled migration, there is a sharp growth in population in the Republic of Tajikistan. Such demographic processes are a hallmark of predominantly poor and underdeveloped countries, where having many children is often the only factor of a family’s survival as a social unit.
Characteristics of development of Tajik jewelry art at the turn of the 21st century
Authors: Umarova Zarrina
Published: October 2018

The paper identifies and analyzes the characteristic features of the development of Tajikjewelry art in the late 20th - early 21st centuries. The author believes that at this time, after a long period of oblivion, there is a marked way to restoration of many lost and nearly forgotten folk traditions in Tajik jewelry art. This period of time can be distinguished as a transitional period in the history of Tajik jewelry art development. This issue carries a significant value in the history of Tajikistan because the jewelry art in the period from the 80ies ofthe 20th century to the early 20th century was previously not subjected to a dedicated study, which results in certain gaps in the research of modern Tajik jewelry art. Studying the characteristics of the development of jewelry art at the turn of the 21st century and of the problems faced by master jewelers (zargars) at that time will aid in the future to identify the most efficient ways of developing this industry and facilitate its becoming one of the export-oriented areas, taking into account that the Republic of Tajikistan possesses all the necessary natural resources.
Ancient and Medieval Eastern Texts as the Hypertext
Authors: Iskandarova Diloro , Allamurodova Sabohat
Published: October 2018

Being the object of study within various sciences including linguistics, the hypertext represents a complex phenomenon of modern human communication. The earlier concept of hypertext became widely used with the development of computer technologies. However, despite a relatively new term, it is possible to acknowledge the ancient origin of hypertext represented by a variety of famous manuscripts, such as the Panini’s eight books of grammar or eastern fairy tales. The hypertext represents the fourth stage in cognitive revolution of humankind leading to the shift in human thinking thus changing it from linear, typical for the Gutenberg era, to lateral thinking, which most likely was dominating during the ‘preliterate’ period. Oral, written and electronic communication are considered as development stages of a discourse consistently replacing each other. Reflections on the relation of hypertext to lateral thinking lead to the idea of unconventional thinking of geniuses, which found it hard to study at a standard school. The paper analyzes the structure of the One Thousand and One Nights fairy tales from the point of view of its hypertextuality.
Legal Education Issues in Globalization Context
Authors: Kravchenko Olga , Naskov Dilovar
Published: October 2018

The authors consider the problems of legal education in the context of globalization. It is noted that an important role is attributed to legal education when we talk about legal personality development. In this case, it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of legal education and legal upbringing. In addition, the legal socialization of minors can facilitate the development of legal knowledge. According to the authors consideration of the problems referring to the legal education is associated with the processes of modernization of legal socialization, which should begin with the solution of problems of legal education. In turn, legal education can become a powerful tool and a way to counteract such antisocial phenomena as terrorism and extremism that bring threat to peace and the whole of mankind. In the context of globalization, legal education is focused on new legal values that are established in national and international legislation.
Comparative Efficacy of Alendronate upon Vertebral Bone Mineral Density and Fracture Rates in East Asians Versus Non-East Asians with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Yexin , Jia Gongwei , Song Jin , Kong Xiangqing , Zhang Weihong , Meng Chunyang
Published: October 2018

Bisphosphonates, such as alendronate, have become the most widely used and effective anti-resorptive therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Previous genetic studies suggest that ethnicity may drive differing responses to bisphosphonate therapy in East Asians and non-East Asians. Therefore, the aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the efficacy of alendronate upon lumbar spinal BMD and vertebral fracture rates in East Asians and non-East Asians with postmenopausal osteoporosis. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of alendronate versus placebo (or calcium/mineral and/or Vitamin D or hormone replacement therapy) in primary postmenopausal osteoporotic women. We calculated the weighted mean differences (WMDs) for lumbar spinal BMD and the risk ratios (RRs) for vertebral fracture risk along with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). From an initial set of 445 non-duplicate records, 13 full-text articles were finally included in this meta-analysis consisting of four East Asian RCTs and nine non-East Asian RCTs. Alendronate therapy displayed significant effects in improving lumbar spinal BMD in both East Asians [WMD (95% CI)=5.30 (0.32–10.29), p=0.037] and non-East Asians [WMD (95% CI)=5.73 (3.61–7.85), p=0.000]. Alendronate therapy did not display significant effects upon vertebral fracture risk in East Asians [RR (95% CI)=0.41 (0.06–2.73), p=0.358] but did display a significant effect upon lowering vertebral fracture risk in non-East Asians [RR (95% CI)=0.55 (0.42–0.72), p=0.000]. These findings suggest that ethnicity may affect the efficacy of bisphosphonate therapy in postmenopausal osteoporotic women.
The Clinical Significance of Fibrin Monomers
Authors: Refaai Majed , Riley Paul , Mardovina Tatsiana , Bell Phoenix
Published: October 2018

Introduction Fibrin monomer (FM) concentrations reflect pro-thrombin activity and have the potential to predict thrombotic events relatively earlier than other haemostatic markers. Most often, FM are compared with D-dimer (DD) as increased DD have been documented in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. Although DD have a high sensitivity and negative predictive value, their specificity is much lower depending on the assay chosen, clinical pre-test probability and patient condition. There are limited reports investigating the utility of FM in hyper-coagulable patients.

Methods We performed a literature search of FM concentrations in hyper-coagulable patients including those with DIC, acute ischaemic stroke, atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction, venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cancer, as well as those who are pregnant or undergoing surgery.

Results FM were increased in patients with DIC and those with malignancy. In contrast, detection of VTE or post-operative DVT development is likely enhanced using both FM and DD concentrations. Similarly, measuring FM concentrations with other biomarker levels may be more beneficial in patients suffering an acute myocardial infarction or acute ischaemic stroke. Lastly, FM concentrations vary substantially throughout pregnancy with no definitive role of FM as of yet.

Conclusion Utilizing FM concentrations to assess hyper-coagulable patients seems promising; however, there are limitations including variations in FM cut-off values, the effect of patient medications and the timing of FM measurement relative to an acute event. Thus, further investigation is required before a true advantage for FM as a haemostatic marker can be established.
Circuit designs for superconducting optoelectronic loop neurons
Authors: Shainline Jeffrey M. , Buckley Sonia M. , McCaughan Adam N. , Chiles Jeff , Jafari-Salim Amir , Mirin Richard P. , Nam Sae Woo
Published: October 2018

Optical communication achieves high fanout and short delay advantageous for information integration in neural systems. Superconducting detectors enable signaling with single photons for maximal energy efficiency. We present designs of superconducting optoelectronic neurons based on superconducting single-photon detectors, Josephson junctions, semiconductor light sources, and multi-planar dielectric waveguides. These circuits achieve complex synaptic and neuronal functions with high energy efficiency, leveraging the strengths of light for communication and superconducting electronics for computation. The neurons send few-photon signals to synaptic connections. These signals communicate neuronal firing events as well as update synaptic weights. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity is implemented with a single photon triggering each step of the process. Microscale light-emitting diodes and waveguide networks enable connectivity from a neuron to thousands of synaptic connections, and the use of light for communication enables synchronization of neurons across an area limited only by the distance light can travel within the period of a network oscillation. Experimentally, each of the requisite circuit elements has been demonstrated; yet, a hardware platform combining them all has not been attempted. Compared to digital logic or quantum computing, device tolerances are relaxed. For this neural application, optical sources providing incoherent pulses with 10 000 photons produced with an efficiency of 10−3 operating at 20 MHz at 4.2 K are sufficient to enable a massively scalable neural computing platform with connectivity comparable to the brain and thirty thousand times higher speed.
Development of a new compact gamma-ray spectrometer optimised for runaway electron measurements
Authors: Dal Molin A. , Martinelli L. , Nocente M. , Rigamonti D. , Abba A. , Giacomelli L. , Gorini G. , Lvovskiy A. , Muraro A. , Tardocchi M. ,   JET Contributors
Published: October 2018

A new compact gamma-ray spectrometer was developed in order to optimise the measurement of bremsstrahlung radiation emitted from runaway electrons in the MeV range. The detector is based on a cerium doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO:Ce) scintillator coupled to a silicon photomultiplier and is insensitive to magnetic fields. A dedicated electronic board was developed to optimise the signal readout as well as for online control of the device. The detector combines a dynamic range up to 10 MeV with moderate energy non-linearity, counting rate capabilities in excess of 1 MHz, and an energy resolution that extrapolates to a few % in the MeV range, thus meeting the requirements for its application to runaway electron studies by bremsstrahlung measurements in the gamma-ray energy range.
Distribution of collected target debris using the large area solid debris radiochemistry collector
Authors: Despotopulos J. D. , Shaughnessy D. A. , Gharibyan N. , Moody K. J. , Grant P. M. , Yeamans C. B. , Waltz C. S.
Published: October 2018

A large area solid radiochemistry collector was deployed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) with a collection efficiency for post-shot, solid target debris of approximately 1% of the total 4π solid angle. The collector consisted of a 20-cm diameter vanadium foil surrounded by an aluminum side-enclosure and was fielded 50 cm from the NIF target. The collector was used on two NIF neutron yield shots, both of which had a monolayer of 238U embedded in the capsule ablator 10 μm from the inner surface. Fission and activation products produced in the 238U were collected, and subsequent analyses via gamma spectroscopy indicated that the distribution of fission products was not uniform, with peak and valley fission products preferentially collected on the vanadium and low- and high-mass fission products primarily located on the aluminum side-enclosure. The results from these shots will be used to design future nuclear data experiments at NIF.
Bremsstrahlung x-ray generation for high optical depth radiography applications on the National Ignition Facility
Authors: Huntington C. M. , McNaney J. M. , Gumbrell E. , Krygier A. , Wehrenberg C. , Park H.-S.
Published: October 2018

We have tested a set of x-ray sources for use as probes of highly attenuating, laser-driven experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Unlike traditional x-ray sources that optimize for a characteristic atomic transition (often the n = 2 → n = 1 transition in ionized, He-like atoms), the design presented here maximizes the total photon flux by optimizing for intense, broadband Bremsstrahlung radiation. Three experiments were performed with identical targets, including a uranium x-ray source foil and a tungsten substrate with a narrow (25 μm wide) collimating slit to produce a quasi-1D x-ray source. Two experiments were performed using 12 beams from the NIF laser, each delivering approximately 46 kJ of laser energy but with different laser spatial profiles. This pair yielded similar temporal x-ray emission profiles, spatial resolution, and inferred hot electron temperature. A third experiment with only 6 beams delivering approximately 25 kJ produced a lower hot electron temperature and significantly lower x-ray flux, as well as poorer spatial resolution. The data suggest that laser pointing jitter may have affected the location and intensity of the emitting plasma, producing an emission volume that was not well centered behind the collimating slit and lower intensity than designed. However, the 12-beam design permits x-ray radiography through highly attenuating samples, where lower energy line-emission x-ray sources would be nearly completely attenuated.
Synchronous tonic-to-bursting transitions in a neuronal hub motif
Authors: Follmann Rosangela , Shaffer Annabelle , Mobille Zachary , Rutherford George , Rosa Epaminondas
Published: October 2018

We study a heterogeneous neuronal network motif where a central node (hub neuron) is connected via electrical synapses to other nodes (peripheral neurons). Our numerical simulations show that the networked neurons synchronize in three different states: (i) robust tonic, (ii) robust bursting, and (iii) tonic initially evolving to bursting through a period-doubling cascade and chaos transition. This third case displays interesting features, including the carrying on of a characteristic firing rate found in the single neuron tonic-to-bursting transition.
Front-propagation in bacterial inter-colony communication
Authors: Bettenworth Vera , McIntosh Matthew , Becker Anke , Eckhardt Bruno
Published: October 2018

Many bacterial species exchange signaling molecules to coordinate population-wide responses. For this process, known as quorum sensing, the concentration of the respective molecules is crucial. Here, we consider the interaction between spatially distributed bacterial colonies so that the spreading of the signaling molecules in space becomes important. The exponential growth of the signal-producing populations and the corresponding increase in signaling molecule production result in an exponential concentration profile that spreads with uniform speed. The theoretical predictions are supported by experiments with different strains of the soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti that display fluorescence when either producing or responding to the signaling molecules.
Electrical properties and structural transition of Ge2Sb2Te5 adjusted by rare-earth element Gd for nonvolatile phase-change memory
Authors: Chen Yongjin , Chen Nianke , Chen Bin , Zhang Qing , Li Xianbin , Deng Qingsong , Zhang Bin , Zhang Shengbai , Zhang Ze , Han Xiaodong
Published: October 2018

Phase change memory has been considered as the next generation in non-volatile electronic data storage. The property modulation of such materials by the doping of rare-earth elements has drawn a lot of attention, which motivates us to search for the optimal dopants and reveal the underlying mechanisms. Here, we investigate the role of Gd as a dopant in Ge2Sb2Te5, which exhibits higher crystalline resistance and better thermal stability and antioxidant capacity than the undoped counterpart. Moreover, Gd dopants suppress both the processes of phase transition and grain growth. The crystalline structure remains unchanged with Gd dopants and vacancies are randomly distributed. Furthermore, the bonding mechanism was theoretically investigated. In the amorphous state, Gd atoms modify the local structures around Ge, Sb, and Te atoms. The large coordination number of Gd and the “Gd–Te distorted pentagonal bipyramidal-like” structure can be attributed to the good thermal stability. These microscopic findings figure out some of the key issues about the bonding mechanism, electrical properties, and crystallization behaviors of Gd doped phase change memory materials, which could be useful for storage devices.
Bottom-up approach to torus bifurcation in neuron models
Authors: Ju Huiwen , Neiman Alexander B. , Shilnikov Andrey L.
Published: October 2018

We study the quasi-periodicity phenomena occurring at the transition between tonic spiking and bursting activities in exemplary biologically plausible Hodgkin-Huxley type models of individual cells and reduced phenomenological models with slow and fast dynamics. Using the geometric slow-fast dissection and the parameter continuation approach, we show that the transition is due to either the torus bifurcation or the period-doubling bifurcation of a stable periodic orbit on the 2D slow-motion manifold near a characteristic fold. Various torus bifurcations including stable and saddle torus-canards, resonant tori, the co-existence of nested tori, and the torus breakdown leading to the onset of complex and bistable dynamics in such systems are examined too.
Molecular structure of the substrate-induced thin-film phase of tetracene
Authors: Pithan Linus , Nabok Dmitrii , Cocchi Caterina , Beyer Paul , Duva Giuliano , Simbrunner Joseph , Rawle Jonathan , Nicklin Chris , Schäfer Peter , Draxl Claudia , Schreiber Frank , Kowarik Stefan
Published: October 2018

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study to solve the unit-cell and molecular arrangement of the tetracene thin film (TF) phase. TF phases, also known as substrate induced phases (SIPs), are polymorphs that exist at interfaces and decisively impact the functionality of organic thin films, e.g., in a transistor channel, but also change the optical spectra due to the different molecular packing. As SIPs only exist in textured ultrathin films, their structure determination remains challenging compared to bulk materials. Here, we use grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and atomistic simulations to extract the TF unit-cell parameters of tetracene together with the atomic positions within the unit-cell.
Forced flow atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on vertically aligned Si wafer and polysulfone fiber: Design and efficacy of conduit plates and soak function
Authors: Mishra Mrinalini , Chan Chia-Yen , Kei Chi-Chung , Yen Yin-Cheng , Liao Ming-Wei , Perng Tsong-Pyng
Published: October 2018

The effectiveness of three different designs of conduit plates was verified for even distribution of precursors in a voluminous forced-flow atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber designed to hold macroscopic elongated substrates vertically. Furthermore, a new “soak function” was introduced in the controlling software of the ALD instrument. This function enabled increase in residence time of the precursor in the chamber without escalating the dosage. The flow of precursors guided by the conduit plates with and without application of the soak function was simulated using computational fluid dynamics. A conformal coating of TiO2 with good uniformity on Si and porous polysulfone fibers was achieved to evidence the design and efficacy of conduit plates and soak function.
Vacuum ultraviolet excited state dynamics of the smallest ring, cyclopropane. I. A reinterpretation of the electronic spectrum and the effect of intensity borrowing
Authors: Neville Simon P. , Stolow Albert , Schuurman Michael S.
Published: October 2018

Cyclopropane, the smallest organic ring compound, exhibits complex spectroscopy and excited state dynamics. In Paper I, we reinterpret the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) electronic absorption spectrum of cyclopropane via ab initio computation. The first two bands in the VUV spectrum are simulated using wavepacket propagations employing the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartee method and a newly parameterized linear vibronic coupling Hamiltonian. The parameters of the model Hamiltonian are obtained directly from high level multireference configuration interaction calculations. An analysis of the results, with an emphasis on previously neglected vibronic coupling effects, reveals that these vibronic coupling terms must be included in order to account for strong intensity borrowing effects. This treatment dramatically changes the assignment of much of the VUV spectrum, with intensity borrowing by the optically dark A2′(σ3px/3py) and A1′(σ3px/3py) states from the E′(σ3px/3py) state being found to give rise to almost all the spectral intensities below 8 eV. This is in stark contrast to previous studies, which attributed the first two bands to transitions to the E′(σ3px/3py) state. This highlights the limitations of assigning spectral features based solely on calculated electronic excitation energies and oscillator strengths. Furthermore, we address the significant but infrequently discussed difficulties involved in determining the electronic character of a wavepacket produced in the pump step of ultrafast pump-probe experiments for systems exhibiting strong vibronic coupling.
Vacuum ultraviolet excited state dynamics of the smallest ring, cyclopropane. II. Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio dynamics
Authors: Coates Michael R. , Larsen Martin A. B. , Forbes Ruaridh , Neville Simon P. , Boguslavskiy Andrey E. , Wilkinson Iain , Sølling Theis I. , Lausten Rune , Stolow Albert , Schuurman Michael S.
Published: October 2018

The vacuum-ultraviolet photoinduced dynamics of cyclopropane (C3H6) were studied using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) in conjunction with ab initio quantum dynamics simulations. Following excitation at 160.8 nm, and subsequent probing via photoionization at 266.45 nm, the initially prepared wave packet is found to exhibit a fast decay (<100 fs) that is attributed to the rapid dissociation of C3H6 to ethylene (C2H4) and methylene (CH2). The photodissociation process proceeds via concerted ring opening and C–C bond cleavage in the excited state. Ab initio multiple spawning simulations indicate that ring-opening occurs prior to dissociation. The dynamics simulations were subsequently employed to simulate a TRPES spectrum, which was found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental result. On the basis of this agreement, the fitted time constants of 35 ± 20 and 57 ± 35 fs were assigned to prompt (i) dissociation on the lowest-lying excited state, prepared directly by the pump pulse, and (ii) non-adiabatic relaxation from higher-lying excited states that lead to delayed dissociation, respectively.
Spatial control of condensation and desublimation using ice nucleating proteins
Authors: O'Brien J. L. , Ahmadi S. F. , Failor K. C. , Bisbano C. E. , Mulroe M. D. , Nath S. , Vinatzer B. A. , Boreyko J. B.
Published: October 2018

On a subfreezing surface, nucleating embryos usually form as supercooled condensate that later freezes into ice, as opposed to desublimation. Ice nucleating proteins (INPs) have been widely used to quickly freeze existing supercooled water; however, nobody has studied how they might affect the initial mode of embryo formation. We show that INPs deposited on a substrate can switch the mode of embryo nucleation to desublimation, rather than supercooled condensation, beneath a critical temperature. By patterning a hydrophobic surface with an array of hydrophilic stripes, the INPs can be selectively deposited by evaporating water that exclusively spreads along the hydrophilic regions. The resulting array of desublimating ice stripes created dry zones free of condensation or frost in the intermediate areas, as the hygroscopic ice stripes served as overlapping humidity sinks.
Two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of coarse-grained poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) adsorbed on striped substrates
Authors: Oberthür Nicolai , Gross Jonathan , Janke Wolfhard
Published: October 2018

We investigate the structural phases of single poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymers that are adsorbed on a two-dimensional substrate with a striped pattern. We use a coarse-grained representation of the polymer and sophisticated Monte Carlo techniques such as a parallelized replica exchange scheme and local as well as non-local updates to the polymer’s configuration. From peaks in the canonically derived observables, it is possible to obtain structural phase diagrams for varying substrate parameters. We find that the shape of the stripe pattern has a substantial effect on the obtained configurations of the polymer and can be tailored to promote either more stretched out or more compact configurations. In the compact phases, we observe different structural motifs, such as hairpins, double-hairpins, and interlocking “zipper” states.
Comment on “A novel ultrathin and broadband microwave metamaterial absorber” [J. Appl. Phys. 116, 094504 (2014)]
Authors: Mustafa Meraj-E- , Tahir Farooq A. , Amin M. , Siddiqui O.
Published: October 2018

In a recent article, Wang et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 116, 094504 (2014)] proposed an ultra-thin broadand microwave metamaterial absorber and claimed the absorption above 90% in the operating band of 8.85 GHz–14.17 GHz. In this comment, we argue that the authors have neglected the cross-polarized reflection in their calculation of absorption. The proclaimed anisotropic pentagon patch metamaterial is predominantly a cross polarizer for the normally incident electromagnetic wave. We demonstrate that the actual absorption of the metamaterial structure remain less than 40%. Hence, the proposed metamaterial is not a perfect broadband absorber; however, it can be used as an efficient cross-polarizer.
Microtubule buckling in an elastic matrix with quenched disorder
Authors: Lee Cheng-Tai , Terentjev Eugene M.
Published: October 2018

The intracellular elastic matrix has been recognized as an important factor to stabilize microtubules and increase their critical buckling force Pc in vivo. This phenomenon was qualitatively explained by the Winkler model, which investigated the buckling of a filament embedded in a homogeneous elastic medium. However, the assumption of homogeneity of the matrix in Winkler’s, and other advanced models, is unrealistic inside cells, where the local environment is highly variable along the filament. Considering this to be a quenched-disorder system, we use a Poisson distribution for confinements and apply the replica technique combined with the Gaussian variational method to study the buckling of a long filament. The results show two types of filament bucklings: one corresponding to the first-order, and the other to a continuous second-order phase transition. The critical point, i.e., the switch from first- to second-order buckling transition, is induced by the increase in disorder strength. We also discover that this random disorder of the elastic environment destabilizes the filament by decreasing Pc from the Winkler result and the matrix with stronger mean elasticity has a stronger role of disorder (inhomogeneity). For microtubules in vivo, buckling follows the discontinuous first-order transition, with Pc reduced to the fraction between 0.9 and 0.75 of the Winkler prediction for the homogeneous elastic matrix. We also show that disorder can affect the force-displacement relationship at non-zero temperature, while at zero temperature this effect vanishes.
Enhanced sampling and free energy calculations with hybrid functionals and plane waves for chemical reactions
Authors: Mandal Sagarmoy , Debnath Jayashrita , Meyer Bernd , Nair Nisanth N.
Published: October 2018

Plane wave basis sets offer many advantages in ab initio molecular dynamics due to their efficiency and simplicity. In combination with hybrid density functionals, they become computationally expensive due to the evaluation of the Hartree-Fock exchange energy. The computational cost can be significantly reduced by screening the Kohn-Sham orbital products after localizing the orbitals in real space. However, such a procedure introduces apparent errors in the wavefunctions and nuclear forces resulting in unstable dynamics. It is shown here that a noise-stabilized dynamics approach can overcome this problem and at the same time permits using insufficiently converged wavefunctions for evaluating atomic forces. In this way, we achieve significant speed up even for a small system containing about 100 atoms. After benchmarking the accuracy and efficiency of this approach, we use it in combination with well-sliced metadynamics to compute the free energy barrier of formamide hydrolysis in alkaline aqueous medium. These results provide insight into the error of the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof functional in predicting the free energy barrier for hydrolysis reactions in water.
Electromagnetic linear dispersion relation for plasma with a drift across magnetic field revisited
Authors: Umeda Takayuki , Nakamura Takuma K. M.
Published: October 2018

A current across the magnetic field is formed in various situations in plasma. The relative drift between ions and electrons due to the cross-field current becomes a source of various microscopic instabilities. A fully electromagnetic and kinetic linear dispersion relation for plasma with a drift across magnetic field is derived by assuming a uniform background plasma. The dielectric permittivity tensor for shifted Maxwellian velocity distributions is also presented. Linear dispersion relations obtained by using the new dielectric permittivity tensor were confirmed by comparison with the previous studies and with particle-in-cell simulation results.
A reactive flow simulation for the anisotropic ignition of an explosive crystal using adaptive mesh refinement
Authors: Lee Younghun , Lee Woong-Hyun , Gwak Min-cheol , Kim Kihong , Yoh Jack J.
Published: October 2018

In this study, we consider the anisotropic or direction-dependent ignition of single crystal pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). Previous experiments have shown that the anisotropic ignition of PETN is induced by the crystal orientation and micro-structural features at the molecular scale. Numerical models have taken the standard approach of considering only the isotropic ignition via ignition and the growth process, which assume a perfect isotropy or orientation independence for the ignition of an explosive crystal. Based on our previously announced anisotropic concept, which depends on strain and the strain rate, we developed an adaptive mesh refinement technique to carry out three-dimensional simulations of the anisotropic ignition of a PETN crystal subjected to directional shock loadings.
From second language to third language learning
Authors: Man Laura , Bui Gavin , Teng Mark Feng
Published: October 2018

This mixed-methods study explores English and Japanese learning motivations in a group of Japanese summer course participants at a university in Hong Kong. Sixty-one Cantonese-speaking students completed two questionnaire surveys on co-existing motivations for learning L2 English and L3 Japanese. Depending on the questionnaire results, eight participants were selected to take part in the two subsequent interviews. The findings revealed that the participants perceived L2 English learning as a school subject and a practical tool for academics and career. It was instrumentality, rather than integrativeness, that motivated the students to learn English. Contrary results were found for L3 Japanese language learning, as the learners had more cultural interest, positive learning experience, self-confidence, and positive attitudes. This study, therefore, argues that L2 and L3 motivations merit distinct status. There appears to exist a dual-motivation system amongst these multilingual learners. The study also provides insights into how geographical and psychological distances could impact language learning under the phenomena of globalisation.