bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The cost-effectiveness of introducing a vaccine for the prevention of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia in elderly Danes
Authors: Bilde Lone , Nielsen Thomas T , Ronholt Finn , Kruse Marie
Published: December 2016

Herpes Zoster is an unpleasant and painful skin condition associated with a risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia if the pain persists. Herpes Zoster most often occurs in elderly people. This study examines the cost-effectiveness of introducing a vaccine against Herpes Zoster in the Danish health care sector. The cost-effectiveness is examined in a Markov lifetime model framework and populated with Danish data and results from the international literature. From the base case analysis, with an ICER of DKK 261,372 per QALY gained, it seems that an implementation of a vaccine against HZ in the Danish population aged 65 years or more might be cost-effective within generally accepted incremental cost-effectiveness thresholds. Furthermore, an age-specific analysis showed that although the incidence of herpes zoster generally increases with age, targeting the vaccine at persons aged 50-69 years rather than the persons aged 65 years or more, seems to be a more cost-effective strategy from the societal perspective. However, these results are very sensitive to changes in vaccine price, utility values, discount rates, and especially, to the vaccine duration of protection.Published: Online December 2016. In print December 2017.
As tecnologias vestíveis de moda e a relação entre humano e não-humano
Authors:   Universidade de São Paulo, Marini Patrícia Sayuri Saga Kitamura
Published: December 2016

O artigo propõe apresentar a afinidade das tecnologias vestíveis de moda, ainda não muito difundido, em relação ao atual contexto tecnológico. A concepção da internet das coisas e o desenvolvimento da comunicação ubíqua, pervasiva e senciente expõem uma visão favorável aos wearable technologies. Da mesma forma que a moda oferece uma relação intrínseca entre roupa e corpo, autores como Bruno Latour, Giselle Beiguelman e André Lemos apontam para um tratamento simétrico das dualidades modernas: físico e virtual, homem e máquina, natureza e cultura e, portanto, humano e não-humano. As mediações e experimentações advindas de uma não purificação destas dicotomias serão capazes de oferecer uma ressignificação ao homem, assim como uma significação para as tecnologias vestíveis de moda.
Simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature using a polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber with stimulated Brillouin scattering
Authors: Zhang Hongying , Yuan Zhijun , Liu Ziye , Gao Wei , Dong Yongkang
Published: December 2016

We demonstrate the simultaneous and distributed sensing of temperature and strain by combining the Brillouin dynamic grating (BDG) and Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) using a polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PM-PCF). The characterization of the birefringence frequency shift of the PM-PCF shows that it remains almost unchanged within the temperature range of 5–80 °C, which allows a temperature-insensitive strain measurement using only the BDG. Combining the BDG and BGS, we demonstrate the simultaneous measurement of temperature and strain with a spatial resolution of 20 cm over a 5-m-long PM-PCF.
Continuously revised assurance cases with stakeholders’ cross-validation: a DEOS experience
Authors: Kuramitsu Kimio
Published: December 2016

Recently, assurance cases have received much attention in the field of software-based computer systems and IT services. However, software changes very often, and there are no strong regulations for software. These facts are two main challenges to be addressed in the development of software assurance cases. We propose a method of developing assurance cases by means of continuous revision at every stage of the system life cycle, including in operation and service recovery in failure cases. Instead of a regulator, dependability arguments are validated by multiple stakeholders competing with each other. This paper reported our experience with the proposed method in the case of Aspen education service. The case study demonstrates that continuous revisions enable stakeholders to share dependability problems across software life cycle stages, which will lead to the long-term improvement of service dependability.
Regler. (Teil A.)
Authors: Neumann Gustav , Wünsch G.
Published: December 2016

Unterscheidung der Reglerbauarten nach den ihnen zugrunde liegenden Reglergesetzen. Das Kennbild der Regelteiler. Der Störungsteil. Der Begriff der Störung.
Einfluß der Versuchsgeschwindigkeit auf das Ergebnis des Zugversuches
Authors: Fettweis Felix
Published: December 2016

Eigene und fremde Versuche über den Einfluß der Versuchsgeschwindigkeit. Folgerungen für die Ausführung des Zerreißversuches. Erklärungsversuche; Berücksichtigung der Temperatur.
Das Zustandsschaubild Eisen‐Zirkon
Authors: Vogel Rudolf , Tonn Willi
Published: December 2016

Festlegung des Zustandsschaubildes durch thermische und Gefügeuntersuchung.
Das System Eisen‐Kobalt‐Wolfram
Authors: Köster Werner , Tonn Willi
Published: December 2016

Aufstellung des ternären Zustandsschaubildes für das System Eisen‐Kobalt‐Wolfram. Bestimmung der Schmelzflächen, der Ausscheidungsflächen im festen Zustand und der α‐γ‐Umwandlung mittels thermischer, dilatometrischer und Gefügeuntersuchungen.
Die Berechnung von Stoßöfen (Teil I)
Authors: Heiligenstaedt Werner
Published: December 2016

Die Arbeit hat zum Ziel, erstens die Grundlagen für die Bestimmung des Wärmeverbrauches [vorliegender Teil I] und zweitens die Grundlagen für die Berechnung der Leistung, das ist der Blocktemperatur und der Durchwärmung bei gegebenem Durchsatz [folgender Teil II], zu geben. Die Bauart eines Ofens ergibt sich aus den vom Betrieb gegebenen Unterlagen [Abschnitt 4 und 5] und den Konstruktionsgrundlagen [Abschnitt 7]. Die Bilanzformel [Abschnitt 9] wird zunächst in Verbindung mit erfahrungsmäßigen Unterlagen über Abgastemperatur, Ofenverluste und Nutzwärme [Abschnitt 10] dazu verwendet, die wärmetechnisch günstigste Herdbelastung durch Berechnung des Wärmeverbrauchs bei verschiedenen Herdbelastungen aufzusuchen. Die wirtschaftlich beste Ofengröße [Abschnitt 11] ergibt sich dann durch Vergleich der Steigerung der Ofenbaukosten mit der Wärmeersparnis bei Vergrößerung der Ofenlänge. Für diese Ofengröße sind dann gegebenenfalls die Wärmeaustauscher zu bestimmen. Der nun fertige Ofenentwurf gestattet die endgültige Bestimmung des Wärmeverbrauches bei verschiedener Belastung unter Berücksichtigung der Veränderung der Gas‐ und Luftvorwärmung bei veränderter Gaszufuhr [Abschnitt 13]. Die Kritik, ob die verlangte Ofenleistung erreicht wird, ist mit den bisherigen Unterlagen, die hauptsächlich im pyrometrischen Wirkungsgrad bestehen, recht unsicher. Sie wird deshalb im folgenden Teil II auf festere Grundlagen gestellt.
Untersuchungen über den Wärmeaustausch in Stoßöfen
Authors: Stoffregen Heinz
Published: December 2016

Wie weit darf der Ofenraum als schwarzer Körper angesehen werden? Messung des gesamten Wärmeübergangs an verschiedenen Stellen im Ofen durch eine Kupferkugel mit eingebautem Thermoelement. Untersuchung der Temperaturverteilung im Block (Durchweichung).
Die physikalisch‐chemischen Grundgesetze der Metall‐Schlacken‐Gleichgewichte
Authors: Körber Friedrich , Oelsen Willy
Published: December 2016

Das ideale und das allgemeine Massenwirkungsgesetz in der praktischen Anwendung. Die Isothermen des Massenwirkungsgesetzes und des Verteilungssatzes. Temperaturabhängigkeit der Gleichgewichte und Reaktionswärme. Verschiebung der Gleichgewichte durch Zusätze zur Schlacke und zum Metall bei verschiedenen Temperaturen. Folgerungen aus den Beobachtungen an Metall‐Chlorid‐Gleichgewichten für die metallurgischen Verfahren.
Die Analyse der trockenen Verbrennungsgase als Unterlage für feuerungstechnische Berechnungen
Authors: Schwiedeßen Hellmuth
Published: December 2016

Die Stoffbilanzen. Der Luftfaktor. Die Verbrennungsluft‐ und Verbrennungsgasmenge für 1 Nm3 bzw. 1 kg Brennstoff. Das Unverbrannte. Der mittlere Abbrand.
Beiträge zur technischen Spektralanalyse im Eisenhüttenlaboratorium
Authors: Klinger Paul , Schließmann Otto , Zänker Karl
Published: December 2016

Allgemeines. Quantitative Siliziumbestimmung in Stahl und Hartguß. Anwendung des logarithmischen Sektors und des thermoelektrischen Photometers. Intensitätsmarkenverfahren, Fehlerquellen. Quantitative Lösungsspektralanalyse. Vorzüge der Kohleelektroden. Anwendung der Flammen‐, Funken‐ und Bogen‐Spektralanalyse für qualitative Zwecke.
Ueber das Greifen der Walzen
Authors: Dann Ernst
Published: December 2016

Gleichungen für das Greifen von Walzen und Angaben über die Reibungszahl. Die Reibungskraft zum Durchziehen des Blockes. Berechnung des Walzdruckes. Ermittlung des Verhältnisses von Mittel‐ zu Höchstdruck bei einigen Kaliberarten. Rauhigkeitsgrad und Kerbungsverlauf der Walzen.
Zur Erschmelzung von Stählen im Vakuum
Authors: Eilender Walter , von Bohlen und Halbach Alfried , Meyer Oskar
Published: December 2016

Bedeutung und Grundlagen des Vakuumschmelzverfahrens. Versuchsanordnung und Schmelzführung. Ueber die Entstickung, Entkohlung und Desoxydation von unlegierten und legierten Stählen durch Schmelzen unter verringertem Druck. Gasabgabe der flüssigen und erstarrenden Stähle im Vakuum.
Die Oxydationsstufen des Eisens in Schlacken in Abhängigkeit von der chemischen Zusammensetzung, der Temperatur und der Ofenatmosphäre
Authors: Salmang Hermann , Kaltenbach Josef
Published: December 2016

Durchführung der Untersuchungen an synthetisch hergestellten Schlacken. Versuchsbedingungen. Gleichgewichte bei Zusätzen von Eisenoxyden zur Schlacke. Einfluß von Tonerde und Kalk auf Eisenoxydul‐Kieselsäure‐Schlacken. Reaktionsstärke der einzelnen Oxyde.
Eigenschaften von Schweißverbindungen aus Hochbaustählen mit verschiedenen Elektroden
Authors: Lohmann Wilhelm , Schulz Ernst Hermann
Published: December 2016

Untersuchungen an Proben, die aus Stahl St 37, St 48 oder St 52 mit unlegierten und legierten nackten und umhüllten Elektroden durch V‐Naht‐Schweißung hergestellt wurden. Zusammenhang zwischen der Zusammensetzung der Elektrode und der der Schweißnaht. Ergebnis von Zugversuchen bei 20 bis 600°, Kerbzähigkeit, Schlagzähigkeit, Dauerschlagzahl und Biegeschwingungsfestigkeit unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Wärmebehandlung. Gefügeuntersuchung.
Modality Shift Effect in Psychiatric Disorders – a New Look at an Old Paradigm
Authors: Krag P.J. , Licht R.W. , Nielsen R.E.
Published: December 2016

Background

There is a long tradition of reaction time studies in experimental psychopathology. Even though a diminishing interest in this paradigm has been seen over the last years, it is in line with more recent biological approaches to examine psychiatric disorders cross-diagnostically.

Methods

Patients (n= 95) with a positive subtype of schizophrenia (n= 22), a negative subtype of schizophrenia (n= 18), a full major depressive episode (n= 19), a full manic episode (n= 16), or a mood disorder in remission (n= 20) and subjects with no known psychiatric disorder (n= 30), respectively, participated in a computer-based reaction time test consisting of four trials with 55 short visual and auditory stimuli presented in a random sequence. Each participant’s median reaction time in milliseconds to light stimuli ipsimodal (light preceded by light) and cross-modal (light preceded by tone) and the difference between the two conditions (i.e. cross-modal retardation (CMR) to light) were recorded. Likewise, the median reaction time to tone stimuli ipsimodal and cross-modal and the difference between the two (CMR to tone) were recorded.

Results

Patient groups performed worse than the control group, with the exception of the group of patients with mood disorders in remission in both CMRs. When comparing patient groups, the schizophrenia negative subtype performed worse than the remission group in both CMRs.

Conclusions

Our data support newer theories about underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and observable behavioural phenomena occurring across the different diagnostic categories, thereby supporting a dimensional approach in the diagnosis and clinical management.
Toxoplasma-Infected Subjects Report an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Diagnosis More Often and Score Higher in Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory
Authors: Flegr J. , Horáček J.
Published: December 2016

Background

Latent toxoplasmosis, the life-long presence of dormant stages of Toxoplasma in immunoprivileged organs and of anamnestic IgG antibodies in blood, affects about 30% of humans. Infected subjects have an increased incidence of various disorders, including schizophrenia. Several studies, as well as the character of toxoplasmosis-associated disturbance of neurotransmitters, suggest that toxoplasmosis could also play an etiological role in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Methods

The aim of the present cross-sectional study performed on a population of 7471 volunteers was to confirm the association between toxoplasmosis and OCD, and toxoplasmosis and psychological symptoms of OCD estimated by the standard Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R).

Results

Incidence of OCD was 2.18% (n = 39) in men and 2.28% (n = 83) in women. Subjects with toxoplasmosis had about a 2.5 times higher odds of OCD and about a 2.7 times higher odds of learning disabilities. The incidence of 18 other neuropsychiatric disorders did not differ between Toxoplasma-infected and Toxoplasma-free subjects. The infected subjects, even the OCD-free subjects, scored higher on the OCI-R.

Limitations: Examined subjects provided the information about their toxoplasmosis and OCD statuses themselves, which could result in underrating the strength of observed associations.

Conclusions

The results confirmed earlier reports of the association between toxoplasmosis and OCD. They also support recent claims that latent toxoplasmosis is in fact a serious disease with many impacts on quality of life of patients.
Psychosis prediction in Secondary Mental Health Services. a Broad, Comprehensive Approach to the “at Risk Mental State” Syndrome
Authors: Francesconi M. , Minichino A. , Carrión R.E. , Delle Chiaie R. , Bevilacqua A. , Parisi M. , Rullo S. , Bersani F. Saverio , Biondi M. , Cadenhead K.
Published: December 2016

Background

Accuracy of risk algorithms for psychosis prediction in “at risk mental state” (ARMS) samples may differ according to the recruitment setting. Standardized criteria used to detect ARMS individuals may lack specificity if the recruitment setting is a secondary mental health service. The authors tested a modified strategy to predict psychosis conversion in this setting by using a systematic selection of trait-markers of the psychosis prodrome in a sample with a heterogeneous ARMS status.

Methods

138 non-psychotic outpatients (aged 17–31) were consecutively recruited in secondary mental health services and followed-up for up to 3 years (mean follow-up time, 2.2 years; SD = 0.9). Baseline ARMS status, clinical, demographic, cognitive, and neurological soft signs measures were collected. Cox regression was used to derive a risk index.

Results

48% individuals met ARMS criteria (ARMS-Positive, ARMS+). Conversion rate to psychosis was 21% for the overall sample, 34% for ARMS+, and 9% for ARMS-Negative (ARMS−). The final predictor model with a positive predictive validity of 80% consisted of four variables: Disorder of Thought Content, visuospatial/constructional deficits, sensory-integration, and theory-of-mind abnormalities. Removing Disorder of Thought Content from the model only slightly modified the predictive accuracy (−6.2%), but increased the sensitivity (+9.5%).

Conclusions

These results suggest that in a secondary mental health setting the use of trait-markers of the psychosis prodrome may predict psychosis conversion with great accuracy despite the heterogeneity of the ARMS status. The use of the proposed predictive algorithm may enable a selective recruitment, potentially reducing duration of untreated psychosis and improving prognostic outcomes.
Progress in Clinical Neurosciences: Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy: Evolving Concepts
Authors: Wilson John X. , Young G. Bryan
Published: December 2016

Systemic sepsis commonly produces brain dysfunction, sepsis-associated encephalopathy, which can vary from a transient, reversible encephalopathy to irreversible brain damage. The encephalopathy in the acute phase clinically resembles many metabolic encephalopathies: a diffuse disturbance in cerebral function with sparing of the brain stem. The severity of the encephalopathy, as reflected in progressive EEG abnormalities, often precedes then parallels dysfunction in other organs. Recent research has revealed a number of potentially important, non-mutually exclusive, mechanisms that have therapeutic implications.
Percutaneous implantation of a unibody endograft to treat non-aneurysmal aortoiliac disease
Authors: Cury Marcus Vinícius Martins , Rodrigues Thiago Osawa , Issa Antônio Augusto Tadeu
Published: December 2016

Abstract. This case-series report describes the use of an Endologix AFX® stent graft for the treatment of non-aneurysmal aortic disease. Over a period of 26 months, this device was successfully implanted in six patients with aortic bifurcation < 15 mm to treat critical limb ischemia secondary to dissection, ulcer, or coarctation.
Purification and electronic characterisation of 18 isomers of the OPV acceptor material bis-[60]PCBM
Authors: Shi W. , Hou X. , Liu T. , Zhao X. , Sieval A. B. , Hummelen J. C. , Dennis T. J. S.
Published: December 2016

The as-produced isomer mixture of the organic photovoltaic device acceptor material bis-[60]PCBM has been purified into its constituents by peak-recycling HPLC, and those individual isomers were characterised by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry.
Water oxidation catalyzed by a charge-neutral mononuclear ruthenium(iii) complex
Authors: Lu Zhongkai , Gao Yan , Chen Hu , Liu Zhao , Sun Licheng
Published: December 2016

A new charge-neutral Ru(iii) complex RuL(pic)3(1) (H3L= 3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazole-1,8-dicarboxylic acid, pic = 4-picoline) was synthesized and fully characterized.
Ultra-pH-sensitive polypeptide micelles with large fluorescence off/on ratio in near infrared range
Authors: Fu Liyi , Yuan Pan , Ruan Zheng , Liu Le , Li Tuanwei , Yan Lifeng
Published: December 2016

Ionizable tertiary amines functional polypeptide based micelles conjugated with NIR dye Cy5.5 and quencher have been synthesized, and a strong fluorescence switch-on in the NIR region under weak acidic conditions can be found, which is ultra-pH-sensitive.
Differential pH‐sensitive sensor with DC electrode‐offset compensation
Authors: Lee K.H. , Lee D. , Yoon J. , Kwon O. , Lee J.
Published: December 2016

A pH‐sensitive sensor with a differential mode was developed to detect surface charges accumulated on the ion‐sensitive layer. The device accurately monitors the relative pH value using the modified instrumentation amplifier with the DC electrode‐offset compensation. The readout voltage is digitalised with the current‐starved ring oscillator. The sensor achieves the DC offset compensation of 22.5 dB and the oscillating pH sensitivity of 1.3 MHz/pH. The feasibility of the sensor is demonstrated to monitor the hydrogen ion concentration comparing the oscillation frequency at differential mode with that at single mode.
Kink effect in TiO2 embedded ZnO quantum dot‐based thin film transistors
Authors: Kumar H. , Kumar Y. , Singh K. , Kumar S. , Rawat G. , Kumar C. , Pal B.N. , Jit S.
Published: December 2016

The kink effect at a very low voltage (∼1.15 V) region is reported in the electrical characteristics of a back‐gated thin film transistor fabricated by embedding a TiO2 (T) layer between two Al2O3 (A) layers grown on a p‐Si substrate using electron beam evaporation. A layer of ZnO quantum dots (QDs) deposited on the A–T–A structure by the sol–gel method is used for charge transportation between the source and drain electrodes grown on the ZnO QDs layer. The effect of TiO2 is analysed for the charge trapping and possible occurrence of the kink effect.
Diversity effect on outage probability in mobile wireless network
Authors: Das M. , Sahu B. , Bhanja U.
Published: December 2016

In wireless communication, diversity technique is often used to combat multipath fading and improves capacity. The effect of diversity with maximal ratio combining combining technique on the received power due to a mobile transmitting node in Rayleigh fading channel is presented. An analytical expression for the probability density function of received power is derived. Further, the effect of diversity on outage probability is also analysed.
Grouping modulation with different codes for improving performance in cVEP‐based brain–computer interfaces
Authors: Wei Qingguo , Gong Huayun , Lu Zongwu
Published: December 2016

A novel paradigm for building code modulated visual evoked potential (cVEP) brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) is proposed. The paradigm is based on grouping modulation of stimuli with different codes in order to increase the number of stimuli and resulting information transfer rate (ITR). In a single group, an original code and its circularly shifting codes are used for modulating 16 stimuli. To achieve good separability of stimuli, the original codes for different groups should have good autocorrelation and cross‐correlation properties. A pair of Golay complementary series and an almost perfect autocorrelation sequence are used as the original codes to implement a three‐group cVEP BCI with 48 targets. Four subjects participated in a simulated online experiment and a high ITR of 129.58 bits/min was achieved due to the sharp increase of the number of targets.
On the limits of probabilistic forecasting in nonlinear times series analysis
Authors: Amigó José M. , Hirata Yoshito , Aihara Kazuyuki
Published: December 2016

The ignorance score measures the quality of probabilistic forecasting. In this paper, we study its basic properties in the perfect model scenario, i.e., under the assumption that the system producing the data is perfectly known. Two further qualifications are added to this general setting. First, the system is a discrete-time, measure-preserving dynamical system. Moreover, randomness results from the quantization of the state space (i.e., from the finite precision of the observations), rather than being introduced via observational noise. In this “non-linear” perfect model scenario we derive, in particular, the admissible domain of the ignorance score and relate it with the ignorance score in imperfect models.
Electrowetting-on-dielectric actuation of a vertical translation and angular manipulation stage
Authors: Preston Daniel J. , Anders Ariel , Barabadi Banafsheh , Tio Evelyn , Zhu Yangying , Dai DingRan Annie , Wang Evelyn N.
Published: December 2016

Adhesion and friction during physical contact of solid components in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) often lead to device failure. Translational stages that are fabricated with traditional silicon MEMS typically face these tribological concerns. This work addresses these concerns by developing a MEMS vertical translation, or focusing, stage that uses electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) as the actuating mechanism. EWOD has the potential to eliminate solid-solid contact by actuating through deformation of liquid droplets placed between the stage and base to achieve stage displacement. Our EWOD stage is capable of linear spatial manipulation with resolution of 10 μm over a maximum range of 130 μm and angular deflection of approximately ±1°, comparable to piezoelectric actuators. We also developed a model that suggests a higher intrinsic contact angle on the EWOD surface can further improve the translational range, which was validated experimentally by comparing different surface coatings. The capability to operate the stage without solid-solid contact offers potential improvements for applications in micro-optics, actuators, and other MEMS devices.
Influence of air pressure on the detailed characteristics of corona current pulse due to positive corona discharge
Authors: Li Xuebao , Cui Xiang , Lu Tiebing , Li Dayong , Chen Bo , Fu Yuke
Published: December 2016

Air pressure is one of the main factors affecting the corona discharge and influence of air pressure should be carefully investigated. In order to obtain the influence of air pressure on the detailed characteristics of corona current pulse, such as pulse amplitude, rise time, pulse width, duration time, and pulse repetition frequency, a systematic investigation is carried out though a coaxial conductor-cylinder electrode structure with a corona point on the conductor. The electrodes are put into a pressure chamber for adjusting the air pressure. The results show that pulse amplitude increases with the increase of air pressure, while rise time, pulse width, duration time, and pulse repetition frequency decrease significantly at the same ratio between applied voltage and onset voltage (U/U0). Empirical formulas for the pulse amplitude, rise time, pulse width, and duration time varying with air pressure are first established. On the basis of the development of positive corona discharge, the influence of air pressure on the typical time intervals and experimental results are qualitatively explained.
Decoupling of a neutron interferometer from temperature gradients
Authors: Saggu P. , Mineeva T. , Arif M. , Cory D. G. , Haun R. , Heacock B. , Huber M. G. , Li K. , Nsofini J. , Sarenac D. , Shahi C. B. , Skavysh V. , Snow W. M. , Werner S. A. , Young A. R. , Pushin D. A.
Published: December 2016

Neutron interferometry enables precision measurements that are typically operated within elaborate, multi-layered facilities which provide substantial shielding from environmental noise. These facilities are necessary to maintain the coherence requirements in a perfect crystal neutron interferometer which is extremely sensitive to local environmental conditions such as temperature gradients across the interferometer, external vibrations, and acoustic waves. The ease of operation and breadth of applications of perfect crystal neutron interferometry would greatly benefit from a mode of operation which relaxes these stringent isolation requirements. Here, the INDEX Collaboration and National Institute of Standards and Technology demonstrates the functionality of a neutron interferometer in vacuum and characterize the use of a compact vacuum chamber enclosure as a means to isolate the interferometer from spatial temperature gradients and time-dependent temperature fluctuations. The vacuum chamber is found to have no depreciable effect on the performance of the interferometer (contrast) while improving system stability, thereby showing that it is feasible to replace large temperature isolation and control systems with a compact vacuum enclosure for perfect crystal neutron interferometry.
Gamma radiation resistance of spin Seebeck devices
Authors: Yagmur A. , Uchida K. , Ihara K. , Ioka I. , Kikkawa T. , Ono M. , Endo J. , Kashiwagi K. , Nakashima T. , Kirihara A. , Ishida M. , Saitoh E.
Published: December 2016

Thermoelectric devices based on the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) were irradiated with gamma (γ) rays with the total dose of around 3 × 105 Gy in order to investigate the γ-radiation resistance of the devices. To demonstrate this, Pt/Ni0.2Zn0.3Fe2.5O4/Glass and Pt/Bi0.1Y2.9Fe5O12/Gd3Ga5O12 SSE devices were used. We confirmed that the thermoelectric, magnetic, and structural properties of the SSE devices are not affected by the γ-ray irradiation. This result demonstrates that SSE devices are applicable to thermoelectric generation even in high radiation environments.
Hydrogen bonding in the protic ionic liquid triethylammonium nitrate explored by density functional tight binding simulations
Authors: Zentel Tobias , Kühn Oliver
Published: December 2016

The applicability of the density functional based tight binding (DFTB) method to the description of hydrogen bond dynamics and infrared (IR) spectroscopy is addressed for the exemplary protic ionic liquid triethylammonium nitrate. Potential energy curves for proton transfer in gas and liquid phases are shown to be comparable to the high level coupled cluster theory in the thermally accessible range of bond lengths. Geometric correlations in the hydrogen bond dynamics are analyzed for a cluster of six ion pairs. Comparing DFTB and DFT data lends further support for the reliability of the DFTB method. Therefore, DFTB bulk simulations are performed to quantify the extent of geometric correlations in terms of Pauling’s bond order model. Further, IR absorption spectra are obtained using DFTB and analyzed putting emphasis on the signatures of hydrogen bonding in the NH-stretching and far IR hydrogen bond range.
Optimization of VO2 nanowire polymer composite thermochromic films by optical simulation
Authors: Naoi Yuki , Amano Jun
Published: December 2016

Thermochromic films with high efficiency, transparency, and flexibility are highly desirable for energy-efficient smart window films. Vanadium oxide (VO2)-nanoparticle-embedded flexible polymer composite films are the most promising thermochromic films because of the sharp phase transition of insulating to metallic phases of VO2 at 68 °C with visible transparency and a large change in transmittance at near-infrared wavelengths before and after the metal–insulator phase transition. This paper describes the simulation of high-efficiency thermochromic polymer composite films embedded with VO2 nanoparticles of various sizes to investigate the optimum VO2 nanowire size and length.
Influence of material impurities in the hole-blocking layer on the lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Fujimoto Hiroshi , Yahiro Masayuki , Yukiwaki Satoshi , Kusuhara Keiko , Nakamura Nozomi , Suekane Takashi , Wei Hong , Imanishi Katsuya , Inada Ko , Adachi Chihaya
Published: December 2016

We evaluated the influence of impurities in an organic material used for the fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on the lifetime of the fabricated devices. Despite no differences in the current-density–voltage characteristics and external quantum efficiencies of the devices, the lifetime was approximately nine times longer for devices with high-purity 2,4,6-tris(biphenyl-3-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (T2T), which was used as a hole-block layer. Chlorine-containing impurities derived from T2T had the greatest influence on the lifetime of the OLEDs even though the amount of halogen in the source material was at most 0.9 ppm. On the other hand, the lifetime was not greatly influenced by other impurities even with concentrations up to 0.2%. Therefore, the purities of materials other than the emitter must also be closely controlled.
Caveats in the interpretation of time-resolved photoionization measurements: A photoelectron imaging study of pyrrole
Authors: Crane Stuart W. , Zawadzki Magdalena M. , Thompson James O. F. , Kotsina Nikoleta , Ghafur Omair , Townsend Dave
Published: December 2016

We report time-resolved photoelectron imaging studies of gas-phase pyrrole over the 267-240 nm excitation region, recorded in conjunction with a 300 nm probe. Of specific interest is the lowest-lying (3s/πσ*) state, which exhibits very weak oscillator strength but is thought to be excited directly at wavelengths ≤254 nm. We conclude, however, that the only significant contribution to our photoelectron data at all wavelengths investigated is from non-resonant ionization. Our findings do not rule out (3s/πσ*) state excitation (as appears to be confirmed by supporting time-resolved ion-yield measurements) but do potentially highlight important caveats regarding the use and interpretation of photoreactant ionization measurements to interrogate dynamical processes in systems exhibiting significant topological differences between the potential energy surfaces of the neutral and cation states.
Quasi-ballistic thermal transport in Al0.1Ga0.9N thin film semiconductors
Authors: Koh Yee Rui , Shirazi-HD MohammadAli , Vermeersch Bjorn , Mohammed Amr M. S. , Shao Jiayi , Pernot Gilles , Bahk Je-Hyeong , Manfra Michael J. , Shakouri Ali
Published: December 2016

We investigate thermal transport in high-quality Al0.1Ga0.9N thin films grown using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy by time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) in the 100 K–500 K temperature range. The apparent thermal conductivity at 300 K and 500 K drops by 30% when the laser modulation frequency is increased from 0.8 MHz to 10 MHz. Tempered Lévy analysis of the quasi-ballistic heat conduction reveals superdiffusion exponents α ≈ 1.70 ± 0.06 at room temperature and α ≈ 1.83 ± 0.16 at 500 K. We describe limitations in concurrent extraction of other model parameters and also discuss the impact of boundary scattering in the 100 K–200 K temperature range.
Formation and dilatation of shear bands in a Cu-Zr metallic glass: A free volume perspective
Authors: Tang Chunguang , Peng Hailong , Chen Yu , Ferry Michael
Published: December 2016

We report the tensile deformation behaviour of metallic glass Cu50Zr50 as a function of quenching rate using molecular dynamics simulations. The atomic-scale shearing is found to be independent of atomic free volume, and the macroscopic correlation between the yield strength and density (or average free volume) is a coincidence, whereby samples with large free volume also have a low density of shear-resistant local five-fold symmetry. In the relatively slowly quenched (≤1010 K/s) samples, shear bands have a dilatation about 0.5%, which compares well with recent experimental results. In contrast, although more active local shearing occurs in the rapidly quenched samples, shear banding is not observed. This is because the strain energy disperses into local atomic shearing at the macroscopically elastic stage and, hence, is not sufficient for shear band activation, resulting in homogeneous deformation and appreciable plasticity.
Coupled solitons of intense high-frequency and low-frequency waves in Zakharov-type systems
Authors: Gromov Evgeny , Malomed Boris
Published: December 2016

One-parameter families of exact two-component solitary-wave solutions for interacting high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) waves are found in the framework of Zakharov-type models, which couple the nonlinear Schrödinger equation for intense HF waves to the Boussinesq (Bq) or Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation for the LF component through quadratic terms. The systems apply, in particular, to the interaction of surface (HF) and internal (LF) waves in stratified fluids. These solutions are two-component generalizations of the single-component Bq and KdV solitons. Perturbed dynamics and stability of the solitary waves are studied in detail by means of analytical and numerical methods. Essentially, they are stable against separation of the HF and LF components if the latter one is shaped as a potential well acting on the HF field, and unstable, against splitting of the two components, with a barrier-shaped LF one. Collisions between the solitary waves are studied by means of direct simulations, demonstrating a trend to merger of in-phase solitons, and elastic interactions of out-of-phase ones.
External serial connection without layer patterning for organic solar cells
Authors: Wong Ying Qian , Wong Hin Yong , Tan Ching Seong , Meng Hsin-Fei
Published: December 2016

This paper proposes a novel alternative to conventional internal serial connection, where precise patterning and scribing of organic layers can be eliminated. Adjacent cells can be made nearer for better space-utilization and higher voltages per unit area. Also, blade coating is proposed as the fabrication method as it has low material wastage (less than 5%), easily scalable to large area, has high film uniformity and has high throughput due to its roll-to-roll potential. This paper demonstrates 3-cells large area (12.98 cm2) external serial connection organic solar cells (OSCs) using the material poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) and 2,6-Bis(trimethyltin)-4, 8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene:6,6-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PBDTTT-CT:PC71BM) respectively. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the resulting 3-cells modules are 2.0% and 4.1% respectively.
Low-energy SiC2H6+ and SiC3H9+ ion beam productions by the mass-selection of fragments produced from hexamethyldisilane for SiC film formations
Authors: Yoshimura Satoru , Sugimoto Satoshi , Murai Kensuke , Kiuchi Masato
Published: December 2016

We have been attempting to produce low-energy ion beams from fragments produced through the decomposition of hexamethyldisilane (HMD) for silicon carbide (SiC) film formations. We mass-selected SiC2H6+ and SiC3H9+ ions from fragments produced from HMD, and finally produced low-energy SiC2H6+ and SiC3H9+ ion beams. The ion energy was approximately 100 eV. Then, the ion beams were irradiated to Si(100) substrates. The temperature of the Si substrate was 800°C during the ion irradiation. The X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy of the substrates obtained following SiC2H6+ ion irradiation demonstrated the occurrence of 3C-SiC deposition. On the other hand, the film deposited by the irradiation of SiC3H9+ ions included diamond-like carbon in addition to 3C-SiC.
Tunable dual-wavelength filter and its group delay dispersion in domain-engineered lithium niobate
Authors: Shao Guang-hao , Song Jing , Ruan Ya-ping , Cui Guo-xin , Lu Yan-qing
Published: December 2016

A tunable dual-wavelength filter is experimentally demonstrated in domain-engineered lithium niobate. Application of an electric field on the y-surfaces of the sample results in the optical axes rotating clockwise and anticlockwise, which makes selective polarization rotation. The quasi phase-matching wavelengths could be adjusted through suitable domain design. A unique dual valley spectrum is obtained in a periodically poled lithium niobate structure with a central defect if the sample is placed between two parallel polarizers. The expected bandwidth could be varied from ∼1 nm to ∼40 nm. Moreover, both the spectral response and group delay dispersion could be engineered.
Thermal crystallization of sputter-deposited amorphous Ge films: Competition of diamond cubic and hexagonal phases
Authors: Okugawa M. , Nakamura R. , Ishimaru M. , Yasuda H. , Numakura H.
Published: December 2016

Following our previous studies on crystallization induced by electron irradiation, we have investigated the crystallization of sputter-deposited amorphous germanium films by heat treatments. On continuous heating, samples aged for 3 days and 4 months at room temperature crystallized at 500°C to form coarse spherical particles of a hexagonal structure, of about 100 nm in diameter, whereas samples aged for 7 months turned to homogeneous nanograins of the diamond cubic structure at 600°C. When the films aged for 4 months at room temperature were annealed at 350°C for 2 h and then heated, they crystallized at 550°C to form a mixture of the two microstructures, and those annealed at 350°C and further at 500°C for 1 h crystallized at 600°C mostly to nanograins. Crystallization by electron irradiation at 350°C to 4-month-aged samples has also been studied. With increasing annealing time at 350°C, coarse particles of a hexagonal structure ceased to appear, and were replaced by fine nanograins of the diamond cubic structure. These observations can be understood in terms of structural instability of sputter-deposited amorphous films. Medium-range ordered clusters must initially be present in the films and serve as nuclei of the metastable hexagonal phase. They are unstable, however, and are eliminated by annealing, resulting in the reduction in size and number of coarse particles with a metastable structure.
Note: Tormenta: An open source Python-powered control software for camera based optical microscopy
Authors: Barabas Federico M. , Masullo Luciano A. , Stefani Fernando D.
Published: December 2016

Until recently, PC control and synchronization of scientific instruments was only possible through closed-source expensive frameworks like National Instruments’ LabVIEW. Nowadays, efficient cost-free alternatives are available in the context of a continuously growing community of open-source software developers. Here, we report on Tormenta, a modular open-source software for the control of camera-based optical microscopes. Tormenta is built on Python, works on multiple operating systems, and includes some key features for fluorescence nanoscopy based on single molecule localization.
Behavior of magnetic field and eddy current in a magnetostriction based bi-layered composite
Authors: Zhang Kewei , Zhang Kehao , Liu Huifeng , Li Junlin
Published: December 2016

In this paper, we presented a theoretical method for studying the behavior of magnetic field intensity and eddy current inside a magnetostriction based bi-layered composite. Firstly, the mathematical model for the electromagnetic field in the composite was established. Then, the governing equation for determining the magnetic field intensity and eddy current was solved. Furthermore, the effect of the composite’s conductivity on the magnetic field intensity and eddy current were discussed. Lastly, by comparing with the well known R.L. Stoll’s equation, the magnetic field intensity calculated based on our equation showed a less than 0.5% error.
The brain parenchyma has a type I interferon response that can limit virus spread
Authors: Drokhlyansky Eugene , Göz Aytürk Didem , Soh Timothy K. , Chrenek Ryan , O’Loughlin Elaine , Madore Charlotte , Butovsky Oleg , Cepko Constance L.
Published: December 2016

Significance

The brain parenchyma is considered to be “immune privileged” based upon differences between the innate and adaptive immune responses of the brain and those of the periphery. This work provides a clear demonstration of an innate immune response to direct infection by a virus, a response that is capable of limiting the spread of the virus along neuronal circuitry. The question of the brain parenchyma’s response to a viral infection has implications for the use of viruses as tools by neuroscientists, for vaccine development, and for potential clinical applications. Additionally, the approach used here provides a framework for further examination of the immunologic state of the brain as well as the mechanisms by which encephalitic viruses circumvent this response.
“When did you decide to tell the truth?”
Authors: Jeffries Lesley
Published: December 2016

Whilst there has been much investigation of courtroom testimony and other linguistic aspects of legal process, there has been little consideration of the linguistic basis of war crimes tribunals such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which provides the data for this article. The testimony of witnesses in ICTY rape trials is investigated to discover how their examination by counsel may affect these alleged victims of a brutal war. The approach taken is textual as well as discoursal, focusing on the co-construction of meaning between counsel and witnesses — and its failures. The frequent meta discussions about the nature of truth in the testimony shows up some disjunction between the parties in their understanding of the process they are engaged in, leading to the conclusion that the witnesses may have been ‘revictimised’
Using the variationist comparative method to examine the role of language contact in synthetic and periphrastic verbs in Spanish
Authors: Dumont Jenny , Wilson Damián Vergara
Published: December 2016

Language contact and linguistic change are thought to go hand in hand (e.g. Silva-Corvalán 1994), however there are methodological obstacles, such as collecting data at different points in time or the availability of monolingual data for comparison, that make claims about language change tenuous. The present study draws on two different corpora of spoken Spanish — bilingual New Mexican Spanish and monolingual Ecuadorian Spanish — in order to quantitatively assess the convergence hypothesis in which contact with English has produced a change to the Spanish verbal system, as reflected in an extension of the Present and Past Progressive forms at the expense of the synthetic Simple Present and Imperfect forms. The data do not show that the Spanish spoken by the bilinguals is changing to more closely resemble the analogous English progressive constructions, but instead suggest potential weakening of linguistic constraints on the conditioning of the variation between periphrastic and synthetic forms.
Innovations and challenges in detecting long read overlaps: an evaluation
of the state-of-the-art
Authors: Chu Justin , Mohamadi Hamid , Warren René L , Yang Chen , Birol Inanç
Published: December 2016

Identifying overlaps between error-prone long reads, specifically those from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Pacific Biosciences (PB), is essential for certain downstream applications, including error correction and de novo assembly. Though akin to the read-to-reference alignment problem, read-to-read overlap detection is a distinct problem that can benefit from specialized algorithms that perform efficiently and robustly on high error rate long reads. Here, we review the current state-of-the-art read-to-read overlap tools for error-prone long reads, including BLASR, DALIGNER, MHAP, GraphMap and Minimap. These specialized bioinformatics tools differ not just in their algorithmic designs and methodology, but also in their robustness of performance on a variety of datasets, time and memory efficiency and scalability. We highlight the algorithmic features of these tools, as well as their potential issues and biases when utilizing any particular method. To supplement our review of the algorithms, we benchmarked these tools, tracking their resource needs and computational performance, and assessed the specificity and precision of each. In the versions of the tools tested, we observed that Minimap is the most computationally efficient, specific and sensitive method on the ONT datasets tested; whereas GraphMap and DALIGNER are the most specific and sensitive methods on the tested PB datasets. The concepts surveyed may apply to future sequencing technologies, as scalability is becoming more relevant with increased sequencing throughput.

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Reynolds number influence on the formation of vortical structures on a pitching flat plate
Authors: Widmann Alexander , Tropea Cameron
Published: December 2016

The impact of chord-based Reynolds number on the formation of leading-edge vortices (LEVs) on unsteady pitching flat plates is investigated. The influence of secondary flow structures on the shear layer feeding the LEV and the subsequent topological change at the leading edge as the result of viscous processes are demonstrated. Time-resolved velocity fields are measured using particle image velocimetry simultaneously in two fields of view to correlate local and global flow phenomena in order to identify unsteady boundary-layer separation and the subsequent flow structures. Finally, the Reynolds number is identified as a parameter that is responsible for the transition in mechanisms leading to LEV detachment from an aerofoil, as it determines the viscous response of the boundary layer in the vortex–wall interaction.