bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensorimotor transformation via sparse coding
Authors: Takiyama Ken
Published: April 2015

Sensorimotor transformation is indispensable to the accurate motion of the human body in daily life. For instance, when we grasp an object, the distance from our hands to an object needs to be calculated by integrating multisensory inputs and our motor system needs to appropriately activate the arm and hand muscles to minimize the distance. The sensorimotor transformation is implemented in our neural systems and recent advances in measurement techniques have revealed an important property of neural systems: a small percentage of neurons exhibits extensive activity while a large percentage shows little activity, i.e., sparse coding. However, we do not yet know the functional role of sparse coding in sensorimotor transformation. In this paper, I show that sparse coding enables complete and robust learning in sensorimotor transformation. In general, if a neural network is trained to maximize the performance on training data, the network shows poor performance on test data. Nevertheless, sparse coding renders compatible the performance of the network on both training and test data. Furthermore, sparse coding can reproduce reported neural activities. Thus, I conclude that sparse coding is necessary and a biologically plausible factor in sensorimotor transformation.
Rapid generation of endogenously driven transcriptional reporters in cells through CRISPR/Cas9
Authors: Rojas-Fernandez Alejandro , Herhaus Lina , Macartney Thomas , Lachaud Christophe , Hay Ronald T. , Sapkota Gopal P.
Published: April 2015

CRISPR/Cas9 technologies have been employed for genome editing to achieve gene knockouts and knock-ins in somatic cells. Similarly, certain endogenous genes have been tagged with fluorescent proteins. Often, the detection of tagged proteins requires high expression and sophisticated tools such as confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Therefore, a simple, sensitive and robust transcriptional reporter system driven by endogenous promoter for studies into transcriptional regulation is desirable. We report a CRISPR/Cas9-based methodology for rapidly integrating a firefly luciferase gene in somatic cells under the control of endogenous promoter, using the TGFβ-responsive gene PAI-1. Our strategy employed a polycistronic cassette containing a non-fused GFP protein to ensure the detection of transgene delivery and rapid isolation of positive clones. We demonstrate that firefly luciferase cDNA can be efficiently delivered downstream of the promoter of the TGFβ-responsive gene PAI-1. Using chemical and genetic regulators of TGFβ signalling, we show that it mimics the transcriptional regulation of endogenous PAI-1 expression. Our unique approach has the potential to expedite studies on transcription of any gene in the context of its native chromatin landscape in somatic cells, allowing for robust high-throughput chemical and genetic screens.
SIRT7 inactivation reverses metastatic phenotypes in epithelial and mesenchymal tumors
Authors: Malik Shivani , Villanova Lidia , Tanaka Shinji , Aonuma Misato , Roy Nilotpal , Berber Elisabeth , Pollack Jonathan R. , Michishita-Kioi Eriko , Chua Katrin F.
Published: April 2015

Metastasis is responsible for over 90% of cancer-associated mortality. In epithelial carcinomas, a key process in metastatic progression is the epigenetic reprogramming of an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-like (EMT) change towards invasive cellular phenotypes. In non-epithelial cancers, different mechanisms must underlie metastatic change, but relatively little is known about the factors involved. Here, we identify the chromatin regulatory Sirtuin factor SIRT7 as a key regulator of metastatic phenotypes in both epithelial and mesenchymal cancer cells. In epithelial prostate carcinomas, high SIRT7 levels are associated with aggressive cancer phenotypes, metastatic disease and poor patient prognosis and depletion of SIRT7 can reprogram these cells to a less aggressive phenotype. Interestingly, SIRT7 is also important for maintaining the invasiveness and metastatic potential of non-epithelial sarcoma cells. Moreover, SIRT7 inactivation dramatically suppresses cancer cell metastasis in vivo, independent of changes in primary tumor growth. Mechanistically, we also uncover a novel link between SIRT7 and its family member SIRT1, providing the first demonstration of direct interaction and functional interplay between two mammalian sirtuins. Together with previous work, our findings highlight the broad role of SIRT7 in maintaining the metastatic cellular phenotype in diverse cancers.
Optimizing Hybrid Spreading in Metapopulations
Authors: Zhang Changwang , Zhou Shi , Miller Joel C. , Cox Ingemar J. , Chain Benjamin M.
Published: April 2015

Epidemic spreading phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and society. Examples include the spreading of diseases, information and computer viruses. Epidemics can spread by local spreading, where infected nodes can only infect a limited set of direct target nodes and global spreading, where an infected node can infect every other node. In reality, many epidemics spread using a hybrid mixture of both types of spreading. In this study we develop a theoretical framework for studying hybrid epidemics and examine the optimum balance between spreading mechanisms in terms of achieving the maximum outbreak size. We show the existence of critically hybrid epidemics where neither spreading mechanism alone can cause a noticeable spread but a combination of the two spreading mechanisms would produce an enormous outbreak. Our results provide new strategies for maximising beneficial epidemics and estimating the worst outcome of damaging hybrid epidemics.
An elevated temperature-dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method combined with GC-flame ionization detection as a sensitive method for determining phthalate esters
Authors: Farajzadeh Mir Ali , Aghdam Samaneh Rezaee , Afshar Mogaddam Mohammad Reza , Ghorbanpour Houshang
Published: April 2015

Here we report a sensitive method for the extraction, preconcentration and determination of trace concentrations of phthalate esters in aqueous samples.
Localized dealloying corrosion mediated by self-assembled monolayers used as an inhibitor system
Authors: Shrestha B. R. , Bashir A. , Ankah G. N. , Valtiner M. , Renner F. U.
Published: April 2015

The structure and chemistry of thiol or selenol self-assembled organic monolayers have been frequently addressed due to the unique opportunities in functionalization of materials. Such organic films can also act as effective inhibition layers to mitigate oxidation or corrosion. Cu–Au alloy substrates covered by self-assembled monolayers show a different dealloying mechanism compared to bare surfaces. The organic surface layer inhibits dealloying of noble metal alloys by a suppression of surface diffusion at lower potentials but at higher applied potentials dealloying proceeds in localized regions due to passivity breakdown. We present an in situ atomic force microscopy study of a patterned thiol layer applied on Cu–Au alloy surfaces and further explore approaches to change the local composition of the surface layers by exchange of molecules. The pattern for the in situ experiment has been applied by micro-contact printing. This allows the study of corrosion protection with its dependence on different molecule densities at different sites. Low-density thiol areas surrounding the high-density patterns are completely protected and initiation of dealloying proceeds only along the areas with the lowest inhibitor concentration. Dealloying patterns are highly influenced and controlled by molecular thiol to selenol exchange and are also affected by introducing structural defects such as scratches or polishing defects.
Magnetophoretic assembly of flexible nanoparticles/lipid microfilaments
Authors: Bharti Bhuvnesh , Fameau Anne-Laure , Velev Orlin D.
Published: April 2015

The directed assembly of colloidal particles into linear chains and clusters is of fundamental and practical importance. In this study we characterize and analyse the mechanism of the magnetic field driven assembly of lipid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles into flexible microfilaments. Recently we showed that nanocapillary lipid binding can form a new class of magnetic nanoparticle-lipid microfilaments with unprecedented flexibility and self-healing properties. In the presence of a uniform magnetic field, the magnetophoretic attraction of the particles combined with interparticle dipole–dipole attraction drives the microfilament assembly. The fluid like lipid layer on the particles leads to stickiness on the surface of the filaments and the magnetic field concentration overcomes the potential electrostatic repulsion in the water phase. The lipid capillary bridges formed between the particles facilitate their permanent binding and sustain the flexible microfilament structure. We demonstrate that this surface stickiness combined with the magnetic response of the filaments can be used further to twist, bend and bundle the microfilaments into unusual structures.
Fully transparent thin-film varactors: fabrication and performance
Authors: Yu Shihui , Li Lingxia , Zhang Weifeng , Sun Zheng , Zheng Haoran
Published: April 2015

We report the fabrication of fully transparent thin-film varactors using a dielectric material, barium strontium titanate (Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3, BST), as an electric field tunable layer, transparent conductive oxide (Sb doped SnO2, ATO) as a bottom electrode and ATO/Ag tri-layer film as a top electrode.
A spectral sieve-based strategy for sensing inorganic and organic traces on solid surfaces using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Authors: Moros J. , Laserna J. J.
Published: April 2015

Profiting the correlation between emission signals to detect residues on solid surfaces when laser ablation faces inspection of suspicious targets.
Tracking single particle rotation: probing dynamics in four dimensions
Authors: Anthony S. M. , Yu Y.
Published: April 2015

Direct visualization and tracking of small particles at high spatial and temporal resolution provides a powerful approach to probing complex dynamics and interactions in chemical and biological processes.
An accurate and highly efficient method for finding antioxidant chemicals from Capsicum annuum L.
Authors: Zhang Xiaoqian , Jiang Lei , Ma Lin , Mei Lijuan , Zhang Yaozhou
Published: April 2015

A novel model based on the cellular antioxidant activity of Hek293 cells has been established to evaluate the antioxidant properties of chemicals from Capsicum annuum L. by the expression level of the luciferase reporter gene.
Colorimetric detection of mercury ions using MnO2 nanorods as enzyme mimics
Authors: Yang Haiguan , Xiong Yuhao , Zhang Peng , Su Linjing , Ye Fanggui
Published: April 2015

In this study, a simple and novel “off–on” colorimetric sensor for the detection of mercury ions (Hg2+) in aqueous solution was developed.
Determination of methiocarb pesticide using differential pulse voltammetry with a boron-doped diamond electrode
Authors: Chýlková J. , Tomášková M. , Švancara I. , Janíková L. , Šelešovská R.
Published: April 2015

In this article, a simple and rapid method is described for voltammetric determination of methiocarb (MTC, a pesticide of the carbamate type).
Structural snapshots of the SCR reaction mechanism on Cu-SSZ-13
Authors: Günter Tobias , Carvalho Hudson W. P. , Doronkin Dmitry E. , Sheppard Thomas , Glatzel Pieter , Atkins Andrew J. , Rudolph Julian , Jacob Christoph R. , Casapu Maria , Grunwaldt Jan-Dierk
Published: April 2015

The structure of copper sites in Cu-SSZ-13 during NH3-SCR was unravelled by a combination of novel operando X-ray spectroscopic techniques.
Direct synthesis of pyrazoles from esters using tert-butoxide-assisted C–(CO) coupling
Authors: Kim Bo Ram , Sung Gi Hyeon , Ryu Ki Eun , Lee Sang-Gyeong , Yoon Hyo Jae , Shin Dong-Soo , Yoon Yong-Jin
Published: April 2015

A strategy to synthesize pyrazoles from esters via tert-butoxide assisted C–(CO) coupling is reported.
The sacrificial role of graphene oxide in stabilising a Fenton-like catalyst GO–Fe3O4
Authors: Zubir Nor Aida , Yacou Christelle , Motuzas Julius , Zhang Xiwang , Zhao Xiu Song , Diniz da Costa João C.
Published: April 2015

GO–Fe3O4 confers superior catalytic efficiency, recyclability and longevity, via the oxidation of CC bonds, thus transferring electrons to Fe3O4.
Photo-triggered transformation from vesicles to branched nanotubes fabricated by a cholesterol-appended cyanostilbene
Authors: Xing Pengyao , Chen Hongzhong , Bai Linyi , Zhao Yanli
Published: April 2015

Vesicles constructed from cholesteryl cyanostilbene could transform into nanotubes upon UV light irradiation, in which the photoluminescence could be fine-tuned.
High quality β-FeOOH nanostructures constructed by a biomolecule-assisted hydrothermal approach and their pH-responsive drug delivery behaviors
Authors: Zhang Xinyu , Ge Juan , Lei Bo , Xue Yumeng , Du Yaping
Published: April 2015

High-quality akaganeite nanostructures with diverse well-defined morphologies and promising pH-responsive drug delivery behaviors were obtained by a facile wet chemistry method.
Roles of transition metals interchanging with lithium in electrode materials
Authors: Kawaguchi Tomoya , Fukuda Katsutoshi , Tokuda Kazuya , Sakaida Masashi , Ichitsubo Tetsu , Oishi Masatsugu , Mizuki Jun'ichiro , Matsubara Eiichiro
Published: April 2015

Roles of antisite transition metals interchanging with Li atoms in electrode materials of layered rock-salt structure were site-selectively clarified using a newly developed powder diffraction anomalous fine structure.
Ultrafast vibrational and structural dynamics of dimeric cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl examined by infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Yang Fan , Yu Pengyun , Zhao Juan , Shi Jipei , Wang Jianping
Published: April 2015

Equilibrium and ultrafast structural dynamics of a classic transition metal carbonyl compound were revealed by linear and nonlinear infrared methods.
The structure and stability of reduced and oxidized mononuclear platinum species on nanostructured ceria from density functional modeling
Authors: Aleksandrov Hristiyan A. , Neyman Konstantin M. , Vayssilov Georgi N.
Published: April 2015

The most stable neutral and ionic mononuclear platinum species and their positions on a ceria nanoparticle under different conditions are identified.
Eco-friendly synthesis of zeolite A from synthesis cakes prepared by removing the liquid phase of aged synthesis mixtures
Authors: Park Soon Hee , Yang Jae-Kyung , Kim Jong-Ho , Chung Chang-Bock , Seo Gon
Published: April 2015

The hydrothermal reaction of synthesis cakes prepared by removing the liquid phase of synthesis mixtures considerably lowers the energy input and enhances the production efficiency.
Insights into the binding mode of curcumin to MD-2: studies from molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and experimental assessments
Authors: Wang Zhe , Chen Gaozhi , Chen Linfeng , Liu Xing , Fu Weitao , Zhang Yali , Li Chenglong , Liang Guang , Cai Yuepiao
Published: April 2015

The residues R90 and Y102 of MD-2 are hot spot residues that contribute significantly to the affinity of curcumin binding.
An immobilised Co(ii) and Ni(ii) Schiff base magnetic nanocatalyst via a click reaction: a greener approach for alcohol oxidation
Authors: Bhat Pooja B. , Bhat Badekai Ramachandra
Published: April 2015

A Schiff base immobilised magnetic nanocatalyst synthesized via copper catalysed alkyne azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) exhibited a strong interaction and improved yielding for oxidation of alcohols in a solventless system.
3D sandwich-type prostate specific antigen (PSA) immunosensor based on rGO–MWCNT–Pd nanocomposite
Authors: Tian Lihui , Liu Lei , Li Yueyuan , Wei Qin , Cao Wei
Published: April 2015

A signal amplifying sandwich-type immunosensor with a wide linear range and a low detection limit is developed with potential clinical and diagnostic applications.
The comparison of two classes of bifunctional SBA-15 supported platinum–heteropolyacid catalysts for the isomerization of n-hexane
Authors: Pinto Teresa , Arquillière Philippe , Niccolai Gerald P. , Lefebvre Frédéric , Dufaud Véronique
Published: April 2015

SBA-15 supported bifunctional acidic HSiW–Pt catalysts proved to be active, stable and highly selective in the isomerization of n-hexane.
Semidirected versus holodirected coordination and single-component white light luminescence in Pb(ii) complexes
Authors: Chen Ling , Yan Cheng , Pan Mei , Fan Yuan-Zhong , Zhang Lu-Yin , Yin Shao-Yun , Hou Ya-Jun , Wu Kai , Jiang Ji-Jun , Su Cheng-Yong
Published: April 2015

LMCT and MC luminescence due to electron lone pairs in semidirected Pb(ii) complexes results in single-component white light emission.
Formation of particles of bismuth-based binary alloys and intermetallic compounds by ultrasonic cavitation
Authors: Kumar Vijay Bhooshan , Kimmel Giora , Porat Ze'ev , Gedanken Aharon
Published: April 2015

This work reports an important understanding of the bismuth reactivity with other low mp metals (Sn, In, Ga, and Zn).
Suzuki coupling reaction in the presence of polymer immobilized palladium nanoparticles: a heterogeneous catalytic pathway
Authors: Taher Abu , Nandi Debkumar , Choudhary Meenakshi , Mallick Kaushik
Published: April 2015

Suzuki coupling in the presence of the palladium nanocatalyst.
Selective chemical modification of DNA with alkoxy- and benzyloxyamines
Authors: Gjonaj Lorina , Roelfes Gerard
Published: April 2015

DNA is modified selectively at cytosine with benzyloxyamine and -derivatives carrying handles for click reactions.
Substrate geometry controls the cyclization cascade in multiproduct terpene synthases from Zea mays
Authors: Vattekkatte Abith , Gatto Nathalie , Köllner Tobias G. , Degenhardt Jörg , Gershenzon Jonathan , Boland Wilhelm
Published: April 2015

Multiproduct terpene synthases on incubation with (2Z) substrates showed enhanced enzymatic turnover with distinct preference for cyclic products than corresponding (2E) substrates.
Unconventional poly(ionic liquid)s combining motionless main chain 1,2,3-triazolium cations and high ionic conductivity
Authors: Colliat-Dangus Guillaume , Obadia Mona M. , Vygodskii Yakov S. , Serghei Anatoli , Shaplov Alexander S. , Drockenmuller Eric
Published: April 2015

We report the synthesis of poly(1,2,3-triazolium ionic liquid)s by the polyaddition of α-azide-ω-alkyne monomers with short n-hexyl and diethylene glycol spacers by both copper(I)-catalyzed and thermal Huisgen azide–alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.
Enhanced gas sensing properties of V2O5 nanowires decorated with SnO2 nanoparticles to ethanol at room temperature
Authors: Wang Ruibing , Yang Shuang , Deng Rong , Chen Wen , Liu Yueli , Zhang Han , Zakharova Galina S.
Published: April 2015

TEM image and room temperature sensitivity of V2O5 nanowire yarns decorated with SnO2 nanoparticles to ethanol.
Tetrathiafulvalene derivatives as cation sensor: density functional theory investigation of the hyper-Rayleigh scattering first hyperpolarizability
Authors: Liu Chun-Guang , Gao Ming-Li , Liu Shuang , Zhang Ding-Fan
Published: April 2015

The hyper-Rayleigh scattering first hyperpolarizability of a series of extended tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and TTF derivatives have been theoretically investigated using density functional theory to explore their use as potential cation sensor.
Corrosion chemistry and protection of zinc & zinc alloys by polymer-containing materials for potential use in rechargeable aqueous batteries
Authors: Hoang Tuan K. A. , Doan The Nam Long , Sun Kyung Eun Kate , Chen P.
Published: April 2015

The chemistry, methods, and results of corrosion studies on zinc coating using polymer-containing materials may be exploited in the development of the next generations of hybrid rechargeable aqueous batteries.
Formation of ammonium in saline solution treated by nanosecond pulsed cold atmospheric microplasma: a route to fast inactivation of E. coli bacteria
Authors: Maheux Simon , Duday David , Belmonte Thierry , Penny Christian , Cauchie Henry-Michel , Clément Franck , Choquet Patrick
Published: April 2015

The formation of significant NH4+species in saline solutions treated by He/N2cold atmospheric plasma is proposed for the first time as the main process responsible for the fast bacterial inactivation ofE. coliat ambient temperature and physiological pH.
Synthesis, crystal structure and photoluminescence properties of new blue-green Ba1−x(PO3)2:Eux2+ (0 < x ≤ 0.040) phosphors for near ultraviolet based white light-emitting diodes
Authors: Wu Zhan-Chao , Fu Hong-Hong , Liu Jie , Kuang Shao-Ping , Wu Ming-Mei , Xu Jun-Gu , Kuang Xiao-Jun
Published: April 2015

The luminescence of Ba0.970(PO3)2:Eu0.0302+ shows higher thermal stability than that of commercial blue phosphor BAM.
Pennyroyal and gastrointestinal cells: multi-target protection of phenolic compounds against t-BHP-induced toxicity
Authors: Ferreres F. , Bernardo J. , Andrade P. B. , Sousa C. , Gil-Izquierdo A. , Valentão P.
Published: April 2015

Pennyroyal infusion maintains gastrointestinal cells antioxidant balance.
Synthesis, crystal studies and in vivo anti-hyperlipidemic activities of indole derivatives containing fluvastatin nucleus
Authors: Kalalbandi Veerendra Kumar A. , Seetharamappa J. , Katrahalli Umesha
Published: April 2015

As a part of our efforts to prepare better analogues of fluvastatin for the treatment of hyperlipidemia, we have synthesized some indole derivatives containing a fluvastatin nucleus by methanol mediated Claisen–Schmidt aldol condensation reaction.
Manipulating multi-system of NADPH regulation in Escherichia coli for enhanced S-adenosylmethionine production
Authors: Chen Yawei , Xu Duanbin , Fan Lihai , Zhang Xu , Tan Tianwei
Published: April 2015

NADPH regulation strategies were applied to increase the availability of NADPH in theS-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis, and they are also potentially applicable to various processes for enhancing the NADPH-dependent chemicals production.
Chemical interactions between zirconium and free oxide in molten fluorides
Authors: Shen Miao , Peng Hao , Ge Min , Wang Chenyang , Zuo Yong , Xie Leidong
Published: April 2015

The chemical interactions between zirconium and free oxide in FLiNaK melts at different zirconium to oxide (nZr/nO) molar ratios were studied by means of a carbothermal-reduction technique (LECO oxide analyzer) and Raman spectroscopy.
High supercapacitive performance of Ni(OH)2/XC-72 composite prepared by microwave-assisted method
Authors: Tang Shuihua , Sui Leping , Dai Zhen , Zhu Zhentao , Huangfu Haixin
Published: April 2015

A Ni(OH)2/XC-72 composite with CNTs as a conductive agent has a unique 3-D conductive network structure and shows high specific capacitance of 1560 F g−1 at 1 A g−1.
Rigid triarylamine donor–π–acceptor porphyrin dyes and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Zhou Yongzhu , Lee Nicholas A. , Ngo Ken T. , Peng Xiao , Feng Yaqing , Rochford Jonathan
Published: April 2015

Three donor–π–acceptor porphyrin dyes bearing the rigid 5-phenyl-carbazole, 5-phenyl-iminodibenzyl and 5-phenyl-iminostilbene donor groups were synthesized and their performance evaluated in TiO2 based dye-sensitized solar cells.
Liquid–solid transition in mesophase separated olefin multiblock copolymers during crystallization
Authors: He Peng , Chen Bin , Yu Wei , Zhou Chixing
Published: April 2015

A delayed liquid–solid transition has been found in strongly segregated olefin multiblock copolymers, compared to that in weakly segregated systems.
Reversible photoluminescence switching behavior and luminescence thermochromism of copper(I) halide cluster coordination polymers
Authors: Zeng Guang , Xing Shanghua , Han Xu , Xin Bingjing , Yang Yulin , Wang Xiuru , Li Guanghua , Shi Zhan , Feng Shouhua
Published: April 2015

The coordinated CH3CN play the role of an unusual reversible photoluminescence switch to perfectly modulate the luminescence in a copper(i) halide cluster coordination polymer.
Synthesis of 5-aryl-3-C-glycosyl- and unsymmetrical 3,5-diaryl-1,2,4-triazoles from alkylidene-amidrazones
Authors: Szőcs Béla , Bokor Éva , Szabó Katalin E. , Kiss-Szikszai Attila , Tóth Marietta , Somsák László
Published: April 2015

A general synthetic method was elaborated for 3,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-triazoles with different groups in positions 3 and 5.
Effect of chlorinated phosphate ester based on castor oil on thermal degradation of poly (vinyl chloride) blends and its flame retardant mechanism as secondary plasticizer
Authors: Jia Puyou , Zhang Meng , Liu Chengguo , Hu Lihong , Feng Guodong , Bo Caiying , Zhou Yonghong
Published: April 2015

The synthesis and application of a novel flame retardant chlorinated phosohate ester based on castor oil.
Correction: Facile synthesis of CuS mesostructures with high photothermal conversion efficiency
Authors: Tan Lianjiang , Wu Zhongyu , Wang Xiaojing , Sun Jie
Published: April 2015

Correction for ‘Facile synthesis of CuS mesostructures with high photothermal conversion efficiency’ by Lianjiang Tan et al., RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 35317–35324.
Chemical sensing in two dimensional porous covalent organic nanosheets
Authors: Das Gobinda , Biswal Bishnu P. , Kandambeth Sharath , Venkatesh V. , Kaur Gagandeep , Addicoat Matthew , Heine Thomas , Verma Sandeep , Banerjee Rahul
Published: April 2015

Covalent organic nanosheets (CONs) were synthesised from imide functionalised COFs. TfpBDH-CONs exhibit a "turn-on" detection capability for 2,4,6-trinitrophenol in the solid state, but show a "turn-off" detection in the dispersion state.
The atomistic origin of the extraordinary oxygen reduction activity of Pt3Ni7fuel cell catalysts
Authors: Fortunelli Alessandro , Goddard III William A. , Sementa Luca , Barcaro Giovanni , Negreiros Fabio R. , Jaramillo-Botero Andrés
Published: April 2015

Optimality of Pt : Ni 30 : 70 fully dealloyed nanoporous Pt particles in terms of size and coordination environment.
Unique effect of an electric field on a new liquid crystalline lactic acid derivative
Authors: Novotná Vladimíra , Glogarová Milada , Kašpar Miroslav , Hamplová Věra , Lejček Lubor , Pociecha Damian
Published: April 2015

A unique effect is observed in the TGBA phase under an applied electric field, which reversibly transforms the planar texture to a homeotropic one.
Interaction of human serum albumin with short polyelectrolytes: a study by calorimetry and computer simulations
Authors: Yu Shun , Xu Xiao , Yigit Cemil , van der Giet Markus , Zidek Walter , Jankowski Joachim , Dzubiella Joachim , Ballauff Matthias
Published: April 2015

Protein–polyelectrolyte complex formation was studied by combining experimental with simulation results. By varying salt concentration and temperature, our study reveals the importance of electrostatics and the release of counterions.
Exploring the potential of polymer battery cathodes with electrically conductive molecular backbone
Authors: Vlad Alexandru , Arnould Kevin , Ernould Bruno , Sieuw Louis , Rolland Julien , Gohy Jean-François
Published: April 2015

A π-conjugated polymer is developed and shown to hold potential towards the development of organic redox ion- and electron-conducting materials for high-energy batteries.
Adipose stem cell-laden injectable thermosensitive hydrogel reconstructing depressed defects in rats: filler and scaffold
Authors: Xiao Xiaolian , Yu Lianlian , Dong Ziqing , Mbelek Ren , Xu Kaige , Lei Chen , Zhong Wen , Lu Feng , Xing Malcolm
Published: April 2015

A novel type of injectable hydrogel is demonstrated as a persistent filler and scaffold for effective repair of small facial depressed defects.
Flexible electroluminescent fiber fabricated from coaxially wound carbon nanotube sheets
Authors: Zhang Zhitao , Zhang Qi , Guo Kunping , Li Yiming , Li Xueyi , Wang Lie , Luo Yongfeng , Li Houpu , Zhang Ye , Guan Guozhen , Wei Bin , Zhu Xingrong , Peng Huisheng
Published: April 2015

A flexible electroluminescent fiber was developed by incorporating two coaxially wound carbon nanotube sheet electrodes with an active polymer sandwiched between them.
Lingual Strengthening: Success in an Outpatient Setting
Authors: Meier Ali
Published: April 2015

In the last decade or more, dysphagia research has investigated the effect of lingual strengthening on oropharyngeal dysphagia with promising results. Much of this research has utilized strengthening devices such as the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) or the Madison Oral Strengthening Therapeutic (MOST) Device. Patients are often given a device to use, and are able to complete an exercise protocol daily or multiple times per day. This case study was completed to determine the effectiveness of using the IOPI in an outpatient clinic where therapy was conducted two to three times per week. The patient was seen post tongue resection due to oropharyngeal cancer. From initiation of IOPI use to patient discharge, the patient demonstrated a 71% increase in lingual strength at the anterior position, a 61% increase at the posterior position, and a 314% increase at the base of tongue position. His diet advanced from NPO to general based on gains in lingual strength and bolus propulsion.
Development of coaxial wire reduction gear for manipulator robots
Authors: Lee Bumjoo
Published: April 2015

A coaxial cable drive mechanism is proposed to implement a high reduction gear ratio. The cable drive mechanism has great advantages such as lightweight, zero backlashes and high degrees of freedom in terms of mechanical design. However, it is restrictively utilised in robotic applications because it is difficult to implement a high reduction gear ratio of more than 10:1 due to the complexity of adjusting tension components, which causes the mechanical structure to be rather bulky and heavy to be mounted. To overcome this, in the present author's previous work a multi‐level reduction mechanism, by adopting a seamless winding method which links the previous output axis to the next input axis, was developed. The performance of the previous work, by adopting a coaxial mechanism to drive the multi‐level reduction system is improved. Significantly, the proposed mechanism reduces the overall size due to efficient integration of mechanical parts. On the basis of the proposed mechanism, a three‐dimensional computer‐aided design is provided and the prototype is manufactured, where the usability of the prototype is verified by experimental results.
Broadband inductorless vector modulator IC for localisation and communication systems
Authors: Wagner J. , Joram N. , Wolf R. , Ellinger F.
Published: April 2015

An inductorless vector modulator‐based radio frequency (RF) weighting circuit working from 1 to 10 GHz is presented. Amplitude and phase interdependencies were strongly reduced employing optimised attenuators. The vector modulator features a 360° phase and more than 40 dB amplitude control range with a root mean square phase and amplitude error of only 6° and 0.16 dB, respectively. These features make it a suitable candidate for communication and localisation diversity frontends in the 2.4 and the 5.9 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) bands. The circuit was fabricated in a 180 nm BiCMOS technology and contains an inter‐integrated circuit (I2C) control interface and digital‐to‐analogue converters. It consumes 87 mW and requires an area of only ≃0.2 mm2.
Characterisation of DNA biopolymer‐based UV photodetector fabricated by inkjet printing
Authors: Lombardi J.P. , Aga R.S. , Heckman E.M. , Bartsch C.M.
Published: April 2015

The performance of a printable, ultraviolet (UV) photoconducting biopolymer is investigated for UV photodetectors of varying layer thicknesses. The biopolymer is formed from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with the addition of the Clevios P formulation of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrenesulphonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and hexadecyltrimethyl‐ammonium chloride (CTMA); it is then combined with phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl (PCBM) to make a printable, UV photoconducting material. The highest measured responsivity of the photodetectors is 1.2 mA/W at 20 V bias using a 260 nm source.
Nonlinear low‐rank representation on Stiefel manifolds
Authors: Yin Ming , Gao Junbin , Guo Yi
Published: April 2015

Recently, the low‐rank representation (LRR) has been widely used in computer vision and pattern recognition with great success owing to its effectiveness and robustness for data clustering. However, the traditional LRR mainly focuses on the data from Euclidean space and is not directly applicable to manifold‐valued data. A way to extend the LRR model from Euclidean space to the Stiefel manifold, by incorporating the intrinsic geometry of the manifold, is proposed. Under LRR, an appropriate affinity matrix for data on the Stiefel manifold can be learned; subsequently data clustering can be efficiently performed on the manifold. Experiments on several directional datasets demonstrate its superior performance on clustering compared with the state‐of‐the‐art approaches.
Joint admission control and beamforming design for the interference cognitive radio network with partial channel state information case
Authors: Dong Quan , Li Jiandong
Published: April 2015

In order to effectively utilise the spectrum of wireless network, secondary users (SUs) are often authorised to share spectrum with primary users (PUs) in cognitive networks. To guarantee effective transmission of PUs and SUs, the interference from the SUs to the PUs is limited and only the SUs that have the information rates (rates) than the corresponding thresholds are allowed to transmit their data. In order to select proper SUs to transmit and to maximise their achievable weighted sum rate (WSR) under rate requirement and interference constraint, the authors propose a joint admission control and beamforming design algorithm for partial channel state information (CSI) case. The WSR maximisation problem is first constructed by using approximation and convex relaxation, according to the statistical property of the CSI. Then a penalty factor is introduced to check the feasibility of such problem and instruct the admission of the SUs. Beyond the feasible SUs set, the WSR is maximised by updating the achievable rate of each user with rate profile technique and polyblock outer approximation method. Simulation results show that the proposed beamforming can achieve higher WSR than the beamforming of the existing baseline method.
Development and performances of standalone visible light communication terminals using imitate infrared encoding technique
Authors: Yang Xin‐Hua , Liu Yang , Ye Wei‐Lin , Tian Xiao‐Jian , Wang Yi‐Ding , Zheng Chuan‐Tao
Published: April 2015

By introducing the imitate infrared encoding technique and employing a white light emitting diode (WLED), a pair of standalone visible light communication (VLC) terminals, including a transmitter and a receiver, were experimentally demonstrated. The mathematic modelling and formulation were proposed on the WLED's luminous characteristics and the VLC channel response. The terminals were developed using ARM7‐based embedded system, and experiments were carried out to derive their performances. A suitable illuminance of 200 lx (measured before the WLED) is preferred for obtaining a uniform bit error ratio (BER) over the distance of 0–2 m, and the measured BER is <10−4 with a communication data rate of 0.1–10 Mbps. High stability was also confirmed through measuring the BER results over 5 h at the two communication distances of 0.2 and 0.3 m and at 1 Mbps data transmission rate. Owing to the advantages of small size, low cost, and 10 Mbps data rate, this kind of terminals can be adopted in indoor short‐distance wireless communication.
Remote haptic sensing using sliding‐mode assist disturbance observer as force detector
Authors: Tian Dapeng , Zhang Ye
Published: April 2015

Bilateral controlled master–slave robot system is an important intermediary to realise remote haptic sensing. This study proposes a sliding‐mode assist disturbance observer (SMADO) to detect force information in wider bandwidth without force sensors by making use of the fast switching of sliding‐mode control values. Moreover, a bilateral control law is proposed based on the SMADO. The proposal tolerates the presence of disturbances and uncertainties in the robots. The influence of these factors is degraded by using the net forces to design the bilateral control rather than employing a robust compensation. This design shows such a feasibility that high performance haptic sensing can be achieved using the SMADO as a wide bandwidth force detector without any robust compensators. The validity of the proposal is confirmed by experiments in practice. The proposal realises the position tracking and action–reaction law between the two robots, which makes the operator vividly feel the remote object.
Finite‐time cooperative guidance laws for multiple missiles with acceleration saturation constraints
Authors: Hou Delong , Wang Qing , Sun Xuejiao , Dong Chaoyang
Published: April 2015

The problem of cooperative guidance of multiple missiles attacking a stationary target, which can be achieved by consensus of the times‐to‐go is illustrated in this study. First, the finite‐time cooperative guidance (FTCG) law is put forwarded to realise rapid and precise consensus of the times‐to‐go of all the missiles. Then, the FTCG law is modified to accommodate the condition in the presence of acceleration saturation constraint, and global ultimately finite‐time consensus of times‐to‐go is also guaranteed. Finally, in order to adapt the realistic situation that each missile can only employ neighbour‐to‐neighbour communication, the distributed FTCG law is proposed. This guidance law adopts the sequential method, and can also cope with acceleration saturation constraint. The simulation results based on current control scheme and the comparison with the previous method demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed laws.
Sliding mode leader‐following consensus controllers for second‐order non‐linear multi‐agent systems
Authors: Ren Chang‐E , Chen C.L. Philip
Published: April 2015

This study discusses the asymptotic consensus problem and finite‐time leader‐following consensus problem of second‐order non‐linear multi‐agent systems (MASs) with directed communication topology. On the basis of the sliding mode control theory, a new distributed asymptotic consensus controller is proposed to ensure that the consensus of MAS can be reached as time goes to infinity. Another finite‐time consensus control algorithm is also proposed based on terminal sliding mode control. The finite‐time consensus controller can force the states of MAS to achieve the designed terminal sliding mode surface in finite time and maintain on it. The authors also can prove the consensus of MAS can be obtained in finite time on the terminal sliding mode surface if the directed topology has a directed spanning tree. Simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
Fast gradient‐based distributed optimisation approach for model predictive control and application in four‐tank benchmark
Authors: Zhou Xiaojun , Li Chaojie , Huang Tingwen , Xiao Mingqing
Published: April 2015

By taking both control and state vectors as decision variables, the subproblems of model predictive control scheme can be considered as a class of separable convex optimisation problems with coupling linear constraints. A Lagrangian dual method is introduced to deal with the optimisation problem, in which, the primal problem is solved by a parallel coordinate descent method, and a fast dual ascend method is adopted to solve the dual problem iteratively. The proposed approach is applied to the well‐known hierarchical and distributed model predictive control four‐tank benchmark. Experimental results have testified the effectiveness of the proposed approach and shown that the benchmark problem can be well stabilised.
Fault estimation filter design for discrete‐time descriptor systems
Authors: Wang Zhenhua , Rodrigues Mickael , Theilliol Didier , Shen Yi
Published: April 2015

This study deals with actuator fault estimation for discrete‐time linear descriptor systems. The main contribution lies in the synthesis of a novel filter to estimate and isolate actuator faults for discrete linear descriptor systems. In this study, a restricted system equivalent (RSE) model is firstly obtained for the considered descriptor system, and then a fault estimation filter is designed based on the RSE representation. The gain matrix of the proposed filter has a special structure such that the residual vector will tend to the actuator fault with certain time delays which equal to the fault detectability indices. Moreover, this study proposes a robust filter design method to deal with the effect of the unknown disturbance. The proposed filter is able to detect and estimate the faults despite in the presence of disturbance. The design conditions for the proposed filter are formulated as a linear matrix inequality feasibility problem, which can be solved efficiently. Simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Static output‐feedback controller synthesis with restricted frequency domain specifications for time‐delay systems
Authors: Hao Yuqing , Duan Zhisheng
Published: April 2015

This study considers the problem of control synthesis via static output feedback for time‐delay systems with restricted frequency domain specifications. A static output‐feedback (SOF) controller is designed by a two‐stage method. The first stage is to design an initial full‐information (FI) controller, and the second stage is to explore an SOF controller heuristically from the initial FI controller. An iterative algorithm to optimise the initial FI controller is constructed. Moreover, a more effective algorithm to explore an SOF controller is also formulated. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated via the classical ACC benchmark problem of cart‐spring system.
Universal stabilisation design for a class of non‐linear systems with time‐varying input delays
Authors: Cai Xiushan , Lin Yuhang , Liu Leipo
Published: April 2015

The authors consider a universal stabilisation design for a class of non‐linear systems with time‐varying input delays in this study. Using the transport partial differential equation to express the delay, stability analysis is conducted with infinite‐dimensional backstepping transformations and by constructing a Lyapunov functional. Sufficient conditions are obtained, and a universal stabilisation formula is presented. Moreover, the stabilisation formula is optimal with respect to a meaningful cost functional. Finally, three examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design technique.
Local neighbourhood‐based robust colour occurrence descriptor for colour image retrieval
Authors: Dubey Shiv Ram , Singh Satish Kumar , Kumar Singh Rajat
Published: April 2015

Content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) is demanding accurate with efficient retrieval approaches to index and retrieve the most similar images from the huge image databases. This study introduces a novel local neighbourhood‐based robust colour occurrence descriptor (LCOD) to encode the colour information present in the local structure of the image. The colour information is processed in two steps: first, the number of colours is reduced into a less number of shades by quantising the red–green–blue colour space; second, the reduced colour shade information of the local neighbourhood is used to compute the descriptor. A local colour occurrence binary pattern is generated for each pixel of the image by representing each reduced colour shade occurrence in its local neighbourhood using a binary pattern. The descriptor is constructed by summing the local colour occurrence binary patterns of all the pixels in the image. LCOD is tested over the natural and colour texture databases for CBIR and experimental results suggest that LCOD outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art descriptors. The performance of the proposed descriptor is promising in the case of illumination difference, rotation and scaling also and it can be effectively used for accurate image retrieval under various image transformations.
Adaptive sliding mode control method for DC–DC converters
Authors: Shen Liqun , Lu Dylan Dah‐Chuan , Li Chengwei
Published: April 2015

This study presents an adaptive sliding mode control method for DC–DC converters. In the state space model of DC–DC converters, there are always some unknown coordinate components of the desired equilibrium point (static working point), which are necessary to obtain the error vector and then build the sliding surface. To obtain the unknown coordinate components of the equilibrium point, an adaptive law is proposed. The adaptive law and the error response are formulated in a single equation, which determines the system performance. A systematic sliding mode control design procedure of a class of DC–DC converters is hence carried out. To verify the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed adaptive sliding mode control method, the negative output elementary super lift Luo converter is used as a design example. Simulation and experimental results are reported to confirm the proposed approach.
Spatially and spectrally resolved electroluminescence measurement system for photovoltaic characterisation
Authors: Bliss Martin , Wu Xiaofeng , Bedrich Karl Georg , Bowers Jake William , Betts Thomas Richard , Gottschalg Ralph
Published: April 2015

A system that combines the advantages of fast global electroluminescence (EL) imaging and detailed spectrally resolved EL measurements is presented. A charge‐coupled device camera‐based EL imaging system is used to measure the intensity of radiative recombination of the photovoltaic (PV) device spatially resolved over its full area. A monochromator‐based system is utilised to measure localised emission spectra at given points of interest. Measurements of multi‐crystalline and amorphous silicon PV devices demonstrate the potential to investigate radiative defects and reveal performance variations and non‐uniformities. This links inhomogeneities much closer to device physics than using camera‐based EL only.
Cervical Ligamentum Flavum Hematoma: A Case Report
Authors: Haghnegahdar Ali , Sedighi Mahsa , Rahmanian Abdolkarim , Baghban Fahim
Published: April 2015

Study Design

Case report.

Objective

To report the first case of ligamentum flavum hematoma after cervical spine instrumentation 11 years after the index surgery.

Methods

After performing bilateral C3 and C4 laminectomy, we observed a dark greenish discoloration over the ligamentum flavum, which was opened. We evacuated 15 mL of subacute hematoma.

Results

The first ligamentum flavum hematoma of the cervical spine that occurred after spinal instrumentation with sublaminar hooks.

Conclusion

Ligamentum flavum hematoma might happen even after a long delay (in our case, 11 years) from spinal instrumentation (sublaminar hooks). In symptomatic patients, evacuation is the treatment of choice. In cases of instrument adhesion to the surrounding intracanal tissues, removal should be done meticulously after performing a complete release.
1D fast coded aperture camera
Authors: Haw Magnus , Bellan Paul
Published: April 2015

A fast (100 MHz) 1D coded aperture visible light camera has been developed as a prototype for imaging plasma experiments in the EUV/X-ray bands. The system uses printed patterns on transparency sheets as the masked aperture and an 80 channel photodiode array (9 V reverse bias) as the detector. In the low signal limit, the system has demonstrated 40-fold increase in throughput and a signal-to-noise gain of ≈7 over that of a pinhole camera of equivalent parameters. In its present iteration, the camera can only image visible light; however, the only modifications needed to make the system EUV/X-ray sensitive are to acquire appropriate EUV/X-ray photodiodes and to machine a metal masked aperture.