bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure of nanographite synthesised by electrochemical oxidation and exfoliation of polycrystalline graphite
Authors: Radoń Adrian , Łukowiec Dariusz
Published: July 2017

The Letter presents the results of characterisation of intercalated and exfoliated graphite. The electrochemically exfoliated graphite (EEG) was synthesised in solution containing sulphuric acid and potassium chlorate(V). The number of graphene layers, degree of disordering and the presence of functional groups were determined using X‐ray diffraction method, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV–visible spectroscopy. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to imaging morphology and structure of the synthesised material. The obtained micrographs indicate the presence of highly disordered areas near the edge of flakes and in‐plane ordered lattice structure in the flat zone between disordered areas. X‐ray diffraction patterns clearly indicate the presence of both nanographite and graphene oxide. The EEG was also characterised by relatively high thermal stability, which was confirmed using thermogravimetric analysis.
Preparation of nano‐silica loaded N‐cyclohexyl‐2‐benzothiazole sulphonamide and its application in solution styrene‐butadiene rubber/butadiene rubber composites
Authors: Tian Qingfeng , Mao Yimei , Zhang Chunhua , Wang Yanpeng , Ding Tao , Li Xiaohong
Published: July 2017

N‐cyclohexyl‐2‐benzothiazole sulphonamide (rubber vulcanisation accelerator CZ) was grafted onto the surface of dispersible nano‐silica (DNS) to obtain silica‐loaded rubber vulcanisation accelerator CZ (DNS‐CZ) through in‐situ surface modification. A series of as‐prepared DNS‐CZ samples with different CZ loadings were used as the fillers to reinforce the composites made of solution styrene‐butadiene rubber (SSBR) and butadiene rubber (BR). The effect of DNS‐CZ fillers on the mechanical properties of the SSBR/BR composites was investigated in relation to the scanning electron microscopic observation of the filler dispersion in the rubber matrix. It was found that the CZ is chemically bonded onto the surface of nano‐silica, thereby effectively reducing the polarity of the nano‐silica and enhancing its compatibility with the rubber matrix. Therefore, the SSBR/BR composites filled with DNS‐CZ exhibit greatly improved mechanical properties and Akron abrasion resistance than the counterparts filled with unloaded DNS. Particularly, when the loading amount of the CZ is set as 81.10 mmol/kg, the resultant SSBR/BR/DNS‐CZ composite exhibits the best mechanical properties and Akron abrasion resistance, showing promising application for green tire tread.
Recent Advances in the Synthesis and Chemistry of Nitronates
Authors: Tabolin Andrey , Sukhorukov Alexey , Ioffe Sema , Dilman Alexander
Published: July 2017

Due to their availability and versatile reactivity, nitronates have become important building blocks in the stereoselective synthesis of bioactive molecules. This short review provides a summary of recent developments on the synthesis, chemistry and applications of O-alkyl and O-silyl nitronates.

1 Introduction

2 Approaches to the Synthesis of Nitronates

2.1 Synthesis of Six-Membered Cyclic Nitronates

2.1.1 Formal [4+2] Approaches

2.1.2 Formal [3+3] Approaches

2.1.3 Other Approaches

2.2 Synthesis of Five-Membered Cyclic Nitronates

2.2.1 Formal [3+2] Approaches

2.2.2 Formal [4+1] Approaches

2.2.3 Oxidation Approaches

3 Chemistry of Nitronates

3.1 Nitronates as α-C-Nucleophiles

3.2 Nitronates as α-C-Electrophiles

3.3 Nitronates in [3+n]-Annulation Reactions

3.4 Reactions Involving the β-Carbon Atom of Nitronates

3.5 Miscellaneous Transformations

4 Conclusion
Psychische Krankheiten heilen ohne das Konzept vom unbewussten Es?
Authors: Gnaiger-Rathmanner Jutta
Published: July 2017

Die Homöopathie bewährt sich heute in der Behandlung von psychischen Erkrankungen. Diese sind üblicherweise die Domäne der Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, die sich in Krankheitsverständnis und Therapie auf das Modell des Unbewussten, des Es, stützen. Dort sind die verdrängten Erlebnisinhalte gespeichert. Es stellt sich die Frage: Kann die Homöopathie psychiatrische Patienten behandeln und heilen ohne dieses Modell? Es wird untersucht, ob die „Lebenskraft“ nach Hahnemann und das unbewusste Es der Psychotherapie Gemeinsamkeiten aufweisen. Bezugspunkt ist das 4-gliedrige Menschenbild.
Effect of Two Different Doses of Vitamin D Supplementation on Metabolic Profiles of Insulin-Resistant Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Foroozanfard Fatemeh , Talebi Maesoomeh , Samimi Mansooreh , Mehrabi Sahar , Badehnoosh Bita , Jamilian Mehri , Maktabi Maryam , Asemi Zatollah
Published: July 2017

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of 2 different doses of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic profiles of insulin-resistant patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 90 insulin-resistant patients with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria aged 18–40 years old. Participants were randomly allocated into 3 groups to receive either 4 000 IU of vitamin D (n=30) or 1 000 IU of vitamin D (n=30) or placebo (n=30) per day for 12 weeks. Vitamin D supplementation (4 000 IU), compared with vitamin D (1 000 IU) and placebo, led to reduced fasting plasma glucose (−4.3±8.6 vs. −4.7±7.1 and +0.1±6.7 mg/dl, respectively, p=0.02), serum insulin concentrations (−2.7±2.7 vs. −1.4±4.2 and −0.1±4.1 μIU/ml, respectively, p=0.02), and HOMA-IR (−0.6±0.6 vs. −0.4±1.0 and −0.1±0.9, respectively, p=0.02). In addition, we found significant decreases in mean change of serum triglycerides (−10.3±7.3 vs. −3.6±14.5 and +6.9±23.8 mg/dl, respectively, p=0.001), VLDL- (−2.0±1.5 vs. −0.7±2.9 and +1.4±4.8 mg/dl, respectively, p=0.001), total- (−14.0±9.5 vs. −6.2±24.0 and +7.1±29.7 mg/dl, respectively, p=0.002), LDL- (−10.8±8.3 vs. −5.7±21.9 and +6.8±28.2 mg/dl, respectively, p=0.005), and total-/HDL-cholesterol ratio (−0.2±0.3 vs. −0.1±0.6 and +0.2±0.7 mg/dl, respectively, p=0.003) in the high-dose vitamin D group compared with low-dose vitamin D and placebo groups. Overall, vitamin D supplementation at a dosage of 4 000 IU/day for 12 weeks in insulin-resistant patients with PCOS had beneficial effects of glucose metabolism and lipid profiles compared with 1 000 IU/day of vitamin D and placebo groups.
Influence of coupling on thermal forces and dynamic friction in plasmas with multiple ion species
Authors: Kagan Grigory , Baalrud Scott D. , Daligault Jérôme
Published: July 2017

The recently proposed effective potential theory [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 235001 (2013)] is used to investigate the influence of coupling on inter-ion-species diffusion and momentum exchange in multi-component plasmas. Thermo-diffusion and the thermal force are found to diminish rapidly as strong coupling onsets. For the same coupling parameters, the dynamic friction coefficient is found to tend to unity. These results provide an impetus for addressing the role of coupling on diffusive processes in inertial confinement fusion experiments.
Liberation of H2 from (o-C6H4Me)3P—H(+) + (−)H—B(p-C6F4H)3 ion-pair: A transition-state in the minimum energy path versus the transient species in Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics
Authors: Pu Maoping , Heshmat Mojgan , Privalov Timofei
Published: July 2017

Using Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) with density functional theory, transition-state (TS) calculations, and the quantitative energy decomposition analysis (EDA), we examined the mechanism of H2-liberation from LB—H(+) + (−)H—LA ion-pair, 1, in which the Lewis base (LB) is (o-C6H4Me)3P and the Lewis acid (LA) is B(p-C6F4H)3. BOMD simulations indicate that the path of H2 liberation from the ion-pair 1 goes via the short-lived transient species, LB⋯H2⋯LA, which are structurally reminiscent of the TS-structure in the minimum-energy-path describing the reversible reaction between H2 and (o-C6H4Me)3P/B(p-C6F4H)3 frustrated Lewis pair (FLP). With electronic structure calculations performed on graphics processing units, our BOMD data-set covers more than 1 ns of evolution of the ion-pair 1 at temperature T ≈ 400 K. BOMD simulations produced H2-recombination events with various durations of H2 remaining fully recombined as a molecule within a LB/LA attractive “pocket”—from very short vibrational-time scale to time scales in the range of a few hundred femtoseconds. With the help of perturbational approach to trajectory-propagation over a saddle-area, we directly examined dynamics of H2-liberation. Using EDA, we elucidated interactions between the cationic and anionic fragments in the ion-pair 1 and between the molecular fragments in the TS-structure. We have also considered a model that qualitatively takes into account the potential energy characteristics of H—H recombination and H2-release plus inertia of molecular motion of the (o-C6H4Me)3P/B(p-C6F4H)3 FLP.
Alignment of smectic mesogens over engineered surfaces
Authors: Chandran Achu , Joshi Tilak , Khanna P. K. , Mehta Dalip. S. , Haranath D. , Biradar Ashok M.
Published: July 2017

The alignment of smectic C* liquid crystals (LCs) has been manipulated over and near different surfaces such as bare glass, indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass, patterned glass, and near spacers. The LC sample cell is made of one ITO coated glass plate and other having striped ITO with a Mylar spacer maintaining a finite cell gap between them. Laser scribing is used to make striped ITO, while the scribed area results in the formation of the patterned glass surface. The geometry of the cell is such that overlapped ITO lie in the middle and spacers are placed in the two extreme corners of the cell. The alignment of LC is found to be homeotropic over the ITO coated glass, while it is planar near the spacer. Interestingly, a transition from homeotropic to planar is observed while moving away from the middle towards either corner of the cell. The origin of both types of alignment in the same cell has been explained by considering the difference in the surface energy of different surfaces. This work renders new advancement towards the manipulation of LC alignment using different surfaces and interfaces for advanced electro-optical and photonic devices based on LCs.
On the development of polarizable and Lennard-Jones force fields to study hydration structure and dynamics of actinide(III) ions based on effective ionic radii
Authors: Spezia Riccardo , Migliorati Valentina , D’Angelo Paola
Published: July 2017

In this contribution, we show how it is possible to develop polarizable and non-polarizable force fields to study hydration properties of a whole chemical series based on atomic properties such as ionic radii. In particular, we have addressed the actinide(III) ion series, from U3+ to Cf3+, for which X-ray absorption data and effective ionic radii are available. A polarizable force field has been re-parameterized improving the original one [M. Duvail et al., J. Chem. Phys. 135, 044503 (2011)] which was based on solid state ionic radii. The new force field does not depend on solid state properties but directly on the liquid phase ones, and it can be used to study these ions in liquid water without any ambiguity. Furthermore, we have shown that it is possible to parameterize also a non-polarizable potential using standard Lennard-Jones and Coulombic forces, which can be transferred to other systems in condensed phase. The structural and dynamical properties of these two force fields are compared to each other and with data available in the literature, providing a good agreement. Moreover, we show the comparison with experimental X-ray absorption data that are very well reproduced by both force fields.
A diffuse plasma jet generated from the preexisting discharge filament at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Li Jing , Xu Yonggang , Zhang Tongyi , Tang Jie , Wang Yishan , Zhao Wei , Duan Yixiang
Published: July 2017

A diffuse plasma jet was realized by expanding the preexisting argon filamentary discharge into a diffuse one at atmospheric pressure. Examination of emission spectra from the plasma jet shows that the emission intensities of OH and Ar increase with the argon flow near the quartz tube nozzle, while the N2 emission intensity first increases, then decreases, and finally approximately remains unchanged with the increase in the argon flow of interest. It is also found that with the argon flow set at 0.4 l/min, most of the reactive species are gathered close to the nozzle, the OH and Ar emission intensities decrease quickly after the plasma propagates out of the nozzle, but the N2 emission is able to propagate over a larger distance. These distinct spectral emission features of OH, N2, and Ar are attributed to the different generation and quenching mechanisms of their corresponding excited states, i.e., OH(A Σ2 +), N2(C Π3 μ), and Ar(4p)/Ar(4s) in the argon plasma jet. Additionally, the formation of the diffuse plasma jet has been clarified by observing the discharge burning phase and solving the Poisson equation for the electric field distribution in an argon cylindrical dielectric-barrier discharge. The filamentary discharge deposits charged particles onto the dielectric. The positive surface charges in the positive half cycle induce a relatively high field in the local region close to the dielectric. The relatively high field and the high pre-ionization in this local region play a key role in initiating the diffuse positive corona.
Calculation of lineal energies for water and DNA bases using the Rudd model cross sections integrated within the Geant4-DNA processes
Authors: Francis Z. , El Bitar Z. , Incerti S. , Bernal M. A. , Karamitros M. , Tran H. N.
Published: July 2017

This study presents new parameters for proton ionisation cross sections in guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine based upon the semi-empirical Rudd model. The same model was used to find differential electron cross sections considering a speed scaling procedure. To accelerate computation, the total electron cross sections were obtained using the binary-encounter-Bethe approximation instead of the integrated Rudd formula. The cross sections were implemented in the Geant4 simulation toolkit as Geant4-DNA processes, and simulations were carried out measuring protons lineal energies in spherical micrometric volumes filled with water, adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. Large differences were seen in the lineal energies evaluated for the different materials, with the lineal energy measured in guanine being sometimes twice that of water. This suggests that the cross sections developed here should be considered in biological simulations where cellular substructures are modelled, in contrast to the current approach which approximates these volumes as consisting of liquid water.
On the penetration depth of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species generated by a plasma jet through real biological tissue
Authors: Duan J. , Lu X. , He G.
Published: July 2017

In this work, an actual biological tissue is used to investigate how thick the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) produced by a plasma jet can penetrate through the tissue. This is one of the most critical questions in plasma medicine. The concentration of RONS (O3, H2O2, OH, NO2−, NO2− + NO3−) produced by the plasma jet penetrating through different thickness of the tissue is measured. It is found that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the plasma are significantly consumed by the tissue. For the tissue thickness of 500 μm, there is only about five percent or even less of the ROS (O3, H2O2, and OH) penetrating through the tissue. On the other hand, more than 80% of the reactive nitrogen species (NO2− + NO3−) are able to penetrate through the 500 μm biological tissue. Furthermore, under certain experimental conditions, some of the RONS can penetrate through 1.25 mm of the biological tissue. Finally, besides H2O2, NO2−, and NO3−, there is some other unknown RONS that penetrate through the biological tissue.
Peculiar torsion dynamical response of spider dragline silk
Authors: Liu Dabiao , Yu Longteng , He Yuming , Peng Kai , Liu Jie , Guan Juan , Dunstan D. J.
Published: July 2017

The torsional properties of spider dragline silks from Nephila edulis and Nephila pilipes spiders are investigated by using a torsion pendulum technique. A permanent torsional deformation is observed after even small torsional strain. This behaviour is quite different from that of the other materials tested here, i.e., carbon fiber, thin metallic wires, Kevlar fiber, and human hair. The spider dragline thus displays a strong energy dissipation upon the initial excitation (around 75% for small strains and more for a larger strain), which correspondingly reduces the amplitude of subsequent oscillations around the new equilibrium position. The variation of torsional stiffness in relaxation dynamics of spider draglines for different excitations is also determined. The experimental result is interpreted in the light of the hierarchical structure of dragline silk.
In situ multi-dimensional actuation measurement method for tensile actuation of paraffin-infiltrated multi-wall carbon nanotube yarns
Authors: Dang Dang Xuan , Truong Thuy Kieu , Lim Seong Chu , Suh Dongseok
Published: July 2017

We introduce an experimental setup for the simultaneous measurement of axial and radial strain variations of a hybrid carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn actuator, where a paraffin wax is melt-infiltrated inside the CNT yarn. Such a hybrid yarn system has been known as a Joule-heating-driven tensile/torsional actuator due to a large volume expansion of the infiltrated paraffin upon a solid-to-liquid phase transition. During the operation of this actuator, however, the axial strain variations along the yarn axis and the diameter change of the yarn, which is the radial strain variations perpendicular to the yarn axis, had been measured separately, which prohibits the exact understanding of the whole actuation dynamics. In the new experimental configuration, a laser scan micrometer is employed for the in situ yarn’s diameter measurement and is combined with the conventional tensile actuation measurement setup for real-time data-taking during the actuation. When the hybrid CNT yarn was tested, the synchronized strain variation data in the axial and radial directions were obtained, which helps the analysis of these actuation phenomena especially in the intermediate states.
Experimental and theoretical investigations of H2O–Ar
Authors: Vanfleteren Thomas , Földes Tomas , Herman Michel , Liévin Jacques , Loreau Jérôme , Coudert Laurent H.
Published: July 2017

We have used continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy to record the spectrum of H2O–Ar in the 2OH excitation range of H2O. 24 sub-bands have been observed. Their rotational structure (Trot = 12 K) is analyzed and the lines are fitted separately for ortho and para species together with microwave and far infrared data from the literature, with a unitless standard deviation σ=0.98 and 1.31, respectively. Their vibrational analysis is supported by a theoretical input based on an intramolecular potential energy surface obtained through ab initio calculations and computation of the rotational energy of sub-states of the complex with the water monomer in excited vibrational states up to the first hexad. For the ground and (010) vibrational states, the theoretical results agree well with experimental energies and rotational constants in the literature. For the excited vibrational states of the first hexad, they guided the assignment of the observed sub-bands. The upper state vibrational predissociation lifetime is estimated to be 3 ns from observed spectral linewidths.
Quantum superintegrable Zernike system
Authors: Pogosyan George S. , Salto-Alegre Cristina , Wolf Kurt Bernardo , Yakhno Alexander
Published: July 2017

We consider the differential equation that Zernike proposed to classify aberrations of wavefronts in a circular pupil, whose value at the boundary can be nonzero. On this account, the quantum Zernike system, where that differential equation is seen as a Schrödinger equation with a potential, is special in that it has a potential and a boundary condition that are not standard in quantum mechanics. We project the disk on a half-sphere and there we find that, in addition to polar coordinates, this system separates into two additional coordinate systems (non-orthogonal on the pupil disk), which lead to Schrödinger-type equations with Pöschl-Teller potentials, whose eigen-solutions involve Legendre, Gegenbauer, and Jacobi polynomials. This provides new expressions for separated polynomial solutions of the original Zernike system that are real. The operators which provide the separation constants are found to participate in a superintegrable cubic Higgs algebra.
Field-free spin-orbit torque switching of composite perpendicular CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB layers utilized for three-terminal magnetic tunnel junctions
Authors: Chen Jun-Yang , DC Mahendra , Zhang Delin , Zhao Zhengyang , Li Mo , Wang Jian-Ping
Published: July 2017

Spin-orbit torque (SOT) induced magnetization switching has become a research focus in spintronics because it enables energy-efficient switching. There have been several experiments realizing field-free SOT-induced magnetization switching of materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in a bilayer system, either using thin Co(Fe) and CoFeB layers with interfacial PMA or using Co/Ni multilayers. All of these stacks are ferromagnets with large saturation magnetization (MS). Here, we demonstrate SOT switching in a multilayer stack of CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB. This stack shows a good PMA and a low MS (370 ± 20 emu/cm3), where CoFeB and Gd layers are antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled with each other. SOT induced magnetization switching has been demonstrated in this stack at zero magnetic field with a switching current density of ∼9.6 × 106 A/cm2 by using antiferromagnetic PtMn as the spin Hall channel material. The spin Hall angle of PtMn was also determined to be ∼0.084 ± 0.005 by performing a second harmonic Hall measurement. This layer structure is compatible with perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs), which could enable field-free three-terminal p-MTJs and lead to memory and logic devices based on SOT.
Effects of specimen size and yttria concentration on mechanical properties of single crystalline yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia nanopillars
Authors: Zhang Ning , Asle Zaeem Mohsen
Published: July 2017

The nanoscale plastic deformation of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (YSTZ) is highly dependent on the crystallographic orientations, i.e., dislocation is induced when the loading direction is 45° tilted to {111} and {101} slip planes, while tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation dominates the plastic deformation when loading direction is perpendicular to the slip planes. This study investigates the effects of specimen size and yttria concentration on the mechanical response of single crystalline YSTZ nanopillars. Through uniaxial compression test, the smaller-is-stronger phenomenon is revealed in nanopillars deformed through a dislocation motion mechanism. Serrated stacking faults are observed in the smallest nanopillar, while neat primary slip plane forms in the largest nanopillar. In contrast, the larger-is-stronger relation is observed in nanopillars in which deformation is mediated by tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation. It is noted that the ratio of transformed monoclinic phase to the remaining tetragonal phase is the highest in the smallest nanopillar. The strength of nanopillars is identified to decrease by increasing the amount of yttria due to the creation of more oxygen vacancies that act as weak points to facilitate dislocation motion and accelerate phase transformation.
High performance bimorph piezoelectric MEMS harvester via bulk PZT thick films on thin beryllium-bronze substrate
Authors: Yi Zhiran , Yang Bin , Li Guimiao , Liu Jingquan , Chen Xiang , Wang Xiaolin , Yang Chunsheng
Published: July 2017

This letter presents a high performance bimorph piezoelectric MEMS harvester with bulk PZT thick films on both sides of a flexible thin beryllium-bronze substrate via bonding and thinning technologies. The upper and lower PZT layers are thinned down to about 53 μm and 76 μm, respectively, and a commercial beryllium bronze with the thickness of about 50 μm is used as the substrate. The effective volume of this device is 30.6 mm3. The harvester with a tungsten proof mass generated the close-circuit peak-to-peak voltage of 53.1 V, the output power of 0.979 mW, and the power density of 31.99 mW/cm3 with the matching load resistance of 360 kΩ at the applied acceleration amplitude of 3.5 g and the applied frequency of 77.2 Hz. Meanwhile, in order to evaluate the stability, the device was measured continuously under applied acceleration amplitudes of 1.0 g and 3.5 g for one hour and demonstrated a good stability. Then, the harvester was utilized to light up LEDs and about twenty-one serial LEDs were lighted up at resonance under an applied acceleration amplitude of 3.0 g.
Optical absorption and disorder in delafossites
Authors: Senty Tess R. , Haycock Barry , Lekse Jonathan , Matranga Christopher , Wang Hong , Panapitiya Gihan , Bristow Alan D. , Lewis James P.
Published: July 2017

We present compelling experimental results of the optical characteristics of transparent oxide CuGaO2 and related CuGa1-xFexO2 (with 0.00≤x≤0.05) alloys, whereby the forbidden electronic transitions for CuGaO2 become permissible in the presence of B-site (Ga sites) alloying with Fe. Our computational structural results imply a correlation between the global strain on the system and a decreased optical absorption edge. However, herein, we show that the relatively ordered CuGa1-xFexO2 (for 0.00≤x≤0.04) structures exhibit much weaker vis-absorption compared to the relatively disordered CuGa0.95Fe0.05O2.
Helicity transformation under the collision and merging of two magnetic flux ropes
Authors: DeHaas Timothy , Gekelman Walter
Published: July 2017

Magnetic helicity has become a useful tool in the analysis of astrophysical plasmas. Its conservation in the magnetohydrodynamic limit (and other fluid approaches) constrains the global behavior of large plasma structures. One such astrophysical structure is a magnetic flux rope: a tube-like, current-carrying plasma embedded in an external magnetic field. Bundles of these ropes are commonly observed in the near-earth environment and solar atmosphere. In this well-diagnosed experiment (three-dimensional measurements of ne, Te, Vp, B, J, E, and uflow), two magnetic flux ropes are generated in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA. These ropes are driven kink-unstable to trigger complex motion. As they interact, helicity conservation is examined in regions of reconnection. We examine (1) the transport of helicity and (2) the dissipation of the helicity. As the ropes move and the topology of the field lines diverge, a quasi-separatrix layer (QSL) is formed. As the QSL forms, magnetic helicity is dissipated within this region. At the same time, there is an influx of canonical helicity into the region such that the temporal derivative of magnetic helicity is zero.
Soft-proton exchange on magnesium-oxide-doped substrates: A route toward efficient and power-resistant nonlinear converters
Authors: Lunghi T. , Doutre F. , Legoff G. , Ayenew G. , Tronche H. , Tanzilli S. , Baldi P. , De Micheli M.
Published: July 2017

Despite their attractive features, integrated optical devices based on Congruent-melted Lithium Niobate (CLN) suffer from Photo-Refractive Damage (PRD). This light-induced refractive-index change hampers the use of CLN when high-power densities are in play, a typical regime in integrated optics. In bulk devices, the resistance to PRD can be largely improved by doping the lithium-niobate substrates with magnesium oxide. However, the fabrication of waveguides on MgO-doped substrates is not as straightforward as on CLN and either the resistance to PRD is strongly reduced by the waveguide fabrication process (as it happens in Ti-indiffused waveguides) or the nonlinear conversion efficiency is lowered (as it occurs in annealed-proton exchange). Here, we fabricate waveguides starting from MgO-doped substrates using the Soft-Proton Exchange (SPE) technique and we show that this combination represents a promising alternative. We demonstrate that, with a small adaptation of the exchange parameters, SPE allows producing MgO-doped LN refractive-index profiles almost identical to those produced in CLN without reducing the nonlinearity in the substrate. We also prove that the SPE does not affect substantially the resistance to PRD characteristics of MgO-doped substrates. Therefore, we think that SPE is the right recipe to outperform standard techniques and to fabricate robust and efficient waveguides for high-intensity-beam confinement.
Non-linear vibrational response of Ge and SiC membranes
Authors: Zhou L. Q. , Colston G. , Pearce M. J. , Prince R. G. , Myronov M. , Leadley D. R. , Trushkevych O. , Edwards R. S.
Published: July 2017

Characterisation of membranes produced for use as micro-electro-mechanical systems using vibrational techniques can give a measure of their behaviour and suitability for operation in different environments. Two membranes are studied here: germanium (Ge) and cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) on a silicon (Si) substrate. When driven at higher displacements, the membranes exhibit self-protecting behaviour. The resonant vibration amplitude is limited to a maximum value of around 10 nm, through dissipation of energy via higher harmonic vibrations. This is observed for both materials, despite their different Young's moduli and defect densities.
Diamonds levitating in a Paul trap under vacuum: Measurements of laser-induced heating via NV center thermometry
Authors: Delord T. , Nicolas L. , Bodini M. , Hétet G.
Published: July 2017

We present measurements of the electronic spin resonance (ESR) of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamonds that are levitating in a ring Paul trap under vacuum. We observe ESR spectra of NV centers embedded in micron-sized diamonds at vacuum pressures of 2 × 10−1 mbar and the NV photoluminescence down to 10−2 mbar. Further, we use the ESR to measure the temperature of the levitating diamonds and show that the green laser induces heating of the diamond at these pressures. We finally discuss the steps required to control the NV spin under ultra-high vacuum.
Dynamic viscoelasticity measurement under alternative torque using electromagnetically spinning method with quadruple electromagnets
Authors: Matsuura Yusuke , Hirano Taichi , Sakai Keiji
Published: July 2017

In this study, we developed a novel type of rheological measurement system. Here, a spherical probe is driven to rotate periodically by applying torques using quadruple electromagnets in a noncontact manner. Moreover, this system is an enhancement of our electromagnetically spinning (EMS) viscometer, which is widely used for measuring rheological flow curves in various industrial fields. The quadruple EMS method provides the frequency spectrum of viscoelasticity, in addition to shear viscosity, in a steady flow by switching the operation modes of the driving torque. We show the results obtained for Newtonian fluids and viscoelastic materials and demonstrate the validity of the system.
Global consequences of a local Casimir force: Adhered cantilever
Authors: Svetovoy V. B. , Melenev A. E. , Lokhanin M. V. , Palasantzas G.
Published: July 2017

Although stiction is a cumbersome problem for microsystems, it stimulates investigations of surface adhesion. In fact, the shape of an adhered cantilever carries information of the adhesion energy that locks one end to the substrate. We demonstrate here that the system is also sensitive to the dispersion forces that are operative very close to the point of contact, but their contribution to the shape is maximum at about one third of the unadhered length. When the force exceeds a critical value, the cantilever does not lose stability but settles at a smaller unadhered length, whose relation to adhesion energy is only slightly affected by the force. Our calculations suggest the use of adhered cantilevers to measure the dispersion forces at short separations, where other methods suffer from jump-to-contact instability. Simultaneous measurement of the force and adhesion energy allows the separation of the dispersion contribution to the surface adhesion.
Photo-thermoelectric properties of SnS nanocrystals with orthorhombic layered structure
Authors: Hyun Cheol-Min , Choi Jeong-Hun , Lee Myoung-Jae , Ahn Ji-Hoon
Published: July 2017

The photo-thermoelectric properties of SnS nanocrystals, two-dimensional materials with an orthorhombic symmetry, were investigated using a focused laser scanning method. The SnS nanocrystals were synthesized by a vapor transport method, and their fundamental material and electrical properties were investigated. Upon shining a laser onto the SnS channel region under a positive source-drain bias, a positive photocurrent was observed due to photo-excited electron-hole pairs. On the other hand, when this external electric field was not applied, a strong photocurrent was observed within the metal electrode region rather than at the metal-semiconductor interface, which indicated that the major mechanism for the photocurrent under zero external bias was a photo-induced thermoelectric effect rather than a photovoltaic effect. Moreover, the Seebeck coefficient of the SnS nanocrystal device was approximately 1735 μV/K, which is 3.5 times larger than that of its bulk counterpart.
In a native pasture, landscape properties influence soil moisture more than grazing management
Authors: Mitchell D. C. , Badgery W. B. , Cranney P. , Broadfoot K. , Priest S. , Pickering D.
Published: July 2017

It has been proposed that changes to grazing systems, from continuous to rotational grazing, alter the pasture mass and composition, which are reflected in changes to stored soil water. Additionally, in highly variable landscapes, determining whether the variation in soil water is due to the inherent landscape properties rather than the imposed grazing management has long been a contentious argument. To address this question, soil moisture was measured across a highly variable landscape under three differing grazing treatments (1-, 4- and 20-paddock systems). From the soil-water measurements, plant-available water and plant-available water capacity were determined. Different production zones (high, medium and low) were identified in the landscape by visually estimating green herbage mass in late spring. There were no observed differences in the measured plant-available water capacity across the grazing treatments; however, significant differences occurred in plant-available water capacity across the three production zones (high-production zone, 114 mm; medium-production zone, 102 mm; low-production zone, 88 mm) within the study period. There appears to be a trend between the plant-available water capacity and near-surface gravel content as measured in production zones. The high production zones held more plant-available water than did the low production zones, enabling more biomass and longer pasture growth during spring and autumn. The plant-available water in the low production zones significantly decreased with time. In all, 22 of the 50 soil-moisture monitoring locations displayed high temporal stability and were identified as being catchment-average soil water-content monitoring locations. A majority of these locations occurred in the medium production zone, demonstrating that representative soil moisture can be measured in these landscapes.
Heat stress in grain legumes during reproductive and grain-filling phases
Authors: Farooq Muhammad , Nadeem Faisal , Gogoi Nirmali , Ullah Aman , Alghamdi Salem S. , Nayyar Harsh , Siddique Kadambot H. M.
Published: July 2017

Thermal stress during reproductive development and grain-filling phases is a serious threat to the quality and productivity of grain legumes. The optimum temperature range for grain legume crops is 10−36°C, above which severe losses in grain yield can occur. Various climatic models have simulated that the temperature near the earth’s surface will increase (by up to 4°C) by the end of this century, which will intensify the chances of heat stress in crop plants. The magnitude of damage or injury posed by a high-temperature stress mainly depends on the defence response of the crop and the specific growth stage of the crop at the time of exposure to the high temperature. Heat stress affects grain development in grain legumes because it disintegrates the tapetum layer, which reduces nutrient supply to microspores leading to premature anther dehiscence; hampers the synthesis and distribution of carbohydrates to grain, curtailing the grain-filling duration leading to low grain weight; induces poor pod development and fractured embryos; all of which ultimately reduce grain yield. The most prominent effects of heat stress include a substantial reduction in net photosynthetic rate, disintegration of photosynthetic apparatus and increased leaf senescence. To curb the catastrophic effect of heat stress, it is important to improve heat tolerance in grain legumes through improved breeding and genetic engineering tools and crop management strategies. In this review, we discuss the impact of heat stress on leaf senescence, photosynthetic machinery, assimilate translocation, water relations, grain quality and development processes. Furthermore, innovative breeding, genetic, molecular and management strategies are discussed to improve the tolerance against heat stress in grain legumes.
Sec61 blockade by mycolactone inhibits antigen cross-presentation independently of endosome-to-cytosol export
Authors: Grotzke Jeff E. , Kozik Patrycja , Morel Jean-David , Impens Francis , Pietrosemoli Natalia , Cresswell Peter , Amigorena Sebastian , Demangel Caroline
Published: July 2017

Significance

Aside from its undisputed role in the import of newly synthesized proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the Sec61 translocon was proposed to ensure the reverse transport of misfolded proteins to the cytosol. Based on this model, Sec61 was also proposed to be the channel exporting internalized antigens from endosomes to the cytosol, for degradation and cross-presentation. Establishing Sec61’s contribution to these connected trafficking pathways has nevertheless proven difficult, due to a technical incapacity to blunt its activity acutely. Here, we took advantage of a recently identified Sec61 blocker to determine whether or not Sec61 can mediate retrograde protein transport. Both ER-to-cytosol and endosome-to-cytosol protein export were intact in mycolactone-treated cells, which argues against Sec61 operating as a retrotranslocon.
Historical sociolinguistics and construction grammar
Authors: Hilpert Martin
Published: July 2017

This paper makes the case that Historical Sociolinguistics holds critical implications for Construction Grammar, which in return can contribute ideas to the study of sociolinguistic change. The relation of these approaches is discussed from two angles. On the one hand, there are theoretical and methodological divergences that translate into mutual challenges. On the other hand, there are common goals and assumptions that make it worthwhile to combine the perspectives. The advantages and limitations of such a combined approach are illustrated on the basis of a corpus-based study of an idiomatic schema that is referred to as the sarcastic much? construction in this paper.
“Vernacular universals” in nineteenth-century grammar writing
Authors: Anderwald Lieselotte
Published: July 2017

This article investigates nineteenth-century prescriptive grammar writing for comments on four purported “vernacular universals”: multiple negation, adverbs without -ly, you was, and existential there is/there was with plural subjects. These features were already going out of (written) language use, but were actively stigmatized as faulty, uneducated or socially undesirable by prescriptive grammar writers. However, there are national and individual differences in salience and the degree of stigmatization that still affect the status of these non-standard features today.
Agricultural terms in Indo-Iranian
Authors: Kümmel Martin Joachim
Published: July 2017

The article investigates the agricultural lexicon of Indo-Iranian, especially its earlier records, and what it may tell us about the spread of farming. After some general remarks on “Neolithic” vocabulary, a short overview of the animal husbandry terminology shows that this field of vocabulary was evidently well-established in Proto-Indo-Iranian, with many cognate terms. Words for cattle, horses, sheep and goats are well developed and mostly inherited, while evidence for pigs is more limited, ad the words for donkey and camel look like common loans. A more extensive discussion of plant terminology reveals that while some generic terms for grain are inherited, more specific words for different kinds of cereals show few inherited terms and/or irregular variation, and the same is even clearer for pulses and some other vegetables. The terminology for agricultural terminology is largely different from that of most European branches of Indo-European. The conclusion is that the cultural background behind these linguistic data points to spreading of a mainly pastoralist culture in the case of Indo-Iranian.
Synthea: An approach, method, and software mechanism for generating synthetic patients and the synthetic electronic health care record
Authors: Walonoski Jason , Kramer Mark , Nichols Joseph , Quina Andre , Moesel Chris , Hall Dylan , Duffett Carlton , Dube Kudakwashe , Gallagher Thomas , McLachlan Scott
Published: July 2017

Objective

Our objective is to create a source of synthetic electronic health records that is readily available; suited to industrial, innovation, research, and educational uses; and free of legal, privacy, security, and intellectual property restrictions.

Materials and Methods

We developed Synthea, an open-source software package that simulates the lifespans of synthetic patients, modeling the 10 most frequent reasons for primary care encounters and the 10 chronic conditions with the highest morbidity in the United States.

Results

Synthea adheres to a previously developed conceptual framework, scales via open-source deployment on the Internet, and may be extended with additional disease and treatment modules developed by its user community. One million synthetic patient records are now freely available online, encoded in standard formats (eg, Health Level-7 [HL7] Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources [FHIR] and Consolidated-Clinical Document Architecture), and accessible through an HL7 FHIR application program interface.

Discussion

Health care lags other industries in information technology, data exchange, and interoperability. The lack of freely distributable health records has long hindered innovation in health care. Approaches and tools are available to inexpensively generate synthetic health records at scale without accidental disclosure risk, lowering current barriers to entry for promising early-stage developments. By engaging a growing community of users, the synthetic data generated will become increasingly comprehensive, detailed, and realistic over time.

Conclusion

Synthetic patients can be simulated with models of disease progression and corresponding standards of care to produce risk-free realistic synthetic health care records at scale.
Electronic health record adoption in US hospitals: the emergence of a digital “advanced use” divide
Authors: Adler-Milstein Julia , Holmgren A Jay , Kralovec Peter , Worzala Chantal , Searcy Talisha , Patel Vaishali
Published: July 2017

Objective

While most hospitals have adopted electronic health records (EHRs), we know little about whether hospitals use EHRs in advanced ways that are critical to improving outcomes, and whether hospitals with fewer resources – small, rural, safety-net – are keeping up.

Materials and Methods

Using 2008–2015 American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement survey data, we measured “basic” and “comprehensive” EHR adoption among hospitals to provide the latest national numbers. We then used new supplement questions to assess advanced use of EHRs and EHR data for performance measurement and patient engagement functions. To assess a digital “advanced use” divide, we ran logistic regression models to identify hospital characteristics associated with high adoption in each advanced use domain.

Results

We found that 80.5% of hospitals adopted at least a basic EHR system, a 5.3 percentage point increase from 2014. Only 37.5% of hospitals adopted at least 8 (of 10) EHR data for performance measurement functions, and 41.7% of hospitals adopted at least 8 (of 10) patient engagement functions. Critical access hospitals were less likely to have adopted at least 8 performance measurement functions (odds ratio [OR] = 0.58; P < .001) and at least 8 patient engagement functions (OR = 0.68; P = 0.02).

Discussion

While the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act resulted in widespread hospital EHR adoption, use of advanced EHR functions lags and a digital divide appears to be emerging, with critical-access hospitals in particular lagging behind. This is concerning, because EHR-enabled performance measurement and patient engagement are key contributors to improving hospital performance.

Conclusion

Hospital EHR adoption is widespread and many hospitals are using EHRs to support performance measurement and patient engagement. However, this is not happening across all hospitals.
Preliminary comparison of the registration effect of 4D-CBCT and 3D-CBCT in image-guided radiotherapy of Stage IA non–small-cell lung cancer
Authors: Tan Zhibo , Liu Chuanyao , Zhou Ying , Shen Weixi
Published: July 2017

In this study, we compared the registration effectiveness of 4D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and 3D-CBCT for image-guided radiotherapy in 20 Stage IA non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Patients underwent 4D-CBCT and 3D-CBCT immediately before radiotherapy, and the X-ray Volume Imaging software system was used for image registration. We performed automatic bone registration and soft tissue registration between 4D-CBCT or 3D-CBCT and 4D-CT images; the regions of interest (ROIs) were the vertebral body on the layer corresponding to the tumor and the internal target volume region. The relative displacement of the gross tumor volume between the 4D-CBCT end-expiratory phase sequence and 4D-CT was used to evaluate the registration error. Among the 20 patients (12 males, 8 females; 35–67 years old; median age, 52 years), 3 had central NSCLC and 17 had peripheral NSCLC, 8 in the upper or middle lobe and 12 in the lower lobe (maximum tumor diameter range, 18–27 mm). The internal motion range in three-dimensional space was 12.52 ± 2.65 mm, accounting for 47.8 ± 15.3% of the maximum diameter of each tumor. The errors of image-guided registration using 4D-CBCT and 3D-CBCT on the x (left–right), y (superior–inferior), z (anterior–posterior) axes, and 3D space were 0.80 ± 0.21 mm and 1.08 ± 0.25 mm, 2.02 ± 0.46 mm and 3.30 ± 0.53 mm, 0.52 ± 0.16 mm and 0.85 ± 0.24 mm, and 2.25 ± 0.44 mm and 3.59 ± 0.48 mm (all P < 0.001), respectively. Thus, 4D-CBCT is preferable to 3D-CBCT for image guidance in small pulmonary tumors because 4D-CBCT can reduce the uncertainty in the tumor location resulting from internal motion caused by respiratory movements, thereby increasing the image-guidance accuracy.