bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the transfection efficacies of quaternary ammonium salts prepared from sophorolipids
Authors: Delbeke E. I. P. , Lozach O. , Le Gall T. , Berchel M. , Montier T. , Jaffrès P.-A. , Van Geem K. M. , Stevens C. V.
Published: March 2016

Two quaternary ammonium sophorolipids proved to be suitable as transfection vectors for gene delivery.
The synthesis of a series of adenosine A3receptor agonists
Authors: Broadley Kenneth J. , Burnell Erica , Davies Robin H. , Lee Alan T. L. , Snee Stephen , Thomas Eric J.
Published: March 2016

A series of 1′-(6-aminopurin-9-yl)-1′-deoxy-N-methyl-β-d-ribofuranuronamides that were characterised by 2-dialkylamino-7-methyloxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-5-ylmethyl substituents onN6 of interest for screening as selective adenosine A3receptor agonists, have been synthesised.
Palladium-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation of trifluoromethyl group substituted racemic and acyclic unsymmetrical 1,3-disubstituted allylic esters with malonate anions
Authors: Ikeda Kazunori , Futamura Takashi , Hanakawa Taisyun , Minakawa Maki , Kawatsura Motoi
Published: March 2016

We accomplished the enantioselective allylic alkylation of racemic and acyclic unsymmetrical 1,3-disubstituted allylic esters with a malonate anion by DYKAT.
Facile synthesis of graft copolymers of controlled architecture. Copolymerization of fluorinated and non-fluorinated poly(dimethylsiloxane) macromonomers with trialkylsilyl methacrylates using RAFT polymerization
Authors: Pavlović D. , Lafond S. , Margaillan A. , Bressy C.
Published: March 2016

The synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of a new family of statistical and diblock graft copolymers is described.
Phenylmaleimide-containing PET-based copolyester: cross-linking from 2π + π cycloaddition toward flame retardance and anti-dripping
Authors: Dong Xue , Chen Li , Duan Rong-Tao , Wang Yu-Zhong
Published: March 2016

During combustion, 2π + π cycloaddition between phenylmaleimide moieties occurred as cross-linking reaction, which enhanced the char yield to achieve flame retardance and anti-dripping of the copolyester.
Novel fuel blends facilitating the electro-oxidation of formic acid at a nano-Pt/GC electrode
Authors: El-Nagar Gumaa A. , Mohammad Ahmad M. , El-Deab Mohamed S. , El-Anadouli Bahgat E.
Published: March 2016

This paper addresses the promoting effect of the electrooxidation of formic acid (FAO) at a nano-Pt/GC electrode in the presence of selected low molecular weight alcohols (R–OH) as blending components.
Cubic and tetragonal ferrite crystal structures for copper ion immobilization in an iron-rich ceramic matrix
Authors: Tang Yuanyuan , Shih Kaimin , Liu Chengshuai , Liao Changzhong
Published: March 2016

This study proposes a “waste-to-resource” strategy by reusing the incineration ash of municipal wastewater sludge as a ceramic material to immobilize copper.
Green synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles embedded into magnetic carbon nanocages and their highly efficient degradation of methylene blue
Authors: Zuo Wei , Chen Gaosong , Chen Fengjuan , Li Siliang , Wang Baodui
Published: March 2016

We reported the Au NPs/MCNSs nanohybrids as the catalysts for the highly efficient and selective degradation of methylene blue.
A new complex alkali metal aluminium amide borohydride, Li2Al(ND2)4BH4: synthesis, thermal analysis and crystal structure
Authors: Hino S. , Ichikawa T. , Kojima Y. , Sørby M. H. , Hauback B. C.
Published: March 2016

The first reported compound containing both [Al(ND2)4]−and BH4−anions, Li2Al(ND2)4BH4, was formed in ball-milled LiAl(ND2)4+ 2LiBH4and NaAl(ND2)4+ 2LiBH4. Its crystal structure was solved and refined in a monoclinic unit cell.
Evaluation of some quinoline-based hydrazone derivatives as insecticidal agents
Authors: Yu Xiang , Feng Gang , Huang Jiulin , Xu Hui
Published: March 2016

Seven-day mortality rates of compounds 3c, 3e, 4g, 4h and 6f at 1 mg mL−1 against three-day-old larvae of Spodoptera litura were all greater than 93%. They may be considered as promising insecticidal candidates.
Fluorescent gold nanoclusters for in vivo target imaging of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Lai Lanmei , Zhao Chunqiu , Li Xiaoqi , Liu Xiaoli , Jiang Hui , Selke Matthias , Wang Xuemei
Published: March 2016

Fluorescent gold nanoclusters forin vivotarget imaging provides a new way for rapid and early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Factors influencing the photocatalytic hydroamination of alkynes with anilines catalyzed by supported gold nanoparticles under visible light irradiation
Authors: Zhao Jian , Zheng Zhanfeng , Bottle Steven , Chen Chao , Huang Yiming , Sarina Sarina , Chou Alison , Zhu Huaiyong
Published: March 2016

The hydroamination of alkynes with amines is successfully driven by visible-light when using AuNPs on metal oxide supports as plasmonic photocatalysts.
Construction of 2D interwoven and 3D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) of Cd(ii): the effect of ancillary ligands on the structure and the catalytic performance for the Knoevenagel reaction
Authors: Ugale Bharat , Nagaraja C. M.
Published: March 2016

The effect of ancillary ligands on structure and catalytic activity for Knoevenagel reaction of three new metal–organic coordination networks of Cd(ii) constructed from a rigid dicarboxylate ligand and various bipyridine spacers has been presented.
Luminescent sensing from a new Zn(ii) metal–organic framework
Authors: Liu Jian-Qiang , Wu Jian , Li Fu-Mei , Liu Wei-Cong , Li Bao-Hong , Wang Jun , Li Qin-Ling , Yadav Reena , Kumar Abhinav
Published: March 2016

The title compound is a potential candidate for developing novel luminescence sensors for the selective sensing of nitrobenzene which can be deployed for explosives, Fe3+ and organic dyes.
Palladium stabilized by 3,4-dihydroxypyridine-functionalized magnetic Fe3O4nanoparticles as a reusable and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki reactions
Authors: pirhayati Mozhgan , Veisi Hojat , Kakanejadifard Ali
Published: March 2016

A Pd supported on 3,4-dihydroxypyridine (Py)-functionalized Fe3O4(Fe3O4/Py/Pd) hybrid material has been synthesized for the first time.
Detailed characterization of alterations in the lipid profiles during autophagic cell death of leukemia cells
Authors: Lee Jae Won , Shinohara Haruka , Jung Jae Hun , Mok Hyuck Jun , Akao Yukihiro , Kim Kwang Pyo
Published: March 2016

In this study, a lipidomics approach based on UPLC-QqQ/MS was applied to profile various lipids in human leukemia cells undergoing autophagic cell death (ACD).
Azo-polymers photofluidisation – a transient state of matter emulated by molecular motors
Authors: Hurduc N. , Donose B. C. , Rocha L. , Ibanescu C. , Scutaru D.
Published: March 2016

In the present paper we propose a new phenomenological model of inscription based on a particular state of matter induced by continuous laser irradiation.
Controlled fabrication, characterization and comparison of porous poly(l-lactide) and poly(d-lactide) films by electric breath figure
Authors: Wang Min-Yan , Wang Han , Zhai Song , Shen Qing
Published: March 2016

Porous poly(l-lactide), PLLA, and poly(d-lactide), PDLA, films were fabricated by the electric breath figure (EBF) method.
Correction: Removal of dyes by a novel fly ash–chitosan–graphene oxide composite adsorbent
Authors: Sheng Guanghong , Zhu Shuang , Wang Shisheng , Wang Zhiyu
Published: March 2016

Correction for ‘Removal of dyes by a novel fly ash–chitosan–graphene oxide composite adsorbent’ by Guanghong Sheng et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 17987–17994.
Correction: Nano-micellar Zn(Cys)2 complex mimics the chloroperoxidase active site
Authors: Akbarzadeh Mohammad M.
Published: March 2016

Correction for ‘Nano-micellar Zn(Cys)2 complex mimics the chloroperoxidase active site’ by Mohammad M. Akbarzadeh et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 12081–12083.
Design and synthesis of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porous carbon via two-dimensional interlayer confinement for a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Zhang Jie , Yang Zhanxu , Qiu Jiyicheng , Lee Hyun-Wook
Published: March 2016

Nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) co-doped porous carbon materials (NSPCs) have been prepared by the two-dimensional interlayer confinement effect of a layered double hydroxide (LDH).
Nitrogen and sulfur co-doping of partially exfoliated MWCNTs as 3-D structured electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Wang Jie , Wu Zexing , Han Lili , Lin Ruoqian , Xiao Weiping , Xuan Cuijuan , Xin Huolin. L. , Wang Deli
Published: March 2016

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doping of graphene nanoribbon/CNT composites is obtained by using high temperature heat-treated thiourea with partially unzipped MWCNTs which exhibit excellent catalytic performance for the ORR with similar onset and half-wave potentials as Pt/C.
Synergistic effects towards H2oxidation on the Cu–CeO2electrode: a combination study with DFT calculations and experiments
Authors: Wang Shuang , Zheng Minghao , Li Mei , Wu Xiaojun , Xia Changrong
Published: March 2016

Cu cluster suppresses the oxygen vacancy formation at the interface while dramatically reduces the energy barrier for hydrogen oxidation, consistent with the experiments that Cu particles greatly strengthen the catalytic activity for anode reaction.
A pinecone-inspired nanostructure design for long-cycle and high performance Si anodes
Authors: Xue Yinghui , Deng Jingwen , Wang Cheng , Mendes Rafael G. , Chen Linfeng , Xiao Yao , Zhang Qin , Zhang Tao , Hu Xuebo , Li Xianglong , Rümmeli Mark H. , Fu Lei
Published: March 2016

A pinecone-like three-dimensional hierarchical heterostructure is designed and it shows great potential for lithium storage.
A long-term corrosion barrier with an insulating boron nitride monolayer
Authors: Shen Liting , Zhao Yuda , Wang Yi , Song Ruobing , Yao Qian , Chen Shanshan , Chai Yang
Published: March 2016

Insulating hexagonal boron nitride suppresses the electrochemical corrosion and provides a more effective long-term corrosion barrier than graphene.
Efficient energy harvesting of a GaN p–n junction piezoelectric generator through suppressed internal field screening
Authors: Kang Jin-Ho , Ebaid Mohamed , Jeong Dae Kyung , Lee June Key , Ryu Sang-Wan
Published: March 2016

A high-efficiency GaN-based thin film piezoelectric energy harvester was demonstrated by suppressed screening of a piezoelectric field with the aid of a p–n diode junction.
Building a poly(epoxy propylimidazolium ionic liquid)/graphene hybrid through πcation–π interaction for fabricating high-k polymer composites with low dielectric loss and percolation threshold
Authors: Xu Chunxi , Yuan Li , Liang Guozheng , Gu Aijuan
Published: March 2016

High-k polymer composites with low dielectric loss and percolation threshold were developed by building a unique poly(epoxy propylimidazolium ionic liquid)–graphene hybrid.
Low‐complexity near‐optimal detection of dc2‐balanced codes
Authors: Immink K.A.S.
Published: March 2016

Two constructions of a low‐complexity near‐optimal detection method of dc2‐balanced codes are presented. The methods presented are improvements on Slepian's algorithm for optimal detection of permutation codes.
3D‐FDTD‐based hybridisation technique for wave interaction with scatterers in layered media
Authors: Vincent J. , Borderies P. , Poirier J.R. , Gobin V.
Published: March 2016

A simple method for the computation of 3D scatterers remotely located from the source with layered media is presented. This domain decomposition method is based on the total‐field/scattered‐field formulation of the 3D finite‐difference in time‐domain method. The electromagnetic field along the propagation path is not directly involved; it focuses only on the electromagnetic field in the surroundings of the scatterer. The incident electromagnetic field radiated from the source is computed separately with an adaptive algorithm and then applied on the Huygens’ surface, leading to the proposed hybridisation technique.
Modular continuous wavelet processing of biosignals: extracting heart rate and oxygen saturation from a video signal
Authors: Addison Paul S.
Published: March 2016

A novel method of extracting heart rate and oxygen saturation from a video‐based biosignal is described. The method comprises a novel modular continuous wavelet transform approach which includes: performing the transform, undertaking running wavelet archetyping to enhance the pulse information, extraction of the pulse ridge time–frequency information [and thus a heart rate (HRvid) signal], creation of a wavelet ratio surface, projection of the pulse ridge onto the ratio surface to determine the ratio of ratios from which a saturation trending signal is derived, and calibrating this signal to provide an absolute saturation signal (SvidO2). The method is illustrated through its application to a video photoplethysmogram acquired during a porcine model of acute desaturation. The modular continuous wavelet transform‐based approach is advocated by the author as a powerful methodology to deal with noisy, non‐stationary biosignals in general.
Relevance of health level 7 clinical document architecture and integrating the healthcare enterprise cross‐enterprise document sharing profile for managing chronic wounds in a telemedicine context
Authors: Finet Philippe , Gibaud Bernard , Dameron Olivier , Le Bouquin Jeannès Régine
Published: March 2016

The number of patients with complications associated with chronic diseases increases with the ageing population. In particular, complex chronic wounds raise the re‐admission rate in hospitals. In this context, the implementation of a telemedicine application in Basse‐Normandie, France, contributes to reduce hospital stays and transport. This application requires a new collaboration among general practitioners, private duty nurses and the hospital staff. However, the main constraint mentioned by the users of this system is the lack of interoperability between the information system of this application and various partners’ information systems. To improve medical data exchanges, the authors propose a new implementation based on the introduction of interoperable clinical documents and a digital document repository for managing the sharing of the documents between the telemedicine application users. They then show that this technical solution is suitable for any telemedicine application and any document sharing system in a healthcare facility or network.
Impact of spatial correlation on the BER performance of cooperative wireless relay networks with OSTBC
Authors: Torabi Mohammad , Frigon Jean‐François , Haccoun David
Published: March 2016

In this study, the authors analyse the impact of spatial correlation on the average bit error‐rate (BER) performance of amplify‐and‐forward cooperative relay networks employing Alamouti orthogonal space‐time block coding (OSTBC) over Rayleigh fading channels. Closed‐form expressions are derived for the moment generating function of the total signal‐to‐noise‐ratio (SNR). The authors then obtain closed‐form expressions for the average BER of the system as well as asymptotic expressions for the average BER at high SNRs. To quantify the effects of antenna correlation on the system performance, numerical results are provided and compared for different cases.
Efficient modulation and demodulation methods for multi‐carrier communication
Authors: Chen Zhimin , Wu Lenan , Chen Peng
Published: March 2016

The modulation and demodulation problems for efficient multi‐carrier communications are considered in this study. To maintain compact spectrum and realise dense multi‐carrier transmission, a novel modulation method based on random hopping position, namely time hopping m‐ary phase position shift keying (TH‐MPPSK), is proposed to remove the discrete spectrum. Then, a multi‐carrier scheme without guard interval among subcarriers is provided to reduce complexity in the practical communication systems. Moreover, a novel demodulation method is proposed to improve the efficient communication performance. Simulation results demonstrate that the TH‐MPPSK can significantly remove the discrete spectrum and the proposed demodulation method can satisfactory performance.
Cooperative interference cancellation for cellular networks with imperfect CCSI
Authors: Ustok Refik Fatih , Dmochowski Pawel A. , Smith Peter J. , Shafi Mansoor
Published: March 2016

In this study, the authors investigate the impact of cooperation in an interference limited downlink cellular network. The authors identify the areas in which the transmissions of adjacent cells overlap in a 19 cell network for urban and suburban environments. They assume that the cooperative users are located in these overlapping areas and thus can receive channel information from neighbouring base stations (BSs) to cancel intercell interference. They also study the performance of such systems with various types of precoding techniques. They demonstrate that they can improve the system performance employing precoders that maximise signal‐to‐leakage‐noise ratios for each user. They also consider imperfect cross channel state information (CCSI) between cooperative users and interfering BSs. Furthermore, they analytically derive the additional intercell interference that is caused by imperfect CCSI at the receivers. The results demonstrate that the system can achieve better sum rates with cooperation, however this improvement is susceptible to the accuracy of the CCSI. They show that imperfect CCSI degrades the cooperation gains drastically.
Optimal power allocation over parallel Gaussian channels in cognitive radio and jammer games
Authors: Slimeni Feten , Le Nir Vincent , Scheers Bart , Chtourou Zied , Attia Rabah
Published: March 2016

Cognitive jammers are able to deploy advanced strategies that degrade the performance of cognitive radio (CR) user communications. In this study, the authors study the problem of power allocation in CR user and jammer games, over parallel Gaussian channels. They model the interaction between a communicator (a transmitter–receiver pair) and a jammer using zero‐sum games with continuous action sets; they describe unilateral, Nash and Stackelberg games. They compare the Nash equilibrium (NE), the Stackelberg equilibrium and the minmax/maxmin optimal power allocations through the simulation of the diverse game scenarios. Finally, they give the theoretical proof of existence and uniqueness of the NE.
Efficient methods using slanted support windows for slanted surfaces
Authors: Li Xuesong , Liu Jianguo , Chen Guang , Fu Heng
Published: March 2016

The frontal‐parallel assumption is made by many matching algorithms, but this assumption fails for slanted surfaces. This study proposes a matching algorithm intended to improve the matching results for slanted surfaces. First, a mathematical model is constructed to prove that slanted surfaces in the environment have corresponding slanted disparity surfaces in the disparity space image, and the model is to help find the proper plane parameters of slanted support windows, then improved cost aggregation and post‐processing methods are proposed. The algorithm is tested using the Middlebury and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technical Institute at Chicago (KITTI) benchmarks. The results demonstrate that the algorithm exhibits good performance and is efficient for slanted surfaces.
Sparse representation based on vector extension of reduced quaternion matrix for multiscale image denoising
Authors: Gai Shan , Wang Long , Yang Guowei , Yang Peng
Published: March 2016

Sparse representations of multi‐channel signals have drawn considerable interest in recent years. In this study, a new vector‐valued sparse representation model is proposed for colour images using reduced quaternion matrix (RQM). The colour image is described as a RQM by the proposed model. In the dictionary training state, k‐means clustering RQM value decomposition is proposed which makes sparse basis selection in quaternion space. Then, a reduced quaternion‐based orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm is presented in the sparse coding stage. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed sparse representation model, the authors apply the model to common colour image processing problem‐colour image denoising. The proposed model is compared with other sparse models for colour image denoising in terms of visual quality and peak signal‐to‐noise ratio. The experimental results indicate that the proposed image sparse model is competitive with other sparse models.
Converter utilisation ratio assessment for total harmonic distortion optimisation in cascaded H‐bridge multi‐level inverters
Authors: Khamooshi Reza , Namadmalan Alireza
Published: March 2016

This study presents a new solution for harmonic optimisation of multi‐level inverters using variable DC sources. The new approach is based on converter utilisation ratio consideration for total harmonic distortion (THD) minimisation. In the proposed solution, switch utilisation ratio (SUR) is introduced as an indication of efficient operation of multi‐level converters and is maximised in the final THD minimisation objective functions for both phase and line–line voltages. According to the calculated formula, by SUR maximisation, the DC‐link voltages of the cells are minimised which is essential for medium‐ and high‐voltage applications. Alterable DC sources are also considered as degrees of freedom in the final target functions which results in feasible solution for the entire range of the modulation indices. In order to investigate the proposed technique, the simulations are performed for 5‐, 7‐, 9‐ and 11‐level cascaded H‐bridge inverters. Finally, experimental results validate the effectiveness of the suggested scheme for five‐ and seven‐level inverters.
Microwave magnetic dynamics in ferromagnetic metallic nanostructures lacking inversion symmetry
Authors: Kostylev M. , Yang Z. , Maksymov I. S. , Ding J. , Samarin S. , Adeyeye A. O.
Published: March 2016

In this work, we carried out systematic experimental and theoretical investigations of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) responses of quasi-two-dimensional magnetic objects—macroscopically long stripes with nanoscale cross-section made of ferromagnetic metals. We were interested in the impact of the symmetries of this geometry on the FMR response. Three possible scenarios from which the inversion symmetry break originated were investigated, namely: (1) from the shape of the stripe cross-section, (2) from the double-layer structure of the stripes with exchange coupling between the layers, and (3) from the single-side incidence of the microwave magnetic field on the plane of the stripe array. The latter scenario is a characteristic of the stripline FMR configuration. It was found that the combined effect of the three symmetry breaks is much stronger than the impacts of each of these symmetry breaks separately.
p+-doping analysis of laser fired contacts for silicon solar cells by Kelvin probe force microscopy
Authors: Ebser J. , Sommer D. , Fritz S. , Schiele Y. , Hahn G. , Terheiden B.
Published: March 2016

Local rear contacts for silicon passivated emitter and rear contact solar cells can be established by point-wise treating an Al layer with laser radiation and thereby establishing an electrical contact between Al and Si bulk through the dielectric passivation layer. In this laser fired contacts (LFC) process, Al can establish a few μm thick p+-doped Si region below the metal/Si interface and forms in this way a local back surface field which reduces carrier recombination at the contacts. In this work, the applicability of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to the investigation of LFCs considering the p+-doping distribution is demonstrated. The method is based on atomic force microscopy and enables the evaluation of the lateral 2D Fermi-level characteristics at sub-micrometer resolution. The distribution of the electrical potential and therefore the local hole concentration in and around the laser fired region can be measured. KPFM is performed on mechanically polished cross-sections of p+-doped Si regions formed by the LFC process. The sample preparation is of great importance because the KPFM signal is very surface sensitive. Furthermore, the measurement is responsive to sample illumination and the height of the applied voltage between tip and sample. With other measurement techniques like micro-Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical capacitance-voltage, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, a high local hole concentration in the range of 1019 cm−3 is demonstrated in the laser fired region. This provides, in combination with the high spatial resolution of the doping distribution measured by KPFM, a promising approach for microscopic understanding and further optimization of the LFC process.
Crater jet morphology
Authors: Badr Sarah , Gauthier Georges , Gondret Philippe
Published: March 2016

We present a detailed analysis of the morphology of craters induced by a round gas jet impinging vertically onto horizontal non-cohesive granular bed. The virtual origin of the jet from a self-similar model is taken into account both in the size scaling of the craters and in the inertial Shields number that governs the erosive processes. Two intrinsic types of craters with different morphologies are found and characterized in detail from shallow parabolic craters (type I) to deep conical craters (type II) whereas a flat central part arises from a finite bed thickness and leads to truncated morphologies. The transitions between the different crater morphologies are also analyzed in detail. The local Shields number based on the local velocity at the evolving bed surface is shown to depend on the local crater shape at the impinging point of the jet.
Comment on “Fokker-Planck equations for nonlinear dynamical systems driven by non-Gaussian Lévy processes” [J. Math. Phys. 53, 072701 (2012)]
Authors: Magdziarz Marcin , Zorawik Tomasz
Published: March 2016

In the proof of Theorem 1 in Sun and Duan [J. Math. Phys. 53, 072701 (2012)], the authors use the Taylor expansion to represent an arbitrary infinitely differentiable function with compact support, which is incorrect. We prove that although the derivation is incorrect, the statement of Theorem 1 remains valid if we add certain additional assumptions.
An implicit divalent counterion force field for RNA molecular dynamics
Authors: Henke Paul S. , Mak Chi H.
Published: March 2016

How to properly account for polyvalent counterions in a molecular dynamics simulation of polyelectrolytes such as nucleic acids remains an open question. Not only do counterions such as Mg2+ screen electrostatic interactions, they also produce attractive intrachain interactions that stabilize secondary and tertiary structures. Here, we show how a simple force field derived from a recently reported implicit counterion model can be integrated into a molecular dynamics simulation for RNAs to realistically reproduce key structural details of both single-stranded and base-paired RNA constructs. This divalent counterion model is computationally efficient. It works with existing atomistic force fields, or coarse-grained models may be tuned to work with it. We provide optimized parameters for a coarse-grained RNA model that takes advantage of this new counterion force field. Using the new model, we illustrate how the structural flexibility of RNA two-way junctions is modified under different salt conditions.
Ab initio parameterization of a charge optimized many-body forcefield for Si–SiO2: Validation and thermal transport in nanostructures
Authors: France-Lanord Arthur , Soukiassian Patrick , Glattli Christian , Wimmer Erich
Published: March 2016

In an effort to extend the reach of current ab initio calculations to simulations requiring millions of configurations for complex systems such as heterostructures, we have parameterized the third-generation Charge Optimized Many-Body (COMB3) potential using solely ab initio total energies, forces, and stress tensors as input. The quality and the predictive power of the new forcefield are assessed by computing properties including the cohesive energy and density of SiO2 polymorphs, surface energies of alpha-quartz, and phonon densities of states of crystalline and amorphous phases of SiO2. Comparison with data from experiments, ab initio calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations using published forcefields including BKS (van Beest, Kramer, and van Santen), ReaxFF, and COMB2 demonstrates an overall improvement of the new parameterization. The computed temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of crystalline alpha-quartz and the Kapitza resistance of the interface between crystalline Si(001) and amorphous silica is in excellent agreement with experiment, setting the stage for simulations of complex nanoscale heterostructures.
Suppression of a Brownian noise in a hole-type sensor due to induced-charge electro-osmosis
Authors: Sugioka Hideyuki
Published: March 2016

Noise reduction is essential for a single molecular sensor. Thus, we propose a novel noise reduction mechanism using a hydrodynamic force due to induced-charge electro-osmosis (ICEO) in a hole-type sensor and numerically examine the performance. By the boundary element method that considers both a Brownian motion and an ICEO flow of a polarizable particle, we find that the Brownian noise in a current signal is suppressed significantly in a converging channel because of the ICEO flow around the particle in the presence of an electric field. Further, we propose a simple model that explains a numerically obtained threshold voltage of the suppression of the Brownian noise due to ICEO. We believe that our findings contribute greatly to developments of a single molecular sensor.
Three-dimensional simulations of low foot and high foot implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility
Authors: Clark D. S. , Weber C. R. , Milovich J. L. , Salmonson J. D. , Kritcher A. L. , Haan S. W. , Hammel B. A. , Hinkel D. E. , Hurricane O. A. , Jones O. S. , Marinak M. M. , Patel P. K. , Robey H. F. , Sepke S. M. , Edwards M. J.
Published: March 2016

In order to achieve the several hundred Gbar stagnation pressures necessary for inertial confinement fusion ignition, implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [E. I. Moses et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)] require the compression of deuterium-tritium fuel layers by a convergence ratio as high as forty. Such high convergence implosions are subject to degradation by a range of perturbations, including the growth of small-scale defects due to hydrodynamic instabilities, as well as longer scale modulations due to radiation flux asymmetries in the enclosing hohlraum. Due to the broad range of scales involved, and also the genuinely three-dimensional (3D) character of the flow, accurately modeling NIF implosions remains at the edge of current simulation capabilities. This paper describes the current state of progress of 3D capsule-only simulations of NIF implosions aimed at accurately describing the performance of specific NIF experiments. Current simulations include the effects of hohlraum radiation asymmetries, capsule surface defects, the capsule support tent and fill tube, and use a grid resolution shown to be converged in companion two-dimensional simulations. The results of detailed simulations of low foot implosions from the National Ignition Campaign are contrasted against results for more recent high foot implosions. While the simulations suggest that low foot performance was dominated by ablation front instability growth, especially the defect seeded by the capsule support tent, high foot implosions appear to be dominated by hohlraum flux asymmetries, although the support tent still plays a significant role. For both implosion types, the simulations show reasonable, though not perfect, agreement with the data and suggest that a reliable predictive capability is developing to guide future implosions toward ignition.
A horizontal vane radiometer: Experiment, theory, and simulation
Authors: Wolfe David , Larraza Andres , Garcia Alejandro
Published: March 2016

The existence of two motive forces on a Crookes radiometer has complicated the investigation of either force independently. The thermal creep shear force in particular has been subject to differing interpretations of the direction in which it acts and its order of magnitude. In this article, we provide a horizontal vane radiometer design which isolates the thermal creep shear force. The horizontal vane radiometer is explored through experiment, kinetic theory, and the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The qualitative agreement between the three methods of investigation is good except for a dependence of the force on the width of the vane even when the temperature gradient is narrower than the vane which is present in the DSMC method results but not in the theory. The experimental results qualitatively resemble the theory in this regard. The quantitative agreement between the three methods of investigation is better than an order of magnitude in the cases examined. The theory is closer to the experimental values for narrow vanes and the simulations are closer to the experimental values for the wide vanes. We find that the thermal creep force acts from the hot side to the cold side of the vane. We also find the peak in the radiometer’s angular speed as a function of pressure is explained as much by the behavior of the drag force as by the behavior of the thermal creep force.
Residual thermal effects in macro fiber composite actuators exposed to persistent temperature cycling
Authors: Hobeck J. D. , Owen R. B. , Inman D. J.
Published: March 2016

In this letter, the authors present results of an experimental investigation demonstrating how extreme persistent thermal cycling influences the performance of piezoelectric macro fiber composite (MFC) actuators. More specifically, this research shows how repeated temperature cycling ranging from −60 °C to 90 °C and from −50 °C to 150 °C affects an MFCs ability to actuate while being driven at frequencies of 60 Hz to 90 Hz with a voltage of 20 Vpp. Experimental results show that thermal cycling causes MFC actuation characteristics to drift and eventually stabilize after approximately 20 cycles. In two cases presented here, thermal cycling alone caused a residual increase in actuation amplitude that exceeded the initial amplitude by 70%. This apparent thermal memory effect of MFCs may significantly impact the design and analysis of active structures where MFCs are used for vibration or displacement control in transient extreme temperature environments such as those encountered by aerospace structures, industrial equipment, automobiles, and civil infrastructure.
Camera traps in the canopy: surveying wildlife at tree hollow entrances
Authors: Cotsell Nigel , Vernes Karl
Published: March 2016

This is the first comprehensive camera trap study to examine hollow usage by wildlife in the canopy of trees. Eighty cameras directed at tree hollows were deployed across eight sites in nine species of eucalypt in north-east New South Wales. In total, 38 species (including 21 birds, 9 mammals and 8 reptiles) were recorded at hollow entrances over a three-month period. There was a significant difference between wildlife hollow usage associated with site disturbance and tree growth stage (ANOSIM, P > 0.05); however, there was no significant difference associated with tree hollow diameter (ANOSIM, P > 0.05). The level of anthropogenic disturbance at each site, including vegetation modification of the understorey, was a significant predictor of species presence. Despite the limitations of using camera traps in the canopy of trees this study demonstrates the potential to garner useful insights into the ecology and behaviour of arboreal wildlife.
Assessment of the network of protected areas for birds in Taiwan with regard to functional and phylogenetic diversity
Authors: Chen Hungyen , Nagai Satoshi , Kishino Hirohisa
Published: March 2016

In Taiwan, conserved areas represent more than 20% of the current jurisdiction, which is about twice that of the proportion of protected land worldwide. In this study, we explored the spatial distribution of bird assemblages in Taiwan. By analysing functional and phylogenetic diversity relative to elevational gradient, we assessed the network of bird protected areas. Hotspots of species richness were located at the coastal areas of northern and western Taiwan, although hotspots for protected bird species were located in the mountain areas. We found that phylogenetically close birds have similar trait values, and the protected species were evenly distributed in the functional and phylogenetic trees. The assemblages in higher-elevation areas were more phylogenetically clumped than those in lower-elevation areas, indicating that, in addition to elevational gradient, phylogenetic constraint may be a crucial factor that influences bird distribution in Taiwan. However, the current bird protected areas in Taiwan may overly depend on species richness and overlook the importance of the overall phylogenetic diversity.
Task-related effects in the prosody of Spanish heritage speakers and long-term immigrants
Authors: Colantoni Laura , Cuza Alejandro , Mazzaro Natalia
Published: March 2016

We compare the extent to which Spanish heritage speakers and long-term immigrants in the United States differ in their intonation of broad focus declaratives, and propose that the between-group variability is motivated by the specific language learning/literacy conditions of each group. Results from a phonetically balanced reading task and an elicited narrative revealed significant differences between the two groups in their realization of pitch accents in read speech but not in the narratives. These results suggest that less-controlled tasks are more representative of the bilingual status of adult bilinguals, and that metalinguistic tasks, such as reading aloud, should be implemented with caution, crucially among Spanish heritage speakers who are in a semi-diglossic situation in the United States.
Focus and prosody in Spanish and Quechua
Authors: Muntendam Antje , Torreira Francisco
Published: March 2016

This paper reports the results of a study on the prosodic marking of broad and contrastive focus in three language varieties of which two are in contact: bilingual Peruvian Spanish, Quechua and Peninsular Spanish. An interactive communicative task revealed that the prosodic marking of contrastive focus was limited in all three language varieties. No systematic correspondence was observed between specific contour/accent types and focus, and the phonetic marking of contrastive focus was weak and restricted to phrase-final position. Interestingly, we identified two contours for bilingual Peruvian Spanish that were present in Quechua, but not in Peninsular Spanish, providing evidence for a prosodic transfer from Quechua to Spanish in Quechua-Spanish bilinguals.
Cost of the action and social distance affect the selection of question intonation in Catalan
Authors: Astruc-Aguilera Lluïsa , del Mar Vanrell Maria , Prieto Pilar
Published: March 2016

This chapter examines how politeness in offers and requests is encoded by intonation in Catalan, a language which uses two distinct intonational pitch contours for unbiased yes-no questions. Fifteen Central Catalan speakers participated in a Discourse Completion Task that elicited offers and requests in scenarios controlled for level of social distance, power, and cost of the action. The data were prosodically and pragmatically analyzed. The results showed that cost of the action and social distance have significant effects on intonation choices: speakers used rising pitch pattern more frequently with high-level than with low-level cost offers and requests, and also with high-level distance requests. In general, the falling pattern tended to be used more frequently with offers. The study shows that politeness factors need to be taken into account in the description of intonation choices across languages.
Intonation modeling in cross-linguistic research
Authors: Barbosa Plínio A.
Published: March 2016

This chapter uses the analysis-by-synthesis technique in the framework of the PENTA model to find general patterns of F0 associated with the functions of boundary marking and prominence in two varieties of Portuguese. Both European and Brazilian Portuguese intonation patterns are investigated in two speaking styles, reading and storytelling, within the domain of the phonological word with four speakers per variety. Results show that, despite some individual differences, both varieties mark the terminal boundaries with sharp falling contours and realise non-terminal boundaries with rising contours in storytelling and rising and falling contours in reading. In both speaking styles prominence is realised by falling contours in EP against rising contours in BP reading and both directions in BP storytelling.
Prosody and Emotion in Brazilian Portuguese
Authors: de Moraes João Antônio , Rilliard Albert
Published: March 2016

This study addresses the production and perception of four emotions (anger, joy, sadness, and fear) performed in Brazilian Portuguese sentences of different modes: declarative (assertions), interrogative (yes/no questions), and imperative (orders). The results of an acoustic analysis and of perception tests are presented. Fundamental frequency and duration are both modified by the expression of emotions and sentence modes. Expressions of emotions mostly affect the mean register, while sentence modes mostly affect the shape of the intonation contour. The relative perceptual importance of audio and visual cues in the recognition of emotions and modes is discussed: audio cues carry less information than visual ones to recognize emotions, but more to recognize modes.
The intonational meaning of polar questions in Manchego Spanish spontaneous speech
Authors: Henriksen Nicholas , Armstrong Meghan E. , García-Amaya Lorenzo
Published: March 2016

Previous work on Spanish intonation has not sufficiently addressed the formmeaning patterns that govern pragmatic use in spontaneous interaction. This study is an initial attempt to examine the pragmatic use of polar question intonation in Manchego Spanish conversational speech. First, we document L+H H% and L+H L% as the most common nuclear configurations. Second, we argue that for these two configurations, speakers communicate a layer of meaning in addition to interrogativity: L+H H% signals speaker-attributed thoughts, whereas L+H L% signals other-attributed thoughts. These results constitute empirical support for Escandell-Vidal’s (1998) Relevance Theory account on polar question intonation in Peninsular Spanish. One contribution of our empirical approach is that we show that L H% configurations are especially rare in spontaneous speech.
Declarative utterances in Buenos Aires Spanish
Authors: Labastía Leopoldo Omar
Published: March 2016

This chapter aims to explore an aspect of the interface between prosody and pragmatics by examining the contribution of intonation to the process of utterance interpretation in spontaneous speech. Buenos Aires Spanish has three nuclear pitch accent + boundary tone configurations associated with declarative utterances: (a) high-falling (H+L L%); (b) low (L L%); (c) risingfalling (L+H+L L%). All three can be used to assert a given state of affairs, but each encodes a different pragmatic meaning, associated with the strength and emphasis with which the state of affairs is communicated and with the type of cognitive effect to be achieved by the utterance. The prosodic analysis is carried out using the Autosegmental-Metrical approach, and the pragmatic analysis follows Relevance Theory.
Towards automatic language processing and intonational labeling in European Portuguese
Authors: Moniz Helena , Batista Fernando , Mata Ana Isabel , Trancoso Isabel
Published: March 2016

This work describes a framework that encompasses multi-layered linguistic information, focusing on prosodic features (pitch, energy, and tempo patterns), uses such features to distinguish between sentence-form types and disfluency/fluency repairs, and contributes to the characterization of intonational patterns of spontaneous and prepared speech in European Portuguese. Different machine learning methods have been applied for discriminating between structural metadata events, both in university lectures and in map-task dialogues, containing large amounts of spontaneous speech. Results show that prosodic features, and particularly a set of very informative features, are crucial to distinguish between sentence-form types and disfluency/fluency repair events. This is the first work for European Portuguese on both fully automatic processing of multi-layered linguistically description of spoken corpora and intonational labeling.
Prosodic and gestural features distinguish the intention of pointing gestures in child-directed communication
Authors: Esteve-Gibert Núria , Liszkowski Ulf , Prieto Pilar
Published: March 2016

Previous literature had found that infants rely on the social-contextual information to understand the pragmatic meaning of a pointing gesture. Our study investigates the prosodic and gesture features accompanying a pointing gesture that infants may also use to infer its meaning. Nine caregiver-infant dyads played three games designed to elicit pointing acts with either an expressive, imperative, or informative pragmatic meaning. Results show that in all pragmatic situations caregivers mostly combine pointing gestures with speech to direct the infants attention to an object, and that in child-directed communication specific prosodic (intonation contour, pitch range, and mean syllable duration) and gesture features (hand shape, gesture duration, and the gesture’s lexical affiliate) indicate the pragmatic meaning of a pointing gesture.
Prosody in Portuguese Children with HighFunctioning Autism
Authors: Filipe Marisa , Frota Sónia , Villagomez Adrienne , Vicente Selene G.
Published: March 2016

There is a lack of research investigating prosody in Portuguese children with autism. In this chapter, we analyze 15 Portuguese children aged 5–9 years with high-functioning autism (HFA) in comparison to their typically developing peers. We also evaluated nonverbal intelligence, vocabulary, phonological awareness, pragmatics, attention, and executive functions. Statistical analyses, using pairwise matching of nonverbal intelligence and chronological age, suggested that children with HFA have difficulties perceiving and imitating prosodic patterns, as well as difficulties understanding or effectively producing some of the communicative functions conveyed by prosody. Findings suggested a significant positive correlation between prosody and other language domains. Additionally, two case studies were conducted to further discuss the prosodic impairments.
Early Prosodic Development
Authors: Frota Sónia , Cruz Marisa , Matos Nuno , Vigário Marina
Published: March 2016

Studies of emerging prosody from the word to the phrase, integrating various sources of evidence, are scarce, and our understanding of the pathways of prosodic development is still very limited. An investigation of emerging intonation and prosodic phrasing was undertaken on the basis of production data on intonation and duration patterns from the speech of two European Portuguese children between 1;00 and 2;04. The results show that both the development of intonation and phrasing were found to precede the onset of combinatorial speech, and to coincide in time with critical points in lexical development. Prosodic phrasing evolved in three steps, by the unfolding of key prosodic levels. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to early prosodic development across languages.