bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acoustic metamaterial plate embedded with Helmholtz resonators for extraordinary sound transmission loss
Authors: Yamamoto Takashi
Published: June 2018

A new acoustic metamaterial plate (AMP) is proposed herein. The plate incorporates Helmholtz resonators that are periodically embedded at intervals shorter than acoustic wavelengths. This metamaterial plate exhibits extraordinary sound transmission loss (STL) at the resonance frequency of the Helmholtz resonators compared to a conventional flat plate. The STL of the AMP can be theoretically analyzed using the effective mass density and flexural rigidity. At the resonant frequency, the dynamic density of the AMP becomes much larger than that of a conventional solid flat plate with the same mass. When the Helmholtz resonant frequency is tuned to the coincidence frequency of the AMP, the dip in transmission loss owing to the coincidence effect is not observed. The frequency band, wherein high STL occurs, is narrow; however, the frequency band can be widened by embedding multiple resonators with slightly different resonant frequencies. Numerical experiments are also performed to demonstrate the acoustic performance of the proposed system. In the simulation, Helmholtz resonators with the 2.1-kHz resonant frequency are embedded at 20-mm intervals inside a 6-mm-thick flat glass plate. Analytical solutions of this system agree well with numerical solutions for various incidence angles of incoming plane waves. In this configuration, we find that the degradation of STL caused by the coincidence effect is nearly eliminated for waves that are incident at random angles.
Limit behavior of mass critical Hartree minimization problems with steep potential wells
Authors: Guo Yujin , Luo Yong , Wang Zhi-Qiang
Published: June 2018

We consider minimizers of the following mass critical Hartree minimization problem: eλ(N)≔inf{u∈H1(Rd), ‖u‖22=N}Eλ(u), where d ≥ 3, λ > 0, and the Hartree energy functional Eλ(u) is defined by Eλ(u)≔∫Rd|∇u(x)|2dx+λ∫Rdg(x)u2(x)dx−12∫Rd∫Rdu2(x)u2(y)|x−y|2dxdy. Here the steep potential g(x) satisfies 0=g(0)=infRdg(x)≤g(x)≤1 and 1−g(x)∈Ld2(Rd). We prove that there exists a constant N* > 0, independent of λg(x), such that if N ≥ N*, then eλ(N) does not admit minimizers for any λ > 0; if 0 < N < N*, then there exists a constant λ*(N) > 0 such that eλ(N) admits minimizers for any λ > λ*(N) and eλ(N) does not admit minimizers for 0 < λ < λ*(N). For any given 0 < N < N*, the limit behavior of positive minimizers for eλ(N) is also studied as λ → ∞, where the mass concentrates at the bottom of g(x).
Magnetoelectric ϵ-Fe2O3: DFT study of a potential candidate for electrode material in photoelectrochemical cells
Authors: Ahamed Imran , Ulman Kanchan , Seriani Nicola , Gebauer Ralph , Kashyap Arti
Published: June 2018

The metastable iron oxide ϵ-Fe2O3 is rare but known for its magnetoelectric properties. While the more common alpha phase has been recognized for a long time as a suitable material for photoelectrochemical cells, its use is limited because of the electron-hole recombination problem when exposed to light. The indirect bandgap of the epsilon phase with its spontaneous polarization may offer a better potential for the application in photoelectrochemistry. Here, we report a detailed study of the electronic and structural features of the epsilon phase of iron oxide, its stability in thin films, and possible water dissociation reactions. Our studies are performed using density functional theory with a Hubbard-U correction. We observe that the stable ϵ-Fe2O3 surfaces favor the dissociation of water. The average difference in the energies of the states when water is adsorbed and when it is dissociated is roughly found to be −0.40 eV. Our results compare with the available experimental results where the epsilon phase is reported to be more efficient for the release of hydrogen from renewable oxygenates when exposed to sunlight.
Non-thermal effect of electron cyclotron resonance heating on the Alfvén eigenmodes
Authors: Marchenko V. S. , Reznik S. N.
Published: June 2018

The combined effect of the plasma pressure gradient and the radial electric drift induced by horizontal polarization of the plasma during electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) on the Alfvén eigenmodes is investigated. Two cases are considered: the reversed-shear Alfvén eigenmode (RSAE) and the toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE). RSAE is completely eliminated at a fairly low ECRH power provided the flux surfaces at the mode location are properly polarized, i.e., negative (positive) excessive charge at the low (high) field side. In contrast, no significant effect on the TAE is found for realistic ECRH powers deposited close to the toroidal gap location. The possible relation of these results with recent experiments in tokamaks is discussed.
Molecular dynamics simulations of acoustic absorption by a carbon nanotube
Authors: Ayub M. , Zander A. C. , Huang D. M. , Howard C. Q. , Cazzolato B. S.
Published: June 2018

Acoustic absorption by a carbon nanotube (CNT) was studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in a molecular domain containing a monatomic gas driven by a time-varying periodic force to simulate acoustic wave propagation. Attenuation of the sound wave and the characteristics of the sound field due to interactions with the CNT were studied by evaluating the behavior of various acoustic parameters and comparing the behavior with that of the domain without the CNT present. A standing wave model was developed for the CNT-containing system to predict sound attenuation by the CNT and the results were verified against estimates of attenuation using the thermodynamic concept of exergy. This study demonstrates acoustic absorption effects of a CNT in a thermostatted MD simulation, quantifies the acoustic losses induced by the CNT, and illustrates their effects on the CNT. Overall, a platform was developed for MD simulations that can model acoustic damping induced by nanostructured materials such as CNTs, which can be used for further understanding of nanoscale acoustic loss mechanisms associated with molecular interactions between acoustic waves and nanomaterials.
Experimental visualization of the cathode layer in AC surface dielectric barrier discharge
Authors: Kim Sang-You , Lho Taihyeop , Chung Kyu-Sun
Published: June 2018

A narrow etched polyimide line at the bottom edge of a biased electrode (BE) and a non-etched dielectric surface near the biased electrode were observed in an atmospheric AC flexible surface dielectric barrier discharge of polyimide dielectric. These findings are attributed to the bombardment of positive oxygen ions on the bottom edge of the BE and the electron breakdown trajectory not contacting the polyimide surface following the electric field lines formed between the BE edge and the surface charge layer on the dielectric. The length of the non-etched dielectric surface during the first micro-discharge was observed as 22 μm. This occurred, regardless of three different operating durations, which is in good agreement with the length of the cathode layer according to Paschen's law.
Evaluation of the thermal conductance of flip-chip bonding structure utilizing the measurement based on Fourier’s law of heat conduction at steady-state
Authors: Wu Chia-Yu , Huang Yin-Hsien , Wu Hsin-Han , Hsieh Tsung-Eong
Published: June 2018

Fourier’s law of heat conduction at steady-state was adopted to establish a measurement method utilizing platinum (Pt) thin-film electrodes as the heater and the temperature sensor. The thermal conductivities (κ’s) of Pyrex glass, an epoxy resin and a commercial underfill for flip-chip devices were measured and a good agreement with previously reported values was obtained. The thermal boundary resistances (RTBR’s) of Pt/sample interfaces were also extracted for discussing their influence on the thermal conduction of samples. Afterward, the flip-chip samples with 2×2 solder joint array utilizing Si wafers as the die and the substrate, without and with the underfills, were prepared and their thermal conductance were measured. For the sample without underfill, the air presenting in the gap of die and the substrate led to the poor thermal conductance of sample. With the insertion of underfills, the thermal conductance of flip-chip samples improved. The resistance to heat transfer across Si/underfill interfaces was also suppressed and to promote the thermal conductance of samples. The thermal properties of underfill and RTBR at Si/underfill interface were further implanted in the calculation of thermal conductance of flip-chip samples containing various solder joint arrays. The increasing number of solder joints diminished the influence of thermal conduction of underfill and RTBR of Si/underfill interface on the thermal conductance of samples. The insertion of underfill with high-κ value might promote the heat conductance of samples containing low-density solder joint arrays; however, it became insignificant in improving the heat conductance of samples containing high-density solder joint arrays.
Kinetics and mechanical stability of the fibril state control fibril formation time of polypeptide chains: A computational study
Authors: Kouza Maksim , Co Nguyen Truong , Li Mai Suan , Kmiecik Sebastian , Kolinski Andrzej , Kloczkowski Andrzej , Buhimschi Irina Alexandra
Published: June 2018

Fibril formation resulting from protein misfolding and aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Despite much progress in the understanding of the protein aggregation process, the factors governing fibril formation rates and fibril stability have not been fully understood. Using lattice models, we have shown that the fibril formation time is controlled by the kinetic stability of the fibril state but not by its energy. Having performed all-atom explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations with the GROMOS43a1 force field for full-length amyloid beta peptides Aβ40 and Aβ42 and truncated peptides, we demonstrated that kinetic stability can be accessed via mechanical stability in such a way that the higher the mechanical stability or the kinetic stability, the faster the fibril formation. This result opens up a new way for predicting fibril formation rates based on mechanical stability that may be easily estimated by steered molecular dynamics.
Bernal stacking-assisted shear exfoliation of nanoplate bilayers
Authors: Jang Inhyuk , Sung Bong June
Published: June 2018

Nanoplates such as graphene and MoS2 are promising materials due to their excellent electronic and mechanical properties. The preparation of such nanoplates is, however, still challenging due to the large free energy barrier that multilayer nanoplates need to overcome during exfoliation. In the case of a Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene, the binding energy between two graphene layers is about 17.8 meV per atom such that harsh chemical and/or mechanical treatment is usually necessary. In this paper, we perform extensive molecular dynamics simulations for a generic model of nanoplates and illustrate that when the shear is applied to the nanoplate bilayer solution, the nanoplate bilayer may exfoliate readily. In our simulations, the free energy barrier that two nanoplate layers need to overcome reaches up to 21.8kBT, where kB and T denote the Boltzmann constant and temperature, respectively. This implies that without external stimuli, the nanoplate bilayer would hardly exfoliate. Upon the application of shear, however, the transition between different Bernal stacked conformations occurs, which provides multiple intermediate states for exfoliation and facilitates the shear exfoliation. We also find that if one were to increase the affinity between the solvent and nanoplates slightly, the free energy barrier would be decreased significantly.
Experimental and numerical investigation of a phase-only control mechanism in the linear intensity regime
Authors: Brühl Elisabeth , Buckup Tiago , Motzkus Marcus
Published: June 2018

Mechanisms and optimal experimental conditions in coherent control still intensely stimulate debates. In this work, a phase-only control mechanism in an open quantum system is investigated experimentally and numerically. Several parameterizations for femtosecond pulse shaping (combination of chirp and multipulses) are exploited in transient absorption of a prototype organic molecule to control population and vibrational coherence in ground and excited states. Experimental results are further numerically simulated and corroborated with a four-level density-matrix model, which reveals a phase-only control mechanism based on the interaction between the tailored phase of the excitation pulse and the induced transient absorption. In spite of performing experiment and numerical simulations in the linear regime of excitation, the control effect amplitude depends non-linearly on the excitation energy and is explained as a pump-dump control mechanism. No evidence of single-photon control is observed with the model. Moreover, our results also show that the control effect on the population and vibrational coherence is highly dependent on the spectral detuning of the excitation spectrum. Contrary to the popular belief in coherent control experiments, spectrally resonant tailored excitation will lead to the control of the excited state only for very specific conditions.
A possible mechanism for confinement power degradation in the TJ-II stellarator
Authors: van Milligen B. Ph. , Carreras B. A. , Hidalgo C. , Cappa Á. ,   TJ-II Team
Published: June 2018

This work uses the outward propagation of spontaneously generated fluctuations of the electron temperature to study heat transport in the TJ-II stellarator. Data from a set of experiments in which the heating power was scanned systematically are analyzed using the transfer entropy. The transfer entropy graph suggests there are at least two modes or channels of propagation: one channel is continuous, reminiscent of diffusion, while the other is non-local, activated mainly when the heating power is large. When the heating power is increased, the region of non-locality expands outwards, leading to the ubiquitously observed deterioration of confinement with heating power.
Unbiased diffusion of Brownian particles in a helical tube
Authors: Chávez Yoshua , Chacón-Acosta Guillermo , Dagdug Leonardo
Published: June 2018

A theoretical framework based on using the Frenet-Serret moving frame as the coordinate system to study the diffusion of bounded Brownian point-like particles has been recently developed [L. Dagdug et al., J. Chem. Phys. 145, 074105 (2016)]. Here, this formalism is extended to a variable cross section tube with a helix with constant torsion and curvature as a mid-curve. For the sake of clarity, we will divide this study into two parts: one for a helical tube with a constant cross section and another for a helical tube with a variable cross section. For helical tubes with a constant cross section, two regimes need to be considered for systematic calculations. On the one hand, in the limit when the curvature is smaller than the inverse of the helical tube radius R, the resulting coefficient is that obtained by Ogawa. On the other hand, we also considered the limit when torsion is small compared to R, and to the best of our knowledge, the expression thus obtained has not been previously reported in the literature. In the more general case of helical tubes with a variable cross section, we also had to limit ourselves to small variations of R. In this case, we obtained one of the main contributions of this work, which is an expression for the diffusivity dependent on R′, torsion, and curvature that consistently reduces to the well-known expressions within the corresponding limits.
Origin of photovoltage in perovskite solar cells probed by first-principles calculations
Authors: Echeverría-Arrondo C.
Published: June 2018

Hybrid halide perovskite solar cells hold great potential for photovoltaic applications, but suffer, however, from anomalous current density-voltage characteristics. With a view to further understanding the performance of these optoelectronic devices, we investigate a prototypical electron selective contact with density functional theory methods. Our computations on a TiO2/CH3NH3PbI3 heterojunction doped with Schottky defects at open circuit reveal a consistent picture of ions and interlayer excitons at the origin of photovoltage formation.
How shear increments affect the flow production branching ratio in CSDX
Authors: Li J. C. , Diamond P. H.
Published: June 2018

The coupling of turbulence-driven azimuthal and axial flows in a linear device absent magnetic shear (Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment) is investigated. In particular, we examine the apportionment of Reynolds power between azimuthal and axial flows, and how the azimuthal flow shear affects axial flow generation and saturation by drift wave turbulence. We study the response of the energy branching ratio, i.e., ratio of axial and azimuthal Reynolds powers, PzR/PyR, to incremental changes of azimuthal and axial flow shears. We show that increasing azimuthal flow shear decreases the energy branching ratio. When axial flow shear increases, this ratio first increases but then decreases to zero. The axial flow shear saturates below the threshold for parallel shear flow instability. The effects of azimuthal flow shear on the generation and saturation of intrinsic axial flows are analyzed. Azimuthal flow shear slows down the modulational growth of the seed axial flow shear, and thus reduces intrinsic axial flow production. Azimuthal flow shear reduces both the residual Reynolds stress (of axial flow, i.e., ΠxzRes) and turbulent viscosity (χzDW) by the same factor |⟨vy⟩′|−2Δx−2Ln−2ρs2cs2, where Δx is the distance relative to the reference point where ⟨vy⟩=0 in the plasma frame. Therefore, the stationary state axial flow shear is not affected by azimuthal flow shear to leading order since ⟨vz⟩′∼ΠxzRes/χzDW.
Molecular beam epitaxy of single-crystalline aluminum film for low threshold ultraviolet plasmonic nanolasers
Authors: Liu Shuanglong , Sheng Bowen , Wang Xinqiang , Dong Dashan , Wang Ping , Chen Zhaoying , Wang Tao , Rong Xin , Li Duo , Yang Liuyun , Liu Shangfeng , Li Mo , Zhang Jian , Ge Weikun , Shi Kebin , Tong Yuzhen , Shen Bo
Published: June 2018

High-quality single-crystalline aluminum films have been grown on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The x-ray diffraction rocking curve of the (111) plane of the Al film shows a full width at half maximum of 564 arc sec for the sample grown at 100 °C, where the surface is atomically flat with a root-mean-square roughness of 0.40 nm in a scanned area of 3 × 3 μm2. By using such a high-quality Al film, we have demonstrated a room temperature ultraviolet surface-plasmon-polariton nanolaser at a wavelength of 360 nm with a threshold as low as ∼0.2 MW/cm2, which provides a powerful evidence for potential application of the single-crystalline Al film in plasmonic devices.
Photofragment imaging and electronic spectroscopy of Al2+
Authors: Johnston M. David , Lockwood Schuyler P. , Metz Ricardo B.
Published: June 2018

A combination of photodissociation spectroscopy, ion imaging, and high-level theory is employed to refine the bond strength of the aluminum dimer cation (Al2+) and elucidate the electronic structure and photodissociation dynamics between 38 500 and 42 000 cm−1. Above 40 400 cm−1, structured photodissociation is observed from an extremely anharmonic excited state, which calculations identify as the double minimum G 2Σ+u state. The photodissociation spectrum of the G 2Σ+u ← X 2Σ+g transition in Al2+ gives an average vibrational spacing of 170 cm−1 for the G 2Σ+u state and ν0 = 172 cm−1 for the ground state. Photofragment images of G 2Σ+u ← X 2Σ+g transitions indicate that once the Al (4P) + Al+ (1S) product channel is energetically accessible, it dominates the lower energy, spin-allowed pathways despite being spin-forbidden. This is explained by a proposed competition between radiative and non-radiative decay pathways from the G 2Σ+u state. The photofragment images also yield D0 (Al+–Al) = 136.6 ± 1.8 kJ/mol, the most precise measurement to date, highlighting the improved resolution achieved from imaging at near-threshold energies. Additionally, combining D0 (Al+–Al) with IE (Al) and IE (Al2) gives an improved neutral D0 (Al–Al) = 136.9 ± 1.8 kJ/mol.
Communication: Anion-specific response of mesoscopic organization in ionic liquids upon pressurization
Authors: Lo Celso Fabrizio , Triolo Alessandro , Gontrani Lorenzo , Russina Olga
Published: June 2018

One of the outstanding features of ionic liquids is their inherently hierarchical structural organization at mesoscopic spatial scales. Recently experimental and computational studies showed the fading of this feature when pressurising. Here we use simulations to show that this effect is not general: appropriate anion choice leads to an obstinate resistance against pressurization.
Demonstration of β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 double heterostructure field effect transistors
Authors: Zhang Yuewei , Joishi Chandan , Xia Zhanbo , Brenner Mark , Lodha Saurabh , Rajan Siddharth
Published: June 2018

In this work, we demonstrate modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 double heterostructure field effect transistors. The maximum sheet carrier density for a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterostructure is limited by the conduction band offset and parasitic channel formation in the barrier layer. We demonstrate a double heterostructure to realize a β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3/(AlxGa1-x)2O3 quantum well, where electrons can be transferred from below and above the β-Ga2O3 quantum well. The confined 2DEG charge density of 3.85 × 1012 cm−2 was estimated from the low-temperature Hall measurement, which is higher than that achievable in a single heterostructure. Hall mobilities of 1775 cm2/V·s at 40 K and 123 cm2/V·s at room temperature were measured. Modulation-doped double heterostructure field effect transistors showed a maximum drain current of IDS = 257 mA/mm, a peak transconductance (gm) of 39 mS/mm, and a pinch-off voltage of −7.0 V at room temperature. The three-terminal off-state breakdown measurement on the device with a gate-drain spacing (LGD) of 1.55 μm showed a breakdown voltage of 428 V, corresponding to an average breakdown field of 2.8 MV/cm. The breakdown measurement on the device with a scaled gate-drain spacing of 196 nm indicated an average breakdown field of 3.2 MV/cm. The demonstrated modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 double heterostructure field effect transistor could act as a promising candidate for high power and high frequency device applications.
Are koalas detected more effectively by systematic spotlighting or diurnal searches?
Authors: Wilmott Lachlan , Cullen Dympna , Madani George , Krogh Martin , Madden Kylie
Published: June 2018

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are difficult to detect due to their cryptic nature, occurrence at low densities and broad distribution. We compare the relative effectiveness of two common, direct survey techniques used to detect koalas: spotlighting and diurnal searches. Seventy-six 2-ha sites were surveyed using both spotlighting and diurnal searching. Each site was surveyed for 0.5 person-hours, such that search area and effort were equal. In this study, spotlighting was found to be 3.25 times more effective at detecting koalas than day searches. Therefore, where access and terrain allows, spotlighting surveys offer a significant advantage over diurnal searches in the detection of koalas.
Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is a valid tool for assessing in vivo body composition of broilers
Authors: Gonçalves Camila Angelica , Sakomura Nilva Kazue , Pereira da Silva Edney , Artoni Silvana Martinez Baraldi , Suzuki Rafael Massami , Gous Robert Mervyn
Published: June 2018

The use of non-invasive techniques to estimate body composition in animals in vivo conforms to the desire to improve the welfare of animals during research and also has the potential to advance scientific research. The purpose of the present study was to determine a predictive equation of the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) method for broilers by comparing the measurement of body composition using DXA with that by chemical analysis. In total, 720 day-old Cobb500 broilers were distributed into a split-plot arrangement 3 (crude protein concentrations of diets) × 2 (genders) × 2 (methods of chemical body evaluation), with six replications of 20 birds each. To promote the modification of the body composition of broilers, diets varied in the crude protein concentration, which was 70%, 100% and 130% of the required. Two hundred and sixteen birds in different ages were evaluated by its bodyweight, lean, fat and ash contents. The data were submitted to ANOVA and it was demonstrated that the dietary crude protein levels applied allowed a greater variation of the body composition of the birds. Also, the results indicated that the DXA method did not predict fat mass, lean mass or bone mineral content as well as did chemical composition analysis, resulting in the need to develop regression equations for improving the in vivo prediction of these chemical components. The regression equations developed here enable the feather-free body composition of individual broilers to be directly estimated throughout growth using the DXA non-invasive technique.
Genome-wide scan of fat-tail sheep identifies signals of selection for fat deposition and adaptation
Authors: Mastrangelo S. , Moioli B. , Ahbara A. , Latairish S. , Portolano B. , Pilla F. , Ciani E.
Published: June 2018

Fat tail in sheep represents a valuable energy reserve for facing future climate changes. The identification of genes with a role in the fat-tail phenotype may contribute to understanding the physiology of fat deposition and the mechanisms of adaptation. Genotypic data obtained with the OvineSNP50K array in 13 thin-tail sheep breeds from Italy were used to identify selection signatures of fat tail through pairwise thin- versus fat-tail sheep breed comparisons, with the following fat-tail breeds of the Mediterranean area: two unique Italian fat-tail breeds (Barbaresca and Laticauda), a Barbary sheep breed from Libya, Ossimi breed from Egypt, Cyprus Fat-Tail and Chios from the Greek islands Cyprus and Chios, respectively. Fst and χ2 values obtained for >40000 polymorphic markers allowed confirmation of 12 fat-tail associations that were previously reported in Chinese and Iranian breeds. Two of these signals – on OAR 7 and OAR 13 – are in the proximity of two genes – VRTN and BMP2 – with a role in the variation of vertebral number and in fat-tail formation respectively. Two identified signals on OAR 6 and OAR 15 encompass two genes, PDGFRA and PDGFD, involved in the differentiation of preadipocytes. Further signals detected herein were reported in Chinese sheep as signatures of adaptation to desert areas. For several of the detected associations, the known role in either fat deposition or adaptation, thus contributing to revealing the molecular basis underlying mechanisms of energy storage and climate adaptation.
The Haines Index – it's time to revise it or replace it
Authors: Potter Brian
Published: June 2018

The Haines Index is used in wildland fire management to evaluate the potential for ‘large and/or erratic’ fire behaviour. Published in 1988 as the Lower Atmospheric Severity Index, it was widely adopted and has become popular among fire managers, especially in the United States. Meteorologists have questioned its validity, however. This study revisits the original publication to consider the scientific basis of the Index. It then examines subsequent studies of the Index’s performance. The original Index formulation is found to be incomplete. Some studies suggest that, nonetheless, there may be some association of the Index with large growth events. Others indicate that the Index can be negatively correlated with growth in some situations. The Index, at present, lacks a scientific basis and the limited studies examining its value are inconclusive. It is unclear whether it would more appropriately be revised or replaced.
Perspectival Modeling
Authors: Massimi Michela
Published: June 2018

The goal of this article is to address the problem of inconsistent models and the challenge it poses for perspectivism. I analyze the argument, draw attention to some hidden premises behind it, and deflate them. Then I introduce the notion of perspectival models as a distinctive class of modeling practices whose primary function is exploratory. I illustrate perspectival modeling with two examples taken from contemporary high-energy physics at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which are designed to show how a plurality of seemingly incompatible models (suitably understood) is methodologically crucial to advance the realist quest in cutting-edge areas of scientific inquiry.
Finite-time robust decentralized control for uncertain singular large-scale systems with exogenous disturbances
Authors: Wo Songlin , Han Xiaoxin
Published: June 2018

This paper considers the problem of finite-time robust decentralized control for uncertain continuous-time singular large-scale systems with exogenous disturbances (UCSLSSED). The concept of finite-time robust decentralized stabilization for UCSLSSED is introduced by definition of finite-time stability for uncertain continuous-time large-scale systems with exogenous disturbances. The analyses of finite-time robust bounded and finite-time robust stabilization for UCSLSSED are done. The design approach of finite-time robust decentralized state feedback controller is also given. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Scale
Authors: Gelbart Matthew
Published: June 2018

The word “scale” in English today is used both by practicing musicians to denote musical exercises or runs, and by theorists to denote abstracted, ordered collections of pitches. Although these ideas are closely related, they also seem partially separable. Their fusion in conception and terminology is the legacy of Latin treatises on the gamut, Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment empiricism (including an interest in what came to be called “comparative musicology”), and the rise of instrumental virtuosity in nineteenth-century Europe. This article discusses historical, theoretical, and psychological questions around concepts of “scale,” considering how etymological and cultural specifics interact with what appear to be hardwired cognitive tendencies, such as melodic movement by small intervals and the ordering of sets. Anglophone (and “Western”) ideas of scale, despite being products of historical happenstance, have parallels in most music.
Analytical Relationships
Authors: Guck Marion A.
Published: June 2018

This paper examines some ways in which analysts create relationships with musical works, based on evidence provided in music-analytical and other writing. The relationships that are considered extend from those of analysts who articulate an entirely aural relationship with the music analyzed, through those who hear movement and action in the sounds, to those who project tension and affect into the music based on an analogy with interpersonal empathy. The qualities and characterizations ascribed, whether movement, tension, or something else, are due to a transformation of the everyday into musically specific events, processes, and interactions. The distinction between kinds of relationship is not sharp since, in actuality, many analysts integrate a mixture of descriptions in analyses in order to reflect what they notice and experience in close and caring relationship with the music analyzed.
Expressive Timing
Authors: Ohriner Mitchell
Published: June 2018

“Expressive timing” refers to variation in performed durations among notes represented in a musical score with a single rhythmic value. The principal findings of the field are that performers use unequal durations to communicate grouping and metric structure, but these findings pertain primarily to performances of European solo piano music written between 1775 and 1850. This article presents three case studies of timing in repertoires at ever greater remove from those typically addressed: performances of Brahms’s Concerto for Violin, Varèse’s Density 21.5 for Solo Flute, and Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 rap track “Momma.” Through these case studies, the article expands the number of repertoires addressed by studies of expressive timing and, in doing so, expands the scope of music theory toward the study of multiple musical agencies.
The Global Politics of Healthcare Reform
Authors: Benatar Solomon , Sanders David , Gill Stephen
Published: June 2018

This chapter analyses the political influences that shaped reform of healthcare service provision and financing during four decades of neoliberal capitalist dominance, with its emphasis on individualism, consumerism, competitiveness, and the capitalist market in determining social needs and healthcare priorities. New financing sources and market competition, which shaped adoption of reforms, are contrasted with earlier reform efforts that were premised on the socialisation of risk and the universalisation of healthcare provision on an equitable basis for all. Transformation of state forms promoted the market and substantially weakened capacities to provide for basic needs. Controversy over these outcomes has coincided with astounding increases in global inequality, particularly since the 2008 global financial meltdown, with devastating and unequal effects on the health of populations. The chapter concludes by returning to the quest for universal health coverage by reaffirming the “Health for All” principles of social justice and solidarity within a ‘post-Washington consensus’.
Disability, Health, and Difference
Authors: Bickenbach Jerome
Published: June 2018

This chapter begins by distinguishing two political and philosophical understandings of disability: disability as a marker of a discrete and insular disadvantaged minority group and as a universal human experience, grounded in health and determined by environmental factors. Although approaches argue for the same social response to disability in the name of justice, they are incompatible on the issue of the conceptual relationship with health and the normative force of impairments. The chapter reviews current arguments for both positions—that one can be disabled and perfectly healthy and that impairments are “mere” differences—and find the argumentation both faulty and offering unstable and empirically unsupportable foundations for disability law and policy grounded in social justice.
Musicians’ Strategies for Sustaining Creativity over the Lifespan
Authors: Kozbelt Aaron
Published: June 2018

This chapter examines the claim that high-level creativity may be sustained throughout musicians’ lifespans. It describes two theories of lifespan creativity, the “expertise acquisition” and “blind variation and selective retention” views, and examines historiometric evidence on typical patterns of lifespan creativity, largely based on classical composers. Many results to date suggest that composers often show longitudinal improvement and sustainability as a general trend, but with wide-ranging individual differences in their career trajectories. The chapter also surveys perspectives on cognitive processes undergirding musical creativity and provides some illustrative examples of variability in composers’ creative processes, focusing on self-regulatory themes of evaluation and monitoring as means by which some creators may achieve greater creative sustainability. Finally, the chapter extends the discussion of self-regulation and metacognition to sustainability in other modes of musical creativity: performance and improvisation.
Timbre/Techne
Authors: Rehding Alexander
Published: June 2018

One long-standing criticism of our understanding of timbre has been its subordination to the parameter of pitch. While this criticism is articulated most clearly in the twentieth century and is largely associated with synthesized sounds, this chapter explores the time before synthesizers. In three vignettes from Berlioz, Wagner, and Saint-Saëns, orchestral works are explored from the perspective of how timbral aspects may take on a constitutive function in the music that cannot be reduced simply to pitch. The discussion of these musical passages engages psychoacoustical phenomena, such as auditory scene analysis, emergent timbre, and auditory illusions. Curiously, all three examples employ the piano sound—typically assumed to be somehow neutral—as a kind of control in their experimental setup. The chapter is framed by broader epistemic questions that seem particularly relevant to the study of timbre, lodged as it is between art and science, including episteme versus techne, consilience, and aisthesis.
Futurist Timbres
Authors: Williams Gavin
Published: June 2018

This chapter tracks timbre through the mediated public sphere of Milan, as it came to congeal in Italian Futurism. Long mythologized as the origin of noisy art, sound scholars have yet to consider what the movement’s timbres meant in their time. They emerged beneath the rubric of “musical sensibility”—a coinage that harked back to timbre’s eighteenth-century emergence under the sign of aesthetic attention within Western modernities. The Futurists’ activities can thus be broadly historicized; vice versa, in their own context, timbre becomes estranged as a centuries-old concern. The Futurists’ interest in timbre dates them; it also proves their undoing: they set out to colonize the world of timbre, but social and technological factors intervene. Thus, while Futurism may not yield origins for modernism, it underscores the relational nature of listening—especially listening for timbre, which, as the social organization of concentrated listening, unexpectedly manifests when aesthetic attention breaks down.
Orientalism in Poe’s Early Poetry
Authors: Rowe John Carlos
Published: June 2018

“Tamerlane” (1827), “Al Aaraaf” (1829), and “Israfel” (1831) are familiar examples of Poe’s poetic Orientalism, in which the exoticism of the Middle East is used to develop aesthetic ideas central to Poe’s literary career. In addition to its relevance to nineteenth-century Western imperialism, Poe’s poetic Orientalism in these poems relies on ideas of Western European progress that incorporate Islamic religious values as part of the cultural imperialism to which Poe contributes throughout his career. Poe’s Gnosticism in these early poems anticipates his metaphysical and astrophysical claims in Eureka: A Prose Poem (1848).
Radio Archives and the Art of Persuasion
Authors: Odria Carlos
Published: June 2018

This chapter builds on sonic repatriation studies to explore the act of regulating the dissemination of songs through radio playlists in Lima, Peru. Using as a case study the broadcasting policies designed by a powerful media corporation, the article shows how marketing specialists have produced a range of class-oriented radio stations seeking to persuade Lima’s audiences to comply with the corporation’s hegemonic discourse, as it becomes manifest through the aesthetic composition of their stations’ playlists. The type of programming used by this corporation functions as a social technology that allows Peru’s influential criollo groups to reinforce the hierarchical organization of the society by promoting race-specific aesthetic concepts in media consumption.
Digital Repatriation
Authors: Perullo Alex
Published: June 2018

This essay makes two points about digital collections. The first recognizes problems that emerge as archives present indigenous content online. In uploading indigenous songs, speeches, and documents, an archive allows that material to move from a local space with limited access to an international repository with many points of access. This chapter examines conflicts that can occur with this action, including those involving copyright law, fair use, and ethics. A second point of this chapter revolves around technology and repatriation. If repatriation means the return of material to a country of origin, then online archives never fully commit to this task. The material typically remains preserved on servers and in its original forms away from indigenous communities. Despite these ethical, legal, and technological concerns, archives should encourage the creation of digital collections as part of repatriation given the desire by many indigenous communities to preserve and promote their traditions.
Returning Voices
Authors: Diettrich Brian
Published: June 2018

This essay explores repatriation through the emergence of shared listening experiences. It argues that the repatriation of recorded voices is more meaningful and personal than the mere relocation of sound “objects” and more consequential than the transfer of historical media from the shelves of archival collections. The chapter focuses on case examples of repatriation from the Pacific Islands, and especially from the islands of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia. An examination of individual and community listening to recordings moves research practice toward the advocacy, responsibility, and applied potential that scholars have called for in a growing body of critical work in ethnomusicology.
Democracy in Israel
Authors: Dowty Alan
Published: June 2018

Can Israel be both Jewish and democratic? If Jewishness is seen properly as ethnicity, Israeli democracy should be judged by the same standards as other nation-states. The Jewish community in Palestine, and later Israel, faced serious objective difficulties in democratization but drew on a traditional Jewish politics that emphasized voluntary consent and inclusion. Standard rankings of states on a democracy scale have consistently classified Israel as a democracy, if sometimes a flawed one. The relative weaknesses of this democracy, in both external and internal analysis, appear in freedom of expression, freedom of association, equality before the law, and judicial constraints on the executive. In practice, most of these problem areas are related to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the status of Israel’s Arab citizens.
Stress Generation and Depression
Authors: Hammen Constance
Published: June 2018

This chapter defines stress generation, noting evidence of the bidirectional effects of stress and depression on each other, contributing to recurrence and chronicity of depression and continuing stressors. Studies have documented elevated levels of acute negative life events as well as enduring stressful life circumstances, especially stressful interpersonal situations. Besides depression, predictors of stress generation include maladaptive cognitions and individual traits and experiences that lead to dysfunctional emotional and behavioral reactions, as well as dysfunctional coping styles and resources. Although stress generation may occur in many forms of psychopathology, there appears to be a unique link between major depression and the occurrence of interpersonal dependent stressors. Patterns of vulnerability–stress–depression relationships support an emphasis on the importance of interpersonal and interactional themes in many forms of depression, perhaps especially for women. Stress generation perspectives highlight environmental contributors to and consequences of depression. Goals for future research and clinical implications/applications are noted.
Developmental Timing of Stress Effects on the Brain
Authors: Leneman Keira B. , Gunnar Megan R.
Published: June 2018

The physiological stress response integrates endocrine, autonomic, and neural structures and pathways to respond and adapt to an organism’s environment. This integration is dynamic throughout development, with certain periods of rapid change for each system. With the introduction of chronic stress, physiological responses that may be adaptive in the immediate context can have long-term consequences for physical and emotional health, influencing systems differently depending upon developmental status at the time of stress exposure. From the nonhuman literature, prenatal, infancy, and adolescence are developmental stages that seem especially sensitive to major stress exposures. Human studies are less conclusive. Although much work has been done on prenatal stress and certain stressors (e.g., deprivation) during infancy and early childhood, more work is needed that addresses the challenges of isolating periods of environmental insults as well as carefully considering how prior developmental and subsequent experiences moderate exposure to major stress conditions at different points in development. Information on the transition from childhood to adolescence is especially sparse. A more comprehensive understanding of these developmental processes will enable a more targeted approach to ameliorating negative consequences of stress with both prevention and intervention.
Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions for Disorders of Extreme Stress
Authors: Beck J. Gayle , Pickover Allison M. , Lipiniski Alexandra J. , Tran Han N. , Dodson Thomas S.
Published: June 2018

In this chapter, we review the current literature on cognitive-behavioral treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD). Particular attention is paid to treatments for PTSD that have strong empirical support, specifically cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. Cognitive-behavioral treatments for ASD have evolved differently, with greater emphasis on treatment packages; notably, this literature is less well developed and deserving of considerable more study, relative to the PTSD literature. Throughout the chapter, we have addressed areas for future study, as well issues that are currently salient in the treatment of these two conditions.
Stress in Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Alloy Lauren B. , Titone Madison K. , Ng Tommy H. , Bart Corinne P.
Published: June 2018

Environmental experiences play an important part in the development and maintenance of bipolar spectrum disorders (BSDs). Consequently, in this chapter, we review evidence on the role of life stress in the onset and course of BSDs. We begin with methodological issues relevant to demonstrating life stress’s role in the development and course of BSDs. We consider the effects of exposure both to recent life events and childhood stressors, as well as whether the influence of stressor exposure changes over the course of BSDs. We also address whether the effects of different types of life event exposure depend on mood episode polarity (hypomanic/manic versus depressive episodes) and whether there are specific theoretically relevant types of life events that are particularly likely to trigger bipolar episodes or symptoms. We end with suggestions for future research that may lead to a more complete understanding of the bipolar disorder–stress association.
American Legends, Anecdotes, and Personal Narratives
Authors: Tucker Elizabeth
Published: June 2018

Legends, anecdotes, and personal narratives express important dimensions of human experience and values. At times of difficulty, uncertainty, and threat, these narratives help people express worries and seek answers to disturbing questions. Related to rituals, games, and pranks, legends frequently appear on the Internet. The concept of ostension—enactment of legends—sheds light on legends’ relationship to ritual, especially in the context of the legend quest. Legends about gender, empowerment of women, suspicion of corporations’ nefarious activities, and natural and political disaster reflect society’s contemporary concerns. Folklorists benefit from further study of diverse ethnic groups’ legends and personal experience stories in American culture. With new forms of ostension emerging through use of the Internet and other technology, it is important to monitor and analyze expressive behavior online.