bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrable billiard systems realize toric foliations on lens spaces and the 3-torus
Authors: Vedyushkina V. V.
Published: October 2019

An integrable billiard system on a book, a complex of several billiard sheets glued together along the common spine, is considered. Each sheet is a planar domain bounded by arcs of confocal quadrics; it is known that a billiard in such a domain is integrable. In a number of interesting special cases of such billiards the Fomenko-Zieschang invariants of Liouville equivalence (marked molecules

) turn out to describe nontrivial toric foliations on lens spaces and on the 3-torus, which are isoenergy manifolds for these billiards.

Bibliography: 18 titles.
Trait-like variants in human functional brain networks
Authors: Seitzman Benjamin A. , Gratton Caterina , Laumann Timothy O. , Gordon Evan M. , Adeyemo Babatunde , Dworetsky Ally , Kraus Brian T. , Gilmore Adrian W. , Berg Jeffrey J. , Ortega Mario , Nguyen Annie , Greene Deanna J. , McDermott Kathleen B. , Nelson Steven M. , Lessov-Schlaggar Christina N. , Schlaggar Bradley L. , Dosenbach Nico U. F. , Petersen Steven E.
Published: October 2019

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has provided converging descriptions of group-level functional brain organization. Recent work has revealed that functional networks identified in individuals contain local features that differ from the group-level description. We define these features as network variants. Building on these studies, we ask whether distributions of network variants reflect stable, trait-like differences in brain organization. Across several datasets of highly-sampled individuals we show that 1) variants are highly stable within individuals, 2) variants are found in characteristic locations and associate with characteristic functional networks across large groups, 3) task-evoked signals in variants demonstrate a link to functional variation, and 4) individuals cluster into subgroups on the basis of variant characteristics that are related to differences in behavior. These results suggest that distributions of network variants may reflect stable, trait-like, functionally relevant individual differences in functional brain organization.
The deaminase APOBEC3B triggers the death of cells lacking uracil DNA glycosylase
Authors: Serebrenik Artur A. , Starrett Gabriel J. , Leenen Sterre , Jarvis Matthew C. , Shaban Nadine M. , Salamango Daniel J. , Nilsen Hilde , Brown William L. , Harris Reuben S.
Published: October 2019

Significance

APOBEC3B (A3B) is overexpressed in multiple tumor types and a major source of mutation by converting DNA cytosines to uracils. A3B-positive tumors are often more heterogenous and result in poor clinical outcomes. We show that a proportion of A3B-catalyzed uracil lesions is repaired by uracil DNA glycosylase 2 (UNG)-driven base excision repair and that rendering cells UNG-defective leads to cytotoxicity. This cell death mechanism requires uracil processing by mismatch repair proteins and functional p53. Our results indicate that UNG inhibition could be a strategy to kill a subset of A3B-positive tumors.
Evidence for independent brain and neurocranial reorganization during hominin evolution
Authors: Alatorre Warren José Luis , Ponce de León Marcia S. , Hopkins William D. , Zollikofer Christoph P. E.
Published: October 2019

Throughout hominin evolution, the brain of our ancestors underwent a 3-fold increase in size and substantial structural reorganization. However, inferring brain reorganization from fossil hominin neurocrania (=braincases) remains a challenge, above all because comparative data relating brain to neurocranial structures in living humans and great apes are still scarce. Here we use MRI and same-subject spatially aligned computed tomography (CT) and MRI data of humans and chimpanzees to quantify the spatial relationships between these structures, both within and across species. Results indicate that evolutionary changes in brain and neurocranial structures are largely independent of each other. The brains of humans compared to chimpanzees exhibit a characteristic posterior shift of the inferior pre- and postcentral gyri, indicative of reorganization of the frontal opercular region. Changes in human neurocranial structure do not reflect cortical reorganization. Rather, they reflect constraints related to increased encephalization and obligate bipedalism, resulting in relative enlargement of the parietal bones and anterior displacement of the cerebellar fossa. This implies that the relative position and size of neurocranial bones, as well as overall endocranial shape (e.g., globularity), should not be used to make inferences about evolutionary changes in the relative size or reorganization of adjacent cortical regions of fossil hominins.
Shorter distances between papers over time are due to more cross-field references and increased citation rate to higher-impact papers
Authors: Varga Attila
Published: October 2019

Significance

The constantly expanding volume of scientific research engenders specialization, which narrows the focus of research fields. Does this pattern of scientific growth prevent information from circulating between fields? Does motivation to explore new problems and combine innovations across domains counteract this process? This analysis, based on the Science Citation Index, shows that the distances in citation networks decrease from 1950 to 2018. This provides evidence that the sciences diffuse information more easily over time. The shortened distances are due to more dispersed citation activity between fields and growing centralization of citations. Despite these changes, the clustering of citations did not decrease. Cocitations are slightly more embedded over time, which suggests that cross-field ties create their own field boundaries.
Highly ABA-Induced 1 (HAI1)-Interacting protein HIN1 and drought acclimation-enhanced splicing efficiency at intron retention sites
Authors: Chong Geeng Loo , Foo Mung Hsia , Lin Wen-Dar , Wong Min May , Verslues Paul E.
Published: October 2019

The Highly ABA-Induced 1 (HAI1) protein phosphatase is a central component of drought-related signaling. A screen for HAI1-interacting proteins identified HAI1-Interactor 1 (HIN1), a nuclear protein of unknown function which could be dephosphorylated by HAI1 in vitro. HIN1 colocalization and interaction with serine-arginine rich (SR) splicing factors and appearance of nuclear speckle-localized HIN1 during low water potential (ψ
w
) stress suggested a pre-mRNA splicing-related function. RNA sequencing of
Arabidopsis
Col-0 wild type identified more than 500 introns where moderate severity low ψ
w
altered intron retention (IR) frequency. Surprisingly, nearly 90% of these had increased splicing efficiency (decreased IR) during stress. For one-third of these introns, ectopic HIN1 expression (
35S:HIN1
) in unstressed plants mimicked the increased splicing efficiency seen in stress-treated wild type. HIN1 bound to a GAA-repeat, Exonic Splicing Enhancer-like RNA motif enriched in flanking sequence around HIN1-regulated introns. Genes with stress and HIN1-affected splicing efficiency were enriched for abiotic stress and signaling-related functions. The
35S:HIN1
plants had enhanced growth maintenance during low ψ
w
, while
hin1
mutants had reduced growth, further indicating the role of HIN1 in drought response. HIN1 is annotated as an MYB/SANT domain protein but has limited homology to other MYB/SANT proteins and is not related to known yeast or metazoan RNA-binding proteins or splicing regulators. Together these data identify HIN1 as a plant-specific RNA-binding protein, show a specific effect of drought acclimation to promote splicing efficiency of IR-prone introns, and also discover HAI1–HIN1 interaction and dephosphorylation that connects stress signaling to splicing regulation.
TROPOMI reveals dry-season increase of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence in the Amazon forest
Authors: Doughty Russell , Köhler Philipp , Frankenberg Christian , Magney Troy S. , Xiao Xiangming , Qin Yuanwei , Wu Xiaocui , Moore Berrien
Published: October 2019

Significance

The Amazon is the largest terrestrial contributor to global atmospheric carbon fluxes, but it has been debated whether photosynthesis in the Amazonian forest increases during the dry season. We now report new evidence that there is a dry-season increase in photosynthesis in the Amazon rainforest, using observations of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), which has been shown to be a promising proxy of photosynthesis. The new findings point the way toward future research that addresses the implications of Amazonian seasonality on the global carbon cycle.
Carrier localization in perovskite nickelates from oxygen vacancies
Authors: Kotiuga Michele , Zhang Zhen , Li Jiarui , Rodolakis Fanny , Zhou Hua , Sutarto Ronny , He Feizhou , Wang Qi , Sun Yifei , Wang Ying , Aghamiri Neda Alsadat , Hancock Steven Bennett , Rokhinson Leonid P. , Landau David P. , Abate Yohannes , Freeland John W. , Comin Riccardo , Ramanathan Shriram , Rabe Karin M.
Published: October 2019

Significance

Oxygen vacancies and their associated electrons, ubiquitous in oxide materials, can lead to emergent phenomena. Control of these vacancies allows the manipulation and exploitation of such properties. Using an ultralow oxygen partial pressure environment, we are able to systematically control the oxygen vacancy concentration in thin films of rare-earth nickelates. We find that oxygen vacancies lead to strong carrier localization arising from Ni valence reduction to 2+, resulting in an increase of room-temperature electrical resistivity by several orders of magnitude while maintaining the perovskite structure throughout. The oxygen vacancies can be redistributed by electric fields, leading to analog resistance behavior.
Computationally generated maps of surface structures and catalytic activities for alloy phase diagrams
Authors: Cao Liang , Niu Le , Mueller Tim
Published: October 2019

Significance

Designing new alloy catalysts is challenging because of the large number of ways the atoms in an alloy can be arranged. We have developed a method that allows researchers to rapidly predict the near-surface atomic arrangement and catalytic properties of an alloy, making it possible to identify the conditions under which alloys should be synthesized to create the best catalysts. We demonstrate our approach by providing evidence that the Pt
3
Ni(111) surface, one of the best catalysts for an important reaction in fuel cells, likely draws its excellent catalytic properties from the formation of an alloy phase in which the Pt and Ni atoms are well-ordered. These results will facilitate the rational design of new alloy catalysts.
Exquisite sensitivity of adrenocortical carcinomas to induction of ferroptosis
Authors: Belavgeni Alexia , Bornstein Stefan R. , von Mässenhausen Anne , Tonnus Wulf , Stumpf Julian , Meyer Claudia , Othmar Evelyn , Latk Markus , Kanczkowski Waldemar , Kroiss Matthias , Hantel Constanze , Hugo Christian , Fassnacht Martin , Ziegler Christian G. , Schally Andrew V. , Krone Nils P. , Linkermann Andreas
Published: October 2019

Significance

The currently used treatment regimen for the cancers of the adrenal cortex involves mitotane, a nonspecific derivative of the pesticide DDT (1,1-(dichlorobiphenyl)-2,2-dichloroethane), which has an unclear mechanism of action. Our studies in cell culture and genetic analysis of public databases demonstrate that human adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) are remarkably sensitive to a recently defined cell death pathway referred to as ferroptosis, indicating that induction of ferroptosis could be a promising treatment approach for ACCs. However, mitotane does not induce ferroptosis. Given the untoward side effect profile of mitotane, we suggest that ferroptosis-inducing agents may represent a more specific, more potent, and less toxic approach to treatment for patients with ACC than mitotane.
A unified description of hydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces in terms of the wetting and drying transitions of liquids
Authors: Evans Robert , Stewart Maria C. , Wilding Nigel B.
Published: October 2019

Significance

Whether a drop of liquid such as water is repelled from a solid substrate yielding a large angle of intersection

θ

between the drop’s surface and the substrate or is strongly attracted, small

θ

, is key to the function of a host of physical and biological systems. We elucidate the physics of hydrophobic and hydrophilic substrates in terms of wetting and drying surface phase diagrams. These display a surprising variety of forms that depend upon the nature of the substrate–liquid and liquid–liquid attractive forces. Liquids near weakly attractive substrates exhibit critical drying, a phenomenon occurring as

θ
→
18

0

○

that is accompanied by divergent density fluctuations. Our findings provide a conceptual framework for tailoring the properties of superhydrophobic and hydrophilic materials.
4D electron microscopy of T cell activation
Authors: Lu Yue , Yoo Byung-Kuk , Ng Alphonsus H. C. , Kim Jungwoo , Yeom Sinchul , Tang Jau , Lin Milo M. , Zewail Ahmed H. , Heath James R.
Published: October 2019

Significance

Photon-induced near-field electron microscopy (PINEM) enables the visualization of nanoscale structures and interfaces with enhanced contrast due to the energy gain of electrons from light-excited evanescent electromagnetic fields. Here we optimized a PINEM approach to directly image and quantify these fields at the surface of T cells as a function of various stimulation conditions. We found that while PINEM is sensitive to multiple biophysical changes associated with T cell activation, it strongly correlates with binding of specific antigen major histocompatibility complex, even without accompanying functional T cell activation. Our results suggest that PINEM can find use as a cellular imaging tool, with exquisite surface selectivity and high sensitivity to structural changes on the length scale of cell surface protein aggregates.
Quantifying Process Nonclassicality in Bosonic Fields*
Authors: Fu Shuang-Shuang , Luo Shun-Long
Published: October 2019

Nonclassicality of optical states, as a key characteristic of bosonic fields, is a valuable resource for quantum information processing. We investigate the generation of nonclassicality in quantum processes from a quantitative perspective, introduce three information-theoretic measures of nonclassicality for quantum-optical processes based on the Wigner–Yanase skew information and coherent states, and illustrate their physical significance through several well-known single-mode quantum processes.
Strong Exciton-Plasmon Coupling and Hybridization of Organic-Inorganic Exciton-Polaritons in Plasmonic Nanocavity*
Authors: Jiang Ping , Li Chao , Chen Yuan-Yuan , Song Gang , Wang Yi-Lin , Yu Li
Published: October 2019

We investigate strong exciton-plasmon coupling and plasmon-mediated hybridization between the Frenkel (F) and Wannier–Mott (WM) excitons of an organic-inorganic hybrid system consisting of a silver ring separated from a monolayer WS
2
by J-aggregates. The extinction spectra of the hybrid system calculated by employing the coupled oscillator model are consistent with the results simulated by the finite-difference time-domain method. The calculation results show that strong couplings among F excitons, WM excitons, and localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) lead to the appearance of three plexciton branches in the extinction spectra. The weighting efficiencies of the F exciton, WM exciton and LSPR modes in three plexciton branches are used to analyze the exciton-polaritons in the system. Furthermore, the strong coupling between two different excitons and LSPRs is manipulated by tuning F or WM exciton resonances.
Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry in Superconducting Partially Filled Skutterudite Pr1−δPt4Ge12
*
Authors: Zang Jia-Wei , Zhang Jian , Zhu Zi-Hao , Ding Zhao-Feng , Huang Kevin , Peng Xiao-Ran , Hillier Adrian D. , Shu Lei
Published: October 2019

Time reversal symmetry (TRS) is a key symmetry for classification of unconventional superconductors, and the violation of TRS often results in a wealth of novel properties. Here we report the synthesis and superconducting properties of the partially filled skutterudite Pr
1 − δ

Pt
4
Ge
12. The results from x-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements show that the [Pt
4
Ge
12
] cage-forming structure survives and bulk superconductivity is preserved below the superconducting transition temperature T
c = 7.80 K. The temperature dependence of both the upper critical field and the electronic specific heat can be described in terms of a two-gap model, providing strong evidence of multi-band superconductivity. TRS breaking is observed using zero field muon-spin relaxation experiments, and the magnitude of the spontaneous field is nearly half of that in PrPt
4
Ge
12.
Superconductivity of the FeSe/SrTiO3 Interface in View of BCS–BEC Crossover*
Authors: Zhang Shuyuan , Miao Guangyao , Guan Jiaqi , Xu Xiaofeng , Liu Bing , Yang Fang , Wang Weihua , Zhu Xuetao , Guo Jiandong
Published: October 2019

In paired Fermi systems, strong many-body effects exhibit in the crossover regime between the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) and the Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) limits. The concept of the BCS–BEC crossover, which is studied intensively in the research field of cold atoms, has been extended to condensed matters. Here by analyzing the typical superconductors within the BCS–BEC phase diagram, we find that FeSe-based superconductors are prone to shift their positions in the BCS–BEC crossover regime by charge doping or substrate substitution, since their Fermi energies and the superconducting gap sizes are comparable. Especially at the interface of single-layer FeSe on SrTiO
3
substrate, the superconductivity is relocated closer to the crossover unitary than other doped FeSe-based materials, indicating that the pairing interaction is effectively modulated. We further show that hole-doping can drive the interfacial system into the phase with possible pre-paired electrons, demonstrating its flexible tunability within the BCS–BEC crossover regime.
Effect of Indium doping on the superconductivity of layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3Ag1-xInxS6
Authors: Jha Rajveer , Goto Yosuke , Matsuda Tatsuma D , Aoki Yuji , Mizuguchi Yoshikazu
Published: October 2019

We report on the substitution effect of Indium (In) at the Ag site of layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3Ag1−x
In
x
S6. The T
c decreases with increasing In concentration. A hump in the normal state resistivity at an anomaly temperature (T*) near 180 K was observed for all the samples. The anomaly in the resistivity at T* is indicating the possible occurrence of a charge-density-wave (CDW) transition. The T* does not markedly change by In doping. The x dependence of Seebeck coefficient suggests that carrier concentration does not change by In doping. The EDX analysis indicates small amount of Bi deficiency, which suggests that the Bi site is slightly substituted by In. The CDW transition is robust against the In substitution at Ag site, while T
c is decreasing due to the Bi site substitution by In. On the basis of those analyses, we propose that the suppression of superconductivity in the In-doped La2O2Bi3Ag1-x
In
x
S6 system is caused by negative in-plane chemical pressure effect and partial substitution of In for the inplane Bi site.
Evaluation of Layer Thickness Dependence of Critical Current Density using Longitudinal Magnetic Field Effect in Superconducting Coated Conductors
Authors: Yonenaka T , Otabe E S , Vyatkin V , Lee S , Akune T , Nishizaki T
Published: October 2019

When the critical current density J
c for a superconductor is constant, the critical current I
c increases in proportion to the superconducting cross-sectional area. However, in the case of a superconducting coated conductor, when the thickness of the superconducting layer exceeds about 2 μm, there is no further increase in I
c. This is because J
c decreases due to the structural degradation of the superconducting layer. In this study, J
c for samples with superconducting layers of different thicknesses was measured using the longitudinal magnetic field effect in order to investigate the optimum layer thickness for maximizing I
c. Differences in the J
c characteristics due to the layer thickness appeared more clearly under a longitudinal magnetic field than a transverse magnetic field. This was particularly true at low temperatures, and the optimum layer thickness was found to be approximately 1 μm.
TDGL Simulation on Angular Dependence of Critical Current Density in Superconductors with Columnar Defects
Authors: Yonezuka Rina , Hamada Yusei , Kamiji Kazunori , Tanimura Kenta , Yoshihara Takaki , Otabe Edmund Soji , Mawatari Yasunori , Matsuno Tetsuya
Published: October 2019

We numerically solved the three dimensional time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equations to visualize the motion of the quantized magnetic flux lines in the superconductor under the transverse magnetic field B. We investigated the angular dependence of the critical current density J
c in the columnar pins using TDGL equations. As a result of simulations, it was confirmed that J
c decreases as increasing the angle θ between the columnar pins and the quantized magnetic flux lines. In particular at B = 0.4, J
c sharply decreased at θ between 20° and 30°. This result was compared with the calculation result of the overlapped volume between the quantized magnetic flux and the pins. The calculated result by TDGL equations was in good agreement with the calculated result by the overlapped volume. In addition, J
c was calculated using various pins such as the sphere, the columnar and the plane pins. It was found that plane pins are more effective than pins of other shapes. In addition, although it is experimentally difficult to fabricate, J
c of the star-shaped pin was obtained by the TDGL simulations. It was found that the J
c of the star-shaped pin shows the highest performance among all the kinds of configurations for the columnar pins in high magnetic fields.
Relationship between superconductivity and anisotropy in two-dimensional Hubbard model
Authors: Kobayashi Kenji , Yokoyama Hisatoshi
Published: October 2019

In connection with the symmetry-breaking phenomena found in cuprate superconductors, we check whether an anisotropy spontaneously appears or not in strongly correlated electrons that exhibit superconductivity and/or antiferromagnetism. A variational Monte Carlo method is applied to the square-lattice Hubbard model (U/t = 12) with diagonal transfer t′. In the trial wave function used, we introduce band renormalization factors including adjustable parameters for the anisotropy corresponding to the fourfold rotational symmetry breaking. It is confirmed that the anisotropy appears in the overdoped regime, where the Fermi-liquid features are predominant. In the underdoped area, the anisotropy does not appear for t′/t = 0 and +0.3, whereas it possibly appears in the underdoped regime for t′/t = −0.3.
Electronic Structure of Novel Non-centrosymmetric Superconductor Mg2Rh3P
Authors: Hase I , Yanagisawa T , Iyo A , Fujihisa H , Goto Y , Eisaki H , Kawashima K
Published: October 2019

We calculated the electronic structure of a novel non-centrosymmetric superconductor Mg2-xRh3P from first-principles. Stoichiometric Mg2Rh3P shows a pseudogap at the Fermi level. This is consistent with the experimental fact that the stoichiometric sample Mg2Rh3P does not show superconductivity and the Mg-deficient sample Mg19Rh3P shows superconductivity with T
c ∼ 3.6 K. The band dispersion of Mg2Rh3P shows a characteristic band splitting due to the anti-symmetric spin-orbit coupling (ASOC). The magnitude of ASOC of Mg2Rh3P is comparable to Li2Pd3B. We also show that its 5d-counterpart Mg2Ir3P may have quite a large ASOC, and is a good candidate of parity-mixed superconductor likewise Li2Pd3B.
Impurity effects on dx2−y2
-wave superconducting state in strongly correlated Hubbard model
Authors: Sato Ryo , Yokoyama Hisatoshi
Published: October 2019

With cuprate superconductors in mind, we study the effects of point-type impurity potential (V) on a d

x
2−y
2
-wave superconducting (d-SC) state in a strongly correlated squarelattice Hubbard model (U/t = 12) with a diagonal transfer (t′), using a variational Monte Carlo method. At half filling, insulator-to-conductor (filling-control-type Mott) transitions occur at

V
=

V
U

(
±
)

∼
±
U

. The phase realized for

V
<

V
U

(
−
)

is robust d-SC and the charge carriers are holes, whereas for

V
>

V
U

(
+
)

a metallic (or weak d-SC) state appears with charge carriers of electrons. For a partially-filled case where the impurity density is equal to the doping rate, a d-SC-to-insulator transition arises at V ≡ V
M ∼ 4t. In the weak-|V| phases, the impurity effects in the electron distribution are smeared out by the screening effect, whereas in the strong-|V| phases, the electron distribution directly depend on the impurity configurations.
Effects of Sm1+xBa2-xCu3Oy Films with Non-Stoichiometric Composition Fabricated by Combinatorial Pulsed Laser Deposition method on the Superconducting Properties
Authors: Murase G. , Tsuchiya Y. , Ichino Y. , Yoshida Y.
Published: October 2019

Sm1+x
Ba2-x
Cu3O
y
, (Sm-rich) had higher critical current density (J
c) in magnetic fields and higher irreversible fields than stoichiometric SmBa2Cu3O
y
(SmBCO) thin films. In this study, to clarify the features of artificial pinning centers (APCs) doped Sm-rich films, we prepared BaHfO3 (BHO)-doped Sm1+x
Ba2-x
Cu3O
y
films with x = 0.00 ∼ 0.20 using combinatorial pulsed laser deposition (C-PLD) method on a metallic substrate and we evaluate surface morphrogies, crystal orientations and superconducting properties of the films. As a result, when x increased, the terrace width also increased. From the measurement of J
c in magnetic fields, the BHO-doped Sm-rich films showed J
c plateaus around 1 ∼ 3 T. From the angulaer dependence of J
c, the BHO-doped Sm-rich films showed J
c peak where B is parallel to c-axis. From several measurements, we discuss effects of Sm1+x
Ba2-x
Cu3O
y
films with and without BHO on the superconducting properties.
Generation of Uniform Magnetic Field between Face-to-Face HTS Bulk Magnets
Authors: Oka T , Higa K , Tsunoda S , Ogawa J , Fukui S , Inoue N , Miryala M , Murakami M , Yokoyama K , Nakamura T
Published: October 2019

Aiming to develop the compact nuclear magnetic resonance devices, the authors have been developing the uniform magnetic fields in the space between the face-to-face magnetic poles which contain HTS bulk magnets. The authors deformed the original convex shape of the magnetic field distribution to concave by attaching a ferromagnetic iron plate of 20 mm and 100 mm in diameter on one of the pole surfaces. The magnetic field distribution precisely measured along x-axis changed from concave to convex with increasing distance from the magnetic pole surface, which suggested the presence of magnetically flat region. From the results of mapping on the field uniformity data, we have succeeded in obtaining the field uniformity under 500ppm in the space of 4 x 4 x 0.8 mm3 when the magnetic poles emitting concave and convex field distributions were settled face-to-face with various gaps 30-70 mm. This performance exceeded the target value of 1,500ppm which is necessary to detect the NMR signals.
Reduction of Environmental Magnetic Field Noise for Detection of Small Magnetic Contaminants
Authors: Nishikawa Takao , Sakuta Ken
Published: October 2019

When performing high-sensitivity magnetic measurements via a high-sensitivity magnetic sensor such as a SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) magnetometer, it is necessary to shield from environmental magnetic noise by employing a magnetic shield box. In general, however, the low frequency of such noise decreases the shielding performance of the magnetic shield box. Hence, the magnetic metallic contaminant signal and the low-frequency ambient magnetic field noise overlap, which makes filtering a challenging task. Therefore, we studied a system that suppresses gradient magnetic noise such as low-frequency environmental noise superimposed on a contaminant signal and commercial power supply noise localized spatially.
Conceptual Study on lighter and more compact transmission cable systems for Hybrid Aircrafts
Authors: Isojima S , Yoshida Y , Amemiya N , Sadakata N , Ohsaki H , Okada M
Published: October 2019

More electrically driven aircrafts with electric propulsion systems are supposed to require 1-40 MW. In order to realize such heavily electrical aircrafts the development of lighter and more compact transmission cable systems is indispensable. We compared metal cables and superconducting cables, and found that DC superconducting cables are lighter and more compact than metal cables at voltages as high as ±6 kV.
Removal of Scale from Feed-water in Thermal Power Plant by Magnetic Separation -Analysis of Oxygenated Treatment Scale-
Authors: Hiramatsu M , Yamamoto J , Akiyama Y , Mishima F , Nishijima S , Okada H , Hirota N , Yamaji T , Matsuura H , Namba S , Sekine T , Kobayashi Y , Seto M
Published: October 2019

One of the reasons of the deterioration of the power generation efficiency of the thermal power generation is the adhesion of the iron scale generated by the corrosion of the pipe to the inner wall of the feed-water system. Focusing on the magnetic property of scale, we studied on the removal of scales in the feed-water system by high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) using the superconducting magnet. In this study, we targeted the thermal power plants adopting oxygenated treatment (OT). In order to determine the installation site and the magnetic separation condition of the HGMS system, we analyzed the OT scale and then clarified the aggregation/composite states by magnetic separation experiment. It is concluded that low-pressure feed-water heater drain is suitable for installation site of HGMS system. In addition, it was clarified that homogeneous aggregation particles existed in the OT scale.
Energy losses in magnetic contactless bearings on the base of high-Tc superconducting tapes
Authors: Rudnev I A , Podlivaev A I , Osipov M A , Abin D A , Anischenko I V , Pokrovskii S V
Published: October 2019

High-temperature superconducting tapes are very promising for application in rotary magnetic bearings owing to its excellent magnetic and transport properties as well as possibility to easy create magneto-levitation systems of various geometry. One of problem arising in the rotation superconducting bearings is the presence of the energy loss resulting from the magnetization hysteresis due to inhomogeneity of magnetic field from permanent magnets. In this report we present results theoretical studies of rotation losses in the model superconducting bearing based on commercial high temperature superconducting (HTS) tape. The bearing stator has a cylindrical shape and is made of a multilayer HTSC tape. The bearing rotor is made of permanent magnets located at the same radius relative to the axis of rotation. As a result of numerical calculations carried out in the framework of the critical state model, the rotor geometry was established, at which the value of energy losses was minimal.
The consumptive water footprint of the European Union energy sector
Authors: Vanham Davy , Medarac Hrvoje , Schyns Joep F , Hogeboom Rick J , Magagna Davide
Published: October 2019

Energy security for the EU is a priority of the European Commission. Although both blue and green water resources are increasingly scarce, the EU currently does not explicitly account for water resource use in its energy related policies. Here we quantify the freshwater resources required to produce the different energy sources in the EU, by means of the water footprint (WF) concept. We conduct the most geographically detailed consumptive WF assessment for the EU to date, based on the newest spatial databases of energy sources. We calculate that fossil fuels and nuclear energy are moderate water users (136–627 m3/terajoules (m3 TJ–1)). Of the renewable energy sources, wood, reservoir hydropower and first generation biofuels require large water amounts (9114–137 624 m3 TJ–1). The most water efficient are solar, wind, geothermal and run-of-river hydropower (1–117 m3 TJ–1). For the EU territory for the year 2015, our geographically detailed assessment results in a WF of energy production from domestic water resources of 198 km3, or 1068 litres per person per day. The WF of energy consumption is larger as the EU is to a high level dependent on imports for its energy supply, amounting to 242 km3 per year, or 1301 litres per person per day. The WF of energy production within the 281 EU statistical NUTS-2 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions shows spatially heterogeneous values. Different energy sources produced and consumed in the EU contribute to and are produced under average annual and monthly blue water stress and green water scarcity. The amount of production under WS is especially high during summer months. Imported energy sources are also partly produced under WS, revealing risks to EU energy security due to externalisation. For the EU, to decarbonise and increase the share of renewables of its energy supply, it needs to formulate policies that take the water use of energy sources into account. In doing so, the spatial and temporal characteristics of water use and water stress should particularly be considered.
A monitoring and prediction system for compound dry and hot events
Authors: Hao Zengchao , Hao Fanghua , Xia Youlong , Singh Vijay P , Zhang Xuan
Published: October 2019

Compound dry and hot events (i.e. concurrent or consecutive occurrences of dry and hot events), which may cause larger impacts than those caused by extreme events occurring in isolation, have attracted wide attention in recent decades. Increased occurrences of compound dry and hot events in different regions around the globe highlight the importance of improved understanding and modeling of these events so that they can be tracked and predicted ahead of time. In this study, a monitoring and prediction system of compound dry and hot events at the global scale is introduced. The monitoring component consists of two indicators (standardized compound event indicator and a binary variable) that incorporate both dry and hot conditions for characterizing the severity and occurrence. The two indicators are shown to perform well in depicting compound dry and hot events during June–July–August 2010 in western Russia. The prediction component consists of two statistical models, including a conditional distribution model and a logistic regression model, for predicting compound dry and hot events based on El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which is shown to significantly affect compound events of several regions, including northern South America, southern Africa, southeast Asia, and Australia. These models are shown to perform well in predicting compound events in large regions (e.g. northern South America and southern Africa) during December–January–February 2015–2016. This monitoring and prediction system could be useful for providing early warning information of compound dry and hot events.
Oil palm agroforestry: an alternative to enhance farmers’ livelihood resilience
Authors: Budiadi  , Susanti Ari , Marhaento Hero , Ali Imron M , Permadi Dwiko B , Hermudananto
Published: October 2019

Oil palm has been rapidly expanding in Indonesia and becoming an important export commodity for the country. However, oil palm production has been promoted only as a monoculture, and this has led to adverse impacts on natural and social systems. At the same time, the demand for oil palm products is likely to increase, and therefore there is an urgency to find alternatives for more sustainable oil palm production. We argue that the monoculture system is not necessarily to be the only way to produce oil palm and this article aims at analysing alternatives for oil palm production systems beyond monoculture with agroforestry as the main focus. We visited oil palm agroforestry practiced by smallholders in Jambi and Central Kalimantan and asked questions about their motivation in adopting agroforestry, farm management, value chain and institutions. We found that smallholders have various motivations in adopting oil palm agroforestry but improving their household resilience becomes the most prominent reason. The adoption of perennial species, oil palm and other crops in the farms may improve the diversity of the farms and thus the diversity of household income. However, smallholders encounter problems on productivity because of the competitions in spaces. Lack in the knowledge of species selection, quality of planting materials and spacing arrangement have influenced oil palm productivity. In addition, market access also becomes a crucial issue when their farms are located in remote areas. There is currently no institutions, both government and non-government which promote and facilitate the adoption of oil palm agroforestry although this system has been practiced especially by smallholders. We suggest that oil palm agroforestry system needs to be further investigated not only regarding financial benefits for the smallholders but also its social acceptability and barriers of adoption as well as its potentials in contributing to the improvement of ecosystem functions.
The impacts of oil palm plantations on local and migrant smallholders’ incomes
Authors: Chalil Diana , Barus Riantri , Alamsyah Zulkifli , Jullimursyida  , Mawardati  , Sadalia Isfenti
Published: October 2019

In Indonesia, oil palm plantations have long affected income levels positively. Furthermore, Indonesia has developed oil palm smallholdings in 1980 to improve rural incomes. The success of this program has attracted other farmers and migrants to further developed oil palm plantations. Those who collaborated with companies were known as scheme smallholdings, while the others are known as independent smallholdings. In general, the lack of professional assistance has caused independent smallholdings to perform lower than the scheme ones. In addition, on average, the migrants also performed better as they were familiar with the collective actions of group activity management. Using as many as 210 and 219 scheme and independent smallholders from the Provinces of North Sumatra, South Sumatra, Jambi and Riau, such assumption were tested using the ANOVA compare means test of the four groups, namely schemed local and migrant, and independent local and migrant. Comparisons between the smallholders’ incomes and the Regional Minimum Wages of each province were analysed. The results showed that oil palm plantations have significantly improved the smallholders’ incomes in all provinces, although the impacts were observed to be higher for the scheme-migrant smallholders, not only concerning income, but also for productivity and selling price. However, this was likely due to the difference between scheme and independent rather than locals and migrants. This was partly explained due to the collective actions of all migrant-schemed smallholders in both the input purchases and the output sales and around 50% of the local-schemed, while almost all independents did it individually.
The impact of replanting oil palm plantations on the farming income of the Sungai Bahar community in Muaro Jambi Regency
Authors: Ernawati HD , Suandi  , Yanita Mirawati , Qoirina Nina
Published: October 2019

The research objectives are: (1) to know the description of oil palm farming income in replanting to underplanting and conventional method (2) to know the level of oil palm farmer income in replanting to underplanting and conventional method, (3) to know the ratio of oil palm farming income in replanting to underplanting and conventional method. The research conducted in Sungai Bahar Subdistrict: Suka Makmur, Mekarsari Makmur and Marga Mulya Village. The study area is chosen purposively. The study conducted three calendar months. Respondents were 60 farmers consisting of 30 farmers applied the conventional method, and 30 farmers applied underplanting method. Data were analysed by descriptive and t-test statistics. The results showed that there are differences in the number of plants in both replantings that affect production and income. The oil palm farming income who applied conventional method is higher than the underplanting method. The analysis shows that the oil palm farming income through conventional method is significantly different from the income of underplanting method.
The performance of oil palm cultivation in Muaro Jambi District
Authors: Yanita Mirawati , Napitupulu Dompak , Ernawati HD , Fauzia Gina , Wahyuni Ira
Published: October 2019

The development of oil palm plantations aimed to eliminate poverty and underdevelopment, especially in rural areas through enhancement of the incomes of the smallholders. However, most of the number of plants have entered the rejuvenation period, which influenced the performance of the cultivation. The objective of this research was to identify the performance of the oil palm cultivations in Muaro Jambi District and analysed the oil palm smallholding incomes. Using survey method, the results showed that age of the smallholder plantation, land size and price, have affected the number of costs incurred and the revenues in old-aged plants. The annual income per smallholder farmer reached IDR 38,211,648 or IDR 18,964,782 per hectare per annum. The research indicated that it would be better to maximize the activities in the use of agricultural inputs and be aware of the most current related innovations and technologies in productivity improvement of oil palms.
The impact of oil palm revitalization partnership at PT. Brahma Bina Bakti to farming participants revenues in Sekernan District, Muaro Jambi Regency
Authors: Ernawati HD , Fathoni Zakky , Wahyuni Ira , Fauzia Gina , Tamba Rio Swantomy
Published: October 2019

This study aims to determine the application of partnership Plantation Revitalization Program (PRP) and reviewing farm income of palm oil farmers participating in a partnership with PT. Brahma Bina Bakti in District Sekernan. This research was conducted in the village of Suak Putat, Tanjung Lanjut with the study of side income. In its application, the pattern of development of the garden (70%: 30%) is 70% of the land to farmers and 30% of the land to the company. While the pattern of results (30%: 70%) is of the total sales value of farmers’ land TBS then 70% cut by the company through cooperatives and 30% delivered to farmers through farmer group administrator. This pattern of results is done through credit/interest paid. The result of the calculation is known that the average income of farmers at the farm level is Rp 6,291,397.04 / ha/year while the rate of KUD is Rp 6,831,633.66 / ha/year. Income farming palm at the farmer level is smaller than the palm farm income at the level of KUD. This is caused by differences in the structure of production costs where other costs are not covered sacrificed farmers and cooperatives that the cost of medicines, family workers and agricultural tools.
Do oil palm impacts on species richness negatively affect the local livelihoods?
Authors: Sunkar Arzyana , Putri Stephany Debby Eka , Rahmasari Shinta Nur , Saraswati Ade , Imantoko Farras , Putra Lutfy Alif
Published: October 2019

Land use conversion is the leading cause of biodiversity changes, and biodiversity is often used as an indicator of sustainability. A great number of scholars and public, in general, have often associated biodiversity loss, such as species richness, with unsustainable oil palm plantations. Similarly, oil palm expansions were also associated with negative impacts on the local people’s livelihoods. Seldom in discussions on oil palms sustainability, do they take into consideration the perceived biodiversity changes from social points of view. This study seeks to determine the local people’s perceptions of the changes in species richness due to land conversion into oil palm plantations and how they have affected the local livelihoods. Household surveys were conducted using direct observation, literature study, and in-depth structured interview to 373 respondents from various ethnicities including indigenous people in 15 villages around 6 oil palm estates in North Sumatera, Riau, and West Kalimantan, whom were selected based on convenience sampling. Respondents were stratified into indigenous people, migrants, and estate’s workers. A five-point Likert Scale was employed to identify people’s perceptions while recollection technique was used to identify biodiversity loss. Results of the study revealed that there were varied perceptions related to the impacts of oil palms expansions on species richness from social perspectives. The species had different ecological and social values, depended on the benefits that people attach to the species. Although, as many as 16 wildlife and 15 plant species loss were recalled following the plantations’ development, these losses provided little contributions to the current livelihood strategies. The locals appeared to be responsive to better economic opportunities and willingness to shift the livelihood system for improved incomes. These results suggested that species richness might not always be the best indicator of plantation sustainability, as sustainability other than approached from ecology, must also have social and economic dimensions.
Impact of inorganic fertilizer to soil biological activity in an oil palm plantation
Authors: Wahyuningsih Resti , Marchand Leo , Pujianto  , Suhardi  , Caliman JP
Published: October 2019

Oil palm can produce the highest quantity of vegetable oil per unit area. In order to reach this potential, as well as to maintain, and when necessary to improve the chemical fertility of soils, inorganic fertilizers are regularly applied in plantations. As it has been reported that the addition of inorganic fertilizers in agriculture, could negatively affect the biological characteristics of the soil, we have initiated a first research program to evaluate and confirm such possibility related to oil palm cultivation. This paper presents a study about the impact of inorganic fertilizer applications of soil biological activity in oil palm plantation located in the province of Riau in Sumatra, Indonesia. Observations have been conducted in a factorial NxPxK fertilizer trial, since 1995. For this study, our observations aimed to determine the short-term impact of these inorganic fertilizers, i.e. the impact during the following days after applications, as well as the long-term impact of similar fertilizers that have been applied repetitively, every six months since 1995. Bait lamina sticks were used to assess the biological soil activity (soil fauna feeding activity) from July to December 2017. Three types of fertilizer have been used for the study, Urea (as nitrogen source), Triple Super Phosphate (as phosphorus source) and Muriate of Potash (as potassium source) at various rates, and several combinations have been tested. The bait laminas were inserted in the palm circles, where fertilizers are commonly applied. The results show that in the short-term applications of inorganic fertilizers result in an increase of the soil fauna feeding activity: two days after urea applications, soil fauna feeding activity increased significantly compared the values before application. Phosphate and potassium fertilizer applications also increased the feeding activity, but this happened five days after the respective fertilizer applications. The intensity of the increase varied depending on the rate of applications. The long-term application of potassium fertilizer significantly increased the soil fauna feeding activity, while the application of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers did not show a significant increase.