bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Ortho-planar Spring design optimization based on Linear Elastic and Hyper Elastic Materials
Authors: Graipaspong Ruetai , Chanthasopeephan Teeranoot
Published: April 2018

In this paper, compliant Ortho-planar spring was designed based on a three-dimensional topology optimization method. The computation was developed using MATLAB programming. The objective of this work was to apply dual method to design an Ortho-planar spring while the design should have minimum mass and at the same time satisfy a set of constrained displacement. Throughout this paper, we analyzed a method for designing an Ortho-planar spring using linear elastic material and hyperelastic material. The results showed that under small displacement conditions, the output displacement, maximum stress magnitude, and the maximum stress of linear elastic assumption and hyper-elastic material were relatively close to each other. However, the mass fraction and the layout as the result of the optimization process was different. As for larger displacement, the maximum stress of linear elastic material appeared 2.59 times higher than the maximum stress of the hyper-elastic material model. The topology optimization output based on linear material was invalid because the topology of the computed Ortho-planar spring was not appeared as a one-piece layout while the design based on nonlinear material looked promising.
Braking Control for Improving Ride Comfort
Authors: Lee Jonghyup , Choi Seibum
Published: April 2018

While many vehicle control systems focus on vehicle safety and vehicle performance at high speeds, most driving conditions are very low risk situations. In such a driving situation, the ride comfort of the vehicle is the most important performance index of the vehicle. Electro mechanical brake (EMB) and other brake-by-wire (BBW) systems have been actively researched. As a result, braking actuators in vehicles are more freely controllable, and research on improving ride comfort is also possible. In this study, we develop a control algorithm that dramatically improves ride comfort in low risk braking situations. A method for minimizing the inconvenience of a passenger due to a suddenly changing acceleration at the moment when the vehicle is stopped is presented. For this purpose, an acceleration trajectory is generated that minimizes the discomfort index defined by the change in acceleration, jerk. A controller is also designed to track this trajectory. The algorithm that updates the trajectory is designed considering the error due to the phase lag occurring in the controller and the plant. In order to verify the performance of this controller, simulation verification is completed using a car simulator, Carsim. As a result, it is confirmed that the ride comfort is dramatically improved.
The Strength Analysis of CFM56 Engine Blade
Authors: Liu Zhenzhen , Chen Zhixiong , Chen Jin
Published: April 2018

Aero engine is a kind of thermodynamic machinery, which require have strict aerodynamic load, mechanical load and strong durability, its longevity depends largely on the life of its main components. In this paper, a series of studies are carried out on the strength of fan blades of CFM56 engine, which provide a reference value for improving the reliability of the engine. The finite element model of the engine fan is established by using CATIA’s finite element software.The centrifugal stress distribution of the fan at different speeds and the influence of torque on fans under different speeds are calculated respectively, and the static strength of the fan is checked.
Throughput analysis in mobile adhoc network: a literature survey
Authors: Divakara Madhurya Kodialbail , Abdul Rajak A.R.
Published: April 2018

A rapid advancement in the area of mobile networks has been observed over the recent years due to the spread of reasonable, existing wireless devices. Hence it has given way to numerous opportunities to many researchers to work on Mobile Adhoc Networks. There are several key challenges in implementing the MANETS. It does not use any existing infrastructure or centralized administration. Each mobile node acts as a router. Due to its dynamic features, they are endangered. This paper provides a detailed study and throws light on the MANETS Topology in Wireless Adhoc Networks and focusses on performance parameters throughput, end to end delay and network load, its effect on the performance of the MANET network depending upon the number of users.
Direct Adaptive Compensation Control of Mechanical Systems With Unknown Actuator Failures and Dead-Zone Nonlinearities
Authors: Su Xiaohang , Liu Zhi
Published: April 2018

In this paper, a new tuning function backstepping control scheme is proposed for a class of parametric strict feedback nonlinear systems to accommodate actuator failures/faults and dead-zone constraints, where the failures/faults are uncertain in time, pattern, and values, and the dead-zone parameters are not available. Roughly speaking, such a scheme is developed in two steps below. First, by using an adaptive smooth inverse function to compensate for the dead-zone nonlinearity, we separate the coupling actuator dynamics into two parts, i.e., the dead-zone compensation errors and the nominal failure dynamics. Afterward, we further handle these two parts based on the techniques of robust adaptive approach and parametrization method. With our scheme, the global boundedness of the signals in the closed-loop system are ensured, and the tracking error is steered to zero asymptotically. These results have also been verified through simulation studies.
Touch Screen Calibration Based on Laser Sensors
Authors: Seo Seung Byum , Cho Sang-Young
Published: April 2018

Interactive learning is becoming important in teaching and learning. In particular, the electronic board has educational significance in terms of being able to share and discuss learner's contents with instructors. However, the existing electronic board is not easily used in an educational environment due to the high cost and complicated installation process. This paper propose a mathematical model to calibrate the position of user coordinates by installing two laser sensors and a reflector on a wall. We virtually locate 9 points with software. To validate the algorithm, Raspberry Pi2 is used as a virtual sensor and simulation was performed by PC using RS-232 communication. This algorithm is powerful because up to four pre-saved coordinates are used to provide the higher accuracy.
Study of Storage Shelves Deformation Using Finite Element Analysis during Seismic
Authors: Chen Dyi-Cheng , Kuo Tsung-Ying
Published: April 2018

In recent years the government strongly promoted industry 4.0. Domestic enterprises highly developed of wisdom manufactured. Therefore, in the warehouse, the automatic storage system has gradually been taken seriously. The focus of this study is on the deformation of the shelves during the earthquake. First, this study used Inventor graphics software to model the shelf, the model into the Workbench for meshing and conditional constraints, then the completion of the model into ANSYS waiting for the solution. In earthquake conditions, in this study a scale 6-level seismic data is taken from the network PEER seismic database system. Using the ANSeismic program developed in Matlab, the seismic data downloaded from the network is transformed into ANSYS readable seismic code. The simulation results can be obtained by importing the seismic code into ANSYS and model simulation. In this study, we observed and analyzed the simulation results, through the shelf stress, strain and deformation to analyze the situation of the shelves, and improved the shelf structure.
Impact Loads on the Occupant under the Protection of an Inversion Tube Energy Absorber during a Helicopter Crash
Authors: Luo Yunhua , Wang Mengqi , Yan Tao , Wang Lingjie
Published: April 2018

The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact loads on the occupants’ head, neck, and spine under the protection of an inversion tube energy absorber during a helicopter crash landing. Due to the high vertical acceleration, the head, neck and spine are the most vulnerable parts of a body, so that an energy absorber is needed to dissipate the kinetic energy of the occupant and the seat to minimize the impact loads. In this paper, an inversion tube was adopted as an energy-absorbing device. The occupant injury conditions were evaluated by a numerical simulation. The result indicates that the impact loads on occupant’s head, neck and spine are below the regulated thresholds under the protection of the energy absorber when the helicopter crash at a speed of 12.81m/s in vertical direction. As a consequence, the design of the occupant protection system has been proven reliable.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Crater Formation Induced by Laser Ablation on the Surface of α-Fe Substrate
Authors: Kuo Jenn-Kun , Huang Pei-Hsing , Chien Shih-Kai , Huang Kuang-Yao , Chen Kun-Tso
Published: April 2018

In this study, we employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate ablation induced by the application of pulsed laser irradiation to a thin α-Fe substrate. We observed several mechanisms underlying the removal of material, including ultrafast melting, cluster ejection, and thermal vaporization. We also examined the effects of laser fluence on the resulting surface morphology as well as the amount of material ablated and deposited around the craters
Approvisionnement alimentaire parisien du XVIIIeau XXIe siècle : les flux et leur gouvernance. Récit d’une trajectoire socioécologique
Authors: Bognon Sabine , Barles Sabine , Billen Gilles , Garnier Josette
Published: April 2018

Le système qui assure l’approvisionnement alimentaire des villes actuelles n’a pas toujours été mondial et privé, mais a longtemps été une prérogative des pouvoirs publics. La privatisation du système alimentaire s’est faite à la faveur de bouleversements dans les domaines agricole, industriel et commercial. Cet article propose le récit de la trajectoire de l’approvisionnement alimentaire parisien de la fin de l’Ancien Régime au début duXXIe siècle pour comprendre la coévolution de l’aire de ravitaillement de Paris et des modalités de gestion des flux alimentaires. Cette recherche interdisciplinaire met en relation la disponibilité d’une ressource (les denrées alimentaires étant assimilées à leur substance nutritive, l’azote) et les modalités de son appropriation par une société. Au vu de cette trajectoire conjointe, nous esquissons deux orientations possibles pour l’avenir du système alimentaire parisien.
Marketing for the photonics industry
Authors: d’Humières Benoît
Published: April 2018

You create a start-up, diversify the business of your SME, expand your product range; every new activity, every new business, starts with a concept. You, your partners, your team, have an idea for a product. Your dream product will be better and cheaper or it might not even exist yet, but it will meet market requirements. You are going to make this concept a reality.
Gefäßnotfälle im Notarztdienst – Teil 1: akute Extremitätenischämie und Gefäßverletzung
Authors: Beck Tino , Engelhardt Michael
Published: April 2018

Der Beitrag stellt die diagnostischen sowie leitlinienkonforme therapeutische Sofortmaßnahmen bei Extremitätenischämie und Gefäßverletzungen vor und geht kurz auf die sich innerklinisch anschließende Therapie ein, um in der Praxis schneller eine Entscheidung treffen zu können, über welche gefäßchirurgischen und interventionellen Kompetenzen die aufnehmende Klinik verfügen muss.
Synthetic Approach Toward Heterocyclic Hybrids of [1,2,4]Triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazines
Authors: Hamdi Maamar , Talhi Oualid , Silva Artur , Lechani Nawel , Kheddis-Boutemeur Baya , Laichi Yacine , Bachari Khaldoun
Published: April 2018

The synthesis of novel heterocyclic [1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazine hybrids by a bimolecular reaction of 2-(4-amino-5-mercapto-4H-[1,2,4]triazol-3-yl)phenol with an aromatic or heterocyclic α-bromoacetyl derivatives is described. This synthetic procedure starts from an unprotected phenol.
Hypervalent Iodine-Mediated Beckmann Rearrangement of
Ketoximes
Authors: Maegawa Tomohiro , Miki Yasuyoshi , Oishi Ryohei , Segi Kazutoshi , Hamamoto Hiromi , Nakamura Akira
Published: April 2018

We developed a Beckmann rearrangement employing hypervalent iodine reagent under mild conditions. The reaction of ketoxime with hypervalent iodine afforded the corresponding ketone, but premixing of hypervalent iodine and a Lewis acid was effective for promoting Beckmann rearrangement. Aromatic and aliphatic ketoximes were converted into their corresponding amides in good to high yields.
Clinical Efficacy of Bone Reconstruction Surgery with Frozen Cortical Bone Allografts for Nonunion of Radial and Ulnar Fractures in Toy Breed Dogs
Authors: Nagahiro Yukari , Katori Daichi , Muroi Norihiro , Akagi Hiroyuki , Kanno Nobuo , Harada Yasuji , Yamaguchi Shinya , Hayashi Kei , Hara Yasushi , Munakata Shuntaro
Published: April 2018

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of frozen cortical bone allografts (FCBA) in the treatment of severe radial and ulnar atrophic nonunion fractures.

Animals Toy breed dogs with nonunion of radial and ulnar fractures (n = 15).

Methods Severe atrophic nonunion fractures were treated with FCBA (eight infected and seven non-infected fractures). Radiographs obtained immediately after surgery, and 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months later were evaluated and scored for the periosteal reaction at the bone regeneration sites, the healing process in the bone connection areas at both the proximal and distal sites, and the bone remodelling process within the allografts.

Results Improvements in the fracture-healing process and weight-bearing function were observed in all cases. Radiographic scores at the bone connection areas and within the allograft improved significantly over time (p < 0.05). There were not any significant differences in radiographic scores between the infected and non-infected groups.

Clinical Significance Bone reconstruction with FCBA is effective in the treatment of radial and ulnar nonunion fractures associated with large bone defects, regardless of the infection status of the surgical site.
Gothic fairy-tales and Deleuzian desire
Authors: Hirst Holly
Published: April 2018

This article seeks to address the ‘identity’ of the ‘gothic fairy-tale’ through an investigation of Rana Dasgupta’s Tokyo Cancelled (2005), a collection of globally oriented short stories that straddle the line between the gothic and the fairy-tale. The argument provides a close analysis of a number of the tales within Dasgupta’s collection to highlight the parity between the gothic and the fairy-tale at the level of both plot and character. Moving beyond the well-documented case of how a writer and critic such as Angela Carter exposes the latent horror of the fairy-tale, the argument seeks to explore the juncture of the gothic and the fairy-tale represented in Tokyo Cancelled and, in doing so, illustrate the ways in which fairy-tales and the gothic both depend upon certain configurations of desire while questioning the primacy of ‘horror’ and ‘terror’ to definitions of the gothic mode. While highlighting the similarities between fairy-tale and gothic forms, this article also posits the existence of ‘fairy-tale’ and ‘gothic’ sensibilities that are fundamentally different from one another, a difference that is founded ultimately upon the question of desire. Employing Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s concept of productive desire, a model that opposes that of ‘desire-as-fantasy’ and ‘desire-as-lack’, which are associated with the fairy-tale and explicitly rejected in Tokyo Cancelled, the article posits a particularly gothic conception of desire. This ‘gothic desire’ is central both to the gothic mode generally and to the ‘gothic fairy-tale’ more particularly. Rana Dasgupta’s work acts as an illustration of this conception of the ‘gothic fairy-tale,’ one which moves away from an emphasis on terror, horror, transgression and fear to focus instead on a widely differing creative project and a conception of desire as definitional to form.
Variational submanifolds of Euclidean spaces
Authors: Krupka D. , Urban Z. , Volná J.
Published: April 2018

Systems of ordinary differential equations (or dynamical forms in Lagrangian mechanics), induced by embeddings of smooth fibered manifolds over one-dimensional basis, are considered in the class of variational equations. For a given non-variational system, conditions assuring variationality (the Helmholtz conditions) of the induced system with respect to a submanifold of a Euclidean space are studied, and the problem of existence of these “variational submanifolds” is formulated in general and solved for second-order systems. The variational sequence theory on sheaves of differential forms is employed as a main tool for the analysis of local and global aspects (variationality and variational triviality). The theory is illustrated by examples of holonomic constraints (submanifolds of a configuration Euclidean space) which are variational submanifolds in geometry and mechanics.
High level active n+ doping of strained germanium through co-implantation and nanosecond pulsed laser melting
Authors: Pastor David , Gandhi Hemi H. , Monmeyran Corentin P. , Akey Austin J. , Milazzo Ruggero , Cai Yan , Napolitani Enrico , Gwilliam Russell M. , Crowe Iain F. , Michel Jurgen , Kimerling L. C. , Agarwal Anuradha , Mazur Eric , Aziz Michael J.
Published: April 2018

Obtaining high level active n+ carrier concentrations in germanium (Ge) has been a significant challenge for further development of Ge devices. By ion implanting phosphorus (P) and fluorine (F) into Ge and restoring crystallinity using Nd:YAG nanosecond pulsed laser melting (PLM), we demonstrate 1020 cm−3 n+ carrier concentration in tensile-strained epitaxial germanium-on-silicon. Scanning electron microscopy shows that after laser treatment, samples implanted with P have an ablated surface, whereas P + F co-implanted samples have good crystallinity and a smooth surface topography. We characterize P and F concentration depth profiles using secondary ion mass spectrometry and spreading resistance profiling. The peak carrier concentration, 1020 cm−3 at 80 nm below the surface, coincides with the peak F concentration, illustrating the key role of F in increasing donor activation. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of the co-implanted sample shows that the Ge epilayer region damaged during implantation is a single crystal after PLM. High-resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements both indicate that the as-grown epitaxial layer strain is preserved after PLM. These results demonstrate that co-implantation and PLM can achieve the combination of n+ carrier concentration and strain in Ge epilayers necessary for next-generation, high-performance Ge-on-Si devices.
Experimental investigation of gas flow rate and electric field effect on refractive index and electron density distribution of cold atmospheric pressure-plasma by optical method, Moiré deflectometry
Authors: Khanzadeh Mohammad , Jamal Fatemeh , Shariat Mahdi
Published: April 2018

Nowadays, cold atmospheric-pressure (CAP) helium plasma jets are widely used in material processing devices in various industries. Researchers often use indirect and spectrometric methods for measuring the plasma parameters which are very expensive. In this paper, for the first time, characterization of CAP, i.e., finding its parameters such as refractive index and electron density distribution, was carried out using an optical method, Moiré deflectometry. This method is a wave front analysis technique based on geometric optics. The advantages of this method are simplicity, high accuracy, and low cost along with the non-contact, non-destructive, and direct measurement of CAP parameters. This method demonstrates that as the helium gas flow rate decreases, the refractive index increases. Also, we must note that the refractive index is larger in the gas flow consisting of different flow rates of plasma comparing with the gas flow without the plasma.
Recombination activity of threading dislocations in GaInP influenced by growth temperature
Authors: Mukherjee K. , Reilly C. H. , Callahan P. G. , Seward G. G. E.
Published: April 2018

Room-temperature non-radiative recombination is studied at single dislocations in Ga0.5In0.5P quantum wells grown on metamorphic templates using cathodoluminescence and electron channeling contrast imaging. An analysis of the light emission intensity profiles around single dislocations reveals that the average recombination strength of a dislocation decreases by a factor of four and seven as a result of decreasing growth temperature of the GaInP quantum well from 725 to 675 and 625 °C, respectively. This reduction occurs despite little change in the diffusion length, precluding the prospect of inducing carrier localization by ordering and phase separation in GaInP at lower growth temperatures. These observations are rationalized by the premise that point defects or impurities are largely responsible for the recombination activity of dislocations, and the extent of decoration of the dislocation core decreases with temperature. Preliminary evidence for the impact of the Burgers vector is also presented. The lowest growth temperature, however, negatively impacts light emission away from dislocations. Carrier recombination in the bulk and at dislocations needs to be considered together for metamorphic devices, and this work can lead to new techniques to limit non-radiative recombination.
Distinct stochasticities between ferromagnetic domain-wall motions driven by magnetic field and electric current
Authors: Nam Yune-Seok , Kim Dae-Yun , Park Min-Ho , Park Yong-Keun , Kim Joo-Sung , Kim Duck-Ho , Min Byoung-Chul , Choe Sug-Bong
Published: April 2018

We report the experimental observation of distinct stochasticities between domain-wall motions driven by either a magnetic field or an electric current. In Pt/Co/Ta trilayer films, the arrival time of the current-induced domain-wall motion has a much broader dispersion compared to that of the field-induced motion. Images of the magneto-optical Kerr effect microscope reveal that the current-induced motion experiences significantly stronger domain-wall pinning, contrary to the field-induced domain-wall motion, even though both types of motion take place in the same area of the film. Consequently, the former exhibits stepwise propagation in time, whereas the behavior of the latter is smooth and monotonic. A simple analytic model based on depinning statistics is proposed to explain the relationship between the wide dispersion and the strong pinning mechanisms in current-induced domain-wall motion.
Predicting the stability of ternary intermetallics with density functional theory and machine learning
Authors: Schmidt Jonathan , Chen Liming , Botti Silvana , Marques Miguel A. L.
Published: April 2018

We use a combination of machine learning techniques and high-throughput density-functional theory calculations to explore ternary compounds with the AB2C2 composition. We chose the two most common intermetallic prototypes for this composition, namely, the tI10-CeAl2Ga2 and the tP10-FeMo2B2 structures. Our results suggest that there may be ∼10 times more stable compounds in these phases than previously known. These are mostly metallic and non-magnetic. While the use of machine learning reduces the overall calculation cost by around 75%, some limitations of its predictive power still exist, in particular, for compounds involving the second-row of the periodic table or magnetic elements.
Absolute ion detection efficiencies of microchannel plates and funnel microchannel plates for multi-coincidence detection
Authors: Fehre K. , Trojanowskaja D. , Gatzke J. , Kunitski M. , Trinter F. , Zeller S. , Schmidt L. Ph. H. , Stohner J. , Berger R. , Czasch A. , Jagutzki O. , Jahnke T. , Dörner R. , Schöffler M. S.
Published: April 2018

Modern momentum imaging techniques allow for the investigation of complex molecules in the gas phase by detection of several fragment ions in coincidence. For these studies, it is of great importance that the single-particle detection efficiency ε is as high as possible, as the overall efficiency scales with εn, i.e., the power of the number of detected particles. Here we present measured absolute detection efficiencies for protons of several micro-channel plates (MCPs), including efficiency enhanced “funnel MCPs.” Furthermore, the relative detection efficiency for two-, three-, four-, and five-body fragmentation of CHBrClF has been examined. The “funnel” MCPs exhibit an efficiency of approximately 90%, gaining a factor of 24 (as compared to “normal” MCPs) in the case of a five-fold ion coincidence detection.
Finite-key analysis for the 1-decoy state QKD protocol
Authors: Rusca Davide , Boaron Alberto , Grünenfelder Fadri , Martin Anthony , Zbinden Hugo
Published: April 2018

It has been shown that in the asymptotic case of infinite-key length, the 2-decoy state Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol outperforms the 1-decoy state protocol. Here, we present a finite-key analysis of the 1-decoy method. Interestingly, we find that for practical block sizes of up to 108 bits, the 1-decoy protocol achieves for almost all experimental settings higher secret key rates than the 2-decoy protocol. Since using only one decoy is also easier to implement, we conclude that it is the best choice for QKD, in most common practical scenarios.
Study of local currents in low dimension materials using complex injecting potentials
Authors: He Shenglai , Covington Cody , Varga Kálmán
Published: April 2018

A complex potential is constructed to inject electrons into the conduction band, mimicking electron currents in nanoscale systems. The injected electrons are time propagated until a steady state is reached. The local current density can then be calculated to show the path of the conducting electrons on an atomistic level. The method allows for the calculation of the current density vectors within the medium as a function of energy of the conducting electron. Using this method, we investigate the electron pathway of graphene nanoribbons in various structures, molecular junctions, and black phosphorus nanoribbons. By analyzing the current flow through the structures, we find strong dependence on the structural geometry and the energy of the injected electrons. This method may be of general use in the study of nano-electronic materials and interfaces.
Polarization nondegenerate fiber Fabry-Perot cavities with large tunable splittings
Authors: Cui Jin-Ming , Zhou Kun , Zhao Ming-Shu , Ai Ming-Zhong , Hu Chang-Kang , Li Qiang , Liu Bi-Heng , Peng Jin-Lan , Huang Yun-Feng , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: April 2018

We demonstrate a type of microcavity with large tunable splitting of polarization modes. This polarization nondegenerate cavity consists of two ellipsoidal concave mirrors with controllable eccentricity by CO2 laser machining on fiber end facets. The experiment shows that the cavities can combine the advantages of high finesse above 104 and large tunable polarization mode splitting to the GHz range. As the splitting of the cavity can be finely controlled to match atom hyperfine levels or optomechanics phonons, it will blaze a way in experiments on cavity quantum electrodynamics and cavity optomechanics.
Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting of BiVO4 photonic crystal photoanode by decorating with MoS2 nanosheets
Authors: Nan Feng , Cai Tianyi , Ju Sheng , Fang Liang
Published: April 2018

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been considered as one of the promising Photoelectrochemical (PEC) photoanode materials. However, the performances remain poorly rated due to inefficient carrier separation, short carrier diffusion length, and sluggish water oxidation kinetics. Herein, a photoanode consisting of MoS2 nanosheet coating on the three-dimensional ordered BiVO4 inverse opal is fabricated by a facile combination of nanosphere lithography and hydrothermal methods. By taking advantage of the photonic crystal and two-dimensional material, the optimized MoS2/BiVO4 inverse opal photoanode exhibits a 560% improvement of the photocurrent density and threefold enhancement of the incident photon-to-current efficiency than that of the pristine BiVO4 film photoanode. Systematic studies reveal that the excellent PEC activity should be attributed to enhanced light harvesting and charge separation efficiency.
Generation of fractional acoustic vortex with a discrete Archimedean spiral structure plate
Authors: Jia Yu-Rou , Wei Qi , Wu Da-Jian , Xu Zheng , Liu Xiao-Jun
Published: April 2018

Artificial structure plates engraved with discrete Archimedean spiral slits have been well designed to achieve fractional acoustic vortices (FAVs). The phase and pressure field distributions of FAVs are investigated theoretically and demonstrated numerically. It is found that the phase singularities relating to the integer and fractional parts of the topological charge (TC) result in dark spots in the upper half of the pressure field profile and a low-intensity stripe in the lower half of the pressure field profile, respectively. The dynamic progress of the FAV is also discussed in detail as TC increases from 1 to 2. With increasing TC from 1 to 1.5, the splitting of the phase singularity leads to the deviation of the phase of the FAV from the integer case and hence a new phase singularity occurs. As TC m increases from 1.5 to 2, two phase singularities of the FAV approach together and finally merge as a new central phase singularity. We further perform an experiment based on the Schlieren method to demonstrate the generation of the FAV.
Characteristics of vocalisation in Hanwoo cattle (Bos taurus coreanae) under different call-causing conditions
Authors: Kim Na Yeon , Kim Seong Jin , Jang Se Young , Seong Hye Jin , Yun Yeong Sik , Moon Sang Ho
Published: April 2018

The present study provided basic data regarding cattle farming on the basis of animal welfare, by using Hanwoo cattle (Bos taurus coreanae) vocalisations. We collected and analysed cattle-vocalisation data during situations that commonly occur during cattle farming (steer handling call, n = 130; heifer handling call, n = 418; heifer oestrus call, n = 454; heifer feed-anticipation call, n = 124; calf introduction call, n = 212) at a Hanwoo cattle farm and investigated differences in vocalisation parameters (call duration, call intensity, fundamental frequency, first formant, second formant, third formant, fourth formant) according to the type of call. Regarding call duration, intensity and first formant, the heifer oestrus call was significantly (P < 0.05) longer than were the other calls. The calf introduction call was the second longest in duration and first formant. Regarding fundamental frequency, the steer handling call was significantly higher than were the other calls (P < 0.05), with the heifer oestrus call being the lowest by a significant amount (P < 0.05). Regarding the second and third formants, the feed-anticipation call had a significantly higher frequency than did the other calls (P < 0.05). Regarding the fourth formant, the steer and heifer handling calls showed the highest frequency levels by a significant margin (P < 0.05). The calf introduction and heifer oestrus calls scored the lowest for the third formant and fourth formant (P < 0.05). Ultimately, vocalisation-parameter analysis of Hanwoo in different situations enabled the classification of an auditory communication system on the basis of their physiological and emotional states. Such vocalisation research data can be used for animal welfare and to enable more advanced and precise cattle farming.
Avian monitoring – comparing structured and unstructured citizen science
Authors: Callaghan Corey T. , Martin John M. , Major Richard E. , Kingsford Richard T.
Published: April 2018

Context Citizen science is increasingly used to collect biodiversity data to inform conservation management, but its validity within urban greenspaces remains largely unresolved. Aims To assess the validity of eBird data for generating biodiversity estimates within an urban greenspace. Methods We compared data from structured avian surveys with eBird data at an urban greenspace in Sydney during 2012–16, using species richness and Shannon diversity indices. We also compared community composition, using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and dissimilarities using non-parametric MANOVA. Key results Structured surveys had a lower overall species richness (80 versus 116) and Shannon diversity (3.64 versus 3.94) than eBird data, but we found no significant differences when using years as replicates. After standardising the richness and diversity indices by time spent surveying in a given year, structured surveys produced significantly higher biodiversity estimates. Further, when grouped into species occupying different broad habitats, there were no significant differences in waterbird or landbird species richness, or in Shannon diversity between data sources. Conclusions The most likely explanation for the larger magnitudes of the biodiversity indices from the eBird data is the increase in effort manifested in the number of observers, time spent surveying and spatial coverage. This resulted in increased detection of uncommon species, which in turn accounted for a significant difference (R2 = 0.21, P = 0.015) in overall community composition measured by the two methods. Implications Our results highlight the opportunities provided by eBird data as a useful tool for land managers for monitoring avian communities in urban areas.
Nonviral gene editing via CRISPR/Cas9 delivery by membrane-disruptive and endosomolytic helical polypeptide
Authors: Wang Hong-Xia , Song Ziyuan , Lao Yeh-Hsing , Xu Xin , Gong Jing , Cheng Du , Chakraborty Syandan , Park Ji Sun , Li Mingqiang , Huang Dantong , Yin Lichen , Cheng Jianjun , Leong Kam W.
Published: April 2018

Significance

Delivery remains a significant challenge for robust implementation of CRISPR/Cas9. We report an efficient CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system comprising PEGylated nanoparticles based on the α-helical polypeptide PPABLG. Assisted by the high membrane-penetrating ability of the polypeptide, P-HNPs achieved efficient cellular internalization and endosomal escape. The CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system could reach 47.3% gene editing in cells, 35% gene deletion in vivo, and HeLa tumor growth suppression >71%, demonstrating an advantage over the existing conventional polycationic transfection reagents. Efficient also in knock-in and gene activation, the reported CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system serves to advance gene editing in vitro and in vivo.
Complex role of NK cells in regulation of oncolytic virus–bortezomib therapy
Authors: Kim Yangjin , Yoo Ji Young , Lee Tae Jin , Liu Joseph , Yu Jianhua , Caligiuri Michael A. , Kaur Balveen , Friedman Avner
Published: April 2018

Significance

The present work considers the effect of NK cell treatment in a combination therapy with oncolytic virus (OV) and bortezomib. It demonstrates by cross-disciplinary analysis of a complex biological process that the standard strategies, wherein “more is better,” do not necessarily apply when multiple drugs of different classes and interactions are being used in the combination. While many combination clinical trials are being conducted with little forethought as to the interactions that may be expected between diverse agents, this work provides a basis for the generation of mathematical models and simulations that address the complexity of the interactions among the diverse agents and could play an important role in the future development of clinical trials.
Near-term deployment of carbon capture and sequestration from biorefineries in the United States
Authors: Sanchez Daniel L. , Johnson Nils , McCoy Sean T. , Turner Peter A. , Mach Katharine J.
Published: April 2018

Significance

Carbon dioxide removal through the permanent sequestration of biogenic CO
2
is a critical technique for climate change mitigation, but most bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies are technically immature or commercially unavailable. In contrast, examples of CCS of biogenic CO
2
resulting from fermentation emissions already exist at scale. Here, we evaluate low-cost, commercially ready sequestration opportunities for existing biorefineries in the United States. We find that existing and proposed financial incentives suggest a substantial near-term opportunity to catalyze the growth of CCS infrastructure, improve the impacts of conventional biofuels, support development of carbon-negative biofuels, and satisfy low-carbon fuel policies.
Skin microbiota and allergic symptoms associate with exposure to environmental microbes
Authors: Lehtimäki Jenni , Sinkko Hanna , Hielm-Björkman Anna , Salmela Elina , Tiira Katriina , Laatikainen Tiina , Mäkeläinen Sanna , Kaukonen Maria , Uusitalo Liisa , Hanski Ilkka , Lohi Hannes , Ruokolainen Lasse
Published: April 2018

Significance

Urban, Westernized populations suffer extensively from noncommunicable diseases such as allergies. However, the overlapping effects of living environment and lifestyle are difficult to separate. Intriguingly, also our fellow animals, dogs, suffer from analogous diseases. Therefore, we suggest that pet dogs, sharing their environment and lifestyle with humans but having a comparatively simple life, provide a valuable model for understanding origins of noncommunicable diseases. We show that living environment and lifestyle concurrently, but still independently, shape both the skin microbiota and the risk of allergic disease in dogs. Urbanized lifestyle, featuring restricted animal contacts and small family size, is allergy promoting both in rural and urban dogs. Hence, both environment and lifestyle seem to influence the microbiota and, probably consequently, immune tolerance.
Quantifying ecological impacts of mass extinctions with network analysis of fossil communities
Authors: Muscente A. D. , Prabhu Anirudh , Zhong Hao , Eleish Ahmed , Meyer Michael B. , Fox Peter , Hazen Robert M. , Knoll Andrew H.
Published: April 2018

Significance

The geologic record provides evidence of repeated diversification events and mass extinctions, which entailed benchmark changes in biodiversity and ecology. For insights into these events, we explore the fossil record of marine animal communities using a network-based approach to quantifying ecological change over time. The major radiations and mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic Eon resulted in the biggest ecological changes, as they involved the rise and decline of interrelated communities in relative dominance. Our analyses provide support for an ecological severity ranking of mass extinctions and illuminate the long-term consequences of the Ordovician radiation and Devonian mass depletion of biodiversity. Our work highlights the potential for irreversible ecosystem changes with species losses, both previously documented and predicted in the future.
Combining population genomics and fitness QTLs to identify the genetics of local adaptation in
Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Price Nicholas , Moyers Brook T. , Lopez Lua , Lasky Jesse R. , Monroe J. Grey , Mullen Jack L. , Oakley Christopher G. , Lin Junjiang , Ågren Jon , Schrider Daniel R. , Kern Andrew D. , McKay John K.
Published: April 2018

Significance

Local adaptation can occur due to individual genetic variants that increase the fitness of individuals in their home environments but decrease fitness in other environments [genetic trade-offs (GTs)] or genetic variants that increase fitness in one environment but have no effect in other environments [conditional neutrality (CN)]. Here, we show that GT quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for fitness between Italian and Swedish
Arabidopsis thaliana
exhibit strong population genomic signatures of local adaptation, including elevated levels of allele frequency differentiation, correlations to climatic variables, and recent sweeps. Highly divergent genes between Italy and Sweden populations show evidence of more recent selection in Sweden than Italy, and the biological annotations of these genes suggest interesting mechanisms underlying local adaptation.
Unexpected metabolic disorders induced by endocrine disruptors in
Xenopus tropicalis
provide new lead for understanding amphibian decline
Authors: Regnault Christophe , Usal Marie , Veyrenc Sylvie , Couturier Karine , Batandier Cécile , Bulteau Anne-Laure , Lejon David , Sapin Alexandre , Combourieu Bruno , Chetiveaux Maud , Le May Cédric , Lafond Thomas , Raveton Muriel , Reynaud Stéphane
Published: April 2018

Significance

By performing a controlled exposure of an amphibian model to endocrine disruptors (EDs) at concentrations within the range of safe drinking water, we provide evidence of the role played by these widespread contaminants in amphibian population decline through metabolic disruption. In frogs exposed throughout their life cycle, this disruption induces a metabolic syndrome characteristic of a prediabetes state. Exposed animals produce progeny that metamorphose later, are smaller and lighter at the adult stage, and have reduced reproductive success. These transgenerational effects of EDs may impact overwintering survival, recruitment for reproduction, and fitness, each representing possible triggers of population decline.
COBLL1 modulates cell morphology and facilitates androgen receptor genomic binding in advanced prostate cancer
Authors: Takayama Ken-ichi , Suzuki Takashi , Fujimura Tetsuya , Takahashi Satoru , Inoue Satoshi
Published: April 2018

Significance

Activated androgen receptor signaling is a key driver to circumvent androgen-deprivation therapy in advanced prostate cancer. Cordon-bleu (COBL) has been identified as a specific player in morphogenesis by regulating actin networks in neurons. Here, we identify another COBL protein, COBL-like 1 (COBLL1), as an important factor that contributes to prostate cancer progression by stimulating androgen receptor signaling and modulating cell morphology. We show that COBLL1 is regulated by androgen and is highly up-regulated in treatment-resistant prostate cancer model cells, where COBLL1 mediates cell proliferation and migration, supporting a fundamental role for COBLL1 in prostate cancer. Our study shows the potential implications for therapeutic targeting of COBLL1 in advanced prostate cancer.
Trends in continental temperature and humidity directly linked to ocean warming
Authors: Byrne Michael P. , O’Gorman Paul A.
Published: April 2018

Significance

Changes in surface temperature and humidity over land are important for climate-change impacts on humans and ecosystems. Here, we show how trends in land humidity and temperature in recent decades are linked to ocean warming. While changes in temperature and humidity have been different over land and ocean, these changes have combined to give equal changes in the moist static energy of the air over land and ocean, consistent with expectations from atmospheric dynamics. We show how this dynamical constraint, and an additional constraint based on moisture transport, may be used to predict land climate changes given the ocean warming. Land surfaces are complex to understand and model, yet our results show a remarkably simple behavior of the climate system that emerges at large scales.
Prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting MYCN-positive liver cancer stem cells with acyclic retinoid
Authors: Qin Xian-Yang , Suzuki Harukazu , Honda Masao , Okada Hikari , Kaneko Shuichi , Inoue Ikuyo , Ebisui Etsuko , Hashimoto Kosuke , Carninci Piero , Kanki Keita , Tatsukawa Hideki , Ishibashi Naoto , Masaki Takahiro , Matsuura Tomokazu , Kagechika Hiroyuki , Toriguchi Kan , Hatano Etsuro , Shirakami Yohei , Shiota Goshi , Shimizu Masahito , Moriwaki Hisataka , Kojima Soichi
Published: April 2018

Significance

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal cancer, partly because of its high rate of recurrence, which is caused by the presence of liver cancer stem cells (CSCs). Here, using a selective chemopreventive agent, acyclic retinoid (ACR), as a bioprobe, we identified
MYCN
, which is mostly recognized as an oncogene in neuroblastoma, as a therapeutic target of ACR for HCC through a selective deletion of MYCN
+
liver CSCs. We also demonstrated that the expression of MYCN in HCC served as a prognostic biomarker and positively correlated with recurrence of de novo HCC after curative treatment. Our study highlighted MYCN as a biomarker and therapeutic target in drug discovery for screening chemopreventive agents against the recurrence of HCC.
Systemic surfaceome profiling identifies target antigens for immune-based therapy in subtypes of advanced prostate cancer
Authors: Lee John K. , Bangayan Nathanael J. , Chai Timothy , Smith Bryan A. , Pariva Tiffany E. , Yun Sangwon , Vashisht Ajay , Zhang Qingfu , Park Jung Wook , Corey Eva , Huang Jiaoti , Graeber Thomas G. , Wohlschlegel James , Witte Owen N.
Published: April 2018

Significance

Advanced prostate cancer is a deadly disease made up of multiple cancer subtypes that evolve during its natural history. Unfortunately, antibody- and cell-based therapies in development that target single tumor antigens found in conventional prostate cancer do not account for this heterogeneity. Here, we show that two major subtypes of advanced prostate cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma (PrAd) and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), exhibit distinct cell-surface expression profiles. Integrated analysis of gene expression and cell-surface protein expression of prostate cancer nominated multiple subtype-specific cell-surface antigens. We specifically characterize FXYD3 and CEACAM5 as targets for immune-based therapies in PrAd and NEPC and provide preliminary evidence of the antigen-specific cytotoxic activity of CEACAM5-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cells in NEPC.
Spatiotemporal encoding of search strategies by prefrontal neurons
Authors: Chiang Feng-Kuei , Wallis Joni D.
Published: April 2018

Significance

Working memory is a capacity-limited system that is used by cognitive processes, such as planning, reasoning, and decision making, to temporarily store information for short periods of time. We often employ behavioral strategies to overcome the capacity limit, such as processing information in sequences, but how this is accomplished at the neural level is unknown. By recording the electrical activity of prefrontal neurons during working-memory tasks, we found that prefrontal neurons had spatiotemporal receptive fields, encoding both the spatial coordinates of behavioral targets and their organization within a sequence. Furthermore, the strength of this tuning could be dynamically modulated according to how much subjects relied on working memory or behavioral strategies.
A crowdsourcing approach to the description of regional variation in French object clitic clusters
Authors: Avanzi Mathieu , Stark Elisabeth
Published: April 2018

Our contribution is dedicated to the empirical testing of alleged regional variants of object clitic clusters in modern French in France, Belgium and Switzerland. We provide some intriguing new insights into the regional distribution of non-standard variants and discuss one hypothesis on their nature and two hypotheses to explain their coming into being: language-contact (with Francoprovençal, Occitan and Oïl dialects, H1) and/or analogical leveling (H2), on the one hand, and their postsyntactic, rather than syntactic, nature, on the other (H3). Our main results reveal that the three non-standard variants where order in object clitic clusters is concerned are not regionally well-distributed, i.e. the observed distribution does not correspond to any cohesive area. In contrast, only one variant where the selection of the form (mevs.moi) is at issue seems to be regionally confined: it is found in French-speaking Switzerland, in Gascony, plus some rare attestations of it in the North of France. All in all, variation in object clitic clusters indicates a genuinely new geographical articulation of regional French that does not coincide with traditional dialectal areas.