bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Ti additives on structural and electric properties of Cr- and Ti-codoped ZnO layers
Authors: Lee Sejoon , Lee Youngmin , Young Kim Deuk , Won Kang Tae
Published: August 2013

We investigate the effects of Ti-codoping on the structural and electrical properties of the ZnCrTiO layers grown on the Pt (111)/Ti/Al2O3 (0001) substrates by co-sputtering of ZnCrO and Ti. The ZnCrTiO layers with the Ti contents of 0.2–0.3 at. % reveal the enhanced disorder-activated Raman modes, attributing to increased lattice-displacement-induced phonon scattering due to the incorporation of Ti additives. In comparison with ZnCrO, the ZnCrTiO layers exhibit the improved ferroelectric properties with one order of magnitude-increased remnant polarization. This causes a polarization-dependent asymmetric hysteresis behavior in the Pt/ZnCrTiO/Pt top-to-bottom metal-ferroelectric-metal device, suggesting potential applications for two-terminal ferroelectric-tunneling resistive memories.
Isotope effect due to the super-exchange interaction and van Hove singularity in high-Tc superconductors
Authors: Bechlaghem A. , Bourbie D.
Published: August 2013

The isotope coefficient α has been studied in the context when the Fermi level is close to the van Hove singularity. In this approach, we consider the interaction is related to the magnetic excitations at high temperature. An analytical expression for the isotope effect is obtained in the weak coupling limit. Our results show that when the superconducting transition temperature increases the isotope coefficient decreases in qualitative agreement with experimental results.
A nucleation-growth model of nanowires produced by the vapor-liquid-solid process
Authors: Li Na , Li Wenxuan , Liu Lijun , Tan Teh Y.
Published: August 2013

Within the framework of the vapor-liquid-solid process of Si nanowire growth, an expression describing the Si nanowire growth rate is derived and fitted to multiple experimental data sets with excellent agreement. The derivation is based on the two-dimensional island nucleation-growth process which appeared to have been first mentioned by Givargizov and Chernov [Sov. Phys. Crystallog. 18, 89 (1973)]. This nucleation-growth process is in principle different from the conventional diffusion limited or reaction barrier limited processes.
Electronic and structural properties of nitrogen adsorbed Nb(100) surfaces: An ab initio study
Authors: Carvalho P. A. S. , Miwa R. H.
Published: August 2013

We have performed an ab initio total energy investigation of the electronic and structural properties of nitrogen adsorbed Nb(100) surface, N/Nb(100). We find an energetic preference for the nitrogen adsorption on the hollow sites of the Nb(100) surface. Upon the presence of N adatoms, there is a reduction of the electronic density of states near the Fermi level. However, the metallic character of the Nb(100) surface has been maintained. The (occupied) electronic states of N adatoms are resonant within the valence band of Nb(100), mostly lying at 4 eV below the Fermi level. Further investigations reveal the formation of energetically stable N/Nb(100)–(n × 1) phase, being the (2 × 1), (5 × 1), and (10 × 1) the most likely ones. Those (n × 1) structures are composed by NbN stripes separated by N vacancy lines. Our scanning tunneling microscopy simulations indicate the formation of bright lines lying on the Nb atoms neighboring the (dark) N vacancy lines, giving rise to an anisotropic electronic structure on the N/Nb(100)–(n × 1) surface. That is, the metallic character of the surface has been strengthened along the vacancy-lines.
Influence of the cooling scheme on the performance and presence of carrier traps for CdMnTe detectors
Authors: Kim KiHyun , Jeng Geunwoo , Kim Pilsu , Choi Jonghak , Bolotnikov A. E. , Camarda G. S. , James R. B.
Published: August 2013

The detector performance and presence of Te secondary-phase defects distribution were investigated in CdMnTe (CMT) crystals prepared with different cooling rates. Detectors fabricated from fast-cooled CMT crystals exhibit a relatively poor detector performance, although IR transmission microscopy measurements show that the Te secondary-phase defects have a lower concentration and smaller size compared to slow-cooled crystals. Current deep-level transient spectroscopy (I-DLTS) measurements for both CMT detectors reveal the same trap levels, but there is a clear difference in the densities for the 0.26- and 0.42-eV traps for the two different cooling schemes. These two traps are probably attributed to Cd vacancies and Te anti-site defects, respectively. In addition, there is some likelihood that the traps are anti-correlated with respect to each other.
Three-dimensional labyrinthine acoustic metamaterials
Authors: Frenzel Tobias , David Brehm Jan , Bückmann Tiemo , Schittny Robert , Kadic Muamer , Wegener Martin
Published: August 2013

Building upon recent theoretical and experimental work on two-dimensional labyrinthine acoustic metamaterials, we design, fabricate, and characterize nearly isotropic three-dimensional airborne acoustic labyrinthine metamaterials. Our experiments on aluminum-based structures show phase and group velocities smaller than that of air by a factor of about 8 over a broad range of frequencies from 1 to 4 kHz. This behavior is in agreement with three-dimensional band-structure calculations including the first and higher bands. The extracted imaginary parts of the phase velocity are 5–25 times smaller than the mentioned real parts. This ratio is better than for most optical metamaterials but still rather favors applications in terms of sub-wavelength broadband acoustic absorbers.
Electron properties and air mixing in radio frequency driven argon plasma jets at atmospheric pressure
Authors: van Gessel Bram , Brandenburg Ronny , Bruggeman Peter
Published: August 2013

A time modulated radio frequency (RF) plasma jet operated with an Ar mixture is investigated by measuring the electron density and electron temperature using Thomson scattering. The measurements have been performed spatially resolved for two different electrode configurations and as a function of the plasma dissipated power and air concentration admixed to the Ar. Time resolved measurements of electron densities and temperatures during the RF cycle and after plasma power switch-off are presented. Furthermore, the influence of the plasma on the air entrainment into the effluent is studied using Raman scattering.
Electrical control of tunnel coupling between vertically coupled quantum point contacts
Authors: Ichinokura S. , Hatano T. , Izumida W. , Nagase K. , Hirayama Y.
Published: August 2013

Electrical control of tunnel characteristics is demonstrated in a vertically coupled quantum point contact (VCQPC) formed in a bilayer two-dimensional electron system. In this VCQPC, the geometry of potential is controlled by voltages applied to split-gates, a midline-gate, and a back-gate. In particular, the vertical alignment of upper and lower quantum point contact (QPCs) can be electrically tuned. When the two QPCs are misaligned, coupling appears between all one-dimensional (1D) subbands arising from the two QPCs. The coupling strength between the lowest 1D subbands becomes smaller with increasing misalignment because of the smaller overlap of the wavefunctions.
Thermal characteristics of lithium ion secondary cells in high temperature environments using an accelerating rate calorimeter
Authors: Ishikawa Hiroaki , Mendoza Omar , Nishikawa Yuuki , Maruyama Yuki , Umeda Minoru
Published: August 2013

The analysis of the thermal behavior of Li-ion secondary cells in high temperature environments is one of the most important issues for the application of these batteries in electric vehicles. In this study, by using an accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC), we monitored the exothermic and thermal runaway behaviors of two lithium ion secondary cells using different cathode materials, lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) and lithium manganese oxide (LMO). Also, the internal resistance and open circuit voltage of the cells were recorded. As a result of the thermal runaway tests, it was found that the amount of heat released from the cell using LMO as the cathode material was lower when compared to the cell using LCO. In general, LMO exhibits a high thermal stability. This is mainly due to differences between the cathode materials. In addition, a sudden increase in the internal resistance and decrease in the open circuit voltage of the cells were detected, which seemed to be due to the shutting down of the cell separators. As already described, by combining the ARC tests and electrochemical measurements, we were able to identify the thermal and electrochemical characteristics, including the thermal runaway, based on the materials used in the Li-ion secondary cells.
Frame rate free image velocimetry for microfluidic devices
Authors: Keinan Eliezer , Ezra Elishai , Nahmias Yaakov
Published: August 2013

Here, we introduce Streamline Image Velocimetry, a method to derive fluid velocity fields in fully developed laminar flow from long-exposure images of streamlines. Streamlines confine streamtubes, in which the volumetric flow is constant for incompressible fluid. Using an explicit analytical solution as a boundary condition, velocity fields and emerging properties such as shear force and pressure can be quantified throughout. Numerical and experimental validations show a high correlation between anticipated and measured results, with R2 > 0.91. We report spatial resolution of 2 μm in a flow rate of 0.15 m/s, resolution that can only be achieved with 75 kHz frame rate in traditional particle tracking velocimetry.
Charge sensor and particle trap based on z-cut lithium niobate
Authors: Esseling Michael , Zaltron Annamaria , Sada Cinzia , Denz Cornelia
Published: August 2013

The generation of adhesive regions on a z-cut lithium niobate crystal without an additional voltage supply is demonstrated. We show that the origin of the attractive force in the respective solvent is electrophoresis, which can selectively trap charged particles in illuminated regions. Using digital holographic microscopy to measure the space-charge field in a y-cut crystal, we demonstrate the difference between electrophoretic and dielectrophoretic particle manipulation. The suggested method enables the creation of arbitrary two-dimensional patterns, circumventing restrictions originating from the crystal asymmetry. Furthermore, it allows the discrimination between charged particles of different signs, thus acting as a charge sensor.
Modulation of Seebeck coefficient for silicon-on-insulator layer induced by bias-injected carriers
Authors: Salleh F. , Suzuki Y. , Miwa K. , Ikeda H.
Published: August 2013

Control of the Seebeck coefficient of an n-type silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer by application of an external bias was experimentally and theoretically investigated. The Seebeck coefficient decreases as increasingly negative external bias is applied to the SOI surface with respect to the p-Si substrate. The variation in the Seebeck coefficient results from spatially distributed carriers in the biased SOI layer, which reveals that the Seebeck coefficient is mainly modulated by the Fermi energy near the buried oxide layer and is likely to include the influences of phonon drag.
Ultra-thin titanium nanolayers for plasmon-assisted enhancement of bioluminescence of chloroplast in biological light emitting devices
Authors: Hsun Su Yen , Hsu Chia-Yun , Chang Chung-Chien , Tu Sheng-Lung , Shen Yun-Hwei
Published: August 2013

Ultra-thin titanium films were deposited via ultra-high vacuum ion beam sputter deposition. Since the asymmetric electric field of the metal foil plane matches the B-band absorption of chlorophyll a, the ultra-thin titanium nanolayers were able to generate surface plasmon resonance, thus enhancing the photoluminescence of chlorophyll a. Because the density of the states of plasmon resonance increases, the enhancement of photoluminescence also rises. Due to the biocompatibility and inexpensiveness of titanium, it can be utilized to enhance the bioluminescence of chloroplast in biological light emitting devices, bio-laser, and biophotonics.
High performance lead free ferroelectric ATiO3/SnTiO3 superlattices
Authors: Zhang Rui-Zhi , Wang Da-Wei , Li Fei , Ye Hong-Jun , Wei Xiao-Yong , Xu Zhuo
Published: August 2013

Perovskite SnTiO3 (SNO) was predicted to be ferroelectric with a large spontaneous polarization. However, the perovskite phase SNO was found to be metastable in experiments. Here, we show that SNO perovskite phase can be stabilized by the interfacial geometry in ATiO3/SNO superlattices (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) of short periodicity using first principles calculations. We found that CaTiO3/SNO superlattice has the largest polarization. In all the superlattices investigated, a phase transition from tetragonal to monoclinic structure was found with increasing in-plane lattice constants. Accompanying this phase transition, polarization directions rotate from [001] to [110], which is promising for achieving large piezoelectric responses.
Direct observation of interface and nanoscale compositional modulation in ternary III-As heterostructure nanowires
Authors: Venkatesan Sriram , Madsen Morten H. , Schmid Herbert , Krogstrup Peter , Johnson Erik , Scheu Christina
Published: August 2013

Straight, axial InAs nanowire with multiple segments of GaxIn1−xAs was grown. High resolution X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping reveals the distribution of group III atoms at the axial interfaces and at the sidewalls. Significant Ga enrichment, accompanied by a structural change is observed at the GaxIn1−xAs/InAs interfaces and a higher Ga concentration for the early grown GaxIn1−xAs segments. The elemental map and EDS line profile infer Ga enrichment at the facet junctions between the sidewalls. The relative chemical potentials of ternary alloys and the thermodynamic driving force for liquid to solid transition explains the growth mechanisms behind the enrichment.
Photodetection and transport properties of surface capped silicon nanowires arrays with polyacrylic acid
Authors: Rasool Kamran , Rafiq M. A. , Ahmad Mushtaq , Imran Z. , Batool S. S. , Hasan M. M.
Published: August 2013

Efficient hybrid photodetector consisting of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) (∼40 μm) capped with Polyacrylic Acid (PAA) is demonstrated. Highly diluted PAA with deionized (DI) water was spun directly on vertical SiNW arrays prepared by metal assisted electroless chemical etching (MACE) technique. We have observed ∼9, 4 and 9 times enhancement in responsivity, detectivity and external quantum efficiency in SiNWs/PAA hybrid device in comparison to SiNWs only device. Higher electrical current and photodetection may be due to the increment of hydrophilic content (acceptor like states) on SiNWs interface. The higher photosensitivity can also be attributed to the presence of low refractive index PAA around SiNWs which causes funneling of photon energy into SiNWs. Surface roughness of SiNWs leads to immobilization of charge carriers and hence shows persistent photoconductivity.
Microwave absorption properties of helical carbon nanofibers-coated carbon fibers
Authors: Liu Lei , He Pingge , Zhou Kechao , Chen Tengfei
Published: August 2013

Helical carbon nanofibers (HCNFs) coated-carbon fibers (CFs) were fabricated by catalytic chemical vapor deposition method. TEM and Raman spectroscopy characterizations indicate that the graphitic layers of the HCNFs changed from disorder to order after high temperature annealing. The electromagnetic parameters and microwave absorption properties were measured at 2–18 GHz. The maximum reflection loss is 32 dB at 9 GHz and the widest bandwidth under −10 dB is 9.8 GHz from 8.2 to 18 GHz for the unannealed HCNFs coated-CFs composite with 2.5 mm in thickness, suggesting that HCNFs coated-CFs should have potential applications in high performance microwave absorption materials.
Regulation of Resource-Based Development: Governance Challenges and Responses in Mining Regions of Australia
Authors: Everingham Jo-Anne , Pattenden Catherine , Klimenko Veronica , Parmenter Joni
Published: August 2013

Extractive industries have significant social, economic, and environmental impacts on the communities in which they operate; and, if well governed, the sector can contribute to sustainable local development. With this paper we analyze public sector dimensions of efforts to manage the development pressures associated with mining in Australia by examining the legislative and policy framework of various levels of government. We outline recent legislative trends and variations across jurisdictions. We also identify gaps and inadequacies in the regulatory framework and the implications of these with respect to emerging governance challenges and practices in mining-intensive regions of Australia—particularly for local governments. We identify forms of networked governance in mining regions involving initiatives of and relationships between local governments, state governments, mining companies, and other stakeholders. These governance arrangements are characterized by (1) variety of institutions, (2) attention to mining-specific impacts, and (3) dispersal of resources, responsibilities, and authority.
Reining in the Executive? Delegation, Evidence, and Parliamentary Influence on Environmental Public Policy
Authors: Russel Duncan , Turnpenny John , Rayner Tim
Published: August 2013

With this paper we explore the potential of committees in parliamentary systems of government to influence environmental public policy making. We draw on delegation theory to argue that parliamentary committees are crucial ex post mechanisms used by the legislature (the principal) to monitor the activities of the executive (its agent). To examine this relationship in depth, we focus on the United Kingdom's Environmental Audit (select) Committee (EAC), which is an innovation as the world's first cross-cutting environmental parliamentary committee. We find that delegation theory provides fresh insights into the relationship between the EAC, the legislature, the executive, and the wider public. We find that an incomplete system of delegation in the United Kingdom has left an accountability deficit, meaning that the EAC's ability to exert influence on the executive's environmental policy is limited.
Comparing Sensitivity to Facial Asymmetry and Facial Identity
Authors: Anderson Nicole D. , Gleddie Chris
Published: August 2013

Bilateral symmetry is a facial feature that plays an important role in the aesthetic judgments of faces. The extent to which symmetry contributes to the identification of faces is less clear. We investigated the relationship between facial asymmetry and identity using synthetic face stimuli where the geometric identity of the face can be precisely controlled. Thresholds for all observers were 2 times lower for discriminating facial asymmetry than they were for discriminating facial identity. The advantage for discriminating asymmetrical forms was not observed using nonface shape stimuli, suggesting this advantage is face-specific. Moreover, asymmetry thresholds were not affected when faces were either inverted or constructed about a nonmean face. These results, taken together, suggest that facial asymmetry is a characteristic that we are exquisitely sensitive to, and that may not contribute to face identification. This conclusion is consistent with neuroimaging evidence that suggests that face symmetry and face identity are processed by different neural mechanisms.
Eyes Can Switch Finger Stroke
Authors: Oh Songjoo
Published: August 2013

In this study it is demonstrated that what visually appear to be strokes on the index finger can be felt as real despite the fact that the synchronous actual stroke is being carried out on a different finger that is occluded from sight. This illusory stroke effect was stronger between the middle and index fingers than was the case between the index and other fingers. This illusion clearly shows that the synchronized input of visual and tactile cues can induce the tactile mislocalization of a body part even at the tactile localization's suprathreshold intensity and that, furthermore, the strength of the effect depends on the anatomical proximity between the body parts involved.
The Appropriate or Optimal Tempo for Music: A Comparison between Non-Musicians and Musicians
Authors: Quinn Sandra , Watt Roger
Published: August 2013

Musicians have enhanced skills that result from intensive training. Whilst musicians show enhanced auditory capabilities (Kraus and Chandrasekaran, 2010 Nature Reviews Neuroscience11 599–605), non-musicians demonstrate an ability to perform musical tasks (eg listening, dancing, and singing). Non-musicians can also undertake tasks that would normally be reserved for musicians. For example, non-musicians can perceive optimal tempi (ie an appropriate speed) for music (Quinn and Watt, 2006 Perception35 267–280; Quinn and Watt, 2012 Perception41 236–238; Quinn et al, 2012 Journal of the Acoustical Society of America131 3595–3598). This suggests that formalised musical training is not a prerequisite for developing a sense of the tempo that sounds right for a melody. The current studies examine this issue and compare the tempo that musicians choose to perform unfamiliar melodies with the tempo that non-musicians perceive to be optimal for the same melodies. The results demonstrate that the perceived optimal tempo is similar to the performed tempo.
Following the Masters: Portrait Viewing and Appreciation is Guided by Selective Detail
Authors: DiPaola Steve , Riebe Caitlin , Enns James T
Published: August 2013

A painted portrait differs from a photo in that selected regions are often rendered in much sharper detail than other regions. Artists believe these choices guide viewer gaze and influence their appreciation of the portrait, but these claims are difficult to test because increased portrait detail is typically associated with greater meaning, stronger lighting, and a more central location in the composition. In three experiments we monitored viewer gaze and recorded viewer preferences for portraits rendered with a parameterised non-photorealistic technique to mimic the style of Rembrandt (DiPaola, 2009 International Journal of Art and Technology2 82–93). Results showed that viewer gaze was attracted to and held longer by regions of relatively finer detail (experiment 1), and also by textural highlighting (experiment 2), and that artistic appreciation increased when portraits strongly biased gaze (experiment 3). These findings have implications for understanding both human vision science and visual art.
Tactile Drawings, Ethics, and a Sanctuary: Metaphoric Devices Invented by a Blind Woman
Authors: Kennedy John M
Published: August 2013

Until the last two decades, indications that blind people would understand and create pictures were sparse. EW, a totally blind adult, who began making raised-line drawings in her thirties, created a portfolio of several hundred sketches in nine years. She selects her own topics and invents her treatments of the subjects. What is of special interest here is that two of her drawings, shown in the present paper, depict places but also use devices to indicate one is a sanctuary and the other concerns a tragic era, using metaphor. Lightness of line in a forest drawing indicates it is out of reality, enchanted, and a sanctuary. A tilted grid in a drawing of a Holocaust memorial shows the events at issue were twisted and crooked. The devices are metaphoric and novel. The drawings deal with an ontological category—values—for which metaphorical devices in raised-line depictions have not previously been considered.
The Role of Central and Peripheral Vision in Expert Decision Making
Authors: Ryu Donghyun , Abernethy Bruce , Mann David L , Poolton Jamie M , Gorman Adam D
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of central and peripheral vision in expert decision making. A gaze-contingent display was used to selectively present information to the central and peripheral areas of the visual field while participants performed a decision-making task. Eleven skilled and eleven less-skilled male basketball players watched video clips of basketball scenarios in three different viewing conditions: full-image control, moving window (central vision only), and moving mask (peripheral vision only). At the conclusion of each clip participants were required to decide whether it was more appropriate for the ball-carrier to pass the ball or to drive to the basket. The skilled players showed significantly higher response accuracy and faster response times compared with their lesser-skilled counterparts in all three viewing conditions, demonstrating superiority in information extraction that held irrespective of whether they were using central or peripheral vision. The gaze behaviour of the skilled players was less influenced by the gaze-contingent manipulations, suggesting they were better able to use the remaining information to sustain their normal gaze behaviour. The superior capacity of experts to interpret dynamic visual information is evident regardless of whether the visual information is presented across the whole visual field or selectively to either central or peripheral vision alone.
On the Origin and Status of the “El Greco Fallacy”
Authors: Firestone Chaz
Published: August 2013

The oddly elongated forms painted by the Spanish Renaissance artist El Greco are popularly but incorrectly attributed to astigmatism. The particular reason this explanation fails has long offered a deep lesson for perceptual psychology, even motivating recent research. However, the details and historical origins of this lesson—often called the “El Greco fallacy”— have been obscured over many retellings, leading to an incomplete and even inaccurate understanding of its provenance and status. This note corrects the record, which is richer, subtler, and more interesting than recent accounts would suggest.
Analysis of public dental service waiting lists in Queensland
Authors: Lalloo Ratilal , Kroon Jeroen
Published: August 2013

Information on public dental service waiting lists is available as part of the Queensland Government open data policy. Data were summarised across the care categories and health districts to present the total number and percentage of people waiting for care and who have waited beyond the desirable period. As of 31 December 2012 there were 130 546 people on the dental waiting list; of these 85.8%, 8.5% and 2.2% were waiting for general care desirable within 24, 12 and 3 months, respectively. Across all care categories, almost 56% of those on the waiting list were beyond the desirable waiting period. The average number of people on the waiting list and the average number waiting beyond the desirable time differ substantially per clinic by district. Ongoing analysis of the Queensland public dental service waiting list database will determine the impact on patient waiting times of Federal Government initiatives announced in 2012 to treat an estimated 400 000 patients on waiting lists nationwide over the next 3 years and to expand services to assist low-income adults to receive dental services.
UVB radiation generates sunburn pain and affects skin by activating epidermal TRPV4 ion channels and triggering endothelin-1 signaling
Authors: Moore Carlene , Cevikbas Ferda , Pasolli H. Amalia , Chen Yong , Kong Wei , Kempkes Cordula , Parekh Puja , Lee Suk Hee , Kontchou Nelly-Ange , Yeh Iwei , Jokerst Nan Marie , Fuchs Elaine , Steinhoff Martin , Liedtke Wolfgang B.
Published: August 2013

Significance

Skin protects against harmful external cues, one of them UV radiation, which, upon overexposure, causes sunburn as part of the UVB response. Using genetically engineered mice and cultured skin epithelial cells, we have identified the calcium-permeable TRPV4 ion channel in skin epithelial cells as critical for translating the UVB stimulus into intracellular signals and also into signals from epithelial skin cell to sensory nerve cell that innervates the skin, causing pain. These signaling mechanisms underlie sunburn and in particular sunburn-associated pain. Thus, activation of TRPV4 in skin by UVB evokes sunburn pain, highlighting the forefront-signaling role of the skin and TRPV4.
Performance Breakdown Effects Dissociate from Error Detection Effects in Typing
Authors: Kalfaoğlu Çığır , Stafford Tom
Published: August 2013

Mistakes in skilled performance are often observed to be slower than correct actions. This error slowing has been associated with cognitive control processes involved in performance monitoring and error detection. A limited literature on skilled actions, however, suggests that preerror actions may also be slower than accurate actions. This contrasts with findings from unskilled, discrete trial tasks, where preerror performance is usually faster than accurate performance. We tested 3 predictions about error-related behavioural changes in continuous typing performance. We asked participants to type 100 sentences without visual feedback. We found that (a) performance before errors was no different in speed than that before correct key-presses, (b) error and posterror key-presses were slower than matched correct key-presses, and (c) errors were preceded by greater variability in speed than were matched correct key-presses. Our results suggest that errors are preceded by a behavioural signature, which may indicate breakdown of fluid cognition, and that the effects of error detection on performance (error and posterror slowing) can be dissociated from breakdown effects (preerror increase in variability).
Picture–Word Interference Reveals Inhibitory Effects of Syllable Frequency on Lexical Selection
Authors: Farrell Meagan T. , Abrams Lise
Published: August 2013

While previous research has shown that high syllable frequency can facilitate speech production at the level of phonological/phonetic encoding, little is known about its influence on prephonological processes, specifically lexical selection. The current study used a picture–word interference (PWI) task to (a) shed light on the stages of lexical access where syllable frequency is relevant, and (b) inform as to whether lexical selection is accomplished via competition among activated word options. Participants named pictures whose names had high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) first syllables while ignoring phonologically related (same first syllable) or unrelated distractor words that were presented simultaneously. Word frequency was also manipulated, as half of the targets were HF words, and half were LF words. Results revealed inhibitory syllable frequency effects in all conditions, such that targets with HF first syllables were named more slowly than targets with LF first syllables. However, inhibitory syllable frequency effects were exacerbated in conditions thought to reflect heightened lexical competition, specifically in the presence of phonologically related distractors and for targets with low word frequency. These findings reveal novel evidence for first-syllable frequency effects on lexical selection and offer further support for models proposing delays at lexical selection due to activation of nontarget competitors.
Neither Persons nor Associations
Authors: Ciepley David
Published: August 2013

This article challenges the practice of extending constitutional rights to corporations. Drawing on recent corporate law scholarship, it shows that a corporation is neither an association of natural persons nor an independent person (or “real entity”) itself. The rights of natural persons thus do not pass to it. Instead, the corporation is an abstract, property-owning legal entity entirely distinct from its members that owes its very existence to a complex of legal privileges granted by government. Having been constituted by government, the corporation cannot properly assert constitutional rights against it. Corporations have only what rights they are granted by charter or statute, and these do not and cannot include constitutional rights.
The Supreme Court’s Use of Foreign Law in Constitutional Rights Cases
Authors: Simon Stephen A.
Published: August 2013

A trio of Supreme Court decisions between 2002 and 2005 intensified debate over judicial reliance on foreign law. The literature has been dominated by arguments over the desirability of foreign law citations in the abstract, without sufficient attention to how the Court actually has used foreign law. To ground the normative debate, this article presents analysis of a newly created database containing cases from the Court’s earliest period to the present day in which the lead opinions relied on foreign law in deciding constitutional rights cases. The article uses this analysis to (1) make sense of why the recent trio of decisions was so controversial, even though the practice of citing foreign law was not new, and (2) show why many of the justifications offered by scholars for judicial reliance on foreign law bear no relation to how the Court has employed foreign law in practice.
ASPeak: an abundance sensitive peak detection algorithm for RIP-Seq
Authors: Kucukural Alper , Özadam Hakan , Singh Guramrit , Moore Melissa J. , Cenik Can
Published: August 2013

Summary: Unlike DNA, RNA abundances can vary over several orders of magnitude. Thus, identification of RNA–protein binding sites from high-throughput sequencing data presents unique challenges. Although peak identification in ChIP-Seq data has been extensively explored, there are few bioinformatics tools tailored for peak calling on analogous datasets for RNA-binding proteins. Here we describe ASPeak (abundance sensitive peak detection algorithm), an implementation of an algorithm that we previously applied to detect peaks in exon junction complex RNA immunoprecipitation in tandem experiments. Our peak detection algorithm yields stringent and robust target sets enabling sensitive motif finding and downstream functional analyses.

Availability: ASPeak is implemented in Perl as a complete pipeline that takes bedGraph files as input. ASPeak implementation is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/as-peak under the GNU General Public License. ASPeak can be run on a personal computer, yet is designed to be easily parallelizable. ASPeak can also run on high performance computing clusters providing efficient speedup. The documentation and user manual can be obtained from http://master.dl.sourceforge.net/project/as-peak/manual.pdf.

Contact:  alper.kucukural@umassmed.edu or ccenik@stanford.edu
PARSEC: PAtteRn SEarch and Contextualization
Authors: Allot Alexis , Anno Yannick-Noël , Poidevin Laetitia , Ripp Raymond , Poch Olivier , Lecompte Odile
Published: August 2013

Summary: We present PARSEC (PAtteRn Search and Contextualization), a new open source platform for guided discovery, allowing localization and biological characterization of short genomic sites in entire eukaryotic genomes. PARSEC can search for a sequence or a degenerated pattern. The retrieved set of genomic sites can be characterized in terms of (i) conservation in model organisms, (ii) genomic context (proximity to genes) and (iii) function of neighboring genes. These modules allow the user to explore, visualize, filter and extract biological knowledge from a set of short genomic regions such as transcription factor binding sites.

Availability: Web site implemented in Java, JavaScript and C++, with all major browsers supported. Freely available at lbgi.fr/parsec. Source code is freely available at sourceforge.net/projects/genomicparsec.

Contact:  odile.lecompte@unistra.fr

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Effects of Heat Treatments on the Milling, Physicochemical, and Cooking Properties of Two Long‐Grain Rice Cultivars During Storage
Authors: Lee Youngbum , Mauromoustakos Andronikos , Wang Ya‐Jane
Published: August 2013

During storage, the milling, physicochemical properties, and eating quality of rice change, which is generally termed “aging.” Aged rice is preferred by processors because of better processing characteristics, and therefore there are attempts to develop accelerated aging processes. In this study, the effects of various heat treatments and their influences on the milling, physicochemical, and cooking properties of two long‐grain rice cultivars during storage were investigated with a randomized complete block design with an 8 × 5 × 2 full‐factorial treatment design. Two long‐grain rice cultivars, Wells and XP723, were treated with eight different heat treatments, including two levels of UV irradiation, two levels of autoclaving, three levels of convection oven heating, and one control, and then stored for 180 days at room temperature. The heat treatments significantly influenced all properties, including head rice yield (HRY), surface lipid content, peak gelatinization temperature, pasting properties, and cooked rice texture. All properties except HRY exhibited a significant two‐way interaction of cultivar and heat treatment. The severe autoclaving treatment resulted in rice of significantly different protein compositions when compared with the control. Storage impacted all properties except HRY and peak gelatinization temperature. Autoclaving (particularly severe autoclaving) produced samples with more distinct characteristics for most properties. Cooked rice hardness and stickiness exhibited not only significant main effects but also significant two‐ and three‐factor interactions.
Crop Damage from Sclerotinia Crown Rot and Risk Factors in Pyrethrum
Authors: Scott Jason B. , Gent David H. , Pethybridge Sarah J. , Groom Tim , Hay Frank S.
Published: August 2013

Sclerotinia crown rot, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and S. minor, is a prevalent disease in pyrethrum fields in Australia. Management involves fungicide applications during the rosette stage of plant development from autumn to early spring in fields approaching first harvest. However, estimates of crop damage and the efficacy of these tactics are poorly understood; therefore, plots were established in 86 pyrethrum fields in Tasmania, Australia during 2010 to 2012 to quantify these and to identify risk factors for disease outbreaks. On average, commercial management for Sclerotinia crown rot reduced disease incidence 43 to 67% compared with nontreated plots. There was a weak but significant relationship between relative increase in flower yield when fungicides were applied and the incidence of crown rot (R2 = 0.09, P = 0.006), although the mean number of flowers produced was similar regardless of fungicide applications. Flower yield was positively associated with canopy density in spring (S = 0.39, P = 0.001). Moreover, canopy density in spring was linked by both direct and indirect effects to canopy density during autumn and winter which, in turn, were associated with planting date and previous rain events. Modeling canopy density and disease incidence in autumn correctly categorized disease incidence in spring relative to a threshold of 2% in 72% of fields. In a subset of 22 fields monitored over 2 years, canopy density in the autumn following the first harvest had a negative relationship with Sclerotinia crown rot incidence the preceding year (R2 = 0.23, P = 0.006). On average, however, current commercial management efforts provided only small increases in flower yield in the current season and appear best targeted to fields with well-developed plant canopies and Sclerotinia crown rot present during early autumn.
Reduction of Hepatitis A Virus on FRhK‐4 Cells Treated with Korean Red Ginseng Extract and Ginsenosides
Authors: Lee Min Hwa , Lee Bog‐Hieu , Lee Sanghyun , Choi Changsun
Published: August 2013

Red ginseng has a variety of bioactive functions and is widely used as an oriental medicinal herb and food ingredient. The aim of this study was to investigate the antiviral effect of red ginseng extract and ginsenosides against hepatitis A virus (HAV). To examine the antiviral effect against HAV, 0 to 10 μg/mL of red ginseng and purified ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1 were pre‐treated or co‐treated on FRhK‐4 cells. The HAV titer decreased significantly in all groups pretreated with red ginseng or purified ginsenosides. The reduction of HAV was significant in FRhK‐4 cells pre‐treated only with red ginseng. Our results showed that red ginseng and ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 could decrease HAV titers.
Unifying fossils and phylogenies for comparative analyses of diversification and trait evolution
Authors: Slater Graham J. , Harmon Luke J.
Published: August 2013

The aim of macroevolutionary research is to understand pattern and process in phenotypic evolution and lineage diversification at and above the species level. Historically, this kind of research has been tackled separately by palaeontologists, using the fossil record, and by evolutionary biologists, using phylogenetic comparative methods.

Although both approaches have strengths, researchers gain most power to understand macroevolution when data from living and fossil species are analysed together in a phylogenetic framework. This merger sets up a series of challenges – for many fossil clades, well‐resolved phylogenies based on morphological data are not available, while placing fossils into phylogenies of extant taxa and determining their branching times is equally challenging. Once methods for building such trees are available, modelling phenotypic and lineage diversification using combined data presents its own set of challenges.

The five papers in this Special Feature tackle a disparate range of topics in macroevolutionary research, from time calibration of trees to modelling phenotypic evolution. All are united, however, in implementing novel phylogenetic approaches to understand macroevolutionary pattern and process in or using the fossil record. This Special Feature highlights the benefits that may be reaped by integrating data from living and extinct species and, we hope, will spur further integrative work by empiricists and theoreticians from both sides of the macroevolutionary divide.
Eosinophil peroxidase in sputum represents a unique biomarker of airway eosinophilia
Authors: Nair P. , Ochkur S. I. , Protheroe C. , Radford K. , Efthimiadis A. , Lee N. A. , Lee J. J.
Published: August 2013

Background

Sputum eosinophilia has been shown to be a predictor of response to anti‐eosinophil therapies in patients with airway diseases. However, quantitative cell counts and differentials of sputum are labor intensive. The objective of this study was to validate a novel ELISA‐based assay of eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) in sputum as a rapid and reliable marker of airway eosinophils.

Methods

The utility of EPX‐based ELISA as an eosinophil‐specific assay was achieved through comparisons with sputum eosinophil differential counts in freshly prepared and archived patient samples from a variety of clinical settings.

Results

EPX levels in sputum correlated with eosinophil percentage (rs = 0.84) in asthma patients with varying degrees of airway eosinophilia. Significantly, unlike assays of other eosinophil granule proteins (e.g., ECP and EDN), which often detect the presence of these proteins even in asthma patients with neutrophilic bronchitis, EPX‐based ELISA levels are not increased in this subset of asthma patients or in COPD patients lacking evidence of an airway eosinophilia. Moreover, sputum EPX was a surrogate marker of airway eosinophilia in other patient studies (e.g., allergen inhalation and treatment trials the anti‐(IL‐5) therapeutic Mepolizumab™). Finally, EPX levels in cytocentrifuged prepared sputum supernatants correlated with those from rapidly prepared noncentrifuged filtrates of sputum (rs = 0.94).

Conclusion and clinical implication

EPX‐based ELISA is a valid, reliable, repeatable, and specific surrogate marker of eosinophils and/or eosinophil degranulation in the sputum of respiratory patients. The novel EPX assay is a valid and reproducible eosinophil‐specific assay that can potentially be developed into a point‐of‐care assessment of eosinophil activity in airway secretions.
On Christianity and ethics: Rupture as ethical practice in Ghanaian Pentecostalism
Authors: DASWANI GIRISH
Published: August 2013

Rupture, a common principle of the Pentecostal Christian faith, can also give rise to ethical disputes among believers. The study of such disputes provides insight into the ways ethical practice shapes the institutional continuities and the personal inconsistencies of a Christian life. All believers learn what Pentecostal rupture is, but they have different opinions about how it is achieved, and, once born again, they differ on what constitutes good or right religious observance. I suggest that approaching rupture as ethical practice allows for a better understanding of the religious subject's response to an incommensurability of values and practices internal to Pentecostalism.
The photographer's body: Populism, polarization, and the uses of victimhood in Venezuela
Authors: SAMET ROBERT
Published: August 2013

Political antagonism between supporters and opponents of former president Hugo Chávez has been a defining feature of daily life in Caracas for more than a decade. Despite their different political orientations, the antagonistic poles of “chavismo” and “the opposition” share striking similarities, starting at the level of political practice. I argue that Venezuela's political polarization reflects the shared logic of populism. Through the story of Jorge Tortoza—a photojournalist killed during the failed 2002 coup d’état against President Chávez—I describe how the chavista–opposition divide is produced and policed through performances of victimhood, performances that are essential to populist mobilization in Venezuela.
The poetics of village space when villages are new: Settlement form as history making in Papua, Indonesia
Authors: STASCH RUPERT
Published: August 2013

Resettlement of dispersed populations into centralized villages has been a watershed cultural change across many world regions, often occurring under pressure from states, world religions, and markets. Recent village formation processes among Korowai of Papua, Indonesia, have been caused by such pressures but have also been heavily structured by Korowai understandings of geography. This article takes Korowai villages as a case study in the semiotics of space. The power of villages to be the pivot of historical transformation flows from this spatial form's “poetic density,” meaning its ladenness with a multiplicity of social principles, structures of feeling, and models of extralocal geopolitical articulation. Additionally, Korowai strongly orient to space as a field of heterogeneity. Their expectation that different spaces are charged with otherness of order has shaped their village‐forming actions and their intense focus on villages in thinking about contemporary history at large.