bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The “Responsibility to Prevent”: An International Crimes Approach to the Prevention of Mass Atrocities
Authors: Reike Ruben
Published: December 2014

On September 9, 2013, diplomats and civil society activists gathered in a ballroom in New York to welcome Jennifer Welsh as the UN Secretary-General's new Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP). In her first public appearance in that role, Special Adviser Welsh explained that one of her top priorities would be “to take prevention seriously and to make it meaningful in practice.” “In the context of RtoP,” Welsh added during the discussion, “we are talking about crimes, and crimes have implications in terms of how we deal with them. You'll hear me say that a lot.” Welsh's approach of treating RtoP as a principle that is primarily concerned with prevention and is firmly linked to international crimes neatly captures the evolution of RtoP since its formal acceptance by states at the 2005 UN World Summit. Paragraphs 138 to 140 of the World Summit's Outcome Document not only elevated the element of prevention to a prominent place within the principle of RtoP but also restricted the scope of RtoP to four specific crimes under international law: genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. The crime and prevention–focused version of RtoP has subsequently been defended and promoted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and by UN member states. This article seeks to systematically explore some of the implications of linking RtoP to the concept of international crimes, with a particular focus on the preventive dimension of RtoP, the so-called responsibility to prevent. What, then, are the consequences of approaching the responsibility to prevent as the prevention of international crimes?

In order to systematically examine this question, this article turns to literature from criminology. While the criminological perspective has so far been neglected in debates on RtoP, the prominent criminologists John Hagan and Wenona Rymond-Richmond argue vehemently that “criminology is crucially positioned to contribute understanding and direction to what the United Nations has mandated as the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ groups that are threatened with mass atrocities.” For the purpose of this article, the label “criminology” comprises domestic criminology, supranational criminology, and international criminal law. While insights from supranational criminology and international criminal law are directly applicable to international crimes, translating knowledge generated in relation to crimes at the domestic level to atrocity crimes at the international level is, of course, not without challenges. Reasoning by analogy is an important method in this regard, though given the anarchical nature of international society some analogies will inevitably be imperfect. The benefits of such an approach, if carefully employed, however, outweigh the risks.
Thomas Piketty'sCapitaland the Developing World
Authors: Birdsall Nancy
Published: December 2014

Thomas Piketty'sCapital in the Twenty-First Centuryis a tour de force—a compelling and accessible read that presents an eloquent and convincing warning about the future of capitalism. Capitalism, Piketty argues, suffers from an inherent tendency to generate an explosive spiral of increasing inequality of wealth and income. This inegalitarian dynamic of capitalism is not due to textbook failures of capitalist markets (for example, natural monopolies) or failures of economic institutions (such as the failure to regulate these monopolies), but to the way capitalism fundamentally works. Unless the spiral is controlled by far more progressive taxation than is now the norm, the political fallout could undermine the viability of the successful “social state” (p. 471) in the advanced economies, putting the democratic state itself at risk.
Tuberculosis in swine co-infected withMycobacterium aviumsubsp.hominissuisandMycobacterium bovisin a cluster from Argentina
Authors: BARANDIARAN S. , PÉREZ A. M. , GIOFFRÉ A. K. , MARTÍNEZ VIVOT M. , CATALDI A. A. , ZUMÁRRAGA M. J.
Published: December 2014

In Argentina little is known about the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) infection in swine. We characterized the epidemiological dynamics ofMycobacterium aviumcomplex (MAC) infection in a swine population of Argentina using molecular tools and spatial analysis techniques. Isolates (n = 196) obtained from TB-like lesions (n = 200) were characterized by polymerase chain reaction. The isolates were positive to eitherM. bovis(IS6110) (n = 160) orM. avium(IS1245) (n= 16) while the remaining 20 (10·2%) isolates were positive to bothM. bovisandM. avium. The detection of both bacteria together suggests co-infection at the animal level. In addition, MAC-positive isolates (n = 36) were classified asM. aviumsubsp.avium(MAA) (n = 30) andM. aviumsubsp.hominissuis(MAH) (n = 6), which resulted in five genotypes when they were typed using mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit, variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR). One significant (P = 0·017) spatial clustering of genotypes was detected, in which the proportion of MAH isolates was larger than expected under the null hypothesis of even distribution of genotypes. These results show that in Argentina the proportion of TB cases in pigs caused byM. aviumis larger than that reported in earlier studies. The proportion ofM. bovis–MAC co-infections was also higher than in previous reports. These results provide valuable information on the epidemiology of MAC infection in swine in Argentina.
The Kestrel TTS text normalization system
Authors: EBDEN PETER , SPROAT RICHARD
Published: December 2014

This paper describes the Kestrel text normalization system, a component of the Google text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) system. At the core of Kestrel are text-normalization grammars that are compiled into libraries of weighted finite-state transducers (WFSTs). While the use of WFSTs for text normalization is itself not new, Kestrel differs from previous systems in its separation of the initialtokenization and classificationphase of analysis fromverbalization. Input text is first tokenized and different tokens classified using WFSTs. As part of the classification, detectedsemiotic classes– expressions such as currency amounts, dates, times, measure phases, are parsed into protocol buffers (https://code.google.com/p/protobuf/). The protocol buffers are then verbalized, with possible reordering of the elements, again using WFSTs. This paper describes the architecture of Kestrel, the protocol buffer representations of semiotic classes, and presents some examples of grammars for various languages. We also discuss applications and deployments of Kestrel as part of the Google TTS system, which runs on both server and client side on multiple devices, and is used daily by millions of people in nineteen languages and counting.
LIFE'S PURPOSE
Authors: Bassham Gregory
Published: December 2014

Does life have meaning? Less grandly, does your life have meaning? Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of the classic Man's Search for Meaning (1959), thought that the quest for meaning is the strongest drive humans possess. Without a clear sense of meaning, he said, we drift, lose vitality, and frequently fall into apathy, neurosis, and despair. Yet for many people today, sources of meaning are hard to find.
THE END OF PHILOSOPHY
Authors: Doomen Jasper
Published: December 2014

Philosophy's role is typically a reflective one. Yet this stance is in peril of being corrupted. Because it is being driven to specialized inquiries, the subdisciplines of which it is comprised may develop into separate fields, whose presence will then need to be justified in the same way the sciences are. This is impossible, however, given their diverging objectives. If this course of action persist, philosophy's end in the sense of its ending is imminent, on account of its no longer having an end in the sense of its objective.
YOUR MOM DOES NOT LOVE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE
Authors: Semrau Luke
Published: December 2014

There are good reasons to think that mothers love their children, and love them for who they are. There are also good reasons to think that contingent events can decisively influence who one becomes. This entails, I argue, that your mother does not love you for who you are.
Analysis of the transport of imported food in Spain and its contribution to global warming
Authors: Pérez Neira David , Simón Fernández Xavier , Copena Rodríguez Damián , Soler Montiel Marta , Delgado Cabeza Manuel
Published: December 2014

Through the process of globalization, food has experienced an intense territorial restructuring process. Local agric-food links have weakened at the same time as daily products arrived from distant lands. There is presently a wide international debate on the importance of transport in the configuration of the agric-food system and its contribution in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG). The direct environmental costs of the transport of imported food, that is the ‘external food miles’, have been estimated in kilometer (km), ton (t), ton-kilometer (t-km) and GHG in Spain between 1995 and 2011. The analysis is made by ten food groups including 136 products, with special attention to the most important ones (cereals and animal feed), as well as by means of transport (air, rail, road and water) and from 113 different countries belonging to six geographical areas. Two phases are identified during this period: an expansive phase (1995–2007), in which the t-km of imported food increased from 81.8 to 147.8 million t-km and environmental pressure rose from 3.1 to 5.4 million CO2-eq t, and a recession phase (2007–2011), in which environmental pressure subsided as a consequence of the reduction of imports, even though it still remained above the 1995 level. The article reveals a clear interrelation between amounts, distances and modal distribution when it comes to determining the environmental cost of transporting food imports in the two periods studied. It also reflects on the role of the external food miles in the Spanish agri-food system from a sustainability perspective.
Compact multi-band printed antenna with multi-triangular ground plane for WLAN/WiMAX/RFID applications
Authors: Yang Tang , Wen Gao , Jinsong Gao , Xiaoguo Feng
Published: December 2014

In this paper a novel compact multi-band printed coplanar waveguide (CPW)-feed antenna for wireless local area network (WLAN)/WiMAX/RFID applications is proposed. The proposed antenna is composed of a multi-triangular structure as metal ground plane and the radiation element with four different branches, both of the structures are printed on the same side of a substrate and the antenna is fed by a CPW. By carefully tuning the locations and the sizes of these four branches, the antenna can yield three different resonating frequencies to cover the desired bands for WLAN/WiMAX/RFID applications. The simulated and measured results demonstrate that the proposed antenna has the impedance bandwidth (for return loss less than −10 dB) of 700 MHz (2.2−2.9 GHz), 540 MHz (3.16–3.7 GHz), and 850 MHz (5.05–5.9 GHz), respectively, which can cover the WLAN 2.4/5.8 GHz bands, the WiMAX 2.5/3.5 GHz bands, and the RFID 2.45/5.8 GHz bands.
Using the class 1 integron-integrase gene as a proxy for anthropogenic pollution
Authors: Gillings Michael R , Gaze William H , Pruden Amy , Smalla Kornelia , Tiedje James M , Zhu Yong-Guan
Published: December 2014

Around all human activity, there are zones of pollution with pesticides, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and the microorganisms associated with human waste streams and agriculture. This diversity of pollutants, whose concentration varies spatially and temporally, is a major challenge for monitoring. Here, we suggest that the relative abundance of the clinical class 1 integron-integrase gene, intI1, is a good proxy for pollution because: (1) intI1 is linked to genes conferring resistance to antibiotics, disinfectants and heavy metals; (2) it is found in a wide variety of pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria; (3) its abundance can change rapidly because its host cells can have rapid generation times and it can move between bacteria by horizontal gene transfer; and (4) a single DNA sequence variant of intI1 is now found on a wide diversity of xenogenetic elements, these being complex mosaic DNA elements fixed through the agency of human selection. Here we review the literature examining the relationship between anthropogenic impacts and the abundance of intI1, and outline an approach by which intI1 could serve as a proxy for anthropogenic pollution.
Adult blood-feeding tsetse flies, trypanosomes, microbiota and the fluctuating environment in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Geiger Anne , Ponton Fleur , Simo Gustave
Published: December 2014

The tsetse fly vector transmits the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, responsible for Human African Trypanosomiasis, one of the most neglected tropical diseases. Despite a recent decline in new cases, it is still crucial to develop alternative strategies to combat this disease. Here, we review the literature on the factors that influence trypanosome transmission from the fly vector to its vertebrate host (particularly humans). These factors include climate change effects to pathogen and vector development (in particular climate warming), as well as the distribution of host reservoirs. Finally, we present reports on the relationships between insect vector nutrition, immune function, microbiota and infection, to demonstrate how continuing research on the evolving ecology of these complex systems will help improve control strategies. In the future, such studies will be of increasing importance to understand how vector-borne diseases are spread in a changing world.
Clusterin facilitates stress-induced lipidation of LC3 and autophagosome biogenesis to enhance cancer cell survival
Authors: Zhang Fan , Kumano Masafumi , Beraldi Eliana , Fazli Ladan , Du Caigan , Moore Susan , Sorensen Poul , Zoubeidi Amina , Gleave Martin E.
Published: December 2014

We define stress-induced adaptive survival pathways linking autophagy with the molecular chaperone clusterin (CLU) that function to promote anticancer treatment resistance. During treatment stress, CLU co-localizes with LC3 via an LIR-binding sequence within autophagosome membranes, functioning to facilitate LC3–Atg3 heterocomplex stability and LC3 lipidation, and thereby enhance autophagosome biogenesis and autophagy activation. Stress-induced autophagy is attenuated with CLU silencing in CLU−/− mice and human prostate cancer cells. CLU-enhanced cell survival occurs via autophagy-dependent pathways, and is reduced following autophagy inhibition. Combining CLU inhibition with anticancer treatments attenuates autophagy activation, increases apoptosis and reduces prostate cancer growth. This study defines a novel adaptor protein function for CLU under stress conditions, and highlights how co-targeting CLU and autophagy can amplify proteotoxic stress to delay cancer progression.
A Low-Noise Solid-State Nanopore Platform Based on a Highly Insulating Substrate
Authors: Lee Min-Hyun , Kumar Ashvani , Park Kyeong-Beom , Cho Seong-Yong , Kim Hyun-Mi , Lim Min-Cheol , Kim Young-Rok , Kim Ki-Bum
Published: December 2014

A solid-state nanopore platform with a low noise level and sufficient sensitivity to discriminate single-strand DNA (ssDNA) homopolymers of poly-A40 and poly-T40 using ionic current blockade sensing is proposed and demonstrated. The key features of this platform are (a) highly insulating dielectric substrates that are used to mitigate the effect of parasitic capacitance elements, which decrease the ionic current RMS noise level to sub-10 pA and (b) ultra-thin silicon nitride membranes with a physical thickness of 5 nm (an effective thickness of 2.4 nm estimated from the ionic current) are used to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio and the spatial depth resolution. The utilization of an ultra-thin membrane and a nanopore diameter as small as 1.5 nm allow the successful discrimination of 40 nucleotide ssDNA poly-A40 and poly-T40. Overall, we demonstrate that this platform overcomes several critical limitations of solid-state nanopores and opens the door to a wide range of applications in single-molecule-based detection and analysis.
Mass spectrometric measurement of neuropeptide secretion in the crab, Cancer borealis, by in vivo microdialysis
Authors: Liang Zhidan , Schmerberg Claire M. , Li Lingjun
Published: December 2014

Schematic representation of overall workflow for sampling secreted neuropeptides from the hemolymph by using a needle attached to a syringe orin vivomicrodialysis.
An enzyme-free and amplified colorimetric detection strategy: assembly of gold nanoparticles through target-catalytic circuits
Authors: Quan Ke , Huang Jin , Yang Xiaohai , Yang Yanjing , Ying Le , Wang He , Wang Kemin
Published: December 2014

Herein we introduce an enzyme-free and amplified colorimetric detection strategy, which is based on gold nanoparticle (AuNP) aggregation through target-catalytic DNA circuits (HCR and CHA).
A novel method for rapid discrimination of bulbus of Fritillaria by using electronic nose and electronic tongue technology
Authors: Yang Shilong , Xie Shaopeng , Xu Min , Zhang Chao , Wu Na , Yang Jie , Zhang Li , Zhang Dayong , Jiang Yun , Wu Chunjie
Published: December 2014

E-nose and E-tongue coupled with the chemometrics were employed to discriminate the bulbus of fritillaria in the form of powder.
Co(iii) protoporphyrin IX chloride in solution: spin-state and metal coordination revealed from resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and electronic structure calculations
Authors: Atak Kaan , Golnak Ronny , Xiao Jie , Pflüger Mika , Brandenburg Tim , Winter Bernd , Aziz Emad F.
Published: December 2014

The local electronic structure of the cobalt centre-ion of Co(iii) protoporphyrin IX chloride dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) liquid solution is studied by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopy at the cobalt L-edge.
Reactivity of the free and (5,5)-carbon nanotube-supported AuPt bimetallic clusters towards O2 activation: a theoretical study
Authors: Shojaei Fazel , Mousavi Masoumeh , Nazari Fariba , Illas Francesc
Published: December 2014

Density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations were carried out to predict the geometry, energy and electronic structures of the small bimetallic AumPtn (2 ≤ m + n ≤ 4) clusters deposited on a single-wall (5,5)-carbon nanotube (CNT).
Copper-promoted aerial oxidation of benzothiadiazines: access to benzothiadiazine S-oxide heterocycles
Authors: Clark Ewan R. , Hayward John J. , Leontowicz Bryce J. , Anwar Muhammad U. , Pilkington Melanie , Rawson Jeremy M.
Published: December 2014

Aerial oxidation of benzothiadiazines selectively affords the corresponding benzothiadiazine S-oxides in the presence of Cu2+ ions. Structural studies reveal that the S-oxide appears to be a strong hydrogen-bond acceptor.
Back-illuminated Si photocathode: a combined experimental and theoretical study for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Bae Dowon , Pedersen Thomas , Seger Brian , Malizia Mauro , Kuznetsov Andrej , Hansen Ole , Chorkendorff Ib , Vesborg Peter C. K.
Published: December 2014

We present the first experimental demonstration of c-Si based photocathode for hydrogen production under back-illumination with theoretical model study.
Microfluidic vapor-diffusion barrier for pressure reduction in fully closed PCR modules
Authors: Czilwik G. , Schwarz I. , Keller M. , Wadle S. , Zehnle S. , von Stetten F. , Mark D. , Zengerle R. , Paust N.
Published: December 2014

Schematic view of fluidic structures with a liquid–air mixture a) the vapor–liquid equilibrium is rapidly reached by diffusion and convection in a closed cavity. b) A capillary prevents rapid propagation of vapor.
Strontium eluting graphene hybrid nanoparticles augment osteogenesis in a 3D tissue scaffold
Authors: Kumar Sachin , Chatterjee Kaushik
Published: December 2014

Hybrid nanoparticles of graphene sheets decorated with strontium metallic nanoparticles were incorporated in polymer scaffolds and the advantages in bone tissue engineering are demonstrated.
A supramolecular topical gel derived from a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, fenoprofen, is capable of treating skin inflammation in mice
Authors: Majumder Joydeb , Yedoti Pavani , Dastidar Parthasarathi
Published: December 2014

A small β-dipeptide functionalized fenoprofen bioconjugate forms supramolecular gel with menthol containing methylsalicylate solvent. The resulting gel shows topical self-delivery application in treating imiquimod induced skin inflammation in mice.
Self-assembly and disassembly of a redox-responsive ferrocene-containing amphiphilic block copolymer for controlled release
Authors: Liu Lichao , Rui Leilei , Gao Yun , Zhang Weian
Published: December 2014

The synthesis and self-assembly of ferrocene-containing block copolymers PEG-b-PMAEFc, and the encapsulation and redox-responsive release of a model molecule (rhodamine B) upon external redox stimuli (H2O2).
Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles as a high-performance Fenton-like catalyst in a neutral environment
Authors: Yang Sheng-Tao , Zhang Wu , Xie Jingru , Liao Rong , Zhang Xiaoliang , Yu Baowei , Wu Ruihan , Liu Xiaoyang , Li Hongliang , Guo Zhen
Published: December 2014

Fe3O4@SiO2 could be used as high-performance Fenton-like catalyst for dye decoloration in neutral environment.
Save energy on OLED lighting by a simple yet powerful technique
Authors: Kim Joo Yeon , Joo Chul Woong , Lee Jonghee , Woo Jong-Chang , Oh Ji-Young , Baek Nam Seob , Chu Hye Yong , Lee Jeong-Ik
Published: December 2014

In order to reduce power consumption in OLED lighting, polymeric lighting extraction films were integrated directly on the backside of green emissive bottom-emitting OLED glass substrates. The luminous efficacy and external quantum efficiency were improved by up to 50%.
Orthogonal experimentation for optimization of TiO2 nanoparticles hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic property of a TiO2/concrete composite
Authors: Luo Jianlin , Zhu Guixian , Zhang Fangfang , Li Qiuyi , Zhao Tiejun , Zhu Xueqing
Published: December 2014

An orthogonal experimental design was applied to optimize the hydrothermal preparation parameters of TiO2 nanoparticles by the analysis of means (ANOM) and variances (ANOVA).
Organocatalytic asymmetric Michael addition of aldehydes and ketones to nitroalkenes catalyzed by adamantoyl l-prolinamide
Authors: Wang Yongchao , Li Dong , Lin Jun , Wei Kun
Published: December 2014

A series of adamantoyl l-prolinamides have been synthesized.
Metal/metal oxide nanostructures derived from metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Song Yonghai , Li Xia , Sun Lanlan , Wang Li
Published: December 2014

MOFs-derived micro/nanostructures have important potential applications. In this review, we describe the use of MOFs as templates in the synthesis of metal/metal oxide micro/nanostructures and composite materials. The applications of the derived materials are also reviewed.
Synthesis of magnetic porous γ-Fe2O3/C@HKUST-1 composites for efficient removal of dyes and heavy metal ions from aqueous solution
Authors: Xiong Yuhao , Ye Fanggui , Zhang Cong , Shen Shufen , Su Linjing , Zhao Shulin
Published: December 2014

A novel and inexpensive approach was adopted to develop magnetic porous γ-Fe2O3/C@HKUST-1 composites for the adsorption of dyes and heavy metal ions from aqueous solution.
Palladium on manganese ferrite: an efficient catalyst for one pot synthesis of primary amides from iodobenzene
Authors: Jadhav Vilas Gangadhar , Bhojane Jeevan Manohar , Nagarkar Jayashree Milind
Published: December 2014

Amidation of aryl iodide in one pot is reported using Pd–MnFe2O4 as a catalyst.
Solvothermal synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanostructures with various morphologies using adenosine 5′-monophosphate sodium salt as an organic phosphorus source
Authors: Qi Chao , Zhu Ying-Jie , Ding Guan-Jun , Wu Jin , Chen Feng
Published: December 2014

Hydroxyapatite nanostructures with various morphologies are synthesized using adenosine 5′-monophosphate sodium salt as an organic phosphorus source.
Preparation of multi-shell structured fluorescent composite nanoparticles for ultrasensitive human procalcitonin detection
Authors: Zhao Yue , Zhou Changhua , Wu Ruili , Li Lin , Shen Huaibin , Li Lin Song
Published: December 2014

In this paper, we reported the preparation of carboxyl functionalized quantum dots (QDs)-embedded silica nanoparticles by combining layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique and a multi-layer protection method.
Anti-proliferative activity of the combination of salan Ti(iv) complexes with other organic and inorganic anticancer drugs against HT-29 and NCI-H1229 cells: synergism with cisplatin
Authors: Ganot Nitzan , Redko Boris , Gellerman Gary , Tshuva Edit Y.
Published: December 2014

Cytotoxic salan Ti(iv) complex demonstrated synergism with cisplatin in vitro toward human colon and lung cancer cells at various ratios.
Bark depolymerization during submerged fermentation using monofloral honey, a natural mediator substitute, and integration between laccases vs. bark biopolymers, characterized by Py-GC-MS
Authors: Ferhan M. , Yan N. , Sain M.
Published: December 2014

This is a new green biochemical approach to edify that how we can replace synthetic, toxic and costly mediators into natural mediator using monofloral honey which accelerates oxidation mechanism with combination of fungal laccases.
Phthalocyanine–titanate nanotubes: a promising nanocarrier detectable by optical imaging in the so-called imaging window
Authors: Paris J. , Bernhard Y. , Boudon J. , Heintz O. , Millot N. , Decréau R. A.
Published: December 2014

TiONts–phthalocyanine nanohybrids (150 nm long, 450 Pc per TiONts) combine an efficient optical probe and a promising nanovector. The organic coating was covalently attached onto TiONts in a step-by-step approach with a thorough characterization at each step.
The efficient and selective biocatalytic oxidation of norisoprenoid and aromatic substrates by CYP101B1 from Novosphingobium aromaticivorans DSM12444
Authors: Hall Emma A. , Bell Stephen G.
Published: December 2014

CYP101B1 fromNovosphingobium aromaticivoransoxidises ionone derivatives and phenylcyclohexane with high activity and regioselectivity.
Self-assembly of glycinin nanoparticles for delivery of phenolic compounds from Phyllanthus urinaria
Authors: Liu Yong , Wei Shoulian , Liao Miaochan , Liu Ling , Huang Yunwei
Published: December 2014

Glycinin nanoparticles for delivery of phenolic compounds fromPhyllanthus urinaria.
Polymeric cathode materials of electroactive conducting poly(triphenylamine) with optimized structures for potential organic pseudo-capacitors with higher cut-off voltage and energy density
Authors: Ni Wei , Cheng Jianli , Li Xiaodong , Gu Guifang , Huang Ling , Guan Qun , Yuan Demao , Wang Bin
Published: December 2014

Electroactive conducting polymers (ECPs) with designed structures via fast surface reactions are able to store/harvest more electrical energy and may serve as potential cathode materials for organic pseudo-capacitors with higher voltages.
Combined collapse by bridging and self-adhesion in a prototypical polymer model inspired by the bacterial nucleoid
Authors: Scolari Vittore F. , Cosentino Lagomarsino Marco
Published: December 2014

Switch-like polymer collapse and spontaneous domain formation in a polymer with sparse bridging and homogeneous self-adhesion.
Sol-Generating Chemical Vapor into Liquid (SG-CViL) deposition – a facile method for encapsulation of diverse cell types in silica matrices
Authors: Johnston Robert , Rogelj Snezna , Harper Jason C. , Tartis Michaelann
Published: December 2014

Silica sols are generated via deposition of tetramethyl orthosilicate into an aqueous medium. Subsequent mixing, under various experimental conditions, of eukaryotic and mammalian cell types with silica sols results in encapsulation of cells in tunable silica structures (green fluorescence).
Morphological and crystal structural control of tungsten trioxide for highly sensitive NO2 gas sensors
Authors: Meng Zhicong , Fujii Aya , Hashishin Takeshi , Wada Noriyuki , Sanada Tomoe , Tamaki Jun , Kojima Kazuo , Haneoka Hitoshi , Suzuki Takeyuki
Published: December 2014

We discuss the synthesis and the high NO2 gas sensing properties of cuboid-monoclinic tungsten oxide (C-m-WO3) particles and hexagonal-plate-like-hexagonal tungsten oxide (H-h-WO3) particles.
Fluxes through plant metabolic networks: measurements, predictions, insights and challenges
Authors: Kruger Nicholas J. , Ratcliffe R. George
Published: December 2014

Although the flows of material through metabolic networks are central to cell function, they are not easy to measure other than at the level of inputs and outputs. This is particularly true in plant cells, where the network spans multiple subcellular compartments and where the network may function either heterotrophically or photoautotrophically. For many years, kinetic modelling of pathways provided the only method for describing the operation of fragments of the network. However, more recently, it has become possible to map the fluxes in central carbon metabolism using the stable isotope labelling techniques of metabolic flux analysis (MFA), and to predict intracellular fluxes using constraints-based modelling procedures such as flux balance analysis (FBA). These approaches were originally developed for the analysis of microbial metabolism, but over the last decade, they have been adapted for the more demanding analysis of plant metabolic networks. Here, the principal features of MFA and FBA as applied to plants are outlined, followed by a discussion of the insights that have been gained into plant metabolic networks through the application of these time-consuming and non-trivial methods. The discussion focuses on how a system-wide view of plant metabolism has increased our understanding of network structure, metabolic perturbations and the provision of reducing power and energy for cell function. Current methodological challenges that limit the scope of plant MFA are discussed and particular emphasis is placed on the importance of developing methods for cell-specific MFA.
Normal positive electrical circuits
Authors: Kaczorek Tadeusz
Published: December 2014

A new notion of normal positive electrical circuits is proposed. It is shown that any positive second‐order electrical circuit with 2‐inputs and 2‐outputs is normal and a positive electrical circuit with m ‐inputs and p ‐outputs (m, p  ≥ 2) is normal if its system matrix A has distinct eigenvalues or its system matrix is symmetric.
Optimal control of the Cuk converter used in solar cells via a jump parameter technique
Authors: Selwan Elias , Park Gunhyung , Gajic Zoran
Published: December 2014

In this study, the authors have applied a jump parameter linear optimal control technique for the Cuk converter used in photovoltaic systems. The simulation results for the Cuk converter used for maximum power point tracking are presented. The results show how the feedback gains impact the optimal performance of the two states of the Cuk converter, and indicate complete freedom in choosing the values of the duty cycle (from the optimal performance point of view). In addition, the optimal controller for the jump linear system with integral action is applied to the Cuk converter and the simulation result is compared with that for the Cuk converter averaged system. The superiority of the proposed technique can be clearly seen from the simulation results obtained. The presented technique can be used for other applications of the Cuk converter and not necessary only for the solar cells.
Cross‐layer network lifetime optimisation considering transmit and signal processing power in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Yetgin Halil , Cheung Kent Tsz Kan , El‐Hajjar Mohammed , Hanzo Lajos
Published: December 2014

Maintaining high energy efficiency is essential for increasing the lifetime ot wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where the battery of the sensor nodes cannot be routinely replaced. Nevertheless, the energy budget of the WSN strictly relies on the communication parameters, where the choice of both the transmit power as well as of the modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) plays a significant role in maximising the network lifetime (NL). In this paper, we optimise the NL of WNSs by analysing the impact of the physical layer parameters as well as of the signal processing power (SPP) Psp on the NL. We characterise the underlying trade‐offs between the NL and bit error ratio (BER) performance for a predetermined set of target signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR) values and for different MCSs using periodic transmit‐time slot (TS) scheduling in interference‐limited WSNs. For a per‐link target BER requirement (PLBR) of 10−3, our results demonstrate that a ‘continuous‐time’ NL in the range of 0.58 – 4.99 years is achieved depending on the MCSs, channel configurations, and SPI.
Real time emotion detection within a wireless sensor network and its impact on power consumption
Authors: Matiko Joseph W. , Beeby Stephen P. , Tudor John
Published: December 2014

Recent advances in portable and wearable electroencephalograph (EEG) devices has raised the need to detect emotions in real time for applications such as wellbeing monitoring, gaming and social networking. A number of researchers have reported real time emotion detection systems implemented on a computer. This study advances these efforts by implementing a real time emotion detection system on a wirelesses sensor node with minimal hardware resources (256 kb of flash memory and 16 MHz processing speed) suitable for integration in a wearable wireless sensor node. The experimental results demonstrate that detecting emotions within the sensor node using suitable algorithms prolong the battery life by 5 days (38%) and by 39 days at an emotion detection rate of 2 and 60 s, respectively, as compared with transmitting the raw EEG data wirelessly. This also reduces the length of packets transmitted which directly minimises the packet error rate and the power that would be consumed because of retransmission of these erroneous packets.
Elastocapillary flows in flexible tubes
Authors: Hoberg Theresa B. , Verneuil Emilie , Hosoi A. E.
Published: December 2014

Interactions between capillary and elastic effects are relevant to a variety of applications from micro- and nano-scale manufacturing to biological systems. In this work, we investigate capillary flows in flexible, millimeter-scale cylindrical elastic tubes. We demonstrate that surface tension can cause sufficiently flexible tubes to collapse and coalesce spontaneously through non-axisymmetric buckling, and develop criteria for the initial deformation and complete collapse of a circular tube. Experimental results for capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a flexible tube are presented, and several regimes are seen for the equilibrium state of a flexible tube deforming under capillary pressure. Deformations of the tube walls are measured in different regimes and compared with a shell theory model. Analysis and experimental results show that despite the complex and non-axisymmetric deformed shapes of cylindrical structures, the elastocapillary length used in previous literature for flat plates and sheets can be used to predict the behavior of flexible tubes.
Automated electrostatic probe device of high resolution and accuracy
Authors: Aleiferis S. , Svarnas P.
Published: December 2014

In this work, an automated apparatus for driving single electrostatic probes and acquiring the plasma-related data has been designed and fabricated. The voltage range of the present system is ±110 V with an adjustable voltage step as low as 3 mV. Voltage and current measurements are carried out with high resolution and high accuracy circuits, both based on 16 bit analog-to-digital converters. The code embedded in a micro-controller, schedules the operation of the device and transfers the experimental data to a personal computer. The modular design of the system makes possible its modification and thus increases its adaptability to different plasma setups. Finally, the reliable operation of the entire device is confirmed by tests in Electron Cyclotron Resonance plasma.
Oblique ion-acoustic cnoidal waves in two temperature superthermal electrons magnetized plasma
Authors: Panwar A. , Ryu C. M. , Bains A. S.
Published: December 2014

A study is presented for the oblique propagation of ion acoustic cnoidal waves in a magnetized plasma consisting of cold ions and two temperature superthermal electrons modelled by kappa-type distributions. Using the reductive perturbation method, the nonlinear Korteweg de-Vries equation is derived, which further gives the solutions with a special type of cnoidal elliptical functions. Both compressive and rarefactive structures are found for these cnoidal waves. Nonlinear periodic cnoidal waves are explained in terms of plasma parameters depicting the Sagdeev potential and the phase curves. It is found that the density ratio of hot electrons to ions μ significantly modifies compressive/refractive wave structures. Furthermore, the combined effects of superthermality of cold and hot electrons κc,κh, cold to hot electron temperature ratio σ, angle of propagation and ion cyclotron frequency ωci have been studied in detail to analyze the height and width of compressive/refractive cnoidal waves. The findings in the present study could have important implications in understanding the physics of electrostatic wave structures in the Saturn's magnetosphere where two temperature superthermal electrons are present.
Effects of magnetic islands on drift wave instability
Authors: Jiang P. , Lin Z. , Holod I. , Xiao C.
Published: December 2014

Magnetic islands have been implemented in the gyrokinetic toroidal code to study the effects of the islands on microturbulence. The pressure profile flattening is verified in the simulation with the islands. Simulations of ion temperature gradient instability find that different toroidal modes are linearly coupled together and that toroidal spectra become broader when the island width increases. The real frequencies and growth rates of different toroidal modes approach each other with the averaged value independent of the island width. The linear mode structures are enhanced at the island separatrices and weakened at the island centers, consistent with the flattening of the pressure profile inside the islands.
Two modes of surface roughening during plasma etching of silicon: Role of ionized etch products
Authors: Nakazaki Nobuya , Tsuda Hirotaka , Takao Yoshinori , Eriguchi Koji , Ono Kouichi
Published: December 2014

Atomic- or nanometer-scale surface roughening has been investigated during Si etching in inductively coupled Cl2 plasmas, as a function of rf bias power or ion incident energy Ei, by varying feed gas flow rate, wafer stage temperature, and etching time. The experiments revealed two modes of surface roughening which occur depending on Ei: one is the roughening mode at low Ei < 200–300 eV, where the root-mean-square (rms) roughness of etched surfaces increases with increasing Ei, exhibiting an almost linear increase with time during etching (t < 20 min). The other is the smoothing mode at higher Ei, where the rms surface roughness decreases substantially with Ei down to a low level < 0.4 nm, exhibiting a quasi-steady state after some increase at the initial stage (t < 1 min). Correspondingly, two different behaviors depending on Ei were also observed in the etch rate versus Ei curve, and in the evolution of the power spectral density distribution of surfaces. Such changes from the roughening to smoothing modes with increasing Ei were found to correspond to changes in the predominant ion flux from feed gas ions Clx+ to ionized etch products SiClx+ caused by the increased etch rates at increased Ei, in view of the results of several plasma diagnostics. Possible mechanisms for the formation and evolution of surface roughness during plasma etching are discussed with the help of Monte Carlo simulations of the surface feature evolution and classical molecular dynamics simulations of etch fundamentals, including stochastic roughening and effects of ion reflection and etch inhibitors.
Electron-doping of graphene-based devices by hydrazine
Authors: Feng Tingting , Xie Dan , Wang Dongxia , Wen Lang , Wu Mengqiang
Published: December 2014

A facile and effective technique to tune the electronic properties of graphene is essential to facilitate the flexibility of graphene-based device performances. Here, the use of hydrazine as a solution-processable and effective n-type dopant for graphene is described. By dropping hydrazine solutions at different concentrations on a graphene surface, the Dirac point of graphene can be remarkably tuned. The transport behavior of graphene can be changed from p-type to n-type accordingly, demonstrating the controllable and adjustable doping effect of the hydrazine solutions. Accompanying the Dirac point shift is an enhanced hysteretic behavior of the graphene conductance, indicating an increasing trap state density induced by the hydrazine adsorbates. The electron-doping of graphene by the hydrazine solutions can be additionally confirmed with graphene/p-type silicon heterojunctions. The decrease of the junction current after the hydrazine treatment demonstrates an increase of the junction barrier between graphene and silicon, which is essentially due to the electron-doping of graphene and the resultant upshift of the Fermi level. Finally, partially doped graphene is realized and its electrical property is studied to demonstrate the potential of the hydrazine solutions to selectively electron-doping graphene for future electronic applications.
Detection of graphene microelectromechanical system resonance
Authors: Wiesner M. , Lindvall N. , Yurgens A.
Published: December 2014

We present an experimental setup for fast detection of resonances of graphene microelectromechanical structures of different quality. The relatively simple technique used to read-out of the resonance frequency is the main advantage of the proposed system. The resolution is good enough to detect vibrations of the graphene resonator with the quality factor of ∼24 and resonance frequency of 104 MHz.
Tunable terahertz multichannel filter based on one-dimensional superconductor-dielectric photonic crystals
Authors: Liu Yang , Yi Lin
Published: December 2014

By means of the transfer matrix method, the transmission properties of one-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs) consisting of superconductor and dielectric have been systematically investigated within the terahertz frequency range (0.1–10 THz). It is shown that comb-like resonant peaks in transmission band can be formed without adding any defect layer in superconductor-dielectric PCs, which means that such a one-dimensional periodic structure can serve as a tunable terahertz multichannel filter by using the PCs passband. Furthermore, the influences coming from the period of the structure, the thickness of the components, the permittivity of the dielectric layers, temperature, and the normal conducting electrons on the filtering properties are also numerically investigated.
Bandgap and optical absorption edge of GaAs1−xBix alloys with 0 < x < 17.8%
Authors: Masnadi-Shirazi M. , Lewis R. B. , Bahrami-Yekta V. , Tiedje T. , Chicoine M. , Servati P.
Published: December 2014

The compositional dependence of the fundamental bandgap of pseudomorphic GaAs1−xBix layers on GaAs substrates is studied at room temperature by optical transmission and photoluminescence spectroscopies. All GaAs1−xBix films (0 ≤ x ≤ 17.8%) show direct optical bandgaps, which decrease with increasing Bi content, closely following density functional theory predictions. The smallest measured bandgap is 0.52 eV (∼2.4 μm) at 17.8% Bi. Extrapolating a fit to the data, the GaAs1−xBix bandgap is predicted to reach 0 eV at 35% Bi. Below the GaAs1−xBix bandgap, exponential absorption band tails are observed with Urbach energies 3–6 times larger than that of bulk GaAs. The Urbach parameter increases with Bi content up to 5.5% Bi, and remains constant at higher concentrations. The lattice constant and Bi content of GaAs1−xBix layers (0 < x ≤ 19.4%) are studied using high resolution x-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The relaxed lattice constant of hypothetical zincblende GaBi is estimated to be 6.33 ± 0.05 Å, from extrapolation of the Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and x-ray diffraction data.
Temperature dependence and the dispersion of nonlinear optical properties of chromophore-containing polyimide thin films
Authors: Gorkovenko A. I. , Plekhanov A. I. , Simanchuk A. E. , Yakimanskiy A. V. , Nosova G. I. , Solovskaya N. A. , Smirnov N. N.
Published: December 2014

Detailed investigations of the quadratic nonlinear response of a series of new polyimides with covalently attached chromophore DR13 are performed by the Maker fringes method in the range of fundamental wavelength from 850 to 1450 nm. Polymer films with thickness of 100–400 nm were spin-coated on glass substrates and corona poled. For these materials, the maximum values of the second harmonic generation coefficients d33 are 80–120 pm/V. A red shift of the nonlinear response dispersion with respect to the linear absorption spectrum was observed for the DR13 chromophore. The temperature dependences of linear absorption and nonlinear coefficients d33 for studied structures are observed. It was found that the temperature changes of the absorption spectra lead to appreciable contribution to the value of the nonlinear coefficient d33. The demonstrated high temperature stability (up to 120 °C) of chromophore-containing polyimide thin films makes it possible to eliminate the degradation of their nonlinear optical properties in the future applications of such structures.
Effects of heating power on divertor in-out asymmetry and scrape-off layer flow in reversed field on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
Authors: Liu S. C. , Guo H. Y. , Wang L. , Wang H. Q. , Gan K. F. , Xia T. Y. , Xu G. S. , Xu X. Q. , Liu Z. X. , Chen L. , Yan N. , Zhang W. , Chen R. , Shao L. M. , Ding S. , Hu G. H. , Liu Y. L. , Zhao N. , Li Y. L. , Gong X. Z. , Gao X.
Published: December 2014

The dependence of divertor asymmetry and scrape-off layer (SOL) flow on heating power has been investigated in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Divertor plasma exhibits an outboard-enhanced in-out asymmetry in heat flux in lower single null configuration for in reversed (ion ∇B drift direction toward the upper X-point) field directions. Upper single null exhibits an inboard-favored asymmetry in low heating power condition, while exhibits an outboard-favored asymmetry when increasing the heating power. Double null has the strongest in-out asymmetry in heat flux, favoring the outer divertor. The in-out asymmetry ratios of qt,out/qt,in and Pout/Ptotal increase with the power across the separatrix Ploss, which is probably induced by the enhanced radial particle transport due to a large pressure gradient. The characteristics of the measured SOL parallel flow under various discharge conditions are consistent with the Pfirsch-Schlüter (PS) flow with the parallel Mach number M∥ decreasing with the line averaged density but increasing with Ploss, in the same direction as the PS flow. The contributions of both poloidal E×B drift and parallel flow on poloidal particle transport in SOL on EAST are also assessed.