bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect in Fe-doped La0.6Ca0.4MnO3 with short-range ferromagnetic order
Authors: Ho T. A. , Thanh T. D. , Ho T. O. , Phan M. H. , Phan The-Long , Yu S. C.
Published: March 2015

The magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of La0.6Ca0.4Mn1-xFexO3 (x = 0–0.04) compounds fabricated by solid-state reaction have been studied. Magnetization measurements versus temperature revealed a decrease of the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition temperature (TC) with increasing Fe-doping content. The TC values determined for the samples with x = 0, 0.02 and 0.04 are about 260, 254 and 236 K, respectively. Based on magnetic-field dependences of magnetization, M(H), the magnetic entropy change (ΔSm) of the samples were calculated. Under an applied field change ΔH = 30 kOe, the maximum |ΔSmax| value decreases from 5.74 Jkg−1 K−1 for x = 0 to about 2.62 Jkg−1 K−1 for x = 0.04. These values correspond to relative cooling powers 140–180 J/kg, which are comparable to those of other manganites. Analyzing magnetic-field dependences of |ΔSm| for the samples indicates their power-law relation. Based on Banerjee's criteria and Franco's universal curves related to the magnetic-entropy change, we assess magnetic order existing in the samples.
Effect of MgO thickness and bias voltage polarity on frequency response of tunneling magnetoresistance sensors with perpendicular anisotropy
Authors: Dabek M. , Wisniowski P.
Published: March 2015

We investigate the frequency response of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB based tunneling magnetoresistance sensors with the perpendicular anisotropy. The 3 dB cut-off frequency (f3dB) strongly and non-monotonically depends on resistance-area product (RA), which is controlled by MgO thickness. Both high and low RA sensors achieved wide frequency bandwidth; however, we observed a maximum f3dB of 45 MHz at around 20 kΩ μm2. The bandwidth of the sensors increases with bias voltage of both polarity and is higher under positive polarity. This opens possibilities of using the sensors for high-speed magnetic field sensing and for improving their bandwidth by tuning RA and the bias.
Quantitative and sensitive analysis of CN molecules using laser induced low pressure He plasma
Authors: Pardede Marincan , Hedwig Rinda , Abdulmadjid Syahrun Nur , Lahna Kurnia , Idris Nasrullah , Jobiliong Eric , Suyanto Hery , Marpaung Alion Mangasi , Suliyanti Maria Margaretha , Ramli Muliadi , Tjia May On , Lie Tjung Jie , Lie Zener Sukra , Kurniawan Davy Putra , Kurniawan Koo Hendrik , Kagawa Kiichiro
Published: March 2015

We report the results of experimental study on CN 388.3 nm and C I 247.8 nm emission characteristics using 40 mJ laser irradiation with He and N2 ambient gases. The results obtained with N2 ambient gas show undesirable interference effect between the native CN emission and the emission of CN molecules arising from the recombination of native C ablated from the sample with the N dissociated from the ambient gas. This problem is overcome by the use of He ambient gas at low pressure of 2 kPa, which also offers the additional advantages of cleaner and stronger emission lines. The result of applying this favorable experimental condition to emission spectrochemical measurement of milk sample having various protein concentrations is shown to yield a close to linear calibration curve with near zero extrapolated intercept. Additionally, a low detection limit of 5 μg/g is found in this experiment, making it potentially applicable for quantitative and sensitive CN analysis. The visibility of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy with low pressure He gas is also demonstrated by the result of its application to spectrochemical analysis of fossil samples. Furthermore, with the use of CO2 ambient gas at 600 Pa mimicking the Mars atmosphere, this technique also shows promising applications to exploration in Mars.
Tailoring the dipole properties in dielectric polymers to realize high energy density with high breakdown strength and low dielectric loss
Authors: Thakur Yash , Lin Minren , Wu Shan , Cheng Zhaoxi , Jeong D.-Y. , Zhang Q. M.
Published: March 2015

High energy density polymer materials are desirable for a broad range of modern power electronic systems. Here, we report the development of a new class of polymer dielectrics based on polyurea and polythiourea, which possess high thermal stability. By increasing the dipole density, the dielectric constant of meta-phenylene polyurea and methylene polythiourea can be increased to 5.7, compared with aromatic polyurea and aromatic polythiourea, which have a dielectric constant in the range of 4.1–4.3. The random dipoles with high dipolar moment and amorphous structure of these polyurea and polythiourea based polymers provide strong scattering to the charge carriers, resulting in low losses even at high electric fields. Consequently, this new class of polymers exhibit a linear dielectric response to the highest field measured (>700 MV/m) with a high breakdown strength, achieving high energy density (>13 J/cm3) with high efficiency (>90%).
Anisotropic thermal conductivity in single crystal β-gallium oxide
Authors: Guo Zhi , Verma Amit , Wu Xufei , Sun Fangyuan , Hickman Austin , Masui Takekazu , Kuramata Akito , Higashiwaki Masataka , Jena Debdeep , Luo Tengfei
Published: March 2015

The thermal conductivities of β-Ga2O3 single crystals along four different crystal directions were measured in the temperature range of 80–495 K using the time domain thermoreflectance method. A large anisotropy was found. At room temperature, the [010] direction has the highest thermal conductivity of 27.0 ± 2.0 W/mK, while that along the [100] direction has the lowest value of 10.9 ± 1.0 W/mK. At high temperatures, the thermal conductivity follows a ∼1/T relationship characteristic of Umklapp phonon scattering, indicating phonon-dominated heat transport in the β-Ga2O3 crystal. The measured experimental thermal conductivity is supported by first-principles calculations, which suggest that the anisotropy in thermal conductivity is due to the differences of the speed of sound along different crystal directions.
Prediction of superconductivity in Li-intercalated bilayer phosphorene
Authors: Huang G. Q. , Xing Z. W. , Xing D. Y.
Published: March 2015

It is shown that bilayer phosphorene can be transformed from a direct-gap semiconductor to a BCS superconductor by intercalating Li atoms. For the Li-intercalated bilayer phosphorene, we find that the electron occupation of Li-derived band is small and superconductivity is intrinsic. With increasing the intercalation of Li atoms, both increased metallicity and strong electron-phonon coupling are favorable for the enhancement of superconductivity. The obtained electron-phonon coupling λ can be larger than 1 and the superconducting temperature Tc can be increased up to 16.5 K, suggesting that phosphorene may be a good candidate for a nanoscale superconductor.
Temperature, length of growth season and phytoplankton abundance in the Gulf of Maine
Authors: Seip Knut
Published: March 2015

I show that the relation between annual average phytoplankton concentration (mg Chl-a m–3) and in situ sea surface temperature (SST) is positive (Chl-a=~0.5×SST, r=0.8, P<0.001) at an average temperature of 11°C (range 10–12°C) in the Gulf of Maine. However, within-seasonal observations (for 2005–09) were predominantly negatively associated. For the first relationship that describes annual averages, the extension of the growth season with increasing temperature may be an important factor. I show that an increase of 1°C starts the growing season 8 days earlier and lengthens the season by 13 days (for temperature >10°C). Tentative calculations suggest that the increased length matches the increase in annual phytoplankton concentration. For the second relationship that describes within-seasonal relationships, I suggest that warmer water during late summer increases stratification and limits nutrient supply to the upper productive layer.
Behavioural responses to simulated bird attacks in marine three-spined sticklebacks after exposure to high CO2 levels
Authors: Näslund Joacim , Lindström Erik , Lai Floriana , Jutfelt Fredrik
Published: March 2015

The rising partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in oceanic water, termed ocean acidification, is an impending threat to marine life and has previously been reported to affect several aspects of fish behaviour. We evaluated the behavioural response to a simulated avian predator attack and lateralisation in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) after 10 and 20 days of exposure to present day pCO2 (400μatm) or elevated pCO2 (1000μatm). We show that elevated pCO2 lead to reduced behavioural lateralisation. However, no major differences in the sheltering response after an overhead avian attack were observed; fish from both treatments exhibited similar and strong responses. Compared with fish exposed to high pCO2, the control fish took longer time to freeze (i.e. stop moving) after attack at Day 20 but not Day 10. The freezing duration was significantly reduced between Day 10 and Day 20 in elevated pCO2, whereas no such reduction was observed in the control-group. However, no significant differences between treatment groups were detected at Day 20. These results demonstrate that behaviour is indeed altered by high CO2 levels, although the general responses to avian predation stimuli remain similar to those of unexposed fish, indicating that some predator avoidance behaviours of three-spined sticklebacks are robust to environmental disturbance.
Artificial irrigation ponds and sea coast as foraging habitat for larids breeding in protected wetlands
Authors: Sebastián-González Esther , Botella Francisco , Ovaskainen Otso , Delgado Antonio , Sánchez-Zapata José Antonio
Published: March 2015

Questions related to the preservation of foraging sites of breeding birds have received little attention, although they can be of major importance for population persistence. Here, we used stable isotopes and field observations to evaluate the relative importance of man-made irrigation ponds as foraging areas for a larid community of conservation concern. We also studied the habitat preferences of the bird species and determined whether pairs of species co-occurred or avoided each other while foraging. Six species used marine habitats preferentially, whereas three species preferred freshwater habitats, the latter being provided mainly by irrigation ponds. Larids foraged preferentially in large and vegetated ponds located close to the breeding areas, and avoided sandy areas at the coast. We propose that the European Union subsidies related to the creation and alteration of irrigation ponds should be linked to management strategies that maximise pond quality for waterbirds. A third of the species pairs examined showed strong support for the species co-occurring more often than expected by random. Our study showed that larids breeding in mixed colonies segregate spatially in their foraging niche between marine and freshwater environments. Both breeding and foraging habitats need to be addressed when analysing larid population dynamics and conservation strategies.
Mobulid ray by-catch in longline fisheries in the south-western Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Mas F. , Forselledo R. , Domingo A.
Published: March 2015

This paper presents the first by-catch assessment focussed on mobulid rays in pelagic longline fisheries based on on-board scientific observer data (1998–2013) over the south-western Atlantic. Mobulid diversity, as well as their catch distribution and disposition, were investigated. Mobulid by-catch frequency was low, but by-catch probability increased at lower bottom depths (i.e. continental shelf and slope), higher fishing effort and during the warm period (summer–autumn). Photographic and video records allowed the identification of two devil ray species, the spinetail devil ray (Mobula japanica) and the bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni), but the number of species interacting with longliners in the region could also be greater. Southernmost captures of both species (36°S) exceed previous reported records by almost 12°, therefore greatly expanding their known distribution ranges towards southern waters in the south-western Atlantic. Mobulids were never retained on board, and most of them were released alive. However, hooks were often not removed from their bodies and on several occasions fishermen caused injuries while trying to cut the branch line, so some uncertainty remains regarding their post-capture mortality. More specific studies that assess these particular aspects are needed to better understand the potential effect of longline fisheries on mobulid populations.
Lake Eyre golden perch (Macquaria sp.) spawning and recruitment is enhanced by flow events in the hydrologically variable rivers of Lake Eyre Basin, Australia
Authors: Cockayne B. J. , Sternberg D. , Schmarr D. W. , Duguid A. W. , Mathwin R.
Published: March 2015

Understanding the links between fish recruitment and riverine flows is integral for setting priorities for river-management strategies, particularly in hydrologically variable and unpredictable arid and semi-arid zone rivers. In the present study, we used daily and annual otolith age estimates to identify relationships between riverine flow and spawning and recruitment of Lake Eyre golden perch (Macquaria sp.); an endemic fish of the Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia. We found a close association between Lake Eyre golden perch spawning and periods of increased river flow, with most of spawning occurring 0–35 days after the start of these flow events. Spawning occurred throughout the year but was commonly observed during the first flow events proceeding consecutive months of no-flow when water temperatures exceeded 26°C. Spawning was not dependent on floodplain inundation, with most spawning occurring during within-channel flow events. Annual average year-class strength was related to the number of flow events per year, but not total annual discharge, or the number of low-flow days per year. These results highlight the importance of natural within-channel flow patterns to Lake Eyre golden perch spawning and recruitment and demonstrate the importance of maintaining the natural flow regime of Australia’s arid- and semi-arid-zone rivers.
Year-round maturity of the chaetognath Aidanosagitta regularis in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
Authors: Webb Wesley H. , Sewell Mary A.
Published: March 2015

The reproductive biology of planktonic chaetognaths is poorly known, particularly with regard to the importance of seasonal factors such as daylength, temperature and lunar phase. We undertook semilunar plankton sampling (March 2013–March 2014) in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, to survey sexual maturity of the abundant chaetognath Aidanosagitta regularis (the only chaetognath species present in sufficient numbers for reproductive study). Contrary to our expectations, breeding of A. regularis appeared unconstrained by seasonal factors, as reproductively mature individuals were available year-round. This finding has implications for embryological study of the chaetognaths.
Different locations of RANTES and its receptors on mouse epididymal spermatozoa
Authors: Wei Jin-Hua , Feng Xiao , Sun Zhi-Jian , Cheng Pang , Ma Bin-Fang , Zhao Jie , Dong Yu-Hang , Zhang Yuan-Qiang , Li Zhen
Published: March 2015

Our previous study showed that the chemokine regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) originating from the mouse epididymis bound to the midpiece of luminal spermatozoa. The present study was undertaken to investigate the association between RANTES and epididymal spermatozoa and to determine whether the association is mediated by the RANTES receptors CCR1, CCR3 or CCR5. The use of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescent staining demonstrated that RANTES secreted by apical and narrow cells of mouse epididymal ducts was associated with luminal spermatozoa. Flow cytometric analysis and immunofluorescent labelling revealed that the association between RANTES and spermatozoa of different regions weakened gradually as the spermatozoa moved along the epididymis. Moreover, CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 were expressed in epididymal spermatozoa and located on the head of epididymal spermatozoa, while RANTES was generally located at the midpiece. In conclusion, RANTES and its receptors were not in the same sperm location, suggesting that RANTES binding to mouse epididymal spermatozoa is independent of CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5.
Maintaining integrity of germline DNA: individuals age, species do not
Authors: Seidel, Jr G. E.
Published: March 2015

All life forms are under constant assault, resulting in an accumulation of damage within each individual, in both somatic and germline cells. The obvious causes are: (1) mutations from radiation, chemical reactions like peroxidation and errors in replicating genetic material; (2) injury due to environmental insults, such as chemical alteration of proteins by reactive oxygen species; (3) epigenetic errors, such as failure of appropriate maintenance methylation of cytosines of DNA; and (4) numerous other problems, including retroviral invasions, inflammation and unhealthy microbiomes. Collectively, these phenomena constitute aging and/or certain disease states. Nature has developed numerous mechanisms to counteract these problems, such as proofreading enzymes, ubiquitous antioxidants and apoptotic death of unfit cells. However, none of these is completely effective. Although individuals accumulate damage, species usually do not become increasingly damaged; however, this could be one of the mechanisms for eventual extinction or evolution to a different species, the apparent fate of essentially all species. Nevertheless, germline DNA appears to remain sufficiently pristine to maintain fairly stable phenotypes over many generations. How do species avoid accumulating damage when composed of individuals that do? One broad answer seems to be reproductive redundancy followed by elimination of defects through the death of gametes, embryos, fetuses, neonates and postpubertal individuals, with the culling pressure increasing as potential parents age. Another major force appears to be evolutionary pressure; individuals that best fit the environment out-reproduce those that fit less well. What is impressive is that older and older parents continue to have offspring that are nearly as pristine as those of younger parents, even though their germline cells have continued to age. Although the offspring of old parents are not as fit, on average, as those of young parents, differences are small and, in some species, compensated for by superior parenting with accumulated experience. To conclude, it appears that species do not age, even though they are composed of individuals whose somatic and germline cells have aged.
A Unified Lorenz-Like System and Its Tracking Control*
Authors: Li Chun-Lai , Zhao Yi-Bo
Published: March 2015

This paper introduces the finding of a unified Lorenz-like system. By gradually tuning the only parameter d, the reported system belongs to Lorenz-type system in the sense defined by Člikovský. Meanwhile, this system belongs to Lorenz-type system, Lü-type system, Chen-type system with d less than, equivalent to and greater than 1.5, respectively, according to the classification defined by Yang. However, this system can only generate a succession of Lorenz-like attractors. Some basic dynamical properties of the system are investigated theoretically and numerically. Moreover, the tracking control of the system with exponential convergence rate is studied. Theoretical analysis and computer simulation show that the proposed scheme can allow us to drive the output variable x1 to arbitrary reference signals exponentially, and the guaranteed exponential convergence rate can be estimated accurately.
The Prediction of Wave Competitions in Inhomogeneous Brusselator Systems*
Authors: Cui Xiao-Hua , Dong Yun-Xia , Huang Xiao-Qing , Li Ning
Published: March 2015

The competition of waves has remained a hot topic in physics over the past few decades, especially the area of pattern control. Because of improved understanding of various dynamic behaviors, many practical applications have sprung up recently. The prediction of wave competitions is also very important and quite useful in these fields. This paper considers the behaviors of wave competitions in simple, inhomogeneous media which is modeled by Brusselator equations. We present a simple rule to judge the results of wave competitions utilizing the dispersion relation curves and the waves coming from different wave sources. Moreover, this rule can also be used to predict the results of wave propagation. It provides methods of obtaining the desired waves with given frequencies in inhomogeneous media. All our results are concluded and verified by computer simulations.
On the classification of critically fixed rational maps
Authors: Cordwell Kristin , Gilbertson Selina , Nuechterlein Nicholas , Pilgrim Kevin , Pinella Samantha
Published: March 2015

We discuss the dynamical, topological, and algebraic classification of rational maps

f
:

C

^

→

C

^

f: \widehat {\mathbb {C}} \to \widehat {\mathbb {C}}

, each of whose critical points

c
c

is also a fixed-point of

f
f

, i.e.,

f
(
c
)
=
c

f(c)=c

.
Polarized activities of AMPK and BRSK in primary hippocampal neurons
Authors: Sample Vedangi , Ramamurthy Santosh , Gorshkov Kirill , Ronnett Gabriele V. , Zhang Jin
Published: March 2015

5′-Adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master metabolic regulator that has been shown to inhibit the establishment of neuronal polarity/axogenesis under energy stress conditions, whereas brain-specific kinase (BRSK) promotes the establishment of axon-dendrite polarity and synaptic development. However, little information exists regarding the localized activity and regulation of these kinases in developing neurons. In this study, using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based activity reporter that responds to both AMPK and BRSK, we found that BRSK activity is elevated in the distal region of axons in polarized hippocampal neurons before any stimulation and does not respond to either Ca2+ or 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) stimulation. In contrast, AMPK activity is stimulated by either Ca2+ or 2-DG in the soma, dendrites, and axons of hippocampal neurons, with maximal stimulated activity observed in the distal region of the axon. Our study shows that the activities of both AMPK and BRSK are polarized in developing hippocampal neurons, with high levels in the distal region of extended axons.
MiR-34a regulates blood–tumor barrier function by targeting protein kinase Cε
Authors: Zhao Wei , Wang Ping , Ma Jun , Liu Yun-Hui , Li Zhen , Li Zhi-Qing , Wang Zhen-Hua , Chen Liang-Yu , Xue Yi-Xue
Published: March 2015

MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) functions to regulate protein expression at the posttranscriptional level by binding the 3′ UTR of target genes and regulates functions of vascular endothelial cells. However, the role of miR-34a in regulating blood–tumor barrier (BTB) permeability remains unknown. In this study, we show that miR-34a overexpression leads to significantly increased permeability of BTB, whereas miR-34a silencing reduces the permeability of the BTB. In addition, miR-34a overexpression significantly down-regulates the expression and distribution of tight junction–related proteins in glioma endothelial cells (GECs), paralleled by protein kinase Cε (PKCε) reduction. Moreover, luciferase reporter gene analysis shows that PKCε is the target gene of miR-34a. We also show that cotransfection of miR-34a and PKCε inversely coregulates BTB permeability and protein expression levels of tight junction–related proteins. Pretreatment of ψεRACK, a PKCε-specific activator, decreases BTB permeability in miR-34a–overexpressed GECs and up-regulates expression levels of tight junction proteins. In contrast, pretreatment of εV1-2, a specific PKCε inhibitor, gives opposite results. Collectively, our findings indicate that miR-34a regulates BTB function by targeting PKCε; after phosphorylation, PKCε is activated and contributes to regulation of the expression of tight junction–related proteins, ultimately altering BTB permeability.
Reliability in Pragmatics
Authors: McCready E.
Published: March 2015

This book is an exploration of how knowledge about the reliability of information sources manifests itself in linguistic phenomena and use, focusing on cooperation in language use and how considerations of reliability influence what is done with the information acquired through language. Empirically, the book provides a detailed consideration of the phenomena of hedging and evidentiality and analyzes them using tools from game theory, dynamic semantics, and formal epistemology. Hedging is argued to be a mechanism used by speakers to protect their reputations for cooperativity from damage inflicted by infelicitous discourse moves. The pragmatics of evidential use is also stated in terms of the sorts of histories of interaction that influence reputation: on the analysis of the book, past experience with the evidence source indexed by the evidential determines how the process of adding information will proceed. The book makes many new connections between seemingly disparate aspects of linguistic meaning and practice.
Early Greek Relative Clauses
Authors: Probert Philomen
Published: March 2015

This book contributes to an old debate now enjoying a revival: should we expect languages spoken a few thousand years ago, such as Proto-Indo-European, to be less well-equipped than modern languages when it comes to subordinate clauses? Early Greek relative clauses provide a test case for this problem. Early Greek uses several kinds of relative clause, but all these are usually thought to come from one, or at most two, prehistoric types. In a new look at the evidence, this book finds that a rich variety of relative clause types has been in place for a considerable time. The reconstruction of prehistoric linguistic stages requires detailed work on the individual languages descending from them. A substantial part of the book is therefore devoted to a new look at the relative clause systems found in a wide variety of early Greek texts. It emerges that the same basic system is in use across all these texts. Different kinds of relative clause predominate in different kinds of text, however, because relative clause syntax and semantics interact with the needs of different kinds of text. The widespread currency of the same system across different dialects and genres speaks against the idea that significant aspects of this system were only just emerging. Moreover, in all the texts considered there is little genuine competition between the different constructions, such as we ought to find if some constructions were gaining ground from others. Each construction has its own syntactic and semantic conditions.
Introduction
Authors: Probert Philomen
Published: March 2015

Chapter 1 explains what the book is about, and how it is structured. The book has a middle and two outer layers. In the middle (chapters 4–13) is a serious new look at the synchronic systems of relative clauses found in several varieties of early Greek. This may be read on its own by those who simply want to know about early Greek relative clauses. The first outer layer (chapters 3 and 14) introduces a long-standing debate about relative clause syntax in the prehistory of the Indo-European language family, and considers how Greek evidence can contribute to this debate. The outermost layer (chapters 2 and 15) considers the implications for a broader debate about subordination in languages spoken a few thousand years ago. Chapter 1 also points out some of the things this book is not about (participial relative clauses, particles in relative clauses).
Matters of case
Authors: Probert Philomen
Published: March 2015

Chapter 7 introduces several problems concerning the case of the relative pronoun and of the ‘antecedent’, beginning with attractio inversa (in traditional terms, attraction of the antecedent into the case of the relative pronoun) and attractio relativi (traditionally, attraction of the relative pronoun into the case of the antecedent). Attractio relativi is a classical Greek phenomenon. This chapter argues that supposed earlier examples are unconvincing, as are supposed examples in Cretan inscriptions of the fifth century BC. However, in free relative clauses attractio relativi alleviates a problem that already exists in early Greek. Attractio relativi makes it easier to work out the syntactic role of a free relative clause in the sentence, under circumstances that make this difficult. Chapter 7 lays out the hypothesis that in the texts considered in this book, semi-free relative clauses and relative-correlative sentences are deployed to solve this problem.
Stellar Superfluids
Authors: Page D. , Lattimer J. M. , Prakash M. , Steiner A. W.
Published: March 2015

The roles of neutron superfluidity and proton superconductivity in neutron stars are discussed, focusing on both thermal evolution (i.e., cooling) as well as the dynamical evolution (i.e., spin-down). The existence of pairing in neutron stars is considered by examining the pairing phenomenon in laboratory nuclei. The properties of neutron stars are summarized, including their interior compositions and crusts. Pairing in dense matter, expectations of pairing in deconfined quark matter, and the various neutrino processes that occur in dense matter are discussed. Simplified analytical models of neutron star cooling are presented. The so-called minimal cooling paradigm supposes that enhanced neutrino emission processes are quickly quenched by superfluidity or superconductivity. The observation is considered of the first real-time cooling of any isolated neutron star—the young neutron star in the supernova remnant of Cassiopeia A. Other observations of neutron stars and their dynamical evolution may also indicate the presence of superfluidity.
4D-VAR: four-dimensional variational assimilation
Authors: Talagrand O.
Published: March 2015

In this chapter, four-dimensional variational assimilation (4D-VAR) is described in the context of statistical linear estimation, in which it defines the best linear unbiased estimate (BLUE) of the state of the observed system from the available data. It consists in minimizing a scalar objective function that measures the quadratic difference between the estimated state and the data, weighted by the inverse covariance matrix of the data errors. 4D-VAR can be extended heuristically to the case of nonlinear models or observation operators. It is made possible in practice through the use of the adjoint equations, which allow explicit computation of the gradient of the objective function at a non-prohibitive cost. 4D-VAR is used operationally in a number of major meteorological centres, where it has brought significant improvement in the quality of the forecasts. 4D-VAR, together with the ensemble Kalman filter, is one of the two most powerful assimilation methods currently available.
Introduction to the Kalman filter
Authors: Snyder C.
Published: March 2015

This chapter introduces The Kalman filter, which implements Bayesian data assimilation for linear, Gaussian systems. Its update equations can also be derived as the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) and its covariance. Some of the Kalman filter’s detailed properties are reviewed here: linear transformations of the state and observations, extending the state vector to include observed variables, and temporal correlation in the model or observation errors. The Kalman filter can be applied to nonlinear and non-Gaussian systems via either the extended Kalman filter or the BLUE, although both approaches are clearly sub-optimal. The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) employs sample covariances from an ensemble of forecasts at each update time and allows practical implementation of an approximate Kalman filter. The EnKF is consistent with a Monte- Carlo implementation of the BLUE. Many of the EnKF’s properties, including basic effects of sampling error, can be understood in the context of Kalman-filter theory.
Background error covariances
Authors: Berre L.
Published: March 2015

This chapter deals with the estimation and specification of realistic background error covariances, which is a key issue in data assimilation, since these covariances are used to filter and propagate observations. The underlying equations of error evolution are summarized, and associated simulation techniques are also presented, based on either ensemble techniques or the so-called NMC method. Another important source of information on background error covariances corresponds to innovation-based estimates, which may be combined with ensemble data assimilation to estimate model error covariances, for instance. Moreover, because the covariance matrix is huge, diagnostics of its main components and salient features have to be employed. The possibility of modelling this matrix using a sequence of sparse operators is then reviewed, in addition to filtering methods that account for the finite ensemble size and associated sampling noise effects.
Data assimilation in meteorology
Authors: Rabier F. , Fisher M.
Published: March 2015

This chapter discusses some of the implementation details that are necessary to apply data assimilation in the context of numerical weather prediction (NWP). It is divided into three parts. The first part addresses the processing of observations, which includes the transformation of raw data into a form that can be processed by a data assimilation system, quality control, and data thinning. The second part discusses two important aspects of data assimilation for NWP: (i) filtering of the analysis to remove spurious inertia–gravity waves and (ii) methods to handle nonlinearities and non-Gaussian error statistics. The third part discusses the development of parallel algorithms for four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-VAR), in order to better exploit the parallel nature of the computers on which it is run and to maintain its status as an important and viable NWP data assimilation algorithm into the foreseeable future.
Combining models and data in large-scale oceanography
Authors: Fukumori I.
Published: March 2015

This chapter describes examples of combining observations with numerical models in the context of studying ocean circulation. Model–data syntheses provide complete descriptions of the ocean, including elements not directly measured, and are conducive to understanding mechanisms of ocean circulation. The estimates, in conjunction with the models and their associated tools, such as the models’ adjoints, allow quantitative analyses of processes and causal mechanisms. Salient differences exist between model–data syntheses intended for studying processes and those meant for numerical forecasting. While the latter focus on obtaining optimal estimates at discrete instances (i.e. successive initial conditions), the former require explicit physical accounting of the system’s entire temporal evolution. This chapter also describes some of the practical techniques for implementing advanced estimation methods with large models, including Kalman filters, related smoothers, and adjoint methods, as well as ways to estimate and prescribe prior uncertainties, including their covariance.
The LHC machine: from beam commissioning to operation and future upgrades
Authors: Giovannozzi Massimo
Published: March 2015

This chapter describes the current status of the LHC. General machine parameters are reviewed and the beam commissioning process is presented, showing the evolution of the machine’s performance over recent years. The highlights of the powerful complex of injectors are described, in order to provide a global picture of the impressive performance of CERN’s flagship machine, which relies on both the astonishing quality of the LHC itself and the incredible flexibility of the injectors. The focus is on proton physics performance, with emphasis on the different possible scenarios leading to an upgrade of the LHC performance. Finally, the prospects for the development of the machine into the far future are briefly discussed.
Supersymmetry
Authors: Giudice Gian F.
Published: March 2015

This chapter presents the motivations for low-energy supersymmetry, the construction of realistic models, the various schemes for generating soft terms (gravity mediation, gauge mediation, anomaly mediation, and gaugino mediation), their collider phenomenology, and their implications for dark matter. The subject is well established, and there are excellent reviews and textbooks that fully cover this material, to which the reader is directed for well-organized and exhaustive introductions to supersymmetry.
String phenomenology
Authors: Ibá nez Luis
Published: March 2015

This chapter reviews a number of topics in the field of string phenomenology, focusing on orientifold/F-theory models yielding semirealistic low-energy physics. The emphasis is on the extraction of the low-energy effective action and possible tests of specific models at the LHC.
The string landscape and low-energy supersymmetry
Authors: Douglas Michael R.
Published: March 2015

This chapter provides a brief survey of the current understanding of the string landscape, and uses it to discuss the chances that low-energy supersymmetry will be seen at the LHC.
Voice morphology and the causative alternation
Authors: Alexiadou Artemis , Anagnostopoulou Elena , Schäfer Florian
Published: March 2015

In this chapter, we first see that across languages we find two morphological variants of anticausative verbs. Some verbs do not make a formal difference between their causative and their anticausative use; these verbs form unmarked anticausatives (class B). Other verbs use some special device to mark the anticausative use; these form marked anticausatives (class A). Finally, there exists a class of verbs that can optionally form either marked or unmarked anticausatives (class C). In the Romance languages and in German, anticausatives are marked by reflexive clitics or reflexive pronouns, while Greek employs non-active morphology. Both devices have other, prototypical uses. Non-active morphology is associated with the formation of passives and reflexive constructions. Similarly, reflexive clitics form semantically reflexive predicates and, in some languages, also form passives as well as generic dispositional Middles. The chapter argues against the reflexivization analysis of anticausatives. It is further argued that, cross-linguistically, the presence of Voice morphology does not have any truth-conditional effects.
Continuations and Natural Language
Authors: Barker Chris , Shan Chung-chieh
Published: March 2015

The continuation of an expression is a portion of its surrounding context. This book proposes and defends the continuation hypothesis: that the meaning of a natural language expression can depend on its own continuation (it can denote a function on its surrounding context). Part I develops a continuation‐based theory of scope and quantificational binding. Taking inspiration from the theory of computer programming languages, and unlike other accounts of scope, continuations provide fine‐grained control over the order in which expressions are evaluated (processed). This leads to a principled yet nuanced explanation for sensitivity to order in scope‐related phenomena such as scope ambiguity, crossover, superiority, reconstruction, negative polarity licensing, dynamic anaphora, and donkey anaphora. Throughout Part I, concrete, explicit formal analyses are presented in a novel ‘tower’ format, which is designed to be easy to learn and easy to use, with diagrams, derivations, and detailed motivation and explanation. Part II develops an innovative substructural logic for reasoning about continuations. This enables an analysis of the notoriously challenging compositional semantics of adjectives such as “same” in terms of parasitic scope and recursive scope. In a separate investigation, certain cases of ellipsis are treated as anaphora to a continuation, leading to a new explanation for a subtype of sluicing known as sprouting. Attention is given throughout the book to the formal and computational properties of the analyses. Taken together, the empirical case studies support the conclusion that any complete and adequate theory of natural language meaning must recognize continuations as an essential explanatory element.
Multi‐level towers: Inverse scope
Authors: Barker Chris , Shan Chung-Chieh
Published: March 2015

Chapter 4 extends the basic fragment to handle inverse scope. The extension depends on allowing type‐shifters to apply to proper subparts of categories. The resulting system allows distinct quantifiers to bind different pronouns without essential use of variables or of indices. Instead, binding relationships involving distinct binders are kept separate by occupying different layers in the tower. The role of the type‐shifter LOWER in the explanation for crossover is discussed. Because the LOWER type‐shifter only applies to categories built in a certain way from the atomic syntactic category S, there is an essentially syntactic element to the explanation for crossover in the tower system. Crucially for the explanation for crossover, despite the fact that the ability to take inverse scope means that a quantifier can take scope over material that precedes it, this does not enable the quantifier to bind a pronoun that precedes it.
Sluicing as anaphora to a continuation
Authors: Barker Chris , Shan Chung-Chieh
Published: March 2015

Chapter 16 develops an account of sluicing on which sluicing is anaphora to a continuation. The analysis handles case‐matching facts and constraints on scope relations in the antecedent, as well as sluices involving implicit arguments. Sprouting (sluicing in which there is no overt inner antecedent) is explained as inference from an empty structure (empty antecedents). We argue against stipulating semantic identity requirements, as in some other approaches to sluicing. Instead, we propose a constraint on the felicitous use of a sluice that we call the Answer Ban, which says that the antecedent of a sluice cannot resolve, or even partly resolve, the issue raised by a sluice. Andrews Amalgams, in which a sluiced clause appears in DP argument position, are analyzed using recursive scope.
Efficacy of selective devices in reducing discards in the Nephrops trawl fishery in the Bay of Biscay
Authors: Nikolic Natacha , Diméet Joël , Fifas Spyros , Salaün Michèle , Ravard David , Fauconnet Laurence , Rochet Marie-Joëlle
Published: March 2015

The Nephrops fishery in the Bay of Biscay is an important commercial fishery which generates large amounts of discards owing to the use of small mesh trawls. To reduce discards, French trawlers were equipped with a variety of selective devices, from 2005 onwards. This study examines their efficacy using data from the French on-board observer programme, 2003–2010. Generalized linear models were built for catches, discards, and landings of Nephrops and hake, controlling for the other factors which drive the variability in these variables. A dorsal square-mesh panel meant to let small hake escape did not affect hake catch, but was found to decrease Nephrops catches and discards. Among the devices intended to reduce Nephrops discards, the flexible grid was the most efficient, as it decreased catches and discards in large proportions while increasing landings but this result was supported by a small number of observations; a larger mesh size in the codend (80 mm instead of 70) slightly decreased Nephrops discards; and a ventral square-mesh panel was not found to affect catch or discards of either species. The design of the on-board observer programme was meant to estimate discard amounts, which limited their utilization to investigate factors for discarding.
Influenza viruses with B/Yamagata- and B/Victoria-like neuraminidases are differentially affected by mutations that alter antiviral susceptibility
Authors: Farrukee Rubaiyea , Leang Sook-Kwan , Butler Jeff , Lee Raphael T. C. , Maurer-Stroh Sebastian , Tilmanis Danielle , Sullivan Sheena , Mosse Jennifer , Barr Ian G. , Hurt Aeron C.
Published: March 2015

Objectives

The burden of disease due to influenza B is often underestimated. Clinical studies have shown that oseltamivir, a widely used neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) antiviral drug, may have reduced effectiveness against influenza B viruses. Therefore, it is important to study the effect of neuraminidase mutations in influenza B viruses that may further reduce NAI susceptibility, and to determine whether these mutations have the same effect in the two lineages of influenza B viruses that are currently circulating (B/Yamagata-like and B/Victoria-like).

Methods

We characterized the effect of 16 amino acid substitutions across five framework residues and four monomeric interface residues on the susceptibility to four different NAIs (oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir and laninamivir).

Results

Framework residue mutations E117A and E117G conferred highly reduced inhibition to three of the four NAIs, but substantially reduced neuraminidase activity, whereas other framework mutations retained a greater level of NA activity. Mutations E105K, P139S and G140R of the monomeric interface were also found to cause highly reduced inhibition, but, interestingly, their effect was substantially greater in a B/Victoria-like neuraminidase than in a B/Yamagata-like neuraminidase, with some susceptibility values being up to 1000-fold different between lineages.

Conclusions

The frequency and the effect of key neuraminidase mutations on neuraminidase activity and NAI susceptibility can differ substantially between the two influenza B lineages. Therefore, future surveillance, analysis and interpretation of influenza B virus NAI susceptibility should consider the B lineage of the neuraminidase in the same manner as already occurs for different influenza A neuraminidase subtypes.
Neutron star natal kicks and the long-term survival of star clusters
Authors: Contenta Filippo , Varri Anna Lisa , Heggie Douglas C.
Published: March 2015

We investigate the dynamical evolution of a star cluster in an external tidal field by using N-body simulations, with focus on the effects of the presence or absence of neutron star natal velocity kicks. We show that, even if neutron stars typically represent less than 2 per cent of the total bound mass of a star cluster, their primordial kinematic properties may affect the lifetime of the system by up to almost a factor of 4. We interpret this result in the light of two known modes of star cluster dissolution, dominated by either early stellar evolution mass-loss or two-body relaxation. The competition between these effects shapes the mass-loss profile of star clusters, which may either dissolve abruptly (‘jumping’), in the pre-core-collapse phase, or gradually (‘skiing’), after having reached core collapse.
The joint statistics of mildly non-linear cosmological densities and slopes in count in cells
Authors: Bernardeau Francis , Codis Sandrine , Pichon Christophe
Published: March 2015

In the context of count-in-cells statistics, the joint probability distribution of the density in two concentric spherical shells is predicted from first principle for sigmas of the order of 1. The agreement with simulation is found to be excellent. This statistics allows us to deduce the conditional one dimensional probability distribution function of the slope within under dense (resp. overdense) regions, or of the density for positive or negative slopes. The former conditional distribution is likely to be more robust in constraining the cosmological parameters as the underlying dynamics is less evolved in such regions. A fiducial dark energy experiment is implemented on such counts derived from Λ cold dark matter simulations.