Electrically conductive polymers from poly(N-vinylimidazole)

Poly(N-vinylimidazole) was synthesized by free radical polymerization. It was quaternized with methyl iodide. The samples were doped with iodine and borontrifluoride. Products were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. The maximum electrical conductivities achieved were 10(-4) S cm(-1) for BF3-doped and for I-2-doped QPVI. The decrease of electrical conductivity in open atmosphere with time was also studied to understand the stability of doped polymers. Temperature dependence of electrical conductivity exhibits a semiconductor behaviour. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd

A Study on Force-based Collaboration in Flying Swarms

Accepted for ANTS 2018 Eleventh International Conference on Swarm Intelligence October 29-31, 2018. Rome, ItalyInternational audienceThis work investigates collaborative aerial transportation by swarms of agents based only on implicit information, enabled by the physical interaction among the agents and the environment. Such a coordinating mechanism in collaborative transportation is a basic skill in groups of social animals. We consider cable-suspended objects transported by a swarm of flying robots and we formulate several hypothesis on the behavior of the overall system which are validated thorough numerical study. In particular, we show that a nonzero internal force reduces to one the number of asymptotically stable equilibria and that the internal force intensity is directly connected to the convergence rate. As such, the internal force represents the cornerstone of a communication-less cooperative manipulation paradigm in swarms of flying robots. We also show how a swarm can achieve a stable transportation despite the imprecise knowledge of the system parameters

Sleep paralysis in medieval Persia – the Hidayat of Akhawayni (? –983 AD)

Samad EJ Golzari,1 Kazem Khodadoust,5 Farid Alakbarli,6 Kamyar Ghabili,2 Ziba Islambulchilar,3 Mohammadali M Shoja,1 Majid Khalili,1 Feridoon Abbasnejad,1 Niloufar Sheikholeslamzadeh,7 Nasrollah Moghaddam Shahabi,4 Seyed Fazel Hosseini,2 Khalil Ansarin11Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences; 2Medical Philosophy and History Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences; 3Department of Pharmaceutics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences; 4Students' Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 5Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences; 6Institute of Manuscripts of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku, Azerbaijan; 7Faculty of Law, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranAbstract: Among the first three manuscripts written in Persian, Akhawayni's Hidayat al-muta`allemin fi al-tibb was the most significant work compiled in the 10th century. Along with the hundreds of chapters on hygiene, anatomy, physiology, symptoms and treatments of the diseases of various organs, there is a chapter on sleep paralysis (night-mare) prior to description and treatment of epilepsy. The present article is a review of the Akhawayni's teachings on sleep paralysis and of descriptions and treatments of sleep paralysis by the Greek, medieval, and Renaissance scholars. Akhawayni's descriptions along with other early writings provide insight into sleep paralysis during the Middle Ages in general and in Persia in particular.Keywords: sleep paralysis, night-mare, Akhawayni, Persi