209 research outputs found
Tailored Ion Beam for Precise Color Center Creation
We present a unitary quantum control scheme that produces a highly
monochromatic ion beam from a Paul trap. Our protocol is implementable by
supplying the segmented electrodes with voltages of the order of Volts, which
mitigates the impact of fluctuating voltages in previous designs and leads to a
low-dispersion beam of ions. Moreover, our proposal does not rely on
sympathetically cooling the ions, which bypasses the need of loading different
species in the trap -- namely, the propelled ion and, e.g., a Ca
atom able to exert sympathetic cooling -- incrementing the repetition rate of
the launching procedure. Our scheme is based on an invariant operator linear in
position and momentum, which enables us to control the average extraction
energy and the outgoing momentum spread. In addition, we propose a sequential
operation to tailor the transversal properties of the beam before the ejection
to minimize the impact spot and to increase the lateral resolution of the
implantation
Seven challenges in the multiscale modeling of multicellular tissues
The growth and dynamics of multicellular tissues involve tightly regulated and coordinated morphogenetic cell behaviors, such as shape changes, movement, and division, which are governed by subcellular machinery and involve coupling through short- and long-range signals. A key challenge in the fields of developmental biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is to understand how relationships between scales produce emergent tissue-scale behaviors. Recent advances in molecular biology, live-imaging and ex vivo techniques have revolutionized our ability to study these processes experimentally. To fully leverage these techniques and obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the causal relationships underlying tissue dynamics, computational modeling approaches are increasingly spanning multiple spatial and temporal scales, and are coupling cell shape, growth, mechanics, and signaling. Yet such models remain challenging: modeling at each scale requires different areas of technical skills, while integration across scales necessitates the solution to novel mathematical and computational problems. This review aims to summarize recent progress in multiscale modeling of multicellular tissues and to highlight ongoing challenges associated with the construction, implementation, interrogation, and validation of such models
SmartEx: a case study on user profiling and adaptation in exhibition booths
An investigation into user profiling and adaptation with exhibition booth as a case study is reported. First a review of the field of exhibitions and trade fairs and a summary introduction to adaptation and profiling are given. We then introduce three criteria for the evaluation of exhibition booth: effectiveness, efficiency and affect. Effectiveness is related the amount of information collected, efficiency is a measurement of the time taken to collect the information, and affect is the perception of the experience and the mood booth visitors have during and after their visit. We have selected these criteria to assess adaptive and profiled exhibition booths, we call smart exhibition (SmartEx). The assessment is performed with an experiment with three test conditions (non-profiled/non adaptive, profiled/non-adaptive and profiled adaptive presentations). Results of the experiment are presented along discussion. While there is significant improvements of effectiveness and efficiency between the two-first test conditions, the improvement is not significant for the last test condition, for reasons explained. As for the affect, the results show that it has an under-estimated importance in people minds and that it should be addressed more carefully
3D-imaging of Printed Nanostructured Networks using High-resolution FIB-SEM Nanotomography
Networks of solution-processed nanomaterials are important for multiple
applications in electronics, sensing and energy storage/generation. While it is
known that network morphology plays a dominant role in determining the physical
properties of printed networks, it remains difficult to quantify network
structure. Here, we utilise FIB-SEM nanotomography to characterise the
morphology of nanostructured networks. Nanometer-resolution 3D-images were
obtained from printed networks of graphene nanosheets of various sizes, as well
as networks of WS2 nanosheets, silver nanosheets and silver nanowires.
Important morphological characteristics, including network porosity,
tortuosity, pore dimensions and nanosheet orientation were extracted and linked
to network resistivity. By extending this technique to interrogate the
structure and interfaces within vertical printed heterostacks, we demonstrate
the potential of this technique for device characterisation and optimisation.Comment: 6 figure
Co-Design quantum simulation of nanoscale NMR
Quantum computers have the potential to efficiently simulate the dynamics of nanoscale NMR systems. In this work, we demonstrate that a noisy intermediate-scale quantum computer can be used to simulate and predict nanoscale NMR resonances. In order to minimize the required gate fidelities, we propose a superconducting application-specific Co-Design quantum processor that reduces the number of SWAP gates by over 90% for chips with more than 20 qubits. The processor consists of transmon qubits capacitively coupled via tunable couplers to a central co-planar waveguide resonator with a quantum circuit refrigerator (QCR) for fast resonator reset. The QCR implements the nonunitary quantum operations required to simulate nuclear hyperpolarization scenarios.The authors would like to thank Caspar Ockeloen-Korppi,
Alessandro Landra, and Johannes Heinsoo for their help in de-
veloping the idea of the star-architecture chip, Jani Tuorila for
his support in developing the gate theory, Amin Hosseinkhani
and Tianhan Liu for reviewing the manuscript, and Hen-
rikki Mäkynen and Hoang-Mai Nguyen for graphic design.
J.C. additionally acknowledges the Ramón y Cajal program
(RYC2018-025197-I). We further acknowledge support from
Atos with the Quantum Learning Machine (QLM). Finally,
the authors acknowledge financial support to BMBF through
the Q-Exa Project No. FZK: 13N16062
Effectiveness of influenza vaccination programme in preventing hospital admissions, Valencia, 2014/15 early results
Preliminary results for the 2014/15 season indicate low to null effect of vaccination against influenza A(H3N2)-related disease. As of week 5 2015, there have been 1,136 hospital admissions, 210 were due to influenza and 98% of subtype A strains were H3. Adjusted influenza vaccine effectiveness was 33% (range: 6–53%) overall and 40% (range: 13% to 59%) in those 65 years and older. Vaccination reduced by 44% (28–68%) the probability of admission with influenza.The study was funded by a contract between FISABIO and Sanofi-Pasteur
Optical contrast and refractive index of natural van der Waals heterostructure nanosheets of franckeite
We study mechanically exfoliated nanosheets of franckeite by quantitative optical microscopy. The analysis of transmission-mode and epi-illumination-mode optical microscopy images provides a rapid method to estimate the thickness of the exfoliated flakes at first glance. A quantitative analysis of the optical contrast spectra by means of micro-reflectance allows one to determine the refractive index of franckeite over a broad range of the visible spectrum through a fit of the acquired spectra to a model based on the Fresnel law
Clinical inertia in poorly controlled elderly hypertensive patients: a cross-sectional study in Spanish physicians to ascertain reasons for not intensifying treatment
Background Clinical inertia, the failure of physicians to initiate or intensify therapy when indicated, is a major problem in the management of hypertension and may be more prevalent in elderly patients. Overcoming clinical inertia requires understanding its causes and evaluating certain factors, particularly those related to physicians. Objective The objective of our study was to determine the rate of clinical inertia and the physician-reported rea- sons for it. Conclusion Physicians provided reasons for not intensi- fying treatment in poorly controlled patients in only 30 % of instances. Main reasons for not intensifying treatment were borderline BP values, co-morbidity, suspected white coat effect, or perceived difficulty achieving target. nJCI was associated with high borderline BP values and car- diovascular diseas
Palynology and chronology of hyaena coprolites from the Piñar karstic Caves Las Ventanas and Carihuela, southern Spain
This paper presents pollen analyses and radiocarbon dating on Crocuta coprolites from Las Ventanas (LV) and Carihuela (Car) Caves in southern Spain (Granada), with the aim of reconstructing the environmental conditions of these hominin sites. The LV coprolites are radiocarbon dated from c. 37,890 to 6980 cal yr BP, and the Car coprolites from c. 31,063 to 7861 cal yr BP. Overall, the palaeoecological scenario inferred from both coprolite series display similar patterns, with Pinus, Poaceae, and Artemisia as dominant during the full Pleistocene, and an important contribution of Quercus in the most recently dated coprolite samples. While the palynology is consistent with results of former investigations on the past environments in the region as obtained from other deposits (peat bogs, cave infills), the Late Glacial and Holocene chronology of several coprolites in both sites is in conflict with the generally accepted timing of extinction of Crocuta in western Europe. A discussion on the taphonomical processes and potential sources of carbon contamination of the radiocarbon samples is provided. The correlation between pollen from coprolites and from sedimentary records, and the paucity of the fossil bone record suggests nevertheless, that a late survival of Crocuta in southern Spain should not be categorically discarded
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