A Brief Review on Syntheses, Structures and Applications of Nanoscrolls

Nanoscrolls are papyrus-like nanostructures which present unique properties due to their open ended morphology. These properties can be exploited in a plethora of technological applications, leading to the design of novel and interesting devices. During the past decade, significant advances in the synthesis and characterization of these structures have been made, but many challenges still remain. In this mini review we provide an overview on their history, experimental synthesis methods, basic properties and application perspectives

The potential therapeutic effects of creatine supplementation on body composition and muscle function in cancer

Low muscle mass in individuals with cancer has a profound impact on quality of life and independence and is associated with greater treatment toxicity and poorer prognosis. Exercise interventions are regularly being investigated as a means to ameliorate treatment-related adverse effects, and nutritional/supplementation strategies to augment adaptations to exercise are highly valuable. Creatine (Cr) is a naturally-occurring substance in the human body that plays a critical role in energy provision during muscle contraction. Given the beneficial effects of Cr supplementation on lean body mass, strength, and physical function in a variety of clinical populations, there is therapeutic potential in individuals with cancer at heightened risk for muscle loss. Here, we provide an overview of Cr physiology, summarize the evidence on the use of Cr supplementation in various aging/clinical populations, explore mechanisms of action, and provide perspectives on the potential therapeutic role of Cr in the exercise oncology setting

How Much Do Benzodiazepines Matter for Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Major Depression?

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), especially in cases of treatment-resistant MDD. Because of their pharmacological profiles, benzodiazepines (BZDs) are suspected to decrease the efficacy of ECT. This study investigated the effect of BZDs on ECT-induced clinical outcomes and ECT course parameters in patients with MDD. METHOD: The impact of BZDs on severity of depression (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores) and on ECT course parameters (seizure threshold, clinical and electroencephalographic seizure duration) was investigated in 70 patients with MDD who received an ECT course using dose-titration method (22 received concomitant BZDs). RESULTS: Lower remission rates (52.0%) and smaller decreases in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores were observed in the non-BZD group than in the BZD group (81.2%, P = 0.02). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups regarding seizure duration and seizure threshold. LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective study. Impact of BZDs on anxiety and cognition was not assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Benzodiazepines increased the clinical efficacy of ECT when delivered using dose-titration method and bitemporal stimulation. Further studied are needed to understand the interaction between BZDs and ECT on clinical outcomes

General rules for bosonic bunching in multimode interferometers

We perform a comprehensive set of experiments that characterize bosonic bunching of up to 3 photons in interferometers of up to 16 modes. Our experiments verify two rules that govern bosonic bunching. The first rule, obtained recently in [1,2], predicts the average behavior of the bunching probability and is known as the bosonic birthday paradox. The second rule is new, and establishes a n!-factor quantum enhancement for the probability that all n bosons bunch in a single output mode, with respect to the case of distinguishable bosons. Besides its fundamental importance in phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensation, bosonic bunching can be exploited in applications such as linear optical quantum computing and quantum-enhanced metrology.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, and supplementary material (4 pages, 1 figure

Supersymmetric Extension of the Snyder Algebra

We obtain a minimal supersymmetric extension of the Snyder algebra and study its representations. The construction differs from the general approach given in Hatsuda and Siegel ({\tt hep-th/0311002}), and does not utilize super-de Sitter groups. The spectra of the position operators are discrete, implying a lattice description of space, and the lattice is compatible with supersymmetry transformations.Comment: 14 page

Tests for skewness and kurtosis in the one-way error component model

This paper derives tests for skewness and kurtosis for the panel data one-way error component model. The test statistics are based on the between and within transformations of the pooled OLS residuals, and are derived in a moment conditions framework. We establish the limiting distribution of the test statistics for panels with large cross-section and fixed time-series dimension. The tests are implemented in practice using the bootstrap. The proposed methods are able to detect departures away from normality in the form of skewness and kurtosis, and to identify whether these occur at the individual, remainder, or both error components. The finite sample properties of the tests are studied through extensive Monte Carlo simulations, and the results show evidence of good finite sample performance