The Effect of Tin Addition to ZnO Nanosheet Thin Films for Ethanol and Isopropyl Alcohol Sensor Applications

The requirements of green environmental and public health monitoring have become stricter along with greater world attention for global warming. The most common pollutants in the environment that need tightened control are volatile organic compounds (VOC). Compared to other kinds of sensors, semiconductor sensors have certain advantages, including high sensitivity, fast response, simplicity, high reliability and low cost. In this work, ZnO and Sn-doped ZnO nanostructure materials with high surface nanosheet areas were synthesized using chemical bath deposition. The X-ray diffraction patterns could be indexed according to crystallinity mainly to a hexagonal wurzite ZnO structure. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that in all samples, the thin films after the addition of Sn consisted of many kinds of microstructure patterns on a nanoscale, with various sheet shapes. The sensor performance characterizations showed that VOC levels as low as 3 vol% of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and ethanol could be detected at sensitivities of 83.86% and 85.57%, respectively. The highest sensitivity of all sensors was found at an Sn doping of 1.4 at%. This high sensor sensitivity is a result of the high surface area and Sn doping, which in turn produced a higher absorption of the targeted gas

Chromatic Characteristics Edible Coating of Aloe Gel

Edible coating is biodegradable and eco-friendly packaging that current developments. Constituent components of edible coatings in the form of hydrocolloid (polysaccharides, proteins), lipids and composite. The edible coating serves as a protective material which is packed from outside influences also functions as a matrix of antimicrobial agents. Synthetic preservatives that many outstanding raises concerns of the community to use it, because of the high risk on health. One of the potential natural ingredients as an edible coating and also as a natural preservative is aloe vera gel. Edible coating of aloe vera (ECOGEL). Consists of polysaccharide that contains many components of bioactive, but the disadvantage easily becomes diluted. Aloe Vera gel should be kept on the proper environmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of incorporation of various types of additives (citric acid, ascorbic acid, potassium sorbate) on the chromatic characteristics of Aloe gel as an edible coating for 15-day storage. This study used a completely randomized design. The results showed that the best chromatic attributes of Aloe gel were the incorporation with citric acid, ascorbic acid, and potassium sorbat

Differential Photoelectron Holography: A New Approach for Three-Dimensional Atomic Imaging

We propose differential holography as a method to overcome the long-standing forward-scattering problem in photoelectron holography and related techniques for the three-dimensional imaging of atoms. Atomic images reconstructed from experimental and theoretical Cu 3p holograms from Cu(001) demonstrate that this method suppresses strong forward-scattering effects so as to yield more accurate three-dimensional images of side- and back-scattering atoms.Comment: revtex, 4 pages, 2 figure

Structure and energetics of the Si-SiO_2 interface

Silicon has long been synonymous with semiconductor technology. This unique role is due largely to the remarkable properties of the Si-SiO_2 interface, especially the (001)-oriented interface used in most devices. Although Si is crystalline and the oxide is amorphous, the interface is essentially perfect, with an extremely low density of dangling bonds or other electrically active defects. With the continual decrease of device size, the nanoscale structure of the silicon/oxide interface becomes more and more important. Yet despite its essential role, the atomic structure of this interface is still unclear. Using a novel Monte Carlo approach, we identify low-energy structures for the interface. The optimal structure found consists of Si-O-Si "bridges" ordered in a stripe pattern, with very low energy. This structure explains several puzzling experimental observations.Comment: LaTex file with 4 figures in GIF forma

An improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network for job-shop scheduling

Copyright @ Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009This paper presents an improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network for job-shop scheduling problems. The neural network is constructed based on the constraint conditions of a job-shop scheduling problem. Its structure and neuron connections can change adaptively according to the real-time constraint satisfaction situations that arise during the solving process. Several heuristics are also integrated within the neural network to enhance its convergence, accelerate its convergence, and improve the quality of the solutions produced. An experimental study based on a set of benchmark job-shop scheduling problems shows that the improved constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network outperforms the original constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network in terms of computational time and the quality of schedules it produces. The neural network approach is also experimentally validated to outperform three classical heuristic algorithms that are widely used as the basis of many state-of-the-art scheduling systems. Hence, it may also be used to construct advanced job-shop scheduling systems.This work was supported in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of UK under Grant EP/E060722/01 and in part by the National Nature Science Fundation of China under Grant 60821063 and National Basic Research Program of China under Grant 2009CB320601

On analog quantum algorithms for the mixing of Markov chains

The problem of sampling from the stationary distribution of a Markov chain finds widespread applications in a variety of fields. The time required for a Markov chain to converge to its stationary distribution is known as the classical mixing time. In this article, we deal with analog quantum algorithms for mixing. First, we provide an analog quantum algorithm that given a Markov chain, allows us to sample from its stationary distribution in a time that scales as the sum of the square root of the classical mixing time and the square root of the classical hitting time. Our algorithm makes use of the framework of interpolated quantum walks and relies on Hamiltonian evolution in conjunction with von Neumann measurements. There also exists a different notion for quantum mixing: the problem of sampling from the limiting distribution of quantum walks, defined in a time-averaged sense. In this scenario, the quantum mixing time is defined as the time required to sample from a distribution that is close to this limiting distribution. Recently we provided an upper bound on the quantum mixing time for Erd\"os-Renyi random graphs [Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 050501 (2020)]. Here, we also extend and expand upon our findings therein. Namely, we provide an intuitive understanding of the state-of-the-art random matrix theory tools used to derive our results. In particular, for our analysis we require information about macroscopic, mesoscopic and microscopic statistics of eigenvalues of random matrices which we highlight here. Furthermore, we provide numerical simulations that corroborate our analytical findings and extend this notion of mixing from simple graphs to any ergodic, reversible, Markov chain.Comment: The section concerning time-averaged mixing (Sec VIII) has been updated: Now contains numerical plots and an intuitive discussion on the random matrix theory results used to derive the results of arXiv:2001.0630

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for resection of metastatic adenocarcinoma as an acceptable alternative

Adenocarcinomas commonly metastasize to the lungs and can be resected using open thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). This study reviews metastatic resections in primary adenocarcinoma patients, using both thoracotomy and VATS. We aim to compare long-term prognoses to test the efficacy and viability of VATS. A retrospective review of primary adenocarcinoma patients who underwent resection of pulmonary metastases from 1990 to 2006 was carried out. Information was obtained by chart review. Endpoints analyzed were disease-free interval (DFI), survival time, and recurrence-free survival (RFS). In a total of 42 (16 male, 26 female; median age 58.5 years) primary adenocarcinoma patients, 21 patients underwent first pulmonary metastatic resection using VATS (7 male, 14 female; median age 57 years) and 21 using thoracotomy (9 male, 12 female; median age 59 years). Primary adenocarcinomas were mainly 27 colorectal (64%) and 11 breast (26%). Two VATS (10%) and three open patients (14%) had local recurrences of the original cancer. Median postoperative follow was 13.3 months [interquartile range (IQR) 4.5–32.8 months] for VATS and 36.9 months (IQR 19.3–48.6 months) after thoracotomy. Median DFI–1 was 22.3 months (IQR 13.5–40.6 months) for VATS patients and 35.6 months (IQR 26.7–61.3 months) for open patients. Second thoracic occurrences were noted in six VATS patients (median DFI–2 9.2 months), and in seven open patients (median DFI-2 21.5 months). Third thoracic occurrences were noted in one VATS patient (DFI-3 18.7 months) and in one thoracotomy patient (DFI-3 21.8 months). Odds ratio of recurrence showed 12.5% less chance of developing recurrence in VATS patients. Five-year RFS was 53% in VATS and 57% in thoracotomy patients. VATS has become a viable alternative to open thoracotomy for resection of pulmonary metastases. In cases of primary adenocarcinoma, VATS showed no increase in number of thoracic recurrences, and comparable RFS. Short-term follow-up is encouraging; long-term follow-up will be needed to confirm these results

Intrapleural hypotonic cisplatin treatment for malignant pleural effusion in 80 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: a multi-institutional phase II trial

To assess the effect and toxicity of hypotonic cisplatin treatment (HPT) consisting of the intrapleural administration of cisplatin in distilled water for malignant pleural effusion in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Non-small-cell lung cancer patients with cytologically proven and previously untreated malignant pleural effusion were enrolled into this study. Firstly, the lung was fully re-expanded by a tube thoracostomy, and then 25 mg cisplatin in 500 ml of distilled water was instilled through a chest tube and then the tube was clamped. After 1 h, the tube was declamped and allowed to drain. The chest tube was removed when the pleural effusion volume decreased to 200 ml or less per day. A complete response (CR) was considered to occur when the pleural effusion disappeared. A partial response (PR) was determined to occur when the volume of pleural effusion remained under ¼ of hemithorax. The response at 4 weeks was evaluated by an extramural review. Out of 84 patients enrolled from February 1998 to August 2002, 80 patients were eligible and analysed in the present study. The toxicity of HPT was acceptable. Neither a haematological toxicity of any grade nor grade 4 nonhaematological toxicity was observed. Grade 3 nonhaematological toxicities were observed, including nausea (4%), vomiting (3%), pyothorax (1%) and dyspnoea (1%). The median time of drainage from HTP was 4 days. Twenty-seven (34%) and 39 (49%) patients achieved CR and PR, respectively, for an overall response rate of 83% (95% confidence interval, 74–91%). The median duration of the response was 206 days. The median survival time of all patients was 239 days. Hypotonic cisplatin treatment for malignant pleural effusion of NSCLC is therefore considered to be feasible and effective. A phase III study of HPT is thus warranted

Case report and summary of literature: giant perineal keloids treated with post-excisional radiotherapy

BACKGROUND: Keloids are common benign tumors of the dermis, typically arising after insult to the skin. While typically only impinging on cosmesis, large or recurrent keloids may require therapeutic intervention. While no single standardized treatment course has been established, several series report excellent outcomes for keloids with post-surgery radiation therapy. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a patient with a history of recurrent keloids arising in the absence of an ascribed trauma and a maternal familial history of keloid formation, whose physical examination several large perineal keloids of 6-20 cm in the largest dimension. The patient was treated with surgical extirpation and adjuvant radiation therapy. Radiotherapy was delivered to the scar bed to a total dose of 22 Gy over 11 daily fractions. Acute radiotherapy toxicity necessitated a treatment break due to RTOG Grade III acute toxicity (moderate ulceration and skin breakdown) which resolved rapidly during a 3-day treatment break. The patient demonstrated local control and has remained free of local recurrence for more than 2 years. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy for keloids represents a safe and effective option for post-surgical keloid therapy, especially for patients with bulky or recurrent disease