Reconfigurable quadruple quantum dots in a silicon nanowire transistor

We present a novel reconfigurable metal-oxide-semiconductor multi-gate transistor that can host a quadruple quantum dot in silicon. The device consist of an industrial quadruple-gate silicon nanowire field-effect transistor. Exploiting the corner effect, we study the versatility of the structure in the single quantum dot and the serial double quantum dot regimes and extract the relevant capacitance parameters. We address the fabrication variability of the quadruple-gate approach which, paired with improved silicon fabrication techniques, makes the corner state quantum dot approach a promising candidate for a scalable quantum information architecture

Topical treatment of equine sarcoids with imiquimod 5% cream or Sanguinaria canadensis and zinc chloride - an open prospective study

Background Equine sarcoids are the most prevalent skin neoplasm in horses worldwide. Although several treatments are available, none are consistently effective and recurrence is common. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical imiquimod 5% cream andSanguinaria canadensis + zinc chloride for treatment of equine sarcoids and investigate possible systemic effects on distant untreated sarcoids. Animals/Tumours Twenty-five client-owned horses with a total of 164 tumours were included in the study. Fifty-seven tumours were treated and 107 tumours were left untreated. Methods and materials Biopsies were taken from a minimum of one tumour per horse and the rest were diagnosed based on clinical appearance as likely sarcoids. Imiquimod 5% (A) was applied three times weekly, whileSanguinaria canadensis + zinc chloride (X) was applied every fourth day after a six day daily initiation phase. Treatment continued until clinical remission or for a maximum of 45 weeks, with a long follow-up period (mean 34 months). Biopsies of sarcoids were re-taken before treatment termination and at follow-up if the owner gave consent. Results Complete remission was recorded in 84.4% (A) and 75.0% (X) of the tumours. Relapse was recorded in 7.3% (A) and 21.4% (X). Spontaneous remission was observed in 1.9% of untreated tumours. No systemic effect on untreated tumours was detected. During treatment varying degrees of local inflammatory reaction were common. Conclusions and clinical relevance Both treatments were considered effective and safe. Smaller tumours responded more favourably to treatment. Relapse rate was low and not observed in sarcoids with repeat biopsies before treatment termination

Assessing the content validity of the Manchester–Oxford Foot Questionnaire in surgically treated ankle fracture patients: a qualitative study

Background Roughly 10% of fractures in adults are ankle fractures. These injuries are found in both sexes and present with different fracture characteristics. The treatment varies with the patients’ biology and fracture type, and the goals are to restore stability, prevent pain and maintain ankle function. Clinicians generally use outcomes like assessment of radiography, pain level, or function. The use of patient-reported outcome measures is increasing, and the Manchester–Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ) has been shown to have good measurement properties when validated in patients with foot and ankle disorders. However, the instrument has not been validated for ankle fracture patients. This study aims to assess the content validity of the items in MOXFQ in surgically treated ankle fracture patients. Methods A qualitative deductive design was used to investigate patients’ response process of the MOXFQ. Individual interviews were conducted using cognitive interviewing based on the theoretical framework of the 4-step model by Tourangeau. Adult patients that were surgically treated for an ankle fracture between four weeks and 18 months were purposively sampled, and interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide. The predetermined categories were comprehension, retrieval, judgement, and response. Results Seventeen respondents (65% females) were interviewed. Respondents’ age ranged from 27 to 76 years. Some of the respondents in the early recovery phase were limited by post-operative restrictions and did not find the items in the walking/standing domain relevant. Respondents that were allowed weight-bearing as tolerated (WBAT) were able to recall relevant information for most items. Respondents with time since surgery more than 12 months had less pain and remembered fewer relevant episodes in the recall period. Items in the social interaction domain contained ambiguous questions and were generally considered less important by respondents. The summary index score lacked important concepts in measuring overall quality of life. Conclusions Pain was a central concept in the post-operative recovery of ankle fracture patients. The MOXFQ-subscales for pain and walking/standing had acceptable content validity in patients that were allowed WBAT. The social interaction-subscale and the summary index score had insufficient content validity for this patient population.publishedVersio

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian Internet Disorder Scale among adolescents

Background and aims: Given the growing epidemiological research interest concerning Internet addiction, brief instruments with a robust theoretical basis are warranted. The Internet Disorder Scale (IDS-15) is one such instrument that can be used to quickly assess the Internet addiction in an individual. However, only two language versions of the IDS-15 have been developed. This study translated the IDS-15 into Persian and examined its psychometric properties using comprehensive psychometric testing. Methods: After ensuring the linguistic validity of the Persian IDS-15, 1,272 adolescents (mean age = 15.53 years; 728 males) completed the IDS-15, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short Form (IGDS9-SF), and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Rasch models, regression analysis, and latent profile analysis (LPA) were carried out to test the psychometric properties of the Persian IDS-15. Results: Both CFA and Rasch supported the construct validity of the Persian IDS-15. Multigroup analysis in CFA and differential item functioning in Rasch indicated that male and female adolescents interpreted the IDS-15 items similarly. Regression analysis showed that the IDS-15 correlated with IGDS9-SF and BSMAS (ΔR2 = .12 and .36, respectively) is stronger than the DASS (ΔR2 = .03–.05). LPA based on IDS-15 suggests three subgroups for the sample. Significant differences in depression, anxiety, IGDS9-SF, and BSMAS were found among the three LPA subgroups. Conclusion: The Persian IDS-15 has robust psychometric properties as evidenced by both classical test theory and Rasch analysis

Capsule Retentions and Incomplete Capsule Endoscopy Examinations: An Analysis of 2300 Examinations

Aim. To evaluate capsule endoscopy in terms of incomplete examinations and capsule retentions and to find risk factors for these events. Material and Methods. This retrospective and consecutive study includes data from 2300 capsule enteroscopy examinations, performed at four different hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden from 2003 to 2009. Results. The frequency of incomplete examinations was 20%. Older age, male gender, suspected, and known Crohn's disease were risk factors for an incomplete examination. The PillCam capsule had the highest rate of completed examinations. Capsule retention occurred in 1.3% (n = 31). Risk factors for capsule retention were known Crohn's disease and suspected tumor. Complications of capsule retention were acute obstructive symptoms in six patients and one death related to complications after acute surgical capsule retrieval. Conclusion: Capsule endoscopy is considered a safe procedure, although obstructive symptoms and serious complications due to capsule retention can be found in a large series of patients

Approaches to quantitative reconstruction of woody vegetation in managed woodlands from pollen records

There has been increasing interest in developing quantitative methods for reconstructing the dynamics of cultural landscapes over the last 15 years. This paper adds to this literature by using various approaches to reconstruct the vegetation of two woodlands subject to rotational coppicing (the periodic cutting of broadleaved trees and shrubs for wood products). Pollen deposition at ground level was determined at both sites using ‘Tauber’ traps placed near to the centre of 14 compartments of differing age in the coppice rotation. For the main woody taxa, Relative Pollen Productivity (RPP) estimates were derived using linear regression for pollen influx data and Extended R-value analysis for percentage data. The vegetation around three ponds was reconstructed by applying four methods (inverting the two RPP estimate approaches, the modern analogue technique and correction for pollen productivity using the linear regression estimated RPP values) to pollen data obtained from the uppermost sample of sediment from the ponds. To determine whether these methods gave better estimates of the vegetation composition than the original pollen proportions, the results were compared with the surveyed vegetation around each pond using the Bray–Curtis Index. Linear regression of pollen influx produced RPP values which are comparable with previous European studies, whilst for some taxa the Extended R-value analysis produced estimates which are orders of magnitude different both from values derived from the linear regression and previous work. No single approach performed equally well at reconstructing the vegetation around the ponds, and at two of the three locations the uncorrected pollen proportions were most similar to the surveyed vegetation.We conclude that applying quantitative reconstruction methods to individual small sites is, currently, not likely to be useful in complex cultural landscapes. In the context of coppiced woodland, deficiencies in our understanding of pollen taphonomy and the impact of the practice on pollen production first need to be rectified, and we identify strategies to address this situation

Anthropogenic and climatic impacts on a coastal environment in the Baltic Sea over the last 1000 years

Coastal environments have experienced large ecological changes as a result of human activities over the last 100-200 years. To understand the severity and potential consequences of such changes, paleoenvironmental records provide important contextual information. The Baltic Sea coastal zone is naturally a vulnerable system and subject to significant human-induced impacts. To put the recent environmental degradation in the Baltic coastal zone into a long-term perspective, and to assess the natural and anthropogenic drivers of environmental change, we present sedimentary records covering the last 1000 years obtained from a coastal inlet (Gasfjarden) and a nearby lake (Lake Storsjon) in Sweden. We investigate the links between a pollen-based land cover reconstruction from Lake Storsjon and paleoenvironmental variables from Gasfjarden itself, including diatom assemblages, organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents, stable C and N isotopic ratios, and biogenic silica contents. The Lake Storsjon record shows that regional land use was characterized by small-scale agricultural activity between 900 and 1400 CE, which slightly intensified between 1400 and 1800 CE. Substantial expansion of cropland was observed between 1800 and 1950 CE, before afforestation between 1950 and 2010 CE. From the Gasfjarden record, prior to 1800 CE, relatively minor changes in the diatom and geochemical proxies were found. The onset of cultural eutrophication in Gasfjarden can be traced to the 1800s and intensified land use is identified as the main driver. Anthropogenic activities in the 20th century have caused unprecedented ecosystem changes in the coastal inlet, as reflected in the diatom composition and geochemical proxies. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Mediated effects of insomnia, psychological distress and medication adherence in the association of eHealth literacy and cardiac events among Iranian older patients with heart failure: a longitudinal study

Background: Given the importance of improving health for patients with heart failure, the present study examined the temporal associations between eHealth literacy, insomnia, psychological distress, medication adherence, quality of life and cardiac events among older patients with heart failure. Methods: With a longitudinal design older patients with echocardiography verified heart failure (N=468; 50.4% New York Heart Association class II, mean age 69.3±7.3 years; 238 men) in need of cardiac care at seven Iranian university outpatient clinics went through clinical examinations and completed the following questionnaires at baseline: eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS, assessing eHealth literacy); 5-item medication adherence report scale (MARS-5, assessing medication adherence); Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ, assessing quality of life); insomnia severity index (ISI, assessing insomnia); and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS, assessing psychological distress). All the patients completed the ISI and HADS again 3 months later; and the MARS-5 6 months later. Also, their cardiac events were collected 18 months later. Three mediation models were then conducted. Results: eHealth literacy had direct and indirect effects (through insomnia and psychological distress) on medication adherence and quality of life. Moreover, eHealth literacy had protecting effects on cardiac events (hazard ratio (HR) 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37, 0.65) through the mediators of insomnia (HR 0.19; 95% CI 0.15, 0.26), psychological distress (HR 0.08; 95% CI 0.05, 0.12) and medication adherence (HR 0.05; 95% CI 0.04, 0.08). Conclusion: As eHealth literacy was a protector for patients with heart failure, healthcare providers may plan effective programmes to improve eHealth literacy for the population. Additional benefits of improving eHealth literacy in heart failure may be decreased insomnia and psychological distress, improved quality of life, as well as decreased cardiovascular events