Flux qubit on mesoscopic nonsuperconducting ring

The possibility of making a flux qubit on nonsuperconducting mesoscopic ballistic quasi 1D ring is discussed. We showed that such ring can be effectively reduced to a two-state system with two external control parameters. The two states carry opposite persistent currents and are coupled by tunneling which leads to a quantum superposition of states. The qubit states can be manipulated by resonant microwave pulses. The flux state of the sample can be measured by a SQUID magnetometer. Two or more qubits can be coupled by the flux the circulating currents generate. The problem of decoherence is also discussed.Comment: Phys. Rev. B. (accepted

Simulated seasonal impact on middle atmospheric ozone from high-energy electron precipitation related to pulsating aurorae

Recent simulation studies have provided evidence that a pulsating aurora (PsA) associated with high-energy electron precipitation is having a clear local impact on ozone chemistry in the polar middle mesosphere. However, it is not clear if the PsA is frequent enough to cause longer-term effects of measurable magnitude. There is also an open question of the relative contribution of PsA-related energetic electron precipitation (PsA EEP) to the total atmospheric forcing by solar energetic particle precipitation (EPP). Here we investigate the PsA-EEP impact on stratospheric and mesospheric odd hydrogen, odd nitrogen, and ozone concentrations. We make use of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model and recent understanding on PsA frequency, latitudinal and magnetic local time extent, and energy-flux spectra. Analysing an 18-month time period covering all seasons, we particularly look at PsA-EEP impacts at two polar observation stations located at opposite hemispheres: Tromsø in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Halley Research Station in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). We find that PsA EEP can have a measurable impact on ozone concentration above 30 km altitude, with ozone depletion by up to 8 % seen in winter periods due to PsA-EEP-driven NOx enhancement. We also find that direct mesospheric NOx production by high-energy electrons (E> 100 keV) accounts for about half of the PsA-EEP-driven upper stratospheric ozone depletion. A larger PsA-EEP impact is seen in the SH where the background dynamical variability is weaker than in the NH. Clearly indicated from our results, consideration of polar vortex dynamics is required to understand PsA-EEP impacts seen at ground observation stations, especially in the NH. We conclude that PsA-EEP has the potential to make an important contribution to the total EPP forcing; thus, it should be considered in atmospheric and climate simulations.publishedVersio

The professionalization of nursing in Poland

Współczesne pielęgniarstwo polskie i światowe ulega ciągłym przeobrażeniom. Zmiany zachodzące w nim były i nadal są wynikiem zachodzących przekształceń zarówno politycznych, jak i gospodarczo-społecznych. Postępująca i nieuchronna profesjonalizacja pielęgniarstwa stawia przed personelem pielęgniarskim coraz to nowe wyzwania. W pracy przedstawiono zmiany jakim podlegało pielęgniarstwo polskie. Omówiono znaczenie polskiej transformacji ustrojowej dla rozwoju rodzimego pielęgniarstwa, podkreślono znaczenie Procesu Bolońskiego w ewolucji zmian metod kształcenia i dokształcania się pielęgniarek. Omówiono także wyznaczniki profesjonalizacji pielęgniarstwa oraz wybrane zagadnienia z etyki tego zawodu. Scharakteryzowano również pojęcie roli, funkcji oraz misji współczesnej pielęgniarki.Contemporary nursing in Poland and worldwide is undergoing constant changes. The alterations in the field were once and still are now a result of political and socioeconomic transformations. The developing and inevitable professionalization of nursing continually presents the staff with new challenges. This paper presents the changes that the nursing in Poland has undergone. Moreover, the impact of political system transformations on the development of the Polish nurses is scrutinized here. The contribution of the Bologna Process to the evolution of education methods and courses in nursing. Furthermore, the indicators of the professionalization of nursing as well as selected ethical issues of the profession were dealt with. The role, function and objective of contemporary nurses were characterised

Nursing : a profession or a mission?

Autorzy podjęli próbę określenia czy współczesne pielęgniarstwo jest zawodem czy misją. Ich zdaniem, pomimo profesjonalizacji pielęgniarstwa, zawód ten ma jednak wpisane w swoje ramy postrzeganie go jako misji. Tak postrzegają go społeczeństwa zdające sobie sprawę, że nie każdy jest zdolny do wykonywania tej profesji, a tylko ci, którzy bardziej niż inni z niewiadomych przyczyn i pobudek noszą w sobie potrzebę pomagania innym, chyba słusznie nazwaną powołaniem.The authors have attempted to answer the question – is contemporary nursing a profession or a mission? Their conclusion was that despite the ongoing professionalization of nursing, considering this that line of medical work a mission is somehow inherent in its characteristics. That is how it is perceived by the societies in which it is widely acknowledged that not just anyone can become a nurse and only those who for some reason have a need to help others (perhaps correctly dubbed “a calling”) are fir for the profession

Heppa III Intercomparison Experiment on Electron Precipitation Impacts: 2. Model‐Measurement Intercomparison of Nitric Oxide (NO) During a Geomagnetic Storm in April 2010

Precipitating auroral and radiation belt electrons are considered to play an important part in the natural forcing of the middle atmosphere with a possible impact on the climate system. Recent studies suggest that this forcing is underestimated in current chemistry-climate models. The HEPPA III intercomparison experiment is a collective effort to address this point. In this study, we apply electron ionization rates from three data-sets in four chemistry-climate models during a geomagnetically active period in April 2010. Results are evaluated by comparison with observations of nitric oxide (NO) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Differences between the ionization rate data-sets have been assessed in a companion study. In the lower thermosphere, NO densities differ by up to one order of magnitude between models using the same ionization rate data-sets due to differences in the treatment of NO formation, model climatology, and model top height. However, a good agreement in the spatial and temporal variability of NO with observations lends confidence that the electron ionization is represented well above 80 km. In the mesosphere, the averages of model results from all chemistry-climate models differ consistently with the differences in the ionization-rate data-sets, but are within the spread of the observations, so no clear assessment on their comparative validity can be provided. However, observed enhanced amounts of NO in the mid-mesosphere below 70 km suggest a relevant contribution of the high-energy tail of the electron distribution to the hemispheric NO budget during and after the geomagnetic storm on April 6

An advanced tool integrating failure and sensitivity analysis into novel modeling of the stormwater flood volume

An innovative tool for modeling the specific flood volume was presented that can be applied to assess the need for stormwater network modernization as well as for advanced flood risk assessment. Field measurements for a catchment area in Kielce, Poland, were used to apply the model and demonstrate its usefulness. This model extends the capability of recently developed statistical and machine learning hydrodynamic models developed from multiple runs of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The extensions enable the inclusion of (1) the characteristics of the catchment and its stormwater network, calibrated model parameters expressing catchment retention, and the capacity of the sewer system; (2) extended sensitivity analysis; and (3) risk analysis. Sensitivity coefficients of calibrated model parameters include correction coefficients for percentage area, flow path, depth of storage, and impervious area; Manning roughness coefficients for impervious areas; and Manning roughness coefficients for sewer channels. Sensitivity coefficients were determined with respect to rainfall intensity and characteristics of the catchment and stormwater network. Extended sensitivity analysis enabled an evaluation of the variability in the specific flood volume and sensitivity coefficients within a catchment, in order to identify the most vulnerable areas threatened by flooding. Thus, the model can be used to identify areas particularly susceptible to stormwater network failure and the sections of the network where corrective action should be taken to reduce the probability of system failure. The simulator developed to determine the specific flood volume represents an alternative approach to the SWMM that, unlike current approaches, can be calibrated with limited topological data availability; therefore, the aforementioned simulator incurs a lower cost due to the lower number and lower specificity of data required.</p

Water Solubilization Using Nonionic Surfactants from Renewable Sources in Microemulsion Systems

In this study the effect of temperature, NaCl and oils (hydrocarbons: C8–C16) on the formation and solubilization capacity of the systems of oil/monoacylglycerols (MAG):ethoxylated fatty alcohols (CEO20)/propylene glycol (PG)/water was investigated. The effects of the surfactant mixture on the phase behavior and the concentration of water or oil in the systems were studied at three temperatures (50, 55, 60 °C) and with varied NaCl solutions (0.5; 2; 11%). Electrical conductivity measurement, FTIR spectroscopy and the DSC method were applied to determine the structure and type of the microemulsions formed. The dimension of the microemulsion droplets was characterized by dynamic light scattering. It has been stated that the concentration of CEO20 has a strong influence on the shape and extent of the microemulsion areas. Addition of a nonionic surfactant to the mixture with MAG promotes an increase in the area of microemulsion formation in the phase diagrams, and these areas of isotropic region did not change considerably depending on the temperature, NaCl solution and oil type. It was found that, depending on the concentration of the surfactant mixture, it was possible to obtain U-type microemulsions with dispersed particles size distribution ranging from 25 to 50 nm and consisting of about 30–32% of the water phase in the systems. The conditions under which the microemulsion region was found (electrolyte and temperature—insensitive, comparatively low oil and surfactant concentration) could be highly useful in detergency

Data Descriptor : A European Multi Lake Survey dataset of environmental variables, phytoplankton pigments and cyanotoxins

Under ongoing climate change and increasing anthropogenic activity, which continuously challenge ecosystem resilience, an in-depth understanding of ecological processes is urgently needed. Lakes, as providers of numerous ecosystem services, face multiple stressors that threaten their functioning. Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a persistent problem resulting from nutrient pollution and climate-change induced stressors, like poor transparency, increased water temperature and enhanced stratification. Consistency in data collection and analysis methods is necessary to achieve fully comparable datasets and for statistical validity, avoiding issues linked to disparate data sources. The European Multi Lake Survey (EMLS) in summer 2015 was an initiative among scientists from 27 countries to collect and analyse lake physical, chemical and biological variables in a fully standardized manner. This database includes in-situ lake variables along with nutrient, pigment and cyanotoxin data of 369 lakes in Europe, which were centrally analysed in dedicated laboratories. Publishing the EMLS methods and dataset might inspire similar initiatives to study across large geographic areas that will contribute to better understanding lake responses in a changing environment.Peer reviewe