Spectral Theory for Non-linear Superconducting Microwave Systems: Extracting Relaxation Rates and Mode Hybridization

The accurate modeling of mode hybridization and calculation of radiative relaxation rates have been crucial to the design and optimization of superconducting quantum devices. In this work, we introduce a spectral theory for the electrohydrodynamics of superconductors that enables the extraction of the relaxation rates of excitations in a general three-dimensional distribution of superconducting bodies. Our approach addresses the long-standing problem of formulating a modal description of open systems that is both efficient and allows for second quantization of the radiative hybridized fields. This is achieved through the implementation of finite but transparent boundaries through which radiation can propagate into and out of the computational domain. The resulting spectral problem is defined within a coarse-grained formulation of the electrohydrodynamical equations that is suitable for the analysis of the non-equilibrium dynamics of multiscale superconducting quantum systems.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, journal pape

Comparison of the effects of rapid maxillary expansion and surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion in the sagittal, vertical and transverse planes

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and surgically assisted RME (SARME) in the sagittal, vertical, and transverse planes. Study design: Orthodontic records of 28 patients were selected retrospectively and divided into two treatment groups. Group 1 comprised 14 patients (4 boys, 10 girls, mean age 14.2 ± 0.74 years) who had been treated with RME. Group 2 comprised 14 patients (4 boys, 10 girls, mean age 19.6 ± 2.73 years) who had been treated with SARME. Measurements were performed on lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms and dental casts obtained before (T0) and after (T1) expansion. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in soft tissue convexity angle, anterior face height, and upper nasal width in group 1, and in U1-NA length and posterior face height measurements in group 2 (P<.05). In both groups significant increases were found in interpremolar, intermolar, maxillary, and lower nasal widths and in anterior lower face height (P<.01). Statistically signifificant intergroup differences were found in the ANB angle (P<.05) and maxillary intercanine (P<.01) measurements. Conclusion: With both RME and SARME, successful expansion of maxillary dentoalveolar structures and nasal cavity and palatal widening were achieved. Sagittal plane effects of SARME were similar to those of RME on dental skeletal and airway measurements. © Medicina Oral

Nerve conduction studies are safe in patients with central venous catheters

IntroductionIt is unknown if central venous catheters bypass the skin’s electrical resistance and engender a risk of nerve conduction study‐induced cardiac arrhythmia. The objective of this study is to determine if nerve conduction studies affect cardiac conduction and rhythm in patients with central venous catheters.MethodsUnder continuous 12‐lead electrocardiogram monitoring, subjects with and without central venous catheters underwent a series of upper extremity nerve conduction studies. A cardiologist reviewed the electrocardiogram tracings for evidence of cardiac conduction abnormality or arrhythmia.ResultsTen control subjects and 10 subjects with central venous catheters underwent the nerve conduction study protocol. No malignant arrhythmias or conduction abnormalities were noted in either group.ConclusionsNerve conduction studies of the upper extremities, including both proximal stimulation and repetitive stimulation, do not appear to confer increased risk of cardiac conduction abnormality in those patients with central venous catheters who are not critically ill or have a prior history of arrhythmia. Muscle Nerve 56: 321–323, 2017Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137740/1/mus25497.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137740/2/mus25497_am.pd

Hybrid Threats and Asymmetric Warfare: What to do? Conference proceeding February 2018

The international security environment has seemingly departed from a post-cold war period of everlasting peace and has instead evolved into a volatile and increasingly grey area of war and peace. Security challenges arising from both hybrid wars and hybrid threats are high on security agendas in Sweden and Europe as well as internationally. However, despite the attention there is a lack of research that addresses how such “new” wars and threats should be handled. While studies do exist on specific issues, a comprehensive approach to how hybrid wars and threats are to be handled is still lacking. This is particularly the case when it comes to the sharing of experiences between states. This workshop constituted a first step towards developing such a comprehensive approach. The workshop’s aim was to be a bridge across disciplinary boundaries as well as between researchers and practitioners within and outside Sweden; integrating each group’s extensive experiences and knowledge into a coherent whole. Besides producing and disseminating new knowledge, the intention of the workshop was to establish a foundation for long-term collaboration; the first step in the creation of a European Network on Hybrid Warfare Capabilities that can work across borders and link state of the art of research and practice. Although mainly a scientific workshop, a number of practitioners were invited, with a mix of presentations by academics and practitioners. This was intended to foster innovative and reflective discussions across the academic-practitioner divide. The workshop also aimed to develop new ideas associated with hybrid threats/warfare in order to facilitate future cooperation These proceedings include a summary of the key points made by the presenters, along with conclusions and policy recommendations derived from the ensuing discussions. Conference programme and a list of abstracts for the papers and presentations can be found in the appendix

DEC-QED: A flux-based 3D electrodynamic modeling approach to superconducting circuits and materials

Modeling the behavior of superconducting electronic circuits containing Josephson junctions is crucial for the design of superconducting information processors and devices. In this paper, we introduce DEC-QED, a computational approach for modeling the electrodynamics of superconducting electronic circuits containing Josephson junctions in arbitrary three-dimensional electromagnetic environments. DEC-QED captures the non-linear response and induced currents of BCS superconductors and accurately captures phenomena such as the Meissner effect, flux quantization and Josephson effects. Using a finite-element construction based on Discrete Exterior Calculus (DEC), DEC-QED can accurately simulate transient and long-time dynamics in superconductors. The expression of the entire electrodynamic problem in terms of the gauge-invariant flux field and charges makes the resulting classical field theory suitable for second quantization

Utilization and Predictors of Electrical Cardioversion in Patients Hospitalized for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in adults associated with thromboembolic complications. External electrical cardioversion (DCCV) is a safe procedure used to convert AF to normal sinus rhythm. We sought to study factors that affect utilization of DCCV in hospitalized patients with AF. The study sample was drawn from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project in the United States. Patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of AF that received DCCV during hospitalization in the years 2000–2010 were included. An estimated 2,810,530 patients with a primary diagnosis of AF were hospitalized between 2001 and 2010, of which 1,19,840 (4.26%) received DCCV. The likelihood of receiving DCCV was higher in patients who were males, whites, privately insured, and aged < 40 years and those with fewer comorbid conditions. Higher CHADS2 score was found to have an inverse association with DCCV use. In-hospital stroke, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and cost for hospitalization were significantly lower for patients undergoing DCCV during AF related hospitalization. Further research is required to study the contribution of other disease and patient related factors affecting the use of this procedure as well as postprocedure outcomes

Solutions for certain classes of Riccati differential equation

We derive some analytic closed-form solutions for a class of Riccati equation y'(x)-\lambda_0(x)y(x)\pm y^2(x)=\pm s_0(x), where \lambda_0(x), s_0(x) are C^{\infty}-functions. We show that if \delta_n=\lambda_n s_{n-1}-\lambda_{n-1}s_n=0, where \lambda_{n}= \lambda_{n-1}^\prime+s_{n-1}+\lambda_0\lambda_{n-1} and s_{n}=s_{n-1}^\prime+s_0\lambda_{k-1}, n=1,2,..., then The Riccati equation has a solution given by y(x)=\mp s_{n-1}(x)/\lambda_{n-1}(x). Extension to the generalized Riccati equation y'(x)+P(x)y(x)+Q(x)y^2(x)=R(x) is also investigated.Comment: 10 page

Smartphone-based, rapid, wide-field fundus photography for diagnosis of pediatric retinal diseases

PurposeAn important, unmet clinical need is for cost-effective, reliable, easy-to-use, and portable retinal photography to evaluate preventable causes of vision loss in children. This study presents the feasibility of a novel smartphone-based retinal imaging device tailored to imaging the pediatric fundus.MethodsSeveral modifications for children were made to our previous device, including a child-friendly 3D printed housing of animals, attention-grabbing targets, enhanced image stitching, and video-recording capabilities. Retinal photographs were obtained in children undergoing routine dilated eye examination. Experienced masked retina-specialist graders determined photograph quality and made diagnoses based on the images, which were compared to the treating clinician's diagnosis.ResultsDilated fundus photographs were acquired in 43 patients with a mean age of 6.7 years. The diagnoses included retinoblastoma, Coats' disease, commotio retinae, and optic nerve hypoplasia, among others. Mean time to acquire five standard photographs totaling 90-degree field of vision was 2.3 ± 1.1 minutes. Patients rated their experience of image acquisition favorably, with a Likert score of 4.6 ± 0.8 out of 5. There was 96% agreement between image-based diagnosis and the treating clinician's diagnosis.ConclusionsWe report a handheld smartphone-based device with modifications tailored for wide-field fundus photography in pediatric patients that can rapidly acquire fundus photos while being well-tolerated.Translational relevanceAdvances in handheld smartphone-based fundus photography devices decrease the technical barrier for image acquisition in children and may potentially increase access to ophthalmic care in communities with limited resources

СТРАТЕГІЧНЕ ВИРІШЕННЯ ПИТАННЯ ПЛИННОСТІ КАДРІВ У БАНКІВСЬКІЙ УСТАНОВІ

Today, the main problem of banking institutions is a significant level of staff turnover, which leads to a decrease in the stability and prospects of the financial sector in general. The purpose of each bank is to meet the needs of clients and to generate profit from its activities. To ensure the efficiency of its work, the bank uses staff, which, in turn, utilizing the knowledge, professional skills and professionalism, is one of the most important resources of this institution. In the current state of the domestic economy, banking institutions and enterprises are trying to introduce new standards of work with personnel to increase the efficiency of their activities. The problem of staff turnover is common in the banking sector. Most of banks suffer from a permanent shift in the staffing of the internal reserve, and stressful situations resulting from this. To analyze the causes and solve the problems of staff turnover at the level of strategic and tactical planning. To study the social and psychological methods of managing the authors of the article developed the questionnaire that allows them to analyze the staff’s satisfaction with the style of leadership, the degree of motivation, and to identify the features of personnel management, the impact of social and psychological aspects of management on staff turnover. Based on the answers to the questionnaire, the index of satisfaction was calculated and the factors causing the greatest satisfaction and the greatest dissatisfaction of the personnel by work organization in PJSC CB «PrivatBank» were determined. The article proposes concrete ways to reduce staff turnover. These propositions and developments can be actively used in the practical sphere of PJSC CB «PrivatBank», which will improve the psychological climate in the team, increase the efficiency of work of the employees and increase their level of loyalty to the bank.Сегодня главной проблемой банковских учреждений является значительный уровень текучести персонала, что приводит к снижению стабильности и перспективы финансовой сферы в целом. Целью каждого банка является удовлетворение потребностей клиентов и получения прибыли от своей деятельности. Чтобы обеспечить эффективность своей работы банк использует персонал, который, в свою очередь, используя знания, профессиональные навыки и профессионализм является одним из важнейших ресурсов этого института. В условиях современного состояния отечественной экономики банковские учреждения и предприятия пытаются внедрить новые стандарты работы с персоналом для повышения эффективности своей деятельности. Проблема текучести кадров является неодиночным примером в банковской сфере. Большая часть банков страдает от постоянной смены кадров во внутреннем резерве, и стрессовых ситуаций, возникающих вследствие этого. Нужно проанализировать причины и решить вопрос текучести кадров на уровне стратегического и тактического планирования. Для исследования социально-психологических методов управления мы разработали анкету, которая позволяет проанализировать удовлетворенность персонала стилем руководства, степенью мотивации, выявить особенности управления персонала, влияние социально-психологических аспектов управления на текучесть кадров. На основе ответов на поставленные в анкете вопросы были рассчитаны индекс удовлетворенности и определены факторы, вызывающие наибольшую удовлетворенность и наибольшую неудовлетворенность персонала организацией труда в ПАО КБ «ПриватБанк». Предложены конкретные пути снижения текучести кадров. Данные предложения и разработки могут активно применяться в практической сфере ПАО КБ «ПриватБанк», что позволит улучшить психологический климат в коллективе, повысить эффективность работы сотрудников и увеличить уровень их лояльности к банку.Сьогодні головною проблемою банківських установ є значний рівень плинності персоналу, що зумовлює зниження стабільності і перспективи фінансової сфери в цілому. Метою кожного банку є задоволення потреб клієнтів та отримання прибутку від своєї діяльності. Щоб забезпечити ефективність своєї роботи, банк використовує персонал, який, у свою чергу, використовуючи знання, фахові навички та професіоналізм, є одним із найважливіших ресурсів цього інституту. В умовах сучасного стану вітчизняної економіки банківські установи та підприємства намагаються запровадити нові стандарти роботи з персоналом для підвищення ефективності своєї діяльності. Проблема плинності кадрів є непоодиноким прикладом у банківській сфері. Більша частка банків страждає від постійної зміни кадрів у внутрішньому резерві і стресових ситуацій, які виникають унаслідок цього. Варто проаналізувати причини і вирішити питання плинності кадрів на рівні стратегічного та тактичного планування. Для дослідження соціально-психологічних методів управління ми розробили анкету, яка дозволяє проаналізувати задоволеність персоналу стилем керівництва, ступенем мотивації, виявити особливості управління персоналу, вплив соціально-психологічних аспектів управління на плинність кадрів. На основі відповідей на поставленні в анкеті запитання було розраховано індекс задоволеності та визначено фактори, що викликають найбільшу задоволеність і найбільшу незадоволеність персоналу організацією праці в ПАТ КБ «ПриватБанк». Запропоновано конкретні шляхи зниження плинності кадрів. Пропозиції і розробки можуть активно застосовуватись у практичній сфері ПАТ КБ «ПриватБанк», що дасть змогу поліпшити психологічний клімат у колективі, підвищити ефективність роботи працівників і збільшити рівень їхньої лояльності до банку