Embedded metal oxide plasmonics using local plasma oxidation of AZO for planar metasurfaces

New methods for achieving high‐quality conducting oxide metasurfaces are of great importance for a range of emerging applications from infrared thermal control coatings to epsilon‐near‐zero nonlinear optics. This work demonstrates the viability of plasma patterning as a technique to selectively and locally modulate the carrier density in planar Al‐doped ZnO (AZO) metasurfaces without any associated topographical surface profile. This technique stands in strong contrast to conventional physical patterning which results in nonplanar textured surfaces. The approach can open up a new route to form novel photonic devices with planar metasurfaces, for example, antireflective coatings and multi‐layer devices. To demonstrate the performance of the carrier‐modulated AZO metasurfaces, two types of devices are realized using the demonstrated plasma patterning. A metasurface optical solar reflector is shown to produce infrared emissivity equivalent to a conventional etched design. Second, a multiband metasurface is achieved by integrating a Au visible‐range metasurface on top of the planar AZO infrared metasurface. Independent control of spectral bands without significant cross‐talk between infrared and visible functionalities is achieved. Local carrier tuning of conducting oxide films offers a conceptually new approach for oxide‐based photonics and nanoelectronics and opens up new routes for integrated planar metasurfaces in optical technology

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in 921 elderly subjects with dementia: a comparison between vascular and neurodegenerative types.

Objective:  i) to describe the neuropsychiatric profile of elderly subjects with dementia by comparing vascular (VaD) and degenerative dementias, i.e. dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD); ii) to assess whether the severity and type of dementia are associated with clinically relevant neuropsychiatric symptoms (CR‐NPS). Method:  One hundred and thirty‐one out‐patients with VaD, 100 with DLB and 690 with AD were studied. NPS were evaluated by the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). Results:  Vascular dementia had lower total and domain‐specific NPI scores and a lower frequency of CR‐NPS than AD and DLB, for which frequency of CR‐NPS increased significantly with disease severity, particularly in AD. Logistic regression analysis showed that a higher CDR score and a diagnosis of degenerative dementia were independently associated with CR‐NPS. Conclusion:  Vascular dementia is associated less with CR‐NPS than AD and DLB. Frequency of CR‐NPS increases with disease severity in AD and, to a lesser extent, in DLB

A Dimension-Adaptive Multi-Index Monte Carlo Method Applied to a Model of a Heat Exchanger

We present an adaptive version of the Multi-Index Monte Carlo method, introduced by Haji-Ali, Nobile and Tempone (2016), for simulating PDEs with coefficients that are random fields. A classical technique for sampling from these random fields is the Karhunen-Lo\`eve expansion. Our adaptive algorithm is based on the adaptive algorithm used in sparse grid cubature as introduced by Gerstner and Griebel (2003), and automatically chooses the number of terms needed in this expansion, as well as the required spatial discretizations of the PDE model. We apply the method to a simplified model of a heat exchanger with random insulator material, where the stochastic characteristics are modeled as a lognormal random field, and we show consistent computational savings

Recommended ideal-gas thermochemical functions for heavy water and its Substituent isotopologues

Accurate temperature-dependent ideal-gas internal partition functions, Qint(T), and several derived thermochemical functions are reported for heavy water, with an oxygen content corresponding to the isotopic composition of Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW), and its constituent isotopologues, D216O, D217O, and D218O, for temperatures between 0 and 6000 K. The nuclear-spin-dependent partition functions are obtained by the direct summation technique, involving altogether about 16 000 measured and more than nine million computed bound rovibrational energy levels for the three molecules. Reliable standard uncertainties, as a function of temperature, are estimated for each thermochemical quantity determined, including the enthalpy, the entropy, and the isobaric heat capacity of the individual nuclear-spin-equilibrated isotopologues and of heavy water. The accuracy of the heavy-water ideal-gas Cp(T) is unprecedented, below 0.01% up to 1800 K. All the thermochemical functions are reported, in 1 K increments, in the supplementary material

Draft Genome Sequence of the Enteropathogenic Bacterium Campylobacter jejuni Strain cj255.

Published onlineJournal ArticleThe enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni is a global health disaster, being one of the leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of C. jejuni strain cj255, isolated from a chicken source in Islamabad, Pakistan. The draft genome sequence will aid in epidemiological studies and quarantine of this broad-host-range pathogen.Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and British Counci

Inequalities in access to cardiac rehabilitation after an acute coronary syndrome: the EPiHeart cohort

Objectives To estimate cardiac rehabilitation (CR) referral and participation rates among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to identify their determinants, in two Portuguese regions. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Patients consecutively admitted to the cardiology department of two hospitals, one in the district of Porto and one in the north-east region (NER) of Portugal, were enrolled in the EPIHeart cohort and then followed up for 6 months. Participants Between August 2013 and December 2014, 939 patients were included in the cohort, and 853 were re-evaluated at 6-month follow-up. Outcome measures Referral rate was defined as the proportion of eligible patients who were referred to a CR programme, whereas participation rate was defined as the proportion of eligible patients who completed a CR programme, as was recommended by their physicians. Results Patients referred were 32.3% and 10.7% of those eligible in Porto and NER, respectively. In both regions, referral to CR decreased with age and with longer travel times to CR centres and increased with education or social class. At follow-up, 128 patients from Porto (26.2% of those eligible and 81.0% of those referred) and 26 from NER (7.1% of those eligible and 66.7% of those referred) reported actually participating in a CR programme. In Porto, the main barriers to participation were the long time until a programme was available and lack of perceived benefit. Patients in NER identified distance to CR and costs as the main barriers. Conclusions CR remains clearly underused in Portugal, with major inequalities in access between regions. Achieving equitable and greater use of CR requires a multilevel approach addressing barriers related to healthcare system, providers and patients in order to improve provision, referral and participation.This study was supported by FEDER through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalisation and national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education) (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028709), under the project ‘Inequalities in coronary heart disease management and outcomes in Portugal’ (FCT PTDC/DTP-EPI/0434/2012) and the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia—Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862; ref UID/DTP/04750/2013)

Metal Enrichment in the Circumgalactic Medium and Lyα Halos around Quasars at z ∼ 3

Deep observations have detected extended Ly$\alpha$ emission nebulae surrounding tens of quasars at redshift 2 to 6. However, the metallicity of such extended haloes is still poorly understood. We perform a detailed analysis on a large sample of 80 quasars at $z\sim3$ based on MUSE-VLT data. We find clear evidence of extended emission of the UV nebular lines CIV and HeII for about 18$\%$ of the sample, while CIII] is only marginally detected in a few objects. By stacking the cubes we detect emission of CIV, HeII and CIII] out to a radius of about 45 kpc. CIV and HeII show a radial decline much steeper than Ly$\alpha$, while CIII] shows a shallower profile similar to Ly$\alpha$ in the inner 45 kpc. We infer that the average metallicity of the circumgalactic gas within the central 30-50~kpc is $\sim$0.5 solar, or even higher. However, we also find evidence of a component of the Ly$\alpha$ haloes, which has much weaker metal emission lines relative to Ly$\alpha$. We suggest that the high metallicity of the circumgalactic medium within the central 30-50 kpc is associated with chemical pre-enrichment by past quasar-driven outflows and that there is a more extended component of the CGM that has much lower metallicity and likely associated with near-pristine gas accreted from the intergalactic medium. We show that our observational results are in good agreement with the expectations of the FABLE zoom-in cosmological simulations.ERC STF

Collusion through Joint R&D: An Empirical Assessment

This paper tests whether upstream R&D cooperation leads to downstream collusion. We consider an oligopolistic setting where firms enter in research joint ventures (RJVs) to lower production costs or coordinate on collusion in the product market. We show that a sufficient condition for identifying collusive behavior is a decline in the market share of RJV-participating firms, which is also necessary and sufficient for a decrease in consumer welfare. Using information from the US National Cooperation Research Act, we estimate a market share equation correcting for the endogeneity of RJV participation and R&D expenditures. We find robust evidence that large networks between direct competitors – created through firms being members in several RJVs at the same time – are conducive to collusive outcomes in the product market which reduce consumer welfare. By contrast, RJVs among non-competitors are efficiency enhancing