Neutrino Detection using Lead Perchlorate

We discuss the possibility of using lead perchlorate as a neutrino detector. The primary neutrino interactions are given along with some relevant properties of the material.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, TAUP-99, TEX fil

A techno-economic analysis of small-scale, biomass-fuelled combined heat and power for community housing

This paper presents the results of a techno-economic study into the feasibility of a number of biomass-fuelled CHP (BCHP) systems when operated in a community housing/mixed use context. Six systems comprising differing technologies have been analysed, with the assumption that the systems operate within an ESCO (energy services company) supply scenario. Actual demand data was obtained for a representative community housing scheme, along with technical performance and cost data on the various biomass CHP systems. Subsequently, an economic modelling tool was developed and a number of operational scenarios were analysed to determine the viability of specific systems and the sensitivity of the results to a range of technical and economic parameters. The impact of thermal storage was also considered in order to optimise heat usage as far as possible. The results indicate that within specific realistic ESCO operating scenarios, biomass CHP can demonstrate positive net present values without the need for capital subsidies. Optimal system design and implementation is critical for profitable operation and it is found that the best economic performance occurs for high load factors when the maximum quantity of both electricity and heat sold on-site is maximised. The results are also found to be very sensitive to a number of the model inputs

Implications of progesterone metabolism in MA-10 cells for accurate measurement of the rate of steroidogenesis

In virtually all studies with MA-10 cells, progesterone RIAs have been used to measure steroid synthesis. To test whether progesterone is a stable end product, we investigated the metabolism of added tritiated progesterone and pregnenolone in MA-10 cells over a period of 3 h. Steroids were then extracted, separated by HPLC, and identified by GC/MS. We found that more than 70% of radiolabeled steroids were converted to at least five different metabolites. A major metabolite (40%) was 5 alpha-pregnan-3 alpha or 3 beta-ol-20one. Similar studies, using radiolabeled T, demonstrated conversion to dihydrotestosterone and two forms of 5 alpha-androstane-diols. These data indicate the presence of active 5 alpha-reductase and 3 alpha- and/or 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities in MA-10 cells. Because these results suggest that progesterone is an unstable end product, to gauge the level of active metabolism, we incubated cells in the presence of inhibitors of pregnenolone metabolism and assessed pregnenolone levels by RIA. We discovered that basal levels of steroidogenesis in MA-10 cells were considerably higher than previously estimated. Moreover, dibutyryl cAMP-stimulated steroid production was linear over more than 13 h, in contrast to previous findings that measured progesterone levels. Other consequences of inaccurate assessment of steroidogenic activity in MA-10 cells because of the application of the progesterone assay are discussed

Schriftelijke wilsverklaring euthanasie bij wilsonbekwame patiënten: een jurisprudentieonderzoek

__Abstract__ De volgende probleemstelling komt in dit jurisprudentieonderzoek aan de orde: Hoe luidt de jurisprudentie over de schriftelijke wilsverklaring in het kader van de Wet toetsing levensbeëindiging op verzoek en hulp bij zelfdoding (Wtl) op basis van uitspraken van de strafrechter, van de civiele rechter, van de medische tuchtrechter en van de vijf regionale toetsingscommissies en toelichting daarop in hun jaarverslagen? Welke lijn kan uit deze jurisprudentie worden gedestilleerd? Wat zijn de in het oog springende verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen de genoemde bronnen? Welke knelpunten kunnen uit het jurisprudentieonderzoek worden vastgesteld en welke onderzoeksvragen kunnen naar aanleiding van het jurisprudentieonderzoek niet worden beantwoord

A practical attack on the fixed RC4 in the wep mode

Abstract. In this paper we revisit a known but ignored weakness of the RC4 keystream generator, where secret state info leaks to the generated keystream, and show that this leakage, also known as Jenkins’ correlation or the RC4 glimpse, can be used to attack RC4 in several modes. Our main result is a practical key recovery attack on RC4 when an IV modifier is concatenated to the beginning of a secret root key to generate a session key. As opposed to the WEP attack from [FMS01] the new attack is applicable even in the case where the first 256 bytes of the keystream are thrown and its complexity grows only linearly with the length of the key. In an exemplifying parameter setting the attack recoversa16-bytekeyin2 48 steps using 2 17 short keystreams generated from different chosen IVs. A second attacked mode is when the IV succeeds the secret root key. We mount a key recovery attack that recovers the secret root key by analyzing a single word from 2 22 keystreams generated from different IVs, improving the attack from [FMS01] on this mode. A third result is an attack on RC4 that is applicable when the attacker can inject faults to the execution of RC4. The attacker derives the internal state and the secret key by analyzing 2 14 faulted keystreams generated from this key

Decision making from the experience of orthognathic surgery patients: a grounded theory approach

Introduction: Patients’ decisions to undergo major surgery such as orthognathic treatment are not just about how the decision is made but what influences the decision. Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to identify the key processes involved in patients’ experience of decision making for orthognathic treatment. Methods: This study reports some of the findings of a larger grounded theory study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews of patients who were seen for orthognathic treatment at a teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Twenty-two participants were recruited (age range 18–66 y), of whom 12 (male = 2, female = 10) were 6 to 8 wk postsurgery, 6 (male = 2, female = 4) were in the decision-making stage, and 4 (male = 0, female = 4) were 1 to 2 y postsurgery. Additional data were also collected from online blogs and forums on jaw surgery. The data analysis stages of grounded theory methodology were undertaken, including open and selective coding. Results: The study identified the central role of dental care professionals (DCPs) in several underlying processes associated with decision making, including legitimating, mediating, scheduling, projecting, and supporting patients’ decisions. Six categories were related to key aspects of decision making. These were awareness about their underlying dentofacial problems and treatment options available, the information available about the treatment, the temporality of when surgery would be undertaken, the motivations and expectation of patients, social support, and fear of the surgery, hospitalization, and potentially disliking their new face. Conclusion: The decision-making process for orthognathic treatment is complex, multifactorial, and heavily influenced by the role of DCPs in patient care. Understanding the magnitude of this role will enable DCPs to more clearly participate in improving patients’ decision-making process. The findings of this study can inform future quantitative studies. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study can be used both for informing clinical practice around enabling decision making for orthognathic treatment and also for designing future research. The findings can better inform clinicians about the importance of their role in the patients’ decision-making process for orthognathic treatment and the means to improve the patient experience. It is suggested that further research could be conducted to measure some of the key constructs identified within our grounded theory and assess how these change during the treatment process

Correspondence in Quasiperiodic and Chaotic Maps: Quantization via the von Neumann Equation

A generalized approach to the quantization of a large class of maps on a torus, i.e. quantization via the von Neumann Equation, is described and a number of issues related to the quantization of model systems are discussed. The approach yields well behaved mixed quantum states for tori for which the corresponding Schrodinger equation has no solutions, as well as an extended spectrum for tori where the Schrodinger equation can be solved. Quantum-classical correspondence is demonstrated for the class of mappings considered, with the Wigner-Weyl density $\rho(p,q,t)$ going to the correct classical limit. An application to the cat map yields, in a direct manner, nonchaotic quantum dynamics, plus the exact chaotic classical propagator in the correspondence limit.Comment: 36 pages, RevTex preprint forma

Reionization: Characteristic Scales, Topology and Observability

Recently the numerical simulations of the process of reionization of the universe at z>6 have made a qualitative leap forward, reaching sufficient sizes and dynamic range to determine the characteristic scales of this process. This allowed making the first realistic predictions for a variety of observational signatures. We discuss recent results from large-scale radiative transfer and structure formation simulations on the observability of high-redshift Ly-alpha sources. We also briefly discuss the dependence of the characteristic scales and topology of the ionized and neutral patches on the reionization parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures (4 in color), to appear in Astronomy and Space Science special issue "Space Astronomy: The UV window to the Universe", proceedings of 1st NUVA Conference ``Space Astronomy: The UV window to the Universe'' in El Escorial (Spain

Ventilator associated pneumonia: unravelling prevalence risk factor and antibiotic usage

Background: Hospital acquired infections, are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Ventilator associated pneumonia, one of the hospital acquired illnesses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, causative organism, and antibiotic usage for the treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Methods: Between May 2022 and October 2022, 50 patients participated in an ambispective and observational study conducted across several ICU departments at Adichunchanagiri Hospital, BG Nagara, Karnataka. Reviewing and evaluating daily patient case sheets, laboratory results, and treatment charts of participants who were hospital inpatients provided pertinent data needed for the study. Volunteers were enrolled after taking consent from each of them, a suitably designed data collection form was used to collect all the necessary information. Microsoft Excel was used to enter the data. Version 28 of SPSS was used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was determined by using a P-value of less than 0.05. Results: The study included 50 patients and discovered a 60% prevalence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in the general community. Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 26.7% of all gram-positive bacteria, whereas Enterobacter and Klebsiella species accounted for 16.7%. Metronidazole was given in 64% of instances, with accidents being the most frequent risk factor (40%). Conclusions: Within the specified population, the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia is 60%, with Staphylococcus aureus identified as the most predominant bacterial pathogen. Metronidazole is the most frequently prescribed antibiotic, and accidents are the key risk factors that cause ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Momentum transfer using chirped standing wave fields: Bragg scattering

We consider momentum transfer using frequency-chirped standing wave fields. Novel atom-beam splitter and mirror schemes based on Bragg scattering are presented. It is shown that a predetermined number of photon momenta can be transferred to the atoms in a single interaction zone.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure