Complete gate control of supercurrent in graphene p-n junctions

In a conventional Josephson junction of graphene, the supercurrent is not turned off even at the charge neutrality point, impeding further development of superconducting quantum information devices based on graphene. Here we fabricate bipolar Josephson junctions of graphene, in which a p-n potential barrier is formed in graphene with two closely spaced superconducting contacts, and realize supercurrent ON/OFF states using electrostatic gating only. The bipolar Josephson junctions of graphene also show fully gate-driven macroscopic quantum tunnelling behaviour of Josephson phase particles in a potential well, where the confinement energy is gate tuneable. We suggest that the supercurrent OFF state is mainly caused by a supercurrent dephasing mechanism due to a random pseudomagnetic field generated by ripples in graphene, in sharp contrast to other nanohybrid Josephson junctions. Our study may pave the way for the development of new gate-tuneable superconducting quantum information devices.open114344sciescopu

Verilog Modeling of Transmission Line for USB 2.0 High-Speed PHY Interface

A Verilog model is proposed for transmission lines to perform the all-Verilog simulation of high-speed chip-to-chip interface system, which reduces the simulation time by around 770 times compared to the mixed-mode simulation. The single-pulse response of transmission line in SPICE model is converted into that in Verilog model by converting the full-scale analog signal into an 11-bit digital code after uniform time sampling. The receiver waveform of transmission line is calculated by adding or subtracting the single-pulse response in Verilog model depending on the transmitting digital code values with appropriate time delay. The application of this work to a USB 2.0 high-speed PHY interface reduces the simulation time to less than three minutes with error less than 5% while the mixed-mode simulation takes more than two days for the same circuit.X1133Ysciescopu

Anaesthetic efficacy of articaine versus lidocaine in children's dentistry: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background: Over the last few years, numerous reviews and studies have awarded articaine hydrochloride local anaesthetic (LA) a superior reputation, with outcomes of different studies demonstrating a general tendency for articaine hydrochloride to outperform lidocaine hydrochloride for dental treatment. Nevertheless, there seems to be no clear agreement on which LA solution is more efficacious in dental treatment for children. There is no previous publication systematically reviewing and summarising the current best evidence with respect to the success rates of LA solutions in children. Aims: To evaluate the available evidence on the efficacy of lidocaine and articaine, used in paediatric dentistry. Design: A systematic search was conducted on Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE (OVID; 1950 to June 2017), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; EBSCOhost; 1982 to June 2017), EMBASE (OVID; 1980 to June 2017), SCI‐EXPANDED (ISI Web of Knowledge; 1900 to June 2017), key journals, and previous review bibliographies through June 2017. Original research studies that compared articaine with lidocaine for dental treatment in children were included. Methodological quality assessment and assessment of risk of bias were carried out for each of the included studies. Results: Electronic searching identified 525 publications. Following the primary and secondary assessment process, six randomised controlled trials (RCT) were included in the final analysis. There was no difference between patient self‐reported pain between articaine and lidocaine during treatment procedures (SMD = 0.06, P‐value = 0.614), and no difference in the occurrence of adverse events between articaine and lidocaine injections following treatment in paediatric patients (RR = 1.10, P‐value = 0.863). Yet, patients reported significantly less pain post‐procedure following articaine injections (SMD = 0.37, P‐value = 0.013). Substantial heterogeneity was noted in the reporting of outcomes among studies, with the overall quality of majority of studies being at high risk of bias. Conclusions: There is low quality evidence suggesting that both articaine as infiltration and lidocaine IAD nerve blocks presented the same efficacy when used for routine dental treatments, with no difference between patient self‐reported pain between articaine and lidocaine during treatment procedures. Yet, significantly less pain post‐procedure was reported following articaine injections. There was no difference in the occurrence of adverse events between articaine and lidocaine injections following treatment in paediatric patients

Design and Implementation of a Voltage Tracking with Artificial Neural Network Controller for a Double-input Buck-Boost Converter

This paper proposes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) control voltage tracking scheme of a double-input buckboost DC-DC converter. In this topology, a back-propagation algorithm topology is implemented. The controller is developed to improve the performance of the double-input converter during transient and steady-state operations. The neural network controller design, which is developed against output voltage command tracking is proposed. The proposed concept has been investigated and validated experimentally on a laboratory prototype using DSP TMS320F28335real time digital controller to verify the dynamic response of the proposed controller. The experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed neural network control technique, which is a promising an efficient control topology that ensures doubleinput converter suitable for electric vehicle and renewable energy applications

Preconditioning of mesenchymal stromal cells with low-intensity ultrasound: influence on chondrogenesis and directed SOX9 signaling pathways

Background: Continuous low-intensity ultrasound (cLIUS) facilitates the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the absence of exogenously added transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) by upregulating the expression of transcription factor SOX9, a master regulator of chondrogenesis. The present study evaluated the molecular events associated with the signaling pathways impacting SOX9 gene and protein expression under cLIUS. Methods: Human bone marrow-derived MSCs were exposed to cLIUS stimulation at 14 kPa (5 MHz, 2.5 Vpp) for 5 min. The gene and protein expression of SOX9 was evaluated. The specificity of SOX9 upregulation under cLIUS was determined by treating the MSCs with small molecule inhibitors of select signaling molecules, followed by cLIUS treatment. Signaling events regulating SOX9 expression under cLIUS were analyzed by gene expression, immunofluorescence staining, and western blotting. Results: cLIUS upregulated the gene expression of SOX9 and enhanced the nuclear localization of SOX9 protein when compared to non-cLIUS-stimulated control. cLIUS was noted to enhance the phosphorylation of the signaling molecule ERK1/2. Inhibition of MEK/ERK1/2 by PD98059 resulted in the effective abrogation of cLIUS-induced SOX9 expression, indicating that cLIUS-induced SOX9 upregulation was dependent on the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Inhibition of integrin and TRPV4, the upstream cell-surface effectors of ERK1/2, did not inhibit the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and therefore did not abrogate cLIUS-induced SOX9 expression, thereby suggesting the involvement of other mechanoreceptors. Consequently, the effect of cLIUS on the actin cytoskeleton, a mechanosensitive receptor regulating SOX9, was evaluated. Diffused and disrupted actin fibers observed in MSCs under cLIUS closely resembled actin disruption by treatment with cytoskeletal drug Y27632, which is known to increase the gene expression of SOX9. The upregulation of SOX9 under cLIUS was, therefore, related to cLIUS-induced actin reorganization. SOX9 upregulation induced by actin reorganization was also found to be dependent on the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Conclusions: Collectively, preconditioning of MSCs by cLIUS resulted in the nuclear localization of SOX9, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and disruption of actin filaments, and the expression of SOX9 was dependent on the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 under cLIUS

Sizing of a Hybrid Photovoltaic-Hydrokinetic Turbine Renewable Energy System in East Malaysia

The difficulties faced in the extension of conventional grid electricity to remote locations elicit increased application of renewable energy (RE) sources in such locations. In locations that are in proximity to rivers or streams, microhydro hybrid RE systems (HRES) are employed. Similarly, hybrid photovoltaic (PV) /battery configurations exist. Unfortunately, micro-hydro turbines require a minimum height/head and expensive civil works during installation. Hydrokinetic turbines (HKTs) eliminate the height/head requirement and greatly reduce necessary civil work by generating electricity using the kinetic energy of water flow in a river or stream. This study used a software, Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER), to simulate and obtain the optimal size and configuration of a hybrid PV/HKT/Battery storage system for Kampung Git in East Malaysia. Techno-economic comparison of the system is done with a PV/Battery and a standalone diesel generator (DG) system. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and the total net present cost (NPC) are the primary indices used for comparison purposes. The optimal configuration from simulations has 89.9 kWp of PV, two 3.5 kW HKTs and 132 kWh of battery storage. Also, economic results obtained indicate that the LCOE of 1.21 RM/kWh and NPC of RM 1,431,000 for the PV-HKT-battery configuration bested those for the PV-battery and standalone DG systems by 165 % and 27 % respectively. This optimal configuration is more environmentally friendly and highlights the role of the HKT in reducing battery usage and wear in addition to achieving lower LCOE and NPC values

Voltage Tracking of a Multi-Input Interleaved Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter Using Artificial Neural Network Control

This paper proposes an artificial neural network (ANN) voltage tracking of multi-input interleaved buck-boost DC-DC converter. A back-propagation algorithm topology is implemented in this paper. The control unit is implemented to ameliorate the performance of the proposed multi-input converter during transient dynamic response and steady-state operation mode. The neural network controller unit design, which is adaptive against output voltage command tracking and reference voltage variations is proposed. The proposed design has been verified through the MATLAB software. The simulation outcomes emphasized the validity and reliability of the proposed neural network technique, which would be a promising an efficient control method that ensures multi-input converter suitable for electric vehicle and renewable energy application system

Koleksi teka-teki, peribahasa dan cerita jenaka lisan orang Kadazandusun, Murut, Bajau dan Melayu Brunei

Kerja lapangan mengumpul (collecting), mentranskripsi (transcribing) dan mengarkib (archiving) bahan sastera rakyat bagi memahami sifat semula jadi manusia dan budayanya merupakan aktiviti utama dalam kajian bahan sastera rakyat. Penyelidikan yang berasaskan metodologi kerja lapangan (fieldwork methodologtJ ini akan menemu bual dan mengumpul seberapa banyak teka-teki, peribahasa dan cerita jenaka yang dituturkan oleh informan keturunan Kadazandusun, Murut, Bajau dan Melayu Brunei. Hasil kerja lapangan kemudiannya akan ditranskripsi dan didokumentasi dalam bahasa asal informan, diikuti dengan terjemahan bahasa Melayu. Selain itu, pengkategorian atas bahan sastera rakyat kumpulan peribumi terpilih Sabah, diikuti dengan analisis konteksnya turut akan dilakukan. Koleksi dan pengelasan bahan sastera rakyat seperti ini adalah bahan sumber pertama, yang boleh digunakan oleh mana-mana pengkaji untuk tujuan penyelidikan (peringkat sarjana dan doktor falsafah), penulisan kertas persidangan dan penerbitan dalam bentuk jurnal dan buku

Exercise training as a novel primary treatment for localised prostate cancer: a multi-site randomised controlled phase II study

Alternative management strategies for localised prostate cancer are required to reduce morbidity and overtreatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety and acceptability of exercise training (ET) with behavioural support as a primary therapy for low/intermediate risk localised prostate cancer. Men with low/intermediate-risk prostate cancer were randomised to 12 months of ET or usual care with physical activity advice (UCwA) in a multi-site open label RCT. Feasibility included acceptability, recruitment, retention, adherence, adverse events and disease progression. Secondary outcomes included quality of life and cardiovascular health indices. Of the 50 men randomised to ET (n=25) or UCwA (n=25), 92% (n=46) completed 12 month assessments. Three men progressed to invasive therapy (two in UCwA). In the ET group, men completed mean: 140 mins per week for 12 months (95% CI 129,152mins) (94% of target dose) at 75% Hrmax. Men in the ET group demonstrated improved body mass (mean reduction: 2.0 kg; 95% CI -2.9,-1.1), reduced systolic (mean: 13 mmHg; 95% CI 7,19) and diastolic blood pressure (mean:8 mmHg; 95% CI 5,12) and improved quality of life (EQ5D mean:13 points; 95% CI 7,18). There were no serious adverse events. ET in men with low/intermediate risk prostate cancer is feasible and acceptable with a low progression rate to radical treatment. Early signals on clinically relevant markers were found which warrant further investigation

Methods to study microbial adhesion on abiotic surfaces

Microbial biofilms are a matrix of cells and exopolymeric substances attached to a wet and solid surface and are commonly associated to several problems, such as biofouling and corrosion in industries and infectious diseases in urinary catheters and prosthesis. However, these cells may have several benefits in distinct applications, such as wastewater treatment processes, microbial fuel cells for energy production and biosensors. As microbial adhesion is a key step on biofilm formation, it is very important to understand and characterize microbial adhesion to a surface. This study presents an overview of predictive and experimental methods used for the study of bacterial adhesion. Evaluation of surface physicochemical properties have a limited capacity in describing the complex adhesion process. Regarding the experimental methods, there is no standard method or platform available for the study of microbial adhesion and a wide variety of methods, such as colony forming units counting and microscopy techniques, can be applied for quantification and characterization of the adhesion process.This work was financially supported by: Project UID/EQU/00511/2013-LEPABE, by the FCT/MEC with national funds and co-funded by FEDER in the scope of the P2020 Partnership Agreement; Project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000025 - RL2_Environment&Health, by FEDER funds through Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade-COMPETE, by the Programa Operacional do Norte (ON2) program and by national funds through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia; European Research Project SusClean (Contract number FP7-KBBE-2011-5, project number: 287514), Scholarships SFRH/BD/52624/2014, SFRH/BD/88799/2012 and SFRH/BD/103810/2014