Measurement scheme of the Berry phase in superconducting circuits

We present a measurement scheme for observing the Berry phase in a flux assisted Cooper pair pump - the Cooper pair sluice. In contrast to the recent experiments, in which the sluice was employed to generate accurate current through a resistance, we consider a device in a superconducting loop. This arrangement introduces a connection between the pumped current and the Berry phase accumulated during the adiabatic pumping cycles. From the adiabaticity criterion, we derive equations for the maximum pumped current and optimize the sluice accordingly. These results apply also to the high accuracy pumping which results in a potential candidate for a metrological current standard. For measuring the pumped current, an additional Josephson junction is installed into the superconducting loop. We show in detail that the switching of this system from superconducting state into normal state as a consequence of an external current pulse through it may be employed to probe the pumped current. The experimental realization of our scheme would be the first observation of the Berry phase in superconducting circuits.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent Signal and Magnetoencephalography Evoked Responses Yield Different Neural Functionality in Reading

It is often implicitly assumed that the neural activation patterns revealed by hemodynamic methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and electrophysiological methods, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG), are comparable. In early sensory processing that seems to be the case, but the assumption may not be correct in high-level cognitive tasks. For example, MEG and fMRI literature of single-word reading suggests differences in cortical activation, but direct comparisons are lacking. Here, while the same human participants performed the same reading task, analysis of MEG evoked responses and fMRI blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals revealed marked functional and spatial differences in several cortical areas outside the visual cortex. Divergent patterns of activation were observed in the frontal and temporal cortex, in accordance with previous separate MEG and fMRI studies of reading. Furthermore, opposite stimulus effects in the MEG and fMRI measures were detected in the left occipitotemporal cortex: MEG evoked responses were stronger to letter than symbol strings, whereas the fMRI BOLD signal was stronger to symbol than letter strings. The EEG recorded simultaneously during MEG and fMRI did not indicate neurophysiological differences that could explain the observed functional discrepancies between the MEG and fMRI results. Acknowledgment of the complementary nature of hemodynamic and electrophysiological measures, as reported here in a cognitive task using evoked response analysis in MEG and BOLD signal analysis in fMRI, represents an essential step toward an informed use of multimodal imaging that reaches beyond mere combination of location and timing of neural activationPeer reviewe

Reward management: linking employee motivation and organizational performance

Companies invest enormous financial resources in reward systems and practices to attract, retain, and motivate employees and thereby ensure and improve individual, team, and organizational effectiveness. Organizational rewards comprise financial and nonfinancial rewards, such as appreciation, job security, and promotion. Financial rewards, also called tangible rewards, include direct forms (such as fixed and variable pay and share ownership) as well as indirect and/or deferred forms (such as benefits and perquisites). Fixed or base pay refers to the amount of money one receives in return for fulfilling one’s job requirements, the job’s grade, or the skill or competence level required to perform the tasks. Variable pay (such as cash bonuses and commissions as forms of short-term incentives, or stocks or stock options as forms of long-term incentives) depends, for example, on individual, team, and/or company performance or outcomes, and is based on quantitative and/or qualitative criteria. Benefits (such as pension plans or health programs) and perquisites (such as onsite fitness centers, medical care or health facilities, and company cars), among other forms, are indirect financial rewards (Milkovich, Newman, & Gerhart, 2016). Both qualitative reviews (Gerhart & Fang, 2014; Shaw & Gupta, 2015) and meta-analytic studies (Cerasoli, Nicklin, & Ford, 2014; Garbers & Konradt, 2014; Jenkins, Mitra, Gupta, & Shaw, 1998) have shown that extrinsic rewards (such as financial incentives) can improve employee motivation and performance and shape employee health (Giles, Robalino, McColl, Sniehotta, & Adams, 2014) and safety behavior (Mattson, Torbiörn, & Hellgren, 2014). However, empirical evidence regarding under which conditions particular rewards are most effective or lead to unintended consequences is still scarce. In short, compensation and incentive systems remain one of the most under-researched areas in personnel psychology and human resource management (Gupta & Shaw, 2015). This state of affairs poses risks. Reward management approaches may waste both money and effort, and may be ineffective in attracting, retaining, and motivating target personnel, if not grounded in a base of evidence. Added to this, in the face of the recent financial crisis and of serious cases of employee and company unethical behavior, company’s financial incentives, especially bonus and pay-for-performance (pfp) systems, have been widely criticized for their detrimental effects on individuals, companies, and society (Larcker, Ormazabal, Tayan, & Taylor, 2014). These examples of the dark sides of incentives highlight the importance of reward management research, not only from a human resources management (HRM) but also from a societal perspective. They also illustrate the need to understand the underlying mediating and moderating mechanisms linking reward systems and practices to individual, team, and organizational behavior and outcomes. This special issue contributes to the research on reward management by focusing on the contextual effects of financial rewards on employee motivation, behavior, and performance, and by analyzing the mediating mechanisms of different types of financial and nonfinancial rewards. The four studies included in this special issue address different issues of reward management research and take different theoretical perspectives. The first two studies analyze the interaction effects of financial incentives and individual factors, such as employee perceptions of distributive justice, and then how individual competitiveness moderates the effects of pay-for-performance (pfp) on employee motivation, behavior, and performance. These studies show which and how intended or unintended consequences of pfp occur. The other two studies differentiate the effects of tangible and intangible rewards on employee turnover and risk taking; they disentangle underlying mediating and moderating mechanisms by comparing the effects of benefits and perquisites, and of esteem, security, and promotion as nonfinancial rewards. In the following passages, we present a short overview of these four papers before we discuss their contribution and their implications for further research

The Development of 1Balance: A Connected Medical Device for Measuring Human Balance

Prototyping (iterative loops of design-build-test) is a proven method of efficiently developing new products. Developing products not only quickly, but that are also fit for purpose, implies engaging the end users and iterating the technology at hand. However, there is currently little research on how engineering design can approach developing connected devices. The purpose of this paper is to distinguish and discuss design approaches that are suitable for connected devices. Internet of Things devices consist of both the physical products themselves and the data that is coming out of the products, which we define as the external and internal data, respectively. They both can be prototyped separately, but since the data acquired can influence the design of the device and vice versa, we propose to link these two together in the product development process. This issue becomes more apparent when designing networks of sensors, e.g., for complex artificial intelligence (AI) databases. We explain the principle by describing the development of 1Balance through six different prototypes for human balance measurement. Technologically quantifying balance is an underused approach for objectively evaluating the state of a human's performance. The authors have developed a mobile application for monitoring balance as a physiological signal (amount of sway) via a compact wireless inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor strapped to the body of the subject for the duration of the measurement. We describe the design process for developing this connected medical device, as well as how the acquired data was used to improve the design of the product. In conclusion, we propose conceptually connecting the external and internal data prototyping loops

Cancer Risk Near a Polluted River in Finland

The River Kymijoki in southern Finland is heavily polluted with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and may pose a health threat to local residents, especially farmers. In this study we investigated cancer risk in people living near the river (< 20.0 km) in 1980. We used a geographic information system, which stores registry data, in 500 m × 500 m grid squares, from the Population Register Centre, Statistics Finland, and Finnish Cancer Registry. From 1981 to 2000, cancer incidence in all people (N = 188,884) and in farmers (n = 11,132) residing in the study area was at the level expected based on national rates. Relative risks for total cancer and 27 cancer subtypes were calculated by distance of individuals to the river in 1980 (reference: 5.0–19.9 km, 1.0–4.9 km, < 1.0 km), adjusting for sex, age, time period, socioeconomic status, and distance of individuals to the sea. The respective relative risks for total cancer were 1.00, 1.09 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.13], and 1.04 (95% CI, 0.99–1.09) among all residents, and 1.00, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.85–1.15), and 1.13 (95% CI, 0.97–1.32) among farmers. A statistically significant increase was observed for basal cell carcinoma of the skin (not included in total cancers) in all residents < 5.0 km. Several other common cancers, including cancers of the breast, uterine cervix, gallbladder, and nervous system, showed slightly elevated risk estimates at < 5.0 km from the river. Despite the limitations of exposure assessment, we cannot exclude the possibility that residence near the river may have contributed to a small increase in cancer risk, especially among farmers

Determinants of responsiveness to multidisciplinary chronic pain management interventions: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: The current manuscript presents a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence regarding the determinants of responsiveness to multidisciplinary management of chronic pain, with pain intensity, pain-related interference, physical functioning and health-related quality of life as the main outcomes, with consideration to multiple secondary outcomes. Methods and analysis: To identify relevant studies, the Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Ovid PsycINFO, EBSCO CINAHL and Scopus databases will be searched for all studies exploring factors associated with responsiveness to multidisciplinary pain management from study inception to the present. Cohorts, case-control studies and randomised controlled trials will be included. Independent screening for eligible studies will be completed by a total of four researchers using defined criteria. Data extraction will be executed by two researchers. Study heterogeneity will be estimated using the I2 index. A meta-analysis will be performed using random effects models. Publication bias will be evaluated by means of funnel plots and Egger's test. Ethics and dissemination: The proposed study does not involve collection of primary data. Therefore, no ethical approval is required. The results of the systematic review and meta-analysis will be presented in a peer-reviewed journal and at conferences. Prospero registration number: CRD42021236424.Peer reviewe

Kotimaisen järvi- ja merikalan dioksiinien, furaanien, dioksiinien kaltaisten PCB-yhdisteiden ja polybromattujen difenyylieettereiden pitoisuudet

EU-kalat -projekti toteutettiin, koska haluttiin saada tietoa kotimaisen kalan sisältämistä ympäristömyrkkypitoisuuksista. Tietoa päätettiin hankkia sekä Itämeren kalan että sisävesikalojen tärkeimmistä ympäristömyrkyistä: dioksiineista, joille oli asetettu EU:ssa enimmäispitoisuusraja, PCB-yhdisteistä, joiden sääntelyä EU:ssa osattiin odottaa, bromatuista difenyylieettereistä, joiden tiedettiin kertyvän kalaan sekä myös raskasmetalleista (julkaistaan erillisenä julkaisuna), joiden sääntelyä EU:ssa oli tarve tarkistaa. Suomen oli täytettävä myös ne edellytykset, jotka EU oli asettanut antaessaan Suomelle ja Ruotsille erityiskohtelun dioksiineja koskevassa lainsäädännössä. Lisäksi oli kiinnitettävä huomiota myös kotimaisen kalan sisältämien epäpuhtauksien aiheuttamiin seurauksiin kalastajille ja kalanjalostusteollisuudelle. Tutkimuksesta ilmeni, että dioksiinien ja PCB-yhdisteiden kertyminen kalaan on ennen kaikkea kalalajin ominaisuus. Ongelmakaloiksi jäivät lohi ja suurikokoinen silakka tässä järjestyksessä. Molemmista analysoitiin moninkertaisia pitoisuuksia dioksiineja enimmäispitoisuuteen (4 pg TEQ/g tuorepainoa) verrattuna. Sekä silakalla että lohella dioksiinipitoisuudet korreloivat iän mukana; mitä vanhempi kala sitä enemmän dioksiineja. Kaikki muut kotimaiset kalat paria poikkeuksellista tutkimustulosta lukuun ottamatta alittavat dioksiinille asetetun enimmäispitoisuusrajan. Myös kasvatetun kalan dioksiinipitoisuudet jäävät selvästi alle enimmäispitoisuusrajan

Modelling Future Coronary Heart Disease Mortality to 2030 in the British Isles.

OBJECTIVE: Despite rapid declines over the last two decades, coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates in the British Isles are still amongst the highest in Europe. This study uses a modelling approach to compare the potential impact of future risk factor scenarios relating to smoking and physical activity levels, dietary salt and saturated fat intakes on future CHD mortality in three countries: Northern Ireland (NI), Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Scotland. METHODS: CHD mortality models previously developed and validated in each country were extended to predict potential reductions in CHD mortality from 2010 (baseline year) to 2030. Risk factor trends data from recent surveys at baseline were used to model alternative future risk factor scenarios: Absolute decreases in (i) smoking prevalence and (ii) physical inactivity rates of up to 15% by 2030; relative decreases in (iii) dietary salt intake of up to 30% by 2030 and (iv) dietary saturated fat of up to 6% by 2030. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were then conducted. RESULTS: Projected populations in 2030 were 1.3, 3.4 and 3.9 million in NI, RoI and Scotland respectively (adults aged 25-84). In 2030: assuming recent declining mortality trends continue: 15% absolute reductions in smoking could decrease CHD deaths by 5.8-7.2%. 15% absolute reductions in physical inactivity levels could decrease CHD deaths by 3.1-3.6%. Relative reductions in salt intake of 30% could decrease CHD deaths by 5.2-5.6% and a 6% reduction in saturated fat intake might decrease CHD deaths by some 7.8-9.0%. These projections remained stable under a wide range of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Feasible reductions in four cardiovascular risk factors (already achieved elsewhere) could substantially reduce future coronary deaths. More aggressive polices are therefore needed in the British Isles to control tobacco, promote healthy food and increase physical activity

Usability Challenges in Smartphone Web Access: A Systematic Literature Review

Part 8: International Workshop on Information Engineering and ManagementInternational audienceSystematic literature reviews facilitate methodical understanding of current advances in a field. With the increasing popularity of smartphones, they have become an important means to access the web. Although the literature on this topic is growing in recent times, there has been no effort yet to systematically review it. This paper reports on a systematic literature review of primary studies from 2007 to 2012 that concern mobile web usability. We identify the usability dimensions tested and the testing procedures adopted in the literature. We anticipate that our work will not only help researchers understand the current state of usability testing of mobile web but also identify the areas where further research is needed in addressing the challenges identified