1,114 research outputs found
Etch Induced Microwave Losses in Titanium Nitride Superconducting Resonators
We have investigated the correlation between the microwave loss and
patterning method for coplanar waveguide titanium nitride resonators fabricated
on Si wafers. Three different methods were investigated: fluorine- and
chlorine-based reactive ion etches and an argon-ion mill. At high microwave
probe powers the reactive etched resonators showed low internal loss, whereas
the ion-milled samples showed dramatically higher loss. At single-photon powers
we found that the fluorine-etched resonators exhibited substantially lower loss
than the chlorine-etched ones. We interpret the results by use of numerically
calculated filling factors and find that the silicon surface exhibits a higher
loss when chlorine-etched than when fluorine-etched. We also find from
microscopy that re-deposition of silicon onto the photoresist and side walls is
the probable cause for the high loss observed for the ion-milled resonator
Specificity of the osmotic stress response in Candida albicans highlighted by quantitative proteomics
We are grateful to the BBSRC for funding the CRISP Consortium (Combinatorial Responses in Stress Pathways) under the SABR Initiative (Systems Approaches to Biological Research) (BB/F00513X/1; BB/F005210/1). AJPB was also funded by the BBSRC (BB/K017365/1), the ERC (C-2009-AdG-249793), the Wellcome Trust (097377), the MRC (MR/M026663/1), and the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and the University of Aberdeen (MR/M026663/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Sub-micrometer epitaxial Josephson junctions for quantum circuits
We present a fabrication scheme and testing results for epitaxial
sub-micrometer Josephson junctions. The junctions are made using a
high-temperature (1170 K) "via process" yielding junctions as small as 0.8 mu m
in diameter by use of optical lithography. Sapphire (Al2O3) tunnel-barriers are
grown on an epitaxial Re/Ti multilayer base-electrode. We have fabricated
devices with both Re and Al top electrodes. While room-temperature (295 K)
resistance versus area data are favorable for both types of top electrodes, the
low-temperature (50 mK) data show that junctions with the Al top electrode have
a much higher subgap resistance. The microwave loss properties of the junctions
have been measured by use of superconducting Josephson junction qubits. The
results show that high subgap resistance correlates to improved qubit
performance
Modelling home care organisations from an operations management perspective
Home Care (HC) service consists of providing care to patients in their homes. During the last decade, the HC service industry experienced significant growth in many European countries. This growth stems from several factors, such as governmental pressure to reduce healthcare costs, demographic changes related to population ageing, social changes, an increase in the number of patients that suffer from chronic illnesses, and the development of new home-based services and technologies. This study proposes a framework that will enable HC service providers to better understand HC operations and their management. The study identifies the main processes and decisions that relate to the field of HC operations management. Hence, an IDEF0 (Integrated Definition for Function Modelling) activity-based model describes the most relevant clinical, logistical and organisational processes associated with HC operations. A hierarchical framework for operations management decisions is also proposed. This analysis is derived from data that was collected by nine HC service providers, which are located in France and Italy, and focuses on the manner in which operations are run, as well as associated constraints, inputs and outputs. The most challenging research areas in the field of HC operations management are also discussed
IRIS Burst Spectra Co-Spatial To A Quiet-Sun Ellerman-Like Brightening
Ellerman bombs (EBs) have been widely studied over the past two decades; however, only recently have counterparts of these events been observed in the quiet-Sun. The aim of this article is to further understand small-scale quiet-Sun Ellerman-like brightenings (QSEBs) through research into their spectral signatures, including investigating whether the hot signatures associated with some EBs are also visible co-spatial to any QSEBs. We combine H and Ca II \AA\ line scans at the solar limb with spectral and imaging data sampled by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Twenty one QSEBs were identified with average lifetimes, lengths, and widths measured to be around s, ", and ", respectively. Three of these QSEBs displayed clear repetitive flaring through their lifetimes, comparable to the behaviour of EBs in Active Regions (ARs). Two QSEBs in this sample occurred co-spatial with increased emission in SDO/AIA \AA\ and IRIS slit-jaw imager \AA\ data, however, these intensity increases were smaller than reported co-spatial to EBs. One QSEB was also sampled by the IRIS slit during its lifetime, displaying increases in intensity in the Si IV \AA\ and Si IV \AA\ cores as well as the C II and Mg II line wings, analogous to IRIS bursts (IBs). Using RADYN simulations, we are unable to reproduce the observed QSEB H and Ca II \AA\ line profiles leaving the question of the temperature stratification of QSEBs open. Our results imply that some QSEBs could be heated to Transition Region temperatures, suggesting that IB profiles should be observed throughout the quiet-Sun
Avoiding Catch-22:Validating the PainDETECT in a in a population of patients with chronic pain
BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system and is a major therapeutic challenge. Several screening tools have been developed to help physicians detect patients with neuropathic pain. These have typically been validated in populations pre-stratified for neuropathic pain, leading to a so called "Catch-22 situation:" "a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule". The validity of screening tools needs to be proven in patients with pain who were not pre-stratified on basis of the target outcome: neuropathic pain or non-neuropathic pain. This study aims to assess the validity of the Dutch PainDETECT (PainDETECT-Dlv) in a large population of patients with chronic pain. METHODS: A cross-sectional multicentre design was used to assess PainDETECT-Dlv validity. Included where patients with low back pain radiating into the leg(s), patients with neck-shoulder-arm pain and patients with pain due to a suspected peripheral nerve damage. Patients' pain was classified as having a neuropathic pain component (yes/no) by two experienced physicians ("gold standard"). Physician opinion based on the Grading System was a secondary comparison. RESULTS: In total, 291 patients were included. Primary analysis was done on patients where both physicians agreed upon the pain classification (nâ=â228). Compared to the physician's classification, PainDETECT-Dlv had a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 55%, versus the Grading System it achieved 74 and 46%. CONCLUSION: Despite its internal consistency and test-retest reliability the PainDETECT-Dlv is not an effective screening tool for a neuropathic pain component in a population of patients with chronic pain because of its moderate sensitivity and low specificity. Moreover, the indiscriminate use of the PainDETECT-Dlv as a surrogate for clinical assessment should be avoided in daily clinical practice as well as in (clinical-) research. Catch-22 situations in the validation of screening tools can be prevented by not pre-stratifying the patients on basis of the target outcome before inclusion in a validation study for screening instruments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol was registered prospectively in the Dutch National Trial Register: NTR 3030
Millimeter-Wave Polarimeters Using Kinetic Inductance Detectors for TolTEC and Beyond
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) provide a compelling path
forward to the large-format polarimeter, imaging, and spectrometer arrays
needed for next-generation experiments in millimeter-wave cosmology and
astronomy. We describe the development of feedhorn-coupled MKID detectors for
the TolTEC millimeter-wave imaging polarimeter being constructed for the
50-meter Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT). Observations with TolTEC are planned
to begin in early 2019. TolTEC will comprise 7,000 polarization sensitive
MKIDs and will represent the first MKID arrays fabricated and deployed on
monolithic 150 mm diameter silicon wafers -- a critical step towards future
large-scale experiments with over detectors. TolTEC will operate in
observational bands at 1.1, 1.4, and 2.0 mm and will use dichroic filters to
define a physically independent focal plane for each passband, thus allowing
the polarimeters to use simple, direct-absorption inductive structures that are
impedance matched to incident radiation. This work is part of a larger program
at NIST-Boulder to develop MKID-based detector technologies for use over a wide
range of photon energies spanning millimeter-waves to X-rays. We present the
detailed pixel layout and describe the methods, tools, and flexible design
parameters that allow this solution to be optimized for use anywhere in the
millimeter and sub-millimeter bands. We also present measurements of prototype
devices operating in the 1.1 mm band and compare the observed optical
performance to that predicted from models and simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Submitted to Journal of Low Temperature
Physic
280 GHz Focal Plane Unit Design and Characterization for the SPIDER-2 Suborbital Polarimeter
We describe the construction and characterization of the 280 GHz bolometric
focal plane units (FPUs) to be deployed on the second flight of the
balloon-borne SPIDER instrument. These FPUs are vital to SPIDER's primary
science goal of detecting or placing an upper limit on the amplitude of the
primordial gravitational wave signature in the cosmic microwave background
(CMB) by constraining the B-mode contamination in the CMB from Galactic dust
emission. Each 280 GHz focal plane contains a 16 x 16 grid of corrugated
silicon feedhorns coupled to an array of aluminum-manganese transition-edge
sensor (TES) bolometers fabricated on 150 mm diameter substrates. In total, the
three 280 GHz FPUs contain 1,530 polarization sensitive bolometers (765 spatial
pixels) optimized for the low loading environment in flight and read out by
time-division SQUID multiplexing. In this paper we describe the mechanical,
thermal, and magnetic shielding architecture of the focal planes and present
cryogenic measurements which characterize yield and the uniformity of several
bolometer parameters. The assembled FPUs have high yields, with one array as
high as 95% including defects from wiring and readout. We demonstrate high
uniformity in device parameters, finding the median saturation power for each
TES array to be ~3 pW at 300 mK with a less than 6% variation across each array
at one standard deviation. These focal planes will be deployed alongside the 95
and 150 GHz telescopes in the SPIDER-2 instrument, slated to fly from McMurdo
Station in Antarctica in December 2018
Suitability and managerial implications of a Master Surgical Scheduling approach
Abstract: Operating room (OR) planning and scheduling is a popular and challenging subject within the operational research applied to health services research (ORAHS). However, the impact in practice is very limited. The organization and culture of a hospital and the inherent characteristics of its processes impose specific implementation issues that affect the success of planning approaches. Current tactical OR planning approaches often fail to account for these issues.Master surgical scheduling (MSS) is a promising approach for hospitals to optimize resource utilization and patient flows. We discuss the pros and cons of MSS and compare MSS with centralized and decentralized planning approaches. Finally, we address various implementation issues of MSS and discuss its suitability for hospitals with different organizational foci and culture
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