Sagnac interference in Carbon nanotube loops

In this paper we study electron interference in nanotube loops. The conductance as a function of the applied voltage is shown to oscillate due to interference between electron beams traversing the loop in two opposite directions, with slightly different velocities. The period of these oscillations with respect to the gate voltage, as well as the temperatures required for the effect to appear, are shown to be much larger than those of the related Fabry-Perot interference. This effect is analogous to the Sagnac effect in light interferometers. We calculate the effect of interactions on the period of the oscillations, and show that even though interactions destroy much of the near-degeneracy of velocities in the symmetric spin channel, the slow interference effects survive.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Changing internal migration flows patterns in South Korea

In comparison with other developed nations, there is a relative lack of analyses on internal migration flow in South Korea. During the last 50 years, the country has witnessed distinct changes in both the levels and patterns of internal migration. Traditionally, the faster developing north-west administrative units (Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi regions) have accounted for the majority of in-migration. However, since 2011, internal migration in Korea has become more diffuse, with migrants moving to a greater variety of regions. We visualize these changes using chord diagram plots

A cohort study of the associations between udder conformation, milk somatic cell count, and lamb weight in suckler ewes

A cohort study of 67 suckler ewes from 1 farm was carried out from January to May 2010 to investigate associations between udder conformation, udder half milk somatic cell count (SCC), and lamb weight. Ewes and lambs were observed at lambing. Ewe health and teat condition and lamb health and weight were recorded on 4 to 5 further occasions at 14-d intervals. At each observation, a milk sample was collected from each udder half for somatic cell counting. Two weeks after lambing, ewe udder conformation and teat placement were scored. Low lamb weight was associated with ewe SCC >400,000 cells/mL (−0.73kg), a new teat lesion 14 d previously (−0.91kg), suboptimal teat position (−1.38kg), rearing in a multiple litter (−1.45kg), presence of diarrhea at the examination (−1.19kg), and rearing by a 9-yr-old ewe compared with a 6-yr-old ewe (−2.36kg). High lamb weight was associated with increasing lamb age (0.21kg/d), increasing birth weight (1.65kg/kg at birth), and increasing number of days the ewe was given supplementary feed before lambing (0.06kg/d). High udder half SCC was associated with pendulous udders (9.6% increase in SCC/cm of drop) and greater total cross-sectional area of the teats (7.2% increase of SCC/cm2). Low SCC were associated with a heavier mean litter weight (6.7% decrease in SCC/kg). Linear, quadratic, and cubic terms for days in lactation were also significant. We conclude that poor udder and teat conformation are associated with high levels of intramammary infection, as indicated by increased SCC and that both physical attributes of the udder and SCC are linked to lamb growth, suggesting that selection of suckler ewes with better udder and teat conformation would reduce intramammary infection and increase lamb growth rate

Investigating an Adequate Level of Modelling for Energy Analysis of Domestic Buildings

This paper investigates what level of modelling is required to appropriately support energy analysis of domestic buildings. The paper analyses the effect of simplications made in thermal zoning and internal loads scheduling through a case study of a UK domestic building. The case study provides quantified effects of common simplications made in practice on the accuracy of energy predictions by making simplications in the model incrementally and estimating the effect of individual simplications on electricity and heating demand predictions

Investigating an adequate level of modelling for retrofit decision-making: A case study of a British semi-detached house

This paper investigates what level of modelling (zoning or internal load scheduling) is required to support heating related retrofit decision-making. First, this paper tests the effect of thermal zoning by incrementally reducing the number of thermal zones from modelling every room as a separate zone to modelling the house as a single zone. Second, this paper examines the influence of internal load schedules (occupancy, lighting and equipment schedules) on prediction accuracy. Actual internal load schedules were derived from the smart meter data of 666 households collected by the Customer-Led Network Revolution project. Cluster analysis was applied to extract a set of prototypical schedules to capture major variations across all households. Last, this paper evaluates the effects of the zoning and internal load scheduling modelling assumptions in the context of thermal retrofit decision-making. For the specific parameters studied and the specific building design, the use of different zoning strategies and different internal load schedules yielded the same ranking of top retrofit options. For the specific climate and the baseline assumptions for the retrofits, different cluster schedules resulted in different magnitudes of energy savings, but the ranking of top retrofit options was not impacted by the choice of household internal load schedules. However, the actual internal load schedules affected the energy-saving potentials achievable by the same set of retrofit options. The case study highlights that the optimal set of retrofit options selected given the specific physical characteristics of a house is the same regardless of differences in the input of internal load schedules. However, it was found that energy-saving potentials achievable by the same retrofit option substantially vary according to the actual internal load schedules. This finding implies that energy retrofit policies can be tailored to target certain groups of households selected by clustering their actual energy use profiles to cost-effectively maximise energy savings from the domestic sector

Adenosine-induced ST segment depression with normal perfusion

Background: Intravenous adenosine in conjunction with myocardial perfusion imaging is commonly used for the detection of coronary artery disease and risk assessment. We have previously shown that patients with ischemic changes on the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) in response to adenosine but with normal perfusion pattern have a benign outcome on shortintermediate follow-up. The long-term outcome of these patients is unknown. Methods: Patients with ischemic ECG response (≥ 1 mm ST depression) to adenosine infusion but with normal perfusion on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging in the absence of a history of myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization were followed up for mortality, myocardial infarctions, and coronary revascularization. Results: The cohort consisted of 73 patients (81% women) who were followed up for mortality for a mean of 61 ± 15 months. There were 10 deaths, and the cause of death was determined to be non-cardiac in half of those. Follow-up for the other endpoints was complete for 21 ± 10 months during which no patient had myocardial infarction and seven underwent coronary revascularization. Conclusions: Patients with ischemic ECG response to intravenous adenosine administration and normal perfusion on SPECT are at low risk of cardiovascular events. The ST segment response to adenosine in this setting is likely related to non-ischemic mechanisms

Laminaria japonica Extract Enhances Intestinal Barrier Function by Altering Inflammatory Response and Tight Junction-Related Protein in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Caco-2 Cells.

In the normal physiological state, intestinal epithelial cells act as a defensive frontline of host mucosal immunity to tolerate constant exposure to external stimuli. In this study, we investigated the potential anti-inflammatory and gut permeability protective effects of Laminaria japonica (LJ) water extract (LJE) and three types of fermented Laminaria japonica water extracts (LJE-F1, LJE-F2, and LJE-F3) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Caco-2, human intestinal epithelial cells. All four extracts significantly decreased the production of nitric oxide and interleukin-6 induced by LPS stimulus. In addition, LJE and the three types of LJE-Fs also inhibited LPS-induced loss of monolayer permeability, as assessed by changes in transepithelial electrical resistance. All four LJ extracts significantly prevented the inhibition of the protein levels of occludin, whereas LJE, LJE-F1, and LJE-F3 significantly attenuated the reduction in phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase compared with the LPS-treated group in Caco-2 cells. In conclusion, LJE and its fermented water extracts appear to have potential gut health-promoting effects by reducing inflammation and partially regulating the tight junction-related proteins in human intestinal epithelial cells. Thus, additional studies are warranted to evaluate Laminaria japonica as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory bowel diseases

Magnetic interactions in transition metal doped ZnO : An abinitio study

We calculate the nature of magnetic interactions in transition-metal doped ZnO using the local spin density approximation and LSDA+\textit{U} method of density functional theory. We investigate the following four cases: (i) single transition metal ion types (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) substituted at Zn sites, (ii) substitutional magnetic transition metal ions combined with additional Cu and Li dopants, (iii) substitutional magnetic transition metal ions combined with oxygen vacancies and (iv) pairs of magnetic ion types (Co and Fe, Co and Mn, etc.). Extensive convergence tests indicate that the calculated magnetic ground state is unusually sensitive to the k-point mesh and energy cut-off, the details of the geometry optimizations and the choice of the exchange-correlation functional. We find that ferromagnetic coupling is sometimes favorable for single type substitutional transition metal ions within the local spin density approximation. However, the nature of magnetic interactions changes when correlations on the transition-metal ion are treated within the more realistic LSDA + \textit{U} method, often disfavoring the ferromagnetic state. The magnetic configuration is sensitive to the detailed arrangement of the ions and the amount of lattice relaxation, except in the case of oxygen vacancies when an antiferromagnetic state is always favored.Comment: 11 pages, 17 figure

Analysis Methodology for Large Organizations' Investments in Energy Retrofit of Buildings

This paper presents a formal methodology that supports large organizations' investments in energy retrofit of buildings. The methodology is a scalable modeling approach based on normative models and Bayesian calibration. Normative models are a light- weight quasi-steady state energy models, which makes them scalable to large sets of buildings due to highly enhanced modeling efficiency. Then, Bayesian approach calibrates normative models such that calibrated models quantify uncertainty in the model while representing a building as operated. Calibrated models can further incorporate additional uncertainty from ECMs, and provide information about underperforming risks of ECMs. This paper illustrates the proposed retrofit analysis process through a case study, and demonstrates its feasibility to support large-scale retrofit decisions under uncertainty in the context of the ESCO industry