Continuous-wave spontaneous lasing in mercury pumped by resonant two-photon absorption

The first continuous-wave two-photon absorption laser-induced stimulated emission (CTALISE) is demonstrated. The 7^1S-6^1P transition in mercury at 1014nm wavelength is used and selective lasing of different isotopes is observed.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure

Triple resonant four-wavemixing boosts the yield of continuous coherent VUV generation

Continuous-wave coherent radiation in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)wavelength region at 121 nm will be essential for future laser-cooling of trapped antihydrogen [1]. Cold antihydrogen will enable both tests of the fundamental symmetry between matter and antimatter at unprecedented experimental precision [2] and also experiments in antimatter gravity [3]. Another fascinating application of narrowband continuous laser radiation in the VUV is quantum information processing using single trapped ions in Rydberg-states [4, 5]. Here we describe highly efficient continuous four-wave mixing in the VUV by using three different fundamental wavelengths with a sophisticated choice of detunings to resonances of the nonlinear medium. Up to 6 microwatts of vacuum ultraviolet radiation at 121 nm can be generated which corresponds to an increase of three orders of magnitude in efficiency.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Towards Optimal Free Trade Agreement Utilization through Deep Learning Techniques

In recent years, deep learning based methods achieved new state of the art in various domains such as image recognition, speech recognition and natural language processing. However, in the context of tax and customs, the amount of existing applications of artificial intelligence and more specifically deep learning is limited. In this paper, we investigate the potentials of deep learning techniques to improve the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) utilization of trade transactions. We show that supervised learning models can be trained to decide on the basis of transaction characteristics such as import country, export country, product type, etc. whether FTA can be utilized. We apply a specific architecture with multiple embeddings to efficiently capture the dynamics of tabular data. The experiments were evaluated on real-world data generated by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems of an international chemical and consumer goods company

Model-Based Compliance in Information Systems – Foundations, Case Description and Data Set of the MobIS-Challenge for Students and Doctoral Candidates

Information systems (IS) can significantly support the organization of business processes. However, the proceeding digitalization of processes can also lead to an increasing organizational complexity and the need to more intensely investigate the adherence to external or internal compliance rules. Process-related data from IS and underlying process models can, however, also contribute to an effective compliance checking. This paper first presents conceptual foundations of model-based compliance checking that motivated the MobIS-Challenge workshop for students and doctoral candidates at WI 2019.Second, we introduce the challenge itself and its corresponding data set. The data describes an exemplary travel management process in a medium-sized consulting company and served for the development and validation of adequate solutions addressing the compliance checking requirements. Solutions accepted for presentation at the workshop are briefly outlined in this paper

A cross sectional study of water quality from dental unit water lines in dental practices in the West of Scotland

OBJECTIVE: To determine the microbiological quality of water from dental units in a general practice setting and current practice for disinfection of units. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of the water quality from 40 dental units in 39 general practices and a questionnaire of the disinfection protocols used in those practices. SETTING: NHS practices in primarydental care. SUBJECTS: Thirty-nine general practices from the West of Scotland. METHODS: Water samples were collected on two separate occasions from dental units and analysed for microbiological quality by the total viable count (TVC) method. Water specimens were collected from the triple syringe, high speed outlet, cup filler and surgery tap. Each participating practitioner was asked to complete a questionnaire. Results Microbial contamination was highest from the high speed outlet followed by the triple syringe and cup filler. On average, the TVC counts from the high speed water lines at 37 degrees C and for the high speed lines, triple syringe and cup filler at 22 degrees C were significantly higher than that from the control tap water specimens. The study included units from 11 different manufacturers with ages ranging from under one year to over eight years. The age of the dental unit analysed did not appear to influence the level of microbial contamination. Five of the practices surveyed used disinfectants to clean the dental units but these had no significant effect on the microbiological quality of the water. The majority of dental units (25 out of 40) were never flushed with water between patients. A number of different non-sterile irrigants were used for surgical procedures. CONCLUSION: The microbiological quality of water from dental units in general dental practice is poor compared with that from drinking water sources. Suitable sterile irrigants should be used for surgical procedures in dental practice. Further work is required for pragmatic decontamination regimens of dental unit water lines in a general dental practice setting

Cranial MRI in Childhood Acute Leukemia during Treatment and Follow-Up Including the Impact of Intrathecal MTX : A Single-Center Study and Review of the Literature

Due to high survival rates, long-term sequelae, especially neurotoxicity, need to be considered in childhood acute leukemias. In this retrospective analysis of morphologic changes of the brain in children treated for acute leukemias, we included 94 patients (77 ALL, 17 AML; 51 male, 43 female; median age: 5 years) from a single center. We analyzed 170 cranial MRI scans (T2, FLAIR axial) for morphologic alterations of the brain and variations of the ventricular width (GDAH). In addition, the corresponding literature was reviewed. More than 50% of all patients showed cerebral pathomorphologies (CP). They were seen more often in children with ALL (55.8%), ≤ 6 years of age (60.8%), in relapse (58.8%) or after CNS irradiation (75.0%) and included white matter changes, brain atrophy, sinus vein thrombosis and ischemic events. GDAH significantly enlarged mainly in children up to 6 years, with relapse, high-risk leukemias or ALL patients. However, GDAH can normalize again. The number of intrathecal Methotrexate applications (≤12 vs. >12) showed no correlation to morphologic alterations besides a significant increase in GDAH (−0.3 vs. 0.9 mm) between the first and last follow-up MRI in ALL patients receiving >12 ith. MTX applications. The role of ith. MTX on CP needs to be further investigated and correlated to the neurocognitive outcome of children with acute leukemias

The Postantibiotic Effect in the Treatment of Experimental Meningitis Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in Rabbits

The relevance of a postantibiotic effect in the treatment of pneumococcal meningitis was evaluated in a rabbit model. After administration of a single intravenous bolus of ampicillin at various dosages, such an effect was observed in all animals. The duration of this effect in vivo (2.5-18 hr) was consistently longer than that in vitro (1-4.3 hr); however, in rabbits the postantibiotic effect was eliminated by the administration of intravenous plus intracisternal β-lactamase. In an assessment of the potential therapeutic benefit of the postantibiotic effect, the efficacy of two regimens of treatment with different intervals between doses was compared. One group of animals received ampicillin every 4 hr and another every 12 hr. With sufficiently high doses, drug concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid exceeded the minimal bactericidal concentration for most of the 4-hr interval but for only about one-third of the 12-hr interval. The rate of cure was similar for the two regimens and approximated 100% when peak drug concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid exceeded the minimal bactericidal concentration by at least 10-fol

Influence of the 6^1S_0-6^3P_1 Resonance on Continuous Lyman-alpha Generation in Mercury

Continuous coherent radiation in the vacuum-ultraviolet at 122 nm (Lyman-alpha) can be generated using sum-frequency mixing of three fundamental laser beams in mercury vapour. One of the fundamental beams is at 254 nm wavelength, which is close to the 6^1S_0-6^3P_1 resonance in mercury. Experiments have been performed to investigate the effect of this one-photon resonance on phasematching, absorption and the nonlinear yield. The efficiency of continuous Lyman-alpha generation has been improved by a factor of 4.5.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Alpha particle production by molecular single-particle effect in reactions of 9^{9}Be just above the Coulomb barrier

The $\alpha$-particle production in the dissociation of $^{9}$Be on $^{209}$Bi and $^{64}$Zn at energies just above the Coulomb barrier is studied within the two-center shell model approach. The dissociation of $^{9}$Be on $^{209}$Bi is caused by a molecular single-particle effect (Landau-Zener mechanism) before the nuclei reach the Coulomb barrier. Molecular single-particle effects do not occur at that stage of the collision for $^{9}$Be+$^{64}$Zn, and this explains the absence of fusion suppression observed for this system. The polarisation of the energy level of the last neutron of $^{9}$Be and, therefore the existence of avoided crossings with that level, depends on the structure of the target.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Evaluation of the efficacy of Alpron disinfectant for dental unit water lines

AIMS: To assess the efficacy of a disinfectant, Alpron, for controlling microbial contamination within dental unit water lines. METHODS: The microbiological quality of water emerging from the triple syringe, high speed handpiece, cup filler and surgery hand wash basin from six dental units was assessed for microbiological total viable counts at 22 degrees C and 37 degrees C before and after treatment with Alpron solutions. RESULTS: The study found that the use of Alpron disinfectant solutions could reduce microbial counts in dental unit water lines to similar levels for drinking water. This effect was maintained in all units for up to six weeks following one course of treatment. In four out of six units the low microbial counts were maintained for 13 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Disinfectants may have a short term role to play in controlling microbial contamination of dental unit water lines to drinking water quality. However, in the longer term attention must be paid to redesigning dental units to discourage the build up of microbial biofilms