Finite Volume Cumulant Expansion in QCD-Colorless Plasma

Due to the finite size effects, the localisation of the phase transition in finite systems and the determination of its order, become an extremely difficult task, even in the simplest known cases. In order to identify and locate the finite volume transition point $T_{0}(V)$ of the QCD deconfinement phase transition to a Colorless QGP, we have developed a new approach using the finite size cumulant expansion of the order parameter and the $L_{mn}$-method. The first six cumulants $C_{1,2,3,4,5,6}$ with the corresponding under-normalized ratios(skewness $\Sigma$, kurtosis $\kappa$ ,pentosis $\Pi_{\pm}$ and hexosis $\mathcal{H}_{1,2,3}$) and three unnormalized combinations of them ($\mathcal{O}={\mathcal{\sigma }^{2} \mathcal{\kappa } }{\mathbf{\Sigma }^{-1} }$, $\mathcal{U} ={\mathcal{\sigma }^{-2} \mathbf{\Sigma }^{-1} }$, $\mathcal{N} = \mathcal{\sigma }^{2} \mathcal{\kappa }$) are calculated and studied as functions of $(T,V)$. A new approach, unifying in a clear and consistent way the definitions of cumulant ratios, is proposed. A numerical FSS analysis of the obtained results has allowed us to locate accurately the finite volume transition point. The extracted transition temperature value $T_{0}(V)$ agrees with that expected $T_{0}^{N}(V)$ from the order parameter and the thermal susceptibility $\chi _{T}\left( T,V\right)$, according to the standard procedure of localization to within about $2\%$. In addition to this, a very good correlation factor is obtained proving the validity of our cumulants method. The agreement of our results with those obtained by means of other models is remarkable.Comment: 19 pages,14 figues, figures 4,5,6 figures are oversized, therefore, can be obtained directly from [email protected],Accepted for publication in EPJ

Ortho-Fluorination of azophenols increases the mesophase stability of photoresponsive hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals

Photoresponsive liquid crystals (LCs) whose alignment can be controlled with UV-Visible light are appealing for a range of photonic applications. From the perspective of exploring the interplay between the light response and the self-assembly of the molecular components, supramolecular liquid crystals are of particular interest. They allow elaborating the structure-property relationships that govern the optical performance of LC materials by subtle variation of the chemical structures of the building blocks. Herein we present a supramolecular system comprising azophenols and stilbazoles as hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors, respectively, and show that ortho-fluorination of the azophenol dramatically increases the thermal stability of the LC phases, an important characteristics in their further utilization in photonics. The systems exhibit fast photoinduced order-disorder transitions, and rapid recovery of the liquid-crystalline state once the light irradiation is ceased, due to the photochemical properties of azophenols

AMCTD: Adaptive Mobility of Courier nodes in Threshold-optimized DBR Protocol for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

In dense underwater sensor networks (UWSN), the major confronts are high error probability, incessant variation in topology of sensor nodes, and much energy consumption for data transmission. However, there are some remarkable applications of UWSN such as management of seabed and oil reservoirs, exploration of deep sea situation and prevention of aqueous disasters. In order to accomplish these applications, ignorance of the limitations of acoustic communications such as high delay and low bandwidth is not feasible. In this paper, we propose Adaptive mobility of Courier nodes in Threshold-optimized Depth-based routing (AMCTD), exploring the proficient amendments in depth threshold and implementing the optimal weight function to achieve longer network lifetime. We segregate our scheme in 3 major phases of weight updating, depth threshold variation and adaptive mobility of courier nodes. During data forwarding, we provide the framework for alterations in threshold to cope with the sparse condition of network. We ultimately perform detailed simulations to scrutinize the performance of our proposed scheme and its comparison with other two notable routing protocols in term of network lifetime and other essential parameters. The simulations results verify that our scheme performs better than the other techniques and near to optimal in the field of UWSN.Comment: 8th International Conference on Broadband and Wireless Computing, Communication and Applications (BWCCA'13), Compiegne, Franc

Saudi SCD patients’ symptoms and quality of life relative to the number of ED visits

Background Individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) have significantly increased emergency department (ED) use compared to the general population. In Saudi Arabia, health care is free for all individuals and therefore has no bearing on increased ED visits. However, little is known about the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and frequency of acute care utilization in this patient population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 366 patients with SCD who attended the outpatient department at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through self-administered surveys, which included: demographics, SCD-related ED visits, clinical issues, and QoL levels. We assessed the ED use by asking for the number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month period. Results The self-report survey of ED visits was completed by 308 SCD patients. The median number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month time period (IQR) was four (2-7 visits). According to the unadjusted negative binomial model, the rate of SCD-related ED visits increased by (46, 39.3, 40, and 53.5 %) for patients with fever, skin redness with itching, swelling, and blood transfusion, respectively. Poor QoL tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education and poor general health positively influenced the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits by 50.2 %. The rate of SCD-related ED visits decreased by 1.4 % for every point increase in general health. Conclusion Saudi patients with sickle cell disease reported a wide range of SCD-related ED visits. It was estimated that six of 10 SCD patients had at least three ED visits within a 6-month period. Well education and poor general health resulted in an increase in the rate of SCD-related ED visits