An entropy production based method for determining the position diffusion's coefficient of a quantum Brownian motion

Quantum Brownian motion of a harmonic oscillator in the Markovian approximation is described by the respective Caldeira-Leggett master equation. This master equation can be brought into Lindblad form by adding a position diffusion term to it. The coefficient of this term is either customarily taken to be the lower bound dictated by the Dekker inequality or determined by more detailed derivations on the linearly damped quantum harmonic oscillator. In this paper, we explore the theoretical possibilities of determining the position diffusion term's coefficient by analyzing the entropy production of the master equation.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure

Ion beamlet steering for two-grid electrostatic thrusters

An experimental study of ion beamlet steering in which the direction of beamlets emitted from a two grid aperture system is controlled by relative translation of the grids, is described. The results can be used to design electrostatic accelerating devices for which the direction and focus of emerging beamlets are important. Deflection and divergence angle data are presented for two grid systems as a function of the relative lateral displacement of the holes in these grids. At large displacements, accelerator grid impingements become excessive and this determines the maximum allowable displacement and as a result the useful range of beamlet deflection. Beamlet deflection is shown to vary linearly with grid offset angle over this range. The divergence of the beamlets is found to be unaffected by deflection over the useful range of beamlet deflection. The grids of a typical dished grid ion thruster are examined to determine the effects of thermally induced grid distortion and prescribed offsets of grid hole centerlines on the characteristics of the emerging beamlets. The results are used to determine the region on the grid surface where ion beamlet deflections exceed the useful range. Over this region high accelerator grid impingement currents and rapid grid erosion are predicted

Choi representation of completely positive maps: a technical introduction

This is a very brief operational introduction to the Choi representation of completely positive maps, i.e. quantum channels. It focuses on certain useful calculational techniques which are presented in full detail

Investigation of relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among workers at a pharmaceutical industry in Iran (2011-2012)

Musculoskeletal disorders may be observed in all industries and professions and most of these disorders are related to the back, upper and lower extremities of the body organs. In Pharmaceutical industry, almost lack of standard ergonomic conditions and sometimes can cause outbreaks of diseases and musculoskeletal disorders in various parts of the body. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and working on the packaging section of the pharmaceutical industry. The Nordic questionnaire and Rula method were used for collection of data and 392 workers were selected as the subjects of study. Based on the results of this study, (28.5%) of workers working in Packaging Unit complained of severe pain and discomfort in their neck, (23.7%) in their shoulder, (27.9%) in their hand and wrist and (33.2%) complained of severe pain in their back. The results indicate that workers in this industry could show musculoskeletal disorders based on age, education, gender and working conductions

Соціалізуючий вплив акціонізму: мистецько-політичний синтез в проекції моделювання політичної поведінки

Хома Н. М. Соціалізуючий вплив акціонізму: мистецько-політичний синтез в проекції моделювання політичної поведінки / Н. М. Хома // Актуальні проблеми політики : зб. наук. пр. / редкол.: С. В. Ківалов (голов. ред.), Л. І. Кормич (заст. голов. ред.), М. А. Польовий [та ін.] ; НУ «ОЮА», Південноукраїнський центр гендерних проблем. – Одеса : Фенікс, 2014. – Вип. 53. – С. 40-47.Аналізується модернізація ролевої поведінки, новітні зразки політичної поведінки у постмодерній реальності за умов інформаційно-комунікаційної революції. Наголошується, що в добу постмодерну актуалізується участь і самовираження особи через креативні форми масової участі. Доводиться дослідницька гіпотеза про те, що в епоху постмодерну через візуалізацію з елементами гри досягається максимальна ефективність політичної дії. Доводиться, що ефективна політична дія має бути емоційно забарвленою. Наголошено на конвергенції політики з різними мистецькими формами. Аналізуються три форми візуалізації постмодерної політичної дії: гепенінг, перфоманс та інсталяція.Анализируется модернизация ролевого поведения, новейшие образцы политического поведения в постмодерной реальности в условиях информационно-коммуникационной революции. Отмечается, что в эру постмодерна актуализируется участие и самовыражение личности через креативные формы массового участия. Обосновывается исследовательская гипотеза о том, что в эру постмодерна путем визуализации с элементами игры достигается максимальная эффективность политического действия. Доказывается, что эффективное политическое действие должно быть эмоционально окрашенным. Отмечено конвергенцию политики с разными художественными формами. Анализируются три формы визуализации постмодерного политического действия: хеппенинг, перфоманс, инсталляция.There is analyzed modernization of role-behaviour, new samples of political behaviour in post-modern reality under conditions of information and communication revolution. It is noted that at the age of postmodernism participation and self-expression of the person are actualized through creative forms of mass participation. There is proved research hypothesis that in the postmodern era visualization with game elements maximizes the effectiveness of political action. It is proved that new forms of political action have emotional charge effect and common deed sense. There exists a strong convergence of policies with different art forms. There are analyzed three forms of postmodern political action visualization: happening, performance and installation,

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke and Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Alternans in a Mouse Model.

BackgroundEpidemiological evidence suggests that a majority of deaths attributed to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure are cardiovascular related. However, to our knowledge, the impact of SHS on cardiac electrophysiology, [Formula: see text] handling, and arrhythmia risk has not been studied.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an environmentally relevant concentration of SHS on cardiac electrophysiology and indicators of arrhythmia.MethodsMale C57BL/6 mice were exposed to SHS [total suspended particles (THS): [Formula: see text], nicotine: [Formula: see text], carbon monoxide: [Formula: see text], or filtered air (FA) for 4, 8, or 12 wk ([Formula: see text]]. Hearts were excised and Langendorff perfused for dual optical mapping with voltage- and [Formula: see text]-sensitive dyes.ResultsAt slow pacing rates, SHS exposure did not alter baseline electrophysiological parameters. With increasing pacing frequency, action potential duration (APD), and intracellular [Formula: see text] alternans magnitude progressively increased in all groups. At 4 and 8 wk, there were no statistical differences in APD or [Formula: see text] alternans magnitude between SHS and FA groups. At 12 wk, both APD and [Formula: see text] alternans magnitude were significantly increased in the SHS compared to FA group ([Formula: see text]). SHS exposure did not impact the time constant of [Formula: see text] transient decay ([Formula: see text]) at any exposure time point. At 12 wk exposure, the recovery of [Formula: see text] transient amplitude with premature stimuli was slightly (but nonsignificantly) delayed in SHS compared to FA hearts, suggesting that [Formula: see text] release via ryanodine receptors may be impaired.ConclusionsIn male mice, chronic exposure to SHS at levels relevant to social situations in humans increased their susceptibility to cardiac alternans, a known precursor to ventricular arrhythmia. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3664

Toxicity Testing of Restorative Dental Materials Using Brine Shrimp Larvae (Artemia salina)

This study investigated the effect of extracts of different composites, glass ionomer cement (GIC)s and compomers on the viability of brine shrimp larvae. Ethanolic extracts of four dental composites (Z-100; Solitaire 2; Filtek P60 and Synergy), a conventional GIC (Ketac-Fil), a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer), two compomers (F2000; Dyract AP), and a flowable compomer (Dyract Flow) were prepared from each material. Following evaporation of the ethanol, the extracts were resuspended in distilled water, which was then used to test the effects on the viability of brine shrimp larvae. For the composites, the extract of Synergy was the least toxic (88% viability) followed by the extracts of Solitaire 2, Z100 and P60 (75%, 67.5% and 50% viability, respectively). One-way ANOVA revealed highly significant differences between the resin composite materials (

The earned income tax credit, health, and happiness

This paper contributes to the small but growing literature evaluating the health effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). In particular, we use data from the National Survey of Families and Households to study the impact of the 1990 federal EITC expansion on several outcomes related to mental health and subjective well-being. The identification strategy relies on a difference-in-differences framework to estimate intent-to-treat effects for the post-reform period. Our results suggest that the 1990 EITC reform generated sizeable health benefits for low-skilled mothers. Such women experienced lower depression symptomatology, an increase in self-reported happiness, and improved self-efficacy relative to their childless counterparts. Consistent with previous work, we find that married mothers captured most of the health benefits, with unmarried mothers' health changing very little following the 1990 EITC reform

The Earned Income Tax Credit, Mental Health, and Happiness

We study the impact of the earned income tax credit (EITC) on various measures of subjective well-being (SWB) using the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) to estimate intent-to-treat effects of the EITC expansion embedded in the 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. We use a difference-in-differences framework that compares the pre-and post-expansion SWB-changes of women likely eligible for the EITC (low-skilled mothers of working age) to the SWB-changes of a comparison group that is likely ineligible (low-skilled, childless women of working age). Our results suggest that the EITC expansion generated sizeable SWB-improvements in the three major categories of SWB identified in the literature. The NSFH is one of few datasets containing all three major categories of SWB. Subgroup analyses by marital status suggest that improvements accrued more to married than unmarried mothers. Relative to their childless counterparts, married mothers experienced a 15.7% decrease in depression symptomatology (experiential SWB), a 4.4% increase in happiness (evaluative SWB), and a 10.1% increase in self-esteem (eudemonic SWB). We also present specification checks that increase confidence that the observed SWB-effects are explained by the OBRA90 EITC expansion. Lastly, we explore mechanisms that may explain the differential impact of the EITC expansion by marital status