Microwave oven fabricated hybrid memristor devices for non-volatile memory storage

© 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd. Novel hybrid non-volatile memories made using an ultra-fast microwave heating method are reported for the first time. The devices, consisting of aligned ZnO nanorods embedded in poly (methyl methacrylate), require no forming step and exhibit reliable and reproducible bipolar resistive switching at low voltages and with low power usage. We attribute these properties to a combination of the high aspect ratio of the nanorods and the polymeric hybrid structure of the device. The extremely easy, fast and low-cost solution based method of fabrication makes possible the simple and quick production of cheap memory cells

Demography and disorders of the French Bulldog population under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013

Abstract Background Despite its Gallic name, the French Bulldog is a breed of both British and French origin that was first recognised by The Kennel Club in 1906. The French Bulldog has demonstrated recent rapid rises in Kennel Club registrations and is now (2017) the second most commonly registered pedigree breed in the UK. However, the breed has been reported to be predisposed to several disorders including ocular, respiratory, neurological and dermatological problems. The VetCompass™ Programme collates de-identified clinical data from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK for epidemiological research. Using VetCompass™ clinical data, this study aimed to characterise the demography and common disorders of the general population of French Bulldogs under veterinary care in the UK. Results French Bulldogs comprised 2228 (0.49%) of 445,557 study dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Annual proportional birth rates showed that the proportional ownership of French Bulldog puppies rose steeply from 0.02% of the annual birth cohort attending VetCompass™ practices in 2003 to 1.46% in 2013. The median age of the French Bulldogs overall was 1.3 years (IQR 0.6–2.5, range 0.0–13.0). The most common colours of French Bulldogs were brindle (solid or main) (32.36%) and fawn (solid or main) (29.9%). Of the 2228 French Bulldogs under veterinary care during 2013, 1612 (72.4%) had at least one disorder recorded. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders recorded were otitis externa (14.0%, 95% CI: 12.6–15.5), diarrhoea (7.5%, 95% CI: 6.4–8.7), conjunctivitis (3.2%, 95% CI: 2.5–4.0), nails overlong (3.1%, 95% CI% 2.4–3.9) and skin fold dermatitis (3.0%, 95% CI% 2.3–3.8). The most prevalent disorder groups were cutaneous (17.9%, 95% CI: 16.3–19.6), enteropathy (16.7%, 95% CI: 15.2–18.3), aural (16.3%, 95% CI: 14.8–17.9), upper respiratory tract (12.7%, 95% CI: 11.3–14.1) and ophthalmological (10.5%, 95% CI: 9.3–11.9). Conclusions Ownership of French Bulldogs in the UK is rising steeply. This means that the disorder profiles reported in this study reflect a current young UK population and are likely to shift as this cohort ages. Otitis externa, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis were the most common disorders in French Bulldogs. Identification of health priorities based on VetCompass™ data can support evidence–based reforms to improve health and welfare within the breed

Radiative corrections for (e,e′p) reactions at GeV energies

A general framework for applying radiative corrections to (e,e′p) coincidence reactions at GeV energies is presented, with special emphasis to higher-order bremsstrahlung effects, radiation from the scattered hadron, and the validity of peaking approximations. The sensitivity to the assumptions made in practically applying radiative corrections to (e,e′p) data is extensively discussed. The general framework is tested against experimental data of the 1H(e,e′p) reaction at momentum transfer values larger than 1.0 (GeV/c)^2, where radiative processes become a dominant source of uncertainty. The formulas presented here can easily be modified for any other electron-induced coincidence reaction

Momentum Transfer Dependence of Nuclear Transparency from the Quasielastic ^(12)C(e, e'p) Reaction

The cross section for quasielastic ^(12)C(e,e’p) scattering has been measured at momentum transfer Q^2=1, 3, 5, and 6.8 (GeV/c)^2. The results are consistent with scattering from a single nucleon as the dominant process. The nuclear transparency is obtained and compared with theoretical calculations that incorporate color transparency effects. No significant rise of the transparency with Q^2 is observed

Energy cost associated with vortex crossing in superconductors

Starting from the Ginzburg-Landau free energy of a type II superconductor in a magnetic field we estimate the energy associated with two vortices crossing. The calculations are performed by assuming that we are in a part of the phase diagram where the lowest Landau level approximation is valid. We consider only two vortices but with two markedly different sets of boundary conditions: on a sphere and on a plane with quasi-periodic boundary conditions. We find that the answers are very similar suggesting that the energy is localised to the crossing point. The crossing energy is found to be field and temperature dependent -- with a value at the experimentally measured melting line of $U_\times \simeq 7.5 k T_m \simeq 1.16/c_L^2$, where $c_L$ is the Lindemann melting criterion parameter. The crossing energy is then used with an extension of the Marchetti, Nelson and Cates hydrodynamic theory to suggest an explanation of the recent transport experiments of Safar {{\em et al.}\ }.Comment: 15 pages, RevTex v3.0, followed by 5 postscript figure

Comparison of in situ and columnar aerosol spectral measurements during TexAQS-GoMACCS 2006: testing parameterizations for estimating aerosol fine mode properties

During the 2006 Texas Air Quality Study and Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (TexAQS-GoMACCS 2006), the optical, chemical and microphysical properties of atmospheric aerosols were measured on multiple mobile platforms and at ground based stations. In situ measurements of the aerosol light extinction coefficient (σ<sub>ep</sub>) were performed by two multi-wavelength cavity ring-down (CRD) instruments, one located on board the NOAA R/V <i>Ronald H. Brown</i> (RHB) and the other located at the University of Houston, Moody Tower (UHMT). An AERONET sunphotometer was also located at the UHMT to measure the columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD). The σ<sub>ep</sub> data were used to extract the extinction Ångström exponent (å<sub>ep</sub>), a measure of the wavelength dependence of σ<sub>ep</sub>. There was general agreement between the å<sub>ep</sub> (and to a lesser degree σ<sub>ep</sub>) measurements by the two spatially separated CRD instruments during multi-day periods, suggesting a regional scale consistency of the sampled aerosols. Two spectral models are applied to the σ<sub>ep</sub> and AOD data to extract the fine mode fraction of extinction (η) and the fine mode effective radius (<i>R</i><sub>eff,f</sub>). These two parameters are robust measures of the fine mode contribution to total extinction and the fine mode size distribution, respectively. The results of the analysis are compared to <i>R</i><sub>eff,f</sub> values extracted using AERONET V2 retrievals and calculated from in situ particle size measurements on the RHB and at UHMT. During a time period when fine mode aerosols dominated the extinction over a large area extending from Houston/Galveston Bay and out into the Gulf of Mexico, the various methods for obtaining <i>R</i><sub>eff,f</sub> agree qualitatively (showing the same temporal trend) and quantitatively (pooled standard deviation = 28 nm)

Pleasure and pedagogy: the consumption of DVD add-ons among Irish teenagers

This article addresses the issue of young people and media use in the digital age, more specifically the interconnection between new media pleasures and pedagogy as they relate to the consumption of DVD add-ons. Arguing against the view of new media as having predominantly detrimental effects on young people, the authors claim that new media can enable young people to develop media literacy skills and are of the view that media literacy strategies must be based on an understanding and legitimating of young people's use patterns and pleasures. The discussion is based on a pilot research project on the use patterns and pleasures of use with a sample of Irish teenagers. They found that DVDs were used predominantly in the home context, and that, while there was variability in use between the groups, overall they developed critical literacy skills and competences which were interwoven into their social life and projects of identity construction. The authors suggest that these findings could be used to develop DVDs and their add-on features as a learning resource in the more formal educational setting and they go on to outline the potential teaching benefits of their use across a range of pedagogical areas

Investigation of additive effects in enantioselective copper-catalysed C-H insertion and aromatic addition reactions of α-diazocarbonyl compounds

Significant enhancements in enantioselectivities and reaction efficiencies in asymmetric copper-catalysed C-H insertion and aromatic addition reactions of α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of various group I salts are reported. For the first time in carbenoid chemistry, evidence for the critical role of the metal cation is described

Recovering the mass and the charge of a Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole by an inverse scattering experiment

In this paper, we study inverse scattering of massless Dirac fields that propagate in the exterior region of a Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole. Using a stationary approach we determine precisely the leading terms of the high-energy asymptotic expansion of the scattering matrix that, in turn, permit us to recover uniquely the mass of the black hole and its charge up to a sign

Safety Recommendations for Evaluation and Surgery of the Head and Neck During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Importance The rapidly expanding novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has challenged the medical community to an unprecedented degree. Physicians and health care workers are at added risk of exposure and infection during the course of patient care. Because of the rapid spread of this disease through respiratory droplets, health care workers who come in close contact with the upper aerodigestive tract during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as otolaryngologists–head and neck surgeons, are particularly at risk. A set of safety recommendations was created based on a review of the literature and communications with physicians with firsthand knowledge of safety procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Observations A high number of health care workers were infected during the first phase of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan, China. Subsequently, by adopting strict safety precautions, other regions were able to achieve high levels of safety for health care workers without jeopardizing the care of patients. The most common procedures related to the examination and treatment of upper aerodigestive tract diseases were reviewed. Each category was reviewed based on the potential risk imposed to health care workers. Specific recommendations were made based on the literature, when available, or consensus best practices. Specific safety recommendations were made for performing tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19. Conclusions and Relevance Preserving a highly skilled health care workforce is a top priority for any community and health care system. Based on the experience of health care systems in Asia and Europe, by following strict safety guidelines, the risk of exposure and infection of health care workers could be greatly reduced while providing high levels of care. The provided recommendations, which may evolve over time, could be used as broad guidance for all health care workers who are involved in the care of patients with COVID-19