bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Second Harmonic Generation of 266 nm Laser Beam Using BBO Nonlinear Crystal
Authors: Khorsheed Suha Mousa , Al-Obaidi Raneen Salam
Published: February 2021

Second harmonic generation (SHG) is a phenomenon observed in nonlinear optics that leads to frequency duplication for a high intensity laser incident on nonlinear crystal using BBO crystal. The SHG yield is achieved when the photons interact with a nonlinear optical material and effectively combine to form new photons with double frequency, and therefore double energy and half wavelength. This paper is concerned with the establishment of an SHG experiment to govern the process of producing half-wavelength laser beam from the input one. The theoretical effort was extended to compute the efficiency by using MATLAB software based on mathematical relationships. The values of the conversion maximum efficiencies, which were computed as a function of the input and output powers of the theoretical computations, were 15.6% and 16%  at input and output power values of 0.6 and 0.1, respectively. The experimental results of the laser source of 532nm wavelength (fundamental frequency was 0.563x1015s-1) gave a half wavelength of 266nm (double frequency was 1.126x1015s-1). The conversion efficiencies, computed as a function of the input and output powers of the experimental measurements, were 14.32% and 12.97%, respectively.
Magnetic Liquid Switching Using Rodlike Ferronematic 6CHBT Liquid Crystal Mixture Depending on the Diffraction Patterns
Authors: Ibrahim Rawa K. , Mahmood Aseel I. , Gdovinova Veronika , Kopcansky Peter
Published: February 2021

Diffraction patterns formed by a ferronematic sample, which contains 4-(trans-4-n-hexylcyclohexyl)-isothiocyanatobenzene (6CHBT) liquid crystal doped with Fe3O4 rodlike magnetic nanoparticles, was studied. The studied mixture can be applicated as a liquid magnetic switch. The diffraction patterns were observed from the micro-lines scribed on the polymer layer, which was contained by the liquid crystal mixture cell, with dimensions of 4 nm for depth and 0.32 Âµm for width and 5000 line per 1 mm2 in the case of absence and presence of the DC magnetic field. From the experimental results, it was observed that the application of the magnetic field caused more than 17% expansion in the diffraction patterns area at the focused point, while the number of patterns was increased by 25%. This change in the diffraction area due to the application of a magnetic field gives the motive to sense the low DC magnetic field which could be useful in the application of liquid switching.
The Dynamics of a Food Web System: Role of a Prey Refuge Depending on Both Species
Authors: Jabr Ekhlas Abd Al-Husain , Bahlool Dahlia Khaled
Published: February 2021

This paper aims to study the role of a prey refuge that depends on both prey and predator species on the dynamics of a food web model. It is assumed that the food transfer among the web levels occurs according to Lotka-Volterra functional response. The solution properties, such as existence, uniqueness, and uniform boundedness, are discussed. The local, as well as the global, stabilities of the solution of the system are investigated. The persistence of the system is studied with the assistance of average Lyapunov function. The local bifurcation conditions that may occur near the equilibrium points are established. Finally, numerical simulation is used to confirm our obtained results. It is observed that the system has only one type of attractors that is a stable point, while periodic dynamics do not exist even on the boundary planes.
Design and Implementation of an IoT-based Transactional System for Quality Management
Authors: Younis Mohammed Issam , Alwan Athraa H.
Published: February 2021

The spread of Coronavirus has forced populations around the globe to adopt strict measures such as lockdown, home quarantine, and home office. Moreover, in the current development of network communications, people can exploit internet and intranet features in many systems that need to be faster, more efficient, and available on time. Furthermore, with the benefits of using internet-of-things (IoT), through which things are generated, gained, discovered, and proposed without interference, the user could receive the last status without exertion and direct contact (i.e., in a contactless manner). These specifications can be used in a transaction system. This paper proposes an electronic transaction system (ETS) as a replacement for the current paper transaction used in most organizationsâ€™ environments. The progress includes the signing privilege, access right for each position, delivery reports, transaction tracking, and transaction storage safety. Transactions will be stored in an encrypted way at the database to keep them safe from illegal changes. For that, a secure electronic transaction is created with digital signature services. The negligence can be identified in the workflow by tracking the operations and receiving exceptional casesâ€™ alerts. Finally, this paper compared the proposed system against state-of-the-art systems.
Automatic Pectoral Muscles Detection and Removal in Mammogram Images
Authors: Fadhil Sarah Siham , Dawood Faten Abed Ali
Published: February 2021

The main aim of the Computer-Aided Detection/Diagnosis system is to assist the radiologists in examining the digital mammograms. Digital mammogram is the most popular screening technique for early detection of breast cancer. One of the problems in breast mammogram analysis is the presence of pectoral muscles region with high intensity in the upper right or left side of most Media-Lateral Oblique views of mammogram images. Therefore, it is important to remove this pectoral muscle from the image for accurate diagnosis results. The proposed method consists of three main steps. In the first step, noise is reduced using Median filtering. In the second step, artifacts removal and breast region extraction are performed using Otsu method. Finally, the pectoral muscle is extracted and removed using the proposed Split Orientation Local Thresholding (SOLTH) algorithm. For this study, a total of 110 mammogram images from the Mini-Mias database (MIAS) were used to evaluate the proposed methodâ€™s performance. The experimental results of automatic pectoral muscle detection and removal were observed by radiologist and showed 90.9% accuracy of acceptable results.
The Antimicrobial Effects of Alcoholic Leaves Extract of Salvia Officinalis Against Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Authors: Sweedan Enass Ghassan
Published: February 2021

Two isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from patients with Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial effect of alcoholic leaves extract of Salvia officinalis on Multidrug resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa. Using the well diffusion test, the alcoholic leaves extract at 100mg/ml and 200 mg /ml was shown to possess antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganism. The inhibition zones of S. officinalis at 200 mg/ml, and 100 mg/ml of the extract showed diameters of 23mm and 20mm, respectively. But the diameters of the inhibition zones caused by treatment with the antibiotics Ciprofloxacin, Ticarcillin + Clavulanic acid, and Cefotaxime were 28mm, 27mm, and 25mm) for both isolates, respectively. The results indicate that P. aeruginosa was resistant to most antibiotics of different groups used in this study. It was found that the isolates were Multidrug Resistant (MDR) by sensitivity test. The results of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), by using E-test strips, showed that MIC of Cefoxitin was 4Âµg/ml for P. aeruginosa 1, but P. aeruginosa 2 was resistant.  MIC value for Cefoperazone was 8Âµg/ml against P. aeruginosa 1, whereas P. aeruginosa 2 was resistant. MIC value was also determined for the alcoholic leaves extract against P. aeruginosa, showing a value of 100 mg/ml, while the plant extract also had synergistic effects with Ciprofloxacin, Cefotaxime, and Ticarcillin+ Clavulanic Acid. It can be concluded that the alcoholic leaves extract of S. officinalis had considerable antimicrobial effects on MDR P. aeruginosa. Thus, it can be used instead of antibiotics for the treatment of UTI caused by MDR P. aeruginosa to reduce the side effects of antibiotics. On the contrary, its use with antibiotics enhances their action without interfere with them.
La estrategia promocional de Netflix y HBO en Instagram en un escenario de competencia. Análisis de sus perfiles en España y en EE. UU.
Authors: Martín-Quevedo Juan , Fernández-Gómez Erika , Segado-Boj Francisco
Published: February 2021

Este estudio analiza los recursos y estrategias utilizados por los perfiles estadounidense y español de HBO y Netflix en Instagram. Para ello se toma como referencia el año 2017, período marcado por la llegada de HBO a España. El análisis de contenido de los 731 mensajes recogidos refleja una alta coherencia interna por parte de Netflix, mientras que en HBO ambos canales se diferencian notablemente. Se aprecia un esfuerzo por parte de los perfiles españoles para adaptarse a la realidad social española recurriendo a las causas sociales o a poner el acento en la dimensión del conflicto.
¿Mejora la comunicación con las redes sociales?
Authors: Ugalde Cecilia
Published: February 2021

Las redes sociales vistas desde distintos espacios nos indican que más allá de los problemas que se pueden presentar por su mal uso, son más los beneficios que pueden traer a distintos espacios de comunicación, para lo que se deben tener en cuenta ciertos procesos y buenas prácticas. Es preciso que aprendamos a utilizar las redes sociales para beneficio de entornos sociales, comerciales, públicos y privados.
Effect of seed invigoration with inorganic nanoparticles on seed yield in chilli (Capsicum annum)
Authors: Mathew Riya Mary , Bastian Dijee , Francies Rose Mary , Anita Cherian. K , Raja K. , Herbert Milu
Published: February 2021

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of seed invigoration with inorganic nanoparticles on plant growth and seed yield of chilli. Seed invigoration with nano particles of ZnO and TiO2 was found to be beneficial in improving yield and yield attributes. Seed treatment with nano ZnO @ 1300 mg kg-1 of seed and nano TiO2 @ 900 mg kg-1 exhibited increased plant height, fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit yield, number of seeds per fruit and seed yield.
Plastik termoform prosesinin adaptif yanıt yüzey yöntemi ile eniyilenmesi: Şahlan Plastik firmasında uygulaması
Authors: KARAOĞLAN Aslan Deniz , ALICI Gözde , DÜZGÜN Gamze , SALİ Sibel Gyunay
Published: February 2021

Bu çalışmada, plastik termoform süreci eniyilenmesi üzerine çalışılmıştır. Bu amaçla Balıkesir OSB’de faaliyet gösteren Şahlan Plastik firmasının termoform bardak şekillendirme süreci adaptif yanıt yüzey yöntemi (AYYY) kullanılarak eniyilenmiştir. Bu yöntem kontrol edilebilen değişkenleri ve kontrol edilemeyen değişkenleri birlikte dikkate alarak eniyileme yapan bir yöntemdir. Çalışmanın uygulama aşamasında, 200 ml’lik beyaz ayran bardağı üretimi ele alınmıştır. Makine bölge sıcaklıkları (4 farklı bölge), kalıp hızı, giriş suyu sıcaklığı, ortam sıcaklığı, bobin soğuma saati girdilerine karşılık gözlenen bardak ağırlıkları için 48 adet gözlem değeri alınmıştır. Ağırlık ile ağırlık üzerinde etkili bu faktörler arasındaki ilişki regresyon denklemi ile modellenmiştir. Modelin kullanılabilir olup olmadığını belirlemek için, belirleme katsayısı (R2) ve ANOVA analizi sonuçlarına bakılmıştır. Ardından, anlamlı bulunan bu model için 5 gr bardak ağırlığını veren eniyilenmiş üretim süreç parametreleri belirlenmiştir.
AZ31B-H24 magnezyum alaşımının sürtünme karıştırma yöntemiyle kaynak edilebilirliğinin incelenmesi
Authors: ÇELİK Sare , ORAL Ali , GÜNDOĞMUŞ Alper
Published: February 2021

Magnezyum ve alaşımları, hafifliği ve yüksek spesifik mukavemeti nedeni ile endüstride kullanımı oldukça yaygın olan metal olup otomotiv ve uzay-uçak sanayilerindeki mühendislik uygulamalarında ön plana çıkmıştır. Magnezyum alaşımının yanıcı ve düşük ergime sıcaklığına sahip olması bu alaşımların ergitme yöntemleriyle kaynaklı birleştirilmesinde sorunlar oluşturmaktadır. Sürtünme karıştırma kaynağı, düşük işlem sıcaklığı, iyi mekanik özellikler sağlaması gibi avantajları nedeni ile magnezyum alaşımlarına uygulanabilir bir birleştirme metodudur. Çalışmada, AZ31B-H24 magnezyum alaşım levhalarının sürtünme karıştırma kaynak yöntemi ile kaynak edilebilirliği incelenmiştir. Çalışmada, sürtünme karıştırma kaynak parametreleri olarak 1000, 1400 dev/dak dönme hızları; 16, 25, 40, 50 mm/dak ilerleme hızları ve 15, 20 mm omuz çapları seçilerek bu parametrelerde kaynaklama işlemi yapılmıştır. Sürtünme karıştırma kaynağı uygulanan parçaların mekanik özellik tespiti için çekme ve mikro sertlik ölçme testleri uygulanmış, mikro yapı incelemeleri için kaynaklı yapının optik görüntüleri incelenmiş ve XRD analizleri yapılmıştır. Çekme deneyi sonucunda, kaynaklı bağlantıların mukavemeti ana malzemeye göre %75,88’lik bir kaynak dayanım değeri sağlamıştır.
The milestones of party building of the constitutional democrats of Siberia during the Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War
Authors: Vasilyeva Evgeniya
Published: February 2021

This article is dedicated to the questions of party building of the constitutional democrats of Siberia during 1917 – 1920, which is one of most tragic periods of the Russian history. Based on the analysis of  published and archival materials and documents of the central and local committees of the People's Freedom Party in Eastern Russia during the Revolution and Civil War, the goal is set to determine the causes and follow the trends of changes in composition of the party, vector and nature of the activity of Siberian cadet groups. The research relies on the fundamental principles of scientific objectivism and historicism, which allows examining the topic in dynamics and in relation to the specific socioeconomic, political, and cultural circumstances that developed during this period. The scientific novelty consists in demonstration of the dynamics and identification of the causes of changes in composition and tactics of the Siberian cadet groups throughout the Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War. Emphasis is placed on the “democratic counter-revolution” and the political regime of A. V. Kolchak. The conclusion is made that the nature of organizational party activity of the Siberian cadets is determined by a range of factors, namely local conditions and events that unfolded in the capital of Russia. A considerable influence was produced by the directives of the Central Committee of the People's Freedom Party, political orientations of the All-Russian National Center, and the experience acquired by the party and its leaders during the Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War.
Elucidation of the term “energy” in the “Philosophy of the name” of A. F. Losev
Authors: Plakhtii Sergei Valer'evich
Published: February 2021

The subject of this research is the interpretation of the term “energy” in the “Philosophy of the Name” of A. F. Losev. An attempt of philosophical comprehension of the nature of the name and word is one of the primary topics in the works of the prominent Russian philosopher. Particular interest to this topic is substantiated by Loves’s commitment to philosophically explain such perspective on the nature of the Name of God, which was introduced by the adherers of imyaslavie (onomatodoxy) during the imyaslavic disputes of the first quarter of the XX century. Using the philosophical methods, A. F. Losev attempted to reveal the exceptional and precise sense the Orthodox doctrine on the Name of God, one of paramount components of which is the Palamite theology about the energies of God. The task is set to determine the extent to which Losev's philosophical concept of onomatodoxy, and namey the understanding of the term “energy”, corresponds to the teaching of the Holy Fathers on the energy of God. The scientific novelty of this research lies in contribution to the comprehensive analysis of Losev's interpretation of the term “energy” in the context of patristic theology. This is especially relevant due to the fact that the appeal to Palamism (teaching on the energies of God) is one of the key arguments in the apologia of imyaslavie. The conclusion is drawn that proposed by Losev scheme of the Name of God, and his understanding of the term “energy” in particular, not just formally, but essentially is based on the philosophical provisions of Neo-Platonism. This is why the such system is not quite accurate interpretation of the patristic teaching on the energies of God and the Name of God.
Tzanck cytology smear in diagnosis of cutaneous talaromycosis (penicilliosis)
Authors: Lai Shau-Kong , Rauf Nurhafidzah Abd , Preet Kaur Roshen , Tan Lii-Jye
Published: February 2021

Talaromyces marneffei infection is an AIDS-defining illness in South and Southeast Asia. Travel-related talaromycosis is being increasingly recognized in non-endemic areas too. It is a potentially fatal infection with rapid deterioration, if left untreated. Usage of Tzanck cytology smear for rapid diagnosis of T. marneffei is rarely described. In this case study, we report a man who presented with altered behaviour, headache, fever and cutaneous lesions. Tzanck smear test, skin biopsy and blood culture showed presence of T. marneffei. The cytomorphology findings of T. marneffei in Tzanck cytology smear were described. In conclusion, Tzanck smear is a simple and inexpensive test in establishing a rapid clinical diagnosis of talaromycosis before the culture is reported.
Patients with psoriasis have a higher risk of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Charoenngam Nipith , Rittiphairoj Thanitsara , Ponvilawan Ben , Ungprasert Patompong
Published: February 2021

Background:

Patients with psoriasis may have a higher risk of dementia because of the higher inflammatory burden, although results from previous epidemiological studies have been inconsistent.

Aims:

To determine the association between psoriasis and risk of dementia by pooling the evidence from previous studies.

Methods:

Potentially eligible studies were identified from Medline and EMBASE databases from inception to July 2019 using a search that comprised terms for “psoriasis” and “dementia.” Studies were eligible for the meta-analysis if they were cohort studies that included psoriatic patients and individuals without psoriasis and followed them for incident dementia. Studies were also required to report standardized incidence ratio, hazard risk ratio or relative risk with related 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing the incidence of dementia between the two cohorts. The retrieved point estimates with standard errors from each study were pooled into the final result by the random-effect model, generic inverse variance method.

Results:

A total of 8,861 articles were identified. After two rounds of independent review by three investigators, we included six cohort studies that met the eligibility criteria in the meta-analysis. The risk of dementia was significantly higher among psoriatic patients than in those without psoriasis with a pooled risk ratio of 1.16 (95% CI, 1.04–1.30; I2 95%). A funnel plot was relatively symmetric and was not suggestive of the presence of publication bias.

Limitations:

Limited accuracy of diagnosis of psoriasis and dementia as four included studies were coding-based studies, and high statistical heterogeneity among studies.

Conclusion:

This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that psoriatic patients have a significantly elevated risk of developing dementia.
Utility of a real-time fluorescence imaging device in guiding antibiotic treatment in superficial skin infections
Authors: Shah Bhavika M. , Ganvir Devina , Sharma Yugal K. , Mirza Shahzad Beg , Misra R. N. , Kothari Preeti , Darall Sweety , Bhawalkar Jitendra S. , Gupta Aayush
Published: February 2021

The prescription of antibiotics empirically without confirmation of an infective etiology is on the rise. Administration of appropriate antibiotics can be guided by real-time fluorescence imaging using a point-of-care device. These composite images show the presence, type and the burden of infection. The time saved by this method over microbiological testing, especially in resource-poor settings, can lead to a paradigm shift in treatment by facilitating prompt and adequate antimicrobial therapy, surgical debridement as well as follow-up. Thumbnail sketches of a series of four cases highlighting different scenarios in which a fluorescent imaging device utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning was found useful is presented in this report.
A comparative evaluation of the effects of ZLN and TLE anti-retroviral regimens in HIV positive patients: A retrospective record-based study
Authors: Singla Ritika , Sharma Neetu
Published: February 2021

Objectives:

Until 2012, zidovudine+lamivudine+nevirapine (ZLN) was the first line treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, whereas in 2013, tenofovir+lamivudine+efavirenz (TLE) was recommended as a preferred regimen due to less adverse drug reactions and better virological response. The present study was done to compare the change in CD4 count and emergence of opportunistic infections (OIs) in HIV-positive patients on ZLN and TLE regimens.

Materials and Methods:

This retrospective record-based study was conducted at anti-retroviral therapy (ART) center of a tertiary care hospital on 150 charts of patients on ZLN (Group A) and TLE (Group B) regimens each for 1 year. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism version 6.

Results:

The mean age of patients in Group A was 38.72 (±10.5) years and Group B 37.75 (±11.57) years (P = 0.4460). After 1 year of ART, the mean CD4 count (cells/mm3) increased in both groups (Group A: 223.51 [±111.21] to 415.37 [±218.16] [P = 0.0001] vs. Group B: 255.05 [±164.50] to 433.12 [±247.66] [P = 0.0001]). With the baseline counts being comparable (P = 0.0527), the difference in mean CD4 counts between the groups post-ART was not statistically significant (P = 0.5105). The incidence of OI was 45% in Group A as compared to 25% in Group B. Overall, the most prevalent OI was tuberculosis (TB) (13.33%).

Conclusion:

Both ZLN and TLE regimens are equally effective in improving the immunological status of HIV-positive patients. Patients on ZLN have higher incidence of OI than those on TLE. However, therapy should be individualized as per patient’s suitability.
Comparison between seated medicine ball throw test and Wingate test for assessing upper body peak power in elite power sports players
Authors: Kumar Anuj , Singh Rupak Kumar , Apte Varad Vilas , Kolekar Amey
Published: February 2021

Objectives:

Upper limb explosive power is an important motor quality for sporting performance and indicates use of anaerobic energy systems. The Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) has been considered to be a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of anaerobic power and functional performance of elite athletes. However, it is expensive and a lab based test and requires skilled manpower. The seated medicine ball throw test (SMBT) is inexpensive, easy to assess and since equipment required is minimal, it can be easily used as a field test. Hence, the purpose of the study was to determine if the SMBT method could be used as an alternative for WAnT test so that a reliable and inexpensive test is available for athlete monitoring and talent identification screening.

Materials and Methods:

Male elite athletes aged 18–30 years (n = 100), who were involved in national level competition of three sports discipline, namely, Boxing (n = 34), Wrestling Greco-Roman (GR) (n = 36), and Wrestling Freestyle (FS) (n = 30), were tested on crank-arm ergometer for WAnT and SMBT to measure an peak power or explosive power for the upper body.

Results:

SMBT test results were significantly positively correlated with upper body peak power measured by WAnT in all sportsmen (r = 0.55, P = 0.0002). One sample t-test results showed that the mean difference between SMBT and peak power is close to zero among Boxers (P = 0.13) and FS wrestlers (P = 0.89) and GR Wrestlers (P = 0.49). Overall, 97% pairs of SMBT and peak power were within the limits of agreement among all sportsmen, showing that results using both the tests were agreeable.

Conclusion:

This study suggests that SMBT tests could be used as an alternative field test to measure anaerobic power in Wrestlers, Boxers, and sports where the involvement of upper body muscles take place predominantly. In addition, the SMBT protocol used in this study provides an easy way for the coaches to assess the athletes on the field during talent identification and also to evaluate their training program.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation in exploring neurophysiology of cortical circuits and potential clinical implications
Authors: Udupa Kaviraja
Published: February 2021

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, painless technique to stimulate the human brain. Although it has been used in clinical research both as an investigative tool and treatment modality for the past three decades, its use has been restricted to tertiary health centres or higher-end academic research institutions. The aim of this review is to popularise the concepts of this effective non-invasive brain stimulation technique, further facilitating its use both in research and clinical practice among clinical physiologists. In the first part of this article, a brief physiologic overview of TMS will be provided with basic as well as the basic technical details. This is followed by a discussion of TMS parameters that can be studied using single and paired pulses of TMS which could be used to investigate the altered excitability of cortical circuits. Finally, how rTMS and patterned TMS could be used to induce plasticity which, in turn, could be potentially used as therapeutic interventions in various neurological and psychiatric disorders will be illustrated. In each section of this article, diagnostic as well as therapeutic utilities of TMS in Neurology and Psychiatric disorders will be discussed. These discussions could not only facilitate the understanding of pathophysiology of mood and movement disorders but also to manage various neurological and psychiatric disorders with novel therapeutic options. In the end, few future directions, limitations of this technique and comparison with other techniques will be provided. I hopefully, this review would elicit some interest in physiologists to take up this exciting area of brain stimulation as a research subject and work further on understanding the functions of brain and use it effectively in the management of various brain-related disorders.
Active Learning: From Flipped Lectures to the Covid-19 Era
Authors: Wyatt Paul
Published: February 2021

The use of flipped lectures and Active Learning has been explored in first year lectures for several years. Learning Catalytics software has been used to facilitate Peer-2-Peer learning in the Active Learning sessions. Several lessons were learned during these sessions which were important as we moved into delivering online material much more comprehensively. Bringing interaction to the lectures that were delivered live (synchronous sessions) was important to staff. Several technical solutions for producing online videos of high quality were brought into broader use. New teaching formats including a 'radio show' have been introduced to ensure that rich interaction with the students is possible with large groups.
Tailored Blended Learning for Foundation Year Chemistry Students
Authors: Chamberlain Shannon , Elford Daniel , Lancaster Simon J. , Silve Francesca
Published: February 2021

The chemistry foundation year at the University of East Anglia is a diverse cohort with a wide range of prior educational experience and confidence levels. A flexible learning program combining extensive online materials intended for asynchronous study and face to face peer instruction is provided. Study is divided into weekly topics. Students are directed to take a short introductory quiz at the beginning of the week, feedback on which allows them to tailor the extent of asynchronous learning to their own needs. All students attend a highly interactive synchronous teaching session which utilises active learning to develop their conceptual understanding. The week concludes with a reflective formative test. Measures of student activity on the online platform and audience response technology in the lecture theatre provide a quantitative picture of engagement with tailored blended learning, while semi-structured interviews provide qualitative insight into the student perception.
Immersive Interactive Quantum Mechanics for Teaching and Learning Chemistry
Authors: Weymuth Thomas , Reiher Markus
Published: February 2021

The impossibility of experiencing the molecular world with our senses hampers teaching and understanding chemistry because very abstract concepts (such as atoms, chemical bonds, molecular structure, reactivity) are required for this process. Virtual reality, especially when based on
explicit physical modeling (potentially in real time), offers a solution to this dilemma. Chemistry teaching can make use of advanced technologies such as virtual-reality frameworks and haptic devices. We show how an immersive learning setting could be applied to help students understand the
core concepts of typical chemical reactions by offering a much more intuitive approach than traditional learning settings. Our setting relies on an interactive exploration and manipulation of a chemical system; this system is simulated in real-time with quantum chemical methods, and therefore,
behaves in a physically meaningful way.
Baby, It's Cold Outside – or how hot is hot, how cold is cold?
Authors: Constable Edwin C.
Published: February 2021

Frank Loesser's song epitomises our fixation with temperature. But how do we define how hot is hot and how cold is cold? This short article looks at the history of temperature and why life today is much simpler than it was in the past.
Structure Drawing at the Heart of Teaching Chemistry
Authors: Peragovics Ágnes , Biró Erika
Published: February 2021

Chemistry is all about structures. There are myriads of structural representations that are required for the students to become familiar with when learning chemistry. Structural formula, skeletal formula, Lewis and resonance structures, three-dimensional representations are just a few
examples of the drawing styles that should be readily interpreted by a chemistry student. In order to gain the necessary knowledge to understand and manipulate chemical structures, students must extensively solve problems with structural illustrations and practice drawing chemical structures
themselves. Here we present Zosimos, an online chemistry educational tool with comprehensive structure-drawing capabilities that allows chemistry teachers to create real chemistry quizzes, share them with their students and get immediate feedback on their learning progress. 5th grade students
at Kantonsschule Zug have been learning chemistry with Zosimos since September 2019 and this article also shares insights on how to implement this learning tool in a real classroom setting.
Distance Teaching in Chemistry: Opportunities and Limitations
Authors: Mercier Véronique Breguet , Scholten Ulrich , Baltensperger Richard , Gremaud Ludovic , Dabros Michal
Published: February 2021

Remote teaching in the tertiary education sector is a relatively common practice, and the implementation of digital solutions in chemistry teaching offers many new opportunities and tools. A survey was conducted after 3 months of emergency remote teaching linked to the COVID-19 pandemic
and showed that half of the students estimated it was difficult to study remotely, and reported they had to invest more time compared to classroom teaching, which led to a drop in motivation. Professors also noted that the time necessary to invest in order to produce digital teaching content
was enormous. Massive open online laboratories (MOOLs) and process simulators are interesting tools, but practical lab work and related know-how cannot fully be replaced by digital techniques. Finally, it appeared that the professor–student interaction is very important in the distance-learning
process, and that a high level of pedagogical (inter)activity is mandatory to maintain motivation and better quality of teaching and learning.
The First Year of B. Sc. Chemistry at the University of Freiburg, Germany: A Report from the Experimental Lecture on General and Inorganic Chemistry
Authors: Krossing Ingo
Published: February 2021

The organization, content and rationale behind the ' Experimental Lecture General and Inorganic Chemistry ' as well as its theoretical ' Consolidation Lecture ' companion as the first contact of students in the B. Sc. program in Chemistry and Chemical Education as well as several others, i.e. Pharmacy, Geosciences, Molecular Medicine and Physics is described. To cope with the multifaceted demands on this first semester lecture series by several faculties, the experimental lecture is attended also by students from other fields. The companion lecture that addresses the advanced needs of chemists, consolidates the content of the experimental lecture by going more into detail and extends on the theories/concepts/reactions. An integrated interplay between experiment and theory is realized in our specially equipped lecture hall.
Limit distributions for different forms of four-state quantum walks on a two-dimensional lattice
Authors: Machida Takuya , Chandrashekar C.M. , Konno Norio , Busch Thomas
Published: February 2021

Long-time limit distributions are key quantities for understanding the asymptotic dynamics of quantum walks, and they are known for most forms of one-dimensional quantum walks using two-state coin systems. For two-dimensional quantum walks using a four-state coin system, however, the only known limit distribution is for a walk using a parameterized Grover coin operation and analytical complexities have been a major obstacle for obtaining long-time limit distributions for other coins. In this work however, we present two new types of long-time limit distributions for walks using different forms of coin-flip operations in a four-state coin system. This opens the road towards understanding the dynamics and asymptotic behaviour for higher state coin system from a mathematical view point.
Single-query quantum algorithms for symmetric problems
Authors: Bucicovschi Orest , Copeland Daniel , Meyer David , Pommersheim James
Published: February 2021

Given a unitary representation of a finite group on a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, we show how to find a state whose translates under the group are distinguishable with the highest probability. We apply this to several quantum oracle problems, including the GROUP MULTIPLICATION problem, in which the product of an ordered n-tuple of group elements is to be determined by querying elements of the tuple. For any finite group G, we give an algorithm to find the product of two elements of G with a single quantum query with probability 2/|G|. This generalizes Deutsch’s Algorithm from Z2 to an arbitrary finite group. We further prove that this algorithm is optimal. We also introduce the HIDDEN CONJUGATING ELEMENT PROBLEM, in which the oracle acts by conjugating by an unknown element of the group. We show that for many groups, including dihedral and symmetric groups, the unknown element can be determined with probability 1 using a single quantum query.
Efficient approximation of diagonal unitaries over the Clifford+T basis
Authors: Welch Jonathan , Bocharov Alex , Svore Krysta M.
Published: February 2021

We present an algorithm for the approximate decomposition of diagonal operators, focusing specifically on decompositions over the Clifford+T basis, that minimizes the number of phase-rotation gates in the synthesized approximation circuit. The equivalent T-count of the synthesized circuit is bounded by kC_0 log_2 (1/ε)+E(n, k), where k is the number of distinct phases in the diagonal n-qubit unitary, ε is the desired precision, C0 is a quality factor of the implementation method (1 < C_0 < 4), and E(n, k) is the total entanglement cost (in T gates). We determine an optimal decision boundary in (n, k, ε)-space where our decomposition algorithm achieves lower entanglement cost than previous state-of-the-art techniques. Our method outperforms state-of-the-art techniques for a practical range of ε values and diagonal operators and can reduce the number of T gates exponentially in n when k far less than 2^ n .
Gaussian (N, z)-generalized Yang-Baxter operators
Authors: Rowell Eric
Published: February 2021

We find unitary matrix solutions R˜(a) to the (multiplicative parameter-dependent) (N, z)-generalized Yang-Baxter equation that carry the standard measurement basis to m-level N-partite entangled states that generalize the 2-level bipartite entangled Bell states. This is achieved by a careful study of solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation discovered by Fateev and Zamolodchikov in 1982.
Information cost of quantum communication protocols
Authors: Kerenidis Iordanis , Lauriere Mathieu , Le Gall Francois , Rennela Mathys
Published: February 2021

In two-party quantum communication complexity, Alice and Bob receive some classical inputs and wish to compute some function that depends on both these inputs, while minimizing the communication. This model has found numerous applications in many areas of computer science. One notion that has received a lot of attention recently is the information cost of the protocol, namely how much information the players reveal about their inputs when they run the protocol. In the quantum world, it is not straightforward to define a notion of quantum information cost. We study two different notions and analyze their relation. We also provide new quantum protocols for the Inner Product function and for Private Information Retrieval, and show that protocols for Private Information Retrieval whose classical or quantum information cost for the user is zero can have exponentially different information cost for the server.
Quantum algorithms and circuits for scientific computing
Authors: Bhaskar Mihir K. , Hadfield Stuart , Papageorgiou Anargyros , Petras Iasonas
Published: February 2021

Quantum algorithms for scientific computing require modules implementing fundamental functions, such as the square root, the logarithm, and others. We require algorithms that have a well-controlled numerical error, that are uniformly scalable and reversible (unitary), and that can be implemented efficiently. We present quantum algorithms and circuits for computing the square root, the natural logarithm, and arbitrary fractional powers. We provide performance guarantees in terms of their worst-case accuracy and cost. We further illustrate their performance by providing tests comparing them to the respective floating point implementations found in widely used numerical software.
Squash 2: a hierarchical scalable quantum mapper considering ancilla sharing
Authors: Dousti Mohammad J. , Shafaei Alireza , Pedram Massoud
Published: February 2021

We present a multi-core reconfigurable quantum processor architecture, called Requp, which supports a hierarchical approach to mapping a quantum algorithm while sharing physical and logical ancilla qubits. Each core is capable of performing any quantum instruction. Moreover, we introduce a scalable quantum mapper, called Squash 2, which divides a given quantum circuit into a number of quantum modules—each module is divided into k parts such that each part will run on one of k available cores. Experimental results demonstrate that Squash 2 can handle large-scale quantum algorithms while providing an effective mechanism for sharing ancilla qubits.
Constructions of q-ary entanglement-assisted quantum MDS codes with minimum distance greater than q+1
Authors: Fan Jihao , Chen Hanwu , Xu Juan
Published: February 2021

he entanglement-assisted stabilizer formalism provides a useful framework for constructing quantum error-correcting codes (QECC), which can transform arbitrary classical linear codes into entanglement-assisted quantum error correcting codes (EAQECCs) by using pre-shared entanglement between the sender and the receiver. In this paper, we construct five classes of entanglement-assisted quantum MDS (EAQMDS) codes based on classical MDS codes by exploiting one or more pre-shared maximally entangled states. We show that these EAQMDS codes have much larger minimum distance than the standard quantum MDS (QMDS) codes of the same length, and three classes of these EAQMDS codes consume only one pair of maximally entangled states.
STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE SOCIAL GRAPH OF VKONTAKTE USERS — MEMBERS OF GROUPS PROMOTING THE CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE (THE EXAMPLE OF THE IRKUTSK CITY)
Authors:   Institute for Demographic Research FCTAS RAS, Alkhasov Stanislav S.
Published: February 2021

We consider the structure of the social graph of VKontakte social network users — members of groups promoting the criminal youth subculture of AUE (banned in Russia as an extremist organization). We show that this phenomenon cannot be judged as a large-scale and ramified criminal organization because about 90% of subscribers of AUE groups are unfamiliar with each other. We reveal that non-isolated members of these groups (i.e. remaining 10% of all subscribers) do not form a single connected subgraph, but are included in one of 24 separate connected subgraphs. The largest connected subgraph consists of 59 nodes. This study is for the city of Irkutsk because it is one of the places where this subculture originated. In the engineering part of our work, this study is based on using of the application programming interface (API) of the above social network and a set of libraries for the high-level programming language Python 3.7.
CYBERSPACE AS A SPHERE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Authors:   MGIMO University, Zhukov Artyom V.
Published: February 2021

Cyberspace and power over it are today becoming the foundation of the scientific, technolog-ical and socio-economic development of all nations, opening up new horizons for the modernization of all aspects of society. Global informatization currently actively controls the existence and life of the states of the world community, information technologies are used in solving problems of ensuring national, military, economic security, etc. At the same time, one of the fundamental consequences of the global informatization of state and military structures was the emergence of a fundamentally new environment of confrontation competing states — cyberspace, which is not geographical in the generally accepted sense of the word, but, nevertheless, is fully international. The article examines topical problems of ensuring international and national cybersecurity and proposes approaches to creating an adequate cybersecurity system for the automated systems of military and public administration bodies adequate to modern threats.
Assessment of major requirements for accessing credit among paddy farmers in Jigawa state, Nigeria
Authors: Datti M.I. , Said R. , Ismail N.W. , Abd. Rahman A.
Published: February 2021

This paper examined major credit requirements of financial institutions in providing credit
to paddy farmers of Jigawa state, Nigeria. Data were collected in 2019 from three selected
paddy farming local government areas of the state. A total of 120 respondents were
randomly selected through a multistage sampling technique, and a questionnaire. The
binary logit model and the marginal effect were applied in the analysis. The results
indicated that paddy farmers' educational level, family size, and guarantor requirements
were statistically significant on access to credit, with their P-value signifies 0.041, 0.060,
and 0.000, respectively. While, farm size, administrative process, collateral requirement,
interest charge, and principal repayment duration were insignificant on accessing credit.
Failure to address these problems may continue to worsen the Nigerian government's
effort on food self-sufficient and poverty alleviation. The study suggests similar research
to consider more years to see the impact in the long term. The study further recommends
credit providers to modify the guarantor requirement and to delegate a staff who can
translate and guide the applicants on how to fill the credit application forms
Prediction of quality attributes and maturity classification of pear fruit using laser imaging and Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Adebayo S.E. , Hashim N.
Published: February 2021

In this study, the application of laser imaging technique was utilized to predict the quality
attributes (firmness and soluble solids content) of pear fruit and to classify the maturity
stages of the fruit harvested at different days after full bloom (dafb). Laser imaging system
emitting at visible and near infra-red region (532, 660, 785, 830 and 1060 nm) was
deployed to capture the images of the fruit. Optical properties (absorption ma and reduced
scattering ms
ʹ coefficients) at individual and combined wavelengths of the laser images of
the fruit were used in the prediction and classifications of the maturity stages. Artificial
neural network (ANN) was employed in the building of both prediction and classification
models. Root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of crossvalidation (RMSECV), correlation coefficient (r) and bias were used to test the
performance of the prediction models while sensitivity and specificity were used to
evaluate the classification models. The results showed that there was a very strong
correlation between the ma and ms
ʹ with pear development. This study had shown that
optical properties of pears with ANN as prediction and classification models can be
employed to both predict quality parameters of pear and classify pear into different (dafb)
non-destructively.
Design and construction methods for UHPFRC bridge deck
Authors: Novarin Marco , Erdogan Julien , Fabry Nicolas , Din Ratanak
Published: February 2021

This paper presents researches related to UHPFRC (Ultra High Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete) deck design for cable stayed and ILM bridges. Structural analysis of a cable stayed deck with 1100 meters main span and an ILM deck with 100 meters main spans are performed and discussed, taking into account main tools related not only to resistance and durability, but also construction methods and economical effectiveness. Steel and concrete quantities are compared with those of actual classical solutions for analogous spans.
The Fatigue Performance of High Performance Concrete Composite Girder
Authors: Xu C. , Zhang B. Y. , Hou Z. H.
Published: February 2021

The application of high performance concrete has been increasingly concerned in the negative flexural region of steel‐concrete continuous composite girder because of its favorable tensile performance. However, the unclear cyclic and ultimate performance of a high performance concrete composite girder results to the problems which hinder the further application. In this case, a series of fatigue negative bending tests on HPC composite girders and fatigue push‐out tests on stud connectors in HPC were executed. The test results showed that the fatigue slip in the HPC composite girder was smaller than the normal concrete composite girder, and the fatigue life of stud in HPC was longer than the one in normal concrete. Meanwhile, according to the comparison between the stud fatigue live evaluations and test results, the AASHTO‐based evaluations were comparatively with larger safety redundancy, and JSCE was close to the test results but had smaller safety redundancy.