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Modeling realistic multilayer devices for superconducting quantum electronic circuits
Get PDFIn this work, we present a numerical model specifically designed for 3D multilayer devices, with a focus on nanobridge junctions and coplanar waveguides. Unlike existing numerical models, ours does not approximate the physical layout or limit the number of constituent materials, providing a more accurate and flexible design tool. We calculate critical currents, current–phase relationships, and the energy gap where relevant. We validate our model by comparing it with published data. Through our analysis, we found that using multilayer films significantly enhances control over these quantities. For nanobridge junctions in particular, multilayer structures improve qubit anharmonicity compared to monolayer junctions, offering a substantial advantage for qubit performance. For coated multilayer microwave circuits, it allows for better studies of the proximity effect, including their effective kinetic inductance
The state of climate change adaptation research in Bangladesh: a systematic literature review
Get PDFClimate change is severely affecting livelihoods, especially in developing countries, where adaptation strategies are becoming crucial. While the body of empirical research on adaptation is steadily growing, the status of such research in Bangladesh has received little attention. This paper reviews 106 articles on adaptation research in Bangladesh between 2007 and 2024, applying the social-ecological systems (SESs) approach. We see a significant annual increase in publications since 2014. Priority research topics and themes, such as community-based adaptation, ecosystem-based adaptation, gender, livelihood, adaptive capacity, governance, and mainstreaming, are gaining prominence in the literature. Only 5% of the studies we reviewed framed climate change adaptation as a system or applied any systematic approach. Most considered it a standalone process without identifying the bidirectional relationships between adaptation strategies and the encompassing SESs. There are only a few comprehensive studies on the outcomes or effectiveness of livelihood adaptation strategies implemented at the household level. Only a few studies mentioned the importance of the SESs approach without providing the system’s structural components or conceptualizing adaptation as a social-ecological system. Therefore, introducing SESs-specific variables and conceptual relationships could bring a much-needed holistic analytical perspective to climate adaptation research
Obesity management requires a personalised, collaborative approach from general practice
Get PDFCommentary on: Ryan et al, 2024 “Beyond the Scale”: A Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Weight Stigma Experienced by Patients with Obesity in General Practice
Corrections to the optomechanical Hamiltonian from quadratic fluctuations of a moving mirror
Get PDFWe extend the theory of the radiation pressure to include quadratic fluctuations in the position of a moving mirror. This enables the introduction of a generalized radiation pressure operator that captures higher-order effects in the mirror-field coupling. For mechanical resonators with frequencies comparable to the fundamental cavity frequency, the resulting corrections to the optomechanical Hamiltonian are quadratic in the standard radiation pressure coupling. These corrections are expected to play a significant role in the strong coupling regime of optomechanics, electromechanics, and superconducting circuit analogs
Linkages between socioeconomic inequalities, pro-environmental behaviours, climate change concerns and experiences, and wellbeing outcomes in England
Get PDFThe global health community recognises climate change as a public health emergency due to its direct and indirect impacts on health and wellbeing. This study explores sociodemographic differences in climate change concern and pro-environmental behaviours by socioeconomic status, their association with wellbeing, and whether experiences of climate change (e.g. residing in flood-affected or temperature-changing areas) mediate wellbeing outcomes. Using data from Understanding Society, a national panel survey in England (2018/19, n = 24,950, age 16+), the study examined climate concern, 11 pro-environmental behaviours, satisfaction with these behaviours, and three wellbeing outcomes: life satisfaction, optimism, and psychological distress. Data were spatially linked with flood (2010–18) and summer temperature changes (2001–2020). Climate concern varied by sociodemographic factors, with older and disadvantaged groups most satisfied with their behaviours. Individuals satisfied with their environmental actions reported better wellbeing, while dissatisfaction was linked to distress and worse life satisfaction. However, pro-environmental behaviours themselves were not associated with wellbeing. Residing in flood-affected or temperature-changing areas also showed no link to wellbeing. Addressing wellbeing impacts related to climate concern requires targeted mitigation strategies, especially for those dissatisfied with their environmental actions. Pro-environmental behaviours could act to mitigate against the potential adverse effects of eco-anxiety
A population-based cross-sectional investigation of COVID-19 hospitalizations and mortality among autistic people
Get PDFCurrent evidence suggests the possibility that autistic people may be at more risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation, and mortality than the general population. Previous studies, however, are either limited in scale or do not investigate potential risk factors. Research into risk factors focused on general population samples. The current study aims to investigate these risk factors in the autistic population. Using data-linkage and a whole-country population, this study modelled associations between autism and COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality risk in adults, investigating a multitude of clinical and demographic risk factors. Autistic adults had higher rates of hospitalisation, Standardised Incident Ratio 1.6 in 2020 and 1.3 in 2021, and mortality, Standardised Mortality Ratio 1.52 in 2020 and 1.34 in 2021, due to COVID-19 than the general population. In both populations, age, complex multimorbidity and vaccination status were the most significant predictors of COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality. Effects of psychotropic medication varied by class. Although similar factors exhibited a positive association with heightened risk of severe COVID-19 in both the autistic and general populations, with comparable effect sizes, mortality rates were elevated among the autistic population compared to the general population. Specifically, complex multimorbidity and classification of prescribed medications may emerge as particularly significant predictors of severe COVID-19 among individuals within the autistic population due to higher prevalence of complex multimorbidity in the autistic population and variability in the association between medication classes and severe COVID-19 between both populations, though further research is needed
An efficient staggered scheme for solving the poromechanics problem of quasi‐static cardiac perfusion
No full textThe ventricles can be considered a type of poroelastic material, where the mass and pressure of the interstitial fluid, along with the displacement of the skeleton, are the three primary physical quantities of interest. Based on the free energy function of the poroelastic material, we propose a simplified model that requires only two fields to be directly solved, with another quantity obtained through post‐processing. To solve this model, we first discretize the equations with the backward Euler scheme and finite element method, leading to a nonlinear system of equations, which can be solved using the Newton method in a monolithic way. For computational efficiency, we proposed a staggered scheme, where the large nonlinear system is divided into two smaller independent systems, and each only solves for one field using the Newton method. The numerical results showed the staggered scheme is more efficient than the monolithic scheme and that the two schemes achieve the same results, and are also in good agreement with those reported in the literature. Finally, we applied the staggered scheme to ventricular myocardial perfusion models and obtained the blood perfusion patterns in the myocardium during the cardiac systole
Inactivation of histone chaperone HIRA unmasks a link between normal embryonic development of melanoblasts and maintenance of adult melanocyte stem cells
Get PDFEvidence indicates that the integrity of in utero development influences late life healthy or unhealthy aging; however, specific links between them are unclear. Histone chaperone HIRA is thought to play a role in both life stages, and here, we explore this role using the murine pigmentary system by investigating and comparing the effects of its lineage-specific knockout, either conditionally during embryogenesis or postnatally. Embryonic knockout of Hira in tyrosinase+ neural crest-derived lineages, including melanoblasts, led to reduced melanoblast numbers during embryogenesis, with single-cell RNA sequencing analysis indicating evidence of lineage-specificity defects. This was supported in an in vitro model using melb-a melanoblasts in which Hira knockdown affected lineage identity and melanoblast differentiation potential, with ATAC-seq data indicating a role of HIRA in orchestrating chromatin accessibility. Interestingly, however, newborn Hira knockout mice had wild type numbers of differentiated melanocytes, albeit functionally defective, as demonstrated by very mild hypopigmentation of the first hair coat, increased melanocyte telomere-associated DNA damage foci, and impaired response to proliferative challenge. Moreover, as they aged, mice with embryonic melanoblast Hira knockout displayed marked defects in melanocyte stem cell maintenance and premature hair graying. Importantly, this phenotype was not observed after postnatal inducible knockout, indicating an essential role for HIRA at embryonic stages that is transmitted to adulthood, rather than a direct postnatal requirement within the pigmentary system. This genetic model shows that HIRA function during early development lays a foundation for maintaining lineage identity and subsequent maintenance of adult tissue-specific stem cells during aging
Molecular cloning and host range analysis of three cytomegaloviruses from Mastomys natalensis
Get PDFHerpesvirus-based vectors are attractive for use as conventional or transmissible vaccines against emerging zoonoses in inaccessible animal populations. In both cases, cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) as members of the subfamily are particularly suitable for vaccine development as they are highly specific for their natural host species, infect a large proportion of their host population, and cause mild infections in healthy individuals. The Natal multimammate mouse ( ) is the natural reservoir of Lassa virus, which causes deadly hemorrhagic fever in humans. was recently reported to harbor at least three different cytomegaloviruses (MnatCMV1, MnatCMV2, and MnatCMV3). Herein, we report the molecular cloning of three complete MnatCMV genomes in a yeast and bacterial artificial chromosome (YAC-BAC) hybrid vector. Purified viral genomes were cloned in yeast by single-step transformation-associated recombination (STAR cloning) and subsequently transferred to for further genetic manipulation. The integrity of the complete cloned viral genomes was verified by sequencing, and the replication fitness of viruses reconstituted from these clones was analyzed by replication kinetics in fibroblasts and kidney epithelial cells. We also found that neither parental nor cloned MnatCMVs replicated in mouse and rat fibroblasts, nor did they show sustained replication in baby hamster kidney cells, consistent with the expected narrow host range for these viruses. We further demonstrated that an exogenous sequence can be inserted by BAC-based mutagenesis between open reading frames M25 and m25.1 of MnatCMV2 without affecting replication fitness , identifying this site as potentially suitable for the insertion of vaccine target antigen genes. IMPORTANCE Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) recently discovered in the Natal multimammate mouse ( ) are widespread within the population. Since these rodents also serve as natural hosts of the human pathogen Lassa virus (LASV), we investigated the potential suitability of CMVs (MnatCMVs) as vaccine vectors. We describe the cloning of three different MnatCMV genomes as bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs). The replicative capacity and species specificity of these BAC-derived MnatCMVs were analyzed in multiple cell types. We also identified a transgene insertion site within one of the MnatCMV genomes suitable for the incorporation of vaccine target antigens. Together, this study provides a foundation for the development of MnatCMVs as transmissible MnatCMV-based LASV vaccines to reduce LASV prevalence in hard-to-reach populations and, thereby, zoonotic transmission to humans
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