The transition from a many-body localized phase to a thermalizing one is a dynamical quantum phase transition that lies outside the framework of equilibrium statistical mechanics. We provide a ...detailed study of the critical properties of this transition at finite sizes in one dimension. We find that the entanglement entropy of small subsystems looks strongly subthermal in the quantum critical regime, which indicates that it varies discontinuously across the transition as the system size is taken to infinity, even though many other aspects of the transition look continuous. We also study the variance of the half-chain entanglement entropy, which shows a peak near the transition, and find substantial variation in the entropy across eigenstates of the same sample. Furthermore, the sample-to-sample variations in this quantity are strongly growing and are larger than the intrasample variations. We posit that these results are consistent with a picture in which the transition to the thermal phase is driven by an eigenstate-dependent sparse resonant “backbone” of long-range entanglement, which just barely gains enough strength to thermalize the system on the thermal side of the transition as the system size is taken to infinity. This discontinuity in a global quantity—the presence of a fully functional bath—in turn implies a discontinuity even for local properties. We discuss how this picture compares with existing renormalization group treatments of the transition.
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Despite intense studies into silicon anode materials, the large volume expansion of silicon remains a significant problem that reduces battery performance and shortens battery life. In this paper, a ...procedure to increase the cycle life of the silicon anode in full-cell configuration using a simple pre-lithiation method is proposed. By precisely controlling the thickness of the pre-deposited lithium through evaporation, the volume change of the silicon-containing anodes can be effectively reduced during discharge. A coin-cell fabricated with a high-capacity cathode and the pre-lithiated silicon–graphite anode shows improvements in cycling performance, as well as a higher discharge capacity. Electrochemical and microscopic analysis confirm that pre-lithiation successfully suppresses the volumetric changes. Thus, this work provides an effective method for the preparation of long-cycle-life Li-ion batteries containing silicon-based anodes.
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•The mechanism for improving cycle life through pre-lithiation was proposed and proved.•A pre-lithiation method is proposed by lithium evaporation on a Si-Gr anode.•Precisely controlled pre-lithiated cells prevent complete shrinkage of the silicon.•Enhanced cycle life and a high areal capacity were achieved at a high current densities.
•A novel pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) based on quantum logistic map is presented.•The Scale index analysis shows the generated sequence is more non-periodic.•The proposed PRNG is subjected ...to statistical tests using the well-known tests suites.•The PRNG successfully passed all statistical tests of the test suites for all runs.•There is no post-processing procedure which makes it an extremely simple generator.
For many years dissipative quantum maps were widely used as informative models of quantum chaos. In this paper, a new scheme for generating good pseudo-random numbers (PRNG), based on quantum logistic map is proposed. Note that the PRNG merely relies on the equations used in the quantum chaotic map. The algorithm is not complex, which does not impose high requirement on computer hardware and thus computation speed is fast. In order to face the challenge of using the proposed PRNG in quantum cryptography and other practical applications, the proposed PRNG is subjected to statistical tests using well-known test suites such as NIST, DIEHARD, ENT and TestU01. The results of the statistical tests were promising, as the proposed PRNG successfully passed all these tests. Moreover, the degree of non-periodicity of the chaotic sequences of the quantum map is investigated through the Scale index technique. The obtained result shows that, the sequence is more non-periodic. From these results it can be concluded that, the new scheme can generate a high percentage of usable pseudo-random numbers for simulation and other applications in scientific computing.
Abstract
Acromegaly is a chronic systemic disease with many complications and is associated with increased mortality when not adequately treated. Substantial advances in acromegaly treatment, as well ...as in the treatment of many of its complications, mainly diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and arterial hypertension, were achieved in the last decades. These developments allowed change in both prevalence and severity of some acromegaly complications and furthermore resulted in a reduction of mortality. Currently, mortality seems to be similar to the general population in adequately treated patients with acromegaly. In this review, we update the knowledge in complications of acromegaly and detail the effects of different acromegaly treatment options on these complications. Incidence of mortality, its correlation with GH (cumulative exposure vs last value), and IGF-I levels and the shift in the main cause of mortality in patients with acromegaly are also addressed.
PURPOSE OF REVIEWThe current review focuses on recent population-based studies that have examined the burden of lupus, disease outcomes, and gaps in quality of care, with an emphasis in research ...addressing health disparities.
RECENT FINDINGSThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Lupus Registries underscored higher susceptibility of both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary cutaneous lupus among people of color, compared with whites. Not only does SLE disproportionately strike people from racial and ethnic minorities, those individuals are also at increased risk of developing severe manifestations following SLE diagnosis. Mortality is higher and death occurs at a younger age among blacks, compared with whites. Furthermore, ongoing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-supported population-based lupus cohorts, along with research by other groups, have provided new insight into the role of social determinants on outcomes and opportunities to improve care in diverse lupus populations.
SUMMARYWhile descriptive epidemiological efforts have been critical to providing more accurate estimates of the burden and mortality of lupus across diverse demographic groups, emerging research suggests a significant influence of psychosocial and healthcare system factors on disease outcomes. These current efforts represent important steps toward the development of clinical and public health interventions aimed at eliminating health disparities in lupus populations.
An image encryption scheme based on quantum logistic map Akhshani, A.; Akhavan, A.; Lim, S.-C. ...
Communications in nonlinear science & numerical simulation,
December 2012, 2012-12-00, 20121201, Volume:
17, Issue:
12
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
► A novel image encryption algorithm based on quantum logistic map is presented. ► The proposed scheme is subjected to the well-known security analysis. ► The results clearly demonstrate that the ...algorithm is more efficient and secure.
The topic of quantum chaos has begun to draw increasing attention in recent years. While a satisfactory definition for it is not settled yet in order to differentiate between its classical counterparts. Dissipative quantum maps can be characterized by sensitive dependence on initial conditions, like classical maps. Considering this property, an implementation of image encryption scheme based on the quantum logistic map is proposed. The security and performance analysis of the proposed image encryption is performed using well-known methods. The results of the reliability analysis are encouraging and it can be concluded that, the proposed scheme is efficient and secure. The results of this study also suggest application of other quantum maps such as quantum standard map and quantum baker map in cryptography and other aspects of security and privacy.
Summary
While many women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are overweight, obese or centrally obese, the effect of excess weight on the outcomes of PCOS is inconsistent. The review aimed to ...assess the effects of overweight, obesity and central obesity on the reproductive, metabolic and psychological features of PCOS. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PSYCINFO were searched for studies reporting outcomes according to body mass index categories or body fat distribution. Data were presented as mean difference or risk ratio (95% confidence interval). This review included 30 eligible studies. Overweight or obese women with PCOS had decreased sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG), increased total testosterone, free androgen index, hirsutism, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment‐insulin resistance index and worsened lipid profile. Obesity significantly worsened all metabolic and reproductive outcomes measured except for hirsutism when compared to normal weight women with PCOS. Overweight women had no differences in total testosterone, hirsutism, total‐cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol compared to normal weight women and no differences in SHBG and total testosterone compared to obese women. Central obesity was associated with higher fasting insulin levels. These results suggest that prevention and treatment of obesity is important for the management of PCOS.
Data are limited on the ability of dipyridamole to additionally inhibit platelet function/reactivity in ischaemic cerebrovascular disease (CVD) patients on aspirin.
To assess inhibition of platelet ...function/reactivity and platelet activation with dipyridamole in CVD.
This prospective, observational study assessed TIA/ischaemic stroke patients before (baseline; N = 60), at 14 ±7 days (14d, N = 39) and ≥ 90 days (90d, N = 31) after adding dipyridamole to aspirin. Platelet function/reactivity at high shear stress (PFA-100® C-ADP) and low shear stress (VerifyNow® P2Y12 and Multiplate® ADP assays), and platelet activation status (% expression of CD62P, CD63 and leucocyte-platelet complexes on whole blood flow cytometry) were quantified. ‘Dipyridamole-high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR)’ was defined as failure to inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation +/- adhesion compared with the patient's baseline on aspirin monotherapy by more than twice the coefficient-of-variation of the assay after adding dipyridamole to aspirin.
Dipyridamole-HTPR was identified in 71.4–75% of patients on PFA-100 C-ADP, 83.9–86.8% of patients on VerifyNow P2Y12, and 81.5–83.3% of patients on Multiplate ADP assays. There were no changes in CD62P/CD63 expression (P ≥ 0.18), or consistent changes in leucocyte-platelet complexes in CVD patients overall at 14d or 90d vs. baseline after commencing dipyridamole. Monocyte-platelet complexes increased in the patient subgroup with dipyridamole-HTPR at 14d and 90d on PFA-100, and at 14d on VerifyNow (P ≤ 0.04), but not in those without dipyridamole-HTPR.
Additional antiplatelet effects of dipyridamole are detectable under high and low shear stress conditions with user-friendly platelet function/reactivity tests ex vivo. Increasing circulating monocyte-platelet complexes over time are associated with dipyridamole-HTPR.