Requirements for identity management in next generation networks

Identity management will become crucial to the success of Next Generation Networks (NGN). However, until now very little research has been done in this fieid. This paper presents the requirements for identity management in NGN which are currently being investigated by our research group. Our analysis is based on the characteristics and requirements of NGN architectures, services, network operators, end users, identity management requirements for web services, recent standardization efforts by various bodies, etc

An assessment of the methodological quality of published network meta-analyses: a systematic review

Objective To assess the methodological quality of published network meta-analysis. Design Systematic review. Methods We searched the medical literature for network meta-analyses of pharmaceuticals. We assessed general study characteristics, study transparency and reproducibility, methodological approach, and reporting of findings. We compared studies published in journals with lower impact factors with those published in journals with higher impact factors, studies published prior to January 1st, 2013 with those published after that date, and studies supported financially by industry with those supported by non-profit institutions or that received no support. Results The systematic literature search identified 854 citations. Three hundred and eighteen studies met our inclusion criteria. The number of network meta-analyses has grown rapidly, with 48% of studies published since January 2013. The majority of network meta-analyses were supported by a non-profit institution or received no support (68%). We found considerable inconsistencies among reviewed studies. Eighty percent reported search terms, 61% a network diagram, 65% sufficient data to replicate the analysis, and 90% the characteristics of included trials. Seventy percent performed a risk of bias assessment of included trials, 40% an assessment of model fit, and 56% a sensitivity analysis. Among studies with a closed loop, 69% examined the consistency of direct and indirect evidence. Sixty-four percent of studies presented the full matrix of head-to-head treatment comparisons. For Bayesian studies, 41% reported the probability that each treatment was best, 31% reported treatment ranking, and 16% included the model code or referenced publicly-available code. Network meta-analyses published in higher impact factors journals and those that did not receive industry support performed better across the assessment criteria. We found few differences between older and newer studies. Conclusions There is substantial variation in the network meta-analysis literature. Consensus among guidelines is needed improve the methodological quality, transparency, and consistency of study conduct and reporting

Do Sustainable Mutual Funds Offer Protection in Times of Market Instability?

Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Finance/(Financial Economics) - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2021Our thesis examines the nancial performance of open-ended mutual funds with a Morningstar Sustainability rating from January 2015 to December 2020. We use four di erent factor models to investigate whether the hypothesis that SRI funds o er protection during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We distribute the funds based on their level of sustainable investments to see what level of ESG-risk is most pro table on a risk-adjusted basis. Our results indicate that sustainable mutual funds underperform the market portfolio during non-crisis and crisis times, although less in times of crisis

Theoretical and experimental investigation of a Solar Free-Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) using a flexible bellow for water pumping/power generation

Fossil fuels are the primary energy source globally and currently represent more than 80% of the overall energy consumption. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal remain the principal fuels for supply and off-grid power generation in remote areas. Concerns over the negative environmental impact of greenhouse gases emission have shifted toward deploying and developing renewable and low carbon energy technologies. In the last decades, many sustainable and clean energy alternatives have been exploited to make energy and power generation clean and affordable to mitigate the negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment. The Stirling engine is considered one of the most promising solutions of sustainable power technologies to generate electricity from external heat sources. This research develops the computer model of a free-piston Stirling engine (FPSE) prototype operated by a solar simulator for small-scale power generation. The mathematical model was based on solving the working fluid's mass, energy and momentum conservation equations in different engine components. The engine's performance was evaluated based on the other three models: Schmidt, Adiabatic and Simple analysis. It is found that Simple analysis gave the most accurate result because the model considers the heat losses of the Stirling cycle. This research also investigated a novel design of a solar Free-piston Stirling engine for power generation and water pumping, which can be used in remote world regions. The design incorporates flexible bellows or diaphragm working as a power piston and two pre-compressed springs to support the displacer. This mechanical arrangement of the moving components in the engine reduces mechanical friction and air leakage. The experimentally testable FPSE was carried out, including a linear electric generator to develop and validate the theoretical simulation model. It was demonstrated the engine could operate successfully at an input heat temperature of 300C°, at 1 bar pressure and a frequency of 10 Hz. Moreover, a novel design is added to the engine to convert the linear motion to rotary motion. Overall, the engine's measured power and efficiency are low, and more tests of increasing the pressure of the engine for more than 1 bar are required to obtain better performance

Modelling of spin decoherence in a Si hole qubit perturbed by a single charge fluctuator

Spin qubits in semiconductor quantum dots are one of the promizing devices to realize a quantum processor. A better knowledge of the noise sources affecting the coherence of such a qubit is therefore of prime importance. In this work, we study the effect of telegraphic noise induced by the fluctuation of a single electric charge. We simulate as realistically as possible a hole spin qubit in a quantum dot defined electrostatically by a set of gates along a silicon nanowire channel. Calculations combining Poisson and time-dependent Schr\"odinger equations allow to simulate the relaxation and the dephasing of the hole spin as a function of time for a classical random telegraph signal. We show that dephasing time $T_2$ is well given by a two-level model in a wide range of frequency. Remarkably, in the most realistic configuration of a low frequency fluctuator, the system has a non-Gaussian behavior in which the phase coherence is lost as soon as the fluctuator has changed state. The Gaussian description becomes valid only beyond a threshold frequency $\omega_{th}$, when the two-level system reacts to the statistical distribution of the fluctuator states. We show that the dephasing time $T_{2}(\omega_{th})$ at this threshold frequency can be considerably increased by playing on the orientation of the magnetic field and the gate potentials, by running the qubit along "sweet" lines. However, $T_{2}(\omega_{th})$ remains bounded due to dephasing induced by the non-diagonal terms of the stochastic perturbation Hamiltonian. Our simulations reveal that the spin relaxation cannot be described cleanly in the two-level model because the coupling to higher energy hole levels impacts very strongly the spin decoherence. This result suggests that multi-level simulations including the coupling to phonons should be necessary to describe the relaxation phenomenon in this type of qubit

Prevalence and etiology of false normal aEEG recordings in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) is a useful tool to determine the severity of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Our aim was to assess the prevalence and study the origin of false normal aEEG recordings based on 85 aEEG recordings registered before six hours of age. METHODS: Raw EEG recordings were reevaluated retrospectively with Fourier analysis to identify and describe the frequency patterns of the raw EEG signal, in cases with inconsistent aEEG recordings and clinical symptoms. Power spectral density curves, power (P) and median frequency (MF) were determined using the raw EEG. In 7 patients non-depolarizing muscle relaxant (NDMR) exposure was found. The EEG sections were analyzed and compared before and after NDMR administration. RESULTS: The reevaluation found that the aEEG was truly normal in 4 neonates. In 3 neonates, high voltage electrocardiographic (ECG) artifacts were found with flat trace on raw EEG. High frequency component (HFC) was found as a cause of normal appearing aEEG in 10 neonates. HFC disappeared while P and MF decreased significantly upon NDMR administration in each observed case. CONCLUSION: Occurrence of false normal aEEG background pattern is relatively high in neonates with HIE and hypothermia. High frequency EEG artifacts suggestive of shivering were found to be the most common cause of false normal aEEG in hypothermic neonates while high voltage ECG artifacts are less common

Theoretical and experimental investigation of a Solar Free-Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) using a flexible bellow for water pumping/power generation

Fossil fuels are the primary energy source globally and currently represent more than 80% of the overall energy consumption. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal remain the principal fuels for supply and off-grid power generation in remote areas. Concerns over the negative environmental impact of greenhouse gases emission have shifted toward deploying and developing renewable and low carbon energy technologies. In the last decades, many sustainable and clean energy alternatives have been exploited to make energy and power generation clean and affordable to mitigate the negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment. The Stirling engine is considered one of the most promising solutions of sustainable power technologies to generate electricity from external heat sources. This research develops the computer model of a free-piston Stirling engine (FPSE) prototype operated by a solar simulator for small-scale power generation. The mathematical model was based on solving the working fluid's mass, energy and momentum conservation equations in different engine components. The engine's performance was evaluated based on the other three models: Schmidt, Adiabatic and Simple analysis. It is found that Simple analysis gave the most accurate result because the model considers the heat losses of the Stirling cycle. This research also investigated a novel design of a solar Free-piston Stirling engine for power generation and water pumping, which can be used in remote world regions. The design incorporates flexible bellows or diaphragm working as a power piston and two pre-compressed springs to support the displacer. This mechanical arrangement of the moving components in the engine reduces mechanical friction and air leakage. The experimentally testable FPSE was carried out, including a linear electric generator to develop and validate the theoretical simulation model. It was demonstrated the engine could operate successfully at an input heat temperature of 300C°, at 1 bar pressure and a frequency of 10 Hz. Moreover, a novel design is added to the engine to convert the linear motion to rotary motion. Overall, the engine's measured power and efficiency are low, and more tests of increasing the pressure of the engine for more than 1 bar are required to obtain better performance

Development of magnetically active scaffolds for bone regeneration

This work reports on the synthesis, with the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) technique, of poly (L-lactide) (PLLA) scaffolds containing Fe-doped hydroxyapatite (FeHA) particles for bone regeneration. Magnetization curves and X-ray diffraction indicate two magnetic particle phases: FeHA and magnetite Fe3O4. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are approximately 30 ± 5 nm in width and 125 ± 25 nm in length, and show typical ferromagnetic properties, including coercivity and rapid saturation magnetization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the magnetic scaffolds reveal their complex morphology changes with MNP concentration. Similarly, at compositions of approximately 20% MNPs, the phase separation changes, passing from solid–liquid to liquid–liquid as revealed by the hill-like structures, with low peaks that give the walls in the SEM images a surface pattern of micro-ruggedness typical of nucleation mechanisms and growth. In vitro degradation experiments, carried out for more than 28 weeks, demonstrated that the MNPs delay the scaffold degradation process. Cytotoxicity is appreciated for FeHA content above 20%.This work was supported by the University of The Basque Center and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the framework Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/ UID/BIA/04050/2013, and UID/BIO/04469. S.R. would like to the FCT for the SFRH/BD/111478/2015 grant. The authors acknowledge funding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Criteria for Selecting Volleyball Team Captain on the Signs of their Leader Behavior

Objective of the study was to experimentally substantiate the dependence of the cohesion of sports teams, the success of their performances, as well as the development of the personality of young volleyball players, on the degree of severity of the captains of these teams' propensity for various leadership options