Encapsulated thermoacoustic projector based on freestanding carbon nanotube film

A suspended nanotube film (or films) producing sound by means of the thermoacoustic (TA) effect is encapsulated between two plates, at least one of which vibrates, to enhance sound generation efficiency and protect the film. To avoid the oxidation of carbon nanotubes at elevated temperatures and reduce the thermal inertia of surrounding medium the enclosure is filled with inert gas (preferably with high heat capacity ratio, γ=Cp/Cv, and low heat capacity, Cp). To generate sound directly as the first harmonic of applied audio signal without use of an energy consuming dc biasing, an audio signal modulated carrier frequency at much higher frequency is used to provide power input. Various other inventive means are described to provide enhanced projected sound intensity, increased projector efficiency, and lengthened projector life, like the use of infrared reflecting coatings and particles on the projector plates, non-parallel sheet alignment in sheet stacks, and cooling means on one projector side.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Caring for America’s aging population: a profile of the direct-care workforce

Direct-care workers constitute a low-wage, high-turnover workforce with low levels of health insurance; taking these characteristics into account guides the challenge of how to deal with the growing demand for long-term care by an aging U.S. population

Investigation of variables in turbine erosion, influence of aerodynamic and geometric parameters

Influence of aerodynamic and geometric parameters in turbine erosio

An Evaluation of Three Stimulus Media for Eliciting Verbal Language Samples from Educable Mentally Handicapped Children

No abstract provided by author

An Evaluation of Three Stimulus Media for Eliciting Verbal Language Samples from Educable Mentally Handicapped Children

No abstract provided by author

The Creation of a Next-Generation Cancer Treatment Using Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment for various health disorders, including cancer, that uses a photosensitive agent and light. Unlike other cancer treatments, PDT is a focused treatment that kills cancerous cells without harming the surrounding tissues. When a photosensitive agent is administered, it accumulates in the tumor as it binds to low density lipoproteins. When the tumor is exposed to a specific wavelength of light, the photosensitive agent is activated; this results in the release singlet oxygen, which kills the tumor. The objective of this research was to synthesize and characterize a novel photosensitive agent, H2TPP-2A2E. Purification of the novel be used in the next generation of photodynamic therapy. material was achieved using column chromatography. In addition, IR, UV-vis, and NMR spectroscopies were used to characterize the product, and purity was determined using HPLC. After determining that our product was refined, cytotoxicity testing in light and dark conditions revealed that the novel H2TPP-2A2E, could potentially be used in the next generation of photodynamic therapy

Distinctive versus Common Feature Knowledge across Three Levels of Importance: Relationship with Word Retrieval Performance in People with Aphasia

Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) is a well established intervention technique for improving word retrieval in people with aphasia. This technique uses features of target words to activate semantic networks and thereby improve word retrieval as supported by the spreading activation theory of semantic processing (Collins & Loftus, 1975). Variations of this intervention technique have been successful at improving word retrieval of some people with aphasia (e.g., Boyle, 2004; Coelho, McHugh, & Boyle, 2000; Peach & Reuter, 2010; Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007). As part of an effort to increase the effectiveness of semantic treatments such as SFA, semantic feature knowledge of people with aphasia has been examined in depth (Cox, 2009; Germani & Pierce 1995; Mason-Baughman, 2009; Mason-Baughman, 2010; Vecchi, 1994). For purposes of this research, feature knowledge refers to the ability to identify that a feature belongs to a particular target word during a sorting task as described below. To develop understanding of the semantic knowledge of people with aphasia, researchers have primarily examined two aspects of features: importance and distinctiveness

Evidence for Braggoriton Excitations in Opal Photonic Crystals Infiltrated with Highly Polarizable Dyes

We studied angle-dependent reflectivity spectra of opal photonic crystals infiltrated with cyanine dyes, which are highly polarizable media with very large Rabi frequency. We show that when resonance conditions between the exciton-polariton of the infiltrated dye and Bragg frequencies exist, then the Bragg stop band decomposes into two reflectivity bands with a semi-transparent spectral range in between that is due to light propagation inside the gap caused by the existence of braggoriton excitations. These novel excitations result from the interplay interaction between the Bragg gap with spatial modulation origin and the polariton gap due to the excitons, and may lead to optical communication traffic inside the gap of photonic crystals via channel waveguiding.Comment: LaTex, 5 pages, 3 figures include