Making internal fixation work with limited bone stock

Fractures are common in small animal practice and there are many options for managing them. Plates and screws remain a popular means to manage many fractures; however, some fractures are sufficiently close to a joint (juxta-articular), that they limit the amount of bone available to achieve a standard stable plate and screw fixation. This article discusses the options to achieve a stable internal fixation when there is limited bone stock

Fluctuating Bond Aggregation: a Model for Chemical Gel Formation

The Diffusion-Limited Cluster-Cluster Aggregation (DLCA) model is modified by including cluster deformations using the {\it bond fluctuation} algorithm. From 3$d$ computer simulations, it is shown that, below a given threshold value $c_g$ of the volumic fraction $c$, the realization of all intra-aggregate bonding possibilities prevents the formation of a gelling network. For $c>c_g$, the sol-gel transition occurs at a time $t_g$ which, in contrast to DLCA, doesnot diverge with the box size. Several results are reported including small angle scattering curves and possible applications are discussed.Comment: RevTex, 9 pages + 3 postscript figures appended using "uufiles". To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Interface energies of (100)_{YSZ} and (111)_{YSZ} epitaxial islands on (0001)_{alpha-Al_2O_3} substrates from first principles

We present an ab initio study of the interface energies of cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) epitaxial layers on a (0001)_{alpha-Al_2O_3} substrate. The interfaces are modelled using a supercell geometry and the calculations are carried out in the framework of density-functional theory (DFT) and the local-density approximation (LDA) using the projector-augmented-wave (PAW) pseudopotential approach. Our calculations clearly demonstrate that the (111)_{YSZ} || (0001)_{alpha-Al_2O_3} interface energy is lower than that of (100)_{YSZ} || (0001)_{alpha-Al_2O_3}. This result is central to understanding the behaviour of YSZ thin solid film islanding on (0001)_{alpha-Al_2O_3} substrates, either flat or in presence of defects.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, 10 tables, submitted to Physical Review

Tunable anisotropy in inverse opals and emerging optical properties

Using self-assembly, nanoscale materials can be fabricated from the bottom up. Opals and inverse opals are examples of self-assembled nanomaterials made from crystallizing colloidal particles. As self-assembly requires a high level of control, it is challenging to use building blocks with anisotropic geometry to form complex opals, which limits the realizable structures. Typically, spherical colloids are employed as building blocks, leading to symmetric, isotropic superstructures. However, a significantly richer palette of directionally dependent properties are expected if less symmetric, anisotropic structures can be created, especially originating from the assembly of regular, spherical particles. Here we show a simple method to introduce anisotropy into inverse opals by subjecting them to a post-assembly thermal treatment that results in directional shrinkage of the silica matrix caused by condensation of partially hydrated sol-gel silica structures. In this way, we can tailor the shape of the pores, and the anisotropy of the final inverse opal preserves the order and uniformity of the self-assembled structure, while completely avoiding the need to synthesize complex oval-shaped particles and crystallize them into such target geometries. Detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies clearly identify increasing degrees of sol-gel condensation in confinement as a mechanism for the structure change. A computer simulation of structure changes resulting from the condensation-induced shrinkage further confirmed this mechanism. As an example of property changes induced by the introduction of anisotropy, we characterized the optical spectra of the anisotropic inverse opals and found that the optical properties can be controlled in a precise way using calcination temperature

Thin film porous membranes based on sol-gel chemistry for catalytic sensors

Nanoporous sol-gel based films are finding a wide variety of uses including gas separations and supports for heterogeneous catalysts. The films can be formed by spin or dip coating, followed by relatively low temperature annealing. The authors used several types of these films as coatings on the Pd alloy thin film sensors they had previously fabricated and studied. The sol-gel films have little effect on the sensing response to H{sub 2} alone. However, in the presence of other gases, the nanoporous film modifies the sensor behavior in several beneficial ways. (1) They have shown that the sol-gel coated sensors were only slightly poisoned by high concentrations of H{sub 2}S while uncoated sensors showed moderate to severe poisoning effects. (2) For a given partial pressure of H{sub 2}, the signal from the sensor is modified by the presence of O{sub 2} and other oxidizing gases

Influence of the initial chemical conditions on the rational design of silica particles

The influence of the water content in the initial composition on the size of silica particles produced using the Stöber process is well known. We have shown that there are three morphological regimes defined by compositional boundaries. At low water levels (below stoichiometric ratio of water:tetraethoxysilane), very high surface area and aggregated structures are formed; at high water content (>40 wt%) similar structures are also seen. Between these two boundary conditions, discrete particles are formed whose size are dictated by the water content. Within the compositional regime that enables the classical Stöber silica, the structural evolution shows a more rapid attainment of final particle size than the rate of formation of silica supporting the monomer addition hypothesis. The clearer understanding of the role of the initial composition on the output of this synthesis method will be of considerable use for the establishment of reliable reproducible silica production for future industrial adoption

InGaAs monolithic interconnected modules (MIM)

A monolithic interconnected module (MIM) structure has been developed for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications. The MIM device consists of many individual InGaAs cells series-connected on a single semi-insulating (S.I.) InP substrate. An infrared (IR) back surface reflector (BSR), placed on the rear surface of the substrate, returns the unused portion of the TPV radiator output spectrum back to the emitter for recycling, thereby providing for high system efficiencies. Also, the use of a BSR obviates the need to use a separate filtering element. As a result, MIMs are exposed to the entire emitter output, thereby maximizing output power density. MIMs with an active area of 1 x 1-cm were comprised of 15 cells monolithically connected in series. Both lattice-matched and lattice-mismatched InGaAs/InP devices were produced, with bandgaps of 0.74 and 0.55 eV, respectively. The 0.74-eV modules demonstrated an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 6.158 V and a fill factor of 74.2% at a short-circuit current (Jsc) of 842 mA/cm{sup 2}, under flashlamp testing. The 0.55-eV modules demonstrated a Voc of 4.849 V and a fill factor of 57.8% at a Jsc of 3.87 A/cm{sup 2}. IR reflectance measurements (i.e., {lambda} > 2 {micro}m) of these devices indicated a reflectivity of {ge} 83%. Latest electrical and optical performance results for the MIMs will be presented