Type-II InAsxSb1-x/InAs quantum dots for midinfrared applications: Effect of morphology and composition on electronic and optical properties

InSb-based self-assembled quantum dots are very promising for the midinfrared (3-5μm) optical range. We have analyzed the effect of geometry and composition on the electronic structure and optical spectra of InAsx Sb1-x /InAs dots. The calculated transition energies agree well with the available experimental data. The results show that the geometry of the dot can be estimated from the optical spectra if the composition is known, and vice versa. © 2009 The American Physical Society

Residual stress measurement in thin films using the semi-destructive ring-core drilling method using Focused Ion Beam

In the present study, residual stress evaluation in thin films was achieved using a semi-destructive trench-cutting method. Focused Ion Beam (FIB) was employed to introduce the strain relief by ring-core milling, i.e. creating a trench around an "island". Either SEM or FIB imaging can be used to record sequences of images for strain change evaluation by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis of micrographs. A regular array of shallow holes was drilled on a thin overlayer of Pt (∼100nm) deposited on to the film prior to patterning and trenching, in order to reduce the damage introduced by the ion beam during imaging and to assist the DIC strain evaluation by adding traceable markers. Finite Element (FE) simulation was also carried out to predict the curves for strain relief as a function of milling depth, and compared with the experimental measurements, which show good agreement with each other. An empirical mathematical description of the curves was proposed that allows efficient residual stress evaluation in thin solid films. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Plasma ferritin concentrations are not associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnosis, size or growth

Background and aims: Experimental studies using a rodent model have suggested that iron overload may contribute to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pathogenesis. Methods: We assessed the association of total body iron, as measured by plasma ferritin, with AAA diagnosis, size and growth in 4024 community-dwelling older men screened for AAA, using logistic regression and linear mixed effects models. Results: Plasma ferritin concentrations were similar in men who did (n = 293) and did not (n = 3731) have an AAA (median [inter-quartile range] concentrations 115.4 [63.0–203.1] and 128.5 [66.1–229.1] ng/mL respectively, p = 0.124). There was no association between plasma ferritin concentration and AAA diagnosis in unadjusted logistic regression (odds ratio (OR) for a 1 standard deviation increase: 0.880 [95%CI: 0.764–1.015]; p = 0.078), or when adjusting for AAA risk factors and factors known to influence circulating ferritin (OR for a 1 standard deviation increase: 0.898 [95% CI: 0.778–1.035]; p = 0.138). Iron overload prevalence (plasma ferritin concentrations >200 ng/mL) was lower in men with an AAA (25.3%) than those without (30.8%; p = 0.048), but was not associated with AAA diagnosis after adjusting as above (OR: 0.781 [95% CI:0.589–1.035]; p = 0.086). The association of iron overload with AAA growth was investigated in 265 men with small AAAs who received at least 1 repeat ultrasound scan in the 3 years following screening. We saw no difference in AAA growth between men who did and did not have iron overload (n = 65 and 185 respectively, p = 0.164). Conclusions: Our data suggest that iron overload is unlikely to be important in AAA pathogenesis

Healthy lifestyles are associated with better vitamin D status in community-dwelling older men: The Health In Men Study (HIMS)

Objective: Older people are more prone to vitamin D deficiency than younger populations. Individual lifestyle factors have been associated with vitamin D status. We examined the influence of a combination of lifestyle factors on vitamin D status in older men. Participants and Measurements: In a population-based cohort study of older men (age ≥65 years), a lifestyle score was calculated from eight prudent health-related behaviours (smoking, exercise, alcohol, fish and meat consumption, adding salt, milk choices and obesity) collected via questionnaire at baseline. Blood samples were collected 5 years afterwards to measure plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels. Associations between lifestyles and the likelihood of having plasma 25OHD levels of ≥75 versus <75 nmol/L and ≥50 versus <50 nmol/L were tested using logistic regression models. Results: Of the 2717 men analysed, mean plasma 25OHD was 69.0 ± 23.5 nmol/L, with 20.7% having plasma 25OHD <50 nmol/L. Men engaging in ≥4 healthy lifestyle behaviours had 20% higher odds of plasma 25OHD ≥75 nmol/L (adjusted OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.01−1.45) compared to those with <4 healthy behaviours. No association was found for 25OHD ≥50 nmol/L. Higher physical activity was the only individual component significantly associated with vitamin D sufficiency (highest vs. lowest quintiles of physical activity, adjusted OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.47−2.74 for 25OHD ≥50 nmol/L, adjusted OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.81−3.06 for 25OHD ≥75 nmol/L). Conclusion: Multiple healthy lifestyle behaviours are associated with better vitamin D status in older men. Further work is needed to determine the effects of promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, on vitamin D sufficiency

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I improves cardiovascular risk prediction in older men: HIMS (The Health in Men Study)

Background: The Framingham Risk Score estimates the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events. However, it performs poorly in older adults. We evaluated the incremental benefit of adding high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) to the Framingham Risk Score. Methods and Results: The HIMS (Health in Men Study) is a cohort study of community-dwelling men aged 70 to 89 years in Western Australia. Participants were identified from the electoral roll, with a subset undergoing plasma analysis. Hs-cTnI (Abbott Architect i2000SR) was measured in 1151 men without prior cardiovascular disease. The Western Australia Data Linkage System was used to identify incident cardiovascular events. After 10 years of follow-up, 252 men (22%) had a cardiovascular event (CVE+) and 899 did not (CVE–). The Framingham Risk Score placed 148 (59%) CVE+ and 415 (46%) CVE– in the high-risk category. In CVE– men, adding hs-cTnI affected the risk categories of 244 (27.2%) men, with 64.8% appropriately reclassified to a lower and 35.2% to a higher category, which decreased the number of high-risk men in the CVE– to 39%. In CVE+ men, adding hs-cTnI affected the risk categories of 61 (24.2%), with 50.8% appropriately reclassified to a higher and 49.2% to a lower category and 82.5% remaining above the 15% risk treatment threshold. The net reclassification index was 0.305 (P<0.001). Adding hs-cTnI increased the C-statistic modestly from 0.588 (95% CI, 0.552–0.624) to 0.624 (95% CI, 0.589–0.659) and improved model fit (likelihood ratio test, P<0.001). Conclusions: Adding hs-cTnI to the Framingham Risk Score provided incremental prognostic benefit in older men, especially aiding reclassification of individuals into a lower risk category

Towards Characterizing Graphs with a Sliceable Rectangular Dual

\u3cp\u3eLet G be a plane triangulated graph. A rectangular dual of G is a partition of a rectangle R into a set R of interior-disjoint rectangles, one for each vertex, such that two regions are adjacent if and only if the corresponding vertices are connected by an edge. A rectangular dual is sliceable if it can be recursively subdivided along horizontal or vertical lines. A graph is rectangular if it has a rectangular dual and sliceable if it has a sliceable rectangular dual. There is a clear characterization of rectangular graphs. However, a full characterization of sliceable graphs is still lacking. The currently best result (Yeap and Sarrafzadeh, 1995) proves that all rectangular graphs without a separating 4-cycle are slice- able. In this paper we introduce a recursively defined class of graphs and prove that these graphs are precisely the nonsliceable graphs with exactly one separating 4-cycle.\u3c/p\u3

Patient‐reported outcomes after 3‐dimensional conformal, intensity‐modulated, or proton beam radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested differing toxicity patterns for patients with prostate cancer who receive treatment with 3‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or proton beam therapy (PBT). METHODS: The authors reviewed patient‐reported outcomes data collected prospectively using validated instruments that assessed bowel and urinary quality of life (QOL) for patients with localized prostate cancer who received 3DCRT (n = 123), IMRT (n = 153) or PBT (n = 95). Clinically meaningful differences in mean QOL scores were defined as those exceeding half the standard deviation of the baseline mean value. Changes from baseline were compared within groups at the first post‐treatment follow‐up (2‐3 months from the start of treatment) and at 12 months and 24 months. RESULTS: At the first post‐treatment follow‐up, patients who received 3DCRT and IMRT, but not those who received PBT, reported a clinically meaningful decrement in bowel QOL. At 12 months and 24 months, all 3 cohorts reported clinically meaningful decrements in bowel QOL. Patients who received IMRT reported clinically meaningful decrements in the domains of urinary irritation/obstruction and incontinence at the first post‐treatment follow‐up. At 12 months, patients who received PBT, but not those who received IMRT or 3DCRT, reported a clinically meaningful decrement in the urinary irritation/obstruction domain. At 24 months, none of the 3 cohorts reported clinically meaningful changes in urinary QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received 3DCRT, IMRT, or PBT reported distinct patterns of treatment‐related QOL. Although the timing of toxicity varied between the cohorts, patients reported similar modest QOL decrements in the bowel domain and minimal QOL decrements in the urinary domains at 24 months. Prospective randomized trials are needed to further examine these differences. Cancer 2013. © 2013 American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer patients who receive 3‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity‐modulated radiotherapy, or proton beam therapy report distinct patterns of treatment‐related quality of life. Although the timing of toxicity varies between cohorts, patients report similar modest quality‐of‐life decrements in the bowel domain and minimal QOL decrements in the urinary domains at 24 months.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97476/1/27956_ftp.pd

Molecular characterisation of protist parasites in human-habituated mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), humans and livestock, from Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Over 60 % of human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and there is growing evidence of the zooanthroponotic transmission of diseases from humans to livestock and wildlife species, with major implications for public health, economics, and conservation. Zooanthroponoses are of relevance to critically endangered species; amongst these is the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of Uganda. Here, we assess the occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia, and Entamoeba infecting mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, using molecular methods. We also assess the occurrence of these parasites in humans and livestock species living in overlapping/adjacent geographical regions