3,536 research outputs found

    Alienation, Hedonism, and Life-Vision of Delinquents

    Get PDF

    High sensitivity and multifunctional micro-Hall sensors fabricated using InAlSb/InAsSb/InAlSb heterostructures

    Get PDF
    Further diversification of Hall sensor technology requires development of materials with high electron mobility and an ultrathin conducting layer very close to the material's surface. Here, we describe the magnetoresistive properties of micro-Hall devices fabricated using InAlSb/InAsSb/InAlSb heterostructures where electrical conduction was confined to a 30 nm-InAsSb two-dimensional electron gas layer. The 300 K electron mobility and sheet carrier concentration were 36 500 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) and 2.5 x 10(11) cm(-2), respectively. The maximum current-related sensitivity was 2 750 V A(-1) T-1, which was about an order of magnitude greater than AlGaAs/InGaAs pseudomorphic heterostructures devices. Photolithography was used to fabricate 1 mu m x 1 mu m Hall probes, which were installed into a scanning Hall probe microscope and used to image the surface of a hard disk

    Histologic Evaluation of the Efficacy of rhBMP-2 Compared With Autograft Bone in Sheep Spinal Anterior Interbody Fusion

    Get PDF
    Study Design. The sheep anterior lumbar spinal fusion model was used to study the efficacy of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2)–collagen composite in comparison with autograft to enhance spinal interbody fusion. Comparisons were drawn from temporal radiographic and end-point biomechanical and histologic data. Objective. To analyze histologically the ability of rhBMP-2 to achieve complete arthrodesis between vertebral bodies. Summary of Background Data. Studies using rhBMP for enhancement of anterior interbody fusion have used numerous endpoints. However, systematic histologic evaluation of the fusion has not been conducted. Methods. Twelve sheep underwent single-level anterior lumbar interbody fusion performed with a cylindrical fenestrated titanium interbody fusion device (INTER FIX, Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., Memphis, TN). The device was filled either with rhBMP-2–collagen (n = 6) or autogenous iliac crest bone graft (n = 6). Radiologic evaluation was carried out at 2-month intervals, and all sheep were killed 6 months after surgery. Nondestructive biomechanical testing for stiffness to flexion, extension, and lateral bending moments, un-decalcified histology, and qualitative and quantitative histologic evaluation were performed. Results. Radiographs revealed a bony bridge anterior to the cage in five of six rhBMP-2-treated animals, whereas it was present only in one of five in the autogenous bone graft group. Segments treated with rhBMP-2 were 20% stiffer in flexion than autograft-treated segments at 6 months. Six of six in the rhBMP-2 group and two of six in the autograft group showed complete fusion. There was a significantly higher rate of bony continuity observed at the fenestrations of the rhBMP-2 group. Three times more number of cage fenestrations in the rhBMP-2 group demonstrated “all-bone” when compared with the autograft group (P \u3c 0.001). Further, the scar tissue in and around the autograft-treated cages was 16-fold more (P \u3c 0.01) than that seen for rhBMP-2-treated cages. Conclusions. The study demonstrates that rhBMP-2 can lead to earlier radiologic fusion and a more consistent increased stiffness of the segments when compared with autograft in sheep anterior lumbar interbody fusion. Furthermore, a three times higher histologic fusion rate is attainable with significantly reduced fibrous tissue around the implant when rhBMP-2 is used

    One Hundred Cases of Localized Laryngeal Amyloidosis - Evidence for Future Management

    Get PDF
    Objective/Hypothesis: To update the current understanding of localized laryngeal amyloidosis by analyzing the NHS National Amyloidosis Database and to further clarify the important ongoing management issues. Study Design: Retrospective review, case series. Methods: Patients with laryngeal amyloid were identified from the database of the NHS National Amyloidosis Center, UCL, Royal Free Hospital, London between 2000 and 2017. Patient demographics and disease profile were collated, including the exact location of amyloid deposit, treatments if any, and progression of disease. Results: One hundred and three patients with localized laryngeal amyloid where identified from the database, with a mean age of 54 at diagnosis and female to male ratio of 54:49. Three patients were excluded from further analysis due to limited database information. The majority of amyloid was found in either the supraglottis (44) or glottis (53) but all the laryngeal subsites were involved. One-third of the patients (34) had amyloid in more than one laryngeal subsite. No patients were found to progress to systemic amyloid, but many progressed locally to other subsites or further down the LTB tree (29%). Three patients were successfully treated with radiotherapy after other modalities had failed. Conclusions: This is the largest case series reported to date of localized laryngeal amyloidosis. It highlights the high incidence of multifocal disease and the significant proportion of patients who progressed, not to systemic amyloidosis but to more extensive localized amyloid. We recommend that in all cases of laryngeal amyloid, patients should undergo a thorough assessment of the upper and lower airways and have ongoing surveillance for at least 15 years

    Room temperature magnetic imaging of magnetic storage media and garnet epilayers in the presence of external magnetic fields using a sub-micron GaAs SHPM

    Get PDF
    Cataloged from PDF version of article.A multipurpose room temperature scanning Hall probe microscope (RT-SHPM) system incorporating an ultra-high sensitive sub-micron GaAs Hall probe (active area of similar to0.8 x 0.8 mum(2) room temperature Hall coefficient of 0.3 Ohm /G) exhibiting extremely high magnetic field sensitivity (0.04G/root Hz) was used for the direct, non-invasive and quantitative imaging of magnetic field fluctuations in very close proximity to the surfaces of thin film magnetic storage media, Bi substituted iron garnet epilayers and demagnetized Sr-ferrite permanent magnets placed in external magnetic fields. A scanning tunnelling microscope tip integrated adjacent to the Hall probe was used for precise vertical positioning of the probe. RT-SHPM images of 1.4 MB written floppy disks clearly showed well-defined magnetic transitions to coalesce into small island-like structures under external perpendicular fields greater than 1300 Oe. The RT-SHPM is demonstrated to be a versatile means of quantitatively monitoring micron-sized magnetic domain structures in the presence of external magnetic fields at: room temperature. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

    Clinical Thermoradiotherapy

    Get PDF
    A clinical trial is currently in progress to determine the efficacy of combined fractions of hyperthermia and radiation. The protocol consists of two parts. First, four fractions of microwave-induced hyperthermia (45.0° ± 0.5°C) are applied for 1 1/2 hours to the volume encompassing the tumor, each separated by 72 hours. After a one-week rest, a second series of four fractions is administered again at 72- hour intervals. Each fraction consists of a 400 rad dose of radiation followed within 20 minutes by hyperthermia (42.5 ± 0.5°C) for 1 1/2 hours. Currently, we have treated 62 patients with 82 fields with a mean follow-up time of six months to date. Total regression was observed in 60% of all cases, and partial regression in 33%; no response was seen in only 6% of all those treated. Five local and three marginal recurrences have been observed. This paper discusses details of response based on site, histology, and classification

    Improved crowd psychological model and control

    Get PDF
    The behavior of human crowd is an interesting phenomenon in which individuals are set as a collection that comprises of a highly dynamic social group. The crowd behaviors have been investigated by researchers over the years. Recent works include the study in modeling and controlling of the dynamic psychological behavior of crowds such as students’ behavior in a classroom or people’s behavior in a one-dimensional queue. In this paper, an improved version of the psychological crowd model has been proposed, where the social interaction between two individuals in a crowd is represented by a weightage, called the weight of social interaction. It has been shown that the inclusion of the social interaction weight has allowed social interactions between individuals to be included and results in a more accurate representation of the crowd’s psychological factors propagations. Since the psychological dynamics of crowd is naturally unstable, this paper also discusses the application of two nonlinear control approaches to stabilise the crowd to make it calm. Results show that for a crowd of n number of agents, the single-agent controller gives similar performance with the n-agent controller but with much less resources. The simulation results also show that it takes less amount of time to stabilise a crowd when the crowd model includes social interaction weights
    corecore