Simultaneous measurement of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio at microscale with two-modes scanning microdeformation microscopy

International audienceIn this paper, we present a technique to simultaneously measure Young's modulus E and Poisson's ratio ν of an isotropic material at local scale in a single experiment. Using several flexural modes of vibration of the scanning microdeformation microscope, it is possible to decouple the contributions of E and ν from the first two resonant frequencies, thereby providing access to both the elastic parameters. The proposed approach is applied to SU8 thin films deposited on silicon substrates and provides values consistent with those from the literature

Impact of ethanol plants on Kansas land values

Master of AgribusinessDepartment of Agricultural EconomicsAllen FeatherstoneLand values have a fascinating history after the first settlers started moving west in the 19th century. Much research has been done in agricultural economics with regards to land values and this subject will continue to be watched closely as we move further into the 21st century. The goal of this thesis is to understand the effect that ethanol plants have on the price of land around the ethanol plant. More specifically, the thesis addresses the question of “What impact do ethanol plants have on Kansas Land values?” The thesis also answers the question of “Are land values directly correlated to the proximity of an ethanol plant and if they are directly correlated, to what extent or how much more valuable is a parcel of land that is 30 miles to an ethanol plant compared to a parcel of land that is 70 miles?” As we move into the 21st century, the nation continues to look for alternative fuel sources. Ethanol produced from corn has played a key role in that search for an alternative fuel. In 2007, the state of Kansas proposed to have 29 ethanol plants built and/or operational in the near future. The majority of the ethanol plants were built in 2006 and 2007 with only 16 of those plants becoming operational. This thesis uses those 16 ethanol plants as the basis of this study. The study determines if land sale values from 2010 to 2013 were directly impacted based on the proximity to the closest ethanol plant. Corn is the main crop used in this study with regards to the production of ethanol. While other crops can be used to produce ethanol, the study only focused on the corn crops from 2010 to 2013. The trend in cash corn prices and basis data reflects the advent of the development of ethanol plants with a cash corn high of $8.05 in 2012 and a basis high of$1.84 above futures prices in 2013. In addition to cash corn prices and basis data, the study also collected land parcel sales from the years 2010 to 2013 with 9,279 total observations. Utilizing regression, an equation was estimated taking into account land price, size of land parcel sold in acres, quarter of year for sale, a year binary variable, the minimum distance of an ethanol plant to each parcel sale, the percent pasture acres, percent irrigation acres, rainfall, cropland productivity, and population density. Results indicated that land closer to an ethanol plant is priced at a premium compared to land further away. Land values will continue to be closely studied as we move into the 21st century. This study was able to provide a price point per mile of how much more valuable a land parcel is the closer it is located to an ethanol plant. While this study only factored in the closest ethanol plant to that land parcel sale, other factors such as including multiple ethanol plants located in the same town or ethanol plants that are close in proximity to each other could be further analyzed to continue research on this topic

La structure spatiale et temporelle de l'entomofaune circulante comme indicateur biologique dans la gestion des forêts et des prairies

Arthropod community structure and general processes of faunistic compartimentation were studied in two French terrestrial ecosystems, both submitted to a human management. Using an original flight interception trap, the composite entomological trap, we try to show the advantages of global and standardized sampling methods which allow to analyse an overall picture of epifaunal arthropods communities with some relative moderate resources. In this way, trapped insects are also recognized at familly level, a reliable and easy method able to carry out ecological diagnosis with a strong functional signification. The main interest of these researches consists in laying the foundations for a detailed and reproductible approach, which led us to follow structural and functional characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems, giving an acute spatiotemporal accuracy. Our results let appear a significant functional response of insect communities to habitat characteristics, but also to availability and distribution of different trophic resourcesLes auteurs se proposent ici d'illustrer l'intérêt des approches globales en considérant le compartiment entomologique circulant dans son ensemble. A ce titre, les résultats de deux études menées dans le cadre du suivi dynamique de deux séries végétales soumises à une gestion humaine sont présentés. La méthodologie repose sur l'utilisation d'un piège d'interception composite, le P.E.C, (Piège Entomologique Composite), ainsi que sur une approche taxinomique englobante pour laquelle le niveau systématique de la famille s'avère valide pour la réalisation de diagnoses écologiques à forte signification fonctionnelle. L'intérêt de ces recherches, outre l'originalité des résultats obtenus, permet de jeter les bases d'une approche détaillée et reproductible des caractéristiques tant fonctionnelles que structurelles des écosystèmes terrestres, ceci avec une précision spatiotemporelle très fine et des moyens relativement modestes

Grey matter atrophy in prodromal stage of dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the patterns of brain atrophy in prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies (pro-DLB). METHODS: In this study, we used SPM8 with diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra to measure grey matter (GM) volume and investigate patterns of GM atrophy in pro-DLB (n = 28) and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (pro-AD) (n = 27) and compared and contrasted them with those in elderly control subjects (n = 33) (P ≤ 0.05 corrected for family-wise error). RESULTS: Patients with pro-DLB showed diminished GM volumes of bilateral insulae and right anterior cingulate cortex compared with control subjects. Comparison of GM volume between patients with pro-AD and control subjects showed a more extensive pattern, with volume reductions in temporal (hippocampi and superior and middle gyri), parietal and frontal structures in the former. Direct comparison of prodromal groups suggested that more atrophy was evident in the parietal lobes of patients with pro-AD than patients with pro-DLB. In patients with pro-DLB, we found that visual hallucinations were associated with relative atrophy of the left cuneus. CONCLUSIONS: Atrophy in pro-DLB involves the insulae and anterior cingulate cortex, regions rich in von Economo neurons, which we speculate may contribute to the early clinical phenotype of pro-DLB.This study was funded by Appel à Projet Interne (API) of the University Hospital of Strasbourg, Alsace Alzheimer 67, Fondation Université de Strasbourg and famille Jean Amrhein, and Projet Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique (PHRC) inter-régional (IDRCB 2012-A00992-41). The work was also supported by the following: the Newcastle Healthcare Charity (BH0070250); Academy of Medical Sciences, Wellcome Trust Starter Grants scheme for Clinical Lecturers (BH090112 to JPT); Wellcome Intermediate Clinical Fellowship (BH083281 to JPT); National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre in Ageing and Chronic Disease and Biomedical Research Unit in Lewy Body Dementia, based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University; NIHR Dementia Biomedical Research Unit at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge

Characterization of Films with Thickness Less than 10 nm by Sensitivity-Enhanced Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy

We present a method for characterizing ultrathin films using sensitivity-enhanced atomic force acoustic microscopy, where a concentrated-mass cantilever having a flat tip was used as a sensitive oscillator. Evaluation was aimed at 6-nm-thick and 10-nm-thick diamond-like carbon (DLC) films deposited, using different methods, on a hard disk for the effective Young's modulus defined as E/(1 - ν2), where E is the Young's modulus, and ν is the Poisson's ratio. The resonant frequency of the cantilever was affected not only by the film's elasticity but also by the substrate even at an indentation depth of about 0.6 nm. The substrate effect was removed by employing a theoretical formula on the indentation of a layered half-space, together with a hard disk without DLC coating. The moduli of the 6-nm-thick and 10-nm-thick DLC films were 392 and 345 GPa, respectively. The error analysis showed the standard deviation less than 5% in the moduli

NERA project - Deliverable D11.4: Array measurements

The aim of this Task is to present the seismological data and some preliminary empirical results related to two deployed specific arrays; (a) the Argostoli seismological array and (b) the Fucino seismological array. Both experiment arrays provided high quality data that along with corresponding geological and geophysical measurements may serve to critical evaluation of site effects and basin effects. In addition, work on modelling of basin effects may be significantly benefited by the observed acquired in both sites. Given that the analyses of the data obtained during the aforementioned experimental arrays will be performed in close link with activity of NERA-JRA3, the following goals are set: To investigate the link between ground motion spatial variability, strains, seismic wavefield and subsurface properties To compare numerical estimates of ground strain with actual measurements To investigate the capability of estimating ground strains from noise correlation studies. In order to organize and accomplish the work according to the initial schedule, several meetings (actual or/and Skype) among the participants took place during the 2nd year of the NERA-JRA1 project. Minutes of these meetings are given in Appendices 1, 2, 3 and 4.Network of European Research Infrastructures for Earthquake Risk Assessment and Mitigation Project, Seventh Framework Programme EC project number: 262330Published4T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismic

Quantitative data management in quality improvement collaboratives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Collaborative approaches in quality improvement have been promoted since the introduction of the Breakthrough method. The effectiveness of this method is inconclusive and further independent evaluation of the method has been called for. For any evaluation to succeed, data collection on interventions performed within the collaborative and outcomes of those interventions is crucial. Getting enough data from Quality Improvement Collaboratives (QICs) for evaluation purposes, however, has proved to be difficult. This paper provides a retrospective analysis on the process of data management in a Dutch Quality Improvement Collaborative. From this analysis general failure and success factors are identified.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This paper discusses complications and dilemma's observed in the set-up of data management for QICs. An overview is presented of signals that were picked up by the data management team. These signals were used to improve the strategies for data management during the program and have, as far as possible, been translated into practical solutions that have been successfully implemented.</p> <p>The recommendations coming from this study are:</p> <p>From our experience it is clear that quality improvement programs deviate from experimental research in many ways. It is not only impossible, but also undesirable to control processes and standardize data streams. QIC's need to be clear of data protocols that do not allow for change. It is therefore minimally important that when quantitative results are gathered, these results are accompanied by qualitative results that can be used to correctly interpret them.</p> <p>Monitoring and data acquisition interfere with routine. This makes a database collecting data in a QIC an intervention in itself. It is very important to be aware of this in reporting the results. Using existing databases when possible can overcome some of these problems but is often not possible given the change objective of QICs.</p> <p>Introducing a standardized spreadsheet to the teams is a very practical and helpful tool in collecting standardized data within a QIC. It is vital that the spreadsheets are handed out before baseline measurements start.</p

A community-integrated home based depression intervention for older African Americans: descripton of the Beat the Blues randomized trial and intervention costs

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Primary care is the principle setting for depression treatment; yet many older African Americans in the United States fail to report depressive symptoms or receive the recommended standard of care. Older African Americans are at high risk for depression due to elevated rates of chronic illness, disability and socioeconomic distress. There is an urgent need to develop and test new depression treatments that resonate with minority populations that are hard-to-reach and underserved and to evaluate their cost and cost-effectiveness. METHODS/DESIGN: Beat the Blues (BTB) is a single-blind parallel randomized trial to assess efficacy of a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce depressive symptoms and improve quality of life in 208 African Americans 55+ years old. It involves a collaboration with a senior center whose care management staff screen for depressive symptoms (telephone or in-person) using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Individuals screened positive (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) on two separate occasions over 2 weeks are referred to local mental health resources and BTB. Interested and eligible participants who consent receive a baseline home interview and then are randomly assigned to receive BTB immediately or 4 months later (wait-list control). All participants are interviewed at 4 (main study endpoint) and 8 months at home by assessors masked to study assignment. Licensed senior center social workers trained in BTB meet with participants at home for up to 10 sessions over 4 months to assess care needs, make referrals/linkages, provide depression education, instruct in stress reduction techniques, and use behavioral activation to identify goals and steps to achieve them. Key outcomes include reduced depressive symptoms (primary), reduced anxiety and functional disability, improved quality of life, and enhanced depression knowledge and behavioral activation (secondary). Fidelity is enhanced through procedure manuals and staff training and monitored by face-to-face supervision and review of taped sessions. Cost and cost effectiveness is being evaluated. DISCUSSION: BTB is designed to bridge gaps in mental health service access and treatments for older African Americans. Treatment components are tailored to specific care needs, depression knowledge, preference for stress reduction techniques, and personal activity goals. Total costs are $584.64/4 months; or$146.16 per participant/per month. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00511680

Differences in patient outcomes and chronic care management of oral anticoagulant therapy: an explorative study

Contains fulltext : 96817.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: The oral anticoagulant therapy - provided to prevent thrombosis - is known to be associated with substantial avoidable hospitalization. Improving the quality of the oral anticoagulant therapy could avoid drug related hospitalizations. Therefore, this study compared the patient outcomes between Dutch anticoagulant clinic (AC) regions taking the variation in chronic care management into account in order to explore whether chronic care management elements could improve the quality of oral anticoagulant therapy. METHODS: Two data sources were combined. The first source was a questionnaire that was send to all ACs in the Netherlands in 2008 (response = 100%) to identify the application of chronic care management elements in the AC regions. The Chronic Care Model of Wagner was used to make the concept of chronic care management operational. The second source was the report of the Dutch National Network of ACs which contains patient outcomes of the ACs. RESULTS: Patient outcomes achieved by the ACs were good, yet differences existed; for instance the percentage of patients in the appropriate therapeutic ranges varied from 67 to 87% between AC regions. Moreover, differences existed in the use of chronic care management elements of the chronic care model, for example 12% of the ACs had multidisciplinary meetings and 58% of the ACs had formal agreements with at least one hospital within their region. Patient outcomes were significantly associated with patient orientation and the number of specialized nurses versus doctors (p-values < 0.05). Furthermore, the overall extent to which chronic care management elements were applied was positively associated with patient outcomes (p-values < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Substantial differences in the patient outcomes as well as chronic care management of oral anticoagulant therapy existed. Since our results showed a positive association between overall application of chronic care management and patient outcomes, additional research is needed to fully understand the working mechanism of chronic care management