1,396 research outputs found
d0 Ferromagnetic Interface Between Non-magnetic Perovskites
We use computational and experimental methods to study d0 ferromagnetism at a
charge- imbalanced interface between two perovskites. In SrTiO3/KTaO3
superlattice calculations, the charge imbalance introduces holes in the SrTiO3
layer, inducing a d0 ferromagnetic half-metallic 2D electron gas at the
interface oxygen 2p orbitals. The charge imbalance overrides doping by
vacancies at realistic concentrations. Varying the constituent materials shows
ferromagnetism to be a gen- eral property of hole-type d0 perovskite
interfaces. Atomically sharp epitaxial d0 SrTiO3/KTaO3, SrTiO3 /KNbO3 and
SrTiO3 /NaNbO3 interfaces are found to exhibit ferromagnetic hysteresis at room
temperature. We suggest the behavior is due to high density of states and
exchange coupling at the oxygen t1g band in comparison with the more studied d
band t2g symmetry electron gas.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Development of retinal blood vessel segmentation methodology using wavelet transforms for assessment of diabetic retinopathy
Automated image processing has the potential to assist in the early detection of diabetes, by detecting changes in blood vessel diameter and patterns in the retina. This paper describes the development of segmentation methodology in the processing of retinal blood vessel images obtained using non-mydriatic colour photography. The methods used include wavelet analysis, supervised classifier probabilities and adaptive threshold procedures, as well as morphology-based techniques. We show highly accurate identification of blood vessels for the purpose of studying changes in the vessel network that can be utilized for detecting blood vessel diameter changes associated with the pathophysiology of diabetes. In conjunction with suitable feature extraction and automated classification methods, our segmentation method could form the basis of a quick and accurate test for diabetic retinopathy, which would have huge benefits in terms of improved access to screening people for risk or presence of diabetes
No alignment of cattle along geomagnetic field lines found
This paper presents a study of the body orientation of domestic cattle on
free pastures in several European states, based on Google satellite
photographs. In sum, 232 herds with 3412 individuals were evaluated. Two
independent groups participated in our study and came to the same conclusion
that, in contradiction to the recent findings of other researchers, no
alignment of the animals and of their herds along geomagnetic field lines could
be found. Several possible reasons for this discrepancy should be taken into
account: poor quality of Google satellite photographs, difficulties in
determining the body axis, selection of herds or animals within herds, lack of
blinding in the evaluation, possible subconscious bias, and, most importantly,
high sensitivity of the calculated main directions of the Rayleigh vectors to
some kind of bias or to some overlooked or ignored confounder. This factor
could easily have led to an unsubstantiated positive conclusion about the
existence of magnetoreception.Comment: Added electronic supplement with source dat
Perceived Differences in the Management of Mental Health Patients in Remote and Rural Australia and Strategies for Improvement: Findings from a National Qualitative Study of Emergency Clinicians
Introduction. We aimed to describe perceptions of Australian emergency clinicians of differences in management of mental health patients in rural and remote Australia compared with metropolitan hospitals, and what could be improved. Methods. Descriptive exploratory study using semi-structured telephone interviews of doctors and nurses in Australian emergency departments (EDs), stratified to represent states and territories and rural or metropolitan location. Content analysis of responses developed themes and sub-themes. Results. Of 39 doctors and 32 nurses responding to email invitation, 20 doctors and 16 nurses were interviewed. Major themes were resources/environment, staff and patient issues. Clinicians noted lack of access in rural areas to psychiatric support services, especially alcohol and drug services, limited referral options, and a lack of knowledge, understanding and acceptance of mental health issues. The clinicians suggested resource, education and guideline improvements, wanting better access to mental health experts in rural areas, better support networks and visiting specialist coverage, and educational courses tailored to the needs of rural clinicians. Conclusion. Clinicians managing mental health patients in rural and remote Australian EDs lack resources, support services and referral capacity, and access to appropriate education and training. Improvements would better enable access to support and referral services, and educational opportunities
Processing and Transmission of Information
Contains reports on seven research projects.Lincoln Laboratory, Purchase Order DDL B-00337U.S. ArmyU.S. NavyU.S. Air Force under Air Force Contract AF19(604)-7400National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-02
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