5,445 research outputs found
Requirements for ethics committee review for studies submitted to Implementation Science
The requirement for ethics review of studies submitted to Implementation Science has been unclear. Therefore, in this editorial, we set out our requirements for ethics committee review of experimental and non-experimental studies. For any study that meets the criteria of human subject research (which includes research on healthcare providers), irrespective of study design, we will require proof of either satisfactory ethics committee review or of the granting of an official exemption or waiver
Loss of strength in Ni3Al at elevated temperatures
Stress decrease above the stress peak temperature (750 K) is studied in h123i single crystals of Ni3(Al, 3 at.% Hf ). Two thermally activated deformation mechanisms are evidenced on the basis of stress relaxation and strain rate change experiments. From 500 to 1070 K, the continuity of the activation volume/temperature curves reveals a single mechanism of activation enthalpy 3.8 eV/atom and volume 90 b3 at 810K with an athermal stress of 330 MPa. Over the very same temperature interval, impurity or solute diffusion towards dislocation cores is evidenced
through serrated yielding, peculiar shapes of stress–strain curves while changing the rate of straining and stress relaxation experiments. This complicates the
identification of the deformation mechanism, which is likely connected with cube glide. From 1070 to 1270 K, the high-temperature mechanism has an activation
enthalpy and volume of 4.8 eV/atom and 20 b3, respectively, at 1250 K
Active contractility in actomyosin networks
Contractile forces are essential for many developmental processes involving
cell shape change and tissue deformation. Recent experiments on reconstituted
actomyosin networks, the major component of the contractile machinery, have
shown that active contractility occurs above a threshold motor concentration
and within a window of crosslink concentration. We present a microscopic
dynamic model that incorporates two essential aspects of actomyosin
self-organization: the asymmetric load response of individual actin filaments
and the correlated motor-driven events mimicking myosin-induced filament
sliding. Using computer simulations we examine how the concentration and
susceptibility of motors contribute to their collective behavior and interplay
with the network connectivity to regulate macroscopic contractility. Our model
is shown to capture the formation and dynamics of contractile structures and
agree with the observed dependence of active contractility on microscopic
parameters including the contractility onset. Cooperative action of
load-resisting motors in a force-percolating structure integrates local
contraction/buckling events into a global contractile state via an active
coarsening process, in contrast to the flow transition driven by uncorrelated
kicks of susceptible motors.Comment: 15 pages, 4 main figures, 4 supplementary figure
Military spending and economic growth in China: a regime-switching analysis
This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.This article investigates the impact of military spending changes on economic growth in China over the period 1953 to 2010. Using two-state Markov-switching specifications, the results suggest that the relationship between military spending changes and economic growth is state dependent. Specifically, the results show that military spending changes affect the economic growth negatively during a slower growth-higher variance state, while positively within a faster growth-lower variance one. It is also demonstrated that military spending changes contain information about the growth transition probabilities. As a policy tool, the results indicate that increases in military spending can be detrimental to growth during slower growth-higher growth volatility periods. © 2014 © 2014 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis
Density-Polarization Functional Theory of the response of a periodic insulating solid to an electric field.
The response of an infinite, periodic, insulating, solid to an
infinitesimally small electric field is investigated in the framework of
Density Functional Theory. We find that the applied perturbing potential is not
a unique functional of the periodic density change~: it depends also on the
change in the macroscopic {\em polarization}. Moreover, the dependence of the
exchange-correlation energy on polarization induces an exchange-correlation
electric field. These effects are exhibited for a model semiconductor. We also
show that the scissor-operator technique is an approximate way of bypassing
this polarization dependence.Comment: 11 pages, 1 Fig
Second harmonic generation in SiC polytypes
LMTO calculations are presented for the frequency dependent second harmonic
generation (SHG) in the polytypes 2H, 4H, 6H, 15R and 3C of SiC. All
independent tensor components are calculated. The spectral features and the
ratios of the 333 to 311 tensorial components are studied as a function of the
degree of hexagonality. The relationship to the linear optical response and the
underlying band structure are investigated. SHG is suggested to be a sensitive
tool for investigating the near band edge interband excitations.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Health-Related Quality-of-Life Impacts Associated with Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia in the USA and UK:A Qualitative Assessment
Background: Individuals living with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) experience reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to fatigue and chronic pain, which cause disruptions to daily life. Currently, limited qualitative data exist that describe these impacts. Objective: This study aimed to examine the ways in which symptoms and current treatments of TDT impact HRQoL, to holistically describe the humanistic burden of TDT, and to identify the unmet needs of individuals living with TDT. Methods: Adults (aged ≥18 years) with TDT and caregivers of adolescents (aged 12‒17 years) with TDT participated in semi-structured one-on-one virtual interviews and focus group discussions. Interviews were conducted in the United States and United Kingdom and lasted approximately 60 minutes. After transcription, the interviews were analyzed thematically using a framework approach. Results: A total of 10 interviews/focus group discussions (six interviews and four focus group discussions) were conducted with 14 adults with TDT and two caregivers of adolescents with TDT. Framework analysis revealed five themes describing HRQoL (negative impacts on daily activities, social life, family life, work and education, and psychological wellbeing) and three themes describing the lived experience of TDT (impact of red blood cell transfusions and iron chelation therapy, treatment, and stigma). Physical, psychological, and treatment-related factors contributed to negative impacts on daily activities, social and family life, and work and education. Concerns about reduced lifespan, relationships and family planning, and financial independence were detrimental to participants’ mental wellbeing. Participants reported having high resilience to the many physical and psychological challenges of living with TDT. A lack of TDT-specific knowledge among healthcare professionals, particularly regarding chronic pain associated with the disease, left some participants feeling ignored or undermined. Additionally, many participants experienced stigma and were reluctant to disclose their disease to others. Conclusions: Individuals living with TDT experience substantial negative impacts on HRQoL that disrupt their daily lives, disruptions which are intensified by inadequate healthcare interactions, demanding treatment schedules, and stigma. Our study highlights the unmet needs of individuals living with TDT, especially for alternative treatments that reduce or eliminate the need for red blood cell transfusions and iron chelation therapy.<br/
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