False Elevation of Volume Determined by Bladder Scanner Secondary to Bowel Obstruction

Bladder scanners allow for quick determination of bladder volumes (BV) with minimal training. BV measured by a machine is generally accurate; however, circumstances exist in which falsely elevated BVs are reported. This case details a patient with a significant small bowel obstruction (SBO) due to superior mesenteric artery syndrome causing a falsely elevated BV. We believe this is the first case report of a SBO causing an elevated BV by bladder scanner. Emergency physicians should be aware of the pitfalls of using bladder scanners, and use their point-of-care ultrasound skills when possible to expand their differential

Transmission electron microscopy investigation of segregation and critical floating-layer content of indium for island formation in InGaAs

We have investigated InGaAs layers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs(001) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. InGaAs layers with In-concentrations of 16, 25 and 28 % and respective thicknesses of 20, 22 and 23 monolayers were deposited at 535 C. The parameters were chosen to grow layers slightly above and below the transition between the two- and three-dimensional growth mode. In-concentration profiles were obtained from high-resolution TEM images by composition evaluation by lattice fringe analysis. The measured profiles can be well described applying the segregation model of Muraki et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 61 (1992) 557]. Calculated photoluminescence peak positions on the basis of the measured concentration profiles are in good agreement with the experimental ones. Evaluating experimental In-concentration profiles it is found that the transition from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional growth mode occurs if the indium content in the In-floating layer exceeds 1.1+/-0.2 monolayers. The measured exponential decrease of the In-concentration within the cap layer on top of the islands reveals that the In-floating layer is not consumed during island formation. The segregation efficiency above the islands is increased compared to the quantum wells which is explained tentatively by strain-dependent lattice-site selection of In. In addition, In0.25Ga0.75As quantum wells were grown at different temperatures between 500 oC and 550 oC. The evaluation of concentration profiles shows that the segregation efficiency increases from R=0.65 to R=0.83.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, sbmitted in Phys. Rev.

Optical Spin Orientation under Inter- and Intra-Subband Transitions in QWs

It is shown that absorption of circularly polarized infrared radiation achieved by inter-subband and intra-subband (Drude-like) transitions results in a monopolar spin orientation of free carriers. The monopolar spin polarization in zinc-blende-based quantum wells (QWs) is demonstrated by the observation of the spin-galvanic and circular photogalvanic effects. It is shown that monopolar spin orientation in n-type QWs becomes possible if an admixture of valence band states to the conduction band wave function and the spin-orbit splitting of the valence band are taken into account

Expression of the small T antigen of Lymphotropic Papovavirus is sufficient to transform primary mouse embryo fibroblasts

AbstractPolyomaviruses induce cell proliferation and transformation through different oncoproteins encoded within the early region (ER): large T antigen (LT), small T antigen (sT) and, in some cases, additional components. Each virus utilizes different mechanisms to achieve transformation. For instance, the LTs of Simian virus 40 (SV40), BK and/or JC virus can induce transformation; but Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) requires expression of sT. Lymphotropic Papovavirus (LPV) is closely related to Human Polyomavirus 9 (HuPyV9) and, under similar conditions, mice expressing LPV.ER exhibit higher rates of tumor formation than mice expressing SV40.ER. We have investigated the contributions of individual LPV.ER components to cell transformation. In contrast to SV40, LPV.ER transforms mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), but expression of LPV LT is insufficient to transform MEFs. Furthermore, LPV sT induces immortalization and transformation of MEFs. Thus, in the case of LPV, sT is the main mediator of oncogenesis

Multichannel quantum-defect theory for ultracold atom-ion collisions

We develop an analytical model for ultracold atom-ion collisions using the multichannel quantum-defect formalism. The model is based on the analytical solutions of the r^-4 long-range potential and on the application of a frame transformation between asymptotic and molecular bases. This approach allows the description of the atom-ion interaction in the ultracold domain in terms of three parameters only: the singlet and triplet scattering lengths, assumed to be independent of the relative motion angular momentum, and the lead dispersion coefficient of the asymptotic potential. We also introduce corrections to the scattering lengths that improve the accuracy of our quantum-defect model for higher order partial waves, a particularly important result for an accurate description of shape and Feshbach resonances at finite temperature. The theory is applied to the system composed of a 40Ca+ ion and a Na atom, and compared to numerical coupled-channel calculations carried out using ab initio potentials. For this particular system, we investigate the spectrum of bound states, the rate of charge-transfer processes, and the collision rates in the presence of magnetic Feshbach resonances at zero and finite temperature.Comment: 39 pages, 21 figure

The Sensitivity of Large-Eddy Simulation to Local and Nonlocal Drag Coefficients at the Lower Boundary

It was found that the homogeneity of the surface drag coefficient plays an important role in the large scale structure of turbulence in large-eddy simulation of the convective atmospheric boundary layer. Particularly when a ground surface temperature was specified, large horizontal anisotropies occurred when the drag coefficient depended upon local velocities and heat fluxes. This was due to the formation of streamwise roll structures in the boundary layer. In reality, these structures have been found to form when shear is approximately balanced by buoyancy. The present cases, however, were highly convective. The formation was caused by particularly low values of the drag coefficient at the entrance to thermal plume structures

Novel microstructural characteristics and properties of spray formed Al-RE-TM based alloys

Recent studies on the synthesis of bulk Al-RE (Rare Earth)-TM (Transition Metal) based alloys, from melt spun ribbons and gas atomized powders, have shown that a partially amorphous or nano-crystalline structures lead to a high specific strength. In the present study, therefore, spray atomization and deposition process has been used to produce plates of Al85Y8Ni5Co2 (deposit D1) and Al83Y5La5Ni5Co2 (deposit D2) based alloys so as to synthesize bulk deposit of nano-crystalline and/or partial amorphous matrix composite in a single step. The rapid solidification and high undercooling of droplets during atomization and a chilling effect on undercooled liquid upon deposition are expected to give rise to the above microstructural features. The microstructural features of deposits as well as overspray powders were studied using optical, scanning and transmission electron microscope. The alloys invariably showed a large fraction of nano-crystalline and amorphous structures, characterized by featureless regions at optical resolution, along with distribution of primary equilibrium phases. The differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis of the deposits showed all the crystallization peaks as is observed during crystallization of fully amorphous melt spun ribbons of respective compositions. A glass transition phenomenon is observed in Al-Y-Ni-Co based deposit. The transmission electron microscopy of deposit D1 showed the presence of 50-100 nm size fcc-Al precipitates in an amorphous matrix decorated with 5-20 nm fcc-Al crystallites. The annealing treatment of deposits at different temperatures, determined from the crystallization peaks of the deposit, showed precipitation of nanoscale fcc-Al and intermetallic phases giving rise to a remarkable increase in hardness. The bulk hardness of the deposits D1 and D2 was 391 and 427 HV, respectively. Whereas, the heat treated deposits showed a bulk hardness value of 476 HV for deposit D1 at 298 oC and 582 HV for deposit D2 at 380 oC. An attempt has been made to bring out the possible mechanism of microstructural evolution during spray deposition of these alloys, and the effect of microstructural features on the mechanical properties has been discussed

Stabilizing Soybean Production in Northeast Texas with Early Planting of Early-Maturing Soybean Varieties.

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Characterization of nanometer scale compositionally inhomogeneous AlGaN active regions on bulk AlN substrates

The optical and structural properties of AlGaN active regions containing nanoscale compositional inhomogeneities (NCI) grown on low dislocation density bulk AlN substrates are reported. These substrates are found to improve the internal quantum efficiency and structural quality of NCI-AlGaN active regions for high Al content alloys, as well as the interfaces of the NCI with the surrounding wider bandgap matrix, as manifested in the absence of any significant long decay component of the low temperature radiative lifetime, which is well characterized by a single exponential photoluminescence decay with a 330 ps time constant. However, room temperature results indicate that non-radiative recombination associated with the high point defect density becomes a limiting factor in these films even at low dislocation densities for larger AlN mole fractions