Optical properties of multicomponent cadmium-silver nanocluster composites formed in silica by sequential ion implantation

Formation and optical properties of nanometer dimension metal colloid composites formed by sequential implantation of Cd then Ag and by single element implantations of Cd and Ag in silica were characterized by TEM and optical spectroscopy. A nominal dose of 6x10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2} as determined by current integration was used for both ion species. Doses used for the sequential implantations were a 1 to 1 ratio of Cd to Ag. Sequential implantations of Cd and Ag led to formation of both multi-component metal nanoclusters and elemental nanoclusters. Electron diffraction indicated that the polycrystalline particles of Ag{sub 5}Cd{sub 8} and elemental Ag were formed. The optical response was consistent with results expected from effective medium theory

Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Metal Nanocluster-Silica Composites Formed by Sequential Implantation of Ag and Cu

Nanometer dimension metal colloids were formed in silica by sequential implantation of Ag and Cu ions. The Ag and Cu were implanted with relative ratios of Ag to Cu of 9:3, 6:6, and 3:9. The total nominal dose was 12 {times} 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2}. TEM techniques were used to examine colloid size and size distributions. The linear optical response was measured from 200 to 900 nm. The nonlinear optical properties were measured using the z-scan technique at a wavelength of 570 nm. The linear and nonlinear optical properties were found to be dependent upon the relative ratio of sequentially implanted Ag to Cu. The results are consistent with effective medium theory

Association of Over-The-Counter Pharmaceutical Sales with Influenza-Like-Illnesses to Patient Volume in an Urgent Care Setting

We studied the association between OTC pharmaceutical sales and volume of patients with influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) at an urgent care center over one year. OTC pharmaceutical sales explain 36% of the variance in the patient volume, and each standard deviation increase is associated with 4.7 more patient visits to the urgent care center (p<0.0001). Cross-correlation function analysis demonstrated that OTC pharmaceutical sales are significantly associated with patient volume during non-flu season (p<0.0001), but only the sales of cough and cold (p<0.0001) and thermometer (p<0.0001) categories were significant during flu season with a lag of two and one days, respectively. Our study is the first study to demonstrate and measure the relationship between OTC pharmaceutical sales and urgent care center patient volume, and presents strong evidence that OTC sales predict urgent care center patient volume year round. © 2013 Liu et al

Fabrication and modification of metal nanocluster composites using ion and laser beams

Metal nanocluster composites have attractive properties for applications in nonlinear optics. However, traditional fabrication techniques -- using melt-glass substrates -- are severely constrained by equilibrium thermodynamics and kinetics. This paper describes the fabrication of metal nanoclusters in both crystalline and glassy hosts by ion implantation and pulsed laser deposition. The size and size distribution of the metal nanoclusters can be modified by controlling substrate temperature during implantation, by subsequent thermal annealing, or by laser irradiation. The authors have characterized the optical response of the composites by absorption and third-order nonlinear-optical spectroscopies; electron and scanning-probe microscopies have been used to benchmark the physical characteristics of the composites. The outlook for controlling the structure and nonlinear optical response properties of these nanophase materials appears increasingly promising

Perturbation Theory with a Variational Basis: the Generalized Gaussian Effective Potential

The perturbation theory with a variational basis is constructed and analyzed.The generalized Gaussian effective potential is introduced and evaluated up to the second order for selfinteracting scalar fields in one and two spatial dimensions. The problem of the renormalization of the mass is discussed in details. Thermal corrections are incorporated. The comparison between the finite temperature generalized Gaussian effective potential and the finite temperature effective potential is critically analyzed. The phenomenon of the restoration at high temperature of the symmetry broken at zero temperature is discussed.Comment: RevTex, 49 pages, 16 eps figure

Combining Free Text and Structured Electronic Medical Record Entries to Detect Acute Respiratory Infections

The electronic medical record (EMR) contains a rich source of information that could be harnessed for epidemic surveillance. We asked if structured EMR data could be coupled with computerized processing of free-text clinical entries to enhance detection of acute respiratory infections (ARI).A manual review of EMR records related to 15,377 outpatient visits uncovered 280 reference cases of ARI. We used logistic regression with backward elimination to determine which among candidate structured EMR parameters (diagnostic codes, vital signs and orders for tests, imaging and medications) contributed to the detection of those reference cases. We also developed a computerized free-text search to identify clinical notes documenting at least two non-negated ARI symptoms. We then used heuristics to build case-detection algorithms that best combined the retained structured EMR parameters with the results of the text analysis.An adjusted grouping of diagnostic codes identified reference ARI patients with a sensitivity of 79%, a specificity of 96% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 32%. Of the 21 additional structured clinical parameters considered, two contributed significantly to ARI detection: new prescriptions for cough remedies and elevations in body temperature to at least 38°C. Together with the diagnostic codes, these parameters increased detection sensitivity to 87%, but specificity and PPV declined to 95% and 25%, respectively. Adding text analysis increased sensitivity to 99%, but PPV dropped further to 14%. Algorithms that required satisfying both a query of structured EMR parameters as well as text analysis disclosed PPVs of 52-68% and retained sensitivities of 69-73%.Structured EMR parameters and free-text analyses can be combined into algorithms that can detect ARI cases with new levels of sensitivity or precision. These results highlight potential paths by which repurposed EMR information could facilitate the discovery of epidemics before they cause mass casualties