The influence of physical and chemical linkage on the properties of nanocomposites

It has been shown by several groups that the mechanical and electrical behavior of composites changes quite substantially, and often beneficially, when the filler particle size is less than 100 nm in diameter. There is also good reason to believe that the interface between the embedded particulates and the polymer matrix holds the key to understanding the bulk phenomena observed. Materials based on an SiO2-polyolefin system have been formulated with functionalized particulates so as to affect the physical and chemical linkages. The agents used to achieve this include amino-silane, hexamethyl-disilazane and triethoxyvinylsilane. The emerging picture of the interface is supported by detailed dielectric spectroscopy and internal space charge assessment. The nature of the internal structure has been related to the bulk properties observed such as the breakdown strength, voltage endurance, and the measurement of internal charges resulting from interfacial polarization

Rural/Urban Disparities in Utilization of Diabetes Self-Management Training to the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population

Overview of Key Findings In 2016, rural fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries represented 21.7% of the population diagnosed with diabetes, but only 2.7% of the population utilizing Diabetes Self-Management Training. Utilization of DSMT services in 2016 occurred in 76 rural counties and 309 urban counties. Average utilization rates of DSMT services were greater in rural counties than urban counties (5.5% vs. 2.5%)

Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population

Overview of Key Findings In 2014, the overall mean vaccination rate in urban areas was 4.66 compared to a mean vaccination rate of 2.81 in rural areas, indicating a 40% lower mean vaccination rate in rural communities. The majority of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries were provided by primary care providers, although pharmacy providers delivered close to one-fourth (22.2%) of these services. The proportion of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered by pharmacy providers was significantly greater in rural versus urban counties (29.4% vs. 21.1%). Consistent with previous literature, county characteristics positively associated with pneumococcal vaccine service delivery include increasing age of residents, more female residents, and availability of inpatient hospital services, while rurality, poverty, and greater overall health status were negatively associated with delivery of pneumococcal vaccine services

Update: Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population, 2012-2015

Overview of Key Findings Between 2014 and 2015, the number of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries increased by 380% as a result of uptake of PCV13 vaccine. Continued disparities in delivery of pneumococcal vaccine services to FFS Medicare beneficiaries in rural and urban communities are noted, with a 63% higher vaccination rate observed in urban areas. The majority of pneumococcal vaccine services delivered to FFS Medicare beneficiaries were provided by primary care providers, although pharmacy providers delivered close to one-fourth (24.2%) of these services. Pharmacy providers in rural communities play an increasing role in pneumococcal vaccine service delivery, providing one-third (33.5%) of vaccines in 2015

Distribution of Canonical Determinants in QCD

The distribution of canonical determinants in QCD is determined by means of chiral perturbation theory. For a non-zero quark charge the canonical determinants take complex values. In the dilute pion gas approximation, we compute all moments of the magnitude of the canonical determinants, as well as the first nonvanishing moments of the real and imaginary parts. The non-trivial cancellation between the real and the imaginary parts of the canonical determinants is derived and the signal to noise ratio is discussed. The analytical distributions are compared to lattice data. The average density of the magnitude of the canonical determinants is determined as well and is shown to be given by a variant of the log-normal distribution.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figure

Spatial patterns of gray and white matter compromise relate to age of seizure onset in temporal lobe epilepsy

Objective: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) is frequently a neurodevelopmental disorder, involving subcortical volume loss, cortical atrophy, and white matter (WM) disruption. However, few studies have addressed how these pathological changes in TLE relate to one another. In this study, we investigate spatial patterns of gray and white matter degeneration in TLE and evaluate the hypothesis that the relationship among these patterns varies as a function of the age at which seizures begin. Methods: Eighty-two patients with TLE and 59 healthy controls were enrolled. T1-weighted images were used to obtain hippocampal volumes and cortical thickness estimates. Diffusion-weighted imaging was used to obtain fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the superficial WM (SWM) and deep WM tracts. Analysis of covariance was used to examine patterns of WM and gray matter alterations in TLE relative to controls, controlling for age and sex. Sliding window correlations were then performed to examine the relationships between SWM degeneration, cortical thinning, and hippocampal atrophy across ages of seizure onset. Results: Cortical thinning in TLE followed a widespread, bilateral pattern that was pronounced in posterior centroparietal regions, whereas SWM and deep WM loss occurred mostly in ipsilateral, temporolimbic regions compared to controls. Window correlations revealed a relationship between hippocampal volume loss and whole brain SWM disruption in patients who developed epilepsy during childhood. On the other hand, in patients with adult-onset TLE, co-occurring cortical and SWM alterations were observed in the medial temporal lobe ipsilateral to the seizure focus. Significance: Our results suggest that although cortical, hippocampal and WM alterations appear spatially discordant at the group level, the relationship among these features depends on the age at which seizures begin. Whereas neurodevelopmental aspects of TLE may result in co-occurring WM and hippocampal degeneration near the epileptogenic zone, the onset of seizures in adulthood may set off a cascade of SWM microstructural loss and cortical atrophy of a neurodegenerative nature

Free energy for parameterized Polyakov loops in SU(2) and SU(3) lattice gauge theory

We present a study of the free energy of parameterized Polyakov loops P in SU(2) and SU(3) lattice gauge theory as a function of the parameters that characterize P. We explore temperatures below and above the deconfinement transition, and for our highest temperatures T > 5 T_c we compare the free energy to perturbative results.Comment: Minor changes. Final version to appear in JHE

Microscopic Calculation of the Constitutive Relations

Homogenization theory is used to calculate the macroscopic dielectric constant from the quantum microscopic dielectric function in a periodic medium. The method can be used to calculate any macroscopic constitutive relation, but it is illustrated here for the case of electrodynamics of matter. The so-called cell problem of homogenization theory is solved and an explicit expression is given for the macroscopic dielectric constant in a form akin to the Clausius-Mossotti or Lorentz-Lorenz relation. The validity of this expression is checked by showing that the macroscopic dielectric constant is causal and has the expected symmetry properties, and that the average of the microscopic energy density is the macroscopic one. Finally, the general expression is applied to Bloch eigenstates. Finally, the corresponding many-body problem is briefly discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure

The Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composites Filled with Rubbery Copolymer Grafted SiO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e

This study demonstrated a method for toughening a highly crosslinked anhydride cured DGEBA epoxy using rubbery block copolymer grafted SiO2 nanoparticles. The particles were synthesized by a sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The inner rubbery block poly(n-hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) had a glass transition temperature below room temperature. The outer block poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was matrix compatible. A rubbery interlayer thickness of 100% and 200% of the particle core radius was achieved by grafting a 20 kg/mol and a 40 kg/mol PHMA at a graft density of 0.7 chains/nm2 from the SiO2 surface. The 20 kg/mol rubbery interlayer transferred load more efficiently to the SiO2 cores than the 40 kg/mol rubbery interlayer and maintained the epoxy modulus up to a loading of 10 vol% of the rubbery interlayer. Both systems enabled cavitation or plastic dilatation. Improvement of the strain-to-break and the tensile toughness was found in both systems. We hypothesize that plastic void growth in the matrix is the primary mechanism causing the improvement of the ductility

Tumor vessel normalization after aerobic exercise enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy.

Targeted therapies aimed at tumor vasculature are utilized in combination with chemotherapy to improve drug delivery and efficacy after tumor vascular normalization. Tumor vessels are highly disorganized with disrupted blood flow impeding drug delivery to cancer cells. Although pharmacologic anti-angiogenic therapy can remodel and normalize tumor vessels, there is a limited window of efficacy and these drugs are associated with severe side effects necessitating alternatives for vascular normalization. Recently, moderate aerobic exercise has been shown to induce vascular normalization in mouse models. Here, we provide a mechanistic explanation for the tumor vascular normalization induced by exercise. Shear stress, the mechanical stimuli exerted on endothelial cells by blood flow, modulates vascular integrity. Increasing vascular shear stress through aerobic exercise can alter and remodel blood vessels in normal tissues. Our data in mouse models indicate that activation of calcineurin-NFAT-TSP1 signaling in endothelial cells plays a critical role in exercise-induced shear stress mediated tumor vessel remodeling. We show that moderate aerobic exercise with chemotherapy caused a significantly greater decrease in tumor growth than chemotherapy alone through improved chemotherapy delivery after tumor vascular normalization. Our work suggests that the vascular normalizing effects of aerobic exercise can be an effective chemotherapy adjuvant