RESEARCHING MEDICAL TREATMENT ASSESSMENTS FROM UNITED STATES MILITARY VETERANS DIAGNOSED WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, AND DETERMINING INTEREST IN THE MATRIX MODEL OF TREATMENT FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN THEIR TREATMENT PROGRAMS

The purpose of this research study is to learn the beliefs and thoughts on the current state of medical treatment provided to United States (US) military Veterans diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD), and gauge Veterans’ levels of interest and support in the potential application of the Matrix Model of Treatment (MMT) in their healthcare programs. This proposal focused on verifying the Veterans’ interest in the MMT model since the US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) does not currently implement this full-spectrum, 16-week treatment system. It is believed interest will be strong enough to merit supporting its consideration with approving officials at the DVA. Participants included individual US military Veterans with a previous diagnosis of SUD. A survey was distributed to qualified participants to gauge US Veterans’ interests, impacts, and experiences regarding the MMT program. The researcher calculated the frequencies of Veteran participants for each question using statistical analysis and the logistic regression model, and a comparison of the responses was conducted with a non-parametric test. While most of the surveyed Veterans indicated they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with current treatment methods, their reported relapse rates to substances were high. Also, Veterans conveyed overwhelming interest in trying the MMT program. It was proposed for this study that most participants will show positive interest in MMT. This project’s results provide critical information regarding Veteran feedback for consideration by DVA representatives and other healthcare providers on prevention, diagnosis, intervention, and treatment preferences regarding SUD among US Veterans

Thermal reduction of beryllium chloride with metallic magnesium

The purpose of this research was to investigate the thermal reduction of beryllium chloride by metallic magnesium. Beryllium is a remarkable element, being characterized by its hardness, lightness and durability. Although the art of metallurgy has developed to a point at which most metals can be produced at a low cost, there are a few metals, of which beryllium is an outstanding example, which can only be obtained at high prices and in small amounts because of the difficulties of recovering the metals as such from their compounds which occur in nature. Small amounts of pure beryllium can be obtained, however, by electrolyzing molten beryllium chloride or a molten mixture of the oxide and fluoride --Introduction, page 1

Liquid-induced damping of mechanical feedback effects in single electron tunneling through a suspended carbon nanotube

In single electron tunneling through clean, suspended carbon nanotube devices at low temperature, distinct switching phenomena have regularly been observed. These can be explained via strong interaction of single electron tunneling and vibrational motion of the nanotube. We present measurements on a highly stable nanotube device, subsequently recorded in the vacuum chamber of a dilution refrigerator and immersed in the 3He/4He mixture of a second dilution refrigerator. The switching phenomena are absent when the sample is kept in the viscous liquid, additionally supporting the interpretation of dc-driven vibration. Transport measurements in liquid helium can thus be used for finite bias spectroscopy where otherwise the mechanical effects would dominate the current.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Negative frequency tuning of a carbon nanotube nano-electromechanical resonator

A suspended, doubly clamped single wall carbon nanotube is characterized as driven nano-electromechanical resonator at cryogenic temperatures. Electronically, the carbon nanotube displays small bandgap behaviour with Coulomb blockade oscillations in electron conduction and transparent contacts in hole conduction. We observe the driven mechanical resonance in dc-transport, including multiple higher harmonic responses. The data shows a distinct negative frequency tuning at finite applied gate voltage, enabling us to electrostatically decrease the resonance frequency to 75% of its maximum value. This is consistently explained via electrostatic softening of the mechanical mode.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; submitted for the IWEPNM 2013 conference proceeding

Actinic keratoses - a systemic review

Mainly elderly people with pale skin are affected by actinic keratoses (AK). Due to the demographic change, the prevalence of AK increased over the last years. An established risk factor is chronic UV-exposure (outdoor workers) inducing mutations of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 and the oncogene H-Ras. This leads to an intraepidermal proliferation of atypical keratinocytes. The term “field cancerization” characterises the presentation of multiple AK in UV-exposed areas. AK are also termed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ. The risk for AK turning into a SCC is 6-10%. In order to avoid invasive growth, an early treatment is recommended. During the last years multiple therapeutic options have been established. Depending on the clinical extent, lesion- or field-directed therapies with excellent clinical response and cosmetic results are available

Quantum Metallicity on the High-Field Side of the Superconductor-Insulator Transition

We investigate ultrathin superconducting TiN films, which are very close to the localization threshold. Perpendicular magnetic field drives the films from the superconducting to an insulating state, with very high resistance. Further increase of the magnetic field leads to an exponential decay of the resistance towards a finite value. In the limit of low temperatures, the saturation value can be very accurately extrapolated to the universal quantum resistance h/e^2. Our analysis suggests that at high magnetic fields a new ground state, distinct from the normal metallic state occurring above the superconducting transition temperature, is formed. A comparison with other studies on different materials indicates that the quantum metallic phase following the magnetic-field-induced insulating phase is a generic property of systems close to the disorder-driven superconductor-insulator transition.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, published versio

Magnetic damping of a carbon nanotube NEMS resonator

A suspended, doubly clamped single wall carbon nanotube is characterized at cryogenic temperatures. We observe specific switching effects in dc-current spectroscopy of the embedded quantum dot. These have been identified previously as nano-electromechanical self-excitation of the system, where positive feedback from single electron tunneling drives mechanical motion. A magnetic field suppresses this effect, by providing an additional damping mechanism. This is modeled by eddy current damping, and confirmed by measuring the resonance quality factor of the rf-driven nano-electromechanical resonator in an increasing magnetic field.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Intra-arterial application of nimodipine in reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: a neuroradiological method to help differentiate from primary central nervous system vasculitis

BACKGROUND: Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by a prolonged, but self-limiting segmental cerebral vasoconstriction. Neurological outcomes vary, but can be severe. The clinical hallmark of RCVS is thunderclap headache, which might come along with further neurological symptoms. Distinguishing RCVS from other entities, such as primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS), is of utmost importance for appropriate therapy. The angiographic response to intra-arterial nimodipine application has been suggested as an additional diagnostic criterion for RCVS but confirmatory studies are limited. We aimed to evaluate the angiographic nimodipine test. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the clinical and imaging data of 13 RCVS patients, who were admitted to a single German neurological department between January 2013 and December 2020. RESULTS: Out of 13 patients diagnosed with RCVS, 4 patients underwent an angiographic nimodipine test. In all 4 patients cerebral vasoconstriction completely resolved during nimodipine application. Among the four patients with a positive test, there was one individual, in whom a response was detected after a delay of 60 min. In all patients, we found a complete resolution of cerebral vasoconstriction within 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the usefulness of the application of nimodipine in diagnosing RCVS. Prolonged angiographic observation of the vascular response after nimodipine injection is important

Reversal of Nonlocal Vortex Motion in the Regime of Strong Nonequilibrium

We investigate nonlocal vortex motion in weakly pinning a-NbGe nanostructures, which is driven by a transport current I and remotely detected as a nonlocal voltage Vnl. At high I, the measured Vnl exhibits dramatic sign reversals that at low and high temperatures T occur for opposite polarities of I. The sign of Vnl becomes independent of that of the drive current at large abs(I). These unusual effects can be nearly quantitatively explained by a novel enhancement of magnetization, arising from a nonequilibrium distribution of quasiparticles at high T, and a Nernst-like effect resulting from local electron heating at low T