Evolving morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–BaTiO3 piezoceramics

The correlation between structure and electrical properties of lead-free (1-x)(Bi(1/2)Na(1/2))TiO(3)-xBaTiO(3) (BNT-100xBT) polycrystalline piezoceramics was investigated systematically by in situ synchrotron diffraction technique, combined with electrical property characterization. It was found that the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between a rhombohedral and a tetragonal phase evolved into a morphotropic phase region with electric field. In the unpoled material, the MPB was positioned at the transition from space group R3m to P4mm (BNT-11BT) with optimized permittivity throughout a broad single-phase R3m composition regime. Upon poling, a range of compositions from BNT-6BT to BNT-11BT became two-phase mixture, and maximum piezoelectric coefficient was observed in BNT-7BT. It was shown that optimized electrical properties are related primarily to the capacity for domain texturing and not to phase coexistence

A TISSUE ENGINEERING APPROACH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IN VITRO 3D TUMOR MODEL FOR DRUG DELIVERY STUDIES

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Feasibility of Using Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation for Pain in Persons with Parkinson's Disease

Objectives. To assess the feasibility of treating musculoskeletal pain in the lower back and/or lower extremities in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) with cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES). Design. Randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. Setting. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Community. Participants. Nineteen persons with PD and pain in the lower back and/or lower extremities. Thirteen provided daily pain rating data. Intervention. Of the thirteen participants who provided daily pain data, 6 were randomly provided with active CES devices and 7 with sham devices to use at home 40 minutes per day for six weeks. They recorded their pain ratings on a 0-to-10 scale immediately before and after each session. Main Outcome Measure. Average daily change in pain intensity. Results. Persons receiving active CES had, on average, a 1.14-point decrease in pain compared with a 0.23-point decrease for those receiving sham CES (Wilcoxon Z = −2.20, P = .028). Conclusion. Use of CES at home by persons with PD is feasible and may be somewhat helpful in decreasing pain. A larger study is needed to determine the characteristics of persons who may experience meaningful pain reduction with CES. Guidelines for future studies are provided

The Learning Curve for Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy

The authors found that the learning curve for robotassisted radical cystectomy is constantly evolving to improve oncologic outcomes

Evaluating the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline—Recommended and Contemporary Pretest Probability Models in a Mixed Asian Cohort: The Contribution of Coronary Artery Calcium

BACKGROUND: Most pretest probability (PTP) tools for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) were Western -developed. The most appropriate PTP models and the contribution of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in Asian populations remain unknown. In a mixed Asian cohort, we compare 5 PTP models: local assessment of the heart (LAH), CAD Consortium (CAD2), risk factor-weighted clinical likelihood, the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology PTP and 3 extended versions of these models that incorporated CACS: LAH (CACS), CAD2 (CACS), and the CACS-clinical likelihood. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study cohort included 771 patients referred for stable chest pain. Obstructive CAD prevalence was 27.5%. Calibration, area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) and net reclassification index were evaluated. LAH clinical had the best calibration (χ 2 5.8; P=0.12). For CACS models, LAH (CACS) showed least deviation between observed and expected cases (χ 2 37.5; P&lt;0.001). There was no difference in AUCs between the LAH clinical (AUC, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.69-0.77]), CAD2 clinical (AUC, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.68-0.76]), risk factor-weighted clinical likelihood (AUC, 0.73 [95% CI: 0.69-0.76) and European Society of Cardiology PTP (AUC, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.67-0.75]). CACS improved discrimination and reclassification of the LAH (CACS) (AUC, 0.88; net reclassification index, 0.46), CAD2 (CACS) (AUC, 0.87; net reclassification index, 0.29) and CACS-CL (AUC, 0.87; net reclassification index, 0.25). CONCLUSIONS: In a mixed Asian cohort, Asian-derived LAH models had similar discriminatory performance but better calibration and risk categorization for clinically relevant PTP cutoffs. Incorporating CACS improved discrimination and reclassification. These results support the use of population-matched, CACS-inclusive PTP tools for the prediction of obstructive CAD.</p

El proceso creativo y de realización del cortometraje "Tercer Acto" desde guion, dirección y producción

“Tercer Acto” es un cortometraje de ficción del género drama que presenta a Isabella, una mujer profesional que antes se desempeñaba en el rubro del arte, pero se vio en la necesidad de buscar otra manera de solventarse económicamente al no tener los resultados esperados en su vocación artística. Mediante los acontecimientos por los que pasa la protagonista se busca explorar en temas como las decisiones de vida, la noción de éxito, las percepciones respecto al arte y la relación entre una madre y su hija, quienes perciben y dan significado a la vida de manera distinta, así se invita a los espectadores a reflexionar sobre sus decisiones a lo largo de su vida y sobre las que realizarán en el futuro. Partiendo de la concepción de la premisa hasta los toques finales, el equipo de Tercer Acto ha de tener presente que este proyecto aborda temas que se centran en la respuesta emocional de cada personaje, y cada área se desempeña alineada a esta idea. Dentro del presente trabajo se encuentra el desglose de las áreas de dirección general, producción y guionización, y el detalle de sus labores alrededor de la pre-producción, producción y post-producción del cortometraje. Finalmente, el resultado del cortometraje refleja la situación que puede presentarse en la vida de algunas personas y como los objetivos cambian conforme pasa el tiempo y se ajustan a las necesidades; sin embargo, se dejan abiertas muchas posibilidades a las que toca enfrentarse en un nuevo ciclo de decisiones y experiencias."Third Act" is a fictional short film of the drama genre that presents Isabella, a professional woman who previously worked in the field of art, but found herself in need of finding another way to support herself financially by not having the expected results in his artistic vocation. Through the events that the protagonist goes through, it seeks to explore topics such as life decisions, the notion of success, perceptions regarding art and the relationship between a mother and her daughter, who perceive and give meaning to life in a different way. different, thus viewers are invited to reflect on their decisions throughout their lives and on those they will make in the future. Starting from the conception of the premise to the final touches, the Third Act team must keep in mind that this project addresses themes that focus on the emotional response of each character, and each area performs in line with this idea. Within the present work is the breakdown of the areas of general direction, production and scriptwriting, and the detail of their work around the pre-production, production and post-production of the short film. Finally, the result of the short film reflects the situation that can arise in the lives of some people and how the objectives change as time goes by and adjust to the needs; however, many possibilities are left open that have to be faced in a new cycle of decisions and experiences.Trabajo de investigació

Cosmic-Ray Nuclei, Antiprotons and Gamma-rays in the Galaxy: a New Diffusion Model

We model the transport of cosmic ray nuclei in the Galaxy by means of a new numerical code. Differently from previous numerical models we account for a generic spatial distribution of the diffusion coefficient. We found that in the case of radially uniform diffusion, the main secondary/primary ratios (B/C, N/O and sub-Fe/Fe) and the modulated antiproton spectrum match consistently the available observations. Convection and re-acceleration do not seem to be required in the energy range we consider: $1 < E < 10^3$ GeV/nucleon. We generalize these results accounting for radial dependence of the diffusion coefficient, which is assumed to trace that of the cosmic ray sources. While this does not affect the prediction of secondary/primary ratios, the simulated longitude profile of the diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission is significantly different from the uniform case and may agree with EGRET measurements without invoking ad hoc assumptions on the galactic gas density distribution.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. v3: Added detailed references to nuclear cross-section networ