3,304 research outputs found
Strain distributions in lattice-mismatched semiconductor core-shell nanowires
The authors study the elastic deformation field in lattice-mismatched
core-shell nanowires with single and multiple shells. The authors consider
infinite wires with a hexagonal cross section under the assumption of
translational symmetry. The strain distributions are found by minimizing the
elastic energy per unit cell using the finite element method. The authors find
that the trace of the strain is discontinuous with a simple, almost piecewise
variation between core and shell, whereas the individual components of the
strain can exhibit complex variations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Thailand’s universal coverage scheme and its impact on health-seeking behavior
Background: Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) has improved healthcare access and utilization since its initial introduction in 2002. However, a substantial proportion of beneficiaries has utilized care outside the UCS boundaries. Because low utilization may be an indication of a policy gap between people’s health needs and the services available to them, we investigated the patterns of health-seeking behavior and their social/contextual determinants among UCS beneficiaries in the year 2013. Results: The study findings from the outpatient analysis showed that the use of designated facilities for care was significantly higher in low-income, unemployed, and chronic status groups. The findings from the inpatient analysis showed that the use of designated facilities for care was significantly higher in the low-income, older, and female groups. Particularly, for the low-income group, we found that they (1) had greater health care needs, (2) received a larger number of services from designated facilities, and (3) paid the least for both inpatient and outpatient services. Conclusions: This pro-poor impact indicated that the UCS could adequately respond to beneficiaries’ needs in terms of vertical equity. However, we also found that a considerable proportion of beneficiaries utilized out-of-network services, which implied a lack of universal access to policy services from a horizontal equity point of view. Thus, the policy should continue expanding and diversifying its service benefits to strengthen horizontal equity. Particularly, private sector involvement for those who are employed as well as the increased unmet health needs of those in rural areas may be important policy priorities for that. Lastly, methodological issues such as severity adjustment and a detailed categorization of health-seeking behaviors need to be further considered for a better understanding of the policy impact
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Comparing the Use of Research Resource Identifiers and Natural Language Processing for Citation of Databases, Software, and Other Digital Artifacts
Dirac Leptogenesis with a Non-anomalous Family Symmetry
We propose a model for Dirac leptogenesis based on a non-anomalous
gauged family symmetry. The anomaly cancellation conditions are
satisfied with no new chiral fermions other than the three right-handed
neutrinos, giving rise to stringent constraints among the charges. Realistic
masses and mixing angles are obtained for all fermions. The model predicts
neutrinos of the Dirac type with naturally suppressed masses. Dirac
leptogenesis is achieved through the decay of the flavon fields. The cascade
decays of the vector-like heavy fermions in the Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism play
a crucial role in the separation of the primodial lepton numbers. We find that
a large region of parameter space of the model gives rise to a sufficient
cosmological baryon number asymmetry through Dirac leptogenesis.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, version to appear in JHE
Matched-Cohort Analysis of Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation with Radioimmunotherapy versus Total Body Irradiation–Based Conditioning for Poor-Risk Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma
We conducted a matched-cohort analysis of autologous transplant conditioning regimens for diffuse large cell lymphoma in 92 patients treated with either radioimmunotherapy (RIT) or total body irradiation (TBI)–based conditioning regimens. The RIT regimen consisted of 0.4 mCi/kg of 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan plus BEAM (BCNU, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan). The TBI-based regimen combined fractionated TBI at 1200 cGy, with etoposide and cyclophosphamide. Five factors were matched between 46 patient pairs: age at transplant ±5 years, disease status at salvage, number of prior regimens, year of diagnosis ±5 years, and year of transplantation ±5 years. Patients in the TBI group had higher rates of cardiac toxicity and mucositis, whereas Z-BEAM patients had a higher incidence of pulmonary toxicity. Overall survival at 4 years was 81.0% for the Z-BEAM and 52.7% for the TBI group (P = .01). The 4-year cumulative incidence of relapse/progression was 40.4% and 42.1% for Z-BEAM and TBI, respectively (P = .63). Nonrelapse mortality was superior in the Z-BEAM group: 0% compared with 15.8% for TBI at 4 years (P < .01). Our data demonstrate that RIT-based conditioning had a similar relapse incidence to TBI, with lower toxicity, resulting in improved overall survival, particularly in patients with ≥2 prior regimens
Assessment of the Impact of Spatial Heterogeneity on Microwave Satellite Soil Moisture Periodic Error
An accurate temporal and spatial characterization of errors is required for the efficient processing, evaluation, and assimilation of remotely-sensed surface soil moisture retrievals. However, empirical evidence exists that passive microwave soil moisture retrievals are prone to periodic artifacts which may complicate their application in data assimilation systems (which commonly treat observational errors as being temporally white). In this paper, the link between such temporally-periodic errors and spatial land surface heterogeneity is examined. Both the synthetic experiment and site-specified cases reveal that, when combined with strong spatial heterogeneity, temporal periodicity in satellite sampling patterns (associated with exact repeat intervals of the polar-orbiting satellites) can lead to spurious high frequency spectral peaks in soil moisture retrievals. In addition, the global distribution of the most prominent and consistent 8-day spectral peak in the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System soil moisture retrievals is revealed via a peak detection method. Three spatial heterogeneity indicators - based on microwave brightness temperature, land cover types, and long-term averaged vegetation index - are proposed to characterize the degree to which the variability of land surface is capable of inducing periodic error into satellite-based soil moisture retrievals. Regions demonstrating 8-day periodic errors are generally consistent with those exhibiting relatively higher heterogeneity indicators. This implies a causal relationship between spatial land surface heterogeneity and temporal periodic error in remotely-sensed surface soil moisture retrievals
Ctenophore population recruits entirely through larval reproduction in the central Baltic Sea
The comb jelly Mertensia ovum, widely distributed in Arctic regions, has recently been discovered in the northern Baltic Sea. We show that M. ovum also exists in the central Baltic but that the population consists solely of small-sized larvae (less than 1.6 mm). Despite the absence of adults, eggs were abundant. Experiments revealed that the larvae were reproductively active. Egg production and anticipated mortality rates suggest a self-sustaining population. This is the first account of a ctenophore population entirely recruiting through larval reproduction (paedogenesis). We hypothesize that early reproduction is favoured over growth to compensate for high predation pressure
Breakdown of the cross-kerr scheme for photon counting
We show, in the context of single-photon detection, that an atomic three-level model for a transmon in a transmission line does not support the predictions of the nonlinear polarizability model known as the cross-Kerr effect.We show that the induced displacement of a probe in the presence or absence of a single photon in the signal field, cannot be resolved above the quantum noise in the probe. This strongly suggests that cross-Kerr media are not suitable for photon counting or related single-photon applications. Our results are presented in the context of a transmon in a one-dimensional microwave waveguide, but the conclusions also apply to optical systems
Leptogenesis from R parity nonconservation
It is known that realistic neutrino masses for neutrino oscillations may be
obtained from R parity nonconserving supersymmetry. It is also known that such
interactions would erase any preexisting lepton or baryon asymmetry of the
Universe because of the inevitable intervention of the electroweak sphalerons.
We now show how a crucial subset of these R parity nonconserving terms may in
fact create its own successful leptogenesis.Comment: 4 pages latex file with one postscript figur
Near-Infrared Properties of Metal-poor Globular Clusters in the Galactic Bulge Direction
Aims. J, H, and K' images obtained from the near-infrared imager CFHTIR on
the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope are used to derive the morphological
parameters of the red giant branch (RGB) in the near-infrared color-magnitude
diagrams for 12 metal-poor globular clusters in the Galactic bulge direction.
Using the compiled data set of the RGB parameters for the observed 12 clusters,
in addition to the previously studied 5 clusters, we discuss the properties of
the RGB morphology for the clusters and compare them with the calibration
relations for the metal-rich bulge clusters and the metal-poor halo clusters.
Methods. The photometric RGB shape indices such as colors at fixed magnitudes
of MK = MH = (-5.5, -5, -4, and -3), magnitudes at fixed colors of (J - K)o =
(J - H)o = 0.7, and the RGB slope are measured from the fiducial normal points
defined in the near- infrared color-magnitude diagrams for each cluster. The
magnitudes of RGB bump and tip are also estimated from the differential and
cumulative luminosity functions of the selected RGB stars. The derived RGB
parameters have been used to examine the overall behaviors of the RGB
morphology as a function of cluster metallicity. Results. The correlations
between the near-infrared photometric RGB shape indices and the cluster
metallicity for the programme clusters compare favorably with the previous
observational calibration relations for metal-rich clusters in the Galactic
bulge and the metal-poor halo clusters. The observed near-infrared magnitudes
of the RGB bump and tip for the investigated clusters are also in accordance
with the previous calibration relations for the Galactic bulge clusters.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
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