Computing closed forms for the convergent series ∑n∈Z1(n3+Bn2+Cn+D)k\displaystyle\sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}}\frac{1}{(n^3+Bn^2+Cn+D)^k}

In this thesis we discuss the various approaches that will be taken to evaluate and find a finite closed form for the sum $$\sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}} \frac{1}{(n^3+Bn^2+Cn+D)^k}$$ where $B, C, D \in \mathbb{C}$ and $k$ is a positive integer. We begin this thesis by studying the cubic equations and discussing briefly various methods of finding their roots. Cardano\u27s method (1545) for finding the roots of cubic polynomials is explored in detail as this method is used in later parts of the thesis to make calculations while evaluating the sums. Various tools and techniques from Fourier analysis are reviewed for these aid in computing the sums. To obtain finite closed forms for the sums $\sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}} \frac{1}{(n^3+Bn^2+Cn+D)^k}$, we make use of different methods and approaches from combinatorics and identities involving well-known trigonometric functions

Understanding How Patients Perceive Their Medical Providers’ Communication in a Hospital Based Emergency Department Setting

Background: In recent years, a chief patient complaint has been that there is a breakdown in communication with their healthcare provider. This is concerning because poor provider-patient communication can lead to reduced medication adherence, misdiagnosis, increased healthcare costs, and even death. Furthermore, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has availed healthcare insurance to more individuals, which will increase the insured patient population. This will lead to a rise in patient visits, but also means that there are not enough physicians to support this new volume of patients. Other healthcare providers, like nurse practitioners and physicians assistants are more likely to be engaged with patients, because of these increased demands. Therefore, understanding how patients perceive communication in all of these groups is essential because, as aforementioned, a lack of good communication can have grave consequences. The purpose of this study was to understand the patient’s perception of the medical doctor-patient communication encounter, the patient’s perceptions of the midlevel-patient communication encounter, and to identify the patient’s perceptions of difference between the two groups. Methods: The research design for this study was descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional. The study engaged a convenience sample of 137 treat and release patients at the emergency department (ED) of Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). Results: The survey utilized in this study consisted of two parts: the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) (Makoul, 2007, Appendix A) and the Demographic Questionnaire. The CAT consisted of fourteen items where each item addressed a different aspect of the patient-provider communication encounter. Each item employed the following five-point Likert type scale: 1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, 4 = very good, 5 = excellent. The Demographic Questionnaire (Appendix B) was developed by the researcher and asked the patient to self-identify in the following five areas: age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, and employment status. The following shows the results of each research question. Findings 1: The fact that both the mean and median CAT Composite scores for this segment of the sample were very high (M = 65.13 and Mdn = 67 on a 14-70 scale) showed that patients were extremely satisfied with their doctors’ communication skills. Findings 2: While both the mean and median scores for this segment (M = 54.34 and Mdn = 56) suggested that patients were quite satisfied with their midlevel providers’ communication skills, their degree of satisfaction was not quite as high as those who dealt with physicians. Findings 3: The perception of the physicians is better than their midlevel counterparts; reject null hypothesis. Findings 4: The perception of the physicians is better in each of the fourteen areas versus their midlevel counterparts; reject null hypothesis. Demographic Questionnaire Findings: While not considered as a formal research question, the final component of this study focused on whether demographics have an influence on patients’ overall perceptions of their healthcare providers’ communication skills as measured by the CAT composite score; none of the five demographics examined – age, gender, ethnicity, education, and employment status – had any significant influence. Conclusion: Although past research shows that midlevel providers perform better than their physician counterparts, this study indicates differently. This is explained by the uniqueness of the hospital setting, where this study was conducted. In addition, further evidence-based research and longitudinal studies are recommended to compare with the results of this study. Future research may include hospitals in different geographic areas, further variation in practitioner groups, and a comparison of teaching versus non-teaching hospitals

Understanding How Patients Perceive Their Medical Providers’ Communication in a Hospital Based Emergency Department Setting

Background: In recent years, a chief patient complaint has been that there is a breakdown in communication with their healthcare provider. This is concerning because poor provider-patient communication can lead to reduced medication adherence, misdiagnosis, increased healthcare costs, and even death. Furthermore, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has availed healthcare insurance to more individuals, which will increase the insured patient population. This will lead to a rise in patient visits, but also means that there are not enough physicians to support this new volume of patients. Other healthcare providers, like nurse practitioners and physicians assistants are more likely to be engaged with patients, because of these increased demands. Therefore, understanding how patients perceive communication in all of these groups is essential because, as aforementioned, a lack of good communication can have grave consequences. The purpose of this study was to understand the patient’s perception of the medical doctor-patient communication encounter, the patient’s perceptions of the midlevel-patient communication encounter, and to identify the patient’s perceptions of difference between the two groups. Methods: The research design for this study was descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional. The study engaged a convenience sample of 137 treat and release patients at the emergency department (ED) of Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). Results: The survey utilized in this study consisted of two parts: the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) (Makoul, 2007, Appendix A) and the Demographic Questionnaire. The CAT consisted of fourteen items where each item addressed a different aspect of the patient-provider communication encounter. Each item employed the following five-point Likert type scale: 1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, 4 = very good, 5 = excellent. The Demographic Questionnaire (Appendix B) was developed by the researcher and asked the patient to self-identify in the following five areas: age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, and employment status. The following shows the results of each research question. Findings 1: The fact that both the mean and median CAT Composite scores for this segment of the sample were very high (M = 65.13 and Mdn = 67 on a 14-70 scale) showed that patients were extremely satisfied with their doctors’ communication skills. Findings 2: While both the mean and median scores for this segment (M = 54.34 and Mdn = 56) suggested that patients were quite satisfied with their midlevel providers’ communication skills, their degree of satisfaction was not quite as high as those who dealt with physicians. Findings 3: The perception of the physicians is better than their midlevel counterparts; reject null hypothesis. Findings 4: The perception of the physicians is better in each of the fourteen areas versus their midlevel counterparts; reject null hypothesis. Demographic Questionnaire Findings: While not considered as a formal research question, the final component of this study focused on whether demographics have an influence on patients’ overall perceptions of their healthcare providers’ communication skills as measured by the CAT composite score; none of the five demographics examined – age, gender, ethnicity, education, and employment status – had any significant influence. Conclusion: Although past research shows that midlevel providers perform better than their physician counterparts, this study indicates differently. This is explained by the uniqueness of the hospital setting, where this study was conducted. In addition, further evidence-based research and longitudinal studies are recommended to compare with the results of this study. Future research may include hospitals in different geographic areas, further variation in practitioner groups, and a comparison of teaching versus non-teaching hospitals

Combining PPB and marker-assisted selection: strategies and experiences with rice

Participatory plant breeding should not preclude the use of modern biotechnological techniques

Antibiofilm Potential of Metal Based Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Mode of Action

oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/2Biofilm refers to a group of microbes colonizing together and often adhered to a surface. The adherence is attributed to secretion of polymeric substances comprising of extracellular DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides thereby limiting the access and inhibitory activity of existing antimicrobial agents. Biofilm are a major cause of acute infections and pose immense clinical threat especially in conditions employing the use of invasive devices thus being a major source of mortality and morbidity. Hence there is a dire need to develop alternative treatment against biofilm-related infections. Advances in nanotechnology has opened new horizons. Nanoparticles derived from various metal present promising candidates to ameliorate biofilms owing to their antioxidant potential

Giant ambipolar Rashba effect in a semiconductor: BiTeI

We observe a giant spin-orbit splitting in bulk and surface states of the non-centrosymmetric semiconductor BiTeI. We show that the Fermi level can be placed in the valence or in the conduction band by controlling the surface termination. In both cases it intersects spin-polarized bands, in the corresponding surface depletion and accumulation layers. The momentum splitting of these bands is not affected by adsorbate-induced changes in the surface potential. These findings demonstrate that two properties crucial for enabling semiconductor-based spin electronics -- a large, robust spin splitting and ambipolar conduction -- are present in this material.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Study of optical band gap and carbon cluster sizes formed in 100 MeV Si8+ and 145 MeV Ne6+ ions irradiated polypropylene polymer

A wide variety of material modifications in polymers have been studied by using ion irradiation techniques. Extensive research has focused on to Swift Heavy Ions (MeV's energy), probably because of good controllability and the large penetration length in polymers. High energy ion irradiation tends to damage polymers significantly by electronic excitation and ionization. It may result into the creation of latent tracks and can also cause formation of radicals such as ablation, sputtering, chain scission and intermolecular cross-linking, creation of triple bonds and unsaturated bonds and loss volatile fragments. Polypropylene polymer films of thickness 50 μm were irradiated to the fluences of 1 × 1010, 3 × 1010, 1 × 1011, 3 × 1011, 6 × 1011 and 1 × 1012 ions/cm2 with Si8+ ions of 100 MeV energy from Pelletron accelerator at Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), New Delhi and Ne6+ ions of 145 MeV to the fluences of 108, 1010, 1011, 1012 and 1013 ions/cm3 from Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata. Optical modifications were characterized by UV towards the red end of the spectrum with the increase of the fluence. Value of optical band gap Eg shows a decreasing trend with ion fluence irradiated with both kinds of ions. Cluster size N, the number of carbon atoms per conjugation length increases with increasing ion dose. Cluster size also increases with the increase of electronic stopping power.Rajesh Kumar1*, S Asad Ali1, A. H. Naqvi1, H. S. Virk2, Udayan De3, D K Avasthi4 and Rajendra Prasad1 1Department of Applied Physics, Z. H. College of Engineering & Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202 002, Uttar Pradesh, India 2360 Sector-71, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Chandigarh-160 071, Punjab, India 3Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, 1/AF, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata-700 064, India 4Inter-University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110 067, India E-mail : [email protected] of Applied Physics, Z. H. College of Engineering & Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202 002, Uttar Pradesh, India 2360 Sector-71, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Chandigarh-160 071, Punjab, India Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, 1/AF, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata-700 064, India Inter-University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110 067, Indi

Hydrogen effusion from tritiated amorphous silicon

Results for the effusion and outgassing of tritium from tritiated hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H:T) films are presented. The samples were grown by dc-saddle field glow discharge at various substrate temperatures between 150 and 300 °C. The tracer property of radioactive tritium is used to detect tritium release. Tritium effusion measurements are performed in a nonvacuum ion chamber and are found to yield similar results as reported for standard high vacuum technique. The results suggest for decreasing substrate temperature the growth of material with an increasing concentration of voids. These data are corroborated by analysis of infrared absorption data in terms of microstructure parameters. For material of low substrate temperature (and high void concentration) tritium outgassing in air at room temperature was studied, and it was found that after 600 h about 0.2% of the total hydrogen (hydrogen+tritium) content is released. Two rate limiting processes are identified. The first process, fast tritium outgassing with a time constant of 15 h, seems to be related to surface desorption of tritiated water (HTO) with a free energy of desorption of 1.04 eV. The second process, slow tritium outgassing with a time constant of 200-300 h, appears to be limited by oxygen diffusivity in a growing oxide layer. This material of lowest H stability would lose half of the hydrogen after 60 years. © 2008 American Institute of Physics

Drag Reduction by Polymers in Turbulent Channel Flows: Energy Redistribution Between Invariant Empirical Modes

We address the phenomenon of drag reduction by dilute polymeric additive to turbulent flows, using Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of the FENE-P model of viscoelastic flows. It had been amply demonstrated that these model equations reproduce the phenomenon, but the results of DNS were not analyzed so far with the goal of interpreting the phenomenon. In order to construct a useful framework for the understanding of drag reduction we initiate in this paper an investigation of the most important modes that are sustained in the viscoelastic and Newtonian turbulent flows respectively. The modes are obtained empirically using the Karhunen-Loeve decomposition, allowing us to compare the most energetic modes in the viscoelastic and Newtonian flows. The main finding of the present study is that the spatial profile of the most energetic modes is hardly changed between the two flows. What changes is the energy associated with these modes, and their relative ordering in the decreasing order from the most energetic to the least. Modes that are highly excited in one flow can be strongly suppressed in the other, and vice versa. This dramatic energy redistribution is an important clue to the mechanism of drag reduction as is proposed in this paper. In particular there is an enhancement of the energy containing modes in the viscoelastic flow compared to the Newtonian one; drag reduction is seen in the energy containing modes rather than the dissipative modes as proposed in some previous theories.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, included, PRE, submitted, REVTeX