High voltage electrical insulation coating for refractory materials

Formula and process have been developed for coating refractory metal surfaces with high voltage electrical insulation for use at temperatures to 600 C. Coatings were specifically developed as an insulation for the surface of a perforated, molybdenum, ion-accelerator grid, but are not limited to this application

Method for fiberizing ceramic materials Patent

Process for fiberizing ceramic materials with high fusion temperatures and tensile strengt

Reallocating resources to focused factories: a case study in chemotherapy

This study investigates the expected service performance associated with a proposal to reallocate resources from a centralized chemotherapy department to a breast cancer focused factory. Using a slotted queueing model we show that a decrease in performance is expected and calculate the amount of additional resources required to offset these losses. The model relies solely on typical outpatient scheduling system data, making the methodology easy to replicate in other outpatient clinic settings. Finally, the paper highlights important factors to consider when assigning capacity to focused factories. These considerations are generally relevant to other resource allocation decisions

Coherent electronic transfer in quantum dot systems using adiabatic passage

We describe a scheme for using an all-electrical, rapid, adiabatic population transfer between two spatially separated dots in a triple-quantum dot system. The electron spends no time in the middle dot and does not change its energy during the transfer process. Although a coherent population transfer method, this scheme may well prove useful in incoherent electronic computation (for example quantum-dot cellular automata) where it may provide a coherent advantage to an otherwise incoherent device. It can also be thought of as a limiting case of type II quantum computing, where sufficient coherence exists for a single gate operation, but not for the preservation of superpositions after the operation. We extend our analysis to the case of many intervening dots and address the issue of transporting quantum information through a multi-dot system.Comment: Replaced with (approximately) the published versio

Quantum dynamics, dissipation, and asymmetry effects in quantum dot arrays

We study the role of dissipation and structural defects on the time evolution of quantum dot arrays with mobile charges under external driving fields. These structures, proposed as quantum dot cellular automata, exhibit interesting quantum dynamics which we describe in terms of equations of motion for the density matrix. Using an open system approach, we study the role of asymmetries and the microscopic electron-phonon interaction on the general dynamical behavior of the charge distribution (polarization) of such systems. We find that the system response to the driving field is improved at low temperatures (and/or weak phonon coupling), before deteriorating as temperature and asymmetry increase. In addition to the study of the time evolution of polarization, we explore the linear entropy of the system in order to gain further insights into the competition between coherent evolution and dissipative processes.Comment: 11pages,9 figures(eps), submitted to PR

Triatominae

p. 125-520 : ill. ; 26 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 499-515) and index."The reduviid subfamily Triatominae contains numerous species which are actual or potential vectors of Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. All Triatominae require bloodmeals for their complete development. Most species feed on small terrestrial or arboreal mammals, especially didelphids, edentates, and rodents; others are associated with bats, and some are found with birds. Several triatomines have colonized human habitations, where they transmit Chagas' disease to man and his domestic animals. The epidemiologically most important species are the wide-ranging Triatoma infestans, T. dimidiata, and Rhodnius prolixus. The following are also active vectors of Chagas' disease, although more localized: Triatoma barberi, brasiliensis, carrioni, guasayana, maculata, patagonica, pallidipennis, phyllosoma, pseudomaculata, rubrofasciata, sordida, and rubida, Panstrongylus chinai, megistus, and rufotuberculatus, Rhodnius ecuadoriensis, and pallescens. A survey of the external structures of the Triatominae and their terminology is presented to facilitate use of the keys and comprehension of the descriptions. The Triatominae share a derived character not found in other reduviids, viz., a membranous connection between the second and third rostral segments. This structure permits an extensive flexure of the third segment, in connection with the act of bloodsucking. The trichobothria of the second antennal segment of the adult are described for the first time; their number and arrangement are diagnostic on the tribal and in some cases generic level. Trichobothria were also discovered on the anterior femora of Cavernicola pilosa. Another previously unknown structure is the presence of a pair of flasklike invaginations on the terminal rostral segment of Dipetalogaster maximus. The shape of the stridulatory sulcus of the prosternum is shown to be, in some cases, diagnostic on the generic level. Some Triatominae have adopted strategies that allow them to expand their abdomen for the ingestion of unusually large bloodmeals; three such strategies, involving membranization of part of the connexivum and correlated modifications of the lateral part of the abdomen, are described. The male genitalia of plesiomorphic triatomines are of simple structure, but derived forms are shown to have variously specialized phalli, involving modifications of the articulatory apparatus, the basal plate struts, and the dorsal phallosoma plate. First and fifth instar nymphs are studied morphologically, mainly on the generic level. A newly discovered character of first instar nymphs is the absence or presence of a group of elongate sensory hairs on the metatarsus. Nymphs of all instars of Microtriatoma and Parabelminus have three pairs of spongy fossulae as do the adults, a condition unique in the subfamily. The subfamily Triatominae is restricted to the Nearctic, Neotropical, and Oriental regions, entering the Australian region marginally. Triatoma rubrofasciata is tropicopolitan. There are 13 genera in the Western Hemisphere, with the center of diversity in South America. The Oriental region contains one endemic genus and an apparently monophyletic species group of Triatoma, a genus occupying the entire range of the subfamily. The division of the Triatominae into five tribes is maintained. One tribe, the Triatomini, is paraphyletic; the Rhodniini, Cavernicolini, Bolboderini, and Alberproseniini are either monophyletic or monotypic. The five tribes, 14 genera, and 111 species are described or redescribed and illustrated and their synonyms given; host relations and epidemiological role are stated where known. Keys for tribal, generic, and specific identification of adults as well as for generic identification of first and fifth instar nymphs are given in English, and, where pertinent, in Spanish and/or Portuguese. Six new species are described: Triatoma guazu (Paraguay); Linshcosteus chota and kali (India), Belminus herreri (Panama), Parabelminus yurupucu (Brazil: Bahia), and Microtriatoma borbai (Brazil: Parana). Nine names are newly synonymized: Triatoma ninoi Carcavallo et al. with T. eratyrusiformis Del Ponte; T. pessoai Sherlock and Serafim and T. bahiensis Sherlock and Serafim, both with T. lenti Sherlock and Serafim; T. novaeguineae Miller with T. leopoldi (Schouteden); T. pallidula Miller with T. migrans Breddin; T. phyllosoma usingeri Mazzotti with T. pallidipennis (Stal); T. bruchi Mazza and Jörg with T. rubrovaria (Blanchard); T. garciabesi Carcavallo et al. with T. sordida (Steal); Rhodnius amazonicus Almeida et al. with R. pictipes Stal"--P. 127

Reallocating resources to focused factories: a case study in chemotherapy

This study investigates the expected service performance associated with a proposal to reallocate resources from a centralized chemotherapy department to a breast cancer focused factory. Using a slotted queueing model we show that a decrease in performance is expected and calculate the amount of additional resources required to offset these losses. The model relies solely on typical outpatient scheduling system data, making the methodology easy to replicate in other outpatient clinic settings. Finally, the paper highlights important factors to consider when assigning capacity to focused factories. These considerations are generally relevant to other resource allocation decisions

An exact approach for relating recovering surgical patient workload to the master surgical schedule

No other department influences the workload of a hospital more than the Department of Surgery and in particular, the activities in the operating room. These activities are governed by the master surgical schedule (MSS), which states which patient types receive surgery on which day. In this paper we describe an analytical approach to project the workload for downstream departments based on this MSS. Specifically the ward occupancy distributions, patient admission/discharge distributions, and the distributions for ongoing interventions/treatments is computed. Recovering after surgery requires the support of multiple departments, such as nursing, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and long term care. With our model, managers from these departments can determine their workload by aggregating tasks associated with recovering surgical patients. The model, which supported the development of a new MSS at the Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, provides the foundation for a decision support tool to relate downstream hospital departments to the operating room

Adsorption induced reconstruction of the Cu(110) surface

The formation of the O/Cu(110)-(2 × 1) and H/Cu(110)-(1 × 2) superstructures has been investigated by a LEED beam profile analysis. The oxygen induced reconstruction proceeds at later stages by creation of holes on flat terraces. This could not be observed at the hydrogen induced missing row reconstruction. The formation of the missing row structure proceeds most probably via nucleation at steps and subsequent growth of (1 × 2) islands. The influence of different distributions of steps and islands on beam profiles is discussed