Characterization and Modeling of Local Electromechanical Response in Stress-Biased Piezoelectric Actuators

Numerous investigators have explored the factors that contribute to the high electromechanical performance of stress-biased actuators with particular attention being given to the importance of the extrinsic (domain wall translation) response mechanism. Based on the variation in lateral stress through the thickness of the piezoelectric layer within these devices, it has been suggested that the piezoelectric coefficient varies as a function of position within the layer, though no direct evidence has been previously presented. In this study, the results of Moire interferometry investigations of local strains within these devices are reviewed. The technique permits effective depth-profiling of local deformations at reasonably high (0.25 µm) resolution. A least squares regression analysis approach was used in conjunction with classical laminate theory and free edge effects to fit this experimental data to depth-dependent piezoelectric response. As expected, higher d-coefficients were predicted for the upper free surface of the device compared to the interface with the stainless steel substrate. The predicted values were in general agreement with expectation and are further considered from the perspective of recent reports in the literature regarding multi-axial loading effects on the electromechanical properties of lead zirconate titanate-based piezoelectric ceramics

Spatial methods for event reconstruction in CLEAN

In CLEAN (Cryogenic Low Energy Astrophysics with Noble gases), a proposed neutrino and dark matter detector, background discrimination is possible if one can determine the location of an ionizing radiation event with high accuracy. We simulate ionizing radiation events that produce multiple scintillation photons within a spherical detection volume filled with liquid neon. We estimate the radial location of a particular ionizing radiation event based on the observed count data corresponding to that event. The count data are collected by detectors mounted at the spherical boundary of the detection volume. We neglect absorption, but account for Rayleigh scattering. To account for wavelength-shifting of the scintillation light, we assume that photons are absorbed and re-emitted at the detectors. Here, we develop spatial Maximum Likelihood methods for event reconstruction, and study their performance in computer simulation experiments. We also study a method based on the centroid of the observed count data. We calibrate our estimates based on training data

Multiple scattering of polarized radiation by non-spherical grains: first results

We present the first numerical radiative transfer simulation of multiple light scattering in dust configurations containing aligned non-spherical (spheroidal) dust grains. Such models are especially important if one wants to explain the circular polarization of light, observed in a variety of astronomical objects. The radiative transfer problem is solved on the basis of the Monte Carlo method. Test simulations, confirming the correct numerical implementation of the scattering mechanism, are presented. As a first application, we investigate the linear and circular polarization of light coming from a spherical circumstellar shell. This shell contains perfectly aligned prolate or oblate spheroidal grains. The most remarkable features of the simulated linear polarization maps are so-called polarization null points where the reversal of polarization occurs. They appear in the case when the grain alignment axis is perpendicular to the line of sight. The maps of circular polarization have a sector-like structure with maxima at the ends of lines inclined to the grain alignment axis by \pm 45\degr.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, accepted by A&

BCL-2 Expression is Prognostic for Improved Survival in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

ObjectiveWe used a large patient population to identify immunohistochemical biomarkers to enable improved prognostication in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).MethodsA tissue microarray was constructed using duplicate 0.6 mm cores of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 609 patients with NSCLC. Immunohistochemical was used to detect 11 biomarkers including epidermal growth factor receptor, Her2, Her3, p53, p63, bcl-1, bcl-2, Thyroid transcription factor, carcinoembryonic antigen, chromogranin, and synaptophysin. A clinical database was generated prospectively at the time of tissue collection. Survival outcomes were obtained from a Provincial Cancer Registry database. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to look for a relationship between biomarker expression, smoking history, and survival.ResultsSurvival data for 535 cases were available. As of June 2005, 429 patients (80%) had died; of these 286 (54%) died of lung cancer, 117 (22%) died of other known causes, and for 26 (5%) the cause of death was not available. Univariate analysis revealed that bcl-2 (p = 0.007) was the only biomarker prognostic for improved overall survival (OS). bcl-2 (p = 0.021) and p63 (p = 0.025) were both found to be prognostic for improved disease-specific survival (DSS). Multivariate analysis (using age and biomarker expression) revealed that bcl-2 expression is prognostic for improved OS (p = 0.005) and DSS (p = 0.021).ConclusionsOur results suggest that bcl-2 expression is prognostic for improved OS and DSS in NSCLC. Testing for bcl-2 expression in a prospective study will help to determine its clinical relevance in prognostication

Month of Conception and Learning Disabilities: A Record-Linkage Study of 801,592 Children.

Learning disabilities have profound, long-lasting health sequelae. Affected children born over the course of 1 year in the United States of America generated an estimated lifetime cost of $51.2 billion. Results from some studies have suggested that autistic spectrum disorder may vary by season of birth, but there have been few studies in which investigators examined whether this is also true of other causes of learning disabilities. We undertook Scotland-wide record linkage of education (annual pupil census) and maternity (Scottish Morbidity Record 02) databases for 801,592 singleton children attending Scottish schools in 2006-2011. We modeled monthly rates using principal sine and cosine transformations of the month number and demonstrated cyclicity in the percentage of children with special educational needs. Rates were highest among children conceived in the first quarter of the year (January-March) and lowest among those conceived in the third (July-September) (8.9% vs 7.6%; P < 0.001). Seasonal variations were specific to autistic spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, and learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia) and were absent for sensory or motor/physical impairments and mental, physical, or communication problems. Seasonality accounted for 11.4% (95% confidence interval: 9.0, 13.7) of all cases. Some biologically plausible causes of this variation, such as infection and maternal vitamin D levels, are potentially amendable to intervention.Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research & PolicyThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/kww09

Dimension of pain-related quality of life and self-reported mental health in men and women of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer–Norfolk cohort : a population-based cross-sectional study

Acknowledgement: The authors thank Prof. Gary J Macfarlane, Head of Epidemiology Group, University of Aberdeen, for discussions and constructive comments during manuscript preparation. We also wish to thank the participants of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort, staff, co-PIs, and the funders. The EPIC-Norfolk study was supported by grants from the Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council (UK). Funders have no role in study design and interpretation of the results. Funding Sources: The EPIC-Norfolk study was supported by grants from the Cancer Research UK (CRUK 14136) and Medical Research Council UK (MRC: G1000143). Funders have no role in study design and interpretation of the results.Peer reviewedPostprin

The Lantern Vol. 11, No. 1, December 1942

• Friends of the Aquarium • Espionage • Fuss-Budget • Dress Blues • Alone • One Easy Lesson in How Not to Study • A Thumbtack Sketch • One Star • A Colonial Inn • Thoughts on a Dark Day • Query • Paul Revere and the World He Lived In • Sunsetshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1028/thumbnail.jp

Simultaneous monitoring of the photometric and polarimetric activity of the young star PV Cep in the optical/near-infrared bands

We present the results of a simultaneous monitoring, lasting more than 2 years, of the optical and near-infrared photometric and polarimetric activity of the variable protostar PV Cep. During the monitoring period, an outburst has occurred in all the photometric bands, whose declining phase ($\Delta$J $\approx$ 3 mag) lasted about 120 days. A time lag of $\sim$ 30 days between optical and infrared light curves has been measured and interpreted in the framework of an accretion event. This latter is directly recognizable in the significant variations of the near-infrared colors, that appear bluer in the outburst phase, when the star dominates the emission, and redder in declining phase, when the disk emission prevails. All the observational data have been combined to derive a coherent picture of the complex morphology of the whole PV Cep system, that, in addition to the star and the accretion disk, is composed also by a variable biconical nebula. In particular, the mutual interaction between all these components is the cause of the high value of the polarization ($\approx$ 20%) and of its fluctuations. The observational data concur to indicate that PV Cep is not a genuine EXor star, but rather a more complex object; moreover the case of PV Cep leads to argue about the classification of other recently discovered young sources in outburst, that have been considered, maybe over-simplifying, as EXor.Comment: Accepted for publication on Ap