A Composite Cylinder Model for the Prediction of Residual Stresses in Gamma-Titanium Composites

An experimental study of the residual stress formation and evolution in ␥-titanium-based composite material was completed for some important processing and heat treatment conditions. A concentric cylinder model based on Norton's creep law with the coefficients replaced by new terms related to time and temperature was developed by a combination of viscoplasticity and thermoelastic analysis of concentric cylinder domains representative for the matrix and the fiber. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used to measure average residual stresses at the neighborhood of Saphikon fibers. The composite was fabricated by hot isostatic pressing. The residual stress at the matrix decreased as the temperature of the heat treatment increased up to an optimum value, after which the residual stress started to build up despite the increase in the annealing temperature. This phenomenon was depicted through the numerical model as well as in the XRD

IMECE2005-81122 ADHESION ENERGY OF SINGLE WALL CARBON NANOTUBE-POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITE: EFFECT OF MAGNETIC FIELD

ABSTRACT In this paper, we investigate the adhesion energy at the interface between single wall carbon nanotubes and polyethylene matrix with and without an external magnetic field. The carbon nanotubes are of two different chiralities --armchair (10,10), and zigzag (10,0), and the external high magnetic field is of 25 Tesla intensity. The study employs molecular dynamics simulations and concludes that the magnetic field decreases the interfacial adhesion energy although it increases the individual potential energies of the nanotubes, the polyethylene, and the composite

Biopsychosocial Aspects in Individuals with Acute and Chronic Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain: Classification Based on a Decision Tree Analysis

Biopsychosocial aspects seem to influence the clinical condition of rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP). However, traditional bivariate and linear analyses may not be sufficiently robust to capture the complex relationships among these aspects. This study determined which biopsychosocial aspects would better classify individuals with acute and chronic RCRSP and described how these aspects interact to create biopsychosocial phenotypes in individuals with acute and chronic RCRSP. Individuals with acute (<six months of pain, n = 15) and chronic (≥six months of pain, n = 38) RCRSP were included. Sociodemographic data, biological data related to general clinical health status, to shoulder clinical condition and to sensory function, and psychosocial data were collected. Outcomes were compared between groups and a decision tree was used to classify the individuals with acute and chronic RCRSP into different phenotypes hierarchically organized in nodes. Only conditioned pain modulation was different between the groups. However, the tree combined six biopsychosocial aspects to identify seven distinct phenotypes in individuals with RCRSP: three phenotypes of individuals with acute, and four with chronic RCRSP. While the majority of the individuals with chronic RCRSP have no other previous painful complaint besides the shoulder pain and low efficiency of endogenous pain modulation with no signs of biomechanical related pain, individuals with acute RCRSP are more likely to have preserved endogenous pain modulation and unilateral pain with signs of kinesiophobia

IMECE2002-33401 FABRICATION OF NdFeB THIN FILM AND ITS APPLICATION IN MEMS

ABSTRACT The paper measures the magnetic properties of NdFeB thin films developed under the effects of magnetic field. The samples exhibited a larger residual inductance, saturation magnetization and energy product than those treated without field or with weaker field. Magnetic MEMS was introduced with application of the NdFeB film to micro device such as pumps and gear transmission system

Linguistics

Contains research summary and abstracts for nine theses

Nanocharacterization of Proton Radiation Damage on Magnetically Oriented Epoxy

Abstract: In this study we investigate the shielding effectiveness of a structural epoxy against high-energy proton radiation. To study the influence of material texture on its radiation shielding effectiveness we induced orientations in the epoxy using a high magnetic field of 15 T and exposed it to proton beams of energy 6-15 MeV. The microstructure of the samples was characterized using ESEM and AFM microscopy. The effect of the radiation on the mechanical properties of the epoxy samples such as modulus and hardness was measured using nanoindentation tests

Telemedicine and international disaster response: Medical consultation to Armenia and Russia via a telemedicine spacebridge

The Telemedicine Spacebridge, a satellite mediated audio-video-fax link between four U.S. and two Armenian and Russian medical centers, permitted remote American consultants to assist Armenian and Russian physicians in the management of medical problems following the December 1988 earthquake in Armenia and the June 1989 gas explosion near Ufa. During 12 weeks of operations, 247 Armenian and Russian and 175 American medical professionals participated in 34 half-day clinical conferences. 209 patients were discussed, requiring expertise in 20 specialty areas. Telemedicine consultations resulted in altered diagnoses for 54, new diagnostic studies for 70, altered diagnostic processes for 47, and modified treatment plans for 47 of 185 Armenian patients presented. Simultaneous participation of several U.S. medical centers was judged beneficial; quality of data transmission was judged excellent. These results suggest that interactive consultation by remote specialists can provide valuable assistance to onsite physicians and favorably influence clinical decisions in the aftermath of major disasters

Building resilience in contemporary nursing practice

YesThe nursing profession is being threatened by staff shortages. Catherine Best explains why building resilience from within the profession is vital to safeguarding its future, by keeping newly qualified nurses in the job and preventing emotional ‘burnout’ across disciplines Resilience in nursing has been critiqued and challenged throughout the nursing literature. Trends in nursing have led to many nurses leaving the profession early in their career, often due to the immense pressures that they work under. There are many opinions on how nurses can develop the resilience needed to maintain professional integrity and continue to provide safe and effective care, while attempting to shoulder the considerable impact of political and professional drivers. This not only leaves nurses exhausted but often without hope. By taking collective action, this article argues that nurses may benefit from sharing ideas and learning from others, and in so doing rekindle hope and a belief that things can change

Updated clinical diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Several molecular subtypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease have been identified and electroencephalogram and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers have been reported to support clinical diagnosis but with variable utility according to subtype. In recent years, a series of publications have demonstrated a potentially important role for magnetic resonance imaging in the pre-mortem diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Magnetic resonance imaging signal alterations correlate with distinct sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease molecular subtypes and thus might contribute to the earlier identification of the whole spectrum of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease cases. This multi-centre international study aimed to provide a rationale for the amendment of the clinical diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and fluid attenuated inversion recovery or diffusion-weight imaging were recruited from 12 countries. Patients referred as ‘suspected sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease’ but with an alternative diagnosis after thorough follow up, were analysed as controls. All magnetic resonance imaging scans were assessed for signal changes according to a standard protocol encompassing seven cortical regions, basal ganglia, thalamus and cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were evaluated in 436 sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease patients and 141 controls. The pattern of high signal intensity with the best sensitivity and specificity in the differential diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease was identified. The optimum diagnostic accuracy in the differential diagnosis of rapid progressive dementia was obtained when either at least two cortical regions (temporal, parietal or occipital) or both caudate nucleus and putamen displayed a high signal in fluid attenuated inversion recovery or diffusion-weight imaging magnetic resonance imaging. Based on our analyses, magnetic resonance imaging was positive in 83% of cases. In all definite cases, the amended criteria would cover the vast majority of suspected cases, being positive in 98%. Cerebral cortical signal increase and high signal in caudate nucleus and putamen on fluid attenuated inversion recovery or diffusion-weight imaging magnetic resonance imaging are useful in the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. We propose an amendment to the clinical diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease to include findings from magnetic resonance imaging scans