Inclusion of an arbitrary polygon with graded eigenstrain in an anisotropic piezoelectric half plane

AbstractThis paper presents an exact closed-form solution for the Eshelby problem of a polygonal inclusion with graded eigenstrains in an anisotropic piezoelectric half plane with traction-free on its surface. Using the line-source Green’s function, the line integral is carried out analytically for the linear eigenstrain case, with the final expression involving only elementary functions. The solutions are applied to the semiconductor quantum wire (QWR) of square, triangular, and rectangular shapes, with results clearly illustrating various influencing factors on the induced fields. The exact closed-form solution should be useful to the analysis of nanoscale QWR structures where large strain and electric fields could be induced by the non-uniform misfit strain

Review of morphology dependent charge carrier mobility in MEH-PPV

Charge carrier mobility in poly(2-methoxy,5(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) films were measured as a function of temperature and electric field parallel and perpendicular to the substrate for devices prepared from different solvents and under different processing conditions Bulk structural morphology was characterized by various X-ray diffraction measurements such as wide angle, small angle and X-ray reflection. Surface morphology was characterized using various scanning probe microscopic techniques Mobilities were found to follow Gaussian disorder model (GDM) and to be highly anisotropic not only depending on the solvents used but also on the film preparation method such as spin-coating or drop-casting While no direct correlation was found between charge carrier mobility and photoluminescence, charge transport parameters were correlated with structural morpholog

Prokaryotic expression, purification and immunogenicity analysis of CpsD protein from Streptococcus iniae

Streptococcus iniae is a major cause of serious bacterial infections in both fish and human beings. Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of S. iniae is vital to evade phagocytic clearance of the host and serves as an important protective antigen of S. iniae infection in aquatic animals. The CpsD gene was determined to be highly conservative in capsule polysaccharide operon. Prokaryotic expression of the CpsD gene of a clinical isolate of S. iniae from channel catfish and immunogenic examination of the recombinant protein were first described in this essay. The recombinant protein was expressed in the form of inclusion bodies (IBs). Induction conditions in Escherichia coli were optimized with 0.6mM Isopropyl β-D-1-Thiogalactopyranoside at 37°C for 5h after the culture mid-log phase in Luria Bertani (LB) medium. The recombinant protein CpsD was thus expressed and purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), yielding approximate 582.47 mg the protein per liter culture. Western blot analysis showed that the purified CpsD had reactogenicity. It will possibly reveal more details of capsule synthesis and capsule regulation during various stages of the S. iniae infectious process

Effect of CO2 laser cutting process parameters on edge quality and operating cost of AISI316L

Laser cutting is a popular manufacturing process utilized to cut various types of materials economically. The width of laser cut or kerf, quality of the cut edges and the operating cost are affected by laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure, nozzle diameter and focus point position as well as the work-piece material. In this paper CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel of medical grade AISI316L has been investigated. Design of experiment (DOE) was implemented by applying Box-Behnken design to develop the experiment lay-out. The aim of this work is to relate the cutting edge quality parameters namely: upper kerf, lower kerf, the ratio between them, cut section roughness and operating cost to the process parameters mentioned above. Then, an overall optimization routine was applied to find out the optimal cutting setting that would enhance the quality or minimize the operating cost. Mathematical models were developed to determine the relationship between the process parameters and the edge quality features. Also, process parameters effects on the quality features have been defined. Finally, the optimal laser cutting conditions have been found at which the highest quality or minimum cost can be achieved

Patients with refractory cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation are at high risk for CMV disease and non-relapse mortality

AbstractPre-emptive therapy is an effective approach for cytomegalovirus (CMV) control; however, refractory CMV still occurs in a considerable group of recipients after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Until now, hardly any data have been available about the clinical characteristics and risk factors of refractory CMV, or its potential harmful impact on the clinical outcome following allo-HSCT. We studied transplant factors affecting refractory CMV in the 100 days after allo-HSCT, and the impact of refractory CMV on the risk of CMV disease and non-relapse mortality (NRM). We retrospectively studied 488 consecutive patients with CMV infection after allo-HSCT. Patients with refractory CMV in the 100 days after allo-HSCT had a higher incidence of CMV disease and NRM than those without refractory CMV (11.9% vs. 0.8% and 17.1% vs. 8.3%, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that refractory CMV infection in the 100 days after allo-HSCT was an independent risk factor for CMV disease (hazard ratio (HR) 10.539, 95% CI 2.467–45.015, p 0.001), and that refractory CMV infection within 60–100 days after allo-HSCT was an independent risk factor for NRM (HR 8.435, 95% CI 1.511–47.099, p 0.015). Clinical factors impacting on the risk of refractory CMV infection included receiving transplants from human leukocyte antigen-mismatched family donors (HR 2.012, 95% CI 1.603–2.546, p <0.001) and acute graft-versus-host disease (HR 1.905, 95% CI 1.352–2.686, p <0.001). We conclude that patients with refractory CMV infection during the early stage after allo-HSCT are at high risk for both CMV disease and NRM

Reliability and Validity of the Monitored Functional Task Evaluation (MFTE) for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

This article describes the development of a new functional measure — the Monitored Functional Task Evaluation (MFTE) — a symptom-limited evaluation that is used to measure the functional performance of an individual with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to document a client's physiological changes through repeated testing. Stage I of the study included developing the content validity of the instrument. Stage II consisted of establishing the performance profile, test-retest and inter-rater reliability using a convenience sample of 27 inpatients and outpatients who had COPD. In stage III, the criterion-related and discriminative validity of the instrument was verified in a retrospective sample of 124 inpatients and day patients who had COPD. Results indicated that there was high intra- and inter-rater reliability for the total score of MFTE. Significant correlation of the MFTE was found with parameters such as Moser's Activities of Daily Living (ADL) class, COPD disability class, 6-minute walking distance, work capacity in terms the ratio of the metabolic rate associated with a given activity to the resting metabolic rate, and the fatigue dimension of the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire. In addition, prediction of group membership to Moser's ADL class revealed that 52.4% of the original grouped cases could be correctly classified by the MFTE alone. In conclusion, the MFTE is a useful measure to evaluate functional performance as well as document physiological changes in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD from both conceptual and empirical perspectives

Health service management study for stroke : A randomized controlled trial to evaluate two models of stroke care

Background: The most effective and efficient model for providing organized stroke care remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare the effect of two models in a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Patients with acute stroke were randomized on day one of admission to combined, co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care or traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care. Outcomes measured at baseline and 90 days post-discharge included functional independence measure, length of hospital stay, and functional independence measure efficiency (change in functional independence measure score ÷ total length of hospital stay). Results: Among 41 patients randomized, 20 were allocated co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care and 21 traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care. Baseline measurements showed no significant difference. There was no significant difference in functional independence measure scores between the two groups at discharge and again at 90 days postdischarge (co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care: 103·6 ± 22·2 vs. traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care: 99·5 ± 27·7; P = 0·77 at discharge; co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care: 109·5 ± 21·7 vs. traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care: 104·4 ± 27·9; P= 0·8875 at 90 days post-discharge). Total length of hospital stay was 5·28 days less in co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care compared with traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care (24·15 ± 3·18 vs. 29·42 ± 4·5, P = 0·35). There was significant improvement in functional independence measure efficiency score among participants assigned to co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care compared with traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care (co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care: median 1·60, interquartile range: 0·87–2·81; traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care: median 0·82, interquartile range: 0·27–1·57, P = 0·0393). Linear regression analysis revealed a high inverse correlation (R2 = 0·89) between functional independence measure efficiency and time spent in the acute stroke unit. Conclusion: This proof-of-concept study has shown that co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care was just as effective as traditionally separated acute/rehabilitation stroke care as reflected in functional independence measure scores, but significantly more efficient as shown in greater functional independence measure efficiency. Co-located acute/rehabilitation stroke care has potential for significantly improved hospital bed utilization with no patient disadvantage

Search for Top Quark FCNC Couplings in Z' Models at the LHC and CLIC

The top quark is the heaviest particle to date discovered, with a mass close to the electroweak symmetry breaking scale. It is expected that the top quark would be sensitive to the new physics at the TeV scale. One of the most important aspects of the top quark physics can be the investigation of the possible anomalous couplings. Here, we study the top quark flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) couplings via the extra gauge boson Z' at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) energies. We calculate the total cross sections for the signal and the corresponding Standard Model (SM) background processes. For an FCNC mixing parameter x=0.2 and the sequential Z' mass of 1 TeV, we find the single top quark FCNC production cross sections 0.38(1.76) fb at the LHC with sqrt{s_{pp}}=7(14) TeV, respectively. For the resonance production of sequential Z' boson and decays to single top quark at the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) energies, including the initial state radiation and beamstrahlung effects, we find the cross section 27.96(0.91) fb at sqrt{s_{e^{+}e^{-}}}=1(3) TeV, respectively. We make the analysis to investigate the parameter space (mixing-mass) through various Z' models. It is shown that the results benefit from the flavor tagging.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figures, 6 table

Optical Bragg, atom Bragg and cavity QED detections of quantum phases and excitation spectra of ultracold atoms in bipartite and frustrated optical lattices

Ultracold atoms loaded on optical lattices can provide unprecedented experimental systems for the quantum simulations and manipulations of many quantum phases and quantum phase transitions between these phases. However, so far, how to detect these quantum phases and phase transitions effectively remains an outstanding challenge. In this paper, we will develop a systematic and unified theory of using the optical Bragg scattering, atomic Bragg scattering or cavity QED to detect the ground state and the excitation spectrum of many quantum phases of interacting bosons loaded in bipartite and frustrated optical lattices. We show that the two photon Raman transition processes in the three detection methods not only couple to the density order parameter, but also the {\sl valence bond order} parameter due to the hopping of the bosons on the lattice. This valence bond order coupling is very sensitive to any superfluid order or any Valence bond (VB) order in the quantum phases to be probed. These quantum phases include not only the well known superfluid and Mott insulating phases, but also other important phases such as various kinds of charge density waves (CDW), valence bond solids (VBS), CDW-VBS phases with both CDW and VBS orders unique to frustrated lattices, and also various kinds of supersolids. The physical measurable quantities of the three experiments are the light scattering cross sections, the atom scattered clouds and the cavity leaking photons respectively. We analyze respectively the experimental conditions of the three detection methods to probe these various quantum phases and their corresponding excitation spectra. We also address the effects of a finite temperature and a harmonic trap.Comment: REVTEX4-1, 32 pages, 16.eps figures, to Appear in Annals of Physic