Cost effective flat plate photovoltaic modules using light trapping

Work in optical trapping in 'thick films' is described to form a design guide for photovoltaic engineers. A thick optical film can trap light by diffusive reflection and total internal reflection. Light can be propagated reasonably long distances compared with layer thicknesses by this technique. This makes it possible to conduct light from inter-cell and intra-cell areas now not used in photovoltaic modules onto active cell areas

Regional differences in the three-dimensional bone microstructure of the radial head:implications for observed fracture patterns

Introduction: A characterization of the internal bone microstructure of the radial head could provide a better understanding of commonly occurring fracture patterns frequently involving the (antero)lateral quadrant, for which a clear explanation is still lacking. The aim of this study is to describe the radial head bone microstructure using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and to relate it to gross morphology, function and possible fracture patterns. Materials and methods: Dry cadaveric human radii were scanned by micro-CT (17 μm/pixel, isotropic). The trabecular bone microstructure was quantified on axial image stacks in four quadrants: the anterolateral (AL), posterolateral (PL), posteromedial (PM) and anteromedial (AM) quadrant. Results: The AL and PL quadrants displayed the significantly lowest bone volume fraction and trabecular number (BV/TV range 12.3–25.1%, Tb.N range 0.73–1.16 mm−1) and highest trabecular separation (Tb.Sp range 0.59–0.82 mm), compared to the PM and AM quadrants (BV/TV range 19.9–36.9%, Tb.N range 0.96–1.61 mm−1, Tb.Sp range 0.45–0.74 mm) (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Our microstructural results suggest that the lateral side is the “weaker side”, exhibiting lower bone volume faction, less trabeculae and higher trabecular separation, compared to the medial side. As the forearm is pronated during most falls, the underlying bone microstructure could explain commonly observed fracture patterns of the radial head, particularly more often involving the AL quadrant. If screw fixation in radial head fractures is considered, surgeons should take advantage of the “stronger” bone microstructure of the medial side of the radial head, should the fracture line allow this

Effect of magnetic state on the γ−α\gamma -\alpha transition in iron: First-principle calculations of the Bain transformation path

Energetics of the fcc ($\gamma$) - bcc ($\alpha$) lattice transformation by the Bain tetragonal deformation is calculated for both magnetically ordered and paramagnetic (disordered local moment) states of iron. The first-principle computational results manifest a relevance of the magnetic order in a scenario of the $\gamma$ - $\alpha$ transition and reveal a special role of the Curie temperature of $\alpha$-Fe, $T_C$, where a character of the transformation is changed. At a cooling down to the temperatures $T < T_C$ one can expect that the transformation is developed as a lattice instability whereas for $T > T_C$ it follows a standard mechanism of creation and growth of an embryo of the new phase. It explains a closeness of $T_C$ to the temperature of start of the martensitic transformation, $M_s$.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted in Phys. Rev. Letter

Disrupted Maturation of the Microbiota and Metabolome among Extremely Preterm Infants with Postnatal Growth Failure

Growth failure during infancy is a major global problem that has adverse effects on long-term health and neurodevelopment. Preterm infants are disproportionately affected by growth failure and its effects. Herein we found that extremely preterm infants with postnatal growth failure have disrupted maturation of the intestinal microbiota, characterized by persistently low diversity, dominance of pathogenic bacteria within the Enterobacteriaceae family, and a paucity of strictly anaerobic taxa including Veillonella relative to infants with appropriate postnatal growth. Metabolomic profiling of infants with growth failure demonstrated elevated serum acylcarnitines, fatty acids, and other byproducts of lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. Machine learning algorithms for normal maturation of the microbiota and metabolome among infants with appropriate growth revealed a pattern of delayed maturation of the microbiota and metabolome among infants with growth failure. Collectively, we identified novel microbial and metabolic features of growth failure in preterm infants and potentially modifiable targets for intervention

D-branes in PP-Waves and Massive Theories on Worldsheet with Boundary

We investigate the supersymmetric D-brane configurations in the pp-wave backgrounds proposed by Maldacena and Maoz. We study the surviving supersymmetry in a D-brane configuration from the worldvolume point of view. When we restrict ourselves to the background with N=(2,2) supersymmetry and no holomorphic Killing vector term, there are two types of supersymmetric D-branes: A-type and B-type. An A-type brane is wrapped on a special Lagrangian submanifold, and the imaginary part of the superpotential should be constant on its worldvolume. On the other hand, a B-type brane is wrapped on a complex submanifold, and the superpotential should be constant on its worldvolume. The results are almost consistent with the worldsheet theory in the lightcone gauge. The inclusion of gauge fields is also discussed and found BPS D-branes with the gauge field excitations. Furthermore, we consider the backgrounds with holomorphic Killing vector terms and N=(1,1) supersymmetric backgrounds.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, no figure. v2: typos corrected, comments added, references added. v3: typos corrected, comments added, references added. v4:typos correcte

The structure of causal sets

More often than not, recently popular structuralist interpretations of physical theories leave the central concept of a structure insufficiently precisified. The incipient causal sets approach to quantum gravity offers a paradigmatic case of a physical theory predestined to be interpreted in structuralist terms. It is shown how employing structuralism lends itself to a natural interpretation of the physical meaning of causal sets theory. Conversely, the conceptually exceptionally clear case of causal sets is used as a foil to illustrate how a mathematically informed rigorous conceptualization of structure serves to identify structures in physical theories. Furthermore, a number of technical issues infesting structuralist interpretations of physical theories such as difficulties with grounding the identity of the places of highly symmetrical physical structures in their relational profile and what may resolve these difficulties can be vividly illustrated with causal sets.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

Open Spinning Strings and AdS/dCFT Duality

We consider open spinning string solutions on an AdS_4 x S^2-brane (D5-brane) in the bulk AdS_5 x S^5 background. By taking account of the breaking of SO(6)_R to SO(3)_H x SO(3)_V due to the presence of the AdS-brane, the open rotating string ansatz is discussed. We construct the elliptic folded/circular open string solutions in the SU(2) and the SL(2) sectors, so that they satisfy the appropriate boundary conditions. On the other hand, in the SU(2) sector of the gauge theory, we compute the matrix of anomalous dimension of the defect operator, which turns out to be the Hamiltonian of an open integrable spin chain. Then we consider the coordinate Bethe ansatz with arbitrary number of impurities, and compare the boundary condition of the Bethe wavefunction with that of the corresponding open string solution. We also discuss the Bethe ansatz for the open SL(2) spin chain with several supports from the string theory side. Then, in both SU(2) and SL(2) sectors, we analyze the Bethe equations in the thermodynamic limit and formulate the `doubling trick' on the Riemann surface associated with the gauge theory.Comment: 1+50 pages, 7 figures, JHEP style, references adde

Safety and Efficacy of Erythrocyte Encapsulated Thymidine Phosphorylase in Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy.

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is an ultra-rare autosomal recessive disorder of nucleoside metabolism that is caused by mutations in the nuclear thymidine phosphorylase gene (TYMP) gene, encoding for the enzyme thymidine phosphorylase. There are currently no approved treatments for MNGIE. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of an enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of MNGIE. In this single centre study, three adult patients with MNGIE received intravenous escalating doses of erythrocyte encapsulated thymidine phosphorylase (EE-TP; dose range: 4 to 108 U/kg/4 weeks). EE-TP was well tolerated and reductions in the disease-associated plasma metabolites, thymidine, and deoxyuridine were observed in all three patients. Clinical improvements, including weight gain and improved disease scores, were observed in two patients, suggesting that EE-TP is able to reverse some aspects of the disease pathology. Transient, non-serious adverse events were observed in two of the three patients; these did not lead to therapy discontinuation and they were managed with pre-medication prior to infusion of EE-TP. To conclude, enzyme replacement therapy with EE-TP demonstrated biochemical and clinical therapeutic efficacy with an acceptable clinical safety profile