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This paper presents an overview of experimental results of a laser-produced plasma expanding into a background gas, immersed within a large range of highly uniform magnetic fields (of up to 3 T), that are transverse to the expanding plasma. We used intensified gated imaging to capture the expansion of the plasma across and along the magnetic field lines to observe the spatiotemporal expansion dynamics for different magnetic field strengths. We observe changes in the perpendicular and parallel dynamics of the laser-produced plasmas expansion at high magnetic field. In addition, our results have also indicated the presence of electron-ion hybrid instabilities at relatively high pressures (100 mTorr) and relatively high magnetic field strengths (2 T), in accordance with theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nanosecond pulsed atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier glow discharge in helium with 1% of argon was studied. The effects of the electric field, frequency, and gas mixture ratio on the temporal behavior of the plasma discharge were captured with an ICCD camera. Special interest was given to the timing and scale of the secondary or return stroke. It was found that the external electric field can control the occurrence of the return stroke in a dielectric barrier discharge. If the electric field is high enough, the return stroke occurs earlier than previously observed in other works. Increasing frequency leads to faster discharge initiation times for both the primary and secondary discharges. Increasing the argon ratio of the mixture leads to an increased intensity of the primary discharge, a decrease in the intensity of the secondary discharge, and a delay in the timing of the primary discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, polycrystalline Ni45Co5-xPdxMn37In13 (x = 0, 0.5, 1, and 3) Heusler alloys were prepared. The influences of Pd substitution for Co on crystal structure, martensitic transformation (MT), and magnetic properties have been carefully investigated for these quinary alloys. The structure measurement indicates that every sample possesses L10 martensitic structure at room temperature. With increasing of Pd content, it is found that the MT region shifts towards higher temperature, but the Curie transition region of austenitic state moves to lower temperature. Owing to the fact that the MT gradually approaches Curie point, the magnetization of austenitic phase is significantly decreased, while the one of martensitic phase almost remains unchanged. In addition, the functional properties associated with the field-induced reverse MT have been also studied in Ni45Co5-xPdxMn37In13 (x = 0, 0.5, and 1) alloys. In comparison to quaternary parent alloy, both of enhanced magnetostrain (0.3%) and isothermal entropy change (25 J/kg K) are observed in quinary Ni45Co4.5Pd0.5Mn37In13 alloy under an applied magnetic field up to 3 T. The implication of such results has been discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the strain behavior associated with martensitic transformation for polycrystalline Ni46Co4Mn39Sn11. The unique reproducible magnetostrain in this alloy has been realized within a magnetic field change of 3 T, and its maximum value achieves about 0.012% at 225 K, which is almost ten times higher than that in Ni-Mn-Sn ternary alloy. Such a reproducible phenomenon could be attributed to the occurrence of the reversible transformation between multivariant martensite and austenite under an applied isothermal magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We sought to examine the utility of self-reported pain scale by comparing emergency department (ED) triage pain scores of self-reported but non-verifiable painful conditions with those of verifiable painful conditions using a large, nationally representative sample. Methods: We analyzed the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) 2015. Verifiable painful conditions were identified based on the final diagnoses in the five included International Classification of Diseases 9th revision codes. Non-verifiable painful conditions were identified by the five main reasons for visit. Only adults 18 years of age or older were included. The primary outcome variable was the pain scale from 0 to 10 at triage. We performed descriptive and multivariate analyses to investigate the relationships between the pain scale and whether the painful condition was verifiable, controlling for patient characteristics. Results: There were 55 million pain-related adult ED visits in 2015. The average pain scale was 6.49. For verifiable painful diagnoses, which were about 24% of the total visits, the average was 6.27, statistically significantly lower than that for non-verifiable painful conditions, 6.56. Even after controlling for the confounding of patient characteristics and comorbidities, verifiable painful diagnoses still presented less pain than those with non-verifiable painful complaints. Older age, female gender, and urban residents had significantly higher pain scores than their respective counterparts, controlling for other confounding factors. Psychiatric disorders were independently associated with higher pain scores by about a half point. Conclusion: Self-reported pain scales obtained at ED triage likely have a larger psychological component than a physiological one. Close attention to clinical appropriateness and overall patient comfort are more likely to lead to better health outcomes and patient experiences than focusing on self-reported pain alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonreciprocal photonic devices play a significant role in regulating the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Here we theoretically investigate the nonreciprocal properties of transverse magnetic modes in a multilayered graphene-dielectric crystal under an applied DC bias. We find that drifting electrons driven by the external DC electric field can give rise to extremely asymmetric dispersion diagrams. Furthermore, when the drifting electrons travel antiparallel to the normal component of the incident wave vector, negative refraction can be strongly suppressed, causing the energy of light to flow along the direction of the electric current. Our theoretical findings can be used to design nonreciprocal optoelectronic devices and enable light to propagate without refraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on the morality cause for long-time survival of thymoma is limited. The previous study hinted that thymoma may be a chronic disease rather than a curable cancer. we performed a large-scale retrospective analysis to assess long-term cause of death in patients with thymoma. This study reviewed thymoma patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between January1975 and December 2016.Conditional survival and annual hazard rates was calculated with Kaplan-Meier, and cause-specific mortality was performed using Fine-Gray competing risks analysis. Of 3105 patients were identified (median [range] age,58 (18-93), years), 1615 (52.0%) were male,1028(33.1%) were 65 years or older and 1360(43.8%)patients was at locally advanced (IIB-III) disease. The 10-year overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were 55.5% (95% CI, 53.4-57.6%) and 74.4% (95% CI, 72.4-76.3%) respectively. Smoothed hazard showed that the annual overall death hazard of death increased steadily, but the hazard of thymoma-related death began to decline at about 4 years and is exceeded by other causes at death. However, the annual risk of death by thymoma remain about 1-2% at 5-25 years. Similarly, the conditional OS increased slowly with increased survival time however the cancer-specific survival based decreased slowly. The cumulative incidence of the most common causes of death was 23.1% for thymoma, 5.4% for heart of disease, and 3.9% for the second cancer in 10 years, 28.5%,8.3 and 7.0% in 15 years, and 31.8%,11.8% and 10.8% in 25 years. After 5 years of survival, the death of heart was the main cause of non-thymoma death. The 10-years survivors' older patients (≥65 years) or with radiotherapy suffered more heart specific death (adjust P< 0.001, P = 0.015, respectively). The risk of cancer-specific death and other causes of death shift over time for patients with thymoma. The non-cancer cause, especially heart diseases which may be the vital competing cause of death, increased with prolongation of survival time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work reported in this paper aims at studying the magneto-electric field variation accounting for a thin interphase layer with different materials. Thin interphase within a solid can significantly affect the overall response of the composite material. In order to obtain this phenomenon, we replace the interphase by an imperfect interface with appropriately devised interface conditions. To get the interface conditions, a Taylor expansion of the relevant physical fields in the thin region is introduced. Those conditions do not involve the fields within the interphase, which just have relation to the material properties and the fields of the adjacent media. Finally, the influence of the thin interphase on the performance of fibrous multiferroic composites is analyzed in detail by using our method and some useful conclusions are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper develops a size-dependent Kirchhoff microplate model with surface effects by using simplified strain gradient elasticity theory and surface elasticity theory. This new model is able to capture size-dependent behaviors and surface effects. The most noticeable difference of the proposed model from the existing plate models about microplates is that not only strain gradient and surface stress are taken into account, but also the surface-induced internal residual stresses are considered. Based on whether the plates having surface-induced internal residual stress or not, their governing equations have distinct differences. An extended Kantorovich method is employed to provide approximate closed-form solution for the rectangular microplate with simply supported boundary conditions. For the microplate with biaxial initial residual surface stress, the numerical results reflect that when the simply supported microplates do not have surface-induced internal residual stresses, internal length scale and biaxial surface residual stress have significant influence on the static bending of the microplates. However, when the simply supported microplates have nonzero surface-induced internal residual stresses, the effects of internal length scale and biaxial surface residual stress become very weak. It indicates that the effect of surface-induced internal residual stresses can counteract most of the effects of internal length scale and surface residual stress. This work provides a more general model for the analysis of microplate problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the first-principle methods, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of the wurtzite InxGa1-xN (00.25. The densities of px and py orbitals are higher than that of pz orbital at the valence band top. This anisotropy induces the pronounced bowing of the pressure coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using a two-dimensional ensemble Monte Carlo method, we have studied the terahertz-frequency response of a self-switching device (SSD), which is a semiconductor rectifier consisting of an asymmetric nanochannel. The simulations reveal that the performance can be improved by adjusting the shape and dielectric material filling of the insulating trenches that define the SSD. We show that the rectified current of the SSD has a nonmonotonic frequency dependence with a pronounced peak occurring just below the cutoff frequency. Through optimizations of the geometry, the peak current can reach twice that at low frequencies, enabling not only a higher detection sensitivity but also a degree of frequency selectivity. The effect is discussed in terms of a localized surface plasma oscillation in the asymmetric nanostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer prepared by dc magnetron sputtering was systematically investigated by ferromagnetic resonance technique (FMR) at room temperature. For NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer, there are two distinct resonance peaks both in in-plane and out-of-plane FMR spectra, which are attributed to the two NiFe layers, respectively. The isotropic in-plane resonance field shift is negative for the bottom NiFe layer, while positive for the top NiFe layer. And, such phenomena result from the negative interfacial perpendicular anisotropy at the bottom NiFe/FeMn interface and positive interfacial perpendicular anisotropy at the top FeMn/NiFe interface. The linewidth of the bottom NiFe layer is larger than that of the top NiFe layer, which might be related to the greater exchange coupling at the bottom NiFe/FeMn interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface morphologies of Cu films with different thicknesses varying from 110 to 660 nm deposited on Ta-covered Si(111) substrates at 700 K by magnetron sputtering were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The global surface fluctuation image of the film was obtained directly from AFM measurement with larger scan size. Multiresolution wavelet transform approach incorporating power spectrum density analysis was proposed to extract the local surface fluctuation image. From these images, the dynamical exponents of both global and local surface fluctuations were calculated in terms of dynamic scaling theory. The multiscale surface evolution of Cu film could be characterized by a set of local exponent values αl≈0.87 and βl≈0.22, and global exponent values αg≈0.83 and βg≈0.85. The dynamic evolution of local surface fluctuations is consistent well with that predicted by linear surface diffusion-dominated growth equation, while the dynamic evolution of global surface fluctuations exhibits anomalous scaling behavior due to the presence of nonlocal bulk diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration of a double-walled carbon nanotube aroused by nonlinear interlayer van der Waals (vdW) forces is studied. The interlayer vdW forces as a nonlinear function are described by the interlayer spacing. The inner and outer carbon nanotubes are modeled as two individual elastic beams. Detailed results are demonstrated for double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) with an aspect ratios of 10 and 20, based on the simply supported, fixed, or free end conditions, respectively. Harmonic balance method is used to analyze the relation between the amplitudes of deflection and the frequencies of coaxial and noncoaxial free vibrations. Our results indicate that the nonlinear factors of vdW forces have little effect on the coaxial free vibration, and that the deflection amplitudes increase rapidly with the increasing frequency, which are almost the same with those of the linear free vibration. On the other hand, the nonlinear factors of vdW forces have a great effect on noncoaxial free vibration. The relation between the deflection amplitudes and the frequencies shows nonlinear trend, which indicates that the aspect ratio and end condition almost have no affect on the noncoaxial amplitudes of DWCNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the high-temperature tensile properties and deformation mechanisms of a solution treated Ni–Fe-based alloy ranging from 600 to 750 °C. The solution treated GH4070P (HT700P) alloy exhibits superior yield strength of 490 MPa and ultimate strength of 593 MPa at 700 °C. The major carbides in the alloy are the blocky MC and discrete-distributed M 23 C 6. The MC and M 23 C 6 carbides at the grain boundaries (GBs) can impede crack propagation, yet concurrently intensify the stress concentration. The transgranular and intergranular fractures are observed. Above 700 °C, micro-cracks emerge around M 23 C 6 carbides at GBs and then are interlinked to form lengthy secondary micro-cracks, resulting in the intergranular fracture. The precipitation of γ′ precipitates during tension at 700 and 750 °C confers the alloy to a higher strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon films were deposited on bare glass, copper- and gold-coated glass substrates at 200 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the films deposited on substrates with gold underlayer were polycrystalline while those deposited on bare glass and copper-coated glass had no identifiable crystalline silicon XRD peak. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm the film’s crystalline properties. The Raman spectra indicated that films deposited on gold-coated glass substrates were composed of predominantly crystalline silicon with small amounts of amorphous silicon. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the topography and adatom diffusion on the surface. AFM micrographs showed that the polycrystalline silicon films had grain size up to 95 nm. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polarity of GaN films grown on nitrided (0001) sapphire substrates by low-pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy was controlled by trymethyl-aluminum (TMA1) preflow prior to the growth of GaN buffer layer. The TMA1 preflow served as forming a few monolayers of A1 to modify the nitrided sapphire surface. The effects of the TMA1 preflow on GaN epilayer polarities were investigated by coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy. It was shown that, by increasing the TMA1 preflow time, the polarities of GaN epilayers were changed from a N polarity to a mixed polarity, and finally to a pure Ga polarity when the preflow time was over than 5 s. A schematic model of "two monolayers of AI" was proposed to understand the related mechanisms. The effects of the TMA1 preflow on the epilayer quality were also evaluated by high-resolution x-ray diffraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Genotype VII Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most epidemic and serious infectious diseases in the poultry industry. A novel vaccine targeting VII Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is still proving elusive. Methods and Results: In this study, we constructed regulated delayed lysis Salmonella strains expressing either a fusion protein (F) alone under an eukaryotic CMV promoter or together with chicken IL‐18 (chIL‐18) as a molecular adjuvant under prokaryotic Ptrc promoter, named pYL1 and pYL23 respectively. Oral immunization with recombinant strains induced NDV‐specific serum IgG antibodies in both pYL1‐ and pYL23‐immunized chickens. The presence of chIL‐18 significantly increased lymphocyte proliferation in immunized chickens, as well as the percentages of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cells in serum, even if a statistically significant difference did not exist. After a virulent challenge, pYL23 immunization provided about 80% protection at day 10 postinfection, compared with 60% of protection offered by pYL1 immunization and 100% protection in the inactivated vaccine group, indicating the enhanced immune response provided by chIL‐18, which was also confirmed by histochemical analysis. Conclusions: Recombinant lysis Salmonella‐vectored DNA vaccine could provide us a novel potential option for controlling NDV infection. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study took use of a regulated delayed lysis Salmonella vector for the design of an orally administrated vaccine against NDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A solid-state photoelectrochemical (SSPEC) cell is an attractive approach for solar water splitting, especially when it comes to monolithic device design. In a SSPEC cell the electrodes distance is minimized, while the use of polymer-based membranes alleviates the need for liquid electrolytes, and at the same time they can separate the anode from the cathode. In this work, we have made and tested, firstly, a SSPEC cell with a Pt/C electrocatalyst as the cathode electrode, under purely gaseous conditions. The anode was supplied with air of 80% relative humidity (RH) and the cathode with argon. Secondly, we replaced the Pt/C cathode with a photocathode consisting of 2D photocatalytic g-C 3 N 4 , which was placed in tandem with the photoanode (tandem-SSPEC). The tandem configuration showed a three-fold enhancement in the obtained photovoltage and a steady-state photocurrent density. The mechanism of operation is discussed in view of recent advances in surface proton conduction in absorbed water layers. The presented SSPEC cell is based on earth-abundant materials and provides a way towards systems of artificial photosynthesis, especially for areas where water sources are scarce and electrical grid infrastructure is limited or nonexistent. The only requirements to make hydrogen are humidity and sunlight. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A tandem photoanode-photocathode solid-state photoelectrochemical cell is presented. • The earth-abundant and non-exploited water vapor in air is photo-electrolyzed. • Liquid electrolytes are replaced by proton conducting polymers. • The mechanism of operation is discussed and based on surface proton conduction. • A monolithic solid-state PEC system for hydrogen production in deserted areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicosis is an irreversible lung disease resulting from long-term inhalation of occupational dust containing silicon dioxide. However, the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been clearly understood yet. Accumulating evidence suggests that miR-29 may have a significant anti-fibrotic capacity, meanwhile it may relate to Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The purpose of this study was to discuss the role of miR-29 in the progression of silicosis. A lentiviral vector was constructed, named Lv-miR-29c, which was overexpressing miR-29c. In vivo, intratracheal treatment with Lv-miR-29c significantly increased expression of miR-29c, and reduced expression of β-catenin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and MMP-9 in the lung and levels of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and notably attenuated pulmonary fibrosis as evidenced by hydroxyproline content in silica-administered mice. These results indicated that miR-29c inhibited the development of silica-induced lung fibrosis. Thus, miR-29c may be a candidate target for silicosis treatment via its regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly reliable interface of an ultrathin CuSiN self-aligned barrier between Cu film and nanoporous SiC:H film has been developed in the present work for the 65 nm node and below. It is shown that the multilayer of CuSiN (4 nm)/SiC:H (15 nm)/SiCN:H (10–15 nm) as a capping barrier have the enough ability to prevent copper diffusion at elevated temperatures even up to 500 °C, good barrier hermeticity, and appropriate mechanical characteristics. With this kind of barrier stack, higher interfacial adhesion between the Cu film and dielectric barrier is achieved. The mechanisms involved have been analyzed based on detailed characterization studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many research efforts have been undertaken over many decades in the field of Louisiana coastal restoration, but long-term experiments for sediment suspension and consolidation in diversion-receiving basins are still limited, despite significance of this topic to ongoing restoration strategies. Sediment samples were collected from two active diversions on the Mississippi River: West Bay, a semi-enclosed bay located on the Mississippi River Delta and fed by the West Bay Diversion, and from Big Mar pond, a receiving basin of the Caernarvon freshwater diversion from the lower Mississippi River, Louisiana, USA. A dual-core Gust Erosion Microcosm System was used to measure time-series (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-months after initial settling) erodibility at seven shear stress regimes (0.01–0.60 Pa) using experimental cores prepared with two initial sediment concentrations (60 and 120 kg m −3 ). A 230-cm tall settling column with nine sampling ports was used to measure the consolidation rates for initial sediment concentrations ranging from fluid mud (10 kg m −3 ) to dredge effluent (120 kg m −3 ), in combination with two levels of salinity (1 and 5). The erodibility of West Bay sediment decreased with increasing time of consolidation. The critical shear stress for resuspension increased from 0.2 Pa after 2 months to 0.45 Pa after 4 months of consolidation. The consolidation rates were inversely and exponentially related to initial sediment concentrations. Consolidation tests in salinity of 1 generally settled faster than that in salinity of 5, and consolidation tests with low sediment concentration tests generally settled faster than high-concentration tests. An exponential coefficient was added in the Sanford (2008) model to better predict the consolidation profile of both rapid early settling and slow self-weight consolidation processes. Our study suggests that enclosed basin, low salinity, relatively low sediment concentration and minimized disturbance for 4 months all favor of mud deposition and retention, and these factors should be considered in the design of coastal restoration projects such as dredging effluent placements and sediment diversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic behaviors influenced by the hydrostatic pressure in the polycrystalline hexagonal Mn3Sn intermetallic compound are briefly reported. The crystalline structure of Mn3Sn is determined to be hexagonal with lattice parameters $a = b = 5.674$ (6) Å and $c = 4.533$ (6) Å by means of the powder X-ray diffraction and the subsequent Rietveld refinement. Two distinct transitions can be observed from the M(T) curves in the range of 150-450 K. During the cooling process, Mn3Sn sample first changes into a triangular antiferromagnetic (AFM) state with weak ferromagnetism at the Néel temperature of ~412 K, and then, it further transforms to a spiral AFM spin arrangement over a broad temperature range from 260 to 180 K at ambient pressure. With the application or the increase of hydrostatic pressures, this triangular to spiral AFM transition occurs at higher temperatures, while the magnetization of triangular AFM phase increases significantly. Such a phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the hydrostatic pressure compresses the sample and shortens the Mn–Mn separation, and thus, the moments of Mn will deviate from their ideal 120° configuration to their easy axis in the basal plane. The variations of transition temperature and maximum magnetization with applied hydrostatic pressure confirm the incremental instability of the triangular AFM arrangement under pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercropping often results in increasing production than sole per unit land area, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Plants showed different physiological characteristics in intercropping and sole. However, less information was shown the relationships between plant aboveground biomass (AB), phosphorus accumulation (PB) and remobilization and the yield advantage. Here, field experiments were designed as split plot and carried out in 2012 and 2013 with three P levels (0, 40 and 80 kg P ha-1) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/ maize (Zea mays L.) relay intercropping and sole. The study measured grain yield, AB and P accumulation and remobilization of wheat. Averaged grain yield of intercropping wheat increased 3.9 Mg ha-1 in 2012 and 2.7 Mg ha-1 in 2013 compared with that of the corresponding sole and the grain yield of intercropping wheat changed with the border row (BR) > the inner row (IR) > the sole wheat (SR), the grain yield in BR was contributed by 58.2% to intercropping wheat. The PA was consistent with AB accumulation, which in intercropping was higher than that in sole over the entire growing season. Close correlations between yield and AB remobilization and P remobilization were observed. The yield of BR was higher from 39.3% to 88.0% than that of SR wheat, as mainly attributed to more AB and P accumulation across the whole growing season and more remobilization from pre-anthesis to grain filling stage. More than 40 kg P ha-1 did not result in any further increasing in yield and did not enhanced the physiological processes associated with AB and P remobilization, indicating that P fertilizer and agronomic management should be intensified synchronously in field to achieve high yield and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is a paucity of research evaluating the risk tolerance of Emergency Department (ED) patients. We hypothesized that a significant percentage of ED patients surveyed would be comfortable with ≥5% risk of adverse outcome if they avoided testing in several hypothetical scenarios.Materials and methods:This was a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of stable inner-city ED patients. Patients completed a written survey and were asked four closed-answer questions regarding risk tolerance/willingness to refuse a test/procedure, including the following scenarios: #1: LP following CT head; #2 overnight serial troponins for rule out myocardial infarction; #3 CT for possible appendicitis, #4 parent deciding whether child should undergo head CT for low risk head injury. Risk preferences were stratified to ≥5% (high) and <5% (low). Multivariate logistic regressions performed for each scenario to control for confounding factors.Results:There were 217 patients in the study group; mean age 42 ± 15 years, 48% female, 66% Hispanic, 87% income < $40,000 income group. A substantial percentage of patients rated high risk tolerance for each scenario, including 31% for #1 (avoid LP), 25% for #2 (avoid cardiac rule-out admission), 27% for #3 (avoid CT for appendicitis), and 19% for #4 (avoid head CT for child).Discussion: For 3 of 4 scenarios, 25% or more of our patients would accept a high risk tolerance of adverse outcome to avoid further testing.Conclusion: Our findings contribute further evidence to the growing body of literature supporting patient interest in shared decision making in the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we report the dependence of magnetization on hydrostatic pressure for the non-stoichiometric NiMnGa alloy, which undergoes the transformation from a paramagnetic austenite to a ferromagnetic martensite near room temperature. It is found that the application of pressure can push the martensitic transformation (MT) to a higher temperature at a rate of 4 K GPa. Considering the change of phase fraction under the isothermal condition caused by pressure-induced MT, we develop an indirect method based on magnetic data measured under various pressures to determine the barocaloric effect (BCE) for the studied alloy. When the change of the applied hydrostatic pressure reaches 1.05 GPa, the maximum isothermal entropy change $$ \Delta S_{\text{T}} $$ is calculated to be about −13.6 J kg K, yielding a value of 2.8 K for the adiabatic temperature change $$ \Delta T_{\text{ad}} $$ near room temperature. These values are comparable to those obtained in many alloys of the same series by using superconducting magnets. Such a considerable BCE can be attributed to the fact that the MT can be driven more easily by the pressure-induced crystallographic change than by the magnetic field-induced spin-lattice coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A Krukenberg tumour (KT) is defined as an ovarian metastasis from a gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma and suggests a terminal condition. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors affecting the survival of patients with KTs of colorectal origin who receive cytoreductive surgery. Methods: Medical records of patients who had received cytoreductive surgery and had been pathologically diagnosed with KT of colorectal origin in two centres were reviewed. Information about the patients' clinicopathological features and follow-up visit were collected. Factors influencing patient survival were analysed. Results: Fifty-seven patients were included in this study. The median survival time was 35 months. Five-year overall survival was 25%. Patients who had recurrence 2 years after resection of the primary tumour, achieved complete cytoreduction, had metastases confined to the pelvis, had no lymph node involvement, and received systemic chemotherapy had a significantly longer median survival than those who had recurrence at the same time as resection of the primary tumour (P = 0.027), received incomplete cytoreduction (P < 0.001), had metastases beyond the pelvis (P < 0.001), had lymph node involvement (P = 0.011), and did not receive systemic chemotherapy (P = 0. 006) on log-rank test. Less extensive metastatic disease, achievement of complete cytoreduction, and use of systemic chemotherapy were significantly associated with improved prognosis on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Cytoreductive surgery may confer survival benefits in patients with KTs of colorectal origin who attain complete cytoreduction and whose metastases are confined to the pelvis and when combined with active systemic chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus are the main species used for yogurt preparation. Glutathione (GSH) can be synthesized by S. thermophilus and plays a crucial role in combating environmental stress. However, the effect of GSH biosynthesis by S. thermophilus on cocultured L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus is still unknown. In this study, a mutant S. thermophilus Δ gshF was constructed by deleting the GSH synthase. The wild strain S. thermophilus ST-1 and Δ gshF mutants were cocultured with L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 by using Transwell chambers (Guangzhou Shuopu Biotechnology Co., Ltd.), respectively. It was proven that the GSH synthesized by S. thermophilus ST-1 could be absorbed and used by L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC11842, and promote growth ability and stress tolerance of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC11842. The biomass of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 cocultured with S. thermophilus ST-1 or Δ gshF (adding exogenous GSH) increased by 1.8 and 1.4 times compared with the biomass of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 cocultured with S. thermophilus Δ gshF. Meanwhile, after H 2 O 2 and low-temperature treatments, the bacterial viability of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus cocultured with S. thermophilus Δ gshF , with or without GSH, was decreased by 41 and 15% compared with that of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus cocultured with S. thermophilus ST-1. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis showed that the expression levels of genes involved in purine nucleotide and pyrimidine nucleotide metabolism in L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 were at least 3 times increased when cocultured with S. thermophilus (fold change > 3.0). Moreover, compared with the mutant strain Δ gshF , the wild-type strain ST-1 could shorten the fermented curd time by 5.3 hours during yogurt preparation. These results indicated that the GSH synthesized by S. thermophilus during cocultivation effectively enhanced the activity of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and significantly improved the quality of fermented milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hillslope-riparian-stream (HRS) connectivity was analyzed based on soil saturation. • As rainfall intensified, the required time to establish connectivity was shortened. • Rainfall amount is the most important rainfall controls on HRS connectivity. • The thick soil depth and gentle slope contribute to increasing connectivity strength. • The rainfall threshold of HRS connectivity varies with HRS physical structure. The hydrological connectivity of hillslope-riparian-stream (HRS) continuums is crucial for runoff generation and solute transport. The achievement of water resource protection and water quality improvement requires a systematic understanding of the structure and rainfall controls on HRS connectivity. Herein, two HRS continuums with different soil depths and slopes (HRS-1: thin soil depth and steep slope; HRS-2: thick soil depth and gentle slope) were established. We monitored the soil moisture from the surface to the soil-bedrock interface at 15 min intervals from March to June 2021. The HRS connectivity was analyzed based on soil saturation conditions, and partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to reveal the relationships between rainfall and HRS connectivity. The results showed that the time required to establish hydrological connectivity in HRS-1 was shorter than that in HRS-2, which indicated that the contribution to runoff of the HRS continuum with a thin soil depth and steep slope was dominant during the early stage of rainstorm. As rainfall intensity increased, the required time was shortened exponentially due to the changes in hydrological connectivity patterns. In addition, the higher connectivity strength (i.e., the magnitude of HRS connectivity) was observed in the HRS-2 than that in the HRS-1 during heavy rainfall events. The PLSR analysis showed that rainfall amount, 30 min maximum rainfall intensity, 15 min maximum rainfall intensity, and rainfall duration were important controls affecting connectivity strength. Rainfall amount and peak rainfall intensity exerted more important effects than did antecedent soil moisture on the connectivity strength. Furthermore, there was a clear rainfall threshold for HRS connectivity, from 14.8 mm in HRS-1 to 21.1 mm in HRS-2. The increased soil depth and reduced slope enhanced the rainfall threshold of HRS connectivity. Our results indicate that the physical structure of the HRS continuum exerts a primary control on the rainfall threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable epidemiological and laboratory data have suggested that caffeine, a nonselective adenosine receptor antagonist, may protect against the underlying neurodegeneration of parkinson’s disease (PD). Although both caffeine and more specific antagonists of the A 2A subtype of adenosine receptor (A 2A R) have been found to confer protection in animal models of PD, the dependence of caffeine’s neuroprotective effects on the A 2A R is not known. To definitively determine its A 2A R dependence, the effect of caffeine on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetra-hydropyridine (MPTP) neurotoxicity was compared in wild-type (WT) and A 2A R gene global knockout (A 2A KO) mice, as well as in central nervous system (CNS) cell type-specific (conditional) A 2A R knockout (cKO) mice that lack the receptor either in postnatal forebrain neurons or in astrocytes. In WT and in heterozygous A 2A R KO mice caffeine pretreatment (25 mg/kg ip) significantly attenuated MPTP-induced depletion of striatal dopamine. By contrast in homozygous A 2A R global KO mice caffeine had no effect on MPTP toxicity. In forebrain neuron A 2A R cKO mice, caffeine lost its locomotor stimulant effect, whereas its neuroprotective effect was mostly preserved. In astrocytic A 2A R cKO mice, both caffeine’s locomotor stimulant and protective properties were undiminished. Taken together, these results indicate that neuroprotection by caffeine in the MPTP model of PD relies on the A 2A R, although the specific cellular localization of these receptors remains to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local elastic and thermal behaviors of dielectric breakdown regions in BaTiO3 based multilayer ceramic capacitors were investigated by acoustic and thermal mode scanning probe microscopy. Nanoscale elastic microstructures closely related to the dielectric breakdown-induced stress release was found to develop in the BaTiO3 ceramic grains adjacent to the dielectric breakdown region. Such nanostructures could be supposed to be the origin of the elementary structures for the failure of MLCC. The breakdown region exhibits very lower thermal conductivity due to the possible glass phase formation. Such new findings provide a new clue to further understand the breakdown mechanism of multilayer ceramic capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an exact closed-form solution for the Eshelby problem of a polygonal inclusion with quadratic eigenstrains in an anisotropic piezoelectric full plane. Based on the equivalent body-force concept of eigenstrains and the line-source Green's functions, the solution is first expressed in terms of line integrals along the inclusion's boundary. This involved boundary integration is then carried out analytically, with the final expression containing only elementary functions. The accuracy of the solution is verified using two different methods, and then, the solution is applied to analyze the induced fields in semiconductor quantum wires of elliptical and square shapes. Numerical results clearly illustrate the effect of different types of eigenstrains on the induced fields and on the singularity at the vertex. The exact closed-form solution should be useful to the analysis of nanoscale structures where non-uniform eigenstrains are involved due to the lattice mismatch between the substrate and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed a modified transpalatal arch (tongue anchorage pad, TAP) to help control the vertical dimension. This study aimed to evaluate its efficiency by measuring the tongue resting pressure at different anteroposterior positions of the TAP in the upright and supine positions and to investigate the effect of changes in body position. Our study recruited 17 volunteers with individual normal occlusion (4 males, 13 females, age 22-33 years). An individualised TAP was designed for each subject. With a miniature sensor ( FSS1500 NS) installed in the device, we measured the pressure at the level of the distal second premolar ( PM2), the first molar ( M1) and the second molar ( M2) in both the upright and supine positions. Nonparametric analysis was applied with the level of significance set at 0·05. In the upright position, tongue pressures obtained at PM2, M1 and M2 were 183·94, 130·81 and 113·07 Pa, respectively, with the maximum value detected at PM2 ( P = 0·001). While in the supine position, pressures of 187·03, 156·87 and 201·69 Pa were detected at the same sites, with significantly higher values for M1 ( P = 0·002) and M2 ( P = 0·004). Tongue resting pressure decreases from the anterior aspect to the posterior aspect in the upright position. In the supine position, the pressure is consistent across the midline with pressure enhancement at M1 and M2. As many questions remain about this appliance and appropriate intruding force, further clinical and basic studies are required prior to its clinical implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the physical mechanisms that cause beneficial and detrimental performance effect observed to date in Hall effect thrusters with wall electrodes. It is determined that the wall electrode sheath can reduce ion losses to the wall if positioned near the anode (outside the dense region of the plasma) such that an ion-repelling sheath is able to form. The ability of the wall electrode to form an ion-repelling sheath is inversely proportional to the current drawn--if the wall electrode becomes the dominant sink for the thruster discharge current, increases in wall electrode bias result in increased local plasma potential rather than an ion-repelling sheath. A single-fluid electron flow model gives results that mimic the observed potential structures and the currentsharing fractions between the anode and wall electrodes, showing that potential gradients in the presheath and bulk plasma come at the expense of current draw to the wall electrodes. Secondary electron emission from the wall electrodes (or lack thereof) is inferred to have a larger effect if the electrodes are positioned near the exit plane than if positioned near the anode, due to the difference in energy deposition from the plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrahigh resolution probe technique for charactering nanoscale Seebeck coefficient was developed based on a modified conductive AFM probe with local heating function. The heated AFM conductive tip realizes nanoscale thermal contact between the AFM tip and the thermoelectric samples and successfully excites nanoscale thermoelectric signal. Excellent agreement was found between nanoscale Seebeck coefficient values and their corresponding macroscopy measurements in thermoelectric bulk and thin films. Such AFM-based thermoelectric probe technique provides a very convenient and promising tool for measuring nanoscale thermoelectric parameters with ultrahigh resolution up to 15 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erodibility is critical to the sediment resuspension process but has not been measured systematically in large river-dominated muddy continental shelves before. During early summer of 2011, the Mississippi River experienced a major flood event. This flood provided a unique opportunity to examine how shelf seabed erodibility responded to a large river flood, and the ultimate fate of flood deposition is important to geological and biogeochemical processes (e.g., stratal formation, carbon sequestration). A total of 106 sediment cores were collected on the Louisiana shelf during five cruises in 2010 and 2011, and a new dataset was used to evaluate the response of the seabed to the recent conditions. The localized flood deposit was mainly within tens of kilometers of river sources, and little sediment accumulated on the middle Louisiana shelf. Seabed erodibility was measured using a dual-core Gust Erosion Microcosm System. The erodibility of sediment collected in April 2011 exceeded that for August 2010 and August 2011. The springtime increase in erodibility seemed to be related to the recent presence of energetic waves that mobilized the seabed. Erodibility was highest on the inner shelf southwest of Atchafalaya Bay, intermediate on the middle shelf, lowest in the Mississippi Canyon, and highly variable on the Mississippi subaqueous delta. These spatial patterns were influenced by proximity to river sources, flood-deposit thicknesses, intensity of wave-driven bed stresses, and bioturbation. The flood-deposit thickness itself, however, was not sufficient to explain all the spatial variations of erodibility after the peak of the Mississippi flood. Comparing values to published data, the depth-varying erodibility on the Louisiana shelf was close to the “low erodibility” level for the York River of Virginia, and similar to the data collected from Baltimore Harbor in Maryland and the main stem of upper Chesapeake Bay. Our findings promote understanding of the resuspension of fluffy organic-rich layer at the water–sediment interface, which influences sediment oxygen demand on the Louisiana shelf. This dataset is also valuable to observational and modeling studies of large river sediment dispersal systems worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured corneal power using an Oculus Pentacam® to assess its accuracy for calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power after myopic refractive surgery. A series of corneal power measurements were performed on 22 patients (43 eyes) who had undergone myopic refractive surgery. In 37 of the 43 eyes, phacoemulsification and IOL implantation subsequently were performed. Conventional keratometry and three corneal measurements (mean true net power, central true net power, and 4.5 mm equivalent K reading) obtained using a Pentacam were analyzed and compared to values derived from the clinical history method. Prediction errors of three Pentacam corneal power measurements inserted in third generation IOL formulas also were compared. Analysis of the variance showed that only two Pentacam corneal measurements, mean true net power and central true net power, were not significantly different from those of the clinical history method. Mean true net power was correlated more closely with the clinical history method corneal power than other corneal power values. The one-sample t-test showed that of three Pentacam corneal measurements combined with third-generation formulas, only the mean true net power inserted in the SRK/T implant power calculation formula was not significantly different from zero. The percentages of eyes within ± 0.50 D and ± 1.00 D of the refractive prediction error of this method were 67.6% and 86.5%, respectively. Mean true net power inserted in the SRK/T formula can be used to calculate directly IOL power after myopic refractive surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A nail patch is an attractive option for the topical treatment of onychomycosis, although no product is commercially available. We previously identified optimal nail patch formulations for two anti-onychomycotic drugs, based on their properties, as well as those of the other patch components. In this paper, our aim was to further investigate the potential of the patch formulations as topical nail medicines, in particular, whether the drug-in-adhesive patches release drug which then permeates into and through the nail plate and show anti-fungal efficacy, and whether and to what extent they remain adhered to the human nail plate in vivo when tested over 2 week durations. In addition, the influence of the drug (amorolfine HCl, ciclopirox olamine) and PSA (Duro-Tak 2852 or Duro-Tak 202A) on these parameters was determined. We found that both the nature of the drug and of the PSA influenced in vitro drug release. The nature of the drug, but not that of the PSA, influenced ungual drug permeation through human nail clippings, with considerably greater (almost double) permeation for ciclopirox olamine, the smaller and less lipophilic molecule. In vivo residence, tested with 3 out of the 4 patches, excluding the patch where ciclopirox olamine degraded with time, showed greater residence on toenails compared to fingernails reflecting their far lesser exposure to environmental stresses during daily activities. In vivo residence was enhanced when the patch was cut to the shape of the nail, was applied at bedtime, and when a clear colourless nail varnish was applied on top of the patch to 'seal' it into place on the nail. Comparison of the patches indicated greater residence of Duro-Tak 202A containing patches over those containing Duro-Tak 2852. Amorolfine HCl in Duro-Tak 202A based patch also showed antifungal efficacy in contrast to Duro-Tak 2852-based patch, and is particularly promising for further development as a potential toenail medicine, remaining almost fully adhered to toenails for at least two weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Culture, the conventional method for detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, requires invasive sampling and stringent specimen transport conditions. The recently developed ligase chain reaction test (LCR; Abbott Laboratories; North Chicago, IL) allows noninvasive sampling and stable transport conditions, but has not been evaluated with specimens from adolescent populations.Goal Of This Study: To perform a comparative evaluation of a commercial LCR test and culture for the diagnosis of N. gonorrhoeae in adolescent women.Study Design: Urine and endocervical swab specimens from 330 teenage women seen in two public health adolescent clinics were tested by LCR and culture. For resolution of discordant results, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was developed that directly amplifies N. gonorrhoeae DNA from urine samples processed for LCR.Results: Thirty-one of 330 (9.4%) cervical specimens were culture-positive for N. gonorrhoeae, and 30 of 330 (9.1%) urine specimens were positive by LCR. After resolution of 13 discordant results, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of LCR for urine were 88.2%, 100%, 100%, 98.7%, respectively, and for culture of endocervical specimens were 82.3%, 98.9%, 90.3% and 98%, respectively.Conclusions: Although more expensive than culture, LCR offers a sensitive means for the detection of N. gonorrhoeae in urine samples and may be useful for this purpose in settings where pelvic examinations are difficult to perform and simultaneous detection of N. gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis is advantageous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a protocol, that combines quantum uncollapsing and dynamical decoupling, to protect the quantum state stored in a qubit against decoherence errors. The protocol can simultaneously suppress the two kinds of decoherence processes: the energy relaxation and the low-frequency noise induced dephasing. We present the analytical derivation and numerical simulations in detail. We also provide a preliminary experimental test in superconducting phase qubits, using the process fidelity to calibrate the performance of the protocol. Our results suggest that the protocol can be effective against errors due to both energy relaxation and the low-frequency dephasing noise, except at a reduced probability of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics of phase-locking between Gunn effect-based planar nano-oscillators are studied using an ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) method. Directly connecting two oscillators in close proximity, e.g. with a channel distance of 200 nm, only results in incoherent oscillations. In order to achieve in-phase oscillations, additional considerations must be taken into account. Two coupling paths are shown to exist between oscillators. One coupling path results in synchronization and the other results in anti-phase locking. The coupling strength through these two paths can be adjusted by changing the connections between oscillators. When two identical oscillators are in the anti-phase locking regime, fundamental components of oscillations are cancelled. The resulting output consists of purely second harmonic oscillations with a frequency of about 0.66 THz. This type of second harmonic generation is desired for higher frequency applications since no additional filter system is required. This transient phase-locking process is further analyzed using Adler's theory. The locking range is extracted, and a criterion for the channel length difference required for realizing phased arrays is obtained. This work should aid in designing nanooscillator arrays for high power applications and developing directional transmitters for wireless communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal pathways mediated by epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) and E-series of prostaglandin receptors ( EPs) are closely correlated to the pathogenesis of tumor. This experiment was designed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of EP2 and EGFR in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( ESCC). Tissue samples were collected reterospectively from 87 patients with ESCC (first diagnosed). The patients were followed up for 5 years after radical surgery. The expression of EP-2 and EGFR were examined by tissue chip technology and immunohistochemistry methods. Clinicopathological and prognostic impact were evaluated. Overexpression of EGFR and EP-2 was more observed in ESCC than the control group (58.6% vs. 13.9%; 52.9% vs. 4.88%, P < 0.001, respectively); which correlated with tumor infiltration depth, lymph node metastasis, and tumor-lymph node-metastasis staging. Both the EP-2 and EGFR overexpression were detected in 39 specimens and exhibited the positive correlation ( P < 0.001, r = 0.404). Overexpression of EP2 and EGFR exhibited significant correlation with worse 5-year overall survival than those with negative result (17.6% vs. 27.8%, P = 0.011; 10.9% vs. 34.1%, P < 0.001, respectively). Cox proportional hazard model showed that the T-staging, lymph node metastasis, and EGFR overexpression were the independent risk factors of the prognosis. The present study exhibited that the overexpression of EP2 and EGFR in ESCC tissues might play an important role in carcinogenesis and the progression of ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glasses in SiO2-Al2O3-B2O3-RO system doped with different Re2O3 (Re = La, Ce, Nd and Sm) at 4·5 mol.-% were prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. Structural, thermal durability and dielectric properties were investigated by using differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and precision impedance analyser respectively. Chemical durability was evaluated by weight losses of samples after immersion in HCl solution for varying times. The results showed that with increasing ionic radius of Re3+ ions (La3+Ce2O3>Nd2O3>Sm2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate dual-energy CT (DECT) findings of pulmonary ischaemic-reperfusion injury (PIRI) and its pathophysiological correlation in the canine model. Methods: A PIRI model was established in 11 canines, utilizing closed pectoral balloon occlusion. Two control canines were also included. For the PIRI model, the left pulmonary artery was occluded with a balloon, which was deflated and removed after 2h. DECT was performed before, during occlusion and at 2, 3 and 4h thereafter and was utilized to construct pulmonary perfusion maps. Immediately after the CT scan at the fourth hour post reperf usion, the canines were sacrificed, and lung specimens were harvested for pathological analysis. CT findings, pulmonary artery pressure and blood gas results were then analysed. Results: Data at every time point were available for 10 animals (experimental group, n = 8; control group, n = 2). Quantitative measurements from DECT pulmonary perfusion maps found iodine attenuation values of the left lung to be the lowest at 2h post embolization and the highest at 1 h post reperfusion. In the contralateral lung, perfusion values also peaked at 1h post reperfusion. Continuous hypoxia and acid-based disorders were observed during PIRI, and comprehensive analysis showed physiological changes to be worst at 3h post reperfusion. Conclusion: DECT pulmonary perfusion mapping demonstrated pulmonary perfusion of the bilateral lungs to be the greatest at 1h post reperfusion. These CT findings corresponded with pathophysiological changes. Advances in knowledge: DECT pulmonary perfusion mapping can be used to evaluate lung ischaemia-reperfusion injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]