Structural evolution of La-Cr-O thin film: Part II. Elasto-plastic properties by nanoindentation

The goal of this research is to study the elasto-plastic properties of La-Cr-O thin films deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering on stainless steel interconnect materials after annealing at high temperatures in air. Elastic modulus, hardness and yield pressure derived from nanoindentation data are reported for thin films in different structural states. The amorphous film has an estimated elastic modulus of 174 GPa. The moduli of annealed films are calculated to be 150, 185 and 120 GPa after annealing at 500 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C, respectively. The film annealed at 800 °C has the lowest hardness and is dramatically different from the other structural states due to formation of the nanoporosity. The amorphous film and the films annealed at 500 °C and 600 °C both have hardness of 14 GPa, which is close to the value estimated by modeling.     

Impact of scale on the effectiveness of disease control strategies for epidemics with cryptic infection in a dynamical landscape: an example for a crop disease.

We use a spatially explicit, stochastic model to analyse the effectiveness of different scales of local control strategies in containing the long-term, multi-seasonal spread of a crop disease through a dynamically changing population of susceptible crops in which there is cryptic infection. The model distinguishes between susceptible, infested and symptomatic fields. It is motivated by rhizomania disease on sugar beet in the UK as an exemplar of a spatially structured and partially asymptomatic epidemic. Our results show the importance of matching the scales of local control strategies to prevent intensification and regional spread of disease with the inherent temporal and spatial scales of an epidemic. A simple field-scale containment strategy, whereby the susceptible crop is no longer grown on fields showing symptoms, fails for this system with cryptic infection because the locally applied control lags behind the epidemic. A farm-scale strategy, whereby growers respond to the disease status of neighbouring farms by transferring their quota for sugar beet to farmers in regions of reduced risk, succeeds. We conclude that a soil-borne pathogen such as rhizomania could be managed by movement of susceptible crops in the landscape using a strategy that matches the temporal and spatial scales of the epidemic and which take account of risk aversion among growers. We show some parallels and differences in effectiveness between a 'culling' strategy involving crop removal around emerging foci and the local deployment of partially resistant varieties that reduce amplification and transmission of inoculum. Some relationships between the control of plant and livestock diseases are briefly discussed.     

Towards a new model of crack tip stress fields

This work introduces a novel mathematical model of the stresses around the tip of a fatigue crack, which considers the effects of plasticity through an analysis of their shielding effects on the applied elastic field. The ability of the model to characterize plasticity-induced effects of cyclic loading on the elastic stress fields is assessed and demonstrated using full-field photoelasticity. The focus is on determining the form of the shielding stress components (induced by compatibility requirements at the elastic–plastic interface along the crack flank and via the crack tip plastic zone) and how they influence the crack tip elastic stress fields during a load cycle. The model is successfully applied to the analysis of a fatigue crack growing in a polycarbonate CT specimen.     

New results in robust actuator fault reconstruction for linear uncertain systems using sliding mode observers

This paper presents a robust actuator fault reconstruction scheme for linear uncertain systems using sliding mode observers. In existing work, fault reconstruction via sliding mode observers is limited to either linear certain systems subject to unknown inputs, relative degree one systems or a specific class of relative degree two systems. This paper presents a new method that is applicable to a wider class of systems with relative degree higher than one, and can also be used for systems with more unknown inputs than outputs. The method uses two sliding mode observers in cascade. Signals from the first observer are processed and used to drive the second observer. Overall, this results in actuator fault reconstruction being feasible for a wider class of systems than using existing methods. A simulation example verifies the claims made in this paper. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

读书：中国的手机文化

手机，是目前大多数中国人不可或缺的通讯工具。那么，Simon跟大家讲讲手机礼仪。很多人可能不明白，用手机也有礼仪吗？是的，特别是在跟美国人打交道的时候，尤其要注意这点，因为手机在美国的待遇和在中国的待遇是有很大的差别的。     

云南-广东±800 kV特高压直流输电工程基本设计

云南-广东±800 kV特高压直流输电项目目前正在建设中.这是中国很重要并极具技术含量的直流输电工程之一,它通过1 418 km长的直流输电线路将云南省的楚雄和广东省的穗东连接起来,设计输送容量为5 000 MW,是世界上最大的双极直流输电项目.文中介绍了云南-广东±800kV特高压直流输电项目的重点和难点,包括换流站整体设计原则以及增加的稳态和暂态电压应力对主设备设计提出的挑战,讨论了关键特高压直流设备的特殊设计概念.     

Reduction of carbamylated albumin by extended hemodialysis

Introduction Among conventional hemodialysis (CHD) patients, carbamylated serum albumin (C‐Alb) correlates with urea and amino acid deficiencies and is associated with mortality. We postulated that reduction of C‐Alb by intensive HD may correlate with improvements in protein metabolism and cardiac function. Methods One‐year observational study of in‐center nocturnal extended hemodialysis (EHD) patients and CHD control subjects. Thirty‐three patients receiving 4‐hour CHD who converted to 8‐hour EHD were enrolled, along with 20 controls on CHD. Serum C‐Alb, biochemistries, and cardiac MRI parameters were measured before and after 12 months of EHD. Findings EHD was associated with reduction of C‐Alb (average EHD change ?3.20 mmol/mol [95% CI ?4.23, ?2.17] compared to +0.21 [95% CI ?1.11, 1.54] change in CHD controls, P < 0.001). EHD was also associated with increases in average essential amino acids (in standardized units) compared to CHD (+0.38 [0.08, 0.68 95%CI]) vs. ?0.12 [?0.50, 0.27, 95% CI], P = 0.047). Subjects who reduced C‐Alb more than 25% were found to have reduced left ventricular mass, increased urea reduction ratio, and increased serum albumin compared to nonresponders, and % change in C‐Alb significantly correlated with % change in left ventricular mass. Discussion EHD was associated with reduction of C‐Alb as compared to CHD, and reduction of C‐Alb by EHD correlates with reduction of urea. Additional studies are needed to test whether reduction of C‐Alb by EHD also correlates with improved clinical outcomes.     

Adrenal insufficiency presenting as unexplained hypotension in nocturnal home hemodialysis

Adrenal insufficiency is a complication of chronic corticosteroid therapy. Unexplained hypotension may be a manifestation of an adrenal insufficient state in patients with a history of corticosteroid therapy on hemodialysis. We present a series of five cases of patients on nocturnal home hemodialysis with hypotension as the main manifestation of adrenal insufficiency. Unexplained hypotension in patients with a history of corticosteroid therapy should prompt the managing clinician to consider adrenal insufficiency as a possible cause.     

Daunorubicin‐Loaded DNA Origami Nanostructures Circumvent Drug‐Resistance Mechanisms in a Leukemia Model

Many cancers show primary or acquired drug resistance due to the overexpression of efflux pumps. A novel mechanism to circumvent this is to integrate drugs, such as anthracycline antibiotics, with nanoparticle delivery vehicles that can bypass intrinsic tumor drug‐resistance mechanisms. DNA nanoparticles serve as an efficient binding platform for intercalating drugs (e.g., anthracyclines doxorubicin and daunorubicin, which are widely used to treat acute leukemias) and enable precise structure design and chemical modifications, for example, for incorporating targeting capabilities. Here, DNA nanostructures are utilized to circumvent daunorubicin drug resistance at clinically relevant doses in a leukemia cell line model. The fabrication of a rod‐like DNA origami drug carrier is reported that can be controllably loaded with daunorubicin. It is further directly verified that nanostructure‐mediated daunorubicin delivery leads to increased drug entry and retention in cells relative to free daunorubicin at equal concentrations, which yields significantly enhanced drug efficacy. Our results indicate that DNA origami nanostructures can circumvent efflux‐pump‐mediated drug resistance in leukemia cells at clinically relevant drug concentrations and provide a robust DNA nanostructure design that could be implemented in a wide range of cellular applications due to its remarkably fast self‐assembly (≈5 min) and excellent stability in cell culture conditions.