Self-Cleaning Transparent Dust Shields for Protecting Solar Panels and Other Devices

The development of transparent flexible dust shields using both single- and three-phase electrodynamic shields is reported here for possible application on Mars and Earth to minimize obscuration of solar panels from the deposition of dust. The electrodynamic screens (EDS) are made of transparent plastic sheets, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for its UV radiation resistance, and a set of parallel conducting electrodes made of transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) embedded under a thin transparent film. The basic principle of EDS operation, a simplified mathematical model of particle trajectories, the experimental setup used for testing the screens, and their dust removal efficiencies (DRE) are described. Results of our measurements on dust removal efficiency of EDS as a function of the particle size and electrostatic charge distributions of Mars simulant dust are reported. The results show that the EDS technology has a strong potential for protecting solar panels against dust hazards with DRE higher than 80% for dust. The power requirements will be approximately 10 watts per square meter of the panels when cleaning is needed.     

Correction to: Co-sputtering of Al1−xScxN thin films on Pt(111): a characterization by Raman and IR spectroscopies

Journal of Materials Science -     

Risk of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial flutter

Based on multiple studies, clear, guided anticoagulation therapy is recommended for patients with atrial fibrillation. The value of anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial flutter, however, is less well established. Little is known about the incidence of thromboembolism in patients with atrial flutter. We evaluated the risk of thromboembolism in 191 consecutive unselected patients referred for treatment of atrial flutter. A history of embolic events was noted in 11 patients. Acute embolism (<48 hours) occurred in 4 patients (3 after direct current cardioversion, 1 after catheter ablation). During follow-up of 26+/-18 months, 9 patients experienced thromboembolic events. During the follow-up, the overall embolic event rate (including acute embolism and thromboembolic events during follow-up) was 7 % in this patient population. Risk indicators for an embolic event in an univariate analysis were organic heart disease (p = 0.037), depressed left ventricular function (p = 0.02), history of systemic hypertension (p = 0.004), and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.0038). Using multivariate analysis, a history of hypertension was the only independent predictor for elevated embolic risk in this patient population (odds ratio = 6.5; 95% confidence intervals 1.5 to 45). Thus, the thromboembolic risk is higher than previously recognized for patients with atrial flutter. Anticoagulation therapy may decrease this risk.     

Comparison of metoprolol and sotalol in preventing ventricular tachyarrhythmias after the implantation of a cardioverter/defibrillator

The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate, on an intention-to-treat basis, the efficacy of d,l-sotalol and metoprolol with regards to the recurrence of arrhythmic events after implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. After ICD implantation, 70 patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either metoprolol (mean dosage 104+/-37 mg/day in 35 patients) or d,l-sotalol (mean dosage 242+/-109 mg/day in 35 patients). During follow up ventricular tachycardia (VT), fast VT, and ventricular fibrillation (VF) episodes were calculated. Metoprolol treatment led to a marked reduction in the recurrence of arrhythmic events. Actuarial rates for absence of VT recurrence at 1 and 2 years were significantly higher in the metoprolol group compared with the d,l-sotalol group (83% and 80% vs 57% and 51%, respectively, p=0.016). The actuarial rates for absence of fast VT or VF were 80% in the metoprolol group compared with 46% in the d,l-sotalol group (p=0.002). During a follow up of 26+/-16 months, there were 3 deaths in the metoprolol group compared with 6 deaths in the d,l-sotalol group. Actuarial rates of overall survival were not significantly different in the 2 groups (91% vs 83%, p=0.287). In this prospective, randomized, controlled study the recurrence rate of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients treated with metoprolol was lower than in patients treated by d,l-sotolol.     

Balloon dilatation in acute myocardial infarct in routine clinical practice: results of the register of the Working Society of Leading Cardiologic Hospital Physicians in 4,625 patients

Balloon angioplasty as the treatment of first choice in the setting of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is gaining widespread acceptance because of favourable results from specialised centres concerning high patency rates and low mortality. This study reports the results of angioplasty for AMI at large community hospitals during 1992-1995. 4625 procedures were performed at 68 centres of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Leitender Kardiologischer Krankenhaus?rzte (ALKK). The age of the patients was 60.8 +/- 11.3 years, with 75.1% men. The infarct related artery was the left anterior descendent in 43%, the right coronary artery in 37%, the circumflex artery in 16%, a bypass graft in 2.3% and the left main stem in 1.4% of patients. The success rate (residual stenosis < 50%) of the intervention was 86%. There was a wide range of procedures per centre, with a median of 40 AMI angioplasties per year and centre. The amount of angioplasties for AMI in relation to all angioplasties performed during this period rose from 5.2% in 1992 to 5.9% in 1995 (p = 0.01). Local complications at the puncture site occurred in 3.2%, with the need for a surgical intervention in 1.1% of patients. In 273 (5.9%) of the patients a second angioplasty was performed during the hospital stay. Aortocoronary bypass surgery was performed in 3% of the patients. Hospital mortality was 9.5% (438/4625 patients). The mortality rate remained constant during the years investigated (1992: 10.6%; 1993: 8.6%; 1994: 9.7%; 1995: 9.8%; p = ns). Higher mortality was observed in older patients, patients with multiple vessel disease, the left anterior descending artery or a bypass graft as infarct related artery as well as in patients with failed reperfusion (residual stenoses > 50%). Hospitals with a case load of more than 40 angioplasties for AMI per year showed a lower mortality as compared to the others. In clinical practice at large community hospitals results of angioplasty for AMI concerning mortality, complications and technical success rate are comparable to those of highly specialised centres. The absolute numbers of angioplasties for AMI increased constantly over the years.     

Interdigital sensors and transducers

This review paper focuses on interdigital electrodes-a geometric structure encountered in a wide variety of sensor and transducer designs. Physical and chemical principles behind the operation of these devices vary so much across different fields of science and technology that the common features present in all devices are often overlooked. This paper attempts to bring under one umbrella capacitive, inductive, dielectric, piezoacoustic, chemical, biological, and microelectromechanical interdigital sensors and transducers. The paper also provides historical perspective, discusses fabrication techniques, modeling of sensor parameters, application examples, and directions of future research.     

Cylindrical geometry electroquasistatic dielectrometry sensors

Semianalytical models are used to simulate the response of periodic-field electroquasistatic dielectrometry sensors. Due to the periodic structure of the sensors it is possible to use Fourier transform methods in combination with collocation point numerical techniques to generate accurate sensor simulations much more efficiently than with the more general finite-element methods. The models previously developed for Cartesian geometry sensors have been extended to sensors with cylindrical geometry. This enables the design of families of circularly symmetric dielectrometers with the "model-based" methodology, which requires close agreement between actual sensor response and simulated response. These kinds of sensors are needed in applications where the components being tested have circular symmetry, or if it is important to be insensitive to sensor orientation, in cases where a property shows some anisotropy. It is possible to extend the Fourier Series Cartesian geometry models to this case with the use of Fourier-Bessel Series over a radius large compared to the sensor dimensions. The validity of the cylindrical geometry model is confirmed experimentally, where the combined response of two circularly symmetric dielectric sensors with different depths of sensitivity is used to simultaneously measure the permittivity of a dielectric plate and its lift-off from the electrode surface     

Getting a Grip on the Undrugged: Targeting β-Catenin with Fragment-Based Methods

Aberrant WNT pathway activation, leading to nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, is a key oncogenic driver event. Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene APC lead to impaired proteasomal degradation of β-catenin and subsequent nuclear translocation. Restoring cellular degradation of β-catenin represents a potential therapeutic strategy. Here, we report the fragment-based discovery of a small molecule binder to β-catenin, including the structural elucidation of the binding mode by X-ray crystallography. The difficulty in drugging β-catenin was confirmed as the primary screening campaigns identified only few and very weak hits. Iterative virtual and NMR screening techniques were required to discover a compound with sufficient potency to be able to obtain an X-ray co-crystal structure. The binding site is located between armadillo repeats two and three, adjacent to the BCL9 and TCF4 binding sites. Genetic studies show that it is unlikely to be useful for the development of protein–protein interaction inhibitors but structural information and established assays provide a solid basis for a prospective optimization towards β-catenin proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) as alternative modality.     

Forward and inverse parameter estimation algorithms of interdigitaldielectrometry sensors

In this paper we extend the continuum model for interdigital dielectrometry sensors and propose a new, direct technique for estimating material electrical properties from measurements. Interdigital sensors consist of alternating pairs of long, thin electrodes on a plane. An ideal model assumes that the periodic structure extends to infinity and the electrodes have no thickness. We extend this ideal analysis to account for the physical thickness of the electrodes. We also present the model in a matrix form which is amenable to linear algebraic analysis techniques. In particular, the `inverse problem' of estimating material properties is formulated as a generalized Eigenvalue problem, which avoids the convergence problems of previous iterative algorithms