Pre-melting of crossing vortex lattices

The pre-melting of high vortex density planes observed recently in layered superconductors in tilted magnetic field is explained theoretically. Based on the structural information of the crossing lattices of pancake and Josephson vortices the effective vortex cage potential at different lattice sites is determined numerically. Melting takes place when the thermal energy allows proliferation of vacancy-interstitial pairs. It is found that the increased density of pancake vortex stacks in the planes containing Josephson vortices, rather than their incommensurate structure, is the main cause for pre-melting.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Pulsed chaos synchronization in networks with adaptive couplings

Networks of chaotic units with static couplings can synchronize to a common chaotic trajectory. The effect of dynamic adaptive couplings on the cooperative behavior of chaotic networks is investigated. The couplings adjust to the activities of its two units by two competing mechanisms: An exponential decrease of the coupling strength is compensated by an increase due to de-synchronized activity. This mechanism prevents the network from reaching a steady state. Numerical simulations of a coupled map lattice show chaotic trajectories of de-synchronized units interrupted by pulses of mutually synchronized clusters. These pulses occur on all scales, sometimes extending to the entire network. Clusters of synchronized units can be triggered by a small group of synchronized units.Comment: 8 pages 13 figure

Mechatronische Osteosyntheseplatte

Ziel dieses Projektes ist die Entwicklung eines miniaturisierten vollimplantierbaren Gerätes zur Verlängerung von Kiefer- und Schädelknochen, basierend auf den Erkenntnissen von Plattenosteosynthese-Verfahren. Dieses Gerät, im folgenden Mechatronische Osteosyntheseplatte (kurz MO) oder Distraktor genannt, ist ein kleiner Teleskopaktuator, der eine Kraft von mindestens 30 N erzeugt, die zur Verlängerung eines Knochens benötigt wird. Der Antrieb erfolgt durch Formgedächtnisdrähte aus einer Nickel-Titan-Legierung, die im Inneren des Gerätes gespannt sind. Diese Drähte werden über eine drahtlose niederfrequente Energieeinkopplung mit Strom versorgt. Über einen Ratschenmechanismus wird die Kraft auf eine teleskopartig ausfahrende Platte übertragen. Der Distraktor wird direkt auf den Knochen mit kommerziell erhältlichen Titan-Knochenschrauben aufgeschraubt. Die Neuerung bei dieser Entwicklung ist u.a. der Antrieb durch Drähte aus Formgedächtnislegierung, sowie die vollständige Implantierbarkeit des Gerätes. Formgedächtnislegierungen können in kaltem Zustand mit geringem Kraftaufwand verformt werden. Werden sie anschließend erhitzt, so „erinnert“ sich die Legierung an ihre ursprüngliche Form und nimmt den vorherigen unverformten Zustand wieder ein. Ziel dieser Neuentwicklung ist, durch das vollständige Verschließen des operierten Bereichs die Infektionsgefahr zu minimieren, das Risiko für den Patienten zu senken und den Behandlungskonfort zu erhöhen. Durch die minimierte Narbenbildung wird das kosmetische Ergebnis ebenfalls verbessert. Desweiteren soll die Erfassung von Messwerten für Weg und Kraft integriert werden, um so dem betreuenden Arzt Auskunft über den Fortschritt des Verlängerungsprozess und die Heilung zu geben. Eingesetzt wird die Osteosynthese durch Knochenverlängerung in der plastischen Chirurgie bei Missbildungen, Fehlstellungen oder Unfällen

Involving private healthcare practitioners in an urban NCD sentinel surveillance system: lessons learned from Pune, India

Background: Despite the rising impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on public health in India, lack of quality data and routine surveillance hampers the planning process for NCD prevention and control. Current surveillance programs focus largely on communicable diseases and do not adequately include the private healthcare sector as a major source of care in cities. Objective: The objective of the study was to conceptualize, implement, and evaluate a prototype for an urban NCD sentinel surveillance system among private healthcare practitioners providing primary care in Pune, India. Design: We mapped all private healthcare providers in three selected areas of the city, conducted a knowledge, attitude, and practice survey with regard to surveillance among 258 consenting practitioners, and assessed their willingness to participate in a routine NCD surveillance system. In total, 127 practitioners agreed and were included in a 6-month surveillance study. Data on first time diagnoses of 10 selected NCDs alongside basic demographic and socioeconomic patient information were collected onsite on a monthly basis using a paper-based register. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed. Results: In total, 1,532 incident cases were recorded that mainly included hypertension (n622, 41%) and diabetes (n460, 30%). Dropout rate was 10% (n13). The monthly reporting consistency was quite constant, with the majority (n63, 50%) submitting 110 cases in 6 months. Average number of submitted cases was highest among allopathic practitioners (17.4). A majority of the participants (n104, 91%) agreed that the surveillance design could be scaled up to cover the entire city. Conclusions: The study indicates that private primary healthcare providers (allopathic and alternate medicine practitioners) play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of NCDs and can be involved in NCD surveillance, if certain barriers are addressed. Main barriers observed were lack of regulation of the private sector, cross-practices among different systems of medicine, limited clinic infrastructure, and knowledge gaps about disease surveillance. We suggest a voluntary augmented sentinel NCD surveillance system including public and private healthcare facilities at all levels of care

Sexual transgression on the American stage: Clyde Fitch, Sapho, and the 'American Girl'

Clyde Fitch's play, Sapho (1900), is significant in the history of theatre censorship in America as a result of the arrests of the leading actress, Olga Nethersole, and several of her entourage. Critical analyses have focussed explicitly on the role of Nethersole in the censorship of the production. But the play as a dramatic production and the role of the playwright have been obscured by the media frenzy that led to the arrests and the subsequent furore. This article looks to expand the critical landscape of the censorship of Sapho, exploring the critical reputation of the writer, the public reception and the media reaction that led to its closure and the arrests, in the wider context of the show′s performance. This article argues that Sapho became a moral crusade because Fitch′s drama staged the critical intersection between the erotics of sexual transgression and the cult of the ‘American girl’. Further, Clyde Fitch's version of Sapho recognised the critical link between discourses of sexuality/purity and discourses of ‘nervousness’ that pervaded America at the turn of the century. To survive as the epitome of ‘civilisation’, America required the repeated and continuous modelling of the asexual body of the pure ‘American girl’; Sapho exposed the model and the structuring impulses that participated in its formation

Compilation of Giant Electric Dipole Resonances Built on Excited States

Giant Electric Dipole Resonance (GDR) parameters for gamma decay to excited states with finite spin and temperature are compiled. Over 100 original works have been reviewed and from some 70 of which more than 300 parameter sets of hot GDR parameters for different isotopes, excitation energies, and spin regions have been extracted. All parameter sets have been brought onto a common footing by calculating the equivalent Lorentzian parameters. The current compilation is complementary to an earlier compilation by Samuel S. Dietrich and Barry L. Berman (At. Data Nucl. Data Tables 38(1988)199-338) on ground-state photo-neutron and photo-absorption cross sections and their Lorentzian parameters. A comparison of the two may help shed light on the evolution of GDR parameters with temperature and spin. The present compilation is current as of January 2006.Comment: 31 pages including 1 tabl

Districting Problems - New Geometrically Motivated Approaches

This thesis focuses on districting problems were the basic areas are represented by points or lines. In the context of points, it presents approaches that utilize the problem\u27s underlying geometrical information. For lines it introduces an algorithm combining features of geometric approaches, tabu search, and adaptive randomized neighborhood search that includes the routing distances explicitly. Moreover, this thesis summarizes, compares and enhances existing compactness measures

Transnational Networks and Practices of Overseas Indians in Germany

The number of non-resident Indians and People of Indian Origin living in Germany has doubled in the last 15 years. Against this background, the paper looks at the multiple cross-border linkages maintained by Indian migrants in Germany. The paper first portrays the development of Indo-German migration since 1950. The main section then describes what linkages are developed by Indian migrants living in Germany between their places of residence and their places of origin. Applying a transnational perspective, the paper portrays how Indian migrants are embedded in different transnational networks. Based on in-depth interviews typical practices are described and changes of these practices during the life course are discussed. Differences in the transnational practices of the first and of the second generation are also addressed. The findings show that all respondents actively link the places where they live with their places of origin and induce changes both “here” and “there”