Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methods for engineering sub-2-cycle mode-locked lasers

We begin by presenting a method to efficiently solve for the steady-state solution of a nonlinear cavity, suitable for simulating a solid-state femtosecond laser. The algorithm directly solves the periodic boundary value problem by using a preconditioned KrylovNewton shooting solver. The method can be applied to the design and study of modelocked lasers, as well as the modeling of field enhancement cavities, such as those used in high harmonic generation. In constrast to the standard approach of dynamic simulation, which converges linearly, our algorithm converges quadratically to the stable solution, typically converging two to three orders of magnitude faster than the standard approach. The second major theme is the control of dispersion in mode-locked lasers. The predominant way to design dispersion compensating optics in the past has been a consideration of the integrated net group delay dispersion (GDD). We propose and implement an alternative spectral quantity based on the energy contained in phase distortions, which we term the Phase Distortion Ratio (PDR). Dispersion compensating mirrors optimized with respect to PDR generally perform significantly better than those where GDD is optimized. We demonstrate this in the design of a dispersion compensating mirror pair capable of compressing single-single pulses. In the final section, we deal with the unique challenges inherent to measuring subtwo-cycle pulses reliably and accurately. We have recently developed a technique, TwoDimensional spectral Shearing Interferometry (2DSI), based on spectral shearing, which requires no calibration and does not disperse the pulse being measured. Our method intuitively encodes spectral group delay in a slowly changing fringe in a two-dimensional interferogram. This maximizes use of spectrometer resolution, allowing for complex phase spectra to be measured with high accuracy over extremely large bandwidths, potentially exceeding an octave. We believe that 2DSI is a uniquely cost effective and efficient method for accurately and reliably measuring fewand even single-cycle pulses. While the method is relatively recent, it is well tested and has been successfully demonstrated on several different lasers in two different groups, including one producing 4.9 fs pulses. Thesis Supervisor: Franz X. Kartner Title: Professor
Phosphoinositide signaling.

"All things flow and change…even in the stillest matter there is unseen flux and movement. " Attributed to Heraclitus (530-470 BC), from The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant. Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, was thinking on a much larger scale than molecular signaling; however, his visionary comments are an important reminder for those studying signaling today. Even in unstimulated cells, signaling pathways are in constant metabolic flux and provide basal signals that travel throughout the organism. In addition, negatively charged phospholipids, such as the polyphosphorylated inositol phospholipids, provide a circuit board of on/off switches for attracting or repelling proteins that define the membranes of the cell. This template of charged phospholipids is sensitive to discrete changes and metabolic fluxes-e.g., in pH and cations-which contribute to the oscillating signals in the cell. The inherent complexities of a constantly fluctuating system make understanding how plants integrate and process signals challenging. In this review we discuss one aspect of lipid signaling: the inositol family of negatively charged phospholipids and their functions as molecular sensors and regulators of metabolic flux in plants.
Glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity in aging.

BACKGROUND It is hypothesized that free radical damage contributes to aging. Age-related decline in activity of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) may contribute to increased free radicals. We hypothesized that GPx activity decreases with age in a population of older women with disability. METHODS Whole blood GPx activity was measured in baseline stored samples from participants in the Women's Health and Aging Study I, a cohort of disabled community-dwelling older women. Linear regression was used to determine cross-sectional associations between GPx activity and age, adjusting for hemoglobin, coronary disease, diabetes, selenium, and body mass index. RESULTS Six hundred one participants had complete demographic, disease, and laboratory information. An inverse association was observed between GPx and age (regression coefficient = -2.9, p <.001), indicating that for each 1-year increase in age, GPx activity decreased by 2.9 micromol/min/L. This finding remained significant after adjustment for hemoglobin, coronary disease, diabetes, and selenium, but not after adjustment for body mass index and weight loss. CONCLUSION This is the first study to examine the association between age and GPx activity in an older adult cohort with disability and chronic disease. These findings suggest that, after age 65, GPx activity declines with age in older women with disability. This decline does not appear to be related to diseases that have been previously reported to alter GPx activity. Longitudinal examination of GPx activity and other antioxidant enzymes in diverse populations of older adults will provide additional insight into age- and disease-related changes in these systems.
Mortality of hepatitis B surface antigen-positive blood donors in England and Wales.

BACKGROUND Large population-based cohort studies in areas of high hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence have provided the evidence establishing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver disease. Fewer studies have examined this in Western countries, where both HBV infection and carriage are less common and transmission patterns differ. This is the only prospective population-based study to examine this relationship in Europe. METHODS In all, 2681 male and 977 female blood donors in England and Wales, found to be HBsAg positive during routine blood-donation screening, were followed up from recruitment in 1970-1982 to December 1999 and their cause-specific mortality was analysed. This was compared with that of the general population of England and Wales. RESULTS During a mean of 22 years of follow-up, 17.4% of the 420 deaths were due to HCC or liver disease. There were 20 deaths from HCC in male HBsAg carriers, representing a significantly high standardized mortality ratio (SMR) compared to the male population of England and Wales of 26 (SMR = 26.26; 95% CI: 16.04- 40.54). The HCC incidence rate in males was 33.5 per 100 000 person years and 4.4 per 100 000 person years in females. Men had 8.5 (SMR = 8.50; 95% CI: 6.25- 11.31) and women had 3.9 times the risk of death from liver disease (SMR = 3.89; 95% CI: 1.26-9.09). The risk of circulatory disease deaths was reduced in both males and females. There was a significant increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma that was not apparent in the first decade of follow-up. The increased risk of HCC and liver disease in men fell with follow-up. CONCLUSION Hepatitis B surface antigen carriage is a significant risk factor in England and Wales for both liver disease and HCC mortality. However, this risk has declined with duration of follow-up. This could be due to natural reversion to HBsAg negativity or as a result of treatment and avoidance of other risk factors. The increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma seen in longer follow-up is likely to be related to HIV infection acquired subsequent to recruitment.
Occurrence of odour-producing actinomycetes and other bacteria in the North Pine River Dam, Brisbane, Australia

In the summer period, North Pine Dam in southeast Queensland, Australia, is used as a supplementary source of drinking water for the city of Brisbane. Relatively high concentrations of geosmin and methylisoborneol (MIB) are frequently detected in the water in summer. The abundance of cyanobacteria (= blue-green algae) that are known to produce these compounds, is generally low, which suggests that the odours are produced by other organisms. In this short study, we examined the abundance of geosmin- and MIB-producing actinomycetes in the water and sediment of the reservoir. The results show that actinobacteria (actinomycetes are included in the taxonomic group of Actinobacteria) made up 18 to 24% of all bacteria in the dam water during a period of relatively high geosmin and MIB concentrations. The high density of actinobacteria in the dam suggests that these bacteria may be more dominant in production of geosmin and MIB than previously expected, and that they should be included in future studies of odour problems in freshwater reservoirs.
hp-Discontinuous Galerkin Time-Stepping for Volterra Integrodifferential Equations

We present an $hp$-error analysis of the discontinuous Galerkin time-stepping method for Volterra integrodifferential equations with weakly singular kernels. We derive new error bounds that are explicit in the time-steps, the degrees of the approximating polynomials, and the regularity properties of the exact solution. It is then shown that start-up singularities can be resolved at exponential rates of convergence by using geometrically graded time-steps. Our theoretical results are confirmed in a series of numerical tests.
Race and Ethnicity in Fragile Families

Robert Hummer and Erin Hamilton note that the prevalence of fragile families varies substantially by race and ethnicity. African Americans and Hispanics have the highest prevalence; Asian Americans, the lowest; and whites fall somewhere in the middle. The share of unmarried births is lower among most foreign-born mothers than among their U.S.-born ethnic counterparts. Immigrant-native differences are particularly large for Asians, whites, and blacks.The authors also find racial and ethnic differences in the composition and stability of fragile families over time. Although most parents of all racial and ethnic groups are romantically involved at the time of their child's birth, African American women are less likely to be in a cohabiting relationship than are white and Hispanic mothers. Over time, these racial and ethnic differences become more pronounced, with African American mothers having the lowest rates of marriage and cohabitation and the highest breakup rates, and Mexican immigrant mothers having the highest rates of marriage and cohabitation and the lowest breakup rates.Fragile families have far fewer socioeconomic resources than married families, though resources vary within fragile families by race and ethnicity. White mothers, in general, have more socioeconomic resources than black, Mexican American, and Mexican immigrant mothers; they are more likely to have incomes above the poverty limit, more likely to own a car, less likely to have children from a prior relationship, and more likely to report living in a safe neighborhood. Access to health care and child care follows a similar pattern. The exception is education; black and white unmarried mothers are equally likely to have finished high school, and Mexican immigrant and Mexican American mothers are less likely to have done so.The authors argue that socioeconomic differences are by far the biggest driver of racial and ethnic differences in marriage and family stability, and they support reforms to strengthen parents' economic security. They also discuss how sex ratios and culture affect family formation and stability. In particular, they note that despite severe poverty, Mexican immigrant families have high rates of marriage and cohabitation—an advantage that erodes by the second generation with assimilation. To address the paradox that marriage declines as socioeconomic status improves, they support policies that reinforce rather than undermine the family ties of Mexican immigrants.
Radiation Cataractogenesis: A Review of Recent Studies

Abstract Ainsbury, E. A. , Bouffler, S. D. , Dörr, W. , Graw, J., Muirhead, C. R. , Edwards, A. A. and Cooper, J. Radiation Cataractogenesis: A Review of Recent Studies. Radiat. Res. 172, 1-9 (2009). The lens of the eye is recognized as one of the most radiosensitive tissues in the human body, and it is known that cataracts can be induced by acute doses of less than 2 Gy of low-LET ionizing radiation and less than 5 Gy of protracted radiation. Although much work has been carried out in this area, the exact mechanisms of radiation cataractogenesis are still not fully understood. In particular, the question of the threshold dose for cataract development is not resolved. Cataracts have been classified as a deterministic effect of radiation exposure with a threshold of approximately 2 Gy. Here we review the combined results of recent mechanistic and human studies regarding induction of cataracts by ionizing radiation. These studies indicate that the threshold for cataract development is certainly less than was previously estimated, of the order of 0.5 Gy, or that radiation cataractogenesis may in fact be more accurately described by a linear, no-threshold model.
Defensins and other antimicrobial peptides in inflammatory bowel disease

Purpose of review Recently published studies presenting novel and relevant information on defensins and other antimicrobial peptides in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are reviewed. Recent findings Different clinical localizations of Crohn's disease are associated with different deficiencies in epithelial and leukocyte antimicrobial peptide expression. As compared with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease of the colon is characterized by an impaired induction of beta defensins, and antimicrobial antiproteases elafin and SLPI, as well as the cathelicidin LL37. The attenuated induction of beta defensins is linked to fewer gene copy numbers in this locus, which is associated with colonic but not ileal Crohn's disease. In contrast, ileal Crohn's disease patients are characterized by a reduced antibacterial activity and a specific reduction of ileal Paneth cell defensins. This decrease is independent of the grade of histological inflammation and cannot be found in inflammation controls. Thus, some of these defects can be explained either by direct or indirect genetic mechanisms and appear to be primary. Summary Unlike ulcerative colitis, ileal and colonic Crohn's disease are characterized by localized deficiencies of antibacterial peptides. Understanding the precise molecular mechanisms of the defective antibacterial barrier function might provide new therapeutic directions.
To What Extent is Drinking Water Tested in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Comparative Analysis of Regulated Water Quality Monitoring

Water quality information is important for guiding water safety management and preventing water-related diseases. To assess the current status of regulated water quality monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa, we evaluated testing programs for fecal contamination in 72 institutions (water suppliers and public health agencies) across 10 countries. Data were collected through written surveys, in-person interviews, and analysis of microbial water quality testing levels. Though most institutions did not achieve the testing levels specified by applicable standards or World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines, 85% of institutions had conducted some microbial water testing in the previous year. Institutions were more likely to meet testing targets if they were suppliers (as compared to surveillance agencies), served larger populations, operated in urban settings, and had higher water quality budgets (all p < 0.05). Our results indicate that smaller water providers and rural public health offices will require greater attention and additional resources to achieve regulatory compliance for water quality monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa. The cost-effectiveness of water quality monitoring should be improved by the application of risk-based water management approaches. Efforts to strengthen monitoring capacity should pay greater attention to program sustainability and institutional commitment to water safety.
A Design of a Water Tanks Monitoring System Based on Mobile Devices

Water supply has become a big problem over the past few years, due to overpopulation, climate change, and deterioration of pipes which can cause major problems, such as water leakage. The real problem is not (in most cases) the size of the leak, but the time it takes to detect it. In this paper, an implementation of a system to monitor the water tanks is presented. The system is called InteRface for Monitoring wAter tanks (IRMA) consists of 1) instrumentation system based on an ultrasonic sensor installed in the water tank bound to an Arduino device. This is connected to 2) the application service that receives and manages the measurements of the water tank levels. In order to advice 3) the mobile user interface over any mobile device, giving the user control everywhere and every time over the GSM network. IRMA is focused on automating the control of water tanks, such as monitoring and filling.
A SUNYAEV–ZEL'DOVICH-SELECTED SAMPLE OF THE MOST MASSIVE GALAXY CLUSTERS IN THE 2500 deg2 SOUTH POLE TELESCOPE SURVEY

The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is currently surveying 2500 deg2 of the southern sky to detect massive galaxy clusters out to the epoch of their formation using the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. This paper presents a catalog of the 26 most significant SZ cluster detections in the full survey region. The catalog includes 14 clusters which have been previously identified and 12 that are new discoveries. These clusters were identified in fields observed to two differing noise depths: 1500 deg2 at the final SPT survey depth of 18 μK arcmin at 150 GHz and 1000 deg2 at a depth of 54 μK arcmin. Clusters were selected on the basis of their SZ signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) in SPT maps, a quantity which has been demonstrated to correlate tightly with cluster mass. The S/N thresholds were chosen to achieve a comparable mass selection across survey fields of both depths. Cluster redshifts were obtained with optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopy from a variety of ground- and space-based facilities. The redshifts range from 0.098 ⩽ z ⩽ 1.132 with a median of zmed = 0.40. The measured SZ S/N and redshifts lead to unbiased mass estimates ranging from 9.8 × 1014 M☉ h−170 ⩽ M200(ρmean) ⩽ 3.1 × 1015 M☉ h−170. Based on the SZ mass estimates, we find that none of the clusters are individually in significant tension with the ΛCDM cosmological model. We also test for evidence of non-Gaussianity based on the cluster sample and find the data show no preference for non-Gaussian perturbations.
The new case for cervical mediastinoscopy in selection for radical surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

OBJECTIVES Selection criteria for radical surgery in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and related clinical trials remain controversial. The relative importance of nodal metastases and the need for pre-operative nodal staging are undetermined. METHODS From a prospective database, we identified 212 patients with non-sarcomatoid MPM (160 epithelioid and 52 biphasic). A total of 127 patients underwent extrapleural pneumonectoctomy (EPP) and 85 lung-sparing total pleurectomy (LSTP) with lymphadenectomy. We investigated the effect of nodal burden and distribution in survival by testing for differences between N0, N1 and N2 disease and constructing a theoretical model dividing the patients into four groups according to diseased nodes identified in the surgical specimen: Group 0, no nodal disease; Group CM, nodes accessible by cervical mediastinoscopy (CM): Stations 2, 3a, 4 and 7; Group EBUS/EUS, nodes accessible by endobronchial (EBUS) or endoscopic (EUS) ultrasound: Stations 2, 3a, 4 and 7-11. Group EM, extramediastinal nodes not accessible by CM or EBUS/EUS: Stations 5, 6, internal mammary, pericardial and diaphragmatic lymph nodes. RESULTS There was no difference in overall median survival between EPP and LSTP [15.6, SE 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 12-19 months versus 13.4, SE 2.3, 95% CI 9-18 months, P=0.41]. Patients with N0 disease (n=94) had the best prognosis: median survival was 19.6 months (SE 3, 95% CI 13.2-26) versus 12 months for the 19 patients with N1 (SE 1.5, 95% CI 9-15) and 13.6 months for 99 patients with N2 (SE 1.7, 95% CI 10-17), P=0.015. Subgroup analysis of patients with nodal metastases revealed no significant survival difference between group CM and group EBUS/EUS: achieving maximum theoretical diagnostic yield CM could detect 63 (54%) of patients with nodal disease and the median survival of this group was 13.6 months (SE 2, 95% CI 9.6-17.6). EBUS/EUS could detect an additional 30 cases (26%) with survival of 11.3 months (SE 1, 95% CI 9-13.6). The survival in group EM (25 cases, 21%, median survival 18.7 months, SE 6, 95% CI 7-30) was significantly better than groups CM or EBUS/EUS, P=0.002. CONCLUSIONS There is a strong case for routine CM as a method of prognostic staging in all patients undergoing radical surgery for MPM. The addition of EUS staging and the detection of nodal metastases inaccessible to mediastinoscopy had no prognostic benefit.
Robust Transient Stability-Constrained Optimal Power Flow With Uncertain Dynamic Loads

Load dynamics has a substantial impact on transient stability of a power system, but has not been properly treated in transient stability-constrained operational planning. This paper proposes a robust transient stability-constrained optimal power flow (OPF) model considering dynamic load models and uncertain variations in the model parameters (e.g., load composition). The uncertainty is modeled by selecting a small yet representative number of deterministic scenarios that approximate the whole uncertainty space. A decomposition-based solution approach is then developed, which iterates between a master problem corresponding to the ordinary OPF, and a set of subproblems corresponding to transient stability assessment and stabilization constraint generation. The proposed model and solution approach is validated on the New England 39-bus system. The obtained solutions can well immunize against random realizations of uncertain load model parameters while maintaining transient stability.
International Joint Venture (IJV) marketing performance: alternative approaches to performance measurement

This paper assesses International Joint Venture (IJV) marketing performance in the Republic of Thailand, as opposed to general business performance. Furthermore, the paper develops an objective measure to assess IJV marketing performance and compares two different types of measures for measuring IJV marketing performance, a subjective measure and an objective measure, and finds both measures to be significantly correlated. The objective measure of IJV marketing performance is a composite measure that includes strategic objectives for establishing an IJV. The objective measure assesses the respondents' satisfaction with the achievement of the strategic objectives and the subjective measure is a perceptual measure. The data for this study are from a sample of 161 IJVs located in the Republic of Thailand with the sample coming from a wide cross-section of industries including agriculture, mining, light, metal-working, electronics, chemical and the service industries.