Blood Feud: \u3cem\u3eMatheis\u3c/em\u3e and the Fight for Disability Rights

On August 30, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Matheis v. CSL Plasma, Inc. held that plasma donation centers are public accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In doing so, the court split from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and joined the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in requiring plasma donation centers to reasonably accommodate their donors’ disabilities. This Comment argues that the Third Circuit was correct in holding that plasma donation centers are service establishments under Title III of the ADA as the text and legislative history indicate the statute’s broad scope. It further argues that reading a direction of compensation requirement into the definition of “service establishment” overlooks the complex nature of the American market system

Perspective : Time-restricted eating—integrating the what with the when

Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a popular dietary strategy that emphasizes the timing of meals in alignment with diurnal circadian rhythms, permitting ad libitum energy intake during a restricted (∼8–10 h) eating window each day. Unlike energy-restricted diets or intermittent fasting interventions that focus on weight loss, many of the health-related benefits of TRE are independent of reductions in body weight. However, TRE research to date has largely ignored what food is consumed (i.e., macronutrient composition and energy density), overlooking a plethora of past epidemiological and interventional dietary research. To determine some of the potential mechanisms underpinning the benefits of TRE on metabolic health, future studies need to increase the rigor of dietary data collected, assessed, and reported to ensure a consistent and standardized approach in TRE research. This Perspective article provides an overview of studies investigating TRE interventions in humans and considers dietary intake (both what and when food is eaten) and their impact on selected health outcomes (i.e., weight loss, glycemic control). Integrating existing dietary knowledge about what food is eaten with our recent understanding on when food should be consumed is essential to optimize the impact of dietary strategies aimed at improving metabolic health outcomes

Ultra-low-threshold InGaN/GaN quantum dot micro-ring lasers.

In this work, we demonstrate ultra-low-threshold, optically pumped, room-temperature lasing in GaN microdisk and micro-ring cavities containing InGaN quantum dots and fragmented quantum wells, with the lowest measured threshold at a record low of 6.2  μJ/cm2. When pump volume decreases, we observe a systematic decrease in the lasing threshold of micro-rings. The photon loss rate, γ, increases with increasing inner ring diameter, leading to a systematic decrease in the post-threshold slope efficiency, while the quality factor of the lasing mode remains largely unchanged. A careful analysis using finite-difference time-domain simulations attributes the increased γ to the loss of photons from lower-quality higher-order modes during amplified spontaneous emission

Controlled tuning of whispering gallery modes of GaN/InGaN microdisk cavities

Controlled tuning of the whispering gallery modes of GaN/InGaN {\mu}-disk cavities is demonstrated. The whispering gallery mode (WGM) tuning is achieved at room temperature by immersing the {\mu}-disks in water and irradiating with ultraviolet (UV) laser. The tuning rate can be controlled by varying the laser excitation power, with a nanometer precision accessible at low excitation power (~ several {\mu}W). The selective oxidation mechanism is proposed to explain the results and supported by theoretical analysis. The tuning of WGMs in GaN/InGaN {\mu}-disk cavities may have important implication in cavity quantum electrodynamics and the development of efficient light emitting devices

Sexual violence in college students in Chile

Young women's experiences of sexual victimization can have far-reaching consequences, including unwanted pregnancy and increased risk of psychological, sexual, and reproductive health difficulties; these experiences can also limit young women's ability to achieve their educational potential. To date, no quantitative studies have examined sexual violence among college students in Chile. To address this gap, an anonymous survey was administered to students enrolled in General Education courses at a major public university in Santiago (n=455 female students). Rape, attempted rape, and other types of sexual victimization were reported by 9.4%, 6.2%, and 15.6% of respondents, respectively, as the most severe event experienced since age 14; 17.2% reported some form of sexual victimization in the past 12 months alone. Estimates based on ordered logit models show that low parental education, childhood sexual abuse, and witnessing inter-parental violence are associated with increased odds of sexual victimization since age 14; attendance to religious services and living with the parents while attending college have protective effects. The findings indicate a need to further investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for sexual violence in Chilean college students, and to begin to develop and evaluate theory-based programs to prevent and respond to this public health concern

Physical dating violence among college students in Chile

Dating violence is a serious public health concern both per se and because victimization in the young adult years can be a precursor to more severe incidents of domestic violence later, in the context of cohabitation or marriage. To date, no quantitative studies have examined dating violence among college students in Chile. To address this gap, a survey on this topic was administered to students at a major public university. The present analyses focused on the female sample (n=441). Generalized ordered logit models were used to assess factors associated with physical victimization since age 14, considering three categories: no victimization, victimization with no injury, and victimization with injury. Approximately 21% of subjects reported one or more incidents of physical dating violence not involving injury since age 14, and another 5.0% reported at least one incident resulting in injury during this time period. The corresponding figures for the past 12 months were 12.9% and 2.4%, respectively. Childhood sexual abuse and witnessing domestic violence as a child were associated with substantially elevated odds of physical victimization later in life. Low parental education was also associated with higher vulnerability, in part because of its linkage with childhood experiences with aggression. Protective factors included maternal employment and religious service participation at age 14, residence in the parental home during the college years, and never having had sexual intercourse. The findings suggest that it would be desirable to develop public health initiatives to prevent and respond to this form of violence among Chilean college students

Photon statistics from coupled quantum dots

We present an optical study of closely-spaced self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots. The energy spectrum and correlations between photons subsequently emitted from a single pair provide not only clear evidence of coupling between the quantum dots but also insight into the coupling mechanism. Our results are in agreement with recent theories predicting that tunneling is largely suppressed between nonidentical quantum dots and that the interaction is instead dominated by dipole-dipole coupling and phonon-assisted energy transfer processes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Re

A full free spectral range tuning of p-i-n doped Gallium Nitride microdisk cavity

Effective, permanent tuning of the whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of p-i-n doped GaN microdisk cavity with embedded InGaN quantum dots over one free spectral range is successfully demonstrated by irradiating the microdisks with a ultraviolet laser (380nm) in DI water. For incident laser powers between 150 and 960 nW, the tuning rate varies linearly. Etching of the top surface of the cavity is proposed as the driving force for the observed shift in WGMs, and is supported by experiments. The tuning for GaN/InGaN microdisk cavities is an important step for deterministically realizing novel nanophotonic devices for studying cavity quantum electrodynamics

Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge of Special Education Laws

As more and more children are being identified as needing special services, all teachers need to know special education laws. One hundred and thirty-eight preservice teachers answered an online survey about their knowledge and confidence level of IDEA and Section 504. Our participants, on average, did not have accurate knowledge of IDEA or Section 504 laws (overall IDEA X = 42%; 504 X = 40%). Having coursework related to IDEA and Section 504 laws did increase participants’ scores, regardless of whether they were majoring in a special education related degree or not. However, their scores were still low, basically at chance level. Having coursework related to IDEA and Section 504 laws also increased participants’ confidence in their scores. Except for participants who had not taken a class with Section 504 information, participants’ confidence levels were also associated with their scores. The qualitative data showed that the majority of the relevant responses were from participants who had had coursework on special education laws. Overall, the results showed a general lack of knowledge about specific details of these special education laws

Building Support for Faculty Women of Color in STEM

Given the national climate, higher education must continue to serve a vital role for our future, just as it has in our past. For historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions, their mission-driven role is even more urgent. Communities of color depend on these institutions to be gateways for access to jobs with higher incomes for graduates in growing fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Hence, it is critical for these faculty women of color in STEM to have environments and networks that will help them to succeed