High reflectivity grating waveguide coatings for 1064nm

We propose thin single-layer grating waveguide structures to be used as high-reflectivity, but low thermal noise, alternative to conventional coatings for gravitational wave detector test mass mirrors. Grating waveguide (GWG) coatings can show a reflectivity of up to 100% with an overall thickness of less than a wavelength. We theoretically investigate GWG coatings for 1064nm based on tantala (Ta2O5) on a Silica substrate focussing on broad spectral response and low thickness

The ethics of inherent trust in care robots for the elderly

The way elderly care is delivered is changing. Attempts are being made to accommodate the increasing number of elderly, and the decline in the number of people available to care for them, with care robots. This change introduces ethical issues into robotics and healthcare. The two-part study (heuristic evaluation and survey) reported here examines a phenomenon which is a result of that change. The phenomenon rises out of a contradiction. All but 2 (who were undecided) of the 12 elderly survey respondents, out of the total of 102 respondents, wanted to be able to change how the presented care robot made decisions and 7 of those 12 elderly wanted to be able to examine its decision making process so as to ensure the care provided is personalized. However, at the same time, 34% of the elderly participants said they were willing to trust the care robot inherently, compared to only 16% of the participants who were under fifty. Additionally, 66% of the elderly respondents said they were very likely or likely to accept and use such a care robot in their everyday lives. The contradiction of inherent trust and simultaneous wariness about control gives rise to the phenomenon: elderly in need want control over their care to ensure it is personalized, but many may desperately take any help they can get. The possible causes, and ethical implications, of this phenomenon are the focus of this paper

Get it together! Synergistic effects of causal and effectual decision-making logics on venture performance

Entrepreneurs rely on different decision-making logics when starting new ventures, including causal and effectual reasoning. Extant research suggests that venture performance is positively associated with both causal business planning and effectual action-orientation, but studies have not yet tested the synergistic potential of these two logics. We contribute to the debate on entrepreneurial decision making by exploring the interrelationship between causation and effectuation, detailing their main and interactive effects on venture performance. Using survey data collected on 1,453 entrepreneurs residing in 25 countries, we find that ventures benefit from using these two entrepreneurial logics in tandem

Experimental demonstration of a suspended diffractively coupled optical cavity

All-reflective optical systems are under consideration for future gravitational wave detector topologies. One approach in proposed designs is to use diffraction gratings as input couplers for Fabry–Perot cavities. We present an experimental demonstration of a fully suspended diffractively coupled cavity and investigate the use of conventional Pound–Drever–Hall length sensing and control techniques to maintain the required operating condition

Impulsiveness Mediates the Association between \u3ci\u3eGABRA2\u3c/i\u3e SNPs and Lifetime Alcohol Problems

Genetic variants in GABRA2 have previously been shown to be associated with alcohol measures, electroencephalography (EEG) β waves and impulsiveness-related traits. Impulsiveness is a behavioral risk factor for alcohol and other substance abuse. Here, we tested association between 11 variants in GABRA2 with NEO-impulsiveness and problem drinking. Our sample of 295 unrelated adult subjects was from a community of families with at least one male with DSM-IV alcohol use diagnosis, and from a socioeconomically comparable control group. Ten GABRA2 SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) were associated with the NEO-impulsiveness (P \u3c 0.03). The alleles associated with higher impulsiveness correspond to the minor alleles identified in previous alcohol dependence studies. All ten SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with each other and represent one effect on impulsiveness. Four SNPs and the corresponding haplotype from intron 3 to intron 4 were also associated with Lifetime Alcohol Problems Score (LAPS, P \u3c 0.03) (not corrected for multiple testing). Impulsiveness partially mediates (22.6% average) this relation between GABRA2 and LAPS. Our results suggest that GABRA2 variation in the region between introns 3 and 4 is associated with impulsiveness and this effect partially influences the development of alcohol problems, but a direct effect of GABRA2 on problem drinking remains. A potential functional SNP rs279827, located next to a splice site, is located in the most significant region for both impulsiveness and LAPS. The high degree of LD among nine of these SNPs and the conditional analyses we have performed suggest that all variants represent one signal

Billiard Systems in Three Dimensions: The Boundary Integral Equation and the Trace Formula

We derive semiclassical contributions of periodic orbits from a boundary integral equation for three-dimensional billiard systems. We use an iterative method that keeps track of the composition of the stability matrix and the Maslov index as an orbit is traversed. Results are given for isolated periodic orbits and rotationally invariant families of periodic orbits in axially symmetric billiard systems. A practical method for determining the stability matrix and the Maslov index is described.Comment: LaTeX, 19 page

The Prognostic Impact of Time Interval Between Hysterectomy and Initiation of Adjuvant Radiation Treatment in Women With Early-Stage Endometrial Carcinoma

Purpose/Objective(s): Adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) is indicated for women with endometrial carcinoma (EC) who are at high risk for recurrence. However, due to various reasons, some patients do not receive ART in a timely manner. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic impact of the time interval (TI) between hysterectomy and starting date of ART. Materials/Methods: After institutional review board approval, we queried our prospectively-maintained institutional database for women with uterine endometrioid EC of 2009 FIGO stages I-II who received ART without chemotherapy after surgical staging. The patients were classified into two groups, based on whether they received ART ≤8 weeks (group A) or \u3e8 weeks (group B) after hysterectomy. We then compared the two groups with regards to the following survival endpoints: recurrence-free survival (RFS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed. Results: A total of 460 patients were identified. Median follow-up duration was 70.5 months. The median age for the entire cohort was 66.0 years. The cohort consisted of 176 patients with FIGO stage IA (38%), 207 (45%) with stage IB and 77 (17%) with stage II. Group A consisted of 354 (77%) patients, and group B had 106 (23%). The median TIs from hysterectomy to ART were 6 weeks and 10 weeks for groups A and B, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of baseline demographic and disease characteristics including age, race, grade, FIGO stage, extent of myometrial invasion, presence of lymphovascular space invasion and radiation treatment modality. A total of 52 patients experienced recurrences. Patients in group A (vs. group B) experienced significantly less recurrences overall (9% vs. 18%; p = 0.01). Rate of vaginal recurrence was significantly lower in group A (9% vs. 42%, p = 0.01). Univariate analysis showed that having RT ≤8 weeks was associated with significantly improved 5-year RFS rate, which was 89% and 80% for groups A and B (p = 0.04), respectively. The rates of 5-year OS (86% vs. 85% for groups A and B, respectively) and 5-year DSS (93% vs. 93% for groups A and B, respectively) were similar. In addition, multivariate analysis showed a statistical trend for improved 5-year RFS when receiving RT ≤8 weeks (p = 0.07). Conclusion: Our study suggests that delaying adjuvant radiation treatment beyond 8 weeks post-hysterectomy is associated with significantly more cancer recurrences for women with early-stage endometrial cancer