Ultracompact monolithic integration of balanced, polarization diversity photodetectors for coherent lightwave receivers

The authors have monolithically integrated an optical front-end on InP for balanced, polarization-diversity coherent lightwave reception which is only 1.3-mm long. Low on-chip insertion loss (<4.5 dB) and balanced photoresponse (1.05:1 or better) are achieved at 1.5-μm wavelength using straightforward, regrowth-free fabrication. Low-capacitance photodetectors (≤0.15 pF) are employed for high bandwidth operation

Ultracompact, low-loss directional couplers on InP based on self-imaging by multimode interference

We report extremely compact (494-µm-long 3 dB splitters, including input/output bends), polarization-insensitive, zero-gap directional couplers on InP with a highly multimode interference region that are based on the self-imaging effect. We measured cross-state extinctions better than 28 dB and on-chip insertion losses of 0.5 dB/coupler plus 1 dB/cm guide propagation loss at 1523 nm wavelength

CORRELATION BETWEEN ESTRADIOL SERUM LEVELS WITH XEROSTOMIA INVENTORY SCORE ON MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Objective: Menopause is a condition of permanent cessation of menstruation for 12 consecutive months. This occurs due to the loss of follicular ovarian activity so that estrogen levels decrease in the body. Menopause can occur at various ages, where the average age of menopause is 51-55 y. Menopause can affect oral tissues as well as other organ systems and cause xerostomia. Some of the symptoms of xerostomia include burning feelings, taste abnormalities, dysarthria, dysphagia, dysgeusia, and halitosis. Methods: This study uses a case series design to assess the correlation between estradiol levels and the incidence of xerostomia in menopausal women. The incidence of xerostomia using the Xerostomia Inventory (XI) Score. This research was conducted in several places, namely H. Adam Malik General Hospital Medan and the hospital network of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sumatra Utara. The study population was all postmenopausal women at the H. Adam Malik General Hospital in Medan and the Obgyn FK USU network hospital that met the study inclusion-exclusion criteria. This research was conducted in February with a minimum sample of 38 people. Results: In this study, 38 samples were obtained. Based on the results of the study, it was found that the most age groups were in the range of 56-60 y, the duration of menopause in the 5-10 y group, and the highest Body Mass Index (BMI) was obesity. The mean value of estradiol in menopausal women was 23.61±8.37 pg/ml; the mean value of XI score in menopausal women was 24.29±9.44. The correlation of estradiol levels and XI scores in menopausal women is a strong negative correlation that is-0.651 (p value&lt;0.05). Correlation value of XI score and obesity in menopausal women is a low positive correlation with r = 0.342 (p value&lt;0.05) while the value of correlation XI score with menopausal women who are not obese is a strong positive correlation with r = 0.793 (p value&lt;0, 05). Conclusion: Changes in the oral cavity are caused by aging and hypoestrogenism. The mean age of postmenopausal women was 56.98±4.35, with a mean BMI of 28.24±4.41. Estradiol levels in menopausal women are lower than women of reproductive age in each phase of the menstrual cycle. Significant reduction in estrogen production during menopause causes a decrease in salivary flow, leading to hyposalivation and symptoms of xerostomia

Alternative Chelator for 89Zr Radiopharmaceuticals: Radiolabeling and Evaluation of 3,4,3-(LI-1,2-HOPO)

Zirconium-89 is an effective radionuclide for antibody-based positron emission tomography (PET) imaging because its physical half-life (78.41 h) matches the biological half-life of IgG antibodies. Desferrioxamine (DFO) is currently the preferred chelator for 89Zr4+; however, accumulation of 89Zr in the bones of mice suggests that 89Zr4+ is released from DFO in vivo. An improved chelator for 89Zr4+ could eliminate the release of osteophilic 89Zr4+ and lead to a safer PET tracer with reduced background radiation dose. Herein, we present an octadentate chelator 3,4,3-(LI-1,2-HOPO) (or HOPO) as a potentially superior alternative to DFO. The HOPO ligand formed a 1:1 Zr-HOPO complex that was evaluated experimentally and theoretically. The stability of 89Zr-HOPO matched or surpassed that of 89Zr-DFO in every experiment. In healthy mice, 89Zr-HOPO cleared the body rapidly with no signs of demetalation. Ultimately, HOPO has the potential to replace DFO as the chelator of choice for 89Zr-based PET imaging agents

Low-loss, Ultra-compact Monolithic Integration Of High-speed Polarization-diversity Photodetectors

Polarization-selective optical devices are required for polarization-diversity coherent lightwave receivers.[l] Monolithic integration of such devices with photodetectors improves detector functionality and eliminates package complexity by reducing part count and hybrid optical interconnects. Compatibility with high III-V materials' cost, however, requires simple, high-yield processes and compact device size. We previously proposed a simple and compact integration scheme employing metal-loaded vertical couplers for polarization splitting and vertically-coupled photodiodes for O/E conversion. Initial experiments using InGaAsP/InP demonstrated satisfactory optical functionality, with 10.6 and 16dB polarization selectivity for TE and TM polarized-light.[2] Here we show how such integrated devices can be modified to achieve suitable electronic performance, including wide bandwidth and high quantum efficiency

Differentiation and fiber type-specific activity of a muscle creatine kinase intronic enhancer

Background: Hundreds of genes, including muscle creatine kinase (MCK), are differentially expressed in fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers, but the fiber type-specific regulatory mechanisms are not well understood. Results: Modulatory region 1 (MR1) is a 1-kb regulatory region within MCK intron 1 that is highly active in terminally differentiating skeletal myocytes in vitro. A MCK small intronic enhancer (MCK-SIE) containing a paired E-box/myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) regulatory motif resides within MR1. The SIE's transcriptional activity equals that of the extensively characterized 206-bp MCK 5'-enhancer, but the MCK-SIE is flanked by regions that can repress its activity via the individual and combined effects of about 15 different but highly conserved 9- to 24-bp sequences. ChIP and ChIP-Seq analyses indicate that the SIE and the MCK 5'-enhancer are occupied by MyoD, myogenin and MEF2. Many other E-boxes located within or immediately adjacent to intron 1 are not occupied by MyoD or myogenin. Transgenic analysis of a 6.5-kb MCK genomic fragment containing the 5'-enhancer and proximal promoter plus the 3.2-kb intron 1, with and without MR1, indicates that MR1 is critical for MCK expression in slow- and intermediate-twitch muscle fibers (types I and IIa, respectively), but is not required for expression in fast-twitch muscle fibers (types IIb and IId). Conclusions: In this study, we discovered that MR1 is critical for MCK expression in slow- and intermediate-twitch muscle fibers and that MR1's positive transcriptional activity depends on a paired E-box MEF2 site motif within a SIE. This is the first study to delineate the DNA controls for MCK expression in different skeletal muscle fiber types

Migration, health knowledge and teenage fertility: evidence from Mexico

Migration may affect fertility and child health care of those remaining in the country of origin. Mexican data show that having at least one household member who migrated to the United States decreases the occurrence of pregnancy among teenagers by 0.339 probability points. This finding can be partially explained by the fact that teenagers in migrant households have a higher knowledge of contraceptive methods and likely practice active birth control. I use potential migration, measured as historic migration rates interacted with the proportion of adult males in the household, as an instrument to account for the endogeneity of migrant status.Financial support from the Spanish MEC (Ref. ECO2014-58434-P) is gratefully acknowledged

Low-loss, Ultra-compact Monolithic Integration Of High-speed Polarization-diversity Photodetectors

Polarization-selective optical devices are required for polarization-diversity coherent lightwave receivers.[l] Monolithic integration of such devices with photodetectors improves detector functionality and eliminates package complexity by reducing part count and hybrid optical interconnects. Compatibility with high III-V materials' cost, however, requires simple, high-yield processes and compact device size. We previously proposed a simple and compact integration scheme employing metal-loaded vertical couplers for polarization splitting and vertically-coupled photodiodes for O/E conversion. Initial experiments using InGaAsP/InP demonstrated satisfactory optical functionality, with 10.6 and 16dB polarization selectivity for TE and TM polarized-light.[2] Here we show how such integrated devices can be modified to achieve suitable electronic performance, including wide bandwidth and high quantum efficiency