The Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI). Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the italian version

SUMMARY Introduction. The Italian version of the Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI) may help assess shoulder function in patients with shoulder problems, especially athletes. Objective. Translate and cross-culturally adapt UEFI into Italian; verify UEFI validity and reliability in professional and amateur athletes with upper limb musculoskeletal disorders, shoulder, in particular. Methods. This study was conducted with 150 participants with musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb. UEFI, the short version of the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scale (Quick DASH), the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) were administered. Acceptability was assessed in terms of refusal rate, rates of missing responses, and administration time; test-retest reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC); internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and validity was assessed by Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Results. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the UEFI on test and retest were α = 0.979 and α = 0.985, respectively. The average measure ICC was 0.917. The UEFI score demonstrated strong negative correlations with SPADI total score (-0.636), Quick DASH score (-0.685), and SF-36 score (-0.327). Conclusions. The Italian version of UEFI is acceptable, valid, and reliable

Experimental GHZ Entanglement beyond Qubits

The Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) argument provides an all-or-nothing contradiction between quantum mechanics and local-realistic theories. In its original formulation, GHZ investigated three and four particles entangled in two dimensions only. Very recently, higher dimensional contradictions especially in three dimensions and three particles have been discovered but it has remained unclear how to produce such states. In this article we experimentally show how to generate a three-dimensional GHZ state from two-photon orbital-angular-momentum entanglement. The first suggestion for a setup which generates three-dimensional GHZ entanglement from these entangled pairs came from using the computer algorithm Melvin. The procedure employs novel concepts significantly beyond the qubit case. Our experiment opens up the possibility of a truly high-dimensional test of the GHZ-contradiction which, interestingly, employs non-Hermitian operators.Comment: 6+6 pages, 8 figure

Effect of Deutetrabenazine on Chorea Among Patients With Huntington Disease A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Deutetrabenazine is a novel molecule containing deuterium, which attenuates CYP2D6 metabolism and increases active metabolite half-lives and may therefore lead to stable systemic exposure while preserving key pharmacological activity. Objective To evaluate efficacy and safety of deutetrabenazine treatment to control chorea associated with Huntington disease. Design, Setting, and Participants Ninety ambulatory adults diagnosed with manifest Huntington disease and a baseline total maximal chorea score of 8 or higher (range, 0-28; lower score indicates less chorea) were enrolled from August 2013 to August 2014 and randomized to receive deutetrabenazine (n = 45) or placebo (n = 45) in a double-blind fashion at 34 Huntington Study Group sites. Interventions Deutetrabenazine or placebo was titrated to optimal dose level over 8 weeks and maintained for 4 weeks, followed by a 1-week washout. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary end point was the total maximal chorea score change from baseline (the average of values from the screening and day-0 visits) to maintenance therapy (the average of values from the week 9 and 12 visits) obtained by in-person visits. This study was designed to detect a 2.7-unit treatment difference in scores. The secondary end points, assessed hierarchically, were the proportion of patients who achieved treatment success on the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) and on the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC), the change in 36-Item Short Form– physical functioning subscale score (SF-36), and the change in the Berg Balance Test. Results Ninety patients with Huntington disease (mean age, 53.7 years; 40 women [44.4%]) were enrolled. In the deutetrabenazine group, the mean total maximal chorea scores improved from 12.1 (95% CI, 11.2-12.9) to 7.7 (95% CI, 6.5-8.9), whereas in the placebo group, scores improved from 13.2 (95% CI, 12.2-14.3) to 11.3 (95% CI, 10.0-12.5); the mean between-group difference was –2.5 units (95% CI, –3.7 to –1.3) (P < .001). Treatment success, as measured by the PGIC, occurred in 23 patients (51%) in the deutetrabenazine group vs 9 (20%) in the placebo group (P = .002). As measured by the CGIC, treatment success occurred in 19 patients (42%) in the deutetrabenazine group vs 6 (13%) in the placebo group (P = .002). In the deutetrabenazine group, the mean SF-36 physical functioning subscale scores decreased from 47.5 (95% CI, 44.3-50.8) to 47.4 (44.3-50.5), whereas in the placebo group, scores decreased from 43.2 (95% CI, 40.2-46.3) to 39.9 (95% CI, 36.2-43.6), for a treatment benefit of 4.3 (95% CI, 0.4 to 8.3) (P = .03). There was no difference between groups (mean difference of 1.0 unit; 95% CI, –0.3 to 2.3; P = .14), for improvement in the Berg Balance Test, which improved by 2.2 units (95% CI, 1.3-3.1) in the deutetrabenazine group and by 1.3 units (95% CI, 0.4-2.2) in the placebo group. Adverse event rates were similar for deutetrabenazine and placebo, including depression, anxiety, and akathisia. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with chorea associated with Huntington disease, the use of deutetrabenazine compared with placebo resulted in improved motor signs at 12 weeks. Further research is needed to assess the clinical importance of the effect size and to determine longer-term efficacy and safety

Process technology evaluation for high yield reproducible HEMT/PM-HEMT MMIC fabrication

In this article we will report on a high yield HEMT/PM-HEMT technology, based an optimised ohmic contact formation and gate recessing. With this technology active device fabrication yields are better than 90% and corresponding key parameter tollerances always better than ± 5%, as required for high yield MMIC fabrication

Heterostructure transistor technology for microwave monolithic integrated circuit applications.

In this article we demonstrate that the HEMT technology can be applied to MESFET based microwave monolithic integrated circuits to yield improved per­formance margins. Typical performance for the low-noise (LNA) and wideband (TWA) amplifiers studied are: for the HEMT-LNA » 2.2 dB noise figure and » 26 dB gain at 12 GHz in comparison with » 2.8 dB noise figure and »20 dB gain for the MESFET-LNA; for the HEMT-TWA » 8 dB. gain in the frequency range 0.2 to 18 GHz as composed to » 6 dB gain for the MESFET-TWA

Self-consistent fully dynamic electro-thermal simulation of power HBTS

A new self-consistent dynamic electro-thermal model for power HBTs is presented coupling a circuit-oriented electricalmodel, fitted on experimental data, with a full frequency domain thermal model. The thermal model provides the exact frequency behaviour of the device thermal impedance through a quasi-3D approach. The electro-thermal self-consistent solution is achieved, in large-signal periodic operation, through Harmonic Balance analysis. The model has been applied to the simulation of some HBT layouts from Alenia Marconi Systems

Selex ES GaN technology: Improvements, results and R&D approach for 0.5μm and 0.25μm process

The capability to build systems entirely based on European technologies is an essential condition for all the companies working in the Defense and Space industry, in order to overcome possible problems related with the restrictions on export licenses (ITAR). For this reason from the last 40 years Selex ES Foundry has been committed to provide state-of-the-art solid state components, establishing a high level of technical capability in the design, processing and assembly of said components. In particular Selex ES Foundry is involved in a range of technological developments to consolidate and qualify half micron and quarter micron GaN technology

Numerical Study of Reconfigurable Mid‐IR Single Photon Sources Based on Functional Ferroelectrics

The future of quantum photonic technology depends on the realization of efficient sources of single photons, the ideal carriers of quantum information. Parametric downconversion (PDC) is a promising route to create highly coherent, spectrally pure single photons for quantum photonics using versatile group-velocity matching (GVM) and tailored nonlinearities. However, the functionality to actively control the poling period of nonlinear crystals used in PDC is currently missing, yet would enable to dynamically modify the wavelength of single photons produced in the PDC process. Here a detailed GVM study is presented for functional PMN-0.38PT material which can be dynamically repolled at ambient conditions with fields as low as 0.4 kV/mm. Our study reveals phase-matching conditions for spectrally pure single photon creation at 5-6 microns. Further, a practical approach is proposed for on-flight wavelength switching of the created single photons. The reported reconfigurable functionality benefits a wide range of emerging quantum-enhanced applications in the mid-IR spectral region where the choice of single photon sources is currently limited.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Reconfigurable mid-IR single photon sources based on functional materials

14 pages, 5 figuresThe future of quantum photonic technology depends on the realization of efficient sources of single photons, the ideal carriers of quantum information. Parametric downconversion (PDC) is a promising route to create highly coherent, spectrally pure single photons for quantum photonics using versatile group-velocity matching (GVM) and tailored nonlinearities. However, the functionality to actively control the poling period of nonlinear crystals used in PDC is currently missing, yet would enable to dynamically modify the wavelength of single photons produced in the PDC process. Here a detailed GVM study is presented for functional PMN-0.38PT material which can be dynamically repolled at ambient conditions with fields as low as 0.4 kV/cm. Our study reveals phase-matching conditions for pure single photon creation at ~ 5.4 microns. Further, a practical approach is proposed for on-flight wavelength switching of the created single photons. The reported reconfigurable functionality benefits a wide range of emerging quantum-enhanced applications in the mid-IR spectral region where the choice of single photon sources is currently limited