Isotope shift measurement of barium 6s2^2 1^1S0_0-5d6p 3^3D1_1 transitions for efficient isotope-selective photoionization

We report the first direct measurement of isotope shifts of the barium 6s$^2$ $^1$S$_0$ - 5d6p $^3$D$_1$ 413nm electric quadrupole transition, which is utilized for efficient barium ion trapping via photoionization using a single coherent light source. The measured isotope shifts relative to $^{138}$Ba are $392.6\pm0.5$ MHz, $177.9\pm0.4$ MHz, $399.7\pm0.8$ MHz, and $126.5\pm1.2$ MHz for isotopes with atomic number 137, 136, 135 and 134, respectively. We verified the measured isotopes with King plot analysis and compared the result with the formerly known shifts inferred from previous studies on neighboring transitions. The results could be used for efficient isotope selective loading of low-abundant barium ions, while careful suppression of line broadening is required for successful isotopic selectivity.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Fast track fed-batch culture development for COVID-19 vaccine clinical study

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Alterations of the Foveal Avascular Zone Measured by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Glaucoma Patients With Central Visual Field Defects

Citation: Kwon J, Choi J, Shin JW, Lee J, Kook MS. Alterations of the foveal avascular zone measured by optical coherence tomography angiography in glaucoma patients with central visual field defects. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2017;58:163758: -164558: . DOI: 10.1167 PURPOSE. To investigate whether the area and shape of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) as assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) are altered in glaucomatous eyes with central visual field defects (CVFDs). METHODS. A total of 78 patients with open-angle glaucoma with central or peripheral visual field defects (PVFDs) confined to a single hemifield were studied retrospectively. Foveal avascular zone area and circularity were measured using OCTA images from the superficial retinal layer. Central retinal visual field (VF) sensitivity using Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm 24-2 VF and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness were measured. The FAZ area between VF-affected hemimacular segments and VF-unaffected hemimacular segments in eyes with CVFDs and matched hemimacular segments of eyes with PVFDs were compared. Factors associated with the presence and severity of CVFD at initial presentation were determined. RESULTS. Eyes with CVFDs showed a significantly larger FAZ area, lower FAZ circularity, and lower mGCIPL thickness than the PVFD group. The mean hemi-FAZ area of VF-affected hemimaculas in eyes with CVFDs was significantly larger than that of the PVFD group (0.256 6 0.07 mm 2 vs. 0.184 6 0.07 mm 2 ) and the VF-unaffected hemimaculas of the CVFD group (0.179 6 0.06 mm 2 ; P < 0.05). Age, mean deviation, mGCIPL thickness, FAZ area, and circularity were associated with CVFDs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS. Microcirculatory alterations in the perifovea are spatially correlated with central VF loss. Loss of FAZ circularity was significantly associated with presence of CVFD, whereas FAZ area was significantly associated with severity of CVFD. Keywords: foveal avascular zone, central visual field defects, optical coherence tomography angiography G laucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness and is characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and axonal loss. 1,2 Ocular blood flow (OBF) impairment and/or abnormal microcirculation along with elevated IOP may play an important role in glaucoma, particularly in normaltension glaucoma (NTG) 9,10 Optical coherence tomography angiography is a technique that uses differences between B-scans to generate contrasts associated with motion; in particular, the motion of blood cells through the vasculature. It identifies temporal changes in a specific location and recognizes them as erythrocyte motion. OCTA obtains detailed images of the macular microvascular networks with a high resolution and in a reproducible manner. 11 The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) is the round capillary-free zone within the macula. Manual measurement of FAZ area based on OCTA images at the superficial vascular network is a noninvasive, simple, and useful method for quantifying FAZ dimensions and architecture. 12,18-22 Foveal avascular zone circularity (roundness of the FAZ border) can also help characterize FAZ architecture, which can be reduced by vascular diseases in the macula, such as DR or retinal vein occlusion (RVO)

Diet-Induced Obese Mice and Leptin-Deficient Lepob/ob Mice Exhibit Increased Circulating GIP Levels Produced by Different Mechanisms.

As glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) possesses pro-adipogenic action, the suppression of the GIP hypersecretion seen in obesity might represent a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of obesity. However, the mechanism of GIP hypersecretion remains largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated GIP secretion in two mouse models of obesity: High-fat diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and leptin-deficient Lepob/ob mice. In DIO mice, plasma GIP was increased along with an increase in GIP mRNA expression in the lower small intestine. Despite the robust alteration in the gut microbiome in DIO mice, co-administration of maltose and the α-glucosidase inhibitor (α-GI) miglitol induced the microbiome-mediated suppression of GIP secretion. The plasma GIP levels of Lepob/ob mice were also elevated and were suppressed by fat transplantation. The GIP mRNA expression in fat tissue was not increased in Lepob/ob mice, while the expression of an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) was increased. Fat transplantation suppressed the expression of IL-1Ra. The plasma IL-1Ra levels were positively correlated with the plasma GIP levels. Accordingly, although circulating GIP levels are increased in both DIO and Lepob/ob mice, the underlying mechanisms differ, and the anti-obesity actions of α-GIs and leptin sensitizers may be mediated partly by the suppression of GIP secretion

Remote Diagnosis of Architectural Heritage Based on 5W1H Model-Based Metadata in Virtual Reality

We propose a framework based on the 5W1H model-based metadata for remote diagnosis in virtual reality (VR). For this purpose, we suggest unique metadata composed of Point of Interest (POI)-extended anchor (xAnchor)-content for a context-aware service in virtual and augmented reality. We define the attributes of the metadata based on the 5W1H context for information retrieval according to the context in a remote diagnosis. Second, we propose the ontology-based linker metadata that express the relations between AR scenes and that retrieve external information. Moreover, we suggest heritage building information metadata for information retrieval according to context. For evaluation, we created a geo-tagged content tool and a remote diagnosis VR application. We conducted focus-group interviews and heuristic evaluations for remote diagnosis in VR to verify the methodology of this study. As a result, we found that experts were most satisfied with the functions that provide the contextualized information. This study contributes to the geospatial metadata for a context-aware service in VR/AR as well as the remote diagnosis framework to overcome the time-consuming problem of the existing remote diagnosis

Janus-FTL: finding the optimal point on the spectrum between page and block mapping schemes

NAND flash memory based storage such as SSDs is gaining popularity in commodity computer systems. Some low-end SSDs use the block mapping FTL (Flash Translation Layer) that is good for sequential write patterns but poor for random ones. On the other hand, high-end SSDs tend to use the page mapping FTL that is effective for random write patterns, but whose performance degrades after successive random writes. Designing an FTL that adapts to various workload patterns and provides long-term stable performance is a challenging issue. To resolve this issue, we propose a new FTL, which we call Janus-FTL, that provides a spectrum between the block and page mapping schemes. By adapting along the spectrum, Janus-FTL can provide long-term superior write performance for various workload patterns. We also present a cost model of Janus-FTL that shows the existence of the optimal point on the spectrum for a given workload. Our experimental results show the superiority of Janus-FTL, which adapts itself along the spectrum for a given workload, over state-of-the-art hybrid mapping FTLs and the pure page mapping FTL

Generation of an optical Schrodinger-cat-like state in a nonideal cavity by injecting opposite-phase atomic dipoles

We propose a method for generating an optical Schrodinger-cat-like state in a cavity in a substantial decoherence regime. Even when the cavity decay rate is considerably large, a cat-like state can be generated in a laser-like setting if the gain for the field is larger than the loss. Under the condition that opposite-phase atomic dipoles repeatedly traverse the cavity, the cavity field converges to a squeezed vacuum state in a steady state. A Schrodinger-cat-like state is then generated when a single photon decay occurs. The phase-space distribution of the cat state can be revealed in homodyne detection by using the decaying photon as a herald event. Quantum trajectory simulation was used to identify the conditions for the Schrodinger-cat-like state formation as well as to analyze the properties of those states. Based on these simulations, possible experiments are proposed within the reach of the current technology.11Nsciescopu

The complete chloroplast genome of Hemerocallis Fulva

We have sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of Hemerocallis fulva, a species of the Asphodelaceae family, through Illumina HiSeq paired-end sequencing. The total size of chloroplast genome of Hemerocallis fulva was 155,855 bp with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,607 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,508 bp, and a pair of identical inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 26,370 bp. The genome contained a total of 112 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 29 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 4 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The phylogenetic analysis of Hemerocallis fulva with 10 related species exhibited the closest taxonomical relationship with Aloe species in the Asphodelaceae family