Optimization of broadband semiconductor chirped mirrors with genetic algorithm

Genetic algorithm was applied for optimization of dispersion properties in semiconductor Bragg reflectors for applications in femtosecond lasers. Broadband, large negative group-delay dispersion was achieved in the optimized design: The group-delay dispersion (GDD) as large as −3500 fs2 was theoretically obtained over a 10-nm bandwidth. The designed structure was manufactured and tested, providing GDD −3320 fs2 over a 7-nm bandwidth. The mirror performance was verified in semiconductor structures grown with molecular beam epitaxy. The mirror was tested in a passively mode-locked Yb:KYW laser

Anatomical classification of the shape and topography of the stomach

The aim of the study was to present the classification of anatomical variations of the stomach, based on the radiological and historical data. In years 2006–2010, 2,034 examinations of the upper digestive tract were performed. Normal stomach anatomy or different variations of the organ shape and/or topography without any organic radiologically detectable gastric lesions were revealed in 568 and 821 cases, respectively. Five primary groups were established: abnormal position along longitudinal (I) and horizontal axis (II), as well as abnormal shape (III) and stomach connections (IV) or mixed forms (V). The first group contains abnormalities most commonly observed among examined patients such as stomach rotation and translocation to the chest cavity, including sliding, paraesophageal, mixed-form and upside-down hiatal diaphragmatic hernias, as well as short esophagus, and the other diaphragmatic hernias, that were not found in the evaluated population. The second group includes the stomach cascade. The third and fourth groups comprise developmental variations and organ malformations that were not observed in evaluated patients. The last group (V) encloses mixed forms that connect two or more previous variations

Comparing subjective well-being and health-related quality of life of Australian drug users in treatment in regional and rural Victoria

The aim of this study is to examine the self-reported subjective well-being and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of alcohol and other drug users and to examine whether subjective well-being in this sample would be predicted by either HRQOL and/or severity of dependence

Tracking it Down: Predictors of risky drinking in an Australian railway

In the present study, employees (N=4,979) of an Australian state railway were surveyed in order to determine self-reported employee alcohol use and the influence of work-related risk factors on this use. Male employees reported drinking more frequently than did female employees, with younger employees drinking more often than older ones. In comparison to Australian men in general (National Drug Strategy [NDS], 1996), male employees reported drinking less frequently. When compared to Australian women, female employees were the most likely employees to report drinking 5-7 days-a-week. Station staff were the most likely workstream to report problem drinking. Train crews did not report high frequency drinking or problem drinking, but reported using alcohol to sleep. Examination of risk factors previously associated with work-related problem drinking showed that gender, nights away from home for work, job satisfaction, and availability of alcohol were significant predictors of high frequency drinking. Shiftwork, overtime, time away from home, and job satisfaction were significantly related to using alcohol to get to sleep. These findings are discussed in the context of prior research into railway worker drinking

Barroom aggression perpetration by Australian women: Associations with heavy episodic drinking, trait aggression, and conformity to gender norms

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Heavy episodic drinking (HED), trait aggression, and conformity to masculine norms increase the risk of barroom aggression (BA) perpetration in men; however, research examining these factors relative to female BA perpetration is lacking. This study assessed the associations of HED, trait aggression, and conformity to masculine and feminine norms with BA perpetration in Australian women. Female university students (N = 148) aged 18–54 (Mage= 24.19; SDage= 6.84) completed an online questionnaire including measures of BA perpetration and HED, as well as the Brief Aggression Questionnaire, the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI), and the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI). Negative binomial regression analyses found HED, trait aggression, and the Violence and Playboy subscales of the CMNI were positively associated with BA perpetration, while the Domestic and Sexual Fidelity subscales of the CFNI were negatively associated with BA perpetration. Norms supporting the use of violence and having multiple sexual partners are associated with increased likelihood of female BA perpetration, while norms valuing domesticity and monogamy are associated with decreased likelihood of female BA perpetration. These findings suggest BA perpetration by women is related to how much they drink, trait aggression, and socialized gender norms