A model-based multithreshold method for subgroup identification

Thresholding variable plays a crucial role in subgroup identification for personalizedmedicine. Most existing partitioning methods split the sample basedon one predictor variable. In this paper, we consider setting the splitting rulefrom a combination of multivariate predictors, such as the latent factors, principlecomponents, and weighted sum of predictors. Such a subgrouping methodmay lead to more meaningful partitioning of the population than using a singlevariable. In addition, our method is based on a change point regression modeland thus yields straight forward model-based prediction results. After choosinga particular thresholding variable form, we apply a two-stage multiple changepoint detection method to determine the subgroups and estimate the regressionparameters. We show that our approach can produce two or more subgroupsfrom the multiple change points and identify the true grouping with high probability.In addition, our estimation results enjoy oracle properties. We design asimulation study to compare performances of our proposed and existing methodsand apply them to analyze data sets from a Scleroderma trial and a breastcancer study

Spin signatures of exchange-coupled triplet pairs formed by singlet fission

We study the effect of an exchange interaction on the magnetic-field-dependent photoluminescence in singlet fission materials. We show that, for strongly interacting triplet exciton pairs (intertriplet exchange interaction greater than the intratriplet spin-dipolar interaction), quantum beating and magnetic-field effects vanish apart from at specific magnetic fields where singlet and quintet levels are mixed by a level anticrossing. We characterize these effects and show that the absence of a magnetic-field effect or zero-field quantum beats does not necessarily mean that fission is inoperative. These results call for a reconsideration of the observations that are considered hallmarks of singlet fission and demonstrate how the spin coherence and exchange coupling of interacting triplet pairs can be measured through magneto-photoluminescence experiments.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant ID: EP/G060738/1)This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Physical Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.94.04520

In vitro availability of essential amino acids, and the protein efficiency ration of cooked cicer arietinum

The legume Cicer arietinum (chick-pea) is a commonly used source of dietary protein in India because of its high biological value and non-toxic nature. The objective of this investigation was to study the effects of cooking on the availability of four essential amino acids in chick-peas and on the utilization of its protein for tissue synthesis. Acid hydrolysis for varying periods of time was used to determine the optimum level of each amino acid present in raw, roasted, boiled, and steam-cooked chick-peas. Enzymatic hydrolysis with pepsin and pancreatin for varying periods of time was used to study the quantitative release of the amino acids in vitro. The lysine, threonine, valine, and leucines present in the acid and enzyme hydrolysates were identified by 1-dimensional polychromatic paper chromatography using n-butanol, acetic acid, and water as the solvent for resolution. Quantitative estimations were based on the elution and colorimetric readings of the chromatograms. A growth experiment with weanling rats was employed to evaluate the overall quality of the protein. Using a randomized block design, five groups of 3 week old male rats of the Holtzman strain were fed a basal diet supplying 10% protein through casein, and experimental diets supplying 10% protein through raw, roasted, boiled, and steam-cooked chick-peas for a 4 week period

Jewelry sets

The following thesis is the beginning of a novel about immigration that follows three generations of women from India to America. The short story form is utilized throughout the text

Charge Generation and Electron-Trapping Dynamics in Hybrid Nanocrystal-Polymer Solar Cells

We investigate the charge-trapping dynamics in hybrid nanocrystal-polymer systems and their effect on performance in photovoltaic devices. Employing various steady-state spectroscopy techniques and ultrafast, three-pulse transient absorption methods, we identify the depth of electron trap states in the nanocrystal band gap and measure their population dynamics. Our findings show that photogenerated electrons are trapped at midgap states on the nanocrystal within hundreds of picoseconds. The trapping of the majority of charge carriers before charge extraction results in a lowering of the quasi-Fermi level of the electrons which limits the device open-circuit voltage, thereby underlining the significance of these processes in conjugated polymer/nanocrystal hybrid photovoltaics.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant IDs: EP/M005143/1, EP/G060738/1, EP/G037221/1), Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers (Gauntlet Trust award), German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the American Chemical Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b0759

Electroluminescence from Organometallic Lead Halide Perovskite-Conjugated Polymer Diodes

Organometallic lead perovskite-based solar cells can be converted to light-emitting diodes by engineering the current density. Diodes are fabricated with adjacent perovskite and conjugated polymer layers using orthogonal solvents. Under forward bias, these devices show simultaneous emission from both the luminescent conjugated polymer and the perovskite, providing direct information on electron and hole recombination as a function of device architecture and bias voltage.We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). A.K. acknowledges NRF-Singapore for a scholarship.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aelm.20150000

Intravenously delivered graphene nanosheets and multiwalled carbon nanotubes induce site-specific Th2 inflammatory responses via the IL-33/ST2 axis

Carbon-based nanomaterials (CBN), such as graphene nanosheets (GNS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), have been proposed for potential nanomedicine applications such as biomedical devices and carriers for drug delivery. However, our current understanding regarding the systemic toxicity of these CBN through intravenous (iv) injection is limited. In this study, we compare the immune response resulting from GNS and MWCNT exposure. We hypothesize that iv administration of GNS and MWCNT would result in divergent systemic inflammatory responses due to physicochemical differences between these two CBN. In the lungs of C57BL/6 mice, GNS actuate a Th2 immune response 1 day following iv administration, which consists of neutrophilic influx and a significant increase in interleukin (IL)-5, IL-13, IL-33, and its soluble receptor (sST2) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. MWCNT elicited a significant increase in the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of cytokines in the spleen including IL-4 and IL-33, which are associated with an increase in splenic cell differentiation (CD)4+ and CD8+ T-cells in C57BL/6 mice following iv injection. The observed Th2 responses in both the lung and spleen are absent in ST2−/− mice administrated GNS or MWCNT, suggesting a critical role for IL-33. In conclusion, the use of GNS or MWCNT as nanocarriers for drug delivery may result in Th2 immune responses that are mediated through the IL-33/ST2 axis and therefore may promote adverse allergic reactions

Literati or Monks? Jokes about Buddhist Monks’ Literary Identities in Northern Song Biji

[English abstract] This article sheds new light on the Song literati perception of Buddhist identity through the jokes on Buddhist vegetarianism that are preserved in the biji (miscellaneous jottings), an idiosyncratic genre that became popular during the Song dynasty. I first discuss how mockery was used by literati to problematize Buddhist monks’ ever deepening engagement in secular endeavors by playfully linking precept-breaking carnivorism to monks’ poetry writing. Due to the intrinsic ambiguity between enmity and friendship in playfulness, I next demonstrate how playfulness was used as a reconciliatory force in the controversies over Buddhist precepts and practice

The Drunken Man's Talk: Tales from Medieval China, compiled by Luo Ye, translated by Alister D. Inglis [book review]

Review of The Drunken Man’s Talk: Tales from Medieval China. By Luo Ye. Translated by Alister D. Inglis. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2015. Pp. xxiii + 214. $50 (cloth);$30 (paper)

Humor under the Guise of Chan: Stories of Su Shi and Encounter Dialogues

This article examines a group of Song-dynasty biji (miscellaneous jottings) anecdotes featuring the Northern Song literary giant Su Shi (style name Dongpo, 1037–1101) playfully engaging with Buddhist encounter dialogues. These religious accounts are well known for their riddle-like language and the baffling effect they create among their readers, prompting the question of whether they were read for humor. Previous scholarship on encounter dialogues focuses on the religious perspective, demonstrating that their perplexing language and rhetoric serve pedagogical and monastic functions. By contrast, this article explores Chan Buddhist humor from the perspective of the literati and vernacular culture by examining how encounter dialogues were incorporated in Song-dynasty vernacular plays and literati storytelling. Focusing on stories that depict Su Shi’s playful engagement with encounter dialogues as a case study, this article reveals that an important part of Su Shi’s humorous image is inspired and shaped by Buddhism. It also shows that humor in these biji stories is contingent on the readers’ knowledge of Chan literature such as “recorded dialogues” (yulu) and “transmission records” (denglu), which were popular among literati during the Song. The anecdotal materials preserved in biji suggests a mutual influence between Chan literature and vernacular entertainment during the Song. I argue that, in addition to religious functions, literary factors of performance and aesthetics played significant roles in conditioning the entertaining effect of encounter dialogues, particularly when they were received outside of monastic circles