327 research outputs found
The Photorefractive Effect in Liquid Crystals
This chapter summarizes the state of the art of research regarding photorefractive liquid crystals. Photorefractive effect is of interest because it can be used to obtain dynamic holograms, based on interference between dual laser beams within a liquid crystal to generate a refractive index grating. This technique can be employed in numerous diffraction optics applications, such as optical amplifiers, phase-conjugate wave generators, 3D displays, novelty filters, and optical tomography. The photorefractive effect in liquid crystals is especially pronounced, and both ferroelectric and nematic liquid crystals have been researched for this purpose, with the former showing special promise in practical applications. As an example, ferroelectric liquid crystals have been found to readily produce a refractive index grating in conjunction with a significant gain and a formation time of 900 ms
Mode-Seeking Clustering and Density Ridge Estimation via Direct Estimation of Density-Derivative-Ratios
Modes and ridges of the probability density function behind observed data are useful geometric features. Mode-seeking clustering assigns cluster labels by associating data samples with the nearest modes, and estimation of density ridges enables us to find lower-dimensional structures hidden in data. A key technical challenge both in mode-seeking clustering and density ridge estimation is accurate estimation of the ratios of the first- and second-order density derivatives to the density. A naive approach takes a three-step approach of first estimating the data density, then computing its derivatives, and finally taking their ratios. However, this three-step approach can be unreliable because a good density estimator does not necessarily mean a good density derivative estimator, and division by the estimated density could significantly magnify the estimation error. To cope with these problems, we propose a novel estimator for the density-derivative-ratios. The proposed estimator does not involve density estimation, but rather directly approximates the ratios of density derivatives of any order. Moreover, we establish a convergence rate of the proposed estimator. Based on the proposed estimator, novel methods both for mode-seeking clustering and density ridge estimation are developed, and the respective convergence rates to the mode and ridge of the underlying density are also established. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate that the developed methods significantly outperform existing methods, particularly for relatively high-dimensional data.Peer reviewe
Comparative accuracy of cervical cancer screening strategies in healthy asymptomatic women:a systematic review and network meta-analysis
To compare all available accuracy data on screening strategies for identifying cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade ≥ 2 in healthy asymptomatic women, we performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched up to October 2020 for paired-design studies of cytology and testing for high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (hrHPV). The methods used included a duplicate assessment of eligibility, double extraction of quantitative data, validity assessment, random-effects network meta-analysis of test accuracy, and GRADE rating. Twenty-seven prospective studies (185,269 subjects) were included. The combination of cytology (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or higher grades) and hrHPV testing (excepting genotyping for HPV 16 or 18 [HPV16/18]) with the either-positive criterion (OR rule) was the most sensitive/least specific, whereas the same combination with the both-positive criterion (AND rule) was the most specific/least sensitive. Compared with standalone cytology, non-HPV16/18 hrHPV assays were more sensitive/less specific. Two algorithms proposed for primary cytological testing or primary hrHPV testing were ranked in the middle as more sensitive/less specific than standalone cytology and the AND rule combinations but more specific/less sensitive than standalone hrHPV testing and the OR rule combination. Further research is needed to assess these results in population-relevant outcomes at the program level
Coherent-Incoherent Crossover of Charge and Neutral Mode Transport as Evidence for the Disorder-Dominated Fractional Edge Phase
Couplings between topological edge channels open electronic phases possessing
nontrivial eigenmodes far beyond the noninteracting-edge picture. However,
inelastic scatterings mask the eigenmodes' inherent features, often preventing
us from identifying the phases, as is the case for the quintessential
Landau-level filling factor v = 2/3 edge composed of the counter-propagating v
= 1/3 and 1 (1/3-1) channels. Here, we study the coherent-incoherent crossover
of the 1/3-1 channels by tuning the channel length in-situ using a new device
architecture comprising a junction of v = 1/3 and 1 systems, the particle-hole
conjugate of the 2/3 edge. We successfully observed the concurrence of the
fluctuating electrical conductance and the quantized thermal conductance in the
crossover regime, the definitive hallmark of the eigenmodes in the
disorder-dominated edge phase left experimentally unverified
Colorectal Carcinoma with Extremely Low CA19-9
Aim. The aim of this study is to determine the significance of postoperative sequential measurements of serum CA19-9 in patients with extremely low serum level. Patients and Methods. Serum level of CA19-9 of 1096 patients who underwent surgery was measured preoperatively and every three months after surgery for 5 years. Patients with CA19-9 level of less than 2 U/mL at the time of diagnosis were defined as Extremely Low CA19-9 (ELCA). Results. One hundred and seven patients (9.8%) were ELCA. Of these, 86 underwent surgery with curative intent. Serum levels of CA19-9 in patients who did not undergo curative resection (N = 12) and who developed recurrence (N = 10) were less than 2.0 U/mL in all occasions during followup. In all patients without recurrence, serum level of CA19-9 also remained less than 2.0 U/mL. Conclusion. In patients with extremely low CA19-9, who consist of 9.8% of colorectal carcinoma cases, postoperative sequential measurement of serum level of CA19-9 contributed neither to assessment of curability of surgical resection nor to detection of recurrence
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