Holographic injection locking of a broad area laser diode via a photorefractive thin-film device

We demonstrate locking of a high power broad area laser diode to a single frequency using holographic feedback from a photorefractive polymer thin-film device for the first time. A four-wave mixing setup is used to generate feedback for the broad area diode at the wavelength of the single frequency source (Ti:Sapphire laser) while the spatial distribution adapts to the preferred profile of the broad area diode. The result is an injection-locked broad area diode emitting with a linewidth comparable to the Ti:Sapphire laser

Multivariate dynamic kernels for financial time series forecasting

The final publication is available at http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-44781-0_40We propose a forecasting procedure based on multivariate dynamic kernels, with the capability of integrating information measured at different frequencies and at irregular time intervals in financial markets. A data compression process redefines the original financial time series into temporal data blocks, analyzing the temporal information of multiple time intervals. The analysis is done through multivariate dynamic kernels within support vector regression. We also propose two kernels for financial time series that are computationally efficient without a sacrifice on accuracy. The efficacy of the methodology is demonstrated by empirical experiments on forecasting the challenging S&P500 market.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The Use of Colorful Semantics to Improve Sentence Construction in Writing Sentences Among Year Four Pupils

This action research was set out to develop pupils' writing skill using colorful semantics. The main two objectives established from the outset were to develop pupils' sentence construction and improve my teaching practice in sentence construction teaching respectively. As the researcher, I conducted this classroom action research to 31 pupils which comprised 17 males and 14 females of Year 4J of SJK(C) Cheng Siu 2 in Malaysia. The data was gathered through pre- writing test and post- writing test, pupils' work as well as teacher's reflective journal. Over the course of four weeks, I introduced colorful semantics to my pupils in accordance to the sequence of ‘who', ‘what doing', ‘what' and ‘where'. As can be induced from the findings, colorful semantics was statistically significant to pupils' sentence construction through the enhancement of pupils' ability to understand words of each sentence part and also to write sentence in the correct order. The findings also depicted that utilization of colorful semantics improved my teaching practice to become a reflective, passionate, and motivational teacher. Therefore, the positive results warrant further research into colorful semantics with suggestions to integrate Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) into lessons and expose pupils to more sentence types

A Case of Bowen’s Disease and Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma: Long-Term Consequences of Chronic Arsenic Exposure in Chinese Traditional Medicine

Chronic arsenic toxicity occurs primarily through inadvertent ingestion of contaminated water and food or occupational exposure, but it can also occur through medicinal ingestion. This case features a 53-year-old lifetime nonsmoker with chronic asthma treated for 10 years in childhood with Chinese traditional medicine containing arsenic. The patient was diagnosed with Bowen’s disease and developed extensive-stage small-cell carcinoma of the lung 10 years and 47 years, respectively, after the onset of arsenic exposure. Although it has a long history as a medicinal agent, arsenic is a carcinogen associated with many malignancies including those of skin and lung. It is more commonly associated with non–small-cell lung cancer, but the temporal association with Bowen’s disease in the absence of other chemical or occupational exposure strongly points to a causal role for arsenic in this case of small-cell lung cancer. Individuals with documented arsenic-induced Bowen’s disease should be considered for more aggressive screening for long-term complications, especially the development of subsequent malignancies

Preoperative Kidney Function linked to mortality and readmission outcomes at Day 90 and 30 in Older Emergency Surgical Patients

Grants were received from British Geriatric Society and The Renal Association to support Louis EvansPeer reviewedPublisher PD