Compact graphene mode-locked wavelength-tunable erbium-doped fiber lasers: from all anomalous dispersion towards all normal dispersion

Soliton operation and soliton wavelength tuning of erbium-doped fiber lasers mode locked with atomic layer graphene was experimentally investigated under various cavity dispersion conditions. It was shown that not only wide range soliton wavelength tuning but also soltion pulse width variation could be obtained in the fiber lasers. Our results show that the graphene mode locked erbium-doped fiber lasers provide a compact, user friendly and low cost wavelength tunable ultrahsort pulse source

Theory of a quodon gas. With application to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation

Rate theory of the radiation-induced precipitation in solids is modified with account of non-equilibrium fluctuations driven by the gas of lattice solitons (a.k.a. quodons) produced by irradiation. According to quantitative estimations, a steady-state density of the quodon gas under sufficiently intense irradiation can be as high as the density of phonon gas. The quodon gas may be a powerful driver of the chemical reaction rates under irradiation, the strength of which exponentially increases with irradiation flux and may be comparable with strength of the phonon gas that exponentially increases with temperature. The modified rate theory is applied to modelling of copper precipitation in FeCu binary alloys under electron irradiation. In contrast to the classical rate theory, which disagrees strongly with experimental data on all precipitation parameters, the modified rate theory describes quite well both the evolution of precipitates and the matrix concentration of copper measured by different methodsComment: V. Dubinko, R. Shapovalov, Theory of a quodon gas. With application to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation. (Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, 2014

Factors associated with adoption of the electronic health record system among primary care physicians

Background: A territory-wide Internet-based electronic patient record allows better patient care in different sectors. The engagement of private physicians is one of the major facilitators for implementation, but there is limited information about the current adoption level of electronic medical record (eMR) among private primary care physicians. Objective: This survey measured the adoption level, enabling factors, and hindering factors of eMR, among private physicians in Hong Kong. It also evaluated the key functions and the popularity of electronic systems and vendors used by these private practitioners. Methods: A central registry consisting of 4324 private practitioners was set up. Invitations for self-administered surveys and the completed questionnaires were sent and returned via fax, email, postal mail, and on-site clinic visits. Current users and non-users of eMR system were compared according to their demographic and practice characteristics. Student’s t tests and chi-square tests were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results: A total of 524 completed surveys (response rate 524/4405 11.90%) were collected. The proportion of using eMR in private clinics was 79.6% (417/524). When compared with non-users, the eMR users were younger (users: 48.4 years SD 10.6 years vs non-users: 61.7 years SD 10.2 years, P<.001); more were female physicians (users: 80/417, 19.2% vs non-users: 14/107, 13.1%, P=.013); possessed less clinical experience (with more than20 years of practice: users: 261/417, 62.6% vs non-user: 93/107, 86.9%, P<.001); fewer worked under a Health Maintenance Organization (users: 347/417, 83.2% vs non-users: 97/107, 90.7%, P<.001) and more worked with practice partners (users: 126/417, 30.2% vs non-users: 4/107, 3.7%, P<.001). Efficiency (379/417, 90.9%) and reduction of medical errors (229/417, 54.9%) were the major enabling factors, while patient-unfriendliness (58/107, 54.2%) and limited consultation time (54/107, 50.5%) were the most commonly reported hindering factors. The key functions of computer software among eMR users consisted of electronic patient registration system (376/417, 90.2%), drug dispensing system (328/417, 78.7%) and electronic drug labels (296/417, 71.0%). SoftLink Clinic Solution was the most popular vendor (160/417, 38.4%). Conclusions: These findings identified several physician groups who should be targeted for more assistance on eMR installation and its adoption. Future studies should address the barriers of using Internet-based eMR to enhance its adoption

Experimental Study on Seismic Behavior of Cluster-Reinforced Precast Concrete Columns with Grouting-Anchor Connections

The prefabricated residential buildings have become one of the most dominating construction methods in the modern construction industry. The seismic behavior of prefabricated components is crucial in the limit state design of the precast structure. This paper investigates the seismic behavior of a new type precast concrete column that has clustered steel reinforcement with grouting connection. Quasi-static tests are carried out on three cast-in-situ columns and seven precast columns. Axial compression ratio, lap length and lap space are the main variables considered. The failure process, hysteresis curve, skeleton curve, stiffness degradation, displacement ductility and energy dissipation are elaborated. The experimental results show that the precast columns with cluster reinforcement have similar seismic behavior to the cast-in-situ columns. Reducing the axial pressure can improve the ductility and energy consumption performance of the cluster-reinforced columns and exert its ductility to improve its seismic performance. During the assembly, a moderate increase in lap length can improve the seismic behavior of precast columns, whereas the lap space has an insignificant effect on the seismic behavior which indicates that the lap space is not an important factor during construction. The research outcome can serve as a reference for further development and application of precast structures

A fucoidan plant drink reduces Helicobacter pylori load in the stomach: a real-world study

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is highly prevalent globally and is predominantly managed by antibiotics. Recently, the anti-adhesive, antioxidant, antitoxin, immunomodulatory, anti-coagulant, and anti-infective activities of fucoidan, a polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweeds, have been widely studied, and the results showed promise. Fucoidan has the potential to be utilized in Hp eradication therapy. Our present clinical study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of Lewuyou®, a fucoidan plant drink (FPD) in eradicating Hp in humans. METHODS: This multi-center, clinical study was conducted between October 2020 and July 2021. Hp infection was confirmed by urea breath test (UBT). A total of 122 patients with confirmed Hp infection were enrolled; after exclusion of incomplete data, 85 eligible patients (37 males and 48 females aged 20–81 years) were included in the final analysis. FPD (50 mL per vial) was orally administered twice daily for a 4-week cycle, and 41 patients completed an 8-week cycle. RESULTS: No adverse event (AE) was reported in all 122 participants who had consumed FPD. The Hp eradication rate and clearance rate were 77.6% (66/85) and 20.0% (17/85), respectively, after 4 weeks of FPD consumption and 80.5% (33/41) and 26.8 (11/41) , respectively, after 8 weeks of consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The 4- and 8-week protocols of FPD consumption were safe and effective at reducing Hp load on the gastric mucosa, with Hp eradicated in the majority of participants

Moments of the Hadronic Invariant Mass Spectrum in B --> X_c l nu Decays at Belle

We present a measurement of the hadronic invariant mass squared (M^2_X) spectrum in charmed semileptonic B meson decays B --> X_c l nu based on 140 fb^-1 of Belle data collected near the Y(4S) resonance. We determine the first, the second central and the second non-central moments of this spectrum for lepton energy thresholds ranging between 0.7 and 1.9 GeV. Full correlations between these measurements are evaluated.Comment: published version of the paper (one figure added, minor changes in the text); 16 pages, 3 figures, 10 table

Time-Dependent CP Violation Effects in Partially Reconstructed B0→D∗πB^0 \to D^* \pi Decays

We report measurements of time-dependent decay rates for $B^0 \to D^{*\mp} \pi^\pm$ decays and extraction of CP violation parameters related to $\phi_3$. We use a partial reconstruction technique, whereby signal events are identified using information only from the primary pion and the charged pion from the decay of the $D^{*\mp}$. The analysis uses $140 {\rm fb}^{-1}$ of data accumulated at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^{+}e^{-}$ collider. We measure the CP violation parameters $S^+ = 0.035 \pm 0.041 ({\rm stat}) \pm 0.018 ({\rm syst})$ and $S^- = 0.025 \pm 0.041 ({\rm stat}) \pm 0.018 ({\rm syst})$.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Physics Letters

Progress in muscular dystrophy research with special emphasis on gene therapy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked, progressive muscle-wasting disease caused by mutations in the DMD gene. Since the disease was described by physicians in the 19th century, information about the subject has been accumulated. One author (Sugita) was one of the coworkers who first reported that the serum creatine kinase (CK) level is elevated in progressive muscular dystrophy patients. Even 50 years after that first report, an elevated serum CK level is still the most useful marker in the diagnosis of DMD, a sensitive index of the state of skeletal muscle, and useful to evaluate therapeutic effects. In the latter half of this article, we describe recent progress in the therapy of DMD, with an emphasis on gene therapies, particularly exon skipping