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We present a thermally tunable microring resonator (MRR) implemented on a Ge-on-insulator (Ge-OI) photonic platform tailored for mid-infrared spectrometer applications. Thanks to the favorable thermo-optic effect of Ge, we characterized the optical and thermal properties of the thermally tunable Ge-OI MRR through rigorous optical and thermal numerical analyses. Building upon the simulation, a ring-shaped Au heater was successfully integrated into the Ge-OI MRR that was fabricated by using a direct wafer bonding process, followed by electron-beam lithography and dry etching techniques. Observations via thermo-reflectance microscopy revealed the temperature change within the Ge induced by heat transfer from the applied bias to the Au heater. Notably, the measured temperature change of 17 K at an applied electrical power of 181.7 mW closely aligned with the simulated values. In optical measurement, the heater-integrated Ge-OI MRR exhibited the tunability of 33.7 nm/W (0.36 nm/K) and the loaded Q factor of 21k at 4.2 µm wavelength with no bias. Hence, our demonstration of the Ge-OI tunable ring filter for mid-IR spectrometers could be a promising technology employing photonic integrated circuits for diverse applications in optical communication and spectral sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The path of tokamak fusion and International thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) is maintaining high-performance plasma to produce sufficient fusion power. This effort is hindered by the transient energy burst arising from the instabilities at the boundary of plasmas. Conventional 3D magnetic perturbations used to suppress these instabilities often degrade fusion performance and increase the risk of other instabilities. This study presents an innovative 3D field optimization approach that leverages machine learning and real-time adaptability to overcome these challenges. Implemented in the DIII-D and KSTAR tokamaks, this method has consistently achieved reactor-relevant core confinement and the highest fusion performance without triggering damaging bursts. This is enabled by advances in the physics understanding of self-organized transport in the plasma edge and machine learning techniques to optimize the 3D field spectrum. The success of automated, real-time adaptive control of such complex systems paves the way for maximizing fusion efficiency in ITER and beyond while minimizing damage to device components. Damaging energy bursts in a tokamak are a major obstacle to achieving stable high-fusion performance. Here, the authors demonstrate the use of adaptive and machine-learning control to optimize the 3D magnetic field to prevent edge bursts and maximize fusion performance in two different fusion devices, DIII-D and KSTAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plasmas with strong shape and large pedestal width, like DIII-D high poloidal-beta discharges, the eigenvalue spectrum of the peeling ballooning mode (PBM) is shown to shift to the very low-n regime near one, where n is the toroidal mode number. This peeling-type eigenvalue spectrum has a further shift to n = 1, thus being smoothly connected to the n = 1 external kink mode (EKM), as the normalized beta (βN) increases. Once this connection occurs, the mode takes a mixture form of the PBM and EKM with its mode structure varying from the PBM-like to the EKM-like one as βN increases. The mode stability also becomes sensitive to both the local pedestal gradient and global βN, thus allowing an anti-correlation between the two driving forces. These results appear to provide a qualitative explanation of the two unexpected features observed in the DIII-D high poloidal-beta discharges, that is, the dominance of the n = 1 mode in the edge-localized-modes and the negative correlation between the pedestal height and the internal transport barrier strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrino elastic scattering observation with NaI (NEON) is an experiment designed to detect neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering using reactor electron antineutrinos. NEON is based on an array of six NaI(Tl) crystals with a total mass of 13.3 kg, located at the tendon gallery that is 23.7 m away from a reactor core with a thermal power of 2.8 GW in the Hanbit nuclear power complex. The installation of the NEON detector was completed in December 2020, and since May 2021, the detector has acquired data at full reactor power. Based on the observed light yields of the NaI crystals of approximately 22, number of photoelectrons per unit keV electron-equivalent energy (keVee), and 6 counts/kg/keV/day background level at 2–6 keVee energy, coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE ν NS) observation sensitivity is evaluated as more than 3 σ assuming 1-year reactor-on and 100 days reactor-off data, 0.2 keVee energy threshold, and 7 counts/keV/kg/day background in the signal region of 0.2 - 0.5 keVee. This paper describes the design of the NEON detector, including the shielding arrangement, configuration of NaI(Tl) crystals, and associated operating systems. The initial performance and associated sensitivity of the experiment are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AMoRE is an international project to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 100 Mo using a detection technology consisting of magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) and molybdenum-based scintillating crystals. Data collection has begun for the current AMORE-I phase of the project, an upgrade from the previous pilot phase. AMoRE-I employs thirteen 48 depl. Ca 100 MoO 4 crystals and five Li 2 100 MoO 4 crystals for a total crystal mass of 6.2 kg. Each detector module contains a scintillating crystal with two MMC channels for heat and light detection. We report the present status of the experiment and the performance of the detector modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a simple small-scale experiment to measure the beta decay spectrum of 3 H. The aim of this research is to investigate the presence of sterile neutrinos in the keV region. Tritium nuclei were embedded in a 1 × 1 × 1 cm 3 LiF crystal from the 6 Li(n, α ) 3 H reaction. The energy of the beta electrons absorbed in the LiF crystal was measured with a magnetic microcalorimeter at 40 mK. We report a new method of sample preparation, experiments, and analysis of 3 H beta measurements. The spectrum of a 10-hour measurement agrees well with the expected spectrum of 3 H beta decay. The analysis results indicate that this method can be used to search for keV-scale sterile neutrinos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the peeling–ballooning mode is known to be stabilized by strong plasma shaping in a high-confinement mode (H-mode), a significant difference is found in the roles of elongation and triangularity. The elongation mainly stabilizes the high-n ballooning branch, while the triangularity of the low-n peeling one with some destabilization of the high-n ballooning one, where n is the toroidal mode number. This difference is conjectured mainly due to the magnetic shear effect which is substantially enhanced in a high triangularity regime, giving a destabilization on the ballooning branch, while a stabilization on the peeling one. An important consequence of these different roles of the two shape parameters is that they should work together to stabilize simultaneously both branches of the PBM, implying the necessity of synergy between them for the large pedestal height enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear fusion is one of the most attractive alternatives to carbon-dependent energy sources1. Harnessing energy from nuclear fusion in a large reactor scale, however, still presents many scientific challenges despite the many years of research and steady advances in magnetic confinement approaches. State-of-the-art magnetic fusion devices cannot yet achieve a sustainable fusion performance, which requires a high temperature above 100 million kelvin and sufficient control of instabilities to ensure steady-state operation on the order of tens of seconds2,3. Here we report experiments at the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research4 device producing a plasma fusion regime that satisfies most of the above requirements: thanks to abundant fast ions stabilizing the core plasma turbulence, we generate plasmas at a temperature of 100 million kelvin lasting up to 20 seconds without plasma edge instabilities or impurity accumulation. A low plasma density combined with a moderate input power for operation is key to establishing this regime by preserving a high fraction of fast ions. This regime is rarely subject to disruption and can be sustained reliably even without a sophisticated control, and thus represents a promising path towards commercial fusion reactors.A magnetic confinement regime established at the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research device enables the generation of plasmas over 108 kelvin for 20 seconds with the aid of fast ions without plasma edge instabilities or impurity accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients experience a reduction in blood supply to the extremities caused by an accumulation of plaque in their arterial system. In advanced stages of PAD, surgical interventionisoften required toreopenarteriesand restore limb perfusion to avoid necrosis and amputations. To determine the success of an intervention, it is necessary to confirm that reperfusion was achieved after the intervention in areas of the foot that lacked perfusion before the intervention. The standard procedure to obtain this information is to perform repeated X-ray angiography. However, this approach requires a relatively high radiation dose and the extensive use of contrast agents. To overcome these issues, our lab has developed a system that uses dynamic vascular optical spectroscopy (DVOS) to monitor perfusion in the foot in real-time before, during, and after an intervention. In the explorative study presented in this paper, wemonitored ten patients undergoing revascularization surgery. We found that there is a clear change in the DVOS signal in cases when reperfusion to affected areas in the foot is established. It was also possible toassess theeffects that ballooninflations and deflations and contrast agent injections had on the downstream vasculature of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a benchmark study of toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) simulation using the hybrid-gyrokinetic code GyroKinetic Plasma Simulation Program (gKPSP). A simulation capability for energetic particles based on the gyrokinetic δf method has been newly implemented in the gKPSP code. Benchmark simulations have been performed in both circular and realistic tokamak geometries. Good agreement has been found with previously reported results, demonstrating the new capability of the gKPSP code. We have investigated the effects of the distribution function on TAE stability by examining both isotropic and anisotropic slowing-down distributions of energetic particles. The slowing-down distribution produces a higher linear growth rate than a Maxwellian distribution, while a growth rate scan with the anisotropy shows an opposite trend. This can be attributed to competition between Landau damping and the linear drive, which are correlated with the fraction of resonant passing particles and their distribution in phase space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operation of a fusion power plant requires robust edge localized mode (ELM) suppression simultaneously with high plasma performance. In this paper, we describe a novel feedback adaptive resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) ELM controller designed to address this problem by achieving optimized ELM suppression through the advanced application of 3D RMPs. From real-time D α data, the controller is able to achieve robust ELM suppression while simultaneously minimizing the applied RMP in order to enhance plasma performance. In real-time, the instantaneous ELM-frequency is analyzed with an adaptive feedback algorithm to determine amplitudes and phases of RMP coil currents that will maximize plasma performance while maintaining ELM suppression. When applied through the KSTAR plasma control system in several experiments using n = 1 RMPs, robust ELM suppression is achieved and sustained in feedback while reducing the RMP strength to ∼ 65 % of its initial value. Minimization of the RMP strength in this manner not only allows for operation of longer discharges due to a decrease in flux consumption but also allows for a strong recovery of up to ∼ 60 % of βN throughout the ELM-free period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To investigate the root canal anatomy of Burmese (Myanmar) permanent maxillary first molar (BMFM) with micro-computed tomography. Methodology. One hundred and one extracted BMFMs were scanned by a SkyScan 1272 scanner (Bruker microCT, Belgium) and reconstructed with NRecon software (Bruker microCT). CTAn software (Bruker microCT) was used to create 3D models of root and internal canal anatomy, while CTVol software (Bruker microCT) was used to visualize 3D models. In each root, Vertucci's canal types, incidence and location of the lateral canal, incidence, location, and type of isthmus, and number and position of foramina were examined. Results. In 101 specimens, 83 (82.18%) mesiobuccal roots had multiple canals. The most common canal type is type IV (45.5%), followed by type II (17.8%) and I (17.8%) canals. Type III, V, VI, VII, and VIII canals are less than 10% in total. Seven additional canal types were seen for 10% in total. Fourteen (13.86%) distobuccal roots had multiple canals, and the predominant canal type is type I (86.1%), followed by type II (5.9%) and V (4%) canals. Three additional canal types were observed for 4% in total. All palatal roots possessed the simplest type I canal. Apical ramification occurred in 69 mesiobuccal roots (68.3%), 36 distobuccal roots (35.6%), and 37 palatal roots (36.6%). A total of 240 lateral canals were observed in 101 specimens. Each specimen had 2.38 ± 2.22 lateral canals on average. The highest incidence, 136 (56.67%) lateral canals, occurred in the mesiobuccal root, followed by 57 (23.75%) and 47 (19.58%) lateral canals from the distobuccal root and the palatal root, respectively. Each specimen had 6.17 ± 2.42 foramina. Mesiobuccal root had the highest incidence of apical foramina compared to other roots. Seventy-two mesiobuccal roots (71.29%) had isthmus, while only 7 distobuccal roots (6.93%) had isthmus somewhere along the root. Conclusions. The root canal anatomy of BMFM was quite complex, especially in the mesiobuccal root. The predominant canal type was Vertucci type IV in the mesiobuccal root and type I in the distobuccal and palatal roots. In addition, this micro-computed tomography study disclosed complemented canal types and a higher prevalence of lateral canal than the previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trientalis europaea subsp. arctica (Primulaceae) is an herb species that is distributed widely across the northern hemisphere but is endangered in South Korea. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and structure of T. arctica populations by using Random Amplification Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Ten RAPD primers were used to amplify 81 loci from 9 populations consisting of 270 individuals. T. arctica shows high genetic diversity at the species level, but low genetic diversity at the population level. The percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) was 86.4% at the species level, but the average PPB at the population level was 7.1%. In addition, Nei’s gene diversity (species level = 0.27; population level = 0.02) and Shannon’s information index (species level = 0.41; population level = 0.04) indicated similar genetic structures. T. arctica showed a high degree of genetic differentiation (Φst = 0.96 and Gst = 0.911) between populations and limited gene flow (Nm = 0.01). These results may be attributed to the fact that T. arctica is a refugial species in South Korea and to its long-term isolation in alpine regions. Considering the extremely low genetic diversity and high genetic differentiation of T. arctica populations, both in situ and ex situ conservation should be carried out actively for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly developed plasma response model, combining the nonlinear two-fluid MHD code TM1 and toroidal MHD code GPEC run in ideal mode, quantitatively predicts the narrow isolated q95 windows (Δq95 ∼ 0.1) of edge-localized mode (ELM) suppression by n = 1, 2, and 3 resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) in both DIII-D and KSTAR tokamaks across a wide range of plasma parameters. The key physics that unites both experimental observations and our simulations is the close alignment of essential resonant q-surfaces and the location of the top of the pedestal prior to an ELM. This alignment permits an applied RMP to produce field penetration due to the lower E × B rotation at the pedestal top rather than being screened. The model successfully predicts that narrow magnetic islands form when resonant field penetration occurs at the top of pedestal, and these islands are easily screened when q95 moves off resonance, leading to very narrow windows of ELM suppression (typically Δq95 ∼ 0.1). Furthermore, the observed reduction in the pedestal height is also well captured by the calculated classical collisional transport across the island. We recover observed q95, βN and plasma shape dependence of ELM suppression due to the effect of magnetic islands on pedestal transport and peeling-ballooning-mode stability. Importantly, experiments do occasionally observe wide windows of ELM suppression (Δq95 > 0.5). Our model reveals that at low pedestal-top density multiple islands open, leading to wide operational windows of ELM suppression consistent with experiment. The model indicates that wide q95 windows of ELM suppression can be achieved at substantially higher pedestal pressure with less confinement degradation in DIII-D by operating at higher toroidal mode number (n = 4) RMPs. This can have significant implications for the operation of the ITER ELM control coils for maintaining high confinement together with ELM suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigated the degree of tumor cell infiltration in the tumor cavity and ventricle wall based on fluorescent signals of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) after removal of the magnetic resonance (MR)-enhancing area and analyzed its prognostic significance in glioblastoma. Methods: Twenty-five newly developed isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastomas with complete resection both of MR-enhancing lesions and strong purple fluorescence on resection cavity were retrospectively analyzed. The fluorescent signals of 5-ALA were divided into strong purple, vague pink, and blue colors. The pathologic findings were classified into massively infiltrating tumor cells, infiltrating tumor cells, suspicious single-cell infiltration, and normal-appearing cells. The pathological findings were analyzed according to the fluorescent signals in the resection cavity and ventricle wall. Results: There was no correlation between fluorescent signals and infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity (p = 0.199) and ventricle wall (p = 0.704) after resection of the MR-enhancing lesion. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) were 12.5 (± 2.1) and 21.1 (± 3.5) months, respectively. In univariate analysis, the presence of definitive infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity and ventricle wall was significantly related to the PFS (p = 0.002) and OS (p = 0.027). In multivariate analysis, the absence of definitive infiltrating tumor cells improved PFS (hazard ratio: 0.184; 95% CI: 0.049–0.690, p = 0.012) and OS (hazard ratio: 0.124; 95% CI: 0.015–0.998, p = 0.050). Conclusions: After resection both of the MR-enhancing lesions and strong purple fluorescence on resection cavity, there was no correlation between remnant fluorescent signals and infiltrating tumor cells. The remnant definitive infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity and ventricle wall significantly influenced the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma. Aggressive surgical removal of infiltrating tumor cells may improve their prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excellent reproducibility of KSTAR resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP)-driven, edge-localized mode (ELM)-crash suppression enables us to construct a database reliably for the study of ELM-crash suppression conditions. To establish a high-fidelity database, we have selected one of the frequently used RMP configurations in KSTAR, n = 1, +90° phasing RMP-coil configuration. A series of fitting curves based on edge profile diagnostics data is used for normalized electron collisionality (ν∗e) and plasma toroidal rotation (Vtor) at pedestal top. Since ITER is expected to employ slowly rotating, low-collisionality, high-density plasmas whose conditions are not readily accessible in the existing devices, the exploration and understanding of these two parameters would be important not only for RMP-driven, ELM-crash-suppression physics but also for the success of ITER. The data points for the ELM-crash suppression phase are in the range of 0.2 < ν∗e,ped< 1.1 with Zeff = 2 assumption and Vtor,ped> 40 km/s. Suppression thresholds or boundaries in ν∗e,ped or Vtor,ped are not confirmed in the investigated parameter ranges so far. The KSTAR database still needs additional experimental datasets in ITER-relevant conditions (ν∗e,ped ∼ 0.1 and low-torque low-rotation) to confirm the boundary of the ELM-crash suppression window in KSTAR and reduce the uncertainties of the RMP ELM-crash control technique in ITER. In both ν∗e,ped and Vtor,ped parameters, the phase-space distribution of the ELM-crash suppression has no clear distinction from that of the ELM-crash mitigation. Linear discriminant analysis provides a linear combination of parameters relevant to ELM-crash suppression, best separating two data categories. Recursive feature elimination indicates that ne,ped and IRMP, as well as ν∗e,ped and Vtor,ped, are critical variables in the separation of the data groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Letter proposes a novel technique for automatic position offset calibration for permanent‐magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drives. Contrary to existing methods, the proposed technique estimates and compensates for the position offset without using machine true parameters or signal injection, which is possible under the condition of zero‐current control at high enough speed where parameter‐dependent terms are eliminated. To achieve this condition using uncertain parameters, speed control with absolute value feedback and model‐free current control are devised. Additionally, under this condition, not only the misalignment of the position sensor but also the sensor delay can be considered as the position offset, which improves the accuracy of the calibration. The proposed approach will be verified by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PbZr0.48Ti0.52O3 thin films were fabricated on (111) Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate by eclipse pulsed laser deposition with the very low deposition rate of 0.02 Å/pulse. High crystalline PbZr0.48Ti0.52O3 thin films showed a good ferroelectric property with the high remanent polarization of 48 μC/cm2 as well as an enhanced fatigue behavior. The small roughness of PZT thin films makes a negligible influence on electron force microscope images, which gave the enhanced resolution for the observation of a minimum ferroelectric bit size. We demonstrated the minimum ferroelectric bits below 9 nm, which were clearly observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resistive switching mechanism of 20- to 57-nm-thick TiO2 thin films grown by atomic-layer deposition was studied by current-voltage measurements and conductive atomic force microscopy. Electric pulse-induced resistance switching was repetitively (> a few hundred times) observed with a resistance ratio >102. Both the low- and high-resistance states showed linear log current versus log voltage graphs with a slope of 1 in the low-voltage region where switching did not occur. The thermal stability of both conduction states was also studied. Atomic force microscopy studies under atmosphere and high-vacuum conditions showed that resistance switching is closely related to the formation and elimination of conducting spots. The conducting spots of the low-resistance state have a few tens times higher conductivity than those of the high-resistance state and their density is also a few tens times higher which results in a ∼103 times larger overall conductivity. An interesting finding was that the area where the conducting spots do not exist shows a few times different resistance between the low- and high-resistance state films. It is believed that this resistance change is due to the difference in point defect density that was generated by the applied bias field. The point defects possibly align to form tiny conducting filaments in the high-resistance state and these tiny conducting filaments gather together to form stronger and more conducting filaments during the transition to the low-resistance state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the Advanced Mo-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE) is to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 100Mo using low-temperature detectors consisting of Mo-based scintillating crystals read out via metallic magnetic calorimeters. Heat and light signals are measured simultaneously at millikelvin temperatures, which are reached using a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. The AMoRE-Pilot experiment, using six 100Mo-enriched, 48Ca-depleted calcium molybdate crystals with a total mass of about 1.9 kg, has been running in the 700-m-deep Yangyang underground laboratory as the pilot phase of the AMoRE project. Several setup improvements through different runs allowed us to achieve a high energy resolution and an efficient particle discrimination. This article briefly presents the status of the AMoRE-Pilot experiment, as well as the plans for the next, larger-scale, experimental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first excited singlet state S1 vibrational dynamics of aniline(N2)1 clusters are studied and compared to previous results on aniline(CH4)1 and aniline(Ar)1. Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) and vibrational predissociation (VP) rates fall between the two extremes of the CH4 (fast IVR, slow VP) and Ar (slow IVR, fast VP) cluster results as is predicted by a serial IVR/VP model using Fermi’s golden rule to describe IVR processes and a restricted Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) theory to describe unimolecular VP rates. The density of states is the most important factor determining the rates. Two product states, 00 and 10b1, of bare aniline and one intermediate state ∼(00) in the overall IVR/VP process are observed and time resolved measurements are obtained for the 000 and ∼(000) transitions. The results are modeled with the serial mechanism described above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited state intramolecular and intermolecular proton transfer reactions in cold, isolated 2-allylphenol, 2-propenylphenol and 2-propylphenol, and their clusters with water and ammonia are investigated employing a combination of spectroscopic techniques (mass resolved excitation, threshold photoionization, dispersed emission), a semiempirical calculation (MOPAC 5) and a potential energy calculation of cluster structure. Threshold photoionization spectroscopy proves to be useful for the identification of molecular conformers in these systems but has mixed results for the identification of proton transfer in their clusters. The total collection of generated data suggests the following conclusions: (1) isolated, cold 2-allylphenol displays only one conformation which appears to have a significant stabilizing intramolecular interaction between the allyl group double bond and the hydroxyl group hydrogen atom; (2) 2-propenylphenol displays only one conformer; (3) 2-propylphenol has many conformations—probably more than five under the experimental conditions; (4) no evidence of intramolecular proton transfer can be found for these three isolated cold molecules; (5) no evidence for intermolecular proton transfer in water clusters has been found by any of the above techniques; and (6) evidence is found for intermolecular proton transfer in 2-allyl- and 2-propenylphenol(NH3)n, n≥3, in dispersed emission spectra. Dispersed emission spectra of 2-propylphenol(NH3)n n≥3 are too weak to yield conclusive evidence for intermolecular excited state proton transfer. Potential energy minimization calculations of cluster geometry suggest that the difference between water and ammonia cluster behavior with regard to proton transfer arises because water molecules hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl group (both OH···OH2 and HO···HOH) and each other while ammonia molecules are more evenly distributed over the entire molecular... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which investigated the carbon impurity effects on the intermixing behavior of GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum wells grown by molecular-beam epitaxy using photoluminescence measurements. Annealing of the multiple-quantum wells; Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Presents a study which investigated the influence of electric field on the excitation states in Al[0.4]Ga[0.6]As and gallium arsenide asymmetric coupled quantum wells grown by molecular-beam epitaxy through photoluminescence measurements. Effect of electric fields on quantum wells; Equation of the effective mass Hamiltonian for the electron and hole; Materials and methods used; Calculation of the theoretical energy levels and wave functions.

Presents a study that measured electrical characteristics associated with radiation detection on single-crystal natural type-IIa diamonds. Methodology; Results; Conclusions.

Advanced Molybdenum-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE) searching neutrinoless double-beta ($0\nu \beta \beta $) decay of 100Mo from 48deplCa100MoO4 (CMO) scintillation crystals has been preparing CMO crystals for the phase-I stage, AMoRE-I. Nine CMO crystals with a total weight of 3.39 kg were produced by the FOMOS-Materials in Russia and delivered to the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L) in South Korea for about 2 years until the end of 2016. Acceptance tests of all the nine crystals on weight, dimension, transmittance, light output, energy resolution, and internal radioactivities were completed in the middle of 2017. We have set the upper limits of internal radioactivity levels for 228Th, 226Ra, and 227Ac (daughters of 232Th, 238U, and 235U), and the total alpha activity of U/Th in the crystals via a GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation to achieve zero background in region of interest. We used a delayed-coincidence analysis to separate the alphas from gamma background events. Results of the acceptance tests showed that all the crystals are qualified for the AMoRE-I. We will present the test results of the nine crystals together with a reference crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) has been applied in the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). The aim of this study is to investigate the association of SGUS findings with clinical, histological, and serologic features of SS.Methods: A total of 104 patients with suspected SS underwent SGUS for evaluation of salivary gland involvement. Patients with primary SS were determined according to the classification criteria for SS. The parenchymal inhomogeneity of bilateral parotid and submandibular glands was graded from 0 (homogeneity) to 4 (gross inhomogeneity). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to compare the diagnostic performance of different SGUS scoring methods. Clinical and serologic features were compared between groups classified by SGUS score. The association between SGUS and these features of SS was explored by multivariable linear regression analysis.Results: Study participants were predominantly women (96.2%) and had a mean age of 54.1 years. Eighty-seven patients and 88 patients with primary SS were identified based on AECG criteria and ACR/EULAR classification criteria for SS, respectively. Among the different scoring methods, the sum of the grades of four salivary glands (range 0-16) had the best diagnostic performance, with sensitivity of 77.3% and specificity of 87.5% (cutoff value, 7) for distinguishing primary SS from sicca non-SS. SGUS score was associated with focus score in labial salivary gland biopsy (β = 0.240, p = 0.033) and anti-Ro/SSA serology (β = 0.283, p = 0.016) and inversely associated with unstimulated whole salivary flow (β = -0.298, p = 0.011).Conclusion: Ultrasonography of major salivary glands is associated with histopathology of minor salivary glands, serology of SS, and salivary gland function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three novel HLA alleles, HLA‐A*26:118, DQB1*02:65 and DPB1*05:01:07, were identified and confirmed by monoallelic sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferromagnetic Fe or Co was electrodeposited into the pores in aluminum anodic oxide film to produce a magnetic anodic film, and the effects of magnetic field during electrodeposition on the deposition characteristics of the metals and coercivity of the produced anodic film were investigated. Fe was electrodeposited into the pores in anodic film using a mixed solution (pH=3.8) of FeSO[sub 4](NH[sub 4])SO[sub 4].6H[sub 2]O (0.20 mol/l) and H[sub 3]BO[sub 4] (0.48 mol/l) at 20 °C with constant applied voltage of 10 V, and Co using a mixed solution (pH=4.5) of CoSO[sub 4],7H[sub 2]O (0.10 mol/l) and H[sub 3]BO[sub 4] (0.48 mol/l). It has been found that for the Fe-deposited anodic film the coercivity increased with increasing length of deposited Fe particles and decreased with increasing diameter (or porosity). The application of magnetic field during electrodeposition of Fe had little influence on the coercivity of the anodic film. For the Co-deposited anodic film the coercivity increased with increasing length of deposited Fe particles and increased unexpectedly with increasing diameter. The perpendicular coercivity of the Co-deposited anodic film was significantly increased by the application of magnetic field during the electrodeposition. The unexpected coercivity increase with diameter and the increase of the perpendicular coercivity of Co-deposited film by the application of magnetic field were closely related to the preferred orientation of Co crystals in the anodic film. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed and demonstrated a power-efficient highly integrated photonic system, requiring a total power consumption of 1.7 W and producing a spectrally pure coherent optical signal with a wavelength range of 23 nm in the C-band. The system consists of a compact, low-power InP-based photonic integrated coherent receiver, microresonator-based Kerr frequency comb, and agile electronic circuits. The photonic coherent receiver contains a 60-nm widely tunable Y-branch local oscillator (LO) diode laser, a coupler, and a pair of photodetectors. It consumes record-low (approximately 184 mW) electrical power. The optical frequency comb reference has excellent spectral purity, $<$4 kHz optical linewidth, and good frequency stability. The spectrally pure tunable optical source was produced by offset locking the on-chip LO laser of the integrated receiver to this frequency comb source. A possibility of further stabilization of the frequency comb repetition rate by locking to an external radio frequency synthesizer was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background The patterns, predictive factors and prognostic impact of multilevel metastasis in patients with N1b papillary thyroid carcinoma ( PTC) were investigated. Methods A retrospective review of patients with N1b PTC from a tertiary referral centre in Korea who underwent unilateral modified radical neck dissection was undertaken. Results Of 658 patients, multilevel metastasis was found in 73·9 per cent; the most common type was metastasis in two levels. Tumour size per 0·1-cm increment (adjusted odds ratio ( OR) 1·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·08 to 1·64), microscopic extrathyroidal extension (adjusted OR 1·72, 1·10 to 2·71), gross extrathyroidal extension (adjusted OR 2·35, 1·24 to 4·46), unilateral central lymph node metastasis (adjusted OR 2·45, 1·53 to 3·92) and bilateral central lymph node metastasis (adjusted OR 4·06, 2·29 to 7·18) were independent predictors of multilevel metastasis. Only four-level metastasis significantly increased the risk of overall locoregional recurrence ( LRR) (adjusted hazard ratio ( HR) 7·41, 95 per cent c.i. 2·20 to 24·53) and lateral neck LRR (adjusted HR 7·22, 1·82 to 28·65), compared with one-level metastasis. Two subgroup analyses were conducted, showing that only three-level metastasis including metastasis in level V significantly increased the risk of overall LRR (adjusted HR 5·66, 1·20 to 26·75). In addition, having level V metastasis was an independent predictor of both overall (adjusted HR 3·26, 1·72 to 6·18; P < 0·001) and lateral neck (adjusted HR 3·28, 1·50 to 7·16; P = 0·003) LRR. Conclusion Level V metastasis rather than multilevel metastasis itself is associated with an increased risk of LRR. Patients with N1b PTC and level V metastasis require risk restratification and meticulous follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) exhibit significant clinical heterogeneity, in terms of physical, social and psychological functions, as well as therapeutic responses. Here, we examined FM patients in terms of pain, physical, social and psychological variables to identify clinical subgroups that may be predictive of treatment patterns.Methods: A total of 313 FM patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic data, current or past FM symptoms and current use of relevant medications. A K-means cluster analysis was conducted using variables reflecting tender points, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventor and Social Support Scale.Results: Four distinct clusters were identified in these patients. Group 1 was characterized by high pain levels, severe physical and mental impairment and low social support. Group 2 had moderate pain and physical impairment, mild mental impairment and moderate social support. Group 3 had moderate pain, low physical and moderate mental impairment and low social support. Group 4 had low pain levels, nearly normal physical and mental function and high social support. Group 1 was more often a current or past smoker, more likely to have a variety of symptoms, including swelling, cognitive dysfunction, dizziness, syncope, oesophageal dysmotility, dyspepsia, irritable bladder, vulvodynia and restless leg syndrome.Conclusions: We identified four subgroups of FM patients based on pain, physical, social and psychological function. These subgroups had different clinical symptoms and medication profiles, suggesting that FM may be better managed using a more comprehensive assessment of an individual patient's symptoms.Significance: FM patients can be clustered into four distinct subgroups based on clinically measurable variables - pain, physical involvement, psychological function and social support. These subgroups had different clinical symptoms and medication profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate whether women with gestational diabetes mellitus could be screened using HbA1c for glucose metabolism status at 6-12 weeks post-partum. Methods We enrolled 699 pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus from October 2005 to December 2013. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test ( OGTT) and HbA1c measurement were performed at 6-12 weeks after delivery. Results The prevalence of overt diabetes and pre-diabetes were 5.2% ( n = 36) and 49.1% ( n = 343), respectively, when using the 75-g OGTT as the gold standard. HbA1c alone identified 2.9% ( n = 20) as having overt diabetes and 32.2% ( n = 225) as having pre-diabetes. When American Diabetes Association cut-offs were applied, the sensitivity and specificity for HbA1c to diagnose overt diabetes were 19.4% and 98.0%, respectively. Pre-diabetes, according to the HbA1c criterion, had 41.2% sensitivity and 72.2% specificity. The misclassifications identified 97 positive differences, 233 negative differences and 369 ties ( P < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves for detecting diabetes and pre-diabetes were 0.615 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.515 to 0.716] and 0.588 (95% CI, 0.545 to 0.630), respectively. Conclusions HbA1c may not be sensitive enough for an accurate diagnosis, but it is highly specific for diagnosing overt diabetes at 6-12 weeks post-partum in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies crystallinity and average grain size of films grown by chemical vapor deposition. Method of the study; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

Presents a study that identified the origin unknown x-ray diffraction peaks from incommensurate superlattices. Equation used to calculate the x-ray diffraction profile of the internal structures of the incommensurate superlattices; Diffraction patterns of two different kinds of structures; Factors to which the changes in the positions and intensities of the satellite peaks are attributed.

Presents information on a study which examined the dependence of cobalt/palladium multilayered films' magnetic properties on the structural parameters estimated by x-ray diffraction. Factors attributed to the research on transition-metal/noble metal multilayered thin films with the development of shorter wavelength lasers; Methodology of the study; Results and discussion.

Purpose: Well balanced knees with good alignment are essential for a well-functioning TKA with long survival of its implants. This prospective randomized study comparing navigation-assisted TKA and conventional TKA reported the clinical and radiological outcomes at a follow-up of 9 years. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes for patients who underwent navigation-assisted TKA or conventional TKA after long-term follow-up.Methods: A total of 80 patients (88 knees) were available for physical and radiological examination 9 years after TKA. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using HSS, WOMAC, and KS function and pain scores. And radiological outcomes of the component loosening and its survivorship during 9-year follow-up were also evaluated.Results: There were no significant differences in the field of clinical outcomes between the two groups. In terms of radiological outcomes, the navigation group had fewer alignment outliers (7.3 vs 20 %, p = 0.006). Although the clinical outcomes showed no differences between the two groups, the survival rate was slightly better in the navigation group than in the conventional group without statistical significance (best-case scenario 100 vs 95.3 %, n.s., worst-case scenario 95.6 vs 88.4 %, n.s.).Conclusion: Navigation-assisted TKA produced better alignment outcomes and better survival rates than conventional instruments although some of the differences were not statistically significant.Level Of Evidence: I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess the reliability of a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring system for inflammatory lesions of facet joints and to clarify the clinical significance of facet joint inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Method: A total of 53 AS patients (45 males, 84.9%) were assessed for active inflammatory lesions involving the facet joints, as indicated by bone marrow oedema, at 23 discovertebral units (DVUs) between C2 and S1 using a novel scale, the AS Activity of the Facet joint (ASAFacet). The reliability of the ASAFacet was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots.Results: ICC values for the ASAFacet scores were 0.857 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.741-0.919] for inter-observer and 0.941 (95% CI 0.873-0.969) for intra-observer reliability. Inflammatory activity scores in facet joints were evenly distributed at all spine levels (p = 0.294 for ASAFacet), whereas vertebral body inflammation was more prominent in the thoracic spine than in the cervical and lumbar spine [p < 0.001 for the AS spine MRI activity (ASspiMRI-a) score, p = 0.002 for the Berlin method, and p < 0.001 for the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) MRI index]. ASAFacet scores were closely associated with erythrocyte sediment rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (p < 0.05, respectively). Patients with peripheral arthritis had fewer lesions involving the vertebral bodies or facet joints than patients without peripheral arthritis (p < 0.001 for the four different MRI activity indexes).Conclusions: This study suggests that recognition of facet joint inflammation has the potential to contribute to our understanding of clinical outcomes in AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]