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Background: Reducing inhaled dust particles improves lung function in horses with severe asthma. Soaked hay is commonly used by owners, but its efficacy in improving lung function and inflammation has not been documented. Objectives: To measure the effects of soaked hay and alfalfa pellets in horses with severe asthma. Animals: Ten adult horses with severe asthma from a research colony. Methods: Prospective controlled trial. Horses in clinical exacerbation were housed indoors and allocated to be fed either soaked hay (n = 5) or alfalfa pellets (n = 5) for 6 weeks. Soaked hay was immersed for 45 minutes and dried out hay was discarded between meals. Pulmonary function and clinical scores were measured before and after 2, 4, and 6 weeks. Tracheal mucus scores and bronchoalveolar lavages were performed before and after 6 weeks. Lung function was analyzed with a linear mixed model using log‐transformed data. Results: Lung resistance decreased from (median (range)) 2.47 (1.54‐3.95) to 1.59 (0.52‐2.10) cmH2O/L/s in the pellets group and from 1.89 (1.2‐3.54) to 0.61 (0.42‐2.08) cmH2O/L/s in the soaked hay group over the 6‐week period for an average difference of 1.06 cmH2O/L/s for pellets (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.09‐2.04, P =.03, not significant after correction) and 1.31 cmH2O/L/s for soaked hay (95% CI: −0.23 to 2.85, P <.001, significant). Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Soaked hay can control airway obstruction in horses with severe asthma. The strict protocol for soaking and discarding dried‐out hay in this study could however be considered too great of an inconvenience by owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of hole transport on the performance of infrared light emitting diodes (LED) was investigated. The active area of the LEDs comprised two type-II superlattices with different periods and widths connected in series. Electroluminescence spectra of the devices with different positions of long wave and mid wave superlattice sections were mostly contributed by the superlattice closest to the p-contact. The experimental results indicate that due to suppressed vertical hole transport, the recombination of electrically injected electrons and holes in a type II superlattice LED active region takes place within a few superlattice periods near p-barrier. Possible reason for the effect is reduction of hole diffusion coefficient in an active area of a superlattice LED under bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many physics teachers have experienced the challenges of implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in their high school curricula. These standards, based upon the Framework for K-12 Science Education, were intended to shift science instruction towards an interdisciplinary focus on three-dimensional learning, phenomena anchored explorations, and developing solutions for technological problems. The present paper describes a collaboration between electrical and computer engineers and physics educators, whereby a physics unit was created to embed engineering practices in the design of a night light. Although the project also incorporates aspects of crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas, we focused on engineering practices since more educational resources are needed that illustrate this aspect of NGSS-aligned teaching and learning. The unit was piloted with over 1500 high school students in an informal outreach program, as well as professional development workshops for 100 secondary science teachers, with the intent that teachers would incorporate this and other engineering projects in their physical science classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the sixth time, international academics and practitioners met for a successful credit risk conference. Keynote speeches and academic sessions highlighted current developments and necessary improvements in areas such as fintech, regulation, credit ratings and risk analysis. Digitization also leaves its mark in this area and requires, to varying degrees, a transformation of affected persons as well as applied systems or models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature kinetics of InGaAsP/InP high-power laser diode arrays with different fill factors was studied experimentally and theoretically. It was shown that except during a short initial period, the laser array heating is determined by the heat flux propagation through the heat spreader. To characterize this heating, we developed a two-dimensional analytical model. Experimentally, the temperature change in the active region was obtained by measuring the laser spectrum’s temporal evolution during a single current pulse. Three distinctive periods in the transient heating process were clearly identified—an initial temperature rise, a square-root-of-time dependence of the active-region temperature increase, and an exponential approach of the active-region temperature to its steady-state value. We demonstrated that in the initial period of time, the heat propagates within the laser bar structure, and the laser bar design (fill factor) strongly affects the active-region temperature rise. In the later periods the temperature kinetics is insensitive to the fill factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heating of a semiconductor laser bar imbedded between two heat spreaders has been studied theoretically and experimentally. The model included the p-cladding layer, active region, n-cladding layer, and n-substrate. Heat sources from the active region and both cladding layers were considered. An analytical relation was obtained between the temperature distribution in the laser and the bar geometry. The analytical approach revealed features that are usually missing in purely numerical modeling. It was shown that the current density across the active region is nonuniform, and that the magnitude of the nonuniformity grows when the resistance of the p-cladding layer decreases. This nonuniform current distribution can lead to higher temperatures at the edges of the laser stripe than in the middle. It was found that mutual heating of the individual lasers in the bar is controlled mainly by the overlap of the temperature fields in the heat spreaders. The theoretical results obtained without any fitting parameters show good agreement with the experimentally measured dependence of the active region temperature on pumping current. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the 5th International Conference on Credit Analysis and Risk Management held in Basel, Switzerland from September 14-15, 2017. Topics covered include the keynotes and academic research discussed by around 55 international academics and practitioners who gathered at the event, keynote presentations on regulatory bodies and financial technology (Fintech) companies, and regulation-related topics covered at the first academic session.

A wide optical gain spectrum with full width at half maximum Δλapprox. 350 nm has been demonstrated in midinfrared (2.2–2.5 μm) room-temperature-operated InGa(As)Sb/GaSb quantum-well (QW) ridge-waveguide diode lasers. A QW width of 200 Å ensured a small energy separation between the first and second quantized states in the QW. Transitions from both quantized states contributed equally to the overall gain spectrum when the optical loss was optimized. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: Optical endomicroscopy (OEM) is a novel real-time imaging technology that provides endoscopic images at a microscopic level. The nature of OEM data, as acquired in clinical use, gives rise to the presence of uninformative frames (i.e., pure-noise and motion-artefacts). Uninformative frames can comprise a considerable proportion (up to > 25%) of a dataset, increasing the resources required for analyzing the data (both manually and automatically), as well as diluting the results of any automated quantification analysis. Objective: There is, therefore, a need to automatically detect and remove as many of these uninformative frames as possible while keeping frames with structural information intact. Methods: This paper employs Gray Level Cooccurrence Matrix texture measures and detection theory to identify and remove such frames. The detection of pure-noise and motion-artefacts frames is treated as two independent problems. Results: Pulmonary OEM frame sequences of the distal lung are employed for the development and assessment of the approach. The proposed approach identifies and removes uninformative frames with a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 92.6%. Conclusion: The detection algorithm is accurate and robust in pulmonary OEM frame sequences. Conditional to appropriate model refinement, the algorithms can become applicable in other organs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Der Chirurg is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bulk unrelaxed InAsSb alloys with Sb compositions up to 65% were grown on compositionally graded GaInSb and AlInSb buffers on GaSb substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The minimum energy gap for these materials at T = 77 K was estimated to be 90 meV. Benchmark material parameters were measured for barrier photodetector heterostructures with 1- μm-thick InAsSb absorbers. A minority hole lifetime of 185 ns and a diffusion length of 9 μm at T = 77 K were determined from the transient response of barrier heterostructures. The data imply a hole mobility of 10 cm/Vs, which was confirmed with frequency response measurements. A 100- μm square mesa contact nBn heterostructure demonstrated a −3 dB frequency response bandwidth of 50 MHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare liquidity patterns of 10,979 failed and non-failed US banks from 2001 to mid-2010 and detect diverging capital structures: failing banks distinctively change their liquidity position about three to five years prior to default by increasing liquid assets and decreasing liquid liabilities. The build-up of liquid assets is primarily driven by short term loans, whereas long term loan positions are significantly reduced. By abandoning (positive) term transformation throughout the intermediate period prior to a default, failing banks drift away from the traditional banking business model. We show that this liquidity shift is induced by window dressing activities towards bondholders and money market investors as well as a bad client base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metamorphic heterostructures containing bulk InAs1-xSbx layers and AlInAsSb barriers were grown on GaSb substrates. The lattice mismatch (up to 2.1%) between the GaSb substrates and the InAsSb layers was accommodated by the growth of GaInSb linearly graded buffers. The 1 μm thick InAsSb0.44 layer with an absorption edge above 9 μm exhibited an in-plane residual strain of about 0.08%. InAs1-xSbx structures with x = 0.2 and x = 0.44 operated as light emitting diodes at 80 K demonstrated output powers of 90 μW and 8 μW at 5 μm and 8 μm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This trial was conducted to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of two virosome formulated malaria peptidomimetics derived from Plasmodium falciparum AMA-1 and CSP in malaria semi-immune adults and children. Methods: The design was a prospective randomized, double-blind, controlled, age-deescalating study with two immunizations. 10 adults and 40 children (aged 5-9 years) living in a malaria endemic area were immunized with PEV3B or virosomal influenza vaccine Inflexal®V on day 0 and 90. Results: No serious or severe adverse events (AEs) related to the vaccines were observed. The only local solicited AE reported was pain at injection site, which affected more children in the Inflexal®V group compared to the PEV3B group (p = 0.014). In the PEV3B group, IgG ELISA endpoint titers specific for the AMA-1 and CSP peptide antigens were significantly higher for most time points compared to the Inflexal®V control group. Across all time points after first immunization the average ratio of endpoint titers to baseline values in PEV3B subjects ranged from 4 to 15 in adults and from 4 to 66 in children. As an exploratory outcome, we found that the incidence rate of clinical malaria episodes in children vaccinees was half the rate of the control children between study days 30 and 365 (0.0035 episodes per day at risk for PEV3B vs. 0.0069 for Inflexal®V; RR = 0.50 [95%-CI: 0.29-0.88], p = 0.02). Conclusion: These findings provide a strong basis for the further development of multivalent virosomal malaria peptide vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent progress and state of GaSb based type-I lasers emitting in spectral range from 2 to 3.5 μm is reviewed. For lasers emitting near 2 μm an optimization of waveguide core width and asymmetry allowed reduction of far field divergence angle down to 40-50 degrees which is important for improving coupling efficiency to optical fiber. As emission wavelength increases laser characteristics degrade due to insufficient hole confinement, increased Auger recombination and deteriorated transport through the waveguide layer. While Auger recombination is thought to be an ultimate limiting factor to the performance of these narrow bandgap interband lasers we demonstrate that continuous improvements in laser characteristics are still possible by increasing hole confinement and optimizing transport properties of the waveguide layer. We achieved 190, 170 and 50 mW of maximum CW power at 3.1, 3.2 and 3.32 μm wavelengths respectively. These are the highest CW powers reported to date in this spectral range and constitute 2.5-fold improvement compared to previously reported devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors analyze whether multiple ratings for CDO tranches have an impact on credit spreads and examine the various effects with regard to the number of rating agencies involved. Based on a data set of more than 5,000 CDO tranches, the authors calculate index-adjusted credit spreads to isolate the specific credit risk per CDO tranche and find a negative correlation between number of ratings and credit spreads per CDO tranche--i.e., additional ratings are accompanied by lower credit spreads. On the basis of a valuation model, the authors show that multiple ratings are a significant pricing factor and conclude that investors demand an extra risk premium due to information asymmetries between CDO issuers and investors. Any additional rating reveals incremental information to the market and increases transparency with regard to the underlying portfolio's credit risk. However, the study does not find empirical support for the hypothesis that marginal tranche spread reduction decreases when additional rating agencies are added. Finally, the study finds evidence that second or third ratings by Fitch on average are higher when directly compared with Moody's and/or S&P ratings per CDO tranche. This finding is in line with existing literature on corporate bonds and indicates a bias also on CDO ratings due to their solicited character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arrays of 100- μm-wide GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb laser diode emitters with a fill factor of 30% have been fabricated. Suppression of lateral lasing was achieved by the incorporation of grooves between the emitters. A quasi-continuous wave (CW) (30 μs, 300 Hz) output power of 16.7 W from a 4-mm-long laser bar has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Business Economics / Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A segmented contact method for the measurement of optical gain is developed for the case of strong current spreading. A simple model of current spreading in a ridge laser with a segmented contact is proposed and analyzed. We show that current spreading effects should be taken into account in lasers with low threshold current densities and high "opening" voltages. When applied to interband cascade lasers, the method gives an internal optical loss of ~10-17 cm-1 and a differential gain of ~2.9 cm/A at 80 K, which agrees well with previously reported Hakki-Paoli data. The limitations of the technique are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Previous research indicates that a combination vaccine targeting different stages of the malaria life cycle is likely to provide the most effective malaria vaccine. This trial was the first to combine two existing vaccination strategies to produce a vaccine that induces immune responses to both the pre-erythrocytic and blood stages of the P. falciparum life cycle. Methods. This was a Phase I/IIa study of a new combination malaria vaccine FFM ME-TRAP+PEV3A. PEV3A includes peptides from both the pre-erythrocytic circumsporozoite protein and the blood-stage antigen AMA-1. This study was conducted at the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. The participants were healthy, malaria naïve volunteers, from Oxford. The interventions were vaccination with PEV3A alone, or PEV3A+FFM ME-TRAP. The main outcome measure was protection from malaria in a sporozoite challenge model. Other outcomes included measures of parasite specific immune responses induced by either vaccine; and safety, assessed by collection of adverse event data. Results. We observed evidence of blood stage immunity in PEV3A vaccinated volunteers, but no volunteers were completely protected from malaria. PEV3A induced high antibody titres, and antibodies bound parasites in immunofluorescence assays. Moreover, we observed boosting of the vaccine-induced immune response by sporozoite challenge. Immune responses induced by FFM ME-TRAP were unexpectedly low. The vaccines were safe, with comparable side effect profiles to previous trials. Although there was no sterile protection two major observations support an effect of the vaccine-induced response on blood stage parasites: (i) Lower rates of parasite growth were observed in volunteers vaccinated with PEV3A compared to unvaccinated controls (p = 0.012), and this was reflected in the PCR results from PEV3A vaccinated volunteers. These showed early control of parasitaemia by some volunteers in this group. One volunteer, who received PEV3A alone, was diagnosed very late, on day 20 compared to an average of 11.8 days in unvaccinated controls. (ii). Morphologically abnormal parasites were present in the blood of all (n = 24) PEV3A vaccinated volunteers, and in only 2/6 controls (p = 0.001). We describe evidence of vaccine-induced blood stage efficacy for the first time in a sporozoite challenge study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stargardt's disease is an autosomal recessive form of juvenile macular degeneration. The clinical presentation, relevant ancillary tests, and classic histologic features will be reviewed. The role of genetic mutations in the pathophysiology of Stargardt's disease will also be explored. Stargardt's disease is caused by mutations in the ABCR (ABCA4) gene on chromosome 1. Mutations in this gene have also been attributed to some cases of cone-rod dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa, and age-related macular degeneration. The genetic and molecular pathways that produce Stargardt's disease will be discussed. Future diagnostic and therapeutic objectives for this visually disabling condition will also be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza virosomes are an efficient antigen carrier and adjuvant system that are approved for the use in human vaccines. Structurally, virosomes are spherical vesicles of approximately 150 nm in diameter, composed of a lipid membrane with integrated envelope proteins derived from influenza virus, predominantly hemagglutinin. The particle structure, together with the functions of hemagglutinin -- receptor binding, pH-dependent fusion activity and immunostimulation -- is responsible for the adjuvant effect of virosomes. In contrast to most other virus-like particles, virosomes are semisynthetic particles reconstituted in vitro from lipids and from virus-derived proteins. The production process has proven to be robust at industrial scale and fully compatible with Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines. At the same time, the formulation procedure is sufficiently flexible to allow modifications of the composition and structure for the intended use, including the positioning of the antigens of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Vaccines have been well accepted and used effectively for more than 100 years. Traditional vaccines are generally composed of whole inactivated or attenuated microorganisms that have lost their disease-causing properties. These classical prophylactic live vaccines evoke protective immune responses, but have often been associated with an unfavorable safety profile, as observed, for example, for smallpox and polio myelitis vaccines, . First improvements were subunit vaccines that do not focus on attenuation of whole organisms but concentrate on particular proteins. These vaccines are able to generate protective immune responses (e.g. diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis). However, next generation vaccines should focus on specific antigens (e.g. proteins, peptides), since the requirements by regulatory authorities to crude biological material are becoming more stringent over time. An increasing number of such antigens capable of inducing protective humoral or cellular immune responses have been identified in the last few years. But most of these are weak immunogens. This reemphasizes the need for adjuvants to promote a potent immune response and also for delivery antigens to the immune system in an appropriate way (carrier capability). Here we review a new approach for prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, which focuses on the induction of highly specific immune responses directed against antigen-derived peptides using a suitable carrier system. Copyright © 2005 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active vaccination with amyloid peptides shows promise for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Several studies in transgenic mouse models of AD have revealed the potency of vaccination to prevent or even clear amyloid plaques from mouse brain. However, the idea that soluble oligomeric species of β-amyloid (Aβ), rather than plaques, trigger the disease has gained momentum, and current active vaccination strategies affect the levels of total or soluble brain Aβ little or not at all. We describe an active vaccination method based on Aβ1-16 presented on the surface of virosomes, which triggered a dramatic decrease in both soluble Aβ40 (75% reduction; p=0.01) and soluble Aβ42 (62% reduction; p=0.03) in a double transgenic mouse model of AD. Whereas Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels in the insoluble fraction tended to be reduced (by 30% and 27%, respectively), the number of thioflavine-S-positive amyloid plaques was not affected. The high specific antibody responses, obtained without eliciting T-cell reactivity, demonstrate that immunostimulating reconstituted influenza virosomes are a promising antigen carrier system against the neuropathology of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using analytical methods, we obtain compact theoretical expressions for the electrical and thermal resistances of a laser bar as a function of its fill factor. The theoretically determined values of the thermal resistance are in excellent agreement with the measured ones. We use the theoretical values of the electrical and thermal resistances to find the fill factor that gives the maximal output power for a given active region temperature and the fill factor that gives the minimal active region temperature for a given output power. The optimal fill factor is dependent on the bar operating regime; higher power operation favours the use of higher fill factors to minimize the active region temperature rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-pass method was employed to measure the gain and absorption in optically pumped midinfrared type-II semiconductor lasers. The technique requires minimal sample processing and allows a single sample to be used for both absorption and gain measurements. The gain measurements confirm previous observations that the differential gain of these structures drops off rapidly with increasing temperature. A comparison of absorption in samples with differing waveguide designs was used to estimate the effective index step between the core and cladding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on experimental study of optical gain and loss in 3.4-3.6 micrometer interband cascade lasers. Measurement of optical gain and loss of lasers by the Hakki-Paoli technique; Mode leakage into the substrate.

The working pair zeolite-water has very good characteristics for the heat pump application. It is non-poisonous, non-flammable and low-corrosive so that the use of a zeolite-water heat pump in the large field of domestic heating is very promising. The poor heat and mass transfer of the zeolite has to be considered by an appropriate design of the adsorber heat exchanger. Compact zeolite layers directly linked with the heat exchanger enable a high specific thermal output (thermal output related to the mass of zeolite) which is the main shortcoming of these machines. Additionally the coefficient of performance (COP) can be improved significantly by a modular design of the machine consisting of six to eight heat pump modules. Due to the periodical operating mode which is required by the zeolite-water pair the single module is built up in a simple way without any moving parts. The different modules, each of them operating in another phase of the sorption cycle, are connected in series by a heat transfer medium circuit so that a continuous thermal output together with high COP is achieved by this zeolite-water heat pump. First experimental investigations focus on the layout of the different components of the heat pump, e.g. the single module, the adsorber/desorber and the evaporator/condenser. The paper will present the design of these components as well as the design of the entire modular machine. Furthermore there will be a theoretical discussion of the COPs of the modular heat pump depending on the ambient temperature, on the number of modules and on the heating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the Arctic Radio and Arctic TV drum projects of Charlie Morrow. Arctic Radio project acquires its impetus from the intrusion of technology into the native soundscape, both on the level of representation and subject matter. Arctic TV will constitute an encounter on the footing of that intrusion itself, a conversation between a white artist who has embraced the North and Northerners who have embraced the Western technology. The collision of these two is the piece's counterpoint, which is a prelude on the volatility of culture.