How In-Home Technologies Mediate Caregiving Relationships in Later Life

In-home technologies can support older adults' activities of daily living, provide physical safety and security, and connect elders to family and friends. They facilitate aging in place while reducing caregiver burden. One of older adults' primary concerns about in-home technologies is their potential to reduce human contact, particularly from cherished caregivers. In this exploratory in situ study, we provided an ecosystem of networked monitoring technologies to six older adults and their caregivers. We analyzed the amount and content of communication between them. The amount of noncomputer-mediated communication did not decrease through the 6-week study. The content of communication coalesced into four themes: communication about the technologies, communication facilitated by technologies, intrusiveness of technologies, and fun and playfulness with the technologies. Results suggest that in-home technologies, designed with sensitivity to older adults' primary motivations, have the potential to shape and tailor important relationships in later life.     

Parallel evolution using multi-chromosome cartesian genetic programming

Parallel and distributed methods for evolutionary algorithms have concentrated on maintaining multiple populations of genotypes, where each genotype in a population encodes a potential solution to the problem. In this paper, we investigate the parallelisation of the genotype itself into a collection of independent chromosomes which can be evaluated in parallel. We call this multi-chromosomal evolution (MCE). We test this approach using Cartesian Genetic Programming and apply MCE to a series of digital circuit design problems to compare the efficacy of MCE with a conventional single chromosome approach (SCE). MCE can be readily used for many digital circuits because they have multiple outputs. In MCE, an independent chromosome is assigned to each output. When we compare MCE with SCE we find that MCE allows us to evolve solutions much faster. In addition, in some cases we were able to evolve solutions with MCE that we unable to with SCE. In a case-study, we investigate how MCE can be applied to to a single objective problem in the domain of image classification, namely, the classification of breast X-rays for cancer. To apply MCE to this problem, we identify regions of interest (RoI) from the mammograms, divide the RoI into a collection of sub-images and use a chromosome to classify each sub-image. This problem allows us to evaluate various evolutionary mutation operators which can pairwise swap chromosomes either randomly or topographically or reuse chromosomes in place of other chromosomes.     

Homopolymer Nanolithography

Future progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology necessitates further development of versatile, labor‐, and cost‐efficient surface patterning strategies. A new approach to nanopatterning is reported, which utilizes surface segregation of a smooth layer of an end‐grafted homopolymer in a poor solvent. The variation in polymer grafting density yields a range of surface nanostructures, including randomly organized pinned spherical micelles, worm‐like structures, networks, and porous films. The capability to use the polymer patterns for site‐specific deposition of small molecules, polymers, or nanoparticles is shown. This versatile strategy enables patterning of curved surfaces with direct access to the substrate and no need in changing polymer composition to realize different surface patterns.     

Reduced brain serotonin transporter availability in major depression as measured by [123I]-2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane and single photon emission computed tomography

BACKGROUND: Prior research has suggested reductions in the density of serotonin transporter (SERT) binding sites in blood platelets and post-mortem brain tissue of depressed patients. We sought to determine whether patients with unipolar major depression have diminished SERT availability as assessed by both brainstem [123I] beta-CIT SPECT and platelet [3H]paroxetine binding. METHODS: Drug-free depressed and healthy subjects were injected with 211 +/- 22 MBq [123I] beta-CIT and imaged 24 +/- 2 h later under equilibrium conditions. A ratio of specific to nonspecific brain uptake (V3" = (brainstem-occipital)/occipital), a measure proportional to the binding potential (Bmax/Kd), was used for all comparisons. RESULTS: Results showed a statistically significant reduction in brainstem V3" values in depressed as compared to healthy subjects (3.1 +/- .9 vs. 3.8 +/- .8, p = .02). Platelet [3H]paroxetine binding was not altered (Bmax = 2389 +/- 484 vs. 2415 +/- 538 fmol/mg protein, p = .91) and was not significantly correlated with brainstem [123I] beta-CIT binding (r = -0.14, p = .48). CONCLUSIONS: These data are the first to suggest reductions in the density of brain SERT binding sites in living depressed patients. These findings provide further support for a preeminent role for alterations in serotonergic neurons in the pathophysiology of depression.     

Multidimensionality of oral health in dentate adults

OBJECTIVES: An understanding of the validity and usefulness of self-reported measures (as distinct from clinically determined measures) of oral health is emerging. These self-reported measures include self-rated oral health (SROH). Three objectives were to: (1) describe self-rated oral health in dentate adults, (2) quantify associations between self-rated oral health and other measures of oral health (oral disease and tissue damage, pain and discomfort, functional limitation, and disadvantage), and (3) assess the construct validity of a model of oral health proposed herein. METHODS: The Florida Dental Care Study is a longitudinal study of oral health, which included at baseline 873 subjects who had at least one tooth, were 45 years or older, and who participated for an interview and clinical examination. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-rated oral health decrements was substantial; approximately one fourth of subjects reported their oral health as only fair or poor. Bivariate and multivariate results provided consistent evidence of the construct validity of the proposed model of oral health. Additionally, the salience of one measure of dental appearance suggests that persons may use esthetic cues when rating their oral health. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed multidimensional model of oral health has construct validity. Self-rated oral health is affected by oral disease and tissue damage, oral pain and discomfort, oral functional limitation, and oral disadvantage. These self-reported measures and the proposed model should provide useful information for dental care effectiveness research. General health status has been disaggregated into the "physical" and the "mental;" an additional separation into the "oral" aspects of health seems warranted.     

Multilayer dielectric structure for enhancement of evanescent waves

We describe a type of multilayer dielectric coating designed to enhance the intensity of evanescent waves. The coating consists of a stack of alternating high- and low-index quarter-wave layers followed by a final low-index layer whose thickness is chosen to optimize the evanescent-wave intensity. Indirect measurements of the film properties are in good agreement with theory.     

Reversible suppression of the so-called fishtail effect in ultra pure single crystals of YBa2Cu3O7−δ achieved by proper oxygenation

We report on the absence of the so-called fishtail or peak effect in the magnetisation curves of properly oxygenated high purity (5N) single crystals of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–. As we recently reported [1] high pressure oxygenation procedures are suitable to produce a monotonous dependence of the critical current density with the magnetic field. In this article we report furthermore how to reversibly produce or remove this effect on the same crystal by proper oxygenation methods. Along with the high purity of the samples, — due to crystal growth in non reactive BaZrO₃ crucibles —, this proves that at least in pure samples the fishtail effect is due to different oxygenation states and/or oxygen distributions. In less pure samples, however, other sources for this anomaly like metallic impurities can act as an additional source for the fishtail anomaly.     

Components for the implementation of free-space optical crossbars

We describe an optical system developed to form the basis of a 64 × 64 free-space optical matrix-matrix crossbar switch. The design and performance of each of the main optical components is discussed: lenses, diffractive optical elements, and polarizing beamsplitters, together with the optomechanical hardware design. For these components, throughput levels of -6.9 dB have been achieved, which is compatible with full system operation at 10(-12) bit error rates at ≥270 Mbits s(-1).     

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy studies on YBa2Cu3O7−δ

Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS) measurements have been carried out on the high T_c superconductor (HTS) YBa₂Cu₃O_7– (YBCO). Using very high quality single crystals as well as hard tips, we obtained differential conductance spectra which showed various conductance features in agreement with other spectroscopic techniques. The reproducibility of our spectra allowed us to map for the first time the vortex lattice on a HTS using a STS technique¹. The vortices are arranged in a short range order oblique lattice, while the cores of the flux lines show an anisotropic shape. These observations can be related to the in-plane anisotropy of YBCO.